Yummy...my fav and go to when in town! Workers are friendly and quick...of course I'm ordering the stuffed ahi, greens, and rice. Only thing is the timing and at times parking. Other then that...highly recommended! read more

Normally a 5 star plate lunch place; but on this visit, one plate was great (crab stuffed ahi roll); and the other (roast pork) was not so good this time. The roast pork was super salty; was not able to finish it, had to dump it. I did call them after to report it; so hopefully the next time it will be better. The crab stuffed ahi roll was still constantly great though. :) read more

Haven't been here in years but the food is still so ono. A must have stuffed ahi w/ imitation crab w side spicy ahi poke. We also tried the grilled ahi w/ sautéed vegetables which was also very good. I highly recommend anyone to try this place. read more

Monarch Seafoods - Stuff Ahi crab - Seafood Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Yummy!! Parking is tricky but I always loved this place my normal is furikake salmon and their salad dressing is good too yum! Everything here is ono they have poke too. read more

Their salad dressing is delicious. I love the crab stuffed ahi and fried poke. Their crab cakes are also really good!

Crab stuffed ahi was so Ono. Poke is so fresh. Pickled mango was cherreh. Everything about this place is spot on!

This place is another treasure in Kalihi! It closes early so gotta go there early. "Early birds gets the worms." In this case, u go early you'll get the best seafood. read more

Monarch seafood has the best ahi salad and plate lunch selection. I order the Ahi salad and the dressing is to die for, also had the nori ahi stuffed with crab and it was to broke the mouth. As soon as you walk in the door they make you feel like family. read more

"Imitation is the greatest form of flattery." Bull Sh$%!!! I never bothered yelping Monarch. The outstanding prepared lunches made from the freshest seafood and incredible poke was a guarded secret for foodies in the know. So what changed? Their signature dish; crab stuffed ahi, is now made with 100 percent imitation crab. What was once a delicious, moist, sweet "crabby" treat in the middle of just warmed through block of ahi now taste like a science project gone bad. Preservative filled seafood protein mixed with mayo and siracha that becomes even more chemical tasting as it clashes with the wasabi aioli that tops the dish. Ack! Thankfully the poke and ahi katsu (flash fried, almost raw fresh ahi, wrapped in nori and crusted in panko) are still excellent and worthy of repeat visits. Note: Phone in your order. Takeout only. No legal parking. Go with a bud who can drop you off and circle the block (Don't park at Bank of Hawaii. Even if you do legitimate business in the bank, the parking Nazi will tell you to move your car if you try to walk out of their lot.) Is it worthy of a try? Of course. Just no longer worthy of the "best kept secret" status. read more

Sometimes you just need to break away from your typical lunch spot and explore those wonderful little hole-in-the-wall shops! Thanks to social media, I've recently saw a lot of pictures showcasing Monarch Seafoods, and after seeing those pictures...I just had to satisfy my seafood cravings. Before going to Monarch's I yelped the place and learned some important things 1) Make a takeout order on phone before coming, 2) There are no tables, and 3) Parking is almost nonexistent. I got two dishes to share, the Nori Wrapped crab stuffed ahi with nalo greens and rice http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=zjagHthP1DN4jmNQ7JZUiw&userid=VTWSWZlEX2tZu9Yv2xXD2w $8.45 and the Ahi Katsu with nalo greens and rice http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=lDs5SObJzTei-9fedDKFSQ&userid=VTWSWZlEX2tZu9Yv2xXD2w $8.95 Everything was amazing! The ahi katsu was cooked perfectly (take a look http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=Uh_IWESYjBpBdoGcmLt5jw&userid=VTWSWZlEX2tZu9Yv2xXD2w) flash fried with a beautiful pink red center and the nori wrapped crab stuffed ahi was just as amazing! Even if they use imitation crab, it was such a beautiful well-crafted dish, and for this price...it's definitely worth it! The nalo greens were great too; the sauce comes on the side so you can control the amount of dressing. My only worry was that I'd still be hungry...WRONG! After lunch I was super full! My only dilemma was that I wanted to pick up my order in 20 minutes, but when I called and gave my order they didn't ask what time I would be coming...they just said, "You can come in 10 minutes"...okay, cool. But luckily the food was so good that this meant literally nothing to me. A cheap lunch + delicious food+ full stomach = a well-worth trip to Kalihi I can't wait to go back and try more of their menu! read more

