Nice Japanese restaurant in Waikele. Good food and good service. It opens at 10:30 and we got there 10:40. We were hungry so we decided to eat first and go to the store later and that was a good decision. This place was almost full little after 11am on a weekday! My husband and I like combination meal. ($19.75～$23.75) There are list of choices A and B and you can choose 2 items. It comes with rice, miso soup, salad, and appetizer. It's very filling so sometimes I take home my leftovers. We ordered AA combination. I had squid tempura and miso butterfish. My husband ordered shrimp tempura and chicken teriyaki. Tempura had 2 squids (2shrimps on my husband's) and few vegetable tempura. We love it. My favorite was miso butterfish! Other Combination meal choices: Choice A has yakitori, beef teriyaki, chicken katsu, soft shell crab, vegetable tempura, saba and few more choices. Choice B has fried scallops, fried oysters, sushi, sashimi, and few other choices. Other menu items are donbiri, suhi, nabe, noodles, and teishoku. What we want to try is Lobster combination! read more

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Very satisfying food and authentic ambiance feels like you're in japan.Service is so great. read more

Restaurant Kunio - Birthday and valentine celebration - Japanese Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

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One of my favorite Japanese restaurants. My daughters and I and dinner on Black Friday. Surprisingly the wait was not very long. Got on the list shopped in Local Motion for a few minutes. By the time we were done we waited less than 5 minutes and they seated us. The staff as always extremely friendly, the food came out quick and as always yummy. read more

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We really love this place. They have always served great food, had great service and when our team went to respond to the Southeast Asia tsunami, they donated a huge amount to help get our team to Sri Lanka to provide much needed medical care. There have been many times we have wanted to eat there but the wait time is too long. However with the pandemic, we went ahead and tried take out. We both ordered Chirashi A. There isn't a whole lot to elaborate on other than its as delicious as it is in house. Fresh, fantastic, beautifully presented. I love the gobo and seafood salad that it comes with. My Mom always steals my miso soup and even though we got take out she took that container too. LOL. Glad some things are consistent. When its safe enough for us to return to restaurants (we aren't ready yet) this will definitely be one of the first. read more

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This place is amazing. Especially their boat yummy, it consist of everything from sashimi to lobster tge best part it feeds 4 people and probably could feed more. We also had sushi and other items. The staff is friendly the ambience is just like being in japan read more

My favorite Japanese restaurant! Food is always ono and usually comes out quickly. Most times long wait for dinner. If you go late (after 8:30pm), there is little to no wait. read more

Such beautiful presentation and the fish is so fresh and delicious. We did have a 30 min wait but I see why when we were seated. Service is slow... server never came back around to refill my tea and the hostess didn't call anybody in even though the tables were already cleaned. They had many to go orders being picked up while we were there. I truly enjoyed the chirashi and it is honestly the best one I've ever had. So worth it and can't wait to try more items in their menu next time! read more

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Only on special occasions do we make our way to Restaurant Kunio and so glad this was the consensus for my mom's birthday celebration. We already knew what we wanted, which was the Funamori party boat to share. My kids actually tried the dynamite roll I ordered on the side and they enjoyed it. They both got plain udon and the keiki meal which was surprisingly fulfilling for a decent price. My other half got the deluxe sushi, too. Everyone was happy with their food. Love their service, too, and they did well with a party of 9. They don't take reservations so I would suggest coming early to put your name down. We wanted to be seated by 6p which meant someone from our party had to arrive around 530p to put our names down. Sure enough, we got called half hour later. There were so many people waiting outside once we got done and that was around 730p, but probably because it was a Friday, too. It's a great sushi place for this side of the island and would highly recommend. read more

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Funamori Party boat is great for a party of 4. Everything on the tray is what you would expect to taste like. Sashimi was great and lobster was a good size and for some reason I really liked the beef teriyaki. Service was ok and wait is a bit longer during dinner. read more

Restaurant Kunio - Funamori part boat Sashimi Lobster - Japanese Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

This is my Popo's favorite restaurant and she wanted to take me here with family to try their famous party boat! Unfortunately, they didn't have a sushi chef on the day we went, so they were unable to do the party boat. So instead, we each had a teishoku! My Popo and mom had the butterfish and unagi combo and they loved it. I had the butterfish and soft shell crab, gave the crab to my boyfriend and he said it was perfectly crispy and the dipping sauce was perfect. My boyfriend had the chicken katsu and butterfish and loved both, said the chicken katsu was on point. My uncle's favorite is the fried oysters and tempura. I gotta say, it's not fancy, but it's tasty and the service is great. They start you off with a small appetizer (we had a trio of edamame, kinpira gobo, and creamy imitation crab) and a miso soup. The teishoku come in these cute little boxes that are a little worn, but that's because this place is suuuper busy all the time and people love the food. Even though there was no sushi, this place was FILLED with people waiting outside super early (we got there at 5pm). I'll still be dreaming of that butterfish. I looove butterfish and even though it had some bones, it was amaaaazing! Can't wait to come back and try the party boat! read more

