Gyukatsu Motomura

Haisai — Cultravel here!
I’ve been so busy lately, so I’m writing posts in advance. Tomorrow will be so busy I won’t be able to do anything… my eyes are closing but I’m getting this written ahead of time. Today it’s Gyukatsu Motomura, a popular spot on Kokusai-dori. It’s super hot with Taiwanese visitors, and these days many Koreans go there too.
It’s a restaurant where you grill beef katsu on a hotplate — a bit pricey but delicious. This time of year is the low season, so the wait is a little shorter, but in peak season you can’t even think about getting in. Although it’s a Japanese franchise, it’s tasty, so if you pass Kokusai-dori, give it a try 😀

Location of Gyukatsu Motomura — Naha Kokusai-dori Branch

It’s located at the Makishi Market intersection, right in the heart of Kokusai-dori. It’s very easy to find. Opening hours are daily from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM, and wait times can be quite long at lunch and dinner.

This is kind of the vibe. There’s an empty lot in front — they’ll probably build something there, right?
Anyway, when I first walked past this place someone had told me something really negative about it. It was just a few days after I arrived in Okinawa… I guess if you start out with a negative view, everything else looks off. Anyway, surprisingly there was no wait, so I slipped in. I was hungry after the shoot, so that worked out perfectly!

They kept bringing water. Maybe because it’s a slightly pricier place, they kept checking how much we had left.

Stone steak vibes..
I do love stone steak. The best steak I’ve ever had in my life was a stone steak 😀

Grill-Your-Own Gyukatsu

There’s only one thing on the menu here. Gyukatsu — that’s it. One piece of beef tonkatsu? One and a half? Two? That’s really all there is. You don’t get any other menu choices. Very simple. I was hungry, so I ordered two pieces.

The inside of the beef comes out slightly undercooked, so you have to finish grilling the rest yourself. I like that they give a generous heap of cabbage with it — helps prevent blood sugar spikes.

Place the slightly undercooked gyukatsu on the grill, sear it, and enjoy it with rice.

Drizzle a little sauce, too…

Rice, soup, and a variety of sauces are provided. You can enjoy everything without feeling like anything’s missing. If you finish your rice, they’ll give one free refill. You can choose small, medium, or large portions.

There are three sauces in total — feel free to alternate between them. I personally liked the soy-based one.

True to the land of rice, it’s even more delicious when eaten with rice.

This sauce… it’s not really my style. I still prefer soy sauce.

They also serve injeolmi for dessert — a little palate cleanser after you finish.

Later on… they pile several slices of meat on at once. The problem with ordering two gyukatsu is… by the time you’re almost finished eating, the flame goes out. So you have to eat quickly. They’ll of course relight it… but you end up rushing to eat and get back to work..

There were three pieces left, but the lights went out…
We still managed to cook them nicely with the remaining heat. This place is pretty good, isn’t it?

Anyway, the meal was really good. By the way, these photos… I edited them on my new laptop, so I’m not sure the colors are accurate. It’s a device I’ve never used for photo editing before, but maybe because it doesn’t have the MacBook’s color boost, they look very realistic.
Anyway, if you visit Okinawa’s Kokusai-dori and there’s no wait, give it a try. It was my first time going too, and I really liked it.

Maybe… is there only one left now? There aren’t many Okinawa restaurant JeongQ posts left. Well… if friends and I visit any places for the first time, I’ll share more. With year-end parties coming up, I’ll probably check out a bunch of restaurants..
I’m crazy busy again from the morning, so I’ll keep this brief. Tomorrow I’ll just talk about everyday life in Okinawa. See you again 😀

• Delicious Ryuya Ramen on Kokusai Street
• Hearty Nama Soba at Nakamura
• Light meal near Gyukatsu Motomura: Sanukiya