Nu'uanu Okazaya has been in the same location ever since I can remember. And, just like any good local okazuya, the key to getting the best stuff is still the same - come as early as you can. They open at 5:00am. Some of the best sides sell out before 8:00am. You can eat-in, but an okazuya is really about grabbing a quick take-out of old school local Japanese food favorites. If you don't come regularly you will be tempted to get a little bit of everything - and easily spend $30. What would qualify as a mini plate is really just an appropriately portioned one person meal - at less than half that price. The Justin Special, chow funn, chicken katsu, a nori musubi, is currently $11.00. The Scott Special, chow funn, shoyu chicken, a teriyaki hamburger patty, is currently $10.50. A breakfast plate of 2 scoops of rice, 2 eggs any style, with either bacon, vienna sausage, portuguese sausage, or spam is a great deal for downtown, at $8.50. It's available between 5:00 - 9:00am. I make my own combos for $10.00 or less. The furikake chicken katsu ( w extra sauce) + green bean w lup cheong + fried rice goes for $10.00. Shoyu or mochiko chicken + stuffed aburaage + cucumber namasu + a nori musubi, is just under $10.00, A teriyaki burger patty + a slice of spam + an egg omelet slice + a furikake musubi currently runs less than $5.50. [[HIGHLIGHT]]There is a sit down shared table and a TV if you can give up looking at your smartphone.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Try to order in moderation. It is very easy for your eyes to be bigger than your stomach. read more

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Local Style Chow Fun. Ono. Different from Chinesey kine. Drier & tastier. Love it. My fave thing to do is add the String Beans...Mix um all together. BAM kinda now healthy! Slap on a piece Fried Chicken. BAM little less healthy, but the ultimate meal. read more

I have not been to Nu'uanu Okazuya since...the last catered funeral service that I attended, pre-pandemic. I can't say that I recall the food. So, earlier in the week, I ordered a'la carte: Inari Sushi, Spam Musubi, Mochiko/Garlic Chicken. And, the Inari Sushi was to die for...I mean, die...in that was the worse cone sushi that I've ever had. I was disappointed with the Mochiko chicken. as well. A bit dry and bland. What can I say, when the Spam musubi is the best dish. Hours are 500a till 100p; on Sundays it is 0700a to 100p. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Metered street parking is available. It is a sketchy area early in the morning. Hookers and homeless add more flavor than the dying cone sushi[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]. read more

Nu'uanu Okazuya - Nu'uanu Okazuya display case - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Old school okazuya eats in the heart of Honolulu. They have a small area to eat your bento, which I took advantage of. No frills. Seems like they mostly cater to local customers. The items I tried: Furikake chicken- so good Shoyu hot dog- comfort food Kobu maki- was filled with a piece of pork and gobo- so good- like something your Obaachan (grandma) would make Egg croquette- unique item Nori musubi- to eat with the "okazu" I'd definitely come back on a future visit to the Islands. read more

Nu'uanu Okazuya - Okazuya goodies - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Customer service here was awful. The owner as a grump. Food choice selection may be good for some, but today I found nothing that really appeased me, but nonetheless I still got me a small plate to support this local business. Like other okazuya, you will find chicken, (some looked overcooked), spam, egg, hash Patty, musubi, cone sushi, hot dog and a few others . [[HIGHLIGHT]]It's been renovated so there is place to eat your food.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

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Growing up in the area, Nu'uanu Okazuya holds a special place in my heart. I used to come here all the time before school- literally the most iconic field trip lunch ever. You can build your own custom bento here, and they also have premade bentos to grab and go. For starch, I love getting their chow fun noodles. Then, you gotta get some type of chicken- either garlic chicken, fried chicken, mochiko chicken, shoyu chicken, or spicy "chicken Alice". As a kid, I loved getting the shoyu hotdog but it's been a while since I've had it. Growing up is now preferring the kobocha squash and tofu now. There is a parking lot in the back and a lot nearby Tiger Sugar. [[HIGHLIGHT]]This spot caters to the morning crowd and the saying "early bird gets the worm" definitely applies here.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] If they have andangi, a fried donut- GET IT! They have it on special every once in a while and it's so good. read more

