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    Izakaya Nonbei

    4.1 (475 reviews)
    ModerateSushi Bars, Izakaya, Bars
    Open 5:00 pm - 10:00 PM
    Updated 1 month ago

    Izakaya Nonbei Photos

    IZAKAYA NONBEI ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Recommended Reviews - Izakaya Nonbei

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    Reviews With Photos

    Butterfish bones
    Sharissa C.

    I wanted to take my date to a celebration dinner. We both love izakaya and on a Saturday afternoon I was able to get a 730 pm reservation! I've always wanted to try this izakaya, located just off Kapahulu Ave. Izakaya Nonbei is a cozy spot with parking out front and an additional overflow lot two doors over! This additional parking lot is key because Olu Street is tight and there is commonly no on street parking available. The place was full and we were seated immediately because of our reservation. Despite the two split ACs, the restaurant was rather warm but bearable due to the open kitchen. The seating is close knit and the elderly couple (who said they dine there about every 10 days) next to us struck up conversation. Great place to meet friendly neighbors! The house special fried chicken had an excellent taste, with a slight tartness. It was not as crispy as I would like, but still very good. The house special eggplant mushroom had amazing flavor, very buttery and was our favorite of the evening! The hamachi spicy sushi roll was not spicy at all, very yummy. The miso butterfish also a house special, was very tasty however it was riddled with bones unfortunately. Despite the bones, it was still delicious and very popular as we noticed it on many of the other tables. The Hokkaido UNI sashimi served on a shiso leaf was fabulous! (I love uni) Note, the dishes all came out very quickly! Overall a most enjoyable dining experience. We will come back to try more of the menu!

    Crab Cream Croquette (good!)
    Kelly D.

    This place has been here forever and for good reason! The service is so friendly and attentive; the second we finished eating a dish, they were ready to clean up for us or the moment our waters were empty, they were right there with a water pitcher. And this is how they are when the restaurant is super busy! Not only is the service amazing, the food is also up to standard. We enjoyed everything we ate and I'd say the pricing is pretty affordable. My favorites would have to be the Kurobota Kakuni (super soft and juicy!) and the Nasu Kinoko (buttery mushroom eggplant goodness!) They also have a bunch of specials on their board so defintely take a look! The only small downside is that it can get pretty loud especially when it's busy since it's such a small restaurant but I can't wait to come back again!

    Agedashi tofu
    Lori I.

    There aren't many places here that serve both excellent sushi AND cooked food. This is THE PLACE. The sushi is great here but the cooked izakaya type small dishes were also EXCELLENT, came out quickly, and made the rest of us happy. I didn't even take a pic of the crab croquette or the sushi because we were so busy eating. Definitely putting this place on rotation. I don't know why we haven't gone here before, it's been here forever. Transports you right back to Japan.

    Place setting
    Nadine C.

    Dinner in Honolulu, Hawaii... Izakaya Nonbei is an established restaurant in the Kapahulu area. There's a free parking lot right in the front! My dentist and I had never dined at this cozy eatery in the past, so I made a reservation for opening time (5:30pm) to secure a parking spot. Service was very polite, helpful, and efficient. My dentist added on a grilled musubi (shoyu yakimusubi) to our Tasting Menu - no problem! The Prix Fixe Tasting Menu (for 2 people) was a great deal because we got a chance to try their most popular items: Wagyu Steak, Miso soup, Karei Karaage (fish), Crab Avocado Salad, and Nasu Kinoko (eggplant). We even had an included dessert: ice cream or Strawberry Dream (shave ice with condensed milk and strawberry syrup). Of course, I had to have the Strawberry Dream - it was like a deconstructed goodie goodie ice cream! If you get a chance, support this small local business. It had a wonderful environment, authentic, delicious, beautiful food, and great service!

    Katsu curry
    Rob B.

    Aloha, Izakaya Nonbei is serving lunch! Reasonable priced under $20 a great delicious meal. We opted for the hamburger steak with gravy, so ono! My GF had the spicy poke, fresh and delicious! Will definitely be back to work our way through the rest of the menu. Lots of parking in front or at lot just a lot away on Olu. Enjoy!

    Milton K.

