We originally wanted to go to another restaurant but we ended up here as a second choice. It ended up being a great choice! We loved it! The food was delicious and the service was great! They were very helpful and attentive. We also had our 3 year old son with us and it worked out because they gave us a booth that provided us the privacy we needed. He was very comfortable on the pillows and we didn't feel bad about him moving around. We ordered a lot of dishes and shared family style. We ordered different types of tsukuneya (ponzu, garlic, and miso), curry udon, paitan ramen, bacon wrapped scallop, fried cheese, arabiki, and yaki onigiri. All of the dishes were amazingly good and there was no dish we didn't care for. We can't wait to go back! read more

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This is some of my friend's favorite restaurant and I finally got to try it. I'm not a big fan of chicken though and their most popular item on the menu is the tsukune, which is a chicken meat ball grilled and covered with a sauce. They have at least 20 different sauces to choose from such as wasabi, cayenne, cheese and teriyaki. If you are unsure which to try, I would suggest the managers special where the chef decides 5 different flavors for you to taste! Even if you don't like chicken, like me, you will easily find other things to eat because they have such a large menu. I highly recommend the kamameshi and the hamburger steak, but be sure to order these at the beginning as it takes about 20~30 minutes to prepare. Their ramen is also yummy. I think this is a great place for friends to dine over delicious food and drinks in a modern atmosphere. My only gripe is that the serving sizes are fairly small so if you have a large group, it is harder to share. However, a group of 4 works perfectly! Their service was terrific; our server was friendly, helpful and always there when we needed a refill of water and/or beer before the last drop was gone! The restaurant is within walking distance from University of Hawaii. There is not much parking though, so you either have to find street parking or valet. It gets busy, so I recommend making reservations ahead of time. Enjoy! read more

Tsukuneya Robata Grill - Managers Special - Izakaya Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Food was great! Garlic edamame was yummy and different than the typical salted one. They were very pleasant. The environment was good for kids too and our kiddos loved the tsukuneya - especially the teriyaki and cheese fondu. Drinks we're good priced! read more

One of my go to restaurants, especially with the family. Great Japanese food but what sets this place apart is the awesome customer service provided by waiters. Favorites: Crispy cabbage salad with black sesame dressing. -Kimchi tsukune -Zaru tofu (a must) You can never go wrong with Japanese food:) read more

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Ok food, service can be improved- each dish comes out with different server, they seem to have no/not enough communications in between them. Everything average, drink came out with stained glass... Only good was the atmosphere. read more

Love this place! Great atmosphere and the food is really tasty and comes out pretty fast. Would recommend to make reservations just in case it's busy. Valet or street parking. We've gotten lucky with street parking, both times that we've gone. Recommended items: Japanese potato salad, sashimi, fried chicken with vinegar sauce, and definitely the SCALLOPS! Will definitely be back! read more

Love the ambiance of this restaurant! It gives you a feeling of Japanese style izakaya, a place to have a family dinner or even just grab a beer and some appetizer with friends. The Tsukune, the chicken skewers were delicious! I think we ordered the Parmesan and Yuzu flavor. The California roll was okay but the spicy ahi roll was not what I expected. It was not like your regular spicy ahi roll you would find at the average sushi restaurant but instead, it was wrapped very thick with lots of rice and very little ahi, and the outside was yellow, not sure what it was wrapped with but it wasn't nori. The chicken Caesar salad was too creamy and the chicken was the cut chicken from the bologna isle at the grocery store. I would come back to try the other items though since they have a large menu item selection. read more

Called 2 hrs before closed for 2 and was put on hold and was told No. Thumbs down. Very disappointed

I love it here. The owner is a bubbly Japanese lady that brought her family business to Hawaii, and I must say that location didn't thrive until Tsukuneya came in. Food can be pricey, but expect very tender, delicious, and moist tsukune. Their chazuke is really good too! It's a shame the after 9 goose special disappeared, if not my hangout on Friday's would've been Tsukuneya. read more

My mom and I came here mid afternoon for an early dinner. Despite them being full with reservations, they were able to squeeze us in. My mom and I shared a few items including a sushi platter and a sashimi platter. We also decided to try the Uni ramen which I found particularly interesting. Although you can find great quality sushi and sashimi in several other Honolulu locations, Uni ramen is hard to find. The ramen was also smooth and light with a salt base. The uni flavor also complimented the dish as well. I really enjoyed the quality and friendly service from the staff. We also noticed that several other people would check in on us to make sure we were enjoying our meal. Thank you Tsukuneya for great food and great service! read more

