CONTENTS
About Cucagna
Concept
“Cucagna (CUCCAGNA)” is a members-only Italian restaurant located in Haruyoshi, Fukuoka. Chef Toshifumi Ogata opened independently in April 2015, then shifted from referral-only to a membership system in 2020. At present there are about 700 registered members; membership is free, but it requires dining at least four times a year.
Inside you’ll find only an open kitchen with ten counter seats. The focus is on a chef’s tasting (omakase) that honors the character of the ingredients—seasonal vegetables, seafood, and rare products are prepared with finesse, and each plate is calibrated for a precise balance of flavor and design. The menu changes with every visit, drawing many repeat guests, and the sommelier’s pairings are robust, built to showcase the harmony between wine and food. With limited seats, the restaurant offers a singular time where tension and warmth coexist—truly a “hidden-gem” Italian
About Chef Toshifumi Ogata
Owner-chef Ogata trained at top restaurants in Tokyo and Fukuoka, notably serving as head chef at “Ristorante Hiro Hakata” in Nakasu . He opened “Cucagna” in Haruyoshi, Fukuoka in spring 2015, and from 2020 onward adopted a members-only model.
Restaurant Accolades
“Cucagna” received the Tabelog Award 2025 Bronze. It was also selected twice—2023 and 2025—for the “Tabelog Italian WEST Top 100”, underscoring its status among the top restaurants in western Japan.
Dining Prelude
Exterior & Entrance
Set discreetly along the lanes of Haruyoshi, Fukuoka, Cucagna presents a serene, modern profile. The gray tiled façade is understated yet composed, and soft light spills from the large window, hinting at the warmth within.
The entrance sits at the top of a white stairway along the side of the building, lending a hush as if leading you into a hideaway. With minimal decoration around the doorway, the simplicity sharpens anticipation for the cuisine.
Removed from the bustle of the main street, the space quietly announces the start of a special time—an embodiment of Cucagna’s worldview.
Dining Space
Cucagna in Haruyoshi, Fukuoka, is an intimate room with just ten counter seats.
Guests sit around an open kitchen where the proximity brings the chefs’ movements, the scent of fire, and even the sounds of cooking to all five senses.
Walls and ceiling are in calm wood tones, the lighting is gentle, and the room carries both warmth and a taut focus—the right density for meeting each course of the omakase head-on.
The live feeling of dishes being finished right before you, together with conversation over the counter, lets you take in not only the food but also its background and the chef’s intent.
Menu Presentation
Once seated, there’s no printed menu and little formal explanation.
It begins quietly, and you simply understand that the meal proceeds as an omakase.
A seasonal course, composed by the chef, arrives steadily and carefully from his hands.
You find yourself relaxing into the flow without words.
Unforced, never over-explained, yet unwavering in progression—
from this gentle overture, the restaurant’s stance toward cuisine comes into view.
Cucagna offers three tiers of omakase tasting; mains and featured ingredients vary with the price point. Because seasonality is paramount, products change throughout the year, and there’s always something new with each visit.
As in the photo, key ingredients for the evening are set along the counter at the start, so guests meet the selection up close. On this day, for example, a strikingly fresh, textured cut of meat was displayed—heightening anticipation even before cooking began.
Through careful prep and precise fire, the chef draws out each ingredient’s allure—one of Cucagna’s signatures. The union of sourcing and technique shines throughout the course.
Starter Drink
To start, I chose a simple highball. I was dieting that day so kept it modest, but usually the chef himself proposes a carefully curated wine pairing—another highlight at Cucagna.
Wines are selected for each plate, and the delicate marriage amplifies umami and extends the flavors. Moving through the pairing while conversing with the chef becomes an experience beyond “just a beverage,” lingering in many guests’ memories.
Dishes We Enjoyed
House-Baked Ciabatta
Served alongside the opening dish was house-baked ciabatta.
The staff advised, “It’s hot enough to make you jump,” and indeed it arrived oven-fresh and sizzling.
The crust is deeply fragrant; the crumb chewy and elastic. The mellow olive oil resets the palate between courses with simple grace.
That just-baked heat and texture made it a perfectly pitched first bread.
Fritto of Ayu (Sweetfish)
The first course this evening was “Ayu Fritto.”
The fish is filleted into three, with head and flesh combined and paired with a sauce made from the innards.
It’s then wrapped in pasta dough and fried crisp.
The thin fried casing is delicate and toasty, sealing in the fish’s savor.
The innard sauce adds depth, and the dish is devised so even bone elements can be enjoyed.
A dish that reveals both technique and whole-fish utilization—meticulous in its construction.
Signature: Tokutani Tomato Caprese
An homage to the signature at the chef’s former training ground.
