One of the best Japanese restaurants I have ever been to. Yoshitune is a small, simple restaurant located inside of a hotel lobby on the Wakiki tourist strip. The restaurant is so tucked away that it was initially quite difficult to find, even while using a GPS. Although the staff did not speak a lot of English, this impact our experience at all as they still provided excellent service. I came here twice for dinner while vacationing in Wakiki with my parents. Each time it was a great dining experience; every single dish was authentic and mouth-watering. I ordered the chirashi both nights. The quality of the fish was superb and well prepared. My parents both ordered combo meals - which both came with numerous appetizers including a small plate of sushi, a steamed egg, and fermented soy milk. Every single appetizer was mind blowing and made with a lot of care. The udon noodles were also amazing, served with a semi raw egg on top. Usually I never visit the same restaurant twice while travelling because I want to experience different places, but this was definitely an exception. I highly recommend anyone staying in Wakiki to visit Yoshitune. In my opinion, no other restaurant that I tried in Wakiki came close to the level of this restaurant. read more

Definitely hidden gem! The Sashimi and Niguru are very fresh and the California Roll is made w real and local crab!!! Customer service is outstanding read more

Having recently moved to Southern California, most of our friends and families already visited Oahu multiple times. There was a common thread: "Don't expect great food!". Since our last two residences were in San Francisco and New York City, we smiled and told them, we're still really excited about the trip because it's our first time to a new destination. Nonetheless, Yelp spoiled me with picking out great spots for a tastebud adventure. Yoshitsune's does not disappoint. As we near the end of our weeklong trip, this was the place that was special and memorable. From the very polite and friendly service to the heart warming calls in Japanese as each patron arrives, Yoshitsune's tops my experiences in Japanese dining. We tried both their breakfast and dinner. They were very different. Starting the breakfast, we ordered the grilled salmon and butterfish. There was a perfect balance of sweetness and saltiness to the preparation and both fish were wonderfully broiled on the outside while moist and tender on the inside. At about $15 each, the meal came with appetizers, the entree and dessert. The best part is each item like the pickled cabbage or the tamago were all well prepared and served on their own plate. When served this way, it was impossible for my mind to wander off to other things resulting in both a fantastic culinary adventure not to mention a wonderful way to converse with your loved one. The dinner course, which we had for our last evening, consisted of the full course menu. It ended up being like a large assortment of small yet perfect bites. From the cucumber with natto to the beautiful bite sized sashimi, the attention to detail and harmony of a well cooked and beautifully presented meal blended perfectly with the background sound of local Japanese toasting the sushi chef behind the bar with glasses of beer and sake. If you enjoy authentic and sophisticated Japanese food, don't miss a trip to humble yet delicious Yoshitsune's. There may not be a view of the ocean, but the food, service and presentation will be just as glamorous as a Hawaiian sunset over Waikiki; which is a perfect way to end such a gracious dinner. read more

READ THIS: Google Maps is TOTALLY WRONG on the location of Yoshitsune. It is on Kapahulu, half a block from Waikiki, directy across from the zoo, in the lobby of the Park Shore Hotel. Of all the Japanese restaurants in Honolulu, we suspect there is none more authentic. The traditional breakfast in particular is fantastic (though dinner is wonderful too). Go ahead, try Sansei, try Morimoto -- they are great in their own ways -- but if you crave true a Japanese experience, don't miss Yoshitsune. NO CALIFORNIA ROLL HERE. If that's what you want, Yoshitsune is not for you! read more

There are an abundance of Japanese restaurants in Honolulu but Yoshitsune has to be considered one of the best Japanese cuisine in town if you just want authenticity, no frills, classic Japanese dining. For dinner we had the Alaskan king crab pot rice cooked table side and a grilled mackerel set menu with sashimi with several side dishes including the tofu noodle in dashi sauce. Everything was done perfect. So good in fact we came back the next day for lunch and ordered two chirashi don. Instead of dumping sashimi on a bowl of sushi rice like most places, Yoshitsune's version uses a stacked bowl with exquisite and fresh sashimi on the top level and the umami rich items such as uni and unagi on top of rice in the bottom level. Perfect presentation and just plain good food. Highly recommend. read more

I really like this place! Don't get me wrong. Food was 4 stars but service is a two. The old Japanese ladies can be kinda bossy but I think it's in their culture when elders tell the younger generation what to do. But overall it Also found a fly in my chawanmushi and they took forever for our meals to get to us in a timely manner. read more

