Average food Nice family atmosphere Price is good Good location Staff was very friendly read more

Grandparents and I have been coming here for over a decade, and it is my favorite Okinawan & Japanese restaurant. The food is great. My favorite is the miso butterfish, which is different from other places because they lightly batter it and then fry it, while still maintaining the soft and moist interior of the butterfish, and then they coat it in their own house miso. I highly recommend it. I also really like their tonkatsu (which is soft and tender), and tempura (which is large). Entrees come with a side of shredded cabbage with their house thousand island. If you order the teishoku, it comes with a salad, pickled cabbage, been sprouts, tsukemono, and unlimited rice. They also have good vegetarian options, like the tofu steak. Their nabemono is also good, just like Grandma used to make. For dessert, they make good andagi, fresh from the pot. Last year they renovated the interior, improving it quite a bit. Their service is always reliable. Sato does a great job managing the place. Some of their servers are very young. If there are any problems, just talk to Sato and he'll get it fixed. read more

Kuni Restaurant - Andagi, freshly made at Kuni's Restaurant. Highly recommended. - Japanese Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

Went last night for my birthday dinner. My first choice, Kabuki, in Waimalu, was closed, and I was glad. I usually go for lunch with friends, so this was my first post pandemic that I've been there for dinner. It appears to have been renovated, and there were new menus. I'm not sure if these were just for dinner. We all ordered the 2-choice Teishoku, and I missed getting pictures of the Sashimi and Teri Butterfish. Included were some sides of Miso soup, salad, seasoned bean sprouts, and cabbage. We ordered: Hubby - Teri Beef & Teri Butterfish Me - Shrimp Tempura & Tonkatsu Daughter 1 - Fried Akule & Miso Salmon Daughter 2 - Chicken Katsu & Sashimi I was so glad everyone chose different things. We shared each other's food, and I LOVED the fried akule. Would definitely get that next time. The salmon was good, but the miso sauce was a thick drizzle on the cooked fish. I think had it been a smaller drizzle with an aioli and blowtorched a little, it would have elevated the dish a lot. Although I didn't try it, my daughter said the Sashimi was like butter, and there were 10 pieces! I did try the Butterfield. I normally like mine, Miso flavor. However, the Teri version tasted good. It was too mushy for me, though. My tonkatsu and tempura were typical. At first, my husband and daughter weren't sure they would get full. However, by the end of the meal, everyone was stuffed. Excellent second choice! read more

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New Owners, Total renovation inside the restaurant. The food is just as good as with the old owners. The service is excellent. The price a little higher, I guess from the renovation. Give this place a try if you're in the Waipahu area. Aloha, Derek read more

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There was a group of 6 of us for lunch. This was the first time we've eaten here since it was renovated. Entire staff were great. Best customer service I've ever experienced. Vincent was our server, he was very friendly, patient & kind. We will definitely return. read more

I've been to a couple of Japanese restaurants where the food comes out warm or room temperature and the tempura batter is soggy and not crispy...not a good thing! But here at Restaurant Kuni & Lounge, the food is made when ordered so it comes out "hot" where it literally burns my tongue. I don't enjoy the burning part but I love it when it's freshly prepared. If you want fast service and tasty "hot" Japanese food, this is the place for you!  I was so sad when I read someone's Yelp review that this restaurant was for sale. Tonight, I found out it was sold and business as usual...yay! Here's some of the reasons why this place is so awesome: - The waitress took our order.  I swear...about a minute go by and all the side dishes arrive which includes rice, miso soup, tsukemono (pickled cabbage), moyashi (seasoned bean sprouts) and toss salad with their delicious house dressing - Less than 10 minutes later, 2 shrimp tempura/veggie, chicken katsu and chicken teri plates are served - There was one change that happened after we were finished eating that never happened before...they served us 2 complimentary mini andagi's that was "hot" and crunchy. It was a nice treat - Ordered, ate, paid our bill and out the door in 45 minutes Note: We usually eat dinner early when they open so it's not crowded. Not sure how fast the service will be when the restaurant is packed BUT you'll love their food! FYI: You can buy their house salad dressing. They have 3 sizes...small, medium and large. I'm not sure of the cost but I always buy the large which is $12.50. I love their dressing...they should bottle it and sell in the stores. read more

