C&C breakfast

C&C breakfast cafe is located opposite the famous Pork Tamago Onigiri Honten shop. The restaurant offers an array of healthy breakfast dishes, such as pancakes and french toast with local fruits, acai bowls, sandwiches, omelets, salads, fresh juices, and smoothies.

The cafe is small but cozy. It is popular with locals and tourists, so it fills up fast, so best to get there early. I was lucky the day I went, there weren’t many customers. So I got there a little after 9 a.m. English menu is available, and the staff is friendly.

I ordered the Lilikoi sauce souffle pancake ( Lilikoi butter, cream, and passion fruit sauce)(800 yen). The souffle was airy and soft. However, the tart taste of the passionfruit sauce was more pronounced than I would like it. The cream helps balance out the tartness a little.

**Lilikoi butter is a curd of passion fruit juice, egg, butter, and sugar.

If you are in the area, this is a cute spot for breakfast or brunch.

C&C breakfast

Website: https://www.ccbokinawa.com/

Opening hours: Weekdays 9:00 a.m. – 14:00p.m., close on Tuesdays
Weekends 8:00 a.m. – 14:00 p.m.

Telephone: 0989279295

Address: Japan, 〒900-0014 Okinawa, Naha, Matsuo, 2 Chome−9−6 タカミネビル 1F

Nakamura soba

Nakamura soba is a no-frills restaurant serving Okinawan soba. The restaurant is located along Onna Sunset Coast road between ANA Intercontinental Manza Beach Resort and Hyatt Regency Seragaki Island resort and offers a panoramic view of the sea. There is outdoor seating at the back of the restaurant.

It is an excellent place for a quick lunch.

After a hearty meal, you can stroll on the beach across from the restaurant; it’s a quiet beach.

There are 6 different toppings to choose from –

Ahsa soba – seaweed soba noodles topped with seaweed, stewed pork belly, and boiled fish pastes.
So-ki soba – plain soba noodles topped with stewed pork ribs
Nakamura soba- plain soba noodles topped with stewed pork belly and pork ribs
Okinawa soba- plain soba noodles topped with pork belly and boiled fish paste.
Sanmainiku soba- plain soba noodles topped with three thick slices of pork belly.
Tebichi soba – plain soba noodles topped with pig trotters.

The noodles come in two sizes – medium and large. In addition, you can add a side of fried rice or Inari sushi for an extra 200 yen.

I went for the medium-sized So-Ki soba( 800 yen) with fried rice and Inari sushi. The food came out fast, and the staff was friendly. The pork was tender and flavorful. The noodles are chewy with an al dente texture, and the broth is light and aromatic. Delicious!

Nakamura Soba

Website: http://www.ii-okinawa.ne.jp/people/menmen/

Opening hours: Daily 10:30 a.m. – 17:00 p.m.

Telephone: (098) 966-8005

Address: Serakaki1669-1, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun 904-0404 Okinawa Prefecture

Taco rice with a seafront view

Taco rice is an iconic Okinawan dish that is a fusion of Japanese and Texmex. It is ground beef, cheese, lettuce, and tomato served on a bed of rice.

I stumbled upon this taco rice cafe as I looked for a place to have lunch, and I’m so glad I did. It’s a cozy little shop on the 2nd floor with beach vibes overlooking the beautiful emerald-blue sea. There is a small terrace seating area which is the perfect spot to enjoy the meal while taking in the breathtaking view of the ocean.

Customers can choose from a selection of 14 different toppings. Omutaco is the cafe’s original creation which is taco rice topped with fluffy eggs and is one of its popular dishes. I ordered the taco rice with avocado (860 yen). The beef was well-seasoned with a generous helping of cheese and fresh, crisp lettuce –Oishi!

Sadly, the diamond beach shop where I had the taco rice has been relocated to Onna village next to the Onna village elementary school. The new shop is located on the ground floor and has a modern cafe vibe and decor.

Taco Rice Cafe Kijimuna Onna Village Branch

Website: https://www.omutaco.com/

Opening hours: Daily 11:30 a.m. – 20:00 p.m.

Telephone: 098-966-8389

Address: 6092-1 Onna, Onna-mura, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa 904-0411

Jack’s steak house

Jack’s steak house is a long-established restaurant in Naha that opened in 1953. It used to be an “A-sign” restaurant that was an approved establishment for the US military personnel when Okinawa was still under American rule. The restaurant has maintained its retro old American diner decor. No reservations are available; however, service is fast, and you won’t have to wait long for a seat.

