We were a group of six first time visitors to Kauai, and we came to Blue Wave after a friend and Kauai local recommended it. We are so happy we got in! The interior is cozy, and our group felt big for the space, but we did get seated at a table that accommodated all of us. We were also very nicely accommodated in our quick service, as we had a reservation at a nearby attraction that was closing in. I asked the waiter (PJ, I think?) to select 6 nigiri sushi for me, and I also ordered a roll, as did everyone else. Everything was delicious and it's obvious why this place was crowned a Kauai Best last year. The sushi was phenomenal, the service was very welcoming, and the ambiance is ideal. If you like sushi, this is a must visit in Lihue. Easy 5 stars. Mahalo Blue Wave!! read more

Without a doubt, this was the best meal on my trip to Kaua'i GETTING THERE: It was extremely easy to find. Its right off a main road and you cannot miss it. Parking lot in the back was a bit small, but the establishment itself isn't very big. AMBIANCE: As I said, it's a very small place. It can hold maybe about 20-25 people. It's a tight little place with very few tables and a small sushi bar. The dim lights and natural lighting gave it an intimate ambiance. I was seated at the bar and you can watch the chefs assembling my food while being trained at the same time. SERVICE: Our server was phenomenal. I believe his name was PJ. He was quick, attentive, and gave us a good laugh every time he stopped by to check on us. You can see the trainee going through on the job training, but the food still came out in a very timely manner. They were quick and we're happy to answer any questions we had. FOOD: I'm from the Seattle where the fish is extremely fresh and we get some amazing sushi. Also been to Japan a couple times. This was definitely up there for me. Everything was delicious; from the soft shell crab, to the blue fin toro, to the popcorn shrimp. Although I did indulge a little, I believe the chef's choice would be an amazing pick with high value for someone on a budget. Surprisingly, the blue fin toro wasn't my favorite. While it did taste amazing and melted in my mouth, I found the tai snapper to have more dynamic flavor thus marginally beating it out. Also I've never had steak sushi before, but I became a huge fan of the A5 wagyu nigiri and it left me wanting more. Hands down my top 3 picks. OVERALL: I highly recommend trying this place out. I loved the food, the atmosphere, and the service. Its definitely a must visit for me if I were to come back to Kaua'i. read more

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Go Early. Thank Me Later. Sushi Blue Wave was the surprise highlight of our Kauai trip. I had the Chef's Special - five pieces of ridiculous nigiri that started with locally caught bluefin, then rolled into hamachi, ahi, and a few other little ocean miracles. I also started with the pork bun, which was fantastic and basically announced, "Yep, this place knows exactly what it's doing." My wife is vegetarian and said the vegetable tempura was the best she's ever had. The veggie rolls, cucumber roll, and cucumber-avocado roll were all fresh and thoughtful, and even our kids happily crushed theirs. The vibe was unreal - dark wood, warm lighting, and this cool, nostalgic Okinawa-circa-1955 feeling. Dark but inviting. Stylish without trying too hard. The staff were amazing: kind, patient with the kids, knowledgeable, and genuinely on it. Go early. The line gets insane, and after eating there, you'll understand why. Some of the best sushi we've had anywhere. We'll absolutely be back. read more

Sushi Blue Wave - The food disappeared so fast I had to photograph the cleanup crew. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

To be fair we left before eating. We were a party of six and waited 1 hour and 15 minutes before giving up. While waiting they seated 5 tables of 2 people who got there after us, which I kind of understand although honestly if they waited to not seat right away they could have seated us then them by pushing tables together. There was a table of six they explained had a birthday and had paid the check but weren't leaving and they weren't willing to ask them to go. They were always unclear on how long we'd have to wait, when we finally left they had just told us it was still likely another 10-20 minutes. We walked 3 mins to big monster sushi and Thais and had a great meal for probably half the price. If they're going to charge premium pricing they need to be much better communicators about the wait. They never bothered to even talk to us for the whole first hour of wait. read more

Sushi Blue Wave - Sushi Bars Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

Absolutely incredible sushi. 10000% worth the wait. The service was outstanding, it is a smaller place but the vibe is awesome and on par to sushi by scratch. This is a hidden gem well deserving of a Michelin star. read more

Sushi Blue Wave - Sushi Bars Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

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We've been all over the world and is our favorite restaurant and food! We say at the bar in front of the sushi chefs and had a fabulous experience and time chatting with them and watching them make every order impeccably. We ordered a variety - toro nigiri, crispy tuna, salmon sashimi, pork boa buns, edamame, the lemon bliss roll, and the miso soup. Every dish was presented perfectly and tasted phenomenal. Even the dishes we did not order but saw next to us looked incredible - specifically the yellowtail shashimi (we were too full to order but will get next time)! The restaurant is small but perfectly intimate and clean. The service was incredible and staff was outstanding! I would fly back to Kauai just to get this meal and come with an empty stomach to eat even more! Hidden gem!! read more

