Having a dental appointment today in the early afternoon, I decided to eat lunch after my appointment upstairs (dental offices above the shop). As I had parked my car directly fronting Sugois, I thought..hmmm. well, since I haven't eaten here in like 4 or 5+ years I asked myself should I eat here, or should I buy lunch at 1 + 1 Drive Inn on the way home? Well, as I looked at the Yelp reviews while I waited for my appointment, I read some reviews about how it came up to $22+ for a couple of plate lunches...I thought that reviewer had typed it wrong and never got to correcting his error. So, I'm in the place about 2:20pm, and was the only customer in line...some people were eating in the dining area, and I just couldn't believe the pricing (gulp). I've never bought plate lunches this much before! I chose for my family to buy two 'regular' plates for tonight's dinner, the Wednesday special which was chicken katsu at $9.85 and the garlic chicken at the regular price of $11.75. After paying, I'm thinking why so costly? Is it to compensate for their commercial rent being too high? are the employees being paid higher pay scales to retain them? or is due to they balancing out the cost if you chose brown vs. white rice, or mac salad vs. toss salad? As you know some places charge up to 50 cents or 75 cents extra for a change from the standard white rice and mac salad. Well, the garlic chicken seemed different from what I remember of a few years ago, now looking and tasting like that of Waiakamilo Drive Inn's garlic chicken (except they don't include skin like Sugois). Tasted almost like theirs... and Sugois added more garlic liquid (?) (can't call it gravy or sauce as it's too thin). Their katsu plate...oh appreciated the 2 containers of katsu sauce where most everyplace else were stingy and would only give you one container..point for Sugois. Ok, in taste, but the garlic chicken won hands down in taste to the katsu. As for the reviewer who mentioned that the mac salad is so tasteful that it's in the top 3 mac salad recipe (the reviewer's own words, not mine), I don't agree with you...it was slightly tastier than bland. Everyone should aspire to achieve greatness in making their mac salad taste GOOD like my mac salad reference, Zippys Restaurants ! Anyway, yes the cost of foods here are noticeably high...as high as 1/3 more the cost of some of my favorite take out plate lunch places -- so my verdict is, I won't come back to get my plate lunch fix here unless someone treats me ! read more

I absolutely love the garlic chicken here but it is sooooooo expensive. It's $15 for a bento that contains rice, 4 pieces of boneless garlic chicken, and teri beef or sub hot dog. For me, the regular sized bento is too much for me in one sitting but I can eat 75% of it if I'm hungry enough. So not exactly 2 meals for me otherwise I'd say it was worth the price. For average to small eaters, you'll probably get 2 meals which comes out to like $7.50 a meal which isn't bad. It's fried but not completely to a crisp. You have crispy parts and some tender parts. It's still pretty oily. read more

Always one of the go-to spots for me when in Honolulu. The garlic chicken and Korean chicken are both fantastic. Super flavorful, and even after a 30 minute drive the chicken was still super fresh and crispy. That's some chicken voodoo magic right there. Great customer service, great food, and fast service read more

Korean chicken is where it's at. So delicious. They switched to pepsi for their drinks, so no more Dr. Pepper. LAME! Portions are still HUGE! They have a great garlic chicken plate: garlic chicken, two eggs, and fried rice. Hard to beat. read more

Sugoi - October 2016: Garlic chicken, eggs, and fried rice breakfast. As good as it gets. - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Two words: GARLIC CHICKEN! I was in need of eating some bomb garlic chicken, because let's be honest I haven't had any in a long while. So I was in the neighborhood and remembered Sugoi's Garlic Chicken is da BOMB. So my husband, kids and I stopped in for some bentos, and I'm very glad we did! The menu is really easy, not too much items to choose from, but it's a good selection of local favorites. The wait is also not too long, id say we waited about a little under 10 min and our number was called. They also have an area where you can eat, and this is literally the first place I've seen that had hand Sanitizer wipes at each table! Me being a germaphobe loved the idea of that! Anyway back to the food, we all had garlic chicken and Teri beef bentos! It comes with a decent amount of rice and two slices of teriyaki beef, with two huge pieces of garlic chicken, just enough if you need a little pick me up. Also! Bring breath mints cause I will warn you, your breath will smell like garlic lol! I will definitely be back! read more

