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 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 every day 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 with the most popular savoury foods in Okinawa.
Okinawan Savouries
Taco Rice
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
Pork Tamago Onigiri
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
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 do, 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
Okinawa Soba
Okinawan soba is not made from buckwheat as it is in the rest of Japan. 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
Access: 20-minute walk from Urasoemaeda Station (浦添前田駅)
Tempura shops
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), bitter melon (ゴーヤー), 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). 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
Access: 8-minute walk from Okinawa Kita Interchange Bus Stop (沖縄北インター バス停)
Okinawan Sweets
Sata Andagi
Sata andagi (サーターアンダーギー), is a deep-fried doughnut-like pastry. They’re very traditional and generally come in three flavours: plain, brown sugar (黒糖), and purple yam (紅芋). 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 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), wouldn’t want to bake up some delicious desserts with them?
Sweets Studio Bamboo Kiki
Formerly known as Patisserie Porsche, this home-grown Okinawan pastry shop was the first to sell purple yam tarts (紅芋タルト) 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 is 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
Access: 1-minute walk from Oki Bus Stop (沖バス停)
Taimo Kobo Kinta
Ta-imo (田芋) is Okinawan taro and also a very tasty pie filler. The soft and sweet aromatic taro goes wonderfully with a 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
Access: 1-minute walk from Aja 1 Bus Stop (安謝一丁目 バス停)
Beni Imo Karikari (Sweet potato sticks)
Beni Imo Karikari (紅いもカリカリ), otherwise known as Sweet Potato Sticks is a classic Okinawan favourite made from deep-frying strips of purple sweet potato nurtured under Okinawa’s strong sun. Loved for its natural sweetness and crisp texture, this is the perfect snack to munch on in-between meals or to bring home as a souvenir from a visit to the islands.
For our recommendation of some fantastic Beni Imo Kari Kari and other sweet potato snacks, check out Chura Sanpin OKINAWA MART, located conveniently in the middle of the popular Naha Kokusai Dori Shopping Street. Stocked with snacks from one of our featured Makers, Tinmie, you can have a taste of their addictive Beni Imo Kari Kari in our July 2025 Box, Okinawa Paradise!
Chura Sanpin OKINAWAMART (美らさんぴんOKINAWA MART 平和通り店)
Address: 3-1-13 Makishi, Naha, Okinawa 900-0013
Access: 7-minute walk from Makishi Station (牧志駅)
Take a Trip to Paradise with our Okinawa Omiyage Box!
If you feel your appetite sufficiently whetted by the many tasty snacks in this article, you could get yourself a taster from the tropics with our JAPAN RAIL CLUB July 2025 Omiyage Snack Box, Okinawa Paradise! A full curation of sweet and savoury Okinawan goodness, this month’s box captures all of the rich flavours of Japan’s southern isles.
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
