I visited this restaurant right before leaving for the airport and it was totally worth it. It was in the underground floor of the mall, and you can find it earlier if going downstairs from the stair close to Sephora. Udon: 5/5. Very simple - noodle in a typical skipjack-flavor, clear broth. The noodles is thick and chewy. Tempura has a crispy shell and a juicy heart. The eel and shrimp tempura is like a small boat, where the juice will leak out into your mouth. The vegetables are also impressive, the eggplant and shiitake are particularly UMAI. If there's anything that they can do better, maybe in the selection of the raw materials, which however may be limited by the price. If you need some tempura in Hawaii, this is where you should go. read more

See all

I ordered the Kiki set $25 with 1 scalloping added $9. Crispy and fluffy. Lightly battered and not too oily. Service was great and friendly. Open space with bar seating around kitchen. read more

Tempura Kiki - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Was at STIX ASIA and decided to give Tempura Kiki a try. It's in the same location as Hannosuke was. I think comparisons between the two are inevitable and my answer is that Kiki is different from Hannosuke. Their tempura battering is much lighter and they offer different items. I think it's a solid tempura place. Service is excellent. Food came out quickly. What I really appreciate about Kiki is that the tempura does not come out all at once but in separate servings which means you can eat your tempura at a normal pace and it will still be hot! They have Pork Tempura! A thinly sliced piece of pork is dipped in tempura batter and fried. I've never had pork as a tempura option and really liked it. I found the tempura dipping sauce to be a bit too sweet so I opted to use the salt offerings on the table. Was having fun with the Matcha Salt on fish and shrimp tempura. Oh. Back to comparisons. I absolutely loved Hannosuke's tempura egg, so I ordered Kiki's to compare. Was disappointed. There was a thin coating of tempura on egg (which was hot and crispy) but the egg itself was cold. Kiki charges an automatic Kitchen Fee but they do offer Kama'aina Discount. read more

See all

Served us raw beef and RESTAURANT could care less. Pretty unacceptable when you order the top option for the Wagyu 8 ounce portion trying to give my kids a Katsu experience and the beef came out completely raw and owners could not do anything for us. read more

*Experience: We got here at 4:30pm for an early dinner and it wasn't busy so we were seated immediately. After placing our order, we got some complimentary pickled veggies. Overall service was quick and friendly. *Food: my husband and I shared a Kiki set and it came with a pretty good amount of food. Our first bite was the white fish and it was super lightly breaded and juicy at the same time. What surprised me the most was the quality of the lotus root. It was very clean and slightly soft yet crunchy. Overall everything was very well made and of high quality! Great quick meal for when you don't want a full sit-down experience. read more

Tempura Kiki - Kiki set - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

The food here is decent, the tempura is freshly fried, and the sauce is enjoyable- but the price here is a bit outrageous even for Honolulu. One tendon or tempura set is a whopping 29-30$ easily, and its probably enough for one person. So this seemingly lunch spot will run you 60$+ and they charge an automatic 4% service fee. They have a separate promotion where its 18$ for the locals and honestly i understand if its a few % upcharge for the tourists but to be paying almost double its insane and feels a bit like a scam. Theres plenty of better spots out there that are much cheaper and quality food than here- i would not recommend it overall. read more

Tempura Kiki - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Fresh vegetables tempura style. Thick cut, not soggy. Large shrimp. Next time we Wii get there early enough for the lunch specials

