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Everything I got here was fantastic! Cashier knew all the items on the menu. Even suggested a few things to try. I think there were two small tables to eat in but to be very honest. This is solely a take out joint. The food is delicious. The wait is not that long. The staff is friendly. Can't ask for much more.
We were assisting my eldest sister, who lives in the lovely Mililani Mauka neighborhood, with preparing travel documents for our family's trip to Australia and New Zealand when she suggested we have lunch at Rice Box Cafe. Although she had been a fan of their generous and tasty takeout plates from Rice Box Cafe since their pop-up days at various farmers' markets, she has continually raved about them and shown her excitement when she discovered the brick-and-mortar location, Rice Box Cafe - Gateway Mililani Mauka, in late 2024. We usually trust her dine-out suggestions in Central O'ahu, so we heartily agreed to call in our lunch orders to-go since we weren't sure if their small dining room would be crowded at the time. Typical of my very organized eldest sister, she whipped out a copy of the Rice Box Cafe's menu before I could even open my Yelp app and suggested several of her favorite local-style Japanese to-go plates. We're omnivores, so everything she recommended sounded delicious to us, and we called in our order, which was ready for pick up within 10 minutes, or just enough time for us to drive down the hill to the restaurant. FOOD: -Miso eggplant w/Agedashi tofu: miso marinated roasted Japanese eggplant and fried tofu topped with kabayaki a.k.a. "Unagi sauce", sesame seeds, chopped green onions, and served with choy sum, steamed rice, and tsukemono. The thick miso-marinated roasted Japanese eggplant slices were "meaty", delicious, sweet, and tender to the bite. Big 1" lightly battered and fried tofu cubes added to this plant-based protein-packed plate. I barely finished half my heaping lunch plate before pushing it aside, my appetite comfortably satiated by its flavors and textures. $17.25 -Salmon Katsu: crispy fried panko-crusted fresh Atlantic salmon topped with masago ponzu, shiso aïoli, sesame seeds, and green onions. My husband declared Rice Box Cafe's salmon katsu the best-tasting locally prepared dish he's ever had. He doesn't usually like having sauce on anything deep-fried, because the crust gets soggy, but NOT so this time. The masago aïoli was thick and savory, enhancing the salmon's flavor. He was also impressed by the tenderness and moistness of the fried salmon fillet, which contrasted nicely with the crisp, yet not mouth-shattering, panko crust. He gobbled down his entire takeout before my sister and I got halfway through our meals. $19.50 -Sake Garlic Shrimp: sautéed (shelled) shrimp in a garlic sake butter sauce with sesame choy sum. My sister also wolfed down her lunch while extolling the flavors and silky texture of the garlic-sake butter sauce. The lunch plate had at least a dozen shelled shrimp, and she also showed me that each was tender-cooked and juicy. She did offer me a taste of her shrimp, but I declined because I was savoring my plant-based meal. $18.75 Walking into the small restaurant, the friendly cashier/counter help greeted us and confirmed our name and order. Although a package sat on her counter, I was relieved it wasn't our order, because she stepped back into their kitchen and brought out our three boxed lunches. She packaged our order while my sister paid and handed the bag to me. The package was a "wrist-bender," and I could tell that the portions would be pretty substantial. The Rice Box Cafe at Mililani Mauka's Gateway is a hidden gem in this neighborhood for its flavors, generosity, and value. We look forward to returning for more.
Wow, what a hidden gem. Saw this place awhile back online but never had a chance to visit here. This place is basically designed for takeout with only 2 sit-in tables. We arrived closer to closing and was able to get a table. It was clean and up lifting modern. The staff were very polite and accommodating. They went over the menu with us. We had the Furikaki Garlic Chicken, Dynamite Ahi Cake, Garlic Ahi, Misoyaki Salmon, and Nishime. I had a taste of all of these dishes and each had a unique taste of it's own. To sum it up, all dishes were incredible, rich in taste, fresh and flavorful. This is my new go to place in Mililani. I would order any dish anytime. I love them all, lol.
