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    Mama-Ya Bishop Street Cafe

    3.5 (127 reviews)
    InexpensiveJapanese, Sushi Bars
    Closed 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

    Mama-Ya Bishop Street Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    MAMA-YA BISHOP STREET CAFE ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Maki rolls and inari
    Rebecca T.

    Don't get deterred by the less than 4 stars reviews on Yelp coz this place could be a solid lunch spot for office workers! It's grab and go but I could tell the food was made fresh in the morning. Lots of variety from salads, soba noodles, sushi, poke, to hot food like salmon bento, shumai, buns, katsu bento, etc. you will find something you like here! The shop is small since it's a grab and go. During lunch time I saw a lot of people keep coming in, fortunately there wasn't a line when I went. The cashier was pretty efficient and still friendly, greeting people with aloha. The shop was also clean. No seating inside but there's plenty outside in the plaza. Best of all, the prices were so reasonable! I got a sushi combo with tuna inari, Korean kimbap, California maki roll, for only $5.99 plus tax. I split it into 2 meals so essentially I only spent $3 a meal! It's hard to find nowadays anywhere, let alone in Hawaii. I think this can be my regular lunch spot with the quality, price and the variety that they offer.

    Musubi bentos
    Lelabee D.

    Located two blocks down makai side from the FHB Building. The employees fully stocked the counters with bentos. Buy a bento get a free water. Prices are very affordable and love the variety. Yes please visit. Satisfied: yes Will go back? Definitely

    fried saimin
    Tiffany M.

    I placed my order online in the morning for a spicy ahi bowl. It was super easy and quick for me to place my order online (you pay when you go pick up your order). I went to pick it up at around 1:40 PM. It was empty but they still had a lot of pre made items to choose from. I decided to grab a fried saimin. Inside was very clean and organized. There's tables outside where you can sit and eat. When I got to the counter, I let them know that I had an online order. She made my rice and brought out the spicy ahi. I was given a free bottle of water as well. I was very impressed w/ the portion & quality of the fish. I also like how they packaged the fish separately from the rice. I paid $14.85 for both items (including tax). I will definitely be stopping by here again to try their other items!

    Miso butterfish bento not bad but pricey
    Robert S.

    Thought I'd try this place after working out at the gym. For $15 got a bento with miso butterfish, sekihan, nishime, and a few other tiny edibles. Overall I enjoyed but seemed a bit expensive. Bento tends to be like that generally.

    Spicy Ahi and Shoyu Ahi Poke Mix Plate
    Mark E.

    Not bad. Bentos and other food items worth getting when freshly made and out of the kitchen. Bentos still comes with free water but miso soup was not available (unless they have discontinued). Outdoor seating only. Service is okay. Only wish they reminded me or at least offer about their incentive card and that many stamps lead to getting a free bento. Long lines during lunch rush.

    Olivier E.

    When I don't know what I want to have for lunch, I alway end up making my way to Mama-Ya located on Bishop Street in Downtown, Honolulu. What I like about this restaurant is because it offers a variety of delicious to go meals. Its basically an in-and-out shop where they have arrays of already made food you can choose from. My favorite items that they offer are their pork belly rice bowl, their mini loco moco bowls and my all time favorite, their spicy tempura shrimp roll. They also offer salads, poke bowls, a variety of bentos and side dishes like chicken karaage, squid karaage and chicken tempura. You can never go and leave empty handed. In my case, I always end up leaving with too much. If you purchase either a bento or a bowl, they give you either a free water bottle or a side bowl of miso soup. I alway end up with the miso soup because it goes will with all their delicious and savory food! All the times I've gone, I never did experience a long line. I heard that the line can go way outside the door, especially during this Covid-19 period where I'm sure they are taking precautions and only letting a certain amount of customer in at a time. This locations has no inside seating, but once outside, there are seats where you can enjoy your delicious meal.

    Nori Bento Salmon
    Val S.

    Can't go wrong with a bento from Mama-ya. Reasonably priced & a pretty good selection of yummy Japanese food. If driving there, best to go there before the lunch crowd so you can find a metered stall. Don't forget your coins. I like their salmon bento and they got various types of musubis. So good.

    Andrea O.

    Looking for something outside of a sandwich for lunch? Mama-Ya is the spot to go! With a variety of ready to grab and go bento options and salads it's a quick process to get yourself a hearty lunch with great tastes. This was my first time coming here and it definitely won't be my last. I may have grabbed too much food but it was because everything looked so good and I can always eat the rest for dinner! If you work in the downtown area this place is super convenient and located in the Dillingham transportation center. Everything is fairly priced for the amount of food as well as the quality of the food given. The sushi I got tasted fresh and the bento plate I grabbed also had a variety of great flavors!

    Spicy ahi roll
    Kaleo L.

    Tired of eating 7-Eleven and need a slight change? I was. So I took a quick stroll a couple extra blocks down for lunch, conveniently selected one of the many grab and go bentos and a hand roll, and had my cravings satisfied. Food was on par with bentos you'd get other places, and the price was super affordable! The roll was loaded with delicious ahi, and the spam musubi was uniquely made with purple rice. The chicken was a little soggy but that was expected from a premade bento. Definitely would come back because there was so much selection

    Raw food
    Matthew L.

