4. Restaurants

Asahi Grill Ward

515 Ward Ave, Honolulu, HI, 96814
  • (808) 593-2800
  • Store is closed

Asahi Grill Ward Menu

Sorry, We are updating this restaurant menu details.

Sorry, We are updating this restaurant cholesterol menu details.

  • Chris R.

    A local told one of my coworkers about this place, he went there a few days ago and he liked it and then he took us there. From the outside the place looks pretty dirty and dumpy and sad. Inside is pretty clean and the staff is very nice. I tried the curry chicken katsu which is like a breaded piece of chicken sliced into long strips. It is served with the brown curry sauce and rice. I didn't care much for the sauce but I think it was still pretty good just not my kind of taste. Seems to be a very popular dish though. We also had the tempura vegetables which were about 5 large vegetable slices covered in tempura batter and fried, they give you a little bowl of sauce to go with it but none of it had a lot of flavor. We also got the gyoza, which are little wonton type dumplings filled with pork. They give you a different bowl of sauce to dip these in but it also doesn't have a lot of flavor. I can't really recommend any of these dishes but everybody raves about the oxtail soup so you might want to try that.

    (3)

  • Raych D.

    They are known for their oxtail soup so of course people like my boyfriend comes here whenever he has those oxtain cravings. One night, he was having those cravings and we headed on over....thankfully they service some fish dishes here that accomadated to my only seafood diet. Boyfriend got a bowl of the oxtail soup with rice and I got the miso butterfish with rice. I love butterfish in general so I already knew I'd like it and I like it! Although I wish they gave more of a bigger cut on the fish at the price they have it for, it was still yummy. There isn't a lot of parking in their lot so most times street parking is where you park. It's not the cleanest and nicest restaurant, it's a bit outdated but the food is good and the people who work their are fast at delivering your food and their also very sweet because they let my dog come dine in with me and the bf (in her dog bag).

    (3)

  • Andre D.

    I am not a local but I am treated very well each time I have come here. The food is always delicious. If service were slow, I'd be okay with it. It's one of the pleasant things about living here in Hawaii - no hurries, no worries. Keep it slow, deliberate and ono. Shoots.

    (5)

  • Murray O.

    Had the grilled Saba which was served with a piece of tofu, Mac salad, tossed salad, takuan, & miso soup. My mother had grilled mahi with the same additions. My Saba was good, nothing special. Mom's mahi was on the dry side. I thought that it was an ok place to have dinner. It wouldn't be a place where I would suggest to go to. However, my mom loved the relaxed atmosphere and would suggest it to her friends.

    (3)

  • Heather S.

    I'm sad to say that my first experience here was not a good one, mainly because of the service. But first, the food. I ordered the spicy chicken teriyaki donburi. The chicken was ok, but that orangeish colored sauce that went over it was pretty good. The portion of the bowl was good, too. Another dish we ordered was the loco moco with kimchee fried rice. The fried rice was bleh. It needed more of something, either more shoyu or more kimchee. You can tell the meat patty is homemade and not bought; so there's a plus there. The gravy, however, not my fav among others I've tried. It was a bit too salty. Ok.. On to the service. I'll be honest, there was just one waitress handling the entire restaurant (It was really early morning so it wasn't that busy) but she did a couple of things that were just unacceptable. First thing, right after we ordered our entrees she just started walking away assuming that we had nothing else to order and didn't mind asking if we wanted anything else, which we did. Another thing, I had asked for a spoon so I can eat my soup. She tells me, with attitude, "Can't you just drink it from the bowl." And lastly, she never checked up ok us, ever. We always had to flag her down or walk up to her when we needed something. The only time she smiled and said "thank you" was when we paid for our check. It might have been a bad day for her. But, this will definitely keep me from coming here for a while.

    (2)

  • Adrian T.

    Me and my gf tried the Kalua Pig with Cabbage and the Char Siu Ramen. The food was good. Portions I've seen bigger elsewhere. The food should be priced a little lower to compare with other restaurant food portion to price ratio. IMO

    (3)

  • Kristi T.

    Girrrrrrrl. Okay. Here we go. Yay! I must thank this place for introducing me to OYAKO DONBURI. Um, first of all, what kind of an Asian am I? WHERE HAS THIS BEEN ALL MY LIFE?!?! I've never had it. I actually got this on a whim, and thank goodness I did because I instantly fell in love. I've tried others since then, but so far.. This has been the best. Damn. Sooo. SO good. It was sweet and savory(eh?), it was warm and moist but not dripping like soup. It was tasty. Loved the shrimp tempura. It was the perfect addition. I think I might be drooling while typing this..? But let's get on with this. Yay! As many times as I've been coming here, it has never been really all that crowded. I don't have to wait long to get seated. And I've been here for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Yay! There's quite a bit to choose from. Salad, soup, Japanese food, local food (does hamburger steak count?), etc. (like spaghetti).. I would definitely say there is something for everyone. Yay! Specials. Take a look at the board when you walk in. Might find something you like. I love when places have specials. It's exciting. Yay! Okay, my grandparents LOVE this place. Not even kidding, they go here nearly every weekend. I think they wake up at like.. 5am. Then they do their thing (like shop for groceries) and come to eat here after. The people here know them now. There are a lot of people like my grandparents who make this place their "spot", so you know it's good. It's always a plus when customers and restaurant staff are friendly and talkative towards each other because the customers just keep coming back for more. This place is home-y. People come back. Give it a shot. I think you would come back, too. Nay! The parking. The lot is small. Ward is a crowded area. The parking is the only hassle. There are simply not enough spaces, and just not enough space in general.. Especially when people are trying to go in and out at the same time. Besides the parking, this place is wonderful. Sweet workers, delicious food.. What more can you ask for? Nothing? Right. Okay, now go to Asahi Grill. Get some Oyako Donburi and let your taste buds explode. Enjoy!

    (4)

  • Daniel N.

    The boneless kalbi was great. The parking is a bit of an issue but, the food is great. The oxtail soup seems to be very popular. I'll definitely be back to try some breakfast selections!!

    (5)

  • Grace L.

    I've only ever tried the oxtail soup here. I'd say the portions are pretty generous but it's really just pieces of oxtail, cilantro, and soup. It'll satisfy your oxtail craving but I wouldn't say it's anything super duper special. I mean, it is good, just not "i'm gonna cry because it's so delicious" good. The restaurant itself is kinda dingy and the parking in front is kinda cramped and limited. I'd recommend the place to anyone who is looking to try some oxtail. But don't go expecting 5 star quality fancy shmancy food. It's good but nothing to write home about.

    (3)

  • Hinano F.

    Coming here as a little kid with my granny, I remember ordering the Lup Cheong fried rice & fell in love with it. Ordered it for breakfast ever since! I took my boyfriend here on our first date & he loved the garlic chicken. All the old timers always get coffee and their FAMOUS oxtail soup. As a kid, oxtail sounded weird but now as an adult, I totally understand why people drive miles to come here just to have it!

    (5)

  • Marcus S.

    If I had to sum up this restaurant in one word, based on the reviews and reputation it has, I would have to settle on "overrated." I had been reading a lot of reviews about their "famous" oxtail soup, their main selling point, so I was anticipating a memorable dining experience, making me want to come back for more of their heavily lauded soup. Sometimes high expectations can only lead to disappointment. What I received was a very small bowl of oxtail soup. When I mean small, I mean smaller than the small size bowl of any reputable restaurant that serves pho. And for such a small bowl that cost $12, frankly I felt not only disappointed, but even taken, when you can get a very large bowl of pho at most places at around $8. Maybe it's not fair to compare oxtail soup with pho, but when you consider the cost and content, most people will choose pho any day over oxtail soup. (Besides, pho is simply just more badass than oxtail soup; pho goes great with Sriracha (rooster) sauce -- not so much with oxtail soup.) The oxtail were small pieces and didn't have much meat; and what meat there was was mostly covered by fat. The broth was not memorable either. Oxtail soup isn't hard to make; and the homemade ones I've eaten with my family, made with Chinese parsley, peanuts, and much more, were much, much better than what I had here. So it made me consider why it was so highly regarded by patrons. I can only attribute it to a sign of constant marketing, because, really, *what* makes it so "famous?" What do they even mean by famous? Did Leonardo DiCaprio endorse the oxtail soup? I don't mean to be sarcastic...I'm really trying to find out what makes it so famous! Because as far as I know, something doesn't simply become famous just because it has the word "famous" preceding it! My mom ordered the overpriced teriyaki chicken bento (my mom thought the chicken was dry, and I concur), while my cousin ordered the ramen, which was OK, but she looked disappointed as well. With the variety of restaurants to choose in the Ward/Kakaako area, unless you like spending a lot of money on average food at best, you can probably cross off Asahi Grill from your list of places to try.

    (3)

  • toni a.

    Love the fried rice and gyoza. Fast service, great prices. Parking is limited and the place does get busy so you may need to find metered parking and walk.

    (4)

  • Kim C.

    Ordered the oxtail ramen. Scooped out the oxtail in a small bowl and was very disappointed. I had 4 small oxtail bones with very little meat. A kid couldn't get full off of that. I called the waitress over and asked her if this is the amount they give for my order. She said yes and asked if I would like to order more on the side. HELL NO! I go to other places and their oxtail meat is the size of my fist and give 3-4. I should've took a pic but was so mad. Never going there again.

    (1)

  • Katy T.

    First of all, the decor is pretty run down. It's not warm and inviting and it doesn't even look very clean. All in all, not a pleasant place to dine just from the looks of it. Not wanting to judge a book by it's cover, though, we of course gave it a try. The service was pretty non-existent. A waitress pointed us towards a table when we walked in and then brought us menus without saying much. My boyfriend ordered a saimin and a fried rice with lup cheong and I ordered the pork katsu set. They brought my soup, followed by both his saimin and his fried rice. Then we waited 15 MINUTES for my tonkatsu! Unbelievable! And it totally sucks for a nice polite man like my bf who never eats until everyone at the table had their food. His food was cold by the time mine came! And no one even bothered to say anything to us... like "Sorry for the wait, you food should be ready soon" or anything. Nothing! No apology when she finally brought it either. Service sucked and the food was mediocre at best. Definitely not worth the wait or the dingy interior.

    (2)

  • Marni T.

    I've been here a lot of times, and well I came here tonight with my family. This is probably the last night I'm coming here. First of all service was awful, we walked in, and we heard someone say to sit down where ever is clean. We sat down and the waitress came over and brought us our drinks. After 5 minutes she came back and we ordered. It was my boyfriend's first time here so he felt very rushed to order. She was making like it was so hard to wait for my boyfriend to choose something. The lady couldn't have been more rude! I was so close to saying something but my boyfriend said it was okay. The food seemed different, I felt like it was still cold, I wouldn't have eaten it if I wasn't hungry. I know that I will not be coming back, the food is okay, but your servers SUCK! If you don't fix it you'll probably lose more customers. But seriously don't waste your money here.

    (1)

  • Mista H.

    Would go back for the lup cheong fried rice but the famous oxtail left a lot to be desired. Just pho soup with oxtail and msg.

    (3)

  • Aspen K.

    Food was great. Walked in 15 min past the time that they stopped serving breakfast. But when we asked to see if we could still order it we were told "of course no problem" which was a pleasant surprise (I love breakfast). Waiting time was super minimal even tho they were super busy. We also ordered the gyoza. I assumed it was steamed but it's fried(FYI). All in all. Good experience. Will be back :)

    (4)

  • Bonnie M.

    Ox tail soup is why most people patronize this restaurant with limited parking. The soup is really good--tasty, rich, soothing and fulfilling. Hey, turns me on. Also, try the Adobo fried rice. I thought Thelma's was good, but these guys even better, so you don't have to burn gas to drive ti Waipahu. Other entrees good. Service is prompt and polite. Locals, this is a comfort place to drop in. Check it out.

    (4)

  • Shareen H.

    They are amazing. They are super fast with placing your order to getting your food. I tried here once and I enjoyed to come again. They have one of the best GARLIC CHICKEN I have tried.

    (5)

  • Kev L.

    First time here, the restaurant seems to be a pretty popular Lunch spot, but there wasn't a wait for a table. I ordered the highly recommended oxtail soup, and so did my friend. The soup itself was a little bland, and the oxtail seemed to have a lot of fat. The cost for one oxtail soup is 14 dollars, which is quite a lot for something that I didn't really enjoyed. Maybe I should've tried their fried rice instead.

    (3)

  • Marc H.

    Fast service. Got the Pork Adobo Fried Rice last time was so good got it again and it didn't disappoint. Oyaku Don & Eggplant Tempura Curry were also delicious.

    (4)

  • Jennifer Y.

    Our waiter wasn't very friendly...that's the reason for only four stars. He didn't smile, no nothing. Anyway, I was skeptical to go here because of the reviews, but my mom insisted and said that her coworkers liked it. We go there and it's packed, but we got seated right when we walked in and customers kept coming and going, a GREAT sign that this place was a good one. Someone on here said that the garlic chicken was really good, so that's what we ordered (my mom and I split that and she had a side salad). Wow! The chicken was TASTY!!!! :D I couldn't decide between that and the hamburger steak, so all the more to come back here. I can deal with the grumpy waiter, haha!

    (4)

  • Lee B.

    The oxtail soup is really a hit or miss. Got take out for my mother who loves oxtail soup and so disappointing - all bones. Seriously, only bones. Wondered..did it cook really long and the meat fell off the bones and the person that scooped it into the take-out container didn't notices it was just bones?

    (2)

  • Fanny W.

    Came again for the oxtail soup. It was great n yummy. Except for one inconsistency, I think the oxtail soup here is still the best. The ginger sauce was the best too. Not sure what brand of shoyu is used here, it was a little on the salty size. Overall, it is very good. Will visit again for my favorite oxtail soup :)

    (4)

  • Krysten I.

    Ox Tail Soup!!! Ox Tail Soup!!! Ox Tail Soup!!! I don't crave it very often, but from now on, when I do, I am definitely going to Asahi Grill. I've honestly been too intimidated to try out Asahi Grill. I thought it would be more of a bar atmosphere, but I found it to be very homey. The servers were friendly and the food selection really drives the homeyness home. HA! I think I've found my new go-to plate lunch type lunch place! I work on Ward Ave and sadly eat at straub's cafeteria more often than I'd like. The parking lot is not the best, so I'm glad my workplace is close enough to walk.

    (4)

  • Dorian C.

    Came here for the first time with my parents and what a disappointment it was. First off, the chairs felt like they were going to come apart. I was waiting for it to collapse under me. The decor was a bit tacky, dark, and dated. When we got our menus, there was a decent selection to choose from, but nothing really stood out. There's a Japanese selection, don (bowls), ramen, soup, and what was listed as the Asahi specialties that included typical local meals like loco moco, fried rice, pork chops, steak, etc. They called their oxtail famous, so my dad got that, I got the adobo fried rice, and my mom got the spicy ahi and shrimp bowl. The oxtail soup came in such a small bowl that my dad thought the waiter accidentally gave him the mini. It was confirmed to be the regular portion. The spicy ahi was bland and the shrimp were tiny. The adobo fried rice was probably the best thing that was ordered, but even then, there was nothing special about it. I could have ordered the same fried rice elsewhere. Sometimes mediocre food can be forgiven for excellent service, but the staff was so incredibly inattentive. The only time our waiter came by was to take our order and leave us our bill. The restaurant wasn't even busy. Big tip if you're eating here, make sure to check the bill before paying. We were being overcharged by $10 because there were items on our bill that we didn't even order. The fried rice, spicy ahi bowl, and oxtail came out to about $40, but we were being charged $50! When we pointed it out to the cashier, she tried to justify the price, but none of us ordered drinks or added anything extra to our meals. I won't be coming here again any time soon.

    (2)

  • Karen T.

    I should start by saying when we walked in 3 other tables were occupied. Sat here for another 8 minutes after getting our water and menus. I asked the waitress if we could please order and she said yes just a minute. She came back and took the order of the table next to us. They arrived about 5 minutes after us. So 12 minutes later, my son tries waving her down and she took our order. At this point I'm having a difficult time being polite while ordering. I wanted to walk out but my son really wants to try their food. My tempura was alright, Gkids loved their Saimin and my son really enjoyed his oxtail soup. As my son said, service sucked but the food was good. All is good. I saved $10 on the tip.

    (2)

  • Susan W.

    Was I the only one who thought this place was gonna be more... exotic? Lol that's what I got from the name but this restaurant is just like some sort of an asian fusion. We ended up here after failing to check if the italian restaurant we planned to go to originally was open. I mean that's just bad luck to find out they were closed for renovations or something....gah. From the reviews, friend decided to go with the oxtail soup. I was not impressed and got something totally different from what everyone mentioned and went with some korean don. It had bulgogi and eggs. Before me and my friend came in, we were starving...by the time we finished, WE WERE BLOATED. Too much food and it always happens that we tend to order waaaay too much food for ourselves. We keep saying next time we'll share but omg. When you first go in and order, you don't think that. I'm thinking, "No. Not sharing. I'm hungry and I want something all to myself." The food seems like you could get it anywhere. So there was nothing really special...the prices were decent. Service was ehhh..like I said, they don't seem like a fast food place but might as well be one. There was a family that came in after us and they finished and paid for their meal before we were even done eating.. lol what.

    (3)

  • Amy Y.

    Japanese, Korean, Chinese or local?! It's a mixed and mashed up Asian restaurant? We just ended up here because our first attempt to a Italian Restaurant failed. It was a holiday around 6PM, wasn't busy at all. We could sit anywhere when we got in. I heard a lot about the ox tail soup here. So I decided to try it...but with ramen. It was definitely something different you don't get at any ramen place. The soup wan't too salty, it was just right. The ramen wasn't too hard or soft. Ox tail was pretty good. I just didn't like the chunk of fat part on my ox tail. But, to be expected I guess. If you don't want just a plain ox tail soup, get it with ramen ($10). Not bad, and filling. My friend ordered this korean donburi ($10). She said it was alright. It looked like it was mixed with egg and beef. It comes with 2 small portion of pickled vegetables and a small miso soup. That's what I mean when it's a mashed up local Asian style restaurant. This is an interesting place for some reason, even if I've been to restaurants like this. I wonder where the "Grill" part of the name comes from? O_o

    (3)

  • Pabs G.

    It's like they do not put effort into preparation or presentation. Price is not consistent with subpar food. Floors could use a good cleaning. Would not return.

    (1)

  • Elle U.

    After seeing Asahi Grill featured on Cheap Eats, we decided to venture to town. I was a little nervous to order the oxtail soup because I remember I didn't like it as a kid. As my taste bud matured with age, I decided to order it because I love ginger and cilantro. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed. This is now my favorite food. My husband laughed as he saw me grab the bowl to get every drop of the soup. My husband ordered the pork adobo fried rice (featured on Cheap Eats)... He was not disappointed too. My daughter ordered the spicy ahi bowl... As she could say was 'wow'! Thank you, Asahi Grill!.. We will be back!

    (5)

  • Fran C.

    Friday night is pau hana Friday's for me, and it was time to meet up with a friend to catch up on the "haps" from the last time we saw each other. I was craving for some Oxtail Soup, so we ended up at Asahi Grill on Ward Avenue. What can I say about the Oxtail Soup..........well, the broth was simply outrageously good! As for the Oxtail meat, it was a bit tough...........which put a little downer on this dish. Had the oxtail meat been soft & falling off the bone, I would have given this dish a 4 or 5. Service was fast! There is very limited parking on the small private parking lot, so roll da dice on this.............or you can do the good 'ol Hawaiian trick by parking by the Ross Dress for Less area, then sneaking over to Asahi Grill.

    (3)

  • Michelle W.

    Would you believe that they have corned beef and cabbage?! My husband loves it! Served with two scoops of rice and Mac salad. Very large serving.

    (4)

  • Sean Z.

    IF you are interested in.... Good local, plate-lunch style food + quality and quick customer service + some Oldies music playing in the background, check Asahi Grill out! Points: PRICE: Quality food with reasonable portions. The chairs can be rather uncomfortable as it is a little low to the ground. Since it is a relatively small establishment, it can get a little chilly inside so I recommend bringing a jacket just in case. The service is very consistent. The staff has always been very friendly and accommodating. The parking is a little cramped, but if you don't mind there are ample amount of street parking around the block. yelp.com/biz_photos/asah…

    (4)

  • Luke C.

    Thought it might be a good little hole in the wall place...we were unpleasantly surprised with the food quality for the price. Oxtail soup for $16 was just okay. My wife got the mahi sandwich...ended up deep fried on a previously frozen and crumbly hamburger bun with way too much mayo. The staff was friendly and there are probably better menu choices but all in all, we were ready to walk out after our first bite.

    (2)

  • Richard K.

    This place got my order wrong. The only reason I ate here was because my coworker was going back to get a replacement meal because they got HIS order wrong (yes, I should have known better). The food that I did get was just alright. I think I got something along the lines of their spicy chicken, but I'll never know. It was basically battered, deep fried chicken (with fat, skin and all) covered in a drizzle of spicy thai sauce (meh, not my favorite thing in the world as I like spicy to be just that, not sweet). It probably would have tasted better to me had I not been disappointed I didn't get what I ordered. ...maybe not. I have heard the oxtail soup here is really good, so IF I decide to try it out again, I'll stick with what they are known for. I just hope I get what I order.

    (2)

  • Mc Hoover N.

    This place is ridiculous. For a small amount of combo plate, charge was $18. There are way better place than this.

    (1)

  • Brian M.

    What do you eat after night of shots and beers? Bacon and eggs..Nope Fried Rice..Nope A bowl of oat meal..gross (Not the morning after) Saimin..Maybe Oxtail Soup From Asahi Grill..Bingo!!!!! YOU WIN!! Oxtail soup ($12.95 Reg.Size) came with 2 scoops of rice, I love that they give you a jar of ginger so that you can scoop out as much as you want. The soup came with a generous portions of oxtail. Tasted wise it was pretty good,downside it could have been hotter in temperature and had a little more peanuts. Overall it satisfied my hunger and made my head happy! (Note to self ..Back to Back double shots are bad) I'll be back Asahi to try different dishes with a clear head!

    (3)

  • Jennifer G.

    Recommended we eat here by a local. Our group tried the majority of the specials and really enjoyed them especially the oxtail soup and ahi special. Friendly and quick service. Great find!

    (4)

  • John C.

    A friend really wanted to try out this place so we went. I saw one of the employees wearing a shirt that said oxtail so I figured this was their signature dish. I ordered the oxtail ramen soup and was pretty disappointed. There was nothing special about the broth or the oxtail. The cut wasn't very good either and there seemed to be a lot of bone and very little meat. I should have tried some of their other ramen bowls. As I looked around, everything else seemed more appealing than what I have. I want to try something else but the service wasn't good so I'm not going back. The server didn't seem happy and we never got water. I guess we weren't welcome.

    (2)

  • George S.

    I had the hamburger steak, rice perfect, Mac salad good, gravy junk and hamburger ok. I don't think my Grandmother would approve it. My wife had the Adobo fried rice which was good! I ate it cause my HS tasted funky. I shoulda ordered the oxtail soup, maybe next time.....nah......no next time for us.

    (1)

  • Ruf-ryda4life C.

    My husband and I were so disappointed this morning when we ate at Asahi Grill. We actually had a pleasant experience once before. Our food arrived at our table looking decent enough. I had the teishoku, and my husband had the fried rice with eggs. We both ordered coffee, and also ordered a half order of banana pancakes. My miso soup and mahi were good. His fried rice was all right. Coffee was terrible, was not even offered anything else to drink. Banana pancakes were terrible. It tasted like it was made on the same griddle as all the fried meats. The greasy taste was overwhelming. Service was terrible, had to repeat myself numerous times. And when it was time to pay, the waitress chose someone who was not waiting in line rather she helped someone else. Very disappointing and will NEVER go back there.

    (1)

  • Dirty V.

    Oxtail soup is yummy, portion is a little small and the scoops of rice were tiny but overall good. We also had the port tonkatsu, that was good and we liked the fact they give you the dressing and sauce bottles to serve yourself....we like lots of sauce so better we don't need to ask.

    (4)

  • Kili P.

    Adobo fried rice is my favorite dish at Asahi grill. Wish they upkept the place better and had a better parking lot Overall a decent place to eat in the Ward area.

    (3)

  • theresa s.

    I know Asahi has been around forever, but we just discovered it a few months ago when I was craving oxtail soup. My husband and I now go here at least once a week. He has proclaimed it his "new favorite restaurant". Hard to argue with such a strong sentiment. I get the oxtail ramen and he gets the tonkatsu plate. I love the all you can eat jar of pungent ginger to accompany my tender oxtail. Noodle texture is perfection. He loves that it reminds him of this childhood tonkatsu place in Japan and that its BYOB =) Great little neighborhood eatery.

    (4)

  • Emcee D.

    Oxtail soup and fried rice..oxtail soup had a lot of flavor with good amount of meat. love the portions and such a family oriented place with reasonable price

    (4)

  • O O.

    I took a picture to add among the many pictures of Asahi's self proclaimed "famous" oxtail soup. I may post it but it would hardly be an advertisement as the portion was skimpy and the meat was very fatty. I added a lot of ginger, thankfully it was practically unlimited and the meat, admittedly was fall off the bones good. The broth was hot and redolent but with only a modest amount of Chinese parsley and onions. One star. The amount of soup was not at all huge as in some of the pictures I saw. And our table ordered 3 "big" bowls. It doesn't help that I make an OUTSTANDING pot of oxtail soup because I take the time to trim the fat off and add the shiitake mushrooms and mustard cabbage in at the last minute (neither of which are in Asahi's version.) I did get a peanut, yay. I'm sure they are flattered and tired of people taking pictures of their food but I did so not in a complimentary way. Fat, yellow fat clinging to the meat. A mouthful of fat on each bone. Yuck. I had to bite it off and spit it out. Happy doggy tonight. I'll upload that soon. Regarding the waitstaff: If I am waiting on a table that takes pictures of the food, I'd at least try to be upbeat, cheerful and helpful. I wouldn't be sullen, avoid answering direct questions and wait to be asked to refill empty water glasses. But I did tip a little over 20% because one waitress was pleasant and quick, the other didn't want to be there. The hairy, grouchy, tubby waitress (guess if she was the good or yucky waitress) when asked if the order of my fried rice had an egg on it (I was willing to pay more to have one) looked at me and said, "NO." Not a suggestion of how I could order to have eggs on it, nada. Just silence and she stared blankly at me. OK then, no egg. In her defense, she was kind of nice to a few other tables while we were there. The ones that knew how to order eggs on top of their fried rice. All told we ordered the oxtail soup which was a OK on the flavormeter, the fried rice which was OK but nothing special, the lup cheong fried rice which was OK, the kalbi which was OK only because it was grilled, the soft shelled crab salad which was quite good except the crab portions were from crabs a half dollar in size, aka "manini" portions. The romaine was crispy fresh though and the fish roe was salty and sweet and crunchy good. The watery, smooshy avocado seemed like an afterthought which should have been avoided. Added nothing to the dish at all. The dressing was vinegar, shoyu and oil which went well on my ginger and oxtail too. Because the salad was tart, fresh, bracing and acidic, it didn't need the "creaminess" or rather the insipid oiliness of the avos. Really, not a well thought out dish. Could have used some tomatoes, actually. We also had a hamburger steak and gravy which was OK and a hamburger on a bun, with french fries, and 3 sodas. The food was passable, moderately and fairly priced but the only outstanding item was the french fries. And I don't even like french fries. Pay $97.00+ for that meal again? Ahhh, ummm, nope. The clincher for me was that I think Asahi Grill is complacent with their reputation but didn't try hard to impress. Next time I'm really jonesing for some ox tail soup, I'll try Like Like or that bowling alley somewhere out West side. Some yelper compared this oxtail soup to the old Kam Bowl. Oh my God, not even close. I have yet to find another bowl like Kam bowl the bowl for bowlers. Oh, what the hell. The waitress was downright unpleasant and made me feel like we had to beg for information. Unibrow girl, you'd be doing your employer and restaurant's reputation a favor by treating your noobs and regulars alike.

    (2)

  • Tiana K.

    Ok I had an amazing experience here! It was a cold rainy day what would make things better? A hot, dinner of good old fashioned comfort food. The ambiance is a simple restaurant with big long tables to accommodate large families. And I went here with my family. I ordered the oxtail ramen, and the Oxtail ramen was outstanding. A really great broth with perfect noodles. The flavor of the broth was hearty and satisfying while the meat was tender. I loved having the ramen noodles in the soup instead of the usual rice. The kimchi ramen was flavorful and had the right amount of spice paired with their perfect noodles and beef. The loco moco was on a whole new level. The patty you could tell was homemade and had a strong onion flavor which really complemented the gravy. All in all it was a great experience!

    (5)

  • Marissa S.

    Came here for one reason and one reason alone: oxtail soup! Large bowl for $22 serves 2-3 people but in our case, 2 people. The hubby wasn't leaving Hawaii without having this soup. It was good but I still like the one from California Hotel in Vegas. This one seemed to have a Chinese flavor that we can't pinpoint and the meat wasn't as tender as we hoped it would be. We had to ask for the ginger and parsley from the waitress and the look on her face was blank as if we weren't speaking English. Hello, that's the dipping sauce that comes with the soup!! Ambience felt like I was in the 80's. Everything seems to be outdated. I hate white lighting and the other room had some old people drinking and singing horrible karaoke. Definitely not a place for kids. If you ever end up here, you won't go wrong with ordering their sweet potato fries with wasabi mayo. Forget about ordering their ramen. My daughter ordered it and it was like noodles in water. Meh..

    (2)

  • Robin P.

    While my puppy was down the street enjoying a morning at the spa, I thought I'd stop in for some breakfast. I ordered French toast, along with a side of hash browns and Portuguese sausage. The Portuguese sausage and hash browns were each served on their own plate as well as the French toast. The French toast was okay, but the syrup was not warm. There is simply nothing worse than cold syrup on my French toast. It ended up up being cool instead of hot, as if it had been sitting for a while before being served. It seems as though the sausage went straight from the frying pan to my plate because It was pretty greasy. The hash brown patty (the kind that anyone can get in the frozen food section or at McDonald's) was SWIMMING in grease! The entire meal left me with a queasy tummy for several hours afterward. It certainly wasn't an enjoyable way to spend $11.50! I won't be back.

    (1)

  • Christopher T.

    Really great for quick Japanese / Local food. I was feeling a little rundown yesterday. We stopped by Asahi Grill for dinner. I saw Tripe Stew on the Special board, but stuck to the Oyako Donburi for a nice Hot Bowl of Chicken, Eggs, Onions, and Rice in a nice sauce. Warmed me up and hit the spot. Don't forget, there's always the Ox Tail Soup with all the grated ginger you can handle on the table.

    (4)

  • Carly H.

    5.12.13. Great place for a impromptu gathering; atmosphere is super relaxed, prices are reasonable and pretty good selection of local foods. My love for kim chee fried rice made me spot that on the menu right away. The offer two portions, I believe it is small and regular--the regular is just enough for a fulfilling lunch meal! At $7.50 you can't go wrong! Pretty delish too, def one of the better kim chee fried rices I've tasted. Only negatives about this place, not too sure about the staff. I ordered but received the wrong one...the waitress had to come back to ask me what I ordered then they came back to replace what they gave me. 1) they should have left that plate with me since they messed up the order, 2) was that someone else's order?? I hope they didn't give it to someone else?! ...so ya, mixed feelings about this place! But...I think I'd be back just for the fact that their KCFRice is delish! Yelp 365 Challenge: #131/365

    (3)

  • Nicole S.

    The whole reason I ate here and enjoy eating here is thanks to my boyfriend and his family. His parents took him to eat lunch one day and he couldn't stop talking about it. Then it was my turn. My first meal was the special of the day (each day has it's own special extra menu) which was their roast beef! mm, I can still taste it! I give them 3 stars because while the roast beef was amazingly delicious, it initially was served to me cold. Did not appreciate that, but since it was my first time I tried to be nice and hope that they don't mess with my food! Hesitant when they brought it back, that first "fresh" bite was awesome! I took the left overs home and ate it later that evening. My better half ordered their bento box with tempura and pork katsu, that from start to finish was delicious! I'd go back for more :) they're really quite nice people!

    (3)

  • Ashley V.

    This was my first time eating here, and I only came because Doraku was packed, Chais was all booked with reservations, & I had 2 hours to kill until the Kendrick Lamar concert at the Blaisdell. First off, the place was not very appealing on the outside, & although there was a cozy feeling to it on the inside, the food was just OK. On top of that, I was dying for an alcoholic drink before the concert and they don't sell ANY alcohol whatsoever.. That's not a bad thing, but it didn't help improve my overall impression of this place at that moment! I was hoping for some type of beer.. Slightly disappointed, because I've heard good things about this place! The food did come out rather quick! But then again I only ordered a tuna melt sandwich & fries.. Which as I said.. Was just ok. I won't knock that they probably have good food here, because I haven't tried anything BUT a sandwich, but.. I can say that although I'm glad I finally tried this place out, it's not a place I'd ever crave to drop in on again. But I won't say I will NEVER be back, because I did hear they have a good oxtail soup here! I may give this place a real 2nd shot later..

    (3)

  • Eugene H.

    Surprising fact about Asahi Grill: the KEEAUMOKU location is owned by the ORIGINAL proprietor of Kapiolani Coffee Shop, home of the famous oxtail soup.The Ward Avenue restaurant is owned by someone else NOT associated with KEEAUMOKU. Like many others, I was under the impression that they were owned by the same enterprise. On my first visit to KEEAUMOKU, I mentioned to the server that I had just visited the restaurant at Ward Avenue, and she clarified that the restaurants are not related. I like the parking at KEEAUMOKU (there is another lot on the other side of the building with entrance on Keeaumoku), the extensive menu, which includes Kapiolani Coffee Shop items -- all reasonably priced, and a cozy bar with terrific happy hour prices. Plus Karaoke! All packaged in a relaxing atmosphere and very friendly and responsive servers. The address is 815 Keeaumoku, across from HMSA, with parking entrance on Rycroft. See asahigrillkeeaumoku.com for information. OXTAIL SOUP and FRIED RICE are still tops! Very nice gelato deserts, too. I just learned that even Japanese visitors seek out both Asahi Grill Keeaumoku and its sister restaurant in Pearl City, the Kapiolani Coffee Shop.

    (5)

  • Rick L.

    Breakfast served daily from 6:30-11:00AM! Asahi grill is known for their oxtail soup but I didn't find it that impressive. It was boiled, had some broth to it and small pieces of oxtail for around $15. What I do go there for is their delicious lup cheong fried rice. Wow, it's so tasty, I can eat that every day!

    (4)

  • Nat N.

    Good sized portions, comforting food, decently priced. We ordered the chicken katsu, garlic chicken, and teri chicken sandwich. All were delicious and worth ordering again. The chicken katsu was pretty standard - nothing out of this world but not soggy either. The garlic chicken was crispy and pleasing to our tummies. The teri chicken sandwich with fries is a good choice for those with a "lighter" appetite. Tip: if you go when there is a big event at the Blaisdell, go early because everyone has the same idea as you!

    (3)

  • Ax C.