Tsukuneya Robata Grill - Uni ramen - Izakaya Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

It was an accident! I wasn't suppose to eat here but due to some miscommunication, indeed I ended up stepping into this pretty neatly decorated place with some friends. The moment we were seated, I immediately wanted to fall asleep. The amount of light given was just enough to read the menu. All they needed is a comfy futon, next to the sushi bar. The Menu The menu was quite overwhelming. They have specific categories from Tsukune to Robata, pupus, tofu (yes tofu category!), shrimp, salad, nabe, sashimi, donburi sashimi, sushi, kamameshi, ramen to dessert. If you haven't been here yet, I would recommend to familiarize yourself and ask lots of questions. Especially if you're a picky eater and are unfamiliar with certain ingredients your palette cannot handle. Out of all that? I decided on the Teriyaki Chicken (from the tsukune line, tuna roll from their sushi menu, and Spicy Miso Beef ramen. Don't forget that the Robata items need to be ordered in pairs though the prices on their menu indicates the price of one. The price for one seemed so appealing (way to up sell). It's delicious but adds up slowly but surely. So come here with a group of friends to share because sharing is caring. Food tasted great, expensive and are served too small. Service Service was excellent. I had ordered the tuna roll but was taken aback when I took my first bite. It had a strong taste of wasabi. I am not a fan of wasabi. The server took the dish and exchanged it without a fit. I was very thankful. He also took the time to introduce everything to my group. Always check their monthly specials. Parking I really enjoyed how easy it was just to park valet (free but don't forget to tip). I came here around 6:30pm. There are street parking but depending on the time you come here, parking can be challenging or you will still need to pay for parking elsewhere. I was impressed at how quickly valet got my car after dinner. The valet employee stated as soon as the check is paid, they are sent a signal of when they're suppose to pick up the car. Wow! I wouldn't mind coming back here again to try more things from their Kamameshi line. It seem more filing for the price, but the serving size is always questionable. read more

Tsukuneya Robata Grill - Izakaya Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Dined at Tsukuneya on University for Valentine's Day, 2016. Parking is free valet right up front, mainly because their lot is so small. Hostess at the front was friendly and got my friend and I seated for our 7:00 pm reservation right away. Our server, Felix, came by once we were seated to ask us for beverage selection, which was a little too soon. Though it was Vday, it wasn't a full house at this Robata restaurant at prime time. I ordered a draft Sapporo while my friend stuck with water. When our server came to deliver the beer, he had to ask which of us ordered it. Seems a little sketchy, seeing that either of us could of claimed it to be ours, while they only checked my ID. Items we ordered: Zaru Tofu ($8.50)- made in house, this dish comes with a clear broth to eat the tofu with Daikon Salad (Mini $7)- SO good! Shredded daikon, not bitter at all served with lettuce and cherry tomatoes with a fresh dressing Teriyaki Tsukune- teriyaki sauce on ground chicken on a stick, super yummy Tsukimi Egg Tsukune- plain tsukune with soft boiled egg for dipping, not my favorite, but my friend really liked the fresh egg. Chawanmushi ($8)- steaming hot and a soft texture. Included are chicken, shrimp, and topped with sliced mushroom Salt Butter Ramen ($8.25)- a little on the bland side, as it's only ramen noodles and some green onions, not quite worth the $8+ for this ramen Spicy Donburi ($12)- my friend enjoyed this, the ahi might've been previously frozen and not fresh, but she couldn't tell for sure. The sauce was a little on the light side (more mayo than spicy) Coffee Jelly with Ice Cream ($4.75)- served in a small glass goblet, the coffee jelly was a great consistency and on the bitter side, which went well with the vanilla ice cream topping. Just be sure to eat them together Fried Monkey Banana with Ice Cream ($9.50)- Wowzer, almost $10 for a dessert? This one came with 3 breaded banana pieces, two generous scoops of vanilla ice cream and two crispy crepe-like garnishes all drizzled with chocolate sauce Service was a bit slow, with staff members come by to swiftly pickup empty dishes, but never quite getting around to asking how we were doing or if we wanted to add on any other items (we had to flag down our sever a few times to order additional dishes). The only downside was the time we waited between finishing out entrees and getting our dessert orders taken. My Coffee Jelly arrived within minutes, while my friend's banana dessert took about 15 minutes. With my ice cream melting with every ticking minute, I would've liked them to come out at the same time. Overall, easy location, good food, extensive menu and mediocre service at Tsukuneya Robata Grill. read more

