This review is based on the service at the end of the night!! Wish I could give it zero stars!! Last night we went to eat dinner at this location..We had a party of 12. Everything was perfect up Until we received the check.. Because we didn't know how everyone was going to pay we wanted to split the bill but we didn't because our waiter made such a fuss about it so we decided to pay some cash and the rest on a card. We waited I don't know how long for him to return and he NEVER did!! To make matters worse he sends out someone else to get the bill while he's in the back talking crap about us about splitting the bill!! Like how rude is it for your waiter to be talking crap when your customers are right outside your damn kitchen and never ever return to your damn table!! If you don't like your job get the hell out of the service industry!! Then the girl who ran our card has the AUDACITY to run after us about not leaving a tip!! Your tip is determined by your service!! Yes, the service was awesome in the beginning but to talk smack about your customers damn near in front of them and not even return to the table that is just totally unacceptable and deserves NO tip!! But he lucky he got even more than 15%!! I would've left nothing!! Never have I received such horrible and rude service!! My aunty and uncle flew in from Kauai and wanted to eat here in the worse possible way!! So sad and disappointing for them. Will not be returning!!
(1)
Andie H.
You know, I feel bad for rating them so low. I usually love the japanese food, but this one...ugh I just can't get a good stomach for. First off, the prices are pretty right, for what you get. Most of it is the standard bento plate with salad, miso soup, sashimi, your main, and hot tea, or you can order ala carte sushi, or poke bowls, or even the pokechos (no nattechos for me or anyone in my family, thanks.) That might be the best things you got going for you...or the senior discount if you make the age ;) However here are the things that make me unhappy and not enjoy my food: bad parking, slow service, waiters dropping shoyu on you, underpar cooking. I'm sorry for such negativity! If you go during peak hours (senior dinner hours of 5-6pm), of course the parking lot is going to suck, there is extra parking in the back next to a house, but make sure you tandem park with someone you know, or else you'll get stuck in there. Goodness, after we got seated, it took FOREVER and one day for a server to come by to offer any drinks. I mean, not even some water please? Then it took another few days for them to come back and take our orders. Blah blah, for me, this is not a place I would say, hey lets go here for dinner! It's always initiated by someone (most of the time, older) else and you just can't say no to. Anyways, its an ok choice for dinner, but not someplace I crave.
(2)
Kehau B.
Went here for lunch today...the food was delicious and my server David provided great customer service. Restaurant is very clean and well kept.
(4)
Joy N.
Gyotaku is one of those restaurant where our family would go to whenever our grandma and uncles were visiting from Maui. They offer a very extensive menu so there's something for everyone! As far as I know, they do not take reservations on the weekends, however, I believe they will let you make a reservation if you have a larger group coming in on a week night. The great thing about Gyotaku is that they have seating both upstairs and downstairs so you can usually get a table after a short wait. Only downside? They don't have a parking lot big enough to accommodate all the cars. Usually parking can be very tight, so give yourself some extra time or you might have to go look for street parking. As for the food, they have great combo meals with zaru soba/tempura or tempura/sushi. I also really like their combination bento box when I can't decide what I feel like eating. I'll get the 3 choices and usually do butterfish, chicken karaage and sashimi. Or... I'll just get the butterfish teishoku. See- there's LOTS of options here! Oh yes, and don't forget about dessert. We'll either end up ordering some strawberry shave ice or their sweet potato/haupia pie! Yummmmm!
(4)
Kristen D.
Love the Godzilla roll. Perfect everytime. Could eat two if I had the room for it. Clean, great service. Don't forget the Okinawan sweet potato pie! Love the ginger crust.
(5)
Angela M.
Dear Gyotaku, For a good number of years I avoided your restaurant. Despite it being a staple of my childhood, the cafeteria-like atmosphere and fluorescent lighting coupled with the priciness that is Japanese food discouraged me. However, your Monday and Tuesday "Children Eat Free" special was just enough to lure me back in and I was pleasantly surprised with the new ambience. Very nice. Kind of classy. No longer a cafeteria. Children eat free? YAY! One child eats free per full adult entree and I have four children? Booooo. Adult entrees were delicious! Tempura was yummy! Udon was delicious! YAY! Origami activity for kids while waiting! YAY! Free toy from basket after dinner for each child! YAY! Money-saving "Children Eat Free" dinner still came out to $80 including 20% tip! Boooo. Though I suppose it is a bit ridiculous to expect a Japanese meal to be inexpensive. We have now chalked this up as a "special occasion family restaurant" vs an "every week cause kids eat free" type restaurant. We do like you, though. And that's saying a lot as my husband is a Japanese food snob. But whatever he ate he liked, so that means we'll probably show up again. On some sort of occasion. Like Mother's Day. Or National Apricot Day. Sincerely, Angela
(4)
Pochacco I.
On April 28th, I got food poisoning from dinner at the King St. location. Symptoms showed up within 4 hours of eating there followed by violent throwing up all night long. I don't recall the last time I ever threw up but it was definitely over 20 years ago so something was up. Well, 2 days later I was still out from work. The culprit was either the teriyaki chicken or shrimp tempura. My son also developed a bad case of hives the following day but he didn't eat anything I ate that night so it could mean multiple things were tainted. The service was decent but that's about it. I'm glad there are a lot of other Japanese restaurants to choose from in town.
(1)
Samuel B.
I love this place. Been coming here for years and never been disappointed. Well you do cook your own food so if there is anything wrong then its kind of your fault, but the cool part is that the prices are reasonable since i suppose you do cook your own food of course. The place is bomb!
(5)
susan L.
Excellent service and very extensive menu with lots of choices. The service was fast and efficient and they were great about letting us linger and visit with our guest. Will definitely be coming back with friends and family b
In search of a Japanese birthday dinner. Bam! We found here!~ Oh Yeaaa~~ The hardest thing is to find a nice place to have a birthday dinner with friends. It was a Saturday night around 6:30PM when we walked in. There wasn't a long wait, we got seated 10 minutes later...and it was upstairs seating. What an interesting restaurant with 2 floors? We decided to share the dishes. We got the Crab Cake Lettuce Wrap, Sea Dragon Roll, Ninja Roll, and the Unagi Kamameshi Teishoku. Gosh! There food is soooo good. Do get the Crab Cake appetizer!! It was amazing. The sushi rolls we ordered were spicy but delicious. I love everything when it's spicy! The combo Unagi Kamameshi included a side of salad and miso. The rice was soft and tasty. This one was not spicy. I would come back again to try something else. It would be worth it with your coupons they have, since its kinda pricey. But not bad. Nice place!
(4)
Fun T.
I've always heard that a person should lead off on a high note, and Gyotaku did just that. I went to Gyotaku for the first time this week around 8pm. They had parking, and I was seated right away. So far so good! I must have been hungry, because I wanted to try everything that was on the menu. There were a number of favorable reviews about the ribeye caught my eye, and I was debating on ordering that or the Kani Kamameshi. The server said that he would go with the steak, (In hindsight, maybe because it was $32 vs $19), so I ordered the steak done medium. The salad and the miso soup were good. Pretty standard stuff I guess. When the Ribeye and Tempura came out, it looked okay. The frozen/canned corn and lima beans threw me a bit, but hey I'm in Hawaii. (totally understandable with the cost of fresh veg at the supermarket) The tempura was good... 1 shrimp and about 4 veg pieces - I wish there had been more. The steak had a very intense char on the top side which hid some of the gristle, and when I flipped it over, the meat was not very carmelized. It had nice grill lines, but was a little grey as if it was not cooked very long on that side. On the positive side, if they did cook it longer on that side, the whole steak would have been over cooked. The other good thing about the steak is that the big chunks of fat kept the meat next to it somewhat moist. I should have taken the server up on the offer for steak sauce when he brought the food out. It was the last time I saw him until I got the bill. The steak would have been seasoned well if I had high blood pressure and had to watch my sodium intake, but to me, it was under-seasoned. But that was easily fixed with a little salt and pepper.... was able to flag down someone after about 8 minutes - since the busboy was busy sweeping up / and a few servers were talking to coworkers at the hostess stand. I would definitely go back if I wanted so-so service, a salad, miso soup, and wanted order 2 or 3 x the tempura...
(2)
Kimberly R.
Went here for lunch with my coworkers. Had a hard time choosing what to order because there were a lot of different things I wanted to try. i ended up getting the combination bento (misoyaki salmon & teriyaki chicken). It was delicious! The salmon was my favorite. I'm definitely gonna get that next time I go there. However, for about $18, I expected the portion to be a bit bigger. Our server was a bit slow. Took us about 30 minutes to get our order and noticed that the ladies that came in right after us (and ordered after us too) got their order first. Other than that, this was a very good place for lunch :)
(4)
Pabs G.
We thoroughly enjoy eating at the King St location. The people are always friendly and service is excellent. Depending on how busy it is, it usually takes 5-10 minutes to get your order. We like to order a plethora of food! Dessert with mochi balls, green tea and azuki beans is my all time favorite that puts me in sleep mode almost immediately. I say this is Japanese comfort food at its finest. Price is good for the quality of food.
(4)
Vernelle O.
Yum! I love their food and service although we had to wait about 30 minutes to be seated (crowded Saturday night)
(4)
Jared W.
I am a fan of Gyotaku because I already like Japanese food and the quality is not bad. I would say the price matches well to the quality. I usually get the 3 choice combination bento for $21.95. The last time it was Misoyaki Butterfish, Sashimi and Tempura. The combination bento will also come with miso soup, salad and the typical Japanese side dish of pickled vegetables. I like this location better than the Pearl City one because I think the food here is better. I am a return customer to the Gyotaku chain and I will continue to be one.
(4)
Angel H.
I went here with my parents for the lunch specials. My mom and I had the cali roll and tenpura special and my dad had the ten-ren(I think that was the name) which consisted of 4 shrimp tempuras on rice with vegetable tempura. Both specials were $10.95 and came with a lot of food. The cali roll special came with a salad, miso soup, 8 pieces of cali roll, one piece each of shrimp, sweet potato and eggplant tempura and karaage chicken. The ten-ren came with pickled vegetables, miso soup and the shrimp tempuras on rice with the vegatable tempuras. The tempura was hot and crispy and the sushi was really fresh. The shrimp could have been a little bigger. I'm not complaining though cause you get a bang for your buck. You can also ask for green tea which is complimentary. The place must have recently been renovated because I don't remember it looking this nice. The booths they have against the walls are nice and comfy with new upholstery. It also has better lighting now.
(4)
Ariana M.
Haven't been here for a while. Decided to have lunch here last minute. We noticed that they must have recently renovated the restaurant because it looked really nice now. Very good upgrade if you ask me! Our server was Joey. He was super cool and down to earth. The Grub: GYOTAKU COMBINATION PLATTER ($22.95) - This dish comes with Teriyaki Beef, Chicken, Assorted Tempura, California Roll, Salad, Miso Soup and Rice. yelp.com/biz_photos/gyot… ZARU-SOBA, CALI ROLL & TEMPURA ($17.95) - This dish comes with Zaru-soba, California Roll, Volcano Roll, Salad, and Assorted Tempura yelp.com/biz_photos/gyot… We both really enjoyed our meals and were amazed how much food we got for so cheap! Definitely a plus! Everything tasted great too! Very satisfied with our meals. OVERALL: I think this restaurant is great! They have super good prices and you get a lot of food! Which is always a good thing!
(4)
Lisa Y.
Best Japanese food with the family atmosphere. Their tempura is always crunchy and never oily. My favorite is their agedashi tofu, tempura, udon, nishime, teriyaki beef, misoyaki salmon...gotta have the bento to try everything! Make sure you save room for dessert...my favorite is the green tea ice cream but their zenzai is also good. Their okinawan sweet potato pie is also the best! Don't forget to bring the kids on Mondays and Tuesdays...their kiddie meal is free with an adult entree!
(5)
Rusty G.
A nice go to spot that gets crowded without reservations. They have a crap load of choices, more than an ABC store but lots of ways to enjoy the food via combos and be to boxes. Child friendly and kids eat free with parent on Monday and Tuesday nights which is great for locals. The kids meal comes with drink and desert and is a good size and value, free or not. The rolls were good and not mind blowing but satisfying.
Last week was the first time I had been to Gyotaku in years. The food seems to have fallen off. I was very disappointed. Contrary to other reviews I found the service good. Though waiting a few minutes to be seated, when half the restaurant was empty, was a little bit of a head scratcher. There probably won't be a next time. (2 stars because waiter was nice)
(2)
Boki C.
I came here for a work thing, we had the back room - it was a bit noisy even though the sliding door was closed. We probably had a party of 18 and the food came quite quickly. I was quite impressed with the speed of everything, although our appetizers were on the table before utensils. The food is local style japanese food, it was yummy. I had 3 pieces of hamachi nigiri that I enjoyed thoroughly. I've been here for 5 years, and only tried it for the first time (since it was work related)... I otherwise wouldn't have come, cuz I have a slight aversion to Japanese chain restaurants, unless they are dirt cheap.... There was an incredible amount of people at 6pm (the kupuna's and other people were about to leave after the 4-6pm specials). There is probably enough parking, but the spaces are tight. I'd probably return.
(3)
Serena M.
Came here again for lunch, very slow service. Waiter was very friendly and felt bad for us having to wait so long so he gave us free dessert. Nice guy, thumbs up to him!
(2)
Nat N.
Gyotaku is an excellent option if you're looking for take-out Japanese food. They have a "pack menu" with about 11 options to choose from, ranging in price from $10.50 - $16.75. Each pack includes a small salad with a strip of imitation crab (my favorite part of the salad). I've tried the teriyaki chicken and tenpura pack ($10.50), and it was perfect for my lunch meal. There is nothing fancy about it, but it's good quality Japanese food at a reasonable price. 31 Yelps Challenge: #5/31
(4)
Sam M.
Absolutely love this place. My favorite Japanese restaurant ever. My favorite is either the udon with shrimp tempura or the Misoyaki salmon Yum!!
(5)
Jarod H.
Five stars. A few years back, I just really didn't like Gyotaku. It seemed to me to be an Americanized version of Japanese food. I'm more used to the traditional Japanese food served here in Hawaii (Suehiro Restaurant, etc). Stopped coming here over the past few years because of that. BUT...just by blind luck and not knowing where else to go, we gave it a go again. Boy, was I in for a pleasant surprise! The menu looked like it was revamped and the sushi, man, it was incredible! The teishoku food on the menu looked similar as before, but to me, it seemed that the quality improved and an overall improvement. I will definitely come here again!
(5)
Lisa K.
Got the pokechos and unagi Kamameshi. I did not enjoy either for the 30+ bucks i paid. the pokechos were tasteless and had a wierd tasteless white sauce on top. The kamameshi was wierd since i was expecting a steaming stone pot but got a glass pot that looked like stone and didn't keep my food hot. The rice was bland and tasteless. I guess i should have gotten the nattochos according to everyone's reviews. But seriously had wayyyyy better unagi for less at shokudo and poke nachos at Tokkuri-Tei.
(1)
Riley L.
This place is alright. I would not come here for dinner because it is over priced; try going here for lunch instead (the lunch menu is cheaper). It's like any other japanese restaurant that has the usual sushi rolls and bento sets. The quality and taste of the food is descent, but nothing really stood out to me. If you have room for dessert try their sweet potato pie. The service is mediocre.
(2)
Mr. P.
Always a good time here.took the ribeye with tempura soooo delicious. And Pele lava roll.yahoo !!! Even if crowded,still able to find parking if not in regular lot..in back empty lot that's marked.prices are reasonable.
(5)
Julie M.
My dining partner and I entered the restaurant and waited for somebody to seat us, but the waitress helped somebody else who came AFTER us. We waited for about 10 minutes to be seated. When we went upstairs, the dining area was almost empty?! The waitress was very friendly although she seemed rushed and unavailable for somewhat long periods of time, but the restaurant was quite busy that day. The ninja-don and tempura tasted good. The food is expensive. If it weren't for the lunch specials, I wouldn't go here.
(3)
Glenn O.
UPDATE: One star for after-customer service experience. Gyotaku reached out to me regarding my review and offered to compensate me for the below average experience. I have been back to Gyotaku, but I am now more careful/cautious on what I order, but I will not say that I won't ever change my review, like every business I patronize, I will give them a chance to improve their quality, but it will take some time to be consistent. My parents love to go to this place for lunch and dinner, so today we decided to go there for a birthday celebration. I ordered the Katsu Don , two rolls or sushi (Dragon and Catepillar) and Sweet potato cake slice. The sushi was as tasty as ever, no complaints there, however, the Katsu Don was not what I expected from a donburi dish. It was served in a deep platter, not a bowl with a layer of white rice on the bottom, with slices of chicken katsu, then slices of soft cooked onions, then a thin layer of fried scrambled eggs on the top with bits of nori topping it. Not only the dish very dry, but the chicken katsu was a little rubbery at the end like it was old chicken from the freezer. I didn't complain and embarass my parents since they were paying for the meal, but overall a disappointing visit which I hope to avoid in the future. I hope the chef will learn how to make a proper katsu don on my next visit.
(3)
Peter M.
Brought some out of town relatives here for dinner and they really enjoyed the food, the good thing is that they have a variety of Japanese food - appetizers, sushi, sashimi, noodles, bento type boxes, salads, brown rice is offered, and even steaks! Food is always consistent - which is great! The last time we went our server Joey was spot on, this young man is a excellent server, friendly, accurate, drinks never ran dry, personable and very welcoming. Overall our relatives enjoyed it, which is a plus to please non-locals.
(5)
Sheryl G.
what: japanese restaurant! gyotaku has the cute meaning of 'fish on the table.' something good: why do i always forget about this place when picking a place to eat! this place has the yummiest salmon! i need to come back here immediately! from now on, this place will be on my mind when having to pick somewhere yummy! the place has been remodeled since the last time i came here, i like it! it's roomy and cute : ) just a little side note! our server, elijah, was amazing! he made our stay completely comfortable! great service! something not so good: so busy, but that's not a bad thing, it's a good thing!! : ) something to try: misoyaki salmon!
(5)
JC C.
Had an issue with my last visit at Gyotaku and Thomas (owner) did more than what I expected and went out of his way to take care of the problem. He was completely professional and I could tell he cared for his business and his customers. My hats off to Thomas. The food at Gyotaku is always good. The best thing about their menu is that there are so many combinations; soba/tempura/sushi, butterfish/tempura, tempura/chicken/sushi, and on and on. You don't have to settle for just one thing. We go there at least once a month and can't wait to go back again.
(5)
Marisa A.
We love this place. Although we joke around that this is the geriatric restaurant, we acutally love this location. We always come to this restaurant for special occasions. We were recently there for a New Years Dinner. The staff there are very friendly and very accommodating when you have young kids. When we come we always ask for the private rooms that they have on the second floor. They have great appetizers and great teishoku. They have a wide variety of menu items. Too much for me. I usually always get the same thing...call me old fashioned. No matter what you get is great. I think what is fabulous is that they really cater to the kids. They have a kids menu that offers french fries. Say what? French fries at a japanese restaurant? Recommended for all ages. Great for a date night, groups, kids. They have lots of parking.
(5)
Denalee C.
Hellloooo makeover! This place has gotten so much more than a facelift, I'd consider it a head to toe make over. The ambiance of the restaurant is completely different (and a bit more romantic) than the original. I'd say the difference between the old and new decor is similar to the difference between eating and dining. I called earlier in the day (weekday) to make a reservations for 25 people. They could only accommodate us at 7:30 with such a large group. By the time we got there, our party had dwindled down to 13. Our server was understanding and accommodating. We constantly asked him for things that made his job a little harder but he was gracious and kind. Another thing that got a makeover was the menu. Ok, maybe it just got a facelift. Along with the changes in food choices was an increase in prices. Gyotaku used to be a place where you could get a meal for $15-ish dollars but now it's more of a $20-30 restaurant. My favorite chiashi was gone from the menu :( I ordered a deconstructed california roll. There was some kind of chewy "crab"..I think. My brother ordered the ahi salad and it came with kakimochi as the crispy parts :) Everyone enjoyed their food and I was satisfied with my restaurant choice.
(4)
Jeannie E.
I had their udon noodles with tempura and a few other things. Their udon was pretty good. The noodles were a nice texture. The rolls that my meal came with though were a bit too sweet for my liking. The service was decent for our party of 6 + 1. Their salad dressing was good too, but my salad was drenched in it.
(3)
Sherry T.
Picking a place to eat is especially difficult since I have family members who only eat Japanese food while there are two others who seem to be on a perpetual, strict protein/ no-carb diet. We dined here during a busy holiday weekend with no res. It didn't take more than 20 minutes for us to get an upstairs table my dad needed; he says the ambiance is better upstairs. My parents enjoyed the senior sushi dinner for $10. The dieters were happy and all of us got to catch up with each other. The sushi is now my parents favorite dish here. I must say that in pricey Hawaii, $10 for sushi is a heck of a good deal. I got the two item combo with fried chicken and fish. Though delicious, I could not finish it all. The staff was so gracious and kind to repeatedly take photos of our group multiple times. A benjamin, pre-tip for six was not bad money spent in good company.
(5)
Rhi M.
I love this place. My favorite Japanese restaurant. I always order the same thing....the deal is great if you come here for happy hour. I think it ends at 6pm....so we always miss it though. However, my usual order is the 3 combination bento. Tempura and sashimi with the miso butterfish. If Im craving for sashimi then I order it 2x. The sushi here is great. Makes a great appetizer to share with the whole table. I believe we order the tempura roll and the dragon roll. Tempura roll with spicy tuna on top. Some, not all, orders come with a side of miso, salad, and pickled cabbage. I like how they bring it out before your entree. The service is great and I feel like once you order you are eating right away. Love this place :)
(5)
Jillie K.
I've been to this place with my family numerous times in the past and have always enjoyed the atmosphere, the food, and the service. Going back here after a fairly long break, I'm pleasantly surprised to see that they have completely renovated the once dim interior. The ambiance is much more inviting and modern. As for the food, it's a great deal for the amount of food you get and the quality is always consistent. I love unagi so, of course, I had to get the Unagi kamameshi teishoku (delicious!) and my sister ordered a choice combination meal (misoyaki butter fish, misoyaki salmon, & Sashimi) which was also very good. Gyotaku has always been great and I'm never let down by this long-time favorite.
(5)
Al D.
Not that good. The raw fish seemed a bit slimy which made it unappetizing. The tempura was just OK. The prices were a little high for the quality. Probably won't return.
(2)
Erica Y.
This was my first time going to Gyotaku, however, my husband used to go there often with this family. He said the place looks updated and the bathrooms are much better than before. The food was yummy! The food came out slow, however, it was tasty. I think my favorite was the sushi and the appetizers.
(4)
Julie O.
Great service and ono Japenese grinds. Early bird special is worth it! Love the shrimp n veggie tempura, flaming ahi roll, lava roll, sashimi. You also gotta try the nattotchos!
(5)
Shay F.
They recently renovated this place... and had a small birthday dinner because if you ordered before 5:45, it was "affordable", it seemed group friendly, and because they had a variety to choose from..... When I got the menu, I was so overwhelmed by all the choices. I seriously had the hardest time making up my mind. I love how their menu resemble the menus in Japan where they give a picture of what you're about to order so nothing is a real surprise. Finally, after much deliberation, I ended up getting the kani kamameshi with tempura. It was good FWIW.
(4)
Frances G.
3-1/2 stars. I came here for lunch around noon on a Sunday. The interior was nice and clean, recently renovated I hear. I ordered the Gyotaku combination bento 2 and chose the furikake salmon and teriyaki beef for $16.95. The furikake salmon was a bit overcooked and the teriyaki beef was tough, but the overall flavors (including the salad and miso soup) were pretty good. My kids each got the assorted sushi ($8.25) from the keiki menu, which they liked (it came with a dessert - sherbet or shaved ice - and a cheapy toy). I've seen their commercials and recognitions that they've gotten, so maybe I had high hopes. Their food wasn't bad, but it wasn't out of the ordinary either. A bit pricey, IMHO. They did have very friendly and welcoming service though.
(3)
Mark M.
Great food... Everything came out fresh and hot. I had the gyotaku lunch it what is consisted miso soup, small salad tempura, teriyaki chicken and sushi.
(5)
S S.
Marginal food with horrendous service. We waited 30 minutes for someone to just approach our table and take a drink order. Another 30 + minutes and our appetizer arrived at the same time as our dinner. Both our dinner orders were filled incorrectly. Pass this place up.
(1)
Dean I.
This was our first time at gyotaku, recommended by family that lives here. This is easy to find and parking seems plentiful. When we arrived at 1:30, the restraunt was full, yet at least 3 stalls were available. Ambiance was clean and relaxed. We got our food quickly and our waiter was attentive. I had the pokechos and karaage. The wife had the California Don. The food was excellent! My aunty had the Ninja Don, also a winner. Price range was great, considering the higher quality of food. Definitely on our must visit list for our Honolulu vacations!
(5)
Cyndy K.
Cyndy's BOTTOM LINE: Love the pokecho's. What a great idea to have poke with wonton chips! It is unique to Gyotaku Aiea. The pokecho is made with crispy wonton chips, spicy ahi, onions, poke, avocado, yama imo, green onions, daikon, sprouts, nori, and sesame seeds...a Japanese style nachos which is onolicious! I also like the tempura which is lightly battered Ahi sashimi is fresh, high grade and cut generously. They offer a senior and kids menu which makes for a great place to bring family. Great service too.
(4)
R M.
This long-time popular restaurant that was renovated last year stills serves great food. The nabeyaki udon has lots of veggies, fish cake and other goodies in a broth with firm large noodles. The broth is not too salty and all the ingredients tasted fresh and the tempura shrimp cooked just right. We arrived just before six and the persons who ordered the early bird special were very pleased with the food and its price. There were eight of us but Gyotaku on King St. easily handles groups. We had an excellent waiter who helped some individuals customize their orders.
(5)
Deb D.
The first time I went to Gyotaku, King St., since it has been renovated, I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't know that it had undergone such an extensive renovation. It is now very Zen, contemporary and I enjoy the decor both inside and outside of the restaurant. We ate upstairs both times. However the food is a bit sketchy. I had lunch the first time and really enjoyed the ginger ice tea. Ordered the salmon skin salad which was too salty for my taste. I liked the idea of the salad, which was a good size but I think the dressing could have been sweeter since the salmon skin is already salty. Then I went back a few weeks later for dinner with a couple of friends and ordered a combo of cold soba, sushi, veggie tempura and small side salad. The veggie tempura was well done- crispy on the outside with a nice dipping sauce. Unfortunately the sushi was way too sweet. The portions were generous. The menu is large so I may go back and give it one more try.
(3)
Koree L.
A family favorite. Normally I order combination Bento 4....eat two parts at the time... Then I have an excellent lunch the following day. Awesome awesome food. Crab cake lettuce rolls and caterpillar roll always finds it's way to our table before the entree. We never leave hungry nor dissatisfied.
(5)
Trevor L.
Food was good but the service was horrible. My wife asked after 20 minutes of waiting about our appetizer and the server gave a rude look and said she's taking care of other stuff first. Will not return to this restaurant.
(2)
Bob T.
Not a fancy place but the staff is friendly and the food comes out quickly. I usually order the California Delight plate and that's plenty of food. If you like sushi and tempura you should be satisfied. Pricing is reasonable.
(4)
Rob I.
Our family decided on lunch at Gyotaku since everyone was craving tempura/sushi. We got there at 1:30 p.m. and ordered promptly. We all ordered tempura, chicken karaage and sushi combos... and waited... and waited... and waited. The restaurant was not busy at all. Maybe a fifth of the restaurant was filled and there were a lot of servers around so it wasn't that they were short on workers that day. Anyway my dad got irritated after waiting 30 minutes for our food and asked one of the servers "where's our food??" They replied it's coming soon.... 45 minutes later we finally get our food and the karaage is cold, tempura is cold and and everyone was a little grouchy. Seriously the food here is not that great. Just standard local Japanese food. Not worth waiting 45 minutes for. Our bill was $78.00 for 4 people including tip.
(2)
Iris C.
The draw was the family style restaurant. It was definitely family and kupuna friendly. The server was less than attentive; no eye contact, just asking if we are ready to order, not asking if everything is OK. The guy serving the water and cleaning the dishes was friendlier and welcoming. Stay away from the ribeye. It was poorly cooked, had lots of gristle, and chewy. The miso butterfish was flavorful but salty. The salmon was good. The parking was awful. People parking on the line or over the line. Parking is already tight, but made worse by the inconsiderate diners. I might try this again.
(3)
Ticha B.
Gyotaku is a bit old school in my books. When you walk in, the restaurant looks like an old 2-story Chinese restaurant in LA's Chinatown stuck in the 80s. That being said, Gyotaku was not on my list of places to eat in HNL on vacation. My friend who I met up with out there suggested it and since I was a bit tired from all the Hawaiian food, it was nice to mix it up a bit but still stay within the Asian food community. Gyotaku had a bright menu with tons of pictures, typical Japanese. I always enjoy menus with a lot of pictures, it makes choosing what you want to eat easier I think. The service was actually really good. The waiters were very attentive, I think the head chef even came out and checked up on us. The food was typical Japanese also: bento boxes, fresh sushi, teriyaki, rolls, etc. Gyotaku also has some ice cream for dessert and the yummy shaved ice with red beans and ice cream! There were a lot of families there that night. They have plenty of seating up and downstairs, the price is pretty decent and I think they have the kids eat free on certain days (I think Mondays and Tuesdays) like the kids eat free like IHOP or Denny's. Too bad we went during the weekend. Gyotaku is pretty close to Waikiki and has plenty of parking. Credit card ok!
(4)
Z N.
Disappointed with the food today! We go to the King St & Niu Valley locations quite often, and have found that the freshness of the fish in the Ninja Bowl is a hit or miss (I keep ordering it cause I like spicy). Today was definitely a 'miss'. And to add to my displeasure, when the bus help asked if I wanted to box the leftovers (cause I hardly ate any, just pushed it around) I said "No, I didn't like it because the fish wasn't fresh". He said "Oh, okay" with a smile. I don't know if he didn't understand or didn't hear me, but my comment was not communicated to the waiter. And since I didn't feel like repeating myself, we just left. Thumbs down Gyotaku! :(
(2)
Eric A.
The head editor of my work invited me and the rest of his sporting press to lunch here yesterday afternoon. While his intention was to not only acquaint the staff with one another and discuss our future as a publication, it was also a pre-party shindig before the start of fall season. According to him, it was either Gyotaku or Shiro's, and since it was my first time eating here, I couldn't of had been more happier with the verdict...even if i still love Shiro's! So here we all were, upstairs, in the backroom. After the brief introductions, our boss told us to go nutz and order whatever we wanted on the menu. For the first time, I had no fear of looking like a piggie to the waiter, as I was sandwiched between two huge Samoan camera men. Both looked like they had a way more monstrous appetite than I did. After looking through the photo filled menu, I went ahead and ordered the California Delight ($10.95). In this meal comes: miso soup, salad, a California roll, karaage (Japanese-style fried) chicken , and assorted tempura. The way my food was presented, it looked like half of my meal was still "pending". Through exploration, I later I found out the hot portion was stacked on top of the cold (both come out in 2 flat, wooden bowls). DOH! After intentionally taking forever to snap droid shots of my tempura (people were giving me that "look" lol), I finally dug in. In short, the food here is good and plentiful but nothing extraordinary. With the constant rise and popularity of Japanese comfort food, you could probably get the same for cheaper at your neighborhood one-stop sushi shop. Though I will say the sesame seeds fried in with Gyotaku's karaage chicken was a nice touch. Staff was also very fast and courteous. My first Gyotaku excursion was mainly all about the experience: sitting down, talking shop and breaking bread with this group of talented journalists. One minute we're bantering about politics and the latest in lenses - the next, asking da kine to pass da shoyu fo wet da wasabi. Thanks for lunch and for a good time, Boss! 3 stars Gyotaku on King Street.
(3)
Lynn C.
Daddy: Lynn. Go and see the bathrooms. That's a weird thing to say. But since the renovation, Gyotaku is looking like quite the classy and smooth restaurant. Gyotaku is a winner in my book for many reasons, but the main reason for me is that Popo loves it! It's one of the few Friday dinner restaurants that she loves. She always gets the senior portion fish. If we go early enough, you can catch the early bird special. I had the nabeyaki udon. I had just polished off a sandwich earlier but was a little hungry. The udon was good! I love the combo meals that they have (love the zaru soba + tempura + california roll) and there's just so much selection. Something for everyone. Anyway, those bathrooms are just lovely. Clean and they SMELL good. I feel like bathrooms are a good indication of the hygiene of the restaurant. If that's true, then this is one clean place.
(4)
Tim K.
Butterfish is the best. The tenpura was really good tonight. Pokechos was good. Love the green tea ice cream. The only thing that was irritating was the light above the table was not working properly. It kept going from normal and then dimming. Drew was very attentive and gave great service.
(5)
Marko C.
Maika'i, Maika'i, Maika'i!!! (Hawaiian for Good, Good, Good!!!). Gyotaku is a home-town restaurant on King Street, that serves some really good food! There are two levels of dining at this place. Bottom Level is primarily reserved for the grandmas / grandpas that cannot make it up the stairs. I LOVE this place. Tonight I had the triple-combination menu choice. You choose three different entrees from a nice diverse selection of things like pork tonkatsu (breaded & fried pork), teriyaki salmon, butterfish (black cod) misoyaki (marinated in Miso), poke (Hawaiian raw fish appetizer), sashimi (sliced raw fish), shrimp / veggie tempura, teriyaki beef, etc etc etc. There is about 15 different items that you can choose from. I ordered the Ahi (Tuna) and Tako (cooked octapus) sashimi, the shrimp & veggie tempura, and the butterfish misoyaki. The meal comes complete with miso soup, a salad with krab on it, tsukemono (Japanese salted cabbage). The BEST part of the dinner was the Ahi Sashimi - the fish slices were deep red, which is a good indication that the tuna was caught off the warm Hawaiian Islands today, or yesterday at the very latest. The fish was super fresh, and it just melted in your mouth. The ahi sashimi was not only red, but transparent (3/4" thick slices that you can almost see through!). We also ordered the Hawaiian Shaved Ice (strawberry) with vanilla ice cream! HEAVEN! Other flavors of shaved ice is green tea, banana, orange, vanilla, etc. Good pointers about the place: Keiki (Child) menu: They have a great keiki menu for the kids, about 6-7 choices. Very reasonable, and comes with a drink and ice cream! Kids get to choose a toy from a treasure chest after the meal. Kinda cute! Senior Menu: They have a GREAT senior menu, with about 10 different choices. A complete meal for $9.99. Most of the choices include a 3-choice dish. A LOT of food for a senior. Early Bird Specials: I think it is Monday thru Wednesday before 6:00, you can get early bird specials. Again tons of food (3+ choices) for under $10. Tons of parking (although very tight stalls). GAMBATE! Great job! Totemo Oishii (Really good tasting, in Japanese).
