CONTRIBUTED BY QUENTIN RICHARDSON

This restaurant is cozy, delicious and unfortunately, only open on the weekends. We found this place a while back while reading a book that explains the best places in Okinawa to eat with a view. The restaurant is located inside of the owner’s home and there are numerous cats in the area.

I highly recommend taking a local friend (someone who speaks Japanese) with you so you can be a better guest, just in case you are unfamiliar with local customs.

This unique cafe is located along Route 6 heading towards the Cape. If you don’t know what the sign looks like it would be easy to miss, because it is very small. It is pictured on the map in the directions given below.

It’s best to park a little bit away from the actual house since there is a limited amount of parking space and a steep hill in front of and next to the house. To get inside the home, we rang the doorbell and the hosts kindly guided us upstairs.

Since they were hosting several guests at the time, there was about a 10 minute wait. We asked the owner if we could go out on the patio to enjoy the view. It wasn’t the typical clear and sunny day, but the view was still pleasing.

The entire area was extremely quiet, except for the light chatter and jazz playing from the home, which we couldn’t hear at all outside. Once the signature tables were available, we went back inside and began looking through the menu.

The menu itself is a photo album with menu choices in both Japanese and English. There are several different styles of food ranging from local to Italian, I think it just depends on what they feel like making that day.

We ordered separate menu sets of pork dishes and shared (it’s extremely delicious food). The macha pudding was a very good dessert choice instead of the cake (I still want some). We didn’t stay very long after eating since more local customers were coming in.

Things to consider:

• Please do not bring small children (for obvious reasons)
• Please bring yen
•  Please be courteous and quiet (you are in someone’s personal space)
•  Ask politely (they tend to say yes)

Hours: Saturday and Sunday 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Closed weekdays.

Phone: 098-982-9850

Address: 925-1 Senaha, Yomitan-son, Nakagami-gun, Okinawa

Directions:

1. From Kadena Gate 1, turn right on 58, heading north. Continue for 8.5 km
2. After 1.2 km take a slight left.
3. In 350 meters turn right.
4. In 900 meters turn left at the Yomitan Village Office.
5. After 900 meters take your first right onto 12. Continue on 12 until it dead ends into Route 6.
6. Turn right on Route 6, toward the cape. Continue 1.8 km and then turn right.
7. In 110 meters, the restaurant will be on your right.

map downloaded from: zanpatei.com

(Editor’s Note: These directions were written by the editor using the pin below.  If you feel these directions are not up to standard, please submit your own in the comments below and we will be happy to update this post.)

Map Coordinates: 26.430324, 127.730519

Website: http://www.zanpatei.com/

CONTRIBUTED BY EMILY BUREK

Cafe Flamenca Seating

A couple of weeks ago I was driving around when I noticed what appeared to be a small cafe. I could see a case that had a small selection of pastries so I saved the location on my phone because I had to get back to work. A couple of days later I was able to make it back to the quaint Cafe Flamenco Cada Dia.

It seemed like a new place and I was excited to try it. I parallel parked right outside of the front door, which was nice because I didn’t have a lot of time. When I walked in I was greeted by two lovely young women who were eager to help and a small, very well behaved dog! The interior was clean, sleek and modern but still comfortable and relaxing. There was counter seating as well as  some couches and tables. Definitely more room in here than other cafes I’ve been to.

Their menu was very small, consisting of sweets, a few drinks and a quiche or bagel plate. I was going to order a quiche plate but one of the women told me no when I asked for take out. It seems that only baked goods and drinks are available to go.

So I ordered the green smoothie and a small tart that had some delicious looking strawberries on top. I was tempted to take some cookies home, but the tart was big enough to get me though until lunch. The smoothie was creamy and refreshing-not too sweet like some smoothies can be. I was able to watch them make it right behind the counter. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw them cutting up fresh fruit, and the strawberry tart was a perfect snack to go with my smoothie.

For only 1,000 yen, the bagel and the quiche plate looked like they came with a small salad or soup. It seems like a great place for a light lunch or coffee break. I can’t wait to go back to try another smoothie and one of the lunch plates.

Hours:

11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Closed Tuesday

**11:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Take-Away only

Phone: 098-989-6270

Payment: Yen only

Address: 3 Chome-17-1 Miyazato  Okinawa, Okinawa Prefecture

Directions: From Kadena Gate 2 head straight towards the 330. Turn left at 330. Continue over until you reach 329. Turn right on 329. About two lights down turn left, then the cafe will be on your right.

Map Coordinates: 26.3359583, 127.8112258

Website:  Cafe Flamenco Cada Dia

Special Note: Upon further investigation, it appears they also offer Flamenco lessons after the cafe closes. So Cafe Cada Dia Flamenco is the place to be in Okinawa for Spanish folk music and dance! Who knew!?

CONTRIBUTED BY BOB ROBERTS

We recently stopped at an Okinawan family restaurant called Haebaru Drive In Restaurant. The front of the building proudly proclaims that it was established in 1972. The parking lot has plenty of spaces for customers. It has a big statue of a shishi dog (aka shisa dog) at the front of the parking lot and honestly, it was the main reason we decided to stop there. I figured any place with a giant shishi dog statue has to be worth trying.

Upon entering the restaurant we were offered our choice of a table and chairs or a shorter table on traditional tatami mats. The restaurant is well-lit and has an old fashioned Japanese family restaurant type atmosphere. I didn’t count the tables, but I’m guessing it could seat around 20 families comfortably.

We chose to sit at a taller table because I’m tall and short tables and I have had our differences in the past. By the time we sat down, a waitress had brought water and hot tea for everyone, a second waitress brought over the menus at the same time.

A quick note about the menus: they were in Japanese, but all the food on the menu had a picture directly above it, so there’s no guessing about what you ordered here! The only thing unaccompanied by pictures was the drink selection. In my limited Japanese I asked about the drinks and was told that they had a normal range of coffee, tea and soda. We all decided to stick with the water and tea, but it’s great to have options. The menu is expansive and includes American favorites such as spaghetti and barbecued chicken.

