Miyara Soba Naha Branch

Miyara Soba, known as a rare restaurant where we can enjoy Yaeyama soba on the main island of Okinawa, operates one store in Naha in addition to its main store in Urasoe. The Miyara Soba Naha Branch opens at 8 a.m., and after hearing that breakfast is available there, I decided to visit the restaurant right away. I had been curious about the Okinawan local dish “Honejiru” when I visited the main branch in Urasoe, and I was hoping it would be available for breakfast as well… With that expectation in mind, I headed to the restaurant with Google Maps in hand…

Operating as a hotel restaurant… Miyara Soba Naha Branch is a restaurant like this…

Miyara Soba Naha Branch is located on the second floor of Hotel Precia, a hotel in Naha’s entertainment district. The hotel has a slightly retro look and a unique atmosphere that is difficult to describe in words, but it is a small hotel. When you take the elevator to the second floor and turn right, you will see a space that looks like a hotel dining hall behind the check-in counter. This is Miyara Soba Naha Branch, which operates as the hotel’s dining hall. In fact, there were many customers dressed like hotel guests… but even if you are not a hotel guest, you can still use the dining hall, so please rest assured.

Purchase a meal ticket from the vending machine inside the store before moving to your seat. At a glance, there were 44 seats, all at tables. It’s a simple, unadorned dining space, but Okinawan folk music plays in the background, giving it a slight Okinawan feel. It feels a bit out of place with the overall atmosphere of the hotel, but if that doesn’t bother you, it’s a convenient spot to enjoy breakfast in Naha.

Choose from four types of dishes, including honejiru… I tried the Okinawan breakfast available only until 10:00 a.m. at Miyara Soba Naha Branch.

From opening time until 10:00 a.m., Miyara Soba Naha Branch only offers a morning menu called “Okinawan Set Meal.” The price of this Okinawan Set Meal is 1,000 yen (tax included). You can choose from four options: Okinawa soba, yushi tofu, honejiru, and tako-rice. Without hesitation, I chose the bone broth, thinking, “I’m glad they have honejiru!”

After waiting about 10 minutes after placing my order, the Okinawa Set Meal (honejiru) was brought to my table. Isn’t the sheer size of the pork bone sticking out of the bowl impressive? Even though I know most of it is bone and not edible, it still feels like you’re getting more than your money’s worth in terms of volume. 

Let’s start with the broth… In a nutshell, it’s a fairly salty pork bone broth, but the bonito and kelp flavors come through, and there’s clearly a lot of effort put into it. The umami slowly seeps into the body… Being able to eat this first thing in the morning is pure bliss. By the way, bone broth seems to be an eco-friendly dish made from the bones left over after making Okinawan soba broth. As a tourist, I think it would be great if more restaurants serving Okinawan soba offered bone broth, but is there another reason why it’s so rare?

The highlight of this bone broth is the pork bones, but there’s also plenty of meat attached to them, so it’s not just for show. The fact that the meat around the bones is delicious is common knowledge among meat lovers. There are lean parts, soft cartilage parts that have become melt-in-the-mouth tender… and all kinds of meat flavors to enjoy. And there’s no trace of the pork bone odor. Even people who don’t like pork bone ramen should be able to eat this without any issues.  

In addition to the grated ginger and chili miso served on the tray as flavor-changing items for the bone broth…  

As table condiments, there are a variety of spicy seasonings available, including capsicum, pippachi, island chili pepper, and seven-spice chili pepper. Personally, I think grated ginger goes best, but since the broth itself has such a good flavor, you might not even need to change the taste.  

After finishing the honejiru breakfast, I had a cup of coffee (free for those who ordered breakfast) and left the store. This was my first time trying honejiru, but it’s perfect for breakfast! If I ever come back to Naha, I’ll definitely order this breakfast again. Still, I wonder what other Okinawa soba shops do with the bones? I hope more shops start offering it as a morning menu item like Miyara Soba Naha Branch… That’s just my personal opinion as a traveler.  

After 10:00 a.m., you can enjoy the regular menu… To access Miyara Soba Naha Branch, take the Okinawa Yui Rail to Kencho-mae Station, then take the Naha Bus No. 2 bound for Miejo and get off at Ue-no-kura Bus Stop. It’s a 1-minute walk from there.

Miyara Soba Naha Branch operates with its regular menu after 10:00 a.m. The menu includes Yaeyama soba, soki soba, juicy, honejiru, and even goat soba. Most Okinawan local dishes can be enjoyed here. If you don’t mind the location and atmosphere, this is a great place to enjoy Okinawan local cuisine.

Here are the details of the restaurant…

It’s a 15-minute walk from Asahibashi Station on the Okinawa Yui Rail.