We had just gotten out of a UH men's volleyball game and hungry. We were driving around when I suggested Yanagi. It's been a while so why not. Not the most welcoming greeting, and we were put on the waiting list even though we were the only ones. Only about 10 minutes, but lots of people started showing up. Perhaps it's their late night happy hour menu. Our server was pleasant, but not overly friendly like I remembered those in the past. He just took the order, other people brought out the food, he checked in, and then we checked out. I get it. They probably get their fair share of obnoxious people this late. But I love coming here! Mahalo Yanagi! read more

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Nice place This place delivers exactly what you want from a sushi spot--fresh fish, clean flavors, and consistent execution. The quality of the seafood is obvious right away, especially in the sashimi and nigiri, where you can actually taste the difference instead of it being drowned in sauces. The rice is dialed in--properly seasoned, not overly sweet, and the texture holds together without being mushy. Rolls are well-balanced and not overloaded, which is rare. You can tell there's attention to detail rather than just trying to make everything look flashy. Service was efficient and straightforward, and the atmosphere is comfortable without trying too hard. Overall, it's a place you'd come back to regularly, not just once. If you care about quality sushi and not just hype, this spot is worth it. read more

The last time I had Yanagi Sushi was in 2014 for my surprise bridal shower. I don't know why we waited so long to come back. It was 11:30pm and we were in Waikiki leaving from an event. I was looking on yelp for a late night restaurant with comfort food outside of Waikiki and saw that Yanagi was open till 1am. Got there around 11:45pm on a Tuesday and it was pretty busy. As I walked in, staff greeted us. The ambience felt like I was walking down memory lane with all the photos on the wall, 80s wall paper, and old school table booths. Service was fast & the late night specials were a plus. They gave us sides which was good. Food was good & filling, the fish was fresh. My husband got the combo but didn't eat the rice so we took it home. Found out afterwards that you can sub it out for something else if you don't want rice. We will definitely be back soon & found our late night spot. read more

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Late night sushi spot with fresh fish and ingredients. Loved everything we ordered. Service was good just the host was a little unwelcoming. No acknowledgement even when we were the only ones at the entrance, we had to say hi and ask if there was a waitlist. Other than that everything was great. It felt like I was eating at a restaurant In Japan, loved how cute and authentic the place was. Parking is a little tight but there is more parking behind the restaurant. read more

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You know this place is legit when they speaking Japanese in the back. Server was nice. The place looks like it's been around for a while. Sashimi melts in your mouth. We got the deluxe platter with a volcano and rainbow roll. Their fried tako is a good starter too. As with most places in town, parking is hard to find. However, if you go behind the restaurant they actually have designated spots for the restaurant. They also have valet. read more

Yanagi Sushi - Deluxe sashimi platter - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Best sushi and service in town. Huge selection. Very consistent quality. Walk-ins are welcome but reservations are recommended for busy weekend dinners. Misoyaki butterfish is best in town! read more

There happy hour is so good but there staff I feel like doesn't care about good service not paying attention to there tables. Making us wait a long time just to ask for the check and then takes 3-5 min to pick up the check. There not to busy but they have enough staff to take care of the simple things just not caring about there customers. Been like this for over 10 years now I went in a few weeks ago never got service for 10 minutes probably longer At least get water and my beer but not even one table touch read more

A long time locals favorite for authentic Japanese food. Sushi and seafood is always fresh. A lot is locally sourced. Open late night as well! My top favorites is the oyster shooters, amaebi (raw sweet shrimp), uni and natto ika. read more

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The are still telling you to leave within 2 hours when you make reservations but the food is great

I'd love to give a positive review based purely on taste and service, but unfortunately, two cases of food poisoning makes that impossible. We had a really unfortunate experience dining here ordering their sushi and food combination. My boyfriend became ill almost instantly leading us to believe it was a bad case of his lactose intolerance symptoms. However, when I woke up the next morning with the same stomach pain. We had different dishes but both ended up with textbook food poisoning symptoms. We ended up having to throw away all the leftovers out of caution.... I think it might have been the sushi since we didn't share any main dishes. My boyfriend ate the spicy tuna first and he didn't eat any pickled starters other than the edamame. I hope the management will look into their food handling and preparation. read more

