14 Best Restaurants in Kyushu, Japan

This romantic restaurant on the 11th floor of the Kumamoto Hotel Castle has stunning sunset views of Kumamoto Castle. During the day the restaurant is used for wedding receptions, but at night (when there are not events) it opens to the public for dinner.

The extensive menu here includes regional favorites in addition to sushi and tofu dishes. You can relax in a booth or sit at the counter and admire the skilled chefs.

Part of the Yufuin Tamanoyu hotel, which until 1975 was a lodging for Zen Buddhist monks, this restaurant retains an air of solemnity. Multicourse menus include dishes such as salt-grilled fish, seasonal vegetables, and homemade kabosu (lime) sherbet, while vegetarian or vegan options can be prepared if given advanced notice.

Warm evenings draw crowds to the outdoor terraces of this trendy two-story wooden complex on the pier next to Nagasaki Port. Just a short walk from the historic buildings at Dejima, you'll find a sprawl of tantalizing seafood restaurants—the oysters come highly recommended—along with Italian, Chinese, and steak restaurants.

Crispy thin-crust pizza and tasty pasta dishes are the mainstays at this Italian restaurant in the Shian-bashi entertainment quarter east of Chinatown. From the Shian-bashi tram stop, head two blocks north into the arcade and one block west. It's on the corner.

The novel idea behind this restaurant is to serve pork shabu-shabu in soba broth. The broth imparts a delicate flavor to the thinly sliced pork, which is served with seasonal vegetables.

Folks in Fukuoka wait in long lines for these rectangular black boxes of extra-thin noodles swimming in pork-bone broth and topped with tasty char-shu (slices of roasted pork), negi (green onions), and sprinkles of togarashi (red pepper). Fill out an order form (available in English) to indicate exactly how you like it, then buy a ticket from the machine outside the door and place your ticket and order form on the counter.

Billing itself as "one of the most important historical restaurants of Japan," this quiet hilltop retreat is Nagasaki's most prestigious dining room with fine cuisine that matches its reputation. The interior wooden beams date to 1618. Meiji Restoration leader Ryoma Sakamoto once took a chunk out of a wooden pillar with his sword during a brawl; you can still see the gashes in the main dining room. With notice ahead of your visit, Kagetsu can provide special meals including vegetarian, nut-free, and halal.

This ornate Chinese restaurant is a local favorite, and it's easy to see, smell, and taste why. Kairakuen serves the best chanpon—Nagasaki's signature dish of Chinese-style noodles, vegetables, and pork-based broth—in town.

This restaurant offers the best of Kumamoto specialties in a maze of private and semiprivate Japanese-style rooms. There's an English-language menu with helpful photos, and staff can give recommendations for dishes.

This restaurant serves the famous local beef, which I can be cooked in the teppan style, table-side. The most popular menu is steak, but they also have yakiniku (Japanese beef BBQ), beef on rice, and beef hamburger steak.

Stop for lunch at the wonderful soba shop run by Sayoko Kojima. The delicious soba and soup are served with different kinds of tempura and other dishes made with Kojima's own organic vegetables. Evening meals are possible if you call in advance and make a reservation, including a Japanese kaiseki course menu.

Keema curry, pizzas, burgers, and burrito bowls are staples at this trendy vegan café in Tenjin. Also a great place to get coffee and a slice of cake when you're taking a break from the shops of west Fukuoka.

Located in the forest beside the Artejio gallery, the Sansou Murata ryokan, and a small chocolate factory, the Theomurata Tea Room provides the perfect place to relax. Sample the exquisite handmade chocolates or the delicate roll cakes.