9/30/26 We dove in We were both hungry So hungry that the good sized plates of food were actually fuller before I took pics Hot servings cooked to order Goya Champuru w shoyu pork n eggs Love the fatty pieces Fried Chicken Wings w crispy skin fat! Pork Chops with, again, fatty pieces plus the bones to knaw on! Notice the "Fatty Pieces" trend... it was a Cheat Day! $5.00 Cold Heinekens +++! read more

Here is another restaurant that serves okinawan food that you gotta try. Their fried chicken wings one of best selling items. My husband and I had their Okinawan nasubi chanpuru and the yakisoba noodles. Fried chicken was super delicious along nasubi chanpuru. Eggplant was big slices compared to Utage. Musubi is cute shaped and can be plain rice either or. We tried the salmon dish. It's a hidden restaurant off N king st and a bar restaurant so can be very noisy especially on weekends like Saturdays which we came on with his parents after picking up from airport. Lot of customers watching UH football or sports games, people yelling at TV. Parking lot stalls are tight and limited when busy along with other businesses. Reverse in so easy to get out the parking lot. The service was great and the waitresses checked on our table often. read more

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It was my time here. We started with beers and an order of fried chicken. The chicken was crispy and oh so good! We then ordered the fried pork chop which was also so yummy and both went nicely with the beers! Service was always prompt and friendly. Parking can be a bit of a struggle but I would definitely go back! read more

Monday nite football at Sakana Grill. Craig T. raved about the pupus they served. He picked my wife and I . The pupus were delicious. I especially liked the edamame beans and the Spam and egg sandwich. Other pupus we ordered were Fried chicken, French fries, tofu and fried Saimin. You can't go wrong any of them. The service friendly and attentive. Interior was part bar and part restaurant. TV screens could be viewed from any location . Enjoy read more

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My brother wanted us to try this place where hes old school friends and wife came to eat and enjoy the football game if its playing. He came about 3 times and keep telling us you got to try them. So he picked us up and we went. Met another long time friend watch the monday night football game and ate their pupus. It was good. The pupus was filling and we didn't finish it all. The edamame beans was good their crinkle fries when its hot I could eat the whole basket myself was good hot and good amount of salt. The cold tofu was good too. He ordered fried chicken wings, fried saimin, and spam and egg sandwich. Boy that's alot of pupus for the 4 of us. I enjoyed the pupus and watching the game with them. It's Monday night and of course its football season so the crowd was noisy but you no its a bar that serves food and lots of tv monitors to watch the game. Thank you Craig T for introducing this place to us. read more

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Update on Sakana Grill last night got together with some ex-co worker from my previous State job . Just to catch up and have some drinks and wonderful pupu's. I really love Sakana pupu's it's really local style and very tasty . We ordered almost everything from fried Saimin, poke,fried chicken, edamame, loco Moco and crinkle fries. Check them out their open for dinner as well . read more

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Some friends suggested we head here to watch the UH basketball game the other night. I'd never been here before and to be honest, I'm not sure why. This is the kind of place I love for the simple atmosphere, attentive service, convenient location, free parking, and super ono food...and cold drinks. They are known for their fried chicken, kakuni and bitter melon dishes. All were fantastic and to be honest, the yakisoba, fried saimin, fried pork chops and salmon sashimi were excellent too. But guess what we had for "dessert"? Spam and egg sandwiches. You read that right. And they were simple and delicious. I highly recommend it. So if you're in the Kalihi area and hungry for some great food, make this place your next stop. You'll love it. read more

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Omg. The food itself is absolutely amazing the shoyu pork and also their drinks makes it a plus. My after work to wind down with friends

Food was fantastic. Fresh. Tasty. Good portions. Service was down home. They treated you like family Its a typical bar restaurant setting. Booths and tables set so you had a little separation from the next party/group. read more

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This is a great bar/restaurant that has a lot of local comfort foods and Okinawan dishes. The fried chicken is a must! Ahi belly is meaty and fried well. The Okinawan yakisoba noodles have a nice chew and topped with plenty of cabbage and meat of your choosing. Nasubi chanpuru is sweet but not overly empowering and pairs well with the soft but not mushy eggplant and tofu. Recommend that dish with the shoyu pork! For beer, they serve Orion - an Okinawan beer. Get a pitcher if drinking with others! Clean, good service, does have parking out front but does get crowded from the other establishments. read more

