Fukui's Totoya

Beloved restaurant and pub famous for fish dishes

Justin Velgus Jan 31, 2015 - 1 min read

<p>Delicious dishes being prepared by the proprietress</p>

<p>十十八 is read Totoya. ''Toto'' is a word related to fish, while ''ya'' is store</p>

<p>There are two doors at the entrance to prevent cold air in winter or hot air in summer coming in</p>

<p>Many customers have walked through the doors of this restaurant. Regulars take advantage of the bottle keep service offered here</p>

<p>Three or more guests can use this booth style seating</p>

<p>The proprietress does the cooking in the kitchen, while younger part-time workers serve the food</p>

<p>Having done business for decades as a fish market, the flavor of the fish dishes here are famous</p>

<p>Several varieties of cuisine were quickly placed on large plates on the counter in front of me. This is home cooking at its best</p>

<p>Some of the smaller dishes were a western spin on Japanese cuisine, resulting in a mix of flavors</p>

<p>Portions are huge. This fish was only 380 yen. Most people may struggle to finish this if it wasn't so indescribably delicious</p>

Totoya (十十八 ) is located in the northern part of Fukui Prefecture at the entrance to Takayanagi Town (高柳町). Almost the whole restaurant is filled with locals. It is so popular in fact that the owner doesn't bother with advertising an address nor have a phone number to call. It is rare to have first timers come.

Seats are filled as soon as the Totoya opens at 5 in the evening. If you see an open seat, it is undoubtedly reserved. It was a miracle there was an open seat when I walked in for a visit. Their secret of success is food that is cheap, delicious, delivered fast, and comes in big portions.

''Toto'' is a word relating to fish. The father of the proprietress ran a fish market at the curent restaurant for forty years. It was decided to honor that history by including the word ''toto'' and specialize in fish dishes.

It is regrettable to mention that smoking is OK anywhere in the restaurant, so some younger visitors may not be comfortable.

Justin Velgus @justin.velgus

Justin Velgus (ジャスティンベルガス) is the Miyagi Prefecture expert for Japan Travel and a long-term contributor since 2012 with a focus on the Tohoku region. Justin has written extensively for JT, and other publications such as VisitMiyagi and Sake Today, amassing over 350 published articles...