Food and service is great! But their new AI-generated graphics made it seem like the restaurant…read moreserves lower-quality food, which is misleading. I know they have better graphics than that! Hope their marketing reflects how good their food and service actually is.

Wife and I truly enjoyed this cozy little place in Hawaii. The atmosphere was quaint and cozy with…read morebar seating only and a reservation list you need to get on to ensure a spot. There is walk-ins but I wouldn't risk it The food was incredibly fresh. As it goes without saying, when you're in Hawaii you're as close to eating the freshest seafood as you can without being in Japan. We both ended up getting their Signature Negitoro Bowl but the Tokujo version which has Salmon Roe + Snow Crab + Uni and added a fresh Yolk Soy Sauce. Because why not have the Lamborghini of Negitoro bowls while you're visiting here. Along with that I ended up with a half sized udon miso soup and my wife a crab miso soup. As you can see in the pictures the food came out looking just like it did on the menu, no false advertising there. The egg soy sauce was a perfect creaminess that complimented the saltiness of the Uni and Salmon Roe. Once you mix everything together there's even added house made soy sauce on the side of your want more saltiness back but add some yuzu ginger with each bite and you get that perfect blend of flavor. There's fish was insanely fresh and had zero fishy smell or taste. The rice underneath was cooked well and the side squares of nori was perfect to make our own hand rolls. There's no alcohol served but they allow you walk 15 steps outside to the nearby convenience store where they have the cutest little dog and bring in your own beer or sake. There's miso soup was good and warms you up, but will say the corner we sat on had the AC blasting (which we're not complaining) but it did cool down our soups a little faster than we could enjoy so in the end my wife's crab miso did get a little salty. But overall the food was amazing, service was friendly and vibes were warm. Absolutely will come back the next time we're in Oahu.

You have never really tasted Tonkatsu until you've Ginza Bairin. The pork is juicy. The crust is…read morelight and coupled with the sesame /Katsu sauce-absolutely phenomenal.

This is my favorite tonkatsu place by far, and we love this place for it's Kurobota katsu, but you…read morehave to get here early to try it. They only have about 20 orders available daily, so we always make sure to make early reservations for dinner. It's a small place, so seating can be limited, and although they do take walk ins, you really should make a reservation. Free validated parking is available next door in the parking garage beneath the Bank of Hawaii building. I really like how light and crispy their tonkatsu is here. And the Kurobota katsu just melts in your mouth! If they don't have that available their Bairin Pork Tenderloin Katsu is always excellent too! My girlfriend also likes their Katsu-Dons. Sets come with free refills of rice, miso soup, cabbage, and pickles. Last night they also had several new wagyu additions to the menu that we haven't seen before, along with a wagyu beef nigiri that we had to try and thoroughly enjoyed. Service here is fast and very friendly! We have always enjoyed coming here and the staff take great care of their customers. They also offer a Kamaaina discount for locals with a Hawaii ID, which is really fantastic for people like us who live here and enjoy this place!

great!! food was delicious and the experience was the best I've seen so far. Great for a small…read moredate !!!

