Miwa's delivers a step-up from casual Japanese dining price and presentation wise. I always order the salmon teriyaki or the chicken katsu, because both are always consistently cooked to perfection. Sushi here is okay, so I prefer to stick to those plates. Miwa's is on the pricier side, and the portions are about normal but still on the smaller side for most HI restaurants. The salmon always tastes fresh, and the waitresses are always polite and attentive. Disclaimer: I have immediate family on Oahu/Big Island so I've visited every year since I was young! read more

Food was not good. I'm not sure how people actually think the food is good. Chicken Katsu was near burnt! Sushi rice was cold! Sushi rice should never be cold! Sashimi, $21.75 for 5 slices of fish. The toro was hard and not fatty at all & the salmon still had skin on it. The Tempura wasnt crispy & the shogayaki sliced pork was dumb! I would never serve burnt bbq pork in a suppose to be fine dining restaurant. Green Tea ice cream was freezer burnt & the crust on my pie was broken & just put on the plate! I wasted $150 at this place! Go to Sakuras! It's better there! read more

Sushi Bar is Excellent, but Pricey! Food is Average. Nothing that stands out.....Service was a little slow..... read more

Restaurant Miwa - Sushi Chef "Mitsuru" - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Every time I visit family in Hilo, I have to eat at Miwa's at least twice because they have the best yakisoba and tempura zarusoba!!! Must have both! read more

Cockroach. Crawling. ON MY TABLE. My friends liked their food and for some reason were totally willing to overlook this giant nasty health hazard and enjoy the dining experience. Well, I'm not that big of a person, okay? If I'd wanted creepy-crawly company I could have just had dinner at my house where I could watch the Cockroach Cabaret every night of the week, thanks to my roommates' complete and total denial of the existence of our refrigerator for storage of food items. I know it's a tropical climate. But if I managed to eat at every other restaurant in Hilo without this problem, why should Miwa's get special dispensation? It's not like good Japanese is hard to find around town. read more

My work takes me to Hilo once a month, I always try to make time to eat lunch or dinner (sometimes both) at Restaurant Miwa, it's my favorite Japanese restaurant. I make it a point to eat the sushi/sashimi there, so fresh and the portions are large. The service is great, fast and they treat me like family, I recommend eating here to all my friends! read more

I love Miwa's! Very convenient, amazing service, great food, lots of it, and at the right price! Miwa's is entirely on par with the local favorite Miyo's but with a few advantages: 1) Miwa's staff is WAYYY more friendly and helpful. 2) You don't need a reservation or have to wait an hour to get seated. We've always gotten seated right away, unlike Miyo's where we've been turned away the last 5 times because there was no room. read more

Tucked in the back corner of this mall between the Waiakea area and downtown Hilo, Miwa offers traditional Japanese food that doesn't attempt to be something it is not. It is simple Japanese food without the thrills. It offers a stellar menu and a good ambiance, however the service was so/so and the prices a little on the higher end for what you get. The menu features your standard Japanese entree fare, as well as sushi and other appetizers should the mood strike you. Our group all opted for their combination plates and I found the fish a little on the drier side, the sashimi a little too vein, and the katsu to be ok. The flavors were ok, however nothing to stood out to wow me. I stole a piece of teriyaki beef from a friend which was tender and decent, but still missing the final punch. The tempura was ok, however a little on the greasier side (and don't say its because it is deep fried), this put new meaning to greasy tempura. They offer good sushi that is well done and probably the one highlight of their menu. The sake/wine/beer selection is also well done, although a little on the pricier side. The ambiance is comfortable with tables spread out and good for smaller parties and for larger groups. It is simple, homestyle, and just downright comfortable. Parking is readily available in front of the center. Service was a wash for me. The staff certainly know their menu and are very welcoming. However, their inattentiveness and the fact that they seemed a bit understaffed and harried just couldn't overcome the welcoming/wonderful factor. Overall if the mood for Japanese food strikes you, it is certainly a decent place to check out. However, considering the prices, it sort of just puts a damper on it all. read more