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This restaurant is known for their "tsukune" (chicken kabobs) hence their name. We ordered their goma tsukune and their tofu tsukune...it was first to arrive and made an interesting appetizer. I probably wouldn't order it again, it was a little expensive and not really satisfying. I was worried that the rest of the food coming would be just as disappointing. Thank goodness the main dishes were amazing! I don't remember the exact name of the dish, but it was this rice and vegetables in a hot pot with soup...the rice and veggies on the bottom of the pot got a little burnt (Which all hot pot dishes do), but weird as that may sound to you...I love crispy burnt stuff! ha ha. I liked the ambiance, the waiters were friendly...only negative I can say is their valet parking in a tiny lot we could park our car ourselves is a tad silly. read more

Generally I like to try out a restaurant a couple times before writing a review but since we literally tried every type of tsukuneya, some salads, pork nabe, dessert plus some I figured it was an exception. I've never seen so many types of tsukuneya. They had miso, fondue cheese, kim chee, teriyaki, salted, garlic, and stuffed mushroom. Honestly after the third of fourth I had had my share of tsukuneya and was happy to see some greens arrive at the table. We shared a daikon salad and a spinach salad with goma dressing. Nothing out of the ordinary but the heaping plate meant enough for 2nd and 3rds. We also had some of their house made zaru tofu which is my favorite type. Better than agedashi tofu and better than firm tofu. It soaked up the ponzu sauce that they served it with and I almost ate the whole plate. :) Although the ankimo and sashimi I had were of good quality its definitely not the first place I would recommend to eat sushi. I can't believe I still had room but I guess I did cause I downed a bowl of paitan nabe with some ramen noodles. I'm not a huge nabe person and never grew up eating paitan nabe which generally have more fat in them so I was a little surprised when they served it with ponzu sauce. It completed the dish, and created this beautiful balance betweeen the citrus and pork flavor. Yum. I'm not the biggest dessert person but I always like to try Japanese ones so of course I say yes to sharing a coffee jelly with my bf. Great way to end the meal. read more

Super cool spot next to campus if you want a more fine dining compared to the classic college restaurant. Food was great and authentic Japanese restaurant. The Japanese hamburger streak looks just like the ones you see in anime haha. read more

Went here for the first time. Ordered a couple of tsukune items, which were pretty good, but a bit pricey. service was good too. When we got home, my wife got severe food poisoning from the food here. I could not believe my eyes because she was turning green right before my eyes. I've never seen her in so much pain. Called ambulance. Needless to say, we are not going back. read more

Nagoya in the Hizzy! ::TEBAKARA - NAGOYA FRIED CHICKEN:: So odd to have such a nice version! So tasty... I'd eat it by the bucket. ::NIGIRIMESHI in Rice Ball in Soup!:: Yuuuuuuuuuum! I always love this combo. ::TOFU:: Fresh made Zaru tofu is such a happy treat! ::STAFF:: Super friendly and helpful. ::ATMO:: Nicely Nicely. ::PRICE:: On target with the quality and style. ::OVERALL:: Name sake is not the best dish here. Loved most everything else though. Not in a "Hey, just like back in Nagoya!" style, but in a "so nice to have Nagoya food!" style. read more

If your looking for a Yakitori or Tsukune craving then you've come to the right place! This establishment is more towards the Nagoya prefecture food. Including Tebasaki (Japanese Bone-In Fried Chicken), Kushikatsu (Tonkatsu on a stick), and other food items from Nagoya. This place is most known for its Tsukune (which is Japanese Chicken Meatball On A Stick). The flavor varies from Cayenne, Salt, Teriyaki, Sesame Seed, Jalapeño, etc. If your also cooking for Yakitori (Chicken on a stick) they have that too! Not only these food items, but also Nabe (Japanese Hot Pot) is offered here as well! Nabe has Chicken and Tsukune and also Vegetables but don't forget to put Kishimen (Udon-Like Noodles) to finish off with your Nabe. If your feeling more like Tsukune and Sushi they have that as well. They're Spicy Ahi Rolls are the go to! The rolls are unique for the Spicy Ahi, without using the Seaweed, they use a alternate white wrapping paper for these rolls! Parking can be used at the back lot of the restaurant (around 8 stalls in total). Also, a lot of street parking in the area since they are open at night when the University is mostly done with class and less traffic. Price wise I would give it 2 dollar signs $$. They're delicious and the quality is spot on but not on the really cheap side. Please be aware that when your ordering Tsukune a minimum of 2 pieces are needed for each flavor. One order has 1 stick. The restaurant itself is very nice and a great ambiance with privacy. Located conveniently near UH Manoa with near the H-1 freeway on and off ramp. This place is a go to for a little fancy dinner but with also a casual atmosphere as well! read more

