This is my go-to sushi spot on the island. The place looks a little dated, but the fish is fresh. I personally think that the nigiri is some of the best on the island. I am not a huge fan of the rolls, I feel like there is too much mayonnaise. I recommend to start with the clam miso, and a big Sapporo beer. I always order the amaebi (sweet shrimp), and it never disappoints. The shrimp is so delicious, and they put just the right amount of wasabi. They also give you the heads all fried up. I think they are delicious, and you can gross out your friends by having the legs stick out of your mouth! The Tekka roll is out of this world, and it always assures that I will leave full. You really cannot go wrong with any of the Nigiri, be adventurous. Before I forget, they have ice cream for dessert. I wouldn't have thought they did, but my friend had a taste for the stuff the last time I ate here. They brought him some Macadamia nut ice cream that was straight delicious. The place is filled with photographs of customers going back to the early 80's, almost to the point that there is no bare wall space. I am assuming the pictured people are all famous? I don't recognize most of them, but I do like to come up their backstories. My all-time favorite is an early 90s Damon Wayans wearing a trashy tank top. He does not look like he wants to have his picture taken. I like to imagine he just wrapped a season of In Living Color, and needed to take a Hawaii vacation. If you have the forethought to make a reservation, definitely ask to sit at the bar. It is way better than getting jammed at one of their smaller tables. read more

I've read good reviews on how great the sushi is but the fact of the matter is that it doesn't matter how great the food if I don't get greeted or seated! Went there for me and hubby's anniversary dinner on a week night. Although we didn't make prior rez, we were willing to wait. However, stepping in the door we got glances from the cashier as well as the sushi chefs including a couple of servers that walked past. But NO ONE greeted us! NO ONE serviced us! We walked out after standing and waiting for 5 minutes and still nothing. read more

One of my go to places for late night, after movie cravings. Awesome volcano sushi (baked scallops, etc..) and the baby Tako is really delicious!! I also love their combo set D which is salmon katsu..Sooo yummy!! Good for groups and casual meal. read more

Yanagi Sushi - Volcano sushi and baby tako! - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Was recommended by a bartender at the Hilton to check out this spot and it was great. The sweet shrimp was delicious as well as he salmon and other items we ordered. The service was good and fast. Would definitely come here again if I was back in Waikiki read more

Yanagi Sushi - Halibut - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

My hubby and I really enjoy the food here. I always like to try other places but my hubby always says this place! Service is always good. Tonight, we walk-in with no reservations. No seating at all till 8:30pm; that was 3 hours later but they gave us an option to seat away from the dining room area which was a table away from everyone by the restroom. Ok-sounds bad but it was actually not bad cause we had our privacy and service was excellent. You figure, we would have been gotten but the opposite. read more

Yanagi Sushi - Yummy - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I love coming to Yanagi's. My coworkers and I use to come often after work since they open late and have a great late night happy hour. This time around I decided to get the deluxe sushi set and the baby takos which are my favorite item in the happy hour menu. Service is already quick and friendly. But be prepared for a wait. read more

Yanagi Sushi - Deluxe sushi set - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Some of the best sushi I have ever had. Very friendly staff. Pictures of guests lining the walls. The sashimi was incredibly fresh. Everything we had was excellent. Shout out in particular to the Icelandic salmon that was some of the best I've ever tasted. Would highly recommend! read more

The old lady at the counter is horrible at customer service. She blamed me for her mistake. It's a good thing that I did not order the chefs special sashimi because their sashimi is not good quality. Poor customer service and low quality fish...don't waste your money here!!!! read more

Everything was sooooo good!! Thank you, chef Miyamoto. Don't wast your money on drinks such as fancy, pricy sake. Instead, try more of their excellent sushi. My only complaint is that there was no ginkgo nut in the chawanmushi. read more

Yanagi Sushi - Soft shell crab roll. - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Millennials are not welcome here. If you're not part of the local community, you're not in the silver years of your life then you could be looked down upon. Make sure your wear your Sunday's best otherwise you may not get the best service. Unfortunately, you may not be treated the same as other customers if you're a Midtown Manhattan young professional. Food is at least good. read more

Took my daughter there for her birthday lunch never let down with the food or service. Valet parking quick and courtesy food was ono and pretty decent portions going back again soon read more

