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    Gyotaku

    3.8 (775 reviews)
    ModerateJapanese, Sushi Bars
    Closed 11:00 am - 8:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Order Gyotaku Takeout or Delivery

    Gyotaku Photos

    Business Info

    GYOTAKU ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Gyotaku

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    Reviews With Photos

    Chicken katsu curry and rice
    Nick W.

    I came here with some friends last minute. We shared some sushi rolls for appetizer. They were made quick and tasted great. Then I got some chicken katsu curry and it was great. It had just the right amount of spice. There's a good bit of parking and the staff was very friendly and helpful. I would definitely eat here again.

    Spicy Tuna Roll Pack
    Ash V.

    We went here on our holiday because we wanted to get away from our hotel area. This restaurant is super casual and the food was good. Ambience: The ambience is super casual (don't expect fancy-- it is OK not great). Service: The service was good and courteous Food: the food was good quality and well priced. Here is what we ordered. - Spicy Tuna Roll: These were tasty -- okay to order - Midori Roll: My wife got this and it looked very pretty and she said it was good. - Tempura Combo: My younger son got this with with the salmon and he said it was good. - Chicken Katsu with rice: My older son got this and finished it -- this is a high bar as he is super picky! We all got the miso soup and salad an that was good -- the ginger dressing was tasty! I would recommend this if you want Japanese food on the cheaper side and no frills.

    Chirashi with tempura
    Wayne I.

    Gyotaku is a great go-to spot for Japanese food. If you're looking for a deal then checkout their Senior or Happy Hour menu. We ate their agadashi tofu and sushi roll to start. Tonkatsu and Chirashi bowl as entrée. We had tempura as a add-on too. Too much food so we passed on dessert this time. No frill interior. Lots of free parking. Friendly service. Best to make reservations because they always seem busy.

    The holiday special, Christmas eve 2025.
    Ric C.

    "The Mccully location experience" This location has been a long standing location for good Japanese style grinds. We most recently went Christmas eve to enjoy a holiday dinner this year. On that night they had a special quadruple combo entree that included tempura, teri- short ribs, butterfish and ahi sashimi . Along with rice and a salad as well as tea, it was a lot tasty food. We enjoyed it and it made for a great holiday feast. As busy as it was eating in the restaurant, the staff were friendly and efficient as always. Always worth considering.

    Attending tour orientation luncheon
    Gail U.

    A good casual place to meet friends during the holiday or anytime. We had the first sectioned off area upstairs for our get together with hub's credit union board of directors from years ago. Nice reunion during the holiday season. We had a really sharp and efficient server who took care of our table of 11. One came down with COVID visiting Japan. She handled the bill distribution and collection well. Everyone chose what they wanted to eat, no preset menu which was nice. Those with left overs were given take home containers. My udon and tempura were delicious and just the right size. Beware the green pepper I thought it was a shishito pepper- surprise- it wasn't. Napkin to the rescue. It's okay to say Merry Christmas now.

    Dub C.

    Got food poisoning there with some really fishy salmon. Offered to make something else that was about it. Called to and spoke to the manager. Got an apology.

    Late night specials menu
    Lisa T.

    Saturday early Dinner. Got seated upstairs. 430pm. Not busy. Server Choon Han. Water, utensils, order taken. Tossed salad and miso soup came fast. Ordered the weekly special shrimp tempura teishoku 20% off. Good deal $23.16+tax. Includes 4 shrimp and vegetable tempura, toss salad, miso soup and choice of white or brown rice. Regular price $27.95. Food also came out fast. Tea was not offered. Asked for hot tea, which is complimentary. Had to ask for hot tea and water refills. When were asked for refills, Server seemed to question us about the refills of water and tea. Upstairs wasn't busy. Only few tables. Note: There are Restrooms located on 2nd floor. Due to the service, left a minimum tip. Could hear Server complaining to other coworkers in back room. Note: Rewards program. Download Hearland Guest appl. Need to register online. Give your phone number to Server for points. Also sign up for emails on Gyotaku website.

    One of the lunch specials so Onolicious!
    Mikey K.

    Great service & food so good! Lunch specials are definitely a good option! Great place for big parties too!

    Upstairs
    Craig T.

    Update on Gyotaku attended a retirement party today and it was upstairs. I didn't realize upstairs is all for private parties and catering . Our event was held way in the back where there's a private room that can hold about 18 people comfortably. There's also a Japanese door that can open to have a bigger party . Restroom is also located upstairs.

    Crunchy Tenpura Roll & Pokecho
    Kyra H.

    The food here is always fresh and im glad they will always cater to larger parties. lots of space inside and out of the restaurant with very sweet staff members to help.

    Specials 10/30/25
    Jo Y.

