Iwaki Yumoto guide ｜ Whole house ｜ Rooms & dorms ｜ Hanare ｜ Refugio del Café ｜ Kitchen ｜ Private sauna ｜日本語

Kitchen Hace: a small bar where locals and travelers share a counter

Kitchen Hace is the ground-floor bar and dining room of Guesthouse & Kitchen Hace in Iwaki Yumoto Onsen, Fukushima. You do not have to be a hotel guest. Anyone can walk in.

The idea is simple: local food from the Iwaki and Fukushima area, plus dishes from other parts of the world, in a room where residents and visitors end up sitting side by side. If you take a seat at the counter, the owner may well introduce you to someone new.

Who it suits

Travelers who would rather spend an evening with locals than in a hotel restaurant.
Solo travelers. The counter and the veranda-style seats are made for one person.
Groups of up to 12 (the table layout can be rearranged).
Guests who want to try regional Fukushima food and sake.

It may not suit you if you want a restaurant that is open every day at fixed hours (see “Opening days” below), or if you pay in cash (see “Payment”).

Where to find us

Kitchen Hace is on the ground floor of Guesthouse & Kitchen Hace in the hot spring town of Yumoto, Iwaki. It is about a 9-minute walk from JR Yumoto Station. The public bath Sahakonoyu is about 30 seconds away on foot, so many people combine a soak with an evening here.

Opening days: check the calendar

We do not keep fixed opening hours or a fixed weekly closing day. Hours change from day to day, so please check before you come.

1. Open the Japanese page https://hace.jp/kitchen/ and find the embedded Google Calendar.

2. Look at the date you plan to visit. If the entry for that day says お休み (o-yasumi), we are closed. Other entries show our opening time for that day. If there is no entry, assume we are closed.

The calendar is in Japanese, but you only need the date and the time shown on each entry. If you cannot tell, send us a message through the contact form before you walk over.

Food

Much of the menu comes from small makers and well-known shops around Iwaki and Fukushima. A few dishes to look for:

Mehikari karaage. Mehikari is a small deep-sea fish, caught around 500 meters down off the Iwaki coast and a local favorite. It is deep-fried so the outside is crisp and the inside stays soft.
Pao-pao yaki. Grilled sanma (Pacific saury), a dish that began in Iwaki. The name comes from fishermen on boats grilling fish paste: fat dropped onto the fire and flames went “pao-pao.”
Margherita pizza from La Stanza, a well-regarded Italian restaurant in Iwaki. Chewy Neapolitan-style dough with tomato sauce, basil and mozzarella.
Curry from TEA TO EAT, a local curry maker. It uses vegetables, fruit and chicken for flavor, with an original spice blend and no extra oil.
Regional pickles and snacks. Momiji-zuke (salmon cured in rice koji and salt, a traditional dish), sanpachi-zuke (a koji pickle from Fukushima; the name refers to the 3:5:8 mixing ratio), seasoned nori with peanuts, and herring pickled with sansho (Japanese pepper) leaves from Aizu, a regional dish chosen as one of the “100 Selections of Local Cuisine” by Japan’s agriculture ministry.
Mizu-gyoza (boiled dumplings) from Tamahan, a well-known shop in Yumoto, served with light ponzu.

The menu changes, so we do not list prices here. Ask at the counter.

Drinks

Drinks lean local. You will find Fukushima sake (for example Iwaki Roman, Issei Seishun and Hirotogawa), a rice shochu from Tadami called “Nekka,” buckwheat shochu from Aizu, a yogurt liqueur made on a sake base, craft beer, highballs, cocktails and wine. For people who do not drink alcohol there is coffee roasted in Fukushima and non-alcoholic beer. If you are new to sake, tell us what you usually like and we will point you to a glass.

Seats and facilities

5 counter seats, where you can talk with the owner and other guests.
4 tables (up to 12 people with the layout changed), with sofas.
3 veranda-style seats, good for one person. In summer the front glass doors open.
The whole ground floor is step-free. Wheelchairs and strollers can enter. There is a wide accessible restroom with a diaper-changing table.
Free fast Wi-Fi (up to 30 connections at once) and a power outlet at every seat.
Non-smoking throughout.

Payment

Cash is not accepted. Credit cards, IC cards and QR payments are available (about two dozen methods in total). Please bring a card or a phone with payment set up.

Honest notes

We are not open every day, and hours vary. Please check the calendar first.
It is a small room (5 counter seats, 4 tables, 3 veranda seats). On a busy night it can fill up.
Cash cannot be used.
Parties of four or more should reserve. The website shows only part of the menu, so ask us what is available.

Reservations and contact

We do not publish a phone number. Use the contact form at https://hace.jp/contact (the same form takes meal reservations), or send a direct message on Instagram (@gh_k_hace).

FAQ

Do I need to be staying at Hace? No. Kitchen Hace is open to guests who are not staying here.

Can I come alone? Yes. The counter and veranda seats suit solo visitors.

Do I need a reservation? For parties of four or more, we recommend one. For smaller groups, please check the calendar and contact us if you want to be sure of a seat.

Do you have an English menu? Not yet. The menu is in Japanese, but you are welcome to use a translation app, and we are happy to help you choose.

Can I pay in cash? No. Cash is not accepted. Credit cards, IC cards and QR payments work.

Is smoking allowed? No. The whole floor is non-smoking.

Is the space accessible? Yes. The ground floor is fully step-free, with a wide accessible restroom.

Nearby

Iwaki Yumoto guide: what to do in the area.
Stay upstairs: rooms in the same building.
Private sauna Sahako-mae: a private Finnish-style sauna 30 seconds away on foot.