Madarao Dining & Bars

The village is decent sized and the number of Madarao restaurants and drinking options is growing. In addition to the stand-alone restaurants and bars, there are various options for dining and drinking hidden inside lodges.

Madarao Restaurants

The main restaurant at the Madarao Kogen Hotel is Piemonte, serving up mountains of food in the form of a family friendly buffet in the main snow season. The quality of the buffet is very good, and for breakfast and dinner they serve up a huge range of western and Japanese food. And what would a Japanese ski resort buffet be without a chocolate fountain to get the kids (and big kids) on a sugar high?! All the food is labelled with Japanese and English signs, which can be handy when you’re staring at very unfamiliar food. During shoulder season, often set menus are offered.

Izakaya Brian at the Madarao Kogen Hotel has informal fare including ramen, okonomiyaki, sashimi and other shared plates.

Due to the increasing popularity of eating out, and the limited number of Madarao restaurants, it is highly recommended that you pre-book, or alternatively go out for dinner at nanna hour.

Quite a few of the Madarao bars also do great food. Mister Daruma has some fare with amazing flavours. Highlights we savoured were Japanese apple cabbage salad with cashews and tasty tofu. Save room for the desserts that are to die for. Chill has fantastic share plates including fantastic variations on gyoza. Both Mister Daruma and Chill have fantastic food and beverage options but pricing is significantly higher than what you’d find at a non-westernised Japanese ski resort. They are staffed by Australians and also have prices akin to Australian ski fields.

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Madarao Bars & Nightlife

For après ski drinks you could head up #1 lift and stop for a drink at the Sundeck. This is an international bar with western fare and international staff.

There are several Madarao bars that are ideal for a quiet or vibrant drink further into the evening. The Drop-off Bar is an old izakaya that’s good for a sedate drink. They serve up very basic bar snacks.

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Iiyama Restaurants

It’s worth heading into Iiyama at least one night during your stay. There are usually night buses that head to the Iiyama train station.

For a special treat, head to Waremokou, which is one of the best restaurants in Iiyama. You can order Japanese fusion fare or go the full experience with an omakase dinner (ie “I leave it up to you” chef’s suggestion). You may like to sit at the counter to watch the master chefs creating your meal.