Here we have a big pot of cheesy fondue,
a bowl of mushroom and bacon pasta,
and a buffet of tiny deserts.
All of these are to be had at Marino's, an Italian restaurant down by the San-A off route 85 (there's also one in the San-A Main Place, Naha). I dig Marino's. It satiates my tummy when it needs carbohydrates. Like pizza (wood-fired!) Like pasta. Like cheeeeese. There's cheese galore. I mean huge wheels of it. When you order the "pasta parmenara" the waiter brings the wheel up to your table and mixes your pasta up right inside of it. Love that.
And when you order your pasta you get to pick what kind of noodle you want. Green? Curly? Twisty? Your waiter will bring around a little basket with pasta examples inside so you can get a good visual of the different styles. (Well, today the waitress just pointed to what kind of noodle we were getting, so maybe I'm wrong about the getting to choose business? In any case, it's a pretty touch.) Here's a picture from today at lunch. There are only a few types here. At dinner you get a better selection, if I recall.
Marino's is good for groups and good for families. The dining room is divided into several little rooms, so you don't have to worry about the whole restaurant seeing your kid act the fool. And the menu makes ordering easy, as there are meal sets for two, three, or four people. You all get the same thing, just split the bill and there you go. Today, for example, my friend and I got the "cheese fondue lunch set" which included a "country soup", our choice of either a pizza or a pasta (we got the mushroom and bacon pasta, but there's a long list of varieties to choose from), cheese fondue, and desert. For desert, you can select three items from the desert bar. There's also a beverage station with tea, juices, water, coffees, etc. which you can refill as often as your heart desires.
This is just one page from the lunch menu. The dinner menu is more extensive and has some different items included in the sets, like caesar salad.
Marino's is in a red-tiled mediterranean looking building right in front of San-A. If you have time, pop over there and check out Valetta, the cool clothing store recommended by Kaho a while back.
Thank you, Aviva, for the big fondue, desert bar and cheese wheel pics. By the way, Aviva recommends the pasta arrabiata, her hubby's favorite.
And couple more random pics: dining room, nice customer holding my kid, and the pizza oven.
DIRECTIONS:
From Kadena Gate 1 (hwy 58):
Head north. As you approach Kadena Circle get in the right lane. Make a right on route 74 (the road behind Kadena). Keep going straight and pass Kadena Gate 3. Look for a sign that says 85. You are going to make a LEFT onto 85. The left is at the white pedestrian overpass (not to be confused w/ the highway overpass...it's after that one. Another landmark to look for for where to turn is a cardealership w/ a crazy clown.) Continue on 85 about 5-8 min. (you'll pass the big Co-op store and the Yellow Box) and you'll see the big yellow San-A sign on your right.
From Kadena Gate 2 (I stole these directions from Kaho's post. Arigato, Kaho.)
Directions to San A Gushikawa from Kadena Gate 2 (Two directions)
1. Leave Kadena Gate 2 and proceed straight all the way to the junction of Gate 2 Street and 330. Turn left onto Route 330. The Route 330 changes into Route 75 after a while. Drive until you hit the junction of 75 and Hwy 85. Take a left. San A will be on your left.
2. Leave Kadena Gate 2 and turn left at the first stoplight. You go down a ramp to merge onto 85. Drive until the T-junction for Loop 85. The landmark for this is a pedestrian overpass. Turn right onto Hwy 85. Drive for about 5-8 minutes until you see the San A sign on your right.
Phone: Gushikawa Branch (Near Gate 2 of KAB): 098-974-9110
Kyozuka City Branch: 098-871-3329
Naha Main Place Branch (Near Okinawa Prefectural museum: 098-951-3311
Hours: 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Parking is free at adjacent San-A at all branches.
We call that the Main City Mall!! The pizza here is also really good!!! The kids get a chesse pizza (1 to share it is like a 10 inch pizza) and we have had a couple different ones. The pizza is baked in a brick oven. We love going to this place!! Very good recommendation!!
Anyone know where the Barrell looking restaurant is at?
HA HA! We ate there for lunch yesterday and my husband asked if Okinawa Hai had posted on it yet!
We loved Marino’s! They were so helpful even with our limited Japanese. Having lived in Italy for awhile I have to say both the pasta and pizza are very close to authentic and super delicious. The set portions are great. The two person set fed our little family perfectly. It was SO yummy! We will be going back for sure.