(5)
Tim M.
Went again last night. It's all good. Prices, service, quality. They recently remodeled so I like the new look with the booth seating downstairs. Never checked out the upstairs. Tip: go a little later like 7:30-8 and you won't have to deal with a crowd. Most locals like to eat at 6. I've Been going there since it was Suehiro's. Great for families with kids. Took my GF and her daughters recently. Service not so good during prime time.
(4)
Avery F.
I thought the place was really cool. I haven't been here in a while and it has been a long time. They have renovated since I was last there. I ordered the Udon, California roll, and tempura. The service was pretty quick and our server was on it. I was sad that they did not have the spicy ahi don. But it's was all good in the end. The place was pretty empty,but it tends to get loud really fast.
(4)
Natalie J.
Gyotaku has a cozy atmosphere. When I saw the commercials, I thought it would be an upscale kind of place, but this was not that, and I was grateful. I hate those uptight places. This place felt homey, and warm. Good for families! First things first. The menu is CRAZY. Choices are great, but man, sometimes too much is detrimental. There are so much choices it's difficult to decide. I honestly took forever. However, the waiter was very kind, non-pushy, and patient. I finally decided on the oxtail udon and some hamachi nigiri. I must say, the oxtail was cooked perfectly. DELISH! The hamachi was ahhh so-so. The only thing that irritated us was that we, along with others around us, were in the middle of our meal when another employee came out of the kitchen and began collecting all of the soy sauce and other bottled condiments. We were kind of like uh HELLO!!! Still eating here!!!! Guess he really wanted to go home. But our waiter was kind and went to retrieve the condiments back for us. However, the waiter, the cashiers, and the food made it a very pleasurable experience. A bigger parking lot would be nice :-)
(4)
Kelly G.
My visiting family decided to hold a big gathering for dinner here. The food was decent, prices were a bit steep. Wait staff was excellent. Enough parking for customers. They have a seniors menu which was nice for the elderly in our group. LOTS of seating available and most of them were filled for the night it seemed. NO MORE CHAWAN MUSHI! SAD FACE!!!
(3)
Ashley N.
For some reason, my family has started coming back to Gyotaku very often. I remember coming to Gyotaku with my dad for "father-daughter dinners" when I was very little and my mom was working. However, for some reason, we stopped coming to Gyotaku for almost 10 years. However, for the past few months, this has been our "regular" Saturday dinner spot. My mom likes their menu options, my dad loves their sushi, my grandma enjoys the senior menu. I, on the other hand really like their recent renovation. Both the upstairs and downstairs have been completely renovated, giving the restaurant a clean and modern update. Also, all of the waiters and waitresses we have gotten are very nice and helpful. Gyotaku's menu hasn't changed very much, but it includes a number of delicious menu options. My favorites are their furi mi chicken wings, shrimp tenpura, chicken katsu, nabeyaki udon, and of course their melon shave ice with green tea ice cream! I'm not much of a fan of raw fish, but my parents always order their dynamite maki and pokechos! I highly recommend those items, but for the most part, all of their other menu options are very delicious! I highly recommend this restaurant if you are looking for a nice place to eat dinner, especially if you have children (kids eat free on Monday and Tuesday nights!!)
(5)
Noelani C.
I really like this location, the service was on top of their game, they are friendly and helpful when trying to order something on the menu. Unlike the Pearl City location, this one was by far a good one! It is a little older restaurant on the inside, but it didnt matter because the service was excellent!! I appreciate great service and good food! The assorted tempura is really good and the miso soup is so yum and their little side salad was perfect! I did dine here with my grandparents, and the waiter was patient while my grandfather took a while to order. haha. My overall experience with location was superb! I suggest changing the management in the Pearl City Location. I had the worst customer service there and will never go back to that location ever again!
(4)
Melanie K.
Love the new decor n ambiance of Gyotakus new renovations. Nice to know that the new seating arrangements, pictures, and plant decor didnt change the food one bit. We enjoyed crab cake lettuce wraps... always delish. Ahi sushi was great n fresh. N ourcombos for dinner were awesome. Love their butter fish. .. my dads favorite. Definitely recommended especially when u have the coupon to enjoy 50% off an etree when one, of equal or lesser value of course, is ordered. Thank u Gyotaku for the coupon in the mail =)
(4)
Tamra P.
Gyotaku seems to be one of my family's standby restaurants for family dinners. Nothing too fancy, it definitely has an old school feel to it but does the job. We had a large party of about 26 of us that got seated pretty close to our 730 reservation time. Service was friendly and pretty attentive, and we all got our food pretty much at the same time - at least each table did (and there were 3 tables of us). For $21, my meal came with miso soup, tsukemono, rice (even choice of brown rice!), salad, and choice of 3 entrees (I selected nishime, misoyaki salmon, and tempura). Portions were good, not too big but just right. I was STARVING and I like that you could have so much variety in one order without feeling like a complete piggy. The green tea was also delicious. Hubby got a udon/sushi/tempura combo that also came with the miso soup, salad, and tsukemono. Sampled the green tea shave ice w/ ice cream and azuki beans - YUM! Also stole a bite of my dad's Okinawan sweet potato/haupia pie which was I also recommend. Much to my mom's dismay they didn't serve coffee which is kind of unfortunate for having such a good dessert. Oh well. Overall everyone enjoyed their meals and I'm sure we will be back.
(3)
Nicole M.
man alive it it is cold in there ! anyways, the menu seems vast but the options are normal. No gyu-don, so minus points. I got the Cali delight, the karage chicken was dry but fatty inside, I give it 3 stars: a meh. the Cali roll was meh as well. The kids menu is great ! I wish they had that for me, saimin, Teri chicken, in the cutest little sectioned plate. comes with a choice of shave ice or ice cream and they bring out a basket of TOYS. pick one: pencil and erasers, pencil sharpener, the usual cheap kiddie toys that kids go nuts for. the service was great, attentive and quick, but the food was just underwhelming.
(3)
Raych D.
Ever since my friend was working at the Pearl city location I've always wanted to try this place and so 2 years ago I finally did! I came in with a friend of mine and of course my homeboy hooked us up with everything! I tried the "ninja" roll, poke style nachos, shrimp tempura, chicken karaage, and their FAMOUS SWEET POTATO/HAPIA PIE!!! Lets just say that pie is soooooooo ONO and I'm not even a big fan of hapia! The 2nd time I came here (this location) was with a girlfriend and her daughter for lunch one day after class. Since kids eat free on certain 2 days of the week ( I believe it was Thursday & Friday) we decided to come here. I ordered the usual 2 pieces of hamachi, and salmon sushi, tempura shrimp and of course I had to get the sweet potato pie again! And the 3rd time I came here was on Saturday night with my ex boyfriend because he loves this place! We both ordered 2 sets of hamachi sashimi (6 each set), and the 4 combination meal which we chose 2 butter-fish, teryaki chicken, and tempura shrimp with rice. We didn't order the sweet potato pie this time because we where going to sneak Menchies yogurt for the movies instead :P Although the workers are very nice, the only thing I would change is the decor, all the tables, chairs, and paint are all so old looking that it makes the inside look like it has no life! If they repainted the place, changed the furniture and paintings on the wall it would make such a big difference and brighten up the whole restaurant!
(4)
Tyler K.
This location got renovated about a year ago, so the ambiance got quite a boost. The parking lot is a little small for a restaurant that seats so many, but some how they make do. Service is quick and friendly and the food is tasty, but for some reason I'm always a little surprised by the price when I get my check. Overall it's a solid place to eat occasionally with friends or family. They can also accommodate large parties. Their misoyaki butterfish is some of the best I've had.
(3)
Mari R.
The modern day gyotaku is a lot fancier from the one that I grew up eating at. Not that it matters, there are so many family memories at this place that we probably still would go even if it weren't so fancy. A fond memory that I have is watching my dad eat a fish eyeball here when I was just a wee child, "want the other one?" he asked me as I grimaced and reminded him of how gross he is. We went this past week for lunch and were surprised when the hostess told us that we would have to wait a couple of minutes. We looked around and there were only two tables occupied out of the 20, so my mom, thinking that it would be quicker, asked, "could we eat upstairs?" The hostess answered "that will be an additional 5 minute wait." When we finally got upstairs we saw that there was only 1 table occupied out of the many that that they had available. Very interesting... The food here is okay, a little pricey. I prefer Sushi King but probably will going back many times with the fam.
(3)
Jojo T.
I ate yummy soba for good luck on New Yrs Eve. Our server Joey was awesome! Great service and food.
(5)
Ed D.
I do not normally submit any reviews but after going to Gyotaku this afternoon I felt obliged to do so... First I have to say that I go to Gyotaku often AND order out take out also. I really love their food and selections and reasonable prices. What prompted me to finally submit a review is the extremely professional and accommodating service my friend and I received from Kimberly, (name tag indicated Manager)... My friend and I was going to eat elsewhere but they were closed so my friend suggested Gyotaku(where we regularly go to)... I had an awesome sashimi/tempura combo plate and ate everything... I want to send a BIG MAHALO to Kimberly for taking care of my friend and I today. You made us feel welcomed... I really appreciate that... In retrospect I ALWAYS get great treatment by the other staff as well... So please continue to spread the Aloha...
(5)
Jenny C.
Edited: Reviewed the wrong restaurant. Leaving it as five stars, because even though we didn't actually eat at this restaurant, I'm sure it's a wonderful establishment.
(5)
John A.
WOW.......! upgrades on restaurant, service, and most important of all, their food.I had the ninja don.
(5)
Richard S.
The Salmon and tonkatsu is execellent. Haviong said that the secret to the success of this restaurant is its employees. Long lines, parking and waiting time are a norm at this restaurant at certain times. The staff and wait staff more than compensate for this. Recently, we had lunch there and the waitress ((I believe her name was Roxane?) made the wait worth it. She was curteous/excellent personality and apolozied for the waiting time. What moer can you ask from a restaurant that serves excellent food.
(5)
Alex S.
This place looks a lot nicer after they had their renovation. Looks more upscale and matches the price of the food better. I normally get the combination box dinner which has a lot of good delicious food to fill you up. The udon noodles were a little thicker and tougher than usual, but good nonetheless. Dessert selection could use some updating though, not much variety. Skip the shave ice, it's too chunky. Mondays and Tuesdays, kids eat free with a regular entree. It can get busy after 6:30 it seems since it seems to be a favourite with the seniors. Would definitely go back again! Around 6pm though haha
(4)
Jonathan P.
I've lived in Hawaii my entire life and I have never tried Gyotaku until just recently. The two story Japanese Restaurant is pretty spacey and can well accommodate large groups. The interior is nothing fancy and the restaurant isn't cleanest, but I can't say it's that bad. I dined at Gyotaku for lunch with some friends and got one of their "Early Bird Specials" which runs daily from 11am-2pm (excluding holidays). I decided to try their Gyotaku lunch box special yelp.com/user_local_phot… for $12.95. It came with oriental salad, miso soup, mix tempura, teriyaki chicken, and a small array of sushi and nigiri. The lunch box special was pretty good but not that filling. Since my stomach still hungered I decided to try the Okinawan sweet potato pie yelp.com/user_local_phot… for $5.50. This was my first time trying Okinawan sweet potato pie and is was DELICIOUS! Who knew that sweet potato and pie could go so well together?! The pie has a layer of whipped cream, haupia, and Okinawan sweet potato. The only problem was that towards the end, the sweet potato got pretty filling and I felt like there was just way too much potato for my pie. One of my friends ordered the Green tea ice cream with azuki beans yelp.com/user_local_phot… for $4.75. For $4.75 I don't think I would have ordered it. Come on, you can get a huge pie for $0.75 more!! But after trying the ice cream I have to admit it was icy and refreshing. All in all, Gyotaku is your average Japanese restaurant. Their food wasn't filling but I didn't leave hungry. But there just wasn't much to "wow" about. For about $20 I don't think I would care to return, unless I came just to order desserts!
(3)
R J.
The service is top notch. The servers are friendly, super nice..always checking your water, etc....the shrimp tempura is one the best if not THE best...the food is great. I would highly recommend this restaurant!
(4)
Tony T.
Service was great, even on a busy valentines night. Prefixed Valentines dinner was delicious and to top it off, the Okinawan Sweet Potatoe Pie was so yummy!
(4)
Kyle H.
This Gyotaku looks and feels OLD. Gold glitter streaks in an off-white countertop in the bathrooms doesn't help it either. I don't think this building has ever been renovated, as it feels very 70's or even 60's ish. The building is also a lot shabbier than the one in Waimalu and has a strange layout with a few seats downstairs and a majority of them upstairs. What's more is that they have strange, antique sounding piano music blasting over their speaker system... Anyway, enough about the building and onto the service. Service was, meh... ok. There was strangely a "menu shortage" so not everyone in our dining party had a menu. They also had a hard time setting the table with the right amount of cups. But beyond that, service was friendly and courteous, if not a bit slow, though that appears to be the norm no matter which Gyotaku you go to. So how was the food? Like any other Gyotaku. Nothing remarkable, but not the worst thing either. I usually just get an oyakodon, as it is decent. Can't really comment on much else though. Only other items I've ever had here are the poke-don (decent) and the poke-chos (unique & tasty, but not remarkable). All-in-all, another average Gyotaku experience.
(3)
Rissa M.
WHY DO WE HAVE TO EAT HERE?! :( Every saturday during UH football season, my parents will drive into town to watch the game. It's more of a "bonding" experience if anything because we all know how exciting those games are to watch. Then, afterwards, they'll go out to grab some dinner. It's usually just the four of them, but on special occasion they will invite a grandchild-- and this time i was the honorary one! ha-ha. Given the choice between Asahi Grill and Gyotaku (really now? that's what you choose?!), I decided Gyotaku would be the less medicore decision. "Old people food, geeze." That's what I thought to myself. Sorry grams I hope you're not reading this but even if you did, I know you'd understand. hah! FOOD + DINING: So upon arrival to Gyotaku, i really wasn't expecting much, but as soon as a entered the restaurant I was surprised at the clean and updated ambiance of the restaurant. They have remodeled the entire restaurant. It is still two-story, but much more spacious restaurant and modern. At first glance at the menu, I was even more surprised. Gyotaku has a pretty extensive selection of sushi, and combination plates that include the staple "local" japanese favorites. After at least 15-20 minutes of scouring the menu, I finally decided on the Miso Butterfish & Tenpura Combo, servied with choice of brown or white rice. Miso soup and tsukemono to start. To give you an idea of how extensive their menu is: My grandma ordered Oyako-Don, My mother ordered Bento Box with Miso Salmon and California Roll Sushi, and my honorary friend ordered a Cold Soba + Tenpura + California Roll Sushi combo, and gramps ordered Unagi Kamameshi Bowl. I have no idea what my dad ordered because 1) my memory sucks, and 2) I was too busy stuffing my face to notice. The food was actually pretty good by local standards. I wouldn't say it is entirely authentic, but I think it's a great choice for a night out with your family. There is something on the menu for everyone and the prices are moderate for the amount of food you are getting! I also noticed many young families here with their children and teenaged kids (who probably hated being there). They also offer a special section for the kids menu: Spam Musubi & Cucumber Maki Galore! Perfect for the taste buds of them tiny kiddos. For dessert, you can order shaved ice with azuki bean and ice cream...and you should, because man it is yummy! Next time my grandma says we're going to eat at Gyotaku, I'm gonna be wayyy more excited!
(4)
Rich Y.
A nice Japanese restaurant with many choices and options. I passed by the place once and had to turn around on Young Street to get back on King street (one way). For those going there for the first time, you might want to pay attention when you pass by. The restaurant sign is not by the street and more inside the lot. Overall a nice place for japanese food. They have many combination entrees such as a Gyotaku Combination Platter which you can pick from a selection on meats, or get sashimi, etc.. Price range will run you from $ 18.00 to $23.00 or most combo platters. Other steak platters can go to about $35 to $39 a plate. ** Their soba is great. Another great thing is that you can get brown rice on your sushi rolls. I recommend trying their sweet potato pie and the green tea shaved ice. Overall a nice pleasant experience... By the way, they have on Mon - Fri a brunch special... Have to check that out sometime when I don't have work and can drive out there!
(3)
Crave I.
You can't go wrong with their miso butterfish and house salad.
(3)
Ryan M.
For years this place has been a solid go to for the fam. I haven't been in a long time and noticed that they renovated...but other reviews tells me this happened a long time ago. Anyway the menu is still the same solid choices and I went with my usual Gyotaku lunch box. Service was great, food was the same good as I always remembered. Solid steady to go for Japanese lunch. I will be back.
(4)
Helen K.
Met my cousins for lunch here today & we arrived just before 11am & there was a bunch of customers waiting to be seated. The restaurant opens at 11am but they were taking names down & said that they will seat us at 11. I ordered the lunch box special & thought it was very satisfying & tasty. My cousins had the California lunch box & butterfish which they really enjoyed. We also had shave ice with ice cream & azuki beans & that was really good too. Service was quick & our server was very polite. The only bad thing was that the restroom upstairs was very dirty & it was brought to attention to the employee but was never cleaned even as we left the restaurant. We had to go to the restroom downstairs. I feel that when there's an accident in the restroom, it should be taken care of ASAP especially if other customers have to use the restroom.
(4)
Kit W.
I used to not like Gyotaku because I thought other Japanese restaurants were much better but a recent experience changed my mind. I came here for a late lunch last Friday and after perusing their extensive menu with pictures, decided on one of their lunch specials--California Delight. For $11.95, you get miso soup, salad, karaage chicken, 8 pc California roll, 1 pc shrimp tempura, and 2 pc vegetable tempura. I thought it was a pretty good deal given the price of items that were not a lunch special and the tastiness of everything. The karaage chicken and shrimp tempura were especially memorable because they were fried to perfection--light and crispy without a drip of oil. I dare say it's the best shrimp tempura I have had in a long time. Service was good. Our group of five was able to get seated within five minutes without a reservation. Our waitress checked on us several times and our waters were constantly refilled, even after we had paid and were just talking story.
(4)
Addie L.
My mother-in law loves this place and if wasn't for this, we wouldn't really be going. Looks like their portions are back to where it was before and they did a great job in the re-model. The service is back to being good and prompt, your hot tea is constantly filled. The food is ok and competently done. Note that they have pretty good early bird and senior specials.
(3)
Sara-Ann G.
I have to give this place four stars because of the parking! Otherwise, I love coming here to eat when I'm craving tenpura. They have specials on certain days and they also have a senior menu as well (too bad I'm only 20!) My boyfriend and I have been here several times and we really like it (when we feel like spending a little bit more money on dinner) and I'm a big sweet tooth person and I love the blondie brownie and my boyfriend loves the shave ice! The service is always amazing and I really thing this a great place to come! I would definitely recommend this place to others.
(4)
Fran C.
Howzit gang! Feelin' a little Japanese? Yes gangies, Gyotaku in the McCully area has da GRINDZ to satisfy all your Japanese cravings! I've been here many times.........and I know this two storey restaurant has seen better days, as it looked quite dated. But recently, when our family came here for dinner.........I was totally shocked at the newly renovated Gyotaku! The renovations were beautifully done.........very clean, & modern looking. Food is always good over here. For my meal that evening.........I chose the Salmon Skin Salad. What???? Salad????? Yes, people...........I eat a lot! And I eat real BAD a lot of times, but don't get me wrong.......once in a blue moon I actually try to eat cleaner, so the Salmon Skin Salad was the perfect meal for me that day. Oh, and the pictures of the other food I took..............no, they were NOT mine, and yes, I exercised some discipline and did not pick, beg, or eat the left overs of someone else's food. Buwahahahahaha! What can I say about the salad I had.......it was the perfect light meal for me. The Salad was just right, and it filled my big belly so I wasn't hungry again within a few hours. I love the crunchiness of the salmon skin......and the dressing was nice & light too! I would gladly come back here again just to have the salmon skin salad.......that's how much I liked it! Overall the food was great, but I had to take a point off of this place, as service that evening was a bit slow.......I don't know what our waiter was doing but running in circles, and disappearing. Glasses of water and hot tea weren't filled, and I had to ask for refills numerous times when I could catch someone. Yes, I know they were busy that evening, but still.......it your job, especially if you want a better tip. Remember this...... TIPS = To Insure Proper Service! Tips are not automatic.........I'm seeing too many people who just expect, without providing........which is quite sad now days. There is parking in the private parking lot, but since this restaurant has a strong following and is quite busy most of the times, the parking lot fills up quickly., When the lot is full, sometimes you will have to park on the street using the metered parking stalls.
(4)
Alice C.
One of my fave restaurants! Took my boyfriend here so it was his first time here! Forgot how expensive this place this lol!
Went here for lunch a few days ago and had the best experience by far. Our server was PENNY, high recommendation to her. She is so friendly and is always looking to help. I see other servers just stand around, but she always checks if her customers need help. Everytime I come I make sure she's my server. I've had other servers but I can't say they are better. I ordered the ninja don and it was good (compliments to the chef) 4 stares because the atmosphere is nice and calming and they are great!
(4)
Brigitte S.
This is my boyfriends family's go to restaurant when we all get together in town. I'm shocked I've never reviewed it until now! For Boys Day his mom wanted to take him out so off we went. It was surprisingly busy for 5:30pm on a Tuesday - we put our names on the list and waited a short while, maybe 15-20 minutes or so. Once seated, we were quickly given ice water, hot tea and had our drink orders taken. Since it was Cinco de Mayo & my boyfriend knew I was sad to not be eating tacos, we ordered the pokechos, which is spicy tuna, green onion, avocado, etc. on wonton chips. Good starter course! The family also ordered a sushi roll, they have some really tasty sauces they put on top of everything that amp up the flavor. The menu is huge! We have the hardest time picking things. I have two go to dishes and luckily, this time my boyfriend wanted to share, yay! I got the 3 combo, which allows you to choose from over 10 options to make your bento. I went with sashimi, teriyaki steak & tonkatsu. It's served with salad, rice and miso soup. They have super crispy & juicy tonkatsu and I'm obsessed with the Teri steak; its an actual thicker piece of steak than what most places give, seasoned perfectly and fall apart tender. My bf got the Ninja-Don which comes with miso soup & salad [you can add tenpura for a lil $$]. This bad boy is spicy ahi tartare over crunchy tempura flakes & hot sushi rice, topped with avocado, green onion, and volcano & ninja sauces. Oh my god, I love this dish. The textures, the hot versus cold, the creaminess. It's so good. The sauces are what make it. The right mix of spicy & sweet, savory - I'm dreaming of it now. I stole a few bites for sure. We were quite excited at dessert because every time we come, we come too late & they are sold out of the kinako azuki bean blondie brownie sundae but this time we were in luck! It was a little different then expected, the kinako makes the brownie denser but quite tasty & I loved the dulce de miso that topped the whole thing with nuts & ice cream. Perfect ending to dinner, just the right size for sharing. We had excellent service and were checked on numerous times along with refills galore. I look forward to family dinners here to get my fix. With each visit, I question why we don't come more!
(4)
Trisha G.
I haven't been here in a while. I am loving the renovations down to the cute reed like landscaping outside. Yay for a modern update which highlights Naoki's works on the wall much better. The menu is similar if not the same as before with the same delicious Japanese style food. The new menus are nice upgrade. I am happy to report the COMBINATION BENTO is still there and still yummy. You can choose either three or four choices from twelve items including tempura, misoyaki salmon, chicken katsu, teriyaki chicken, teriyaki beef, tonkatsu, furikake salmon, and my fave: misoyaki butterfish (small up charge). The combo comes with a small salad (with a piece of kanikama and their awesome dressing), miso soup, cabbage tsukemono and rice. Yum. Other choices include donburi style dishes, kamameshi, teishoku with steak, and sushi rolls. We ordered the PELE LAVA ROLL which is a California roll topped with yummy spicy ahi. Finished off with a variety of desserts mostly ice cream (the standard flavors + green tea) and a slice of okinawan sweet potato pie. Again the revamp was a nice surprise to a good solid meal!
(5)
Celina Q.
Had the pleasure of dining here with a group of 6 lovely friends on 3/23/2015. The restaurant was very easy to find, just look for the large fish print sign on your left while driving down King Street. Parking is in a lot, with plenty spaces to go around. Upon entering, the hosts were very welcoming and greeted us with smiles. We were hosted in one of the private rooms upstairs, with an interesting city view. The stairs that go up are a little steep, so watch out! Service was average, with not too overbearing presence of the servers, but also enough to keep our waters filled and plates cleared as they became empty. On this visit, I ordered the Katsu Don, without the Katsu. I felt good about my order because the waitress didnt even bat an eye at my strange vegetarian request. The sauce was the traditional sweet and salty with egg and onion toppings over a bed of rice. Nori shavings were also generous and reminded me of eating "don" bowls in Japan. Others on my table ordered the Gyotaku lunch box combo, Combination bento and tofu salad. My friends said great things about the lunch box combo, that featured assorted sushi, tempura, teriyaki chicken, miso soup and salad. Clean restrooms with a touch of Japanese arts. Overall, a great time at Gyotaku on King Street.
(5)
Mindy K.
Went over a month ago, but wanted to see if I was still as annoyed after a break. Sorry, but yes. Waitress was terrible- and seemed to show attitude when I had specific questions. We ordered extra miso soup and she quickly said that we already had our allotment of soup on the table. Ummm yah, and we want more- that's why we are ordering it. She reacted the same with milks. Yikes! Staff needs more training on customer service and people skills! I won't be back here.
(2)
Jennifer B.
FOOD: Honestly, if I had my way, I would just get buckets of their house salad that comes with every set. their house made dressing is too delicious. - Udon: nothing really special. Kinda regretted getting it - Karaage: delicious! nice and crunchy - butterfish: very tasty. well done. - sushi rolls: good. not fantastic, but it's nice and fresh. PRICE: The food here is a bit expensive for what they offer. I feel like if everything was maybe 3 dollars cheaper it would be perfect. Service: - The staff here is very polite and respectful. ATMOSPHERE: Their renovations are beautiful. Nice place for a causal date, or a nice family outing.
(4)
Jerry E.
It has been a while since I tried this branch, but I wa not disappointed. Overall, it was all right, although it too way too long to cook the meal. Lunch menu for people over 60 is one great deal that should not be overlooked by those who qualified. Somehow, I like their Niu Valley branch the best.
(3)
LeaDan Y.
This was not an enjoyable experience for us but I'm not sure if it was just a situation where they were under staffed. When we first arrived for an early dinner on a Sunday, the parking lot was fairly empty and the restaurant was as well. Our waiter and busser were quick to get our orders and bring out drinks. After that we constantly had to flag down the servers for attention. When my uncle requested a sake recommendation, he was given a glass when he meant for us all to share as a group. Ok, miscommunication, fair enough. Once we ordered our dessert, they stopped bothering to refill our water. When there are quite a few choices in the area that offer a similar menu and quality, it would benefit your business to have excellent service. I don't think I'd ever return. Like I said, it may have been a busy night but this just was not an experience that I'd like to repeat.
(3)
Jana T.
Food is always good here if you eat downstairs. The tip here is make sure you eat downstairs. Somehow upstairs is always bad luck. I've had my food brought late or made wrong. Downstairs no problem and food always good everytime.
(5)
Sheena C.
Wow! This location is definitely A LOT nicer than the Waimalu one. We came here for lunch with a party of about 17 after my grandpa's funeral and had one of the private rooms upstairs. The atmosphere was nice, modern, and clean. Our family pre-ordered a set for each person and the timing of the food came out nicely (salad and miso soup first, then the entree). We had the set with the chicken karaage, shrimp/sweet potato/eggplant tempura, and 8-piece california roll. The entree WITH the salad and miso soup was very filling and very affordable. Noone had complaints about their meal and it was a nice sized lunch. The staff was very accommodating and patient with everyone in our group. They responded to requests very quickly and were attentive and available when we needed service. The room (probably about 25 ppl max capacity) was great for a larger group and I will definitely keep that in mind for future "events." FYI, it looks like they also had a smaller private room that seats about 7-10? My grandma love Gyotaku (for the great senior menu pricing--lol) but lives on the central side of the island. Thus, we usually go to the Waimalu location. From those experiences, I never really cared for the food or restaurant. However, after this lunch, Gyotaku (King St.) is now on my go-to list when craving teishoku meals.
(4)
Mac J.
Service is slow. There were plenty of tables available and lots of wait staff going around doing anything but bringing food to the tables. The kitchen must be backed up or lacking kitchen staff on such a slow night. The longer I waited the less hungry I became. I should have ordered take out for the amount of time it took them to serve my meal. Overall 2 stars for this visit. The food was still delicious but my patience and hunger wore thin.
(2)
Josh P.
Ahi poke don, salad with house dressing, miso soup and hot tea. It's become a weekly tradition for me for several years now. My only complaints are their busy lunch hours and the occasional glass of water that's neglected its refill. Lunch specials are a great deal at $9 through $12 per person, and there's always something on the menu for everyone whether they enjoy sushi, donburi, steak, seafood or just salad.
(5)
Rockne H.
For dinner, we wanted to visit a place my sister works at while going to college. I was excited because my parents said the food was great. I'm pretty proud of my sister for getting a part time job and as a hostess, I'm sure she's doing a pretty great job :-) Approaching Gyotaku, I was surprised to find out that the place is a pretty big! Two stories of dining space. Once you enter the location you're greeted by a big hostess station. The dining area seemed big and accommodated our party. The color scheme makes the place look modern and sleek. Light wooden table tops and dark carpeting and walls make for that modern look. The walls are adorned with framed pictures of stenciled fish. Pretty cool art and conducive to the meaning of the restaurant. Gyotaku means fish on the table. Our server's name was Elston and he was definitely a good one. Lots of attention meant we got what we needed when we needed it. Trust me, our family isn't the easiest to wait on, so I appreciated his patience and efficiency. As a started, my sister surprised us with the Nattochos for $13.95. Crispy won ton chips topped with spicy ahi and onion poke, natto (which we opted out on), avocado, yama imo (type of yam root), green onions, daikon sprouts, nori and sesame seeds. WOW, what an AH-MAZE-ING appetizer. So many elements and textures, yet everything seems to work well. The crunchiness of the won ton was balanced with the softness of the avocado and ahi. I loved the light "crispies" that came with the sprouts and nori. Overall, this appetizer is on point and I highly recommend it! For dinner, I decided to get the Gyotaku Combination Bento 3 for $22.95. The wonderful thing about this bento was you got to choose 3 items for their 12 choice menu. Along with that, you got miso soup, a salad and Japanese pickled cucumbers (or just pickles LOL) and rice. For my 3 choices, I went with the chicken katsu, furukake salmon and sashimi. The chicken katsu was breaded lightly and super cripsy. It wasn't too oily which I LOVED. The salmon was flaky and juicy, furukake only brought a nice salty element which worked. On the home stretch, the ahi sashimi was like butter! Super fresh and not too fishy. The ONLY thing that wasn't as good was the tako. It was too rubbery and seemed a little overcooked. Everything else was on point! So delicious. If you're ever on King St, you need to come check this place out. I really enjoyed my culinary experience here and glad that my sister has chosen a place with great food. On my next trip to Oahu, I'm definitely stopping by for another crack at that Nattochos! Thanks for an awesome experience.
(4)
Angela Y.
If your in the mood for some decent Japanese food, this is the place to come to. Tons of parking downstairs. There are several locations. However I would say this is the best location for parking. The lunch special is awsome because you get alot. The taste of the food is good. You must try the ginger ice tea is you like ginger. Its tea with the ginger on the aide and the. You pour the ginger syrup into your tea. Very refreshing.
(4)
Lee-Ann W.
The owner emailed me right away about my review and was very very apologetic and very nice. I felt bad for writing the review, but he reassured me that it's these reviews that help their business improve. He got all the info I could provide to try to determine what happened on that day we dined in and even provided a gift certificate to give them another chance. I spent 11 years in the advertising agency business and this exactly how we would handle our client's concerns; truly professional and respectful. We will definitely be returning and highly recommend that you visit them too! I didn't mention it iniitially, but their Karaage and Fries appetizer was da bomb!
(5)
Madi L.
Love this place...roxy is the best, I come just for her and the awesome food!!!!!!!she give the best service..I can say she is like family, we are always happy to see her!!!! Ask for roxy when you come here, she is amazing
(5)
Sarah A.
Truth be told, Gyotaku is not one of my favorite restaurants, but I come here because the fam bam loves eating here. The family loves this place because the menu has such a wide selection of items from sushi, teishoku meals, and udon & soba to even steaks. The kids meal is great for the little ones. The restaurant is located on the old Suehiro property (yes, I'm showing my age) with two floors of seating. This place is awesome anf affordable for large parties and even has a catering menu available. The restaurant was renovated a couple of years ago and looks super nice inside. So, why only three stars? The food sometimes doesn't agree with me. I don't know why. I noticed that if I eat the udon or soba dishes, I'm generally fine, but the teishoku items...well...sometimes my stomach gets upset afterwards. I seem to be the only one with this problem because the rest of the family is totally unaffected and love this place to no end. It's really weird. So, until I can figure out exactly which dishes don't agree with me, I'll be sticking to the hot udon or soba. So sad because I really love Japanese food and Gyotaku is such an affordable option.
(3)
Kimo V.
Always a good choice for Japanese food. Good service and food is always delicious.
(5)
Mike O.
Gyotaku is the epitome of local family style Japanese dining. They are definitely family and senior friendly as they have kids eat free and senior discounts. They provide a huge menu with a wide variety of local favorites. Their menu is full of pictures which is a huge plus as everything looks so good. The sushi is average at best. Fish was fresh but not premium cuts. They serve the nigiri by the piece, instead of the usual two pieces per order (who do you think you are, nobu, morimoto....not). The tempura is ok, but to me it was over battered and not light and crispy. It was more thick and crunchy. Their value is average, as the food vs cost, to me is a little overpriced for the quality. Your average meal will be about $20-25. Which is on par with Yanagi or Sushi King, which in my opinion has better quality sushi and tempura.