Actual rating:4.5 Service: friendly Price: $ -$$ Ordered: garlic chicken, yakisoba Specialty: garlic chicken Quality of food: very good Revisit: yes Parking: free parking      Finding space: easy Cleanliness: clean, okay, just nasty Overall: the flavor of the garlic chicken is so good. It is very sweet , crunchy with a little kick to it. Every year I visit this is one of my favorite places to eat first. Yakisoba: it was just okay but much better with their signature garlic sauce which I bought for 5.50$ If you thought it was helpful, please hit those buttons [helpful, funny, cool or send me a compliment ]  Thank you and happy eating! read more

Sugoi - Their yummy sauce ..5.50 - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

By far... The best Garlic chicken on the island... When u hold it, feels so hard, but nope the batter is cook perfectly with a light crisp , and when you bite into it!!! Its so full of meat & super juicy, the flavor YUMMOS!! This is a mini plate for under $10.00... A lot for the amount you pay. Customer service is so awesome to, so friendly. If you decide to dine in they have big spacious AND for me, VERY IMPORTANT, cleanliness! They provide sanitizer wipes on each table. Which now days, u never ever see in restraunts. The eating area is so clean! This is a must try read more

Sugoi - Mini Garlic Chicken..DEEEELLLICCCIOOUS! - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

So we actually came to Sugoi right BEFORE Popeyes, where I had already stuffed myself with their famous garlic crispy chicken. While there are lots to choose from on their menu, you must come for the garlic chicken plate lunch. The chicken is fried and then covered in a lip smackin' hot and sweet garlic sauce that will make your breath kick! I got a mini and substituted the mac salad for another scoop of rice, because I must have lots and lots of rice, but I also did try a bite of my friend's mac salad, and that was also really tasty. Even after I thought I couldn't eat another bite, I still managed to make room in my belly for Popeyes nearby (which I was told served chicken curry rice bowls, chicken gizzards and liver after the fact). Gotta say that Popeyes is still the winner in the chicken category in my book. But you decide and do the taste test comparison yourself! read more

Sugoi - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

We landed on Oahu starved so we decided on sugoi. We walked into the restaurant and I swear I think the AC was broken or something and the stale grease lingered in the air and stuck to my hair and outfit. It was time to change the oil in the fryer. However we were hungry so I decided to share with my husband a combination plate of their famous garlic chicken and pork chop with gravy. $26.00 for a combination plate with a large drink okay. Assuming the portions are huge to share. Orders up, (4) garlic chicken placed separately from the (1) small thin piece of pork chop covered with brown gravy with two scoops rice and a scoop of macaroni salad. Just enough for us however the plate lunches prices are pretty up there. I enjoyed the garlic chicken, fresh and tasty. read more

Sugoi - Pork chops and garlic chicken - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Not bad... I was craving tonkatsu after a hike + only the best bubble tea ever at Thang's so of course, I headed here. At $9 for a mini plus +$2 extra for yakisoba substituted in place of rice, the price is rather steep. My order came out within 10 minutes and the portions were actually filling, to my surprise. The tonkatsu and yakisoba weren't the best that I had, but they satisfied my craving, so I can't complain. There was also a nice seating area on the left of the restaurant; a plus here. Is this "sugoi?" Umm, it's average but I'll take it! read more

I was craving Korean chicken for couple days so we decided to go to Sugois. We weren't able to leave the house until after 2 and they close at 3. Just in case, I called to make sure they still had chicken left and they closed at 3. Sure enough, they did. We hauled a$$ just in time with 16 minutes to spare but the door was locked. We knocked on the door and explained the whole thing. Even tho my husband was upset, they were calm and listened. After all that, they let us in and took our order. They could've been like sorry too bad, we closed early but they came through and I got my Korean chicken and noodles. 5 stars for the service. 5 stars for the ono chicken. 5 stars for the Aloha read more

