I really, really wanted to love Restaurant Suntory, but felt a little underwhelmed by the experience. I have been to the distillery in Japan and LOVED my experience there, so I was hoping for a similar experience. I know Restaurant Suntory has different restaurants within their restaurant and I wanted to try the grill side. I was not able to get a reservation online, but I happen to be in the area that day and wandered by and the hostess, who was SUPER nice, was able to fit me in for that day. When I got there, I got seated immediately. I do like the ambience. It feel clean and bright. I decided on one of their set menu of sukiyaki. It came with some appetizer and sashimi. The first thing I noticed was that they were very understaffed that day. So, there was only 1 waitress serving the entire grill side. So, although she was very nice, I felt very rushed and the pacing was way off. As soon as I was done with the appetizer, the sashimi came, then I waited a super long time for the sukiyaki. The appetizers were very good. I thought the sashimi was just OK. It was not as fresh as some of the poke I had and the sukiyaki was rich and flavorful. The meat came out frozen, which I thought was interesting. I figured high end restaurant would have the meat fresh or thawed. I also was thinking that they would have decently priced Suntory whiskey (we had amazing whiskey when I went to the distillery). But, the whiskey had HUGE premium, so I opted for a gin drink. Overall, I was slightly disappointed by the food and service. Maybe I came on an off night (it was a weekday night). I am not sure if I would come back here because it was pretty pricey, but glad I experienced it. read more

I was there for lunch a year ago when visiting Waikiki. This time we tried their teppanyaki dinner - it was an awesome experience. The waitress was very attentive, and service was great. The quality of the stake is very high, and it was so fun watching the chef cook it right in front of us. Highly recommend! read more

First time back since they finished their renovations. We went on a Monday night on the teppanyaki side and it definitely wasn't as crowded as I thought it was going to be. Our server Irene was wonderful and our teppanyaki chef Toshi was great as well. Everything was beautifully coursed out and tasted delicious. Haven't had a wagyu steak that good since Morimoto's. Such a nice place to go to for a special occasion. read more

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The Hikibi kaiseki course meal that is served in the washoku section is exquisite and perfect for a special occasion dinner. It is quite a bit of food, but we shared some of the dishes with others at our table who ordered the grilled yellowtail collar and the tempura which were also delicious. The service is wonderful as well as the ambiance. read more

Saving the best for last! This got all my stars . Oh my goodness!!! This is one of the favorite resto I have visited while on the island. I am so glad we had tried this place on our last night in Waikiki. I am very excited to share what our experience was. We have not made any reservations and was asked if we wanted Teppan, sushi or their Washoku dinner. We opted for a table as we wanted to try their "Washoku dinner". After them taking our temperature check, we were seated right away. We ordered beer (Suntory beer) and sake (Katana and Oze Sake) for drinks. My suggestion is to ask the server what type of sake she would recommend as she will ask you what you prefer..either sweet, dry etc. I prefer sake more on the dry side. WOW! They were delicious and matched perfectly with our meals. We both ordered two Washoku dinner course: Kaiseki Course ($56) - more like 6-7 course. It has sashimi, fish, tempura, soup, rice, pickles, salad and ice cream for desert. It was filling and delicious. Nabe Course Sukiyaki ($64) - this had 6-7 course as well but a difference in the main entree which was sukiyaki that they help start off in front off you and you continue to cook as you enjoy your dinner. This meal had so much in person, we were able to share this dish together. Yummy! This set up reminds me of our course meal when we were in Japan. Our server was very friendly and attentive. Great food, awesome service! This place is one of my "MUST VISIT" when I am back here in Waikiki. read more

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Tl;dr - an ambience place, not a food place. And of course, the Waikiki premium. Tasteful interior decor, tables are large and well spaced out, the restaurant is quiet so great if you're looking to have a relaxed time and conversations. Food on the other hand, left some to be desired. My unagi isn't very fresh, and the pineapple almond tofu was way, way too sweet. I was told nigiri is pretty good here so maybe give that a shot instead? Food isn't worth the price, you're paying for the ambience. read more

