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
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Naoshima
The artfully displayed kaiseki dinners at this contrastingly austere restaurant in Benesse House Museum's basement (though with Andy Warhol works on the…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
