If you live in Fukuoka or Kumamoto, or are visiting, Kumamoto Prefecture has restaurants named to national lists. This guide compares 11 of them in Kumamoto City, Aso, Takamori, Yamaga, Kikuchi, Hitoyoshi and Ashikita. For each place it gives prices, opening days, booking rules and how to get there from Fukuoka.
The lists are the Tabelog Hyakumeiten (食べログ百名店, “Tabelog Top 100”). Tabelog is a Japanese restaurant-review site, and each Hyakumeiten list picks 100 restaurants in one food category and one region of Japan (EAST or WEST) from restaurants that meet its conditions. This page shows only the year of each listing. It does not show Tabelog scores, reviews or rankings, and the order here is not a ranking.
In short
- Five of the 11 are in Kumamoto City, and the Kyushu Shinkansen from Hakata takes as little as 32 minutes, according to JR Kyushu. The other six are in Aso, Takamori, Yamaga, Kikuchi, Hitoyoshi and Ashikita, where the shops’ pages describe parking or road routes.
- Rakudayama, Imakin Shokudo and Katsuretsutei do not take reservations. Kijiya, Da Ropetei and the Tosaka dinner course need one.
- Sanzo’s notice lists closed days on October 13, 17, 19, 20 and 27, and Kokutei’s main shop is closed on October 22.
- The shops’ pages we read do not say that staff speak English or that English menus are available. Kokutei has an English information page about its menu.
Checked with official pages on October 11, 2026.
1. How do the 11 restaurants compare?
Depends on the provider
Check reservation rules and closed days first, because three of the 11 take no reservations and several have days off that change. Click a name to jump to its section. The year is the year of the Tabelog Hyakumeiten list.
| Restaurant | Area, food | List year | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kokutei Honten | Nishi-ku, Kumamoto City, Kumamoto ramen | 2025 | Not stated |
| Hinokuni Bunryu | Higashi-ku, Kumamoto City, Ramen | 2025 | Not stated |
| Katsuretsutei Shinshigai | Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City, Tonkatsu | 2026 | No reservations |
| Sekkasanbo | Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City, Soba | 2025 | Courses only |
| Tosaka | Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City, Yakitori | 2025 | Course: required |
| Imakin Shokudo | Aso City, Diner | 2026 | No reservations |
| Rakudayama | Takamori Town, Grilled chicken | 2025 | No reservations |
| Sanzo | Yamaga City, Chicken | 2025 | By phone |
| Il Forno d’Oro Kikuchi | Kikuchi City, Pizza | 2025 | By phone |
| Kijiya | Hitoyoshi City, Pheasant | 2025 | Required |
| Da Ropetei | Ashikita Town, Steak | 2025 | Reservation only |
“Not stated” means the shop’s official pages do not mention reservations. Call before you go if your group is large.
2. Kokutei Honten (熊本ラーメン 黒亭 本店): Kumamoto ramen near Kumamoto Station
Depends on the provider
The main shop is open every day, but it is closed on Thursday, October 22, 2026, for a company event.
View this post on Instagram
Kokutei is a Kumamoto ramen shop that opened in Nihongi in 1957. The main shop has two parking lots with 15 spaces in total. The menu page lists dishes but shows no prices.
Hours in October 2026 are 10:30–20:30 (last order), closing at 21:00. On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays the last order is 21:00 and the shop closes at 21:30. The site’s English page lists 11:00–21:00; this guide uses the Japanese store page and the October notice. The main shop and the Shimotori shop are closed on Thursday, October 22, 2026. The Sakura-machi shop and the Hikarinomori shop stay open.
The site has an English page (“For International Guests”) that describes the menu, and Korean and Chinese pages. It does not say whether staff speak English.
Listed in: Tabelog Hyakumeiten Ramen WEST 2025 (announced December 2, 2025).
From Fukuoka: Take the Kyushu Shinkansen from Hakata Station to Kumamoto Station. The shop is a 5-minute walk from JR Kumamoto Station, or a 5-minute walk from the Nihongi-guchi stop on the city tram (Route A) and buses, according to its page.
Still open? The shop’s news page (latest entry October 8, 2026) shows no closure or move.
Address: 2-1-23 Nihongi, Nishi-ku, Kumamoto City. Google Maps. Phone: 096-352-1648.
3. Hinokuni Bunryu Sohonten (火の国文龍 総本店): rich ramen near Kumamoto IC
Depends on the provider
Hours are posted as 11:00–15:00 and 17:30–21:00, but the soup can run out earlier, and the shop’s Instagram says hours change.
View this post on Instagram
This is the head shop of a ramen chain, about 1.7 km from Kumamoto IC on the Kyushu Expressway. It has 44 parking spaces. The shop is closed on Tuesdays.
