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Last updated on May 16th, 2026

Read about my dining experience in Motsunabe Rakutenchi, one of the best and oldest Motsunabe restaurants in Fukuoka. Enjoy the tasty food in a lively environment.

Motsunabe (もつ鍋) is a regional traditional hot pot dish of Fukuoka and has become one of the most popular dishes in the area. It is a must-try if you are in Fukuoka, and especially in the winter season.

Fukuoka does have one of the best and oldest motsunabe restaurants in town that specialises in motsunabe – Motsunabe Rakutenchi (楽天地). The restaurant is popular and renowned for providing quality motsu with a luxurious helping of Chinese chives and traditional secret soy sauce. It has been operational for more than 40 years and is still beloved by locals. Many tourists also visited Rakutenchi to taste Fukuoka’s specialty dish Motsunabe. Perfect place to check one of Fukuoka’s specialties.

This Fukuoka food post is regarding my dining experience in Motsunabe Rakutenchi at the Hakata ST-EAST BR branch. Check it out.

Food Trip to Motsunabe Rakutenchi

During one of Kyushu’s trips, we went to Motsunabe Rakutenchi to try this tasty motsunabe. We went to the Motsunabe Rakutenchi Hakata ST-EAST BR which is located a 3-minute walk from the Hakata-guchi exit of JR Hakata Station.

Further Read: Fukuoka Itinerary: Ultimate Travel Guide

The restaurant is lively with retro-flavored Izakaya Japanese style. It has an outdoor and inside dining area for patrons to enjoy their food and drinks. There is also a queue outside of the restaurant for those without reservations. We highly recommend for reservation as it can take some time to wait for the table.

With reservation, we were seated after confirmation of the details.

The Motsunabe Rakutenchi menu is easy to read with Japanese and English translations. It also introduces the concept of Motsunabe as well as easy-to-understand price points for all of their courses.

Besides the hot pot option, Motsunabe Rakutenchi also offers motsu-yaki (grilled offal) which is a new Hakata’s speciality. Try it if you are interested on its taste.

What We Ordered

It’s not our first time eating motsunabe, still, we were excited to try out this hotpot dish at Motsunabe Rakutenchi.

We both opted for the Motsunabe Manzoku Course set meal which is the most popular recommendation. The set consists of motsunabe the offal hotpot, 1 choice of appetizer (from vinegared offals, Kimchi, or mentaiko), tofu, and unlimited eat of champon noodles. Perfect pair with the cooling beer!

Fresh ingredient from Motsunabe Rakutenchi

Without a long wait, our food was served. The pot of Motsunabe Rakutenchi contains a heap of top-quality fresh ingredients like cabbage, and chives in traditional, topped with garlic and red pepper. It was boiled right at your table.

Cook at high heat for about 5 or 7 minutes until tender.

Can’t wait for the first sip, its special soy sauce-based soup tastes sweet and delicious. The flavor of the soup is brought out by removing excess fats from beef offal. The broth is rich, with a subtle saltiness and sweetness in it. It tastes even better with the vegetable umami. Can’t get enough of this tasty Motsunabe!

Here’s a closer look at those delicious pieces of offal. They’re soft and look fatty. When bite on it, it is quite chewy and not fatty at all. Absolutely delicious!

At the end of your meal, add the champon noodles to the leftover soup in the pot to create a tasty way to end the meal. The noodles have absorbed the flavor of the soup very well and are tasty.

We can’t stop eating and are so full!

Overview: Motsunabe Rakutenchi Food Review

All in all, we highly recommend the Motsunabe Rakutenchi. The food is tasty and the environment is lively.

Motsunabe Rakutenchi’s main shop is located at Tenjin and it has many branches in Fukuoka. We choose dine in the Motsunabe Rakutenchi Hakata ST-EAST BR located beside the Yodobashi Hakata and highly recommend this place. The atmosphere is busy and lively. Reservations can be made online and highly recommended to avoid waiting in line. Make sure you look for the correct branch.

Motsunabe Rakutenchi Hakata ST-EAST BR (元祖もつ鍋もつ焼き楽天地ヨドバシ博多駅店 1階)
Address: 〒812-0012 Fukuoka, Hakata Ward, Hakataekichuogai.
Operating Hours: Daily from 12:00 to next day midnight 3:00 (Last Order 2:30)
Getting there: 2 minutes walk from JR Hakata Station (beside Yodobashi Camera Multimedia Hakata)
Expected to Pay: Lunch for ¥1,800 and Dinner for ¥3,000

Check on Motsunabe Rakutenchi Hakata restaurant here (Official website)

Related Fukuoka Travel Blog:

Lastly, this Fukuoka must eat food blog is part of Kyushu travel post in Fukuoka. If you need some inspiration to plan for your trip, check out our trip to some other attractions nearby such as Kurokawa Onsen, Yufuin, Kokonoe, and more. Happy travel to Beppu.

