Popped in to check out sushi for dinner options. They were almost closing so there were no customers. It was bright and clean inside. The lady staff/chef/cashier was patient and friendly. She recommended the Dynamite Maki so I ordered that, and the Crab Salad Nigiri. Total was abt $22. The Dynamite Maki was a generous portion, I think 8 pieces of shrimp tempura maki topped with little cubes of spicy ahi. She had asked if I wanted mild or spicy. I asked for spicy but it wasn't, maybe she held back haha. The rice, while seasoned nicely, was a little mushy. The Crab Salad Nigiri was a generous portion too. The rice looked smashed under all that crab salad, which was chunky and tiny bit creamy. A decent option if you're in the area and feel like some freshly made local style sushi to go. read more

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I'm going to second the other review that this is indeed "the best bang for your buck and fresh, tasty, made-to-order sushi on island." Our go-to order is the Dynamite Maki roll (shrimp tempura with spicy ahi on top). They definitely do not skimp and LOAD the spicy ahi on top. We also really like the spicy ahi here and prefer the sauce they make. Since this is an easy, convenient, to-go sushi spot, we're not really coming here for high-quality sushi, but rather for the taste of the sauce and the overall value. It's a loaded, tasty sushi roll for around $13-14 (?) and every bite is a huge bite for me lol. Absolutely no complaints here, and I don't think other to-go sushi places have a better portion-to-price deal. Only feedback is that they could put the prices on their in-store menu boards. Other than that, service is nice and quick, and we'll definitely keep coming back for this roll. read more

The Spicy Ahi Roll here is just okay in my opinion. I appreciate that they use larger chunks of ahi, which is a nice change from places that skimp on the fish. However, the roll doesn't seem as fresh as I'd like, and there's a little too much sauce, which ends up overpowering the flavor of the ahi. I'm also not a huge fan of the rice-to-filling ratio. The rolls are packed pretty densely with rice, and it feels like there's more rice than necessary. I generally prefer rolls where the fish and other ingredients are the star, but here the rice tends to take over. Overall, it's decent, but not my favorite compared to some of their other locations. read more

Waipuna Sushi - spicy ahi - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

We ordered a sushi platter for Halloween and got a mix of nigiri and maki sushi. The maki were good for my kids and the nigiri great for adults. I received a comment about the white fish being fishy but everything else was good. By the end of the night there was hardly any left so I think the platter was a hit. We preordered and paid for the platter a few days prior. It was ready at the time we requested to pick it up. read more

Waipuna Sushi - Platter - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

We ordered the Waipuna Deluxe platter for Super Bowl Sunday. I suggest calling ahead to pre-order the larger platters. Pickup service went smoothly and the staff was super nice. The fish was fresh and everyone enjoyed the sushi. They have parking out front of their Manoa location so it was very convenient. read more

If you've ever driven by this place but haven't ever tried their sushi, this is your sign! Up until a couple months ago, I had never even thought of trying Waipuna Sushi, but I'm so glad I did. We have been back here at least 4 times since first trying it and are constantly craving their food. First of all, the guy who works here is the nicest person ever. He is so friendly and provides the best service in person and over the phone. The sushi they serve is very local style with many unique menu options. These are some of the top items we always get: Crunchy don - Spicy ahi with shrimp or veggie tempura and deep fried rice balls. I love the variety of this don and the deep fried rice is super unique. Dynamite crunch roll - A whole entire sushi roll fried and topped with spicy ahi. Uncle Jason's nigiri - Spicy ahi with avocado mixed in. I honestly don't know who Uncle Jason is, but this always hits the spot. I recently decided to try their spicy salmon don, and it was amazing! It might become my new go-to. While it's not the kind you'd find in a fancy restaurant, the quality here is on point and great for the price. Make sure to ask for a stamp card! read more

Was so excited to order a ahi platter for my sister's welcome home dinner. The spicy ahi was beyond disappointed and disgusting. It had a relish taste to it. The sushi rice was hard like they took it out of the refrigerator as left overs from the previous day to make our platter. I called the next day to ask if we could get at least some kind of refund maybe half but the lady (Japanese accent) just hung up the phone. I called again, thinking maybe we were disconnected on accident . But no, she knew what she was doing. Totally rude! read more

