50 Best Japanese Restaurants near Kailua

“breakfast of Champs! go get some!“

“This is a better omakase than in NYC, and like many others commented it is on par with Japan. I very much enjoyed here every course, and I highly recommend it. I also appreciated that the premium course had abalone and abalone liver, because that also speaks to omakase traditions.“

“Found this place on Google maps while looking for a dinner spot. Was able to get a reservation for a time we wanted. The place was great. We at outside were able to look at Ko'olau during our dinner. All the food we ordered was great. My Chirashi deluxe finally came out after everyone else had finished their meals. Which was a bit disappointing. But the manager did comp our drinks.“

“Stop here and you will not be disappointed! Wonderful atmosphere and service, the sushi is delicious, fresh, and priced right. Picture is #8 Yummy Yummy roll and it is that! I had some toro sake nigiri and it was ?? to die for…I’ll make sure to stop here every time I’m in the area.“

“been eating here for over 20 years and they are friendly and consistent with everything. best pad thai n cashew nut chicken ever!!!“

“Weird that there are so many negative reviews. I eat here at least once a year when visiting and the experience has been pretty consistent over several years.The most consistent negative thing I could parse out from other reviews that I agree with is the looseness of the rolls. The nori is not tight and sometimes is broken, which results in the roll partially falling apart. While not something the restaurant would want to happen, it really only detracts from presentation.The fish is always good - never had anything that was old, slimy, fishy, or anything else some of the other reviews say. I get a huge variety of platters including nigiri, specialty rolls, and poke, so I feel like it’s an adequate mix of their offerings.The menu is varied and should have something for everyone. There are no written descriptions of the rolls or platters. They rely on pictures on the menu (which I uploaded as of September 2023), but they’ll explain it all if you call or enter the shop.In summary, if you’re in the area and have a hankering for some good sushi, Waipuna Sushi is a great choice. If you want poke, the Food Land down the road is a better choice, but Waiapuna’s (limited) poke choices are serviceable.

Wheelchair accessibility: Ramps exist to access sidewalk to entrance“

“Food is so delicious and staff extremely helpful and attentive“

“If you're looking for an authentic taste of Japan with exceptional quality, Tempura KiKi is the place to go. From the moment you step inside, the ambiance exudes a traditional Japanese charm, perfectly setting the stage for a delightful dining experience.

The tempura at Tempura KiKi is, without a doubt, some of the best I've ever had. Each piece, whether it was the shrimp, seasonal vegetables, or fish, was lightly battered and fried to golden perfection. The crispiness was spot-on, and you could tell that the ingredients were of the highest quality – fresh, delicate, and absolutely flavorful. What truly sets Tempura KiKi apart is their attention to detail. The tempura wasn’t greasy at all, and every bite melted in my mouth, retaining the pure flavor of each ingredient.

Beyond the food, the service was fantastic. The staff was attentive, knowledgeable, and genuinely kind. They were quick to explain the menu, making sure I had everything I needed without being overbearing. It made me feel welcome and appreciated as a guest.

If you’re a fan of tempura or just want a taste of authentic Japanese cuisine, Tempura KiKi should be at the top of your list. It’s a gem of a restaurant with an unbeatable combination of amazing food and stellar service. I can’t wait to return!“

“Incredible sushi!! I ordered a second Sashimi Deluxe for two for mystic was ssoooo good!!“

“I liked that the owner and staff were very friendly. The kimchi udon was really delicious... The salad was also delicious, and a great dressing restaurant?? They also recommended a menu and when I was disappointed that the menu had disappeared, they said there were ingredients left and gave it to me as a service. I was impressed... The roll came out as requested, so I ate it up without leaving any food behind. . We finished the meal neatly by providing dessert ice cream as a service. I come to Hawaii often enough to go every year, and I will visit again next year! I am proud that many foreigners came to visit. May you prosper :)“

“Always a good choice. I come here every time I come to Waikiki“

“Last year I had the chance to vacation in Hawaii and it was absolutely amazing. One of the best culinary discoveries was Marugame Udon. Their homemade noodles are of unparalleled quality and freshness. Each bowl was a delight, full of authentic flavors.

