Located on Ward Ave. just passed Blaisdell Center, Asahi Grill is an OG of oxtail soup and great and affordable place to eat. PARKING They have a small lot, which has about 10 stalls. Can be a tight fit for some bigger vehicle, but there is street parking. RESTAURANT Fairly clean, but it has that old style look to it. The chairs and tables are out of date and the place is fairly dim. I think if they did some small renovations Asahi Grill would look a little more inviting. Waiters are nice and friendly as always. FOOD Food is old school and in my opinion, local style comfort food! The oxtail, which is what their known for is so good! The hamburger steak with onions is also one of the best tasting that I've had. Tuna melt is also a popular choice. I'd get that if you're not craving for something over filling. Fries has always been fresh and crispy when we eat here. If you're craving for local food with out breaking the bank, Asahi Grill is a great choice and it's in town! read more

This review is for the oxtail soup and the oxtail soup only. It hits so hard I don't know what kind of magic they put in there. Ever since I had it for the first time this year I haven't stopped coming back for more. Honestly, I don't know why I waited so long to try it, especially when Asahi Grill is the home of the original oxtail soup. The combination of the salty, savory richness with that bright citrusy kick is unlike anything I've had before. I've tried to figure out what makes it so good, but it's a flavor I can't replicate and haven't found anywhere. Asahi Grill is the definition of a hole-in-the-wall mom-and-pop shop that I love and adore. No frills, just fast service and incredible food that keeps you thinking about your next bowl before you've even finished the first one. I'll definitely be back again and again for that oxtail soup! read more

Asahi Grill Ward - Oxtail Soup - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Popped in for takeout brunch today. On the order: Spaghetti and Adobo Fried Rice. Got home and was instantly irritated, so this review was going in a totally different direction. Instead of my adobo fried rice, I had a regular fried rice. Call and they said they said if I can come back they will replace the wrong one. This is where we get back on rails. The adobo fried rice was ready and the said I could keep the regular fried rice. Haha so went from irritated to happy even if I had to come back. Free food and you have me at hello, haha. The spaghetti is always on point and the adobo fried rice was packed with flavor. And now I have more fried rice for dinner and lunch later. read more

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Ordered the chicken katsu plate and it was exactly what I wanted. The katsu was perfectly crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, with a light, crunchy breading that didn't feel greasy at all. The rice was fluffy and comforting, and the mac salad was creamy, slightly sweet, and classic--the perfect balance to the crispy chicken. Add a drizzle of katsu sauce and every bite just works. Simple, satisfying, and done right. This is solid comfort food you can't go wrong with. Would definitely order again. read more

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Very pleasant service. The place is kind of divey, but don't let that deter you. We had excellent hamburger steak with gravy, excellent eggplant curry and chicken katsu curry. The ox tail soup is also very good. The rice and mac salad are great. The green salad is just a bagged salad with no dressing. Stick with the Mac salad. We would definitely return here if we lived here. read more

Asahi Grill formerly known as Kapiolani Coffee Shop is serving great comfort food! Well-balanced with flavor and portions, each dish is well-prepared to create the warmth of enjoying a hearty meal. Each day has a specific special and a daily special for everyone to drool over. Price is reasonable and parking is available, but limited. Be careful on parking on other company's parking lot, you may get towed. Service is great. There was only one server, but she handled all the tables with ease. The interior was clean amd well maintained. A must try restaurant! read more

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Great local place to eat. This is the original Asahi grill location. I had their garlic chicken which was crispy and full of flavor. My boys had their Asahi salad and clubhouse sandwich with fries. All good! I guess so good that my boy went back after an event at the Blaisdell and had oxtail soup! read more

Update: Had a bad experience on a return visit. Ordered the chicken katsu and mahi combo. Portions both small and mahi not fresh. Very unsatisfying meal. Plus, left a nice tip in cash on table but when paying at the register, the filipino lady saw I didn't leave a tip on the credit card slip and questioned why I wasn't leaving a tip like its mandatory or something. A lot of nerve when paying $20+ for skimpy plate of old food and cash tip on table. Not going back here ever again. read more

Asahi Grill Ward - Perfectly cooked mahi mahi yum - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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One of my go tos near ala moana - the oxtail soup is the excellent. 10/10 recommend - Lup cheong fried rice is good and filling - service was very fast when we went, it was only like 5 minutes till all our food arrived - pleasant staff and comfortable ambiance read more