Waipuna Sushi - Looks are deceiving, spicy ahi is gross with a relish taste. Sushi rice is hard. Ordered 3 hrs in advance before pick up. 1/10 rating. - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Sushi is okay with plenty of sauce, but is huge! We like the dynamite maki (tempura with spicy ahi on top) and Brian tiger (tempura with unagi and avocado on top). read more

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I was in Manoa craving sushi and decided to stop by this spot again! I've been here once before and had a great experience, so I was excited to return. The atmosphere is pretty chill, and since they weren't too busy, service was quick and efficient. Their sushi is great quality for the price. I ordered the spicy ahi nigiri, and while it looked like a lot at first, it turned out to be the perfect portion. They have indoor seating, and parking is available at the Manoa Marketplace lot. Definitely worth a visit! read more

Always fresh, always consistent. I order from here online all the time. It's always the best quality. read more

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The best bang for your buck and fresh, tasty, made to order sushi on island. I love this place. Service is 10/10 nicest people ever. Always come here for a a quick lunch, I literally eat it in my car cause it's so good fresh. read more

Waipuna Sushi - Dynamite Maki Add Avocado - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I used to love Waipuna sushi soooo much! My go to order is Spicy Ahi Dynamite but so many other rolls are good. Lately they have become so stingy with fish portions, it's disappointing. I would rather have the same portions as always and pay a higher price than to have half the original dish/item. Service takes a while so we call ahead and take out. It's usually too hot inside to sit down and eat there although the Japanese workers who runs it are gracious and respectful. read more

Got the crunchy donburi and the soba salad. I would come back again. The donburi had shrimp tempura, mild spicy ahi, and mochi. The mochi was a surprise, so crunchy and mochi-y. Love it. The soba salad was very good too. read more

Waipuna Sushi - Soba salad. Sorry I should've took a pic of it before mixing. It was nicely present before hand lol - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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The women were so kind and came in early to make my platter for Easter. The sushi is excellent and the price is still reasonable. I would recommend this place for sure! read more

I've heard that the sushi at Waipuna Sushi is good, so I decided to give it a try myself. They are located near the Manoa Valley Theater and the Manoa Marketplace. As of 8/3/2023, the phone number works (808) 988-1200. Customer service is good. It's a small sushi shop, very mom and pops. There are a few tables inside, nice AC. They have a good variety of sushi offerings in different forms. Temaki, maki mono, nigiri, nigiri bento, hoso maki, noodles and salads, party platters and side orders or bubble drinks. I liked that a few of their maki mono rolls have spicy ahi on top. If you check the menu on their website, (https://waipunasushi.com/), these will have the asterisk next to their names. There are also pictures of the sushi platters online. I tried to take pictures of the pictured menu items as I didn't see a lot of those on Yelp. My friend recommended the "Dynamite Maki" $12.99 with spicy sauce on top. I was really tempted as a lot of the pictures on Yelp are for that maki mono roll. It's gotta be popular for a reason, riiight? Like 2 other people came in after us and also ordered it. It's two shrimp tempura and cucumber rolls (8 pieces total) with spicy ahi on top. I got to try one of the pieces from my friend's roll and it was super delicious! I asked the worker what he recommended and the said his favorite was the "Crunchy Donburi" $13.99 with spicy sauce. I saw this in the pictures on Yelp too! This looked really good and I was happy they still made it, as the picture was from a few years ago. It consists of spicy ahi on a bed of sushi rice. With 4 deep fried rice balls ( c: much cronch) and a choice of tempura, shrimp or vegetable. I went with the shrimp tempura, I think it was one piece cut diagonally in half. The shrimp tempura is freshly fried. I didn't have big expectations coming in but that part made me really impressed (: As I've been to "sushi restaurants" with soggy sad shrimp tempura inside the sushi. I was sorta worried that I didn't order 2 items, because I eat a lot of sushi... Sushi is baaaeee LOL. But I'm glad to report that it was a big portion and I was really full ;D I like that the items were prepared fresh and the ahi quality wasn't bad. It was smothered in a spicy sweet shoyu/ teriyaki sauce, but I really like sauce so I didn't mind. We did take out. The worker packed everything nicely in the bag. Chopsticks, napkins, pickled ginger, wasabi and shoyu. Overall, it's a nice place to grab a quick bite. Prices reflect the portions. read more

