01 / ABOUT THE PLACE
About this place
Walking up the stairs and stepping inside, guests are greeted by bottles of island liquor and paper lanterns that set an unpretentious, festive Okinawan tone. Located in a Shiba-Daimon building, Paradaisu is an izakaya where diners can enjoy regional flavours without fuss, from classic drinking snacks to rustic home-style plates.
To pair with an opening round of beer or awamori, island small plates are a natural place to start. Sukuragarasu tofu, which tops island tofu with salted mottled spinefoot fry, and tofuyo, tofu fermented with koji and awamori into a rich delicacy, are meant to be savoured in small bites between sips. The kitchen also puts together a three-delicacy sampler featuring watagarasu—skipjack tuna entrails cured in awamori—and squid-ink shiokara, alongside crisp island shallots and seafood salad topped with popping sea grapes.
For warm dishes, consider goya champuru with its pleasantly mellowed bitterness, or the house-speciality Okinawan oden, gently permeated with seasoned broth. Nibbling on tender rafute pork belly often leads naturally to concluding the meal with soki soba, whose warm soup brings a satisfying, comforting finish.
Beyond an awamori selection organised by island origin, all-you-can-drink plans cater easily to groups. Whether gathering around a table with friends or ordering a few small plates for a relaxed evening meal, the izakaya proves an easygoing choice.
