Best food in Waimea and Big Island! Delicious ramen! Great family environment. Would definitely return!

Excellent food, friendly and welcoming service. Excellent Butterfish Misoyaki, generous portions. The Katsu Donburi is served with the rice separate form the other ingredients which provides a generous amount of the good stuff and allows you to manage the rice portion. The seating and dining accommodations are very comfortable. read more

Tried to come here back in 2021 one evening but it was slammed & the rest of the family was hangry so it didn't happen. This time around my wife & I showed up 10 mins after opening & were the second table seated. It was Saturday night & we were asked if we had a reservation so I was nervous but it worked out. Service was excellent & the food was top notch. We started with French fries (legit best fries I've ever had) and the chicken Karaage (boneless Japanese fried chicken). Both were delicious. For our entrees my wife had the chicken Katsu set & I had the spicy chicken shoyu ramen. Ramen here is chicken broth based and has a little spin on it compared to some places but the noodles are perfect & the flavor was exceptional. Get it with everything on it. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend this place to anybody in the area. Had lots of fresh sushi options to but we had been eating heavy seafood & changed things up tonight. read more

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Great food authentic Japanese! We were visiting on vacation and ate at MOA the last day, wish we had eaten there earlier on the trip. We would have visited twice! read more

Food is authentic and delicious, service at times can be slow but everyone is very friendly and the food is worth the wait

Somewhat pricy though the food and sake is really good and tasty. The only problem with dining in is that you will leave the restaurant smelling like the kitchen's grease trap. This place really needs a better kitchen ventilation system. It's an open kitchen concept so when seated at the counter you can see how busy the kitchen is. There is a lot of frying so the oil hangs in the dining room's air... Also, reservations is a must for dinner. Counter seating available only till 6pm. Otherwise, they are turning folks away. Further, I've seen customers come in thinking they have a reservation made online only to find that they do not. Not a good experience at all. If they could fix their online reservation system and the fried oil smell in the air, this place could easily get 5 stars - even at the pricy menu level. But having paid $90 plus for two and leaving smelling like we worked in the kitchen... leaves something to be desired. read more

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We stopped at Moa kitchen right at 5:00 pm, and they were able to seat us in spite of no reservation. The food was really delicious . I ate butter fish at another restaurant years ago, and loved it. The butterfish here was so good, tender and perfectly seasoned, and a large portion too! Definitely recommend this restaurant, and we will be back! They satisfied our families picky eaters too! read more

Delightful. Owner super nice and the food was tasty and great atmosphere. Will be coming back

Good food and variety with broad appeal in Waimea. Pleasant and laid back atmosphere. Prices are reasonable. Fish was fresh and sushi delicious. read more

MOA Kitchen - Cami at Moa Kitchen in Waimea, Hawaii Island 7-5-24 - Ramen Near Me - Waimea, Hawaii

Loved their omakase the year before. It's a nice change of scenery. This year I had the whole grilled squid and love their sparkling Choya wine. It's clean, bright and the staff is fun when they sing happy birthday read more

MOA Kitchen - Ramen Near Me - Waimea, Hawaii

Don't waste your time - if you are here on vacation go somewhere else where you will most likely get treated with a smile. This place seems to only cater to locals. EXTREMELY SLOW SERVICE & POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE. Took two hours just to get seated. Another two hours to take our order. Save your vacation - you are better off going to McDonald's where at least they have better customer service. read more

The food was fantastic. The atmosphere was relaxed and dining room very clean and inviting. On a teacher's salary we have to choose our date nights carefully, and we were excited about the food. Sad to say that what would have been an otherwise wonderful treat enjoying a nice dinner out with my wife, was derailed by the lack of any service. We were very disappointed to say the least. Maybe we expected too much, but our server never checked on us, never asked about water refills, never checked back after the food was brought. We had to wait for along time even to ask for the the bill. It was neither overly busy nor short staffed. She did have time to talk story with another couple sitting two tables away, but we could never even get her attention. The food was as good as any Japanese Rest. here, or on Oahu. The prices were also very reasonable. Unfortunately, we get better service off a lunch truck! read more

Amazing sushi, happy we found this place. They get busy but well worth the wait. Everything was fresh and perfect. Honestly cheaper than the sushi back home in Sacramento and higher quality. read more

The food came out so fast! The ramen was delicious! The service was great! So many different menu options! read more

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Amazing selection. Super fresh fish. Everything we had was delicious. Definitely will be back. Excellent service too.

