Sushi is amazing I love coming here one of the best sushi spots on island. Service is amazing

Came here for a birthday lunch for my father. Party of 4 on a Saturday at 10:45. Easy check in and seated right away. I don't believe they take reservations. Looks like they have more seating space from what I remember. Servers were courteous and attentive. Ordered combo teishoku sets and a steak and sushi set with side order sashimi. Portion sizes are okay and food was similarly familiar and decent. Hint: No birthday dessert, but in all fairness we didn't ask. However, the birthday candles, lei, and presents should have solicited at least a, " Are we celebrating anything today?" Nope! Fair is fair come dine here. Luch had no wait. Dinner time might be different. Food is okay if you are okay with ok. read more

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We spent over $700 for a company party and the server said we had to leave cause of a two hour table limit. Funny because it was already at the 3 hour mark. She then told us we were being too loud and had to leave. Ahhh the honesty comes out. I mentioned how we spent a hefty sum and would like to stay longer. She then proceeded to tell the hostess to BLACKLIST us. Unbelievable. Take your money to Sakura in Mililani for better service, more comfortable seating, better food and cheaper prices. This place is pilau read more

One of the nicer, traditional Japanese restaurants located by the Waikele Shopping Area. Love their bentos and soups. Notably, they have the one of the better miso soups I've had. Caught me off guard. Service is as quick as can be and servers were exceptionally pleasant. Date night vibes or can be for a casual family gathering. Plenty of parking in the area and sunshades to shield you from the heat. Must-go if you're craving great quality Japanese food. read more

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Ok!!! Hubby n I had a lunch date!! Our choice was Restaurant Kunio in beautiful Waikele! We enjoy eating Japanese food so............."Here We Are!" 11:30 am is a good time to go...just before the lunch crowd comes in....we were greeted with a welcoming smile from the cheery waitress.....since it wasn't too busy yet...we had a table quickly....menu...water n utensils .....we are ready to roll! Hubby already knew what he wanted....i still hadn't decided yet.....so many good choices...... Choose AA.....AB.....BB......BA......Teishoku....Nabe....Sushi...Sashimi...the menu is really awesome!!! ;)....... Hubby chose his Lobster Tail..Ribeye Steak Sizzling Platter...with a Sashimi side order....I chose my absolute fav fav... Butterfish Misoyaki n a side order of Shrimp Tempura....these dishes came within Miso soup(a little too weak for me)......a teensy side dish of Koko..... The Hijiki was yummy, the Gobo (good) and Soybeans( all four of them)....not bad...I wish they could be a bit more generous in their serving....its just soooo little...you could eat it all in 4 minutes(but by golly they were delicious!!)...We didn't wait too long..our dishes arrived.....the Lobster..ribeye sizzling platter made such a great entrance....followed by my beautiful Butterfish Misoyaki.....Wow we were in for a wonderful treat today! 1.) Ambiance ...Service....our nice waitress was cheerful and helpful...made sure we had everything we needed....lol...a bottle of Asahi was a nice add on.......The decor reminds us of Japan....we recently came back from our visit to Fukuoka Japan n coming here made us want to go back n visit again! 2.Food.....Preparation n Presentation The Misoyaki Butterfish was excellent...the presentation was No 1.....generous pieces too! The Lobster n Ribeye Sizzling Platter was presented beautifully...Lobster was cooked perfectly....Unfortunately the Ribeye was presented well...but when eaten...somewhat grisly and tough.....we have ordered it before..but today it was not up to par...we mentioned it to another waitress...she was very understanding...hopefully the Mgr. will address it....Ribeye should be tender..this was not... The Sashimi dish was excellent...literally melts in your mouth!! Restaurant Kunio has great Japanese food...so happy they are in Waikele....altho we experienced an issue with the tough Ribeye....we will continue to choose to be regular customers there!' Domo Arigato Restaurant Kunio! read more

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My recommendation here is the tempura. It's crispy batter you can't really do at home. The sushi is also good. The only thing not a fan of is the chicken katsu which has a slight aftertaste I don't like. I like simple clean katsu taste. read more

Food is always great. Services is good. Their sukiyaki is always delish and you can't miss out on their miso butterfish!

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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Service: Friendly Service. Constantly refilling waters and tea is a plus! Food: variety of local japanes read more

Amazing food, ambiance is casual and the wait can be long. However well worth it! The staff our pleasant and friendly.

The seafood is always good quality and the Sushi Chef's are excellent at preparing the fish . A crowd waiting outside of a restaurant is always a sure indication that there's something either very ONO-DELICIOUS to eat or WORTH THE WAIT unlike restaurants with similar food/dishes. I have visited this SUSHI restaurant over the years normally ordering either the OYAKU DONBURI and Mix SASHIMI Plate as a complete meal ~ And as always there is just so much food in the Bento Box that I'm totally unable to always finish the OYAKU DONBURI leaving chunks of marinated Chicken Thighs because my stomach is ready to burst. The SASHIMI are generous slices of meaty thick fish offerings such as MAGURO, TAKO, SAKE, KANPACHI, MACKEREL. The OYAKU DONBURI is piping hot, consisting of meaty chunks of Skinless Chicken Thighs slightly marinated in Teriyaki Sauce , a good amount of Scrambled EGGS seasoned with some Teriyaki Sauce , Sweet MAUI Round Onion Slices, julienned Fish Cale and to finish some dehydrated NORI slivers as a garnish onto the rice and scrambled EGGS. The meal is served with a small bowl of MISO SOUP always served piping HOT. Mmmm - Come hungry and leave adequately satisfied. Top notch fresh RAW SASHIMI and welcoming ambiance. read more

Restaurant Kunio - Mixed Sashimi plate appetizer - Japanese Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

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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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I haven't been here in years. The wait was about 45 minutes, but worth it. There were 8 of us and we each ordered different meals from udon to chirashi to teishoku. The food and service were excellent. I had the chirashi and the selection was good. The accommodated my octopus allergy without a problem. I'll be back soon to try the udon. read more

Came here after church on Sunday and to my surprised there was already line! But we waited cause I know food here is good. My mom doesn't really care for Japanese food but she actually really enjoyed the place. We got sushi, steak and miso butterfish. All were equally delicious!!! Place is small but cozy. Parking can be limited. Highly recommended! read more

Restaurant Kunio - Japanese Near Me - Waipahu, Hawaii

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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.

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

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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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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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

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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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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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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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

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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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

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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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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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

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

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

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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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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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

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