Yoshitsune Restaurant - Fly baked in my chawanmushi. - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This place is a hidden gem. Perhaps a little bit on the pricey side but boy is it good. We've been to Japan a few times and this restaurant is as authentic as it gets. Their "complex dinners" are a great way to sample a variety of traditional Japanese appetizers, from oshinko to chiwanmushi. Sushi, sashimi and all fish courses are super fresh and the presentation is amazing. If I could I'd give 6 stars. Oishi!!! read more

My family and I had to walk out last night. I had made reservations over the phone earlier, so they were expecting us. Showed up on time. Waited 20 mins at the table. No one ever greeted us once we sat down. They just literally threw menus at the end of our table and walked past like we weren't even there. TERRIBLE customer service. Was looking forward to it, but if you are not of Japanese decent I guess they don't care to serve you. (Everyone else around us was being served) read more

If you like authentic Japanese food then this is the place for you. The food is delicious and the portion sizes are generous. The homemade tofu is killer and the fish is super fresh. However, if you're like some of the yelpers who gave one star because it's too authentic and you can't understand the menu then you're probably better off at Genki. read more

This place is amazing and I'm sad that I didn't eat here more while I was here for work, incredibly fresh. Just the right amount of food, the butterfish is incredible. read more

Not much of reviews as of yet, but I have to say, this place deserves more than 5 stars! Came here with my wife for dinner. The interior is surprisingly big. There are only one chef tonight, so the food came out a little slower than usual, I guess. The waitress apologized several times and gave us free Takigawa tofu and miso soup to make up for the wait. And, man, they are so delicious! The miso soup is extremely tasty, which shows they are not compromising anything with their food at all. And the tofu, just melt in my mouth. The shrimp tempura came late. The coating is fluffy and light, smashed easily with a touch. Unlike those tempuras that would cut the inside of ones mouth. Have to finished this review now, but I'm confident to promise my future return. read more

I have lived in Asia for fifteen years and more. This is by far the best Japanese restaurant that I've visited. Now I know what I've been missing. The service was great (the English isn't perfect - the wait staff are from Japan). It feels very authentic, and the menu has no pictures on it like other sushi places (they have a separate one with pics, so ask for it if you need it - we did!). The waitresses were very helpful and attentive. All the food was special - out of this world. Even ordinary food like Udon Noodles tasted extra great. It will be hard for me to go to other Japanese restaurants again. read more

Great food!!!! Went there for lunch and got a soba bento with tofu, sashimi (ootoro/maguro) tempura, rice, miso soup, and some veggie sides for $23!! And as much miso soup and rice as you like!!! The oet oeeve i have for japanese restaurant is the tea and miso soup is luke warm. Not at this place its piping hot!!! I love it. Def gonna be coming back for more. read more

The food was decent, especially liked the grilled butterfish. However the wait was a bit too long given that the restaurant did not seem too busy. read more

Highly not recommended getting any food from this restaurant especially in this pandemic situation. Went once beginning this year because my grandmas friend used to work here or something and found out they have poor environment for place where food is taken care of. Oh my gosh. Bugs everywhere, insect dying around like where cups and bottle sake located and even on a table there was a small died roach on a chair ... Then, I saw older employee T fixing customers meal with bare hand on a small side table before serving them. Disgusting. Food is good but it's a different story for how employee don't know how to serve food and take care of food service environment. Very disappointed. In addition, multiple times (probably all the customer) we heard older lady who just mentioned above yelling to someone in the back and we were all kind of awkward out of it .. maybe you should retrain employee as well as food environment. P.S. not a good place for vegetarian because chef don't know what vegetarian meal is. My tempura for vegitarian meal included an egg. read more

Here is to hoping they fix this, but as of 7/8/2018 they are infested with bugs. In our 60 minute meal there were three incidents with bugs coming either out of peoples food or falling from their ceiling into people's food. Thank god it didn't happen before we ate, but for a place that serves a lot of raw food, it was very disturbing. And we aren't just talking about the large fly buzzing around the restaurant. These were small cockroach sized insects that seem to have infested their air vents and/or kitchen. Two stars because the food itself was very very good. But they need to shut down fully and clean/disinfect and murder all the bugs that are in their restaurant...ASAP read more

The food was excellent! The service was like no other, I had shabu shabu soup (hot pot) cook your own soup - great ingredients, fresh! should know about the culture though. It is not a fast food place, so relax. There were some main landers that were just plain rude. They were asked to leave. Just common respect. read more

