Popular motsunabe restaurant operated by the major manufacturer of Hakata specialty spicy cod roe, "Yamaya". Located just a 2-minute walk from Hakata Station Chikushi Exit along the railway tracks, it is easily accessible. Although the restaurant has a nationwide presence, it is particularly popular among locals and tourists for its lunch menu featuring authentic motsunabe and set meals, as well as the all-you-can-eat spicy cod roe, another Hakata specialty. The restaurant is known for its long lunchtime queues. I tried the Yamaya specialty "Motsunabe Zen" priced at 2,200 yen, which uses large pieces of domestically produced beef intestines for a luxurious motsunabe experience. The juicy texture and creamy richness of the fat are irresistible. The soup, based on "yaki ago" (grilled jaw), is elegant yet flavorful, enhancing the umami of the motsu. The hot pot ingredients include burdock and tofu. I also tried the "Umadashi Karaage Teishoku" priced at 1,200 yen, which features deep-fried chicken marinated in "umadashi" (Yamaya's original golden dashi made from 6 types of domestic dashi). The succulent meat infused with the dashi flavor and crispy coating is a perfect match for white rice. Both dishes offer unlimited rice, spicy cod roe, and spicy pickled vegetables, allowing you to fully enjoy Yamaya's spicy cod roe. Due to its popularity, it is recommended to visit with plenty of time as there is always a line. The restaurant is named Hakata Motsunabe Yamaya Hakata Store and is located at 1-1-1 Hakataeki Chuogai, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture. Operating hours are from 11:00 to 15:00 (L.O. 14:00) and 17:00 to 22:00 (L.O. 21:30), but please confirm as there may be changes. Closed during the New Year's holidays, so be sure to check. Just a 2-minute walk from JR Hakata Station Chikushi Exit. Other affiliated stores in Fukuoka Prefecture include Mentai BASE MARK IS Momochi Store, Mentai BASE Kyudai Ito Tsutaya Bookstore, Hakkin Koji (Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City), and Zen (Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City). For more details and images of the menu, check out the blog post at Hakata Onna Fushi.

Yesterday's lunch. When I arrived at Hakata Station, I went to the classic restaurant called Yamaya. They have branches in Kansai and Hiroshima as well, and I used to go there often, but the mentaiko (spicy cod roe) here is delicious! I didn't know this, but they offer all-you-can-eat mentaiko and karashi takana (spicy pickled mustard greens), free dashi broth, and free rice refills, making it the ultimate lineup. The fried dishes are crispy and go well with rice. It's a popular spot, so be prepared for long lines.

Fukuoka: A shop in Hakata Station Central Street in Hakata Ward. Hakata motsunabe Yamaya Hakata store. Arrived at 12:00 on a weekday, had to wait as there were 9 groups ahead of me, entered 30 minutes later. Ordered the motsunabe set meal for 2200 yen, payment is made in advance. The set meal includes mentaiko, spicy pickled greens, and all-you-can-eat rice. The motsunabe has a flavorful broth and is super delicious! Highly recommended restaurant!【Instagram Account】@yamaya.motsu【Shop Name】Hakata motsunabe Yamaya Hakata store【Address】1-1 Hakata Station Central Street, Hakata Ward, Fukuoka City【Business Hours】11:00-14:00 (L.O) Sun-Thu 17:00-21:30 (L.O) Fri, Sat 17:00-22:00 (L.O)【Budget】2000-3000 yen【Order】Motsunabe set meal: 2200 yen

On April 13, 2023, after cheering for my favorite soccer team, I visited this popular restaurant. My wife and I had been here once before and we really enjoyed the all-you-can-eat mentaiko and takana. This time, I decided to splurge and ordered the motsunabe set for 2,200 yen with an additional order of motsu for 1,180 yen, totaling 3,380 yen. The restaurant requires payment upfront, then we were seated at the counter. In about 10 minutes, the gas stove, motsunabe, and rice set arrived, and the staff kindly explained how to cook and when to eat it. While waiting for the motsunabe to cook, we enjoyed some of the all-you-can-eat mentaiko and takana with rice. Once the motsunabe was ready, we lowered the heat and enjoyed the tender motsu and vegetables. The motsunabe here had thinly sliced burdock root which was delicious, and we alternated between that and the tender motsu. Following a recommendation from a previous review, I ordered extra motsu, but perhaps due to my age, I found it to be unnecessary. Thank you for the meal.

