I visited on a regular night. Impressions: It was incredibly delicious! Everything was fresh, large, and the staff cooked everything for us, which was great! The squid and scallops were just right, cut into easy-to-eat sizes. The crab had all the shells cracked for easy eating! I was very satisfied. I will definitely go back!

At night in Kushiro, near the Kushiro River, I went to Robata Hamabayashi. The old building was fitting for a robata, with a draft coming through the gaps. Two mothers welcomed us that night. They skillfully grilled, flipped, and seasoned the food over charcoal while we warmed ourselves. We had a big squid, oysters, scallops, and a whole hakkaku fish grilled in foil. Hakkaku is a rare fish, and having it grilled whole in foil was luxurious. The miso sauce was homemade by the mothers. It paired perfectly with the fatty hakkaku, making it delicious! We were able to enjoy the seafood of Kushiro. Since it's a robata, be careful as the smoke may cling to your clothes and leave a smell.

This is Kushiro Nights. Located across the famous rock wall hearth from Kushiro River, it is a deep hearth with a history older than the rock wall hearth! The key is the quality of the ingredients and how well they are grilled. With wonderful support, the grilling was done perfectly. Squid, scallops. The scallops were so fresh that the meat was packed tightly. A privilege of being a local! Lastly, the secret grilled saury was the perfect ending. I couldn't resist drinking sake. It was a fantastic hearth that added a touch of beauty to Kushiro Nights.

I had a great meal for 2140 yen with oolong tea, buttered potatoes, 4 smelts, oysters, and scallops. The portion sizes were just right for one person. The staff grilled the food for me, including the smelts which were delicious. The buttered potatoes were aged for a year and had a sweet flavor. The oysters were better than the ones I had in Kushiro, less fishy. The scallops were consistently delicious. Overall, everything was tasty and I would recommend this place.

Kushiro is famous for its robatayaki grills, but this place is very reasonable. I don't usually eat a lot, but drinking and eating here costs around 4000 yen. Whenever I go to Kushiro, I always end up going here. I once had a (small) live Hanasaki crab made for me and served for 1000 yen. It's a popular local spot, so reservations are a must. Highly recommended.

I visited this restaurant during a business trip to Kushiro. I actually wanted to go to another place, but my companion suggested this one, and it turned out to be a great choice! The slightly run-down atmosphere was charming. We decided to try the recommended dishes. First, we had some oysters. I usually eat ones from Akkeshi, but this time we had some from Senpoushi, and they were rich and creamy. Delicious! We also enjoyed dried squid, live scallops, and grilled silver cod. The grilled Atka mackerel was amazing! So tasty! The sashimi of saury was also delicious. The combination of green onions, spice, and soy sauce was perfect. What really stood out was that all the grilled dishes were prepared right in front of us by the staff. It was fun to learn about the best way to eat each dish. The restaurant may not be fancy, but the atmosphere is great. It was a satisfying experience at the hearth!

I visited Kushiro on a business trip. Inside the restaurant, there are autographs of famous entertainers displayed. The friendly and kind older ladies will teach you how to grill and eat the food. Grateful! A parade of delicious seafood that can only be tasted here! Fresh saury and whale sashimi! Brand oysters from Kunimori, Senboushi! And more. Really delicious! The alcohol goes down smoothly! My favorite place, very good!

From Kushiro City, Hokkaido, Akachochin Yokocho to Robatayaki. Overwhelmed by the power of young people. On the first day in Kushiro, we gathered for dinner with people who responded to H's invitation. Just before that, I met with my wife and had a drink together before heading out. The first stop was DEMINAMI in Akachochin Yokocho in Kushiro. It's interesting to have Italian cuisine under the red lanterns. The owner is an illustrator, and there are cute illustrations all over the restaurant. Shepherd Hofbrau. German white beer. Huh? Shouldn't it be Sapporo Classic? The appetizer was luxurious and delicious! The staff also said, "We serve large portions here, so it's better to eat this before deciding on the menu." Since we were going to a robatayaki place afterwards, we sadly didn't order anything else. I'd like to visit this kind of restaurant slowly when I get tired of Kushiro cuisine. DEMINAMI in Akachochin Yokocho, Kushiro City, Hokkaido. After having a drink at DEMINAMI, we crossed the Nusamai Bridge and went to Kaisen Robatayaki Hamabayashi. Robatayaki in Kushiro! At the robatayaki, squid and scallops were being grilled with a delicious aroma. They were soft and delicious! Sanma sashimi. Sparkling. Fatty and tender. The oysters are huge too! The sanma tataki is like namero and goes well with white rice. We chatted and drank for about 2 hours, mostly without eating much. The young people were full of energy. The cat with sharp eyes was staring at us like "If you're not going to eat, give it to me." (laughs) Afterwards, we went to a bar, then to karaoke... overwhelmed by the energy of the young people, we dispersed before 2 am. The female creators, a couple of years younger, want to operate a guesthouse where creators gather in the future. Staying long-term at a guesthouse in Kushiro only in the summer for work sounds fun. Let me know if it happens! Kaisen Robatayaki Hamabayashi in Kushiro, Hokkaido.

