Fukuoka Motsunabe Restaurants You Can Only Book by Phone

Motsunabe is Fukuoka's defining dish in the way ramen belongs to Hakata and gyoza belongs to the side streets near Canal City. Beef or pork offal simmered for hours in a broth built around soy sauce, miso, or salt, finished with chives, garlic, and a wall of cabbage that cooks down as the pot goes. The restaurants that have been doing it longest tend to run on phone reservations and nothing else.

A quick note: restaurant policies change. If any of these spots now appear on Tabelog with an online reservation option, book it there. If not, Rapym can make the call for you in Japanese.

Tomikiyo

Nokeshiba, Sawara-ku

Five minutes on foot from the Nanakuma Line's Nokeshiba Station, in the western part of the city away from the main tourist corridor. Tomikiyo carries a Tabelog score of 3.79 across 147 reviews, an unusually strong showing for a neighborhood restaurant. The signature dish is a wagyu motsunabe, offal hot pot made with beef rather than the more common pork, and reviews consistently describe it as some of the best in the city. The dining room has kotatsu-style seating, low tables with a heat source built underneath, which suits the slow pace of a hot pot meal. Smoking allowed. Open daily except Thursdays.

Phone reservations only.

Phone: +81-92-871-2592 View on Tabelog · Book with Rapym

Miyamoto

Gion, Hakata-ku

A short walk from Naka-gawabata Station near Gion, Miyamoto has been operating for roughly fifty years and has been featured in the Michelin Guide. Twenty-eight seats, no private rooms, smoking allowed throughout. The house specialty is suitaki-style motsunabe, where the offal is simmered first on its own with chives before the rest of the broth and vegetables are added, a method that regulars say produces a cleaner, less heavy result than the standard preparation. Drinking is effectively required when reserving a table, and the restaurant does not seat guests under the age of twenty. Closed Wednesdays, Sundays, and public holidays.

Phone reservations only. Calling ahead is recommended even for walk-in hours, since the restaurant fills quickly.

Phone: +81-92-271-1343 View on Tabelog · Book with Rapym

Minmin

Imaizumi, Chuo-ku

Seven minutes on foot from Nishitetsu Fukuoka Station, in the Imaizumi neighborhood just south of Tenjin. Minmin has operated continuously since 1983, relocating to its current Imaizumi location in 2017. Eighteen seats across counter and table, with a soy-sauce based broth that's specifically blended to stay light through the meal, even as the offal and cabbage cook down. The wagyu tongue sashimi and karaage are mentioned almost as often as the motsunabe itself in reviews. No smoking. Seat charge of 440 yen per person applies. Closed Wednesdays.

Phone reservations only.

Phone: +81-92-741-1856 View on Tabelog · Book with Rapym

Akamonya

Takeoka, Hakata-ku

Five minutes from Minami-Fukuoka Station, in a basement space that regulars describe as a hidden restaurant in the most literal sense. Akamonya opened in 1981 and has built a following around its motsunabe alongside an unusual specialty for the genre. Horse meat sashimi appears on the menu alongside the offal hot pot, a combination regulars have come to expect here. Eighty seats, private rooms for up to eight, parking available. A two-hour seating limit applies during busy periods. The interior has a Showa-era feel that several reviews note as part of the appeal, alongside the size of the portions. Closed Sundays.

Phone reservations only.

Phone: +81-92-591-2214 View on Tabelog · Book with Rapym

How to Book Any of These

Every restaurant on this list takes reservations by phone, in Japanese. If you speak Japanese, calling during afternoon hours between 2pm and 5pm tends to work best. If you don't, Rapym can make the call for you.

You give Rapym the restaurant name, phone number, your preferred date, time, and party size. Rapym calls the restaurant in natural Japanese, handles the full conversation, and confirms the reservation in your name. Current success rate on completed calls is over 90 percent.

Rapym makes restaurant reservations in Japan on your behalf, in Japanese, by phone, for any restaurant. Try it here

Also in this series: Why Tokyo's best restaurants only take phone calls Every Way to Book a Phone-Only Restaurant in Japan, Honestly Reviewed Fukuoka Yakiniku Restaurants: How to Book Without Paying the Hidden Fee Fukuoka Yakitori and Izakaya Restaurants You Can Only Book by Phone Fukuoka Sushi Restaurants You Can Only Book by Phone Fukuoka Charcoal and Iron Plate Restaurants You Can Only Book by Phone Fukuoka Seafood and Robata Restaurants You Can Only Book by Phone Fukuoka Ramen and Gyoza Restaurants You Can Only Book by Phone