Thanks to my yelp friend Terry K for her Hawaiian hospitality and setting up an intimate dinner while we were in town on a short visit. She always knows just where to go and all the hot tables. While I'm not a yakitori expert I can say that I loved almost every single item. Literally out of dozens of items tried (we took advantage of happy hour from 5-6pm), the only thing I wasn't wild about was the pate. But perhaps this is because the chickens are fresh and I've never had fresh pate before. However, speaking of those fresh chickens, it was my first time trying yakitori sukiyaki with a fresh egg that you stir the succulent beef in...almost creating your own fresh mayo sauce. I'm a huge egg and beef fan so this was actually my favorite item on the menu. The grilled beef was tender yet had a nice smoky char flavor that paired well with the fresh raw egg. Ironically I am not huge into chicken wings but these were the juiciest most flavorful wings I've ever tried. There was a pop of lemon with each bite that made me rethink my non love affair with the ever popular wing. We also tried the yamaimo French fries which is like a yam....surprisingly tasty. I wish I had taken more pictures and could remember more food items, but you can't go wrong if you choose to dine here. Also, the service was exceptional. We originally couldn't get a reservation for a week night because they were booked so we started at the bar. After 15 minutes they informed us someone had a last minute cancellation so we got a perfect table. If you are only 2 or 3 people the bar is perfectly fine but with 5 we needed the table. With fine food and excellent service, wouldn't hesitate to recommend this establishment. read more

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If you're looking for a beautiful vibe with clean, tasty yakatori. Very beautiful and clean inside. You can see the kitchen and the chef grilling the meats. We were right by the window on Chinese New Year. All the food was delicious. We ordered either one or two of some main sticks to try. The sukiyaki with egg, finishing ramen, and the fresh salad were maybe my most liked. Not an every weekend kind of place for me, but I definitely recommend a classy date or showing someone an interesting and delicious time. read more

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Got the omakase course. It was well balanced and had a good mix of meat and veggies. The staff was attentive and kept our table clear of finished dishes. My favorite item out of everything was the local corn karaage. read more

Yakitori Hachibei - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

The omakase was great and worth the trek, though you might want to be careful since the neighborhood in general felt a bit off as soon as you are off the Main Street. We ended up getting the omakase with additional foie gras skewers, and would highly recommend it as everything in it was good. Felt like a good price to value ratio, and was one of the best meals I've had in Waikiki. Highlights - Chawanmushi - very soft custard and great flavor. Best one I've had and I've had a surprising amount of this recently. Yakitori - the sukiyaki was probably the most unique out of the skewers here, and dipping it in egg was a really good touch. Quail egg and the foie gras had good texture and was probably second/third favorite. Chicken breast was probably my least favorite, and even that one they made well - it's just that chicken breast is whatever in general. Braised short rib - fall off the bone tender and full of flavor. Chicken ramen - super light and meant more as a palette cleanser than a heavier ramen. Surprisingly refreshing. read more

I"ve passed by this relatively new storefront a few times during day hours. It's located in Chinatown on the mauka side of infamous Hotel Street. Seeing that it opens at 5 pm, I'd need to stop in for happy hour or dinner. After reading a few resounding reviews, I was compelled to make a reservation (highly recommended) and to check out happy hour. Luckily I was able to get a reservation on Open Table for the same day, a Friday. You may specify your preference for a table or counter (to watch chef manning the grill). We even snagged on street parking. Hallelujah, it was meant to be! We tried just about everything on the HH menu plus items on the monthly special menu. Really enjoyed spicy ahi rice crisps (crunchy cubes), Teba karaage chicken wings (petite and tasty), yamaimo french fries (never met an imo I didn't like), shiitake fries (lengthy strips), island chicken liver pate, Hachibei poke, calamari. Love the intimate dining atmosphere and the attentive service. A truly enjoyable dining experience! read more

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I have had lemon chu-hi at many different restaurants, but I have never had lemonchu-hi as bad as tonight. If you are looking for a yakitori restaurant with good yakitori and good service, I would recommend elsewhere. read more

