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Owner Tomonori Yamaguchi , who previously owned the Poke on Da Run food truck, opened the Okinawan-based eatery, Kotetsu Chaya in Sept 2023. "Kotetsu" means steel or armour in Japanese, and "Chaya" is a tea house or a small, cozy eatery or snack shop. Its name implies a solid, strong, or traditional "tea house" or eatery, providing a casual neighborhood dining experience. In addition, the eatery was founded with the owners' vision of bringing authentic Okinawan flavors to HNL. As such, Kotetsu Chaya was aptly named for this eatery. Kotetsu Chaya has a diverse and traditional menu of ramen, bentos, and food items of Japanese and Okinawan cuisine of comfort food. There's a binder of menu items on replaceable pages that look worn and suggest that they be replaced. Recommended items are their karaage chicken, pork ginger, sutamina (pork w/ garlic sauce), Hayashi rice, taco rice, spice chicken over turmeric rice, and soboro (ground pork). Menu offerings include: * Bentos/plates: karaage, chicken cutlet, sutamina, kaki, pork ginger, saba, Hayashi rice, soboro, nori, chicken over rice. * Pupus: edamame, tako, kimchi, menma. * Salads: taco, herb chicken, torikaraage, green. * Fried: karaaage, chicken katsu, oysters, cream croquette, fries, gyoza. * Grilled/stir fry: pork ginger garlic, saba, yaki udon, yakisoba, gyoza, sausage. * Ramen: tonkotsu, miso, shoyu, jigoku. * Udon: kitsune, croquette, isobe. We ordered: * Karaage chicken plate. The Kubota rice, freshly milled in HI from Japan, was very sweet and fluffy and topped with green tsukemono and black sesame seeds. It also came with cherry tomatoes and lettuce, as well as mac salad. The chicken was marinated with fresh ginger and sugar prior to frying, and gave it a delicious taste; it had a light crispy batter, moist on the inside, and not oily. A subtle shoyu/vinegar sauce was served with the chicken. * Pork ginger plate. The same can be said for the rice/salad that came with the karaage chicken plate. Thin slices of pork belly, marinated in shoyu, sugar and fresh ginger, and then stir-fried and topped with a poached egg. Very nice flavor! Both of the above are recommended and menu best sellers. We found them to be very flavorful and tasty! Staff is very friendly and welcoming. Manager/cook Kiko Ohtake, when not busy cooking, will come out and talk to customers, as well as Tomo-San, the owner. As orders are made to order, you will be given a fresh temperature-hot entrée. We went there on two occasions for take-out and were surprised when staff walked around from the back employee area to the front where we were and gave us our take-out, instead of just giving it to us at the point of order. Not only did they do that, but thanked us for coming! This gesture just makes you want to return! The small restaurant seats 20. There are many color food photos on its walls and front window to help you decide what to order. But there were so many wall photos, together with daily specials, that I was somewhat confused and undecided what to order. There's also a "Ni-Ku Day" on the 29th of each month called Meat Day, as extra meat (I believe 50% more) is given for free for the karaage, pork ginger, and sutamina bentos. Hours of operation are: Mon to Sat 10:30a to 3p lunch, 4:30p to 8:30p dinner, and 4:30p to 6:30p happy hour; Sun 11a to 3p, lunch, 4:30p to 8:30p dinner, and 4:30p to 6:30p happy hour. Located near the Ala Moana Shopping Center next to La Pizza Rina, enter the driveway after you pass Kotetsu Chaya on So King St, and you will find free parking during the day that is shared with other businesses in the complex. There is also metered street parking. On our two separate visits when we arrived at their 11a lunch hour opening, there were no other customers. We hope that it got busier later during the day. A pleasant Okinawan-and-Japanese-based eatery in the heart of Honolulu with delicious offerings at reasonable prices and generous portions! And with friendly and humble staff, we hope continued success for Kotetsu Chaya! Support local!
Simple relaxing lunch and dinner spot. The food is solid. My ramen was so satisfying. Matched with a side of katsu chicken, I was in heaven. Well, that was a little exaggerated but it was definitely more than just being satisfying. BYOB friendly here. Lots of tasty appetizer plates to go with your beverages of choice. Open for lunch and dinner. Happy hour prices as well.
Casual and cozy hole in the wall with good home style Japanese Okinawan cooking. You feel like you're in a japanese or Okinawan town with the old skool menus of pics in sheet protectors, comfort food, and friendly down to earth service. I got the Saba bento, a generous piece of mackerel with a scoop of rice topped with pickles and a small salad consisting of a mix of pasta and greens. My friend got the ginger pork which came with a a fried egg on top which happened to have 2 yolks! We shared a garlic Menma (bamboo shoots) and fried ika for apps! Everything was good! Great value too! Free parking in the back. Lots of people do takeout here but they have about 7 or so tables to dine in. BYOB. We were able to sit and gab for a long time without feeling hurried. Gochisoosamadeshita!
