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    Tempura Kiki

    4.7 (433 reviews)
    ModerateJapanese
    Open 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

    Order Tempura Kiki Takeout or Delivery

    Tempura Kiki Photos

    Business Info

    TEMPURA KIKI ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Tempura Kiki

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    Carol H.

    We ordered the special, the Kiki Tempura Teishoku! It was soooo good with about 8 tempuras, miso soup, rice. I would highly recommend. The tempura comes out freshly made and not oily! The server was attentive and the restaurant is clean and welcoming.

    Tempura egg
    Emiko T.

    First time trying this place and wow is it good. They start off giving you pickled vegetable. Refreshing and delicious! The service is awesome, we were seated right away and the staff gave us suggestions on what to order. The food selection is also great, you can pick from a variety of tempura options. The tempura is made when you order it comes out super hot. The quality and taste is excellent. This is probably one of the best tempura I have had. They have lunch specials, you can swap out the rice for noodles but we opted for the rice. If you love hot delicious tempura this is the place for you.

    Tempura, lotus root and squash. Best shrimp tempura I've had.

    Best tempura I've had. The shrimp was cooked to perfection, as was the soft shell crab.

    Alice L.

    We love the tempura here! It is on par with nice tempura shops in Tokyo. We got two of the Kiki set. There is tempura sauce, tendon sauce, and three types of salt (matcha salt, chili salt, himalayan salt). My favorite tempura pieces were probably the shrimp, white fish, and kobucha. The pork tempura is interesting - a little meaty for me. They plate the tempura on a metal rack so it doesn't get soggy. The pickles, rice, and miso are good quality - we love the unlimited pickled cabbage and the rice grains were delicious. Aside, it's nice to see that there is local pricing here! The staff here speak Japanese and there is great service. The setting is nice, too, not too crowded - in an underground Asian food court.

    Waygu Tempura is absolutely AMAZING!
    Lisa T.

    **IN THE STIX ASIAN FOOD HALL** This is some of the best & crispiest tempura ever! Our favorite was the WAYGU TEMPURA. It was so fatty and tender and delicious as tempura. WOW! Highly recommend

    Miso Soup
    Amanda K.

    Seen this place on instagram and decided to check the place out for lunch on Valentine's Day. We were there at 11 and there wasn't anyone dining. They have water on the table for you to serve yourself and there is also pickled cabbage. My husband got the kamaaina special of the Kiki bowl and he got an extra item to choose and he chose chicken. We also got miso soup with the meal. He liked that they had the side veggie as it balanced out the fried food. I got the large shrimp and ended up giving my husband 2 of my shrimp since I got full. I tried the matcha salt too, but didn't really taste it. I liked how light the batter is and it had just enough of the sauce on top. Definitely worth the try if you're in Waikiki.

    Kiki don
    Nicole S.

    Hubby just took me on a spontaneous date night to Waikiki as we both were craving tempura. Waikiki isn't our go to with the traffic and tourists but we decided it was worth a try. This place is located in Stix. There is parking and they validate for 2 hours. Great deal in Waikiki. Also if you are kamaaina, don't forget to get your discount. The menu was pretty simple - bowls or sets. Both come with miso soup. My husband was hungry so he got the premium set. I got the Kiki bowl. The unfortunate thing was there was no pork available so they gave me an extra shrimp instead. The miso soup was great. I loved my bowl and I was hesitant to eat the squid because it's usually chewy. This had to be the best squid tempura I've had. I loved all the veggies and the egg as well. The shrimp was thinner than most places but I still enjoyed it. Hubby was super full. He grew up in Japan and said the bowl I had was very similar to what he had growing up. If you like more sauce, they have tendon sauce, matcha and chili salt on the table. I had matcha salt previously when visiting Japan so that was so cool to see. Service was great. Everyone was attentive to the needs of the customers. We were lucky to get seated right away at around 7pm. I'd recommend this place!

    Miso
    Phil S.

