Sushi Shinosuke: Hokuriku Omakase at a Ten-Seat Counter

Sushi Shinosuke is run by a chef who trained at the celebrated Komatsu Yasuke and keeps that house's signatures. He works the eight-to-ten-seat counter with only his wife. The fish comes almost entirely from the Hokuriku coast. The rice is small, round, firm and lightly vinegared. The highlight is the negitoro maki: chopped fatty tuna with finely shredded white leek, pressed by hand in crisp, toasted nori and passed straight to you. A hot eel-and-cucumber roll, unakyu, follows it.

Almost every meal opens with nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch) nigiri, which draws near-universal praise. Reviewers also single out manjugai clam sautéed in butter, seared toro, amaebi topped with its green roe, gasu-ebi shrimp and baigai whelk. In winter they add kobako-gani (female snow crab) and cod milt. The proprietress's attentive service comes up again and again. You decide whether to start with small dishes or go straight to nigiri, and how much you want to eat.

The firm, al dente rice divides opinion. Several Japanese reviewers felt it did not meld with the fish. A few found the quality ordinary for the price, and two said it is less of a bargain than it used to be. Some found the standard course small and ordered extra pieces.

It is omakase only with no menu, so individual dish prices are not documented. At lunch, reviewers paid about ¥12,000 without alcohol (2023), and ¥26,000 for two for a 13-piece nigiri-only lunch (2024). At dinner, one reviewer paid about ¥27,800 per person with sake (2025), and others paid ¥66,000 for two with wine (2023 and 2026). The listing's typical spend is ¥20,000–29,999 at lunch and ¥30,000–39,999 at dinner.

Most diners who travel to Kanazawa for it consider it worth the money, and some say it is good value compared with Tokyo. A vocal minority now finds it expensive, even by Kanazawa standards.

• Booking: essential, no walk-ins. Book through shinosuke.net or by phone on 076-216-5280. Bookings open on the 1st of each month for two months ahead. Reviewers waited from about 10 days to 3 months, and weekends fill first.
• Getting there by taxi: about 10 minutes from Kanazawa Station West Exit, Korinbo or Katamachi, or over 20 minutes in evening rush hour. Ask for "the Irie 3-chome intersection" or "behind the Autobacs at Irie 3-chome". Staff will call a taxi for your return.
• Getting there by bus: from Kanazawa Station East Exit, platform 11, take bus 51 or 56 (about 21 minutes) to the Yone Maru School (米丸学校) stop, then walk 5 minutes.
• Payment: VISA, JCB, AMEX and Diners are accepted. Electronic money and QR payments are not accepted.
• Seating: 10 counter seats; no private rooms and no private hire.
• Smoking: non-smoking, with a small smoking area.
• Parking: 2 spaces in front of the restaurant.
• Language and format: the proprietress explains each piece in English with a handwritten fish guide. The meal takes about 2 hours, and you can order extra pieces at the end.