Kunio's has really gone downhill since after the pandemic. The dishes are bland and there are maybe three things on the menu that could still be considered edible which definitely doesn't include any of their hot dishes. Also, the service is very hit and miss and you'll either get good service when it's slow or have servers gossip loudly next to your table to hint that it's time to leave within five seconds of paying the bill to make sure that your table turns over. If you know what it is then sure, go for it. But if you're ever considering going there for the first time or going back after a while-- honestly, don't. It's bad. read more

Went there for new year's eve lunch. Food was delicious. Service was good. Women's bathroom could've been cleaned better.

When we were living in the west side of the island we come to this restaurant often. We have been dining in this place for over 20 years. They have a great variety of Japanese food, sashimi, sushi, teriyaki beef, udon. They are one of the best Japanese restaurant on the west side for a long time because there were no real good Japanese restaurant in that area before. Now there are more Japanese restaurant in the area but I still consider this is one of the go to places when I travel to the west side , I always enjoy that combo B, B set meal. My wife love their Nabeyaki Udon. This place is always busy, if you come during lunch or dinner time, there is a line in front of the door. Parking is not an issue because Waikele shopping center has a lots of parking. The restaurant looks clean, wait stuffs are always friendly. Go check this out. read more

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Howzit everyone, well another place that is my go to eat lunch and dinner. Kunio's in Waipahu is my fav to take guests and family. Always ono and always perfect. #69 is my anytime grinds, not dakine funny stuff but if you don't know what to eat #69 might be just for you, tesishoku style. Shrimp and veg tempura, sashimi, steak Teri, miso soup and small kine green salad. Get rice so everything. No lie, supah ono read more

I've only eaten here a handful of times, so I know the food & service are usually good otherwise I wouldn't keep coming back. However my family & I just dined for lunch & our server was horrible to us. I'm unsure of her name but she was the only one wearing a red vest. She made us feel like we were inconveniencing her with our large party. We were a party of 10, first ones in the door. So I'm not sure why it would be so overwhelming for her. I am a server myself so I usually am very understanding of people in the service industry and because of that I rarely ever complain either. But she was just doing the bare minimum service for us & even though she forgot to order my Aunty's teishoku she didn't even bother to apologize once. I'm sorry, yes the food is good here but service is WHY people go out to eat. It will make or break the experience; even if there are food issues like how she forgot a part of our order, friendly service would have absolutely made up for it! Idk if she's having a bad day or what but it put a bitter taste in my mouth about Kunio's. It makes me want to tell people that this place is "overrated" considering that their wait is always so long anyways, can get the same quality of food and better service elsewhere! read more

Food is excellent! The waiting after 6 pm can be 45 minutes to 120 minutes/2 hrs. Food is excellent! The waiting after 6 pm can be 45 minutes to 120 minutes/2 hrs. June 5, 2025 dinner at Restaurant Kunio maintained its original authenticity flavors. Service was expeditiously awesome. It was TERRIFIC read more

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This place is always packed! When you see local older elderly Asian folks lining up, you know the place has good food and reasonably priced! The serve bento style Japanese food! The quality and taste is ono! They have really good Japanese teriyaki chicken like the kind you got at the old Shirokiya at Ala Moana that was fronting Liberty House/Macys! So if you're looking for good quality, food that taste good, this place is the spot! Service is quick and friendly. Priced reasonably as well. read more

Restaurant Kunio would be a good choice for Japanese food. Their perfectly fried tempura and katsu will create a crunchy factor that everyone will enjoy. Their seasoned and marinated meats and seafood are perfectly balanced of sweet and salty. Their raw fish is handled with care for everyone to indulge in the fishes natural taste. Service is excellent. Our waitress was attentive to our needs and also catering to other customers. Inside is clean and well-kept with a Japanese style vibe. Parking Private lot Payment Cash or credit Restrooms Located in the back read more

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Very authentic Japanese restaurant. The service & quality here is good. They have a big menu, so there is a lot to try. The food was great, but it wasn't the best I've had. I wish there was more beef in the Gyudon instead of glass noodles. But it was still a good dish. read more

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Chirashi A and Soft Shell Crab Roll! Very delicious and tasty. Would recommend if you love eating seafood! read more

Restaurant Kunio - Chirashi A and soft shell crab roll! Really delicious and worth it. Never disappoint! - Japanese Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

Been going here for years and it is one of our family favorites for sure. Not only is it close to home but service is great, it's my favorite misoyaki butterfish on the island and my daughter's favorite miso soup and rolls, and my husband loves the sukiyaki. Steak is pretty tender. I always wish the onions were cooked down a little more but not a big deal. Parking can get busy but you can always park on the Safeway side and quickly walk across. We I've been here many times, and also brought family, ate in the back and ordered the large boat. Never disappointed. I. read more

