Shunsai-dokoro Biidoro

On my first night in Naha, Okinawa, after a three-year absence, I searched the Internet for a restaurant that would fulfill my wish to enjoy delicious local cuisine with a glass of awamori in one hand… and I found a restaurant called Shunsai-dokoro Biidoro in Miebashi. Opened on June 18, 2008, it has been 18 years since its opening. It has won the “100 Best Izakaya Restaurants” award three times in the “Izakaya WEST” section of “Tabelog” and is famous as a restaurant where reservations are not taken even on weekdays.

If you hear such a story, you will want to visit the restaurant during your stay in Naha, won’t you? So, referring to the restaurant’s blog (link at the end of this article), I called the restaurant on the first day of the previous month to get a reservation. After checking in at the hotel on the day, I headed to the restaurant with the help of Google Maps so that I could arrive at the restaurant just in time for my reservation…

It was much more homey and cozy than I had imagined….This is what Shunsai-dokoro Biidoro is a restaurant like this…

Shunsai-dokoro Biidoro is located in a residential area one street in from the famous tourist attraction Kokusai-dori toward the entertainment district of Matsuyama on Ichigin-dori. The restaurant is on the second floor of a building that was originally used as an apartment building, and the space inside is little more than a spacious one-room apartment. After taking off the shoes and going up inside, there is a counter seating for about six people along the kitchen in the back, and three tables and a tatami room in front of the counter. The space is quite cozy, so it is strictly forbidden to bring large luggage.

The restaurant’s blog also contains various other cautions. There are no rules that seem strange to common sense, but the detailed description, including how to make reservations, made me think that the owner might be a difficult person to deal with. But in fact, he was completely different. The owner is about 40 years old. He runs the restaurant with his wife, who I guessed was his wife, and they are modest, but they serve customers in a heartwarming manner. It was much more homey than I had imagined, and very comfortable for a loner like me. If the food and drinks are as good as the food and drinks, it’s no wonder this is a restaurant that doesn’t take reservations…

Surprises aplenty… How was the course meal at Shunsai-dokoro Biidoro?

Let me introduce the course meal (plus awamori) I ordered at Shunsai-dokoro Biidoro, starting with the appetizer. The restaurant offers courses that can be ordered even by a single person, ranging from 3,500 yen to 6,000 yen per person including tax, in increments of 500 yen. This time I chose the highest course at 6,000 yen and requested the owner to serve me “something you can’t eat unless you come to Okinawa”…

Appetizer: Ponzu sauce with albacore of Pacific bluefin tuna

I requested “something you can’t eat unless you come to Okinawa” and the first thing I got was the ponzu sauce with albacore of Pacific bluefin tuna… I was surprised at first. I thought for a moment, “What, tuna in Okinawa?” But in fact, it seems that tuna is a common catch in Okinawa.

It was firmer than the cod or tiger puffer milt I had previously eaten in Koise, Yamagata, and had the texture of a pudding, if I may say so. The surface is slippery and firm, with a slightly bitter taste, but the strong ponzu (Japanese sauce made with citrus juice and grated momiji mushrooms) on top gives it an exciting flavor that makes my spine grow from the very first bite. It was a bit of a surprise that they served this as an appetizer and not as an a la carte dish… (By the way, the drink shown on the right is “Maruta Old Sake 3 Years Old 30°”).

Three kinds of sashimi

Following the appetizer, the first dish was three kinds of sashimi. The lineup included Okinawan high quality fish such as mibai and akamachi, as well as red and fatty tuna.

Mibai and akamachi are both white-fleshed fish, but while the mibai was very firm and chewy, the akamachi was lighter and more elegant in taste. The tunas need no further explanation, but I was told that the catch limit has been reached in Okinawa and this may be the last of the season. In that sense, I may have been very lucky that day.

Spicy Goya Chanpuru

Next came a typical Okinawan dish, spicy Goya Chanpuru. It is said to be seasoned with multiple seasonings based on Korean coarsely ground chili peppers, but the spiciness is not so strong as it is neutralized by the fried egg and tofu. The bitter taste of Goya was exceptional, and after eating it, I exclaimed in my head, “This is it!”