On 4/26/17 My wife took our daughter and family to Yanagi Sushi after her May Day. My wife put a Diamond necklace in the sunglasses holder near the rear view mirror and closed it. When she got her car back, she noticed after driving away that the holder was open and the Diamond necklace was missing. Two valet drivers were working that shift. We called and asked management to kindly give it back as it had a lot of sentimental value. We gave them 12 days to give it back no questions asked, but they still stuck to there guns that they didn't take it. Management could care less and encouraged us to file a police report, as if this has happened in the past. Police report filed. Beware of your valuables when you valet at Yanagi Sushi. Better yet, don't go to Yanagi Sushi! We definitely won't ever go back. read more

yes, I will jump on the bandwagon and say that when you are doing the walk along Kapiolani and crave a good sushi spot -- go here. I even asked them to salt and broil the shrimp heads and they accomodated...excellent crispy flavor....also, very nice karakuchi sake selection, and for a warm climate place like HI, surprisingly good fresh fish. Gochisousama! Thank you. TS read more

Delicious! Sat at sushi bar, and the sushi chef was funny and super nice. Great family style atmosphere here and everything we ordered was prepared beautifully. Love it that they're open on Sunday nights, great location too. Can't wait to go back soon!! read more

On two recent dining experiences at the tables, not sushi counters, the waiter we had was pretty bad. During our 2nd visit the only interaction we had with him was: he picked up the check with my credit card. Not even a hello, thank you, or goodbye. the food was good. Conversely, at the sushi counter the food and service is always excellent! Mr. Yanagi needs to train their young waiter boys at the tables much better. read more

This is a really hard review for me to write as I have been eating at Yanagi for the better part of a decade. This used to be our go to spot as it was super consistent any day of the week. Unfortunately the past five visits have been super disappointing. The service continues to be friendly and efficient, but the quality of the food has gone totally downhill especially the fish. Now I expect restaurants (and chefs) to have bad days once in a while, but literally the past five visits have all been the same low quality fish that seems to be low grade remnants from the market. Sorry Yanagi.. I had to share my disappointment and hope this review will get you to rethinking your fish supplier. read more

I love this place. I have eaten more times here than I can remember and I never tire of it. Always live and hopping, it has a wonderful atmosphere with friendly service. The sushi is always fresh / fantastic and it is reasonably priced. Of course, if your in the mood for something beyond sushi they have a very wide selection. I will continue to come here until they revoke my island privileges. Though I may sneak in even then. read more

The late night menu rocks. This is a great little spot! But parking is a b*tch. I found the fish to be very fresh. I live for salmon sashimi and this place has got it going on. read more

First time coming here after hearing good stuff. Food was really good. Service was horrible. We waited forever for food. Bad service = never coming back here again. Ever. I'd rather starve during the wee hours of the night than come back here. Yanagi tonight? PASS. read more

This is a great place for late night. We like to go here after 9 or 10pm. Although the valet ends around 10, you can park in the lot (it's very crowded) or on the street. Ironically, I believe it to be Korean run but retains it's Japanese authenticity. The teishoku sets are reasonable and very filling. They do have combination sets where you get two choices of main dishes. My favorite is the tempura donburi or ten-don. It's shrimp tempura (deep fried) over rice. The presentation is very Japanese, in a nice box with a lid. I highly recommend reservations if you decide to go to Yanagi during more traditional dinner hours as there is usually people waiting outside. For me, this will always be a preferred late night dinner/pupu and drinks kinda place. Food=4 of 5 Atmosphere=3 of 5 Service=3 of 5 Value=3 of 5 read more

