Restaurant Toyoken
SaveTori-ten, Oita's fried chicken tempura, was born in this Chinese restaurant, open since 1926.
The chicken is seasoned before it is fried, so it can be eaten plain, with no sauce.
More about this place (history, size)
Toyoken, a Chinese restaurant, opened in Beppu's Nagarekawa district on April 1, 1926, and moved across town to Ishigaki-higashi in 1995. The same family has run it for four generations. The dish it is known for was born here in the early Showa years, the late 1920s and 1930s. It appeared then as "chicken kamaboko tempura": thin slices of Japanese chicken thigh, battered and fried. That dish is called tori-ten now and counts as an Oita specialty, and this is the restaurant that claims to have served it first.
- The main restaurant is at 7-8-22 Ishigaki-higashi, Beppu, and its phone number is 0977-23-3333. That line does not take delivery inquiries.■
- A branch under the same name sits in the basement food court of Tokiha Beppu at 2-9-1 Kitahama, and it keeps its own hours, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.■
- Delivery comes from a separate shop, Otodoke Toyoken, at 8-1-8 Ishigaki-higashi, phone 0977-85-7308, and it is closed on weekends and holidays.■
- The restaurant claims to be where tori-ten was invented, has been open since 1926, and lists the original tori-ten as its specialty.■
- Despite the shared name, this restaurant is a different company from the Toyoken and Seiyo Goryori Toyoken run by Toyoken Co., Ltd., so nothing written about the Mie or Tokyo restaurants applies here.■
- When the restaurant moved into a new building in 1995, it gained rooms in a range of sizes that families and larger parties can use.■
- Tori-ten first appeared at this restaurant in the early Showa era — the late 1920s and 1930s — as "chicken kamaboko tempura," made from Japanese chicken thigh sliced thin and fried.■
- The main restaurant opened in Beppu's Nagarekawa district on April 1, 1926, and Ishigaki-higashi is where it moved in 1995, so the founding site and the present one are not the same.■
- The "open in Google Maps" link on the official About page points to 33.3009143, 131.4995189.■
With kids, here's the plan
If your kids turn down anything they have to dip in a sauce, they can eat the fried chicken here plain — it is seasoned before it goes in the fryer. Lunch means waiting your turn at the front desk, because the only reservations taken are dinner courses for four adults or more. On a busy day the desk stops seating anyone after 2:30 p.m., so a late lunch is a gamble. A family can eat in a room of its own: when the restaurant moved into this building in 1995, it gained rooms in a range of sizes. The restaurant closes on the second Tuesday of every month, so if you are in Beppu on one, move the meal to another day.
Sources and evidence (3)
- 100 seats, two tatami rooms with round tables (4-6) and one chair room (7-12). Kids menu, and strollers are welcome.■
- A family of four with two kids went off-peak, sat down with no wait and found parking. Ordering can be done on a tablet.■
- Tori-ten set 1,430 yen, summer reimen 1,064, free large rice. At 4:40pm, 7-8 groups already waited for the 5pm opening.■
How long to plan
1 h
How was it with your kids?
Not greatGreat
- ElevatorElevator：not checked
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：not checked
- RentalStroller rental：not checked
- NursingNursing space：not checked
- ChangingDiaper changing table：not checked
- Diaper binDiaper disposal bin：not checked
- Family WCFamily restroom：not checked
- Kids' toiletKids' toilet seat & step stool：not checked
- Own foodOutside food allowed：not checked
- EnglishEnglish support：not checked
Green = we confirmed it. Gray = not checked yet. Gray with a line through = the place does not have it.
See all conditions in detail (3)
Worth a look before you go
First-hand
Toriten Hassho no Mise Restaurant Toyoken - reviews
100 seats, two tatami rooms with round tables (4-6) and one chair room (7-12). Kids menu, and strollers are welcome.
tabelog.com2026
Chinese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Northern Kyushu 2024: Toyoken, the local hundred-year restaurant where tori-ten began
A family of four with two kids went off-peak, sat down with no wait and found parking. Ordering can be done on a tablet.
flyingwings.tw2025
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Toyoken in Beppu, where tori-ten began: if you want tori-ten, go here
Tori-ten set 1,430 yen, summer reimen 1,064, free large rice. At 4:40pm, 7-8 groups already waited for the 5pm opening.
