Places to eat in Okinawa

Sam's is a nice restaurant at Kokusai Street in the center of Naha, specializing in Habachi/teppanyaki-style seafood where the chef cooks the meal at a table seating 6 or 8. It is expensive but good food and a great show! The meal was expensive at about US$60-80 for two meals, but this is Okinawa! You should expect to pay a lot.

The interior is mostly dark wood with a nautical theme, perfect for Okinawa.

This is a small chain of three or four restaurants, supposedly owned by an American and his Okinawan or Japanese wife. Their first restaurant was Sam's Anchor Inn at Ginowan which opened in 1970.

The restaurant at Kokusai Street is open from 1130 to midnight.

Being located so close to Taiwan and with such a strong historical connection to China, you would expect Okinawa to have more Chinese restaurants. Although there are some good ones on the island, they are a bit hard to find if you don't live here. A very good one is Tetsu Nabe-ya. The chef, Nobu, only uses the freshest ingredients and makes everything from scratch. The cold beer goes great with everything!

Favorite Dish: Gyoza, Chashu Pork (pictured), and Shrimp in Chili sauce

The word "Shokudoh" describes a local-style eatery that is in most cases a simple place with some tables and chairs and good "home-cooked" food that is cheap but very filling. The most popular dishes are "Chanpuru," which literally means "mixed." These dishes combine a variety of ingredients that are stir fried over high heat in a fry pan with oil. Some of the more common ones are "tofu chanpuru," "yasai (vegetable) chanpuru," "fuu chanpuru," and "goya (bitter melon) chanpuru." If you are new to the island, be adventurous and try one of these places where you can rub elbows with the locals while enjoying some good food...

There are "shokudoh" located all over the island. Here are a few places I recommend:

Naha - Yuunangi
Chatan - Chirugua
Motobu - Kishimoto Shokudoh

Favorite Dish: Goya Chanpuru - This dish takes a bit getting used to because of its bitter taste, but once your hooked, you will become a "goya" fan for life!

Extremely friendly staff and most importantly, freakishly addicting good food. It's a curry-house. You can either choose what ingredients you want in your curry or type of meats, and choose the level of spice that you want or no spice at all. Absolutely delicious and like I said... Addicting.

Favorite Dish: I always go with the Chicken-cutlet Curry, Level 3 spice, with cheese and 200 grams of rice. It's just the right amount of spice for my taste and the curry is so good mixed in with that crispy chicken. I think I want Coco's for dinner.

This tip is actually in my hotel tips, but I thought I should expand on it a bit as the Laguna Garden Hotel has many restaurants. The Paseo Garden is where the buffet is served daily. The Paseo Garden Lunch Buffet is all-you-can-eat and it is a great deal. It’s 1500 yen per adult and only 750 yen for ages three through twelve. The Buffet is available seven days a week from 11:30 to 2:30 p.m. Sunday’s are usually very busy and it’s better to go during the week or even on Saturday if you don’t like crowds. It is quite crowded on Sunday and you may need to call and make reservations on Sundays. Though the menu changes weekly, the Buffet regularly features a sushi bar, curry, steamed rice, miso-shiru, a small salad and fresh fruit bar, a beef entrée, and other seafood, chicken, beef or pork, and vegetable dishes. The dessert bar has cookies, cakes, and other pastries. Coffee, tea, or orange juice comes with your meal.

Favorite Dish: Too many to list

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Although this restaurant is billed as an izakaya, the ambiance would suggest something else. It has a very upscale feel with it's dark hardwood floors and soft light. The bar area looks as if it came out of some chic New York club. The view from it is spectacular (overlooks the love motels) and with it's cozy little alcoves, makes it an ideal place for couples.

Favorite Dish: I have only eaten here twice, but there are too many things on the menu that are good. I will say that some of it is a little overpriced...even for Okinawa, but it all tastes really good so you don't feel cheated. The roast lamb with curry sauce is a must try. By the way, since it's an izakaya, the drinks are great. I love the omishu here.

According to it's literature, Coco's operates more than 800 restaurants throughout Japan and I think there are even a few in Hawaii now. Anyway, if you have a taste for curry and not a lot of time, this is the place to go. It is also great to go to after a night of drinking as most on Okinawa are open very late. The food is delicious and very customizable by ingredients, serving size, and level of spiciness. My favorite dish is the fried fish curry at a level 3 in spiciness. Sometimes I just go there for the nan bread....it's awesome! They even curry gift sets available for sale so you can make some yourself at home.

Favorite Dish: As I said above, my favorite dish is fried fish curry. However, I also like the pork cutlet curry, the spinach curry and the squid curry. The side salads are also very good and offer a nice contrast to the curry.

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Michi no Eki (Street Stations) can be found in many towns and villages where local produce is grown. Each one sells fresh fruits and vegetables grown only in those areas. (Some fruits, such as mango, can be expensive but much cheaper than anywhere else in mainland Japan.) They attract tourists as well as locals, and you will find other specialties such as seafood. Many have small food stalls selling various local foods, so you can even grab a snack, ice cream, or lunch if you are hungry. These places are cheap, filling, and there is a variety of local food to choose from. I recommend both Onna-son and Nago Michi no Eki.

Favorite Dish: Fruits and Vegetables...Everything is fresh!