Trattoria Ponte Nara, the in-house restaurant at Novotel Nara in Nara City, is holding a Winter Buffet centered on winter ingredients from Nara from Tuesday, December 1, 2026 to Sunday, February 28, 2027.
The buffet makes use of local ingredients, including winter vegetables from Nara Prefecture such as daikon radish, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli, which grow sweeter as the weather turns cold. It also features Nara's branded pork "Baaku-buta," mushrooms from Totsukawa Village, and milk from Uemura Farm.
Using Italian cuisine as a base, the dishes bring out the flavors of Nara. Examples include roasted daikon with a bagna cauda sauce made with Nara-produced sake lees, cauliflower lasagna made with Uemura Farm milk, and orecchiette with Baaku-buta pork braised in red wine.
At dinner, the lineup adds dishes such as fresh pasta with crab and sea urchin, roast beef made with Japan-produced beef, and porchetta made with Nara-grown pork.
Winter Vegetables From Nara That Grow Sweeter in the Cold
Nara-Grown Daikon Roti (image)
Nara-Grown Cauliflower Lasagna with Totsukawa Village Yubeshi (image)
The buffet offers winter vegetables from Nara Prefecture prepared in a variety of ways.
"Nara-Grown Daikon Roti" is daikon that gains sweetness in winter, grilled until juicy and served with a bagna cauda sauce scented with Nara-produced sake lees.
"Nara-Grown Cauliflower Lasagna with Totsukawa Village Yubeshi" is a gratin-style dish with a gentle flavor. The cauliflower is baked until golden with a béchamel sauce made with Uemura Farm milk and cheese.
Other dishes that bring out the natural taste of winter vegetables include Nara-grown cabbage with anchovy flavor and a tortilla of Nara-grown broccoli and olives.
Baaku-buta Red Wine Stew and Winter Pasta With Crab and Sea Urchin
Orecchiette With Baaku-buta Pork Braised in Red Wine (image)
Fresh Pasta With Crab and Sea Urchin and Mori Narazuke (dinner only, image)
The pasta lineup includes "Orecchiette With Baaku-buta Pork Braised in Red Wine," made with Nara's branded pork.
Baaku-buta pork and aromatic vegetables are simmered slowly in red wine and fond de veau, and the resulting sauce, with its concentrated flavor, is tossed with orecchiette. It has a rich taste suited to the winter season.
Available at dinner only is "Fresh Pasta With Crab and Sea Urchin and Mori Narazuke." The umami of crab and the rich flavor of sea urchin are paired with chewy fresh pasta, with Mori Narazuke added as an accent.
Oven-Baked Winter Pizzas Made With Nara-Grown Wheat
Winter Vegetable Ortolana (image)
Pizza With Nara-Grown Wheat, Nara-Grown Spinach, and Mentaiko (image)
For the pizzas, the dough is made with Nara-grown Kotomugi and spelt wheat, aged for three days, and baked in a high-temperature pizza oven.
"Pizza With Nara-Grown Wheat, Nara-Grown Spinach, and Mentaiko" combines a cream sauce of winter spinach with mentaiko.
"Winter Vegetable Ortolana" uses plenty of seasonal Nara vegetables, letting the natural sweetness and aroma of the produce come through.
Meat Dishes for Lunch and Dinner
Charcoal-Grilled Baaku-buta Pork With Yamato Green Onion Cream Sauce and Yuzu Aroma (lunch only, image)
Roast Japan-Produced Beef (dinner only, image)
At lunch, the buffet offers "Charcoal-Grilled Baaku-buta Pork With Yamato Green Onion Cream Sauce and Yuzu Aroma." The pork is grilled over charcoal and paired with a cream sauce made with Yamato green onion and the fresh scent of yuzu.
At dinner, the meat dishes include "Roast Japan-Produced Beef With Nara-Grown Pea Miso Sauce," roasted until moist, and "Charcoal-Grilled Nara-Grown Pork Porchetta With Mustard Sauce," made with herbs rolled inside.
Desserts With Nara Fruit and Traditional Sweets
Uemura Farm Milk Panna Cotta With Nara-Grown Apple Compote (image)
Torta di Riso (image)
The dessert selection includes sweets made with Nara ingredients.
"Uemura Farm Milk Panna Cotta With Nara-Grown Apple Compote" pairs a panna cotta made with milk delivered directly from the farm with apples grown in Nara City and the aroma of cinnamon.
At dinner, the lineup also includes the traditional Italian sweet "Torta di Riso," made with Hinohikari rice from Katsuragi City, Nara Prefecture, and a mini-size "Maritozzo" with Yoshino persimmon jam inside.
