Best Kimchi I ever tasted! Cut in small pieces this kimchi packs so much flavor! Also ate the oxtail soup which was a bit salty but once you eat it with rice or noodles it's not so bad. Also ate the tonkatsu curry pork that was very tasty. Clean bathrooms and good service. Highly recommend this hole in the wall. read more

Finally tried Asahi Grill at the Waialae location. This building has seen a number of restaurants come and go and Asahi Grill has lasted longer than most, probably due to its history as a well known local establishment. The parking is limited, which I think makes it a tough location. But, we found a spot easily enough. The inside of the building is nice and big. We were greeted and seated promptly. I decided on the shrimp tempura plate and my husband had the adobo fried rice omelet. The food came very quickly and was piping hot. The portions are HUGE. Unfortunately, there was a lack of flavor. I enjoyed the shrimp, but the tempura breading was a little dense and the eggplant pieces were soggy inside. The rice wasn't the best quality either and tasted a little mealy. The adobo fried rice omelet similarly lacked seasoning and there were little hard bits of rice inside. I remember this place being much better when it was at the prior location. read more

Asahi Grill - Adobo fried rice omelet and shrimp tempura plate. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Nice spot for local food, good size portions and reasonable prices. The inside is dated, which I like since it reminds me of so many local spots on the island that are slowly disappearing. Service is friendly, but on island time. It's close to me and thinking it's going to be one of my local regular comfort food spots. read more

See all

Bittersweet coming here for the first time today for a late breakfast. Remnants of Mandalay are still here, the furniture, tables, wall art, bar, etc. Seems like only a large screen tv is different and one of the side rooms is closed. There were two attentive employees checking in on us throughout our meal. My oxtail ramen had the best noodle texture, curly and cooked perfectly al dente. The bowl was very small like kid size with three tiniest pieces of oxtail mostly bone. I detected a faint yet pungent ingredient in the broth but couldn't figure out if it was dried orange peel or something else in the flavoring. Hubs had a mini hamburger steak as he didn't see Lechon kawali on the menu but it was listed as a special as we were exiting the restaurant. read more

See all

Delicious, affordable local food! I'd only been to the Asahi Grill on Ward, which is great, but I really enjoy this Kaimuki location and have been twice since December. It's really easy to miss as you're heading down Waialae to the freeway, but Asahi is located just before you turn right at the stoplight. Service is nice, but sometimes a little slow. No major issues, though. There are two side rooms with big tables for groups. The food at Asahi is excellent and very modestly priced! Family, friends, and I have tried the tripe stew, opakapaka, lechon, and katsu curry. Textures, flavors, ingredient combinations are all on point. Nothing is especially innovative, which is what makes Asahi great. They just do good local food really well, and the food tastes as it's supposed to taste. Everything is EXCELLENT and tastes like home, or at least an aunty's house that makes great food. Parking can be tough because they only have a few spots, but if you go after other businesses close, I think it's okay if you park in those stalls. read more

See all

The food was very good, with choices locals will like. Service was great, with our big group, water was very attentive.

Located at the bottom of Waialae avenue before the road goes straight to Kapiolani and turns to go on the freeway. Limited parking along the left side of the building, and additional parking to the right of the restaurant in the parking lot for Salz locksmith and Custom Window Services. The restaurant has a trendy feel and plenty of spacious tables/seating. The ambience is relaxing and the servers are very friendly and helpful. We were seated right away and noticed that they offered a lot of local favorites on their menu. We ordered pork champon (bitter melon) plate, oxtail ramen (very delicious), lupcheong fried rice and lecheon kawali (so fresh and crispy). We ended our meal with banana lumpia with ice cream and agreed that we would come back again and try their other items! read more

See all

We ordered the oxtail soup, the beef stew and the hamburger steak and they were all so good! We did take out and it was ready quickly, easy pick up and the food was so delicious! I was able to get two meals out of the hamburger steak (although I almost ate the whole thing because it was so good) the gravy is amazing! We will be ordering from here again. read more

