“they’re all exact expressions
of the one soul,
each a perfect fulfilmentof heaven’s template,
mackerel essence.”– Mark Doty, from A Display of Mackerel
Life is full of regrets, and my travel regrets are directly related to my stomach.
That being said, I was pleased with the food in Niigata, Japan, as I was with almost everything during my trip. I could have chosen better, but I was satisfied with what I ate. I wasn’t sure what I’d find in Niigata after days of enjoying Yamagata Prefecture with my friends. The city, the capital of the prefecture that shares its name, isn’t big by Asian city standards, but it is a transportation hub with a Shinkansen direct to Tokyo. It was a convenient stop on the way back for my flight home, and I figured I’d add an extra day to explore and eat.
The compact downtown area outside the train station isn’t expansive — it’s a walkable city in this respect, though there are parts of the city farther out that require a bus or taxi. Needless to say, I stuck to the walkable area (to me anyway) as it had everything I needed for the limited time.
I arrived late afternoon on a commuter train after spending the day biking and hiking around the quaint town of Murakami. After dropping off my luggage at the hotel near the station, I wandered the streets in search of interesting food. I came across Oven Bar Stove, which looked like a fun bar that may serve small meals — it was a great stop, but the food options weren’t what I wanted. They did, however, offer pleasant conversation that included recommendations in Niigata.
Searching for Izakaya
The bartender at Oven Bar Stove recommended Ebisudai (えびす鯛), but on that first night I couldn’t get in without a reservation, so I made one for the following evening. I tried the second restaurant that he recommended and encountered the same issue — these were popular Saturday night dinner spots.
I ended up at an izakaya that had some wonderful sashimi instead. うんめ魚が食いてぇ 駅前漁港 本店 around the corner from Oven Bar Stove is a quaint, rustic-style izakaya with no romanized name. There was no English menu and Google Translate camera was returning complete gibberish in the form of mathematic equations. Fortunately, a slightly drunk man next to me helped translate a little. He also provided some fun conversation, which turned into a few other patrons joining in.
I was a bit tired of searching and asking for help with my limited Japanese, so I ordered a serving of sashimi that exceeded expectations. I savored every morsel of fish between sips of inexpensive sake. I was tempted to order more, but it was getting late and I wanted to wake up early to wander the city.
Afterwards, I headed back to the bar to tell the bartender the story; he was surprised and apologetic. I just thought it was funny. He said he would’ve told me to go to a different place for sashimi, but it didn’t matter — what I had was more than good enough. I thanked him again for the recommendations.
As I went out for another beer before returning to the hotel, I found a little bar that offered interesting small dishes. Fortunately, the server spoke English to help with translation. The most interesting item on the menu was wasabi squid. It was not what I expected, but it was tasty. Small tender pieces of squid marinated in a light wasabi sauce. It’s certainly a dish for a lighter variety of beer.
The Best Ramen in Niigata?
As I headed to the seaside the next day, I was far from most restaurants by lunchtime. Staff at Saito Villa recommended Ramen Kurai along the route back downtown.
Google Maps indicated that it was “less busy than usual,” but the line to get in said otherwise. I waited outside in the rain for over 45 minutes to get a seat in the ramen shop. I had to figure out the options on the ticket machine to decide what I wanted and how much cash I had on me. I ordered what seemed to be the most popular bowl of ramen they had.
It was a light broth with good noodles and bit of meat — it was a filling lunch after walking around the city. It is certainly Instagram worthy. It also felt good after standing out in the rain. After walking so much that morning, I probably should’ve ordered more, but I thought I might find some snacks along the way back toward the next destination (wishful thinking).
Ramen Kurai is the highest-rated ramen shop in Niigata, and the ramen is good. Is it good enough to wait in line in the rain for 45 minutes? No. The ramen I had next to the gas station in Sakata was better. Then again, I’m more a fan of the spicy ramen. The experience left me with a reminder that I don’t want to wait long for any food.
Impressive Sashimi in Niigata
After getting some rest and hurrying out for a long walk to a sake brewery, I headed out in the rain to Ebisudai for my reservation, which I didn’t need because it wasn’t nearly as busy on Sunday night.
The seating fee for the restaurant included a choice of small appetizers. I chose the beef because I knew I was ordering all seafood. It was a pleasant introduction in a stone pot.
The one thing I had to order at Ebisudai was sea bass, specifically nodoguro (のどぐろ), which is a sea bass found around Japan and is in season in autumn. With a little help from the server, I ordered the sashimi, a dish of marinated oysters, and some sake. I wasn’t sure how much food I’d be served, but I knew I could always order more.
While waiting for my order, I watched the chefs prepare an enormous, beautiful platter. I wondered why I didn’t order that (probably because I can’t read Katakana, but also this place is on the pricier side). I got the staff to wait a moment so I could at least take a picture of the work of art that some other diners were enjoying.
I do not, however, regret ordering the nodoguro sashimi. It was beautifully plated. And that fish melted in my mouth. It was a delightful experience to savor each piece. The oysters paired well with the sashimi — they were flavorful, fresh, and tender.
But I certainly needed more to eat after that. I ordered seared octopus, which also looked amazing when served. While I usually love octopus in any form (see my wonderful dining experience in Lisbon for example), this was left me unimpressed. The preparation method in this case left the octopus a bit tough and chewy.
While this was a fantastic choice of restaurant in Niigata, I should note that it gets a little smoky inside with some of the food prep by the entrance. I suppose it is part of the ambiance to see this, but it wasn’t the most pleasant to breathe it in. Ebisudai would have been even better with someone to share meals with — there’s a lot to choose from on the menu.
Following that dinner, I wandered a far quieter downtown Niigata than the previous evening. I wanted to find a drink to relax before catching my shinkansen to Tokyo the next day — I didn’t have to wake up early. I was surprised to find that almost every place in town was closed on Sunday.
If I visited again, I would definitely make reservations and not stay on a Sunday night.