I came to Fukuoka on a business trip since yesterday, and I didn't have time to eat at this restaurant yesterday. I arrived at 13:30 today, and there was a similar line as yesterday when I visited just after opening. I haven't tried the tonkotsu ramen yet, but there was a motsunabe lunch set available, so I decided to wait for it. I wrote my name and waited for about 30 minutes. I was seated at the counter. The restaurant is owned by a mentaiko (spicy cod roe) company, so I also bought some mentaiko to take home or give as gifts. I ordered the "motsunabe set" (2,200 yen including tax). I thought it would be cooked and served, but it was actually a menu item that you warm up on a portable stove. I had time today, so I patiently waited for it to simmer. Since I hadn't had breakfast, I started with the all-you-can-eat mentaiko and takana (pickled mustard greens) with a little rice. Then I had the motsunabe. I used to eat motsunabe a lot when it was popular almost 30 years ago, but I haven't had it recently. It was delicious, especially the soup. The burdock added a nice accent to the flavor. The amount of motsu was good, but I wished there was a bit more. I managed to finish all the vegetables, though. The price is a bit high, but it's worth it for a special meal while traveling. I later found out that there are branches in Nagoya with the same menu, so I would like to go there with my wife next time. Thank you for the meal.

This is my second visit! Previously, only Japanese people visited due to the pandemic, but this time, there were many foreign travelers (from neighboring countries) lining up before the store opened at 11 am. It seems to be popular among foreign visitors as well! The interior of the restaurant is spacious. Since payment is made in advance, some customers were slow at the register, so it took some time to be seated, but even being around the 20th person in line, we were able to enter smoothly. I ordered the pork ginger stir-fry, but the main attraction is the all-you-can-eat mentaiko (spicy cod roe), so I had plenty of rice and enjoyed it thoroughly. Thank you for the meal. It was delicious.

I arrived 20 minutes before the restaurant opened and was the first in line. I was able to get in for the first round for sure. However, there were still many customers waiting behind me. I ordered the grilled fish set meal. The mackerel marinated in miso was delicious and the rice wasn't enough. The spicy cod roe and pickled vegetables were also incredibly tasty. I ended up eating three bowls of rice. Thank you for the delicious meal.

It seemed like a popular restaurant as there was a long line even before opening, so I was very excited to visit. I wanted to try the miso flavor, but they only had soy sauce flavor for lunch, so I went with that. The beef tripe was large and chewy, with no unpleasant smell, and was delicious. Some pieces were quite tough to chew though. The soy sauce flavor of the hot pot lacked any depth or richness, which was a bit disappointing for me. The mentaiko was a bit too salty for my taste, so I couldn't have seconds. Putting the broth over rice was a nice touch. Thank you for the meal.

When I went to Fukuoka, I found a motsunabe (tripe hot pot) restaurant. Despite many high-end places requiring reservations at night, I lined up and enjoyed a casual motsunabe experience as if it were lunch. The restaurant is also famous for its mentaiko (spicy cod roe), which was delicious. The prices were reasonable, and the location was convenient for travelers.

I visited the Yamaya restaurant, which opens at 11am, to eat during my transfer time. Although there is a branch in the Keikyu Kawasaki building, I decided to try the original Hakata location. There seemed to be many tourists, as I noticed a lot of people having motsunabe (offal hot pot) for lunch. I ordered the unique mentaiko (spicy cod roe) fried chicken set meal, which came with salad and simmered burdock. It also included all-you-can-eat mentaiko and pickled mustard greens for 1,300 yen, which I found to be reasonably priced. The mentaiko fried chicken was like regular fried chicken with mentaiko sauce on top, a bit salty for my taste. The meal was filling, but with the mentaiko available, it was easy to overeat rice, so those with small appetites should be cautious. The all-you-can-eat mentaiko was the most delicious part of the meal. The Kawasaki location was similar to the other branches I have visited.

This was the first time I had a full meal of authentic mentaiko and I could eat as much rice and mentaiko as I wanted! However, since it was a set meal, I got full pretty quickly. The flavor and aroma of the mentaiko spreading in my mouth was amazing!