I think this might actually have been the most *fun* restaurant we went to on our vacation in Hawaii last month. Not necessarily the *best* (it was excellent, there's just a lot of competition), but for sure, the sort of restaurant that very much doesn't exist anywhere in California (though why not? It's a great concept!) The only real complaint I had was that the menu was a bit confusing as to what the sets actually mean, so I figure I could help other people: the ones labeled "sets" mean they fry them up a couple pieces at a time, so they can guarantee you're eating everything at the optimal temperature and crispiness. I absolutely love that! Obviously we each got a set. I also loved another fact I learned that wasn't on the menu: they're happy to substitute vegetables in the combo, which is great, because we both hate eggplant. (Indeed, they also had no issue with my wife's request to just get 4 pieces of sweet potato; I just asked for mushroom and to keep the other three.) Anyway, my wife was also on the hunt for the best tempura shrimp in Hawaii, which for good and bad, I think she found here, the second day of the trip, and everything after that was a letdown by comparison, haha. It would make sense, though, since tempura is literally their specialty and basically all they do here! (Yes, that does mean that they just brought here shrimp and sweet potato each time!) I, on the other hand, loved the opportunity to eat a whole smorgasbord of different types of tempura, and everything I tried - pork, shrimp, mushroom, squid, my wife's clear favorite sweet potato, everything. Absolutely wonderful tempura, probably the best I've had. Service was excellent from start to finish, and I loved the tableside condiments, including matcha salt(!), and as much pickled cabbage as you feel like eating! (And unlike the other sitdown Japanese place we went on this trip, the pickled cabbage tasted like fresh pickled cabbage, not a plate of salt!) We also shared a small order of eel, which was definitely also delicious, though a bit pricey. I don't regret it, but if I were ever back (which I probably would be, if I were back in Honolulu in general), I think I'd rather just stuff my face with more extra vegetables. (You can also add on extra vegetables a la carte, though a set each plus the shared eel was plenty of food for both of us.) I also loved their shochu menu - several very reasonably priced, too! I had a glass of shochu for ~$7.50 (I wasn't sure how it was going to be presented - answer: a highball. Solid one, too, was a great accompaniment.) Absolutely the only thing I didn't love was the unexpected, though sadly at this point relatively common, 4% "kitchen service charge" I didn't recall seeing anywhere prior to the check. Not the end of the world, though, I just wish places would just raise all their prices a tiny bit instead of being slightly passive-aggressive about it? read more

See all

My favorite tempura place! I love that they bring it to you for the sets as it is ready. You get one half, then once you're finished eating that they bring out the second. Keeps it hot and fresh and the best! read more

See all

Excited to try this place and heard a lot of good things about it. They're absolutely right! They served freshly made tempura right at your table. Friendly service. Definitely recommended. Great tempura! read more

Tempura Kiki - Freshly made tempura - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

NICK'S AWESOME! Nicholas was the highlight of today's entire dinner and he is the most patient and welcoming worker we have ever met in all of Hawaii. He's the reason we will be coming back and he's so great at bringing out the freshest tempura and explaining what everything is; he moves very quickly and always ensures that we have chilled water, and he was perfect at explaining the menu. He smiles very warmly and is super diligent. Wish we could give him not just five stars, but six or seven! We spent our dad's birthday here, and he honestly deserves the biggest raise!! read more

Wow! So happy Yelp led us to this restaurant of pure goodness. Located in an Asian food hall, we were quickly sat and then began the tempura feast. As a vegetarian I had plenty to choose from- I had much of the vegetable tempura (pumpkin was my fav), rice, miso soup, and the pickled vegetables were so good! My husband had an assortment of all things tempura (Kiki tendon) and he absolutely loved it. I have to go back to talk about the miso soup- it was so rich, comforting, and probably the best I've ever had the pleasure of having. Stop here if you are nearby, you certainly won't regret it! read more

See all

Although I still stand by my recommendation of Tempura Kiki for their more traditional tempura, I cannot recommend their wagyu tempura. The meat was so tough and did not have flavor. Additionally, it was so undercooked that the blood just ran off of it and soaked the underside (tempura batter part). Not worth it at all. I'm surprised they would allow this out of the kitchen with the standard they have for their tempura product. read more

Tempura Kiki - Wagyu tempura- do not recommend - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This restaurant was in the stix eating area. Smaller area but they bring your food to you as it cooks so it is as fresh as possible. The miso soup was rich and flavorful. They had a good variety of tempura options. No complaints :) read more

Tempura Kiki - Set - comes with rice and miso soup - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

Tempura Kiki is located at the Stix Asian food area. There are lots of restaurants here but this is the only tempura specialty restaurant. I got to say that I was well pleased with the food here. Our tendon bowls were delicious. Not the same feel as when I had one in Japan with the chefs making the tempura in front of you, but the taste was pretty spot on. It's a small shop so it's best to come with parties of up to four at best but they can accommodate a bit more. Great service here too. I totally recommend this place. =] read more

Tempura Kiki - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I'm not the authority on what's japanese authentic, but man this dining experience was amazing. Tempura Kiki is located in an upscale food court type of experience that boasts several restaurants. Beautiful ambiance, and wonderful, friendly service. The waitress explained the menu and the food came out quick. I would highly recommend if you are a fan of Tempura. Highly recommend without reservations. Mahalo to the team at Tempura Kiki for this palate pleasing experience! DISCLAIMER: My average review score 3.42 when I made this review--(take with a grain of salt) (I rely on Yelp to go to places with good reviews, may account for the higher average) read more