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Had the omakase at Yanagi and it was really good and reasonably priced. The experience is much better at the bar, but you could also have it at your table. Service was great..very friendly. Seems like a lot of people were regulars and the waitresses knew them by name. Almost makes me want to come here once a week, so they knew our drink and food orders LOL. We will definitely coming back soon. Nice ambiance...great quality food...and fabulous service. read more

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Like having Japan in Hawaii! Yanagi sushi is a staple in my family and friend group. Authentic Japanese food/sushi. Great quality for a great price. The go to is the late night special. They have a happy hour from 9pm til close with a special menu. Most of their main menu products at almost half the price. Great for late night bites or pregame / endgame night haha. All the servers always take care and are fast. With the many hands constantly in and out making sure you're getting your food fast and drinks are filled. Recommendations: -Blackened Ahi Sashimi -Salmon w/ Round Onion -Salmon or Hamachi Kama -Baby Tako (A MUST HAVE) -Steak P.s. try the baby tako with their tartar sauce. So good read more

Yanagi Sushi - Unagi Donburi, combo #7 - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Nice ambiance...great quality food...and fabulous service. One of the best sushi spots in Hawaii! Omakase was pristine, tempura transcendent, service quietly perfect. A long-time local's favorite for authentic Japanese food. Sushi and seafood are always fresh. A lot is locally sourced. I had the omakase at Yanagi, and it was really good and reasonably priced. The experience is much better at the bar. Service was great, very friendly. Seems like a lot of people were regulars, and the waitresses knew them by name. Overall, this place delivers exactly what you want from a sushi spot--fresh fish, clean flavors, and consistent execution. It's a place you'd come back to regularly, not just once. I will definitely be coming back. read more

Yanagi Sushi - Yanagi Sushi - Hawaii - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I get the salmon with sweet onion every time MUST try Perfect late night spot for drinks and sushi read more

Yanagi Sushi - Agedashi tofu - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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One of the best sushi spots in Hawaii! Took my parents to Yanagi Sushi. Omakase was pristine, tempura transcendent, service quietly perfect. Full review here: http://bit.ly/4rSPhIx read more

How come i waited this long to give this restaurant a review? Because i assumed everyone on the island already knew how amazing this place is. Hands down the freshest sushi I've had in a long time. The fish literally melts in your mouth and everything tastes so clean and high quality. You can tell they care about freshness. So good! They are not as busy as they used to be after covid, price went up which is very understandable. But the quality is still there which i love love so much. Please stay open as long as i live :) read more

Never disappointed with the food here. A little on the pricey end, but definitely worth it! Especially for a late night stop before heading home- delicious! All the staff is friendly and takes care of you, ensuring your drinks and bellies are to their full content! They have private rooms for larger parties. read more

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This is a MUST CHECK OUT establishment!!!! If you're on the fence or thinking it's too far just come... the food comes out quick while tasting extremely fresh. The service is amazing and the type where they bring you what you need but before you ask like the ginger you always inhale, because I just did that. I don't have photos to post because sometimes, I cannot wait which was tonights reason. I was sat as soon as I walked in, then greeted within moments. I came alone and the place is not huge but I rarely get this type of genuine service. The music was relaxing and reminded me of Hawaii with a Japanese touch so what I would expect exactly this from a smaller spot. Here's why you have to come.... It wasn't just the fresh and tasty food or the service but the way the server and servers assistant didn't try to recommend the most expensive thing or things on the menu. Jonah and Geen took care of me and helped me pick everything I ordered and all I'm saying is come, don't cheat yourself read more