We were in the Mililani area and wanted to get some food. I looked up Yelp, and found Rice Box Cafe with good reviews. Figured it was something different than burgers and plate lunch, so we decided to try it out. It was super easy to find, although the parking area was small. We sat in the car for a bit, and noticed how many people were getting food from Rice Box Cafe. Its a small shop with maybe about 20 items on the menu. Its like Japanese style plate lunch. We ordered Miso Salmon and Miso Eggplant with Agedashi Tofu. Both plates came with two scoops of rice, pickled cucumbers (japanese style), and under each entree had hijiki with corn. The miso salmon was pretty good. The fish was dry but the flavor was good. Even though the Miso eggplant with the agedashi tofu was my plate, my husband kept wanting to eat my plate. I recommend that plate. It was so good and so flavorful! The cashier that took our order was awesome. She was very sweet. I waited in the car, while my husband, who is disabled, waited in the store for the food. The cashier was so nice. She opened the door for my husband, and even carried our bag of plates to our car. As I was about to leave, she ran out because apparently my husband forgot his phone and keys on the table. Big kudos to her! I wish and hope they open more locations in town. It'll be good to have a good japanese plate lunch place in town.
I haven't been here in a while and I wanted to eat something different! They're located in Mililani Mauka next to Poke Stop. It's pretty small in there with 2 tables. Each table has 4 seats each. I looked through the menu and what other yelpers reviewed about... my mom and I decided to try their dynamite ahi cakes. I asked for the sauce on the side. Each plate comes with rice, pickles, and edamame. The ahi cakes were a bit overcooked... they tasted good but the texture was like rubbery. I was expecting the texture to be like crab cakes. The sauce was absolutely delicious! I hope it was just a bad day for them. I'll be back though... I want to try other items on their menu :)
Rice Box Cafe is a hidden gem, possibly Millilani's best kept secret. The storefront is inconspicuous and, upon entry, there were only two tables. Everyone seemed to be getting takeout but we opted to sit in and enjoy our food fresh from the kitchen. We didn't want to eat too much so we got the Dynamite Ahi Cakes to share and it was the best decision ever. Rice Box is now my favorite local plate lunch establishment! The ahi cakes were moist and I loved their negi-kabayaki sauce--not too sweet and with a slight (good kine) burnt that added so much depth. When I go back, I definitely want to try the Dynamite Chicken and Salmon Katsu. I saw some rave reviews about the miso eggplant so that may be good to try as well!
Rice Box Cafe is Mililani Mauka's best kept secret!! So much so that I've held off writing a review for a loooong time now. Lol. Located in the Gateway at Mililani Mauka, it's nondescript from the outside and only has a couple tables for dine-in. But it is very neat and nicely lit inside. Mostly everyone does takeout from Rice Box Cafe and I would assume the majority of their business comes from takeout orders. You can also order online which I've done for all the times I've eaten here. The portions are good-sized for the price and the quality of their dishes is 100! Their menu isn't expansive but the items that they do make are just so good. I can appreciate a smaller menu that leads to focusing on the quality of the menu items that they do offer. I quite certain everyone in Mililani already knows about Rice Box Cafe....word of mouth has made it a pretty popular place already and it's probably my favorite takeout spot in all of central Oahu right now!
The ease of ordering is at your fingertips. Service is always good when I pick up my order also. My favorite item from Rice Box is the Salmon Katsu. The flavor is good and the batter around the salmon is always crispy. I haven't seen the pork chops on the menu, so decided to to get the Yuzu Kosho Pork Chops. Now, if you like spicy you're gonna like their dipping sauce. It was too spicy for me, but I was okay with just eating pork chops as is. It had good flavor and the batter was crisp. Also came with sautéed onions.
Came here on a Sunday around noon, and it was definitely busy! Lots of people were picking up phone orders and more people were coming in, but even with the crowd, we got our food pretty quickly which was great. The space is small. There are 2 of tables of four inside, but the food makes it worth it. I ordered the Dynamite Ahi Cakes and it was so delicious and filling! It came with two scoops of rice and three ahi cakes. I couldn't even finish it all and took the leftovers home. My husband had the Furikake Chicken, and my brother-in-law tried the Dynamite Chicken. Both were good, but if I prefer the Dynamite Chicken more. It was crispy that's why. Service was friendly and efficient despite the rush. Definitely a great local spot for comfort food in Mililani!