Fruit tomatoes from Tokutani in Kōchi City (Kōchi Prefecture) shine with vivid sweetness and acidity, layered with fresh burrata.
The harmony of juicy tomatoes and creamy cheese is fully resolved—never failing to delight.
Deceptively simple yet profound; it conveys both technique and affection for the product—Cucagna’s calling-card dish.
House-Baked Focaccia
Served together was house-baked focaccia.
The fluffy dough has gentle salinity and spring, showing the chef’s careful bake.
This bread can be refilled without limit—great news for regulars.
It’s lovely dipped into the caprese’s tomato juices or good olive oil, refreshing the palate between plates.
Light yet satisfying, the focaccia serves as a welcome accent to the course.
Wild Eel from the Ariake Sea
Timed to coincide with Doyō no Ushi no Hi (the midsummer “eel day”), an unexpected unagi course appeared.
Wild eel from the Ariake Sea is used, and the chef coaxes out its full charm.
Beneath the eel sits saffron-scented baked risotto with asparagus for color.
A touch of balsamic brightens the whole, while shaved summer truffle adds a heady aroma.
The delicacy unique to wild eel is preserved in a seasonal, surprising composition.
Main: Kumamoto Aka-Ushi Rump
For the main, rump of rare Aka-ushi from Kumamoto—said to be only about twenty head raised per year—took the stage.
Producer: Nobuyuki I (Inobu-san). Lean yet tender, with concentrated umami.
The sauce employs sherry vinegar; its measured acidity lifts the meat’s flavor.
Garnishes were girolle mushrooms and two-year-aged May Queen potatoes from Obihiro.
The potato’s sweetness was particularly striking, harmonizing richly with the beef.
Meat, vegetable sweetness, and the sauce’s acidity aligned in exquisite balance.
Spaghetti Peperoncino
Next came peperoncino with brine-cured sea urchin from Hokkaidō.
Sun-dried tomatoes add an accent; though it looks creamy, no cream is used.
Umami, salinity, and the richness of uni intertwine into a deep yet delicate flavor.
The pasta is cooked perfectly al dente, each strand well coated in sauce.
A luxurious plate that transcends the usual idea of simple peperoncino.
Extra Pasta: Special Arrabbiata with Tokutani Tomatoes
To close the savory course, you can request an “extra bowl” of pasta (kaedama).
This version uses Tokutani tomatoes in a special arrabbiata; spiciness is adjustable—kept mild this time.
The gentle heat is addictive and keeps you reaching back for more.
Many regulars look forward to this kaedama; it’s a dish you taste only by asking.
Dessert & Finale
Peach Compote Dessert
Dessert was a peach compote.
Only the outer 2–3 mm of the peach is heated—the surface compoted while the interior remains almost fresh.
The firing is so brief that when you cut it, you can barely tell whether heat reached the core.
Between the peach layers are yogurt and house-made gelato, finished with a refreshing mint sauce on top.
A granité, fluffy like shaved ice, tightens the balance.
First comes the compote’s sweetness; then, as you bite, the juicy freshness of peach spreads—an exquisitely calculated dessert.
Basque Cheesecake
The finale was two styles of Basque cheesecake—plain and white truffle.
Available exclusively to members for purchase, both are cream-cheese-based.
Sweetness is tuned with white chocolate rather than sugar, yielding a restrained yet deep profile.
A pinch of salt placed in the center further lifts the cheese’s richness.
A sophisticated dessert suited to lingering with a drink.
Summary & Impressions
The members-only Italian “Cucagna” in Haruyoshi, Fukuoka centers on scrupulous sourcing and careful technique.
Ingredients from Fukuoka and beyond are shaped plate by plate through the chef’s delicate craftsmanship.
Each dish shows ingenuity—preserving the innate qualities of the product while layering flavors and textures with intention.
From the dessert’s precise heating to the use of sauces, the details felt thoroughly considered.
The counter-led room is calm, letting you watch the chef’s work up close and converse as you dine.
Service is unforced with just-right distance—natural and comfortable.
Combined with the membership format, it feels like a place for singular experiences you won’t have elsewhere.
If you enjoy lingering over food while engaging with the chef and the intent behind each dish, this is for you.
Reservations & Access
How to Book
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Reservations are required; bookings are accepted for registered members only.
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Non-members cannot make reservations.
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Multiple course price options are available.
Access
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Address: 3-25-21 Haruyoshi, Chūō-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture (2F)
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Nearest station: About a 4-minute walk from Tenjin-Minami Station (approx. 320–385 m).
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Also walkable from other stations: about 6 minutes from Watanabe-dōri Station and within walking distance from Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) Station.
Hours
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Dinner only, basically 17:30–23:00.
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Closed on Sundays.
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