Hiroshima eats differently from the rest of Japan: okonomiyaki built in layers with yakisoba noodles, oysters from the Seto Inland Sea that supply 60% of Japan's crop, fiery tsukemen, and Saijō sake brewed with soft delta water.
The city's fish and produce hub at Kusatsu Port, handling Seto Inland Sea catch — conger eel, small sardines, seasonal oysters. Public areas and the market restaurants open from around 05:00; wholesale auction floors need advance permission. Restaurants inside serve sashimi sets from ¥1,000.
The covered Hondōri arcade runs 577 m east-west and feeds into Ebisu-dōri and Chūō-dōri — dense with standing sushi counters, taiyaki stalls, Andersen bakery (the birthplace of Japan's Danish pastry import) and cheap teishoku lunch sets from ¥800.
The ASSE and ekie complexes at Hiroshima Station stock the region's pantry: lemon-chilli 'reman-suko', oyster soy sauce, momiji-manjū in custard and cheese fillings, and Kure's kaigun curry roux. Most shops open 09:00-21:00 with free tasting spoons.
Hiroshima's densest drinking quarter, east of Chūō-dōri, packed with narrow izakaya serving hiroshimana pickles, anago tempura and grilled conger eel. Most counters open 17:00 or 18:00; a nomi-hōdai two-hour course runs about ¥3,000-4,000.
The 350 m arcade from the ferry pier to Itsukushima Shrine is lined with charcoal grills. Yakigaki no Hayashi has grilled Hiroshima Bay oysters since 1950 — two shells for around ¥800, opened at the counter and eaten with ponzu or lemon.
Founded 1901 as a station bentō vendor opposite the Miyajima ferry pier. Sea eel is grilled over charcoal and laid over rice cooked in eel bone stock; the boxed bentō version travels well and costs roughly ¥2,300-3,000. Expect a queue at the sit-down restaurant.
Seven working breweries — Kamotsuru, Kamoizumi, Hakubotan, Saijōtsuru among them — stand within 500 m of Saijō Station, identifiable by red-brick chimneys and namako-wall storehouses. Tasting counters typically charge ¥100-500 per pour; many open 10:00-17:00.
Hiroshima tsukemen is cold noodles dipped in chilled chilli-sesame sauce, served with cabbage and cha-shu — nothing like the hot Tokyo version. Bakudan-ya lets you pick heat levels 1 to 20; a standard bowl runs ¥800-1,000 and it stays open late.
The maple-leaf cakes were invented on Miyajima around 1906. Shops such as Yamada-ya and Fujii-ya run open baking machines on the arcade; a fresh warm one costs ¥100-150, and the deep-fried 'age-momiji' on a stick about ¥200.
A single-counter okonomiyaki shop directly opposite Peace Memorial Park, working the layered Hiroshima method: crêpe, cabbage mountain, pork belly, yakisoba noodles, egg. A standard soba-iri is around ¥1,000-1,300; oyster and cheese versions cost more.
A moored kaki-bune (oyster boat) restaurant on the Motoyasu, serving oysters from the operator's own Seto Inland Sea beds in raw, grilled and fried courses. Lunch kaiseki from roughly ¥5,000, dinner courses considerably higher; reservations expected.
The ekie complex on the station's north side gathers standing oyster bars, Hiroshima craft beer taps and lemon-sour counters under one roof, open until 23:00. Half a dozen oysters with a beer runs about ¥2,000 — a workable last stop before a Shinkansen.