Kikuya is my go-to whenever I'm craving Japanese food! The food is consistently tasty, portions are satisfying, and the prices are super reasonable especially compared to other spots on the island. Service is usually great; friendly and efficient. The restaurant itself is very small and can get packed fast, so I usually try to go during off-hours or make reservations. It's also located in a pretty sketchy part of Kalihi, so just be aware of your surroundings. That said, the food makes it worth it every time. Hidden gem vibes for sure! read more

Consistent quality at a reasonable price for Japanese food. Dinner 3-choice combination of Tempura, miso butterfish, and steak is a go-to meal. Plus a couple of rolls of sushi. Shared family style with the wife. Quaint hole-in-the-wall local ambiance. read more

Soooooo... If you've got a lot of mouths to feed? Yes. If you're looking for the staff to remind you of Japan with their uniforms and restaurants interior designs? This is it. If you're looking for flavorful dishes that bring you back to Tokyo or Osaka, SKIP. Sushi? Hit or miss. Chicken karaage, tempura, gyoza? Delish. Sauces? Flavorless. Udon noodles? Average. Udon broth? Tasteless. This place is a bang for your buck, truly affordable considering the portion sizes. Quality is just subpar. Lots of parking available. Dining in hours are great for lunch and dinner. Staff are hospitable. read more

If you like good Japanese food at a reasonable price, this is the place for you! Whenever we come here, we always order the 3-choice Combo Dinner for $21.95. They have 17 choices to choose from and this dinner also comes with miso soup, toss salad with their awesome house dressing, soybean, tsukemono (pickled cabbage), tea and a bowl of rice. All 5 of us ordered the 3-choice Combo Dinner. The following is what was chosen: - Shrimp tempura w/veg (2 shrimp, 2 green bean, a carrot & pumpkin) - Chicken teriyaki - Butterfish - Chicken katsu - BBQ beef - Chicken karaage - Sashimi (3 ahi, 2 salmon, 2 hamachi) The food was delivered to our table in a timely manner. Just when we were done with our miso soup and toss salad, our main dishes arrived. Everyone enjoyed the food...it was delish! Can't wait to come back! FYI: - If you like their dressing, they sell it in 2 sizes. I forgot to take a pic of the prices but I believe the large was $16 that's sold in a 2# size plastic container. - There's a lot of parking but it fills up pretty fast due to the many businesses/eating places that share the stalls. - You should make reservations even for 2 or just take your chances. A few months ago, my husband and I couldn't get a table. read more

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Quaint restaurant with wonderful staff! It was a busy night, but we were attended to promptly. Lots of great selections to choose from. We ended up with the tempura udon, California temaki, and tofu miso soup. The tsukemono and edamame were a nice start before the mains came out. All the food was delish! Great pricing and great service... we'll definitely be back! read more

Fresh, large portions of quality items at great prices. I don't mind paying when the food is good, generous portions, excellent quality! They have very fresh sashimi and their Shrimp Tempura is large with traditional tempura batter, light, crispy, fluffy and flavorful. Traditional green tea. The ladies that work there as a team and very gracious. Always consistent which is so important. read more

everything! food & service are great. for a small family style restaurant, great variety and food so yummy. Everyone enjoys kikuya!

Food was delicious, authentic Japanese, generous servings and reasonably priced It's a small restaurant and seating is tight! Just like in Japan read more

I love Honolulu because there are so many authentic Japanese hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and although I'm not Japanese, I was raised by a Japanese family so naturally it's my favorite cuisine. Kikuyu is a popular restaurant amongst the locals. It's located in a small shopping plaza in Kapalama on N. King St., near Sakura & Guieb Cafe. Shared parking is available in the lot, although it gets quite packed during the busy lunch hour. I arrived shortly after they opened around 11am on a weekday, and there were already customers inside. By the time I left, all tables were filled and people were waiting to get in! It's a small-medium sized restaurant with lots of 2 and 4 chair tables. There's also a little sushi bar in the back. Kikuya offers just about every Japanese dish under the sun - from sushi, donburi and udon variations, to combo lunch and dinner meals. I opted for the Lunch Box which comes with 2 entree choices for $15.95. What a deal! I got the grilled salmon and Butterfish misoyaki. Both fish were tender and flaky! The lunch came with Rice, Miso soup, Salad, Tsukemono & Vegetable Tempura or Shrimp (1 piece) or Gyoza (2 pcs). I selected the shrimp tempura, which had a nice crunchy batter. The lunch was a good size and I was full after eating it all! Service was fast and friendly. They really know how to work the room and get people in and out without making them feel rushed. I love Japanese restaurants like these! I can't wait to return and try some of their sushi! read more

