This week, I take a break from my Madhya Pradesh posts and share with you a guest post from my friend Alexandra Wong from Hongkong.
Top Restaurants in Fukuoka
Fukuoka is celebrated for its food society and is recognised as Japan’s number 1 Gourmet City, there are many great restaurants with many local Hakata dishes and unique spins on Japanese cuisines. In this article, we’ll praise the best restaurants that Fukuoka has to offer.
Fukuoka is not only good for food, but it’s also a wonderful place to visit and is one of the top destinations of travel in Japan, be it sightseeing or shopping. If you’re looking to visit then Cathay Pacific has you covered. Cathay Pacific is well known within the industry in providing great deals and provides excellent customer service. To make the most out of your trip and to select the best time to travel, book flights to Fukuoka now.
Yamanaka
Yamanaka serves authentic Hakata-Mae Sushi using the ingredients sourced from the Genkai Nada and Hakata Bay. Everything in this store is specially picked and made, the special soy sauce that the restaurant is made from its special recipe. The food here is of the highest quality and well-presented so it’s worth coming here despite its price. The interiors are designed by the famed architect Arata Isozaki, providing a contemporary design to complement the traditional sushi served at this restaurant.
Shin Shin
Hakata Ramen is one of the most famous types of ramen in Japan. Hakata ramen contains rich pork broth from the bone and thin noodles with curls and this restaurant is very popular amongst locals and tourists alike. The special soup here serves the broth with chicken bones, vegetables, and umami to bring out the flavour of the soup. The Cooked Char Siu is marinated with a secret sauce which is what makes it truly delicious. Although they don’t have large portions here at this restaurant, you can order portions separately with Kaedama.
Hyoutan no Kaiten Sushi
Sushi is one of the foundation dishes within Japanese cuisine. Hyoutan no Kaiten Sushi serves the freshest seafood obtained from the local markets and provides the most delectable sushi Fukuoka has to offer and best of all, the prices are very affordable especially when it comes to dishes including grilled eel and abalone. At Hyotan the selection of tuna is great, choose from the fattier chutoro, ootoro or the regular maguro here.
Mucchan Manju
Mucchan Manju is a bun with bean jam filling presented in the shape of a goby fish. Always eat the Manju fresh when you get it because that is when it’s the tastiest. There are 7 flavours to choose from here including the ham and eggs and custard flavour, both are what we recommended to try are popular choices with adults and children. The name Mucchan comes from the type of fish that lives in the Kyushu sea known as Mutsugoro fish.
Hakata Gion Tetsu Nabe
This restaurant is widely recognised throughout the country and for good reason. The dumplings served here are amazing. The crispy texture is served on an iron pan so that they are fresh and piping hot. The sauce for the dumplings is made from the citrus sauce and yuzu pepper which goes very well with dumplings. There are many notable Japanese celebrities plastered on the walls which are a testament to its popularity, you may need to wait in line before you can taste the dumplings.
Some more restaurants in Fukuoka
Kara no Uron
This place is renowned for its Udon with a long rich history from its inception in 1882, meaning its Fukuoka’s oldest udon restaurant. Udon noodles are famous for their soft texture complemented with deeply flavoured soup. The GoboTen Udon (Burdock Tempura Udon) is a signature dish in this restaurant and the Burdock Tempura tastes the best with its hot so eat it quickly as soon as you get it. The soup base that this store uses is tsuyu soup using the best quality ingredients to provide the broth with a great umami taste. Usually, udon stores boils their noodles in advance but this store is different where they freshly boil the noodles then quickly serving the dish, this has now become a trend that started from the 4th owner of the store.
Mizutaki Nagano
A local famed dish in Hakata is the Mizutaki, a chicken hot pot with vegetables, which is a healthy meal. Try the Mizutaki Nagano here as it’s very tasty but the alternative dishes on the menu are also good like the Mizutaki Porridge. This restaurant has been running for over 90 years and is very popular so please try to make a reservation early to get a place here.
Chisou Yamatoya
Fukuoka is famous for its mackerels, it’s rare to find mackerels in japan so its main source of the fish is sourced from Fukuoka, so it is worth the effort to eat some while you’re here. Chisou Yamatoya also provides other seafood dishes to mix things up. The Owner previously worked at the fishery wholesale market before moving on to work in the restaurant business so he has experience of handling and buying the freshest seafood compared to other chefs. The interior itself was designed by Akira Sugihara from Kyoto, you will be transported into a Japanese teahouse while the menu was crafted by the landlady who received instruction from calligrapher Reiko Kai.
Izutsu-ya Kurosaki-ten Syokuji Kissa Kawaguchi-ya
Kyushu is known for its Champon noodle soup which is traditionally served with Ramen, however, this restaurant specially serves it as Chandon, where udon is used as a substitute and to great effect. The soup of the Chamdom is created with chicken and pork bone which creates a thick texture, this means that you can enjoy your noodles hot.
Makanai Shokudo Kiwamiya
This store is prominent for its Hamburg steaks made from ground beef, they use the imari beef from the saga prefecture and its set at quite a reasonable price. You may need to wait in line quite a while as this restaurant is highly popular with both locals and tourists all waiting to taste their succulent beef, with an additional 300 yen you can get the set containing miso soup, salad, unlimited rice and soft-serve ice cream.