This place is definitely a must try if you are craving some Japanese skewers! The place is a good size, but definitely not one to accommodate for large parties. You can either sit at the bar or have a table. It is very rare that you would be able to walk in, so I do suggest making reservations online! It's also located in Chinatown and parking can be quite limited. We, as a party of 2, parked in one of the municipal parking lots down the road and just walked over. Upon entry, we were greeted with a host that escorted us to our table. The table was set with water, small plates, chopsticks, and wet napkins for you to wipe your hands. This was very helpful since we'll be eating skewers. Before ordering, we were given a tangy cabbage salad. This was quite delicious! The dressing was tangy enough that cut the really harsh cabbage taste. We started with the Spicy Teba Chicken Karaage. These were very good, tender, and had a good spice. To be honest, it reminded me of spicy Buffalo sauce... but the tenderness of the chicken and having it slide off the bone really took it over the edge! Afterwards, we had our Butabara pork belly, shiitake mushroom, quail egg, and chicken heart skewers. The pork belly skewers were AMAZING and super soft. The shio pork belly was a plain salt and pepper, whereas the tare pork belly was a teriyaki glaze with some hot mustard on the side. Quail egg and shiitake mushrooms were also very good and had a smoky taste to them. The chicken hearts, although very different, had a very interesting (but not unpleasant) texture to them. I'd still recommend trying! We then had the Uni tempura, soft shell crab, and Hokkaido scallop carpaccio... wow were these good! The Uni tempura was super soft, and the carpaccio had the freshest taste to them. The soft shell crab was crunchy, and tasty... but lacked the chili flavor I was looking forward to. Afterwards, we had the sukiyaki and A4 Wagyu. These were my favorite! The A4 Wagyu was so fatty, tender, and melted right off your tongue. The sukiyaki was so savory... if you go here, you'll have to try both of these skewers. We finished dinner off with their finishing dishes, the Hachibei Chicken Ramen and the Oyako Donburi. The ramen had a light, clean broth and tasted very comforting. The Donburi, although was a little heavier, still was comforting and very tasty! Overall, my biggest recommendations are the pork belly skewers, sukiyaki, AND the A4 Japanese Wagyu. We'll definitely be coming here again for date night. read more

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Awesome experience at the counter. Staff is polite and professional. One of the best Yakitori experiences. Very high quality and a benchmark. read more

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Nice space. I liked that the grill was front and center but I thought I was actually like a sushi bar before he started cooking. The look of that space resembled a sushi bar. Very well organized, although some of the tables are rather close together. It is a small space, less than 50 seats? So definitely make reservations! The happy hour menu had a great selection. I tried the lemon and mint honey lemon chuhai. Both were good, but the lemon was less sweet. The mint honey lemon was very sweet on the first sip but it mellowed out afterward. I must have just gotten a gob of honey on the first drink. There were so many food selections! It was almost overwhelming. I felt like I needed a piece of paper to write what I wanted down. The plates are small so you need to order several. I decided on the chicken liver pate, spicy ahi rice crisps, fried calamari, tomato Maki, and Hachibei Kashiwa Meshi Yaki Onigiri. I actually like liver, so the pate was good but it definitely tastes like liver. The spicy ahi was really good and the rice crisps were good too but more of a novelty. The calamari was good but not necessarily notable. It did come with some tempura veg, which was nice!! The tomato Maki was basically three cherry tomatoes with some mozzarella, wrapped with pork belly (bacon). Very good. Next time, I think I'll try the mozzarella Maki instead because I want more cheese. The Onigiri was good but I wished it came earlier because I usually need a starch to eat with the other food. I possibly should have specified, at it is listed as a "finishing" dish. Service was good although I think he could have been a bit more friendly. He was very neutral, but that's fine. I would come here again - there's so many items to try! read more

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Always an excellent experience!! With current times, call ahead for reservations , as they can better accommodate your party. Temperature check at the door, scan menus, individually packaged (everything), staff wearing PPE & are tested, w/ newly added curbside seating. Try one of everything in the menu & go back for seconds! My favorites: Hachibei Chicken Foie Gras, Enoki wrapped w/ quail egg, sukiyaki w/ raw egg, butabara, soft shell crab to name a few. Presented in individual skewers and prepared plating really shows the multi leveled teamwork to create each dishes. From the preparing to the art of fanning over hit coals, to the services, they really got it down. For an intimate dinner to hanging w/ friends, it's a hidden gem in Honolulu's Downtown. read more