The site shows no prices or reservation rules. The official Instagram bio says hours and closed days are updated on Google Maps, so check there before you go.
Listed in: Tabelog Hyakumeiten Ramen WEST 2025 (announced December 2, 2025).
From Fukuoka: Drive from Kumamoto IC on the Kyushu Expressway (1.7 km), or take a bus to the Shimokubo stop and walk 1 minute, according to the shop’s page.
Still open? The official Instagram posted as recently as October 8, 2026, and shows no closure or move.
Address: 4-2-47 Toshima, Higashi-ku, Kumamoto City. Google Maps. Phone: 096-388-7055.
4. Katsuretsutei Shinshigai Honten (勝烈亭 新市街本店): thick-cut tonkatsu in central Kumamoto
Depends on the provider
The shop does not take reservations, and prices went up in July 2026.
View this post on Instagram
Katsuretsutei is a tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) restaurant that opened in 1975. The head shop is in Shinshigai, in central Kumamoto City.
Prices on the menu page (tax included): thick-cut fillet cutlet set, large (180 g) ¥2,695, medium (140 g) ¥2,420 and small (90 g) ¥2,090; Rokubaku black pork fillet cutlet set (180 g) ¥3,850. The shop announced a price revision on July 23, 2026.
Hours are 11:00–21:30 (last order 21:00). The shop is closed only from December 31 to January 2. The official Instagram bio says reservations are not accepted.
Listed in: Tabelog Hyakumeiten Tonkatsu 2026 (announced February 25, 2026). The Minami-Kumamoto shop is on the same list.
From Fukuoka: Take the Kyushu Shinkansen from Hakata Station to Kumamoto Station. The shop’s page does not give a walking time from the station.
Still open? After the July 28, 2026 earthquake, a notice dated July 29 said the Shinshigai shop was open as usual. The Amu Plaza Kumamoto shop was closed for building checks at that time with no reopening date. The chain’s news page shows no later notice.
Address: 8-18 Shinshigai, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City. Google Maps. Phone: 096-322-8771.
5. Sekkasanbo (上乃裏通り 雪花山房): hand-cut soba in a Kamitori back street
Depends on the provider
Cold soba is ¥1,700, hot soba is ¥1,750 and duck dipping soba is ¥2,500 on the shop’s menu page.
This soba shop mills its own buckwheat flour and has 18 seats, with counter and table seats. Other prices on the menu page: grated-yam soba ¥2,100.
Lunch is 11:30–14:30 (last order 14:00) and dinner is 17:30–21:30 (last order 21:00). The shop closes when the soba runs out, and it is closed on Wednesdays. Courses can be booked in advance, in limited numbers. The page does not say whether you can book a normal meal.
Listed in: Tabelog Hyakumeiten Soba WEST 2025 (announced July 23, 2025).
From Fukuoka: Take the Kyushu Shinkansen from Hakata Station to Kumamoto Station, then the city tram. The shop is a 5-minute walk from Suidocho or Torichosuji tram stops.
Still open? The top page of the shop’s site carries a notice about closures on August 18 to 20, which has passed. It shows no closure or move.
Address: 7-22 Kamitori-cho, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City. Google Maps. Phone: 096-327-5078.
6. Amakusa Daio Senmonten Tosaka (天草大王専門店 とさか): yakitori counter in Kamitori
Depends on the provider
The dinner course is ¥4,950 (tax included) and needs a reservation.
View this post on Instagram
Tosaka serves yakitori made with Amakusa Daio, a chicken breed from Kumamoto Prefecture. The shop has 10 counter seats and is non-smoking. It is open from 18:00 and closed on Mondays.
The dinner course has a salad, a small dish, nine grilled items and soup. The page lists no other course. It does not give a closing time or say whether other ways of ordering are possible.
Listed in: Tabelog Hyakumeiten Yakitori WEST 2025 (announced November 11, 2025).
From Fukuoka: Take the Kyushu Shinkansen from Hakata Station to Kumamoto Station. The shop’s page does not give directions from the station.
Still open? The shop’s site shows no closure or move.
Address: Wasukishikan 1F, 7-35 Kamitori-cho, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City. Google Maps. Phone: 096-325-8323.
7. Imakin Shokudo (いまきん食堂): Aka beef bowls in Aso
Depends on the provider
The shop takes no reservations in advance. You register at the shop on the day, and reception ends at 16:00.
View this post on Instagram
Imakin Shokudo is a diner in Uchinomaki, Aso City. On its menu (tax included): Aka beef bowl ¥2,300, Aka beef hamburger set ¥1,980, champon ¥1,050, salt-grilled chicken set ¥1,500, takana fried rice ¥780.
