Restaurant in Oita, Japan
Eight seats, Tabelog Silver, book three months out.
Beppu Hirokado is Oita's strongest case for serious Japanese cuisine outside of Kyoto or Tokyo. An eight-seat counter with consecutive Tabelog Silver Awards (2025, 2026) and a score of 4.43, it runs JPY 30,000 to JPY 39,999 per person and books online only up to three months ahead. The takeout Wagyu rice bowl is a practical alternative when reservations are unavailable.
The common assumption is that serious kaiseki belongs in Kyoto or Tokyo. Beppu Hirokado corrects that. Tucked into the Horita district of Beppu, this eight-seat counter restaurant has earned consecutive Tabelog Silver Awards in 2025 and 2026, a Tabelog score of 4.43, and placement in the Tabelog Japanese Cuisine WEST Top 100 in both 2023 and 2025. Those are Kyoto-tier credentials in an Oita address. If you are planning a special occasion dinner and are anywhere near Beppu, this is the booking to make first.
With only eight seats at the counter, Beppu Hirokado operates at a scale that makes every dinner feel private even when fully occupied. The venue is classified as a house restaurant, positioned away from the central tourist strip of Beppu Onsen, which means the room is quiet and focused. Described as stylish and relaxing with spacious counter seating, this is a format built for unhurried meals. Groups of seven or more can take the entire space exclusively, turning it into a genuine private event. For a celebration dinner, a significant work meal, or a serious date, the intimacy of the counter works strongly in your favour. There are no tatami rooms to navigate, no large dining hall noise, and no feeling of being rushed through a course.
Budget JPY 30,000 to JPY 39,999 per person for both lunch and dinner. Review data suggests some guests spend in the JPY 20,000 to JPY 29,999 range at lunch, so there may be flexibility depending on what you order, but plan conservatively for the full experience. At that price point in regional Japan, the expectation is a meticulously sourced course menu built on Oita and Kyushu ingredients. The venue explicitly focuses on fish and carries a curated drinks list spanning shochu, sake, and wine. BYO is also permitted, which is a meaningful advantage if you are travelling with a bottle you have been saving.
Most restaurants at this price tier offer nothing off-premise. Beppu Hirokado is an exception worth knowing about. The kitchen offers a rice bowl featuring Oita Wagyu and large shiitake mushrooms from Oita Prefecture as a takeout option, bookable through OMAKASE (search "OMAKASE Hiromon Take Away"). Osechi (Japanese New Year's food boxes) and Toshikoshi Soba are also available seasonally via TableCheck. For visitors staying in Beppu's onsen hotels who cannot secure a dinner reservation, the takeout Wagyu rice bowl is a practical way to access Hirokado's sourcing without the full counter commitment. It is a rare offering at this level and worth planning around if your dates are tight.
Reservations are online-only. Tabelog allows bookings up to two months in advance; TableCheck and OMAKASE extend that window to three months. The restaurant is generally closed Sundays and Mondays, with additional irregular holidays, so build that into your planning. Given the eight-seat capacity and the award trajectory, booking as far in advance as possible is the right move for weekend dates or holiday periods. Lunch service starts at 12:00 and dinner at 18:00. No service charge applies.
Reservations: Online only via Tabelog (up to 2 months), TableCheck, or OMAKASE (up to 3 months). Budget: JPY 30,000–39,999 per person. Closed: Generally Sundays and Mondays, plus irregular holidays. Payment: Credit card, electronic money, and QR code payments accepted. Parking: Available. Wi-Fi: Free. Children: Welcome for private reservations; babysitting service available on-site for non-private seatings. Smoking: Non-smoking indoors; permitted outdoors. BYO: Permitted.
Beppu Hirokado sits at the leading of the Oita fine dining tier alongside Jimgu, which also focuses on Japanese cuisine in the prefecture. If your priority is regional Oita ingredients prepared at the highest technical level in a counter setting, Hirokado's Silver Award credentials give it a clear edge. Aji Arai and Ito are also worth considering depending on your format preferences, particularly if you are looking for a different seating style or price point. For full context on the local dining field, see our full Oita restaurants guide.
Against the national field, Hirokado punches well above its geography. Comparable counter kaiseki restaurants with Silver-tier Tabelog credentials include Gion Sasaki in Kyoto and Goh in Fukuoka. Goh is arguably the easier regional comparison: a two-hour drive or short flight from Beppu, with stronger international recognition but a more urban, less intimate room. If what you want is a deeply place-specific meal with Oita ingredients and a counter that seats only eight, Hirokado is the clearer choice. For those building a wider Japan itinerary, HAJIME in Osaka, Harutaka in Tokyo, akordu in Nara, Mitsuyasu in Kyoto, 1000 in Yokohama, 6 in Okinawa, Abon in Ashiya, and Cocoro in Auckland offer points of comparison across price tiers and formats.
Planning a broader trip around this meal? See our Oita hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide for everything else worth booking in the prefecture.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Beppu Hirokado | — | |
| Jimgu | — | |
| Aji Arai | — | |
| Ito | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Beppu Hirokado and alternatives.
Yes — the restaurant seats all eight guests at a counter, so counter dining is the only format available. There is no separate bar area. For groups of seven or more, the entire venue can be taken on a private-use basis.
The venue's Tabelog profile does not list specific dietary accommodation policies. Given the fixed-course format at JPY 30,000–39,999 per head and the eight-seat counter scale, check the venue's official channels via beppu-hirokado.jp before booking if you have firm restrictions — courses at this tier rarely accommodate changes without advance notice.
Yes, and arguably it is at its best for solo diners. The eight-seat counter format means solo guests sit alongside others rather than being sidelined at a table, and the counter experience is the full experience. Booking is online-only through Tabelog, TableCheck, or OMAKASE — straightforward for a single seat.
Jimgu is the closest comparison within the prefecture, also focused on Japanese cuisine at a serious level. For a different register — lighter price point or more casual format — Aji Arai and Ito are worth considering in the Oita dining tier, though neither carries the same Tabelog Silver recognition as Hirokado.
Yes — the restaurant's Tabelog profile explicitly lists celebrations and surprises as a supported service, and the eight-seat, house-restaurant setting is more intimate than a large dining room. Private use of the full venue is available for groups of seven or more, which suits milestone events. Budget JPY 30,000–39,999 per person.
No dress code is listed on the venue's Tabelog record, but at JPY 30,000–39,999 per head with a Tabelog Silver 2026 rating, the context is formal dining — dress accordingly. In Japan, that typically means neat, subdued clothing rather than a suit requirement, but avoid overly casual attire.
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