Restaurants in Western Honshū
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Bukkake Udon
In the less-than-atmospheric Bios Arcade across from the station, this local chain serves up the tasty Kurashiki udon speciality – called bukkake udon (from bukkakeru, meaning to pour or splash) because you tip the sauce over the noodles yourself. Tempura bukkake is ¥590. Or try a niku (meat) kimuchi bukkake for ¥680. Look for the sign with a ぶ in a yellow oval.
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@Cafe
This modern cafe is a good place to stop for a break and a bite in town. It is situated in a 150-year-old building beside the stone lighthouse in the harbour. There's a small menu consisting of pasta dishes and other meals for around ¥1000.
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Chari
This low-ceilinged narrow cafe- restaurant near the Peace Memorial Museum is a good place for a coffee or lunch stop. There are a few wooden tables and a solo-diner-friendly long bench. Lunch sets, from ¥750, include a teishoku (set meal) of udon (thick white noodles), and there are curries and cakes on the menu.
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Don Don Udonya
A popular spot serving tasty udon, with plastic models in the window. Udon teishoku (udon set) goes for ¥580 and there are donburi standards like oyako-don (¥500). There's a cheaper morning selection. It's in a big black-and-white building on the right as you head away from the station.
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Hagi Shinkai
This is a popular seafood joint, a few minutes' walk from Higashi-Hagi Station. Seating is arranged around a large open tank in the floor, so you can peer at the doomed fish as you eat. There's a sashimi teishoku (¥2415), or ask for the manager-recommended Shinkai teishoku (¥1050/1890 at lunch/dinner), which includes sashimi, tempura and chawanmushi (steamed savoury egg custard). Look for the white building with the lighthouse.
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Hub
Overlooking the main shopping street, this stylish cafe- restaurant serves Asian-style rice dishes, and pastas (such as an Italian tomato spaghetti lunch set, ¥980), and is a relaxing space for a late-night drink. Look for the grey sign next to the entrance, just around the corner off Eki-dōri.
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Jujuan
Fresh seafood and local beef sumibiyaki (charcoal grilled) are the specialities in this airy restaurant. There are set courses, such as the kaisen gozen (grilled seafood and vegetables with sides; ¥4800), and a seasonal menu that may include crab and other locally sourced goodies. It has a brown awning with what looks like a smiley face on it.
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Kaiten Karato Ichiba Sushi
This revolving sushi restaurant on the 2nd floor, right above the fish market, is a great place to get your hands on the freshest fish without needing to know what they're all called. It's closed when the market closes on some Wednesdays.
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Kaki-tei
This intimate bistro on the riverbank specialises in oysters prepared in a variety of mouth-watering ways. Grilled options include champagne cream yaki (¥850 for two). The daily oyster lunch is ¥1200. There's no English menu, but the friendly staff will help you figure things out. Look for the green noren (cloth curtain hung in the entrance) and the words 'Oyster Conclave'.
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Kamoi
A large, pleasant canal-side restaurant opposite the Ōhara Museum, serving sashimi set meals, seafood-and-rice dishes, and some desserts (from ¥525). You can get the local sardine-like speciality here in mamakari-zushi form for ¥1050.
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Kana Izumi
Slurp back freshly made sanuki-udon (a type of wheat noodle) dishes, such as sansai udon (udon with mountain vegetables; ¥650), at this speciality restaurant back from the canal. Full set meals include a tempura teishoku for ¥1600. You can also buy noodles in the attached shop to take home and cook for yourself. Look for the purple flag on the corner with the name in white.
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Kawa-kyō
You can count on a friendly welcome at this izakaya-style restaurant, which specialises in the 'seven delicacies' from Shinji-ko. Look for the white sign with black lettering and the bamboo-roofed menu display outside.
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La Francesca
Excellent Italian food is the main attraction at this elegant Tuscan villa, on the left as you head up the hill to the St Francis Xavier Memorial Church. Set-course options include the Pranzo (¥1890) at lunchtime and Verde (¥5250) in the evenings. The menu changes seasonally.
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Mamakari-tei
This traditional eatery, in a 200-year-old warehouse with chunky beams and long wooden tables, is famed for the sardine-like local speciality. This tasty fish is supposed to induce bouts of uncontrollable feasting, so that people are obliged to kari (borrow) more mama (rice) from their neighbours in order to carry on with their binge. Mamakari-zushi is ¥800; lunchtime-only set meals include a mamakari teishoku for ¥2625.
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Mame-tanuki
At this friendly place on the main shopping street there's a floor-level wooden counter, with a space to dangle your legs underneath. By day there are lunch sets, such as anago meshi (steamed conger eel with rice; ¥1575) and fried oysters, and at night Mame- tanuki is one of the few places that's open late, serving drinks and izakaya-style small dishes. There's no smoking in the evening. Look for the large blue sign with white writing.
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Maru
A relaxed and modern young people's izakaya, Maru features the local beef, kenran-gyū (見蘭牛), available as sashimi (¥850), sushi (¥1000) or garlic steak (¥650). It also serves all the usual izakaya favourites. Try the Hagi no kuramoto udedameshi setto (¥1000) for a tasting set from six local sake breweries. Look for the large wooden door marked with a circle.
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Nakria
Stylish Nakria serves set lunches of pasta, curry or steamed pork, plus meals and snacks in the evening to go with your wine. There are vegetarian set options – let them know what you don't eat and they'll do their best. It's in the building opposite the Pasta Factory.
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Naniwa
Next to Matsue-ōhashi bridge, this bright, wood-themed restaurant is a tranquil spot for unameshi (eel and rice; ¥2625). Courses featuring the local specialities start at ¥4200 for a Shinji-ko course.
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Okabe
This street-corner tofu restaurant is recognisable by the big illustration of a heavily laden tofu seller in a straw hat. Squeeze in at the counter and watch the team of women chopping and frying as you wait. There are only two things on the menu: an okabe teishoku (set meal with several types of tofu; ¥800) and a namayuba-don teishoku (dried 'tofu skin' on rice, with soup; ¥850).
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Onomichi Rāmen Ichibankan
Opposite the Sumiyoshi shrine on the waterfront, a 15-minute walk from the station, this popular noodle shop is a good place to try Onomichi rāmen, characterised by thick slabs of juicy pork. Its best seller is the kaku-ni rāmen (角煮ラーメン; noodles with eggs and tender cuts of fatty pork) for ¥890.
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Padang Padang
Despite its name, this mellow restaurant focuses on French and Italian pasta, meat and risotto dishes, served to a North African soundtrack. There is occasional live music and it's a good spot for a glass of wine after a day of sightseeing.
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Pommes Soufflées
The menu at this modern cafe-restaurant includes pastas and pizzas, plus there's a range of sweet bready items you can have with your coffee. Course menus are priced from ¥1575 to ¥4200. Reservations are recommended for dinner.
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Quiet Village Curry Shop
This cosy curry restaurant consists of one long table, where the menu is disguised as a notebook. Some English is spoken and there are vegetarian and vegan options.
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Sabō Kō
A cosy atmosphere prevails in this crowded little eatery, where customers perch on wooden stools sipping coffee. The speciality on the Japanese-only menu is wafū omuraisu (Japanese-style rice omelette; ¥800) but it also serves curries and soba. Look for the small wood-covered place with ceramic pots sticking out of the exterior plasterwork.
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Shanti Vegan Cafe
Eat hearty vegan and vegetarian meals at this simple cafe beneath a yoga studio. There's no English menu, but you can't really go wrong since there's a choice of two set meals up on the chalkboard. Sets feature pasta, brown rice and tasty specialities like renkon (lotus root) burger.
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