Maguro Koya tuna restaurant in Nara

21 November 2016

Maguro Koya was a restaurant that was recommended for us to try while visiting Nara. This restaurant served the Hon Maguro or Bluefin Tuna, a delicacy even in Japan. The restaurant is located within 5 minutes walk, north of Kintetsu Nara Station. It is a small shop, run by a couple, and not so prominent from the outside. 

The gentleman who operated the restaurant recognised us when we walked in. We had come by on Sunday, when the restaurant was closed and he could not serve us dinner. So we made a reservation for the next day and he was expecting us.

There were only a few tables at one side of the shop, plus counter seats. While the place is a little run-down, the owner was friendly and the food is supposed to be good and highly recommended.  He spoke a little English and we were given menu in English, so ordering of the food was easy. 

Bluefin tuna menu of Maguro Koya tuna restaurant in Nara.

Ala-carte menu of Maguro Koya tuna restaurant in Nara.

I had done some research on how to appreciate the best tuna while in Japan. Like beef, the best cuts of the flesh are the ones with some fat in them. These fats are omega-3 fat and good for the body.

The best cuts of the tuna for sashimi is the O-toro (fattiest part of the belly), followed by the Chu-toro (second fattiest part). The o-toro would appear to be light pink in colour (most expensive) while the chu-toro is slightly darker in colour with lesser fat. The non- fatty flesh of the tuna is the akami and appears reddish in colour. This is the red meat that is normally served as tuna sushi or ”normal” tuna sashimi.

We decided that we should try both the o-toro and chu-toro sashimi at this restaurant.  This was eaten with steamed rice and washed down with some beer.

O-toro and Chu-toro tuna sashimi at  Maguro Koya tuna restaurant in Nara.

The melt-in-your-mouth texture and taste of the o-toro cannot be beat.  The chu-toro was just as good. Once we tasted this, we were hooked! 

Having tried both, we decided to place another order for the chu-toro since we were still hungry and this was better value for money in our opinion.

Overall, I must say that tuna sashimi is a “must try” food while visiting Japan. It would be difficult to find similar quality fresh tuna sashimi back home, even at a much higher price than we are paying in Japan.