Tabelog ratingWashokudokoro Kobayashi (和食処 こばやし) is the dining room of Isoya, a himono shop downstairs that dries its own kinmedai (splendid alfonsino) and nodoguro (rosy seabass). The house dish is kinmedai no nitsuke, fish simmered in a near-black, sweet soy sauce. Several reviewers believe the sauce is topped up and kept going rather than made fresh each time. Staff bring a spoon so you can pour it over your rice.
The nitsuke dominates the reviews. Reviewers praise its large, meaty pieces and a flavour they call deep but balanced, and it draws Korean and Chinese visitors as well as Japanese ones. The oversized, thick himono from the shop downstairs are a strong second choice. The kaisendon is praised for heaped, thick-cut sashimi. Many reviewers also mention the crab miso soup and the kindly older women who serve.
The donburi are the weak spot. Several reviewers found the kotobuki-don or yume chirashi watery, fishy or not especially local. Some call the prices tourist-level, and a few find the nitsuke too salty. One reviewer describes a brusque manner on the phone, and another reports staff shouting at their table.
Most meals cost ¥2,000–3,000 at lunch and dinner alike. Between 2023 and 2026, reviewers paid around ¥2,480–2,980 for the kinmedai nitsuke set and ¥3,800 for the nodoguro nitsuke set. They paid ¥2,980 for the kaisendon, ¥2,380 for the yume chirashi and ¥2,800 for the Atami lunch or the ladies' set.
Value is good, above all for the kinmedai. Reviewers repeatedly note that a set this generous under ¥3,000 is rare in Atami. The donburi are the less certain buy.
- Getting there: 3 minutes on foot from Atami Station. Walk about 100 m along the Heiwa-dori shopping arcade from the station square. It is diagonally opposite the post office, on the 2nd and 3rd floors of Isoya Himono-ten.
- Booking: walk-in for regular seating; seats alone cannot be reserved. Reservations are taken only for set meals or kaiseki in the 3rd-floor tatami room. They are not accepted for the same day or the day before, or for guests arriving by car. Booking a course is a way to skip the queue.
- Queues: 10–50 minutes is common, especially at weekends and around noon. Arrive at the 11:00 opening or in the late afternoon.
- Payment: Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Amex and Diners accepted. Electronic money and QR payments are not accepted.
- Allergies: guests with food allergies are asked not to come in.
- Children: welcome, babies included. Suitcases and strollers are not allowed inside and are left at the fish shop.
- Seats: 30 (15 at tables, 15 in the tatami room), groups of up to 25. No private rooms or private hire.
- Smoking and parking: non-smoking; no parking.
- Ordering: the kinmedai nitsuke takes 10–20 minutes to cook. The menu is text-heavy with no photos.
