The best Tonkatsu I ever have in the State. Tender and juicy…read more The portion is big too. I am taking my whole family of 10 to eat there this Friday. J visiting from Boston

Ginza Bairin in Honolulu gave us such a fun little taste of Japan. Before we even walked in, my son…read moresaid the sidewalk leading up to the restaurant felt like Japan, with the trees and the curtain hanging down at the entrance. That detail set the mood right away. Inside, it is definitely larger and roomier than many places we've eaten at in Japan, but it still had that warm, simple, Japanese restaurant feel. We sat at a two-person table and still had plenty of room for all of our food, which is always appreciated because nobody wants to play plate Tetris during dinner. We ordered the Wagyu and the chicken tonkatsu, and both were so good. The Wagyu was especially fun because we got to grill it ourselves at the table, making the meal feel more like an experience than just dinner. The chicken tonkatsu was crispy, juicy, and exactly what we were hoping for. I also loved that they offer refills on the cabbage and vegetables, just like in Japan. It's one of those small touches that makes the whole meal feel more authentic. The highest praise came from my preteen, who said it was the best tonkatsu he's had outside of Japan. Honestly, that is a serious review from a kid who knows his tonkatsu. Great food, fun experience, nice ambiance, and a little Japan-in-Honolulu moment. We'll definitely be back.

Tamafuji is honestly the king of tonkatsu on Oahu, and probably in Hawaii. I like other tonkatsu…read moreplaces on island but I (personally) don't believe anyone is playing in the same league. From their breading, meat quality, and ambiance, it's all fantastic. Compared to the upstairs restaurant, I felt like I could really enjoy my entire experience because I was less overwhelmed by noise and the small space. Their service is always great and friendly :-) I can't recommend this place enough!

My cousins highly recommended this place, and after seeing so many Instagram posts about it, I knew…read moreI had to give it a try. We attempted to make reservations, but they were completely booked until the following month. Since we didn't want to miss out, we decided to order their most popular tonkatsu meal to go instead. When we arrived, there were already a lot of people waiting outside. I went in to check on our order, and they let me know it would be another 10-15 minutes. Since it was a hot day, we wandered over to the crystal-themed shop next door while we waited. It had lots of interesting items to browse, although we ended up leaving empty handed. About 15 minutes later our order was ready, and we Ubered back to our hotel, which only took a few minutes. When we opened everything up, the portion felt a bit small for the price. The tonkatsu itself was tender, but for us it didn't quite live up to all the hype. I did appreciate that you can choose clam soup instead of the traditional miso soup, and there are different rice options as well, which is a nice touch. Overall, it was a good meal, but not one that completely wowed us given the price. It's possible the experience would have been different dining in, but with the long waitlist and the hot weather, takeout was the better choice for us.

Always a good time here! The kamameshi is a must try (I like the salmon and ikura)…read more Tonight we tried the A5 wagyu teppan, the scallops, salmon and ikura kamameshi, fried oysters, soft shell crab, and karei karaage special. Service is always great, ambiance is a neighborhood spot. Highly recommend.

So happy there is an izakaya that we don't have to drive to downtown or Waikiki. Izakaya Mitch's is…read moreclose to the airport in the industrial area. I made reservations, so we were seated right away. Luckily, it wasnʻt crowded when we sat, so our waitress was able to answer all our questions about different dishes we were interested in ordering. Our party of 3 got to try different things from the specials and regular menu. The tai karaage was so tender and seasoned really well, the kamameshi is such a comfort dish, and the burrata with chilled tomato was really refreshing. One thing we all liked was that even though there were a lot of people in the restaurant (most came in after we ordered), we still were able to speak to one another without talking loud. The staff mentioned that they will be getting a sushi chef, so I guess we need to try this place again,

It's a rare treat when I fall in love with a place and rave about it so much that I have to have it…read moreagain. Not only that, but I have to bring my significant other along to share in the deliciousness! I don't know how I'm just now talking about Marugame Udon. When I first came here, my friend and I decided to give it a try because we saw the longest line and wanted to see what all the hype was about. There was a couple in front of us who said they come here every time they visit Hawaiʻi and that it's a must-do stop on every trip. When you walk in, it's a small place. You can watch a team member washing the noodles and portioning them into bowls right in front of you. Then you choose your bowl size, small or large, and select your broth. After that, you get to choose from a variety of fried items and other à la carte options displayed on a warmer. Seating can be limited because of how busy this place gets. You line up to get your food, pay for it, grab your condiments, utensils, and a cup of water, then find a seat and enjoy. I've already been here twice, and after writing about my experience, I need to make a third visit happen very soon! There are not enough days off in a week to enjoy all of the amazing food on this island, but I'm going to do my best to experience as many places as I can. This place is totally worth the 45-minute commute from Wahiawa.

marugame be winning the game because WOW the number of reviews is crazy. they are wildly successful…read moreyay! i think they are pretty good and consistent for the price so it's one of the viral places that sorta deserves the hype. not many tables, LONG lines, nice workers. come during like non lunch/dinner times so it's not as busy. it is famously self service - you have udon and fried stuff like tempura. the best ones are nikutama, creamy, and beef. everything runs salty here so drink lots of water and pray! noodles are always cooked well though and the meat is yum. they crack eggs into the nikutama, some people mix it. others (me) rawdog it and slurp it up like a protein-craved bodybuilder. tempura is also solid! better without sauce, i like dipping it in the broth as the tempura is not very flavorful arigato or something!

