Japanese cuisine: the best places to taste it in Honolulu

"So good!! We thoroughly enjoyed our time here for lunch. The 15 piece Sora lunch omakase course + chawanmushi, miso soup, omelette and dessert was..."

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Jo Lee

Kulu Kulu

"...excellent presentation of yummy sweets!...we tried the diamond head chocolate puff and the fruit cream cheesecake...lovely Japanese girls behind..."

Susan Hudgins Vaughn

"..."

Hitomi Nakatsu

"..."

Noriko Amemiya

"Delicious soft serve! I'll have to try the pastries some day, they look..."

Roberta Bobbie Anisko Rae

"Smooth, creamy (not sugary tasting) Delicious..."

Bernice Ferguson

"I visited two times. Tried the caramel cream puff, the regular, the strawberry shortcake, and the soufflé cheesecake. Their cream here is really..."

Jenny Luo

"Had to get the Konu bun just because it looked so cute! I Iove matcha so it was an easy choice. There was a great selection of cakes to choose from...."

Lily Gill

"Hidden jewel in the area, delicious small treats and very affordable. The stall was very busy but staffs were..."

Mandy H.

"We had the strawberry shortcake and rainbow cake. They were both very good. I preferred the shortcake and my son preferred the rainbow cake. Price..."

Michelle L

"Kulu-Kulu Bakery is a popular spot for baked goods in Honolulu. Their pastries and cakes are beautifully decorated and look almost so good. We..."

Katherine Melnyk

"Loved the variety of desserts. Those matcha chunky chews in their soft serve is a delight and it's a must try. Bear puff pastry is perfectly balance..."

Preetha Rajan

"We got Strawberry Shortcake and the September special Orange Mandarin Cream Puff and they were both delicious! Not too sweet which is perfect. We..."

Lizzie Sun

"Great place to try cream-filled choux. Not too sweet. Inside was also very..."

KDB

"It was the cutest bdy cake we could buy. Turtle cream and strawberry cake. We had ume cold..."

S S

"An unexpected find in a food court! This small bakery shop has a variety of coffee jelly drinks, coffee and tea floats, soft ice cream and such cute..."

Pauline Wong

"This place has the best pastries in Waikiki. I highly recommend any of their pastries. I actually prefer their soft serve more than the people..."

Joe Volcano

"Excellent treats and drinks. Great pricing too. My wife is obsessed with the animal-shaped cream puffs. This is a Japanese-style bakery. Don't go..."

Todd Oare

"A cute Japanese style bakery in the Royal Hawaiian Center food court. A smallish selection of very precisely prepared and beautiful looking cakes and..."

S Q

"Cute and very delicious pastries and cakes! Strawberry Yuri and papaya mango mousse were excellent! Great selection on cream puffs..."

Gabe Ahn

"Cute and delicious cream puffs. We had The bear (chock cream puff), turtle (green tea cream puff), coffee jelly with whole..."

Loan Phan

"Best cream puff I ever had! Get the turtle!..."

Sarah G

"They have turtle-shaped and also bear-shaped cakes! And pink strawberries Hello Kitty cakes - so..."

Keira Chu

"Tried their seasonal mochi selections, i.e., butter mochi and mochi roll. They were just okay. I expected a softer bite with the butter mochi, but..."

Rui Xiong

Gyotaku Japanese Restaurant

90/100 (1139 ratings)

Udon & Soba (Wheat & Buckwheat Noodle)

Tempura

Bento (Lunch Box)

Udon & Soba (Wheat & Buckwheat Noodle)

Accepts American Express

Wheelchair Accessible

Lunch

Dinner

Mid-range

"I was very impressed with Gyotaku. To start, the salad was a really delicious surprise with a much appreciated imitation crab piece. For the entree,..."

Michael Opalinski

"So...one of my Bff's Mom took us here💜 It was my first time & I ordered a Ginger Iced Tea and was pleasantly surprised with a little cup with real..."

