Ushimaru
Sanmu, Chiba
Restaurant in Chiba, Japan
Book with PearlThe Read
Rural Italian, Fish-Forward
Chef
Ken Uchiya
Dress
Smart Casual
Why go
Tabelog Silver Award Italian in rural Chiba, 20 seats, JPY 19,800–22,000 tasting menu plus pairings and 10% service. Farm-to-table format with a fish-forward kitchen, sommelier-led wine program, and BYO permitted. Private rooms for four to seven, terrace seating, on-site parking. Reservations advised but not scarce; lunch and dinner pricing identical. A 30-minute drive from Narita (NRT). Worth the trip if hyper-local Chiba ingredients and space matter more than Tokyo convenience.
About Ushimaru
Ushimaru is a Chiba restaurant: smart-casual dress, lunch and dinner hours on its operating days, and a 2026 Tabelog Silver listing. It also holds a Gault&Millau Japan score of 15.5/20 and a Chiba Gastronomy Award Special Prize (1st edition). The tasting menu is JPY 19,800–22,000 for both lunch and dinner, plus optional pairings and a 10% service charge, placing it in the special-occasion range.
Hours are Friday–Monday from 12:00 to 15:00 and 18:00 to 22:00, and Tuesday from 12:00 to 15:00 (lunch only). Chef Ken Uchiya leads the kitchen. Book at https://yoyaku.toreta.in/ushimaru. The room has 20 seats, with a sommelier, pairings, and BYO. Confirm dietary needs directly before visiting.
The House, the Room, and the Logistics
Ushimaru is located in Chiba. Dress code is smart casual, and the schedule is lunch and dinner Friday–Monday and lunch only on Tuesday. The restaurant is a 30-minute drive from Narita (NRT), with on-site parking and 20 seats.
The Budget
The tasting menu is JPY 19,800–22,000 for lunch and dinner, plus alcoholic pairing JPY 14,800 or non-alcoholic pairing JPY 8,800, and 10% service. A sommelier is on site and BYO is permitted.
Lunch and dinner are both listed in the same budget range. Hours run Friday–Monday lunch and dinner, Tuesday lunch only.
Ushimaru is best understood as a Chiba restaurant for diners seeking a smart-casual, higher-budget meal with 2026 Tabelog Silver recognition, a Gault&Millau Japan score of 15.5/20, and a Chiba Gastronomy Award Special Prize. For anything more specific, such as menu style, dietary accommodations, seating, access, or booking lead time, confirm directly before making plans.
Planning details
- Hours
- Monday: 12:00 – 15:00, 18:00 – 22:00; · Tuesday: 12:00 – 15:00;
- Location
- 1307-2 Matsuomachi Kigatana, Sammu, Chiba 289-1531, Japan
- Website
- ushimaru.biz
- Phone
- +81 479-86-1222
The take
The Take
The Vibe
Ushimaru reads like a country house that moonlights as a serious Italian restaurant. The converted private home sits back from a quiet road, framed by rice paddies and small agricultural plots, and an open terrace extends from the main structure. With just 20 seats and an on-site sommelier overseeing a considered wine program, the mood balances rustic calm with culinary seriousness. The experience foregrounds place — the rural Chiba context and local produce — so the room feels intentionally modest, quietly refined and rooted in its farming surroundings rather than in urban flash.
Best For
This is a destination meal for people who value the journey as much as the table. Ushimaru suits intimate celebrations and small-group dining — private rooms accommodate up to seven guests and the entire dining room seats only twenty. It is well matched to couples seeking a secluded date, families or friends organizing a focused group meal, and travelers treating the restaurant as a weekend escape from the city. Service Friday–Monday for lunch and dinner, plus Tuesday lunch, makes it accessible for both daytime and evening occasions within that destination framing.
Ordering Tips
The kitchen signals a farm-to-table approach tied to Chiba’s abundant agriculture and Pacific seafood; the description notes a stated emphasis on fish sourcing and local vegetables. A wine program is overseen by an on-site sommelier, so wine pairings figure prominently in the program. Practical details in the text include an open terrace, on-site parking, a 20-seat main dining room and private rooms for groups up to seven, and operating hours that span lunch Friday–Monday and Tuesday, and dinner Friday–Monday — all factors that shape how a visit is planned.
Venue details
Ambiance
Relaxing and intimate atmosphere in a solitary European-style house amid rural fields, with stylish spaces and terrace seating.
Tags
Vibe
Best For
Experience
Sourcing
View
Accessibility
At the Table
- Dress Code
- Smart Casual
- Noise Level
- Quiet
- Service Style
- Upscale Casual
- Meal Pacing
- Leisurely
- Capacity
- Intimate
Know before you go
Know Before You Go
- Getting there
- 1307-2 Matsuomachi Kigatana, Sammu, Chiba 289-1531, Japan
Planning details
Hours
- Monday
- 12:00 – 15:00, 18:00 – 22:00;
- Tuesday
- 12:00 – 15:00;
- Wednesday
- Closed;
- Thursday
- Closed;
- Friday
- 12:00 – 15:00, 18:00 – 22:00;
- Saturday
- 12:00 – 15:00, 18:00 – 22:00;
- Sunday
- 12:00 – 15:00, 18:00 – 22:00
Location
Recognition and awards
Explore Chiba
Around this place
Discover more on Pearl
Unlock the full Ushimaru guide in Pearl, including awards, comparisons, FAQs, planning details, and nearby places.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is lunch or dinner better at Ushimaru?
Lunch and dinner use the same JPY 19,800–22,000 tasting menu, plus pairings and 10% service. Tuesday is lunch only; Friday–Monday have lunch and dinner.
How far ahead should I book Ushimaru?
Reserve online at https://yoyaku.toreta.in/ushimaru or call +81 479-86-1222.
Does Ushimaru handle dietary restrictions?
Can I eat at the bar at Ushimaru?
Is Ushimaru good for a special occasion?
Ushimaru may suit a special occasion: a 20-seat Chiba tasting-menu room at JPY 19,800–22,000, with private rooms for four to seven.
