Motsunabe in Fukuoka: What It Is, Prices and Where to Eat

JGO! editorial team — WEBMARKS Inc. (Fujisawa, Kanagawa)

Motsunabe is Fukuoka's offal hot pot. Beef or pork intestines simmer in a soy or miso broth under a pile of garlic chives (nira) and cabbage. At four well-known Hakata shops, one portion costs about 1,771 to 2,480 yen, and you finish the pot with noodles or rice cooked in the leftover soup.

1What is motsunabe?

"Motsu" means offal and "nabe" means hot pot. Motsunabe uses intestines and other organs, but not liver. Shops may use beef or pork offal (Crossroad Fukuoka). The offal sits at the bottom of the pot. Nira, cabbage and other vegetables are piled on top, then dried red chilies (takanotsume) and garlic are added (Crossroad Fukuoka).

The soup starts with a stock of bonito (katsuo) and kelp (kombu). Shops then season it with soy sauce or miso (Crossroad Fukuoka). As the pot cooks, fat from the offal melts into the broth and makes it rich.

If you want to take the taste home, look for packs of offal and soup sold as souvenirs at stations and the airport (Crossroad Fukuoka).

2Flavors: miso, soy and more

Each shop makes its own broth. Here is how they describe their flavors on their official sites:

• Ooyama, miso: A strong flavor from several miso types, including Kyushu miso and Saikyo miso, plus a special sauce (Ooyama).
• Ooyama, soy: The shop's own soy sauce blend with three stocks: offal, vegetable and seafood (Ooyama).
• Ooyama, mizutaki style: A light soup with no garlic. You dip the food in ponzu mixed with grated daikon radish (Ooyama).
• Maedaya: Miso, soy, and a spicy pot called kara-motsunabe (Maedaya).
• Yamanaka: Miso, soy, and a shabu-shabu style (Yamanaka).
• Rakutenchi: One soup made with a secret soy-based sauce. The shop says the flavor has stayed the same for over 40 years (Rakutenchi).

If this is your first time, miso and soy are both good choices. If you avoid garlic, Ooyama's mizutaki style is the only option here that clearly says it uses no garlic (Ooyama).

3How to eat motsunabe, step by step

Staff often set up the pot for you, and they may give their own tips. In general, it goes like this:

1. Order your flavor and portions. Prices are usually per person. Some shops have a minimum, such as Yamanaka's two portions (Yamanaka).
2. Let it heat. The pot goes on a burner at your table. The tall pile of nira and cabbage will soften and sink into the broth.
3. Eat as it cooks. Ladle offal, vegetables and soup into your small bowl. At Ooyama's mizutaki style, dip the food in grated radish and ponzu (Ooyama).
4. Order the finish (shime). When the pot is mostly empty, order noodles or rice. Champon noodles are the classic choice (Crossroad Fukuoka).
5. Cook the finish in the leftover soup. Noodles cook in the broth. For rice porridge (zosui), some shops add egg, green onion and nori (Ooyama, Yamanaka).

4What one portion costs

These are prices from each shop's official menu as of 2026-11-02. Prices change, so check before you go.

• Ooyama, Hakata 1bangai shop: 2,398 yen per portion, tax included, for miso, soy or mizutaki style. Lunch motsunabe set meal: 2,068 yen. Sets: Ooyama set 3,500 yen, Kyushu set 4,500 yen and 1bangai Manki set 5,800 yen, all tax included (Ooyama).
• Maedaya: Wagyu motsunabe in miso or soy is 2,068 yen per portion. Kara-motsunabe is 2,288 yen. Both include tax (Maedaya).
• Yamanaka, Hakata shop: Miso, soy or shabu-shabu style is 2,480 yen per portion, with a minimum of two portions. The solo motsunabe is 3,480 yen. There is a 440 yen table charge, tax included. The menu only says "tax included" for the table charge, so the tax on other prices is not confirmed (Yamanaka).
• Rakutenchi: 1,771 yen per portion with tax (1,610 yen before tax) (Rakutenchi menu). Its English page still shows an old price of 950 yen, which does not match the current menu (Rakutenchi English page).