Do not eat here!! Total rip-off!! I came here with my family after my graduation which was on 5/14. My graduation ended around 12 pm and our reservation at Miwa was at 12:30pm. We arrived in time and started off with some drinks and ordered our food 10 min later. OMG it took them about an hour to prepare the ordered dishes which shouldn't of taken long because its Japanese food (sushi, alaskan salmon, tempura etc). When the food came we were all excited to eat (even though the presentation sucked) because none of us have eaten all day and it was almost 2pm. I swear everything was gross and cheaply prepared. Whoever says this is a good Japanese restaurant clearly does not know what good Japanese food is. I ordered miso butter fish which was $25. The sauce tasted like miso paste that was straight out of the container slabbed on top! Not even prepared right. I've had much better butter fish for less than half the price of what I paid here. It was the worst butterfish ever lol Also, my brother who is a sushi chef in New York was with me this day and he laughed at the food and said it was horrible. Don't waste your money here!! We paid $400 + for 7 adults! Oh and the day we went was not even busy. I can't believe they included the tip in the bill because they DONT deserve a tip! lol read more

Restaurant Miwa - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

I only order 2 things from here (but I've sampled a lot more and everything I've tried is delish!) -- the soba/tempura combo or the chicken katsu curry. And let me tell you, their chicken katsu curry is THE BEST I have EVER had!!! If a restaurant I go to has chicken katsu curry on the menu, I try it JUST to compare it to Miwa's. And I have NEVER come across another as good as theirs! -- Thin white meat chicken breast, NO fat or stringy parts, tender and perfectly breaded and crispy, smothered in curry with with just the right amount of heat, sauteed onions, over a generous portion of rice with tsukemono on the side. Sooo good! Overall, good food, good service, nice atmosphere. I love dining here :) My fav place to go for traditional Japanese food. read more

There are 3 well-known Japanese restaurants in Hilo that we knew of (Nihon, Miyo and Miwa). This one was the last to try. We should have waited. It is in a strip mall, and a bit hard to find. You have to go in the mall. I am giving it 2 stars, as our server was personable and she did care. The food is definitely not worth mentioning. We were seated immediately. The ambiance is a hole in a wall Japanese restaurant with a sushi bar in the middle of the restaurant. There were lots of local Hilo people eating, so I thought we had found a good place to dine on some local Japanese cuisine. Not so.... I ordered the misoyaki butterfish - $24.50. This is a lot for butterfish, so I was expecting a nice thick piece of butterfish, but instead got 2 scrawny pieces of butterfish scraps with a thick miso sauce over the top. It was disgusting. I was so hungry, I ate it. But is was almost inedible. The rice was mushy. The miso soup was probably the best item I had, but even that, as compared to other miso soups, did not compare. My bear ordered the yosenabe and said it was bland. He was hungry too, so he ate his meal. Bear also ordered a grilled mirugai, which was not bad. Rating - 5 on a scale of 1-10. I was so unhappy with my meal that I decided to have a green tea ice cream to make my sorrows go away. Dessert does this for me. It helps the pain. The server was very attentive and kept filling my water and hot tea.. I drink a lot, so I do appreciate when server is attentive and can keep up with my camel drinking abilities. I would rate all three restaurants in this order: #1 - Miyo #2 - Nihon #3 - Miwa - don't go. You have 2 other better Japanese restaurants to choose from. read more

Well, I was a bit disappointed. Prices are a bit high and I wouldn't mind the high prices if the food was excellent but it was just ok. Not really exceptional to say I am definitely coming back here again. read more

