Visited Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine and was wondering where to have lunch. On the first day of my Fukuoka trip, I had Hakata ramen and gyoza, but there are still plenty of delicious foods in Fukuoka! Of course, mentaiko (spicy cod roe) is a must-try dish. I saw this shop on the approach to Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, so I decided to go in. Fukuya is primarily a souvenir shop, with mentaiko products displayed at the front. However, this shop has an eat-in space at the back where you can try the Dazaifu-exclusive mentaiko rice porridge. My child ordered the mentaiko rice porridge (1,000 yen), while I opted for the mentaiko rice porridge set (1,500 yen) since I wanted to try it all. The set comes in a two-tiered tower, almost like an afternoon tea set. You can enjoy not only the rice porridge but also three types of mentaiko (raw, seared, and mixed with sesame oil and green onions), squid with mentaiko sauce, pickled red ginger, grated yam, condiments, and more. It was truly amazing! It was so delicious that I wanted to have multiple servings of rice before even finishing the rice porridge. And the rice porridge itself was undeniably fantastic. As someone who already loves rice porridge, I can only say it was the best. It was a moment of bliss. The eat-in space is located at the back of the shop, so if you don't know about it, you might just pass by thinking it's just a regular souvenir shop. Also, the eat-in space is small, with only three tables and a counter, so there might be a wait during lunchtime. I waited for about 20 minutes. But this mentaiko rice porridge set was exceptional. If you have some extra time during your Fukuoka stay, I would recommend visiting Dazaifu not just for the shrine but also for Fukuya to try this mentaiko dish. It was incredibly delicious. Thank you for the meal!

You can also enjoy it at the store, but why not try eating while walking around Dazaifu✨ I tried the take-out dashi tea pickles with a piece of mentaiko on top, and mixed it well before eating. The richness of the mentaiko and the gentle flavor of the dashi blend perfectly... The wasabi adds a great accent! The cold jelly tea pickles also looked delicious. I want to eat it again!

On the way from the station to Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, I stopped by Fukuya and tried the Dazaifu limited edition Mentaiko Chazuke. The Mentaiko Chazuke was served in three parts: 1. Initially, it was just Mentaiko and rice. 2. Next, it was mixed with grated yam and Mentaiko over rice. 3. Lastly, it was Mentaiko on top of rice with tea poured over it. The Mentaiko was quite spicy, making the rice disappear quickly. Especially the grilled Mentaiko was delicious, with a crispy exterior and a creamy interior. All three were perfect rice thieves, so if you're hungry, I recommend getting a large portion.

Fukuoka Wanderings. I will be posting a series of Fukuoka gourmet reviews! A short 2-night, 3-day trip to Fukuoka during the Bon Festival. I visited many gourmet spots, so let me introduce them. On the second day, I headed to the Dazaifu area. Located on Tenjin-sama Street on the way from Dazaifu Station to Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine is Fukuya, famous for its mentaiko (spicy cod roe). I visited around noon and opted for takeout to enjoy while walking around. Here's what I tried: - Mentaiko Ochazuke (500 yen) For takeout, you can choose between mentaiko ochazuke or chilled jelly ochazuke. The mentaiko ochazuke was as expected, with the mentaiko being the star of the dish. It was simple but could use a bit more creativity. The chilled jelly ochazuke, on the other hand, had cold jelly but hot rice, resulting in lukewarm ochazuke. This could be improved. When I returned from Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, there was a TV shoot happening right here. I got to see Nishikigoi (colored carp) and Yukorin up close (*ﾟ▽ﾟ*). It seems like there is some kind of TV shoot happening on this street almost every week. Thank you for the meal!

My friends came to Fukuoka and we visited Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine for sightseeing. We were looking for a place to have lunch after trying the famous Ume-gaeshi Mochi at Dazaifu Meifu, and we found a delicious looking Mentaiko Chazuke. We arrived at the restaurant around 11:45 with a group of 4 people. We purchased our meal tickets from the machine outside and entered the restaurant. We were seated at a table and our Mentaiko Chazuke arrived in just 11 minutes. The restaurant was full. We ordered the Mentaiko Chazuke Zenzai Niju no To (with extra rice) for 1500 yen, and additional Mentaiko (2 slices) for 170 yen, and an extra bowl of rice for 130 yen, totaling 1800 yen including tax. The dish looked very appealing with three types of mentaiko - raw, seared, and mixed with sesame oil and green onions, along with squid mentaiko, red pickled radish, grated yam, condiments, Fukuya's Fukudashi, and rice. There were instructions on how to enjoy the Mentaiko Chazuke on the table, so we followed them and tried each type of mentaiko with the rice and chazuke. My favorite was the mixed mentaiko with sesame oil and green onions. We couldn't resist and ended up ordering more mentaiko and rice, eating until we were full. The Mentaiko Chazuke at Fukuya, the birthplace of mentaiko, was delicious. Thank you for the meal.