Add the finish, drinks and any side dishes to your budget.

5The finish: noodles or rice

The finish (shime) is part of the meal, so leave room. Official prices:

Ooyama, Maedaya and Rakutenchi prices include tax (Ooyama, Maedaya, Rakutenchi menu). At Yamanaka, the tax treatment is not confirmed (Yamanaka). Rakutenchi includes champon noodles in its list of pot ingredients (Rakutenchi).

6Four well-known Hakata shops compared

All four shops say on their official sites that they use beef offal, not pork (Ooyama, Maedaya, Yamanaka, Rakutenchi).

Sources: Ooyama, Maedaya, Yamanaka, Rakutenchi, Crossroad Fukuoka.

Hakata Motsunabe Ooyama, Hakata 1bangai shop

• Where: B1F, JR Hakata City, 1-1 Hakataekichuogai, Hakata-ku. It is inside the station building (Ooyama).
• Hours: 11:00–23:00 (last order 22:30). Lunch 11:00–15:00. Closed days follow Hakata 1bangai (Ooyama).
• Seats: 61. Groups of up to 12 (Ooyama).
• Payment: JCB, VISA, Mastercard, Diners, AMEX, Discover and UnionPay cards. Also transit IC cards, iD, nanaco, PayPay, Rakuten Pay, QUICPay, Alipay, WeChat Pay, WAON, d-barai and Rakuten Edy (Ooyama).
• Booking: TableCheck online or phone 092-409-4286. Lunch menu bookings by phone only (Ooyama).
• Language: The website has English, Simplified Chinese and Thai pages, but the shop menu text is in Japanese only (Ooyama).
• Offal: Cut into 10 g pieces (Ooyama).

Hakata Motsunabe Maedaya, main shop

• Where: 2-9-20 Hakataekihigashi, Hakata-ku, in front of Nakahie Park (Maedaya).
• Phone: 092-292-8738 (Maedaya).
• Hours: Lunch 11:00–14:30 (last order 14:00), weekends and holidays only. Dinner 17:00–0:00 (food last order 23:00, drinks 23:30) (Maedaya).
• Booking: Online through Tabelog (Maedaya).
• Not on the official page: Closed days, payment methods and English menu. Check with the shop.

Hakata Motsunabe Yamanaka, Hakata shop

• Where: 2F Hakatabe Building, 2-4-6 Hakataekihigashi, Hakata-ku (Yamanaka).
• Hours: Lunch 11:30–14:00 (last order 13:30). Dinner 16:00–23:00 (last order 22:30). Closed over New Year (Yamanaka).
• Seats: 128, plus two private rooms with a charge (Yamanaka).
• Booking: Phone 092-260-8517 or TableCheck. Courses cannot be booked online. Tables are yours for two hours from the booking time (Yamanaka).
• Language: The website is in English, Korean and Chinese (Simplified and Traditional). It is not confirmed whether staff speak other languages (Yamanaka).
• Payment: Not confirmed. Check before you go.

Ganso Motsunabe Rakutenchi

• Offal: Six cuts: small intestine, large intestine, senmai (omasum), hachinosu (honeycomb tripe), aka-senmai (abomasum) and heart. Other ingredients: nira, cabbage, chili, garlic, tofu and champon noodles (Rakutenchi).
• Hakata Ekimae branch: 3-20-5 Hakataekimae, Kotobuki Building (Crossroad Fukuoka). Phone 092-451-8970. The official site lists 17:00–25:00 (Rakutenchi). The prefecture's tourism site lists 17:00–24:00, last order 23:30 (Crossroad Fukuoka). The two sources do not match, so call to confirm.
• Payment: Credit cards at every branch (Rakutenchi). The Ekimae branch takes VISA, Mastercard and JCB (Crossroad Fukuoka).
• Menus: English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Korean at the Ekimae branch (Crossroad Fukuoka).
• Nidaime Rakutenchi: 2F The Blossom Hakata Premier hotel, 2-8-12 Hakataekimae. Open 11:30–24:00 (last order 23:30). Menus in the same four languages (Crossroad Fukuoka).
• Booking: Phone numbers for each branch are on the official site. Official online booking could not be confirmed (Rakutenchi).