Restaurant Miwa - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

It's alright. Nothing to write home about, but nothing so horrible that I'd be opposed to coming back. The atmosphere is uninteresting, the decor isn't exactly nice and feels a bit out of touch with the pricing of the dishes. I came with my mother and since we're lovers of sushi we wound up ordering quite a bit of stuff. One chirashi bowl, a combo set, and a few miscellaneous nigiri. The quality of fish was very good (particularly the tuna and the hamachi) but I personally had some issues with the rice. The nigiri ratio was off (being heavy on the rice) and it tasted as though they'd added too much vinegar. Not unpleasant, just a bit noticeable. For my second round of nigiri I actually asked for less rice, not the best manners, but I felt like someone had to make the chef aware of the situation. Perhaps if the prices were a bit lower I'd be more inclined to like Miwa's, but we wound up spending nearly $130 and I think I would've been more content with a poke bowl from Suisan. read more

Restaurant Miwa - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Worst service ever! Sat down for 15 minutes and was not even served water. Lots of people looked our way but nothing. Another table sat down and was given water and their order was taken in 5 minutes. Walked out and was barely given an apology. I will not be recommending this place to anyone and will never be back. read more

Got there right on time for our reservation. Got seated at our table right away, but NO MENUS available to look at. Really? Service was so slow, we waited 38 minutes before someone even came to our table to take our drink orders! I must say that the waitress was nice and hospitable, but 38 minutes?? And only because I flagged the bus boy down and asked why no one was taking our order? It wasn't even that busy, even for Hilo. It was a Wednesday night. Not impressed, food was ok. Maybe the slow service made the food not as good as I was expecting. It wasn't cheap either, had nitsuke butterfish which was $24.95, for two SMALL pieces! Was not happy to have to pay the included 18% tip for that kind of service. read more

OMG! I witnessed a big cockroach tonight! Ewww, it flew down from light fixture and landed on the chair next to our table?!? I totally lost my appetite...Definitely not coming back! I ordered the tempura udon and it was just average; nothing to rave over. Like previously mentioned in a another person's review, I know Hilo is tropical but damn, I shouldn't have to dine at a restaurant infested with cockroaches. I don't recommend and won't be returning. read more

Came here for dinner on a Saturday at 8:00. Had the miwa special roll for an appetizer. The sushi here is good, not bulky or over powering. I got the yamakake soba, cold. This noodle dish has yam in the sauce, which makes it slightly sweet and thick. My wife had the tempura soba. The tempura is made with corn panko, which gives the tempura a nice yellow color and sweet flavor. Our meals came with the typical tsukemono (pickled cabbage), a typical Japanese condiment served at any Japanese restaurant. Good service, water was refilled frequently, all of the staff are always friendly here. read more

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I remember eating at Miwa's when it was new many many years ago. The food is a solid local Hawaii Japanese fare. While not hipster or trendy the food is well made and the staff very friendly. I would call Miwa's more of a local Japanese comfort food. Great food, great staff, out of the way location and of course the nostalgia of eating at a Hilo food staple. I don't always eat at Miwa's when I am in town, but when I do I am not disappointed. As a side note the fresh fish is sometimes caught by the staff on local fishing trips, can get more fresh and homegrown comfort food then that. read more

This restaurant was recommended in an old guide book I had, so I went. Do not listen to old guide books. The quality and service were both poor. The sushi order was taken right away. We had to wait another 20 minutes for the waitress to come to take the rest of the order (non-sushi). The portions were small. The fish was tasteless. The bill was twice what it should have been. We had two pieces of sea urchin. The charge was $26. Then it took another 20 minutes for the waitress to bring us our bill. I would NOT recommend this place, ever. There are so many better Japanese restuarants. And much better fish places. read more

I am so sad that I only found this place after 3 years of living in Hilo. It's tucked in the corner of a little shopping center but it's worth the stop. I went here twice in a week because I couldn't get enough. Their udon was so good as well as their sushi. They have great portion sizes because I never left hungry. Try this place out. read more

Restaurant Miwa - Rainbow roll and Miwa special both soo good - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

