Nangoku Kitchen Painmi: Fisherman-Run Creative Plate Lunch on Irabu Island (Miyako)

Every time I come to Irabu Island, I feel I don't want to compromise on lunch, at least.
Crossing the Irabu Bridge from Miyako Island, the first thing I feel is "ah, the air is different." The island's quiet, the smell of the wind, that sense of time flowing slowly somewhere. That's exactly why I want to choose food that matches the island's rhythm too.

I first learned of Painmi from a "you absolutely have to go here" from a friend who'd lived on Irabu Island for a few years. When I actually went, it was full and I couldn't get in, so I went again the next day. The tandoori chicken plate I ate on that second attempt has become a taste I still can't forget.

In this article, for people thinking about lunch on Irabu Island, I'll convey plenty of the appeal of Nangoku Kitchen Painmi. Access, menu, points to note, surrounding spots — it's all gathered here, so please use it as a reference for your plans.

What Is Nangoku Kitchen Painmi? A Creative Dining & Inn Run by a Fisherman

Nangoku Kitchen Painmi holds up the concept of "savouring the island's blessings with all five senses." It might sound a little exaggerated, but actually eating there, you understand this concept properly sits on the plate.

The owner is a fisherman too. He goes out to sea himself by free-diving and fishing, and brings the fish caught that day into the kitchen. He combines seafood raised in the Miyako sea with vegetables grown on the island, and finishes them into his own creative dishes. Chicken using authentic spices, bonito tataki with a French-style sauce, desserts finished with island honey — the genres of the dishes look scattered at first glance, but all have the axis of "island ingredients."

The shop's atmosphere is good too. It's a little different from the stylishness you see in magazines, with a settled feel like a home. The little bits of interior placed on the counter and tables also blend a sense of daily life and a tropical feel well, conveying that it's not "a shop made for tourists" but "a shop made by someone who lives here."

On the second floor there's also accommodation limited to one group per day. You can also use it by reserving dinner and a stay as a set, spending the island night at leisure. For people who want an experience you can't reach with ordinary sightseeing, the plan with a stay is especially recommended. If you want to thoroughly enjoy Irabu Island gourmet, staying over and experiencing dinner too might be the ideal form.

Access and Basics: Opening Hours, Closing Days, How to Reserve

First, let me organise the basic information.

▶"Please check the latest opening hours and closing days on [Tabelog: Nangoku Kitchen & Inn Painmi]"

After crossing the Irabu Bridge and entering Irabu Island, head towards the Nagahama direction. Partway you enter a road passing between sugar-cane fields, and this is unexpectedly easy to get lost on. Follow the map app and you'll arrive, but the first time you get anxious — "is this road really right?" It's fine, that feeling is correct. The shop is at the end after you pass through.

The point that only cash can be used is troublesome if you don't know in advance. It's not that there are no ATMs on the island, but the number is limited, so it's reassuring to withdraw cash within Miyakojima City before moving. I once heard a story among travellers of "I didn't have enough cash and couldn't pay." That would be sad, so please at least be prepared.

Dinner requires a phone reservation by the day before, and isn't accepted by Instagram DM. Quite a few people go without knowing this and say "I thought I could reserve on the day." If you want dinner at the planning stage of your trip, phoning ahead is the iron rule. Lunch needs no reservation, but since the number of seats is small, I strongly recommend arriving early.

The Atmosphere Inside: A Relaxed Lunch in a Quiet Space Surrounded by Nature

Honestly, on first sight the exterior looks a little plain. There's no conspicuous sign, nor a stylish glass-fronted exterior. But the moment you open the sliding door, a space spreads out that makes you feel "ah, I like this place."

Three table seats and two tatami seats. A scale that fits about 10–15 people in total. Since the seats are few, there's a moderate distance from the other customers, and you can eat while talking at leisure. Going to a popular shop at noon in the tourist season tends to make for a crowded, hurried air, but here there's none of that feeling. Light pours in from the window and the greenery outside is visible, and when the wind passes through it's pleasant.

The tatami seats are easy to use even with small children. However, due to the seating, it may be a little cramped for large groups. If you go with 4 or more, it's reassuring to confirm with a word before visiting.

