Food was decent quality but it is extremely overpriced. $105 for a few pieces of nigiri and chicken karaage is outrageous and unjustified. Stay away. Much better value izakayas in Honolulu.
Lanna Zhou
Referred by a friend, recommended to wait in line by 4:30pm without a reservation, hoping to be lucky to get seated for 2 in a weekday. Saw workers going in for work and owner took the sign and bench out for us to sit before 5pm (when they open) and let us in prior to 5pm.Sat at the bar, friendly workers and chefs, recommend us their favorite fishes. We order lots of variety of food and the food either meets our expectations (hamachi, toro, shrimp, scollap) or exceeded our expectations (tamago, tofu jelly, chawanmushi, Shimaaji, Kinmedai, clam in sake broth)!Thought it would be over $250 but turns out to be a little under $200! Definitely back next time in Hawaii!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Japanese Omelette, Chawanmushi, Sushi Omakase, Yakitori
Yuki
It was okay. Not as good as I remembered 10 years ago.I was disappointed when we saw the sushi chef was prepping tako-wasa from a jar that we can buy from a Japanese market, in front of us … and it had an eye on it☠️ I guess I lost my appetite at the moment.Also I was annoyed about them kept serving the Japanese people next us free food just cause they know each other (it’s common in Hawaii, but not feel good for the people around). Good local place I guess, but probably will try somewhere else next time.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
C. Donnelly
Reservations are a must at Gaku, a classic izakaya with a cult following. It’s packed every night of the week, and spots along the bar are the most coveted. Gaku is a casual place, but meals get spendy very fast. It’s worth it. Order the negitoro tartare (with masago, ponzu, green onions, and a raw quail egg), the uni and ikura shooters topped with shoyu jelly, and the house-made tofu
TK Cha
Best sushi ever with great atmosphere. Highly recommended and english friendly.
Lowell Carhart
This is a Japanese owned, operated and staffed Izakaya. So, it is a genuine slice of Tokyo here on the island. Yes, it is expensive but much less expensive than having two sub-par sushi meals elsewhere -- which is what we mostly all do, right? Their daily specials (hot and cold) fill an entire page of the menu and speak to the skill and experience of the staff. The selection and quality are perfect! For me, this place is the best in the USA, followed very closely by Sushi Den in Denver. BTW, if you have a large party of 8 or 10 ask for the tatami room!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mackerel, Sashimi Special, Blue Fin OH Toro Sashimi
Flex Rogers
An outstanding dining experience featuring high quality ingredients and intimate experience with the staff. They graciously welcomed us despite not having a reservation on a busy evening. Seeing our food being prepared with such care and attention to detail, while being able to interact with the chefs, fully immersed us in the flavors of each dish. Everything was delicious. Highly recommended! Can’t wait to go again.
While it is a pain to get a reservation here, the quaint spot with traditional seating and aesthetics makes this a very cute spot to dine in the heart of touristy Honolulu. Service here was very friendly and the food was well prepared. However, I would argue that well all things are well done, nothing stood head and shoulders above the rest as a "come here for this!". While we didn't leave hungry or disappointed, we also didn't leave enthusiastic to return. Overall, beautiful place for traditional Japanese food and experience, but not particularly a must go.
Captain P.
Nothing special but it was a nice meal, nice atmosphere, and service was ok.Ikura jelly and tofu was a nice novelty item and tasted as expected, like tofu with hamachi and jelly.Hamachi Carpaccio was good but did not have the right size cut with the right size pepper and sauce that makes a flavorful explosion of taste when eating.Shishito peppers and mushrooms came out hot and was delicious. Spicy ahi roll, good but again...nothing special, but of course better than fast food sushi places. Shumai... this was ono!Maguro and Otoro tuna, this was ono too.Karage chicken, good but nothing specialHamachi nigiri...looked like salmon, it had a sauce that gave it an orange color and also masked the taste of the hamachi. If you like eat hamachi and taste hamachi probably better to order hamachi sashimiSaba nigiri...ok, wouldn't order it again.Miso soup was flavorful and even had a piece of kama, not sure what kind of fish it was but not pelagic type, bottom or reef fish.The restaurant's decor was nice and felt authentic, bathroom was located in the store and clean. Service was good although it took a while for my beer to come. I usually order it first thing but had to wait awhile...that and the fact that there was no draft beer was a little disappointing, this is first izakaya I've been to that did not have draft beer and yup you can taste the difference. Nothing like cold draft beer with your sushi. Also almost overpaid, good thing I checked the bill and caught the additional charges. Parking lot was right there and free, the entry tunnel is a little narrow and the lot small, but I didn't have an issue entering and exiting. Good thing I was early, it could've been challenging to turn my 3/4ton 4x4 truck around in the lot. I suspect that if you aren't early you won't get a stall though.Overall the food and ambiance was good but won't go out of my way to eat here again.
