13 Best Restaurants in Kyushu, Japan

This romantic restaurant on the 11th floor of the Kumamoto Hotel Castle has stunning sunset views of Kumamoto Castle. During the day the restaurant is used for wedding receptions, but at night (when there are not events) it opens to the public for dinner.

The extensive menu here includes regional favorites in addition to sushi and tofu dishes. You can relax in a booth or sit at the counter and admire the skilled chefs. Kaiseki meals can be reserved for lunch or dinner, and most of these will include the local delicacy of horse meat, so keep that in mind. 

Part of the Yufuin Tamanoyu hotel, which until 1975 was a lodging for Zen Buddhist monks, this restaurant retains an air of solemnity. Multicourse dinner menus include dishes such as salt-grilled fish, seasonal vegetables, and homemade kabosu (lime) sherbet, while vegetarian or vegan options can be prepared if given advanced notice.

For a half-century, crispy thin-crust pizza and tasty pasta dishes have been the mainstays at this tiny Italian restaurant in the Shian-bashi entertainment quarter east of Chinatown. From the Shian-bashi tram stop, head two blocks north into the arcade and one block west. It's on the corner.

The novel idea behind this restaurant is to serve pork shabu-shabu in soba broth. The broth imparts a delicate flavor to the thinly sliced pork, which is served with seasonal vegetables.

Folks in Fukuoka wait in long lines for these rectangular black boxes of extra-thin noodles swimming in pork-bone broth and topped with tasty char-shu (slices of roasted pork), negi (green onions), and sprinkles of togarashi (red pepper). Fill out an order form (available in English) to indicate exactly how you like it, then buy a ticket from the machine outside the door and place your ticket and order form on the counter; it's strictly cash-only.

Billing itself as "one of the most important historical restaurants of Japan," this quiet hilltop retreat is Nagasaki's most prestigious dining room with fine cuisine that matches its reputation. The interior wooden beams date to 1618. Meiji Restoration leader Ryoma Sakamoto once took a chunk out of a wooden pillar with his sword during a brawl; you can still see the gashes in the main dining room. With notice ahead of your visit, Kagetsu can provide special meals including vegetarian, nut-free, and halal.

This ornate Chinese restaurant is a local favorite, and it's easy to see, smell, and taste why. Kairakuen serves the best chanpon—Nagasaki's signature dish of Chinese-style noodles, vegetables, and pork-based broth—in town.

This restaurant offers the best of Kumamoto specialties in a maze of private and semiprivate Japanese-style rooms. There's an English-language menu with helpful photos, and staff can give recommendations for dishes. The restaurant does close annually for the New Year holidays.

La Quinua serves a wide range of delicious authentic Mexican and South American dishes including vegan options. Try the tallarin saltado (Peruvian stir-fried noodles), or grab some burritos, and wash them down with the iconic Inca Cola.

This restaurant serves the famous local beef, which can be cooked in the teppan style, table-side. The most popular menu is steak, but they also have yakiniku (Japanese beef BBQ), beef on rice, and beef hamburger steak.

Stop for lunch at the wonderful soba shop run by Sayoko Kojima. The delicious soba and soup are served with different kinds of tempura and other dishes made with Kojima's own organic vegetables. Evening meals are possible if you call in advance and make a reservation, including a Japanese kaiseki course menu.

Keema curry, pizzas, burgers, and burrito bowls are staples at this trendy vegan café in Tenjin. Also a great place to get coffee and a slice of cake when you're taking a break from the shops of west Fukuoka.