Nuʻuanu Okazuya has been a place I've been going to since I was working in my 20s. If you want real variety, this is the spot. They have so many classic local dishes, but two things really stand out to me. First is their Kombu Maki, which you hardly see anywhere anymore. Second is their signature furikake teri-glazed chicken katsu, which is absolutely to die for. [[HIGHLIGHT]]This place was founded in the mid-1960s and is one of the last true "hole in the wall" local spots left.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] They recently went through a tough time after a major water blowout that damaged the shop and forced a full renovation. Now that they're back, they really deserve our support. Please come support this business. Places like this are part of Hawaii's food history and culture. My rating: 5 stars. I've never had a bad experience here. The food is consistently good and always satisfying. read more

The food is still very good. It's the attitude of the staff that keeps me away. I don't feel like a valued customer, but more like an inconvenience. read more

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They charge for containers. Overall the food was subpar. Nishime had a lot of daikon -not ono. The namasu had a lot of daikon -not ono. Cone sushi was small and too sweet. I wouldnt go back. Fujuya is way better but they were closed on Tuesday read more

What a pleasant surprise - [[HIGHLIGHT]]nice choices, tasty dishes, cozy setting, good service![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Walked along Nuuanu Avenue after working out at the local YMCA, I found Nu'uanu Okazuya along the way to downtown. The noren in front of the doorway peaked my interest. The ladies were pleasant and attentive, as I perused the choices in the glass display. There is a section for hot dishes, and one for cold items. The 'specials' were named after the favorites of some of the regular customers - charming! For about $10, I had shoyu chicken, green beans, cone sushi, and a drink...with leftovers - nice value! read more

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The comfort place... [[HIGHLIGHT]]It's not because they have one of the coziest corner with sofa facing an aquarium and tv for you to sink in and chill but shhhhh...they have a great choices of the OG stuff that brings back memories of what Thanksgiving was all about.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] As I no longer have dad and brother it has been a simple and quite ordinary day that though I'm usually off anyways but so are many biz as well so it was a bowl of instant noodles for me along with a lazy day. So though why not have some comfort before I start my work day and Nu'uanu Okazuya is a great option as they open early at 5am and with if you arrive early enough there's a lot of street metered parking right in front of the restaurant for an easy dash in. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Walking in I just love the comfort vibe it has with some seatings along with Japanese decor touches if I had the time I'd rather enjoy it right here along side the aquarium.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Everything is behind a display case and all are Ala carte so it's a matter of cravings and on this morning it was shoyu chicken, squash, furikake salmon, and chicken long rice which was more like japchae as the long rice was thick with a simmered shoyu flavor while the shoyu chicken was nice and mild with the meat falling off the bone, the squash wasn't my favorite as it wasn't the Wintermelon but the flavors is very nice and gentle. All were in packed in a single compartment plate divided by paper boat plate is nice so that each item stays in place while my salmon parked right on top with a piece of patty paper is a great packing system. At these al carte prices it does add up but what a post Thanksgiving feast that I deserve which was simple but filled with comfort from Nu'uanu Okazuya. Thank you! read more

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Today I got to try the Shoyu Chicken Plate for $12 and it was very tasty. [[HIGHLIGHT]]It is a very small and cute place with great service.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

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Came here early in the morning before work at about 6:45 and there was a decent line. The workers worked together to get orders out quick and move the line. I got the Justin plate because I love chicken katsu and chow fun. The chow fun was delicious - Had a good flavor and wasn't too oily. The furikake chicken katsu was my favorite! So crispy, flavorful, and juicy. Yum!! I will definitely get again. Parking: Street parking in front read more

Nu'uanu Okazuya - Justin plate - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Who doesn't love a good Okazuya. My coworkers and I decided to get lunch here for the office since we could get a little of everything for everyone to enjoy. We decided to order a couple of days ahead just to make sure that they were able to accommodate our order. We placed the order for pickup for around 12pm and when I arrived to pick up our order at around 11:45, it was already ready and boxed up neatly. I believe there's parking in the back of the building, but if you're lucky, there's street parking right in front the building. I was able to park right in front and load the box of food in my car with ease. One of the workers was even nice enough to hold the door for me and open my car door! The prices here are reasonable compared to other okazuya joints around town, but just make sure you order from an updated menu and not one that we used from 2017 as prices went up from then. Lol. I've come here before to grab breakfast and and average price point would probably be $15-$25 per visit for one person, but knowing it's an okazuya joint, your total can add up the more you order. You can call their food comfort food as it just hits the spot whenever you're craving on the go food. A few dishes we got were the cone sushi, their shoyu hot dog, mochiko chicken and teriyaki hamburgers to name a few. Each were just like eating your grandmas homemade after school meals. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The inside of the restaurant also reminders me of the coziness of being in my grandma's living room.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Being a mom and pop shop, I know how much love the owners put into make their dishes. So if you're ever feeling for some comfort okazuya dishes near the downtown Honolulu area, definitely check Nuuanu Okazuya to fill those cravings! read more

