In shortCounter kaiseki from Nagasaki's own fish, beef and vegetables — two Michelin stars (Fukuoka-Saga-Nagasaki 2019). Reservations run in Japanese and are hard to place from abroad, so our Tokyo desk requests the table for you, by phone and in Japanese.
Price
Course ¥18,000 before tax (April 2025), drinks extra; reviewers average ¥20,000–30,000
Hours
Dinner only, arranged with the guest — typically from 18:00–18:30, last order around 20:30
Closed
Sundays and Mondays, plus irregular days for preparation and private hires
Seats
Ten — a counter and one private room for up to six; whole-house hire up to 20
Payment
Cash only
Getting there
Sofukuji tram stop, 2 minutes; 5 minutes from the Hamanmachi arcade
When the Michelin Guide came to Nagasaki for the first time, in the
Fukuoka‑Saga‑Nagasaki special edition of 2019, it gave the prefecture
two two‑star restaurants, and one of them was this: a ten‑seat
itamae ryori counter in Kajiyamachi, a few minutes from the
Hamanmachi arcade and the temple lane of Sofukuji, run by the chef
and his wife. The guide praised its "imaginative use of local
ingredients"; Tabelog added an Award Bronze in 2025. The house has no
website, no online booking and no card machine, and it publishes
nothing about the chef beyond what guests observe across the counter
— a cook in his late sixties, according to a 2026 review, who does
the kitchen alone while his wife runs the room.
What you eat
A single omakase built on Nagasaki: sea bream blanched and served
as sashimi, spiny lobster in tempura, a fillet of local wagyu grilled
over charcoal and eaten with wasabi, and, as the finale reviewers
remember most, a bowl of rice with conger eel from Tsushima. Local
sake and shochu are poured at modest prices. The course was ¥18,000
before tax in April 2025, with drinks on top; reviewers report totals
of ¥20,000–30,000 a head. Conversation is part of the meal here — the
chef and his wife engage the counter as the dishes come — and one
Japanese critic notes it is a room for close friends rather than a
discreet business dinner.
The booking reality
Telephone only, in Japanese, at 095‑823‑7811, and the house is
completely reservation‑only — Retty’s reviewers put it plainly:
without a booking, nearly impossible. There is no release day. What
there is instead is a small book: ten seats, one reviewer cites a
limit of eight guests a night, and the calendar has holes for
preparation days and private hires. Reviewers describe calling about
a month ahead, and Japanese guides advise bringing two or three
candidate dates. The listed hours are unusual — "arranged to suit the
guest; contact us in advance" — which in practice means dinner from
around 18:00–18:30. Our desk calls in Japanese, offers your dates in
order of preference, and confirms the start time the house prefers.
Payment is cash only, and the total for a party can be substantial,
so plan the withdrawal. Children are seated only in the private
room. The house does not publish a solo‑diner policy or a
cancellation fee.
Travelers spending a night in Nagasaki city who want a counter meal of
Nagasaki’s own fish, beef and vegetables, and anyone who prefers
a counter where the cook and the conversation both come from the
same street.
Free release-date alerts: the day before, on the morning of release day (08:00 JST) and about 30 minutes before when the time is known — or a weekly summary if the house opens a little every day.
Itamae Ryori Doyama: common questions
Can you book Itamae Ryori Doyama from abroad?
Yes, through our Tokyo desk. Phone only, in Japanese; no release day, but completely reservation-only — about a month ahead is the norm. We call the restaurant for you, in Japanese, and the ¥6,000-per-seat fee is charged only if we confirm your table — no seat, no fee.
Some of these links are referral links: if you book through them we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Restaurants never pay us to be listed or ranked. Editorial policy
Cite this page
Facts on this page were checked by our Tokyo desk. You are welcome to quote them with a link:
Itamae Ryori Doyama — Kajiyamachi, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki — SHOKU NOREN (checked September 2026). https://shokunoren.com/restaurants/doyama-nagasaki