The very experience of arriving by passing through the sugar-cane-field road is already part of the lunch. Rather than touring "tourist spot, tourist spot" after coming to Irabu Island, being able to enjoy the scenery along the way too is also Painmi's appeal. The experience of passing through the inside of Irabu Island surrounded by greenery, different again from Miyako blue, is unexpectedly memorable.

What you realise anew once you start eating is the good freshness of the vegetables. Island-grown vegetables have a stronger taste compared with store-bought ones. Take even one marinade — the sweetness and acidity of the ingredients are clearly felt. It makes you think "were vegetables this flavourful?" Perhaps the reason meals on the island always leave an impression is that these differences in ingredients pile up.

Popular Lunch Menu: Colourful Plates and Superb Island-Vegetable Lunches

If I'm to talk about Painmi's lunch, I can't not first talk about the plate menu. Painmi's name appears in almost all the articles that come up in searches for recommended Irabu Island lunch, and you understand the reason the colour and volume of the plates are especially well-reputed.

Tandoori Chicken Plate (from ¥900 / about US)

Chicken prepared with a house-blended spice mix, served as a plate with marinated vegetables and salad. The spices work firmly, but it's not too hot, and the chicken itself is tender so it's easy to eat. Combined with colourful vegetables, it's a plate that's fun from the look of it. That this is in the ¥900 range is cheap even by the island's sense of prices.

On my first second-attempt visit I ordered this tandoori chicken. One bite and I thought "I'm glad I came here." The aroma of the spices, the acidity of the marinated vegetables and the umami of the chicken don't each assert themselves separately in the mouth, but feel properly brought together into one.

Irabu Bonito Tataki Salsa-Sauce Lunch Plate (from ¥950 / about US)

Bonito tataki with the chef's original salsa sauce. It seems light yet has depth. The rice soaked with the sauce is delicious too, and before you notice, the plate is empty. Since it uses bonito the fisherman owner catches himself, in terms of freshness there's no complaint. A dish that makes you think "bonito dishes had this much potential."

Keema Curry with Island Spinach (from ¥1,200 / about US)

Keema curry kneaded with island-grown spinach. The owner's care shows in the way the spices are used. The heat is restrained, giving the impression it's easy to eat even with children. The balance of the vegetables' sweetness and the spices is exquisite — a taste that makes you feel "choosing curry for lunch was the right call."

Carbonara with Irabu Red Eggs and Winged Beans (from ¥1,280 / about US)

This is an unexpected dish. A carbonara using Okinawa's traditional vegetable "urizun beans" (winged beans) and island-grown red eggs. The flavour of cheese and the savouriness of bacon add to the rich sauce, and the mouth rounds out. If you like pasta dishes, this without hesitation. Eating pasta on Miyako Island might feel odd, but with island ingredients in it, it becomes something completely different.

Peperoncino with House-Made Tuna, Okra and Green Chilli (from ¥1,300 / about US)

Peperoncino using house-made tuna. It has a richness that's a different thing from store-bought tuna. The mild heat of the green chilli makes an accent, and you can eat it smoothly even when you have no appetite.

Taco Rice and Island-Fish Pasta

The standards are in place too. Taco rice is a menu item often seen at Miyako Island tourist spots, but Painmi's is carefully combined with island vegetables. Island-fish pasta can be on the menu depending on the supply situation, so please check the blackboard or menu sheet when you visit.

Dessert: Black-Baked Banana with Ice Cream and Irabu Honey Sauce (¥650 / about US)

People who can manage one more dish after eating the main, absolutely have this. To the combination of piping-hot banana and half-melted ice cream, pour Irabu honey and the aroma turns tropical all at once. The match with coffee is outstanding too, and I think it's the best possible choice to close a lunch.

The menu changes by season and supply situation, so checking the latest information on Instagram (@painmi_irabu) before you go is reassuring.

The Appeal of Dinner Time: Rare Fish and Island Cuisine, Savoured by Reservation

Apart from the daytime lunch, Painmi's dinner becomes an experience a step further up.

The evening is by phone reservation by the day before, and reservations are currently possible from 2 people. Previously it was from 4 or more, so it's become easier for couples and married pairs to use too. Dinner is a format where the menu changes by season and the fishing situation, and what the owner caught that day goes on the plate.