Food is always great. We always make a reservation and it's never an issue. Staff is attentive even when it's busy. We love MOA kitchen. Parking is always easy too. read more

My husband and I were craving some legit sushi, so we stopped here for lunch. It was pretty busy, but we were able to get a seat at the sushi bar. Service was excellent--very friendly, attentive and I loved all the suggestions from the sushi chef. I started with the egg-drop soup and it was the best I've ever had. I know it's a simple dish, but it was fantastic and full of flavor. I'd definitely recommend it. My husband started with some sort of cod sashimi that was suggested by the chef. It looked very nice and my husband loved it. We also shared some yakitori and the chirashi zushi (chef's choice of sashimi) and it was the perfect portion for us to share. The sashimi was very fresh and it totally hit the spot. We completed our sushi experience with some sake. They serve the sake sitting in a box and they overfill it into the box. I've heard before that this is good luck--similar to your cup runneth over--and it looks fun. I love when they do it! If you're looking for fresh sushi and friendly, ohana service then this is the place for you! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! read more

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Food is great! Prices have increased like everywhere else but still worth it! Sushi is fresh and a good variety of fish and sake! read more

We love Moa! The ambiance is low key and warm you feel right at home immediately it brings high quality food with down home vibes- There menu is extensive with sooo many wonderful delicious options! They have delightful warm sake, friendly servers - and the food comes sooo fast! Everything on the menu is sooo tasty flavorful and presented with style and simplicity. The ramen is AMAZE - basically you cant go wrong with Moa kitchen - Go Get you some Moa- you will not be disappointed. If you are then you got issues read more

I heard about this place from my friend Ramen Rob, and he was right - it was superb. We tried a bunch of items and We loved them all! We at at the counter and watched the sushi chefs do their magic. The ramen was good, the sushi and yakitori was even better. And our friends got an order of fries that were out of this world. Covered in furikake. So good. We got lucky and got a seat right when they opened. Apparently you need a reservation - we were allowed to sit at the counter if we could be finished by a certain time when the next patrons were due. The place was packed minutes after opening. Luckily it worked out for us but if you want to go, make a reservation! read more

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The food was very tasty- the butterfish was excellent. Friendly and efficient service. Nice ambience. We would highly recommend.

The best meal I've had on the island. Simple real and faultless. Rustic atmosphere and friendly people. An absolute must if you find yourself around Waimea. For that matter anywhere on the island ! read more

We ate at this restaurant first night in Hawaii. It's a small quaint place, but easily accommodated the 6 of us as a walk in. The food was delicious local dishes with great flavors. Service was friendly and fast, read more

Hands down, this is our FAVORITE local restaurant! The food is consistently fresh and delicious, and every employee is THE SWEETEST! If you get lucky enough...sit at the sushi bar and introduce yourself to the manager, Aki...such a kind, fun spirit and always greets every customer with a loud "welcome" in Japanese. Our favorites dishes: Nuoko Ramen, lamb chops, yakionigiri, and alllllll of the sashimi and sushi. Smart to book a reservation in advance and they do great take out too! read more

Delish ramen place where the noodles are especially chewy. Wonderful service and warm ambiance. Would come back again should we be in big island Hawaii. read more

Amazing food! With a name like Moa, the chicken dishes are excellent. The karaage was crisp and juicy. The yakitori set had varied skewers that were all juicy and flavorful. Tha maguro lover chirashi and the spicy yellowtail rolls were also standouts with high quality fish and seasoning. Our server was also lovely despite the huge rush just before we were seated. Highly recommend if in Waimea for an evening! read more

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Enjoy this place every time we eat here. Our favorite local establishment. Try to get there once a week. That's my wife's and mines date night and place. read more

MOA Kitchen is a really solid Japanese restaurant in Waimea that has everything from ramen to sushi to yakitori and more izakaya-style items. They also have a couple of vegetarian options, and my vegetarian dinner buddy really enjoyed the tofu salad and the veggie gyoza. I had the soft shell crab appetizer and the moa shoyu ramen. My other dinner buddies had the tan tan men and the spicy yuzu shoyu ramen, plus the karaage, gyoza, and several yaki skewers. I really liked the soft shell crab, it was crispy and perfect paired with the shredded cabbage and the curry powder it comes with. My ramen was nice, really hit the spot on that rainy day but wasn't anything to write home about. I think if you go for ramen here you really should stick with the tan tan men or the yuzu ramen because my friends who ordered those really enjoyed theirs. They also really liked the karaage and the yaki skewers. I tried some of the pork belly and NY strip ones and they were deliciously charred and tender. read more

Went here at the suggestion of my brother-in-law who dines here just about every week. My two sons and their wives treated us to the most amazing sushi we've ever had on this island! The toro is simply the best and the staff are equally the best! A must try of you're out here in Waimea! read more

MOA Kitchen - Toro - simply the best you can ask for! - Ramen Near Me - Waimea, Hawaii

