CONTRIBUTED BY STEPHANIE BORUD

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When you walk into the Perestroika, you step into a mini version of Russia (like I’ve ever been!) The music that’s playing just makes me wanna squat and kick my legs out! (Stop trying to picture it!)

We’re invited to seat ourselves by Chef Ekaterina as she hands us our menus. I opened up the menu to find my favvy…a course menu! I love it when you don’t have to make any hard decisions, the menu makes it for you! I had the Moscow Course while my husband chose the Vladivostok Course. Very much the same course except for he got to choose an extra main dish. He chose the Stroganoff..very Russian, right? Yummy!

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We are started off with a petit potato salad with tiny treasures of peas and carrots.

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A Piroshki follows…mine was delicious with just veggies but his was made with my favorite other white meat, pork!

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Next comes the Borscht.

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The last time we were there the hostess (I believe her name is Elena) tells us that next we should order something more traditional to the Russian cuisine. She suggested that we order the Borscht. Who am I to argue? Check it out! It’s red like Rhubarb but tastes nothing like it! I assure you! It was a bowl full of yummy goodness…can’t explain…falling back into the food coma!

Here’s my husband’s Stroganoff! Da da da da!!! Once again, a bowl full of yummy goodness.

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Note: I want to tell you that the bowls were cute and small. But after all those courses, we did leave satisfactory full. I usually like to leave a restaurant full to the point of unbuttoning my pants in the car full. I should also note that we snuck in a piece of Raspberry Cheesecake to top off the meal. But we ate it too fast before I could get a picture of it…my apologies, but it was de-lish!

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Our beautiful hostess and I believe she is proprietor of the establishment, Elena (Or so I think her name is).

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Perestroika

Hours: 1800-2400 CLOSED Mondays (Russian dances 7:30 on Saturdays; call for a full schedule)

Phone: 098-863-2206

Address: 1 Chome-13-22 Izumizaki, Naha

GPS Coordinates: 26.2124957, 127.67672919999995

Directions: From Kadena Gate 1, go south on 58 toward Naha. You will pass Camps Foster, Futenma and Kinser. You will also pass Arin Krin (Garlic) and Kokusai St. Once you pass Kokusai St. you’re gonna want to keep an eye out for this sign: DSC_0035

Now, you will see this sign twice! After the 2nd sign, you’ll take an immediate left. Once on this street, you are going to look to your right and you find the Park-per-hour thingies. There are a couple of them so take your pick. There is also one of those tall parking garages nearby so you have plenty to choose from. Once parked, you’re going to want to walk down the street going south just a little ways and you will see Perestroika on your right-hand side. There will be this sign directly across from Perestoika.

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Website: https://r.gnavi.co.jp/f353400/

22 COMMENTS

  1. You must go! This is an awesome traditional Russian restaurant. The food is superb – especially the Borscht. Nowhere else in Okinawa can you get traditional Russian food like this. I felt like I was in a local restaurant in St. Petersburg. The food was absolutely melt-in-your mouth! I didn’t know that cabbage could be so delicious. The ingredients were simple, whole foods, combined in a heavenly union. She even sells imported Russian beer and vodka. So good!

  2. I LOVE this restaurant!! This is hands down my favorite restaurant to come to after almost three years living in Okinawa. iwas a little put off at first when the restaurant wasn’t your typical “everybody smile and make sure these people aren’t given a moment to enjoy the food because we are always bugging them about their order to get them fed and out the door” kind of place. (Honestly who enjoys that kind of overbearing service?) You have to understand that the restaurant serves food from a different culture, is run by members of another culture, and serves out of this world food from- you guessed it- another culture!! So a grain of salt and some patience is necessary when adventuring out to discover the great things in life! And this place has GOT IT Every time I come here I order the Zharkoye– IT IS LITERALLY THE MOST DELICIOUS THING I HAVE EVER TASTED IN A BOWL! SOOO MOUTH WATERING AND DELICIOUS! It really is a good time, and if you just talk to the staff (just as when you talk to locals) you have to just be friendly and use polite gestures, but when you talk to Elena, she is a dear!! She is very, very, friendly and will always point you down the path to a more delicious meal. I always try to get the Perestroika course or at least the Russian course, the more options you try the more in love with the cuisine you’ll fall.

  3. I ate here a few days ago and…..well, let’s just say I would have felt more welcome at a stranger’s funeral. The service is so far the worst I have experienced on island and the hostess was rude and did little else then chatter in the kitchen as her waitress pushed the course menus on us while ignoring our requests and acting very much as if it were her first night on the job. We didn’t see Elena until it was time to pay and she was smirking as we handed her far more money than we should have. And we left the place hungry. Good job. Thanks a lot.

  4. Lousy. I have been in Okinawa for a year and this is hands down the worst place I have dined at. The service is awful. The waitress didn’t know that menu and “Elena” was snarky and cold at best. The food was overpriced and for as expensive as it was, they should have known their own menu better. Don’t go here. Go somewhere else. A hole in the wall. Or buy some food from a Lawsons. You’ll at least get your money’s worth and be free of condescending chatter from the kitchen. Awful. Absolutely awful.

