01 / ABOUT THE PLACE
About this place
Set along a side street just off Koshu-kaido and Junisha-dori in Yoyogi 3-Chome, Kitazawa Kurabu offers a relaxed sushi-ya ambience complete with counter seats facing the chilled display cases and raised tatami seating. The nigiri highlights classic Edomae craft, from chutoro with its delicate sweet fat and rich, savoury lean akami to meticulously vinegar-cured kohada (gizzard shad). Generous sets are also available, including kobore sushi piled high with sea urchin, salmon roe, crab, and minced fatty tuna, alongside the itasan 5-piece assortment featuring the day's highlights.
Seafood small plates to pair with rotating sake selections
Before nigiri, the kitchen turns out an enticing range of drinking snacks: creamy shirako in ponzu, rich Pacific oysters, and crisp fried sweet shrimp. Hot dishes from the grill include overnight-dried blackthroat seaperch, whelk sautéed in garlic butter, and an oyster gratin, bringing an izakaya-style breadth to the table. These pair naturally with daily sake pours or a tart gari chuhai made with pickled ginger.
Lunchtime rice bowls and late-night hours
On weekday afternoons, reasonably priced bowls like kaisen bara chirashi and negitoro don come with soup for an easy, satisfying lunch. Weekday trading extends until 1:00, making the counter a steady resource whether dining quietly solo or gathering with friends late into the evening.
