One of my favorite bites of all time is the oxtail soup. It's absolutely packed with flavor, and the grated ginger on the side pushes it over the top!! It's fresh, savory, comforting, everything you could ask for. read more

Food and service was good. Came for lunch and got the ox tail soup. No wait at 12p. It's a little expensive and parking can be tricky. There's parking on both sides of the restaurant, but it's a busy street so just need to be careful getting in and out. read more

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Did you know that newborn kittens always nurse from the same nipple? Well, not "always" since the stronger kittens push the weaker runts back to "suck on hind tit". Studies state "86% of kittens used one particular nipple most often". Sometimes I feel like I'm in the other 14%. Anyway, it's good to have more than two nipp ... uh, choices. The familiar is always a great choice. That's why comfort food is so, uh, comforting. Asahi Grill serves great comfort food. Of course, none of us grew up eating oxtail soup, but as we were weaned from the original liquid comfort food of our childhood, our palates evolved and we now count as our comfort foods hamburger steak, loco moco, beef stew, hearty soups, and other dishes which evoke the warmth and comfort of our childhood. This was the first time I dined at Asahi Grill since they moved to Kaimuki. Terry K. had organized a group to go to the Beyond Monet Exhibit at the Convention Center, with a dinner at Asahi Grill after, at 6:00. Being time constrained because of an upcoming trip, I had to choose between fine art or comfort food. We were seated in one of their private rooms which can accommodate eight or ten people. Since there were only six of us, it was a very comfortable arrangement. Terry C., Allen N., Iris T., and Donna O. all ordered oxtail soup. There were no complaints about the taste, but there were comments about the smallish size of the regular sized bowl and the non-inclusion of peanuts. Li Y. ordered the pig's feet soup, which was a special. She said she liked it. She also ordered bitter melon which was also pretty good. The menu is virtually identical to the old Keeaumoku location's, and my favorites were all present. Since I had eaten a decent oxtail soup at Waialae Country Club, a huge loco moco at Liliha Bakery, and a great cheeseburger at Square Barrels during the week previous, I opted for the kal bi fried rice. When the fried rice arrived, the kal bi meat was a little sour. I tasted again, and yes, it was a little over the edge. I started eating around the kal bi, and the rest of the stir fry was fine. I did mention that the kal bi was suspect, and Donna and Iris ordered me to stop eating it. Thanks to those two nurses, I had no issues getting to the airport 12 hours later for my bi-monthly trip to the desert mecca. I substituted the lup cheong fried rice, and it was fine. Preserved meat lasts forever, right? I would still order the kal bi fried rice next time since kal bi is another favorite, and I trust Asahi Grill will get the flavor right. read more

Update: New location with the same great tasting oxtail soup, especially with fried rice instead of white rice. Yumm... read more

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Always good! The oxtail soup there is always delicious. However I bought 3 and now the price was $72!!! That was a little bit too much for my wallet nowadays. Each container had enough soup to share with two people with little appetite. There were 6-8 pieces of meat. Two pieces were the bigger ones, about 3 were the medium sized ones and the rest were the very small ones. Service I always nice and pleasant. I just ordered to go. The ambiance reminded me of my grandmother's time. It hasn't changed too much from when I remembered going when I was younger. The oxtail don't get me wrong is soft, tasty and the fixings were delicious. So delicious that nobody took a picture of it. However, the price is one that will make me want to try my one recipe next time. 2 packets or oxtail at Costco $6.99/lbs can feed 5-6 people with plenty of meat. I'm just sad because I don't know how businesses survive with these prices. I know their costs go up, they have to pay higher rent, they have to pay their workers, etc so a lot of places are forced to shut down. It's a pity. However, you understand that my paycheck doesn't increase as all my bills increase too. So being choosy where to eat nowadays is what it is. Sad sad sad. read more

I'm a die hard fan of asahi grill especially the location that was in Honolulu by Walmart, but sadly they closed, but they relocated to this spot! Same service and excellent food! The parking is a little tricky but they have back side parking just call in advance to ask where. They also do phone orders which I love. My go to meals to eat is adobo fried rice! read more

Great food, fantastic service, and inexpensive breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Home of the original Kapiolani bowl oxtail soup! My favorite are the oxtail soup, lechon kawali, and lup cheong fried rice. read more

Asahi Grill - Lechon with fried rice - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Food is onolicious. We make the drive from waianae to Kaimuki & enjoy some good eats. Staff is also so awesome & friendly. read more

