IYKYK: 20 restaurants, 3 countries, and 15 time Michelin Star recipient…read more Found in Japan, China, and America (in beautiful Honolulu and Houston), it's Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera! There are meals one enjoys. Meals one admires. Meals one respectfully documents, notes the flavor balance of, and later describes using words like "elegant" and "well-executed." And then there are meals that rock your world. This was one of them. Kaiten sushi, or conveyor belt sushi, is a casual, affordable Japanese dining style invented in 1958 where plates of sushi rotate on a motorized belt passing diners, allowing them to select dishes directly. Here at Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera, it's not the typical catwalk of pre-made maki rolls, nigiri, and other offering. You order off a kiosk and then it is fast-tracked to your table via sushi belt. Here at Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera, you are granted the ability to try their Edomae-style sushi for a more affordable price. Edomae-style sushi is a traditional Tokyo cuisine originating in the 1820s, featuring seafood, often cured, marinated, or simmered, served atop rice seasoned with red vinegar (akasu). It focuses on enhancing fish flavor through technique rather than just raw freshness, historically acting as fast food for 19th-century Edo residents. That said, dare I say the best meal I had during my stay on Oahu? I DARE! This was an excellent place suggested by Randy S. I really can't tell you all we had because Randy took charge but every bite? Certified bangers. Not one bad bite had. Pro-tip: If you want to feel like you are being mugged by Neptune, the God of the Sea, have the chawanmushi. Oceanic and delish!

One of my nieces favorite places.This was a whole new sushi experience for me. Order on an iPad and…read morethe food whizzes in on a conveyer belt. I felt like Judy Jetson. The food came rather quickly. It is fun to see the other orders whizzing by. I was with a group of 9 so we were at. two different booths, only one iPad per table. The pesonal service was minimal. I miss seeing the sushi chef in person. The sushi that I had was delicious and the preparations were unique (to me) the pieces were smallish, but so yummy. I would have ordered more but I was not very assertive and everyone wanted the iPad . Most of the nigiri orders were only one at the price point I am used to paying for two and I prefer the experience of sharing. My husband at the other table sampled more than I did. Deep fried Octopus and Toro, I had Yellow Tail and Carpacio, sample two rolls. Big surprise, the French fries were outstanding. The check worked out to about 50 pp. I think that was mostly my husband who enjoyed an array of dishes. As mentioned in other reviews, the bill stacks up quickly. I given them 4 stars for uniqueness, mostly.

Found this spot on TikTok and had to try the Deluxe Tuna Nigiri and Roll. Before heading over, we…read morecalled ahead to check the wait time, which made planning our visit easy. The staff was attentive and welcoming throughout our meal, adding to the overall experience. This quickly became one of my favorite food stops of the trip. The tuna was so good that I seriously considered ordering a second serving just to take back to the hotel. I also tried the Arajiru, which was the perfect complement to the meal. Definitely a place I'd come back to on a future visit.

I came here once for dinner a long time ago and remembered feeling rushed because of their time…read morelimit -- it's listed as 90 minutes now, but I'm not sure what it was back then. After years away, I finally decided to revisit for lunch. This place is very popular, so making a reservation is essential. My partner and I both ordered the Yokozuna set, which includes 13 pieces of nigiri and one hand roll. My partner's set came with udon; I tried a bit, and it was just okay. The sushi itself was wonderful except for the uni. I love uni, but this one had a strange ammonia-like smell and taste. I've encountered this before, and as far as I know, that usually means the uni isn't fresh. It was honestly unpleasant, and they should know better than to serve it in that condition. Aside from the uni, everything else was fantastic -- the quality, the service, and the overall promptness. But that one bad piece definitely affected my impression, unfortunately.

Food: great sushi. Perfect fish to rice ratio…read more Service: excellent ambiance: was good .. parking might be an issue so be prepared...make reservations to be sure your table is waiting for you . I can see the restaurant being very busy It is well worth the $$$$ spent on your meal.