Tonkatsu Tamafuji of Kapahulu is the closest you can get to visiting Japan. Their katsu sets are…read morephenomenal!!!! I highly recommend this restaurant, but be sure to make a reservation. Tables for seatings of two or more get booked up one month in advance. Single seatings at the counter are on a limited availability. Service is stellar, ambiance is very cultural. THE FOOD IS AMAZING!!!! They make their own panko flakes with bread specifically made from a local bakery for their restaurant. There are several katsu sets. You come in and are greeted in Japanese. There are two sauces on the table, spicy and sweet. They bring you a bowl with a wooden pestle. The bowl has grating edges inside the bowl with sesame seeds. The idea is to grind the seeds with pestle by rotating the pestle in a stirring motion, grinding the seeds against the bowl's grating edges inside. Then, add your sauce and mix. Use one scoop of the sauce first and add more as you eat your meat. Pickles are brought to the table of ume (salty plum), pickled baby eggplant, and white daikon. You choose your set, then choose your rice from three selections: Hokkaido rice which is slightly sweeter than Calrose rice, seasonal mixed rice, and seaweed seasoned rice. Then you choose your miso soup from the four selections: red miso with tofu, red miso with clams, white miso with tofu, white miso with clams. I had the set with the two pieces pork tenderloin and three pieces of the oyster. The round pork tenderloin melts in your mouth, easy to bite, and is pillowy soft. The seasoning is perfect! It was an exquisite experience! I have been to several restaurants that offer katsu, this is by far the best I've had! If this is what the food is like in Japan, then this will be my next international destination. Tonkatsu Tamafuji also has a location in Japan, so you know the Kapahulu location in Honolulu is authentic!

As you can already see this place has 5 stars for several reasons…read more 1. Quality of the food. 2. Variety 3. Everything freshly made. 4. Super friendly and accommodating staff 5. Easy access with street parking Yes it's somewhat off the beaten path, but a path worth taking. Was so ono!!

Always a good time here! The kamameshi is a must try (I like the salmon and ikura)…read more Tonight we tried the A5 wagyu teppan, the scallops, salmon and ikura kamameshi, fried oysters, soft shell crab, and karei karaage special. Service is always great, ambiance is a neighborhood spot. Highly recommend.

Fast lines, great food, close to a shopping mall, ice machine dont work sometimes, I go here at…read moreleast once a month with my buddy and it gets better every time. Great spot if you're looking for a place to fill you up for a cheap price.

Food: bukkake udon (cold) with a side of one Japanese sweet potato is still a winner. This time I…read morealso got one shrimp. The udon is perfectly cooked al dente. Delicious! For some reason, this location is so much better than any mall location I've had in other states. Service: take a tray and let them know what udon you want. They will hand it to you, then continue down the line self serve the tempura you want then order any drinks and pay. Then grab your utensils and a seat. Ambiance: very casual. Lots of tables and booths.

Fresh Hamachi with some really good Sapporo. Great prices for Happy hour. Happy hour indeed!read more

Food was decent - Yakitori was good, karaage lacked soy flavor, edamame was okay (it's tough to…read morescrew this up). So 3 stars seem adequate. Service, however, gets zero stars- none of the servers bothered to ask if we wanted a second glass of beer (they actually came around multiple times to our table, but they were so busy collecting empty plates that they never bothered to stop and ask if we needed anything else). The young-ish Asian server seemed very irritated that we asked for more food, while she seemed very happy to serve a big group of college boys at the next table. If you are a young guy, maybe it's a good place to go. If not, go elsewhere; there are other Japanese izakayas in town with better food and service.

Thankyou Doc for treating us to Aburiya Ibushi for Grandparents Day 2026. Excited...first time…read morehere and we arrived more than 30 minutes prior to our 5:30 pm reservation. Exterior just calls out to you. I'll write more once we are seated and taste their food. I already looked at their menu on Yelp, read some reviews and know what I want to try. All 3 employees welcomed us with smiles and a happy greeting. It smells SO good when you enter of good food. Catchy Japanese pop music adds to the festive vibe. Their menu is extensive. Everything sounds, looks and tastes amazing. Erin was the best and such a pretty hostess, table server and made the evening enjoyable. Yuzu was all smiles, cute and prepared some of the food. She also helped Doc make our dinner reservations. Chef was so busy preparing the dishes I didn't get to ask him his name but I flashed a thumbs up to him as we were leaving and he gave a big smile. There was so much delicious food we asked for take out containers for the oxtail ramen and tender grilled beef. We had to pass on dessert. Actually my melon float was like a pretty dessert. Hubs drank a lychee soda. Highly recommend this restaurant. Come for the food, atmosphere and friendliest staff. We even caught a glimpse of their very young boss who also greeted us when he arrived.