Restaurant SUNTORY - Unagi Donburi - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I went here for the first time yesterday, June 27, 2021, with my family and some family friends who were visiting from the mainland. Everything was awesome... except for the food that I had ordered, but it may be my fault. I ordered the Steak Lunch Special ($19.80), which came with small amount of steak, small salad, miso soup, and grilled vegetables. I usually get full very easily any time I ever go to a restaurant but this was the first time that a meal still made me hungry afterwards. As a college student, I don't think I would come here on my own or with other college friends because the price is a bit too high for the amount of food you get. However, I think that at this restaurant, it is probably better to get one of the more expensive teppan courses as that will actually fill someone up. The Steak Lunch Special was decent but not *amazingly* good. As for the service, everyone that we came across were very friendly and worked quite fast. They even offered us complimentary mango ice cream after our meal and offered paper props for a picture together since we were celebrating a birthday. It was pretty cute and I don't think I've ever been to a restaurant where they offered props for people to hold for a celebration. The chef who was in charge of our teppan courses made us smile at times with his small jokes while cooking, which definitely makes the experience better. Thank you Restaurant Suntory staff! read more

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Our waitress and food were excellent! We had the hot pot winter special. It was delicious!

I went to dinner to celebrate my friend's birthday and was super excited to try this restaurant for the first time despite its long history in Waikiki. I was a bit bummed as I was looking forward to trying one of the Midori sour & cocktail drinks but the waitress regretted to inform me that they were out of Midori, but overall, this place exceeded expectations and was beyond delicious! I had the Irodori course and my friend ordered the 10 piece sushi set. The sushi was good, but at $6.20 per piece, i'm not sure if it was worth it and I probably would not order it again as the set course costs a little more and fills you up. The Irodori course was amazing and priced right! To start they brought sashimi and various seasonal side dishes. My favorite was the macadamia nut tofu - definitely a combination I never knew went so well together! After, they brought a chawanmushi which I love and it met my expectations. Then for the main dish, the special was nitsuke butterfish and the seafood iron pot ochazuke. You can tell that the butterfish was simmered over slow heat for a long time as it was delicious and the flavor of the sauce got deep into the butterfish. The seafood iron pot ochazuke was a winner! So scrumptious. Per the waitresses' recommendation, I tried it as is before turning it into ochazuke. I'm so glad I did as it had extremely different flavors as is and when turned into ochazuke. Definitely so worth it with all the seafood (unagi, salmon, scallop, shrimp, and more) inside the iron pot! To end the meal they served a matcha pudding. I enjoyed it as it wasn't to sweet and was light so it ended the meal well. Parking: They validate if you park in the Royal Hawaii Shopping Center. Be sure to enter in the A building parking lot which is right off Royal Hawaiian Ave. They validate for 1 hr for tourists, but if you are military or Kama'aina they validate for 3 hours!! Tip: If you upgrade the Irodori course to get the steak with it for $14 more, you don't get the seafood in the iron pot, you just get plain rice! I definitely recommend getting the seafood iron pot as it was so delicious! read more

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A little pricey, but fine. $10 draft beer at lunch time. We got three lunch sets to share: Sukiyaki Beef $32, Ebi Tenpura $26 and Sashimi Gindara with miso cod $32 Two desserts, Kurigoma pudding (black sesame) with azuki, ice cream and fresh fruit $16 and Sakekasu Cheesecake $12 (delightful). We want to return and experience the teppanyaki next time. read more

Suntory was an awesome place to have dinner for celebrating my best friend getting into PA school! I can see why it may be a bit touristy due to it being in the Royal Hawaiian Center, but it was a great experience for me! I ordered their Royal dinner set which came with sashimi, appetizers, salad, miso soup, clam chowder, scallops, shrimp, steak, garlic rice, AND Desert - did I forget anything? LOL Our chef (Koshi) was amazing and so was our waitress! 10/10 for service and 9/10 for food! I also enjoyed their DIY pineapple cocktail - it so refreshing and you squeeze the juice out of the pineapple yourself!! It is a bit pricey, but hey it was for a celebration for an amazing person! The steak also melted in my mouth! I would come back here:) read more

