The first thing I want to say is that the food is usually very good, but the service here absolutely sucks. They wanted to take our order as soon as we sat down. We didn't even open the menu to look at the dinners. Then our dinners came to us backwards, we got the main dish first in about 5 to 10 minutes, before getting the appetizers, soup, sashimi, ect. Strange. The lady that owns the place and tries to be the server is unorganized and should not be trying to be a server. She needs to hire servers that know what they are doing. The last time we were here the owner had a very good server working and she was extremely good at her job, where did she go? Service has been an issue since coming here when they first opened. I normally leave a 20% tip, but I couldn't even leave a 10% tip. The service was so bad that it was almost like a Saturday Night Live Episode. It will be a long while before we come back here. The food is usually very good! Service Not! The back room is not comfortable and very noisy, you need to separate the back dinning room from the kitchen where all the noise is coming from. Ambianace is not good here, however interesting art work on the walls that helps save the place.
Angel Pawid
Sorry, I'm comparing it to the other kiku-ya ,it's no contest ..plus it cost more..
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Roxanne H.
Came here tonight with my family. Was pretty empty for dinner time but it was understandable for a weekday The service was super good! Lady at the front was nice and attentive. Pretty much the only reason for the two stars was because of the service. Food was lacking unfortunately. First time here and my mom got the butter fish dinner combo and I got the salmon dinner combo. Sashimi looked pretty fresh, nice red color. But our main entrees we're not very good. Salmon was deep fried and was okay. Miso butter fish came out tasting like it was past the expiration date. They did bring out a remade piece (one small piece) and that one tasted better but still no flavor. Assorted tempura was okay as well. I really wanted to like this place but I don't think it's worth the price. Maybe It was an off day so may try again when I the area
Nelson Lagadon
Fast and Friendly Services Food Portions are good and delicious prices are
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Wings, Sushi, Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura
C C.
So good fast stop after shopping, lots of seats. Got seated right away with a friendly smile, "choice". Ordered quickly appetizers arrived fresh, warm tea was good and so was the yummy miso soup, (I would have more if I had room) butterfish was really good either way a tasty portion chicken katsu good size too much for me to finish, not too much batter nicely cooked juicy and good! Perfect place for lunch while shopping @ Windward mall! I will eat here again
Nikki F.
I had to go to Windward Mall to pick up my bib for the Ka Iwi Coast walk anyway. So while we were there, my husband suggested we grab a birthday dinner. I had already had a couple of birthday celebrations with my friends or extended family, but my husband wanted to do a little dinner with just us and the kids. I looked up all the restaurants and Kiku Ya looked great! It was smaller than I expected, and the service was pretty slow. But the one woman working there was super nice and very apologetic for the wait. And the food was delicious! I had my two babies with me, and it's not always easy to dine out with them, but the woman there was super accommodating, and the kids did great. I It was a few days after my birthday, but a nice way to conclude my birthday week.
Erin A.
This restaurant has gotten bad. Orderd 2 extacy lunch specials and only 1 came out. Waited forever for food. Awful service!!!! Was better when it was at the old location. Waited almost 10 minutes for second combo plate to come out and only came with katsu amd no tempura. Waitress said tempura coming out later? Wtf? Waited another 10 min and no tempura!!!! Rest of party finished their whole meal and no tempura!!!! Chicken was over cooked and almost burnt. The whole time we were at restaurant no refill on water or anything. Awful!
Gerald P.
Having been to their restaurant in Kaneohe, & lunch time around 11:30am we stopped in & was blessed to find parking in their lot, which houses a lot of other businesses. Japanese eatery had a few tables full & the lunch crowd was coming in.Wait staff was prompt as we ordered & ice water was served. Did not take long for our food to come, & noticed the butter fish on the 2 choice combination was rather small,may be two bites, Tonkatsu was ample & every bite tasty! The tempura & California roll was tasty as well. A reasonable lunch & a good rest, before heading home!
Michele Gustafson
Kiku-ya in the Windward Mall is excellent. The food is good, the service is great. They've moved from their earlier location that had almost no parking to the mall, which has plenty. Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Ahi, Sushi, Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura
Kelsie T.
The food here is great! i was craving butterfish & i ordered their lunch special - butterfish & shrimp tempura. it also comes with miso soup & edamame. it was about $24 not bad! i was very full afterwards.
Friendly Staff. Food was delicious, as always. Menu at Kaneohe location is slightly different from Kalihi location. New location at Windward Mall, 2nd Floor, has more tables & lots of parking. Always an enjoyable experience eating at restaurant.