    Friendly service. Honolulu diner grub. Hawaiian versions of Korean, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese (& Okinawanan - goya if you are looking for it) mainstays. Probably something for everyone but difficult to guess right on a first visit. I found Kalbi tasty but probably too fatty for most, tonkatsu dry and tough, and fried rice was basic. You might want to order to share & hope to find a dish you like. Decent enough for a pre-Blasidell meal or maybe a work lunch but wouldn't waste my family or guest's time for a night out, especially having to traipse through a graffiti-ridden parking lot to get to gas station like restrooms.

    (2)

  • kristi s.

    great oxtail soup...yes the portion is not what it used to be but all the same, still great tasting, clean and not fatty. service if fast and friendly. parking can be a bit of a problem depending on time of day you go.

    (4)

  • COURTNEY K.

    Yum Yum Yum! Oxtail soup with Kim Chee fried rice! Onolicious! My bf had the curry chicken katsu with lup cheong fried rice equally wonderful. Service was speedy and super friendly. Even scored two free orders of tsukonomo.

    (5)

  • Allyson M.

    First Impression: Hole in the wall. This place can be hard to find, especially at night, but my friends and I got help from a GPS. The interior is medium sized. Not too big, but just enough space for everyone to be able to get around. I felt a homey vibe for the duration of our dining experience. We (party of 6) immediately got seated and all that usual stuff. Dinner: I ordered the loco moco because I was on a budget. I would have ordered their spicy ahi bowl if I wasn't. Food was freshly made, hot, and ready to be eaten. I think all of us received a bowl of miso soup before our dinner entree arrived. My loco moco was average, but I didn't mind, as long as it tasted good. My friend ordered the kim chee fried rice and also offered me a sample/sampo (haha!). I was amazed. We both were, actually. We kept raving about how it is the BEST kim chee fried rice we have ever tasted! I was also offered to taste my other friends spicy ahi. Very fresh, not drowned in sauce (like how other sushi places do it), but I'm not really a fan of the taste of super fishy fish. If you enjoy that, definitely go for their spicy ahi bowl. Pros: Reasonable prices - you'll find something to eat, even if you're on a budget Very homey - this is a place where I'd bring my family to have dinner Good customer service Cons: Limited parking - we found parking for both of our cars, but it looked like street parking would be hard to find nearby Restroom outside - not really a huge problem but I'd rather have the convenience of a restroom inside the restaurant itself.

    (4)

  • Ash K.

    Ordered the loco moco and spicy ahi don. None of which is the best on the island. I was hungry, I ate the food, I was full but not satisfied. I love tobiko as much as the next person but there was a lot of it! I did like that the avocado was perfect and they didn't skimp on the avo/cucumber/tamago. Loco moco was better than the spicy ahi don, but still "eh" okay. Probably be back again when there's no where else to go.

    (3)

  • Brent K.

    This is the only place to eat ox tail soup! Simply the best !. Today was alittle salty. But on a cold rainy day, You better go early cause they run out. The rest of the food is very good. local style. Today I had the butterfich miso yaki, So ono ! This place is funny , This is the only place you get a japanese teshoku with mac salad ! LOL Chop steak, hamberger steak, beef cutlet, realy good ! Next to the ox tail soup. ( This is the only place I eat fry rice ! ) Not oil at all ! I think this is the best fry rice in town ! It's realy hard for me to not over eat hear. I usealy case my ox tail with the fry rice. LOL Anyway GO early cause lunch time is crowded and parking is limited. Go at 11:00am or after 1:30 pm when the lunch crowd thins.

    (5)

  • Cyndy K.

    Cyndy's BOTTOM LINE: variety of items for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Recommend the Asahi breakfast: 1 egg with a choice of fish - saba, mahimahi, salmon or opakapaka with rice, tsukemono, miso soup and toss salad. You can also order fried rice in place of regular rice. The miso soup is delicious and contains somen noodles, wakame, and green onions. The tsukemono is very tasty great pickling and goes well with the fish. The salad dressing is great on the fish! Try it. Sorry no picture... I was so excited and focused on eating. The coffee is Kona coffee which is rich, smooth and served piping hot. Friendly service by Victoria in a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere.

    (4)

  • Jenn T.

    I came here for dinner one day because it was nearby. The menu states that there is the famous oxtail soup here, so naturally I had to check it out. I ordered the oxtail ramen, which came with 2 pieces of oxtail and noodles. The meat was very tender, so soft that it fell off the bone. The flavor was alright however, not the best I've ever had but pretty good. There was only 2 small pieces of oxtail in the ramen, so if you're in the mood for oxtail, then get the oxtail soup, which as more pieces. The place was kinda interesting. When we walked in we werent sure if we ordered at the window and then sat down or if there was a wait service. We just sat at a table and then someone came by to take our order, so I guess there is a wait service. However, they just took our order, gave us our food and that was it. No water refill or check in after that and I we had to fetch our check ourselves. Thus, still not sure how it works haha.

    (3)

  • k L.

    This place used to be super good before... not sure what happened... everything was way too salty, service was below normal, the big waiter was super rude. wont be returning too soon. :-(

    (2)

  • Lauren S.

    Had the small portion oxtail soup which was pretty good. However, I'm not sure if it's the "best oxtail soup in town" as advertised. Service was good, and they were very helpful and patient (especially with my grandma who was constantly asking them for coffee!) May come here again and try something different next time!

    (3)

  • Keola m.

    Asahi Grill is always a great "Go To" place when you are hungry and want something good. They are always consistent with good food. On this particular visit (one of many) it was breakfast. Im gonna keep this short.... Steak and eggs ($9.50). Good size steak. Tasty and tender. The waitress was very pleasant and continued to keep my coffee cup ($1.60) filled. One of the few good places that open early for breakfast (630a). Thats all for now. Ciao,

    (5)

  • Ram K.

    Of course I came here for the ox tail soup but sad to say I wasn't satisfied. The soup itself was pretty good but the oxtail was sliced thin and the meat was hard. My gf had the combo, she chose kalbi and tonkatsu with fried rice. Now that was good. Kalbi was tender and tasty. The soba and fried rice were also good. Service was good.

    (3)

  • Eddie T.

    Disappointed with the drop in quality of the taste. How I remember it being and how it was my past 2 visits.

    (2)

  • Kolohe B.

    First time eating at any Asahi Grill, ordered the famous chopped steak, I'm not a OX tail eater, I have read a lot of good reviews about it. Anyways I had to wait a bit before we got chairs, the location was packed. The chopped stake taste okay, I wouldn't say it was da best, but I would say it was better than Zippys. I would need to come back again.

    (4)

  • Chris C.

    Oxtail soup is good. Other than that, it's okay.. just average fresh at best. The steamed fish was not steamed. It was microwaved cuz it was piping hot.. just very home made stuff and the price is not cheap for the food.

    (2)

  • Aulii H.

    This review is for the spicy ahi don. I am somewhat of a sushi snob, but I understand that not everyone can have fresh fish all the time, and that many of the restaurants here have frozen fish. Asahi grill is one of those places. Without considering the quality of the fish, I still give it 2 stars. First of all, the fish wasn't even cold so that was the first red flag. When I was making my way through the bowl, I noticed that the rice was soaked in fish blood, probably because the frozen fish was defrosted in the bag and they just dumped the whole contents of the bag directly onto the rice. Disgusting. I wish I remembered to take a picture of it. The rest I the bowl was okay with the vegetables and mayonnaise sauce, but the blood soaked rice was such a turn off. I've eaten here before and gotten plate lunch items that were just okay, but when you're hungry, you just eat what you have I'm front of you. It's disappointing that they didn't even try to give the illusion of fresh. Don't get the spicy ahi don, just stick to the other menu items.

    (2)

  • P D.

    Great service Great Food. Highly recommend the Adobo Fried Rice, Steak, Oxtail and Saimin

    (4)

  • Jessica F.

    i have nothing but great things to say about asahi grill. this has been one of my favorite restaurants since i was in high school. not once have i complained about the service or food (friendly waitresses and the food always hits the spot). loco moco with kim chee fried rice is my usual. sometimes i like eating oxtail soup without the oxtail. it's so fricken good and it totally reminds me of my little girl days.. the kam bowl days. i was raised in kalihi and my parents would always take us to or take out food from kam bowl. once i smell the oxtail, i can almost smell the bowling alley. quite comforting to me. ok i'll stop the digressing. one more life story though. the day i went into labor with my son: -had an ob appt. -went to pick my mom up from work -shopped at heiko -decided to pick up food from asahi grill -walked around walmart -contractions started -went home, gave mom a manicure to distract myself until i left to hospital anyway, a loco moco with kim chee fried rice was the last meal i had before levi arrived. every time i drive on ward i think about that. since his birth, i've only gone once or twice. it's hard for me to eat out, because levi just won't keep still. i totally miss asahi.

    (5)

  • Derrick W.

    Service is so-so. Food quality is about average, probably at the same level of Zippys. The prices are a little high for the quality. The parking lot sucks.

    (3)

  • Ashley N.

    So, I'm not sure what happened to the quality of food at asahi grill. I ordered the adobo fried rice today since I haven't tried it before. I usually order the fried rice, but the last time I was here it wasn't so great (it tasted like old hard rice that was sitting out for a while). So I figured I'd try it again, but this time with adobo. Sad to say the rice was hard/crunchy and bland. They also fail to mention that the adobo in the fried rice is the size of bacon bits, probably a little smaller.

    (1)

  • Leanne L.

    Ok- the food? Not so good... Should've gone else where... We came for dinner. We parked across the street being the parking lot at asahi holds all of about 5 cars. I along with 2 or 3 other couples parked across in a vacant strip mall lot... No businesses open at that hour. I saw them park and go in and did the same. (My mistake!!!). We were served quickly but the food was a bit disappointing... Bland... Not much flavor except salty. We were there not more than 45 min. We came outside and all of our cars had been towed. When we went to sand island to get our car back, the 2 other couples were there also trying to get their car back. Asahi maybe should put up a sign to warn their patrons about the parking. Blah!!! Total disappointment!!!!

    (1)

  • Karen E.

    Great menu selection, fast service, delicious oxtail soup and spicy ahidon

    (4)

  • Rissa K.

    I love this place for their Oxtail soup!!! Chop steak is pretty good too! I wanna come here for breakfast sometime too...menu looks good! I mainly come here for the Oxtail soup though because this place is known for this. Parking is a bit small but I never have difficulty finding parking. Friendly staff and good food!

    (4)

  • Wayne T.

    Worst place I've eaten in a while! Service was horrible!!!!! Ate last night, and all I can say is WATCH THE FOOD WHERE IT CAME FROM! AND WATER! Who brings water from a different table!? I'd give a negative score if it was on here!

    (1)

  • Shawna L.

    ordered their soft shell crab don. had rice, egg, avocado, soft shell crab, & their spicy sauce. super good!! would def order again! while my bf had their infamous oxtail soup for the first time & said is now his fav place to get oxtail. the service was also really fast. just beware their parking lot is super small

    (4)

  • Kelly H.

    I pass this place all the time when I go to ward yet I just decided to try this place today. It is definitely one of those places you never think will be really good (or it looks meh from the outside) but the food we ordered won us over. My sister and I split the loco moco and the opakapaka both of which were "ono"! I used to die for the loco moco at Rainbows but now that I've tried the loco moco at Asahi Grill, I my loyalty to Rainbows has faded. I'm super picky with my loco mocos because the meat has to be SUPER EFFING TENDER and the dish not too salty. Everything about this loco moco was on point. TD!!! The Opakapaka was not too salty and not too fishy, it was really good. My sister's friend ordered the Ox Tail soup (as did the rest of the people in the restaurant, haha) and he really enjoyed his soup. He said he has had Ox Tail Soup at other restaurants and this soup was pretty good haha. Tip: parking is hard to come by because the lot is super baby. Try looking for street parking on ward or park in the sports authority lot (shhhh... secrets) and walk over. =)

    (4)

  • Leon H.

    now that is some good Ox Tail

    (4)

  • Wendy I.

    Food was OK. I'd eat here again. I need to try their oxtail soup that they advertise.

    (4)

  • Kim M.

    Their OXTAIL SOUP is a winner! I like this one better than the Kapiolani Coffee Shop's oxtail (it's similar, but not the same), even though it's supposed to be the same recipe. This oxtail broth is so flavorful! YUM. It came garnished with Chinese parsley, green onions, and peanuts. I usually don't like oxtail with tons of peanuts, but this one always comes with the perfect amount! I also personally enjoy mine with a bit of ginger :) I've been here a number of times. The parking situation isn't that great. The lot is small, but at least they have one I guess. You could park on the street if you wanted to... I've tried their loco moco too. I like it. It's just my style, with lots of gravy!! So if you're looking for great oxtail, get it from here! I will be back for more! :)

    (4)

  • Sharon H.

    After an early morning walk around Magic Island, my friend and I decided to chance the parking at Asahi Grill and grab a fast breakfast. Fortune smiled, and we scored two stalls right in front of the entrance doors. Seating was quick and before my tired body hit the chair, I knew I was going to order (a small) Kim Chee fried rice with one scrambled egg. My health-conscious friend chose ham and eggs with brown rice, and a coffee. When the friendly waitress politely asked me, "Is that all?" I felt compelled to order hash browns. Our orders came quickly and there it was in front of me .... a saimin bowl-sized mound of Kim Chee fried rice covered with a pancake-shaped egg. Bliss. Just the right combination of rice and egg in every mouthful, yum, and just enough "kick" so you could taste the delicious flavors. I didn't want to share, but grudgingly thought I should give at least one tablespoon to my healthy friend. The hash brown came a few seconds later, a deep fried square that was more grease and crunch than potato-ey-goodness. In all fairness, when I brought it back to the counter they kindly apologized and replaced it with another one which, sadly, was equally greasy. Sorry, but McDonald's does it better! Save yourself for the Kim Chee fried rice or a steaming bowl of saimin, the aroma which we could almost taste since the table next to us was having saimin for breakfast. I will be back ... again and again and again!

    (4)

  • Dany P.

    The oxtail soup here is the best I've ever had!! Well it's the only one I've ever had as a matter of fact. I'm so loyal that I'll only come here for oxtail soup. Why ruin a good thing right? There's not really much to look at inside, I mean who comes here for the ambiance anyways? The staff is quick to seat you, quick to take your order, and quick to bring out your food. What more could you ask for?? The soup is so deliciously flavorful and the meat just falls off the bone. I know, I know it's oxtail how much meat can be on there? Well there was alot more than I thought and I made sure I got every little piece!

    (4)

  • H T.

    Just a mainlander looking for an oxtail fix and found Asahi thx to Yelp. The soup was pretty good, not sure if it was the best on the island, but was the most I have paid for oxtail soup (I think it was $12.50 for a large). Nice broth, decent amount of meat. Very fast to get your food, not too fast on getting coming back for the check payment. I would rate the oxtail 4 stars, but my wife's ramen was very average so averaged out to three.

    (3)

  • Janet K.

    For some reason the post tsunami warning weather was windy with scattered showers and it prompted me to crave some soup. BF has never tried oxtail soup (Yes, he's born and raised in Hawaii and he's NEVER tried oxtail soup) so we decided to go to Asahi Grill. I guess we weren't the only ones wanting soup on this cold day because the place was packed! We ordered two small oxtail soups and a small side order of lap cheong fried rice with a over medium egg on it. The oxtail soup was flavorful with just the right amount of Chinese parsley and green onions. The fried rice was seasoned perfectly. No need to add more shoyu. The food came out in about five minutes and the service was standard. I haven't tried anything else on the menu so the four star rating is only for the oxtail soup and the fried rice. Isn't the oxtail soup the main reason people go and dine at Asahi Grill? I looked around and there was a bowl of oxtail soup on EVERY table. The workers even wore a Shirt that had a picture of the Hawaii license plate with "OXTAIL" on it. Why would you order anything else?

    (4)

  • Chantelle T.

    Spicy Ahi Don was a refreshing alternative to the oxtail soup. They pile on the avocado, cucumber, and amatamago which makes the dish different from the typical spicy ahi dons. The spicy ahi itself was okay. Not quite the kick I was looking for and it was actually pretty hard to eat...the ahi chunks were too big and the rice wasn't sticky enough for me to successfully get a good bite. If you don't like tobiko, I would stay away from this...they really use a buttload of it. Service here is pretty slow so don't come if you're in a rush. Parking also sucks too but you'll usually find something if you keep at it.

    (3)

  • Alyssa Kay N.

    I came here because I won a gift card to "Asahi Grill" and when I went to go pay, I found out I was at the wrong Asahi Grill. But even though I came to the wrong one, it was worth it. I ordered the miso butterfish plate and my bf ordered the spicy ahi don. The miso butterfish was GREAT. We started off with appetizers. To my surprise, soba was given instead of miso soup. That was a nice change since almost every japanese restaurant gives out miso soup. Anyways, when our dishes were served I was surprised that they gave me 3 pieces of butterfish! That's not the usual since other restaurants would only give out one piece. But that's a BIG plus, getting what you ordered. The only con was the skin was a bit burnt than usual. I like to eat the whole fish but I think they just accidentally burned it b/c everything else was great. For the spicy ahi don, it was a big bowl. Not some genki sushi don. But everything were basically ingredients you'd put in a hand roll. Cucumbers, eggs, avocado, rice, spicy ahi. It's just 3x bigger. I give this place 4 stars b/c they were polite and didn't rush us when to order. It seemed alright inside. Not too shabby. The parking is very little. But the food is great!

    (4)

  • Trish P.

    "A-OK" but not quite yet "yay i'm a fan" ...... the last time i ate here was 2 years ago, and after re-reading my previous review for this place, it all came back to me.... this time around i did not get the katsu donburi, but the katsu curry instead. this was not salty, so that tells me, the crazy saltiness i experienced prior must have been from the sauce they use in the donburi. the katsu curry was tasty, but average. you can get this same plate of food from any plate lunch kind of place. BUT because this is a "sit down and eat" kinda place, you also get a green salad, tsukemono, and miso soup with your meal. i THINK it was about 10 bucks..... not bad price wise. my mom had the bulgogi donburi and loved it.... she was super full afterwards - and keep in mind, her meal did not come with salad and soup... just the donburi, and she was full. i was going to get the oxtail soup that errrrrybody talks about, but my mom gets wigged out by oxtail, so... i guess this will be saved for another occasion!

    (3)

  • Kathy S.

    When I moved to the mainland, I disappointedly found out that Oxtail Soup is not an item you can find regularly on the menu, not even in the "Hawaiian" restaurants in SoCal. And for those that offer it, the taste is just not the same.... So, when I came back for a visit here, I was jonseing for some Oxtail Soup. A friend recommended Asahi Grill. I remembered this location... It used to be the Burger King on Ward Ave. you are lucky if you can parking in the very small lot, otherwise you'll have to park on the street. The food... Oxtail Soup: the soup was flavorful, but the oxtail was a little more tough than I'm used to. Maybe it's because we were there too early in the day. Seemed like it needed to simmer for a couple more hours. Still good, though. Fried rice: now this, I liked very much! We ordered the Lup Cheong Fried Rice to share among the three of us. Holy moly... It was excellent! I'll definitely be back again on my next visit!

    (4)

  • Kanoe I.

    Simple local style dining. A fave of my local brother who is now living on the Mainland. My Faves: Spicy Shrimp & Ahi Don, Lup Cheong Fried Rice, Tan Tan Ramen. Known for their Oxtail Soup, which I heard is on the smaller side. Overall, I like coming here for simple, local style comfort foods.

    (4)

  • Little D.

    I had dined here a few times. Regular lunch plate was ok for me. I liked the Ox Tail Soup a lot. YELP 365 - 235/365

    (4)

  • Crystal A.

    I didn't even eat here and it was already a bad experience. My friend and I decided to stop by for dinner since we've tried the one in Keeaumoku and we love it there. We walk in and no one greets us or says anything like we'll be right with you or whatsoever. So we take a seat and the waitresses keep walking pass us without saying anything. Good ten minutes, we decide to leave. If you can't even welcome your customers, what would you think we would want to stay?!

    (1)

  • Nikki N.

    I love the soft shell crab salad here! My mom likes the oxtail soup. This place is a cute place on Ward. The only thing is that there is a lot of traffic here and the parking lot is small. But, its a good lunch spot to catch up with friends and family. I've been here several times and I seem to always get the salad because I can never find this any where else. My mom always gets the oxtail soup, which she swears is her favorite. The only thing is when you sit in certain spots of the restaraunt you can feel the AC blasting so I got really cold twice. I usually go when there are quite a lot of people for lunch so we couldn't move seats. But other than that this place is a great lunch spot.

    (3)

  • Kathy L.

    Ordered the hamburger w/fries. Patty was very small with lots of filler. The bun was way bigger than the hamburger. Fries were limp & half raw. Terrible meal. I won't ever order this again.

    (1)

  • Yasuo O.

    if you want a simple home style meal, then go for it. the place is clean, fast and for the price, not bad at all. Since everyone is raising prices and making portions smaller, this is th perfect bet for ya. I like it. am a big fan! I dont do the oxtail but i saw a ton of people ordering it. I got the tonkatsu dinner and for the price, you get a good deal. i enjoyed it alot.

    (3)

  • Love S.

    I wonder if any of these 2 star reviewers actually went to the grocery store to see how much oxtail really is? C'mon people seriously. Paying $12 for good Oxtail soup isn't outrageous. 1. We live in the fricken 50th state where the cost of living is amongst the highest besides, NYC, New England, and the West Coast. 2. The cost of Oxtail is $3.99 -$4.99 a pound at your local grocery store depending on the cut. This use to be the cut people didn't want so it was cheap back in the day, not anymore. 3. Factor in the rent that is being paid on busy Ward Avenue. 4. Factor in the cost of operating a restaurant, insurance, wages, supplies, waste, gas, electric, etc. 5. It is slow cooked and tender, they're not serving crap oxtail. 6. Add in the ingredients, chinese parsley, mustard cabbage, chopped ginger, rice, green onions, peanuts, soy sauce, salt, pepper, parsley for garnish. 7. It's a wonder why local businesses are shutting down left and right. I don't think people really understand what goes into the cost of a dish and that not much profit is being made unless there is high volume that goes along with it. 8. Umm yeah, the portions are getting smaller because the cost to make it is going up, it's called economics, maybe you heard of it. 9. I really don't have anything to say for 9 but I wanted to make to 10. 10. Go check it out, great Oxtail, priced right. Not oily at all. If you don't like paying retail, buy it at the store and make it yourself.

    (4)

  • D C.

    I'm sure all the food here is good, I just can't bring myself to order anything but oxtail and lupchong fried rice. Two of the best in respective categories. Big beefy pieces of tail and the rice is perfectly blended so each bite is a masterpiece.

    (5)

  • Stacey K.

    Had the oxtail soup, it was disappointing.. tasted like boiled water with chinese parsley and scallions with some oxtail thrown in. korean oxtail soup is wayyyy better, much more flavorful. bummed.

    (2)

  • Momi L.

    Dining there was ok. Waiters need personality. My cousin ordered rib eye - medium rare. It came on a sizzling platter well done. Rest of the food was fine. Butterfish, shrimp tempura, chicken katsu and chicken teriyaki. Once the food was brought to us NOT ONCE did the waitress come back to ask if everything was alright. I had to go get my own water refill. Don't think we'll go back.

    (2)

  • Tellia W.

    Very good, local-style Japanese food. I eat here quite often and love their food.

    (4)

  • Stephen Y.

    We love oxtail soup, and we were pleasantly surprised at the quality of their soup. It was the best!

    (5)

  • Susan F.

    I was looking for a light lunch the other day, some sort of salad since I was feeling really fat. My friend Shantel V. was giving suggestions of places that she knew that served salads nearby, but nothing really caught my attention. So we decided to head to Asahi grill for lunch instead. To my surprise they serve more than just oxtail soup.... They serve salads too! I ordered the Asahi Salad: romaine lettuce, cucumbers, tofu, shrimp cocktail and avocado ($9.95) Gosh why are places selling lettuce for $10, but it did have shrimp and avocados so I guess it should be more expensive than something that only has vegetables in it. I still can't believe I spent that much on something I probably could make at home for half the price. It was good. Don't get me wrong, but for $10 I was out of my mind. The dressing was some sort of ginger sauce, tasty. I love that they give the dressing on the side so you can add as much or as little as you want. I wouldn't mind coming back and trying the oxtail. But $10 for a salad, crazy.

    (3)

  • Sara W.

    Went to Asahi Grill for breakfast this past Saturday with the fam. I had ordered the fried rice w/side order bacon, hubby ordered french toast w/ side order port saus and we ordered a short stack for the kids. When we got our food the bacon looked crispy (yummy), it was hard. Port Saus was burnt, pancakes looked good until i cut into them. It was raw in the middle. So i thought eh that's ok, i'll just cut around it since they won't be able to eat all of it anyway. Hubby said his french toast tasted like they didn't clean the grill, they must've cooked our food before his so he said it tasted like my fried rice, bacon and port saus. I proceeded to take a bite outta my fried rice. I saw something out of the corner of my eye, looked like a burnt onion or something so i thought nothing of it. Looked at it again in between feeding the kids and it wasn't a burnt onion...it was a small roach. Kinda freaked out. Asked my husband does that look like a bug to you? He looked at it...he said yup it's a roach. We decided ok it's our cue to leave. He goes up to let them know and pay the bill. It was like they didn't believe us and started talking in filipino. Then told him that they would comp the fried rice. I think they shoulda comp'd the whole meal or at least say sorry! I have been here before and it was always good. But after this experience i don't think i'll be going back.

    (1)

  • Bailee W.

    MMM! First of all, I should qualify this review because the only items I've had on the menu were fried rice, kim chee fried rice, and hash browns but....THE FRIED RICE WAS AWESOME! I grew up loving the fried rice at Wisteria restaurant when I was young, and since it closed, I never found any other fried rice that could compare. Even the fried rice at Kakaako Kitchen and Big City Diner just couldn't quite compare...and then I tasted the fried rice from Asahi Grill. YUM. In my opinion, they have the best fried rice on the island. AND...if you take out, it literally takes 5 minutes from them to prepare it. Fast, delicious and cheap...winnahs!

    (5)

  • K H.

    I crave the breakfast fried rice with fried egg in top from this place! Nice big portion too! Parking always sucks!

    (5)

  • Kristy L.

    Food was GREAT, service was pretty good but she was a little slow, but the food came out QUICK. My boyfriend LOVED the oxtail. I had the tempura & chicken katsu & it was delish. I will definately return :p

    (5)

  • Andy D.

    Choosing where to eat with my father always ends up being a chore, even with the help of Yelp. Everywhere I want to go is too expensive according to him, and everywhere he wants to go is lame according to me. Without irony, he commonly suggests Taco Bell or McDonald's. I have nothing against those places per se - I pick up food from there once in a great while when I have little cash or am in a rush - but its not somewhere I would go to eat with someone (especially when that someone is a parent and they are paying) After my dad did some shopping at the Marukai 99, we continued our conversation deciding where go eat. We had been thinking about it for the past two hours. Because it was nearby and Manolo on Channel 2 news went there once, my dad suggested Asahi Grill. I agreed since i knew they'd have some things I would like. Once we got there and looked over the menu, I was a little shocked that the prices were so high. $8.50 for a loco moco is expensive no matter how you slice it. I knew they had the same dishes as the old Kapiolani Coffee Shops, but I didn't know they offered other Japanese dinners too. We always take a long time to order, so we weren't quite ready when the waiter came. We told him we would need a few more minutes, and he had the nerve to sigh and roll his eyes at us. Eventually, I went with the large oxtail soup and my dad got the pig's feet soup. While they screwed up my order by including chinese parsley when I asked for it without, the soup was still great. There's a reason Kapiolani Coffee Shop is know for it. My only beef is that the portion seems to be shrinking while the prices are rising. I didn't have any of my dad's pig's feet soup, but he really liked it. I probably won't be coming here again any time soon, or ever, for that matter - unless I have a really strong craving for oxtail soup. While that was good and even 5-star worthy, the high prices and bad service, knock it down to two.

    (2)

  • Sho U.

    Best local food in the Waikiki area. I came here on a recommendation from a local. We ordered all of the dishes he recommended. I had the ox tail soup, fried saimin, lup cheong fried rice, loco moco with curry gravy. All the dishes were awesome. The interior is not much to look at, but I found that the quality of food around Waikiki is inversely proportional to the prettiness of the interior. Service is adequate. Parking is limited because this place is always full of locals.

    (4)

  • Doug C.

    My girlfriend took me here claiming this was the best Oxtail. I must say I was quite impressed as it surpassed my mom's korean oxtail soup (and she's korean!). I did find the soup a tad bit too salty though for my taste. But I loved the extra corriander and ginger. 5-stars. The large is quite large, very filling. Would almost give it 5-stars but.. not quite. would be 4.5..... if i could rate it that way.

    (4)

  • Alan N.

    Another good place to eat in HNL. Had the Saba Tempura combo and it included salad, soup, pickles and rice. More than enough to eat and very good. Not a fancy meal/place but good food at reasonable prices. Finished with a sorbet pie that had layers of Guava, Coconut and Mango all light and tasty. This wasn't on the menu but my Aunty knew about it! Gotta love the Hawaiian Aunties! Will definitely return for some of the local stuff and breakfast.

    (4)

  • Lyn L.

    8/13/09 It's been a while since I've gone here...but I was really disappointed with the food....the pork chop tasted a bit oily...still kind of heavy in the tummy....I'm not to impressed with this place anymore.... ******************************* Asahi Grill is the Japanese restaurant for Kapiolani Coffee Shop and is it ever good! You will find excellent Japanese food along with the local favorites and the signature Kapiolani Coffee Shop Oxtail Soup...Moderately priced, it's a great place for families, breakfast, lunch, dinner and post movie meals. Affordable for everyone and the staff is so incredibly nice and helpful....You will love this place. The only drawback is the limited parking...but it is worth it! Enjoy!

    (2)

  • Travis M.

    I only come here for Oxtail Soup. As they know how to do it good over here. Not the best I had as that one is at my own house, but this one is still good. Got the loco moco and it was pretty good too.

    (4)

  • Jesse C.

    The best Oxtail soup in Hawaii. Throw a scoop of rice in and hit it a couple of times hard with tabasco! Booya!

    (4)

  • JoAnna G.

    Simple place for a quick lunch. Call me crazy but I'm actually not into oxtail soup. A few of my friends swear by this place though. It's a good solid soup but definitely not something I would go out of my way for. Fried rice is better than Zippy's but not as good as Like Like or Rainbow Drive-In. Bathrooms are Chinatown style and service is a little forgetful (not that it effects my review too much but it's worth noting). To me, they're are cooler places to check out.

    (3)

  • Rox E.

    I love that I can get Kapiolani Coffee Shop oxtail soup in town, and on Ward Ave no less! And they have a great selection of other items (for that 1 person in your group who doesn't order oxtail), with the local plates and Japanese teishoku entrees. Their prices are decent but the last time I went two weeks ago their portions seemed a lot smaller than before. And the oxtail soup price keeps climbing while the bowl keeps getting smaller! But I guess I can't say it's overpriced based on the principle of supply and demand, 'cause I know we'll be back once that oxtail craving hits again.

    (4)

  • Jayme N.

    I actually come here pretty often because the prices are somewhat reasonable and the food tastes good. I had the loco moco this morning and I like the tan tan mein (though it's ususlly not enough for a meal on its own). My family likes the oxtail soup - it's supposed to be the old Kapiolani Coffee Shop recipe - and their fried rice. I give it only four stars because the wait staff is never even remotely friendly.

    (4)

  • Meexah M.

    The beef stew is awesome!

    (4)

  • Titamas K.

    Oxtail Soup was delicious. Service is fast and the female waiters are nice. On a different day we had the Sweet Bread French Toast, bacon and lup cheong. Nothing that great, should've stuck with the Ox Tail. However, they weren't stingy on the quantity of food. For my side order bacon I got 5 or 6 pieces. Only about 10 or so parking stalls in lot. Not sure what the difference is with Asahi and Kapiolani Coffee Shop cause both wear the same attire.

    (3)

  • Wilfred L.

    If you want no nonsense good local food, Asahi Grill is a good place to go. Tonkatsu & Chicken Katsu Curry are delicious. The only bad part to going here is the parking. You have to roll the dice when you choose to eat here. More often than not, you will need to park down the street to enjoy a meal here.

    (4)

  • Glenn Y.

    Went for the oxtail didn't taste like kam bowl or kapiolani coffee shop. Tasted weird not good.

    (2)

  • Shon T.

    Best advice on where to eat is either the valet homey, or your local buddies. Props to Mikey for his recommendation for Asahi Grill. Though i didnt try everything....anything commin outta the kitchen looked EFFin mouthwatering. Breakfast is good, but not satisfying. I mean its hard to fu*k up eggs, portuguese sausage, and rice. Kimchi fried rice is good. Loco Mocos and chicken katsu are very good. But the star of this place is OXTAIL SOUP. Not as good as KAM BOWL, but its the better than any other joint around town. Piping hot soup, oxtail braised til the meat's about to fall off. Peanuts, star anise, and nice heaping spoonful of fresh sliced/diced green scallions. Throw in a bowl of rice, and fresh ginger. Shit...too bad they dont freeze and overnight food.... :o(

    (4)

  • Tyler D.

    Whoa! I've always thought this place was decent but nothing to get crazy over. The other day I got a oxtail ramen. So freaking good! I'm not a crazy oxtail soup fan as there isn't enough to it for me, but the oxtail soup combo with the noodles and fishcake was unrealz!

    (5)

  • Maurie F.

    Service was fast and very friendly. Good selection on menu. All fried rice is super! Curry was very tasty as was the soup. Highly recommended for a good local kine meal.

    (5)

  • Tsum J.

    Not bad... Prices were reasonable and the service was friendly (not rushed and kept filling our water glasses). The eggplant curry and katsu curry were disappointing (serving sizes were small) but the Saba was decent and you could order brown rice instead of white. Out of town guest rated the ox tail soup as a "9" on a 1-10 scale. It's all in the broth.... : ) Kid-friendly place and quick service.

    (3)

  • Katrina L.

    Food: good taste & portions. Cleanliness: twice in a row that I went there, my bf/i got dirty soup spoons. Cushioned chairs were originally green, I think, but turned to that dirty, dark green look. I seriously think I sat on a wet chair (I was wearing shorts) so it felt damp on the back of my thighs (Did previous customer spill something on the chair or was just had sweaty legs?). Switched the chair and it felt dry. They can't afford to get new chairs? The table they had us sit - there was this white color dried particles on one end - looked like dried toothpaste - table(s) wasn't wiped down properly. Service: when I nicely asked for another spoon, the waitress just looked at the spoon and took it away without an apology.

    (3)

  • Panda K.

    When we went for this place for dinner around 7:30, the inside was dark and almost empty. Their renowned oxtail soup was just okay. Ahi bowl was less than good. Our waiter looked pretty unhappy.

    (2)

  • Dukie N.

    To be honest, I only eat breakfast here. One of the best places for breakfast in Honolulu. We stop here every time we visit. I am a big fan of eggs, fried rice and portuguese sausage or SPAM. Their fried rice is very good. It is a cozy little place with good service at a reasonable price. My brother -in-law is a big fan of their loco moco!