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Good food with great service! Nice old school atmosphere. Offers senior discount (over 60) and free birthday meal. Highly recommend. read more

4th time there last night since the new ownership.... Another amazing experience... place was packed on a Friday night, had no reservations and we signed in and were seated in about 10 minutes.... Service was fast, friendly and the food came out hot and quick too! Looks like they have a great new menu too! We ordered the "Ohana meal" for 2 people- (about $57 per person) and got sooo much great food for the money! Sizzling Ribeye steak, grilled Tofu, Chicken Katsu, 20 pieces of perfect Ahi Sashimi, a large pile of assorted Tempura, rice, tsukemono, green salad and miso soup... everything was hot, plentiful and ONO!!! Highly recommend going!! read more

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A jewel of a Japanese restaurant in Waipahu! Never thought I would find a place like this in Waipahu. Friendly atmosphere and good food. Ordered the Ribeye steak Bar style as recommended by our waiter. Turned out to be a great steak on a hot plate already cut in bite sized pieces with mushrooms and onions with teriyaki sauce to dip in. Surprised and was a lot of food! My friend ordered the teishoku with yakitori tonkatsu and shrimp tempura! Ono!! And we are both very Japanese ! Looking forward to next time ! read more

Kuni Restaurant - Ribeye steak Bar style! - Japanese Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

The service was sluggish, orders were mixed up, and their prices are excessively high for the portion sizes and location. The bar is adjacent to the dining area, which can make it somewhat noisy, but I think it adds to the character of the establishment. We had the chance to try a nice variety of local Japanese dishes and even brought home some leftovers. read more

Quite possible the worst dining experience I've had. The server brought out two things that our table already had, they forgot our drink orders, and my sons salmon came out 30 minutes after the others arrived. His salmon was so tiny and as dry as the Sahara desert. Also, 18% gratuity for our family of 6. AND they had the audacity to auto set the gratuity on the card machine at 22%. Would rather eat at the Cheesecake Factory. Or McDonald's. Never again. read more

Kuni Restaurant - Don't know how this is $20+ bucks but ok - Japanese Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

A fantastic Japanese restaurant in Waipahu with plenty of parking. The staff on our Saturday afternoon lunch were two young guys who were courteous, professional, and personable. The ambience is old school with plenty of seating. Lots of menu choices. I had the Oyakudon which was delicious and you get plenty of side dishes. My wife got the two item special with Miso Butterfish and Chicken Yakitori which was great as well. If we didn't eat enough the first time around we were treated to two Andagi's, fresh and delicious and a little bit sweet. The prices are just right and we will be sure to go back again. read more

Good food, clean interior and great personalized service! They stored our birthday cake in the fridge for us while we were eating lunch. The manager brought out andago for us on the house. He also brought the cake out with lit candles and turned dimmed the lights for us to sing the happy birthday song! Oh did I mention that he also gave us a knife, serving utensil, clean plates and forks to eat the birthday cake? On top of all that, he gave us senior discount and a complimentary birthday meal! Made us feel so special and delighted. read more

Kuni Restaurant - Andago - Japanese Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

Service is 10/10!! They all tend to everyone not just one server per table, which made it so much nicer!! Which means they all check on you and you don't get stuck waiting for your waiter/waitress to come back. Every las one who tended to us was so friendly and welcoming!! I loved it!! And I'm guessing he was the owner, but he was so friendly even showed my baby a trick, that me and my other half thought was way more cool than the baby did!! The place is real clean which is a plus plus plus!! The place is split into 2 sections one sided being louder than the other and has a bar!! With the cutest little picture backdrop! Food wise! Everything was just ONO! It was all filled with flavor, anddddd we didn't have to wait 45 minutes to eat!!! All in all they're food is 10/10 We loved it here!! It was our first time, and we are coming back for sure! read more

