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    Restaurant Kunio

    3.7 (1.4k reviews)
    Closed 10:30 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    Restaurant Kunio Photos

    Business Info

    RESTAURANT KUNIO ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Recommended Reviews - Restaurant Kunio

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    Oyako Donburi
    Craig T.

    Update on Restaurant Kunio today I had a nice lunch with my sister . We both were craving some kind of Donburi. So I mentioned let's go to Waikeke where this Japanese restaurant called Kunio is located . We got there and surprisingly it wasn't crowded because every time we go there it's a sign up sheet . We both enjoyed our Donburi it had a lots of chicken pieces along with onion, fish cake , egg . Service is always pretty good there support local

    Beef sukiyaki
    Deborah P.

    Update 6-25-26. I had lunch with my brother. Without my husband lol... We both wanted to eat their oyako don. It was good. The service was fast as we sat and talked stories. I thought they open at 11am but they open at 10:30. That's why my brother said where's the line not knowing they're inside already.

    Terence N.

    My go to haunt when I want Japanese food and don't wanna drive into town. Place is often busy and wait time can be long at times. Tonite we waited about 45 minutes to be seated so be warned. Service is excellent even thru the rush. You can opt for the sushi counter or a table when signing in. If you are seated in the party room in the back of the restaurant you'll have to remove your footwear so again be warned. Food is consistently good and usually quick to your table. If you're shopping at waikele (or nearby) and in the mood for Japanese cuisine here u go!

    Butterfish
    Bryson S.

    Delicious Japanese spot in waikele shopping center. I grew up coming here with my family and it never misses. Nostalgic or not, their butter fish is one of the best on islands, with no extra charge! They offer sushi, surf and turf, udon, and teishoku combos just to scratch the surface. Amazing portions, friendly staff, this is somewhere you have to try out. The line does get long for dinner, especially weekends so plan accordingly.

    Menu 06/16/2026
    debi k.

    Hungry for Japanese lunch - the restaurant was busy with a lunch rush but we got seated after 20 minutes! Seated - water & drinks served and order taken! Food came out quick with a bit of wait for the Oyakudon but it was served really hot! The AA combo was good but wish the shrimp tempura was served hot. It was still crispy and the selection of veggies good. I especially liked the tempura potatoes and eggplant. The butterfish was excellent and we enjoyed the salad that came w/ the combo. The Ouakudon was excellent- loved the meat and veggies and egg cooked to perfection. Overall a good lunch

    Terrible tonkatsu. Smelled "off", tasted worse.
    Sandy C.

    The last two visits have been a disappointment. Forgetting to bring part of the order, terrible tonkatsu and bland miso fish and Teri beef. I hope it gets better.

    Miso Butter Fish and vegetable tempura.
    Gabriel P.

    Girl's Day luncheon with family. My meal was a step down from the great food experience I come to expect from Restaurant Kunio. Service was on the slower side. A few minutes after the water was brought out the server came back and said ,you no what you want? With no smile. The tempura was the talk of the table. It came out white with no crunch. One guest mentioned that shrimp was not cooked through. I also had the Ikura maki sushi. The serving board was wet, only under the ikura. The other pieces of maki was ok. will try again. Enjoy

    The Funamori Party Boat
    Mabeline M.

    When there is a lot of you, the party boat is a must have! It was fulfilling for my whole family. 2 adults, 4 children! Great service. Made sure we had everything we needed. As that our waters and tea were topped off when empty. Food was fresh and presentation great.

    Maxine P.

    Took a friend here for a belated birthday lunch. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Comfortable atmosphere , prompt service and Ono food.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The three of us all chose the combo with Miso Butterfish and a different second choice. The Butterfish was good although it was different than the last time we had it. Not as moist. One with beef, tempura shrimp and tempura veggies.

    kona coffee ice cream
    Gwen C.

    Went in at 1040AM and was seated immediately. There were about 4 other tables already seated. Our order was taken immediately and food came out very quickly. By the time our food came out, the whole restaurant was already filled :)). Everything tasted YUMMY. My only complaint was the hamchi/tobiko roll I ordered was only 5 pieces, LOL. But it was good.. I felt like I was ripped some pieces, hahaha..

    gyudon
    Taylor F.

    Great japanese restaurant in waikele! Waikele doesn't have many food options so Kunio is always a solid option for good japanese food. I haven't been in years because the wait is always pretty long since they don't take reservations, but we went on Sunday around 2pm and didn't have to wait long. We ordered the gyudon and chicken katsudon. The chicken katsudon was great and was super flavorful, especially the rice that soaked up all the sauce. The gyudon was ok, some of the meat was pretty tough and there wasn't really a sauce on it so the rice was pretty plain. The noodles on top were a nice touch though. Service was really fast and very attentive.

    Combo AB tonKatsu w/ miso butterfish
    Bob S.

    The food is top notch here. The word is out as the lines are long even at 730 pm on a Monday. We decided the lines are wait was too long so we bought 2 gift cards. They sell gift cards in increments of $25 dollars. We asked for 2 with $100 on each. It was quick and painless and will use them in the future when the wait isn't over 30 minutes. I suggest you could spoil a friend or family member with a nice gift that they'll be grateful for. I guarantee it!

    John T.

    At 4:01 pm today, I placed a take out order for 3 meals. Pick-up time was 4:40 pm. Name and phone number provided. And the preciseness of the phone call is because it is saved in my call log. It was a 59 second call. Show up at exactly 4:40 pm and was told they don't have an order for me. No apologies. No nothing. My wife asked to speak with the manager, and the person working the register said there was no manager in. My wife said so you're working without a manager and the girl said I am the manager... Again, no apologies. No nothing. A+ customer service.

    Kunio boat

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    Page 1 of 34

    Restaurant Kunio Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Restaurant Kunio

    Are u open for lunch on Jan. 1,2025?

