Day-by-day eating plans for Hiroshima. weekend classics, family routes, vegan plans, on-a-budget editions.

Day-by-day plans

Hiroshima weekend: okonomiyaki, oysters and one late bar ★ 4.7

First-time visitor, two days2 days

Two days built around the two things Hiroshima does better than anywhere else: layered okonomiyaki off a teppan, and Seto Inland Sea oysters eaten four different ways.

  1. Day 1: Saturday: morning set, okonomiyaki lunch, oyster dinner

    Morning
    Start at Rue Brazil in Otemachi at 07:30 for the morning set the city is credited with inventing: bread, boiled egg, salad and coffee, all in before 10:30. Walk on to Peace Memorial Park.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Nagataya, two blocks from the A-Bomb Dome. Order the standard soba okonomiyaki and watch the layers go together, then take a coffee at Obscura Coffee Roasters Fukuromachi.
    Evening
    Dinner at Kakibune Kanawa on the Motoyasu river, oysters from the family's own rafts. Finish with a cocktail at Bar Alegre, a ten-minute walk east in Horikawa-cho.

  2. Day 2: Sunday: arcade browsing, teppan lunch, noodles and a late bowl

    Morning
    Walk Hondori Shopping Street from the park end, stopping at the Hiroshima Andersen bakery market inside the old bank building for a Danish pastry.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Mitchan Sohonten Hatchobori, the counter most locals name first. Order the soba niku-tama; the grilled oysters and koune only come out on the evening teppan menu from 17:00.
    Evening
    Cold noodles at Bakudanya Honten in Shintenchi, then a nightcap at Helen Cafe and Bar in Komachi once the whisky service starts at 18:00.

Hiroshima noodle crawl: tsukemen, tantanmen and chuka soba ★ 4.5

Noodle-focused eater, one day1 day

One day spent on the three noodle dishes Hiroshima claims as its own, crossing the river to Eba for the bowl the city has been eating since 1958. Run it Thursday to Monday: Musashibo closes Tuesdays and Bakudanya closes Wednesdays.

  1. Day 1: Cold dipping noodles, broth-free tantanmen and a 1958 soy bowl

    Morning
    Open at Chukasoba Youki Eba Honten across the river in Eba for the 11:30 service. One dish only, soy and pork bone, unchanged since 1958. The counter shuts on the 1st, 12th, 13th and 26th of each month.
    Afternoon
    Cross back into the centre for Musashibo in Fujimi-cho, seven minutes east of the Chudenmae tram stop. Buy a ticket at the machine, pick a heat level and stir the bowl hard.
    Evening
    Finish at Bakudanya Honten in Shintenchi with cold tsukemen and a graded chilli sauce, then a late bowl at Mongoi-tei in Tanna if it is a Friday or Saturday.

Hiroshima on a budget: three meals under 3,000 yen ★ 4.3

On a budget, one day1 day

A full day of Hiroshima's defining dishes without a single plate over 1,200 yen, from a station-side okonomiyaki counter to a weeknight griddle in Nishi-ku. Run it Tuesday to Friday: Rai Rai Tei closes Mondays and Lopez opens on weekdays only.

  1. Day 1: Station okonomiyaki, a cheap noodle lunch and a weeknight griddle

    Morning
    Browse the ekie souvenir hall on the second floor at Hiroshima Station while it is quiet, then drop to the ekie dining floor below for soba okonomiyaki at Reichan when its counter opens at 11:00, from 790 yen.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Rai Rai Tei in Minami-ku for a bowl of chuka soba under 1,000 yen, before the kitchen breaks at 15:30.
    Evening
    Take the tram west to Lopez in Kusunoki-cho for vegetables, pork and egg at 730 yen, or 880 yen with soba, jalapenos on top. Weeknights only.
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