The welcome is warm and the staff is always ready to help, which makes the experience even more pleasant. I loved being able to customize my dish with various toppings, making each meal unique.

The heavenly beaches, majestic volcanoes and spectacular sunsets made this stay unforgettable. Hawaii remains one of my most treasured vacation memories. ??

If you have the chance to visit Hawaii, I highly recommend going to Marugame Udon for an unforgettable dining experience! ?✨“

“?Step into an unforgettable culinary journey at Han no Daidokoro in Ward Restaurant! ?✨ Perfect Date Night Atmosphere, with polite attentive staff. Indulge in the finest Japanese wagyu beef, flavorful yakiniku, and authentic flavors that will transport your taste buds straight to Japan. ??? Every dish is a work of art, crafted with passion and precision. From sizzling grills to melt-in-your-mouth delicacies, this is where tradition meets taste. Come hungry, leave happy! ??

Highlights would include:
Grilled Beef Tongue
Grilled Yakiniku Beef
Hot Stone Garlic Fried Rice
And the Aloha Platter“

“Food is ALWAYS delicious and the staff is so kind and attentive! Katsu-san creates the most beautiful sashimi platters and omakase sushi!“

“High quality sushi you can order by pieces, price point is on the higher end but food quality well justified it. All pieces we ordered didn’t have tendon parts you can’t chew, they were very fresh, decent sized. Their wasabi’s freshly grounded version. Would definitely come back again!

The decor looked a bit cheap tho and the lighting of the restaurant didn’t offer any ambiance, didn’t create a feeling that we’d like to stay for a long time and enjoy our food, but rather, let’s eat then leave. Efficiency seems to run in all aspects of the restaurant. You order food on a iPad and pieces delivered directly from kitchen via a conveyor belt.“

“Fresh made to order Masubi“

“I visited a 7 knot rice ball shop for a late night snack.

Every time I come to Hawaii, I buy pork soup and rice balls. There is no need to go out of your way to eat rice balls in Hawaii, but if you stay for more than a week, you will want to eat Japanese food.“

“There's not enough space to right the good things about this place. As soon as you walk in, you are greeted and acknowledged by everyone, including the sushi chefs. Water and drink order is perfectly timed. Whether you order teishoku complete meals or sushi, the flavor and and portions are spot on. If you choose to sit at the sushi counter, the spread is just amazing. From white fish, tuna, to shellfish and sometimes even a fruit or plant to cleanse the pallet. I would recommend reservations as this place is always busy. Takeout is also very good!“

“Whether it's the shrimp katsu burger or the tonkatsu bento, the food is really good. Filling and favorable, the shrimp katsu burger is my go to lunch. The katsu is crispy, shrimp is moist and tender. The pork tonkatsu is like kimukatsu, where it's layered, not dry, and crispy. I'm still going through the menu so hopefully I'll add more.
The service is not your typical restaurant. Order from the cashier, it's self pick up, kind of self service. Don't expect to sit down and wait till they come to you.
The atmosphere is similar...mostly people sitting down, looking at the cashier in hopes your name is called so you can grab your food.

Parking: Street metered parking or park in the city on grade lot in the back. Either way, you can enter the restaurant from both sides.“

“Loved it here. I wanted to eat everything ? I got the Kīlauea because it was the last one, it was huge and super yummy!!! Great place for a fast meal before we left Hawaii, grabbed some extra for the plane too! Highly recommend but check the hours, things sell out quick!“

“Came here for the $32 lunch special, what a great deal! High quality meats and unlimited sides, soda, curry and Dave's ice cream!!! Nice atmosphere, comfortable and great music. Alex our server was exceptional as usual. Love everything about this place! Our new go to!“

“I was ono for some sushi and soki soup combo. So good.. just like baban used to make.?“

