Just had lunch and found a staple in my saimin! Mentioned to the waitress and nothing happened. When the bill came, they charged us for the saimin and didn't apologize or come talk to us about the incident! read more

I have been here a couple of times. This time I had the fried saimin and the fried shoyu chicken. The fried shoyu chicken is something I haven't tried before. It is not bad, but it perhaps was a bit over fried. The shoyu part over the fried part was good, but the chicken was a bit dry, since I think the oil sucked the water out. The fried saimin was pretty good. As to service the ladies were pretty quick, but getting seated took a short while. This is a good place if you work in the area and you want a variety of local da kine foods. This is also a decent place if you like local comfort foods like me. read more

I don't understand why tanaka saimin has such bad reviews! I love this place! I give them 5 stars for what it is, a casual dining restaurant. I love everything I've had here. Saimin, won ton min (I always add extra veggies, sooo Ono!), omelette with shrimp, shrimp tempura, hamburger steak and ox tail soup. Last time I was there, oxtail was on the specials menu. Happy to see it's a regular menu item. Ooh, chiffon pies are good (I love guava but I think they don't make it anymore. Lilikoi is awesome too!) and the banana cream is yummy! I haven't had any kind of bad experience here. Servers and hosts are soooo nice too! I think I like it more than Zippy's. So much fresher. Zippy's is getting kinda nils to me now. Okay, only bad thing, parking sucks! But other than that. I love it!!!!!!!! read more

Even though it's a new large place and friendly staff. Tanaka's fried noodles was bland and small in portion the broth for the saimin lacked flavor and they use regular mustard not chinese mustard. Between my 2 daughters and myself Dillingham won 2 out of 3 votes. I'm not sure we'll be back. read more

Service was awful. Waitress did not know what we were asking. "Does this soup base have shrimp?" "No sir." So we order the soup then couple minutes later. "Why does my friend look like he's getting an allergic reaction?" Goes back to the kitchen and then tells us. "The cook said the base is shrimp." read more

The shrimp tempura batter was too oily. The chicken katsu was a so-so.. I could've just ordered the Saimin. The ambiance was ok,and few people were there since it was a Superbowl sunday. Technically, I was full but was not satisfied. read more

Come here if you want horrible service. Never get checked up on don't get greeted have to flag your server down if you need something because they won't check on you. As someone who runs a business my self I would be very disappointed in my staff if this is how they treat customers... read more

Sorry for the late review.....My bento had mushy mash brown rice. Who knew an Japanese Restaurant cannot make rice.

Why all the bad reviews? My hubby and I came here on a whim and had excellent food and excellent service from Chad.

Every time I drive to Home Depot or Costco I see the huge "Tanka Saimin" sign but never tried it. I heard one of the previous owners of Boulevard Saimin opened it. I don't like that shopping center because the parking is so odd, but I decided to take my mom there for lunch. The menu is typical of a local drive inn. She ordered the won ton min and bbq beef stick. I ordered the yakitori burger with mac salad and a side of zucchini tempura. The won ton min was okay. Nothing to rave about, just okay. My mom said the bbq beef stick was dry and chewy. My yakitori burger was kind of skimpy, but had enough flavor. I was disappointed in my zucchini. I love fried zucchini, but this one was really oily and still hard on the inside. Overall, the place was open and clean, wait staff friendly, but food just really okay. read more

WILL NOT EVER GO BACK! Walked in for some saimin and sat at the front counter for 15 minutes with over 10+ waiters and wait staff right in front of me. Not one asked me if I was served yet, not one gave me water, nothing. I left after not even being recognized as being there. I thought their sister shop Dillingham Saimin was bad but this place is even worst. Before you go you should read all the reviews on this board, food is bad, service is worst, parking hahaha. Not destined to last long with this type of attitude, service, greasy and salty food, plus bad parking situation too! I went up to Palace Saimin got better tasting saimin and BBQ stick for $7.50. Don't waste your time going to this dump. Shame, as the concept would work if you would change a lot of things. read more

Flavorless broth, hostess with attitude (really?), and pricey for what it is.

