Welcome to Fukuoka Now! Since 1998 our team of local experts have been introducing the best of Fukuoka to the world. Enjoy!
Tokado Coffee
Tokado Coffee, owned by world champion coffee roaster Naoki Goto, has nine varieties of carefully selected beans on hand at any given time. You can choose your brew based on its provenance or roast level—light, medium, medium-dark or dark—or have a staff member recommend a cup based on your preferences. (Different shapes of cups are used for different roast levels.) The beans are ground only after you order, and if you sit at the counter, you can enjoy watching the barista make your cup with expert care. So stop by, relax and enjoy a professionally made cuppa!
Tokado Coffee
Address: B2F Hakata Riverain Mall, 3-1 Shimokawabata-machi, Hakata-ku
Open: 10:30~19:30 (L.O.: 19:00)
Closed: New Year’s Day
Tel.: 092-260-9432
http://www.tokado-coffee.com/
Menu: Hot coffee ¥432 (takeout: ¥324), Hakata Umaka Blend beans ¥1,188 (170g), Tokado Blend beans ¥1,188 (170g)
Suzukake Honten
Suzukake has been making wagashi (Japanese sweets) in Fukuoka for almost 100 years. The shop uses select ingredients to create traditional sweets with a modern flair. It is now known nationwide for its sweets and chic interior design. The cafe, the only one in Japan, opened in 2008 when the head shop moved to Hakata. It offers Western-style dishes, like spaghetti Napolitan or curry rice, as well as anmitsu and other desserts, carefully prepared and served in gorgeous dishes. After you eat, don’t forget to grab a souvenir from their fully stocked sweet shop next door.
Suzukake Honten
Address: 1F Fukugin Hakata Bldg., 12-20 Kamikawabata-machi, Hakata-ku
Open: Cafe: 11:00~20:00 (L.O.: Meals 19:00; Sweets 19:30)
Shop: 9:00~20:00
Closed: 1/1, 1/2
Tel.: 092-291-0050
http://www.suzukake.co.jp/tenpo/honten.html
Menu: Spaghetti Napolitan ¥1,000, curry rice ¥1,000, baked curry ¥1,100, cutlet sandwich ¥1,000, suzu parfait ¥970, warabi-mochi ¥790, matcha float ¥650, matcha (Yame tea) ¥560
Kisoji
Kisoji was founded in 1977, but 15 years ago, the second-generation owner, Takeshi Miyazaki, returned to Fukuoka and revamped the soba shop after his culinary training in Tokyo. He sources different kinds of soba from farmers all over Japan to create delicious seasonal dishes from hand-ground soba flour. Most soba-makers won’t change the flour-to-binding agent ratio, but Miyazaki will make slight adjustments depending on the provenance of the soba. He also employs different noodle-making techniques to achieve different effects: nihachi style for a smooth, slurpable noodle, or juwari style to emphasize the soba flavor. The broth, made from thickly sliced bonito, kombu kelp and soy sauce, also enhances the flavor. Kisoji also serves local sake, a practice Miyazaki brought back from Tokyo, where sake and soba go hand-in-hand. (Tipplers can opt for the sake sampler.) Once you try Kisoji, you may never see soba in the same light again.
Kisoji
Address: 1-10-13 Arato, Chuo-ku
Hours: 11:00~15:00 (L.O.: 14:30), 17:30~21:30 (L.O.: 21:00)
Closed: Sun.
Tel: 092-712-8253
http://soba-kisoji.jp/
Menu: Kisoji-zen ¥1,400, stone-ground seiro w/tempura ¥1,600, stone-ground seiro w/ dipping sauce ¥1,510, ita-soba (2~3 servings) ¥2,250, stone-ground seiro ¥760, coarse-ground soba (limited servings) ¥880, organic salad soba ¥1,280, stone-ground yamakake soba ¥1,080, spicy daikon soba ¥1,080, duck soba ¥1,510, tempura soba ¥1,410, kake-soba ¥760, tamago-don ¥860, oyako-don ¥970, katsu-don ¥1,080, tendon ¥1,400, soba tofu ¥280, hand-ground sobagaki ¥880, sake sampler (3 varieties) ¥780, sake (180ml) ¥750~, draft beer ¥540, shochu ¥540~, wine (glass) ¥650
Originally published in Fukuoka Now Magazine (fn211, Jul. 2016)