The taste is really average and not that delicious. It's basically a buffet and no tipping is required. But if I have other choices, I will definitely not come here again.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Mary d
Never put yourself on the waitlist. They never call you back.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Lingling
This Japanese restaurant in Honolulu is truly one of the best! The grilled oyster is a standout, a perfect blend of creaminess and freshness. The uni rice is a delight, with a unique texture that enhances the experience. While the beef tongue has a slight sourness, it's the best in its own way. The ice cream is decent but nothing extraordinary. If you plan to visit, don't miss out on the heavenly goodness of the grilled oyster – a must-try!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lingling Wang
This Japanese restaurant in Honolulu is truly one of the best! The grilled oyster is a standout, a perfect blend of creaminess and freshness. The uni rice is a delight, with a unique texture that enhances the experience. While the beef tongue has a slight sourness, it's the best in its own way. The ice cream is decent but nothing extraordinary. If you plan to visit, don't miss out on the heavenly goodness of the grilled oyster – a must-try!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Serena Chen
Had to change the 3 star to 1 star as the staff was mad at us when we ask if there is any other tipping option other than giving 18%, 20%, or 25%.He said if you don’t want to tip, I will tip the kitchen myself. (The iPad he used to charge us with has only 3 options for tipping amounts)I then asked if they have changes as I have a large amount cash. He said no and took over the iPad and selected “no tip” for me. (We left some cash anyways)He gave us a look and left madly…this attitude came from nowhere. Other than trying to solve the solution, he made a quick assumption and believed it’s easier to be mad… well…Below are my review for food:Ordered the most famous toro foie gras…rice is cold. I’m not sure that’s good sushi. Fish is good but can be better.You only know when you tried better ones. Price is reasonable. But you can find more cost effective ones around.Ordered also the UNI rice. Egg yolk has too strong flavor. Overall doesn’t worth the price.DO NOT order the Aokau grilled fish. It’s stinky and not very fresh.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
ZHIYUAN MA
i love it! we fly from LA to visit hawaii and pass by this izakaya shop. OMG i was blow my mind. the food is omakase quality. all chef looks like from japan which make the food really authentic. we finished all dishes we ordered and we ll come back again next time visiting hawaii.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
E. W
The fish quality and the design of seafood based dishes are of great quality. It’s an expensive Izakaya, but I got what I paid for. The fishes are imported from Japan and their taste worths it. With the relatively short distance from Hawaii to Japan compared to mainland US, it’s also more cost efficient to do so and for customers to enjoy the fresh flavor here.Particularly love the thick cut snapper with slightly grilled skin in the chef’s sashimi cut and the uni yoke rice. The uni rice goes great with mustard too if you wanna bring in some refresher. The chef’s seasoning skews slightly to the heavy side. Personally I think the oyster can take less soy sauce, same for the abu tora sushi. Overall, very enjoyable.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Unagi, Uni Sea Urchin, Fish
Claudia S.
This is a lovely izakaya restaurant quite a bit away from the touristy area. A few locals recommended this place and I got the seal of approval from a Japanese dive team as well, so I had no doubt the food was going to be great. I especially enjoyed the grilled eel, foie gras, natto/yam/okra mix, and the uni truffle rice.The uni truffle rice was the most memorable for me, but I did wish they used a different kind of uni. I don't think it was Hokkaido uni that I received, and it was much smaller than local ones - this might have been a seasonal issue since I've seen different kinds used in other Yelper's reviews.Making a reservation was kind of difficult as you have to call them at Hawaii time, so if you're traveling here make sure you do so at least one week before arrival. They are also closed on Wednesdays. Having an online system would make this so much easier.
Akino H.
We dined as a large group. The service and the food was top notch. Their Japanese sake selection was great too.
Ryan L.