This is a quaint "old school Oki Restaurant" with unique and delicious offerings. The staff is very friendly and helpful in explaining their menu and popular dishes. Big bonus, free parking in back of restaurant, which is always helpful and convenient for both dine in and take out. There is also street parking in front of the restaurant. Their food was yummy, highly recommend.
This a fun and cozy place! A hidden gem that is not overpriced. Kiko the server may not seem very friendly at first but it's just because she is so busy. Once it slows down a little she is a blast to talk to! Taco rice is a super good as well as their fries. Karaage is good too! Best part is it's BYOB!
We ordered through DoorDash and the order was completed quickly. We all got the Karaage. Chicken Salad and everyone liked it very much. The chicken was very juicy and portion was very good. As my father gets older his appetite gets smaller but he ate a lot and noted that he also really liked the chicken. Very good, will definitely order this again! Thank you.
Great food and a lot of fun and hard to find items on the menu like hayashi and taco rice (which everyone seemed to be ordering.) The hayashi was excellent and the "side" order of chicken katsu was enormous and very high quality. Service is super friendly and there's a ton of parking in back, enter from King Street.
Stopped in Saturday afternoon for lunch. The service was quick and friendly, the restaurant was super clean. Ordered taco rice - something I had heard about but never ordered and bro had chicken with rice. Taco rice was a great call! The veggies and cheese were fresh and cold and the taco meat and rice were hot. Delicious. Would totally order again. Bro liked his food, but noted there was something in the rice that was kind of medicinal tasting to him as he continued to eat not. Not sure if it was the turmeric or not, but while he might not order that again, he would come back and try something else. Really reasonable prices and good portions. We'll be back!
Had lunch today with my sister and brother in law . Always been on my radar this Okinawan restaurant had to try it for myself . Paul . C post his take and he loved it . Everything we ordered was great my favorite was their deep fried oyster . Service was very friendly and parking is available in the back of the restaurant. They also have daily specials at this restaurant. Support local
Treated to lunch by Brother-in-law Craig T . He read a review from Paul C. We got there when they opened. Pleasent and sweet server. Interior was brightly lit. Nothing fancy, A few tables, some with bench seating. We ordered two appetizers. First to come out was the Takoyaki. This was a little gummy and the tako was barely visible . Next was the Fried Oysters. Light and crisp coating. I wouldn't hesitate to order it again. My main course was the Tonkotsu Ramen with an extra soft boiled egg. Tasty broth and garnished with menma, seaweed and pork. Next time I'll ordered it wth out the extra egg . Felt like stuff turkey. Enjoy
We had dinner here last night...wow a hidden treasure.... Foods like you can get in Japan a small cafe...off S King Street after Keaumoku...nearby your neighborhood.... Ramen and udon oishi BYOB too.... Servicer & owner-cook were very nice and hospitable... Bento plates looked great...generous portions We definitely will return again!!!
Found this place on Yelp so had to try it. Located next to La Pizzerina right before First Hawaiian Bank. Parking is through the tunnel or street parking We got here on Sunday at 4:45 pm so there was no crowd. It's a small hole in the wall. It's airconditioned inside (PIC) With space for around 20 -25 people. i love the inside vibe. The interior is decorrated with all kind of Japanese cultural stuff (pic). Inside defintely has an old skool vibe. The staff was very welcoming with a serving humble and thankful demeanor. The menu (pic) was karaage chicken oysters...udon...shumai....curry you get the gist anyways we went with oysters (my mom said it was good) another dish was the udon with a savory pork broth (real good)...saba (tasty) shumai (yum) Hayashi (sweet curry) but everybody has different tastes but we loved everything!! Oh and they do have an inhouse bathroom (pic) but you have to ask them and enter through the back of the restaurant. A cool dining experience in a cool old skool japanese vibe with good food decent portions and fair pricing and good sincere service.
Went to Kotetsu Chaya for dinner. We ordered a variety of food. This is an interesting place...all food is served in take out containers except the cheese fries and yaki soba. They placed three pitchers of water on our table of 6 but no ice.....i was a bit disappointed as i love ice in my soda. However, the food was tasty...especially the oyster fry. Loved it, hot and crispy. It a small place for casual dining. The people running the place was very friendly and welcoming. There is parking in the back...i will be returning but for take out.