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A cute casual restaurant Shoyu hotdog- a little too salty for me but tasty and shiny Fried hotdog- disappointment, doesnt even have batter Musubi- i dont recall trying the musubi (sister ate it) Sweet potato- also dont recall eating it Kobacha chunk- dont recall Fish- dont remember which was which, but one of the fish was the highlight. Even my sisters wanted more of it. (A wild guess might be the butterfish). Very tasty fish and easily the best food we got. Still lots of bones tho Extra Cash only Honestly felt disappointed going in here even when I chose this place. Very small, food didnt have the best presentation Ask for the food and they put it in a box for you (for some reason I expected okazuya as in you get to get it yourself which this wasnt) Fam were very sketchy the whole way walking to here but when they actually ate the food, they enjoyed it. To me, it still felt sad [[HIGHLIGHT]]Ambiance is very cute and very comfortable if you sit on the couch (which I did). But tables and chairs are tall, presentation is poor, food is alright[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Im very split, this wouldnt be a bad place to go to casually but you would most likely have better places to go Prices are very generous though Because I couldnt fit it all in the pic; 2 container- 1$, musubi- 1$, shoyu hotdog- 1.50$, kabocha chunk (squash)- 3.75$, steamed sweet potato- 1.25$, fried hotdog- 2.25$, mackerel fish- 4.75$, miso butterfish- 3$, tax- 87c If I went alone, wouldve been 3/5 but cause my fam surprisingly enjoyed it 4/5 read more

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Stopped by on a Saturday around 11:15. My first time here and it sure was busy. There's a small table that can seat 4 people. Most were take out. We decided to eat inside. The prices are reasonable. I think my order was about $10 and I picked 4 items. The food was good, but the items in the cabinet are cold. I bit into the garlic chicken and was disappointed by the temperature. In the future, I will bring it home and pop it in the oven. read more

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Service: Lady was nice and friendly Food: all the food on display looked delicious! Ambiance: Casual, simple and Clean. What we ordered: Furikake Musubi Chow Fun Chicken Katsu with Sauce Kimpira Gobo Kobu Maki Great okazuya take out to eat at the nearby park on a beautiful Hawaiian trade-wind day. read more

Nu'uanu Okazuya - Simple picnic for two - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Got the Justin special. Chow fun, chicken katsu and a musubi. Katsu is very flavorful, ask for extra sauce. Nice touch sprinkling furikake on top. Chow fun taste like dashi powder added, different, but good. Rice in the musubi little bit mushy, but still not bad. Pretty good for $10.50. read more

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Oh man, does anyone remember going to Okazuyas early in the morning before school on special occasions like field trip days to pick up lunch? This place brought back those vibes! Got: Shoyu Hot Dog, Shoyu Tofu, Potato Hash Patty, noodles, Boiled Egg Fishcake, Sweet Potato, Gobo Fishcake, Miso Butterfish. Next time I would get five shoyu hot dogs lol they're so good and cheap! Everything was a hit to me except the shoyu tofu and boiled egg fish cake, they were good but I would try something new next time. Butterfish had bones but was so good, who cares about the bones! read more

Nu'uanu Okazuya - Shoyu Hot Dog, Shoyu Tofu, Potato Hash Patty, noodles, Boiled Egg Fishcake, Sweet Potato, Gobo Fishcake, Miso Butterfish - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I used to go here more often years ago when I worked out at the nearby Y. Since then, a new owner has taken over. I can't remember when I last visited (years), but I happened to be in town early, and I wanted to try something different. Besides the ala carte items you can pick, there is a breakfast option. Person taking my order didn't have the greatest customer service skills. I also picked a couple of items from a nicer person: butterfish and corned beef hash. Similar to my last visit years ago, the ala carte items were not hot. In fact, the temperature of the butterfish was off (some parts cool). Regardless, it was yummy just felt weird. Overall, I'd say this is a try once and decide. Not a recurring place for me. BTW, I paid about $15 for the plate plus drink. read more

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Haven't been there in a while. Good comfort Japanese food. Brings back memories of cone sushi, musubi and chow fun. Gotta get the fried chicken and shoyu hotdog. The macpotato salad just hit the spot [[HIGHLIGHT]]Service was great and the place was clean[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Street parking but if you're quick and lucky read more