My family comes to this place regularly. We are sushi lovers and we always leave feeling good, happy, and satisfied. The owners treat us like special guests and its great to have a place like that. Just to be clear yanagi is not one of those sushi nirvana type places and I think thats where some of the negative reviews are coming from. Its no Sushi Sasabune or Kona Kai. I've been to Kona Kai and Sasabune and its amazing, sushi just melts in your mouth, but in the end I leave hungry and broke. It's incredibly pricey. At yanagi you always get decent quality sushi, with great rolls, sashimi, great udon (hard to find) and you leave satisfied and not broke! Another thing about yanagi, the food aside from the seafood is whatever. The katsu is bleh and I think the combination bento's are whatever. Don't go there for the hot food (except the udon which is lovely and the fish). Your best bet at Yanagi is the sushi and all things seafood. Have the right expectations for what you are getting, order the sushi, and you won't be disappointed. FYI There are two main people who are in charge of the sushi, the Owner and the owners brother. One of the waitress explained to me, "The boss has bigger hand", the subject came up when we got the sushi delux $42. Sometimes the pieces were soo thick and sometimes they were really thin. The waitress explained that if the Bosss does it, its thick and if the assistant does it its thin. I've noticed Mondays and thursday and saturday are the best days to get teh delux platter, for some reason the Boss seems to do it more those days. Maybe just me but that is what I have noticed. read more

Came here last night for a quick family dinner. Family ordered dinner sets while I ordered a super sushi set. It was ok however slightly pricey ($30+). The it was decently tasty and went well with Kirin beer. read more

Yanagi Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Went on Mother's day with bunch of friends. Although we didn't make reservation, they did manage to put us in the back counter with okay space. The environment with superb, their sushi chefs all were dressed in authentic chef suits. Amazed by tons of celebrities visit photos on the wall, we started with a good mood. The food were not too pricey and came in large quantity. Maybe it was because of Mother's Day lunch, and it eventually became a full house, we had to wait for a significant long time for the next dish to come. The waiter may have forgotten our order somehow, I guess. But when he realized that we were still waiting for the food to come, he graciously give us an offer to have the largest dish ON THE HOUSE. We were so pleased to have this surprise. And we are even more grateful to dine in their restaurant. They move truly showed their attitude. read more

Yanagi's has been a favorite of mine for late-night happy hour specials. It's definitely not somewhere that I expect superior service, but you get delicious, quality food, with fast service. I've tried quite a number of things on the happy hour menu, but I LOVE the unagi donburi and the fresh salmon with onions. It's great quality, all for a reasonable price. read more

Yanagi Sushi - Late night special, unagi donburi. Filet is about 6 inches long, 3 inches wide, and thick. - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I've heard great things about this place! I thought it was just a hype. But we ordered a bunch of food and only got full after the second course! Amazing amazing amazing food and service. Of course, we went for that 1030 happy hour, but also ordered regular menu items. The oyster shooters are BY FAR the BEST ones anyone will ever taste. Once you go here, you will never go anywhere else for oyster shooters. Attached are some pictures of my meal. We started with free appetizer (bean sprout, shrimp, edamame), Uni (sea urchin) 2 pcs, oyster shooter 2 pcs, blackened Ahi with ponzu and sesame, ahi natto, spider roll (soft shell crab), and ended with an amazing scoop of azuki red bean icecream! The waitress was the nicest, best seller lol, person ever. She helped us through the plates by showing us how to eat what. And recommending certain ways to eat a plate to make the most out of it. The uni has a butter pudding texture, the ahi melts in your mouth, the natto is a true fermented natto (be careful... it smells really bad). Anyway, nothing but great things to say about this place. Thank you Yanagi! read more

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Took my mom for her birthday and there was a big ass bug in her food. She lost her appetite. Waiter came by asking to pick a dish that we would like on the house. We gave it some thought and my dad picked a dish. However the manager and waiter went ahead and selected a dish for us instead. It was allegedly their best sashimi dish. It wasn't that great. My dad felt cheated that the waiter and manager didn't follow through on their invite to select a dish. My mom felt uncomfortable to eat after finding a bug. So the whole celebration was shot to hell and yanagi didn't offer anything further beyond the sashimi. They should have covered our meal. All 4 of us couldn't stomach to eat anything after finding the big ass bug in the food. We're not going back there to eat again. Gross!! read more

Yanagi Sushi has the freshest seafood I've eaten. And the taste if you just caught it. I love the friday special where you can try the assorted sushi. You just have to go there and try it for yourself. read more

Literally my favorite sushi restaurant outside of Japan, my first and last meal every time I visit Hawaii. Top level quality all around.