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You cannot go wrong when you come to Monarch Seafood. The seafood is always fresh and the food is delicious. My favorite dish here is the nori wrapped crab stuffed ahi with all nalo greens. I would think this dish is their signature dish by how popular it is. The seafood is always super fresh. Give the tako poke a try and you'll see how super soft it is and not chewy and rubbery like other places. The dried aku poke is pretty good too. Its a little more expensive but well worth it. I would definitely recommend ordering your food ahead of time for pick up becase the line here is sometimes pretty long and the wait is too. Its not a dine in place either so its just grab and go. The parking is tight. street parking only. If the driveway is open I park in there sometimes and the owners dont seem to mind. If you park at the bank you might get away with it if the parking attendant is not paying attention too. read more

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Ok my bruddahs, if you are ever in the Dillingham area in Kalihi, Monarch Seafood is the place to go for some ONO seafood...FO'REALZ Crab Stuffed Ahi wrapped in Nori: This my friends, is the reason for coming here. The Crab Stuffed Ahi is just the perfect combination of Crabmeat,Ahi, and that Crunchy Texture just blew me out the door. And eating that with some White Rice and the Macaroni Potato Salad was just....WOW!!! The Poke: I have to tell you, the Poke here is downright NASTY!!! As in, it is so Obscenely Good, it's just NASTY!!! I don't know where they get their fish from but, The Limu Poke and the Spicy Ahi Poke were simply devine.. Parking: Parking can be a little tricky here, but the Dillingham Shopping Center is not to far from here and the patking isn't as bad as Kahai Street Kitchen ot Ethel's Grill.. Overall: I'm gonna tell you again, The Crabstuffed Ahi is the KEY here people. They have many other items to choose from, but this is what Monarch Seafood is known for. And don't forget to order a quater pound of any Poke selection they have here. After yo get through eating this, it's Kanack Attack time and time for an ICE, COLD, BEER at one of the Korean Hostess Bars down the street....CHEEHU!!!! read more

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I can't believe I've never reviewed monarch before after coming for years. The ahi Katsu is always my go to. Seared ahi wrapped in nori and flash fried in tempura batter. Can't get any better! But wait the salad dressing is to die for! And the greens are just so fresh and amazing. The spicy ahi is great as well! And you really can't beat the price for what you get. This is one of our top 5 places to take out. read more

Parking is a mess and hard to time right because it is normally busy. Occasionally I'll park at the Bank of Hawaii parking lot and withdraw funds for my lunch.....lol. My coworker offered to pickup since he was out and about so I took him up on his offer since I haven't eaten here in a while. I highly recommend phoning in the order to speed up the process. I ordered my usual, the nori wrapped crab stuffed ahi, which is by far the most popular item on their menu. It comes with a scoop of rice and nolo greens with an asian style garlic house dressing. read more

Stuffed Ahi has been my go to for years!! The absolute best take out & the portion for the price is on point!! Was going to take a pic of my plate but my son ate it all LOL and he is a picky eater so that just confirmed it! Also, if they have any in stock, try their banana cream pie!! So ONO!! read more