Shhhh don't tell, Nuuanu Okazuya has some of the tastiest and most innovative okazuya on the island. When I am wanting to treat myself, I head over to Nuuanu Okazuya on Nuuanu Avenue. When my boss asks me where he should buy us lunch, I enthusiastically shout "Nuuanu Okazuya!" And he did, once. Just once tho. Lol. The reason one less stars is because this eatery tends to be one of the more expensive okazuya. Or perhaps it's just the items I choose? Either way, if I am not careful, I can easily walk away spending $60 or $70 for two persons with little leftover. You pay for what you get. And what one gets here tho is always memorable and delicious! Protips: Safeway does offer a discount coupon on the back of some of their sales receipts for Nuuanu Okazuya. Join the Five Stars customer loyalty program and get points here @ Nuuanu Okazuya too! read more

This is a old mom and pop okazuya. It's small, quaint, and cozy with a big round table for people to share or a family. They were friendly and patient because of all the choices. Plate: Fried chicken, nori musubi, nishime, shoyu chicken long rice, fish cake, Kobacha, and small corn beef hash. I enjoy fried chicken, nori musubi, Kobacha, and nishime. The egg was bland and needed a sauce, but crispy. Don't be afraid, you can ask for a dipping sauce or what a non identifying item is. Ciao! read more

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Was hoping for more based on some reviews I saw. But was a bit disappointed. Things are on the pricy side as we spent over $25 for two plates which included fried saimin, chow fun, green beans, three cone sushi, two teri burger, 2 hot dogs and one potato hash. We came around 10:30ish and some things were almost gone. The food was ok- I've made way better okazuya food lol or tasted better from elsewhere. The chow fun was literally noodles and green onions with several pieces of bean sprouts and no taste. I think the tastiest thing I got was the teri burger, it's so tiny tho you need two. There was street parking in front when we got there. Not sure how it is during busy lunch rush. Maybe I'll come back to try the won ton as the photo I saw looked good. read more

Nu'uanu Okazuya - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Always had the best okazu in downtown when they used be common in the seventies .good service. read more

Nu'uanu Okazuya - Comfort food - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

2022 Okazuya Review #8: Revisting an old favorite at Nu'uanu Okazuya. I did visit a couple months ago and found that I didn't care for some of the dishes but went back for an honest assessment. I like that Nu'uanu Okazuya constantly replenishes the dishes while they are open. Food: Standard Inari Sushi, Musubi, Gobo, Egg, Teri Hamburger, Konbu Maki, Veg Tempura, Hash, garlic chicken, Chow Fun, and few other items that caught my eye. This time around the food was solid, Chow Fun was much better as it wasn't as peppery. The gobo was somewhat spicier than other okazuyas. Inari rice was a little less vinegary then I like it but decent. Veg Tempura was good but on the small side. Overall food was solid. Service: Good service, walk in and up to the counter, look at the food through the glass case, and order away. Quick, friendly, accurate, everything you'd want in your neighborhood okazuya. Atmosphere: Usually there is a spot or two on the street open when you drive up, the store itself expanded some years ago and now feels very roomy. Clean, bright, it's a comfortable space to walk into and order your bento. Value: Standard value, 2 plates for $37 which is right in line with most of the other okazuyas around town. Portion size were right in the middle, not skimpy but not huge either. Overall: I put Nu'uanu in the upper middle of my now eight okazuyas visited. I like the location, they normally are stocked up, everyone has their favorite dish to order from my experience. Solid 3.5 in my book. read more

Nu'uanu Okazuya - Plate 1 - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Been wanting to try here, so finally went for the first time, located on Nuuanu Ave, right around the corner from Tiger Sugar/Papa Johns; get street/metered parking right out front. All I seen was a couch, and one table for 4 for people to sit. I picked a bunch of food, gotta have furikake rice, got hash, Teri hotdog, some fish cake, and bbq chicken. Brought my food home to share with my sister. And the food was blehhh.. it was alright. My sister liked the hash and chicken. I liked the chicken and rice. Would I go there again, probably not. I like Fukuya and Gulick Deli read more