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Literally the best sushi we've ever had. A close second to this restaurant is a former Michelin sushi restaurant we frequent in San Fransisco. The restaurant is Japanese-owned, the fish is ridiculously fresh, and every piece of nigiri, sashimi, and cut roll was simply amazing. The restaurant is small and intimate, but I believe we were able to miss the rush by coming right before opening and on a Wednesday. read more

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Parking: they have a small lot in the back, but had to opt for street parking as it was full Service: table service. Ambiance: warm, intimate, perfect for date night or a nice dinner with friends. it gets pretty crowded and the queue is a paper list outside the restaurant. A couple (with the same name) took my parties place in line and was seated before us, but the restaurant was very accomodating and made sure to seat us promptly after that and offered complimentary tea and dessert. Food: One of the best sushi places I have been to in a while. All their offerings tasted fresh, presentation was beautiful, and service was quick. Would recommend giving their fried baby tako appetizer a try. read more

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We had a variety of rolls and nigiri. Everything was delicious. The lemon bliss and northern lights were my favorites. The service was excellent and the location was easy to find. read more

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Do not miss this sushi spot! Ambiance is causal and good for a date night. The restaurant has limited seating and service is first come first serve with a waiting list outside. The servers are friendly and knowledgeable. Food arrived quickly and was outstanding! The dry-aged Ora King Salmon, lemon bliss roll and blue wave crunch roll were all delicious and fresh. Highly recommend the sushi restaurant! read more

We ate lunch at Sushi Blue Wave thanks to a recommendation from our awesome Koloa Rum Safari guides, Tanji and Bruce. We arrived shortly after the restaurant opened on a Thursday and had no issues getting a seat immediately; the restaurant was only slightly more full when we finished our meal. Our party ranged from sushi experts to novices, and there was truly something for everyone to enjoy. The specialty rolls, nigiri, and sashimi were all outstanding, with a simple but elegant presentation that really wowed us all. Even my aunt, who doesn't eat raw fish, was delighted with her BSC roll. Service was excellent and personable. We asked to be seated at the bar so we could watch the food being prepared, which was totally worth the experience. The two chefs working while we were there worked deftly and provided us with expertly crafted dishes with ease. They both also answered all my uncle's many questions about sushi with ease and grace. Pro tip for mainlanders: If you haven't yet tried wasabi outside the mainland, be sure to sample the wasabi here! Typical wasabi served on the mainland US has a 20% wasabi to 80% horseradish ratio. What Sushi Blue Wave serves is 80% real wasabi. The flavor is earthy and floral and really adds something to the sushi rather than giving you a horseradishy punch in the tastebuds. read more

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Love this place! So glad there's a great sushi place in Kauai. Services is excellent, food has the highest quality and atmosphere is peaceful and inviting. We ordered non sushi for our Sunday lunch because Omakase is only available for dinner. The non sushi menu items did not disappoint, everything was delicious! We ordered, Kampachi Crudo, Mixed Tempura, Original Ramen and fish bites. read more

Sushi Blue Wave - Mixed tempura - Sushi Bars Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

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Visiting from Maui! What an amazing addition to Kauai. We went off of a recommendation from our guide, Jacob, from Kauai Back Country Tubing. He said this place was delicious. He wasnt wrong. Service, Food, Vibe all 5/5!!! It's very intimate inside like the sushi cafes in Japan. I would say to sit at the bar and watch the Chefs aka Sushi Magicians at work for an added dining experience. They are so brilliant at their works of art. We had several items. Honestly, I cant say that there was one that was my favorite cause all of them were equally good in their own ways. You really cant go wrong and each roll is pretty shareable for 2. (We ordered 3 in total and that was enough to fill us up!) Tip: Dont skip on the miso soup. Warms you up and goes well with the sushi. Add the Sparkling Sake Mio too for a bubbly punch. Thank me later. The chefs really know what theyre doing here. Thank you for showing Aloha through food. By far the best meals I have had. NO KA OI!!! read more

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Sooo good omg! Best thing was the lemon bliss sushi, literally amazing. If I could relive that first bite for the rest of my life I would die happy. Salmon avocado roll 2nd best. Blue wave crunch roll 3rd. We also ordered blue tuna sashimi, pork belly boa buns, and spicy tuna rice, all were good but the top 3 were the top 3. For dessert ordered the banana matcha pudding which was a perfect way to end the meal. PJ was our waiter and did a great job. read more

