Savoury and sweet Okinawan eats that locals can't live without
Japan’s southernmost prefecture, Okinawa is made up of several islands that span two-thirds of the Ryukyu island chain from Kyushu to Taiwan. Okinawa's culture and history were formed from a combination of indigenous traditions, the impact of surrounding trade, and later from American cultural influence. This is reflected in the local delicacies of Okinawa.
Okinawan cuisine is quite different from mainland Japanese food. Most tour guides will introduce you to the most famous foods, but what the locals love to eat probably won’t appear in those guides, especially what Okinawans eat everyday with friends, at events, and just on the way home from school or work. All of them are true comfort foods that locals can’t live without. Let us start off with the most popular savoury foods on Okinawa.
Okinawan Savouries
Taco Rice
Taco rice. (Image credit: photoAC / tabi-app)
First on the list is Taco Rice. You may be thinking, “That sounds like Mexican food”. Well, you’re not completely wrong. The Americans brought many of their favourite foods to Okinawa after World War II, one of them being tacos. Tacos became popular on the island, and eventually Taco Rice was created in 1984 by Gibo Matsuzō (儀保松三) and sold at his restaurant King Tacos, which is still open today and has become a landmark for taco rice. Okinawans eat Taco Rice for lunch and for dinner, and it’s also a popular late-night snack. Taco meat, lettuce, cheese, and sauce are layered on top of Japanese rice to create a perfectly filling comfort food. The best place to get Taco Rice is King Tacos in Kin, but you’ll find it at taco restaurants all over Okinawa.
King Tacos Kin Branch (キングタコス 金武本店)
Address: 4244-4 Kin, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa 904-1201
Opening hours: 10:30am–9pm (Daily)
Tel: +81-90-1947-1684
Pork Tamago Onigiri
Pork tamago onigiri. (Image credit: Bo-Yi Wu / CC BY 2.0)
Just like their northern compatriots, Okinawans are fond of rice dumplings known as onigiri (おにぎり). Okinawans are particularly fond of pork tamago onigiri (ポークたまごおにぎり). These hearty onigiri are filled with spam, egg, and aburamiso (油味噌). Spam is a popular canned lunch meat from the US and aburamiso is a type of miso made with pork belly, Okinawan awamori rice wine, and sugar. It’s sweet and sticky and goes perfectly with the salty Spam and fried egg sandwiched between rice and seaweed. You can find onigiri literally anywhere on the island but the best are at local bento shops and supermarkets. Don’t forget to grab a bottle of shikuwasa juice (シークワーサー), a juice made from indigenous lime-like citrus, or jasmine tea, referred to locally as sanpincha tea (さんぴん茶).
Drive-Ins and Drive-Thrus
The Seaside Drive-in at Onna-son Village. (Image credit: n.ststw / Picuki)
Okinawa doesn’t have an extensive and convenient public transportation system like Tokyo or Osaka, so most Okinawans rely on cars to get around. This is why you’ll see plenty of drive-thru and drive-in restaurants around the island.
One staple of the Okinawan drive-thru experience is the Seaside Drive-In. Built in 1967, it was Okinawa’s first drive-in and has been a popular stop for roadside bites ever since. It’s open 24 hours so you can stop by anytime to get your fix of Japanese, American, or Chinese food. If you go, you have to try the homemade cream soup. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a local who hasn’t eaten it!
Seaside Drive-In (シーサイドドライブイン)
Address: 885 Nakadomari, Onna, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa 904-0415
Opening hours: 24 hours
Tel: +81-98-964-2272
A&W Root Beer. (Image credit: BeingKansai / Twitter)
A&W Root Beer is another local drive-thru favourite that you won’t find anywhere else in Japan. Originally from the USA, but unknown to many Americans, the chain is thriving on Okinawa. The retro aesthetics of the drive-in brings back a feeling of nostalgia for bygone times. Referred to affectionately as enda (エンダー) by locals, Okinawans love the burgers and curly fries, and especially the root beer, which is strangely unpopular on the main islands of Japan. For the most retro feel visit the original shop in Makiminato, Urasoe.
A&W Makiminato Branch (A&W沖縄牧港店)
Address: 4-9-1 Makiminato, Urasoe, Okinawa 901-2131
Nearest bus stop: Makiminato (via Ojana/Mashiki Chugakkou) Bus Stop (牧港（大謝名・真志喜中学校向け)
Opening hours: 24 hours
Tel: +81-98-876-6081
Okinawa Soba
Okinawa soba. (Image credit: ayustety from Naha / CC BY 2.0)
Okinawan soba is not made from buckwheat as it is in the rest of Japan. In fact the dish barely resembles soba at all. With thick noodles, konbu seaweed (昆布), a large helping of juicy san-mai niku pork belly (三枚肉) or boneless pork ribs called sōki (ソーキ), it looks more like a cross between udon and ramen than soba noodles. This savoury noodle soup can be found all over the island, and often comes as a side dish with bento and other meals. Tedako Soba is a very popular place with locals.