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Yakitori Hachibei is located Downtown on Hotel Street. Parking is always limited in downtown, if you are lucky maybe you wills score street parking. Otherwise you can find a paid lot near by. Love the layout of this restaurant. The grill is located on the right side of the restaurant, the smoke is sucked into a giant vent so you don't smell like BBQ after dinner. Everything we ordered was so fresh and tasty! I can't decide if my favorite is the Butabara, Endomame no Kushiage or Sukiyaki - I think I love them ALL!! I will certainly come back again! read more

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The, food was good but not great, however, I was being rush, not an enjoyable experience. They told me the next reservation will be at 8, they handed us a bill at 7:25pm without our request.......not professional. Btw, The price is high and wine list is short. read more

Yakitori Hachibei - Bill - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Great place for yakitori and skewers. Clean and Japanese and food was just like Japan. Grilled to perfection or near to it.

One of the most delicious meals to be had on Oahu. Love the veggie and chicken skewers, eggplant miso, karaage corn and cream cheese tofu.

Made a reservation for dinner before attending a show at the Hawai'i theater. We were promptly greeted and seated at our table. My gf and I both ordered the $58 set course menu. Overall, my gf and I enjoyed the presentation, quality and taste of the dishes. Ut seemed very authentic Japanese, and the flavors were light and fresh. Highlights were the otoro tartare, Kona kampachi carpaccio, sukiyaki yakitori skewer (with that yummy raw egg), and the goma pudding (more like a panna cotta) with matcha gelato. I love the lightly dressed raw cabbage that accompanies the skewers, and they didn't charge extra when we asked for more. However, we were disappointed that they ran out of (1) foie gras yakitori skewer , which they instead replaced with minced chicken and scallion skewer, and (2) beef tongue curry, which they did not offer an alternative for, so we both instead chose the chicken ramen. Overall, the value was pretty good for $58, though it would have been better with the foie gras skewer and beef tongue curry. The service was very friendly, helpful and timely. I highly recommend their lemon or lemon salt chu hai, as it's so refreshing and not overly sweet. It's a pretty decent size for $7.50. The set course had a beautiful balance and variety of foods and flavors, that was perfectly filling. I definitely recommend it and can't wait to return to perhaps try their happy hour and their $75 course menu. read more

Yakitori Hachibei - $58 course menu- toro tartare, chawanmushi, Kona kampachi, baby back rib miso, & skewers: chicken wasabi shoyu, butabara, sukiyaki, shiitake - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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If I could eat here everyday, I would. A friend recommended we come here and based off the photos, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I thought to myself, "How good can yakitori possibly get?" The flavors just WOWed me. Everything from the flavors, the service, and the atmosphere was on point. Some of my recommendations: Uni shooter - A must! I had a few uni shooters during our vacation in Oahu and this place definitely had the best. Corn karaage - The flavor was so delicious and the corn was grilled perfectly. A5 Wagyu Miyazaki - So yum. Never thought meat on a stick could be so delicious. A perfect crispy outside with a juicy tender inside. Cream cheese tofu - This was my most favorite thing on their menu. Chicken ramen - The ramen broth was the perfect way to wrap up the meal. Hachibei goma pudding - This black sesame dessert was amazing. Smooth and silky. Not too sweet. We also had the pleasure of meeting the owner, Robert; thank you again for such a lovely meal! read more

"I'm worried for Hawaii... They loosened things too quick." - from the older gentlemen working there to us not even 5 mins after we sat down after we asked him how he is. We should have got up and left after he said that because we definitely didn't feel like we were welcomed there. We stayed because our server was kind and it wouldn't be fair to the server to miss out on the meal tip when he didn't do/say anything wrong. Their covid protocol makes it seem like they would prefer to cater to locals. You need to show negative covid test, hawaii safe qr code, or vaccine card if you have out-of-state phone number. Should have known that this was their vibe after I received an email from opentable to confirm reservation and a phone call a few hours later reminding me of this. Won't come back again. read more

For skew bbq, this is the best place I have tried so far. It's super juicy and good flavor. The only thing is you have to be patient, cuz it takes time and attention to cook. Would definitely come back again read more