I arrived at the restaurant around 6 pm, which was already packed. There are three kinds of steak on the menu – tenderloin steak, New York steak, and hamburger steak. The tenderloin steak is available in three sizes; small, medium, and large, while the New York steak and hamburger steak comes in two sizes; large and small. All steaks come with a side of potato wedges and onions, soup, two toasted buttered buns, and salad. I opted for the medium tenderloin steak.

The soup was bland. It was a very light cream of corn soup. The steak was well done, but I was not impressed with the flavor. It was good but not outstanding. It lacked that rich smokey beef flavor.

Tenderloin steak (medium) ¥ 2,500

Jack’s steakhouse

Website: https://www.steak.co.jp/

Opening hours: Daily 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m (except for the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month)

Telephone: (098)868-2408

Address: 1-7-3 Nishi, Naha City

A humble Shokudo and Teishoku restaurant

Tokashiku beach

Aharen beach

I visited Tokashiki island in December. Many shops and restaurants were closed because it was not a peak tourist period. I took a taxi from Tokashiki port to Aharen beach. The taxi lady was kind to show me the open restaurants.

After a lovely soak in the sun and sea, I headed to a family-run Shokudo and Teishoku restaurant that the taxi lady recommended for lunch. Teishoku is a restaurant serving set menus, and Shokudo is a restaurant that serves a variety of inexpensive Japanese dishes. The interior of the restaurant was basic, with wooden tables and benches.

I ordered stir fry vegetables on Okinawa soba (700 yen). I opted to sit outside as it was a beautiful day with cool weather. The dish tasted home-cooked. The broth was flavorful. It was a simple yet satisfying meal.

喰呑屋バラック

Telephone: +81 98-987-3108

Opening hours: Open daily from 11:00 a.m. – 13:30 p.m., 17:30p.m. – 20:00 p.m.

Address: 145ｰ1 Aharen, Tokashiki, Shimajiri District, Okinawa 901-3502, Japan

Miso with a history

Tamanaha has been making miso since the Ryukyu Kingdom period. This miso warehouse is less than a 10-minute walk from Gibo station. The warehouse has an old exterior with a white sign “味噌醤油” (miso soy sauce) on the door. The miso here is produced through natural fermentation without additives. They sell four kinds of miso, and the information is available on their website.

I was greeted by a sweet old lady. I told her I wanted to buy miso, and she pointed to a glass display case on the left-hand side of the entrance. There were four types of miso on display. The descriptions were all in Japanese, so I asked if she could tell me the difference between the four. She could not speak English, so she took me to a room at the back of the building filled with barrels of miso with two other ladies packaging miso.

I thought she was going to get someone who could speak English to cater to me, but instead, she handed me a leaflet with information on the miso, took a scoop of miso from one of the barrels for me to taste, and pointed to the corresponding miso on the leaflet. I went on to taste the remaining three miso.

The miso was mild and umami with depth to the flavor.

I bought the uchimiso (540 yen) and dynasty miso (860 yen). The two are similar in taste; however, the dynasty miso is richer in flavor.

I definitely recommend this miso!

Tamanaha miso

Website: http://www.tamanahamiso.co.jp/index.html (only in Japanese)

Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 17:30 p.m.

Telephone: +81 98-884-1972

Address: 1-chōme-41 Shuriōnakachō, Naha, Okinawa 903-0823, Japan

A&W

One of my fondest memories as a child was going to A&W to have waffles and the root beer float with the family. I loved the crispy golden fluffy waffles with syrup and root beer float. It has been a long time since I have had A&W waffles, and I was really craving it.

I was excited to find out that there are A&W restaurants in Okinawa. There are several branches in Naha. I went to the A&W branch on Kokusai street. It is located on the second floor of the building. You definitely get the A&W vibe with the orange and brown counters, chairs, and tables when you enter the restaurant. I was greatly disappointed when waffles were not available, only waffle sundae. Anyhow, at least there is still the root beer float. So I ordered a root beer float and an apple pie.

To my dismay, the root beer float came in a plastic cup when it should be served in a chilled mug. Furthermore, there was too much ice cream and too little root beer. Finally, the apple pie was too sweet, and the crust was too thick and overdone.

Despite my disappointment, A&W is quite popular among the locals and foreigners.