I loved the Hana soba I had with uni, ikura, and tororo with a side of mixed tempura. Soba was al dente and delicious. The tempura was perfectly cooked--crunchy and not overdone. Wifey had the tempura with kake soba. Parents had the jumbo shrimp udon and nishin soba. They were less enthused about the meal, saying while it was cooked well, they would've wanted more texture or flavor. Honestly, I expected simple and well executed so not taking a star for that. The restaurant decor is also simple and feels authentic. Service was incredibly friendly, attentive, and quick. A little pricey, but overall great. read more

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Small but quaint spot. Soba is delish and the presentation is lovely. They have a BYOB policy which is neat they just charge you for the glass if you don't bring your own. read more

I-NABA - Duck soba with sashimi platter $50 - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Prices have increased and my soba was not worth the price. Ala carte shrimp for a small size at $5 a piece was rather expensive. Just for lunch for a party of 3 at $75 is way too much read more

Food is fabulous. We ordered a half order of the chicken and half order of mushroom udon- many different types of mushrooms contribute to the rich dashi. The kakune came with a whole egg, blanched green beans and hot mustard. Assorted sushi + scallop sushi were winners- high quality & FRESH cuts. PRO TIP: Walk-in & write your name on the waitlist. It is nearly impossible to book a reservation, even when you do it is not recorded nor honored. We were a party of 3 called and scheduled a reservation a week in advance, called twice throughout the week to confirm the reservation and was assured we were all set. The date of the reservation I arrived early and they had no record of our name or phone number for any reservation at the 1610 S King location nor Hanalei'i down the street, as they suggested. It was more inconvenient than anything- just walk in. Trust Me. read more

This place was great! Little did we know that this spot is very popular and most of the time if not every time you'll want to snag a reservation. We yelp'd and decided lets go for katsu. Fortunately the timing was perfect as there was one table left for two and we got it as a walk in! We told our friends who live nearby and they were shocked. For sure there was a line out the door after we got seated. We didn't try any soba but the katsu was great! Highly recommend but make sure to plan ahead. read more

I know people rave about I-naba, and don't get me wrong, it was good! But I wasn't AMAZED to the point where I am dying to go back. Food quality was good and the soba was cooked perfectly. It was about $30 average, but for a pretty small portion that I gobbled up in 15 min :) Ok...one thing I did LOVE was the sauce on the rice. I usually don't finish the entire portion of rice at restaurants, but I surely did this time. It's a very quiet, Japanese-style ambiance, which was very peaceful. read more

I-NABA - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Still delicious! Came for lunch and got the tempura donburi with mini Zaru soba. The tempura was cooked perfect with sauce on it and not too much batter. I love their zaru soba, so tasty and fresh. Got the tempura ice cream for dessert which was a big let down. There was not really any ice cream at all. More like an air ball tempura and a little ice cream. Probably like 1/5 filled. The ball is already small. The mango cheesecake had bits of mango which was good if you love mango. Service was excellent, they kept refilling the tea and water without us asking. The park was tough. Luckily my friend went in first and told me people were leaving, so I wait for people to leave the lot. Over all, still delicious and I'd get the tempura soba so I can get more soba! The mini is too small for me, but there was an option to upgrade for a few more dollars. I recommend to do that! I did leave full though but would've enjoyed more soba! Can't wait to come back! read more

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Wow! I know I'm late to the hype, but yum! First off, the food is great! I ordered the Bara Chirashi/Zaru soba and jumbo shrimp tempura. It was a good portion and everything was super flavorful! That was my first time trying Zaru Soba and loved it! It was cold and refreshing on a hot day. The Bara Chirashi was delicious! The fish was obviously fresh! At the end of the meal, the waitress brought out some of the hot water that the soba was boiled in. We were instructed to mix it into the soba sauce and drink it. She said that it has great benefits and it was actually very tasty. The staff were all friendly! I highly recommend to make a reservation as they do get quite busy. read more

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Truly one of the best soba restaurants around. This place convinced my soba-ambivalent friends to become soba fans. I highly recommend going with cold soba dishes over hot, since the heat will disintegrate the noodles quickly. True soba is made with 100% buckwheat, and you can really taste the difference vs store-bought soba which is a mix of buckwheat and wheat. My favorite is the hana soba which contains tons of ikura, yam, and uni. Its texture might be off-putting to those who aren't familiar with grated yam, but the dish is so refreshing. You really can't go wrong with any of the dishes here. Tempura is also done exceptionally well here! Make sure to call in for a reservation! I made a res for my large group of 8 one week in advance. read more

