👋 Haisai! I’m CULT.
Today, I’d like to talk about a ramen shop with a bit of an Okinawan twist that you can enjoy casually when you visit Kokusai Street in Okinawa. The restaurant is called Ryuya Ramen. While it might not be as well-known as Ichiran Ramen or Tanbo Ramen, it offers a different style of ramen. I recommend it to those who prefer a light and clean taste over a rich and spicy broth.
Its popularity is gradually increasing, but it’s not yet extremely famous, so the waiting time is shorter compared to the two ramen shops mentioned earlier.

📌 Restaurant Location and Opening Hours

The location of Ryuuya Ramen is on Kokusai Street. You can easily find it by following Google Maps, and it is closed every Wednesday. ⏰ Opening hours are from 11:30 AM to midnight. You can enjoy ramen at your leisure as it is open until late. [Google Map]

This is what the exterior of the restaurant looks like. The photo was taken in January. I also have a photo taken a few days ago, but the weather wasn’t very nice, so I’m including a photo from when it looked its best. There are many paid parking lots nearby, but they are a bit pricey. Below, I’ve included a list of the cheapest parking lots on Kokusai Street.

Related post: List of the Cheapest Parking Lots on Kokusai Street

The interior design resembles the typical style of a Japanese ramen shop that you might have seen in dramas or films. The visible photos only show bar tables, but on the opposite side, there are three tables for four people and two tables for two people. Eating Japanese ramen at such bar tables somehow gives you more of a feeling of being in Japan. However, every time I visit, I always seem to be guided to the larger tables.

🍜 Menu of Ryuya Ramen

The menu is primarily in Japanese, but if you look closely, it’s displayed in various languages. My Japanese is still a bit clumsy, so the staff member keeps speaking in English, but I persist in conversing in Japanese. It’s a funny situation where the Japanese staff speaks in broken English, and I, as a Korean, speak in Japanese, yet we completely understand each other 🤣

Ryukogashi Ramen (琉こがしラーメン) 980 yen
Ryukara Miso Ramen (琉辛みそラーメン) 980 yen
Handmade Gyoza 5 pieces (手作り餃子) 550 yen

This is Ryugo Kashi Ramen.
It’s a pork-based ramen using roasted garlic and onions, and it’s said to be the most popular menu item at this shop. While Ichiran or Danbo Ramen are known for their rich broth, Ryugo Kashi Ramen has a slightly lighter flavour, making it more casual to enjoy. The seaweed is a trademark of Ryuya Ramen, served with every ramen.
If it’s your first visit, I recommend trying this ramen.

If you visit during lunch time, you can add a side dish called TKG, which is rice topped with a raw egg, for an additional 100 yen. People from Western countries generally aren’t fond of raw eggs, likely due to various incidents related to raw eggs in the past. On the right, there’s a dessert made by shaving ice and adding mango syrup. It’s served even if you just have a bowl of ramen.

I thoroughly enjoyed the meal.
The light type is great because it leaves a short aftertaste, making it perfect for heading straight to another dessert.

Next up is the Ryukara Miso Ramen.
This dish features a broth based on pork bones and spicy miso. Europeans or Japanese might find this spicy. If a Korean were to call this spicy, they’d be teased for having a child’s palate. In comparison to Korean standards, it’s spicier than Ottogi Jin Ramen Mild but less spicy than the Hot version. Of course, Nongshim Shin Ramyun is much spicier.

When you remove the seaweed, this spicy miso appears. It’s just amusing to describe this as spicy in front of a Korean. Another characteristic of Ryukyu ramen is that the noodles are thin. So, when you order, the ramen comes out very quickly. I like that you can come in, eat quickly, and leave swiftly.

Personally, I have such a preference for thick noodles that udon is my favourite. Nevertheless, it’s delicious. The pork topping is also tasty. If you can’t handle spicy food at all, I recommend the basic Ryuya ramen introduced earlier over the spicy miso ramen.

And the broth is delicious too. It’s not overwhelmingly rich in flavour, which is another distinctive feature. It’s clean and quick to eat, which is great.

And these are handmade dumplings from the shop. They cost 550 yen for five pieces, and as usual, I added a lot of chilli oil and dipped them in soy sauce before eating.

It’s perfect for popping into your mouth in one go. Indeed, enjoying these treats in Japan really makes you feel like you’re on a trip 😘

I finished the spicy miso ramen cleanly as well. Personally, I prefer the spicy miso ramen.
Ryuya Ramen is perfect for those visiting Okinawa who dislike waiting in line and want a quick meal before exploring Kokusai Street. I’m someone who simply cannot understand the idea of queuing for food.

Firstly, there is no receipt, and secondly, I took a photo like this. The famous ramen shop on Kokusai Street accepts QR payments and credit cards. It seems to be a common feature among famous ramen shops in Okinawa. Usually, if they’re famous and have been around for a long time, they only accept cash.
That’s it for today’s introduction to a great place to eat on Kokusai Street in Okinawa. I’ll wrap it up here and come back tomorrow with more Okinawa travel information. Matayasai 👋