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    Back Alley Café

    4.2 (206 reviews)
    Closed 2:00 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)

    Back Alley Café Photos

    Business Info

    BACK ALLEY CAFÉ ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Karaoke
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Back Alley Café

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    Wings!! Yum!
    Kristy N.

    Nice small lounge. Not too crowded, not too loud. Servie was great. Definitely gave good recommendations and was very friendly and patient. The food was so delicious. We are looking forward to going back for that Thai Loco Moco!! The wings were also fabulous! Crispy and lots of great flavor options! See yall soon! Definitely going back!

    Garlic Fried Chicken, yum
    Telly L.

    This jem was a surprise! This is an industry spot so you know food is going to be good. Small space with cute ambiance. We ordered the garlic chicken wings and chicken kimchee fried rice. The chicken was wonderfully crispy and loaded with freshly chopped garlic. When they say garlicky, they mean it! The fried rice was also very tasty and came in a large bowl topped with an egg. Highly recommend, bring your friends!

    Sushi menu. Mon to Wed only
    Casey A.

    Dropped by on a Sunday night and happened to check out Back Alley Cafe. At first it was to have a couple of beers before heading to the next stop, but it ended up being a good time sharing stories and laughing with the bartender and waitress until midnight. Chad definitely knows how to treat his customers right, and Denise being there made the experience more enjoyable. I didn't have a chance to taste the food or their sushi, but its something to look forward to on the next drop in. The grindz thats posted on Yelp looks Ono! If your ever find yourself here, look out for the Chad special!

    Front entrance
    Ms LaLa D.

    Small Local Bar. Street Parking. Full bar selections. Bar Food, Sushi, Cajun Seafood, Thai Food. Opens til 2:00 AM.

    Pork chop with mushroom
    Michelle O.

    Came here with my other half on a Friday night. Line out the door but luckily we made reservations in advance and had a kareoke room. Kareoke room is free for up to 2 hours if you spend up $100 on food and beverage, but kareoke songs are still $2 per song so don't forget to bring cash. Remote control was a bit confusing at first and no song book, but you get the hang of it after. The food though... that's why I'm writing this review. I've never been to a bar with such amazing food! Sushi was great, crab fried rice was wonderful and even the pork chop was insanely good!!! Would come back again for sure.

    Business meetings
    Emily B.

    Good food, easy going stop in. Philip is bomb, takes care, and cooks good. Relaxed, good music. Will come back again. Tyyy

    Thum khao kapoon
    Lauren S.

    Thum khao kapoon isn't on the menu, but chef phil is AMAAAAAZING!!! There isn't too much Lao restaurants on Oahu, but this place is it! Everything is delicious! The flavors, the spice level, the freshness is perfect! I can't explain enough how good the food is here! Customer service is on point! Like I said, chef phil is amazing.. amazing in his skill and treats you like family.

    Cute Sashimi platter
    Chrissy L.

    Such a cute spot!! Came here with my boyfriend a few days ago for a pre-movie snack. We have driven pass this place so many times and finally decided to stop in and glad we did! We were too early for the chefs food but sushi was open and we just wanted smaller plates anyway. We ordered our usual drinks, and the BAE roll which was lovely and also the sashimi plater which was just as cute as it said on them menu lol. Very tasty! We were here right when they opened and Chad was our person. He was absolutely wonderful. Between the hospitality shown from Chad and and the sushi, we can't wait to come back again and try more food and maybe rent out the karaoke room one night!

    Peach soju
    Nadine C.

