[Latest] Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine Food Walking Map. 15 carefully selected popular sweets and gourmet restaurants

We've selected 15 noteworthy restaurants from the latest Dazaifu gourmet spots, divided into categories of "salty food," "sweets," and "drinks," perfect for eating on the go. Check out the restaurants that will satisfy both your stomach and your heart, and make the most of them while you're exploring Dazaifu!

*Prices include tax.
*Prices, offerings, and business hours are current as of November 2024.

Dazaifu Food Walking Gourmet Map

Let's start with some appetizing, salty food

We've picked six popular restaurants that have been getting a lot of media attention, including those that serve creative food using mentaiko, a specialty of Fukuoka, and burgers that use only local ingredients.

[Mentaiko French Fries] A popular restaurant where you have to queue! "YAMAYA BASE DAZAIFU"

YAMAYA BASE DAZAIFU, operated by spicy cod roe manufacturer Yamaya, is located right in front of Nishitetsu Dazaifu Station.

The Dazaifu store specializes in mentaiko French fries, and despite its small size, it is so successful that it sometimes sells 1,000 pieces a day.

"Mentaiko France" (500 yen) is served freshly baked. The pink wrapping paper is inspired by mentaiko, and the design is so cute you'll want to post it on social media! The bread is not too hard and has a good bite, and the melted butter blends perfectly with the mentaiko.

Furthermore, during the exam season from November to March, the bread is branded with the word "Pass" and is popular as a support food for exam takers! Even if you're not an exam taker, you can enjoy the special feeling that you may receive good luck.

It also pairs well with refreshing juice, and many people buy it together with the Mentaiko French Bread.

YAMAYA BASE DAZAIFU

[Mentaiko Yaki Onigiri] Limited quantity, so be sure to come early! "Fukutaro"

Just off the approach to Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, you'll find Fukutaro Dazaifu, with its eye-catching "me" logo. Fukutaro sells the famous Fukuoka souvenir "Menbei," but the only original product you can get here is the limited edition "Mentaiko Yaki Onigiri (with shiso and mentaiko toppings)" (350 yen).

There are always a lot of people gathered in front of the shop, making it a lively place. There are two types of toppings: "Shiso + Mentaiko" and "Shiso + Takana." The rice balls themselves are 300 yen each, and toppings can be added for 50 yen each.

Our original character Puchiko is also very popular on social media!

Mentaiko grilled rice balls are filled with plenty of spicy cod roe and go perfectly with shiso leaves! They are carefully grilled one by one, so it may take a while to be served, but it is a dish worth the wait. They often sell out around 2pm, so we recommend coming early.

Inside the store, there are rows of rare menbei that you don't normally see, making them perfect souvenirs.

Fukutaro Dazaifu store

[Fried Chicken Burger] Chikushian: Focusing on Local Ingredients

Chikushian Main Store, located a short distance from the approach to Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, is a popular restaurant that sees long queues on weekends. This hamburger and fried chicken specialty store offers unique menu items such as the Dazaifu Burger, made with wheat from Fukuoka, Chikushian Fried Chicken, which allows you to fully enjoy the local flavor, and the Passing Prayer Burger, aimed at visitors who come to pray for success in exams.

The most popular item is the "Dazaifu Burger" (500 yen), which features crispy fried chicken with a hint of pickled plum, a flavor characteristic of Dazaifu. The large toasted bun is sweet and goes perfectly with the freshly fried chicken. The pickled plum and shiso flavor give it a refreshing taste.

Because it's such a popular restaurant, the nice thing about it is that they serve freshly fried food instead of pre-made.

"Chikusian Karaage" (500 yen) is a dish made with carefully selected dashi and seasonings. In addition to plain, there are variations such as yuzu salt flavor. The fried chicken, drenched in a sweet and spicy sauce, is so delicious that you will be hooked once you try it.

Chikushian Main Branch

[Croquette] Irresistible sweetness with a hint of spice! "Ajihana"

Ajihana's croquettes are perfect for eating on the go. In addition to the most popular "Gold Award Croquette," there are many other items on the menu, such as the "Local Mentaiko Croquette" that is unique to Fukuoka, and the "Menchi Kachi" with plenty of meat. Even more types of croquettes are available, especially on weekends.

