Blessed with the bounty of the land, sea, and mountains, Fukui Prefecture is known as a treasure trove of food. A five-minute drive from Fukui Station takes you to Oryori Itto, an old house-style restaurant facing Sakura-dori Street lined with cherry trees for miles and filled with cherry blossoms in spring. Born in Fukui, Chef Norihiro Kurahashi decided to enter the culinary world at the age of 18 and opened Tokinokura in 2007 after training at several Japanese restaurants. He opened his second restaurant, Nihonryori Itto, in 2012 and relocated it to the current location in 2019. Awarded two stars in the world’s leading restaurant guide in 2021, this Japanese restaurant highlights the terroir of Fukui and attracts food lovers from around Japan for its seasonal specialties featuring local ingredients.
Filled with love for his hometown, Chef Kurahashi celebrates the flavors of Etsumi. He offers prix fixe (fixed price) options featuring ingredients from Etchu, Echigo, and Echizen provinces (Toyama, Ishikawa, and Fukui prefectures, or collectively called the Hokuriku region ) to create the flavors of Etsu (Hokuriku). In order to select ingredients, he visits producers and places of production and purchases high-quality ingredients directly from producers with whom he has built up trust and relationships through regular communication. In particular, the rice and grilled dishes are remarkable. The former menu features Koshihikari rice grown in a completely chemical-free environment by Echizen Tambo-no-tenshi Organic Agricultural Association in Fukui, including some planted by the chef himself. Grown with devotion, the rice is exceptional with a simple flavor and a slightly sweet taste. The latter menu includes seasonal seafood, some grilled over charcoal, some grilled over straw fire, and some roasted, but all cooked dynamically right in front of guests at the counter. All these dishes, especially tilefish and rockfish prepared onboard using the ikejime (fish breeding) technique and wild eels from Lake Kitagata, delight the taste buds of connoisseurs. The seasonal flavors of Etsumi, such as prix fixe (fixed price) meals featuring Echizen crab (snow crab) in winter and wild sweetfish delivered alive from Ikeda, Fukui, in summer, are undoubtedly worth trying.
The drink menu includes a wide selection of Japanese sake, mostly brewed in Fukui, as well as red and white wines. The food and drink pairing menu offers full and short options selected by the sommelier on request.
Renovated from an old private house into a sukiya-style restaurant, the exterior has a sophisticated appearance, while the interior has a dignified elegance. The first floor is furnished with a six-seat counter. In addition, there are four private rooms (seating up to 10 people) on the first and second floors. The collection of tableware includes Echizen and Kutani ware, mostly antiques.
The restaurant is worth visiting for tourists and families and ideal for anniversary celebrations and business dinners. Please enjoy the seasonal flavors of Fukui, one of the greatest treasure troves of food in Japan, at Oryori Itto.
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* The availability of this webpage does not guarantee that the restaurant presented provides services in English, unless otherwise stated. Please be aware that English services may also depend on staff availability at the restaurant.
Access
A 15-minutes walk from JR Fukui Station
A 5-minutes by taxi from Fukui Station
