CoCo Ichibanya Curry House カレーハウスCoCo壱番屋

CoCo Ichibanya Curry House カレーハウスCoCo壱番屋 has a motto: 'good smell, good curry'. Ichiban means 'number one', and ya means 'shop' so this place is THE NUMBER ONE PLACE FOR CURRY!

Even though there are both Japanese and English menus (along with 5 other languages, including Arabic!) what really helps the first time visitor is the little pictures of how red your face gets with the increase in spice levels! You can get different kinds of meat/veggie bases, how much rice you want, and select the level of spice from 1 to 10. Of course, I've eaten a "10" three times in my life (including this visit in March 2008) but it is highly recommended not to go above a "5" level the first time. When we were stationed here in 2003-2005, we had a reservist come in from New Mexico that loved spicy food. He tried a "6" level and ended up all red with sweat running down his neck! Levels increase from 'your brain will start melting' to 'your eyes will pop out of your head' so be careful!

They are open 1000-0300 to feed that late-night hankering for spicy food. I recommend the bread (naan) and milk to cut the spice, but keep in mind this is not Indian curry--its Japanese style curry which is a bit sweeter.

CoCo Ichibanya Curry House カレーハウスCoCo壱番屋 is a popular chain in Japan with over 1,000 locations in the country. In Okinawa they have about 5 locations, near Kadena Air Base and Camp Foster. There are also 5 locations in Hawaii, most on Oahu.

You can't beat CoCo's Curry House for Number 1 Curry!

CoCo's is one of those places that once you've been there, you never get over it. The 24 hr locations are perfect for any persona type. Whether you are a creature of the day, getting your lunch or dinner at the nearest establishment to your home or work. Or, like most of my experience, a creature of the night stumbling to the nearest one or taking a cab to sit down with friends and order all sorts of different types of curry ensembles.

The "heat" levels, or spice, range from 1 through 10. Personally, if I eat @ CoCo's, I would order a 10 and throw on some extra spice. But my favorite would be to take it home and throw on some jalepenos from the fridge. Mmmmmmmmmm, delicious. My favorite was probably the Spinich Curry, but I think the most popular to be the Chicken Cutlet w/cheese. Oh, & don't forget to order the Nan Bread. YUM!!

I miss you CoCo's. :(