Emma Kahoe-Wallace

"Great Customer Service. Server Was Awesome! Food Was Fast And Enjoy Every Moment And Perfect Time Before Closing To Kitchen. Great Helpers That Our..."

Crystal Saleve

"Great Japanese food fit for Hawaii's population. Good service and large portions of food. The kids loved the sashimi and sushi and I enjoyed tonkatsu..."

Barbara Hart

"So delicious and the service is incredible! Very attentive and everybody enjoyed their meal. The tonkatsu curry is a teeny bit spicy in case you..."

Alisa Takeuchi

"Good food and a place to get together, parking was easy and a fair amount of spots were available on a Saturday night. We didn't wait long, the only..."

Garry Y

"It was my husband’s birthday on Christmas Eve. First time eating here and would come back again, good service and yummy food, butterfish/tempura,..."

LISA ACOSTA

"If you’re looking for Japanese sit down or take out, this is a good family restaurant. My recommendations are butterfish, salmon, and tempura. I..."

LJ Andres

"Great food and service. Save room for deluxe green tea shave ice with ice cream, red bean and mochi! Atmosphere is a bit more like a Denny's than..."

Judith Breisch

"Consider reasonable price for Japanese meals. Especially with the coupon. They rather keeping customers waiting. So many opening tables available;..."

Jennifer Lin

Maguro Brothers

"One of my favorite spot to fix my sushi craving and they never disappoint. Fresh fix and affordable price..."

Melyonce Aliv

"Amazing place and food although a bit difficult to find since it's inside of the market. Great quality of fresh fish, poke made to order the way you..."

Gosia Citko

"Great food and service , downtown location a little difficult to find/park but worth it..."

Kevin Tosaki

"One the most affordable fresh fish on the island. Poke, sushi bowls and the miso grilled salmon were amazing!! HELPFUL TIP: Right next to their spot..."

Leslie Tokunaga

"I love this place. Best quality fish and friendly staff. Hidden gem in..."

Xavier Urbano

"..."

Cheiko Kitamura

"Excellent sashimi and poke. The portions feel smaller than a couple years ago. But still quite delicious. There was no line on a Tuesday noon time!..."

Joshua Yuan

"This was the last place we ate at before jumping on a plane back home. We've heard the reviews were good and it was true! Poke had great flavor, but..."

Vince Dumpit

"When planning our trip to Hawaii I did a deep dive to try and find the best local foods. Maguro Brothers was featured on Munchies and definitely..."

Prasad Nadendla

"Incredible sushi and poke, as they use the freshest ingredients and the seasoning isn't overbearing. It's not surprising that this spot is one of the..."

Andrew Liu

"They are a hidden gem in china town. We had Grilled Hamachi, chirashi don and scallop. All are awesome with very good price. This is our favorite..."

Shin J. Chonapat

"This was one of my fave meals in Hawaii! I got the chirashi bowl with scallop sashimi-so fresh and delicious. The owner (I think it was) was very..."

Anna M. C.

"$28.12 after tax for chutoro with ikura and uni. The rice was dense and seasoned perfectly. Its temperature was just right. The ikura, uni, and..."

kfmfe04

"Delicious and fresh seafood. My favorite sashimi bowl shop in Hawaii. I recommend the No.8 chutoro upgrade chirashi reg and..."

C

"Fresh fish at market price. Higher end quality, so the prices are a bit up there. Fish dishes look yummy. A little more than your regular poke..."

Cheryl D

"Got the ahi with shoyu & sweet onions (and $4 side of ikura), a benchmark to set expectations for poke across the island. I was impressed with the..."

George Dy

Lee's Bbq & Sushi

Daiichi Ramen - Kahala

Non-smoking restaurants

Wheelchair Accessible

Gift Cards Available

Parking Available

Free off-street parking

Sushi Ogame

"Absolutely amazing experience. Each dish was crafted with so much care you can tell how much the owner cares for his Buisness. The sake, every type..."

Rodrigo Cano (Gooero)

"Fantastic food. Each course of the Omakase was unique and delicious. Very well seasoned . Really nice chef too. Here are a few photos for..."

