This is my second visit. This time, I wanted to try the steak so I chose the Akane course. Since there were many of us, we also shared a little bit of shabu-shabu and sukiyaki. The steak had a good amount of fat and was delicious, but considering my age, I think I would have preferred lean meat. The shabu-shabu and sukiyaki were excellent. The homemade yuzu pepper goes well with them! The croquettes and minced cutlets were small but tasty.

Fulfilling my long-awaited desire for Chikugo beef! Akane-so in Iizuka City, located near the foot of Mt. Yoneyama, which leads to the former Chikugo Town and Dazaifu City, is well-known locally for raising Akane-so bred cows that have won top prizes in national competitions and have been awarded one Michelin star. They offer their own Chikugo beef at a reasonable price. It's usually difficult to get a reservation there, but luckily this time there was an opening, so my wish came true. Today's course was the Akane Course (starting from 5,830 yen), which includes beef shabu-shabu (thigh), hot pot vegetables, steak (170g sirloin), udon, side dish, rice, fruit, and coffee. This time, I changed it to sukiyaki instead of shabu-shabu! First, they quickly sear the Chikugo beef with seasoning and serve it to you. It's so delicious! Then you add the vegetables and complete the sukiyaki. The meat is incredibly tender and thinly sliced, so you can have as much as you want. I ordered an additional shoulder loin, which also had a rich flavor. Just when I was amazed by the deliciousness, they brought out the sirloin steak (170g). It was so big that I couldn't believe it! Shortly after, the steak on the hot plate arrived. It's rare, so you can adjust the doneness to your liking. It was so tender and had a nice marbling. I thought I couldn't eat anymore, but ended up finishing it all. Despite my age, I can still eat this much meat! The Chikugo beef is amazing! I definitely want to come back again someday. Thank you for the wonderful meal!

This restaurant in Chikugo has been famous for a long time. It's a bit far and can only be reached by car, but the cost performance is excellent. They offer a course with Chikugo beef shabu-shabu and steak, and the quality of the meat is really good. Enjoy the lean meat in the shabu-shabu and savor the fatty taste in the steak. The service is great, and the atmosphere feels like eating at your grandma's house. They also have a direct-owned butcher shop for lunch, where you can sometimes find hormone dishes, which are recommended. They purchase Chikugo beef from local livestock farmers and raise them, so you can enjoy local meat. There are many different brands of beef, but they are all equally delicious. Considering the price, it's definitely satisfying.

I sometimes go to a golf course where I have visited once before, and this time my dining companion arranged for us to have a steak course and a sukiyaki course, which we shared half and half. We started with a bamboo shoot simmered dish as an appetizer, followed by a set of vegetables for the hot pot. The steak was beautifully marbled and served in generous portions after being grilled in the kitchen. The sukiyaki meat included in the set was also nicely marbled. The rice was served in a traditional wooden rice container and was refillable at any time. For dessert, we had melon and ice cream. The Chikugo beef used in the dishes had a good amount of marbling but was not too heavy, making it easy to eat and refreshing.

This is THE meat restaurant where you can enjoy Fukuoka's oldest brand beef, Chikugo beef, simply as shabu-shabu or steak. The focus is on the meat, so the photos are meat-only. There are three courses: shabu-shabu course, steak course, and Akane course (shabu-shabu + steak). For the first visit, I ordered the Akane course, which is around 5500 yen, and considering the quality of the meat, the cost-performance ratio is very good. The course includes an appetizer (this time it was miso soup), shabu-shabu (with udon as the finishing touch), steak, and dessert. Rice is also prepared in a rice cooker, and refills are generally unlimited. The combination of rice and meat is unbeatable. Both the shabu-shabu and steak are simple but incredibly delicious. Personally, I was surprised by how amazing the shabu-shabu was. It was so tender and flavorful, I felt like I could eat it forever. The only downside of this restaurant is its location. It's a bit remote, so coming by car or taxi is necessary. Especially at night, it can be quite dark in the mountainous area. But it's worth the journey to this hidden gem to enjoy the exquisite meat!