I walked in for their Super ( Bowl? ) special on this Saturday the eve of the Superbowl LX - between the Seahawks and the Patriots, the team that I support in the NFL. Their special was a Menchi Katsu Bento. They have variations of this ...I had the regular Super Special...just Menchi Katsu. The other variations add on Karaage or Hayashi. The menchi katsu was enough...three, fried ( not greasy ) patties. A nice portion and excellent to enjoy for lunch. Took ten minutes as quoted. read more
2 months ago
We decided to go Kotetsu Chaya on Monday after bowling. I read there was a special on the 29th of the month where they offer 150% more protein. Don't get excited. I read it wrong. My bad. The special is for these three bentos. Karaage chicken, pork ginger and Sutamina. These bentos are a bargain at only $15.50. I was deciding between the miso ramen and the mixed fried bento. They didn't have the spices to make it spicy so I chose the mixed fried bento. It came with 3 pieces of oyster, 2 pieces of croquettes and a piece of shrimp. The oysters were really good. I didn't care much for the croquettes. It's fried shrimp and not shrimp tempura. The piece of shrimp is on the smaller side which you really can't taste the shrimp. It also comes with macaroni salad. Nothing special and I think the rice was Hayashi rice which was good. So I wouldn't recommend ordering the mixed fried bento. That's just me. Ok now for the positives. Dave had the Okinawa soba and said it was very good. Karl got the spicy miso ramen and although you couldn't order it spicy he said the taste was really good too. So two for two on ramen. Then Ann got the pork ginger and karaage mixed plate and she enjoyed that as well. So it was just me and the selection that I chose. We will probably come back here again as they enjoyed the choices they made and I will be ordering the spicy miso ramen and hopefully by then it will be spicy. The service was good. It was kinda quiet as it wasn't crowded at all. Lots of parking in the back. Prices are very reasonable. If you are getting something fried go with the oysters. They were really good. read more
It's Friday! It's the last day of school! It's meat day! Sharing this great deal & details - see pic. Called in the lunch order. It was ready in 20 mins. The ginger pork was better on this visit than the prior. The sauce was gingery & not too sweet. Wish the egg yolk was not fully cooked. The karaage pieces were huge. The chicken was nicely seasoned. I generally don't order karaage, but hey it was meat day. Quality rice. Brown rice was not available today. For dine in, liked the provided water carafe. Made cup refills fast & easy. Free parking in the back. Metered parking in front. read more
Owner Tomonori Yamaguchi , who previously owned the Poke on Da Run food truck, opened the Okinawan-based eatery, Kotetsu Chaya in Sept 2023. "Kotetsu" means steel or armour in Japanese, and "Chaya" is a tea house or a small, cozy eatery or snack shop. Its name implies a solid, strong, or traditional "tea house" or eatery, providing a casual neighborhood dining experience. In addition, the eatery was founded with the owners' vision of bringing authentic Okinawan flavors to HNL. As such, Kotetsu Chaya was aptly named for this eatery. Kotetsu Chaya has a diverse and traditional menu of ramen, bentos, and food items of Japanese and Okinawan cuisine of comfort food. There's a binder of menu items on replaceable pages that look worn and suggest that they be replaced. Recommended items are their karaage chicken, pork ginger, sutamina (pork w/ garlic sauce), Hayashi rice, taco rice, spice chicken over turmeric rice, and soboro (ground pork). Menu offerings include: * Bentos/plates: karaage, chicken cutlet, sutamina, kaki, pork ginger, saba, Hayashi rice, soboro, nori, chicken over rice. * Pupus: edamame, tako, kimchi, menma. * Salads: taco, herb chicken, torikaraage, green. * Fried: karaaage, chicken katsu, oysters, cream croquette, fries, gyoza. * Grilled/stir fry: pork ginger garlic, saba, yaki udon, yakisoba, gyoza, sausage. * Ramen: tonkotsu, miso, shoyu, jigoku. * Udon: kitsune, croquette, isobe. We ordered: * Karaage chicken plate. The Kubota rice, freshly milled in HI from Japan, was very sweet and fluffy and topped with green tsukemono and black sesame seeds. It also came with cherry tomatoes and lettuce, as well as mac salad. The chicken was marinated with fresh ginger and sugar prior to frying, and gave it a delicious taste; it had a light crispy batter, moist on the inside, and not oily. A subtle shoyu/vinegar sauce was served with the chicken. * Pork ginger plate. The same can be said for the rice/salad that came with the karaage chicken plate. Thin slices of pork belly, marinated in shoyu, sugar and fresh ginger, and then stir-fried and topped with a poached egg. Very nice flavor! Both of the above are recommended and menu best sellers. We found them to be very flavorful and tasty! Staff is very friendly and welcoming. Manager/cook Kiko Ohtake, when not busy cooking, will come out and talk to customers, as well as Tomo-San, the owner. As orders are made to order, you will be given a fresh temperature-hot entrée. We went there on two occasions for take-out and were surprised when staff walked around from the back employee area to the front where we were and gave us our take-out, instead of just giving it to us at the point of order. Not only did they do that, but thanked us for coming! This gesture just makes you want to return! The small restaurant seats 20. There are many color food photos on its walls and front window to help you decide what to order. But there were so