“Take and go musubi !! Second location both close by!!“

“Classic Japanese place. They make their own soba noodles.“

“Best tsukamem! Large portion of noodles with excellent dipping sauce. Neighbors eating fried chicken and fries which looked delicious. One wait staff took care of the entire place with great efficiency. Would go back again.“

“So delicious“

“I've been trying to fit another visit to i-naba in my schedule because the food was delicious. I was blown away by how well the rice was cooked and the soba noodles was delicious. The food felt authentic to me and I would definitely return!“

“small but very mighty. delicious food, friendly staff..... awesome“

“We live on the West side and decided to get food before heading back home from Kailua Beach. We were in the mood for some seafood, so that's what we typed into Google when searching for places to eat. Thankfully, Kenko Ya in Kaneohe popped up, and we decided to give it a try! We arrived around 8pm on a Monday evening and were sat instantly. Our table ordered a lot of items, but the ones that stuck out the most were the Hawaiian, Kaneohe Sunset, and Volcano rolls, the Sashimi, as well as the Sweet Potato Tempura. The food came out very fast and was prepared well. The tempura was crispy and the breading was not too thick, and all the sushi tasted very fresh! We also ordered the Peach Jinro, and we were not disappointed in the flavor. Overall, we had a great experience, finished everything on the table, and will definitely go back when we're on the East side again!

Parking: Kenko Ya is located closer to Longs, not by Panda Express“

“**edit 10/20** been here 2 more times now, its my go to lunch place when im in the area for authentic Japanese food? Tried their Tonkotsu ramen with side rice and gyoza, and also the Daily Special which was the Aimori bento (chicken karaage and ginger pork). Friendly service and food that is made to order??**

Legit little authentic Japanese diner/take out place that I stumbled upon looking for another restaurant in Honolulu. Located in the building with restaurants on King Street and Keeaumoku, where Sushi Sasabune is located. This place is at the end to the left.

There was a late lunch crowd when i walked in so took a little while to be seated. Note that this place is run by two people so if youre in a rush, this isnt the place for you as the food is prepared on order so it takes some time.

They were running a promotion the day i went, which was Niku no hi, or Meat Day where if you ordered a specific meal, you would get 150% more. Since it was my first time here, the waitress suggested the popular Karaage Fried Chicken Plate, which I gladly ordered.

Took a while for the meal to arrive since there were two parties seated in front of me, and their meals looked great too... Especially the ramen. When my meal arrived it was piping hot, the way I like it. Squeeze the lemon on and it came with a shoyu dipping sauce that I felt didnt need. The chicken was crisp, not oily and already marinated before fried just like you would eat in Japan.

There was more chicken than I could eat in one sitting so I took half of it home. Would recommend if in the area, Im sure their other dishes are excellent too?5 stars.

Parking: Free parking lot in the back of restaurant and street metered parking in front (free if on Sundays)“

“Great place. Food was great. Atmosphere was fine, I could easily have a conversation with the people I was with. Service was great. Only thing was that I wish they would have told us that there was a 2 hour time limit. We were ready to order more food and drinks but they just brought us the bill. Letting us know when we made the reservation or when we were seated would have been fine but nothing was said at all.“

“Excellent food. Friendly staff“

“Love the food. Delicious. Fresh and hot“

“If you’re looking for an ube fix, Nana’s Tea has an ube soft serve swirl will do you right. Aside from the creamy soft serve, they add a small dollop of fresh ube halaya and a couple of mochi ball. Will come back to try the other flavors!“

“4pmからのハッピーアワーでお得に美味しく頂きました。お勧めです。“

“The food was absolutely delicious! I love everything and how it was in such a good price for hot pot. The service was quick and got seated in minutes. The server was sweet and checked on us to make sure how everything is. I saw how quick our food came out. The food was hot and fresh and the chicken was crispy. The soup was very flavorful. Each plating was so unique and beautiful. And how we didn’t had to wait that long for our service. I will definitely come back and highly recommend others to come.“

“10/09/24: My partner suggested we stop by here for Inari and I was very glad we did! We tried 6 different flavors: bulgogi, unagi, kimchi bacon, corn salad, imitation crab salad, spicy ahi. I had trouble figuring out what was my favorite because they were all very tasty. They were all reasonably priced as well. Would definitely stop by here again during our next visit!