    (4)

  • Kristi S.

    Asahi Grill is one of my regular haunts. I used to invite people here for lunch meetings when i wanted to get away from downtown. I love their spicy ahi bowl and the tofu salad is also refreshing, but the last 5 trips or so have been purely about the oxtail soup. The bugger has gotten pricey in the last year and a half, but it's had to beat. All one need do is close their eyes and imagine the clang of bowling ball against pin to hearken back to the magic of Kapiolani Coffee Shop at Kam Bowl. The bowls were bigger then (all around haha), but the soup and meat is still the same and you can still use all the ginger you like. As long as it's around, Asahi Grill is one of my staples.

    (3)

  • Brian L.

    What a great little find. We went here on our way to the airport last Sat. morning. I had the lop cheung fried rice with egg for like $6 and we also ordered the oxtail soup which was also very affordable. The place is not much for decor, but the service is great and the food is tasty and cheap. The total for 3 was about $38.

    (3)

  • Josh P.

    Simple food and reasonable prices. I think the food can be a little over seasoned but it all depends what you order. I have been eating here kinda often lately because of other people, so it's kinda growing on me.

    (3)

  • Jesse C.

    Teishoku is always mean

    (4)

  • Chi-Hye M.

    This place is like a minuet from where i work so its fast food at a good price...and tastes good too. i really like the Loco Moco...it has to be my favorite thing there so far. the hamburger patty isn't dry or burnt like some places. The Miso ramen is really good on a cold day...noodles are not soggy and the broth actually is miso broth...haha They Oyako Don was ok...there was too much skin and fat on the chicken...but the seasoning was really good... i tried the kim chee fried rice...and i have had better...for some reason it tasted sour to me?!?! The menu is pretty good and they give large portions... great place for after movies or a late dinner

    (4)

  • First Name L.

    Maybe it's me or maybe it's because I don't like to eat TAIL.. oh I mean OXTAIL. I look at my dogs tail and wonder if it taste's like oxtail? Such an appetizing part of the animal to eat. Who cares, I'm sure that hot dog at Costco had ass and ear wax in it. I wonder if there's a parellel universe where the OX eat our asses in some kind of ass stew? A place where they breed humans for OX food. This world would have all these animals going to Costco to buy Legs, Arms, and Hearts made of humans. KFC - Kentucky Fried Children - lick the fingers good! MickieDickies. Menstru-Aid. Choco-Boobs. Tits, the other white meat! Murder Burger... our humans are always fresh, never frozen. Whole Dudes Market... our humans are grown without harmful pesticides or antibiotics and our humans are raised cage free! Sorry, I just escaped from the Kaneohe Mental Institution. I'll get to my review... To be clear, we don't care for tails so we had the Donburi. Our group of 3 all had Donburi. One of them Shrimp, Chicken, and Tempura/Tonkatsu. We all thought it was OK. What's bad is we were all really hungry and the food just tasted OK. That must means it's not good on a normal day. Glad I tried it but I think I'll just keep driving next time. Now if I can only stop thinking of that parallel universe.

    (2)

  • Angel L.

    Our first time trying here at this place on ward ave. We thought it was alright not the best but its pretty pricey for a tiny little place! We was disappointed that the food was not so good!

    (2)

  • Lance A.

    Based solely on the the spicy ahi don I ordered for take out, it was not good. The ahi was not fresh, tasteless, unusually red (suggesting it was treated with carbon monoxide), and the portion was small. It comes in a bowl that is barely half full with ahi and rice. Cucumbers, avocado, and slices of egg attempt to hide this fact and don't add to the flavor. The rice was good in texture and seasoning. The spice of the ahi was a drizzled sauce over the ahi, not mixed in with it. For nearly $12, it is a rip off. It may be worth it for half the price.

    (2)

  • Greg S.

    This review is for the Oxtail soup and fried rice; I haven't had a chance to try the rest of the menu. The soup is definitely as good as its reputation, but the number of oxtails seemed low, about seven pieces in the large size. The large, by the way, is definitely the way to go, because the small just doesn't cut it for a meal. As delicious as the soup was and as tender the meat was, I couldn't give it more stars due to the price. With the surcharge for the fried rice instead of regular, the price came out to almost fifteen dollars. I will be back though, but maybe for their early breakfast special, which is under five dollars.

    (3)

  • ray c.

    go there for the five-star oxtail soup! i wish the bowl's bigger tho, and few dollars cheaper!

    (5)

  • ed w.

    I had there ox tail soup after getting my wedding certificate with my wife. I wanted to eat second when I ate the ox tail soup. But my wife ordered the fried rice and I had to eat it and I was stuffed. Then I went back again after our Honeymoon from Maui but this time with her friends. My families went there and the liked the Ox tail soup too. My brother are the loco moco and he said it was good. Me and my wife made sure that our families and friends went there before they head back home and they all liked it.

    (5)

  • Heather D.

    its okay, we went for breakfast..good pricing, foods not bad

    (3)

  • Alan T.

    comfort food. good location (no need to drive to kailua.) oxtail soup. best kept secret is the green tea ice cream pie....

    (4)

  • stevo k.

    i usually come here once or twice a month. it's nice and quiet, laid back and the food (taste and quality) is consistent. i always get the oxtail soup which is pretty good. i also usually get the "famous" fried rice, which tastes ok, but a little skimpy on the ingredients. service is decent, but never nice or friendly. fair price, consistent food, good oxtail soup and they usually have parking.

    (3)

  • Jenn K.

    Just ate the Oxtail soup and loved it! So good! The soup was just right and lots of oxtail. The meat so tender. Sometimes we also come here for breakfast and I always get the Asahi Breakfast with salmon, rice, egg, salad, miso soup, & tsukemono! Yum!

    (4)

  • Keoni U.

    My review is only for the oxtail soup. This is the first time I've had oxtail soup and if this place says it has da best in da islands all I can say is ummmm what's so special about it? I'm flip. Oxtails are cooked with cabbage, potatoes, and carrots like Mom makes it. This soup was very plain and salty. Not sure if i would eat oxtail soup again unless my Mom cooked it. =)

    (2)

  • Lola C.

    Maybe I just came on a bad day or something but the fried rice had no flavor. I thought it would be really good because I saw all of their fried rice awards plastered on the walls. I'd come again, and hopefully the fried rice lives up to the hype.

    (2)

  • Jason M.

    oxtail soup for me use the key if you must pee get fried rice on side

    (5)

  • Katie M.

    Great comfort food for a good price! The recipes for the top two favorites at this local restaurant are taken from the Kapiolani Coffe Shop -- oxtail soup and fried rice. I have tried both, of course! I have had the oxtail soup at the Kapiolani Coffee shop and Pearl City and am happy to have found a much closer location to enjoy the tasty meal. The oxtails are cooked perfectly and fall off the bone. Served with scoops of rice and the ginger on the table, it is truly island comfort food. The fried rice is also good, served with two eggs any style on top. I added a litlle Srichacha to my rice to add a little kick -- I really should have just gotten the kimchee fried rice instead. Definitely come to check this little place out and order the oxtail soup. I don't think you'll be disappointed!

    (4)

  • Kayfo T.

    You can't beat the quality of food from Asahi Grill for the price you pay. The spicy tuna don is my favorite. The chicken katsu is one of the best I've tasted. The service, however, is lacking to nonexistent. The server comes to the table once to take your order and once to drop it off. If you need anything else from more water to a pair of chopsticks to your check, you need to walk up to the front register. Nonetheless, the food is great and I'll continue to return for that!

    (4)

  • Joanne M.

    I kind of remember my dad telling me that the old Kapiolani Cafe at Kam Bowl we loved for years renamed itself as the Asahi Grill...but it didn't really hit me until a week ago. I walked in that night a little late and saw my friends waiting for me at a table. I passed a waitress who greeted me very enthusiastically, and I said hi back. She said my name...how does she know my name? I looked at her like I knew her but I wasn't sure. Then she mentioned Kam Bowl and how she's remembered me since I was little..and I knew she was the nice auntie who served my family those ox tail soups and egg over fried rice back in the day. She was the auntie who I order fries and cheeseburgers when I met up with my dad after school. She was there in my old memories. What...a..small....world. Well island. I just know after that encounter, I felt like I was at home...at the Kam Bowl again. So I must come back with my family :)

    (4)

  • Jarrett W.

    Few days ago i tried their lup cheong fried rice... the small (small scoop of rice and 1 egg) is just not enough unless youre a child. My friend was still hungry.... I recommend the large. Tried the oxtail soup.... pretty good. 2 scoops of rice and decent amount of oxtail. soup was tasty. For $12.95, I'd expected more...

    (3)

  • Ericka M.

    I tried it twice and really did not care for it. The place is a bit grimy, and the food aside from the ox tail soup was okay. Nothing great. It wasnt the most horrible thing ever, but definitely nothing good either. The customer service seemed overwhelmed both times and forgot our orders. Just wasn't feeling this place too much. Dont think Ill be returning either.

    (2)

  • Sung's B.

    great food, great service great peoples! ....... thank you! father god! ....... :-) 777

    (5)

  • Mark M.

    Let me get this off my chest first by saying that the service here is terrible. No one greeted us as we stood by the door waiting to be seated. No one thanked us for dining there on the way out. I didn't see a single smile or laugh from anyone that was working last night. It almost seemed like we were bothering them for eating there. The food however, was pretty good, unlike the service. She got the spicy ahi don with shrimp and I got the combo teishoku with butterfish and salmon. It came with rice, miso soup, tsukemono, mac salad, and tossed greens. It was a lot of food and I couldn't finish it all. The salmon was grilled perfectly and the butterfish melted as it hit my tongue. But unfortunately, I don't think I"ll be coming back. Not when there are dozens of restaurants in the same vicinity that actually appreciate the business. In these tough economic times I would think that restaurants would be fighting to the death to keep their customers as regulars. Oh well, what do I know?

    (3)

  • Michela K.

    Love the food. Combo don is amazing! Comes with Ton Katsu, shrimp tempura, and a little bit of egg and onion over rice. Only things is the parking lot is very small and I always have a hard time getting my water refilled. Other than that, I love going here for lunch

    (4)

  • Kelly G.

    Love that they serve a smaller size of ox tail soup available for $10 (instead of $14 for the regular). Comes with scoops of rice. Soup was decent, not as rich as Aiea Bowl. The meat was also not falloff the bone, although they were generous with their portions of meat!

    (3)

  • Stu E.

    We went for dinner...it was my first time, and was pleasantly surprised with the place. The ambiance is very casual and easy going. My wife had the butterfish, which she said had right amount of char on it. I had the spicy ahi and shrimp don. The spicy sauce was tasty, but not too hot. Service was very good. We will be back.

    (4)

  • Richard H.

    This is the original Kapiolani Bowl Oxtail Soup, which was also located at Kam Bowling Alley in Kalihi. Nothing has changed with the Oxtail soup, and the service is very similar to that at Kam Bowling Alley. Your order for Oxtail soup will arrive within a few minutes, and will be accompanied by 2 scoops of rice, grated ginger, and a bowl of oxtail soup. Large chunks of meat, garnished with Chinese parsley, in a savory broth. For a change of pace, they also have a great Japanese menu, and surprised me with a delicious spicy ahi bowl. Their breakfast menu is a great value, but find myself compelled to stick with a winner, Oxtail Soup!

    (4)

  • Kayla A.

    When I first heard of this place, I though about a Japanese bar since the name is a famous jape ewe beer, however it is definitely not a bar. This place is a bit on the pricier side however their food is amazing and the staff is really friendly. Their oxtail soup is really tender and it just falls off the bone! Their regular portion is fairly huge and it comes with rice. The small portion was more than enough for me. Their fried rice in on the oilier side however it was very tasty. There is a small parking lot however it does fill fast especially during dinner time.

    (4)

  • Emily T.

    I am one of those people that finds a favorite dish at a place, then I end up getting the same thing all the time, even though I would want to try something different. At Asahi Grill, it is always the fried rice with egg. For the price, it is pretty tasty. Once in a while I'll also throw in a side of bacon or portuguese sausage when I'm in the mood (wait, who is never in the mood for bacon!) The downside is that there can be inconsistencies with the quality of the food, fried rice sometimes isn't as tasty, and bacon is a little underdone/soggy. But for the majority of the time, it comes out ok. I normally do take-out, so I call in the order, and it is ready pretty quickly (5-10 min). Calling it in also helps with the parking situation, since there are only a limited amount of stalls and most times I've gone on the weekend in the morning, the lot is full, so I double park, and run in and out of there quickly. Maybe I'll try something different next time, but for now, when I'm in the mood for fried rice, Asahi Grill is the place for me!

    (4)

  • Nathan N.

    I'm a fan based on their customer service alone. Super friendly staff and quick, good food makes Asahi Grill a winner in my book. Parking is a bit of a hassle because it's pretty popular. So if you see an open parking on the street nearby, take it.

    (4)

  • Jarrett H.

    Once again, the former Advertiser's Metromix gets a big FAIL for their reviews. They rated this place as one of the top Loco Moco joints in Hawaii. I think this place is kind of overrated. Loco Moco was ok. Nothing special. In fact, I was still hungry after I ate the Loco Moco. The patty was kind of dry and the gravy wasn't anything special. I had the Mushroom chicken and all it was was Campbell's cream of mushroom soup with canned mushrooms. It was ok but considering all the rave reviews about this place, I expect better. My friend had the Spicy Ahi Don. He gave me a sample and this was actually pretty good. I liked the sauce. Creamy and spicy. I have had other foods here and there is nothing really impressive to me. I know a lot of people come for the Oxtail soup but Im not much of a fan of that soup so if you like Oxtail soup a lot of my friends recommend it. Doesn't hurt to try it. Remember, there is a Kapiolani Coffee Shop in Waimalu Shopping Ctr which is just as good. Service is ok but sometime we have to get our own water. Ambiance looks confused, I know it was a burger king and mos burger a long time ago. Honestly, Ive been here many times and I just haven't really been impressed by anything here. Maybe if I liked Oxtail Soup I might like this place better. Looking at what others have said, I can't say YOU would not like it but I have had better elsewhere.

    (2)

  • Jasmine N.

    You want protein with that? No thanks. After already eating breakfast I decided to just get the oxtail broth. It came out piping hot and thank goodness because I found a flying bug swimming in my soup. It was still good after overlooking the extra broth. My sampling of the loco moco and that was yummy too. The parking lot was tiny and we took the last stall. All in all it was an a-ok experience.

    (3)

  • Michelle L.

    Oh Asahi Grill...why must you keep raising your prices for the oxtail soup?!?! I came here last night since boy was craving it. My eyes went huge when I saw the price and the size that came out. Sigh. Why must you have the bestest oxtail soup on the island?! It's been so long since I had a nice hot bowl of beefy goodness that I forgot how to eat it! My dad and I used to go to Kam Bowl several times a week for our oxtail soup fix and I had eating it down to a science. Their side salad was a good portion for $3.25. Service is always okay and it's still always freezing cold in there. I bumped Asahi to four stars since it's the only place in town to get Kapiolani Coffee Shop's famous oxtail soup.

    (4)

  • Jhoren C.

    honestly this place reminds me of Kapiolani Coffee shop located in aiea Waimalu shopping center. The menu is almost identical except of course they have their own date on their specials. most popular are: Oxtail Soup -- one of the best oxtail soups I've tried the meat is very soft, chewy and you can actually bite on the bone. I like mines plain without all the garnishings (ginger, cilantro) so if you don't like cilantro than order without Kimchee Fried Rice -- this one is my fave! I love kimchee fried rice with lotsa kimchee and I like to add tobasco sauce just for an additional spice ou the plus: if you live in town and wanna try or crave for oxtail soup and kimchee fried rice then you don't need to drive to aiea just to get your fix they are located near Ward area

    (3)

  • Chelsey C.

    My grandparents are the pickiest eaters on the planet but they love homecooked style restaurants and Asahi Grill is perfect for that! I ordered takeout today and got my grandma the ever-so-popular oxtail soup and I got my grandpa the miso butterfish. They don't give tsukemono, miso soup, and a side of salad with their Japanese dishes when it comes to takeout orders, but they serve it when you eat at the restaurant. Why?? I have no idea. It's weird. But they give such a HUGE portion of fish! I was so surprised to see 2 filets in the styrofoam container along with two scoops of rice and mac salad. Awesome! I still feel kind of cheated about the absence of side dishes but that's okay. The main dish tastes good and that's the most important thing. I'm soooo happy this place can satisfy the tastebuds of my two finicky grandparents when I'm too tired to cook something.

    (4)

  • R T.

    Felt like a home cooked meal and they delivered. Home made pot roast with gravy is like eating mom's cooking. They also have one of the best oxtail soup on the island!

    (3)

  • Simon C.

    I have been going to Kapiolani Coffee House in one from or another for as long as I can remember. From what I can recall it was called Kam Bowl prior to its current incarnation as Asahi Grill off of Ward Ave. One of the most popular dishes is the classic Oxtail Soup ($12.95, I by dint of not being a restaurant owner find this price point curious as it is a bowl of soup. Although if memory serves oxtail soup takes hours to cook and prepare). This is definitely one of the most popular menu items and if this is not the reason why people go then it would most likely be the House Fried Rice. There are several good items such as the spicy ahi, but I would think the main reason is the oxtail soup. In its current state, there is room for I would say about roughly 50 people comfortably. Service overall is not bad, although I find it strange they say they don't serve water unless requested. (I should point out they still water irregardless so this is a moot point. If you are looking for a good place to eat on a rainy night, I would definitely recommend it.

    (3)

  • Dustin E.

    Oxtail saimin. Came here twice this week. This place is not bad as the other reviewers say it is. I enjoyed the flavor. Parking is tight, but okay. The menu is simple, but I am happy with the flavor and the prompt service. Yelp 365 Challenge: 97/365

    (4)

  • Jonn D.

    Rating: 4/5 Date(s) visited: 12/04/2010, many times before this. Food: 4.5/5 Service: 3/5 Atmosphere: 3/5 Price: 4/5 Parking: 2/5 Great comfort food when there's a place to park. I always have a "Plan B" just in case there's no parking there. Food: Love the local menu. All the good stuff. Service: I've never had a problem. Atmosphere: Nothing fancy, nothing uncomfortable...just right. Price: Nothing to complain about. Parking: Not much parking on their lot.

    (4)

  • Jose J.

    Oxtail soup is just about as good as it gets, only suggestion would be to add more veggies, but then who am i lol. Parking here can be a bit of a challenge but worth the drive around the block if needs be. Kimchee fried rice is ono.

    (4)

  • Krysti G.

    I went here to try the oxtail soup. The parking is small and they share parking with a business next door so there was work vans taking a few of the stalls. We were greeted and seated pretty quick, the waitress got our menus and took our orders she was nice but seemed rushed. I guess it was because we went during lunch and there was only 2 waitresses running around. We ordered the hamburger steak plate(see photo) which came with 2 huge hamburgers with gravy and onions, 1 scoop of macaroni salad and 2 scoops of rice. The hamburger was homemade not that flat pressed burgers you get out of a box and it was delicious. We also ordered the famous oxtail soup, that came with a mound of rice and ginger sauce. Its nice and steaming hot, the broth is very tasty lots of flavor and the meat is so soft, the ginger goes so well with the soup and of course the rice all put together on that soup spoon they give you and you just eat it,,,so yummy! Its delicious home style cooked food, its comforting flavors will fill you up. I like this place and I will definitely stop by again.

    (4)

  • Joe W.

    I usually come here for lunch and get the oxtail soup, but I tried breakfast here for the first time recently and was immediately hooked to the lap chong fried rice! The lap chong fried rice is a hefty serving of rice with sweet chinese sausage mixed in. For ~$7, the heaping pile of rice is topped with two eggs (optional) made to order. This meal is great on any day of the week, but it was especially satisfying for me after a long night of..."socializing." Parking is pretty limited and the parking lot leaves something to be desired, with its giant pot holes and uneven ramps. Despite the small parking lot, I've never had trouble finding parking. Contrary to the exterior, the restaurant interior is kept clean and service is pretty quick and attentive. No complaints here! Definitely one of my favorite places for good local Japanese and Chinese food!

    (4)

  • Caroline D.

    Good local-style Japanese food. I've never tried their signature oxtail soup, but the fried rice is usually good, as are all the Japanese dishes I've tried. (Katsudon is a fave.) Service is so-so. Several times I've asked for brown rice and received white rice, and if you order takeout, make sure you open up the container to check your order. I once ordered katsudon to go, and the container said katsudon, but when I got home and opened it was greeted by oyakodon.

    (4)

  • Chip G.

    This place is really, really good. Great food, good atmosphere, nice service, and a wonderful soft-shell crab don. Check it out if you're in the area!

    (4)

  • marissa t.

    The oxtail is just as good as it was from Kam Bowl. There's a lot of meat on the bones and the soup is very tasty. The kim chee fried rice is awesome, MUCH better than the one from Big City Diner. They are open late too. The only bad thing is that the parking lot is a little small :/

    (4)

  • Tina H.

    Here was the plan last night: - Buy a six pack of Hite beer - Walk six pack of Hite beer over to Ah-Lang Restaurant - Take a bottle and bring it to the infamous Angry Korean Lady - Woo her with alcohol and my enchanting charm - Eat Korean food for the rest of my life Thing is, this plan needs AKL to be there for it to work. We got to her place and it was completely closed. Devastated, we began to search for a restaurant that would accept our money, our beer, and our quasi-homosexual love spells. Enter Asahi Grill. Asahi Grill was like a beacon of light when we started down the dark road. By the time we got to the door and received a "yes" when my friend asked if it was BYOB, it was a glorious supernova of dine-in food. This place won't win any awards for interior decorating and I'm skeptical about the cleanliness of the tables. The food, however, held its own! We ordered the lup cheong fried rice with over easy egg, a bowl of ramen, and the butterfish. If I were to have these dishes again, I would be satisfied. My butterfish was delicate and buttery. For $15, you get it with soup, rice, salad, tofu, tsukemono, and a mac salad. My friend's ramen had a nice spicy kick to it and the fried rice carried its weight in good flavors. Service was polite, but nothing remarkable. I was just happy they let us in with our beer. I'd give this place 3 1/2 stars. If your heart's been broken by a certain angry Korean foodie crush, then taking a quick stroll over to Asahi Grill might save your night. The simple, local dishes will keep you satisfied and it's a better back up then Jack-in-the-Box at the corner.

    (3)

  • Jensen S.

    Always wanted to try this places after passing it like 100 times going to Ward. Just like Kapiolani Coffee Shop in Aiea, which was in Kam Bowl before. I always get the Fried Rice w/ 2 eggs scrambled. Taste just like Kapiolani Coffee Shop. No complaints. Never tried the Oxtail Soup here but it supposed to be the best. I'm not a fan, I just stick to my Fried Rice.

    (4)

  • Sheryl G.

    what: a local spot with local style food! something good: the service is fast and the food is good~ i came here for breakfast and there was no wait! something not so good: the food is okay, but i've had better breakfast, but i think i should try some of their specialties and their lunch menu!! :) something to try: over easy eggs with sauteed mushrooms.

    (3)

  • Brent S.

    Hands down still the best place for oxtail soup. Well... except my wife :) My dad used to take me to Kam Bowl ever since I was a kid. So when they moved to Ward and changed their name, I was really hopeful that the quality would remain the same. And for the most part it has. The soup has an amazing flavor. And don't forget the fried rice. I think they mince Portuguese sausage which gives it an deep rich flavor unlike any other fried rice I've had. Their burgers are also surprisingly good. Just a great solid burger. Definitely a place to come back again and again.

    (4)

  • Jose C.

    Good food for a reasonable price. Nothing special. Just a diner to get some eats.

    (3)

  • Katie F.

    where is my kapiolani coffee shop??? only asahi on ward?? I love the famous ox tail soup!!! Kimchee fried rice was great! sushi rolls are so-so. If they have a big smile, I would go there all the time!

    (4)

  • Robert D.

    Don't you ever get the feeling of going back in time? Like visiting places you used to frequent as a child. Or listening to music that you liked ("Candy" by Mandy Moore is what's playing on my iTunes right now, no joke). "Get the oxtail soup, do it, do it now". Is what I wrote for my tip, and it's the truth this place is known for it. Getting the soup brought back a flood of memories like Anton Ego in "Ratatouille", memories of childhood most times are of food. What was my memory? It was when I was a young boy and my Dad would take me to Kam Bowl to get this very soup if I was a good boy and did my chores. Of course the portions back then were way bigger and the ambiance was awesome, having good food in a bowling alley is one of my favorite things to do. Times are rough and restaurants need to make money so i figured it would only be a matter of time when the portions would get smaller. But, if you don't mind shellacking about 12-16 bucks for the soup and the memories this place is worth it. This place also has a lot of local favorites such as Beef Stew and Okinawan Food called Champuru. Parking kinda sucks in their lot but there's parking at Ward and some street parking nearby.

    (5)

  • Robert R.

    This place features a ton of local favorites, and some of the worst service that I've ever experienced. The parking lot is tiny, and we had to go around looking for street parking. I came with a group of 6 and we were promptly seated and our drink orders were taken. It took some time for them to return to take our food orders. I chose the Chicken Katsu curry. One by one, everyone at my table got their food, except for me! Finally, I saw a plate of Chicken Katsu curry coming out of the kitchen, which promptly made it's way to a newly-seated table of six who had just placed their orders. When I pointed this out to our waiter, he dismissed my complaint and continued about his duties. Almost 10 minutes after the rest of my party had gotten their food, a second plate of Katsu curry arrived. The food itself was good. I enjoyed my food, although my girlfriend complained that her Ramen was bland. Come here if you want some decent local food and can put up with inattentive waiters. Also note, they don't do free drink refills, so that was a nice surprise when our check came.

    (2)

  • D S.

    They have the best Fried Rice, love the food here and the employees are all friendly, I don't know why I didn't find this place years ago. parking can be difficult as the parking lot holds maybe 12 vehicles, the place looks like a hole in wall, but the food and the friendly help make this establishment well worth your time. I have tried a number of different plates, but I always come back to the fried rice. It comes in small or regular size. the small has one egg on top the regular size has two eggs on top of the rice.

    (5)

  • Sara H.

    I can't believe I have never been here before!! This place can best be described as a japanese / local coffeehouse. They serve breakfast items before 11 and then switch to lunch times. I am always in search of a good loco moco and the one served here did not disappoint!! I also had some opakapaka which is surprisingly a normal menu item and was really tasty. A LOT of people were ordering the ox tail soup which looked pretty good and someone even ordered a burger and fries which looked good too! The service was a little slow but the place was surprisingly crowded for a tuesday afternoon.

    (4)

  • Lynnell A.

    This review is for the Asahi Grill on Keeaumoku. So we all know about their oxtail soup ... The broth is amazing the meat is tender & not too fatty ... Yaddah yaddah yaddah ... One day at work I thought about how much I wanted ramen and shrimp tempura for lunch. But I also had a hankering for oxtail soup. I figure, no worries, I'll just do my famous "just-blurt-out-your-order-without-thinking" moves. I idly perused the menu and to my delight, I see they have oxtail ramen! It's made from the broth of their famous oxtail soup and a couple of pieces of oxtail. I happily ordered the oxtail ramen and the shrimp tempura "pupu plate" When my food arrived, I was in ramen nirvana! The ramen came piping hot, the noodles were perfectly done and the oxtail broth and oxtail just made it even better! The shrimp tempura came with three large shrimp tempura (maybe they used prawns?) & various vegetable tempura. They were crispy and not greasy. Needless to say I had a very very big and pricey lunch. Totally worth it though. I satisfied my ramen, tempura and oxtail soup craving in one fell swoop. The added bonus? Work was more tolerable. Cuz u know what they say ... a happy tummy makes a happy worker. :-D

    (4)

  • Mary D.

    If I had to choose, I'd eat lunch here as much as my wallet would let me. The parking is a hassle so I usually park in the back of Ross and walk across the street. I love their Oxtail Ramen and fried rice. The prices are affordable and the portions are equivalent to what you pay for. Lunch time gets very busy and there are times that you have to wait for a table. It gets chilly in there sometimes so bring a jacket. The service is efficient and the food doesn't take long to make it to your table. I've tried their tempura don, shoyu ramen, oxtail ramen, curry, and everything has been full of flavor and cooked just right. Well, the oxtail could be a little more tender but it's still delicious!! If you're looking for fine dining, this is not the place to go. It's a quick in and out diner and their broths always hit the spot!

    (4)

  • Rae A.

    I always love the food here, but I might have to start going to the other Asahi Grill on Keeaumoku. I heard that one is cleaner since its brand-new. When I went to Asahi Grill near Ward this past saturday for dinner, I had a run-in with a cockroach. It crawled onto the table and was drinking from the ring of water left on the table from my cup. Later, as we were paying our bill I went to grab a mint from the bowl, and realized it was full of ants. Disgusting. I told the waitress, and she said "oh", and took it from the ledge. Their food is awesome, but I don't know if I'm willing to sacrifice taste for cleanliness. Creepy crawlies aside, what I enjoyed eating there before this little incident was the kimchi fried rice, teri chicken, tonkatsu, and oxtail soup.

    (2)

  • Corrine C.

    Oxtail soup... tender meat, yummy soup - how is it not greasy?, rice... total comfort food. yum! We ordered a side order of the chinese sausage fried rice with an egg. It was tasty but a tad on the salty side and something I could have done at home. They have daily specials that looked interesting such as a tripe stew. Will need to come back here the next time we are in town!

    (3)

  • Jenifer G.

    It was my second visit to this restaurant, both times were to join others, never on my own volition and I am hoping I never get asked to come here again. The first try was over a year ago, I had their Chopped Steak on Vegetables. It was a bit atrocious, a sloppy mess with low quality beef. It was memorable in the fact that I did not like it from bite one. Do not order this! My second try was this past weekend, it was better but not impressive enough to lure me back. The $7 Tan Tan Ramen had pretty good egg noodles but the broth was extremely salty (and I prefer salty!). It had a good amount of food in it, two 2"x2"x1/2" blocks of pork char siu, with slices of napa (won bok) cabbage and kamaboko (pink/white fishcake). Would I order this again? No. The $8.95 Chicken Katsu Curry was not bad, the crunchiness was still there and the curry was not bad, but there was no attempt from the kitchen to flatten the chicken so as I ate it, the chicken pieces were pretty thick with the globs of chicken fat still attached to its sides (those fat chunks were pretty huge, yuck). Would I order this again? Probably not. Although I would rather order either this ramen or katsu curry over the chopped steak again, I still don't think I could come to the restaurant again for pure principle. Our table also ordered the Loco Moco Curry, with eggs over easy. Two of the eggs obviously cracked upon the flip, and it looked like a partial yellow blob omelette -- quite sloppy, and the server didn't bother to note the mistake. The hamburger patty was ridiculously salty, almost inedible. The fourth and last dish ordered was the Sweet & Sour Spare Ribs. The sauce was too sweet and the ribs could have surely been cooked longer to soften the meat a bit. I would not order any of these two dishes. Service was also far from good. The server didn't seem to care whether or not we enjoyed our dining experience. He didn't seem like he wanted to even be there, in fact when he got to our table to take our order he didn't say a word and just wrote down what rolled off our tongues. Zero welcome, zero smile, zero interest whatsoever. It was a complete turn-off from the get-go. The good things are that the a/c was blasting so it did get on the chilly side for me (and it was surely hot outside), and a little girl at the next table ordered a hamburger & fries so looks like the little ones could enjoy a kid-friendly meal here. Just don't ask how it tasted... Parking is small but there were enough open spots for multiple vehicles. We should have taken that obvious indicator to drive in the opposite direction. With that said, I still give it 2 stars because a couple of us did finish most of our meals (the ramen and katsu curry).

    (2)

  • Lisa T.

    All the times I've visited Hawaii and I never even heard about this place. Holy crap - this place has awesome oxtail soup. Def order the large...don't even think going smaller. It's flavorful and the meat just is so tender and delicious. I love the grated ginger. Also, tried the spicy ahi poke don (rice bowl with ahi poke and some other stuff). Super delicious too. What a gem of a place. The servers were friendly. The ambiance is quite "diner" feeling. I'm definitely making Asahi a regular place to go when I visit!!!

    (4)

  • Shane T.

    Always satisfied at Asahi Grill. Oxtail Soup and Fried Rice... Money! The service is good. Too bad they don't serve beer.

    (4)

  • Lisa T.

    Ate here two weeks ago, and still shudder upon reflection... Ant trail (yes, TRAIL - not one or two hunters, but a whole line of 'em) on the first table we sat at. Moved tables; no ant trail. Much better... ...Or so I thought!! Food was junk. Won't even go into that, because the end is all I need to tell ya - ROACHES (yes, PLURAL) on the shelves where dishes and utensils are kept behind the cash register!!! Saw one, told the cashier. She got it with a napkin and was thoughtful enough to spray and wipe the area. Then she comes back to finish my payment, and ANOTHER one scurries out, searching for his homie. I signed the slip and said PEACE OUT to the joint, 'cause I ain't never goin' back.

    (1)

  • Robyn S.

    Had take out and ordered the chicken katsu. They forgot to give me macaroni salad and they do not clean the fat off the chicken. Yuck, pulling the fat off was not fun and there was a lot.

    (2)

  • Shay F.

    I tasted the Asahi salad and the Shoyu ramen with kimchee. Both were good. It's a very casual place....nice alternative to Zippy's. Parking is limited though...only about 8 - 10 stalls?

    (3)

  • Kristen C.

    More like a 3.5. I've been meaning to try this place and when I finally made my way here, I went for their popular oxtail soup, although I def want to come back to try their other menu items, consisting of mostly japanese and "local" dishes. Our waitress was nice and very accommodating to my friend who wanted a papaya which was only sold during breakfast/lunch hours. As for my oxtail soup, I got a small and it came with 3 medium pieces. The meat was tender and the soup was pretty flavorful and light tasting, with a mostly ginger flavor. I especially liked the chinese parsley leaves. Overall it was good but I've definitely had better oxtail soup from my grandmas kitchen ;).

    (3)

  • Lynn C.

    I may have to go back again because this review may be a little skewed. I had been craving oxtail soup for about three months so when I finally had it, I almost cried tears of ginger. I mean tears of happiness. First thing I noticed was that...parking sucks (I'm counting maybe about 8 spaces?). Lucky for us, someone came out as soon as we got in so we didn't have to fight anyone. It was VERY cold in there but maybe it's a hint to get their oxtail soup. They are a spinoff of Kapiolani Coffee Shop so they too have the oxtail soup. i was fascinated with the jars of ginger (I have a hard time grating ginger and to see jars of it....I wanted to steal it and take it home) on the tables. I went all out with the large oxtail soup which looked to be about 8-10 good pieces of oxtail and two scoops of rice (and unlimited ginger!). The small looked to be about 4-6 pieces of oxtail with one scoop of rice which is perfect for Popo. Oxtail soup is pretty salty but they were prompt about refilling the water. Brother had spicy ahi don which he devoured and which I took to be very good. He didn't even offer me any. :(

    (4)

  • Shelly i.