(3)
Pomai S.
The renovations they've done to this South King Street location looks absolutely FAB! *Snaps fingers and shakes head with major attitude* Cool contemporary asian flare, kept simple, with of course Gyotaku (Japanese ink fish imprints) art pieces prominently displayed on each wall. While I haven't been in there, I hear the bathrooms are beautifully renovated as well, which always helps with the overall dining experience, if you know what I mean. lol By far the highlight dish for lunch is their new California-Don, which is described as Donburi, being " a big bowl of King Crab & Kani Kamaboko Tossed with Mayonnaise, Cucumber, Avocado and Masago, served over Sesame Seed Nori Furikake Seasoned Sushi Rice." And it's fantastic. And very popular. For lunch, I ordered the Lunch Box (duh!) for just $12.95, which includes their house salad, miso soup, a variety of very nicely done Tenpura (notice the spelling), Yakitori style grilled chicken (sans the skewer), and a nice set of Nigiri Sushi. Excellent! Others on our table also ordered the "California Delight", which is like the lunch box, except it has a California Tobiko Roll instead of Nigiri, and Karaage Chicken instead of Yakitori style BBQ chicken, while having the same assorted Tenpura set. Overall, thumbs-up for that one too, especially considering the thrifty $10.95 price of admission for lunch. Good deal! But yeah, if you come to Gyotaku for lunch, order the California-Don & Tenpura Set special for $15.95. Winnah, winnah, California Roll-in-a-bowl Dinnah! Err, lunch that is. ;-)
(5)
Ric C.
A nice local Japanese style restaurant located in Moiliili/McCully area of Honolulu. You can find cheaper venues, you can find more expensive Japanese grinds but Gyotaku has an impressive selection of dishes and the sushi is quite good, reasonably priced for the offering. A great family restaurant with local style Japanese food. No culinary chances taken here, good solid food. Great early bird specials! A solid 3.5 stars
(3)
Colin W.
They never disappoint! A last minute change of schedule had us making reservations at this, one of my favorite Japanese restaurants. And yes, they now accept dinner reservations - this is new! Love the Nattochos appetizer. And I always enjoy their shrimp tempura. I never had a bad experience there, seriously! Great service. Nice atmosphere. An expansive menu and now four locations on Oahu! Keep up the great work you guys!
(4)
So Jung S.
The servers were nice. Interior was nice. The food was nice too. The servers came constantly if we neede tea or water. That was nice
(5)
Leenelle T.
Good food but service a little slow and the server was a little overwhelmed and very short when serving us! We moved tables before restrung our food because it was very cold and the AC was blowing directly towards our table.
(3)
M O.
I always come here hungry...which is not a good thing because i take forever to decide. Their whole menu is pictures. Don't get me wrong, that is great. I love their tonkatsu here. My husband had the seared ahi caesar salad. The dressing was more like a sesame dressing, not a caesar. It was still delicious. It looked like they recently renovated. It looks clean and classy. The service was excellent.
(4)
Vince B.
Had a great meal here a month ago. Liked it so much that I came back today to treat my wife. We are coming back again soon so our daughter can enjoy it too. Have been coming to this location on King St. since it was Suehiro's a very long time ago.The building has not changed much over the years. Getting right to the point: This is a great family Japanese Restaurant with great food. Speaking of great food I made a meal of the amazing appetizer "Pokechos" (full order). My coworker talked me out of the "Nattochos" version. She thought I wouldn't care for the Natto (fermented soybeans). But, this was so good I didn't care if it had natto or not. Sort of like "nachos" except with crispy wonton plus a dip of a spicy ahi with lots of other great flavors. Oh man that was good! Just as I was finishing that, my "Flaming Ahi Roll" made it's entrance. Everyone at the table gasped even though it wasn't flaming. The visual presentation is very dramatic. In fact, it reminds me of an appetizer that Morimoto's in Waikiki might have. Except at 1/2 the price and 4 times larger portion. The Flaming Ahi Roll was a great mixture of flavor, textures, temperatures and color. It was topped with deep fried Ogo (seaweed) for a crunch. The ahi was freshly seared and warm. I could go on and on about this one. Second time I ordered this "Flaming Ahi Roll" my wife was equally amazed. She is insisting we get it next visit too. My co-workers had more traditional bentos and specials. I tried the tempura and chicken karaage and the salad. All the items that I tried were good with great flavor. And, one of my co-workers who is from Osaka, said this was authentic Japanese. She is always complaining that food here is not as good as in Japan. I take that as a seal of approval. Oh, I almost forgot, I really enjoyed the "Ginger Iced Tea". Basically regular iced tea not yet sweetened. It comes with a small container of "ginger syrup" that you pour into the iced tea before drinking. I didn't add sugar or sweetener but you could. The tea had a very distinct and pleasant fresh ginger flavor that did not over power the iced tea. Very unique and pleasant. I'm getting that again. I also had a very light and nice Key Lime pie for dessert. Someone else really enjoyed the shave ice dessert. To sum things up: This is not a trendy fusion restaurant. They do not serve exotic Japanese Beef. You are not going to party here before going to the Ultra Lounge. You are not going to propose to your sweet heart here. You will have some really good food. FYI: Gyotaku has a larger seating area upstairs plus some private rooms. I think you could hold a pretty big function up there. Our group of 20 was too big for the private room but barely made a dent in the upstairs seating area. Also FYI for vegetarian customers: You can put together a meatless meal here and they do use brown rice upon request. I am mostly vegan but willing to eat ahi sashimi on rare occasions. This place was worth making it the exception. Another reviewer suggested it was a good place to bring the grandparents. I agree! There is a senior menu at $9.95 and a keiki menu and they do serve alcohol. They do have a fair sized parking lot.
(4)
Jensen L.
Prompt, friendly service. Attentive waiters and bus-help. Nothing noteworthy about the kitchen though. Would be able to justify the product if the price wasn't so steep.
(3)
Toshi I.
Kid friendly but a bit expensive. However, the kid's meal was really cute and came with a toy he can choose. Def order the sushi rolls which are decent. I was on an oxtail soup kick and ordered that again. It was good but I did not care for the shredded lettuce that was in the soup. The other dinner sets look good. Overall, this looks like a good family place and traditional island feel here. The service is friendly and I would come here again.
(4)
DJ Nocturna R.
Always great food, reasonably priced and you're always seated immediately. You never have to wait and that's good. The only things I don't like is how bright the restaurant is.
(3)
Chris M.
One of my Uncles now lives on the Mainland, and whenever he comes back for a visit, we all know.....dinner will probably be at Gyotaku! Sure, the interior of the restaurant is very dated. For my family though, that's a good thing because "no need dress up!" What we like to order: AHI CAESAR SALAD This used to be an off-menu item that only those in the know would order. It's a nice addition to the salad options - a good amount of seared ahi chunks, chopped romaine, kakimochi.....sounds strange but the combination works! Oh, and I love the miso garlic dressing too! NATTOCHOS Japanese style nachos! Wonton chips, spicy ahi, natto, diced avocado, yamaimo, daikon sprouts and green onion. A truly unique dish that you should try at least once, especially if you love natto. CATERPILLAR ROLL This is my absolute, hands-down favorite menu item at Gyotaku! Unagi & tons of fresh avocado, topped with bonito flakes and Unagi sauce.....mmm, so delicious!!! MISOYAKI SALMON TEISHOKU Thick cut of salmon in a tasty miso sauce. For me, the best part is the crispy salmon skin! The teishoku comes with rice, miso soup, salad, and tsukemono. UDON SETS There are several different udon set options; some have sushi (california roll or inari) and/or tempura. I really wish I could order the mini udon + nigiri sushi from the senior menu, because they don't have that option for the udon set on the regular adult menu anymore - sad face. *Beware, the udon broth is SALTY. I just ask for some extra hot water on the side. KEIKI MENUS They have a kids' menu, and on Monday & Tuesday nights kids (10 and under) eat FREE with a paying adult. My niece loves the kids' menu, especially the Assorted Sushi, but what she really looks forward to is the shave ice dessert and choosing a toy from the basket :) Our servers have always been pretty attentive, coming back often to check on us to fill waters and hot tea. I'd like to rate them higher but over time prices have risen quite a bit and portions have gotten smaller. I especially noticed the sushi prices going up around $2-$3 each (If I remember correctly, the Caterpillar roll used to be $10.95). Despite that, we continue to come here once in a while because of the relaxed family atmosphere, ease of parking, variety on the menu, and the friendly servers. TIP: If you fill out their survey card and live in the general neighborhood of this location, they send you coupons in the mail - half off the second entree or $2 off a take-out order over $10.
(3)
Mark M.
So far, so good. This one has better service and higher quality food than the one in Pearl City. The servers seem more attentive and everything comes out hot and fresh. I usually get the butterfish, the sashimi, or the teriyaki chicken. I don't know what it is about the glaze that they use for the chicken, but damn is it good. This place is good. But I've read the reviews on Gaku and Sasabune. It's a little sad this place has to be so close to those two beasts..
(4)
Gary P.
Highly recommended. During a recent Dec 2012 convention, Gyotaku was recommended. Great choice. We were a party of 9. Seated promptly. Menu is supersized, something for everyone. The local sushi selection is fresh, probably same day from nearby fish market. Service was continuous & courteous. Tempura was light & crisp. Dips & sauces were full of flavor. High standards & quality. Atmosphere is close quarters but not invasive or noise. Very good value. Chef came to our table to insure our experience. Wonderful evening in paradise. Thanks
(4)
J L.
Like the variety of foods offered here . Quantity is good as is the taste. They have specials for seniors and early birds. They know the kamaaina lifestyle!! Restaurant decor has been upgraded and the ambience is great! Way to go Gyotaku!!
(4)
Faye M.
A great place to take the grandparents! LOL The food was good, and service was pretty spot on. It just makes me feel weird to be here for some reason! I had a meal which included: miso soup (basic), toss salad (basic), California Roll (smaller than the basic, which is good), Teriyaki Chicken Skewers (2 - very tasty), and assorted tempura (2 shrimp, carrot, pumpkin, long bean, etc...I love tempura!). This was soo much food!! I was stuffed, and so was everyone else at the table!
(3)
Brennan T.
Gyotaku is a nice, upscale Japanese restaurant that's not too fancy. The food is great as is the service. I especially recommend the early bird special (before 6pm) that includes tempura, California roll sushi, miso soup, and a choice of entree (eg, karaage chicken, teri beef, furikake salmon) for around $12. The pokechos (poke-nachos) are also surprisingly good.
(4)
Courtney O.
Service: Wonderful Food: Yummy Parking: So-So I have never left a Gyotaku hungry. That is for sure. But I do think the food is just a tad bit overpriced. I have been eating here for years (it is a family favorite) and I am never left disappointed. My only gripe (besides the parking lot sometimes being full) is that you aren't able to make reservations here. We normally come with a large group of family (10 or so) and they do not take reservations on weekends. If anything, they should take reservations on weekends and not during the week. We have celebrated many occasions at Gyotaku and it would be wonderful to not have to show up with 10 people (some older) and have to wait for a table. I can never complain about the service. They are really helpful and quick with whatever you need. MUST TRY: Ahi Poke Bowl Miso Butterfish 3 or 4 Item Bento (you get to pick your items from a list, it's like a mini buffet!)
(3)
Denise K.
Please do not eat here! The ahi poke was so gross and oily that we wanted to send it back to the kitchen (but we were too nice). The food tastes like foodland's 2 day old leftovers! EEK! People like this place cuz they have a $6 bento box early bird dinner deal. Regardless, spend your money elsewhere. I guess I'm a food snob. I've given this place 2 tries and both times I was very dissatisfied.
(1)
Shanisse I.
I love gyotaku. Everytime I come here, I always get the misoyaki butterfish. im so glad my bf introduced me to it. My meal comes with rice, miso, salad and tsukemono.. the used to give chawan mushi but i guess not everyone ate it so it was a huge food expense so they discontinued it. They have some pretty good sushi. Love their udon. Workers are nice, there can be a wait, sometimes there is a long wait due to the fact they can have those senior citizens discounts and kids eat free nights. but i am usually a patient person so i dont mind waiting....most of the time
(4)
Mrs. M.
We went for dinner on a Saturday night, seven people. We were told the wait would be about 15 minutes but we got a table in less than 10 minutes. I don't know why they said we had to wait that long when they seated up upstairs which was half empty. They have an extensive menu. Prices are on the pricey side so it's a place we would go for special events. Everyone said their food was good but it took a long time before we got our order. Parking is always a challenge. I was disappointed that they wouldn't take reservations (for 14 people) for a surprise dinner party I wanted to have there so I went somewhere else.
(3)
Ryan M.
This place is okay, i usually get the miso yaki butter fish and tempura, which is great. Today i decided to try something new, i got the Gyotaku kamameshi teishoku. The kamameshi was just okay, there are much better items on the menu, so i don't think id recommend it. It did come with a salad and chawan mushi. The salad was tasty and the chawan mushi was super soft and velvety. The tempura and misoyaki butterfish are usually really good, next time i won't stray from the path. Good food, decent prices. what did catch my interest was the cheesecake with MISO? Maybe next time...
(3)
Craig T.
Great lunch, 3-combo plate...teri beef, Teri chicken, miso butterfish. Sam, the server has excellent customer service skills, empowered by his manager, Kim, turned a little mistake into a desire to return soon! Try the sweet potato pie!
(5)
Dirk J.
This is a basic bento style restaurant that serves a solid bento, I had a mixed lunch special which includes sashimi, tempura, pickles, rice and assorted vegetables. Nothing to rave about, but it's good food at a decent price. I recommend it for lunch.
(3)
Kelly Y.
I give Gyotaku a 4 star. They may have an outdated building but their service and food is really good. They also have a great lunch special list which is all around the $10-13 price range. We had a waiter that helped us, and was attentive to our needs, he came around every 5-10 minutes to fill our tea and water. He was really friendly and wish I had gotten his name because I'd hire him in a minute. Their food came out quickly and the food presentation was nicely done and they definitely don't skimp on the portions. Only thing they could improve on is their tempura is a bit greasy. Other than that they are great!
(4)
Clay K.
Excellent quality,always consistent,great value,good sized portions.tempura soba with sushi,crab salad,miso soup for $17.95 Thats a deal!
(4)
Stef O.
Definitely one of my favorite Japanese restaurants. So glad to see the restaurant is still going strong. Courteous waiters, generous portions, and always leaving with a smile keeps us coming back.
(5)
Mark L.
Gyotaku works, they work hard to get you in, get you fed. And the prices are very fair! I like that they are very consistent.
(4)
Traci H.
it's a totally fine japanese restaurant. nothing fancy, nothing too run down. it's great for families and large groups (but make a reservation since a lot of large groups come here). some of the items are expensive (the teishokus) but some of the items are very reasonably priced. i've had: agedashi tofu: pretty enjoyable, nothing to write home about oyako donburi: pretty good, nothing great. the egg was a little runny and it's all chicken thigh, no surprise. Could use a little more flavor but I was actually going for something fairly bland so it worked fine with a little tonkatsu sauce! the strawberry shave ice with vanilla ice cream and azuki: mmmmm. yummy and full of flavor! i've had other dishes but i don't remember them and some are at the other location (see other review if you really want): mochiko chicken salad: wow, awesome salad with yummy chunks of mochiko chicken. so good. love the edamame too. i get it without the arare and I swap out the sesame dressing for the regular wafu dressing (i love their regular dressing) tofu salad: good and light tasting, but hard to fill up on it all the chicken dishes are pretty good: teriyaki chicken, chicken katsu, mochiko chicken...i'm just not a fan of karaage. there is a downstairs and an upstairs section: they say they seat you upstairs if they think you can walk up the stairs--it's bigger and more open feeling upstairs. booths and tables and even 2-3 private rooms that you can close the sliding doors to. it's totally old school looking and a little diner-y feeling with the yucky booth material. but it's clean. parking lot is free and fairly large, just difficult to get out back onto king street when there are parked cars. the menu is the worst part of the whole experience--full of disorganized pictures and no organization to how you find anything. I actually gave up and just said, can you make an oyako donburi for dinner? And they said yes. It's on the lunch special flap but I couldn't find it for dinner. So if it's your first time going, beware, the menu is a mean challenge for the normal person. great place for a casual family dinner.
(3)
Beth I.
We went here for lunch after church. I was craving some sushi and this place hit da spot! I had soba with spicy ahi and california rolls with tempura. Everything was well cooked and tasty and my bf had the ahi poke bowl with tempura. The poke had huge pieces of fresh ahi and cucumbers over rice. The home run was the cute kids meal for my son! He had a plate of sushi (spam, tamago, and inari) and a shave ice for dessert. He even got to choose a pretty good toy from a basket. It was waaay better than a happy meal toy! I had the green tea ice cream with azuki and it really sealed the deal. It was a refreshing end to a oishii lunch. service: good cleanliness: good food: tasty! kids meal: kawaii and reasonable ($6.59 for meal, dessert and toy!)
(4)
Darren N.
Getting there: Easy to find and access from the street. Parking is free but space is limited. Not a fan of resorting to street parking. Ambiance: Comfortable seating and clean. Spacious layout, two story building. Well lit and good for family or group dining. Service: Friendly and courteous as well as free hot green tea. Quick food quality check and timely water refills. Food: Based on the Pele sushi roll and tonkatsu, the Japanese-local style food is well done. Nothing awe inspiring but nothing to be disappointed about either. Who to bring: Works fine for any sized party. How much to bring: No more than a couple movie tickets, or not much more. Verdict: Simply good prices for good Japanese food. Versatile setting allows for all kinds of occasions. 4 stars for would come back again. Final notes: No ramen, just soba, sushi, and other dishes. Some unique sushi options but not a sushi specialty shop.
(4)
Brian A.
This is another one of those local places that your Grandparents or parents really like, but you'll go "eh." The food is okay, but if you hunt around the immediate neighborhood you can probably find something a bit better. Their menu can be a bit overwhelming because of all the pictures, but it helps people who aren't familiar with what this place serves. Not that it's too exotic, just gives people who want to see what they're going to eat a good idea. One of their more fun and interesting items is "Natto-chos" or natto (fermented soy beans) on corn chips. This one is obviously for the more adventurous. It's two stories and the top is a lot larger than the bottom. So, it's good for large groups also. There are only stairs, so if you're with elderly or those who can't walk up the stairs well, they'll probably seat you on the first floor. All you young guys in groups will be seated up top. Going up the stairs you'll notice the large gyotaku or fish prints by a famous local artist known for this style of prints. Parking is in their lot and can get full come dinner time.
(2)
Dakota L.
Finally went back with relatives after almost 3 years avoiding this place. The modern sleek interior looks much better than the previous prison gray paint scheme. Unfortunately, the service was still excruciatingly slow. Took more than 15 minutes to take our orders, then another half hour to get our main courses. When we got the bill and discovered a mistake -- it took the manager another 15 minutes to correct the bill. In summary, we spent more time waiting around than it took to eat the meal. The food is still OK, but not great. I think I won't be coming back anytime soon.
(2)
Cintamani A.
One of the most abysmal looking restaurants I've ever seen. For some reason it's more depressing looking than places that are more parking lot than restaurant. For some reason this had a deep affect on my mood while having a quick lunch while waiting to pickup someone from a dental appointment. The food was below average but not horrible just bland. Nothing stands out in my mind. It just blends into a memory nugget of miso soup, the usual tiny Japanese salad and lots of white rice. The worst thing is that the waiter clearly had a cold, proceeded to serve me regardless and infected me. I basically paid for a mediocre meal and a cold that lasted a week. Apparently, they don't give a flying toss about having a sanitary environment or the health of their customers so they are blacklisted in my book forever as health risks.
(1)
Trevor A.
Service is slow...still waiting for water refill and sushi???? Not really busy, so this is unexpected. Food was ok. Lots of senior folks.
(3)
Toisangirl L.
I've been here several times and was so excited to dine at the renovated Gyotaku without garish flourescent lights and the cafeteria feel - it looked great but after ordering our appetizers (which came AFTER some main courses came out) and waiting about 45 minutes for our meals - the kids ate first and were happy, thank goodness, my expectations fell flat. After the assistant manager apologized for the lateness of the appetizers and comp'd them, I felt a little better but then she said "We had so many walk-ins today so we had to take care of them" which made me feel sorta crappy since we had reservations! Then the grandparents and me and hubby waited another 30+ minutes for our main entrees arrived. Grandpa's meal arrived the latest. By then, our enthusiasim for the grandparents' birthdays had waned considerably out of sheer hunger and annoyance. But at least they apologized, I suppose. I guess it's better to be a walk-in at Gyutaku than to make a reservation, then you'll get your food faster? We had a good experience at the Niu Valley Gyutaku but there's a weird smell when you walk in like sour sushi vinegar spilled in the carpeting somewhere. Alas, my search for good food in Honolulu continues... I received a message from the president asking me to contact them, so I left a voice message but never heard back.... oh well.
(2)
Keola m.
$9.95 lunch special.. sushi, teriyaki chicken miso soup, tsukemono, and tempura... What a deal. and delicious atmosphere is nice and service friendly and fast. (that matters)
(3)
kristine f.
"Eek! Me thinks not!!" Exactly. I've been to Gyotaku dozens and dozens of times. I usually get my typical Tenzaru Soba, which is never really terrible but never really GREAT either. My family just recently took my grand-uncle here for his 90th Birthday, it was either there or Macaroni Grill and since Gyotaku was his first choice we decided to go there. Long story short. The dinner was nice because the company was awesome, however everyone but myself got either the runs or a really upset stomach. My sister had the same issue when going there a few weeks prior. This time she said she tried something new and still had the same end result. Prices are pretty high, but moderate for Japanese food. But to me, I'd rather keep my 20 buckaroos for a cute top at Forever 21.
(1)
Wayne S.
All in all this place is par for the course. Its good, very family oriented. If you look you will see alot of families and alot of white haired people which is a really good sign. Cute infact. I love the nattochos, the butterfish, zenzai, and the tonkatsu.
(4)
Claudia M.
Waited about 1/2 hour for a table when many tables were empty. Wonder if they just didn't want to honor the early bird special which ended at 6. Food was expensive compared to sushi king. In fact the food at sushi king tasted much better
(2)
Flip N.
Monday and Tuesday Kids eat free?!? Right on! Although I didn't have any kids with me when we went on Tuesday, the food is always consistant which is what I enjoy at a restaurant. The Bento Yasaka came with salad with their ono dressing, miso soup, assorted tempura, chicken and california sushi for $18.95....talk about rolling out of the restaurant when done! In addition, although I haven't tried it yet, the oxtail soup is something worth trying at a Japanese restaurant!
(5)
Kiichi R.
I'm quite strict when it comes to Japanese food and Gyotaku is alright. They're "Japanese" isn't exactly the best, nor the freshest. They are very accommodating and do their best to make your experience enjoyable. The menu is typical of a Japanese restaurant, therefore nothing special that I find is a big enough reason to go out of your way to eat here. I've had better but for the price, it's alright for a family dinner.
(3)
Milton G.
For some reason, everytime I'm back in Hawaii my family always goes here. This time the food was not so good. I'd have to rate as follows: Food: 2 stars Service: 4 stars I ordered the 3 item combo with mochiko chicken, chicken katsu, and tempura. The mochiko chicken and chicken katsu were cold/warm, as if the items were sitting too long before it was served. --Cold deepfried food never taste very good.
(2)
Aimee C.
My first comment is don't eat the shave ice here unless you want to eat chunks of ice with little flavor :( What a ripoff - stay away from the shave ice and just head to Waiola's. The tempura is yum and worth getting but pretty much everything else is ok for me. A little on the pricey side so best to go for the lunch menu.
(3)
Maleka C.
Suuuuuper 'ono!! Get the Godzilla sushi. Service was awesome and it was an overwhelming amount of choices to choose from so I went with 3 combo plate- beef teriyaki, tenpura, and butterfish. Winnahz
(5)
Jonn D.
Rating: 4/5 Date(s) Visited: 9/25/2011, a handful of times before. Food: 4/5 Service: 4/5 Atmosphere: 4/5 Price: 4/5 Parking: 4/5 Food: Great local Japanese dishes. Comfort food for those who grew up with items on the menu. Service: Friendly local staff. Atmosphere: This 2 story establishment boasts a lot of space for its many customers. Casual setting with a great location in town. Price: Kids eat free on Mondays & Tuesdays. Parking: Nothing to worry about.
(4)
AsianRunningDiva S.
We came here last year after New Years with some out of town friends...I had heard good things about it and wanted to try it out! I love how everything is pictured for you to see! A good combo of raw items and cooked bento boxes! Good selection of sake as well (can order a flight of sake for tastings!) Large size rolls for a good price. We ordered the Godzilla, Rainbow, Sea Dragon, Ahi, and the Nattochos and Crab Cake lettuce wrap! Way too much food, so we were stuffed (took some home too!) Haven't been back, since we've discovered other places, but for not too expensive prices, this is a good choice. Has their own parking lot, but it's small! Street parking available too (free after 6p). :)
(4)
Sharon T.
Last night I ate Teri salmon and got sore tummy, and had runs entire night at home. My sister who refuses to go there she had tummy ache twice . Either they are serving old or bad food. Too many times to be a coincidence.
(1)
Jo S.
I ordered the nigiri sushi set that came with tempura. The rice would fall apart when picking it up, the fish was at room temperature. The fish wasn't fresh, an ahi was brown in one of the maikis. eww. I think you are paying for more of the ambiance, than food quality. Won't be coming back :( Service was great though.
(2)
Crissy K.
I feel so conflicted about this place. On one hand, the food is great, the prices are reasonable, and the atmosphere is nostalgic -- like the Honolulu eateries of my childhood. Your old Japanese relatives will be happy if you bring them here. And the takeout bentos are fabulous. On the other hand, the service leaves something to be desired. Maybe it's not like that all the time, but one time is all it takes to ruin a place's reputation. Our waiter could not have cared less about our dining experience. If he could have gotten away with literally throwing our food at us, he probably would have done it. You'd have thought we were exhibiting symptoms of the plague, with the lack of personal contact he attempted. He didn't even come back to refill my water. Sad! It's not that he was mean or overtly rude -- he just didn't care. Still, the bentos. Man! Here's a tip: Pick one up on your way to the airport. It's cheaper than airport food and much more delicious!
(3)
J E.
Great Japanese food and excellent service. Had the combination bento with misoyaki butterfish, sashimi, and tempura. All the sides--miso soup, salad and Japanese pickles were excellent too. Finished the meal with the Haupia--Sweet Potato pie which was outstanding! I highly recommend the place and will be back.
(4)
weekend w.
impressed by one of the waiters. young person and really hard working. able to handle many tables with quick service. I would hire this person no problem. this person deserves recognition.
(4)
Tricia K.
For lunch today, I had the Oyako-don for $8.95 (basically, this is a rice bowl dish of chicken, egg, green and round onions that were simmered in a sauce usu made with shoyu, mirin, etc). It came with miso soup and tsukemono. For a change, I had this with brown rice. It was delicious! Everything was cooked well - the brown rice had good texture and yet it was soft. The whole dish was tasty; a truly hearty meal. I also had the ginger iced-tea. You get a large glass of unsweetened iced tea and a little cup of ginger juice (dont drink it straight!). I suggest pouring half of that in your glass. Its sweet, with a spicy bite you get from ginger. It's an interesting mix. You can get a free refill of the iced tea but if you want extra ginger juice, it will be an additional 75 cents.
(4)
Emily O.
Love their tempura and ninja roll. Service was good.
(4)
E O.
Tonight, (May 4, 2013) we experienced the new look of Gyotaku on King Street, near McCully. We have been eating at all three locations for years, Aiea/Pearl City, Niu Valley. Their renovations to the location are very nice, but tonight for the first time, after ordering our food, we waited for well over an hour. Yes, an hour! Its a good thing I was in good company with my wife and eldest daughter, or I would have made a more critical critique. At about 45 minutes into our wait, the waitress sincerely apologized, for the long wait, and said the Manager was looking into the delay. We expected a visit from the manager, but to no avail. The food was good, but the service was pretty sub-standard. I joked that the "service critique" that always came with the check, "won't be in the folder tonight", and sure enough, it was not in there! I hope that management sees this, and works on this to make things better. Other people had to wait along time too, but Im sure, they wont make a fuss. Hope things change for the better!
(2)
Scott T.
Food is pretty good, but service is very slow. Even on a night when it wasn't busy. It took them over 15 minutes just to come and take our order. It took them another 10 minutes to bring out dessert which consisted of a slice of pie and a scoop of ice cream.
(3)
Lisa F.
I was sadly disappointed in this joint especially since I thought those Star Bulletin accolades for best of's were reliable. Upon arriving there was a wait for a table and lots of locals eating so I assumed that was a good sign. Once inside there was zero ambiance. I had the ahi poke bowl with tempura and hubby had the bento with butterfish, sashimi, and chicken katsu. Nothing was particularly memorable and the fish didn't have that fresh out of the sea taste I had experienced at other restaurants.
(2)
Kela K.
It's a very decent Japanese restaurant, off the beaten path from the more "touristy" areas. The menu is very pictorial, and it's so hard to decide in some cases!!
(4)
Trish P.
are you over 55 years of age and Japanese? then you'll love Gyotaku. are you a senior citizen living in the body of a 20-something year old? then you'll love Gyotaku. i, am the latter. i dont actually love Gyotaku, nor do i hate it - this is one of those non-threatening places to eat..... they have a good selection of items to choose from for your meal, and most, if not all, come with a green salad, tsukemono, and miso soup. i had the kani kamameshi with tempura = this is a good sized bowl full of bits of snow crab, "mountain" vegetables (lotus root, and other root-type things), mushrooms and rice. the tempura is once piece each of shrimp, carrot, green bean and potato - thats right, one piece each..... and all this for about $20. i could have used another shrimp there, and more snow crab would have been nice, but hey, i left full, so whatever. btw, the karaage chicken is pretty good = get this. the service is kind of slooooooow...... i asked for a take-away container for my leftover kamameshi, and the waiter took about 10 mins to come back. my friend then asked for one, and he took another 10 mins..... whats the hold up? GEEZ O_O i have to get home to watch Murder She Wrote already, and get to bed by 5pm! (c'mon, i'm kidding)
(3)
Nick B.
Whenever I come here I get one thing ninja don the spicy sauce works so well with the avocado and tempura flakes awesome service very nice since renovation
(5)
Rita L.
not bad. i rather drive down and go to imanas. sushi was ok. service was ok. didn't like waiting for our food, kinda took awhile. lots of private room available. tempura was soggy and the salad was forgettable... i change my mind. i really don't like this place, i'm giving it 2 stars.
(2)
Jake S.
If you want great tasting Japanese food and still have money left for dessert, then this would be the place. Great service and great food not to mention the nice renovation.
(5)
Tin H.
Called in an order over the phone and was given a 20 minute ETA. When I got there, I find out that the order was never sent to the kitchen.
(2)
Bros B.
Had dinner here last week and was pleasantly surprised to see their new and improved look! Same good food and didn't notice any major price changes. They're sushi selections are reasonably priced and food usually come fast. Service is good, parking is great esp. during weekdays/nights, servers are pleasant and nice, overall --quite efficient! This is always a go to place for us when we're craving good Japanese food in a friendly family setting.
(4)
J G.
Gyotaku is the classic neighborhood restaurant. You always know what you are going to get there, the food is that consistent. Start out with warm, flavorful, miso soup, their house salad with a sweet/sour kick, and you can't go wrong with any of their entree's. Not too hungry? Try their donburi bowls. You have a diner with you that is not in the mood for Japanese food? Have the steak. It's a nice place to bring the kids. They have booths and a kids menu, complete with little umbrella's on their sliced oranges. We were happily surprised by the new taro-haupia pie. They must have a new recipe because it is now taller and it has a spice crust. Yum! Parking is right in their lot. Enjoy!
(4)
Michelle L.
something about this place makes me come back time to time even though the food and atmosphere isn't that great. i don't like the feel of the restaurant at all. it feels like a prison cell with the hard concrete walls and old fashioned blue paint. i'm not sure if that's the look but i don't care for it. the food is decent. i love their chawan mushi! the only problem i had tonight was their tempura. my dad and i both had tempura with our meal and they were not crispy/hot. it was a disappointment. my udon was of the norm and the sister's miso butterfish was oilier than what we're used to. service was pretty good. the busser guy was really on it : ) no doubt i'll be back; must be the chawan mushi.
(3)
Rob D.
If you're looking for consistently good Japanese food, Gyotaku is the place to go. The food and service is always good. Easy to find on S. King Street but parking can be a problem sometimes because it is always busy during dinner time. The food comes out pretty quickly and the prices are very reasonable. Can't go wrong here.
(5)
Ming X.
Visiting Hawaii. It was recommended by a friend. The place is crowded. Parking space is limited. For a family setting restaurant, with no fancy decor, paper napkin type of place, I thought the price is on the high side. You cannot get a meal with a small miso soup, bite size cold slaw, one piece of sashimi and the entree for less than $24.00. The food and service is decent.
(3)
Will L.
I have two small kids (4 years and 20 mos.) and the 20 mo. old makes a huge mess every time. So I hate going to restaurants -- even the ones that aren't even that nice -- and get stink eye from them. But these guys -- are the ultimate family friendly dining place not called Chuck E. Cheese. I know, that's probably a funny standard for food, but these days, I'll take it. And that they offer early bird and senior menu is nice. Plus the keiki are free on Mondays and Tuesdays with purchase of entrees -- that's just awesome. And the keiki entrees are good and come with juice and ice cream. I had the combo plate and I ordered salmon and butterfish. It was very good. I totally recommend this place. And they are opening one up in Niu Valley, so they'll be closer to home in Hawaii Kai. Bonus!
(4)
Megan A.
