Came here and found out the happy hour was still going on. We ordered from both the HH and regular menu. Everything was so good! I really liked the fried burdock/seafood dish! It goes so well with beer/alcohol hehe. I also tried the sushi and soba combo, which was delicious. Other key items - tempura, agedashi tofu, monkfish liver.The service was awesome and love this authentic Japanese restaurant. Super fun atmosphere and parking is limited if you come during prime dinner time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rick Kazman
I have eaten at Imanas Tei twice recently. My experiences both times were about the same. The food is pretty good, but not amazing. In particular the "happy hour" specials are disappointing. And, for a place with relatively little atmosphere and what appears to be a low-rent location, the prices are pretty high. I spent over $120 for me and my wife with no alcohol. I think that if you want the really good food you have to really know Japanese food and you have to order off the non-happy hour menu. For example, my companions (one of whom is Japanese) ordered the Monkfish liver--not something I would have ever thought of ordering--and it was excellent. So, a mixed bag.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 3
Jonathan Au
Really nice spot, great service and huge variety of delicious
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
水田瑠美（Ru）
I'm relieved to be able to drink oolong high after a long time ?lolIt's a Japanese izakaya so I wanted some towels?There are so many menus that you won't be able to choose! ️What I received was delicious.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Pasha Moradi
Pricy but delicious!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Yao Li
A very good variety of Japanese food. We enjoyed everything we had.
The service and atmosphere were okay. Food was THE WORST I've ever had in my life. Had the tako wasabi, which was nothing like what I would expect for this classic appetizer - I just got some chopped fresh tako legs and a dollop of wasabi squezzed on top. Had the chicken karaage, which was tasteless and overfried. Had the beef tongue - it was served warm and right after we made our order, which makes me wonder if they were precooked and reheated. Had the teriyaki chicken, the meat was tasteless and the sauce was disgusting. Had the beef shabushabu, the meat, the soup and the dipping sauces were all freakkng sour and I gave up more than half of the food. Perhaps the sushi and sashimi were better(I didn't try), but everything I've had are sooo awful. Oh, and I paied a total of 180 for these.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 4
Bruna
Happy hour after 8pm is reasonable.The food quality is depending on.Udon - Very poiorTekkadon-
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
Ming-Tang Chen
I forgot when and how I found this restaurant. It was long ago when I was much younger and eager to try new food, and then I kept returning to it whenever I was in Honolulu. The restaurant combines izakaya, Nihon whashoku, and sushi bar, and I was always satisfied with its sake selection. You can order a hot pot (shabu shabu) to cook your own slices of beef or have a bowl of soup noodles to finish your night of drinking. It is a perfect place for gathering with your old friends and new ones. The place is reasonably priced and has satisfactory service; its atmosphere is izakaya style, cheerful, and upbeat. Some might find the interior needing more attention, but the food and drinks always distract me from it. I have been to the restaurant so many times, and I can not remember which dishes were subpar. It felt like home cooking, but I am not Japanese. Overall, it is one of my favorite places in Honolulu, and I will keep returning.Take an Uber to go there to save your hassle of parking and the return driving after the drink.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
G W
My local friend brought me here. The food and service were excellent. Butter fish melts in your mouth. Beware, like a lot of places in Hawaii, parking is tight and limited.
5 stars for Imanas Tei! Fresh, fresh, FRESH! That's the first thing I want to say about our experience. The wife and I enjoyed date night at Imanas Tei last night. It was a bit of a struggle finding their parking lot, but once we were there, it was smooth sailing. We were thrilled to discover that we arrived during happy hour. (See pic for times and offerings) AWESOME options to choose from, and it was a surprise, so - Yay :)Things we tried:UniIkuraHamachiMaguroTakoHotateScallop/mayo gunkanTamagoEbi Oyster shooterShrimp temp appetizer Agedashi tofuTempura whole garlic Cali roll Miso butterfish Everything was in the category of WOW!!! Blown away with the clean & fresh taste. Omg.. can't wait to have more. The service btw was great. There were many workers on the floor, and even the sushi chef offered to seat us since the servers were busy at the time we arrived thru the door. Oh and another reason for the 5 stars which I definitely can't leave out is, we were so please to have all of our orders fly outta the kitchen! Our entire meal only lasted 45 minutes because of how fast we received our orders after placing them. I genuinely appreciate when I can enjoy my meal with my wife since she usually orders the raw stuff, and I'm more of a kitchen connoisseur. Great job everyone! Thank you for making our first visit a success. :)
Alex O.