See all

Thanks to a recommendation from my longtime friend Fran C., we went to Sugoi for lunch today. Lot parking was scarce this afternoon as peak hours tend to be. Although best known for their Garlic Chicken, we decided on a regular mochiko chicken with all toss and a regular hamburger steak with white rice and tossed salad. Both generously proportioned plates came to $22.30 and were ready within minutes of ordering. Their counter and kitchen staff are certainly well organized and efficient. As for the food..... MOCHIKO CHICKEN Three thick, medium-sized pieces of tender, juicy dark meat chicken perfectly marinated in a sweet, savory mochiko batter and deep fried to a golden brown. Nicely done, Sugoi. On the down side, a faint odor of old deep fry oil could be detected in this batch of mochiko chicken. Maybe it's just time to change oil? It's definitely worth a second try though. HAMBURGER STEAK Two huge 4" round x 1" thick patties smothered in brown gravy and sautéed onions. Not sure, but the patties appear to have been pre-baked ahead of time. The texture, on the other hand, reminded us of a cross between a very bready meatloaf and over-handled ground beef which tends to have a solid, compacted mouth-feel after cooking. Taste was okay, however it definitely could've been more beefy like the natural meaty flavor of ground beef. The gravy was also standard non-scratch made. Needless to say, we won't be ordering this again. TOSSED SALAD The iceberg lettuce was fresh and crispy while the light, creamy house-made vinaigrette was slightly sweet and tangy with just the right amount of savoriness. read more

Sugoi - Regular-size mochiko chicken plate with all toss - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

The way I see it, you get a gigantic Garlic Chicken Bento for $9.95 tax included; you can eat half of it for lunch and the other half for dinner. That's under $5 a meal. Then you can save money to splurge on Kona Kai or Gaku at the end of the week. Yes, I'm the guy that eats like 50 pieces of nigiri in one sitting. Yes, the portions at Sugoi are truly sugoi (awesome), and are enough to satiate my hunger for two meals. Here's what you need to know about Sugoi: FOOD: More often than not, places that give you massive portions also serve mediocre food - it's usually a trade-off. Not Sugoi. Sugoi serves massive portions of great food. I honestly have never had anything on their menu that I did not like, and I have been coming here for years. Notable to me is their Garlic Chicken and Spicy Garlic Chicken. In my pursuit of Best Garlic Chicken in Hawaii, Sugoi's ranks #2 second only to Mitsu-Ken's. Regardless, I eat at Sugoi about 10x more often than Mitsu-Ken just because Sugoi is just more convenient. Sugoi serves their Garlic Chicken several different ways; in a bento, as a regular plate lunch, or as a "meat choice" along with their noodles. One of my favorite ways to order the Garlic Chicken is as a choice alongside the Yaki-udon. When doing so, you get a whole plate-lunch container of great Yaki-udon plus a mini container of Garlic Chicken. The other way I order it is in the bento, which I get a mad craving for every once in a while. The bento comes with a bed of rice, furikake, good ume, four big pieces of Garlic Chicken, a substantial piece of Teriyaki Beef, a local-style hot dog grilled and split in half, and Japanese-style Tamago. As mentioned above, the portions are big enough for me to split in half for lunch and dinner. FTR, Sugoi's Garlic Chicken is a boneless conventional Fried Chicken style with their signature garlic sauce drizzled over it (see attached photo). FTR also, they have a "Funeral Menu". I guess it's a statement of how awesome someone's life was when after you bury them you eat awesome Garlic Chicken. I don't know. I have attached a high-quality scan of both sides of their menu (see photos). PARKING: Sugoi shares a large parking lot in City Square with the rest of the shopping center, including Pancakes & Waffles, Thai Village, Young's Fish Market and other great eateries. Parking is plentiful in off hours; but during mealtime parking can get rough. Park in metered street parking if you're really hard up. ORDERING: There are two registers. The one on the right is for phone orders. They are fast, with lead times of about 10 minutes average. This means if you call in, you go straight to the phone order line and they will likely have your order ready for pickup. The one on the left is the walk-in line. There are usually about 3 people in line ahead of you no matter what time of day you go. Order from the counter, they'll give you a number. Pick up when ready. SEATING: 9 tables of 4. 1 table of 6. Two rooms; the ordering/ waiting room and a dining room on the side. SERVICE: Great, really. There's not much interaction other than when ordering or picking up, but in the years I've been coming here, I see the guys behind the counter, some of whom look like they could pound your skull into poi, treat everyone really well and always serve with a smile, always willing to answer questions and make sure everything is all good. I can appreciate that. Especially from a bunch of guys who look like they could pound your skull into poi. ATMOSPHERE: Clean, air conditioned, big screen TV looping their menu and some video. Counter to wait on in the ordering/ waiting room. Can get loud during mealtimes, and all tables can get taken up during mealtimes. One nice thing is that plenty of napkins and alcohol wipes are available on each table. Decor style is a well-done but typical plate lunch place. COST: About $7 to $10 per entree. Very reasonable considering the massive portions you get. 4/5 - Definitely a long-time fan of Sugoi's. I will keep coming here until the day I die, seriously. I need to brush my teeth now. Still tastes like Garlic Chicken in my mouth and 151 shots don't even get rid of that. read more