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Not good for kids. This place is in a pretty ghetto area of Chinatown. Lots of homeless and mentally ill people shouting on the streets. The pizza joint next door plays loud rap music with profanity. We were seated outside and when we asked to be inside, they refused. They said the tables are all reserved but the inside was more than half empty from the time we arrive till the end. I suspect it's because we're coming with a kid (she's got her first shot of vaccine and tested negative before Hawaii). We were in and out within an hour with our 8 yo daughter. She had a very uncomfortable dining experience. The food is average, portions are small. read more

Yakitori Hachibei - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

The food here is AMAZING. I have not found a dish that I did not like! The scallop carpaccio, beef tongue, sukiyaki, tsukune and chicken ramen are my absolute favorite items so far. I've never been one to indulge in chicken heart, but I've tried it here and it's become a favorite for me as well! The restaurant is clean and not overly crowded (comforting at this time during the pandemic) and service was beyond great. * If you dine here, be prepared to spend a little more in comparison to a typical yakitori or Izakaya. I've noticed that the average bill for two of us has averaged out to be a little over $200 in total. read more

Yakitori Hachibei - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Wow. Recommendation from a friend, and we stayed like 45 minutes from Honolulu, but this place was SO worth the drive! Very small location, so reserve! We had a late dinner, at 8:00, reserved a day in advance since same day was unavailable at any time. We sat right at the windows, and despite a few reviews here, had amazing help and suggestions from our server, and I tried so many things I'm not sure I could rate them all, but nothing was less that a 4-star! We had chicken, waygu beef, scallops, eggplant, shrimp, and pork off the menu, so I think we hit a great variety - and nothing disappointed! If you can carve out time to go, do. Ignore any comments about an unhelpful staff (everyone has a bad day here and there), and if you've never tried yakitori, tonight's your night. You willNOT be disappointed! read more

Small restaurant...Reservations is a total must. A lot of great menu options for food and drink. My favorites were the chicken liver stick, enoki wrapped with bacon, wagyu beef (so tender and tasteful), and pork belly. There was only one cook at the grill so delivery of food was a little slow. The food is totally delectable. CON: Maximum 2 hours. A little disappointing that food was slow in delivery gathering only one chef at the grill. Felt the manager was quite rude in chasing us out exactly in 2 hours so they could accommodate the next reservation. The waitress and manager would stop at our table to remind us at least 2-3 times that we only had two hours at the table. Check is even placed on our table at least 15 minutes before departure time. A big hint to pay the bill and leave. Nevertheless, the food is tasty...gives you an idea of what traditional Yakitori is like in Japan. REMINDER: You're in Chinatown so parking is either on the street or municipal parking. Happy Hour is from 5-6pm. read more

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Beautiful unassuming restaurant in the heart of Chinatown. We took a 15 minute cab ride from Waikiki to dine at this trendy establishment with open "kitchen" (grill). There are about four tables and eight bar seats inside and two small tables outside on Hotel Street. There are no cars allowed on Hotel Street so if you are calling an Uber ride you'd have to meet them on one of the cross streets such as Smith. The ambiance is warm with a brick wall, wooden tables and a huge floating lantern that honestly looks like a giant intestine (quite fitting for a spot with organ meat dishes). The restrooms are outside in the back alley. We were seated at "table 1" which is a spot at the bar next to the front door. I think the restaurant was ~50% capacity and it was perfect since everybody was spaced far apart. There were plastic packets with a moist towel, chopsticks and a napkin for each patron. There are large plastic screen dividers between the bar and the grill chefs. I felt the place was well sanitized and safe for indoor dining. Service was attentive and friendly. Our server was Jasmine and she gave great recommendations on what to try. I've had a lot of Yakitori but had never tried some of the pieces on the menu such as the lining between the heart and liver of the chicken. I think my husband and I sampled almost every skewer on the menu but our favorites were the chicken hearts, pork belly, beef tongue and shiitake mushrooms (these were all shio/salt). The sauced skewers were a bit too saucy. The wagyu was overcooked to my liking so I would avoid ordering that here. It was well done and I prefer it rare especially if it is A5 Japanese wagyu. Their appetizers were excellent. We had the Uni tempura and Uni shooters and both were so yummy with fresh Hokkaido uni. My husband loves chawanmushi and their seafood chawanmushi was incredibly silky with umami broth flavor. They had Kirin on draft which was super creamy and way better than the normal Sapporo or Asahi draft that I get on the mainland. After two Suntory Toki highballs, a beer, apps and a ton of skewers later for each of us, we racked up a $312 bill including tax and 20% tip. Quality was excellent and we didn't eat any filler dishes such as rice or Ramen. Although this spot was pricey (glasses of iced club sodas were $4 each) and there were a few skewers we didn't love, overall great restaurant and good start to our honeymoon in hawaii. Definitely get a reservation here! read more