This place is a Honolulu classic with the celebrity photos from the 70's and 80's to prove it! Michael Jackson, he's the man near the mirror at the front entrance. Mr T? I pity the fool who doesn't spot at least two pictures of him playfully scowling beside the owners. Now for the food...very authentic with super fresh fish. There are some nice set lunches to be had, including the sushi deluxe which includes several pieces of nigiri and comes with miso soup. Service was excellent too. read more

Yanagi Sushi - Spicy hamachi roll - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Great sushi place. Fish was fresh, prices pretty good for sushi. Needed a reservation for our group. Free parking out front. Would definitely come back again. read more

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Picture this... You are living in Hawaii and you've needed to celebrate. There is no other celebratory dinner other than Yanagi Sushi for me. Great value with the three choices, I always opt for their teriyaki steak and Misoyaki butterfish. Dragon Roll, amazing quality and always a staple. Spider roll, crunchy, fresh, and soft. If you're in it for a celebration, definitely get their omakase sashimi or sushi (my preference is definitely the sashimi for the amazing variety). Yanagi always provide an amazing service consistently as it's been my childhood favorite, the people are amazing and they are always fully booked so be sure to reserve in advance! It's a great family dinner, date spot, or business meeting :) read more

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Whenever I drive by, I think fondly of my dad who hosted many a dinner here. Haven't been to Yanagi Sushi in years. Why you may ask? First off, the parking was always so horrible. Although valet parking is available, the lot is so tiny that I was always concerned about getting my car dinged. Entering the restaurant felt like I was back in Japan with many tables crammed in and many turns through narrow paths to get seated. Yanagi sushi gets an extra star as they accommodated my group of 5 without reservations after enjoying The 40th Anniversary Honolulu City Lights! Maybe I wasn't expecting much because I was prepared to be turned away. I would recommend bottled drinks, wine or sake as the bar made drinks were not very good. The menu options are plentiful. We assumed portion sizes would be on the smaller side and over ordered . We had plenty of leftovers. Service was on point as we never had to ask for water refills and waitstaff constantly checking in on us. I don't know if the 2 hour dining limit is enforced, but there is a sign posted at each table. When we left, there were a lot of diners waiting outside. Sorry not many pics as my phone died after snapping a lot of pics & videos at the Honolulu City Lights. read more

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UGH. AVOID. This was the worst meal I had during my three week stay on Oahu and easily the worst value. $51 for a 3 item bento?! For that price each item should come laced with gold but alas that is not the case! Plus they charge an additional $7.50 if you want sashimi as one of the choices and an additional $3.50 if you want butterfish...there are a number of other surcharges. I got the saba and it was the worst saba I've ever had in my entire life...SO SO SALTY to the point it was the first time in my life I didn't finish a portion of saba ...and it wasn't even a big portion...just two small pieces. The sashimi I got was soooooo tasteless. I couldn't taste either the tuna or the salmon. The tako was tough and chewy. The hamachi had flavor but definitely felt ripped off. My mom got the chicken teriyaki and it was soooo sweet and the texture was mushy...not good. The good included: the shrimp tempura and the butterfish but the value of this place deserves negative stars. This place is coasting by and taking advantage of its reputation from the 1980's and thriving off of pictures of the myriad celebrities that have eaten here. But just....no. Avoid. Everything is just SO much better at my tried and true Imanas Tei: https://www.yelp.com/biz/imanas-tei-honolulu?hrid=p82oKgyhcoIaUf3rfOPtEw&utm_campaign=www_review_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct) ....and 40% cheaper! YIKES!! Won't be dining here again. read more

Haven't been here in years but came for lunch and it was great! Service was good, food service fast with large delicious portions. Why haven't I returned sooner? Their menu was extensive. Started off with a small appetizer bento of edamame, grilled shrimp, and bean sprouts. We had the tonkatsu don, a saba/miso butterfish combo and fried oysters/broiled eel. All were delicious with large portions of fish. Will definitely be back! read more

