Local Guide
5 lunch spots to enjoy rich ingredients of Iriomote Island

Iriomote Island, a 40-50 minute boat ride from Ishigaki Island and home to the Iriomote wildcat, offers a wide variety of lunch spots that use rich ingredients nurtured in the great nature of mountains, sea, and rivers. From traditional island cuisine to new menus using island ingredients started by immigrants, you can fully enjoy island foods. So, here are 5 lunch spots to visit in Iriomote Island.

A thriving restaurant run by an island grandmother that specializes in large bowls of soba noodles.

Vegetable Soki Soba
Vegetable Soki Soba" with plenty of vegetables and large soki is 950 yen

It has been 28 years since it opened. It is a diner run by an energetic island grandmother and frequented by locals. The signature dish, "Vegetable Soki Soba" is a buckwheat noodle topped with a lot of vegetables and sweet and spicy soki (spare rib) cooked to a tenderloin.
The noodles are Yaeyama soba noodles made of wheat flour and feature a smooth texture. The soup is made from bonito, pork bones, and chicken bones. Toppings include bean sprouts, water spinach, spinach, and other seasonal leafy greens.

Join the islanders for lunch at a restaurant where time passes tranquilly.

A spacious restaurant with table seating and tatami rooms.
A spacious restaurant with table seating and tatami rooms.

The restaurant is located near Uehara Port, the western gateway to the island. Soba noodles are served immediately after ordering, making it convenient for a short time before boarding the boat.
The soba is served with your choice of pipaerts (island pepper) or kohlrae goose (chili peppers soaked in awamori). In addition to soba, there are only a few other dishes on the menu, including a "daily set meal," pork & egg, and yakisoba. In winter, when the island's wild boar hunting season is in full swing, "wild boar soup" and other dishes are also available. The same menu is available in the evening, and there are always several snacks made with seasonal island products.

Local Guide Comment
Shinpachi Shokudo was the name of a diner that was previously run by another person, and the name of the restaurant was taken over. The building, which was built 60 years ago, is also tasteful.
Shinpachi Shokudo
  • address (e.g. of house) 870 Uehara, Taketomi-cho, Yaeyama-gun, Okinawa MAP
  • Direction About 3 minutes walk from Uehara Port
  • Business Hours 11:00-14:00 (L.O.13:30), 17:30-20:30 (L.O.20:00)
  • Closed Monday, Sunday
  • TEL 0980-85-6087
  • Parking Free of charge

A café offering a variety of tastes including hamburgers

The
The "Island Gurukun Filet-O-Fish Burger and Fries Plate" is 1,210 yen and is freshly fried and delicious hot!

The cafe is located on the second floor of a building near Uehara Port. The "Island Gurukun Filetfish Burger & Potato Plate" is a hearty burger with a fried white gurukun, an Okinawan fish. The fish is freshly caught by fishermen in Iriomote. The homemade tartar sauce goes well with the crispy fried fish which is deep-fried upon order.
There are 11 types of burgers to choose from for lunch, including the Ishigaki Pork Teriyaki Burger.

Terrace seating for a leisurely lunch with a view of the outside

Original seasonings, clothing, and marine goods line the shelves.
Original seasonings, clothing, and marine goods line the shelves.

In addition, "Ishigaki Pork Miso Katsu Set Meal" and "Ishiyaki Taco Rice" are also available. In the evening, set menus and a la carte menus are available with a drink in hand. In addition to inside seating, there is also terrace seating where you can enjoy your meal while looking outside.
The original "kohlrabi garlic oil" on the table is made from island chili peppers grown by a neighbor's grandmother and marinated in olive oil, and is also available for sale. It is also used at other restaurants on the island and is a popular souvenir.

Local Guide Comment
The store is a surf brand store, and in addition to clothing and accessories, a secondhand clothing section appears from time to time.
Rahula Garden
  • address (e.g. of house) 2F 550-1 Uehara, Taketomi-cho, Yaeyama-gun, Okinawa MAP
  • Direction About 3 minutes walk from Uehara Port
  • Business Hours 11:30-14:00 (L.O.13:30), 18:30-21:00 (L.O.20:30)
  • Closed Thursdays
  • TEL 0980-85-7088
  • Parking Free of charge

An island restaurant in a forest surrounded by greenery

The popular
The popular "Soba Noodle with Squid Soup" with pickles, 1,000 yen

The famous store has been in business for 33 years and is located in the middle of a forest surrounded by greenery, including a large banyan tree. The lunch using Iriomote ingredients such as natural wild boar and sawtooth turban shell, a kind of blue crab living in the mangrove, is very popular.
The very popular "Soba with Squid Soup" is made with plenty of meat and smelt of bluefin squid (white squid) caught on the island. The soft squid and the flavorful Sumi soup make for an exquisite dish. Of course, Yaeyama soba noodles are used for the noodles. There is also a "Squid Sumi soup set meal" (1,450 yen), which is mainly squid sumi soup without noodles.

The warmth of the restaurant will satisfy both your stomach and your mind.

The owner's husband is a carpenter, and the store is decorated with the warmth of wood.
The owner's husband is a carpenter, and the store is decorated with the warmth of wood.