    Red Dragon Roll Salmon Skin Salad Agedashi Tofu Back Alley Roll We got all of the above at Happy Hour prices after 10:30pm - yay! Thanks to Sari for the great service and helpful tips! She recommended that we get the $15 bottle of soju instead of the $20 mixture of soju with ice cream and yogurt. Good call! The Peach flavored soju was just right! I had been here before, but I was focused on karaoke ($1 per song in a free private room) and didn't get to eat that much (hard to do both at the same time). My friends were ordering food that looked really good, but no one was singing, so... I felt like I had to... haha! Sorry... LOL! This time, Lisa M. was so kind to help me celebrate my Night Off from work! She had the night off, too! We were SO HAPPY!!! Then Randy S. joined us and we laughed even harder and ate MORE yummy food!! Randy said that "Back Alley Roll" is kind of what they have the most of - like Special of the Day or "Whatever the Chef Feels Like Making". Our male server clarified this when I asked, "what is Back Alley Roll"? And I gave an example, "Like salmon?" And he said he could ask... ...and then it appeared... fresh and deliciously savory with a slight crunch from the slivered cucumbers! MMM! I ordered the Agedashi Tofu because I remember that Angel H. had that the last time we were here - and it looked ono - and she said it was... and we all agreed! Lightly battered to get the flavor to adhere onto the soft tofu... with various toppings which included a tiny spicy kick! I'd get it again - as well as the Red Dragon Roll and the Salmon Skin Salad. Yeah! I wanted the Uni... and I repeated it several times... However, wishing hard and saying things aloud doesn't make magic happen all of the time. When they run out, they run out. Like "If can, can. If no can, no can..." Shucks! This just means that we must return... The free street parking in metered stalls after 6pm is very convenient. Restroom was clean and functional. Environment was pleasant and spacious. The late Happy Hour was good timing for us because some people were leaving so the place wasn't crowded! If you come for the "Early" Happy Hour, go as soon as you can because every seat will be taken later! Note: Daily Happy Hour from 5:30 pm to 7:45 pm, and Late Happy Hour = Sunday-Thursday from 10:30 pm to 1:30 am.

    Spicy Chicken Wings...
    Jace T.

    If you're looking for someplace to kick it, eat, drink and maybe sing karaoke... then this is a spot you should consider... located on Sheridan St closer to King than Kapiolani and just mauka of Meadow Gold... with very little parking but quite a bit of street parking... but check out the signs because there are restrictions... inside is a lil' tiny with a bar and about half dozen bar seats and another half dozen tables, but if you get a karaoke room I can't help you cuz I've never seen them here... but the food is what I come for and friends come for the booze... The goods... 1) Spicy Chicken Wings... Spicy wasn't too bad for me and I don't usually do spicy but these have spicy and honey on them to give them a unique kick... done well and if you've had Vonn's chicken kinda taste like those... 2) Gyoza... nicely sized pieces with a pre-made dipping sauce... Imma give these a standard thumbs up... they were good but not special but still good! 3) Chef's Roll... someone ordered this and this was ono! Imma big fan of white onions and sashimi... if you like that combo get this one! 4) Chicken Wings... just fried chicken with ranch dipping sauce... was good without the ranch but together worked! 5) Chicken Karaage... seemed anorexic compared to the Chicken Wings we ordered but tasted surprising gud... of you don't wanna fuss with bones get this! 6) Ikura Uzura... was on the specials board... for the Ikura fans! 7) Pork Chops... pre cut and topped with sautéed mushrooms and onions... was a nice size chops and tasty! 8) Kim Chee Pancake... a Korean dish that came with the same sauce as the gyoza... was good but took forever to come out cuz my friend ordered this before I got there and came about second to last of all the things we ordered! 9) White Chicken... this was interesting... looked like baked chicken chopped up with a dish of cubed veggies or fruits and a separate dish with salt and pepper... I'm assuming to sprinkle as you pick you pieces... I don't remember eating this but was on our table and we also had a basket of fries soo I was kinda full when this Plate came out... ;) Service... good friendly service and they constantly check if we needed anything and refilled water routinely... I knocked down a star for the late Pancake and they're lack of control of LOUD patrons in the joint... dis one guy was yelling and pounding on the table next to us but no one asked him to keep it down... think he needed to be cut off! Otherwise this place is a legit watering hole to grind at... until next visit... Grind On! Pau!

    What's Hot?  Bobae's Sushi  and Phil's Menu at Back Alley Café.  Bobae is there Mon, Tues, Wed.  Check out her Instagram "Omakasebybobae"

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    1 year ago

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    3 months ago

    awesome service with great people especially the bartender with the long hair always smiling

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    2 years ago

    The beer here is never really cold. Food is so-so... Not sure if it gets any busier, but we were the only ones there for a bit.