    Truly magical setting and ambience when you walk in. You feel right as if you were in Japan with great service and food that is off the charts delicious. The food is prepared and cooked to perfection. The batter is light and you still capture the essence of the flavors without any problems. Highly recommend.

    Kiki Tempura set
    Patrick C.

    Best Tempura experience in terms of food, Services and old school Japanese ambiance. With a combo plus miso soup/ Rice and Free picked cabbage. We ordered a Kiki Tempura Set | $25.95 (Pork, White Fish, Squid, Shrimp, 4 kinds of Vegetables) Was perfect amount for two people to share. And experienced fresh, lightly battered to perfection and fresh ingredients right to your table. A MUST if love Tempura dishes

    Incredibly great shishito peppers - best I've had anywhere really

    Tempura is excellent - crispy like anything, not oily, incredibly fresh veggies, fried exactly right as tempura. The shishito peppers are incredible - grilled exactly right, they even removed the stems for you, classic Japanese care. Miso soup is hot and nice - just the right hot temperature but like the lukewarm temperature 99% of Japanese restaurants serve. We enjoyed so much we came back a second time during our trip. As good as any great tempura restaurants in Japan!!!

    The Chef/Manager
    Rose C.

    Best Tempura place located at Stix Food Court. Fresh ingredients.. The batter is light and airy with the right amount of crunch. The sauce is flavorful but also light, like tempura sauce should be. Service is amazing, everybody is very friendly and accommodating. It was busy the day I went, but I still feel like I was attended to promptly. The folks were all smiles and friendly to everyone. I'd like to shout out Nick and Eriko for being extremely friendly. The place is nice, clean and organized.

    Tanyce W.

    What a weekend treat! First time trying Tempura Kiki! Heard great things about it. We parked in Waikiki Shopping Plaza and made our way down to STIX ASIA. They validate for 2 hours. Manager Sugudu was so friendly & gracious. We sat at the counter and ordered their Anniversary Temdon : Wagyu, Lobster, Egg & Vegetable $32 it just so happened that it was their LAST DAY for this special so had to try it! I also ordered Tempura Roll : Eel $18 And my Kiki Tempura Bowl : Pork, Shrimp, Squid, Egg, 3 kinds of Vegetable. $25.95 Our Meal came with Miso soup and it was very good quality + flavor. Tempura was super flavorful! Rice was seasoned. Wagyu was Amazing! All of the dishes were executed well and we had fun talking story & laughing as Reuben did Magic for the staff. MAHALO Tempura Kiki! Oishii! :)

    Jennifer J.

    One of the best Japanese tempura spots I ever ate at. I agree with the other yelper that it feels like you were transported to Japan! :) PROS -Super clean and excellent attentive service -The batter is so light and crispy, super fresh because you can tell by the color of the batter that the oil is fresh -I love how they give you half of your tempura and then come back to give the second half and serve it to you on a separate rack so it's super fresh & hot. -Super delicious and perfect Japanese rice and miso soup. -Delicious cabbage condiments

    Kiki Box of mixed tempura - to go

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    Tempura K.

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    Tempura Kiki Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Tempura Kiki

    What hours are the lunch special please?

    Kamaaina discount still available?

    yes! Make sure you have your Hawaii ID... you can get your parking validated too!

    HI. Is the tempura batter gluten free? Thanks!

    Not at this time

    Do they take reservations?

    I'm sure they do but I always walk-in without a reservation. If you have a large party I'm sure they would appreciate a reservation.

    Part of a group with vegans. Does the tempura batter contain eggs?

    If they follow traditional recipes, the answer is yes. The egg(s) help lighten the batter. However for accuracy, I recommend calling the business if that is a concern for you.

    Can I make a reservation?

    No reservations needed.