This is my family's favorite restaurant since we first came here 8 years ago. Foods are really great and comfortable to stay. They have some half separate rooms and these are good for families with small kids. We dined here the night before lock down. Looking forward to our next visit here. read more

Their tsukune is very very good. Hubby and his friends had a get-together here and we had our own private little room which was nice. Service was excellent, friendly, and very prompt. I wanted to give this place 3.5 stars due to the expensive prices and portions, but they were really attentive to our group so 4 stars. Reservations necessary for the room if you have a larger group. Their tsukune is made up of ground chicken and spices. Hubby and I had 2 pieces of the tsukune stuffed shiitake mushrooms (highly recommend), 2 pieces of the tsukune special with ponzu sauce (good), 2 pieces of the teriyaki tsukune (also good), and their in-house freshly made tofu served in a small dish over a flame (was alright -- didn't really care for it). All very small portions. The tsukune had to be ordered 2 pieces at a time. We were watchful and spent ~$30 total for the above. One friend who eats at the restaurant on a semi-regular basis commented that on average you'd be spending $40 per person to be full. The restaurant stays open until midnight or later depending on the day of the week but the restaurant was empty except for our group by 10pm. Most college students could definitely not afford eating here but the restaurant is located right on UH campus so I don't know if the location is appropriate for their clientele. read more

Im in love! Soon as I walked in this place I fell in love with it, the ambience is great, not too many Japanese places like this here in Hawaii, then the food.. Oh my the food.. I just kept on eating until I can't eat anymore, it's excellent! I love that our server is very knowledgeable of everything in the menu and they made us feel right at home. I just lalalalalalove everything about it! read more

Tsukuneya Robata Grill - Izakaya Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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This was by far one of the best meals we had on our last trip to Hawaii. My guy found it on Yelp, and even though they were busy, we were able to be seated immediately. The servers were friendly and nice, totally knowledgeable about everything, and had great recommendations. I've been to this style of Japanese restaurant before, but never had tsukune this good. Since the portions are small, it's easy to get to taste a variety of items. My favorite was the teriyaki, but I didn't have any that I disliked. I truly enjoyed everything I ate and drank here. This was a great meal, and we a fantastic time. The food was incredibly delicious, the service was perfect, and the ambiance was fun too. My only complaint? That there's nowhere on par with this place in the Bay Area. I would love to return here, and i highly recommend it to everyone. read more

Poor customer service. We went there to get take out. They would not let us order sashimi or tsukune. Vague excuses about liability and protecting a family recipe. I asked if we could have a table, order food and get a to-go box. The hostess said we could use that loop hole. Really?!? We need to jump through a hoop to order food. Very disappointing. We went to the nearby Nijiya and got good food and less attitude. read more

In love with the tsukune soooo good get the recommended flavors they're delicious!!! I ordered: Tsukune in the following flavors: Cayenne* Shio* Teriyaki* Shiitake mushroom stuffed tsukune* Yuzu Wasabi The yuzu and wasabi were just okay. The rest were amazing We also ordered Chicken Tebasaki*good but also at a bunch of other restaurants Dynamite shrimp* good but also at a bunch of other restaurants Chicken vegetable kamameshi-more of a novelty item Grilled chicken thigh-good but also at a bunch of other restaurants Warabi Mochi* Yaki onigiri Total+tip $80 The ones with stars I would order again. The service was good. Parking is a bit tough. read more