    Gyotaku is a traditional Japanese art form of "fish rubbing" that uses an inked fish and rice paper to create a detailed, life-like print. Originally developed by fishermen in the 1800's to document their catches, it is now a popular art form used to record the size, type, and beauty of aquatic life. Gyo = "fish" and taku = "stone impression." Hence, the meaning of Gyotaku Japanese Restaurants on Oahu, with this art form displayed on their walls. Gyotaku Japanese Restaurant, known for authentic Japanese cuisine, first opened in McCully in 2001 by owners Tom Jones and Nobutaka "Tony" Sato. Tom Jones has been in the restaurant industry from a young age, trained as a sushi chef in Japan, worked for one of the largest sushi restaurants in Japan, and sent to HI to be Exec Chef at their Waikiki restaurants. The owners opened a 2nd location in Pearl City around 2005, followed by a 3rd location in Niu Valley in 2008. While all 3 locations have similar menus, this review is for the Gyotaku location in McCully. Gyotaku is a casual, family-friendly restaurant that offers an extensive menu of Japanese specialties, such as appetizers, salads, sushi rolls, nigiri, noodles, curries, steaks, katsu, teishoku, and desserts and appear to be pricey from $20 to $40. They do offer discounted meals; however, many of the specials are for certain days of the week, so pay attention to the days of the week and times. Their discounted meals include: * Senior menu of teri chicken, tempura, nishime, sashimi, teri salmon, teri short rib and butterfish from $13 to $17. Portions appear to be smaller to adapt to seniors' reduced appetite. * Weekday lunch specials. Available Mon to Fri from 11a to 2p only. They include oyako, tempura, and yakitori donburis with choice of tempura, and tempura udon from $15 to $20. * Daily lunch specials. Available from 11a to 2p weekdays and weekends. CA delight, lunch box, combo bento from $16 to $23. * Dine-in weekly deals. Usually a % off of certain dishes that are posted in the restaurant. * Happy hour appetizers. 20% off of liquor and up to 40% off of appetizers available daily from 2p to 4:30p. * Dinner early bird specials from Wed to Fri only 4p to 6p for bento box with choices for $19.95. * Kids eat free on Mon and Tues nights only from 4p. * Keiki menu of teri or karaage chicken, tempura, sushi, and tempura udon at $11. We ordered the following from the weekday lunch specials: * Tempura udon. Udon in a piping hot broth topped with kamaboko, wakame, and green onions. Served with shrimp and vegetable tempura (eggplant, sweet potato, nori, shishito pepper, fishcake) on the side. The tempura was light and crunchy, while the udon appeared to be a little mushy in a flavorful broth. * Oyako donburi. Hubby's order of chicken simmered with round onions in sweet shoyu broth and steamed with lightly beaten eggs over rice and topped with green onions and nori, which was delicious! Served with miso soup that was piping hot with wakame and tofu, the miso soup was flavorful. Also served with tossed salad that had shredded carrots, cucumber slices, a large chunk of imitation crab and served with a tart and delicious wafu dressing. At one time, Gyotaku used to offer a delicious katsudon, but is no longer on the menu and wish that they would bring it back. Our server promptly took our orders and was not very friendly. Other staff members who refilled our water glasses and cleared our dishes were much friendlier than our server, who appeared to be doing her job via memorization and rote rather than serving us on a personal basis. At the end of our meal, I saw other diners being served hot tea and had forgotten that it was complimentary and on request, but our server did not offer this to us. There are 2 levels of spacious dining areas. The first level is primarily used for senior citizens and those who have mobility issues using a walker or wheelchair, as the 2nd level is accessible by a stairway only. The 2nd level is normally used by larger groups or for special events and parties. Japanese décor and gyotaku art adorn the walls. As we arrived when the restaurant opened for lunch, there was a lot of available parking in its private lot, but they were quickly taken as it got closer to noon. Spaces are tight. Metered street parking is also available. Located next to Times Supermarket in McCully. Hours of operation are daily from 11a to 8p. Great restaurant for locals of all ages with excellent food quality and prompt efficient service make this a popular place for authentic Japanese cuisine!

    Family dinners or business lunches orders are available here! 4/25/25
    Jackie K.

