I visited this restaurant after many years. While traveling to Fukuoka, I couldn't resist craving it. I had the three-colored soba, three-tiered soba, and shrimp tempura, all of which were delicious as always. It was Saturday at 1 pm, but I was seated right away and enjoyed the Izumo soba.

I had some elegant soba noodles with a sweet dipping sauce. I'm used to the three times the amount of noodles at Soba West, so I initially thought it was a small portion, but it turned out to be just the right amount. The aroma was particularly refined, and the clientele was also sophisticated. Everything about the experience was elegant. It left a sophisticated taste in my mouth afterwards. I felt like my standards had been raised.

I finally noticed that there is a long-established soba restaurant near my workplace and decided to visit. I chose the three-color soba. The noodles were dark in color, fragrant, and had a unique texture. The broth was sharp and rich. I visited while being very hungry, and it was the perfect choice! I felt full until the evening and ended up skipping dinner~.

Kabeya is located next to the Hakata Theater. I ordered the tempura rice bowl and a side of pickles. The tempura was large and very flavorful, with a generous portion. The duck soba had a rich dipping sauce, but it was delicious. In terms of cost performance, I think it's a bit on the higher side.

Visited a city heated up by the Yamakasa festival. I don't know why I came, but my body led me to the streets of Hakata. We decided to have lunch in the Kawabata district, and we visited Kagoya Kawabata Honten. There were five of us, and they allowed us to enter right away even though we were not sitting together. Kagoya is known for its delicious soba-yu (buckwheat tea), so we also considered that when ordering. This time, we ordered the "Okezaru" (1,100 yen), which is cold soba noodles served with hot dashi broth with shrimp tempura. We arrived around 1:30 pm, and there were quite a few customers. They also serve alcohol, so some tipsy customers were a bit noisy, but it was understandable. The soba arrived in about 10 minutes. The shrimp tempura was freshly fried and soaked in the broth, making it very delicious. The chewy noodles had a nice flavor, and they were made from Inazuma soba from Shimane, which had a good texture and taste. Finally, we enjoyed the soba-yu as a finish. Thank you for the meal.

I had a late lunch at a restaurant in Nakasu Kawabata in Hakata, and I casually walked into a shop that had caught my eye before. I ordered the 3-color soba for 1,050 yen. It was a little after 3 pm on a Sunday, and there were a few customers in the shop. As I walked past, I could hear the sound of a soba-making machine working since early in the morning, which had intrigued me. The soba was served in three tiers, allowing you to enjoy three different flavors. It was visually appealing and delicious to taste.

Tricolor soba for 1050 yen, with the option to add extra toppings for 450 yen, totaling 1500 yen. The atmosphere is similar to Izumo soba. The restaurant provides soba-yu (hot soba water) when serving the dish, which is a nice touch, although it would be better if they brought it towards the end of the meal. The staff are very kind and friendly. There are quite a few customers dining alone and drinking from lunchtime onwards.

I visited this place for a specific reason. When I mentioned that I wanted to have a tempura bowl, they kindly provided me with disposable chopsticks that are not usually given for dine-in customers. They also had a soba set available, but I chose to have only the tempura bowl on that day. It came with two large tempura prawns and a generous amount of slightly sweet tempura dipping sauce. The texture of the prawns was firm and the price for the size was reasonable. I appreciated that they also offered soba broth afterwards.

Tempura 4-tier soba, tax included 1800 yen. The soba was light and delicious, the dipping sauce had a rich flavor, with a slightly restrained sweetness, but very tasty. The tempura consisted of two large prawns, eggplant, smelt, shiitake mushrooms, green peppers, and was crispy and delicious. The clear soup had a strong saltiness which was great.

Kuzu-kake soba. Among shrimp, crab, and chicken, I chose shrimp. The thick and gooey kuzu sauce is irresistible! The shrimp is also plentiful! But maybe chicken would have been the best choice... The atmosphere is nice, like an old-fashioned shop. The tempura bowl looked very appealing too. One of the restaurants I would like to visit again.

On August 7, 2022, I visited "Kabeya," a restaurant in Hakata Kawabata known for serving Izumo soba, which is said to be one of Japan's three great soba noodles, alongside Togakushi soba in Shinshu and Wanko soba in Morioka. The restaurant was founded by the previous owner from Izumo in 1961 and has been running for 60 years. The entrance to the restaurant, located in a building near Hakataza, is adorned with cobblestones, creating a charming atmosphere. The interior was cozy and clean, with families among the customers enjoying their meals. I ordered the "Tempura Waritsuki" from the menu, which featured large, plump prawns and juicy, thickly battered mushrooms. The Izumo soba, known for its dark color due to the unground buckwheat kernels, was served in a round dish with toppings of green onions and grated daikon radish. The soba had a delightful flavor and a satisfying texture, which I enjoyed layer by layer with the accompanying dipping sauce and toppings. Although I wished there were more varieties of toppings provided with the four-tiered dish, the personal service from the elderly staff and the popular tempura rice bowl made me want to visit the restaurant again.