nanson3.com2026
Restaurant Toyoken · Links & reads ▾
Where to go next
Near here
Before you go
- Reservations are for dinner only, with meals starting anywhere between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.■
- The only bookable meals are the set courses at 6,600, 8,800 and 11,000 yen per person, tax included.■
- Reservations start at four adults, and anyone of middle-school age or older counts toward that number.■
- You cannot book a la carte dishes, book a table without a course, or book on the day, so a lunch visit means waiting your turn at the front desk.■
- Call or come in at least two days ahead for the 6,600 and 8,800 yen courses, and seven days ahead for the 11,000 yen one.■
Basics
- Fee：The menu pages are photographs, so no single-dish prices are given. The only figures stated are the three dinner courses, at 6,600, 8,800 and 11,000 yen per person including tax, which are also the only thing that can be reserved.■■
- Hours：11:00-15:30 (last order 15:00) and 17:00-22:00 (last order 21:00); it shuts between the two. Closed the second Tuesday of every month. On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, only the honke tori-ten and honke yuzu tori-ten are served between 3 and 5 p.m. When the shop is busy the last order moves earlier: with a 30-minute wait, the desk stops taking people at 2:30 p.m.■
- Time to allow：1 h
- Booking：Lunch cannot be booked at all - single dishes, table-only and same-day reservations are not accepted, so you queue. Reservations exist only for dinner: a course at 6,600, 8,800 or 11,000 yen per person, for four adults or more, starting between 5 and 8 p.m. Junior high age and up count as adults. Book by phone or in person, two days ahead for the 6,600 and 8,800 courses and seven days ahead for the 11,000 one. The phone is easiest to get through on between 4 and 5 p.m. or between 9 and 10 p.m.■Official booking site ↗
Basics in detail (7)
- The main restaurant closes on the second Tuesday of every month, so if you are in Beppu on a second Tuesday, plan the meal for another day.■
- The main restaurant opens twice a day, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with last orders at 3, and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. with last orders at 9. It closes in between, from 3:30 to 5.■
- Between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on weekends and holidays the kitchen serves only the original tori-ten and the yuzu tori-ten, on their own or as a set, so come outside those hours if you want anything else.■
- When it gets busy, last orders move earlier: on a day with a 30-minute wait, the front desk stops seating anyone after 2:30 p.m.■
- The main restaurant has parking for 60 cars and room for large buses, so driving here is easy.■
- From Beppu Station or Kitahama, take Kamenoi Bus route 24 toward Kannawa or APU, get off at Funakoji, and walk five minutes.■
- On Oita Kotsu route 50 toward APU, get off at Minamisuka-iriguchi and walk eight minutes.■
Going? Two things to do now
evidence & sources (3)
The founder had cooked for the Emperor, and opened this place in Beppu in 1926; the family is now in its fourth generation. Tori-ten began here as a menu item: thigh meat sliced thin, seasoned with soy sauce, garlic and sesame oil, then fried. Squeeze kabosu over it, or dip it in vinegared soy sauce with mustard. Lunch cannot be booked, and on busy days the desk stops taking people earlier, so come early. Private rooms, large and small, date from the 1995 move.
| Stroller friendly | Not checked yet | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diaper changing table | Not checked yet | ||||
| Nursing space | Not checked yet | ||||
| Family restroom | Not checked yet | ||||
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet | ||||
| Elevator | Not checked yet | ||||
| Indoor / outdoor | Indoor | The dining rooms are indoors, but at busy times you wait for a table before you get in. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | toyoken-beppu.co.jp |
| Outside food allowed | Not checked yet | ||||
| English support | Not checked yet | ||||
| Child entry policy | Not checked yet | ||||
| High chair | Not checked yet | ||||
| Tatami seating | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' menu | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' tableware | Not checked yet | ||||
| Baby food policy | Not checked yet | ||||
| Non-smoking | Not checked yet | ||||
| Allergy support | Not checked yet | ||||
| Private room | Yes | Large and small rooms were added when the restaurant moved to a new building in 1995, and the shop points to them for family gatherings. How many there are, and whether they can be used at lunch, is not stated. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | toyoken-beppu.co.jp |
| Official family-friendly certificationExtra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Best-fit ages (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Crowding (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Quietness (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Serving speed (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Lost-child supportExtra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Stroller access notesExtra info — guide only | Yes | There are 60 parking spaces and coaches can park. By bus from Beppu Station or Kitahama, the Kamenoi 24 to Funakoji is a 5-minute walk away, the Oita Kotsu 50 to Minamisuka-iriguchi an 8-minute walk. Nothing is stated about a changing table, a nursing room, or where to leave a stroller. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | toyoken-beppu.co.jp |
Not checked yet (14)
Child entry policy, High chair, Tatami seating, Kids' menu, Kids' tableware, Baby food policy, Non-smoking, Allergy support, Official family-friendly certification, Best-fit ages (guide), Crowding (guide), Quietness (guide), Serving speed (guide), Lost-child support