We had heard that the Kinosaki Onsen area was famous for their crab, so we decided to splurge. Crab season was from November to March, so our December trip lined up perfectly. We looked on Google Maps to see if there were any crab restaurants in town. There were quite a few highly rated ones, in the area. We read through the reviews and chose to go with Bon for its tasty crab In Kinosaki Onsen. Best of all, it was located just down the street from our lodging for the night at Sennen no Yu Gonzaemon.

It was snowing a decent amount as we made our way from the ryokan. Luckily it was only a five minute walk along one of the main roads leading through town. Along the way we passed by two of Kinosaki Onsen’s seven famous public onsen. The sidewalk was largely free of snow thanks to the snow removal sprinklers that ran down the middle of the street.

The restaurant itself was pretty small. It consisted of ten or so counter type seats in the shape of an “L” that wrapped around an open cooking area. There were a couple of other customers when we arrived. The shop featured a lot of cute crab aesthetics, like these nice ceramic chopstick holders.

Bon Restaurant Menu

The menu primarily featured boiled, grilled, and raw crab. There were a good variety of crab sets and a la carte options to choose from. They also had some other seafood as well as a couple of beef dishes. We appreciated how the menu included large full color pictures of the food. It really gave us piece of mind, in that we knew exactly what we were getting. We decided to go with a half size portion of both the boiled and grilled crab as well as a pair of the grilled scallops.

Tasty Crab In Kinosaki Onsen

Shortly after ordering the chef threw a half crab on the grill and another half into a steamer. When the crab was finished, the chef cut it into more manageable pieces and broke the shells to make it easier for us to eat. The chef recommended that we eat the grilled crab with shoyu (soy sauce) and the steamed crab with a vinegar sauce. Both were delicious. The meat was tender and the sauces added nice contrasting salty and tart flavors respectively.

The scallops were wonderful. They were cooked in the shell with a butter type sauce. The whole scallop had soaked up the butter nicely and was delcious. Even the innards of the scallop were tasty. Our favorite part was the main scallop which just melted in our mouths.

Final Thoughts

We really enjoyed the tasty crab in Kinosaki Onsen at Bon. The place was small, but felt very homey. We could tell that the chef working was very experienced in running the restaurant. He was able to manage all the functions of the restaurant while making small talk with his customers. The crab was delicious. If your looking for a reasonably priced crab shop in the Kinosaki Onsen area, then we highly recommend Bon. We would happily come back.

More to Come…