Server Christian H and his team provided efficient and friendly service. Their busman kept our table exceptionally clear of our used dishes. The chefs created our orders in a timely manner. The male hosts are also very friendly and welcoming. A dependable Japanese restaurant that also serves desserts and drinks. I like the high booth style tables because they provide a lot of privacy and makes it feel more intimate. Lots of parking. Make a reservation during dining hours on Open Table just to be on the safe side. It can get busy at certain popular and holidays. read more

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Buyer Beware! Ordered the senior butterfish, takeout. The size of the butterfish was so SMALL, could have eaten it in 2 bites!! I called the restaurant, and they say they weigh the butterfish, and it should be 100 gm. Well, I weighed ours, and it was 64 gm! IF this happens to you, please call them to complain. read more

Tuesday March 17, 2026 we decided to come here for dinner as we haven't been here in a while. Plenty parking. As long as you come in before they close they will serve you. That was nice of the guy at the front counter. Service is fast as it was 10 minutes to closing time. Food is good. Ambiance is casual and comfortable in here. We will be back again. read more

Gyotaku - Niu Valley - Dinner! Tuesday March 17, 2026 - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

We visited a few times. Easier parking & less crowded seating than the King St location. Booth seating is a plus. Tried the "early bird" menu on the last visit. Included a pic because could not find it online. Great deal for $19.95. The chicken katsu & tempura were crispy & not oil laden. Couldn't finish everything so took home some of the chicken katsu. read more

Gyotaku - Niu Valley - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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**Gyotaku Japanese is an absolute gem!** We came here starving after a super tiring morning at Hanauma Bay, and this cute little place completely surprised us. We were greeted by a wonderful staff member who patiently explained the menu, which we really appreciated. We ordered the chicken katsu curry, unagi nigiri, and a bento box with a California roll and chicken teriyaki. Everything was delicious! The katsu curry was incredibly flavorful and is an absolute must-try -- I loved every bite. The chicken teriyaki was tender and juicy as well. The California roll was just okay, nothing special, but honestly we didn't expect much from it anyway. Overall, an amazing spot, especially if you're craving katsu curry. Highly recommend! read more

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Lunch in Niu Valley, Honolulu, Hawai'i... I hadn't visited this third location of Gyotaku yet, so I asked my friend to go with me because she lives nearby. She brought her 2 sisters along and they all enjoyed this outing! We enjoyed the free, shared parking. It's a much better situation than the King Street location. The stalls and aisles seem wider and the traffic flow is less congested! Inside, the restaurant is spacious and clean! There's no upstairs like the King Street restaurant. No struggles to climb the stairs! Service by Siri was excellent! My friends commented on how perceptive she was. For example, she asked if everyone is okay with green onions... my friend's sister hates green onions, so that was a super good question! Sirius was also quick about refilling our hot tea and water! My friends wanted to give Siri "extra tip"! Siri said that we could order dessert after 2pm because she will be assembling the shave ice, key lime pie, etc. Also - the manager was very friendly and helpful. I had called to make sure we would be able to order if we arrived at 1:30pm because the kitchen closes at 2pm. She reassured us that we would get our meals as long as our orders go in before 2pm. Whew! Food was delicious and had beautiful presentation! I enjoyed my Gyotaku Lunch Box because it had everything: miso soup, green salad, sushi, teriyaki chicken, and shrimp and vegetable tempura! The teri chicken skin had a slight koge flavor/texture... yay! The four of us truly appreciated this experience and look forward to returning! read more

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Nice and clean. Variety of different Japanese pupus and entrees. I like their ginger iced tea and salad. Great service every time we go.

