It’s no secret that Ukiha is my favourite town in Japan, and the main reason is the ridiculous amount of good food available there. If you’re planning a trip to Fukuoka, then a stop in Ukiha is worth it just for the eats.
Breakfast
We may as well start with the most important meal of the day: breakkie. If you’re not a pastry buff like me, you may not favour my breakfast options, but the bakeries in town are so good that I was eating baked goods most mornings.
Pan no mocca (Bread Mocca)
I fell in love with this little bakery the moment I stepped inside. When you walk into enough bakeries in Japan, they all tend to get this “same-same” kinda vibe to them – the same soft breads with both sweet and savoury toppings, the classic melon breads, and French inspired croissants – but something about Pan no Mocca was different.
There were baked shapes that I’d never seen before with bits of filling sticking out from places I wouldn’t have imagined. And the interiors weren’t trying to emulate a sophisticated, French, jazzy atmosphere. Instead, they’re humble, cosy, and with touches of nature and Studio Ghibli splashed all around. It was a bakery that felt truly Japanese, and not just French-inspired in Japan.
Overwhelmed by the amount of breads I wanted to try, I decided immediately that I had to return a few times to avoid falling into a carb-loaded coma. My favourite items ended up being the coffee raisin bun, pistachio cream bun, soy milk bread (great for adding sandwich fillings), apple danish, and seasonal peach cream bun.
Funaki Bakery
One place that gives that truly old school, Japanese style, fluffy feel is Funaki Bakery in Fukuoka Prefecture. I was pointed in this direction by some friends in the area who told me they had the best アンパン (anpan – red bean bun) around. So naturally, I slipped into my joggers and ran towards it. Yep, I literally ran, but mostly to counteract the carb fest that I was about to partake in.
This place has a more classic, industrial-style feel to it with the kind of homey looking breads that give a bit of comfort with an afternoon coffee. My favourite was definitely the banana sherbet bread, but the anpan with mochi and yakisoba bread were also absolute winners. If you’re into the soft, showa style breads of Japan, then you’ve gotta add Funaki Bakery to your list.
Ebisumachi Coffee Shop
I loved everything about this humble little coffee shop in town. The owner was friendly and could speak some English and we had a nice chat while I sat at the counter watching him artfully make a pour over coffee. There are different roasts to choose from with English written under the Japanese and you can purchase coffee beans that Iwamoto-san roasts in store. I ordered and iced coffee since it was a steamy summer day which comes with a mini jug of sugar syrup on the side, a very common offering at Japanese coffee shops.
The best part about Ebisumachi Coffee Shop? It’s located just up the road from Pan no mocca and you can bring your freshly bought baked goodies in with you to eat alongside your coffee.
Lunch
託正 (Takusama)
I highly, highly recommend this spot for a beautiful omakase meal at a very affordable price. As a budget traveller, I always avoided the fancy but mouth watering omakase meals in the bigger cities, unable to rationalize spending a two day budget on a single meal. So when my friends in Ukiha told me about this amazing lunch deal, I had to go.
Every dish that came out was so refreshing and flavorful, the setting was so calming and ambient, and the staff were incredibly kind and graceful. The chef gets the fish delivered fresh and uses local seasonal ingredients, and you can tell.
The menu is only in Japanese but Google translate does wonders these days and seating is by reservation so ask the staff at your hotel/hostel to make a call for you. The lunch set I had was just ¥2800 and included 8 dishes, with nigiri for the main event. You can step it up to a ¥4000 course if you like, just make sure to have cash on you and enjoy the culinary ride!
Dekunobow
One of my favourite Japanese dishes is 鳥南蛮 (chicken/tori nanban) – fried chicken pieces coated in a sweet, tangy sauce and served with tartare sauce, rice, and salad. When I mentioned this to a friend in town, she recommended I try Dekunobow, an alleyway cafe filled with retro memorabilia and seating. I especially loved the old ‘Taxi Driver’ of a young Robert De Niro in his slick New York-Italian fit.
There are multiple main items on the menu, like Japanese hamburger and with two lunch set options to choose from. Lunch set A comes with a mini serve of pickled plum udon and rice, while lunch set B comes with wakame soup, small pickled dishes, and rice. I, of course, went for the chicken nanban and, at around ¥800, it was a good sized serve of the classic tangy chicken I so dearly love.
Hostel & Cafe Farolito
My accommodation of choice in town is Hostel & Cafe Farolito, run by the lovely Kazuya and Kanako, it’s an impressive establishment for a 2-person show. I loved to pop up a seat at the counter and watch the duo move like yin and yang around the cosy kitchen.
Kanako studied at culinary school in Perth before spending time travelling and working as a chef in Spain. She brings her love of international foods to the kitchen, with dishes like jerk chicken and Indonesian-style curry, and bakes a variety of cakes, cookies, and scones to stock the counter with.
I recommend stopping in for lunch and an irresistible slice of her chocolate cake served with whipped cream and homemade fig jam. If you do swing by, tell her Emmy says hi 🙂
肉屋一ノ剱 (Nikuya Ichinoken)
The mother in one of the host families I stayed with in town took me out to lunch here after a morning of adventuring through the mountains, and it was one of the most satisfying, hearty meals I’d had for a while. As referenced by the name, this place specialises in meat dishes, think beef katsu and wagyu rice bowls, but my eyes were drawn to the 和牛すじ (wagyuusuji). While living in Japan, I wanted to increase my collagen intake for my skin, nails, and joints (we ain’t getting any younger), and as a result, I became quite the fan of gyuusuji, or beef tendons.
