so disappointed in this restaurant the staff and the owners, me and my family came in hoping to eat there but right when we got in the staff started looking at us a certain way, yelling at us to put on mask not even asking in a polite way. So we listened came back in with our mask then the lady in the front i think she was the boss i'm not to sure but we told her where here for a party of 5 she started yelling us that we can't sit down because we need reservation even though we called them an hour before we came telling her that where coming and letting them now so we told her that then she started slamming her books and pens telling us we would have to wait a whole hour just to be seated. So i asked her if we could sit at the bar she said no only two people could sit there because there wasn't enough room even though the bar was fully empty. i just talked to my aunty about this place she said she went there twice trying to eat there and they said she also had to wait about an hour or longer just to be seated also my friend told me about how there races to other people besides japanese they always have an excuse not to serve someone that isn't. read more

Service is great, food is authentic and awesome. Cold beers, Sake. Need I keep Going.

Nice and quiet environment. Appears clean and the service was great by the waiter. Food was above average but a bit pricey IMO. the reason for the two is how unfriendly the old man who appeared to be the owner. He was near the entrance and I tried to ask him a question. Very blunt, unfriendly. People need to learn to smile and be a bit more personable. read more

I continually find myself going back to this place. In addition to many Japanese standards such as tampura, udon, and Katsura their sushi is fresh and excellent. Recently, I've discovered their oxtail soup and hope to have many servings of it this up coming winter. read more

My family was invited by local relatives to meet them at Restaurant Miwa for lunch. We arrived a few minutes early, checked in and found that no reservation had been made, so we decided to wait for the rest of the party before being seated (it wasn't busy so there was plenty of open space). I asked the hostess where the ladies' room was, and was told that their restroom was "for paying customers only." Whaaaat? To make a long story short, she refused to allow me to use the bathroom until after we were seated. It didn't matter that we were waiting in the restaurant for the rest of our party WHO HAD INVITED US and we weren't 100% sure how many seats were needed. How petty is this? Stunningly petty, and normally would have been enough for me to turn around and leave. As it turned out, my relatives arrived and we had a wonderful time catching up together. Our waitress was nice, and the food was okay. While I appreciate the generosity of my family treating us to lunch which we all enjoyed together, the food was definitely overpriced for the quality and portion (especially the sushi), and it felt like an extension of the haughty attitude and pettiness displayed at the front of the restaurant. No complaints were made since our goal was enjoyable time with our family, who we were happy and thankful to see. My plan is to never return to Miwa's, and I would certainly not recommend it to anyone. BTW I am Japanese, and a returning Hilo local so the petty attitude has nothing to do with race or if you're a tourist. It's just rudeness period, and it was sad to see. Hilo can do better. read more

This is my son's favorite restaurant in Hilo. Sushi never disappoints. Except when they are out of something. Shucks--I wanted negitoro today, but they were all out. I had yosenabe tonight. Full of warmth and vegetables. Great for a rainy day. read more

Excellent service...Leigh was AWESOME! Fast, polite, authentic, and extremely thorough. Started with a small order of sake...good to go! Contemplated the combination teriyaki and shrimp tempura until I read a tip about having the best curry katsu? I am a huge fan of Ezo Giku so i decided to change course. Glad I did :) each course was served just in time and the miso soup was terrific. I must admit, the curry katsu did satisfy but the service was what I will be back for more than anything. read more