See all

Over a year has passed since coming here and there are some changes. It's ironic that when coming to the restaurant, there is a TV recycling a feature on KFVE, Cheap Eats. This was probably shown many years ago because it's no longer true, it's not cheap anymore and the portions are not as big. Don't get me wrong, the garlic chicken is pretty good but coming here often for lunch will get expensive if you are on a budget. I think their customers are also feeling the pinch because it's no longer as crowded as before. For example, we picked up a small pan of garlic chicken for $36.50 and it supposed be for 6-8 people. After looking at the pan, you would come up for short if you think it's enough... on another thought, it's enough for 8 Asian girls who weight under 100lbs! The pan is not even filled up and us locals like to put it, has pukas! read more

Garlic chicken so garlicky it'll make your breath smell for hours!!! I hope to say this in the best, most appetizing way possible of course... Sugoi's spicy garlic chicken is my favorite! Large chunks of moist quality chicken (none of that fatty cartilage crap) deep fried to a perfect crisp and slathered in sweet spicy garlic sauce (you can ask for non spicy, but the spicy provides that extra mouth-watering kick!). Value-wise, also a great deal; portions are big! For a large consumer like myself, it feeds me for 1.5 meals! The only negative is that you might have to be mentally prepared to consume this dish. Don't say I didn't warn you....but you may be gassy and burping up garlic for several hours after... Worth it? YES!!!! read more

Has been my go to spot for Garlic Chicken fix since 2010 and I'll keep coming back so long as they're open.

Went in at 11:00 for lunch and decided on the mini garlic chicken plate. My daughter wanted the breakfast with fried rice but were told they were out of fried rice. I could smell the garlic before opening up the styrofoam cover. What looked like 3 pretty big pieces of chicken seemed to be mostly skin and breading. It was very tasty, but not enough chicken. My daughter had the Portuguese sausage, scrambled eggs and rice. Standard breakfast. Enough rice to feed 4 people, and they could have one piece of sausage each. Overpriced in my opinion. If it came with fried rice it would have been 10.95 instead of 8.95 Dining area is clean and air conditioned. I like the sanitizing wipes on each table. Fountain drinks are refillable. Would come back to try the bentos. read more

See all

Broke da mouth bento. You must try their garlic chicken and fish bento. Four pieces of fish and four pieces of chicken, and one hot dog served over furikake rice, with an ume and dikon slice. This bento can easily feed two people with average appetites or three small eaters. Omg the portion is huge and food quite tasty. If you need a bento that's far superior to a zip pack, check out Sugoi. 5 stars food quality, value, and service. read more

