Tsukune is minced chicken, made into kind of like a chicken meatball. With a name like Tsukuneya, it must be...no, BETTER BE good! And good it is! You can order it shio - lightly salted or tare - a subtle teriyaki sauce. Dip it in poached egg. ( It's supposed to be raw egg, but I guess the food police won't allow that here) Tsukune isn't the only thing served here. There's sashimi platters, bacon-wrapped asparagus, Japanese style wings and a multitude of great food! The Paitan-nabe is highly recommended. High in collagen, it's said that this so up will do wonders for your skin! I was apprehensive about bringing my Japanese business associates here, but they were very impressed by the dishes. They even have fresh ahi poke, which rivals that of any local restaurant. I highly recommend this restaurant, especially if you're interested in a special evening, be it graduation, retirement or birthdays. Or if you have business associates from Japan to impress! read more

Tsukuneya Robata Grill - Tare tsukune with poached egg for dipping - Izakaya Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

While I was living right down the street from this place while going to UH for years, I never came here cause I heard it was expensive and not all that great. But we finally came here because one of my friends wanted to come. So yes they force you to valet park your car even though the spots are right there in front of you....anyways ambiance was nice and pretty cozy. The waitstaff was nice and polite. So after looking at the menu they had some pretty good looking items. But I have to add something that annoyed me about their menu, specifically the tsukune. The prices listed are for one stick but they have a minimum two sticks per order....why don't they just put down the price for both sticks and say each order comes with two sticks?? That kinda annoyed me but I think they want it to seem like it's cheaper than it actually is. So if you get the fancier flavors two sticks come out to like $5....for tiny little ball of meat...hm. Anyways heres what we ordered: Cheese Fondue Tsukune: This was kind of a fail. It was a cool concept with the flame melting the cheese but the cheese never melted enough for us to dip the chicken in and we couldn't wait for it to melt because part of the cheese was already burning on the edges...so we basically scooped the cheese onto our plates. It was ok but nothing special....just regular cheese and chicken. Spicy Miso Mayo (I think?) Tsukune: This one was pretty good but it was mostly the sauce that tasted good. The chicken was a little on the dry side. Zaru Tofu: This was their soft homemade tofu that was delicious! It had a very nice texture and was nice and creamy. Some rice dish that was pretty much oyako donburi but I forget what they called it: This dish was a pretty good deal because it came with two tsukune over rice, egg, and more chicken pieces in there. I liked it but not the best donburi I've had. Basically this place was average. Good but not great. And not worth the price. I think I'd much rather go to other places like Yakitori Glad, which is way cheaper. read more

See all

Tsukuneya Robata Grill Place is too overrated! I use to drive pass Tsukuneya many times before back when I was in school. I've always wondered how this place was... Well, now I know! Is it just me or this place is well overpriced?!? Don't get me wrong I think I'm just paying for the ambiance or something because $4 for each piece of grilled minced meat on a stick is overpriced! And don't get me started on the grilled tofu... Holy Cow! It was't even meat and they charge about $8 for 4 tiny pieces, size of like half of a deck of cards! Can someone say... RIP OFF! My double JW Black alone was about $25!! Menu style is ala carte, wait staff said it was family style dining but hell you gotta order more than a single dish because it definitely wasn't family sizes... it was family size priced! If that makes any sense! My chicken stew had a single piece of chicken loaded with potatoes... What the... REALLY. Oh BTW... everything grilled tasted the same! Wait staff was nice... Glad I tried it because I ain't never going back! T_T read more

See all

I must have passed this place a million times without ever thinking to come here. My dad wanted to try it out, so we checked it out! They have a really nice decor inside, with tables and tatami mat style seating. There is also a nice bar to sit at as well! We got the rundown of how to order from our waiter and we decided that we definitely had to order things from the robata grill and the tsukune (after all it is what the restaurant is named after right?). We ordered the shiitake & teriyaki tsukune. Mehhhhh...I didn't really care for it. I know they said it was chicken cooked various ways, but to me it kinda tasted like ground chicken with sauce...and it most definitely reminded me of a hotdog. The shiitake one was definitely better than the teriyaki one, but I don't think I'd order it again. The robata grill was alright. We got a couple skewers of the chicken thighs. It was salted and came with a couple veggies per stick, but still wasn't anything spectacular. The one thing that did amaze me here was their FRESH HOMEMADE tofu!! The agedashi tofu was seriously amazing. I loved every bit of it--the tofu was extra fresh and piping hot...so delicious! After eating that we decided to try out the other tofu dishes, and got this weird fried tofu on a stick thing with sauce...yeah that was not so good. I will definitely stick with the agedashi tofu next time. We got a few other things too...the cabbage salad, the chicken kamameshi, the paitan ramen and a fried banana w/ ice cream dessert. The kamameshi was pretty good. I like how they bring it to you in the iron pot and have a tray of garnishes to add as well as some hot tea to make it sorta like ochazuke if you wanted to. The paitan ramen was absolutely horrible. The noodles were not cooked well and they were super chewy. I even found a clump of noodles in my bowl indicating that yes they definitely used packaged ramen and that they definitely did not cook it thoroughly enough for this frozen clump of noodles to thaw out. The paitan sauce was not that great either--flavorless and oily. The dessert was pretty yummy, but who doesn't love ice cream + fried bananas?! :) The service here was really good despite the iffy food. They took great care of us and helped us answer any of our questions. I don't know if I'll come back though...maybe. read more