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Friendly service and many sushi and nonsushi items to choose from. Their ahi is pretty fresh and rice doesn't get hard the day after unlike some other places. read more

If you come down and ask for the Dylan special you will get a regular size bento with rice and spicy ahi tuna with a generous portion of Ikura. Honestly when served over their sushi rice can't go wrong especially the price. Better than most Japanese restaurants. read more

Waipuna Sushi - This is the Dylan Special. - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I used come here often during High School with my friends and family! I love coming here to get different rolls because they have a good variety! My go to is always dynamite maki(shrimp tempura with poke on top) and uncle Jason's poke nigiri (ahi poke and avocado). I also like their rainbow roll! For the Dynamite Maki, you can choose if you want normal poke or spicy. I usually get spicy. There's lots of parking, and I waited about 5-10min for my two sushi rolls so the service was fast! Staff is also friendly :) I do wish they had description of what is inside the different rolls/maki so I don't have to keep asking the staff. But this place is one of my favorite sushi places for take out! read more

Waipuna Sushi - Dynamite maki ( shrimp tempura with spicy ahi on top) - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I was in the area and thought I'd try this place. I just wanted a simple futomaki roll it was about $12. Problem was not enough vinegar in the rice! Tasteless sadly. Not much veggies either, definitely mediocre read more

A family run spot, they have a great selection of nigiri and poke-based dishes. I was recommended the dynamite maki, which is made up of a shrimp tempura roll topped by a hefty serving of ahi poke. It was absolutely delicious and very generous portion size, and at $13, an absolute steal in Honolulu. It is quite small, but has a couple of tables inside. I'll definitely come back next time I'm in Hawaii. read more

The best poke and sushi ever! Strongly recommend the avocado uncle Jason!! Don't go poke bar, try this!!!! read more

Waipuna Sushi - The best poke and sushi ever!! Strongly recommend avocado uncle Jason!! - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I can't say anything more but awesome place for sushi and their platters. The perfect place for take out they have some tables in the store to dine in. Highly recommend sushi spot. read more

Waipuna Sushi - The Waipuna D platter - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Friendly service, great food. The owner is nice and welcoming. Prices seemed very fair. My wife was very happy with her unagi and California rolls. I had the tuna maki/poke and it was great... crazy filling with the amount of poke piled on top. Topped with delicious sauce. I couldn't get enough even though I ended up so full. I'm sure I'd be here all the time if I lived here. I'll make it a point to return on my next visit. read more

Waipuna Sushi - half of my maki/poke order. I was almost full already at this point! - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

A.W.E.S.O.M.E Reasonable price but mouth watering and enough amount. Must visit local sushi shop for visitors!! read more

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Delicious food and a wide variety of items on their menu. Service is fast and everything is always fresh. read more

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Long time customer. First place I visit when I return from a trip and last place to go before a trip. Love the Brandon.

Service was good and they made my order fast. But most importantly the sushi was sooo good!!!! The poke literally melted in my mouth. The prices are also reasonable. I'd definitely recommend. read more

Waipuna Sushi - Crunchy Dynamite Maki - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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The Dynamite Maki is the best Dynamite Maki in Oahu! Great place for college students at UH to come and relax and enjoy a tasty Japanese snack! The service was very friendly and actually fun to talk to the cashier person. read more

We've lived in Manoa for over 4 years now and only recently tried this Waipuna Sushi location this month... I can't believe we haven't ate here sooner! It's super convenient and their sushi was delicious. We made a pretty big order since we were also picking up lunch for my family, but service was quick. Definitely looking forward to dining here more often! read more

Such a lovely hidden gem! The amount of food you get for the price is unbeatable. It's basically poke on top of sushi. It's super filling! The restaurant is quite small. They do check for proof of vaccination when you dine in. I came with a large group and the owner was so sweet. There were two ladies working and I was impressed with how fast the food came out. Definitely will come back the next time I'm in Hawaii. read more

