Chicken wings. Who doesn’t love them?
Considering they’re now everywhere in Japan, you might think we are lying if we told you that, in the past, people threw chicken wings away because no one knew how to prepare them. Can you believe it? What a waste!
Nowadays, you can find Tebasaki pretty much anywhere in Japan. Tebasaki are chicken wings with a signature peppery spice, are they’re so synonymous with Nagoyan food, they are one of the most well known of the Nagoya Meshi. Nagoya Meshi is a fancy name for the foods that make up Nagoya’s cultural cuisine. Check out our full article for the rest of them! Let us show you the best places to try Tebasaki in Nagoya!
Article Contents
Where Can I Find These Delicious Wings of Which You Speak?
Most izakaya (Japanese bars) in Nagoya serve their own version of Tebasaki with special spices and secret recipes. However, there are a couple of places you really can’t miss if you want to try the best and most famous Tebasaki in Nagoya. Read on to find out where!
Sekai No Yamachan
For your first experience of Nagoya-style chicken wings, we recommend Sekai no Yamachan. Yamachan opened his first shop way back in 1981 in Shinsakae and still serves the same recipe today! Yamachan is certainly responsible for popularizing Tebasaki throughout Japan, and now there are hundreds of Sekai no Yamachan locations all over Asia. You can see his cheeky grin all over the city as he beckons you towards a night of good eating and drinking.
One serving of their famous chicken wings, Maboroshi Tebasaki, includes 5 pieces. They deep-fry the chicken wings without batter and season them with a delicious mix of spices, salt, and a LOT of pepper.
The other variation, Kurotebasaki, meaning “black chicken wings,” features a Worcestershire sauce flavor, giving it its black color and sweet taste.
Yamachan has devised a special method of eating chicken wings easily and without leaving any meat on the bone. You can find the instructions on the chopstick wrapper (in Japanese) or on their website (in English). Try it!
While chicken wings are their staple dish, Yamachan serves many other local Nagoya dishes such as Ankake Spaghetti, Teppan Spaghetti, and Miso Katsu. You can also order Kishimen or Tenmusu.
Sekai no Yamachan has shops all over Nagoya, so type ‘Sekai no Yamachan’ or simply ‘Yamachan’ into Google Maps to find the store closest to you.
Or, visit this location conveniently near Nagoya Station.
Sekai no Yamachan Nagoya Station Eastern Shop (世界の山ちゃん 名古屋駅東店）
Opening Hours: 17:00 – 24:15, closes early on Sunday
Address: 4-16-27 Meieki, Nakamura Ward, Nagoya, Aichi 450-0002
Access: You can walk directly from Nagoya station which will take approximately 5 minutes, or take the train to Kokusai Center on the red line and it’s a 2-minute walk from there.
Website | Google Maps
Furaibo
While Yamachan may be more well-known, Furaibo takes credit for starting it all by possibly being the first shop to sell Tebasaki in Nagoya, way back in the 1960s! Their chicken wings come in servings of 5, seasoned with a sweet and spicy sauce perfect for the whole family. They also have a special method of eating chicken wings without leaving any meat on the bone. You will find the explanation at your table.
Furaibo remains very popular, so expect a bit of a wait before getting a table—but it’s well worth it!
You can find multiple locations around Nagoya Station, one in the Esca Underground Shopping Street and one each on either side of the station. There is also a one in the Sakae District, the downtown area of Nagoya.
Furaibo Meieki Century Toyota Building Shop （風来坊 名駅センチュリー豊田ビル店）
Opening Hours: 15:30 – 22:30. Closed Sundays
Address: Century Toyota Building B1F 4-9-8 Meieki, Nakamura Ward, Nagoya Aichi 450-0002
Access: Approximately a 5-minute walk from Nagoya Station
Website (Japanese only) | Google Maps
Maka Maka Honten
Located in Sakae District, Maka Make Honten serves two kinds of chicken wings: Kin no Tebasaki (top of the picture, Golden Chicken Wings) and Gin no Tebasaki (bottom of the picture, Silver Chicken Wings). They are made from Nagoya Cochin, a special kind of chicken breed from Nagoya. The meat of Nagoya Cochin Chicken is said to be rich in Umami and to have a special texture. It is one of only three nationally protected chicken breeds.
Kin no Tebasaki are seasoned with a special soy sauce blend topped with cayenne and black pepper and the golden color comes from white sesame.
Gin no Tebasaki, on the other hand, is seasoned with a salty sauce with a hint of garlic. It is topped with black sesame which is supposed to represent the silver color.