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Dinner in Kalihi, Honolulu, Hawaii... Sakana Grill is a local bar with good food and service with Aloha Spirit. Thank you for your hospitality! Located at Kapalama Shopping Plaza, the parking is shared with other restaurants such as Diner's Upscale, Guieb Cafe, Viet Chubby Boy, Han Yang, and Kikuya. So... go early because this is a popular place! The interior was on the dim side to improve the visibility of the television screens. Almost every table was filled, even though it was a Thursday evening. I ordered the Wafu Salmon: grilled salmon on a bed of bean sprouts, topped with grated daikon, and served with ponzu sauce. The salmon was quite tender-good with crisp skin! The ponzu sauce was a bit much - almost overwhelming, but I didn't want to order rice. I would go again if I were in the area. I liked the Los Angeles Rams decor! LOL! read more

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Ram fans vibe... It's quite obvious the love they have for the team as the decor is filled with a bunch of it everywhere and can just imagine what it's like as soon as the game starts and finding this gem unless you know is in Kalihi yup but besides a few other businesses with Diner's being the prominent view from North King Street there are a few decent amount of free parking shared with other biz makes it easy to find. Delighted to see a bunch of Okinawan dishes which later to find out that the owners are Okinawan...what a discovery! Well I knew that I should've stuck to one of the dishes as I decided on the "Wafu Hamburger Steak" as I do love wafu style as instead of gravy the two hamburger patties was drenched in ponzu as shoyu vinegar sauce sitting on a bead of bean sprouts topped with grated daikon this was a hearty dish though nothing could've saved to well done dry patties it was beyond dry and the ponzu was just overwhelming and wished to have asked for more daikon to offset it all. The service here is just a delight came back often to check on us, I could smell the fried chicken as we entered and had been on my mind and will be back for that and the other Okinawan dishes. Thank you! read more

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I've been meaning to dine at Sakana Grill for some time now. Fortunately, a friend messaged me about meeting there for a quick dinner and I was available the day I got back into Hawai'i. It works out perfectly because I had no food in my fridge. We met there around 6:45pm and both of us scored parking right in front of the entrance. They share a private lot with all the other businesses on property. Stalls are tight so be mindful of that and don't be surprised if the Ding Fairy shows up. We sat at the bar and enjoyed a bottle of wine with our meal. Customer service was amazing and consistent all night. The interior was modern and a lot nicer than I expected. The Okinawa cuisine was quite good and more flavorful than my previous experiences with the cuisine. We shared Poke, Steak and Okinawan Yakisoba with Shoyu Pork. The noodles had more flavor than other Okinawan noodles I've had in the past as I recall them being quite bland. Their poke was legit. It was super fresh! The steak was prepared exactly as ordered. I'm glad that I finally got to check out Sakana Grill. It's a legit restaurant with bar in the Farrington/Kalihi area. read more

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The Food, drinks and service were good for my friends and I's pregame warm up to the Augie T comedy show that evening. Thanks Sakana.

Met up with some friends for cocktails and pupus, all things considered it was a pretty good experience. Parking is a 2 star experience but since it wasn't my car squeezed in between those two gigantic trucks I'm not knocking my stars down for this review. We were a party of seven so a couple of tables were pushed together, perfect because we ordered enough food to share for a party of twelve. Seriously we weren't expecting the portions to be so generous. We ordered ahi belly, fried chicken, shoyu chicken, tempura, fried tofu and noodles. Drinks and beers ordered around and let the party begin! First let me say the drinks are cheap! Seems like everywhere lately the prices are the same as Waikiki...these were neighborhood bar reasonable.... Of all the food I liked the fried chicken best and the ahi belly least, not that I didn't like it, it was good just a little drier than I like. Noodles were good too as the blouse I was wearing can attest....i had noodles everywhere Would I return, yes I would. Fun evening filled with much laughter, good food and good friends. read more

Really unfriendly.....did not seem to want customers to eat there. My friend and I were dressed well .....well if u dont want us to spend our money there.....there are better places than this dingy bar ......dark, plain ambiance of a dirty mechanic garage read more

The service was excellent and attentive even though they were quite busy. The food was really quite delicious. The salmon with daikon and ponzu was a big piece of salmon, and not at all dry. The refute was outstanding. The champuru was also tasty as was the fried chicken. Portions are generous as well. For such a small place, they have an extensive menu of spirits (including a Knob Creek 9 barrel pick). The only complaint I have is that it was noisy. Not just typical bar noisy, but you can't hear the person sitting across from you (or I suspect even next to you) at the table noisy. Then again, I'm old and grumpy, so take that into consideration. read more

