"Shokujito Sakedokoro Makoto" Tenjin's exquisite mackerel! The blissful "Grilled mackerel in a single piece" set lunch.

A blissful moment at a long-established Hakata restaurant: ‘Grilled mackerel in a single piece set meal’.

First of all, you will be surprised by the large mackerel. It sticks out from the plate!

The set menu consists of a large piece of grilled mackerel, rice and miso soup. The mackerel’s skin was cooked to a crisp and the meat was tender and rich in fat.

I first tried just the unbroiled mackerel meat without any sauce, and was impressed by its fatty flavour.

Then, I had the mackerel with grated radish and soy sauce drizzled over the mackerel, and the flavour of the soy sauce matched the mackerel’s deliciousness perfectly. The rice was great, and I was told that I could have another bowl of rice.

The cabbage underneath the mackerel also absorbed the flavour of the mackerel, creating a wonderful taste.

The restaurant serves mackerel in a very particular way, and I could feel the high quality of the mackerel.

I have eaten many grilled mackerels, but this restaurant’s single grilled mackerel was particularly impressive, and the taste made me feel happy!

About the shop

I visited a long-established grilled mackerel restaurant in Hakata to enjoy a piece of grilled mackerel. This restaurant has been serving exquisite grilled mackerel for more than half a century, since 1973, and its reputation has spread throughout the city.

Located on Hakata’s famous Umakamon Street in Tenjin, the restaurant’s signature dish is the ichimayaki saba set meal (1,000 yen), which is automatically served without a menu list when ordered.

Its single grilled mackerel is so popular that a queue forms even before the restaurant opens, and on the day we visited, many people were waiting for it even before the restaurant opened.

Behind the counter, you can hear the second generation of the owner, the son of the founder, grilling the mackerel, and the savoury smell heightens your anticipation.

It was a restaurant I would like to eat at again!