We visited this restaurant recently and had a mixed experience…read more When we arrived, the sign on the front door directed us to go around the corner to the entrance on Ualena Street. After walking around, the hostess asked if we had a reservation. I gave her my name, but she said we didn't have one, even though the restaurant was nearly empty. She then explained that our reservation was actually at their sister restaurant around the other side of the building. We went over there and found that it was primarily a sushi restaurant, which wasn't really what we were looking for. We had expected more of an izakaya-style experience, so we canceled the reservation and returned to the original restaurant. Once seated, the service was good and our server was attentive throughout the meal. One thing that was a little confusing was that sushi and sashimi had to be ordered from the sister restaurant, even though we were dining in the other restaurant. The food was brought over and served to us without any issues, and there were no problems with the bill, but it took us a while to understand how the two restaurants operated together. We ordered several dishes, including chicken skin wrapped gyoza, crab tempura, an assorted sashimi platter, a cream cheese and fish roe appetizer served with toast, an egg dish topped with fish roe, chicken karaage, and the miso butterfish. The highlights for me were the chicken karaage, miso butterfish, and gyoza. I enjoyed them enough to order another round of the gyoza and chicken. That said, many of the dishes leaned toward the sweeter side of Japanese cuisine, which just isn't my personal preference. If you enjoy those flavors, your experience may be different. Overall, the food was good, the service was solid, and there were a few standout dishes. The confusion with the reservation, entrance setup, and relationship between the two restaurants got the evening off to an awkward start, but the meal improved once we were seated. I'm not really a Japanese food person, so four stars is probably the highest rating I could realistically give a Japanese restaurant. With that in mind, I thought they did a good job, and there were a few dishes I would consider ordering again.

It was so sad this business is closing down by Oct 31st. With rising food costs, inflation and…read morestaffing, it's understandable but I wish best endeavors for Chef Jason Peel and his staff. My fiance won a gift card actually 2 of them (from his coworker whom could not get a reservation secured), we knew we had to make the trip over before they officially close. We had multiple dishes, but staff made Kauai prawns and tomato miso black cod dishes on the house since they ran out the Hokkaido scallops. We ordered the short ribs, lobster appetizer, hamachi crudo and lastly sashimi moriawase to finish food palate. Lukki lemon dessert was great way to end to night. Ordered the Milk tea bouquet cocktail while my better half had water ( either way the food coma knock him out cold the rest of the night lol). To be honest, it was difficult to determine which dish was the best because the staff kept quality there despite it being busy every night since they announce the closure. Sashimi moriawase, fish was so fresh, reminded me of my time spent in Hokkaido and Sapporo. Short ribs was soft and rich in flavor. Both me and my fiance liked the lukki lemon dessert, like lemon meringue pie but broken down version. If you have a chance to dine here before closing and got a reservation, definitely will have a lovely dining experience and your stomach will be full by end of the night.

Husband and I tried Nami Kaze in our recent trip to Hawaii. This place is huge! I was so glad to be…read moreseated in the side room because I found it to be a lot calmer, less people and no TV. The staff were friendly and very helpful with giving us recommendations. We ordered 3 appetizers and 2 entrees, and honestly it was too much food for us. We had leftovers for breakfast the next day! - For appetizers we got: Ulu Tots, Japanese Eggplant, and Corn Beignets. The Corn Beignets was the best. - For entree we got: Tomato Miso Black Cod and the Short Rib. Both were delicious and worth a try. Sad to see that this restaurant appears to be closing.

An izakaya is a casual Japanese pub-style restaurant designed for socializing over drinks and…read moreshared small plates, acting as a staple of Japanese dining culture. Last meal on Oahu. An excellent offering suggested by my cycle buddy, Randy S. Randy had told us that they were the 2022 James Beard Best Restaurant semi-finalist is deserving recognition. I really can't tell you all we had because Randy took charge. Every bite worked well with the bottle of sake we had. I do know that one of the bites included firefly squid, those cute, small, bioluminescent cephalopods famous for their brilliant blue light. Regardless, it was a fun way to cap off the trip. Loved the food, love the company... what a great place!