I just called to ask what was the specials for tonight? The person in the front had told me I cannot stay late. 8:30 last call 9:00 out the door. I am an innocent person. I don't stay late. Why the hell am I was told this, you're accusing me of staying late! Management should take care of this situation on their own, and if people are staying late, they should be informed. Don't accuse everybody! No thank you, not coming now!!!!! read more

Frequently go to this Asahi Grill location for dinner and am always met with great service that delivers the food quickly. The inside is nice and spacious with a nice private room. The Kalbi fried rice is the best and comes with a little side of kimchi which is my favorite too. The pork chop is thin but moist, buttery, AND garlicky. The chop steak is a lot of vegetables but has a good flavor. A great place to go for consistent food and a casual atmosphere. read more

See all

Came here because my brother needed his oxtail soup fix. Realized my mom took me to try it when it was located at Kam Bowl years ago! Although apparently portions have gotten smaller and prices have gotten higher, he was very happy. Definitely tasty! We also got garlic fried rice (a little bland) and chicken katsu-super crunchy and good. We also watched the Eddie Aikou surfing invitational while eating local food. Perfect! read more

Asahi Grill - Oxtail soup - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

As a fan of Asahi Grill's oxtail soup and fried rice, my family came to eat here a few months ago. I'm so glad they were able to find a new location! We had a big group so they seated us in the private room which was great. All your of local favorites to satisfy any craving! Delicious oxtail soup, fried rice, cheeseburger, French fries, and pork chops. The service was good too. I'll definitely be back to eat with my family! Quite a few restaurants have opened and closed in this space (Mandalay being the most recent tenant) so I hope Asahi will be able to stick around for a while! Happy eating! read more

See all

Today, I arrived at 1:40 pm to pick up a mini beef stew for lunch (very good beef stew). When I got to the door, the "closed" sign was on the door. ‍ Sadly, lost some of my lunch time due to this mishap. read more

We usually go ward but since it was a little later we tried this location. They sat us quickly for a party of 3 on a Saturday. This location has a more upscale vibe compared to the one near Ward. We were all craving local style food and it always hits the spot here. The grilled salmon is my favorite plate every time. It's the perfect level of cooked and with the squeeze of lemon it is sooo ono. And can never go wrong with the oxtail soup here. They give don't go shy on the pieces of oxtail & the broth is always good. First time getting the tripe stew too but it had plenty flavor and good texture! Good location that we'll definitely be back again! read more

Asahi Grill - Regular size Oxtail Soup, Regular size Salmon plate - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

Never have I ever been to Asahi Grill Keeaumoku when they were in K-town. I'm a regular at Asahi Grill Ward both take out and dine in. But it seems they have found a new home. Hands down the restaurant is much more up to date, cleaner facilities, and they serve alcohol too! Same great food, relatively same price point, same great service, free ample parking. Just make sure you read carefully the sign fronting the parking stall as the lot shares with surrounding businesses. read more

See all

Oxtail is always good there but today, they asked me if I wanted utensils and I answered yes. But when I got home, there are no utensils. Not only that, no should as well, only ginger. A little bit disappointed. read more

This place, was def a hole in the wall for me. My valet guy at the hotel recommended it. Came here for the ox tail soup it was amazing, the broth was clean the meat on ox tail was fall of the bone, def a 10/10 best ox tail soup ive ever had. read more

Finally stopped by ! Good food, great service and very friendly staff. We had the Adobo fried rice with lechon kawali and the Oxtail Soup. Best for last DESSERT! Banana Lumpia with Vanilla Ice cream absolutely delicious. read more