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This place is amazing, my best sushi experience ever. Definitely sit at the bar so you watch chef in action. We ordered: 1. Lemon Bliss roll 2. Uni sea urchin hand roll 3. Suzuki jalapeño sashimi 4. Scallop aji Amarillo 5. Ora king salmon nigiri 6. Barracuda Kamasu nigiri Melyssa our server was the best at guiding at what to order, since we ordered 2 items at a time. From the outside this place doesn't look all that... but inside will change your mind read more

Sushi Blue Wave - Lemon bliss roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

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Our new favorite restaurant on Kauai! Had a terrific first experience on Friday night and we are returning again today for more! No reservations, but have an efficient sign-in process. Other patrons are friendly and every person we encountered while waiting gave us advice on what not to miss, including surf and turf, popcorn roll, and dry aged options. None of those made sense until we saw the menu. My daughter is an aspiring chef, foodie (and future doctor) and she absolutely loved the lemon bliss. Hubby loved the wagyu beef surf and turf roll and dry aged crudo (me too) and we already decided to try the dry age salmon on next visit, I was the least adventuresome and had the mixed tempura; it was perfect and even included ube. Don't miss the matcha banana pudding! We debated ordering a second one, but were too full. Service was fast and friendly. Decor is approachable and upscale. Net/net: Sushi Blue Wave is A 5-star winner! And don't just take my word on it. They were named "Best Sushi on Kauai" in 2025. read more

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After a short wait, we enjoyed the food and service at SBW. The restaurant was very busy but the staff handled the rush well with great service from PJ. The rolls were all excellent and the beer cold! read more

We came twice on our trip to Kauai this past week It gets crowded so go early and sign up on waitlist, no reservations First visit- 5/5 Great service and all the nigiri sushi were amazing! Just a bit disappointed they don't offer the head for the amaebi. Also one of the best miso soups on the island! Second visit- 4/5 We came a second time around the same time, 5pm for dinner. We were maybe 3rd in line. Service was still good and we ordered pretty much the same thing but added a yellowtail jalepeno sashimi and a wagyu surf and turf roll. I'd skip the roll but my mom liked it. This time they were sold out of several things (5:15pm) such as their special seared yellowtail, wagyu sushi (we only were able to get one piece), and a few other specials. This time the uni and amaebi came out in diced up pieces and noticeably less fish/rice, which was disappointing and hard to eat since the small chopped pieces would easily fall apart. The quality is great and comparable to nicer sushi places in California but sad that they changed up the amount of uni / amaebi and the presentation Overall I highly recommend Easy parking, small lot on side or street parking read more

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This place is the place everyone wants to go to when visiting Kauai but they don't know it exists. It is a home for anyone looking for an incredible sushi dinner. The staff was ultra friendly, helpful and absolutely amazing! The food was a 10/10. I'm debating on going back tomorrow for my last dinner on the island. The sushi chefs know exactly what they are doing. Try the chefs choice and you won't be disappointed, I promise! read more

I was very excited for this place! It was very good not great, worth a try I think but isn't the best I have ever had!

This is going to be a short review because I have nothing to say except everything was really great. People, ambiance and food were fabulous. We were lucky to find parking in the front, but I believe there is additional parking in the back. Come check this palace out for good quality sushi. read more

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10 out of 10- AMAZING. The toro, salmon, and bluefin nigiri were like butter. The Lemon Bliss roll was delicious.

This was my favorite sushi in all of Hawaii thus far SO delicious, so fresh, presentation is fantastic and beautiful, service is amazing (shoutout to PJ for being the best ever), and the ambiance is clean and elegant with sparkly touches like the chandeliers. I absolutely loved all of the dry-aged options for sushi, and the 5pc chef's choice made it easy to get right into the elevated menu. As a sushi lover I absolutely recommend this place and will return! read more

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Food 10/10 Service 10/10 Ambiance 10/10 got seated infront of the sushi chefs and being able to see how everything is made and prepared was super cool and having the easy conversation of asking which sushi's they were making was super cool! 10/10 definitely recommend read more

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I never write bad reviews. I'll make this one as nice as possible. I had heard from a couple friends how great this spot was. So my husband and I went for date night. We ordered quite a bit without trying one item first as a test to see if we wanted more based on friend's suggestions and the reviews. First up was the scallops. We love fresh scallops but these were way funky. They weren't spoiled but definitely less than fresh. Truly disappointing. Instead of cancelling the rest of the items we decided maybe they were from a different region. lol. Next up was the hamachi. Again, not great, not good and never again. The sauce they put on it did not complement the fish at all. The fish itself also not great. It didn't get better with the other item either. Maybe we went on a bad night. I don't know. But won't be going back. read more