Tempura Kiki - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

Life changing tempura experience. The tempura is fried to perfection. The attention to detail is second to none. You'll be lucky if you find tempura like this anywhere else in the United States. We are going to have serious food withdrawals having to go back to a city without this sort of restaurant. It's hard to even write this review because it's making me sad for how much I'm going to miss it. read more

Tempura Kiki - Shrimp set - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

We love this place so much, that we come here each and every time. The staff is kind and efficient. And the food is always served with care. They have started a new lunch menu this month & it's amazingly affordable with specials and a la carte options if you want to buy only your favorites by the piece at only $1.50 each. 10 out of 10 would go here again and again and again. read more

Tempura Kiki - Pumpkin, Wagyu, lotus root, okra lunch special - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Top notch tempura and fast service. Highly recommend stopping by when in Waikiki. It's located in the Stic food hall. read more

Tempura Kiki - A5 Wagyu Tempura - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

Perfect location in the heart of Waikiki area, located downstairs in the Asia Stix food court area is Tempura Kiki. We were a party of 3 and dined here around 5:30PM for dinner, and there was no wait for a table (by the time we were done with dinner, there was a line!!) The main dosh as the name of the restaurant states, is tempura. The menu is based on how many pieces of fish, shrimp and veggies you would like to eat. what i loved about them is the fact that they serve the fried pieces fresh and if you order a menu item with many pieces, they bring them in batches so that it is still fresh and hot. loved the tempura batter, it was perfect. the meal was served very fast. one in our party substituted udon noodles for rice which was a great way of trying it. Really enjoyed the casual atmosphere, service and great tasting meal. I highly recommend it for a casual high quality dinner. read more

Both the service and food were amazing here. Everyone was so incredibly nice and polite and the food left me satisfied The tempura comes out in batches so they're fresh while you eat - no need to worry about soggy or cold tempura. The amount of food is also quite plentiful, I left incredibly full. I got the Kiki Special that included shrimp, squid, pork, fish, and 4 veggies (eggplant, bell pepper, pumpkin, sweet potato). It comes with miso soup and rice and there's pickled veggies on the side to help balance out the fried tempura. The chefs themselves came out to give us our tempura - plating them nicely and making sure we knew what was what. I also really liked the little bag they provide to put your purses/belongings so you don't feel cluttered at the bar. I definitely would return! read more

Tempura Kiki - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

Sister restaurant to Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin, the Honolulu branch of which turns out the undisputed best tonkatsu. So it stands to reason, deep frying is a forte. Why not tempura? As a self proclaimed tempura snob, I measure everything against the Michelin two star Tempura Kondo in Tokyo where the chef has two different temperature of oil to cook each ingredient properly. The oil is changed twice during each seating. Each seasonal ingredient is cooked, presented, and meant to be eaten immediately. The only condiment, salt. This is NOT that kind of restaurant. That said, expect to pay an average of $27 versus ¥23,000. Tempura sets come with miso soup, rice, tsukemono or tendon sets. Premium Kiki set ordered (consist of every ingredient offered). Straight forward, thin flour / water batter allows the ingredients colors to show well. Ingredients are well fried with little residual oil. Veg shines with a very sweet kabocha the standout. The only complaint, the shrimp is overcooked and rubbery possibly from not taking into account carryover cooking. Aside from that, this is some good tempura! Tentsuyu taste fine if you need it. The provided fresh ground Himalayan sea salt, the best way to go. If you're into more flavor, do try the matcha and shichimi pepper salts. Service is Japanese proper. The best tempura experience in Hawaii eclipsed only by single bites from our best izakayas none of which deliver a tempura only meal. read more

Excellent service, delicious food. It is my daughter's favorite restaurant on the island.

Excellent casual eating stop, served progressively, as fresh as it gets. The service hostess is also very graceful

Friendly service- transport yourself to Japan with a tendon bowl - tasty, filling, yet not tooo much! Love the fact they have pickled vegetables as an ayce side dish- falvored just right - not too salty ! only reason for lack of a star is no hot japenese tea- idk but I need Japanese tea when I am having Japanese food ! Kamaaina disc as well! read more

Tempura Kiki - ayce pickled veges n miso soup - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

Found this little gem while walking around Waikiki. It is located within the underground Japanese food court area. Seats are limited so prepare to wait during rush hour. Luckily we went during off hours so we were able to grab a seat quickly. Fresh tempura is served piece by piece. There is a variety of options from vegetables, fish, shrimp and meat. My favorite was the vegetables, fish and shrimp. The batter is so light and crispy. And I love how the tempura was served piece by piece. We will be definitely returning when we visit Waikiki. read more

