Where to Eat in Hiroshima

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Helen Foster is a Sydney-based author, journalist and content creator. She has traveled to Japan six times and is planning trip seven. Her articles on Japan have appeared in publications including Reader's Digest (Asia Pacific), RAC Horizons, Jetstar Magazine, the Japan National Tourism Organisation website and more. She is a digital publisher member of the Australian Society of Travel Writers.

Where I Ate in Hiroshima

I had three nights in Hiroshima – during the day, I went on a lot of day trips, so I only ended up having four main meals in the city, but I got in two of Hiroshima’s must-eat foods, found a dish with a spice kick and grabbed a hearty bowl of ramen so, not a bad score!

Here’s where I went – and what I ordered.

Okkundou Mazeman

I arrived in Hiroshima on the Aquanet ferry from Miyajima. Like many people, my next stop was to be the Peace Museum, but it was lunchtime and I wanted to eat first, and this noodle shop was a short walk away.

It specialises in mazemen, also known as mazesoba, which is effectively brothless ramen – but what drew me here was the option to choose your spice level. While I appreciate the delicate taste of Japanese cuisine, I have the taste buds of an ox, so I often miss spice when I’m there. This was going to satisfy my craving.

I ordered the regular mazemen (870 yen), with half a side of potato salad (270 yen) – I can’t resist potato salad!

I chose medium spicy, but in retrospect, I could have gone spicier. However, the young French teenager next to me had ordered mild and was still struggling, much to the staff’s delight, who were half finding it hilarious and half trying to help make things better! She got a round of applause when she finished the bowl.

The dish arrives looking all pretty, but before you eat it, you mix the whole thing, which creates carnage but also picks up the spicy sauce underneath. It was so good, and I could easily have eaten another bowl!

If noodles, or spice, aren’t your thing, there are other dishes on the menu, including fried chicken and chips. They also have seasonal specials. The standard mazemen contains pork, boiled egg and onions, but you can customise this and remove the meat, or they do a veggie version with tofu. They do have English menus.

Okkundou Mazemen is located south of the Peace Museum – it’s marked on Google Maps. If you’re staying at the Hotel Mystays Hiroshima Peace Park, it’s your local! They are open 11 am – 9.30 pm six days a week. They close on a Wednesday.

Hiroshima Akayakien Ekinishi Honten

I was staying close to Hiroshima Station on this trip at the Sotetsu Fresa Inn Hiroshima – there were a couple of restaurants near here that I had on my radar, but, while I was chilling out before dinner, I noticed there was a fun sounding bar area on the other side of the station and I decided to go and check that out before I ate.

I didn’t make it to the other restaurants!

As I walked past Hiroshima Akayakien Ekinishi Honten, I noticed there was a seat available next to the grill, allowing me to watch the team make their famous okonomiyaki – dinner was decided.

I opted for the basic Okonomiyaki, which contained meat and egg, and cost 930 yen. I also decided to order some Miyajima oysters, as the ones I’d had the day before on Miyajima were so delicious. These were a bit of a splurge for me at 1078 yen – I rarely spend more than about 1200 yen on dinner in Japan, but I had no regrets!

This was way too much food for one person, but I bravely battled on and managed to force it all in. If you’ve read my guide to the Top 10 Things to do in Hiroshima, you’ll know that this is why I can’t tell you much about the other bars in this area, as I had to go home and sleep it all off!

One dish I wish I’d had enough room to try here is another Hiroshima specialty, Gansu, which is minced fish in a spicy breadcrumb. It sounds right up my street.

Hiroshima Akayakien Ekinishi Honten is open six days a week from 5.30 pm to 9 pm. They are closed on a Sunday. They do have an English menu, and while most of the staff didn’t speak English, the waitress assigned to me, the only foreigner in the place, spoke some English – and I think she liked practising, which was funny as I was trying to practise my Japanese so we both ended talking pigeon versions of each others language.

Wadato Hiroshima Ekimae

The next morning, I went on a sake tour in nearby Saijo, so I had the Japanese breakfast of champions – a Lawson egg sandwich and a bag of crisps in my room to line my stomach. Three sake samples later, only one thing would do for my late lunch – ramen. And I popped into this simple ramen shop close to my hotel.

It’s a one-man (or sometimes, woman) band, but I really enjoyed it. The broth is not too creamy, and I really liked the gyoza, which were super crunchy. They also do a spicy ramen, but, unusually for me, the creamy pork broth was needed more this day – and I liked that this was a light version. They certainly didn’t skimp on the toppings – look at that bowl.

A bowl of ramen just with pork costs 930 yen. You can also add a side of rice and three gyoza for 200 yen. While I’m not usually a rice fan, I quite like mixing Tonkatsu broth into rice (out of sight of anyone I might upset!)!

Wadato Hiroshima Ekimae does have an English menu, but I think it might have fewer choices on it than the Japanese one – they do a lemon ramen that I don’t remember seeing.

Mita Seimenjo

My last night in Hiroshima was spent looking over the city on top of the Orizuru Tower – my original plan had been to go to the famous Okonomimura building after this, and have okonomiyaki from one of the many shops here, but I was still recovering from the one two days earlier, so I decided to just walk and see what I found.

The answer was a branch of Mita Seimenjo. This chain sells Tsukemen, another type of ramen. With this one, you are served the noodles in one bowl, toppings in another bowl and a dipping sauce in a third bowl. You dip the noodles and the toppings in the sauce.

