8 Best Restaurants in Okinawa, Japan

This spot serves Ishigaki's finest example of Okinawan izakaya cooking. Be sure to try something with delicious kurumafu, a chewy wheat gluten, and if the crunchy pig's ears are too much for you, try washing it down with golden Orion beer. The food and drink here are terrific, but even better is the twice nightly floor show (7 pm and 9 pm) where you'll hear and be encouraged to sing and dance to popular Okinawan songs.

Still known to the locals as the Helios Pub, this microbrewery and restaurant serves up six tasty home brews along with hearty snacks like Okinawan-style seafood salads and herb-seasoned bratwurst sausages. They also have a selection of awamori from the Helios distillery in Nago including some excellent 18-year single cask bottles.

This simple tavern serves inexpensive Okinawa favorites such as goya champuru (a stir-fry using bitter melon); Korean-style bibimbap (a delicious, tangy, healthful dish of kimchi, bean sprouts, spinach, and other vegetables stirred into rice); and a plate of katsuo (bonito) sashimi big enough for two or three people. There's live music on weekends.

The wooden walls of this rustic establishment are full of alcoves holding everything from dolls to farm implements to ancient jugs full of awamori (rice liquor). Partially enclosed tatami-style rooms offer intimate experiences, while the beer hall-style dining area in front of the stage makes socializing easy. There's live music nightly, and cheap, filling, delicious food.

In a traditional house with a tile roof, this lively izakaya-style restaurant has a helpful picture menu. On the second floor there are Okinawan music and dance performances most nights at 6, 7, and 8 (with an additional ¥550 service charge). It's on Kokusai Street a few blocks south of the Starbucks.

This greasy spoon has been serving some of the island's best fare since 1958; locals know it simply as Mutsumi. Everything is twice as big and three times as filling as it looks, with soup and rice included.

Hidden on the second floor of a building behind the Makishi Station, this laid-back oasis has good food, great music, and a relaxed staff and clientele. A decent drink selection is backed by a surprisingly varied menu, with tacos, curry soups, and alligator steaks. Coffee and cake sets are also available. There's live music some weekends.

The longevity of Okinawans has gained worldwide attention, and Ukishima Garden provides the health conscious with delicious meat-free dishes and organic wines. The grain burger is tasty, but on a hot summer's day the cold noodles with crunchy veggies hit the spot.