Yamaneko

The place is super nice, during our trip in japan we encountered some great cuisine and this is no exception. we loved the atmosphere and the menu changes daily, we had amazing spring rolls and super buttery bonito sashimi. everything screams local even the suggested flyers which at the moment include a vegan festival. the owner eat meat but, as he states in the menu, he’s welcoming all kind of customer adapting his dishes for every taste, we had an incredible tofu salad and a spicy green papaya one. if you are looking for a nice place to eat and far from 5 star resorts and fancy “italian” visone this is the place to go. we came twice and we have no regrets. (we are italian and we love food)

What a memorable experience! The owner is a very busy man, acting as both cook and front of the house service. He's very friendly and greeted us upon arrival. We requested omakase, and he asked about our food limitations. While he speaks some English and we speak some Japanese, we managed to communicate my husband's picky issues with raw onions and peppers. Then he went to work crafting our meal!

We were served a carpaccio salad of local snap peas and island octopus that was delicately dressed with olive oil. That was followed by zangi, local fried chicken, with a crunchy flavor of spice. Soon after, we received the famous "gyoza with wings of yanbaru agu" (pig wings). The gyoza dumplings were juicy and filled with veggies. The dumpling skirt or lattice was a satisfying thing to break into and made the experience much more enjoyable! Afterward, we enjoyed a sampling of agedashi tofu. The tofu was so rich and creamy, and the broth was flavorful. I would have eaten that again and again! That was followed by gurukun karage or deep-fried banana fish. Gurukun or takasago (in Japanese) is often found in the waters off Okinawa. I tell you that it's delicious off the plate I was served! I really loved the wasabi salt that it was served with also. Many of the local salt factories sell flavored salt, and I made a mental note to buy some for home cooking. Our final dish in our omakase was champaru, an Okinawan specialty of stir-fried dish. I was a bit surprised that there wasn't goya in the dish, but it's not goya season yet (summer). The dish was tasty nonetheless. I loved the kick of sesame oil that he finished the dish with! We still wanted to eat something more. In our home, we eat umibudo (sea grapes) as a snack. It's on Yamaneko's menu, and it was the first item that my husband set his sights on, so we had it for "dessert." I love how it was topped with thinly sliced lemon zest, which I added to the dipping sauce. Perfection!

I highly recommend requesting omakase from the chef. He showcased some excellent dishes that really displayed some of the best of Okinawa. Not only was the meal tasty, but it was reasonable, ending at only 5k yen. Finally, with only a few seats available, I do recommend a reservation. It was easily done through his website. I wish this business the best!

Quaint restaurant. Food is amazing, everyone loves owner cooking. Children says Must give 5 stars, we agreed!

We will definitely visit again when we come to Okinawa😋

Do absolutely not hesitate a second to come in this place. The chef who welcomed us is really doing its best to communicate : a bit of English + a bit of Japanese = fantastic moment.
The food here is so fresh, so good, we took more than we were supposed to AND everything was absolutely delicious. I am pretty picky when it’s about food…close your eyes & give it a try you won’t be disappointed.
There are plenty of vegan choice as well…Everything’s here deserve 5✨ and more 💙

Very good restaurant! I asked if it was possible to have vegetarian Okinawa soba (which was not on the menu) and the owner said yes! I even said that I don't like seaweed and he still found a way to prepare delicious tasty soba with other ingredients. My friend took the normal soba and she loved it. The shikuwasa lassi and the brown sugar hot cocoa were also very good!
The owner is really kind and friendly.
とても美味しかったです。ありがとうございます！

Found this little quaint restaurant. They have different types of okinawa soba noodles. We tried the pad thai and wild cat mazesoba. The latter is a bit on the spicier side. Both are well cooked and the fusion of Thai and Taiwanese style with Okinawa soba is ingenious. Great taste and the boss is also very friendly.

First thing that stands out about this place is the service. The owner of this place is an amazingly friendly guy.
He has a very nice aura and you feel very welcome here as a foreigner!
I’ve been to two other restaurants/cafes close by where I didn’t feel so welcome, so this Especially stood out to me!

The umeshu we ordered was amazing! The night before I ordered umeshu at a close by place and it tasted very artificial but here the taste of plum was very deep and rich. He even showed us the bottles.

The sashimi was amazing, and served very beautifully. The taste was also outstanding.

The spicy 山猫麺 did not disappoint as it was very spicy! But a nice, real spiciness.

The taco rice was also very delicious and with a lot of different spices!

Make sure you have a translation app on your phone as no menus in English but the food was amazing! Every dish we tried was fresh and delicious. We had the fried okra, taco rice, gyoza and soba. All were amazing!

Quaint small restaurant with delicious cuisine. They accomdated our party of 7 people. Everything we ordered was very good, full of flavor and reasonably priced. The owner did a good job of serving all the tables at a steady pace so everyone in the restaurant was eating.

This place was unexpectedly good! The owner creates western dishes with local ingredients. Their IMO (sweet potato) Gratin was so delicious! Everything we ordered hit the spot! Highly highly recommended! If Okinawa had Michelin Guide, they would easily be recommended at least

We ordered Champaru, Zangi, tempura, pizza, gyoza, maguo sashimi. Every single item was so good! We will try to come here from now on every time we visit Okuma. 10/10!

* * * * MUST VISIT * * * *
Really good food, the best Okinawan sea weed pancake!
The chef is amazing, he has traveled a lot and cooks with passion! we had really nice chat and learnt that he loves his freedom and running this restaurant means freedom to him. Watched him cook all the dishes alone and it was great to see him interact with customers and elegantly prepare dishes with a smile. Met some really cool local people in this restaurant as well. The atmosphere and the food warmed our hearts!

Lovely authentic small restaurant, with a very kind and upbeat owner. Food was delicious, enough vegetarian options! We were impressed he did the cooking all by himself and could remember exactly what everyone ordered.

Fantastic food, the fried chicken is amazing and the pizza was good. Prices are reasonable

Great restaurant, the proprietor/chef was incredibly welcoming and friendly. Some of the best flavor we have had on the island. Total cost was only abour 5,000 yen for three people with drinks

Fantastic food. Hidden gem! Dont let the Japanese only menu scare you away. It is perfect :)

Lovely home made restaurant with a lovely owner
The whole place is decorated with so much sensitivity to details
Very cute and inspiring

We ate some of the specials
A soba noodle that was our favourite less than 1000 yen

Some special spicy noodles with minced meat ,less than 1000 yen delicious too

And our first Taco Rice 🌾 990 Yen , not our favourite, we had to try.

Amazing food and experience! Also such a great service, the owner is so kind! Hands down, best restaurant in Okinawa!

Small local restaurant, very friendly, English menu, no English spoken, nice selection of drinks, very tasty food prepared while you wait. We ate delicious dumplings, excellent gourd, tasty taco rice, and a really nice seaweed pancake.

Cute little place.
Local cuisine Charme deffo there.
Keep it up 😌