Sacchan Soba

I heard that there is a restaurant in Nago, a town in the northern part of the main island of Okinawa, that serves a slightly different type of Okinawa soba, Sacchan Soba. This is a relatively new restaurant specializing in Okinawa soba, having been established on September 11, 2007, but it has already become one of the most popular restaurants on the main island of Okinawa, and has been introduced in numerous media outlets, including the nationwide TV program “Bananaman no Sekkaku Gourmet”, so the name of the restaurant may be familiar not only to residents of Okinawa Prefecture but also to people all over Japan.

By the way, I heard that Sacchan Soba offers a new type of Okinawan soba that is hard to find in other restaurants. Imagining what that new sensation of Okinawan soba might be like, I took a two-hour bus ride to Nago…

Experience local Okinawa as you imagined it… Sacchan Soba is a restaurant like this…

Sacchan Soba is located in a residential area a little north of the city center facing Nago Bay. Just one street into the city, you feel as if time has stopped and the atmosphere is laid-back, as if you can experience the “real Okinawa” by walking around the city, which is something you can’t experience if you just stay in the center of Naha.

Well, I was very lucky that day and was able to enter Sacchan Soba, one of the most famous restaurants in Okinawa with a long queue, without waiting in line. The restaurant has a total of 20 seats, including 8 counter seats. It looks like a corner of a private house has been remodeled and used as a restaurant, and a very homey atmosphere fills the restaurant. My impression is that this is a place where you can experience the Okinawan local atmosphere as I imagined. I’m so happy to spend my time in such a restaurant…

This is certainly a new sensation… How was it to try Sacchan Soba’s popular menu, Sacchan Soba Ju-shi-me Set?

Let me introduce the popular menu item I ordered at Sacchan Soba on that day, the Sacchan Soba Ju-shi-me Set. The set includes the restaurant’s signature dish, Okinawan buckwheat noodles named “Sacchan-soba” and cooked rice called “Ju-shi-me” for the price of 1000 yen including tax…

After about 15 minutes of waiting for my order, Sacchan Soba’s Ju-shi-me set arrived in front of me. The soba toppings include three  The soba toppings include three kinds of meat: tripe, spare ribs, and cartilage, which is the default state for Sacchan soba. I have never seen such luxury in standard Okinawan soba before. Not only that…

Actually, at Sacchan Soba, you can choose between the standard “Nago Soba White Noodle” and the homemade “Mozuku Noodle” which is kneaded with Mozuku seaweed from Iheya Island. Of course, I chose the mozuku noodles this time…

The mozuku noodles are incredibly effective. The moment I put the medium-thick noodles in my mouth, I could smell the aroma of the sea from the mozuku seaweed. And when biting into the noodle, it has a chewy texture, and the aroma of the sea is one step higher than before! It’s like a “gulp” to the nose. After passing through the throat, the aroma of the sea backwards… It is truly a wave-like attack of mozuku, and it is very pleasant. The slightly sweet and clear broth also makes me want to drink it all up at once as the deliciousness soaks into my body’s core. This is certainly a new sensation. If you do not dislike mozuku, you will definitely be addicted to this dish.

And the pork toppings. I mentioned earlier that there are three kinds of meat, but actually there are three pieces of meat and two pieces of cartilage, so there are a total of five pieces of meat in the dish. It is the default, but with more meat! Both the tripe and the soki were melt-in- mouth tender, and one of the cartilage pieces was charred, crispy, savory, and delicious.

Finally, this Ju-shi-me has a kelp-based broth that soaks into the chunky rice, and the delicious flavor gradually oozes out with each bite. If the soup stock from Sacchan Soba is used as a substitute for miso soup, the synergistic effect of both soup stocks amplifies the flavor… This set of Sacchan Soba and Ju-shi-me is, to put it mildly, the best combination ever. To be able to eat this for only 1,000 yen, it is no wonder there is a long line of people waiting to get in. The only drawback is that it takes two hours to travel from Naha to Nago each way, but I now have one more thing to look forward to when I return to Okinawa.

Examples of other menu items at Sacchan Soba (prices include tax)

• Large Soba: 1,200 yen
• So-ki Soba: 900 yen
• Sanmainiku Soba: 900 yen
• Cartilage Sujika Soba: 900 yen
• Tebichi Soba: 900 yen
• Sacchan Soba alone: 900 yen
• Children’s Soba: 600 yen

Soba coupons for more savings… To get to Sacchan Soba, take Okinawa Yui Rail from Asahibashi Station to Nago Shiyakusho-mae bus stop by Okinawa Bus 111 bound for Nago Bus Terminal, 6 minute walk.

Sacchan Soba sells coupons for more savings on Okinawa soba! …

The price is 4,800 yen (tax included) for 6 coupons for regular size Sacchan Soba. The price of a normal ticket is 900 yen per serving including tax, so you save 600 yen if you buy this coupon. The fact that the coupons are valid for only 6 months is a bit of a disappointment for travelers like me…but if you can go to the restaurant 6 times in 6 months, this coupon is a “must buy”.

Now, here are the details of the restaurant…