My order was placed but they We're too busy Talking to complete it when I arrived. I had to wait another 20 minutes... Won't be going back there again. Plus their grills were dirty
Andre G.
Worker charged tip without me knowing and didn't give me a receipt. I found out from the emailed receipt that they had charged me $5 off a $30 order that was takeout.
Dona H.
Quality is a hit or miss. All depends on when their products are made, how they were made and who made them. Sometimes the quality is excellent and sometimes not so much. Very inconsistent. If I didn't have a craving for takoyaki, I probably wouldn't go there.
_werk84_
Only spot in Hawaii(for me) that makes good takoyaki. Since Shirokiya is closed I never knew this was here by Don Quixote. Gotta eat it fresh, right on the spot. Its a drive for me but worth it to have something so delicious. They have other options on takoyaki and other selections of Japanese food. I recommend it 100%
Rod U.
I've said it once, I'll say it again. I love balls. This time, umami supercharged, steaming hot balls! Takoyaki is as much about the experience as the taste. It doesn't matter if it's from the tourist shop on the Dotonburi or the spot on the narrow alley two blocks back where locals frequent. Golden brown spheres drizzled in a tangy citrus soy based sauce and mayo, dusted with seaweed powder and covered in dancing bonito flakes. The minute it's handed to you, feel the crisp crust with the two pronged toothpick, poke it and pick it up, and quickly pop it in your mouth. Bite in, and... The explosion of steam. Molten stickiness threatening to burn your mouth. Exhaling steam, flapping your hand in front of your face to stop the burn as friends and spectators look on and laugh before doing it all over again. Batter - Neutral. Nice tang from pickled ginger. Tako - Small but tender and properly precooked. Toppings - Average. Sauce tangy, mayo as expected, seaweed powder OK, bonito, as I'm not a connoisseur like a cat, dried fish is dried fish to me. Cook - No crispness. The griddle is not hot enough in the "cooking" section. Interior, molten. EXPERIENCE - Sigh. COVID era claims another victim. Can't eat it right away onsite. Five minutes later in the car, a gooey mess. It's not the eateries fault but do yourself a favor, if you've been to Osaka, don't do it, just don't. Hold on to the memory until we can once again enjoy it as it should be.
Jeremy Nagahama
Having eaten fresh, pipen hot takoyaki from an old ba-chan on the streets of Osaka, takoyaki is one of the few dishes I feel I can speak with some authority. As much as I love takoyaki, this place is not it.I understand that going to Japan and eating the foods of Japan gives a certain lens, where all Japanese food in Hawaii tastes bad after. I don't want to do that here. If I compared this to Osaka takoyaki, it's maybe a 2. If this is the first takoyaki I ate ever, it's a very solid 4 1/2. So I'll split it right down the middle and say 3.
Redwine A.
I went to Takoyaki Yama Chan at outside of Don Quixote Honolulu. I was so surprised and disappointed. I bought 12 pieces Takoyaki but half pieces NO OCTOPUS! Seriously, are you kidding me!? Unfortunately it was a bad luck.
Zoe C.
The service and people are not only very nice, but also very efficient in their work. (Besides that, they're takoyaki are amazing and delicious, so it will always be worth the line!)
JinLing Y.
Basically the most well known takoyaki place on the island lol. They have many locations and this one is conveniently located in shirokiya japan walk ala Moana. Came here twice in one week. The first time I came they gave me some lukewarm takoyaki with only one hot one. And if you know..you gotta eat takoyaki while it's hot! So I was very disappointed with that. No wonder why the food came out so fast lol. Usually you would have to wait for them to make a new batch but I guess they had some pre made ones laying around. I got their $11 special where you can pick 5 regular flavors and 5 of another flavor. I picked the negi (green onion) and ponzu flavor. The regular one is good had lots of flavor and generous on the sauce. For the negi ponzu one, I could hardly taste the ponzu The second time I came I got the 8 piece original for just under $8. Kinda expensive bc it's like $1 each The food came out quickly as well but at least this time it was hot which was good. Overall, if you are craving takoyaki and don't want to make yourself just go takoyaki yamachan.
A Shen
CHEESE TAKOYAKI is an interesting idea, but the takoyaki did not burn my mouth, which essentially means it was cold. Since it was cold, the cheese did not melt nicely on top. Also, there was a lot of batter with very little octopus.
Wow the takoyaki here is delicious! We ordered the takoyaki with cheese and the regular one and boy was it good! The cheese was sprinkled on top of the takoyaki with the sauce and bonito flakes. The sauce was tangy and sweet which made it super good! It was really soft and inside you can taste the chewy octopus! Definitely one of the best takoyaki places I've been to!
Al D.
I satisfy my okonomiyaki fix here. Not the best I've ever had but given the limited options on Oahu, this will do.
Diana N.
Got the Deluxe Okonomiyaki and it was amazing! Shrimp, pork, corn, & topped with a sunny side up egg.
Minjung C.
Ah, I wish I had read the reviews beforehand. They weren't bad, just extremely mediocre. Flavors were pretty good but texture was all mush!
Audra Lord
Good okonomiyaki, but the takoyaki was completely undercooked on the inside (liquid batter) and swimming in a pool of mayo—way too much sauce and bonito! I couldn’t finish a small order, which was a first for me. The cashier was pretty unfriendly too.
