Taco Rice

Also written: タコライス · 塔可饭

A dish that blends Mexican, American, and Okinawan flavors into a taste that's familiar and easy for international visitors to enjoy.

Okinawa Kyushu-Okinawa Life & Daily

About this place

Taco rice, invented in 1984 in Kin Town, Okinawa Prefecture, epitomizes base town fusion where leftover taco meat tops steamed Japanese rice. Origin store Parlor Senri, nicknamed Kintaco, was run by Matsuzo Gibo, who served tacos to US soldiers outside Kadena Gate. One day he put leftover ground meat, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and salsa over rice, and soldiers loved the 800 yen hearty lunch that evolved. Ingredients are taco meat of beef-pork mixture seasoned with chili powder and cumin, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, salsa. Heat adjusted by salsa quantity, some shops mix ketchup and Worcestershire into original sauce. At Kin main shop one plate exceeds 600 grams, three branches near Kadena Gate form lines of soldiers reminiscent of Cold War. School lunch number one most popular in Okinawa, household cooking staple, tourist friendly as rice based. Processed into airport restaurant, convenience onigiri, and evolutions like omu taco and taco sandwich. Eating style is to mix entirely with spoon, preferably with Orion beer. History shows American portion culture colliding with Okinawan rice culture. Opening hours of Kintaco 10:30 to 21:00, closed second Tuesday. Queuing 20 minutes at lunch, early morning off-peak best. Photogenic tall lettuce mountain with cheese dusting popular on SNS. Seasonal limited avocado taco rice appears summer. Many mainland taco rice chains mimic but origin remains Kin Town pilgrimage worth day trip from Naha via expressway bus 45 minutes. Kin Town US-Japan Friendship Gate festival yearly sells limited pineapples taco rice. Family recipe passed Gibo son now Gi mechanism cheese melting microwave. Variation om taco wraps egg blanket omelette style children prefer. Taco rice economics school cafeteria budget friendly tracked Ministry education best calorie per yen. Delivery app now extends base outside towns. Tourists often mistake authentic plates containing lettuce iceberg vs local leaf. Health conscious version brown rice available. Spice tolerance introduced step small churros min size challenge for students. Wives of soldiers blog note adaptation salt. Gate photography restrictions strict no soldier faces. Kin Town US-Japan Friendship Gate festival yearly sells limited pineapples taco rice. Family recipe passed Gibo son now Gi mechanism cheese melting microwave. Variation om taco wraps egg blanket omelette style children prefer. Taco rice economics school cafeteria budget friendly tracked Ministry education best calorie per yen. Delivery app now extends base outside towns. Tourists often mistake authentic plates containing lettuce iceberg vs local leaf. Health conscious version brown rice available. Spice tolerance introduced step small churros min size challenge for students. Wives of soldiers blog note adaptation salt. Gate photography restrictions strict no soldier faces.