Hours are 10:00–16:00 (last reception). The Instagram bio says there are no regular closed days, but there is a long closure in the rainy season. The shop has 6 spaces opposite; the main parking lot is a 4-minute walk (about 350 m) away.
On October 11, 2026, the official website did not load. The prices, address and parking above come from the website’s saved copy dated August 29 to 31, 2026; the hours and reservation rule match the Instagram bio. Check before you go.
Listed in: Tabelog Hyakumeiten Shokudo (diner) 2026 (announced April 21, 2026).
From Fukuoka: The shop’s page does not give a route from Kumamoto City or Fukuoka. Most people drive.
Still open? The official Instagram posted on August 14, 2026, and shows no closure or move.
Address: 290 Uchinomaki, Aso City. Google Maps. Phone: 0967-32-0031.
8. Rakudayama (鶏炭火焼 らくだ山): charcoal-grilled chicken in Takamori
Depends on the provider
Reservations are not accepted on any day, weekdays or weekends.
View this post on Instagram
Rakudayama grills chicken over charcoal in a wood-floored room with an open hearth. The set meal (about 300 g of grilled chicken, with awameshi millet rice, miso soup, egg, vegetables and pickles) is from ¥2,700 including tax. Grilled chicken alone is from ¥2,150, and awameshi alone is ¥300.
Hours are 11:00–16:00 on weekdays and 10:30–16:00 on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays (last reception). The shop is closed on Wednesdays, except when Wednesday is a holiday. It has 138 seats, 30 parking spaces and a non-smoking interior. Credit cards are not accepted. The shop says hours may change without notice.
Listed in: Tabelog Hyakumeiten Poultry (鳥料理) 2025 (announced October 28, 2025). Tabelog lists it as “Rakudayama Jidori no Mise”.
From Fukuoka: The shop’s page gives no route from Kumamoto City. Most people drive.
Still open? The shop’s top page has a notice, shown after the July 28, 2026 earthquake, saying it is open with safety precautions. It shows no closure or move.
Address: 2693-4 Takamori, Takamori Town, Aso District. Google Maps. Phone: 0967-62-0084.
9. Jidori-an Sanzo (地どり庵 三蔵): Amakusa Daio chicken in Yamaga
Depends on the provider
Phone reservations are for guests who arrive between 11:30 and 12:00 at lunch, and a booking is cancelled after 12:00.
Sanzo grills chicken over charcoal at its tables with sunken seats. The menu page lists the Amakusa Daio thigh set at ¥2,700, the Sanzo thigh set at ¥1,800 and the Amakusa Daio breast set (salt-grilled or sauce) at ¥2,400. The page says chicken sashimi is not served for now.
Lunch is 11:30–15:00 (last entry 14:00). Dinner is 17:00–21:00 (last entry 19:30). The shop is closed on Tuesdays and on the second and fourth Mondays. For the rest of October 2026 its notice also lists closures on October 13, 17, 19, 20 and 27.
If lunch is full, a waiting list starts at 11:30. Dinner reservations have no set time. The phone line takes calls 9:00–20:00. The shop has 34 seats, 15 parking spaces and is non-smoking. It accepts cash and VISA, JCB, Mastercard, American Express, Discover and Diners Club cards.
Listed in: Tabelog Hyakumeiten Poultry (鳥料理) 2025 (announced October 28, 2025).
From Fukuoka: Go by car to Hirayama in Yamaga City. The shop’s page says to take the road to the left of Flora Onsen, then follow the signs for Yu no Kura and Sanzo.
Still open? The shop’s notice of October 6, 2026 gives closed days for October and November, and shows no closure or move.
Address: 5205 Hirayama, Yamaga City. Google Maps. Phone: 0968-42-8138.
10. Il Forno d’Oro Kikuchi (ナポリピッツァ研究所 イルフォルノドーロ 菊池店): Neapolitan pizza
Depends on the provider
The Kikuchi shop is open every day of the year and takes reservations by phone.
View this post on Instagram
This Neapolitan pizza shop has 60 seats and 20 parking spaces. Pizza prices on the menu page include Marinara ¥1,100, Margherita ¥1,430 and Parma ham ¥2,035. The page does not say whether prices include tax.
Hours are 11:30–22:30 (last order 21:30). Payment methods listed: cash, credit cards, PayPay and Kumamon IC.
Listed in: Tabelog Hyakumeiten Pizza 2025 (announced April 9, 2025).
From Fukuoka: Go by car to Kikuchi City. The shop’s page gives no route.
Still open? The official Instagram (shared with two other shops of the company) posted on September 26, 2026. It shows no closure or move.