Margie J.
My first time posting a review. Never been disappointed with the quality of food or friendly service. My go-to restaurant for many years. I always order salmon shioyaki (well done so the skin is crispy ), and my husband likes fish & vegetables tempura or shrimp tendon (see photo). Last time we ate there, bgm was playing bossa nova & light jazz
Mari T.
Did the food taste good? It was ok. Did my tongue feel tingly as I ate the fried ahi? Yes. Did I get sick after eating it? Unfortunately yes. I usually have an iron stomach so for it to affect me, that means it was pretty toxic. Don't plan on getting the ahi any more from here after researching tingly feeling after eating fish and tuna is highly susceptible of contracting bacteria from improper cold storage. Service was pretty fast and friendly though. I got take out. If it was dine in I would've said something after the first bite. But since I was already gone I ate it anyway against my better judgment. Mistake!
Reyna A.
The younger server / hostess was very attentive, pleasant & helpful. We ordered the butterfish & the fried ika legs appetizer. The fried ika legs were burnt & I wanted to return them but my husband didn't want to complain. The butterfish was hard & cold. It was not tender & moist like their Kalihi location. The miso soup was good. It was probably the best thing in the entire meal. The ahi sashimi did not taste right either. The shrimp tempura was just ok. The batter was hard & did not taste fresh. My stomach & my husband's stomach did not agree with the food at all. After we left, we both had to go to the bathroom badly. We are very fortunate & thankful that we live nearby. We are not going back there again. My digestive system has been traumatized ! Very disappointed that the fiod was not fresh & tasted off. At least we tried it.
Mabeline M.
All I'm gonna say is "Not the worst, but honestly not the best." But The food was fulfilling and I was very thankful for dinner! First time eating here. And I was thinking I would have had the same dining experience. I've tried the Kalihi location. Or are they not like the same?!! Because Kalihi is Kikuya and this one is Kiku ya. I felt as if this restaurant wasn't authentically Japanese. Maybe it was a Korean-Japanese fusion haha I Don't Know. Anyway, like I said I've been to Kalihi's Kikuya. From what I recall when I went there quite a few times Food and service (even while busy) was great! And that location had sushi! Haha Food was fulfilling. Service was alright. They could have came back to check on us especially as we were a big party and it wasn't busy yet. Ambiance was okay. Nothing too bad about my dining experience. It just could have been better.
The first thing I want to say is that the food is usually very good, but the service here absolutely sucks. They wanted to take our order as soon as we sat down. We didn't even open the menu to look at the dinners. Then our dinners came to us backwards, we got the main dish first in about 5 to 10 minutes, before getting the appetizers, soup, sashimi, ect. Strange. The lady that owns the place and tries to be the server is unorganized and should not be trying to be a server. She needs to hire servers that know what they are doing. The last time we were here the owner had a very good server working and she was extremely good at her job, where did she go? Service has been an issue since coming here when they first opened. I normally leave a 20% tip, but I couldn't even leave a 10% tip. The service was so bad that it was almost like a Saturday Night Live Episode. It will be a long while before we come back here. The food is usually very good! Service Not! The back room is not comfortable and very noisy, you need to separate the back dinning room from the kitchen where all the noise is coming from. Ambianace is not good here, however interesting art work on the walls that helps save the place.
Sorry, I'm comparing it to the other kiku-ya ,it's no contest ..plus it cost more..
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Came here tonight with my family. Was pretty empty for dinner time but it was understandable for a weekday The service was super good! Lady at the front was nice and attentive. Pretty much the only reason for the two stars was because of the service. Food was lacking unfortunately. First time here and my mom got the butter fish dinner combo and I got the salmon dinner combo. Sashimi looked pretty fresh, nice red color. But our main entrees we're not very good. Salmon was deep fried and was okay. Miso butter fish came out tasting like it was past the expiration date. They did bring out a remade piece (one small piece) and that one tasted better but still no flavor. Assorted tempura was okay as well. I really wanted to like this place but I don't think it's worth the price. Maybe It was an off day so may try again when I the area
Fast and Friendly Services Food Portions are good and delicious prices are
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Wings, Sushi, Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura
So good fast stop after shopping, lots of seats. Got seated right away with a friendly smile, "choice". Ordered quickly appetizers arrived fresh, warm tea was good and so was the yummy miso soup, (I would have more if I had room) butterfish was really good either way a tasty portion chicken katsu good size too much for me to finish, not too much batter nicely cooked juicy and good! Perfect place for lunch while shopping @ Windward mall! I will eat here again
I had to go to Windward Mall to pick up my bib for the Ka Iwi Coast walk anyway. So while we were there, my husband suggested we grab a birthday dinner. I had already had a couple of birthday celebrations with my friends or extended family, but my husband wanted to do a little dinner with just us and the kids. I looked up all the restaurants and Kiku Ya looked great! It was smaller than I expected, and the service was pretty slow. But the one woman working there was super nice and very apologetic for the wait. And the food was delicious! I had my two babies with me, and it's not always easy to dine out with them, but the woman there was super accommodating, and the kids did great. I It was a few days after my birthday, but a nice way to conclude my birthday week.
