Savor the Bounty of the Setouchi Region! 11 Popular Restaurants to Enjoy Okayama Gourmet

Gominoshi is a fish market run by the Hinase Town Fisheries Cooperative in Bizen City, Okayama Prefecture.
It sells fresh seafood from the Seto Inland Sea directly from local fishermen. There is a wide selection of fresh seafood, including sea bream, flounder, and shellfish.
It is a popular spot not only for everyday shopping by local residents but also for tourists.
The star of the market is oysters. From April to July, rock oysters are the main feature, and from November onward, Pacific oysters take center stage.
After purchasing rock oysters, you can have them shucked on the spot and enjoy their fresh flavor.

Umi no Eki Shioji is located in Hinase Town, Bizen City, Okayama Prefecture.
It is a barbecue facility operated directly by the Hinase Town Fisheries Cooperative, located across from the fresh fish market Gominoshi.
Because you can enjoy seafood caught by local fishermen right on the spot, it is widely used by both tourists and local residents.
It offers a 90-minute plan per table, including charcoal, a grill net, tongs, and other equipment.
You can enjoy charcoal-grilling oysters, shrimp, clams, turban shells, and other seafood purchased at Gominoshi without bringing anything yourself.

This restaurant serves authentic Japanese cuisine made with seasonal seafood landed at Shimotsui Port.
It is especially famous for dishes made with octopus, a local specialty of Shimotsui, prepared in various ways such as kamameshi, shabu-shabu, sashimi, and karaage.
From individual pieces of sushi to set meals and full-course kaiseki cuisine, the menu suits a wide range of occasions, and the reasonable prices are another welcome feature despite the authentic Japanese cooking.

Shokudo Yamato has been operating in Okayama for three generations since its founding.
Its demi-katsudon won the Gold Prize in the katsudon category at the 1st National Donburi Grand Prix hosted by the Japan Donburi Union.
The key to Shokudo Yamato's demi-katsudon is its special sauce, made with a base of the restaurant's signature Chinese noodle soup broth.
Mustard is added, giving it a sharp, spicy accent.
The crispy cutlet, made with pork fillet and pork belly that pair well with the special sauce, is another highlight.

Sanuki no Otoko Udon Nose Hokancho Branch is a specialty Sanuki udon restaurant located in Hokancho, Kita Ward, Okayama City.
Known for its commitment to Sanuki udon with a firm bite and smooth texture, it is popular with both locals and tourists.
The menu features a wide variety of dishes based on kake udon and bukkake udon, with toppings such as tempura and egg.
Signature items inspired by the restaurant's name, such as Otoko no Niku Udon and Otoko no Niku Bukkake, are hearty specialties.
It also serves Okayama's famous demi-katsudon.

Farmer's Restaurant Shokuyukan is located along National Route 181 in Tsuyama City, Okayama Prefecture. It is a restaurant attached to Roadside Station Kume no Sato.
With local production for local consumption as its motto, it serves dishes made with fresh local ingredients.
The signature menu item is hormone udon, a Tsuyama specialty. It offers the distinctive flavor and deep richness unique to offal that regular meat cannot provide.
After your meal, handmade ice cream made with fruit and vegetables from local farmers is also popular.

Okonomiyaki Mie is a teppanyaki specialty restaurant founded in 1985. It is a well-known local favorite in Tsuyama for hormone udon.
The restaurant's hormone udon uses offal from Tsuyama Wagyu, a local branded beef.
It is finished with plenty of vegetables and a house-made sauce with Korean-style seasoning. The sweet and savory flavor has depth, and the different textures of each cut are also part of its appeal.
Salt-flavored hormone udon is also popular.

Karafuneya CAFE Sun Station Okayama Branch is operated by the long-established coffee shop chain Karafuneya Coffee.
Known as a sweets cafe, it always offers more than 40 kinds of parfaits and lets visitors enjoy a wide variety of flavors.
The signature item is the Okayama-grown Muscat Milk Tea Tiramisu Parfait.
It combines refreshingly sweet muscat grapes with rich mascarpone cream, along with ice cream and jelly scented with the aroma of fine tea.
This is a dish that truly highlights the flavor of muscat grapes.

Suisha no Sato Fruit Topia is about a 1-hour drive from central Okayama City.
From winter to spring, you can enjoy all-you-can-eat strawberries, and from summer to fall, pear and grape picking for 40 minutes.
As an optional activity, you can also make parfaits or pizza using the fruit you harvest.
The farm also has an attached cafe called cafe Fruit Topia.
A seasonal whole peach parfait made with one entire peach is also available.

Miyake Shoten, located in the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter, is a cafe renovated from a traditional townhouse built more than 100 years ago.
With features unique to old Japanese homes such as an earthen floor, storehouse, and clay walls, it offers a nostalgic and relaxing atmosphere with a traditional layout.
Miyake Shoten was originally a general goods store, and now carries on that historic shop name as a popular cafe.
The cafe's signature menu is its seasonal parfaits. Generously made with seasonal fruit, these colorful parfaits are sure to look great on social media.

This classic music cafe has around 10,000 classical records and around 1,500 CDs.
In a space inspired by a European orchestra hall, you can enjoy house-roasted coffee while listening to famous pieces played through carefully selected sound equipment.
A recommended choice is Toki no Kairo Coffee, made with carefully house-roasted premium Ethiopian beans.
Other popular options include arranged coffee drinks from around the world, such as brandy coffee and Viennese coffee.