I haven't been to Gyotaku in years and this is my first time at this location. I usually go to the one in town across Washington Middle School. The food was ok. I also remember the portions being way bigger. Portions were small. I don't mind portions being small as long as the food is outstanding, but it wasn't. We got a side of the Karaage $9.25. We also got the Bento Yasaka $28.95. It came with 4 pieces of California roll, 3 piece nigiri sushi, 2 shrimp tempura, assorted veggie tempura, teri chicken, miso soup, and green salad. Another item we ordered was the chicken katsu curry $20.95. I liked the salad dressing they used on the green salad. The server said it was their wafu house dressing. The tempura was light and crispy. The piece of hamachi on my nigiri wasn't good. It had a line of sinew running through it. I couldn't even bite through it. On the other hand, the piece of ahi was outstanding. The curry was perfect, but they were skimpy on the chicken katsu. It wasn't worth it to pay full price here. However, it's a good deal if you come for their lunch specials or early bird specials. Early bird is Wednesday through Friday 4-6pm. Daily lunch specials are 11am-2pm. Weekday lunch specials are Monday-Friday 11am-2pm. read more

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***4.5 STARS*** I came here the other month meeting with former colleagues from my very first job after graduating from college. Fresh out of school I was blessed to be exposed to such nurturing people who have become close to me and my family. A group of retirees arranged a get together where I was extended an invite and the venue was Gyotaku - Niu Valley (GNV). Located in Niu Valley Center near Jack in the Box and Hangang Hawaii Kai, GNV is the newest of 3 Gyotaku locations on Oahu. Opened in 2008, GNV offers Kamaainas local favorite Japanese cuisine items. I was the last to arrive in our group of 6 and immediately taken my drink order. Menus were already on the table but initial time was spent catching up with colleagues who I'm haven't seen in over 15 years or so. I eventually decided to join the bandwagon and followed suit with some colleagues who ordered the Gyotaku Lunch Box, which included a house green salad, miso soup, teriyaki chicken, shrimp and vegetable tempura and Tekka kappa and California roll. The wait for our food didn't seem long as we played catch up on our lives where there was so much to cover. The next thing we know food was delivered to us where our table filled up quickly with multiple dishes for each person. After snapping some photos, it was time to finally dig in. THE VERDICT: Overall, the food was not bad. Japanese cuisine here has been adjusted for the local palate. I appreciated presentation and the house salad served cold and crisp and the miso soup was served hot. In my lunch box the tempura was the best thing that stood out for me. It was still warm, crispy and didn't have excessive coating. Delicious. The sushi rolls were also tasty and the tekka kappa maki had a generous serving of fish inside. I wasn't a fan of their teriyaki chicken, perhaps it's because I see this at my part time job often and know what freshly grilled teriyaki chicken tastes like. Service was above average where the servers refilled out beverages, cleared excess dishes and checked up on us. We were also given takeout containers as majority of us couldn't finish our meal. Very fortunate our group stayed several hours with most of the time was spent chatting way where the staff didn't pressure us to leave, but in return refilled our cups and even offered to take our dessert order. In closing, a great first time at GNV where I wouldn't mind a return visit. As a townie, I don't think I'd make a special trip just to dine here but wouldn't object should I be in the area or was invited to come here. read more

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Pretty consistent, satisfying, Japanese food. And the location is great with lots of share parking with a few other eateries. Have been here a number of times, usually on the way back from some outing or activity in East Honolulu. This day stopped in with eight others. Ordering off of the lunch menu we were pleasantly impressed with the number of selections. Good prices on lunch sets, senior, and kid sets. While the food was tasty, nothing really stood out. Except a number of us did leave with a bottle of salad dressing sold at the front counter! The one thing I would NOT order again was the shave ice desserts. While I understand the chunkier, coarser ice keeps the dessert intact longer... it made it rather unpleasant to eat. None finished the ice which was shared in matcha as well as seasonal peach flavor. I will stick to the Okinawan potato haupia pie which is always delicious, if wanting a sweet finisher to the meal. Service was .... well, they must have been short handed. Server was not pleasant but was efficient. Unfortunately my table mates noticed him slamming down the plates and bowls and sliding them down the table instead of placing them. He also had his finger inside the salad bowls while handling them quickly. Perhaps slow down a little to do things properly? Just saying. Will I be back? It is a convenient location with tasty comfort food and reasonable prices. read more

