The best Tonkatsu I ever have in the State. Tender and juicy…read more The portion is big too. I am taking my whole family of 10 to eat there this Friday. J visiting from Boston

Ginza Bairin in Honolulu gave us such a fun little taste of Japan. Before we even walked in, my son…read moresaid the sidewalk leading up to the restaurant felt like Japan, with the trees and the curtain hanging down at the entrance. That detail set the mood right away. Inside, it is definitely larger and roomier than many places we've eaten at in Japan, but it still had that warm, simple, Japanese restaurant feel. We sat at a two-person table and still had plenty of room for all of our food, which is always appreciated because nobody wants to play plate Tetris during dinner. We ordered the Wagyu and the chicken tonkatsu, and both were so good. The Wagyu was especially fun because we got to grill it ourselves at the table, making the meal feel more like an experience than just dinner. The chicken tonkatsu was crispy, juicy, and exactly what we were hoping for. I also loved that they offer refills on the cabbage and vegetables, just like in Japan. It's one of those small touches that makes the whole meal feel more authentic. The highest praise came from my preteen, who said it was the best tonkatsu he's had outside of Japan. Honestly, that is a serious review from a kid who knows his tonkatsu. Great food, fun experience, nice ambiance, and a little Japan-in-Honolulu moment. We'll definitely be back.

Tamafuji is honestly the king of tonkatsu on Oahu, and probably in Hawaii. I like other tonkatsu…read moreplaces on island but I (personally) don't believe anyone is playing in the same league. From their breading, meat quality, and ambiance, it's all fantastic. Compared to the upstairs restaurant, I felt like I could really enjoy my entire experience because I was less overwhelmed by noise and the small space. Their service is always great and friendly :-) I can't recommend this place enough!

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

Taste good and quality. Long line but fast served food. I will go back again. My daughter love udon…read morealso she will give. 5

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

TL;DR This might be…read moremy favorite Japanese restaurant in town. Undisputed soba champion. ----- I'm surprised I haven't written a review for i-naba yet. This place has been a staple for my family ever since we moved back to O'ahu a few years ago. Bottom line? The soba noodles here are utterly fantastic. They are, in my humble opinion, the best on the island, and some of the best soba noodles I've ever had. I don't think anywhere else in Honolulu comes close. You come here to eat soba. Period. In addition to the soba being phenomenal, the other offerings at i-naba are also similarly great. Their tempura in particular is outstanding. I typically order the Jumbo Shrimp Tempura Bowl & Soba or the Dx Tempura Bowl & Soba. Plus an upgrade to a large size soba! The tempura is sooo good. It's crispy, light, and airy. The jumbo shrimp is especially succulent and tender. And the ingredients are always perfectly seasoned with the sweet and savory house sauce. Yummmy! If you're looking for the best soba and awesome tempura, this is your spot!!!

Everytime I asked my Japanese clients which Japanese restaurant they enjoyed most in Honolulu,…read moreInaba consistently came up. And now I know why. I finally had lunch here a couple weeks ago and damn was my tempura and soba set broke da mout. The soba is housemade with a chewy consistency that I love. I had it cold with the dipping sauce and wow wow wow. So good. My friends suggested I get the shrimp and vegetable tempura as well which amazingly stayed crispy the whole time I savored each bite. Probably 30 minutes. Light crisp batter on perfectly cooked shrimp and veggies. Damn it was good. The service was great as well and I cannot wait to go back. Nice warm atmosphere and there's a free parking lot. It gets busy during lunch and dinner, so get there early or make a reservation. Enjoy!

Delicious soba and donburi! Fast and friendly service. Takes reservations. Large and spacious…read moredining area. Lunch and dinner menu are completely different. Will need to come back for dinner. Lunch and teishoku set available.

I was really hoping to be wowed by this place because I have been eyeing it for some time…read more But... it was overall mid. We had the saba, which I would say was good. 3/5 Beef curry, which was ok, but the rice was dry. It seemed a tad bit undercooked. Enough to notice and be disappointed by texture and lack of moisture, so I didn't really eat the rice. Curry and beef was quite ordinary. 2/5 Chicken karaage was the only thing I did really like. Best I've had? No. But still great. 4/5 Rump cap was just really disappointing. No flavor and it was not tender. 1/5 Unagi chazuke had good flavor but again the rice was dry. Here is where the service did not impress me. The man who came to pour the broth did it so fast like he was in a rush, maybe he was, that droplets of the broth ricocheted onto my outfit went through and reached my thighs and actually hurt. I didn't react because... well... I didn't want to seem whiny. But that was not ok to be in such a rush that you cause harm or pain to a customer. 1/5 for the service, 3/5 for the dish Overall, wanted to love this place but it sadly disappointed. I didn't even bother to order the honey toast because everything else was overall just ok.