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Probably one of the most disgusting dining experiences I've had in a while. The rag they used to wipe the table smelled like wet dog and the food I was served had a strong odor of kitchen cleaner. I should have just walked away when I caught whiff of the table but I didn't want to seem rude because the staff was very friendly. Horrible. read more

Kikuya has a pure mom and pop vibe to it. Menu items are more traditional style Japanese. I'll give it more like a 3 1/2 rating. I've tried the salmon, tonkatsu, and soba so far. The soba is nice and chewy. The tonkatsu is a very thin piece, not a thick/juicy one and the salmon is sliced really thin. If you eat it fresh, it's good and a little crisp, which is nice, but it does feel a little on the dry side. There are a slew of restaurants that share the same parking lot so parking can be tough (and stalls are on the smaller side). read more

Kikuya - Salmon dinner - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This place is next to Kapalama post office and in the same complex as Diner's. It's been there for years. The last time I've been there was 10 years ago. I met a girlfriend for lunch. They have lunch box special. You get two choices of Japanese entree with one shrimp tempura or gyoza. The entree choices include 3 kinds of ahi, miso butterfish, or grilled salmon. It comes with miso soup, rice, and tossed greens all for $19.95. Everything is delicious. Kikuya is a wonderful Japanese restaurant that provides lots of delicious choices. And you won't leave hungry. read more

Great tasting Japanese food at a good price. I got the 3 choice of Sashimi, Grilled Salmon and Ahi steak with garlic butter sauce. The 3 combination comes with a bowl of rice, miso soup, toss salad and veggies. Everything tasted great. I wouldn't get the ahi steak again. It was a little dry & needed more sauce. The food came out fast, but I wish it all came out all together. I got my dishes, one by one. Service was great though. I do wish this place was bigger. The seating is very tight, So is the parking. I wouldnt recommend coming here with a huge party. Overall, Great tasting Japanese at a resonable price. read more

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This particular Japanese restaurant been on my radar for awhile. Just to let all you Yelpers know this Kikuya is not related to the Kikuya in the Windward Mall . This particular restaurant is located in Kalihi behind Diners . I had their lunch box for $15.95 includes 2 choice Beef Teri and Ahi Katsu choice of 1 shrimp tempura or 2 pieces Mandoo. It also comes with salad and miso soup . Their selection is not bad at all Butter Fish Misoyaki, Beef Teri , salmon , Ahi Katsu , Chicken Katsu ,BBQ chicken , Tonkatsu, Sashimi. Support local and will be back in the future read more

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Craig T. took my wife and I for lunch. It was more of a spur of the moment kinda thing. We were the first to go in. The ambiance was cozy and on the dimly lit side. The food was tasty, and the service was good. I ate a lunch special, which consisted of Miso Yaki Butterfsh and Beef teriyaki. Also, a piece of shrimp tempura, toss greens, and a bowl of miso soup. All part of the special. The teriyaki had the typical shoyu mirin taste and was tender.The butterfish was excellent. Good miso taste, and the light char brought out the flavors. The shrimp tempura was also top-notch. Enjoy. . read more

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In celebrating one of my sister's birthday, I had the task of choosing a Japanese restaurant in the town area. We wanted to try another place rather than places already under our rotation so I had to look back of past outings with foodie friends and Kikuya popped up. I sent a link of the business page to the fam and they were impressed, so I called to make a reservation. We arrived shortly before our reservation time and for a weekday night, the restaurant was packed. Glad to see Kikuya doing well. As we made the way to our table that was deep in the back, I couldn't help but notice an impressive sashimi boat on one of the tables. The fish looked really fresh and scrumptious. I advised my family to study the menu ahead of time so we submitted our food order shortly after being seated and served hot tea and water. My family enjoys to eat just as much as I do, so in addition to our meal selection, I ordered the sashimi boat and a couple of sushi rolls. The restaurant was busy so I was anticipating a wait but our sashimi and sushi rolls came out first for us to munch on. THE VERDICT The food quality was better than my previous visit, especially the sashimi and sushi rolls. My family devoured on the sashimi boat and commented the fish was better than what we recently had at a famous Korean restaurant near Piikoi and S King Street. Sashimi was fresh and generously sliced. The sushi rolls were so good that I ordered another one. The entrees were okay to me. I've had better at other places but the food got the job done. Of my 3-choices, I enjoyed the tempura the best. Family overall enjoyed their 3-choice bento as they customized their combo. The setback was the food, including the rice and miso soup were tepid and would have preferred served hot. Service was pretty good for a fully packed restaurant. There were 3 staff working in the front and I didn't hesitate to flag one of them down if we needed something. We brought our own cake and the staff brought plates, utensils and knife for us. Overall, a successful dinner outing with the family celebrating a joyous occasion. Food and service both exceeded my expectations where I wouldn't hesitate for a return visit. 2022 #70 read more