    Izakaya Nonbei Overall: ***** Highly Recommended ***** Food: **** Value: **** Menu: **** Ambiance: **** Service: **** Parking: ***** (in front but limited) Izakaya Nonbei is my go to Japanese RATINGS & RECOMMENDED ORDER: Miso Butterfish = A Salmon Colars = A Kubota Pork = A Assorted Tempura = A Agedashi Tofu = A Crab Avocado Salad = A Tori Kara (Chicken Karaage) = B Nasu Kinoko = B Not Recommended: Spider (soft shell crab) Sushi Roll = B Dragon (unagi) Sushi Roll = B Sashimi A Platter = B (expensive) Omakase Nigiri = B (expensive) Karei Karaage (flounder) = C Okinomiyaki Fries (special) = C Wafu Steak = D (gravy not tasty) Wagi Steak = D (sour) Website: https://www.izakayanonbei.com/ YELP: Sorry! They allow only one 12 second video & the remaining to 3 seconds, with maximum of 10 pictures/videos. The full video can be found elsewhere: MiltonIn808 RATINGS KEY: A = Really Good - one of the best B = Good - would order again C = ok - similar, nothing special D = Not very good - wouldn't order F = Terrible - avoid

    Chawanmushi  packed with a variety of veggies and seafood.
    Michelle I.

    First time trying this place and everything we ordered was so good! I recommend this place for sure! Prices are reasonable, staff are nice, and the restaurant is clean and modern. I didn't take pictures of everything we ordered (was too excited to eat and forgot to take pictures) but everything we ordered was on point. We ordered three rolls. Good size rolls! Dragon roll Spicy hamachi roll Shrimp tempura roll We also ordered hamachi Kama, fried flounder, eggplant with mushroom in a buttered sauce, braised pork belly (melt in your mouth), and a sashimi platter. Everything was so fresh and all such great quality! I will definitely return! Parking is located right outside the restaurant. If that is full, there is street parking in the neighborhood.

    Wafu Steak
    Justin H.

    TL;DR A worthy competitor in the Honolulu izakaya landscape. Nasu Kinoko = ONO (!!!) Wafu Steak = ONO Tori Kara = ONO Karei Karaage = ONO ----- I finally made it to Nonbei! My wife wanted Japanese food to celebrate her birthday, so we dined her with four of our friends. I was able to make a reservation online for a Saturday night dinner at 7:30pm without any issues. There is a parking lot in front of the restaurant and street parking all around if the lot is full. A couple of my friends had already enjoyed several meals at Nonbei, so we followed their lead and mostly ordered their recommendations (in addition to a few selections that people were feeling at the time). We ordered quite a bit to share amongst the table. Simply put, everything was delicious. There are so many izakaya options in Honolulu (and in Hawaii in general), so to succeed in such a competitive space all your offerings have to be on point. And I'm happy to report that Nonbei delivers. We ordered the following items: Agedashi Tofu, Chawanmushi, Nasu Kinoko, Crab Avocado Salad, Buta Bara, Yakitori, Misoyaki Butterfish, Hamachi Kama, Wafu Steak, Tan Shio, Hotate Garlic, Tori Kara, Karei Karaage, Truffle Fries, and Veggie Korokke. All the dishes were oishii, but my favorites were the Nasu Kinoko, Wafu Steak, Tori Kara, and Karei Karaage. The Nasu Kinoko in particular was unbelievably great. I did not expect for the mushroom and eggplant dish to be my favorite, but their signature butter sauce blew my mind. We ordered two of these (as well as two of the Tori Kara and Karei Karaage) because it was so good. We also enjoyed their dessert offerings, including a matcha tiramisu that was fantastic. Nonbae will definitely be part of the Japanese restaurant rotation moving forward. I can't wait to go back!

    9/5/25 Chicken Curry Katsu Lunch Special
    Tommie O.

    9/5/25 Lunch Special "Chicken Curry Katsu" $17 was so worth it! Flavorful crispy coated Thigh Meat was moist Curry had carrots celery n potatoes Dish was tasty n pretty filling Also Cold Asahi Draft hit the spot! Waitress n Manager(?) were genuinely very friendly n provided great service Will go again But check their hours cause they're not open every day

    Hamachi sashimi
    Karl F.

    EVERY IZAKAYA HAS SIGNATURE DISHES THAT YOU MUST TRY. Then there are the other dishes. Nonbei is located just off of Kapahulu blvd. The parking lot is small and the restaurant is a two story house converted into a restaurant. Very loud and festive. First floor has the sushi and sashimi bar. I will say the fish is fresh and these are the must try dishes for sure. We had the hamachi sashimi and it was buttery fresh. All other raw dishes passing by looked amazing. Karei karaage (deep fried flounder) is a signature dish. Presentation is stunning served on a deep fried skeleton of the fish. Very tasty. Our waiter informed us to eat the fin and skeleton like a chip. Never had anything quite like it. Wafu steak comes out sizzling and each piece is tender and flavorful. Yes, get it. The chicken karaage was a bit wet with ponzu flavor. I think the cook likes ponzu here. The chicken skewers were standard, good. Eggplant was solid, cooked with a lot of butter. The tempura roll was excellent. Agedashi tofu was ok. Hiyayakko (I'm boring, I know) was refreshing albeit a small serving. Someone in our party had a cold, so we sampled the udon--nice. Overall, a good dining experience. I will go again and order a lot of sashimi dishes next time.