I went to the dining place of the famous spicy cod roe 'Yamaya' under Hakata Station for lunch. There is also a 'Ekimae-dori store' in Sapporo, but this is the home of spicy cod roe, Fukuoka. I've never been to the Hakata store at lunchtime because there is always a long line, but today I was able to enter without waiting, maybe because it was a little early. Alright! I'm going to eat a lot of the all-you-can-eat spicy cod roe! The 'Slowly marinated pork with ginger stir-fry set meal' for 1,400 yen includes rice, salad, side dishes, miso soup, and umadashi. Is this really ginger stir-fry? Isn't it stir-fried leeks and liver? Look at it. The texture is soft like liver, and there is no ginger flavor at all... Even if it was stir-fried leeks and liver, this is... not good... Let's eat rice with spicy cod roe then! I was looking forward to it... Spicy cod roe, you too, huh! The spicy cod roe in my tableware... doesn't it look quite different from the photos of other reviewers? It's not easy to pick up with tongs because it's mostly small pieces, not slices... There is seasoning liquid floating, and it has a strong shochu-like flavor... Did they transfer the spicy cod roe that was in the original container to this one? Even though it's all-you-can-eat spicy cod roe, serving this to customers is disrespectful. Disappointing lunch award 2022 goes to 'Yamaya'... I don't want to write this, but when I return to Hokkaido, I'll go to 'Tarakoya' in Torasuna Beach for a palate cleanser!

JR Hakata Station, 2 minutes walk from the Chikushi exit. 209m from Hakata Station. This restaurant is known for having a line during lunchtime. I visited around 1:30pm thinking it would be easy to get in, but ended up waiting about 15 minutes at the front. Despite plenty of empty seats inside, they seemed to have a strategy of making customers wait. One thing I noticed was that the prices were high. Chicken Nanban or Karaage set meals were around 1200-1300 yen. In the midst of many restaurants in the Hakata area where you can eat for around 500 yen, I felt this place was a bit pricey. They do offer unlimited servings of mentaiko and takana, but if you're not a big eater, I wouldn't recommend it. The food was tasty, but not exceptionally delicious. It's no wonder there were many tourists dining there.

Visited on a Sunday night around 7 pm. The restaurant was about 80% full, and since the counter was full, even though I was alone, I was seated at a table near the entrance. It was very cold with the wind coming in from outside… the ventilation was great though. I was happy to see they had a single serving set menu! I asked for a recommendation and ended up ordering the "Agodashi Shoyu Set". It came with a choice of champon or zosui as the finishing dish, and I chose champon. As an appetizer, they served something like mozuku, mentaiko, and takana, along with regular motsu (offal) that wasn't in the hot pot. The combination of onions and ponzu was delicious. The hot pot ingredients included cabbage, leeks, burdock root, motsu, thinly sliced garlic, and sliced red chili peppers. The unique texture and umami flavor of motsu is just amazing. I wish they sold motsu-flavored gum! When the hot pot arrived, the smell was so comforting that I started eating right away and forgot to take a picture before digging in. Oops. The hot pot itself was quite filling, so I only had half the portion of champon. It's great that you can adjust the amount! Nothing beats hot pot on a cold day. It warmed both my body and soul. It was so delicious! Plus, I added them on LINE or followed them on Twitter or Instagram, and got a strawberry ice cream as a bonus. Yay! I definitely want to go back again. Thank you for the meal!

At Hakata Station, there is a restaurant called "Yamaya" under the JR guard in the Chikushi exit. Despite being a store that sells mentaiko (spicy cod roe), they actually specialize in motsunabe (offal hot pot). The lunch menu ranges from 1200 yen and up, and they even serve alcohol during the pandemic, including draft beer. I couldn't resist ordering the daily grilled fish with mentaiko for 1200 yen, which went perfectly with the beer. They also offer free-flowing mentaiko at the counter, which was hard to resist. I managed to resist getting a second helping of rice this time, due to my frugal nature. Overall, a great dining experience. Restaurant Information: Yamaya Phone: 092-412-0888 1-1 Hakata Ekimae, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City Hours: 11:00-15:00, 17:00-23:00