Got there little after 1130 and was seated immediately. Waited till after 1200, waitress finally came to take order. She said she did not see us sitting there. The place was not crowded with people(now I understand-service.) We were about to walk out when she came. Food was not very good because I lost my appetite. Bad service=0 tip!!! read more

I tried the teriyaki beef saimin and it was not good. The saimin broth tasted like bitter, dried shrimp and the noodles were pastey despite being kinda stiff. If you get the saimin you WILL be disappointed. read more

Heard about this place from a co-worker and I had decided to swing by to check it out with a friend. The instant I walked into those doors, first impression was that it provided some sort of clean ambiance. Interior appeared to be a little bigger than expected and needless to say, there were rows of booths/tables occupied with satisfied customers. Such a family-oriented place as large groups of families were having a great time, which is why it gave a homey feel to it. Let's get on with the food...nothing else to say but excellent reviews. I had ordered their signatilure Tanaka Saimin, which consisted of gigantic bowl of readily hot noodles, wun tun min, fish cake and char siu. This signature order also came with a side of shrimp tempura, slice of teri beef and your choice of potatoe mac or toss salad. I honestly could not consume and finish the whole meal that was prepared for me. End of my course, I ended up taking the remaining leftovers home. My friend ordered the oxtail soup and let me be the first to say, he was even more delighted and impressed. He had never in his life tried an oxtail soup mixed with long rice (noodles), a side of rice and I believe pickled seaweed, if not mistaken. His raving reviews had made him wanting to come back for more. However, what made us set our minds to this place was their ono fried ice cream. Guys, you HAVE TO try it here! It is a must try dessert. Fried ice cream is basically made up of vanilla ice cream smacked in the middle of a round breaded crispyness of some sort of cinnamon honey glazed batter. To end this, I will most definitely return and the next time, I'll be sure to bring my family. Great job on the interior and wonderful service Tanaka Saimin! Please check out photo on my profile for visualization on our orders! read more

Tanaka Saimin - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Omg sooo good soooo good I move their kimchi fried rice and their saimin and their oxtail and their everything sooooo gooood soooooo good I love it there soooo good omg sooooo gooood read more

Would not go again. Sat down at a booth that had not been wiped off and got a handful of someone else's ramen. I ordered the saimin won ton min. It was edible, but nothing I would ever order again. The only thing semi-tasty was the won-ton. Partner had a veggie omelet, super greasy, american (velveta) cheese, and the hashbrowns were deepfried in cold oil. Hashbrowns in cold oil= soggy loaf. yuk read more

a friend of a friend said that it was a good place. ...not sure about that. i thought about checking yelp reviews before actually heading to this place, but my friend and i decided to try it out since we were waiting for our movie to start at the near Dole theatres. the size of the place was somewhat intimidating for some reason. probably b/c i was expecting something small and comfortable rather than a huge diner. we critiqued the arrangements of the booths while waiting for our food. it needs to change somehow. but we couldn't figure out how to salvage it. i figured i'd try their saimin since it should be good, right? after all, they're called Tanaka SAIMIN. and i also LOVE saimin. my friend ordered their tamago saimin and i had the teriyaki beef saimin. the portions and price was alright, but the taste.....why did we taste shrimp? it was weird. the tamago saimin smelt and tasted strongly of shrimp. i felt bad b/c my friend doesn't like shrimp. she tried killing the taste or at least saving the broth w/lots of soy sauce and chinese mustard, but i don't think it even helped. my teriyaki beef saimin was alright. the beef was nothing spectacular. then i tried the broth, and it also tasted like shrimp. i'd rather have an S&S saimin, please. i may give this place another try. not sure if i'll try any of their saimins again, especially after that experience and reading all the other reviews here. i don't know though. i'd rather go to La Tour next door or Bangkok Chef around the corner. read more

I tried tempura, teriyaki chicken, won-ton saimin. The soup taste like MSG soup, the shrimp tempura and teriyaki chicken is ok, nothing spectacular. I rather just eat @ Zippy's. I will never go there again. The only reason I will go again is I'm in the area and craving for oxtail soup. (that will be their last chance) read more

It's always good eating at Tanaka Saimin. Specials are good and the staff is friendly. Parking is always a problem.