2.5 stars. After my sister persisted that I try this place time and time again, I finally took her advice and went. I came with two other friends for a few drinks and appetizers. Usually this place has $9 Kirin pitchers after 9 PM, but the day we went, they stopped the special. However, they did have other drink specials on the menu. Sapporo pint $3, and select martinis for $4.75. I tried the lychee martini and that was pretty delicious. The only thing was that it was a little too sweet, and the martini itself was uber small. It came in those mini martini glasses. LAME. After we all looked at the menu for a while, it was really hard for us to decide on what to eat. They are famous for the tsukune, which are skewers of usually ground chicken. The cook them over an open flame, and you can get different varieties of them. Each one is about $2-4 each, and they make you order a minimum of 2 orders. Each order comes with one tsukune. I was expecting it to be pretty tasty, but it was just ok. We got the teriyaki chicken tsukune (which the server insisted we try), and the actual meat had a weird texture to it. It was very airy, and did not taste like real meat. I'm sure it was, but it just seemed really processed, and I could have done without. The calamari, on the other hand, was delicious. It was lightly battered (not like most places that dredge it in flour) and coated with their sweet and sour chili sauce. The portion was ok, and it was $7. It was kinda pricey for what you get, but it was tasty. All in all, I was pretty disappointed. The drinks were good, but the food was a little bit of a let down. The prices were a little ridiculous, and the portions were really small. The service was pretty good, they checked up on us a lot, and didn't give us the stink eye because we were there a little after they closed. This place wasn't bad, but you could have spent your money else where and would have been more satisfied. FYI they either close early or are not open on tuesdays! read more

the first experience here was not good, back when they first opened,,,, glad to say we went last week to give it another try and was pleasantly surprised. The servers now know what their serving,,, a plus,,, and they all seem to be working together, so service is great! we ordered basically the whole first page, half of the 3rd page and some stuff off of da 5th page. everything was very tasty, one warning to people on a budget, even though the sticks are like two bucks each, you have to order 2 of each flavor and they can start adding up quick. Our total for 2 adults, 2 kids was $109, no desert or drinks but i thought it was worth it and will be going there again,,, tree cheerz for tsukuneya wooo hooooo read more

Tsukuneya Robata Grill - menu - Izakaya Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I have always wondered about this place. It's so Orange as you drive by. I am happy to say I finally have an opinion and you get to read it. Oh My ONO!!! I only tasted Chicken varieties and Tofu and they were great! I have to say I think the miso glaze is my favorite. Both the tofu and chicken were just delightful on my tongue. The fondue had me wanting to scrape the crispy cheese off the pretty metal bowl and the wasabi chicken was so yummy with strips of Nori on top. The atmosphere in the restaurant was very calming and chic. That is one thing I really look for in an establishment that I may consider returning to. How did I feel as I was waiting? Was it boring? No, but then I did have a good dinner companion. This place is also good for large groups with the family style menu. read more

The must go to place for ramen!!!! Wife and I always get the paitan and spicy pork miso ramen. The broth is so flavorful it just blows your mind. The age dashi tofu is outstanding. The green tea ice cream with Mochi is outstanding. read more

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Good food but they were out of some items on menu. Service was very slow, made comment to waiter and thing picked up, waiter was friendly though. Table next to us got wrong food delivered to their table, hmm is that why our food was slow, went to the wrong table and the people were hungry waiting so they just ate it. read more

It's been 5 years since I've last been to Tsukuneya. Food here is excellent. Lots of variety. The paitan ramen is a nice way to finish off the meal read more

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Looking for a late night restaurant to check out with my parents is a difficult task. These are people that are not impressed by the holes-in-walls that's my typical fare. On top of that, I was feeling like a total fatty, I went to Faith's Place that same day out in Waianae. So I wasn't down for oily food or much of a drive. Yelp app, you rock. I immediately find Tsukuneya with the "Open Now" feature. I've passed by Tsukuneya a million times, since I'm a UHM student and all, but never really bothered. The place was dead at 10pm on a weekday, we were the only customers. So we expected top quality service and speed. Fulfilled! Our service was all quite exceptional. As far as the blonde wood decor, I don't know whether it's insane or it's beautiful. We had some Tsukune of course, this place is named after it after all. The Tsukune varieties we had were Bonito Flakes, Fondue, Garlic, and Cayenne. My favorite was the bonito flaked tsukene, which seemed to be alive as it moved around from drawing moisture out of the mayo. It kinda grossed out my mother, which is even more reason to like. The fondue was fun, fondue anywhere is always fun. The others weren't that memorable. Paitan Nabe was our main course. I must be so spoiled by Sweet Home Cafe, because I was not happy with the pricing of this hot pot. $38 I believe. I could tell that this was good quality paitan, but I was still not satisfied. The price, portion, and flavor didn't match-up in my mind. I am considering just coming back for the bonito tsukune and getting the paitan ramen ($8.50, which is much more affordable). read more