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    Page 1 of 6

    Ask the Community - Back Alley Café

    Restaurant doesn't allow dogs?

    Can you bring children?

    Yes

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    Ginza Sushi - Junior sets, lunch specials, drinks and dessert

    Ginza Sushi

    4.4(809 reviews)
    0.8 miKaka'ako
    $$
    Locally owned & operated
    Casual dining

    I eat here every chance I get, this place is absolutely the best, the service the food…read more The captain crunch and avenger rolls are the best, the hamachi with jalapeños is a must. Comfortable seating, very clean restaurant, food is always fresh.

    I love sushi but I never get the chance to try a lot of places. I honestly usually go to Genki if…read moreI'm not super hungry and Kan if I want AYCE. I decided to finally go out of my usual choices and try Ginza out. Ginza is located in the main ward building (the one with the theater), on the side, between Men's Warehouse and L&L. We got seated fairly quickly and was given water. Upon ordering we were also given edamame to nom on while we waited. We also decided to order two rolls, an AAB combo set to try a variety of things and fried calamari for food measure. We got: * Jen's Paradise: 9.7/10, heavily recommend. I was really craving sear salmon and it definitely helped to satisfy that craving. I didn't realize that the roll part itself ONLY has shrimp tempura within the nori (no crab salad, avo, etc). * Bomb: 8/10, clearly I lacked my reading comprehension skills this day because I didn't realize that this was baked... so when it came out and the entire roll was fully cooked I was heart broken. It tasted good, just not what I particular want at a sushi restaurant. * Chicken Karaage: 5/10. I do NOT recommend this. They remined me of mochiko chicken, but these were not very meaty or flavorful. * Fried Calamari: 10/10, fried to perfectly in my opinion, each piece was plump and delicious. * Miso Butterfish: 8.9/10, it was good, flaky and flavorful. Just not something I would order again, but it was good to try esp it is something they're supposedly known for. * Mixed Tempura: 10/10, yum I love mixed tempura, no notes, it was hot and crunchy. I would like to mention that our wait was quite long. I don't know why because they weren't like SUPER busy. It took 10-15 for us to get the miso soup and salad for the combo. +5 for the calamari, +5 for the first roll then a few minutes after for the rest. I feel like 15-20 minutes for our first actual item (calamari) to come is kind of crazy, it kept being brought to the wrong table (2-3 times). Our server apologized so its not a huge deal. Otherwise, I still enjoyed our experience. I would definitely come back again to try the rolls I would enjoy more (utilizing my reading skills a bit better LOL).

    Photos
    Ginza Sushi - Hoso maki, temaki, donburi  & noodles

    Hoso maki, temaki, donburi & noodles

    Ginza Sushi - Nigiri sushi and sashimi

    Nigiri sushi and sashimi

    Ginza Sushi - Sushi rolls! This is how we roll!

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    Sushi rolls! This is how we roll!

    Mitch's Fish Market & Sushi Bar - 10 Piece Sushi おいしい

    Mitch's Fish Market & Sushi Bar

    4.3(1.5k reviews)
    5.0 mi
    $$$$

    If you know, you know... and part of me really wants to gatekeep this spot, but Mitch's Fish Market…read more& Sushi Bar deserves the hype. From the outside, it is a hole-in-the-wall, but don't let that fool you. This is by far the best sushi spot on Oʻahu. It is on the pricier side, but the quality and freshness make it well worth it. Everything we ordered was authentic, flavorful, and incredibly fresh. My favorite was the toro nigiri, rich and buttery, and it melts in your mouth. The service was great and I am already looking forward to my next visit!