It was an amazing evening spent at this place. We return annually to the islands and make it a…read morepoint to enjoy the cuisine at this comfy restaurant. The fish was fresh colorful and presentation didn't disappoint our evening. We were there when they opened adding a personal touch to our evening before the dinner crowd arrived. The sushi chef and his sous chefs worked together to get the food to their guests quickly. We were sitting at the sushi bar --- the dedication and smooth operation seemed fine to me. It was quiet loud when they welcomed guests which wasn't easy to handle but I understood why they were doing that. Loved the presentation of our choices which we took pics of. Thank you for a fun evening. We'll be back next year.

My coworkers and I used the DoorDash app to get lunch from Nori Bar…read more We all got the 4 roll set where we got to pick each of our rolls and if we wanted any other extra sauces. We kept raving about the packaging and how they were so cute! The fish we got was so fresh and was also surprised to see edamame I forgot what rolls my coworkers chose but they all loved it! For reference, I got Maguro, Unagi, Spicy Ahi, and Hamachi as my choices I was also surprised at how quick our order arrived

Went for a light lunch before running errands nearby. It's a casual nori bar but you need…read morereservations due to limited seating. Everything we had was pretty solid and in line with its price point. The rice and filling were balanced and cucumber salad was refreshing. Would come again! Parking is available in the theatre garage.

Drake Sushi Waikiki is extremely extraordinary with its location, clean atmosphere, exceptional…read moreservice and fresh, delicious & beautiful sushi & sides. First, our service by Manager JP and server John are 2nd to none. If you follow my Yelp reviews and sushi reviews you KNOW we are indeed global sushi "experts" from San Francisco, to NYC, Miami, Tel Aviv and everywhere in between. We were in town for the King Kamehameha Day and weekend parades and celebrations. Our son is a rising Senior at University of Hawai'i at Mānoa and two of his friends joined our party of six which our son made the Sunday evening reservations. My mother-in-law was using a scooter this trip and JP was very generous & helpful in accommodating our "parking" needs inside the restaurant. We were seated in a "prefect" table outside overlooking the Wakiki strip. Our server John was very welcoming, hospitable and kind. As we settled in and reviewed our massive menus which "like reading a newspaper" has just about everything to accommodate any diner needs. Unfortunately, a light rain and drizzle happening requiring us to relocate inside in a very comfortable table at the front of the restaurant that John took full charge in making our "transition" simple and quickly. Now, the sushi selections were very unique, amble, beautiful and delicious! Our creative cocktails and entree selections are too extensive for this dyslexic to list here. I took a photo and it is listed in the photos. Our sushi experience was amazing! Highly recommend Doraku Sushi Waikiki! Manager JP and Server John rock!

Sushi & Sashimi deluxe 48 Miskyaki butterfish…read more I'm a big fan of butterfish in a Japanese restaurant and this is what led me to it. Sashimi is always a must too

Did the lunch omakase with a friend. The service was very nice, very quiet space with subdued…read moreambiance. It was challenging to get through all of the courses, but I succeeded. There were standouts and overall we loved the meal. A local id gets the 10% service fee removed which was nice. I would recommend the $150 lunch omakase - I don't think the $50 abalone dish was worth the upgrade.

Had an amazing omakase experience at Sushi Ginza Onodera. The staff were incredibly friendly and…read moreattentive, which made the whole experience feel welcoming rather than overly formal. Every piece of sushi was beautifully presented not overwhelming. You can really tell the chefs put a lot of thought into the balance of flavors and textures. One of my favorite bites was a sashimi piece topped with something that looked like finely grated cheese (not sure what it actually was), but it melted perfectly with the fish and added a really unique savory flavor. The chefs and staff also had a good sense of humor. At one point they served kinki fish and jokingly explained that the English translation sometimes gets called "idiot fish," which got everyone laughing at the counter. The omakase is definitely on the pricier side, but the quality, presentation, and overall experience made it very satisfying. If you're looking for a refined sushi experience with great service and beautifully crafted bites, this place is worth the splurge.