I love this place. I just wish my wallet would love it too D: Although, as I will mention later they do have some wallet-friendly deals... Tsukuneya might be a bit pricey, but I find that it's worth every penny. Each morsel of Tsukuneya is about $2+, and you have to order 2 pieces of each flavor, so that's about $5 for literally 2-4 bites of chicken. BUT OH SO WORTH IT. Normally I hate paying so much for so little food, but you can really taste the quality of the meat (chicken) and the flavors are subtle and tasty. My favorite Tsukune flavors are: Cheese Fondue - comes with a "burner" that warms up your cheese and italian flavored tomato "salsa" for you to dip in. Fun to eat and tasty! Shiitake - Tsukune stufffed shiitake mushroom caps! Spicy Misonaise - Maybe this is called "pirikara misonnaise", I can't remember off hand. Its a spicy miso/mayo sauce on top a morsel of chicken. But don't order just Tsukune! Recently they've added a sushi menu! I was hesitant at first because they didn't have this originally and I thought they were doing it just to expand their market for the stereotypical Japanese food of sushi and it was going to be subpar, but I should've known that nothing there is done with poor quality. The fish was EXCELLENT. Fresh, fatty, and super yum. Apparently though there's only one person doing it so your order may take a while to get if the restaurant is busy. But since it's an izakaya style of place you should be ordering a bunch of other stuff to nibble on too! Other things I like to order is the Spinach from the $5 menu, Chicken Wings, Paitan Ramen, and Daikon Salad. Oh, also, there's an after 9pm drink special! Someone posted a picture of it, http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/tsukuneya-robata-grill-honolulu?select=vOYK9aWmVSPUffEeem5qMg#bOwe4UYc_fxaQ1mrXCTAhQ, so check it out for the details. That combined with the $5 menu they offer makes for a reasonable dinner/pupus if you can't afford to go all out. read more

I like how the commercials pitch that you can try out their unique Tsukune and dining experience. And I always pass by the restaurant every time I head out to Manoa. So I caved in and tried it for myself with a few of my friends. The food was so-so... nothing special here. The unique tsukune they boast about? If you haven't tried it before, here's what it is.. Imagine mashed chicken meat rolled up to a nice sausage shape grilled on a stick and doused with whatever sauce or spice (like teriyaki or cayenne pepper), starting as low as 1.50 a piece is what really is. The taste is pretty much dependent on the sauce you order it with,.. which are priced a bit more. It reminds me of the 20 pc chicken nuggets at mcdonalds and every chicken taste different with all sauces they offer. In short, Tsukune means chicken meat ball. To call it unique among the rest of the chicken meat balls I tried is pretty farfetched. So my friends and I tried out almost everything that was marked popular. Its was.. meh. Frankly speaking, the prices are ok and the portions are small so if your gonna dine in on an empty stomach and want to get full,.. you'll end up paying a nice premium. Say about 50 per person with one bottle of Echigo. :) For less than $10 you can get a nice rice bowl with poached eggs and two tsukune. i liked it and if I ever go back, that's what I'm getting. read more

Tsukuneya Robata Grill - Izakaya Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

So, as my education and early career moved me all over the state of California, I got to experience some amazing Asian cuisine. I did San Diego. Berkeley. Los Angeles. West Hollywood. San Jose. Santa Cruz. Now San Francisco. And in each of these places, I sought the best Asian food I could find. I discovered Bombay Exotic Indian Cuisine (San Diego), Lucky House (Berkeley), Orochon Ramen (LA), Señor Sisig (SF). I ate at these places religiously. Constantly. Brought friends. Dozens of them. Finding legit Asian food everywhere I go is like a religion to me. And this place is serious as a heart attack. Every course was amazing. The setting, while understated (perhaps not by Honolulu standards), was sharp and clean. The ambiance mellow yet classy. The servers super-friendly. The prices shockingly reasonable. This is my big Honolulu recommendation from now on. In fact, I have a friend I'm meeting for coffee next week, pre-Honolulu-trip, and this will be the first one I write down for her. Stop reading this and just go. Now. read more