Featured Menu
Dishes not marked "Lunch Only" or "Dinner Only" are served at both lunch and dinner.
Appetizers and Hot Dishes
- Nara-Grown Daikon Roti With Bagna Cauda Sauce Scented With Nara-Produced Sake Lees
- Nara-Grown Cauliflower Lasagna With Totsukawa Village Yubeshi
- Yoshino Persimmon Caprese With Fermented Celery Salt
- Totsukawa Village Mushroom Fritto Misto With Yamato Toki (Japanese Angelica) Genovese-Style
- Nara-Grown Cabbage With Anchovy Flavor
- Tortilla of Nara-Grown Broccoli and Olives
- Smoked Swordfish Carpaccio With Red-Core Daikon and Yoshino Persimmon Ravigote [Dinner Only]
- Baaku-buta Sausage Baked in Pie Crust With Dijon Mustard [Dinner Only]
- Nara-Grown Chinese Cabbage, Chicken, and Shrimp Saltata [Dinner Only]
Soup
- Bollito Misto of Nara-Grown Chinese Cabbage and White Beans
Pasta
- Orecchiette With Baaku-buta Pork Braised in Red Wine
- Fresh Pasta With Crab and Sea Urchin and Mori Narazuke [Dinner Only]
Pizza
- Pizza With Nara-Grown Wheat, Nara-Grown Spinach, and Mentaiko
- Winter Vegetable Ortolana
Main Dishes
- Charcoal-Grilled Baaku-buta Pork With Yamato Green Onion Cream Sauce and Yuzu Aroma [Lunch Only]
- Roast Japan-Produced Beef With Nara-Grown Pea Miso Sauce [Dinner Only]
- Charcoal-Grilled Nara-Grown Pork Porchetta With Mustard Sauce [Dinner Only]
Desserts
- Uemura Farm Milk Panna Cotta With Nara-Grown Apple Compote
- Condensed-Milk Pizza With Uemura Farm Milk and Nara-Grown Persimmon [Dinner Only]
- Torta di Riso [Dinner Only]
- Maritozzo [Dinner Only]
Winter Buffet Details
- Period: Tuesday, December 1, 2026 to Sunday, February 28, 2027
- Lunch Hours: 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM (last order 1:30 PM)
- Dinner Hours: 5:00 PM to 9:30 PM (last order 9:00 PM)
- Lunch Price (Weekdays): Adults ¥3,520 / Elementary school children ¥1,760 / Preschoolers free
- Lunch Price (Weekends and Holidays): Adults ¥3,980 / Elementary school children ¥1,990 / Preschoolers free
- Lunch Drink Option: All-you-can-drink alcoholic beverages can be added for ¥3,500
- Dinner Price: Adults ¥6,600 / Elementary school children ¥3,300 / Preschoolers free. Includes the all-you-can-eat buffet and café free-flow (120-minute limit, last order at 90 minutes). All-you-can-drink alcoholic beverages are also available for an additional fee.
- Venue: Trattoria Ponte Nara (1F), Novotel Nara
- Reservations: Reserve here
Notes
- On Thursday, December 24 and Friday, December 25, 2026, lunch features the regular Winter Buffet, while dinner is a Christmas dinner buffet held for those two days only.
- From Monday, December 28, 2026 to Sunday, January 3, 2027, a festive dinner limited to the year-end and New Year period is planned for dinner.
- The Christmas dinner and festive dinner may differ from the regular Winter Buffet in menu and price. Please check the details of each plan.
- Menu items may change depending on ingredient availability.
About Trattoria Ponte Nara and Novotel Nara
Trattoria Ponte Nara is a trattoria with a pizza oven, built around a "slow food" concept. It serves simple Italian cuisine that makes extensive use of ingredients rooted in the land of Nara. With a design concept of "Upside Down Garden," the interior reflects the gentle nature of Nara, and guests can enjoy a new taste of Nara in a restaurant with the warmth of wood. In addition to a wide-ranging buffet menu, the restaurant offers a selection of à la carte dishes (à la carte is served at dinner only).
- Location: 1F, Novotel Nara
- Breakfast: 6:30 AM to 10:00 AM (last order 9:00 AM)
- Lunch: 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM (last order 1:30 PM)
- Dinner: 5:00 PM to 9:30 PM (last order 9:00 PM)
- Seats: 122, including table seats, sofa seats, and two private rooms with six seats each
- Hotel: Novotel Nara
- Address: 7-1-45 Omiya-cho, Nara City, Nara Prefecture
- Access: 8-minute walk from Shin-Omiya Station; 10 minutes by bus or 6 minutes by car from Nara Station
- Official Website: novotelnara.com
