Taste the “Okinawa”! 8 recommended lunch places in Okinawa Main Island

Now that we’ve come to Okinawa, we want to fully enjoy our lunch in between seeing the sights!
For those people, we will introduce several lunches that are unique to Okinawa and have fantastic characteristics.

While driving, you can have lunch at a café with a perfect view overlooking the sea.
You can fill yourself up with local ingredients on Kokusai Street.
We have carefully selected six unique restaurants on Okinawa Island.
Savor Okinawa to your heart’s content!

-the lineup-
[Around Naha]
POSILIPO――Really spacious! Italian cuisine with ocean views, only a short drive from Naha
Makishi Public Market――You can eat a fish that you chose there! A market where the interaction is also fun
Mikasa Shokudo (Naha restaurant)――Eat Okinawa style “Chanpon” at Mikasa Shokudo, a restaurant loved by Okinawans!
Doraemon――Okinawa’s Traditional flavors! You can eat Miyako soba noodles in Naha as well

[South]
Yagiya――Enjoy mild flavored Okinawa soba noodles in a traditional Okinawan house
Café Kurukuma――A truly perfect view! Massive panorama x spicy menu
[Central]
Hawaiian Pancake House Panirani―Enjoy the sweet tropical mood! 🙂
[North]
Kajinhou――Devour the perfect pizza while looking out over the sea from a traditional Okinawan house

 

[The Naha region (Tomigusuku City)] POSILIPO

Really spacious! Italian cuisine with ocean views, only a short drive from Naha

We highly recommend the great view.

This is Senagashima Island. It is a small island and is just a 15 minute drive from Naha airport.
While it’s an outlying island, access is good as it’s connected to the mainland by a bridge.

POSILIPO is located on top of a small hillock facing the west coast.

Enjoy this view during the daylight hours when the sea is shimmering.

The cuisine is authentic as well. Their southern Italian cuisine is served in a stylish decoration.

In particular, we personally most highly recommend the pizza!

This wood-fired oven is intense 400 degree heat. It cooks them immediately and makes pizza juicy.

Our recommendation is the pizza and pasta weekly special. A creative and of course stylish menu  is coming up every week.
The color of the sea changes with the seasons and the time of day as well. We want you to come and enjoy this place many, many times. It’s that kind of restaurant.

Store Information

【Address】
Senaga 174-5,Tomigusuku, Okinawa 901-0233 Japan
※It is located next to Senagajima Hotel. If you want to go to this restaurant, you can do either of one, and you will be able to come here smoothly.

1. By car…Put destination”Senagajima Hotel” in car navigation

2. By taxi…Tell a taxi driver “Senagajima Hotel” for destination

【Opening Hours ・Holiday】
11:00～24:00（L.O.23:15）

 

[Naha] Makishi Public Market

You eat a fish that you chose there! A market where the interaction is fun, too

You’ll come across this local market if you stroll along Kokusai street.
Fresh fish are lined up here every day.
The characteristic of this market is that after you choose a fish on the first floor, you can have it prepared and eat it at the food court on the second floor.
An Okinawan fish market has an array of rare fish that are almost never seen on the mainland. If you ask anyone here “what is this fish?” they will tell you about it in detail.

The food court has several restaurants. There is a rich variety of staple items available even if you don’t choose a fish on the first floor. Deciding on which restaurant or menu in the lively atmosphere of the market would be one way to enjoy yourself.

Store Information

【Address】Matsuo 2-10-1, Naha, Okinawa, 900-0014, Japan
【Opening Hours】08:00～20:00
【Closing Days】
Every 4th Sunday(Except for December)
New Years Day(Januaty 1st),(Lunar New Year)Febrary 8tｈ,(Bon festival of the Lunar)August 9th

*Lunar New Year and Bon festival of the Lunar change every year
※Each Store has their own holidays

 

 

[Naha] Mikasa Shokudo (Naha restaurant)

Eat Okinawa style “Chanpon” at Mikasa Shokudo, a restaurant loved by Okinawans!

This is the Mikasa Shokudo restaurant in Naha, a place that many local residents regularly dine at.

When we went inside, we saw the counter seats at the open kitchen. Here, the staff prepare meals right before your eyes.

We particularly recommend the pictured chanpon.
For the most part when you hear chanpon, you think of a dish that features noodles, such as Nagasaki chanpon.
In Okinawa,it’s actually a donburi (rice bowl) dish with fried ingredients served on top instead of noodles.

They include plenty of onion, and the sweet and salty taste of the egg drop soup goes very well with the rice. It will become an addiction once you try it! Definitely give it a taste once!

Naha Ten – Store Information

【Address】Matsuyama 1-3-17 Naha, Okinawa 900-0032 Japan
【Opening Hours】24 hours / day
【closing Days】New Year Days and Middle of August (Third and Fourth day of Kyu-Bon)

[Naha] Doraemon

Traditional flavors! You can eat Miyako soba noodles in Naha as well

Miyako Island is of course the birthplace of the Miyako soba noodle dish. However there’s a place where you can eat it in Naha as well.

