[2025 Edition] 8 Recommended Restaurants and Cafes in Gero Onsen Town! ~From Hida Beef to Matcha Sweets~

• Table of Contents
• Enjoy the fine quality spring water and delicious food of Gero Onsen, one of Japan's three most famous hot springs
• 1. Yamabiko: Presenting the taste of Hida in Gero Onsen Town for over 50 years
• 2. "Keichan Yaki" is a local dish that can only be enjoyed here! It's also fun to grill it yourself! "Hagiya Keichan"
• 3. Utagekura: A restaurant serving Gero's local cuisine, including pork steak made with local brand pork "Nattoku Pork"
• 4. If you want to try the Gero Onsen specialty "Hida Beef Tomato Bowl" filled with Gero's local specialties, then go to "Blanc du Etoile"
• 5. Just a 2-minute walk from Gero Station! Enjoy matcha, one of Japan's cultural assets. The handmade nerikiri are adorable too: "Matcha Cafe Midoriiro"
• 6. Rice flour chiffon cake "Soso" offers a rare chiffon sandwich
• 7. The only horse chestnut sweets shop in the world! "Senjudo" where you can enjoy the rich aroma of horse chestnuts that fills your mouth
• 8. Rigoro Rigoro: A creative French restaurant serving rare local beef from Gero's farms
• 9. Enjoy the Hida Beef Hitsumabushi Meal at Kitano Ryokan, a Japanese restaurant in the long-established Suimeikan Inn
• Stay at Gero Onsen Suimeikan and experience Japanese hospitality

Enjoy the fine quality spring water and delicious food of Gero Onsen, one of Japan's three most famous hot springs

Gero Onsen, famous as one of Japan's three most famous hot springs alongside Arima and Kusatsu, has a distinctive, thick spring quality that has earned it the nickname "beauty bath" and attracts many repeat visitors. Gero is popular for the quality of its hot springs, but it also has a lot of delicious food! In this article, we'll introduce not only Hida beef, but also local dishes that were born in Gero and dishes that can only be tasted here.

If you're looking to stay at Gero Onsen, we recommend Suimeikan, a 3-minute walk from Gero Station.

1. Yamabiko: Presenting the taste of Hida in Gero Onsen Town for over 50 years

"Yamabiko" is a restaurant in Gero Onsen town that has been run by a family for over 50 years, with a nostalgic atmosphere reminiscent of an old-fashioned folk house. You can enjoy the seasonal bounty of the mountains and rivers of Hida. You can enjoy a variety of local flavors from Hida and Gero, but the most popular is the traditional Hida region dish "Hida Beef with Magnolia Leaf Miso Set Meal." This dish is made with a strong homemade miso flavor that will make you want to eat more and more rice. Please enjoy the delicious flavor of Hida beef as well.

Echo

509-2202 1088-2 Mori, Gero City, Gifu Prefecture

"Yamabiko" is a restaurant in Gero Onsen town that has been run by a family for over 50 years, with a nostalgic atmosphere reminiscent of an old-fashioned folk house. You can enjoy the seasonal bounty of the mountains and rivers of Hida. You can taste the traditional flavors of the Hida region, such as "Hoba Miso Yaki" and "Keichan", as well as set meals featuring local river fish. Other seasonal Gero flavors are also offered. The retro bus stop-style waiting room next to the restaurant is also a popular photo spot. *If you use the restaurant outside of business hours and open it when it is chained, please make sure to re-chain it.

2. "Keichan Yaki" is a local dish that can only be enjoyed here! It's also fun to grill it yourself! "Hagiya Keichan"

This restaurant specializes in Gifu's local cuisine, Kei-chan. This restaurant is directly managed by a long-established local manufacturer, and the chicken marinated in a secret sauce is delicious and can't be found anywhere else! You can choose the type of chicken and the seasoning, so you can customize it to your liking. Since you grill it yourself, it's entertaining, and it will be a memorable experience that you can only have here.

The local gourmet food that can only be found in Gifu is extremely popular with tourists from both Japan and abroad.

