Ramen Danbo — Restaurant in Okinawa

2023 Update: somehow between 2019 and now, the food managed to become even more delicious! The gyoza is still the best on island, however now you have to specifically ask for the garlic paste. My favorite ramen used to be the spicy one, but I have currently switched to the miso ramen. It's everything you love about ramen and everything you love about miso. Also, if it's your first time, you may not realize how to order. There's a vending machine that you put your ¥en in to and you prepay so once you're done eating, you can just head out. They let you pick thick or thin noodles, how firm/soft they'll be, normal or concentrated broth, whether you prefer green onions or not, how spicy you want it, (yes, all ramen flavors are capable of being spicy) I believe there's 5 possible levels of spicy (none- light- normal- heavy- spicy), and finally at the very bottom of that ticket will be empty parenthesis where you can write any number between 1-20 dictating how spicy you want it, and that number overrides what you had circled earlier. The ticket will be in kanji, but they have a laminated instruction card explaining how to order in English as well. The great thing about Danbo, is their broths are so delicious and generously portioned that they anticipate that you'll order more noodles for your left over broth, and you can buy it at the vending machine. This time, you only need to fill out noodle thickness and firmness. Initially, I thought it was just a ramen shop and all ramen tastes the same, but living here nearly 4 years and tasting as many restaurants as I could, I have to say Danbo is definitely tied for #1 in my book.

2019:The service is always swift. The gyoza is delicious and they give you a little jar with garlic that you can scoop into your ramen. The spicy ramen is more of a slow burn spice than a kick in the mouth spice, but it's my...

Our go-to ramen spot! Hot bowl of ramen with an ice cold crispy coke. We come here about once a week and it never disappoints. The ramen is always fresh and they serve the Coke in a chilled mug with ice — seriously, it hits different with a steamy bowl of ramen. Don't forget to order gyoza too! It's so good.

When you walk in, you’ll order on the machine to the right. There are clear instructions in English above it, so it’s really easy to follow. You insert your yen, press the buttons for what you want, and out come your food tickets. The tickets are in Japanese, and you’ll need to circle your broth type, spice level, noodle type, firmness, etc. If you’re going with someone else, grab your tickets first so you don’t mix them up when it comes time to filling them out. Each table has an English guide to help you translate the tickets, or just use Google Translate — it’s super simple.

There’s about 10 parking spots out front. If it’s full inside, the staff will take your name and license plate number down and come find you in the lot when your table’s ready. Super convenient.

The staff is always so sweet! I seriously love the ladies here — they’re always so kind and welcoming, which just makes the experience even better.

TIPS: -Bring YEN

-Know what you are going to order before you start so the machine doesn't time out

-You can add extras to your bowl of ramen. Extra eggs, pork, noodles. Hit the button and you'll receive tickets

-Fill out your tickets and hand them to the waitress

-Complimentary water is available

-Chopsticks are in the black container in a drawer...

Ramen Danbo is my favorite and go to ramen shop in Okinawa for one main reason, customization. After you order you can pick (with help of Google translate or English helper menu) hard noodles or soft, rich broth or weak, spice level, and more. It doesn't hurt that the ramen is great! Don't be scared If you don't speak or read Japanese, you can figure it out.

Note: you pay via yen vending machine when you enter, insert cash then pick what you want, on the ramen ticket you will need to circle how you want the ramen before giving it to wait staff so that's where google translate picture or the English guide they have...