​The best breakfast/lunch place we could have ever found on our first day in Nago. We were the only customers as it was low season. The chef was so nice and prepared the food we ordered perfectly. We were keen to chat to her and she told us a little about herself, that she was from the Kanto area and moved to Okinawa several years ago. She has been running the restaurant ever since. While we ate, she prepared handmade yellies for us, mine was in the shape of a heart! The food was amazing, completely lactose free. That morning I ordered omu rice with curry sauce, it was the best omu rice I have had in Japan so far. It came with a small block of tofu, salad, pickled radish and miso soup.

​

Cafe Yugafu is permanently closed.

When we met Warren we got to know his story and the amazing work he does for the homeless. I wrote an article about Warren's Place, click on the article link above! As for the lactose-free food, it was quite easy to order the burger without cheese on it, the chef herself didn't speak much English but understood what I wanted to say. Also, the bread at Warren's is not made with butter, so it's safe to eat :) The burgers were delicious and super juicy. As we watched the cooks at work, and went over our coming holiday plans, we certainly enjoyed the evening at Warren's place.

This izakaya is a must visit for the Okinawan food lover. We found at least 4 of the local dishes here and as we were feeling adventurous we tried as many as we could, including the Agu Pork Dumplings, Goya Champuru, Juicy Pork Belly and Umibudo. All lactose free! The restaurant was decorated in an old Japanese style and was very family friendly. We ended up going twice and enjoyed the food both times.

This izakaya is more for the fish lovers, the main food of izakaya's is usually a lot of small dishes, luckily for the lactose intolerant most of these dishes are lactose free. Izakaya 21 is also recommended if you want to eat where the locals eat.

The first day we arrived on Yoron Island we took the bikes and explored the southern part of the island. When we got hungry we found a restaurant near one of the more popular beaches. The staff were very friendly, open to conversation and their two cats were adorable and open to pets ;). We both ordered the curry, the restaurant's signature dish, and it was delicious, just what we needed before getting hangry. The Japanese curry was made without any nuts or lactose. As I was so focused on eating the curry, I forgot to take pictures of our dishes - all the more reason to go and explore for yourself!

As this modern izakaya is quite new in town, we didn't really know what to expect. All the other restaurants were full, so we decided to have a look. The food was quite nice, the portions were a little bigger than a traditional izakaya portion, but the price of the dish was also similar, all in all we had a really nice dinner. The chef was also very knowledgeable about the dishes he was serving and the sake he was selling. As it turned out, the chef has a large selection of sakes waiting to be tasted.

While waiting for the boat to take us from Yoron Island to Motobu Harbour, we had lunch at a rather famous local soba restaurant. The main attraction was Okinawan soba with agu pork! I decided to take the chance and ordered the hot soba on a 35 degree day, I did not regret it! Soba is generally made without any dairy ingredients. However, the stock cubes in supermarkets do contain skimmed milk powder, which can irritate your stomach if you are lactose intolerant. In restaurants, you should be able to enjoy a good soba, ramen or any noodle dish without worry.

We stayed on Sesoko Island for three nights, the night we arrived we had no plans for dinner and decided to get on our bikes and ride around the island looking for a good izakaya. We found Yuntaku, not far from the guesthouse and arrived just in time for the last orders to be called. I was so happy because they had Hirayachi on the menu. Hirayachi is my favourite local Okinawan dish because it is a pancake (as a Dutch girl, I do love pancakes), but it is made without any milk or cream! This dish was originally made when the locals were sheltering from a teiphoon and had no electricity. Hirayachi can be made with just a pan on a portable gas stove. The ingredients that were mostly available and needed to be used quickly were eggs, flour and water. Over time, chives and pieces of tuna were added to the batter. It was delicious!

One day we decided to hire a car and drive to where we couldn't walk or cycle. We ended up just driving along the highway to the northernmost part of the main island of Okinawa. As I was struggling with a sunstroke, I rested in the cafeteria at Cape Hedo. I wanted to cool off and luckily they had soy milk smoothies and Yanbaru Gelato, which was a sorbet!

This restaurant was a nice surprise at the end of our holiday on Sesoko, my husband found it when we were looking for a place to eat for lunch. They served a more Indian style curry with a large sized beer. What a perfect combination! The curry was so well prepared, both nut and lactose free and full of flavour. On such a hot day, with a cold drink, a delicious meal and a stunning view, we were quite satisfied and rested from our holiday.