First of all the lady at the front desk is rude right when we walked in the restaurant and yelled you got reservation? We all got a bad vibe from her and was already bummed about that situation. Then we were seated in a booth that didn't fit everyone in our reservation so they said ok go back to the front and wait. We waited and waited and every person that walked into the restaurant was seated and we were sitting there for 20 minutes and decided to leave. read more

Great sushi place for out of town guests to take in the local flavor and delicious foods. Guests always seem to enjoy spotting their favorite celebrities on the wall. Whenever I bring family from Japan here they always point out the Japanese celebs on the walls that I would otherwise have no idea who they are. Parking is cramped so they always insist on valet parking your car which isn't bad. Once again, the go to spot for great sushi for me. read more

We went here with some friends of ours who frequented this place. You have to valet your car which we prefer not to do (not a problem if you're within walking distance which our friends are). The service was alright. They weren't that attentive and didn't come back to fill up water etc. The food itself was very good. We tried a lot of different things and liked them all especially the spicy salmon rolls. The atmosphere is pretty cool with pictures of famous visitors to the establishment all over the walls! Overall recommend giving it a try read more

I love Yanagi! My go to spot. Everything is good. The salmon sashimi is like butter and the oyster shooters are my favorite! I once had the mirugai sushi, but it tasted really fishy. Not to my liking. Other than that, service is fast and efficient. Very consistent. I highly recommend it!!!! read more

Zero star would have been my rating if that is possible. Came here last night, sit down quick and water was always refilled. Ordered the chef special sashimi.... It was really bad, fish was not fresh at all. We ended up leaving with more half of the sashimi left untouched ... Paid 50 bucks for the raw fish platter. Cooked food was ok, and good portion during late night special. read more

Average meal. What ever you do don't eat here late on a Sunday. They'll serve you quick with so so quality and kick you out. Overall not so bueno. read more

My family and I come here pretty frequently. We always get their 3 choice dinner meal with misoyaki butterfish, sashimi, and tempura. It never disappoints! We've also gotten items from their sushi menu and those are absolutely amazing. The rainbow roll and volcano roll were very delicious! The only reason I took away a star is because the food quality varies each time we go, some days are better than others. However I would definitely recommend this place! And make a reservation before you go! read more

RACIST!!! DO NOT EAT HERE. I went here with my friend who is Asian and I am black. The whole time our server was only being nice and asking what my friend wanted only. When it was my turn to order the server walked away from me. I come here all the time and the sushi was not how it usually is and they put a lot of fish eggs on it which they never do so I asked if they could take it back and the waitress told me that " no we're not taking your order anymore because this is a Japanese restaurant and they don't do that here" and I said well you're being very rude and what do you mean by that and she told me that I wasn't getting anything for free because I previously told them that the guava juice was not good because it wasn't. So I told her I'm fine with paying for the sushi roll i never asked for it to be free. I just wanted another roll instead she said "no we're not taking order " and walked away. The other male server was rude as well when my server was not talking my order we asked him for assistance and he was not willing to help us. It was literally so racist and the worst experience ever. Please do not eat here !! read more

Tried Yanagi because a friend of mine recommended. Said that the food is good. The Sushi was ok. But what I didn't care for was the service. We were seated. They took our order and it took so long to get to us we thought that they forgot our order so we waived down another waiter to place an order. So basically we were seated and forgotten. Bad service. I wouldn't recommend. read more

No parking but there is valet... open till 2am... real easy to make a reservation. Lots of selection... everything is good... service is fast... not good for big groups but has lots of space for regular seating. I give this place five stars mainly on the great service not to take away from the food. But the service was amazing... our server knew the menu, made great recommendations, and we didn't have to ask for anything... they were prompt and our drinks were never empty. I appreciate that very much. We ordered a lot of food. Our reservation was for 730, and we were done before 830! That is amazing service! read more

I loved this place! This is the place to go before the big concert at the Blaisdell Arena. Great food and atmosphere. Having the kalbi and sushi combination was a great choice. Just a short walk from the arena it's the perfect dinner before the big show! I'm itching to go again! read more

The food and the service is good. But all the pictures that are crammed into every space on the walls make the place seem dirty dusty and dated. Maybe the owner should save them for a private album. Years ago it had that nice feeling of a Japanese restaurant you seen in Japan. It's a shame. read more