Sakana Grill - Salmon with daikon tsuri and ponzu. - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Local family run spot with great fried chicken and pupus. Would come back for the food, but the cocktails were overpriced. They used quality ingredients, but it didn't have the complexity of a $21 cocktail. Come for the food and vibes. read more

Sakana Grill - Cocktail menu - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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We had a class reunion there a few weeks ago. I've been meaning to try this place for so long! Old fashioned home cooking. Just not my cooking cause it was all really good! Service was great too. Can't wait to take my family. read more

Sakana Grill - Fried noodles, bitter melon, shout pork, fish fries and tempura. - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Awesome food, drinks, and service! Sakana Sour, Orion on tap, fried chicken, poke, pork chops, salads, yakisoba, tempura!!! read more

I met friends here after work for pupus and drinks, and the food was so delicious! I especially loved the crispy fried chicken and poke! The place can become loud but everyone was definitely happy to be there! The service was excellent and the staff was friendly. I would definitely come again. It is located in the Kapalama Shopping Center in Kalihi, where there are other good eateries. We got there at 6:00 and all found parking, but the parking lot was filled and busy by the time we left at 7:30. I recommend going early for parking or catching a ride share. read more

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Okinawan style Japanese with great food, liquor selection and local ambiance. I've never had anything that wasn't great. I would bring a narrow short car or Uber because the lot has short narrow stalls. Not mobster truck friendly. Reservations recommended for all party sizes read more

Having dinner with friends in. A place where there is great food and atmosphere. Prices are reasonable along with their portions. Will come back again. read more

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Tired of eating out ...mediocre restaurants?.....worth checking out Sakana Grill. Their fried chicken ...just like your favorite relative's! I practically ate the whole serving myself AND without beer....we ordered other entrees...delicious! Scott and staff friendly! Restaurant clean..family atmosphere. Look for this restaurant near Kalamazoo Post Office! Across the street from yummy Palace Saimin. read more

It's been awhile since we were last here and oh my what we were missing. Ordered the fried chicken and rafute (Okinawa shoyu pork). The rafute was soft and tasty. I had to hold back while eating so as to leave some for my wife. If not, I could've eaten it all. Loved it!!! Love the fried chicken for it's crunchy skin and just the right amount of salt on it. Burnt the palate of my mouth since it was just made! I'd say it's the price you pay for freshly made food. Loved the food, no question about it. What made our eating experience even better was the service. I want to say there was just this one guy waiting the tables but he was "on it"! He came around at the right time(s) to check on how we were doing. Also saw him checking with the other customers, as well. You don't see that kind of service now days at eating establishments. He's the best we've seen in a long time. Good food, good service... why we go back... Five-Star rating well deserved. read more

I have a friend who likes the finer things in life. Fancy cars, fancy watches, high-end food. And I went to Sakana Grill with him because this is his all-time favorite restaurant. It did NOT disappoint. If someone just wanted to feed me the rafute (roast pork) for the rest of my life, I'd die a happy person. My daughter downed an entire bowl of edamame by herself. They were airing high school football on the tv (a big win for my group) and really accommodating as our group grew from 4 people to 12 as the night went on. Also, as I mentioned my kid was there. I bring this up because I searched yelp and couldn't find reviews about people that had kids with them. However, I didn't have a babysitter on the night my friends were going to Sakana Grill so I figured I would bring my 5-year-old with me and see if it would be okay, as the worst they could do was tell me no. However, my daughter was welcomed in and had a lot of fun with that bowl of edamame. Lastly, a word on parking: if you wait until the USPS post office closes next door you can park there. read more

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Best food. The service is really friendly and great local atmosphere. It's a gem for sure.

Great food, great service. Best fried chicken in town. Super friendly local atmosphere. Lots of regular customers.