Been to many izakaya restaurants both here in Hawaii and in Japan. Tsukuneya has a nice atmosphere and friendly staff, but the food can be hit or miss on the recipes. We had several items, our favorite being the tsukune cheese fondue and our least favorite being the lemon pepper chicken wings (they used a lemon salt which was overpowering). We also had hamachi sashimi (good), chawan mushi (average), teriyaki chicken hearts (average), zaru tufo (good) with white shoyu, and a sake sampler (set b). Had the black sesame ice cream for dessert (average). Parking is a small lot with "complimentary" valet parking (it's never complimentary if they expect a tip, and the valet left before we finished dinner). Last, there is a corkage fee of $35 if you bring sake or shochu, but apparently it's just $15 for wines. Weird, and irksome. Pick one or the other. There is a late night menu with discount items after 9pm. Complete bill for two with drinks: $100 without tip. Without drinks, food was $60 and some change. Considering the high amount of choices when it comes to izakaya around Honolulu, probably won't make the effort to return unless invited otherwise. read more

I would always pass by this restaurant and when I finally stopped in to eat I was very impressed. I really enjoyed their menu and recommend the Agedashi Tofu it has a thick sauce, different style than other places. read more

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

See all

All of the above Japanese food! Polite, food was good, excellent variety of all different types of Japanese dishes

Rating: 4/5 Date(s) Visited: 10/30/10 Food: 4/5 Service: 5/5 Atmosphere: 4/5 Price: 3/5 Tsukuneya is the only restaurant that I've been to that offers "tsukune", a kind of chicken meatball of sorts that is mixed with various ingredients and grilled yakitori style. This alone might make it worth the trip if you're looking for Japanese food that's different, but don't come here expecting to leave with a full belly. Food: I ordered quite a variety of things, but I'll start with the namesake: tsukune. I had the cayenne, garlic, spicy miso, wasabi and peppercorn tsukune and some are definitely better than others. I would avoid ordering the garlic or peppercorn tsukune. The garlic one was incredibly plain, with the only discernible garlic flavor coming from the garlic powder it was topped with. The peppercorn tsukune was also rather plain, with more salt and sweet flavors (from the chicken) than spice from the pepper. I would, however, strongly recommend the cayenne, spicy miso and wasabi tsukune. The cayenne one was blazingly hot, being topped with cayenne and chili powder. I also enjoyed the mellow flavors of the spicy miso tsukune, which was interestingly contrasted with the chicken's sweetness and the miso's spice and pasty texture. Their wasabi tsukune is the cream of the crop, though. The back of your tongue gets most of the heat, while the front gets the salt from the nori and the middle gets the chicken's sweetness. Dipping it in the ponzu sauce softens the wasabi's spice and adds tartness to the bottom of your tongue. It's something amazing when you get food that targets the tongue like that. I next ordered their ahi poke, which came as three (very small) piles. The first one I had was the wasabi poke with Hawaiian salt, green onions and a somewhat garlicky taste. That was something different from the standard fare. The next one was the shrimp poke, which was interesting through virtue of a slight spice and the textural contrast between the fish and shrimp. Their kimchi poke was rather disappointing, with the kimchi fighting for attention with the fish. I then had the "Bacon-Wrapped Skewered Salmon" which was a tad disappointing. The bacon was soft, as opposed to crunchy (how I like it), and the fattiness overwhelmed the salmon's flavor, which came off more shrimp-like than fish-like. Dipping it in the ponzu sauce, which is meant to go with the salmon, completely overwhelmed the fish. For dessert I had their "Warabi Mochi with Ice Cream". The mochi was topped with vanilla bean ice cream and a caramel sauce. At first, the mochi was rather plain, since the melted ice cream washed all the kinako down to the bottom, but scraping the bottom and eating everything at once really brought out the flavors. It's vaguely peanut buttery and coffee-like and the chewiness of the mochi goes well with the ice cream. Service: Since it was the night before Halloween, I was the only one in the restaurant. I sat to the left of the door, in the small dining room with other tables. You're greeted with a traditional "irrashaimase" and then shown to your table (or allowed to choose, in my case). You get three menus: their drink menu, dinner menu and that month's specials menu. The waiter was patient and gladly explained what they did there and made recommendations. He was also more than willing to explain exactly what you are getting when the food arrives. They're also unfailingly polite. Atmosphere: I actually rather enjoyed the emptiness of the restaurant during my visit. Everything is awash in a warm glow from the wooden furniture and it's quiet, save for the conversation of the staff. The décor here is very Japanese, with clean right angles and sparse, but well-chosen ornaments of plants, stones and drapes. I'm sure it's very different when it's packed, as it usually seems to be when it's not a holiday, but I'm sure even then it'd be fun. Price: The portions here are tragically small. The bill for me came out for $40 and God forbid you should take their menu's advice and share the food "family style" because nobody will leave happy no matter how good the food is. The poke, though delicious, was hugely overpriced. For $12, I could have easily gotten two pounds at a fish market and been a lot fuller. However, the originality, uniqueness and quality of the dishes here spares them a two-star rating. read more