    There is something deeply confusing about Mitch's Fish Market & Sushi Bar…read more Not bad confusing.Worse. Identity-crisis confusing. Because the fish?Excellent. Cold, clean, glistening with that dangerous little shimmer that tells you somebody in the supply chain actually cared. You can taste the quality immediately. The kind of quality that silences a table for half a second. And credit where it is due: almost everything I tried ranged from very good to genuinely great. But then the room begins speaking. And suddenly the spell breaks. The atmosphere feels like someone took a serious sushi counter, stripped away all sensuality, all elegance, all ritual, then dropped it inside a fluorescent island diner where exhausted civilians came to discuss parking validation and Costco receipts. It is the culinary equivalent of wearing a Rolex with orthopedic sneakers. The contradiction never stops humming beneath the experience. You sit there eating beautiful fish while surrounded by an energy that feels strangely... transactional. Heavy. Casual in the least flattering way. A room with no mystery. No seduction. No gravity. Like Zippy's accidentally wandered into the tuna trade and struck gold. And on an island like Oahu, where atmosphere matters almost as much as the fish itself that becomes a real problem. Because sushi is not merely consumption. It is theater.Restraint.Texture.Whispered precision. The best sushi spots on Oahu understand this instinctively. They understand that exceptional fish alone is not enough. You are paying for transportive experience. For mood. For elegance. For the feeling that the evening exists slightly outside ordinary life. At Mitch's, the fish reaches for Tokyo while the room drags you back toward a tired strip mall off the freeway. And then there's the crowd. Not evil people. Not rude people. Just an oddly low-rent energy orbiting genuinely premium seafood. The kind of room where one table is eating remarkable otoro while another feels one argument away from discussing used-car financing over soy sauce packets. It creates dissonance. Especially considering the prices. Because at those prices, you begin comparing the full experience not merely the fish quality and that is where Mitch's stumbles hard. There are multiple sushi spots across Oahu that equal or surpass the seafood while also delivering beauty, atmosphere, intimacy, and actual emotional texture. So what remains is this strange contradiction: Mitch's serves fish far above the dignity of its own ambience Which almost makes it fascinating. Would I be back - no . You can get same and better quality fish, much better vine, better part of town for the same Price.

    Photos
    Mitch's Fish Market & Sushi Bar - Dining area toward the bar. Wide walkway or wheelchair space.

    Dining area toward the bar. Wide walkway or wheelchair space.

    Mitch's Fish Market & Sushi Bar - Miso soup w/ shrimp head

    Miso soup w/ shrimp head

    Mitch's Fish Market & Sushi Bar - Oysters Raw 6 PC

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    Oysters Raw 6 PC

    Nami Kaze - Dining area

    Nami Kaze

    4.5(801 reviews)
    2.7 mi
    $$

    It was so sad this business is closing down by Oct 31st. With rising food costs, inflation and…read morestaffing, it's understandable but I wish best endeavors for Chef Jason Peel and his staff. My fiance won a gift card actually 2 of them (from his coworker whom could not get a reservation secured), we knew we had to make the trip over before they officially close. We had multiple dishes, but staff made Kauai prawns and tomato miso black cod dishes on the house since they ran out the Hokkaido scallops. We ordered the short ribs, lobster appetizer, hamachi crudo and lastly sashimi moriawase to finish food palate. Lukki lemon dessert was great way to end to night. Ordered the Milk tea bouquet cocktail while my better half had water ( either way the food coma knock him out cold the rest of the night lol). To be honest, it was difficult to determine which dish was the best because the staff kept quality there despite it being busy every night since they announce the closure. Sashimi moriawase, fish was so fresh, reminded me of my time spent in Hokkaido and Sapporo. Short ribs was soft and rich in flavor. Both me and my fiance liked the lukki lemon dessert, like lemon meringue pie but broken down version. If you have a chance to dine here before closing and got a reservation, definitely will have a lovely dining experience and your stomach will be full by end of the night.

    Husband and I tried Nami Kaze in our recent trip to Hawaii. This place is huge! I was so glad to be…read moreseated in the side room because I found it to be a lot calmer, less people and no TV. The staff were friendly and very helpful with giving us recommendations. We ordered 3 appetizers and 2 entrees, and honestly it was too much food for us. We had leftovers for breakfast the next day! - For appetizers we got: Ulu Tots, Japanese Eggplant, and Corn Beignets. The Corn Beignets was the best. - For entree we got: Tomato Miso Black Cod and the Short Rib. Both were delicious and worth a try. Sad to see that this restaurant appears to be closing.