Aloha Auinalā from, Hawai'i Nei @da 808.... My ooh my!! I recently had my Humangous Okazuya Lunch from here recently; 2/26/2022, from @ Nu'uanu Okazuya & boy was I surprised when my Hubby came home with my Crazy Nui Lunch plate! Iol I called in my order to this Okazuya place that day, since my Hubby was doing a few errands & after he was done, he called me & asked me where I wanted some Lunch from, etc. Ring, Ring to Nu'uanu Okazuya place & a nice lady answered the phone. I then asked her if I could do a take-out order & my Hubby is coming by to pick up our Okazuya food soon. Okay she tells me, then I asked her if their was much Food left & she told me yes, okay, then I put in my order of a Handful of Food items, 2 Inari Sushi, Teri Hamburger, Chow Fun (Delish Chow Fun!, not Salty @all, Hallelujah!), den, 1 piece of Spam, Shoyu Chicken (couldn't eat it, gave it to the Hubby!), haha!, den, Furikake Chicken (that was Ono!), den, Potato Mac Salad, Namasu. Everything was very Ono & Delish I must say, & I really ordered too much Food that day, which you can an always share your Food & or just put your leftovers in your Refrigerator too! I probably have only eaten at this Nu'uanu Okazuya maybe a hanful of times, but I know that I'm definitely returning to this place again in the Future, I'm ordering less Food on my next visit here. Lol. I asked my Hubby where to park & he shared with me where to park, Mahalo Hubby David! I feel the prices for this Okazuya is reasonable, I checked out the receipt & saw how much Everything was for each item. I kinda feel bad, my Hubby shared with me that our total for both of our Okazuya Lunches that day was a Whopping total of $32.00+, I was like Huh, that's a bit steep for Okazuya? But, if you look at my Okazuya Lunch plate, their is a lot of Food in my Container, Yikes!! Speaking of Container, they did charge us, $1.00 per ea. Container. Haha. And, since I ordered so much Food for my Lunch, I was SO FULL the rest of the day!! Omg! Lastly, Mahalo Nui to my Hardworking Hubby all the time, who will go anywhere to pick up food for us & we usually take turns in choosing where we would like to eat from. Thank you David so much!!! Also, thank u to Nu'uanu Okazuya for providing such great Okazuya Food items, your Food was really good & Tatsy!!! Aloha! read more

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This has to be one of my favorite Okazuya's. The reason being that they open at 5am everyday except Sunday (7am). Yeah, I'm an early bird and no I don't eat worms, but if Nuuanu Okazuya made a it... I might just eat it! To be honest, I've gotten food from Nuuanu for a very long time and they have gotten better and better with time, so I'm way overdue for a review for this forgotten Okazuya. First, I love that they have the classic Okazuya dishes. Musubi's, and simple variety of them perfect. Chow fun, consistently Ono and nice portions given everytime single time I've ordered it. Of course the shoyu chicken, hotdog and namasu. Also, Such a great selection of different variety of broke da mouth dishes in the glass case for you to choose from. You know you want to "Do it" ! No shame! Tip: Nuuanu Okazuya participates in the Fivestars mobile app. Street parking. read more

Nu'uanu Okazuya - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I kept reading about Nuuanu Okazuya in Frolic and I was intrigued. All of their food sounded so good in the article. Lucky me, just so happen that my daughter had an interview right down the road. After I mapped it out, I told my husband, "let's go there after to get lunch." He normally eats a sad sandwich for lunch so of course he had no objections. We got super lucky with parking. It's just street parking right in front of the place. I would imagine if you came early in the morning or at actual lunch time, parking spaces might be filled. But we came around 9:00 so it was perfect. As soon as you walk in, you see all the goodness they have to offer. There was a guy that came after us and I let him go first because I just couldn't decide. My husband decided to ditch his breakfast at home and got two plates, one for breakfast and one for lunch. I got chow fun, egg fishcake, crab fishcake, Nori chicken, furikake musubi, and nishime. The chow fun had great flavor to jt. And I liked the furikake musubi and nishime. But my absolute favorites of my plate was the fishcake. Not sure how they made it but it was so good. The Nori chicken needed a little more salt. Overall though, I really liked the offerings they had. I liked the selection of Japanese dishes like gobo, kabocha, and nishime. I hope to come back soon. read more

Nu'uanu Okazuya - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Update on Nuuanu Okazuya can't go wrong with Okazuya early in the morning just got a little fried noodles, nori chicken, egg fish cake and a shoyu hot dog yum. Always friendly fast service and prices average could be costly depending what you order . Plus Okazuya is not that cheap anyway everything is ala carte and individual price. Lots of parking if you go early street parking right in front of the restaurant . Be safe and support local read more

Nu'uanu Okazuya - Breakfast - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Spam musubi $2.35 Look at the picture! There was hardly any rice. What is up with this okazuya read more

