Yummy! Went here on a date and was pleasantly surprised. We were randomly walking around Kaimukī…read moretrying to find a lunch spot to eat at and Japanese cuisine? I can never say no lol so we ended up here! Wait was about 10 minutes because it's a small establishment. Street and lot parking across the way. Staff are friendly and cute. Will be back again for another date day or night

Located on 12th Ave, this trendy spot is easily accessible. Service is prompt and quick. I went on…read morea random weekday right before opening so my friend and I were able to secure seats. I've noticed there are long lines during weekends. Plan wisely and pack some patience into your back pocket folks. Inside is a small intimate space with counter seating only. The menu is very straightforward with visuals and prices. The menu is ultimately gives you two options: neigitoro bowls and kaisen bowls. I like Neigitoro bowls more but that's just my preference. The fish mixture is super finely chopped. It comes with miso soup. You can order hot tea to help you digest the meal. It's quite filling. Happy dining!

The highlight of our Hawaii trip! We loved Ginza Bairin so much that we went TWICE during our trip…read more We visited on our previous trip to Hawaii, and it was an absolute must-revisit this time around. If you're visiting Honolulu and love Japanese tonkatsu, do yourself a favor and put this place on your list! The absolute star of the show is the Specialty Kurobuta Pork Loin Katsu. Out of this world! Kurobuta pork is basically the Waygu of the pork world. This pork comes from the Berkshire pig which produces more flavorful, more tender pork. The pork is perfectly cooked, incredibly tender, and coated in a beautifully crispy breading. Every bite is exactly what you want from a great tonkatsu. And PLEASE, don't sleep on the unlimited refills of cabbage, miso soup, and rice! The rice deserves its own shoutout. Ginza Bairin serves premium Tsuyahime white rice from Yamagata, Japan, and it is hands down the best rice I've ever had. The grains are plump, fluffy, and delicious, with that wonderful texture that makes you keep reaching for another bowl. Shamelessly admitting that I ate THREE bowls of rice, and I have absolutely zero regrets. My husband doesn't eat pork or beef, so he ordered the chicken katsu and said it was the best chicken katsu he's ever had. That's a pretty impressive endorsement, especially from someone who eats chicken katsu regularly. Families with little ones, this place is fantastic! They're incredibly kid-friendly, with child-sized cups, forks, spoons, and plates. Even better, the kids' meals come in the cutest little blue or pink car-shaped trays that my son absolutely loved. You can choose chicken katsu or shrimp tempura, served with rice, cabbage salad, macaroni salad, and a kids' juice box. It's thoughtful touches like these that make dining out with a toddler so much more enjoyable. The service was amazing, too. Everyone was friendly, welcoming, and attentive, making the whole experience even better. A few helpful tips: - Make a reservation ahead of time if you can, but walk-ins are welcome, too. - There are two "restaurants": the main dining room primarily accommodates reservations, while the other side is mainly for walk-ins. Don't worry, the food is impeccable on both sides! - Free validated parking for up to 1.5 hours is available at the Bank of Hawaii Waikiki Business Center underground garage, which is a huge plus in Waikiki. Ginza Bairin checks all the boxes: exceptional food, premium ingredients, generous refills, warm service, and a genuinely family-friendly atmosphere. The fact that we went twice in one trip says everything. This is one of those restaurants that stays on your must-visit list every time you return to Hawaii. Already dreaming about that pork katsu and another three bowls of rice!

This is my favorite tonkatsu place by far, and we love this place for it's Kurobota katsu, but you…read morehave to get here early to try it. They only have about 20 orders available daily, so we always make sure to make early reservations for dinner. It's a small place, so seating can be limited, and although they do take walk ins, you really should make a reservation. Free validated parking is available next door in the parking garage beneath the Bank of Hawaii building. I really like how light and crispy their tonkatsu is here. And the Kurobota katsu just melts in your mouth! If they don't have that available their Bairin Pork Tenderloin Katsu is always excellent too! My girlfriend also likes their Katsu-Dons. Sets come with free refills of rice, miso soup, cabbage, and pickles. Last night they also had several new wagyu additions to the menu that we haven't seen before, along with a wagyu beef nigiri that we had to try and thoroughly enjoyed. Service here is fast and very friendly! We have always enjoyed coming here and the staff take great care of their customers. They also offer a Kamaaina discount for locals with a Hawaii ID, which is really fantastic for people like us who live here and enjoy this place!

