A nice pocket of Japanese soba and udon speciality noodles in Honolulu. The prices are understandably more pricey than what you would get in Japan, but you are in one of the most expensive US states after all. We had to wait around 15 minutes for a table, but were promptly attended to upon seating. I ordered the curry udon, while my friends got the special uni seafood soba noodles and the miso glazed fish rice set. The actual amount of food was in the smaller side, but the quality was incredibly high. Come here if you're willing to treat yourself and splurge a bit, as you're paying for the high quality food rather than stuffing your petite little body to the max. It looked like a semi-traditional Japanese restaurant inside, albeit they looked like they were in the middle of some renovation in the larger, emptier room we were seated in. All in all, I would recommend going back if someone is taking care of this bill for you. Oishi desu! read more

I-NABA - Curry udon bowl - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

What a great little restaurant! Went to a spa today and the masseuse recommended this restaurant for soba and tempura. I made reservations for Saturday at 6 pm. The parking lot was small so parked down the street. It was crowded when we arrived but by 6:45-7, the crowd dissipated. I ordered the Kake soba (hot broth) and tempura. This was the first time I had hot soba. It was delicious-noodles firm and the broth yummy. The tempura batter was light and crispy. I would definitely come back! read more

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HOLY MOLY! I've been here multiple times and I can tell you the food is superb! The service is so friendly and attentive and although small it's a really beautifully designed quaint atmosphere! I always get the Zuke Tuna bowl and sari soba with the sausage app! Idk why but it's just so delicious! I know the noodles are house made so if you come here get a noodle dish! However the fish is great as well! Authentic, delicious and you better go early because parking is hard to find! read more

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Amazing soba here. I ordered the zaru soba (cold noodles with a dipping sauce) and I loved it. The noodles are excellent and the sauce was tasty but not overbearing. The dish is filling without making you feel like you ate too much. The tempura was also super good and I liked the sauce. They pour the sauce right over the tempura already so you're not dipping it, but there was enough sauce that it seeped into the rice below. I don't usually eat a lot of rice in one sitting but I couldn't stop here. The parking lot is small and easy to miss, but there's also a lot of street parking nearby. read more

I-NABA - Soba tempura set - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

First we don't usually go anywhere where I can get in another state. They have locations in Torrance which we can visit often. So we wouldn't go here but then we wanted to try it on the island. The soba was soba. I personally didn't find it filling or satisfying. It was on the expensive side for what you get but I see how it is clean eating and very authentic. I just wouldn't crave this place and go unless someone else wanted to go. read more

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One of my favorite spots from my recent trip to Oahu. The soba is unreal. Perfectly chewy and cooked to perfection. Tempura was light and airy. You're also supposed to get a complimentary edimame, but we came pretty late, so they were out (but I still think this is a great touch!). My friend got the chicken soba, and the broth was light and rich -- with strong notes of dashi and soy through a light chicken broth. So good. Will be back! read more

Glad I got to try this soba place! We came with no reservations on a Friday afternoon around 11:30 am and got seated right away. Most of everything on the menu was a soba set which I kind of loved because I love getting the best of both worlds. I got myself the tuna Uni bowl with zaru soba ($38). I did not really like the Uni sadly, it was mushy and kind of bitter. Not really the kind of Uni I'm used to. The tuna was good though tasted pretty fresh. Now let's talk about the soba! It was great not too soft and not too hard, nicely cooked. The dipping sauce came in a single cup no extra sauce on the side. The sauce itself was not too salty but also not too rich in flavor. They also give you sobayu (water they use to boil the soba noodles in that your pour into your soba dipping sauce to drink your sauce at the end) which I loved!!! I got to enjoy my soba sauce till the very last drop. The service was efficiently and friendly. Would recommend to anyone who enjoys cold noodles ! read more

We went for lunch, and had a great experience. The food was fresh and delicious. The soba was amazing, and tempura was light, crisoy and perfectly flavored. I would love to go back and try their sushi. It was a little pricey, but well worth it. The service was excellent, they were welcoming and quick. great over all experience. read more