Quick rant: Honestly, I don't see what the big deal is with the "immitation crab" comments everyone is making. MOST sushi places serve immitation crab in one way or another, and no one seems to have a problem with it. Lots of locals are raised eating immitation crab and if you don't like it... don't order it! Simple as that folks! Personally I LOVE that shit so the less you like it...the more for me! Okay, rant over.. Really though, the crab stuffed ahi is effin delicious, imitation or not. Its tempura battered, wrapped in nori. I hate when places have nori that is tempura fried and then It comes out soggy. But this one is nice and crispy, whilst keeping the ahi perfectly moist and the crab filling nice and warm. The plate comes with salad dressing, salad, and a scoop of rice. I actually enjoy the salad dressing ON the ahi Itself. Screw the rice and salad..I'm here for the main event. The filling has this sweet/savory & spicy flavor that I'm dying to know how to achieve. Best enjoyed fresh, outside on the grassy spots with good company. Poke here is also top notch. Sashimi grade, huge chunks and simple. None of that sriracha-avo-mayo-everything but the kitchen sink poke.. just fresh fish, salt, shoyu, onion, and lots of love. The way it should be. Forever. And honestly, I LOVE that the owner is this tiny, grouchy, "ol-kepanese" kine lady..it gives this place such great character and the REAL local flare and personality I think is missing in many eateries these days. Remember people, its the old grouchy ladies that keep local jems like this place open for years and years. read more

Monarch Seafoods - Crab stuffed ahi or 'Effin delicious', as it is informally known. - Seafood Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

So I just came into this place on Sunday as a a recommendation from my dad, and let me tell you, this place is no joke! Located in Kalihi, this hole-in-the-wall shop has honestly stolen my heart. Not only do they have poke so fresh that I feel like they just caught it that morning, but they also have delicious hot entrees and banana cream pie! [THE FOOD] 5/5 All entrees come with a side of rice (which may be subbed out for brown rice) and a green side salad with a slice of a tomato. The salad dressing is to die for and leave you ALMOST wishing you just bought yourself a salad for lunch with a tub of the dressing. (Furikake Salmon -$8.95) http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/monarch-seafoods-honolulu?select=X9GUz1j3lwTldMJW5qr9HQ#X9GUz1j3lwTldMJW5qr9HQ Moist, tons of flavor, and my favorite entree from the items ordered. (Nori Wrapped Crab Meat Stuffed Ahi - $8.95) http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/monarch-seafoods-honolulu?select=iYPFb_WvHYosrVMRfrJ9Kw#vNnpuiWP2N0R6C2lLKtrLw Very delicious, but the immitation crab can make it or break it for you. I'm not the biggest fan, but I can eat it and still enjoy the meal. (Tip: they give very little wasabi sauce for this, I'd recommend asking yourself for a little extra) (Ahi Katsu with Creamy Wasabi Sauce - $8.95)http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/monarch-seafoods-honolulu?select=iYPFb_WvHYosrVMRfrJ9Kw#66Vw6P3EPDGFezl5DNvMQw Warning: Wasabi sauce is for true wasabi lovers. If you only put a dash of wasabi in your shoyu, I recommend diluting it with some at home to fit your liking. That being said, I thought the intensity was perfect, as I love wasabi. Great texture and freshness, I've never enjoyed ahi katsu like I have here. (Banana Cream Pie - $2.50 per slice / $14.00 whole pie) So I don't really care for BCP, but I LOVED this one. Can't really put my finger on it. Is it the crust, the creamy, pudding-like consistency, the lightness of the cream? I may never know, but I do know that this place has gotten me into banana cream pies! [THE VALUE] 5/5 All of the entrees above for $8.50, I think that's spank-tacular [THE SERVICE] 3.5/5 The Salmon did take a little longer than the rest, but that's because it's broiled. The lady that helped us wasn't particularly pleasant, but she wasn't horrible either. Definitely didn't look like she was happy to be there. That aside, it didn't change the way I enjoyed my lunch. [MISCELLANEOUS AND OTHER TIPS] -Parking can be rather difficult, so if you have 2 people in the car, one can jump out and get in line while the other parks -Get the banana cream pie, get the banana cream pie, or get the banana cream pie. read more

