Yuzuya

In 2016, Tsuruko Arai and Takako Kawaho went against the market trend that saw an increasing number of fusion restaurants and all-you-can-eat menus appearing in the city week after week, offering low prices for an Asian cuisine stripped of its identity.

Yuzuya was one of the very first projects in Bologna to delve into Japan’s regional culinary traditions, embracing the philosophy of Teishoku: lightness, balance, harmony, and well-being, infused in flavors and expanded into a concept of a healthy nutritional lifestyle.

The maternal and feminine touch is unmistakable: lightness, care, and delicacy flow through each dish, reflecting in the restaurant’s atmosphere on Via Niccolò Dall’Arca—impeccably clean, welcoming, and orderly.

The idea has been embraced by a loyal clientele, who rotate based on the restaurant’s shifts, often stopping by at lunchtime to pick up a Bento to take to the office. Inside the wooden bowls, the Teishoku often takes center stage: a bowl of rice, vegetable side dishes, and a comforting miso soup, completed by a fish or meat-based dish, offering a well-rounded meal. Among the most popular options are the tonkatsu—a deliciously crispy pork cutlet—as well as marinated salmon, either grilled or fried. The batter used in fried dishes perfectly embodies the restaurant’s approach to cooking, enhancing the more savory flavors with grace and sensitivity. This is particularly evident in dishes like the fried chicken and the outstanding takoyaki—octopus balls topped with katsuobushi and house-made sauces.

The front-of-house staff, all Italian, conveys the restaurant’s philosophy with dedication and kindness, starting from the selection of beers and saké, which is anything but ordinary.

Takoyaki