The soba didn't blow me away, but it was good. The lunch set was modest but reasonably priced. The service was straightforward, and the atmosphere homey. This is the kind of place I'd eat at every week if I lived in Honolulu. Pro Tip: this place is BYOB, so stop off for some beers first if you're so inclined. read more

The best cold soba we've ever had and excellent tempura to go with it! We ordered a large tempura soba and the waitress asked if we were splitting, which we were. She brought out our order on two trays and had split the portions evenly for us which we completely didn't expect but it was perfect! Excellent food and excellent service overall. After all the non-stop eating on Oahu for our trip, this was such a refreshing and light dinner which perfectly hit the spot. We're glad they have locations in SoCal as well and will be checking them out when we return home! read more

Went here on a Saturday night around 6:30pm without reservations and put our name on the waitlist and was told it would be ~1 hour until we could get seated. When I put my name down, I noticed empty seats at the bar and throughout the restaurant that weren't getting seated, so maybe not utilizing all the seats fully... Ordered the following: Kakuni appetizer - the pork belly was so warm and tender and nicely paired with the egg Scallop & mantis shrimp nigiri- the scallops were good, but I wouldn't order the mantis shrimp nigiri again. Just personally wasn't a favorite, as it was very chewy. Anago ju gozen with large kake soba - the sea eel was flavored so that it was sweet, but not too sweet. And it paired nicely with the rice and soba. The set came with either a regular size kake (warm) or zaru (cold) soba, and I chose to upgrade to a large sized kake soba. The kake soba was amazing! It was my first time trying warm soba, but the broth paired perfectly with the noodles. Zaru soba - the zaru soba was yummy too, and the server was kind and attentive enough to refill the soba sauce when we were running low. Assorted tempura large - the tempura was ordered to pair with the zaru soba and the tempura breading was light, just how I like it. Overall, would recommend if you like soba or want to try it. I would recommend calling ahead for reservations if you don't want to end up waiting. read more

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Loved the tempura soba...noodles had just the right chew for me. Gobo tempura as a side because I love gobo. The kinoko gohan was delicious. Service was friendly and attentive. read more

I-NABA - Tempura soba, gobo tempura, kinoko gohan - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Thank you to I-nana for having us as we walked through your doors at 1:30 not realizing you close at 2. I was ono for some cold soba because I was watching Ultraman and hand a craving for some. I ordered their tempura set with zaru soba. We ordered the maguro natto appetizer which was very pungent in natto flavor. I am not a fan and this again reminded me of that. The ahi was of good quality, without the connective tissue that I really dislike. The tempura set comes with vegetables, white fish and two shrimp. The soba noodles were ok, but the sauce was overwhelmingly fishy like too much bonito. I don't eat soba very often so I am not sure how good versus bad soba is. This was just my own personal preference. The set came with rice and pickled radish. At the end I was given hot noodle liquid to pour into the cup of dipping sauce to drink like tea. I wasn't really in the mood for salt overload but my sister said it tasted good. Staff were friendly and sparse. I didn't mind it seeing as we got in late but the party next to us had to find someone for the bill. We got our food probably 30 min after entering. Parking is a bit small because they share it with other businesses. There is street parking if you can't find a stall in their lot. read more

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I was on the search for cold dipping soba and was so glad I stumbled upon this place! The restaurant itself isn't too big. When you walk in, there's bar/counter seating and maybe a few tables on the side. We came for lunch and there was only one other party at the bar and another at a table. I ordered the tempura soba. This was my first time having cold soba at a restaurant and it was so delightful! The noodles were perfectly cooked. The strips of seaweed added a nice saltiness. The cold dipping broth had just the right amount of soy mixed in a dashi/tsuyu broth and clung to the noodles. Adding a touch of wasabi to each bite gave an exciting mouth feel. The tempura shrimp was lightly battered and paired well with the tempura sauce. It was a nice contrast to the cold soba. My partner got the chirashi bowl and each piece of sashimi was so fresh! When you sit at the counter, you can see the chefs careful slicing the fish and how smooth each one looked. Recently I discovered I could get this back on the mainland in Torrance! If you love soba noodles, then come check this place out! read more