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Found this place on Yelp and we weren't disappointed at all! Really nice people - service fast! Arrived at 530 pm on a Saturday for party of 4 for dinner - our goal - butterfish and we weren't disappointed at all! Good price point lots of food and the guys in the group walked out full. We started 2 rolls - caterpillar and tempura both beautifully presented! We all got the combo dinner - our son ordered the 3 choice of salmon butterfish and tonkatsu- filling and taste. The rest of us got the 2 choice - we all got butterfish and - one got the gyoza - another got the shrimp tempura - and another NY steak! We all enjoyed our meals - the yummy salad and tsukemono and miso soup We will be back - come early and suggest calling the restaurant for xtra large groups! We'll be back for the good food and service read more

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We loved coming here for the affordable meals however, the last time I went to the restaurant while I was 9 months pregnant, a worker asked if I was having triplets because my stomach was so big. I quickly told her how rude that was and she followed up with, "twins? If it's not 2 or 3 then it has to be a boy because you're so big." I asked if she commented on all her customers' appearances and she said no so I asked why she thought it was ok to comment on mine. She said that she watches TikTok's on pranks and it was a joke. I told her that this isn't a TikTok and you're at work and I am a customer. Her comments were so rude and her response was even more upsetting as she just kept laughing. This experience and her unapologetic behavior completely overshadows our previous enjoyment read more

The food is excellent and portions are generous. Service is good and staff is friendly. Can't think of anything negative to say about this restaurant read more

Got there just before the 5:00 p.m. dinner opening and there was already a line of people waiting. We sat at a window seat and was quickly brought the menus and water. We ordered the fish and katsu dinners. The food was brought out very quickly and nicely plated. Along with the main entree, there was miso soup, a sampling of pickled vegetables and soy beans. The restaurant is not fancy but very comfortable and homey. Will be going back again. read more

For the price the food is good. It's my anytime fast Japanese food place conveniently located.

Service was amazing, food was delicious, and A/C was perfect! Bathroom was also clean. What more can you ask for?

This is my third time at this restaurant and I had a better experience the first two times. Service was good, food was pretty good, but not great. The tempura batter might need some seasoning or the sauce might need some seasoning. It was bland. Butterfish was pretty good,and the sides were what you would expect. The dressing on the toss salad ended up tasting watery. They normally have really good dressing, however, this time it didn't have as much flavor--watered down. read more

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The Tonkatsu was crispy and tender inside. It was good but man the salad was amazing. Theyre not cheap on the dressing. Man that was a good salad. read more

I think this place has its charm as a long-standing small local business & all the old locals like the come here... that being said, all the food was a miss. My sister said the chirashi was good? I got the ten zaru soba and was a little sad to see 2 shrimp, 1 carrot, 1 kabocha, 2 green bean tempura and a pile of soba. The soba was yummy but the tempura was super greasy. Not light at all. felt like biting into thick oil. I'm a pretty light eater and was still hungry afterward -- for $19 for noodles & tempura I would have expected more or at least better quality. My fiance is not picky and LOVE tempura but also did not like the tempura here. Mom got garlic shrimp which came out sizzling -- but did not taste like garlic.. or like it was seasoned at all. Rice was mushy, low quality (think Diamond G calrose quality). The complimentary edamame tasted almost spoiled. The combo dinners came with a good two pieces of miso butterfish but the miso flavor was quite mild and it also is not the buttery cut of fish I am used to. I liked the pickled vegetables. The service was something else... took a long time after our party was seated for someone to take our order. Half of the party came earlier and got hot tea and the server never came by to give the other half hot tea. Did not refill tea or water unless prompted. Only some of our meals came with miso soup or salad but the waitress just passed it all down along the table so there wasn't enough for everyone and we weren't sure who got what. The restaurant is tight but the waitress did not make an effort to come to the other side of the long table to get orders, and my elderly aunt had to shout across the table, the waitress was confused but didn't really clarify, and then my aunt didn't get what she wanted. and nobody ever came to check up on us so we couldn't even try to get what my aunt wanted. Toward the end of our dinner I heard the waitress asking another customer if he needed his change, to which he replied "Yes I need my change." Haha! just fyi I think the correct thing to say is "I'll be right back with your change" and the customer will share if you can keep the change. So overall, mid food, expensive price, not amazing service. I'll save it for the old folks who love it a lot! read more

