Gyoza Specialty Restaurant Ichiro

Gyoza Specialty Restaurant Ichiro. I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks of Ichiro when I see the name of this restaurant in Sannomiya, Kobe. Of course, I don’t think the restaurant has any connection to Ichiro himself, but the name piqued my curiosity, so I decided to stop by for lunch one day. But you know…

It’s not really a gyoza specialty shop at all… This is what Gyoza Specialty Restaurant Ichiro is like…

This place, Gyoza Specialty Restaurant Ichiro, isn’t really a gyoza specialty shop at all. After all, they promote their hamburg steaks more than their gyoza. As soon as I sat down at one of the 12 counter seats inside, a middle-aged female staff member called out to me, “Our hamburg steaks are delicious!” I can understand why they have Chinese-style dishes like shrimp dumplings and xiaolongbao on the menu, but I couldn’t help but wonder, “Hamburg steaks at a gyoza specialty shop? What’s that about?”

However, the three staff members in the kitchen that day all seemed to be native Chinese speakers. That means, at the very least, the gyoza are sure to be delicious. You can also sense that they’re attentive to their customers, like when they kindly explain how to make the recommended gyoza dipping sauce. It has an Asian-inspired atmosphere similar to Man-en, but it’s definitely a comfortable place to be.

But gyoza is the way to go, right? I tried the pan-fried gyoza set meal at Gyoza Specialty Restaurant Ichiro—how did it actually turn out?

So, even though I was immediately recommended a hamburger steak at Gyoza Specialty Restaurant Ichiro, I figured I should start with gyoza… so I decided to order the pan-fried gyoza set meal that day. About 10 minutes after placing my order, the pan-fried gyoza set meal was brought to my table, and this is what it looked like…

It came with 10 slightly small pan-fried gyoza, rice, and soup, all for 850 yen (tax included). It really is just a tiny bit, but I got the impression the portion size was a bit on the small side. What surprised me even more was that this pan-fried gyoza set meal is apparently a limited menu item available only until 3:00 PM. For the signature dish at a gyoza specialty shop to be treated this way… I started to feel a little sorry for the gyoza.

Well, putting that aside, let’s get to tasting the gyoza… They’re about the same size as the small gyoza you find in Kyoto, with thin, smooth wrappers. The filling consists of coarsely chopped cabbage and pork. It has a solid umami flavor, but the garlic isn’t overpowering, so you could eat these without worry even before meeting someone.

The dipping sauce for these gyoza is a blend of miso, soy sauce, vinegar, and chili oil in a ratio of roughly 2:1:1:0.5. It had a home-style flavor that I could probably recreate at home. The server kindly warned me, “Be careful, the chili oil is spicy,” but by my standards—I have a pretty dull palate—it wasn’t that spicy at all. I actually thought I could probably double the amount of chili oil and still be fine…

I finished the pan-fried gyoza set meal at Gyoza Specialty Restaurant Ichiro in about 10 minutes and left the shop. The way they managed to retain the rich umami while effectively masking the garlic odor really shows their craftsmanship. That said, it still left me feeling a bit unsatisfied… If I didn’t have to worry about the price, I’d definitely order another serving and eat my fill.

Other menu items at Gyoza Specialty Restaurant Ichiro (prices include tax)

• Pan-Fried Xiaolongbao Set: 1,550 yen
• Daiya’s Hamburger Steak Set: 890 yen
• Pan-Fried Shumai (5 pieces): 780 yen
• Boiled Gyoza (8 pieces): 750 yen
• Pan-Fried Gyoza (6 pieces): 350 yen

Their signature hamburger steak is now available online… Ichiro, a gyoza specialty shop, is a 6-minute walk from the nearest station, Kobe Sannomiya Station on the Hankyu Kobe Line.

It seems that at Gyoza Specialty Restaurant Ichiro, you can now purchase their signature hamburger steak online…

I thought, “They bill themselves as a gyoza specialty shop—are they really pushing their hamburger steak this hard?” They do sell gyoza online, though… Plus, I hear their gyoza has even ranked #1 on Rakuten, so why aren’t they promoting the gyoza more? Anyway, I’ve included a link tothe restaurant’s website, so feel free to check it out if you’re interested.

Here are the restaurant details…