    View All 8 Questions

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    Ginza Bairin Tonkatsu & Yoshoku Bistro

    Ginza Bairin Tonkatsu & Yoshoku Bistro

    4.3
    (4.2k reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$$
    Free parking
    19 years in business

    There are many restaurants in Waikiki that offer katsu dishes, but Ginza Bairin is one of the best…read morekatsu locations. They serve high quality protein and really crispy panko crust, it's a must when you visit. The restaurant is located on a small street that is a bit further away from the main strip, but that's what makes this place a hidden gem. We visited after lunch rush, but the restaurant was still full and had people waiting outside. Inside, the area is packed with tables, so it may be hard to flag down servers when you need something. But you can tell that everyone is working hard and trying to service all the tables. Overall, we enjoyed our meal, had bunch of leftovers to take back, and walked away full and happy. We look forward to coming back here on our next visit!

    I came here with a party of nine, and while the food impressed us, the service left a lot to be…read moredesired. The biggest issue was that one person in our group didn't receive their meal until everyone else had already finished eating. We asked multiple times if we could just cancel it since they had already shared food with the rest of the table and weren't hungry anymore, but the staff kept insisting that it was almost ready. By the time it arrived, there wasn't much point. There were also moments where service felt inattentive. We tried flagging down a server for a spoon several times and were repeatedly overlooked. My partner eventually got up to ask in person, only to be waved away before someone finally came over. A few things to know before you visit: they have a strict reservation policy that requires a card on file, and the food can take a while to come out, especially for larger parties. Now for the food- which is why I'm still giving this place a positive review. This was my first time having katsu cooked on a grill, and it was a fun experience. I've been to quite a few katsu restaurants, and the overall quality of the ingredients here stood out. The fresh yuzu juice was refreshing and tasted like it was made to order. The Hawaiian beef jerky was another surprise favorite; packed with flavor and almost reminiscent of dry-aged beef. It's definitely worth ordering. As for the katsu itself, the beef was a little on the dry side. The breading was thicker than I prefer and kept separating from the meat, making each bite a bit inconsistent. On the bright side, they were very generous with the complimentary cabbage refills, which was a nice touch. Overall, the food was excellent and absolutely worth trying, but the service didn't match the quality of the meal. If they can improve the timing and attentiveness, this would easily be a place I'd return to.

    Photos
    Tonkatsu, katsu-don, gyukatsu
    Tonkatsu, katsu-don, gyukatsu
    Special Katsu-don set
    Special Katsu-don set
    Katasu-don

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    Katasu-don
    Tonkatsu Tamafuji

    Tonkatsu Tamafuji

    4.6
    (2.5k reviews)
    0.9 mi
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    I finally got reservations for lunch and got to sit in their new expanded area. The restaurant it…read moreso beautiful and clean. The servers were very nice, fast and very accommodating. We ordered three different items: Jyukusei Pork Loin Katsu Set, Sizzling Plate Miso Sauce Pork Loin Set, and a side of the shrimp tempura. Everything tasted amazing. The tonkatsu was crispy, but juicy on the inside. The shrimp with that delicious home made tater sauce was delicious. And the unlimited salad is always a plus. They gave us tea to finish the meal and it was a nice way to end it. There is limited parking on the street or on the basement level of the building. They offer validation if you dine with them. Love coming here, it's always consistent.

    My cousins highly recommended this place, and after seeing so many Instagram posts about it, I knew…read moreI had to give it a try. We attempted to make reservations, but they were completely booked until the following month. Since we didn't want to miss out, we decided to order their most popular tonkatsu meal to go instead. When we arrived, there were already a lot of people waiting outside. I went in to check on our order, and they let me know it would be another 10-15 minutes. Since it was a hot day, we wandered over to the crystal-themed shop next door while we waited. It had lots of interesting items to browse, although we ended up leaving empty handed. About 15 minutes later our order was ready, and we Ubered back to our hotel, which only took a few minutes. When we opened everything up, the portion felt a bit small for the price. The tonkatsu itself was tender, but for us it didn't quite live up to all the hype. I did appreciate that you can choose clam soup instead of the traditional miso soup, and there are different rice options as well, which is a nice touch. Overall, it was a good meal, but not one that completely wowed us given the price. It's possible the experience would have been different dining in, but with the long waitlist and the hot weather, takeout was the better choice for us.

