Ishigaki Food: Ryukyu Bistro, Maruha Suisan, Toraichi & Mirumiru Honpo

Q: What time does Maruha Suisan open?

The sign said 9am, but when we visited at 9:30 it was closed. It was open when we came back in the afternoon, so giving it a bit more time than a first-thing-in-the-morning visit might be the safer bet.

Q: Should you book ahead at Toraichi?

When we arrived for lunch it was fully booked, with nearly half the menu sold out. It seems to be popular, so getting there early is worth it.

Q: Is Mirumiru Honpo crowded?

The shop was always full of people, but the line moved faster than expected — we didn't wait long to order.

Q: Can you get real Okinawan food at Ishigaki Airport's food court?

You can. There was a good lineup for a last meal — Yaeyama soba, mozuku tempura, and pork-and-egg rice balls among them.

This article contains affiliate links.

In August 2026, over our 4 days in Ishigaki, here's everywhere the four of us actually ate — including the places that didn't quite work out. For the trip overview, see our summary article.

What this article covers

What we ate at Ryukyu Bistro, and what it cost for four
How we missed Maruha Suisan, and its comeback on day three
The takeout bowls from the Ishigaki Direct Seafood Market
Real prices at Toraichi (Ishigaki beef) and Mirumiru Honpo
Our last meal at Ishigaki Airport's food court, on the final day

1. Dinner on day one: Ryukyu Bistro at Ishigaki Village

📍 Ryukyu Bistro J (Ishigaki Village) — 8-9 Misaki-cho, Ishigaki, Okinawa, 2F / +81 80-9850-4151

After checking in, we headed out in the evening to Ishigaki Village, a lively little pocket of restaurants and bars. Maybe because it was still early, it wasn't too crowded yet.

*A corner of Ishigaki Village, lined with restaurants*

*Inside Ryukyu Bistro, the restaurant we chose*

The chashu we were recommended was tender and delicious. Overall it was reasonably priced — about 9,000 yen for the four of us.

*Today's recommendations, posted at the entrance*

*The creative Japanese menu's campaign board — order a qualifying dish and a drink is just 50 yen!*

2. Maruha Suisan, closed at 9:30 — and our comeback on day three

It's supposed to open at 9am, so we went at 9:30 — and it was closed.

*The shutters down at Maruha Suisan. We came at 9:30 and it wasn't open*

📌 Update: We got our revenge on day three, stopping by in the afternoon — this time it was open! We bought tuna and some seaweed (the clerk described it as "the grass that grows on coral"). The tuna was 1,500 yen. There's a lot of it, but honestly, for the taste, it's not exactly cheap — the direct-sale seafood market below is the better value. The seaweed was 550 yen. Barely any flavor, but an interesting texture — worth trying once for the experience.

*The tuna we bought on our second visit. 1,500 yen*

*The seaweed we bought alongside it, 550 yen — described by the clerk as "the grass that grows on coral"*

3. Takeout from the Ishigaki Direct Seafood Market

📍 Ishigaki Direct Seafood Market — 590-12 Tonoshiro, Ishigaki, Okinawa / +81 980-87-5552

Eat-in was an option, but we took ours to go. The tuna here was reasonably priced, and the medium-fatty tuna bowl (1,850 yen) in particular was excellent.

*The storefront of the Ishigaki Direct Seafood Market*

*Row after row of tuna cuts in the display case*

*The order screen — our total came to 6,227 yen*

*The seafood bowls we took away. The medium-fatty tuna bowl (1,850 yen) was especially good*

*Our older daughter, delighted with her medium-fatty tuna bowl*

Dessert from Pâtisserie Éclat

📍 Pâtisserie Éclat — 242-5 Ishigaki, Ishigaki, Okinawa / +81 980-82-6100 / official site

This shop is known for a cake made from a whole peach. At 1,620 yen for the oversized version, it isn't cheap — but it really is enormous.