We love Marino’s….. Our Landlord took us here for the first time and its one of our favorite places to eat ….The service there is good and the food is good also ….I guess now we have to go for dinner tonight
“the dining room being divided into several small rooms so that everyone doesn’t have to witness my children morphing into gremlins?”…priceless
Really good! We stopped by this evening to give it a try finally. I’ve always heard good things about this place. I think the dinner set was about 6500 for the 3 of us. I’d just be happy with the fondue (HUGE hit with my 3yr old:) and the bacon pasta next time. My husband also said the Margarita pizza is as close as it gets to the ones in Italy. I’m sure this place will be one of our regulars now. Thanks for sharing!
We love Marino’s, as a night out as a couple or a family dinner out with our 2 girls. The cheese fondu for lunch is amazing. My kids love picking out their dessert at the dessert bar, as do me and my husband. We get 6 different desserts and share them.
While waiting for the rain to clear at the Naha 10,000 Eisa Dancers Festival we were able to check out Marino’s. This was hands down the best meal I’ve had since we’ve been here. For about fourty bucks my husband, son and I ate a huge meal which included dessert. We ordered a set which was supposed to be for 2, although it feed the three of us with a little left over. We had cesar salad, crab & tomato pasta, spinach & bacon pizza and were able to choose three pastries for each of us. Not to mention the refill yourself drink bar. It had several kinds of juices to choose from, along with soda, coffees and teas. The tea selection was exceptional, the variety and quality. I could just sit there all day enjoying tea. Unfortunately our waitress didn’t speak very fluent English, however we got by just fine. The menu offered had everything posted in English. I highly recommend Marino’s for some very delicious Italian food, I know I can’t wait to go back.
To whom it may concern,
My name is Amy, I have been searching for my daughters father Kazuhiro Uesugi for the past 6 years now.
recently I have been advised that he works as a chef in an italian restaurant in Okinawa I have called all itailian restraunts in Okinawa city with NO luck in furthering my search…….
I need to find him urgently!!!
My daughter has come to the age (5) where she is asking many questions about him and where he is and also wants to meet him however, I can not assist her in her search for her father without your help.
She has the right to know who he is and what kind of a person he is I am doing this for her sake I have NO interest otherwise.
If you know anything about Kazu and his whereabouts please contact me via my email or call me on 64 272940186.
email [email protected]
Please if you know anything just tell me I just want to give her the opportunity to know him the way I used to know him.
Hey! Just wanted to add that Marino’s now takes dollars as well as Visa/Mastercard. They also have high chairs for little ones that have a wooden front that pulls down over their heads but I can’t remember if they had safety straps on them or not.
I absolutely LOVE Marino’s. It is by far my favorite restaurant off base. I love the sets where you can get salad, pasta, pizza and dessert. You can also get a set with cheese fondue which is delicious. Highly recommend Marino’s!
I was wondering if anyone knew what kind of cheese the fondue was. Because I’m pregnant I can only eat pasteurized cheeses and I have been DYING for some Marino’s fondue. I was just wondering if anyone knew. Thanks in advance!
It is probably made from pasteurized cheese – not to mention, fondue is in itself cooked/-ing cheese.
Visited the location on 85 (this is a restaurant chain and has locations across Japan) and shared the 2-person pasta / pizza set. It was a good value that includes salad, pasta, pizza, dessert, and unlimited use of the beverage bar (water, juice, soda, coffee, etc.). Personally, I think the pasta turned out better than the pizza, though for Japan, the pizza wasn’t bad either. The Japanese and English menus looked the same, so don’t feel as though you might be missing out if you can only read the English one. The timing of the courses was good as well — the salad (the salmon one was great!) came out promptly, then the pasta arrived just as we were finishing the salad. The pizza appeared shortly thereafter, and the desserts and coffee are self-serve on the buffet. Yes, it’s a chain, and it feels like one (bad overhead lighting and all), but it’s decent food and family-friendly. Homepage: http://www.marino-net.co.jp
Ate here today with a friend. We also shared the 2-person pizza and pasta set, and it was terrific. We even had enough for some leftovers. The pizza was terrific–nice thin, chewy crust with very fresh tomato sauce. And the pasta featured a lovely fresh mozzarella. I saw a huge wheel of parm going by on a cart–heaven! A great deal for lunch.
I went to lunch at Marino’s today with a group of friends. First off, what a kid friendly place! I have an infant and the changing room was awesome (especially since she had a blowout)! It even has a chair in the changing room so you can breastfeed if you need to! The food was good, great portions and fun to share. For two people to get sodas/tea/etc, salad, pasta, pizza, and 3 mini desserts it was 2700 yen. The servers were extremely friendly and I will definitely be taking my hubby back to eat there.
Anyone know the hours out there?
No words can describe how amazing this place is. Hands down best meal we have had since coming to the island.