7 must-try dishes in Fukuoka and where to eat them

As a bustling port with an entrepreneurial spirit and love of creature comforts, Fukuoka – and its centre of Hakata, one of Japan’s oldest cities with its own dialect, cuisine and culture – has plenty to offer the itinerant foodie. Explore the dynamic city’s eateries, from street food and fast snacks to fine dining in exquisite settings.  

1. Fusion Hakata ramen: Nishimura-ya  

The just-completed Daimyo Garden City complex is home not only to the shiny new Ritz-Carlton Fukuoka but several restaurants. At concept café Nishimura-ya , chef Takahito Nishimura delivers his fusion take on Hakata ramen, incorporating creamy tonkotsu soup, blends of different cheeses and your choice of mochi-wheat, whole-wheat or rye noodles.  

The café also has a small shop and takeaway selling French Japanese open-faced sandwiches topped with curry or smoked salmon, and wagyu- or mentaiko-stuffed onigiri. Those craving something sweet should try the buttercream-filled cookies.  

2. Tea and tea cocktails: Yorozu  

Fukuoka Prefecture’s fine locally grown green teas are on display at Yorozu , an upscale tea bar with a focus on green leaf rather than matcha tea. The menu features tasting courses paired with sweets or snacks, as well as à la carte tea cocktails. Seated around a U-shaped bar, customers get a front-row view of the intricate preparations performed by the tea master.  

Highly recommended is the gyokuro, a shade-grown tea from Hoshino-mura in southern Fukuoka Prefecture; the first brewing yields only a mouthful but offers such a deep umami that it feels like a meal. Sweets to order include soy-flour-dusted warabimochi, and dates stuffed with fermented butter and walnuts.  

3. Yatai (Street food stands)

Fukuoka is synonymous with yatai, or street food stands; more than 100 of them dot the city. Around them, you’ll find a convivial atmosphere and plenty of local specialities to be washed down with chu-hi, local shochu mixed with soda.  

Kenzo , a veteran stand on Showa Dori in the Nakasu Kawabata area, sells yatai favourites such as yaki-ramen, grilled Hakata ramen served on a sizzling hot plate, and yakitori, chicken grilled on skewers over an open flame. At Mentai Chudoku (“Mentai-holic”), a new yatai in the Nagahama area, Fukuoka favourite mentaiko (pollock roe) is served on chicken wings, in a grilled onigiri, and as a filling in tamagoyaki, a dashi-flavoured omelette.  

4. Plant-based meals: Evah Dining  

For the plant-based pack, Evah Dining is a Fukuoka chain of macrobiotic and vegan bento stands with half a dozen locations around the city. Evah’s healthy yet flavourful meals are packed with Japanese and Fukuoka favourites like fried oyster-style tofu and mountain yam over rice, or chicken nanban-inspired gluten cutlets with soy-based tartar sauce.  

Bentos sold at the kiosks are affordably priced (many in the ¥400-600 (HK$22-33) range), making it easy to choose a tasty, plant-based option for a quick lunch or an excursion. For a more leisurely sit-down option, visit the branch at the Riverain Mall.  

5. Traditional Hakata udon: Karo no Uron  

At Karo no Uron, meaning “udon on the corner” in Fukuoka’s Hakata dialect, steam billows from behind the counter and into the cosy, characterful dining room. The family-owned Karo no Uron has been churning out bowls of Hakata udon since 1882 and is now run by the fourth-generation Uriu brothers: Takayasu, who makes the noodles by hand, and Yoshimasa, who cooks them.  

Hakata udon is characterised by soft, chewy noodles: the broth is flavoured with kelp and sardines, and a popular topping is gobo-ten, tempura-fried burdock root, for a crunchy, earthy contrast.  

6. Countryside cuisine: Takamiya Teien Saryo  

Opened in 2022, Takamiya Teien Saryo is housed in the 100-year-old former residence of a prominent Fukuoka coal magnate family. Focused on regional Kyushu Satoyama or “countryside” cuisine, the restaurant serves simple, exquisite kaiseki using Kyushu ingredients.  

The multi- course seasonal menu changes monthly but might include dishes like roasted tuna with wasabi cream and locally harvested sea salt, or Miyazaki chicken and burdock root steamed in a clay pot with citrus and mitsuba. The house is cloistered by lush foliage and winding paths – perfect for a celebratory occasion. Reservations required.  

7. Umegae mochi: Dazaifu Shrine  

The elegant tree-shaded grounds of Dazaifu Shrine are an excellent destination for a half-day trip from downtown Fukuoka (35 minutes from Hakata Station to Dazaifu). A lively shopping and food precinct leads up to the shrine’s entrance, brimming with snacks, souvenirs and religious paraphernalia.  

One of the area’s most popular bites is umegae mochi: a toasted mochi pocket, filled with lightly sweetened red bean paste and marked with a plum- blossom-shaped imprint. These toothsome dumplings are best eaten hot off the metal roasting moulds – you might burn your fingertips, but it’s worth the risk. Two good places to try them are Matsuo Shoten and Yasutake .