    They are open on New Year's Day.

    Keeps showing as AYCE, but not showing on your menu?

    Sorry it's not AYCE

    Do you need 4 people in your party to order the boat? Or ok for me and my bf to order it?

    Nope! But either way, you still need to pay the full price

    What is the best time to dine in on Sunday?

    Best time to dine in or take out is at opening.

    Anyone know if Kunio is doing fine in during COVId-19? Lunch hours? Serve boat during lunch?

    They are actually temporarily closed. It looks like they are renovating.

    Is the restaurant still closed (As of July 13 2020?

    Yes, closed for renovations.

    Are they open for dining? Tried calling past few days but no answer.

    Closed for renovations.

    Are they open?

    No they are closed. I'm pregnant and have limited foods I can eat. I went two weeks ago and it was temporarily closed. Then today, I saw a girl posted on yelp saying it was open so I drove there today even while nauseated. It is not open. It is… 

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    Kuni Restaurant

    Kuni Restaurant

    4.2
    (580 reviews)
    1.6 mi
    $$
    Locally owned & operated
    Certified professionals

    We come here today on Wednesday for the sizzling steak 50% off…read more Can't go wrong with it. Along with the 2 choice meal, teri steak n shrimp tempura. Top it off with strawberry mochi ice cream n green tea ice cream The food here is always great n tasty. Our server Bailey is awesome n she was on top of it with great customer service and very polite and friendly with a smile. The place was packed n busy as well. Parking was still good. The place is clean n bathroom are clean too. One of our favorite place to eat like home cooked meals. Thanks again for the great service n food.

    Local Japanese spot over in Waipahu. Lots of parking out front and plent of seating inside. Service…read moreis good. As for the prices, expensive. I think their specialties are the sizzling plates, as nearly everyone here was ordering them. That should've been my first clue to do the same. But, as stated, pricey. I was hungry, but not that hungry. Ordered the following: - Special saimin - 5/10: this looked a lot better than it tasted and it was on the cheaper side of the menu. The broth was good, but the noodles were lukewarm and a bit mushy. And they give you a really small portion for what you're paying for. The meats (pork and chicken) were especially tough and chewy. At any rate, people seem to love it here and maybe it's because of the sizzling plates. So, if you do come here, get them.

    Photos
    Kuni Restaurant
    Kuni Restaurant
    Kuni Restaurant

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    Waka Sakura Sushi Restaurant

    Waka Sakura Sushi Restaurant

    4.3
    (269 reviews)
    6.8 mi
    $$

    This is our new go-to sushi spot!…read more I believe the quality they provide is a fair price. I love salmon sushi so I get the sushi party plate. It is amazing and has everything I can ask for. Sushi is my favorite so if I'm hungry, I could finish two salmon party plates. My husband splurged and got the premium nigiri set. He was nice enough to give me his uni nigiri and I inhaled that in .2 two seconds. We also got the kumbo tempura. We love that the place has a belt. You can also have minimal person free experience with it. Everything is done on the touchpad so you don't really have to talk to anyone if you don't have special requests. I assume this is how some places do it in Japan, which is very efficient. You do only get one wasabi container until you have to pay for More I believe. But you can tell the wasabi is good quality as well. For their traffic and wait-time, I believe the service is good. This place will get really busy during dinner, but it's not too bad when you get to walk around donki as you wait. You put your name on the list through the iPad and it will text you when they are ready for you. My overall experience is that it's simple and delicious, just the way I like my sushi

    Definitely better than any other sushi-go-around places in the area…read more I got Nigiri premium set and they were good quality except Uni (too much bitterness....no butterlike sweerness). Their rolls are okay and the service was nice. Don't be scared of the wait time when you check-in with their kiosk....it said 30min but I was direcred inside in 5min.

    Photos
    This is the order tablet. The delivery is great
    This is the order tablet. The delivery is great
    Spicy Tuna Handroll - not so manini this time!
    Spicy Tuna Handroll - not so manini this time!
    Otoro w/Uni - AMAZING, they said :)

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    Otoro w/Uni - AMAZING, they said :)
    Ninja Sushi

    Ninja Sushi

    3.6
    (179 reviews)
    1.9 mi
    $$

    Nothing says welcome home like being able grab a quick lunch at Ninja Sushi after shopping at…read moreCostco! It was just what we needed to satisfy a small hunger pang. The service was so friendly and welcoming it was just like coming home to a family dinner! We got a chicken katsu bowl and natto roll so we wouldn't overeat before dinner which was just perfect! Not too big, not too small but just right! And it was all oh so ono too! Perfect katsu sauce flavor and the chicken was perfectly cooked. Parking is a little limited but it is right outside the front door. There are a decent number of tables in the dining room which seemed to be just right for the dine in patrons. There was a constant stream of takeout orders being picked up and or ordered so it is pretty obvious they've got a lot of regulars. I wanted to go back again before we left but just didn't have enough time... But I know we'll be back the next time we're out there! You should go check them out too!

    Cashier needs training to give simple change. Food mediocre and went downhill, went previously…read morecouple weeks ago and had to skip even getting anything because the line never moved. Today Friday 5/23 service was quick thank goodness but the garlic Ahi I ordered... the fish is not fresh and stiff, way too much sauce, and rice is super hard. Super disappointed for 3 pieces for over $8 and I left a small tip so literally three dollars for one piece of sushi, unacceptable, mediocre. No wonder I haven't been back in ages. Have to skip this place from now on. The only saving Grace was the cashier was quick and efficient today. Amazed!

    Photos
    Interior and order counter
    Interior and order counter
    Full order for $45
    Full order for $45
    Ninja Sushi

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    Restaurant Kunio - japanese - Updated August 2026

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