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Soba for days Definitely need to eat here while in HNL So Japanese Feels like teleported To Tokyo read more

I-NABA - Sitting and waiting - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

A couple things to note... they do not take reservations and they do not sell alcohol but it is BYOB!! The food was delicious. Fresh seafood and quick service. Check out their seasonal items. We got their grilled red prawn and it had so much flavor! Their soba noodles were also delicious and cooked well with a broth that was flavorful without being too salty. Definitely check this place out. read more

I-NABA - Ikura/uni/hotate bowl - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I-NABA is quirky when you arrive but don't judge a restaurant by its door. Pull into a tiny parking lot and hope there's room. Weave past loiterers outside the restaurant. Enter through a high-friction sliding door that feels like a resistance machine at the gym on low. Put your name on the list. Wait for a little. Better yet, call ahead at least a few hours before meal service. It's all worth it. Food I ordered the gomadare (sesame) cold soba and the fried mochi dessert. I-NABA's cold soba has tiny black specks, probably seaweed. Not too brittle, perhaps they added some wheat flour. Take a quick bite to get just the buckwheat. Then mix well to get the full aroma of broth every bite. I tasted soy sauce and dashi, then sesame and a hint of shiso. The bonito flakes are a welcome surprise if you forgot about them- just a hint of meaty for an otherwise light entree. This is a good second soba for branching out after you've tried soba with the classic mentsuyu sauce. The mochi has light, crispy batter, and pulls apart like a fried mozarella stick. Very chewy, very ricey, and perfectly complemented by the thick red bean paste, which had a few whole red beans mixed in. Great comfort food, especially if you didn't order the tempura, which would be another good choice here. Suggestions Shiso was mentioned first on the ingredients for the soba, so it would be nice if it was more prominent in the broth. Most of the flavor remains in the leaf itself. Service Service was friendly, attentive, and on the quiet side. Very warm arigatogozaimasus, frequent water refills, and few words. Verdict- #wouldeatagain read more

I-NABA - Gomadare soba close up - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Tried to make a reservation for dinner the day before but unfortunately they were already full. I got some info on walk-ins - if you come right when they open you will be seated right away on the counter. Otherwise it will be ~1 hour wait or more, depending on how fast the counter guests eat. I arrived around 6pm and the lady said it would be maybe a 1.5 hour wait for my party of 3. We were hopeful though, and our luck paid off as we got seated in 45 minutes. Parking lot was small but as I waited in the parking lot, there were always 1-2 parking spots available. Only 1 bench available, the rest of us just hovered in varied places throughout the parking lot. Only 1 single stall bathroom inside so lines can form. We did think the service was a bit slow. We had to wave someone down to order. We also thought the wait between ordering and getting our food was a bit long as well. Complimentary edamame was a plus and yummy but we only got around ~7 edamames per person. But it was free so I guess I shouldn't complain about the small portion size! I got the COLD SOBA and some TEMPURA! The soba was really good, I can see why everyone comes here for the soba. The broth was really delicious and the perfect flavor - not too salty. Soba texture was on the harder side, but chewy and great to me. Tempura was your typical tempura and pretty yummy. I also got a MATCHA JAPANESE CHEESECAKE and it was so delicious. So glad I got it!!! read more

I-NABA - tempura soba - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I-Naba is one of many good soba shops in Honolulu. While they tend to have extended wait times and service can be slow, the quality of their food is worth the wait you might experience. The portions are quite substantial and the prices are pretty standard for the island. I would recommend the Chirashi Bowl and Soba or the Tempura Soba Set A/B. The Chirashi bowl comes with a hefty serving of fresh fish and comes with either hot or cold soba. I've tried both the hot and cold sobas and believe that the cold soba has slightly more noodles than the hot soba. read more

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Best soba I've ever had. The tempura eel was something special. Great service can't wait to come back

My partner took me here for our anniversary. Once we got here we were greeted and directed to the room with our chef. He was super nice and only spoke Japanese. We used a google translator and were very sweet about it. The food was amazing! My favorite was the ika and the ahi but everything on the menu was good. Would definitely go back since we both loved everything about this place. Also, parking is in the back of the building or I think you can park on the street. read more