See all

Tsukuneya is one of my favorite Japanese restaurants. They have such great quality Japanese food. The portions are a little small, but you're definitely paying for quality, not quantity. Came here with friends after a Legends in Hawaii concert and ordered a ton of food. Obviously, you need to get the tsukune. Think of it was a really high quality chicken meatball that you can customize with different flavors. My favorites are the misonnaise, kimchee and cheese fondue. We also ordered the zaru tofu (delicious!), kamameshi with crab and uni, and one with chicken and vegetables..both were amazing, but if you love seafood, try the crab and uni! They light a fire under the dish and it takes 30 minutes to cook, so make sure to order it first so you can eat it in time. They have these amazing chicken wings that are juicy, sweet and salty..I can't remember the name of it but definitely get it, they make great wings. We also had the other yummy basics.. Sunagimo (gizzards), cartiledge, chicken thigh, daikon salad with extra ume dressing (GET THIS), nikujyaga (beef potato stew..such a great comfort food), and potato salad. There wasn't one thing we ordered this time that I didn't like. Not a fan of their sushi, though. Everything else is superb. read more

See all

Came here for dinner with friends. They little sausages are yummy and you can order different kinds like jalapeño, mustard, wasabi and more. My favorite is the cheese fondue Also had their ramen. The broth is yummy and the noodles weren't too bad. They also have happy hour specials after 9pm. A nice place to check out read more

Tsukuneya Robata Grill - With cheese fondue - Izakaya Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I have not come here since it first open a few years back, mostly because I was not impressed with their food. However, I came back last night with a group of friends and really enjoyed our meal. The restaurant is nicely decorated with tatami rooms and has different sections of dining area. The service was excellent and the food was good. I would give it a 3.5 stars. Here's a breakdown of what we tried: Assorted tsukune (chicken meatball) - Parmesan and tartar sauce tsukune and goma tsukune. Both sauce had excellent flavoring, but the chicken was especially good since it's minced. Totally has the melt in your mouth feeling. Tofu Dengaku - 4 pieces of grilled tofu with miso sauce. The tofu is made freshly in house, so it's definitely good. Sumi Natto - 4 pieces of fried tofu stuffed with natto. I am not a natto fan, so I only had a small bit, but the natto didn't taste as bad as some of the others I tried. Tebakara ($8.95) - 4 pieces of Nagoya style buffalo wings. The taste of okay, kind of like teriyaki and garlic sauce. Paitan Bijin-ni ($38) - Nabe with tsukune and mixed vegetable cooked in collagen chicken soup. I think it's expensive because of the collagen chicken soup, but I didn't really like it at all because the soup base was WAY too strong for me and it was a bit oily, too. Uni and Ikura Kamameshi ($15) - This was part of the December monthly special. Basically it was uni and ikura in a hot pot of rice where you mixed in the ingredients with the rice. It was very tasty, but the portion was small. Assorted Nigiri Sushi ($15) - This was part of the December monthly special. It is not the traditionally nigiri sushi you are thinking about. They presented the sashimi on the side which included uni, ikura, scallop, maguru and tamago. Then they have rice ball and nori on another plate where you will wrap your own sushi. Overall, everyone enjoyed their food and it came out about $30 per person. read more

My nephew loves this place, and so do we! He's only 3 1/2 years old but can easily eat about $30 worth even after feeding him a Happy Meal. And he normally doesn't eat much but when it's food he loves (unagi, tsukune, yakiniku) he can EAT! The service and atmosphere was great. Although things can easily add up, everything is of high quality. The kamameshi was definitely my favorite. Not much places serve that because I guess it's pretty tedious to cook so it's been awhile since I've ate it. The same night I had dinner here with my family, I came back to have late night drinks during happy hour. Momo sake was yummy. Can't wait to come here again. read more