Almost as soon as we had ordered our food, the waitress brought us some surprise bowls of potato soup. When I started eating it, I realized just how much I had wanted a bowl of potato soup, and it really whetted my appetite for the rest of the meal. In addition to being nutritious and delicious, the soup helped make the short wait for the rest of our lunch even shorter.

I wasn’t even close to the bottom of the bowl when my large order of chicken fried rice arrived, it smelled great and tasted exactly the way chicken fried rice should taste.

My wife ordered a tonkatsu/hamburger plate, and was kind enough to share a couple of pieces of the tonkatsu with me. It was very tender and made me wish I had ordered two plates instead of just one.

Our son ordered a bowl of Okinawan soba, but wouldn’t share any with me. I guess I’ll have to take the empty bowl at the end of lunch to mean that it was good as well.

The waitresses were very attentive throughout the meal; filling up both our water and tea glasses several times during our stay. They also offered my wife a to-go box when they realized that she wasn’t going to be able to eat everything that was on her plate.

The prices were reasonable. A large plate of chicken fried rice was less than 700 Yen.

Hours: 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 p.m., seven days a week.

Phone: 098-889-4719

Payment: Yen only

Address: 666−1 Miyahira, Haebaru

Directions:

1. Going south on the expressway take exit 1 towards Naha IC.
2. Stay on this road until exit A1 (first exit)
3. Turn right onto 329
4. Drive approximately 1 km
5. Haebaru Drive In Restaurant is on the right.

Google Maps Coordinates: 26.1968324, 127.7315536

CONTRIBUTED BY LIZ MCGINNIS

Café Mofgmona is a hidden gem in Ginowan. My husband and I decided to search for a new lunch place. We were feeling adventurous and decided to drive around. We came across this quaint café just before opening time but decided to walk around until it opened at 11:30am. I am so glad that we decided to wait because it was truly a great find.

The café opened promptly at 11:30am. The menus are only in Japanese and neither the lady nor the gentleman working there spoke English. That did not deter us. The lady brought a board to our table with 4 lunch items listed on it in Japanese. I randomly chose number 2, while my husband chose number 1. The meals come in sets with rice and tea. There were 2 options for the rice and I just pointed to one and selected the hot tea. We also decided to add a dessert to our set for an extra 300 yen.

Not long after our order was placed, a bowl of soup arrived at our table. It was hot, creamy and delicious! It tasted like pumpkin soup. Our soups were served in handmade pottery bowls that are sold there at the café. Just as our empty soup bowls were taken away, the gentleman came to our table with our main dishes. My husband’s dish came with a bed or rice, crisp salad, vegetables and chicken. He was also served a beef and cabbage broth. My dish was similar except that it did not include the chicken or beef broth, so it appeared that I had ordered the vegetarian option.

The food was amazing! We ate everything on our plates. After our meal, our hot teas arrived in the beautiful handmade pottery mugs and soon after our desserts also arrived. My husband had ordered a sponge cake and I had ordered a chocolate cake. It was pretty exciting not knowing what to expect but even more exciting when we discovered that the food was so delicious!

We will definitely be going back to Café Mofgmona and would like to try their dinner menu next. If their lunch menu is any indication to what we can expect, we will be sure to enjoy dinner there as well. We learned that we shouldn’t be afraid to try new places, even if there aren’t English menus available. We were pleasantly surprised by our experience!

The Café is quaint and filled with antique furniture, their handmade pottery and lots of interesting books. The cool doorknob is a water faucet. Located upstairs on the third floor of the building, is the pottery shop (Mofgmona No Zakka). The stairwell is located on the outside to the right of the café’s door.

The shop’s hours differ from the cafe. The restaurant is open Fri-Sun from 2:00pm to 8:00pm.

Hours: Monday to Friday 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 (Lunch)  Monday to Friday 5:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. (Cafe Hours/Dinner)

Saturday 3:00 p.m. – 12:00 p.m., Sunday 3:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. Closed Tuesday for Cafe/Dinner

Phone: 098-893-7303

Payment: Yen only

Address: 2 Chome-1-29 Ginowan, Ginowan-shi, Okinawa-ken 901-2211

Directions: 

• From the Foster Legion Gate, take a right onto 330.
• As 330 turns to 81, take a left to continue on 330.
• Go about 2.4 miles. You will come to an intersection where 330 and 32 meet.
• Make a slight right at this intersection.
• Café Mofgmona will be on your right hand side. Just a few feet from there, you will find the parking lot for the café.

Map Coordinates: 26.2627319, 127.76024230000007

Website: http://mofgmona.com/

CONTRIBUTED BY EMILY BUREK

I love the tacos in Okinawa! They look like the hard-shelled type and are a bit crunchy, but have the flexibility of a soft taco. The fillings are always simple- but fresh, and they are usually pretty inexpensive.

I also love fried food- especially fried bread! Now make it even more enticing by filling it with stewed meat and vegetables or sweet adzuki beans, and ahhhh… perfect for the road!

These two delicious items can be conveniently purchased at the same location: Gate 1 Tacos and Antoshimo, located just south of Nago. The shared space has picnic tables and everything is served to-go. The area is clean and the employees seem so happy every time we have been.

Hopefully it is somewhat obvious what Gate 1 Tacos serves. In addition to tacos, they also have taco rice, soba soup and french fries. The adjoining restaurant, Antoshimo, serves stuffed fried breads. The outside is covered in small crunchy nibs and the inside is soft and chewy. Even though they are fried, they are not greasy. A nice light snack- we usually order them after our round of tacos and take them for later.

To order from either restaurant, there is a ticket machine located in the middle of the two counters. If you need to break a bill larger than 1,000 they will be happy to make change for you inside. The machine is in Japanese, but there are pictures on most of the items. My dining partner and I are pretty sure that the bottom row (with no pictures) is for drinks. All the prices are 200 yen. We always just press any 200 yen button and ask for melon soda.