Paul Perrino

"Had an amazing omakase experience, it is obvious that extra care goes into every portion. Beyond fresh and delicious fish, the dishes were creative,..."

Maria Simbirsky

"Hands down, one of the best omakase experiences I've had. Top quality ingredients and friendly service. Be sure to come hungry! And their dessert..."

April V.

"We visited this restaurant just over a week ago, and this review took us a while to write, solely due to the fact that our experience was absolutely..."

Allison D

"Fantastic experience! We came in with reservations for the lunch Omakase & were seated right away. The Chef took time to time to explain each & every..."

Shahzaib Khan

"Once in a lifetime experience that feels like you could come every day. Chef really shines with his Omakase menu and personal wit. Loved discussing..."

J P

"Our friend recommended this place to us three years ago then we were hooked. We landed in maui for vacation and we decided to fly over JUST for this..."

Jiachun Lin

"There was not even a name of the restaurant posted on the door. What a mysterious place. There were only 4 parties inside when I got in. I bet it..."

Ming Xiao

"Had the 155usd omakase for dinner. The chef is witty and friendly and if you happen to sit at the sushi bar the chef will tell you about the fish,..."

Jean Ng

"Finally made it to Sushi Maruyama! Thoroughly enjoyed the delicious omakase experience at the sushi counter! Great service from friendly and fun..."

lace m

"Okay. I understand that SOME people might, maybe, have an issue with the size of the fish. That's an extra bite of yummy delicious fish. Excellent..."

Tracey Strobel

"Delicious, inventive, generously portioned—we left feeling stuffed! Service was great too: casual, friendly. If I’m looking for omakase on Oahu..."

Gregory Ng

"Delicious and so worth it! We did the omakase and the amount was perfect, we were very satiated by the end. Fish quality was superb, would definitely..."

Amy Nguyen

"Absolutely delicious!!! We went twice to this place while our stay in Hawaii. Now I want to come back to Hawaii just to eat there! Must try!!! Sushi..."

Yana G

"Our best dinning experience on the island. Small place and hidden away on the third floor and unmarked door but it was totally worth the 30 minute..."

Hai Tran

"The omakase was one of the best experiences I've ever had. We came right before they were closing for lunch but they were still very accommodating...."

Jeffrey Zheng

"We ordered omakase deluxe, which $155 for 9 courses. I was super full, the chef gave us plenty of premium fish such as toro, king salmon, sea..."

Linh Vo

Sushi Izakaya Gaku

Wheelchair Accessible

"Hands down best sushi in Hawaii. Gaku was recommended to us by our scuba diving instructor who is a Japanese sushi chef before moving to Hawaii...."

Joey Sun

"I wanted to reach out and share my experience at Sushi Izakaya, a hidden gem located on King Street. While parking may be a bit difficult in the..."

Robert Bowman

"We have been wanting to come here for a long time. The food is delicious, and the sushimi melts in your mouth. We sat at the sushi bar and really..."

Eileen Chan

"Great sushi spot! Very good fish, and the small dishes are nice. The dishes do come out randomly however, we got the daikon pickles like halfway..."

Adamo Stivala

"AMAZING! great atmosphere and service but even better food. Had the spicy tuna roll, pork/ shrimp dumpling, fried pumpkin, and..."

Sarah O'Connor

"An outstanding dining experience featuring high quality ingredients and intimate experience with the staff. They graciously welcomed us despite not..."

Flex Rogers

"They serve the food very fast. Order the dishes separately and not all at once. I recommend the 9 pc sashimi & o toro..."

Winnie Poon

"This was the best omasake we’ve ever had. The fish was so fresh and straight out of Japan. My husband doesn’t like sushi or sashimi but he..."

Kim Nguyen

"After trying a number of sushi spots on Oahu, Gaku has come out on top as my absolute favorite. Their nigiri combination is fantastic, and the deluxe..."

