Traditional Pork Tonkatsu Agurumi (あぐー りゅうみ)
👋 Haisai! I’m CULT.
Today, I’d like to talk about a must-visit eatery in Okinawa! Specifically, a place that excels in making tonkatsu with Agu pork, a breed native to Okinawa. Many people aren’t familiar with Agu pork, so let me explain briefly. It’s a traditional pig found only in Okinawa. Unlike the pigs we’re used to, which grow very quickly, the Okinawan Agu pig grows quite slowly. However, it’s incredibly tender and delicious, making it a pricey gourmet ingredient. When used to make tonkatsu, it simply melts in your mouth. If you’re in Okinawa, you must try it before you leave.
📌 Location and Opening Hours
The restaurant is located on the second floor of the Makishi Public Market on Kokusai Street. Parking fees in this area are quite expensive, so I’ll leave a link to the most affordable parking information around Kokusai Street at the bottom of the text. ⏰ Opening hours are from 10:30 AM to 7:00 PM every day. [Google Map]
This is the newly constructed Makishi Public Market. Located in the centre of Makishi Market, it’s easy to spot. You need to enter this building and go up to the second floor. There are multiple entrances, so you can enter through any of them.
Today’s Okinawa restaurant, Agurumi, is located on the second floor, right in front of you as soon as you take the escalator up. Since the Makishi Public Market itself isn’t very large, it’s easy to find. Let’s take a seat with the help of the staff and place an order.
The first time I visited this place, I ordered two dishes. I had the Agu Pork Tonkatsu, which I upgraded to a set meal for an additional 350 yen to include rice, soup, and salad. I also ordered the Okinawan-style ribs, known as cartilage soki.
- Agu pork loin cutlet 1950 yen
- Set meal option available 350 yen extra
- Okinawan-style spare ribs 780 yen
🍱 Okinawa’s Culinary Delights: The Dishes of Agurumi
We ordered two dishes to start with, and the first one to arrive was the cartilage pork ribs. These are Okinawa-style pork ribs, and the meat separates from the bone much more easily than you might expect, making them quite easy to enjoy. They’re delicious. If you visit Agurumi, you should definitely give them a try. I think they pair well with Awamori 🍶
Today, I’m introducing the signature dish, Agu Pork Cutlet. Made with Agu, a traditional Okinawan pork, it’s naturally on the pricier side. With the set meal added, the price is 2,300 yen, which is more expensive than typical tonkatsu. However, since it’s a dish you can only try in Okinawa, I recommend experiencing it at least once.
It’s not very large, but it’s truly delicious. It melts in your mouth to the point where you wonder if it’s really pork.
Grind the sesame seeds provided and mix them with the tonkatsu sauce, then dip your food in it for a truly delightful taste. The Agu pork is a delicious breed and although it’s a bit pricey, resulting in slightly smaller portions, it’s a must-try dish when visiting Okinawa. 👍
🤗 So Delicious, I Visited Again
A few days later, I visited Agurumi again, and this time I decided to order some more Okinawan-style dishes. One was Goya Champuru and the other was Okinawa Yakisoba.
- Goya Champuru 850 yen
- Okinawan-style yakisoba, sauce 850 yen
This is Goya Champuru. In Korean, it’s also known as bitter melon, a very bitter ingredient. However, when stir-fried with various other ingredients, the bitterness is significantly reduced, making it quite a good choice as a side dish for drinks. The only downside is that this restaurant closes at 7 PM. But don’t worry, I’ll also introduce you to some nice izakayas and senbero nearby. 🥰
Okinawa has been heavily influenced by the US military since the Pacific War, so Spam dishes are practically traditional food here. Spam often appears in Okinawan cuisine. It’s not at all unusual to find Spam in goya champuru. Occasionally, some people complain about Spam in Okinawan dishes, but there’s a painful history where, after the war, Spam was the best ingredient available to those who had nothing else to eat. Understanding this history might change your perspective or preconceptions about Spam as an ingredient when you travel to Okinawa.
Here is Okinawa Yakisoba.
Yakisoba is a dish you can commonly find anywhere in Japan, but the Okinawan version has been localised with slightly different ingredients and cooking style compared to the mainland Yakisoba. It’s definitely a dish you can only try in Okinawa.
As expected, it contains spam and is topped with vegetables commonly found in Okinawa. I found this to be very delicious as well. While Goya Champuru might be a bit divisive for those who dislike bitter flavours, I think Okinawa Yakisoba is likely to be more universally appealing.
And the noodles… they are in the Okinawa soba style. In Korean terms, they are similar to kalguksu noodles. As the noodles are pre-cooked and then stir-fried, they don’t have the undercooked texture of Korean cup noodle tempura udon. They have a well-cooked texture that is likely to be enjoyed by people of all ages.
I found them to be very delicious as well. In today’s Okinawa food report, I recommend goya champuru for those who enjoy a bitter taste, and suggest trying the other dishes at least once when visiting Okinawa. ⭐️
And the price… it was a bit on the higher side. The amount shown on the menu includes tax. On my first visit, it was 3,080 yen, and on the second visit, it was 1,700 yen. I was satisfied and thoroughly enjoyed my meal.
If you’re visiting Okinawa, I think trying Okinawan cuisine rather than mainland Japanese food makes for a more unique travel experience. This is because travellers from Korea or Taiwan are quite likely to visit mainland Japan as well, so why not try something you can’t find there? Mainland Japan doesn’t have Okinawan-style food.
That concludes today’s story about the Okinawan restaurant Agurumi. I’ll see you again tomorrow with more Okinawa travel information. Matayasai 👋
