[A very popular restaurant in Tenjin] Satisfying taste and value for money! Fukuoka's famous tempura set meal worth lining up for

Hello. I'm Shou Fujita, a gourmet writer who finds happiness in set meal lunches.

This time, we will introduce you to a tempura specialty restaurant that continues to capture the hearts of people not only in Fukuoka but all over the world with its outstanding value for money and quality.

The epitome of Fukuoka tempura! The overwhelmingly popular "Tempura Hirao Tenjin Across Store" (Tenjin, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka City)

Since opening its first tempura store in Higashi Hirao in 1979, Tempura Hirao has quickly become popular for its reliable flavor and has now become a symbol of "Fukuoka tempura."

Currently, there are eight directly managed stores in the prefecture, including the Sue store which opened in March 2025.

The Tenjin Acros store we are introducing this time is located in a corner of the restaurant area on the second basement floor of Acros Fukuoka, a complex directly connected to the Tenjin Underground Mall.

It is a hugely popular restaurant, visited every day by many customers, not only from the local area but also from outside the prefecture and even overseas.

Image: Sho Fujita

The restaurant has a total of 26 counter seats surrounding the central frying area.

Image: Sho Fujita

After entering the restaurant, you first purchase a meal ticket from the ticket machine. Payment is by cash only.

Image: Sho Fujita

After purchasing your meal ticket, you wait your turn at the waiting area inside the store.

Image: Sho Fujita

The Tenjin Acros store is popular with tourists due to its convenient location, and even on weekdays, there are often 30 to 40 people lined up before the store opens.

If you want to avoid waiting in line as much as possible, it seems you can get in relatively smoothly if you go around 5pm, before the evening peak time.

A thorough explanation of the appeal and enjoyment of "Tempura Hirao" that you'll want to visit again and again!

Tempura Hirao carefully selects the most delicious seasonal ingredients at that time and is particular about freshness.

The basic set menu has nine different types of tempura, each of which comes with rice, miso soup, tempura sauce, and the specialty "shiokara squid."

Image: Sho Fujita

The most popular dish is the "Okonomiyaki Teishoku" (1,140 yen), which includes shrimp, squid, pork, white fish, and three types of vegetable tempura (pumpkin, eggplant, and green pepper).

Image: Sho Fujita

Other attractive set meal menus include the [Shrimp Set Meal] (1,190 yen), which features four shrimp as the main dish, and the [Regular Set Meal] (1,090 yen), which includes an unusual mochi and cheese tempura dish.

Based on the set meal, you can add tempura as a side dish or change to extra large portions of rice or salted fish.

This time I chose the most popular "Okonomiyaki Set Meal".

Once you sit down and hand your meal ticket to the staff, you will be served the set menu except for the tempura.

When talking about the appeal of "Tempura Hirao," one thing that is essential is the "Shiokara squid."

Only a handful of people within Hirao know the recipe, making it a truly closely guarded gem.

Image: Sho Fujita

It contains no food additives or preservatives, so you can directly taste the natural flavor of the squid and it goes perfectly with rice.

The crunchy texture of the squid and the refreshing flavor of yuzu add a nice accent to the dish, making it hard to stop eating. Refills are available for 50 yen, limited to one per person.

Image: Sho Fujita

In addition to the tempura sauce that comes with the set, sesame salt, chili pepper, yuzu pepper, yuzu vinegar, and pickles of the day are available on the table. You can enjoy different flavors by changing the flavor to your liking.

Image: Sho Fujita

Meanwhile, the fragrant aroma of the tempura being fried by a chef and the sound of the oil popping fill the air from the other side of the counter, whetting your appetite.

Image: Sho Fujita

Soon after, freshly fried tempura is brought one by one onto a tray on the table.

The best part about Tempura Hirao is that the experienced chefs carefully adjust the timing of serving the tempura so that you can always enjoy it in the most delicious, "freshly fried and crispy" state.

What's more, you can enjoy this for just under 1,000 yen, which is great value for money!

The "white meat" on this day was John Dory, with its soft and fluffy flesh exuding a moist and elegant sweetness.

Image: Sho Fujita

The tempura batter is light and thin, allowing you to enjoy the original flavor of the ingredients.

Among the many types of tempura, shrimp tempura is a classic and a star dish with an irresistible bouncy texture.

Image: Sho Fujita

The company president himself traveled to Indonesia to develop a supply route for the special black tiger prawns that are grown exclusively for Hirao.

Combined with the image that "tempura is synonymous with shrimp," this dish is popular not only among Japanese people but also among foreigners.

It's delicious as is or with the sesame salt on the table, but the writer recommends dipping it in tempura sauce with plenty of grated daikon radish.

Image: Sho Fujita

The rich tempura sauce that soaks into the batter spreads gently inside your mouth, making it so delicious you'll want to shovel in some rice before you know it.

You can get free refills of tempura sauce and grated daikon radish, so feel free to dip your tempura in as much sauce as you like.

Even in an industry where efficiency is on the rise, Tempura Hirao continues to provide a highly satisfying experience with its timeless style.

Image: Sho Fujita

Even if you have to wait in line for about an hour, every time you sit at the counter and eat your tempura set meal, you'll want to come back again. This is a one-of-a-kind tempura specialty restaurant. (Text by Sho Fujita)

＜Click on the store name for more details about the store ↓＞
■Tempura Hirao Tenjin Across store
Address: 1-1-1 Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, ACROS Fukuoka, 2nd basement floor
Business hours: 10:30 - 20:30 (last order 20:00)
Closed: New Year's holiday
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