    Ebi Fry
    Leander M.

    First time trying this place after seeing it was a finalist for the Hale 'Aina awards this year. Had an early 5:30pm reservation on Tuesday and there were already four other tables seated when we arrived, popular place! Service: all of the servers were very friendly and helpful. They were working hard, bringing out food and taking additional orders but always had smiles on their faces and never made you feel like you were interrupting them (even though you were). Menu: huge menu, so many good options! I wish I had a second stomach because there were so many other dishes I wanted to try but could not eat anything more. Even had to skip dessert *cry* Food: izakaya style food and plating size, everything was really good and freshly made. No complaints at all. Lots of interesting choices that I hadn't heard of before so it was nice to try new things! The food looked so good that I forgot to take pictures of our agadashi tofu and Tori Kara that arrived first! Drinks: husband said the sake selections were really good and I need to go back to get a melon float chi-hi which I didn't see until after I ordered a soft drink. Ambiance: quite big inside for an izakaya but the tables are quite close together. The closeness adds to the izakaya vibe though. I think there is a private room upstairs too. Would be a great place for a group get together, lots of drinks and good food!

    Age Gobo

    It's traditional Japanese food restaurant and delicious food with reasonable price. I totally understand why always busy. Very clean and good service.

    Kurobuta Tonkatsu
    Kristian G.

    Izakaya Nonbei is easy to find, right off of Kapahulu Avenue. We had a friends dinner here and to my surprise, the restaurant is very spacious with tables that can fit bigger parties. The only downfall is their parking lot is small and quite tight. However, free parking is still a plus! I really enjoy eating izakaya style in which you order a variety of smaller plates. Perfect for a variety lover like myself! I ordered the Kurobuta Pork Katsu, Agedashi Tofu, Korokke, and Garlic Hotate. Everything cooked well and delicious. I ended my meal with a sweet, refreshing Strawberry Dream w/ add on Mochi and Ice Cream! The service was great! Everyone was friendly and made sure to keep our waters refilled. I'll definitely be back!

    Spider roll

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    Great food good service. Extra parking available just very good in general. I would definitely go back again.

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    Izakaya Nonbei Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Izakaya Nonbei

    Is there a restaurant policy that tipping is necessary for a group of 4?

    I don't believe there is a policy. I think the restaurant could make that determination of the group size to add the automatic "service fee" (guaranteed tip is what I like to call it). I've seen this fee to range between 15-18% for a group 6 or… Read more

    Do you guys do private events?

    Please call the restaurant to inquire 808-7347-5573

    Does this restaurant serve wine or is it Sake and Beer only?

    Limited selection of wine, sparking proseco, beers and sake. You can always bring your bottle in - just pay for the corkage fee.

    Would I be able to bring my own wine?

    Yes, corkage for standard 750 ml bottles of wine is $20 per bottle.

    Do you have any reservations available for dinner for tonight?

    Thank you for your inquiry. Unfortunately, our renovations are taking a bit longer then expected and we are not currently open. We hope to re-open by November 1st but will be posting updates on our website and Facebook.

    When I drove by on 7/12/2019 the restaurant building was undergoing construction. Does anyone know whether they will reopen?

    Hi - we are undergoing a renovation with a target re-opening date of Oct 7th.

    Do they sell gift certificates?

    Yes, we sell gift cards.

    View All 10 Questions

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    Izakaya Naru - Miso Butterfish

    Izakaya Naru

    4.1(543 reviews)
    0.7 mi
    $$

    Wanted to grab a bite late at night (11:30pm) and this spot was on our radar so we decided to check…read moreit out. They have shared parking lot with the surrounding establishments which was fairly open since it was so late (I think they were the only one open by that time). We were able to get seated fairly quickly (bar seating style, not individual tables, although they have a few of those as well). This spot is decently small but they seem to fit everyone in fairly efficiently. Upon seating we were given menus and waters after. The waiters are decently attentive since we were seated right by their kitchen/back of house opening. We got: * Chicken Karaage: 10/10, I would heavily recommend this. The chicken was juicy and lightly crispy. What MADE this dish was actually the egg sauce on top. It acts as the aioli but clearly much more homemade and heathier, with egg white pieces and the sauce made of egg yolk etc. We ordered this twice bc it smacked. * Taco Rice: 7/10, okay so... I'm not even going to lie when I say that I was a bit tipsy already when I agreed on ordering this. I THOUGHT this was a TAKO (octopus) rice. NOT a TACO (Mexican) rice. It tasted like I was eating taco bell, which wasn't bad per se but just felt weird being in an izakaya. * Beef Tongue: 9/10. I would recommend this as well. The beef tongue was tender and flavorful. They didn't go overboard with the sauce on top to let the meat shine through. * Seared Aburi: 8/10. The person I was with order it. It was good, no strong feelings about it. It was cool to watch them sear it though. It was on the fishy-er side tho, compared to other forms of sashimi (likely due to the skin still present). * Hot Sake: I would recommend this if you don't enjoy drinking. While its hot/warm, it helps it go down a lot more! Honestly I enjoyed the fried chicken so much I would actually come back just to eat that and maybe try some of their other dishes. Plus the izakaya experience definitely felt really authentic as it was bustling when we visited.