Just arrived..crowded but only waited 2 minutes for party of two..booth in the back..perfect! Just got outta the HIFF movie, this place hits the spot! Oyako Donburi anyone?yum! read more

Came here on an early Sunday with my wife and son. We were seated quickly, served quickly. I ordered the rib eye steak with mushrooms and onions, it came out sizzling. It was delicious. My wife ordered the rib eye steak princess cut, that portion was good sized. An overall pleasant experience. read more

Our first experience dining in was good that we returned the following weekend. However, the second visit was horrible. As soon as we walked in to sign in the hostess immediately said "you have a large party so the wait is going to be long." The hostess didn't greet us but made it seem it was a bother to have a party of 9. While we waited patiently another large party of 9 walks in, signs in 5 slots after us and gets seated before us. How does that happen? My bro-in-law asks the hostess "how is it that a party of 9 that signs after us get seated before us" and the hostess says "they called in their reservations"....I thought it was BS. I will also share this on FB and notify the manager of their poor service. read more

Ordered Mahi plate with egg batter. Pretty simple right? Wrong.. They got it wrong TWICE and the third time they bought it out it was tempura style... SMFH These guys need to get it together... read more

Will never go back there again. My beef dish tasted sour. Returned & I still had to pay for it!!!!! 10% discount is all they offered. Upset stomach moments after we left. This place is nasty! Health inspectors should check this place out more often...not customers!!! read more

okay, so when my good friend jeremy said let's meet for lunch today, i said 'sure!' little did i know that tanaka saimin was a bit 'underwhelming' for me...sorry tanaka fans! =I i did read the reviews, and a coworker suggested i try their 'saimin and hamburger combo' which i did. i thought perhaps a 'breakdown' may be easier for those of you who actually go through my review! =) parking: went around 12:20-ish today...i was fortunate a couple was pulling out, hence i scored a stall right in front of the entrance to tanaka saimin. wait time: apparently, if i recall, there was a yelper who mentioned that the staff does not seat you till EVERYONE in your party has arrived. there are some pros and cons to that, but i will not go into that at this time. anyway, my friend was already there and told the waitress/hostess/server that the other half of his party had arrived. they quickly cleaned the booth near the counter and we were seated in a few minutes. service: hmm...i've had much better service at other establishments. of course i wasn't expecting 'the best' service, but perhaps someone who actually remembered what each person had ordered at least! i ordered the saimin wun tun/hamburger combo (small) and my friend had the the 'tanaka special' or something along those lines...when she first came, we still weren't sure what we wanted, hence she came back in a timely manner and took our order then. when the food arrived she gave me his special and vice versa. tsk tsk. lol. food: so...i've noticed there has been some dispute over the noodles and the flavor of the broth...okay the good first, what i LIKED about their noodles was that they were firm and kind of thin, not as thick as the 'usual' saimin noodles are, like s&s or zippy's. what i DISLIKED, their broth could have been 'steaming' hot, i love to eat a bowl of saimin when the broth is steaming hot, and i need to actually blow on the noodles or spoonful of broth before i put it in my mouth...this wasn't the case with their 'room temperature' broth. let me move on to the hamburger...i was under the impression it'd be somewhat of an 'old school' hamburger like rainbows or st. louis drive inn, in which the bun was a soft, small, loves' hamburger style bun, NO it was like this HUGE bun that to me, kinda was a bit much for the burger. i mean it was only the hamburger patty, but i've had much better as i mentioned earlier...OR perhaps i'm just picky OR my definition of an 'old school' burger differs from other yelpers... overall: although i scored a free lunch (thanks jeremy!!!), i don't know that i'd crave or WANT to return here. perhaps if i really had no choice, like if zippy's down nimitz were too busy, okay, i suppose i'd return, BUT other then that, i don't think i'd be returning...service was mediocre and i've expereinced way better at a chinese restaurant and we all know how they are there....heh heh. the food, perhaps i need to try something else next time, if i do return...till then, tanaka saimin might be good for those with little kids....or those who really enjoy the, really, really simple kind of food. read more

I went in on busy Sunday and was seated right away. I ordered the Special Saimin and was most impressed by how quickly the food was delivered. The Tempura was super bready and the Saimin probably wasn't worth what we paid, however there is a good selection of food items, the atmosphere is comfortable, it's pretty centrally located. It reminds me of Kelly's by the airport although Kelly's was better. read more