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One of my favorite restaurant in Waipahu. The food has been consistent over the years , ever since I've been coming here. One of the better Japanese restaurant. Sorry, forgot to take some pictures what I was eating. Did some take out Bento. They also have a bar too in the restaurant. Aloha, Derek read more

Restaurant Kunio - Outside - Japanese Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

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Kunio is always a favorite if I'm craving Japanese food close to home. They don't take reservations or call-ins, so be prepared to wait if you're with a big group during peak hours. Typically it's just myself and my boyfriend, so we do first available (they have a counter/sushi bar) and it's pretty quick to be seated at the sushi bar. Quality of their fish is good, but you definitely get what you pay for.. they're a little on the pricey side. The boat pictured feeds four, although my boyfriend went a lil crazy on my birthday and we got it for just us two (Choke leftovers that we took for lunch the next day). Overall the vibe is family friendly or first date kinda friendly. Have a 4 star only because the service is a bit hit or miss when I come, but still doesn't deter me from dining again and again because their food is so good! read more

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Terrific service! Our waiter Edison was quick, helpful and had the best customer service. Even the man running plates, water and tea was super friendly and had a great attitude. The setting was also authentic and comfy. This was our first time here and we loved it! Definitely worth the 40 minute wait for sure. read more

The location is on the outlet grounds in Waikele, so it's convenient The restaurant was very crowded at lunch time, and we waited for over an hour before we were finally able to enter the restaurant. I think the menu is great, with a variety of options. The restaurant had a very nice atmosphere with nostalgic Japanese music playing in the background. Maybe it was because the restaurant was crowded, but I got the feeling that the waitress service was not very good. The restaurant was full of locos, so it might be a little difficult for Japanese tourists to enter. The taste is not that great, but it's Japanese food made to suit the taste of locals. read more

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Food was excellent but the service needs to be improved please. We sat today with a decently big party and our waitress never came back once to fill up our waters or check on how we were doing. We constantly had to ask the hostess or other people for requests and 99% of the time they either forgot or blew it off. Great tips come from great service, although our hearts wanted to give more, the service left a very bad experience for us, hence we gave what we thought they deserved. read more

Highly recommendable Food is awesome! Portions are just right. Selections are wonderful Above all, service is delightful, family friendly Did we wait for a bit, yes but it's worth it A must try when your craving tasty Authentic Japanese cuisine read more

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Restaurant Kunio has been her for many years. Is located in the Waikele Premium Outlet next to Party City. Days and hours are Sunday thru Monday 10-30 am to 10 pm. I have been coming here for many years, it's one of my favorite Japanese restaurants to go to! My favorite dish to eat here is the combination AB Deep fried Oysters and Ahi Tempura. Comes with about 5 Deep fried Oysters & 2 pieces of Ahi Tempura and a few pieces of vegetable tempura. Also included in the meal is a bowl of miso soup, fresh vegetable salad , pickled vegetables and soybeans. All for $21.75 plus tax. Take out is available... Take out is plated separately, the main entree comes in one container and the rice, fresh vegetable salad, pickled vegetables and soybeans are in another take container. I love that they do it this way! Note..Once you place your order the wait time for take out may be about 20-45 minutes or longer depending on how busy they are. BUT.. it's worth the wait! So.. if you're ever in the area check out Restaurant Kunio. read more

Restaurant Kunio - Ahi tempura & deep fried oysters - Japanese Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

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Food (Takeout) was a hit!!! Thank you. ....................................zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz 85 characters????

Food 5/5 YESSSSS! Love their food... always have, always will. Years ago i waitresses at another Japanese restaurant while going to college and we'd still come here to eat after our shift! Ha! Food in consistent as it has been all these years later. Price 5/5 Prices are still a good deal and won't leave you feeling like you sacrificed quality or quantity. Portions 5/5 love love love how their tempura portion hasn't decreased! Gyotaku would be the closest in quality and distance as Kunio but the prices at Gyo have risen so much and the portions have shrank. We come to Kunio 9/10 times over Gyo. Service 3/5 Staff is nice but they're always short handed it seems. We come here at least every other month and it's always the same situation where we're waiting for 15-20... sometimes 30 min for our check. The workers are busy so they have tunnel vision so if we're in a rush due to the kiddos then we flag down anyone versus sitting and waiting to be tended to. read more

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Large servings, decent priced, the staff are nice They were not serving any fish/sushi the both times I've been here, so that was a little disappointing The wait is kind of long in the evenings and on weekends read more

