Found this place in Yelp while searching for a place to eat in the area. The town was highly recommended by our tour guide to check out. Naturally, we'd need a good place to eat as well :) Japanese food sounded good and was a break from all the pork we'd been eating. This place did not disappoint, and we got there at a good time. Within 20 minutes, there were groups of patrons waiting for a table. It got really crowded inside. We ordered sashimi (came with hamachi, salmon, tuna), New York strip kushiyaki, and the black cod. The beef tasted very high quality, and the fish was so fresh. The sashimi pieces were quite generous too. The black cod is slightly on the sweeter side for me but still enjoyable and so melt-in-your mouth tender. The staff was very busy, and they looked understaffed. The space is a bit small, so it can fill up quickly. It's definitely worth trying though! High quality food without the high prices. Glad we were able to make it here during our vacation. read more

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CUTE VIBE. GREAT STAFF. DELIGHTFUL FOOD. I reviewed the pics online and saw the chirashi bowl. Honestly, such a great choice. The food was so refreshing and good. Truly thrilled we found this place. 10/10 going again. read more

MOA Kitchen - Ramen Near Me - Waimea, Hawaii

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Dinner was excellent. The hamachi crudo was bright and fresh, the fried octopus legs were perfectly crisp, and the miso butterfish was rich and tender. The yellowtail roll was simple, clean, and well‑made. Service was a standout -- Tati took great care of us and made the whole experience feel effortless. Highly recommend. read more

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On a tour of the North Shore of the Big Island, we drove through Waimea around lunch time, and decided to find a place to eat. Unfortunately, it happened to be a Saturday, and they were having their annual Paniolo Festival. So we had a hard time finding a place where we could get in. After a couple aborted stops, we found MOA Kitchen. We would have preferred a Hawaiian style restaurant, but we couldn't be choosy. As it turned out, MOA was a good choice. It's a sushi, ramen type place, which was okay with us. There was a warning sign at the hostess stand when we walked in, that they were understaffed and asked for patience. The sign was a good idea. They only had one server, Patricia, and she was constantly moving. It's not a big place, so she worked her way through it. We eventually did get some water, then our drinks. We waited a while for the food, but again, they warned us. We both ordered a California roll, then my wife had the vegetable ramen, and I had the Hawaiian spicy ramen. It was a LOT of food, and both were very good. And given the circumstances, Patricia did a great job. read more

Firsr time eating here. Invited by a friend. Unreal hole in the wall place that is beautiful inside & spacious. Amazing service & staff from when we walked in. Japanese local Asian flair. Great menu. Awesome food. The chicken skewers with the special pepper Shaker was a winner. Be back again! read more

MOA Kitchen - Chicken katsu curry & chicken thigh skewer. - Ramen Near Me - Waimea, Hawaii

Wonderful, friendly service. Food was top notch - fish was quality, from Japan. The sauces/flavors enhanced the food and did not overpower. Loved this local spot - felt authentic Japanese and yet still true to being in Hawaii and local. The Saimin was a unique twist and shout out to the name of the restauraunt - moa! (Chicken). I liked the onion flavor and the texture and quality of the noodles was so so good. The mochi was a delight - not too sweet, mochi texture was perfect and how they cut it in the middle to share. So Asian and I loved that touch ^_^. 10/10 recommend and would come back again! read more

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Went back and this time with the whole family. Our kids are picky but they loved their French fries, their gyoza, karate chicken, and ramen. Three of us had their butter fish because it's SOOOO good. But I also did a sashimi bowl because their tuna is so good. Great service. read more

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best ramen i've ever had in my life, hands down. ramen is usually hard for me because i can't eat pork and a lot of spots don't offer non-pork ramen, whether it's the pork belly or the broth being pork-based... so when my friend from waimea told me this was a chicken ramen establishment, i was overjoyed! so not only did it fit into my dietary restrictions, it bested all the other ramen i've ever had (though i have not been to japan yet, so maybe take that into consideration, but still). not only that, but the gyoza and croquettes were phenomenal. i was just getting over a health condition that demolished my appetite, but i just wanted to keep eating and eating. really wonderful service and the inside is cozy. very packed too and it was just a random night in july. next time i find myself on the big island, moa is getting another visit. read more

MOA Kitchen - potato croquettes, gyoza - Ramen Near Me - Waimea, Hawaii

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Everything was perfect the buterfish, salad, rice and soup where all delicious. The service was even better 10/10 read more