I love Sugoi! There food is awesome and delicious! Their garlic chicken is huge!! I just had a recent experience there that just made me shocked of their price. So, I ordered their breakfast plate with garlic chicken, fried rice, and scrambled eggs. So $11.99 as it says on the menu. I wanted to add side order of bacon and Portuguese sausage to be put in the plate. Almost like the Mitzsu-Ken breakfast deluxe type of plate. Didn't see on the menus how much side orders of the breakfast meat were but didn't think it would be that much. But my total ended up being over $25. Once my order was called I ask one of the employees how much are side orders of the breakfast meats, she responded $5.50. I don't know how to feel but shocked. I got 4 pieces of bacon for $5.50 and 4 pieces of Portuguese sausage for $5.50. So basically each piece was $1.38. I could've gone to Mitzsu-Ken for a breakfast plate for maybe a cheaper price but their breakfast ends at 1030am and I was unable to make it there. My opinion is maybe putting on the menu prices of side orders of breakfast meats and/ or other side order items not listed that customers order sometimes. But hey it's also my fault for not asking the price before I paid. Love Sugoi! Love the food! Love the nice happy employees. Just shocked of the price not listed and my breakfast plate being over $25. read more

Either be really hungry, or order the mini plate/bento, if you go to Sugoi. But plenty food isn't enough if the food is junk. Fortunately, almost everything has been really good. Although they are known for their garlic and spicy garlic sauce, I prefer their sesame or Korean chicken. Each serving has several pieces of boneless fried chunks that are tossed in sesame or Korean sauce and served with some extra sauce on the side. Plates come with rice and salad; big bentos come with an egg slice, a hot dog, and teri beef. Abut the small (now called regular) bentos, better to bring your other half and split a regular plate. The Mrs. really likes breakfast: the Sugoi Wrap (omelet wrapped around fried rice) or Portuguese sausage and eggs but if she's in the mood for brown gravy, she loves the pork cutlet. The only disappointments have been minor: the saba fish is usually very salty and the corned beef hash didn't impress the Mrs. (who usually digs corned beef hash). read more

Yes I'm giving this place a 5! And it's a 5 because they have fast, efficient, friendly service with a smile! (and for dives, this is a GREAT joint to grab a bento!) Been here twice, and already I'm craving the next time we go there! (nope - not pregnant either!) My Brother-in-law introduced the fam to this place, and he was NOT wrong! First time, we had the Garlic Chicken Bento. Mouth is watering right now for more of it!, at the mere thought of it The garlic chicky is as one of the other revierwers has said and I quote "so garlicky it'll make yer breath smell for hours!!!!' I will stand by that, and like her (Claire F.), I mean it in a most flattering way (I LOVE my garlic people! Layer it on!) Oh and the skin is nice and perfectly crispy and STAYS that way! I mean they know how to make the skin stay crispy for a while after cooking it without having it all melt up on ya. Speaking of the Large bento - you get white or brown rice (you get to choose), Teri Beef, 2 pieces of Takuan, 1 hot dog, & 1 lil ume. Mini bento takes the hot dog out. They give you PLENTY of rice and they'll even put a bunch of furikake on it - so don't think yer not getting yer bang for your buck, cuz you are! The teri beef is a perfect meld of sweet and salty melt in your mouth tender goodness. The hot dog - well - tis the hawaiian style dog - (grew up eating Zweigle's brand - and it's hard to beat that one for my palate- no offense to the hawaiian hot dogs). The ume - now THAT is an interesting bit. A tiny lil pink thing that looks like it's been pickled in the same type of picking materials for the ginger (that pink one, you know what I'm talking about sushi lovers!) There is a pit in the middle of, so don't chomp the whole thing - or ya get rewarded with this awful bitter taste that sucks yer mouth dry, no not sour like lemon but worse much much much worse, on top of the debris. Think walnut shell texture in yer mouth if you chomp the lil pit. Second trip - I was in a hunger for the mochiko chicken bento. Yeah remember that warning about the ume? I didn't heed my own advice, and got the present of lil pit pieces all in my mouth! oh well, I salvaged what i could from the ume! (wish those lil things were a bit bigger). The mochiko chicky - melt in yer mouth tenderness. That chicky just seemed to disintegrate into a mouthful of yumminess that can't be beat! Now when I saw these folks are fast and efficient. We went yesterday to pick up some food on our way to visit some family. I get in put the order in to the man at the cashier - as I'm telling him my order another person is grabbing the dishes and putting the rice in the containers, another is getting the dogs, another getting the chicken cooked up. WOW! Ok helped that there was only 1 other customer there too! :) Yup - very happy with the flow of things, cuz no kidding - they had my order packed and ready to go in less than 5 min! VERY VERY HAPPY! If yer thinking this place is only for "to go" orders, guess again! Yeah the counter area there is a lil side table along the wall you can sit at and eat if you want, but I happened to notice on the far left side, that there was a whole nother dining area so you can sit in and eat it all up to! AND while waiting at that side table, they have a large TV screen, and THAT's when I learned they have more than just bentos!!!! I saw YAKISOBA! (yes, gonna have to make another trip JUST to get their yakisoba (love that stuff)) Ok so get up off yer seats, get into yer car and go get yer Sugoi fix in, please (before I go run down there and eat it all up on you!) Just as an idea- this would be AWESOME for the late night shift workers, or even the after bar crowd who are hungering for some really good yummy morsels! That is if the owners or management was down for doing that in the future. :) read more