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Located on Ward Street is Asahi Grill they have parking which can hold up to 8-10 cars. We went in and waitress asked how many which I mentioned 2 and she sat us on a small table for 2 with 3/4 of the restaurant seating empty with couples seating on tables for 4 while there were only 2 tables in the whole restaurant that can sit 2 customers? Sat there for a while waiting for waitresses to take our order, when we were ready to leave the waitress came and asked if we were ready to order. I ordered the Asahi Grill breakfast which was salmon, eggs, salad, rice and miso soup, but didn't receive the miso soup which most Japanese breakfast always have. After asking the waitress she says if customers don't ask for soup they don't give? I saw 4 other customers eating the Asahi breakfast and all had miso soup? Told her why is it on the menu that say includes rice & soup? If it is optional it should not be included with meal rice & soup? She said they didn't take it off the menu? The salmon was good, green salad was fresh and rice was okay, eggs were like a flat hard pancake. My wife had the luncheon meat, scrambled egg and rice they have 2 eggs for these meals, the only way it can be this small serving is they are using 2 small eggs. Trying to eat and flies flying around and none of the workers do anything about getting rid of them? Hope they are not on the food waiting to be served! Restrooms are outside of building, they have separate men and women. read more

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Came here to try the breakfast. It was super crowded at 10am on a Sunday. All of the tables were taken and luckily we got the last table as we walked in. I got the "big breakfast" since I thought it was the best deal, but was disappointed when the server said it only comes with portuguese sausage or bacon, not both. I thought it came with both based on how the menu was written (maybe they can add the word "or" to the menu". It was a good sized breakfast since it had pancakes and was filling. However I was a disappointed further because the pancake on the top was big, but the one under was considerably smaller. In addition, the egg was quite oily. The service was a bit slow, but at least water was refilled fairly often. Overall, I will probably go elsewhere in the future as I don't think it's worth the price sadly. Parking: Several stalls in the parking lot in front of the restaurant read more

Asahi Grill Ward - Chicken cutlet - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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This is not a "five-star restaurant" - but it's five stars old-school because free parking in front, all comfort food especially oxtail soup, fast service and decent prices for today. Oh and no loud music so can have a conversation. Located on Ward Avenue, on Diamond Head side, makai of Kapiolani Blvd. Look for their green roof. Parking lot has 10-12 stalls. Inside there's a pick-up window and about 12 tables. Three in the middle can accommodate larger parties. No booths. Servers are nice, quick, efficient, reminds me of Kings Bakery, Tiki Tops, Smittys, Like Like Drive In. Hubby and I went on a Sunday at 11:00 am after the Book Fair in Kakaako. Both ordered club sandwich with fries and a fruit punch. Fries were excellent, sandwich perfectly constructed with right amount of everything on a lightly toasted Japanese-kine bread. Fruit punch was how I always remembered it as a kid. One thing missing was a dill pickle but that's okay, we still enjoyed. Price was fair and comparable to other similar places. Be careful exiting lot as cars come pulling in fast from side street. read more

Asahi Grill Ward - Clubhouse sandwich - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Best oxtail soup I've ever had for a decent price too!! As a kid growing up, I'd always get their fried rice with over easy eggs. To this day it's still one of the top 5 fried rices I've ever had. Staff was always friendly, helpful, and respectful. And after your meal you can treat yourself to a complementary peppermint candy as well The only issue here is the limited parking spots. But other than that, great service and amazing tasting food for affordable prices! 5 stars read more

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It's been a year and still a good, basic, way better than Zippys homestyle kinda place. I had the spicy ahi don and wish it was a bigger bowl. A side of mac salad hit the spot. We came around 1:30pm and it was pretty empty. Service was good and parking was available given it was past the rush time. read more

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Well...where do I start? I surely didn't anticipate coming to Asahi Grill on a Wednesday, and didn't know if it was gonna rain that day. The place screams old-school with the way the decor looked. It felt like I was actually in a local sit-down restaurant. I ended up eating their Oxtail Ramen, which...was not that bad at all. The depth of flavor in the broth really held up well to the ramen noodles. Super rich and flavorful, especially when I had a bite of the Oxtail with some of the noodles and the herbs. It was a great bite. I think I added a little too much ginger in the broth, which might have changed this review a little bit differently. Overall though, the ramen was very hearty and delicious to enjoy. I highly would recommend this place for sure. Maybe next time I'll try something else if given the opportunity. For me, Asahi gets a 9.5 out of 10. It was a good experience for what it's worth. read more