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Tasty food brought out quickly. We got the lunch specials on Sunday so it was nice and quiet. Delicious hot miso soup and salads with our popcorn fried chicken, shrimp and taro tempura, and sushi. Service was attentive but we weren't impressed, although the folks busing were lovely! read more

Gyotaku - Niu Valley - Lunch bentos - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Ordered the teri mix bento, the butterfish/ tempura bento and their special of the day, the natto bowl. Ordered take out so waited 15 mins...which was not to bad....the service was excellent, and friendly. This restaurant is comfortable and nice to dine in. The prices were a bit high ...three meals came out to $75.00. I felt the natto bowl was very good, however not enough natto and there was no poke sauce on the fish, which was disappointing and dry. However, I loved the egg yolk....what a wonderful touch. read more

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It's been a very long time since I've dined here but we decided to go out last minute for dinner on a Friday night and wanted to stay near home. We called to see if we could make reservations and they said they would have availability at 6. I thought for sure it wouldn't be crowded but when we showed up the restaurant was at least half full. I didn't realize till I looked at the menu that they have an early bird special Wednesday-Friday 4-6pm. Luckily we got there early and sat a little early so we were able to take advantage of that special. I ordered the nishime and my mom got the senior butterfish so we just switched entrees. The food was ok and service was a little slow because the restaurant was almost full by the time we left. Surprisingly it wasn't too loud inside. Will probably be back again if we are craving some Japanese food. read more

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We celebrate my elderly parents' birthdays here every year. You can be confident that you will receive the same level of quality and taste in the food. Regular prices have ticked up as you can see almost everywhere. But! They have a great happy hour with new happy our prices on their regular sized appetizers and 20% off their beers. And, they offer happy hour 7 days a week! The servers are great about reminding you that the end of happy hour is approaching so you can get your last minute orders in before the deadline. They've added Open Table reservations to make it easier to book a table. read more

Family dinner at Gyotaku, and as always, it did not disappoint. Our server, Kawika, treated us like long-time regulars--friendly, attentive, and genuinely invested in making sure we were well taken care of. The food was outstanding: perfectly grilled unagi, crispy and flavorful gyoza, juicy karaage, irresistible poke nachos, and comforting katsu curry... every dish was a hit. We'll definitely be back--and we hope to earn "regular" status with Kawika! read more

Gyotaku - Niu Valley - Katsu Curry - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Had my wife's birthday & Mother's Day dinner and what stood out was the service and our server was great! Bummer was the food was Our 2 orders of appetizers nattochos was real skimpy. Big plate with little chips on it. My main meal Kalbi portion was so little that I was still hungry after we left. Paid $18.75 from the seniors menu and all it had was a bowl of salad, miso soup, rice and one small piece of Kalbi on a lot of shredded daikon. what a complete rip off for Seniors who are on a fixed income. I won't be coming back soon or maybe never. I'd rather buy a plate lunch from L&L, Pearls Kahala or Loco Moco for $16 with more food for less money. It was our server that saved the day. Sad for the food. Need bettercooks and larger portions. Unsatisfied customer read more

Came here for the first time , for a birthday Party. Parking was full , as they had a function at the hall in the same building. Had to park in the nearby neighborhood. There were twelve of us, we preordered so that was out of the way. Japanese Eatery is clean & unisex restroom is ample. The food is good , small portions for lunch, I would say delicious, Good for gathering as a group as it was spacious for us. The service was excellent & waitresses were efficient & friendly. Would go back if invited, but missing the Wow factor! Four stars overall. read more

