I've been to a few izakaya places in the past couple of years including some in Japan and this spot is definitely one of the top ones. We had reservations so was seated immediately but if you arrive during peak hours without reservations, there's probably going to be a wait. They have a small lot outside for a few cars but otherwise, street parking is the way to go. Inside, it's decorated like a traditional Japanese izakaya place with an open kitchen and bar seating. It's not a big place though. Since we arrived at about 7 pm but didn't order until 15 minutes later, they did sell out some stuff. For 3 people, we ordered the hamachi carpaccio, grilled beef tongue, chawanmushi, agedashi tofu, white dragon roll, aburi hamachi roll, and the kanpachi Kama. I would say that filled us up to about 70% full. Every dish was delicious but the standout ones were the grilled beef tongue (tender and juicy), the white dragon roll (flavors were blended well) and the hamachi carpaccio (fresh and the sauces highlighted the hamachi well). Portion size was decent given the price. Service was attentive, the staff filled our glasses when water is empty and checked in on us to make sure our food was ok. Order to food arrival time was short and they removed the empty plates as soon as we were done. I will save this spot on my list of restaurants to return to when in Oahu.
Ms LaLa D.
PARKING is limited! Over flow paid lot across at CPB. Haven't been here since Hide adventured on his. Staff is always wonderful. Lots of changes though. I was surprised to see it wasn't very busy on a Friday evening. We ordered a few things to share. My Cousin who was visiting was happy with everything. The Okra was my favorite this time. We also ordered Steamed Clams, Cold Tofu, Chawanmushi, and Fresh Ahi Poke. Everything was delicious.
Comiendo C.
The food at Izakaya is so fresh & absolutely delicious! This is my go to spot on island ! 10/10 recommend !
Samantha J.
We were looking for a spot for dinner and drinks when we came across this izakaya. Luckily we came earlier in the evening since we didn't have a reservation and took the last remaining seats. We started off with some sake recommended by the waitress and for food we ordered: Chicken Kaarage: 4/5 juicy and flavorful chicken Salmon Ochazuke: 4/5 this was such a comforting dish Hamachi Carpaccio: 4.5/5 the hamachi was flavorful and fresh. The sauce that came with it was so good even on just the onions alone Tuna Tartar: 4/5 Solid tuna tartar, no complaints but not anything mind blowing Nigiri: 3.5/5 we had the eel, chutoro, amaebi, scallop and a few others. They were all just average. I would stick to the dishes here instea Overall, we had a tasty and nice meal here. There dishes are all done well and service was nice. It wasn't anything extremely unique to where I would be dying to return to next trip but if I lived here I could see this being a go to spot for dinner.
Karisa L.
I love this place even though I've only been here once. I got to try a lot of different dishes and they all tasted so good. They probably aren't amazing value for the price but I think they were worth it for the flavor alone. The service was really quick and food came out pretty quickly too. I want to keep coming back here to try even more dishes. There's so many unique dishes on the menu that I haven't tried before and nothing I've tried so far was disappointing. I tried monkfish liver here for the first time and it tasted amazing! I'd love to order that again. If you want to experience legit izakaya food then this place is worth checking out.
Sarah Horng
We celebrated our friend’s birthday here. 10 adults and 3 kids. Staff accommodated us and the service was 10/10. Extreme friendly staff and attentive. The food was soo good. They might have the largest hamachi Kama I have ever seen or had… it was grilled to perfection! They have both Izakaya and sushi, nigiri, rolls, etc . Udon was perfect for the keikis. We were too busy having fun. Wish I took more food photos. We also had a lot of sake. We were stufffffed to the max. Make reservations bc they always have a full house with a wait.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Andy S.
Food was good but not great. Ambiance was nice and not too loud. Our server and the team were all pretty young and seemed to overlook us on occasion, but they did ok. I would come back, the experience the was decent, but probably could have been a little better.
Sam B
Delicious food and excellent service with an unpretentious and family-friendly weeknight atmosphere. Parking can be a little challenging, but definitely worth a trip. The sushi is very good, but I think the real draw is the cooked menu - the beef udon is a particular standout.Kid-friendliness: High-chairs available, toddler friendly glassware offered
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sushi, Gyudon
Jenn L.
