Tipico: Japan’s Best Italian Wine Bar
Fukuoka is famous for its food. In fact, a popular YouTube channel called “Japanese Food Craftsman” regularly produces viral videos of local restaurants. Among the restaurants featured in their videos include Yatai Mamichan, U.S. Burger (one of my regular places), and most recently, Tipico in Fukuoka’s Hirao neighborhood.
In addition, my ancestors immigrated from Italy to the United States in the late 1890s. Italian food has always been an integral part of my upbringing, whether it be a simple spaghetti or a nice dinner at one of LA’s many Italian restaurants. Thankfully, Italian cuisine is popular in Japan (but Saizeriya does not count). While there are some good Italian restaurants scattered throughout Japan, I was amazed by Tipico, which is a wine bar that also serves food. These are my experiences.
About Tipico
Tipico (“typical” in Italian) is a small Italian wine bar started by a former engineer in the summer of 2022. At the time of writing, the establishment was only about 10 months old. Giovanna, the owner, is an engineer by background and previously worked as a consultant in London, but decided to move to Fukuoka and take her passion for cooking with her. Giovanna is helped by Chris, who is from Switzerland, and Marta, who has only been in Fukuoka for three months now.
Giovanna’s background reminded me of Jim’s over at U.S. Burger. Both had successful careers, then moved to Japan and opened restaurants specializing in their native cuisines. These similarities piqued my curiosity and so I begged my friends to try Tipico with me. On another note, I hope Giovanna and Jim meet at some point because of their similarities.
Things to Know
While I fell in love with Tipico as soon as I tasted my first bite of pasta, I want my readers to know the following. Tipico is a small wine bar, not a restaurant. Therefore, the focus is on communal dining and their wine selection. They also have different lunch and dinner courses. If you are craving authentic, homemade Italian pasta, come here during lunch. Dinnertime is focused on wine tasting and shared plates, or tapas. Since the focus is on the wide selection of wines, there is a 1500-yen drink minimum. This is to ensure customers order a healthy mix of food and drinks. Chris and Marta were transparent about their dinnertime pricing model, although the recent video about the establishment was not as transparent.
My Tipico Dinnertime Experience
I first visited Tipico with two friends of mine on Sunday, June 25, 2023, for their dinnertime course. My friends and I almost did not go because of the 1,500-yen fee, but after careful consideration, we went ahead and had no regrets about our decision. We took the local Nishitetsu train from Tenjin to Nishitetsu-Hirao station and walked about six minutes west to the hole-in-the-wall wine bar awaiting us.
We arrived at 6:29 sharp, anticipating a large crowd due to their recent YouTube feature. Marta opened the wine bar one minute later and welcomed us into their shop. We were quickly seated at a large communal table which seated a total of six guests tonight, including me and my two friends. Marta walked us through tonight’s menu and explained the tapas-style dining. Chris also came by and communicated clearly about the drink minimum, but quickly explained this fee would be waived if I ordered the equivalent or more in nonalcoholic drinks. This was not a problem for me.
My friends and I deliberated on what we wanted to order first. Since we were craving pasta, we ordered the gnocchi while my friends ordered red wines to match. Chris offered his recommendation for a red wine which paired well with the gnocchi, and my friend was satisfied with his choice.
The Gnocchi
The gnocchi were Sardinian style. If I recall correctly, the pasta was not made with potatoes. It featured a creamy tomato sauce seasoned with freshly ground black pepper, olive oil, and a few other seasonings. It was an explosion of flavor in my mouth. The gnocchi were so good, I nearly fought with my friends for bites! While we ordered enough gnocchi for four people, we finished our share plates quickly and ordered the carpaccio next.
The Carpaccio
We were soon presented with Carpaccio. This dish was made with locally caught Katsuo, or “skipjack tuna” from Japan, and it was beautifully seasoned with tomatoes, olive oil, and herbs. If you could eat fireworks, this carpaccio was just that. I felt sparks flying in my brain as I enjoyed the medley of flavors. The olive oil was on point, the tomatoes were juicy, and the tuna was incredibly fresh. I have been lucky enough to have Paella at some Latin American restaurants in Fukuoka, but this blew them out of the water. I wish we ordered more; the carpaccio was so good! We next ordered another Tipico special: their homemade focaccia bread. While we waited, we tried their meatballs next.
The Meatballs
We were served a platter of five bite-sized meatballs drizzled with olive oil and plated with a side of Kewpie Mayonnaise. I was hungry and ended up eating all the meatballs. They were delicious, firm, and juicy. The olive oil, the unsung hero of tonight’s dinner, made the meatballs pop. I will admit, I was not a fan of Kewpie mayo with meatballs. I love Kewpie mayo, but the apple-cider vinegar flavor of Kewpie mayo did not work with the meatballs for me. Hey, that is okay, I am not complaining one bit!
Finally: The Focaccia
Marta worked hard preparing tonight’s focaccia while Chris entertained his guests. The focaccia was worth the wait. The freshly baked bread was coated with fresh crushed tomato sauce and dotted with charred leopard spots all over. The bread was crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, sweet from the tomatoes, and savory throughout. While my two friends had to leave after finishing their bites, I ordered more focaccia while I practiced my Japanese with my new friends across the table.
Communal Dining at Tipico
It seems both Japanese and Italian cultures value communal dining. In fact, Tipico is set up for communal dining. If you ever watch the video about Tipico, you will hear Giovanna talk about the importance of communal dining in Italian culture.
You will also hear Giovanna talk about how the people of Fukuoka are like Italians. I can see that. For anyone visiting Fukuoka, you must try a yatai while you are here. Yatai are small food carts with communal-style seating all over the city. Communal dining is integral to Fukuoka’s food culture, and Tipico only enhances said culture.
Conversation
Throughout my dinner at Tipico, I conversed with both Chris and Marta, as well as made friends with some Japanese locals. I was excited to talk with Chris and Marta because I felt able to connect with them because of my Italian ancestry. Looking back on it, they may have found it strange that some random American was talking about his Italian ancestors, but that is what we Americans do. I was also super happy because of how good the food was. I was so happy, in fact, I thanked both Chris and Marta profusely for the food and wrote a Google review immediately after dining here.
Conclusion
Tipico should change their name to “Straordinario” (“Extraordinary” in Italian). I love Tipico, and I will be returning for their lunch course as soon as I am able to. I love Tipico so much, in fact, I already added it to my List of Things to Do in Fukuoka and highlighted it yellow to recommend it. It cost us 10,500 yen for three people sharing wine and small plates, or about 3,500 yen per person, but it was worth every penny.
I will admit, I was a little embarrassed when I learned that Tipico is a wine bar, and not a restaurant. This did not stop me from enjoying the warm and communal atmosphere at Tipico, and the delicious, shared dishes. Foodies are welcome, but the focus is the wine. In the meantime, I have been recommending Tipico to all my friends.
For anyone who finds this blog post, I recommend coming here for the lunch course if you want to focus on the food, and coming here for dinner if you want to focus on their wide selection of wines.