Cuisine

Seasonal Kaiseki of Echizen

We serve omakase kaiseki courses that draw generously on the seasonal ingredients of Hokuriku Fukui — a land of mountains and pure waters (Etsuzan-Jakusui). The meal unfolds in the traditional kaiseki sequence, building to its highlight: tempura fried to order right at the counter. In winter, we also prepare a special menu lavished with Echizen crab, the king of the Sea of Echizen.

Lunch

Lunch Courses

11:30 – 14:30 (Last entry 13:00)

Obata Lunch Kaiseki

¥10,000 – ¥16,500

A lunch-style Kaiseki built around the ingredients of Echizen (Etsuzan-Jakusui — the mountains and pure waters of Fukui), tailored to your budget. Recommended for travelers visiting Fukui.

Featured ingredients: Seasonal Echizen seafood · Mountain herbs · Ichiban Dashi · Seasonal vegetables · Rice

Echizen Crab Lunch Kaiseki

From ¥24,000

One small Echizen Crab, freshly boiled, per guest. Combined with seasonal dishes for an approachable midday course. Available until March 20. Pricing and crab count may vary with market and size.

Featured ingredients: Echizen Crab (small, whole, boiled) · Seasonal seafood · Dashi · Seasonal vegetables · Rice

Lunch Gathering Kaiseki

From ¥9,000

For corporate lunches, board meetings, family milestones, betrothal ceremonies (yuino), longevity celebrations, and memorial gatherings. Please share the host's wishes when booking.

Featured ingredients: Seasonal Echizen seafood · Seasonal vegetables · Dashi · Rice

Dinner

Dinner Courses

18:00 – 23:00 (Last entry 20:00)

Echizen Nodoguro Kaiseki

越前のど黒懐石

¥26,500   Mar 9 – May 6

A multi-course meal centered on Nodoguro (Blackthroat Seaperch, Doederleinia berycoides) — a prized white-fish of the Sea of Japan, rich with winter fat. The skin lightly seared, the flesh melting and refined — a depth of flavor unique to this season.

Approx. 7 courses

Example flow: Sakizuke (appetizer) / Wanmono (clear soup) / Mukozuke (Nodoguro sashimi, lightly seared) / Yakimono (salt-grilled Nodoguro) / Tempura (3 pieces) / Sunomono (vinegared dish) / Rice & Dessert

Featured ingredients: Nodoguro · Ichiban Dashi · Seasonal Echizen seafood · Mountain herbs

Course content varies by season and daily catch.

Seasonal Obata Kaiseki

¥16,500 – ¥30,000

Our signature menu — ingredients of Echizen at the center, complemented by tempura fried to order. The course we recommend most warmly.

Featured ingredients: Echizen seasonal seafood · Counter-fried tempura · Mountain herbs · Dashi · Seasonal vegetables · Rice

Light Kaiseki

¥13,200

A more measured Kaiseki, refined and easy to enjoy. Well received by older guests and accompanying companions. Echizen Crab can be added a la carte.

Featured ingredients: Seasonal seafood · Seasonal vegetables · Dashi · Rice

Gathering Kaiseki Plan

From ¥12,000   Five guests or more

For small group gatherings, regular meetings, and party-style dinners. Please share your budget and wishes when booking.

Featured ingredients: Seasonal Echizen seafood · Seasonal vegetables · Dashi · Rice

Echizen Crab Full Course

¥45,000 – ¥60,000   Nov 6 – early May (Golden Week)

A full course generously featuring “tribute-grade” Echizen Crab — sashimi, grilled, boiled. After the March 20 fishing close, only stock from our live tank is served, so please reserve early.

Featured ingredients: Echizen Crab (Zuwai, tribute-grade) · Crab roe · Dashi · Seasonal vegetables · Rice

Mizu-gani Kaiseki

¥22,000   Feb 20 – Mar 20

Mizu-gani is a snow crab caught just after molting — a fleeting, soft-shell delicacy of late winter. Served freshly boiled. (Crab miso is not served, due to the nature of mizu-gani.)

Featured ingredients: Mizu-gani (soft-shell post-molt Zuwai) · Dashi · Seasonal vegetables · Rice

The Four Seasons

Flavors of Each Season

At Obata the menu shifts with the seasons. Each course is composed anew around what the season offers — never mass-produced, always of the moment.

Spring

Vivid, elegant dishes that herald the arrival of spring. Rich in color and depth, they let you savor the season with all five senses.

Summer

Chilled dishes and light, refreshing seasoning stay delicious even when summer dulls the appetite — cool, elegant flavors suited to the warm season.