My senior club & I came to Gyotaku Niu Valley for lunch as our outing. We had a reservation so as soon as they opened they were able to seat us. Our waiter was nice and friendly and came to our table soon after we got seated. We put in our orders but it took a little while for it to come. I got the poke bowl, which to me was tasty but salty and I had to eat a lot of rice to mix in the saltiness. It would've been better if they didn't put too much sauce or put it on the side for you to put on top yourself. However, I do like that the meals come with miso soup and salad. It wasn't too crowded but they were still slow because they were short staffed. When we got our bill it took a while for us to pay and leave. We also wanted to take a picture but no one was available to take our picture. Maybe that day was just an off day but not the best experience going to that location. The King St. one is my favorite! read more

Gyotaku - Niu Valley - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

It's friendly, good service, dependable. Not the best Japanese food, but not the worse. I wouldn't drive miles to dine there, but it's convenient for my location. Like all restaurants these days, their prices have skyrocketed. Almost $100 with tip for an average meal. One criticism is they desperately need to do something with the carpet. It's old, worn, dirty and held together in some places with duct tape. read more

Another special treat for us to eat at Gyotaku again. It's been a couple of weeks. No better way to spend Christmas Eve then with our ohana, Travis, Kawika and Nan. Food as usual was wonderful. The Butterfish is delicious . Can't wait for the next trip read more

Everything here at Gyotaku Niu Valley is Top Notch. From the initial greeting at the door, and your choice of seating if available ( open table bettet) and the Menu? OMG!!! Good Luck making up your mind. The sushi menu, " Amazing!!" and their Katsu Curry? Delicious!!! Sooo many choices with New items now added to their existing menu. Great Customer Service, Onolicious Grinds, Relaxing Atmoshere..You will Definitely return here again and again, as I do. So C'mon over to da Eastside, Relax, and Enjoy Gyotaku Niu Valley at it's finest. Mahalo! read more

Kawika was absolutely amazing! From the very start, he went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable and understood. What really stood out was how he spoke our language -- literally and figuratively! Being able to communicate so naturally made the whole experience feel much more personal and genuine. He had such a great sense of humor and kept things light and fun the entire time, which made everything flow effortlessly. It's rare to meet someone who can be both professional and personable at the same time, but Kawika nailed it. He was knowledgeable, attentive, and made sure we had everything we needed without ever feeling rushed. We left not only impressed with his expertise but also grateful for how warm and welcoming he was. If you ever get the chance to work with Kawika, don't hesitate -- you're in great hands! read more

Previously (about 2 months ago), you could almost go to this restaurant and the Miso Soup would be only warm and not hot. However, something changed about a month and a half ago. I've been there about 12 times during this period and the Miso soup has always been hot (just how I like it) no matter is it is Lunch time or Dinner time. Sometimes it's the little things that make a real difference. There's a new manager there, his name is Mark. He is right on the ball and greets everyone with a smile. I hightly recommend this restaurant. Food is great and they have a lot of specials going on. read more

Gyotaku Japanese Restaurant in Niu Valley is one of our families favorite restaurants! Our favorite server is Nicole! She's friendly, patience and always remember to smile But for this evening, we got Jon. He's nice and attentive. This is our favorite restaurant because my dad loved his shrimp tempura and always order extra shrimp tempura on the side! Although he's no longer with us, we make sure to visit Gyotaku at least 3 - 5 times a year! It's also a very family oriented place. Allow me to share something funny. My aunt arrived from Japan and we took her to dinner for her first meal at a Japanese restaurant! Yup, we did. Like I said, it's one of our favorite restaurants to celebrate any occasion. We got a variety of food, as you can see. A few favorites must have besides their shrimp tempura is their sushi rolls! It's seasoned well and it just melts in your mouth with its umami flavors! Their misoyaki butterfish is sweet, salty and some miso goodness taste. If the owners or the chef is reviewing this message...I'd like to ask them to please add to your menu CHAWAN MUSHI!!! I think it's the only item that would make me rate you with 6 stars, if Yelp had it available! I love chawan mushi. In fact, our family loves it!!! read more

