EDITOR’S NOTE: We have been informed that this restaurant used to operate under the name “Niche Martini Lounge”, and has since been renamed, but is still open for business. 

CONTRIBUTED BY JEN PRESTON

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Having hailed from Los Angeles, I have equal affinity for both the city and the beach. I can rock the stilettos or the reef sandals – each has their place in a fun nightlife. Thankfully, Okinawa has the beach part down. Adorable cafes overlooking the East China Sea? Check. Suntanned bartenders in Hawaiian shirts? Check. Swanky penthouse cocktail bar worth donning the high heels for? Not so much.

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Sometimes a girl just needs to put a dress on! If you feel my ache for a metropolitan evening you should check out Niche Martini Lounge. Niche is a smallish lounge/bar just off the 58th parallel, one block South of ETWS in Chatan Cho.

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It’s a great place to swing by after dinner on a date night. Also, Niche appreciates a good theme night, and often has live jazz music.

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A friend of mine hosted a Jungle-themed promotion party there recently and the hip surroundings inspired some fantastic costumes.

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Niche would be a fantastic place to throw a grown-up birthday party (sans costumes) one worth hiring a babysitter. And we love it because it’s that little slice of city life that we miss.

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And of course if you’ve got that three-piece suit hanging in your closet, with no where to go….

The cosmopolitan atmosphere is reflected in the drink prices, and they are a little high for Chatan – $9 cocktails, $7 glass of wine. But they take great pride in their mixology and the vast array of flavors are always quite tasty. Also… delicious red wine! This seems hard to come by in Okinawa – the wine is either too sweet or served icy cold to mask it’s sweetness. I had a nice dry Cabernet Sauvignon at Niche and it tasted like home.

Directions: From Kadena gate 1: go down to the 58th parallel, turn south (left) and take that street for about 3km, turn left about 1 block past ETWS. Also, most cabbies know where it is. Enjoy yourself!

Hours: Opens at 9 pm (closing times and days of operation currently unknown)

17 COMMENTS

  1. Editor’s Note: Due to technical difficulties this comment was not saved on our server. We are re-publishing it now to continue the conversation on this post.

    From Jen on 9/19/13:
    “Hi! I was just wondering if Mote is still open for business? I have been on island for about a month now and was looking for a place to coordinate a girls night ”

  2. Jen Preston:

    Thank you for contributing this article about Niche. I never got to meet you specifically for this, please know I am forever grateful. Thanks for visiting and allowing us share memorable experiences that makes you “feel at home, away from home” =)

    –Miko Liggayu
    Proprietor, NiCHe Martini Lounge
    090.8407.5664

  3. Stephen…I wanted to let you know that my husband and I found some Kilkenny (as well as some Negros)at a little liquor store right out of gate 2 before paddymacks if you’re interested in taking some home. I can’t remember how much they were but I remember the Negros ended up being about 300 yen a piece. It’s in the first plaza out of the gate where HIT travel was but on the first floor instead. They have a good selection of imports in there. Needless to say my husband was extremely happy to find it! I just thought I’d share the love:) Oh and they sell cigars there for anyone else looking for some.

  4. If you want a good Irish beer then go to paddy macks on BC street and try Kilkenny on tap. It is my favorite beer in the world. Trust me if you are a beer connoisseur then you will love it. A bit pricey though!

  5. Hamby Street=58 Parallel (so the housing agents told us back in the day)

    The gate 2 street mexi place is no more – the owner PCSed. NOTHING is as good as the states. But I’m excited to try this martini bar – I’ve seen it but haven’t been in yet. Now I will definitely go.

    Jen – i think you mean west of Foster & 58 – we’re on the west coast of Okinawa here… 🙂

  6. Awesome! I thought it looked familiar. Mike’s is pretty good. We really just go there for appetizers and for the Negro Modelos (beer) now. It’s the only place on the island that we’ve been able to get that kind of beer. I’m still on the lookout for some Killians too:) Back to the food though…I think the food is a little better at Oblees (or Obligatos) but it’s still not as good as the stuff in the states. I did hear that there’s a place over by gate 2 street that’s good too but haven’t tried it yet. Oh and if you do go to Mike’s for dinner be prepared for a bit of a wait. I think it took them a little over an hour to prepare food for the four of us. The place was packed though. We didn’t mind too much but my toddler def. was not happy!:)

  7. This is the Martini bar right next to Mike’s Tex Mex right? I always walk by it in the daytime and have always wondered what it’s like inside! Glad to see they have a selection of drinks too:). Thanks for the post!

  8. Well, I just realized that 58th parallel is not actually THE name, but rather OUR name. As you know, very few roads in Okie have names, so we get creative. Sorry for the confusion – the 58th parallel is the street that runs parallel to 58, on it’s East side, in Chatan (just east of Foster). And if you’re looking for good costumes, ETWS is the place for you right across the street.

  9. ohhh, this is my ‘hood, next time the kids are somewhere, I might head here!
    58 parallel is the rd the runs parallel to the 58 going towards the east china sea…I didn’t know it had this name thou!