Get a reservation for Thanksgiving at Midtown while you can!
The alternative is another year of expat Thanksgiving disasters — you know the scene.
Someone's cramped apartment, the microwave whirring in circular bewilderment. Carol (not her real name!) proudly unveiling "mashed potatoes" she made by heating up potato salad from Lawson.
Canadian Bob (actually his real name!) grabbing yakimo from a street cart and topping it with crumbled Pocky for "sweet potato casserole."
And poor Nigel from "Someplace-Upon-Sea," simmering a package of nikujaga until it disintegrated, then announcing it "proper gravy."
We've all been there.

This year get the real thing!
Skip the conbini workarounds and questionable substitutions. Midtown BBQ is laying out a proper Thanksgiving feast – the kind that makes your tastebuds remember home without having to slave over a single-burner conro or wash a mountain of dishes.
The welcome drink comes first – craft beer, wine, cocktail, your call.
Then comes an autumn salad with seasonal fruit, nuts, and house-made dressing that tastes like fall. The main event, roast turkey with that smokehouse magic only Midtown delivers, real mashed potatoes with actual butter, stuffing that doesn't come from a box, cranberry sauce that walks the perfect line between tart and sweet. All of it swimming in real gravy.
The finale? Fresh pumpkin pie with real whipped cream.
No Pocky crust this year.
In late November, the usual brisket smoke at Midtown will give way to sage and turkey. Outside, the Nayabashi Bridge lights ripple across the Hori River like autumn leaves.
Inside, warm light bounces off exposed brick and wood while families do the "what are you thankful for" thing, solo diners nurse a beer, and at least one table of Japanese colleagues discover what cranberry sauce is supposed to taste like.
Robb Shannon brought the Canadian smoke magic to Nagoya, but it's Nila, the manager, who brings the fire. Every night Nila and his staff make sure everyone from the homesick American to the curious local feels like they belong at this table.
Meanwhile, across town, the Colonel's minions are pimping buckets of Christmas chicken to people freezing in lines. In a Santa suit.
But you? You're here, where they've been doing the real cooking.

The Details
Midtown BBQ
Thanksgiving Dinner 2025
Dates: Nov. 27 (Thu) to Nov. 29 (Sat)
Times: 17:00 / 18:00 / 19:00 / 20:00
Price: ¥6,000 per person (tax included)
Whole turkey takeout available
¥20,000 (advance reservation essential)
Note: Reservations strongly advised
(like ASAP)
Reservations: Book HERE!

Midtown BBQ Nagoya
5-24-3 Nakamura-ku
Nagoya
Website
Tel: (052) 898-5080
Access
By Subway:
Higashiyama Line (H08)
Exit 1, walk west
Sakura-dori Line (S02)
Exit 1, walk west
Nagoya Station - 8 min walk
JR Lines:
Sakura-dori Exit, walk west on Meieki-dori
By Car:
From Nagoya Expressway: Meiekiminami exit, head north on Meieki-dori
Parking
Coin parking available (Times Meieki 5-chome, 2 min walk)
Note: Parking is not complimentary – nearby coin lots only, no validation
MAP
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Doug Breté
Stirred, not shaken - by anyone or anything that drinks vodka martinis. Author of the forthcoming "Out of Breath - Kim Jung Un and the Baby of Svendalore."
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