Local Guide
5 Lunch Spots to Enjoy the Rich Ingredients of Iriomote Island

Iriomote Island, home to the Iriomote wildcat, is a 40-50 minute boat ride from Ishigaki Island, and has a variety of restaurants that use ingredients grown in the abundant nature of the mountains, sea, and rivers. From traditional island cuisine to new dishes created by immigrants using island ingredients, you can enjoy the island to your heart's content. Here are five lunch spots to visit on Iriomote Island.

A popular restaurant run by an island grandmother, famous for its large portions of soba noodles

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

Opened 28 years ago, this restaurant is run by a lively old lady from the island and is frequented by locals. The signature dish is "Vegetable Soki Soba," a soba noodle dish topped with a generous amount of vegetables and tender, sweet and spicy soki (spare ribs).
The noodles are Yaeyama soba noodles made from wheat flour, and are characterized by their smooth texture. The proud soup, which is poured over, is a gentle flavor made by slowly brewing bonito, pork bones, and chicken bones. It is topped with seasonal leafy vegetables such as bean sprouts, water spinach, and spinach.

Enjoy lunch with the locals at a restaurant where time flows peacefully.

A spacious restaurant with both table and tatami seating
A spacious restaurant with both table and tatami seating

The restaurant is located near Uehara Port, the gateway to the west of the island. The soba comes out immediately after you order, so it's a convenient place to stop by before boarding your boat.
You can add your choice of pipatzu (island pepper) or koregusu (chili peppers pickled in awamori) to your soba. Other than soba, there are only a few other menu items, such as the "daily set meal," "pork and egg," and "fried noodles." In the winter, when wild boars are hunted on the island, dishes such as "wild boar soup" are also available. The same menu is available in the evening, and there are always several snacks using seasonal island ingredients available.

Comments Local Guide
Previously, someone else had run a restaurant in this location called Shinpachi Shokudo, and the restaurant took over the name. The building, which was built 60 years ago, is full of character.
Shinpachi Restaurant
  • 住所870 Uehara, Taketomi-cho, Yaeyama-gun, Okinawa Prefecture MAP
  • アクセスAbout 3 minutes walk from Uehara Port
  • 営業時間11:00-14:00 (LO13:30), 17:30-20:30 (LO20:00)
  • 定休日Monday, Sunday
  • TEL0980-85-6087
  • 駐車場free

A cafe where you can enjoy a variety of flavors, including hamburgers

The deliciously hot, freshly fried "Shima Gurukun Fillet-o-Fish Burger and Potato Plate" costs 1,210 yen.
The deliciously hot, freshly fried "Shima Gurukun Fillet-o-Fish Burger and Potato Plate" costs 1,210 yen.

This cafe is located on the second floor of a building near Uehara Port. The "Island Gurukun Fillet-O-Fish Burger & Potato Plate" is a hearty dish made with fried white-fleshed Gurukun, the prefectural fish of Okinawa. It uses fresh fish caught by fishermen in Iriomote. The crispy fries, which are fried after an order is placed, go perfectly with the homemade tartar sauce.
For lunch, there are 11 different types of hamburgers to choose from, including the Ishigaki Pork Teriyaki Burger.

There are also terrace seats where you can enjoy a leisurely lunch while looking out at the scenery.

The store is filled with original seasonings, clothing, and marine goods.
The store is filled with original seasonings, clothing, and marine goods.

Other than that, there is a wide variety of other menu items such as "Ishigaki Pork Miso Cutlet Set Meal" and "Stone-grilled Taco Rice". In the evening, you can enjoy a set meal or ala carte menu with a drink in hand. In addition to the seats inside the restaurant, there are also terrace seats where you can dine while looking out at the view.
The original "Korey Garlic Oil" placed on the table is made by soaking island chili peppers grown by a local lady in olive oil, and is also available for sale. It is also used in other restaurants on the island, and is apparently a popular souvenir.

Comments Local Guide
The store sells surf brands, and in addition to clothing and accessories, it also has a second-hand clothing section that appears from time to time.
Lafura Garden
  • URLhttps://www.instagram.com/lalalahu_la/
  • 住所Okinawa Prefecture Yaeyama District Taketomi Town Uehara 550-1 2nd floor MAP
  • アクセスAbout 3 minutes walk from Uehara Port
  • 営業時間11:30-14:00 (LO13:30), 18:30-21:00 (LO20:30)
  • 定休日Thursday
  • TEL0980-85-7088
  • 駐車場free

An island restaurant in the middle of a forest surrounded by greenery

The very popular menu item is the "Squid Ink Soup Soba" with Bigfin Reef Squid and pickles, 1,000 yen
The very popular menu item is the "Squid Ink Soup Soba" with Bigfin Reef Squid and pickles, 1,000 yen

This famous restaurant, founded 33 years ago, is located in a forest surrounded by greenery, including a large banyan tree. It is popular for its lunch, which uses ingredients from Iriomote, such as wild Ryukyu wild boar and sawtooth crab, a type of blue crab that lives in the mangroves.
The very popular "Squid Ink Soup Soba" is soba made with plenty of the flesh and ink of bigfin reef squid (white squid) caught on the island. The soft squid and the flavorful ink soup are exquisite. The noodles are, of course, Yaeyama soba noodles. There is also a "Squid Ink Soup Set Meal" (1,450 yen) with squid ink soup as the main dish but no noodles.

A warm and welcoming restaurant that will satisfy both your stomach and your heart

The interior of the store is decorated with warm wood by the owner's husband, a carpenter.
The interior of the store is decorated with warm wood by the owner's husband, a carpenter.