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The food was good but not the location. While waiting to get our vaccination card/IDs checked outside, homeless people were walking by us very closely. There were people on the streets drinking and we were asked if we wanted to buy liquor from a guy out of his backpack. It didn't feel very safe. We liked everything except for the chicken breast. It was too dry. I think the cut was too small so there was no way for it to be moist. We should have just ordered extra chicken thigh. My favorite was the scallop. It was DELICIOUS! I think for the price, all the servings were too small. Wish we went to a different yakitori restaurant while we were in Honolulu. read more

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My husband and I recently traveled to Honolulu for a much needed vacation. We're from LA and very big on Japanese cuisine/restaurants whether it's sushi or yakitori. I rarely write reviews but given how during our 6 day trip we chose to dine here twice, it deserved a review. We made a reservation beforehand and could tell they were following all the right COVID related procedures by asking us for our names, address, phone number and hotel information. When we got there, they promptly took our temperature and politely asked to see our COVID test results which we were very happy about. Decor was very modern and well thought out. We sat on the counter and were able to see the grilling action. They had outdoor seating as well. We tried chicken heart, liver, tebasaki wings, grilled king crab leg, scallop, pork belly, beef tongue, quail eggs, corn karrage, monk fish liver, chicken ramen and many more! Every single dish was prepared with care and cooked to perfection. Yaki onigiri was perfectly seasoned, moist inside and crispy on the outside. I would've never said yes to trying chicken heart but tried it for the first time in my life and loved it. Beef tongue was full of flavor and meatball came with perfect orange-yellow egg yolk sauce. Our server and the owner were attentive and made excellent recommendations. We also loved hakkaisan sake which paired very nicely w the food. Our bill was around $200 which I thought was very reasonable given the quality of food. Owner Robert thanked us for visiting again on our second visit and we had a nice conversation. Highly highly recommend yakitori hachibei for anyone who appreciates yakitori or simply looking for a great date night :) read more

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This place is lit. You need to book a reservation in here or else it's hard to find a table for you to dine. ~ AMBIANCE: comfy and cozy. The place is not that big, how I wish they expand to accommodate a larger customers. Interior is great but not that really impressive. Love the color they put inside the restaurant though. Simple but elegant to sum it up. ~ FOOD: One of the best. Tasty and plate is well presented. My husband & I ordered 6 tasty food on their menu plus one glass of fresh pressed lemon chuchai. That drink is a good one but not the best. Tangy flavor is so playful that my husband enjoyed it so much plus the sparkling water adds a natural balance on his drink too. Among the 6 dishes we ordered our favorite is Grilled Black Pepper Ox Tail. So soft and tasty. It was cook to perfection. The best ox tail we had so far. Hachibei Chicken Nanban is good too but I cannot find the right taste that makes it excel among fried chicken that I have in my life. It's just the same yet when you dip it to the sauce it even taste better. Teba Karaage (fried chicken wings) isn't that great but with the sauce it will make a different taste inside your mouth. Grilled Kauai Ebi (sigh), I'm a big fan of shrimp but this one isn't that great. I cooked a better grilled shrimp than this. Hachebei Chicken Ramen is not that good either. My husband don't like the broth while me, I love the noodle not much on the broth though. Sotanghon Cup noodles is way better than this. The dessert we had was a chocolate cake w/ one scoop of an ice cream on the plate. The cake itself taste bitter for and I am really not impressed! I understood that the more it taste bitter the pure chocolate they used but don't they have sugar just to put another level of sweetness even just a little bit. But I love the presentation though. (SEE ATTACHED PHOTO FOR THE FOOD) ~ MENU PRICES: I know it's their strategy. Putting cheaper price on the menu but the serving of the food is so disappointed. Seems like it's for a food tasting the portion is little and because they serve a pretty good dish in here if you love them in your 1st try it will make you order more and at the end of your dining the bill will ripped you off. Hahaha. That was a clever strategy that this restaurant is trying to impose. ~ CUSTOMER SERVICE: I HATE THE MANAGER/OWNER in this restaurant. Coz the moment he learned that I am just a newbie in blogging he immediately change the mood and not even tried to smile back. That was rude for me. And I was so disappointed and now I am in doubt if I will feature this restaurant in my blog (w/c at first I was so excited and wanted to write a review thru my blog site). But the pretty asian waiter/server is a great investment of that restaurant. She's always checking not only on us but to other diners as well, making sure we are well served. She's the best asset I can tell. Even when the place is slowly packed w/ people she still manage to smile and greet w/ a glimpse on her face. She's also patient esp. when we tried to pick our order on their menu. Trying to explain the food and even gave us idea on what the food was. ~ They are open not until 5pm so don't waste your time to check the place in morning or lunch time. It's worth the dine though. We leave tge place w/ a full and heartily tummy except for that guy which I thinknis the owner/manager who changed my mood in an instant. I think his only into elite people or famous blogger. LoL. ~ 4 stars for this restaurant (food and ambiance) while slapping my 2 stars for that guy whom I think is the owner/manager. ~ HAPPY JUANDERING & ALOHA! read more

