Dining Options on Miyajima Island

While researching Miyajima one may assume that this tiny island with its Shinto shrines and scenic views of nature might lack an entry in any culinary journal. Those that make that assumption find how wrong they were the moment they walk around Miyajima’s main streets. Step into any restaurant and feast on seafood caught in the local waters. Get a jolt of caffeine while sipping espresso drinks or indulge in ice cream served on a sweet bun. Satisfy your food cravings by sampling any of the snacks offered by the local street food vendors.

Front entrance to Tori-I

Oysters at Tori-I

Udon at Tori-I

Grilled conger eel at Tori-I

Tori-I

With Miyajima’s proximity to water, seafood dishes take the top spot at many of the island’s restaurants. Miyajima’s most popular seafood dishes include conger eel and oysters caught in local waters. For a taste of both conger eel and oysters visit Tori-I. Those who wish to eat oysters may order inside the restaurant or from the takeout window to the right of the entrance. Order the oysters raw, grilled, or deep-fried. Those that order the grilled oysters will find them seasoned with a soy-sauce based sauce. Diners sitting inside the restaurant may choose from such dishes as udon with shrimp or grilled conger eel. The grilled conger eel sits on a bed of rice in a bento box.

Front entrance to Itsuki

Coffee at Itsuki

Miyajima Itsuki Coffee

For a classic cafe experience head to Itsuki Coffee. The menu at Itsuki Coffee has various espresso choices, served either iced or hot. Besides espresso the menu features pastries such as muffins, scones, and biscotti. This cafe is perfect for visitors needing a caffeine fix or somewhere to sit and unwind. Itsuki Coffee’s décor is modern but warm with wood accents. Seating is available inside, or outside with weather permitting.

Sweet bun with ice cream at Melon-Pan Ice

Sign at Melon-Pan Ice

Melon-Pan Ice

Regardless of the day’s temperature, few can resist the draw of warm baked dessert bread with ice cream. The chain Melon-Pan Ice opened a location in Miyajima, where tourists and locals both line-up for tasty treats. Melon-Pan is the name of a sweet bun popular in Japan. The bread bun is soft in the inside but the top has a thin layer of crispy dough that resembles that of a cut and diced melon. Melon-Pan Ice takes the fresh-baked warm bun, cuts it in half, and adds a scoop of ice cream. The resulting combination is so delicious that a nearby sign proclaiming it as “Japanese soul food” isn’t an exaggeration.

Mascot for a street food vendor in Miyajima

Fried star from a street food vendor in Miyajima

Steamed buns from a street food vendor in Miyajima

Fish cake from a street food vendor in Miyajima

Miyajima Street Food

For those in need of a quick bite, or if you don’t have time to sit at a restaurant, you’ll find many street side vendors selling various snacks. One dish in particular to try is a fried pastry made in the shape of a star. These fried stars come filled with your choice of cheese, custard cream, or red bean. Non-fried options include fresh-baked steamed buns filled with beef. Another popular street vendor sells rolled up fish cakes, grilled and served to customers right off the hot stove.

Miyajima Dining

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Tori-I: 34.298210, 132.321439

Itsuki Coffee: 34.296495, 132.320779

Melon-Pan Ice: 34.295516, 132.321621

	Tori-I Dining Options on Miyajima Island Miyajima, Japan
	Itsuki Coffee Dining Options on Miyajima Island Miyajima, Japan
	Melon-Pan Ice Dining Options on Miyajima Island Miyajima, Japan

Oxbow Public Market

First Impressions of Oxbow Public Market

Counter at Fatted Calf

I was immediately interested when plans to build the Oxbow Public Market in Napa, CA first appeared in the news. I’d read that the same architects behind the Ferry Building in San Francisco had helped create Oxbow. The Ferry Building is one of my favorite places to go to in San Francisco. The architecture of the Ferry Building is beautiful. Renovations the architects made to the inside of the building to allow for merchants worked in capturing the essence of the building. There is an easy flow moving between merchants situated inside to those situated outside the building. The plethora of food options combines well with opportunities to view the bay and people watch. The Ferry Building is a great place to spend your time eating or buying groceries.

So when the Oxbow Public Market opened in 2008 I was very excited. I visited Oxbow after its doors opened to the public but I found my visit disappointing. In hoping for a recreation of the Ferry Building I’d set up Oxbow to fail. The building itself was great but there just wasn’t the same energy I’d found at the Ferry Building. There weren’t very many tourists or locals roaming the market. A handful of merchants had set up shop. It felt more like a small town’s barn flea market than the upscale food mecca I’d conjured in my head. It was not measuring up to the promises made in the articles I’d read touting the Oxbow Public Market. I left thinking I wouldn’t waste my time ever returning.

Let’s Try That Again

Pour over coffee being made at Ritual Coffee Roasters

Six years later, 2014, I was in Napa and gave Oxbow one more chance. During those six years I’d been back to Napa a handful of times. I visited the surrounding downtown area and each year that area kept improving. New restaurants were always opening, more shopping was available, and the riverfront generated foot traffic. Oxbow Public Market is close to this area, and I thought it might be worth seeing if it also had gotten better through the years.

Going back to Oxbow Public Market wound up being a fantastic decision. Today’s Oxbow is everything I’d hoped it would be. The building itself, both inside and out, has kept up its appearance, and it looks wonderful. It exudes somewhat of a Pacific Northwest market vibe, something that wouldn’t seem out of place in either Portland or Seattle. The building itself didn’t surprise me but what I didn’t expect to find was how many more merchants now occupied both the inside space plus the adjoining property. There is so much more to experience. The Oxbow Public Market now has a liveliness that makes you want to visit, shop, and hang out.

Highlights of Oxbow Public Market

As of 2015 Oxbow Public Market has 24 merchants. You can buy all of your grocery needs, from vegetables to olive oil to chocolates. At the Oxbow Cheese & Wine Merchant you can pick from a wide variety of cheeses. Or you can dine at a few of the various restaurants offered, such as Hog Island Oyster Bar or Kitchen Door. The talented baristas at Ritual Coffee Roasters will fulfill your caffeine needs by making you a great cup of coffee.

There are so many options available inside Oxbow Public Market but two standout merchants in an adjacent property to the main building. Model Bakery serves artisan breads and pastries. Their English Muffins alone are worth the trip. The English Muffins are soft and fluffy in the inside, with the outside lightly crispy. You can order a half-dozen of these delicacies to go. The English Muffins are ideal for breakfast at home, with either jams or cheeses. You can even order breakfast sandwiches made with the same English Muffins. Next door to Model Bakery you will find the Fatted Calf. At the Fatted Calf you can fulfill all your meat desires. The Fatted Calf is a charcuterie and butcher shop. It offers high quality meats ranging from sausages to pates. If you are unsure which of the many succulent meats to buy you may ask the employees for a recommendation.

: English Muffin Breakfast Sandwich from Model Bakery

: Front entrance to Model Bakery

: Inside of an English Muffin Breakfast Sandwich from Model Bakery

My suggestion is to head to Oxbow Public Market in the morning when it first opens. You can buy a baguette from Model Bakery, salami from The Fatted Calf, and manchego from the Oxbow Cheese & Wine Merchant. You are now set for a wine country picnic later that same afternoon.

Oxbow Public Market Information:

Located at: 610 & 644 First Street, Napa, California 94559

For information about the merchants at Oxbow Public Market plus days and hours of operation visit: http://oxbowpublicmarket.com/