Maka Maka is not only specialized in chicken wings but serves other local Nagoya specialties such as Hitsumabushi, Miso Katsu, and Dote Ni. They also serve a Nagoya Style Keichan Yaki, a mix of Nagoya Cochin (a specially bred chicken with a great texture and rich umami flavor) and Hatcho Miso, the special dark red miso from Aichi.
Maka Maka Honten (まかまか本店)
Opening Hours: 11:00 – 24:00, closed from 14:00-17:00 on Tuesday – Friday
Address: GK Building 2F 3-11-13 Sakae, Naka Ward, Nagoya, Aichi 460-0008
Access: About a 10-minute walk from either Fushimi, Sakae or Yabacho station
Website (Japanese only) | Google Maps
Torikai
Torikai also serves Nagoya Cochin Chicken dishes at many locations around Nagoya. Their most famous dish is Oyako-don (chicken and egg on rice) but they also serve delicious Tebasaki, which are made from Nagoya Cochin, and seasoned with only the best salt and sauce before being fried to perfection. You can also order a Tabekurabe set which will let you compare the Nagoya Cochin chicken wings to normal chicken wings.
The chicken wings at Torikai are so special that they have won the Karaage Grand Prix in the category chicken wings for 3 years in a row.
Torikai Nagoya Station West Shop (鳥開 名駅西口店）
Opening Hours: 17:00 – 23:00. Closed Sundays. Open until 24:00 on Friday and Saturday.
Address: 1-7-15 Noritake, Nakamura Ward, Nagoya, Aichi 453-0014
Access: A 4-minute walk from the west exit of Nagoya Station.
Website (Japanese only) | Google Maps
Torigin
At Torigin, you will eat only the best and freshest Nagoya Cochin. Slaughtered the same day – that’s as fresh as fresh gets! They serve their Tebasaki in sets of 2. Specialized in Nagoya Cochin, you can enjoy many other dishes made with Nagoya Cochin such as Nagoya Cochin Nabe, Nagoya Cochin Skewers and even Nagoya Cochin Sashimi, which is raw chicken meat. This may sound like a recipe for salmonella, but it’s not! The meat is so fresh that there is little cause for concern there, though we’ll leave it up to you whether you want to try that one.
The atmosphere at Torigin is also spectacular. A traditional Japanese building with a Japanese garden you can overlook while eating in one of the private rooms.
Torigin is a short walk from Sakae or Hisayaodori Station in the downtown Sakae district.
Torigin (鳥銀)
Opening Hours: 17:00 – 20:30 Mon-Thurs, Sun and National Holidays. 17:00 – 23:30 Fri-Sat and the day before a National Holiday.
Address: Miyagi Building 3-14-14-22 Nishiki, Naka Ward, Nagoya, Aichi 460-0003
Access: A 2-minute walk from Sakae station.
Website (Japanese only) | Google Maps
Misen
For a different kind of Tebasaki, visit Misen. This restaurant serves Chinese and Taiwanese dishes and offers a delicious, spicy variation of Tebasaki. The meat is so tender it almost falls off the bone, and the spiciness has a real kick to it! They pair absolutely perfectly with beer.
Their specialty, by the way, isn’t Tebasaki, but rather Taiwan Ramen, another true Nagoya staple that we would highly recommend, especially if you like it spicy!
The main shop of Misen is located at Imaike Station but there are convenient restaurants close to Nagoya Station, and one in Yaba between Osu and Sakae.
Misen Imaike Main Shop (味仙 今池本店 )
Opening Hours: 17:00 – 1:00
Address: 1-12-10 Imaike, Chikusa Ward, Nagoya, Aichi 464-0850
Access: A 2-minute walk from Imaike station on the yellow line.
Website (Japanese only) | Google Maps
Tebasaki as a Souvenir
Shockingly, you can buy vacuum-sealed chicken wings at gift shops in Nagoya. They keep for a surprisingly long time (even up to a couple of months), and all you have to do when you get home is fry them and enjoy your own delicious chicken wings from Nagoya.
But be careful! Unfortunately, you cannot take raw meat to most countries, so if you want to take them back with you abroad, you should first check the regulations in your country. Imagine being held at customs over chicken wings!
If you want to go with a safer option to take home, you could buy also chicken wing-flavored snacks as a souvenir!
We hope we’ve taught you a little about Tebasaki! No matter where you are traveling to in Japan, we highly recommend you try this peppery treat. In Nagoya especially, you can’t miss trying it as part of your quest to try all of the Nagoya Meshi. Which you’re definitely going to do… right?
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