Our experience was extremely disappointing due to the behavior of one older lady Chinese waitress. When we politely asked for recommendations, she seemed visibly annoyed and simply pointed at a combo on the menu without any explanation, speaking to us in a condescending way that made us feel uncomfortable and belittled.
I don’t like to jump to conclusions, but as mixed Asian–Hawaiian customers with darker skin, the treatment we received felt noticeably different. This feeling was reinforced by the fact that a tourist family seated across from us was treated far more warmly and attentively. They were spoken to kindly, checked on regularly, and clearly given better service overall.
Throughout our meal, we were never asked how the food was, our water glasses were never refilled, and when it came time to pay, we were made to feel rushed. What’s especially concerning is that there are multiple reviews mentioning this same waitress and her rude behavior, suggesting this is not an isolated incident but an ongoing issue.
I also find it ironic that a higher-end Japanese restaurant, where the culture emphasizes respect, hospitality, and humility, would allow this kind of service to represent their establishment. Regardless of intent, the experience left us feeling unwelcome and disrespected. Go to Tonkatsu tamafuji. Long wait but so much better and higher quality tonkatsu than here and most importantly SERVICE is always top tier. Do better
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Eve
BEWARE of RUDE STAFF, FORCING YOU TO TIP 18%
We’ve been going to this restaurant every time we come to Oahu. We are residents in Hawaii but lived in Japan for 10yrs. I would say our experience today was the so appalling. I hope the management would see this review as well as all the people who are planning to consider dining in this restaurant.
First they let us wait cause we got reservations, no biggie even though they’re not super busy. There’s no Irasshaimase as you enter. And they didn’t even bother to say Domo Arigato Gozaimashita or bow to you as gratitude.
I order the set special, the fish was kinda overcooked, charred, that it became tough and dry. The sashimi is fresh but the serving is small for 10-12 usd for 3pcs. My kids love the udon since they were kids, so they always order it. The desert we ok, but nothing special.
The service was ok, the lady keep on refilling our drinks and asking how’s our meal. I only gave 10% out of 180usd, for a party of 4, cause I don’t think we are obliged to give 18% gratuity. Then suddenly the new staff came after us as we go out of the restaurant which was truly insulting, there were other customers also present when she asked us why we gave only 10% tip instead of 18% recommended gratuity. To be honest, i could easily escalate the situation as harassment or extortion, but I don’t want to ruin our vacation by calling the police or going to the management of the mall just to complain. Our kids saw how the rude staff just left right away after my husband said ok, just make it 18% tip, leading to a $32 undeserved gratuity. This was the first time it happened to us for years we’ve been dining in this restaurant.
We will NEVER go back to this restaurant, and hope other customers will do the same to avoid this kind of disrespect. There are other better Japanese restaurants with authentic Japanese hospitality and quality. The food also isn’t worth the price for the rude waitress to force all customers to give them 18% tip.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
THURSTON BOW
Onolicious food + fast and attentive service
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amber Z
The service was excellent! The pork chop rice and fish were delicious! It was also very child-friendly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Frank J
10/10.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lisa Hou
The food is ok and the environment is great. However, the server seems to be in extreme urgency and would want to take away the rest of the plates away while I’m still literally having soup out of my bowl. And this happened three times!! I appreciate that they try to keep the table clean and take things away quickly but 1) it’s pretty obvious I am not done but 2) the restaurant was not busy at all! There were literally 2 tables of people and the restaurant was mostly empty. I would expect this type of urgency in a restaurant that was very busy and lower end but not for this one where the average food price was 30-50 with a nice environment.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 2
Yizhuo Wu
We came here with a group of six people. The bill did not mention anywhere that parties of six or more would be automatically charged an 18% gratuity after tax. I had already tipped 15%, considering that the service was nothing special — they even forgot the dressing for my pork cutlet. It’s not that I refused to tip, but the server’s attitude changed instantly and became unpleasant when asking for more. If this is your policy, it should be clearly stated on the menu or the bill, not forced on customers afterward. This experience left us feeling disrespected and unwelcome. If you can change your face over just a few extra dollars of tip, then you don’t deserve that much tip in the first place. Definitely not coming back. This place is not earning customer’s trust.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Michi Wong
Amazing food, it’s a lot to eat but all of the options are delicious! I highly recommend the pork tonkatsu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ty Nguyen
good foods and a cool interior atmosphere
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Randy Lee
Was meeting a friend here for dinner, was at Ala Moana Center the day before and decided to find the restaurant since I was not familiar with it. Turned on Google Maps and followed the directions. The map showed that I was right on top of it, but I didn't see it. Checked a mall map and discovered that it is only accessible from the street side, not the mall side. Glad I checked. The restaurant itself is very nice, simple, clean, bright. Service is excellent. We tried the assortment of dishes. All of the dishes were well prepared and very good. Would come again, now that I know where it is. It's flanked by a sushi place and a popular ramen place.
We called last minute and made a reservation before our flight back home. They were able to fit us in earlier as we were shopping around Alo Moana trying to kill time. When we arrived they got the name wrong but it was fine - we were promptly seated and ordered the pork cutlet, soba noodles and a agedashi tofu. Everything was amazing. Our server was hilarious and was very attentative. We will be back in our next visit to Hawaii. Mahalo!
Kapena Kahapea
This is how all resteraunts should be. Great and friendly service. Ambience is great. Even the clientele looked more classy.