I don't know why I haven't been to this restaurant earlier! Went with some friends last night and were seated in a back room. The ambiance was very nice - traditional Japanese type furniture and decor. The service was excellent! From our actual server to the bus boys, everyone was very helpful and on top of their game. We ordered a LOT of dishes and just shared it with each other. Some of the more memorable dishes were: Zaru Tofu - freshly made on site, with a yuzu dashi sauce.... SO GOOD! Pepper Tsukune - juicy and very soft, the pepper flavor was just right Cheese Tsukune - just a hint of cheese flavor, perfect with the sauce Kamameshi w/ Chicken - so delicious! flavorful and even better with a little dashi sauce thats given Chocolate Banana Dessert - ice cream and fried banana with a crispy crepe like crunch and a chocolate drizzle, yum! Was not a fam of their sushi - do not order as you can get better sushi at an actual sushi restaurant - stick to the tsukune and other signature dishes! All in all, a great restaurant with great food and great service. Just a tad bit pricey as everyone else is saying but that won't stop me from coming back. read more

There's only so much you can do with ground chicken on a stick. While there are interesting flavors at this restaurant it comes at a price - I spent $70.00 between myself and my girlfriend and was still starving when I left. The service leaves much to be desired - the waiter seldomly came to our table, filled my water, or acted like he wanted to work at Tsukuneya. After being pissed off about my service I went outside to get my car and the guy went all of 15 feet to get my car and expected a huge tip - the parking lot has about 6 stalls in it. My advice: go there once, just to change the scene, and never go back. read more

Tsukuneya Robata Grill - Izakaya Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Our first time there, and I was looking forward to it as I've never eaten Robata Grill before. We were expecting an actual grill, but maybe that was just us that was disappointed. Restaurant is nice, well decorated, perfectly lit, the a/c was a little shifty but all in all great atmosphere. My friend ordered sake, another ordered a Pepsi. Drinks came quickly; there weren't many customers there (only one other car in the VALET ONLY lot). Friend's Pepsi came in a can. You'd think that for a bar, they'd have fountain drinks. Ordered: Mixed Veggie Kamameshi Tofu Negi Salad Deep Fried Tofu [special] Poke Tsukune in Bainiku (duhhhh ume), Miso & Garlic Food was mediocre at best, nothing special, nothing I would crave later on. Portions were really small (think $5 for the deep fried tofu, looked like 1/4 of a regular block of tofu with shoyu side). Tsukune, their claimed specialty, was pretty much as others describe - an airy chicken meatball. Not impressive. Poke was fresh but not tasty. We left hungry, I went home and had two bowls of cereal, friend stopped at McD's on the way home. I can however, say the service was great. Waitress was really good at explaining menu and dishes. The kicker? The bill came. The CAN OF PEPSI? $2.80. Nuff said. read more

I always chose stay at the bar counter cuz very comfortable and wide.Nikujaga is very yumm.it's remind me my mom's cook :) daily special recommend nemu is good also.waiter&waitress's greeting and hospitality is great ;) they have parking lot. read more

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I'll give two views of this restaurant. Pre and post Japan visit. Before visiting Japan and having some excellent yakitori in Kumamoto, this was really my first time having yakitori or tsukune. My immediate impression was, kabobs, small ones at that. They have all kinds of different ones as well, so a variety of kabobs can be tasted. The portions are small so prepare to buy a lot of kabobs haha. I was with a group, so we ordered the Nabe pot. For a first time experience, it's pretty cool for them to use the bamboo hulls to scoop out the meat into the steaming broth. Once that was finished they added the mixed egg and it was delicious. It wasn't a hearty place by any means, but an experience to try out. Post Japan I have come to appreciate this business a little more. While it's hard to match the quality and aura of a true Japanese restaurant (izakaya for that matter) Tsukuneya's portions are Japanese style. So if you come here expecting large portions and to satisfy your belly to the maximum extent, prepare to spend a lot of money! Otherwise, enjoy the ambiance and the shio yakitori, tare yakitori and miniature sausage on a stick! P.S. They should of selected my mother's day haiku in 2009. I thought it was awesome (obviously). Kiku TV and Tsukuneya ran a Mother's Day Haiku contest for a gift certificate to the restaurant in 09 FYI. Neat piece of marketing a. read more