I'd recommend getting a reservation first because this place gets busy. Super fresh fish and delicious and unique menu items if you love uni there's plenty of different options. Had the raw oysters and the otoro foie gras which was an interesting combination but very good. If you love uni id definitely get the rice bowl with the TKG egg it is buttery and delicious with a hint of truffle. The counter experience is awesome as the sushi chef explains the fish you get and their fish is so fresh and tasty. Great service even though they were running behind. They were still able to have a table ready for the reservation after 10 minutes.
The Uni truffle rice is SOOOOOO good. It's the best rice dish Ive ever had... The rich truffle aroma, smooth and creamy Uni, perfectly cooked and chewy rice, just dance and melt in your mouth... Two of us were going to share but we quickly regretted it and ordered another. This place is pricy and some items seem overpriced, but I would 100% come back for the Uni rice.
Jia Huang
I think the sushi is fresh, the shooters are good and the service is attentiveat this restaurant. However, it feels more like a small, family-owned establishment, yet the prices reflect those of a modern sushi place.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kayla T.
Service, ambiance, and food reminds me of being in Japan in an izakaya. The service was very friendly and food came out relatively very quick for the restaurant being full. They have so much to choose from on the menu with some items changing out daily. Some must orders are the uni truffle egg rice, sashimi, and the dried stingray. I totally forgot to take a picture but they even have dessert so take time to check out the menu before going. They usually post a copy of the daily menu on their IG page.
Anika Aftab
Wow, the truffle butter uni & egg yolk rice is to die for! We loved it so much, we got an extra serving. The sashimi and oysters were incredibly fresh and the karaage and beef tongue udon were equally as good! The servers were attentive and the sweetest. 10/10
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Omakase, Chicken Karaage
Stephanie K.
5 Stars Honestly, I had such a great experience with service and food. We had ordered uni bowl with egg, uni Bellini, crab croquettes, grilled oysters and sushi. The rice here was amazing, the uni bowl with egg was my favorite of the night. It's definitely a comfort food for me. The crab croquettes were so crispy yet soft inside. I love the size of the grilled oysters and they were so tasty. We had ordered a variety of sushi - the wagyu with foie gras was so delicious and the aburi Otoro literally melted in my mouth. I definitely would recommend for a date night or if your craving high quality sushi!
The taste is really average and not that delicious. It's basically a buffet and no tipping is required. But if I have other choices, I will definitely not come here again.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Never put yourself on the waitlist. They never call you back.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
This Japanese restaurant in Honolulu is truly one of the best! The grilled oyster is a standout, a perfect blend of creaminess and freshness. The uni rice is a delight, with a unique texture that enhances the experience. While the beef tongue has a slight sourness, it's the best in its own way. The ice cream is decent but nothing extraordinary. If you plan to visit, don't miss out on the heavenly goodness of the grilled oyster – a must-try!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
This Japanese restaurant in Honolulu is truly one of the best! The grilled oyster is a standout, a perfect blend of creaminess and freshness. The uni rice is a delight, with a unique texture that enhances the experience. While the beef tongue has a slight sourness, it's the best in its own way. The ice cream is decent but nothing extraordinary. If you plan to visit, don't miss out on the heavenly goodness of the grilled oyster – a must-try!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Had to change the 3 star to 1 star as the staff was mad at us when we ask if there is any other tipping option other than giving 18%, 20%, or 25%.He said if you don’t want to tip, I will tip the kitchen myself. (The iPad he used to charge us with has only 3 options for tipping amounts)I then asked if they have changes as I have a large amount cash. He said no and took over the iPad and selected “no tip” for me. (We left some cash anyways)He gave us a look and left madly…this attitude came from nowhere. Other than trying to solve the solution, he made a quick assumption and believed it’s easier to be mad… well…Below are my review for food:Ordered the most famous toro foie gras…rice is cold. I’m not sure that’s good sushi. Fish is good but can be better.You only know when you tried better ones. Price is reasonable. But you can find more cost effective ones around.Ordered also the UNI rice. Egg yolk has too strong flavor. Overall doesn’t worth the price.DO NOT order the Aokau grilled fish. It’s stinky and not very fresh.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
