Eat

Casual Japanese Eats

What do Hiroshima locals normally eat? It’s a lot more than okonomiyaki and oysters. Dig into rich, umami bowls of Japanese curry. Find fresh and affordable yet locally sourced kaiten sushi. Slurp up bowls of Sanuki udon, authentic Hakata ramen and sarashina soba. These choices are just a toe in the water, though. Wade in deeper to find crispy Edomae tempura, juicy Mochibuta tonkatsu, hearty bowls of gyūdon, steaming sukiyaki and more below. Our casual eats selection in Hiroshima is your insider on the local diet.

Itasoba Kaoriya Kyobashi Branch (板蕎麦香り家京橋店)

On the bank of the Kyobashi River just an eight-minute walk from Hiroshima Station lies the Itasoba Kaoriya Kyobashi branch, a specialty restaurant serving itasoba (literally “board soba”), a local dish from Yamagata Prefecture. Both lunch and dinner menus include cold and hot itasoba, tempura, and à la carte dishes. During dinner hours, a soba course menu is available for groups of two or more. The restaurant’s modern Japanese interior offers a panoramic view of the Kyobashi River, and in the evenings, guests can enjoy a night view as well.

Moment of Joy

Itasoba Kaoriya lets customers enjoy Yamagata-style itasoba–a rare find in Hiroshima–alongside delicious sake. Itasoba is a dish in which the diner dips soba noodles served on a wooden tray into a dipping sauce before eating. It originates from an old Yamagata custom of serving homemade soba on a wooden tray to guests.