食堂 あお

This place was an absolute gem in Kumano. The whole dining experience from start to finish was top drawer. Intimate dining area and atmosphere coupled with incredible and the freshest food from the local area. The sashimi was outstandingly delicious as the owner/chef catches the fishes himself in the morning from the sea!

We opted for the course meal whereby they chose what they had for the day to be served for the meal. No regrets with that, and I highly recommend it as everything they served was worthy of the highest praise. All the ingredients were put together wholeheartedly and focused on Kumamo's produce. Sauces, pickles, and even the ice cream were all made in-house with the highest attention to detail by the chef.

Service was also friendly and warm as they shared about each dish with passion. I do not regret saying that this was the best meal I had on my Japan trip and even better when compared to what some Michelin restaurants offer back in Singapore.

I can not recommend this place enough and was lucky to have been able to secure seats here. Do make advance reservations as they only seat about 12pax for dinner if I remember correctly.

An absolutely phenomenal experience from start to finish. We managed to sneak a space last minute and were so pleased we did. Such a joyful atmosphere and incredible food. We’re working out if we can squeeze in another visit before we leave. One of the best meals of my life.

If I were a food critic, I would give this place a Michelin star. It was absolutely phenomenal. Everything is so fresh, you can taste the quality. We're American and can't read much Japanese, so they offered to just bring out recommended dishes, and it was perfect. You could tell that the chefs care about the food. Everything is so well done, and has a unique twist to it. I will be dreaming about this meal for a long time. I hope I can visit again some day!

A fantastic dining experience in an intimate dining space, located close to Kumanoshi JR station. We sat at the woodbench counter, allowing the owner and his staff to choose from the menu for us; and they prepared small exquisite seafood dishes accompanied by selected Japanese sake.

The sea-to-table food philosophy is immediately evident: The ingredients are locally-sourced from the staff who kayak into the bay daily for the catch-of-day (red snapper, snow crabs, and the like). The condiments on the bench-top include a local craft salt made from seawater and no additives (you can visit the Iwato Salt Factory in Ise City, in Mie Prefecture); and yuzu green peppers grown only in the Mukai area (you can visit the Owasemukai Farm of ​​Oji City, also in Mie).

There is an obvious care and love of cuisine, and a warmth to the dining room space, with the sake cups and Japanese ceramics being part of that design. The owner/s, who have spent time previously in New Zealand, seem to be pioneers and are undoubtedly understated ambassadors in food culture here in Kumano and the region.

This is a dining experience to definitely visit when you come to Kumano.

This was one of the absolute best meals we’ve had all year. The owners catch all the fish themselves and all the produce is local and extremely delicious. They take great care over everything they do - from cheffing to presentation to pouring lager. Good for veggies too! We had a wonderful time and HIGHLY recommend.

One of the best meals we’ve had during our trip in Japan. Lovely small shareable portions of freshly caught fish. The staff are super friendly and welcoming, and show great care in everything they prepare, even the glasses of beer that they chill in ice before pouring. Highly recommend for anyone passing through. (They were also very accommodating to vegetarians in our group.)

Found this lovely gem by chance while driving through. Great place to eat and fantastic service. We took the course meal and the food was fresh, surprising and delicious. All this was presented by the lovely staff. Arigato!!

This exceeded all our expectations! We had the best fish we’ve ever tried while watching the chefs prepare everything In front of us. Some of the fish they had caught themselves the same morning. The staff spoke great English. Unbelievable experience, loved every bite. I’d recommend this restaurant even if you’re not a big fish eater because I think it could change your mind! The atmosphere was also very lovely.

Was lucky enough to stumble across this gorgeous little restaurant. The food was exceptional and all locally sourced (fish even caught by the owners). It really was one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had in a restaurant

This place is a gem. Local fish cooked to perfection , amazing collection of sakes. The shef is a wizard. We drove from afar and are so happy we stopped in this town. Very English-friendly too

Great coffee (really great, hand done) and other drinks, as well as home made tarts, cakes and onigiri during the day. Great place to wait for a train, very close to the station. Friendly husband and wife team, with wife doing the cafe in the day time, while husband runs it as a fish based izakaya in the evening.

The owner speaks English, and English menu available. Uses locally caught fresh fishes.
Great atmosphere and food

Had a lovely cafe latte coffee here while waiting for a train, and I suggest you do too. Has WiFi.

(It's half coffee shop in the daytime/half restaurant in the evenings. The opening times on Google might not reflect that)

best food I‘ve ever had.

旨い刺し身、特に店主自ら海で釣ってきたイカ、超新鮮、「まだ生きてるよ」って見せてくれた。どれもが旨い。他の料理、お酒も美味しかった。料理をのせる器、ぐい呑 、一段と美味しくなった。

瀞峡ウナギの唐揚げが絶品で、どれも美味しくオススメです。初めて入ったお店で知らない人ともお話して楽しく食事ができました。

とにかく最高でした。どれも丁寧に手作りされた料理だと思いました。事前にインスタなどをチェックしたりすれば、幻級のうなぎが食べられることもあります。お酒も種類多くて良かったです。スタッフの方の接客もとても気持ちよく居心地最高でした✨

熊野の地魚を堪能出来るお店です！
カウンターだけの落ち着いた雰囲気で、器などにも拘りを感じます。サービスも暖かく素敵なお店です。
特におすすめはお刺身の盛り合わせです。ひと工夫されたお魚を色々と楽しめ、見た目も美しく是非、頼んで頂きたい一品です。
地元のお客様にも観光客の方にも大変人気のお店で席数も限られる為ご予約をおすすめです。

當地人十分推薦的一家餐廳，魚都是老闆早上自己捕獲的十分新鮮，"漁師のおむすび" 非常推薦 裡面有生魚片海鮮的飯糰 非常好吃，如果有機會來一定要試試。

另外這間店的老闆店員都很熱情也都會說英文，所以不會日文也不用擔心!

幾度も旅計画を組み、お店の予約までしてましたが、段取りよくなくて旅の延期が続いてました。

今回、三度目の正直でようやく伺うことがてきました！！
予想通り、いえいえ想定以上に大変素敵なお店でした。
遠路ですがまた機会を作って行きたいところです。
（いろいろ美味しくお酒が進みすぎて、年甲斐もなく酔いましてちょっと大声になり反省中です。。。）
ありがとうございました。