12/18/07: Off the beaten path and tucked in the back of a strip mall ("Hilo Shopping Center," back behind Kope Kope cafe), this restaurant has been a mainstay of the local japanese community. I went with my family for dinner to celebrate the holiday season. The restaurant was quite packed, but no worries, we had reservations made earlier that day. Restaurant is a family business, if you look closely you'll figure out the four family members that work here. Our dinner started off with a sashimi combo platter as an appetizer, probably around 12-14 unique pieces. I had the ahi, yellow tail and salmon, the fish tasted great and very fresh. I order the salmon teriyaki, the meal came with miso soup (red soup base, very tasty) and a couple small side dishes (seaweed and pickled veggies). When my meal arrived, the presentation was alittle disappointing, it was served on a simple plastic plate with two salmon pieces and a side salad was on the same plate. The teriyaki fish was on par, not exceptional, yet better than it looked. Anyways, the other main courses at the table looked great (grilled ahi belly, chicken sukiyaki, stuffed shrimp). Overall, I would come back here to try more of their sashimi assortments (what they are known for). The carry a very wide selection of imported beers, probably the most diverse I've seen here in Hilo. read more

Great place. The Pho is awesome and the service is fast. Very casual.

Probably the best Japanese restaurant on the Big Island. Everything I've had here has been great, especially the sushi. Entrees are pretty standard Japanese fare and are prepared very well. It can be a little hard to spot, due to its location but the food is worth the hunt. Standouts here are: Ahi Poke Sunrise sushi (flying fish roe & quail egg) Chirashi Sushi As with any restaurant in Hawaii, the beef isn't great. There is a definite lack of high quality beef on the islands. read more

I really like the ambiance of this place! The service was really great; the staff were extremely friendly. I especially enjoy that the waitresses are wearing kimonos and the men wear bow ties...it definitely adds to the experience. We usually only eat here on special occasions, but I think we'll make it here more often. The specials they offered this time made it so hard to choose what to order - oxtail soup, charbroiled hamachi, pork belly, ahi belly 3 ways and more. I ended up getting a combination plate with sashimi, tempura, and fried mahimahi. Everything was delicious - especially the tempura. We got my mom the haupia strawberry cream cheese dessert for her birthday even though we were all so full, and I'm glad we did! We learned they make several homemade desserts there - this one in particular was to die for! You MUST order the fried calamari appetizer with the spicy chili mayo sauce! Yum! read more

Restaurant Miwa - Deluxe combination plate with sashimi, tempura, and fried mahi mahi - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

See all

My favorite Japanese Restaurant in Hilo. Fried Fish and Shrimp Tempura. The only place that I know of that you can get chili pepper mayo! Always a full bar and best sushi bar in town! read more

5 stars for the sashimi! I go here for the sashimi! It is super fresh and delicious. I cannot tell you about the rest of the menu, but if you enjoy sashimi (not fancy rolls, etc) then this is your place! To the other reviewer....Yeah, Hilo has cockroaches, so what, its normal! If you didn't find it in any other restaurant that you went to, you probably didn't go into the kitchen, where they really like to hang out :) read more

Great food and service! One of my favorite restaurants in Hilo for authentic and delicious Japanese food !!!

The best Bento in town, very good service, personal touch. We went for a Birthday Party and they presented our cake at the perfect time, we felt like we were the only people there. read more

Finally a place that serves up Japanese food as you would find over there -- the right ambiance, quality and flavors. Authentic mom & pop style Japanese food. We really enjoy having lunch here. read more

My husband and I come here occasionally, but when we do it's always amazing. We ate here on his birthday and we both had a great time eating and drinking warm sake. I love the ambience and the dim lights. It's very relaxing and the food is BOMB! :) read more

What can you say about a place so legitimate that it truly needs no yelp review? My favorite Japanese restaurant anywhere. This place has been holding it down steadily since I first came over 15 years ago, and it's safe to say they were doing so for long before that. If you are a tourist and you want some REAL Japanese food, go. If you're a local who's never been, fork up the extra cash and try it. Simply ono. read more

Love the sushi here! It's a little pricey, but worth it, I think. Some of the best hamachi I've ever had, and the scallop and salmon roe are great too! read more

This is an amazing place to eat! Traditional Japanese or American food..it's all tasty! Try their Katsu curry... Staff is very friendly and all have worked there for years! Dessert! Try their Haupia pie! read more