    This is actually a tale of two oxtail soups.... The oxtail soup, which is the specialty of Asahi Grill and the oxtail soup at Morimoto Waikiki. Is it a bit unfair to compare a local style eatery with a fine dining establishment backed by an Iron Chef? Probably... See the funny thing is, when I was eating oxtail at Morimoto Waikiki, I couldn't stop thinking about Asahi Grill. Of course the converse is also true: when I finally got to go back to Asahi Grill for the oxtail, I couldn't stop thinking about Morimoto's version. The taste of the Asahi Grill oxtail soup broth is exactly what I'm looking for when I order oxtail soup. It's a little bit salty but perfect with the rice and they have jars of grated ginger so you can customize (I like lots). But... the quality of the meat is where Asahi Grill gets tripped up. The oxtails I've had there are fatty and tiny. What kind of anemic cows are they getting these tails from? Conversely, you could really believe that the oxtail in Morimoto's soup comes from real oxen. The Paul Bunyan kind. And the price point between the two soups is not that big, $11 for the Asahi Grill soup, $14 for the Morimoto version. I feel like I did Morimoto Waikiki a disservice when I said their oxtail soup was "meh". Little did I know that I had built up Asahi Grill's version in my head. Still I think if you could combine the two soups (Morimoto's meat with Asahi's broth) you'd be on to something. Ambiance and service are okay... I got water and hot water (for my tea) refills. If you ask for green tea you get your standard bag of yama-moto-yama. One final note: be careful if you're wearing slippers in the parking lot. It's not that even and puddles of dark, stinky water tend to form.

    (3)

  • Della M.

    Made an unexpected stop here today with the hubs after a super hard gym work out and I was one hungry, hungry hippo. I came in with the intention of getting something relatively healthy, but then I remembered that they were supposed to be famous for their oxtail soup. I am a sucker for oxtail soup, but I really was wasn't trying to eat a big bowl of tender fatty meat after my workout, but after walking into the freezing cold restaurant, well I had no other choice. Let me keep this short and to the point. If you want truly delish oxtail soup go to the Alley bar and grill in Aiea instead. Broth was good, but warm and not piping hot. The meat was not fall off the bone tender and way more fat than meat. I know oxtails are not exactly lean eats, which is why it's so damn good, but go to Aiea and you will see the difference.

    (3)

  • Dj M.

    Oxtail soup fix!!!

    (5)

  • Diana B.

    If you're looking for legit Japanese cuisine this is the place to be! Since I don't know too much about it we went safe and ordered the chicken curry. I must say I've had better but I heard their oxtail is pretty good, though! The service was a bit hard for us to understand but everyone was pleasant so why not, if you're in the King St area and craving real Jap give Asahi Grill a try.

    (3)

  • John H.

    Every trip back home we need to stop here. I love the ox tail soup!!! Extra cilantro! Con: Parking sucks. Its too small, slow service.

    (3)

  • Jessica M.

    Everything I have tried here has been EHHH, whatever but I still keep going back. The restaurant and atmosphere just give you the feel of one of those restaurants where you just need to try out all of their dishes until you find that ONE dish that becomes the reason you ever come back at all. I believe I will find that here one day. But in the mean time, this is what I had a chance to try: 1. Fried Rice. Honestly, people were raving about this. My rice was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo mushy when I ordered it, it was such a BUZZ KILL. I was soo excited to try it! If you like Portuguese sausage, you'll love this dish cause they're super generous with it. 2. Spicy Ahi Bowl. Just don't order this from here. It's so over-priced and the sauce on the ahi is lame. Lame as in it's not disgusting tasting but it's soo forgettable. Don't they know how many other Spicy Ahi's there are out there? They put ZERO effort into the shitty sauce they drizzle over the Ahi which is not bad quality, I must say but still, just go for something else. 3. Tan Tan. I personally really appreciate this Tan tan. This mostly stems from the fact that I have a severe dislike for the infamous Tan Tan from Gomatei/Gomaichi/etc. Those places use a DISGUSTING amount of sesame oil in all their products and it freaks me out. The Tan Tan from here is so much more mellow and enjoyable. 4. Ox Tail Soup. While I have never personally ordered it myself, two of the guy I've went with have ordered it and enjoyed it completely. I also see a lot of people around me in the restaurant order it. My only suggestion would be to order it in the small size and then order something else too. The worst thing about this place is their parking situation. You'll see the mini lot as you approach the place.

    (3)

  • Nathan E.

    Yelp, you let me down with this one. Located this place because we wanted to try something different and not so well known. It was sure different. I must say that this must have been one of the worst restaurants that I have been to in a very long time. I though the food was Japanese, but after actually eating some of it, I don't know what they serve, but you get better food in a school cafeteria. We ordered the Special Sweet and Sour "Pork," the Mahi Mahi, and the Kim Chi Fried Rice. The pork was absolutely disgusting. It was not sweet or sour, it was super bland and has large globs of fat. The meat is questionable; Maybe it was dog? Who knows, but don't order it. The Kim Chi Fried rice was bland and not thoroughly mixed well. Again, don't order this. It's probably not even real rice anyway. The Mahi Mahi was ultry dry (and probably actually chicken). The only good part was to load up on tartar sauce and which it began to taste like the fish sandwich at McDonald's. The service was terrible. I couldn't understand a word that the lady was saying. She recommended the Sweet and Sour Chicken (Dog?) Special via pointing her finger at the direction of the menu while mumbling something that I couldn't understand. They don't pay much attention to you, even when the restaurant is empty. Be prepared to repeat your-self multiple times and bring your own supply of water or you might go thirsty. Honestly, I can't see why anybody eats here. Perhaps I ordered all the wrong food?

    (1)

  • Manda S.

    This review is for their breakfast food. We showed up around 9:30 on a Saturday, found parking in their lot and was seated almost instantly! The place was pretty full with local people eating a mix of breakfast and oxtail soup. Everything looked good so far! Our waitress was nice, took our orders quick and food came out just as quickly. Here's where it starts to go downhill: I ordered the Island Breakfast. Its like your standard eggs, meat, starch of your choice dish. However, everything on my plate was covered in OIL. I'm serious, there must have been at least 2 tbsp of oil covering the plate and coating all of the food. I mean, I don't mind if there's a little oil, that's just the nature of the dish and I can easily blot it off...but I put my napkin in the plate and it was instantly soaked through. It was kind of disgusting. :( BF and I ordered a side of pancakes to split and those unfortunately were burnt. He ordered the corned beef hash and he said his food was ok. I still don't think I really want to come back. :(

    (2)

  • Shanley R.

    Got the mahi mahi sandwich. Had too much mayo for my taste so next time will remember to ask for less.

    (3)

  • Demur E.

    Asahi Grill is like eating a plate lunch on an actual plate (rather than from a paper plate). Local favorites with two scoops rice, one scoop mac salad plus some Japanese dishes make up the menu of this unpretentious eatery. Food: Solid and what you would expect from a good plate lunch place. The loco moco is yummy with a char-grilled hamburger patty and good brown gravy. The same gravy is used for the chicken cutlet. My mom liked the miso butterfish because the flavorings were light and did not overwhelm the fish. Tempura dishes are light and crisp. Fried rice and oxtail soup are other favorites here. I like the sandwiches with french fries. The Japanese dishes come with tsukemono and some kind of soup. Once I went and it was miso soup, another time it was a clear broth with seaweed and rice noodles. Service: Standard. Friendly yet perfunctuary (not motherly like Eagle Cafe). They'll refill your water. Sometimes they will take your money to the register, most times people take their own bill and pay. Sodas are cups with ice and a 20 oz. bottle (not a fountain drink). Atmosphere: Like a diner without booths. All tables and chairs. Gotta love a place that has tobasco on the table. Parking lot is pretty miniscule, but not as horrible as the one for Sabrinas/Fat Greek/Cafe TajMahal. Overall: A good place to go for local comfort food in your boro boro t-shirt and shorts or on your way home from a hard day's work/shopping.

    (3)

  • Janessa L.

    After seeing the sign out front say "Oxtail Soup" I was already sold. Then I yelped it - and I was excited to read that their Oxtail Soup was the old coffee house recipe from Kam Bowl! It wasn't as good as I had remembered but maybe it was my expectations. It was definitely close. One thing I do remember from 6+ years ago is adding the chopped ginger from the cup on the table. Mmmm.... The Loco Moco and the "famous" fried rice was really good too. I know we were hungry but still...filled the tummy. The only draw back - it was freakin' freezing in there! Swear it was like 60 degrees in there. I know its hot outside but come on! It was not comfortable sitting there after being in the water all day and in our bathing suits. We actually put the heater on for a few minutes after getting in the car! crazy! Definitely worth a try!

    (4)

  • Miki L.

    Riding around on my bike this damp morning. Jones'ing for something warm and satisfying. I made a mistake by settling on Asahi Grill, thinking a hot bowl of oxtail soup would do the trick. A let down. The service, such as is always is here, is a matter of some women telling you where you can and can't sit, taking your order and dropping it (almost literally) on your table. I ordered the regular size bowl of soup for $10.25. It was the smallest bowl I've seen. Something you might serve ice cream in. Ok, a little larger than than, but startlingly small. I think they smother the soup with green stuff so you can't tell right away there really isn't much in there. (Then again, how can there be when the bowl is so small.) I had a couple of oxtails, a sea of parsley and green onions and broth. No peanuts, star of anise or orange rind floating around. So, altogether not that tasty, and not worth the money.

    (2)

  • Christina S.

    I have mixed feelings about this place... First of all the tiny parking lot has it been maintained in many years so you have to hope that the person next to you knows how to park. The restaurant itself is kind of run down looking inside and is sort of clean looking. I also think it is really weird that they have signs at every table stating they will only serve water if you ask for it but they bring it to you anyway. I would have never tried this place out if my boyfriend had not told me how good their oxtail soup was, which it is. It really does hit the spot on a rainy day but it is really expensive! Almost $13 for a bowl of soup! I have tried their spicy ahi bowl once and was not really impressed, it was just ok. To top it off the service isn't that great either. The last time we were there the lady at the cash register said "hi" and then insisted on adjusting the fan behind her and moving things around behind the counter before ringing us up. So unless you are really in the mood for oxtail soup, this place shouldn't be on your bookmark list.

    (2)

  • Gary Y.

    My wife and I went here for lunch. She is a vegetarian so it is often a challenge to find a restaurant that has food that she can eat. She ordered the chicken stir fry without the chicken and enjoyed it. The salad that came with her mea was "sad" because it was only iceburg lettace. I ate the loco mocco which is usually good. The patty and gravy is good. This time the bottom of the patty was black. The cook must have put it on the grill and forgot about it. After the food was brought, we had no one check on us to make sure everything was alright. No one filled the glasses with water. I am still looking for someplace with a great loco mocco.

    (2)

  • Garrett P.

    Ox. Tail. Soup. I don't think you heard me, so I'm going to go ahead and repeat myself. Ox tail mother-farking soup. Fark yes. I'd go out of my way just to swing by this joint again. The thing is, you don't even know you want it yet - but I know you want it. They know you want it. That's why they're making it, right now, for when you finally realize you want it. And you're going to LOVE it. Now get your tail over to Asahi and order up some ox tail soup. That aside, the portions of their other dishes are humongous, so maybe take it easy on the orders, yeah? My girlfriend and I would have easily been filled to the brim with one order of soup and another dish, but we made the mistake of ordering 2 other plates of food and had enough to last us a week in leftovers.

    (4)

  • Scott K.

    A relative restaurant to Kapiolani Coffee Shop, this place adds a Japanese flare to there local menu. Located on Ward Avenue so there is a limit amount of parking. The prices are not bad considering you can have grilled Opakapaka for $12. They do have alot of asian style local foods, but you must try the Opakapaka. You would think that at this price, the fillets would be small but you will be surprised. Asahi does sell your typical asian foods like Oxtail Soup, Pigs Feet Soup.....local stews and plate lunches. If you love mayo...you must have the mac salad.

    (4)

  • Cindy L.

    For no reason, I was craving ox tail soup. I don't even really like ox tail, but whatever. If I am craving something, I will go eat it. This is the first time I come to Asahi Grill and my first impression, it's definitely a local favorite. The place was already packed at 10am in the morning on a Saturday. However, they had a fast turnaround, so we didn't wait long. We ordered their most popular items: Oxtail soup, kim chee fried rice and loco moco. Five minutes from our ordered, the food came out. I had the regular size oxtail soup, so I was expecting a huge bowl, but it was a small wonton size bowl, however, they gave a good portion of oxtail, with lots of parsley and green onion. The kim chee fried rice was better than I expected, the rice was not mushy like most places, and you can definitely bite into the kim chee crunch. The most disappointing dish was the loco moco, not the best hamburger patty or gravy. We were in and out in 45 minutes; however, our stomachs were full and satisfied. I will definitely take visitors here to understand the local flavors.

    (4)

  • Tao M.

    Asahi Grill is another of my hole in the wall grindz spot. I am a huge Oxtail soup fan and Asahi is tied for first place in my book. I also order their fried rice with two fried egg's sunny side up. There is something magical about their fried rice with egg on top..... Taking a bite out of that combination gives you a feeling of ultimate comfort. Think thats the best way to describe it. I really havent tried too many of their other menu items. I come here for the Oxtail soup and friend rice period!

    (4)

  • Erwin M.

    So went back again for the oxtail soup before going to work.. It's good as always.. For sure be back again..,,

    (4)

  • Valerie S.

    My boyfirend and I came here for the first time - not impressed at all. There servings were so small for the amount they have charged us. The food was a bit bland - nothing special in terms of taste to us. IF we EVER decide to come back here, we will not be ordering the loco moco and hamburger steak. #junk

    (2)

  • Jun R.

    This is an interesting place. Half of it is a coffee shop and the other half is a full service restaurant. Nothing incredibly terrific but eating here just feels like home. When you read through the menu you see aspects of Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, and Hawaian cooking. The Oxtail soup was highly recommended and was as advertised. We tried it a couple of times in Oahu and this one had the best broth by far. The chashu ramen had generous portions of chashu and the loco moco had a larger than usual patty. Good place for fill up without the high price tag.

    (4)

  • Esteban W.

    Nearly four stars? are you kidding me? how can this place have that much going for it, to have nearly four stars (at the time this review was written). So a friend and I hit this up after the Yelp Elite party at TIKI's. I wasn't hungry, but my buddy was - Now, as I walked in, i knew it could not be great sign when I found out the bathroom is like around the corner - outside and through a passage as if it were some kind of magical paradise needing to be locked up for the protection of its enchanted habitat... bull shit. I walked in the actual restaurant and though, "wow this is... wait? when did i step into the third world?" Just in case you're impatient, they supply you the menu protected by a plastic coating beneath a polyurethane table top. Just in case Armageddon starts in Honolulu, these menus will live on to dictate to future archaeologist what and how we consumed to survive - Ox tails. They then supply you with big-boy menus, just in case the first menus were too horizontal for your liking and then they pass on to you some water - sans lemon. My friend ordered a gravy slathered Hawaii heart attack [loco moco] and i stayed safe with spicy barbecue chicken. my meal came with a shot glass of soup with a name i can not pronounce that tasted like miso soup - so i figure made of fish broth seaweed and thin noodles, and a split ramekin of pickles and orange-colored ... things. I had a taste of my friends coronary clogger and it tasted like curry from coco ichiban. take that for what its worth. As for my food, I liked it except for one thing, a pretty major thing... I'm going to rough guess-timate that maybe 40% of my chicken was either skin or attached chicken fat, which (unless you're into) - was not good eats. To make my meal just a tad more luscious, every bite of the chicken had some kind of cartilage or inedible gristle-like nastiness. I was totally pulling something back out of my mouth after every bit. If I felt like continually pulling things out of my mouth while I am trying to enjoy it I would have never .... nevermind. The point is, I was really disappointed about the whole thing. At that moment I wanted nothing more but the crab cakes, sweet pork quesadillas and coco-shrimp and kabobs from Tiki Lounge... damn - i should have just threw some into my nifty-awesome Yelp lunch box before I left. RECOMMENDATION: When someone suggests going to Asahi Grill, Slap the Bi*ch. Go to Liliha Bakery instead.

    (1)

  • Doris D.

    OK, you HAVE to get the oxtail soup here, nothing else is worth it, seriously. I got the small soup and they give you one scoop rice with it, just awesome!

    (5)

  • Jaimie S.

    NEVER take out from here. We usually eat in the restaurant and it's spectacular. We decided to take out tonight and got way less food than if we ate there. We got no sides with our meals!! No soup, no tsukemono, no salad or tofu with the teishoku we ordered, none of the normal stuff! Super bummed and completely disappointed. Never again will I take out from here.

    (2)

  • Shantel V.

    everytime im craving a good ol' saimin, i must get it from here! the broth is tasty by itself, that i could probably eat that with just rice! The only downside about this place, is the service. It sucks. Once you get your food that's it, you're on your own! Rarely has anyone ever refilled our waters without us asking. Besides the bad service, we still manage to go here quite often.

    (4)

  • Brian A.

    Asahi Grill is actually connected with the old Kapiolani Coffee Shop and their famous Oxtail Soup. We're not exactly sure what happened to Kapiolani Coffee Shop since they had to move from their old school street location. They had opened up shop in the Waimalu Shopping Center then promptly closed less than a year after opening that location. My great aunt used to work at the old Kapiolani Coffee Shop as a waitress and as the story goes she is credited with bringing over the recipe and teaching some of the old cooks how to make it. So, I used to take her to the old Coffee Shop to visit some of her friends from time to time. My girlfriend loves their Japanese style breakfasts with saba and miso soup. Me, of course I go for the Oxtail Soup. I enjoy it. It's about right for the price for Oxtail Soup also. They also have plenty other things on the menu which would be typical for one local style diner. Parking is sometime a pain because the lot is so small. Just keep it in mind when timing your visit.

    (3)

  • Clifton C.

    I love my Japanese breakfast and since the closing of Victoria Inn have been looking for one as good as theirs. Decided to try Asahi Grill on 5/11/12. Parking lot is small and had to circle the block at 7:30am before a stall was available. Ordered their Japanese Teisoku breakfast with mahimahi and a scrambled egg. Egg was scrambled well. Miso soup was tasty but no tofu in it, only a few strands of somen noodles. It came with a toss salad which was fresh with a nice cucumber and tomato slice on top. Mahi was on the salty side and came with tarter sauce. White or brown rice and tsukemono also included. All in all, enjoyed it! Oh, coffee was weak and they serve coffee mate creamer! Not too crazy about that!

    (3)

  • Stephanie K.

    I had the Lup Cheong Fried Rice here and it was pretty good. The staff was friendly and service was decent. The parking situation was horrible, but there was a guy from the restaurant standing out there helping people find a spot and navigate around the small parking area!

    (4)

  • Charisse L.

    This is my son's favorite place. He loves the fried rice and eggs. I usually have the Oxtail soup or spicy chicken don. It's a little over priced in my opinion and I never feel like it was a great experience. Overall, it's just ok with just ok food. Average...

    (3)

  • Mark S.

    I've eaten here several times and the food was always average most of the time. I took my family this past Sunday evening and the food was terrible. My ordered the Adobo fried rice and It tasted like someone spilled half the bottle of garlic powder in it. My father ordered the chop steak and the meat was so tough and chewy. My mother ordered the Oyako donbori and that had absolutely so much sugar in it. I had the braised short ribs and that was at least tender. I told the waitress and she did agree about the chop steak. She at least only charged us for the short ribs since most of the other dinners were hardly touch. We asked If they had a new cook and was told It was the same one. We will not go back to this place again.

    (1)

  • Joe W.

    Only for their so called "Famous Oxtail Soup". I compare all oxtail soup out there to my grandma's oxtail she used to make for us. She put so much time cleaning the oxtail of it's extra layer of fat and boil them long enough so the meat used to fall off the bone on request. The cartilage from the joints were soft enough to eat...NOT in this case for Asahi Grill. First thing I noticed was the portion i got for the price. i got 5 half pieces, so that's 2.5 pieces, plus it was coated with about a 1/4 inch of fat. Soup is why they got the 3 stars. I ended up getting 2 orders just to satisfy my hunger. cost me over $30. For the best oxtail soup, I suggest Pho Bistro 2 on Fern street. It comes Okinawan style when you order from the menu, but i like my oxtail in their Pho Soup. I order mines "oxtail Pho" thx for reading and enjoy

    (3)

  • Mandy C.

    Oxtail soup, lup cheong fried rice, and loco moco. nuff said.

    (4)

  • Oski B.

    If Seoul Garden Korean Restaurant and Pho 74 had sex....and produced a baby.... it would be a beautiful baby.... that baby would be Oxtail Soup from Asahi Grill. I've had Oxtail soup for years made by my mom. Korean Oxtail soup is delicious. But I never had it this way...... this tasted like a combination of the Korean Oxtail with Vietnamese pho broth. It had watercress, star anise, and cilantro. It's not cheap... $12-13. But they give you A LOT of oxtail meat. So I think it's worth it. I came here twice in one week and saw some other regulars. We gave each other the silent nod.... which means "awwww sheeeittt you about to grub on some oxtail too?" Fried rice was good too. And coffee is good because it used to be the Kapiolani Coffee Shop. Weird combo, Oxtail soup and coffee. But hey, it works.

    (5)

  • Jocelyn L.

    How have I never had the oxtail soup or fried rice here before?!? So flavorful and delicious that I went back to get the fried rice for lunch after having it for dinner the night before! Perfect grub for the beach, 3 mins drive away! Will be back!!!

    (4)

  • Ledbetter A.

    I was there yesterday. I am visiting and was looking for a local place. I truly believe that supporting local restaurants is the way to go in my travels. I am amazed at the food. It's reasonably priced. Not expensive at all. And the quality of food is brilliant. The parking lot is small but they help you to and guide you from a spot. My blue 'stang was well taken care of. I am surely coming back here. Do not miss. Great place.

    (5)

  • Tasha L.

    Always passed by and wanted to try this place and time never allowed it. Luckily! We were in the area for a car appointment and dove in on the chance. Browsed the menu and decided quickly on the Chopped Steak (added onions and mushrooms), and the Combination place with Chicken Katsu and Shrimp Tempura. The food was divine! Why the lack of 2 stars if the food was so great? The service. Food took about 20 mins. Ordered a coke and the waitress forgot not once, but twice. Decided to order it with another waitress and she hopped on it. Overall, we'll definitely be back.

    (3)

  • Mark T.

    Service tonight is slow and very inattentive. I don't know if this is the normal atmosphere here but as a first time patron I don't like it. Everyone working here behaves like they could care less if we are here or not. Took a LONG time to even get acknowledged to be seated. Let's hope the food makes up for this initial disappointment! Good is ok. Oxtail soup is not too bad, not a lot of peanuts but a forest of parsley. A lot more oxtail meat in a small serving than I expected. Rice is old and tough, like grandma style after the whole day in the pot. One interesting note: the ginger in the jar on the table is chock full and so fresh you'll scald your nostrils just lifting the lid! +1 for quality. I'd take Aiea Bowls oxtail soup over this in a heartbeat. Service is still uneven and kind of disappointing. It's Saturday night, why wouldn't you have one of your better shifts working? Overall not too bad but not great. Felt like I wasn't a customer just someone who sat down in the middle of their day. I will say this - the prices are definitely not bad at all, quite affordable. Dinner for two was under $30. Thanks Asahi Grill, it was interesting but once is enough for me. I'm going back to Aiea Bowl.

    (2)

  • Marko C.

    I had an opportunity to finally eat here after seeing this place for 7+ years. My brother and sister in law wanted to come here for breakfast. The place was half full when we got here at around 9:30 a.m. on a Thursday. The restaurant hosts about 18-20 smaller tables and is very local casual inside. I was told that this restaurant is known for their ox tail soup. I decided to get the loco moco with a side order of extra gravy. The dish was okay - it was a hamburger patty served over a couple of scoops of rice and topped with an over-easy egg and light-colored brown gravy. The flavors were comforting, but there we no real pronounced flavors that stood out. In fact, it was a bit bland. I'd be glad to come back here to try something else on the menu. Maybe I picked the wrong thing? Food Grade: C+ Service Grade: B- Worth the Money Grade: B- Overall Impression Grade: C+

    (3)

  • Lori L.

    Asahi Grill is a local-style restaurant known for their Oxtail Soup, Dons, Hamburger Steak/Loco Moco, and Chopped Steak. Open early and late, you can have breakfast, lunch, and dinner here. We came for lunch and everyone ordered a Spicy Ahi Don which came with miso soup and one bite of tsukemono. The Don has rice, furikake, saracha-mayo, fresh ahi and a few chunks of avocado, tasty, but not super filling. If you're really hungry, you might want to order something else. If you do check them out, they have a small parking lot which fills up fast and they can get busy during peak hours. Besides the regular menu, they also have a rotating Daily Menu.

    (2)

  • Lelabee D.

    Not that much selection for breakfast but the service is good. All the workers were filipino and service were superb. The island breakfast portion was small. Their local moco was good made with real home made hamburger. I luv home made hamburgers. My daughter and I had the adobo fried rice. That's the winner! Their oxtail is the best though. I'll go back again to pick some of that up. Their prices are fair. We went around 9ish and it wasn't busy, lots of old people. The place is not too clean nor too dirty. They need to clean their floors and their ceilings. Four stars for their food and service. MOOD: Happy Camper to start the day.

    (4)

  • Jeana P.

    Asahi Grill on Ward Avenue....no affiliation with the Asahi Grill on Keeaumoku Street. Whenever I have a craving for oxtail soup or if I am in the Ward vicinity I always make a habit of stopping by Asahi Grill whether it's for lunch or early dinner. I may arrive to the restaurant alone, some days I may have my mom with me, or for my last visit it was meeting up with J2 and her friend after doing errands at Ala Moana Shopping Center and at Oceanic Cable. Oxtail soup is the only thing that I had during my visits even though I know they sell fried rice, ramen, Hawaiian food, and burgers. They may have other items on the menu...I just don't know what they are and I'll probably have to try them out on future visits. The oxtail soup is very delicious and the meat is very tender. No complaints from me whatsoever. There's a choice of having a small bowl or a regular size bowl. The bigger serving of oxtail soup comes with 2 scoops of rice (an extra scoop of rice cost $1.00). The broth for the oxtail soup is very clear looking. It does not have any greasiness in the soup like one of the Chinese restaurants that I've tried. The few times that I have been to Asahi Grill it was rarely crowded. There's tables set up for 2 people, 4 people, or even a group of 8 individuals. The waitresses are always friendly and they make sure that the drink cup is always filled. When it is time to pay the bill...I can choose to either pay by cash or pay by credit card. Majority of the time it's always pay by credit card with the exception of my last visit. I have a habit of always paying my bill at the register. Am I the only one who does this? If anyone is ever in the Ward Avenue area..by all means stop by Asahi Grill for your oxtail soup cravings.

    (5)

  • Jack W.

    1. VERDICT/VALUE Tough to recommend in the crowded HNL restaurant scene that serves the same types of food. It's good, but you may find cheaper prices/value elsewhere. This place is good if you happen to be walking in the area. 2. FOOD The highly-regarded Oxtail Soup ($14.95, full portion) comes with tender, fall-off-the-bone tail meat, lots of parsley, greens onions, and Chinese celery bits. Shredded ginger and soya sauce are available for dipping. The soup itself is very pleasant and not too salty. The biggest challenge for the dish is the price for what amounts to be a small bowl of soup and two very small scoops of white rice. Many male locals may find themselves needing to order a second dish to avoid stopping by McDonald's on the way home. The Pork Adobo Fried Rice ($8.95) was also relatively small, but at least the price point seems better aligned with the size of the portion. Purists, and competition from Elena's and Julie'z make this dish hard to recommend. I recommend sticking to breakfast or the plate lunches. 3. SERVICE Basic, simple, and good. They have our dishes of the day pre-made in large quantities, so we got our food very quickly. 4. ATMOSPHERE It's an older place that's similar to many other similar joints in HNL, but it's clean enough. Groups up to 8 in size could probably fit; be sure to come early for the few parking spots they have!

    (3)

  • Cali A.

    Overall, the food was really good. I had garlic chicken with kimchi friend rice and I thought the service was friendly. I'm not giving the 5 stars because there was no wow factor in the food or the service. Everything was good...it just wasn't great!

    (4)

  • Kat W.

    My 16yr old son asked to come here for an oxtail soup birthday dinner. Better than I expected!

    (4)

  • Ryan M.

    This was actually my second time here but today was the first time I actually paid attention to the place and food. See my first trip was back in December before a concert and my friend I was dining with was quite mesmerizing--which garnered my full attention. Needless to say Asahi was a blur round one. So I finally made it back for round two, this time for lunch. This long Hawaiian winter has been cold--especially with the office A/C going. A bit frosty and chilled I decided to stop the world and melt with Oxtail Soup. The tail of the Ox sat nicely in well flavored broth and green onions. I had them hold the Chinese parsley and it wasn't missed. My two coworkers I went with got the Oxtail as well and were making joyous sounds of blissful Oxen while slurping up the delicacy. My coworkers finished off lunch with Paradise Green Tea Ice Cream bit and said it was great. The soup hit the spot and it was a good local reprieve from my haole kine work life at the moment. I work super close by and will try to make Asahi a regular part of my week.

    (4)

  • RJ D.

    Their fried rice is da bomb! Especially, their Adobo Fried Rice! The egg on top just enhances the taste! Definitely gonna come back to try out everything else in the menu.

    (4)

  • Sean B.

    Three words: Adobo Fried Rice. Two words: You're Welcome. One word: Delicious. Zero words:

    (5)

  • Liberty D.

    We were attending the Yelp Night At The Opera but we were there early so we decided to eat and since Asahi was near Neil Blaisdell Center we walked it instead of driving. It ended up being a good thing because parking was very limited outside. Before entering the restaurant I thought "ok maybe we should get our food to go because I don't think there's any sitting area" but I was wrong. When we got in there were dining tables but it was full. I never realized how busy it was. But we were assisted right away and had a table available for us. I noticed that even when it was busy the employees made the time to check if anyone was waiting in line and if there was the employees reassured them that they would get a table ready for them. For first timers we orders the Adobo Fried Rice and Combination Plate: Chicken Katsuya and Kalbi. Overall it was pretty good. The Adobo Fried Rice came out quick and the Combination plate took a little while. The facility wasn't the cleanest or the biggest but overall I believe that it's the service that out weighs the appearance of the facility.

    (4)

  • Juliet L.

    I'd like to take the time to recognize the waitress, Kristine. I do not know many people that can host, take orders, serve, and buss 7 tables by themselves. I was impressed. She was an amazing server and gave us everything my family and I needed VERY quickly. I looked around at the tables and no one seemed to be having any problem with the service, and no water cups looked empty. On the other hand, food was delicious. I had the spicy ahi don. This review may be kinda lame, but I just thought I'd applaud Kristine on her service.

    (5)

  • K K.

    Hit or miss on food quality and quantity. Menu items that I have tried and liked are the boneless kalbi, tofu mushroom stir fry, and adobo fried rice, although the AFR can be too greasy sometimes. Avoid the mushroom chicken always. I know, it's mushroom chicken, but bland mushroom soup with small portions of chicken are a bad representation of what Asahi can offer, and sometimes you're just ono for that style of comfort food. I've been a customer at Asahi Grill for years (convenience does play a role in some eating decisions). The wait staff has been better in the past as recent visits have had inattentive staff members who don't know their own specials. I used to recommend Asahi Grill to people, but sadly they have fallen off that list.

    (2)

  • Naz A.

    The location was kind of blah, but we like supporting local small shops/restaurants and this was our first stop after we got off the airplane. We were hunnnngry! The food was good. I had the fried rice with chicken katsu. My son shared with me and my hubby had fried rice with the ox soup. The soup was so yummy! I hadn't had it before so it was a pleasant surprise. I loved the big friend egg on top of my friend rice! We'd eat here again, although I hear there is a better location elsewhere.

    (4)

  • Dynamic Motorsports 8.

    the food here is really ono!!

    (5)

  • Phuong M.

    What a surprise find tonight! We were wandering around the area looking for something different and wasn't sure what to look for, and saw Asahi Grill and decided to try it. We came inside and it was pretty full with one table left, so we thought, it must be our lucky night! Our waitress was very friendly, I had so many questions because the menu had no photos (obviously cause it was my first time and I'm a visual person) and I wanted to know what gravy was, what veggies were, what curry was, what don was, I mean, you know what it is but photos sell! The waitress was so patient, she came back several times and answered our questions each time and had such a nice and fun personality, and she explained everything and was so friendly and laughed with us and she even brought out a sample of the oxtail soup for me to sample since I'm kind of a soup snob...and well...lo and behold, the Oxtail Soup really is THE BESTEST!!!!! WOW! I've tried Zippy's, I've tried Corner Kitchen, and a few other places and yikes, I dunno what they were thinkin', it's got nuthin on this place! I was so glad we stumbled on Asahi Grill! We also ordered the Spicy Teriyaki Chicken Don! Man, that was absolutely delicious too! It was perfectly seasoned and sweet, and spicy and not overly mayo'd and the egg was perfect! I saw the fried rice with fried egg on top from the different orders by other people and boy did that look good too! I will definitely be back now that I know this place exists! Since I am cutting out carbs for a few weeks, I will definitely be back and go all carbs out next time! Definitely suggest this place if you're looking for a good local food joint! It's packed by the time we left there were people in line and it was after 8pm. The service was quick, we were definitely happy with her and the service!

    (5)

  • Pinay F.

    Love this place! The staff here are always friendly and the food is good. Butterfish bento is a favorite.

    (5)

  • Peter T.

    Been driving by this place for years having heard mixed reviews and figured I would hit it up today. Upfront let me say I would have given it another star had they actually had some Asahi, not sure how you can name yourself after a beer, have a beer logo, and then not have any. Other than that, parking plentiful, hamburger steak was solid with excellent gravy, price ok, and portions large. Fast friendly service also. Will repeat.

    (3)

  • Jennifer H.

    This was our first meal when we arrived to Honolulu. It was walking distances from our hotel (Pagoda Hotel) and they were opened late. We asked the server what was the popular meal people usually order? Oxtail soup. So the three out of the five of us ordered the oxtail soup. You can either order soup by itself or with noodles. We did one with and one without. Never tried Hawaiian style of oxtail soup, but when I did, I would say it's a bit more saltier than what we would drink in California. This place serves Japanese, Chinese, and Hawaiian. A bit of a Asian Fusion kind of thing. I would only recommend this place if you live by and want to try out their oxtail soup and compare to other places! The restaurant reminds me of the Sam Woo we have in the California. A tad small, but there's big tables for big parties so don't worry about not being able to move. If you don't want to eat there, you can order it to go! However, they do not deliver.

    (3)

  • Jackie W.

    A friend I was staying with on vacation took me here for something everyone has to try when they're in Hawaii: a Loco Moco. This is literally a hole in the wall place that I would have never known was there if I wasn't with my friend. It's all locals that go to it too, a sure sign of a good place. The Loco Moco did not disappoint either. I got the half portion size and it was still HUGE. Egg was cooked perfectly, gravy was amazing, and the patty? Mouth watering. The price was really reasonable too. The parking lot is super small and really tricky to get in and out of if there are other cars coming in and out but it's well worth it for the great food!