MOA Kitchen - Everything was delicious, the butterfish was perfect, the rice was perfect l, and the salad was OUTSTANDING! 10/10 - Ramen Near Me - Waimea, Hawaii

Tonight Was craving hot chicken soup and ordered the basic chicken Ramen, but the broth was kind of plain not much flavor and the two slices of chicken on top had a very strange taste. I asked the waitress what kind of meat it was and she said it it's chicken soaked in shoyu - it's chicken that is why we are called Moa" kind of rude - Which I know because I've eaten here before. I've had their chicken Katsu before which is really tasty and the gyoza is also yummy but I didn't care for the weird taste of the chicken or the broth in the Ramen. and the server didn't seem to care. My daughter got the vegetarian Ramen and her broth was thicker and more flavorful. I'm not sure what they put in it. Disappointed read more

This place is awesome. Locals are lucky to enjoy this year round, and visitors have the opportunity to do so when they visit. Service a little slow but who cares, the food is awesome. I like the laid back vibes of the restaurant while they serve great sushi. Cocktails are affordable and they take rez. Check it out. read more

We loved MOA kitchen so much we visited twice during our recent visit to the Big island. The service is exceptional as is the food. Every dish was perfection. read more

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Sushi quality is amazing. They were out of Toro but it was a blessing cause it made us try a bigger variety. Quality quality quality. It took the big island to another level for me we will be back a couple more times this week. Thank you for putting all the effort together owners and shef amazing job!! read more

MOA Kitchen - Small family enjoying food - Ramen Near Me - Waimea, Hawaii

The katsu curry chicken was exceptional - the cutlets were super crispy, the curry was rich and flavorful, and the diced pickled radish had a wonderful crunch. The server was knowledgeable, gave good recommendations to our party, and kept checking on us to make sure we had everything. The restaurant felt relaxing with a good amount of light, but closed shades to keep the place cool and the light from blinding us during conversation. Planning to come back tonight for a bigger portion! read more

MOA Kitchen - Curry Chicken katsu - Ramen Near Me - Waimea, Hawaii

Let's start with the nouko shio ramen broth. Loved it. Next the takoyaki. Loved it. Yakitori gourmet skewers, steak & pork belly yummy but I don't eat lamb chops so I can't give my opinion on that. Service was a bit slow and I'm not sure if our server was new or just forgetful. I would like to hope it's new but she was extremely friendly. It took a while to get our drinks or even refills on water. But our food was served very quickly. Food definitely made up for the 1 slow server. Definitely will visit again when in Waimea. read more

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We had dinner here and it was exceptional. From the atmosphere , food and staff everything was great. We got a variety of food. The yakatori was juicy and flavorful and the fish fresh. Definitely recommend coming here . We cant wait to go back read more

MOA Kitchen - Lava Roll and mix lover bowl - Ramen Near Me - Waimea, Hawaii

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What's not to love? Sushi (great quality fish), traditional yakitori, wonderful kitchen items, and truly local family service.

4.5 but gave 5 stars overall 8/4/26 - First night ordered takeout (an hour before closing and no seats available). The assorted sashimi, spicy tuna roll, and yellowtail roll excellent quality and taste. The New York steak set came with rice, miso soup, and salad. Parts of the meat ends were chewy gristle and fat not rendered completely. The katsu curry rice was ono and not salty. Would have been even better to have a spicier version. 8/5/26 - Seated for lunch. Yuzu shio and Tan tan ramen hit the spot with side orders of crispy karaage chicken and gyoza. Yakitori set came with three skewers (meatballs, chicken thigh, and breast with the latter being very dry). Taste also lacking in comparison to ones I've had in Gardena, CA. Yellowtail sushi roll and banana cream dessert yummy. Food served here is not salty so healthier. Outstanding service with aloha. Frequented by locals and became a favorite of ours as well. read more

I love love love this place and go several times a year when in Waimea. The hamachi appetizer is my favorite. You just can't go wrong with anything on the menu. Other favorites are the katsu and the miso butterfish. Love these folks so very much! read more

Good selection, server was helpful when deciding on meals. Food was really good. They close early so make sure they're open before you go. We were there for lunch and they were closing up as we were leaving. read more

Food is amazing here at Moa Kitchen. Absolutely amazing food, drinks and desserts! Can't go wrong here! The chef will even make you something that's not on the Menu if he has the ingredients! Seafood Japanese version is top notch! Friendly service lots of aloha here and the ambience is warm and inviting! I go there for all occasions! My teenage and young adults kids takes their dates there! Healthy! And our kind of food! read more

