Hakata Gion Tetsunabe is a japanese restaurant in Hakata, Fukuoka.
The original Hakata iron-pan gyoza, three minutes from Gion subway. Bite-sized dumplings packed in a circular cast-iron pan and pan-fried crisp on every side.
Signature dishes: Tetsunabe iron-pan gyoza, Pork-belly skewers, Mentaiko
Must order: Two pans of tetsunabe gyoza with a Kirin draught.
Tip: Open 17:00-22:30. Closed Sundays and national holidays. Queue from 17:00.
Address: Hakata-ku, Fukuoka 812-0038, Japan
Ebisuya's flat Hakata-style udon won runner-up at the 2014 Japan Udon Championship. The signature Kalbi Bukkake pairs chewy flat noodles with a raw egg.
Signature: Kalbi bukkake udon, Flat Hakata-style noodles, Burdock tempura
Order: Kalbi bukkake udon at 780 yen, raw egg on top.
Tip: Open 11:10-18:00, closed Wednesdays. Lunch queues clear by 13:30.
Daichi's Hakata Station-front shop runs the city's most-talked-about goboten udon: a tower of crispy burdock-root tempura over a bowl of soft Hakata noodles.
Signature: Goboten burdock tempura udon, Hakata soft noodles, Bukkake udon
Order: Goboten udon with a side bowl of rice for soaking the broth.
Tip: Open from 10:00 most days. The B2 station-area branch has the shortest queues.
Ichiran's Canal City branch runs the silent solo-booth tonkotsu with the customisable spicy red sauce, the booth-and-slip format Ichiran codified.
Signature: Solo-booth tonkotsu, Signature spicy red sauce, Kaedama refill
Order: Classic tonkotsu with red sauce at level two and a kaedama refill.
Tip: Open around the clock most days. Vending-machine ticketing in English; the noodle-firmness slip is the trick.
Canal City Ramen Stadium runs eight rotating ramen counters under one roof: Hakata tonkotsu, Sapporo miso, Kumamoto garlic and others in sequence.
Signature: Regional ramen tasting, Hakata, Sapporo, Kumamoto styles, Kaedama refill
Order: Whichever counter has the shortest queue, with a half-portion sampler from the next.
Tip: Daily 11:00-23:00. Vending-machine tickets at each counter; English photos.
Ebisuya's flat Hakata-style udon won runner-up at the 2014 Japan Udon Championship. The signature Kalbi Bukkake pairs chewy flat noodles with a raw egg.
Signature: Kalbi bukkake udon, Flat Hakata-style noodles, Burdock tempura
Order: Kalbi bukkake udon at 780 yen, raw egg on top.
Tip: Open 11:10-18:00, closed Wednesdays. Lunch queues clear by 13:30.
Daichi's Hakata Station-front shop runs the city's most-talked-about goboten udon: a tower of crispy burdock-root tempura over a bowl of soft Hakata noodles.
Signature: Goboten burdock tempura udon, Hakata soft noodles, Bukkake udon
Order: Goboten udon with a side bowl of rice for soaking the broth.
Tip: Open from 10:00 most days. The B2 station-area branch has the shortest queues.
Yamanaka invented miso-style motsunabe in 1984. The Akasaka branch is the most central of three Fukuoka outlets and the easiest reservation.
Signature: Miso motsunabe, Soy sauce motsunabe, Champon noodle finish
Order: Miso motsunabe for two with the champon noodle close.
Tip: Reserve a day ahead for dinner. Closes between 14:30 and 17:00 for the afternoon break.
Rakutenchi's Tenjin flagship: three floors and 240 horigotatsu seats, the largest motsunabe room in Kyushu. Soy-sauce base, mountain of garlic chives.
Signature: Soy-sauce motsunabe, All-you-can-eat champon, Garlic-chive mound
Order: Puripuri motsu daimanzoku course with all-you-can-eat champon noodles.
Tip: Open daily 17:00-24:00. Reserve through the operator's site or by phone.
Ichiran's Canal City branch runs the silent solo-booth tonkotsu with the customisable spicy red sauce, the booth-and-slip format Ichiran codified.
Signature: Solo-booth tonkotsu, Signature spicy red sauce, Kaedama refill
Order: Classic tonkotsu with red sauce at level two and a kaedama refill.
Tip: Open around the clock most days. Vending-machine ticketing in English; the noodle-firmness slip is the trick.
Canal City Ramen Stadium runs eight rotating ramen counters under one roof: Hakata tonkotsu, Sapporo miso, Kumamoto garlic and others in sequence.
Signature: Regional ramen tasting, Hakata, Sapporo, Kumamoto styles, Kaedama refill
Order: Whichever counter has the shortest queue, with a half-portion sampler from the next.
Tip: Daily 11:00-23:00. Vending-machine tickets at each counter; English photos.