Came here, one night, searching for bento for me and my daughter, forgot this place was here, but did a yelp search for "bento near me" and they came up. Glad I had just left Tripler Medical Center! Got the combination bento: shrimp tempura, chicken katsu, and assorted sashimi. The tempura came with two very large pieces of shrimp, some vegetables, and chunks of salmon. All the tempura had a crunchy crust, with a good dipping sauce included. The chicken katsu was nice and crisp and came with katsu sauce... I'm glad it was a Japanese sauce and not "local" sauce which had too ketchup for my taste. Is sashimi combo came with an assortment of salmon, hamachi, and maguro. The Bento come with sides of rice, miso soup, and a salad with a tangy miso- sesame dressing. Considering how much food was there, the high quality and freshness of the food, and the ability to choose your dishes, I thought $25 per bento was a great deal! read more

Imagine going back to the 1970's and eating comfort Japanese foods how your grandma and great grandma used to make them and enjoying the old style and laid back ambiance of that era. Look no further, as you're in Kikuya Japanese Restaurant in Kapalama. Kikuya serves authentic Japanese food and is presently owned by Ae Suk Kim, who also is affiliated with a seafood business that also brings in sashimi to the restaurant's menu. This Korean owner has managed this successful restaurant for the past 15 years. Its success appears to be the serving of consistently good food with very reasonable prices. Lunch menu offerings include: teishokus (two choices lunch box); udon and soba; specials (chirashi, fish tempura, gyoza, sushi, sashimi, seafood); combo sets; donburis; soups; and salads. Dinner menu offerings include: teishokus (three choices complete meal); ala carte items; udon and soba; combo sets; tempura; nabemono; soups and stews; sushi; makimono rolls; sashimi. We had the following during lunch: · Two-choice (grilled misoyaki butterfish and teriyaki ribeye slices) lunch box - $14.95. It came with a tossed salad with sesame dressing, miso soup with tofu and wakame, tsukemono, edamame, rice, and a shrimp tempura (or choose from veggie tempura or two pieces gyoza). The butterfish was very tasty, soft, flaky and was not overly salty. The teri beef was tender and had a nice flavor. And a great bonus of a crispy and lacy shrimp tempura! This is a good bargain for a complete meal (two choices offered only during lunch) with a little bit of everything. Your two choices are from a list that includes: grilled ahi steak, ahi katsu, grilled teri ahi, teri sliced ribeye, grilled misoyaki butterfish, teri chicken, chicken katsu, grilled short ribs, grilled salmon, sashimi, and tonkatsu. · Oyako donburi - $14.95. This was hubby's choice, and he loved it! So did I, after I took the first taste, which led to hubby sharing this dish with me. One of the best that I've tasted, as it was so very flavorful, and the egg was runny that helped to bind the rice with the chicken, sliced round onions, green onions, shiitake, and kamaboko. The flavor was perfect! Customer service was excellent, as the experienced staff were friendly and on the ball. As soon as you sit down, staff quickly brings out iced water and temperature hot green tea. Ordering was quick, your food was served promptly, and bill payment was flawless. The interior is a small, casual, no frills dining area with Japanese décor and dark wooden furniture that takes you back in time. It seats about 50 people, with most tables of four people each. A small area to the left is your sushi bar; however, there are no seats, so I imagine, the sushi chef makes the sushi and sashimi items, which are brought to your table. Note that the restaurant exterior looks like a plain building with indication that it is a Japanese restaurant. During the peak lunch and dinner hours, many of the elderly Japanese locals show their loyalty to Kikuya by being "regulars" in this local hidden gem. Yes, they are busy! Don't forget to make a reservation during these busy times. You know you are in good hands in this old school, unpretentious Japanese restaurant that serves consistently good comfort food. Hours of operation are: lunch from 11:00a to 2:30p daily; and dinner, Mon to Thurs from 5:00p to 9:00p, Fri/Sat from 5:00p to 9:30p, and Sun 5:00p to 8:30p. Credit cards accepted. Kikuya is located in a small shopping complex off of No. King St. and Waiakamilo St. It is in the same complex that houses Han Yang Korean Restaurant, Sakana, Au's Garden, and New Diner's Drive Inn. Across the street is Superb Sushi. Note that there may be some confusion with another Kikuya Restaurant that serves Japanese food in Kaneohe with the same name; however, it has a different owner, with its operation completely different from the Kapalama location and is entirely separate. (The Kaneohe location has been recently closed and has moved to Windward Mall on the second floor that is scheduled to open 2/15/22.) We look forward to having Kikuya in our list of casual and affordable Japanese restaurants whenever we have a craving for comfort Japanese foods. Can't wait to try more of their donburis! It is good to know that the local Japanese dishes continue to be enjoyed by all through the many generations! read more