The service was okay. The sushi does not taste fresh. I felt like I had gone to Genki sushi. Mediocre sushi. My friend had the 3 sampler that cost $24. It looked and tasted like a $10 meal. The sampler had 4 pieces of sashimi that did not taste fresh. The ribs looked like meat in stew. There was a salad. No ginger but some kind of cabbage veggie for the sashimi. Terrible terrible. Wasted money. So 10 pieces of sushi with I Cali. Roll 4 pieces of sashimii, 6 cube beef meat supposed to be ribs and lettuce salad. Two sodas. Cost $71. read more

Solid dinner. Decor/carpet is tired. If you can be ok with that, the food was good and service was great. We tried the sushi platter and a combo served bento style (Three choice dinner combo: Shrimp tempura, chicken katsu, and ahi sashimi). Very flavorful food and I was happy with it - I thought the potion size is fair for the price ... but maybe that's my mainland portion/price perspective talking. The desserts were excellent! We tried 2 of their homemade pies - a chocolate one and a Haupia/cream cheese pie - both were fantastic and worth a trip just to carry those out. read more

I love it when a location that was happening back in the day is now "off the beaten path." This place used to be another well-loved coffee shop (not coffee shop a la Starbucks, but rather a diner). Isn't most of Hilo off the beaten path? Yes, that's what makes it so special. I LOVE this place--the combination dinners are amazing. Try the fresh fish options too, deep fried menpachi or ono prepared any way you like... Fresh and authentic Hawai'i Japanese food, fast and friendly service...If you're local, you go here and always run into someone you know. read more

We were seated immediately and staff was friendly and helpful. The combination plate was nice. Very nice to have so many choices and the servings were of generous size. I had chicken teriyaki and tempura. Also had a spider roll and hot sake. Everything was good, fresh, and quick. But not too quick. Served in proper order by a friendly waitress. For the price, ambience and air conditioning they get even more stars. We left satisfied and I would go back. Too full for dessert, A hidden treasure. Don't get confused; it's not fancy but it IS nice. read more

During a recent stay in Hilo, I came across this Japanese Restaurant. The staff is very friendly and really gives you the feeling as if your eating dinner in there home. I really appreciated the sever who did not just give the specials, but also was willing to get the food prepared anyway we would like. I ordered the Deep Fried Menpachi and asked for it to be extra crispy. It was great to have a restaurant be so catering to how you want your order prepared. When the food arrived my fish was exactly how I ordered it. This was a great experience finding this japanese restaurant tucked in the middle of Hilo town. read more

Restaurant Miwa - Sashimi Moriawase - Japanese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Place was great sushi, udon and tea. The staff was very helpful with the menu and daily specials. Its a cool little location by a strip mall. Only issue was the food little expensive and the bathroom was nasty. read more

Very very very small portions for a chicken Katsura plate! It's mainly chicken skin your eating. This is regulary. Their sushi is fresh and up to standards for a great sushi place. It's just very pricey for the amount they give for dinner plates! read more

All the books say got to Ocean Deli - in which i was very dissapointed. This is excellent traditional Japanese food. read more

Me like!! Solid food, this place reflects Hilo through and through... Nothing too fancy, nothing too catchy, just feeding the masses... Sushi is ono, as is their chirashi bowl. Nice people that work hard to put out a good product... read more

We went to Restaurant Miwa for sushi last week; *originally* we came to Hilo for Takenoko (we'd never been but Yelp reviews spoke highly of it) however they were booked for the night. Any other sushi was proving hard to find, so we expanded our search to surrounding areas. I should also say that earlier in the day we'd had an impromptu, hours-long, very tiring hike* through Volcanoes National Park and we had to drive all the way up to Hilo to get sushi...that's how badly we wanted it. Anyways our server was prompt, attentive, friendly, and the food was equally delightful. Though I didn't feel that the portions were terribly large compared to most sushi I get (that or the prices were a bit on the high side) we were very satisfied with the meal, and I would definitely go back. *and if it sounds like I'm complaining about Volcanoes, I'm not; this Nat'l Park, like all that I've been to, was well worth the time spent read more