I was craving fried chicken and came across Rice Box Cafe, a cute, cozy restaurant, at the edge of Millilani Mauka. We were greated with friendly, helpful service and shared the Furikake Garlic Chicken and Dynamite Chicken. Both dishes featured hot, crispy chicken, tsukemono (pickled veggies), edamame, and white rice. The Dynamite Chicken was definitely my favorite of the two. Flavorful and saucy. I'll be back for the Dynamite Ahi Cakes. The restaurant is a bit tight with only two tables. Luckily we were able to get a seat but plan to take-out in case it gets busy.
They have come into their own and with attention to small details have created one heck of a Japanese influenced local "plate lunch". Using a generous amount slaw mix (head cabbage, purple cabbage, carrots) as a base for the hot proteins instead of a few strands of poorly chopped cabbage creates a hot salad when mixed with the castoff green onions, furikake and whatever sauces the protein. Room temp instead of ice cold soy beans and a sweet / sour / spicy thinly sliced namasu that quickly heats up on the hot rice so as not to cause a temp contrast works to cut any oily mouth feel from the proteins. Finally, the option for sauces on the side solved the problem of over seasoning in the past. Perfectly fried chicken with a crisp exterior for the furikake chicken. Dense, chunky, well seasoned from the inside out ahi patties. Stuffed plates average $18. Solid value. Easy, no fee, online ordering with food ready at promised time. Easily a top choice for a takeaway lunch in and around Mililani. a
Ricebox is our go to spot for a quick takeout meal. We picked up a couple plates for a family dinner. They really liked the agedashi tofu and eggplant. This is one of my go to's because it's super flavorful. Their online ordering system is super convenient, and I use it every time we pick up from here. The food is always ready at the designated pickup time, and the workers are friendly. Parking in the lot is easy.
Saturday March 1, 2025 first time, coming here with good friends for lunch. Small parking lot. But, we found parking for 3 cars. We came here around 2:30pm for a late lunch. We ordered and sat down at a table. The food came out like 10 minutes later. All 3 food choices were good as we sampled a little of each others food to taste what each was like before eating. I really liked the Sake Garlic Shrimp as it had NO shells on it as a plus! For me, it had a really good taste! This place is small inside with 2 tables, 10 chairs to sit down and eat inside. This place has air conditioning as a plus on a hot day like today. The ambiance is casual. read more
2 years ago
We ordered salmon katsu and furikake garlic chicken, along with side of nishime. Let's start with the nishime; slow braised root vegetables with soy dashi broth. It was a mix of carrots, gobo, lotus root, mushrooms, bamboo, and one more vegetable that I can't quite figure out. So simple, yet so good that I ate half on my own. Having this gives me the idea of making this at home next time. The salmon katsu was crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside. They also gave a very good portion for the salmon. The furikake garlic chicken was flavorful and tasted good. However, it wasn't comparable to broke da mouth in Kona. So, I still long for broke da mouth. Overall, I would still return to this place. Good eats. The eatery is a little small, with just a few tables inside. So it's definitely more of a takeout eatery which is fine with me. Service was good and fast. My order was done in 10 minutes, but then we had a late lunch of around 1pm. So maybe that made a difference? read more
Small local biz. Inside dining has 10 seats, good enough to sit and enjoy. Menu not huge, but good enough selection of different plates. It's really a take out kinda place, that's why seating limited. We arrived before the lunch crowd and sat in the establishment. Overall the food was on point and prepping and served timely from our ordering. Definitely a recommendation for the buy local kine tings! Aloha! read more
Rice Box Cafe is located in Mililani Mauka in the same complex as Longs Drug and Starbucks. They specialize in local Japanese style plate lunches and sides. We ordered a variety of items; Teriyaki chicken, chicken katsu, shoyu pork, agedashi tofu & eggplant, and nishime. I think my favorite was the eggplant because it reminded me of Natsunoya tea house's nasubi, minus the little spicy kick. Nishime was on point too! Overall quality and taste of food was good. The order can get a little pricey (at $16-17 per plate) but Rice Box Cafe is a nice place to grab lunch once in a while for sure!! They have their own parking lot. Takeout recommended as they only have 2 tables inside. read more
