Local Guide
3 restaurants where you can enjoy a typical Kanazawa Japanese lunch

Kanazawa is home to a variety of delicious foods from the Hokuriku region, including fresh seafood and Kaga vegetables. There are many Japanese restaurants that focus on local ingredients, and there are many famous restaurants that you should visit at least once. From kaiseki cuisine to soba (buckwheat noodle) restaurants, here are some recommended Japanese lunches.

A dream seafood bowl with seasonal local fish all in one place.

Iki Iki Tei rice bowl (with miso soup) 2,000 yen, with around 14 kinds of fish.
Iki Iki Tei rice bowl (with miso soup) 2,000 yen, with around 14 kinds of fish.

Opened by the owner who trained at Nadaman. The main restaurant in downtown Katamachi is a seafood tavern, and the Omimachi branch is a sushi restaurant that specializes in seafood rice bowls. The most popular dish, "Iki Iki Tei Don," is a special dish with around 14 kinds of seasonal seafood, and on this particular day, it included such delicacies as sweet shrimp, kuruma-dai, and red snow crab. The owner's motto is "keep the neta cold and the rice a little warm," so the neta is served on a separate plate. The Wasabi soy sauce and Iwashio (rock salt) can be used according to the type of fish, making the dish even tastier.
We also recommend that you enjoy a combination of Kaisendon and sushi, which can be ordered in batches of one or more pieces.

Local Guide Comment
In addition to the delicious kaisendon, you will be pleased with the attention to detail of the waitress who will check the amount of rice and any dislikes you may have.

Tourist-friendly reservation system that allows you to wait in line without standing in line

The restaurant has a counter with 10 seats. There is often a line, but the turnover is quick.
The restaurant has a counter with 10 seats. There is often a line, but the turnover is quick.

The restaurant is located in the Omemachi Market. The fresh local fish can be enjoyed with "Today's morning seri donburi" and "Today's freshly caught nigiri assortment".
During busy periods such as Obon holidays, year-end and New Year holidays, and major holidays, you may have to wait 1-2 hours for a table, but if you write down your contact information on the reservation form, you will receive a call as soon as it becomes available. You can make good use of your time by shopping at the Omimachi Market, strolling around Kanazawa Castle Park orKenrokuen Garden, and so on. There are also hand-rolled sushi for take-out, so if you are short on time, take advantage of this.

Iki Iki Tei Omimachi Branch
  • Address 88 Aokusa-cho, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan Omi-machi Ichiba-kan 1F MAP
  • Bus Direction 5 min. ride on the Kanazawa Castle Town Tour Bus from the East Exit of JR Kanazawa Station, and get off at Musashigatsuji/Omi-machi Ichiba.
  • Business hours 7:00 - 15:00 (close when sold out)
  • Closed Thursday *Closed irregularly once a month
  • TEL 076-222-2621
  • Parking None

Udon noodles and rice served in a kama gohan (rice pot) for your enjoyment

Gyu-gyu Udon-nabe set, now served with half the noodles for 3,024 yen (front) and Western-style rice in a kettle for 2,700 yen (back).
Gyu-gyu Udon-nabe set, now served with half the noodles for 3,024 yen (front) and Western-style rice in a kettle for 2,700 yen (back).

This is a sister restaurant of "Kobashi Otafuku," a long-established udon and soba restaurant in Kanazawa that has been in business since 1930. You can enjoy "Udon-nabe," which is handmade udon served in a single pot, and "Kamagohan," which is rice cooked from raw rice. Both courses start with green tea and sweets, followed by ojiya (rice gruel) for udon nabe, and soup and pickles for kama gohan. Udon nabe comes with ojiya (rice topping), and kama gohan comes with soup nabe and pickles. It takes about 20 minutes from the time you order to the time it is ready, so please allow plenty of time for your visit.

Local Guide Comment
The udon nabe, a dish that can be enjoyed twice, from udon to rice porridge, is a must-try! It is an exquisite dish! Starting with green tea and ending with dessert, you can enjoy it to the fullest.

