Oita's local food is one of the best reasons to spend an evening in the city. The signature dish is toriten — chicken tempura served with a sharp ponzu-style dipping sauce — which originated here in the 1960s and is on almost every menu. Dango-jiru, a hearty miso soup with flat hand-pulled wheat noodles, is the local soul food. The prefecture is also Japan's biggest producer of kabosu, a sour green citrus used in everything from sashimi dressing to shochu cocktails.
The best hunting grounds for food are the alleys around Oita Station's north exit and the Galleria Takemachi arcade, both packed with izakayas, ramen joints, and yakitori counters. Try Tori Ten Yamasaki for toriten, or any of the small izakayas serving fresh fish from the Bungo Channel (sekisaba mackerel and sekiaji jack are the prized local catches).