Kanazawa is surrounded by numerous food hotspots, combining sightseeing and shopping for an enjoyable food walk experience. This time, we introduce must-visit food walk shops in Kanazawa, including hidden gems popular with locals but lesser-known to tourists. Check them out!
【Shimada Suisan / Omi-cho Market】Fresh Seafood Eaten Standing Up
Known as the kitchen of Kanazawa citizens, the popular sightseeing and food destination “Omi-cho Market” offers delicious dishes year-round. This vibrant market is full of tempting foods, making it hard to choose just by strolling through.
At “Shimada Suisan,” the storefront is lined with Ishikawa Prefecture’s winter delicacies—Kano crab (male snow crab) and koubako crab! Available in various sizes and prices, you can choose based on preference or purpose. In Kanazawa, koubako crab is a popular ingredient in Kanazawa oden’s “crab face,” highly favored!
You can also select and purchase sweet shrimp, gasu ebi (a shrimp that loses freshness quickly and is rarely found outside the prefecture), or oysters to eat standing up on-site. Gasu ebi, in particular, is a must-try.
- Shimada Suisan / Omi-cho Market（島田水産 / 近江町市場）
- Address: 35 Kami-Omi-cho, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture
- Hours: 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
- Closed: Tuesdays
- Access: 15-minute walk from JR Kanazawa Station East Exit
【Oguchi Suisan / Omi-cho Market】Fish and Meat Skewers for On-Site Dining
Boasting the largest floor space in “Omi-cho Market,” “Oguchi Suisan” has separate sections for fresh fish and prepared foods. A must-visit for food walkers is the “grill corner.”
The storefront grills whole squid, scallops, turban shells, eel liver, squid legs, and other skewers, allowing you to enjoy piping-hot delicacies on-site. The sweet-savory sauce and unique grilled seafood aroma are irresistible!
Moving through crowds with skewers can be unsafe, so use the in-store dining area. Many enjoy fresh nigiri sushi with a beer, tempted to try more menu items.
- Oguchi Suisan / Omi-cho Market（大口水産 / 近江町市場）
- Address: 38 Kami-Omi-cho, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture
- Hours: 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
- Closed: Wednesdays (irregular), January 1–4
- Access: Approximately 20 minutes from JR Kanazawa Station
【World Food Diamond / Omi-cho Market】Famous Omi-cho Croquettes with Seafood and Meat Fillings
No food walk in “Omi-cho Market” is complete without the famous Omi-cho croquettes. Freshly fried, crispy croquettes are perfect for those who don’t like seafood or raw fish, appealing to all ages!
At “World Food Diamond,” you’ll find croquettes and katsu with Noto beef, as well as seafood croquettes with octopus, sweet shrimp, and crab. The luxurious shrimp croquette bursts with rich shrimp flavor in a crispy coating; the crab croquette offers fresh crab aroma; and the octopus croquette, with octopus and seaweed, delivers a unique oceanic taste.
- World Food Diamond / Omi-cho Market（世界の食品ダイヤモンド / 近江町市場）
- Address: 24 Shimo-Omi-cho, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture
- Hours: 8:00 AM–6:00 PM
- Closed: Sundays, holidays
- Access: Approximately 17-minute walk from Kanazawa Station
【Kanazawa Pudding Shop / Omi-cho Market】Yuzen-Inspired! Fruit-Rich, Melt-in-Your-Mouth Pudding
Inspired by Kanazawa’s traditional hand-dyed Kaga Yuzen, the Yuzen pudding decorated with mixed fruits is a popular choice. The caramel and soft-serve ice cream pudding is a must-try dessert.
They also offer refreshing mixed fruit soft-serve with strawberries and apple mango, as well as Yuzen pudding-inspired soft-serve.
- Kanazawa Pudding Shop / Omi-cho Market（金澤プリン亭 / 近江町市場）
- Address: 32 Juken-machi, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture
- Hours: 10:00 AM–4:30 PM
- Closed: Irregular
- Access: Approximately 17-minute walk from Kanazawa Station
【Kanazawa Oden Akadama Main Store】Rare Ingredients like Bay Clams and Crab Face in a Hearty Bowl
It’s said that Ishikawa Prefecture has the highest number of oden shops per capita in Japan. Kanazawa oden varies by shop in ingredients and seasoning but commonly features Kaga vegetables and Japan Sea seafood. Reflecting a blend of Kanto and Kansai food cultures, the broth ranges from rich to light.
The popular, long-established “Kanazawa Oden Akadama Main Store” offers lunchtime service, making it family-friendly. Classic Kanazawa oden ingredients include red fish paste rolls, bay clams, and, in winter, koubako crab “crab face.” Summer’s refreshing summer oden, simmered with Kaga vegetable broth, is light and delicious.
- Kanazawa Oden Akadama Main Store（金澤おでん赤玉 本店）
- Address: 2-21-2 Katamachi, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture
- Hours:
- 1F: 12:00 PM–10:00 PM (9:00 PM on Sundays and holidays)
- 2F: 5:00 PM–10:00 PM (9:00 PM on Sundays and holidays)
- Closed 3:00 PM–4:00 PM on weekends and holidays for preparation
- Closed: Mondays (postponed to the next day if a holiday)
- Access: Approximately 20 minutes by taxi from JR Kanazawa Station
【Kanazawa Sushi / Higashi Chaya District】Kanazawa Delicacy—Koubako Crab Pressed Sushi Experience
In the popular tourist destination “Higashi Chaya District,” traditional chaya buildings house renovated cafes, restaurants, and shops. “Kanazawa Sushi” offers an experience to make Kanazawa’s traditional festival dish—pressed sushi. From fish cutting to crafting, authentic courses include the Kanazawa Sushi Course with over 10 ingredients in a curved wooden box or traditional wooden-framed festival sushi, full of fun.
