A few months back I took a short vacation trip to Okinawa with my friend from graduate school. We were both super stressed out from schoolwork and life in general, so we decided to spend three days in Okinawa as a kind of "mental detox" (yes, it was just that stressful). During our first day there, we covered areas around Okinawa`s capital, Naha. One place that is a pretty popular hangout spot for locals and tourists alike is Kokusai Dori, which literally means "international street." There you can find a good amount of restaurants, souvenir shops, and simply anything to make your trip more memorable. As nighttime approached, my friend and I were craving taco rice for dinner because Okinawa is suppose to be well-known for its taco rice. I am not sure why taco rice is popular there, except it may be due to the fact that the American military is stationed there...which means they most likely introduced tacos to the area and Okinawans made it local by adding rice. Nevertheless, it sounded like a delicious fusion we had to try.

After walking up Kokusai Dori one time, we went back to look more carefully for taco rice places. My friend`s guidebook recommended a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant for taco rice, but once we found the restaurant we just glanced at one another and walked away. The place was more cramped up than what the guidebook had stated, with only two small tables and the register counter fitted into a tiny square area. After 30 extra minutes of walking, we were about to give up when we glanced up to see a sign that read "Charlie`s Tacos." Next to the giant sign was a stairway that led to the second floor, where the roomy restaurant was located. As we glanced through the glass windows, our attention was drawn to the picture of the apparent founder and the quote "since 1956." Actually, my friend and I first thought that the place was like the KFC of tacos because of the outlined picture of the founder (reminded us of Colonel Sanders for some reason) and the founding date of the place (the start of the KFC franchise was around 1952...correlating the historical beginnings of both places?). This is what happens when there are two gaijins trying to make comparisons with familiar places back home...

We ended up choosing Charlie`s Tacos because the restaurant was empty at the time we peaked inside (meaning we could stay longer to enjoy the whole place for ourselves) and it has been in Okinawa for a while, so why not? If the place has lasted this long, it has to be pretty decent. Interior wise, the room is decorated in an old-fashioned, Mexican-American type style. I am not really certain if there is a standard for what is Mexican-American; all I know is that the place reminded me of the Mexican-American diners I used to visit with my father that have been in my hometown neighborhood for 30 plus years. Scattered here and there are also little Okinawan items such as shisa lions and hibiscus flowers, probably to give the restaurant a distinct local feel. The menu mainly focuses on taco rice, tacos, and other American classics (think hot dogs and hamburgers), sometimes pairing them all off in different combinations for customers who want a little of everything. Continuous internal debate on both sides resulted in my friend and I deciding on the lady`s set, which included taco rice, one taco, french fries, a drink, and dessert. The deal was reasonably priced for the amount of food listed, so I was excited to try it out.

The taco rice itself was straightforward: seasoned beef on top of a pile of rice, then sprinkled with processed cheese. The lettuce and tomatoes for the taco rice came on the side for customers who wanted to mix their own taco rice together. I really enjoyed the flavor of the seasoned beef- kind of similar to Taco Bell`s seasoned beef, yet not quite. For the taco, it had all the same toppings on the taco rice, except in a taco shell. The corn shell was freshly deep fried and oily, slightly chewy but much better than the taco shells I have had in Tokyo so far. The only thing not really worth mentioning are the french fries, which were the typical thick fries that can be bought frozen and then defrosted in a deep fryer. Even though most of the food had already impressed me a bit, I did not expect the dessert to blow me away.

After we finished our meals, the server brought us out our ice cream scoops. Appearing to be sample sized, the ice cream was enough to give you a taste while leaving you wanting more. Anyway, I never expected such a small sample to taste so amazing! When I took my first spoonful, I knew it was a spoonful of pure quality. It felt as if I was literally eating just pure, cocoa butter. If truffles with high cocoa fat content were made into ice cream, the ice cream at Charlie`s Tacos would be it. I can still remember the smooth creaminess of the ice cream in my mouth, even as I am typing this article. I remember staring silently at my friend as she stared silently back at me; that dessert moment was just too much for words.

Would I come back again? Yes- and I hope a Charlie`s Tacos will open some day in Tokyo! The taco rice and tacos are a big improvement from what I have already tried in Tokyo, plus the ice butter- I mean, ice cream is sublime. If any of you have a chance to try Charlie`s Tacos in Okinawa (there is one on Kokusai Dori and another near Kadena Air Base gate 2), please do. The experience is American nostalgia with an Okinawan twist that works.

Website not available, but reviews can be found online.

Eat Well,
T.W.