Located in Kalihi, by the old Diner's. They take you information down for Covid, take your temperature and check for vaccination or negative tests, which is great. Safety first! Food is awesome, I need to come back and try more things. I had the fries, edamame, fried chicken, pork chops, shoyu pork, tofu, nasubi chanpuru, tonkatsu so far! All were very yummy, all different flavors too. I don't know why I didn't know of this place, but I do now. I did have a bunch favorites that I especially liked, the fries (of course) and the tonkatsu. Chicken was super delish, crispy, it's no wonder they are famous for it. All in all, everything was very good! This is a great place to hang out with friends, drink some great dirty martinis (they have a full bar) and just talk story over some great food. They do have TV's available and they did have Monday Night Football on at the one time I went. They are a Rams family it seems like, but this 49er fan don't care, I'm here for the food. read more

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Amazing staff, owner, food. Best hole in the wall spot you could find for the days you want to just hangout with friends or just a casual drink and amazing food!! Staff always ready for what ever you need. read more

This place is on the way to the airport off H1 near Farrington HS. Reliable Japanese bar food with some Hawaiian flavor like hamburger steak and loco moco, saimin, and chicken katsu. Overall the servings are good sized which makes it more worthwhile. Ahi belly and Poke is pretty good as well. Important point: They have Orion! On Draft. Not always easy to find read more

GRILLED. Now that I have visited SG twice in the past three weeks, I felt a short review was in order. PARKING: Very challenging (I'm trying to be nice here). Available in the lot fronting the restaurant, though if one chooses to go during busier/peak hours parking might be a bit scarce as the lot is shared amongst other businesses. Ahh, who am I kidding, its just downright tough. A great alternative is next door at the post office (after hours of course). INTERIOR / SETTING: Cozy and basic with a slight splashes of color. Large flat screen tvs are mounted on the walls throughout the space so patrons may watch the latest sporting events, OR karaoke and sing your favorite song. Seating available at tables and the bar (of course). And let's be clear about one thing: Sakana Grill is absolutely your local and friendly neighborhood bar. FOOD: Like many other reviews, one must order the shoyu pork. You'll thank me later I promise. Other dishes ordered were the crinkle cut fries (of course!), fried chicken, steak, vegetable tempura, fried noodles, and musubi. Dishes served family style. The fried chicken and shoyu pork were the standouts. The fries too! SERVICE: Friendly and accommodating. My first visit was to celebrate the birthday of a good friend. The restaurant was kind enough to store the cake we brought in their fridge. They also offered to provide a knife to cut the cake. The staff checked on us periodically throughout the course of the evening, and we all appreciated their attentiveness. BOTTOM LINE: Good food and good service. Relaxed atmosphere. The challenged parking situation may pose a deterrent to some. read more

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If you want a place with local "soul" instead of some generic mainland franchise, then Sakana Grill is for you! This is a great place to hang out with friends and nibble on their delicious fried chicken or Okinawan specialties like goya chanpuru (stir fried bitter melon, egg and spam) or rafute (braised shoyu pork belly). It can be noisy, but I think this adds to the ambiance of a local place where friends gather. The service is attentive and friendly, and the waitstaff kept checking to see if I needed water. As a bonus, they have a great whiskey and bourbon selection. I often take out-of-state visitors here and they always like the non-touristy atmosphere of this place. Let's support local small businesses, especially if they serve tasty food with huge portions like Sakana Grill. read more

A good amount of parking shares with a bunch of eateries. Sakana has a variety of appetizers, from poke to fries, steak to tempura, and chanpuru. Such a great place to meet friends. Just make sure you call in for a reservation to dine in and have some pupus. read more

They open at 2:00 pm and we got there at 3ish pm on a Friday. The parking lot is shared with Guieb Cafe, the old Diner's drive in, and Kikuya restaurant. At this hour, there were tons of parking. We had the fried chicken, tofu Champuru, and pork tonkatsu. The fried chicken is extra crunchy but is coated with a light batter. Tasty, light, but not greasy! The crispy chicken skin reminds me of chicharrones! The generous tofu Champuru includes good sized tofu, shoyu pork, and a hearty serving of sautéed vegetables. Fresh, hot, and satisfying. The pork tonkatsu has a light batter. With each bite, you will savor more pork than batter! Be sure to "squirt" the tonkatsu sauce, bottle provided, on each piece before chomping. Alongside your tonkatsu serving is a green salad. The creamy vinaigrette dressing is a great accompaniment to the crunchy, moist, and savory pork tonkatsu. The service is great as the host is attentive and friendly. Our cocktails flowed consistently. Take out boxes are provided without questions or additional charge. The ambiance, at the time we were there, was very relaxed and casual. Being here before "prime time" will make for a great experience. read more