Michael Opalinski

"The fish here was the best fresh fish I’ve probably Ever had! The environment is super friendly and chill. Everyone here greets you and says bye to..."

Itsel Obadiah

Wagaya

Wheelchair Accessible

"We ordered 2 different ramen. Both were very good. Service was very quick. Price was reasonable. Lots of parking available. We didn’t take pictures..."

Z. Gallegos

"To ensure a seamless dining experience, it's strongly advisable to make a reservation in advance, especially if you'd like to avoid a potentially..."

Kuan Lun Yu

Nathaniel Enriquez

"We ordered the tsukemen and the garlic wagaya ramen when we visited. The soup base was on point and really solid, not like any butter creamy stuff we..."

Chun-Ting Huang

"The best ramen I’ve had in North America! Price was reasonable too! We especially enjoyed the spare rib tan tan men, and the potato mochi! The..."

Joy Liu

"Garlic and tantan short rib were both delicious! We also really enjoyed the karaage..."

Olivia H

"Busy Place. Very loud like a cafeteria. Had the Sparerib Tan Tan Men with regular noodles. Rich Spicy Flavorarable Sesame broth. delicious. Noodles...."

Randy Kosuga

"Black garlic ramen and tantan ramen both great! Really love that they can choose soft cooked noodle. Agedash toufu recommended. But the corn is not..."

Yoyo Yo

"A small ramen shop with a very tasty ramen. They have different broth - the shoyu broth is made with chicken, fish and konbu while the tonkotsu is..."

Saifu Angto

"This is one of the best places to eat ramen....portion and price are reasonable and the flavor is ono....parking is kind of hard but it is worth..."

Mark Nev

Akira Japanese Restaurant

"Really good food here! Got the lunch special where you get a bunch of stuff plus your choice of two items. I got the sashimi and butter fish. It was..."

Oscar Kwok

"The resturant is inside the building, they can validate your parking :) Spot shrimp sushi was sweet. Monfish live was processed perfectly, not too..."

Junhua Chen

"Nice Japanese Restaurant in town on King Street across from the bike shop. Lots of room in 2 big dining areas. The upper level is BYOB and has..."

Jay Lamping

"Excellent happy hour menu at reasonable prices for Honolulu. Food quality is also excellent, although portions can be a bit small in some..."

Joe LaValle

"Omakase course tonight @$100 per person. Different from other Omakase restaurant. This is more like a full course KaiSeki set menu. Great value...."

Jennifer Lin

"It's a super brand new Japanese restaurant. My big Boss recommended this place so 3 of us came for 9 dishes Akira kaiseki tasting course today. I had..."

Maka Sasaki (aquatako2006)

"Very nice dining experience, authentic Japanese cuisine and preparation, the chef wears a tie. The set was a great deal and they had some nice..."

Adamo Stivala

"Akira bento plates are really good I git the Mother's day special it was worth the price it included everything except the miso soup. The waygu steak..."

Melvin Johnson

"We did the tasting menu, intending to add on more items, but we were full. Great service, large variety, everything delicious and fresh. Currently ..."

Marlene Kanca

"Great food! So authentic Japanese that our feels like you're in Japan! The facility is very simple and the personal is very friendly and..."

Kevin Lee

Aunty Ramen

"Dangerously delicious! You can smell how good it's going to be from the parking lot, which is usually full. Inside, get a table, then grab a basket..."

S. Pak (Jet)

"I thought this place was excellent. I loved the food and the staff are so so so friendly especially if you become a regular. Their pricing is very..."

Chesnee Giraldo

"It was my first time here and the staff was very friendly and helpful in showing me and my friends how to make our ingredient selections and go..."

Bryton Kutaka

"Best Ramen place hands down! Customer service was more than amazing. Highly recommend. They even made a baby ramen bowl for my son which he loved...."

Susan Soper

"First time visit. We were greeted, seated, and then the friendly staff showed us how to order. There is a large selection of bins to select from..."