Driving through Irabu Island in the time the sun sets before heading to dinner is also a special experience. Miyako Island's sunset is famous, but the dusk sea seen from the Irabu Island side is beautiful too. The reason it starts to feel a waste to go home after just lunch lies in this island's time.

Have you ever heard of a fish called "kokuhanaaara"? It's a rare fish living in the seas around Miyako, hard to obtain unless you're a fisherman good at free-diving. Its carpaccio and fry are one of the highlights of Painmi's dinner. The fact that you can eat a fish you'd hardly even encounter at city restaurants at a small island diner like this symbolises, I think, the fun of Irabu Island sightseeing.

Agu pork and island water spinach in a Taiwanese-style soy stir-fry, Irabu fish karaage with spicy Thai sauce, Irabu tuna carpaccio, passion-fruit juice — items line up that all make you feel the will of "using island ingredients to the maximum." For people who've had the experience of coming to Miyako Island and "wanting something special but getting an ordinary izakaya menu," I want to recommend Painmi's dinner.

The owner couple's hospitality is warm again. Ask for a recommendation and they kindly tell you, and talk of the island naturally widens too. Rather than a meal, it feels like time eating while in conversation with island people. This kind of experience isn't in the guidebooks.

Why I Recommend Nangoku Kitchen Painmi

There are several lunch spots on Irabu Island, but there are several reasons to choose Painmi.

First, the care over island ingredients is genuine. Shops that proclaim "local production for local consumption" are increasing, but the owner himself diving into the sea to catch the fish is a level of story hard to picture realistically even when you hear it. But it's done routinely, and the result appears on the plate. He's not sourcing some brand ingredient from somewhere — the place called Irabu Island, and the owner's skill as a fisherman living there, are at the core of the cooking.

Next, how photogenic the plate lunches are. Honestly, there's no sense of plating with photogenic looks in mind, yet somehow the plate becomes a picture. Because the colours of the ingredients are rich. The island red eggs, the green of island-grown vegetables, the red and orange of the salsa sauce, the sheen of the marinade — just using natural things, the colours come together. A beautiful plate comes out without trying to decorate.

Then, the fact that it's supported by women travellers. Search Irabu Island gourmet on travel magazines and Instagram and Painmi's name comes up with quite a high probability. There's an air that makes it easy to come even on a solo trip for women, and since the seats are few you can spend the time settled. It's suited to people who like a lunch that isn't noisy too.

In terms of access from the city area too, it's in a position you can drop straight by after enjoying a drive across the Irabu Bridge. It's easy to arrange a schedule of touring one tourist spot and then lunch.

One more thing — the value for money is high. For the ¥900–1,300 range you can eat a plate using island ingredients abundantly. Compared with resort restaurants and high-end dining at Miyako Island tourist spots, the price range is far more affordable, yet the care over ingredients and the carefulness of the cooking don't lose at all. Rather, in the sense of "using fish caught oneself," no resort can imitate it. For people about to experience Irabu Island's gourmet scene from now, and for repeat customers who've come many times, Painmi is a shop that answers, I think.

Check the Surrounding Sights Too! Irabu Bridge and Toguchi-no-Hama

If you go to Painmi, touring the surrounding sights as a set makes for a fulfilling day.

Irabu Bridge

A 3,540-metre bridge connecting Miyako Island and Irabu Island, the longest remote-island bridge you can cross toll-free in Japan. Since you'll definitely cross it when heading to Irabu Island, the drive experience of crossing while gazing at the Miyako-blue sea from the bridge can't be missed. You'll want to park partway across the bridge and take photos, but stopping on the bridge is prohibited. There are viewing spots on the Miyako Island side and the Irabu Island side each, so taking photos there is recommended.

The Irabu Bridge and the colour of the sea seen in the light of morning or evening are exceptional. If you have time to spare, please drop by before or after lunch and try gazing at different times.

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Toguchi-no-Hama

A white-sand beach 50 m wide and about 800 m long. One of the especially popular spots even within Irabu Island. With a shallow, calm sea, it's suited to snorkelling and beach play with children too. The beach house, showers and toilets are in place too, so you can drop by casually. To avoid the crowds, the early-morning time is the one to aim for. Around midday tourists increase and it gets lively, but towards evening the people pull back and the quiet returns. The time the contrast of the sand's whiteness and the sea's colour especially shines is the time the light hits from the side, up to around 10 in the morning.