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I craved for furikake garlic chicken after a full body workout. Rain did not deter me. Free parking at Gateway at Mililani Mauka. There are two tables and total of eight chairs in the tiny cafe. Most of the orders are to go that's placed in advance. No restrooms inside. Young male and female worker were well mannered. Sign stated, "Utensils are given upon request." Remember to ask if ordering take out. Male worker asked me, "If I would like to have chopsticks or fork?" I opted for the chopsticks. He also brought my to go order outside which was thoughtful and proper. I was surprised my order was ready within five minutes. My order also included a napkin. I enjoyed feasting on nine heat hot, juicy and succulent boneless chicken. Coated pieces were delicious, light tasting and very easy to chew. There wasn't a variety of preserved salted brine that usually appear in tsukemono. Mostly thinly sliced, pickled cucumbers and tiny pieces of daikon. Unfortunately, flavors at the end didn't balance. Salt from furikake, salt from pickled tsukemono, salt from edamame, salt in soy sauce overpowered garlic. I ate two scoops of rice to remove excess salt from my tongue. Consuming filtered water helped too. Curious to try Yakisoba noodles. read more
1 month ago
10 months ago
I had the garlic furikake chicken and it was soo good! A lot of the foods on their menu looks so good and I need to try them. They are pricey but its worth every penny to me. This is good place to go if you want plate lunches in the Mililani area. read more
1 year ago
I enjoyed my misoyaki salmon. Pretty good portion. As much as I enjoyed my salmon, my colleague did not like her ahi cake patties. She said it was mushy and very fishy. Place is mall but clean. The lady was nice and welcoming. Parking can be limited as they share with other businesses around the area. read more
3 years ago
New restaurant close to home. Mister ordered while I waited in the car, they gave him a buzzer while he waited for his order. He got the shoyu pork, I wasn't hungry, but he kept on nagging me to taste it because it was so good. My son got the dynamite chicken. It looked good too, he didn't offer me any and ate the whole thing. One thing we didn't realize is the picked vegetables included with the meal. Next time we will request it without! Parking is limited, but the cars are usually in and out real quick. read more
7 months ago
1 year ago
A quick snack, not great and not bad. More sauce would've helped. We were greeted right when we walked in and staff were friendly. read more
1 year ago
I wanted to try this place again, this time I got the Salmon Katsu which was $19.73 with tax would've been 20.42 with card. From the pictures it looks really good. The girl working was so sweet and very helpful. The only thing is the parking is limited and shared with Rakumen and poke stop. Rice box was closing at 8pm when I went ( 4/4 Friday) but all around sweet cashier and good service also quiet too as I was the only customer at that time. I'll go again when I have the time and money lol read more
3 months ago
2 years ago
Heard about Rice Box Cafe on Instagram ... we gave it a try today. I had the Dynamite Chicken plate. It was great! Very hearty portions of chicken, along with namasu and edamame, and the 2 scoops of rice. Will definitely be back to try the other dishes! read more
It's Dynamite! LIterally...this tiny Mililani Cafe dishes out some serious plates, Rice Box Cafe offers amazing Japanese dishes with some local twist. Once you enter the minimalistic decor is zen-like with shoji screens lining the wall along with several strings of tsuru or origami cranes hanging from the ceiling is quite cute and reminds me of doing that when I was a child as it was one of my favorite pastime. With exception of Salads and Sides all Plates comes with 2 scoops rice and Edamame and pickled cucumbers it was the "Dynamite Chicken" for me as this boneless chicken plate is a saucy lovers dream being topped with chili aioli and kabayaki sauce with a generous furikake sprinkled everywhere along with bonito flakes and green onions this huge flavor explosion was simply dynamite! The service here is great and they have two tables which I took advantage to use and once I was done they asked if they can take my plate and was just a delight and that makes this place just...yup...dynamite lol! Thank you! read more