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My experience here for lunch was super disappointing. This place is always so crowded for some reason which surprises me after our experience. The servers were rude and short to me and my mom. We ordered the lunch special with the soba and nigiri and was told the soba takes extra long to cook around 30 minutes. I asked them if they made their own soba because that seems super long just to boil noodles... they said no, it's packaged. Weird... she was right, however... it actually did take 30 minutes after we got our other items for lunch for the soba to come. It was nothing special... it's just boiled noodles. Wonder why it took so long. Service was super slow after that where we had to wait forever to get our tab. The place where they sat us was dingy and had a sushi shower curtain separating two tables. It's quite tacky so if you plan on impressing some people with sushi... the ambience is not impressive for the amount of money you're paying. When I was leaving out the door, I overheard the server telling the customer in a rude tone yelling for her to wait outside. Felt bad for the lady... Lastly, the valet service they have was such a mess when we were leaving. It took us another 20 minutes to get the car out because cars were being blocked in. read more

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The hubby and I came to have dinner at Yanagi without reservations and the waiter told us it would take about 45min, our table was ready under 20 minutes, and the wait was totally worth it. The sushi was fresh and beautifully presented. The walls were literally covered with sooo many framed photos featuring celebrities, athletes, and entertainers including Michael Jackson who have dined there over the decades, which added a cool vibe. A great spot for sushi lovers looking for something special. read more

Yanagi Sushi - Rainbow roll, and the family roll - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I must be the only person that thinks the quality went down while the prices went up! It is always packed!!! I got the combo with butterfish, tempura, oysters - batter was sooooooo thick no the tempura of yesteryear! Normally love miso butterfish but this time- not tasty at all -service is good tho and as I said maybe i am the only one thinking this way cause the place is always jam packed! The sashimi and sushi is probably better! I used to love Yanagi- read more

Best late night happy hour I've seen on O'ahu. They have an enormous menu, but luckily there are so many pictures posted around (probably for tourists), that it's easy to get a sense of what is being offered. Entering is like entering an izakaya in Japan, where everything seems brightly-lit and friendly. They have someone greeting folks at the door. Food was good. We got a sushi/udon combo for a great price. Drinks were also good. Food and drinks arrived promptly. They have a good amount of parking. They have a bit of a tight lot, but we also found street parking not far away with ease. Definitely my new go-to for late night. read more

Yanagi Sushi has been around for sooo long and has consistently provided great service and food quality! I like to have our family celebration dinners here because there is something on the menu that every person will enjoy. It is never a compromise! My parents will always order a combination dinner, my husband and my order will vary depending on cravings at the time, my son is in love with the pupu menu's fresh salmon and sweet onions in a ponzu like dressing and also orders from the kids menu. Take a look at there menu on there website, they have so much to choose from! I recommend making reservation! read more

Yanagi Sushi - So fresh! - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I've tried many menu items and every single thing has been delicious and high quality. Pro tip: make a reservation and get seated when the restaurant opens for the day for the freshest seafood. We order the sashimi and it is so fresh and thickly cut every time. I also love the miso butterfish, hamachi collar, udon, and unagi. This place is a classic in Honolulu for good reason. Our out of town guests are also always impressed by the food here. read more

Yanagi Sushi - Sashimi Deluxe - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

What a rip off place. This place is extremely overrated. It was good back in the day like 15 plus years ago but now the quality has gone down. I got a 12 piece sushi and they count the egg tamago as one piece. They were trying to explain to me that the tamago egg is sushi. It doesn't even have rice. Do not come here unless you want to spend $70+ for a 12 piece sushi and 8 small rolled sushi and get ripped off. Plus they have valet parking for a small parking lot. There are other great sushi Restaurant's in Honolulu than this place. read more

Yanagi sushi will always be ono loa! This place has a lot of history with locals as we have been going here for years!

