Welcome to Fukuoka Now! Since 1998 our team of local experts have been introducing the best of Fukuoka to the world. Here are our This Month picks for the month of March, featuring Saturday. AND READY, a beautiful cafe created and run by a local design firm; Bayern Fukuoka, 45 different local and imported beers to enjoy; and Udon Daigaku, an udon bar with over 30 varieties of udon. Enjoy, and let us know what you think!
Saturday. AND READY
Owned and operated by the popular Fukuoka-based design firm Buzzhoook, Saturday. and Ready is a chic yet cozy cafe located on Josui-dori Ave. It opens bright and early at 8 am—a rarity in Fukuoka. Everything on the menu is made from carefully selected ingredients and exudes the aesthetic sensibility you’d expect from a design firm. If you’re always on the go, the vegetable soup and toast set is right for you. Or try the fruit-packed açaí bowl, an original smoothie made from fresh fruit, yogurt and honey, or a slice of lemon cake made with Japan-grown lemons.
Saturday. AND READY
• Address: 2F, 1-8 Josui-dori, Chuo-ku
• Open: 8:00~18:00 (Breakfast: ~11:30, Lunch: 11:30~15:00)
• Closed: Tue.
• Tel.: 092-406-3776
• Full report with more pictures, here.
Bayern Fukuoka
At Bayern Fukuoka, you can enjoy 45 different kinds of beer, including Löwenbräu, which has been made for centuries from just barley, hops and water according to the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516, and Bayern’s own Meister Weizen, a rich wheat beer made from imported German ingredients and water from Mt. Fuji. With a sports-themed interior and bread delivered from long-standing German bakery Sailer, Bayern is popular among foreign residents, especially soccer fans. Hams and sausages are available for take-out, and the cakes are so popular people line up for them!
Bayern Fukuoka
Address: 2-14-3 Imagawa, Chuo-ku
Open: 9:00~21:00 (Lunch: 11:00~14:00), 8:00~21:00 (Sat., Sun., & Hol.)
Closed: Never
Tel.: 092-791-7344
• Full report with more pictures, here.
Udon Daigaku
As the purported birthplace of udon, Fukuoka has witnessed the evolution of many unique styles of this popular noodle over the years. More recently, there has been an uptick in “chic” udon shops catering to female customers and “udon bars”, which add a pub element to the standard noodle shop paradigm. One of these udon bars, nestled in the back alleys of Akasaka, is Udon Daigaku. The noodles are handmade from Itoshima flour, and the broth is a combination of kombu (kelp) and dried bonito. The udon here can easily function as a meal or a snack to accompany your libations. With nearly 30 varieties, the menu includes standards like meat udon, topped with salty-sweet beef tendon, as well as originals like the suji-kama udon, whose noodles you dip in a separate bowl of broth, and the spicy tantan udon. The a la carte menu features 50 items, the most popular of which is the sautéed Unzen ham. Alcohol runs the gamut from beer to sake to wine.
Udon Daigaku
• Address: 1-10-1 Akasaka, Chuo-ku
• Open: 11:30~02:00 (Udon served until it runs out)
• Closed: Never
• Tel.: 092-724-0609
• Full report, with more pictures, here.
Originally published in Fukuoka Now Magazine (fn220, Apr. 2017)