The "Gold Award Croquette" (200 yen) is an exquisite combination of the sweetness of potatoes and the spicy kick of pepper.

The outside is crispy and the inside is fluffy and melts in your mouth, making it truly delicious. Why not share different kinds of croquettes with your friends?

Ajihana

[Pork buns] Juicy and filling "Yangtze River"

Yangzi River's pork buns were first made in Kokura, Fukuoka in 1958. Since the company's founding, they have not relied on machines and are still wrapped by hand, one by one.

The Dazaifu store opened about 20 years ago, and its deliciousness has been featured in many media outlets. If you order takeout, they will take out a nicely warm pork bun from the steamer and hand it to you with vinegar and soy sauce. What's more, they offer a unique style of serving chopsticks, so you don't have to worry if the filling spills out.

The chewy skin of Yangtze River pork buns is made possible by fermenting them at low temperatures, and is left to ferment overnight. The pork buns are also hand-wrapped, and the craftsman's attention to detail is apparent in the way they adjust the steaming time according to the season and the outside temperature.

On this day, I had a freshly steamed pork bun (400 yen) first thing in the morning. The chewy dough and piping hot meat juice, the meat filling was plentiful and flavorful. With one bite, the meat juice infused with the sweetness of onions overflowed, making it extremely satisfying to eat. As the shop sign says, "Beware of the meat juice!"

It has a sweet flavor due to the generous amount of onion used, but adding vinegar and soy sauce gives it a more intense taste, allowing you to enjoy it twice as delicious.

This is a dish we highly recommend to anyone wanting to enjoy the flavors of a long-established Fukuoka restaurant in Dazaifu.

Yangtze River Dazaifu

[Mentaiko Tamagoyaki] Satisfying in both taste and appearance! "Hirosho Dazaifu Branch"

Hirosho's mentaiko has been featured on television and other media, and is gaining in popularity. While there is a lot of mentaiko produced overseas on the market, the brand continues to insist on using mentaiko produced in Hokkaido, and is highly regarded for its high quality.

Among the various products on display, we focused on the limited menu that can only be enjoyed at the Dazaifu store and selected three items. The first is the "Mentaiko Dashimaki Skewer" (400 yen). The "Mentaiko Dashimaki Skewer," a collaboration with "Rojiya," which is famous for its egg sandwiches, is branded with the Dazaifu stamp and comes skewered, making it easy to eat while walking around.

Next up is the shop's most popular item, the Mentaiko Shumai (200 yen), and the Mentaiko Nikuman (200 yen), which is only available in winter.

Both are dyed pink with mentaiko, making them a cute-looking dish. They have a strong mentaiko flavor, and are irresistible for mentaiko lovers. Both are bite-sized, so even if you order them together, you can eat them all in one go!

Hirosho Dazaifu store

Cleanse your palate with something sweet! Try the sweets on your way around

When you're tired from walking, sweets are the perfect way to relax and unwind. We'll introduce you to six shops that are perfect for eating while walking around, from long-established shops to trendy new establishments.

[Fresh pudding ice cream] Enjoy the new texture of sushi rice and pudding at "Kotorii Sabo"

In search of something sweet, I came to Kotorii Sabo, located about a three-minute walk from Nishitetsu Dazaifu Station.

This shop is a 100-year-old traditional house that has been renovated and reborn as a cafe.

What we had here was the very rare "Fresh Pudding Ice Cream" (custard 550 yen, matcha 660 yen). It looks like a normal pudding, but when you put a spoon into it, you can see that it's hard, despite being a pudding!

"First, warm the container a little with your hands, and the pudding-shaped ice cream will pop out," the store clerk told me, so I did just that.

It is a unique dish that allows you to enjoy different textures, from crunchy to soft. It is not too sweet, and even though it is a pudding, it doesn't feel heavy. It has been improved five times since the product was first developed, and is still evolving.