    Photos
    Inside seating
    Inside seating
    Making the sauce
    Making the sauce
    Mix Katsu Set

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    Mix Katsu Set
    Marugame Udon

    Marugame Udon

    4.5
    (14.1k reviews)
    0.2 mi
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    Taste good and quality. Long line but fast served food. I will go back again. My daughter love udon…read morealso she will give. 5

    It's a rare treat when I fall in love with a place and rave about it so much that I have to have it…read moreagain. Not only that, but I have to bring my significant other along to share in the deliciousness! I don't know how I'm just now talking about Marugame Udon. When I first came here, my friend and I decided to give it a try because we saw the longest line and wanted to see what all the hype was about. There was a couple in front of us who said they come here every time they visit Hawaiʻi and that it's a must-do stop on every trip. When you walk in, it's a small place. You can watch a team member washing the noodles and portioning them into bowls right in front of you. Then you choose your bowl size, small or large, and select your broth. After that, you get to choose from a variety of fried items and other à la carte options displayed on a warmer. Seating can be limited because of how busy this place gets. You line up to get your food, pay for it, grab your condiments, utensils, and a cup of water, then find a seat and enjoy. I've already been here twice, and after writing about my experience, I need to make a third visit happen very soon! There are not enough days off in a week to enjoy all of the amazing food on this island, but I'm going to do my best to experience as many places as I can. This place is totally worth the 45-minute commute from Wahiawa.

    Photos
    Dining room
    Dining room
    Kake Udon
    Kake Udon
    Inside seating

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    Inside seating
    Izakaya Tenkichi

    Izakaya Tenkichi

    4.6
    (253 reviews)
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    What can I say about Izakaya Tenkichi?? Everything is AMAZING. I've been there twice, once for…read morelunch and once for dinner. It hits every single time. It was much busier at dinner. I recommend making a reservation, because the space is small. The service is top tier. The servers encourage a good time. They even have a drink menu of server favorites. Think of them as party hosts. Every single thing I've eaten there is amazing. From the avocado to the tempura to the massive ikura bowl that serves 4. I can't recommend one thing in particular. I do encourage you to try anything seasonal. I promise. They won't disappoint.

    Given that I've been here three times in the last month, I think it would be safe to say that…read moreIzakaya Tenkichi is one of my favorite restaurants. The first thing you'll notice when coming here (during a busy dinner time) is that it's really noisy, in a fun way!! The staff is super friendly! There are basically three options for seating.... booths that seat about 4 comfortably, tables on the bottom that can accommodate small or large groups, and bar seating. I've done them all and they are all comfortable. You'll find way more specials at dinner time. The food is really high quality, and super consistent too! My favorites are the yummy cucumber and the garlic cabbage salad, and the tempura and sushi/sashimi/donburi are all great too. Oh, and don't sleep on the hamachi kama. The tempura batter is light and airy and you have the option of tempura sauce, tare, or different kinds of salt. They're all really nice!! Great desserts and alcohol selection too!! Parking is a breeze next door at the old stadium mall, but warning that it may be pretty full at night. You can always find street parking along King Street though. I highly recommend this place for small and big parties alike!! But make reservations for dinnertime because walk-ins are probably not gonna happen.

    Photos
    Steep stairs. Much easier to navigate going up. Going down after some adult beverages? Better use the handrail
    Steep stairs. Much easier to navigate going up. Going down after some adult beverages? Better use the handrail
    Yuzu Cheese Cake ($5.50) - really sweet, especially with the granola. Would recommend getting a different dessert.
    Yuzu Cheese Cake ($5.50) - really sweet, especially with the granola. Would recommend getting a different dessert.
    Dinner Menu (1 of 12) as of 3/5/2026

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    Dinner Menu (1 of 12) as of 3/5/2026

    Tempura Kiki - japanese - Updated July 2026

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