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So I heard on the radio last year that you get a free birthday meal on your actual birthday and needed to see if that was true. Spoiler: it is! If you go with a paying person, your meal up to $19 is covered for your bday. Now Waipahu is definitely not close for me, so it was a bit of a drive, but man was it worth it! Their commercial got me to the restaurant and now we can't wait to go back (even for non bday meals!) It was simple, homey, homestyle Japanese food. Nothing fancy but oh so delicious. It was rainy so we both got udon. The broth was so tasty and hit the spot. It had a nice tender piece of pork which I loved (and I normally don't like meat if it's too fatty) that was meaty and slightly sweet. Kamaboko and shiitake were also in there, amazing. All meals come with moyashi, tsukemono, and salad (with delicious ginger dressing). Very traditional. I got mine with tempura and it comes with 2 shrimp, 1 eggplant and 1 carrot. I made sure it came with eggplant cuz that's the best tempura and the server was kind enough to see if I wanted double eggplant instead of carrot. DUH! Of course! What an amazing thoughtful guy! The tempura was hot and fresh and at the end we even got andagi! I came home and raved about it to my parents. They have half off sizzling steak on Wednesdays (not my fave but everyone else in the restaurant ordered it), donburi, nabeyaki udon, and teishoku. Great marketing they've got me hooked! Free parking in the lot but make sure you turn at the light if you're coming from town since it's a one way out at the Farrington Hwy opening. read more

Kuni Restaurant - Tempura udon with moyashi, tsukemono, salad - Japanese Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

Bitter sweet. Went to a funeral today and they had Kuni Bentos. The bento had everything you could possibly want if you went to eat at Kuni's. Tonkatsu, salmon, shrimp tempura, namasu, oden, shoyu pork, fried noodles and rice. This is a monster bento! It also was delicious...had to throw that in there just in case you've never eaten Kuni's. read more

Ate here twice recently. It was a good experience and the food is pretty good. There's a restaurant on one side and a distinct bar on the other side. On the restaurant side, one can select from many connected booths; there are four rows of connected booths. What caught my eye was the butterfish offered in the Teishoku combo plates. During my first visit, I ordered two choices, miso butterfish and shrimp tempura, and three choices for my second visit, two orders miso butterfish, and one shrimp tempura once. While waiting for my food, I was enticed by the sizzzzzzling beef dishes passing us by! I need to order THAT next time! Teishoku combo - Comes with one, two, or three choices of main dish and accompanying side dishes, miso soup, rice, tossed salad, beansprouts tsukemono, and cabbage tsukemono. My Teishoku Butterfish combo - The butterfish choice comes in three flavors served on shredded cabbage. I keep ordering the miso wishing I'd ordered one of the other cooking methods. The miso butterfish is a fried miso fish. I don't really like a fried miso and would prefer a broiled miso shoyu. Two medium-sized shrimp tempura come with two pieces veggie, a carrot slice and a sweet potato slice. The side dishes I received were rice, miso soup, small veggie salad with a tangy sweet dressing already added, two cabbage tsukemono with one being a substitute for the beansprouts version I cannot eat. I'd suggest ordering without dressing if you don't like dressing. Expensive for the amount of fish provided. The miso butterfish and shrimp tempura are OK-good; the tossed salad veggies, miso soup, tsukemono, and rice are all yummy fresh. My favorite dish is the perfectly made cabbage tsukemono. Clean older restaurant. Restrooms are in the bar area. Free parking in the parking lot just outside; however, this seems to be a very busy parking lot with lots of car traffic coming and going from patrons frequenting the other businesses within the small shopping center area this restaurant is in. Good place to dine at if you need something to eat. read more