many wall photos, together with daily specials, that I was somewhat confused and undecided what to order. There's also a "Ni-Ku Day" on the 29th of each month called Meat Day, as extra meat (I believe 50% more) is given for free for the karaage, pork ginger, and sutamina bentos. Hours of operation are: Mon to Sat 10:30a to 3p lunch, 4:30p to 8:30p dinner, and 4:30p to 6:30p happy hour; Sun 11a to 3p, lunch, 4:30p to 8:30p dinner, and 4:30p to 6:30p happy hour. Located near the Ala Moana Shopping Center next to La Pizza Rina, enter the driveway after you pass Kotetsu Chaya on So King St, and you will find free parking during the day that is shared with other businesses in the complex. There is also metered street parking. On our two separate visits when we arrived at their 11a lunch hour opening, there were no other customers. We hope that it got busier later during the day. A pleasant Okinawan-and-Japanese-based eatery in the heart of Honolulu with delicious offerings at reasonable prices and generous portions! And with friendly and humble staff, we hope continued success for Kotetsu Chaya! Support local! read more
Simple relaxing lunch and dinner spot. The food is solid. My ramen was so satisfying. Matched with a side of katsu chicken, I was in heaven. Well, that was a little exaggerated but it was definitely more than just being satisfying. BYOB friendly here. Lots of tasty appetizer plates to go with your beverages of choice. Open for lunch and dinner. Happy hour prices as well. read more
Casual and cozy hole in the wall with good home style Japanese Okinawan cooking. You feel like you're in a japanese or Okinawan town with the old skool menus of pics in sheet protectors, comfort food, and friendly down to earth service. I got the Saba bento, a generous piece of mackerel with a scoop of rice topped with pickles and a small salad consisting of a mix of pasta and greens. My friend got the ginger pork which came with a a fried egg on top which happened to have 2 yolks! We shared a garlic Menma (bamboo shoots) and fried ika for apps! Everything was good! Great value too! Free parking in the back. Lots of people do takeout here but they have about 7 or so tables to dine in. BYOB. We were able to sit and gab for a long time without feeling hurried. Gochisoosamadeshita! read more
This is a quaint "old school Oki Restaurant" with unique and delicious offerings. The staff is very friendly and helpful in explaining their menu and popular dishes. Big bonus, free parking in back of restaurant, which is always helpful and convenient for both dine in and take out. There is also street parking in front of the restaurant. Their food was yummy, highly recommend. read more
This a fun and cozy place! A hidden gem that is not overpriced. Kiko the server may not seem very friendly at first but it's just because she is so busy. Once it slows down a little she is a blast to talk to! Taco rice is a super good as well as their fries. Karaage is good too! Best part is it's BYOB! read more
1 month ago
We ordered through DoorDash and the order was completed quickly. We all got the Karaage. Chicken Salad and everyone liked it very much. The chicken was very juicy and portion was very good. As my father gets older his appetite gets smaller but he ate a lot and noted that he also really liked the chicken. Very good, will definitely order this again! Thank you. read more
Great food and a lot of fun and hard to find items on the menu like hayashi and taco rice (which everyone seemed to be ordering.) The hayashi was excellent and the "side" order of chicken katsu was enormous and very high quality. Service is super friendly and there's a ton of parking in back, enter from King Street. read more
10 months ago
Stopped in Saturday afternoon for lunch. The service was quick and friendly, the restaurant was super clean. Ordered taco rice - something I had heard about but never ordered and bro had chicken with rice. Taco rice was a great call! The veggies and cheese were fresh and cold and the taco meat and rice were hot. Delicious. Would totally order again. Bro liked his food, but noted there was something in the rice that was kind of medicinal tasting to him as he continued to eat not. Not sure if it was the turmeric or not, but while he might not order that again, he would come back and try something else. Really reasonable prices and good portions. We'll be back! read more
Had lunch today with my sister and brother in law . Always been on my radar this Okinawan restaurant had to try it for myself . Paul . C post his take and he loved it . Everything we ordered was great my favorite was their deep fried oyster . Service was very friendly and parking is available in the back of the restaurant. They also have daily specials at this restaurant. Support local read more
1 year ago
Treated to lunch by Brother-in-law Craig T . He read a review from Paul C. We got there when they opened. Pleasent and sweet server. Interior was brightly lit. Nothing fancy, A few tables, some with bench seating. We ordered two appetizers. First to come out was the Takoyaki. This was a little gummy and the tako was barely visible . Next was the Fried Oysters. Light and crisp coating. I wouldn't hesitate to order it again. My main course was the Tonkotsu Ramen with an extra soft boiled egg. Tasty broth and garnished with menma, seaweed and pork. Next time I'll ordered it wth out the extra egg . Felt like stuff turkey. Enjoy read more
7 months ago
We had dinner here last night...wow a hidden treasure.... Foods like you can get in Japan a small cafe...off S King Street after Keaumoku...nearby your neighborhood.... Ramen and udon oishi BYOB too.... Servicer & owner-cook were very nice and hospitable... Bento plates looked great...generous portions We definitely will return again!!! read more