This is a review from a few months ago that I'm getting around to doing now. I made a reservation via Yelp a few days in advance for 5 pm. We were easily seated, and we only had 1 thing on our minds - Shabu Shabu. You can order standard meat, Premium Meat, or Wagyu. We opted for the Wagyu.Shabu Shabu - 5/5. Hands down one of the best hotpot on island. While not an AYCE, the quality of the ingredients and the dipping sauces can bridge the gap. Every order cones with their sesame sauce or Ponzu with daikon and green onions. All hotpot are also given the choice of rice for zosui or udon to finish in their leftover broth. This is one location that I actually skip on rice to enjoy everything the hotpot has to offer (their rice is good though). They also have a wide selection of sushi, sashimi, and cooked dishes. We thoroughly enjoy the Shabu Shabu here but don't discount their other items.
Alex Le
Food was good sushi is fresh def go in and stop by.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Vicky L.
Ambiance is nice, busy. Staff and service was really nice and friendly! Cute place and decor. I ordered uni, otoro, and hamachi nigiri to start. Delicious. Also ordered oyster shooters, a surf and turf roll, and hamachi sashimi. I looooove oyster shooters, but I didn't like this one. They had way too much daikon that it was just unpleasant. The oysters seemed tinier than usual for shooters. A pleasant aftertaste was the only thing it had going for it. The surf and turf roll was painfully dry and bland. My friend enjoyed it though. It wasn't nearly enough sushi, so I had to order hamachi sashimi too. Yummy. Price is about average for what we ordered, except the oyster shooters were a bit more expensive and completely not worth it. Would go again, but no oyster shooters.
Dub C.
Sadly , the last 6 months imanas has gone down hill. Fish is mushy, smelly, rice is mushy , and just not right.Last visit was super odd! Our bill was about $650 , we tipped I believe $128 cash ! Waiter came back and told us we shorted $2 !!!Mf $2 ! That's right ! We thought he was joking ! And he wasn't ! When we left and was outside we All was like wtf ! Was that even real ? We could have tipped $128 on cc and he would have got taxed ? I believe $128 before sales tax is still over 20 %?But bruh that was pretty ballsy !
Came here and found out the happy hour was still going on. We ordered from both the HH and regular menu. Everything was so good! I really liked the fried burdock/seafood dish! It goes so well with beer/alcohol hehe. I also tried the sushi and soba combo, which was delicious. Other key items - tempura, agedashi tofu, monkfish liver.The service was awesome and love this authentic Japanese restaurant. Super fun atmosphere and parking is limited if you come during prime dinner time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I have eaten at Imanas Tei twice recently. My experiences both times were about the same. The food is pretty good, but not amazing. In particular the "happy hour" specials are disappointing. And, for a place with relatively little atmosphere and what appears to be a low-rent location, the prices are pretty high. I spent over $120 for me and my wife with no alcohol. I think that if you want the really good food you have to really know Japanese food and you have to order off the non-happy hour menu. For example, my companions (one of whom is Japanese) ordered the Monkfish liver--not something I would have ever thought of ordering--and it was excellent. So, a mixed bag.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 3
Really nice spot, great service and huge variety of delicious
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I'm relieved to be able to drink oolong high after a long time ?lolIt's a Japanese izakaya so I wanted some towels?There are so many menus that you won't be able to choose! ️What I received was delicious.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Pricy but delicious!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A very good variety of Japanese food. We enjoyed everything we had.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Beef Tongue, Chanko Nabe
The service and atmosphere were okay. Food was THE WORST I've ever had in my life. Had the tako wasabi, which was nothing like what I would expect for this classic appetizer - I just got some chopped fresh tako legs and a dollop of wasabi squezzed on top. Had the chicken karaage, which was tasteless and overfried. Had the beef tongue - it was served warm and right after we made our order, which makes me wonder if they were precooked and reheated. Had the teriyaki chicken, the meat was tasteless and the sauce was disgusting. Had the beef shabushabu, the meat, the soup and the dipping sauces were all freakkng sour and I gave up more than half of the food. Perhaps the sushi and sashimi were better(I didn't try), but everything I've had are sooo awful. Oh, and I paied a total of 180 for these.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 4
Happy hour after 8pm is reasonable.The food quality is depending on.Udon - Very poiorTekkadon-