Another one of my favorite Oahu finds! This place is pretty lowkey, hidden away as a food hall restaurant, but don't let that fool you. They serve some very delicious and proper tempura! Very Japanese, when we got there I kind of forgot we were in Hawaii and felt like I had just walked into a little diner somewhere in Tokyo! Don't be intimidated by the menu, it's a mix between Japanese and American presentations but just know that TEISHOKU means meal set and TENDON basically means tempura bowl. We got the Kiki lunch set was a very nice selection of items; thin pork, shrimp, squid, kabocha, zuchini, potato, and a few more I can't quite recall. They serve you the tempura as they're cooked so it's usually divided into 2-3 trips, so just enjoy your tempura as it gets to you. Very fresh ingredients, well fried, and not oily feeling at all. read more

See all

Some of the best tempura I've had. The tempura here stands up to some of the best I've had in Japan. Light, crisp, flavorful, fresh. It doesn't get much better than that. Another highlight was the white rice. It was also some of the best I've had. They clearly care about ingredients and the details. It's a casual, food court place, but it was quite a treat. Highly recommended. read more

This was such a wild meal. It's inside an amazing Asian food court and had a small line but we were seated within 20 minutes. You can choose to either get a tempura set where they bring out the pieces fresh and in 2 phases, or they will serve it all at once with over rice with sauce. It was so cheap and filling and fresh! Such a fun fried dining experience! read more

See all

Delicious tempura in stix Asia! The only tempura shop in stix and I loved how they served it in 2 course for one teishoku. They give you 4 pieces at a time, so the tempura is nice and hot and doesn't get cold. I ordered the kamaaina set for lunch which is the kiki set for a cheaper price $16! It includes a choice of chicken, fish shiitake mushroom, or okra for free! The teishoku includes thin pork, kabocha, bell pepper, eggplant, squid, shrimp, and renkon. It maybe different but it's the meat and 4 pieces of vegetables. There is salt on the side if you want to eat it that way or the tendon sauce. The teishoku comes with tempura sauce, rice, and miso soup. I like the option of sauces to change up the flavor of tempura. The service was very quick and friendly. The restaurant doesn't too much seats. I came at 11am at opening and almost half the restaurant was filling up, so come early! Overall, I'd definitely come back again to eat more tempura and try the chicken or unagi tempura! read more

See all

First day in Oahu...exhausted and looking for something quick to eat. We didn't realize they didn't open until 5P for dinner so we walked around and came back at 5. We were seated immediately. Our waiter was very friendly. He brought us baskets to place our purses and backpacks in so we wouldn't have to place them on the floor. Very much appreciated! The dining area is small. Maybe 7 or 8 tables. Only 1 waiter and 1 cook that I could see. Service a bit slow, but understandable. Luckily only 3 of the tables were occupied. We ordered the Tempura Kiki set, the Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura set and a Tempura Bowl. All come with miso soup and pickled cabbage. (Tskemono) The Tempura Kiki set comes with an assortment of 8 pieces served in 2 courses. First course...kabocha (Japanese pumpkin), pork, white fish and lotus root. Second course is eggplant, squid, shrimp and green pepper. Each course is served from a basket by our waiter. I enjoyed the white fish from the first course the most. Sweet and flavorful and I am not a fan of fish. I enjoyed the second course more because the tempura was served hot like it had just been prepared. The first course was warm, I felt it was probably prepared in advance. The Shrimp and Vegetable Set came with a variety of 4. (2) shrimp, lotus root, eggplant The tempura was not greasy and the coating was light and crispy. A bit on the pricey side for what you get....but what isn't these days? Thank you....we had a nice dinner. read more

This was our first meal during a trip a few months ago and as I was trying to follow walking directions to this place, I got confused and left it to the hubby to guide me through the hidden food court (I say hidden, it's really not, but in my hangry-pregnant-right off the plane-state, it felt like an adventure walking from the hotel to this restaurant that was possibly one block away). I digress. This place is tiny! But in true Japanese form, we sat at the bar and enjoyed a nice tempura meal. Expertly fried in the lightest batter, and then dipped in a flavorful sauce, the tempura hit the spot. It was more like an appetizer course for the hubby (and he went on to look for more food in the food court), but this place is well worth stopping by. read more