I used to eat at Kyotaru back when I was one little Keiki. So, at first, I never had any intention of ever trying Gyotaku figuring it'd be the same as way back when.. that is until I heard of "Nattochos". I am an avid eater of anything natto so of course, I HAD to try this while back in Hawai'i. First attempt was the Pearl City gyotaku which told the mother-in-law that reservations weren't needed on a tuesday night for a party of 7. We arrived around 7:30 and THEY LIED!! That place was packed and it was a 45 min wait. We went to Ichiben instead. Second attempt was my last meal in Hawaii before my red-eye back to Vegas. My mom said to make reservations for the 4 of us. The guy tells me, it won't be needed since they don't think it will be that busy. We arrived around 6:30, the parking lot full thinking aw, crap.. not again! We got inside and it wasn't too busy. This location does seem a little bigger than the Pearl City one and they have an upstairs too. Since I had been eating a lot of heavy foods the last week, I wanted to eat something lite. We were gonna only order the half order of nattochos but it only comes with 4. We said, nope we'll need to full order. It still seemed small, imo. But definitely lived up to its reputation! It consists of huge won-ton chips topped with natto, ahi poke, avacado, nori and radish sprouts. The ogo from the poke was a nice addition. I also ordered a chinese chicken salad which I was disappointed with to say the least. It was iceberg lettuce (I knew since it said on the menu) but I was expecting shredded chicken but instead it was topped with chicken karaage. More fried foods, great. I ate half and didn't eat much of the chicken. I ended up taking the chicken on the plane in case the bf and I got hungry. I should have got the tofu salad like my brother did.. that looked way better. Service was mediocre. I felt the lady was rushing us a bit but we were taking out sweet time because we had a couple hours to kill before being dropped off at the airport. I'm glad I finally tried this infamous nattochos.. but Idk if it is worth going back to Gyotaku for again. I could very well make it myself at home.. which I definitely will.
(3)
Wasa B.
Our dinner was such a disappointment. Here's a summary: Pros: 1) Didn't wait long to be seated 2) Waiter was nice Cons: 1) Rice was hard and under-cooked 2) Butterfish was under-cooked and rubbery 3) Chawan-mushi was too watery 4) Food was luke-warm at best As you can see, there are more Cons than Pros, so proceed at your own discretion. If you want Japanese food that's mediocre and does nothing more than fill you up, eat here. If you want Japanese food that's made with TLC and transports you back to Obaachan's house, eat at a mom & pop place like Hide-Chan or Yagura.
(2)
Stacey K.
The food is what you would expect Japanese food to taste like in a small town of people who couldn't point out Japan on a map. I've had better Japanese airplane food. JUNK. The soba was alright though. So 2 stars. The 3 choice bento meal of butterfish, salmon, and chicken katsu. The salmon was EXTREMELY overcooked, the katsu was too oily and fatty, and the butterfish was okay (maybe frozen too long? I dunno something was off).... and the salad had much too much sweet dressing.
(2)
Doris D.
It's ok, good for family dining!
(2)
Milton K.
Went there last night (as noted on my FB page) and hadn't been there in a while. Was expecting the same, since it was reasonably busy. I normally don't like to write seemingly "negative" write up's, but since I was "expecting" what I had previously, I need to write this. I ordered my "usual" - the Teriyaki and Tempura Combination, which consists of Teriyaki Chicken, Teriyaki Beef, and assorted Tempura. I've ordered this for MANY years and MANY times, only a couple of times "straying" from it to get "experimental;" or deciding to spend EXTRA money... Anyway, THE one thing I noticed when my food started coming, started with the price. It has gone up DRAMATICALLY since the last time (yes, it has been a little over a year since the last time) but taking THAT into consideration, a jump to $18 was kind of "shocking". But since I was in a great mood, I wasn't going to let THAT "bring me down". BUT - when the order came, I saw a VERY discouraging sight - MUCH smaller portions of the ORDERED items, and almost HALF the PLATE covered with "prettiness" - shredded cabbage! (To make the plate LOOK full, perhaps?) and about a QUARTER of the plate with the "vegetables" - corn/lima bean mix. THEN - the separate plate with the Tempura came, and here it is - ONE SMALL BUTTERFLY'D Shrimp, ONE Potato, ONE Eggplant, oh, and TWO green BEANS, Seemed like a MINI to me. Now if I knew THAT (being a "carnivore!) I may have tried to go somewhere else, or took a chance at $23 and ordered the Rib Steak/Tempura Combo. But NOT knowing these "hunger and depriving" changes, oh well, huh? I admit - THE reason I order the Teriyaki, is because of the flavor of the sauce, and THANK GOODNESS - that HASN'T changed. AND - the tempura sauce hasn't changed much either, so because I was still hungry, I actually ATE ALL the cabbage (I AM going to pay for THAT today!) and poured the tempura sauce on the rice and made sure I ate everything I paid for! THE things that HAVEN'T changed - green salad and miso soup to start, refilled "hot" green tea and iced water, as well as having "reasonable" service. BUT what I do think IMO SHOULD have changed, maybe a SMALL increase in price but NOT the HUGE portion REDUCTIONS and a "camouflage" of shredded cabbage to make the plate look/appear "full". Hard to "swallow" THAT when you go in HUNGRY and do NOT expect to spend over $35 EACH just to satisfy that hunger! I AM willing to pay IF I get the four things I "expect" - 1) CLEANLINESS; 2) CUSTOMER SERVICE (with a SMILE!); 3) Food QUALITY (at WHATEVER PRICE!); and 4) REASONABLE "value" (note I said REASONABLE!) So overall.... It was an "OK" experience. If things don't change, I would probably have to think about a recommendation... BTW, in YEARS past - they used to request a "review" with EVERY check, and I used to fill it out ALL THE TIME with POSITIVE reviews, even including the request for my email address... but what for? Never got ANYTHING in email.....
(3)
M L.
I returned to one of my favorite restaurants today for lunch. I had the California Delight with California sushi roll, karaage chicken and mix tempura; and my husband had the spicy ahi don with tempura combo. Both include miso soup and mine salad too. We decided to eat downstairs, nice redeco atmosphere, courteous-prompt-attentive service. The food looked appetizing and tasted delicious. Good portions. Overall make good experience received a 5 star rating. Thank you management and staff for listening to this loyal happy customer who loves Gyotaku. I will definitely return for many more family meals!
(5)
Tammy T.
*I don't know if it's just me, but I think the picture of the restaurant might be the Aiea one, not the King St one. But I could be wrong. We got (pictures): Udon, Shrimp Tempura, and nigiri set Shrimp Tempura Tonkatsu It's taishoku style, so meals come with miso soup, salad (awesome dressing), chawan mushi, and tsukemono. The meals are pretty pricey I think we each spent between 11-16 bucks. The tonkatsu is super lean, which is always a plus in my book. The shimp is good. Parking sucks, there just isn't enough considering they hold parties sometimes. Oh and here's my thing with them, they don't do Shrimp Tempura ala carte? You can "add" more shrimp to your meal if you already have shrimp (of course at an extra charge per shrimp) but you can't just order a side of 2 piece shrimp. I just don't get it? And they have a cut off of shrimp...max 5 pieces added on? huh?
(3)
Awa S.
Good recommendation from a friend. Went there on Tuesday so the kiddos ate free which was a bonus. I got the Ninja don and it was good. I like the crunchy texture between the rice and Ninja. Our server, Moana, was great. Very attentive wait staff. Remember to go early on Mondays and Tuesdays for Kids eat free because it gets really crowded.
(4)
Sara S.
Tried the "natachos", which were very strange. It was still fun to try, and we ate all of them! Great sushi! The teriyaki chicken was fine and the tempura was pretty tasty! Service wasn't the best (slow...the waitress was really upbeat though) and overall we liked the food.
(4)
John F.
I like Gyotaku on King St. Really tasty Japanese food at reasonable prices. Sushi is good, also I like the "senior discount" meal selections. I dont look old, but I qualify.
(4)
La L.
3.5 stars. I gave a bonus because it's a great place for the keikis. We ventured in on a Monday night and to our absolute delight, Mondays and Tuesdays kids eat free. They offer several different choices for kids' meals, which also includes a drink, ice cream or shave ice AND a toy that the child chooses from a little basket. The kids were delighted and so I got to eat in peace. I had the misoyaki butterfish and tempura. The tempura was a little soggy for me but the butterfish was quite good. The meals aren't cheap but with two free kids meals it turns into a pretty good value.
(4)
Claudia M.
We got a coupon for a buy an entree get one half off or of equal value. The food that we ordered was delicious. Their entrees came in a nice portion and their service was friendly. Kinda felt out of place with all the seniors around and their specials. Their sushi rolls were kinda small for a good decent sized portion though.
(4)
H L.
Ehh.... Its good but nothing to write home about. Came here one night with some old friends and the food was good. Everything was good but nothing amazing. There was a good amount of food in the bento I ordered and I had no complaints about the sushi served in my bento. I did like their sweet potato Pie. There was a gram crust, purple sweet potato layer, coconut (Haupia) layer, and a cream layer on top. I wish the cream was not as thick. Overall, good.
(3)
Shelly i.
I'm not reviewing based on the decor or cleanliness, because I didn't really notice either. My last trip to Gyotaku was on a Saturday afternoon with a friend. The restaurant was moderately crowded and we were led upstairs right next to Spark Matsunaga's son and a baby shower. This didn't really impact our service as all our food and the hot green tea came out quickly. I had the natto nachos, butterfish, the chicken katsu donburi, and the green tea shave ice dessert. The natto nachos were surprisingly good, although I think natto and yama imo together is slimy overkill. The butterfish was seriously the largest piece of butterfish I've ever been served in a restaurant. The chicken katsu donburi was pretty standard and the green tea shave ice was good. I especially liked that they didn't skimp on the ice cream. A lot of times I'll get a dessert that comes ala mode and have to carefully ration the ice cream so I get a little with every bite. Not so here. I liked the food and the service (I don't think I ever saw the bottom of my tea cup) and will visit again.
(4)
Calli L.
Nice restaurant, but in my opinion, NOT SO CLEAN. I went to eat there with my brother for dinner. While waiting for our food, a massive roach (and it was at least 2"... I'd say it was a 747) was crawling right next to me on the wall divider in our booth! So I grabbed the menu and had to smack it 3 times for it to die. YES, THREE TIMES! The bus boy saw everything, took the menu and roach away said our meal was going to be on the house. The manager never came out to apologize, when we paid our tab only thing comp'd, was our ice cream. I WILL NEVER BE GOING THERE AGAIN. That was a moment where I wish the Dept of Health was there to see what went down. You know if there's a big roach in the restaurant, there's bound to be more.
(1)
Nathan K.
I had the opportunity to dine at Gyotaku again to celebrate my cousin's return to town. I agree with most of the reviews here that the food is good, ambiance is casual and friendly, and service that night was quick and attentive. The food itself is pretty standard Japanese fare with a pretty extensive menu of sushi, teishoku sets, noodles, and other combinations. For the price, it's a good value and solid meal. You definitely leave full. I still prefer Tadashi in Pearl City for quality of fish and shrimp vs. batter on the tempura, but this was definitely a delicious meal. But one big plus as a family is kids eat free on Mondays and Tuesdays with the purchase of an adult meal. Our son loved his udon and tempura kids meal. The strawberry shave ice at the end couldn't come fast enough. Overall, this is a great family restaurant you can count on...good for parties of all sizes...and good locations.
(3)
Little D.
I liked Ahi poke don set $9.50 - take out for lunch time. With salad and decent rice, poke in separate pack. Very considerate. Long time ago, my partner and I were shocked by their tempura and refused to return... I am glad I had tried their take-out poke don! YELP 365 - 164/365
(4)
Sheryl S.
What a so-so restaurant. For the price, quality & food, I'd rather go to Sushi King or Minato's. Decor: Other than the Japanese shoji screens, the decor does not seem like it belongs to be in a Japanese restaurant at all. This place seems more appropriate for a local diner than a Japanese restaurant. Cleanliness: The water glasses still had lipstick stains, the white plates had brown circle-shaped stains & my chawan mushi bowl was served to me cracked. Do I need to say any more? Food: I ordered the Unagi set ($13.99), which included a bowl of 3 good sizes of unagi, rice, noodles, Japanese veggies like lotus root, along with Chawan Mushi & Miso soup. The unagi was tasty, and served just right. However the Chawan Mushi & the miso soup was terribly bland. Other people at my table ordered the 3-item combo ($19.99), where you can select 3 items from shrimp tempura, teriyaki chicken, teriyaki salmon, etc. I tried the teriyaki beef & teriyaki salmon, although they were tasty in flavor, biting into it was as hard as if I just bit into a piece of brick. There are specials for senior citizens 60+ for $9.99. Let's just say Gyotaku wouldn't be my first choice for a Japanese restaurant.
(2)
Kaileen Y.
Halloween weekend was my first time here, with the grandparents from Kauai. We debated for hours and hours about what we should eat for dinner. My grandparents were craving rice, & had a preference for some kind of Asian cuisine. So, we went back and forth on MANY choices...& hesitated every time "Gyotaku" came up as a possibility. For me, it really didn't matter where we ate, as long as I got food. But, Gyotaku wasn't a preference of their's because my grandma hates chawan-mushi & apparently almost everything on the menu comes with it. But, we eventually gave in to going here. And, let me say....my grandparents enjoyed their meals. They were just careful of what they ordered...& MADE SURE they didn't get the chawan-mushi. haha. Overall, it was a good experience. If I could advise you to do one thing, don't judge this place based on what you see in its commercials on TV because you will be disappointed. Obviously, with a little camera magic you can make everything look good & more upscale than it really is. With that said, this place is very homey and kinda laid back. The staff is pretty nice. The food is decent. Prices are reasonable. I would definitely come back, but at the same time it doesn't have me jumping outta my seat to do so.
(3)
Sheryl M.
I haven't been here in years and decided to try it again for lunch with my Mom today. The menu is the same...lots to choose from, too bad not enough stomach space to try it all. Interestingly, they have as one of their lunch specials - if you order one of their specialty sushi rolls (you know what this is - rainbow roll, spicy ahi roll, spider roll, etc) you can add on a salad and miso soup for $1.75 OR tempura, salad, and miso soup for $2.50. We thought this was a great deal, so we ordered it with an add on of $2.50...it's not a local japanese meal if you don't have some artery clogging tempura too :) For the price, you can't go wrong. The food is tasty and they have a few interesting dishes...like natto nachos....hmmmm...maybe someone can let me know how that tastes...
(3)
Ali O.
I think Gyotaku is over-rated, but my family likes eating here so I go along with it. We usually go to the Aiea one but we were in town on a Thursday night, so we took my grandma there. I was annoyed that they told me that it was a 5-10 minute wait even though there were 6 open tables on the first floor which had already been cleared and set. There were 3 people plus a shift supervisor standing by the register doing heaven knows what while they made us wait. (At least at Aiea they seat you right away if the tables are open.) They just sat us at one of the open tables anyway, so I don't know why we had to wait. Minus one star for that stunt. The prices have always been on the high side, even as a kid I remember thinking that the prices were high relative to other restaurants on the market. (I was a strange kid that looked at these kinds of things. Don't ask.) Dinner is quite expensive when the quality of the food is mediocre to above average. I think it skates on a B to B- overall. You can expect to pay around $15-$23 per person on an adult teishoku. That is not including drinks and dessert. You can add another $5-$8 per person for drinks and dessert. My comments on the food apply at both locations since there isn't much of a difference in quality (though I think the service at the town location is better). Actually if you want better access for the grandparents, you should go to the Aiea location since it's more spacious on the floor and actually has booths. The town location is on two floors so if you've got a stroller or grandparents with walkers, it's a gamble if you go during the meal rushes. But the Aiea location is slower in getting the food out to you. My measure of a Japanese restaurant in Hawaii is how they prepare their tempura. The tempura at Gyotaku is so-so. It has a lot of batter on it and it can be on the oily side. If you have a large party, they try to bring everything out at the same time (to their unsuccessful detriment) so the tempura sometimes ends up soggy. Sometimes I can't really taste the freshness of the vegetables, so I give their tempura 3.5 stars. Their fried stuff is usually pretty consistent (karaage, tonkatsu, chicken katsu, mochiko chicken). It's above average, never undercooked or not crispy (I think they overdo it sometimes) but the cuts for the katsu aren't that great. I suppose they use thinner cuts so that it cooks faster, but it's nothing like a proper cut like the katsu at Ginza Bairin. 3 stars. They have fancy-schmancy maki sushi with all sorts of things like spicy ahi, avocado, tempura bits, and unagi. Those are good. Nothing really special. Very safe for unadventurous people. 3.5 stars. Their butterfish (like at every other restaurant in Hawaii) is decent, but overpriced. It is an item that appeals to their target consumer base of Japanese retired geriatrics. 3 stars. The ahi poke is really salty. They put a lot of shoyu. limu (which is already salty), and maybe even some Hawaiian salt. It's not the best, but it does look attractive. Lots of sesame oil and shoyu only tells me that the restaurant might possibly be trying to disguise the quality of the fish. 3 stars. Most of the teishoku come with rice, salad, miso soup, and tsukemono. The rice is okay, sometimes cooked a little too dry for a Japanese restaurant. It may just be me, but I feel like the quality has gone down in recent years. The salad is colorful and attractive. The night I went, the dressing tasted really sour. I think whoever was preparing it put too much vinegar. Miso soup is actually not bad and the tsukemono is really salty. I think they should cut the salt down considering how many old people go there. 3 stars. My overall rating for Gyotaku is 3.5, but I will substract a star for that seating stunt that supervisor pulled, so 2.5. Since I cannot give half stars, I will give this place a 3. I would feel bad giving it a 2. They do have a lot of items on the menu that would satisfy a good number of people. (Though I really think they should clean up the menu visually. I like pictures, but it's got too much going on so it's hard to read.)
(3)
Jana M.
My family and I eat here quite often, as it is my grandparents' #1 choice now that Wisteria has closed. So although my husband and I (in our 20's) probably wouldn't go here on our own, it's a GREAT place to go with families and our baby is very welcome. We usually go between 5-5:30 and there's plenty of parking. I don't even eat seafood (95% of their menu is seafood) but I enjoy it too... I usually get the chicken katsu teishoku (not too oily, comes with cabbage, rice, miso soup, egg dish (not sure what it's called) and some veggies. My husband really likes their various rolls... caterpillar roll, dragon roll, etc. and my grandparents love their senior menu. Also Mondays & Tuesday kids eat free w/paying adult and they give you little origami kits to entertain the kiddies. The ambiance is bland but if you're going to hang with family and catch up then who cares... it's just about not doing dishes right? Service is very consistent, if not super friendly. We always have the same busser guy and he keeps our table clear and tea hot. The shave ice isn't great but for some reason we get it anyway... kinda like a tradition. I get the strawberry with ice cream. Grandma likes the azuki beans. They also love the sweet potato/haupia? pie... expensive for a slice but pretty yummy. Not for a romantic evening or to show off to mainland tourists, but good for locals - especially grandmas and grandpas...
(4)
Kari S.
Good food, good prices. Large menu with daily specials.
(3)
Cristyn T.
My food cravings vary depending on the location I am in. When I am in San Diego, all I want is Mexican food, all day, every day (bad). In Costa Rica, I wanted all my meals to include rice, beans, and plantains. When I was in Jamaica, I was all about the jerk chicken, jerk salmon, anything jerk. You're a jerk? I'll eat you too! So, when I am in Hawaii, all I want is FISH, FISH, FISH! Fresh fish, raw fish, fried fish, baked fish, cold fish, cooked fish, anything and everything fish! My grams wanted to take the fam to Gyotaku and I'd never been before so I didn't know what to expect. I couldn't figure out if this restaurant is extremely casual or if it's supposed to be semi-nice. We got a nice big table upstairs in the rooms, so it was a little nicer than their regular seating. I ordered the 3-item combo (it'll run you about $20) with what? FISH!!! I got the butterfish, salmon, and ahi poke. It took me forever to decide on what to order since the menu is pretty large, but mostly because they have several combinations of the same 15 items. I wanted a 2-item pick your own combo, thinking that 3-items was borderline hefferish, but they only serve 2-item combos for lunch. I got the 3-item combo with the thought that maybe I'll have leftovers for later. I know I can eat a lot more than I should, but I was able to finish my entire meal without feeling too full. The food was ok, the butterfish better than the salmon and the salmon better than the ahi poke. The ahi poke defintiely did not taste right. It was chewy and did not taste fresh. My loudmouth mother asked the guy if it's frozen poke and he said yes. Frozen poke isn't always bad. You can get pretty decent poke at the supermarkets and usually they have been previously frozen. This poke was terrible. Ask anyone and they'll say the one thing I was looking forward to eating on my trip home was ahi poke. I was disappointed to say the least. Gyotaku redeemed themselves with the green tea shave ice with ice cream and azuki beans. That stuff is soooo good! Maybe my new favorite dessert! So it turns out that even though I was disappointed by the fish, I left with a sweet after taste.
(3)
Eryn K.
This place kinda reminds me of how Wisteria felt and looked...very Hawaii diner/homey type of place. A lot of down-home food I think. To be real I only get the butterfish and natto-chos when I come, so my rating is based purely on the two. In SF it's a struggle to find amazing butterfish, so every time I come to Honolulu, I always get the butterfish from here! It's dank (dank meaning really good)! It's soft, good taste, and moist. Always a winner! The natto-chos...mmmmm! They were the best the first time but this stuff is GOOD and hella creative. So it's wonton chips with NATTO (my favorite...my absolute favorite), yama imo, ahi poke, green onions, avocado, and some sauce! But honestly the second time I had it they needed more sauce...the taste of all of it with little sauce was def not cuttin' it...so yes a little lack of consistency but whatever. And this place is pretty well priced and cheap and it all really pleases my grandma and dad who are both hella picky sooooo...it gets the job done.
(4)
V K.
Food is always tasty, fresh, and with excellent service. It's a great atmosphere for families or a lunch meeting. Their remodel in December 2012 made the atmosphere so nice and open. Dress it up or dress it down. Gyotaku is excellent for kids, even young children.
(5)
Clement Y.
I don't come here very often only when it's someones birthday but i do enjoy eating here. So far everything i have ordered has been good i especially love the salad the dressing is so good. Although i do find the prices a bit on the higher end i don't really mind it to much its not like i eat here everyday. Most of the menu items don't look as big as they do but when you get it, it is a lot of food. Service here is always good i have never eaten downstairs but I'm sure it doesn't matter. I must say i do enjoy eating here whenever i do eat here.
(4)
John L.
WTF! Seriously, It all happened after two days of bad food, all my regular restaurants were closed. Decided to try new restaurant and damn this one is gross. Tempura, we thought it was either gone bad or really old. Hamachi, omg, why did I order Hamachi here, gag. I downed everything with beer just to make sure I won't get any food poisoning. I mean alcohol supposed to be your sanitizer right. Oh why didn't we just go to Uncle's. sighs.... Place has a nice interesting facade from the side of the building but inside it's just an old Teri-teri house, nothing against that, I love good teri, but this was bad....bad...bad....
(1)
Shauna K.
This was the first time I'd eaten there, and had the Shrimp Tempura set. I like that it came with miso soup, a bit of pickled cabbage, and complimentary green tea. The tempura itself, however, was lacking. The shrimp was very heavy with pancake-like batter and lots of oil. The vegetables were cut too thick and were raw and crispy in the middle. The portion was very good, especially considering the price tag ($11). I must also say that all of the servers were extremely friendly and pleasant. My water cup was constantly topped off. The ambiance is more casual, home-y feeling, which I felt was appropriate for the price and caliber of the food. I will probably go back and try them once again to see if I just got the tempura on a bad day.
(3)
Kimo K.
We live in Phoenix, AZ now, but ocassionally we get to go back to Honolulu. Last month, we were back in Honolulu and hosted a small luncheon for about 11 people at the Gyotaku Niu Valley location. The food and service was very good there. We went to this location because three of our relatives said that the King Street location had gone downhill a lot and was not worth going to -- we would all be disappointed with the food and service, etc. But last week, my son and some of those same relatives went back to the King Street location to give it another try. Here is the consolidated comments from them: "Just got back from a very, very satisfying , filling, tasty lunch. Yes, there has certainly been an improvement in the food there. We discussed it and felt that the food was 1. fresh - hot things were very hot, cold things were nicely chilled. The last couple of times that we were there, the tempura was cold and soggy but today it was hot and the batter was crispy. One cousin's favorite - nabe yaki udon - was very hot and tasty . Miso soup and chawan mushi were hot too. 2. Quality and quantity improved - varied , generous serving of salad, the nabe yaki had more veggies in it as well as 2 shrimp tempura instead of skimpy 1 that was served before. 3. Tables seemed neater and cleaner - perhaps because we were there at 11:00 when they open. Also, the salad was much more appetizing to the eye besides very chilled and good. In the past, we were served only ice berg lettuce but this time they added some shredded red cabbage , cucumbers, tomato and a piece of imitation crab. So it not only tasted good but was appealing to the eye. Still a few improvements can be made, in other areas, but all-in-all, the visit and food was good and we would go back again."
(4)
Mikayla M.
There Sashimi is bomb, butterfish and the Godzilla Roll ROCKS!
(4)
Tomtom K.
Expensive Japanese food. Its fresh food and a large restaurant with easy parking. good for big groups. great selection/variety from sushi to tempura to katsu.
(3)
Arabiki D.
Very plain decor and a family weekend eatery. Mostly great food and PRICES are higher due to the NEW MENU trend! Sushi is great...recommend: GOJIRA Roll! Great stuff! Parking can be tricky...they added new lots on the side street along building but the neighbors look kinda sketchy so if I'm not parking in front or side...I'll try street parking.
(3)
Makakaualii R.
Great Japanese grinds, good service and take pride on what they do. #4 bento was good and I got all the fish; salmon, sashimi/tako, poke and the ono miso buttahfish was and still a bomb. To top it off we had for an appetizer was the sashimi sushi roll. We go there all the time at least once a month.
(5)
Inthira M.
This is one of my absolute favorite Japanese restaurants of all time. I've been coming here since I was a little kid with my family... I even buy their salad dressings and put them on my salad just to reminisce since I can't go back every night. lol. Though I'm going to have to say that I haven't ventured off and tried different menu items. Oh who am I kidding, I get the same thing every time. Every time I come I'm dead set on trying something new and as I look through that color printed menu with picture after picture of every single item on their menu I always end up getting the same thing... The 3-combo items. You know, the one where you get to pick 3 out of a whole list of things. And though my items may change I still get the choose 3 (I think it's because whenever I look at the other sets there's always something I don't like in the dinner set). Two staples that I always get: The misoyaki butterfish and the sashimi (all ahi, no octopus), the third option is left to my mood. The set comes with oshinko (shredded cabbage... through some shoyu on it and I mmm mmm good), pickled daikon, miso soup, and that salad I've been talking about (has one cucumber, one tomato, and 1 stick of imitation crab). I think the amount you get (ex. size of the butterfish) has been shrinking over the years... and the price has been going up.... but it's so good and I'm full by the time I leave here anyway. Service is always good, food is always consistently scuptious, and everything comes in and out of the kitchen really quickly. I have also tried their famous poke nachos (or whatever they're called) and it was so-so. Been eyeing out their crab lettuce wraps... looks yum and I'm a sucker for anything crab. I think there's also a day during the week (I wanna say tuesday but don't quote me on it) where kids eat free... shoot if I was a parent I'd go just for the free food for my kids. lol. They have two locations... one on king street (right across from sonoya's.. also really good and cheap japanese food but I looked in their kitchen and haven't gone back since) and one in niu valley in the kfc shopping center. Check it out, you won't be disappointed.
(5)
Daryl Y.
We had dinner with 12 people...food was very tasty and the service was very good...we went early around 5pm so there was no wait...if you go later it gets busy...parking is limited...
(4)
Dennis K.
Not worth the price. Can get better food at the foodcourt
(2)
Jim M.
Lunch with friends.......Never a rush.....plenty to eat....service was good....food.....zarusoba.....good Tempura....adequated Sushi...satisfactory......Teriyaki....ok Not a place where one would "tank-up" like some of the locals do at a buffet.... Pleasant place.....not gourmet but the prices are not either in this clean place....
(3)
R N.
We had our New Years dinner catered. We we very happy that they were open that day. Food was ready on time for pick up. Food was well prepared and tasty. Lots of care in the preparation and packing. Will recommend them in the future.
(4)
Andy N.
Quality of the food and prep is very good.. Lived in Japan 10 years so I think this place rates pretty good. Variety is lacking and wait can be super long. Staff is alright..
(3)
Elle B.
Reasonably priced and lots of great variety on a menu that looks borderline food porn-ish. They are known for their set meals which offer everyone's favorites like butterfish, unagi, kaarage, poke, furikake salmon, tempura, etc...Nothing particularly exciting but good Japanese comfort food. The sushi quality correlates to their price bracket...if you know what I mean... I highly recommend the Nattochos, which is their greatest gift to the culinary landscape of Honolulu. Whoever invented this is a genius...fried wonton chips, topped with natto, avocado, ahi poke, grated yamaimo, and kaiware sprouts. The contrast of flavors and textures is absolutely amazing. The only downside of the King Street restaurant is that the ambiance really sucks (i've never been to the other branches). The dining room is depressing...dimly lit with the blueish white hue of flourscent lights, kind of dated and looks like what I remembered my preschool cafeteria to look like (that was over a quarter century ago!). Plus its a popular family restaurant so you'll bound to run into people you know and your dining experience will be filled with the symphony of screaming children. Oh my! Definitely not a date spot.
(3)
Karl K.
I don't find Gyotaku to be expensive; I consider their prices moderate. The weekday lunch specials such as the California Delight and Gyotaku Lunch Box are bargains. So are their Early Bird dinner specials (W-F, 4:00-6:00 pm). But don't be late - we got seated last week at 6:01 and couldn't order it.. I usually pick either the Tonkatsu or Beef Teriyaki to go with the tempura (shrimp [2], green bean, eggplant, sweet potato), the mini-California roll (six pieces), miso soup, tossed salad, tsukemono, rice, and hot tea. All for $12.95 and quite filling. On occasion, it's sweet potato pie or Key lime pie for dessert. There is also a Seniors' menu for those age 60 and over, as well as many sushi offerings. American-style entrees like rib-eye steak with rice or french fries are also available. But, it's mostly local Japanese food. I usually go to the King Street location where parking is adequate. Two levels of dining is a plus - we usually go upstairs. I have also ordered their bentos for UH football tailgating.
(4)
Consuela P.
A comfortable Japanese family dining restaurant. Two locations; one in town on Kind Street and the other out in Waimalu, I prefer the Waimalu location for its size and service. Great sushi selection, teishoku sets, hot or cold noodles and I always order my usual ~ MISOYAKI BUTTERFISH & TENPURA (Misoyaki Butterfish Served with Assorted Tenpura, Rice, Salad, Miso Soup and Pickles). Yum!
(4)
Carol L.
My parents love this place. I think it was okay. I got the sashimi and tempura teisuko. Not bad 2 slices of hamaichi~ish fish, 3 ahi~s, 3 tako eh not bad (yanagi's is better) tempura pretty generous 4 pieces + veggies. My parents had the ahi poke don they said it was a bit too salty. Hubby had teribeef and sashimi, sister had an udon sushi set she loved. Brother in law had tonkasu he loved it. Oh we had a rainbow roll and a godzilla roll which everyone like! It had spicy ahi, shrimp tempura, avocado, and bonito. Service is excellent. I was pleasantly surprised. The best dessert to get is the sweet potatoes haupia pie!! My parent would come back i would tag along.
(3)
Keith N.
Food was great! We went for lunch and the specials were awesome. I had a combination plate for $9.95...Restroom needs updating, but it was clean.
(4)
Andrew P.
not bad at all. the portions are huge but that is expected in hawaii. the overall taste is good. they use a lot of rice to fill their sushi rolls as well. overall average japanese food for reasonable price considering the portion you get. don't bother getting "shave ice" here. we tried the green tea flavored shave us and it came out more like an icy snow cone. =P would i go back? well if someone wanted to go there i would go but not on my own.
(3)
Kimmy C.
One of the worst Japanese food places to eat. Food is terrible, poor quality and service is bad. Waited over 30 minutes for bill no one came, we asked for check they said we couldnt pay because computers were down. no one told us or came to refill or ask how our food was. Manager said we could leave without paying. I live really close but would never go back. Ive given this place more than half a dozen chances to change my mind. I would not recommend this place.
(1)
Amy G.
i came here for the first time and i was expecting a grill like gyukaku. haha i was wrong. but the food was still good. got there and had the lunch special. pretty cheap for what they give. their ninja roll is really good :) wouldn't mind coming back for more
(4)
Nommie M.
I really wanted to like this place because everyone else I know seems to enjoy it a lot. But I don't. I've given it multiple tries. It just seems that every time our food either ends up being served to us cold or well, it's just mediocre for the price you pay. The service isn't bad but it's not the greatest either. I think I'd rather go elsewhere.
(1)
Nicole M.
I have never had a bad meal here and I am a pretty frequent patron. I get the Udon/Cali/Tempura set which is always too much food, so I end up taking the sushi home which balances out the price. Japanese food is expensive anyway so to have a better lunch here, than at Genki Sushi, is totally worth it.
(4)
Michael B.
I will never dine here. I called at noon to make a reservation. I pressed #3 to hear their reservation policy and when that did not work, a staff member answered. I identified that I wanted to make a reservation for tonight, Saturday. He told me very distinctly that they did not take reservations on weekends. I then asked his hours. We went there at 6:30 and were asked if we had reservations. I explained what had happened and he said they did not have any availability until 7:30. I am familiar with other establishments not taking reservations after 7 and would have been fine with that. The others in my party, who were Japanese, were confident that it was because I was too white. Please do not patronise this restaurant so as not to encourage this behavior.
(1)
Betty B.
Several weeks ago a friend & I ate an early dinner here. It was a great experience. The food was tasty and the service was quick. Now my family is here from the mainland. I took them to Gyotaku on a Saturday night. OMG! What an experience! The restaurant closes at 10pm. Does that mean they want you off the premises at 10pm, or does it mean that the last order will be taken at 10pm? We arrived at around 9:15pm. The waiter was a cocky young Asian dude who wanted to know our order the instant we received the menu. He seemed irritated that we even came in. We couldn't make up our minds and he left in a huff three times. The food must have been put away for the night because they took a very long time to prepare our dishes. The most expensive item we ordered was the misoyaki salmon and it was NOT good. It looked terrible, too. We didn't complain...we ate and paid...and left. Our bill was $94.00 including tax. They made a little money off us but I got the feeling they'd just as soon we stayed away. So, I will stay away for good.
(2)
Craig I.
this place is usually pretty busy. they have a huge menu with a lot of options. the food is average but the service is very friendly and accommodating. it's good for large groups. more of a local family restaurant, not a tourist stop.
(3)
diego m.