Hagiya Kei-chan

509-2207 547-7 Yunoshima Building 1F, Gero City, Gifu Prefecture

A new restaurant specializing in the local dish "Keichan" opened in Gero Onsen town in 2023. This restaurant is directly managed by a long-established manufacturer, and the carefully selected chicken marinated in a secret sauce is delicious and can't be found anywhere else. As you can cook the chicken yourself on a special hot plate, it is sure to become a one-of-a-kind memory of your trip. There are also plenty of gourmet foods that can only be found here, such as "Keichan Karaage", which is fried keichan, and sweet sake soft serve ice cream made with sweet sake from the local Tenryo Sake Brewery.

3. Utagekura: A restaurant serving Gero's local cuisine, including pork steak made with local brand pork "Nattoku Pork"

"Utagekura" is a restaurant that serves various regional dishes using local ingredients. In addition to the famous Hida beef dishes, the Hida region also offers a variety of dishes using Nattoku pork. Among them, the tonteki highlights the natural umami and sweetness of the pork and is recommended for those who want to enjoy Nattoku pork. You can also enjoy Gero's unique food culture, such as Keichan.

Dining: Enzo

509-2202 971-59 Mori, Gero City, Gifu Prefecture

This restaurant offers a wide variety of menu items that allow you to enjoy local flavors, including Hida beef, dishes made with Gero brand pork "Nattoku Pork," and Gero's soul food "Keichan." The entrance is across from Gero City Hall, on the second floor of the convenience store.

The article below introduces "Nattoku Pork," a pork brand born in Gero.

4. If you want to try the Gero Onsen specialty "Hida Beef Tomato Bowl" filled with Gero's local specialties, then go to "Blanc du Etoile"

As you walk through the hot spring town of Gero, you will come across a white building decorated with roses; this is the Hida beef restaurant "Blanc du Etoile." Did you know that tomatoes are actually a specialty of Gero? Tomato rice bowls, made with plenty of Gero tomatoes, are one of the specialties of Gero hot spring town. Be sure to try this addictive bowl of Hida beef with a sweet and spicy sauce and the sweet and sour taste of the tomatoes! Another attraction of this restaurant is that they use plenty of local ingredients in their soups, desserts, rice, etc.

Blanc du Etoile

789 Yunoshima, Gero City, Gifu Prefecture, 509-2207

As you walk through Gero's hot spring town, you'll come across a white building decorated with roses; this is the Hida beef specialty restaurant "Blanc du Etoile." The tomato bowl, made with plenty of tomatoes, a specialty of Gero, is one of the specialties of Gero hot spring town. Another attraction is the generous use of local ingredients in the soup, dessert, rice, and other dishes, as well as the carefully selected steaks and hamburgers. Recommended for those who want to try real Hida beef.

5. Just a 2-minute walk from Gero Station! Enjoy matcha, one of Japan's cultural assets. The handmade nerikiri are adorable too: "Matcha Cafe Midoriiro"

"Matcha Cafe Midoriiro" is a small hideaway-like shop that was renovated from a 100-year-old traditional house, located a two-minute walk from Gero Station. In a Japanese-style space and atmosphere, you can enjoy a relaxing moment with matcha and Japanese sweets. This is the only shop in Gero where you can enjoy matcha! Each Nerikiri is handmade with a seasonal design, and the carefully cooked azuki beans are a favorite flavor among repeat customers.

We also recommend the slightly sweet yet spicy lunch-only curry, made with koji miso.

Gero Onsen Matcha Cafe Midoriiro

1442-1 Koda, Gero City, Gifu Prefecture, 509-2206

Matcha Cafe Midoriiro, a two-minute walk from Gero Station, is a small, hideaway-like cafe that was renovated from a 100-year-old traditional Japanese house. You can enjoy matcha with handmade nerikiri and Japanese sweets made with carefully cooked azuki beans. The curry lunch, made with plenty of koji miso and spices, is also popular.

6. Rice flour chiffon cake "Soso" offers a rare chiffon sandwich

"Sousou" is a shop that specializes in cute palm-sized rice flour chiffon cakes. In addition to traditional flavors, the shop features a lineup of cakes that are unique to Gero, such as perilla and tomatoes, which are local specialties. One dish you should try at least once is the chiffon sandwich, which is made by sandwiching chicken ham and eggs between chiffon cake! You can enjoy a new way to eat chiffon cake with a sweet and salty taste. It is recommended for a light lunch or snack. Another attraction is the comfortable atmosphere inside the store, where time seems to flow slowly.