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I'm obsessed with cold soba noodles and this place hit the spot. I opted for the version with tempura. Very traditional Japanese with simple, clean flavors. I was very impressed. The staff were lovely as well. read more

Came here after a hot and long hike, we've been wanting some cold soba to calm the heat. We arrived around 1pm and still saw people lining up outside, even though probably not too much. We ordered the Bara Chirashi Bowl and Tuna Shirasu Bowl, both with Zaru Soba set (cold soba). There were more food than I thought it would be and my eyes were bigger than my stomach. Both the Bara Chirashi bowl and Tuna Shirasu bowl were so good but the Zaru Soba was rather more blend that other places. At the end of the meal, they also serve you some warm broth to mix with the leftover soba broth to drink (traditional Japanese way to drink it). Good place to have Soba in town. read more

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Definitely make a reservation because I heard that walk-ins are tough. I got the tempura box zaru soba set. The portion size of the set is really generous and was really filling. I'm personally not the biggest soba fan but I still enjoyed the noodles because the soba tasted so fresh and had the perfect texture. The tempura was also very high quality and was a good assortment of shrimp and vegetables. Overall I left the meal feeling extremely satisfied! read more

I-NABA - Tempura box soba set - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I love a good noodle with mouth pleasing texture and full of flavor and I-Naba delivered. A cozy and welcoming place to go. Zaru soba is my favorite noodle dish and now I found my favorite place to get it. I ordered the soba with tempura. Staff was helpful, cheerful and pleasant. Our order came out quickly too. Great way to end my day. read more

I've ordered delivery from here before and the food was good so I decided to take my mom here for lunch. This was the first time I've eaten in-store. Plus two stars for the authentic and yummy soba. However, the service is slow and you have to wait at least 30 minutes before your meal will come out out after ordering. Another star for the calm atmosphere. Very simple decor. read more

The zaru soba with tempura was amazing! Ingredients tasted fresh and servers were also very attentive.

Decided on a whim to come here and arrived 10 minutes before opening to secure seats! We got lucky as walk ins with 3 seats at the bar. Service was quick and friendly, and it felt like I had stepped into a restaurant in Japan. The soba noodles are incredible here -- so flavorful and pretty big portions. Would recommend the cold soba over hot but both were delicious. Was also glad to find out they have locations in California so I can go again~ read more

I-NABA - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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This is my nieces favorite restaurant, she goes crazy for the soba. We called ahead and made reservations for a larger party. On our way there we got stuck in traffic and arrived late. They were super gracious and didn't rush or hassle us at all even though they get busy. I got the Deluxe Tempura Box & Zaru Soba Combo, the tempura was so light and crisp. The fish and squid pieces were delicious. The zaru soba had the perfect amount of qq, they serve it with tsuyu dipping sauce with green onions and wasabi. I stuck with the half order but ended up ordering more, so treat yourself to a regular portion . Our table also got Hana soba, Chirashi set, hot soba, kakuni, tamagoyaki and Kinako mochi, tempura ice cream, tempura mochi with azuki for dessert. Everything was excellent. The kids smashed on the tamagoyaki. Highly recommend! Kid-Friendly Note: The interior is super cute but it is tight in there, so I wouldn't bring in a big stroller. There are high chairs and booster seats available. No specific kids meal to my knowledge. read more

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I came to I-Naba for the first time tonight to celebrate my Dad's birthday. Hours later I'm still in a food coma reminiscing on how delicious everything was! My Dad told me he hadn't been this stuffed in awhile, mentioning how it's hard to find such high quality soba. I came with my group of five. We ordered a variety of appetizers to share. My favorite was the salmon ikura which was one of a kind. The ikura was bursting with flavor and it paired well with the shiso leaf. I also liked the I-Naba's salad which comes with salmon skin. The salmon skin added a nice crunch, flavor, and touch! I ordered the Tempura Soba meal, which was a huge portion. It came with a heaping amount of soba noodles and about 7-8 pieces of mixed tempura. The soba was chewy and filling and I was only able to eat about 2/3 of it. The tempura was crunchy, battered lightly, and wasn't oily. I-Naba knows what they're doing and they do a great job! They do a wonderful job with social distancing and service is prompt. The workers are all kind and food comes out relatively fast! They allowed us to bring in and light a birthday cake. One note is that I recommend calling in to make reservations as this quaint but popular restaurant stays busy. Parking is also limited as they share a small lot. read more

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Don't think twice. Just go. Food is amazing and staff is extremely friendly. They even had patience to wait for my nephew to order his very specific "noono with mame and hoop." Everything we ordered was amazing! I regret not getting a full order of soba. read more

I-NABA - Fried mochi w red bean and kinako mochi - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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The soba noodles were really good! Although there were some hard/clumpy chunks, the noodles were chewy, and the broth paired perfectly. The cold option was perfect for the weather, and I was able to try a bit of everything in the combo. Make sure to make a reservation before coming. The restaurant was pretty full during dinner, though the wait was not too bad read more

I-NABA - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Hana Soba is Da Bomb!!! Superbly delish! Cold Soba with lots of ikura, wakame, grated araimo, green onions and slices of tamago omelet. My Aunty hit the Chirashi combo. That was a hit also! Service is quick, gracious and knowledgeable. The server whipped out his phone to show me the mushroom o wanted. We will return to try other soba combinations! read more

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Ordered the hot soba with vegetable tempura. We were seated pretty quickly at the bar and service was great. Food came out pretty quickly too. Hot tea was provided at the end of the meal. My only regret is that I didn't have room for dessert. Will be back again. read more

If I had one word to describe I-Naba, simple. Nothing more and nothing less. Don't get me wrong I love simple when it comes to food, but maybe in this case it's simple to a fault Simply you go to I-Naba for just the food, nothing else and really nothing more. Here's my breakdown: Food: Quality solid 4 stars. Solid Japanese food. No gimmicky creations here, just plain, ole quality Japanese food and seeing the crowd that's gathered here shows that I-Naba is doing something right. I had the gindara saikyoyaki which was sweet and delicate. The side dishes were delicious but portions were really meager. The soba I ordered was good and firm, broth was nice but again portions small. The tempura was lightly battered and not oily or soggy. I also ordered the tempura ice cream, (three bite-sized balls of fried ice cream) topped with chocolate and whipped cream. It's definitely not a share dessert. Service: 3.5 to 4 stars. Not bad, nor super special. Servers were nice to us, but it wasn't exceptional either. Despite being very busy, the food and drinks came out pretty quickly and the food was presented very well. Ambiance: 3 stars. It's a simple, clean, and cute space. Value: 1 Star. While I can appreciate the quality of the food, i think I-Naba was expensive for what you get. read more

Heard about this place for a while and tried it for the first time. It's not as great as it seems. Old Japanese restaurant. The only comment is the food is kinda of expensive for the little portion they give. I don't think I will be back. read more

Personally, I didn't like soba before - but after coming to this place - I'm a soba fan. So much that when I got home, I went to Mitsuwa and decided to attempt making my own soba. The food is honestly great, and it's amazing how something sooo simple can taste so savory and good! We had three types of sobas (two cold, one hot), and personally the regular simple cold soba was the best. But you really can't go wrong. Hana Soba - 4/5! This rich with umami and flavor! This tasted soooo good, except I personally not a big fan of slimy things and the tororo (grated yam) certainly gave it a bit of a slimy texture (think insides of okra) which knocked it down one star for me. This is more I think a personal preference as I'm sure someone that might not mind the texture would love this! Zaru Soba - 5/5 - So simple, sooo good. Straight 5/5 highly recommend. Tori (Chicken) Nanban Soba - 3.5/5 - The chicken could've been a bit more tender, but broth and flavor was good and nice on a cold night. But this one just didn't seem as good as the cold sobas. Chirashi Set - 4/5 - Lots of good, fresh assortments of fish and is a good supplement/alternative if you want some thing else in addition to soba. Any of the Tempura - 5/5 solid. Crispy & and tasty dipping sauce! read more

I-NABA - Chirashi set - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

We walked in believing the Saba was the best and what we wanted to eat, but it turns out the saba is so so. The sauce is really good and they give you hot water and the end to drink it. The noodle was the disappointment cause it was a lot more al dente than I thought or we expected more. Even with the set, only sauce and green onion comes with Saba. Grated radish was also an extra cost... However, the tempura was SO GOOD! Thin batter but super crunchy while the veggie tasted so fresh! Very high quality tempura. The uni and ikura was good as well, very fresh. Worth a try if you're in Hawaii a lot. read more

