CONTRIBUTED BY SUZY

Plaza House Chinese
Let me just start out by saying that I’m pregnant and can’t get enough of any kind of Chinese food.  I have been searching recipes to try to make the stuff I crave at home but it never seems just right so I finally gave up and began trying local places to feed my cravings.  I’ve found a few spots here on the island but my favorite so far is the Plaza House Chinese Restaurant.   We’ve gone (a lot!) these past couple of months.   It seems to be a place that the locals love.  We just stopped there again on Thursday and it was packed at lunchtime.  I honestly haven’t been there when any other Americans were there so I wanted to share because I don’t want others to miss out on this place.  The food is fabulous.  It’s all served family style.  The menu is bilingual so it’s really easy to find what you want.  The staff also speaks English and they’re super nice especially to toddlers!

The front of the menu has full course meals that can cost a pretty penny but we’ve found that if we order from the back of the menu (a la cart) we save a bit more.  Here’s a sample of what we ordered this last week…Spring Rolls (4 that have meat and veggies in them), Fried Rice (for 4 that had egg, shrimp, chicken, and pork in it), Cashew Chicken (with a clear sauce, bamboo shoots, and green onions), and Beef Tenderloin with Pineapples.  Our bill came out to 5000Y.  If we hadn’t gotten the beef though, the bill would have only been 2350Y.  But, the Tenderloin was worth it so I’m glad we tried it and it was a HUGE amount of food. Seriously, the amount of food we had on our table probably would have fed 4 hungry adults.

On other occasions we’ve also tried their crispy noodles (which had a brothy white sauce, veggies, shrimp, and pork on top), Wonton Soup, Egg Drop Soup,  and Stir Fried Beef with Veggies (which ended up being just spinach but was still tasty).  They have some other additions on their menu for the adventurous such as shark fin soup and pickled jelly fish.  I think the shark fin soup takes advance notice to make though and is pretty expensive.  But, if that’s your style go for it!  Oh and please feel free to drop the name of your favorite Chinese spot and what your favorite dish is there.  I’ll be more than grateful!

Address: 640-2 Higa, Kitanakagusuku

Google Maps Coordinates: 26.317411491561653, 127.79399753881376

Directions from Camp Foster: 

Take a LEFT from the Foster Exchange Gate onto 330.
Pass the intersection for Awase Golf Course at route 22 and look out for Plaza House Shopping Center on your RIGHT side.
The Plaza House Chinese Restaurant is on the far corner of the plaza.
Parking is also available in the garage underneath the main shopping area (the entrance is on the other side of the KFC).

{Editor’s Note: This post originally also contained information about a natural ice cream shop called GeloBello, which is no longer in business.  Information about that restaurant has been removed from this post and the rest of the Okinawa Hai blog. Thanks!}

26 COMMENTS

  1. Celebrated my hubby’s birthday here on a Tuesday night. It was delish and the service was great. I wouldn’t call in fine dining but it was a step up from the average restaurant. We had the Cantonese set for two, ¥6200 + we ordered spring rolls. The Spring rolls were huge, 4 to an order, ¥950. Our set included chicken corn soup, crispy deep fried chicken. Also the crispest most wonderful fish filet in sweet & sour sauce, the sauce was perfectly balanced and not that sticky goopy stuff. Also fried beef with mushroom and oyster sauce, I would call the beef sautéed or stir fried, definitely not fried, it was wonderful on a bed of slivered bok choy. Also a huge plate of fried rice, it had bits of pork, shrimp and veggies, so good just needed a pinch of salt. Then for dessert, the set came with a junior scoop of cookies and cream. Served with linen napkins and a fork and impeccable service.

    • Hello! Even though I am currently stuffed thanks to PHCR( Plaza House Chinese Restaurant). I decided to add a more current point of view of PHCR. I have been twice, it is more of a higher class place(even the prices).