Found this place on Yelp so had to try it. Located next to La Pizzerina right before First Hawaiian Bank. Parking is through the tunnel or street parking We got here on Sunday at 4:45 pm so there was no crowd. It's a small hole in the wall. It's airconditioned inside (PIC) With space for around 20 -25 people. i love the inside vibe. The interior is decorrated with all kind of Japanese cultural stuff (pic). Inside defintely has an old skool vibe. The staff was very welcoming with a serving humble and thankful demeanor. The menu (pic) was karaage chicken oysters...udon...shumai....curry you get the gist anyways we went with oysters (my mom said it was good) another dish was the udon with a savory pork broth (real good)...saba (tasty) shumai (yum) Hayashi (sweet curry) but everybody has different tastes but we loved everything!! Oh and they do have an inhouse bathroom (pic) but you have to ask them and enter through the back of the restaurant. A cool dining experience in a cool old skool japanese vibe with good food decent portions and fair pricing and good sincere service. read more
Went to Kotetsu Chaya for dinner. We ordered a variety of food. This is an interesting place...all food is served in take out containers except the cheese fries and yaki soba. They placed three pitchers of water on our table of 6 but no ice.....i was a bit disappointed as i love ice in my soda. However, the food was tasty...especially the oyster fry. Loved it, hot and crispy. It a small place for casual dining. The people running the place was very friendly and welcoming. There is parking in the back...i will be returning but for take out. read more
1 year ago
Thank you Paul C with all your pictures and the review of this place. So My brother took us here and was not disappointed. I had the grilled Saba bento while my hubby had tonokatsu ramen with extra egg. My brother had hayashi rice bento. Beef with a mushroom demi glaze. We also ordered fry oysters and takoyaki balls for appetizers. Everything was good. Food and service. Will back again to try something else. read more
Bookmark finally checked. Our foodie group previously mentioned trying Kotetsu Chaya (KC) but several ending up coming here and our venues shifted to other businesses. Kept this place under the radar as I've been wanting to try them. One day my sister reached out to me for an impromptu lunch and was asked of a place I've been wanting to try. KC was my answer. KC is located near the corner of S King and Keeaumoku with neighboring business of La Pizza Rina and Sushi Sasabune. KC serves Japanese food with limited options and ties to Okinawa. This is a quaint restaurant with about 6 or 7 tables with many picture menus posted on the windows and walls to guide you when ordering. This is a great tool for me as I want to have an idea of what the food is all about. Although the offerings may seem limited, KC offers a decent array of food to satisfy many palates. For me, I'm a creature of habit and like to order things I don't get to eat at home. Grilled saba is a favorite of mine but don't like to cook it at home as it stinks up your kitchen. I also like karaage, too. Now that I'm older, clean up plays a major reason and that explains me not wanting to deep fry food as oil splatters, the smell lingers in your home and dealing with the leftover oil after cooking. We all ordered something different to try out the food. Hands down I really enjoyed my saba bento. The fish was served hot and loved how the skin was still crispy. Absolutely delicious. My sister wanted the karaage and I took the liberty of getting the XXL plate that had a mound of freshly made fried chicken piled in the plate. We noticed the karaage had a dark hue and after one bite, I understood why. The chicken is marinated with fresh ginger with some sugar. Flavorful, juicy and piping hot. Highly recommended. We upgraded our plates with the shiso wakame mixed rice for a $1 surcharge. The rice was also delicious and paired well with the proteins. Some macaroni salad and 2 slices of yellow takuan accompanied the plate. I also got fried oysters as an appetizer. They were served hot, but it didn't have a wow factor for me. Our meal was so good that I wanted to drag the whole family here for dinner and that happened the other night on my precious night off. My sister called to make reservations ahead of time as the restaurant is small. I scored street parking nearby. We combined several tables to seat our group of 7 and decided to change my order this time to kimchi pork bento. For appetizer, I decided to give the cream croquettes a try as a handful of reviews raved over this. Ordering for a large group is challenging at KC as on both occasions, there's only 1 cook and 1 front of the house staff. Despite the restaurant wasn't that busy, it took some time for the food to come out. Regardless, thumbs up from my family as they enjoyed their meal. Because there were 7 of us, I also took the liberty of finally trying the Hayashi rice and paired it with menchikatsu. The menchikatsu was delicious. I'd order this again. The Hayashi rice was good but would have preferred a more robust gravy. Was a tad bit watery to my taste. Service was good given a 2-person crew. We were offered pitchers of water and were checked up upon during our meal multiple times. Keep in mind your food is served in takeout, clam box containers with compartments and appetizers were served in plastic baskets lined with parchment paper. Nonetheless, food was delicious. Overall, positive experiences at KC where I'll be back again. I would like to sample more of their menu but also be sure to get the karaage. Our family really enjoyed it. Yes, the karaage is that good. read more
