10 of Kanazawa’s Best Restaurants: Exquisite Seaside Cuisine

Located in the northern part of Japan’s central Chubu region, Ishikawa Prefecture is fast becoming one of the most popular tourist destinations in Japan. 

While it’s often confused with Tokyo’s neighboring prefecture Kanagawa, in which the towns of Hakone, Kamakura and Yokohama City are located, Ishikawa’s capital city of Kanazawa is far and away the most visited city in the prefecture. 

It’s steadily grown in popularity as a travel destination over the past decade with the Toyama extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen connecting it to Tokyo by rail in 2015. 

More people are considering Kanazawa as a day trip or weekend getaway from Tokyo, with the journey from Tokyo Station taking as little as 2.5 hours — just as long as it would take to reach Osaka. 

Ishikawa prides itself on its cultural heritage and natural beauty. The Noto Peninsula has some of Japan’s most dramatic landscapes, like the towering Mitsukejima island, Shiroyone Senmaida rice terraces and Ganmon Sea Cave. 

Crafts like gold leaf production, Kaga-yuzen silk dyeing, and Wajima and Yamanaka lacquerware schools have persisted in the region for several centuries.

But Ishikawa is just as famous for its food, which is traditionally called Kaga cuisine. The coastal position of Kanazawa in particular — hugging the Sea of Japan — gives it ready access to some of the most delicious seafood in the region. 

Meanwhile, the foothills of the Japanese Alps make for especially fertile farmland. The Noto Peninsula isn’t just beautiful — it’s the breadbasket of Ishikawa and the Chubu region as a whole.

1. Crafeat
2. La Luce
3. Kanazawa Gyokusentei
4. Steak ROKKAKUDO
5. Kenrokutei
6. Japanese Wine Umi to Tsuchi
7. Kataori
8. Komatsu Yasuke
9. Sushi Shinosuke
10. Katamachi Koryouri Sushi Sho

CRAFEAT is art on both aesthetic and culinary levels. Billing itself as an “experience restaurant”, CRAFEAT is run by a 10th-generation artisan of Wajima-nuri lacquerware, one of the most famous and revered art forms to come out of Ishikawa; the process of making a single bowl or dish requires over a hundred steps. 

Every dish is served on Wajima-nuri at this restaurant, making each service an act of “living preservation”.

Of course, it doesn’t just look good. The kaiseki multicourse menus at CRAFEAT make ample use of local Ishikawa ingredients, in particular produce from the Noto Peninsula and seafood from the Sea of Japan. Ayu sweetfish comes from rivers in the Japanese Alps, and the choicest cuts of fine Noto wagyu beef are served as well. 

Temporarily closed for repairs after the 2024 Ishikawa earthquake, CRAFEAT has since sprung back and is now accepting guests. With its second floor being members-only (and dedicated specifically to what the restaurant calls “evolved oden”), the six seats on the first floor are hotly vied for.

Reserve your table at CRAFEAT in Kanazawa.

Kanazawa’s major attractions are gathered in the city center, with the towering white keep of Kanazawa Castle, the greenery of the Kenroku-en Gardens and bustle of Omicho Market all in close proximity to each other.

Visitors looking to hit all of these in one day would do well to check out La Luce; located near to all these attractions on the bank of the Sai River, La Luce is a restaurant that has made a name for itself for its veteran chef’s creative fusion of French and Italian cuisine.

Dishes like veal loin with Madeira sauce and flounder and sea urchin carpaccio are a beautiful fusion of local Kanazawa ingredients, using techniques honed over decades in Tokyo and European culinary style. 

Reserve your table at La Luce for fusion cuisine.

Set in the Gyokusen-en Gardens, a 200-year-old former samurai residence of the Kaga clan, Kanazawa Gyokusentei is a must-visit for anyone looking for a historic experience. 

Kaiseki course menus make ample use of local Ishikawa ingredients, while the chefs’ dedication to culinary tradition gives the slightest insight into what the Gardens’ former residents must have enjoyed.

Work up an appetite — or walk off an extremely satisfying meal — by taking a stroll around the gardens, which are especially beautiful at night, suffused in the warm glow of lamplight. 

