Fukuoka Restaurants and Dining

(Fukuoka, Kyushu, Japan)

Fukuoka has become famous in Japan for its 'ramen' cuisine, a tasty noodle broth served with many different toppings, such as pork, leeks and also bean sprouts. In total, Fukuoka boasts in excess of 400 different ramen restaurants and shops, together with approaching 1,000 food stalls, which are known locally as 'yatai' and offer a rather memorable outdoor dining experience.

Located alongside the Genkai Sea, many restaurants and other dining venues in Fukuoka have chosen to specialise in seafood with a strong Japanese twist, where squid, sushi and raw strips of fish (sashimi) all regularly enjoy prominent positions on the extensive menus. Much of the seafood served at restaurants in Fukuoka originates from the lively Nagahama Fish Market, a good place to soak up local atmosphere and sample freshly cooked ramen dishes at their best.

What to Eat

Many restaurants in Fukuoka serve food from all around the world, including dishes from China, France, Italy, Korea, Mexico and Thailand, to name but a few. However, if you travel all the way to Fukuoka, you simply must try dining at one of the local Japanese restaurants, where you can expect:

• Hakata gyouza - tasty stuffed dumplings
• hirame - squid
• karashii mentaiko - hot and spicy pollock roe
• Fukuoka ramen - noodles in a tasty broth served with various toppings
• soba - buckwheat noodles
• tempura - deep-fried, lightly battered vegetables and often also seafood
• yakiniku - a variety of grilled meat

Where to Eat

Many of the best ramen food stalls can be found close to Fukuoka's Tenjin Station and are clustered where both the Showa-dori and the Oyafukjo-dori streets intersect. Many excellent restaurants are located nearby, and also near to the river in the Nakasu area and around Canal City. In particular, the Grand Hyatt Fukuoka in the Canal City boasts several excellent European and Asian restaurants on its first floor, where Cantonese cuisine and dim sum banquets have become firm favourites.

Nakasu Island is famous for its nightlife and entertainment, and can be found next to the Nakagawa River and Fukuoka's Hakata-gawa ward. Here restaurants, bars, live-music venues and nightclubs all jostle for space and compete for attention. Further restaurants reside in the Chuo-ku area of Fukuoka and in particular, both in and around the covered shopping arcade of Tenjin and the nearby train station, where coffee shops are also in good supply.

Other shopping centres in Fukuoka also house a variety of restaurants including the Daimaru complex, the historic Kawabata Shopping Arcade, the Solaria mall, and the sprawling Torius Hisayama centre amongst others. The new department store of Youme Town also features a good food court and plenty of fine dining, with restaurants remaining open until midnight on most nights.