Underground Café
One of the best kept secrets among night spots. UC has an open patio draped in the Union Jack, yet has the tastiest Mexican dishes in town. Try the quesadilla or enchilada, but don't bother with the nachos. They also serve a wide variety of highballs ¥525+, exotic beers Sol, Pine, and Red Stripe, pasta and rice dishes ¥420+. Pictures of all dishes are available, and for ¥3000, a party of three can drink as much as they want and get a seven course meal.
Matsuyama is a great place to indulge a sweet tooth. Botchan dango åã¡ããå£å headline every sweet shop in town. They're skewered rice dumplings covered in bean paste dyed with green tea, eggs, and azuki beans. This soft, sweet snack was popularized by SÅseki, who had such a weakness for them that he included the treats in Botchan. Another local favorite are the cute little tarts ã¿ã«ã. Originally derived from Nagasaki's Castella cake in the 1600s, the Matsuyama variety replaces jam with azuki bean paste, and rolls up the cake.
For a healthier sweet, mikan ã¿ãã citrus fruits come in a multitude of species, including iyokan grapefruit-like and dekopon huge, orange and puckered. Mikan are mainly harvested in the fall and are very cheap, but they're so treasured that they are used as offerings to ancestral spirits.
DÅgo Bakushukan
One of the only two restaurants privileged with having DÅgo Beer on the menu, Bakushukan is to the right of DÅgo Onsen Honkan and has a warm, semi-German theme.
Goshiki Honten
This restaurant is a fantastic place to experience Ehime cuisine, serving dishes such as taimeshi fish and goshiki soumen äºè²ãããã, five-colored noodles dyed using natural ingredients: eggs, green tea, buckwheat flour, plums and shiso. Thin yet strong, these noodles make an excellent base for other regional fare.
Ladky's
There are two locations, but this is the original. Ladky's serves up the best Indian food in town. Spice potency varies with the chef's mood, so choose wisely...or order the pudding to soothe the fire.
Matsuchika Town
Opened in 1971, this ramen strip is the place to find regional noodle fare at comfortable prices. Try Sapporo Enishiya, TÅkyÅ Kyouka or Kumamoto Tengaiten. You'll see Matsuyama-ites waiting in lines for something edible, so lunch is a test of patience richly rewarded.
Nikitatsu-an
A romantic and sophisticated Japanese brasserie, and the other of the two restaurants with the honor of serving DÅgo Beer. It's next door to the brewery, in fact.
Peppers
This is a cozy joint for yakisoba and Kansai or Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki.