I decided to try Hoku at the recommendation of our AirBnB host and Yelp. 40 reviews on Yelp...that's impressive for Finland! This place lives up to the hype. Since it is located on the 5th floor of Kamppi Square and has floor to ceiling windows, the views are reeeeal nice. The boyfriend and I came for lunch at 11:30am on a Friday and were seated without a reservation after we placed our order and paid at the counter. I tried the Kalua Pork & Tiger Prawns (14€) while the boyfriend went with the Salmon Teriyaki (15€) after reading the glowing reviews on here. The Kalua Pork dish was super tasty and had more broth than I was expecting; I was glad it came with a bowl of rice. The salmon was SO moist with a teriyaki sauce that wasn't too overbearing! Needless to say we finished both our dishes without a bite to spare. The portions are medium-sized. If you come starving, it may not be enough to make you feel 100% satiated. However, the sophisticated atmosphere and unique & flavorful dishes made Hoku a great experience. read more

See all

Hoku is really small place, but their portion are really H-u-g-e and lunch-time the place is always full. Salmon Teriyaki with potato-salad as japanese-style.. yes please! On dinner-time you have to make a reservation if you are coming with big groupie or 2 people. For 1 person... Sometimes there is window-place for walk-in people, so just try your luck if there is the place for you. Their Dinner-menu is sort and not so long. The price are ok. Must try Hoku's Chicken Katsu! read more

This small place in Punavuori has a Japanese-Hawaiian fusion kitchen and that is something you shouldn't miss out on. The simple interior is dominated by bamboo and wood and together with some small pictures from Haiwaii makes you feel a bit like being on a vacation. But the best thing at Hoku is of course the food. Go e.g. for a typical Japanese starter like Edamame (soy beans) or some Gyoza (filled dumplings). For the main course you can choose from a selection of wonderful meat and fish dishes like Braised Crispy Pork Belly, Bi Bim Bap (Teriyaki Beef) or Salmon Teriyaki. And why not have a Hawaiian Longboard beer with your dinner to make the experience complete. Portions at Hoku are big and filling. But if you still can after the main course you should also go for one of their delicious deserts like the Guava Cheesecake or the Fudge Brownie with Kahlua Ice Cream. read more

Hoku - Braised Crispy Pork Belly and Longboard Beer - Hawaiian Near Me - Helsinki, 18

Super nice location and amazing food. Very close to our hotel. Very nice staff and super good food! The Theriaky Salmon is a must eat! And the Hawaiian Espresso was great to finish a super tasty dinner! Book a table because it is a very popular place! read more

Hoku - Teriaki Salmon with green salad! Soooooo good!!!! - Hawaiian Near Me - Helsinki, 18

Delicious food and great views over Kamppi Square. The service was really nice despite we arrived 40 minutes before the kitchen closes. But it was more expensive than we thought. Around 14€ a dish and 7€ a drink. Still, it was worth it and I would like to come back again soon. read more

Hoku - Delicious food and wine! - Hawaiian Near Me - Helsinki, 18

Flavor of food was great. I tried three dishes and all felt light and healthy. My friend said Pork with shrimp and rice dish was one of the best he has ever tried. It's very small so you might have to sit with others at the same table. Lunch is around €11-14. Not cheap considering the fact that you can find plenty of buffet for €10 in the city. Try it if you want something healthy flavorful. read more

See all

The place was so nice with good views to Kamppi square, the service was excellent and the food was delicious. It was a little pricey but I think the place is definitely worth a try. read more

Hoku - Hawaiian Near Me - Helsinki, 18

Well it was edible and not awful - it wasn't however what I expect from Hoku or worth the price. It's this sad cycle I see with so many Asian inspired sort of restaurants - they can be quality until they at spot point get someone in charge who decides to cut corners. Kimchi that isn't as good, less ingredients in certain dishes, more cheap seasoning and less true tastes, and really different approaches to service. I'm sad because Hoku was a place I considered as a benchmark of some of the great wide array of places I could get food in Helsinki. It wasn't cheap - but it was worth it. It wasn't true to proper tradition but it was very good nonetheless. They asked me how it was and I told them it wasn't that good. They tried to argue with me when I told them what I knew was different. I suppose you can argue with customers who have been to your restaurant a bunch of times and maybe you win - but you'll likely have one less customer and maybe no customers at another point in the future. read more