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Food was great, service was quick, ambiance reminds of the great old days of mom/pop diners. Parking's a little short but opens rather quickly. read more

Small establishment with about 10 tables. Parking is shared with other businesses in the area. Couldn't decide on what to eat so it's great that they have a 2 choice and a 3 choice dinner. I ordered a mini kake udon with 1 piece shrimp tempura, ahi teriyaki and misoyaki butterfish. It came with a small salad, miso soup and tsukemono. I liked the tsukemono and needed up not eating the miso soup since it was too hot at first and then it got too cold when I forgot about it. lol was too busy talking. I was disappointed in the misoyaki butterfish and the ahi teriyaki. Both were overcooked and not much flavor. My friend also ordered the misoyaki butterfish. Hers looked better than mine and she said it was okay. It's good that the shrimp tempura is served on the side so it would be crispy when eaten. I don't know how it tasted since I didn't eat it and took it home instead. I liked the kake udon. Although the prices are good and I liked the udon, I'm not sure I'll be back since my usual order at Japanese restaurants is the misoyaki butterfish. read more

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Good Japanese food -- sashimi, sushi, tempura, etc. Nothing fancy byt definitely solid. About $50/persob without alchohol.

Consistently good Japanese teishoku, sushi, and service in a casual setting. Great for lunch, dinner, and take-out.

Great food at reasonable prices with generous portions. The 3 choice dinner combo was a great value and very satisfying

For the prices I liked the food so I'll give it 5 stars. Miso butterfish was good as well as the sashimi. Service was soso but as long as the food is good I can overlook ambiance and service. read more

Food is excellent with good pricing and portion. Friendly service with local ambience--not really noisy. Beer variety is ok. I love patronizing this restaurant! read more

Love the service and the food. Highly recommend the authentic food. The prices were reasonable. read more

A pretty good restaurant with a good menu. The service is great. You have your aunties serving you. The ambiance is a small cozy place in Kalihi. The only thing that I found that was negative is the sushi. The servings is really small and you never know till it comes to your table. The best thing I have learned since things been shrinking? It's best to ask what size the sushi is? But still a good place for Japanese food read more

Food was excellent and service was fast. Ambiance was comfortable. I recommend this restaurant.

Had lunch today with my brother husband and me. Came there when they opened at 1100 am. At first was only us 3 but after a while the place was getting busy.i had their oyako don, my husband had miso butterfish and Teri beef lunch box. My brother had fish katsu, Teri beef lunch box. The food was very tasty. They are not related to the one located in windward mall. The server said different owners not the same. They been in this location for over 20 something years. But don't quote me on this. Food is very good and still Japanese flavoring like old school plantation days. Support them if you in the area. read more

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Came here Sunday night for my bf's uncle's birthday. It was my first time here and I had called in to make a reservation for 4 people and this was the last place I called and the only place that had opening! I believe I called about 5 other restaurants to see if they were open and had any open reservations but they were all fully booked that Sunday. We got there about 5-10mins before our reservation time and was sat right away! So glad I had made the reservations because a little later people kept coming in and all of a sudden they were really busy! I can definitely see why! Their food was really good and for the price definitely worth it! 3 of us got the 3 choice dinner combo and the uncle got the Hamachi Kama and that thing was huge!! We also ordered the spider roll and the Kikuya roll. It was all good I would just say that the Kikuya roll was a little bit on the salty side but other than that it was really good! The portion size was amazing for the price! We were all so very full when we left!! I would definitely come here again because the food was really good and affordable pricing. I also really liked that they gave hot tea and iced water. Not very many places give hot tea now days and I'm so glad they did!! I always feel like after a meal is always good to drink hot tea to wash down the oil and what not and good for digestion as well! There are some other things I would like to try from here so will be coming back in the near future to try them! If you haven't already tried this place, it is definitely a must!! I would definitely recommend this place to others as well. The area may be a bit sketchy but you know, the best tasting foods are always in some area that seems sketchy!! XD read more

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The shrimp tempura is HUGE, crispy and oh so reasonable! We also love the combination dinner choices. Very friendly staff & Great customer service! read more