Their Ahi poke is really good - with a heavier than usual sesame oil and I believe their shoyu is somewhat integrated sweetly in the sesame oil, making a memorable pupu. Fragrant yet not overpowering.
(4)
Mary c.
Came here after seeing it was voted one of the best Japanese restaurants in Honolulu Advertiser. Used to just drive by this place thinking it was a fancy touristy place, but it's actually really local thus easy going. Lots of parking. Ordered three lunch sets for about $9.75 each- sashimi over rice and seaweed (kinda oily), teriyaki chicken with rice and tempura (yum) and other deep fried veggies, and a deep fried chicken with some seame seeds that tasted like KFC (a GOOD thing although very unexpected), with side of tempura and other deep fried veggies. All three sets came with a bowl of miso soup, little salad. Will come again to order the rolls... seemed like nothing special but with the pictures for all of them it looked AMAZING. Ranged from $7-14ish a roll
(3)
Mike U.
Not a bad place, the combo meals come with lots of food, although don't come here for the sushi-it's not bad, but it's also not a sushi joint. With the exception of the fish prints on rice paper on the wall, the decor isn't anything fancy. The bento boxes were what we went with, came with tempura, miso soup, that tofu custard I don't know how to spell, some fish, broiled and raw, some rice and soba noodles. The price for the amount of food that came out was very reasonable, about $16. This is definitely a local joint, and I'm throwing in an extra star for being served by a pidgin speaking server, "Are you ready for DESert?"
(4)
Anjelika J.
I like this place. I find it to be "comfort" food for me when needed. If ya have kids, Mondays and Tuesdays, it's the place to be. Kids eat free with each paying adult. The poke is really really really good here, but I don't care for the sushi. A few times I've found that it was "fishy"... yuck! BUT, here's what I do like: *the Pele Lava roll *Shrimp Tempura *their tonkatsu (mmmm) *plain ahi sashimi *the fact that they have a "make yer own" combo *the poke *Mondays and Tuesdays Kids Eat Free nights *the melon float But, even with all that... I surely do miss Wisteria :(
(3)
Angel L.
This is a great place for family outing! They have great combos but the sushi isn't that great. Should look for coupons, my boyfriend found a coupon from the entertainment book, which saves a lot!
(4)
Mayu M.
my friend was craving shrimp tempura so we decided to try this place. she ordered the shrimp tempura and she enjoyed it. i had the 3 choice bento box. i ordered the miso butterfish, grilled salmon, and poke. Although the fish was tasty, i do not believe it is worth $19.95. Maybe i need to come try the lunch. Anyways, the staff is very friendly and very personable. that is all i have to say about that.... :)
(3)
David B.
went here tonight with a bunch of my high school friends. first time there, and i gotta say the bill came out a lot lower than what i expected to pay for a party of our size, with beer, some pupus, and teshoku dishes. this place is pretty well priced. not the best i ever had, but not so bad either. i guess you can say its worth the price. our waiter gave excellent service! so thats a plus i ordered the 3 item set, miso butter fish, tonkatsu, and tempura. not the hottest plate i had. the rice i think couldve been better, or maybe it was just the lighting that was killing it.?? it looked a bit old.... chawan mushi , and miso soup was good. in all everything was ok. i was not disappointed. this place is quite big, two floors. it was quite empty and i got there about 7:15. the place could probably do much better with a better ambiance setting. maybe some warmer lights, instead of those office fluorescent lamps? idk, call me picky, i just did not care for this lighting at all....
(3)
Kayfo T.
The food here is always really good- and very reasonably priced. The lunch box special is my favorite: miso soup, mini salad, mix tempura and mix sushi for $10. The misoyaki salmon is also a winner. The servers are really on top of it. I know that the King street location has a large upstairs seating area with small private rooms available. Gyotaku is definitely a lunchtime favorite.
(4)
Paul S.
best cold soba i've had due to the sauce. everything else was so-so. well, the butterfish was really good too.
(3)
Evan N.
Having eaten at the Waimalu location, I prepared myself for slight disappointment. My cousin had decided on this place and she's usually spot on for Japanese food. I had to get some raw fish that I desperately miss when I'm not in Hawaii so the hamachi and maguro nigiri were my first pick. Man, the fish was super fresh and easily the best I've had in the past 6 months! Poke-chos and Natto-chos sounded quite tasty so I convinced my family to get a few orders. They are a conglomeration of a ton of japanese ingredients such as natto (fermented soy beans), radish sprouts, seaweed, etc. served on a bed of wonton chips with chunks of raw tuna on top. Also very tasty but I think they overdid it with the multitude of ingrediments. My raw fish festival would not be complete without some type of roll. I settled on the Fuzzy Wuzzy Roll made with hamachi (yellowfin tuna), fish flakes and green onion. Again, the quality of fish made it awesome. I can't remember what else I at that nite but I was quite happy with the raw fishes being digested in my belly.
(4)
SuperDeeDuper S.
My friend from Hawaii recommended this place, and I wanted to go to a place where the locals go. The place is very simple and no-nonsense type of place, so don't expect the dim lighting and pictures and statues of Buddha. Their menus are extremely elaborate with pictures of everything! This made things easy for us to figure out what we should get, but also super hard to decide because everything looked so good! I went with the Pele Lava roll and thought it was fairly decent, except it was a little too creamy/mayonaise. My boyfriend got one of the bentos with tuna sashimi, octopus, and beef teriyaki. Afterwards we shared the green tea ice cream. They serve Dave's ice cream, and it was so good we had to go find the Dave's ice cream parlor the next day. We were sad that our server gave us such a tiny scoop. 3 stars because the food didn't really stand out, our server spoke wayyy too fast and didn't really give us much time to ask questions, and the pricing was a bit expensive for the amount of food and ambiance.
(3)
Irene C.
This place is great for group meals. The teishokus, which is what is primarily served, are huge. The miso soup is typical, nothing special. I like the shrimp tempura, and they'll provide you unlimited daikon. mMm. This is the only place i will get zaru soba. . .it takes me back to my Japan summer days. It's usually super busy around 6-8pm. Oh, and keikis eat for free on one day of the week. I wish i could pass for a keiki.
(4)
Kari C.
The food here is good and has friendly service. It's a family friendly place. Overall, a nice Japanese restaurant.
(4)
Teddi A.
Gyotaku is now our "go to place" for Japanese food. Quality is great, prices are reasonable and the food is consistently good.
(4)
David K.
I realize that I'm not giving this King St. Gyotaku a good rating but I can honestly say that this restaurant is perfect for their target audience-- which is Hawaii's local Japanese families, of which the restaurant was primarily filled with. I irony here is that I am a local Japanese but I guess my tastes varies from my "relatives." Starting with the decor. The grey-blue painted walls were sooo depressing. Their mix and match tables and chairs were somewhat embarrassing. I can usually forgive that stuff if the food was really good but I'll get to that later. The service was, how can I best put it---efficient but robotic. We were seated right away even thought the place was busy. We got our water right away and looked at their nicely done menu. The waitress was neither rude nor friendly, just robotic. She could care less about answering questions or our dining experience but she did smile on occasion. Our drinks and food did come out reasonably fast even though the place was busy. And they have a bunch of busing staff that would swoop down without a word and take away the finished bowls or dishes. Never a word was said such as a polite "can I take that" or a "are you done with that?" So although we were never burdened with dirty dishes, we weren't treated like precious customers either. Like I said, efficient but all so robotic. My wife and I are former restaurant workers so we both know that even when a night is busy, you can still give fabulous service. Ironically, the manager went around to the tables to ask if everything was okay. Thats fine and dandy but why waste their time checking on customers if they are not bothering with properly training their staff. As I said earlier, I can always forgive not so good service or not so good decor if the food is delicious but we felt that Gyotaku's food is just a cut about mediocre. The food presentation was well done as you would expect from a Japanese restaurant but the food was, well, exactly how the local Japanese community likes it---mediocre done with rice. Within our group, there was butterfish, tempura, sashimi, tonkatsu, salmon, karaage chicken, etc. and all tasted just okay. Actually, I would have to say a Shirokiya Bento is better tasting and somewhat more authentic. But like I said, Gyotaku is made for that local tastes which the local Japanese just love so those who fit in that category, don't be negatively swayed from my review. In fact, I would say it is a Safe place to go if you have a relatively large party or group of locals in that they can accommodate a larger party and most would enjoy the food as long as they are not expecting too much for service and ambiance. As for price, it is reasonable by Japanese restaurant standards where you'll hit about $15 to $20 per person, not including tip. On a positive note, we did not order any appetizers but I did remember seeing some interesting items on the appetizer menus that I may actually come back to try one day. I'll wait until I'm really hungry though.
(2)
Christina K.
This place won an Ilima Award by the Honolulu Advertiser, but you must always consider the source. i.e. Starbucks got the award for best coffee bar for crying out loud. The menu caters to a local Japanese demographic, and my experiences have differed on occasion. My mom always orders the ahi poke-don, but I prefer the combos. Big fan of their miso salmon; it has good flavor, and you can tell it was marinated well. Now for the con: as Gyotaku has grown in popularity, so has its price, and you could get better Japanese food somewhere else for the same amount. I usually only go here for social events. i.e. wedding showers, post-cruise lunches.
(3)
s c.
I've been here many times and this place has good food..............but it is kinda pricey.
(4)
Kelly B.
Excellent food, service is attentive without interrupting. The fish is very fresh, and their flavoring is consistent and distinct. The food is a little slow to come, but that's pretty typical of Japanese restaurants in Hawaii.
(5)
Dijon Y.
The miso soup was fine. Salmon and butterfish I didn't like. The sashimi was not good. The salad was fine. My last 2 times here were not very good. I don't care for the quality of the food that much. Service was fine. The food is very mediocre. I'll try a different Japanese restaurant next time in Hawaii.
(3)
Jennifer F.
3.75 stars based on a single visit to the King St. location. We met family here for dinner with early evening reservations. For those of you who normally order iced tea, try the ginger tea for an interesting change of pace. The syrup isn't too sweet, and gives a nice warm flavor to your tea. As mentioned by other reviewers, you can get an Early Bird special before 6, but I wanted to try the various fish, so ended up ordering a 3 choice combo of misoyaki salmon, butterfish, and poke. I was a little surprised that the poke was very lightly seasoned, but I was still quite happy with it, but the salmon and the butterfish were both really yummy. Add to that the not-too-salty miso soup and I was a very happy camper! $20 for this combo may seem like a lot to some, but I thought it was fair. For a group of 5 we got out of there at around $100, and I thought that was pretty good considering we ordered some desserts. I would definitely go back to try more stuff!
(4)
Waynele Y.
This is a pretty standard japanese restaurant. their menu is very comprehensive from sushi to teishoku and all of the food is quite good. very popular among the local japanese. to me, it's nothing that stands out.. nothing spectacular. they have a great deal if you order from the early bird menu, other than that, i think it's a little pricy. you can get better value & quality at yama-chan.
(3)
Beth W.
when i came to Gyotaku, i ordered the pele lava roll and the ahi tuna poke roll. both were pretty tasty, but i agree it's not exactly the cheapest sushi around. actually it is pretty pricey. but since the ahi tuna poke roll kept me happy, i'll give it 3 stars.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner 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 : Beer & Wine Only Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Tracie A.
This review is based on the service at the end of the night!! Wish I could give it zero stars!! Last night we went to eat dinner at this location..We had a party of 12. Everything was perfect up Until we received the check.. Because we didn't know how everyone was going to pay we wanted to split the bill but we didn't because our waiter made such a fuss about it so we decided to pay some cash and the rest on a card. We waited I don't know how long for him to return and he NEVER did!! To make matters worse he sends out someone else to get the bill while he's in the back talking crap about us about splitting the bill!! Like how rude is it for your waiter to be talking crap when your customers are right outside your damn kitchen and never ever return to your damn table!! If you don't like your job get the hell out of the service industry!! Then the girl who ran our card has the AUDACITY to run after us about not leaving a tip!! Your tip is determined by your service!! Yes, the service was awesome in the beginning but to talk smack about your customers damn near in front of them and not even return to the table that is just totally unacceptable and deserves NO tip!! But he lucky he got even more than 15%!! I would've left nothing!! Never have I received such horrible and rude service!! My aunty and uncle flew in from Kauai and wanted to eat here in the worse possible way!! So sad and disappointing for them. Will not be returning!!
(1)Andie H.
You know, I feel bad for rating them so low. I usually love the japanese food, but this one...ugh I just can't get a good stomach for. First off, the prices are pretty right, for what you get. Most of it is the standard bento plate with salad, miso soup, sashimi, your main, and hot tea, or you can order ala carte sushi, or poke bowls, or even the pokechos (no nattechos for me or anyone in my family, thanks.) That might be the best things you got going for you...or the senior discount if you make the age ;) However here are the things that make me unhappy and not enjoy my food: bad parking, slow service, waiters dropping shoyu on you, underpar cooking. I'm sorry for such negativity! If you go during peak hours (senior dinner hours of 5-6pm), of course the parking lot is going to suck, there is extra parking in the back next to a house, but make sure you tandem park with someone you know, or else you'll get stuck in there. Goodness, after we got seated, it took FOREVER and one day for a server to come by to offer any drinks. I mean, not even some water please? Then it took another few days for them to come back and take our orders. Blah blah, for me, this is not a place I would say, hey lets go here for dinner! It's always initiated by someone (most of the time, older) else and you just can't say no to. Anyways, its an ok choice for dinner, but not someplace I crave.
(2)Kehau B.
Went here for lunch today...the food was delicious and my server David provided great customer service. Restaurant is very clean and well kept.
(4)Joy N.
Gyotaku is one of those restaurant where our family would go to whenever our grandma and uncles were visiting from Maui. They offer a very extensive menu so there's something for everyone! As far as I know, they do not take reservations on the weekends, however, I believe they will let you make a reservation if you have a larger group coming in on a week night. The great thing about Gyotaku is that they have seating both upstairs and downstairs so you can usually get a table after a short wait. Only downside? They don't have a parking lot big enough to accommodate all the cars. Usually parking can be very tight, so give yourself some extra time or you might have to go look for street parking. As for the food, they have great combo meals with zaru soba/tempura or tempura/sushi. I also really like their combination bento box when I can't decide what I feel like eating. I'll get the 3 choices and usually do butterfish, chicken karaage and sashimi. Or... I'll just get the butterfish teishoku. See- there's LOTS of options here! Oh yes, and don't forget about dessert. We'll either end up ordering some strawberry shave ice or their sweet potato/haupia pie! Yummmmm!
(4)Kristen D.
Love the Godzilla roll. Perfect everytime. Could eat two if I had the room for it. Clean, great service. Don't forget the Okinawan sweet potato pie! Love the ginger crust.
(5)Angela M.
Dear Gyotaku, For a good number of years I avoided your restaurant. Despite it being a staple of my childhood, the cafeteria-like atmosphere and fluorescent lighting coupled with the priciness that is Japanese food discouraged me. However, your Monday and Tuesday "Children Eat Free" special was just enough to lure me back in and I was pleasantly surprised with the new ambience. Very nice. Kind of classy. No longer a cafeteria. Children eat free? YAY! One child eats free per full adult entree and I have four children? Booooo. Adult entrees were delicious! Tempura was yummy! Udon was delicious! YAY! Origami activity for kids while waiting! YAY! Free toy from basket after dinner for each child! YAY! Money-saving "Children Eat Free" dinner still came out to $80 including 20% tip! Boooo. Though I suppose it is a bit ridiculous to expect a Japanese meal to be inexpensive. We have now chalked this up as a "special occasion family restaurant" vs an "every week cause kids eat free" type restaurant. We do like you, though. And that's saying a lot as my husband is a Japanese food snob. But whatever he ate he liked, so that means we'll probably show up again. On some sort of occasion. Like Mother's Day. Or National Apricot Day. Sincerely, Angela
(4)Pochacco I.
On April 28th, I got food poisoning from dinner at the King St. location. Symptoms showed up within 4 hours of eating there followed by violent throwing up all night long. I don't recall the last time I ever threw up but it was definitely over 20 years ago so something was up. Well, 2 days later I was still out from work. The culprit was either the teriyaki chicken or shrimp tempura. My son also developed a bad case of hives the following day but he didn't eat anything I ate that night so it could mean multiple things were tainted. The service was decent but that's about it. I'm glad there are a lot of other Japanese restaurants to choose from in town.
(1)Samuel B.
I love this place. Been coming here for years and never been disappointed. Well you do cook your own food so if there is anything wrong then its kind of your fault, but the cool part is that the prices are reasonable since i suppose you do cook your own food of course. The place is bomb!
(5)susan L.
Excellent service and very extensive menu with lots of choices. The service was fast and efficient and they were great about letting us linger and visit with our guest. Will definitely be coming back with friends and family b
(5)John F.
Gyotaku has an Early Bird Special from 4 pm to 6 pm on Wednesdays thru Fridays. For only $12.95 the Early Bird Special includes miso soup, California roll, 3 shrimp tempura, vegetable tempura and 1 entrée choice from the 10 item menu. I chose the furikake salmon. It was delicious! As a healthy option, the California roll may be ordered with brown rice! No reservations on Friday night but just show up before 6 to get the Early Bird Special. There are also a bunch of age 60+ senior specials for only $9.95 served all day, every day! My only complaint is that we arrived shortly after 5 and there were many tables available but there was still a 10-15 minute wait to be seated. See my pictures. See the menu here for more details: gyotakuhawaii.com/MenusP…
(4)Amy Y.
In search of a Japanese birthday dinner. Bam! We found here!~ Oh Yeaaa~~ The hardest thing is to find a nice place to have a birthday dinner with friends. It was a Saturday night around 6:30PM when we walked in. There wasn't a long wait, we got seated 10 minutes later...and it was upstairs seating. What an interesting restaurant with 2 floors? We decided to share the dishes. We got the Crab Cake Lettuce Wrap, Sea Dragon Roll, Ninja Roll, and the Unagi Kamameshi Teishoku. Gosh! There food is soooo good. Do get the Crab Cake appetizer!! It was amazing. The sushi rolls we ordered were spicy but delicious. I love everything when it's spicy! The combo Unagi Kamameshi included a side of salad and miso. The rice was soft and tasty. This one was not spicy. I would come back again to try something else. It would be worth it with your coupons they have, since its kinda pricey. But not bad. Nice place!
(4)Fun T.
I've always heard that a person should lead off on a high note, and Gyotaku did just that. I went to Gyotaku for the first time this week around 8pm. They had parking, and I was seated right away. So far so good! I must have been hungry, because I wanted to try everything that was on the menu. There were a number of favorable reviews about the ribeye caught my eye, and I was debating on ordering that or the Kani Kamameshi. The server said that he would go with the steak, (In hindsight, maybe because it was $32 vs $19), so I ordered the steak done medium. The salad and the miso soup were good. Pretty standard stuff I guess. When the Ribeye and Tempura came out, it looked okay. The frozen/canned corn and lima beans threw me a bit, but hey I'm in Hawaii. (totally understandable with the cost of fresh veg at the supermarket) The tempura was good... 1 shrimp and about 4 veg pieces - I wish there had been more. The steak had a very intense char on the top side which hid some of the gristle, and when I flipped it over, the meat was not very carmelized. It had nice grill lines, but was a little grey as if it was not cooked very long on that side. On the positive side, if they did cook it longer on that side, the whole steak would have been over cooked. The other good thing about the steak is that the big chunks of fat kept the meat next to it somewhat moist. I should have taken the server up on the offer for steak sauce when he brought the food out. It was the last time I saw him until I got the bill. The steak would have been seasoned well if I had high blood pressure and had to watch my sodium intake, but to me, it was under-seasoned. But that was easily fixed with a little salt and pepper.... was able to flag down someone after about 8 minutes - since the busboy was busy sweeping up / and a few servers were talking to coworkers at the hostess stand. I would definitely go back if I wanted so-so service, a salad, miso soup, and wanted order 2 or 3 x the tempura...
(2)Kimberly R.
Went here for lunch with my coworkers. Had a hard time choosing what to order because there were a lot of different things I wanted to try. i ended up getting the combination bento (misoyaki salmon & teriyaki chicken). It was delicious! The salmon was my favorite. I'm definitely gonna get that next time I go there. However, for about $18, I expected the portion to be a bit bigger. Our server was a bit slow. Took us about 30 minutes to get our order and noticed that the ladies that came in right after us (and ordered after us too) got their order first. Other than that, this was a very good place for lunch :)
(4)Pabs G.
We thoroughly enjoy eating at the King St location. The people are always friendly and service is excellent. Depending on how busy it is, it usually takes 5-10 minutes to get your order. We like to order a plethora of food! Dessert with mochi balls, green tea and azuki beans is my all time favorite that puts me in sleep mode almost immediately. I say this is Japanese comfort food at its finest. Price is good for the quality of food.
(4)Vernelle O.
Yum! I love their food and service although we had to wait about 30 minutes to be seated (crowded Saturday night)
(4)Jared W.
I am a fan of Gyotaku because I already like Japanese food and the quality is not bad. I would say the price matches well to the quality. I usually get the 3 choice combination bento for $21.95. The last time it was Misoyaki Butterfish, Sashimi and Tempura. The combination bento will also come with miso soup, salad and the typical Japanese side dish of pickled vegetables. I like this location better than the Pearl City one because I think the food here is better. I am a return customer to the Gyotaku chain and I will continue to be one.
(4)Angel H.
I went here with my parents for the lunch specials. My mom and I had the cali roll and tenpura special and my dad had the ten-ren(I think that was the name) which consisted of 4 shrimp tempuras on rice with vegetable tempura. Both specials were $10.95 and came with a lot of food. The cali roll special came with a salad, miso soup, 8 pieces of cali roll, one piece each of shrimp, sweet potato and eggplant tempura and karaage chicken. The ten-ren came with pickled vegetables, miso soup and the shrimp tempuras on rice with the vegatable tempuras. The tempura was hot and crispy and the sushi was really fresh. The shrimp could have been a little bigger. I'm not complaining though cause you get a bang for your buck. You can also ask for green tea which is complimentary. The place must have recently been renovated because I don't remember it looking this nice. The booths they have against the walls are nice and comfy with new upholstery. It also has better lighting now.
(4)Ariana M.
Haven't been here for a while. Decided to have lunch here last minute. We noticed that they must have recently renovated the restaurant because it looked really nice now. Very good upgrade if you ask me! Our server was Joey. He was super cool and down to earth. The Grub: GYOTAKU COMBINATION PLATTER ($22.95) - This dish comes with Teriyaki Beef, Chicken, Assorted Tempura, California Roll, Salad, Miso Soup and Rice. yelp.com/biz_photos/gyot… ZARU-SOBA, CALI ROLL & TEMPURA ($17.95) - This dish comes with Zaru-soba, California Roll, Volcano Roll, Salad, and Assorted Tempura yelp.com/biz_photos/gyot… We both really enjoyed our meals and were amazed how much food we got for so cheap! Definitely a plus! Everything tasted great too! Very satisfied with our meals. OVERALL: I think this restaurant is great! They have super good prices and you get a lot of food! Which is always a good thing!
(4)Lisa Y.
Best Japanese food with the family atmosphere. Their tempura is always crunchy and never oily. My favorite is their agedashi tofu, tempura, udon, nishime, teriyaki beef, misoyaki salmon...gotta have the bento to try everything! Make sure you save room for dessert...my favorite is the green tea ice cream but their zenzai is also good. Their okinawan sweet potato pie is also the best! Don't forget to bring the kids on Mondays and Tuesdays...their kiddie meal is free with an adult entree!
(5)Rusty G.
A nice go to spot that gets crowded without reservations. They have a crap load of choices, more than an ABC store but lots of ways to enjoy the food via combos and be to boxes. Child friendly and kids eat free with parent on Monday and Tuesday nights which is great for locals. The kids meal comes with drink and desert and is a good size and value, free or not. The rolls were good and not mind blowing but satisfying.
(4)Helen K.
Gyotaku has been our go to spot for casual Japanese dining at an affordable price for many of years. Service is mediocre, at best, but never had an issue until today. One month prior to a planned event, I had reserved a room for a party of 15-20 guests. I asked all the important questions such as room availabilities, maximum capacity, menu, cost and down payment. Satisfied with their answers, I then followed up with a request to place my name in their reservation book. There was no mention of any menu limitations, restrictions or cost increase until I received a call today, 6 days prior the event, from the restaurant trying to confirm my reservation. The hostess that called me had informed me all 20 quests were required to order the same lunch bento, including the same entrée to easy the pressures in their kitchen. (REALLY!) I had agreed the same lunch bento would be appropriate however the same entrée would not be reasonable. When asked why this wasn't disclosed up front, the hostess rudely stated that this was a known fact and I should call back once I've made up my mind and decided if plan to continue with my reservations and place my pre-order. Trying to maintain my composure, I asked to speak to the manager regarding this policy. The hostess rudely cut me off in mid-sentence and said she would note this conversation next to my reservations but speaking to a manager was not an option. After two more failed attempts to get the manager on the phone, I was left with no other option but to cancel my reservation. I am completely shocked and disgusted with this experience. Fortunately, I was able to find another Japanese restaurant for my event. Unfortunately, all 20 guests will most likely never plan a large party at the King Street location. For those who are planning a large party accommodating 20+, proceed with caution as you may be sadly disappointed.
(1)Foodie And The Beast X.
Last week was the first time I had been to Gyotaku in years. The food seems to have fallen off. I was very disappointed. Contrary to other reviews I found the service good. Though waiting a few minutes to be seated, when half the restaurant was empty, was a little bit of a head scratcher. There probably won't be a next time. (2 stars because waiter was nice)
(2)Boki C.
I came here for a work thing, we had the back room - it was a bit noisy even though the sliding door was closed. We probably had a party of 18 and the food came quite quickly. I was quite impressed with the speed of everything, although our appetizers were on the table before utensils. The food is local style japanese food, it was yummy. I had 3 pieces of hamachi nigiri that I enjoyed thoroughly. I've been here for 5 years, and only tried it for the first time (since it was work related)... I otherwise wouldn't have come, cuz I have a slight aversion to Japanese chain restaurants, unless they are dirt cheap.... There was an incredible amount of people at 6pm (the kupuna's and other people were about to leave after the 4-6pm specials). There is probably enough parking, but the spaces are tight. I'd probably return.
(3)Serena M.
Came here again for lunch, very slow service. Waiter was very friendly and felt bad for us having to wait so long so he gave us free dessert. Nice guy, thumbs up to him!
(2)Nat N.
Gyotaku is an excellent option if you're looking for take-out Japanese food. They have a "pack menu" with about 11 options to choose from, ranging in price from $10.50 - $16.75. Each pack includes a small salad with a strip of imitation crab (my favorite part of the salad). I've tried the teriyaki chicken and tenpura pack ($10.50), and it was perfect for my lunch meal. There is nothing fancy about it, but it's good quality Japanese food at a reasonable price. 31 Yelps Challenge: #5/31
(4)Sam M.
Absolutely love this place. My favorite Japanese restaurant ever. My favorite is either the udon with shrimp tempura or the Misoyaki salmon Yum!!
(5)Jarod H.
Five stars. A few years back, I just really didn't like Gyotaku. It seemed to me to be an Americanized version of Japanese food. I'm more used to the traditional Japanese food served here in Hawaii (Suehiro Restaurant, etc). Stopped coming here over the past few years because of that. BUT...just by blind luck and not knowing where else to go, we gave it a go again. Boy, was I in for a pleasant surprise! The menu looked like it was revamped and the sushi, man, it was incredible! The teishoku food on the menu looked similar as before, but to me, it seemed that the quality improved and an overall improvement. I will definitely come here again!
(5)Lisa K.
Got the pokechos and unagi Kamameshi. I did not enjoy either for the 30+ bucks i paid. the pokechos were tasteless and had a wierd tasteless white sauce on top. The kamameshi was wierd since i was expecting a steaming stone pot but got a glass pot that looked like stone and didn't keep my food hot. The rice was bland and tasteless. I guess i should have gotten the nattochos according to everyone's reviews. But seriously had wayyyyy better unagi for less at shokudo and poke nachos at Tokkuri-Tei.
(1)Riley L.
This place is alright. I would not come here for dinner because it is over priced; try going here for lunch instead (the lunch menu is cheaper). It's like any other japanese restaurant that has the usual sushi rolls and bento sets. The quality and taste of the food is descent, but nothing really stood out to me. If you have room for dessert try their sweet potato pie. The service is mediocre.
(2)Mr. P.
Always a good time here.took the ribeye with tempura soooo delicious. And Pele lava roll.yahoo !!! Even if crowded,still able to find parking if not in regular lot..in back empty lot that's marked.prices are reasonable.
(5)Julie M.
My dining partner and I entered the restaurant and waited for somebody to seat us, but the waitress helped somebody else who came AFTER us. We waited for about 10 minutes to be seated. When we went upstairs, the dining area was almost empty?! The waitress was very friendly although she seemed rushed and unavailable for somewhat long periods of time, but the restaurant was quite busy that day. The ninja-don and tempura tasted good. The food is expensive. If it weren't for the lunch specials, I wouldn't go here.
(3)Glenn O.
UPDATE: One star for after-customer service experience. Gyotaku reached out to me regarding my review and offered to compensate me for the below average experience. I have been back to Gyotaku, but I am now more careful/cautious on what I order, but I will not say that I won't ever change my review, like every business I patronize, I will give them a chance to improve their quality, but it will take some time to be consistent. My parents love to go to this place for lunch and dinner, so today we decided to go there for a birthday celebration. I ordered the Katsu Don , two rolls or sushi (Dragon and Catepillar) and Sweet potato cake slice. The sushi was as tasty as ever, no complaints there, however, the Katsu Don was not what I expected from a donburi dish. It was served in a deep platter, not a bowl with a layer of white rice on the bottom, with slices of chicken katsu, then slices of soft cooked onions, then a thin layer of fried scrambled eggs on the top with bits of nori topping it. Not only the dish very dry, but the chicken katsu was a little rubbery at the end like it was old chicken from the freezer. I didn't complain and embarass my parents since they were paying for the meal, but overall a disappointing visit which I hope to avoid in the future. I hope the chef will learn how to make a proper katsu don on my next visit.
(3)Peter M.
Brought some out of town relatives here for dinner and they really enjoyed the food, the good thing is that they have a variety of Japanese food - appetizers, sushi, sashimi, noodles, bento type boxes, salads, brown rice is offered, and even steaks! Food is always consistent - which is great! The last time we went our server Joey was spot on, this young man is a excellent server, friendly, accurate, drinks never ran dry, personable and very welcoming. Overall our relatives enjoyed it, which is a plus to please non-locals.
(5)Sheryl G.
what: japanese restaurant! gyotaku has the cute meaning of 'fish on the table.' something good: why do i always forget about this place when picking a place to eat! this place has the yummiest salmon! i need to come back here immediately! from now on, this place will be on my mind when having to pick somewhere yummy! the place has been remodeled since the last time i came here, i like it! it's roomy and cute : ) just a little side note! our server, elijah, was amazing! he made our stay completely comfortable! great service! something not so good: so busy, but that's not a bad thing, it's a good thing!! : ) something to try: misoyaki salmon!
(5)JC C.
Had an issue with my last visit at Gyotaku and Thomas (owner) did more than what I expected and went out of his way to take care of the problem. He was completely professional and I could tell he cared for his business and his customers. My hats off to Thomas. The food at Gyotaku is always good. The best thing about their menu is that there are so many combinations; soba/tempura/sushi, butterfish/tempura, tempura/chicken/sushi, and on and on. You don't have to settle for just one thing. We go there at least once a month and can't wait to go back again.
(5)Marisa A.
We love this place. Although we joke around that this is the geriatric restaurant, we acutally love this location. We always come to this restaurant for special occasions. We were recently there for a New Years Dinner. The staff there are very friendly and very accommodating when you have young kids. When we come we always ask for the private rooms that they have on the second floor. They have great appetizers and great teishoku. They have a wide variety of menu items. Too much for me. I usually always get the same thing...call me old fashioned. No matter what you get is great. I think what is fabulous is that they really cater to the kids. They have a kids menu that offers french fries. Say what? French fries at a japanese restaurant? Recommended for all ages. Great for a date night, groups, kids. They have lots of parking.
(5)Denalee C.
Hellloooo makeover! This place has gotten so much more than a facelift, I'd consider it a head to toe make over. The ambiance of the restaurant is completely different (and a bit more romantic) than the original. I'd say the difference between the old and new decor is similar to the difference between eating and dining. I called earlier in the day (weekday) to make a reservations for 25 people. They could only accommodate us at 7:30 with such a large group. By the time we got there, our party had dwindled down to 13. Our server was understanding and accommodating. We constantly asked him for things that made his job a little harder but he was gracious and kind. Another thing that got a makeover was the menu. Ok, maybe it just got a facelift. Along with the changes in food choices was an increase in prices. Gyotaku used to be a place where you could get a meal for $15-ish dollars but now it's more of a $20-30 restaurant. My favorite chiashi was gone from the menu :( I ordered a deconstructed california roll. There was some kind of chewy "crab"..I think. My brother ordered the ahi salad and it came with kakimochi as the crispy parts :) Everyone enjoyed their food and I was satisfied with my restaurant choice.
(4)Jeannie E.
I had their udon noodles with tempura and a few other things. Their udon was pretty good. The noodles were a nice texture. The rolls that my meal came with though were a bit too sweet for my liking. The service was decent for our party of 6 + 1. Their salad dressing was good too, but my salad was drenched in it.
(3)Sherry T.
Picking a place to eat is especially difficult since I have family members who only eat Japanese food while there are two others who seem to be on a perpetual, strict protein/ no-carb diet. We dined here during a busy holiday weekend with no res. It didn't take more than 20 minutes for us to get an upstairs table my dad needed; he says the ambiance is better upstairs. My parents enjoyed the senior sushi dinner for $10. The dieters were happy and all of us got to catch up with each other. The sushi is now my parents favorite dish here. I must say that in pricey Hawaii, $10 for sushi is a heck of a good deal. I got the two item combo with fried chicken and fish. Though delicious, I could not finish it all. The staff was so gracious and kind to repeatedly take photos of our group multiple times. A benjamin, pre-tip for six was not bad money spent in good company.
(5)Rhi M.