Unable to make reservations, walk-ins only but the wait is ALWAYS worth it. I'm a frequent here and I have never had a bad experience. To be honest I have nothing bad to say. Prices are decent for the amount and quality you get. I've ordered their love boat that feeds up to 4 people but it was enough for 4 adults, a teen and 2 children. Totally worth it. And even if you don't finish all the food, you could always take it home. read more

Restaurant Kunio - Dinner Shrimp Tempura Teishoku - Japanese Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

I waited for over ten minutes at the reception desk at the entrance to pick up my take out order. No one came to help me the entire time. When a waitress finally came, she totally IGNORED ME and greeted two male Japanese customers that just walked in, she acted like she knew them, asked if they wanted to sit at the bar, and proceeded to go seat them. I politely said excuse me, Ive been waiting here for ten minutes, and you're going to seat them!? Only then did she look at me and ask do you want to sit at the bar too? I was IGNORED and customers who just walked in were helped immediately. That is totally UNSATISFACTORY! I spent over $123.00 on four meals and I was treated disrespectfully! How dare. I asked for a manager and was told there is no one on duty. I will let my family and friends know about how I was treated today at Kunio, Monday, 22 December 2025, at 1:42 pm. Piss poor awful service! read more

My shrimp tempura has to have a nice first bite crunch. And kunio does not disappoint. I love love love this place. The first time I was introduce here was last year when my friends treated me to the party boat. we just finished our six week fitness challenge and our reward was this massive party boat. This boat is meant for 4 (there was three of us) it consist of mix tempura, sashimi, chicken katsu, lobster tail, teriyaki ribeye steak, tonkatsu, shrimp, and sushi. Every bite I took was worth it. Make sure you get extra teriyaki sauce on the side. Of course we could not finish it. I actually came back with a group of six and we still didn't finish it. This last visit came with a friend and order the combination: tonkatsu and miso butterfish. I'm super picky with my miso butterfish. I love the miso butterfish here, it's nice and soft not over cooked. Overall, I'm not disappointed when I come here. I look forward to eating here read more

Restaurant Kunio - Japanese Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

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First time here for lunch. Very very busy even on a weekday! Food & service were great! Live in town so I rarely drive out to Waikele.

First off! the Food & Atmosphier is Awesome, All the servers are Attentive and always checking on our table. I could only rave on their portions too!. I had brought my sister inlaw & brother to Weds luncheon. I will sirrly return! read more

If I could eat here every day I would. I love the food, it's pricey but worth it!!! Come with 4 for a boat! I think we could eat it as a party of 2 read more

Was expecting a lot more from a place where we see constant long lines. The taste and quality lacked b

Japanese fast food restaurant the taste and quality is moderate with a high cost $$$ meal portions are small

Craving for Japanese food? This is the place to be! Figuring that living close by, my family & I would come here often but I honestly didn't give this a place a try until recently. Everytime I would ride by, there's always people waiting outside the door. Now I can see why! Location: This restaurant is next to Party City in Waikele. Moderate parking spots. It may get tricky sometimes, since this area gets busy. Note: they do not make reservations. They only take walk-in's so prepare yourself to wait. Food: Sooo delicious! Definitely went for their bento's and what a amazing choice! They're tempura's are BOMB. I don't know what panka their using but it was spot on crispy, just the way I like it. The portions are great. Really enjoyed their fresh fish sashimi's. (Forgot to take a photo) but was totally worth it. Service is good. Staff members were always checking in, filling up water & tea. Very friendly and welcomIng. For sure coming back here again read more

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We have been frequent diners here for over 20 years and not sure what's going on... but, yesterday was The Worst night to dine in ever! As usual there is a little wait or longer depending on the time of your arrival. This time we arrived and signed in around 1605 and with 2 parties ahead of us. We were seated by 1630. Water was served right away and when the waiter got to our table- we already knew what we wanted and ordered. Nothing out of the ordinary, just the usual 2 combos with Shrimp Tempura and Salmon. Our food did not arrive till 1 hour later!! Yes the waiter apologized but, it was not well received. When our food was brought to our table , we asked for the check too. Without hesitation or questions like, " Is everything okay?" The check was dropped off and we got rung up as we ate. What was supposed to be a nice dinner date turned out to be a big disappointment for the both of us. I don't think we will be returning anytime soon. read more

Restaurant Kunio - Date and time stamped - Japanese Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

We have gone here every year for almost two decades for one of my friend's birthdays. The sushi boat here is really a treat. You can't make reservations and the place is usually packed. Awesome service and great food. The only downside is finding a parking spot can be difficult esp. for Handicap parking. read more

Restaurant Kunio - Sushi Boat - Japanese Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