Tedako Soba (てだこそば)
Address: 1-2-2 Nakama, Urasoe, Okinawa 901-2103
Nearest station: Urasoemaeda Station (浦添前田駅)
Opening hours: 11am–8pm (Closed on Mondays)
Tel: +81-98-875-5952
Tempura shops
Okinawan style tempura. (Image credit: photoAC / Koenig)
Tempura may not sound unique, but it is somewhat different in Okinawa. It’s so popular that you’ll find many restaurants and stands solely devoted to the dish, offering many kinds of tempura with local ingredients, such as stringy mozuku seaweed (もずく), purple yam (紅芋 beni imo), bitter melon (ゴーヤー gōyā), various Okinawan greens, and lots of fish. The Okinawan style of tempura uses a chewy and thicker batter in contrast with the mainland’s crispy tempura. In addition, the dipping sauce of choice here is Japanese Worcestershire sauce (ウースターソース usutā sōsu). You’ll find tempura shops all over the island, even the popular convenience store chains carry it. However, Uema Bento is the most famous tempura and bento shop. So don’t pass it off as just another Japanese tempura joint, it’s quite different and worth a try.
Uema Tempura and Bento Noborikawa (上間弁当天ぷら店 登川店)
Address: 3-23-20 Noborikawa, Okinawa, 904-2142
Nearest bus stop: Okinawa Kita Interchange Bus Stop (沖縄北インター バス停)
Opening hours: 6am–7pm (Daily)
Tel: +81-98-937-9477
Okinawan Sweets
Sata Andagi
A purple yam sata andagi. (Image credit: Hajime NAKANO / CC BY 2.0)
Sata andagi (サーターアンダーギー sātā andāgī), is a deep-fried donut-like pastry. They’re very traditional and generally come in three flavours: plain, brown sugar (黒糖 kokutō), and purple yam (紅芋 beni imo). It’s a popular snack and often prepared with love by the grandmothers of the island. Sata Andagi is a great snack to grab at any supermarket for the road. I really love them with my morning coffee.
Cakes, Pies, and Cookies
Okinawans love sweets, and with so many wonderful tropical fruits around like mangoes, acerola, pineapples, passionfruit, numerous varieties of sweet potato, and the mini Okinawan bananas known as shima-banana, literally “island banana” (島バナナ), who wouldn’t want to bake up some delicious desserts with them?
Sweets Studio Bamboo Kiki
A purple yam tart. (Image credit: photoAC / HiC)
Formerly known as Patisserie Porsche, this home-grown Okinawan pastry shop was the first to sell purple yam tarts (紅芋タルト beni imo taruto) in 1979. This small patisserie eventually grew into a chain of baked goods and sweets called Okashigoten (お菓子御殿) which are now all over the island selling all sorts of sweets with local ingredients. Beni-imo is only grown in Okinawa and prohibited from being produced or taken out of the prefecture. So if you have a chance, please give the pies and other sweets a taste.
Sweets Studio Bamboo Kiki (菓子工房 樹々 大木店)
Address: 459-7 Oki, Yomitan, Nakagami-gun, Okinawa 904-0316
Nearest bus stop: Oki Bus Stop (沖バス停)
Opening hours: 10am–7pm (Daily)
Tel: +81-98-956-3335
Taimo Kobo Kinta
A taro pie. (Image credit: asukaheshiki / Picuki)
Ta-imo (田芋) is Okinawan taro and also a very tasty pie filler. The soft and sweet aromatic taro goes wonderfully with crispy pie crust. You haven’t been to Okinawa if you haven’t eaten taro pies from here. The best pies and sweets can be found at Taimo Kobo Kinta.
Taimo Koubo Kinta Naha Shintoshin Branch (田芋工房きん田那覇新都心店)
Address: 1 Chome-28-31 Ameku, Naha, Okinawa 900-0005
Nearest bus stop: Aja 1 Bus Stop (安謝一丁目 バス停)
Opening hours: 10:30am–7:30pm (Daily)
Tel: +81-98-963-9488
Jimmy's Bakery
Jimmy’s Bakery. (Image credit: OIST / CC BY 2.0)
Jimmy's Bakery was established in 1956. Okinawan’s love to stop by to pick up cakes, pies, and cookies for treating their family or friends. Here, you’ll find all the traditional American favourites like cheesecake, apple pie, and lemon cream pie, but also desserts made with local ingredients like purple yams.
Jimmy’s Bakery Oyama Branch (ジミー大山店)
Address: 2-22-5 Oyama, Ginowan, Okinawa 901-2223
Nearest bus stop: Daiichi Oyama Bus Stop (第一大山バス停)
Opening hours: 9am–9:30pm (Daily)
Tel: +81-98-897-3118
As you can see, Okinawa doesn’t just have pretty beaches and vibrant culture to offer. There are heaps of sweet and savoury food to keep you happy and full. You’ll never be left wanting for food to comfort your soul while on this beautiful island.
Header image credit: photoAC / tabi-app
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Julien Manchuelle
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