    (4)

  • Mista H.

    Would go back for the lup cheong fried rice but the famous oxtail left a lot to be desired. Just pho soup with oxtail and msg.

    (3)

  • Aspen K.

    Food was great. Walked in 15 min past the time that they stopped serving breakfast. But when we asked to see if we could still order it we were told "of course no problem" which was a pleasant surprise (I love breakfast). Waiting time was super minimal even tho they were super busy. We also ordered the gyoza. I assumed it was steamed but it's fried(FYI). All in all. Good experience. Will be back :)

    (4)

  • Bonnie M.

    Ox tail soup is why most people patronize this restaurant with limited parking. The soup is really good--tasty, rich, soothing and fulfilling. Hey, turns me on. Also, try the Adobo fried rice. I thought Thelma's was good, but these guys even better, so you don't have to burn gas to drive ti Waipahu. Other entrees good. Service is prompt and polite. Locals, this is a comfort place to drop in. Check it out.

    (4)

  • Kim C.

    Ordered the oxtail ramen. Scooped out the oxtail in a small bowl and was very disappointed. I had 4 small oxtail bones with very little meat. A kid couldn't get full off of that. I called the waitress over and asked her if this is the amount they give for my order. She said yes and asked if I would like to order more on the side. HELL NO! I go to other places and their oxtail meat is the size of my fist and give 3-4. I should've took a pic but was so mad. Never going there again.

    (1)

  • Shareen H.

    They are amazing. They are super fast with placing your order to getting your food. I tried here once and I enjoyed to come again. They have one of the best GARLIC CHICKEN I have tried.

    (5)

  • Kev L.

    First time here, the restaurant seems to be a pretty popular Lunch spot, but there wasn't a wait for a table. I ordered the highly recommended oxtail soup, and so did my friend. The soup itself was a little bland, and the oxtail seemed to have a lot of fat. The cost for one oxtail soup is 14 dollars, which is quite a lot for something that I didn't really enjoyed. Maybe I should've tried their fried rice instead.

    (3)

  • Marc H.

    Fast service. Got the Pork Adobo Fried Rice last time was so good got it again and it didn't disappoint. Oyaku Don & Eggplant Tempura Curry were also delicious.

    (4)

  • Jennifer Y.

    Our waiter wasn't very friendly...that's the reason for only four stars. He didn't smile, no nothing. Anyway, I was skeptical to go here because of the reviews, but my mom insisted and said that her coworkers liked it. We go there and it's packed, but we got seated right when we walked in and customers kept coming and going, a GREAT sign that this place was a good one. Someone on here said that the garlic chicken was really good, so that's what we ordered (my mom and I split that and she had a side salad). Wow! The chicken was TASTY!!!! :D I couldn't decide between that and the hamburger steak, so all the more to come back here. I can deal with the grumpy waiter, haha!

    (4)

  • Lee B.

    The oxtail soup is really a hit or miss. Got take out for my mother who loves oxtail soup and so disappointing - all bones. Seriously, only bones. Wondered..did it cook really long and the meat fell off the bones and the person that scooped it into the take-out container didn't notices it was just bones?

    (2)

  • Dorian C.

    Came here for the first time with my parents and what a disappointment it was. First off, the chairs felt like they were going to come apart. I was waiting for it to collapse under me. The decor was a bit tacky, dark, and dated. When we got our menus, there was a decent selection to choose from, but nothing really stood out. There's a Japanese selection, don (bowls), ramen, soup, and what was listed as the Asahi specialties that included typical local meals like loco moco, fried rice, pork chops, steak, etc. They called their oxtail famous, so my dad got that, I got the adobo fried rice, and my mom got the spicy ahi and shrimp bowl. The oxtail soup came in such a small bowl that my dad thought the waiter accidentally gave him the mini. It was confirmed to be the regular portion. The spicy ahi was bland and the shrimp were tiny. The adobo fried rice was probably the best thing that was ordered, but even then, there was nothing special about it. I could have ordered the same fried rice elsewhere. Sometimes mediocre food can be forgiven for excellent service, but the staff was so incredibly inattentive. The only time our waiter came by was to take our order and leave us our bill. The restaurant wasn't even busy. Big tip if you're eating here, make sure to check the bill before paying. We were being overcharged by $10 because there were items on our bill that we didn't even order. The fried rice, spicy ahi bowl, and oxtail came out to about $40, but we were being charged $50! When we pointed it out to the cashier, she tried to justify the price, but none of us ordered drinks or added anything extra to our meals. I won't be coming here again any time soon.

    (2)

  • Karen T.

    I should start by saying when we walked in 3 other tables were occupied. Sat here for another 8 minutes after getting our water and menus. I asked the waitress if we could please order and she said yes just a minute. She came back and took the order of the table next to us. They arrived about 5 minutes after us. So 12 minutes later, my son tries waving her down and she took our order. At this point I'm having a difficult time being polite while ordering. I wanted to walk out but my son really wants to try their food. My tempura was alright, Gkids loved their Saimin and my son really enjoyed his oxtail soup. As my son said, service sucked but the food was good. All is good. I saved $10 on the tip.

    (2)

  • Elle U.

    After seeing Asahi Grill featured on Cheap Eats, we decided to venture to town. I was a little nervous to order the oxtail soup because I remember I didn't like it as a kid. As my taste bud matured with age, I decided to order it because I love ginger and cilantro. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed. This is now my favorite food. My husband laughed as he saw me grab the bowl to get every drop of the soup. My husband ordered the pork adobo fried rice (featured on Cheap Eats)... He was not disappointed too. My daughter ordered the spicy ahi bowl... As she could say was 'wow'! Thank you, Asahi Grill!.. We will be back!

    (5)

  • Susan W.

    Was I the only one who thought this place was gonna be more... exotic? Lol that's what I got from the name but this restaurant is just like some sort of an asian fusion. We ended up here after failing to check if the italian restaurant we planned to go to originally was open. I mean that's just bad luck to find out they were closed for renovations or something....gah. From the reviews, friend decided to go with the oxtail soup. I was not impressed and got something totally different from what everyone mentioned and went with some korean don. It had bulgogi and eggs. Before me and my friend came in, we were starving...by the time we finished, WE WERE BLOATED. Too much food and it always happens that we tend to order waaaay too much food for ourselves. We keep saying next time we'll share but omg. When you first go in and order, you don't think that. I'm thinking, "No. Not sharing. I'm hungry and I want something all to myself." The food seems like you could get it anywhere. So there was nothing really special...the prices were decent. Service was ehhh..like I said, they don't seem like a fast food place but might as well be one. There was a family that came in after us and they finished and paid for their meal before we were even done eating.. lol what.

    (3)

  • Fanny W.

    Came again for the oxtail soup. It was great n yummy. Except for one inconsistency, I think the oxtail soup here is still the best. The ginger sauce was the best too. Not sure what brand of shoyu is used here, it was a little on the salty size. Overall, it is very good. Will visit again for my favorite oxtail soup :)

    (4)

  • Amy Y.

    Japanese, Korean, Chinese or local?! It's a mixed and mashed up Asian restaurant? We just ended up here because our first attempt to a Italian Restaurant failed. It was a holiday around 6PM, wasn't busy at all. We could sit anywhere when we got in. I heard a lot about the ox tail soup here. So I decided to try it...but with ramen. It was definitely something different you don't get at any ramen place. The soup wan't too salty, it was just right. The ramen wasn't too hard or soft. Ox tail was pretty good. I just didn't like the chunk of fat part on my ox tail. But, to be expected I guess. If you don't want just a plain ox tail soup, get it with ramen ($10). Not bad, and filling. My friend ordered this korean donburi ($10). She said it was alright. It looked like it was mixed with egg and beef. It comes with 2 small portion of pickled vegetables and a small miso soup. That's what I mean when it's a mashed up local Asian style restaurant. This is an interesting place for some reason, even if I've been to restaurants like this. I wonder where the "Grill" part of the name comes from? O_o

    (3)

  • Pabs G.

    It's like they do not put effort into preparation or presentation. Price is not consistent with subpar food. Floors could use a good cleaning. Would not return.

    (1)

  • Fran C.

    Friday night is pau hana Friday's for me, and it was time to meet up with a friend to catch up on the "haps" from the last time we saw each other. I was craving for some Oxtail Soup, so we ended up at Asahi Grill on Ward Avenue. What can I say about the Oxtail Soup..........well, the broth was simply outrageously good! As for the Oxtail meat, it was a bit tough...........which put a little downer on this dish. Had the oxtail meat been soft & falling off the bone, I would have given this dish a 4 or 5. Service was fast! There is very limited parking on the small private parking lot, so roll da dice on this.............or you can do the good 'ol Hawaiian trick by parking by the Ross Dress for Less area, then sneaking over to Asahi Grill.

    (3)

  • Michelle W.

    Would you believe that they have corned beef and cabbage?! My husband loves it! Served with two scoops of rice and Mac salad. Very large serving.

    (4)

  • Krysten I.

    Ox Tail Soup!!! Ox Tail Soup!!! Ox Tail Soup!!! I don't crave it very often, but from now on, when I do, I am definitely going to Asahi Grill. I've honestly been too intimidated to try out Asahi Grill. I thought it would be more of a bar atmosphere, but I found it to be very homey. The servers were friendly and the food selection really drives the homeyness home. HA! I think I've found my new go-to plate lunch type lunch place! I work on Ward Ave and sadly eat at straub's cafeteria more often than I'd like. The parking lot is not the best, so I'm glad my workplace is close enough to walk.

    (4)

  • Sean Z.

    IF you are interested in.... Good local, plate-lunch style food + quality and quick customer service + some Oldies music playing in the background, check Asahi Grill out! Points: PRICE: Quality food with reasonable portions. The chairs can be rather uncomfortable as it is a little low to the ground. Since it is a relatively small establishment, it can get a little chilly inside so I recommend bringing a jacket just in case. The service is very consistent. The staff has always been very friendly and accommodating. The parking is a little cramped, but if you don't mind there are ample amount of street parking around the block. yelp.com/biz_photos/asah…

    (4)

  • Luke C.

    Thought it might be a good little hole in the wall place...we were unpleasantly surprised with the food quality for the price. Oxtail soup for $16 was just okay. My wife got the mahi sandwich...ended up deep fried on a previously frozen and crumbly hamburger bun with way too much mayo. The staff was friendly and there are probably better menu choices but all in all, we were ready to walk out after our first bite.

    (2)

  • theresa s.

    I know Asahi has been around forever, but we just discovered it a few months ago when I was craving oxtail soup. My husband and I now go here at least once a week. He has proclaimed it his "new favorite restaurant". Hard to argue with such a strong sentiment. I get the oxtail ramen and he gets the tonkatsu plate. I love the all you can eat jar of pungent ginger to accompany my tender oxtail. Noodle texture is perfection. He loves that it reminds him of this childhood tonkatsu place in Japan and that its BYOB =) Great little neighborhood eatery.

    (4)

  • Richard K.

    This place got my order wrong. The only reason I ate here was because my coworker was going back to get a replacement meal because they got HIS order wrong (yes, I should have known better). The food that I did get was just alright. I think I got something along the lines of their spicy chicken, but I'll never know. It was basically battered, deep fried chicken (with fat, skin and all) covered in a drizzle of spicy thai sauce (meh, not my favorite thing in the world as I like spicy to be just that, not sweet). It probably would have tasted better to me had I not been disappointed I didn't get what I ordered. ...maybe not. I have heard the oxtail soup here is really good, so IF I decide to try it out again, I'll stick with what they are known for. I just hope I get what I order.

    (2)

  • Mc Hoover N.

    This place is ridiculous. For a small amount of combo plate, charge was $18. There are way better place than this.

    (1)

  • Brian M.

    What do you eat after night of shots and beers? Bacon and eggs..Nope Fried Rice..Nope A bowl of oat meal..gross (Not the morning after) Saimin..Maybe Oxtail Soup From Asahi Grill..Bingo!!!!! YOU WIN!! Oxtail soup ($12.95 Reg.Size) came with 2 scoops of rice, I love that they give you a jar of ginger so that you can scoop out as much as you want. The soup came with a generous portions of oxtail. Tasted wise it was pretty good,downside it could have been hotter in temperature and had a little more peanuts. Overall it satisfied my hunger and made my head happy! (Note to self ..Back to Back double shots are bad) I'll be back Asahi to try different dishes with a clear head!

    (3)

  • Jennifer G.

    Recommended we eat here by a local. Our group tried the majority of the specials and really enjoyed them especially the oxtail soup and ahi special. Friendly and quick service. Great find!

    (4)

  • John C.

    A friend really wanted to try out this place so we went. I saw one of the employees wearing a shirt that said oxtail so I figured this was their signature dish. I ordered the oxtail ramen soup and was pretty disappointed. There was nothing special about the broth or the oxtail. The cut wasn't very good either and there seemed to be a lot of bone and very little meat. I should have tried some of their other ramen bowls. As I looked around, everything else seemed more appealing than what I have. I want to try something else but the service wasn't good so I'm not going back. The server didn't seem happy and we never got water. I guess we weren't welcome.

    (2)

  • George S.

    I had the hamburger steak, rice perfect, Mac salad good, gravy junk and hamburger ok. I don't think my Grandmother would approve it. My wife had the Adobo fried rice which was good! I ate it cause my HS tasted funky. I shoulda ordered the oxtail soup, maybe next time.....nah......no next time for us.

    (1)

  • Ruf-ryda4life C.

    My husband and I were so disappointed this morning when we ate at Asahi Grill. We actually had a pleasant experience once before. Our food arrived at our table looking decent enough. I had the teishoku, and my husband had the fried rice with eggs. We both ordered coffee, and also ordered a half order of banana pancakes. My miso soup and mahi were good. His fried rice was all right. Coffee was terrible, was not even offered anything else to drink. Banana pancakes were terrible. It tasted like it was made on the same griddle as all the fried meats. The greasy taste was overwhelming. Service was terrible, had to repeat myself numerous times. And when it was time to pay, the waitress chose someone who was not waiting in line rather she helped someone else. Very disappointing and will NEVER go back there.

    (1)

  • Tiana K.

    Ok I had an amazing experience here! It was a cold rainy day what would make things better? A hot, dinner of good old fashioned comfort food. The ambiance is a simple restaurant with big long tables to accommodate large families. And I went here with my family. I ordered the oxtail ramen, and the Oxtail ramen was outstanding. A really great broth with perfect noodles. The flavor of the broth was hearty and satisfying while the meat was tender. I loved having the ramen noodles in the soup instead of the usual rice. The kimchi ramen was flavorful and had the right amount of spice paired with their perfect noodles and beef. The loco moco was on a whole new level. The patty you could tell was homemade and had a strong onion flavor which really complemented the gravy. All in all it was a great experience!

    (5)

  • Marissa S.

    Came here for one reason and one reason alone: oxtail soup! Large bowl for $22 serves 2-3 people but in our case, 2 people. The hubby wasn't leaving Hawaii without having this soup. It was good but I still like the one from California Hotel in Vegas. This one seemed to have a Chinese flavor that we can't pinpoint and the meat wasn't as tender as we hoped it would be. We had to ask for the ginger and parsley from the waitress and the look on her face was blank as if we weren't speaking English. Hello, that's the dipping sauce that comes with the soup!! Ambience felt like I was in the 80's. Everything seems to be outdated. I hate white lighting and the other room had some old people drinking and singing horrible karaoke. Definitely not a place for kids. If you ever end up here, you won't go wrong with ordering their sweet potato fries with wasabi mayo. Forget about ordering their ramen. My daughter ordered it and it was like noodles in water. Meh..

    (2)

  • Robin P.

    While my puppy was down the street enjoying a morning at the spa, I thought I'd stop in for some breakfast. I ordered French toast, along with a side of hash browns and Portuguese sausage. The Portuguese sausage and hash browns were each served on their own plate as well as the French toast. The French toast was okay, but the syrup was not warm. There is simply nothing worse than cold syrup on my French toast. It ended up up being cool instead of hot, as if it had been sitting for a while before being served. It seems as though the sausage went straight from the frying pan to my plate because It was pretty greasy. The hash brown patty (the kind that anyone can get in the frozen food section or at McDonald's) was SWIMMING in grease! The entire meal left me with a queasy tummy for several hours afterward. It certainly wasn't an enjoyable way to spend $11.50! I won't be back.

    (1)

  • O O.

    I took a picture to add among the many pictures of Asahi's self proclaimed "famous" oxtail soup. I may post it but it would hardly be an advertisement as the portion was skimpy and the meat was very fatty. I added a lot of ginger, thankfully it was practically unlimited and the meat, admittedly was fall off the bones good. The broth was hot and redolent but with only a modest amount of Chinese parsley and onions. One star. The amount of soup was not at all huge as in some of the pictures I saw. And our table ordered 3 "big" bowls. It doesn't help that I make an OUTSTANDING pot of oxtail soup because I take the time to trim the fat off and add the shiitake mushrooms and mustard cabbage in at the last minute (neither of which are in Asahi's version.) I did get a peanut, yay. I'm sure they are flattered and tired of people taking pictures of their food but I did so not in a complimentary way. Fat, yellow fat clinging to the meat. A mouthful of fat on each bone. Yuck. I had to bite it off and spit it out. Happy doggy tonight. I'll upload that soon. Regarding the waitstaff: If I am waiting on a table that takes pictures of the food, I'd at least try to be upbeat, cheerful and helpful. I wouldn't be sullen, avoid answering direct questions and wait to be asked to refill empty water glasses. But I did tip a little over 20% because one waitress was pleasant and quick, the other didn't want to be there. The hairy, grouchy, tubby waitress (guess if she was the good or yucky waitress) when asked if the order of my fried rice had an egg on it (I was willing to pay more to have one) looked at me and said, "NO." Not a suggestion of how I could order to have eggs on it, nada. Just silence and she stared blankly at me. OK then, no egg. In her defense, she was kind of nice to a few other tables while we were there. The ones that knew how to order eggs on top of their fried rice. All told we ordered the oxtail soup which was a OK on the flavormeter, the fried rice which was OK but nothing special, the lup cheong fried rice which was OK, the kalbi which was OK only because it was grilled, the soft shelled crab salad which was quite good except the crab portions were from crabs a half dollar in size, aka "manini" portions. The romaine was crispy fresh though and the fish roe was salty and sweet and crunchy good. The watery, smooshy avocado seemed like an afterthought which should have been avoided. Added nothing to the dish at all. The dressing was vinegar, shoyu and oil which went well on my ginger and oxtail too. Because the salad was tart, fresh, bracing and acidic, it didn't need the "creaminess" or rather the insipid oiliness of the avos. Really, not a well thought out dish. Could have used some tomatoes, actually. We also had a hamburger steak and gravy which was OK and a hamburger on a bun, with french fries, and 3 sodas. The food was passable, moderately and fairly priced but the only outstanding item was the french fries. And I don't even like french fries. Pay $97.00+ for that meal again? Ahhh, ummm, nope. The clincher for me was that I think Asahi Grill is complacent with their reputation but didn't try hard to impress. Next time I'm really jonesing for some ox tail soup, I'll try Like Like or that bowling alley somewhere out West side. Some yelper compared this oxtail soup to the old Kam Bowl. Oh my God, not even close. I have yet to find another bowl like Kam bowl the bowl for bowlers. Oh, what the hell. The waitress was downright unpleasant and made me feel like we had to beg for information. Unibrow girl, you'd be doing your employer and restaurant's reputation a favor by treating your noobs and regulars alike.

    (2)

  • Carly H.

    5.12.13. Great place for a impromptu gathering; atmosphere is super relaxed, prices are reasonable and pretty good selection of local foods. My love for kim chee fried rice made me spot that on the menu right away. The offer two portions, I believe it is small and regular--the regular is just enough for a fulfilling lunch meal! At $7.50 you can't go wrong! Pretty delish too, def one of the better kim chee fried rices I've tasted. Only negatives about this place, not too sure about the staff. I ordered but received the wrong one...the waitress had to come back to ask me what I ordered then they came back to replace what they gave me. 1) they should have left that plate with me since they messed up the order, 2) was that someone else's order?? I hope they didn't give it to someone else?! ...so ya, mixed feelings about this place! But...I think I'd be back just for the fact that their KCFRice is delish! Yelp 365 Challenge: #131/365

    (3)

  • Nicole S.

    The whole reason I ate here and enjoy eating here is thanks to my boyfriend and his family. His parents took him to eat lunch one day and he couldn't stop talking about it. Then it was my turn. My first meal was the special of the day (each day has it's own special extra menu) which was their roast beef! mm, I can still taste it! I give them 3 stars because while the roast beef was amazingly delicious, it initially was served to me cold. Did not appreciate that, but since it was my first time I tried to be nice and hope that they don't mess with my food! Hesitant when they brought it back, that first "fresh" bite was awesome! I took the left overs home and ate it later that evening. My better half ordered their bento box with tempura and pork katsu, that from start to finish was delicious! I'd go back for more :) they're really quite nice people!

    (3)

  • Ashley V.

    This was my first time eating here, and I only came because Doraku was packed, Chais was all booked with reservations, & I had 2 hours to kill until the Kendrick Lamar concert at the Blaisdell. First off, the place was not very appealing on the outside, & although there was a cozy feeling to it on the inside, the food was just OK. On top of that, I was dying for an alcoholic drink before the concert and they don't sell ANY alcohol whatsoever.. That's not a bad thing, but it didn't help improve my overall impression of this place at that moment! I was hoping for some type of beer.. Slightly disappointed, because I've heard good things about this place! The food did come out rather quick! But then again I only ordered a tuna melt sandwich & fries.. Which as I said.. Was just ok. I won't knock that they probably have good food here, because I haven't tried anything BUT a sandwich, but.. I can say that although I'm glad I finally tried this place out, it's not a place I'd ever crave to drop in on again. But I won't say I will NEVER be back, because I did hear they have a good oxtail soup here! I may give this place a real 2nd shot later..

    (3)

  • Eugene H.

    Surprising fact about Asahi Grill: the KEEAUMOKU location is owned by the ORIGINAL proprietor of Kapiolani Coffee Shop, home of the famous oxtail soup.The Ward Avenue restaurant is owned by someone else NOT associated with KEEAUMOKU. Like many others, I was under the impression that they were owned by the same enterprise. On my first visit to KEEAUMOKU, I mentioned to the server that I had just visited the restaurant at Ward Avenue, and she clarified that the restaurants are not related. I like the parking at KEEAUMOKU (there is another lot on the other side of the building with entrance on Keeaumoku), the extensive menu, which includes Kapiolani Coffee Shop items -- all reasonably priced, and a cozy bar with terrific happy hour prices. Plus Karaoke! All packaged in a relaxing atmosphere and very friendly and responsive servers. The address is 815 Keeaumoku, across from HMSA, with parking entrance on Rycroft. See asahigrillkeeaumoku.com for information. OXTAIL SOUP and FRIED RICE are still tops! Very nice gelato deserts, too. I just learned that even Japanese visitors seek out both Asahi Grill Keeaumoku and its sister restaurant in Pearl City, the Kapiolani Coffee Shop.

    (5)

  • Rick L.

    Breakfast served daily from 6:30-11:00AM! Asahi grill is known for their oxtail soup but I didn't find it that impressive. It was boiled, had some broth to it and small pieces of oxtail for around $15. What I do go there for is their delicious lup cheong fried rice. Wow, it's so tasty, I can eat that every day!

    (4)

  • Nat N.

    Good sized portions, comforting food, decently priced. We ordered the chicken katsu, garlic chicken, and teri chicken sandwich. All were delicious and worth ordering again. The chicken katsu was pretty standard - nothing out of this world but not soggy either. The garlic chicken was crispy and pleasing to our tummies. The teri chicken sandwich with fries is a good choice for those with a "lighter" appetite. Tip: if you go when there is a big event at the Blaisdell, go early because everyone has the same idea as you!

    (3)

  • Emcee D.

    Oxtail soup and fried rice..oxtail soup had a lot of flavor with good amount of meat. love the portions and such a family oriented place with reasonable price

    (4)

  • Kolohe B.

    First time eating at any Asahi Grill, ordered the famous chopped steak, I'm not a OX tail eater, I have read a lot of good reviews about it. Anyways I had to wait a bit before we got chairs, the location was packed. The chopped stake taste okay, I wouldn't say it was da best, but I would say it was better than Zippys. I would need to come back again.

    (4)

  • Chris C.

    Oxtail soup is good. Other than that, it's okay.. just average fresh at best. The steamed fish was not steamed. It was microwaved cuz it was piping hot.. just very home made stuff and the price is not cheap for the food.

    (2)

  • Allyson M.

    First Impression: Hole in the wall. This place can be hard to find, especially at night, but my friends and I got help from a GPS. The interior is medium sized. Not too big, but just enough space for everyone to be able to get around. I felt a homey vibe for the duration of our dining experience. We (party of 6) immediately got seated and all that usual stuff. Dinner: I ordered the loco moco because I was on a budget. I would have ordered their spicy ahi bowl if I wasn't. Food was freshly made, hot, and ready to be eaten. I think all of us received a bowl of miso soup before our dinner entree arrived. My loco moco was average, but I didn't mind, as long as it tasted good. My friend ordered the kim chee fried rice and also offered me a sample/sampo (haha!). I was amazed. We both were, actually. We kept raving about how it is the BEST kim chee fried rice we have ever tasted! I was also offered to taste my other friends spicy ahi. Very fresh, not drowned in sauce (like how other sushi places do it), but I'm not really a fan of the taste of super fishy fish. If you enjoy that, definitely go for their spicy ahi bowl. Pros: Reasonable prices - you'll find something to eat, even if you're on a budget Very homey - this is a place where I'd bring my family to have dinner Good customer service Cons: Limited parking - we found parking for both of our cars, but it looked like street parking would be hard to find nearby Restroom outside - not really a huge problem but I'd rather have the convenience of a restroom inside the restaurant itself.

    (4)

  • Ash K.

    Ordered the loco moco and spicy ahi don. None of which is the best on the island. I was hungry, I ate the food, I was full but not satisfied. I love tobiko as much as the next person but there was a lot of it! I did like that the avocado was perfect and they didn't skimp on the avo/cucumber/tamago. Loco moco was better than the spicy ahi don, but still "eh" okay. Probably be back again when there's no where else to go.

    (3)

  • Brent K.

    This is the only place to eat ox tail soup! Simply the best !. Today was alittle salty. But on a cold rainy day, You better go early cause they run out. The rest of the food is very good. local style. Today I had the butterfich miso yaki, So ono ! This place is funny , This is the only place you get a japanese teshoku with mac salad ! LOL Chop steak, hamberger steak, beef cutlet, realy good ! Next to the ox tail soup. ( This is the only place I eat fry rice ! ) Not oil at all ! I think this is the best fry rice in town ! It's realy hard for me to not over eat hear. I usealy case my ox tail with the fry rice. LOL Anyway GO early cause lunch time is crowded and parking is limited. Go at 11:00am or after 1:30 pm when the lunch crowd thins.

    (5)

  • Cyndy K.

    Cyndy's BOTTOM LINE: variety of items for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Recommend the Asahi breakfast: 1 egg with a choice of fish - saba, mahimahi, salmon or opakapaka with rice, tsukemono, miso soup and toss salad. You can also order fried rice in place of regular rice. The miso soup is delicious and contains somen noodles, wakame, and green onions. The tsukemono is very tasty great pickling and goes well with the fish. The salad dressing is great on the fish! Try it. Sorry no picture... I was so excited and focused on eating. The coffee is Kona coffee which is rich, smooth and served piping hot. Friendly service by Victoria in a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere.

    (4)

  • Jenn T.

    I came here for dinner one day because it was nearby. The menu states that there is the famous oxtail soup here, so naturally I had to check it out. I ordered the oxtail ramen, which came with 2 pieces of oxtail and noodles. The meat was very tender, so soft that it fell off the bone. The flavor was alright however, not the best I've ever had but pretty good. There was only 2 small pieces of oxtail in the ramen, so if you're in the mood for oxtail, then get the oxtail soup, which as more pieces. The place was kinda interesting. When we walked in we werent sure if we ordered at the window and then sat down or if there was a wait service. We just sat at a table and then someone came by to take our order, so I guess there is a wait service. However, they just took our order, gave us our food and that was it. No water refill or check in after that and I we had to fetch our check ourselves. Thus, still not sure how it works haha.

    (3)

  • k L.

    This place used to be super good before... not sure what happened... everything was way too salty, service was below normal, the big waiter was super rude. wont be returning too soon. :-(

    (2)

  • Lauren S.

    Had the small portion oxtail soup which was pretty good. However, I'm not sure if it's the "best oxtail soup in town" as advertised. Service was good, and they were very helpful and patient (especially with my grandma who was constantly asking them for coffee!) May come here again and try something different next time!

    (3)

  • Keola m.

    Asahi Grill is always a great "Go To" place when you are hungry and want something good. They are always consistent with good food. On this particular visit (one of many) it was breakfast. Im gonna keep this short.... Steak and eggs ($9.50). Good size steak. Tasty and tender. The waitress was very pleasant and continued to keep my coffee cup ($1.60) filled. One of the few good places that open early for breakfast (630a). Thats all for now. Ciao,

    (5)

  • Ram K.

    Of course I came here for the ox tail soup but sad to say I wasn't satisfied. The soup itself was pretty good but the oxtail was sliced thin and the meat was hard. My gf had the combo, she chose kalbi and tonkatsu with fried rice. Now that was good. Kalbi was tender and tasty. The soba and fried rice were also good. Service was good.

    (3)

  • Eddie T.

    Disappointed with the drop in quality of the taste. How I remember it being and how it was my past 2 visits.

    (2)

  • Dirty V.

    Oxtail soup is yummy, portion is a little small and the scoops of rice were tiny but overall good. We also had the port tonkatsu, that was good and we liked the fact they give you the dressing and sauce bottles to serve yourself....we like lots of sauce so better we don't need to ask.

    (4)

  • Kili P.

    Adobo fried rice is my favorite dish at Asahi grill. Wish they upkept the place better and had a better parking lot Overall a decent place to eat in the Ward area.

    (3)

  • Aulii H.

    This review is for the spicy ahi don. I am somewhat of a sushi snob, but I understand that not everyone can have fresh fish all the time, and that many of the restaurants here have frozen fish. Asahi grill is one of those places. Without considering the quality of the fish, I still give it 2 stars. First of all, the fish wasn't even cold so that was the first red flag. When I was making my way through the bowl, I noticed that the rice was soaked in fish blood, probably because the frozen fish was defrosted in the bag and they just dumped the whole contents of the bag directly onto the rice. Disgusting. I wish I remembered to take a picture of it. The rest I the bowl was okay with the vegetables and mayonnaise sauce, but the blood soaked rice was such a turn off. I've eaten here before and gotten plate lunch items that were just okay, but when you're hungry, you just eat what you have I'm front of you. It's disappointing that they didn't even try to give the illusion of fresh. Don't get the spicy ahi don, just stick to the other menu items.

    (2)

  • P D.

    Great service Great Food. Highly recommend the Adobo Fried Rice, Steak, Oxtail and Saimin

    (4)

  • Jessica F.

    i have nothing but great things to say about asahi grill. this has been one of my favorite restaurants since i was in high school. not once have i complained about the service or food (friendly waitresses and the food always hits the spot). loco moco with kim chee fried rice is my usual. sometimes i like eating oxtail soup without the oxtail. it's so fricken good and it totally reminds me of my little girl days.. the kam bowl days. i was raised in kalihi and my parents would always take us to or take out food from kam bowl. once i smell the oxtail, i can almost smell the bowling alley. quite comforting to me. ok i'll stop the digressing. one more life story though. the day i went into labor with my son: -had an ob appt. -went to pick my mom up from work -shopped at heiko -decided to pick up food from asahi grill -walked around walmart -contractions started -went home, gave mom a manicure to distract myself until i left to hospital anyway, a loco moco with kim chee fried rice was the last meal i had before levi arrived. every time i drive on ward i think about that. since his birth, i've only gone once or twice. it's hard for me to eat out, because levi just won't keep still. i totally miss asahi.

    (5)

  • Derrick W.

    Service is so-so. Food quality is about average, probably at the same level of Zippys. The prices are a little high for the quality. The parking lot sucks.

    (3)

  • Ashley N.

    So, I'm not sure what happened to the quality of food at asahi grill. I ordered the adobo fried rice today since I haven't tried it before. I usually order the fried rice, but the last time I was here it wasn't so great (it tasted like old hard rice that was sitting out for a while). So I figured I'd try it again, but this time with adobo. Sad to say the rice was hard/crunchy and bland. They also fail to mention that the adobo in the fried rice is the size of bacon bits, probably a little smaller.

    (1)

  • Christopher T.

    Really great for quick Japanese / Local food. I was feeling a little rundown yesterday. We stopped by Asahi Grill for dinner. I saw Tripe Stew on the Special board, but stuck to the Oyako Donburi for a nice Hot Bowl of Chicken, Eggs, Onions, and Rice in a nice sauce. Warmed me up and hit the spot. Don't forget, there's always the Ox Tail Soup with all the grated ginger you can handle on the table.

    (4)

  • Leanne L.

    Ok- the food? Not so good... Should've gone else where... We came for dinner. We parked across the street being the parking lot at asahi holds all of about 5 cars. I along with 2 or 3 other couples parked across in a vacant strip mall lot... No businesses open at that hour. I saw them park and go in and did the same. (My mistake!!!). We were served quickly but the food was a bit disappointing... Bland... Not much flavor except salty. We were there not more than 45 min. We came outside and all of our cars had been towed. When we went to sand island to get our car back, the 2 other couples were there also trying to get their car back. Asahi maybe should put up a sign to warn their patrons about the parking. Blah!!! Total disappointment!!!!

    (1)

  • Karen E.

    Great menu selection, fast service, delicious oxtail soup and spicy ahidon

    (4)

  • Rissa K.

    I love this place for their Oxtail soup!!! Chop steak is pretty good too! I wanna come here for breakfast sometime too...menu looks good! I mainly come here for the Oxtail soup though because this place is known for this. Parking is a bit small but I never have difficulty finding parking. Friendly staff and good food!

    (4)

  • Wayne T.

    Worst place I've eaten in a while! Service was horrible!!!!! Ate last night, and all I can say is WATCH THE FOOD WHERE IT CAME FROM! AND WATER! Who brings water from a different table!? I'd give a negative score if it was on here!

    (1)

  • Shawna L.

    ordered their soft shell crab don. had rice, egg, avocado, soft shell crab, & their spicy sauce. super good!! would def order again! while my bf had their infamous oxtail soup for the first time & said is now his fav place to get oxtail. the service was also really fast. just beware their parking lot is super small

    (4)

  • Chantelle T.

    Spicy Ahi Don was a refreshing alternative to the oxtail soup. They pile on the avocado, cucumber, and amatamago which makes the dish different from the typical spicy ahi dons. The spicy ahi itself was okay. Not quite the kick I was looking for and it was actually pretty hard to eat...the ahi chunks were too big and the rice wasn't sticky enough for me to successfully get a good bite. If you don't like tobiko, I would stay away from this...they really use a buttload of it. Service here is pretty slow so don't come if you're in a rush. Parking also sucks too but you'll usually find something if you keep at it.

