Ushioya — Restaurant in Kanazawa

I ate there last week, and it was empty...but that's because there is a misconception that Kanazawa is shutdown due to the 1/1 earthquake, and it's not. So, if you want to avoid the crowds and support the Kanazawa/Ishikawa economy, now would be a great time to go.

With that said, Ushioya is a "buri no tataki" (seared yellowtail) specialist, but I had their seafood bowl called "Kyokumijū" which cost about $24 at current exchange rates. It consisted of 8 different seafood items (including nodoguro which is a local delicacy and their hallmark seared yellowtail) on top of a bed of rice. Everything was super fresh and delicious - a memorable way to start my day (I ate around 10:30 AM). Considering it's located right in a tourist area and for the quality, I thought it was...

We visited for lunch on a Friday. It wasn’t busy so we were seated right away. They have an English menu! We each ordered the daily special bowl, which had a very nice selection of very fresh sashimi. The rice was perfectly seasoned. It came with some light soup that still had an interesting thicker-than-water consistency – I enjoyed it a lot. We also ordered some cold Kikuhime sake and the delicacies plate, which consisted of some kind of dry pressed roe, marinated vegetables, and squid. We’d recommend the latter for people with more adventurous stomachs or looking for something to have with...

Skip the places with lines of tourists in the market and go here! If you speak Japanese or a staff member who knows English is there, you can ask them how long the wait is if there is one, and then look around the market instead of waiting outside. The staff are friendly and the prices are very reasonable. Avoid the gold leaf tourist stuff, get the kaisendon, and ask for other fresh local fish and an Ishikawa Prefecture sake and you are in for a treat. One of my favourite dining experiences on multiple trips to Japan. I will be back as soon as...