I'm missing their food so much right now . I use to eat here at least three times a week when I was back home in Hawaii. Granted I worked here for a year and a half but you have to admit if you ever worked at a restaurant the first thing you want to do is leave. Instead I spent my days off eating here because the food was that good. Many people complain that it's too expensive but here's my input as a server. -One: it's a higher end Japanese restaurant don't expect it to be cheap (like the local bento places.) -Two: if you order right it can be afordable, for instance if you order five different kinds of tsukune of course your going to pay a high baller price (its about two bucks each and minimum order of two of each flavor that twenty bucks right there.) Instead a person can order maybe one flavor of tsukune and order a big dish like yakisoba. Look at the menu ask the servers questions they are more than happy to help. Most of them know the menu well and like me they eat here all the time. If your still not sure if this place is for you after my advice just go in for a midnight snack of fried banana dessert (two people can share this) and check out the menu yourself. read more

I love this izakaya! The yakitori is super ono. My favorites include all of the ground chicken meatball sticks, especially the mustard (delicious, light, slightly sweet mustard/Mayo sauce) and cheese fondue! Good variety on the menu something for everyone. read more

FANTASTIC Japanese food and wonderful service! Tsukuneya has a really nice cosy atmosphere and loads of menu options. Everything was fresh and delicious. Recommend the Tsukune with egg and the Japanese style hamburger! read more

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

See all

Took my wife recently on. Friday to eat here. Earliest reservation I got was 7:15 on short notice. This restaurant ran out of Ahi & Uni, chu toro, and yakitori chicken liver at this hour when we sat down. Unbelievable!!! Don't you order enough kitchen stock for a busy Friday night dinner crowd?? Poor management is evident here. Don't understand how a Japanese restaurant is out of such basic food ingredients??? I gave them 3 stars because the wait staff was awesome and the service was attentive. What I did see that I thought was absolutely gross & rude was the wait staff was spraying cleaner and wiping down menus on the same counter as my wife & I were eating just a few feet away. Sushi & sashimi quality was just 3 stars rating just average. I did enjoy and recommend the stuffed shiitake mushrooms. Sake menu offerings were also rated just 3 stars. Would I go here again??? Probably not again. Not impressed with the food quality, atmosphere vibe, and menu offerings. Recommend going somewhere else if you can. I would go to this restaurant as a last resort. I should have spent my $200+ eating somewhere else. read more

Tsukuneya Robata Grill has fantastic commercials on KIKU tv every night that really look great so we finally had to give it a try. It's everything just like in their commercial, nice place, good service but a little expensive. It's about $2 for a tiny stick of Tsukuneya, basically a chicken meatball on a stick. Good, friendly service but expensive, overrated food. See my pictures. read more

See all

First off, I have to say that I really hate places that force you to valet park when it is not needed...especially when the lot is empty and you basically park the car yourself anyway. Anyway, just a minor annoyance. I've never had Negoya-style food before, so this was a new experience. When we called for reservations, we were spoken to in Japanese and we noticed a lot of Japanese people there while we ate, so I'm assuming it is pretty authentic. The thing this place is known for is the tsukune. We learned from the waiter's pronunciation that the "tsu" is stressed so it almost sounds like you're sneezing. It is basically a chicken meatball on a stick. There are a variety of flavors, and we tried a bunch. They were all pretty good, but after awhile, they're all kind of the same. They are around $2 each, and you have to order in pairs so the price adds up fast. We also tried the house made fresh "zaru" tofu, which was good, but I like the one at Sushi Izakaya Gaku better. I tried chicken gizzard robata for the first time. It was crunchy. We also shared an Unagi Kamadaki Gohan -- twice cooked Japanese rice with soup on the side with eel. The menu had instructions on how to eat the dish, which we followed step-by-step. It was good, but nothing special. Basically rice in dashi soup. After all of that, we were still hungry, so we ordered more tsukune and some dishes recommended by our server -- we got something that was fried in nori (can't remember right now) and a shrimp musubi. Both were pretty good. Overall, the food and service was good, but there are other Japanese restaurants I prefer. I did enjoy the chance to try Nagoya-style food and would go back, read more

See all

For vegetarians, this is the least restrictive Japanese place I've yet been to. And this place specializes in every flavor of chicken meatball, so that's really saying something. There are several delicious tofu dishes on the menu and lots of little veggie side dishes. In the past I've had them make me an avocado roll (not on the menu but they're happy to oblige) and I have to say that their sushi rice has an irresistible texture. I can't speak for the fish sushi, but it's some of the best vegetarian sushi I've had on the island so far. The only dish I didn't like was the yam fried in nori. I found this unpleasantly greasy and oddly mushy, as if the ground up yam batter weren't fully cooked inside. The interior is nicely designed and atmospheric. It doesn't have the fun, lively atmosphere of some other spots, but it's very peaceful within those doors. Service has always been fast. read more