Went for late night HH with friends and boy was it delish! Unfortunately we got there so late some of the plates we wanted were sold out, but np, the waitress suggested others we would love (so many great options you can always find something). Also got speciality rolls and food came out quickly! Parking at the front but on a busy night might be a tough location but totally worth it. The restaurant itself was clean and a decent size that had at least 5 small tables and the bar to sit at. Will be back again
Ray Kildron
Food is excellent if you’re looking for Japanese fusion. Will be back for sure!!
They don't open until later around 6pm. It's important to make reservations or you might not be able to get a spot. This is one of my friends hang out place. They made really fresh food. Sadly there were many items not available that day when I visited. We got different varieties of food and they all overall very good! Those food are definitely perfect for the heat in Hawaii. I got Niku udon and it's actually bad idea! It got me really heat up after with the Hawaii weather. Overall everything is amazing
Thomas Tran
Food quality was mid, but you got too little for what you pay. Also the service was slow and bad.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
Phillip Rogers
I made reservations with ample time and when I showed up this place had a handwritten sign telling us that the place was closed. Why wasn't I called in advance? Checked my voicemails... it was just my auntie that i missed a call from. They said they left a message but they didnt. My wife is mad at me because i rushed her out of the house before she could put on her makeup. This place did not have the decency to give us a call so I could make plans for another restaurant. It's not only an embarrassment for me but for my father in law that came all the way from Puerto Rico to visit us.Edit: I also sat in traffic for over an hour to be on time for my reservation. I'm sad cause I had a great time here last year.
George C.
went to eat there last week with some friend we had oyster shooters and nigiri and we all ended up getting sick dont eat here unless u want to get sick otoro looked brown instead of fresh
Victoria Rutledge
Usually I like this place but tonight they were super rude. I had called earlier in the evening to get a reservation and once again right before I went in. Both times it went to a recording that says they’re open till midnight and the last call is at 11:30 PM. I came in at 10:55 pm and they refused to allow me to dine in or even do take out. I explained I had paid $20 to get there but they just stared at me. Quinn, the gal who usually waits on us and is usually sweet, was there and tonight she was decidedly unfriendly They had apparently decided to close early but everybody was still there including the two servers, two sushi men and two guys in the kitchen. They could have made a cold order of food to go (which is what I wanted) but they chose not to. I asked them to please just do a take out order but they wouldn’t even answer. Super unprofessional and disappointing. Maybe honor your advertised hours or if you’re not going to do that, at least answer your phone to let people know you’re closing early.
I've been to a few izakaya places in the past couple of years including some in Japan and this spot is definitely one of the top ones. We had reservations so was seated immediately but if you arrive during peak hours without reservations, there's probably going to be a wait. They have a small lot outside for a few cars but otherwise, street parking is the way to go. Inside, it's decorated like a traditional Japanese izakaya place with an open kitchen and bar seating. It's not a big place though. Since we arrived at about 7 pm but didn't order until 15 minutes later, they did sell out some stuff. For 3 people, we ordered the hamachi carpaccio, grilled beef tongue, chawanmushi, agedashi tofu, white dragon roll, aburi hamachi roll, and the kanpachi Kama. I would say that filled us up to about 70% full. Every dish was delicious but the standout ones were the grilled beef tongue (tender and juicy), the white dragon roll (flavors were blended well) and the hamachi carpaccio (fresh and the sauces highlighted the hamachi well). Portion size was decent given the price. Service was attentive, the staff filled our glasses when water is empty and checked in on us to make sure our food was ok. Order to food arrival time was short and they removed the empty plates as soon as we were done. I will save this spot on my list of restaurants to return to when in Oahu.
PARKING is limited! Over flow paid lot across at CPB. Haven't been here since Hide adventured on his. Staff is always wonderful. Lots of changes though. I was surprised to see it wasn't very busy on a Friday evening. We ordered a few things to share. My Cousin who was visiting was happy with everything. The Okra was my favorite this time. We also ordered Steamed Clams, Cold Tofu, Chawanmushi, and Fresh Ahi Poke. Everything was delicious.
The food at Izakaya is so fresh & absolutely delicious! This is my go to spot on island ! 10/10 recommend !
We were looking for a spot for dinner and drinks when we came across this izakaya. Luckily we came earlier in the evening since we didn't have a reservation and took the last remaining seats. We started off with some sake recommended by the waitress and for food we ordered: Chicken Kaarage: 4/5 juicy and flavorful chicken Salmon Ochazuke: 4/5 this was such a comforting dish Hamachi Carpaccio: 4.5/5 the hamachi was flavorful and fresh. The sauce that came with it was so good even on just the onions alone Tuna Tartar: 4/5 Solid tuna tartar, no complaints but not anything mind blowing Nigiri: 3.5/5 we had the eel, chutoro, amaebi, scallop and a few others. They were all just average. I would stick to the dishes here instea Overall, we had a tasty and nice meal here. There dishes are all done well and service was nice. It wasn't anything extremely unique to where I would be dying to return to next trip but if I lived here I could see this being a go to spot for dinner.
