Miyazato Soba

Miyazato Soba. Founded in 1979, It has a long history of more than 40 years and is quite famous, often winning the No. 1 ranking among the many Okinawa soba specialty stores. I had been reluctant to visit the restaurant because it is located in Nago, but one day in 2025, I made up my mind to go to the restaurant. What was it like to eat Okinawa soba at one of the most famous restaurants in Okinawa?

A retro-looking building with teegee customer service, but that’s the real Okinawa… Miyazato Soba is a restaurant like this…

After a 2-hour bus ride from Naha, walk along Route 58 from Nago Bus Terminal back toward Naha, and you will see Miyazato Soba, my destination this time, behind a vacant lot on the left. The store is a rather old building with a red brick roof, but the building itself is quite large and has the atmosphere of a local meeting place. It has a very retro feel to it, a visual that evokes nostalgia, and I loved the atmosphere at first glance. It is rumored that even on weekdays, there is often a huge line at lunch time, but I was very lucky and was able to enter the restaurant without waiting as soon as I arrived.

As soon as you enter the restaurant, there is a state-of-the-art touch-panel ticket machine on the right side, where you purchase your meal ticket and take your seat. According to a quick count, Miyazato Soba has a total of 80 seats, including both table and tatami room seating. The red checkered tablecloths give it a local diner look. On the other hand, the mothers who work here all have what is called “teegee customer service,” and I have the impression that they are treated quite bluntly compared to restaurants in mainland Japan. But that is the real Okinawa, so you should enjoy this restaurant including the original Okinawan customer service! I guess…

Certainly different from other restaurants… How was Miyazato Soba’s signature dish, Soki Soba, when I actually tried it?

Let me introduce the signature dish, Soki Soba (Noodle soup with pork spare ribs), that I ordered at Miyazato Soba on that day. There are two choices for Soki Soba, “Normal-size” and “Large-size,” but this time I ordered “Normal-size” and the price was 800 yen including tax… 

It took about 2 to 3 minutes after I handed my meal ticket to the waiter, the Soki Soba I ordered arrived in front of my eyes. In addition to the three spare ribs, there is one piece of tied kelp in the center. I don’t remember seeing this kelp topping at any other place I’ve eaten… 

Let’s start with the broth… It is a clear broth with a light soy sauce color, and although it looks light in flavor, the kelp and bonito broth can be felt well. Okinawa soba is usually made with pork bone broth, but the broth here has almost no animal flavor, so even though it has a strong flavor, it is gentle. I felt myself relaxing after drinking this broth and thought to myself, “I am Japanese after all…”.

The noodles for this are wide, straight, medium-thick noodles with a rough surface that soaks up the broth. The noodles are slightly soft and chunky. Although it is a standard serving, the volume is large enough to fill up your stomach with just one bowl.

And the main topping, soki, is a firm meat with a chewy texture. The seasoning is sweet, but not overpowering, and the flavor of the meat is what you want to taste. The meaty flavor can be felt in combination with the firm chewiness. Knotty kelp, on the other hand, is also sweetly simmered, but its taste is different from the wildness of the kelp, and you can feel its tenderness when you eat it. Once you try it, you will feel lonely without kombu on your Okinawa soba.

There were koregusu (chili peppers that are immersed in awamori), red ginger, and seven spice togarashi on the table, but I finished it all at once without having to change the taste like I did with the Takaesu Soba. I have not eaten so many Okinawan soba before, but I had the impression that it was certainly different from the ones I have eaten at other restaurants…. I would honestly be fine without the soki or sanmainiku, as I would prefer to be filled with the flavors of kelp and bonito. There are kake-soba without pork topping and kelp-soba with more kelp on the menu, so next time I have a chance to visit the restaurant, I may order those!

Miyazato Soba’s Okinawa soba menu (prices include tax) 

• Soki soba (large) 1000 yen 
• Sanmainiku soba (large) 1000 yen 
• Soki soba 800 yen 
• Sanmainiku soba 800 yen 
• Kelp soba 600 yen 
• Soba (small) 500 yen 
• Kakesoba 500 yen 

Note: Toppings of soki (100 yen per piece) or sanpei (80 yen per piece) can be added for extra charge (80 yen per piece) are available.

Besides Okinawa soba, for some reason, curry, spaghetti, and toast are also available…To get to Miyazato Soba, take the Okinawa Yui Rail Asahibashi Station, get off at Nago Bus Terminal by Okinawa Bus Route 111, and walk 10 minutes. 

At Miyazato Soba, besides Okinawa soba, for some reason, curry, spaghetti, and toast are also available. It is really a strange combination. The menu is so well organized that it makes you think, “Is this a coffee shop?” The combination with Okinawa soba is questionable, but the price is reasonable, so you may want to order it as a side menu. If you have room in your wallet and stomach, please give it a try and leave your impressions in the comments section below.

Now, here are the details of the restaurant…