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The food and service is always great! Came on a Sunday at 12pm and the wait was only 2 minutes. Originally went to Waikele for Genki, but was too hungry to wait with 15 parties ahead of me lol. The sushi is fresh and I love their miso butter fish combo with shrimp tempura. The wait times here can be long too, but it's always worth the wait. Amazing lunch with 2 large pours of sake...perfect way to end the weekend. read more

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First time here and it lived up to its reputation; great quality sushi and delicious bento combinations. The service was a bit slow but it was busy so no complaints. Like I said, it was busy and we had to wait for a table but the place is clean and tidy so I would definitely go again. read more

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Very delicious Javanese food. People are super friendly, and the place is very clean and relaxed. We ordered Combination Meals Choice B: Fried Oyster + Mixed Tempura. We also got Super Deluxe Sushi. The Combo BB is definitely a great value. We went there twice. Update: new visit, ordered Choice B: Mixed Tempura, + Sushi, Unagi + Tonkatsu, Unagidon, and Caterpillar Roll. They are all super delicious! Highly Recommend: Mixed Tempura, Unagi, and Unagidon. read more

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This place is located off H1 after the H2 split at Paiwa exit. It is in the area as Lowe's but more Mauka. The parking lot is big but with all the various shops it gets crowded. This place is popular so very often there is a waiting list. We had to wait about 15 mins. The food was very good and fresh, which is what you need for sushi. We tried uni for the first time and it was not bad. Definitely a unique taste to it. Some say it tastes like the ocean which is a reasonable description. The combo plates were also good. A little on the small side. If you have an above average appetite it won't be enough. You will need some supplementation. Overall pretty good sushi and Japanese food option. read more

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Located in the Waikele Shopping Center near Panda Express and Baskin Robbins. You sign in and wait outside. Luckily we checked to see if anyone noticed we signed in or we would be just waiting. Got a table, it wasn't too busy. Waitress did not have that customer service vibe. Took our order but seemed she was not friendly. Brought our food, gave me my mom's order, I passed it to my mom and the waitress remarks were just "oh". She forgot the tempura sauce and I had to request for it and she replied "oh" food was good, tasty. But the service was poor. Waitress was not friendly. read more

So we signed up on the waiting list and the lady said about 30 min. We waited and when they finally got to us they asked if we would be ok sitting back to back in booths we said that's fine. Then the lady comes out and calls someone below us on the list and sits us on the back to back booths. She then sits another group of four below us and then we asked why weren't we seated? Then she said oh we're going to seat you guys together instead. Now we waited another 20-30 minutes to get seated. They're very inefficient when it comes to seating people. Be prepared to wait as long as an hour or more if you want to eat here. The food is good but the service on the front end is horrible. No one knows how to seat people efficiently and many other families were upset also. You can find better. read more

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Apparently I've been coming to Restaurant Kunio for at least 15 years and it remains not only my favorite Japanese restaurant on Oʻahu but also one of my favorite restaurants period. The food is always delicious, the prices are reasonable, the staff is friendly, and the restaurant remains elegant yet never pretentious. Thank you for the delicious memories! read more

Restaurant Kunio - Combination meals - Japanese Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

Great service and food. Came here on a Saturday at 4:30 and it was crowded. Short 15 min wait and we got seated. I want to mention that the sushi bar is closed between 2:45p-5p so unfortunately I couldn't order the Chirashi that I was set on. Ended up with the Udonsuki. It had tons of flavor with lots of different types of seafood and chicken. Udon had a chewy texture that I liked. Everyone else liked their dishes from the tempura to the miso butterfish. Will definitely come back here after 5p to try their Chirashi. read more

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

We were looking for a place for dinner and we decided on Kunio. It is one of our favorite Japanese restaurants to go but they are always very busy and only accept walk-ins. We were able to get seated about 10-15 min after I checked in but it could have been because we were there at about 830pm. There were still about 5 other parties waiting to be seated as well. The service was on awesome and the sushi chef was amazing! Our food came out quickly and it was filling and delicious. We ordered: 1. Teishoku Combo with teriyaki chicken and shoyu garlic butterfish - the chicken and butterfish was delicious and cooked well 2. Teishoku Combo with chicken katsu and misoyaki butterfish - the misoyaki butterfish was well seasoned and cooked well and the katau was crunchy and had a good amount of chicken 3. Ikura, Unagi, Salmon, and Hamachi Nigiri - the fish was very fresh and delicious that we ordered another order of the Unagi & Salmon Nigiri The restaurant is a little on the older side but not bad. They have booths on each side, tables in the middle, and a small room in the back that seats 8 people. We were told that they would be closing the month of January for a full renovation. I can't wait to return to see it! read more