This restaurant has gotten bad. Orderd 2 extacy lunch specials and only 1 came out. Waited forever for food. Awful service!!!! Was better when it was at the old location. Waited almost 10 minutes for second combo plate to come out and only came with katsu amd no tempura. Waitress said tempura coming out later? Wtf? Waited another 10 min and no tempura!!!! Rest of party finished their whole meal and no tempura!!!! Chicken was over cooked and almost burnt. The whole time we were at restaurant no refill on water or anything. Awful!
Having been to their restaurant in Kaneohe, & lunch time around 11:30am we stopped in & was blessed to find parking in their lot, which houses a lot of other businesses. Japanese eatery had a few tables full & the lunch crowd was coming in.Wait staff was prompt as we ordered & ice water was served. Did not take long for our food to come, & noticed the butter fish on the 2 choice combination was rather small,may be two bites, Tonkatsu was ample & every bite tasty! The tempura & California roll was tasty as well. A reasonable lunch & a good rest, before heading home!
Kiku-ya in the Windward Mall is excellent. The food is good, the service is great. They've moved from their earlier location that had almost no parking to the mall, which has plenty. Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Ahi, Sushi, Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura
The food here is great! i was craving butterfish & i ordered their lunch special - butterfish & shrimp tempura. it also comes with miso soup & edamame. it was about $24 not bad! i was very full afterwards.
Restaurantji Recommends
Friendly Staff. Food was delicious, as always. Menu at Kaneohe location is slightly different from Kalihi location. New location at Windward Mall, 2nd Floor, has more tables & lots of parking. Always an enjoyable experience eating at restaurant.
My first time posting a review. Never been disappointed with the quality of food or friendly service. My go-to restaurant for many years. I always order salmon shioyaki (well done so the skin is crispy ), and my husband likes fish & vegetables tempura or shrimp tendon (see photo). Last time we ate there, bgm was playing bossa nova & light jazz
Did the food taste good? It was ok. Did my tongue feel tingly as I ate the fried ahi? Yes. Did I get sick after eating it? Unfortunately yes. I usually have an iron stomach so for it to affect me, that means it was pretty toxic. Don't plan on getting the ahi any more from here after researching tingly feeling after eating fish and tuna is highly susceptible of contracting bacteria from improper cold storage. Service was pretty fast and friendly though. I got take out. If it was dine in I would've said something after the first bite. But since I was already gone I ate it anyway against my better judgment. Mistake!
The younger server / hostess was very attentive, pleasant & helpful. We ordered the butterfish & the fried ika legs appetizer. The fried ika legs were burnt & I wanted to return them but my husband didn't want to complain. The butterfish was hard & cold. It was not tender & moist like their Kalihi location. The miso soup was good. It was probably the best thing in the entire meal. The ahi sashimi did not taste right either. The shrimp tempura was just ok. The batter was hard & did not taste fresh. My stomach & my husband's stomach did not agree with the food at all. After we left, we both had to go to the bathroom badly. We are very fortunate & thankful that we live nearby. We are not going back there again. My digestive system has been traumatized ! Very disappointed that the fiod was not fresh & tasted off. At least we tried it.
All I'm gonna say is "Not the worst, but honestly not the best." But The food was fulfilling and I was very thankful for dinner! First time eating here. And I was thinking I would have had the same dining experience. I've tried the Kalihi location. Or are they not like the same?!! Because Kalihi is Kikuya and this one is Kiku ya. I felt as if this restaurant wasn't authentically Japanese. Maybe it was a Korean-Japanese fusion haha I Don't Know. Anyway, like I said I've been to Kalihi's Kikuya. From what I recall when I went there quite a few times Food and service (even while busy) was great! And that location had sushi! Haha Food was fulfilling. Service was alright. They could have came back to check on us especially as we were a big party and it wasn't busy yet. Ambiance was okay. Nothing too bad about my dining experience. It just could have been better.