Sushi was fresh and delicious. Chef Shige had fresh otoro from Japan that was amazing! My daughter almost always eat udon at japanese restaurants, and she said it was the best she's ever had. All in all, everything hit the spot and We will definitely be back! read more

Came here on Valentine's Day - it was one of the only restaurants open in Hilo, go figure. Anywho, typical Japanese restaurant. Ate a bunch of decent but not spectacular sushi rolls (Spider, Dragon, Rainbow). Agedashi Tofu was not good - not much flavor in the broth, not many pieces of tofu. Inari sushi for $7 was not good - rice had little flavor. Amaebi nigri was pretty good. Other people in our party had the chicken tofu, teri chicken and yosenabe. Service was good, but probably won't come back here unless someone else was paying. read more

Nothing really special about this place. The server was very kind; as was the rest of the staff. Food was ok just priced high for what it is. I wouldn't recommend it to a visitor. read more

One of my favorite restaurants in hilo!! Their fish specials are always on point. I also love their katsu, tempura, & sushi.

I always order the Tonkatsu. I love the sauce!! We always order off the sushi menu too! Everything has always been tasty and consistent. One of my favorite places to eat Japanese food on the island! read more

I have eaten too much poke in the last few days during my vacation trip for our 10th anniversary. All I wanna eat tonight is some noodle soup and I found Miwa through Yelp. Thank god they have udon soup and that's exactly what I want. It tastes really good and I'm very satisfied. Although I read more

My family's all time favorite place to celebrate birthdays, spend time with off island friends or a special lunch with my Boiz! Great friendly service and warm hospitality! read more

The food was decent but I really feel this restaurant is way overpriced. We were visiting Hilo for the weekend and was recommended to try this place out from a friend of ours who lives near by. The service was okay....they did the minimum of servicing us. We sat at the sushi bar and the chef wasn't warm or friendly. No biggie though because we weren't there for his company to begin with. He seemed more interactive with the regulars that were seated at the bar which is fine....he slowly warmed up as the night went on but by then we were on our way out. The sashimi and nigiri we ordered all came out fresh. We ordered the asparagus tempura but it was way too oily so we were disappointed in that. Overall, quality food but definitely not worth the money. On the brighter side, they had a portion of the restaurant sectioned off as a bar. Fingers crossed they have a better priced happy hour in there :) read more

I had the opportunity of going to Restaurant Miwa for dinner for the second time yesterday evening. The first time I was there was about 16 months ago. it is a very nice and quiet place to dine and the food is good and the prices are very reasonable. The portions are good and the service is very welcoming and friendly. When in Hilo, it is a good place to have dinner. I had an enjoyable experience there the two times that I dined there. I would recommend it and hope you have a chance to give it a try when visiting Hilo. read more

favorite restaurant! I come here more than twice a week! great service and great food!

If you are looking for an upscale, Japanese dining experience head to Hilo Shopping Center and eat at Restaurant Miwa. As a college student this is a nice mid-range price for delicious sushi and traditional Japanese taste. With excellent and knowledgeable if not casual service by hostess and waiter. I felt that I had to ask a second time occasionally for service. But the waiter suggested a warming barley tea that was perfect for a cold, rainy day without prompting. The restaurant wasn't very busy on a Thursday afternoon however it was picking up as I was leaving. The food was amazing! I had a delicious asparagus tempura appetizer with a yummy spicy mayo sauce that the waiter had suggested. It was the right amount of crunch and juiciness. It was also accompanied by a sweet teriyaki sauce that was a great pairing with the dip. In addition, I had three different rolls of sushi that were great. However, the price to size ratio of food was not my favorite after having sushi multiple times at Ebisuya, a downtown Hilo sushi restaurant. Overall my experience was very positive at Restaurant Miwa and would recommend to anyone looking to have an upscale Japanese meal with mid-range prices. The service was good when slow although one could suggest that the waiters make more rounds to tables even when not busy. The food was delicious and the atmosphere very authentic. Cheers! read more

I get the Nabeyake Udon every time, awesome broth and tasty ingredients. Convenient location and nice service.

