Sasebo- Bars Restaurants and Food

Plain and simple, Sasebo has fantastic food. Sushi, Steak, Burgers, Ramen and more, Sasebo has something for everyone. Sasebo is littered with small restaurants to try, and some “restaurants” exist only as a kitchen with a window to order from. They so happened to have some of the best food in town. Some favorites are detailed below!

Ramen noodles are a popular dish, well, bowl, in Japan. The best ramen spot in Sasebo is up debate but two of the most popular spots are DDD Ramen and Ra-Ra-ramen. Both are located off of the Ginza and have great gyoza (a type of dumpling). Try both and see which one is your favorite!

How can you go to Japan without eating sushi? There are several sushi spots on the Ginza that make great sushi. However, if you are looking for a fun and unique experience, you can check out the sushi go round. About a 10–15-minute walk from the main gate is another mall with a restaurant that has conveyor belts of sushi running around all of the tables. Different type of sushi will come by, and you can take what you would like or order specific things from the screen at your table! This is a fun, cheap way to try lots of different types of sushi. This place is also a favorite since they have an English menu, and they sell beer.

Kunimatsu is a small coffee shop that is a must visit when in Sasebo. Aside from great coffee, the shop is owned by a friendly, sharply dressed Japanese man named Hiro. The shop was opened by Hiro’s father and then passed down to him. Located off the Ginza, you will have found it when you see the small sailor statue out front!

Also a small shop located off the Ginza, is a mom-and-pop run steakhouse. This restaurant is small and a bit more expensive than other restaurants in the area, but you get an awesome 4 course meal. The restaurant is very small, and the seating is in semi-circle with the chef in the center.

If you do not want to venture far, or you want to feel like you’re back in America, there is an on base bar located above the Chilis called Galaxies. Galaxies has cheap drinks, good Wi-Fi, slot machines and decent food. If you want a quick and easy spot to eat some food, download some music and get to bed early, this is the spot for you.

Chuhai is a Japanese mixed drink that is a combination of carbonated water, shochu (a distilled liquor), and a fruit flavoring. Chuhai is similar to an American seltzer, but stronger, around 9% ABV, and it is sold in both a can, as pictured below, and on tap in local establishments. Chuhai is served in a variety of flavors to include lemon, lime, grapefruit, apple, orange, pineapple, grape, kyoho grape, kiwi, ume, yuzu, lychee and more. Chuhai does NOT taste like a beverage with 9% ABV, and it is often the jet fuel on the Sasebo fire. It is a unique and tasty drink, but please drink responsibly.

Habusake may be the most unique drink in the world. Habusake is a sake, a rice wine/liquor, with a preserved snake in the bottle. Large mason jars of this “drink” sit on many Sasebo bars and shots of this drink are ladled out for you to try, if you’re brave enough. Legend has it, the species of pit viper snakes in the bottle mate for 24 hours and drinking this elixir is supposed to have positive effects on the male “can-do” muscle. Make of that information what you will. If you want to buy a bottle to bring home and impress your friends, there are a few small liquor stores in town that sell it.