How To Plan Your Kyushu Itinerary: Ultimate Guide

Northern Kyushu (Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Kurokawa Onsen, Beppu, Yufuin, Kitakyushu, and more):

Southern Kyushu (Kagoshima, Miyazaki, Takachiho Gorge):

Last updated on May 16th, 2026

Use this Nagasaki food guide to savor the city’s tastiest treats through our top picks of where and what to eat in Nagasaki.

Nagasaki’s food is one of the most interesting in Japan. Being a historical port city, Nagasaki’s food has been greatly impacted by the foreign food culture. It’s a mouthwatering blend of Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, and Dutch influences, and greatly extended to the local food culture. Some of the must-eat food in Nagasaki is Champon, sara udon, castella, and toruko rice.

When we visited Nagasaki, we tasted some of the iconic food and would like to share this Nagasaki Food Guide with you. Here are the top 3 must-eat foods in Nagasaki foods and where to find them. Eat like a local and delight your taste buds with these Nagasaki best food!

Chawanmushi at Yossou

For a true Japanese dining experience, head to Yossou Nagasaki for its local Japanese food.

Yossou (吉宗) is one of the best and oldest traditional restaurants in Nagasaki with a long history dating back to 1866. They serve a variety of local dishes, including tri-color sushi, tempura, bento, sashimi, and braised pork dishes. The must-eat food is chawanmushi (Japanese steamed egg custard).

The signature chawanmushi from Yossou comes with many fresh ingredients – white fish, chicken, shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, ginkgo, kamaboko (fish paste), wheat powder, and anago (grilled conger eel). The sizing is big and packed with the ingredients. The texture was very silky smooth and it just slid down your throat. Absolutely delicious!

Check out my food post on Yossou in Nagasaki for more pictures and information.

Yossou, Nagasaki (吉宗)
Address; 8-9 Hamamachi, Nagasaki 850-0853, Nagasaki Prefecture
Opening Hours: Wednesday to Sunday from 11:00 to 14:30 and 17:00 to 20:00. Closed on Monday and Tuesday
Getting there: 3 minutes walk from Kankadori Station

Champon and Sara Udon

The Nagasaki food scene has to include Champon (Chinese-inspired noodles) and Sara udon (crispy noodles).

Champon is a Japanese-Chinese ramen noodle dish which widely popular in Kyushu. This renowned noodle dish is inverted by Shikairo restaurant in Nagasaki. During the Meiji period, a Chinese chef from Shikairo made these noodle dishes for hungry students studying in Nagasaki.

Champon noodles are made with meat, seafood, vegetables, lard-fried pork, and springy udon noodles. All the ingredients are stir-fried together in a thick soup with chicken and pig bones for a cheap, tasty, and filling meal.

Champon can also be served over a bed of deep-fried noodles to make the local dish Sara udon.

The long-established Shikairo Chinese Restaurant (四海樓) is the best place to try this authentic champon. The restaurant is hardly to be missed in China Town. It is an impressive five-story building with a large and lively dining room with harbor views on the third to the fifth floors. The first floor serves as a souvenir shop and the second floor as a champon museum for guests to visit.

Shikairo Chinese Restaurant serves a variety of classic Chinese dishes. A particular must-try is champon noodles. The noodles are unique in taste and addictive.

Shikairou Chinese Restaurant (四海樓)
Address: 4-5 Matsugaemachi, Nagasaki, 850-0921, Japan
Opening Hours: Daily from 11:30 to 15:00 and re-open from 17:00 to 20:00 (closed on Wednesdays)
Getting there: Located next to the Oura Cathedral tram stop

Nagasaki Castella

Don’t miss out on the famous Nagasaki Castella, a sponge cake made with sugar, flour, eggs, and starch syrup.

Nagasaki Castella originated from the Portuguese and was bought to Nagasaki by Portuguese merchants in the 16th century. The cake has been made to local taste with a secret recipe that has been passed down for over 400 years. Today’s Nagasaki castella cake is one of the unique foods and is often bought as a souvenir food item when visiting Nagasaki.

You can easily find many Castella stores throughout Nagasaki. But the three popular castella stores in Nagasaki, Fukusaya (福砂屋), Shooken (松翁軒), and Bunmeido (文明堂). All with long history back and are popular among locals.

We bought the Nagasaki Castella from Fukusaya at JR Nagasaki Station to try out. There have many castella brand available and convenient for travelers. The texture is refined, soft, and not so sweet. A very good confectionery with tea and coffee for the afternoon break.

Overall: Nagasaki Food Guide

All in all, we had fun exploring some of the unique food in Nagasaki. We love the rich history but I would expect more Japanese food flavor. Still, the food quality is pretty good. If you are visiting Nagasaki, why not giving try Nagasaki’s best food? Share with me your Nagasaki food review.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful time exploring Nagasaki!

Related Nagasaki Travel Blog:

Visiting Kyushu and looking for some inspiration for what to do in Kyushu then be sure to read our Kyushu travel blog here: How To Plan Your Kyushu Itinerary: Ultimate Guide

Motsunabe Rakutenchi Hakata: Fukuoka’s Specialty Restaurant