I love this place. My favorite Japanese restaurant. I always order the same thing....the deal is great if you come here for happy hour. I think it ends at 6pm....so we always miss it though. However, my usual order is the 3 combination bento. Tempura and sashimi with the miso butterfish. If Im craving for sashimi then I order it 2x. The sushi here is great. Makes a great appetizer to share with the whole table. I believe we order the tempura roll and the dragon roll. Tempura roll with spicy tuna on top. Some, not all, orders come with a side of miso, salad, and pickled cabbage. I like how they bring it out before your entree. The service is great and I feel like once you order you are eating right away. Love this place :)
(5)Jillie K.
I've been to this place with my family numerous times in the past and have always enjoyed the atmosphere, the food, and the service. Going back here after a fairly long break, I'm pleasantly surprised to see that they have completely renovated the once dim interior. The ambiance is much more inviting and modern. As for the food, it's a great deal for the amount of food you get and the quality is always consistent. I love unagi so, of course, I had to get the Unagi kamameshi teishoku (delicious!) and my sister ordered a choice combination meal (misoyaki butter fish, misoyaki salmon, & Sashimi) which was also very good. Gyotaku has always been great and I'm never let down by this long-time favorite.
(5)Al D.
Not that good. The raw fish seemed a bit slimy which made it unappetizing. The tempura was just OK. The prices were a little high for the quality. Probably won't return.
(2)Erica Y.
This was my first time going to Gyotaku, however, my husband used to go there often with this family. He said the place looks updated and the bathrooms are much better than before. The food was yummy! The food came out slow, however, it was tasty. I think my favorite was the sushi and the appetizers.
(4)Julie O.
Great service and ono Japenese grinds. Early bird special is worth it! Love the shrimp n veggie tempura, flaming ahi roll, lava roll, sashimi. You also gotta try the nattotchos!
(5)Shay F.
They recently renovated this place... and had a small birthday dinner because if you ordered before 5:45, it was "affordable", it seemed group friendly, and because they had a variety to choose from..... When I got the menu, I was so overwhelmed by all the choices. I seriously had the hardest time making up my mind. I love how their menu resemble the menus in Japan where they give a picture of what you're about to order so nothing is a real surprise. Finally, after much deliberation, I ended up getting the kani kamameshi with tempura. It was good FWIW.
(4)Frances G.
3-1/2 stars. I came here for lunch around noon on a Sunday. The interior was nice and clean, recently renovated I hear. I ordered the Gyotaku combination bento 2 and chose the furikake salmon and teriyaki beef for $16.95. The furikake salmon was a bit overcooked and the teriyaki beef was tough, but the overall flavors (including the salad and miso soup) were pretty good. My kids each got the assorted sushi ($8.25) from the keiki menu, which they liked (it came with a dessert - sherbet or shaved ice - and a cheapy toy). I've seen their commercials and recognitions that they've gotten, so maybe I had high hopes. Their food wasn't bad, but it wasn't out of the ordinary either. A bit pricey, IMHO. They did have very friendly and welcoming service though.
(3)Mark M.
Great food... Everything came out fresh and hot. I had the gyotaku lunch it what is consisted miso soup, small salad tempura, teriyaki chicken and sushi.
(5)S S.
Marginal food with horrendous service. We waited 30 minutes for someone to just approach our table and take a drink order. Another 30 + minutes and our appetizer arrived at the same time as our dinner. Both our dinner orders were filled incorrectly. Pass this place up.
(1)Dean I.
This was our first time at gyotaku, recommended by family that lives here. This is easy to find and parking seems plentiful. When we arrived at 1:30, the restraunt was full, yet at least 3 stalls were available. Ambiance was clean and relaxed. We got our food quickly and our waiter was attentive. I had the pokechos and karaage. The wife had the California Don. The food was excellent! My aunty had the Ninja Don, also a winner. Price range was great, considering the higher quality of food. Definitely on our must visit list for our Honolulu vacations!
(5)Cyndy K.
Cyndy's BOTTOM LINE: Love the pokecho's. What a great idea to have poke with wonton chips! It is unique to Gyotaku Aiea. The pokecho is made with crispy wonton chips, spicy ahi, onions, poke, avocado, yama imo, green onions, daikon, sprouts, nori, and sesame seeds...a Japanese style nachos which is onolicious! I also like the tempura which is lightly battered Ahi sashimi is fresh, high grade and cut generously. They offer a senior and kids menu which makes for a great place to bring family. Great service too.
(4)R M.
This long-time popular restaurant that was renovated last year stills serves great food. The nabeyaki udon has lots of veggies, fish cake and other goodies in a broth with firm large noodles. The broth is not too salty and all the ingredients tasted fresh and the tempura shrimp cooked just right. We arrived just before six and the persons who ordered the early bird special were very pleased with the food and its price. There were eight of us but Gyotaku on King St. easily handles groups. We had an excellent waiter who helped some individuals customize their orders.
(5)Deb D.
The first time I went to Gyotaku, King St., since it has been renovated, I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't know that it had undergone such an extensive renovation. It is now very Zen, contemporary and I enjoy the decor both inside and outside of the restaurant. We ate upstairs both times. However the food is a bit sketchy. I had lunch the first time and really enjoyed the ginger ice tea. Ordered the salmon skin salad which was too salty for my taste. I liked the idea of the salad, which was a good size but I think the dressing could have been sweeter since the salmon skin is already salty. Then I went back a few weeks later for dinner with a couple of friends and ordered a combo of cold soba, sushi, veggie tempura and small side salad. The veggie tempura was well done- crispy on the outside with a nice dipping sauce. Unfortunately the sushi was way too sweet. The portions were generous. The menu is large so I may go back and give it one more try.
(3)Koree L.
A family favorite. Normally I order combination Bento 4....eat two parts at the time... Then I have an excellent lunch the following day. Awesome awesome food. Crab cake lettuce rolls and caterpillar roll always finds it's way to our table before the entree. We never leave hungry nor dissatisfied.
(5)Trevor L.
Food was good but the service was horrible. My wife asked after 20 minutes of waiting about our appetizer and the server gave a rude look and said she's taking care of other stuff first. Will not return to this restaurant.
(2)Bob T.
Not a fancy place but the staff is friendly and the food comes out quickly. I usually order the California Delight plate and that's plenty of food. If you like sushi and tempura you should be satisfied. Pricing is reasonable.
(4)Rob I.
Our family decided on lunch at Gyotaku since everyone was craving tempura/sushi. We got there at 1:30 p.m. and ordered promptly. We all ordered tempura, chicken karaage and sushi combos... and waited... and waited... and waited. The restaurant was not busy at all. Maybe a fifth of the restaurant was filled and there were a lot of servers around so it wasn't that they were short on workers that day. Anyway my dad got irritated after waiting 30 minutes for our food and asked one of the servers "where's our food??" They replied it's coming soon.... 45 minutes later we finally get our food and the karaage is cold, tempura is cold and and everyone was a little grouchy. Seriously the food here is not that great. Just standard local Japanese food. Not worth waiting 45 minutes for. Our bill was $78.00 for 4 people including tip.
(2)Iris C.
The draw was the family style restaurant. It was definitely family and kupuna friendly. The server was less than attentive; no eye contact, just asking if we are ready to order, not asking if everything is OK. The guy serving the water and cleaning the dishes was friendlier and welcoming. Stay away from the ribeye. It was poorly cooked, had lots of gristle, and chewy. The miso butterfish was flavorful but salty. The salmon was good. The parking was awful. People parking on the line or over the line. Parking is already tight, but made worse by the inconsiderate diners. I might try this again.
(3)Ticha B.
Gyotaku is a bit old school in my books. When you walk in, the restaurant looks like an old 2-story Chinese restaurant in LA's Chinatown stuck in the 80s. That being said, Gyotaku was not on my list of places to eat in HNL on vacation. My friend who I met up with out there suggested it and since I was a bit tired from all the Hawaiian food, it was nice to mix it up a bit but still stay within the Asian food community. Gyotaku had a bright menu with tons of pictures, typical Japanese. I always enjoy menus with a lot of pictures, it makes choosing what you want to eat easier I think. The service was actually really good. The waiters were very attentive, I think the head chef even came out and checked up on us. The food was typical Japanese also: bento boxes, fresh sushi, teriyaki, rolls, etc. Gyotaku also has some ice cream for dessert and the yummy shaved ice with red beans and ice cream! There were a lot of families there that night. They have plenty of seating up and downstairs, the price is pretty decent and I think they have the kids eat free on certain days (I think Mondays and Tuesdays) like the kids eat free like IHOP or Denny's. Too bad we went during the weekend. Gyotaku is pretty close to Waikiki and has plenty of parking. Credit card ok!
(4)Z N.
Disappointed with the food today! We go to the King St & Niu Valley locations quite often, and have found that the freshness of the fish in the Ninja Bowl is a hit or miss (I keep ordering it cause I like spicy). Today was definitely a 'miss'. And to add to my displeasure, when the bus help asked if I wanted to box the leftovers (cause I hardly ate any, just pushed it around) I said "No, I didn't like it because the fish wasn't fresh". He said "Oh, okay" with a smile. I don't know if he didn't understand or didn't hear me, but my comment was not communicated to the waiter. And since I didn't feel like repeating myself, we just left. Thumbs down Gyotaku! :(
(2)Eric A.
The head editor of my work invited me and the rest of his sporting press to lunch here yesterday afternoon. While his intention was to not only acquaint the staff with one another and discuss our future as a publication, it was also a pre-party shindig before the start of fall season. According to him, it was either Gyotaku or Shiro's, and since it was my first time eating here, I couldn't of had been more happier with the verdict...even if i still love Shiro's! So here we all were, upstairs, in the backroom. After the brief introductions, our boss told us to go nutz and order whatever we wanted on the menu. For the first time, I had no fear of looking like a piggie to the waiter, as I was sandwiched between two huge Samoan camera men. Both looked like they had a way more monstrous appetite than I did. After looking through the photo filled menu, I went ahead and ordered the California Delight ($10.95). In this meal comes: miso soup, salad, a California roll, karaage (Japanese-style fried) chicken , and assorted tempura. The way my food was presented, it looked like half of my meal was still "pending". Through exploration, I later I found out the hot portion was stacked on top of the cold (both come out in 2 flat, wooden bowls). DOH! After intentionally taking forever to snap droid shots of my tempura (people were giving me that "look" lol), I finally dug in. In short, the food here is good and plentiful but nothing extraordinary. With the constant rise and popularity of Japanese comfort food, you could probably get the same for cheaper at your neighborhood one-stop sushi shop. Though I will say the sesame seeds fried in with Gyotaku's karaage chicken was a nice touch. Staff was also very fast and courteous. My first Gyotaku excursion was mainly all about the experience: sitting down, talking shop and breaking bread with this group of talented journalists. One minute we're bantering about politics and the latest in lenses - the next, asking da kine to pass da shoyu fo wet da wasabi. Thanks for lunch and for a good time, Boss! 3 stars Gyotaku on King Street.
(3)Lynn C.
Daddy: Lynn. Go and see the bathrooms. That's a weird thing to say. But since the renovation, Gyotaku is looking like quite the classy and smooth restaurant. Gyotaku is a winner in my book for many reasons, but the main reason for me is that Popo loves it! It's one of the few Friday dinner restaurants that she loves. She always gets the senior portion fish. If we go early enough, you can catch the early bird special. I had the nabeyaki udon. I had just polished off a sandwich earlier but was a little hungry. The udon was good! I love the combo meals that they have (love the zaru soba + tempura + california roll) and there's just so much selection. Something for everyone. Anyway, those bathrooms are just lovely. Clean and they SMELL good. I feel like bathrooms are a good indication of the hygiene of the restaurant. If that's true, then this is one clean place.
(4)Tim K.
Butterfish is the best. The tenpura was really good tonight. Pokechos was good. Love the green tea ice cream. The only thing that was irritating was the light above the table was not working properly. It kept going from normal and then dimming. Drew was very attentive and gave great service.
(5)Marko C.
Maika'i, Maika'i, Maika'i!!! (Hawaiian for Good, Good, Good!!!). Gyotaku is a home-town restaurant on King Street, that serves some really good food! There are two levels of dining at this place. Bottom Level is primarily reserved for the grandmas / grandpas that cannot make it up the stairs. I LOVE this place. Tonight I had the triple-combination menu choice. You choose three different entrees from a nice diverse selection of things like pork tonkatsu (breaded & fried pork), teriyaki salmon, butterfish (black cod) misoyaki (marinated in Miso), poke (Hawaiian raw fish appetizer), sashimi (sliced raw fish), shrimp / veggie tempura, teriyaki beef, etc etc etc. There is about 15 different items that you can choose from. I ordered the Ahi (Tuna) and Tako (cooked octapus) sashimi, the shrimp & veggie tempura, and the butterfish misoyaki. The meal comes complete with miso soup, a salad with krab on it, tsukemono (Japanese salted cabbage). The BEST part of the dinner was the Ahi Sashimi - the fish slices were deep red, which is a good indication that the tuna was caught off the warm Hawaiian Islands today, or yesterday at the very latest. The fish was super fresh, and it just melted in your mouth. The ahi sashimi was not only red, but transparent (3/4" thick slices that you can almost see through!). We also ordered the Hawaiian Shaved Ice (strawberry) with vanilla ice cream! HEAVEN! Other flavors of shaved ice is green tea, banana, orange, vanilla, etc. Good pointers about the place: Keiki (Child) menu: They have a great keiki menu for the kids, about 6-7 choices. Very reasonable, and comes with a drink and ice cream! Kids get to choose a toy from a treasure chest after the meal. Kinda cute! Senior Menu: They have a GREAT senior menu, with about 10 different choices. A complete meal for $9.99. Most of the choices include a 3-choice dish. A LOT of food for a senior. Early Bird Specials: I think it is Monday thru Wednesday before 6:00, you can get early bird specials. Again tons of food (3+ choices) for under $10. Tons of parking (although very tight stalls). GAMBATE! Great job! Totemo Oishii (Really good tasting, in Japanese).
(5)Tim M.
Went again last night. It's all good. Prices, service, quality. They recently remodeled so I like the new look with the booth seating downstairs. Never checked out the upstairs. Tip: go a little later like 7:30-8 and you won't have to deal with a crowd. Most locals like to eat at 6. I've Been going there since it was Suehiro's. Great for families with kids. Took my GF and her daughters recently. Service not so good during prime time.
(4)Avery F.
I thought the place was really cool. I haven't been here in a while and it has been a long time. They have renovated since I was last there. I ordered the Udon, California roll, and tempura. The service was pretty quick and our server was on it. I was sad that they did not have the spicy ahi don. But it's was all good in the end. The place was pretty empty,but it tends to get loud really fast.
(4)Natalie J.
Gyotaku has a cozy atmosphere. When I saw the commercials, I thought it would be an upscale kind of place, but this was not that, and I was grateful. I hate those uptight places. This place felt homey, and warm. Good for families! First things first. The menu is CRAZY. Choices are great, but man, sometimes too much is detrimental. There are so much choices it's difficult to decide. I honestly took forever. However, the waiter was very kind, non-pushy, and patient. I finally decided on the oxtail udon and some hamachi nigiri. I must say, the oxtail was cooked perfectly. DELISH! The hamachi was ahhh so-so. The only thing that irritated us was that we, along with others around us, were in the middle of our meal when another employee came out of the kitchen and began collecting all of the soy sauce and other bottled condiments. We were kind of like uh HELLO!!! Still eating here!!!! Guess he really wanted to go home. But our waiter was kind and went to retrieve the condiments back for us. However, the waiter, the cashiers, and the food made it a very pleasurable experience. A bigger parking lot would be nice :-)
(4)Kelly G.
My visiting family decided to hold a big gathering for dinner here. The food was decent, prices were a bit steep. Wait staff was excellent. Enough parking for customers. They have a seniors menu which was nice for the elderly in our group. LOTS of seating available and most of them were filled for the night it seemed. NO MORE CHAWAN MUSHI! SAD FACE!!!
(3)Ashley N.
For some reason, my family has started coming back to Gyotaku very often. I remember coming to Gyotaku with my dad for "father-daughter dinners" when I was very little and my mom was working. However, for some reason, we stopped coming to Gyotaku for almost 10 years. However, for the past few months, this has been our "regular" Saturday dinner spot. My mom likes their menu options, my dad loves their sushi, my grandma enjoys the senior menu. I, on the other hand really like their recent renovation. Both the upstairs and downstairs have been completely renovated, giving the restaurant a clean and modern update. Also, all of the waiters and waitresses we have gotten are very nice and helpful. Gyotaku's menu hasn't changed very much, but it includes a number of delicious menu options. My favorites are their furi mi chicken wings, shrimp tenpura, chicken katsu, nabeyaki udon, and of course their melon shave ice with green tea ice cream! I'm not much of a fan of raw fish, but my parents always order their dynamite maki and pokechos! I highly recommend those items, but for the most part, all of their other menu options are very delicious! I highly recommend this restaurant if you are looking for a nice place to eat dinner, especially if you have children (kids eat free on Monday and Tuesday nights!!)
(5)Noelani C.
I really like this location, the service was on top of their game, they are friendly and helpful when trying to order something on the menu. Unlike the Pearl City location, this one was by far a good one! It is a little older restaurant on the inside, but it didnt matter because the service was excellent!! I appreciate great service and good food! The assorted tempura is really good and the miso soup is so yum and their little side salad was perfect! I did dine here with my grandparents, and the waiter was patient while my grandfather took a while to order. haha. My overall experience with location was superb! I suggest changing the management in the Pearl City Location. I had the worst customer service there and will never go back to that location ever again!
(4)Melanie K.
Love the new decor n ambiance of Gyotakus new renovations. Nice to know that the new seating arrangements, pictures, and plant decor didnt change the food one bit. We enjoyed crab cake lettuce wraps... always delish. Ahi sushi was great n fresh. N ourcombos for dinner were awesome. Love their butter fish. .. my dads favorite. Definitely recommended especially when u have the coupon to enjoy 50% off an etree when one, of equal or lesser value of course, is ordered. Thank u Gyotaku for the coupon in the mail =)
(4)Tamra P.
Gyotaku seems to be one of my family's standby restaurants for family dinners. Nothing too fancy, it definitely has an old school feel to it but does the job. We had a large party of about 26 of us that got seated pretty close to our 730 reservation time. Service was friendly and pretty attentive, and we all got our food pretty much at the same time - at least each table did (and there were 3 tables of us). For $21, my meal came with miso soup, tsukemono, rice (even choice of brown rice!), salad, and choice of 3 entrees (I selected nishime, misoyaki salmon, and tempura). Portions were good, not too big but just right. I was STARVING and I like that you could have so much variety in one order without feeling like a complete piggy. The green tea was also delicious. Hubby got a udon/sushi/tempura combo that also came with the miso soup, salad, and tsukemono. Sampled the green tea shave ice w/ ice cream and azuki beans - YUM! Also stole a bite of my dad's Okinawan sweet potato/haupia pie which was I also recommend. Much to my mom's dismay they didn't serve coffee which is kind of unfortunate for having such a good dessert. Oh well. Overall everyone enjoyed their meals and I'm sure we will be back.
(3)Nicole M.
man alive it it is cold in there ! anyways, the menu seems vast but the options are normal. No gyu-don, so minus points. I got the Cali delight, the karage chicken was dry but fatty inside, I give it 3 stars: a meh. the Cali roll was meh as well. The kids menu is great ! I wish they had that for me, saimin, Teri chicken, in the cutest little sectioned plate. comes with a choice of shave ice or ice cream and they bring out a basket of TOYS. pick one: pencil and erasers, pencil sharpener, the usual cheap kiddie toys that kids go nuts for. the service was great, attentive and quick, but the food was just underwhelming.
(3)Raych D.
Ever since my friend was working at the Pearl city location I've always wanted to try this place and so 2 years ago I finally did! I came in with a friend of mine and of course my homeboy hooked us up with everything! I tried the "ninja" roll, poke style nachos, shrimp tempura, chicken karaage, and their FAMOUS SWEET POTATO/HAPIA PIE!!! Lets just say that pie is soooooooo ONO and I'm not even a big fan of hapia! The 2nd time I came here (this location) was with a girlfriend and her daughter for lunch one day after class. Since kids eat free on certain 2 days of the week ( I believe it was Thursday & Friday) we decided to come here. I ordered the usual 2 pieces of hamachi, and salmon sushi, tempura shrimp and of course I had to get the sweet potato pie again! And the 3rd time I came here was on Saturday night with my ex boyfriend because he loves this place! We both ordered 2 sets of hamachi sashimi (6 each set), and the 4 combination meal which we chose 2 butter-fish, teryaki chicken, and tempura shrimp with rice. We didn't order the sweet potato pie this time because we where going to sneak Menchies yogurt for the movies instead :P Although the workers are very nice, the only thing I would change is the decor, all the tables, chairs, and paint are all so old looking that it makes the inside look like it has no life! If they repainted the place, changed the furniture and paintings on the wall it would make such a big difference and brighten up the whole restaurant!
(4)Tyler K.
This location got renovated about a year ago, so the ambiance got quite a boost. The parking lot is a little small for a restaurant that seats so many, but some how they make do. Service is quick and friendly and the food is tasty, but for some reason I'm always a little surprised by the price when I get my check. Overall it's a solid place to eat occasionally with friends or family. They can also accommodate large parties. Their misoyaki butterfish is some of the best I've had.
(3)Mari R.
The modern day gyotaku is a lot fancier from the one that I grew up eating at. Not that it matters, there are so many family memories at this place that we probably still would go even if it weren't so fancy. A fond memory that I have is watching my dad eat a fish eyeball here when I was just a wee child, "want the other one?" he asked me as I grimaced and reminded him of how gross he is. We went this past week for lunch and were surprised when the hostess told us that we would have to wait a couple of minutes. We looked around and there were only two tables occupied out of the 20, so my mom, thinking that it would be quicker, asked, "could we eat upstairs?" The hostess answered "that will be an additional 5 minute wait." When we finally got upstairs we saw that there was only 1 table occupied out of the many that that they had available. Very interesting... The food here is okay, a little pricey. I prefer Sushi King but probably will going back many times with the fam.
(3)Jojo T.
I ate yummy soba for good luck on New Yrs Eve. Our server Joey was awesome! Great service and food.
(5)Ed D.
I do not normally submit any reviews but after going to Gyotaku this afternoon I felt obliged to do so... First I have to say that I go to Gyotaku often AND order out take out also. I really love their food and selections and reasonable prices. What prompted me to finally submit a review is the extremely professional and accommodating service my friend and I received from Kimberly, (name tag indicated Manager)... My friend and I was going to eat elsewhere but they were closed so my friend suggested Gyotaku(where we regularly go to)... I had an awesome sashimi/tempura combo plate and ate everything... I want to send a BIG MAHALO to Kimberly for taking care of my friend and I today. You made us feel welcomed... I really appreciate that... In retrospect I ALWAYS get great treatment by the other staff as well... So please continue to spread the Aloha...
(5)Jenny C.
Edited: Reviewed the wrong restaurant. Leaving it as five stars, because even though we didn't actually eat at this restaurant, I'm sure it's a wonderful establishment.
(5)John A.
WOW.......! upgrades on restaurant, service, and most important of all, their food.I had the ninja don.
(5)Richard S.
The Salmon and tonkatsu is execellent. Haviong said that the secret to the success of this restaurant is its employees. Long lines, parking and waiting time are a norm at this restaurant at certain times. The staff and wait staff more than compensate for this. Recently, we had lunch there and the waitress ((I believe her name was Roxane?) made the wait worth it. She was curteous/excellent personality and apolozied for the waiting time. What moer can you ask from a restaurant that serves excellent food.
(5)Alex S.
This place looks a lot nicer after they had their renovation. Looks more upscale and matches the price of the food better. I normally get the combination box dinner which has a lot of good delicious food to fill you up. The udon noodles were a little thicker and tougher than usual, but good nonetheless. Dessert selection could use some updating though, not much variety. Skip the shave ice, it's too chunky. Mondays and Tuesdays, kids eat free with a regular entree. It can get busy after 6:30 it seems since it seems to be a favourite with the seniors. Would definitely go back again! Around 6pm though haha
(4)Jonathan P.
I've lived in Hawaii my entire life and I have never tried Gyotaku until just recently. The two story Japanese Restaurant is pretty spacey and can well accommodate large groups. The interior is nothing fancy and the restaurant isn't cleanest, but I can't say it's that bad. I dined at Gyotaku for lunch with some friends and got one of their "Early Bird Specials" which runs daily from 11am-2pm (excluding holidays). I decided to try their Gyotaku lunch box special yelp.com/user_local_phot… for $12.95. It came with oriental salad, miso soup, mix tempura, teriyaki chicken, and a small array of sushi and nigiri. The lunch box special was pretty good but not that filling. Since my stomach still hungered I decided to try the Okinawan sweet potato pie yelp.com/user_local_phot… for $5.50. This was my first time trying Okinawan sweet potato pie and is was DELICIOUS! Who knew that sweet potato and pie could go so well together?! The pie has a layer of whipped cream, haupia, and Okinawan sweet potato. The only problem was that towards the end, the sweet potato got pretty filling and I felt like there was just way too much potato for my pie. One of my friends ordered the Green tea ice cream with azuki beans yelp.com/user_local_phot… for $4.75. For $4.75 I don't think I would have ordered it. Come on, you can get a huge pie for $0.75 more!! But after trying the ice cream I have to admit it was icy and refreshing. All in all, Gyotaku is your average Japanese restaurant. Their food wasn't filling but I didn't leave hungry. But there just wasn't much to "wow" about. For about $20 I don't think I would care to return, unless I came just to order desserts!
(3)R J.
The service is top notch. The servers are friendly, super nice..always checking your water, etc....the shrimp tempura is one the best if not THE best...the food is great. I would highly recommend this restaurant!
(4)Tony T.
Service was great, even on a busy valentines night. Prefixed Valentines dinner was delicious and to top it off, the Okinawan Sweet Potatoe Pie was so yummy!
(4)Kyle H.
This Gyotaku looks and feels OLD. Gold glitter streaks in an off-white countertop in the bathrooms doesn't help it either. I don't think this building has ever been renovated, as it feels very 70's or even 60's ish. The building is also a lot shabbier than the one in Waimalu and has a strange layout with a few seats downstairs and a majority of them upstairs. What's more is that they have strange, antique sounding piano music blasting over their speaker system... Anyway, enough about the building and onto the service. Service was, meh... ok. There was strangely a "menu shortage" so not everyone in our dining party had a menu. They also had a hard time setting the table with the right amount of cups. But beyond that, service was friendly and courteous, if not a bit slow, though that appears to be the norm no matter which Gyotaku you go to. So how was the food? Like any other Gyotaku. Nothing remarkable, but not the worst thing either. I usually just get an oyakodon, as it is decent. Can't really comment on much else though. Only other items I've ever had here are the poke-don (decent) and the poke-chos (unique & tasty, but not remarkable). All-in-all, another average Gyotaku experience.
(3)Rissa M.
WHY DO WE HAVE TO EAT HERE?! :( Every saturday during UH football season, my parents will drive into town to watch the game. It's more of a "bonding" experience if anything because we all know how exciting those games are to watch. Then, afterwards, they'll go out to grab some dinner. It's usually just the four of them, but on special occasion they will invite a grandchild-- and this time i was the honorary one! ha-ha. Given the choice between Asahi Grill and Gyotaku (really now? that's what you choose?!), I decided Gyotaku would be the less medicore decision. "Old people food, geeze." That's what I thought to myself. Sorry grams I hope you're not reading this but even if you did, I know you'd understand. hah! FOOD + DINING: So upon arrival to Gyotaku, i really wasn't expecting much, but as soon as a entered the restaurant I was surprised at the clean and updated ambiance of the restaurant. They have remodeled the entire restaurant. It is still two-story, but much more spacious restaurant and modern. At first glance at the menu, I was even more surprised. Gyotaku has a pretty extensive selection of sushi, and combination plates that include the staple "local" japanese favorites. After at least 15-20 minutes of scouring the menu, I finally decided on the Miso Butterfish & Tenpura Combo, servied with choice of brown or white rice. Miso soup and tsukemono to start. To give you an idea of how extensive their menu is: My grandma ordered Oyako-Don, My mother ordered Bento Box with Miso Salmon and California Roll Sushi, and my honorary friend ordered a Cold Soba + Tenpura + California Roll Sushi combo, and gramps ordered Unagi Kamameshi Bowl. I have no idea what my dad ordered because 1) my memory sucks, and 2) I was too busy stuffing my face to notice. The food was actually pretty good by local standards. I wouldn't say it is entirely authentic, but I think it's a great choice for a night out with your family. There is something on the menu for everyone and the prices are moderate for the amount of food you are getting! I also noticed many young families here with their children and teenaged kids (who probably hated being there). They also offer a special section for the kids menu: Spam Musubi & Cucumber Maki Galore! Perfect for the taste buds of them tiny kiddos. For dessert, you can order shaved ice with azuki bean and ice cream...and you should, because man it is yummy! Next time my grandma says we're going to eat at Gyotaku, I'm gonna be wayyy more excited!
(4)Rich Y.
A nice Japanese restaurant with many choices and options. I passed by the place once and had to turn around on Young Street to get back on King street (one way). For those going there for the first time, you might want to pay attention when you pass by. The restaurant sign is not by the street and more inside the lot. Overall a nice place for japanese food. They have many combination entrees such as a Gyotaku Combination Platter which you can pick from a selection on meats, or get sashimi, etc.. Price range will run you from $ 18.00 to $23.00 or most combo platters. Other steak platters can go to about $35 to $39 a plate. ** Their soba is great. Another great thing is that you can get brown rice on your sushi rolls. I recommend trying their sweet potato pie and the green tea shaved ice. Overall a nice pleasant experience... By the way, they have on Mon - Fri a brunch special... Have to check that out sometime when I don't have work and can drive out there!
(3)Crave I.
You can't go wrong with their miso butterfish and house salad.
(3)Ryan M.
For years this place has been a solid go to for the fam. I haven't been in a long time and noticed that they renovated...but other reviews tells me this happened a long time ago. Anyway the menu is still the same solid choices and I went with my usual Gyotaku lunch box. Service was great, food was the same good as I always remembered. Solid steady to go for Japanese lunch. I will be back.
(4)Helen K.
Met my cousins for lunch here today & we arrived just before 11am & there was a bunch of customers waiting to be seated. The restaurant opens at 11am but they were taking names down & said that they will seat us at 11. I ordered the lunch box special & thought it was very satisfying & tasty. My cousins had the California lunch box & butterfish which they really enjoyed. We also had shave ice with ice cream & azuki beans & that was really good too. Service was quick & our server was very polite. The only bad thing was that the restroom upstairs was very dirty & it was brought to attention to the employee but was never cleaned even as we left the restaurant. We had to go to the restroom downstairs. I feel that when there's an accident in the restroom, it should be taken care of ASAP especially if other customers have to use the restroom.
(4)Kit W.
I used to not like Gyotaku because I thought other Japanese restaurants were much better but a recent experience changed my mind. I came here for a late lunch last Friday and after perusing their extensive menu with pictures, decided on one of their lunch specials--California Delight. For $11.95, you get miso soup, salad, karaage chicken, 8 pc California roll, 1 pc shrimp tempura, and 2 pc vegetable tempura. I thought it was a pretty good deal given the price of items that were not a lunch special and the tastiness of everything. The karaage chicken and shrimp tempura were especially memorable because they were fried to perfection--light and crispy without a drip of oil. I dare say it's the best shrimp tempura I have had in a long time. Service was good. Our group of five was able to get seated within five minutes without a reservation. Our waitress checked on us several times and our waters were constantly refilled, even after we had paid and were just talking story.
(4)Addie L.
My mother-in law loves this place and if wasn't for this, we wouldn't really be going. Looks like their portions are back to where it was before and they did a great job in the re-model. The service is back to being good and prompt, your hot tea is constantly filled. The food is ok and competently done. Note that they have pretty good early bird and senior specials.
(3)Sara-Ann G.
I have to give this place four stars because of the parking! Otherwise, I love coming here to eat when I'm craving tenpura. They have specials on certain days and they also have a senior menu as well (too bad I'm only 20!) My boyfriend and I have been here several times and we really like it (when we feel like spending a little bit more money on dinner) and I'm a big sweet tooth person and I love the blondie brownie and my boyfriend loves the shave ice! The service is always amazing and I really thing this a great place to come! I would definitely recommend this place to others.
(4)Fran C.
Howzit gang! Feelin' a little Japanese? Yes gangies, Gyotaku in the McCully area has da GRINDZ to satisfy all your Japanese cravings! I've been here many times.........and I know this two storey restaurant has seen better days, as it looked quite dated. But recently, when our family came here for dinner.........I was totally shocked at the newly renovated Gyotaku! The renovations were beautifully done.........very clean, & modern looking. Food is always good over here. For my meal that evening.........I chose the Salmon Skin Salad. What???? Salad????? Yes, people...........I eat a lot! And I eat real BAD a lot of times, but don't get me wrong.......once in a blue moon I actually try to eat cleaner, so the Salmon Skin Salad was the perfect meal for me that day. Oh, and the pictures of the other food I took..............no, they were NOT mine, and yes, I exercised some discipline and did not pick, beg, or eat the left overs of someone else's food. Buwahahahahaha! What can I say about the salad I had.......it was the perfect light meal for me. The Salad was just right, and it filled my big belly so I wasn't hungry again within a few hours. I love the crunchiness of the salmon skin......and the dressing was nice & light too! I would gladly come back here again just to have the salmon skin salad.......that's how much I liked it! Overall the food was great, but I had to take a point off of this place, as service that evening was a bit slow.......I don't know what our waiter was doing but running in circles, and disappearing. Glasses of water and hot tea weren't filled, and I had to ask for refills numerous times when I could catch someone. Yes, I know they were busy that evening, but still.......it your job, especially if you want a better tip. Remember this...... TIPS = To Insure Proper Service! Tips are not automatic.........I'm seeing too many people who just expect, without providing........which is quite sad now days. There is parking in the private parking lot, but since this restaurant has a strong following and is quite busy most of the times, the parking lot fills up quickly., When the lot is full, sometimes you will have to park on the street using the metered parking stalls.
(4)Alice C.
One of my fave restaurants! Took my boyfriend here so it was his first time here! Forgot how expensive this place this lol!
(4)Gayle N.
We had dinner there on Thursday, April 16, 2015. Not too crowded, noise level just right. Server was attentive, tea was piping hot, food was delicious. I especially enjoyed my teriyaki combo, my parents enjoyed their selections from the Senior Menu. My son enjoyed the combo plate and chicken katsu. I only wished that their katsu was not so oily but it was good none the less. The new ambiance at the restaurant is much improved, décor is clean and relaxing. We will definitely be back.