This is a long-established soba restaurant in Kawabata that I've always wanted to visit! When I walked through the narrow path and opened the door, I was greeted by the atmosphere of a traditional soba restaurant. The staff were kind and attentive, just as you would expect from a long-standing establishment. They serve Izumo soba, with a menu lineup that reflects that. I ordered the three-color soba for 900 yen, while my companion had the tempura soba (hot) for 1200 yen. The three-color soba features three different types of soba noodles - egg, grated yam, and seaweed - to be eaten in that order. I particularly enjoyed the grated yam. The warm soba here is kettle-cooked, with soba noodles in a broth topped with shrimp tempura. It's a style of eating that apparently originated from food stalls around Izumo Taisha Shrine. The soba was delicious, although towards the end, it started to remind me of the never-ending noodles in the famous Makino Udon. The shrimp tempura was plump and tasty. In the end, I think cold soba is the way to go in the summer!笑

After leaving the Karatsu burger, our next destination was the Ghibli exhibition in Hakata. We were really looking forward to it, but unfortunately, it was closed on that day. What a disappointment! So, we decided to stop by a soba restaurant we found along the way, "Kabeya Kawabata Honten". The exterior of the restaurant was cool, and the interior was very clean and beautiful. The standout feature was the exceptional customer service, which left a lasting impression on us. The restaurant is located near the Hakata-za theater, so we assume that celebrities visit here. We tried the zaru soba, which was simple and delicious. The broth had a nice punch to it, and we were satisfied. Adding soba-yu (hot water used to rinse the soba bowl) did not diminish the flavor at all. I thought that maybe adding a little more cold water to firm up the noodles would make it even tastier. The tempura soba had a huge prawn tempura, which was very satisfying in size. We'll have to try the Ghibli exhibition next time! Thank you for the delicious meal.

The entrance was set back from the street, giving off a high-end impression. Upon entering the shop, there were both sunken kotatsu seating and regular tables, creating a cozy atmosphere. Surprisingly, they had reasonably priced lunch options, so I ordered the Izumo soba with shrimp tempura and dipping sauce. The noodles were hand-made and firm, making it a satisfying dining experience.

I went to GW (5/4) and Hakata Dontaku (2nd day). I arrived a little early, so I decided to have lunch before the parade started. While wandering around the area near the Riverain, I found the long-established soba restaurant "Kabeya" open. My partner, who loves soba, said, "Here is the place!" (Um, I'm actually allergic to soba...) Okay, I ordered the tempura bowl (tax included 1200 yen). Here comes the tempura bowl. The tails of the prawns are sticking out of the bowl. When I opened the lid, there were two large prawn tempura. When I tried it, although it was covered with a lot of batter, there was plenty of meat inside. The sweet and savory sauce soaked into the prawn tempura and rice, so I ate it up quickly and finished it off. It would have been nice if there were some vegetable tempura for a better presentation, but since I got to enjoy the big prawns, I was satisfied. I will visit "Kabeya" again for their large prawn tempura bowl. P.S. Soba broth was also served, but I presented it to my partner. <(_ _)> P.S. Hakata Dontaku is being held for the first time in three years. (It seems that the number of participating groups and people is less than half due to the influence of the coronavirus.) Both the performers and the spectators along the parade route seemed to be genuinely enjoying the Dontaku festival after a long time.

Due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, it had been a long time since I last visited Fukuoka. Fukuoka Airport, which had been under construction for a while, now looked clean and refreshed, giving me a slight sense of unfamiliarity. I took the subway to Nakasu Kawabata Station. For my first memorable lunch, I had a choice between eel and soba, but since I had eaten too much sushi at Haneda Airport, I chose soba. I decided to visit Kawabata Honke, a place I used to frequent during my business trips to Fukuoka in my 20s. The company's president used to like the Kuzukake Soba, but I preferred the three-colored soba with egg and yam. The soba noodles, dipping sauce, and condiments were just as delicious as I remembered. It was a comforting meal.

This time, I visited Kabeya Kawabata Honten in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City, located at 1-9 Shimokawabata-cho. I went there for lunch. This long-established restaurant, founded in 1961, caught my eye near the Hakataza and Hotel Okura area. The atmosphere with the signboard and facade is full of charm. When you pass through the noren curtain, you are greeted with a water-drenched stone pavement leading to the back. The interior of the restaurant has a traditional Japanese style with calming colors and a sense of elegance. I ordered the tempura bowl and a side dish set for 1470 yen. The timing of my visit was good, with only about three groups in the restaurant, so the order was not busy and the food was served in about 10 minutes. When the tempura bowl arrived, two large prawns popped out from under the lid. The tempura bowl looked delicious! The prawns were indeed plump and had a great texture. The sweet and savory sauce also increased my appetite. For the soba noodles, you pour the broth directly over them and sprinkle plenty of condiments. After finishing the meal, soba-yu (hot water used to rinse the remaining broth) was served, which I mixed with the broth and drank. I thought I could have ordered more soba noodles towards the end of the meal. There was also an extension outside the restaurant, indicating that they also offer takeout services. Thank you for the delicious meal.

I visited the main branch of my favorite soba restaurant in Tenjin. I ordered the three-color soba, which is the best choice in my opinion. I eagerly waited for about 5 minutes for it to arrive. I poured the egg soup over the soba and took a bite. Delicious!!! The next one I tried was the grated yam. Mmm, tasty!!! Lastly, I ate the soba with the soup. Yum!!! Each component is delicious on its own, but I prefer mixing the leftover soup with the soba. To finish, I had soba-yu. I enjoyed both versions, with and without the soup, and left feeling very satisfied. Thank you for the delicious meal. Izumo soba is really tasty!!!

I revisited for a quick lunch again. I ordered the classic soba dish, tempura soba. Just like the first time, the tempura was big and crispy, with two huge prawns. Let's dig in! Slurping the noodles and enjoying the tempura, I feel a bit guilty but satisfied. Finished with soba broth, now I feel so full. Thank you for the meal.

Today, I revisited this restaurant because I didn't have much time. I wanted to eat lunch slowly, but I had to rush because of work. The kuzukake soba comes in three varieties: mori, ebi, and kani. I couldn't decide which one to choose, so I went with the kani. The broth-like sauce had pieces of crab meat floating in it, giving it a refined taste. It was really nice, not like imitation crab at all. It was hot, so I had to eat quickly. I wish I could have savored it more slowly. Thank you for the meal.