Kamakura Lunch - 雲心月性...

[Kamakura Lunch] Flavours that keep even the foodies coming back! Four specially selected restaurants that use local ingredients.

Reprinted from 和樂webさま

Texts 和樂web編集部さま

Here are the best places to have lunch during your trip to Kamakura!　Seafood, Japanese food, Italian food… We have selected four stylish and delicious restaurants that are unique to Kamakura, a city with an abundance of ingredients. Enjoy the taste of local production for local consumption to the fullest.

Zen Saryo Tenshin’an – Recapturing the nourishing flavours passed down directly by Kenchoji Temple.

Kenchin Jiru – a delicious traditional soup with a deeply nourishing taste

Zen Saryo Tenshin An is the only place where you can enjoy Kenchin-jiru, the cooking method of which was handed down from the masters of Kenchoji Temple. 7 or 8 kinds of vegetables from Kamakura and Shonan are cut up used without any wastage of their skins. The firm tofu is broken up by hand and konnyaku is cut up using the bottom of the a rice bowl, and soaked in the umami of the soup stock made from kombu and dried shiitake mushrooms. The flavour of sesame oil also comes through, making it a satisfying meal!　The restaurant is located in front of Kenchoji Temple, so after visiting the temple, you can have a lunch that that’s kind to your digestive system.

The “Densho Kencho Soup” is 990 yen (with two salted musubi). With chikuzen-ni and homemade pickles, it is a satisfying meal. The bowl, inscribed with the words of an elderly master, is carved in the Kamakura-bori technique. Beekeeping is also carried out in the mountain inside Kenchoji Temple, and in addition to Kenchin-jiru, there are other intriguing dishes such as curry and pudding using honey collected from the bees.

Address: 7, Yamanouchi, Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture
Tel: 0467-55-9350
Opening hours: 11am – 4pm (L.O. at 3pm) Closed on Mondays (or the following Tuesday if Monday is a bank holiday).
Official website: http://tenshin-an.com/

The key lies in the vegetables and kelp! Delicious vegetable meals “NARUTOYA + TENZO”.

The same set menus for lunch and dinner, which also makes us happy! “Tsuki no Gohan”

Vegetables grown in the soil and sea breeze of Kamakura are served with a gentle flavour. The monthly set menus, which are made with kombu (kelp) and minimal seasoning, offer five dishes rich in textures such as crunchy, creamy and crispy. Narutoya+Tenzo, local ingredients are used as much as possible, but that is not the aim. It is a meal that can be eaten by all three generations, from children to the elderly, and is effortlessly complements the land and the seasons. It looks like home cooking, but it is the work of a professional.

The March set meal, which includes rice with butterbur sprouts, deep-fried udo and new seaweed, and simmered turnip and deep-fried tofu. The set lunch and dinner prices are ¥1,760. A relaxing space in a busy area of Komachi-dori. The menu also includes udon noodles with kuzu-tomizushi for 880 yen and udon noodles with kuzu-tomizushi and three side dishes for 1,760 yen.

Address: 1-16-12 Komachi, Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture
Tel: 0467-23-7666
Opening hours: 11:30am – 3pm (2:30pm L.O.) / 6pm – 8pm (7:30pm L.O.) Closed Tuesdays and 2nd and 4th Wednesdays.

The reason why the ingredients and rice are separate is because we want you to eat them freely at Kamakura Kohana Sushi.

The “Tokujo-chirashi”, a gem full of Kamakura’s unique flavour, is as gorgeous as a hand-box.

An unpretentious sushi restaurant loved by locals. The popular chirashi-zushi is characterised by its unique style, in which the ingredients and rice are placed in separate tubs. It is also popular with drinkers who want to start with just sashimi as a snack. Most of the fish, squid and octopus are bought directly from local fishermen. The owner, Kenji Mikura, says: “The sea in Kamakura doesn’t produce a lot of fish, but there is a wide variety. The special top-class fish includes about 20 different types of fish. Many women marvel at the gorgeous appearance of the fish when the lid is opened. The rice is also covered with a broiled egg, seaweed, denbu and other ingredients, and is delicious on its own. Comes with seasonal soup.

The extra-chirashi (extra-quality chirashi) is 3,960 yen, with so many varieties it’s hard to decide which one to start with. The restaurant has seven seats at the counter and a small tatami room. The restaurant is also known as the place where writer Shizuka Ijuin used to go when she was young, and her handwritten calligraphy is on display.

Address: 1-11-13, Hase, Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture
Tel: 0467-23-0490
Opening hours: 12:00-15:00 / 17:00-23:00, closed on Wednesdays (closed the following day if Wednesday is a public holiday).

Filling but light. Breeze Bird Cafe & Bakery, an Italian restaurant full of comfort.

The sauces that lock in the seasons are also superb! Lunch courses at

This Italian restaurant opened in July 2021 in a renovated house just a few steps from Wadazuka Station on the Enoden Line after you have popped in your IC card. Chef Kiyoto Kataoka prepares bread from early in the morning, and stocks vegetables at Lembai (Kamakura City Agricultural Cooperative Union sale point). Local fish from Yokosuka comes from Nagai Fishing Port, and Fujisawa Miyaji Pork is his speciality. These are beautifully prepared into appetisers and main courses, making the restaurant a favourite with local food connoisseurs. You could even go all the way to Kamakura for the lunch..!

Lunch courses are priced between 2,700 and 3,300 yen and include an appetiser salad, main course, bread, dessert and drink. The main course is a choice of pasta, fish or meat. Although you cannot see the sea, the location is typical of Shonan, with the Enoden train running right next to the restaurant. The simple interior was designed by a former Miyadaiku carpenter. The terrace seating is also refreshing.

Address: 3-4-5, Yuigahama, Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture
Tel: 0467-73-8055
Opening hours: Morning 9am-11:30am (10:30am L.O.) / Lunch 11:30am-3:30pm (2:30pm L.O.) / Dinner 6pm-10pm (9pm L.O.) *Dinner is by reservation only. Closed Tuesdays and 2nd and 4th Wednesdays (irregular holidays).
Official website：https://breeze-bird.com/

Photography:Shinohara Hiroaki Editor:Yuguchi Kaori(Zen Saryo Tenshin’an, Kamakura Kohana Sushi)
Photography:Sato Toshikazu Editor:Kotake Tomoko (Narutoya + Tenzo, Breeze Bird Cafe & Bakery)
This article is a reprint of the magazine Waraku (June/July 2023). The shop information is current at the time of publication in the magazine.

End of reprint