Tempura Kiki - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

If mainland food courts can have quality food like this, I might consider eating at food courts a lot more often. The place gets busy quickly but don't bother calling to get a sense of the line... they won't pick up the phone haha. We were very lucky to be seated immediately. Friendly service. It is a bit loud at times though, but I didn't mind. I really appreciated that the food came in batches so that you don't end up with soggy tempura. Nobody deserves soggy tempura. For the pieces we tried, there were no misses. Try dipping your tempura in matcha salt occasionally too. Absolutely divine. I didn't see many people mentioning this but omg the white rice. It's been a while since I've had quality white rice and I forgot what it was like. I wish I had a bigger appetite to chow down more bowls of that rice. I'm still thinking about it today. I should've asked what rice they use and what rice cooker. If you're the owner and you saw this review, do you mind sharing the secret with us? read more

So many places to choose from in Asia Stix, but Tempura Kiki was really good. They were also accommodating for our baby and had a booster seat with chair. Unfortunately they weren't serving bowls while we were there, so we had to get one of the sets. I got the Kiki set which has a lot of food! Everything is very fresh because they bring it out to you right when it is made, so your meal comes out in several rounds. But the timing is perfect where you aren't waiting while hungry for the rest of your food. Because it is so fresh, all the tempura is hot and crispy! Not soggy nor too oily. They were also able to make a substitution as I did not like one of the vegetables in the set so I requested an extra kabocha (pumpkin) instead. Additionally, they have AYCE pickles which is amazing!!! I love the Japanese pickles (cabbage, cucumber and daikon primarily). Seating is limited but there's quick turnover because the foods comes out fast. For the amount of food you get and the quality, I think the pricing is worth it. Next time I'll have to try the tempura soft-boiled egg! read more

Tempura so fresh that they dish it out at the table. Plus great variety with veggie plate. Cucumber salad was plentiful and just right to accompany the meal. Friendly staff. Quick table turns. Definitely check it out! PS: location in food court area is confusing to find. read more

I absolutely love tendon bowls; I don't really know anywhere else that sells it besides Kiki now. My expectations were a bit high because the last tendon place that they replaced was one of my favorites. Everything looks promising but it doesn't have the same crunch and umami flavor tempura dons normally holds. Our shrimp was really skinny and limp and it just wasn't so appetizing to eat. The only positive thing was that the service was really nice and attentive! Our waiter answered any questions we had and always made sure our table was well taken care of read more

Tempura Kiki - Kiki Tendon (not bad) - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

When in Waikiki, this place stands out. It offers something different and since this place is dedicated to tempura. Not too many places on Oahu focus solely on tempura. They can also have your food to go. Food wise, can't go wrong with the shrimp tempura. The egg was also delicious. If you want to try other veggies, get the combo. Everything was good, even the eggplant (which is something I don't like in general). Service wise, they are efficient since this is a food court and they need to keep the food coming out and customers going in. Typical ambience as as food court, but not as open where you feel that everyone is staring at you. read more

Got the kiki combo on promo for only $19. Friendly server and amazingly delicious and light tempuras. Not pictured is their cabbage pickle - so yummy I ate it like a salad hahaha read more

Tempura Kiki - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This place was really great. The servers were genuinely nice and gave us a space to put our bags. There was so much food for only $19 the Kiki special. It comes with rice, miso soup, traditional sauce and pickled veggies. It was totally worth it, we were stuffed by the end. read more

Tempura Kiki - Tempura shrimp, pork, eggplant, green bell pepper, squid - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

If you want really good tempura, come here. As of now, it's the only place in Stix Asia that focuses on tempura. When we got there, the restaurant was full and the waiter said the wait was about about 15 minutes. So we took a stroll through Stix, checking out the other offerings to kill time. We were on the other side of the food court when the waiter came up to us and told us that our table was ready. Wow, pretty impressive that he went out to find us. The wait staff are very attentive and seemed like they wanted us to have a good experience. We ordered the shrimp and vegetable tempura. It came with miso soup and rice and a serving box of tsukemono that is left on the table. The star of the show was the shrimp. Probably one of the best shrimp tempura I ever had. The shrimp tasted fresh and it was cooked to perfection. The batter was thin, light, crisp, and the oil that they cooked it in made the whole thing absolutely delicious. They give you pieces of vegetables, like zucchini, bell pepper, sweet potato, and Kabocha. Definitely would come back here the next time I crave tempura. By the way, parking was easy, validated, and we only paid three dollars. read more

Tempura Kiki - Shrimp - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all