Still my favorite restaurant and for so many reasons let me count the ways....the price, the Happy Hour at 9pm, the free parking, the great service and the quality and delicious food. Say hello to the server Jason. Jason is so knowledgeable and knows everything about the menu. Everything in the menu is good ! They also stay open for late night hours ! read more

Tsukuneya Robata Grill - Izakaya Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

Being that I'm a student at UH, you wouldn't think it'd take me YEARS of seeing this place to finally try it. I should have crossed the street earlier! First, the place is way bigger than it looks. It's very spacious and it's a nice place to just sit down and eat - it's comfy and relaxing. The food and drinks are pretty reasonably priced. I just thought it was odd that they'd priced the tsukune for one stick but make the minimum order for said tsukune two orders (i.e., menu says x-tsukune is $2.20 but you'd need to order at least two, totaling $4.40). Anyway, we tried the peppercorn, egg, Parmesan & tartar sauce, and goma (sesame) tsukune - all were delicious but the peppercorn was probably my favorite. We also got the zaru tofu which was delicious. It just melted in my mouth. It comes with a spicy yuzu. We also ordered the natto in fried aburaage; we both love natto so it was delicious. Our main meal was the paitan nabe which I didn't care for too much. Dont get me wrong - it wasn't bad, but in retrospect, 18 sticks of peppercorn tsukune would have been a bit more pleasing to me (but that's just me). Tip: each tsukune takes about 10 minutes to cook after the order has been taken. Plan accordingly! read more

See all

Fresh and awesome sushi!! The fish so fresh and melting in the mouth!!! The best nigiri in the island!!!!! Love most all the foods. read more

Tsukuneya Robata Grill - Izakaya Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Came here for our family dinner - wife chose this spot and it was definitely the right call. They have complimentary valet but please people have class and tip the gentlemen. We have arrived without reservations but they still accommodated us - 6 adults with 2 children/infant. Greeting and service was excellent. Casey and another gentleman was our waiters and they were very friendly, helpful, and on point. Mahalo! The restaurant itself is easy to locate, clean and has a eloquent vibe. Food was very delicious - everyone was very satisfied and left full. We ordered a bit of everything i guess lol and the sushi and sashimi was so good... Mmmmmmm :) When i come back to Hawaii - Oahu, i am definitely coming back here. Tip: we were definitely lucky getting seated w/o reservations on a friday so I do recommend not to risk it and make reservations - I definitely will next time. Thanks again! read more

Tsukuneya Robata Grill - Izakaya Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

Late night happy hour. That's all you need to know. Prices are right and food is quite decent and plentiful. Good selections of sake and beers at happy hour prices. Seating is a little tight, so reservations are recommended, especially on a weekend. read more

Do you love runny eggs? I do. Ever had a runny egg with tsukune? Love, love! It's one of the new tsukune varieties now featured at Tsukuneya. It's called tsukune with egg, which is really a poached egg in a flavorful bonito broth served on the side of two teriyaki tsukune. As for the other tsukune we ate, the flavors were so subtle it was a culinary challenge to figure out what we were eating. Nevertheless, it was all good. And then there was the paitan ramen. It was like noodles in chicken gravy. Is that a bad thing? I'd go back and order it with a side of pickled bamboo shoots. Those shoots weren't really pickled - more like marinated with soy, mirin and a hit of togarashi and on the $5 pupu menu! And I wouldn't share any of this stuff. It's every person for herself, especially since paitan is supposed to be good for the complexion. read more

First time here, no idea what to eat so we stick to "simple" items. 2 types of tsukune: chicken "meatballs/sausage". Teriyaki and lighted salted flavor. Very tasty but nothing special for us. (2$ Another piece of chicken with miso sauce (3$) but reeeeeAAaally tasty A type of rice with tsukune, shiitake and a poached egg, SO ONO! I wish we ordered more meat to eat it together but all alone was perfect too, tasty and creamy and nomnom (9$) Unagi, ikura and sea urchin nigiri. The unagi (eel) is grilled something I've never had and it was still so good. Ikura perfect and my first time trying sea urchin and I can't wait to have it again!!! It melts in your mouth and it has so much flavor... Definitely awesome fresh fish. Dessert: fried banana.(9$) Very tasty too and big. The ice cream is really good. I wish we had a smaller dessert though but I can't complain for quantity :) Anyway, I NEED TO GO AGAIN!! read more