Friendly, local waitstaff. Ramen burger was filling with the great, fresh watercress! Unusual light red/pink ramen broth (it was pink for Breast Cancer Awareness?!?!?). Good service despite waiting for our check. The Tanaka saimin was suggested by our waiter. It included wontons, char siu, choi sum, green onion and kamaboko (pink & white swirled fishcake). It also included a scoop of potato mac salad on the side with teriyaki beef (soy sauce based marinade) and shrimp tempura (fluffy, deep fried shrimp with tartar sauce not tempura). Reminiscent of Dillingham Saimin with an up to date menu and setting. Would go again for the ramen burger. Parking is not spacious or plentiful. Clean restrooms. TVs galore and kid friendly. read more

I FINALLY found a place that can replace my Wisteria restaurant. Great place to eat. Great service by a young local guy today. Tempura platter was yummy and my Tanaka saimin combo was GREAT! Portion is ALOT !!! read more

Ordered the sizzling rib eye with onions and mushroms, mashed potato, salad...pretty good. Mashed potatoes was dry though. Excellent waiter - Rendy!! Honest about the choices for dessert, minimal choices, not worth the price read more

Da Saimin Burger is bomb! Very interesting combination of food but also very delicious. Saimin burger comes by itself along with a small bowl of saimin broth for either dipping or just drink after. Staff is friendly and we always see someone we know there. Parking kinda sucks if you go during peak hours. I went for dinner last night around 8ish and it was still kind of crowded. But other than that, Tanaka saimin is a good place to eat, hang out, have a few drinks, etc. Yes they serve beer. read more

Our server Jonalyn was great. So much food to choose from. Absolutely can't go wrong

I'm a little surprised by all the bad reviews. Perhaps the fancy new exterior got people's expectations up (understandable). However, I went in expecting Boulevard Saimin Redux, and that's what I got. I also have to admit that sometimes I get cravings for slightly "junk" (low quality) food, like Chips Ahoy cookies and McDonald's cheeseburgers. I guess my taste buds have a nostalgia factor built in. In any case, I had the Taco Rice (it's a special on Thursdays) and shared the Tempura Onion Rings with my friend, who had some sort of Won Ton Min. The Tempura Onion Rings are actually just regular old onion rings. We told our server we were in a hurry, and they did their best to accommodate our request. All in all, a pleasant though not outstanding experience. read more

So my wife was shopping next door and I decided to go have a beer here. This place was great. The staff was super friendly and made sure everyone was taken care of. Unfortunately I didn't have a chance to order food but just watching and talking with the staff I'm sure if there was a problem they would make it right. read more

Tanaka Saimin exceeded my expectations! The area is much larger, nicer, and cleaner than Dillinham Saimin (sorry but I don't mean to fuel the feud). The Tanaka Special also seemed larger and tasted better than Dillingham. The restroom was really clean and the service was really good for a saimin joint. I will go back to try something else. The saimin is almost as good as Hamuras, Shiges, or Palace, but the ambiance is clearly much better. read more

Tanaka Saimin - Tanaka Special! It's just like the Dillingham Saimin Special but bigger and better! The place is also bigger and better! haha - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This place has the best one ton min I have ever tasted! The noodles are not too thick and starchy. It's cooked perfectly! The soup base is packed with flavor but not salty. Great customer service too! read more

NOT HAPPY... Didn't like food & service was really bad. 1st & last time for this place

ate here two weeks ago.... don't think i will be back... the booths here are really weird... there are three in a row, but the middle ones are hard to get to... i almost felt like the people at the next booth were part of our party since their booth was so close to ours. i got the chicken katsu curry... that was the greasiest katsu i had ever been served... yes, i am aware that it's fried, but most places let it sit on paper towels before plating it... i ate about 1/2 of my meal, and was outta there... not willing to give it another try read more

Everyone has their particular tastes when it comes to food...everyone seems to be a critic, even me. However, after trying almost every item on the menu, I have to say the good outweighs the bad. Prices are reasonable on average. What makes this place great is the people who work there. Like any other eating establishment, mistakes happen and orders are mixed up, but your concern is addressed and/or corrected. The staff, from cashiers and hostesses to bushelp are all personable and friendly. Why do I go back often now? For the people first, to eat second. read more

It is a nice and clean restaurant and people are helpful and very apologetic. The cooks in the kitchen sucks, there are five to six cooks at one time and yet the service is "turtle" slow! Takes 35 minutes for a bowl of saimin and nothing special, you can get that at Zippys! It is not the first or second time the service of food is slow, but I tell you what, it is the last time for me! read more