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Disappointing price to quality and portion ratio. Skewers we're ridiculously tiny. Some were alright flavorwise, such as the chicken gizzard, but such a small amount for $5. The uni tempura was very disappointing as well for $12. I couldn't taste the uni and it was even supposed to be a more premium Hokkaido uni. The miso eggplant was way too salty and was hard to enjoy. To top it all off they screwed up our order - quail egg and beef tongue never came and they gave us a chicken breast we never ordered (though the bill correctly showed what we ate not what we ordered). Overall left very hungry, disappointed, and spent almost $70. Skip this if you've ever had good yakitori and know what to expect. read more

So glad we scored a reservation here. We did not manage to have great yakitori in Japan so we were super hopeful. This place does not disappoint. It's such a lovely space, nicely designed but not overdone. Perfect date night space ambiance wise. Service was on point as well. The food was all delicious. Recommend the pork belly yakitori, prawn was good but having shell on was problematic. Tempura and ahi were delicious. Wagyu was good but not sure I'd pay $16 for a skewer that had fillers like tomato and pepper. Sesame pudding was delicious as well. Overall one of the best meals I've had on Oahu. read more

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Yakitori Hachibei opened its doors in late December 2016. At that time they were only doing private dinners. They are located in Chinatown on Hotel Street near all the other cool eateries. Once you enter, you will notice the packed house and the smell of yakitori being grilled over the charcoal grill. The times that I went there were many Japanese Nationals, which is a great sign. If they are eating here, it must be good! The dishes were amazing and great selection of yakitori. The chickens are all locally sourced as are most of their ingredients. I have too many favorites to name, but if I have to select two it would be the foie gras and the sukiyaki. I highly recommend making reservations well in advance. Don't be surprised if you can not get one or even if they do not answer the phone. My dinner date had to go down there to make a reservation. A couple of times on a week night after 9pm, I got a table without reservations. Service was above and beyond. For example, our waitress was busy so the sous chef brought out our food as to having it sit out on the counter. That made me feel special. Also on one of my visits our waitress comp us a dish because at that time they were out of foie gras ( chicken liver) and the sunazuri ( chicken gizzard). The general ambiance is a legit Japanese restaurant. The design and layout is warm and inviting with an energetic vibe. The main charcoal grilling pit has glass panels around it giving customers a great view of the master chef grilling away. What a great dining experience. I'll be back again soon. Itadakimasu! read more

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Personally this is of the top 2 yakitori places I have been to in the states. You can tell immediately from the menu that it is serious about yakitori. Highly recommend almost all items in the chicken section: momo, tenderloin, chicken wings (crispy skin and juicy inside), the heart (on limit supply, so tender and juicy), the gizzards, and the chicken meat ball! If you care for skewers beyond chicken, wagyu, beef tongue, calamari and ebi are worth-trying. Shishito and shiitake are my must-haves for veggies. Each type of skewer comes with its own garnish/sauce. Beyond skewers, highly recommend its seafood chawanmushi - this is a dish I would go for a second order (so delicious and flavorful!) onigri would be a great option for some carbs. I would definitely come back if visiting Oahu next time! It's a pity we did not get to try their uni tempura this time! read more

