A restaurant with a lovely Japanese-modern interior, Shokukobo Tuo opened in December 2012.
Lunch offers two options: a Japanese set meal and a daily set meal.
In the evening, the menu features around 100 dishes, from izakaya fare to kaiseki cuisine.
There is also a wide selection of drinks to pair with the food and desserts, making this a restaurant that people of all ages, from children to seniors, can enjoy.
The restaurant was flooded to a depth of about 180 centimeters during the July 2018 heavy rains, but the local community’s eager calls for it to reopen helped spur its return to business in mid-September 2018.
We spoke with the owner about the restaurant’s delicious food, which brings smiles to diners, and the owner’s feelings about the restaurant. Here’s what we learned.
The information presented here was current when this article was published in June 2019. Please note that it may differ from current information.
A Japanese-modern interior for a relaxing meal
The Japanese-style room can accommodate up to 30 people. By partitioning it with fusuma sliding doors, it can also be used as a private room for groups of around 10.
The sunken kotatsu seating lets you stretch out and enjoy your meal, and is popular with older guests, too!
The restaurant’s appeal lies in its wide range of seating options, suitable for all kinds of occasions.
Two special lunches from Tuo for the whole family
Lunch comes in two options: a Japanese set meal for 1,200 yen (tax included) and a daily set meal for 900 yen (tax included).
A Japanese set meal with a little taste of many ingredients
The Japanese set meal uses homegrown vegetables and offers a nutritious, well-balanced meal!
The owner’s carefully selected dishes are arranged across the tray.
You can feel the owner’s desire to “make sure customers enjoy their meal.”
The glossy white rice is cooked to just the right firmness and has a subtly sweet flavor.
A sip of miso soup brings a comforting, gentle broth that warms you from within and brings a smile to your face.
The tempura has a thin, crisp coating and is not greasy, making it easy on the stomach.
The sashimi is fresh and springy, and makes you want to eat more rice.
The platter in the center is arranged in bite-sized portions, letting you enjoy lots of delicious dishes a little at a time.
The dressed dish on the far left combines “mentaiko,” “shamo chicken egg,” and “kazunoko,” with a distinctive crunchy texture.
The pork is topped with a tangy salt-sauce that is so richly seasoned, it makes you want a drink.
We were told it is the owner’s original sauce, also used on the evening menu.
There is also salad, pickles, a small dish of mozuku seaweed, and chawanmushi steamed egg custard.
Every dish was packed with flavor, and we enjoyed the meal without getting tired of it.
A daily set meal featuring meat dishes
The daily set meal is also recommended, as its main dish is often meat!
On the day of our visit, tonkatsu was the main dish in the daily set meal.
The rich miso sauce brings out the flavor of the crisp-fried tonkatsu.
It makes you want to come back again and again to try the different lunches.
And you can have as much rice as you like! It’s great that refills are included at this price.
You can add a drink for 150 yen (lunch only).
▼The drink menu is as follows (information current as of May 2019).
- Coffee (hot, iced)
- Black tea (hot, iced)
- Oolong tea
- Orange juice
- Tomato juice
- Apple juice
We spoke with Kiyofumi Tsuo, owner of Shokukobo Tuo in Yakage Town, next to Mabi.
We asked him about his feelings for his hometown of Yakage Town and what happened between the flooding and the restaurant’s reopening.
Shokukobo Tuo details
| Name | Shokukobo Tuo |
|---|---|
| Address | 2448-1 Era, Yakage Town, Oda District, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 0866-82-3232 |
| Parking | Available 12 spaces |
| Hours | Lunch: 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. Dinner: 5:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m. (last order 9:30 p.m.) |
| Closed | Monday Additional irregular closures |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Accepted |
| Seating | 52 seats total Raised seating: 12 seats Tables: 10 seats Japanese-style room: 30 seats |
| Smoking | Non-smoking during lunch only |
| Restroom | Western-style toilet |
| Website | Shokukobo Tuo |
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