Authentic Spanish Cuisine at the Casa de Fujimori

¡Hola! ¿Qué tal? That is all I can remember from two semesters of Spanish in college. It’s a shame, really, because now that I’m all grown up I find myself eating a lot of Mexican and Spanish food I might as well have learned the language properly.

It’s actually my Japanese husband who loves Spanish food. I’m more of the Tex-Mex kind of gal. But every now and then my husband is seized with the desire to eat real, honest-to-goodness Spanish paella, and for that we have a go-to restaurant.

Welcome to the Casa de Fujimori in Kannai, Yokohama. If you live in Japan’s Kanto region and craving authentic Spanish cuisine we’d heartily recommend this place.

I love the interior of this restaurant. There are dark, aged beams on the ceiling, bacon slabs on the wall, colorful pottery imported from Spain. Everything is placed just so to emulate the warmth of the rustic Spanish countryside. The antique candle holders and soft, butter yellow table cloths are lovely.

The restaurant has a skip floor construction. The upper level seats about twenty, while the lower level seats about the same. It’s not a big place, but really cozy and dimly lit enough for a romantic date.

Casa de Fujimori was established in 1970. The chefs, according to the owner, have all honed their craft in Spain. I don’t know how the cooking would compare, but the portions are Japanese-sized (read: small) so no need to feel guilty about ruining one’s diet.

Having dined here several times, we’ve tried ordering a la cart as well as going through the set menus or dinner courses. The courses have better bang-for-the-buckyen.

They have a Monday-Tuesday dinner special that costs less than the regular dinner course. The list: shrimp in olive oil, baked crab, Majorca-style chorizo with vegetables, roasted mushrooms, seafood salad, seafood paella, followed by dessert (five bite-sized pieces) with a small cup of coffee (not an espresso shot but sized like one).

In the four or five times we dined there I have yet to see an empty table. The place is quite popular with both couples and groups, so best to make reservations. Dinner starts at 17:00. Make sure to check the homepage for printable coupons.

(Re: the pic below. The last time we went there for dinner we ordered a half-bottle of their best-selling white wine. There was a tiny plastic bull mascot attached to the cork, which I noticed and thought out loud that it was cute. When the server came to take the empty bottle away he removed the toy bull and handed it to me :))

The only pet peeve I have is that there are no separate smoking/non-smoking sections. For non-smokers like me I could only pray that those dining around me are not puffing on cancer sticks.

Apart from that, Casa de Fujimori at Kannai is a lovely restaurant. The food is delicious, the portions are just right (for me, at least), the servers are attentive and competent, the interior decor is warm and charming, and they play traditional Spanish music throughout. I like to imagine flamenco dancers swirling around our table while I eat my favorite part of a paella dish: socarrat, the wonderfully crusty, toasted rice at the bottom that could only be achieved by cooking with a traditional steel paella pan over an open fire.

Yum!

How to Get There

5min walk from the South exit of JR Keihin-Tohoku line’s Kannnai station, or
3min walk from Minatomirai line’s Nihon-Oodori station, or
3min walk from Exit 1 of Yokohama city subway’s Kannai station

ＪＲ関内駅南口　徒歩5分
みなとみらい線 日本大通り駅　徒歩3分
横浜市営地下鉄 関内駅 出入口1番　徒歩3分