      The fried rice(no classic veggies just green onions and egg) is the most interchangeable dish they have(i.e. no pork and add chicken or shrimp) order it your way. If I HAD to compare the fried rice it would be the closest thing to stateside american style Chinese food minus all the grease, major plus feeling healthy.

      I enjoyed the beef with bell pepper(kinda like a stir fry and not at all spicy comes with onion). The spring rolls are larger in size and contain pork, bean sprouts and a few other shredded veggies(overall more veggies than meat). I love Chinese spring rolls but, I don’t eat pork.

      The crispy fried chicken is yummy, they have a small and a large size. The seasoning is classic and not over powering. The small fried chicken fed two people who each ordered rice. Lastly, Beverages are small and there are no free refills(except water).

      Money Spent…
      Fried Rice(Large size/ over 2 cups) Approx. $10
      Beef and Green pepper(one size/ about a 2 cup serving) Approx. $12
      Spring Rolls(Could be an appetizer for 4-5 people) Approx. $10

      Hopefully this helps…

      Dee

  2. I don’t know why everyone keeps saying the name “gellobello” in the comments. But if this IS in fact the write up on plaza house…

    It IS still open. It’s a very fancy place, and very pricey. Usually piano music playing in the background. I love the food! My husband and his friends constantly craves their lemon chicken. I personally am a HUGE fan of their wonton soup. Best I have ever, and will ever have in my life. They also serve pots of hot tea with your meal which is delicious. I live this place!

  3. Does anyone know if GeloBello closed down? I went to GeloBello today and it was closed with some Japanese sign on it. All I could figure out was the 12/31 date, not sure if it said the last day it was open or maybe they are on holiday? Love that place!

  4. I was at Krishna on Saturday and passed gellobello, but forced myself not to go in since I had just eaten dessert!!! Maybe I’ll go tomorrow for breakfast ha ha

    With regards to shark fins, I just bought my 8 yr old daughter the DVD ‘sharkwater’ (she is OBSESSED with sharks for over 2 yrs now!), It is a documentary by a biologist, activist and filmmaker…it has numerous film awards, the px/bx has it in case anyone is interested…

  5. Wow! We are going to check out the Chinese restaurant tonight. We have been meaning to go for quite some time. I am very displeased by the Chinese punching comment, however I also want to add that anyone who has been to college should know that wikipedia is NOT a reliable source of info since anyone can add to those sources 🙂

  6. So my friend and I had to stop by this afternoon for a cool treat after eating at Krishna’s. With the wonderful translating help from Kaho, it turns out that the “raw milk” is indeed pasteurized by the employees there and the girl that we spoke to added that it’s very safe for kids to eat b/c not only is it pasteurized, but there are no eggs for those w/food allergies. Hope that helps!

  7. Question about GeloBello. Went there recently and it was yummy but my concern was the “raw milk” as an ingredient. I tried asking if it meant straight from the cow, unpasteurized, or what? The very sweet girl helping me had no clue what I was asking, does anyone know? Just wondering if raw milk was something safe for children?

  8. Joelle- I know the store you are talking about. Love it! Reminded me of William-Sonoma. I was able to find one of my favorite Italian coffees as well as my son’s favorite Baci chocolates. A bit expensive but well worth it to have it right around the corner. Another favorite was the book store near the taco shop. Many english books for all ages. Great stuff!

  9. Finally got to try GeloBello! My 2 year old thought it was fantastic. And I agreed. We had juice, but will try the cream next time. A bit expensive, but I loved the photos of the fruits — Jake was able to pick his fruits by seeing the pix.

    Side note: The store 2 doors down, right next to the Chinese seems FAB! 1/4 of it is wine, 1/4 pottery/bingata, 1/4 clothing, 1/4 seems to be like a mini-Bristol Farms with flavored oils, stuffed olives, pasta from Italy (including some organic), sauces including some Indian ones I used to buy in the UK, teas. If there is a random item you haven’t been able to find on island, you may want to try this place.

