Kiwamiya Hakata is a popular restaurant in Fukuoka where you can grill your own steak on a hot stone plate. Although it was already well-known for long wait line, I decided to visit on a whim while searching for things to do around Hakata Station. When I arrived, the restaurant wasn’t open yet, but wait line was long. still I stayed since I heard that waiting times are shorter during the opening rush. but it was not haha..
Location / Business hours
In Fukuoka, there are two stores: one at Hakata Station and one at Tenjin Parco Department Store. Unfortunately, both places usually have long waits. However Parco Department Store is might be more comfortable to wait indoors on very hot or cold days.
Personally, I visited the Hakata store. To get there, head to the bus terminal on the right from Hakata Station. Don’t go inside the terminal, just pass the overpass and continue following the road. Eventually, you’ll come across Kiwamiya Hamburger steak. I actually went into the bus terminal, so I ended up wandering around a bit before finally finding the restaurant.
Kiwamiya Hakata Branch
- Location – Japan, 〒812-0012 Fukuoka, Hakata Ward, Hakataekichuogai, 2−1 1階
- Business hours – 11:00 to 22:00
Kiwamiya Hambag Tenjin Parco Branch
- Location – Japan, 〒810-0001 Fukuoka, Chuo Ward, Tenjin, 2 Chome−11−1 福岡パルコ B1F
- Business hours – 11:00 to 22:00 (closed on Thursday)
Waiting
When I arrived at the store at 10:40, the line was already quite long. Especially, the day I visited was Sunday weekend. But it’s still before the opening time, so we decided to line up with the expectation that I’ll be able to get in soon if we wait a little bit. But it was a wrong idea.
The Kiwamiya Hambag Hakata store is not spacious and can only accommodate about 20 people. Unfortunately, the line did not shorten as quickly as expected after the first few people were let in.
I visited in winter, although the weather in Fukuoka was relatively warm. I wore light clothes, and fortunately, there was a bridge-like structure above the store that provided shade for the waiting area. So, standing in the cold for a long time made the waiting time feel longer. After over an hour, it was finally my turn to enter.
Before you enter, the clerk will hand out the menu and take the order in advance. The menu was prepared in both English and Korean. I received a Korean menu.
They say you can choose between charcoal-grilled or iron-grilled hamburgers. I chose charcoal. Small (120g), Medium (150g), and Large (200g) sizes are also available. I chose Small.
And you have to choose the sauce and toppings. I chose additional toppings for the Kigamiya sweet sauce and egg topping, which seems to be a combination of many choices. And I chose an unlimited refillable set for the side menu.
And I also added a Kiwamiya shower with gin as a drink.
Kiwamiya hamburger steak
In front of my seat, there were instructions on how to eat in English.
First, I received the Kiwamiya shower and side dishes such as rice, salad, and miso soybean paste soup as shown in the picture. The Kiwamiya shower was like a refreshing drink and went well with the meat.
Finally, the main menu, hamburger steak, was served. There was a round piece of meat with green onions sprinkled on top and an egg on the bottom. It also came with hot, heated stone plates and sauces for grilling the meat.
When I looked through the hamburger steak, I saw that some parts of the meat were not cooked enough. I put them on the stone plate and grilled them properly. The stone plate was hotter than I thought, so the meat cooked quickly.
The taste of the hamburger steak was really good. The meat was more oily than I thought, so it had a savory taste. When I dipped it in the sauce that came with it, it went well with Japan’s unique sweet and savory soy sauce. The eggs that I ordered together seemed to have been mixed with sweet soy sauce also, and it were delicious.
Especially when I ate them with rice, I kept mixing the rice and meat together. I ended up refilling my rice twice and only had a small amount of meat, but I still felt full. If I go there again, I’m definitely going to order more meat! Lol.
After eating the meat, the stone plate became cold towards the end. If you ask the staff, they will replace the stone plate. I didn’t have much meat left at the end, so I just ate it. But I recommend you to replace the stone plate.
After finishing the meal, I paid for it, received the ice cream, and left the restaurant. You can eat the ice cream inside, or take it with you as I did. The ice cream tasted good, too. It is also an unlimited refill, so you can have it multiple times if you like.
I have introduced the famous restaurant Kiwamiya hamburger steak in Fukuoka, Japan. Although I had to wait outside for a long time, the taste of the food was very satisfying. Next time, I will aim for a weekday with fewer customers to avoid the long wait.