I love going to Yanagi at least once a month. I always make sure to call a couple days to a week before, so i can secure a table. The employees are always so nice and efficient, I always get either their 2 choice combo or 3 choice combo. My favorites are the sashimi (a couple dollars up charge,) shrimp & veggie tempura, and korean short ribs (couple dollars up charge.) The sashimi is so fresh and delicious. The star of the show for me is the shrimp and veggie tempura. I crave this the day after i've had it because it's that good! It's perfectly battered, not oily at all and crispy and delicious. The korean short ribs are also a MUST. So good!! Can't forget about the dave's ice cream afterwards as well. I'm already dreaming about the next time i come back! read more

Yanagi Sushi - sashimi - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Always a fine visit! Great sushi, great hours, fine staff, excellent service, parking out front, very now atmosphere. Good food Good drink Good friends Good times! read more

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Amazing Japanese restaurant and authentic! I always enjoy coming here. Sashimi was great and fresh each time with their authentic wasabi. Misoyaki salmon and butterfish are both very tasty and rich, and one of my favorite dishes here. Green tea ice cream was also smooth and very creamy. I highly recommend! Service was also excellent and it's a nice and cozy place. read more

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I took my team to lunch at Yanagi Sushi and I was very pleased. Our group of 10 was seated in a comfortable, private room. The food was delicious and reasonably priced, especially for the portion and quality. The servers were so attentive and our food came out of the kitchen pretty quickly (we had 11:30am reservations). The valet parking made it convenient to get in and out. I would definitely recommend this place to my colleagues for their department lunches. It's so close to downtown Honolulu, it only took a few minutes to get there by car. read more

I finally tried Yanagi sushi recently, and it was worth all the hype! [Location] Yanagi Sushi is located on Kapiolani, and consequently offers limited parking. I visited on a rainy Monday evening, and struggled to find a close by parking sport. If you're lucky, you can find a spot in the lot behind the restaurant. Or you can opt for valet in front. You might also find street parking. Just know there are options--but it could be nice to Uber over and not worry about parking at all. The restaurant has restrooms. [Ambiance] I loved the ambiance of Yanagi. It felt homey yet impressive at the same time. There are photos of celebrity guests on the walls, and the restaurant has a Japanese-inspired aesthetic. Perfect place to catch up with friends/family or go on a date! [Service] When I called to make a reservation, the staff was very kind and helpful. I even got a reminder of my reservation via phone call, which was appreciated. The waiting staff were very nice as well. Everyone was patient and accommodating. I felt well cared for! [Food] The food was amazing! The sushi was fresh, and I loved the oysters. The butterfish was buttery, not fishy. The rolls were fun to share and delicious! Miso soup was standard but lovely. Family style is the way to go, though they have deals that are worth checking out. Overall, I had a positive experience at Yanagi and will be back again! read more

I called for reservations and got one easily. The person on the phone was rather rude. U need to be out by 2 hours. Duh! I was going only for dinner with my mom, I won't spend two hours there. The next day around lunch time I get a call from the restaurant. I can't even hear the person the phone. I seriously thought they were calling to cancel my reservation. That's bizarre. Why bother me when I had made the reservation last night? At the restaurant, it seems they try your best to get you out. The waitress comes over right when u sit down eager to take ur order. They bring your check when you are not even done eating your meal. The food isn't as great as before. The sushi nori is soggy. Miso soup tastes like water. The complimentary appetizer shrimp is cold. Probably that's why they do the reminder calls as ppl haven't always showed up. I'm not sure whether I would want to go back anything soon. I don't like rude people and the quality of food isn't the same as before. read more

Lobster Miso Soup Dynamite Oysters Spicy Ahi Donburi Shrimp & Vegetable Tempura Tekka Roll Service is great, Waiter was nice and friendly. Will definitely come back again. read more

Old school Japanese food. I go there for the sashimi and the sushi but everything coming out of the kitchen looks great. Large menu options for a taste of Japan. Some of my favorites, live abalone, oysters and toro from Japan. read more