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[[HIGHLIGHT]]Ambiance was great![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Location convenient! Food was great as we went early so it was still kind of warm. read more

Mistakenly are a burnt hamburger. Not only was it burnt in taste but it was hard and dry as well. Not coming here again read more

Nu'uanu Okazuya - Burnt burger on the right - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Found this spot on the 5 stars app. Went in the morning before work and was surprised at the amount of different options available. Ended up trying almost one of everything including a few different kinds of fishcake, chorizo, and their famous chicken katsu. The katsu had kind of a vinegar marinade and was topped with furikake. It was an interesting flavor. The prices were pretty reasonable, but the food overall was not super amazing. I'm glad I tried it, but am not in a hurry to go back. The service was ok, but no one was happy or smiling. read more

Nu'uanu Okazuya - A sampling of many okazu items including fishcakes, green beans, noodles and sausages - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Used to be good. Went downhill. Bought musubis and tasted spoiled. I smelled it and the rice was sour, spoiled. I threw everything in the trash, including other things I bought. I didn't to get food poisoning. I won't go here again. Safety first! read more

Actually a hidden gem and hole in the wall. They have both Japanese food and southern American food somehow. I had the collared greens, pot roast, mashed potatoes and some crab fishcakes. The collard greens were the best I've ever had and I'm from the south. Mashed potatoes and pot roast were delicious too. Big and pleasant surprise read more

See attached photo of receipts for latest prices on some items. Chow fun - okay taste, little pricey for quantity. Gobo - I liked the spicy taste, I think it is made from frozen gobo vs fresh gobo. Egg omelet - good, recommended buy. Nori musubi - had better at other places, dry and low quality rice. Teri burger - too finely minced meat, teri sauce ok. Shrimp tempura - do not recommend, dry and overcooked. Nishime, chicken long rice, kobu maki - comment was it tasted ok. They ran out of Chicken Alice chicken on recent visit, which I wanted to eat. Only place that I know that is open 7 days a week. read more

Nu'uanu Okazuya - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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STILL SOLID OKAZUYA !!! I haven't been here in a while but I had a craving for Okazuya so I decided to visit here again. This time around I ordered the garlic chicken, shoyu hotdog, shoyu chicken, shrimp tempura, kabocha, kombu maki, green beans with lup chong, chow fun, nori musubi, cone sushi and the baked beans with hot dogs. I thought the cone sushi was too sweet and the rice was too soft. The baked beans was good but it was a little sweet for me. The green beans with lup chong didn't taste that fresh. Everything else was excellent. This Okazuya has some really interesting items that you won't find at other Okazuya such as collard greens which was on the menu today. Service was really fast and friendly. Will be back when I'm in the area. read more

The continuing mission: find the best old school okazuya on Oahu. First, the quality of food at an old school okazuya is measured very differently from Western cuisine. Burgers with fillers and a rubbery texture from being bound with eggs, rubbery fishcakes, simple but sweet teriyaki sauces made of Aloha shoyu, ginger and sugar, and everything perfect at room temp. Don't like it that way? Go eat a plate lunch. Nuuanu Okazuya (est 1965. Sold and reopened 2007) New owner usually means crash and burn but miraculously, the plantation flavors making the old school okazuya great still exists, sort of. Thermonuclear spicy kimpira gobo? Vienna sausage or boiled egg encased fishcake? Me thinks not. Maki sushi - Not available. Inari (AKA cone sushi) - sweet soy seasoned age cone, not overly wet but very dense and packed with rice. Konbu maki (seasoned seaweed wrapped pork) - Well made with the perfect amount of gobo and pork inside. Very well seasoned. Unfortunately it is wrapped in dashi konbu and not simmered enough to make it tender. Fried chicken - simple salt and pepper seasoned. Well fried. Moist on the inside without being greasy. Tempura - None sampled. Odds and ends - Nuuanu Okazuya has always been known for fishcakes. They are very good. deep fried, slightly sweet, MSG seasoned, room temp, rubbery with bits of this or that, exactly as they should be. The saba, simply seasoned with salt and cooked on a flattop is solid as is the shoyu butterfish simmered in a sweetened soy broth. The miso butterfish, properly cooked but lacks deep marinated flavor. Very friendly, patient counter service more than willing to help okazuya noobs. Inexpensive. Just don't go hangry else two full containers and $40 later... Does it make the grade? Surprisingly yes. Lots of the traditional flavors in many of the dishes. Impressive for a "Johnny come lately". read more

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