Only 7 minutes drive from Naha Airport! This stylish Italian restaurant was just established on July 1, 2023, in Kume, Naha City. The staff of the Michelin Guide-listed restaurant in Azabu Juban, which was closed due to the Corona disaster, gathered all their efforts to open an Italian restaurant in Naha that uses Okinawan ingredients!
Point 1: A famous restaurant in Azabujuban is now in Okinawa! How did “PASTAIONE OKINAWA” open?
PASTAIONE OKINAWA” opened in Kume, Naha City, Okinawa on July 1, 2023.
There used to be a famous Italian restaurant called “La Pastaione” in Azabu Juban, Tokyo, which was listed in the Michelin Guide (Bib Gourmand) for six consecutive years, but it closed after a three-and-a-half-year corona disaster.
Led by a female chef who trained in Italy for eight years, the staff of the former famous restaurant renewed their team and gathered all their strength to open a new restaurant in Naha, Okinawa.
Incidentally, “PASTAIONE” means “pasta lover” in Italian.
Although the restaurant closed in Corona, it is no exaggeration to say that the passion of pasta lovers who were determined not to let things go on like this led them to open a restaurant in Okinawa, where there is an abundance of quality ingredients.
Incidentally, the stylish exterior of the restaurant was designed by Kengo Kuma’s son, TAICHI KUMATAICHI. The stylish, yet warm, woody style of the restaurant is probably inherited from his father.
Point 2: Just a short walk to Kokusai-dori Avenue! What is the location of “PASTAIONE OKINAWA”?
PASTAIONE OKINAWA” is located in Kume, Naha City, about a 10-minute walk from Kokusai Street.
It is also close to the Chinese garden “Fuzhou Garden” in Naha, an area with a quiet environment that is unrelated to the hustle and bustle of Kokusai-dori.
There are many famous restaurants in the area, such as Jackie Steak House, Shokusai Shabu Shabu Matsumoto, which is famous for its Agu pork shabu-shabu and now has its fourth restaurant, and 4KRETT, with its distinctive pink door.
Of course, Kokusai-dori is packed with restaurants, but it is also perfect for those who want to do away with that touristy atmosphere and prefer to dine in a more stylish and relaxed place.
Point 3: What kind of menu do you recommend at “PASTAIONE OKINAWA”?
PASTAIONE OKINAWA” is open only in the evening and is a la carte only.
Of course, there are items using standard ingredients such as tomato sauce, pecorino cheese, and bologna ham, but there are also 11 types of pasta alone, divided into dry noodles and handmade noodles, which is “connoisseur’s favorite.
The restaurant also uses plenty of Okinawan ingredients, including “Ayahashi Beef Roast Beef with Tonnata Sauce” (1,800 yen), “Parbadelle Agu Pork Ragout” (2,000 yen), “Spaghetti with Seekwasa Sauce” (1,400 yen), “Tagliolini with squid ink kneaded with chili peppers Peperoncino” (1,600 yen), etc., all of which make you want to try them!
The restaurant also offers new surprises, such as using mousseko mushrooms at the bottom of tiramisu for dessert. This is definitely a place I would like to visit on my next trip to Okinawa.
