Kirby Cafe Hakata — Restaurant in Fukuoka

As expected for a themed cafe, the food and drinks were significantly more expensive than typical prices. Therefore, I did not focus on pricing in my review. The following is a detailed review:

Cafe au lait (1,518 yen)

There were ten art styles to choose from. Personally, I found the taste slightly unpleasant, but my usual preference is cafe latte, so I may not be the best judge of this type of coffee. Additionally, the drink came with a complimentary cardboard coaster.

Kracko Fizzy Soda (1,070 yen)

Kracko was perched atop a glass of yellow soda. Red soda was provided to pour over Kracko, simulating a 'defeat' as the red soda caused it to disintegrate. The flavor was just typical, sweet soda – neither particularly good nor bad. The drink came with a complimentary coaster.

Japanese Omelette Rice 'Waddle Dee is napping' (2,178 yen)

The flavor of this dish was nice but it was unfortunately served lukewarm, which was a disappointment.

Winter Kirby Hamburger & Pasta with Cheese Powder (2,398 yen)

The burger was really good. The beef patty had a satisfying thickness, was juicy, and seasoned well. While relatively small, the burger was complemented by a few other dishes. The minestrone soup was also very nice. The croquette was average -- neither great nor terrible. The pasta tasted nice, but unfortunately it was lukewarm, as were the wedges. The two green vegetables were served cold

Car Mouth Cake 'Mouthful Mode!' Winter Horns (2,178 yen)

The pink blancmange was really good. The sponge cake underneath was slightly dry. I didn't particularly love the accompanying sides, but overall, the main dessert was enjoyable. It was a reasonable size, likely intentional given the one-per-group order limit."

Customer service and cleanliness:

The cafe was clean, and the two staff members I encountered were kind and professional.

Atmosphere:

The atmosphere was pleasant, with only a few diners (reservations are required for dine-in service). Aesthetically, it was very pleasing, featuring Kirby-themed decor and...

What can I say about Kirby Cafe Hakata...? Quite a lot, actually!

I've been a big fan of Kirby Cafe for many years and made it an essential stopping point in Tokyo on my previous trips. But with tourism at its peak, scalping at its highest and most tourists rarely leaving the Tokyo area, it means that within seconds of going live, bookings are gone!

Noticing this, I decided on my next trip to Japan to skip Tokyo entirely (not just the Cafe, the region!) and instead use this as an excuse to explore Fukuoka, as getting reservations at Kirby Cafe Hakata are much, much easier. So easy, in fact, that weeks later when I realised I wouldn't be able to make one of the dates, I was able to cancel it and easily add a replacement after my existing ones!

So, I locked in 3 lunches. Enough to get through the Hakata exclusive items as well as the Autumn exclusive items. And then, they announced the Winter dates! So...I booked two dinners for the Winter! So the accompanying photos are from six separate, magical trips.

I've essentially planned a good couple of weeks in the Fukuoka region around making Kirby Cafe Hakata my priority and I don't regret it. I'd do it again. It's magical. Still on the same two soundtracks all these years later but the other merch is always changing a little and the food never fails to impress with its cuteness as well as tastiness. There's a reason these Cafes keep going where all other collab cafes don't, it's not just normal food with a slight tweak, each dish (bar a few of the snacks) is tailor made to be Kirby themed. And taste good on top of that.

I'm ashamed to say I pigged out each visit and left looking as rolypoly as Kirby himself! Still, no regrets. If you even remotely love Kirby, please do yourself a favour and visit this place. Keep an eye on the official Twitter for when bookings open. And for upcoming...

One of multiple Kirby Cafe locations across Japan, but being located in Fukuoka makes it much easier to get a reservation if you happen to be staying in the city (compared to the busier location in Tokyo). You can make an online reservation through the website.

The whole setup, atmosphere and theming of the cafe is the main attraction here. If you're a Kirby fan you'll absolutely love the attention to detail with the setup. The staff will offer to take free welcome photos on your phone at the front before taking your seat.

The food, cutlery, plates and everything are also Kirby themed. While the food all looks really cute and photogenic, the taste and quality is fairly mid. You're coming here more for the experience rather than the taste. I rated the experience a 4/5, just due to the fact the taste of the food is rather average compared to the prices you're paying.

One of the items I ordered was a seasonal dish, which was serving of fries that unfortunately lacked salt.. though it did come with a side of ice cream. To dip the fries in I guess? It kinda worked, but it's probably more something aimed for kids (I imagine the idea of dipping fries in ice cream would be appealing for kids maybe?).

The most fun items to order and take photos of are probably the Car Kirby Cake and the Kracko Soda. Unfortunately the soda doesn't look anywhere as cute as it does in the photos, but it's still a fun drink to order as you get to defeat the Kracko by pouring more liquid over the top of it which melts it into the drink.

They have a shop in the front selling various Kirby themed goods, including plates and cutlery that they use in the store for fairly reasonable prices depending on what you...