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I have had this restaurant bookmarked for almost a decade... those boat pics had me drooling but getting 3 of my foodies to join me at the same time at specifically this spot was challenging for some reason. Its probably mostly because Kunio doesn't have a bar LOL! Add some cocktails to all this yummy soosh and more... you'd have yourself a good time. But with the long wait times everyone seems to mention, I can see how that just doesn't make the best combo here. We intended to arrive at opening on a Saturday knowing how crowded and wait times start getting long. And that didn't happen. So we got there around noon, but the stars had aligned for us! A spot right in front opened up. Soon as we parked a table was available for 5 of us to be seated. It was like the clouds parted and the sun shown down right on the entrance with a welcome mat. The restaurant is tiny for the crowds they draw. Every table was full and at least 2 other parties had the boat. I'd say its your typical Japanese restaurant with butterfish, katsu, miso soup... the boat comes with 4 sets of rice, miso. And some sides. My daughter is a light eater so I just split rice with her. Depending on how hungry you are and what everyone in the party enjoys eating is what will determine your boat experience. We all enjoyed a bit of everything. Tried to share as best we could while still being polite with each other. I feel like we were all pretty satisfied but not feeling over stuffed. Like I said previously, depending on what you really enjoy eating, the boat might not be the right choice for your group. There are a limited amount of items on there and it is for sharing. If you know you specifically like some things more than others, probably best to just order that meal for yourself. Trying to get a variety of items on the boat between 4 adults just seems a bit tight with this one. All were really yummy and good quality. Visuals did not disappoint either. I'm just glad I can finally say we had it once! read more

Restaurant Kunio - Japanese Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

Recommended by locals and was truly a hit! We had delicious tempura, tonkatsu , miso butterfish and gyoza. Amazing!! The tempura batter was light and not greasy. Miso butterfish melts in your mouth, def our favorite item! Gyoza was hefty and flavorful! One of the best I've had. We ordered sushi but it took so long (over 45 mi ) we cancelled the order bc we were full and ready to go. Disappointing. read more

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Make sure your whole party is there to be seated! Awesome food- we had 2 party boats! Delicious! read more

Restaurant Kunio - Party Boat! - Japanese Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

The service is great. When I'm craving for Shrimp Tempura I always come here, and it always hits the spot and it's always consistent. I think it's their batter and how they cook them to the perfect crunch. I like to pair it with their sizzling rib eye steak with butter read more

Just had an excellent meal at restaurant Kunio. For today's prices, this was a very reasonable meal. I had the grilled salmon and mixed tempura. The meal came with miso soup, rice, tsukemono and toss salad. Hot tea was complimentary.. The service was excellent. The wait staff were very attentive and very friendly. Great atmosphere, too. Definitely one of the best Japanese restaurants on Oahu. read more

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A really good Japanese restaurant! I was excited to come and try. The tuna was yummy and fresh. The service was good but it did take some time for our food. It was really busy when we came and the whole restaurant was filled with people, which shows it's a good spot for delicious food. read more

This place has been a family favorite for as long as I can remember. We haven't been here in a while but when we went, the food was just as good as I remember. They had a party boat that was shareable between 4-5 people, 6 even depending on how much people eat. Their lobster and steak is the best and a favorite: it has not change over the 10 maybe years this restaurant has been opened. So good! The service is very friendly as they are always checking up on you! read more

I was craving shrimp tempura and Kunio was the closest Japanese restaurant. We arrived at 440 and were seated fairly quick as most people were waiting for the sushi bar to open at 5. Unfortunately our food took forever to come out. Our soft shell crab was cold and my lobster was overcooked and rubbery...I don't think they should serve it on a sizzling platter. The biggest let down was the tempura. The batter is very thick and too hard/crunchy. I ordered the shrimp tempura, but it's actually just two pieces of shrimp tempura and the rest vegetables - which threw me off because they also offer mixed tempura on the menu (which includes two giant pieces of ahi and ika btw). They ran out of salmon and butterfish. If you're craving Japanese I would trek it a little further for better taste and authenticity. The service was rushed and cold. The taste and overall experience wasn't worth it IMO. read more

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The food Was so good! They are known for the butterfish and tempura. I also ordered the Chirashi A. Which is also so ono! The fish is so fresh! If you are ever in Waikele you have to give this place a try. read more

Restaurant Kunio - Butterfish and shrimp tempura! - Japanese Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

Definitely hands down, one of my favorite spots to get some fresh sushi. The service is great and they always manage to squeeze in our 4 people family in last minute. read more

Food was so so so good, always ordering the combos and the otoro was amazing as a menu special. Service is always so good and sushi workers are so nice. Spacious restaurant and super cute seating. read more

Restaurant Kunio - miso butterfish & shrimp tempura - Japanese Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