    Absolutely avoid this place if you can. I would give it a 0 stars if I could. I decided to give place a try since I was close by, I ordered a hamburger steak and the inside of the steak is raw, absolutely disgusting! on top of that the gravy was sour. DO NOT COME HERE EVEN IF IT IS FREE.

    Salad with grilled salmon
    Glen A.

    After a lunchtime haircut, I went to Mama-ya to pick up a bento. I decided to get a salad with salmon instead. Every bento or salad comes with a complimentary miso soup or a small bottle of water. The salad was delicious. It had grilled salmon and mandarin orange slices. The dressing was very tasty. I usually don't use the whole container of salad dressing but I used every drop. The miso soup was good too. I'm going to continue to search for salad and soup places, but I would buy Mama-ya's grilled salmon salad again. Maybe San Francisco Salad Company can learn something from Mama-ya and offer free soup with a salad purchase. Just a suggestion. And Mama-Ya also offers a stamp card that offers a free bento after 10 purchases of $10 or more.

    Garlic Ahi Bento
    Christal P.

    This is one of my favorite places Downtown to get a healthy bento lunch. Maybe because I'm from the Midwest, I would be happier if the prices were about $1 less expensive, but I don't think I'll ever get used to the prices in Hawaii. So much of everything around here is overpriced. Bentos come with a free mini bottle of water. Forks, spoons, chopsticks, soy sauce packets, and napkins are located outside from the cash register. I tend to like Mama-Ya's salads and a few of its bentos with either salmon or ahi. The Garlic Ahi Bento was very filling for me and is more than what I typically would eat for lunch when I bring my own food to work. There is a nice shaded outdoor seating area. I often come here when I'm having a lunch break with a friend who also works Downtown. It's not too loud and it's a good way to relax and unwind for an hour.

    Seared ahi soba salad

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    Not many options but nice bento boxes to go for lunch. Service is nice and quick. Ambiance is nice around busy area.

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    One of the best spots in downtown. The food, quality, and price is excellent. The ladies that work here are awesome.

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    Page 1 of 4

    Mama-Ya Bishop Street Cafe Reviews in Other Languages

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    Tonkatsu, katsu-don, gyukatsu
    Tonkatsu, katsu-don, gyukatsu
    Special Katsu-don set
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    Marugame Udon

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    You can watch as they make your food!
    You can watch as they make your food!
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    Dining Room!
    I-NABA

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    Came here for Sunday breakfast with the kiddies, and we arrived a little after 8:00 a.m. There was…read moreplenty of parking and seating available, and we were greeted and seated right away. We were promptly served water and hot tea while we looked over the menu. My boys love salmon, so they chose the Grilled Salted Salmon Set. Knowing they probably wouldn't finish their meals, I ordered the TKG Set and added natto and mentaiko on the side. Each set comes with miso soup, rice, and an assortment of delicious sides. Everything was so good! One of my favorite touches was at the end of the meal when our waitress brought out dashi with seaweed, wasabi, and green onions (comes with the Salmon Sets) for us to pour over the remaining rice. It was the perfect way to finish the meal. We cleaned our plates and enjoyed every bite. I'm definitely looking forward to coming back to try more of their breakfast dishes and to experience their lunch and dinner offerings as well.

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    I-NABA
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    ABURIYA IBUSHI

    ABURIYA IBUSHI

    4.5
    (452 reviews)
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    Whenever I passed by this place on Kapahulu, there's always a line, and line's don't lie, right?!…read moreMade reservations (highly recommended) and found street parking as they do not have a dedicated lot. Once inside, you are warmly greeted. It's a little dim inside during the day. No paper menus; you need to scan a QR code to see what you want to order. Our group ordered the teishoku set which came with the main entree, rice, oxtail broth, and 2 appetizers (we opted for tofu and eggplant). We opted for the Aburi flank steak which was very very tasty and the Aburi chicken. The chicken was a touch on the salty side, but it came with a spicy dipping sauce which was phenomenal! All the meats had the delicious smoky flavor from the grill. The oxtail broth was kinda bland. We also ordered the oxtail ramen which was also a hit. Finished off dinner with ice cream + mochi. The mochi is also grilled but know that it's not sweet mochi.

    So thankful for restaurants that open late. We thankfully found street parking and this was the…read moreonly place open. How lucky for us! Customer service was terrific. Since it was late, we noticed the back of house staff help the front. Everyone was so friendly and food comes out fast. The only reason for the 4 stars instead of 5 is because the food was a bit too flavorful - we all agreed that everything was slightly salty. I could also say portion of some items may not match price, but I understand inflation is increasing at an alarming rate. So I'll leave money out of this. Crushed cucumbers were interesting. We couldn't decide if eating it with chopsticks or spoon was better. With chopsticks, you might not get enough sauce. But you could taste the layers of flavor. With a spoon, you get too much saltiness. The spice hits at the end. The tako karaage were a little too chewy for us. Beef tongue was so tender. A definite must order. I dont think it needs rice though. We also ordered the late night nikumiso but it didn't come with an egg, which the menu said it should. We tried handful more items but we'll be back to try the oxtail items, as it sounds like that's their specialties, but takes extra time to prepare.

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    Storefront... just like we're in Japan!
    Storefront... just like we're in Japan!
    Their famous potato salad.
    Their famous potato salad.
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    Potato Salad

    Mama-Ya Bishop Street Cafe - japanese - Updated August 2026

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