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TL:DR: some of the best sushi outside of Japan. Reasonable price. Friendly service. I was pleasantly surprised by MOA Kitchen. The outside was unassuming, but as soon as you walked in, you could see the attention to details from the decor, the sushi bar, the Japanese grill, and even the restroom lol (there's a bidet!). Most importantly, the food was extremely high quality and thoughtfully presented. I ordered 1) tsukune which came with two skewers. The texture was tender but not dry. Seasoning was flavorful with a hint of ginger, and the charcoal smell was a nice touch. 2) edomae nigiri: great flavors. Some of them I barely needed soy sauce. The shrimp was so thick! 3) gotten mori: wow this was such a star. The presentation was beautiful. For under $40 you got plenty of fish in thick cuts and high freshness. To me this tasted better than some higher price omakase I've had. I would definitely come back here if I visit Big Island again. Reservations recommended! read more

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We were craving sushi and so glad we found this place. Food was really good esp the toro sashimi and fairly priced. Casual setting and friendly staff. Highly recommend when in Big Island. read more

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service was amazing, ramen was the best i have ever had and the gyoza, over the top!!! and the mango panna cotta was insane delish!!!! read more

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First dinner in Kamuela after golfing during the day! The food was amazing!! I will have to say that this was my first time coming here or even dining out on the island. Lol I'm from Oahu and literally this was my second time on the Big Island on the Kona side! First time I was in Hilo and it was for work so a very different experience! But this time with the boyfriend, we were able to dine out and try some of the restaurants versus having home cooked meals. We would drive about an hour just to get to try restaurants because we were staying in North Kohala. We came a little earlier than our reservation time and just waited outside. It was a bit chilly but nice and cool. This restaurant gets pretty busy. The food and service was awesome! Sister over there really took care of us and made sure our waters were filled. We got the 8 different sashimi platter, the 5 different seafood rolls, Hawaiian croquettes, Nouko shoyu ramen with zenbu toppings, and for dessert we got the Lilikoi cheese cake and warabi mochi! I'll have to say the warabi mochi was pretty good but the cheesecake was a little dry and crumbly. Not really what I imagined it to be but I won't be taking off any stars because this isn't a dessert restaurant! The sashimi was reeeeaally good and the roll as well. Hawaiian croquettes wasn't bad but not something I would order frequently but the ramen...I love noodles and this ramen was sooo flavorful and the toppings really made it even better!!! Overall I really enjoyed the experience I had there with the bf and would definitely come here again if we are in Kona! :) If you haven't tried, I would definitely recommend you try at least once! read more

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this is the best place to eat in town! my fave is the miso butterfish set that come with rice, salad,soy beans and miso. so soft and yummy!! their salad is sooo good, great japanese sweet dressing and it also come with some chicken on top. partner always gets the katsu oyakodon. we usually get the yakitori set with a lamb chop, pork belly and beef. gyozas are good, takoyaki yummy. service is quick and nice dining environment. lunch is walk in friendly but make reservations for dinner as it can be crowded and i have been turned away for take out because they were so busy. read more

MOA Kitchen - miso butterfish - Ramen Near Me - Waimea, Hawaii

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Was able to grab a table at lunch with no reservation, which was alright because when we arrived it was not busy. Ordered three items, but was kinda left unimpressed, wishing I had an experience of flavors like ones I've read before. Karaage was good! Nigiri had great variety, but ultimately wasn't impressed. My partner just came back from Japan and was impressed by the authenticity of the menu though. read more

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This place is excellent! We were staying in Waikoloa for a work trip and found the dining options to be very limited, so we took the short drive up to Waimea for MOA Kitchen. The staff was very nice and the Ramen, Katsu-Don, and Takoyaki were absolutely top notch. read more

MOA Kitchen - Katsu-Don, Ramen, and Takoyaki. - Ramen Near Me - Waimea, Hawaii

Amazing experience! Our family went here and the service and meal was great. The quality of the sushi was exceptional! The waitress said they fly their fish in three times a week from Japan. We will be back! Highly recommend!! read more

New menu with pictures ! New Food items ! Big sushi Menu ! Happy People working there ! food Cooked with Care ! Priced right ! all of our food we ordered was so delicious We will be back to MOA read more

MOA Kitchen - yum spicy veggie noodle soup the broth Veggies so Good ! - Ramen Near Me - Waimea, Hawaii

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Family and I had a fantastic meal here. Fish was fresh and service was excellent. Loved the family atmosphere and casual ambiance. Highly recommend read more

Okay, so RK told me this was a chicken place (which it is), but it's SO much more than chicken! Do you feel like yakitori? They have that. How about ramen? They have that. Sushi? They have that. Izakaya grilled goodies? They have that. Sake sampler? They have that, too. Loved the grilled veggies and meats. They say that they import a special charcoal from Japan to give it just the right char. We had izakaya style small plates as well as the sake sampler. It was all very fresh, hot, tasty for sure. Our server was very cute explaining the exact order in which we were supposed to drink the sake. If I had one complaint about MOA kitchen it's that it closes at 9 p.m. But then this is Waimea, where they roll the sidewalks up at 8 p.m. Wait? Do they even have sidewalks? read more

MOA Kitchen - The lilikoi dessert was faboo! - Ramen Near Me - Waimea, Hawaii