JR Hakata Station Chikushi Exit is about a 1-minute walk away. I was curious because I found out that they offer unlimited mentaiko (spicy cod roe) during lunch, so I decided to visit in the evening. It seems that the all-you-can-eat option is limited to lunchtime! The restaurant has table seating and counter seating, and when I arrived right after opening, there were no customers, but soon after, customers started coming in one after another. They also have a menu for solo diners, which is very convenient! I ordered the delicious motsunabe (tripe hot pot) recommended by the staff. It is rich in nutrients as it uses sake lees, and it warms the body. It includes cabbage, tofu, shiitake mushrooms, garlic chives, and chrysanthemum greens, as well as large pieces of tripe as the main ingredient. The large, chewy tripe melts in your mouth after soaking up the broth. It's tender and delicious, and gives a collagen-rich feeling! The Hakata Gyoza (dumplings) for 780 yen are served sizzling hot on an iron plate, with just the right amount of garlic flavor. The Dashimaki Mentaiko Tamagoyaki (rolled omelette with spicy cod roe) for 720 yen has a perfect combination of the saltiness of mentaiko and the egg omelette. The main menu includes White Motsunabe for 1,580 yen, Delicious Motsunabe for 1,580 yen, Ajidashi Shoyu, Rich Miso (order starts from 2 servings), Additional items: Domestic Motsu for 1,080 yen, Assorted Vegetables for 450 yen, Cabbage, Garlic Chives, Tofu for 200 yen each, Champon noodles for 420 yen, Zosui (rice porridge) for 420 yen, Mentaiko Rice for 250 yen, Yamaya's Mentaiko Rice Ball for 250 yen, White Rice for 180 yen, Dashimaki Mentaiko Tamagoyaki for 720 yen, Chicken Nanban with Mentaiko Tartar Sauce for 480 yen, Iwashi Mentaiko for 440 yen, Fried Potatoes with Three Rich Sauces for 480 yen, Hakata Specialty Sesame Mackerel for 930 yen. Basic Information: Atmosphere: Family, Entertainment, Large Groups Address: 1-1 Hakata Station Central Street, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture Phone: 050-5872-0370 Business Hours: 11:00-15:00 / 17:00-23:00 Closed: Open daily Seating: Approximately 50 seats Parking: None Access: About a 1-minute walk from Hakata Station Average Budget: Less than 3,000 yen. For more details, visit the official website: https://www.y-shokukobo.com/store/hakata/ Visit the Miura Peninsula portal site: https://enjoymiura.net/

At the entrance, there were many souvenirs related to mentaiko. The inside of the store is like a large hall. We had motsunabe, miso-flavored, vinegar, motsu, basashi, tebasaki, karaage, mentaiko gyoza, draft beer, shochu bottle, and finished with ramen. The famous gyoza was small, easy to eat, and tasted good. The miso-flavored motsunabe was very delicious. The basashi was also soft and melted in the mouth. The prices are reasonable and it's convenient as it is close to the station.

Fukuoka specialty spicy cod roe, spicy pickled mustard greens, and unlimited rice lunch at a restaurant run by Yamaya, famous for its spicy cod roe. Spicy cod roe and pickled mustard greens are well-known Fukuoka specialties, but they are not commonly eaten in regular households. Especially since spicy cod roe is expensive, it is often seen as a gift or souvenir rather than something people eat themselves. So, I decided to indulge in high-quality cod roe and pickled mustard greens this time (lol). The restaurant I visited this time is the Hakata branch, which I have visited several times. It is located right near the Chikushi exit of JR Hakata Station. There are many Yamaya-affiliated stores nationwide, but in Fukuoka, there are only the Hakata branch and "Yamaya Betten Nishinakasu". This time, I had the "Chicken Karaage with Cod Roe Flavor Set Meal" for 1,200 yen and the "Ham & Minced Meat Set Meal" for 1,100 yen. Both come with rice, side dishes, and miso soup. The crispy fried chicken has a subtle cod roe flavor. It is quite filling. The ham and minced meat are both in cutlet style, with thick slices of ham and juicy minced meat. Before the pandemic, spicy cod roe and pickled mustard greens were placed on each table for self-service, but now due to COVID-19 measures, they are served in small dishes. If you ask the staff, they will bring you refills. They also offer motsunabe set meals. If you order a lunch set meal, you can add options like "Iwashi Cod Roe" or "Squid Cod Roe" for 300 yen, or "Grilled Pork Feet" or "Sesame Mackerel" for 500 yen. Depending on the combination, you can enjoy a full course of Fukuoka specialties. Thank you for the meal♪

I went for lunch and was tempted by the all-you-can-eat mentaiko (spicy cod roe). I ended up having motsunabe (offal hot pot) and lots of mentaiko. The staff even asked if I wanted more mentaiko without me having to call them, which was nice! The motsunabe was delicious too. I just wish it was a little cheaper.

Speaking of mentaiko, it's Yumeya!! We had lunch while buying souvenirs. We shared two types of hot pot sets. They were so filling! We enjoyed them with highball. Ate everything including the soup♪ Also, we went on a shopping spree for mentaiko (*´艸｀)ｷｬ