La Luce (Kanazawa)

※ This is the Italian fusion restaurant in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture. Guests are requested to confirm this is the correct restaurant before making a reservation. Kanazawa City plays host to a great many historic landmarks. Chief among them is the magnificent Kenrokuen Garden, one of Japan’s three greatest gardens. Historically, the nearby Omicho Market has served as the region’s busiest market and reliable supplier of seafood to many of Kanazawa’s finest restaurants. Of course, the brilliant white keep of Kanazawa Castle towers over them all, visible from every corner of the city. It is within walking distance of these three attractions that Italian-French fusion restaurant La Luce makes its home. Situated in a back street on the bank of the Sai River, La Luce is run by a chef that has been active for over 20 years in Tokyo and other parts of Japan. While the chef’s primary expertise is in Italian cuisine, a single look at La Luce’s menu reveals the influence of French and Japanese culinary thought. Eclectic dishes like flounder and sea urchin carpaccio or veal loin with Madeira sauce are commonplace on La Luce’s tables, served atop precious Imari porcelain ware that instantly gives any meal a Japanese flourish. Local Kanazawa ingredients are almost exclusively used in La Luce’s one-of-a-kind dishes — many of them organic — but for ingredients that cannot be found in the Kanazawa breadbasket, such as foie gras, truffles or specific cheeses, the chef settles for no less than the best from Italy and France. A wide selection of natural wines accompanies the menu. While it only began operations in December 2023, the restaurant has already found itself a popular destination for Kanazawa visitors looking for a culinary breath of fresh air.