Six kinds of seasonal island vegetables

The third dish was a salad of six kinds of seasonal island vegetables. It includes green papaya, handama, nigana, moui, corn, and tomatoes. The bitter taste of the nigana was unique and different from the raw vegetable salads available in Japan mainland. I liked the homemade seekers dressing that was poured over these island vegetables. It has a refreshing sweetness rather than sourness…just the way I like it.

Awamori Shirayuri

At this point, my first drink ran out, so I ordered more. I wanted to order the hanasake that I was addicted to at Yuunanagii, but they did not have it, so the owner recommended the Ishigaki Island awamori Shirayuri as an alternative. It is reputed to be the most peculiar of all the awamori, and he said, “If you can drink this, you can drink awamori anywhere you go.”

But what surprised me the most was not its peculiarity, but the label on the bottle. It says “Rice Koji (Thai domestic rice)” in the ingredients name. I asked the owner, “Is this Awamori made from Thai rice?” The owner replied, “Basically, all awamori is made from Thai rice.” I had no idea! I heard that it is common knowledge in Okinawa. I was glad that I was not the only one who was ignorant about it, because the customer next to me, who was also from outside of Okinawa, did not know either. Awamori is made from Thai rice because of its historical background. Recently, there are some places that make Awamori from Japanese rice, but it seems that the unique flavor of Awamori is weakened and it becomes more like Japanese sake.

Mibai stewed in salt

Mibai stewed in salt was served to go with this Awamori Shirayuri. Mibai, which I had just eaten as sashimi, kept its firmness even after being boiled. The meat is firm but also gelatinous, so it melts in the mouth. The broth in which the meibai and island tofu are simmered is one of the most salty in my history, but it is not only salty, but also contains the fat and broth of the meibai. If you are a drinker, you could probably drink sake just from this simmered soup….

Homemade Jimmamy Tofu

After the mibai, homemade Jimmamy Tofu was served as a bit of a chopstick rest. It was so sticky that I had to work very hard to cut it into bite-sized pieces with chopsticks. The rich peanutty flavor of the tofu was so thick that it overflowed from the sticky tofu, making it an excellent snack for alcoholic beverages.

Thick-cut island pork grilled with island pepper piparchi

And the main course of the day, thick-cut island pork grilled with island pepper piparchi. I have to warn you that the above picture is actually taken after I couldn’t resist and ate a slice of meat. There was another slice in the area where the onion slices were originally placed… I am really sorry about that.

The island pork was a thick slice of fatty meat! The fat was so thick that there was a lot of fat on the cross section of the pork. However, whether it was the nature of the fat itself or the effect of the piperchis sprinkled on top, I did not feel it to be at all greasy. I also used four different kinds of garnishes (pickled bitter gourd, carrot with nuts, green papaya with curry flavor, and what’s that seekwasa-flavored one again) to change the flavor. ), which I also used to change the flavor, and I finished the whole plate in one go.

Sushi with pickled tuna

Now, I was expecting rice and miso soup (or maybe inamuruchi, since it’s Okinawan), but what came out as a rice dish was, as I had expected, pickled sushi with tuna. I was surprised to find out that I could eat so much tuna in Naha. The sauce was thicker than that of sushi restaurants, but after a few drinks, it was just right for me. The texture is sticky and the flavor is so delicious that it sticks to the tongue. The texture is different from that of sushi made by a professional sushi chef, but it is still a pleasure to be able to eat this much tuna at the end of the course.

Okinawan watermelon

And the course ended with Okinawan watermelon for dessert. Including this and two glasses of Awamori, the bill was a little over 7,000 yen. With such a price for such a course, I felt that it would be hard to get a reservation…. Personally, I am glad that I have one more thing to look forward to when I go to Naha.えて良かったです。

There are more than 2,000 course variations! Access to Shunsai-dokoro Biidoro is a 5-minute walk from the nearest station, Okinawa Yui Rail Miebashi Station.

Now, the course meal I ordered at Shunsai-dokoro Biidoro has more than 2,000 variations. The restaurant’s blog introduces the past course contents one by one, and as of the end of May 2025, the serial number was 2335…not 2000, but it is likely to reach 2500 variations by the end of this year. When ordering a course meal, the restaurant also responds to requests such as “Course No. XX. I recommend that you read through the restaurant’s blog before making a reservation, especially if you are visiting from outside of the prefecture.

Now, here are the details of the restaurant…