山原食堂Kuni — Restaurant in Nakijin

This little restaurant only seats 10-12 at a time, but it has amazing food! We ate here yesterday and although we were a little skeptical in its tiny size and worn appearance, the food was some of the best I've had in my 21 years in Okinawa. The wait is a little long since the owner and chef was working by himself. If the place is full, he may try to let you know the wait time can be a little long. You may stroll around the vegetable/souvenir shop next door and then pop in for an open table. I didn't notice a signup list, but maybe he had one.

The menus were in Japanese and in English very reasonably priced. The flavors and presentation of every dish were delicious, precise and beautifully arranged. It was very obvious these dishes were not made by a short order cook but by a very experienced chef.

The mango juice was thick and super refreshing. The chef brought it after we ordered to enjoy before the meal. Shortly after, he brought out a starter salad with maybe five ingredients topped with a delicious sauce. I ordered the deep-fried chicken set, and my wife had the Hiyash chukagoo set. We were not expecting the amazing dishes as they were brought out to the table. I thought I was getting the usual 3-5 piece4s of fried chicken with a little cabbage on the side. Instead, it was a beautifully presented dish, perfectly garnished and arranged. The fried chicken had a very yummy sauce over the top with chives and sesame seeds. The rice was yellow tinted and the salad fresh and crisp. My wife's dish was the same quality, a 10 of 10. SPECIAL NOTE: The spicy papaya sauce was out of this world! I'm going to try to make this at home if even possible.

We were indeed amazed of the quality and quantity of food, and the prices were very fair. Our bill was around Y2300 or $16.00. We will be returning again as Mabo Tofu and Spicy Curry will be my next order! Great job and...

Lovely hole-in-the-wall type place in a VERY random location (sharing a parking lot with a gas station and somewhat near a train station, if I recall correctly). It looks very run down from the outside (almost like a shack...) and we had no clue whether it was open in the middle of the afternoon when Google suggested it. Based on the reviews, we decided to take our chances and venture in, so thanks to everyone here who shared their thoughts because it was an amazing experience!

Incredibly, the place is actually very cozy on the inside, and the meal we had ended up being a highlight of our trip to Okinawa. It's a 1-person operation so the service isn't the fastest, but I believe this humble chef deserves so much praise. We tried the curry and a couple of other dishes, which were absolutely delicious. Looking around us, the noodles also looked amazing. We left wishing we had enough room to try everything else. I'm quite positive you could try anything here and be pleased. What we had was fresh, tasty, and presented with such thoughtful preparation. You could taste the love and care the chef put into his cooking, and the depth and fusion of flavours was unlike anything one would typically experience in Japan. I highly recommend dining here; I don't think anyone would regret it!

Prices were very reasonable considering the quality; you'd likely pay more a lot more for this level of food in a western country. Also, the chef has A+...

This place is a must-try - one of the most memorable meals I had in Okinawa! Amazing food prepared by a very chill chef.

The place doesn't look like much on the outside - a funny looking shack on the side of the road. Interestingly though, the owner used to be a chef in Tokyo who decided to come over to Okinawa and start his own place.

So he built this place by himself and serves the locals and anyone else who passes by! Inspirational story, right? BTW, I was recommended by the locals to drop by.

Kuni's doesn't serve traditional Okinawan cuisine - rather, you can try his original takes on popular dishes like JiaJiangMian/Jajangmyeon or seafood pasta, etc....with fresh local ingredients.

Honestly, to this day I still crave that bowl of JiaJiangMian. It was just so good. Plus we got to chill out and talk with him and enjoy the summer breeze. Excellent laid back dinner experience. BTW, it was less than 1000 yen per dish!!! Amazing value; it helps to show that he's doing this as his passion.

If you're in the area, please try Kuni's; besides, eating Okinawan cuisine every single day during your...