Recommended bowl: Since 1948

Open since 1948, Gyorantei is still a popular and well known Kita-Kyushu institution. Of course, creamy tonkotsu is the base, but they have three variations to choose from. ‘Tonkotsu jūwari’, which is 100% pork bone tonkotsu soup, is the main go-to and probably the recommended choice for first-timers. If you want to go richer, there’s the ‘doro’ option, which is an even creamier soup made with pork back fat. The third choice is ‘tonkotsu ni-hachi’, which is 80% tonkotsu soup and 20% chicken soup. This is a large shop, with ample space for the huge cauldrons of boiling soup.