So if you are heading north and need a quick snack or an ice-cold pop, stop in and check this place out. After looking up Antoshimo it appears they are a large chain with locations all over Asia.

Hours: 12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Phone: 098-967-7553

Payment: Yen only

Address: 106 Nakama, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa-ken 904-0401, Japan

Map Coordinates: 26.516106, 127.91899

Website: http://antoshimo.jp/shops/onna/

CONTRIBUTED BY SHELL BURGER

While wandering around American Village this past weekend with my family, we came across an amazing café that not only serves what I believe to be some of the best French toast and coffee I have had in a long time, but it also has an amazing ocean view. Most people do not venture further back than the Village House and Pink Dracula building, but if you cross the little drive behind the building there is another building that has some really quaint shops and R-Café.

My husband and I were just out for a walk and had no intention of taking our 4 year old and 4 month old out to eat, but when we passed R-café and saw the pictures for some of their dishes, we just couldn’t resist. The café offers both inside and outside seating and the staff is extremely friendly. Since it was a Sunday afternoon we were seated right away and provided with a menu that had English translations. The menu is pretty limited to breakfast-type foods, but that was okay with us. They offered a variety of gourmet looking French toast, as well as, breakfast plates and sandwiches. Since my family can eat breakfast at any time of the day we were all set.

Our 4 year old daughter could not resist the Chocolate French Toast on the menu. It came out with a scope of vanilla ice cream on top. She was in hog heaven to be able to have ice cream with her meal. One of my favorite breakfasts is eggs benedict and I was lucky enough to find it on the menu. They were amazing. And I am not just saying that since I had to give them up while I was pregnant last year with my 4 month old daughter. The sauce was just right and the eggs were cooked perfectly to allow just enough yolk to ooze out when cut into.

My husband decided to go for something with more substance and went with a sausage plate, which included scrambled eggs, potatoes, French toast, and a cold Japanese bean salad. As an add-on to any meal you can add on any drink from their drink menu except for alcohol for only 200 yen more.   Seeing Mocha on the menu I had to give it a try, and I was not disappointed. It was as good if not better than coffee from a coffee house.

The ambiance of R-cafe had a modern feel mixed with casual charm, providing a very welcoming environment. I could see myself coming back with my family, as well as, going here with co-workers. Or hanging out with friends and grabbing a drink. They offer a variety of alcoholic drinks as well.

Phone: 098-936-2600

Payment: Yen and Credit.

Hours: 1130-2000 (Last Order 19:30)

Directions: From Kadena Gate 1 turn Left onto 58, go to the American Village intersection past 23 before 330. You will see the large Ferris Wheel at the entrance. Turn right into American Village. Park in the farthest back lot, typically park by Pink Dracula, but you can drive behind American Village and there is a small lot in front of the building. If you park by Village House/Pink Dracula walk through the buildings to the back, cross the small road in the back to get to the back building. R-café can be access from the walk-way by the seawall or inside the building next to the Christmas Shop.

CONTRIBUTED BY BRONSON ROBINSON

Have you ever eaten at a new restaurant and enjoyed it so much that you wanted to tell everyone about it, and then immediately you decided that this was a bad idea and you didn’t want to tell anyone so as to keep it all to yourself? Well, this is exactly what I experienced after eating at Gozza for the first time.

Gozza has been in town for about six months now, and for the last three months, my wife and I have been enjoying their food routinely. It wasn’t until recently that I decided to finally share this hidden gem with the rest of the population.

Photo courtesy of Gozza

I asked the owner/head chef what type of food he would classify his restaurant as and he explained that he didn’t want to box himself (and restaurant) into one specific genre or category and that he preferred to offer many different dishes from many different categories. It was immediately apparent to us the first time we ate there that it was a special place (which is somewhat rare in Okinawa, in my opinion), but after hearing the owner (who recently moved here from mainland Japan with his wife) describe his style of cooking and not wanting to limit his tastes and creativity to a particular style, it just solidified to us the level of individual we were dealing with and his passion for cooking.

Photo courtesy of Gozza

The chef said he worked at a fancy Cajun restaurant in Osaka which is where he got his passion for creating Cajun-styled dishes and for thinking outside the box, but if I had to try and put Gozza into a category myself I would say it is world cuisine. There are some French dishes, some Italian dishes, even a Spanish dish or two, but all sort of put together in that way that Japanese do.

There are over 40 dishes to choose from on their normal dinner menu, not including dessert. Most of their plates are about the same size of if not a little larger than your average tapas plate found in the states and are good to share between two people. The average price per plate is between 450 yen and 850 yen. My wife and I usually eat 4-5 plates plus a glass of wine for her and the bill is around 3,000 – 4,000 yen (depending on what exactly we ordered of course).

The atmosphere is cozy and would be a great spot for a date or a social get together (we have done both here). The thing we love about the place is that it is off the beaten path. Oh yeah, and the food is excellent; did I mention that yet?

Their English speaking skills are limited and they do not take credit card, however their menu is written in both Japanese and English and contains many pictures. I haven’t had any difficulties understanding what is in the dish and/or ordering personally, so I think it is a good place to eat at even if you don’t do Japanese.

Back to Gozza though, I highly recommend trying out this place. My prediction though is that it they are going to get really busy in the future, and if the chef grows from his successes, the food may become fancier and more expensive in the future. My advice is to try it while you can still walk in with no reservation needed.

Some of my personal favorites are their pepper tuna which is like a tataki style tuna with this amazing sauce drizzled over it and some delicious pepper corns on top.

The fried catfish they serve, although a personal American favorite, is the first I’ve ever eaten in Japan and is so much better than any catfish I’ve eaten stateside! They serve it with some homemade pickle tartar-type sauce, which surprisingly really works for me.