i love it! we fly from LA to visit hawaii and pass by this izakaya shop. OMG i was blow my mind. the food is omakase quality. all chef looks like from japan which make the food really authentic. we finished all dishes we ordered and we ll come back again next time visiting hawaii.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The fish quality and the design of seafood based dishes are of great quality. It’s an expensive Izakaya, but I got what I paid for. The fishes are imported from Japan and their taste worths it. With the relatively short distance from Hawaii to Japan compared to mainland US, it’s also more cost efficient to do so and for customers to enjoy the fresh flavor here.Particularly love the thick cut snapper with slightly grilled skin in the chef’s sashimi cut and the uni yoke rice. The uni rice goes great with mustard too if you wanna bring in some refresher. The chef’s seasoning skews slightly to the heavy side. Personally I think the oyster can take less soy sauce, same for the abu tora sushi. Overall, very enjoyable.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Unagi, Uni Sea Urchin, Fish
This is a lovely izakaya restaurant quite a bit away from the touristy area. A few locals recommended this place and I got the seal of approval from a Japanese dive team as well, so I had no doubt the food was going to be great. I especially enjoyed the grilled eel, foie gras, natto/yam/okra mix, and the uni truffle rice.The uni truffle rice was the most memorable for me, but I did wish they used a different kind of uni. I don't think it was Hokkaido uni that I received, and it was much smaller than local ones - this might have been a seasonal issue since I've seen different kinds used in other Yelper's reviews.Making a reservation was kind of difficult as you have to call them at Hawaii time, so if you're traveling here make sure you do so at least one week before arrival. They are also closed on Wednesdays. Having an online system would make this so much easier.
We dined as a large group. The service and the food was top notch. Their Japanese sake selection was great too.
I'd recommend getting a reservation first because this place gets busy. Super fresh fish and delicious and unique menu items if you love uni there's plenty of different options. Had the raw oysters and the otoro foie gras which was an interesting combination but very good. If you love uni id definitely get the rice bowl with the TKG egg it is buttery and delicious with a hint of truffle. The counter experience is awesome as the sushi chef explains the fish you get and their fish is so fresh and tasty. Great service even though they were running behind. They were still able to have a table ready for the reservation after 10 minutes.
Restaurantji Recommends
The Uni truffle rice is SOOOOOO good. It's the best rice dish Ive ever had... The rich truffle aroma, smooth and creamy Uni, perfectly cooked and chewy rice, just dance and melt in your mouth... Two of us were going to share but we quickly regretted it and ordered another. This place is pricy and some items seem overpriced, but I would 100% come back for the Uni rice.
I think the sushi is fresh, the shooters are good and the service is attentiveat this restaurant. However, it feels more like a small, family-owned establishment, yet the prices reflect those of a modern sushi place.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Service, ambiance, and food reminds me of being in Japan in an izakaya. The service was very friendly and food came out relatively very quick for the restaurant being full. They have so much to choose from on the menu with some items changing out daily. Some must orders are the uni truffle egg rice, sashimi, and the dried stingray. I totally forgot to take a picture but they even have dessert so take time to check out the menu before going. They usually post a copy of the daily menu on their IG page.
Wow, the truffle butter uni & egg yolk rice is to die for! We loved it so much, we got an extra serving. The sashimi and oysters were incredibly fresh and the karaage and beef tongue udon were equally as good! The servers were attentive and the sweetest. 10/10
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Omakase, Chicken Karaage
5 Stars Honestly, I had such a great experience with service and food. We had ordered uni bowl with egg, uni Bellini, crab croquettes, grilled oysters and sushi. The rice here was amazing, the uni bowl with egg was my favorite of the night. It's definitely a comfort food for me. The crab croquettes were so crispy yet soft inside. I love the size of the grilled oysters and they were so tasty. We had ordered a variety of sushi - the wagyu with foie gras was so delicious and the aburi Otoro literally melted in my mouth. I definitely would recommend for a date night or if your craving high quality sushi!