    Today's lunch was an enjoyable one. 4/26/25. We were seated quickly for our late lunch @1:45 pm. Our server promptly came to our table and asked us if we wanted anything to drink. We were quickly provided iced water and later hot tea. Our order was timely taken by our server. Our bill was given to us timely. We didn't feel rushed or abandoned lol. We ordered the shrimp tempura lunch (4 pieces of Shrimp, 1 piece eggplant, 2 pieces sweet potato, 2 string green beans) and Ninja Don (Spicy tuna, sushi rice, avocado and green onions). Both meals included a salad, miso soup with kelp, brown rice or sushi rice). The portions of food are ample. My shrimp tempura was served hot and fresh. The Ninja Don sauce and sushi rice were way too sweet for my taste buds. The salad is my favorite. The dressing is tasty and flavorful. The imitation crab piece is a nice touch. The miso and kelp soup is comforting and simple in taste. Overall food today: 4/5 stars. Overall Service: 5/5. Our server checked on us consistently and another server refilled our water and tea. Both had the perfect personalities. Table cleared promptly of empty and used dishes. Overall Ambiance: 3.5/5 stars: The restaurant decor, as previously noted in an older review, is dated. The booths and furniture are also dated. But in the current times, such costs would probably not be worth it.

    Udon, tempura, and sushi combo
    Chris Y.

    Expect well prepared Japanese food and gracious service at Gyotaku! Located on South King Street past Times McCully, Gyotaku is a dining experience appreciated by many friends. It certainly helps that parking is readily available in their dedicated lot. At the most recent visit for a birthday celebration, server Mikey was very helpful to my dining mates. There's an extensive menu which can make choosing difficult because everything so enticing. Just note there is a 90 minute dining limit. This is sufficient time to enjoy your meal.

    Butterfish from the senior menu

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    Page 1 of 20

    Gyotaku Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Gyotaku

    Do they take reservations?

    They will take reservations for 6 or more people otherwise Walk in only.

    Do you have outdoor dining? We have family members that are 85+ years old. Please let me know. Thank you

    Do they take reservations

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    Tonkatsu Tamafuji

    Tonkatsu Tamafuji

    4.6
    (2.5k reviews)
    1.8 mi
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    I finally got reservations for lunch and got to sit in their new expanded area. The restaurant it…read moreso beautiful and clean. The servers were very nice, fast and very accommodating. We ordered three different items: Jyukusei Pork Loin Katsu Set, Sizzling Plate Miso Sauce Pork Loin Set, and a side of the shrimp tempura. Everything tasted amazing. The tonkatsu was crispy, but juicy on the inside. The shrimp with that delicious home made tater sauce was delicious. And the unlimited salad is always a plus. They gave us tea to finish the meal and it was a nice way to end it. There is limited parking on the street or on the basement level of the building. They offer validation if you dine with them. Love coming here, it's always consistent.

    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.

    Photos
    Inside seating
    Inside seating
    Making the sauce
    Making the sauce
    Mix Katsu Set

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    Mix Katsu Set
    Izakaya Tenkichi

    Izakaya Tenkichi

    4.6
    (254 reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $$

    What can I say about Izakaya Tenkichi?? Everything is AMAZING. I've been there twice, once for…read morelunch and once for dinner. It hits every single time. It was much busier at dinner. I recommend making a reservation, because the space is small. The service is top tier. The servers encourage a good time. They even have a drink menu of server favorites. Think of them as party hosts. Every single thing I've eaten there is amazing. From the avocado to the tempura to the massive ikura bowl that serves 4. I can't recommend one thing in particular. I do encourage you to try anything seasonal. I promise. They won't disappoint.

    Given that I've been here three times in the last month, I think it would be safe to say that…read moreIzakaya Tenkichi is one of my favorite restaurants. The first thing you'll notice when coming here (during a busy dinner time) is that it's really noisy, in a fun way!! The staff is super friendly! There are basically three options for seating.... booths that seat about 4 comfortably, tables on the bottom that can accommodate small or large groups, and bar seating. I've done them all and they are all comfortable. You'll find way more specials at dinner time. The food is really high quality, and super consistent too! My favorites are the yummy cucumber and the garlic cabbage salad, and the tempura and sushi/sashimi/donburi are all great too. Oh, and don't sleep on the hamachi kama. The tempura batter is light and airy and you have the option of tempura sauce, tare, or different kinds of salt. They're all really nice!! Great desserts and alcohol selection too!! Parking is a breeze next door at the old stadium mall, but warning that it may be pretty full at night. You can always find street parking along King Street though. I highly recommend this place for small and big parties alike!! But make reservations for dinnertime because walk-ins are probably not gonna happen.

    Photos
    Steep stairs. Much easier to navigate going up. Going down after some adult beverages? Better use the handrail
    Steep stairs. Much easier to navigate going up. Going down after some adult beverages? Better use the handrail
    Yuzu Cheese Cake ($5.50) - really sweet, especially with the granola. Would recommend getting a different dessert.
    Yuzu Cheese Cake ($5.50) - really sweet, especially with the granola. Would recommend getting a different dessert.
    Dinner Menu (1 of 12) as of 3/5/2026

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    Dinner Menu (1 of 12) as of 3/5/2026

    Gyotaku - japanese - Updated July 2026

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