*The oversized whole-peach tart. 1,620 yen (tax included)*

*The peach tart boxed up. It really is the size of the fruit itself*

*Our older daughter holding the enormous peach tart*

*Cut open, a golden-peach-colored sponge inside*

4. Lunch at Toraichi, an Ishigaki-beef butcher's restaurant

📍 Toraichi (Ishigaki Beef Specialist) — 204-68 Maezato, Ishigaki, Okinawa / +81 980-87-6029 / official site

We arrived for lunch to find it fully booked, with nearly half the menu already sold out. Sounds like a popular place — worth getting there early.

*The noren curtain for "Toraichi, Ishigaki Beef Specialist"*

Our older daughter polished off an Ishigaki beef lean-cut steak (6,000 yen, 200g). Our younger daughter had a yakiniku rice bowl, and clearly liked it — she ate about half of it by herself.

*The yakiniku rice bowl set our younger daughter ordered*

*The Ishigaki beef lean-cut steak (200g, 6,000 yen). Our older daughter finished every bite*

5. Gelato at Mirumiru Honpo, with an ocean view over the grass

📍 Ishigaki Mirumiru Honpo (main shop) — 1583-74 Arakawa, Ishigaki, Okinawa / +81 980-87-0885 / official site

The display case is packed with flavors, but the line actually moves fast. Picking two flavors is 600 yen. Choosing mango pushes it up a bit, to 790 yen.

*The flavor and price board — 600 yen for two flavors, 790 yen if you include mango*

The view was stunning — open grassland stretching out to the ocean. It's right next to the Ishigaki Limestone Cave, so it's an easy pair to visit together.

*The open grassland in front of the shop*

6. One last meal at Ishigaki Airport's food court

📍 Yaima-mura (New Ishigaki Airport, Domestic Terminal 1F) — 1960-104-1 Shiraho, Ishigaki, Okinawa / +81 980-87-0431

On day four, before our flight home, we had one last meal at Ishigaki Airport's food court. Yaeyama soba with braised pork, Yaeyama soba with thin-sliced pork, mozuku seaweed tempura, and a pork-and-egg rice ball — a last round-up of Ishigaki favorites.

*The sign for a Yaeyama soba shop inside the food court*

*Yaeyama soba with braised pork and with thin-sliced pork, plus mozuku tempura and a pork-and-egg rice ball*

The mozuku tempura was crisp with a real hit of the sea. Even the pork-and-egg rice ball, wrapped in bamboo leaf, felt distinctly Ishigaki from the moment we opened it.

*The pork-and-egg rice ball wrapped in bamboo leaf, next to the mozuku tempura*

*Our younger daughter's new favorite: the pork-and-egg rice ball*

Our younger daughter's new favorite was the pork-and-egg rice ball. A fun trip to Ishigaki, right to the very end.

Frequently asked questions

Q. What time does Maruha Suisan open? A. The sign said 9am, but when we visited at 9:30 it was closed. It was open when we came back in the afternoon, so giving it a bit more time than a first-thing-in-the-morning visit might be the safer bet.

Q. Should you book ahead at Toraichi? A. When we arrived for lunch it was fully booked, with nearly half the menu sold out. It seems to be popular, so getting there early is worth it.

Q. Is Mirumiru Honpo crowded? A. The shop was always full of people, but the line moved faster than expected — we didn't wait long to order.

Q. Can you get real Okinawan food at Ishigaki Airport's food court? A. You can. There was a good lineup for a last meal — Yaeyama soba, mozuku tempura, and pork-and-egg rice balls among them.

The trip overview → Ishigaki, 4 days
The full hotel write-up → seven x seven Ishigaki (room, sauna, pool)
The limestone cave → Ishigaki Limestone Cave
The trip from a week earlier → Okinawa, 4 nights on the main island

This article records our meals from August 2026. Prices, hours, and crowd levels change — please check each shop's latest information before visiting.