Lorna Hu

"This place is a MUST TRY GEM!!! After hiking up multiple spots around the island my cousin and I were BLESSED to have found this restaurant on our..."

Dora Santana

"Delcious! Great service. We got a bit greedy and our bill came out to $70+ but when we got to go boxes there's enough ramen for 2 days. $10 per lb..."

Isis C.

"This place was so fun. The aunty at the cash register (THE aunty perhaps??) was so friendly, and even brought us a free dessert. It's great value..."

Christina Lizzi

"Holy cow the servings here are huge!! Not only was the food great but the bowl was bigger than my head and the service was great. It's a build your..."

Megan Dillon

"Great selection of broths and toppings. Everything looked and tasted really fresh. Staff was super friendly. Absolutely will come back. Be sure to..."

Chris Horsley

Kulu Kulu

"This place has the cutest desserts! And I love that everything isn't overly sweet. You have to try the cream puffs, they are..."

E Una

"Very light pastries and cakes with quite the flavor choices. The rainbow cake and POG cake were extremely tasty. Strawberry roll and pudding were..."

M Gilmore

"I love kulu kulu. Those sweets are the best. Also this location is phenomenal. I had not so nice experience at the other location in Waikiki but at..."

Sanja Manakoski

"Ooohhh I enjoyed the desserts we purchased! Rainbow cake, POG cake and Strawberry Roll cake!!! Our visit was on Feb 16, 2022. One of our pictures..."

Kehau Kalauli

"So glad that this was a short walk from our AirBnb at Aqua Palms. The pastries here are delicious, reasonably priced, and CUUUUUTE. My photos are of..."

Natasha C

"The cake selection is great and the quality lives up to expectations. Tried the sparkling jelly drink which is literally just jello in sprite. If..."

Andrew

"Love their beautifully crafted pastries and desserts! I stumbled onto the place as I was leaving the supermarket. Due to COVID, they only allow 1..."

Fanny Yu

"Great variety and everything tasted fresh (pastries weren't soft, didn't feel like they had been in the case all day). Only negative is that we went..."

Bob Carrig

"Stopped for coffee, left with amazing deliciousness! So good and way to close to my house for my peace of mind. Chocolate Brûlée Classic was so..."

Jax Hearne

"Love the cream puffs from kulu kulu. Chocolate cream puff is *chefs kiss* Fantastic customer service at this..."

Josephine Walter

"Have a good selection of desserts, especially the roll cakes. It was good, but felt a bit..."

Seo Young Myaeng

"So many amazing desserts. Strawberry shortcake is my..."

Seagem Fix

"Not sure if I should give 1 or 5 stars. The sweets are fresh and very good. I am however missing a place where we could sit and enjoy the cakes. I am..."

Roland Rajnak

"Friendly staff. Clean place. Easy to find. I ordered a strawberty tart, strawberry shortcake, chocolate cake and a green tea. Personally I like my..."

Daisy

"August special is Ube Cheesecake -..."

Alan Bryant

"Delicious light tasting and perfectly sweet..."

Prov 18

"Tastey cakes, mini croissants, and pastries made with..."

McLarty Films

"My Wife & I just moved across the street to the Chateau Waikiki and we had to visit this beautiful bakery that everyone kept raving about. It did not..."

Alex Simpson

"Best mouse cake I’ve heard had in my life!!! We got a 10in birthday cake from here last minute on waikiki beach.My husband and I sat in our hotel..."

Aman & Sara

Yaki Yaki Miwa

Okonomiyaki & Takoyaki (Flour Dish)

Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki & Takoyaki (Flour Dish)

"Authentic Japanese teppanyaki!! The food here is always good and it's like being back in Japan. The taste is clean, fresh, and full of rich flavors...."

Great Potoo

"Great ambiance I felt like I was in Japan! My girlfriend is from Kansai and absolutely loved the okonomiyaki. We will definitely be back. Pro tip,..."

Stefano Viscuso

"Got take out during the pandemic. I felt very welcomed and immediately comfortable. The chef skillfully and quickly cooked up a really comforting and..."