Having a craving for Okinawan cuisine and wanting to try someplace different, Yelp brought me to this eatery. Conveniently located on S.King Street with lots of parking and a casual atmosphere. Lunch partner and I found this place easily. While the menu is a little limited, it is well rounded. In the mood for ramen? Udon? Japanese plate lunch? Nice to see a handful of bento/teishoku available. Excited they had a few nice side dishes of menma, takoyaki, and more. Most entrees deep fried: kaki, sakana, croquette, chicken. Was hoping for bittermelon dish(es) but none to be found. That's OK. Can stir fry at home or go to "other" Okinawan eatery. Nice comfort food available like taco rice and Okinawan soba. A casual neighborhood Japanese snack shop. read more
7 months ago
5 months ago
My husband heard great things about this place and suggested it for dinner. They serve mostly Japanese dishes. I love the picture menus that they have posted in the restaurant. They have tables for dining in, but from what I observed it's more of a take out place. We ordered two plates. We got the chicken cutlet $15.50 and the kaki (oyster) fried bento $16.50. Both plates were excellent. The chicken cutlet came with tonkatsu sauce and the kaki came with tartar sauce. Both plates came with a huge scoop of rice, two pieces of takuan and macaroni salad. While the main entrees were delicious the macaroni salad was dry. Maybe that's the Japanese style, but it definitely needed more mayo. The cashier was really friendly. The food is made to order. We waited about 15 minutes for our plates. read more
9 months ago
Cute little gem in my new neighborhood! Owners are very friendly and attentive, and the food is reasonably priced. Best of all - it's BYOB! read more
Early dinner in Honolulu, Hawaii... After reading reviews by my friends Jo C., Bruddah Fran, Irene, Donna, and Lyla, I had to check this place out! Kotetsu Chaya is located on the right side of King Street, right after the Keeaumoku Street intersection. It's at the end of the strip building that houses other restaurants such as Sushi Sasabune and LA Pizza Rina. I didn't want to pay for street parking even though it ends at 6pm. We had reservations for 4:30pm, so paying for that 1.5 hours was not acceptable to me. I drove a bit further and found the entrance to the free parking lot behind the building... yippee! It was odd that the business left the front door to the cozy shop open. The fresh air brought in leaves, dust, and car exhaust from the outside and made the indoor temperature a bit warm. Hmmm... My friends ordered from the Happy Hour menu: takoyaki, gyoza, and French Fries. Gyoza was good, and the French Fries were surprisingly excellent!!! I got the Sutamina Bento - stir fried pork with garlic sauce. Wow! It was super tasty! The pork was sliced thin and had such a grilled, tender texture! The yummy macaroni salad had some Parmesan cheese on it - and no mayo! Yay! Service was very friendly and efficient. We had 2 pitchers of iced water on our table so we could help ourselves. My friend had to ask for the bill because soon, every seat was taken and they were busy! read more
Located next to La Pizza Rina on King Street. PARKING Take the driveway right after you see Kotetsu Chaya. There are about 2 dozen or so stalls in the lot. There's also street parking on King Street although you may have to check time on the signs prior to parking your car. RESTAURANT It's a small hole in the wall place so it easy to miss if you're not paying attention. There are less than 10 tables so it can get crowded at times. The floors could be cleaner. I saw some food that was left on the floor from previous customers. Kitchen looked clean and the overall look of the dining area is okay. FOOD The food is amazing here. The fried calamari was an excellent choice. Lots of flavor and our party of killed it. Should've ordered more. The saba was nicely cooked. Macaroni could've been better though. The fried oyster was also ono! I think next time I come here I'll have to try the Hayashi rice. Seemed like a winner with customers. read more
9 months ago
Quick service, delicious food, and cozy space. We ate in and they gave us a pitcher of water. Not busy or crowded at all at noon on Monday. Probably the best karaage I've ever eaten! Very fresh, juicy, crispy, and umami marinated chicken! Everything about the karaage was perfect and pleasant! read more
Oh my gooooooooooodness! I just had da most enjoyable lunch with my lunch buddy yesterday, and "Chaya Kotetsu" was da place of choice (my friend knows where all da good kine GRINDZ places is). I never heard of this restaurant, so I had to look it up on Yelp. Upon seeing where the restaurant was, I realized that it was just next door from a sandwich/pizza shop that I used to frequent - (La Pizza Rina). Easy access, as there is lots of free parking on the backside of the building. Upon arriving at the restaurant, I was greeted right away, and the friendly waitress told me I could sit wherever I wanted in the little restaurant. Menus were dropped off quickly, and a jar of water was left at our table. Upon looking over the menu, I originally planned on getting the Chicken Cutlet Bento, but after talking with my lunch buddy, she told me that the Karaage Bento was Winnah's! I'm glad I took my friend's advice, as the Karaage Bento was mind blowing ono, as the Karaage Chicken was cooked to perfection! The bento came with rice & mac salad. The mac salad had a very light mayo, so Bruddah Fran downed that mac salad! Lunch buddy ended up getting the Nori Bento with a side of Gyoza. Overall a wonderful dining experience! Delicious food, great service, & most of all.......even better company! Looking for some ono deep fried grubage??? Give Chaya Kotetsu a try! read more