I ordered a full course of beef shabu-shabu, steak, and sukiyaki at a Michelin 1-star restaurant. The steak was delicious with grated radish and salt, and also tasted great with their homemade yuzu pepper. It was juicy and filling. The beef shabu-shabu was refreshing when dipped in ponzu mixed with their homemade yuzu pepper. The sukiyaki had a delicious sauce and the rice paired well with the tender Chikugo beef. The udon served as the finale was flavorful with added sukiyaki sauce. For dessert, there were orange and grape fruits, and a choice of iced/hot coffee or ice cream for those who can't drink coffee. The cost performance was great for the amount of food served. The service was top-notch and the staff made the dining experience enjoyable from start to finish. Thank you for the wonderful meal.

On this day, I headed to a place I had made a reservation for the other day. It took me 23 minutes to get there from the Shinokuri office. I would have never found it without the navigation system! I ordered the Akane course, which includes shabu-shabu and steak. First, I tried the shabu-shabu, it was delicious! Next was the steak, also delicious! They used so much wagyu beef, it was really filling. The wagyu beef was so tasty that even eating it with ponzu sauce was satisfying. I will definitely come back again!

There is a lone house restaurant in the mountains called Iizuka, which is wonderful. I had the Chikugo beef shabu-shabu course for 3,500 yen. The course included one dish (on this day it was tokoroten), fried chicken (with burdock and chicken), shabu-shabu, rice, udon, and dessert. The meat had a nice sweetness to it, and for the price of 3,500 yen, the cost performance was excellent. If you can't finish the non-meat items, you can take them home, including the vegetables. The owner came by to greet us, and she was very friendly and welcoming. You can order the courses for two people, so if there are three of you, you can order the Akane course, shabu-shabu course, and steak course for one person each, allowing you to enjoy both shabu-shabu and steak. Even though it was summer, the drive back on the mountain road was quite scary in the pitch-black darkness.

The night course was not too expensive, and we received plenty of food. It was the best dinner. The staff at the restaurant were also very friendly.

The service was so attentive it was almost annoying, and the Chikugo beef was delicious! As I've gotten older, I find steak with too much fat to be tough, so the shabu-shabu was the best choice.

The Akane course with shabu-shabu and steak! It feels like having both Bon and New Year's Day at the same time. Delicious! Too delicious!! I have become a fan of Chikugo beef. That texture is unforgettable!

The female owner of the restaurant boasted about the delicious Tsukubo beef, but it was quickly confirmed that it was not a lie. The restaurant is very satisfying.

Location: Yamaguchi, Iizuka City Here in this unlikely place, a restaurant has earned a Michelin 1-star rating. Despite my surprise at choosing a restaurant in such a location, I managed to visit today after making a reservation well in advance. The restaurant operates on a complete reservation-only basis, and it was fully booked for quite some time. I reserved the Akane Course for two people, priced at 5,300 yen per person. I also wanted to try the sukiyaki. The restaurant setting was in a private room, and I was served a variety of dishes including beef shabu-shabu and steak. I also wanted to try the sukiyaki. I had La France juice and a Kirin bottled beer. The exact prices were not listed, but based on the total bill, it was around 900 yen excluding tax for two items. We were served a chicken skin appetizer, which was thinly sliced and surprisingly easy to eat even for someone like me who isn't a fan of chicken skin. The steak was served first, and it was a tender and flavorful cut of sirloin. The rice served was delicious, and the pickles complemented the meal perfectly. Next, we had the beef shabu-shabu, which was made from high-quality Chikugo beef that won third place in a national competition. The meat was tender and had a good balance of fat. We also enjoyed the homemade yuzu pepper, which added a nice kick to the dish. For dessert, we had fruits, and I opted for an iced coffee while my companion had regular coffee. The dishes were undeniably delicious, and the overall experience was excellent. The service was top-notch, and the hospitality was exceptional. Overall, the restaurant's food quality, value for money, ambiance, and service were all outstanding. The warm hospitality we received made the dining experience even more enjoyable. I would definitely consider returning in the future. Restaurant Details: Location: 611-2 Yamaguchi, Iizuka City, Fukuoka Prefecture Phone: 0948-72-0903