Sou-sou

509-2206 1151-2 Sun World Building 2F, Koda, Gero City, Gifu Prefectur...

A shop that specializes in palm-sized rice flour chiffon cakes. In addition to classic flavors like plain and cocoa, the lineup also includes local specialties such as perilla and tomato flavors that are unique to Gero. The sweet and salty chiffon sandwich, made by sandwiching eggs and chicken ham between chiffon cake, is one of the unique charms of Soso. Both eat-in and take-out are available. Open in the evening on Saturdays.

7. The only horse chestnut sweets shop in the world! "Senjudo" where you can enjoy the rich aroma of horse chestnuts that fills your mouth

Senjudo, the only shop in the world specializing in horse chestnut sweets, is run by a horse chestnut rice cracker shop founded in 1971. Horse chestnuts are a part of the food culture of Gero, so you can experience a taste that can only be found in Gero Onsen. The horse chestnut Mont Blanc, available in the shop, is a dish made entirely from horse chestnuts, with the sponge, ice cream, and Mont Blanc cream all made with horse chestnuts. With one bite, the horse chestnut aroma and subtle sweetness fills your mouth. In the summer, the horse chestnut shaved ice is also recommended.

Senjudo

2557-4 Mori, Gero City, Gifu Prefecture 509-2202

The world's only Tochinomi sweets specialty store located between Gero Onsen's tourist facilities Gassho Village and Ideyu Asaichi. We offer rare sweets made using chichinomi grown in Gero.

8. Rigoro Rigoro: A creative French restaurant serving rare local beef from Gero's farms

Located a 5-minute walk from Gero Station and close to the hot spring town, Rigoro Rigoro is a cafe restaurant where you can enjoy creative French cuisine. They serve hamburgers made with local beef, commonly known as "Mitsuo beef", raised by local ranchers. Compared to Hida beef, it has less fat and uses as little additives and spices as possible, so you can enjoy the strong flavor of the red meat even more. The sweets in the showcase, especially the smooth pudding and chocolate gateau, are also popular, so please enjoy them with your meal.

Rigoro x Rigoro

509-2206 1190-1 Koda, Gero City, Gifu Prefecture

A café restaurant just a 5-minute walk from Gero Station. Enjoy casual creative French cuisine and homemade sweets. They offer seasonal meals using local ingredients, and are one of the few places to eat Gero local beef: Mitsuo beef. The smooth pudding and chocolate gateau are especially popular desserts. There is a diaper changing area and semi-private tatami tables, so it's perfect for families with children.

9. Enjoy the Hida Beef Hitsumabushi Meal at Kitano Ryokan, a Japanese restaurant in the long-established Suimeikan Inn

At Kitano Ryo, a restaurant inside Suimeikan, a long-established inn in Gero Onsen, the lunchtime-only Hida Beef Hitsumabushi Zen is very popular. The sweet and spicy special sauce and lightly seasoned Hida beef go perfectly together. Enjoy the mellow aroma of Hida beef that fills your mouth. If you are staying for lunch, you can also get a discount on day-use bathing, so be sure to enjoy both.

Suimeikan also has Chinese and Western restaurants. Information on lunch and dinner for overnight guests is provided in the article below.

Restaurant "Kitano Ryo"

509-2206 1268 Koda, Gero City, Gifu Prefecture, Suimeikan, Sansuikaku,...

We offer multi-course meals that make use of seasonal ingredients. Enjoy the bounty of Hida in a restaurant that exudes a sense of nostalgia. The Hida beef hitsumabushi set lunch is popular.

Stay at Gero Onsen Suimeikan and experience Japanese hospitality

So far, we have introduced restaurants in Gero, but there are many delicious things to eat in Gero! Please come and enjoy the town and hot springs of Gero. At the long-established inn "Gero Onsen Suimeikan," we look forward to welcoming you with hospitality that respects the four seasons and culture of Japan.

Book Gero Onsen Suimeikan

For more information about Gero Onsen, please see the article below.