We tried out this legendary Japanese Hawaiian diner near the end of our trip. It is literally like…read morea slice out of history! Not to be missed! They have a TV showing historical clips of the Japanese immigrants who moved to Hawaii. We learned so much just dining there! The servers were very nice and friendly. They even offer free, hot green tea. It wasn't crowded when we went there for lunch. The server said we could order from the dinner menu too. The restaurant is decorated with a bunch of old family photos. It's not a fancy food location, but a place that is in the locals' hearts. Also, it's not standard Japanese American food, so don't come in looking for rolls and such! Instead, they serve fresh, perfectly prepared Japanese food with a Hawaiian twist, favorites like saimin and shrimp tempura. The large saimin ($16.17) was delicious and really hit the spot. Toppings were Spam, eggs, and veggies. Simple, but tasty! Shrimp tempura appetizer ($14.85) was a pretty large sized dish. The pieces have a lot of crunchy batter and the kids loved it. It was a bit greasy, but that's to be expected. DH got a Oyako Donburi with sashimi ($21.93). Wow, the sashimi was truly amazing! So tender, it just melts in your mouth. The eggs were cooked with bamboo pieces which kinda threw DH off. I liked them, but DH would've preferred it without. The flavor is sweet/salty and pretty mild. It came with miso soup and some pickles. Parking is right in the front and backs into the main road. It can be spicy getting out if traffic is heavy. They don't have a lot of bathrooms, so there might be a wait. Those are the downsides. Otherwise, a wonderful local place to eat!

After reading about the extensive history of this long-standing Japanese/Hawaiian family…read morerestaurant, we had to come check it out. I got the No. 3 Teishoko which comes with Miso Soup, Sashimi, Sukiyaki, Shrimp Tempura, Sunomono, Tsukenomo, and Rice. The tuna was so smooth and melts in your mouth. And I loved the flavor of the pairing of pickled vegetables with the sukiyaki (flavorful and tender). I do wish the shrimp tempura had a little more shrimp and less tempura batter though. Also, we didn't realize that our waitress was the great granddaughter of Grandma Teshima herself. She was so nice to us during our visit! I would recommend checking out this restaurant. Looking forward to trying out their breakfast the next time we come back!

My gf food coma right after. Service was fast and excellent. Ambiance decent. We ate everything…read morebecause it was so good. And she went to sleep not even an hour after

We went with a friend for dinner a month ago and the food was excellent. Started with some gyoza,…read moreand tempura, chicken karaage and then sushi which was fresh and beautiful, and black garlic ramen was superb. We had leftovers that were great the next day for lunch as well. This is a popular place so be prepared. We ate inside not having a reservation but I'd suggest calling for a reservation outside. Also keep in mind that rents are high in Kona, it's a challenge to find people that can afford it and work in our restaurants, so be kind to them. Parking is also a challenge but patience and determination will get you there. Currently if you are a Costco member you can purchase gift cards for $80 that will get you $100 at the restaurant, so effectively a 20% discount. Those discount cards seem to rotate in and out at Costco so that will probably change. We've gotten two takeout dinners since then and it's a definite favorite of ours. Mahalo.

I don't usually award 5 stars to anyone, but Sushi Sam's has earned my heart to write this review,…read moreand I'm grateful to have been there to experience it myself. 5 stars for service! What an experience, and the wait was totally worth it. Not that we waited long; we had a reservation and got seated right away. 5 stars for service! Our waiter, Yuki, was super friendly, responsive, and really attentive to what we needed. We even met the owner and toasted to his hard work. 5 stars for food quality and quantity! The quality was super fresh and just the right amount. Each plate was plentiful and looked amazing. We had a bunch of sushi dishes, and the rib-eye steak was to die for. Cooked medium rare and so tender. 5 for the venue! It was clean, organized, and cozy.

I'm not the best at making reservations, so I've actually been turned away at Sushi Sam's a few…read moretimes. The food was delicious, beautifully prepared, and every bite lived up to the hype. Service was personable and quick without feeling rushed. It's just as scrumptious as all my neighbors and friends have been telling me for years. Sushi Sam's has definitely earned its reputation.

Sushi and tempura udon are both very good, and the value is even better! Menu items are very fairly…read morepriced, my wife and I had 3 rolls and the tempura udon, and two teas, and were very full afterwards. The bill total was just under $50 before tip. The server is friendly and their instagram page is actually very active. It's cool to see their fresh catches that are probably in the sushi you're eating right now. The inside is nothing to write home about, it's perfectly acceptable, and they have multiple high chairs for kids. This place was almost empty when we walked in around 6:30, by the time we finished and left it was full inside, so expect service to slow down around there as there was only one server.

Great place. Parking is not available onsite. You will need to park away street side probably by…read moreHamakua coffee shop and it's paid. Food is great. We ordered the Sweet Potato tempura, Da Buddha Roll and Hawaiian veggie roll. Absolutely great for vegetarians and the taste was very good. We also had the Tempura Pineapple with Mac nut icecream. Great combination for an icecream. I would definitely recommend the place.

