Nagoya has its own regional cuisine — Nagoya-meshi — distinct enough to be recognised across Japan. The cornerstones are miso-katsu (deep-fried pork cutlet glazed with thick red haccho miso), hitsumabushi (charcoal-grilled eel served three ways over rice), tebasaki (crispy salt-pepper chicken wings), kishimen (flat udon in clear bonito broth), and ankake spaghetti (Western pasta in a spicy red sauce). Many of these started as workers' food in the 20th century and are still cheapest in counter-only shops near the stations.
The classic restaurants are concentrated in Sakae, around Osu, and inside Nagoya Station, where Esca and Meichika underground arcades hold most of the famous names within ten minutes' walk of the shinkansen platform.