anchoa

Should you book anchoa in Kamakura?

Yes — and more than once. anchoa is a Tabelog Award 2026 Bronze winner with a score of 4.03, and one of only 100 Spanish restaurants across Japan selected for the Tabelog Spanish Cuisine 100 list in 2024. For a 15-seat course restaurant in a quiet Kamakura backstreet, that recognition puts it in rare company. The short answer: if Spanish cuisine executed with Japanese seafood precision sounds like your kind of meal, book dinner first and plan a return for lunch.

What anchoa is, and what it isn't

Open since August 2021, anchoa occupies a compact ground-floor space in Onarimachi, a three-minute walk from Kamakura Station's west exit. The room seats 15 across three counter seats and a handful of tables, with the venue itself described as stylish and relaxed, with generous spacing between seats. This is not an izakaya with Spanish inflections, nor a tourist-facing tapas bar. The format is a set course, reservation-only, with a kitchen that signals its intent clearly: the venue notes it is particular about fish and particular about wine, and the cuisine sits at the intersection of Iberian technique and Kanagawa's coastal ingredients.

The dinner course runs JPY 15,000 to JPY 19,999 per person (plus a 10% service charge), while lunch comes in at JPY 6,000 to JPY 7,999 — a meaningful gap that makes the lunch sitting one of the better value entry points to this calibre of cooking in the region. Review-based averages on Tabelog skew higher at JPY 20,000 to JPY 29,999 for dinner and JPY 10,000 to JPY 14,999 for lunch, suggesting guests are spending beyond the stated floor price, likely on wine. A sommelier is on staff and the wine list is taken seriously here, so factor that in when budgeting.

A multi-visit strategy for anchoa

The structure of anchoa rewards a deliberate approach across visits rather than trying to extract everything from a single booking. For a first visit, lunch on a weekday (Wednesday through Friday) is the right call. The JPY 6,000 to JPY 7,999 price point is accessible, the room is quieter mid-week, and a lunchtime course gives you a clear read on the kitchen's direction , the emphasis on fish, the European course structure, the use of local ingredients , without committing to a full dinner spend. Note that lunch runs from 12:00 with a last order at noon precisely, and seats are fixed at 12:15 PM. Arrive on time.

On a second visit, dinner is where anchoa earns its Tabelog credentials. The evening format allows for a longer arc through the course, and the wine program comes into its own: sake, cocktails, and a wine list the kitchen takes seriously are all available, with BYO permitted if you want to bring something specific. The 10% service charge applies at dinner only, so factor that into the per-head cost. Tuesday dinners run 18:00 to 22:00 with a food last order at 19:00 , the kitchen closes its order window early, so don't arrive late expecting the full course.

A third visit, if you find the kitchen's direction compelling, is leading booked on a Saturday or Sunday. Weekend service shifts to two sittings , lunch (12:00 to 15:00) and an earlier dinner from 17:30, with food last order at 18:30. The earlier dinner window on weekends suits guests combining anchoa with Kamakura's temples and coastal paths, and the tighter evening window means the room tends to turn over as a single cohesive sitting. The counter seats, if available, are worth requesting for solo diners or pairs who want proximity to the kitchen.

Key practical details

Reservations are required , no walk-ins. Parties of two to four book online; groups of five or more, or any reservation involving children, require a phone call. The cancellation policy carries weight: a same-day cancellation incurs a 100% charge of the course fee. The kitchen cannot accommodate guests with multiple food allergies or those who cannot eat seafood, garlic, onions, or bell peppers , this is a firm constraint, not a soft note. Smart casual dress is expected. English-language menus and English-speaking staff are available, which matters for international visitors making the Kamakura day-trip from Tokyo. There is no on-site parking, but guests using nearby Times car parks receive a JPY 300 subsidy per group. Credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Amex, Diners) are accepted; electronic money and QR payment are not.