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The food was amazing and the prices were very reasonable. There are 3 types of food that you can order from: Teppanyaki (grilled meat in front of you), Washoku (Japanese style meals), and Sushi bar. They only take phone reservations currently, so make sure to have a date and time already set. You would also have to make your reservation specific to the area you would like to be seated. There is a broad range of foods and meals to choose from, and the presentation is amazing! I personally like all of the little side dishes in Japanese foods. You can park at the Royal Hawaiian Center, and they validate up to 3-hours of free parking. That definitely gives you time to walk around Waikiki as well, which is a huge plus. You need to wear masks when entering, and they take your temperature before entering the restaurant. read more

Restaurant SUNTORY - Sukiyaki Set - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Amazingly exquisite and delicious, everything tasted fresh and different from any other sushi or sashimi. Everything is made fresh chefs choice and looks beautiful. $100 per person is pricey but damn was it good. I wished portions were larger but I was just filled to satisfaction. Didn't care for the raw shrimp (maybe ask to have it seared) chawanmushi was my favorite. This private room has 2 master sushi chefs and room holds 8 people. Our party of 4 was truly satisfied. read more

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As a big fan of Suntory products, I was extremely excited to try this place. When you make a reservation, you get an option to choose between sushi, Teppanyaki, or washoku, each with different menus. This review is for the Washoku dining experience. From the washoku menu, they let you choose your own set, not everyone in the table needs to get the same set so you can mix and match! I really liked the fact that we could choose different sets so we get to taste a little of everything along with ordering additional sides on the menu. We ordered the Toki, Irodori, Salmon Salad, Sake steamed clams, and chawanmushi along with drinks for everyone. The pineapple sour was very unique as they basically gave us the whole pineapple to squeeze ourselves. At first I thought that this was tedious but ended up being fun since we could scoop out the pineapple at the end. The drink itself was just ok. None of the food here really wowed me. It was actually kind of mediocre if I am being honest, but the location and ambiance is very nice. While looking around, most of the people around us ordered the hot pot option which looks more promising. If I were to come back, I would probably try for the teppanyaki option. read more

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Had a 545 reservation on a Tuesday and went a little early and had no problem getting seated early. The service here was amazing, everyone was really attentive to us and made sure our water and tea were always filled and our plates were cleared as soon as we were done. We ordered the Miyazaki Wagyu Filet on the teppan menu and the steak just melted in your mouth. The chef was also talking to us the whole time, explaining what he was making and just talking about his experiences. Even the waiter was doing the same and always asking how everything was. Since we had our own cooking station, it was a very intimate experience. It was very quiet in the teppan dinning room, which made it easy for conversation. I would recommend trying this place if you haven't to get a very thorough, well rounded dinning experience. read more

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Fresh fish and prepared authentically. A generous meal for 4 was around $260 plus tip. We order 2 Washou sets and additional items. Each set. An easily be shared by two people as long as u get additional items. read more

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Visited Suntory for their dinner Washoku menu. They have different menus so make sure you know which one when making your reservation! Lol. They are located on the 3rd floor of Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center. The restaurant is so quaint, and feels really clean. We had a party of 4 & decided to do a la carte ordering instead of going for the set menus. It was nice because we got to try a little of everything! Here's what we got.. Sashimi platter: Beautiful presentation. came with 3 pieces per type of fish. My favorite was.. probably the amaebi. Oxtail Kamameshi (special): came in cute kamameshi setup. I think it lacked flavor. They brought out some tea on the side so you could add spices & enjoy it as a chazuke, it tasted better then. Wagyu Sirloin: melt in your mouth delicious, as usual! It came with 2 dipping sauces (a ponzu & a sesame), I preferred the sesame. We asked for med-rare but I think we let it sit for a bit so it wasn't as red in the middle - but it was still fatty & tender & delicious. Butterfish: Came with 2 plump pieces of fish. Very good. Watercress Salad: Very refreshing! I liked that they mixed some lettuce to take away the strong taste of watercress. Came with crumbled taro chips which was a bit confusing. Otherwise very good. Anago tempura: so crispy & good! I would have liked some flakey salt instead of tempura sauce to dip. The portion was quite large, maybe 5-6 pieces of anago in 1 order. Mac Nut Tofu: it was one of their recommended items but I think the portion was too small & preferred the taste of regular tofu. Service was good, our server helped us a lot with the menu & I didn't feel like she was pushing or trying to oversell. I would like to try the sushi bar sometime so will definitely be back again! read more

