Tenjin Yakiniku cowsi — Restaurant in Fukuoka

I was wandering around the Tenjin area looking for a good yakiniku restaurant — there are tons of similar ones around. In a small, beautiful alley, I happened to find a small and modest place. I hadn’t made a reservation, so I asked if we could have a meal. The chef was a bit hesitant at first since all seats were reserved, but he kindly offered us a table if we could finish by 6:45 — starting from 5:30. That was plenty of time.

They only serve course menus for dinner: 8 courses without sukiyaki, or 7 or 9 courses including sukiyaki. Of course, we chose the 9-course option, which included ox tongue and chateaubriand. The course started with uni maki, followed by various beautifully prepared dishes. Each course was simply fabulous. The chef clearly knows his ingredients well and cooks each dish so that the natural characteristics of the ingredients are preserved. The vegetables were crunchy, and the meats melted in the mouth while still maintaining their texture.

I asked for a pairing with each course, and he did not disappoint — every match was perfect.

If you ask me whether I would go back? Yes, definitely. I’d say this place is truly Michelin quality — a restaurant worth visiting...

June 2 2024

I reserved a seat in Tabelog (there is an English version) around 20:45 JST. The place was quite small and cramped and can only cater 6 guests at a time. Although it felt cramped, it was a good experience - we were able to see them prepare the food in front of us so I really recommend it.

We availed the 5, 500 JPY meal just to try it and it was really good. I enjoyed the main course a lot and the beef cheek. The food I enjoyed the least was the salad. Although the homemade bacon was really delicious (wished there were more), the vegetables tasted quite bitter.

The overall service was really great. They let us take photos of every dish while they were preparing it. Also, I have to commend the service as we cannot understand Japanese but they tried to communicate with us in English. Although we do not understand each other that much, I feel like they were able to communicate their passion for food through each dish.

I wasn't able to say this properly earlier because I felt embarrassed but 'gochisousamadeshita'. Thank you for the great...

참고로 저는 평소에 리뷰를 남기지 않는 편입니다. 하지만 이번 경험은 너무 충격적이라 꼭 남겨야겠다고 생각했습니다

남자친구와 급하게 후쿠오카에 가게 되어, 인스타그램에서 보고 타베로그를 통해 수수료를 내고 17시 예약으로 1인 7만 엔짜리 코스를 예약했습니다 하지만 결과적으로 정말 최악이었습니다

저희 외에는 손님이 한 명도 없었고, 좋은 리뷰만 믿고 방문했던 저희는 너무나 큰 실망을 할 수밖에 없었습니다

코스는 17시 2분에 시작해서 디저트까지 포함해 17시 36분에 계산이 끝났습니다 불과 34분 만에 모든 코스가 끝났습니다 요리를 담당하신 분은 친절함과는 거리가 멀었고, 무표정하고 차가운 태도에 ‘혹시 한국인을 싫어하시나?’ 하는 생각까지 들 정도였습니다

이게 정말 오마카세가 맞나요? 사이트에는 ‘최대 2시간 이용 가능’이라고 적혀 있었던 걸로 기억합니다

1인 7만 엔이 저렴한 금액은 아니지만, 저는 34분 만에 허겁지겁 식사를 마치려고 그 돈을 낸 게 아닙니다

인스타그램 사진과는 전혀 다른 냉동 고기, 코스를 숨 돌릴 틈도 없이 급하게 내오는 속도, 메뉴 설명과 다른 구성 그리고 스키야키 고기에는 탄 불판의 검은 잔해가 그대로 묻어 있었습니다 그걸 보고도 아무 말 없이 그대로 접시에 올려주시더군요 손님에게 그걸 그냥 먹으라는 건가요? 나와서 소화제 사먹었습니다

일본을 여러 번 방문했지만, 이번만큼은 일본에 대해 처음으로 실망과 불쾌함을 느꼈습니다

너무나도 실망스러웠고, 다시는 방문하지 않을 겁니다 인스타그램으로 광고를 하실 거라면, 그 전에 직원들의 기본적인 서비스 마인드부터 다시 점검하시길 바랍니다

별 1개도 아깝습니다

I rarely ever leave reviews, but this experience was honestly awful.

My boyfriend and I made a sudden trip to Fukuoka and booked the ¥70,000 omakase course through Tabelog after seeing this place on Instagram. We were the only guests, but the whole experience was extremely disappointing.

The course started at 5:02 PM and we finished dessert and paid by 5:36 PM — only 34 minutes in total. The chef looked cold and unwelcoming, to the point I wondered if he just disliked Korean customers.

The food didn’t match what was shown on Instagram — frozen meat, rushed service, dishes not matching the menu, and even burnt grill residue stuck to the meat that was still served to us.

I’ve been to Japan many times, but this was the first time I left with such a negative impression. If this restaurant wants to keep promoting itself on Instagram, they should first fix their attitude and basic hospitality.

Honestly, even one star feels...