2nd time trying this place, wanted to try something else so I got the yakisoba fried noodles with tonkatau. Portion was good. Liked the flavor of the noodles, only thing tonkatau was mostly fat. It tasted good but no meat it was just FAT, next time I'm gonna check my plate when I leave the place. read more

Sugoi - Tonkatau was all fat hardy meat - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

How could I say it any better? I love the Garlic Chicken, Salmon, Mochiko Chicken etc etc.. (See Pics) well the Garlic Chicken oh yeah can you get some of that garlic taste on the chicken? You Bet! not your straining to taste that hint of garlic in your chicken place, This place uses GARLIC yeah!! My kind of place, I almost expect a whole fridge of garlic waiting to be infused on the Chicken yet it the Chicken isn't overpowered by the Garlic it is definitely infused but you still can get that Chicken goodness in every bite that is just moist and yet has a nice crispy skin YUM! (Can you tell I love it?) The Salmon is grilled up just right and has just enough salt to compliment the fish just as good as it gets. I couldn't ask for more on this, as my take is fish should exhibit the flavor of the fish and not be overpowered by sauces or a lot of things sprinkled on it, let it be fish! The Mochiko Chicken is something that many times you may have to wait for as that goes out quite quickly and seems like they are always having to make more Mochiko goodness! Well I seem to always have this Sugoi spurt and come a lot and taper off and go again a lot in cycles this is one place you can't leave alone for too long before you have that craving for again. I have to say they are one of the Friendliest places around they make you glad that you came to eat there. Another thing is I can't seem to finish my plate there's just too much.. or I must be eating less... nah, that can't be it. read more

Sugoi - Garlic Chicken Plate with Brown Rice - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

I like both the garlic and the spicy garlic chicken here. The chicken pieces are fried boneless meat topped with a yummy sauce. My bf and I shared a regular plate that ran about $11.00 and we were full. You have a choice of brown or white rice, and toss or mac salad. A small refillable drink is $1.50. You order at a counter similar to other diners, they give you a number and you wait. There is an adjacent room with about a dozen picnic tables equipped with bottles of sanitizing hand wipes. Service is OK. It takes a few minutes to wait for your order, about five minutes when it's not busy. I usually order the spicy garlic, and the spiciness is variable. Sometimes it's barely noticeable and sometimes it's a spice level that makes your nose runny. Portions are generous, but as expected for a $11 plate lunch. I will be back. read more

great plate lunches!! my favorite when i'm feeling really hungry is the Tonkatsu plate with curry!