Asahi Grill Ward - Oxtail Ramen. Wow...that looked so good to enjoy there. - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Had a nice lunch at Asahi Grill today . Wasn't planning to come here but after attending the Young at Heart event at the Blaisdell ... my friend was hungry for anything that was close by . This is a good go-to restaurant whenever in the area . It wasn't crowded since was after 100pm so we found parking easy. The server was very friendly and polite and ready to take our order . Ordered a clubhouse sandwich and a small oxtail soup . My friend totally enjoyed her sandwich and claims one of the best she has eaten and she loves her clubhouse sandwiches . My oxtail soup came with two big scoops of rice and maybe 4 or 5 big pieces of oxtail which was delicious and very tasty. And I ate all of it and drank the very last drop of the soup! The small portion was perfect size since I didn't want to eat a huge meal that late . The inside of the restaurant was very clean and felt very comfortable eating there. Can't find too many of these old type neighborhood restaurants anymore . We always come back here for comfort food! read more

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Decent homemade dishes, prices reasonable, adequate service. Parking can be hard but there is side street stalls if you get lucky, best time to go is 1pm to avoid the lunch rush. Inside decor could use some renovations but I'm not here to look around, I'm here to eat and chat it up with friends. I like that they don't rush people out and we stayed pretty long. 3 of us actually ordered to go plates to take home! Again...not fancy but just good home cooked dishes and relax vibe. read more

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This place was small but the service was great they always made sure we had water so that definitely is a plus for me. It wasn't that crowded even though we went during lunch time but it was a weekday so it could've been that. I had a loco moco because wherever I go and they have a loco moco I definitely got to try it and I must say it was one of my favorite loco moco. Gonna come back here again to try other foods and definitely recommend this place. read more

Asahi Grill Ward - Loco moco - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Was back at Asahi after 7 years. Oxtail soup was exactly as I remembered it. Light, refreshing but yet distinctly flavorful. The homemade gravy made the Loco moco really stand out. The most memorable dish was the adobo fried rice. Kids tore it up. read more

Best oxtail soup on island. Only advise I recommend is present the soups on ceramic bowls. The cheap plastic bowls cool the soup down too quickly. Service is friendly. No frills restaurant in an old Burger King. read more

The windy and rainy weather made me crave warm oxtails soup. We loved a generous portion of oxtails with a clear broth soup. We will definitely come back soon! read more

Asahi Grill Ward - Oxtail Soup Regular - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I needed to eat and driving around, I saw Asahi. I had heard about it but never thought of going in, and I've driven by it many times. They have a specials board but I was in the mood for chicken so I ordered chicken katsu and teriyaki chicken. I substituted fried rice for steamed and it came with mac salad. Both chickens were very good! Nice crispy outside of that katsu and the fried rice was decent. I think in my mind, it was going to be the lupchong friend rice. I'll have to come back for that and eggs! This really hit the spot! I did take it to go. This is a little hole in the wall hidden gem. The guy helping me was pretty chill. There were a number of people inside, so definitely worth checking out! read more

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This has been one of our go over to places for a quick meal. I love the food and it has always been consistent. I'm giving 1 star to warn people to not order through their website. I was charged 4 times for my Sundays breakfast order. Thankfully my bank flagged the 3 other attempts. DON'T ORDER THROUGH THE WEBSITE PICK UP. read more

I thimk price is little high and gravy has some Chinese spice in it. so I think some people like it and some don't. read more

Asahi Grill Ward - lcocmoco - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Asahi Grill is a solid spot for good, local comfort food. The oxtail soup is always my go-to -- and it never disappoints! I also love that they serve the grated ginger in a bowl instead of a tiny cup -- such a nice touch. Parking can be tricky though; the lot in front of the restaurant is small, with only about six spaces, so plan accordingly. read more