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We always wanted to try Kuni Restaurant and did today. Food was great and deliciousWe decided to order the teishoku with 3 choices! Wife ordered shrimp tempura, misoyaki butter fish, and soyu pork. I order the ahi sashimi, misoyaki butter fish & soyu pork. Portions were generous, three pieces of butter fish, ten pieces of sashimi, four pieces of soyu pork. Orders come with miso soup, side salad, side salted sliced cabbage & pickle sprouts, & bowl of rice. Each dish had shredded cabbage, a plus. We had leftover butter fish and shoyu pork we took home for another meal at home. Waitress and waiter were friendly and helpful with information on our meals choices. We definitely will return and recommend this place to our friends and ohana. read more

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Haven't been there long time...so long I didn't even remember where was. It's buy Suzy's though. Wanted to try b/c thinking of using them for daughter's bday. So ordered Bento D and Butterfish. Butterfish was cooked well but had no taste. Bento was good - Shrimp pretty big and not majority batter. Akule tasty but fish part thing. Tonkatsu good. I'm not a teri person, so maybe should have asked if they can just S&P the beef since it's jus like the sauce is poured on. Same with the chicken. But other than the teri I ilked it. Think this will be the place we use... catering does take long to get back to you so make sure you plan way in advance if you do catering. read more

Been here so many time cannot believe I didn't review this Japanese restaurant. It's located in Waipahu and it's Kunis Japanese restaurant and Lounge. Not only good authentic Japanese food but also their famous lounge where you can sing karaoke. I had their sizzling fried tofu which I highly recommend w/shrimp tempura which was not half a shrimp the whole shrimp . Some places make shrimp tempura thin and flat. My brother-in-law had their pork tofu he said it was ok lots of vegetables. My sister had their Oyako Donburi and she said it was good not to sweet just a little heavy on the shintake mushrooms. The service was very quick and friendly Support local whenever possible read more

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Been coming here for a very long time, 30+ years when my grandparents were alive. I haven't been back since the new owners as I was skeptical. It was my first time back and I was very disappointed. Rice portions are SO SMALL. Not like it used to be with the rice container. I appreciated the water pitcher as that was a great touch but it pretty much eliminates anyone coming to check on you. They drop the waters, take your order, drop the food, and no one comes back except to give you the check. There's NO customer service here, barely even a hello when you walk in the door. Even the food portions just seem so different. You get two vegetables with your tempura and I don't remember that being the case. Miso soup used to be my FAVORITE. And now even that tastes different. Sad that it has lost what it was known for. Edit: just read other people's reviews and Mr. sato is still there. Bummer! He wasn't there the night I was there so that might've been the reason service was so bad. It's always great when he's around. read more

Services were below par. Food prices on certain specialty items were a surprise. Food was... okay. Our bill for 4 of us, $148 with the tip... read more

Wishing you all a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2025! Our first impressions of Kuni Restaurant & Catering on Friday, 1/10/25 was AWESOME! From the outside, you would never think the interior was as nice and clean as it is! Upon digitally signing in, we were seated and our orders were taken quite quickly. We ordered the tempura saimin (consists of 2 shrimp tempuras, 1 potato tempura and 1 carrot tempura) and the teishoku combo (chicken katsu and teri beef ribeye) included miso soup, bean sprout/cabbage and a little bowl of toss salad. Everything arrived nice and hot! Tempuras were nice and crunchy and the saimin base was very flavorable. The chicken katsu had a good texture and was also nice and crunchy, and the teri beef ribeye was very tender and delicious! We enjoyed every bite! On our second visit, Wednesday, 1/15/25, again, although pretty crowded and after signing in, we were quickly seated. We wanted to take advantage of their Wednesday special, offering 50% off their ribeye steak. Orders placed and it arrived sizzling hot with the aromas to die for! The ribeye was good, tender and also very flavorable! Prices were reasonable ($19 ribeye/$3.00 rice bowl or for teishoku style $19 ribeye/$6.00 rice bowl, bean sprouts, cabbage, miso soup and bowl of toss salad). We LOVED everything!! Mr. Sato is a very nice, sweet and generous guy! He jumped right in and were also taking orders, serving the dishes and graciously helping out! Thanking Mr. Sato and all his employees! They all work so hard and didn't mind helping each other out; were all very pleasant, personable; and attentive! Great service from all of them! We felt a GOOD Ohana feeling inside just watching how they all worked so well together! There was definitely no "I" in "WE"! Although we live in the Kaimuki area, making the trek out to Kuniʻs was so well worth it and will definitely be coming back! We highly recommend you to try and experience the goodness we did! And again, the food is very delish! Thank you! read more