My order was placed but they We're too busy Talking to complete it when I arrived. I had to wait another 20 minutes... Won't be going back there again. Plus their grills were dirty
Worker charged tip without me knowing and didn't give me a receipt. I found out from the emailed receipt that they had charged me $5 off a $30 order that was takeout.
Quality is a hit or miss. All depends on when their products are made, how they were made and who made them. Sometimes the quality is excellent and sometimes not so much. Very inconsistent. If I didn't have a craving for takoyaki, I probably wouldn't go there.
Only spot in Hawaii(for me) that makes good takoyaki. Since Shirokiya is closed I never knew this was here by Don Quixote. Gotta eat it fresh, right on the spot. Its a drive for me but worth it to have something so delicious. They have other options on takoyaki and other selections of Japanese food. I recommend it 100%
I've said it once, I'll say it again. I love balls. This time, umami supercharged, steaming hot balls! Takoyaki is as much about the experience as the taste. It doesn't matter if it's from the tourist shop on the Dotonburi or the spot on the narrow alley two blocks back where locals frequent. Golden brown spheres drizzled in a tangy citrus soy based sauce and mayo, dusted with seaweed powder and covered in dancing bonito flakes. The minute it's handed to you, feel the crisp crust with the two pronged toothpick, poke it and pick it up, and quickly pop it in your mouth. Bite in, and... The explosion of steam. Molten stickiness threatening to burn your mouth. Exhaling steam, flapping your hand in front of your face to stop the burn as friends and spectators look on and laugh before doing it all over again. Batter - Neutral. Nice tang from pickled ginger. Tako - Small but tender and properly precooked. Toppings - Average. Sauce tangy, mayo as expected, seaweed powder OK, bonito, as I'm not a connoisseur like a cat, dried fish is dried fish to me. Cook - No crispness. The griddle is not hot enough in the "cooking" section. Interior, molten. EXPERIENCE - Sigh. COVID era claims another victim. Can't eat it right away onsite. Five minutes later in the car, a gooey mess. It's not the eateries fault but do yourself a favor, if you've been to Osaka, don't do it, just don't. Hold on to the memory until we can once again enjoy it as it should be.
Having eaten fresh, pipen hot takoyaki from an old ba-chan on the streets of Osaka, takoyaki is one of the few dishes I feel I can speak with some authority. As much as I love takoyaki, this place is not it.I understand that going to Japan and eating the foods of Japan gives a certain lens, where all Japanese food in Hawaii tastes bad after. I don't want to do that here. If I compared this to Osaka takoyaki, it's maybe a 2. If this is the first takoyaki I ate ever, it's a very solid 4 1/2. So I'll split it right down the middle and say 3.
I went to Takoyaki Yama Chan at outside of Don Quixote Honolulu. I was so surprised and disappointed. I bought 12 pieces Takoyaki but half pieces NO OCTOPUS! Seriously, are you kidding me!? Unfortunately it was a bad luck.
The service and people are not only very nice, but also very efficient in their work. (Besides that, they're takoyaki are amazing and delicious, so it will always be worth the line!)
Basically the most well known takoyaki place on the island lol. They have many locations and this one is conveniently located in shirokiya japan walk ala Moana. Came here twice in one week. The first time I came they gave me some lukewarm takoyaki with only one hot one. And if you know..you gotta eat takoyaki while it's hot! So I was very disappointed with that. No wonder why the food came out so fast lol. Usually you would have to wait for them to make a new batch but I guess they had some pre made ones laying around. I got their $11 special where you can pick 5 regular flavors and 5 of another flavor. I picked the negi (green onion) and ponzu flavor. The regular one is good had lots of flavor and generous on the sauce. For the negi ponzu one, I could hardly taste the ponzu The second time I came I got the 8 piece original for just under $8. Kinda expensive bc it's like $1 each The food came out quickly as well but at least this time it was hot which was good. Overall, if you are craving takoyaki and don't want to make yourself just go takoyaki yamachan.
CHEESE TAKOYAKI is an interesting idea, but the takoyaki did not burn my mouth, which essentially means it was cold. Since it was cold, the cheese did not melt nicely on top. Also, there was a lot of batter with very little octopus.
Restaurantji Recommends
Wow the takoyaki here is delicious! We ordered the takoyaki with cheese and the regular one and boy was it good! The cheese was sprinkled on top of the takoyaki with the sauce and bonito flakes. The sauce was tangy and sweet which made it super good! It was really soft and inside you can taste the chewy octopus! Definitely one of the best takoyaki places I've been to!
I satisfy my okonomiyaki fix here. Not the best I've ever had but given the limited options on Oahu, this will do.
Got the Deluxe Okonomiyaki and it was amazing! Shrimp, pork, corn, & topped with a sunny side up egg.
Ah, I wish I had read the reviews beforehand. They weren't bad, just extremely mediocre. Flavors were pretty good but texture was all mush!
Good okonomiyaki, but the takoyaki was completely undercooked on the inside (liquid batter) and swimming in a pool of mayo—way too much sauce and bonito! I couldn’t finish a small order, which was a first for me. The cashier was pretty unfriendly too.