Roughly a 4 hour bullet train ride from Tokyo, Hiroshima is a must visit city for any traveler in Japan. Hiroshima is the largest city in the Chugoku region located in southwestern Japan. Located next to the water, Hiroshima Bay also hosts a port with access to Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. This port city is a perfect spot for foodies to try the best of land and sea.
About Hiroshima
Hiroshima, Japan is globally recognized for being one of the two cities that has experienced the tragedy of nuclear bombings, the other being Nagasaki. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is a life changing and thought provoking experience that is a must visit. Hiroshima is also the gate way to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites on the island of Miyajima. The city also has bus routes to take you to Shimane Prefecture to see Izumo Shrine, a meeting place of the gods. Hiroshima is bustling major city with world class museums, shopping, and food despite its heavy history.
Cafes and Restaurants in Hiroshima
Hiroshima hosts famous local specialties of oysters, anago, Setouchi lemon, Hiroshima style okonomiyaki, and soup-less tantan-men. This list has some spots that feature these local delicacies:
Okonomimura
5-13 Shintenchi, Naka Ward, Hiroshima, 730-0034, Japan (Google Maps)
Hiroshima style okonomiyaki is different from Osaka style okonomiyaki. In Hiroshima, the okonomiyaki uses less flour, includes noodles, and the pancake consists of multiple layers.
Okonomimura is a wonderful 3 story building to get your Hiroshima style okonomiyaki fix. Multiple okonomiyaki restaurants reside in a single building. The building itself is open late but each store have their own schedules. If you have a certain shop your want to visit, be sure to get there early! We arrived around 8 PM on a Sunday and it was difficult to find a booth still open.
We were lucky to a shop called Teppei still open and taking customers. It’s a great place to have a local specialty and a beer after a long day of walking around. Order the oyster okonomiyaki if you’re looking for some extra Hiroshima flavor!
CHOUECCHA ใทใฅใจใใใฃ
1 Chome-5-1 Kokutaijimachi, Naka Ward, Hiroshima, 730-0042, Japan (Google Maps)
CHOUECCHA is a cute cafe near Hiroshima City Hall with breakfast and lunch options. Breakfast is light, with a fried egg, a croissant, salad, an orange slice, and small dessert. Their menu features a lot of cakes and drinks, so CHOUECCHA is also perfect for an afternoon break!
We ordered breakfast here before going to the peace museum. It was a great start to the day with the croissant plate being just the right amount of food.
chano-ma
Japan, ใ730-0035 Hiroshima, Naka Ward, Hondori, 2โ19 APEX2 2F (Google Maps)
Chano-ma is a hip and trendy cafe in central Hiroshima. Their most unique feature is their completely padded floor, so you’re sitting on the floor and so is your food. They have many desserts and offer contemporary Japanese food, and they are open late. This cafe is a popular late night spot and an excellent place to relax after a long day. Chano-ma is a chain of restaurants run by DD Group, with multiple locations in Tokyo, Osaka, and more.
We came here looking for some late night sweet little treats after spending all day walking. Stayed long for the dimly lit vibes and soft floor.
AIDA with CAFE Hiroshima
5-38 Fukuromachi, Naka Ward, Hiroshima, 730-0036, Japan (Google Maps)
AIDA is a clothing and home goods shop with a few locations in the Kansai area. The Hiroshima location happens to also operate a cafe.
The cafe serves three different rotating seasonal meals. We were lucky enough to try their omurice and pumpkin mushroom bacon pasta. Both were a satisfying light yoshoku lunch for a midday break!
Seasonal Dishes and Grilled Food “Tsukiakari”
1 Chome-8-9 Otemachi, Naka Ward, Hiroshima, 730-0051, Japan (Google Maps)
Anago, or saltwater conger eel in English, is one of Hiroshima’s many famous ingredients. Tsukiakari features anago prepared similar to Nagoya’s hitsumabushi where it’s eel eaten multiple ways at once. The conger eel rice is enjoyed as itself, with pickles, and with eel dashi broth.
Tsukiakari has English language menus and helpful English speaking staff. Given this restaurants convenient location in the Hondori Shopping Arcade, kind staff, and menu variety, we highly recommend getting your anago fix here.
This spot was recommended to us by the manager of Harajuku fashion shop TyCHE Maria/chou chou ange as her favorite anago spot.
Musashibo
5-12 Fujimicho, Naka Ward, Hiroshima, 730-0043, Japan (Google Maps)
While Hiroshima style okonomiyaki takes center stage when it comes to Hiroshimaโs regional cuisine, soupless Tan Tan Ramen is another specialty of the city. Japanese tantan-men is typically a ramen-like spicy noodle soup with a sesame base.
Musashibo offers 6 different flavors of soupless tantanmen, including curry, sesame seed, soy, and extra spicy. The restaurant is very casual; just order at the vending machine in front and you’ll have a bowl in no time. They also have an array of condiments to change each bowl up. Make sure to mix up this delicious dish right away to get a creamy sauce!
Hiroshima is a wonderful city with a rich history and delicious food that is a must visit!
Check out our other Japanese cafe and restaurant recommendations for Tokyo, Nagoya, Kamakura, Nasushiobara, Hagi, and Miyajima.
