Most of the people who visit Japan for the first time would probably skip Fukuoka for Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka or even Hokkaido, and it's no surprise that I'm one of them! However, ever since I first set my foot on the soil of Fukuoka, I totally fell in love with this amazing city, especially their delicious local delicacies.
Fukuoka is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and the largest city on the Kyushu island. Fukuoka is famous for its local specialty Tonkotsu (豚骨) Ramen, a noodle dish with rich and creamy pork-bone broth. Besides Ramen, Fukuoka is also well known for its Yatai (屋台), the mobile food stalls that provide an atmospheric outdoor dining experience in the evening throughout the night.After all, the food culture in Fukuoka is not just about Ramen and Yatai, it has so much to offer and plenty for you to explore. In this post, we would like to share with you our favourite 8 local restaurants in Fukuoka city that provide good quality local foods with an authentic taste of Japan. 1. Daidai (博多水炊き専門・橙)<< 博多水炊き専門・橙 >>
Year Visited: 2016 Apr
2. Fugu Taishou Ichimatsu (ふぐ大将いし松)
Fugu (puffer fish) is one of the deadliest food in the world; but in Japan, Fugu is one of the most luxurious winter delicacies that has been eaten for centuries. All Fugu chefs must undergo 2 to 3 years of special training in order to obtain a license to prepare the fish. Although Fugu is eaten all over Japan, Fukuoka is well known for producing fresh Fugu at a more reasonable price than other cities. My very first attempt at eating these exotic fish was at Fugu Taishou Ichimatsu, the Fugu specialty restaurant where you can experience luscious Fugu dishes. The restaurant serves popular Fugu dishes such as Fugu-sashi (Fugu Sashimi), Fugu-kawasashi (Fugu Skin Sashimi), Fugu-chiri (Fugu Soup), Fugu-karaage (Deep-fried Fugu), Fugu-shirako (Male Cod Genitalia and Sperm of Fugu), Fugu-shirakomushi (Steam Egg Custard with Fugu Sperm) and etc. Some of the dishes might sound weird but Fugu contains many health benefits like low in calories, high level of protein and collagen. I strongly recommend to go for the natural Genkai-Nada Sea Fugu course (starts from 9,050 JPY)!
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| ふぐ刺 (Sashi) - Fugu Sashimi |
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| ふぐ刺 (Sashi) - Fugu Sashimi |
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| ふぐ皮刺し (Kawa Sashi) - Fugu Skin Sashimi |
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| ふぐ唐揚 (Karaage) - Fried Fugu |
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| ふぐ白子蒸し (Shirako Mushi) - Steamd Egg Custard with Fugu Sperm |
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| ふぐ白子刺 (Shirako) - The Sperm of Fugu |
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| ふぐ鍋 (Nabe) - Fugu Hot Pot |
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| Fugu - The Pufferfish |
"The most luxurious winter delicacy in Japan"
<< ふぐ大将いし松 >>
Website: https://www.kankai.net/4415/
Year Visited: 2016 Apr
3. Umeyama Teppei (梅山鉄平食堂)
Umeyama Teppei is one of my best food discoveries in Fukuoka city over the last few years. It is a small local eatery serving Teishoku, a classic Japanese set meal that consists of a main, side dish, soup and rice. They prepare delicious meals with fresh fishes catch from the Genkai-Nada sea, and their menu changes daily depending on the kinds of fish arrived every morning. The fresh fish for the main dish is served as sashimi, grilled, fried or boiled. One of the main dishes that you must try is Goma Saba, raw Mackerel with sesame dressing; this is the signature dish of Umeyama Teppei and also the soul food of Fukuoka. The sets come with a rice, small side dish and a Miso soup, make sure you upgrade the Miso soup to Tonjiru or Butajiru (豚汁), a Miso flavoured soup made with pork and vegetables. Lastly, never leave without trying their free flow side, Umeyama Furikake, a rice seasoning made with seven kinds of ingredients such as dried baby sardines, pickled plums, pickled mustard green, pickled vegetables, sesame, seaweed and kelp. Umeyama Teppei could be your answer to why the people of Fukuoka love Goma Saba so much.
