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

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

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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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

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

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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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

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

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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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

My co-workers and I have been coming to Kikuya for many years; mainly for lunch. They offer a two choice combination box that includes miso soup, green salad with a nice dressing, one shrimp tempura, and some tsukemono. We usually have the sashimi and either tonkatsu, miso butterfish, teri chicken or a number of other proteins. It's now $15.95; we can remember a time when it was $9.95 (or was it $8.95?); like I said we've been coming for years. It remains a good deal; service is quick and we can drive from downtown, have lunch and be back in an hour. You can't beat that. read more

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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

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

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

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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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.

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

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

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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So been here so many times and the food is always great. Ritsel provided killa service and recommendations. I ordered my favorites and was great as always Tenzaru, tendon extra sauce Spider roll Will definitely be back read more

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Okay, this place apparently has been around for a very long time, but my friend just brought me here about a year ago. Since then, I've been coming here as my go to place for great Japanese food at a reasonable price. Typical Japanese food, combination plates, sushi bar...but, definitely all super delicious. Their service is top notch; always attentive to their customers. Ambiance is kick back, locals kine. The customers seem to be "regulars", they come in, order their usual and bam, all the sides start coming. Note: they have their own salad dressing which is really delicious and light. I think they even sell the dressing in a bottle. 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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They have great combination with everything: miso soup, salad, little side dishes like pickle daikon and your two entree picks like me i order steak and shrimp tempura combo and it comes with all I mentioned earlier. In fact we are on our way now to go eat there... can't wait I am hungry... read more

Just picked up my takeout and as always the order is ready and the customer service is outstanding!! Called In but no one answered but to my surprise the sweet cashier called me back to take my order!!! This is definitely my go to for Japanese cuisine!! The food is always"oishi"!!!!!' Thank you read more

Good fresh food Excellent service Causal dining , relaxed ambience Definitely will go again read more

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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One thing I really like about this place is the rice to filling ratio of their rolls. They definitely put more filling than rice which is a nice change. Majority of sushi places I try puts almost double the rice to filling. My favorite rolls I've tried was the Kikuya roll and the Alaska roll. The Alaska roll had cream cheese which complimented the roll well. The Kikuya roll is a California roll topped with baked scallops. I thought the roll tasted good but was a little on the oily side from the mayo and scallops. The California roll itself was not bad it about standard. The shrimp tempura was good and was fried fresh with a nice batter. I did feel as though the tempura sauce could have used more flavor to complement the tempura. The interior has an old school Japanese feel to it. There's a bunch of parking stalls outside but some of the stalls are a little weird like the lines aren't straight so some cars don't park nicely. The staff is friendly but sometimes it's a little hard to flag down staff as they can be quite busy. Overall I would go back again to their more of their menu items. On a side note, I do feel that if you're a big eater, be prepared to order a lot as the portions are a little on the smaller side. read more

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Waited over 30 minutes for our food to arrive on top of the waitress getting our order wrong. Two of us ordered Nabeyaki soba which comes with chicken, shrimp, and vegetable tempura. No tempura sauce was brought out along with missing items. Even when we brought it up they still got our orders wrong. Had to take what we had to go cause the rest of the family ate before our order came out. read more

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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Everything from the Sushi Bar, Bentos Boxes were good. Very reasonable prices. But one annoying concern. The oldest server there was polite and timely. HOWEVER, she is wearing the same gloves to clean tables as she is in serving food. AND when she passes the bowls of Miso soup and cups of water... her gloves are touching the inside of the bowls instead of the outside. When passing out water her gloves hands touch close to the lip of the cups. So bring your own water or definitely ask for a straw. And for some reason the tea tasted diluted Hygiene turned me off. Maybe just order take out. then again, idk if i would if she is touching my food read more

Yummy Butterfish! And Excellent service! We were seated right away and the food came out fast for 5pm on a weekday. Will definitely come back and highly recommend! read more

Kikuya - Combo dinner with Butterfish Misoyaki and Tempura Shrimp. - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

If you're looking for simple Japanese fare sans the fuss, this is the spot. Never long lines or a wait, this hidden gem in Kalihi has served and pleased for years. AMBIENCE: Intimate (11 tables), clean, simple decor. COMFORT: Air-conditioned, restrooms, wide wooden chairs. PARKING: Lots of parking on off days. FOOD: Meals come with miso soup, salad, and side offerings of pickled items. Very tasty; raw fish and sushi (made to order!) is delish! SERVICE: I've been coming here for years and I've noticed that the customer service has improved greatly. read more

Kikuya - Combo dinner is the best value! - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

So I'm searching for a good, reasonably priced japanese restaurant so thought I'd try this place. It seemed promising at first, as the tea and miso soup were both very good. I ordered the lunch bento with sashimi and beef teriyaki, and an extra shrimp tempura on top of the one that comes with the bento. The salad was fresh with a tasty dressing and the tempura was pretty good, crispy but could have been a little hotter. The ahi sashimi was fresh and buttery texture but I'm afraid the salmon didn't taste so fresh...a bit fishy taste. Also, not a fan of the beef teriyaki, it was too tough and chewy but had a good taste. So overall I'd say just okay. I'll continue my search..... read more

Kikuya - The beef wasn't very tender - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This is local style Japanese food. Fly foods are all crispy but oily. May be from pork lard when they cook Pork katsu. Pork katsu was marinade meat. Soba was Chewy and good texture but that mean low Buckwheat flour read more

Kikuya - seaweed zaru soba with tempura - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Shrimp Tempura, miso soup, unagi, EVERYTHING was delicious. Small, hole in the wall but a must go. The service is amazing with such kindness. Definitely recommend. read more

Kikuya - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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