Fracasso's is an Italian restaurant located near You Me Town in Iwakuni, up the road on 188 from Gyoza House. It's easy to find as you drive down 188, with a big white and green sign.
Fracasso's has a lot of squid dishes, but don't let that deter you; they have excellent (though quite simple) personal sized pizzas, salads, sandwiches, and appetizers, but my absolute favorite item is on the dessert menu: they have the most wonderful tiramisu I've ever had.
The prices are not bad, it's a good place to go for lunch for a quick pizza and dessert.
Campagne is an Italian restaurant is located along the way to the Chicken Shack, after making the left turn at the double bridges (turning right across the first little bridge at the double bridges takes you do Dr. Soji's hospital). You will see the bright yellow building just before the car lots on the right side of the road. You might find it helpful to turn around in the car dealership lot and backtrack to the restaurant, depending on the flow of traffic.
I recommend going here for dinner, because they have a very limited lunch menu.
This restaurant falls into the upper price range, so expect to spend around 2000 to 3000 yen per person here for a full meal experience (you can, of course, eat cheaper, but if you want appetizers and desserts, this is what you'll spend).
Etu Angelo's is another Italian restaurant, located on 188 as you leave Iwakuni driving toward Yanai. It sits up on the hillside on the right side of the road (the water will be on your left side as you leave town).
Though the language barrier was a bit tough here, we did finally manage to get what we thought we ordered, and the food was wonderful (though in the upper end of the price ranges for the area, similar to the Chicken Shack and Campagne's prices). We all ordered something different so we could try a good variety of their food, and everything was wonderful. I plan to get the rissoto next time, it was yummy.
The Gyoza House is located on the corner of 188 by You Me Town in Iwakuni, and is renowned for great gyoza. Menus are in English and Japanese (though you will find yourself matching up the Kanji next to the full-color photos of food with the descriptions to find out what each item is, but it's a method that works).
I enjoy the variety of the meal sets, and many people love the spicy BBQ shrimp.
The prices are hard to beat for a good meal, and the menu is the same for lunch and dinner. Be sure to check out any special meal sets they have for the day, because sometimes they have some really wonderful special sets (including some of the most tender beef ever). Specials, when available, are shown on a separate laminated menu along with the other menus.
The Chicken Shack (or Sanzoku, as the locals know it), is a wonderful setup of traditional Japanese restaurants on the mountainside just outside Iwakuni, consisting of both indoor and outdoor tables, a relaxing atmosphere, and a souvenir shop. They are famous for their sanzoku yaki (Chicken on a Stick) and have mouth-watering yakiniku (thinly sliced beef that you grill yourself on a small tabletop grill) and gyoza (meat and cabbage-filled dupling). The prices run a little high, especially if you like to try several different things at once, so plan on spending around 2500-3000 yen per person, and more if you want to buy those little extras at the souvenir shop.
Aniwa, known to the non-locals as the Pig Place or Pork Restaurant, is a traditional Japanese restaurant with a warm and friendly atmosphere. The restaurant has both Japanese and Western style seating, and serves some terrific Japanese pork dishes, including various types of pork cutlets, katsudon (pork cutlet over rice with egg), and soup (the biggest bowl of fresh ingredients I've ever seen in a restaurant; you make it yourself at your table with the provided cookstove and large bowl serving as a pot).
To get here, exit the main gate and turn right onto Hwy 188 at 4-Corners (the second traffic light out the gate). This will take you downtown. If you turn left at the corner of the YMCA building, you will see a large parking lot. Park here. Go out the back of the parking lot (toward the liquor store) and turn right onto the road between the parking lot and the liquor store. Be careful walking, these are narrow streets with a good deal of traffic! Walk down this road through two intersections, and you will see Sake Haus (another liquor store) on the corner, then Big Echo on your right and the pork restaurant across the street from Big Echo. Here are a couple of maps: Overview and Close-up (click either map for a larger view).
Aniwa is open from 11am to 9:30pm, and is closed on Mondays. You can watch a video about it in AFN's Iwakuni Dining Rollout.
Ruman, known to the non-locals as the German Bakery, is a wonderful, warm and friendly place to have a cup of coffee and enjoy splendid desserts.
To get here, exit the Main Gate, proceed to 3-corners, and turn Right. Go across the bridge, then turn Right at the first light. Ruman is located about halfway down the street on your left. If you continue to the end of this street, you will end up on Rt. 188 (and if you make a right onto 188, this will take you back to 4-corners).
Ruman is open from 10am to 7pm, and is closed on Tuesdays.
There is a little Cofee Shop if you take Rt. 188 going toward Yanai. If you go out of Iwakuni on Rt. 188 past You Me Town and JanJaka, you will pass an Eneos gas station, a Free Bird café, a place called House Gallery, Jutendo and Max Valu, then you'll see signs for Kuga and the Sanyo. Turn right onto Hwy 149 at the intersection that goes to the Golf Course (there's a big golf billboard). The coffee shop is located on your left; you'll see a little sign on the left just before you get there that says "coffee shop". It's a nice little place with strong coffee, light desserts, and a variety of souvenirs to peruse.
