Where to Eat
Every place here, I went to. They are grouped by town, and each one records when I visited and when I last checked the details.
Kamakura
6 places
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Restaurants in Old Japanese Houses (Kominka) Around Kamakura
Guide
A former sake shop, a former rice cracker shop, a former antique shop that becomes a bistro at night. Five places around Kamakura where the building is as much a reason to go as the food — arranged by station and by how you want to use them. -
Kissa Gallery AKI ¥ A former sake shop dating back to the Taisho era, now a Showa-retro cafe with tatami seating and a gallery in the back. The spices behind the chai and curry come from a well-known Kamakura spice house. Kamakura Station — 10 min walk -
Isso Chaan ¥¥ A vegan Taiwanese kitchen hidden on the temple road in Kita-Kamakura. Shoes off, tatami underfoot, a garden through the window — and a monthly-changing plate that leaves out meat, fish, dairy, egg and alliums. Kita-Kamakura · Kita-Kamakura Station — 9 min walk -
Kadoya ¥¥ The building once sold senbei rice crackers; now it turns out bruschetta, Kamakura-vegetable soup and pasta of the day. Full by just after noon — book before you walk over. Kamakura Station — 20 min walk -
Parlor Room ¥¥ A former antique shop a minute from Kita-Kamakura Station, now a small bistro that opens in the evenings. Craft beer, wine, and small plates made with care rather than thrown together. Kita-Kamakura · Kita-Kamakura Station — 1 min walk -
Takeru Quindici ¥¥ An old house turned Italian restaurant that disappears into the temple townscape of Kita-Kamakura. Reserve before you go — when I called, the only table left was long after the lunch rush. Kita-Kamakura · Kita-Kamakura Station — 3 min walk
Itoigawa
3 places
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Totoya no Hanare ¥¥ The couple who run this place are fishmongers, and three of the staff are certified in a method of bleeding and ageing fish that has changed how Japan handles sashimi. Two minutes from the station, and it closes on no fixed day. Itoigawa Station — 2 min walk -
Aoi Shokudo ¥ The town of Itoigawa invented a black, squid-ink yakisoba and left the rest of the recipe to each restaurant. Aoi Shokudo is two minutes from the station, opens at ten, and does a mild, salt-based version of it. Itoigawa Station — 2 min walk -
Izumiya ¥ A soba shop on the old main street of Itoigawa, open straight through the afternoon. The menu runs at two grades, and the hand-cut one is made in a single batch each morning — worth knowing before you plan your day around it. Itoigawa Station — 5 min walk