I had the best experience in Hawaii! The service was excellent, with food brought out quickly and with care. The restaurant was spotless, the atmosphere welcoming, and the food absolutely delicious. I highly recommend this place! read more

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It was my first time dining at Kuni Restaurant. We went last week Friday (11/24/23) and there was no problem getting seated. The staff was friendly and the food came out so quickly! I loved my beef sukiyaki! It was so tasty and I would definitely order it again. My twin boys loved their tempura udon. I like that there is also a kids meal, so we may get that the next time. Overall, we really enjoyed our first visit to Kuni Restaurant and will be back again soon! Happy Eating! read more

Its not exactly the same with the new owner but the comforting old school vibe is somewhat still there and is what keeps me coming back.

We went to kunis today to order for our party, found out that owners changed 3years ago. I catered from them years ago, loved the good food, service, n aloha from the owner. But today wen we scheduled to speak to someone the person left early, so we asked to speak to anyone about catering our event, while waiting my daughter heard an employee make a snide remark about ordering on line, mind u they weren't busy n by the time someone came to talk us we were the only ones there. The comment from the employee offended my daughter n her fiancé so much that they refuse to order from them (I didnt hear the comment cause I stepped away n was looking at the changes of the resturaunt). So sad now days shifty customer service, I guess they didnt need our business but maybe they were rude cause we we hawaiian n not filipino .EEOC or just racism? read more

We had the three choice teishoku...was surprised there was an extra $5 charge on each dish of sashimi and butterfish(not grilled like most places.) That's $10 additional charge on a $37 teishoku...the other dish was shrimp tempura. The shrimp oyakudon was fine. The food came out so fast that it was precooked; miso soup was warm, should be served hot. Sukiyaki was hot and very good portion...perfect. The workers were attentive. read more

Food was so ono, lots of flavor and price was like $22. Nice people and family atmosphere. Very satisfying. We will be back!

Let's start off by saying, Kuni's DEFINITELY got a facelift! I can't say that the changes would completely be welcomed by all, but rest assure - the food is still OUTSTANDING... possibly even better than it was before. In a matter of just a few months of us missing in action, Kuni's decided to revamp not only their dining room and bar, but also the menu, some staff, and style of table service. I can imagine all the O-G Kuni fanatics being a bit taken back by the prices and cash-out system they've incorporated now. Honestly, I was a bit shocked too. Things to note: - $7 Asahi - YIKES! Would NOT have ordered this if I knew it was $7 per 'CAN' not bottle, but they were out of Orion, our #1 pick :( - 3.5% service fee if paying by credit card - $105 Dinner for 2 (was $70-80 a few months ago) - No more extended booths for large parties - Cold AC - Food is on point Closing argument: I'm glad Kuni's is still able to afford a full renovation after years of being one of those classic, nostalgic spots that my grandma would frequent up until her last days. She was a Japanese girl from Tokyo, and she loved her Kuni's - Especially since they're only minutes away from her home in Robinson Heights. I think for me, I'm grateful that Kuni's is still around. Even if the prices continue to go up, in my opinion, they really do deserve it. Also to add: Kuni himself is such a kind, graceful man. He doesn't know I'd serve him and his family at a sushi bar I worked at, but they were definitely treated with care on the Sunday nights they'd make an appearance......... Then you have Sato-san! Kuni's brother - such a character, and I'm sure he has a fan club that goes on for dayzzz. He's the life of the party, and surely an asset to the business, especially the front of the house. If you haven't tried Kuni's yet, I 100% recommend you do. Dress casual, expect some potholes in the parking lot, and don't be surprised if Sato-san stops at your table and randomly makes some jokes! Enjoy! read more