We dropped in after seeing a movie, 10 minutes before happy hour ended. We took advantage of the 10…read moreminutes in. Ordered a few things off of the happy hour menu. Toby was our server and was extremely personable. Very friendly, knows an extreme amount about Hawaiian history. Karaage, edamame, Bao buns. All items came out fresh and hot! Our 13 and 16 year old gave the meal a 10 out of 10! Seriously, night snorkel with manta rays only got 8!!!! my husband, and I both ordered a mai tai, his with bourbon, mine with extra coconut - excellent. We finish off the meal with Matcha crème brûlée, highly recommend it! I never remember to take pictures before we devour food, apologies.

After a long day working, I didn't want to cook, many people I know love Kenichi so I thought I…read morewould try it. I didn't see a menu outside so I went inside and asked if they could do a Togo order. A very young female standing at the hostess stand looked at me up and down As if there was something wrong with me. And in a snotty "valley girl" tone she said " we have the bento Kenichi for to go orders" I asked if it was the same menu stated "no not really". When I asked if I could see a menu she said I had to " go over there" To see a menu for this place . She handed me a menu I perused through it, looked really good. But I thought it looked so good that maybe I would come back when I could sit down and enjoy it. So I went to the " bento" side and the door was locked, I checked the hours and it was supposed to be to be open, no note on the door nothing. So I went back to Kenichi and the little snotty hostess and told her that the door was locked, another employee stated " ohhhh yeh the manager went on some errands (at 5pm hmmm) let be see if I can find someone to help you" Way to go Kenichi my first impression will be my last impression. It will be a cold day in hell before I spend money in your establishment. To be clear I work from home, money is not a factor I simply don't care how much things cost, was dressed down but not a slob by any means. I left frustrated, feeling judged by some snot nose teenager who made you loose a customer for life. I went over to benellies a near by Italian restaurant and the same aged hostess was warm and welcoming. Got my Togo order and left that hostess a 25% tip.

I love Japanese food. I can never go wrong with Sakura. I've been to the Hilo, Mililani and Kona…read morerestaurants and they are all similar. Friendly staff, great food and clean restaurant. I wish that this location had a teppanyaki area but my lunch did not disappoint. The shrimp & veggie tempura was delicious. Oooo and I really liked the Age Tofu. The price is definitely reasonable for a Japanese restaurant.

Anytime I'm craving steak this is my go to spot! It's also my main spot to get sushi…read more The staff are always super friendly and helpful, and there's always ample parking and seating. Whether you get it to go or to stay it's always going to be made to perfection! If you get it to stay it's presented to you sizzling and steaming on a fajita like plate! I highly recommend the fried Philly roll, aloha roll, beef teriyaki (it also comes with a side salad, rice and miso soup) and the green tea ice cream not fried

This is our second time coming here, I forgot to make a review the fist time. So here it goes…read more This place is AMAZING!! Their food is DELICIOUS and the presentation is AWESOME. Very nice/friendly people. I would highly recommend this place 100%

The food was phenomenal. In fact, we loved it so much that we came back three nights in a row…read more Beyond the food, we were impressed with the quality of the service!

Yummy food! Great service and nice location. We will be back soon. Thank you so much.read more

I've been wanting to try this place for awhile, but they'd always be closed!…read more I finally came when they were opened (Wednesday evening! yay!) I ordered the Miso Butterfish at the bento shop. They cook their entree dishes at the main restaurant next door. My order did take a bit longer than intended, but it's ok we're in Hawaii. The container was filled with a large portion of white rice and the miso butterfish. Wished it came with less rice and maybe a side of steamed veggies. The miso butterfish was so good and moist! The bento shop is small. Most people just order takeout. There are a few tables inside and outside! You can order your food online or directly at the shop! There are sooo many options on the menu! It's very overwhelming if you're indecisive like me! haha The owner, Jordan, was so nice and friendly! She gave my friend and I so many items after to take home with us because they were closing for the week!! She gave us bento boxes and sushi rolls, and a lava slushie drink! Thank you Jordan for your kindness and hospitality!! We are so grateful we stumbled upon your shop that evening!

Beautiful experience of carefully prepared food with delicious flavors. You are greeted at seating…read moretime and taken to your table. Limited reservations make this a cozy and intimate setting. The atmosphere of the dining area is like you are in someone's home. The sake included in the meal was so smooth and balanced, great way to start everything off. Each course is well thought out, beautifully presented and explained. Flavors were fresh and layered, uniquely different from things we have tasted before. We ordered a couple extra glasses of sake to have with our meal, one aged and one just finished a few days before. Both were delicious. Definitely a splurge but we enjoyed it very much!

My wife and I came to the 730 pm seating on a Tuesday night. The 530 seating was finishing up. We…read morereally enjoyed our food, but he learning and the hospitality. We did the premium upgrade plus the Sake pairing. We learned a lot about Sake from the owner. Highly recommended. This was the best meal we've had on the Big Island in terms of food and drink. There may be better views but not better food.

The food here is so delicious and you can feel is homemade! Came here twice--I'm pregnant and baby…read moreloved the food here! We got chicken yakisoba one night which fed both my husband and I the portion was huge and the second night we got sukiyaki--also delicious and tasted like home! The service was great--we got our food to go but the ladies who helped were super sweet

Really great traditional style Japanese food! This is a ma and pop style place... nothing fancy but…read moregood service and good food!