Photo courtesy of Gozza

Almost all of their pasta is great, but my favorite was the pescatore. Their anchovy potato wedges are also insanely good.

The Caesar salad with a wet egg on top and big strips of Okinawa pork makes me hungry just thinking about it. They serve pizzas and desserts, both of which I’ve heard are personal favorites of other patrons, however, I’ve just not yet tried them. This place was recently on Japanese TV and their desserts seemed to get half of the 8 minutes of airtime all to themselves from what I recall, so I shall have to try them out sometime; I’m just not a big dessert guy.

Photo courtesy of Gozza

Gozza is set in a unique location with great views and lots of space inside. If timed right you can see the sunset behind Cape Zampa (or Zanpa, depending on who you talk to) in the far distance while eating a delicious dinner. I would say check it out for yourself and pick your own future favorites from the menu.

Photo courtesy of Gozza

Hours: 12:00 p.m. – midnight Wednesday through Monday.  Closed Tuesday.

Payment: Yen only

Phone: 098-923-3137

Address: 2427 Yamada, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa-ken 904-0416, Japan (Parking is no problem)

Directions: From Kadena gate 1, turn right on 58, heading north. Pass routes 16, 6, 12. At the light where you would turn left for Ryukyu Mura, stay straight. You will go through one more intersection, and then when you come to the next intersection after that, turn right. Make your first left and Gozza will be on your left. (Editor’s Note: These directions were written by the editor using the pin below.  If you feel these directions are not up to standard, please submit your own in the comments below and we will be happy to update this post.)

Facebook Page: Gozza

CONTRIBUTED BY SHELL BURGER

While wandering around American Village this past weekend with my family, we came across an amazing café that not only serves what I believe to be some of the best french toast and coffee I have had in a long time, but it also has an amazing ocean view. Most people do not venture further back than the Village House and Pink Dracula building, but if you cross the little drive behind the building there is another building that has some really quaint shops and R-Café.

My husband and I were just out for a walk and had no intention of taking our 4 year old and 4 month old out to eat, but when we passed R-café and saw the pictures for some of their dishes, we just couldn’t resist. The café offers both inside and outside seating and the staff is extremely friendly. Since it was a Sunday afternoon we were seated right away and provided with a menu that had English translations. The menu is pretty limited to breakfast-type foods, but that was okay with us. They offered a variety of gourmet looking French toast, as well as, breakfast plates and sandwiches. Since my family can eat breakfast at any time of the day we were all set.

Our 4 year old daughter could not resist the chocolate french toast on the menu. It came out with a scope of vanilla ice cream on top. She was in hog heaven to be able to have ice cream with her meal. One of my favorite breakfasts is eggs benedict and I was lucky enough to find it on the menu. They were amazing. And I am not just saying that since I had to give them up while I was pregnant last year with my 4-month-old daughter. The sauce was just right and the eggs were cooked perfectly to allow just enough yolk to ooze out when cut into.

My husband decided to go for something with more substance and went with a sausage plate, which included scrambled eggs, potatoes, french toast, and a cold Japanese bean salad. As an add-on to any meal you can add any drink from their drink menu (except for alcohol) for only 200 yen more. When I saw the mocha on the menu, I had to give it a try and was not disappointed. It was as good, if not better, than coffee from a coffee house.

The ambiance of R-cafe had a modern feel mixed with casual charm, providing a very welcoming environment. I could see myself coming back with my family, as well as, going here with co-workers, or hanging out with friends and grabbing a drink. They offer a variety of alcoholic drinks as well.

Hours: 11:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.  (Last Order 7:30 p.m.)

Phone: 098-936-2600

Payment: Yen and Credit

Address: 9-39 Mihama, Chatan-chō, Nakagami-gun, Okinawa-ken 904-0115, Japan

Directions: From Kadena Gate 1 turn Left onto 58, go to the American Village intersection past 23 before 330. You will see the large Ferris Wheel at the entrance. Turn right into American Village. Park in the farthest back lot, typically park by Pink Dracula, but you can drive behind American Village and there is a small lot in front of the building. If you park by Village House/Pink Dracula walk through the buildings to the back, cross the small road in the back to get to the back building. R-café can be access from the walk-way by the seawall or inside the building next to the Christmas Shop.

Map Coordinates: 26.3162139, 127.7538679

Website: http://www.rcafe.jp/

CONTRIBUTED BY AN NA CHEN

(In Aeon Yomitan Shopping Center)

When my husband and I first got to the island, we spent almost everyday eating at different types of restaurants. I guess, not having a house or utensils to cook with seemed like a pretty legit reason to spend all of our money on food. However, what I’ve come to realize is that the food here usually don’t cost a lot and it certainly fills you up.

This restaurant certainly fulfills the purpose of feeding my always-very-hungry husband, and satisfying me, the please-let’s-save-some-money wife. With that said, both of our meals came out to less than 1600 yen.

Their meal sets are called teishoku, which in Japanese usually means they include the main dish, rice, miso soup and some kind of pickled veggie (mine came with daikon). The food was great, but that might also be because we were really hungry. My only recommendation is that if you’re not used to natto (fermented beans), then please don’t order them. It’s an acquired taste and I made the mistake of not noticing them when I was ordering. All I can say is that I wasn’t ready, and I had to pick every single bean out of my bowl.

The desserts looked awesome and I wanted to try one, but I was way too full to fit anything else in my stomach.

Overall, this place was very good, clean, healthy, and even though they were short staffed, they were very polite.

From what I understand, there are chains of this restaurant everywhere in Okinawa and also in mainland Japan. The one that we went to is closest to Kadena. If you’re looking for other locations, please Google “Ootoya Gohandokoro Okinawa”.