  5. We were so disappointed, as I had been looking forward to having a chance to eat here for almost two years. The service was terrible… I mean terrible. Probably some of the worst I have ever had. The poor Japanese girl working in there was trying really hard to do her best in the over-sized Russian theme dress (she was swimming in dress and was the only person who had to wear themed clothing), but it appeared she wasn’t allowed to do much other than fill water and clear tables. I could tell she was really trying to do her best and she apologized several times for it to take so long for the other person to come take our order. The service was abysmally slow… so slow we had to leave before the dessert course, which they did not offer to package up for us, but were happy to charge for.
    There was no dancing, as it says there would be on a Saturday night, just television playing Russian music videos which are just as raunchy as the US videos.
    We ordered a set menu. They were out of many of the main dishes, so we had to choose from what was left. Our appetizer looked so dissimilar to the one pictured in the menu I wasn’t even sure what it was and had to ask. The set was supposed to come with borscht (I was looking forward to this), but instead came with a cold soup (with ice cubes in it), which was good but not what was advertised, nor were we told (before or after) that there would be a substitution. The food we received was good, but the portions were small, even by Japanese standards.
    After reading the review above this, I was so hopeful then so let down. Luckily, I know where to find fresh beets (check the farmer’s markets!) and will make borscht at home because we will not be back nor be able to recommend it to others.

    • My name is Elena, I have been the owner of Russian Restaurant Perestroika for 8 years. This is the second negative review I have ever received. Most of the people always leave with a smile, a kind heart and gratitude, and always come back because of our tasty food. Everything is cooked fresh, not fast, like a hamburger restaurant. Here you need to eat courses slowly squeezed between Russian drinks (in the tradition of my country). If you order one meal or just cake for two, you may very well may leave hungry and disappointed. Our prices are very reasonable, especially for the ingredients required to make authentic Russian cuisine. Occasionally, I will substitute a very special dish that I love if I can find the ingredients (such as the cold creamy soup known as Okroshka that is a summer favorite in Russia). Unfortunately, quality English speaking staff is hard to find to wait on every table, especially since tips are very rare in Japan (even Americans rarely tip); therefore, the chef has to assist the Japanese waitress/waiter with servicing English speaking customers (slowing down cooking service). We are not in Russia, so it is very difficult to find Russian labor as well. I have taken steps to improve the service to our American customers, and if you make a reservation in advance, I can be better prepared for your dining experience. Thank you.

  6. I have visited Perestroika several times, and I enjoy trying different combinations of dishes each time. My favorite dish is miyaso-po-ribatski, a baked pork dish topped with scallops, tomatoes, onions, and a layer of melty cheese. There are many other dishes that are very filling and satisfying including the Stroganoff. Elena is a very charming and attentive host that makes you feel very welcome. Her latest chef is very good, and has sped up the service. Prices are high compared to the dining on base, but you don’t get served frozen vegetables or reheated “Chili’s” food here. All of the ingredients are fresh and some are near impossible to find on Okinawa….I challenge you to find a fresh beet on this island (main ingredient in borscht).

  7. It is traditional taste! In Russia we live life to the fullest with passion and excitement.You have not lived until you have loved like a Russian ,drank like a Russian, and ate like a Russian.Although the word “cuisine” is not a Russian word ,one glance at our menu and you will be convince it is the definition of the the word.We welcome you to Perestroika!
    DRINK WITH US !
    EAT WITH US !
    LOVE WITH US!
    AS RUSSIAN DO!

  8. Hello all…we had a great dining experience here. My son picked it for his 12th birthday. I am not sure what turn we missed, but the “you’ll see this sign twice, then immediately turn left” didn’t quite get us there. We ended up having to call the restaurant twice and the owner helped us get there. From the 58, after passing Kokusai St. and the pictured sign (at least twice) there will be a giant bus terminal on the left (as you pass under the monorail). Turn left as you pass it. Turn left again (you are going around the bus terminal) and then left again. You will see a Coco convenience store on your right (the back of the bus terminal is on your left). After arriving at Coco the second time, we called the owner again to ask where to go from there (because it wasn’t making sense, between her accent and our unfamiliarity of the area). She told us to wait and she walked around the corner to meet us and wave us in (we were super close). You turn right just past Coco and then you’ll see the small Perestroika sign on the left. It is a bit pricey, but so worth it. Make sure to call and find out what night the dancer is there…it totally adds to the experience. You can read about our visit here: http://www.imperialstuarts.com/2010/12/perestroikacelebrating-jakes-birthday.html

  9. Some friends and I decided to try this restaurant last night. First of all, I do want to say that the food was awesome, and the entertainment was lots of fun. BUT, they have 1 cook, and even though the restaurant was not full, it took a long time to get our food. Some of us ordered the full course, while others only ordered the main course. We waited for about an hour before getting the first course of the meal (those who did not order the full course still had to wait). And another hour to finally receive the main course. There is one waitress- the owner of the restaurant, so we had to wait with empty glasses quite a few times. They ran out of Cola and juice halfway through and we had to order other drinks instead. The portions are not large, which has already been said, but I feel I need to say it again because my husband was visibly disappointed upon receiving his main course (the beef medallions is 4 tiny slices of meat). They also ran out of cake for the dessert and we ended up sharing 3 slices between 7 people. Also, it is NOT cheap to eat here. For two people, our bill was about 8100 Yen. The biggest issue we had was the wait. We were there a total of 3 hours between sitting down and finishing dinner, and the majority of that was waiting for food. Service is spotty and somewhat chaotic. Do not eat here if you are already hungry before walking in! Also, if you have small children, the Russian music videos on display on the large screen tv are uncensored and there is partial nudity (We had an 8 year old with us and had to ask them to change it). If you want an authentic Russian experience, it’s a great place to go and hang out for 3 hours, but make sure you are not starving and are willing to wait (and pay a lot for it). The food was good, and in the end we were satisfied, but we would not visit again because of the slow service and price.

  10. We just got to Okinawa two weeks ago,we are living on camp kinser and i’m so so glad i found some russian restaurant here.I’m from Lithuania,my mom russian and dad polish,i grew up eating russian food;)cant wait when will can visit this place;)
    Russian food is delicious!!!!:)