  10. I wanted to respond that as a Chinese person and someone who grew up working in my family’s restaurant that Most of the shark Fin’s soup you find on menus is not really made out of shark fin. Usually it’s some sort of crab or cheaper white fish. Not that I think it’s ok about the whole shark hunting process but in general real Shark Fin soup is VERY expensive (25.00 a bowl at least) and only served in the priciest places. I also don’t think that punching anyone, least of all chinese people, is particularly helpful to chinese restaurant customers or sharks.

  11. Shin Shin is the place in Jusco, Mishka – that place is great! really reasonable & satisfying sets – and delicious food. I love the stir fry dishes, there are great kids bento boxes that my kid loves (and a toy!) and hubby loves the black pepper beef soup.

    And also there are origami papers and cards with instructions to make some different shapes & animals on the table! So great when you need to be entertained while waiting.

    Can’t wait to try these places in this post – LOVE reading okinawa hai each day!

  12. I have to disagree with Joshua. Shark fin soup is not tasteless. But part of the taste is the texture of the fins. It has to be perfect, not too crunchy but not too soft. I guess if you want to save the sharks, we could use pig ears or cow nose but it won’t be as good. Why is leaving the rest of the shark in the ocean bad? It is returning to the circle of Life. Besides, I feel that Americans waste quite a bit of food. Look at all the great chicken feet and pig ears Americans throw out that could feed the billion Chinese people you are punching out! But I’m sure you don’t eat chicken.
    FYI, check this video out, no Chinese involved.
    http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/tortured_by_tyson
    Also, you should punch EVERYONE that eats tuna since bycatch kills just as many sharks.
    http://www.pacfish.org/sharkcon/documents/bonfil.html

  13. I tried a Chinese place today with a friend of mine in a quest to find something off base to eat that didn’t involve a lot of carbs (for her). We had some business at Jusco so we ended up in their food court. There is a chinese restaurant in the far right corner of the 2nd floor food court that was pretty good and reasonably priced. We were there just after lunch (1pm) or so and it wasn’t too busy. They had all the plastic food out front so we figured out mostly what we wanted before going in but it turned out that they had English menus as well (with some interesting translations on them). I had the beef w/bokchoy set and my friend had the beef w/oyster sauce and broccoli mini ramen set. They were both pretty good.

    I’ll have to try the place mentioned in the article because I always enjoy some good Chinese to mix it up a bit once in a while. Thanks for the info.

  14. Thanks so much for these thorough (and FUN)descriptions of new places to eat, Suzy. I have been to the Chinese restaurant and loved it but not the other place, Gelobello!

    Interesting about the shark fins, Joshua! Certainly every country has their own mistreatment of animals to reckon with. I appreciate the insight you have given us and I will steer clear of shark fin foods!

  15. Julia…I’m so sorry but the flavors are messed up! I just noticed that my formatted tabs didn’t save. I’m so sorry. I bet if you ask Judy though, that she’ll make any flavor combination you like:)! She’s great!
    Joshua…I’m sorry if I offended you by mentioning the soup. That was not my intention. I’d like to make it clear that I was only listing what I found to be a very unique item on the menu and in no way condone the mistreatment of any animals whether on land or in the sea. At the same time, I would also like to be respectful of the cultural differences of others. I hope what I’m saying makes sense:)

  16. Any informed, responsible readers, I would like to respectfully request that you please reconsider any temptation for the mentioned “shark fin soup.” Here’s a fairly balanced description at wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_fin_soup But please understand that it is basically a tasteless dish that is only made possible via the completely needless mass destruction of sharks (an absolutely vital piece of the food chain & the global ecosystem we sort of need; there’s really no argument about that). Sharks are caught (deep at sea where they feed only on other animals not on humans) & then stripped of their tasteless cartillagic fins ONLY, before being discarded (due to their size & lack of culinary interest to our species). They are usually still alive, dying slowly as they sink to the bottom (unable to move or breathe). If I could punch every Chinese person in the face that eats such a waste of a dish, I’d happily do so (& learn how what it feels like to count to a billion while I’m at it).