I ordered the Double Tower dish for 1500 yen at a popular restaurant on the approach to Dazaifu. The rice was served in a ceramic container and at the end, dashi broth was poured over it from a teapot to make ochazuke. There were several types of mentaiko to enjoy, with grilled mentaiko, raw mentaiko, mentaiko with green onions on the top plate, and squid mentaiko, grated yam, and pickled red ginger on the bottom plate. The presentation and variety were impressive and delicious. However, I deducted one point for the lukewarm tap water served as chilled water. The restaurant is located at the back of a souvenir shop on the approach, which is narrow and lacks a calm atmosphere, but I did not deduct any points for these aspects.

I recommend going right after opening. The line gets really long as time passes. It wasn't too long of a wait if you order from the ticket machine before opening and enter right when they open. The two-tiered ochazuke set looked satisfying and was very delicious. There's a great deal of being able to taste various types of mentaiko. Fukuoka's mentaiko is truly the best!

When my husband said he wanted to go to Dazaifu when we came to Fukuoka, we visited Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine to see the plum blossoms. It was March 5, 2023 (Sunday) and the sunshine was warm, making it feel like spring. We decided to try some mentaiko, a must-eat in Fukuoka, so we did some research and found this place in Dazaifu. I love mentaiko, but my husband is not a big fan. The menu here offered mentaiko with grated yam, and also mentaiko ochazuke! And they had a tower of mentaiko? It looked so fancy, like it could have macarons on top! There were three types of mentaiko - regular, seared, and one with sesame oil flavor. All of them were delicious! Putting grated yam on top was the best! The mentaiko ochazuke was also irresistible... It was all perfect! And surprisingly, my husband, who wasn't interested in mentaiko before, became a fan after this meal. We bought some mentaiko from Fukuya and Yamaya as souvenirs. Thank you for the meal!

I visited the Tenmangu Shrine and decided to stop by this restaurant. Customers need to order in advance and wait in line to receive a ticket for their order. After about 10 minutes, the delicious tea-infused rice topped with a generous slice of cod roe is ready to be enjoyed. The combination of the cod roe and warm rice is excellent and it's so tasty that you'll finish it in no time.

The mentaiko and ochazuke at this restaurant were a perfect match, ideal for the cold winter season. Despite a long line, the turnover was quick and we were able to receive our food promptly. I would definitely want to come back when visiting Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine.

I visited the restaurant wanting to try mentaiko along with sightseeing in Dazaifu. I ordered the Mentaicha-tsukezen - Niju no To - with extra rice for 1,500 yen. The rice was served in a large wooden tub, divided into three portions. The first portion included regular mentaiko, grilled mentaiko, and squid mentaiko. It was delicious. The second portion was mixed with grated yam and mentaiko seasoned with sesame oil, then placed on top of the rice. It was amazing. The third portion included the remaining mentaiko, grilled mentaiko, and grated yam mentaiko topped with wasabi for ochazuke (rice with tea poured over it). It was a complete meal. The pickles were also tasty, and I left the restaurant feeling very satisfied. I definitely want to try the grated yam mentaiko again.

On January 30th, before 12 o'clock, there were about 10 groups of customers ahead of us, so we were issued a numbered ticket and visited Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine before dining. Despite it being a weekday afternoon, the restaurant was incredibly popular, and we waited for almost an hour. It seems that there is a high demand for eating mentaiko (spicy cod roe) in Dazaifu. However, the restaurant only had one staff member each in the dining area and kitchen, so it seemed very challenging for them to keep up with the demand. We ordered the Mentaiko Chazuke (rice with tea poured over it) for 1000 yen, along with an extra bowl of rice for 130 yen. The mentaiko in Fukuoka is truly delicious! We enjoyed the first bowl with just mentaiko and grated yam, and the second bowl with added condiments for a different flavor. The surprise highlight was the tuna mixed with mentaiko as a condiment, which was incredibly tasty. If you want to enjoy different flavors, you can also order the mentaiko separately for 170 yen. If you're looking to eat mentaiko around Dazaifu, this place comes highly recommended! There are also a few shops in Hakata where you can enjoy mentaiko as well. It was delicious! Thank you for the meal!

OL's Fukuoka Food Diary ✨ On the way back from Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, I went on a food tour ^ ^ I found a shop that sells my favorite mentaiko (spicy cod roe)! I ordered a mentaiko tea pickled dish that I could eat while walking. It's amazing that you can eat "mentaiko tea pickled dish" while walking!! I placed my order and waited for a while. There were a few other groups waiting as well, and we were all served at the same time! Since most people ordered the "mentaiko tea pickled dish," I thought this was very efficient! It's delicious to eat at home, but there's a special meaning to going on a food tour in Dazaifu, right? ^ ^ The mentaiko tea pickled dish was so tasty~ If you ever visit Dazaifu, be sure to consider it for your food tour ☺️ ┈ What I ordered ┈ ☑️ Walking Mentaiko Tea Pickled Dish 500 yen

I decided to visit Dazaifu for the first time during my trip to Hakata. However, it was very crowded on a Sunday during the exam season. Despite the long wait, I didn't mind as I wasn't in a hurry. The takeout mentaiko (spicy cod roe) rice bowl was also very popular with a long line. Finally, I got a seat and was served the stylish mentaiko rice bowl on a white plate. The "Mentaiko Chazuke Set - Double Tower Style" costs 1500 yen.