I'd give this a 3.5* A little on the pricey side (esp since the servings were tiny), but tasty dishes Summary: - Ahi Poke Tasting- the wasabi marinated one was the best - Handmade Tofu- amazingly silky, refreshing and very yummy with the yuzu dip - Chicken Sausages- grilled to perfection We had the Cheese Fondue version as well and that was delicious as well (although very rich) - Grilled Chicken Wings- small portion and small pieces, but tasty - Grilled rice Cakes with Dashi Chicken broth- MmmmMMMM. I loved it! - Paiton Ramen- the broth is a little too gingery for me - Fried Cheese- i've had better - Toro with Mountain Yam- Ummmm. The toro was yummy. Not sure that the mountain yam added anything to this dish. Could have done without - Grilled Robata tofu- too much bbq sauce but tasty tofu - Grilled Chicken Skewers- yummy Good service read more

Not sure I have tried anything here to really rave about. The do have draft Sapporo beer by the pitcher which is very nice....but other than that, I would say the food is good, but not excellent. I recommend: Zaru Tofu - Fresh tofu, which means really really soft tofu served with a dashi dipping sauce and a small bit of this spicy-sour green stuff...the name eludes me at the moment....I cant believe I cant remember what that's called! What kind of Japanese person am i?!?!?? The Kamameshi (original)- Rice, veggies, and chicken steammed and cooked in a small iron pot. Pour some of the soup into it to give it moisture...mix it up and eat with the garnishes provided, Wasabi, nori and tsukemono. This I like, esp accompanying a variety of their Tsukune. Of course, CERTAIN Tsukune - Tsukune is ground meat or chicken on a stick (sometimes no stick actually), grilled over a flame and served seasoned, with sauces, pre-seasoned, topped with something or accompanying something. They have a lot of different choices, but after a while you start to notice that they dont really go through much effort in making them that much different from the last. Tare (lightly salted) and Shio (Teriyaki) are the most basic and plain ones. These are the best too me actually, but they have a lot of others you can try if you like. As far as the service....They were good anytime I went. Pretty fast at getting drinks and food, and polite as well. Nothing really bad to say about the employees, although there was this one time that we were there that we asked the server guy if we could please have some hot tea, and he reponds to us in a strange sort of kindergarten teacher-ish way with, "Oh, okay, I will go get you folks some Ocha". Now, some of us actually speak Japanese, just not when there are people that dont with us as that would be rude, so I found this half funny, and half offensive... read more

IMHO, overrated. Expensive. Food is just okay. Nothing memorable. Service is great. We arrived when they opened and self parked our car since the valet wasn't there yet. And later when he did arrive we were asked to hand over the keys. He didn't even move our car but we still had to pay him. meh If you order a salad, ask for the dressing on the side. Unless you like your salad drowning in dressing. read more

Open till 12 or 1am! This place is bomb! If you're a college student you probably won't be able to get the most out of the experience unless you go there for like pupus and drinks. They have a GREAT sake and japanese beer selection, but run restaurant prices on everything. I didn't mind because for me, eating salt Yakitori with Suntory Premium is a MUST. Service: So I went there with a friend intending on getting a little drunk and having a good time, and mission accomplished. Service was outstanding, seated by Jensen then Jordan did an excellent job following up, I'd request him next time I go back because he did so well. Food: Everything we got there was super good...except miso soup, but that's just because I hate miso soup.We were drinking and sharing so here's what we ordered: Budget: Dinner for 2 ~ $50-80 (25-40 ea) Drinks and a few pupu's ~$20-40 (10-20 ea) Starter: 2 teriyaki tsukune (recommended) 2 wasabi tsukune (mediocre) 2 beers Second Order: 1 Hayashi Rice (not recommended, its literally just sauce and rice for $12) 1 Tsukune and egg (recommended and comes with alot of rice) 2 Shioyaki (salt) Yakitori (RECOMMENDED) Third Order: 2 Shioyaki Yakitori (RECOMMENDED) 2 Shitake Muhroom Tsukune (RECOMMENDED) 2 Beers Everything was great, and the bill ran around 100 and with tip we prolly dropped a total of 110. GREAT place for a first impression on a girl. Our next time there will include several of Jordan's recommendations Japanese beer (starting with "a") - $8 Konbu-flavvored tsukune 2 bowls white rice 6 Shioyaki Yakitori 2 Shitake Tsukune 2 Ponzu-Onion Tsukune (and maybe try a different yakitori) This place is great, to anyone who would pay for quality I would recommend it. To someone looking for cheap eats, I say go somewhere else. read more