About 15 minutes by car from Naha Airport. Hanagasa Shokudo is located in Makishi, Naha City. It is a diner famous for its large portions, and while the food is of course delicious and loved by many, the iced tea they serve instead of tea is so delicious and famous that it was released in collaboration with an Okinawan beverage company. What kind of diner is it?
Point 1: Hanagasa Shokudo, a local diner run by the Auntie’s Army
Hanagasa Shokudo is a very famous restaurant located in an alleyway off Heiwa-dori from the middle of Kokusai-dori in Naha City, and has been in business for more than 50 years!
It has been in business for more than 50 years! It is so famous that Okinawan connoisseurs can recognize it just by saying “the diner with the yellow signboard on Heiwa-dori”. If you are reading this “Rakuraku Tabi”, you will surely recognize it!
The yellow sign with red and black letters adds to the local flavor.
The red “Fuku” sticker at the entrance also gives the restaurant the feel of a local Asian diner. The sign with a font that is large in relation to the size of the showcase also makes a big impact (lol).
The diner is run by local grandmothers. There are sometimes slightly younger waitstaff, but operations are usually slow. That’s also very Okinawan.
However, if you are impatient, you may want to avoid this restaurant.
The menu is written in four languages, which is rare for a local diner. The number of foreign customers is small now because of Corona, but it used to be crowded with foreign customers.
Point 2: There are so many menu items at Hanagasa Shokudo that one cannot decide on just one!
Hanagasa Shokudo offers a wide variety of dishes, from single items to set meals and one-plate meals, but the most popular is the “Tofu Chanpuru” set meal.
I am one of those who are addicted to the taste of Okinawan island tofu, and the tofu chanpuru at Hanagasa Shokudo is so delicious that I cannot describe how good it is. The seasoning, which is a little sweeter than at other restaurants, is rather delicious and matches the rich tofu!
And even though it is tofu champuru, the ratio of vegetables to tofu is about 2 to 8.
Also, if you order the “pork and egg set meal” (950 yen), you get a plate of pork and egg with vegetables, curry in a bowl, Okinawan soba noodles, a small bowl of cooked rice, and Okinawan zenzai (a sweet bean soup) for 950 yen. It is a tremendous amount of food.
Uniquely, there is a “Orion Bottled Beer Set” (1,000 yen) that can be ordered in the morning.
This set includes a bottle of Orion beer, which is rarely seen on the mainland, and several side dishes, and is available in three types from A to C. All of them are Okinawan dishes, such as sashimi, sashimi, and other Okinawan dishes. There are three types of side dishes, from A to C. You can choose from light Okinawan dishes such as sashimi and mozuku vinegar, or heavy dishes such as pork and egg, fried pork, fried meat, and rafte.
Point 3: The free iced tea at Hanagasa Restaurant is more famous than the food.
At Hanagasa Shokudo, when you are seated, you are first offered iced tea instead of tea, which is free of charge. It is well known that iced tea is served for free not only at Hanagasa Shokudo, but also at other Okinawan restaurants, and Hanagasa Shokudo is, of course, no exception.
It is so popular that it is even sold in convenience stores in collaboration with Okinawa Meiji Dairy Industry. It is famous for being even more delicious than the food.
Perhaps the right way to spend your time at Hanagasa Shokudo is to order, watch the slow operation, drink an iced tea, and wait leisurely!
