I went to Hyotan Sushi, a sushi restaurant near Tenjin Station in Fukuoka. If you’re traveling to Japan, sushi is probably on the top of your list of must-try foods. I’ve saved several restaurants to try on my trip to Fukuoka, and Hyotan Sushi is one of them.
1. Hyotan Sushi location
Hyotan Sushi is located very close to Fukuoka Tenjin Station. It’s just one street over from Solaria Plaza, a shopping mall attached to the station, so it shouldn’t be hard to find. You’ll find the Hyotan Sushi sign and entrance on the ground floor, and the store is up a flight of stairs. There were a lot of Koreans visiting, so it was written in Korean as Hyotan Sushi.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but they also have a branch in the basement of Solaria Plaza.
2. Openning Hours
- Hyotan Sushi Main Branch – 11:30 – 20:30 (Break time 2:30pm – 5:00pm)
- Hyotan Sushi Solaria Plaza Branch – 11:00 – 21:00
3. Waiting line
I visited Hyotan Sushi’s main branch on a weekday around 12:30pm, which is lunchtime, and I was worried that I would have to wait for a long time as I had heard that it is a favorite among local Japanese people. There were no people at the entrance, but once inside, the wait was quite long. There was a line from the second floor up the stairs and down to the first floor.
However, since the store occupies not only the second floor, but also the third floor, the line was shorter than I expected. After waiting for about 20 minutes, I was able to enter the store. I was directed to the second floor.
Hyotan Sushi has a English menu, so I didn’t have any trouble ordering.
There is a lunch set that can only be ordered during lunchtime, and it is said to be popular among locals because you can get a set of sushi for around 1000 yen. Please note that the price of the lunch set varies on weekends and holidays.
There are also separate set menus available for dinner, and you can also order items a la carte.
The alcoholic beverage menu was also well translated into Korean.
I decided to order the cheapest Hyotan set meal and added the crab croquettes and beer that Hyotan Sushi is famous for.
Please note that they only accept cash, not credit cards.
5. Hyotan Sushi Lunch Set
First, we were seated and served hot green tea.
After a short wait, the sushi was served. I wasn’t expecting much from the ingredients since it was a cheap menu, but there were some good ingredients like tuna and eel.
It also came with a warm soup with wakame seaweed, which was nice.
And the beer that came with it. It was nice that the beer glasses were frozen cold.
The sushi was very good, with good rice and well-seasoned fish, but since it was cheap sushi, the ingredients weren’t very oily or amazing.
Also, the amount of rice didn’t seem like a lot when I first received it, but after eating it, I realized that I was quite full.
The crab croquette, which I received a little after the sushi, tasted like a well-popped croquette, with crab meat inside tossed in a creamy sauce. It was savory and delicious, and the tomato sauce at the bottom of the bowl cut through the tempura.
So there you have it, my introduction to Hyotan Sushi, a sushi restaurant in Fukuoka. I was worried that there would be a long wait, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the line moved quickly. If you go during lunchtime, you can enjoy delicious sushi at a reasonable price. I highly recommend visiting during your trip to Fukuoka.