Hours: 10:00-23:00

Phone: +81 98-956-7500

Payment: Yen (not sure about dollars, but they don’t take credit cards)

Address: 740 Furugen, Yomitan-son, Nakagami-gun, Okinawa-ken 904-0314, Japan

Coordinates: 26.368761, 127.7459001

Website: http://www.ootoya.com/index.html

CONTRIBUTED BY SHOKO TAMAKI

Oldies but goodies!  Do you love to swing, jive or twist? Gold Disc is the place where you can do it all.  This is my favorite place among all of the music clubs with live music in Okinawa. Although I never got to experience living in the 1950s, I have always loved the music that came out of the era, and here I get to experience it live, first hand. All you need is a ducktail or ponytail and to dress in a bowling shirt or long skirt, and you might actually feel like you’ve been transported in time.

Every night live bands take the stage performing music by Elvis Presley, Paul Anka, Chuck Berry, Neil Sedaka, Ray Charles, Connie Francis, the Supremes, etc… I love songs like “Jailhouse Rock,” “Rock Around the Clock,” “Calendar Girl,” “Stop in the Name of Love,” “Where the Boys Are,” … I can’t name them all because there are too many, but I do love songs during this period of time. The energetic performances always grab my attention and make me want to dance!

It is obvious that music is a global language as soon as you step into Gold Disc. The crowd consists of a wide range of different cultural backgrounds. People from Okinawa, Mainland Japan, Taiwan, China, Korea and the U.S., all gather to dance and sing along. As soon as the live music starts, guests get up from the seats, dance, sing and have fun! Since I have been here tons of times, I’ve learned most of the dance moves. On our last visit, my friends and I went up to the stage and danced with the band and other guests. I might be a clumsy dancer, but I don’t care – fun is fun!

We generally go to Gold Disc on weekdays because they run a special Monday through Thursday if you bring this coupon. For 3,000 yen (cover charge included), each person can order two dishes and enjoy all-you-can-drink & live music until the place closes! We usually go with a group and order our favorite dishes to share: caesar salad, cutlet, fried rice, steak, mochi ice cream, fish fries, etc.

Because it’s such an interactive place, it’s a perfect spot to celebrate birthdays or achievements because the band will make announcements and pull guests on to the stage. Every year, I hold my birthday party here, and I feel special every time I have celebration there. We recently threw a surprise party for a friend, and when the band called her name from the stage she had no idea they were calling her up. She rolled her eyes when she figured it out, but you just can’t help but have a good time! The band sang a birthday song for her, while the staff served a cake and a cocktail to our table.

If you enjoy singing, dancing, and Rock ‘n’ Roll, add Gold Disc to your list of places to check out.

Hours: 

Monday to Thursday: 6:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.

Friday and Saturday: 6:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m.

Sunday: 6:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.

Phone:  (098) 868 – 1268

Payment: Yen and Credit Card

Price: Cover charge- 1,500 yen

Address: 2 Chome-16-10 Matsuyama, Naha-shi, Okinawa-ken 900-0032, Japan

Directions:

• Take Route 58 and go down toward Naha City.
• After passing Tomarin / Tomari Port in Naha City, make a right turn from Matsuyama Crossing.
• After passing a karaoke box “SHIDAX” on the left side, make a left turn from a convenience store “LAWSON.”
• You will find “Gold Disc” on the right side. A flower shop and a toll-parking are located across from “Gold Disc.”

GPS Coordinates: 26.2194616, 127.6797646

Website: http://gold-disc.net/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/gold.disc.696

CONTRIBUTED BY ALLI MARTIN

If you are shopping at one of the many furniture shops in the Living Design Square and are looking for a bite to eat, look no further. Soup Soup is a surprisingly bright and open café lined with windows and is located upstairs in the Living Design Square where you will find Grace furniture store. Not only is it convenient, but it is  yummy!

Place your order at the front counter, grab your table, and wait for your buzzer to go off.

We have only been for lunch, but they serve dinner as well. I am not sure what their dinner menu consists of, but they had risotto listed as the special on their menu board, so probably pastas, rice dishes and soup.

For lunch, we always order the “Regular Set” with a large bowl of soup. This set includes your choice of soup(s), salad dressing for your salad, bread or rice, and a drink. If you are thinking soup won’t fill you up, you’re wrong! We pack a mean appetite and we are always full after eating here. Trick: if you order the large bowl of soup, you can order two small bowls instead… so you get to try two soups for the price of one.

Here is a picture of our order. The Tomato Cream with Meatball Stew (pictured on top) is the hubby’s go-to and I split the difference between that one and the Curry Pumpkin Porridge. Both are amazingly delicious!

For my fellow carb-loving friends, make sure you order bread (not rice) and head on over to the selection of homemade rolls. They always have a variety of flavors – spinach, wheat, rosemary, Okinawan sweet potato, pumpkin, etc. AND the bread is unlimited! We always grab one of each.

Soup Soup is located upstairs by Grace Furniture in the Living Design Square off the 329.

Hours: 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Payment: Yen and Credit Card

Address: 3-20-1 Yogi, Okinawa, Okinawa Prefecture 〒904-2174, Japan

Coordinates: 26.3073793, 127.81421380000006

Directions:

From Camp Foster:

• Exit the Legion gate and continue straight on the 81.
• Turn Left onto the 329 and the Living Design Square will be on the right.
• Soup Soup is upstairs by Grace Furniture.

From Kadena:

• Exit Gate 2 and turn right on the 330.
• You will see the big Aeon mall and turn left on the 85 as if you were going to the mall.
• Go straight and hit the next major street (after the tunnel) 329 and turn right.
• The Living Design Square will be on the left.

CONTRIBUTED BY BRANDI JAKUBOWICZ

I am a person who likes dessert. I am also a person that is very picky about the desserts that I like. I like desserts that leave me thinking about them later… long after they have been eaten, and have me looking for a reason to enjoy them again.

