Hyakurotei, a long-established gyoza restaurant founded in 1953 in Osu Shopping Arcade, was revived in July 2022 after being closed for four years. When it reopened, it was said that it was crowded with fans who were waiting impatiently for the reopening.

Mr. Toshiki Kobayashi from Kyoto is the one who revived Hyakurotei. We asked Mr. Kobayashi about why he took over Hyakuroutei, his bond with the previous owner, and other surprising episodes.

Look for the red signboard

The restaurant is a 5-minute walk from Exit 2 of the Osu Kannon subway station on the Tsurumai subway line, heading north from Osu Kannon street.

The location is across the street from the previous restaurant. The space used for preparing gyoza has been renovated and reopened.

The small restaurant has two seats, one at the counter and the other at a table, so it's basically a stand-up style.

Hyakuroutei revival episode

Mr. Kobayashi, the current owner

Hyakurotei was founded in 1953. Originally, it started as a ramen stall in the precincts of Osu Kannon, and since then it has been a long-established gyoza shop that has been in business for three generations.

The logo shows the year it was founded (Showa 28) and the year it was revived (Reiwa 4).

However, due to the poor health of the previous owner, Mr. Suzuki, the restaurant closed in 2018. After that, although his physical condition improved, he was unable to reopen the store due to his age.

Surprisingly, Mr. Kobayashi, the current owner, was not a regular customer of Hyakuroutei, but was Mr. Suzuki's "drinking companion."

Mr. Kobayashi: "My father (referring to Mr. Suzuki) and I met at a bar. I came from Kyoto, so he told me about Nagoya and listened to my problems, and we became friends. After he recovered from his illness, our relationship continued, but he seemed somewhat lonely. There were many people who wanted the restaurant to reopen, but realistically it was difficult. But I wanted to cheer him up. I thought the best way to do that was to reopen the restaurant, which was his life's purpose."

Thus concrete discussions to revive the restaurant began. Funds were raised through the cloud funding, the restaurant was renovated, and after only six months of preparation, it was revived in July 2022.

Hyakuro-tei: The key to taste is the "skin

Mr. Kobayashi learned how to make traditional Hyakuroutei dumplings. The most difficult point is said to be the "skin".

Kobayashi: "First of all, it is very important to make the thickness even, and the amount of flour sprinkled is also very important. The condition of the skin changes depending on how much flour is applied, and it is difficult to wrap the dough if it is too sticky or dry, so it was difficult to learn the optimal amount. If the skin is not in good condition, the baking process will not go well, so it is no exaggeration to say that the skin is everything."

In this way, Mr. Kobayashi learned how to make dumplings from the beginning from Mr. Suzuki, the previous owner, and mastered the technique.

The Twitter account "Hyakurotei, which will be revived in 100 days (now Hyakurotei, which was revived on 7/28)" that was opened also became a hot topic, attracting more than 10,000 followers, and when the restaurant reopened, many customers visited the restaurant. It is said that people who had been fans of the restaurant for a long time and the children and grandchildren of those who had been coming for a long time also came to the restaurant. The taste is as good as it ever was," says one of the many fans.

Commitment to making dumplings

Hyakuroutei's gyoza is a healthy gyoza with plenty of vegetables, with a 7:3 ratio of vegetables to meat. The size is also small, so people of all ages can enjoy it, from small children to adults.

The most distinctive feature of Hyakurotei's gyoza is the "glutinous texture". In order to make this glutinous texture, the dumplings are boiled in plenty of water and then baked.

Pour plenty of water and boil once.

After a while, throw away the water and brown the gyoza.

This unique cooking method creates a chewy texture unique to Hyakuroutei.

10 pan-fried gyoza ¥550 (tax included)

Furthermore, each gyoza is carefully wrapped by hand. Just as onigiri tastes better when hand-rolled, so too do gyoza dumplings taste better when wrapped by hand.

In this way, Hyakuroutei's dumplings, which are full of commitment, are said to sell about 1,000 pieces a day, and about 2,000 at the most.

Chili oil is also sold in the restaurant.

At Hyakurotei, both the sauce and chili oil are homemade. Chili oil is offered that has been aged for about half a year. It is said that there are also fans who eat gyoza directly with this chili oil.

The skin is really sticky! Not only is there a lot of vegetables, but it is also healthy and has less oil, probably because it is boiled once. The refreshing taste made me gobble it up and before I knew it, I had finished it in no time at all!

The store also has a “Gyoza Gyoza Eating Challenge”. A gift will be given to those who finish all 100 gyoza dumplings. If you like gyoza, please give it a try.

Finally, we asked Ms. Kobayashi about her future goals.

Mr. Kobayashi: “Thankfully, we have a lot of customers who come to visit us, but I think there are also many who come to our restaurant because they’ve come to Osu.

Currently, we only sell dumplings, but we plan to resume “Bali Soba”, which was one of the popular menus before the renewal, in the near future. Gyoza from Hyakuroutei has made a spectacular comeback. Please come and taste it once!