The characteristics of Miyako soba are the thin, straight, and flat noodles and the light soup. The main ingredients are sanmainiku (pork belly) and kamaboko (fish paste). The arrangement of the dish also has a slightly different character to it—the main ingredients are hidden under the noodles (the soup and noodles are on the surface and are sprinkled with chopped spring onion).

Of course you can enjoy that standard Miyako soba, but those who aren’t satisfied with can enjoy a variety of different arrangements.
The most popular menu is Doraemon soba. It is loaded with the tastes of Okinawa, including soki (spare ribs), sanmainiku, and tebichi (pork trotters) (however they can no longer be hidden under the noodles).
Soki soba (spare ribs with bone), sanmainiku soba, and tebichi soba are also available. To further bring out the Okinawan feel, have tofu chanpuru or goya chanpuru with them.

Store Information

【Address】Kumoji 3-2-17,Naha Okinawa 900-0015 Japan
【Opening Hours】11:00～23:00
【Closing Days】New Year’s Day

 

[South] Yagiya

Enjoy mild flavored Okinawa soba noodles in a traditional Okinawan house

“Yagi” is a surname that you will see in Okinawa. This restaurant is the house of Mr. Yagi, remodeled to welcome guests from both in and out of the prefecture. Here you can enjoy Okinawa soba in a precious, traditional Okinawan house—designated as a registered tangible cultural property.

When we entered the grounds, we found that a wall had been built to hide the building from the outside.
This wall is called Himpun. They are built to serve as a windbreak as well as to ward off evil spirits.
When we entered the grounds, we saw the main house and a detached building and customers were relaxing in both of them. One enjoyable thing is the garden—tropical plants such as Indian laurel and Bougainvillea live here. Make sure to take a stroll after you order, while you wait for your meal.

They mainly serve Okinawa soba noodle sets (soba in Okinawa are thick noodles like udon in mainland Japan).
This soba include an asa (sea lettuce) soba noodle set that features noodles with asa kneaded into them and then topped with even more asa.

Another set is the whole soybean soy milk soba noodle set featuring plenty of tofu, a set that is rarely seen on mainland Japan.
Make sure that you and your companion order a different menu and enjoy a variety of flavors!

Store Information

【Address】Oton 1172, Shimajirigun, Yaesecho, Okinawa 901-0502 Japan
【Opening Hours】11：00～16：00 （L.O.15:45)
【Closing Days】Tuesday(However, it opens on holiday, Golden Week, Summer Vacation Term and New Year Season)

 

[South] Café Kurukuma

A truly perfect view! Massive panorama + spicy menu

Café Kurukuma is located at the top of a cliff looking out over the sea.
This perfect view is very famous and the café’s spacious interior is always bustling.

The outside deck seating is  popular. There are people who just came for lunch and add sweets to their order because they want to enjoy the view some more…

There is a park-like area here as well, and many people enjoy a slow stroll before or after their meal.

The café’s meals include perfectly spiced curries and Thai cuisine.

You may even break into a sweat each time you eat a mouthful. Because you can look out at breathtaking scenery while enjoying a meal, this is an attractive restaurant with a large number of repeat customers.
For those who can’t eat spicy food, there are also mild curries and sweets available as well.

Store Information

【Address】Chinenchinen 1190,Nanjo, Okinawa 901-1513 Japan
【Opening Hours】
・October to March:10:00～19:00(L.O.18:00)
・April to September:10:00～20:00(L.O.19:00)
※ For Tuesday, Opening Hour will be 10:00～18:00（L.O.17:00）

 

[Central] Hawaiian Pancake House Panirani

Enjoy the sweet tropical mood! 🙂

You will definitely want to come here on a girls’ trip! Hawaiian pancakes with plenty of buttermilk in Okinawa—with a tropical atmosphere hanging in the air.

There is a rich variety of pancakes on the menu.
If you can’t decide, go with the Nuts Nuts Pancake from the sign menu.

When coming as a group, challenge yourselves to this tower of 16 pancakes!

Store Information

【Address】Serakaki 698,Kunigamigun Onnason, Okinawa 904-0404 Japan
【Opening Hours】7:00～17:00（L.O.16:30）
【Closing Days】opening all year around

 

[North] Kajinhou

Devour the perfect pizza while looking out over the sea from a traditional Okinawan house

Kajinhou is located on a high point, commanding a fine view of the sea. The restaurant building is a traditional Okinawan house.


You can enjoy their famous pizza in an extremely pleasant atmosphere.

Although it is a distance from the town and residential houses, the restaurant is well-known and popular amongst locals and people who love Okinawa.
While it opens at 11:30, if you want to leisurely eat at seats in the main building or if you want to look out at the sea from the veranda seats, you will need to either line up early or wait in the queue.

Their famous pizza uses ordinary ingredients. But its proper, authentic cheese stretches so well and has just the right density. The salami is delicious. The degree of doneness is superb and everyone will make short work of it, even women with light appetites.

There are many female staff and effort has been put into the menu and coasters to make them cute.

At this restaurant, you’ll end up feeling full and filled with happiness.

Store Information

【Address】Yamazato 1153-2,Kunigamigun Motobucho, Okinawa 905-0219 Japan
【Opening Hours】11：30～19：00（L.O.18：30）
【Closing Days】Tuesday・Wednesday