This place makes you workout! Why? Because the portion is very generous, running $8~$10 per plate lunch. Then the food is ONO! Can't stop myself half way grinding through my plate! Even though I'm already full through the first half...MUST EAT ON In a nut shell, great place to go for office lunch times! read more

Sugoi - Gigantic regular katsu curry - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Oh boy talk about Flavor,they have a lot of Good and Ono grinds I always eat their Ono Korean style Chicken Plate, jus plain

Sugoi Bento & Catering Review By Matthew Gray (aka "Luckiest Guy in Hawaii") MGray@HawaiiFoodTours.com INEXPENSIVE EATS IN HONOLULU! The Japanese word Sugoi translates to "awesome" or "wow" and is an apt description for many of the flavors you'll encounter here. Sugoi Bento & Catering was launched and established in 2000 by Honolulu native Zachary Lee, specializing in bento box lunches of all kinds. A must-try is their signature dish; the crunchy, tender, and delicious Garlic Chicken, with a winning blend of salty sweetness. This style suits the people of Hawaii quite well. Sugoi is often a stop my tour company, Hawaii Food Tours, makes on its daily Hole-in-the-Wall Tour because the food is so deliciously different than what you get at most places in and around Honolulu. My guests, from all over the world, have expressed only positive things to say about this bustling little restaurant. People from all over Oahu make their way to Sugoi for a taste of their Award-Winning plate lunches and popular island favorites such as juicy homemade hamburger steaks, tender and luscious grilled short ribs, and chewy flavorful yakisoba noodles. Fish lovers would be interested to know that you can order saba, salmon, and ahi (Cajun spicy ahi is my favorite) at any time for inclusion on a bento or plate lunch. The fish tastes fresh and juicy and is a wonderful contrast in flavor and texture when enjoyed along with the famous garlic chicken. I asked owner Zack Lee what his inspiration was for starting a small restaurant business. He said while lunching at a Taco Bell with a friend he decided that he'd like to give the restaurant business a try. Was Taco Bell your inspiration, or was it just a coincidence, I asked. At that time Zack was intending to become a teacher, but life has a funny way of making subtle adjustments. The spicy chicken, called karai (meaning hot) - should not to be confused with the Indian word karai that refers to a chicken curry dish, or to a utensil resembling a cast iron wok. Sugoi uses dried habanero peppers in this dish, the first I had heard of a restaurant doing that. The habanero is the world's hottest pepper; 50 times hotter than a jalapeno and rated over 300,000 on the Scoville scale (that measures the heat in chile peppers). The flavor of a habanero is pleasant indeed, even better than most dried chile peppers, if you can stand the heat, that is. At Sugoi, they are not shy about giving chile-heads their hotsy-totsy reward. The regular size bentos include teri beef, rolled egg omelet, a hot dog, and ume, in addition to white or brown rice. The mini plates include teri beef and ume. Regular size plate lunches include 2 scoops rice, with choice of macaroni or tossed salad. Sugoi takes simple dishes (recipes were supplied by relatives), cooks it up fast and abundant (in a very clean kitchen, by the way), and offers it at affordable prices. I like their staff very much; they always have a smile to share with you. This mostly take-out restaurant has very limited seating if you wish to eat inside instead of taking your food with you. Sugoi Bento & Catering www.SugoiHawaii.com City Square Building 1286 Kalani St. #B-106 841-7984 Monday- Saturday, 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. Sundays: Catering Orders Only Matthew Gray is the former Food Writer and Restaurant Reviewer for Hawaii's largest daily newspaper, The Honolulu Advertiser, and is considered one of Hawaii's top food and wine experts. Matthew currently owns and operates a one-of-a-kind tour business in Honolulu called Hawaii Food Tours (www.HawaiiFoodTours.com) that offers guided restaurant tours. You may reach Matthew Gray with your comments, questions, and suggestions at MGray@HawaiiFoodTours.com anytime at all. read more

See all

Haven't been here awhile. Someone bought us bentos a few weeks ago and it was Ono & ALOT for $15. So decided to come to the restaurant for lunch yesterday. Garlic Chicken is still the BEST! read more