Been here many times for udon or teishoku, but this was the first time to try the omakase (chef's choice) at the sushi bar. As one would expect, it wasn't cheap - but worth every cent! Great sushi, interesting conversation and excellent service. I think this will be my go-to spot for special occasions from now on. Highly recommended!! read more

This is an old favorite because they serve two dishes I really enjoy. Hamachi kama and fried holehole (when they have it.) We never wonder how the food will taste and that ensures good table conversation. The food is always good. read more

The restaurant was at first hard to find. We finally found it and sat at the sushi bar. Boy was that a mistake. The sushi chef didn't even look at us and did not respond to our greetings. Finally the waitress came by to facilitate the communication as if she knew he will be that way. We asked the chef if he can recommend a selection for 2 persons he responded by only saying it will cost us at least 75 bucks each if he did that without even saying what's in that selection. The food was ok, nothing fancy really so after ordering 4 rolls we bounced. Never again. read more

This is by far our favorite Japanese/Sushi restaurant not only on the Big Island but possibly all of the Hawaiian Islands.. We dine out a fair amount on all of the islands. We love the staff and sushi chef (owner). They are always very professional, courteous and food comes out in a very timely manner. The freshness of the seafood is what we really go for. We seldom order off the menu ( Japanese cuisine) we typically (90%) sit at the sushi bar and eat sushi..and lots of it. No, it's not the cheapest restaurant but neither is their quality..so if you like QUALITY, FRESH seafood, this is your place! It's defi ours! I hope you go once to try it yourself. It's not 'local' food (which I love too) it's Japanese!! Kanpai. Aloha. Ps: Try the green tea ice cream..Hilo made too. read more

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Slow service. We were first at restaurant. Two tables got their food before we did. Waitress forgot to bring my California Roll. Had to remind her. Tasted better roll from 7 Eleven. Beef was tough, food portion small, pricey, filthy carpet. Skinny shrimp tempura. No tofu in miso. Bigger portions at Miyo's and cheaper prices. Stained tea cups, and stained plate. Dull atmosphere. Fortunately, we were invited guests, and our friends picked up the tab. read more

Sad that the restaurant has deteriorated to this extent. Hadn't been here for years & now remember why. Had the hamachi nigiri, the rice was refrigerated ~ really? My butterfish misoyaki was anemic, and very disappointing for the price. Won't be back, and from the empty state of the place, I'm not the only one if this opinion. read more

Service was fast sushi was good portions little small and server was good at dealing with us after a rough day.

Came here for lunch and found both flavor and service excellent. We were greeted and seated right away. Menus and water came quickly thereafter. I had the lunch special for $13.95 which allows you to chose two main items from eight options. I had the sashimi and saba shioyaki. Came with a salad and miso soup and free rice refill if needed. I learned that each month there is a Japanese beer special for the large bottle. This month in July, you can get a large bottle of SAPPORO for just $5.50! That is just $2 more than the supermarket price. Bargain. Couldn't help it but to order a Sapporo during a lunch meeting... Atmosphere is a bit old, but after all, this restaurant has been around for 29 years. read more

Ate dinner here and ordered the $30 butterfish meal. Took two bites and asked my father-in-law to taste it cause it had an odd flavor. my lips started to get itchy and I immediately knew the fish was undercooked! It also had to be old fish cause that taste was so odd. I had to get quickly to Longs to grab Benadryl to stop my allergies. The waiter said he returned the meal to the kitchen and head chef touched the fish and said It's not cooked! I told waiter to tell the chef who sent that nasty meal out that he could've killed me. My father in law ended up having diarrhea after we left - sucked!!! read more

Always receive top notch service here. The food is always good and the service is always great. Staff is friendly and always courteous. Food quality is always consistent. read more