How anchoa fits the broader Japan Spanish dining picture

Spanish cuisine with serious technical ambition in Japan is a small but well-defined category. [akordu in Nara](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/akordu-nara-restaurant) operates at the formal end, with a Michelin-level course structure and higher price points. [HAJIME in Osaka](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/hajime-osaka-restaurant) sits at the intersection of European fine dining and Japanese precision at a significantly higher price tier. anchoa occupies a more accessible middle register: the awards are real, the seafood focus is genuine, and the Kamakura location adds a day-trip logic that venues in central Tokyo or Osaka cannot replicate. For food-focused travellers building a Kanagawa itinerary, it pairs well with other serious dining options in the area , see the [full Kanagawa restaurants guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/kanagawa) for broader context. If you are planning a wider Japan trip and want to benchmark anchoa against other high-performing course restaurants, [Gion Sasaki in Kyoto](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/gion-sasaki-kyoto-restaurant), [Harutaka in Tokyo](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/harutaka-tokyo-restaurant), and [Goh in Fukuoka](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/goh-fukuoka-restaurant) each represent the ceiling of their respective categories and give useful contrast. Further afield, [Le Bernardin in New York City](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/le-bernardin) and [Lazy Bear in San Francisco](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/lazy-bear) are the reference points for how seafood-driven course dining and creative tasting menus perform at the highest international level , anchoa operates at a fraction of those price points with a distinctly local ingredient logic. For Kanagawa hospitality beyond the table, the [hotels guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/hotels/kanagawa), [bars guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/bars/kanagawa), [wineries guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/wineries/kanagawa), and [experiences guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/experiences/kanagawa) cover the surrounding region.

Frequently asked questions

• Is anchoa worth the price? At JPY 6,000 to JPY 7,999 for lunch, yes, clearly , the Tabelog 4.03 score and dual award recognition (Bronze 2026, Spanish 100 in 2024) back the value proposition. Dinner at JPY 15,000 to JPY 19,999 before wine and service charge is a steeper commitment, but review-average spending suggests the experience supports it for guests invested in the wine pairing. If you want to test the kitchen first, start with lunch.
• What should a first-timer know about anchoa? The course format is fixed , you are not ordering à la carte. The kitchen is serious about fish and cannot accommodate guests who avoid seafood, garlic, onions, or bell peppers. Lunch seating is at 12:15 PM sharp with a 12:00 last order. English menus and staff are available, which makes this accessible for international visitors. Smart casual is the dress expectation.
• How far ahead should I book anchoa? Booking difficulty is rated easy relative to comparable award-winning venues, but with only 15 seats and a reservation-only policy, leaving it to the week of travel is a risk. For weekday lunch, a week's notice is usually sufficient. For weekend dinner, aim for two to three weeks ahead, particularly during Kamakura's peak seasons (spring cherry blossom and autumn foliage periods).
• Is anchoa good for solo dining? There are three counter seats, and solo or pair bookings work well there. The reservation system accepts parties of two or more online; solo diners should call directly to check availability. The counter gives proximity to the kitchen and makes the most of the course format for a single diner. The [1000 in Yokohama](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/1000-yokohama-restaurant) and [6 in Okinawa](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/6-okinawa-restaurant) are worth noting for solo counter dining in other parts of Japan if you are building a broader itinerary.
• What are alternatives to anchoa in Kanagawa? For a different cuisine entirely at a lower price point, [Ramenya Iida Shouten](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/ramenya-iida-shouten-kanagawa-restaurant) is the Kanagawa ramen option with serious credentials. [Mikasa](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/mikasa-kanagawa-restaurant) covers tempura at a high level, [Salone 2007](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/salone-2007-kanagawa-restaurant) handles Italian with equivalent seriousness, and [Unagi Tomoei](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/unagi-tomoei-kanagawa-restaurant) is the call for unagi done properly in the region. None of them replicate what anchoa does with Spanish technique and local seafood , they are alternatives for diner profiles that want Japanese or Italian rather than Iberian.