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Food Maguro Donburi: alright. Quality and texture of the fish was a bit inconsistent, which was weird since they were all in the same bowl. The miso soup was nice tho. Sukiyaki Washoku lunch set: meh. the meat was tough, the pot was kinda shallow and didn't seem to retain the temperature well. It was a pretty average sukiyaki Service The service is really good, they were attentive, served us quickly, gave us water, and all that thangz Ambiance the design is very nice, i feel like this place is more for the atmosphere than anything. Nice dining, nice view, and all that stuff. Also the toilets have bidets so that's sick read more

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The price for lunch is so much more than it used to be. We had sirloin Teppanyaki (1/2" slice sirloin steak and 1 scallop and 1 shrimp w/ salad and miso soup). I had butterfish miso Yaki came with sashimi, miso soup and rice. I enjoyed my meal. Overall it was good but quite expensive for lunch. Service was good and restaurant was clean. I would give 3.5 -4 stars. The bill came up to be $77 plus tip no drink. We got one free hour parking plus if you're a local resident you can go to the concierge and get additional 2 hours free parking. You can also spend $10 and get an hour free then go to the concierge to get two hours free parking for residents. read more

Had a lovely lunch here. I called ahead to reserve their shunsaizen washoku monthly lunch menu - good thing I did, because I had to change my reservation date to a day that it was available. So make sure to call ahead if you're interested in the set menu lunch special! I felt a little rushed during my meal, but that may have been their effort to ensure my table was never empty. It was one course right after the other, with my waiter sometimes hovering over my table waiting for me to finish my last bite. Otherwise, my meal was excellent. The menu was as follows, for a very reasonable price of $42: First Course Tuna and Seabass Sashimi Homemade Soymilk Tofu Winter Vegetables with Sesame Sauce Second Course Beef Kuwa-Yaki (Teriyaki) Macadamia Nuts Crusted Salmon with Anchovy Sauce Saba Miso-ni Other Meal Inclusions Nabeyaki Udon with Shrimp Tempura Shiratama Zenzai (Warm Azuki), KOHO Chocolate Bon Bon My favorite was the macadamia-crusted salmon! It had the creamy nut flavor and the juicy salmon texture, all in one! I love salmon, as simple as the fish can be, and they prepared it so deliciously here! I enjoyed how the first course came with sashimi and a bowl of tofu, to which I added vegetables as toppings as instructed. All-around clean tastes throughout each of the dishes. And lunch also comes with hojicha, which they kept refilling for me. Loved the warm azuki and piece of chocolate to finish out my meal with a clean palate, too! Seamless lunch experience, perfect before my flight back home. read more

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Cmon back to Waikiki for some classic Japanese- at reasonable prices - yes some menu prices may be. steep but many items are reasonably priced and all were ONO! Wasn't crowded at all so that was a plus! They check your temperature at the door- a good thing during this challenging time- read more

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Very overrated and overpriced restaurant. Slow service, one server working entire area. There was no flow to how our food was cooked and served. Brown spoiling lettuce in my salad. The cook cooked one item at a time on the hibachi. Shrimp, then veggies, then protein, the sprouts, then we finally got the miso. And finally 20 minutes later we got the fried rice. All the items were 10-15 between the next course. Cleanliness was lacking. My wife was turned off by how unsanitary things were. Our daughter later became sick. I would avoid this place. There are so many better restaurants that cost way less. read more

Nice place for lunch - we reserved the shunsai-zen lunch menu (they limit those to 18/day, washoku style food) which is a great deal for the quality of food and experience/ambience. It felt like a Michelin star experience for a Bib gourmand price. They don't sell their whiskey by the bottle unopened, but you can buy a bottle to drink there and take the remainder home. read more

I'm so happy they are finally open again! After many months of extensive renovation, Restaurant Suntory is back better than ever! They still have their teppan and washoku rooms. But now they also have an area that's a washoku room during the day/night that turns into a bar lounge late at night, a private dinner room that you can reserve for special occasions, andddd a separate omakase sushi bar room that makes you feel like you're in an entirely different restaurant. We checked out the teppan side for dinner since it was my friend's first time dining at the restaurant. She absolutely loved it. I am not that into all the showy teppan flips and tricks like they do at other teppan restaurants. I just enjoy really well prepared food and that's what Restaurant Suntory does. Our chef was friendly and cracked some jokes here and there which kept the ambience light and relaxing. I recommend the Royal Course because you get a little bit of everything and will guaranteed be full by the end of the meal. For my Royal Course , I went with the US Prime Sirloin ($82). We also ordered some apps because our eyes are bigger than our tummies haha. Don't forget to upgrade your meal to garlic fried rice! read more