Seimenjo is known for its thick pork and seafood broth, which, while quite salty, was pretty good. The idea is that you start with the thick broth and then add some water halfway through. I also had a side of karaage chicken – as a set, this cost me 1230 yen. The chicken was super crunchy, just the way I like it.

Another thing to try is the different spice blends on the counter or table here. These can change the way your noodles taste. Try a little sprinkle on the plain noodles before you dip.

The branch I went to was just around the corner from the Orizuku Tower. It’s in a building called the Aloha Building. It’s open seven days a week from 10 am to 1 am.

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Where Else Was on My List?

I always have far more restaurants on my map for each city that I ever get to eat in. Here are the three I really wish I’d had time to visit.

Yeden

This is a small okonomiyaki restaurant around the corner from the Sotetsu Fresa Inn (and even nearer to the Nest Hotel Hiroshima Ekimae) – and a 4-minute walk from Hiroshima Station.

But it wasn’t so much the food that put this on my short list, but the owner, who loves to chat to tourists via Google Translate if he’s not too busy – and might even serenade you on his saxophone.

There’s no English menu, but just order the specialty of the house – okonomiyaki – and you can’t go wrong. It sounds like the type of restaurant you’d have one of those ‘only in Japan’ moments that can truly make your trip special. It’s open from 11:30 am to 2 pm for lunch and 5:30 pm to 10 pm for dinner, closed on Mondays.

Kyushu Style Ramen Yaoki

You might have guessed that I am a big fan of ramen, and this shop run by an old lady gets rave reviews. It’s just down the road from Okkundo Mazemen, making it another convenient option for lunch when you’re viewing the Peace Park’s sights, or dinner if you’re staying nearby.

The nearest tram stop is Chuden Mae. It’s open for lunch from 11.30 am to 2.30 pm, and dinner from 6 pm to 10 pm, five days a week. Closed Sunday and Monday.

Kikuya

This tonkatsu restaurant gets great reviews for its crispy cutlets, but even more effusive reviews for the miso soup that comes with its set meals, and I really wanted to try that. Do it for me and tell me all about it.

They offer both pork and chicken cutlets on their menu, and they also provide an English menu. Note that they only take cash. A set of cutlet with rice and soup starts at 1000, yet for the Jumbo Chicken Cutlet.

The nearest tram stops to Kikuya are Hatchobori or Ebisucho. It’s open 11 am to 2 pm Monday to Saturday. Dinner is available from 6 pm to 9 pm, Monday to Friday. It’s closed on Sunday.

Why Not Take a Food Tour?

Food tours are a great way to try different dishes from a city, and meet some other people. I always try to book at least one food tour or a bar tour on a trip. Here are a couple to check out in Hiroshima.

Food Tour Adventure in Hiroshima at Night: You’ll wander around one of Hiroshima’s fun nightlife areas, stopping at three different restaurants and trying a whopping ten different dishes. See more about it here.

Hiroshima Bar Hopping Food Tour: Magical Trip is the company I look for when picking my bar tours – and they have this tour in Hiroshima that explores the lively Nagarekawa bar district. You’ll visit three bars with an included dish and drink in each of them. Book it here.

Looking for Something Fancy?

As I said, I am not a gourmet eater in Japan – but I know people who are! And here are three restaurants they suggest…

Tosho

Our recommendation here comes from no less than Rishi Sunak (the ex-Prime Minister of the UK) and Kishida Fumio, the Prime Minister of Japan. No – I don’t know either of them personally, but this is where they dined before the G7 summit – so, it’s got to be good! It’s famous for its set meal of many small courses, particularly dishes containing tofu.

Reservations are strongly advised – you can book in English here. Three different set menus are available with prices starting at around 12,000 yen a head.

If you are okay to book direct, look out for special prices at lunchtime, these could see you dine here for under 5000 yen per person.

Seasonal Cuisine Nakashima

The only restaurant in Hiroshima to have received 3 Michelin stars. It was a while ago, but, still, Seasonal Cuisine Nakashima delights Hiroshima today with a kaiseki-style dining featuring local and seasonal ingredients. Expect to pay around 24,000 yen per head.

Bookings can be made in English here. It’s open six days a week for dinner only from 6pm to 10pm. Note, seatings are at set times and you cannot be late as everyone is served at the same time.

Teppan Ryori Mimitei

Highly recommended by the team at ByFood (a fantastic foodie resource in Japan), you’ve heard of Kobe beef, this restaurant can serve you equally as tender Hiroshima beef cooked on a teppanyaki grill.

Set course menus start at 11,250 yen, or you can order a’la carte for around the same price. If you come at lunchtime, it’s around 3000 yen per head cheaper.

It’s open for lunch from 11-3pm (last orders at 2pm) and for dinner from 5pm to 10 pmish. It’s closed on Wednesday and the second Tuesday of the month.

Book here if you don’t mind translating from Japanese, or, if you prefer to book in English set course meals can be booked here

And there you have it. Our guide to where I ate – and where you might want to try to eat – in Hiroshima.

Who Writes This Blog?

My name is Helen Foster, and I’m a journalist and author. My travel articles have appeared in publications including The Australian, Escape, RAC Horizons, Jetstar Magazine, Sainsbury’s Magazine, and more.

I’ve traveled to Japan eight times before – solo and with my partner and visited over 25 towns and cities. My last visit was November 2024 so, everything here is pretty up to date.