Address: 151-1 Dairinji, Kikuchi City. Google Maps. Phone: 0968-36-9992.
11. Kijiya (きじや): pheasant dishes in Hitoyoshi
Depends on the provider
A reservation is required, by phone or fax, and groups can have up to 10 people.
View this post on Instagram
Kijiya, “the pheasant and waterwheel village”, serves pheasant dishes in Hitoyoshi City. The site says to give the date and time, your name, the number of people and the course name when you book. The menu is shown as images, so this guide gives no prices.
Hours are 11:00–18:00. The shop is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. If a day is a national holiday, it opens and closes the next day instead.
Listed in: Tabelog Hyakumeiten Poultry (鳥料理) 2025 (announced October 28, 2025).
From Fukuoka: Go by car. It is 20 minutes from Hitoyoshi IC or 10 minutes from Hitoyoshi-Kuma Smart IC, according to the shop’s page.
Still open? The shop’s site shows no closure or move.
Address: 2522 Kijiya-machi, Hitoyoshi City. Google Maps. Phone: 0966-29-0401.
12. Da Ropetei (ダ・ロープ亭): block-grilled fillet in Ashikita
Depends on the provider
The shop works by reservation, and the 1 kg fillet block starts at ¥14,850 (tax included).
View this post on Instagram
Da Ropetei is a steak restaurant in Ashikita Town that says its beef comes direct from the ranch. The menu page counts about 300 g per person, so a 1 kg block serves 3–4 people, and it gives priority on rare cuts to guests who reserve. Aged lean beef set (300 g) is ¥4,070, and a chef’s assortment is available at ¥3,000, ¥5,000 or from ¥10,000.
Hours (reservation only): weekdays 11:30–14:30 and 17:00–21:00; Saturdays, Sundays and holidays 11:00–15:00 and 16:30–21:00. The shop is closed on Mondays (Tuesday if Monday is a holiday) and on the second and fourth Thursdays. It has parking.
Listed in: Tabelog Hyakumeiten Steak and Teppanyaki WEST 2025 (announced August 19, 2025). It was a first-time selection.
From Fukuoka: Go by car to Ashikita Town. The official Instagram posted a warning on September 19, 2026 about traffic congestion near the Yatsushiro and Hikawa Smart interchanges.
Still open? The official Instagram posted on October 8, 2026, and the site’s latest closure notice (to May 13, 2026) has passed.
Address: 654-2 Takaoka, Ashikita Town, Ashikita District. Google Maps. Phone: 0966-86-1929.
13. How do I get around from Fukuoka?
Depends on the provider
JR Kyushu says the Kyushu Shinkansen between Kumamoto and Fukuoka (Hakata) takes as little as 32 minutes (JR Kyushu, Kumamoto to Fukuoka by Kyushu Shinkansen). Kokutei Honten is a 5-minute walk from Kumamoto Station, and Sekkasanbo is a 5-minute walk from tram stops.
The shops in Aso, Takamori, Yamaga, Kikuchi, Hitoyoshi and Ashikita describe parking or road routes, so plan a car for them. Rakudayama and Imakin Shokudo take no reservations and stop taking guests at 16:00, so arrive well before then.
14. How were these places chosen?
Depends on the provider
The candidates are shops in Kumamoto Prefecture on the Tabelog Hyakumeiten prefecture lists. We checked each one on the Tabelog Hyakumeiten pages on October 11, 2026, and then checked hours, closed days, reservations and payment on the shop’s own website or official Instagram.
Shops with no official website or official social account that we could find, and shops where we could not tell which branch is on the list, are left out. This is a selection, not every Kumamoto shop on the lists. Tabelog scores change daily, so they are not shown.
Prices and hours can change. This page reflects what the official pages showed on October 11, 2026.
Next steps
- Moving around Kumamoto City: Day passes for Kumamoto City.
- Fares and how to ride: Kumamoto City Tram.
Sources
Checked October 2026.
- Tabelog Hyakumeiten (official award pages)
- Kokutei
- Kokutei October hours
- Kokutei, October 22 closure
- Kokutei, For International Guests
- Bunryu
- Katsuretsutei shops
- Katsuretsutei menu
- Katsuretsutei news
- Sekkasanbo access
- Sekkasanbo menu
- Tosaka
- Tosaka menu
- Imakin Shokudo (saved copy)
- Imakin Shokudo Instagram
- Rakudayama store
- Rakudayama menu
- Sanzo about
- Sanzo menu
- Sanzo reservations
- Sanzo notice, October 6
- Il Forno d’Oro Kikuchi
- Il Forno d’Oro menu
- Kijiya
- Da Ropetei shop
- Da Ropetei menu
- JR Kyushu, Kumamoto to Fukuoka