Asahi Grill - Fried Banana Lumpia with Vanilla Ice Cream - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Joined a group of friends on our quest for the best & tastiest oxtail soup. We wanted to try this "new" location and were lucky to have a private room. Chris not only explained the menu, but we learned each Asahi Grill is not under one owner so there are slight differences in food prep and taste. The oxtail soup here is pretty tasty and here is why I enjoyed my bowl. The soup is available in two sizes regular & mini. The bowls were approximately the same size, but the regular had more oxtail. The oxtail meat itself was tender which I appreciated. I like when the meat falls off the bone. In the future, I will probably go with the mini as I felt the regular didn't have enough broth. I ended up taking home about three pieces of oxtail & had to make additional broth. Btw, if you don't like cilantro, ask to have it deleted. They put a lot in the soup. A saucer of grated ginger is provided as well as two scoops of rice. A few of my friends up graded their white rice to fried rice. Will go back to Asahi Grill Kaimuki if I'm in the area to try some of their other offerings. Btw parking is available on the left of the restaurant and if you are dining after Salz locks is closed, you are able to park in the lot to the right. Stalls are rather narrow though. read more

See all

I was sad to see Asahi Keeaumoku close, but was happily surprised when they moved into lower Kaimuki. It's the same menu and maybe a little more daily specials. The Asian interior decor is nice and sort of cozy. They have a small bar with limited seats and a private room that seats 8 people. I thought our service was excellent, but then again they wasn't busy at the time we stopped in for breakfast. I had the Asahi Breakfast (teishoku) with grilled salmon. The salmon was delicious and the portions was a perfect way to start your day off. Parking is available on both sides of the building. 3 stalls on the left side. On the right side (Salz Lock) there is about 3 stall which is marked 15 minutes for take out. In the adjacent lot which can be entered from the Salz Lock lot there is an additional 10 parking stalls. All the parking is free. read more

See all

I've been wanting to try this new location for awhile and it didn't disappoint! The servers were all super nice and very attentive. I tried the shrimp tempura curry (4 large shrimp, 2 eggplant, 1 carrot, curry had mushrooms and onions inside, and I chose mac salad instead of toss since it didn't have pickles/cucumber, and 2 scoops rice) it was sooo good! Very generous portion of tempura, tasty curry and mac salad. Also got deep fried gyoza for the table to share. They were ok, probably frozen, but the chili oil they came with was pretty spicy and I took it home with me! 8 pieces for $11 idk if it's worth it for the gyoza. Friends tried chicken papaya soup and kalbi fried rice with eggs. Need to go back to try more of the menu it's so extensive! Lots of specials, clean bathroom, lots of parking in the Salz lot after 5pm and all day Sunday! read more

Asahi Grill - shrimp tempura curry - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

It was our first time at this location. We were impressed with the excellent service and the food. The food servers were so busy that they were, at times, running, and they still managed to give us excellent service. They were attentive, humble, and very pleasant. I ordered the hamburger steak with macaroni salad. It was the first time that I've had a juicy hamburger steak. It was delicious. It was served with too much gravy, but that's my opinion. My husband ordered kalbi fried rice. He said that it was better than some other restaurant. We look forward to eating here again. read more

Yummy special today, Tonjiru soup for $18.95. Hit the spot in this rainy weather. Everything was good, but the simple musubis were extra yummy. Could smell the nori as soon as it arrived to our table. Lightly salted nori. Went well with everything. No carb cutting today. Great start to the day. read more

Asahi Grill - Tonjiru soup special today. Oishii! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I have visited Asahi Grill twice now for dinner and plan to return! They are well-known for their "famous" ox-tail soup, but their menu also offers delicious plate lunches, ramen, and other fusion eats. On both our visits, we ordered the savory adobo omelet fried rice and the oxtail ramen. (FYI the oxtail soup broth is cooked and served with boiled peanuts, so take note if your party has allergies!) Oxtail ramen was so delicious and comforting, we ended up asking for more broth and noodles to make it last longer! We have also tried the kalbi plate lunch and some of their whiteboard specials including lechon and fish. Food is reasonably priced and portions are fair (except the oxtail soup is on the smaller side). There are a few larger private rooms on the restaurant's left side that seem nice for gatherings! And dedicated parking stalls are in the lot immediately past the restaurant entrance! read more

Asahi Grill - Oxtail ramen - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