I've eaten at a lot of Japanese restaurants over the years, and Tonkatsu Tamafuji is definitely one…read moreof my favorites. The tonkatsu is consistently excellent, perfectly crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. You can really taste the difference in the quality of the pork and the care they put into preparing it. I also love the little details, like grinding your own sesame seeds for the sauce and having different rice options. Even the cabbage, miso soup, and sides are really good. Everything works together to make a great meal. The service has always been friendly and attentive, and I've never walked out disappointed. It's not easy getting a reservation, but there's a reason this place is always busy. One of the few restaurants where I feel the food actually lives up to the hype. Definitely worth the wait!

TLDR: Highly anticipated and successfully delivered, with incredibly fresh food and that comes to…read moreyour table with a little extra touch I booked this place extraordinarily last minute but seeing that I was going solo I was able to get a space open during my ideal time! Best believe I would not be late. Food: Shrimp Tempura: 5/5 - I think this is the best shrimp I've had, ever. The tempura was fried to quintessential perfection. Seasoned, light, not greasy and a decent size? My god Experience: 5/5 I'm calling this experience because they do something different here which is you get to grind your sesame with mortar and pestle to create your sauce which I think is a genius interactive element that not only adds to food knowledge but also makes you present. You are partially eating what you create and I like that immersiveness. Part of what also makes it cool is the open kitchen concept. Being seated in the middle of the bar i was able to watch the chefs' process from start to finish which is always such fun to see. Otherwise the service was really good! Ambiance It was what I would call an elevated casual. Not too loud or feeling like you need to be very quiet. I think the price was fair for what I got and all its fixings but its definitely not cheap. With that being said though I do think its extremely worth it if you can get a seat!

As you can already see this place has 5 stars for several reasons…read more 1. Quality of the food. 2. Variety 3. Everything freshly made. 4. Super friendly and accommodating staff 5. Easy access with street parking Yes it's somewhat off the beaten path, but a path worth taking. Was so ono!!

Always a good time here! The kamameshi is a must try (I like the salmon and ikura)…read more Tonight we tried the A5 wagyu teppan, the scallops, salmon and ikura kamameshi, fried oysters, soft shell crab, and karei karaage special. Service is always great, ambiance is a neighborhood spot. Highly recommend.

Fast lines, great food, close to a shopping mall, ice machine dont work sometimes, I go here at…read moreleast once a month with my buddy and it gets better every time. Great spot if you're looking for a place to fill you up for a cheap price.

Some of the best udon I've had. Service is so incredibly fast, and not really a place to casually…read morechill and eat in. People come in and out constantly We got the #1 and #2 and some tempera on the side. The noodles are surprisingly filling just for a regular bowl that we barely finished our tempera. The chicken katsu is huge that it should've been the only fried addition we got but of course we got so much more. And the tempura sauce comes warm. Absolutely will come again

Fresh Hamachi with some really good Sapporo. Great prices for Happy hour. Happy hour indeed!read more

Food was decent - Yakitori was good, karaage lacked soy flavor, edamame was okay (it's tough to…read morescrew this up). So 3 stars seem adequate. Service, however, gets zero stars- none of the servers bothered to ask if we wanted a second glass of beer (they actually came around multiple times to our table, but they were so busy collecting empty plates that they never bothered to stop and ask if we needed anything else). The young-ish Asian server seemed very irritated that we asked for more food, while she seemed very happy to serve a big group of college boys at the next table. If you are a young guy, maybe it's a good place to go. If not, go elsewhere; there are other Japanese izakayas in town with better food and service.