I love going here every Friday. It is definitely a place where my wife and I can relax, eat good food and talk about our week. The wait can sometimes be challenging but just shows how much people appreciate the service read more

Who would have thought there would be an outstanding Japanese restaurant in the middle of Waipahu: Restaurant Kunio! This small restaurant is always busy and the service is friendly; the staff enthusiastically greets all customers with irasshaimase; this respect represents the owners of the restaurant and their pride in the authenticity and quality of the food prepared to customers on the West side of Oahu. We don't have to go to Waikiki. We always have their fresh seafood (check the menu) served beautifully plated, you forget it's Waipahu. Their sushi chefs are the best. read more

This is one of my favorite Japanese restaurants on island. I've been here several times, and the quality of food is consistently good. I feel like everything is priced fairly, and I felt like I got a lot for what I paid for! I personally enjoy their miso butterfish and the tempura. It's so nice and fluffy! Service was just alright, but this place is popular, especially at night, so I can tell that the servers were perhaps stretched thin. It is a cozy spot that I love. Maybe don't go at dinner rush (6-8 pm) since once I waited for over an hour and still didn't get seated... but at lunch there was virtually no wait. Highly recommend! read more

Super long wait but the batter on the tempura was ono. We waited over an hour but food was great. read more

Restaurant Kunio - Shrimp tempura, miso butterfish, chicken teriyaki, tonkatsu - Japanese Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

When I crave the Butterfish this would be my spot but today was not as good and it was lukewarm to borderline cold. I asked the server if it should be this temperature and she just said I don't know I've only been here for a year. Well you should know the details of what you are serving. I should have just ordered the steak and lobster on the sizzling hot plate. read more

Kunio's has always been a family favorite! We've celebrated many occasions at Kunio's, I'm so grateful for them and appreciate the fact that they're located on the west side. Kunio's is the BEST Japanese restaurant on the west and no one can say otherwise! The food is always so yummy and flavorful, mouth watering each time I even speak of Kunio's. When dining in with our family, we usually order the boat which consists of a variety of meat and sushi! My usual order is the two choice: sashimi and shrimp tempura or butterfish. My boyfriend loves the steak and lobster and my oldest son loves the udon and sashimi. We usually order ala carte hamachi and ama ebi sushi/sashimi as well if we're extra hungry or craving. The ama ebi comes with the head fried, just the way the boyfriend likes it. The green tea is always perfect, temperature and taste wise. Most of the time, there's going to be a wait so come when it first opens or close to closing. The service can sometimes be slow but the food makes up for it. They usually have only two servers so do your best to know what you want when they come around because flagging them down can get difficult. I love how they're a midsized restaurant, wish they could expand to accommodate the busy wait times. The ambiance definitely gives the typical, traditional Japanese restaurant. This recent visit is our first time back since they've been closed for a few months. Kunio's: 10/10 recommend! read more

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They have the best sushi ever. I would also recommend going there with a friend. Plus, I would say that it's one of the best restaurants I've been to. read more

My friends and I decided to visit Kunio's for a birthday. "You have to get the boat" my friend said... I didn't know what the hype was until the boat docked in front of me... Literally a BOAT was placed on our table filled with sushi, sashimi, tempura (veggie and shrimp), steak, lobster, deep fried ebi, and chicken katsu. OH. MY. GOODNESS. The quality of the fish was great and the katsu/tempura was extra crispy. The lobster was also cooked perfectly! There was so much food! It would have been so scary if there was another layer of food under the deck of the boat... A minimum of four people are needed to get the boat and it costs about $32/person. If you are celebrating something special, the boat would be a perfect way to celebrate. It was my first time at the restaurant and service was great. Since I hardly go to Waikele, I was surprised that it was near Party City. It was pretty busy when we went at 7:00, so be prepared for a dinner rush. Overall, the food was great and I would be sure to go back again...maybe not for the boat (unless we're celebrating), but to check out their other food. read more

Small Japanese restaurant in the "restaurant" side of the outlet stores. We went around 3pm and had to wait about 10min (not long). Not sure if they do reservations but if they do, I recommend it! We got sat at the sushi bar (we were fine with either bar or table) and the sushi guys were so friendly. Our server let us know that the sushi bar does close (I think 2:45?) but they were nice enough to let us be the last order. The food was good! You can tell it's freshly made, especially the sushi. The waitress didn't rly check on us too much but the restaurant was busy so I don't blame her and it didn't affect us. Only thing I have to comment about the food was the chutoro I ordered didn't taste like chutoro from other places I've eaten at, it was definitely less fatty than i expected. I'd come back here again for sure. read more

Restaurant Kunio - Chutoro nigiri, salmon sashimi, salmon ikura maki - Japanese Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii