Western Honshū
This traditional eatery, in a 200-year-old warehouse with chunky beams and long wooden tables, is famed for mamakari, the sardine-like local speciality…
Must-see restaurants in Western Honshū
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Hiroshima
This Hiroshima institution is a touristy but fun place to get acquainted with okonomiyaki and chat with the cooks over a hot griddle. There are 25 stalls…
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Hiroshima
In a traditional wooden building overlooking a large garden with a pond and waterfall, Tōshō specialises in homemade tofu, served in a variety of tasty…
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Western Honshū
This busy soba restaurant and its beautiful grounds are an excellent place to sample the local warigo soba, served in a stack of three round lacquerware…
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Western Honshū
There's only one thing on the menu in this boisterous spot: pick from a range of fugu sets, such as the dinner Ebisu course, which features the cute…
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Western Honshū
An extremely popular fusion restaurant for Japanese classics such as tako-yaki (grilled octopus dumplings). The best bet is the set six-course meal, which…
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Western Honshū
Squeeze in at the counter at this small, simple lunch joint and watch the team of women preparing delicious tofu meals as you wait. There are only three…
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Naoshima
The artfully displayed kaiseki dinners at this contrastingly austere restaurant in Benesse House Museum's basement (though with Andy Warhol works on the…
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Naoshima
Up on a small hill at the rear of a farming plot, Naka-Oku is a good option in the Honmura area, and one of only a couple of places open in the evenings…
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Hiroshima
The walls of this popular okonomiyaki specialist are covered with the signatures and messages of famous and not-so-famous satisfied customers. The tasty,…
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Miyajima
Discerning visitors queue at this small restaurant in a traditional house and garden to get their hands on Miyajima's signature dish, anago meshidon, the…
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Hiroshima Region
At this former merchant building, only one meal is served – hayashi raisu (beef in a rich tomato-based sauce on rice) – but it's served very well, and in…
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Western Honshū
A tranquil rest stop near the Jōkamachi area, Hotoritei is within a large house surrounded by gardens. It mainly serves coffees, teas and cakes – try the…
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Western Honshū
You can count on a friendly welcome at this small izakaya, which specialises in the 'seven delicacies' from Shinji-ko and is a good place to try some…
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Western Honshū
The speciality here is fresh wheat noodles handmade on the premises, going into filling dishes such as sansai udon (noodles with wild vegetables) and…
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Miyajima
By day at Mame-tanuki there are lunch sets, such as the tasty anago meshidon and fried oysters; at night it is one of the few places open late, serving…
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Miyajima
This comfortable cafe boasts excellent views of the torii and sea. Open and airy, it serves handsome-looking lunches, such as Japanese chicken curry and…
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Western Honshū
This bar is in perfect balance: it manages to have loads of old-Japan charm, while maintaining a cocktail list that features plum wine and shōchū (strong…
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Western Honshū
Fresh seafood and local beef sumibiyaki (charcoal grilled) are the specialities in this airy restaurant. It does shabu-shabu (thinly sliced beef or pork…
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Hiroshima
Far from the crowds, the friendly husband-and-wife team here have been making spicy Hiroshima-yaki for years. There are only a few tables, but the long…
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Western Honshū
This restaurant is proud that its kaisen-don (seafood over rice) has featured on Japanese TV. The friendly owner will help you navigate the menu and…
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Western Honshū
Get a taste of Tottori's take on ramen, which uses beef bones for the base rather than pork. This small joint is known for its flavoursome, thin, almost…
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Hiroshima Region
Slightly fancy, a rarity for Onomichi, this bistro-style restaurant uses locally sourced ingredients in excellent dishes that might make you wish portions…
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Western Honshū
Seating here is around a large open tank, so you can witness doomed fish being plucked out by the staff while you eat. There are various set-meal options,…
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Hiroshima
Try the famous Hiroshima tsukemen at this simple street-corner eatery. Tsukemen is a ramen-like dish in which noodles and soup come separately. These…
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Western Honshū
The smell of fish grilling over coals permeates this restaurant, which specialises in the cuisine of the Oki Islands. The menu features meals such as eri…
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Western Honshū
Step into this quiet bamboo-themed restaurant to try Okayama speciality demi-katsudon – deep-fried pork cutlets with a thick, rich demi-glace sauce,…
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Western Honshū
Although little English is spoken, wonderful set lunches and course dinners, and picture menus of the moreish dim-sum selection, make this classy…
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Western Honshū
A cosy atmosphere prevails in this low-ceilinged little eatery, where customers perch on wooden stools sipping coffee. The speciality on the Japanese-only…
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Naoshima
With rock 'n' roll music, retro furniture and kitsch knick-knacks, Shioya is an odd mix of American diner and grandma's kitchen. The menu features tacos…
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Hiroshima
Choose one of the generous set courses at this large restaurant dishing up excellent authentic curries, or put together your own feast – individual dishes…
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Hiroshima Region
Every table has a sea view at this homely little seafood restaurant. The lively owner brightens up lunch, and it features excellent-value sashimi, sushi…
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Hiroshima
If you want to get off the tourist circuit and eat with local workers, this shokudō (small budget restaurant) serves authentic and excellent-value dishes,…
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Naoshima
You're here for art, so why not eat in a gallery-like space with polished timber, designer furniture, a faux-grass picnic area and even an in-house zine…
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Western Honshū
In the Bios Arcade across from the station, this local chain serves up the tasty Kurashiki udon speciality – called bukkake udon (from bukkakeru, meaning…
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Western Honshū
This attractive free-standing beer hall is not quite what its name promises; as its opening hours suggest, it's more of a restaurant than a drinking…
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Western Honshū
If you can speak some Japanese, you might indulge in a heartwarming conversation with the friendly owner of this cosy Chinese joint, who spent a year…
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Western Honshū
The Tsuwano teishoku (a carp-themed sampler of local dishes) is recommended at this elegantly rustic restaurant, which has wooden tables and the sound of…
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Hiroshima
A seafood restaurant that wants to give the impression of dining at a market somewhere in Portugal, complete with (Japanese) produce plucked from an ice…
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Western Honshū
At that moment when you think you'll go crazy if you see another Izumo soba restaurant, proceed immediately to this cheap and late-opening station-area…