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This was my first time eating at this place after hearing all about their Nori Wrapped Crab Stuffed AHI:))... We decided to ck this place out after our meeting in town...Being this was the first time going to this place ii didnt want to place a take out order. We (my manager n ii) couldnt find parking as the streets were filled...ii told her to park at the bank, which is located directly across the street as this place is located right at the corner of Kalihi st. We didnt realize until we got out that there was security watching the parking lot. It was my managers idea to literally walk through the bank like we were going in there n come out the other end of the building, LMAO.. Well luckily as we were coming out they lady was going on a lunch break or going home we assumed..We laughed n kept walking without turning back, LOL...But word of advise dont park there.. Upon entering there were several people already in there, it was a really tight fit. It was like we were playing human tetris, hehe...We got to the counter n looked over what they have there which is paper menus as well as whats on the wall.. Of course we ordered the Stuff Ahi, mind u we ordered 4 plates...ii also ordered the Ahi limu which ii must say was FRESH:)) n DELiCiOUS..The food was very quick n it was a good thing ii checked the bag for utensils n napkins bc there wasnt any in there...You need to grab ur own which is located on the counter...They didnt even let me know, but its okay ii wont dock them for that... They really need to renovate space tho, bc its super small in there. But overall it is a MUST try!!! read more

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Bottom line: get the crab stuffed ahi wrapped in nori. The bonus factor was that it was all deep fried. I'd make a return trip for this plate lunch. The salad dressing, I found, kind of went great with the crab so try that out. You can even buy a pint of this salad dressing for $8 (!). My husband got the Hawaiian plate (huge) which came with a pork lau lau, lomi lomi salmon, a smidge of poke, kalua pork, and rice. The poke wasn't bad and he enjoyed the food. Patrons may find Monarch a tad pricey for plate lunch. read more

After reading all of the reviews, I thought I HAD to go here and check it out....well, we did today...the choice was here or Nico's.... When we arrived I noticed piles of take out containers...lots of phone orders just waiting to be picked up. A guy was ahead of us and carried out about 20 lunches and a pie! I thought..."boy this is the place"...so I followed the recommendations and ordered the Crab stuffed Ahi .......well, the crabmeat isn't REALLY crabmeat...is that imitation crabmeat....it was ok...my friend had the Ahi Katsu...I think that was better. The salad was good and dressing delcious! I'd requested brown rice, but received white rice......one thing...the ladies need to learn to smile. A smile goes a loooong way. I was mildly disappointed but would go back to try other items....just wish those ladies would smile..... read more

My wife was craving this place and being the good husband (and also to keep the peace... jk!) were decided to treat my mother and brother in law for lunch. After reading the reviews and past experience everyone ordered the crab stuffed ahi except for me who ordered the ahi katsu. Big tip, stick with their signature dish, the crab stuffed ahi where the reviews are 100% accurate. Ahi katsu was too raw and there was not enough breading. It's was just ok. The nalo greens with their dressing hits the spot. Would pick this instead of the mac salad. For what you get, the price is very reasonable and you get good value for your money. Calling in your order is a very good idea. The parking is hell! You'll need a tag team for pickup, one person to go inside to pickup the order and the other person to hold the space while parking illegally (did I just say that????)... uh I mean parking "creatively". There are some spots on Colburn St or near Foodland or at the bank across the street. Eating in is not an option. read more

I love coming here! The food wait is pretty fast and the food is always tasty. I got the crab stuffed ahi plate (my usual go-to). And usually I don't really care for the salads on any other place, but their dressing is amazing. Next time I come here, I'll probably order the crab stuffed ahi with all salads. Initially I thought they only took cash, but they do take credit cards! I'll definitely be back! read more

