Izakaya Sashimiya Ōmichō — Restaurant in Kanazawa

📍 Izakaya Sashimiya Ōmichō 刺身屋 近江町市場

15-1 Aokusamachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-0907, Japan

⭐️ Overall: 5/5

⭐️Food: 8/10 ⭐️Atmosphere: 8/10 ⭐️Location: 9/10 ⭐️Price: 8/10 ⭐️Likely to come back: 0/20 🫣

Sorry, but there are still so many other places I want to try 😄

After a long, exhausting day running around with our little one, trying to squeeze in as much sightseeing and eating as possible, we suddenly realized it was almost too late to find a dinner spot in Kanazawa.

Kanazawa’s restaurants mostly close quite early. This charming town offers a stark contrast to bustling cities like Osaka, Kyoto, or Tokyo, where the constant hustle and crowds can feel overwhelming and stressful.

Fortunately, our hotel was just a minute away from Kanazawa’s famous fish market. The market, however, closes by 5 PM, and as we walked past, we noticed only one restaurant still open.

We had tried to find other good restaurants nearby that we wanted to try, but most required advance reservations or did not allow children. Despite our willingness to pay for a full set meal for our little one, we were still turned away.

Thankfully, on our way back, we stumbled upon this place still open at 8:15 PM. With the kitchen closing at 8:30 PM, we rushed to place our order.

We went in expecting an average quality of raw seafood but were pleasantly surprised by how fresh and delicious everything was. Each piece was melt-in-your-mouth good, leaving us wanting more.

Our favorites were the specialty hometown dishes: Kanazawa Noto beef and tuna. These dishes were exceptional and truly highlighted the local flavors and quality.

If you ever find yourself in Kanazawa, don’t miss out on this hidden gem, especially if you’re looking for a late-night bite. The fresh seafood and local specialties are a must-try, even if you’re cutting it close to...

I arrived at 8pm and noted at the front that the restaurant opens till 9pm. When I was seated, the waitress informs me that the restaurant closes at 9pm and last order is 830pm.

About 5 more diners came after me.

My delicious food arrive at 815pm. I am not good with chopsticks so I ate slowly.

At 830pm, the same waitress went to me asking for any last order and I am good, nothing more.

At 855pm, I was finishing my drink. The waitress came to me and reminded me that the restaurant will close at 9pm. I found that annoying and rude. I just want to have a relax dinner and I know the place is closing at 9pm. There are diners around. Somebody is at the cashier. Why are you rushing me to throw me out?

This is not the first time I've been to Japan but this is the last time I am eating here.

And she didn't go around reminding the other diners. I was just sitting quietly sipping my drink. Just because I am a foreigner I get...

One of the bad decisions I made on this trip. We simply walked in without checking any reviews.

Ordered the crab rice bowl, kaisendon, Noto beef sushi, and a few other dishes. The kaisendon came with overly large pieces of sashimi, which made it quite difficult to eat. Some pieces even had fish bones in them.

The crab on the rice bowl was wet and didn’t taste good. The Noto beef sushi was torched and had a nice smoky flavour, but it was too chewy for my liking. Grilled oyster was okay at best.

I left feeling like I wasted both my time and stomach space...