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This was my first experience going to restaurant where they served soba noodles like this. It was a very fun experience! We went on a Sunday at lunch and had little to no wait. I loved how the food was good and they really catered to children who came in with specific dishes and chopsticks for them. When we went we weren't sure at first what to do with all of the pieces they gave us, but looking around and a quick google search was very helpful! Definitely go hungry because you will be so full and you'll want to try everything they put in front of you. read more

I-NABA - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Green food great service and delicious soba as you can see the parking is a little tight but we found one in the lot the waitress are friendly The menu is very extensive so many Choices to pick read more

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Came here with family who were visiting and wasn't able to make a reservation, but got lucky and was able to get seats at the counter which was fine. It was packed at 7pm on a Thursday evening, so definitely try to schedule a reservation a day or two in advance if you are able. Service was very fast and the food came out quickly. I had the tempura soba with the kake (hot) soba. The hot soba was so delicious and the soba was so good. The tempura was nice and crispy, so I enjoyed the overall meal. Overall, I was pleased with the food as usual and the service was amazing this time. I will definitely be back again soon! Parking: Small lot in front that fills up quickly. Street parking if no parking in the front. They are BYOB and charge a fee for each glass you use from them. read more

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

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I-Naba is originally a Southern California soba restaurant from Torrance, so of course, it would have its second location in Honolulu. We nabbed reservations for early diner and had their delicious soba. The cold zaru soba is perfect to cool you down in warm, tropical weather. We ordered one set of zaru soba with ikura, one Tempura Zaru soba set and we both enjoyed our cold dishes very much. I also love ordering mozuzuku seaweed whenever I see it on the menu. The cold vinegary appetizer is so refreshing. If you want more hot and cooked foods, I-Naba also serves a variety of bentos and we also ordered the I-Naba bento. read more

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I-NABA might be my favorite spot on Oahu for Japanese food. They're known for their freshly made soba which has a chewy and bouncy texture, but I'm more of an udon person and am obsessed with their fresh udon noodles. I always get the uni, ikura, and hotate bowl with hot udon. Some of my family members got tempura sets and said the tempura was very light and crunchy. They use a high quality short grain sushi rice, which makes everything even better. Their restaurant space isn't very large, so I recommend calling ahead. We had a larger party this past time and put in a reservation for 7, so they had us in a separate room with more chairs and space. The main dining room has a cuter atmosphere, but we enjoyed the quiet, private area because it was less cramped for a larger party. The parking lot is shared with other businesses, but most aren't open for dinner. I highly recommend coming to I-NABA! read more

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Came here for the first time... Sunday lunch at 1pm - walk-in only, no reservations. Perfect timing as seats filled quickly at this cozy eatery with a handful of tables & about 10 counter seats. Nice, vibe... like we were in Japan. My son & husband had the tempura with zaru soba, and I tried our server's favorite, Gomadare Soba. Every dish was delicious... quality ingredients and taste. Was given hot soba water to add to the leftover dipping sauce to end our meals. Wow... such a nice, unique experience. Prices are on the high side so would definitely return for a special occasion or treat. read more

I-NABA - Dx tempura bowl and Soba - husband enjoyed, filled his cravings and chose this place to dine on his day off. He will definitely return. - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Went to I-Naba for the first time this week and I was impressed. There's beauty in simplicity and everything we ate here was simple but delicious. We ordered the Tamagoyaki, Tori Nanban Soba, and fried mochi with red bean paste. The broth for the soba was super light and soothing and the soba was perfectly cooked. The fried mochi was the perfect end to the meal - lightly fried, airy, and small enough to not walk out of the restaurant in a food coma. Service was quick and attentive. The restaurant gets busy, so get there right at opening or be prepared for a little wait. Overall, will definitely come back and recommend this to anyone who was authentic soba on island. read more

We have been coming to I-Naba for years now. The consistency has always remained and service is consistent and excellent. While the sashimi and nigiri are on par with the other awesome izakaya on the island, what always brings us back is the soba they have on their menu. I-Naba has many soba options that are accompanied by their other dishes, but we always trend to the traditional Zaru Soba - the noodles are pleasant and bouncy. There is an option to have a larger size which goes great in the middle of the table to be shared by everyone. read more

Small little place, excellent service. Foods are amazingly delicious. Highly recommended.

