The Best Restaurants In Mihama American Village! The Top 10 Restaurants In Okinawa!

“American Village” is one of the most popular sightseeing areas located in the central part of the main land of Okinawa. You can find literally anything such as hotels, beaches, and some shopping spots. An atmosphere not only during the day, but also at night is great as! There are a quite few beautiful gourmets you might find it hard to choose. In this article, I will introduce some of the best restaurants you must try.

Steak

If you fancy some meat in Okinawa, why not try “JUMBO STEAK HAN’S” which has 9 chain restaurants within Okinawa? As can be seen from its name, jumbo steak is the main menu here. No.1 menu is “1 Pound Jumbo Menu” which offers you a huge portion of 450g! It tastes so juicy with not too much fatty meat, and is great with the original sauce.

Inside the restaurant is in an American style with the wooden furnitures and some of them are made by the staff. Foreign people living around visit this place as well. There are some other menus such as sirloin steak of Ishigaki Beef as well as hamburg that both adults and children woud love!

Okinawa Soba

If you want to feel an atmosphere of Okinawa, try “Okinawa Soba” at “Chiruguwa”. They proudly offer Soba noodles which only contain natural ingredients with no additives. Original noodles are chewy and nice with a lot of minerals contained. Soup tastes quite light with the flavour of Tonkotsu, chicken bones, and bonito flakes on top. Also 3 slices of meat and Tebichi (pig’s feet), simmered in an original sauce, are added as toppings.

Although they have a wide variety of menus; Okinawa Soba, Soki Soba, Niku Soba, Tebichi Soba, and Vege Soba, choose “Chiruguwa Soba” if you are unsure what to order. It comes with 3 slices of meat, Soki, and Tebichi. The staff wears the uniforms of Eisa and welcomes you with the word “Mensore!” and sends you out with “Debiru!”. It might be a little far from American Village, but it is worth visiting!

Burger

If you want to have some meals in American Village, try “JETTA BURGER MARKET”. Okinawa is actually one of the largest places people buy burgers every year.

There are quite a few burger shops around American Village, but especially at “JETTA BURGER MARKET”, you will get a huge portion of burgers. The buns are to be baked with sesames, and the patties are made of 100% beef – homemade smoked bacon, cheese, avocado, and pineapples as the ingredients.

Honejiru

If you are interested in trying the Okinawan home-style dish, then “Miyama Shokudou” is the place. Not only the tourists, but the locals also visit this restaurant everyday. Inside the restaurant has quite a few seats at the tables and on tatami mats. All the menus are written on the wall, and of all menus, “Honejiru” is the most recommended dish! You actually cannot find this menu once you leave Okinawa, but this is something kids and adults would love!

For this dish, bones of pork are simmered for quite a while, and also the flavour of bonito is added to it. It contains green leaves, radish, kelp, and beans too. You might be a little surprised at its appearance because the bones are to be seen, but the meat and soup are the parts you can eat! You will sure be addicted to its taste!

Tacos / Taco Rice

Tacos and Taco Rice is one of the traditional local dishes in Okinawa. You can find these menus anywhere at the restaurants and Izakaya. However, Tacos comes from Mexico. If you try some, you need choose the right one!

At “Tacos Cafe Taco Loco”, “Tacos Al Pastor” is the most popular menu. The meat, which is marinated in spice directly from Mexico and grilled, is to be put in homemade corn tortilla.

Ramen

Ramen is one of the most popular gourmets in Okinawa as well as Okinawa Soba. Mainly within Naha City, there are quite a few Ramen shops in Okinawa. “Hokkaido Ramen Hayatemaru” is where you must try around American Village. The owner, born in Okinawa, once opened the Ramen shop in Hokkaido in 2002 and the one in Chatan Town was launched as a second chain shop.

Based on pork produced in Okinawa, the soup contains chicken bones and a few kinds of vegetables. Thick noodles made from 100% wheat grown in Hokkaido and are imported directly from Sapporo everyday. You will have one of the different type of noodles depending on the flavour of the soup; for Shoyu Ramen, you will get the straight noodles and for Tsukemen, it comes with the flat noodles.

Lobster

Okinawa is where you can get the authentic seafood including sashimi, sushi, rice bowls, and tempura. “RED LOBSTER” which specialises in lobster, was opened in Florida, America in 1968. They have more than 20 shops mainly in the Kanto region, especially in Tokyo and Kanagawa, and Chatan shop is one of them.

Price varies from 5,000 to 9,000 yen depending on the size. You might find it a little expensive, but lunch meals are slightly affordable – a set meal of lobster costing 3,290 yen and it comes with a grilled lobster tail, chicken or hamburg, and steaks.

Yakiniku

When you want to enjoy the meal without caring the time, “Yakiniku” is great. “Yumemaru” in Okinawa has an all-you-can-eat menu with an unlimited time, You can fully enjoy beef, chicken, pork, vegetables, and seafood as much as you want!

There are 3 courses for all-you-can-eat menu, and the amount of ingredients you can order varies depending on the course. One of the original menus “Plum series”, which uses plums for sauce ad dressing, is included in all-you-can-eat menu and it makes meat taste great.

Thai Cuisine

If you are feeling something spice and hot, why not try Thai cuisine? When you are sweating while enjoying your trip, you can sweat even more to try spicy food so that you will feel relaxed and refreshed. With all menus cooked by the professional chefs from Thailand, “Jai Thai” offers the amazing dishes with some herbs grown in Thailand.

In 2004, this restaurant was officially awarded a prize for someone who is active outside the country. They have a wide variety of menus such as Tom Yum Kung and Pad Thai.

Shabu Shabu

Do you want to enjoy a special experience with Shabu Shabu at a restaurant with views of the sea? Located about 10 minutes away from American Village by car near Araha Beach, there is this “Waryu” – a popular restaurant with views of the sea or the sunset. Here, you can find 3 different pork brands of Naha.

Of all, “Tsuyu Shabu” is one of the most recommended menus. Try it not with the sauce, but with the broth which contains plentiful spring onions. They offer a tasting course of 2 pork brands, and not only that, there is an all-you-can-eat menu as well. You can also eat Juicy and Okinawa Soba as much as you want! Inside the restaurant is filled with a relaxing atmosphere, and especially at the evening on a sunny day, you will witness the beautiful views.

Enjoy The Amazing Gourmets In American Village!

Naha Airport is the entrance of Okinawa. “American Village” is a huge resort area located just 40 minutes away from there by car, and this is where you can feel like as if you are in America although you are actually on a trip to Okinawa. If you have a chance to visit American Village, try those gourmets mentioned above! Enjoy your trip!