Kanazawa (Ishikawa)
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 Don World (with miso soup): 3,500 yen, featuring around 14 different kinds of items.
Iki Iki Tei Don World (with miso soup): 3,500 yen, featuring around 14 different kinds of items.

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
Supporters

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 items purchased at the morning auction appear around 11:00 a.m. You can enjoy fresh local fish 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 is available. You can make good use of your time by shopping at the Omimachi Market, strolling around Kanazawa Castle Park or Kenrokuen Garden, and so on. There are also hand-rolled sushi for take-out, so if you are short on time, make the most of it.

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 Monday-Friday 7:00-13:00 (close when sold out), Saturday, Sunday and holidays 7:00-14:30 (close when sold out)
  • Closed Closed on weekends and holidays
  • TEL 076-222-2621

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

Gyu-gyu Udon-nabe (beef udon hot pot), set of one, now served (half the noodles) 4,000 yen (front) and Western-style kettle rice 3,300 yen (back)
Gyu-gyu Udon-nabe (beef udon hot pot), set of one, now served (half the noodles) 4,000 yen (front) and Western-style kettle rice 3,300 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
Supporters

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 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 to enjoy a course meal.
The kamagohan (rice cooked in a pot) includes ayu (sweetfish) and eel in summer, lotus root leaf in autumn, and kobako kamagohan (rice cooked in a pot) every year in early November, when the season for kobako crabs opens. When the crab season is over in early November, the "kobako kamagohan" (rice cooked in a kobako pot) becomes a seasonal treat.

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 - 14:00 (L.O.), 17:30 - 19:30 (L.O.), Saturday, Sunday and holidays 11:00 - 19:30 (L.O.)
  • Closed Wednesdays, 2nd and 4th Thursdays
  • TEL 076-264-8780
  • Parking Free of charge

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

Kakiage-ten soba (fried tempura soba) 2,000 yen. Excellent kakiage with sweet shrimp and seasonal vegetables.
Kakiage-ten soba (fried tempura soba) 2,000 yen. Excellent kakiage with sweet shrimp and seasonal vegetables.

The owner, who trained at Sarashina Honten in Azabu Juban for seven years, started this Edo-mae soba restaurant in his hometown of Kanazawa. Thinly pounded nihachi soba noodles are made in the noodle-making room inside the restaurant.
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
Supporters

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 a bowl of soba. The set can be ordered from 5:00 p.m. on Sundays and holidays, making it perfect 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, 17:30-20:00, Sundays and national holidays 11:30-14:00, 17:00-20:00 *Close when sold out
  • Closed Mondays (open if Monday is a national holiday, closed the next day)
  • TEL 076-265-6870
  • Parking None

MAP

Hoshino Resorts facilities nearby
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The information in this article is current as of the date of the update. Please check before visiting as they are subject to change.