Food in Fukuoka

Some tips we include in other Japan blog locations hold true for Fukuoka, including:

• Food courts in the basement of large department stores like Daimaru and Mitsukoshi are local experiences you shouldn't miss, and great places to find lower-cost meals and food souvenirs.

• Reservations are often necessary and always appreciated. If a restaurant says they are full, and you see empty seats, don't take it personally. Many restaurants plan food purchases based on reservations. If you are rejected, try making a reservation for the following night or even farther in the future if necessary.

• There are many types of restaurants like yakiniku (meat grilled at the table), yakitori (things on sticks), curry, tempura, udon, sushi, obanzai (local casual food), izakaya (bar foods with sashimi and cooked items), eel, tofu specialities, and more.
  

We have organized Fukuoka by region, including Tenmangu Shrine, Downtown, and Gion

Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine Area

Along the street leading to the temple complex you will find plenty to eat including many shops selling hot red bean cakes—umegaemochi— like these.

Look also for ice cream places with so many flavors! If you are here in winter, amazake is available from some vendors - it is a sweet rice beverage served hot

Suigetsu-An (Restaurant)

We had lunch at this delightful restaurant located between the main complex of Dazaifu Tenmangu and the rock garden at Komyozen-ji. It’s so convenient and we were able to get a table at noon with no reservations.

They have 2 set lunch menus, one with tofu hot pot and the other with chicken. We opted for the tofu.

This was a classic lovely experience with a private dining room, excellent food and a garden view

Suigetsu-An. 4 Chome-1-1 Saifu, Dazaifu, Fukuoka 818-0117. Open Sat-Wed 11:30 AM - 5:00 PM. Set lunches 2970 yen pp; cash only.

Downtown Area

Breakfast: If you need breakfast, head to Morning Kubota (朝ごはんINくぼた). The ochazuke was a standout. The broth for all their soups is made from soft shell turtle. We also had the cod which was moist and perfectly flavored. Great traditional vibe and friendly service.

Morning Kubota. 〒810-0003 Fukuoka, Chuo Ward, Haruyoshi, 3 Chome−23−27 久保田ビル 1F. Open Mon-Thurs 7-11 AM; Fri-Sat 7 AM - 3 PM. Set meals 1200-1900 yen. Cash only.

Another breakfast spot we enjoyed is Itookashi, 3 Chome-25-27 Haruyoshi, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka, 810-0003, Japan. This is a very popular breakfast place with set meals featuring fish both baked and sashimi. At 9 am on a weekday we got right in, but when we left there was a line. There is counter seating downstairs and tables and private rooms upstairs. We got the special Itookoshi set for 3000 yen: Grilled mackerel, Rice and miso, 4 x sashimi. All excellent and fresh with varied preparation, one plain, one with onion garnish, one shiso garnish, one sesame dressing. Also included was a beef with burdock, Tofu ball with mushrooms and soybeans, Eel on a bed of ginger and onion and cucumber, and Sweet potato salad. I highly recommend this set as you get a little if everything. I'm not sure what the woman next to me ordered but it was a whole fish and so harder to eat. Service is quick and there is a bell at the table to call when you need something.

Tempura: At Tenyasu, a restaurant with just 12 seats we enjoyed the ten-don. There was a lot of food including 2 shrimp and 2 pieces of fish, 2 pumpkin, and a lot of other veggies. It was nicely sauced.

Tenyasu. 3 Chome-1-1 Maizuru, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka, 810-0073. Open Mon - Fri 11:30 AM - 2 PM and 6 - 10 PM. Set tempura 1200-1700 yen. Cash only

Nouveau Japanese French: We tried a nouveau Japanese restaurant Sakamoto. This restaurant had new and interesting takes on traditional food like fugu karaage, fugu ceviche with ankimo paste, a persimmon salad with uni, and an amazing oden.

Sakamoto. Chuo Ward Yakuin1-chōme-16, Fukuoka, 福岡県 〒810-0022, Japan. Reservations needed : yoyaku.tablelog.com

Next up: a tofu restaurant good enough for a famous sumo wrestler? Yes! Mihara Tofuten Fukuoka

三原豆腐店 3-19 Nishinakasu, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka, 810-0002, Japan. When we checked reservations at this restaurant, they were quite busy all week and the evening we went a famous sumo wrestler was there and interrupted his dinner to say hello to fans outside. We reserved for 3 weeks later, when we would return to Fukuoka at the end of our trip. The food was delicious. A standout was a yuba-wrapped negitoro served with a raw egg, which we scrambled and then dipped the rolls in it. We also had sesame tofu, deep fried tofu, several seafood dishes, and a persimmon salad with tofu dressing.

Gion Area

Okinomiyaki: Takumichan たくみちゃん Japan, 〒812-0036 Fukuoka, Hakata Ward, Kamigofukumachi, 11−17 三豊呉服町ビル

We found a small place for lunch serving okinomiyaki. This was a different style of okinomiyaki than we are used to. The type we've eaten in many other places has a pancake-type batter mixed with a ton of cabbage--barely enough batter to coat everything-- and then meats of choice are added, the whole thing grilled, and then dressed with a sweet soy sauce and kewpie mayo. This version, however, had a small crepe made of the batter. Once cooked, it is topped with a ton of cabbage, and then some water is added to help the whole thing steam. Gradually, seasonings and meats are added. We had the shrimp.

The pile is pressed flat, then transferred onto another pile of noodles (Sarah asked for hers without noodles; both versions are good). An egg is slightly scrambled and added, so that egg is on one side and the crepe on the other.

It's a tasty, healthy, cheap and fast meal. It's also a lot of fun to sit at the counter and watch them cook.

Below: the finished product; cooking the crepe (left) and one farther in the process (right); and the mound of cabbage starting to steam

Other area recommendations:

Umeno-hana: this is an upscale chain restaurant specializing in tofu and yuba. They also have sashimi. They have outlets in major cities across Japan. Reservations required and you must choose your set meal in advance. There are 2 Umenohana locations in the Fukuoka area.

Yatai: these food stalls in Fukuoka are traditional and much discussed on any blog about Fukuoka food. We perused them, found that most of the stalls were serving the same 3 things, and preferred an izakaya experience. There are a lot of noodle-based dishes, stews and steamed items. We didn't see too many yakitori stalls, which is what we would have preferred. Still, it's fun to see the action in the yatai areas and while you are browsing, if you see a food you like you should pull up a stool.