Not really a seafood person, of course I am usually a see-food-and-eat-it-person (ha ha ha). So when it came to ordering from Monarchs SEAFOOD, I was a bit iffy about it. But hearing this place is of legend when it comes to friends who work nearby who rave about their nori crusted crab stuffed ahi complete with nalo greens, you know I just had to try it. Of course when it is also offered at a work training, I was going to totally spring for it! It was so good that I convinced my mom to order it for the both of us the next day. Good eats for two days in a row? Yes please!! Hot to order and extra crispy with the panko deep fried nori surrounding the delicious ahi and crab pieces all rolled into one. Let's not forget the finishing touch of the wasabi sauce drizzled atop it, which added a nice kick to the main course. It all went perfectly with the rice! Let's take a moment to talk about the nalo greens. Seems simple enough right? WRONG. Well. It is nalo greens (not that cheap iceberg lettuce), but the dressing is superb! I'm a total dressing fanatic when it comes to my salad. Granted parking sucks and it's a two person job (someone picks up while the other waits in the car in the parking lot across the street), the food is worth it... All for $9.00 a plate. Ordered over telephone and they had it ready within 10 minutes. Talk about speedy service! Totally craving it again. This place is no joke. read more

Monarch Seafoods - Yummy!!! - Seafood Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

If you are not familiar with the area, this is not easy to find. The entrance is small, and inside is super small as well. Nice looking Poke's behind the glass. I had Ahi Katsu, also tasted Crab wrap. Both has great potential but sorry to say, these were just ok. It did not meet my great expectation. I might had ordered too early before picking up, but when I got there, the food was not ready. I thought my food was sitting there for a long time, that is the taste impression I got. These people are working super hard. Nice view. Street parking only (we had parked at the bank across the street). YELP 365 - 53/365 read more

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The deal breaker is the Imitation Crab in the Stuffed Ahi Crab Nori Roll. It ruins the whole roll,Unfortunately. Might return just to try the Banana Pie? read more

Potluck with "cake" as the theme got me thinking outside the sweet, frosting spongy, desserty box. We had cake noodle, cauliflower cake, Korean pancake already on the menu. I immediately thought of crabcakes, and who makes the best crabcakes? Monarch Seafoods! I found them on Yelp, and gave a call. They are locate on the corner of Colburn & Kalihi St. NO PARKING LOT. Street parking only. C Two sizes of CC that are sold by they piece. The small one is $2.25 and "a little bigger than a Susan B Anthony dollar", and the large one is $3.50 and about 3" in diameter. B I opted for the large ones for my potluck. They came with a little tub of crabcake sauce. A+ I got there a bit before my scheduled pick up and was told they were waiting on the blast two cakes to come out of the fryer. I perused the menu and ended up getting a Mochiko Chicken bento for my lunch. Served with a large scoop of rice and tossed greens. B (no "A" given because the greens were very bitter & I wish I were given a choice of salads) Got to my potluck @ 6:15, threw them into a 300 deg oven, pan and all, to reheat for 20 minutes. It was a major hit because apparently the census was, Monarch Seafoods makes the best crabcakes!! read more

I love eating like a local. Crab stuffed ahi is a MUST. This tiny hole in the wall place has some food that AHI-MAZING! There really isn't anywhere to sit and eat, so it's best to just pick up and eat somewhere else. Delicious and filling. MMM!!!! read more

CRAB STUFFED AHI is a unique and very tasty dish. Poke is pretty good too and they also have Crab Musubi. Good, quick take out. No dining area. read more

My office is about 2 blocks from this place and have always walked or drove by. After 2 years I finally decided to try this place out. This place is tiny. You walk in and bam there's the fish counter. Menu taped up on the right side of the doors as you walk in as are the special for the day. There are also menu's on the left hand corner of the fish counter. At the fish counter you can get your fix of fresh poke or even request slabs of fish. Prices here are pretty good for plate lunches and they are pretty generous with the portions. So far I've had the Hawaiian Plate. Really well priced at $9.75 and it includes lau lau, kalua pig, lomi salmon, poke and rice. Probably one of the better Hawaiian plates I've had in a while. HMMM maybe even better than... dare I say it Young's or Yama's. The ahi katsu with creamy wasabi sauce for $8.95 is really good. Extremely fresh ahi lightly fried. MMM, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. read more