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If you want to feel like you're in Japan, come check out Inaba restaurant on King Street. As soon we walked in, my girls and I felt like we were transported to Japan! There was a short 10 minute wait for a table for 3 at lunchtime on Sunday. You sign your name on the clipboard and wait outside. It was a beautiful day and we stood in the sun the whole time cause there is no shade. I ordered my fave battera and soba, unfortunately, they were out of my first choice of udon. My daughter ordered a zaru soba and a side order of ikura and salmon sushi and a piece of potato tempura my other daughter ordered a soba with tororo and natto, they were also out of mentaiko. We had to ask them to refill our tea because they were super busy. The servers were nice and came to fill them right away. The food was excellent!! They even bring the water that they cooked the soba in to drink it with the soba sauce at the end of the meal. Parking can be challenging as it is a small lot, but we lucked out. read more

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My absolute FAVORITE soba place ever, and great tempura too. Whenever we're craving tempura or soba, this place always comes to mind for every member of my family! It can get very crowded though, so we try to make reservations or come as soon as they open to be sure to get a seat and not have to wait. Food is EXCELLENT, like Japan. Parking in front is tight considering how many people try to eat here. They're doing takeout again, so my parents really appreciate the yummy food we can bring them now. read more

I-NABA - Soba and vegetable tempura - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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We went parasailing in the morning and afterwards the rain started pouring. So we knew that it was time to get some good ramen in Oahu and came across this place on the web as the top 5 ramen places according to voters choices. Upon arrival, they have a small iPad where you will put your name to the waitlist. Thankfully we arrived a little hit early so there was no wait and we were seated right away. Now comes the ramen....for me it's all about the broth, quality of noodles and the egg. And all I can say they did a great job with these 3 major ingredients. I ordered the garlic wagaya ramen which is a tonkotsu based ramen plus garlic. The broth was rich and creamy very similar to what we tried in Ichiran in Shibuya. I can see they they must have used pigs feet and leg to make the broth. It was so tasty and the depth of flavor bursts in your mouth. I love that the noodles were cooked just right not soggy and the egg was cooked perfectly almost very soft boiled which is to my liking. The chashu meat was thinly sliced and tender and good amount. Overall it was a very delicious bowl of ramen. Hope to come back here when I visit the island again in the future. Also ordered the corn tempura which was a unique appetizer and the Hawaiian salt on the side was a great addition. Lastly can customize your ramen from type of noodle, doneness and spice level! read more

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My friends and I came in for lunch, I'm glad I made a reservation over the phone earlier in the week because it was quite busy. We were greeted by the staff and seated quickly. We ordered our meals, and the food came out super quick. We were all surprised at how quickly our food came out. We were in and out of there in about 30 minutes, but the food was really good. I got to Bara chirashi and Soba set, the fish tasted super fresh, and the soba had a great bouncy mouthfeel. Also I think the prices were pretty reasonable considering how ingredients for fresh ingredients are rising everyday. The staff was super friendly and I really liked how they greeted us when we left. I've been wanting to come here for the longest time because I've heard great things about this restaurant and all my expectations were exceeded and we will definitely be coming back! read more

I-NABA - Bara chirashi with cold soba - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

YUM! Japan quality! The noodles are so fresh and chewy. The fish in the chirashi bowl were quality pieces too. This place is also BYOB which is also a plus! Great service and a clean restaurant. I would say parking is limited though, so come early! read more

I-NABA - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Maybe my only positive this place has a big selection of food options. Negatives food cost to food quality not close not worth it. No privacy tables are really close to each other felt like I was having dinner with the party next to me also could hear the kitchen staff have full on conversations. I'm not sure if they have anything other from water no drink menu was given or offered anything other. Overall customer service was average. Better options in the area. read more

This restaurant is known for its soba noodles and how fresh it tastes. We made a reservation to eat here and we have no regrets. Parking though, they have a small parking lot that they share with an ice cream store so if you can't get parking in there, there's always street parking! Their soba noodles were so fresh and delicious that it reminded of being in Japan. They do offer sushi and I can say that their fish tastes fresh. Superb service even though we took awhile to order because we couldn't figure out what we wanted since everything looked delicious. Highly recommend this place if you enjoy food that reminds you of japan or even if you like soba noodles because that is what they are known for. read more

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