Ninjintei is a Yuzawa legend. It is THE place to go if you are looking for a big feed. In a town were the visitor numbers fluctuate hugely, Ninjintei is one of the few places that often has a queue. So much in demand is their food that even with the snow falling heavily outside, the line of people snakes out onto the street.
It is hugely popular and for good reason.The sign states that Ninjintei specializes in deep fried, breaded pork cutlets, and five of the staples on their menu are various forms of this tasty treat. The others are deep fried giant prawns and three types of hamburger. For a restaurant that only has nine things on the menu, it is very difficult to come to a decision. The extra large cutlet or extra large hamburger should only be tackled by the seriously hungry. Along with your meat you get a slab of tofu, pickles, a big bowl of soup and depending on your choice of main, a mountain of cabbage. For most people it is quite an achievement to munch their way through all of this and most people don't manage it.
The restaurant is a family run operation with dad in the kitchen and the eldest son out in front. Most of their ingredients are sourced locally and there is a big board up explaining the provenance of the food. You can also buy their own recipe salad dressing and tonkatsu sauce if you would like to take a bit of the restaurant home with you.The 9 main dishes on the picture menu are the star of the show but there are also a few other dishes on offer on another menu often with seasonal specials. There are lots of sakes, shochus and umeshus on offer. The drink menu is actually more extensive than the food menu.
It really is an amazing meal and it is great taking people for the first time just to see the look on their face when this feast arrives. I even know people who interrupt a day on the slopes just to come down to town to eat here. It is opposite the Yuzawa Kogen Ropeway on the main road on the West Side of the Station.
It can get busy at Ninjintei but it is well worth the wait.