At-home Dining Area with a Famous Proprietress

Seats are spaced well apart, allowing for a relaxed dining experience.
Seats are spaced well apart, allowing for a relaxed dining experience.

The renovated old private house gives the restaurant a stately appearance, but once you step inside, you will feel relaxed by the cheerful and energetic staff/staff members, including the famous proprietress, who will welcome you with open arms. The restaurant's interior is a relaxed space that emphasizes the warmth of wood, providing the perfect atmosphere for enjoying a course meal.
The kamagohan (rice cooked in a pot) includes clams and mekabu in summer, saury in fall, and kobako kamagohan (rice cooked in a pot) every year in early November, when the season for kobako crabs is opened. When the crab season is over in early November, the "kobako kamagohan" (rice cooked in a kobako pot) is served.

Udon Restaurant "Kama Gohan" (Udon Noodles) Fukuwachiya
  • Address 1-9-31 Hikosan-cho, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture MAP
  • Bus Direction 11 min. ride on Kanazawa Flat Bus "Konohana Route" from East Exit of JR Kanazawa Station, and get off at "Hikosan-kita" bus stop.
  • Business hours 11:30 - 14:30 (L.O.), 17:30 - 20:30 (L.O.), Saturdays, Sundays and holidays 11:00 - 20:30 (L.O.)
  • Closed Wednesday
  • TEL 076-264-8780
  • Parking Free of charge

One of the few restaurants in Kanazawa that serves Edomae soba (buckwheat noodles)

Kakiage-ten soba (buckwheat noodles with tempura) 1,850 yen. The kakiage (deep fried shrimp and seasonal vegetables) is exquisite.
Kakiage-ten soba (buckwheat noodles with tempura) 1,850 yen. The kakiage (deep fried shrimp and seasonal vegetables) is exquisite.

The owner, who trained at Sarashina Honten in Azabu Juban for seven years, started this Edomae-soba restaurant in his hometown of Kanazawa. The shop offers three types of soba noodles made in the store's noodle-making room: thinly pounded nihachi-soba, Gozen Sarashina-soba made with only the white flour from the core of the buckwheat plant, and seasonal special soba.
The crispy fried tempura is also well known, especially the kakiage, which is filled with sweet shrimp and seasonal vegetables for added satisfaction.
In summer, cool, cold grated soba noodles with spicy radish, such as "Oni Oroshi Soba" and "Sudachi Oroshi Soba," are also popular.

Local Guide Comment
The soba has a great aroma and a wonderful thirst-quenching taste! You can enjoy soba depending on the season, as there are also soba noodles made with seasonal products.

A la carte dishes and a wide variety of alcoholic beverages

Table seating for up to 6 people. Counter seating is also available.
Table seating for up to 6 people. Counter seating is also available.

The restaurant's high ceiling is said to be a remnant from when this building was a public bathhouse. The steam rising from the large kettle used to boil the noodles also adds a touch of charm to the place.
In addition to soba, the restaurant offers a wide variety of a la carte dishes, so you can enjoy drinking as well. It is also recommended to enjoy Soba after drinking. The "Soba Dim Sum" on the night menu is a set that includes three seasonal vegetables, a choice of one of the following dishes: a bite of fried egg, a bite of buckwheat dumpling, or a vegetable tempura, as well as soba noodles. The set can be ordered from 3:00 p.m. on Sundays and holidays, making it a great choice for an early dinner on the day you return from Kanazawa.

Sarashina Fujii
  • Address 3-3 Kakinokibatake, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture MAP
  • Bus Direction From the East Exit of JR Kanazawa Station, take the Hokutetsu Bus "Left Turn Route" around Kanazawa Castle Town. 10 minutes from Korinbo (Atrio-mae) Bus Stop, 3 minutes walk from Korinbo Bus Stop.
  • Business hours 11:30-14:00 (L.O.), 17:00-22:30 (L.O.), Sundays and holidays 11:30-19:30 (L.O.) *Close when sold out
  • Closed Mondays (open if Monday is a national holiday, closed the next day)
  • TEL 076-265-6870
  • Parking None
The information in this article is current as of the date of the update. Please check before visiting as they are subject to change.