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This restaurant is a gem! The owner/chef takes great pride in everything he serves and it is all amazing. We had many dishes from the A5 wagyu and the shrimps and several chicken Yakitori dishes and were very impressed with all the flavors in all of them. Also the sake selections were phenomenal. read more

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Props to this place for having open tables on little notice! We passed by Fete and Pig and the Lady while looking for spontaneous and nice dinner. Thankfully this spot we passed by happened to have their one outdoor seating available. This was my first omakase so I was super stoked! Yakitori, not sushi of course but it was a great experience. The waiter who brought out all our ~8? dishes was knowledgeable and patient with my little questions about each dish. Sadly, this is the one picture i got because i wanted to enjoy my time fully I wish i was hungrier before coming here.. I couldnt finish the main course, my chicken don, after all of the yakitori..my friend got the ramen which I'd recommend over the don - not the typical Japanese ramen but almost a chicken noodle soup taste with Japanese spin, really yummy. My favorite yakitori was the enoki mushroom and chrysanthemum flowers one just because it was a unique and tasty concept. The rest didn't seem too special (tomatoes, pork belly, boiled quail eggs..) but it was still a great meal. read more

Yakitori Hachibei - Sadly the one picture i got of my first omakase. Had a great time though. - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Hachibei, where skewers sizzle, and logic fizzles. I arrived, eager for yakitori bliss, only to be turned away, told there were "no openings." Funny, since OpenTable showed multiple slots. I could've made a reservation right there and dined. Instead, I got a taste of gatekeeping and a whiff of lost opportunity. read more

This review is mainly for happy hour . We came here on a Thursday after work around 5:15pm to check out the menu for a quick drink/bite before a dinner later that night. There were about 3-4 open tables but there were a lot of reserved seats saved. Ordered sweet potato fries chicken wings and two high balls to start ($5 each off the happy hour menu) two thumbs up for happy hour. Also ordered corn karaage off the seasonal menu. Food came out at a good pace, enough for the two of us to finish one appetizer/dish at a time. Then we ordered off the regular menu...enoki maki, mozzarella maki, corn chawanmushi for some variety. Service 4.5/5 ... they were very attentive and only a -.5 because there was only one waiter. Portions size are about half of what you might expect at a regular restaurant but standard size for those "fancy" spots ... the type of place where you need to savor the flavor because it's gone in a few bites. Seriously though, flavors and uniqueness . Dishes were super interesting to look at and the robata (grilled) items had a nice smoky flavor. YOU MUST TRY THE CHICKEN WINGS! I've never had such a small wing (they are really tiny) but packed with so much juice and flavor. This place is only a little pricey because the portion size is a little too small. Still a solid 4/5 stars for a fancy happy hour. It's a really nice place for a semi-casual date night or a special dinner. Reservations highly recommended. read more

Yakitori Hachibei - "Corn Karaage" Seasonal Menu item served looking like octopus legs ! Definitely a unique spot to eat. - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Very good place we discovered for yakitori, includes other small plate dishes such as miso black cod, corn karaage, steamed clams, chicken wings. Looks like Chinatown trying to revitalize and this is one of the restaurants on hotel street. Everything we tried was delicious. The chicken wings were our favorite and we also tried the wagyu beef. We will come back again. Service was great too! read more