Had the best girls' night here! We sat outside, enjoyed great food, and spent hours chatting in…read moresuch a comfortable atmosphere. The cocktails were gorgeous and tasted amazing. Definitely one of our favorite spots in Waikiki, and we'll be back for sure!

My coworker picked up some dinner here. It's located on royal Hawaiian avenue in Waikiki…read more They have an extensive Japanese menu ranging from izakaya type items to donburis and yakitori. We had a bunch of yakitori type items (skewered bbq). Highly recommend the miso pork belly and the chicken thighs with green onion.

This place ended being our favorite restaurant of our entire Hawaii trip. So glad we made a…read morereservation because it can get quite busy during peak dinner hours. Their grilled chicken thigh was unbelievably tender, juicy, and had just the right amount of smokey flavor. It's one of those dishes that's so simple, yet executed perfectly - a must order. We also enjoyed either ox tail porridge, grilled corn and grilled mochi. The beef tongue was also delicious and cooked perfectly tender, though I wish it had been sliced a little larger instead of diced so small. For drinks, don't miss the lemon tower chu-hi topped with lemon sorbet. It's refreshing, bright, and pairs with the grilled dishes perfectly. We were already talking about coming back before we even finished dinner. Can't wait to be back.

We went to grab an early dinner at around 5ish, place was already busy. We didn't make any…read morereservation but luckily got a small table. Staffs were nice and helpful. We got a couple items. I enjoyed the beef flank and the stew more than the rice bowl. But still good overall. We also like their seasonal/ special drink, not strong on the alcohol but refreshing. Nice atmosphere.

Came here on a Thursday night around 6:30 for dinner. I had to circle around the parking lot to…read morefind a stall, and I believe they recently added a QR code to pay for parking. I'm not really sure how the validation works for it though. We didn't have reservations but were seated right away. To start off, I got the shikuwasa calpico drink. I feel like a lot of places don't have shikuwasa, so I'm really glad I can get it here. They also had a lot of other fun drinks on their menu that I would love to come back and try. For three of us, we ordered a bunch of small things to share. We got the brie, cold chicken dynamite, sweet potato, and hamachi roll. It also came with different types of salt to dip it in. All the food was delicious, but my favorite was the brie. This restaurant is fun and high energy. Service was excellent and super helpful. I would definitely recommend coming here!

My brother has been recommending this place so I am glad I finally got to go for dinner! We got a…read moremix of regular and seasonal menu items. The hamachi with sesame sauce was ok, I prefer hamachi cooked though. The negitoro avocado rolls were tiny but decent and fresh tasting. The 5 types of tempura had a light crispy batter and were good. My favorites were the seasonal specials of hamachi kama (huge, meaty piece!), spicy chicken, and sukiyaki tofu. The spicy chicken was not very spicy at all, maybe a 1 or 2 out of 5 stars. It was refreshing and reminded me of Chinese chicken salad with the Chinese parsley and peanuts. The sukiyaki tofu was simple but good and not too sweet. The ambiance made me feel like I was in Japan and the staff were very attentive. Great service! The people preparing the food are right in the center and they are a well oiled machine cranking out dishes without breaking a sweat or raising their voices. The noise level can get a bit loud from diners having a good time.

TL;DR This might be…read moremy favorite Japanese restaurant in town. Undisputed soba champion. ----- I'm surprised I haven't written a review for i-naba yet. This place has been a staple for my family ever since we moved back to O'ahu a few years ago. Bottom line? The soba noodles here are utterly fantastic. They are, in my humble opinion, the best on the island, and some of the best soba noodles I've ever had. I don't think anywhere else in Honolulu comes close. You come here to eat soba. Period. In addition to the soba being phenomenal, the other offerings at i-naba are also similarly great. Their tempura in particular is outstanding. I typically order the Jumbo Shrimp Tempura Bowl & Soba or the Dx Tempura Bowl & Soba. Plus an upgrade to a large size soba! The tempura is sooo good. It's crispy, light, and airy. The jumbo shrimp is especially succulent and tender. And the ingredients are always perfectly seasoned with the sweet and savory house sauce. Yummmy! If you're looking for the best soba and awesome tempura, this is your spot!!!

Everytime I asked my Japanese clients which Japanese restaurant they enjoyed most in Honolulu,…read moreInaba consistently came up. And now I know why. I finally had lunch here a couple weeks ago and damn was my tempura and soba set broke da mout. The soba is housemade with a chewy consistency that I love. I had it cold with the dipping sauce and wow wow wow. So good. My friends suggested I get the shrimp and vegetable tempura as well which amazingly stayed crispy the whole time I savored each bite. Probably 30 minutes. Light crisp batter on perfectly cooked shrimp and veggies. Damn it was good. The service was great as well and I cannot wait to go back. Nice warm atmosphere and there's a free parking lot. It gets busy during lunch and dinner, so get there early or make a reservation. Enjoy!