    (3)

  • Kelly H.

    I pass this place all the time when I go to ward yet I just decided to try this place today. It is definitely one of those places you never think will be really good (or it looks meh from the outside) but the food we ordered won us over. My sister and I split the loco moco and the opakapaka both of which were "ono"! I used to die for the loco moco at Rainbows but now that I've tried the loco moco at Asahi Grill, I my loyalty to Rainbows has faded. I'm super picky with my loco mocos because the meat has to be SUPER EFFING TENDER and the dish not too salty. Everything about this loco moco was on point. TD!!! The Opakapaka was not too salty and not too fishy, it was really good. My sister's friend ordered the Ox Tail soup (as did the rest of the people in the restaurant, haha) and he really enjoyed his soup. He said he has had Ox Tail Soup at other restaurants and this soup was pretty good haha. Tip: parking is hard to come by because the lot is super baby. Try looking for street parking on ward or park in the sports authority lot (shhhh... secrets) and walk over. =)

    (4)

  • Ax C.

    Friendly service. Honolulu diner grub. Hawaiian versions of Korean, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese (& Okinawanan - goya if you are looking for it) mainstays. Probably something for everyone but difficult to guess right on a first visit. I found Kalbi tasty but probably too fatty for most, tonkatsu dry and tough, and fried rice was basic. You might want to order to share & hope to find a dish you like. Decent enough for a pre-Blasidell meal or maybe a work lunch but wouldn't waste my family or guest's time for a night out, especially having to traipse through a graffiti-ridden parking lot to get to gas station like restrooms.

    (2)

  • Kim M.

    Their OXTAIL SOUP is a winner! I like this one better than the Kapiolani Coffee Shop's oxtail (it's similar, but not the same), even though it's supposed to be the same recipe. This oxtail broth is so flavorful! YUM. It came garnished with Chinese parsley, green onions, and peanuts. I usually don't like oxtail with tons of peanuts, but this one always comes with the perfect amount! I also personally enjoy mine with a bit of ginger :) I've been here a number of times. The parking situation isn't that great. The lot is small, but at least they have one I guess. You could park on the street if you wanted to... I've tried their loco moco too. I like it. It's just my style, with lots of gravy!! So if you're looking for great oxtail, get it from here! I will be back for more! :)

    (4)

  • Little D.

    I had dined here a few times. Regular lunch plate was ok for me. I liked the Ox Tail Soup a lot. YELP 365 - 235/365

    (4)

  • Crystal A.

    I didn't even eat here and it was already a bad experience. My friend and I decided to stop by for dinner since we've tried the one in Keeaumoku and we love it there. We walk in and no one greets us or says anything like we'll be right with you or whatsoever. So we take a seat and the waitresses keep walking pass us without saying anything. Good ten minutes, we decide to leave. If you can't even welcome your customers, what would you think we would want to stay?!

    (1)

  • Sharon H.

    After an early morning walk around Magic Island, my friend and I decided to chance the parking at Asahi Grill and grab a fast breakfast. Fortune smiled, and we scored two stalls right in front of the entrance doors. Seating was quick and before my tired body hit the chair, I knew I was going to order (a small) Kim Chee fried rice with one scrambled egg. My health-conscious friend chose ham and eggs with brown rice, and a coffee. When the friendly waitress politely asked me, "Is that all?" I felt compelled to order hash browns. Our orders came quickly and there it was in front of me .... a saimin bowl-sized mound of Kim Chee fried rice covered with a pancake-shaped egg. Bliss. Just the right combination of rice and egg in every mouthful, yum, and just enough "kick" so you could taste the delicious flavors. I didn't want to share, but grudgingly thought I should give at least one tablespoon to my healthy friend. The hash brown came a few seconds later, a deep fried square that was more grease and crunch than potato-ey-goodness. In all fairness, when I brought it back to the counter they kindly apologized and replaced it with another one which, sadly, was equally greasy. Sorry, but McDonald's does it better! Save yourself for the Kim Chee fried rice or a steaming bowl of saimin, the aroma which we could almost taste since the table next to us was having saimin for breakfast. I will be back ... again and again and again!

    (4)

  • Dany P.

    The oxtail soup here is the best I've ever had!! Well it's the only one I've ever had as a matter of fact. I'm so loyal that I'll only come here for oxtail soup. Why ruin a good thing right? There's not really much to look at inside, I mean who comes here for the ambiance anyways? The staff is quick to seat you, quick to take your order, and quick to bring out your food. What more could you ask for?? The soup is so deliciously flavorful and the meat just falls off the bone. I know, I know it's oxtail how much meat can be on there? Well there was alot more than I thought and I made sure I got every little piece!

    (4)

  • Janet K.

    For some reason the post tsunami warning weather was windy with scattered showers and it prompted me to crave some soup. BF has never tried oxtail soup (Yes, he's born and raised in Hawaii and he's NEVER tried oxtail soup) so we decided to go to Asahi Grill. I guess we weren't the only ones wanting soup on this cold day because the place was packed! We ordered two small oxtail soups and a small side order of lap cheong fried rice with a over medium egg on it. The oxtail soup was flavorful with just the right amount of Chinese parsley and green onions. The fried rice was seasoned perfectly. No need to add more shoyu. The food came out in about five minutes and the service was standard. I haven't tried anything else on the menu so the four star rating is only for the oxtail soup and the fried rice. Isn't the oxtail soup the main reason people go and dine at Asahi Grill? I looked around and there was a bowl of oxtail soup on EVERY table. The workers even wore a Shirt that had a picture of the Hawaii license plate with "OXTAIL" on it. Why would you order anything else?

    (4)

  • Alyssa Kay N.

    I came here because I won a gift card to "Asahi Grill" and when I went to go pay, I found out I was at the wrong Asahi Grill. But even though I came to the wrong one, it was worth it. I ordered the miso butterfish plate and my bf ordered the spicy ahi don. The miso butterfish was GREAT. We started off with appetizers. To my surprise, soba was given instead of miso soup. That was a nice change since almost every japanese restaurant gives out miso soup. Anyways, when our dishes were served I was surprised that they gave me 3 pieces of butterfish! That's not the usual since other restaurants would only give out one piece. But that's a BIG plus, getting what you ordered. The only con was the skin was a bit burnt than usual. I like to eat the whole fish but I think they just accidentally burned it b/c everything else was great. For the spicy ahi don, it was a big bowl. Not some genki sushi don. But everything were basically ingredients you'd put in a hand roll. Cucumbers, eggs, avocado, rice, spicy ahi. It's just 3x bigger. I give this place 4 stars b/c they were polite and didn't rush us when to order. It seemed alright inside. Not too shabby. The parking is very little. But the food is great!

    (4)

  • Trish P.

    "A-OK" but not quite yet "yay i'm a fan" ...... the last time i ate here was 2 years ago, and after re-reading my previous review for this place, it all came back to me.... this time around i did not get the katsu donburi, but the katsu curry instead. this was not salty, so that tells me, the crazy saltiness i experienced prior must have been from the sauce they use in the donburi. the katsu curry was tasty, but average. you can get this same plate of food from any plate lunch kind of place. BUT because this is a "sit down and eat" kinda place, you also get a green salad, tsukemono, and miso soup with your meal. i THINK it was about 10 bucks..... not bad price wise. my mom had the bulgogi donburi and loved it.... she was super full afterwards - and keep in mind, her meal did not come with salad and soup... just the donburi, and she was full. i was going to get the oxtail soup that errrrrybody talks about, but my mom gets wigged out by oxtail, so... i guess this will be saved for another occasion!

    (3)

  • Kathy S.

    When I moved to the mainland, I disappointedly found out that Oxtail Soup is not an item you can find regularly on the menu, not even in the "Hawaiian" restaurants in SoCal. And for those that offer it, the taste is just not the same.... So, when I came back for a visit here, I was jonseing for some Oxtail Soup. A friend recommended Asahi Grill. I remembered this location... It used to be the Burger King on Ward Ave. you are lucky if you can parking in the very small lot, otherwise you'll have to park on the street. The food... Oxtail Soup: the soup was flavorful, but the oxtail was a little more tough than I'm used to. Maybe it's because we were there too early in the day. Seemed like it needed to simmer for a couple more hours. Still good, though. Fried rice: now this, I liked very much! We ordered the Lup Cheong Fried Rice to share among the three of us. Holy moly... It was excellent! I'll definitely be back again on my next visit!

    (4)

  • Kanoe I.

    Simple local style dining. A fave of my local brother who is now living on the Mainland. My Faves: Spicy Shrimp & Ahi Don, Lup Cheong Fried Rice, Tan Tan Ramen. Known for their Oxtail Soup, which I heard is on the smaller side. Overall, I like coming here for simple, local style comfort foods.

    (4)

  • Nikki N.

    I love the soft shell crab salad here! My mom likes the oxtail soup. This place is a cute place on Ward. The only thing is that there is a lot of traffic here and the parking lot is small. But, its a good lunch spot to catch up with friends and family. I've been here several times and I seem to always get the salad because I can never find this any where else. My mom always gets the oxtail soup, which she swears is her favorite. The only thing is when you sit in certain spots of the restaraunt you can feel the AC blasting so I got really cold twice. I usually go when there are quite a lot of people for lunch so we couldn't move seats. But other than that this place is a great lunch spot.

    (3)

  • Kathy L.

    Ordered the hamburger w/fries. Patty was very small with lots of filler. The bun was way bigger than the hamburger. Fries were limp & half raw. Terrible meal. I won't ever order this again.

    (1)

  • Joanne M.

    I kind of remember my dad telling me that the old Kapiolani Cafe at Kam Bowl we loved for years renamed itself as the Asahi Grill...but it didn't really hit me until a week ago. I walked in that night a little late and saw my friends waiting for me at a table. I passed a waitress who greeted me very enthusiastically, and I said hi back. She said my name...how does she know my name? I looked at her like I knew her but I wasn't sure. Then she mentioned Kam Bowl and how she's remembered me since I was little..and I knew she was the nice auntie who served my family those ox tail soups and egg over fried rice back in the day. She was the auntie who I order fries and cheeseburgers when I met up with my dad after school. She was there in my old memories. What...a..small....world. Well island. I just know after that encounter, I felt like I was at home...at the Kam Bowl again. So I must come back with my family :)

    (4)

  • Jarrett W.

    Few days ago i tried their lup cheong fried rice... the small (small scoop of rice and 1 egg) is just not enough unless youre a child. My friend was still hungry.... I recommend the large. Tried the oxtail soup.... pretty good. 2 scoops of rice and decent amount of oxtail. soup was tasty. For $12.95, I'd expected more...

    (3)

  • Ericka M.

    I tried it twice and really did not care for it. The place is a bit grimy, and the food aside from the ox tail soup was okay. Nothing great. It wasnt the most horrible thing ever, but definitely nothing good either. The customer service seemed overwhelmed both times and forgot our orders. Just wasn't feeling this place too much. Dont think Ill be returning either.

    (2)

  • Sung's B.

    great food, great service great peoples! ....... thank you! father god! ....... :-) 777

    (5)

  • Mark M.

    Let me get this off my chest first by saying that the service here is terrible. No one greeted us as we stood by the door waiting to be seated. No one thanked us for dining there on the way out. I didn't see a single smile or laugh from anyone that was working last night. It almost seemed like we were bothering them for eating there. The food however, was pretty good, unlike the service. She got the spicy ahi don with shrimp and I got the combo teishoku with butterfish and salmon. It came with rice, miso soup, tsukemono, mac salad, and tossed greens. It was a lot of food and I couldn't finish it all. The salmon was grilled perfectly and the butterfish melted as it hit my tongue. But unfortunately, I don't think I"ll be coming back. Not when there are dozens of restaurants in the same vicinity that actually appreciate the business. In these tough economic times I would think that restaurants would be fighting to the death to keep their customers as regulars. Oh well, what do I know?

    (3)

  • Michela K.

    Love the food. Combo don is amazing! Comes with Ton Katsu, shrimp tempura, and a little bit of egg and onion over rice. Only things is the parking lot is very small and I always have a hard time getting my water refilled. Other than that, I love going here for lunch

    (4)

  • Kelly G.

    Love that they serve a smaller size of ox tail soup available for $10 (instead of $14 for the regular). Comes with scoops of rice. Soup was decent, not as rich as Aiea Bowl. The meat was also not falloff the bone, although they were generous with their portions of meat!

    (3)

  • Stu E.

    We went for dinner...it was my first time, and was pleasantly surprised with the place. The ambiance is very casual and easy going. My wife had the butterfish, which she said had right amount of char on it. I had the spicy ahi and shrimp don. The spicy sauce was tasty, but not too hot. Service was very good. We will be back.

    (4)

  • Richard H.

    This is the original Kapiolani Bowl Oxtail Soup, which was also located at Kam Bowling Alley in Kalihi. Nothing has changed with the Oxtail soup, and the service is very similar to that at Kam Bowling Alley. Your order for Oxtail soup will arrive within a few minutes, and will be accompanied by 2 scoops of rice, grated ginger, and a bowl of oxtail soup. Large chunks of meat, garnished with Chinese parsley, in a savory broth. For a change of pace, they also have a great Japanese menu, and surprised me with a delicious spicy ahi bowl. Their breakfast menu is a great value, but find myself compelled to stick with a winner, Oxtail Soup!

    (4)

  • Kayla A.

    When I first heard of this place, I though about a Japanese bar since the name is a famous jape ewe beer, however it is definitely not a bar. This place is a bit on the pricier side however their food is amazing and the staff is really friendly. Their oxtail soup is really tender and it just falls off the bone! Their regular portion is fairly huge and it comes with rice. The small portion was more than enough for me. Their fried rice in on the oilier side however it was very tasty. There is a small parking lot however it does fill fast especially during dinner time.

    (4)

  • Emily T.

    I am one of those people that finds a favorite dish at a place, then I end up getting the same thing all the time, even though I would want to try something different. At Asahi Grill, it is always the fried rice with egg. For the price, it is pretty tasty. Once in a while I'll also throw in a side of bacon or portuguese sausage when I'm in the mood (wait, who is never in the mood for bacon!) The downside is that there can be inconsistencies with the quality of the food, fried rice sometimes isn't as tasty, and bacon is a little underdone/soggy. But for the majority of the time, it comes out ok. I normally do take-out, so I call in the order, and it is ready pretty quickly (5-10 min). Calling it in also helps with the parking situation, since there are only a limited amount of stalls and most times I've gone on the weekend in the morning, the lot is full, so I double park, and run in and out of there quickly. Maybe I'll try something different next time, but for now, when I'm in the mood for fried rice, Asahi Grill is the place for me!

    (4)

  • Nathan N.

    I'm a fan based on their customer service alone. Super friendly staff and quick, good food makes Asahi Grill a winner in my book. Parking is a bit of a hassle because it's pretty popular. So if you see an open parking on the street nearby, take it.

    (4)

  • Jarrett H.

    Once again, the former Advertiser's Metromix gets a big FAIL for their reviews. They rated this place as one of the top Loco Moco joints in Hawaii. I think this place is kind of overrated. Loco Moco was ok. Nothing special. In fact, I was still hungry after I ate the Loco Moco. The patty was kind of dry and the gravy wasn't anything special. I had the Mushroom chicken and all it was was Campbell's cream of mushroom soup with canned mushrooms. It was ok but considering all the rave reviews about this place, I expect better. My friend had the Spicy Ahi Don. He gave me a sample and this was actually pretty good. I liked the sauce. Creamy and spicy. I have had other foods here and there is nothing really impressive to me. I know a lot of people come for the Oxtail soup but Im not much of a fan of that soup so if you like Oxtail soup a lot of my friends recommend it. Doesn't hurt to try it. Remember, there is a Kapiolani Coffee Shop in Waimalu Shopping Ctr which is just as good. Service is ok but sometime we have to get our own water. Ambiance looks confused, I know it was a burger king and mos burger a long time ago. Honestly, Ive been here many times and I just haven't really been impressed by anything here. Maybe if I liked Oxtail Soup I might like this place better. Looking at what others have said, I can't say YOU would not like it but I have had better elsewhere.

    (2)

  • Jasmine N.

    You want protein with that? No thanks. After already eating breakfast I decided to just get the oxtail broth. It came out piping hot and thank goodness because I found a flying bug swimming in my soup. It was still good after overlooking the extra broth. My sampling of the loco moco and that was yummy too. The parking lot was tiny and we took the last stall. All in all it was an a-ok experience.

    (3)

  • Michelle L.

    Oh Asahi Grill...why must you keep raising your prices for the oxtail soup?!?! I came here last night since boy was craving it. My eyes went huge when I saw the price and the size that came out. Sigh. Why must you have the bestest oxtail soup on the island?! It's been so long since I had a nice hot bowl of beefy goodness that I forgot how to eat it! My dad and I used to go to Kam Bowl several times a week for our oxtail soup fix and I had eating it down to a science. Their side salad was a good portion for $3.25. Service is always okay and it's still always freezing cold in there. I bumped Asahi to four stars since it's the only place in town to get Kapiolani Coffee Shop's famous oxtail soup.

    (4)

  • Jhoren C.

    honestly this place reminds me of Kapiolani Coffee shop located in aiea Waimalu shopping center. The menu is almost identical except of course they have their own date on their specials. most popular are: Oxtail Soup -- one of the best oxtail soups I've tried the meat is very soft, chewy and you can actually bite on the bone. I like mines plain without all the garnishings (ginger, cilantro) so if you don't like cilantro than order without Kimchee Fried Rice -- this one is my fave! I love kimchee fried rice with lotsa kimchee and I like to add tobasco sauce just for an additional spice ou the plus: if you live in town and wanna try or crave for oxtail soup and kimchee fried rice then you don't need to drive to aiea just to get your fix they are located near Ward area

    (3)

  • Chelsey C.

    My grandparents are the pickiest eaters on the planet but they love homecooked style restaurants and Asahi Grill is perfect for that! I ordered takeout today and got my grandma the ever-so-popular oxtail soup and I got my grandpa the miso butterfish. They don't give tsukemono, miso soup, and a side of salad with their Japanese dishes when it comes to takeout orders, but they serve it when you eat at the restaurant. Why?? I have no idea. It's weird. But they give such a HUGE portion of fish! I was so surprised to see 2 filets in the styrofoam container along with two scoops of rice and mac salad. Awesome! I still feel kind of cheated about the absence of side dishes but that's okay. The main dish tastes good and that's the most important thing. I'm soooo happy this place can satisfy the tastebuds of my two finicky grandparents when I'm too tired to cook something.

    (4)

  • R T.

    Felt like a home cooked meal and they delivered. Home made pot roast with gravy is like eating mom's cooking. They also have one of the best oxtail soup on the island!

    (3)

  • Caroline D.

    Good local-style Japanese food. I've never tried their signature oxtail soup, but the fried rice is usually good, as are all the Japanese dishes I've tried. (Katsudon is a fave.) Service is so-so. Several times I've asked for brown rice and received white rice, and if you order takeout, make sure you open up the container to check your order. I once ordered katsudon to go, and the container said katsudon, but when I got home and opened it was greeted by oyakodon.

    (4)

  • Simon C.

    I have been going to Kapiolani Coffee House in one from or another for as long as I can remember. From what I can recall it was called Kam Bowl prior to its current incarnation as Asahi Grill off of Ward Ave. One of the most popular dishes is the classic Oxtail Soup ($12.95, I by dint of not being a restaurant owner find this price point curious as it is a bowl of soup. Although if memory serves oxtail soup takes hours to cook and prepare). This is definitely one of the most popular menu items and if this is not the reason why people go then it would most likely be the House Fried Rice. There are several good items such as the spicy ahi, but I would think the main reason is the oxtail soup. In its current state, there is room for I would say about roughly 50 people comfortably. Service overall is not bad, although I find it strange they say they don't serve water unless requested. (I should point out they still water irregardless so this is a moot point. If you are looking for a good place to eat on a rainy night, I would definitely recommend it.

    (3)

  • Dustin E.

    Oxtail saimin. Came here twice this week. This place is not bad as the other reviewers say it is. I enjoyed the flavor. Parking is tight, but okay. The menu is simple, but I am happy with the flavor and the prompt service. Yelp 365 Challenge: 97/365

    (4)

  • Krysti G.

    I went here to try the oxtail soup. The parking is small and they share parking with a business next door so there was work vans taking a few of the stalls. We were greeted and seated pretty quick, the waitress got our menus and took our orders she was nice but seemed rushed. I guess it was because we went during lunch and there was only 2 waitresses running around. We ordered the hamburger steak plate(see photo) which came with 2 huge hamburgers with gravy and onions, 1 scoop of macaroni salad and 2 scoops of rice. The hamburger was homemade not that flat pressed burgers you get out of a box and it was delicious. We also ordered the famous oxtail soup, that came with a mound of rice and ginger sauce. Its nice and steaming hot, the broth is very tasty lots of flavor and the meat is so soft, the ginger goes so well with the soup and of course the rice all put together on that soup spoon they give you and you just eat it,,,so yummy! Its delicious home style cooked food, its comforting flavors will fill you up. I like this place and I will definitely stop by again.

    (4)

  • Joe W.

    I usually come here for lunch and get the oxtail soup, but I tried breakfast here for the first time recently and was immediately hooked to the lap chong fried rice! The lap chong fried rice is a hefty serving of rice with sweet chinese sausage mixed in. For ~$7, the heaping pile of rice is topped with two eggs (optional) made to order. This meal is great on any day of the week, but it was especially satisfying for me after a long night of..."socializing." Parking is pretty limited and the parking lot leaves something to be desired, with its giant pot holes and uneven ramps. Despite the small parking lot, I've never had trouble finding parking. Contrary to the exterior, the restaurant interior is kept clean and service is pretty quick and attentive. No complaints here! Definitely one of my favorite places for good local Japanese and Chinese food!

    (4)

  • Tina H.

    Here was the plan last night: - Buy a six pack of Hite beer - Walk six pack of Hite beer over to Ah-Lang Restaurant - Take a bottle and bring it to the infamous Angry Korean Lady - Woo her with alcohol and my enchanting charm - Eat Korean food for the rest of my life Thing is, this plan needs AKL to be there for it to work. We got to her place and it was completely closed. Devastated, we began to search for a restaurant that would accept our money, our beer, and our quasi-homosexual love spells. Enter Asahi Grill. Asahi Grill was like a beacon of light when we started down the dark road. By the time we got to the door and received a "yes" when my friend asked if it was BYOB, it was a glorious supernova of dine-in food. This place won't win any awards for interior decorating and I'm skeptical about the cleanliness of the tables. The food, however, held its own! We ordered the lup cheong fried rice with over easy egg, a bowl of ramen, and the butterfish. If I were to have these dishes again, I would be satisfied. My butterfish was delicate and buttery. For $15, you get it with soup, rice, salad, tofu, tsukemono, and a mac salad. My friend's ramen had a nice spicy kick to it and the fried rice carried its weight in good flavors. Service was polite, but nothing remarkable. I was just happy they let us in with our beer. I'd give this place 3 1/2 stars. If your heart's been broken by a certain angry Korean foodie crush, then taking a quick stroll over to Asahi Grill might save your night. The simple, local dishes will keep you satisfied and it's a better back up then Jack-in-the-Box at the corner.

    (3)

  • Jensen S.

    Always wanted to try this places after passing it like 100 times going to Ward. Just like Kapiolani Coffee Shop in Aiea, which was in Kam Bowl before. I always get the Fried Rice w/ 2 eggs scrambled. Taste just like Kapiolani Coffee Shop. No complaints. Never tried the Oxtail Soup here but it supposed to be the best. I'm not a fan, I just stick to my Fried Rice.

    (4)

  • Sheryl G.

    what: a local spot with local style food! something good: the service is fast and the food is good~ i came here for breakfast and there was no wait! something not so good: the food is okay, but i've had better breakfast, but i think i should try some of their specialties and their lunch menu!! :) something to try: over easy eggs with sauteed mushrooms.

    (3)

  • Brent S.

    Hands down still the best place for oxtail soup. Well... except my wife :) My dad used to take me to Kam Bowl ever since I was a kid. So when they moved to Ward and changed their name, I was really hopeful that the quality would remain the same. And for the most part it has. The soup has an amazing flavor. And don't forget the fried rice. I think they mince Portuguese sausage which gives it an deep rich flavor unlike any other fried rice I've had. Their burgers are also surprisingly good. Just a great solid burger. Definitely a place to come back again and again.

    (4)

  • Jose C.

    Good food for a reasonable price. Nothing special. Just a diner to get some eats.

    (3)

  • Katie F.

    where is my kapiolani coffee shop??? only asahi on ward?? I love the famous ox tail soup!!! Kimchee fried rice was great! sushi rolls are so-so. If they have a big smile, I would go there all the time!

    (4)

  • Chip G.

    This place is really, really good. Great food, good atmosphere, nice service, and a wonderful soft-shell crab don. Check it out if you're in the area!

    (4)

  • Robert D.

    Don't you ever get the feeling of going back in time? Like visiting places you used to frequent as a child. Or listening to music that you liked ("Candy" by Mandy Moore is what's playing on my iTunes right now, no joke). "Get the oxtail soup, do it, do it now". Is what I wrote for my tip, and it's the truth this place is known for it. Getting the soup brought back a flood of memories like Anton Ego in "Ratatouille", memories of childhood most times are of food. What was my memory? It was when I was a young boy and my Dad would take me to Kam Bowl to get this very soup if I was a good boy and did my chores. Of course the portions back then were way bigger and the ambiance was awesome, having good food in a bowling alley is one of my favorite things to do. Times are rough and restaurants need to make money so i figured it would only be a matter of time when the portions would get smaller. But, if you don't mind shellacking about 12-16 bucks for the soup and the memories this place is worth it. This place also has a lot of local favorites such as Beef Stew and Okinawan Food called Champuru. Parking kinda sucks in their lot but there's parking at Ward and some street parking nearby.

    (5)

  • Robert R.

    This place features a ton of local favorites, and some of the worst service that I've ever experienced. The parking lot is tiny, and we had to go around looking for street parking. I came with a group of 6 and we were promptly seated and our drink orders were taken. It took some time for them to return to take our food orders. I chose the Chicken Katsu curry. One by one, everyone at my table got their food, except for me! Finally, I saw a plate of Chicken Katsu curry coming out of the kitchen, which promptly made it's way to a newly-seated table of six who had just placed their orders. When I pointed this out to our waiter, he dismissed my complaint and continued about his duties. Almost 10 minutes after the rest of my party had gotten their food, a second plate of Katsu curry arrived. The food itself was good. I enjoyed my food, although my girlfriend complained that her Ramen was bland. Come here if you want some decent local food and can put up with inattentive waiters. Also note, they don't do free drink refills, so that was a nice surprise when our check came.

    (2)

  • D S.

    They have the best Fried Rice, love the food here and the employees are all friendly, I don't know why I didn't find this place years ago. parking can be difficult as the parking lot holds maybe 12 vehicles, the place looks like a hole in wall, but the food and the friendly help make this establishment well worth your time. I have tried a number of different plates, but I always come back to the fried rice. It comes in small or regular size. the small has one egg on top the regular size has two eggs on top of the rice.

    (5)

  • Sara H.

    I can't believe I have never been here before!! This place can best be described as a japanese / local coffeehouse. They serve breakfast items before 11 and then switch to lunch times. I am always in search of a good loco moco and the one served here did not disappoint!! I also had some opakapaka which is surprisingly a normal menu item and was really tasty. A LOT of people were ordering the ox tail soup which looked pretty good and someone even ordered a burger and fries which looked good too! The service was a little slow but the place was surprisingly crowded for a tuesday afternoon.

    (4)

  • marissa t.

    The oxtail is just as good as it was from Kam Bowl. There's a lot of meat on the bones and the soup is very tasty. The kim chee fried rice is awesome, MUCH better than the one from Big City Diner. They are open late too. The only bad thing is that the parking lot is a little small :/

    (4)

  • Lynnell A.

    This review is for the Asahi Grill on Keeaumoku. So we all know about their oxtail soup ... The broth is amazing the meat is tender & not too fatty ... Yaddah yaddah yaddah ... One day at work I thought about how much I wanted ramen and shrimp tempura for lunch. But I also had a hankering for oxtail soup. I figure, no worries, I'll just do my famous "just-blurt-out-your-order-without-thinking" moves. I idly perused the menu and to my delight, I see they have oxtail ramen! It's made from the broth of their famous oxtail soup and a couple of pieces of oxtail. I happily ordered the oxtail ramen and the shrimp tempura "pupu plate" When my food arrived, I was in ramen nirvana! The ramen came piping hot, the noodles were perfectly done and the oxtail broth and oxtail just made it even better! The shrimp tempura came with three large shrimp tempura (maybe they used prawns?) & various vegetable tempura. They were crispy and not greasy. Needless to say I had a very very big and pricey lunch. Totally worth it though. I satisfied my ramen, tempura and oxtail soup craving in one fell swoop. The added bonus? Work was more tolerable. Cuz u know what they say ... a happy tummy makes a happy worker. :-D

    (4)

  • Scott K.

    A relative restaurant to Kapiolani Coffee Shop, this place adds a Japanese flare to there local menu. Located on Ward Avenue so there is a limit amount of parking. The prices are not bad considering you can have grilled Opakapaka for $12. They do have alot of asian style local foods, but you must try the Opakapaka. You would think that at this price, the fillets would be small but you will be surprised. Asahi does sell your typical asian foods like Oxtail Soup, Pigs Feet Soup.....local stews and plate lunches. If you love mayo...you must have the mac salad.

    (4)

  • Momi L.

    Dining there was ok. Waiters need personality. My cousin ordered rib eye - medium rare. It came on a sizzling platter well done. Rest of the food was fine. Butterfish, shrimp tempura, chicken katsu and chicken teriyaki. Once the food was brought to us NOT ONCE did the waitress come back to ask if everything was alright. I had to go get my own water refill. Don't think we'll go back.

    (2)

  • Tellia W.

    Very good, local-style Japanese food. I eat here quite often and love their food.

    (4)

  • Jenifer G.

    It was my second visit to this restaurant, both times were to join others, never on my own volition and I am hoping I never get asked to come here again. The first try was over a year ago, I had their Chopped Steak on Vegetables. It was a bit atrocious, a sloppy mess with low quality beef. It was memorable in the fact that I did not like it from bite one. Do not order this! My second try was this past weekend, it was better but not impressive enough to lure me back. The $7 Tan Tan Ramen had pretty good egg noodles but the broth was extremely salty (and I prefer salty!). It had a good amount of food in it, two 2"x2"x1/2" blocks of pork char siu, with slices of napa (won bok) cabbage and kamaboko (pink/white fishcake). Would I order this again? No. The $8.95 Chicken Katsu Curry was not bad, the crunchiness was still there and the curry was not bad, but there was no attempt from the kitchen to flatten the chicken so as I ate it, the chicken pieces were pretty thick with the globs of chicken fat still attached to its sides (those fat chunks were pretty huge, yuck). Would I order this again? Probably not. Although I would rather order either this ramen or katsu curry over the chopped steak again, I still don't think I could come to the restaurant again for pure principle. Our table also ordered the Loco Moco Curry, with eggs over easy. Two of the eggs obviously cracked upon the flip, and it looked like a partial yellow blob omelette -- quite sloppy, and the server didn't bother to note the mistake. The hamburger patty was ridiculously salty, almost inedible. The fourth and last dish ordered was the Sweet & Sour Spare Ribs. The sauce was too sweet and the ribs could have surely been cooked longer to soften the meat a bit. I would not order any of these two dishes. Service was also far from good. The server didn't seem to care whether or not we enjoyed our dining experience. He didn't seem like he wanted to even be there, in fact when he got to our table to take our order he didn't say a word and just wrote down what rolled off our tongues. Zero welcome, zero smile, zero interest whatsoever. It was a complete turn-off from the get-go. The good things are that the a/c was blasting so it did get on the chilly side for me (and it was surely hot outside), and a little girl at the next table ordered a hamburger & fries so looks like the little ones could enjoy a kid-friendly meal here. Just don't ask how it tasted... Parking is small but there were enough open spots for multiple vehicles. We should have taken that obvious indicator to drive in the opposite direction. With that said, I still give it 2 stars because a couple of us did finish most of our meals (the ramen and katsu curry).

    (2)

  • Lisa T.

    All the times I've visited Hawaii and I never even heard about this place. Holy crap - this place has awesome oxtail soup. Def order the large...don't even think going smaller. It's flavorful and the meat just is so tender and delicious. I love the grated ginger. Also, tried the spicy ahi poke don (rice bowl with ahi poke and some other stuff). Super delicious too. What a gem of a place. The servers were friendly. The ambiance is quite "diner" feeling. I'm definitely making Asahi a regular place to go when I visit!!!

    (4)

  • Shane T.

    Always satisfied at Asahi Grill. Oxtail Soup and Fried Rice... Money! The service is good. Too bad they don't serve beer.

    (4)

  • Mary D.

    If I had to choose, I'd eat lunch here as much as my wallet would let me. The parking is a hassle so I usually park in the back of Ross and walk across the street. I love their Oxtail Ramen and fried rice. The prices are affordable and the portions are equivalent to what you pay for. Lunch time gets very busy and there are times that you have to wait for a table. It gets chilly in there sometimes so bring a jacket. The service is efficient and the food doesn't take long to make it to your table. I've tried their tempura don, shoyu ramen, oxtail ramen, curry, and everything has been full of flavor and cooked just right. Well, the oxtail could be a little more tender but it's still delicious!! If you're looking for fine dining, this is not the place to go. It's a quick in and out diner and their broths always hit the spot!

    (4)

  • Rae A.

    I always love the food here, but I might have to start going to the other Asahi Grill on Keeaumoku. I heard that one is cleaner since its brand-new. When I went to Asahi Grill near Ward this past saturday for dinner, I had a run-in with a cockroach. It crawled onto the table and was drinking from the ring of water left on the table from my cup. Later, as we were paying our bill I went to grab a mint from the bowl, and realized it was full of ants. Disgusting. I told the waitress, and she said "oh", and took it from the ledge. Their food is awesome, but I don't know if I'm willing to sacrifice taste for cleanliness. Creepy crawlies aside, what I enjoyed eating there before this little incident was the kimchi fried rice, teri chicken, tonkatsu, and oxtail soup.

    (2)

  • Corrine C.

    Oxtail soup... tender meat, yummy soup - how is it not greasy?, rice... total comfort food. yum! We ordered a side order of the chinese sausage fried rice with an egg. It was tasty but a tad on the salty side and something I could have done at home. They have daily specials that looked interesting such as a tripe stew. Will need to come back here the next time we are in town!

    (3)

  • Lisa T.

    Ate here two weeks ago, and still shudder upon reflection... Ant trail (yes, TRAIL - not one or two hunters, but a whole line of 'em) on the first table we sat at. Moved tables; no ant trail. Much better... ...Or so I thought!! Food was junk. Won't even go into that, because the end is all I need to tell ya - ROACHES (yes, PLURAL) on the shelves where dishes and utensils are kept behind the cash register!!! Saw one, told the cashier. She got it with a napkin and was thoughtful enough to spray and wipe the area. Then she comes back to finish my payment, and ANOTHER one scurries out, searching for his homie. I signed the slip and said PEACE OUT to the joint, 'cause I ain't never goin' back.