Bon Park
Don Katsu Is Ono!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tonkatsu
Jon Yoshimura
Tonkatsu!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tonkatsu, Green Tea Ice Cream, Cold Tofu, Udon Noodle Soup with Tempura, Matcha Creme Brulee
Our experience was extremely disappointing due to the behavior of one older lady Chinese waitress. When we politely asked for recommendations, she seemed visibly annoyed and simply pointed at a combo on the menu without any explanation, speaking to us in a condescending way that made us feel uncomfortable and belittled.
I don’t like to jump to conclusions, but as mixed Asian–Hawaiian customers with darker skin, the treatment we received felt noticeably different. This feeling was reinforced by the fact that a tourist family seated across from us was treated far more warmly and attentively. They were spoken to kindly, checked on regularly, and clearly given better service overall.
Throughout our meal, we were never asked how the food was, our water glasses were never refilled, and when it came time to pay, we were made to feel rushed. What’s especially concerning is that there are multiple reviews mentioning this same waitress and her rude behavior, suggesting this is not an isolated incident but an ongoing issue.
I also find it ironic that a higher-end Japanese restaurant, where the culture emphasizes respect, hospitality, and humility, would allow this kind of service to represent their establishment. Regardless of intent, the experience left us feeling unwelcome and disrespected. Go to Tonkatsu tamafuji. Long wait but so much better and higher quality tonkatsu than here and most importantly SERVICE is always top tier. Do better
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
BEWARE of RUDE STAFF, FORCING YOU TO TIP 18%
We’ve been going to this restaurant every time we come to Oahu. We are residents in Hawaii but lived in Japan for 10yrs. I would say our experience today was the so appalling. I hope the management would see this review as well as all the people who are planning to consider dining in this restaurant.
First they let us wait cause we got reservations, no biggie even though they’re not super busy. There’s no Irasshaimase as you enter. And they didn’t even bother to say Domo Arigato Gozaimashita or bow to you as gratitude.
I order the set special, the fish was kinda overcooked, charred, that it became tough and dry. The sashimi is fresh but the serving is small for 10-12 usd for 3pcs. My kids love the udon since they were kids, so they always order it. The desert we ok, but nothing special.
The service was ok, the lady keep on refilling our drinks and asking how’s our meal. I only gave 10% out of 180usd, for a party of 4, cause I don’t think we are obliged to give 18% gratuity. Then suddenly the new staff came after us as we go out of the restaurant which was truly insulting, there were other customers also present when she asked us why we gave only 10% tip instead of 18% recommended gratuity. To be honest, i could easily escalate the situation as harassment or extortion, but I don’t want to ruin our vacation by calling the police or going to the management of the mall just to complain. Our kids saw how the rude staff just left right away after my husband said ok, just make it 18% tip, leading to a $32 undeserved gratuity. This was the first time it happened to us for years we’ve been dining in this restaurant.
We will NEVER go back to this restaurant, and hope other customers will do the same to avoid this kind of disrespect. There are other better Japanese restaurants with authentic Japanese hospitality and quality. The food also isn’t worth the price for the rude waitress to force all customers to give them 18% tip.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
Onolicious food + fast and attentive service
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The service was excellent! The pork chop rice and fish were delicious! It was also very child-friendly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
10/10.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food is ok and the environment is great. However, the server seems to be in extreme urgency and would want to take away the rest of the plates away while I’m still literally having soup out of my bowl. And this happened three times!! I appreciate that they try to keep the table clean and take things away quickly but 1) it’s pretty obvious I am not done but 2) the restaurant was not busy at all! There were literally 2 tables of people and the restaurant was mostly empty. I would expect this type of urgency in a restaurant that was very busy and lower end but not for this one where the average food price was 30-50 with a nice environment.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 2
We came here with a group of six people. The bill did not mention anywhere that parties of six or more would be automatically charged an 18% gratuity after tax. I had already tipped 15%, considering that the service was nothing special — they even forgot the dressing for my pork cutlet. It’s not that I refused to tip, but the server’s attitude changed instantly and became unpleasant when asking for more. If this is your policy, it should be clearly stated on the menu or the bill, not forced on customers afterward. This experience left us feeling disrespected and unwelcome. If you can change your face over just a few extra dollars of tip, then you don’t deserve that much tip in the first place. Definitely not coming back. This place is not earning customer’s trust.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Amazing food, it’s a lot to eat but all of the options are delicious! I highly recommend the pork tonkatsu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
good foods and a cool interior atmosphere
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Was meeting a friend here for dinner, was at Ala Moana Center the day before and decided to find the restaurant since I was not familiar with it. Turned on Google Maps and followed the directions. The map showed that I was right on top of it, but I didn't see it. Checked a mall map and discovered that it is only accessible from the street side, not the mall side. Glad I checked. The restaurant itself is very nice, simple, clean, bright. Service is excellent. We tried the assortment of dishes. All of the dishes were well prepared and very good. Would come again, now that I know where it is. It's flanked by a sushi place and a popular ramen place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
We called last minute and made a reservation before our flight back home. They were able to fit us in earlier as we were shopping around Alo Moana trying to kill time. When we arrived they got the name wrong but it was fine - we were promptly seated and ordered the pork cutlet, soba noodles and a agedashi tofu. Everything was amazing. Our server was hilarious and was very attentative. We will be back in our next visit to Hawaii. Mahalo!
This is how all resteraunts should be. Great and friendly service. Ambience is great. Even the clientele looked more classy.
Don Katsu Is Ono!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tonkatsu
Tonkatsu!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tonkatsu, Green Tea Ice Cream, Cold Tofu, Udon Noodle Soup with Tempura, Matcha Creme Brulee
Everything was delicious.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
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