This is possibly the best traditional Japanese restaurants I have ever been to. They have everything from sushi to chicken katsu, to teriyaki..... and it's all FANTASTIC, although it's a little but pricey, especially Hawaii, where you can find Japanese food in abundance and for great prices. I've been to Miwa several times, and I have tried most of their sushi, which is wonderful (although they don't have many special rolls, and they stick to mostly nigiri and tradtional sushi) and I've had some of their dinner entrees. One that really stood out flavor and presentation-wise was a big barbecued unagi steak witha side of wasabi mashed potatoes (they give you an option of rice and mashed potatoes and since I had never had unagi in somewhat of a "western" style I decided to try it out) and it was amazing.... the best eel I have EVER had. If you like quality Japanese food in a traditional setting, I definitely recommend Miwa as one of my personal favorites. read more

Best. food. EVER!!!!! Everything is bomb. The chicken is BEAUTIFUL. Service?? GREAT!! Best Japanese food in Hilo. We come here twice a week and it is a great experience. The service is friendly and the best I've ever had #BOMB!! Definitely recommend to all. #Kyle read more

Though the fish was fresh and beautifully presented, the portions were very small and the nigiri extremely over priced.

The service was great and the sushi rolls were ok. The special was baked salmon. It was awful. Salmon covered in mayo for $32 dollars. It was really very disappointing. read more

We ate here on a friday night and had high expectations for a sushi joint in hilo. Miwa disappointed. It was not busy when we arrived about 6pm but more people came closer to 7. It seems to be fairly well regarded by locals so i dont know if we are missing something. Our server was very friendly, attentive and patient with our questions about the menu. My wife and i both got beers (pretty good selection and price). We were given a dish of pickled cabbage (i think meant to be an appetizer) which was not good. We purposefully ordered locally caught fish. My wife got a spicy tuna roll. The tuna was grey and the amount of fish was stingy. It tasted ok, not great, but we started feeling weird about the quality of the food. She ordered a shrimp tempura roll as well which she said was ok. The tempura was really yellow... also weird. I got a few pink snapper sushi. It was good but not outstanding. My wife thought it was fishier than normal. I also got oxtail soup which was on special. It was ok but i wouldn't order it again. Not enough mushrooms, and too much cilantro. Last on the food front we got a scoop of red bean ice cream. It tasted like cream cheese with an afterthought of some red bean flavor. Boring and not what we were expecting. The prices were about normal, but considering the quality I think they are on the high side. The worst part of the experience was the terrible christmas music. We were willing to put up with it in hopes that we would get some good food. By the end was just wanted to get the heck out of there and get a drink to try to forget this meal. read more

I Love love love Restaurant Miwa, the pork tofu teishoku is amazing, and the sushi is the best i've found on the east side, with the best prices (way cheaper than kona!) I love the service, its always friendly and attentive. The salad is only iceberg, which is dissapointing to some, but the dressing is delish! I took my fiance here, and he said he would pay double the price for that quality of sushi. The miwa special roll is a california roll with real crab, completely ENCRUSTED with tobbiko, AWESOME! read more

Total rip-off. If you want good Sushi do not come here. You will find better Sushi at 7-11 or ABC stores(for people who live on Oahu) . I also asked for a baked potato on the side. The potato was to come with the works. Instead they brought out a small half of a microwaved potato with what looked like Velveeta cheese melted on top. They wanted $5 for the half of the small potato. I sent the potato back. I should have sent whole dinner back and gone to MacDonald's for a much better meal. Do not waste your money here. Rip Off read more

I haven't been to Restaurant Miwa for years. We used to travel to Hilo FREQUENTLY to visit my brother's family in Mountain View. We went to Restaurant Miwa on a Saturday night. It was very busy. Although we didn't have any reservations, they accomodated our party of fivel The food was Delicious and very reasonablly priced. I recommend Restaurant Miwa. read more