Sako's has what some consider the world's best BLT sandwiches (and I'm no expert on these, but they were quite tasty). Located straight out the main gate at 4-corners (on the left at the stop light; there is a red and white sign over the doorway), Sako's is open only for lunch, between 11am and 1pm. They have excellent fried rice, as well. There is limited seating, but you can take your order to go if you like.
Ganesh is an Indian restaurant located downtown Iwkauni on the "Yellow Brick Road" (a covered shopping area paved with yellow cobblestone, across the street from Fuji Grand about midway between Fuji Grand and the traffic circle). This restaurant is very popular with the military community here, as you can order your curry at many different spice levels (or none at all if you prefer), the food is great, and the prices are hard to beat (we typically spend around 3200 yen for the two of us to eat dinner).
There is an easy-access parking lot if you are coming from 4-corners at the Main Gate; having turned right at 4-Corners to come downtown toward Fuji Grand, make a left at the corner of the YMCA building and the parking lot is on your left. Press the red button on the machine and take your ticket (don't lose it!) and park. Walk back out of the parking lot the same way you entered, cross the little narrow road, walk around the corner of the set of buildings in front of you, proceed up the road and you will walk right into the Yellow Brick Road. Hang a left immediately upon entering the Yellow Brick Road, and Ganesh is there on your left.
They are open for lunch and dinner, have English menus and speak English, and will happily tailor meals to your liking (for example, if you would like to have your nan bread with both cheese and garlic, or if you would like an extra piece of chicken with your meal set, it's no problem; you'll pay extra for it, but it's so nice to have options).
You can watch them cook right from the street through the window; it's fascinating to watch them cook!
Bufflao Steakhouse is located out the main gate on the right side of the road. The food was excellent, and the prices reflected the quality of the beef. I could have done with more vegetables, myself, but the taste was unbeatable.
Formerly "Ninnikuya", now renamed "Ton Ton", the Garlic House (as we outsiders call it), located on Hondori Avenue in Hiroshima, has a delectable selection of pastas and meals featuring (you guessed it) roasted garlic! If you like garlic, this is the place for you. The garlic flavor isn't overpowering, as I feared it may be, and their garlic toast (long chunks of toasted french style bread, smothered in a maple-honey flavored butter sauce with chunks of roasted garlic) alone is worth the trip! There is something here for everyone, between pastas, chicken, seafood, soups, and veggies, some spicy, some tame, but all wonderful. You'll find good alcoholic mixed drinks here, too, but they're quite expensive (700-800 yen for cocktails), but my Tequila Sunrise was worth every cent.
Located on Hondori Avenue in Hiroshima, Saizeriya is a friendly place to enjoy very inexpensive Italian food. It is open from 11am to late in the night, and they have an excellent red table wine. Menu includes English.
If you want to try authentic Japanese Ramen Noodle Soup, I highly recommend Shinatora in Hiroshima's Pacela Mall. To get there, take the Streetcar to M9 (Kamiya-cho-higashi). When you exit the Streetcar, go underground and follow the signs to the Art Museum exit. When you emerge from underground, you will be directly in front of the lower Pacela Mall entrance, and Shinatora is located just inside the doors on your right.
This is a chain restaurant; there is also one in Yanai.
If you want to try authentic Japanese Ramen Noodle Soup, I highly recommend Shinatora. If you take the local train to Yanai, exit the front of the train station and take the underground passageway all the way to the end, you'll come out on a pretty little cobblestone street lined with trees down the center. Walk to the end of this street, and turn left (if you kept walking, you'd walk through a little park and up a bridge). Walk to the end of this street, and turn left (if you keep walking here, you'll end up at Deo Deo, You Me Town, and there's also a McDonald's over there). There is a nice little knick-knack store called How Messe and the restaurant is next to it.
This is a chain restaurant; there is also one in Hiroshima.
Sicily di Maple City is an Italian restaurant in Otake. The food, service, and atmosphere are all terrific.
To get here, go out the main gate to the second traffic light and turn right onto Hwy 188. Proceed through downtown and when you come out on the other side of the traffic circle, go past Yamada to the end of the road (Gulliver's is on the left, and Nippon car rentals is on the right). Turn right onto Hwy 2. Continue on Hwy 2 to Otake, and Maple City is on your right before You Me Town.
Open 11am-3pm and 5pm-11pm. Credit cards are accepted here!
Napoli is an Italian restaurant in Otake, located at the entrance of You Me Town. This prime location makes it an ideal place for the weary foreign shopper to grab a bite of slightly more familiar food than what is served at the Japanese restaurants inside You Me Town.
They serve the standard Japanese-Italian fare, including a variety of pizzas, pastas, and desserts. Prices are similar to other Italian restaurants we've been to, I believe it cost us around 3000 yen to have a large pizza, two salads, garlic bread, and drinks, but I don't have my usual photo set of the menu, because they took it from us after we ordered and the service was so fast I didn't get a chance. However, the second time I went, it was a bit busier, and the service was incredibly slow, so I guess you take your chances.
