Katsuo tataki is the most famous dish in Kochi, made with bonito or skipjack tuna that’s seared on the outside and served rare in the center. Traditionally cooked over a high-temperature straw fire, the katsuo fillet is thickly sliced and garnished with condiments like raw garlic, spring onions, and myoga ginger. It’s typically served ‘tare-style’ with a citrusy ponzu sauce, but in recent years ‘shio-style’ with large flakes of sea salt has been gaining popularity.
Due to Kochi’s location on the Pacific coastal side of Shikoku, the region has great access to schools of katsuo fish which migrate past Kochi’s shores from early summer to autumn each year. For this reason, it’s said that pretty much anywhere you go in Kochi will have excellent tataki. To help you narrow down where to eat, here are the top tataki restaurants in Kochi, enjoyed by locals and visitors alike.
One of the most famous places to dine in Kochi, Hirome Ichiba is a marketplace with 70 different bars and restaurants, including a large number of tataki specialty shops. It’s popular not only for its good eats and drinks, but also for its large communal dining space where both visitors and Kochi natives freely mix. Don’t be afraid to sit down and rub elbows with the locals.
Also located inside Hirome Ichiba, Yairo Tei is one of the market’s most popular shops for Kochi’s beloved local dish. They’re especially known for their large boat-shaped platters of thickly sliced tataki.
Can’t choose between salt or tare-flavored tataki? Or how about some fresh katsuo sashimi? At Myojinmaru, one of Kochi’s most well-known tataki restaurants, there’s no need to settle for just one, with their platters that serve up bonito fish in a variety of ways.
Striking a perfect balance between cost performance and fantastic food, the neighborhood restaurant Shuntaro specializes in fresh Shikoku seafood, regional spirits, and homey local dishes in a low-key atmosphere. It’s the type of place where you’re more likely to find yourself sitting next to a salaryman enjoying a beer after a long work day, rather than a tourist.
At the hidden away neighborhood gem Izakaya Dakokudo, the tataki arrives to the table still warm, with a distinctive pattern of grill marks on the surface of the bonito fish which create an incredible aesthetic. The fragrant aroma of the just-grilled tataki mingles wonderfully with sliced garlic and spring onion.
Experience tataki cooked in the traditional style over a straw fire at Kamimachi Ikezawa Honten. The restaurant even offers diners the opportunity to try their own hand at roasting a skipjack tuna fish over the straw flames.
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