Okinawa is home to an enclave of good restaurants and cafes.
While Japanese food is widely popular, Okinawan cuisine is slightly under the radar, and it is a shame because they are unique in its own rights. The cuisine is highly influenced by its region, hence a mix of Japanese and Chinese.
When visiting Okinawa, you have to try both their local eateries as well as renown cafes and restaurants for a comprehensive idea of what the Japanese island-city has to offer. Here, we present to you the 11 Restaurants & Cafes in Okinawa You Must Try.
BACAR OKINAWA
Bacar Okinawa is a modern restaurant where we had one of the best pizzas in our lives. Yes, best. It only has two pizzas (¥1,620 each) on its menu—Margherita and Marinara. And they were both out of the world, though we secretly preferred the Margherita.
We liked how all pizzas are made to order in the wood fire oven. The end result is a thin-crust pizza that still retains its moisture, with a lovely smoky fragrance.
On Bacar’s menu, there are several appetisers such as Fried Sweet Potatoes (¥600), Tomato Stewed Tripes (¥910) and an assortment of Okinawan Seafood (¥1,680)—Tuna Carpaccio, Smoked Swordfish and Octopus—for sharing.
3-16-15 Kumoji, Naha-shi, Okinawa
Tel: +81 98 863 5678
BISHOKU DINING EN OKINAWA
Bishoku Dining En Okinawa is an izakaya-style restaurant; think a big menu of snacks, mains and beers.
We had a great dinner at Bishoku Dining En Okinawa—umi budo was refreshing with a ponzu dip, grilled pork was tender and flavourful, and the taco rice was memorable.
There are many arguments about the origins of taco rice, but the common belief is that Taco Rice originated from Okinawa. Ingredients that are typically used to make taco are treated differently in Okinawa—they are mixed together with rice, then served as a main course a la a one-dish meal. Give this a try when at Bishoku Dining En Okinawa.
And don’t forget to get a glass of Orion Beer too!
2F, 3-16-19 Kumoji, Naha-shi, Okinawa
Tel: +81 98 941 7588
CERRADO COFFEE
This tiny coffee house in Urasoe is not exactly a cafe, but is still frequently visited by coffee lovers. They have a range of self-sourced beans and their hand drip coffee is exceptionally popular.
You can also bring home a bag of coffee beans or two for your own brewing.
2-15-6 No.28 Minatogawa, Urasoe, Okinawa
Tel: +81 98 875 0123
Read: 10 MUST-TRY Local Food in Okinawa
CHATAN HARBOR BREWERY
If you want to dine with a view of the harbour, Chatan Harbor Brewery is the one to go to. Situated at Chatan Harbor is this huge restaurant which has both indoor and alfresco seating.
Chatan has its own brewery within the restaurant, and you bet they serve an incredible range of craft beers. From the food menu, try the Mussel Frites; that was our favourite.
Chatan Harbour Brewery also has a private yacht which is available for rent, and the restaurant has complementing food and beverage menus for onboard events and parties.
53-1 Mihama, Chatan-cho, Nakagami-gun, Okinawa
Tel: +81 98 926 1118
ITOMAN GYOMIN SHOKUDO
This is undisputedly our favourite restaurant in Okinawa. The small restaurant in the Itoman neighbourhood impressed us to no end. They specialise in serving fish and seafood dishes, and the fish menu is comprehensive, to say the least.
Popular items include the squid ink stew, assorted fish stew, and the one that had our hearts—grilled fish of the day with garlic and butter). The lunch set comes with an appetiser of sashimi and salad, and a bowl of rice. Look around you and you would realise most patrons have a grilled fish on hotplate on their tables; that is it.
Itoman Gyomin Shokudo may be a drive away from the city centre, but every day, discerning patrons would take the long drive to the small restaurant for lunch. Its insane queues and long waiting hours are a testament to its popularity and huge success; reservations are strongly recommended.