Monarch Seafoods - Ahi katsu - Seafood Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I came here on a recommendation of a local (born, not flown) when I said I love seafood and sushi. He recommended I get poke and any of the plate lunches. I opted for ahi belly plate lunch and a mini order of fried ahi poke. To my surprise, the mini order of ahi poke was also a plate lunch in itself. The ahi belly came with a scoop of rice, and both came with a side salad. It was so much food that I had to eat it over a span of two meals. Both were prepared fresh to order. This place has no parking (that I saw) and I ended up parking across the street at the bank while I ordered and took my food home. I was planning on eating there, but this place has no seating. It seems to be pick up and go only. read more

LOVE their ahi katsu with shoyu wasabi so much that I called in an order Saturday morning along with another plate. Lady on the phone said they were out of the other plate so I settled for something else. Lo and behold after driving all the way to Kalihi to pick up the plates they said they were out of ahi katsu even though I seen a couple of ahi Katsu plates behind them ready for pick up. The nerve and lack of customer service not to mention no apologies for my trouble has caused them to lose a long time customer because I hold grudges FOREVER read more

I came in to pick a phone order for my wife, which she placed a day before because they were really busy. It was a little loud inside the place. I had to repeat three times to the young girl that was helping me. She said knew which order. I left, but when I got home to check the order, it was the wrong order and it looks like it may be someone else's order. I was pretty upset. i tried calling back but no one answered the phone. When I looked at the time, it was too late to drive back since I live way out in the west side. The food is great, but not worth my time if the order is not even right and no one picks up the phone to help. Maybe you folks should make sure that the order is correct for the customer before they leave. I was really busy that day and had to rush and pick up other orders for a get-together. read more

Absolutely accommodating! Thank you to Monarch's team for having all 16 of my plates ready within an hour! The phone order process was easy and I had to call back twice to do add ons to my order (I know how annoying that could be) yet Monarch's was accommodating. On top of that, one of the gentlemen helped bring my order to my car! read more

Don't get anything that isn't seafood from there. All their seafood stuff is delicious. Everything else sucks. Especially their mushroom and pork. They are both the worst I ever had from anywhere. Extremely dry and hard to chew. read more

No parking. Placed a large take out order for our office about 12-15 plates. I ordered the garlic butter sauteed tiger shrimp with zucchini and mushrooms over linguine - NO TASTE, don't order it! It was so bland I ended up NOT eating it. Sad.... We took them off our office list of places to get lunch read more

Nori wrapped crab stuffed ahi. Simply the best, most original meal ever. But everything else is just as tasty too!

The fried seafood bento is probably one of the best I've tried on Oahu. The croquette and the fried poke with the sauce is so good! All of their plate lunch for the price and quantity is on point. I haven't tried any of the noodles dishes yet so I'll update the review when I do. Also, they deliver! read more

Monarch Seafoods - Seafood Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Poke bowls were tiny. Dirty rice was super good. We are spoiled in town because of redfish and foodland which gives double if not more.

This is their delicious salad dressing recipe. My sister worked there many years ago and would prepare many of the dishes she learned there for our family. The ahi stuffed crab and ahi katsu are our family favorites. The green sauce is wasabi powder with mayo. Delicious! read more

Crab stuffed ahi. That seems to be the jam around here and it was just okay for me. For my friend and I, when we arrived shortly after 1PM, we kind of wanted to leave. The customer service was horrendous. Please give us a few minutes to look over your menu rather than rushing us and making loud grunts of disapproval as we look over your menu. We want to enjoy your food like others have! The crab stuffed ahi was mediocre. It was very dry upon consumption. I'm a little suspicious because after we had ordered it, they gave us our take out containers almost immediately. It makes me wonder how long it had been sitting. Poke was choice! We had shoyu ahi and the wasabi tako. So good!!! Tako was so tender and soft. Same goes for the ahi. I enjoyed the tako much more than the ahi. I was so pleasantly surprised! The dressing on the salad was also really good. I enjoyed the little green salad. Note: I used the salad dressing for the crab stuffed ahi as well since it was dry. The dressing may have salvaged the entree for myself. In all, I'll come back if I'm in the area or if a friend wants to do take out. But really, I was so put off by the owner/cook/cashier. read more