I love their food but they only deliver thru uber, and the uber drivers keep stealing my food because they know there's nothing uber will do about it, not even refund us. Definitely gonna be bad reviews until I can reliably get my food delivered since I'm now bedridden due to my illness. read more

A trip to the hiking store, Uloha, brought us to Asahi grill at Ward, for an afternoon of nostalgic food and massive portions. Wandering into these old school, hole in the wall restaurants always makes me wish I was retired so I could cruise with my friends for hours everyday over a plate lunch. The clientele of this restaurant varies from families, to friends, to trade workers and everything in between. We sat easily at 11:30am, but the spot filled up quickly with good local vibes and local people (always a good sign). We ordered the chicken katsu curry and garlic chicken, which were both delicious and under $15 each. They are best known for their oxtail soup, and also offer donburri, sandwich, salad, breakfast and plate lunch options like a classic local diner. Parking is limited and the spaces are small. But well worth the wait, and not a far walk from street parking! read more

Asahi Grill Ward - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

The food and service is good. Prices are reasonable. Limited parking especially when they are busy

Mister and I brought my car to BMW for maintenance services. We decided while waiting for our car, that we should walk and find a kick-back spot and eat. And so we found this place, probably would never had thought of coming here otherwise. But certainly glad we did! We were seated right away. Waitress was friendly and service was fast. I ordered the grilled pork chop, tasted like what I make at home. It was cooked and seasoned perfectly. Mister enjoyed his chicken katsu too. Very satisfying meal, like homemade. The lunch crowd started coming in, didn't want to be rude and take up space so we left. Great service. read more

Asahi Grill Ward - Grilled pork chop - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Last time I came here many years ago it was just okay, but was happy to come back here for lunch recently on a weekday with some coworkers and the food was really good! Prices are very reasonable compared to other places, and my dish was tasty. I got a chopped steak dish. read more

Asahi Grill Ward - chopped steak - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

CODY stopped by the Ward location for breakfast CODY ordered the combo island - eggs, bacon, Portuguese sausage, rice CODY food was tasty CODY servers were friendly and speedy CODY dining area was homey CODY will return to order more food read more

Asahi Grill Ward - Combo Island Breakfast - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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If you want old school food from Kam Bowl days, Asahi Grill is your place. My husband was craving Oxtail Soup... and it was the "famous" one. That modest bowl filled his cravings perfectly... and prices were pretty good too. Entire menu was reasonably priced for the classic local and Japanese favorites, including breakfast. Restaurant is simple, service was good and food came out timely... pork cutlet and chicken katsu were crispy w/ steaming hot gravy on top. Nothing fancy but we like their prices and would go back to try their other plates. read more

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Asahi Grill was a place I would always get take-out food from when I was working on Ward Avenue. This Morning, my husband and I went to dine in. We did not like the experience from the waitress. She kept staring at us and making us feel uncomfortable. She came by once to refill our full cups of coffee and made sure her regulars was well taken cared of. When she cleared out our plates is when she asked if we wanted refills, best part is she dropped off the check 5 minutes before taking our plates away and never once asked if we wanted refills at that time. I don't usually complain. But I feel that we are spending a good amount of money to eat out. Please don't make people feel out of place/uncomfortable read more

It was a very nice restaurant but one of the lady there she is charging anything including one pieces of lemon, she charging $1 for it which I never get charge from other ladies , it's not lots of money but I can't support greedy people like that , they lost a customer like me for $1 read more

Oxtail soup was so delicious. Flavorful and seasoned nicely. My husband had the chicken katsu curry and loved it. Super crisp and the curry sauce was very flavorful as well. Totally hit the spot. read more

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I would put this between 3 and 4, possibly because I had the wrong expectation so rounding up to a 4. I had eggplant tempura curry which was fine with a fairly crispy batter, but I would have preferred the eggplant plain or grilled without the fried coating. I also ordered a side of gyoza for protein that was OK although I really wanted a small protein that was not fried. The entree came with 2 scoops of rice and 1 scoop of mac salad. Seems carb-heavy but that is standard for a lot of local places. I wished the menu could have offered a small side of steamed or braised vegetable of some sort. Service was friendly and prompt enough, the place was clean and the atmosphere was comfortable "like home." Weekday dinnertime on a Tuesday was calm, no waiting for a table. The small parking lot had only one open spot, lucky for me. I was really in the mood for tinola (chicken papaya soup), which I had at a previous location of Asahi Grill that closed and I thought it had moved here to Ward. But it turns out that this Ward one is a franchise with a slightly different menu. Both restaurants have dishes like donburi, ramen, tonkatsu, etc. but this Ward location does not have tinola -- it was explained that I need to go to the Kaimuki location for that. read more