Great local spot in Mililani near the mauka side of the valley. The food is great and the service is good too. I'm always impressed by good traditional Japanese cuisine. We ordered chicken katsu and shoyu pork. The chicken was very crispy and served with two different sauces one mayo based and one Teri based. We loved the shoyu, too, served with lotus roots. The rice in Hawaii is always two scoops plus under the protein as well. So we didn't finish the rice, haha. The inside is relatively small, so it doesn't fit big groups or even a lot of people. A lot of orders for takeout, like a lot of spots, it works better this way. Anyway, enjoy! Mahalo for reading. read more
6 months ago
1 year ago
After our flight into Oahu, the food was fresh and delicious! It was the perfect meal to start a vacation. We each tried a little bit of everything: SAKE GARLIC SHRIMP, YAKISOBA NOODLES, FURIKAKE GARLIC CHICKEN, YAKINIKU BEEF, CHICKEN KATSU each equally wonderful. While it is mainly a to go spot, we found enough space for the five of us to enjoy our meal. read more
8-9-23 called in our order: shoyu pork plate, somen salad and nishime. The order was ready in 15 minutes. The nishime is perfectly cooked and seasoned like my grandmas from small kid time. Really delicious! Hubs enjoyed his shoyu pork plate. Huge chunks of slow cooker goodness. The somen salad is beautifully constructed with thin sliced cucumbers, greens, somen, ocean salad and shredded imitation crab topping. The ginger sesame dressing has a kick. Don't pour all in at once. I think I'd actually prefer a lighter dressing but that's me. Very happy they have come to Mililani Mauka where the old Chinese restaurant used to be. So much more on their menu I'd like to try. Thanks Reef for posting. I got intrigued. read more
1 year ago
Easily, one of the best take out restaurants in Mililani. The must try is the furikake garlic chicken. Jensen, and his crew do a great job with getting your order ready on time and I highly suggest calling in your order ahead of time. Limited seating is available inside the restaurant. read more
1 year ago
Friendly staff and amazing food! Got the salmon katsu and will definitely be back for more in the future! The nishime was perfect as well. What a delicious discovery in Mililani! Would definitely recommend based upon the fine ingredients and serving portions. read more
Brand new place in Mililani Mauka Shopping Center next door to Poke Stop. Got the Dynamite Ahi Cakes. The 3 pieces of fish patties tasted pretty good except it was a bit on the salty side. Maybe it's a fluke because the rest of the flavors like the chili aioli sauce and the furikake seasoning were spot on. The pickled cucumbers and soy beans was a nice touch. The 2 scoops of rice was fresh. The service was excellent. The 2 young guys working the counter were helpful in making suggestions and even brought my food to me outside when it was ready. The food came out quickly to my surprise. The drinks are in a refrigerator where you get your drink. They don't appear to have fountain drinks. This place is new so it's nice and clean. It's a tiny place so there is only one table inside so it is more of a takeout place. This place is small so you have to wait outside after making your order. Lots of parking in the parking lot. Yes, I'll definitely be back to try other items like the Misoyaki Salmon. read more
Located up Mililani Mauka next to Poke stop. Lots of parking it's a small spot so best to order and it to go. Friendly and fast service. Food is good and portions and big. The prices and comparable to what you get. We ordered salmon katsu which came with a huge portion of salmon. We also ordered the ahi patties no rice with salad. There was (3) big patties. They were most and the sauces they you are good. We will be back. read more
Just opened last Thursday!!! Been waiting for a long time for them to open a brick and mortar. If you have had their food before, at some farmers markets, might markets, special events, catering, now you can enjoy their awesome food anytime!!! Located in a nice, newly renovated space up in Mililani Mauka. Great and friendly staff will make great recommendations on what to order. We ordered w little of everything. Their signature furikake garlic chicken, dynamite chicken, shoyu pork, dynamite ahi cakes, and tonkatsu sandwich. Everything was made to order, hot and fresh. Great flavor and nice portions. Go and give them a try!!! read more
1 year ago
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Rice Box Cafe - japanese - Updated May 2026
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