Yum! This is an old-ish review but still relatable during times of COVID. My boyfriend and I ate here to support Okinawan businesses and restaurants during Okinawan Festival weekend. Nothing makes me happier than a good ol' spread of comfort food and great entertainment. Judge me all you want but I think goya (bitter melon) is God's gift to the world. If I was dying, champuru (butter melon, eggs scrambled, and most times spam) would be the food that I ask for. On our most recent visit to Sakana Grill, we ordered Okinawan soba with shoyu pork, and champuru to go with our Okinawan Festival entertainment. Sakana Grill did not disappoint. Everything tasted amazing and the portions were very generous. If we weren't in a pandemic, we would have loved to have stayed to dine-in and hang out. Other Yelpers have written that this place is pretty poppin' and the place to be when sports are happening. I also read that they have or used to have karaoke (you know how much I love karaoke). Parking here is easy, as they share the lot with the other businesses in the area. That being said, I can't wait to come back to try everything, hang out, and even sing some. read more

Sakana Grill - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Came here for early dinner with the fam (adults & 2 teens). Didn't realize it was more like a bar, and another group in there was pretty loud (although they were enjoying). Server was nice... welcomed us & made suggestions to us first-timers. We ordered a pitcher of Orion, fries and few of their Okinawan dishes... eggplant stir fry and yakisoba - both with their famous shoyu pork. It was comfort food... familiar, yummy & tasty. Was so looking forward to their famous fried chicken too... it was good, but it's very similar to the TripleRTs we frequent. It was a good family dinner (busy bar was a different atmosphere for us)... we left full and ready for an early evening nap. Now we know where adults go for casual bar food/drinks in Kalihi. read more

What a great find. When we arrived in the evening it did not look like it was open as the entrance was completely dark and we could not see any lighting from inside windows. My husband waited in the car and walked up to the door. It had a sign saying "Reservations only" and I could not look in any windows. I decided to try the door anyway and it was open and had customers. I asked the lady behind the bar if we could be served even although we did not have reservations. I told her it was just my husband and I and she welcomed us in. It is a very casual restaurant with old arborite tables and the TV's were showing a football game. The clientele seemed to be all locals and regular customers. The service was very good and we felt acknowledged and very well taken care of. My husband was trying to decide between the pork chop and fried chicken and our server recommended the chicken. She asked if he wanted the full order or half order. The full order is 12 pieces of chicken and half order is 6 pieces of chicken. My husband ordered the 1/2 order. All meals are a' la carte so he also ordered a 1/2 order of French fries. His chicken was delicious. The skin is so crisp and tasty but not greasy. The chicken itself was nice and moist. My husband said that it's the only time he's had fried chicken that he thinks is as I make. The 1/2 order of French fries were also delicious. They were crispy and nice and hot. Again they were not greasy. I ordered the shrimp tempura with vegetables and a side of rice. I received 4 good sized shrimp cooked in a lovely light tempura batter and a good assortment of vegetables - green beans, carrots eggplant etc. We had lunch at a food truck earlier in the day and Sakana's shrimp was such a wonderful surprise after my experience earlier in the day. We had a lovely evening at Sakana's. The staff were all so nice and took wonderful care of us. The food is absolutely amazing and very good value for the money. read more

Fried chicken: so crispy and piping hot. Okinawan Yakisoba with shoyu pork: subtle and genius. Wafu salmon: I could eat everyday. Ponzuuuuuu. Nasube chanpuru with shoyu pork: silky sweet and salty. Orion on draft in chilled mugs. YES. Service is top notch, so friendly and real. The customers, living their best lives. The loudest laughs amplified by delicious food, friends, and comfortable no frills. So glad I was introduced to this place. A gem. read more

[FOOD] The OXTAIL SOUP here is really good, perfect right now on nights when it's cold or raining. The oxtail meat is very tender, here you can actually see the meat on the bone instead of needing to fish for it like some places. Another favorite is the PORK CHOPS, this is one of the few places where I will actually pick up the bone to eat the meat on it. The meat is tender while still being juicy and full of flavor. No dry pork chops here. Other favorites are the NASUBI CHANPURU with SHOYU PORK, FRIED CHICKEN, and MUSUBI (FURIKAKE & SHISO). [PARKING] While it can be a PITA (Pain in the Ass) sometimes it is definitely worth the wait. [SUGGESTIONS] + Even though not always needed, I recommend making RESERVATIONS just in case it is packed. read more

Sakana Grill - Nasubi Chanpuru - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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