Always been wanting to try this place out, but could never find the time. Finally made it out here…read moreon a Friday around 5p (with no reservations) there were a handful of people in the establishment. We were welcomed in, though told that we had to depart by a certain time because there was another reservation coming in. Not a problem for us, appreciated the head's up. We were at a countertop seating, towards the restrooms. We could still see the cooks grilling in our peripheral view. We noticed that when it got busy, the place got super duper smokey really fast, to the point where they opened the front door to air some of that out. I wished they had a better ventilation system because we definitely left there smelling of smoke. As for the food, definitely shareable with different dishes from grilled meats to sides and starches. The server was also kind in helping us navigate through the menu when we had first arrived. There's a lot going on, in terms of specials of the day. Though I noticed, that when it got busy, we saw less and less of our server, and had to flag him down for more water several times. Save some room for dessert, for their sister company (Cha to Gelato Zen) is located right next door. Overall, if you're looking for a lively (loud) spot to drink and/or eat pupus, this place has an interesting vibe to it.

The food and service were good. However, I didn't like that there was a time limit for our…read morereservation. We were only given 1 hour and 30 minutes to dine, and the lady reminded us that our time was up. I felt a little rushed, especially since we were celebrating a birthday.

A little taste of Japan I almost don't want to share…read more I would love to gatekeep Tenkichi because I already know it will get busier and harder to get into as more people discover it. But here I am, doing my Yelp Elite duty and telling you about it. Tenkichi has some great lunch specials to satisfy anything from a light lunch to a full-on feast. Delicious food, quality ingredients, friendly staff, and great service. The ambiance completes the experience. From the food to the surroundings, you almost feel like you have taken a little trip to Japan. Honestly, I will let the pictures speak for themselves. Go enjoy Tenkichi. Just do me a favor and do not tell too many people. I am already regretting this review.

True Japanese traditional neighbourhood comfort restaurant that prides itself in their house-made…read morebuckwheat soba. It is served hot or cold. We had the Crabmeat Bowl with Kake Soba special. Truly enjoyed the generous portion of crab meat which is both fresh and sweet. Such a light and clean dish. The kale soba is a good complement - texture is firm and soup is light with so much umami. Tempura Soba: fried tempura were light and airy and free of excess oil. Tori Soba: rich tender slices of chicken impart a deeper, rounded flavor which elevates the kake soba. Warm, traditional hospitality exudes from the servers. Will love to come back in the futures

came back again to try the cold soba and also got an ahi plate on the side! certain lunch orders…read morealso come with a side of rice (plain, edamame, or mushroom). the noodles here are fantastic. they're hand made and have the perfect chew, and they don't get all clumped up in the tray. the ahi bowl was delicious as well! melt in your mouth fish and really good seasoned rice. everything was the perfect serving size. they came by to drop off cups of tea and toothpicks for us near the end of our meal as well as soba sauce refills if we wanted. definitely coming back again!

The food was very flavorful and enjoyed every bite. Our drink selections were amazing also. To top…read moreit off Riley our server who was very personable, knew the menu and answered all our questions with ease was a plus. She mentioned it was her first server job but she took care of us like she's been doing it for years. great service with amazing food and drinks made me and my families experien unforgettable and will be returning!

I actually really liked Lady Elaine and wanted to give this place a shot after the waitress who…read morehelped me there was raving about it. And honestly, I can see why! The food here is actually really good, dude. it's an Asian fusion kind of joint, and everyone was so welcoming. My favorite dish of the night was definitely the Menchi Katsu. The onsen egg on top of the katsu was chef's kiss! I feel like it was kind of a remake of loco moco but better meat. I loved the flavor, and the portion size for the entree was perfect. Also, shoutout to the waitress who helped us! She was super sweet, welcoming, and very informative about the menu, which I really appreciated. I'd definitely come back again to try some of the other menu items!