I will preface this review by saying it is only based on getting one dish, my first visit, and it was 11 on a Thursday so the restaurant was not busy. There was a lot of parking in the back lot and only three other people in the restaurant. I ordered the chicken karaage bento to go as I had to get back to work (ugh, gotta make money to pay for this lunch haha). It seemed like only one person was taking orders and cooking so after I placed my order I did not see her again until she brought out my order. If it was busier I could see the wait would be longer so keep that in mind. There are a few tables inside but it might be a bad idea to go if you have a large group. Anyway on to the food! I heard the chicken karaage plate was good so I ordered that. The chicken itself is plain but the breading was on the thin side, light and crispy. In a separate container is the sauce and definitely use that to add flavor. It is one of the better karaage I've had and it just tasted like it was made carefully and not rushed. The bento also came with a slice of lemon, potato salad, single large scoop of rice and takuan (daikon) slices. The rice was cooked perfect not being too dry or mushy. Takuan tasted like it was made in house and on the sweet side. Potato salad had the usual Japanese sweet mayo and was good. They have ramen, Japanese and Okinawan food so a nice variety to try on subsequent visits. Your experience may vary depending on how busy it is but for me today it was great! read more
Food is really delicious but the service is very very slow. Only two people are working, one person is doing most of the cooking and the other helps to prep and also takes care of the front which includes taking orders, bringing out the orders as well as taking the payments and clearing tables. The preparation often takes long and the person responsible for the front spends most of their time in the back and doesn't periodically check on people coming in or on those already seated. They are nice people but need to do better in organizing or staffing. I have been working in the restaurant business for years and I think they should hire another person to take on the preparation or the front and the other person should concentrate on the other duty. The front person will need to be able to de-escalate situations and also make sure people do not leave without paying. Another suggestion would be to have people order and pay at the counter then be seated. At least they already paid and can ask for a refund and leave or just wait for their food. I have been here before. I think the people are nice and the food is good so I don't want them to lose money or close or get any more bad reviews. Since I know what to expect, I try to be patient and allow a lot of time for service. I don't go extremely hungry because the I would get hangry waiting a long time for my food. read more
Stopped by here last night to have a little dinner and try out this place. We (my girlfriend, and I and one of our friends) walked in at around 5:30pm on a Saturday. We had a seat and the waitress brought us menus. The place is on the small side, but pretty well set up with maybe 7 or 8 tables. It's nice and clean. They have a happy hour from 4:30-6:30pm which we did take advantage of. We shared some gyoza, fries, ika karaage, menma, takowasa. All of the happy hour prices were really reasonable and portions were good. The food came out pretty quick. After we enjoyed our happy hour goodies, we shared some chicken karaage as well as ginger pork and buta kimchi. Everything we tried was tasty. Overall, our experience here was not bad, service seemed a little slow and the waitress seemed to have not come around as frequent. If you are looking for a place with good priced and pretty tasty happy hour food and in the area, it would be good to give this place a try. read more
11 months ago
One of my favorite places to eat in Honolulu. Portion is large as the price. Friendly servers and comfortable atmosphere. I love this place, but I have one concern.... Sometimes I see a guy, could be a owner or manager?, using PC at the corner table, off his slippers and put his bare feet on the chair... Disgusting to me seeing that when I am eating... I check inside through the windows before I go in. Sorry to say, but if he's there, I don't like to eat there. read more
This place is right next to LA Pizza Rina on St King St and Keeaumoku in what I would like to call the amazing grinds corner. I was intrigued by the prices and food and made my way inside. It is a small business that recently opened and is looking for customers- I'd like to say I found them quite affordable and good portions. We tried an assortment of different dishes to get the feel of the place. Ginger Pork- 4/5 the pork is tender, the onions are nice and soft, and it has a light but nice taste. The ginger is not overpowering and the portion is great for it's price. Do recommend. Jigoku Ramen- 3/5. We got the hottest (recommended level, they said it can go higher...) and it was a bit uncomfortable to eat. I believe the miso broth stock is already around a 1 with a red miso base and they add pepper and chili oil to increase the spiciness so a few times the powder was in my throat as I was drinking the broth. While it did have a nice taste and good noodles- I can't recommend a lv. 3 for enjoyment. It was a great portion and took a short time to come out. Taco Salad- 3/5. Taco Meat, Bacon, Croutons, Tomatoes, and Lettuce with a Ranch dressing. The meat was freshly prepared and I lightly burnt my tongue on (not a bad thing). My only qualm is that it was difficult to spread the dressing evenly with so many toppings. It was an interesting order and I may try it again after trying more of their menu. All in all, they are new and looking for more customers. The staff is friendly and willing to let you sit and eat your orders instead of just take out only. Give them a try! read more
3 years ago
Amazing food and service! Wow it's one of the best Japanese plate lunch spots on island! Prices were very reasonable too! It's our first time here so we over-ordered because we wanted to try everything haha. We got the oyster bento, the chicken karaage bento, the croquette and the tonkotsu ramen. Wow, everything was so flavorful. Their oyster portion was generous too, 7 pieces in one order, fried to perfection, crispy on the outside and juicy inside. The karaage was seasoned really well and the meat was oozing with juice when I bit it. The ramen broth was very flavorful without being overly salty, with al dente ramen of course. The croquette was creamy and savory, just made me wanna keep eating it. The one unique spin they had here was their pasta salad! It's not soaked in mayo yet was still super flavorful with umami taste, so good. The lady who served us was very friendly and grateful for our patronage. Our food came out at a decent time too. The only downside is maybe the small size of the restaurant making hard to accommodate more people. Also their bathroom could really use a deep cleaning... Or just try to go before you head to this restaurant lol Will be back! read more
Dinmom time... Nights mom feeling lazy and wants to go out for dinner, we did have several choices mostly the usual places and one was quite on the pricy side that I decided to choose something more simple. Kotetsu Chaya is a place that runs by two Japanese folks delights mom as she transverse her love for specific regions and where she's from, both were just so friendly and a delight. After browsing through their menu it's basically ramen or a bento style plates with also the added items are pictured and posted on a plexiglass divider on the service counter that's not on the menu. It was a no brainer for her as the Kaki Furai Bento (Fried Oyster), and I got the Sutamina (Stamina) Bento and in Japan stamina means energy usually in the summertime where the heat zaps your energy so you'll find menu like unagi or items with garlic and yes it's stir fried pork with garlic sauce. Both our bentos comes with a huge scoop of rice topped with sprinkles of Yukari Shiso...yum! and a very tiny macaroni salad with too much black pepper which was pretty strange and mine with a over easy egg on top. The owners are just a delight and on this late Thursday afternoon we had the place to ourselves and only hope that it's because it's early as no one came in to dine. Though they do take your order at the counter and you're able to dine in at any of the five tables the banquette seating is too high for the tables provided and though I'm short I found myself hunched over and can only imagine anyone tall feeling a bit awkward. I do have my eye on a few other dishes and be back to support this adorable small biz. Thank you! read more
3 years ago
Come to this place and visit Kiko! She is absolutely the sweetest and so accommodating in this little shop. There's just about 20 seats in the entire place, but we could move them around to accommodate a baby stroller. First offlet me say that the chicken karaage here is so good! Hot, crispy, fresh, big chunks and lots of it. And that spaghetti salad is also just as amazing in that bento box. It looks simple but it packs some good flavors with strings of onion in it as well. As for that Tonkotsu Ramen, the noodles are cooked perfectly, topped with char siu, wakame, egg, ginger, green onions, and bamboo. That broth is just right, not too salty, just enough creamy, silky consistency. This meal has left me wanting more because it's that good! They've only been open for about 4 months now, so go show them some love and tell me what you think! There's free street parking right up front after 6p, or there's consistent parking in the back, $1 per hour and paid via QR code. read more
7 months ago
This is 5 stars because the owners are fun, food is well priced, service is good, and the place is clean inside. I had a lot of fun going there. As far as taste for price, I would say 4 stars. But the people bump it up to a 5. I had the taco salad, ginger pork, and Hell ramen (jigoku ramen) at a level 3. The ramen is spicy, but the owner has made it up to a 7 once! If you like, they speak Japanese there as well as English. Cons: A bit noisy because of the location read more
1 year ago
A great local restaurant where you can bring your own booze, enjoy delicious food, and experience excellent service. It's a welcoming spot with flavorful dishes and attentive staff that make every visit memorable. read more
10 months ago
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1427 S King St
Honolulu, HI 96814
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(808) 200-5859
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http://kotetsuhawaii.com
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Kotetsu Chaya - japanese - Updated August 2026
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