Autumn

Seasonal mushrooms, root vegetables, and richly fatty fish — courses generous with autumn's own ingredients, to savor the full bounty of the season.

Winter

Fresh crab, above all Echizen Crab, lavished into luxurious dishes — the taste of this season alone. Warming cuisine for body and soul, to be enjoyed at a leisurely pace.

Crab Guide

About Echizen Crab

A reference for our overseas guests — understanding the three forms of snow crab landed at Echizen Port (Fukui), and what makes each one a delicacy of a particular season.

Type Species Habitat Season Note
Zuwai
Echizen Crab (越前蟹) · male
Chionoecetes opilio 200–600 m Nov 6 – Mar 20 Echizen Port’s flagship winter catch. Top-grade specimens carry a yellow tag, certifying origin and weight. Used in our Echizen Crab Full Course.
Seiko
female Zuwai (セイコ蟹)
C. opilio (female) 200–600 m Nov 6 – Dec 31 only Smaller body, but carries inner roe (uchiko) and outer roe (sotoko) — the prized winter delicacy. Available only for an 8-week window.
Mizu-gani
soft-shell Zuwai (水がに)
C. opilio
(post-molt)
200–600 m Feb 20 – Mar 20 Caught just after molting — a fleeting, soft-shell delicacy of late winter. Translucent flesh, gentler flavor. Crab miso is not served (does not develop in soft-shell stage).

About the yellow tag: Echizen Port issues a yellow tag (kihada-fuda) only to top-grade male Zuwai crabs landed at Echizen Port and meeting strict size and quality standards — a designation since 1997. Look for it as a mark of provenance.

Note on Beni-zuwai (red snow crab): Sometimes confused with Echizen Crab, Chionoecetes japonicus is a separate, deep-sea species (500–2,700 m) with a longer fishing season. Obata serves only Echizen Zuwai and Seiko crab.

Groups

Group & Travel Courses

Echizen Snow Crab Lunch Kaiseki

¥22,000   Lunch

An eight-piece appetizer plate, seasonal sashimi, one boiled small Echizen Snow Crab per guest, a seasonal dish, clay-pot crab rice service, and dessert.

Featured ingredients: Echizen Snow Crab (small, whole, boiled) · Eight-piece appetizer · Seasonal sashimi · Clay-pot crab rice · Dashi

Obata Lunch Kaiseki (Group)

¥10,000   Lunch

A group-friendly lunch Kaiseki. Dinner Kaiseki may also be arranged at lunchtime on request.

Featured ingredients: Seasonal Echizen seafood · Mountain herbs · Dashi · Seasonal vegetables · Rice

Echizen Snow Crab & Seiko Crab Kaiseki

¥55,000   Dinner

The king of the winter Echizen sea, paired with the female “Seiko” (Kobako) crab — both used to the very last morsel. A lavish course bringing together the deepest winter flavors of Echizen.

Featured ingredients: Zuwai Snow Crab (male) · Seiko Crab (female) · Crab roe (uchiko + sotoko) · Dashi · Seasonal vegetables

Other Group Kaiseki Courses

¥14,500 – ¥25,000   Dinner

Three different group menus available. Please ask for details.

Driver / Tour Guide Meal

¥1,800 (tax incl.)

For drivers and tour conductors accompanying group guests. Please share your stay duration, menu preferences, and budget.

Sample Menu

A March Course (Yayoi)

Lunch

  1. Sakizuke (opening dish)
  2. Seasonal moriawase (assorted plate)
  3. Seasonal tempura (four to six varieties)
  4. Rice course (kakiage chazuke or kakiage soba)
  5. Mizumono (dessert)

Dinner

  1. Sakizuke (opening dish)
  2. Owanmono (clear soup)
  3. Mukozuke (seasonal sashimi course)
  4. Three plates of tempura
  5. Sunomono (vinegared dish)
  6. Rice course
  7. Mizumono (dessert)
  8. Kanmi (sweet)

Sample only. Dishes vary with the season and the day's market.

Notes

  • All prices include consumption tax.
  • A 10% service charge applies to private rooms only.
  • Dinner courses can also be served at lunchtime on request.
  • Echizen Crab pricing may vary with market and the day's catch.
  • Seasonal menus may end earlier than scheduled when supply runs out.
  • Main ingredients listed for each course are reference only. Please notify us of allergies or dietary restrictions when booking.

Reserve a Table

Book your table online — our reservation system is available in English.

Reserve Online

Or by phone: +81-776-37-4365 (10:00 – 17:00, JST)