    (1)

  • Robyn S.

    Had take out and ordered the chicken katsu. They forgot to give me macaroni salad and they do not clean the fat off the chicken. Yuck, pulling the fat off was not fun and there was a lot.

    (2)

  • Shay F.

    I tasted the Asahi salad and the Shoyu ramen with kimchee. Both were good. It's a very casual place....nice alternative to Zippy's. Parking is limited though...only about 8 - 10 stalls?

    (3)

  • Kristen C.

    More like a 3.5. I've been meaning to try this place and when I finally made my way here, I went for their popular oxtail soup, although I def want to come back to try their other menu items, consisting of mostly japanese and "local" dishes. Our waitress was nice and very accommodating to my friend who wanted a papaya which was only sold during breakfast/lunch hours. As for my oxtail soup, I got a small and it came with 3 medium pieces. The meat was tender and the soup was pretty flavorful and light tasting, with a mostly ginger flavor. I especially liked the chinese parsley leaves. Overall it was good but I've definitely had better oxtail soup from my grandmas kitchen ;).

    (3)

  • Lynn C.

    I may have to go back again because this review may be a little skewed. I had been craving oxtail soup for about three months so when I finally had it, I almost cried tears of ginger. I mean tears of happiness. First thing I noticed was that...parking sucks (I'm counting maybe about 8 spaces?). Lucky for us, someone came out as soon as we got in so we didn't have to fight anyone. It was VERY cold in there but maybe it's a hint to get their oxtail soup. They are a spinoff of Kapiolani Coffee Shop so they too have the oxtail soup. i was fascinated with the jars of ginger (I have a hard time grating ginger and to see jars of it....I wanted to steal it and take it home) on the tables. I went all out with the large oxtail soup which looked to be about 8-10 good pieces of oxtail and two scoops of rice (and unlimited ginger!). The small looked to be about 4-6 pieces of oxtail with one scoop of rice which is perfect for Popo. Oxtail soup is pretty salty but they were prompt about refilling the water. Brother had spicy ahi don which he devoured and which I took to be very good. He didn't even offer me any. :(

    (4)

  • Shelly i.

    This is actually a tale of two oxtail soups.... The oxtail soup, which is the specialty of Asahi Grill and the oxtail soup at Morimoto Waikiki. Is it a bit unfair to compare a local style eatery with a fine dining establishment backed by an Iron Chef? Probably... See the funny thing is, when I was eating oxtail at Morimoto Waikiki, I couldn't stop thinking about Asahi Grill. Of course the converse is also true: when I finally got to go back to Asahi Grill for the oxtail, I couldn't stop thinking about Morimoto's version. The taste of the Asahi Grill oxtail soup broth is exactly what I'm looking for when I order oxtail soup. It's a little bit salty but perfect with the rice and they have jars of grated ginger so you can customize (I like lots). But... the quality of the meat is where Asahi Grill gets tripped up. The oxtails I've had there are fatty and tiny. What kind of anemic cows are they getting these tails from? Conversely, you could really believe that the oxtail in Morimoto's soup comes from real oxen. The Paul Bunyan kind. And the price point between the two soups is not that big, $11 for the Asahi Grill soup, $14 for the Morimoto version. I feel like I did Morimoto Waikiki a disservice when I said their oxtail soup was "meh". Little did I know that I had built up Asahi Grill's version in my head. Still I think if you could combine the two soups (Morimoto's meat with Asahi's broth) you'd be on to something. Ambiance and service are okay... I got water and hot water (for my tea) refills. If you ask for green tea you get your standard bag of yama-moto-yama. One final note: be careful if you're wearing slippers in the parking lot. It's not that even and puddles of dark, stinky water tend to form.

    (3)

  • Della M.

    Made an unexpected stop here today with the hubs after a super hard gym work out and I was one hungry, hungry hippo. I came in with the intention of getting something relatively healthy, but then I remembered that they were supposed to be famous for their oxtail soup. I am a sucker for oxtail soup, but I really was wasn't trying to eat a big bowl of tender fatty meat after my workout, but after walking into the freezing cold restaurant, well I had no other choice. Let me keep this short and to the point. If you want truly delish oxtail soup go to the Alley bar and grill in Aiea instead. Broth was good, but warm and not piping hot. The meat was not fall off the bone tender and way more fat than meat. I know oxtails are not exactly lean eats, which is why it's so damn good, but go to Aiea and you will see the difference.

    (3)

  • Dj M.

    Oxtail soup fix!!!

    (5)

  • Jessica M.

    Everything I have tried here has been EHHH, whatever but I still keep going back. The restaurant and atmosphere just give you the feel of one of those restaurants where you just need to try out all of their dishes until you find that ONE dish that becomes the reason you ever come back at all. I believe I will find that here one day. But in the mean time, this is what I had a chance to try: 1. Fried Rice. Honestly, people were raving about this. My rice was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo mushy when I ordered it, it was such a BUZZ KILL. I was soo excited to try it! If you like Portuguese sausage, you'll love this dish cause they're super generous with it. 2. Spicy Ahi Bowl. Just don't order this from here. It's so over-priced and the sauce on the ahi is lame. Lame as in it's not disgusting tasting but it's soo forgettable. Don't they know how many other Spicy Ahi's there are out there? They put ZERO effort into the shitty sauce they drizzle over the Ahi which is not bad quality, I must say but still, just go for something else. 3. Tan Tan. I personally really appreciate this Tan tan. This mostly stems from the fact that I have a severe dislike for the infamous Tan Tan from Gomatei/Gomaichi/etc. Those places use a DISGUSTING amount of sesame oil in all their products and it freaks me out. The Tan Tan from here is so much more mellow and enjoyable. 4. Ox Tail Soup. While I have never personally ordered it myself, two of the guy I've went with have ordered it and enjoyed it completely. I also see a lot of people around me in the restaurant order it. My only suggestion would be to order it in the small size and then order something else too. The worst thing about this place is their parking situation. You'll see the mini lot as you approach the place.

    (3)

  • Maurie F.

    Service was fast and very friendly. Good selection on menu. All fried rice is super! Curry was very tasty as was the soup. Highly recommended for a good local kine meal.

    (5)

  • Tsum J.

    Not bad... Prices were reasonable and the service was friendly (not rushed and kept filling our water glasses). The eggplant curry and katsu curry were disappointing (serving sizes were small) but the Saba was decent and you could order brown rice instead of white. Out of town guest rated the ox tail soup as a "9" on a 1-10 scale. It's all in the broth.... : ) Kid-friendly place and quick service.

    (3)

  • Nathan E.

    Yelp, you let me down with this one. Located this place because we wanted to try something different and not so well known. It was sure different. I must say that this must have been one of the worst restaurants that I have been to in a very long time. I though the food was Japanese, but after actually eating some of it, I don't know what they serve, but you get better food in a school cafeteria. We ordered the Special Sweet and Sour "Pork," the Mahi Mahi, and the Kim Chi Fried Rice. The pork was absolutely disgusting. It was not sweet or sour, it was super bland and has large globs of fat. The meat is questionable; Maybe it was dog? Who knows, but don't order it. The Kim Chi Fried rice was bland and not thoroughly mixed well. Again, don't order this. It's probably not even real rice anyway. The Mahi Mahi was ultry dry (and probably actually chicken). The only good part was to load up on tartar sauce and which it began to taste like the fish sandwich at McDonald's. The service was terrible. I couldn't understand a word that the lady was saying. She recommended the Sweet and Sour Chicken (Dog?) Special via pointing her finger at the direction of the menu while mumbling something that I couldn't understand. They don't pay much attention to you, even when the restaurant is empty. Be prepared to repeat your-self multiple times and bring your own supply of water or you might go thirsty. Honestly, I can't see why anybody eats here. Perhaps I ordered all the wrong food?

    (1)

  • Diana B.

    If you're looking for legit Japanese cuisine this is the place to be! Since I don't know too much about it we went safe and ordered the chicken curry. I must say I've had better but I heard their oxtail is pretty good, though! The service was a bit hard for us to understand but everyone was pleasant so why not, if you're in the King St area and craving real Jap give Asahi Grill a try.

    (3)

  • John H.

    Every trip back home we need to stop here. I love the ox tail soup!!! Extra cilantro! Con: Parking sucks. Its too small, slow service.

    (3)

  • Jonn D.

    Rating: 4/5 Date(s) visited: 12/04/2010, many times before this. Food: 4.5/5 Service: 3/5 Atmosphere: 3/5 Price: 4/5 Parking: 2/5 Great comfort food when there's a place to park. I always have a "Plan B" just in case there's no parking there. Food: Love the local menu. All the good stuff. Service: I've never had a problem. Atmosphere: Nothing fancy, nothing uncomfortable...just right. Price: Nothing to complain about. Parking: Not much parking on their lot.

    (4)

  • Jose J.

    Oxtail soup is just about as good as it gets, only suggestion would be to add more veggies, but then who am i lol. Parking here can be a bit of a challenge but worth the drive around the block if needs be. Kimchee fried rice is ono.

    (4)

  • Manda S.

    This review is for their breakfast food. We showed up around 9:30 on a Saturday, found parking in their lot and was seated almost instantly! The place was pretty full with local people eating a mix of breakfast and oxtail soup. Everything looked good so far! Our waitress was nice, took our orders quick and food came out just as quickly. Here's where it starts to go downhill: I ordered the Island Breakfast. Its like your standard eggs, meat, starch of your choice dish. However, everything on my plate was covered in OIL. I'm serious, there must have been at least 2 tbsp of oil covering the plate and coating all of the food. I mean, I don't mind if there's a little oil, that's just the nature of the dish and I can easily blot it off...but I put my napkin in the plate and it was instantly soaked through. It was kind of disgusting. :( BF and I ordered a side of pancakes to split and those unfortunately were burnt. He ordered the corned beef hash and he said his food was ok. I still don't think I really want to come back. :(

    (2)

  • Shanley R.

    Got the mahi mahi sandwich. Had too much mayo for my taste so next time will remember to ask for less.

    (3)

  • Demur E.

    Asahi Grill is like eating a plate lunch on an actual plate (rather than from a paper plate). Local favorites with two scoops rice, one scoop mac salad plus some Japanese dishes make up the menu of this unpretentious eatery. Food: Solid and what you would expect from a good plate lunch place. The loco moco is yummy with a char-grilled hamburger patty and good brown gravy. The same gravy is used for the chicken cutlet. My mom liked the miso butterfish because the flavorings were light and did not overwhelm the fish. Tempura dishes are light and crisp. Fried rice and oxtail soup are other favorites here. I like the sandwiches with french fries. The Japanese dishes come with tsukemono and some kind of soup. Once I went and it was miso soup, another time it was a clear broth with seaweed and rice noodles. Service: Standard. Friendly yet perfunctuary (not motherly like Eagle Cafe). They'll refill your water. Sometimes they will take your money to the register, most times people take their own bill and pay. Sodas are cups with ice and a 20 oz. bottle (not a fountain drink). Atmosphere: Like a diner without booths. All tables and chairs. Gotta love a place that has tobasco on the table. Parking lot is pretty miniscule, but not as horrible as the one for Sabrinas/Fat Greek/Cafe TajMahal. Overall: A good place to go for local comfort food in your boro boro t-shirt and shorts or on your way home from a hard day's work/shopping.

    (3)

  • Janessa L.

    After seeing the sign out front say "Oxtail Soup" I was already sold. Then I yelped it - and I was excited to read that their Oxtail Soup was the old coffee house recipe from Kam Bowl! It wasn't as good as I had remembered but maybe it was my expectations. It was definitely close. One thing I do remember from 6+ years ago is adding the chopped ginger from the cup on the table. Mmmm.... The Loco Moco and the "famous" fried rice was really good too. I know we were hungry but still...filled the tummy. The only draw back - it was freakin' freezing in there! Swear it was like 60 degrees in there. I know its hot outside but come on! It was not comfortable sitting there after being in the water all day and in our bathing suits. We actually put the heater on for a few minutes after getting in the car! crazy! Definitely worth a try!

    (4)

  • Miki L.

    Riding around on my bike this damp morning. Jones'ing for something warm and satisfying. I made a mistake by settling on Asahi Grill, thinking a hot bowl of oxtail soup would do the trick. A let down. The service, such as is always is here, is a matter of some women telling you where you can and can't sit, taking your order and dropping it (almost literally) on your table. I ordered the regular size bowl of soup for $10.25. It was the smallest bowl I've seen. Something you might serve ice cream in. Ok, a little larger than than, but startlingly small. I think they smother the soup with green stuff so you can't tell right away there really isn't much in there. (Then again, how can there be when the bowl is so small.) I had a couple of oxtails, a sea of parsley and green onions and broth. No peanuts, star of anise or orange rind floating around. So, altogether not that tasty, and not worth the money.

    (2)

  • Christina S.

    I have mixed feelings about this place... First of all the tiny parking lot has it been maintained in many years so you have to hope that the person next to you knows how to park. The restaurant itself is kind of run down looking inside and is sort of clean looking. I also think it is really weird that they have signs at every table stating they will only serve water if you ask for it but they bring it to you anyway. I would have never tried this place out if my boyfriend had not told me how good their oxtail soup was, which it is. It really does hit the spot on a rainy day but it is really expensive! Almost $13 for a bowl of soup! I have tried their spicy ahi bowl once and was not really impressed, it was just ok. To top it off the service isn't that great either. The last time we were there the lady at the cash register said "hi" and then insisted on adjusting the fan behind her and moving things around behind the counter before ringing us up. So unless you are really in the mood for oxtail soup, this place shouldn't be on your bookmark list.

    (2)

  • Gary Y.

    My wife and I went here for lunch. She is a vegetarian so it is often a challenge to find a restaurant that has food that she can eat. She ordered the chicken stir fry without the chicken and enjoyed it. The salad that came with her mea was "sad" because it was only iceburg lettace. I ate the loco mocco which is usually good. The patty and gravy is good. This time the bottom of the patty was black. The cook must have put it on the grill and forgot about it. After the food was brought, we had no one check on us to make sure everything was alright. No one filled the glasses with water. I am still looking for someplace with a great loco mocco.

    (2)

  • Garrett P.

    Ox. Tail. Soup. I don't think you heard me, so I'm going to go ahead and repeat myself. Ox tail mother-farking soup. Fark yes. I'd go out of my way just to swing by this joint again. The thing is, you don't even know you want it yet - but I know you want it. They know you want it. That's why they're making it, right now, for when you finally realize you want it. And you're going to LOVE it. Now get your tail over to Asahi and order up some ox tail soup. That aside, the portions of their other dishes are humongous, so maybe take it easy on the orders, yeah? My girlfriend and I would have easily been filled to the brim with one order of soup and another dish, but we made the mistake of ordering 2 other plates of food and had enough to last us a week in leftovers.

    (4)

  • Cindy L.

    For no reason, I was craving ox tail soup. I don't even really like ox tail, but whatever. If I am craving something, I will go eat it. This is the first time I come to Asahi Grill and my first impression, it's definitely a local favorite. The place was already packed at 10am in the morning on a Saturday. However, they had a fast turnaround, so we didn't wait long. We ordered their most popular items: Oxtail soup, kim chee fried rice and loco moco. Five minutes from our ordered, the food came out. I had the regular size oxtail soup, so I was expecting a huge bowl, but it was a small wonton size bowl, however, they gave a good portion of oxtail, with lots of parsley and green onion. The kim chee fried rice was better than I expected, the rice was not mushy like most places, and you can definitely bite into the kim chee crunch. The most disappointing dish was the loco moco, not the best hamburger patty or gravy. We were in and out in 45 minutes; however, our stomachs were full and satisfied. I will definitely take visitors here to understand the local flavors.

    (4)

  • Tao M.

    Asahi Grill is another of my hole in the wall grindz spot. I am a huge Oxtail soup fan and Asahi is tied for first place in my book. I also order their fried rice with two fried egg's sunny side up. There is something magical about their fried rice with egg on top..... Taking a bite out of that combination gives you a feeling of ultimate comfort. Think thats the best way to describe it. I really havent tried too many of their other menu items. I come here for the Oxtail soup and friend rice period!

    (4)

  • Erwin M.

    So went back again for the oxtail soup before going to work.. It's good as always.. For sure be back again..,,

    (4)

  • Wilfred L.

    If you want no nonsense good local food, Asahi Grill is a good place to go. Tonkatsu & Chicken Katsu Curry are delicious. The only bad part to going here is the parking. You have to roll the dice when you choose to eat here. More often than not, you will need to park down the street to enjoy a meal here.

    (4)

  • Glenn Y.

    Went for the oxtail didn't taste like kam bowl or kapiolani coffee shop. Tasted weird not good.

    (2)

  • Shon T.

    Best advice on where to eat is either the valet homey, or your local buddies. Props to Mikey for his recommendation for Asahi Grill. Though i didnt try everything....anything commin outta the kitchen looked EFFin mouthwatering. Breakfast is good, but not satisfying. I mean its hard to fu*k up eggs, portuguese sausage, and rice. Kimchi fried rice is good. Loco Mocos and chicken katsu are very good. But the star of this place is OXTAIL SOUP. Not as good as KAM BOWL, but its the better than any other joint around town. Piping hot soup, oxtail braised til the meat's about to fall off. Peanuts, star anise, and nice heaping spoonful of fresh sliced/diced green scallions. Throw in a bowl of rice, and fresh ginger. Shit...too bad they dont freeze and overnight food.... :o(

    (4)

  • Tyler D.

    Whoa! I've always thought this place was decent but nothing to get crazy over. The other day I got a oxtail ramen. So freaking good! I'm not a crazy oxtail soup fan as there isn't enough to it for me, but the oxtail soup combo with the noodles and fishcake was unrealz!

    (5)

  • Esteban W.

    Nearly four stars? are you kidding me? how can this place have that much going for it, to have nearly four stars (at the time this review was written). So a friend and I hit this up after the Yelp Elite party at TIKI's. I wasn't hungry, but my buddy was - Now, as I walked in, i knew it could not be great sign when I found out the bathroom is like around the corner - outside and through a passage as if it were some kind of magical paradise needing to be locked up for the protection of its enchanted habitat... bull shit. I walked in the actual restaurant and though, "wow this is... wait? when did i step into the third world?" Just in case you're impatient, they supply you the menu protected by a plastic coating beneath a polyurethane table top. Just in case Armageddon starts in Honolulu, these menus will live on to dictate to future archaeologist what and how we consumed to survive - Ox tails. They then supply you with big-boy menus, just in case the first menus were too horizontal for your liking and then they pass on to you some water - sans lemon. My friend ordered a gravy slathered Hawaii heart attack [loco moco] and i stayed safe with spicy barbecue chicken. my meal came with a shot glass of soup with a name i can not pronounce that tasted like miso soup - so i figure made of fish broth seaweed and thin noodles, and a split ramekin of pickles and orange-colored ... things. I had a taste of my friends coronary clogger and it tasted like curry from coco ichiban. take that for what its worth. As for my food, I liked it except for one thing, a pretty major thing... I'm going to rough guess-timate that maybe 40% of my chicken was either skin or attached chicken fat, which (unless you're into) - was not good eats. To make my meal just a tad more luscious, every bite of the chicken had some kind of cartilage or inedible gristle-like nastiness. I was totally pulling something back out of my mouth after every bit. If I felt like continually pulling things out of my mouth while I am trying to enjoy it I would have never .... nevermind. The point is, I was really disappointed about the whole thing. At that moment I wanted nothing more but the crab cakes, sweet pork quesadillas and coco-shrimp and kabobs from Tiki Lounge... damn - i should have just threw some into my nifty-awesome Yelp lunch box before I left. RECOMMENDATION: When someone suggests going to Asahi Grill, Slap the Bi*ch. Go to Liliha Bakery instead.

    (1)

  • Doris D.

    OK, you HAVE to get the oxtail soup here, nothing else is worth it, seriously. I got the small soup and they give you one scoop rice with it, just awesome!

    (5)

  • Jaimie S.

    NEVER take out from here. We usually eat in the restaurant and it's spectacular. We decided to take out tonight and got way less food than if we ate there. We got no sides with our meals!! No soup, no tsukemono, no salad or tofu with the teishoku we ordered, none of the normal stuff! Super bummed and completely disappointed. Never again will I take out from here.

    (2)

  • Shantel V.

    everytime im craving a good ol' saimin, i must get it from here! the broth is tasty by itself, that i could probably eat that with just rice! The only downside about this place, is the service. It sucks. Once you get your food that's it, you're on your own! Rarely has anyone ever refilled our waters without us asking. Besides the bad service, we still manage to go here quite often.

    (4)

  • Brian A.

    Asahi Grill is actually connected with the old Kapiolani Coffee Shop and their famous Oxtail Soup. We're not exactly sure what happened to Kapiolani Coffee Shop since they had to move from their old school street location. They had opened up shop in the Waimalu Shopping Center then promptly closed less than a year after opening that location. My great aunt used to work at the old Kapiolani Coffee Shop as a waitress and as the story goes she is credited with bringing over the recipe and teaching some of the old cooks how to make it. So, I used to take her to the old Coffee Shop to visit some of her friends from time to time. My girlfriend loves their Japanese style breakfasts with saba and miso soup. Me, of course I go for the Oxtail Soup. I enjoy it. It's about right for the price for Oxtail Soup also. They also have plenty other things on the menu which would be typical for one local style diner. Parking is sometime a pain because the lot is so small. Just keep it in mind when timing your visit.

    (3)

  • Clifton C.

    I love my Japanese breakfast and since the closing of Victoria Inn have been looking for one as good as theirs. Decided to try Asahi Grill on 5/11/12. Parking lot is small and had to circle the block at 7:30am before a stall was available. Ordered their Japanese Teisoku breakfast with mahimahi and a scrambled egg. Egg was scrambled well. Miso soup was tasty but no tofu in it, only a few strands of somen noodles. It came with a toss salad which was fresh with a nice cucumber and tomato slice on top. Mahi was on the salty side and came with tarter sauce. White or brown rice and tsukemono also included. All in all, enjoyed it! Oh, coffee was weak and they serve coffee mate creamer! Not too crazy about that!

    (3)

  • Stephanie K.

    I had the Lup Cheong Fried Rice here and it was pretty good. The staff was friendly and service was decent. The parking situation was horrible, but there was a guy from the restaurant standing out there helping people find a spot and navigate around the small parking area!

    (4)

  • Charisse L.

    This is my son's favorite place. He loves the fried rice and eggs. I usually have the Oxtail soup or spicy chicken don. It's a little over priced in my opinion and I never feel like it was a great experience. Overall, it's just ok with just ok food. Average...

    (3)

  • Mark S.

    I've eaten here several times and the food was always average most of the time. I took my family this past Sunday evening and the food was terrible. My ordered the Adobo fried rice and It tasted like someone spilled half the bottle of garlic powder in it. My father ordered the chop steak and the meat was so tough and chewy. My mother ordered the Oyako donbori and that had absolutely so much sugar in it. I had the braised short ribs and that was at least tender. I told the waitress and she did agree about the chop steak. She at least only charged us for the short ribs since most of the other dinners were hardly touch. We asked If they had a new cook and was told It was the same one. We will not go back to this place again.

    (1)

  • Joe W.

    Only for their so called "Famous Oxtail Soup". I compare all oxtail soup out there to my grandma's oxtail she used to make for us. She put so much time cleaning the oxtail of it's extra layer of fat and boil them long enough so the meat used to fall off the bone on request. The cartilage from the joints were soft enough to eat...NOT in this case for Asahi Grill. First thing I noticed was the portion i got for the price. i got 5 half pieces, so that's 2.5 pieces, plus it was coated with about a 1/4 inch of fat. Soup is why they got the 3 stars. I ended up getting 2 orders just to satisfy my hunger. cost me over $30. For the best oxtail soup, I suggest Pho Bistro 2 on Fern street. It comes Okinawan style when you order from the menu, but i like my oxtail in their Pho Soup. I order mines "oxtail Pho" thx for reading and enjoy

    (3)

  • Mandy C.

    Oxtail soup, lup cheong fried rice, and loco moco. nuff said.

    (4)

  • Oski B.

    If Seoul Garden Korean Restaurant and Pho 74 had sex....and produced a baby.... it would be a beautiful baby.... that baby would be Oxtail Soup from Asahi Grill. I've had Oxtail soup for years made by my mom. Korean Oxtail soup is delicious. But I never had it this way...... this tasted like a combination of the Korean Oxtail with Vietnamese pho broth. It had watercress, star anise, and cilantro. It's not cheap... $12-13. But they give you A LOT of oxtail meat. So I think it's worth it. I came here twice in one week and saw some other regulars. We gave each other the silent nod.... which means "awwww sheeeittt you about to grub on some oxtail too?" Fried rice was good too. And coffee is good because it used to be the Kapiolani Coffee Shop. Weird combo, Oxtail soup and coffee. But hey, it works.

    (5)

  • Yasuo O.

    if you want a simple home style meal, then go for it. the place is clean, fast and for the price, not bad at all. Since everyone is raising prices and making portions smaller, this is th perfect bet for ya. I like it. am a big fan! I dont do the oxtail but i saw a ton of people ordering it. I got the tonkatsu dinner and for the price, you get a good deal. i enjoyed it alot.

    (3)

  • Stephen Y.

    We love oxtail soup, and we were pleasantly surprised at the quality of their soup. It was the best!

    (5)

  • Susan F.

    I was looking for a light lunch the other day, some sort of salad since I was feeling really fat. My friend Shantel V. was giving suggestions of places that she knew that served salads nearby, but nothing really caught my attention. So we decided to head to Asahi grill for lunch instead. To my surprise they serve more than just oxtail soup.... They serve salads too! I ordered the Asahi Salad: romaine lettuce, cucumbers, tofu, shrimp cocktail and avocado ($9.95) Gosh why are places selling lettuce for $10, but it did have shrimp and avocados so I guess it should be more expensive than something that only has vegetables in it. I still can't believe I spent that much on something I probably could make at home for half the price. It was good. Don't get me wrong, but for $10 I was out of my mind. The dressing was some sort of ginger sauce, tasty. I love that they give the dressing on the side so you can add as much or as little as you want. I wouldn't mind coming back and trying the oxtail. But $10 for a salad, crazy.

    (3)

  • Love S.

    I wonder if any of these 2 star reviewers actually went to the grocery store to see how much oxtail really is? C'mon people seriously. Paying $12 for good Oxtail soup isn't outrageous. 1. We live in the fricken 50th state where the cost of living is amongst the highest besides, NYC, New England, and the West Coast. 2. The cost of Oxtail is $3.99 -$4.99 a pound at your local grocery store depending on the cut. This use to be the cut people didn't want so it was cheap back in the day, not anymore. 3. Factor in the rent that is being paid on busy Ward Avenue. 4. Factor in the cost of operating a restaurant, insurance, wages, supplies, waste, gas, electric, etc. 5. It is slow cooked and tender, they're not serving crap oxtail. 6. Add in the ingredients, chinese parsley, mustard cabbage, chopped ginger, rice, green onions, peanuts, soy sauce, salt, pepper, parsley for garnish. 7. It's a wonder why local businesses are shutting down left and right. I don't think people really understand what goes into the cost of a dish and that not much profit is being made unless there is high volume that goes along with it. 8. Umm yeah, the portions are getting smaller because the cost to make it is going up, it's called economics, maybe you heard of it. 9. I really don't have anything to say for 9 but I wanted to make to 10. 10. Go check it out, great Oxtail, priced right. Not oily at all. If you don't like paying retail, buy it at the store and make it yourself.

    (4)

  • D C.

    I'm sure all the food here is good, I just can't bring myself to order anything but oxtail and lupchong fried rice. Two of the best in respective categories. Big beefy pieces of tail and the rice is perfectly blended so each bite is a masterpiece.

    (5)

  • H T.

    Just a mainlander looking for an oxtail fix and found Asahi thx to Yelp. The soup was pretty good, not sure if it was the best on the island, but was the most I have paid for oxtail soup (I think it was $12.50 for a large). Nice broth, decent amount of meat. Very fast to get your food, not too fast on getting coming back for the check payment. I would rate the oxtail 4 stars, but my wife's ramen was very average so averaged out to three.

    (3)

  • kristi s.

    great oxtail soup...yes the portion is not what it used to be but all the same, still great tasting, clean and not fatty. service if fast and friendly. parking can be a bit of a problem depending on time of day you go.

    (4)

  • COURTNEY K.

    Yum Yum Yum! Oxtail soup with Kim Chee fried rice! Onolicious! My bf had the curry chicken katsu with lup cheong fried rice equally wonderful. Service was speedy and super friendly. Even scored two free orders of tsukonomo.

    (5)

  • Stacey K.

    Had the oxtail soup, it was disappointing.. tasted like boiled water with chinese parsley and scallions with some oxtail thrown in. korean oxtail soup is wayyyy better, much more flavorful. bummed.

    (2)

  • Sara W.

    Went to Asahi Grill for breakfast this past Saturday with the fam. I had ordered the fried rice w/side order bacon, hubby ordered french toast w/ side order port saus and we ordered a short stack for the kids. When we got our food the bacon looked crispy (yummy), it was hard. Port Saus was burnt, pancakes looked good until i cut into them. It was raw in the middle. So i thought eh that's ok, i'll just cut around it since they won't be able to eat all of it anyway. Hubby said his french toast tasted like they didn't clean the grill, they must've cooked our food before his so he said it tasted like my fried rice, bacon and port saus. I proceeded to take a bite outta my fried rice. I saw something out of the corner of my eye, looked like a burnt onion or something so i thought nothing of it. Looked at it again in between feeding the kids and it wasn't a burnt onion...it was a small roach. Kinda freaked out. Asked my husband does that look like a bug to you? He looked at it...he said yup it's a roach. We decided ok it's our cue to leave. He goes up to let them know and pay the bill. It was like they didn't believe us and started talking in filipino. Then told him that they would comp the fried rice. I think they shoulda comp'd the whole meal or at least say sorry! I have been here before and it was always good. But after this experience i don't think i'll be going back.

    (1)

  • Bailee W.

    MMM! First of all, I should qualify this review because the only items I've had on the menu were fried rice, kim chee fried rice, and hash browns but....THE FRIED RICE WAS AWESOME! I grew up loving the fried rice at Wisteria restaurant when I was young, and since it closed, I never found any other fried rice that could compare. Even the fried rice at Kakaako Kitchen and Big City Diner just couldn't quite compare...and then I tasted the fried rice from Asahi Grill. YUM. In my opinion, they have the best fried rice on the island. AND...if you take out, it literally takes 5 minutes from them to prepare it. Fast, delicious and cheap...winnahs!

    (5)

  • K H.

    I crave the breakfast fried rice with fried egg in top from this place! Nice big portion too! Parking always sucks!

    (5)

  • Kristy L.

    Food was GREAT, service was pretty good but she was a little slow, but the food came out QUICK. My boyfriend LOVED the oxtail. I had the tempura & chicken katsu & it was delish. I will definately return :p

    (5)

  • Alan N.

    Another good place to eat in HNL. Had the Saba Tempura combo and it included salad, soup, pickles and rice. More than enough to eat and very good. Not a fancy meal/place but good food at reasonable prices. Finished with a sorbet pie that had layers of Guava, Coconut and Mango all light and tasty. This wasn't on the menu but my Aunty knew about it! Gotta love the Hawaiian Aunties! Will definitely return for some of the local stuff and breakfast.

    (4)

  • Andy D.

    Choosing where to eat with my father always ends up being a chore, even with the help of Yelp. Everywhere I want to go is too expensive according to him, and everywhere he wants to go is lame according to me. Without irony, he commonly suggests Taco Bell or McDonald's. I have nothing against those places per se - I pick up food from there once in a great while when I have little cash or am in a rush - but its not somewhere I would go to eat with someone (especially when that someone is a parent and they are paying) After my dad did some shopping at the Marukai 99, we continued our conversation deciding where go eat. We had been thinking about it for the past two hours. Because it was nearby and Manolo on Channel 2 news went there once, my dad suggested Asahi Grill. I agreed since i knew they'd have some things I would like. Once we got there and looked over the menu, I was a little shocked that the prices were so high. $8.50 for a loco moco is expensive no matter how you slice it. I knew they had the same dishes as the old Kapiolani Coffee Shops, but I didn't know they offered other Japanese dinners too. We always take a long time to order, so we weren't quite ready when the waiter came. We told him we would need a few more minutes, and he had the nerve to sigh and roll his eyes at us. Eventually, I went with the large oxtail soup and my dad got the pig's feet soup. While they screwed up my order by including chinese parsley when I asked for it without, the soup was still great. There's a reason Kapiolani Coffee Shop is know for it. My only beef is that the portion seems to be shrinking while the prices are rising. I didn't have any of my dad's pig's feet soup, but he really liked it. I probably won't be coming here again any time soon, or ever, for that matter - unless I have a really strong craving for oxtail soup. While that was good and even 5-star worthy, the high prices and bad service, knock it down to two.

    (2)

  • Sho U.

    Best local food in the Waikiki area. I came here on a recommendation from a local. We ordered all of the dishes he recommended. I had the ox tail soup, fried saimin, lup cheong fried rice, loco moco with curry gravy. All the dishes were awesome. The interior is not much to look at, but I found that the quality of food around Waikiki is inversely proportional to the prettiness of the interior. Service is adequate. Parking is limited because this place is always full of locals.

    (4)

  • Leon H.

    now that is some good Ox Tail

    (4)

  • Wendy I.

    Food was OK. I'd eat here again. I need to try their oxtail soup that they advertise.

    (4)

  • Doug C.

    My girlfriend took me here claiming this was the best Oxtail. I must say I was quite impressed as it surpassed my mom's korean oxtail soup (and she's korean!). I did find the soup a tad bit too salty though for my taste. But I loved the extra corriander and ginger. 5-stars. The large is quite large, very filling. Would almost give it 5-stars but.. not quite. would be 4.5..... if i could rate it that way.

    (4)

  • Lyn L.

    8/13/09 It's been a while since I've gone here...but I was really disappointed with the food....the pork chop tasted a bit oily...still kind of heavy in the tummy....I'm not to impressed with this place anymore.... ******************************* Asahi Grill is the Japanese restaurant for Kapiolani Coffee Shop and is it ever good! You will find excellent Japanese food along with the local favorites and the signature Kapiolani Coffee Shop Oxtail Soup...Moderately priced, it's a great place for families, breakfast, lunch, dinner and post movie meals. Affordable for everyone and the staff is so incredibly nice and helpful....You will love this place. The only drawback is the limited parking...but it is worth it! Enjoy!

    (2)

  • Travis M.

    I only come here for Oxtail Soup. As they know how to do it good over here. Not the best I had as that one is at my own house, but this one is still good. Got the loco moco and it was pretty good too.

    (4)

  • Jesse C.

    The best Oxtail soup in Hawaii. Throw a scoop of rice in and hit it a couple of times hard with tabasco! Booya!

    (4)

  • JoAnna G.

    Simple place for a quick lunch. Call me crazy but I'm actually not into oxtail soup. A few of my friends swear by this place though. It's a good solid soup but definitely not something I would go out of my way for. Fried rice is better than Zippy's but not as good as Like Like or Rainbow Drive-In. Bathrooms are Chinatown style and service is a little forgetful (not that it effects my review too much but it's worth noting). To me, they're are cooler places to check out.

