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    Izakaya Naru

    4.1 (543 reviews)
    ModerateIzakaya
    Open 5:30 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)

    Izakaya Naru Photos

    IZAKAYA NARU ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Recommended Reviews - Izakaya Naru

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    Drink Menu
    Lyle S.

    I visited Izakaya Naru for a late night dinner on a Saturday. The vibe was very reminiscent of an izakaya in Japan, which made it a nice escape for the meal. We got the Potato Salad, Hamachi Carpaccio, Taco Rice in a Hot Stone Pot, Okinawan Soba with Pork Belly, and Chicken Karaage with Tartar. We really loved the Potato Salad, and Okinawan Soba. The Hamachi was too bloody for me. We were able to get same day reservations, which was nice since this was a last minute dinner. They do have a free parking lot, but they share it with a few other businesses so we weren't able to park in it. We waited and drove around a couple times and still weren't able to get a stall. We ended up parking at Puck's Alley and paying. Overall the vibe was great and the food was okay, but I got a little frustrated with the parking. I definitely want to give this palace another try, because I think I just ordered food that wasn't the right fit for me and didn't do my research on the parking. Now knowing this, I think I would have a much better experience the next time I visit

    SeaGrape
    Nathan N.

    I had a fantastic dining experience here, which explains how busy Izakaya Naru usually is and why you often need a reservation beforehand. Seating is limited, but it's a cozy atmosphere for a nice intimate meal with friends and colleagues after work. There were so many unique dishes that I have not seen before elsewhere, which in itself justifies trying this restaurant. Notable things we ordered: Peanuts Tofu, Shoyu Pork Belly, Sukiyaki Pizza, Gyoza Pizza, Sea Grape, Beef Tongue, Garlic Fried Rice, Awamori Sampler, and an Andagi doughnut with ice cream. I love pizza, so we already achieved a net positive when we ordered 2(!) pizzas. The gyoza and sukiyaki pizzas were both stellar. Beef tongue is always delightful. I myself do not care for the taste of alcohol, so the awamori sampler was too bitter for me. The sea grapes were nice and "popping" in texture, not unlike popping boba. The peanuts tofu also had a nice flavor and pleasantly soft texture. There were many other interesting items that I'd like to try in the future.

    taco rice
    Kacie S.

    Cutie izakaya!! Defs would recommend making a resy as the restaurant is pretty small. Great service! Food was so delicious. Loved the stone pot taco rice. Like bibimbap but cheesier and not spicy. Sukiyaki pizza and chicken karaage were also so flavorful! Super unique menu items that I will defs be back to try. Yuzu beer was super refreshing. Calpico sour was also good. Lot outside was super full so we ended up parking at pucks alley nearby, but theres also street parking if you can find!

    Spicy Torotaku w/ Garlic Toast
    Brad R.

    Awesome little hole in the wall Okinawan izakaya. One of my favorite spots for dinner or a late night bite/drink. Plenty of parking. Friendly staff. Legit Okinawa/Japan vibes. My go-to orders include the Okinawa soba, beef tongue, shoyu pork belly, and gyoza pizza. Some other favorites include the potato salad, torotaku garlic toast, crispy chicken skin ponzu, and baguette stuffed with vanilla ice cream. Drinks are always on point, too. The place is small and they are ALWAYS busy, so I definitely recommend making a reservation or at least calling to check before just showing up. For an authentic Okinawan/Japanese izakaya experience, this is definitely one of my faves in Honolulu.

    Hamachi carpaccio
    Kristen W.

    Our go-to guilt pleasure dinner spot! We live on the other side of the island so we don't get to eat here often... but it's our go-to when we're staying in town or for a special occasion. My best friend is from Japan and this is where we have to eat every time she is in town. Everything here is amazing! And my husband is quite picky... but he will eat anything and everything here with no complaints. Feels just like we're in Japan with the energy and decor. Everything we ordered is pretty much our must haves when we come here. Taco rice was kind of out there but don't knock it til you try it! Amazing. Didn't even get a picture lol The man who runs this restaurant is also a big reason why we keep coming back. He works so hard, provides great tableside service and takes a lot of pride in his craft. We love watching him thrive in his element. Hes the first face you see when he welcomes you in and if he has time, he personally will walk you out to thank you properly as you exit. They get busy quick... lines will form before he even opens so make a reservation days ahead by calling during business hours or try and walk in but be patient and willing to wait.

