9 Lunches in Hiroshima Recommended by Locals

1. GARIBER [Hondori]

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This curry specialty shop opened in 1984. Here you can enjoy their curry that takes three days to make using domestic meat and vegetables and a secret blend of spices. It's a small restaurant with 10 counter seats, but they have a full liquor menu so you can enjoy it as a bar as well.

HP: www.localplace.jp/t100060734/ (Japanese Only)

Address: 4-1 Hondori, Hiroshima-shi, Hiroshima  (Google Map)

2. Sushiken [Hakushima]

You can enjoy full-blown sushi here for a reasonable price. This isn't a conveyor belt sushi restaurant, so a chef makes the food right in front of your eyes, and you can have a lunch set with miso soup for less than 1000 yen. Of course the taste is superb. Additional orders are also reasonably priced, so it might be good to ask the chef for their recommendations.

HP: tabelog.com/hiroshima/A3401/A340101/34016896/ (Japanese Only)

Address: 9-1 Higashi-Hakushimacho, Naka-ku, Hiroshima (Google Map)

3. Musashi [Hondori]

There's no one in Hiroshima that doesn't know this restaurant. They're so famous for their onigiri (rice balls) that they've sold more than 1 billion so far! The interior is based off of a traditional Japanese home and it's very calming. Other than onigiri they're also known for their udon, so at lunch it fills up with locals.

HP: www.musubi-musashi.co.jp/ (Japanese Only)

Address: 4-15 Hondori, Naka-ku, Hiroshima (Google Map)

４.  Chuuka Soba Mejiro [Kannon]

This restaurant, opened in June 2015, continues the delicious legacy of a famous restaurant with more than 60 years of history. They use pork and chicken bones in the soup that takes 2 days to make and it goes well with their thin noodles. The menu only consists of chuuka soba, onigiri, and inari (fried tofu). This restaurant is simple but extremely popular.

HP: www.hiroshima-mejiro.com/ (Japanese Only)

Address: 1-2 Higashi-Kanonmachi, Nishi-ku, Hiroshima (Google Map)

５. Kaki Meian [Hiroshima Station]

This restaurant offers oysters, one of Hiroshima's specialty. They have a wide menu that includes the standard fried oysters to risotto and pasta. You can also eat not just Hiroshima oysters but oysters from all over the world. It's in the building next to Hiroshima Station, so its easy access is also great.

HP: www.kanawa.co.jp/restaurant/meian/# (Japanese Only)

Address: Hiroshima Station ASSE6F, Matsubaracho 2-37, Minami-ku, Hiroshima (Google Map)

６. Chikara  [Various places]

If you don't have any time for lunch, you want to find a place where you can eat quickly. This chain restaurant offering udon and soba has quite a few branches throughout Hiroshima. You can enjoy your noodles with an onigiri or "ohagi," a traditional sweet made with sweet rice and anko, sweet bean paste. Most of their customers are locals thanks to it being cheap, fast, and delicious.

HP: www.chikara.jp/index.php (Japanese Only)

Address: 9-5 Teppocho, Naka-ku, Hiroshima (Google Map)

7. Tempura Manya [Hacchobori]

All the seats at this tempura restaurant are counter, and the food is delivered to you as it is finished so you can enjoy it in its best condition. You can eat lunch for about 700 yen and refills on rice are free. The ingredients change seasonally, and they offer them in their best condition.

HP: tenpuramanya.wix.com/manya (Japanese Only)

Address: Wada Building 2F,  9-5 Teppocho, Naka-ku, Hiroshima (Google Map)

８. Miyoshi Shokudo [Tatemachi]

This restaurant has been in business for more than 50 years. Their menu has quite a few homestyle meals on it, but the recommended dish is katsudon, a fried pork filet on rice topped with fluffy eggs. It comes with miso soup and a pickle as a set. The interior is very working class, and is usually full of men quietly watching TV as they eat. Your meal there will probably become a good memory of your trip.

HP: tabelog.com/hiroshima/A3401/A340101/34003666/ (Japanese Only)

Address: 1-12 Tatemachi, Naka-ku, Hiroshima (Google Map)

9. Suishin [Hondori]

This is a restaurant specializing in Hiroshima regional food, and it's very famous in the area. Of course they have Hiroshima oysters and eel as well as seafood caught in the Seto Inland Sea, Hiroshima beef, mountain vegetables, and more to make up a meal that's beautiful to look at. They have set meals starting around 1500 yen, but if you splurge a little bit for their courses or ala carte dishes you can enjoy a variety of genuine Hiroshima flavors.

HP: www.suishin.or.jp/ (Japanese Only)

Address: 6-7 Tatemachi, Naka-ku, Hiroshima(Google Map)

Bonus: Hiroshima Bar Hopping Food Tour

Even if you can't eat in Hiroshima for lunch, there's always dinner. If you're not sure where to go, consider joining a food tour. Even better, a food tour with plenty of drinks to go around! This Hiroshima Bar Hopping Food Tour is a great way to taste the finest local eats recommended to you by an English-speaking guide. Chat with the Hiroshima locals, try your hand at making and eating Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, and more!