    (3)

  • Rox E.

    I love that I can get Kapiolani Coffee Shop oxtail soup in town, and on Ward Ave no less! And they have a great selection of other items (for that 1 person in your group who doesn't order oxtail), with the local plates and Japanese teishoku entrees. Their prices are decent but the last time I went two weeks ago their portions seemed a lot smaller than before. And the oxtail soup price keeps climbing while the bowl keeps getting smaller! But I guess I can't say it's overpriced based on the principle of supply and demand, 'cause I know we'll be back once that oxtail craving hits again.

    (4)

  • Jayme N.

    I actually come here pretty often because the prices are somewhat reasonable and the food tastes good. I had the loco moco this morning and I like the tan tan mein (though it's ususlly not enough for a meal on its own). My family likes the oxtail soup - it's supposed to be the old Kapiolani Coffee Shop recipe - and their fried rice. I give it only four stars because the wait staff is never even remotely friendly.

    (4)

  • Meexah M.

    The beef stew is awesome!

    (4)

  • Titamas K.

    Oxtail Soup was delicious. Service is fast and the female waiters are nice. On a different day we had the Sweet Bread French Toast, bacon and lup cheong. Nothing that great, should've stuck with the Ox Tail. However, they weren't stingy on the quantity of food. For my side order bacon I got 5 or 6 pieces. Only about 10 or so parking stalls in lot. Not sure what the difference is with Asahi and Kapiolani Coffee Shop cause both wear the same attire.

    (3)

  • Katrina L.

    Food: good taste & portions. Cleanliness: twice in a row that I went there, my bf/i got dirty soup spoons. Cushioned chairs were originally green, I think, but turned to that dirty, dark green look. I seriously think I sat on a wet chair (I was wearing shorts) so it felt damp on the back of my thighs (Did previous customer spill something on the chair or was just had sweaty legs?). Switched the chair and it felt dry. They can't afford to get new chairs? The table they had us sit - there was this white color dried particles on one end - looked like dried toothpaste - table(s) wasn't wiped down properly. Service: when I nicely asked for another spoon, the waitress just looked at the spoon and took it away without an apology.

    (3)

  • Panda K.

    When we went for this place for dinner around 7:30, the inside was dark and almost empty. Their renowned oxtail soup was just okay. Ahi bowl was less than good. Our waiter looked pretty unhappy.

    (2)

  • Dukie N.

    To be honest, I only eat breakfast here. One of the best places for breakfast in Honolulu. We stop here every time we visit. I am a big fan of eggs, fried rice and portuguese sausage or SPAM. Their fried rice is very good. It is a cozy little place with good service at a reasonable price. My brother -in-law is a big fan of their loco moco!

    (4)

  • Kristi S.

    Asahi Grill is one of my regular haunts. I used to invite people here for lunch meetings when i wanted to get away from downtown. I love their spicy ahi bowl and the tofu salad is also refreshing, but the last 5 trips or so have been purely about the oxtail soup. The bugger has gotten pricey in the last year and a half, but it's had to beat. All one need do is close their eyes and imagine the clang of bowling ball against pin to hearken back to the magic of Kapiolani Coffee Shop at Kam Bowl. The bowls were bigger then (all around haha), but the soup and meat is still the same and you can still use all the ginger you like. As long as it's around, Asahi Grill is one of my staples.

    (3)

  • Brian L.

    What a great little find. We went here on our way to the airport last Sat. morning. I had the lop cheung fried rice with egg for like $6 and we also ordered the oxtail soup which was also very affordable. The place is not much for decor, but the service is great and the food is tasty and cheap. The total for 3 was about $38.

    (3)

  • Josh P.

    Simple food and reasonable prices. I think the food can be a little over seasoned but it all depends what you order. I have been eating here kinda often lately because of other people, so it's kinda growing on me.

    (3)

  • Jesse C.

    Teishoku is always mean

    (4)

  • Chi-Hye M.

    This place is like a minuet from where i work so its fast food at a good price...and tastes good too. i really like the Loco Moco...it has to be my favorite thing there so far. the hamburger patty isn't dry or burnt like some places. The Miso ramen is really good on a cold day...noodles are not soggy and the broth actually is miso broth...haha They Oyako Don was ok...there was too much skin and fat on the chicken...but the seasoning was really good... i tried the kim chee fried rice...and i have had better...for some reason it tasted sour to me?!?! The menu is pretty good and they give large portions... great place for after movies or a late dinner

    (4)

  • First Name L.

    Maybe it's me or maybe it's because I don't like to eat TAIL.. oh I mean OXTAIL. I look at my dogs tail and wonder if it taste's like oxtail? Such an appetizing part of the animal to eat. Who cares, I'm sure that hot dog at Costco had ass and ear wax in it. I wonder if there's a parellel universe where the OX eat our asses in some kind of ass stew? A place where they breed humans for OX food. This world would have all these animals going to Costco to buy Legs, Arms, and Hearts made of humans. KFC - Kentucky Fried Children - lick the fingers good! MickieDickies. Menstru-Aid. Choco-Boobs. Tits, the other white meat! Murder Burger... our humans are always fresh, never frozen. Whole Dudes Market... our humans are grown without harmful pesticides or antibiotics and our humans are raised cage free! Sorry, I just escaped from the Kaneohe Mental Institution. I'll get to my review... To be clear, we don't care for tails so we had the Donburi. Our group of 3 all had Donburi. One of them Shrimp, Chicken, and Tempura/Tonkatsu. We all thought it was OK. What's bad is we were all really hungry and the food just tasted OK. That must means it's not good on a normal day. Glad I tried it but I think I'll just keep driving next time. Now if I can only stop thinking of that parallel universe.

    (2)

  • Angel L.

    Our first time trying here at this place on ward ave. We thought it was alright not the best but its pretty pricey for a tiny little place! We was disappointed that the food was not so good!

    (2)

  • Lance A.

    Based solely on the the spicy ahi don I ordered for take out, it was not good. The ahi was not fresh, tasteless, unusually red (suggesting it was treated with carbon monoxide), and the portion was small. It comes in a bowl that is barely half full with ahi and rice. Cucumbers, avocado, and slices of egg attempt to hide this fact and don't add to the flavor. The rice was good in texture and seasoning. The spice of the ahi was a drizzled sauce over the ahi, not mixed in with it. For nearly $12, it is a rip off. It may be worth it for half the price.

    (2)

  • Greg S.

    This review is for the Oxtail soup and fried rice; I haven't had a chance to try the rest of the menu. The soup is definitely as good as its reputation, but the number of oxtails seemed low, about seven pieces in the large size. The large, by the way, is definitely the way to go, because the small just doesn't cut it for a meal. As delicious as the soup was and as tender the meat was, I couldn't give it more stars due to the price. With the surcharge for the fried rice instead of regular, the price came out to almost fifteen dollars. I will be back though, but maybe for their early breakfast special, which is under five dollars.

    (3)

  • ray c.

    go there for the five-star oxtail soup! i wish the bowl's bigger tho, and few dollars cheaper!

    (5)

  • ed w.

    I had there ox tail soup after getting my wedding certificate with my wife. I wanted to eat second when I ate the ox tail soup. But my wife ordered the fried rice and I had to eat it and I was stuffed. Then I went back again after our Honeymoon from Maui but this time with her friends. My families went there and the liked the Ox tail soup too. My brother are the loco moco and he said it was good. Me and my wife made sure that our families and friends went there before they head back home and they all liked it.

    (5)

  • Heather D.

    its okay, we went for breakfast..good pricing, foods not bad

    (3)

  • Alan T.

    comfort food. good location (no need to drive to kailua.) oxtail soup. best kept secret is the green tea ice cream pie....

    (4)

  • stevo k.

    i usually come here once or twice a month. it's nice and quiet, laid back and the food (taste and quality) is consistent. i always get the oxtail soup which is pretty good. i also usually get the "famous" fried rice, which tastes ok, but a little skimpy on the ingredients. service is decent, but never nice or friendly. fair price, consistent food, good oxtail soup and they usually have parking.

    (3)

  • Jenn K.

    Just ate the Oxtail soup and loved it! So good! The soup was just right and lots of oxtail. The meat so tender. Sometimes we also come here for breakfast and I always get the Asahi Breakfast with salmon, rice, egg, salad, miso soup, & tsukemono! Yum!

    (4)

  • Keoni U.

    My review is only for the oxtail soup. This is the first time I've had oxtail soup and if this place says it has da best in da islands all I can say is ummmm what's so special about it? I'm flip. Oxtails are cooked with cabbage, potatoes, and carrots like Mom makes it. This soup was very plain and salty. Not sure if i would eat oxtail soup again unless my Mom cooked it. =)

    (2)

  • Lola C.

    Maybe I just came on a bad day or something but the fried rice had no flavor. I thought it would be really good because I saw all of their fried rice awards plastered on the walls. I'd come again, and hopefully the fried rice lives up to the hype.

    (2)

  • Jason M.

    oxtail soup for me use the key if you must pee get fried rice on side

    (5)

  • Katie M.

    Great comfort food for a good price! The recipes for the top two favorites at this local restaurant are taken from the Kapiolani Coffe Shop -- oxtail soup and fried rice. I have tried both, of course! I have had the oxtail soup at the Kapiolani Coffee shop and Pearl City and am happy to have found a much closer location to enjoy the tasty meal. The oxtails are cooked perfectly and fall off the bone. Served with scoops of rice and the ginger on the table, it is truly island comfort food. The fried rice is also good, served with two eggs any style on top. I added a litlle Srichacha to my rice to add a little kick -- I really should have just gotten the kimchee fried rice instead. Definitely come to check this little place out and order the oxtail soup. I don't think you'll be disappointed!

    (4)

  • Kayfo T.

    You can't beat the quality of food from Asahi Grill for the price you pay. The spicy tuna don is my favorite. The chicken katsu is one of the best I've tasted. The service, however, is lacking to nonexistent. The server comes to the table once to take your order and once to drop it off. If you need anything else from more water to a pair of chopsticks to your check, you need to walk up to the front register. Nonetheless, the food is great and I'll continue to return for that!

    (4)

  • Jocelyn L.

    How have I never had the oxtail soup or fried rice here before?!? So flavorful and delicious that I went back to get the fried rice for lunch after having it for dinner the night before! Perfect grub for the beach, 3 mins drive away! Will be back!!!

    (4)

  • Ledbetter A.

    I was there yesterday. I am visiting and was looking for a local place. I truly believe that supporting local restaurants is the way to go in my travels. I am amazed at the food. It's reasonably priced. Not expensive at all. And the quality of food is brilliant. The parking lot is small but they help you to and guide you from a spot. My blue 'stang was well taken care of. I am surely coming back here. Do not miss. Great place.

    (5)

  • Mark T.

    Service tonight is slow and very inattentive. I don't know if this is the normal atmosphere here but as a first time patron I don't like it. Everyone working here behaves like they could care less if we are here or not. Took a LONG time to even get acknowledged to be seated. Let's hope the food makes up for this initial disappointment! Good is ok. Oxtail soup is not too bad, not a lot of peanuts but a forest of parsley. A lot more oxtail meat in a small serving than I expected. Rice is old and tough, like grandma style after the whole day in the pot. One interesting note: the ginger in the jar on the table is chock full and so fresh you'll scald your nostrils just lifting the lid! +1 for quality. I'd take Aiea Bowls oxtail soup over this in a heartbeat. Service is still uneven and kind of disappointing. It's Saturday night, why wouldn't you have one of your better shifts working? Overall not too bad but not great. Felt like I wasn't a customer just someone who sat down in the middle of their day. I will say this - the prices are definitely not bad at all, quite affordable. Dinner for two was under $30. Thanks Asahi Grill, it was interesting but once is enough for me. I'm going back to Aiea Bowl.

    (2)

  • Marko C.

    I had an opportunity to finally eat here after seeing this place for 7+ years. My brother and sister in law wanted to come here for breakfast. The place was half full when we got here at around 9:30 a.m. on a Thursday. The restaurant hosts about 18-20 smaller tables and is very local casual inside. I was told that this restaurant is known for their ox tail soup. I decided to get the loco moco with a side order of extra gravy. The dish was okay - it was a hamburger patty served over a couple of scoops of rice and topped with an over-easy egg and light-colored brown gravy. The flavors were comforting, but there we no real pronounced flavors that stood out. In fact, it was a bit bland. I'd be glad to come back here to try something else on the menu. Maybe I picked the wrong thing? Food Grade: C+ Service Grade: B- Worth the Money Grade: B- Overall Impression Grade: C+

    (3)

  • Lori L.

    Asahi Grill is a local-style restaurant known for their Oxtail Soup, Dons, Hamburger Steak/Loco Moco, and Chopped Steak. Open early and late, you can have breakfast, lunch, and dinner here. We came for lunch and everyone ordered a Spicy Ahi Don which came with miso soup and one bite of tsukemono. The Don has rice, furikake, saracha-mayo, fresh ahi and a few chunks of avocado, tasty, but not super filling. If you're really hungry, you might want to order something else. If you do check them out, they have a small parking lot which fills up fast and they can get busy during peak hours. Besides the regular menu, they also have a rotating Daily Menu.

    (2)

  • Jeana P.

    Asahi Grill on Ward Avenue....no affiliation with the Asahi Grill on Keeaumoku Street. Whenever I have a craving for oxtail soup or if I am in the Ward vicinity I always make a habit of stopping by Asahi Grill whether it's for lunch or early dinner. I may arrive to the restaurant alone, some days I may have my mom with me, or for my last visit it was meeting up with J2 and her friend after doing errands at Ala Moana Shopping Center and at Oceanic Cable. Oxtail soup is the only thing that I had during my visits even though I know they sell fried rice, ramen, Hawaiian food, and burgers. They may have other items on the menu...I just don't know what they are and I'll probably have to try them out on future visits. The oxtail soup is very delicious and the meat is very tender. No complaints from me whatsoever. There's a choice of having a small bowl or a regular size bowl. The bigger serving of oxtail soup comes with 2 scoops of rice (an extra scoop of rice cost $1.00). The broth for the oxtail soup is very clear looking. It does not have any greasiness in the soup like one of the Chinese restaurants that I've tried. The few times that I have been to Asahi Grill it was rarely crowded. There's tables set up for 2 people, 4 people, or even a group of 8 individuals. The waitresses are always friendly and they make sure that the drink cup is always filled. When it is time to pay the bill...I can choose to either pay by cash or pay by credit card. Majority of the time it's always pay by credit card with the exception of my last visit. I have a habit of always paying my bill at the register. Am I the only one who does this? If anyone is ever in the Ward Avenue area..by all means stop by Asahi Grill for your oxtail soup cravings.

    (5)

  • Jack W.

    1. VERDICT/VALUE Tough to recommend in the crowded HNL restaurant scene that serves the same types of food. It's good, but you may find cheaper prices/value elsewhere. This place is good if you happen to be walking in the area. 2. FOOD The highly-regarded Oxtail Soup ($14.95, full portion) comes with tender, fall-off-the-bone tail meat, lots of parsley, greens onions, and Chinese celery bits. Shredded ginger and soya sauce are available for dipping. The soup itself is very pleasant and not too salty. The biggest challenge for the dish is the price for what amounts to be a small bowl of soup and two very small scoops of white rice. Many male locals may find themselves needing to order a second dish to avoid stopping by McDonald's on the way home. The Pork Adobo Fried Rice ($8.95) was also relatively small, but at least the price point seems better aligned with the size of the portion. Purists, and competition from Elena's and Julie'z make this dish hard to recommend. I recommend sticking to breakfast or the plate lunches. 3. SERVICE Basic, simple, and good. They have our dishes of the day pre-made in large quantities, so we got our food very quickly. 4. ATMOSPHERE It's an older place that's similar to many other similar joints in HNL, but it's clean enough. Groups up to 8 in size could probably fit; be sure to come early for the few parking spots they have!

    (3)

  • Cali A.

    Overall, the food was really good. I had garlic chicken with kimchi friend rice and I thought the service was friendly. I'm not giving the 5 stars because there was no wow factor in the food or the service. Everything was good...it just wasn't great!

    (4)

  • Kat W.

    My 16yr old son asked to come here for an oxtail soup birthday dinner. Better than I expected!

    (4)

  • Tasha L.

    Always passed by and wanted to try this place and time never allowed it. Luckily! We were in the area for a car appointment and dove in on the chance. Browsed the menu and decided quickly on the Chopped Steak (added onions and mushrooms), and the Combination place with Chicken Katsu and Shrimp Tempura. The food was divine! Why the lack of 2 stars if the food was so great? The service. Food took about 20 mins. Ordered a coke and the waitress forgot not once, but twice. Decided to order it with another waitress and she hopped on it. Overall, we'll definitely be back.

    (3)

  • Lelabee D.

    Not that much selection for breakfast but the service is good. All the workers were filipino and service were superb. The island breakfast portion was small. Their local moco was good made with real home made hamburger. I luv home made hamburgers. My daughter and I had the adobo fried rice. That's the winner! Their oxtail is the best though. I'll go back again to pick some of that up. Their prices are fair. We went around 9ish and it wasn't busy, lots of old people. The place is not too clean nor too dirty. They need to clean their floors and their ceilings. Four stars for their food and service. MOOD: Happy Camper to start the day.

    (4)

  • Valerie S.

    My boyfirend and I came here for the first time - not impressed at all. There servings were so small for the amount they have charged us. The food was a bit bland - nothing special in terms of taste to us. IF we EVER decide to come back here, we will not be ordering the loco moco and hamburger steak. #junk

    (2)

  • Ryan M.

    This was actually my second time here but today was the first time I actually paid attention to the place and food. See my first trip was back in December before a concert and my friend I was dining with was quite mesmerizing--which garnered my full attention. Needless to say Asahi was a blur round one. So I finally made it back for round two, this time for lunch. This long Hawaiian winter has been cold--especially with the office A/C going. A bit frosty and chilled I decided to stop the world and melt with Oxtail Soup. The tail of the Ox sat nicely in well flavored broth and green onions. I had them hold the Chinese parsley and it wasn't missed. My two coworkers I went with got the Oxtail as well and were making joyous sounds of blissful Oxen while slurping up the delicacy. My coworkers finished off lunch with Paradise Green Tea Ice Cream bit and said it was great. The soup hit the spot and it was a good local reprieve from my haole kine work life at the moment. I work super close by and will try to make Asahi a regular part of my week.

    (4)

  • RJ D.

    Their fried rice is da bomb! Especially, their Adobo Fried Rice! The egg on top just enhances the taste! Definitely gonna come back to try out everything else in the menu.

    (4)

  • Sean B.

    Three words: Adobo Fried Rice. Two words: You're Welcome. One word: Delicious. Zero words:

    (5)

  • Liberty D.

    We were attending the Yelp Night At The Opera but we were there early so we decided to eat and since Asahi was near Neil Blaisdell Center we walked it instead of driving. It ended up being a good thing because parking was very limited outside. Before entering the restaurant I thought "ok maybe we should get our food to go because I don't think there's any sitting area" but I was wrong. When we got in there were dining tables but it was full. I never realized how busy it was. But we were assisted right away and had a table available for us. I noticed that even when it was busy the employees made the time to check if anyone was waiting in line and if there was the employees reassured them that they would get a table ready for them. For first timers we orders the Adobo Fried Rice and Combination Plate: Chicken Katsuya and Kalbi. Overall it was pretty good. The Adobo Fried Rice came out quick and the Combination plate took a little while. The facility wasn't the cleanest or the biggest but overall I believe that it's the service that out weighs the appearance of the facility.

    (4)

  • Juliet L.

    I'd like to take the time to recognize the waitress, Kristine. I do not know many people that can host, take orders, serve, and buss 7 tables by themselves. I was impressed. She was an amazing server and gave us everything my family and I needed VERY quickly. I looked around at the tables and no one seemed to be having any problem with the service, and no water cups looked empty. On the other hand, food was delicious. I had the spicy ahi don. This review may be kinda lame, but I just thought I'd applaud Kristine on her service.

    (5)

  • Jun R.

    This is an interesting place. Half of it is a coffee shop and the other half is a full service restaurant. Nothing incredibly terrific but eating here just feels like home. When you read through the menu you see aspects of Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, and Hawaian cooking. The Oxtail soup was highly recommended and was as advertised. We tried it a couple of times in Oahu and this one had the best broth by far. The chashu ramen had generous portions of chashu and the loco moco had a larger than usual patty. Good place for fill up without the high price tag.

    (4)

  • K K.

    Hit or miss on food quality and quantity. Menu items that I have tried and liked are the boneless kalbi, tofu mushroom stir fry, and adobo fried rice, although the AFR can be too greasy sometimes. Avoid the mushroom chicken always. I know, it's mushroom chicken, but bland mushroom soup with small portions of chicken are a bad representation of what Asahi can offer, and sometimes you're just ono for that style of comfort food. I've been a customer at Asahi Grill for years (convenience does play a role in some eating decisions). The wait staff has been better in the past as recent visits have had inattentive staff members who don't know their own specials. I used to recommend Asahi Grill to people, but sadly they have fallen off that list.

    (2)

  • Naz A.

    The location was kind of blah, but we like supporting local small shops/restaurants and this was our first stop after we got off the airplane. We were hunnnngry! The food was good. I had the fried rice with chicken katsu. My son shared with me and my hubby had fried rice with the ox soup. The soup was so yummy! I hadn't had it before so it was a pleasant surprise. I loved the big friend egg on top of my friend rice! We'd eat here again, although I hear there is a better location elsewhere.

    (4)

  • Dynamic Motorsports 8.

    the food here is really ono!!

    (5)

  • Jackie W.

    A friend I was staying with on vacation took me here for something everyone has to try when they're in Hawaii: a Loco Moco. This is literally a hole in the wall place that I would have never known was there if I wasn't with my friend. It's all locals that go to it too, a sure sign of a good place. The Loco Moco did not disappoint either. I got the half portion size and it was still HUGE. Egg was cooked perfectly, gravy was amazing, and the patty? Mouth watering. The price was really reasonable too. The parking lot is super small and really tricky to get in and out of if there are other cars coming in and out but it's well worth it for the great food!

    (4)

  • Phuong M.

    What a surprise find tonight! We were wandering around the area looking for something different and wasn't sure what to look for, and saw Asahi Grill and decided to try it. We came inside and it was pretty full with one table left, so we thought, it must be our lucky night! Our waitress was very friendly, I had so many questions because the menu had no photos (obviously cause it was my first time and I'm a visual person) and I wanted to know what gravy was, what veggies were, what curry was, what don was, I mean, you know what it is but photos sell! The waitress was so patient, she came back several times and answered our questions each time and had such a nice and fun personality, and she explained everything and was so friendly and laughed with us and she even brought out a sample of the oxtail soup for me to sample since I'm kind of a soup snob...and well...lo and behold, the Oxtail Soup really is THE BESTEST!!!!! WOW! I've tried Zippy's, I've tried Corner Kitchen, and a few other places and yikes, I dunno what they were thinkin', it's got nuthin on this place! I was so glad we stumbled on Asahi Grill! We also ordered the Spicy Teriyaki Chicken Don! Man, that was absolutely delicious too! It was perfectly seasoned and sweet, and spicy and not overly mayo'd and the egg was perfect! I saw the fried rice with fried egg on top from the different orders by other people and boy did that look good too! I will definitely be back now that I know this place exists! Since I am cutting out carbs for a few weeks, I will definitely be back and go all carbs out next time! Definitely suggest this place if you're looking for a good local food joint! It's packed by the time we left there were people in line and it was after 8pm. The service was quick, we were definitely happy with her and the service!

    (5)

  • Pinay F.

    Love this place! The staff here are always friendly and the food is good. Butterfish bento is a favorite.

    (5)

  • Peter T.

    Been driving by this place for years having heard mixed reviews and figured I would hit it up today. Upfront let me say I would have given it another star had they actually had some Asahi, not sure how you can name yourself after a beer, have a beer logo, and then not have any. Other than that, parking plentiful, hamburger steak was solid with excellent gravy, price ok, and portions large. Fast friendly service also. Will repeat.

    (3)

  • Jennifer H.

    This was our first meal when we arrived to Honolulu. It was walking distances from our hotel (Pagoda Hotel) and they were opened late. We asked the server what was the popular meal people usually order? Oxtail soup. So the three out of the five of us ordered the oxtail soup. You can either order soup by itself or with noodles. We did one with and one without. Never tried Hawaiian style of oxtail soup, but when I did, I would say it's a bit more saltier than what we would drink in California. This place serves Japanese, Chinese, and Hawaiian. A bit of a Asian Fusion kind of thing. I would only recommend this place if you live by and want to try out their oxtail soup and compare to other places! The restaurant reminds me of the Sam Woo we have in the California. A tad small, but there's big tables for big parties so don't worry about not being able to move. If you don't want to eat there, you can order it to go! However, they do not deliver.

    (3)

  • Chris R.

    A local told one of my coworkers about this place, he went there a few days ago and he liked it and then he took us there. From the outside the place looks pretty dirty and dumpy and sad. Inside is pretty clean and the staff is very nice. I tried the curry chicken katsu which is like a breaded piece of chicken sliced into long strips. It is served with the brown curry sauce and rice. I didn't care much for the sauce but I think it was still pretty good just not my kind of taste. Seems to be a very popular dish though. We also had the tempura vegetables which were about 5 large vegetable slices covered in tempura batter and fried, they give you a little bowl of sauce to go with it but none of it had a lot of flavor. We also got the gyoza, which are little wonton type dumplings filled with pork. They give you a different bowl of sauce to dip these in but it also doesn't have a lot of flavor. I can't really recommend any of these dishes but everybody raves about the oxtail soup so you might want to try that.

    (3)

  • Raych D.

    They are known for their oxtail soup so of course people like my boyfriend comes here whenever he has those oxtain cravings. One night, he was having those cravings and we headed on over....thankfully they service some fish dishes here that accomadated to my only seafood diet. Boyfriend got a bowl of the oxtail soup with rice and I got the miso butterfish with rice. I love butterfish in general so I already knew I'd like it and I like it! Although I wish they gave more of a bigger cut on the fish at the price they have it for, it was still yummy. There isn't a lot of parking in their lot so most times street parking is where you park. It's not the cleanest and nicest restaurant, it's a bit outdated but the food is good and the people who work their are fast at delivering your food and their also very sweet because they let my dog come dine in with me and the bf (in her dog bag).

    (3)

  • Andre D.

    I am not a local but I am treated very well each time I have come here. The food is always delicious. If service were slow, I'd be okay with it. It's one of the pleasant things about living here in Hawaii - no hurries, no worries. Keep it slow, deliberate and ono. Shoots.

    (5)

  • Murray O.

    Had the grilled Saba which was served with a piece of tofu, Mac salad, tossed salad, takuan, & miso soup. My mother had grilled mahi with the same additions. My Saba was good, nothing special. Mom's mahi was on the dry side. I thought that it was an ok place to have dinner. It wouldn't be a place where I would suggest to go to. However, my mom loved the relaxed atmosphere and would suggest it to her friends.

    (3)

  • Kristi T.

    Girrrrrrrl. Okay. Here we go. Yay! I must thank this place for introducing me to OYAKO DONBURI. Um, first of all, what kind of an Asian am I? WHERE HAS THIS BEEN ALL MY LIFE?!?! I've never had it. I actually got this on a whim, and thank goodness I did because I instantly fell in love. I've tried others since then, but so far.. This has been the best. Damn. Sooo. SO good. It was sweet and savory(eh?), it was warm and moist but not dripping like soup. It was tasty. Loved the shrimp tempura. It was the perfect addition. I think I might be drooling while typing this..? But let's get on with this. Yay! As many times as I've been coming here, it has never been really all that crowded. I don't have to wait long to get seated. And I've been here for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Yay! There's quite a bit to choose from. Salad, soup, Japanese food, local food (does hamburger steak count?), etc. (like spaghetti).. I would definitely say there is something for everyone. Yay! Specials. Take a look at the board when you walk in. Might find something you like. I love when places have specials. It's exciting. Yay! Okay, my grandparents LOVE this place. Not even kidding, they go here nearly every weekend. I think they wake up at like.. 5am. Then they do their thing (like shop for groceries) and come to eat here after. The people here know them now. There are a lot of people like my grandparents who make this place their "spot", so you know it's good. It's always a plus when customers and restaurant staff are friendly and talkative towards each other because the customers just keep coming back for more. This place is home-y. People come back. Give it a shot. I think you would come back, too. Nay! The parking. The lot is small. Ward is a crowded area. The parking is the only hassle. There are simply not enough spaces, and just not enough space in general.. Especially when people are trying to go in and out at the same time. Besides the parking, this place is wonderful. Sweet workers, delicious food.. What more can you ask for? Nothing? Right. Okay, now go to Asahi Grill. Get some Oyako Donburi and let your taste buds explode. Enjoy!

    (4)

  • Daniel N.

    The boneless kalbi was great. The parking is a bit of an issue but, the food is great. The oxtail soup seems to be very popular. I'll definitely be back to try some breakfast selections!!

    (5)

  • Grace L.

    I've only ever tried the oxtail soup here. I'd say the portions are pretty generous but it's really just pieces of oxtail, cilantro, and soup. It'll satisfy your oxtail craving but I wouldn't say it's anything super duper special. I mean, it is good, just not "i'm gonna cry because it's so delicious" good. The restaurant itself is kinda dingy and the parking in front is kinda cramped and limited. I'd recommend the place to anyone who is looking to try some oxtail. But don't go expecting 5 star quality fancy shmancy food. It's good but nothing to write home about.

    (3)

  • Heather S.

    I'm sad to say that my first experience here was not a good one, mainly because of the service. But first, the food. I ordered the spicy chicken teriyaki donburi. The chicken was ok, but that orangeish colored sauce that went over it was pretty good. The portion of the bowl was good, too. Another dish we ordered was the loco moco with kimchee fried rice. The fried rice was bleh. It needed more of something, either more shoyu or more kimchee. You can tell the meat patty is homemade and not bought; so there's a plus there. The gravy, however, not my fav among others I've tried. It was a bit too salty. Ok.. On to the service. I'll be honest, there was just one waitress handling the entire restaurant (It was really early morning so it wasn't that busy) but she did a couple of things that were just unacceptable. First thing, right after we ordered our entrees she just started walking away assuming that we had nothing else to order and didn't mind asking if we wanted anything else, which we did. Another thing, I had asked for a spoon so I can eat my soup. She tells me, with attitude, "Can't you just drink it from the bowl." And lastly, she never checked up ok us, ever. We always had to flag her down or walk up to her when we needed something. The only time she smiled and said "thank you" was when we paid for our check. It might have been a bad day for her. But, this will definitely keep me from coming here for a while.

    (2)

  • Adrian T.

    Me and my gf tried the Kalua Pig with Cabbage and the Char Siu Ramen. The food was good. Portions I've seen bigger elsewhere. The food should be priced a little lower to compare with other restaurant food portion to price ratio. IMO

    (3)

  • Hinano F.

    Coming here as a little kid with my granny, I remember ordering the Lup Cheong fried rice & fell in love with it. Ordered it for breakfast ever since! I took my boyfriend here on our first date & he loved the garlic chicken. All the old timers always get coffee and their FAMOUS oxtail soup. As a kid, oxtail sounded weird but now as an adult, I totally understand why people drive miles to come here just to have it!

    (5)

  • Marcus S.

    If I had to sum up this restaurant in one word, based on the reviews and reputation it has, I would have to settle on "overrated." I had been reading a lot of reviews about their "famous" oxtail soup, their main selling point, so I was anticipating a memorable dining experience, making me want to come back for more of their heavily lauded soup. Sometimes high expectations can only lead to disappointment. What I received was a very small bowl of oxtail soup. When I mean small, I mean smaller than the small size bowl of any reputable restaurant that serves pho. And for such a small bowl that cost $12, frankly I felt not only disappointed, but even taken, when you can get a very large bowl of pho at most places at around $8. Maybe it's not fair to compare oxtail soup with pho, but when you consider the cost and content, most people will choose pho any day over oxtail soup. (Besides, pho is simply just more badass than oxtail soup; pho goes great with Sriracha (rooster) sauce -- not so much with oxtail soup.) The oxtail were small pieces and didn't have much meat; and what meat there was was mostly covered by fat. The broth was not memorable either. Oxtail soup isn't hard to make; and the homemade ones I've eaten with my family, made with Chinese parsley, peanuts, and much more, were much, much better than what I had here. So it made me consider why it was so highly regarded by patrons. I can only attribute it to a sign of constant marketing, because, really, *what* makes it so "famous?" What do they even mean by famous? Did Leonardo DiCaprio endorse the oxtail soup? I don't mean to be sarcastic...I'm really trying to find out what makes it so famous! Because as far as I know, something doesn't simply become famous just because it has the word "famous" preceding it! My mom ordered the overpriced teriyaki chicken bento (my mom thought the chicken was dry, and I concur), while my cousin ordered the ramen, which was OK, but she looked disappointed as well. With the variety of restaurants to choose in the Ward/Kakaako area, unless you like spending a lot of money on average food at best, you can probably cross off Asahi Grill from your list of places to try.

    (3)

  • toni a.

    Love the fried rice and gyoza. Fast service, great prices. Parking is limited and the place does get busy so you may need to find metered parking and walk.

    (4)

  • Katy T.

    First of all, the decor is pretty run down. It's not warm and inviting and it doesn't even look very clean. All in all, not a pleasant place to dine just from the looks of it. Not wanting to judge a book by it's cover, though, we of course gave it a try. The service was pretty non-existent. A waitress pointed us towards a table when we walked in and then brought us menus without saying much. My boyfriend ordered a saimin and a fried rice with lup cheong and I ordered the pork katsu set. They brought my soup, followed by both his saimin and his fried rice. Then we waited 15 MINUTES for my tonkatsu! Unbelievable! And it totally sucks for a nice polite man like my bf who never eats until everyone at the table had their food. His food was cold by the time mine came! And no one even bothered to say anything to us... like "Sorry for the wait, you food should be ready soon" or anything. Nothing! No apology when she finally brought it either. Service sucked and the food was mediocre at best. Definitely not worth the wait or the dingy interior.

    (2)

  • Marni T.

    I've been here a lot of times, and well I came here tonight with my family. This is probably the last night I'm coming here. First of all service was awful, we walked in, and we heard someone say to sit down where ever is clean. We sat down and the waitress came over and brought us our drinks. After 5 minutes she came back and we ordered. It was my boyfriend's first time here so he felt very rushed to order. She was making like it was so hard to wait for my boyfriend to choose something. The lady couldn't have been more rude! I was so close to saying something but my boyfriend said it was okay. The food seemed different, I felt like it was still cold, I wouldn't have eaten it if I wasn't hungry. I know that I will not be coming back, the food is okay, but your servers SUCK! If you don't fix it you'll probably lose more customers. But seriously don't waste your money here.

    (1)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :6:30 am - 10:00pm

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : No
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Breakfast, Brunch
    Parking : Private Lot
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : Yes
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Casual
    Noise Level : Average
    Alcohol : No
    Outdoor Seating : No
    Wi-Fi : No
    Has TV : No
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : No

Asahi Grill Ward

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