Different seasons offer different scenes, with many visitors choosing to visit at different times of year for bright red autumn foliage or the spectacular sight of heaped snow on the branches of the majestic 400-year-old pine at the garden’s heart.

Reserve a table for Kanazawa Gyokusentei.

Its facade may be completely unassuming, but within the walls of this humble establishment are some of the most famous steaks in the whole city. Established in 1973, Steak ROKKAKUDO claims to serve over 100,000 diners a year. 

The restaurant has a grill in each of its five corners, each distinctively shaped hexagonal counter with its own 18-millimeter-thick teppan grill. It’s there that diners can watch expert chefs grill up delicious A3- to A5-grade wagyu. 

The signature offering of the restaurant is far and away the Noto wagyu, a rare breed of wagyu that is, as the name suggests, only found on the Noto Peninsula, and only sold within Ishikawa Prefecture. Less than 1,000 cattle are sold every year, making it an extremely rare delicacy.

The Noto wagyu is a special cross between the Japanese Black cow — from which the famed “kuroge wagyu” originates — and cattle from Hyogo Prefecture. It is especially renowned for its high concentrations of oleic acid, giving it an extraordinary umami. 

There’s no better place to try it than ROKKAKUDO, grilled to perfection and served with crunchy garlic chips. 

Reserve a table for wagyu beef at Steak ROKKAKUDO.

Dine like a shogun at Kenrokutei, a restaurant set deep in the Kenroku-en Gardens — the former outer gardens of Kanazawa Castle, and one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan. 

The restaurant boasts a beautiful view of the oldest fountain in Japan, and is the perfect place to put your feet up in the shade after a day walking the grounds.

To fill your stomach, Kenrokutei offers traditional Japanese staples made with local Hokuriku ingredients, with the local Ishikawa specialty of jibuni — a stew of duck and seasonal vegetables — being an especially popular order. 

More elaborate kaiseki course menus are also available for more special occasions, including an all-you-can-drink sake and shochu plan.

Reserve your kaiseki course menu at Kenrokutei.

While Japan may be better known for sake and shochu, its wine industry is just as formidable. Japanese Wine Umi to Tsuchi takes advantage of this by creating an entire dining concept centered around pairing domestic wines with innovative fusion cuisine, taking influences from Italian, Japanese and French cuisine to create unique flavor profiles.

The rotating roster of wines is selected from wineries of Kanazawa locality, as well as from far-off wineries like Niigata and Yamanashi. 

The food, on the other hand, is almost entirely local: seafood from the Sea of Japan plays a big part, with offerings like tilefish, blackthroat seaperch (nodoguro) and shiro-ebi white shrimp beautifully laid out. 

But the interior decor is just as breathtaking. Dramatic lighting accentuates the beauty of the sculptures scattered around the restaurant, which is designed to reflect the natural verdant earth and vast blue sky of Ishikawa’s natural beauty. 

Reserve a table at Japanese Wine Umi to Tsuchi.

Formerly listed as one of Japan’s 50 Best Restaurants and a previous holder of two Michelin Stars in the Michelin Guide Hokuriku 2021, Kataori is probably one of the most famous restaurants in not just Kanazawa, but in the whole of Ishikawa.

The food at Kataori is delicious all year round, but winter is the most popular time to go. Kanazawa winters are cold, wet and windy, but many gourmets brave the squalls simply for Kataori’s winter signature: the snow crab.

It forms the highlight of the 11-course winter menu, with every part of the crab used in a variety of different dishes; in sashimi, hot pot and many others.

Chef Kataori Takaoka’s skill is mesmerizing; the way he deftly prepares each ingredient is a real treat for the eyes. Never flashy, but unfailingly professional, no movement is wasted. 

A tiny counter of just seven seats means that every service there is wonderfully intimate — but best of luck to diners trying for reservations.

Reserve your seat for snow crab at Kataori.

Being in such close proximity to the Sea of Japan, it’s easy to get good sushi in Kanazawa almost anywhere; seafood just doesn’t get fresher than here. In fact, the complex of Kanazawa Station and Hokutetsu-Kanazawa Station itself has at least three sushi restaurants, all popular.