I initially wrote "good cost performance," but it does not mean cheap. It means that you can eat high-quality crabs in a live tank at a reasonable price, better than regular izakayas. The market price for crabs has been increasing, ranging from 5,000 to 7,000 yen per kilogram. On the day I visited, the hair crab was priced at 6,000 yen/kg, and the Hanasaki crab was priced at 6,500 yen/kg. I didn't want to be deceived at a random restaurant on my first night in Kushiro, so I did some research beforehand and had Hamabayashi as my first choice. If they were closed or fully booked, I had decided on Sakaban as my backup. Since it was my first time in Eastern Hokkaido, I wanted to eat good crabs. Hanasaki crabs, oysters, scallops, hokke, shishamo... my dreams were expanding. However, even when looking at the map on Tabelog, something seemed off... I saw a restaurant with "Crab Robata" written in big letters, but the location was different. The electricity was off, and it didn't seem like the right place. I passed by and couldn't find it. I asked at a gas station, and it seemed like it was indeed the "Crab Robata" restaurant from the address. Since it was unlocked, I entered, and there was an old lady inside who said they had not turned on the lights because the reservation was at 8 o'clock that day. I found out that the roof and sign were blown away by a recent bomb cyclone. I already had accommodation booked, so I wasn't in a hurry, and I waited inside the restaurant. Soon, the charcoal was lit, and I was told to choose any crab from the two tanks in the back. When I looked at the two tanks, I was surprised... I had never seen such large crabs moving around, like those at the market near the station. They were so big that even a few people would struggle to finish them. Since there were no other customers, I couldn't "share half" as suggested. I really wanted to eat Hanasaki crabs, but they were just too big... reluctantly, I chose the relatively small hair crab. While waiting for it to be prepared, I decided to eat oysters and scallops. The scallops were about two sizes larger than the ones I had in Aomori before. The old lady carefully checked the grilling progress and cut them into bite-sized pieces with scissors when they were ready to eat. The scallops were very sweet and delicious. I ate every bit, including the frills and the adductor muscle. Since they were alive, there was no smell or bitterness at all. With the saltiness of the seawater, I could enjoy them without any condiments. It costs 500 yen each. As for the oysters, I only squeezed some lemon on them, and they were very creamy, with a richer taste compared to those I had at an oyster bar in Tokyo. They cost 300 yen each. In Tokyo, oysters of this size would cost 500-600 yen each. While enjoying these, the hair crab was boiled and served! It was cut into easy-to-eat pieces with scissors, and the fresh meat separated easily, allowing me to eat large chunks in one bite. This was pure happiness! The hair crab had a rich flavor, and I enjoyed it without any condiments. It cost 6,000 yen per kilogram, and since I had 780g, it amounted to 4,680 yen. Unfortunately, they didn't have dried shishamo, so I had to give up on that. Although there were other things I wanted to eat, I was full, so I ended my meal. I decided to have the Hanasaki crabs boiled and sent to my home later. I chose a small-sized one weighing 1.8 kilograms for 6,500 yen per kilogram, totaling 11,700 yen. It arrived at my home on the appointed day (boiled two days later), but it seemed slightly more crabby compared to when it was freshly boiled. However, in Tokyo, getting freshly boiled crabs is unheard of, and above all, crabs with such a generous amount of meat are rare. If I had bought them at a department store, they would have cost around 20,000 yen. I envy the people of Kushiro for being able to easily eat such good crabs. (^▽^) Prices mentioned in the text are all excluding tax. (Visited on November 16, 2015)