See all

I love dining tapas style, but I'm glad I wasn't paying;) Tsukune are new to me, but you can't really go wrong with grilled meat on a stick, especially when it's spiced very well (cayenne pepper was my favorite). The pork belly, eggplant/ tofu and grilled rice balls were also very good. The service is very knowledgeable and helped us balance out our selections. I loved the fried banana dessert! read more

Tonight my mother and I decided to try Tsukuneya. As I was driving, I was wondering how the parking situation was but upon arrival was pleasantly surprised that they offer complimentary valet service. We walked in without a reservation but were offered the counter, which was fine with us. We asked if we could sit at the corner so it simulated a table and that was okay as well. So far so good. The counter is nice and you don't feel crowded. They have ozashiki type seating as well as tables. It was a nice mixture or seating and the ambiance was nice. The waitress asked if it was our first time and we said yes, so she proceeded to explain the menu as well as their specialties, and her favorites. That was great since there are different options from which to choose. We ordered draft beer (Sapporo) to start and started with Agedashi Tofu. It came out steaming hot in an "ankake" type sauce and shiitake mushrooms. The coating was a bit on the thick side and the ankake sauce was a bit much. I was not too impressed with this dish and we ended up not eating it all. Next we tried the tsukuna miso. It came with miso squirted on top and not much flavor to speak of. I love miso so was a bit disappointed. The tsukune itself was on the soft side which was not what I expected. Next was the sumi yasai (grilled vegetables). The vegetables presented were a large shiitake mushroom, eggplant, zucchini and onion. They were all yummy, except for the dip sauce. It was hard to figure out what it was but in the end, we decided it was some kind of dark shoyu and yuzu (nohting to write home about). The veggies were good as is since the sauce pretty much would ruin them. Then the April Special of spicy toro for my mother. We expected sashimi type presentation but it was more poke squares and the toro didn't look like toro at all, basic ahi poke. The presentation was nice. It came atop lemon slices topped with spicy mayo and sliced daikon to top it off. But, my mother said the spicy mayo was sooooo salty that it was almost inedible. Hmmmm...wonder if someone dropped a cup of salt in the sauce by mistake or something. Anyway, to ease the pain, we ordered sake for my mother which smoothed her pallette. I ordered spicy garlic ramen to end the meal. It was yet another ankake type soup and was a bit disappointing. I think if you are a seafood eater, the options are more plentiful but since I am not, and the tsukune didn't impress me, the options became limited. The ambiance was nice, the service was good and all in all it was a good experience. We definitely need to get to know the menu better so we can have a better food experience. Oh forgot about the toilet. It is so dark with the wood they use for the stalls that is is almost weird. I think they need to add lighting in there because it is way too dark. Anyway, all in all it was an acceptable experience. We will go back to try other items on the menu because i figure it has to be good since the restaurant was totally full by the time we left, and it seems like many regulars frequent the place. read more

I really appreciate this place for opening late and having a happy hour menu. It is great for pregaming or if you have the munchies late at late. My first impression was the really nice interior design of the restaurant. It seemed like something you would see in Japan. I ordered a couple of their Tsukuneya chicken skewers. They were more like chicken meatballs, but they tasted fantastic. The flavor on that meat was awesome and it didn't cost that much. They were roughly $1-2 each. When happy hour rolled over, I got some shrimp, fries, and lemon pepper wings. The shrimp and wings were awesome! The flavor and crunch on them were very enjoyable. The fries tasted good but there wasn't a whole lot of fries for what it cost. Not worth it. The service here was ok. It seemed like our server didn't want us to order more food or something. He barely came back to our table. This place is known for ordering small bites and reordering as you go. We had to run him down a few times just to get another order in. Overall, I like this place. I'd definitely come back for the food and happy hour. read more

See all

We've come here a few times now in the past year and we like it. The Tsukene are diverse and tasty, as well as larger dishes. Tonight we had reservations at 6:30; a bit of a mix up when we entered the restaurant, as despite me reiterating we had reservations, they missed that and trued to seat us at the counter facing the kitchen. I asked them for a table and mentioned again we had reservations--they looked and all was clear, apologized to us for the mix up and off to the table. Service was good and prompt, good explanations on dishes. Specials tonight we had were avocado and ahi with wasabi cream. My wife loved that dish. We also tried their take on the classic loco moco, also very tasty and not spicy or greasy. Finished off with fried banana & ice cream. Complimentary valet was great as ever. Everything was good but there are a couple of areas for improvement. The wine list could use some variety, rotate the offerings. The liquor menu is entry level, could use more mid-range choices, standards as well as unique finds--maybe some Japanese whiskey? Last, I would upgrade the at-table experience with better chopsticks, cloth napkins and table cloths. The finish of the bare tables is becoming gummy & sticky, kind of like a bar really. Otherwise, great people & great food, will visit again in 2018! read more

