Enban Gyoza The Round Plate Dumplings of Fukushima City

Enban gyoza, the soul food of Fukushima City, is a bold style in which dumplings are lined up in a full circle across the pan and flipped onto a plate. True to its name, it arrives at the table looking like a flying disc.

Highlights

Because the small, bite sized dumplings are packed tightly and fried together, they turn crisp outside and juicy within. Many versions have a light, vegetable rich filling that keeps you reaching for more. The dish is said to have begun when Katsue Kanno, a repatriate from former Manchuria after the war, recreated the dumplings she had learned there using a single pan. She later opened the shop Manpuku and spread the method. Enban gyoza is a registered trademark of the Fukushima City tourism and convention association, and in 2024 it was certified as a 100 Year Food by the Agency for Cultural Affairs.

Enjoying the Seasons

It can be enjoyed all year, but locals love pairing it with an ice cold beer. A round after work in summer or a plate of steaming dumplings to warm up in winter, the ways to enjoy it shift with the seasons.

Access and Basic Information

Specialty shops dot the area around JR Fukushima Station. From Manpuku, regarded as the founding shop, the city offers a range of distinctive favorites. Popular places may form lines, so allow plenty of time.

Practical Travel Notes

• Where to eat: Specialty shops and Chinese restaurants around JR Fukushima Station, many open mainly in the evening
• Portion and sharing: One plate holds more than twenty pieces, so sharing among a group is ideal
• How to eat: The local way is su kosho, just vinegar and pepper. It also goes wonderfully with beer
• Crowds: Popular shops may have lines or sell out, so allow plenty of time

A Quick Tip

One plate holds more than twenty pieces, so sharing among a group is ideal. Eating them with just vinegar and pepper is the local way.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Typical opening hours: The description on the Agency for Cultural Affairs' "100-Year Food" list (applicant: the Fukushima Gyoza Association) states plainly that "because office workers have long dropped in on their way home from work, many restaurants still do not open at lunchtime and instead open from the early evening." A single plate holds around 20 to 30 dumplings.
• Public facility where you can eat it at lunchtime: Michi-no-Eki Fukushima roadside station (1-1 Tsukizaki, Ozaso, Fukushima City / 024-572-4588, 9:00-18:00, open year-round, right by the exit of Fukushima-Ozaso IC on the Tohoku-Chuo Expressway). "Mendokoro Hirota Seifunjo" in the food court (10:30-18:00, last order 17:30) serves disc-shaped Fukushima gyoza.
• Access: The specialist restaurants in the city centre are clustered around JR Fukushima Station.

Note: Opening hours and prices vary from restaurant to restaurant.

(Sources: Agency for Cultural Affairs "100-Year Food," Fukushima Prefecture list; Michi-no-Eki Fukushima official website; Fukushima Gyoza Association official website)

Information Sources

This article is compiled from tourism information for Fukushima City and from information published by each restaurant. Prices and menus vary by restaurant and are subject to change, so please check each restaurant's official information for details.

Sightseeing Checklist

• Budget guide: Affordable, from around 1,000 yen per plate
• Where to eat it: Specialist gyoza restaurants in Fukushima City
• Recommended time of day: Mainly in the evening. A popular accompaniment to beer
• Avoiding the crowds: Popular restaurants are busy in the evening, so just after opening or an earlier hour is your best bet
• Enjoy it together with: A hot spring tour of Iizaka Onsen, and Fukushima's local sake and beer