Thank you for dropping by this article! I’m going to introduce the three best signature foods in Fukuoka. As some of you may already know, Fukuoka is known for its variety of delicious local foods. As I was born and raised here, I’m familiar with them and I’m sure they are all good! I hope you’ll enjoy reading! 🙂
1. Motsunabe
First, I’d like to tell you about motsunabe, which I personally like the most. “Motsu” means beef offal, and “nabe” means a hot pot. Some may think nabe is a seasonal dish, especially for winter, but actually we enjoy it throughout the year. Generally, motsunabe restaurants offer two types of soup, miso flavor and shoyu (soy sauce) flavor, both of which are Japanese traditional seasonings. Miso-flavored soup tastes a little richer, and shoyu-flavored soup is lighter. I’m sure you’ll be satisfied with whichever you choose because both of them are so tasty. In general, the main ingredients are cabbage, tofu, beef offal, and Chinese chive. Please make sure that you order champon (Chinese noodles) at the end, which you put in the pot to finish off the dish.
Here are some of the most famous restaurants around here. You must make a reservation beforehand!
Yamanaka
https://motsunabe-yamanaka.com/en/
Oyama
https://www.motu-ooyama.com/foreign/
Oishi
https://motunabe-oisi.com/sp/
2. Yakitori
Yakitori literally means “grilled chicken,” and it is usually skewered. You can enjoy yakitori almost everywhere in Japan, but our local yakitori has some unique features.
-Butabara
People outside of Fukuoka don’t consider it to be yakitori because butabara is made from pork, not chicken. But it’s served as one variation of yakitori here in Fukuoka. It’s grilled with salt and pepper, which is simple but is the best way to do it.
-Torikawa
Torikawa is chicken skin. In recent years, yakitori restaurants which specialize in torikawa have been getting more and more popular around here. You may be surprised when you see a pile of torikawa ordered by regular customers. For them, it’s natural to order tons of torikawa at once and eat them all so quickly.
Here are some restaurants In Fukuoka which specialize in torikawa. You can fully enjoy our special torikawa. Don’t worry, you can also enjoy butabara there too!
Kawaya
https://hakatakawaya.com
Suikyo
https://www.instagram.com/torikawasuikyo/
3. Yatai Foods
A street food stand is called “yatai” in Japanese. A lot of tourists enjoy not only eating food but also socializing with the owner or other customers at yatais here in Fukuoka. You can fully feel the warm atmosphere created by people!
A variety of foods are offered at a yatai – ramen, yakitori, oden, gyoza dumplings, and so forth. If you’re a first-time visitor, please check the yatai map so that you can choose a good yatai.
Usually a yatai opens around 5-6PM and closes at midnight. Very few of them accept credit cards or other cashless payments, so you have to be prepared to pay cash. Based on the local regulations related to food sanitation, they don’t offer raw food, which also includes draft beer. You can order a bottle of beer instead.
What is good about yatai is that you can enjoy chatting with others while eating. Even if you don’t see any familiar faces at the yatai you’re visiting, you can talk to anyone and have a conversation together. There are many yatai customers who visit just to enjoy chatting. I understand that it’s not easy to drop by one if you’re a first timer, but all you need to do is to check the yatai rules beforehand and just enjoy yatai! They will all welcome you. The atmosphere of yatai makes the dish more tasty!
4. Other Signature Foods
Honestly speaking, I had a hard time narrowing down our best local foods to only three because there are so many. So I’d like to name other popular foods as well. If you’re interested, please check them out too!
- Tonkotsu ramen *See my previous article! 🙂
- Mentaiko *Please refer to the specialty section.
- Mizutaki
- Hakata udon – It’s particularly called “Hakata” udon to be distinguished from other kinds of udon.
I hope you’ll enjoy staying and trying our signature foods here in Fukuoka! If you need a local tour guide, please let me know! Anyway, thank you so much for reading and have a wonderful stay in Fukuoka!
A freelancer in Fukuoka, Japan. Also a sports lover, a passionate English learner, and a mother with a girl.
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