As the name implies, their specialty is tsukune (chicken meatballs) and the variety of tsukune they have is wild. I don't think I've ever seen so many types! On the down side, you have to get two per order so that can make it hard to really sample all of them. But it doesn't mean you shouldn't try! We also tried the yaki onigiri, oden, the nagoya style kushikatsu, tebasaki, and this fried mountain yam in nori thing. Definitely get the kushikatsu and maybe avoid the mountain yam thing. It takes on too much oil and ends up unpleasantly greasy. read more

This place is amazing staying near University so perfect away from Waikiki Honolulu hub bub traffic There specialty is skewers and had Shittake and the best Spicy ramen what else big ole huge menu good reasonable prices for parties families read more

Authentically Japanese, from the moment you are greeted to the moment you leave, the ambiance and the service, is absolutely fabulous. This was the first time I had ever gone to a Japanese place like this, and with the menus handed to us, I didn't know exactly how to order or what to do. The wait staff was very helpful, friendly, and patient. They were knowledgable in the food and drinks that were being served there, and took the time to explain a little bit about the style of cooking of each item. As far as the price goes, I don't think it's overrated at all, or overpriced. But that's just me. For two people, we spent about $50 and we ordered quite a bit of food. Now families, this could be a good place for you, it all depends. Brought my one year old with me, and boy was that a nightmare. We weren't anticipating eating there, it was a sort of spur of the moment type thing, as the restaurant we were originally going to was currently under renovation. This was our second choice. But, being as how it was later in the evening, 8:30p, it was a little quiet, mellow, and my son was a little rambunctious. However, I must say, the staff was unpreturbed, and they interacted nicely with him. On to the food! All the grilled items did NOT taste the same. Some Tsukune are pricier than others, such as those w/seafood. We tried a few different Tsukune and some "Sumi" items. The Sumi shiitake and the Sumi chicken gizzard were incredible. The waiter recommended we also try the Zaru tofu, which would be good for my son, as it had a soft consistency. I must say, normally, I'm not a real big fan of tofu, I mean, I'll eat it, but it's not something I'd go out and purposely order. But being as my little baby man was spitting almost everything else out, I thought I'd give it a go. And boy was it good! The best part, my son liked it too. We also had the Kahuku shrimp and the Gohei-Mochi, which is more like a rice ball than mochi. It is placed on a stick, covered in sauce, and grilled. OMG that was crazy good. We ordered a lot of items from the menu, and I can't wait to go back to try more. Next time I will try the Kamameshi unagi rice! My advice? Don't be afraid to ask where items come from, how fresh things are, and if you have any questions, really, just ask. They have a very friendly staff there, not to mention free valet!! It was a great experience, and I can't wait to go back. read more

See all

Tsukuneya is one of my go-to restaurant when I don't feel like thinking of places to go for dinner. I lived in Japan most my life and I always need my Japanese food fix, but I realized I love food from Nagoya when I found myself wanting to come here every week...like literally...once a week. my besties can attest to this... Tsukuneya is a casual restaurant, not fancy at all, but they keep their interior nice and well put together. You won't feel like you're on University Ave, across the street from the UH music department, to say the least. ;) Most of the things on the menu are delicious, but I highly recommend getting the Paitan Bijin Nabe and sharing it with your group. Their Shiitake Tsukune and Miso-Kushi-Katsu are also my favorites. **short and sweet** Legit Nagoya style Japanese restaurant. Definitely try their Shiitake Tsukune and Paitan Bijin Nabe...and don't forget to add a side of Kishimen for the nabe. Good food and good service. read more

Tsukuneya Robata Grill - Chicken miso kushi katsu - Izakaya Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

Like their grill stick food. Restaurant environment is warm and cozy and touristy too. Great service and overall excellent everything.

This place is very authentic. They have a wide variety of items on the menu. Service was a bit sketchy at first, they couldn't really fill our order in a timely manner. We were a party of 8 and they had a pretty laid back attitude. The portions were smaller than anticipated by the description of the food on the menu. read more

This has become our go-to restaurant when we want to get together with people to talk. The ambience lends itself well to being able to being able to have a private conversation over great food! Our faves are the chicken wings, the deep fried yam wrapped in seaweed, and the tsukune stuffed shiitake mushrooms. We really like the newly added mochi dango on a stick! The only thing that keeps this rating a 4 instead of a 5 is that every time we go, the servers seem to get confused and forget a dish or seem so busy, they don't respond when we try to get their attention. But they are always polite. Delicious regional Nagoya food, and great ambiance keeps us coming back! read more