The octopus at Del Mar was astonishingly tender

The octopus was tender. I could almost say that is the only thing I remember.

A March lunchtime in Minato Mirai

Late morning on 16 March 2025, we went into Del Mar in Minato Mirai. A Spanish restaurant.

What came first was bread and croquettes on a wooden board — the kind of thing you pick up with your hands, so your hands start moving as soon as you sit down.

Octopus on a red plate

And then this. Octopus cut into chunks on a shallow red plate.

What surprised me on eating it was how tender it was. I had thought of octopus as something that takes a little force to bite through; this was not that. The teeth go in. And the flavour of the flesh is still fully there.

There is a famous Spanish octopus dish, and knowing the name of it turns out to be a different matter from eating one that is actually tender.

Eating somewhere the sea wind reaches

The restaurant is in Minato Mirai. It was mid-March and the wind was still cold, which made the brightness outside all the more pleasant.

A restaurant inside a tourist district, and with a good view on top of that, usually puts the food second. This one did not.

Notes from this visit

• Del Mar is a Spanish restaurant in Minato Mirai, Yokohama
• We went in late morning on 16 March 2025
• We ordered the bread and croquette board, and the octopus
• The octopus was remarkably tender with the flavour of the flesh intact
• Menu, prices and hours change. Check before you go

Visited March 2025. Prices and opening details are as they were at the time of the visit.