Parking: Parking in the garage was fairly easy, but this was on a Wednesday morning/afternoon.“

“Three co-workers and I went to Hana No Sato on the Makai side of King Street, a little past University Avenue. It’s a small space and their food is highly regarded.

We each had the Hana no Sato Gozen, which is their take on a teishoku meal … You choose one main dish from the bento section and your meal includes miso soup, a green salad, a platter of four side dishes (mac salad, two gyoza, ½ soft boiled egg, tsukemono, chawam-mushi, two shrimp tempura and two pieces of mochi for dessert. It’s a LOT of food and a “steal” at $17.50.

Three of us ordered the ginger pork while our fourth opted for chicken karaage. The main dish costs $13 with just rice and miso soup so for $4.50 more you get so much more.

The food is well prepared and seasoned appropriately … I really enjoyed my meal and was so stuffed that I passed on dinner.
I believe that the Gozen meal is limited in quantity so early diners are rewarded. Highly recommended!“

“Good variety and tasty dishes. Wonderful service with very friendly staff.“

“Finally got back to this place on a lunch run in Kalihi. When you want a hearty local style brekkie plate with the famous garlic chicken that will leave a lasting reminder when you burp all day this is the place yessa?

The place moved a couple years ago to a newer shopping plaza with ample parking across New City Nissan, and now accepts credit card and they also answer the phone to take phone orders so that helps make the lines here shorter... Iykyk.

I always get the Breakfast Combo special deluxe with garlic chicken, 2 bacon, scrambled eggs and fried rice. A classic local brekkie when youre hungry. Prices have gone up so its around $13 bucks plus tax but its comfort food. Support local.... 5 stars??“

“Authentic Okinawa food. Friendly attentive servers. Hot delicious food. . Option for complete meal. Daily Specials. Generous servings. Affordable prices. Can make reservations.“

“Just came hours ago for the classic Musubi varieties and it was really good. Had to take my lil nephew for the first time since he’s a Musubi lover and he was surprised there’s more different kinds of Musubi than other places I took him too. Would recommend“

“food is great. staff is usually pretty good but there are occasional rude staff, but the managers seem nice.

the restaurant itself is really cramped so it's probably better to eat outside.

Parking: paid parking lot. like almost all the shops in SALT, validation is for 1 hour only. probably be better to park street and take out.“

“1st time visiting from California and my husband's 1st time trying sushi (which took a long time to finally get him to try it). We just happened to find the new place traveling around the island. Evan was working and was exceptional, very friendly and helpful with making selections off the menu. We Loved the atmosphere, especially the Christian music playing. Very clean and a good vibe. We loved it so much we had to buy some t-shirts. Thank you for a wonderful experience! We'll definitely be returning.

Kid-friendliness: Family friendly

Wheelchair accessibility: Our daughter is in a wheelchair and we were very comfortable dining in the restaurant“

“everything is handmade, the ingredients are fresh and high quality, staff are friendly. this place is so unique and a great date spot!♡“

“Catered lunch from this place for an office party today & let me just say that from the start we had AMAZING service. It started from The gentleman on the phone who took our order to the perfectly organized bentos in the box ready for pick up. We thoroughly enjoyed the food & still amazed how on top of it this establishment was! True definition of great food & even better service ❤️“

“ono grindz...a must when go Oahu“

“Delicate and varied flavours. Also, real wasabi and melt in your mouth sashimi!“

“Fresh musubi/onigiri at a reasonable price and size. Very filling! The place is always busy, so fresh musubi is always being placed onto the display, so the rice is always warm. I enjoyed the spam musubi with the egg and the tuna-yuzu musubi/onigiri.“

“My husband and I initially had a hard time finding the restaurant, it was tucked in. We were very glad we found the place. The place is tiny and intimate, the food is so fresh and tasty. The service is excellent. This will be our go to place from now on.“