Ox Tail Soup in Honolulu, Hawaii... Every year, when my friend visited from Northern California to visit her father, she'd want to get together and have some local food. One of the places that she chose was Asahi Grill's Keeaumoku Street location (as opposed to the Ward Avenue location). She would always order the Ox Tail Soup. It was pretty good and filling! Today, on their last day of operation (1-21-22), my Yelp friend, Milton, said that workers were a bit sad, but still upbeat. He told me to visit and showed me his photos of his meal... arggg! Talking myself into driving over the Pali, I told myself: I'm hungry!... And they have free parking!!! Okay! We go! I signed the clipboard inside of the old school style diner - for contact tracing. There were a few open tables, so, I was seated promptly. I decided to have a last bowl of Ox Tail Soup... And it didn't disappoint. The meat was tender and the broth was rich! I liked the peanuts at the bottom of the bowl...a yummy treat! Rice and soup with freshly grated ginger was my dessert.... Mmm! Since Milton shared his Hamburger Steak picture, it stuck in my mind... So, I ordered a mini Hamburger Steak... To eat now... LOL! Yes, the waitress asked, "To go?" And I shook my head... "No"... Haha! The brown gravy was wonderful... Especially with rice and partially crisp onions! The macaroni salad was almost like my auntie's because it was made with spaghetti noodles! The little bits of hard boiled egg in it was fun! Yay! I'll miss Asahi Grill at Keeaumoku... And will watch Instagram for its new location. It's not "goodbye"... It's "see you later, my friend"! Thanks, Milton! Me, myself, and I thank you! read more

See all

Great local and Japanese selections in a casual setting. There's onsite parking too. Oxtail is a draw but we gravitate to their chicken papaya soup, lechon kawali, loco moco with curry gravy, hamburger steak and Japanese breakfast. Staff are cordial and very helpful. Prices are reasonable and servings are generous. There's even a full bar in the back! Sad to say that Asahi Grill will be closing on Thursday, January 21st because the building will be demolished to make way for a high rise. Good news is that Asahi is actively looking for another location in the area and I suspect they may take over a Chinese restaurant on the corner of Keeaumoku and South King Street (another one of our favorites for Northern Chinese food). Better get down soon if you're a loyal customer! We had hamburger steak and loco moco this morning and we weren't disappointed except for the fact that they were closing really soon. Our wait help took down my info so she could contact me when their new location was locked in. Lucky thing because I was so engrossed in conversation about their closing that I forgot my credit card at the restaurant! I got the call to retrieve my credit card on my way home so luck thing they had my phone number! Clean living think read more

See all

Nothing bad but nothing more than average. The ox tail was just that, service is very thin, getting the check and getting out is far from easy. Other than the central location I can't imagine a reason to go here. read more

Asahi Grill - Oxtail Ramen - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Went to Asahi Grill for the first time in years. The comfort food on the menu brought back memories. It was great! From their signature oxtail soup to their beef stew, it was good. The staff were friendly and attentive to their customers. The tables were cleaned quickly getting it ready for the next customer. Parking was convenient and ample Definitely a place to go to to satisfy your cravings for local style food read more

Great service and friendly staff! Good local comfort food. Beef stew, roast pork, kalbi are our favorite s. read more

So many local choices to choose from and everything is yummy. The lup chong fried rice and the kalbi fried rice are two of my favorites.

Food was mediocre and service was average at best. Oxtail soup they said was voted the best, but broth was not very tasty and the oxtail was not tender enough. read more

Decided to give this location a try. Went at 9am and there were 2 other tables with people, so it was fairly quiet. We were greeted by the server as soon as we entered and got seated immediately. He then brought water quickly along with menus. I got the Loco Moco Bowl (1 patty and 1 egg) and it was good. Patty had a good flavor and the egg was runny. Good amount of rice underneath too. The mac salad went well with the gravy. Just the right amount so you're not overly stuffed. The hamburger steak with the fried rice was great. Fried rice was good and had a lot of bacon inside it. Hamburgers were good. The onions were good - some were cooked and some were still kind of raw, but it didn't have an overwhelming onion flavor so it was easy to eat. Mac salad was good. Overall, not bad for the price. Good option for plate lunch. Service was great (water always filled and always checked in on). Parking - 3 stalls on the side in the small lot. Kind of hard to get out of. read more