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| Goma Saba Teishoku |
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| Goma Saba - raw Mackerel with sesame dressing |
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| Tonjiru/Butajiru - Pork Miso Soup |
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| Tai no Shioyaki Teishoku |
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| Tai no Shioyaki |
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| Tai no Shioyaki |
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| Side Dish |
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| Rice with Umeyama Furikake (Seasoning) |
"Goma Saba, the soul food of Fukuoka"
<< 梅山鉄平食堂 >>
Website: http://umeyamateppei.com/pineapple1/
Year Visited: 2018 Jan
4. Tempura Hirao (天麩羅処ひらお 大名店)
Tempura Hirao is a specialty restaurant in Fukuoka serving fresh and delicious Tempura at a very pocket friendly prices. This local eatery is extremely popular among the locals and usually there is a line outside the store before it opens. What I love about Tempura Hirao is that they freshly fried the Tempura in their open concept kitchen and serve it piping hot one piece at a time to the customers without any delays. Currently, Tempura Hirao has 6 stores across the city of Fukuoka and the store that we visited was their 6th store at Daimyo near Tenjin; like the rest of the stores, they have different set meals to choose from. To be safe, we went for the most popular choice, Okonomi Set Meal (お好み定食), which consists of prawn, squid, pork, white fish and 3 types of vegetable. If you are a fish lover, I would recommend you to go for the Tempura Set Meal (天ぷら定食), which consists of 4 types of fish including Saba (Mackerel) and 3 types of vegetable. All the set meals are served with their own unique dipping sauce and different flavoured salts such as curry, sesame and green tea. Also not forgetting to mention that their appetizing side dishes are all unlimited. Overall, the portion of the food was very generous and delicious. Remember to be there early or be prepared to wait in the line.
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| Unlimited Side Dishes |
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| Okonomi Set Meal |
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| Tempura |
"Be there early or be prepared to wait"
<< 天麩羅処ひらお 大名店 >>
Website: http://hirao-foods.net
Year Visited: 2018 Jan
5. Asahiken (餃子専門店 旭軒 春吉店)
Gyoza is a Japanese style dumpling filled with minced pork and vegetables. Although Gyoza is originated from China, it has become one of the specialty dishes in Fukuoka. In Fukuoka city, there are no shortage of restaurants serving delicious Gyoza, but particularly we really enjoyed eating the handmade Gyoza at Asahiken, a Gyoza specialty shop serving bite-size dumplings with a taste of home-cooking. Located in the Haruyoshi district, Asahiken is a small little eatery with a narrow L-shape counter seating layout that can only accommodate up to 10 paxs. Basically, there are only 2 persons running the show behind the counter, one elderly woman will be hand-making the Gyoza and the other woman will be doing all the cooking and serving the customers. Most of the people come here for its Yaki-Gyoza of course; it is freshly grilled, crispy and tasty, and goes perfectly well with Biiru (beer)! Besides that, their fried chicken wings are equally popular, and you should get some wings while you are waiting for the Gyoza to be served. If you are looking for an authentic and unpretentious dining experience, then Asahiken should be on your food hunting list.
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| Fried Chicken Wings |
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| Wings with Japanese Beer never goes wrong |
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| Bite-Size Fried Dumpling - Yaki Gyoza |
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| Menu |
"A taste of home cooking with a cozy home atmosphere"
<< 餃子専門店 旭軒 春吉店 >>
Year Visited: 2016 Dec
6. Emi Udon (恵味うどん)
Very often we heard people raved about the best Ramen in the city of Fukuoka, but not Udon. Do you know that actually Udon is also a specialty dish of Fukuoka and has been eaten more regularly than Ramen by the locals? The characteristics of the Udon noodles in Fukuoka are softer and the broth flavoured with dried sardine is sweeter as compared to the other regions, and commonly topped with deep-fried fish cake or deep-fried burdock and green onions. One of the most simple yet delicious Udon that we have eaten was at Emi Udon, an Udon restaurant serving fresh handmade Udon dishes at a very reasonable price. Emi Udon's specialty is Toriorosi Udon which you can choose cold or hot noodles with a rich taste dipping sauce made with chicken, grated radish, sesame, seaweed, ginger and leek. Originally, the Toriorosi Udon dish was cooked as a staff meal (Makanai) by the first generation owner of Emi Udon; because it is so delicious and they decided to add it to the menu. At first, they only serve cold noodles, but many customer requests for hot noodles, so now they serve hot and cold Toriorosi Udon. Cold noodle is smooth and slippery whereas hot noodle is slightly sticky texture; using same Udon noodles but taste differently. Tasty Hint: You can also add the "Udonyu" into the remaining dipping sauce and enjoy it like soup; it will definitely warm you up and make your stomach happy! (Udonyu is hot water used to boil the noodles, it turns slightly cloudy after boiling.)