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I'm not too sure if you can make reservations thru the phone or not but me & my besties decided to eat her, or I mean me lol for my birthday dinner. So when we got there we put our names on the list & I believe we had to wait maybe 45min. PARKING: The parking in the front on a weekend night is pretty busy, mostly with other restaurants & foods next door too. They do have a much bigger one across near I believe it's safeway & lowes side. SERVICE: My friend did help recommend what's good here but everything seemed good haha. I think I got the combo of the sushi & milk fish that came with rice & sides. It was soooo damn good. I love fish & sushi so this was a good choice to go. We also got a few sushi rolls that was also bomb. I think I came here when they first opened here. Definitely coming back for that boat though. Will I be back? Mostly definitely!! read more

Restaurant Kunio - Our layout - Japanese Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

Need better rice. Rice with Teishoku was a little dry and textured. Spend a little more Japan rice. Service was excellent. Food was excellent. Sushi was exciting. read more

If you're not hitting up Kunio's in Waikele, are you even living? This place is always packed like a sushi roll, and for good reason. It's that "worth the wait" kinda vibe where every dish that comes out makes you go, "OMG, I need to try that!" And trust me, I drool at the sight of all the seafood dishes, even though I'm not a big seafood person (don't judge me). Personally, I stick to my faves: the chicken katsu and shrimp tempura combo with a tiger roll or the teri chicken and shrimp tempura combo with a rainbow roll. It's perfection on a plate! The place may be small, but the hustle is real... like, seriously, these workers are running around like ninjas, making magic happen. Just remember to pack your patience because tables only open when they're ready and uh, bringing your kids out late and getting hangry? Yeah, don't blame the staff. They're always super sweet and trying their best, so be kind! read more

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Food was mediocre. Waitress was nice but the Japanese lady at the hostess stand seating people was so rude! Never going back! Someone needs to train her in customer service. read more

I'm not sure why this restaurant isn't as highly rated? I really enjoyed the environment & the food was good in my opinion. I really enjoyed the miso soup, it's probably the best I've ever had. As for soba, that's the first time I've had that so I really enjoyed that! The sushi roll was good but the soy sauce at the table was super salty for my taste. However I would definitely go again for the food! read more

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Small and quaint. I've been coming here for years and always enjoy myself. The food is consistent and reliable. Delicious sushi, miso butterfish and chicken Katsu. We sometimes get the boat, which is a huge sampling, it is impressive to look at and fun to order! Not my favorite though as their sushi is really where it's at! The best part is, the service. They are always attentive and fairly quick to take care of you once you sit down. Generally there is a wait for a table so that's the only drawback. A hidden gem that's popular, so maybe not so hidden? read more

Got lucky that the wait was only 10 min for lunch on a Saturday since we always see a line outside. I love a good Japanese combo lunch and so I decided to get the sashimi and mixed tempura BB combo. The sashimi was pretty good and I liked that they gave thick cuts of fish. The tempura was huge, I was not expecting to get ahi tempura as well as a fish tempura. Loved it so much and love that it comes with rice, salad, and miso soup. My boyfriend got the unagi and tonkatsu combo which was huge as well. He loved the unagi. The soba was also pretty good and the tempura was nice well. I can see why this place always has a wait, the food is so good and great service too read more

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We haven't stopped by in a while and had the craving for Japanese. The food and service was great Will definitely be back read more

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Haven't been here in a few years but decided to have lunch here. In short the food is still good but the wait times to get in is still long. We decided to eat lunch there on a weekday at 12 noon. They don't take reservations and it took around 35 minutes on the waiting list to get in. It's hot outside and fortunately there's a couple benches nearby to sit on. We ordered the Miso Butterfish Teishoku and the Butterfish & Soft Shell Crab Combination Meal (Combo AA). Both came with miso soup, appetizer(edamame, seaweed, kinpira gobo, salad(lettuce) and rice which all came out promptly. The miso soup and appetizers were good. The butterfish was tender and moist but needed more miso flavoring. My gf said the soft shell crab was good. Aside from the entrees, everything you get with the Teishoku is identical to the Combination Meal except that the Teishoku salad is served in its own bowl and given earlier with the appetizers. Also you get only 1 piece of miso butterfish with the combo meal verses 2 pieces with with the Teishoku. You are not allowed to order 2 of the same entrees from the combination meal selections (otherwise that would be identical to a Teishoku). The service we received was ok. Not great but not bad either. The only thing I really dislike about this place is that they don't take reservations and the wait list can be unpredictably long even on a weekday at noon. My advice is to go early before peak times and avoid this place on special occasions like Mothers Day. My advice to management is to either start taking reservations or page waiting customers by texting them or use paging buzzers. It's uncomfortable to wait outside the door in the heat from the parking lot. Although the food is ok, I hate waiting in long lines so I might not return. read more

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