Five Popular Street Foods in Sendai

Street Food in Sendai

Cheap and delicious street foods that you can enjoy while strolling through Sendai, a verdant city with a rich history known as the City of Trees.

You’ll find everything from the usual street food items to desserts shaped like cute characters.

Here, we will introduce five street foods that are popular even among Japanese people.

Why not enjoy the local tastes of Sendai that you won’t find in Tokyo or Osaka.

Street food 1: Hyotan-age (Abe Kamaboko-ten Main Store)

Hyotan-age, or a corn dog-style fried fish cake, can be found at Abe Kamaboko-ten, a long-established store that produces Sendai’s famous sasa-kamaboko fishcakes.

Hyotan-age is made of kamaboko, a type of fish cake, which is battered and deep-fried. The fluffy texture of the fish cake pairs perfectly with the light, crispy batter.

Enjoy this street food corn dog-style, with a dash of ketchup.

If you find the word “winner” printed on your stick, you’ll get another Hyotan-age for free!

Address	2-3-18 Chuo, Aoba-ku, Sendai-shi
Opening hours	10:00 a.m.- 6:30 p.m. (open daily)

Street food 2: Zunda shake (Zunda Saryo, Sendai Station Zunda Komichi Branch)

An original beverage created by Kasho Sanzen, a confectionary manufacturer and creator of one of Sendai’s famous desserts Hagi no tsuki.

This drink combines vanilla-flavored milk shake with Zunda Saryo’s special zunda (sweet edamame) paste.Enjoy the refreshing, delicious taste of edamame and the gentle sweetness of the drink.

You have got yourself an original Sendai beverage.

Address	Sendai Station 3F, 1-1-1 Chuo, Aoba-ku, Sendai-shi, Miyagi-ken
Opening hours	Shop 9:00 a.m.– 9:00 p.m. Eat-in space 10:00 a.m.– 6:00 p.m

Street food 3: Suzume Manju (Chunchundo)

A new dessert created in Sendai in 2023.

This cute confection is shaped like a sparrow (“suzume”), a motif associated with the sparrow in the family crest of DATE Masamune, a former warlord and the first lord of the Sendai Domain, as well as the sparrow dance, a dance originating in Sendai with a 400-year history.

This street food can be eaten on the spot, and also makes for a great souvenir.

Address	Aoba Castle Honmaru Kaikan 1F, Kawauchi 1, Aoba-ku, Sendai-shi, Miyagi-ken
Opening hours	10:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. (closed on Wednesdays)

Street food 4: Sankaku Jogi Fried Tofu (Jogi Tofu Shop)

Jogi Tofu Shop, located on Jogi mountain, is a traditional tofu shop with a history of over 130 years.

Their most popular product is the Sankaku Jogi Fried Tofu (triangularly shaped tofu that has been deep fried).

Popular even with locals, lines of customers are often seen on weekends and holidays.

Crispy on the outside and bouncy and soft within, this tofu dish can only be enjoyed here.

Address	1-2 Okura Shimomichi, Aoba-ku, Sendai-shi, Miyagi-ken (Board the bus from platform 10 at JR Sendai Station West Exit Bus Terminal. Get off at the final stop Jogi. It is a 5-minute walk towards Jogi Nyorai Saihoji Temple from the bus stop.)
Opening hours	8:00 a.m.– 4:00 p.m. (closed on Tuesdays)

Street food 5: Matcha Soft (Ocha no Igeta Sendai-Chuo Shop)

At Ocha no Igeta Kikusuian, the concept of their matcha soft serve is “edible tea.”

This dessert has been loved by many since its release, and is now considered the soul food of Sendai.

Every morning, the staff at the store makes the soft serve from scratch. Since they are a tea shop, they use some of the finest matcha green tea available to them, which is the secret to what makes the dessert so delicious.

We hope you get to enjoy this rich taste and flavor that you won’t find anywhere else.