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

The soba is insane. The sashimi is such high quality. Easily one of my favorite dinner spots in Honolulu. Highest quality, worth the price point. read more

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

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I-naba is a really nice lowkey neighborhood spot with high quality house-made soba and excellent tempura. We came with our local friends who keep this in their date night rotation, and I can see why. They start you with some complimentary edamame while you look over the lengthy menu. There are admittedly a wealth of options to choose from and I found myself a little overwhelmed. I (and several of my dinner buddies) settled on the tempura soba, which is a set of either hot or cold soba (we went for cold given the season) with a set of vegetable and shrimp tempura. I have had cold soba throughout my life, but this was actually my first time having it at a restaurant. Their soba is really nice, great texture. The tempura was excellent as well! It really hit the spot on a hot summer afternoon. read more

Came here for dinner after my friend hyped this place for a while. I will say that they did not disappoint. We all got the inaba bento which I love since it comes with a little bit of everything. Comes with sashimi which I loved the hamachi which was so fresh. The tempura was also nice and crispy and I liked that it came with a different selection with squid. The soba was also super yummy as well as the sides it comes with. Overall I loved this place and can't wait to come back and try more food. They have a small parking lot and I would recommend making a reservation since the restaurant is kinda small. read more

I-NABA - Inaba bento - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Best Saba ever have! Arrived there at 11:10 and already a line. We ordered mackerel, mushroom saba (hot) and another cold saba, the flavor is light yet fresh. Unlike fried food or heavy food you really get to understand the taste of saba and herbs. Tempura is also awesome, oil used is virgin and you don't feel the taste of repeated usage. Temperature controlled right and still preserve the juice and nature taste of the vegetables or seafood. Highly recommended read more

I-Naba is a great spot if you're looking for a light, healthy, delicious dinner. The noodles are made very well in house as I could as they were hauling giant bags of flour through the restaurant. They definitely put in the work to make the noodles well. I opted for the simple cold soba to see what the fuss was all about and it did not disappoint. What was even more surprising was how good the mushroom rice was. read more

Best japanese restaurant on oahu, food is always cooked well whether its the soba noodles or tempura or aburi shimesaba. Service is always great. Has a cozy ambiance with two rooms to sit in and bar seating available. Hands down best japanese food on oahu imo. read more

I-Naba on King Street gave us a pretty solid experience overall. We got the tempura and cold soba noodle combo, and while the soba was really good - light, refreshing, and perfectly chewy - the tempura was just okay. It wasn't bad, just not memorable, like it could've used a little more crisp or seasoning One thing that stood out was the service. They were really considerate and split our meal into two sets since we were sharing, which was nice and made things way easier. Plus, they gave us tea after our meal, which was such a thoughtful touch The vibe here feels really authentic, like it transports you for a bit. If you're in the mood for some solid soba in a cozy, low-key spot, I-Naba is worth a visit, but don't expect anything crazy special from the tempura read more

I-NABA - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Went here for a quick little birthday dinner tonight with the girlfriend. We've been here a couple of times, and the service is always great. It's a nice little, cozy restaurant. We arrived and the wait staff sat us and brought menus and water. As we did take time to decide what we were gonna order, they offered hot tea. As we had a couple of questions about some items on the menu, the waitress answered our questions and even made some suggestions on what to get. We ordered the Tempura soba as well as a few tempura items on the menu. All of the food came out hot and fresh. The soba had a perfect chew and cooked just right. All of the tempura with its nice, light, and crispy batter was tasty. Also came with some nice dipping salt as well as soba water. As my girlfriend and I were gonna share everything, the awesome waitresses accommodated us with extra tempura sauce and plates. To top off the amazing meal, the waitress overheard that it was my birthday, and they brought out their super tasty and refreshing yuzu sorbet!!! Awesome place, GREAT wait staff, and a nice little place for great tempura and soba. read more

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Still the Best; I was craving for this taste for several days ... the service is spot on and the atmosphere is perfect. Quick, yet not rushed....check the time and go at NOT at closing ; give them at least 30 minutes. read more

