🍜 Kawaramachi Izumiya

Along the banks of the Nagara River, rows of traditional wooden houses with lattice doors preserve their historical charm. Just a 5-minute walk from the popular cormorant fishing viewing boat dock, there is a specialty restaurant called "Kawaramachi Izumiya" that serves sweetfish dishes. During the cormorant fishing season, the restaurant offers lunch and dinner. Although only set menus are available during peak season, diners can enjoy a variety of sweetfish dishes, including grilled sweetfish sushi and sweetfish porridge. The restaurant is almost fully booked on weekends, so it is recommended to make a reservation in advance. Additionally, if you want to enjoy sweetfish dishes while watching the cormorant fishing, you can also pre-order a "sweetfish bento" for takeout two days in advance. The wild sweetfish used by the restaurant are caught using a method called "Tomoduri," which involves fishing with a hook. The main varieties include Gujō sweetfish from the Gujō and Nagara River areas, as well as Wara sweetfish from the Yoshikawa. The salt-grilled sweetfish is cooked over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, allowing the entire fish, from head to bone, to be eaten, providing a wonderful texture and flavor. Moreover, the last course of the set menu, sweetfish porridge, can be upgraded for an additional charge to sweetfish ramen, a unique dish exclusive to this restaurant. The sweetfish ramen features a broth infused with wild sweetfish sauce, topped with grilled and sun-dried sweetfish, offering a refreshing taste filled with the essence of sweetfish.

A specialty restaurant for sweetfish cuisine is a 5-minute walk from the cormorant fishing viewing boat boarding area. During the cormorant fishing season, lunch and dinner are served, and it is almost always fully booked, so reservations are required in advance. You can reserve a "sweetfish bento" two days in advance to enjoy while watching the cormorant fishing. The restaurant's wild sweetfish is caught using a method called "tomodachi-dai" (友釣), featuring Gujō sweetfish and Wara sweetfish. Accompanied by charcoal-grilled, sun-dried sweetfish ramen, this is a unique sweetfish dish that can only be enjoyed at this restaurant.