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I haven't been to Kuni Restaurant in years and I was pleasantly surprised when I stopped in for a spontaneous lunch. The restaurant was pretty busy but they accommodated us quickly. The inside was simple but pleasant and open. We ordered two teishoku meals. The tempura and chicken katsu was served hot. And the sashimi was ok. I won't hesitate to go back to Kuni if I'm craving Japanese food. This little strip mall does get pretty busy, so parking can be a challenge. read more

Food tasty and enough. Service was friendly and quick. Decor was like old days kine mom and pops restaurant. read more

Location: Waipahu..94-210 Leokane St..in Waipahu Shopping Plaza..the one that has Suzie Very old Japanese-Amerian restraunt. Decor is nothing fancy but clean. This restaraunt has lasted thru the decades and thru pandemic. SERVICE We got seated quickly and our order was promptly taken and the food came out real fast. Sizzling hot!! Very hard workers, you can tell they are a family run business. FOOD We had the steak and onion, chicken katsu. teri butterfish. Best part of old school style they bring out sides.. miso soup. salad, bean sprouts. We also got shrimp tempura and teri tofu. Location is not so great, but lots of parking. Lots of old timers, so its not that bad of location. Just dont expect glamour, expect good service, affordable tadsy food.. Thank you Satoru for excellent service read more

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We got take out last night. My dad and wife got the 2-choice combo, with both electing for miso butterfish and shrimp tempura. I got the mixed tempura teishoku. I don't remember the tempura being this good. Reminded of Yanagi's, with the perfectly light batter and not drenched in oil. Even the small things like the rice and appetizer (vegie dishes) were great. Definitely felt satisfied after the meal and had a couple shrimp tempuras and rice for second dinner later. read more

Haven't been in a while but they have tge same great food and service. You can go wrong with anything on the menu but their oyakodon is the best o. Tge island... and reasonably priced. read more

Its too small to accomodate 8 of us. Too tight!! Even if the moved table around still too tight. I would not recommend a party of this size to dine in read more

table for 3 adults for dinner, gave the waiter our order 3 times i noticed that he was struggling to remember the order. We all ordered the 2 choice items plus 3 sodas. It took the food to get to us 40 minutes. 2 were correct and the 3rd one was wrong the waiter offered to get it correct, when he tried to repeat it, he still got it wrong. I told him forget it plus the thought of waiting another possible 15-20 minutes because they were busy, I refused and said forget it. To top it off no dinner ware. A party of 4 got their food in less than 20 minutes. The chicken katsu was super dry the shrimp tempura No taste. The only thing I ate was the miso soup and the salad. Gave my family the chicken they didn't think much of it either! The bill comes and it's over charged by $33.00 had to explain to the cashier the whole horrible experience we had. And still No accommodation from them. Bottom line NEVER GOING BACK JUNK FOOD AND TERRIBLE SERVICE! read more

Food great,portions small. Staff needs LOTS of help( rookies). Vodka 7 $11 charge $4 for can of sprite!!! Bloody mary considered blended cocktail ( not available) WATCH OUT for hidden or fine print on menu. Charging CC fee and if not watching, will leave it on bill even if paying cash. read more

Excellent Japanese food with good portions and taste. Good appetizer for drinking also.

This is real old school Japanese restaurant! No frills here! The decor is outdated from the 1980's or older but the food recipes probably haven't changed since then and that's why this place is still popular with the locals! Because at dinner time it was packed on a Tuesday night. I got the udon because I wanted something with broth, it was actually really good I enjoyed it! It came with a side of Teri beef and that was so tender and had a nice teriyaki sauce on it! My daughter also got the udon yakitori which was exceptionally good as well. The Katsu was simple as could be but it was simplicity at its finest. And the meals came with a small salad with a awesome Japanese salad dressing(I would of bought some bottles of it and taken it home if I could) Let's just say we got our moneys worth here as we were all stuffed! read more

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