For the price to quality ratio- this is my FAVORITE place in Helsinki. I can't believe that I lived here for nearly 5 yrs without knowing it existed. Now that I know I come here at least once a week for lunch. Which leads me to my next point- THE LUNCHES ARE AMAZING. In a country where you so often find really standardized lunches with little flavor, Hoku is a taste Oasis. My personal favorite is the Salmon Teriyaki, which I get nearly every time I go there ( they will also give you extra kimchi for free if you ask). It doesn't matter how often I get it, it never gets old. Another great dish is the crusted sika & udon noodle salad. I've only been once for dinner, but when I went it was, as expected - excellent. If I could give this place more stars I would. read more

Went here for my birthday dinner and I have to say the whole experience was great. The portion sizes are generous, the food is packed with flavor, the service was super friendly and the place has a nice, cozy atmosphere. Some places can seem a little intimidating but Hoku is super chill. Remember to make a reservation! Enjoy! read more

Highly recommend ! Food is very delicious and waiters are nice /friendly people. Dinner is much more expensive than lunch , so go there for lunch if you can . read more

HOKU is a little gem in Punavuori. The food is A-MAZING and the prices very reasonable. The food is excellent every single time. Remember to book a table if you want to have dinner! read more

Amazing. Have had both lunch at dinner at this restaurant and loved every morsel. Celebrated four years with my beau and it was a night to remember. The food is amazing, quite an intimate environment. The flavors blow your mind. I liked the way to order and pay at the same time for lunch so it saves any hassle at the end of your meal. It is quite a small place and so you are quite close to other tables but that is common in Helsinki. Price was mid range and the food was high class. read more

After reading all the reviews we ventured here to try for ourselves & glad I did. As just visiting Helsinki for the first time did have a little trouble finding it but residents who we met along the way were very helpful pointing us in the right direction. The restaurant is small with not many tables but we were warmly greeted & felt right at home. We split the Goysa, a potsticker appetizer, & it was very good, if you like these would recommend it. For the main course I ordered the Salmon Teriyaki & it was delicious while my wife ordered the Crispy Pork Belly that she enjoyed. It was a wonderful dinner & would recommend you try. As the restaurant is small call ahead for reservations otherwise likely you won't get in. read more

The food is great!!!! The staff is really friendly. But it's a little expensive, about 22-25e for a main dish. You should reserve a table beforehand. read more

Hoku - Hawaiian Near Me - Helsinki, 18

Best restaurant!mWe had the spicy edamame, salmon something and bi bim bap! Wish we were here longer so we could go back. Only draw back- when we walked in they wanted to make sure we were only going to be there for one hour because they were closing. Yet they were not in a hurry to give us our bill- which is common in Europe. We had a similar experience the next night with going in and being told at 7:15 that the kitchen was closing at 8. read more

We had 5stars experience. We ordered Salmon Teriyaki which is their classic dish and, OXTAIL ADOBO both dishes were delicious. They have nice starters, deserts and good selection of drinks as well. Staffs were very very friendly. I usually don't feel to comfortable eating in a restaurant but Hoku was different, I was relaxed, enjoyed my time there. We sat by the window, we had great view of Helsinki. Book a table before hand. Prices were definitely ok for Helsinki. I would definitely go again and recommend the place. read more

Hoku is easily one of my favorite restaurants in Helsinki. It's located away from the center in Punavuori and you kind of need to know where it is to find it, but it's still always full of customers. It's a small and intimate place serving the most amazing and delicious Hawaiian food. You have to try their signature dish, Salmon Teriyaki (try with the potato salad), it's absolutely divine. read more

This is a tough review because my friends seemed to have a good meal, but mine was indescribably bad. First, the service was friendly and the server herself was nice but incredibly slow. The food, I ordered the beef tataki. It was ok. A little bland but they meat was tender. It carries the extra star for the meal. The entree was a loop chong and crab stuffed white fish. First, no lop Chong. I ordered it based on the recommendation from the server. Second, the crab was imitation crab meat. No prawns that I could tell. Lastly, the stuffing was drenched in mayo. Absolutely disgusting. Don't know why chefs feel the need to use mayo so much. The place is supposed to be Asian food. Asians don't use mayo in the food. Next the mayo drenched fished was swimming in this heavy butter sauce. Basically a hollandaise sauce. Again, there was nothing Asian about this dish and was inedible. That said, my friends seemed to enjoy their dishes but they didn't order the dish I did. read more