    Photos
    Nami Kaze - Nami bento

    Nami bento

    Nami Kaze
    Nami Kaze

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    Nori Bar

    Nori Bar

    4.5(371 reviews)
    0.8 miKaka'ako
    $$
    Casual dining
    Romantic vibe

    I had Nori bar bookmarked for a little while, and finally had the chance to try it out with my…read moredaughter for a late lunch. We made reservations at 2:30 PM and we're here for happy hour. We ordered the deluxe platter, spicy dynamite cake, and chicken skewers. The food was so good! The deluxe platter had a combination of spicy Ahi rolls and some sashimi. Spicy dynamite cake was not too spicy, but had layers of rice, avocado, and spicy Ahi with sauce, and Nori wrappers on the side. Chicken skewers you can order them individually, in a set of three or five and we opted for three. Service was very friendly and attentive. We finished everything. The three items we ordered the cost was $60, adding tip and tax was around $75. The restaurant is very small. Seating only at the bar hence in the restaurant name. Definitely would like to come back and try some of the other options.

    First time here after seeing some other yelp friends post their reviews over the past year or so…read more Overall experience I'd say was good. The Friday we went was the day of the heavy thunderstorm so a coworker had to bow out leaving just two of us. The storm must've made others skip going out also because there were only two other people dining. Everything we ordered was fresh with my favorites being the Pork cheek Cher siu nigiri and the Uni handroll. The Unagi handroll and Maguro w/creamy avocado handroll were both good as well. Joe really liked the Blue crab w/truffke kanimiso handroll as well. Other things we got were: Nigiri flight (5 piece sampler of there premium nigiri,) various nigiri...Aji, Kampachi, Tai, and Hamachi. The sampler was a good starting point while the others were ok. Service was attentive and friendly, waters refilled often. I'm kinda on the fence about the QR code ordering system, it was convenient to be able to order when you wanted and not having to wait for a server to come by but I did miss the interaction with the servers when ordering. It was a good experience, I'm always open to trying sushi places I haven't been to and some if the take out roll sets looked interesting, something I'd be back to try.

    Photos
    Nori Bar - Counter very clean

    Counter very clean

    Nori Bar - Take out set roll box. Available for 4,5 and 6 roll sets.

    Take out set roll box. Available for 4,5 and 6 roll sets.

    Nori Bar - Try our specialty hand rolls!

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    Try our specialty hand rolls!

    Sushi Ginza Onodera

    Sushi Ginza Onodera

    4.6(278 reviews)
    2.1 mi
    $$$$
    Luxury
    Free parking

    Did the lunch omakase with a friend. The service was very nice, very quiet space with subdued…read moreambiance. It was challenging to get through all of the courses, but I succeeded. There were standouts and overall we loved the meal. A local id gets the 10% service fee removed which was nice. I would recommend the $150 lunch omakase - I don't think the $50 abalone dish was worth the upgrade.

    Had an amazing omakase experience at Sushi Ginza Onodera. The staff were incredibly friendly and…read moreattentive, which made the whole experience feel welcoming rather than overly formal. Every piece of sushi was beautifully presented not overwhelming. You can really tell the chefs put a lot of thought into the balance of flavors and textures. One of my favorite bites was a sashimi piece topped with something that looked like finely grated cheese (not sure what it actually was), but it melted perfectly with the fish and added a really unique savory flavor. The chefs and staff also had a good sense of humor. At one point they served kinki fish and jokingly explained that the English translation sometimes gets called "idiot fish," which got everyone laughing at the counter. The omakase is definitely on the pricier side, but the quality, presentation, and overall experience made it very satisfying. If you're looking for a refined sushi experience with great service and beautifully crafted bites, this place is worth the splurge.

    Photos
    Sushi Ginza Onodera
    Sushi Ginza Onodera
    Sushi Ginza Onodera

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    Back Alley Café - karaoke - Updated May 2026

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