    Grilled Chicken Skin with Ponzu
    Andy F.

    Izakaya Naru hits all the qualities and characteristics of an authentic Izakaya! Small, tight, lively, yet relaxing and comfortable with a variety of small plates, good, drinks, sake, and etc.! This place is located along South King St., near University Ave. It's in the same strip mall as Bangkok Chef, Rabbit Rabbit Tea, La Ciccia, and etc. There's a private lot, but definitely gets filled up quick. After a couple of failed attempts at trying to dine at this place, it's apparent that you MUST make reservations or else you will be turned away, even if you show up when they open at 5PM. You will be asked if you have a reservation and turned away if you don't have one. I called about 2pm on a weekday and someone did pick up. I recommend calling before they open. The menu leans toward Okinawan style Japanese food with an interesting and eclectic variety of dishes! Started with Edamame. You might think this is so simple. Just boil and season, right? Perhaps, but how long are you boiling? Is it immediately transferred to ice cold water? How much salt are you adding? Is it evenly distributed? Freezer burn on the edamame? The ones here were perfect. Edamame was still warm, crunchy, and seasoned nicely. Shark Cartilage with Ume was an interesting dish that I had to try! The cartilage was cut into small pieces that had a nice crunch. The ume sauce was very well prepared that balanced out the salty and sour without being it too strong. Very good! The Pork Ear with Shibazuke was good. Prepared well with thin slices of tasty, flavorful, and tender ear. The ultra thin sliced red onion with the shiso really adds a nice sweet, bright, and pungent taste. Potato Salad has become a must get for me. Creamy, well-seasoned, tasty! Grilled Chicken Skin with Ponzu was okay. Sort of one note. The skin felt like it was more so fried than grilled. It was crispy, a little under-seasoned, topped with thin sliced onions and scallions, but the ponzu didn't come through. The Mozuku (marinated seaweed) was very good! A unique Okinawan dish. The seaweed was very well marinated. Nice balance of sweet- and sourness. The seaweed was slippery and umami. It ate like cold noodles! Highly recommend the Chicken Karaage. Huge piece of juicy, tender, moist, tasty, and delicious chicken deep fried very well to a nice crisp. The tartar sauce was very flavorful with a balance of savory, sweet, sour, and umami. Another recommendation is the Hamachi Sashimi. Fish and seafood from Japan just taste more fresh, more clean, and more natural. Thick slices of melt in your mouth hamachi accompanied with scallions and red onions, wasabi, shiso, and calamansi lime. Lastly, the Grilled Beef Tongue is a must get! This was prepared exceedingly well. A really nice char taste, tender, well-seasoned, and just delicious. Might be the best one I've had compared to the previous places I've had this same dish. Had the Tedorigawa Kinka Daiginjo Nama "Gold Blossom" sake. This was really good. Gonna look for a bottle when coming back from Japan! Overall, this was an excellent experience. Everything was very well prepared, tasty and delicious. Izakaya Naru really nailed the Izakaya/pub/small bar feel and vibe. Server was awesome. Friendly, attentive, welcoming, and made us feel comfortable throughout the meal. Food came out at a good pace, and most importantly, hot. That's another reason why the beef tongue was so good, because it was literally just off the grill. I can't wait to come back again! There are interesting items I'd like to try, such as the Gyoza Pizza (cowabunga!), taco rice (neighbor table got it. Fragrant and looks yummy!), and grilled skate fin.

    Udon
    Jiaqi Z.

    Family owned Okinawa style Izakaya, possibly the best Izakaya on Oahu. Some of dishes we ordered , and would highly recommend are ox tongue, the noodle soup, fried rice, and rest, ask the server for recommendations. Sometimes they have long line up as they don't give time limits to the customers. Must go if u visit Oahu

    Interior
    Nadine C.

