HAKATA TONTON

We serve distinct Japanese soul food originating from Hakata, Fukuoka Prefecture which is in the southern part of Japan. Fukuoka is known as the "gateway to Asia" with its historical

and geographical background as a hub for international trading, and such diversity left a rich food culture with heavy influence of Korean and Chinese cuisine while still keeping Japanese at the core. 

 

Our head chef Koji Hagihara was born in Yamanashi, Japan.

He first became a chef in 1989 at the renowned Dynasty restaurant in Hilton Tokyo Bay.

In 2002, he became a Sous Chef at Wakiya Ichiemicharo–one of the most prestigious Chinese restaurants in Japan–where

he became the right-hand man to the famous Iron Chef Wakiya. This is when Chef Koji started to appear

in national TV shows, magazines, and events and became well-known and influential.

 

He moved to New York City in 2007 as an Executive Chef and a founding member of Wakiya Restaurant at Gramercy Park Hotel. After two years of entertaining top VIP clientele at Wakiya, he decided to further challenge himself and transitioned to Hakata TonTon, a very adventurous Japanese restaurant that served unique and authentic dishes including Hakata style motsu(intestines) hot pot. TonTon was a great success and soon became prominent among locals. During this time,

Chef Koji mastered his very own style that constantly amazed the loyal fans. Witty and full of energy,

he wishes to grow further with TonTon and share its spirit to the food lovers in New York City. 

 

Hakata TonTon is proud to serve a unique and adventurous palette to New Yorkers for over 13 years.

We aim to stay as a one-of-a-kind authentic restaurant and we will continue to bring you exciting flavors of Japan.