At Nikuya Ichinoken, they serve beef tendons in a similar way to oyakodon or katsudon: simmered with onions and egg. I ordered it as a rice bowl set that came with multiple side dishes and miso soup. The tendons were so rich and full of flavour, I was in true foodie heaven here, and every side dish was amazing. If you want to go for the set then you’d better show up hungry because the serve is very generous, or you can opt for the simple rice bowl dishes too, like Yuko did.
Tane no tonari
Another place with generously sized lunch sets is cafe Tane no tonari. The food here is lovingly made with local, seasonal ingredients, and the setting is absolutely stunning. Sitting quietly at the bottom of the mountains, this cafe has gorgeous, high-set wooden interiors with large windows looking out onto the beautiful surrounding greenery. You can also sit out on the verandah like I did for a peaceful lunch with nature.
The 隣のごはん (tonari no gohan) set has a bunch of beautiful small dishes served on a tray, while the plate lunch set comes with your choice of curry or hayashi rice, a pita bread sandwich, soup, salad and little bits and pieces. I had the hayashi rice plate lunch – a classic, rich Japanese stew – which, together with the sides, was so filling and nutritious. Once you’ve polished that off, the staff will bring you a mini dessert of soy milk pudding and one of their specialty monaka sweets to have with coffee that has been roasted at the coffee shop next door.
Dinner
Kurume Taiho Ramen
One of the most famous styles of ramen, tonkotsu, originated in Kurume, so, while you’re in the area, you must give the Kurume style ramen a go, and Kurume Taiho Ramen is one of the long-standing places. Similar to the popular tonkotsu ramen, the kurume style is incredibly rich with a strong pork flavour that locals will refer to as “stinky”. If you’re a fellow Filipino, then you’ll understand the likeness of this ramen broth to deep fried chicharron. Slurping down the noodles, the familiar taste of the Filo snack was all I could think about.
You can choose from different sizes, and I think it’s really great to have the option of a small serve when it comes to such a rich dish. I recommend ordering a side of rice to enjoy with the broth as near the end of your noodles.
大衆食堂 味楽（Miraku）
Unfortunately, I forgot to take photos while dining at this restaurant as I was enjoying the chatter of the night’s company, but the noodles here are some of the best I’ve had in my life. If you’ve travelled around Fukuoka, you’ve probably heard of Nagasaki champon, a pork and seafood noodle soup dish that originates in, you guessed it, Nagasaki. At this cosy restaurant, you can choose from a regular champon or curry champon, both of which are absolutely fabulous, among other dishes like okonomiyaki and fried rice.
とんかつ·しゃぶしゃぶ 庄山 (Tonkatsu Shabu-shabu Shouyama)
This katsu and shabu-shabu restaurant has a dish that rivals my beloved chicken nanban. The 揚げ鳥のソースかけ定食 (agetori no so-su kake teishoku) is a set meal of fried chicken that’s coated with the most spectacularly tangy sauce that I could not get enough of. Like practically every cafe and restaurant in Ukiha, the serving size here is huge and I couldn’t finish it all, having to enlist the family I was staying with for some help to eat it all. It feels like a bold statement, but I might have to say that this was my favourite meal in the whole town. It was so unexpectedly delicious and I hadn’t tasted a tangy sauce like that on such succulent fried chicken before, it was the perfect flavour to counteract the usual heaviness of a fried dish.
Dessert
miel cake cafe
This colourful and modern cafe set inside one of the many century old traditional buildings in town has all manner of cakes and biscuits on offer, but it’s the tarts in the cabinets that are the real showstoppers here. Each tart has several layers of different flavours and textures, most of them topped with the freshest seasonal fruit from farms around town. I tried the blueberry yoghurt tart and kabocha pumpkin pudding tart and both were perfectly balanced in sweetness and textures. The flavours available constantly change to reflect the seasonal produce, so choose whatever tickles your fancy and enjoy the fruits of the town’s labour.
Budounotane
From the same team at cafe Tane no tonari is Budounotane, a beautiful cafe with a shop section for purchasing local goods. The barista coffee served is fantastic but the parfaits are what you need to come for. The menu here also changes to match the seasons so you’re guaranteed to enjoy the freshest, sweetest fruits to match the ice cream, granola, and other house-made delightful toppings that make their parfaits so magical. I was so full from all of my foodie gallivanting by the time I reached Budounotane that I didn’t think I could handle a full parfait, so my wonderful friend at the cafe kindly put together a small serve for me and I was like a happy little kid with my sweets in hand.
叙情詩 (Jojōshi) ~Coffee, At night with you~
Okay so, this isn’t exactly a dessert spot but you can definitely get dessert here, if coffee is your cup of tea. Jojōshi is a stylish upstairs coffee bar that opens at night for evening cups by candlelight, flickering from candles handmade by the cafe owner. It’s a beautiful spot for a date night or a cheeky late night affogato. If you can’t guess… I was all about the affogato. Not wanting to drink a proper coffee before bed, I though it would be the better pre-bed time option. What I wasn’t expecting was four generous scoops of ice cream sitting pretty like baubles in a fancy glass for me to pour espresso over. As a known ice cream fanatic, I wasn’t mad about the mountainous helping of creamy goodness, but the sugar and caffeine definitely left me alert in the night haha. If you’re like the Italians and enjoy a comforting post-dinner coffee, then this is definitely a spot you have to check out.
Kulture Kaiwa 
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