A note on the words: gyoza are the pan-fried dumplings, crisp on the base and steamed on top, that Japan borrowed from China and made its own. Nira are garlic chives, and reba-nira is the standard neighborhood-Chinese stir-fry of liver and garlic chives. Kawagoe Kaido is the old highway the shop sits on. Prices are as of this writing (August 2026).
Gyoza Specialist Zenkafuku, Kami-Itabashi on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
I want something good to eat today too. This is Hangover Meshi. This time, a Chinese restaurant called Gyoza Specialist Zenkafuku, Kami-Itabashi, straight down the road in front of Kami-Itabashi station as far as the Kawagoe Kaido. The name is one thing, but the look of the place is thoroughly weathered. In fact I have a feeling I came out this way to eat at a Red Lobster a very long time ago, and I am not sure it has changed since. Or am I imagining that?
Assortment of all the gyoza, 990 yen
Shrimp and garlic chive grilled gyoza, four pieces, 600 yen
Original grilled gyoza, eight pieces, 600 yen
Black pork grilled gyoza, eight pieces, 600 yen
Reba-nira, 700 yen
Well, it says gyoza specialist, so gyoza is obviously the main event.
Come now, it has to be the full assortment! Surely. Except that you turn the page and there is a whole run of single dishes!
Reba-nira, chili shrimp, ginger pork, fried chicken, shrimp mayo, mapo tofu and twice-cooked pork.
Hang on, that is not remotely a gyoza specialist! And now I am in the mood for reba-nira in the worst way!
There is no resisting it. But let us order gyoza as well.
In the end, reba-nira as the main and four of the original grilled gyoza. Being able to order this sort of quantity is welcome!
All the kinds, or a small number — that kind of flexibility may be exactly what a specialist can offer.
Reba-nira. It is a single dish, but apparently if you ask, 200 yen more gets you rice with it.
Well, the gyoza brings its own carbohydrate, so I decided I could do without and held back on the rice. A bite and, yes, this is good!
The royal-road reba-nira stir-fry. The depth of the chicken stock and the flavor of the oyster sauce go together beautifully.
Come to think of it, I do not remember seeing liver on sale in shops very often.
Perhaps if I looked properly it is there. I shall try making reba-nira myself! If I could make this at home it would be unbeatable.
I imagine the liver here is pork.
Hmm. I want a beer.
Right, the grilled side first. Past golden brown and into a slightly scorched, crisp finish! Lift one with the chopsticks and you can feel the crackle of the base, which raises expectations. Eat it and the wrapper is thick and chewy. It seals the juices in properly! One bite and the toasted note comes through along with a flood of meat savor, and I did rather wish I had ordered the rice. The filling is led by garlic chives and cabbage, with coarsely ground pork. Juicy but not greasy, with the gentle flavor of something made by hand. Nothing flashy, but complete enough that you could eat it every day! The gyoza really are good.
So, I finally came to a place I had been wondering about for a long time. The gyoza are good, that is true, but the ordinary single Chinese dishes are wonderful! Add a bottle of beer to this and there would be nothing left to say! Which is to say I am definitely coming in the evening next time. And while I ate, a fair number of people came in to buy gyoza to take away, which struck me as a good idea too.
Gyoza Specialist Zenkafuku, Kami-Itabashi (Dim sum / Kami-Itabashi Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.5
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
