Anmaaya (あんまー家)

Authentic restaurant on anything-but-authentic Kokusai Dori, Naha

Despite a prime location on uber touristy Kokusai Dori (国際通り), central Naha, restaurant Anmaaya (あんまー家) is a good option for an authentic Okinawa dining experience in the city. At least that was what it felt like for this diner who visited Anmaaya at around 9 pm on a Monday. At this time Anmaaya was quiet but not deserted, with two or three other tables / booths taken up with what appeared to be middle-aged office workers and a small group somewhere that included some English-speakers. Inside, the atmosphere of this restaurant / izakaya has the feel of a ryokan - there are traditional decorative fixtures at the entrance where you have to remove your shoes and pull on some slippers, the counter seating that immediately greets you looks homely and the place looked to be run by an elderly couple (Anmaaya has been serving dishes on Kokusai Dori for 35 years and the ‘anmaa’ / ‘あんまー’ bit refers to ‘mother’ in the Okinawan tongue). Further into the restaurant and many of the tables here are in their own booth which affords a bit of privacy. If this place is aimed at tourists in Naha (which so much of Kokusai Dori is) then it does a good job of looking authentic. The menu at Anmaaya (あんまー家) was passed to us in Japanese (courtesy of the Japanese travel partner). Ordering food here from the Japanese menu could be a bit of a struggle as pictures on the menu are severely limited. A sign out front though says that an English menu is available at Anmaaya. Either way, dishes here appear to be Okinawan with izakaya-style items that can be shared among diners ranging from around 500 yen and going up to just over 1,000 yen. There’s a separate “recommended” menu with prices going up to 6,000 yen (rib-roast steak). The “harami steak don” is around 1,800 yen. We ordered “goya chahan”, “goya chanpuru”, and “rafute” (skin-on pork rib famous in these parts). While far from an expert on Okinawan cuisine, the rafute at Anmaaya was super tender and tasted good to me, so this restaurant could be a good place on Kokusai Dori to give it a try. Ours was 880 yen (divided by two, which was enough with the other dishes). My meal was washed down with a beer. Service at Anmaaya is unfussy so don’t expect to be lavished. Pay your bill at the cash register (and expect to wait a while as the “couple” are in the back preparing dishes). Credit cards accepted. It looked to us like smoking was available throughout the restaurant (or izakaya) not that I felt it was a particularly smoky place. Anmaaya is at the northeastern end of Kokusai Dori about 3 mins walk from Makishi station. It fronts the main street at the same time as being on the corner of the small sidestreet. There are a couple of palm trees out front. The restaurant front has some glass displays containing plastic models of some of the dishes served here (look out for the pigs head wearing shades). If you’re after what could be an authentic Okinawan dining experience in the heart of Naha and / or just want to take a break from the Kokusai Dori flash then Anmaaya (あんまー家) could be a good choice of restaurant. Hours: Lunch: 11:30 - 15:00 Dinner: 19:20 - 23:00