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We're finally back again! Wow. The interior upgrade is really nice and the service is as quick & attentive as usual. We got one set of May 2022 Shunsaizen and a Washoku combo with sashimi & tempura; black sesame pudding, cotton candy fruit cocktail, a la carte tempura & veggie and cold tofu in soy milk. We also got ourselves an unsweetened iced matcha and a freshly squeezed grapefruit juice (DIY ). The fruit juice definitely gave me a surprise and it was an interesting beverage. The unsweetened iced tea was great, too. Overall, Shunsaizen food items tasted really fresh and delicious. However, we were not interested in the beef taktaki as it was too chewy. The steamed rice was yummy but the ginger slices in the Kamameshi gohan were a little too thick that, unfortunately, overpowered the flavors of other ingredients in the rice. As far as for the lunch combo, the tempura tasted the best; per the golden color of the tempura, they were freshly deep fried in the new and clean oil. If they used old oil, the tempura would turn brown or dark brown and would not taste as good. For the dessert, omg I was so intrigued with the cotton candy cocktail that it was actually entertaining as a beverage. Hahaha. Thank you, Hana-san, for taking care of us today. We shall be back another time. read more

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Good solid teppanyaki! Only one minus star, b/c we were hoping for some show'n'trick for the kids. The appetizers at the beginning were pretty good! read more

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One of the worst Japanese restaurants I've been to in my life. We started off with two lemon sours and a pineapple sour. The pineapple sour supposedly had vodka in it, but it tasted like water. If that was actually vodka I would have had difficulty walking straight after but it was like I drank pineapple and water together. Next we were pressured into ordering onigiri and it had an incredibly fishy taste to it. Nothing like the top sushi restaurants I've been to, let alone best poke places on island. Sushi should be smooth and not taste fishy if it is fresh. Finally we had filet for our teppanyaki and it had way too much salt. The salad had the bad white lettuce and was pathetic. We make better salads and filet at home. When we go out to eat and spend this much we are expecting an experience and food better than we have at home, but it wasn't even close. We will never go here again and will stick to authentic Japanese restaurants like I-naba. read more

We reserved the monthly special lunch. They were so good. Their monthly special lunch need to be reserved since they have limited number of sets a day. The restaurant validates 1hour parking at the Royal Hawaiian's parking, but KAMAAINA can get another 2 hours parking at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center customer service desk. read more

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Wow. I wasn't sure if I was going to make it to Restaurant Suntory but was pleasantly surprised when they had a table at the opening of dinner for a walk in. I ended up not getting a full set, as I wasn't too hungry, but in the end every morsel that I ingested was so good I don't feel like I missed anything. I got the macadamia nut tofu, the miso Black Sea bass and the seafood, veggie and tofu hot pot. The winner of the night was the Mac nut tofu, so deliciously delicate and nutty, I could have left with three orders worth to take home if they would let me and it would make the trip. I also enjoyed a vodka/sake martini for kicks, all in all I think my bill came to around $50 but was super fulfilling and extra tasty. Great service and complimentary hot tea to end the meal. A real treat! read more

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Suntory has REOPENED!!! Went in for a quick lunch and had one of their Washoku specials. It was delicious! My waitress, Joy, was super-nice and provided the Best table service (she gets 6 stars!). Prices are reasonable for this high quality establishment.n read more

Restaurant SUNTORY - Washoku special - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Was sooo looking forward to returning to Suntory and indulging in their monthly special Shunsai-zen lunch and WOW, they exceeded my expectations! Food quality, presentation, taste, authenticity were all excellent. This menu changes monthly so I hope to be back. And the server Kenny did a good job taking care of our table. For kamaaina, don't forget about complimentary validated parking for up to 3 hours with a minimum purchase! read more