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My mom wanted to treat us to Yakitori Hachibei after a long time distance with Covid. It was our first night out to dinner in more than a year and several birthdays had passed. We had a reservation for Saturday at 5 pm. The server asked kindly if two hours would be adequate and we agreed that it would, though we ended up giving up the counter with barely one minute to spare at the end. I was impressed, but not overwhelmed the previous trip. Maybe it was the noise before? With Covid-19 protocols, the diners were spaced far apart and the sound level was low and very pleasant. I think it contributed to the dining experience and the food was absolutely fantastic. We ordered a LOT. That's what you are supposed to do. These are small portions meant to be lovingly savored one tiny bite at a time. Here's the rundown. Oh, this is a Japanese chain, so it wasn't surprising to see a lot of either local Japanese or Japanese visitors around the room. That's the crowd. They use J. Ludovico Farm chicken and it is flavorful and worth the hype. We had thigh and breast. Both were wonderful. We also ordered shishito peppers - 6 mild on one spicy buggah is right there on the menu. My mom who can't stand spice got 4 hot ones and my gf who loves spice got none. Kinda funny. I also ordered the wagyu and Kauai shrimp, both were absolutely delicious. The thing about yakitori is that everything tastes like itself, just better. That's really the thing about Japanese food in general. This was a celebration in fresh, high-quality ingredients prepared simply. The cream cheese tofu was amazing. I never would have thought this was an option or even a good combination. The spread was light, sweet, and perfect for bread. I had to stop myself from licking the plate. The watercress and bacon goma salad was delicious and added a bit of texture between bites. The bacon and watercress paired really well and the salad was lightly dressed and plentiful. We also ordered chicken ramen which came out in a cute ceramic bowl that was shaped like the Nissen Ramen styrofoam containers. My girlfriend also had scallop sashimi and clams, she loved them while mom and I enjoyed dessert. Yes, we made room. My mom and I believe in dessert. I love goma pudding and so does my mom, we ordered that times two and it was the perfect last bite to send us to the finish line. The restaurant is small, the service is wonderful. There is outdoor seating, counter seating (where the yakitori chefs fan the flames), as well as traditional tables in the restaurant. Make reservations and give yourself time to eat and enjoy. It's a Japanese chain, so they carry a nice selection of sake and Japanese whiskeys and cocktails. I would recommend for a date or something special - or, you could just sit in the corner and stuff your face alone for a couple of hours and not tell anyone. Your choice, I won't judge. read more

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We were there on Sunday 9/29 to celebrate my husband's Birthday. Big disapointment!!! We were regular customers for many years then found out Robert (previous owner or manager) sold the restaurant to this new group of investors. The chef tasting menu was the one we always ordered so we did the same last night. There were 4 of us. The cost for each one set of dinner is $80.00. It was $68 in May'24 when we visited last time. The price is not a big issue if they live up to the quality of the food they served. They changed the menu for the set dinner quite a bit. Took away the Steam egg, the sbort ribs, the raman noodles,the chicken hearts, the gizzards and the cherry tomatoes and quail eggs. Replaced with 2 inches egg plant and 2 inches shishito!!!(one of each). Just a few examples of items were replaced. How can they raise the price and replaced with cheap and ordinary items???? BTW, they cut back the portion of the dishes too. The food tasted horible. The service was not the same except there was a lady who gave us more attention at the end. This restaurant is now crossed off from our list. No wonder the place is much less traffic now then before. read more

A couple of specialty items were very tasty, the sukiyaki skewers, cream cheese tofu, and grilled cheese. A few of the skewers were a bit too salty for our taste but might be okay to eat along alcohol. Most of the rest of the items seem overpriced, paying $6-$16 bucks for a SINGLE skewer of generic meat/shrimp. Maybe that's the premium for dining on an island. Service was good and attentive, everything was very in order and the space was pleasant. Our shrimp came so late that we forgot about them and paid before they were served. Would've liked a reminder that we still had more skewers coming when we closed out, as we almost left without them. Didn't need to wait for the rest of the items much or at all though. Staff was very friendly read more

Yakitori Hachibei is an amazing new Yakitori restaurant located on Hotel Street between Nuuanu and Smith Street. From the moment that you enter you are warmly greeted with the traditional "irrashaimase", a hearty welcome from the chef and staff. The decor looks like a mix of modern and traditional Japan. The dark wood chopsticks, a cloth shibori or wet towel, and beautiful ceramic serving dishes await you. It's strongly recommended that you sit at the bar in close proximity to the fire pit where your skewers are grilled. It's great fun to watch the Yakitori Chef in action. He seasons the skewers immediately before grilling. Starting with the Honey Lemon cocktail is strongly recommended. We sampled several skewers made from the freshest of ingredients mostly chicken parts but also many grilled vegetables and Kalbi. We finished with their chicken ramen soup. All the servers are extremely attentive and knowledgeable. It's an outstanding dining experience and strongly recommended! #15 / 100 Challenge 2017 read more

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Wonderful place. Great experience. Clean, great service and wonderful Japanese food! Try the wagyu! read more

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