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I'm a little disappointed since they advertised their "famous" oxtail soup as the "best on island" I just don't see it. To me their oxtail soup is very basic and nothing special about it to even compare it to other ramen places that occasionally do oxtail soup as "Special". Their ramen noodles are kind of weak. I feel like they might straight from grocery stores. I guess my point is, if you wanna claim to be the best in town, you gotta try a little harder read more

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

There'a nothing better than a bowl of oxtail soup! Here at Asahi's the broth is fresh and tasty, and oh the oxtails were so tender and plentiful! Service was friendly and accommodating! I love the soup topped off with the right amount of green onions and cilantro so ono! read more

Thank you for coming closer to my house. The best oxtail soup! Extra parsley and onion for me please. Wish to get a chili pepper water. read more

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Our group of friends were getting together for breakfast and thought we could do a popular restaurant next door if we got there by 8 am. When we arrive however, we discovered there would be an hour's wait. We opted instead to try the restaurant next door, Asahi. We were greeted by a very friendly hostess, who graciously and quickly seated our party of five after taking checking our vaccine cards and IDs. We were excited to learn that you can order from the entire menu and not just breakfast. Several of us, including myself, ordered the kalbi fried rice, which comes with two eggs, made to your liking. The portions are large and the dish was tasty, but a little skimpy on the kalbi beef. I was pushing around the rice in search of beef and ended up taking 2/3 of the rice home. Still, the wait staff was very friendly and didn't rush us through breakfast as we chatted for a couple of hours catching up. Restaurant was clean and open, tables were spaced comfortably apart for social distancing. read more

Asahi Grill - Kalbi fried rice - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

friendly staff, great oxtail soup with flavorful broth although meat a little fatty . Same with lechon kawali. parking is a bit tough. Family friendly. read more

The Kalbi and the oxtail soup were very tasty. We enjoyed our dinner there. The waiter was very friendly, too. The main negative is the parking lot! Not very accessible and not very many spaces! read more

Went yesterday food was so good. I wish more people would give this place a chance, the line was so long at the restaurant next door but they were practically empty. Service was great, they checked our vaccine cards and ids at the door. Will come back when I'm in the area. read more

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Great Ohana style food and Chris- is an excellent server with a very nice demeanor and very accommodating and professional! Looking for local grinds? look no further! read more

I used to think that the Asahi Grill on Ward was the best, but over time, things have changed. The food quality, service and dinning comfort is way better at Asahi Grill Keeaumoku. Plus, the parking situation is much a lot easier and safer. This location offers a larger dinning area that is relaxing and as well as pleasant. You feel very welcomed there and despite it has been around for a while, is well maintained so it doesn't look rundown. It's very clean too. They have a host that pleasantly greets and seats you, so you don't feel like you interrupted a server to guide you. Of course they offer the famous ox tail soup and it is nice that they offer 3 sizes. I usually go for the medium as it is a decent size. Now most people don't think of this, but I love to get their kimchi as a side dish. It is slightly sweet and goes well with the savory ox tail soup. I also get a side of mac salad. Not in the mood for soup, well they have lots of local favorites to satisfy you. read more

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My family and I have been going to Asahi Grill for years and years, we could always count on good food and a decent amount for the price. Last night was frustrating as: 1. The waiter never writes the order down, then proceeds to get our orders wrong each time! Please write the orders down! My daughter asked for no green onion on her saimin, and both of us got no green onion, I didn't ask for no green onion on mine! My husband ordered lup chong fried rice with his order, came with white rice. Considering he gets the orders wrong, he really should write it down. This is not the first nor the second time this has happened.... 2. The portions are smaller! My saimin and my daughters saimin was brought in a small bowl, which I know for a fact is smaller, we went both went home hungry......The mac salad used to be with spaghetti noodles, now regular elbow noodles and its soupy ...yuck. My husband's chicken cutlet looked over breaded and flimsy, he definitely went home hungry. The side salad never went down in price (3.99), but it was brought on the smallest plate I have ever seen, I think a coffee cup plate, and was maybe 3 bites in total, the tomato was cut in half, and it was a cherry tomato! I know inflation is the reason for the portions but raise the prices and make the portions normal so that we don't feel so ripped off. Our family walked out, went home and looked for something to snack on. And write the orders down!!! Not sure if or when we are returning. I'm sick of wasting money. read more

Great food. Very reasonably priced. They make a delicious shrimp omelet for breakfast which I ate with Lup Chong fried rice! My aunt loves their food and they were once located near Keeaumoku! We went to their recently new location on Waianae. Also took my girlfriend there to eat and she had their ox tail soup. She said it was fabulous! The servers were friendly and food was made promptly in less than 10 minutes! Would definitely go back to try their other dishes. Parking at this location is limited., so car pool if you going with a crowd. read more