But the prevalence of excellent sushi in Kanazawa means that finding truly phenomenal sushi becomes that much more difficult. So it says a lot that Komatsu Yasuke is one of the most highly regarded restaurants in Kanazawa. 

While he may be called the Ono Jiro — former head chef of Tokyo’s legendary Sukiyabashi Jiro — of the West, Komatsu Yasuke’s head chef Morita Kazuo is a very different man. 

In contrast to the quiet Chef Ono, Chef Morita’s restaurant is always filled with chatter and laughter. He was once called “the best sushi chef in Japan” by the former head chef of Ginza Kyubey — not a compliment to be taken lightly. 

Proximity to the station definitely helps with the restaurant’s popularity too — it’s just a few blocks southeast of JR Kanazawa Station. However, due to overwhelming demand, Chef Morita now takes reservations for Komatsu Yasuke by invite only…

Reserve your table at Komatsu Yasuke.

But those looking for a similar experience to Komatsu Yasuke should look to Sushi Shinosuke instead, run by one of Chef Morita’s proteges. Sushi Shinosuke is a totally different beast in terms of atmosphere, however. 

While it may also be counter-seating only, that’s where the similarities end. Featuring lighting by Isamu Noguchi and elaborate ikebana flower arrangements, the raucous laughter of Komatsu Yasuke is instead replaced by quiet serenity.

As is to be expected by a disciple of the master himself, though, the sushi is phenomenal. Shinosuke takes full advantage of the fresh seafood that Ishikawa is renowned for, featuring halfbeak in spring, abalone and grouper in summer, and yellowtail, crab and even cod milt in winter. 

Blackthroat seaperch (nodoguro) is a particular highlight — one of the local specialties found in the extremely deep waters off the Uchinada Coast, or in the depths of Toyama Bay.

All this is served on some truly elaborate tableware: brightly colored porcelain fired in the nearby town of Terai, from the famed Kamide Choemon kiln, whose operations date back to 1879 — one of the prides of Nomi City.

Reserve your table at Sushi Shinosuke.

Continuing the trend of sushi excellence in Kanazawa is Katamachi Koryouri Sushi Sho. An extremely atmospheric space, Sushi Sho sets itself apart from most sushi restaurants by eschewing typical shoji sliding doors and ikebana flower arrangements for a more contemporary ambience that almost resembles a bar. 

Of particular note is the restaurant’s signature dish — a sushi hand roll (temaki) of charcoal-grilled sea urchin and nodoguro blackthroat seaperch; both extremely luxurious ingredients that meld together in perfect umami harmony. 

But Sushi Sho’s regulars are drawn back over and over again not just by the quality of the sushi — which is dressed with a vinegar blend from a famous brewery — but also by the wide selection of sake on offer. A staggering 40 varieties adorn the restaurant’s shelves, most of them from local Hokuriku breweries. 

Sake also plays a major part in the restaurant’s dishes — two of the most popular pairings are flounder sashimi with local Torai sake, and hairy crab and jelee with Kachikoma sake from Toyama. These are a must-try for any sake enthusiast.

Reserve a table for sushi at Katamachi Koryouri Sushi Sho.

Explore the best things to do in Kanazawa, discover the delights of Omicho Market, or brush up on types of sushi before diving in the depths of Kanazawa’s extensive seafood restaurants.

As a coastal city, Kanazawa is famous for its high-quality, fresh seafood. This translates into many regional specialties, including premium sushi and sashimi course menus.

As you might expect from a city with access to the Sea of Japan’s delicacies, many of Kanazawa’s must-try dishes are seafood. For example, try charcoal-grilled sea urchin, nodoguro blackthroat seaperch or the winter wonderland of local snow crab.

Explore our full list of restaurants in Kanazawa.

Yes! Although Kanazawa is known for its seafood, there are a variety of vegetarian and vegan-friendly restaurants in the city. The majority of these restaurants focus on international cuisine, such as Indian, Italian and burgers, although there are also Japanese restaurants that aim to welcome guests with all kinds of dietary restrictions.