Spaghetti House Yokoi (Ankake Spaghetti)

Spaghetti House Yokoi is the restaurant credited with inventing ankake spaghetti, one of Nagoya's most idiosyncratic and beloved local dishes. A quirky Japanese reinvention of Italian pasta, ankake spaghetti is unlike anything you will find in Rome — and tasting it at the place that created it, in a wonderfully retro dining room, is a small culinary pilgrimage for fans of Nagoya-meshi.

The dish was born here in the 1960s, when Yokoi's founder set out to make a heartier, more Japanese take on Western yoshoku pasta. The result is unmistakable: thick spaghetti, boiled soft and then pan-fried so it takes on a chewy, almost springy texture, piled onto a plate and blanketed in a glossy, reddish-brown sauce. That sauce — the soul of the dish — is a thick, starch-bound gravy simmered from tomato, meat and vegetables and finished with an aggressive hit of black pepper, giving it a warming, slightly spicy kick quite unlike any Italian ragu. The whole plate is dense, savoury and unapologetically filling.

Half the pleasure is in the toppings and the jargon. Regulars order by nickname: 'Miracantama' or 'Miracan' pairs sliced Vienna sausage and sauteed vegetables, 'Kantori' brings a breaded cutlet, and various combinations layer on fried shrimp, hamburg steak, egg or extra vegetables. Portions are generous by default and can be enlarged for hearty appetites, and the pepper-forward sauce has an oddly addictive quality that keeps locals coming back for decades.

The atmosphere at the Sumiyoshi main store adds to the appeal. Little changed over the years, it has the warm, slightly faded charm of a classic Showa-era diner — vinyl seats, an open kitchen, longtime staff and a steady stream of office workers and loyal regulars at lunchtime. It feels authentically local rather than styled for tourists, which is exactly why it is worth seeking out.

Yokoi now operates several branches across central Nagoya, including handy locations around Sakae and near Nagoya Station, all serving the same trademark noodles and sauce at modest prices, with plates starting around 800 yen. It makes an ideal lunch stop while exploring downtown, and pairs well with a broader tour of the city's local specialties. Ankake spaghetti divides opinion — some love its stodgy, peppery comfort, others find it startlingly un-Italian — but that is precisely what makes it such a quintessential piece of Nagoya food culture, and there is no better place to form your own verdict than at its birthplace.