Stuff vinegared rice into a crab shell, garnish with vinegar-marinated roe, inner roe, and crab meat to create a luxurious “crab face sushi.” Tasting your handmade pressed sushi doubles the delight.
- Kanazawa Sushi / Higashi Chaya District（金澤寿し / ひがし茶屋街）
- Address: 1-15-6 Higashiyama, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture
- Hours: 11:00 AM–3:00 PM (Last order 2:00 PM)
- Closed: Wednesdays (except holidays)
- Access: 3-minute walk from Hashiba-cho bus stop
【Kanazawa Ukeian Higashi Store / Higashi Chaya District】Rich Ukokkei Egg Soft-Serve with Gold Leaf
Kanazawa City accounts for 99% of Japan’s gold leaf production, and gold leaf desserts attract attention with their luxurious appearance. At “Kanazawa Ukeian Higashi Store” in the “Higashi Chaya District,” the ultra-rich gold leaf soft-serve is a crowd favorite.
Made with eggs from Tenrai ukokkei chickens raised on a Kanazawa farm, the soft-serve has a rich, custard-like, castella-like creamy texture, paired with gold leaf and a sturdy cone for a luxurious treat. They also sell ukokkei castella, Baumkuchen, and pudding, perfect as souvenirs.
- Kanazawa Ukeian Higashi Store / Higashi Chaya District（金澤烏鶏庵 東山店 / ひがし茶屋街）
- Address: 1-3-1 Higashiyama, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture
- Hours: 9:30 AM–5:00 PM
- Closed: Irregular, January 1–3
- Access: 3-minute walk from Hashiba bus stop
【Higashiyama Mizuho / Higashi Chaya District】Savor Kanazawa’s Culinary Delights with an Obanzai Set Meal
If you’re looking for a dining spot in the “Higashi Chaya District,” head to “Higashiyama Mizuho,” where you can enjoy steaming hot rice cooked in a clay pot and obanzai dishes made with Kaga vegetables. This quaint shop sits along a path leading to the Sugawara Shrine, the guardian deity of geishas.
The Kanazawa obanzai set meal for lunch features carefully selected local ingredients, from Kaga vegetables to soy sauce and eggs. The rice, sourced from four varieties grown in Suzu City, Noto Peninsula, Ishikawa Prefecture, is cooked daily in a custom clay pot.
The meal includes seasonal vegetable stew, koji-pickled vegetables, the local dish “berobero” (konjac noodles), Kaga vegetable vinegar salad, and Noto vegetable pudding, ensuring a healthy balance of vegetables often lacking during travel. Local sake is available in the evening.
- Higashiyama Mizuho / Higashi Chaya District（東山みずほ / ひがし茶屋街）
- Address: 1-26-7 Higashiyama, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture
- Hours:
- Mon, Fri: 11:00 AM–2:00 PM
- Tue, Wed, Thu: 11:00 AM–8:00 PM
- Sat, Sun, Holidays: 11:00 AM–3:00 PM
- Closed: Irregular
- Access: 10-minute walk from Hashiba-cho bus stop
【Kureha / Higashi Chaya District】Enjoy Reservation-Only Premium Wagashi at a Café
In the Higashiyama area, the wagashi shop “Yoshihashi” maintains its traditional practice of making joseigashi (premium wagashi) only by order. These delicate, short-shelf-life confections are like ephemeral works of art, making them highly prized.
In the “Higashi Chaya District,” a reservation-only café serves these exclusive “Yoshihashi” joseigashi. One such place is “Kureha,” which doubles as a souvenir shop and teahouse.
The teahouse’s Japanese-style rooms are meticulously maintained, offering a serene atmosphere with views of the chaya district through lattice windows. The wagashi varies by day and season, providing a delightful surprise with each visit. Enjoy them with matcha.
- Kureha / Higashi Chaya District（久連波 / ひがし茶屋街）
- Address: 1-24-3 Higashiyama, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture
- Hours: 10:00 AM–5:30 PM
- Closed: Wednesdays
- Access: 10-minute walk from Hashiba-cho bus stop
【Chayu / Higashi Chaya District】Higashi Ice Cream Monaka Made with Carefully Selected Kanazawa Higashi Ingredients
Transformed from a storage space for bathhouse materials loved by geishas and townspeople in the Edo period, the dessert café “Chayu” features an ice cream shop on the first floor and a relaxing tatami seating area on the second floor.
Chayu’s specialty is original gelato made with milk from a select Okunoto Hachino dairy and ingredients from Higashi’s renowned shops and Noto Peninsula. The 12 unique flavors include Kaga bocha tea, Kanazawa miso & Parmigiano Reggiano, and Kanazawa rice koji amazake & Noto Dainagon azuki beans.
The signature “Higashi Ice Cream Monaka” combines a crispy monaka shell with refined ice cream for a perfect taste. Note that eating while walking is prohibited in the Higashi Chaya District, so enjoy it in-store.
- Chayu / Higashi Chaya District（茶ゆ / ひがし茶屋街）
- Address: 1-7-8 Higashiyama, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture
- Hours: 10:30 AM–dusk (sometimes opens at 1:00 PM)
- Closed: Irregular
- Access: 5-minute walk from Hashiba-cho bus stop