4-17 Nishizakicho, Itoman-shi, Okinawa
Tel: +81 98 992 7277
KATEIRYORI NO MISE MANJUMAI
This may look like just any other humble eatery, but Kateiryori no Mise Manjumai has a menu that is not so ordinary. The wide variety of your usual Okinawan cuisine includes champuru, Okinawa soba, rafute (which is very good) and taco rice. Try the goya champuru; you would see this dish on almost every table.
The homely eatery dishes out home-style cooked food at very reasonable prices, and the owner has a collection of koregusu—a spicy dip that is made of chilli peppers soaked in awamori. They are complementary dips for almost everything.
If you are lucky, the owner of Kateiryori no Mise Manjumai would also play the shamisen for you!
3 -9-23 Kumoji, Naha-shi, Okinawa
Tel: +81 98 867 2771
KINCHICHII SOBA
Okinawans love their Okinawa Soba and Kinchichii soba is a cult favourite. While the restaurant does not serve Okinawa Soba the traditional way (clear broth that is cooked with seaweed, pork and vegetables), it still enjoys popularity amongst locals.
Kinchichii Soba has several options, from tonkotsu soup to spicy miso broth. They are richer in flavour as compared to the regular Okinawa Soba broth, tastes somewhat like ramen broth, but the soba remains to be thick, wheat noodles.
Every bowl is served with pork slices/ belly and vegetables.
201, Kina, Yomitan Village, Okinawa
Tel: +81 98 958 5896
MISO DINER – MARUTAMA
This is a miso speciality diner with dishes revolving around homemade miso. Miso Diner -Marutama uses miso—by Tamanaha, a miso and soy sauce maker in Shuri with a proud history dating back more than 170 years—in the preparation for all its teishoku.
Breakfast sets are very popular and value-for-money, and we liked the Grilled Ginger Pork set (¥970). It is a comforting champuru dish served with rice and miso soup.
1F, 2-4-3, Izumizaki, Naha-shi, Okinawa
Tel: +81 98 831 7656
NAGO COFFEE
For authentic Okinawan coffee, go to Nago Coffee. This traditional coffee house takes pride in their cup of joe. From sourcing and roasting their own beans, the hand-drip Okinawan coffee is what Nago Coffee is known for.
Nago Coffee also has a merchandise corner where you can bring home bags of coffee beans and snacks that complement your coffee.
2 -9-24 Kohagura, Naha-shi, Okinawa
Tel: +81 98 855 3009
TEPPANYAKI STEAK RESTAURANT HEKI
This upscale teppanyaki restaurant is conveniently located at the popular shopping street, Kokusai-dori. They have a menu that specialises in beef and seafood, as well as seasonal produce.
The multi-course menu features an assortment of vegetables followed by the chosen meat/ seafood. Go for the range of wagyu beef and you will not be disappointed by its amazing marbling.
The service is excellent, and if you take a closer look, the chefs are all females. Your entire meal will be prepared before your eyes, except for the bread which they bake in-house and are served to you fresh from the oven.
3-2-3 Makishi, Naha-shi, Okinawa
Tel: +81 98 866 2939
TIMELESS CHOCOLATE
When in Okinawa, you have to visit American Village. And when you are at American Village, drop by Timeless Chocolate. It is a chocolate specialty cafe that you must visit. The owner is a passionate chap who has a strong love for chocolates and coffee. Combining his experience of working as a barista and his knowledge for chocolates, he founded Timeless Chocolate.
He uses cacao beans from various regions (including Vietnam and Brazil) and sugar grown in local Okinawa sugar cane farms to produce his chocolates. You can purchase the bags of chocolates or have them in the form of his daily desserts.
But what you must not miss out on is the chocolate cacao juice which is an interesting and unpredictable drink; it actually tasted like lychee!
Distortion Seaside Building 2F
9-46 Mihama, Chatan-cho, Nakagami-gun, Okinawa
Tel: +81 98 923 2880
This post is brought to you by Okinawa Prefecture.