About 45 minutes by car from Naha Airport. American Kitchen” is located in Yamauchi, Okinawa City, and looks like an old-fashioned American diner. Not only the exterior and interior but also the menu is American itself. It is an experience unique to Okinawa, where there is a U.S. military base. What kind of dinner is it?
Point 1: The menu at “American Kitchen” is also American!
An affiliate of the American restaurant “Rose Garden” in Kitanakagusuku Village, “American Kitchen” has a slightly different menu and a younger, more energetic staff.
While waffles, pancakes, and pizza are common, this “American Kitchen” has a larger variety of tacos, burgers, and sandwiches, and conversely, it does not have a gutsy menu such as steaks like its affiliate Rose Garden.
The breakfast and lunch menu is also small, and is more like a “coffee shop” that also offers light meals, rather than a restaurant.
The most expensive item is a whole Supreme Cheesecake No. 7 (3,500 yen), and the rest of the unit price is lower than at Rose Garden.
The set items are about the same as waffles served with bacon or ham, and a set of two eggs and a drink ranges from 880 yen to 1,270 yen.
Pancakes with mixed berries and bananas are 760 yen to 780 yen, and Margherita and other pizzas with sausage and cheese are 1,400 yen to 1,800 yen for S size and 2,200 yen to 2,800 yen for L size.
Every menu item has a nice homemade feel, as if it were made in an American home!
Point 2: “American Kitchen” offers free unlimited iced tea!
As many Okinawan cafes serve iced tea instead of water, American Kitchen also serves iced tea instead of water, and refills are free.
Depending on the menu, coffee refills are also available, so you can have as many cups as you like.
In many foreign cafes, refills of drinks are free instead of water, but Okinawa may be influenced by foreign culture because of its bases.
Point 3: “American Kitchen” also has delicious desserts!
At American Kitchen, desserts are also sold in the form of American favorites.
Desserts include a variety of pies, German cake, carrot cake, Boston cream cake, and Supreme cheesecake, all of which are popular in the United States.
The Supreme Cheesecake is also a popular cake in the U.S. It is sold by the piece (420 yen), as well as by the whole, No. 5 (1,800 yen) and No. 7 (3,500 yen), which is very Okinawan.
The “German Cake” popular in the U.S. is also popular, but the keylime pie (a Okinawan-style flavor) is known to be extremely delicious.
The pie crust is filled with a fluffy meringue-like cream on top, and the aroma of the seekwasa flavor is irresistible to the nose.
Even in dessert, I could catch a glimpse of American and Okinawan chanpuru culture.