Asahi Grill - Ox tail soup!! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Family friendly lowkey restaurant that serves up tasty dishes that are really reasonable. Service is friendly and attentive making this for an enjoyable place to eat. Casual place but still serves up some tasty dishes. read more

Been going for oxtail soup for years. Wrote a few years ago a review about their oxtail soup, figured an update is in order. For oxtail soup aficionados. Almost everyone in Hawaii loves oxtail soup. I am no different and am always looking for great oxtail soup. Even in Las Vegas, it is a ritual that you must have Oxtail Soup at the California Hotel Market Street Cafe, but I think that is more because you can use the Vac Hawaii coupon book. In Honolulu, I love the contrasts of styles of each restaurant making their version of oxtail soup. Aiea Bowl, The Alley, I love their "everything and the kitchen sink" approach. Shitake mushrooms, ponzu sauce, peanuts and baby bok choy. Also you can have brown rice. Amazing and tasty but I always leave stuffed. Asahi Grill is clean and filled with oxtail but no brown rice. A few peanuts and star anise, parsley and green onions and not much else. The oxtails are super tender and the broth is clean and flavorful. Leaving Asahi Grill after having oxtail soup, I feel healthy, refreshed and satisfied. A day after having AG oxtail soup, I still think of the rich flavorful broth and tender oxtails. If I could, I'd try to eat at AG for oxtail soup, every day, while AB would be once a week or maybe every 2 weeks. Both are tasty and delicious, but for me, AG is best. Addendum: I am remiss if I didn't mention their other dishes are also great. Last night, our party of 4, the papaya soup was amazing, another always comes for the fried pork chops and a side of chicken wings. I ordered Tripe Stew and Hamburger Curry to take home, since I'm having oxtail soup but didn't want to miss out on the delicious other food. Their hamburger steak is also a favorite with gravy all over. So don't just order the oxtail soup, their other foods are just as great. read more

Excellent local food, superb service, and friendly congenial wait help and staff. You are immediately greeted by staff members who make you feel welcome and comfortable. I highly recommend this restaurant. The pork gisantes, shoyu chicken, and lechon Kawali are winners! read more

If you're looking for a local fix, Asahi never dissapoints. They have great local Japanese food and one of the best beef stews on the island, always a to go plate lunch for us. read more

Asahi Grill - Lechon Kawali special, the sauce is one of the best I've had - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Dad insisted on Oxtail soup for his birthday dinner. He chose Asahi Grill because it was good the first time he went there. Parking: Two lots on either side of the restaurant offer free parking. Sorabol side lot can fill up fast around dinnertime. The Makai side lot has lots of stalls around dinnertime. Restrooms are centrally located between the bar and the dining room. Atmosphere/climate: The restaurant is very comfortable. No sweater required. However, this was during a lull in occupancy. I have been here when it was busy and it did get a tad bit warm. The restaurant is not very bright, but there is adequate light to see what you are consuming. The bar side is much darkly lit. Food: Pork cutlet with brown gravy. A- A very heary portion of main dish. The cutlet was not a cutlet at all. It was more like a breaded chop. 1/2-3/4" thick, all meat! Not like some places where a cutlet is 1/8" slab of mostly fat. The gravy was thick and had nice flavor. Macaroni salad was a bit tasteless. Dump some gravy on it and we're good to go. Oxtail: "mediocre" at best. Lots of meat, but also lots of fat. Fall off the bone tender. Good flavor broth. read more

Asahi Grill - Pork cutlet plate - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Update 3/14/21: they are open but check the menu prices. Items have been removed and prices adjusted. Early Bird Special no longer available. Dine in available. Check in with your name, phone number, and address at the door. Then they do a temperature check before seating you. This is for covid tracking. read more