7Dietary needs and allergies

Please read this before you book:

• Beef offal: All four shops use beef offal, not pork (Ooyama, Maedaya, Yamanaka, Rakutenchi). This matters if you avoid beef.
• Halal and vegetarian: Both Rakutenchi branches are marked "not available" for vegetarian and Muslim diners on the prefecture's tourism site (Crossroad Fukuoka). Halal certification or vegetarian menus at Ooyama, Maedaya and Yamanaka are not mentioned on their official sites, so treat them as not confirmed.
• Garlic and chili: Rakutenchi's soup uses garlic and chili (Rakutenchi). Ooyama's mizutaki style is the only pot here that clearly says it uses no garlic (Ooyama).
• Bonito stock: The standard broth uses bonito (Crossroad Fukuoka). People who avoid fish should ask the shop.

8Booking and practical tips

• Book for dinner. Ooyama and Yamanaka take TableCheck bookings. Maedaya uses Tabelog. Rakutenchi takes phone bookings ⓘ official sites.
• Plan your time. Yamanaka seats you for two hours from your booking time (Yamanaka).
• Going solo? Ooyama, Maedaya and Rakutenchi list single-portion prices. At Yamanaka, order the solo motsunabe (Yamanaka).
• Lunch saves money. Ooyama's lunch set is 2,068 yen (Ooyama). Maedaya serves lunch on weekends and holidays only (Maedaya).
• Menu language. If you want an English menu, Rakutenchi's Ekimae and Nidaime branches list one (Crossroad Fukuoka). Ooyama's shop menu is in Japanese only (Ooyama).

9Mistakes first-timers make

• Filling up before the finish → Leave room for noodles or zosui. It is part of the meal.
• Going to Yamanaka alone and ordering one regular portion → The regular pot needs two portions. Order the solo motsunabe instead (Yamanaka).
• Trusting old online prices → Rakutenchi's English page shows 950 yen, but the current menu says 1,771 yen (Rakutenchi). Use the current official menu.
• Expecting halal or vegetarian options → None is confirmed at these four shops. Ask the shop first.
• Turning up at Maedaya for a weekday lunch → Lunch is weekends and holidays only. On weekdays, go from 17:00 (Maedaya).

10FAQ

Is motsunabe beef or pork? It can be either (Crossroad Fukuoka). All four shops in this guide use beef offal.

How much is motsunabe in Fukuoka? At these four shops, about 1,771 to 2,480 yen per portion, plus the finish and drinks ⓘ official menus.

Can I eat motsunabe alone? Yes. Ooyama, Maedaya and Rakutenchi list single portions. Yamanaka offers a solo set for 3,480 yen (Yamanaka).

Which shop is easiest from Hakata Station? Ooyama's Hakata 1bangai shop is inside JR Hakata City, B1F (Ooyama).

Is there an English menu? Rakutenchi's Ekimae and Nidaime branches have English menus (Crossroad Fukuoka). Ooyama's menu is Japanese only (Ooyama). For the others, it is not confirmed.

Can I take motsunabe home? Yes. Packs with offal and soup are sold at stations and the airport (Crossroad Fukuoka).

11Related guides

• Fukuoka yatai etiquette
• Yatai prices
• Yatai opening hours
• Nakasu yatai
• How to order Hakata ramen
• Hakata vs Nagahama ramen
• Beppu day trip from Fukuoka

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