Poro ぽろ @ Nagoya

In Nagoya, you can find restaurants offering obanzai, which is a style of traditional home-style Japanese cuisine, often with a Kyoto influence. This one is so close to the famous shopping street.

Poro ぽろ is an izakaya located near Endoji. Endoji Shopping Street is a historic and revitalised area in Nagoya, Japan, known for its traditional atmosphere mixed with contemporary shops and cultural hubs, located near the Shikemichi historical district.

I went there for the first time for a company drinking party. They don’t have a fixed menu, and serve whatever ingredients they can source that are in season.

Obanzai おばんざい is a style of Japanese home-style cooking focused on simple, delicious dishes made with seasonal ingredients. It often features a selection of dishes similar to Kyo-ryori (Kyoto cuisine) and is a popular way to experience traditional Japanese comfort food. Strictly speaking for food to be considered obanzai, at least half of its ingredients must be produced or processed in Kyoto.

There are many unique dishes on the menu, and when I spoke to the manager, Sakamoto, who is in charge of planning the menu, he told me that he used to work at a Japanese restaurant with a Japanese-Western concept. Polo has three stores in Nagoya, and the manager of each store plans the menu. Sakamoto himself says that he enjoys changing the menu every day.

You can enjoy a variety of sake. The staff are cheerful and nice. If you let them know your preferences, such as refreshing or rich flavour, they will help you make a recommendation for you.

It seems like a place for two or three people to have fun drinking. It’s small, so it might not be suitable for a large group.

You will receive an otoshi, which is a small, complimentary appetiser served with your first drink and included in a small cover charge. Tonight’s otoshi was mozuku, a thin seaweed from Okinawa, marinated with thin-shredded ginger in sweet vinegar.

Bite size pieces of deep fried fish are marinated in slightly sweet vinegar and soy based sauce with a serving of mesclun salad. During the time spent in the fridge the fish absorbs the vinegared hot marinade and becomes one of the most cooling summer dishes I have ever tasted.

Next up, a duo of obazans to go with our drinks. The boiled spinach (R), and quail eggs marinated in soy sauce were really good. Before you know it, we had to order more obazans.

Next, we ordered an assortment of obanzai that included bit of everything that they had prepared that evening. ふりそで肉のトマト煮込み Furisode beef stewed in tomato sauce was really delicious, like the stewed beef tripe tapa I had in Barcelona. いぶりがっこポテサラ Iburigakko potato salad was different from other izakayas as they used smoked pickled radish in the mix.

The fish used for the sashimi were procured mainly from the Goto Islands. From right, カンパチ amberjack, 真鯛 Japanese sea bream, 初ガツオのタタキ seared bonito, サーモン salmon, キハダマグロ yellowfin tuna.

Deep-fried moray eel is a delicacy popular in parts of Japan, like Kochi, and Portugal, known for its delicate white flesh and collagen-rich skin. It tasted buttery and delicious.

メヒカリ Mehikari, also known as the “Greeneye” or “Bigeyed Greeneye,” is a rare, deep-sea fish with large, green, glowing eyes that lives in the deep ocean. The fish has a white, fluffy, and oily flesh, making it a delicate and flavourful delicacy, often served fried (karaage 唐揚げ) or grilled.

Marinated firefly squid, or hotaru ika, is a Japanese delicacy, often enjoyed in spring, prepared by marinating firefly squid in a mixture of ingredients like miso, soy sauce, sake, or squid ink. By May, you get the squid that had been marinated earlier on and frozen, so they can be really salty.

Iburi gakko is a unique Japanese smoked and pickled daikon radish from Akita Prefecture, known for its deep, sweet, and smoky flavour with a crunchy texture. Made by first smoking daikon radishes over wood, then pickling them in rice bran, it is enjoyed as a side dish with rice, an accompaniment to alcoholic beverages with cheese, or even as a topping for other dishes.

Finally, we finished off with the sea bream kamameshi 鯛と生姜の釜めし. It takes quite a while to prepare, so I think it’s best to order it at the beginning. The kamameshi was made with the legendary Mineasahi rice 「ミネアサヒ」originally from the mountainous areas of Aichi Prefecture, known for its superior taste and texture that has earned it a “Special A” ranking. Often called “phantom rice” 幻のお米 due to its very limited production and lack of marketing, Mineasahi is a prized variety that thrives in high-altitude, mountainous regions with significant temperature variations. 

Mineasahi is celebrated for its strong stickiness and ability to remain delicious even after it cools. Flavoured by a savoury broth extracted from fish bones, the tai meshi 鯛めし had sea bream shredded and mixed in, with the flavours of the fish infused into every grain.

Good home-cooked food with friendly service that made us feel right at home. Everything was delicious, and paired with a couple of beers and sake, it was amazing. In short, a place I highly recommend, especially for good food with a couple of drinks. 

Poro Homemade Kitchen Endoji ぽろ ホームメイドキッチン 円頓寺店
1-6-18 Nagono, Nishi-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi 451-0042, Japan 愛知県名古屋市西区那古野1-6-18
Tel : +81 52-462-9884 (Reservations)

Visited May 2025