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I've heard and seen so many things about the Oxtail Soup being the "best" and "famous" at Asahi Grill throughout the years, but I never tried until now. I've never had any interest, but a recent run of oxtail soups at several Vietnamese restaurants had me curious. I knew it wouldn't be the same, and be the Local Style variety since that's what this restaurant pretty much serves. Here is the verdict on the "famous" Oxtail Soup: SUPER SALTY!!!!! I know Local Style food is a little heavy handed on the salt, but this went way beyond the norm. The first sip of the soup was just a salt bomb. There was barely any beef flavor, or even the flavors from the large amount of cilantro and scallions on top. With the salty soup comes the salty oxtail. You can't even dip it in your ginger soy sauce because it'll be even more salty! The only good part was the oxtail was tender. You'll definitely need a lot of rice and water to drain out the saltiness of this oxtail soup. For the regular size, there was 3 regular size pieces and two smaller pieces. We also ordered a mini Shrimp Garlic Fried Rice with a sunny side egg on top. For a mini size, you get a very good portion, and there were plenty of small shrimp and garlic. This was a very tasty and delicious dish! The egg was cooked okay. It was almost perfect and needed more cooking time as there was still a portion of raw egg white around the yolk, and the yolk was more on the runny, watery side than creamy and silky. Lastly we ordered the Garlic Pork Stir Fry, which was very good. It had a very strong garlic taste and everything was cooked well and had good taste all around. The accompanying salad was okay. The dressing was super thick and sour. Overall, Asahi Grill didn't live up to expectations. The oxtail was just too salty., and lacked other flavors or aroma. The other food items were good, but an abundance of garlic definitely helps. The service was okay. Not the friendliest or the most attentive. Asahi Grill is conveniently located along Keeaumoku St, next to Yogurstory with a lot of parking on both sides of restaurant. You can't see this place from Keeaumoku, so make the turn onto Rycroft Street, or the driveway that's next to 88 Supermarket. read more

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Oxtail soup is my staple here. So difficult to order something else. However, recently, I did get the Lechon Kawaii and Adobo fried rice. This combo is amazing too. Either way, you can't go wrong. I highly recommend you try these out. If you do, let me know how you liked it. read more

Asahi Grill - Lechon kawali + adobo fried rice - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

For the first time in 26 years...I tried oxtail soup! I HAVE BEEN MISSING OUT FOR 26 YEARS! [insert crying emoji]! It would've been my cure for the times I was under the weather or hung over...well #nowIknow I ordered a large take out order and the bugga is LARGE. It was enough for three meals! Talk about a five pound plate. The oxtail was moist and the soup was so flavorful. It's storming as I write this review...and I wish I had another bowl of oxtail soup beside me. I would say the large is enough for two people, especially with the four scoops of rice. A part of me wished there was mac salad...not too sure if that's weird #firstimerproblems. Location: Right next door to Yogurstory and they have a shared parking lot. Parking can be limited since Sorabol also shares the lot. Pricing: $40~ for the two large orders. Overall, I'd be sure to go back again, get the oxtail soup and some other food. Check them out if you know of a oxtail soup first timer! read more

Asahi Grill - Damn! Just one third of the large oxtail! Super good! A ton of rice too! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Ox tail soup was great and service and atmosphere..recommend this for everyone also the beer was cold

Best local food. Great service and love all the comfort food. Best place to go when you hungry! Adobo fried rice always on point! Oxtail soup is the best! read more

Got a takeout small chicken and papaya soup a couple of weeks ago, which comes with rice, and it was so filling and satisfying, I coudn't finish it all. In extra-cautious pandemic times, I just waited outside after ordering, since there were a few tables occupied in the restaurant. Interior is older but it is clean, and service is good and local style. Menu has local-style comfort food, from hotcakes to teishoku breakfast, from donburi to ramen, and specials like pig's feet soup, lechon kawali, and kal bi. They also offer delivery through bitesquad.com. read more

Asahi Grill - Small chicken and papaya soup with rice: lots of chicken and very filling! Small cup of grated ginger on the side. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Same great menu and same great loco services here. All dependable and everything you come to expect from Asahi Grill is here. Is it just me that it looks like they have just a bit more volume here? We had Oxtail soup and pork cutlet plate and we were full!! It was really nice that the waitress gave me an extra ginger for free! I really like it Oxtail with ginger and soy sauce. Right at the entrance of Waialae Blvd from Kapiolani. This location has gone through a lot of restaurants before it. I truly hope that Asahi Grill is here to stay. read more

delicious food and friendly service! so much variety and tastiness. lechon kawaii is filipino approved read more

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

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We came here with my father-in-law, who absolutely loves this place, and had the best experience! My father-in-law ordered their pork chops with onion gravy, and it was a large portion, especially for the price point. I had the Kalbi ribs which were perfectly marinated and came with three big pieces, plus macaroni salad, and two scoop rice on the side. My husband had a filipino dish, 'lechon kawali' with salad and rice. It was delicious! Our server was the friendliest and happiest woman to wait on us in a very long time; very patient, helpful and they treat my 85 year old Father in law with kindness and respect. For dessert, they gave us complementary Japanese Ohagi bota mochi which are are made by soaking the rice for approximately 1 hour. The rice is then cooked, and a thick azuki paste is hand-packed around pre-formed balls of rice. It's very tasty. Ambiance is reminiscent to upscale diner. It's definitely a local place, not a tourist destination, which we appreciate. read more

