Sushi Kibatani (鮨 木場谷) Kanazawa

Awards

Tabelog

2024 Bronze

All Tabelog in Kanazawa All Tabelog in Japan All Tabelog Bronze in Kanazawa All Tabelog Bronze in Japan

Gault & Millau

3 Torques, 2020

All Gault & Millau in Kanazawa All Gault & Millau in Japan All Gault & Millau 3 Torques in Kanazawa All Gault & Millau 3 Torques in Japan

Gault & Millau Public Mark

15 / 20

Ratings from the web

Tabelog

3.99

Chef

Mitsuhiro Kibatani

Cuisine

Sushi

• 2023
• 2021
• 2020
• 2019
• 2018

Dinner at 鮨 木場谷

on 17 Sep 2023

by Justin Hurst

Some highlights from a beautiful dinner at Sushi Kibatani (木場谷) in Kanazawa.

A real pleasure the taste the different in fish and style on the other coast of Japan. I always insist that sushi is very personal, more so than most foods, and this one suited my taste very much.

Good ratio of otsumami and nigiri, both made with lots of skill. Enjoyed lots of local sake as well.

Looking forward to a return visit late in the fall.

8 / 10

Dinner at Sushi Kibatani (鮨木場谷)

on 04 Nov 2021

by Gerhard Huber

Sushi Kibatani in Kanazawa, Japan, is a renowned restaurant specializing in Hokuriku sushi, led by Chef Mitsuhiro Kibatani. The chef, a native of Toyama, has a deep love for the Hokuriku region and aims to create a unique sushi style that showcases the exceptional quality of local seafood. The restaurant also emphasizes local craftsmanship, featuring sake, pottery, and kitchen tools made in the Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures.

The restaurant is situated in Hikosomachi, a charming area near the... More

Sushi Kibatani in Kanazawa, Japan, is a renowned restaurant specializing in Hokuriku sushi, led by Chef Mitsuhiro Kibatani. The chef, a native of Toyama, has a deep love for the Hokuriku region and aims to create a unique sushi style that showcases the exceptional quality of local seafood. The restaurant also emphasizes local craftsmanship, featuring sake, pottery, and kitchen tools made in the Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures.

The restaurant is situated in Hikosomachi, a charming area near the Asano River with a rich cultural history that dates back to the Edo Period. This part of the city is known for its old samurai residences and picturesque surroundings.

Chef Kibatani's journey to becoming a sushi chef began in Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market, followed by training at Yoshiura in Funabashi and Ginza Sushi Aoki in Tokyo. He returned to Toyama, where he built his reputation as a catering sushi chef before opening his own restaurant in Kanazawa in 2016. His approach to sushi is minimalist, focusing on the inherent qualities of the fish. The omakase menu typically includes 7-8 appetizers and 14-15 pieces of sushi, with each dish carefully prepared to highlight the flavors of the season. Less

8 / 10

Dinner at Sushi Kibatani (鮨木場谷)

on 17 Jun 2020

by Gerhard Huber

Kibatani the third. Generous, tasty and solid. Could go there every week.

8 / 10

Dinner at Sushi Kibatani (鮨木場谷)

on 10 Jun 2020

by Gerhard Huber

Mitsuhiro Kibatani opened his shop in 2016 after being trained as a sushi chef in various restaurants locally and also in Tokyo. He sources his fish almost exclusively locally from the fish markets in Toyama and in Noto.
Chef Kibatani used the time during the lockdown to refine his skills to make rice. And I think it shows. This was my fifth meal at the sushi restaurant and my best one. The new combination of rice and fish is of extraordinary quality. His omakase menu contains of eight cooked dishes... More

Mitsuhiro Kibatani opened his shop in 2016 after being trained as a sushi chef in various restaurants locally and also in Tokyo. He sources his fish almost exclusively locally from the fish markets in Toyama and in Noto.
Chef Kibatani used the time during the lockdown to refine his skills to make rice. And I think it shows. This was my fifth meal at the sushi restaurant and my best one. The new combination of rice and fish is of extraordinary quality. His omakase menu contains of eight cooked dishes and nine sushi. One better than the other.
I’m now going there since August 2018 and in those two years I’ve seen a massive improvement and for me this is now one of the top suhsiya for me. Less

7 / 10

Dinner at Sushi Kibatani

on 26 Nov 2019

by Gerhard Huber

Fourth meal at Kibatani and my last one in Kanazawa for this trip.
It is always great to come back to this sushi restaurant to experience the great warmth of Chef Kibatani's hospitality and skills.
He sources almost all of the fish from the same source as Chef Kataori and they come mostly from the Toyama bay. It requires the early and long trip to Toyama cutting severely into the sleeping time of all Chefs in Kanazawa.
His Kobako-gani dish was exquisite (even though he complains about it that... More

Fourth meal at Kibatani and my last one in Kanazawa for this trip.
It is always great to come back to this sushi restaurant to experience the great warmth of Chef Kibatani's hospitality and skills.
He sources almost all of the fish from the same source as Chef Kataori and they come mostly from the Toyama bay. It requires the early and long trip to Toyama cutting severely into the sleeping time of all Chefs in Kanazawa.
His Kobako-gani dish was exquisite (even though he complains about it that it takes so long so long to prepare and he wishes that the season will be over soon). The Kuruma Ebi (tiger prawn) was unusually big and very tasty.
I cannot wait to come back in April.
Less

7 / 10

Dinner at Sushi Kibatani

on 11 Apr 2019

by Gerhard Huber

Back at Mitsuhiro Kibatani

7 / 10

Dinner at Sushi Kibatani

on 05 Dec 2018

by Gerhard Huber

I love this pace, Kibatani-san is such a friendly person and makes you feel very welcome. He sources most of his fish from the same supplier than Kataori and after an initial competition they now work together. His shari is seasoned just the right way and his otsumani are well cooked.

7 / 10

Dinner at Sushi Kibatani

on 06 Aug 2018

by Gerhard Huber

Some people have a low opinion of Master Kibatani. Not here. This are the pictures from my first meal and I was impressed. I love the shari/neta combination which gets constantly refined. His fish is mostly sourced locally, the uni came on that evening from Hadate.

I love his hospitality towards his guests, his friendliness towards foreigners and most of all his mischievous humour (I had local help in translating)