I was here for 9 days on a quest to find the best sushi. Look no further, you've hit the spot! This was by far THE best sushi in Kaua'i. This came in at the top, followed by the Sushi Station. If you want the good stuff, this is the spot. I also tried their garlic truffle edamame and it was amazing. read more

Sushi Blue Wave - Sushi Bars Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

My husband says, "DO NOT judge a book by its cover"! It's an assuming little hole in the wall. He absolutely loved it. I don't eat fish so I didn't eat. He had the toro, hamachi and unagi sashimi. Also had a crab roll. All were delicious!! Go here!!!!! read more

This was our first dinner stop while on vacation and boy was it everything we were so excited about seeing the chefs prepare infront of us and service was quick and friendly. The ambience was beautiful inside, and people are lined out the door to get in! read more

Came here for lunch. Great food and service! Got the spicy miso ramen and a blue crab yellowtail roll. Fabulous ramen broth, great umami flavor, and they give you lots of pork. The roll was delicious; you could taste the yuzu citrus and so fresh. We hope to make it back there before we leave the island. Highly recommend! read more

Sushi Blue Wave - Ramen with spicy miso. Just the right amount of spice. So delicious! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

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Very stylish & classy looking place, wonderful service and excellent food. So far it's the BEST Sushi on Kauai. We finally found a good sushi place that has become our new go to restaurant. Typically we don't dine out due to overall underwhelming meals while on our annual trip to Kauai, that stopped here. Definitely a repeat! read more

Sushi Blue Wave - PJ and my husband. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

Food was really good, wait time to seat was fast, service was with good suggestions, ambiance was nice and relaxing also good to see them making the sushi at the bar, its like watching an art form. read more

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10/10 the salmon & yellow tale was so fresh! I will dream of the matcha banana cream pie! I could not get enough of the blue fin toro! Miso soup was amazing as well read more

The food was fantastic! We sat at the Sushi bar watching them make beautiful sushi, sashimi and Nigiri. I had a beer brewed in Japan and it was excellent. Great menu, fair prices and attentive staff. read more

Sushi Blue Wave - Blue Wave Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

New find in Lihue omg!!! Most wonderful sushi and rolls in the island Thank you for a great experience can't wait to come back. Chef keep up the creative and fun food read more

Friends were visiting Kauai and we came over from Big Island, and stopped here for dinner after they picked us up from the airport. The entire experience was exceptional! We had a few of the signature rolls and were completely blown away! The rolls were fresh and the blend of textures, flavors, and the beautifully creative ways the rolls were put together was just incredible. I love sushi and this was definitely the best experience I've had. I highly, highly recommend this restaurant! Also, the service was exceptional. We had a lovely server who was very caring and recommended these amazing rolls. Mahalo Nui! read more

Sushi Blue Wave - We ordered the Blue Wave Crunch, Lemon Bliss, Blue Crab and Yellowtail, B.S.C. Roll and Northern Lights, I believe. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

This sushi is 10 star first rate. The chef is amazing and I recommend any of the specials. The dry hang salmon sashimi (which we had never heard of) melts in your mouth. Our server, Natsumi (Just returned from Japan) was outstanding and we took all of her recommendations. This Sushi was absolutely tops. Don't miss it on Kauai. read more

WOW!!! This place was awesome. We have good sushi restaurants in the SF area. But this place was the best ever. So happy the sushi master at our hotel recommended Blue Wave as the best sushi restaurant on Kauai. read more

This is the best sushi I have ever had, maybe a top 5 overall meal. The aged salmon sashimi was impeccable and I can't stop thinking about it. There are no reservations taken but they move people along efficiently without feeling rushed. Wonderful, fun service. I can't wait to come back some day. read more

Sushi Blue Wave - Sushi Bars Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

FINALLY got to eat lunch at blue wave to try their Ramen. Open Saturday & Sunday at 12-2:30. 10/10 flavor, service and workers as always. Got a complimentary mochi ice cream at the end of our lunch. Best ramen on Kauai at the moment. Hope to go back for lunch soon!! read more

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On vacay here and had to try sushi, of course. Found this gem which is a small and mighty place. It is small and beautiful inside but super cozy. I'm picky when it comes to seafood so I'm so glad I found this spot. Very clean so I was confident the food's fresh. Staff were amazing!!! So attentive and our server, Natsumi was fantastic!!! She was so sweet the moment we came in. So professional and helpful. She recommended the Ora king salmon sashimi, and it did not disappoint at all. I also had the Blue Wave Chef's Choice....delicious. Boyfriend had the avocado eel roll. Loved it! And the dessert!! YUM!! Matcha banana pudding. So nice and light! Strongly recommend this gem. read more

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