I visited Akane-so in Iizuka City, Fukuoka Prefecture. Known for serving the legendary Chikugo beef, a type of Fukuoka-produced Wagyu beef, I was excited to try it out. The restaurant is located at the foot of the Yonoyama Pass, connecting Dazaifu, Chikushino City, and Iizuka City. The atmosphere of the restaurant, which is a renovated house, reminded me of a Showa-era ryokan. The menu mainly consists of course meals, such as shabu-shabu course, steak course (both 3500 yen), and the Akane course (5000 yen) which allows you to enjoy both steak and shabu-shabu. I opted for the Akane course, which includes a variety of Chikugo beef cuts. The meal started with simmered bamboo shoots and butterbur sprouts, accompanied by a refreshing beer. Then, the star of the show, the Chikugo beef, made its appearance. The shabu-shabu meat, raw sirloin, and a special fillet were presented. The Chikugo beef, cooked in the hot pot, was absolutely delicious and paired perfectly with the special ponzu sauce and homemade yuzu pepper. The steak, served on a sizzling hot plate, was cooked to perfection – crispy on the outside and rare on the inside. The Chikugo beef had a rich flavor with a perfect balance of sweetness in the fat and a delightful umami taste in the lean meat. Despite its remote location from Fukuoka City, Akane-so is a must-visit restaurant for anyone looking to indulge in delicious Chikugo beef dishes.

This is a restaurant located in the former Chikuho town on the way to the Yonenomine Pass, which connects Iizuka City to Dazaifu City. The specialty here is steak and shabu-shabu. I visited this place for a farewell party for a colleague who is transferring this year. If there are more than 10 people, you can also use a bus for transportation. The restaurant has a traditional inn-like structure with several tatami rooms and a banquet hall. We ordered the 5000 yen course that includes both steak and shabu-shabu. First, they presented the sirloin steak before cooking. It was a high-quality meat that won the gold award in Kyushu and ranked 3rd nationwide. The marbling was impressive, with each piece weighing over 300g. After briefly leaving the table, the steak was grilled with a light seasoning of salt and pepper before being served again. Meanwhile, we started enjoying the shabu-shabu. The meat for shabu-shabu was also well-marbled and tender. We dipped it in broth and enjoyed it with ponzu sauce and homemade yuzu pepper. It was very tender and juicy, with just the right amount of fat. Then, the steak was served. It was perfectly cooked to a pink color inside. We first tried it with salt and pepper, and it was incredibly tender and juicy. It was the best meat we had recently. The vegetables were also delicious, with many of them being home-grown. The meal ended with udon noodles in the broth. In addition to the course we had, there is also a 3000 yen option where you can choose between steak or shabu-shabu. Considering the quality and quantity of the meat, the prices are quite reasonable. It may be more convenient to drive to the restaurant due to the distance from the nearest station, but I highly recommend it for parties where a bus can be used for transportation. The meat here is definitely worth enjoying with some drinks.

When I lived in Chikuho, I had no idea about this restaurant, but I discovered it in a distant place in Kumamoto. It's called "Akane-so" and it's located in the old Chikuho town near the Yonoyama Pass that leads from Chikuho to Dazaifu. The restaurant specializes in Chikuho beef, so it's recommended to make a reservation in advance. I recently visited the restaurant during a business trip and tried various courses including shabu-shabu, steak, and Akane course. The vegetables used in the dishes are harvested from their own garden. The Chikuho beef shabu-shabu was delicious and the marbling of the meat was impressive. The sirloin steak was also cooked perfectly and melted in the mouth. The chicken Karaage and fried burdock were also tasty. Overall, the Chikuho beef was top quality and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The dessert was ice cream. I forgot to take pictures of some dishes due to my voracious appetite. The owner was very kind and the meal was a delightful experience. Thank you for the delicious meal.