One night after a delicious sushi dinner with my husband and some friends, we found a place that did just this. It is in a wonderful location, as it is located between two of my favorite sushi restaurants on the island: Newport Sushi and Yoshihachi Sushi, both of which I recommend that you try if you have not already. This sweet little gem, that we happened to stumble upon, is called Entremets. When you walk inside, not only are you immediately exposed to wonderful smells that are coming from the kitchen, but also a beautiful presentation of individual treats that range from cookies and cream puffs, to cakes and fruit tarts. There are also full sized cakes and treats that have very unique decorations and designs.

Everything is showcased with care and includes labels in English with prices clearly written. The shop is small, but inviting, and has a charming display of various owl décor. The staff is very friendly and professional and took care to wrap each of our desserts in adorable little boxes for our to-go order. There is one little table within the shop, should you chose to eat your dessert right away- which you may want to do if you know what you are getting.

I have visited this shop twice now. On my first visit, we purchased 2 different items, both of which were delicious. I had a mascarpone triangle and my husband had the cream puffs. I would recommend them both! We also had the extreme good fortune to be gifted with a bonus strawberry shortcake like dessert that we also very much enjoyed, even typically being someone that is swooned only by chocolate. I am unsure if the extra gift was because it was our first time, or because it was around 8 PM and they were closing soon. Either way it was delicious and made us feel very special.

We were so impressed with this little bakery that a few weeks later, after having dinner with some family at Yoshihachi, we again visited Entremets. We all ordered a dessert to go and again everyone was very pleased and the staff was wonderful. I had a chocolate mousse that was airy and delicious, and my husband had a packaged pistachio cookie that he found delightful. On this visit we were given a frequent customer punch card that has 35 squares for punches. I am not sure what happens after they are all full, as the staff’s English is very limited, but I am sure it will be something great!

If you have room after dinner, or are just looking for a special treat, you should stop into Entremets. You will not be disappointed.

Hours: 9:30 AM -8:00 PM Monday through Saturday, and every first and third Sunday

Phone:  098-936-5281 

Payment: Yen Only

Address: 595 Kuwae, Chatan-chō, Nakagami-gun, Okinawa-ken 904-0103, Japan

Directions:

• From Kadena Gate 1, turn left, heading south onto 58
• Make a left on 23
• At the first light make a right
• Entremets will be on your right. If you hit a light you have just passed it

Coordinates: 26.3238271, 127.7701945

CONTRIBUTED BY DARREN SHAVER

Here in Hamby Town, a restaurant has recently opened which deserves to be classed as genuine Turkish cuisine. A young couple, the fellow from Turkey and his wife from Japan, have opened up a small restaurant two blocks north of Hamby Town San-A, very close to the main entrance of Araha Beach Park. For those familiar with Dean’s Kitchen, they have taken over that location.

For a starter, we were given a small portion of hummus and baba ganoush, both of which were excellent, clearly homemade and delivered with a nice presentation on crackers. The hummus was flavorful, moist without being too oily; and the baba ganoush was extremely delicious, even to someone who would normally avoid eggplant entirely.

Next, we ordered two kebab wraps, for our picky eaters, with the salad on the side, and two wrap sets for us. There was no problem at all having the salad separate, as our hostess spoke very good English. One of the kebab wrap sets came with soup and fries, the other came with rice and salad. The soup is homemade tomato with a nice flavor that introduced the other food quite well.

Currently, E&C is offering three different types of kebab: lamb, beef and chicken. We’ve all tried the lamb, a few times now, and it is really fantastic. The meat is flavorful, nicely spiced and cooked well without being dry or tough. Overall, very succulent and really the one dish which has kept us coming back. We also tried the chicken, which was also spiced well and also very tasty.

The restaurant itself is very pleasant with hand painted drawings in the interior and Middle Eastern objects placed about tastefully. There are hand-knotted rugs on the walls and a picture of Turkey on the front window. Overall it is a welcoming little place. There are about four tables inside and two on the veranda. The neighborhood is very quiet and sitting on the veranda, which has an awning, was very pleasant in nice weather.

The pricing is slightly higher than the other kebab place in the neighborhood, but the lamb is unique and worth a visit all by itself. See picture of menu below:

Hours:  Closed Mondays. Tuesday to Sunday: Lunch 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., Dinner: 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. (Last Order)

Phone: 098-927-0189

Payment: Yen, Debit Card, Credit Cards

Address: 2 Chome-10-5 Chatan, Chatan-chō, Nakagami-gun, Okinawa-ken 904-0116, Japan

Coordinates:  26.3030401, 127.76054010000007

Directions: From Camp Foster,

Take a right on 58 North when leaving the commissary gate, then take a left at the light which is just after the Hamby Town San-A. The Brand Plaza store is on the corner and the local police station is on the opposite corner. Take a left, drive down past San-A (Climax Coffee is on the right), and then take a right at the light right in front of the park. Take the very next right, then left again, then right. The restaurant is on the north side of the street to your left. If you run into the building that has Asian Danny’s, you’ve gone too far.

Email: okinawakebab@gmail.com

Facebook: E-C Turkish Kebabs

CONTRIBUTED BY: BETHANY BRONSON

It was my 30^th birthday. I told my husband that I wanted him to surprise me with where we went to dinner because for my birthday I didn’t want to have to be decisive. After talking to friends at work, he chose a fancy French restaurant with an amazing view that we hadn’t visited before: Lierre Blanc.

I have to warn you, the road going up to the restaurant is scary terrifying. Like going up a really steep rollercoaster without the knowledge that your seat is securely attached to the frame. That being said, it was worth the fright.

We arrived and just stood for a moment in the parking lot admiring the view. When we finally went up to the restaurant, we were greeted and seated immediately. The waitress took us back to a secluded area with the same amazing view we had been appreciating in the parking lot. The décor was lovely; nice but not so fancy that my husband felt out of place in his nice jeans and polo shirt.