Juno Parrenas
Magnificently delicious sushi. Better than anything in Vancouver, even better than Vancouver’s best sushi in the world winner.
All the fish are imported from Japan. Great quality.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sushi Omakase
Maxim Pekarsky
Super delicious fresh fish with lovely service and clear explanations of what I'm eating. I feel very fortunate to have stumbled into this place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joey Sun
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. Every piece of sushi is prepared so delicately and skillfully. Each cut of the fish is so precise and fine. Also must mention that the spicy tartar is extremely creamy flavorful and yet refreshing. Just overall an amazing experience. Definitely best sushi in Hawaii
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Willette I.
It's been awhile since we've been here. The last time was pre-pandemic. Food was just ok and service was off (the sushi staff were backed up and made the wrong sushi which pushed our order to past a 45 minute wait). Parking is a hassle..there are so many other restaurants that have opened that are worth your time and money (better preparation of dishes, valet parking, better service). We will not be back.We ordered:Kanpachi carpaccio - just aightSeared blue fin chu toro- not cut wellTofu & mochi agedashi - just aightMatsutake dobinmushi soup - standout!Hamachi and otoro nigiri- the otoro was in pieces, not cut wellSoft shell crab karaage- small and not crispyMatsutake chawanmushi - aightSoft shell crab tempura avocado roll - the sweet chili sauce did not pair well. We've had better elsewhere.
Eileen Chan
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 enjoyed interacting with the chefs. The server was friendly and had great suggestions for drinks and food.We loved the experience and look forward to our next visit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sushi Omakase, Blue Fin OH Toro Sashimi
Food was decent quality but it is extremely overpriced. $105 for a few pieces of nigiri and chicken karaage is outrageous and unjustified. Stay away. Much better value izakayas in Honolulu.
Referred by a friend, recommended to wait in line by 4:30pm without a reservation, hoping to be lucky to get seated for 2 in a weekday. Saw workers going in for work and owner took the sign and bench out for us to sit before 5pm (when they open) and let us in prior to 5pm.Sat at the bar, friendly workers and chefs, recommend us their favorite fishes. We order lots of variety of food and the food either meets our expectations (hamachi, toro, shrimp, scollap) or exceeded our expectations (tamago, tofu jelly, chawanmushi, Shimaaji, Kinmedai, clam in sake broth)!Thought it would be over $250 but turns out to be a little under $200! Definitely back next time in Hawaii!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Japanese Omelette, Chawanmushi, Sushi Omakase, Yakitori
It was okay. Not as good as I remembered 10 years ago.I was disappointed when we saw the sushi chef was prepping tako-wasa from a jar that we can buy from a Japanese market, in front of us … and it had an eye on it☠️ I guess I lost my appetite at the moment.Also I was annoyed about them kept serving the Japanese people next us free food just cause they know each other (it’s common in Hawaii, but not feel good for the people around). Good local place I guess, but probably will try somewhere else next time.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Reservations are a must at Gaku, a classic izakaya with a cult following. It’s packed every night of the week, and spots along the bar are the most coveted. Gaku is a casual place, but meals get spendy very fast. It’s worth it. Order the negitoro tartare (with masago, ponzu, green onions, and a raw quail egg), the uni and ikura shooters topped with shoyu jelly, and the house-made tofu
Best sushi ever with great atmosphere. Highly recommended and english friendly.