Highly recommend the sushi sets for lunch at Rinka! Stopped in for a lunchtime double date on a…read moreSunday in early March and was able to get seated without a reservation. I got the Sashimi Set, which came with rice, mini udon, chawanmushi, and 2 small side dishes. The fish was fresh and I liked the variety of foods in the set that all complemented each other. The meal was filling. Service was friendly, and the ambiance was lovely with plenty of seating.

Just ate here for dinner, had to use a Resy credit. Had reservations for two at 5:30 pm…read more Service was good, wife and I were seated promptly, given waters, and didn't have to wait too long for orders. Vibes were nice but I agree with prior reviews that tables feel a tad low and close together. I can see this place getting crowded during dinner hours, or if they get a lot of takeout orders. I ordered the blue fin bowl, wife ordered the homemade soba with tempura, and we ordered two sake flights, the "traditional" and the "light." The food was decent--I appreciated that my order included udon, a small salad, and tempura. Sake flights were pretty good. All-in with a 20% tip, it came out to ~$175, not including the Resy credit ($50 with Amex gold). With the Resy credit, I can dig it. Without it, I'm not sure. The food is tasty and portions are good, but it just feels like I've had more impressive sashimi/sushi for comparable prices elsewhere.

Our very favorite Japanese Restaurant on O'ahu…read more NOT your standard Sushi and Sashimi Joint (although we love those) And NOT your standard Japanese BBQ (which we love too) This is SUPER UNIQUE and SUPER AUTHENTIC and UNREAL ONO Japanese Food HIGHLY. HIGHLY Recommend. Small though, so make reservations or be prepared to wait 30-60min.

This place ended being our favorite restaurant of our entire Hawaii trip. So glad we made a…read morereservation because it can get quite busy during peak dinner hours. Their grilled chicken thigh was unbelievably tender, juicy, and had just the right amount of smokey flavor. It's one of those dishes that's so simple, yet executed perfectly - a must order. We also enjoyed either ox tail porridge, grilled corn and grilled mochi. The beef tongue was also delicious and cooked perfectly tender, though I wish it had been sliced a little larger instead of diced so small. For drinks, don't miss the lemon tower chu-hi topped with lemon sorbet. It's refreshing, bright, and pairs with the grilled dishes perfectly. We were already talking about coming back before we even finished dinner. Can't wait to be back.

Came here on a Thursday night around 6:30 for dinner. I had to circle around the parking lot to…read morefind a stall, and I believe they recently added a QR code to pay for parking. I'm not really sure how the validation works for it though. We didn't have reservations but were seated right away. To start off, I got the shikuwasa calpico drink. I feel like a lot of places don't have shikuwasa, so I'm really glad I can get it here. They also had a lot of other fun drinks on their menu that I would love to come back and try. For three of us, we ordered a bunch of small things to share. We got the brie, cold chicken dynamite, sweet potato, and hamachi roll. It also came with different types of salt to dip it in. All the food was delicious, but my favorite was the brie. This restaurant is fun and high energy. Service was excellent and super helpful. I would definitely recommend coming here!

My brother has been recommending this place so I am glad I finally got to go for dinner! We got a…read moremix of regular and seasonal menu items. The hamachi with sesame sauce was ok, I prefer hamachi cooked though. The negitoro avocado rolls were tiny but decent and fresh tasting. The 5 types of tempura had a light crispy batter and were good. My favorites were the seasonal specials of hamachi kama (huge, meaty piece!), spicy chicken, and sukiyaki tofu. The spicy chicken was not very spicy at all, maybe a 1 or 2 out of 5 stars. It was refreshing and reminded me of Chinese chicken salad with the Chinese parsley and peanuts. The sukiyaki tofu was simple but good and not too sweet. The ambiance made me feel like I was in Japan and the staff were very attentive. Great service! The people preparing the food are right in the center and they are a well oiled machine cranking out dishes without breaking a sweat or raising their voices. The noise level can get a bit loud from diners having a good time.