I love this place even though I've only been here once. I got to try a lot of different dishes and they all tasted so good. They probably aren't amazing value for the price but I think they were worth it for the flavor alone. The service was really quick and food came out pretty quickly too. I want to keep coming back here to try even more dishes. There's so many unique dishes on the menu that I haven't tried before and nothing I've tried so far was disappointing. I tried monkfish liver here for the first time and it tasted amazing! I'd love to order that again. If you want to experience legit izakaya food then this place is worth checking out.
We celebrated our friend’s birthday here. 10 adults and 3 kids. Staff accommodated us and the service was 10/10. Extreme friendly staff and attentive. The food was soo good. They might have the largest hamachi Kama I have ever seen or had… it was grilled to perfection! They have both Izakaya and sushi, nigiri, rolls, etc . Udon was perfect for the keikis. We were too busy having fun. Wish I took more food photos. We also had a lot of sake. We were stufffffed to the max. Make reservations bc they always have a full house with a wait.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food was good but not great. Ambiance was nice and not too loud. Our server and the team were all pretty young and seemed to overlook us on occasion, but they did ok. I would come back, the experience the was decent, but probably could have been a little better.
Delicious food and excellent service with an unpretentious and family-friendly weeknight atmosphere. Parking can be a little challenging, but definitely worth a trip. The sushi is very good, but I think the real draw is the cooked menu - the beef udon is a particular standout.Kid-friendliness: High-chairs available, toddler friendly glassware offered
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sushi, Gyudon
Went for late night HH with friends and boy was it delish! Unfortunately we got there so late some of the plates we wanted were sold out, but np, the waitress suggested others we would love (so many great options you can always find something). Also got speciality rolls and food came out quickly! Parking at the front but on a busy night might be a tough location but totally worth it. The restaurant itself was clean and a decent size that had at least 5 small tables and the bar to sit at. Will be back again
Food is excellent if you’re looking for Japanese fusion. Will be back for sure!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Spicy Tuna Tartar, Sushi, Hamachi Carpaccio
Restaurantji Recommends
They don't open until later around 6pm. It's important to make reservations or you might not be able to get a spot. This is one of my friends hang out place. They made really fresh food. Sadly there were many items not available that day when I visited. We got different varieties of food and they all overall very good! Those food are definitely perfect for the heat in Hawaii. I got Niku udon and it's actually bad idea! It got me really heat up after with the Hawaii weather. Overall everything is amazing
Food quality was mid, but you got too little for what you pay. Also the service was slow and bad.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
I made reservations with ample time and when I showed up this place had a handwritten sign telling us that the place was closed. Why wasn't I called in advance? Checked my voicemails... it was just my auntie that i missed a call from. They said they left a message but they didnt. My wife is mad at me because i rushed her out of the house before she could put on her makeup. This place did not have the decency to give us a call so I could make plans for another restaurant. It's not only an embarrassment for me but for my father in law that came all the way from Puerto Rico to visit us.Edit: I also sat in traffic for over an hour to be on time for my reservation. I'm sad cause I had a great time here last year.
went to eat there last week with some friend we had oyster shooters and nigiri and we all ended up getting sick dont eat here unless u want to get sick otoro looked brown instead of fresh
Usually I like this place but tonight they were super rude. I had called earlier in the evening to get a reservation and once again right before I went in. Both times it went to a recording that says they’re open till midnight and the last call is at 11:30 PM. I came in at 10:55 pm and they refused to allow me to dine in or even do take out. I explained I had paid $20 to get there but they just stared at me. Quinn, the gal who usually waits on us and is usually sweet, was there and tonight she was decidedly unfriendly They had apparently decided to close early but everybody was still there including the two servers, two sushi men and two guys in the kitchen. They could have made a cold order of food to go (which is what I wanted) but they chose not to. I asked them to please just do a take out order but they wouldn’t even answer. Super unprofessional and disappointing. Maybe honor your advertised hours or if you’re not going to do that, at least answer your phone to let people know you’re closing early.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1