Hoku - Hawaiian Near Me - Helsinki, 18

See all

Perhaps the best food I have tasted in Finland to date. Hoku is a tiny place, sparsely furnished, but with a menu packed with flavor and variety. I can highly recommend this place for both lunch and dinner. There is some cross-over between the lunch and dinner menus, although the lunch I had there was delicious, the dinner exceeded all expectations. First we had starters of the calamari and crab cakes; both of which were prepared to perfection and presented beautifully with flavors well beyond what one might get at a dedicated sea-food restaurant. Now, I have eaten a lot of salmon in my time, but the main course of salmon teriyaki was incredible, delectable, sublime and all the other adjectives which describe great food. The succulent fresh fish was coated with a glaze of sorts, it needs to be tried. This paragon of cuisine was followed closely by the braised pork belly, of which I was lucky to have a taste. Although in the mid-upper price range (circa 20€ mains), I have no qualms paying good money for great food. read more

Excellent food and service! I had the salmon teriyaki. We also enjoyed the edamame and shumai appetizers. The desserts were perfect and should not be missed. There was not one thing I would complain about. read more

The food is so good here. Salmon teriyaki and bi bim bap are my favorites. And salmon tataki has tasty dressing. People working here are friendly and they know what they are selling. Would recommend to reserve a table for a bigger group. Time to time 2 can fit in to the window seats even fully booked restaurant. read more

It has delicious food and very good service! And the view over the kamppi square is nice!

Decent food but more expensive than expected given reviews (over 25pp for evening meal) and the dishes (oxtail and fish with crab) were rather fatty/oily, which I don't personally associate with Asian food. read more

Majority really really Good! I recommend the oxtail! House specialty macadamian chocolate cookie dessert was bland - 4 stars.

I came for lunch during the rush, my bad. I think there was seating for around 18 + 3 at a counter. The wait for an empty table was not that long. It depended upon the level of compassion of diners who were finished eating and if they would leave or linger. Luckily, a table vacated for us. We had already put our order in and got a number. So, as soon as we sat it was prepared. I orderd the pork and shrimps and my friend got chicken. Both meals looked gorgeous. My dish was very delicious. The serving was an adequate size. However, it only came with a small amount of rice, abt 2dl. I had to ask for another bowl and a half. It was in a savoury subtly sour sauce, or broth. The pork was not as tender as it could have been but was very tasty. The shrimps were large and lovely. The shitake mushrooms and other vegatables were fresh and fabulous. I was very pleased with my order and delighted that they gave me more rice without extra fee. I can't wait to go back and try something else. P.S. The womens wc was large and clean. At lunchtime: Place your order at the counter, pay, get a number and sit down. read more

Hoku - Kalua Pork and Tiger Prawns - Hawaiian Near Me - Helsinki, 18

See all

Very good Asian inspired food from fresh local ingredients. Super tasty and beautifully presented. Works both for lunch and dinner, bookings advised for evenings. read more

I was on the hunt for some good asian food while visiting Helsinki recently and came across this gem of a spot. What I liked was the Asian fusion mix of food - there were some Hawaiian influences and also some great Japanese ones. I had a plate of teriyaki salmon that was cooked about as perfectly as one could get; light, flaky and moist and totally flavorful. The teriyaki was not overpowering- it was perfectly balanced with the rest of the dish and was a great partner. The slaw and salad that went along with it were perfect - the crispy veggie slaw added a whole level of "umami" to the whole thing. The waitstaff were extremely attentive and friendly too, and overall this made the whole experience great. I must also add that it was not terribly expensive, and the portions and the quality were perfect. I will go back there. read more

Appears to be closed? Windows are covered with brown paper that looks like it's been there awhile.

Good food for a reasonable price. No vegetarian options, though. Also the menu on the home page was only available in pdf and wasn't current anyway read more