Continuing from last year, we had a private reservation for the fireworks festival. We are grateful to the local staff. It's wonderful to be able to leisurely enjoy beer and grilled seafood while watching the fireworks amidst the crowded festival. You serve yourself beer from the tap and grill the seafood yourself. While being careful not to miss the three-foot wide fireworks, we grilled away. First, the pork skewers were delicious. Next, the chicken wing dumplings were tasty. Then, we enjoyed the oysters in their shells, which had a nice ocean flavor. The crab included both snow crab and hairy crab, with the snow crab grilled for sweetness and the hairy crab enjoyed as is. The shrimp was seasoned with salt and was also delicious. Next up, we had golden cuttlefish! We had dried it yesterday, but today was it fresh? No, it was still dried overnight? Still delicious. I even had three medium-sized beer mugs, which is rare for me. We got to see the three-foot wide fireworks as well, so it was a great day.

Grilled seafood! From fresh scallops to shishamo, snow crab, whale sashimi, I've eaten them many times before, but the real deal is something else. The atmosphere, the liveliness, it was so much fun. I even went for seconds. Can't resist it. The sweetness of the liver in the sashimi of Pacific saury. No bitterness at all. Amazing. I always thought big saury was delicious, but even the small ones were full of rich flavor. The ramen shop was disappointing, but the soba shop was delicious. After that, we went to a snack bar, and for some reason, the people from Kushiro finish off with zangi. I can't eat that much. The rest is... Oh, we'll take it home. Haha.

This is a restaurant located on the opposite bank of MOO with a signboard of crabs by the hearth, so it's easy to find. Most taxi drivers should know it, but if you're unsure, it's best to ask for directions. The menu includes grilled seafood such as hockey, kinki, komai, squid, scallops, oysters, and tsubu, as well as meat dishes like conic and teba gyoza, potatoes, whale and tsubu sashimi, and seafood rice bowls. There are few types of alcohol available, but you can also bring your own, so no need to worry. Kinki is a bit pricey, but other items are reasonably priced. The sizes of the dishes vary, so the total cost isn't too high. It's more reassuring and conscientious than a certain market price hearth. Everything was delicious, but the dishes that stood out were the scallops and dried squid. The scallops were large and chewy with enough flavor and umami even without soy sauce. The dried squid had the perfect thickness and saltiness, making it a great match for beer. It was my first time trying such delicious dried squid. If I go to a hearth in Kushiro again, I would like to visit this place. It was a great restaurant that made me feel that way.

August is a season when many tourists visit Kushiro. I chose to visit Hamabayashi, a place I sometimes rely on, with a friend. In the summer, there are tents lined up along the quay at MOO, but on the opposite bank, here, they are open even in winter. Moreover, MOO is brighter, while Hamabayashi has fewer lights, so the view from here might be more beautiful. There is a menu, but I always say "omakase" and get dried squid, fresh oysters, and grilled saury served at just the right timing. The staff cuts the squid and checks the grilling, so you can relax even if you get caught up in conversation. If there is something you don't like, just let them know in advance. You can also order more after you've had your fill. In the summer, the heat from the charcoal fire can be intense at times, but in winter, it's nice and warm. You can eat fresh seafood in a hearth-style setting for around 3,000 to 4,000 yen, and that's a big part of its appeal. The restaurant also has photos of famous people on display.

This is a charcoal-grilled restaurant located in Irifune-cho, Kushiro City, right next to the Kushiro River. It is situated near the Portopia Museum. Although it is not in the bustling downtown area, it is on the opposite side of Fisherman's Wharf MOO across the river. There is a parking lot in front of the restaurant. You can enjoy charcoal-grilled dishes made from fresh seafood from Kushiro. The "tebasaki gyoza" (chicken wing dumplings) was also delicious. While there are other famous charcoal-grilled restaurants in the downtown area, this place offers delicious food at a reasonable price.

This is a restaurant we stopped by for lunch on our way back from Kushiro Airport during a company trip. Kushiro is a well-known fishing port city in Hokkaido. In Kushiro, you can choose your own fish and grill it yourself, like a BBQ for fish. We ordered the classic dishes such as hokke, shishamo, and shellfish. Since it was charcoal-grilled, the fish cooked surprisingly quickly. The indoor area was quite smoky, but the fish was delicious. We were satisfied with the "Nagao Fish BBQ" experience. Grilling your own fish is truly special.