This may be the first time I've finished an entire bowl of ramen. Not because it was so delicious but because it was so very small. The broth was just okay, hardly memorable, and the noodles had a good texture. The single small chicken meatball was maybe a third the size of a ping pong ball and sadly tasted just like a chicken meatball. The two paltry slices of "cha shu" looked a bit odd and had the unpleasant taste and texture of highly overprocessed poultry. The only other items in the bowl were scallions and raw onions and boy, do raw onions not belong in ramen. There were only a few add-in options - jammy egg, nori, and corn - and each carried an upcharge of $2+. Who ever heard of charging extra for nori in ramen? I didn't experience the friendly service that others praised. I found the servers to be brusque, disinterested, and slow. There's nothing about either the food or the atmosphere that suggests upscale. The vibe is extremely casual, as I would have expected, and the only "upscale" note I could discern was the bidet seat in the sort of clean restroom. It's not too expensive by local standards and you're getting exactly what you pay for. read more

The food is authentic, the portions are generous, the prices are fair, the variety of foods offered is excellent, the ambience is nice not fancy, but not overly casual either. The service is top-notch and the servers are knowledgeable. you simply cannot go wrong at MOA read more

What a treat! Lovely people and wonderful food. Salads were fresh, plentiful and with a nice variety of lettuces & veggies. The fish was superb in our sushi - but the rice! Truly perfect in flavor, texture and gentle compression. This was our last meal before leaving to return to Seattle and are grateful for all we enjoyed. read more

The good: the food was good (not blow your mind good, but solid) and priced decently given that it's in Waimea. The not-so-good: slow and inattentive service. The dining room was nowhere near full (even for a Saturday night), and our server was usually nowhere to be found, or completely ignored us. She also didn't ring in my beer, so that's costing the restaurant money on high margin sales. Frankly, her colleague who wasn't even assigned to our table did most of the work. Bottom line: my hope is that the server we had assigned to us receives some coaching. Meanwhile, if you're looking for some straight ahead decent Japanese food, this place isn't bad, it's just not blow-your-mind amazing. Solid 3.5/5 (I wish we could do fractions on Yelp). read more

Great food. The ramen and sushi were flavorful and presented well. A mixture of local and Japanese ingredients. Friendly service in both English and in Japanese. read more

It's been challenging finding good eats on this side of the island but thankfully found MOA on a busy Saturday night. We got seated right away - reservations recommended Their menu is pretty big but doesn't feel overwhelming. Our faves were the sushi sets and yakitori sets. For entrees I got the miso butterfish set and my husband got the curry set. Everything tasted so great, we can't wait to go back here. Ambiance is casual, parking available read more

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Service is always friendly and attentive, but most importantly MOA Kitchen is authentically Japanese. My go to is their nouko shio ramen to which I add zembu and an extra ajitama. There is always some to take home, and I add carryout of another serving of the creamy chicken broth (nouko shio) and another egg (ajitama). We've enjoyed all of the pupus, and my husband's favorite is their soft shell crab (along with warm sake). Highly recommended. read more

My favorite here is the tan tan ramen and eggplant yakitori. This place can get busy and it's best to make reservations in advance. Service was a little slow, but they were a little busy. My go to when I want ramen in the cold weather. read more

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Great local restaurant with Sushi and Ramen. Also open for lunch. Moderated priced. Worth the drive.

Hooray! After taking a seven month hiatus from Moa (see my previous review), we decided to give it another shot. And we were not disappointed. They have added a couple of sashimi to their menu (which we didn't try, we prefer nigiri), and their rolls look more thought out than before and are much better than they were last time. We went for the straightforward spicy tuna and Cali rolls, just to test the waters. They were good. The age gyoza, soft shell crab, and kaarage chicken were all exactly as they used to be. Perfectly fried. Alas, still no sesame dressing on the side slaw, but that's a small nit to pick. Plenty of mayo for the chicken, though it could have some more flavor to it (add some garlic? Another small nit), and plenty of the crucial spice for the crab. The ramen was on point, but I still feel there is not enough of the soup to ramen ratio (biggest nit, but I think it has gotten better); overall it was delicious. I do miss the sushi bar, since they really seemed to have figured it out over the last year. But now the owner (I think he's the owner?) stands behind the bar, appearing to monitor how service is going, and it's a good move. The service was great. Many reviews before have rightfully criticized the service as occasionally being surly and indifferent. That doesn't seem to be the case anymore. The servers were very attentive and happy to see us again. Our favorite server, Kaliko, was there but she wasn't our server, but she was walking around and giving hugs to her customers, which was lovely. Overall, the place felt more fun and welcoming than I feel it has been in a long time. And Moa has returned to our go-to list for any time that we are hungry and don't want to cook. So glad to have them back! Keep it up! read more