    I've been a fan of this place for a while, so it genuinely hurts to write this. The food itself?…read moreHighlights for sure -- the tacorice in the stone bowl was excellent, the hamachi with eggplant was a standout, and the rafute, while a bit dry, still had its moments. The kitchen is clearly talented. But everything else? A real disappointment. The server was cold and unfriendly the entire visit. The larger tables of four around us were getting great, attentive service -- smiles, check-ins, the works. But when she dropped food at our table? Not even a word. It felt pretty obvious that since the bigger tables had an automatic 20% tip guaranteed, our table just wasn't worth the effort to her. And that's exactly the problem with sneaking an auto-gratuity in fine print at the bottom of the menu -- it creates exactly this kind of situation. If the service had been genuinely good, I would have happily tipped 20% on my own. But to have it quietly tacked on after being largely ignored? That feels sneaky and disrespectful. This place used to be a go-to for me. Today really dropped the ball. Be upfront about the tip policy and treat every table like it matters -- because to the customer, it always does.

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    Izakaya Hideyoshi - Too spicy for me but it did try to eat more than 3.  It is called spicy ahi roll. Lol.

    Izakaya Hideyoshi

    4.7(24 reviews)
    1.4 mi

    If you haven't been to Izakaya Hideyoshi yet, do yourself a favor and check out this hidden gem…read morelocated inside of Osoyami Bar and Grill in town. Chef Hideyoshi is the former head sushi chef from Izakaya Torae Torae, and his food is delicious. Made fresh to order, the spicy tuna don is an incredibly flavorful family favorite. We also love the hamachi carpaccio with a wonderful balance of flavors. It's so ono we snagged two pieces before remembering to take a picture. He's added some great hand rolls to the menu, the Hideyoshi and Negitoro Ikura. For now his Happy Hour specials are all night Tues, Wed, Thurs, and Sunday 6pm-midnight and Fri/Sat 10pm-12am. Come soon to catch these great deals, you won't regret it! We love that you can order off the bar menu too, which has awesome burgers, pupus, and other bar grub at great prices. Our kids love the free, old-school arcade games. The drinks are solid, unique, and reasonably priced with $3 drafts and well drinks for happy hour. Chef Hideyoshi believes in only using the highest quality ingredients. If you appreciate supporting our local food scene, please take the time to check out Izakaya Hideyoshi.

    6/28/25 Izakaya Hideyoshi shares the same space with Osoyami Bar…read moreSo there's 2 Kitchens which equals 2 checks equaling 2 payments... equating to 1 less star Beers from Osoyami Cold n at a good price! Also Skinny Fries made to order came out simply Hot n Crispy! Hideyoshi's "Winner" Hamachi Kama deep fried moist n fatty w limited servings If you like to munch of Crispy Fish Fins... Ummm! Plus Great Friendly Service

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    Nami Kaze - Dining area

    Nami Kaze

    4.5(801 reviews)
    4.8 mi
    $$

    It was so sad this business is closing down by Oct 31st. With rising food costs, inflation and…read morestaffing, it's understandable but I wish best endeavors for Chef Jason Peel and his staff. My fiance won a gift card actually 2 of them (from his coworker whom could not get a reservation secured), we knew we had to make the trip over before they officially close. We had multiple dishes, but staff made Kauai prawns and tomato miso black cod dishes on the house since they ran out the Hokkaido scallops. We ordered the short ribs, lobster appetizer, hamachi crudo and lastly sashimi moriawase to finish food palate. Lukki lemon dessert was great way to end to night. Ordered the Milk tea bouquet cocktail while my better half had water ( either way the food coma knock him out cold the rest of the night lol). To be honest, it was difficult to determine which dish was the best because the staff kept quality there despite it being busy every night since they announce the closure. Sashimi moriawase, fish was so fresh, reminded me of my time spent in Hokkaido and Sapporo. Short ribs was soft and rich in flavor. Both me and my fiance liked the lukki lemon dessert, like lemon meringue pie but broken down version. If you have a chance to dine here before closing and got a reservation, definitely will have a lovely dining experience and your stomach will be full by end of the night.

    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 Nonbei - sushi - Updated May 2026

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