Kawaya Gion — Restaurant in Fukuoka

I've already had dinner, but I saw this restaurant and decided to go in since I had trying chicken skin skewer on my Fukuoka bucket list. I literally only wanted to try the chicken skin skewer. Not a full meal. I would have been happy with take-out, but as soon as I came in I was led to a table and given a plate with cabbage. I thought that was weird for a tiny order that I wanted to make. But all right. I've been to multiple restaurants in Japan before and I know they sometimes give free side dishes. So I ordered two skewers since I felt bad about ordering only one. That I was asked to get a drink. I did not want a drink. I planned to stay only for a five minutes that would take me to eat the skewer so I didn't see the point. I said I don't won't a drink. The boss or waiter or whoever he was said I HAVE to get a drink. I said multiple times that I don't want one. The guy kept repeating I HAVE to get one. Eventually I gave up and ordered one. Then I got the skewers. Taste wise they were all right, nothing special, but not bad either. Size wise though, they were TINY. Seriously TINY. (I've never ordered skewers before so I don't know if this is normal in Japan or not.) Then came the price. I expected 800 yen (300 for 2 skewers and 500 for drink I was forced to order) but I got 1000 yen. I asked about it and they said they're charging the cabbage as well (the one that they just brought to the table without asking if I have any interest in it and without mentioning the extra fee). I know it's just 200 yen, but combined with the drink that I was literally forced to order, my planned 150 yen skewer turned into a 1000 yen one. Until now I've only had positive experiences in multiple restaurants I've been in Japan so I was extremely disappointed...

Our family of 3 really liked Kawaya. We lined up a few minutes before they opened up at 5 p.m. on a Sunday evening and were able to get a table without a reservation. Most of the other guests in line with us had reservations. Often at izakayas, it's a little intimidating, because we have to use Google Translate to try to decipher the, often handwritten, menus, which can be challenging, but at Kawaya they use an app for ordering, and we were able to easily translate the entire online menu into English, which made it super convenient, and fast, to order, and reorder food and drinks from the menu. We ate several kinds of sashimi, a bunch of different chicken skewers, edamame, agedashitofu, 3 draft beers, 3 sakes, and total it cost about ¥10,000, which seemed pretty fair. We would definitely consider eating at...

This is one of my favorite yakitori spots in Fukuoka! The restaurant has an English menu, making it very convenient.

I enjoyed several dishes, especially the grilled chicken skin, a Fukuoka specialty. Other recommendations are the gizzards and cartilage—these may sound unusual, but they’re truly delicious! Another favorite was the spicy sausage, with just the right kick to balance out the other savory flavors.

The staff provided excellent service, being attentive, friendly,...