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Had looked forward to experiencing Gyotaku because of all of the positive recommendations I received from friends and family. Unfortunately, the first impression we received when we arrived was an indication of the downhill experience that continued after we were seated. Let's start with that. We had reservations and after we checked in, two males who arrived after us, who were walking-ins, were seated before us. STRIKE ONE! Our server, Kawika, came to our table, and gave us the impression that he was doing us a favor by serving us. He dropped the menu, did not let us know about any specials that were being offered, and worse, did not acknowledge that we were celebrating my wife's birthday which I communicated in our reservation request. STRIKE TWO! He then returned several minutes later, not to our table but to the section we were seated, and yelled from across the section, "You guys ready?" STRIKE THREE! What is tragic about the level of service we received is that it does not match the ambiance and decor of Gyotaku. The restaurant is beautiful with its wall treatments and decorations. BEAUTIFUL!! And Kawika's lack of service does not speak to the food we were served. The rib eye and sashimi was wonderful and the butterfish my wife had was good. The service failures unfortunately eclipsed these other positive things, and Kawika should either be trained better or perhaps seek employment at Zippy's. Perhaps we chose the wrong Gyotaku (there are locations on King Street and in Pearl City) and I appreciate the fact that these other locations should not be judged by the experience we had at the Niu Valley location. I would go again but never again to Niu Valley. Suffice to say, Kawika received a gratuity indicative of the (lack of) service he provided. Kealii read more

Lovely peaceful dinner. Ordered the Chiriashi bowl plus tempura teishoku. Always made well. Service was prompt, courteous and polite. A favorite of mine and often brought my mom here. This branch seems a little larger than other Gyotakus and has the infamous squid painting. read more

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Food was amazing especially the pokechos, the miso butterfish and love the green tea ice cream! Especially thankful for our server, Niki... exceptional service!!! read more

The food is typical Japanese seen at other Gyotaku restaurant locations. Unlike other locations, the service and ambiance feel more elevated. The staff are attentive and professional and the restaurant is well maintained exuding modern Japanese luxury. Although a bit pricey for the conservative portions, you get what you expect from this type of restaurant. read more

I've been waiting over 30 minutes for my take order and no food in sight. Asked for a glass of ice water and the girl in front looked at me if I asked for free food. Not sure how the food will be but check your orders. One person had a large order and was missing a combo. Probably not coming back here. Oh btw, as I was standing at the desk and the phone kept on ringing. No one was picking up. read more

I cannot believe I only discovered the Niu Valley Gyotaku restaurant unitl now! This is our "GO TO" restaurant for traditional Japanese food. So we went on a Wednesday and got 2 "early bird" dishes AND a dish from the senior menu. Early bird comes with California roll sushi, but you can switch it out for rice. I wanted sushi AND rice, so that's why I got an early bird and senior. Early bird only comes with miso soup, and senior comes with salad AND miso soup. We really enjoy coming to the Niu Valley location and David aka Kawika gives us FIRST CLASS SERVICE! We can't wait to go back!! read more

Gyotaku - Niu Valley - We got 2 senior meals and 1 regular meal and shared. We got 2 of the rice, soup and salad. That's fine! We ate it all! - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Customer service was great my favorite ones to get here were Pele lava roll, ninja don teishoku it was so delicious ! And the tonkatsu was so soft . The sweet potato tempura was a little bit undercooked. But everything else was yummy. And never could go wrong with their complimentary salad w/ their wafu dressing is also good! read more

Gyotaku - Niu Valley - Ninja don teishoku - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

UPDATE: General Manager Tom reached out to me shortly after the post. He offered his apologies and resolve to rectify the incident. Everything has been taken care of. My residence close to Gyotaku Niu Valley and has been a part of my "go to" Japanese restaurants since they opened their doors will continue to be. Mahalo Tom. read more

