Makishi Public Market — Attraction in Naha

Amazing place to see a variety of fresh exotic Okinawan fish and other seafood.

Going in the early morning is best for those who don't enjoy crowds, else for an authentic market experience, going around noon is best.

Typically, you purchase your selection of seafood on the first floor, then head to the second floor with your seafood to be cooked the way you like at one of the restaurants. Keep in mind the cooking charge of around 500yen.

It is a pricey experience, but one every Okinawa visitor should do at least once. I had budai (parrotfish) half sashimi and half deep fried, and yakogai (Giant Sea Snail) half sashimi and half cooked in butter. I did come back for a second time to try amaebi (sweet shrimp) too.

Umibudou (sea grapes) is served along side your custom seafood dish, which is a great bonus.

In my humble opinion, everything tasted nicer cooked. However, it was still a good idea tasting the pure flavour of each seafood item.

I would absolutely recommend going to the restaurant in the middle of the restaurant selection to the right of the escalators coming up. Unfortunately the place doesn't seem to be listed on Google Maps.

You can dine from the regular menu without grabbing a fish from downstairs. The awamori cocktails and goya beer are to die for, and the service is as polite as you can get in as it is in a touristy place.

Shoutout to the waitress who had great suggestions and a kind, welcoming...

Unless you live in Okinawa, you come here to buy fish to then get it cooked for you upstairs. In order to do so, don't go upstairs, just buy whatever you want from the vendor's downstairs. You pay for what you buy and then they take you upstairs to one of the restaurants (I guess each vendor goes to a specific restaurant) The idea is cool, but you get a certain feeling that you are paying tourist prices. The fish is rather expensive. I buy fish often and these are not prices locals would buy from. A small size snapper for 3800 yen, for example. That's ridiculously overpriced. Look around, prices change quite a bit depending on vendor and fish (and probably your looks) It still ends up being good value, but don't expect it to be the price you would pay for fish at a market + the cooking fee (which is around 600-700 yen) I guess they have to make a profit, of course, and I'm happy for it. But I wish there were more prices on display. You never want to feel like you are paying more than the guy sitting next to you for the same thing just because you are a foreigner. Still, totally recommended. It would also be interesting if you learned quickly how to distinguish fresh fish from not so fresh (everything looked mostly fresh, but some fish were fresher than others). As a quick hint if you haven't bought fresh fish before, look for clear eyes rather than blurry watery colored eyes. What you see in my picture (Jan 2025) was 3500...

Our lunch experience at Makishi Public Market was one to remember. We kicked things off on the first floor, picking out fresh seafood right from the local stalls — everything from vibrant cuts of sashimi-grade fish to a whole sea bream that caught our eye. The vendors were warm and welcoming, making the selection process easy and enjoyable.

We brought our ingredients up to the second level where the real magic happened. The chefs there turned our picks into a delicious spread. The fresh sashimi was clean, sweet, and beautifully plated — every slice a bite of the ocean. We also had stir-fried bitter gourd with spam, a local Okinawan favourite. The bitterness was mellow and balanced well by the savoury spam. A comforting dish, especially with rice.

Another standout was the prawns with eggs — silky and rich, yet not overly heavy. But the showstopper was definitely the sea bream. Cooked Chinese-style — deep-fried to a crispy golden crust and then finished with soy sauce — it was both flavourful and aromatic.

Eating upstairs with our custom meal, we really felt immersed in Okinawan food culture. Fresh, interactive, and full of flavour — this was not just a meal, but...