(4)Chelsy P.
Went here for lunch a few days ago and had the best experience by far. Our server was PENNY, high recommendation to her. She is so friendly and is always looking to help. I see other servers just stand around, but she always checks if her customers need help. Everytime I come I make sure she's my server. I've had other servers but I can't say they are better. I ordered the ninja don and it was good (compliments to the chef) 4 stares because the atmosphere is nice and calming and they are great!
(4)Brigitte S.
This is my boyfriends family's go to restaurant when we all get together in town. I'm shocked I've never reviewed it until now! For Boys Day his mom wanted to take him out so off we went. It was surprisingly busy for 5:30pm on a Tuesday - we put our names on the list and waited a short while, maybe 15-20 minutes or so. Once seated, we were quickly given ice water, hot tea and had our drink orders taken. Since it was Cinco de Mayo & my boyfriend knew I was sad to not be eating tacos, we ordered the pokechos, which is spicy tuna, green onion, avocado, etc. on wonton chips. Good starter course! The family also ordered a sushi roll, they have some really tasty sauces they put on top of everything that amp up the flavor. The menu is huge! We have the hardest time picking things. I have two go to dishes and luckily, this time my boyfriend wanted to share, yay! I got the 3 combo, which allows you to choose from over 10 options to make your bento. I went with sashimi, teriyaki steak & tonkatsu. It's served with salad, rice and miso soup. They have super crispy & juicy tonkatsu and I'm obsessed with the Teri steak; its an actual thicker piece of steak than what most places give, seasoned perfectly and fall apart tender. My bf got the Ninja-Don which comes with miso soup & salad [you can add tenpura for a lil $$]. This bad boy is spicy ahi tartare over crunchy tempura flakes & hot sushi rice, topped with avocado, green onion, and volcano & ninja sauces. Oh my god, I love this dish. The textures, the hot versus cold, the creaminess. It's so good. The sauces are what make it. The right mix of spicy & sweet, savory - I'm dreaming of it now. I stole a few bites for sure. We were quite excited at dessert because every time we come, we come too late & they are sold out of the kinako azuki bean blondie brownie sundae but this time we were in luck! It was a little different then expected, the kinako makes the brownie denser but quite tasty & I loved the dulce de miso that topped the whole thing with nuts & ice cream. Perfect ending to dinner, just the right size for sharing. We had excellent service and were checked on numerous times along with refills galore. I look forward to family dinners here to get my fix. With each visit, I question why we don't come more!
(4)Trisha G.
I haven't been here in a while. I am loving the renovations down to the cute reed like landscaping outside. Yay for a modern update which highlights Naoki's works on the wall much better. The menu is similar if not the same as before with the same delicious Japanese style food. The new menus are nice upgrade. I am happy to report the COMBINATION BENTO is still there and still yummy. You can choose either three or four choices from twelve items including tempura, misoyaki salmon, chicken katsu, teriyaki chicken, teriyaki beef, tonkatsu, furikake salmon, and my fave: misoyaki butterfish (small up charge). The combo comes with a small salad (with a piece of kanikama and their awesome dressing), miso soup, cabbage tsukemono and rice. Yum. Other choices include donburi style dishes, kamameshi, teishoku with steak, and sushi rolls. We ordered the PELE LAVA ROLL which is a California roll topped with yummy spicy ahi. Finished off with a variety of desserts mostly ice cream (the standard flavors + green tea) and a slice of okinawan sweet potato pie. Again the revamp was a nice surprise to a good solid meal!
(5)Celina Q.
Had the pleasure of dining here with a group of 6 lovely friends on 3/23/2015. The restaurant was very easy to find, just look for the large fish print sign on your left while driving down King Street. Parking is in a lot, with plenty spaces to go around. Upon entering, the hosts were very welcoming and greeted us with smiles. We were hosted in one of the private rooms upstairs, with an interesting city view. The stairs that go up are a little steep, so watch out! Service was average, with not too overbearing presence of the servers, but also enough to keep our waters filled and plates cleared as they became empty. On this visit, I ordered the Katsu Don, without the Katsu. I felt good about my order because the waitress didnt even bat an eye at my strange vegetarian request. The sauce was the traditional sweet and salty with egg and onion toppings over a bed of rice. Nori shavings were also generous and reminded me of eating "don" bowls in Japan. Others on my table ordered the Gyotaku lunch box combo, Combination bento and tofu salad. My friends said great things about the lunch box combo, that featured assorted sushi, tempura, teriyaki chicken, miso soup and salad. Clean restrooms with a touch of Japanese arts. Overall, a great time at Gyotaku on King Street.
(5)Mindy K.
Went over a month ago, but wanted to see if I was still as annoyed after a break. Sorry, but yes. Waitress was terrible- and seemed to show attitude when I had specific questions. We ordered extra miso soup and she quickly said that we already had our allotment of soup on the table. Ummm yah, and we want more- that's why we are ordering it. She reacted the same with milks. Yikes! Staff needs more training on customer service and people skills! I won't be back here.
(2)Jennifer B.
FOOD: Honestly, if I had my way, I would just get buckets of their house salad that comes with every set. their house made dressing is too delicious. - Udon: nothing really special. Kinda regretted getting it - Karaage: delicious! nice and crunchy - butterfish: very tasty. well done. - sushi rolls: good. not fantastic, but it's nice and fresh. PRICE: The food here is a bit expensive for what they offer. I feel like if everything was maybe 3 dollars cheaper it would be perfect. Service: - The staff here is very polite and respectful. ATMOSPHERE: Their renovations are beautiful. Nice place for a causal date, or a nice family outing.
(4)Jerry E.
It has been a while since I tried this branch, but I wa not disappointed. Overall, it was all right, although it too way too long to cook the meal. Lunch menu for people over 60 is one great deal that should not be overlooked by those who qualified. Somehow, I like their Niu Valley branch the best.
(3)LeaDan Y.
This was not an enjoyable experience for us but I'm not sure if it was just a situation where they were under staffed. When we first arrived for an early dinner on a Sunday, the parking lot was fairly empty and the restaurant was as well. Our waiter and busser were quick to get our orders and bring out drinks. After that we constantly had to flag down the servers for attention. When my uncle requested a sake recommendation, he was given a glass when he meant for us all to share as a group. Ok, miscommunication, fair enough. Once we ordered our dessert, they stopped bothering to refill our water. When there are quite a few choices in the area that offer a similar menu and quality, it would benefit your business to have excellent service. I don't think I'd ever return. Like I said, it may have been a busy night but this just was not an experience that I'd like to repeat.
(3)Jana T.
Food is always good here if you eat downstairs. The tip here is make sure you eat downstairs. Somehow upstairs is always bad luck. I've had my food brought late or made wrong. Downstairs no problem and food always good everytime.
(5)Sheena C.
Wow! This location is definitely A LOT nicer than the Waimalu one. We came here for lunch with a party of about 17 after my grandpa's funeral and had one of the private rooms upstairs. The atmosphere was nice, modern, and clean. Our family pre-ordered a set for each person and the timing of the food came out nicely (salad and miso soup first, then the entree). We had the set with the chicken karaage, shrimp/sweet potato/eggplant tempura, and 8-piece california roll. The entree WITH the salad and miso soup was very filling and very affordable. Noone had complaints about their meal and it was a nice sized lunch. The staff was very accommodating and patient with everyone in our group. They responded to requests very quickly and were attentive and available when we needed service. The room (probably about 25 ppl max capacity) was great for a larger group and I will definitely keep that in mind for future "events." FYI, it looks like they also had a smaller private room that seats about 7-10? My grandma love Gyotaku (for the great senior menu pricing--lol) but lives on the central side of the island. Thus, we usually go to the Waimalu location. From those experiences, I never really cared for the food or restaurant. However, after this lunch, Gyotaku (King St.) is now on my go-to list when craving teishoku meals.
(4)Mac J.
Service is slow. There were plenty of tables available and lots of wait staff going around doing anything but bringing food to the tables. The kitchen must be backed up or lacking kitchen staff on such a slow night. The longer I waited the less hungry I became. I should have ordered take out for the amount of time it took them to serve my meal. Overall 2 stars for this visit. The food was still delicious but my patience and hunger wore thin.
(2)Josh P.
Ahi poke don, salad with house dressing, miso soup and hot tea. It's become a weekly tradition for me for several years now. My only complaints are their busy lunch hours and the occasional glass of water that's neglected its refill. Lunch specials are a great deal at $9 through $12 per person, and there's always something on the menu for everyone whether they enjoy sushi, donburi, steak, seafood or just salad.
(5)Rockne H.
For dinner, we wanted to visit a place my sister works at while going to college. I was excited because my parents said the food was great. I'm pretty proud of my sister for getting a part time job and as a hostess, I'm sure she's doing a pretty great job :-) Approaching Gyotaku, I was surprised to find out that the place is a pretty big! Two stories of dining space. Once you enter the location you're greeted by a big hostess station. The dining area seemed big and accommodated our party. The color scheme makes the place look modern and sleek. Light wooden table tops and dark carpeting and walls make for that modern look. The walls are adorned with framed pictures of stenciled fish. Pretty cool art and conducive to the meaning of the restaurant. Gyotaku means fish on the table. Our server's name was Elston and he was definitely a good one. Lots of attention meant we got what we needed when we needed it. Trust me, our family isn't the easiest to wait on, so I appreciated his patience and efficiency. As a started, my sister surprised us with the Nattochos for $13.95. Crispy won ton chips topped with spicy ahi and onion poke, natto (which we opted out on), avocado, yama imo (type of yam root), green onions, daikon sprouts, nori and sesame seeds. WOW, what an AH-MAZE-ING appetizer. So many elements and textures, yet everything seems to work well. The crunchiness of the won ton was balanced with the softness of the avocado and ahi. I loved the light "crispies" that came with the sprouts and nori. Overall, this appetizer is on point and I highly recommend it! For dinner, I decided to get the Gyotaku Combination Bento 3 for $22.95. The wonderful thing about this bento was you got to choose 3 items for their 12 choice menu. Along with that, you got miso soup, a salad and Japanese pickled cucumbers (or just pickles LOL) and rice. For my 3 choices, I went with the chicken katsu, furukake salmon and sashimi. The chicken katsu was breaded lightly and super cripsy. It wasn't too oily which I LOVED. The salmon was flaky and juicy, furukake only brought a nice salty element which worked. On the home stretch, the ahi sashimi was like butter! Super fresh and not too fishy. The ONLY thing that wasn't as good was the tako. It was too rubbery and seemed a little overcooked. Everything else was on point! So delicious. If you're ever on King St, you need to come check this place out. I really enjoyed my culinary experience here and glad that my sister has chosen a place with great food. On my next trip to Oahu, I'm definitely stopping by for another crack at that Nattochos! Thanks for an awesome experience.
(4)Angela Y.
If your in the mood for some decent Japanese food, this is the place to come to. Tons of parking downstairs. There are several locations. However I would say this is the best location for parking. The lunch special is awsome because you get alot. The taste of the food is good. You must try the ginger ice tea is you like ginger. Its tea with the ginger on the aide and the. You pour the ginger syrup into your tea. Very refreshing.
(4)Lee-Ann W.
The owner emailed me right away about my review and was very very apologetic and very nice. I felt bad for writing the review, but he reassured me that it's these reviews that help their business improve. He got all the info I could provide to try to determine what happened on that day we dined in and even provided a gift certificate to give them another chance. I spent 11 years in the advertising agency business and this exactly how we would handle our client's concerns; truly professional and respectful. We will definitely be returning and highly recommend that you visit them too! I didn't mention it iniitially, but their Karaage and Fries appetizer was da bomb!
(5)Madi L.
Love this place...roxy is the best, I come just for her and the awesome food!!!!!!!she give the best service..I can say she is like family, we are always happy to see her!!!! Ask for roxy when you come here, she is amazing
(5)Sarah A.
Truth be told, Gyotaku is not one of my favorite restaurants, but I come here because the fam bam loves eating here. The family loves this place because the menu has such a wide selection of items from sushi, teishoku meals, and udon & soba to even steaks. The kids meal is great for the little ones. The restaurant is located on the old Suehiro property (yes, I'm showing my age) with two floors of seating. This place is awesome anf affordable for large parties and even has a catering menu available. The restaurant was renovated a couple of years ago and looks super nice inside. So, why only three stars? The food sometimes doesn't agree with me. I don't know why. I noticed that if I eat the udon or soba dishes, I'm generally fine, but the teishoku items...well...sometimes my stomach gets upset afterwards. I seem to be the only one with this problem because the rest of the family is totally unaffected and love this place to no end. It's really weird. So, until I can figure out exactly which dishes don't agree with me, I'll be sticking to the hot udon or soba. So sad because I really love Japanese food and Gyotaku is such an affordable option.
(3)Kimo V.
Always a good choice for Japanese food. Good service and food is always delicious.
(5)Mike O.
Gyotaku is the epitome of local family style Japanese dining. They are definitely family and senior friendly as they have kids eat free and senior discounts. They provide a huge menu with a wide variety of local favorites. Their menu is full of pictures which is a huge plus as everything looks so good. The sushi is average at best. Fish was fresh but not premium cuts. They serve the nigiri by the piece, instead of the usual two pieces per order (who do you think you are, nobu, morimoto....not). The tempura is ok, but to me it was over battered and not light and crispy. It was more thick and crunchy. Their value is average, as the food vs cost, to me is a little overpriced for the quality. Your average meal will be about $20-25. Which is on par with Yanagi or Sushi King, which in my opinion has better quality sushi and tempura.
(3)Pomai S.
The renovations they've done to this South King Street location looks absolutely FAB! *Snaps fingers and shakes head with major attitude* Cool contemporary asian flare, kept simple, with of course Gyotaku (Japanese ink fish imprints) art pieces prominently displayed on each wall. While I haven't been in there, I hear the bathrooms are beautifully renovated as well, which always helps with the overall dining experience, if you know what I mean. lol By far the highlight dish for lunch is their new California-Don, which is described as Donburi, being " a big bowl of King Crab & Kani Kamaboko Tossed with Mayonnaise, Cucumber, Avocado and Masago, served over Sesame Seed Nori Furikake Seasoned Sushi Rice." And it's fantastic. And very popular. For lunch, I ordered the Lunch Box (duh!) for just $12.95, which includes their house salad, miso soup, a variety of very nicely done Tenpura (notice the spelling), Yakitori style grilled chicken (sans the skewer), and a nice set of Nigiri Sushi. Excellent! Others on our table also ordered the "California Delight", which is like the lunch box, except it has a California Tobiko Roll instead of Nigiri, and Karaage Chicken instead of Yakitori style BBQ chicken, while having the same assorted Tenpura set. Overall, thumbs-up for that one too, especially considering the thrifty $10.95 price of admission for lunch. Good deal! But yeah, if you come to Gyotaku for lunch, order the California-Don & Tenpura Set special for $15.95. Winnah, winnah, California Roll-in-a-bowl Dinnah! Err, lunch that is. ;-)
(5)Ric C.
A nice local Japanese style restaurant located in Moiliili/McCully area of Honolulu. You can find cheaper venues, you can find more expensive Japanese grinds but Gyotaku has an impressive selection of dishes and the sushi is quite good, reasonably priced for the offering. A great family restaurant with local style Japanese food. No culinary chances taken here, good solid food. Great early bird specials! A solid 3.5 stars
(3)Colin W.
They never disappoint! A last minute change of schedule had us making reservations at this, one of my favorite Japanese restaurants. And yes, they now accept dinner reservations - this is new! Love the Nattochos appetizer. And I always enjoy their shrimp tempura. I never had a bad experience there, seriously! Great service. Nice atmosphere. An expansive menu and now four locations on Oahu! Keep up the great work you guys!
(4)So Jung S.
The servers were nice. Interior was nice. The food was nice too. The servers came constantly if we neede tea or water. That was nice
(5)Leenelle T.
Good food but service a little slow and the server was a little overwhelmed and very short when serving us! We moved tables before restrung our food because it was very cold and the AC was blowing directly towards our table.
(3)M O.
I always come here hungry...which is not a good thing because i take forever to decide. Their whole menu is pictures. Don't get me wrong, that is great. I love their tonkatsu here. My husband had the seared ahi caesar salad. The dressing was more like a sesame dressing, not a caesar. It was still delicious. It looked like they recently renovated. It looks clean and classy. The service was excellent.
(4)Vince B.
Had a great meal here a month ago. Liked it so much that I came back today to treat my wife. We are coming back again soon so our daughter can enjoy it too. Have been coming to this location on King St. since it was Suehiro's a very long time ago.The building has not changed much over the years. Getting right to the point: This is a great family Japanese Restaurant with great food. Speaking of great food I made a meal of the amazing appetizer "Pokechos" (full order). My coworker talked me out of the "Nattochos" version. She thought I wouldn't care for the Natto (fermented soybeans). But, this was so good I didn't care if it had natto or not. Sort of like "nachos" except with crispy wonton plus a dip of a spicy ahi with lots of other great flavors. Oh man that was good! Just as I was finishing that, my "Flaming Ahi Roll" made it's entrance. Everyone at the table gasped even though it wasn't flaming. The visual presentation is very dramatic. In fact, it reminds me of an appetizer that Morimoto's in Waikiki might have. Except at 1/2 the price and 4 times larger portion. The Flaming Ahi Roll was a great mixture of flavor, textures, temperatures and color. It was topped with deep fried Ogo (seaweed) for a crunch. The ahi was freshly seared and warm. I could go on and on about this one. Second time I ordered this "Flaming Ahi Roll" my wife was equally amazed. She is insisting we get it next visit too. My co-workers had more traditional bentos and specials. I tried the tempura and chicken karaage and the salad. All the items that I tried were good with great flavor. And, one of my co-workers who is from Osaka, said this was authentic Japanese. She is always complaining that food here is not as good as in Japan. I take that as a seal of approval. Oh, I almost forgot, I really enjoyed the "Ginger Iced Tea". Basically regular iced tea not yet sweetened. It comes with a small container of "ginger syrup" that you pour into the iced tea before drinking. I didn't add sugar or sweetener but you could. The tea had a very distinct and pleasant fresh ginger flavor that did not over power the iced tea. Very unique and pleasant. I'm getting that again. I also had a very light and nice Key Lime pie for dessert. Someone else really enjoyed the shave ice dessert. To sum things up: This is not a trendy fusion restaurant. They do not serve exotic Japanese Beef. You are not going to party here before going to the Ultra Lounge. You are not going to propose to your sweet heart here. You will have some really good food. FYI: Gyotaku has a larger seating area upstairs plus some private rooms. I think you could hold a pretty big function up there. Our group of 20 was too big for the private room but barely made a dent in the upstairs seating area. Also FYI for vegetarian customers: You can put together a meatless meal here and they do use brown rice upon request. I am mostly vegan but willing to eat ahi sashimi on rare occasions. This place was worth making it the exception. Another reviewer suggested it was a good place to bring the grandparents. I agree! There is a senior menu at $9.95 and a keiki menu and they do serve alcohol. They do have a fair sized parking lot.
(4)Jensen L.
Prompt, friendly service. Attentive waiters and bus-help. Nothing noteworthy about the kitchen though. Would be able to justify the product if the price wasn't so steep.
(3)Toshi I.
Kid friendly but a bit expensive. However, the kid's meal was really cute and came with a toy he can choose. Def order the sushi rolls which are decent. I was on an oxtail soup kick and ordered that again. It was good but I did not care for the shredded lettuce that was in the soup. The other dinner sets look good. Overall, this looks like a good family place and traditional island feel here. The service is friendly and I would come here again.
(4)DJ Nocturna R.
Always great food, reasonably priced and you're always seated immediately. You never have to wait and that's good. The only things I don't like is how bright the restaurant is.
(3)Chris M.
One of my Uncles now lives on the Mainland, and whenever he comes back for a visit, we all know.....dinner will probably be at Gyotaku! Sure, the interior of the restaurant is very dated. For my family though, that's a good thing because "no need dress up!" What we like to order: AHI CAESAR SALAD This used to be an off-menu item that only those in the know would order. It's a nice addition to the salad options - a good amount of seared ahi chunks, chopped romaine, kakimochi.....sounds strange but the combination works! Oh, and I love the miso garlic dressing too! NATTOCHOS Japanese style nachos! Wonton chips, spicy ahi, natto, diced avocado, yamaimo, daikon sprouts and green onion. A truly unique dish that you should try at least once, especially if you love natto. CATERPILLAR ROLL This is my absolute, hands-down favorite menu item at Gyotaku! Unagi & tons of fresh avocado, topped with bonito flakes and Unagi sauce.....mmm, so delicious!!! MISOYAKI SALMON TEISHOKU Thick cut of salmon in a tasty miso sauce. For me, the best part is the crispy salmon skin! The teishoku comes with rice, miso soup, salad, and tsukemono. UDON SETS There are several different udon set options; some have sushi (california roll or inari) and/or tempura. I really wish I could order the mini udon + nigiri sushi from the senior menu, because they don't have that option for the udon set on the regular adult menu anymore - sad face. *Beware, the udon broth is SALTY. I just ask for some extra hot water on the side. KEIKI MENUS They have a kids' menu, and on Monday & Tuesday nights kids (10 and under) eat FREE with a paying adult. My niece loves the kids' menu, especially the Assorted Sushi, but what she really looks forward to is the shave ice dessert and choosing a toy from the basket :) Our servers have always been pretty attentive, coming back often to check on us to fill waters and hot tea. I'd like to rate them higher but over time prices have risen quite a bit and portions have gotten smaller. I especially noticed the sushi prices going up around $2-$3 each (If I remember correctly, the Caterpillar roll used to be $10.95). Despite that, we continue to come here once in a while because of the relaxed family atmosphere, ease of parking, variety on the menu, and the friendly servers. TIP: If you fill out their survey card and live in the general neighborhood of this location, they send you coupons in the mail - half off the second entree or $2 off a take-out order over $10.
(3)Mark M.
So far, so good. This one has better service and higher quality food than the one in Pearl City. The servers seem more attentive and everything comes out hot and fresh. I usually get the butterfish, the sashimi, or the teriyaki chicken. I don't know what it is about the glaze that they use for the chicken, but damn is it good. This place is good. But I've read the reviews on Gaku and Sasabune. It's a little sad this place has to be so close to those two beasts..
(4)Gary P.
Highly recommended. During a recent Dec 2012 convention, Gyotaku was recommended. Great choice. We were a party of 9. Seated promptly. Menu is supersized, something for everyone. The local sushi selection is fresh, probably same day from nearby fish market. Service was continuous & courteous. Tempura was light & crisp. Dips & sauces were full of flavor. High standards & quality. Atmosphere is close quarters but not invasive or noise. Very good value. Chef came to our table to insure our experience. Wonderful evening in paradise. Thanks
(4)J L.
Like the variety of foods offered here . Quantity is good as is the taste. They have specials for seniors and early birds. They know the kamaaina lifestyle!! Restaurant decor has been upgraded and the ambience is great! Way to go Gyotaku!!
(4)Faye M.
A great place to take the grandparents! LOL The food was good, and service was pretty spot on. It just makes me feel weird to be here for some reason! I had a meal which included: miso soup (basic), toss salad (basic), California Roll (smaller than the basic, which is good), Teriyaki Chicken Skewers (2 - very tasty), and assorted tempura (2 shrimp, carrot, pumpkin, long bean, etc...I love tempura!). This was soo much food!! I was stuffed, and so was everyone else at the table!
(3)Brennan T.
Gyotaku is a nice, upscale Japanese restaurant that's not too fancy. The food is great as is the service. I especially recommend the early bird special (before 6pm) that includes tempura, California roll sushi, miso soup, and a choice of entree (eg, karaage chicken, teri beef, furikake salmon) for around $12. The pokechos (poke-nachos) are also surprisingly good.
(4)Courtney O.
Service: Wonderful Food: Yummy Parking: So-So I have never left a Gyotaku hungry. That is for sure. But I do think the food is just a tad bit overpriced. I have been eating here for years (it is a family favorite) and I am never left disappointed. My only gripe (besides the parking lot sometimes being full) is that you aren't able to make reservations here. We normally come with a large group of family (10 or so) and they do not take reservations on weekends. If anything, they should take reservations on weekends and not during the week. We have celebrated many occasions at Gyotaku and it would be wonderful to not have to show up with 10 people (some older) and have to wait for a table. I can never complain about the service. They are really helpful and quick with whatever you need. MUST TRY: Ahi Poke Bowl Miso Butterfish 3 or 4 Item Bento (you get to pick your items from a list, it's like a mini buffet!)
(3)Denise K.
Please do not eat here! The ahi poke was so gross and oily that we wanted to send it back to the kitchen (but we were too nice). The food tastes like foodland's 2 day old leftovers! EEK! People like this place cuz they have a $6 bento box early bird dinner deal. Regardless, spend your money elsewhere. I guess I'm a food snob. I've given this place 2 tries and both times I was very dissatisfied.
(1)Shanisse I.
I love gyotaku. Everytime I come here, I always get the misoyaki butterfish. im so glad my bf introduced me to it. My meal comes with rice, miso, salad and tsukemono.. the used to give chawan mushi but i guess not everyone ate it so it was a huge food expense so they discontinued it. They have some pretty good sushi. Love their udon. Workers are nice, there can be a wait, sometimes there is a long wait due to the fact they can have those senior citizens discounts and kids eat free nights. but i am usually a patient person so i dont mind waiting....most of the time
(4)Mrs. M.
We went for dinner on a Saturday night, seven people. We were told the wait would be about 15 minutes but we got a table in less than 10 minutes. I don't know why they said we had to wait that long when they seated up upstairs which was half empty. They have an extensive menu. Prices are on the pricey side so it's a place we would go for special events. Everyone said their food was good but it took a long time before we got our order. Parking is always a challenge. I was disappointed that they wouldn't take reservations (for 14 people) for a surprise dinner party I wanted to have there so I went somewhere else.
(3)Ryan M.
This place is okay, i usually get the miso yaki butter fish and tempura, which is great. Today i decided to try something new, i got the Gyotaku kamameshi teishoku. The kamameshi was just okay, there are much better items on the menu, so i don't think id recommend it. It did come with a salad and chawan mushi. The salad was tasty and the chawan mushi was super soft and velvety. The tempura and misoyaki butterfish are usually really good, next time i won't stray from the path. Good food, decent prices. what did catch my interest was the cheesecake with MISO? Maybe next time...
(3)Craig T.
Great lunch, 3-combo plate...teri beef, Teri chicken, miso butterfish. Sam, the server has excellent customer service skills, empowered by his manager, Kim, turned a little mistake into a desire to return soon! Try the sweet potato pie!
(5)Dirk J.
This is a basic bento style restaurant that serves a solid bento, I had a mixed lunch special which includes sashimi, tempura, pickles, rice and assorted vegetables. Nothing to rave about, but it's good food at a decent price. I recommend it for lunch.
(3)Kelly Y.
I give Gyotaku a 4 star. They may have an outdated building but their service and food is really good. They also have a great lunch special list which is all around the $10-13 price range. We had a waiter that helped us, and was attentive to our needs, he came around every 5-10 minutes to fill our tea and water. He was really friendly and wish I had gotten his name because I'd hire him in a minute. Their food came out quickly and the food presentation was nicely done and they definitely don't skimp on the portions. Only thing they could improve on is their tempura is a bit greasy. Other than that they are great!
(4)Clay K.
Excellent quality,always consistent,great value,good sized portions.tempura soba with sushi,crab salad,miso soup for $17.95 Thats a deal!
(4)Stef O.
Definitely one of my favorite Japanese restaurants. So glad to see the restaurant is still going strong. Courteous waiters, generous portions, and always leaving with a smile keeps us coming back.
(5)Mark L.
Gyotaku works, they work hard to get you in, get you fed. And the prices are very fair! I like that they are very consistent.
(4)Traci H.
it's a totally fine japanese restaurant. nothing fancy, nothing too run down. it's great for families and large groups (but make a reservation since a lot of large groups come here). some of the items are expensive (the teishokus) but some of the items are very reasonably priced. i've had: agedashi tofu: pretty enjoyable, nothing to write home about oyako donburi: pretty good, nothing great. the egg was a little runny and it's all chicken thigh, no surprise. Could use a little more flavor but I was actually going for something fairly bland so it worked fine with a little tonkatsu sauce! the strawberry shave ice with vanilla ice cream and azuki: mmmmm. yummy and full of flavor! i've had other dishes but i don't remember them and some are at the other location (see other review if you really want): mochiko chicken salad: wow, awesome salad with yummy chunks of mochiko chicken. so good. love the edamame too. i get it without the arare and I swap out the sesame dressing for the regular wafu dressing (i love their regular dressing) tofu salad: good and light tasting, but hard to fill up on it all the chicken dishes are pretty good: teriyaki chicken, chicken katsu, mochiko chicken...i'm just not a fan of karaage. there is a downstairs and an upstairs section: they say they seat you upstairs if they think you can walk up the stairs--it's bigger and more open feeling upstairs. booths and tables and even 2-3 private rooms that you can close the sliding doors to. it's totally old school looking and a little diner-y feeling with the yucky booth material. but it's clean. parking lot is free and fairly large, just difficult to get out back onto king street when there are parked cars. the menu is the worst part of the whole experience--full of disorganized pictures and no organization to how you find anything. I actually gave up and just said, can you make an oyako donburi for dinner? And they said yes. It's on the lunch special flap but I couldn't find it for dinner. So if it's your first time going, beware, the menu is a mean challenge for the normal person. great place for a casual family dinner.
(3)Beth I.
We went here for lunch after church. I was craving some sushi and this place hit da spot! I had soba with spicy ahi and california rolls with tempura. Everything was well cooked and tasty and my bf had the ahi poke bowl with tempura. The poke had huge pieces of fresh ahi and cucumbers over rice. The home run was the cute kids meal for my son! He had a plate of sushi (spam, tamago, and inari) and a shave ice for dessert. He even got to choose a pretty good toy from a basket. It was waaay better than a happy meal toy! I had the green tea ice cream with azuki and it really sealed the deal. It was a refreshing end to a oishii lunch. service: good cleanliness: good food: tasty! kids meal: kawaii and reasonable ($6.59 for meal, dessert and toy!)
(4)Darren N.
Getting there: Easy to find and access from the street. Parking is free but space is limited. Not a fan of resorting to street parking. Ambiance: Comfortable seating and clean. Spacious layout, two story building. Well lit and good for family or group dining. Service: Friendly and courteous as well as free hot green tea. Quick food quality check and timely water refills. Food: Based on the Pele sushi roll and tonkatsu, the Japanese-local style food is well done. Nothing awe inspiring but nothing to be disappointed about either. Who to bring: Works fine for any sized party. How much to bring: No more than a couple movie tickets, or not much more. Verdict: Simply good prices for good Japanese food. Versatile setting allows for all kinds of occasions. 4 stars for would come back again. Final notes: No ramen, just soba, sushi, and other dishes. Some unique sushi options but not a sushi specialty shop.
(4)Brian A.
This is another one of those local places that your Grandparents or parents really like, but you'll go "eh." The food is okay, but if you hunt around the immediate neighborhood you can probably find something a bit better. Their menu can be a bit overwhelming because of all the pictures, but it helps people who aren't familiar with what this place serves. Not that it's too exotic, just gives people who want to see what they're going to eat a good idea. One of their more fun and interesting items is "Natto-chos" or natto (fermented soy beans) on corn chips. This one is obviously for the more adventurous. It's two stories and the top is a lot larger than the bottom. So, it's good for large groups also. There are only stairs, so if you're with elderly or those who can't walk up the stairs well, they'll probably seat you on the first floor. All you young guys in groups will be seated up top. Going up the stairs you'll notice the large gyotaku or fish prints by a famous local artist known for this style of prints. Parking is in their lot and can get full come dinner time.
(2)Dakota L.
Finally went back with relatives after almost 3 years avoiding this place. The modern sleek interior looks much better than the previous prison gray paint scheme. Unfortunately, the service was still excruciatingly slow. Took more than 15 minutes to take our orders, then another half hour to get our main courses. When we got the bill and discovered a mistake -- it took the manager another 15 minutes to correct the bill. In summary, we spent more time waiting around than it took to eat the meal. The food is still OK, but not great. I think I won't be coming back anytime soon.
(2)Cintamani A.
One of the most abysmal looking restaurants I've ever seen. For some reason it's more depressing looking than places that are more parking lot than restaurant. For some reason this had a deep affect on my mood while having a quick lunch while waiting to pickup someone from a dental appointment. The food was below average but not horrible just bland. Nothing stands out in my mind. It just blends into a memory nugget of miso soup, the usual tiny Japanese salad and lots of white rice. The worst thing is that the waiter clearly had a cold, proceeded to serve me regardless and infected me. I basically paid for a mediocre meal and a cold that lasted a week. Apparently, they don't give a flying toss about having a sanitary environment or the health of their customers so they are blacklisted in my book forever as health risks.
(1)Trevor A.
Service is slow...still waiting for water refill and sushi???? Not really busy, so this is unexpected. Food was ok. Lots of senior folks.
(3)Toisangirl L.
I've been here several times and was so excited to dine at the renovated Gyotaku without garish flourescent lights and the cafeteria feel - it looked great but after ordering our appetizers (which came AFTER some main courses came out) and waiting about 45 minutes for our meals - the kids ate first and were happy, thank goodness, my expectations fell flat. After the assistant manager apologized for the lateness of the appetizers and comp'd them, I felt a little better but then she said "We had so many walk-ins today so we had to take care of them" which made me feel sorta crappy since we had reservations! Then the grandparents and me and hubby waited another 30+ minutes for our main entrees arrived. Grandpa's meal arrived the latest. By then, our enthusiasim for the grandparents' birthdays had waned considerably out of sheer hunger and annoyance. But at least they apologized, I suppose. I guess it's better to be a walk-in at Gyutaku than to make a reservation, then you'll get your food faster? We had a good experience at the Niu Valley Gyutaku but there's a weird smell when you walk in like sour sushi vinegar spilled in the carpeting somewhere. Alas, my search for good food in Honolulu continues... I received a message from the president asking me to contact them, so I left a voice message but never heard back.... oh well.
(2)Keola m.
$9.95 lunch special.. sushi, teriyaki chicken miso soup, tsukemono, and tempura... What a deal. and delicious atmosphere is nice and service friendly and fast. (that matters)
(3)kristine f.
