Paanilani: Hawaiian Pancakes

The journey to Paanilani from Meio University was quite interesting. We wanted to get there in time for breakfast, so we went at about 10 am. Paanilani is open from 7:00-17:00. No one quite knew how to get there, so we made a couple of wrong turns along the way. We even got a couple of confused looks from the elderly. It took about fifty minutes via the Okinawa Expressway and Route 58. If we had chosen to use only Route 58, it would have taken about 40 minutes. However, we enjoyed the beautiful scenic view as we drove past the ocean. The parking at Paanilani was very convenient. There was a large dirt parking lot across the street from the restaurant.

The very first thing that we saw was the window display. A map of the Hawaiian Islands as well as a surfboard were proudly displayed. 

We didn’t have to wait long for a table and the five of us sat down to look at the menus. The pancakes ranged from 800-2,500 yen. Ordering a coffee or tea with a pancake cost only 300 yen, while ordering the other drinks ranged in price from 400-500 yen. 

After taking a few minutes to decide, we ordered four different pancakes. Each dish came with at least two pancakes. The King Bacon Pancake was topped with whipped cream and a large thick slice of bacon. This bacon was very flavorful and complimented the pancakes very well. This menu item is one of the two recommended dishes. The second recommended menu item is the Nuts Nuts Pancake which was topped with bananas and a coconut macadamia nut sauce. The Very Berry Pancake came with mixed berries and whipped cream on top. The mixed berries were a refreshing twist of sour and sweet. The Tropical Pancake had pineapple pancakes and mango sauce. All of these pancakes were absolutely delicious!

After we were all full, we had the privilege of interviewing the owner. The owner was very forthcoming when he answered our questions. The restaurant name is broken into two parts, paani and lani. Paani, meaning water, is from Fiji. Lani, meaning heaven, comes from Hawaii. He expressed that he “wished to make an oasis where people’s minds and stomachs were filled with happiness.” Paanilani has been open since 2012 and he was inspired from his experience of working in Hawaii. In his mind, Okinawa and Hawaii had many similarities and he wished to let other people in Okinawa share this experience. According to him, pancakes are popular in Japan as sweets. However, in Hawaii, people eat them as a dish in their own right. He explained that this is part of the reason that Paanilani stands out from other pancake restaurant competitors. The owner’s favorite menu item is the King Bacon Pancake with the fried egg option. He finished the interview by telling us his dreams of the future. He hopes that this business with be successful for decades to come. Not only was the owner kind enough to give us an interview, but a picture with him as well.

Overall, the experience at Paanilani was fantastic. If you’d like to experience some sweet pancake dishes, Paanilani is our recommendation. There’s a type of pancake for everyone and it’ll leave you, the customer, as full and as satisfied as we were.

Directions on how to get there:

住所: 〒904-0404 沖縄県国頭郡恩納村瀬良垣６９８

電話:098-966-1154

営業時間: Every day opens between 7:00~17:00

The address is 〒904-0404 Seragaki 698, Onna Village, Kunigami, Okinawa Prefecture.

Phone number: 098-966-1154

It should take you about 1 hour to get there from Meio by a car.

How to get there:

• From Meio, go south by car. Go to Route 58 and turn right, and continue south.
• When you get to the Onna bypass, turn right.
• Go along the street and you will see Paanilani on the right.