Fukuoka Yatai

Fukuoka's yatai are open-air food stalls that set up each evening from around 6pm, with the largest clusters along the Naka River in Nakasu and in Tenjin. Each one seats around 8 to 10 people on stools beneath a canvas awning, just close enough to the cook that you can watch the whole thing happen. The signature order is Hakata tonkotsu ramen, rich and pale from long-simmered pork bones, but stalls also serve yakitori, gyoza, oden, and local mentaiko dishes. Many have been family-run for generations. Most stalls close around 2am, with peak hours from 8pm to midnight.