On the way back after visiting Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, we stopped by a tea pickles shop run by Fukuya, which had a long line, probably because it was cold. I tried the "Mentaiko Ochazuke for 500 yen" with a warm broth, which can only be paid with electronic money PayPay. It tasted just like mentaiko, neither good nor bad. Thank you for the meal!

Mentaiko with chopped green onions and sesame oil is delicious. You can even make it at home. The glass jar of mentaiko in the middle is unique. But when you eat a whole piece, it feels like your kidneys are pounding. Maybe it's just me? This original mentaiko tea pickled rice meal can only be eaten here. However, it's best with warm white rice instead of pickled rice.

I visited Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine and decided to have a meal at a restaurant there. There were several groups ahead of me, so I had to wait for about 30 minutes before being seated. I ordered the Mentaiko Cha-zuke set meal for 1500 yen, which was delicious. It would be even better if they could improve the waiting time and the speed of serving the food.

There is a Fukuya store along the approach to Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine. I found myself drawn in by the sight of tourists eating ochazuke inside and outside the store, and ended up unconsciously ordering the Mentaiko Ochazuke for 500 yen. The power of this store is amazing. They also had a cold ochazuke option, but I went with the classic one. The mentaiko was undeniably delicious and I love Fukuya's seasoning. However, in terms of the overall quality as ochazuke, the seasoning was a bit light, so I felt like there wasn't enough mentaiko to achieve the perfect balance of saltiness. Hmm. There were other menu items that looked delicious besides ochazuke.

Fukuoka's "Fukuya" in Dazaifu City. Purchased a meal ticket for the Mentaiko Cha-zuke Zen Nijuju (1500 yen) at the ticket machine. You can get extra rice at no additional cost. The Mentaiko comes in three varieties: normal, grilled, and mixed with sesame oil. I was most looking forward to the normal one, but when I tried it before, I was not as impressed as I had hoped. It was tasty, but it didn't have the intense flavor I was expecting. The spiciness was moderate and there was nothing particularly special about the flavor. The grilled Mentaiko was decently flavorful. The one mixed with sesame oil was a nice change and I liked it. The rice was cooked quite soft, maybe because the average age of visitors is high? The squid Mentaiko had a taste that was too sweet for my liking, but the chewy texture of the squid was good. The pickled red takana had a refreshing acidity from the plum vinegar, but I don't think it necessarily needed the pickled vegetables. I also tried the recommended Mentaiko Tororo Don, but it was just average and didn't excite me. Finished with the Mentaiko Cha-zuke, which was delicious. The broth seemed to be made from flying fish, not bonito flakes. Although this review focuses on the Mentaiko itself rather than the overall meal, I remember "Fukuya" as being even more delicious, so it was disappointing. I think "Yamaya" might be tastier. But since it's the original store, I'll give it a slightly higher rating of 0.2.

The mentaiko pickles are delicious with a gentle broth, but the kitchen is understaffed. Even though I ordered through the ticket machine, the workflow is slow and I end up waiting too long. This inefficiency makes it feel like they shouldn't expand as a franchise.

2603 rev from Narita Airport, arrived at Fukuoka Airport on a flight after 7 am. It's only 2 subway stops to Hakata Station, so it was around 9 am when we arrived. The first place we headed to was Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine. Although I had been there before with my wife, we decided to go again this time because my daughter wanted to get a Goshuin (a temple stamp). Initially, we planned to go by public transportation, but due to the intense heat, we decided to drive there by rental car. Upon arriving at Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, we walked up the approach. Feeling a bit hungry around lunchtime, we decided to stop by "Fukuya," the birthplace of mentaiko (spicy cod roe). We purchased tickets from the vending machine: I ordered the Cold Mentaiko Chazuke Zensai - Double Tower Style for 1500 yen, and my daughter ordered the Warm Mentaiko Chazuke Rice for 1000 yen. Both options came with free extra rice (the photos show regular portions). In less than 10 minutes, my Cold Mentaiko Chazuke Zensai - Double Tower Style was served. It looked quite elegant and appetizing. I scooped out the mentaiko rice from the container and first tried the mentaiko rice, which was naturally delicious. The seared mentaiko was fragrant and exquisite, and the sesame oil dressing was a unique touch. The second tier included grated yam, squid mentaiko, and pickled greens, all of which paired well with the rice. For those with a big appetite, the free extra rice would be a nice bonus. To finish, I poured the cold broth over the dish to enjoy the Chazuke with mentaiko, pickled greens, seaweed, and condiments. Ah, it was so delicious! And the cold broth was especially refreshing in the scorching heat after our walk. Now that our stomachs were satisfied, we headed back to the entrance of the approach and continued our walk. It was a delightful meal!