I went here with my wife and forgot to review. We had recently gone to Rocky's for a hibachi style dinner and that place is wild. It's like the Chuck-E-Cheese of hibachi. Tourists with tacky aloha shirts, "Japanese food" that might as well be American, kids running around everywhere, etc. I mean it's fun, but it's definitely not fine dining. So that's where Suntory comes in. They do different things but what we tried was their version of a hibachi dinner. Higher quality ingredients, a dark mood and lighting and more sophisticated ambiance, and a way more low key. It's quiet, but this is the kind of place where quiet is good because that's what you're paying for. A sophisticated dinner with a sophisticated chef and premium food. No party tricks like flaming onion volcanos or flinging eggs in the air. This is definitely a date night restaurant, not a family restaurant. Looking forward to it opening back up! read more

Restaurant SUNTORY - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This review was for woshuko dinner experience. The irodori course was just okay but a la carte items especially the grilled fishes were absolutely sublime. The only dish that stood out for the Irodori course ($65) was the hamameshi (iron pot rice) . It's similar to fried rice or bibimbob with lots of seafood, u can add condiments on top then douse with tea broth, ala chazuke. As for the a la carte items... Grilled eel was solid, miso butterfish is always our go to dish & this version was insanely yummy. The grilled salmon belly was smoky, juicy & oozed with fish fat, seasoning was similar to miso butterfish. Soft shell crab tempura was airy & delish, macademia tofu was light & nutty. The chazuke was just ok & paled in comparison to the hamameshi. Many of the a la carte dishes were only $10 which were great values compared to the set courses. Service was good & ambiance classy but relaxing. An array of signature Suntory whiskey were on display along with the wine racks. We already made lunch reservations in 2 days. read more

Food is amazing, service was impeccable. I just got back from Tokyo and this restaurant reminded me of being in Japan. Very authentic and perfect! Plus the have Imperial Malts read more

Excellent food, excellent service. Exceeded my expectations. One of the best meals I've had in the area.

Expensive but excellent food and service. Better than sushi murayama. I took the set meal with 8 courses. Excellent. Well worth the price. And service excellent. read more

I chose Washoku table this time. This is number one Japanese restaurant in Hawai'i! Foods are all fresh and delicious and professional service. Miyazaki wagyu was so soft and flavor meat almost sweet. Abalone was very tasty and soft! Our reservation was 7:45pm and we were keep ordering till last order but all server are very kind with smile. read more

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Everything about this place is awesome. Workers were super nice. Food was great. Amazing overall experience

Suntory is the best Japanese restaurant in town based on quality, presentation and variety. You can have sushi, sashimi, sukiyaki, poke and almost every kind of Japanese cuisine for lunch or dinner. But, what I truly appreciate is the option to eat safely outside. The staff are committed to making eating outside clean and sanitized. They set up outside sitting and strongly discourage people from sitting or using the outside tables intended for eating guests to be used for birthday pictures with potentially dirty cameras on the tables. They try to send the message by turning chairs upside down to signal ignorant people to NOT desanitize the outside eating tables. We appreciate the restaurant for doing this. Not many other restaurants take the discipline or caring pivot for us outside eaters. The staff often warns other customers not to linger on the outside tables. But some rude people take it upon themselves to dishevel the outside set-ups. To my dismay, many ignorant customers flagrantly sit and linger while not considering others desire to eat on clean tables. Sad. Some even set up cameras on the tables we will soon be eating on. No class.... Suntory will be closing tonight for a super renovation and we are all looking forward to its opening as a New Suntory experience in December. Again, Mahalo for keeping the outside tables clean and sanitized. And for the delicious food, consistently with superb service and smiles always! read more

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Been twice in a year as I wanted to make sure that I was correct. The quality is very good but the cost is somewhat extreme. Food preparation is ok and has no flavor. They only use salt and pepper which is fine but we needed to ask for more just so our food would taste ok. Ambiance is nice and calm but the smoke was a bit overwhelming from time to time because of the types of vents they are using that are more stylish than usable. Nothing here is kid friendly with no kids menu. We would ask for simple things and just get a no answer, like for cups. You know a high end restaurant is going down hill when they are giving out 10% return coupons and point it out with your check. Restaurant was also half full on a Saturday around 7p. read more