I ate here with my family again last night. We were a large party of 6.5 people. The food was amazing as always but unfortunately took over an hour to all come out to the table. When it did finally make it out there was a hair in one of the raw fish plates and the service was rude and negligent. 20% gratuity was added to a bill that was already astronomically high and the plate with the hair should have been comptd but wasn't. A bit disappointing but still one of the best meals out I've ever had read more

Great upbeat dining spot in Kamuela. This was my second time here, and due to its popularity, my colleagues and I couldn't get a table, so we sat at the counter. We were staying at the Kamuela Inn, so we just walked down the hotel's driveway to MOA making it very convenient. The place has a really nice vibe making it a great place to meet up with friends. The establishment is clean, and the decor is trendy. It's weeks after this visit that I'm writing this review, so going from memory I'm pretty certain I had the chicken katsu. The presentation was very nice, and the katsu was perfect. The endless bowl of rice is a nice feature too if you're coming in hungry. Service was fantastic, and I have to say the staff worked like a well-oiled machine. You could easily see that everyone knew their role from the kitchen to the front of the house. Great teamwork! No question that MOA is the place to stop when dining in Kamuela. read more

What a fantastic restaurant! You want great Japanese food but can't decide which great Japanese food you want then this is your place. Sushi? Check. Ramen? Check. Delicious yakitori? Check. Fabulous curry plates? Check. Go hungry and try some of everything because it's all so good. And don't pass up the gyoza, they're fantastically delicate and flavorful. read more

Tried to come here back in 2021 one evening but it was slammed & the rest of the family was hangry so it didn't happen. This time around my wife & I showed up 10 mins after opening & were the second table seated. It was Saturday night & we were asked if we had a reservation so I was nervous but it worked out. Service was excellent & the food was top notch. We started with French fries (legit best fries I've ever had) and the chicken Karaage (boneless Japanese fried chicken). Both were delicious. For our entrees my wife had the chicken Katsu set & I had the spicy chicken shoyu ramen. Ramen here is chicken broth based and has a little spin on it compared to some places but the noodles are perfect & the flavor was exceptional. Get it with everything on it. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend this place to anybody in the area. Had lots of fresh sushi options to but we had been eating heavy seafood & changed things up tonight. read more

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Great restaurant. The food and everything else was top notch. Highly recommend it. We'll be back next time we are in the area.

Love the mom and pop feel of the restaurant. The place is cozy, there's probably only about 10 tables. There's also a bar with seating. The food was great. The kids enjoyed the shoyu ramen and salmon roll. My husband and I liked the pork belly yakitori and miso butter fish was probably my favorite. Paired it with some sake and it made a perfect meal. The service was good but I did feel a little rushed at the end. Perhaps our table had another reservation waiting. But overall it was a great experience. read more

Reasonably priced very, very good food. Highly recommended. A good variety of a lot of different dishes. Service also was very good.

Somewhat pricy though the food and sake is really good and tasty. The only problem with dining in is that you will leave the restaurant smelling like the kitchen's grease trap. This place really needs a better kitchen ventilation system. It's an open kitchen concept so when seated at the counter you can see how busy the kitchen is. There is a lot of frying so the oil hangs in the dining room's air... Also, reservations is a must for dinner. Counter seating available only till 6pm. Otherwise, they are turning folks away. Further, I've seen customers come in thinking they have a reservation made online only to find that they do not. Not a good experience at all. If they could fix their online reservation system and the fried oil smell in the air, this place could easily get 5 stars - even at the pricy menu level. But having paid $90 plus for two and leaving smelling like we worked in the kitchen... leaves something to be desired. read more

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Yum yum yum! Run to MOA kitchen. Stumbled upon this spot while staying out near Hāpuna Beach. The food is top tier. We got sushi, ramen, and a rice bowl. Additional bonus for me personally, the ramen was chicken based. Definitely get the egg add in. It's our first time in, but can't imagine it will be our last. We'd recommend it to anyone coming over here. read more