Wow, wow, wow!! This place is amazing!! I ordered the sashimi special which came with several generous extra dishes of yumminess, some of which I had no idea what they were but absolutely delicious in every facet!! I'm going back before I leave for sure!!! Amazing!!! read more

Yoshitsune Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

OK apart from; Green Door Cafe & Andy's sandwiches this was the only joint that could be transplanted out of Hawaii and survive the cynical foodie crowd in Chicago. Fresh and authentic. There are tons of sushi spots in Honolulu but this is my fav so far. Located inside the park shore hotel, this restaurant is very Japanese. They even have a special area where u have to sit cross legged. Indian style? It feels weird to call it Indian style in a Japanese restaurant. Children's sushi combo - I was expecting a lot less sushi but you get a good amount for $20. Cucumber, tuna, tamago, and I think a salmon. The tamago was devine, it looked like a beautiful petrified wood which I know doesn't sound appetizing but really spoke to the attention to detail throughout the whole meal. They also didn't put any wasabi in the sushi which was nice cuz when I got Tekka sushi combo - holy crap there was a lot of wasabi in it. I guess I am used to western style sushi where you mix in the the wasabi to your liking. The sever asked us if we wanted wasabi I thought she meant on the side, jeeeeeeeeeezuuuussss there was a lot in the cucumber rolls which don't have much flavor to begin with so it hit me like a spiked bat to the nads. The sushi was so fresh tho. All the other rolls w wasabi worked wonderfully. Spicy tuna hand rolls - this was so amazing, I wanted to get 10 of these, luckily the chef made an extra one by mistake but I got it for free!!! Schwing!!!! The bill was not as much as I thought it would be as I ended up doubling everything I ordered cuz it tasted so fresh and awesome but even for triple the price for this kind of quality it is worth it. read more

We order chef choice, every thing is very nice, taste very good! I would like come back!

We always order special Chirashi.it's not on menu and current price $38 to $42 for one. price is hight but this is the most dericious Chirashi I've ever had :) very fresh and melt in my mouth! waitress is all Japanese.their attitude and hospitality reminds me my mom :') place very homely! read more

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My favorite restaurant in Waikiki! I feel like I am back in Japan. Waitress wearing kimonos. Chirashi or nigiri sushi is always good. read more

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Just one word to describe this place. Home. Just like home which I have never experienced in the mainland. We went for breakfast. Such an authentic breakfast they serve. A grilled fish, pickled vegetable, tamagoyaki, kombu, etc. I saw a lot of Japanese tourists too. I guess even on a vacation in Honolulu they can't resist to have a decent breakfast. We would surely come back to try more stuff. One last note: very kids friendly. read more

The SWEETEST people working here. Maybe they are a couple? Owners? Who knows but for me this was one of the most authentic Japanese restaurants ive been to. Felt like home. Will reuturn when in waikiki! read more

Great traditional Japanese restaurant in Waikiki. Their food, quality, and service has always been great for me. We've always used this for our family gathering and never had a problem Also had a 10% off coupon on the Aloha Street magazine that you'll find throughout the racks in Waikiki so it was a great dinner with my family. read more

Found this via yelp reviews, very happy with this authentic and tasty restaurant. Four of us had lunch, $130ish, so the price point is worth considering, but overall considering Honolulu prices, the quality and quantity, very reasonable. We were the only white people here, but everyone was so friendly. We talked with the family the next table over, visiting from Japan, and this is their favorite restaurant in town. We have visited Tokyo several times, and this restaurant takes you right there. It's off the beaten path for the average American tourist, and clearly caters to upper end Japanese tourist market. Great find, and we will be back. read more

Great quality food and service! Staff doesn't speak English very well but that didn't stop us from enjoying the food tremendously! All the food that came out tasted fresh and delicious. I've eaten a lot of sushi but this place was top notch. Very enjoyable Japanese dining experience and ambiance. Restaurant is quiet and quietly adorned. The food came out fast and in multiple courses. I had the broiled mackerel and sashimi. Both tasted great and were wonderfully prepared. Again very enjoyable and will definitely eat here again. read more

You know how sometimes a restaurant looks a little dumpy but then the food is great? This is not that place. The worst vegetable tempura I have ever had! It was cold and robbery! The edamame was cold and mushy. This was the worst Japanese meal I have ever had! Every person at our table. was very disappointed. Look closely at the name- very appropriate. read more