    Dinner in Moiliili, Honolulu, Hawaii... Using our Yelp apps to find a place we both have not yet visited, we discovered: Izakaya Naru Honolulu residents have probably passed by this cozy hole-in-the-wall many times without knowing... because the storefront blends in so well and has been here for so long. Izakaya Naru is located between La Ciccia and Fukuya. There's a free shared parking lot where Rabbit Rabbit and a small post office are situated. I called first - to make sure that they had seats for us - yes! A customer arrived after us and was sadly turned away... Whew... we were lucky to squeeze in between patrons at the bar. The menu was very intriguing. We finally decided on the homemade Gyoza, Mexican Pizza, Deep-fried homemade peanut tofu with sweet dashi shoyu, and Stir-fried chopped beef and cabbage with konnyaku. Everything was tasty and had beautiful presentation! Next time, I would pass on the Mexican Pizza because it had jalapeños... the thin crust was made from a tortilla! The Stir-fried chopped beef had some chili peppers in it... a bit spicy for me. The peanut tofu was the most unique dish while the gyoza was my favorite! Thank you for the friendly service! We felt welcomed and comfortable!

    Mikey H.

    When Miyu suggested we go here instead of next door, I had no idea that this was here! For some reason, I thought it was part of Bankok Chef, and had no idea that this cozy Japanese restaurant was here. We came in on a Monday evening, without a reservation. They were gracious to give us a small table near the door. I didn't mind since it was my first time and I saw two dishes I wanted to try. After Ky and Miyu arrived, I ordered a glass of the Awamori. I had never had this and the friendly server brought one she thought would be good to start with. It has an interesting flavor, kind of like souju, but different. We also started with the Taco rice and the gyoza pizza. These were sooooooo good! I liked how the bowl was hot and she stirred the rice to mix all the flavors. Also, if you leave the rice alone, it will get crispy on the bowl side. The pizza was made with the wrapper of the gyoza with the filling and topped with cheese. We also had pickled gizzards, very tender; peanut tofu, so good!; lotus root and these beans, good, but an acquired taste; pickled and very soft bamboo shoots, delicious, and the fish that was cooked with a blowtorch, sooooo good!; also had the soba noodles. Oh and karaage. The staff was great! We had a really good time and felt we were not in Honolulu. This is a hidden gem. There was more on the menu, but that will have to wait until another visit! Mahalo Izakaya Naru!

    Pizza
    Shane M.

    Very attentive service. The vibe is very chill and cool. Some authentic Japanese pupu's with an Okinawan twist.

    More menu morsels
    Mike Y.

    Since I couldn't Try this place first time since they weren't ready to open yet Came back after UH Baseball game And they were filled with no reservations but luckily was only one and owner said "give me five minutes to setup" so I wait Very Interesting place I might add great for drinking buddies and friends get together menus are kinda hard to read in Japanese and English writing not so great but you won't be disappointed with the food and drinks my favorite is here's the menu and photos While I was dining many tried to get in but couldn't because owner says next time make reservations (Highly Recommended) ‍

    Scott G.

    We loved this place and will definitely be back. There is plenty of parking and the staff was friendly and attentive. The beer was cold and the food was tasty with a bunch of unique selections. They're located on S. King St. just past Pucks Alley. Aloooooha and happy eating.

    Cilantro salad
    Maya K.

    I absolutely love this place and make it a point to visit every time I'm in Honolulu. It has the authentic feel of a Japanese izakaya, with cute handwritten menus and great food and drink specials. The seating is limited, and it's a popular spot, so be sure to call ahead for a reservation. The staff is incredibly friendly, fluent in both Japanese and English, and very accommodating. We ordered the famous taco rice, which was mixed right in front of us on a hot stone, and it was so fun and tasty. As a true izakaya fan, I was thrilled to see items like hotaruika and beef tongue on the menu. The cilantro salad was an unexpected but delicious surprise. They also have fun items on the menu like sukiyaki pizza, which is a must after a couple drinks! The food is consistently excellent, the drink selection is great, and the prices are very reasonable. I highly recommend this spot to anyone in the area looking for amazing food and a great time!

    Bitter melon with spam and tofu

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    Excellent food, and great value on liquor and food! They specialize in delicious Okinawa style dishes. Everything was excellent!!!

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    Izakaya Naru Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Izakaya Naru

    How do I make a reservation?

    Call them during their open hours. (808) 951-0510.

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    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.

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    Izakaya Naru - izakaya - Updated May 2026

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