Menu Decided for 'Takatsuki Shobu Lunch & Sweets' to be Served at Shogi Meijin Match

Takatsuki City and the Takatsuki City Tourism Association solicited lunch and sweets menus from local restaurants that they would like Meijin Sota Fujii and 9-dan Tetsuro Itodani to eat, in order to liven up the "84th Meijin Match," a Shogi title match held in the city. From a total of 221 applications, 11 lunch items and 12 Japanese and Western sweets from popular restaurants with long lines were selected as "Takatsuki Shobu Lunch & Sweets." To commemorate the hosting of the "Meijin Match" (84th Term, Game 4, May 16 (Sat) and 17 (Sun), 2026), the title match with the longest history in the Shogi world, in Takatsuki, the city widely solicited "Takatsuki Gourmet" that people want Meijin Sota Fujii and challenger 9-dan Tetsuro Itodani to eat from February 6 to March 5, using SNS and the city website, regardless of self-recommendation or recommendation by others. The lunch and sweets recommended by fans who frequent the shops totaled 221 items. As a result of a selection committee including food experts judging these menus from the perspectives of originality, topicality, creating town bustle, and overall menu balance, 11 items were selected for the Shobu (competition) Lunch. These include the "Chicken Tempura and Extra Vegetable Curry" from "808 Curry & Vegetable," a popular curry shop with marinated, grilled, and lightly fried seasonal vegetable toppings, and the "Niboshi Soba" from "Menya Hakkaisan," which is extremely particular about its chewy thick noodles, back fat, and dried sardine soup. For the Shobu Sweets, 12 items were selected, including the "Fruit Tart" using luxurious seasonal fruits from the popular shop with long lines "Koen to, Tart" (The Park and Tart), and the "Osho Chocolate Donut / Sugar Donut" from "Charinko Kissa 10," where the donut hole is shaped like a Shogi piece and has a fun crunchy texture. The selected menus can be viewed on the city's website, and initiatives to enliven the Meijin Match and the competition gourmet are planned for the future, such as distributing menu books and conducting order prediction campaigns. [Overview of Shobu Lunch and Shobu Sweets] 1. Menu (1) Shobu Lunch (Lunch menu to be served to the players) 11 items 808 Curry & Vegetable: "Chicken Tempura and Extra Vegetable Curry" Unagi ya Kaki toka Sumishi: "Unagi Hitsumabushi Gozen (Special Premium)" Yakiniku Don Ichiban: "Long-established Yakiniku Restaurant's Flame-Grilled Harami Bowl" Honkaku Jukusei Udon Ichigoichimen: "Deep-fried Shrimp Yuba Roll and Sudachi Citrus Thin Cold Udon" Menya Hakkaisan: "Niboshi Soba (Dried Sardine Noodle)" #KOKUBAN: "Shrimp and Spinach Tomato Cheese Omurice" Cafe&Bake Lily PiPiCa: "IRODORI Vegetables and Sausage Today's Freshly Baked Quiche Plate" spanish bar & cafe NEUTRAL: "Paella Lunch Set" Sushidokoro Kiraku Takatsuki Johoku-dori Branch: "Special Premium Nigiri Assortment" Okonomi & Teppanyaki Yoshimoto Takatsuki Main Store: "Okonomiyaki Set Meal" Japanese Restaurant Totouan: "Shokado Bento" *Local gourmet "Takatsuki Udon Gyoza" can also be ordered as a side menu. (2) Shobu Sweets (Snack menu to be served to the players) 12 items Koen to, Tart: "Fruit Tart" sue kitchen: "Strawberry Cold French Toast" Patisserie Yushin: "Pudding" Dessert Bouquet Osaka Takatsuki: "Cream Puff" Patissiere UTAKO: "Weekend" Hana's Cafe: "Caramel Chocolate NY Cheesecake" Pique's Cheesecake Shop: "Cheesecake" Charinko Kissa 10: "Osho Chocolate Donut / Sugar Donut" Pâtisserie à la feuille: "Financier (Black Tea)" Kasho Yukiharu: "Pine Warabi and Fuyu Rokudai" Meika no Sato Idutsu: "Flower of the Hometown: Takatsuki Castle" Boulangerie Takamura: "Shogi Town's Walnut Anpan" 2. Selection Process (1) Menu Solicitation (February 6 to March 5, 2026) Number of menus: 221 items in total (111 lunch items, 110 sweets items) (2) Selection Committee (Held on March 18) Comprehensively judged from the perspectives of originality, topicality, creating town bustle, and overall menu balance, and decided on the stores to request provision. - Academic expert: Takeshi Takada, Professor, College of Gastronomy Management, Ritsumeikan University - Information magazine representative: Kei Hata, Editor-in-Chief, Meets Regional Editorial Office, Keihanshin Lmagazine Co., Ltd. - Takatsuki City Tourism Association: Secretary General - Takatsuki City officials: Manager of the Shogi Town Promotion Division, Manager of the Tourism City Sales Division (3) Menu Announcement (April 24, 2026) [Related Website] 84th Meijin Match Shobu Lunch & Sweets Decided (Takatsuki City Website) https://www.city.takatsuki.osaka.jp/site/shogi/175368.html