Fukuoka Christmas Buffet at the Hilton

While browsing local events I noticed this buffet at the Hilton Sea Hawk in Fukuoka and showed my husband. He decided he wanted to do that rather than go to Sushirou or a local all you can eat place this month. It was a chance to eat Christmas foods from around the world, after all. We made reservations but they are not necessary.

The Christmas Market Buffet lunch served from noon until 2:30 pm is a bit cheaper than the dinner and has fewer dishes, although there was a ton to choose from already. For an extra fee, you can get the drink bar, which was only a bunch of juices. For a higher extra fee, there are a few levels of all you can drink alcohol. Coffee, tea, and water was included in the price.

Not included in the price (2,300 yen per person) was a service fee and tax. I kind of hate the service fees some hotel buffets charge because they are not usually announced in advance and just seem like a sneaky way to charge more.

I was surprised that the bill was entirely in English. I guess the Hilton is an American company.

The Scene

The place is huge and the reception and buffet restaurant, Brasserie and Lounge, are on the fourth floor. It was certainly festive.

The Christmas trees and ornaments were over the top, but this was supposed to be a Christmas market so it fit the bill.

The bar section is for guests who add on the all you can drink fee It was not full but there were plenty of people day drinking. Most of the restaurant was full with couples, lots of foreigners, and small kids.

The front reception had a sled for photo shoots and nearby was a huge model train set up, which had lights that they turned on after this picture was taken. Kids were all over it. There were also huge Christmas trees set up in reception and on the first floor.

The Menu

The foods advertised in the advertisement were a list of potential dishes and the actual main dishes were just a few of those. The mains weren't so exciting or great to me. I loved the salads! Quinoa, Greek salad, smoked salmon salad, and tortilla chips with pesto and hummus were in my favorite section.

The fancy meat dishes were pork ribs and chicken, plus 'choriso' (just spiced wieners) and polenta, which was pretty good. I also had fun with the Asian section where there were Korean and Indian influenced foods.

There was a crab soup - something like pho but from Malaysia from what I heard. 

The desserts were probably a little more Christmas-like. There was a huge variety of little cakes and 'puddings,' many of which went quickly, and some of which were never replaced. I enjoyed the Christmas pudding the most - it was my first time to try it! The strawberry shortcake was without strawberries for the most part and I heard the one we had eaten from a cake shop was much better. 

There were two soft serve ice cream machines and one was strawberry flavored - but tasted just like my childhood memory of strawberry bubble gum. There was also a chocolate fountain and tons of items to make parfaits or whatever people do with things and chocolate fountains.

The Aftermath

Luckily for us there are some sofas scattered around the fourth floor just waiting for restaurant guests to recover from overeating.

We did recover and walked around the city way too much looking at illuminations and Christmas markets after that. But too full for any more snacking or even free samples. (We got in 22 kilometers that day according to the GoogleFit app, including walking to and from the station and home.)

Access is straight forward by subway, about a 20 minute walk from Tojinmachi Station on the Kuko line. Easy from the Fukuoka Airport, Tenjin, or Hakata Stations. Follow the signs to Yafuoka Dome, and you can't miss it.

Fukuoka Chuo-ku Jigyohma 2-2-3 Link to access page on their site.