Suigun No Sato

Hiroshima boasts numerous seafood specialists, but few can rival the freshness and finesse of Suigun No Sato. Set in a beautifully renovated Japanese folk house in Saijo, Hiroshima’s sake capital, the restaurant immediately impresses with its large tank teeming with live seafood. Here, "fresh" takes on a new meaning. Daily shipments of fish arrive from all over Japan and are kept live in the aquarium: bungo mackerel from Oita Prefecture, seabream from Nagasaki Prefecture and Hiroshima-caught stonefish and tiger prawns. Follow the lead of other diners and order the squid sashimi prepared ikizukuri-style, served straight from a live catch. Other sashimi like the horse mackerel and melt-in-your-mouth sea urchins are prepared with equal care. Beyond that, order the grilled dishes like delicately seared conger eel, served with a choice of wasabi soy sauce, plum paste or seaweed salt. But if seafood is the star, vegetables and sake are the runner-ups. Their Kyoto-style obanzai cuisine is where locally grown vegetables take center stage. The restaurant’s location in Saijo means sake options aren’t short of excellent either. For a more intimate experience, opt for the secluded counter seats away from the main building, offering a hidden gem ambiance.