We were brought water and the waitress explained the menu to us. The menu on the table has English, but it doesn’t explain any of the main courses you can choose from. You can choose a five course meal with one main dish or two main dishes. I don’t know how often the main dishes change (they were written on a chalk board in Japanese) but we had five options: duck, beef, quail pie, steak and fish. My husband always goes for steak, but I wanted to be adventurous and ordered the quail pie.

The first course came out – a cold plum carrot soup with some bread with a slice of cold meat on top. It was delicious! The second course was a vegetable turkey dish; another cold dish which was perfect on that warm day. There was cooked cauliflower, tomatoes, heart of palm, cucumbers and clams topped with sliced turkey and served in a vegetable type of broth/paste. It tasted just as good as it looked. Next came a corn chowder for my husband and a creamy risotto for me. We were so excited when it came to the table that I forgot to get a picture! My husband didn’t think the corn chowder was anything particularly special, but my creamy risotto was perfect. Then it was time for our main dishes. They didn’t ask how my husband wanted his steak cooked, so it was cooked a little more than he prefers but was still good.  My quail pie looked like a little quail wrapped up in pastry. I don’t know that I would order it again, but it was good and a fun experience.  Dessert came as a little medley of 4 different treats. A rich, thick chocolate cake, cheesecake, green ice cream (we couldn’t decide what flavor it was) and a strawberry fluff. Everything tasted wonderful and was fun to mix up and eat together.

The whole time, our waitress would nonchalantly check on our progress and quickly bring out our next course as soon as we finished the current one.  Although her English was limited, everything went very smoothly and the evening was relaxing and enjoyable.  My husband and I hadn’t been out on a date with just the two of us for quite a long time, and this was perfect for us.  It is a great place for adults to go to dinner, but I would not recommend bringing small children.

I’m not sure if reservations are needed, but we made one and I believe they are at least highly advised.  It wasn’t busy there on a Wednesday evening when we went, but they asked if we had a reservation when we arrived.

The total price for my husband and myself ended up being right around 5000 yen without any alcohol.

Hours: Lunch 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Dinner 6:00 p.m. – 9:30p.m.

Phone:  098-926-0174

Payment:  Credit cards, yen

Address: 315-1 Yoshihara, Chatan, Nakagami District, Okinawa Prefecture 904-0105, Japan

Directions:

• From Kadena gate 2:  Turn right after the little bridge onto 23.
• Turn left at the stoplight with the red and white 100 yen store on your right, continue until you see a Coco de Bake on your left.
• Turn left at the stoplight after Coco de Bake.
• Continue past the mausoleums, and follow the road around a big curve to the right.  It will then curve to the left and you will see a park on your left.
• Turn left onto the second street on the left.  (If you get to the stoplight by the Japanese elementary school, you have gone too far.  You can still turn here, then take your first left and it will be the road the restaurant is on.) 
• Take your first left. (This is the super scary crazy uphill road.)  You will see the restaurant on your right, by a big container that looks like a water reservoir.  The restaurant looks like a white apartment building with the parking underneath.  Look for the sign on the front.

Coordinates: 26.3161, 127.77453609999998

Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/110276849317311449046/about?gl=US&hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Restaurant-Lierre-Blanc/435321019858255

CONTRIBUTED BY: HANNAH CURTIS

If I am completely honest with you, I am not really a hotdog fan. My husband & I joke that it’s because I don’t have any ‘American’ in me (I am from New Zealand), but after hearing about The Doghouse and their unique hot dog flavors I was not only excited about heading there for lunch, but I also suggested it!

The Doghouse which opened late 2014 by a Japanese/American husband & wife duo is located on 329 in Nakagusuku; really easy to get to especially from Camp Foster.

As soon as we walked in the girls made a beeline for the kids area; as parents we absolutely love it when we find places with kids play areas, it makes dining just that much more relaxing!

With the girls happy & content playing we headed to the counter to check out the menu and order (as well as the hanging menu board, they also have some other options on the counter); classic dogs for the girls, a pizza dog for myself, and the genius idea of a Japanese curry dog for hubs.

Didn’t taco-rice come around by marrying the American’s love of tacos with the Japanese love of rice? I guess the curry-dog is just another way of marrying the two cultures/cuisines together!

My pizza dog was really good, unfortunately the curry dog was demolished before I could get a bite but he did say it was awesome!  My oldest was pretty excited about her hotdog too, however my youngest was too busy playing so we ended up taking hers to go… but not before ordering another, this time the Chili Cheese Jalapeno dog. It wasn’t because we were hungry, we just really wanted to try as many flavors as we could!  We split this one in half and it was definitely my favorite!

As well as hotdogs, they serve sides of nachos, potato chips, coleslaw, ice-cream and homemade applesauce. Hot dogs range in price from 240 yen – 390 yen.

We didn’t try the Italian Soda, but I seriously contemplated getting one…with added ice-cream of course!

Erin (the co-owner), was working the day we visited, and was so lovely; whenever she wasn’t preparing food, or serving others she would come and hang out on the ‘shop floor’ to chat with her customers!

Despite my dislike of hot dogs I am really looking forward to returning to try some of the other flavors, particularly the pineapple chili dog!

Hours: Saturday & Sunday (11.00 – 20.30)

Phone: 098-955-5351

Payment: Yen, dollars, Visa, MasterCard & American Express

Address: 1919 Kuba, Nakagusuku-son, Nakagami-gun, Okinawa-ken 901-2401, Japan

Directions:

Coordinates: 26.2871006, 127.81505879999997

Parking: for up to 6 cars

Website:   http://www.thedoghouse.jp

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedoghousejp?fref=ts  (I recommend following their facebook page because they will post if they are sold out for the day which could save you the drive over)

CONTRIBUTED BY SHANNON ROMAN

If you haven’t checked out the Green River Café, you are missing out on delicious food and live entertainment. It opened just a couple of months ago and the vibe feels like the island’s own original Hard Rock Café- with guitars decorating the walls and an area or two set up next to the tables for live music. In the daytime, you walk up to a cute, oddly shaped, cottage looking building; but as night falls, the outdoor lighting transforms the entire vibe. On weekends, there are usually musicians performing a variety of music styles. Green River Cafe is a perfect mix of two of our favorite things in life… FOOD and MUSIC!