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
I forgot when and how I found this restaurant. It was long ago when I was much younger and eager to try new food, and then I kept returning to it whenever I was in Honolulu. The restaurant combines izakaya, Nihon whashoku, and sushi bar, and I was always satisfied with its sake selection. You can order a hot pot (shabu shabu) to cook your own slices of beef or have a bowl of soup noodles to finish your night of drinking. It is a perfect place for gathering with your old friends and new ones. The place is reasonably priced and has satisfactory service; its atmosphere is izakaya style, cheerful, and upbeat. Some might find the interior needing more attention, but the food and drinks always distract me from it. I have been to the restaurant so many times, and I can not remember which dishes were subpar. It felt like home cooking, but I am not Japanese. Overall, it is one of my favorite places in Honolulu, and I will keep returning.Take an Uber to go there to save your hassle of parking and the return driving after the drink.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
My local friend brought me here. The food and service were excellent. Butter fish melts in your mouth. Beware, like a lot of places in Hawaii, parking is tight and limited.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shrimp Tempura 5
Restaurantji Recommends
5 stars for Imanas Tei! Fresh, fresh, FRESH! That's the first thing I want to say about our experience. The wife and I enjoyed date night at Imanas Tei last night. It was a bit of a struggle finding their parking lot, but once we were there, it was smooth sailing. We were thrilled to discover that we arrived during happy hour. (See pic for times and offerings) AWESOME options to choose from, and it was a surprise, so - Yay :)Things we tried:UniIkuraHamachiMaguroTakoHotateScallop/mayo gunkanTamagoEbi Oyster shooterShrimp temp appetizer Agedashi tofuTempura whole garlic Cali roll Miso butterfish Everything was in the category of WOW!!! Blown away with the clean & fresh taste. Omg.. can't wait to have more. The service btw was great. There were many workers on the floor, and even the sushi chef offered to seat us since the servers were busy at the time we arrived thru the door. Oh and another reason for the 5 stars which I definitely can't leave out is, we were so please to have all of our orders fly outta the kitchen! Our entire meal only lasted 45 minutes because of how fast we received our orders after placing them. I genuinely appreciate when I can enjoy my meal with my wife since she usually orders the raw stuff, and I'm more of a kitchen connoisseur. Great job everyone! Thank you for making our first visit a success. :)
This is a review from a few months ago that I'm getting around to doing now. I made a reservation via Yelp a few days in advance for 5 pm. We were easily seated, and we only had 1 thing on our minds - Shabu Shabu. You can order standard meat, Premium Meat, or Wagyu. We opted for the Wagyu.Shabu Shabu - 5/5. Hands down one of the best hotpot on island. While not an AYCE, the quality of the ingredients and the dipping sauces can bridge the gap. Every order cones with their sesame sauce or Ponzu with daikon and green onions. All hotpot are also given the choice of rice for zosui or udon to finish in their leftover broth. This is one location that I actually skip on rice to enjoy everything the hotpot has to offer (their rice is good though). They also have a wide selection of sushi, sashimi, and cooked dishes. We thoroughly enjoy the Shabu Shabu here but don't discount their other items.
Food was good sushi is fresh def go in and stop by.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ambiance is nice, busy. Staff and service was really nice and friendly! Cute place and decor. I ordered uni, otoro, and hamachi nigiri to start. Delicious. Also ordered oyster shooters, a surf and turf roll, and hamachi sashimi. I looooove oyster shooters, but I didn't like this one. They had way too much daikon that it was just unpleasant. The oysters seemed tinier than usual for shooters. A pleasant aftertaste was the only thing it had going for it. The surf and turf roll was painfully dry and bland. My friend enjoyed it though. It wasn't nearly enough sushi, so I had to order hamachi sashimi too. Yummy. Price is about average for what we ordered, except the oyster shooters were a bit more expensive and completely not worth it. Would go again, but no oyster shooters.
Sadly , the last 6 months imanas has gone down hill. Fish is mushy, smelly, rice is mushy , and just not right.Last visit was super odd! Our bill was about $650 , we tipped I believe $128 cash ! Waiter came back and told us we shorted $2 !!!Mf $2 ! That's right ! We thought he was joking ! And he wasn't ! When we left and was outside we All was like wtf ! Was that even real ? We could have tipped $128 on cc and he would have got taxed ? I believe $128 before sales tax is still over 20 %?But bruh that was pretty ballsy !