From Painmi it's about 10 minutes by car. Personally I like the course of gazing at the sea a little at Toguchi-no-Hama before lunch, then eating. The flow of seeing the sea and eating after getting hungry suits the island's rhythm.

As a model course for an Irabu Island drive, the flow of Irabu Bridge → Toguchi-no-Hama → lunch at Painmi → strolling along the 17END or the Shimojishima Airport runway is easy to arrange. To enjoy a meal and a beach while doing a loop of Irabu Island in half a day to a day, setting Painmi at the centre of lunch makes the schedule easy to build. Many people also make plans to tour it as a set with Shimojishima sightseeing.

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FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About Nangoku Kitchen Painmi

Q1. Are reservations needed for lunch?

You can get in for lunch without a reservation, but since the seats are few it often fills up. Arriving right at the 12:00 opening, or a little before, is best. In the popular season (after the rainy season to autumn) it fills especially quickly, so please move with a plan.

Q2. Please tell me the payment methods. Can I use a credit card?

Cash only. Neither credit cards nor electronic money can be used. There are ATMs within Irabu Island but the number is small, so I strongly recommend coming after preparing cash within Miyakojima City.

Q3. Is there a car park?

There's a parking space within the shop premises. It can be used free of charge. Irabu Island has the rental car as the basic means of transport, so if you have a car there's no problem with access.

Q4. How do I reserve dinner? Can I reserve by Instagram DM?

Dinner requires a phone reservation (0980-78-3888) by the day before. Reservations aren't accepted by Instagram DM, so please be careful. If you want dinner at the planning stage of your trip, I recommend phoning ahead early.

Q5. When are the closing days? Are there temporary closures?

The closing days are Thursdays, the 1st Wednesday and the 3rd Wednesday. However, there can be temporary closures due to the owner going out fishing. The most reliable thing is to check the latest information on Instagram (@painmi_irabu). Checking just before your trip is reassuring.

Q6. Is it easy to come with children?

Since there are tatami seats, it's easy to use even with small children. However, since the seats are few, an early visit is recommended for lunch. If you have a large group or several small children, confirming by phone in advance gets you kind handling.

Q7. Can you stay over too?

On the second floor there's accommodation limited to one group per day. If you want to enjoy dinner and a stay as a set, reserve after confirming details by phone. I think it's an inn that lets travellers who want to get away from the everyday and spend time at leisure have a special stay experience.

Summary: For Lunch on Irabu Island, Go to Painmi

If you're looking for a recommended lunch on Irabu Island, Nangoku Kitchen Painmi is without doubt among the top.

Catching the island's ingredients himself, and bringing them together on the plate with his own sense. The beauty and tastiness of the plate lunches, the quiet, settled interior, the warm hospitality of the couple. Whichever you take, the elements that make you feel "I'm glad I came" are in place.

There are constraints — cash payment only, few seats, closing days. But in exchange, it's also a place only people who came having made a solid plan in advance can experience. It's understandable that quite a few people say Irabu Island gourmet is this one place.

Cross the Irabu Bridge from Miyako Island, gaze at the sea a while at Toguchi-no-Hama, and go to Painmi around the time you get hungry. This kind of way of using island time makes the lunch here the best. When choosing from the menu, hesitate a little, and when what you chose arrives, please take a bite before taking a photo. Because the "ah, delicious" of that moment should become one of the reasons you came to Irabu Island.

Nangoku Kitchen & Inn Painmi (NANGOK KITCHEN PAINMI)
Address: 1470-2 Nagahama, Irabu, Miyakojima City, Okinawa
TEL: 0980-78-3888
Lunch: 12:00–17:00 (L.O. 15:30)
Dinner: 18:00–22:30 (phone reservation by the day before)
Closing days: Thursdays, 1st Wednesday, 3rd Wednesday (temporary closures possible)
Payment: cash only
Car park: yes (free)
Instagram: @painmi_irabu

The opening hours, closing days and menu of each shop may change. Please be sure to check directly with the shop before visiting.