The menu was designed for tourists, with the idea that "since you've come all the way here, we want you to try something unique to Iriomote." The handmade "Taimo Pie," made with taimo, a type of taro that grows in rice paddies, is also popular. With a gentle sweetness, it's also recommended as a takeaway snack to accompany your drive.
The building was built by the owner's husband and has a tiled roof modeled after Ryukyu architecture. Inside the store, there are rows of sanshin made by the husband, and a sanshin workshop is located at the back of the store.

Comments Local Guide
The squid ink soba is very filling, but it's so delicious that you'll want to drink up the soup. It doesn't blacken your teeth as much as you might think, so don't be put off by that.
Touhenboku (strange wood)
  • 住所749 Uehara, Taketomi-cho, Yaeyama-gun, Okinawa Prefecture MAP
  • アクセスAbout 10 minutes by car from Uehara Port
  • バスアクセスTake the bus from Uehara Port, get off at "Urauchi" and walk for about 5 minutes
  • 営業時間11:30～15:00（L.O.14:30）
  • 定休日Tuesdays and Wednesdays *May be closed on other days
  • TEL0980-85-6050
  • 駐車場free

An island restaurant where you can enjoy home-cooked meals

"Goya Chanpuru Set Meal" 850 yen. Comes with mini Yaeyama soba, a small side dish, pickles, etc.
"Goya Chanpuru Set Meal" 850 yen. Comes with mini Yaeyama soba, a small side dish, pickles, etc.

This restaurant has been serving the same menu for 30 years since it opened. There are about 20 different dishes on the menu, including "Hamburg steak set meal," "Mixed fry set meal," "Yaeyama soba," "Curry," and "Fried rice."
The "Goya Chanpuru Set Meal" is a classic island dish made by mixing sliced bitter melon with island tofu, spam, and eggs in a "chanpuru" (mixture) and stir-frying them. Island tofu is a heavy Okinawan tofu that is a little firmer than mainland cotton tofu. The bitter melon slices are neither too thin nor too thick, which is said to be a key to its deliciousness.

A shop loved by people of all ages on the island

The restaurant has a homey atmosphere and has both table seating and tatami seating.
The restaurant has a homey atmosphere and has both table seating and tatami seating.

Back when there were only traditional island restaurants on Iriomote Island, a couple who returned from the mainland started this restaurant because they wanted people to try Western food that wasn't available on the island. As it's near the port, the menu is tailored to the needs of the customers, such as "ume zosui" (plum porridge), which is a refreshing dish for people who get seasick.
The same menu is available in the evening, with island tofu "hiyayakko" (cold tofu) and "gyoza" (dumplings). Drinks include beer, coffee, and island-style items such as "pineapple juice" and "bitter melon squash."

Comments Local Guide
The restaurant is always bustling, with many locals coming in search of the flavors of mom's cooking, all of which are carefully made from scratch.
Ranch House Tamago
  • 住所681-6 Uehara, Taketomi-cho, Yaeyama-gun, Okinawa Prefecture MAP
  • アクセスAbout 10 minutes walk from Uehara Port
  • 営業時間11:00-14:00, 18:00-21:00 (LO20:00)
  • 定休日Sundays, 2nd and 4th Saturdays
  • TEL0980-85-6651
  • 駐車場free

A casual restaurant where you can enjoy meals made with plenty of island ingredients

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

This Restaurant bar is located in Toyohara, the southernmost village on Iriomote Island. The name of the bar, "Azahaemi," comes from the name of the area where the bar is located. This restaurant is run by a father and son and serves lunch, dinner, and drinks.
Okinawa's classic meal, "Taco Rice," is a menu item that also provides plenty of vegetables. Juicy taco meat is mixed with crunchy vegetables. All lunches are reasonably priced at 500 or 600 yen. All menu items, such as "Yaeyama Soba," "Okinawan Miso Soup" with plenty of ingredients, and "Asian Salad Rice," come with salad and a mini Yaeyama Soba.

You can see all the way to Hateruma Island across the sea.

The interior is decorated with eye-catching funky paintings on the walls, which were painted by the owner's friend.
The interior is decorated with eye-catching funky paintings on the walls, which were painted by the owner's friend.

From the windows you can see the ocean, and on a clear day you can see all the way to Hateruma Island, the southernmost point of Japan, which is a very pleasant view. In the evening, there is a wide selection of snacks that use plenty of island ingredients such as "shima soba napolitan" made with soki soba, "roasted wild boar" and "marinated shrimp and cream cheese", as well as fish and meat from the island.
They have a wide variety of alcoholic drinks, including beer, awamori liquor made on the islands of the Yaeyama Islands, and sours. It's a cozy shop where the friendly and kind owner father and son reflect their atmosphere.

Comments Local Guide
You can enjoy conversation with the friendly staff at the counter seats. The salad on the evening menu, made with crunchy local seaweed called "Khana", is also delicious.
Restaurant Bar Azahaemi
  • URLhttps://azahaemi.com/
  • 住所Okinawa Prefecture Yaeyama District Taketomi Town Minamihazami 508-51 MAP
  • アクセスAbout 10 minutes by car from Ohara Port
  • バスアクセスTake the bus from Ohara Port, get off at "Toyohara" and walk for about 1 minute
  • 営業時間11:30～13:30、17:00～22:00
  • 定休日Tuesday lunch (dinner open daily)
  • TEL0980-85-5777
  • 駐車場free
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