They offer a variety of cuisines, so you are likely to find something for every member of the family. My husband is a steak-and-potatoes kind of guy, so when he opened the menu and saw hamburger steak listed, he was sold! There are many other choices including pizza, salads and appetizers. Our favorite appetizer, by far, was the lumpia, which is a Chinese pastry similar to a fried spring roll. Many of the entrees were priced between 1000-1600 yen.

They were incredibly accommodating of our children as well. We sat outside on the balcony, overlooking the river, which kept the kids entertained looking for fish and turtles while we waited for our food. The chef, Jun, came out to the table to greet us and then chatted for a few minutes after we had eaten.

Additionally, Green River Cafe is extremely easy to get to and has convenient parking, which we all know is an unspoken luxury! Prior to living in Okinawa, I never knew just how much parking availability would affect my decision on where to eat. If you are like us, and travel in a relatively large car due to family size, this is always a concern. There were 12 or more parking available right outside of the restaurant!

Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 12: 00 a.m.

Phone: 098-957-2554

Payment: Cash, Visa, Mastercard

Address: 315-4 Kadena, Kadena-chō, Nakagami-gun, Okinawa-ken 904-0203, Japan

Directions: From Kadena Gate 1, turn right onto 58. Follow 58 for 3.3 miles and turn left. You will see a little sign on the left that says Green River Cafe.

Coordinates: 26.3676945, 127.75504410000008

Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Green-River-Cafe-Kadena/966904716665336?fref=ts

CONTRIBUTED BY: LAURA PITA

My girlfriends and I had lunch at this little Cafe a few weeks ago and the food was so delicious I knew I had to share it with you guys. Ima Café is just a few minutes outside of Kadena Gate 2, on 20, and the perfect lunch spot! *Be sure to arrive a few minutes before 11:30 because apparently it gets very popular at lunch time.

They have a small lunch menu that has 5 sets w/ drink included, one of them being the weekly special. There is also a great coffee selection, but be ready to wait a long time. If you’re a coffee lover I suggest you order it as soon as you get seated.

The three of us tried different sets, the salmon sashimi bowl with avocado and raw egg; the hamburger set with sunny-side up egg; and the set of chicken cutlet with cream cheese sauce. Sets included cabbage salad with homemade carrot dressing, soup, and rice. The food was absolutely amazing!

Like their homemade carrot salad dressing? You can actually purchase a little container of dressing by the register. Like many Okinawan Cafes there is a small section of handmade goodies, including jewelry and pottery, among other fun things.

Hours: Open Tuesday through Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Lunch is from 11:30 – 4:00

Last order for food is 5:00 and for tea is 5:30

Closed on Mondays

Phone Number: 098-989-1534

Payment: Japanese Yen Only

Address: 904-0031 Okinawa Prefecture, Okinawa, Uechi, 3 Chome−2−26

Directions: From Kadena Gate 2 go straight, on the second traffic light take a right onto 23. At the first traffic light in front of the Koza City Stadium sign take a left onto 20. The Café will be on your left before the next traffic light. There are only 3 parking spots.

Coordinates:  26.332533, 127.792819

Website: http://imacafe.ti-da.net/

CONTRIBUTED BY: THE THIRSTY SHISA

On May 15^th, I had the pleasure of attending the Okinawa Brewing Company’s grand opening of their new Mihama Café located in American Village. This new space not only offers them more room, but also allows them to operate a full service kitchen with a great menu. There is also a nice shady patio so you can enjoy a beer or two outside.

The first thing I did upon arriving was scope out the beer list. I was impressed to see 24 taps featuring both the beers of Okinawa Brewing Company, as well as other top-notch craft breweries such as Stone, Green Flash and Lagunitas. They also stock bottles from other acclaimed breweries like Prairie Artisan Ales and Rogue. It was a great surprise to see some familiar favorites from the United States.

One of the very friendly owners was there to greet customers, and he also described their Beni-Imo Extreme Ale to me. The Extreme Ale is a stronger version of their regular Beni-Imo Ale and  is made with twice the amount of the beni-imo purple sweet potatoes.

This beer was fantastic. It was bright, flavorful, and had a very unique color. The color was more that of a rosé wine than your traditional golden toned beer; however, it managed quite nicely to maintain the wonderful flavor that lets you know you are drinking a beer. Okinawa Brewing Company also makes a very fine India Pale Ale, which is not for the faint of heart at 75 IBUs or International Bittering Units. It is refreshing and full of hoppy citrus flavor.

As if the beer wasn’t reason enough to keep me coming back, the food was also outstanding. The menu features classic pub fare such as chicken wings, fish and chips, and shepherd’s pie. I tried ceviche fish tacos and a small plate of wings.  Both
were delicious.  The chicken wings can be ordered with various types of barbeque or hot sauces containing beer from Stone Brewing Company.

If you enjoy craft beer, Okinawa Brewing Company’s new establishment should be at the top of your to-do list. They boast an exciting taplist with American brews and their own creations. Also, be sure to sample their house beers– you will definitely be impressed.

Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., Friday 4:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m., Saturday & Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. Closed Tuesday.

Phone: (Brewery Office) 098-923-5850

Payment: Yen & Credit Cards

Address: 9−7 Mihama, Chatan-cho, Nakagami-gun, Okinawa-ken, 904-0115, Japan

Directions: Take a left out of the gate and head south on 58 for about 2km, turn right at into American Village at the Four Seasons restaurant and go through two sets of traffic lights. Restaurant is on the right next to the canal, across from Red Lobster

Coordinates: 26.3157861, 127.75582889999998

Website: http://okinawabrewing.com/

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Okinawa-Brewing-Mihama-Cafe/659660320829385