This is a Japanese owned, operated and staffed Izakaya. So, it is a genuine slice of Tokyo here on the island. Yes, it is expensive but much less expensive than having two sub-par sushi meals elsewhere -- which is what we mostly all do, right? Their daily specials (hot and cold) fill an entire page of the menu and speak to the skill and experience of the staff. The selection and quality are perfect! For me, this place is the best in the USA, followed very closely by Sushi Den in Denver. BTW, if you have a large party of 8 or 10 ask for the tatami room!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mackerel, Sashimi Special, Blue Fin OH Toro Sashimi
An outstanding dining experience featuring high quality ingredients and intimate experience with the staff. They graciously welcomed us despite not having a reservation on a busy evening. Seeing our food being prepared with such care and attention to detail, while being able to interact with the chefs, fully immersed us in the flavors of each dish. Everything was delicious. Highly recommended! Can’t wait to go again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Miso Butterfish, Sushi Omakase, Tuna
While it is a pain to get a reservation here, the quaint spot with traditional seating and aesthetics makes this a very cute spot to dine in the heart of touristy Honolulu. Service here was very friendly and the food was well prepared. However, I would argue that well all things are well done, nothing stood head and shoulders above the rest as a "come here for this!". While we didn't leave hungry or disappointed, we also didn't leave enthusiastic to return. Overall, beautiful place for traditional Japanese food and experience, but not particularly a must go.
Nothing special but it was a nice meal, nice atmosphere, and service was ok.Ikura jelly and tofu was a nice novelty item and tasted as expected, like tofu with hamachi and jelly.Hamachi Carpaccio was good but did not have the right size cut with the right size pepper and sauce that makes a flavorful explosion of taste when eating.Shishito peppers and mushrooms came out hot and was delicious. Spicy ahi roll, good but again...nothing special, but of course better than fast food sushi places. Shumai... this was ono!Maguro and Otoro tuna, this was ono too.Karage chicken, good but nothing specialHamachi nigiri...looked like salmon, it had a sauce that gave it an orange color and also masked the taste of the hamachi. If you like eat hamachi and taste hamachi probably better to order hamachi sashimiSaba nigiri...ok, wouldn't order it again.Miso soup was flavorful and even had a piece of kama, not sure what kind of fish it was but not pelagic type, bottom or reef fish.The restaurant's decor was nice and felt authentic, bathroom was located in the store and clean. Service was good although it took a while for my beer to come. I usually order it first thing but had to wait awhile...that and the fact that there was no draft beer was a little disappointing, this is first izakaya I've been to that did not have draft beer and yup you can taste the difference. Nothing like cold draft beer with your sushi. Also almost overpaid, good thing I checked the bill and caught the additional charges. Parking lot was right there and free, the entry tunnel is a little narrow and the lot small, but I didn't have an issue entering and exiting. Good thing I was early, it could've been challenging to turn my 3/4ton 4x4 truck around in the lot. I suspect that if you aren't early you won't get a stall though.Overall the food and ambiance was good but won't go out of my way to eat here again.
Magnificently delicious sushi. Better than anything in Vancouver, even better than Vancouver’s best sushi in the world winner.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
All the fish are imported from Japan. Great quality.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sushi Omakase
Super delicious fresh fish with lovely service and clear explanations of what I'm eating. I feel very fortunate to have stumbled into this place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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. Every piece of sushi is prepared so delicately and skillfully. Each cut of the fish is so precise and fine. Also must mention that the spicy tartar is extremely creamy flavorful and yet refreshing. Just overall an amazing experience. Definitely best sushi in Hawaii
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It's been awhile since we've been here. The last time was pre-pandemic. Food was just ok and service was off (the sushi staff were backed up and made the wrong sushi which pushed our order to past a 45 minute wait). Parking is a hassle..there are so many other restaurants that have opened that are worth your time and money (better preparation of dishes, valet parking, better service). We will not be back.We ordered:Kanpachi carpaccio - just aightSeared blue fin chu toro- not cut wellTofu & mochi agedashi - just aightMatsutake dobinmushi soup - standout!Hamachi and otoro nigiri- the otoro was in pieces, not cut wellSoft shell crab karaage- small and not crispyMatsutake chawanmushi - aightSoft shell crab tempura avocado roll - the sweet chili sauce did not pair well. We've had better elsewhere.
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 enjoyed interacting with the chefs. The server was friendly and had great suggestions for drinks and food.We loved the experience and look forward to our next visit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sushi Omakase, Blue Fin OH Toro Sashimi