Asahi Grill - Loco Moco Bowl - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

We've tried the oxtail soup..... and we're definitely coming back!!!! The price is right here and the amount of meat they serve is generous. We also had the kalbi fried rice which was massive and yummy!! It also comes with kimchi I'm not sure if they make it themselves but I had to ask for a refill. The staff is very friendly and the owner (I'm assuming) he's a personable and happy guy. The parking is small and to get to the restaurant is a little difficult when you're going up Waialae heading towards kahala. The ambiance is very comforting and casual. read more

Asahi Grill - Oxtail regular and mini kalbi fried rice - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

My wife has been wanting to go to this fixture of a diner in Honolulu for a long time. It's kind of a curious place - from the outside it looks almost contemporary. On the inside, it's like walking into a time warp back into the 80s? Interior colors are all off due to the struggling fluorescent lighting, half of which don't work, compounded by the windows that are either tinted or naturally aged from decades of UV exposure and dust. Ceiling tiles are also retro with watermarks. Walls have some peeling paint or other markings literally taped on them. Even the tall paper cups for fountain drinks look like they're from a supply storage from the 80s. The only item that betrays this travel back in time is the updated Clover credit card reader that has replaced the traditional cash register. The food is very comforting. Their oxtail soup is reportedly famous and is my wife's favorite in general, and according to her responses with each spoonful, she was very happy and satisfied. I ordered the char siu ramen. The ramen itself is very tasty. The soup super savory with probably 3 days' worth of the RDA for sodium (hence the dry mouth later that day). So, nothing that will blow your socks (or flip flops) off, but perfect for getting that homey feels. I will say though that the portion could be a bit more - Zippy's large saimin is bigger and cheaper and just as comforting. Our daughter ordered the saba and enjoyed it a lot, so there's that. The saba itself seemed to be a decent size, maybe even larger than other places. Certainly larger than what you get in a Don Quixote bento. 4 stars judging from my wife & daughter. 3 stars from me. read more

Location on Waialae. Didn't know they had one here. Also the one on ward is a separate owner. Goya champuru w pork was on point. So was the oxtail ramen read more

Asahi Grill - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Delicious meal and excellent, fast service! My go to restaurant for local food. Convenient parking.

Amazing home cooking feel. Good selection of meats and seafood dishes that are very tasty. Good size portions. Staff is very friendly and welcoming. Parking can be a bit challenging. read more

Asahi Grill - Lechon kawali. Fried pork belly served with dark vinegar, mac salad, rice. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

Not to be confused with the Asahi grill near ward. I loved that the oxtail soup wasn't too oily. My family says I don't have much of a "local kine tastebud". I tend to like Asian style cuisine that's not too salty or sweet. The oxtail was very tender and they offer generous portions of that sliced ginger you mix with soy sauce so if you like that dipping style it's choke amount. Shrimp friend rice was also tasty! Unfortunately no pics because I had at it and no one wants pics of empty plates. Unless that signals how good it was read more

We came for the oxtail soup on Tuesday, June 8, 2021 for dinner. Service was good and very attentive. The oxtail soup came out piping hot with two scoops of rice. I thought the broth could have been strained of the fat more but it was flavorful and the serving was enough for two. The kalbi fried rice barely had any kalbi. But the star of the show was the adobo fried rice. This was filled with so much adobo and crispy rice. The envelope of scrambled egg was delightful. If I could add, a nice side of tomatoes would have been nice. I would come here again. read more

See all

Ate here for the first time with my wife. We ordered the oxtail soup (soup is delicious af, clean and non-fatty and meat is fall-off-the-bone), kalbi plate (sooooo yummy), fried rice (large portion, but nothing special), and the fried saimin (tons of veggies, but flavorful). The menu selections are huge and we'll be back to try other things. The shoyu with the ginger mix that they bring out is awesome for dipping your meats or drizzling it onto your rice. Overall, the prices are reasonable for the portions they give. The staff is super friendly and our orders came out fast. Parking lot is huge and I believe it's valet, but we found a good street parking. This place located in between Sorabol and Yogur Story. read more

See all