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Even if it's hot in the summer, give me some good soup , I will devoured it. . Came here to try the ox tail soup, oxtail soup is one of the comfort foods I had to get in Hawaii but where, the other place I wanted to go was closed so this was a plus since it was open on labor day and Monday ;). . Ox tail soup, glad I came here to try this. The soup was good and it didn't dissapoint. The soup was clear broth with lots of greens topped like cilantro and Chinese parsley. The soup broth contains star anise, peanuts, and some garlic which I saw on the bottom of the bowl. It was yummy there was plenty of Ox tails for the price they charge. A large bowl was 23 bucks which I thought it was reasonable. They even offer some fresh ginger on the side to go with Ox tail too. I love that little ginger touch. . Pappaya chicken soup, this was pappaya and chicken basically. The soup was good. It was a clear clean broth with flavor in it. I really like it alot. They had fresh ginger on the side which you can pair with too. . Kalbi fried rice, ok the rice They use is pearl Japanese rice, which I loved. There was pieces of kalbi and flavor was yum. It wasn't salty but just perfect amount of taste. I liked this a lot. Also they top it with 2 sunny side on top which was a plus. . I was able to sub the rice with a house green Salad. I wasn't going to be filled with all that rice, because I rather try more items. . The service was great. Very friendly and nice. Also we would come back next time. Thanks for reading and have a yelptastic day! . read more

Dinner tonight was at Asahi grill on Waialae. Great food, great service, and a pleasant atmosphere. Low key, a mix of local local customers you would expect to find in Kaimuki. My partner had their highly acclaimed oxtail soup which he thought was excelent. Lots of ginger to mix into the broth and the oxtail was meaty and tender. Sadly I'm one of those for whom cilantro tastes salty. I had the opakapaka (snapper) with soy ginger sauce, it was delicious with the sauce complimenting rather than overpowering the fish. Both our meals were generously portioned, and service was prompt and pleasant. Chris, our primary waiter, was Mr Gasa-Gasa (high energy) but definately had lots of support from the other servers. Living a block or so away we walked, but did see available parking even though the restaurant was fairly full. We had to wait a few minutes, time to peruse the specials menu. They do take reservations, and I satw a sign saying they are now open on Wednesdays . We each got the banana lumpia with ice cream for dessert, a non traditional presentation but very tasty. It turned out we could have easily split one order. All in all this was the best meal out we've had in quite a while, and while not cheap, it was very reasonably priced for what you get. read more

Visited this location after first trying the other. This one was very busy for Saturday dinner. I got the adobo fried rice to go. It came wrapped in an omelet and was very flavorful. The order took a little longer than the estimate over the phone, but I was warned ahead of time that they were busy, so no big deal. read more

Took a friend from out of town to check out Asahi Grill since they moved to Kaimuki. Parking lot is a little tricky because if you come from town side ... you must pass the restaurant and enter the parking lot and then you need to drive all the way in (past the locksmith )where there are signs designated for Asahi Grill customers only. They are known for the oxtail soup but we wanted to try the other dishes. We ordered the Opakapaka with soy ginger sauce which was great and the Kalbi was good but small portion and the Fried saimin which was a disappointment since my friend and I both don't like bell peppers. Anyways I've had better Fried Saimin... But I definitely would go back again for the oxtail soup and for the Opakapaka with soy ginger sauce.The service was great and our server was really nice and friendly. The place is small but clean and comfortable to have a relaxing dinner or just for drinks and pupus . read more

Love this place very much. I'm not really a meat-eater; However my favorite is their well known oxtail soup. My husband tried their different dishes and they are all super yummy. The service is top class. William, Chris, and Mitch are the Best. Attention to details and customer satisfaction are definitely their first priority. They deserve a raise. Because of them and the Ono foods make my husband and I repeat customers. Mahalo Nui Loa for your services read more

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We've been here several times since their opening and each time the service and food are great. It's the comfort food you've come to expect from Asahi; great fried rice, opakpaka, and Malasada a la mode. Tonight though, I'd like to talk about their exceptional service. We went there on 6/2 after a game and apparently we dropped $80 on the floor. When we walked in tonight, a month later, the servers recognized our son and went to retrieve the money. They had it folded in a piece of paper with our name and our old landline number. They kept the money for a month hoping that we'd be back again to return it to us. Talk about exceptional service! read more