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The food here is delicious! The staff is very kind and generous. Every time I order here, I swear the fish taste so fresh that it just was taken from the market. The rolls are massive and still retain good quality! I just wish there was some music or something in the shop to set the ambiance. Don't pass on this place! I live 30 minutes away and I love coming here. read more

This might be my new favorite take-out sushi joint. Three things that I love: 1. Sushi 2. Cheap(ish) sushi 3. Poke Given these feelings, it's no wonder that I felt like Waipuna Sushi's Brandon Roll was made just for me: 8 pieces of shrimp tempura maki sushi with spicy ahi poke piled on top for ~$12! And if the shrimp tempura filling isn't your thing, they have a variety of maki sushi with poke on top - like California, Dragon, etc. Definitely going to make it my mission to try them all. Dine in, pick-up/take-out and delivery options available. Support local/small businesses! read more

This place had the best poke I've ever had in Hawaii! I think it suited my taste even more because I generally enjoy sushi rolls. I definitely want to visit again on my next trip to Hawaii! I ordered Unkle Jason's Poke, Dynamite Maki, Crunchy Dynamite, and Udon, and everything was delicious. Among them, I highly recommend Unkle Jason's Poke and Dynamite Maki! The owner was also very friendly, which made the experience even more satisfying! read more

Waipuna Sushi - Unkle Jason's Poke, Dynamite Maki, Crunchy Dynamite - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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stumbled into this gem in a road trip. stellar service and delicious food at a great price. Very friendly atmosphere. We are making a special trip back!! read more

Called in a phone order with no issue. The ratio of rice to fish was a little more than I expected so everything was very filling. You can't miss out on the volcano tho. I think next time we will just get the volcano with poke on top and forego the regular nigiri choices. read more

Most convenient sushi place in Manoa right on East Manoa, near Manoa Marketplace. They are fast and the prices are not terrible, depending on what is ordered. My fave from these types of fast food sushi places are usually the Soft Shell Crab and Salmon Skin. The Soft Shell maki was huge so I was stoked...until i found out it was mostly rice and imitation crab slapped on top. Think only half the crab made it into the roll...luckily the manini crab tasted good. The rest of the rice got saved to eat with okazu I bought later. Got the salmon skin salad. The salad part was good - lots of greens, cucs and avo. There was lots of salmon skin but was so heavy on the batter you could barely taste the fish. On the plus side, they are nice there and the rice tasted pretty good and what little non-rice insides I got did taste good. But definitely better fish to rice ratios at Genki and Kozo. read more

You can never go wrong with the simple things! Waipuna sushi is one of those places I will always hold close to my heart! Going to college at UH Manoa, this was an easy access for it to be my go-to place to get lunch or even an early dinner! I'm obsessed with sushi and can't live without it! The staff is small which adds to the slow service, however just don't go during busy times, or call ahead if you want to do a takeout! The parking is a little crazy sometimes, due to its small lot, but there is ample street parking if you can't find a stall. The place itself is tiny, with about 5 tables in total. My go to's: Waipuna Maki, Dynamite Maki, Dragon Maki...pretty much everything haha! They are very generous when it comes to the toppings and everything else. They also have self-serve pickled ginger and wasabi area!:) read more

Great sushi place. When in Mānoa and looking for fresh fish and awesome deals on sushi platters, waipuna sushi is the place to go. Always pleased with their customer service and sushi dishes they bring out of this little mom and pop store. read more

Waipuna Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

There aren't too many fast food sushi options in Manoa but Waipuna is one of those that do it right. They provide great value with their generous portions and great service. If you're looking for 5-star omakase sushi then you're at the wrong place. But if you're looking to get something Kozo Sushi like but with more generous portions then look no further than Waipuna. Parking is conveniently located in the front of the restaurant or a quick walk from Manoa Marketplace. As I mentioned the portions here are very generous so try not to over order thinking you'll get the same dainty portions that you do at Kozo cause you may find yourself overwhelmed with food haha! read more

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My favorite thing to get here is the Dynamite Maki! Prices are rather decently priced. Service is fast. I like that their menu has a pic of almost every item. Parking is right at the front of the store. Sit-in dining is available. Lovely neighborhood. Hand rolls made on the spot- fresh! Friendly staff. read more