It quickly became popular after its release, and sometimes there are long lines for the "Fresh Pudding Ice Cream." However, there are days when production cannot keep up, and on some days the store may close before 2 p.m.

In addition to the fresh pudding ice cream, there are many other menu items that are perfect for social media, making this a cafe not to be missed on any food tour of Dazaifu.

Kotorii Sabo

[Cookie Sandwich Catalana] "AMARILLO" with a luxurious buttery aroma

AMARILLO, which opened in 2022, is Kyushu's first Catalana specialty store.

Catalana is a Western-style pastry that originated in Spain, a frozen or refrigerated dessert consisting of a custard pudding topped with crunchy caramel.

The restaurant has a wide variety of menu items, and the beautiful appearance is eye-catching, but I ordered the "Cookie Sandwich Catalana" (380 yen), which is perfect for eating on the go. All of the items are handmade by the owner, who has many years of experience in Italian restaurants.

When you take a bite, the rich aroma of butter fills your mouth, making you feel like you're indulging. The moist and crispy cookie is sandwiched with rich and smooth Catalana chocolate made with plenty of eggs from Dazaifu. It's a delicious balance of flavor!

It is loved by locals, and customers who live in the surrounding area often buy in bulk.

What's more, during strawberry season, they also offer a strawberry mille-feuille Catalana that can be eaten on the go, so we also recommend that!

AMARILLO

[Ume-ga-e-mochi] The secret to its crispy and chewy texture is grilling it over an open flame at "Kasa-no-ie"

If you come to Dazaifu, you definitely want to try Umegae Mochi! There are over 30 Umegae Mochi shops along the approach to Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, each offering their own unique flavor, so we recommend trying them all and enjoying a comparison.

We visited "Kasa no Ie Restaurant and Sweets Shop," a long-established Umegae Mochi shop located on the approach to Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine. This famous shop has been making Umegae Mochi using the same method since 1922, and its deliciousness is so great that it was featured in "Tabelog's 100 Best Japanese Sweets and Sweets Shops."

The mochi molds are stacked on top of each other and steamed to create the unique chewy texture. Finally, it is grilled over an open flame to recreate the ideal texture of a crispy outside and chewy inside.

When you try the freshly made warm Umegae Mochi (150 yen), it is filled with steaming hot red bean paste and makes you feel happy with just one bite. It is a truly traditional dish that is simple yet has a deep flavor.

Restaurant and sweets shop Kasa-no-ie

[Chocolate Dorayaki] "Chocolobu Dazaifu Store (&Myuu)" - Light and easy to eat

Chocolobu Dazaifu is located inside the chocolate specialty store &Myuu. This store was created as a new brand of Cafe Rob, which is famous for its pancakes, and opened in 2022.

The shop offers special menu items that can only be enjoyed here, using original chocolates and creams made by the owner and pastry chef.

We recommend the "Chocolat Dorayaki (= Choco Dora)" (450 yen), a perfect one-handed sweet to eat on the go. It is a light and fluffy pancake sandwiched with light cream, and can be enjoyed like a dorayaki. It can be eaten easily, just like a burger.

You'll be surprised at how light it is, so you can eat it easily even when you're full! The chocolate dora, topped with fondant chocolate and crunch, is also a menu item highly recommended by the owner.

The Dazaifu store also sells an original chocolate confectionery made with ruby chocolate, "Umehana no Uta" (237 yen). It's cute in appearance and size, and we have a feeling it will become a popular new souvenir from Dazaifu!

Chocolobu Dazaifu store

[Rich Cheesecake] It's sure to look great on Instagram! "Cheesecake Laboratory"

A hidden gem in a residential area is the Cheesecake Laboratory. Their cheesecake has received high praise, including winning the grand prize in the Dazaifu Sweets General Election, and is a guaranteed delicious treat.

We each ordered "Chuta's Rich Cheesecake (White)" and "Chuta's Rich Cheesecake (Black)" (1,000 yen with drink).

The white one is a baked cheesecake with a smooth texture, while the black one is a Basque cheesecake with a distinctive burnt finish, both of which are very satisfying to eat. Both are served with a cookie featuring Chuta, the company's signature character, which adds a new texture when eaten with the smooth cheesecake.