Very good food. Unfortunately I read some bad reviews and was skeptical about my food during the dinner. Moral of the story, don't read yelp reviews prior to your meal read more

Just had dinner here. First they advertise here in Yelp as doing take out - at first I was going to do this until the lady at the front rudely told me no take out. I should have stopped there and left but I guess I am a glutton for punishment. Anyways I ordered a variety of sashimi all which was mediocre at best. Maybe Sunday night things are not fresh as nothing had fresh flavor. Very pricey for sub par sushi to go along with the rude staff. Many good options for sushi in this area - stay away from these folks. read more

Great traditional Japanese restaurant. I usually go with my friend who is from Japan, so I rarely order. Oddly though their best sashimi, in my opinion, is the ika (squid). They cut it some fancy way that makes it tender yet chewy (in a very good way), so I have to have it every time. I've never been a big ika fan, but this place changed me. I have now had ika at other places and it just makes me want to eat back at Yoshitsune. Same with the Saba, which I never really liked, but love at this restaurant. Also, there's free valet parking!!! Definitely a plus since it drops you maybe 50 yards from your table. Finally, it is rarely fully booked. Definitely another plus for us. read more

Although no one in the establishment speaks a lick of English.. We managed to communicate just fine. Food was awesome, service was on point and best of all its kinda hidden from all the tourists... Definitely will come back!!! read more

Had lunch here with 2 colleagues , the food was fresh and delicious . Quiet ambiance made for a wonderful experience read more

The Sukiyaki was amazing! Love it. First time to try grilled tuna, it was pretty good. read more

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This place is amazing. No wait when We got here after 6 but it got crowded shortly after. The server was like my granny but she was so thorough and kind. She treated us so kindly. I wanted to thank her sincerely. She was the best server during this week long Oahu trip: professional, kind, patient, thorough. We ordered two course meals and they were as great as her service. Genuine Japanese cuisines and their quality deserved the price. I would definitely come back next time. Best satisfication during Oahu trip. :) Thank you guys read more

My best meal in at least a year! Thanks to the very kind waitress for helping us with the menu. Sushi back home will never be the same!

Yoshitsune is one of my favorite Japanese style breakfasts in town. I'm here usually once a week and it's simple and affordable without being the scene that is the Japanese breakfast at Morimoto's (which is also quite good at three times the price). Don't come here if you're looking for eggs or pancakes, they don't do that here. This is the hard core fish/rice/miso/pickles kind of breakfast that is de regueur in Kyoto or at a Ryokan, and if that's what you're craving, this is it. It's hidden inside the Park Shore Hotel so even most locals don't even know it's there, but they're promoted by the Japanese tour companies so that's their bread and butter and it shows in their menu and presentation. You're most likely to see and hear more Japanese than pidgin or English so a little patience is needed if you don't speak Japanese, but it's the closest you're going to get without catching the next flight out to Kansai. read more

This is one of those restaurants that I just really love to go to. It's hidden behind some curtains in the Park Shore Waikiki hotel, a rather run-down place. The hotel is open early for breakfast (6 AM), which is my favorite part. There's a really nice mid-aged lady who works some of the mornings. She was super excited about teaching my non-Asian coworker how to mix natto, and gave chopsticks instructions to another coworker. During dinner, there is a very old lady with a hunched back who scurries around the place. It's definitely understaffed, but you can't but help but chuckle. Some recommendations: Chawanmushi: Steamed egg. It's generally not served for breakfast, but if you ask nicely they might do it anyway. It's made perfectly - quivers in the bowl and melts in your mouth. Butterfish Misoyaki: SO GOOD. It's a little on the sweet side, but the fish meat is so tender. The last time that I went to Yoshitsune though, I got a less optimal cut of the butterfish. That was pretty disappointing, and I haven't gone back yet. Sushi/sashimi: Solid stuff, though I wouldn't call it outstanding. The prices are a little on the high side, but I think it's an authentic place that's worth trying. Oh, and the miso soup and green tea are good! read more

My family and I come here every time we're in Honolulu. The sushi is very fresh, the food is great, and there's almost never a wait or line. It's incredibly underrated - highly recommended for anyone looking for a nice dinner and great sushi in Honolulu. read more

The food is good but the ambience needs to get upgraded. Having the bug zappers inside of off putting. Having said that, still was a solid meal. read more