Kourin Sushi — Restaurant in Kanazawa

Kourin Sushi has a long history since 1951! This is a small family business now being managed by the third generation Sushi Chef. The fourth generation is also present.

TIP: If you intend to come here to dine, make sure you book. This place is very cosy, filled with memories of messages written on post-it notes from lots of customers and tourists from around the world. It is a bit of a museum with Kourin cups displayed from 1951 to the present (2024) - which you can purchase as a souvenir for 1500 yen (price current as of 27 December 2024).

Dined in for 2 and was seated at the counter so we could watch all the action of sushi making for each order.

If you are lost with which sushi to order, then go with the joh nigiri (plate of 10 sushi with high-quality ingredients). Or, if you are on a budget, try the 10 piece Chef's choice, OR, if you are just in for a smaller sample, then grab the Sushi 5 piece set. Please note that the images attached may not be what you get on the day as the sushi is made fresh and can change from what is in the images. This is also noted on their Kourin Sushi menu. You can not go wrong with ordering the miso that contains prawn heads. Just the right amount of saltiness and sweetness from the prawn heads. 🤤 I ticked the 4000-5000 yen per person because we ordered heaps!...but you can dine in and use less money! If there is no space to experience the atmosphere of this sushi restaurant, take out/take away is also available. The good thing about this option is that the price will be slightly cheaper. For those who want to sample a bit of sake, for your information, the small sake filled up 6 small sake cups.

Also, do not mix this restaurant up with the Kourin Sushi that is available on an online booking system. There is also a Kourin Sushi in Shibuya, Tokyo. I am glad that I read the fine print after booking because I had to cancel that booking. This place is Kourin Sushi in Kanazawa. You will need to phone to...

So first off I want to talk about the food. This food was absolutely phenomenal. Anybody in the comments that says differently has never had good sushi or sashimi. We even had one of their local grilled fish and it was delicious.

Now let's talk about their service. First off the host that we spoke to the most new English very well and was able to translate to the chef and the back house what we were trying to convey. She is excellent and knows everything about what we were looking for.

Now let's discuss the chef and his family. They are amazing! They have been there since the '50s and express their history to us and we're very welcoming. They helped us so much. They even called our hotel to tell us we left something and when I came back they had it ready for me and knew exactly who I was

I highly recommend this place. Disregard any of the reviews. You're going to be happy with anything you ordered from here. Definitely recommend getting reservations the night before or at least two days before. They do get very busy and they do have the turn people away because they are a small shop just like most of the shops here in Japan.

I thank you again for everything you guys did and really appreciate the hospitality Aunt can't wait to come visit next time...

This place had awesome fresh sushi at a great price. The staff were very helpful with english and had english menus readily available.

We ordered a deluxe sashimi bowl which featured uni and ikura for only ¥1320. We also tried the local fish nodoguro shioyaki which was grilled to crisp on the outside but still juicy on the inside. The female snow crab was also in season for ¥1980.

To finish we ordered various nigiri such as ark shell clam, whelk, and hamachi. The hamachi was quite fatty and flavorful compared to hamachi available in North America.

The most memorable part of the dinner was that my girlfriend spilled some hot tea on herself by accident. The staff came rushing to help with ice and cold towels. Our server actually ran to the local convenient store 2 blocks away to get some medicinal cream for her, which was very touching. The staff here are very warm, welcoming and kind and will be forever remembered as this was the first restaurant experience we had after arriving in Kanazawa.

10/10 for food 11/10 for generosity...