I visited a restaurant run by the Niigata Fishermen's Cooperative Society in Pier Bandai, one of the largest fresh seafood markets on the Sea of Japan coast, which is a five-minute drive from Niigata Station. This facility has a large collection of Niigata specialities such as rice, sake, fish, meat, vegetables, fruit and fresh flowers, and is a great spot for tourists from outside the prefecture to visit.

If you are looking for somewhere cheap and tasty, you have found it! A nice spot where you can enjoy a bowl of rice decorated with fresh Niigata fish for the affordable price of 530 yen at a restaurant directly run by the Niigata Fisheries Cooperative.

Here is the menu list posted at the restaurant. The special Kaisen-don rice bowl is 1,100 yen, while other dishes such as yellowtail cutlet rice bowl, three-coloured rice bowl, Kaisen-don rice bowl and seafood curry are all priced at 530 yen! This is a very reasonable price, so you can enjoy it whenever you feel like having something unique to Niigata!

Some of them are limited edition rice bowls. They also seem to serve salmon roe bowls, Niigata's speciality nanban ebi donburi and nameko donburi. On this day, my friend and I visited, so I ordered the Kaisen-don (seafood bowl) for 530 yen and my friend ordered the Buri-don (yellowtail bowl) for 530 yen.

This is a picture of the interior of the restaurant. Not only can you eat and drink, but you can also shop for takeaways. There is also a fresh fish centre next door, which may be a good place to visit for a walk.

そして来ました！海鮮丼とブリ丼！正直に言えば最初に見たときは「ちっちゃ！」と思ったのですが、530円で気軽に楽しめるものだと思えば「そりゃそうだよなあ」と納得しました。男性なら丼ふたつを注文すれば、1000円程度で二種類の丼を楽しめるというお店側の見えない心遣いなのかもしれません。こちらが海鮮丼！どん！

This is the yellowtail bowl! Don!

Take a bite, oh, it's delicious... The Niigata Fishermen's Cooperative is directly managed by the Niigata Fishermen's Association, so the fish is guaranteed to be delicious. If you can enjoy fresh fish at such a reasonable price, it's cheap... "Tiny! I'm sorry I thought it was too small... It's probably just the right size for a quick snack when you're not hungry. I ended up eating a lot of it. Delicious!

It was finished in no time. If you are a woman, this was enough for you to finish your lunchtime. The size of the bowl is the size of the palm of your hand, so if you visit with a lot of people, it might be a good idea to share it with everyone and enjoy different flavours!

Pier Bandai also has other cafés, bakeries, coffee shops and souvenir corners, just like an Aeon. It is easily accessible from Niigata Station and is a great place to pick up souvenirs from Niigata. If you have guests visiting from outside the prefecture, or if you want to eat fresh fish with your family on holiday, please visit.



Shop information

Niigata Fisheries Cooperative Directly Operated 'Local Fish Workshop'.

• 2-1 Bandaijima, Chuo-ku, Niigata City, Japan
• Opening hours: Weekdays: 9:30-15:30 Saturdays: 9:00-15:30
• Closed: Every Tuesday.