Furthermore, a second store called "Chuta's Cafe" will open in front of Dazaifu Station in 2023. Not only can you enjoy the same cheesecake, but they also offer a lunch menu. Please be sure to stop by.

Cheesecake Laboratory

[Onigawara Monaka] The onigawara tile and sweet bean paste make a big impact! "Tenzan"

"Dazaifu Sando Tenzan," a Japanese sweets shop on the approach to Dazaifu that is also a hot topic on social media, was a huge success, with customers lining up non-stop on the day we visited.

The specialty is the "Onigawara Monaka" (230 yen), which is made with plenty of red beans from Tokachi, Hokkaido. After receiving an order, the crispy mochi is stuffed with red bean paste.

It's so packed with bean paste that you have to open your mouth wide to get a bite! When you take a bite, you can enjoy the fragrant taste of the mochi.

From mid- to late November, the "Amaou Strawberry Daifuku Monaka" will also be available, containing a whole Amaou strawberry and gyuhi rice cake, allowing you to enjoy this seasonal delicacy.

Other products from "Dazaifu Sando Tenzan" are introduced in the article below, so be sure to check it out!

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Take a break with a drink while eating your way around!

When you're walking around trying salty and sweet things, you'll want a drink! We'll introduce three carefully selected shops that offer drinks ranging from refreshing ones to cute-looking ones.

[Strawberry smoothie] If you love strawberries, you should definitely go to "Kingberry"

"Kingberry" is a store that offers a wide variety of products made with 100% Amaou strawberries from Fukuoka Prefecture.

The luxurious "Strawberry Smoothie" (540 yen) uses plenty of Hakata Amaou strawberries, allowing you to enjoy the natural flavor of the ingredients.

The first sip has a sweet and sour, refreshing taste. When mixed with the soft serve ice cream on top, it adds a creamy sweetness, making for an exquisite match. It is filled with plenty of strawberry pieces, and the crunchy texture is irresistible for strawberry lovers.

Don't miss out on the "Amaou Fresh Juice," which is only available from winter to spring. This product uses luxurious Amaou strawberries from Fukuoka Prefecture, and is only available for a limited time, so be sure to try it when it's on sale.

Kingberry Amaou Cheesecake Factory

[Banana juice] No added sugar, with a shelf life of just 20 minutes. Enjoy healthy juice at "Dazaifu SUGIRU"

Dazaifu Bananaju, a banana juice specialty store, was renovated in 2022 and has now been reborn as a fried chicken restaurant under the name Dazaifu SUGIRU.

The popular "Banana Juice" (700 yen), limited to 30 servings per day, is still available today.

The expiration date is only 20 minutes, and it is only served fresh. No sugar is used, so you can enjoy the natural sweetness of the banana without feeling guilty.

In addition, there are so many varieties of fried chicken that it's hard to decide which one to get. In such a case, you can enjoy two kinds of fried chicken at a great price by ordering half and half. How about a set of salty fried chicken and sweet "bananaju"?

Dazaifu SUGIRU (too much)

[Plum juice] Made with a whole plum! "toffee"

"Toffee" has a cute exterior. If you take a photo with the logo in the background, it's sure to look great on social media!

The showcase is lined with 25 different kinds of soft serve ice cream and drinks, catching the eye of passersby.

When you come to Dazaifu, you can't go wrong with products made with plums. I also had the "Plum Juice" (700 yen) here. It contains a whole large plum, allowing you to fully enjoy the natural flavor of the plum. The sweet and sour, refreshing taste is perfect for when you want to refresh your palate.

In between sightseeing in Dazaifu, why not try some of the "toffee" menu, which is a feast for the eyes and the tongue?

toffee

The delicious gourmet food you can enjoy around the approach to the shrine is full of unique flavors that are only found in Dazaifu. If you take a break from your stroll and enjoy a bite to eat, you will be able to experience the charm of Dazaifu even more. Use this article as a reference and enjoy the local flavors on your next visit to Dazaifu.

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