Our favorite izakaya on Oahu! We first came to Aburiya Ibushi a few years ago and we always come…read morehere to eat on each trip. For me, the must haves are their potato salad that comes with this curry seasoning (although go easy on how much seasoning you get with each bite as it's salty) and the oxtail ramen. The oxtail ramen is honestly one of the best ramens I've had - so flavorful yet not heavy at all. This time, we didn't get any of the chargrilled dishes but in the past we have and they've all been fantastic. The shima hokke kamameshi was really good and filling - we had enough to take with us for leftovers. It's a smaller restaurant so highly recommend making a reservation. There's been time where there's been open tables but they have a sign saying they cannot take guests without reservations. Parking is street parking and depending on what time your dinner is, it can be hard to find parking. We often end up taking an uber to avoid the hassle.

Service: 5/5 staff was super friendly. We did not have a reservation and waited 15-20 mins on a…read moreSaturday night. Food: 5/5 so many options and everything we ordered was good! Reasonably priced. No complaints. Parking: street. Tough during dinner but parked 2 blocks away Vibe: homey and welcoming. Felt like we were in japan again.

A little taste of Japan I almost don't want to share…read more I would love to gatekeep Tenkichi because I already know it will get busier and harder to get into as more people discover it. But here I am, doing my Yelp Elite duty and telling you about it. Tenkichi has some great lunch specials to satisfy anything from a light lunch to a full-on feast. Delicious food, quality ingredients, friendly staff, and great service. The ambiance completes the experience. From the food to the surroundings, you almost feel like you have taken a little trip to Japan. Honestly, I will let the pictures speak for themselves. Go enjoy Tenkichi. Just do me a favor and do not tell too many people. I am already regretting this review.

We walked in for lunch on a Saturday right at opening (11am), no reservations, but were seated…read moreimmediately. The hostess and wait staff were all friendly and very accommodating. We went in hoping to order a bunch of stuff, unfortunately, the lunch menu is more limited than the dinner menu. No matter, this was a blessing in disguise We ordered the deluxe teishoku set and the premium trio bowl. We initially wanted to get the uni/ikura bowl (dinner menu only) so we ordered a separate uni sashimi since the deluxe teishoku set came with an ikura bowl. This was definitely a splurge. The deluxe teishoku set is one of the best deals I think you can get for the price and quality. It gives you a little taste of everything and the quality was superb. Definitely would come back for lunch and dinner!

True Japanese traditional neighbourhood comfort restaurant that prides itself in their house-made…read morebuckwheat soba. It is served hot or cold. We had the Crabmeat Bowl with Kake Soba special. Truly enjoyed the generous portion of crab meat which is both fresh and sweet. Such a light and clean dish. The kale soba is a good complement - texture is firm and soup is light with so much umami. Tempura Soba: fried tempura were light and airy and free of excess oil. Tori Soba: rich tender slices of chicken impart a deeper, rounded flavor which elevates the kake soba. Warm, traditional hospitality exudes from the servers. Will love to come back in the futures

came back again to try the cold soba and also got an ahi plate on the side! certain lunch orders…read morealso come with a side of rice (plain, edamame, or mushroom). the noodles here are fantastic. they're hand made and have the perfect chew, and they don't get all clumped up in the tray. the ahi bowl was delicious as well! melt in your mouth fish and really good seasoned rice. everything was the perfect serving size. they came by to drop off cups of tea and toothpicks for us near the end of our meal as well as soba sauce refills if we wanted. definitely coming back again!

The food was very flavorful and enjoyed every bite. Our drink selections were amazing also. To top…read moreit off Riley our server who was very personable, knew the menu and answered all our questions with ease was a plus. She mentioned it was her first server job but she took care of us like she's been doing it for years. great service with amazing food and drinks made me and my families experien unforgettable and will be returning!

I actually really liked Lady Elaine and wanted to give this place a shot after the waitress who…read morehelped me there was raving about it. And honestly, I can see why! The food here is actually really good, dude. it's an Asian fusion kind of joint, and everyone was so welcoming. My favorite dish of the night was definitely the Menchi Katsu. The onsen egg on top of the katsu was chef's kiss! I feel like it was kind of a remake of loco moco but better meat. I loved the flavor, and the portion size for the entree was perfect. Also, shoutout to the waitress who helped us! She was super sweet, welcoming, and very informative about the menu, which I really appreciated. I'd definitely come back again to try some of the other menu items!