Hakata Motsunabe Yamanaka Head Shop

There are many different flavors of Hakata motsunabe, but it seems that the miso-flavored motsunabe originated at a restaurant called Hakata Motsunabe Yamanaka. With this information in hand, I conditionally made up my mind to visit this restaurant and wrote the name of the restaurant in my schedule book during my visit to Fukuoka in the summer of 2024. On the day I visited the restaurant, I was looking forward to the original miso motsunabe, but it was a little different from the other Hakata motsunabe restaurants I had visited…

A large restaurant with 225 seats in a building that resembles a high-class ryotei restaurant…Hakata Motsunabe Yamanaka Head Shop is a restaurant like this

Hakata Motsunabe Yamanaka Head Shop is located in the Ohashi area, a short distance from the bustling Hakata and Tenjin areas. The restaurant is located in a warehouse building across a parking lot from Route 385, and the first floor is hidden by a hedge, creating a “somewhat difficult to enter casually” atmosphere like a high-class restaurant.

Once inside, the seating is located further back from the entrance, creating a very quiet atmosphere even though it is located along the main street. The interior is elegant and modern in a Japanese style, without the izakaya-like atmosphere that is often found in motsunabe restaurants. According to the official information, the restaurant has a total of 225 seats. It is quite a large restaurant. Private rooms are also available with advance reservation and room charge, so it seems to be easy to use for private meetings or family dinners.

Note that even one person needs to order two servings! How was the original miso motsunabe at Hakata Motsunabe Yamanaka Head Shop?

Let me introduce you to the miso-flavored motsunabe I ordered at Hakata Motsunabe Yamanaka Head Shop. Here is the picture…

The nabe and vegetables together look quite hearty, but in fact, this is for two people. This is because at this restaurant, even a lone customer like me needs to order at least two servings of nabe. I was a bit nervous when I heard that ordering a single serving of nabe was not allowed, as I had been to many restaurants that allowed one person to order nabe, starting with Yamaya Hakata Branch, then Maedaya Sohonten in the south of Hakata Station, and finally the Oyama Head Shop in Gofukumachi. Well, the menu and the restaurant’s website clearly state so, and in fact, the previous restaurants were wonderful in allowing one person to order a nabe even though the menu states that the nabe must be for two or more people….

Well, that has nothing to do with the taste of the nabe. Let’s take a sip of the soup stock in a bowl right away… I can taste some sweetness, but overall, the soup stock is quite salty. This salty taste may be a little harsh for Kansai people…

So, when the volume of the pot was reduced a little, all the vegetables were added! When the water from the vegetables was well absorbed into the broth, the saltiness of the soup became just right. The sweetness of the fat from the beef stock, the broth from the vegetables, and the aroma of garlic… this is it, this is it.

The texture of the beef chuck is, needless to say, very soft and juicy. When biting into it, the fatty flavor that comes out together with the miso broth is irresistible. As expected for two people, there were a total of 20 pieces of beef entrails in the dish. As expected, if one person can eat this much, there is no need to add more.

Also, this soup stock is probably made with less garlic and spiciness from the beginning. So, enjoy customizing the taste with the three kinds of seasonings that come along with it: coarsely ground chili pepper, yuzu kosho, and grated garlic. Since everyone has their own taste preferences, this kind of thoughtfulness is nice. I personally liked the yuzu kosho.

I was going to have zosui (rice porridge) at the end of the meal, but I ate two servings of motsunabe, which was unexpected, so I paid the bill as it was. But it was hard to order zosui with rice (330 yen), eggs from Fukuoka Prefecture (110 yen), green onions (110 yen), and seaweed (110 yen), all for extra charge…well, I’ll just take that as a positive sign that we can customize this zosui as well. So, Hakata Motsunabe Yamanaka Head Shop is more of a high-class restaurant, so it would be good to keep it in stock as a place to go when you want to make people happy, such as when entertaining guests.

Examples of other menu items at Hakata Motsu Nabe Yamanaka Head Shop (prices include tax)

• Shoyu-flavored motsunabe 2,200 yen per person
• Shabu-shabu style motsunabe (2,200 yen per person)
• Motsunabe comparison set (3 servings) 6480 yen
• (Additional) Vegetable set with morotsu (vegetables): 1,980 yen
• (Additional) Mots only 1980 yen
• (Additional) Nabe senmai 1780 yen
• Additional soup 220 yen

Hakata Motsunabe Yamanaka can be ordered through Furusato Tax Payment…Access to the main restaurant is a 6-minute walk from Ohashi Station on the Nishitetsu Tenjin Omuta Line, the closest station to the restaurant.

Hakata Motsunabe Yamanaka‘s miso-flavored motsu nabe can be ordered through Rakuten’s Furusato Tax Payment. Isn’t this a good way to try the original miso motsunabe? After all, if you meet the conditions, you can try it for free. Please feel free to use the tax payment link below if you like.

【ふるさと納税】もつ鍋 セット やま中 味噌味 3~4人前 ※発送は2025年1月20日以降となります※ | ふるさと納税 モツ鍋 もつなべ 鍋 福岡市 冷凍 冷凍食品 取り寄せ もつ セット ホルモン鍋 味噌 国産 牛もつ 鍋セット 人気 ご当地グルメ 福岡県 送料無料 価格：15,000円（税込、送料無料) (2024/11/2時点) 楽天で購入

Here are the details of the restaurant…