Kushi Gekijo Tokunaga Za 串劇場 德永座 中央町店 (Oita, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

We had a tough time filling out our schedule in Ōita City, which felt a little depressing during this visit. At one point, we even considered heading back to Beppu early. But we managed to hang around just long enough to make it to our dinner reservation at Kushi Gekijo Tokunaga Za (串劇場 德永座 中央町店) — and we’re glad we did.

Just a block away from Cent Porta Chuomachi (大分中央町商店街), Kushi Gekijo Tokunaga Za is a lively Japanese izakaya specializing in creative vegetables and bacon-wrapped skewers, along with robatayaki (charcoal-grilled dishes).

The restaurant is set up like a mini theater (hence the name) with an open kitchen center stage, adding a dynamic and entertaining vibe to the meal. Since my little nugget is a big fan of Japanese skewers, picking this spot for dinner was a really no-brainer for me.

While most locals we met in Ōita didn’t speak much English, the team here was different — very friendly and capable in communicating in English which made things much easier. And having an English menu certainly helped.

Dinner started off with a small welcome snack of marinated fish finished with a sprinkle of sea salt.

As I was still flipping through the menu, our server brought over a platter display of all the available skewers, which was incredibly helpful for my decision making.

Charcoal grilled jumbo prawn (990 yen) – One of the signature grilled items here.

Ten minutes later, these jumbo prawns were ready to be served.

Look at the size of these prawns, almost as long as my palm!

Super fresh and meaty.

Eggplant with sweet miso (280 yen) – A little underwhelming and not as juicy as we first hoped.

Crab cream croquette (890 yen) – Obviously, we had a slightly different understanding of the word "croquette". To me, crab cream croquettes are crispy, deep-fried balls with creamy crab filling!

Enoki mushroom roll (260 yen) – The enoki mushrooms wrapped in crispy bacon. Not bad.

Shiitake mushroom (240 yen) – Always a crowd pleaser, these grilled shittake mushrooms with soy. 

Japanese rice cakes (280 yen) – Topped with a mayo flavored with what I thought was mentaiko. 

Broccoli cheese roll (280 yen) – Another creative bacon-wrapped skewer, this time with broccoli and a cheesy topping.

Soft-boiled egg roll (260 yen) – Aside from the jumbo prawns, this was the standout skewer of the night. A soft-boiled egg, fluffy and rich, wrapped in savory bacon — kind of like a Japanese take on bacon and eggs. Brilliant.

This meal was as much a visual spectacle as it was a feast for our taste buds. Huge thanks to the team at Kushi Gekijo Tokunaga Za for taking such good care of us — they really made the night special.

With full bellies and happy hearts, it’s time to head back to Beppu.

Food Rating: 6/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 2-9-33 Chuomachi, Oita, 870-0035, Japan

Tel: +81 (0)97-574-8255

Website: https://www.instagram.com/kushino_tokunagaza/

Opening Hours: 4:30pm - 3:00am (Wed - Mon)