Asahi Grill Ward - Eggplant tempura curry and a side of gyoza with its dipping sauce. - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Old School grinds needs some new look pretty badly. Decor certainly doesn't define the cuisine but if the front would look worn I can only image the kitchen would be like sadly hoping that I'm wrong. I usually try to take mom to different places she's never been and with the current gloomy weather a oxtail soup sounded like the perfect thing. Here it's so nice that they offer three sizes small $18.95, regular $21.95 and x-large (1.5 size of the regular) at $29.95 all served with fresh cilantro, green onions and two scoops of rice. Voted Hawaii's best though her honest opinion is no, but loving the size choices so that if she just wanted a small bowl the option here is great. Loving all the local loved items available here it was difficult to choose and was gravitating towards Mochiko Chicken but noticed they also have Spicy Chicken and Garlic Chicken but on another separate singular laminated menu with a touch more detailed information had Garlic and Spicy Chicken Mix as well then when asked if the sauces were shoyu based...the server had no idea and had no desire to find out for me. So I got the Garlic and Spicy Chicken mix which both are friend and the spicy is tossed in a sweet chili sauce then drizzled with spicy mayo sauce while the garlic is a shoyu base with garlic of course. Chicken is fried to a perfect crispiness which I loved but the sauce really didn't impress me at all. For a local eatery the rice portion is quite sad but perfect for my preference and the scoop of macaroni salad was good. Would I return again? Oh yes for sure but I wouldn't get this dish again...is there something here that you'd recommend? Thank you! read more

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Ox tail soup is my favorite soup ever. Service is very good and fast. Wish the clean was little bit more updated. read more

Asahi Grill Ward - Oxtail Soup - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

The teriyaki chicken don was very tasty , the barbeque chicken smelled good right away, it was cooked perfectly with a little bit of crispiness. I shared some with a few of my coworkers who ordered other items from Asahi Grill, but I would say that my meal was the best, they all enjoyed it. read more

This was our go-to place for Oxtail soup pre-Covid and for a number of reasons we haven't been lately but the urge to try it again hit and we headed off for lunch during the lunch rush on a Friday. St. Park-Us the patron saint of parking lots was with us today and we got the last spot left and were able to be seated right away and order our lunches. If we all had ordered the Oxtail it would have come out lickety split but because we had a chicken katsu curry and a friend rice with egg, my oxtail came out in 3 minutes while the family had to endure my slurping and chomping on the perfect soup with rice and ginger. Delicious--tender and the broth was good, could have been more strongly beefy flavored, but still delcious. The fried rice was okay and the chicken katsu was overcooked, but the curry was very good. Those family members said they wouldn't get theirs again, but would try either the cheeseburger or the spaghetti next time. I didn't really listen to their complaints since I loved my Oxtail Soup so much. Overall, the majority of the diners had an Oxtail bowl in front of them with just a smattering of cheeseburgers or club sandwiches. The french fries are cooked to order and very crisp and hot--worth ordering. When the bill came, nothing was itemized and the receipt was just a bunch of numbers, no items listed, and a total. I mentally added up what we had and didn't recognize a charge at the end and when I asked what the $8.22 charge was for our waitress, who didn't smile at us once before, started grinning and talking about a bunch of stuff and then said that she would take it off. I asked what was the charge for and she said they add 15% to all bills over $50. I didn't see any warnings about that on the menus or the whiteboard. I started to pay it and we all said that she screwed herself bc we always leave 20-30%. When we gave her our credit card she brought the bill back and said that she took the charge off for us so we put the exact amount back on the tab at 15%. This was NOT an oversight and I think that customers need to be aware that this may happen and to check your receipts. This is the first time that a stealth tip has been added to our check. Hubby said that she was hoping that we would not notice and tip on the tip and leave 40%. Kinda sad to even have to write this about a local place. But the Oxtail soup is good! read more

Asahi Grill Ward - regular oxtail soup - Hawaiian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii