It is about 7 minutes by car from Naha Airport. It is a diner located in Wakasa, Naha City. It is supported by fixed fans because it is inexpensive but does not compromise on taste and volume. There are many such eateries in Okinawa, and although some have closed due to the Corona disaster, this is one eatery that we hope will remain forever.
Point 1: Naha’s famous restaurant battleground? What is the location of Takara Shokudo?
Takara Shokudo” is an Okinawan restaurant located on the first floor of an apartment building in Wakasa, Naha City.
The exterior is decorated with Okinawan-style red tiles on the eaves, and the wooden signboard that reads “Takara Shokudo” has a nice, rustic look.
Once inside, there are many tables covered with gingham-check tablecloths, giving the restaurant a very folksy Okinawan diner atmosphere.
From Naha Airport, it takes less than 10 minutes by car via the Umisora Tunnel.
By bus, take the Tokyo Bus (TK01 or TK02), get off at “Naha Commercial High School,” and the restaurant is an 8-minute walk away.
There are many such eateries in Naha, especially here in the Wakasa area, but Takara Shokudo is not a well-known eatery, but rather a restaurant known only to those in the know, and it is known to have a large number of regular fans. What kind of food do they serve?
Point 2: From Okinawan cuisine to tacos and steak! Introduction to the menu at Takara Shokudo!
At the entrance of Kora Shokudo, there is a ticket machine with a large number of buttons.
Customers first buy a meal ticket here and then sit down with it.
As is the case in other restaurants in Okinawa, beginners and tourists who are not accustomed to this system may be a bit intimidated by the large number of buttons. But calm down, look at the buttons carefully, and buy a meal ticket.
The menu at Takara Shokudo includes set menus, Okinawan dishes, rice bowls such as shrimp tempura, eel, and tuna bowls, and steaks as well.
Today I decided to try “A Lunch” (900 yen).
Point 3: What kind of menu is “A Lunch” at “Takara Shokudo”?
The lunch at Takara Shokudo is priced at 900 yen, but it is a luxurious version that comes with a plate of rice, fried shrimp, pork cutlet, fried egg, and spare ribs, as well as Okinawan soba noodles.
I think there are probably only a few women who could eat all of it. By the way, I, a large man, could eat it all up.
Quite a few regular customers were ordering A-lunch in the restaurant. It was freshly prepared as if it was made after the order was placed.
The tonkatsu, fried shrimp, and the fried egg were wonderful, but I was most impressed with the spare ribs, which had an exquisite flavor from the sweet and spicy sauce. I was impressed with the spare ribs, which had an exquisite sweet and spicy sauce that made me want to suck down to the bone marrow.
The Okinawan soba noodles also had a gentle broth, which warmed up my sweat-cold body in the air-conditioned restaurant.
I would like to try steak at least once at an Okinawan restaurant, but I tend to order set menus. I would like to try steak sometime in the near future.
When I come to Okinawa, I would like to go to an Okinawan diner at least once, where the locals come. The restaurant’s ability to serve everything from set menus to Okinawan cuisine, Japanese food to steaks, and everything in between, is impressive.
This “Takara Shokudo” is no exception, and I felt that it is a very competent restaurant. However, it is not as well known among Okinawan restaurants as that restaurant or that restaurant, and I think it is a hidden gem.
As the locals secretly think, if possible, they do not want to be known by tourists, and I hope that they will always be a diner loved by everyone who continues to serve delicious and hearty food.
Please visit “Kora Shokudo,” which is loved and supported by the locals.