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| Toriososi Udon |
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| Rich Taste Dipping Sauce |
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| Onigiri - Rice Balls |
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| Menu |
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| The Owner love to play music and make music. |
"Simple yet delicious"
<< 恵味うどん >>
Website: http://www1.bbiq.jp/emiudon/
Year Visited: 2017 Apr
7. Yoshizuka Unagiya (博多名代 吉塚うなぎ屋)
Renowned for its tenderness and wonderful flavour Unagi or grilled eels, Yoshizuka Unagiya first opened its doors in 1873. The long-established Unagi restaurant has long been enjoyed and favoured by many people, from locals to tourists. Yoshizuka Unagiya's longevity and success are attributed to their grilling method, quality of eels and the dipping sauce, which has been passed down with a secret recipe since the founding of the restaurant. Yoshizuka Unagiya is famous for its Kabayaki eels, which is served on top of a bowl of rice (Unagi Donburi) or placed inside the tiered lacquered boxes (Una-ju); and served with clear soup of eel liver. While you are waiting for the Kabayaki to be served, we recommend you to kick start your meal with some Unagi side dishes such as Uzaku, grilled eel and cucumber with vinegar dressing or Umaki, grilled eel rolled omelette. The super-deluxe Kabayaki that we ordered is truly high quality; the Unagi is perfectly grilled and in every bite with the dipping sauce is the taste of Yoshizuka Unagiya heritage. If you are looking for the best taste Unagi, this is the place that you shouldn't miss.
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| Dipping Sauce - The Precious Heritage |
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| Grilled Eel Rolled Omelette うまき |
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| Grilled Eel and Cucumber with Vinegar Dressing うざく |
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| Superior Eel and Rice in Lacquered Box - 特うな重 |
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| Clear Soup of Eel Liver - きも吸付 |
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| Sake |
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| Beer |
"A taste of heritage"
<< 博多名代 吉塚うなぎ屋 >>
Website: http://yoshizukaunagi.com/
Year Visited: 2016 Dec
8. The Niku Matsu
Finally, The Niku Matsu is a family-run Yakiniku restaurant located in Nishijin (西新), a shopping street with a warm and nostalgic atmosphere in Fukuoka city. At first glance from outside, we thought that The Niku Matsu is a cafe, but actually it is a modern and stylish Yakiniku restaurant with a refreshing and cozy ambience. When it comes to grilling, the quality of the meat is extremely important. In order to let their customers enjoy the delicious grilled meats, the Niku Matsu owner carefully selects the best beef from Saga because of its tenderness and consistently high quality, also esteemed as one of the best Wagyu beef brands in Japan. The most popular meat in the restaurant is the thick slice beef tongue, and it is best enjoyed with the homemade BBQ sauce. Besides that, they also have various cuts of beef, chicken, pork, seafood and fresh vegetable for grilling. Also, a Yakiniku meal is never complete without some Korean eats, and we strongly recommend the tasty Bibimbap and the crispy Korean pancake. Overall, the price was very reasonable despite having a sumptuous meal. If you want to break away from the typical Yakiniku restaurant, The Niku Matsu is where you can enjoy your food slowly in a relaxed and comfy environment. |
| The NIKU MATSU |
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| Gyutan (牛タン) - Thick Slice Tongue |
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| Gyutan (牛タン) - Thick Slice Tongue |
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| Karubi (カルビ) - Boneless Short Rib |
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| Roast (ロース) - Shoulder/Back Meat |
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| Homemade BBQ Sauce |
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| Fresh Prawns |
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| Fresh Seafood |
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| Chicken |
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| Kimchi |
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| Salad |
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| Korean Pancake |
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| Bibimbap |
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| Korean Sundubu Jjigae (Soft Tofu Stew) |
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| Framed Poster from Raffles Hotel |
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| にくまつ 佐賀牛焼肉 |
"A cozy and comfy place to spend an evening"
<< The Niku Matsu . にくまつ 佐賀牛焼肉 >>
Year Visited: 2018 Jan
If you have noticed, some of the Fukuoka delicacies that we have recommended are influenced by its neighbouring countries, which made them unique from the rest of the Japan. And this is also one of the reasons why Fukuoka has become one of the top gourmet cities in the world. So while you are hunting down your best Ramen, don't forget to try out the other specialty dishes of Fukuoka!
Written by: Q.J. & K.K.Photography by: Q.J.