This is our neighborhood Japanese restaurant! We love the food and the staff! Especially Kawika! He knows what we want to order before we tell him. read more

Came in for lunch with my two kids under 5. Ordered the lunch bento box that came with salad appetizer, miso soup, rice, mixed tempura and chicken katsu. All were delicious! Also ordered two kids meals. Comes with a drink and ice cream. My kids ate everything on the plates. I appreciate that it's not hot dogs and fried chicken fingers. Their kids meals are healthy and lots of great options for kids to chose from. So thank you for curating these for the kids! Also kids eat free Monday and Tuesday night with purchase of entree. The service was fast! As soon as we ordered all the food started coming out. It's been over a year since I've come back. Last two times were not anything to write home about. But I'm glad I came today. Everyone in our party enjoyed their dinning experience. Very clean and pleasant experience. I will be back sooner than later! read more

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Came with a friend who lives in the area and said it's a local favorite. The food was tasty and the service was great. Tea and water cups were kept full and they checked to ensure everything was okay. I felt the portions were on the smaller side for the price and my chicken katsu was mostly skin, a drawback. The restaurant has a lot of seating for different group sizes so would be a good place for larger groups. The decor is simple, but nice. Great local eatery I've driven by a lot, but wouldn't have thought to stop at if not for my friend. read more

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I AM SOOOO-O-O-O FULL! It 's Mithers Day 2024 and the place is semi-packed! I had the Chicken Katsu with Tempura and an appetizer Ahi poke platter. The poke platter is a must try probably a level tastier than a poke deli it is so saucy with shoyu and sesame the way my taste buds love it! Extremely Umame! The Chicken Katsu is outstanding here they don't have Tonkatsu but I can only imagine if they did. The tempura was superb not oily which I have an aversion to when it comes to Japanese cuisine. With Oahu as an island with so many Japanese restaurants you better stand out. GUOTAKU in Nui Valley does stand out! I'm probably coming back VERY SOON! Their Ahi poke platter won me over! The staff are welcoming and kind with warm friendliness which makes the food even MORE ONO! read more

Very flavorful. Again, my error for not checking the menu. Was hungry so just order what was familiar. Crab cakes should have been appetizers, not a side dish. read more

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This place is always a great "go-to" for Japanese comfort food. Came here to talk story with some friends. They serve Orion Beer, which is one of the few you can purchase locally that actually comes from Japan (read the label on Asahi and Kirin, folks. Neither of those sold here are from Japan). I had the 3-entree combo with maguro sashimi, nishime, and misoyaki salmon. The sashimi is fresh and always comes with a shiso leaf and shredded daikon. I loved the salmon, first time I tried this instead of the butterfish and it's just as good! The nishime was hot as was everything else. We didn't get dessert this time but the shave ice is always good. Since there were no natto-lovers in our group, unfortunately we didn't get natto-chos this time. Definitely next time! read more

Gyotaku - Niu Valley - combo with L-R: nishime, misoyaki salmon, maguro sashimi - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Gyotaku is such a hidden gem, we enjoyed a nice Japanese dinner. From the outside it doesn't look like much but the interior was roomy and clean. Our server was super nice and explained the menu items for us since it was our first time here. Since we had little ones we decided to go with some kids meals. The kids sushi and udon both came out delicious and comes with a drink and dessert. For adults, my husband ordered the butter fish and I got a teri beef plate. Both entrees tasted amazing! I didn't even get a chance to grab pictures of the food, they were devoured the moment they came out. Great place to try out on the East side! read more

Gyotaku - Niu Valley - Kids meal shave ice cream - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I loved my service and care when I ate here! Kawika was an amazing server and treated us so well! He was very professional and positive, which probably made the food taste even better. He guided us through their giant menu and recommended the pokechos!!! Those were so good . I've never had anything like it before. He was very quick to refill our drinks and make any adjustments we needed. Needless to say, I will be coming back the next time I'm in the area. The food portions are amazing for the price! read more