They came up with the menu for tourists, saying, "Since you have come all the way here, we want you to eat something unique to Iriomote. The handmade "taimo pie" made from taimo, a kind of taro grown in paddy fields, is also popular. With its gentle sweetness, it is recommended to take out and enjoy it on a road trip.
The building was built by the owner's husband with a tiled roof in the style of Ryukyu architecture. Inside the store, sanshin (Okinawan traditional three-stringed instruments) made by the owner's husband are displayed in a row, and a sanshin studio is also located in the back of the store.

Local Guide Comment
The squid noodle is hearty, but it is so good that you can't help but drink up the soup as well. The noodles do not darken your teeth as much as you might expect, so do not hesitate to try them.
Tou Hen Boku
  • address (e.g. of house) 749 Uehara, Taketomi-cho, Yaeyama-gun, Okinawa MAP
  • Direction 10 minutes drive from Uehara Port
  • Bus Direction Take a bus from Uehara Port, get off at Urauchi, and walk 5 minutes.
  • Business hours 11:30-15:00 (L.O.14:30)
  • Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays *Special holidays apply.
  • TEL 0980-85-6050
  • Parking Free of charge

An island diner where you can enjoy the taste of home

Goya Chanpuru Set Meal
Goya Chanpuru Set Meal" 850 yen. Includes mini Yaeyama soba noodles, a small bowl of cooked food, pickles, etc.

The restaurant has been serving the same menu for 30 years since its opening. There are about 20 different dishes such as "Hamburger Set Meal," "Mixed Fry Set Meal," "Yaeyama Soba," "Curry," "Fried Rice," and more.
The "Goya Chanpuru Set Meal" is a classic island dish consisting of sliced bitter melon, island tofu, Spam, and egg stir-fried in a "chanpuru" (mix-and-mix) style. Island tofu is a firm Okinawan tofu that is slightly firmer than mainland tofu. The slices of goya (bitter melon) should be neither too thin nor too thick to be tasty.

A restaurant loved by men and women of all ages on the island

The restaurant has a homey atmosphere with table seating and tatami rooms.
The restaurant has a homey atmosphere with table seating and tatami rooms.

When there were only traditional island restaurants in Iriomote Island, a couple who returned from the mainland started this restaurant in order to offer Western-style food that was not available on the island. Since the restaurant is located near the harbor, the menu is designed to accommodate customers, such as the "ume zusui" (plum soup), which is refreshing for those who suffer from seasickness.
A la carte dishes such as "chilled tofu" and "dumplings" made from island tofu are also available, and the same menu is also available in the evening. For drinks, in addition to beer and coffee, there are also island-style dishes such as "pineapple juice" and "bitter gourd squash.

Local Guide Comment
The restaurant is always crowded with locals who come for the taste of their mothers' carefully handmade noodles, which are all made from scratch.
Lunch House Tamago
  • address (e.g. of house) 681-6 Uehara, Taketomi-cho, Yaeyama-gun, Okinawa MAP
  • Direction 10 min. walk from Uehara Port
  • Business Hours 11:00 - 14:00, 18:00 - 21:00 (L.O. 20:00)
  • Closed Sundays, 2nd and 4th Saturdays
  • TEL 0980-85-6651
  • Parking Free of charge

A casual restaurant where you can enjoy meals using a variety of island ingredients

Taco rice
Taco rice" with taco meat, lettuce, tomato, avocado, etc. 600 yen with salad and small soba noodles. 600 yen with salad and small soba noodles.

This restaurant bar is located in Toyohara, the southernmost village in Iriomote Island. The name of the restaurant, "Azahaemi" is the name of the character of the address. It is run by a father and son, and serves lunch, dinner, and drinks.
Taco rice, a staple of Okinawa, is a menu item that is also a good source of vegetables. The juicy taco meat is mixed with crunchy vegetables. All lunches are reasonably priced at 500 or 600 yen. All dishes, including Yaeyama Soba, Okinawa Miso Soup, and Asian Salad Rice, come with a salad and mini Yaeyama Soba.

Overlooking the ocean, you can even see Hateruma Island.

The funky painting on the wall of the restaurant, which was painted by a friend of the owner, is an eye-catching feature of the restaurant.
The funky painting on the wall of the restaurant, which was painted by a friend of the owner, is an eye-catching feature of the restaurant.

The windows overlook the ocean, and on a clear day, you can even see Hateruma Island, the southernmost point of Japan, providing a pleasant view. In the evening, the restaurant offers a wide variety of snacks made from local fish and meat, such as "Island Soba Neapolitan" made from Soki Soba, "Roasted Wild Boar" and "Marinated Shrimp and Cream Cheese".
There is also a wide variety of alcoholic beverages, including beer, awamori made on the islands of the Yaeyama Archipelago, and sours. The friendly owner and his son's friendly atmosphere is reflected in the cozy atmosphere of the restaurant.

Local Guide Comment
At the counter, you can enjoy chatting with the friendly staff. The salad on the evening menu, called "Kahna," which is made from crunchy local seaweed, is also delicious.
Restaurant Bar Aza-Haemi
  • address (e.g. of house) 508-51 Minamikazami, Taketomi-cho, Yaeyama-gun, Okinawa MAP
  • Direction 10 minutes drive from Ohara Port
  • Bus Direction Take a bus from Ohara Port, get off at Toyohara, and walk about 1 minute.
  • Business Hours 11:30-13:30, 17:00-22:00
  • Closed Tuesday lunch (no dinner break)
  • TEL 0980-85-5777
  • Parking Free of charge
The information in this article is current as of the date of the update. Please check before visiting as they are subject to change.