Chohachi Kanazawaekimaeten

Got a recommendation for this restaurant from the concierge at a nearby hotel. It did not disappoint. Staff was pleasant, quick to seat us and the sushi outstanding, and served promptly. I had the sushi sampler platter with 10 pieces, and my wife the sampler with 5 pieces. We also had steamed dumpli...ngs. A nice sake rounded out the meal.

Visited April 2024

When in Japan, it can be a daunting job to pick the right sushi restaurant. You can get sushi at a 3-star Michelin restaurant that will cost you a fortune and go home feeling unsure if it was worth it, or have very cheap conveyor belt sushi and feel bad because you could have gotten this at home as... well. And then there are the places in-between, the sit-down specialty restaurants with mid-range prices (which are still expensive to Western standards). In such places, you would expect some really good fresh cuts of fish, some crazy sushi combinations, some nice local specialties, and some things you would normally never dream of putting into your mouth. Cho-Hachi, an unassuming place in front of the Kanazawa train station, ticked all those boxes, and was therefore without a doubt the best sushi experience of our 14-day trip through Japan. The tuna, salmon and unagi were very fresh and tasty, the sushi spring rolls were an amazing, original combo, the wasabi-filled sushi was a cool gimmick and the raw octopuses marinated in red wine vinegar were a strange yet unforgettable delicacy. So if you make it to Kanazawa, a town known for its quality seafood, I recommend to avoid the cheapo or overly expensive restaurants, and instead visit this place, take your time, order all kinds of things you haven't tried before, and enjoy yourself thoroughly.

Visited April 2019

We made a booking through our hotel and arrived and were shown directly to a counter seat. The place was busy and the “suits” (local businessmen) were already in very loud form, albeit in the next room. English seemed a problem and we were stuck looking at the picture menu (with some English titles...) which contained a lot of interesting things so happily we ordered away. It became clear though that only part of the menu had been translated and that there were a lot of dishes being prepared in front of us that we couldn’t see/read on the menu. We ate sushi and sashimi and then ordered tempura using our phone to find the right words but left feeling that we had missed out on a lot and were 2nd class customers. What we ate was great but we would have liked to have tried other things but it was not to be. Non-Japanese nationals don’t seem to be recognised here.

Visited March 2019

We were lucky to get a table for dinner as we had just gotten into town and not made reservations anywhere. Many smaller sushi shops were already full. Cho hachi was also quite busy. We ordered a variety of sushi and sashimi including local fish sushi. Everything was very fresh. The toro melted... in my mouth, yum. I particularly enjoyed the salmon pressed sushi because that's not something I've had in the US. The prices were higher than other places, but the restaurant itself is "nicer" so I know you're paying for better decor and ambiance. I would recommend a visit to Cho Hachi for fresh sushi in Kanazawa. But probably best if you make a reservation ahead.

Visited July 2018

Booking required for dinner since it’s always full. Location was excellent , it’s 3 min walk from our hotel and the train station. Very pleasant staff and good atmosphere. We got seated at the counter, and we loved it since we could watch what the chefs were prepping. All their recommendations wer...e excellent, the crab dish with meat and roe served on a stove , the seasonal rock fish that just melted in our mouths , we had to have a second order on this fish , and their local beef in sashimi simply unforgettable.

Visited October 2018