Calvin L

"Good customer service. But the service between each order is a bit off.. Would definitely come back for the food..."

Hervian Sebastian

"Food here was pretty good but the service we received was not great. They were busy but we felt a little ignored. Every one the cooking table seemed..."

Rob Arbuckle

"My faaaaavorite restaurant! The seared ahi, harami steak & all of the negiyaki & Okonomiyaki are delicious!! I love the intimate atmosphere, but..."

Kayla Whalen

"Came in off the street after a massage in a haze and was warmly welcomed. Had no idea on the food but simpley ordered the chefs special and was blown..."

Benjamin Garman

"Food was excellent and staff very..."

Julie J

"We fell in love with Okonomiyaki while visiting Japan so we really were in the mood for it while visiting Hawaii. We searched and found this..."

Bev Winters

"Very excellent food and the service was amazing. Yaki Soba Noodles from Japan and all food taste so fresh. The Asahi draft beer was crisp smooth cool..."

chris munoz

"This place is the best! We sat at the bar and we were in awe the entire time. Watching the expert chef was the best, we wanted to try..."

Jason King

"Great food and great service. The chef instantly found out my bf’s hand is injury. So he brought us a fork. We ordered the okonomiyaki, salted yaki..."

Riarianyc LAU

"Food and service was excellent 😃, menu has a variety to order from, knowledgeable staff and it's cool to see them cooking the food pretty much in..."

Scott

"Great ambiance and good..."

Alton Ehia

"Absolute best okonomiyaki I've had since my last time in Japan. Can't recommend it..."

Brian H

"As close as you can when it comes down to kansai cuisine in Honolulu county. Just make sure you make a reservation ahead of..."

Man Luo

"Best okonomiyaki on Oahu. Love the ambiance and the other dishes like the seared ahi, garlic fried rice and pork yakisoba is delicious as..."

Keo Sayegusa

Sakana Grill

"Good local spot to hangout, eat, drink and watch sports. Scott and Cindy run a great clean place. Fried chicken so crispy and delicious, goya was..."

Grant Uyeno

"I love this place so much. Very good staff, food and drinks. I only have a problem with it closed on Sundays. Most motorcycle clubs ride on Sundays...."

Scott Clark

"Awesome food. Accommodating and good fun!! ..."

Solomon Hao

"nice atmosphere and great people! good pupus and..."

Mel C. Carter

"SCOTT, CINDY AND TRICIA ARE AMAZING OWNERS WITH GREAT PERSONALITIES AND PROVIDE AWESOME SERVICE TO..."

Carol Higa

"This place is a hidden gem. Amazing food and the service is world class. Has a chance to meet the owner and have a sip of some great drinks too. If..."

Keith Ward

"Great local sports bar and restaurant. Fried chicken and tongkatsu were amazing. Orders are enough for two or three people. You also have to try the..."

D. Duncan

"Saturday volleyball crowded, reservation required. Kitchen closes at 8. Fried chicken and shoyu pork and pork chops were good. Friendly fast..."

Allen Leong

"Hey, it's an Okinawan bar. I love it. It's clean & nice. The staff & customers are truly wonderful people. The food is Okinawan delicious. I can see..."

Gary Wong

"Food is awesome. Sashimi, poke is always top..."

Glenn Yamamoto

"Very good service. People there are Soo respectful. Karaoke is awesome. Make me feel like a good singer, after a few beers. Good fun. Love..."

Johnny Perez

"Nice little sports bar with plenty TVs to watch football. Open on sundays during football season!! Also their food is excellent. Get the fried..."

Hash Hayashi

"Very friendly with good..."

Megan Emi

"Tucked in among some small shops in Kalihi, Sakana Grill is a homey and friendly spot for some ono pupus and beer. You can bring in the family for a..."

Lance Agena

"Good food. Good service. Cold beer. Only wish they had more selection on tap, but they had everyones favorite bottled..."

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Japanese cuisine: the best places to taste it in Honolulu

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