TL;DR: a can't-miss Japanese dig in an unassuming strip mall parking lot Found another must-visit spot in Honolulu! Originally came on a day the entire block had a power outage and had to swerve somewhere else for dinner That said, the front of house was so apologetic and accommodating - she was able to put us down for a reservation later in the week After seating, we were provided wet towels to clean and side edamame to kick off the eating experience - both very much appreciated For dinner, we ordered: - Sashimi gozen: super fresh slices of sashimi to start the meal - can't go wrong - Kamo (duck) Jiru soba [MVP]: just wow. The intense duck flavor in the broth went perfectly with the cold soba's amount of chew. 100% get this if it's on the menu. - Tempura Soba: crispy airy perfectly fried tempura paired with a deep clean soba broth - can't go wrong with this combo Excellent experience - can't wait to come back! Cheers, I-NABA! :) read more

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It was our first time trying I-NABA and we had a very pleasant dining experience. We didn't have a reservation (they were booked for the day), so we decided to take our chances with a walk-in. We only had to wait about 10 minutes before a table was ready for us. The interior of the restaurant was on the smaller side, but felt very homey. I ordered the Deluxe Tempura with Cold Soba, which was delicious. The tempura portion came with a large variety of tempura ranging from fish, shrimp, and veggies. The consistency of the tempura was perfect, crispy, and not over battered. The soba was also very enjoyable with a great noodle texture and flavorful soba tsuyu. I would highly recommend this spot and I'll definitely be returning in the near future. read more

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Nice service, Good food Next time I will try other food The cold soba (Zaru) was really good. read more

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First time to this whole in the wall location on King Street. I didn't have high expectations since I was not really impressed with my lunch experience at the Hawai'i Kai location. We had reservations for the four of us in the sushi bar room which only can accommodate 7 people. If you want a very personal omakase experience you can''t beat the intimate setting. They have another room for yakiniku and I believe it is much larger. We had the 15 course dinner which I think was way too much food even though the main sushi courses were a single piece. The fish all came from Japan, super high quality with unique flavors. I felt like I was in a sushi restaurant in Japan. I don't think this will be for everyone, you need to be open to a more authentic experience and willing to try different flavors and parts of the fish. read more

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Dinner at I-NABA... What a treat! Located across the street from Washington Intermediate School on South King Street. You'll encounter this petite restaurant which commands a ton of 4 and 5 Star reviews from fellow Yelpers. Nice... Thank you all! Parking is limited as they share stalls with neighboring businesses. Luckily, street parking is also available. After checking in, we were quickly seated to our table. Our waitress came and greeted our party with water and small plates of boiled edamame. Knowing what we wanted, we quickly placed our order. I had their Chirashi Gozen since the reviews were very positive. It included a few slices of hamachi, salmon, maguro, snapper, scallops, tamago and one amaebi shrimp. The presentation was inviting and tasted amazing. I'm glad I ordered this meal. Service was great, especially with the amount of customers present during their dinner service. I'll be back. read more

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I highly recommend getting the sona with the salmon eggs. The burst of salty, flavor when you eat the soba is just do good. Umami to be exact! The location is on the smaller side, but they are fast when you order. My plate took less than 5 minutes. Would recommend! read more

I-NABA - Salmon eggs on soba - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

One of the few times I've had soba so I'm glad this was one of those experiences. I came here with family for dinner on 6/29. We weren't able to make reservations in time but were able to wait for bar seats. Luckily, we arrived early enough so there was no wait. They provided warm hand towels for us upon sitting down. I decided to order the tempura soba, which came with soba/dipping sauce and fish, shrimp, and vegetable tempura. You could tell from biting the crispy tempura that it was freshly fried. Sometimes vegetable tempura can be hard/a little raw still but these were not at all. I usually prefer noodles in hot broth but the soba noodles tasted so good, even without the sauce. It's such a different experience to dip the noodles. Afterwards, they even give you the starchy water that the noodles were cooked in, to create a soup with the remaining dipping sauce, so be sure to save some! Just FYI, the parking lot is on the smaller side, so there may not be many spots open. I'm really glad I was able to try this spot out and will try to be come back for their other items! read more

I-NABA - Tempura Soba - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii