Ikkaku Takamatsu

While Kagawa Prefecture is defined worldwide by udon, its second great culinary icon is honetsuki-dori, and Ikkaku is the restaurant credited with creating it. Founded in Marugame in the 1950s and now with a well-loved branch in central Takamatsu, Ikkaku serves a single, unforgettable signature dish: a whole bone-in chicken leg, marinated and roasted until the skin is dark, crisp, and glistening, then heavily seasoned with garlic and coarse black pepper. It arrives sizzling on a hot plate, fragrant and glossy with its own rendered fat, and is meant to be picked up and eaten off the bone.

The dish comes in two forms, and choosing between them is part of the ritual. 'Oya-dori,' made from mature laying hens, is firm and deeply chewy with a concentrated, savoury flavour that rewards patient gnawing; 'hina-dori,' from young chickens, is tender, juicy, and more approachable, with skin that shatters at the first bite. Regulars have strong opinions about which is superior, and many order both to compare. Whichever you choose, the accompanying ritual is the same: tear off pieces of raw cabbage and swipe them through the peppery, garlicky chicken fat pooling on the plate, and finish with a bowl of rice or an onigiri to soak up every last drop. A cold beer or a highball is the natural partner.

Ikkaku's Takamatsu branch has the warm, boisterous feel of a classic Japanese izakaya, and it fills quickly with office workers, families, and visitors in the evening. The setting near the Kawaramachi arcades — the shopping heart of the city — makes it an easy stop after a day of sightseeing, and its central location means you can pair it with an afternoon at Ritsurin Garden or a stroll through Takamatsu's covered shopping streets, said to be among the longest in Japan.

Honetsuki-dori is now served across Kagawa, and a friendly rivalry exists between Marugame and Takamatsu over which city does it best, but eating it at Ikkaku carries the satisfaction of going to the source. The preparation is deceptively simple — good chicken, generous seasoning, high heat — yet the result is one of those regional specialities that becomes an obsession, with fans planning entire trips around it.

The restaurant is busiest at dinner, when its lively atmosphere is part of the appeal, and reservations or an early arrival help on weekends. It sits a short walk from Kotoden Kawaramachi Station and is easily reached from JR Takamatsu Station, though the final approach on the private Kotoden line is not covered by the Japan Rail Pass. For travellers who think they know Kagawa through its noodles alone, a plate of Ikkaku's blistered, black-peppered chicken is a revelation — proof that this small prefecture punches far above its weight at the table.