Sugoi - Breakfast plate with garlic chicken - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Sugoi was my first lunch stop on a recent trip to Oahu, having done lots of research on must-try plate lunch places and okazuyas, and it did not disappoint at all! The BF and I were hungry after getting in to town, but we completely underestimated the size of the mixed plate combos here... we ordered one each and just barely finished them, having to give up on eating the rice altogether! Summary: Garlic Chicken - amazing! so tasty with a garlicky sweetness and tender juicy meat Mochiko Chicken - awesome! didn't know what to expect at first but it was really good... it was tender and fried up like the garlic chicken but without the garlic kick Short Ribs - tasty as well though one piece was really fatty Spicy Ahi - just thought it was so-so but the spicy sauce was great! I also love the fact that you can get brown rice and tossed salad instead of the usual white rice and mac salad (which they have too). I also really wish I had bought some of their bottled sauces... would have been fun souvenirs for friends back at home! Will definitely stop by again on my next trip! read more

Foods decent they give a good portion. Had the pork chops and mushroom gravy! Taste was ok but the pork chop a little tough and on the dry side. But the gravy did balance it out from being overly dried. Had their garlic chicken which was much better. Would recommend that. read more

Very good garlic chicken! And large portions too! The eating area was a bit smokey, I went home smelling like fried food. Toss salad was wet, they need to invest in a salad spinner or at least drain it good. But I guess you know it's been washed. Parking is a hit or miss because the area gets very busy. We'll be back tho! read more

The chicken was good (as always), but I wished I went across the way to get breakfast. The fried rice wasn't up to par with their other plates. I suggest they add more veggies and meat to the recipe. read more

Sugoi - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I love the Spicy Garlic Chicken at Sugoi. When the chicken is hot and fresh, it is the Spicy Garlic Chicken that I compare all others to. Yes, I smell of garlic for the rest of the day. Yes, I eat the super crispy skin and mac salad and don't even care how many calories it is. I confess I've never tried anything else, cuz when I'm racing to Sugoi it is for one thing and one thing only. If you love garlic chicken, you gotta check them out. read more

Sugoi - Spicy Garlic Chicken Magic - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Garlic Chicken.....love it! Ive been going to this place for a while. Just down the street from Mitsuken in the City Square Shopping Center, Sugos offers the garlic fixation that I love. Here is a tip tho....for large parties order the chicken with the sauce on the side. Take it home and put the chicken in the oven for an additional 30 minutes. Take the chicken out and pour the sauce on when your ready to eat. The chicken is crispy and the sauce is fresh. read more

So, I will probably be shot for saying this, but I'll take my chances. I think Sugoi makes a better garlic chicken then Mitsuken. The food at Sugoi is pretty darn good and I have yet to be disappointed by anything I've had here. However, the bento (which is huge by the way) is a good mix of food and the portion is huge for the price. The garlic chicken is da bomb, the chicken was moist and cooked well. it had the right amount of garlic flavoring with a nice breading coat. Also it was warm, not insanely hot! GREAT! read more

Ok here we go.so I haven't been here for a long time,last was a Bento for lunch. Today stopped by for breakfast.no customers @ 8:30 am.....OK, check menu board...kinda pricy !!!...but let's see.got a mini garlic ahi with rice and Mac for $8.00 After looking at the amount of food....NO CAN !!!!! Two pieces of ahi the size of a computer mouse.....really? And not to thick....please !!!!. I would have a better chance at the pancake shop at the corner across the lot.....hard to buy local,when you get other places run by foreigners who gave way more for the price. read more

Sugoi - Mini garlic ahi with rice and mac. - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Five stars baby!! The garlic & spicy karai is the best, hands down! Zack & the crew are the best! They know me well, as a regular. They're so friendly & helpful, they always greet me and say bye, too. A once a week jaunt here. Highly recommend!! read more

See all

Had todays special - Korean chicken but with fried rice. The chicken has the best crisp/crunch to the skin and the flavor of the sauce is phenomenal! read more

Local kind grinds. Large portions so it's easy to share. Known for their deep fried garlic chicken which is very garlicky. Located across Kamehameha a.k.a. Kam bakery. read more