CRAFEAT — Restaurant in Kanazawa

CRAFEAT is a sleek, modern izakaya located in the Katamachi district of Kanazawa. The restaurant has two distinct spaces - the first floor is for a la carte customers while the second floor is for customers who reserve the set course menu. We ate at the first floor counter and were incredibly pleased with the array of beautiful and delicious dishes that were prepared by the young and very talented Nishiura-san. Each dish was also artistically plated on assorted types of Wajima lacquerware, a local handicraft that is produced on the nearby Noto Peninsula. If you are looking for a more upscale izakaya experience that doesn’t break the bank (at least for people paying in USD), then CRAFEAT is definitely worth a try.

Information for non-Japanese tourists:

CRAFEAT uses the TableCheck online reservation platform which is one the few systems that allows you to use non-Japanese cell phone numbers to make reservations. You will need to reconfirm the reservation a few days beforehand, so make sure you can access texts while you are in Japan.

They had about a dozen daily specials, but unfortunately, they are written on the wall in Japanese. Some of our favorite dishes were from that list, so it might be worth it to use a camera translation app (e.g. Google Lens) to check them out.

Wajima lacquerware is produced in the town of Wajima on the Noto Peninsula, an area that was devastated by an earthquake on January 1, 2024. Many of these artisans died, lost family members, or lost their homes or production facilities. As a result, the production of this ancient handicraft has collapsed. The area is slowly recovering, but if you want to purchase a souvenir from Kanazawa, you may want to consider purchasing a Wajima lacquerware item not just because it will help the remaining artisans to recover, but also because you may not be able to do so...

One of the best meals we had in Japan! I unfortunately couldn’t prefer the tasting menu, since I was recovering from a food poisoning. So, I only got to taste tiny little bites from my boyfriend’s tasting menu. I did order some simple dishes that wouldn’t make my stomach upset. I really liked the Japanese potato salad and truffle infused soft boiled egg. Baked onigiri was interesting and tasty too. And these three were my simple choices from the menu. All other dishes in the pictures were from the tasting menu. The staff was very kind and friendly. I appreciate the tea and...

I visited this place with my French friend and it was a fantastic experience! We ordered a middle grade course meal: 6000 JPY per person and enjoyed some wine! All of their food made with local ingredients are very good, and their dishes named Wajimanuri lacquerware are beautiful! If you are a Japanese food lover, you must visit here! You can just drop by for seats of the first floor, but need a reservation for upstairs. My Freanch friend was asked about food allergies before we eat. They prepare well for...