"Eek! Me thinks not!!" Exactly. I've been to Gyotaku dozens and dozens of times. I usually get my typical Tenzaru Soba, which is never really terrible but never really GREAT either. My family just recently took my grand-uncle here for his 90th Birthday, it was either there or Macaroni Grill and since Gyotaku was his first choice we decided to go there. Long story short. The dinner was nice because the company was awesome, however everyone but myself got either the runs or a really upset stomach. My sister had the same issue when going there a few weeks prior. This time she said she tried something new and still had the same end result. Prices are pretty high, but moderate for Japanese food. But to me, I'd rather keep my 20 buckaroos for a cute top at Forever 21.
(1)Wayne S.
All in all this place is par for the course. Its good, very family oriented. If you look you will see alot of families and alot of white haired people which is a really good sign. Cute infact. I love the nattochos, the butterfish, zenzai, and the tonkatsu.
(4)Claudia M.
Waited about 1/2 hour for a table when many tables were empty. Wonder if they just didn't want to honor the early bird special which ended at 6. Food was expensive compared to sushi king. In fact the food at sushi king tasted much better
(2)Flip N.
Monday and Tuesday Kids eat free?!? Right on! Although I didn't have any kids with me when we went on Tuesday, the food is always consistant which is what I enjoy at a restaurant. The Bento Yasaka came with salad with their ono dressing, miso soup, assorted tempura, chicken and california sushi for $18.95....talk about rolling out of the restaurant when done! In addition, although I haven't tried it yet, the oxtail soup is something worth trying at a Japanese restaurant!
(5)Kiichi R.
I'm quite strict when it comes to Japanese food and Gyotaku is alright. They're "Japanese" isn't exactly the best, nor the freshest. They are very accommodating and do their best to make your experience enjoyable. The menu is typical of a Japanese restaurant, therefore nothing special that I find is a big enough reason to go out of your way to eat here. I've had better but for the price, it's alright for a family dinner.
(3)Milton G.
For some reason, everytime I'm back in Hawaii my family always goes here. This time the food was not so good. I'd have to rate as follows: Food: 2 stars Service: 4 stars I ordered the 3 item combo with mochiko chicken, chicken katsu, and tempura. The mochiko chicken and chicken katsu were cold/warm, as if the items were sitting too long before it was served. --Cold deepfried food never taste very good.
(2)Aimee C.
My first comment is don't eat the shave ice here unless you want to eat chunks of ice with little flavor :( What a ripoff - stay away from the shave ice and just head to Waiola's. The tempura is yum and worth getting but pretty much everything else is ok for me. A little on the pricey side so best to go for the lunch menu.
(3)Maleka C.
Suuuuuper 'ono!! Get the Godzilla sushi. Service was awesome and it was an overwhelming amount of choices to choose from so I went with 3 combo plate- beef teriyaki, tenpura, and butterfish. Winnahz
(5)Jonn D.
Rating: 4/5 Date(s) Visited: 9/25/2011, a handful of times before. Food: 4/5 Service: 4/5 Atmosphere: 4/5 Price: 4/5 Parking: 4/5 Food: Great local Japanese dishes. Comfort food for those who grew up with items on the menu. Service: Friendly local staff. Atmosphere: This 2 story establishment boasts a lot of space for its many customers. Casual setting with a great location in town. Price: Kids eat free on Mondays & Tuesdays. Parking: Nothing to worry about.
(4)AsianRunningDiva S.
We came here last year after New Years with some out of town friends...I had heard good things about it and wanted to try it out! I love how everything is pictured for you to see! A good combo of raw items and cooked bento boxes! Good selection of sake as well (can order a flight of sake for tastings!) Large size rolls for a good price. We ordered the Godzilla, Rainbow, Sea Dragon, Ahi, and the Nattochos and Crab Cake lettuce wrap! Way too much food, so we were stuffed (took some home too!) Haven't been back, since we've discovered other places, but for not too expensive prices, this is a good choice. Has their own parking lot, but it's small! Street parking available too (free after 6p). :)
(4)Sharon T.
Last night I ate Teri salmon and got sore tummy, and had runs entire night at home. My sister who refuses to go there she had tummy ache twice . Either they are serving old or bad food. Too many times to be a coincidence.
(1)Jo S.
I ordered the nigiri sushi set that came with tempura. The rice would fall apart when picking it up, the fish was at room temperature. The fish wasn't fresh, an ahi was brown in one of the maikis. eww. I think you are paying for more of the ambiance, than food quality. Won't be coming back :( Service was great though.
(2)Crissy K.
I feel so conflicted about this place. On one hand, the food is great, the prices are reasonable, and the atmosphere is nostalgic -- like the Honolulu eateries of my childhood. Your old Japanese relatives will be happy if you bring them here. And the takeout bentos are fabulous. On the other hand, the service leaves something to be desired. Maybe it's not like that all the time, but one time is all it takes to ruin a place's reputation. Our waiter could not have cared less about our dining experience. If he could have gotten away with literally throwing our food at us, he probably would have done it. You'd have thought we were exhibiting symptoms of the plague, with the lack of personal contact he attempted. He didn't even come back to refill my water. Sad! It's not that he was mean or overtly rude -- he just didn't care. Still, the bentos. Man! Here's a tip: Pick one up on your way to the airport. It's cheaper than airport food and much more delicious!
(3)J E.
Great Japanese food and excellent service. Had the combination bento with misoyaki butterfish, sashimi, and tempura. All the sides--miso soup, salad and Japanese pickles were excellent too. Finished the meal with the Haupia--Sweet Potato pie which was outstanding! I highly recommend the place and will be back.
(4)weekend w.
impressed by one of the waiters. young person and really hard working. able to handle many tables with quick service. I would hire this person no problem. this person deserves recognition.
(4)Tricia K.
For lunch today, I had the Oyako-don for $8.95 (basically, this is a rice bowl dish of chicken, egg, green and round onions that were simmered in a sauce usu made with shoyu, mirin, etc). It came with miso soup and tsukemono. For a change, I had this with brown rice. It was delicious! Everything was cooked well - the brown rice had good texture and yet it was soft. The whole dish was tasty; a truly hearty meal. I also had the ginger iced-tea. You get a large glass of unsweetened iced tea and a little cup of ginger juice (dont drink it straight!). I suggest pouring half of that in your glass. Its sweet, with a spicy bite you get from ginger. It's an interesting mix. You can get a free refill of the iced tea but if you want extra ginger juice, it will be an additional 75 cents.
(4)Emily O.
Love their tempura and ninja roll. Service was good.
(4)E O.
Tonight, (May 4, 2013) we experienced the new look of Gyotaku on King Street, near McCully. We have been eating at all three locations for years, Aiea/Pearl City, Niu Valley. Their renovations to the location are very nice, but tonight for the first time, after ordering our food, we waited for well over an hour. Yes, an hour! Its a good thing I was in good company with my wife and eldest daughter, or I would have made a more critical critique. At about 45 minutes into our wait, the waitress sincerely apologized, for the long wait, and said the Manager was looking into the delay. We expected a visit from the manager, but to no avail. The food was good, but the service was pretty sub-standard. I joked that the "service critique" that always came with the check, "won't be in the folder tonight", and sure enough, it was not in there! I hope that management sees this, and works on this to make things better. Other people had to wait along time too, but Im sure, they wont make a fuss. Hope things change for the better!
(2)Scott T.
Food is pretty good, but service is very slow. Even on a night when it wasn't busy. It took them over 15 minutes just to come and take our order. It took them another 10 minutes to bring out dessert which consisted of a slice of pie and a scoop of ice cream.
(3)Lisa F.
I was sadly disappointed in this joint especially since I thought those Star Bulletin accolades for best of's were reliable. Upon arriving there was a wait for a table and lots of locals eating so I assumed that was a good sign. Once inside there was zero ambiance. I had the ahi poke bowl with tempura and hubby had the bento with butterfish, sashimi, and chicken katsu. Nothing was particularly memorable and the fish didn't have that fresh out of the sea taste I had experienced at other restaurants.
(2)Kela K.
It's a very decent Japanese restaurant, off the beaten path from the more "touristy" areas. The menu is very pictorial, and it's so hard to decide in some cases!!
(4)Trish P.
are you over 55 years of age and Japanese? then you'll love Gyotaku. are you a senior citizen living in the body of a 20-something year old? then you'll love Gyotaku. i, am the latter. i dont actually love Gyotaku, nor do i hate it - this is one of those non-threatening places to eat..... they have a good selection of items to choose from for your meal, and most, if not all, come with a green salad, tsukemono, and miso soup. i had the kani kamameshi with tempura = this is a good sized bowl full of bits of snow crab, "mountain" vegetables (lotus root, and other root-type things), mushrooms and rice. the tempura is once piece each of shrimp, carrot, green bean and potato - thats right, one piece each..... and all this for about $20. i could have used another shrimp there, and more snow crab would have been nice, but hey, i left full, so whatever. btw, the karaage chicken is pretty good = get this. the service is kind of slooooooow...... i asked for a take-away container for my leftover kamameshi, and the waiter took about 10 mins to come back. my friend then asked for one, and he took another 10 mins..... whats the hold up? GEEZ O_O i have to get home to watch Murder She Wrote already, and get to bed by 5pm! (c'mon, i'm kidding)
(3)Nick B.
Whenever I come here I get one thing ninja don the spicy sauce works so well with the avocado and tempura flakes awesome service very nice since renovation
(5)Rita L.
not bad. i rather drive down and go to imanas. sushi was ok. service was ok. didn't like waiting for our food, kinda took awhile. lots of private room available. tempura was soggy and the salad was forgettable... i change my mind. i really don't like this place, i'm giving it 2 stars.
(2)Jake S.
If you want great tasting Japanese food and still have money left for dessert, then this would be the place. Great service and great food not to mention the nice renovation.
(5)Tin H.
Called in an order over the phone and was given a 20 minute ETA. When I got there, I find out that the order was never sent to the kitchen.
(2)Bros B.
Had dinner here last week and was pleasantly surprised to see their new and improved look! Same good food and didn't notice any major price changes. They're sushi selections are reasonably priced and food usually come fast. Service is good, parking is great esp. during weekdays/nights, servers are pleasant and nice, overall --quite efficient! This is always a go to place for us when we're craving good Japanese food in a friendly family setting.
(4)J G.
Gyotaku is the classic neighborhood restaurant. You always know what you are going to get there, the food is that consistent. Start out with warm, flavorful, miso soup, their house salad with a sweet/sour kick, and you can't go wrong with any of their entree's. Not too hungry? Try their donburi bowls. You have a diner with you that is not in the mood for Japanese food? Have the steak. It's a nice place to bring the kids. They have booths and a kids menu, complete with little umbrella's on their sliced oranges. We were happily surprised by the new taro-haupia pie. They must have a new recipe because it is now taller and it has a spice crust. Yum! Parking is right in their lot. Enjoy!
(4)Michelle L.
something about this place makes me come back time to time even though the food and atmosphere isn't that great. i don't like the feel of the restaurant at all. it feels like a prison cell with the hard concrete walls and old fashioned blue paint. i'm not sure if that's the look but i don't care for it. the food is decent. i love their chawan mushi! the only problem i had tonight was their tempura. my dad and i both had tempura with our meal and they were not crispy/hot. it was a disappointment. my udon was of the norm and the sister's miso butterfish was oilier than what we're used to. service was pretty good. the busser guy was really on it : ) no doubt i'll be back; must be the chawan mushi.
(3)Rob D.
If you're looking for consistently good Japanese food, Gyotaku is the place to go. The food and service is always good. Easy to find on S. King Street but parking can be a problem sometimes because it is always busy during dinner time. The food comes out pretty quickly and the prices are very reasonable. Can't go wrong here.
(5)Ming X.
Visiting Hawaii. It was recommended by a friend. The place is crowded. Parking space is limited. For a family setting restaurant, with no fancy decor, paper napkin type of place, I thought the price is on the high side. You cannot get a meal with a small miso soup, bite size cold slaw, one piece of sashimi and the entree for less than $24.00. The food and service is decent.
(3)Will L.
I have two small kids (4 years and 20 mos.) and the 20 mo. old makes a huge mess every time. So I hate going to restaurants -- even the ones that aren't even that nice -- and get stink eye from them. But these guys -- are the ultimate family friendly dining place not called Chuck E. Cheese. I know, that's probably a funny standard for food, but these days, I'll take it. And that they offer early bird and senior menu is nice. Plus the keiki are free on Mondays and Tuesdays with purchase of entrees -- that's just awesome. And the keiki entrees are good and come with juice and ice cream. I had the combo plate and I ordered salmon and butterfish. It was very good. I totally recommend this place. And they are opening one up in Niu Valley, so they'll be closer to home in Hawaii Kai. Bonus!
(4)Megan A.
I used to eat at Kyotaru back when I was one little Keiki. So, at first, I never had any intention of ever trying Gyotaku figuring it'd be the same as way back when.. that is until I heard of "Nattochos". I am an avid eater of anything natto so of course, I HAD to try this while back in Hawai'i. First attempt was the Pearl City gyotaku which told the mother-in-law that reservations weren't needed on a tuesday night for a party of 7. We arrived around 7:30 and THEY LIED!! That place was packed and it was a 45 min wait. We went to Ichiben instead. Second attempt was my last meal in Hawaii before my red-eye back to Vegas. My mom said to make reservations for the 4 of us. The guy tells me, it won't be needed since they don't think it will be that busy. We arrived around 6:30, the parking lot full thinking aw, crap.. not again! We got inside and it wasn't too busy. This location does seem a little bigger than the Pearl City one and they have an upstairs too. Since I had been eating a lot of heavy foods the last week, I wanted to eat something lite. We were gonna only order the half order of nattochos but it only comes with 4. We said, nope we'll need to full order. It still seemed small, imo. But definitely lived up to its reputation! It consists of huge won-ton chips topped with natto, ahi poke, avacado, nori and radish sprouts. The ogo from the poke was a nice addition. I also ordered a chinese chicken salad which I was disappointed with to say the least. It was iceberg lettuce (I knew since it said on the menu) but I was expecting shredded chicken but instead it was topped with chicken karaage. More fried foods, great. I ate half and didn't eat much of the chicken. I ended up taking the chicken on the plane in case the bf and I got hungry. I should have got the tofu salad like my brother did.. that looked way better. Service was mediocre. I felt the lady was rushing us a bit but we were taking out sweet time because we had a couple hours to kill before being dropped off at the airport. I'm glad I finally tried this infamous nattochos.. but Idk if it is worth going back to Gyotaku for again. I could very well make it myself at home.. which I definitely will.
(3)Wasa B.
Our dinner was such a disappointment. Here's a summary: Pros: 1) Didn't wait long to be seated 2) Waiter was nice Cons: 1) Rice was hard and under-cooked 2) Butterfish was under-cooked and rubbery 3) Chawan-mushi was too watery 4) Food was luke-warm at best As you can see, there are more Cons than Pros, so proceed at your own discretion. If you want Japanese food that's mediocre and does nothing more than fill you up, eat here. If you want Japanese food that's made with TLC and transports you back to Obaachan's house, eat at a mom & pop place like Hide-Chan or Yagura.
(2)Stacey K.
The food is what you would expect Japanese food to taste like in a small town of people who couldn't point out Japan on a map. I've had better Japanese airplane food. JUNK. The soba was alright though. So 2 stars. The 3 choice bento meal of butterfish, salmon, and chicken katsu. The salmon was EXTREMELY overcooked, the katsu was too oily and fatty, and the butterfish was okay (maybe frozen too long? I dunno something was off).... and the salad had much too much sweet dressing.
(2)Doris D.
It's ok, good for family dining!
(2)Milton K.
Went there last night (as noted on my FB page) and hadn't been there in a while. Was expecting the same, since it was reasonably busy. I normally don't like to write seemingly "negative" write up's, but since I was "expecting" what I had previously, I need to write this. I ordered my "usual" - the Teriyaki and Tempura Combination, which consists of Teriyaki Chicken, Teriyaki Beef, and assorted Tempura. I've ordered this for MANY years and MANY times, only a couple of times "straying" from it to get "experimental;" or deciding to spend EXTRA money... Anyway, THE one thing I noticed when my food started coming, started with the price. It has gone up DRAMATICALLY since the last time (yes, it has been a little over a year since the last time) but taking THAT into consideration, a jump to $18 was kind of "shocking". But since I was in a great mood, I wasn't going to let THAT "bring me down". BUT - when the order came, I saw a VERY discouraging sight - MUCH smaller portions of the ORDERED items, and almost HALF the PLATE covered with "prettiness" - shredded cabbage! (To make the plate LOOK full, perhaps?) and about a QUARTER of the plate with the "vegetables" - corn/lima bean mix. THEN - the separate plate with the Tempura came, and here it is - ONE SMALL BUTTERFLY'D Shrimp, ONE Potato, ONE Eggplant, oh, and TWO green BEANS, Seemed like a MINI to me. Now if I knew THAT (being a "carnivore!) I may have tried to go somewhere else, or took a chance at $23 and ordered the Rib Steak/Tempura Combo. But NOT knowing these "hunger and depriving" changes, oh well, huh? I admit - THE reason I order the Teriyaki, is because of the flavor of the sauce, and THANK GOODNESS - that HASN'T changed. AND - the tempura sauce hasn't changed much either, so because I was still hungry, I actually ATE ALL the cabbage (I AM going to pay for THAT today!) and poured the tempura sauce on the rice and made sure I ate everything I paid for! THE things that HAVEN'T changed - green salad and miso soup to start, refilled "hot" green tea and iced water, as well as having "reasonable" service. BUT what I do think IMO SHOULD have changed, maybe a SMALL increase in price but NOT the HUGE portion REDUCTIONS and a "camouflage" of shredded cabbage to make the plate look/appear "full". Hard to "swallow" THAT when you go in HUNGRY and do NOT expect to spend over $35 EACH just to satisfy that hunger! I AM willing to pay IF I get the four things I "expect" - 1) CLEANLINESS; 2) CUSTOMER SERVICE (with a SMILE!); 3) Food QUALITY (at WHATEVER PRICE!); and 4) REASONABLE "value" (note I said REASONABLE!) So overall.... It was an "OK" experience. If things don't change, I would probably have to think about a recommendation... BTW, in YEARS past - they used to request a "review" with EVERY check, and I used to fill it out ALL THE TIME with POSITIVE reviews, even including the request for my email address... but what for? Never got ANYTHING in email.....
(3)M L.
I returned to one of my favorite restaurants today for lunch. I had the California Delight with California sushi roll, karaage chicken and mix tempura; and my husband had the spicy ahi don with tempura combo. Both include miso soup and mine salad too. We decided to eat downstairs, nice redeco atmosphere, courteous-prompt-attentive service. The food looked appetizing and tasted delicious. Good portions. Overall make good experience received a 5 star rating. Thank you management and staff for listening to this loyal happy customer who loves Gyotaku. I will definitely return for many more family meals!
(5)Tammy T.
*I don't know if it's just me, but I think the picture of the restaurant might be the Aiea one, not the King St one. But I could be wrong. We got (pictures): Udon, Shrimp Tempura, and nigiri set Shrimp Tempura Tonkatsu It's taishoku style, so meals come with miso soup, salad (awesome dressing), chawan mushi, and tsukemono. The meals are pretty pricey I think we each spent between 11-16 bucks. The tonkatsu is super lean, which is always a plus in my book. The shimp is good. Parking sucks, there just isn't enough considering they hold parties sometimes. Oh and here's my thing with them, they don't do Shrimp Tempura ala carte? You can "add" more shrimp to your meal if you already have shrimp (of course at an extra charge per shrimp) but you can't just order a side of 2 piece shrimp. I just don't get it? And they have a cut off of shrimp...max 5 pieces added on? huh?
(3)Awa S.
Good recommendation from a friend. Went there on Tuesday so the kiddos ate free which was a bonus. I got the Ninja don and it was good. I like the crunchy texture between the rice and Ninja. Our server, Moana, was great. Very attentive wait staff. Remember to go early on Mondays and Tuesdays for Kids eat free because it gets really crowded.
(4)Sara S.
Tried the "natachos", which were very strange. It was still fun to try, and we ate all of them! Great sushi! The teriyaki chicken was fine and the tempura was pretty tasty! Service wasn't the best (slow...the waitress was really upbeat though) and overall we liked the food.
(4)John F.
I like Gyotaku on King St. Really tasty Japanese food at reasonable prices. Sushi is good, also I like the "senior discount" meal selections. I dont look old, but I qualify.
(4)La L.
3.5 stars. I gave a bonus because it's a great place for the keikis. We ventured in on a Monday night and to our absolute delight, Mondays and Tuesdays kids eat free. They offer several different choices for kids' meals, which also includes a drink, ice cream or shave ice AND a toy that the child chooses from a little basket. The kids were delighted and so I got to eat in peace. I had the misoyaki butterfish and tempura. The tempura was a little soggy for me but the butterfish was quite good. The meals aren't cheap but with two free kids meals it turns into a pretty good value.
(4)Claudia M.
We got a coupon for a buy an entree get one half off or of equal value. The food that we ordered was delicious. Their entrees came in a nice portion and their service was friendly. Kinda felt out of place with all the seniors around and their specials. Their sushi rolls were kinda small for a good decent sized portion though.
(4)H L.
Ehh.... Its good but nothing to write home about. Came here one night with some old friends and the food was good. Everything was good but nothing amazing. There was a good amount of food in the bento I ordered and I had no complaints about the sushi served in my bento. I did like their sweet potato Pie. There was a gram crust, purple sweet potato layer, coconut (Haupia) layer, and a cream layer on top. I wish the cream was not as thick. Overall, good.
(3)Shelly i.
I'm not reviewing based on the decor or cleanliness, because I didn't really notice either. My last trip to Gyotaku was on a Saturday afternoon with a friend. The restaurant was moderately crowded and we were led upstairs right next to Spark Matsunaga's son and a baby shower. This didn't really impact our service as all our food and the hot green tea came out quickly. I had the natto nachos, butterfish, the chicken katsu donburi, and the green tea shave ice dessert. The natto nachos were surprisingly good, although I think natto and yama imo together is slimy overkill. The butterfish was seriously the largest piece of butterfish I've ever been served in a restaurant. The chicken katsu donburi was pretty standard and the green tea shave ice was good. I especially liked that they didn't skimp on the ice cream. A lot of times I'll get a dessert that comes ala mode and have to carefully ration the ice cream so I get a little with every bite. Not so here. I liked the food and the service (I don't think I ever saw the bottom of my tea cup) and will visit again.
(4)Calli L.
Nice restaurant, but in my opinion, NOT SO CLEAN. I went to eat there with my brother for dinner. While waiting for our food, a massive roach (and it was at least 2"... I'd say it was a 747) was crawling right next to me on the wall divider in our booth! So I grabbed the menu and had to smack it 3 times for it to die. YES, THREE TIMES! The bus boy saw everything, took the menu and roach away said our meal was going to be on the house. The manager never came out to apologize, when we paid our tab only thing comp'd, was our ice cream. I WILL NEVER BE GOING THERE AGAIN. That was a moment where I wish the Dept of Health was there to see what went down. You know if there's a big roach in the restaurant, there's bound to be more.
(1)Nathan K.
I had the opportunity to dine at Gyotaku again to celebrate my cousin's return to town. I agree with most of the reviews here that the food is good, ambiance is casual and friendly, and service that night was quick and attentive. The food itself is pretty standard Japanese fare with a pretty extensive menu of sushi, teishoku sets, noodles, and other combinations. For the price, it's a good value and solid meal. You definitely leave full. I still prefer Tadashi in Pearl City for quality of fish and shrimp vs. batter on the tempura, but this was definitely a delicious meal. But one big plus as a family is kids eat free on Mondays and Tuesdays with the purchase of an adult meal. Our son loved his udon and tempura kids meal. The strawberry shave ice at the end couldn't come fast enough. Overall, this is a great family restaurant you can count on...good for parties of all sizes...and good locations.
(3)Little D.
I liked Ahi poke don set $9.50 - take out for lunch time. With salad and decent rice, poke in separate pack. Very considerate. Long time ago, my partner and I were shocked by their tempura and refused to return... I am glad I had tried their take-out poke don! YELP 365 - 164/365
(4)Sheryl S.
What a so-so restaurant. For the price, quality & food, I'd rather go to Sushi King or Minato's. Decor: Other than the Japanese shoji screens, the decor does not seem like it belongs to be in a Japanese restaurant at all. This place seems more appropriate for a local diner than a Japanese restaurant. Cleanliness: The water glasses still had lipstick stains, the white plates had brown circle-shaped stains & my chawan mushi bowl was served to me cracked. Do I need to say any more? Food: I ordered the Unagi set ($13.99), which included a bowl of 3 good sizes of unagi, rice, noodles, Japanese veggies like lotus root, along with Chawan Mushi & Miso soup. The unagi was tasty, and served just right. However the Chawan Mushi & the miso soup was terribly bland. Other people at my table ordered the 3-item combo ($19.99), where you can select 3 items from shrimp tempura, teriyaki chicken, teriyaki salmon, etc. I tried the teriyaki beef & teriyaki salmon, although they were tasty in flavor, biting into it was as hard as if I just bit into a piece of brick. There are specials for senior citizens 60+ for $9.99. Let's just say Gyotaku wouldn't be my first choice for a Japanese restaurant.
(2)Kaileen Y.
Halloween weekend was my first time here, with the grandparents from Kauai. We debated for hours and hours about what we should eat for dinner. My grandparents were craving rice, & had a preference for some kind of Asian cuisine. So, we went back and forth on MANY choices...& hesitated every time "Gyotaku" came up as a possibility. For me, it really didn't matter where we ate, as long as I got food. But, Gyotaku wasn't a preference of their's because my grandma hates chawan-mushi & apparently almost everything on the menu comes with it. But, we eventually gave in to going here. And, let me say....my grandparents enjoyed their meals. They were just careful of what they ordered...& MADE SURE they didn't get the chawan-mushi. haha. Overall, it was a good experience. If I could advise you to do one thing, don't judge this place based on what you see in its commercials on TV because you will be disappointed. Obviously, with a little camera magic you can make everything look good & more upscale than it really is. With that said, this place is very homey and kinda laid back. The staff is pretty nice. The food is decent. Prices are reasonable. I would definitely come back, but at the same time it doesn't have me jumping outta my seat to do so.
(3)Sheryl M.
I haven't been here in years and decided to try it again for lunch with my Mom today. The menu is the same...lots to choose from, too bad not enough stomach space to try it all. Interestingly, they have as one of their lunch specials - if you order one of their specialty sushi rolls (you know what this is - rainbow roll, spicy ahi roll, spider roll, etc) you can add on a salad and miso soup for $1.75 OR tempura, salad, and miso soup for $2.50. We thought this was a great deal, so we ordered it with an add on of $2.50...it's not a local japanese meal if you don't have some artery clogging tempura too :) For the price, you can't go wrong. The food is tasty and they have a few interesting dishes...like natto nachos....hmmmm...maybe someone can let me know how that tastes...
(3)Ali O.
I think Gyotaku is over-rated, but my family likes eating here so I go along with it. We usually go to the Aiea one but we were in town on a Thursday night, so we took my grandma there. I was annoyed that they told me that it was a 5-10 minute wait even though there were 6 open tables on the first floor which had already been cleared and set. There were 3 people plus a shift supervisor standing by the register doing heaven knows what while they made us wait. (At least at Aiea they seat you right away if the tables are open.) They just sat us at one of the open tables anyway, so I don't know why we had to wait. Minus one star for that stunt. The prices have always been on the high side, even as a kid I remember thinking that the prices were high relative to other restaurants on the market. (I was a strange kid that looked at these kinds of things. Don't ask.) Dinner is quite expensive when the quality of the food is mediocre to above average. I think it skates on a B to B- overall. You can expect to pay around $15-$23 per person on an adult teishoku. That is not including drinks and dessert. You can add another $5-$8 per person for drinks and dessert. My comments on the food apply at both locations since there isn't much of a difference in quality (though I think the service at the town location is better). Actually if you want better access for the grandparents, you should go to the Aiea location since it's more spacious on the floor and actually has booths. The town location is on two floors so if you've got a stroller or grandparents with walkers, it's a gamble if you go during the meal rushes. But the Aiea location is slower in getting the food out to you. My measure of a Japanese restaurant in Hawaii is how they prepare their tempura. The tempura at Gyotaku is so-so. It has a lot of batter on it and it can be on the oily side. If you have a large party, they try to bring everything out at the same time (to their unsuccessful detriment) so the tempura sometimes ends up soggy. Sometimes I can't really taste the freshness of the vegetables, so I give their tempura 3.5 stars. Their fried stuff is usually pretty consistent (karaage, tonkatsu, chicken katsu, mochiko chicken). It's above average, never undercooked or not crispy (I think they overdo it sometimes) but the cuts for the katsu aren't that great. I suppose they use thinner cuts so that it cooks faster, but it's nothing like a proper cut like the katsu at Ginza Bairin. 3 stars. They have fancy-schmancy maki sushi with all sorts of things like spicy ahi, avocado, tempura bits, and unagi. Those are good. Nothing really special. Very safe for unadventurous people. 3.5 stars. Their butterfish (like at every other restaurant in Hawaii) is decent, but overpriced. It is an item that appeals to their target consumer base of Japanese retired geriatrics. 3 stars. The ahi poke is really salty. They put a lot of shoyu. limu (which is already salty), and maybe even some Hawaiian salt. It's not the best, but it does look attractive. Lots of sesame oil and shoyu only tells me that the restaurant might possibly be trying to disguise the quality of the fish. 3 stars. Most of the teishoku come with rice, salad, miso soup, and tsukemono. The rice is okay, sometimes cooked a little too dry for a Japanese restaurant. It may just be me, but I feel like the quality has gone down in recent years. The salad is colorful and attractive. The night I went, the dressing tasted really sour. I think whoever was preparing it put too much vinegar. Miso soup is actually not bad and the tsukemono is really salty. I think they should cut the salt down considering how many old people go there. 3 stars. My overall rating for Gyotaku is 3.5, but I will substract a star for that seating stunt that supervisor pulled, so 2.5. Since I cannot give half stars, I will give this place a 3. I would feel bad giving it a 2. They do have a lot of items on the menu that would satisfy a good number of people. (Though I really think they should clean up the menu visually. I like pictures, but it's got too much going on so it's hard to read.)
(3)Jana M.
My family and I eat here quite often, as it is my grandparents' #1 choice now that Wisteria has closed. So although my husband and I (in our 20's) probably wouldn't go here on our own, it's a GREAT place to go with families and our baby is very welcome. We usually go between 5-5:30 and there's plenty of parking. I don't even eat seafood (95% of their menu is seafood) but I enjoy it too... I usually get the chicken katsu teishoku (not too oily, comes with cabbage, rice, miso soup, egg dish (not sure what it's called) and some veggies. My husband really likes their various rolls... caterpillar roll, dragon roll, etc. and my grandparents love their senior menu. Also Mondays & Tuesday kids eat free w/paying adult and they give you little origami kits to entertain the kiddies. The ambiance is bland but if you're going to hang with family and catch up then who cares... it's just about not doing dishes right? Service is very consistent, if not super friendly. We always have the same busser guy and he keeps our table clear and tea hot. The shave ice isn't great but for some reason we get it anyway... kinda like a tradition. I get the strawberry with ice cream. Grandma likes the azuki beans. They also love the sweet potato/haupia? pie... expensive for a slice but pretty yummy. Not for a romantic evening or to show off to mainland tourists, but good for locals - especially grandmas and grandpas...
(4)Kari S.
Good food, good prices. Large menu with daily specials.
(3)Cristyn T.
My food cravings vary depending on the location I am in. When I am in San Diego, all I want is Mexican food, all day, every day (bad). In Costa Rica, I wanted all my meals to include rice, beans, and plantains. When I was in Jamaica, I was all about the jerk chicken, jerk salmon, anything jerk. You're a jerk? I'll eat you too! So, when I am in Hawaii, all I want is FISH, FISH, FISH! Fresh fish, raw fish, fried fish, baked fish, cold fish, cooked fish, anything and everything fish! My grams wanted to take the fam to Gyotaku and I'd never been before so I didn't know what to expect. I couldn't figure out if this restaurant is extremely casual or if it's supposed to be semi-nice. We got a nice big table upstairs in the rooms, so it was a little nicer than their regular seating. I ordered the 3-item combo (it'll run you about $20) with what? FISH!!! I got the butterfish, salmon, and ahi poke. It took me forever to decide on what to order since the menu is pretty large, but mostly because they have several combinations of the same 15 items. I wanted a 2-item pick your own combo, thinking that 3-items was borderline hefferish, but they only serve 2-item combos for lunch. I got the 3-item combo with the thought that maybe I'll have leftovers for later. I know I can eat a lot more than I should, but I was able to finish my entire meal without feeling too full. The food was ok, the butterfish better than the salmon and the salmon better than the ahi poke. The ahi poke defintiely did not taste right. It was chewy and did not taste fresh. My loudmouth mother asked the guy if it's frozen poke and he said yes. Frozen poke isn't always bad. You can get pretty decent poke at the supermarkets and usually they have been previously frozen. This poke was terrible. Ask anyone and they'll say the one thing I was looking forward to eating on my trip home was ahi poke. I was disappointed to say the least. Gyotaku redeemed themselves with the green tea shave ice with ice cream and azuki beans. That stuff is soooo good! Maybe my new favorite dessert! So it turns out that even though I was disappointed by the fish, I left with a sweet after taste.
(3)Eryn K.
This place kinda reminds me of how Wisteria felt and looked...very Hawaii diner/homey type of place. A lot of down-home food I think. To be real I only get the butterfish and natto-chos when I come, so my rating is based purely on the two. In SF it's a struggle to find amazing butterfish, so every time I come to Honolulu, I always get the butterfish from here! It's dank (dank meaning really good)! It's soft, good taste, and moist. Always a winner! The natto-chos...mmmmm! They were the best the first time but this stuff is GOOD and hella creative. So it's wonton chips with NATTO (my favorite...my absolute favorite), yama imo, ahi poke, green onions, avocado, and some sauce! But honestly the second time I had it they needed more sauce...the taste of all of it with little sauce was def not cuttin' it...so yes a little lack of consistency but whatever. And this place is pretty well priced and cheap and it all really pleases my grandma and dad who are both hella picky sooooo...it gets the job done.
(4)V K.
Food is always tasty, fresh, and with excellent service. It's a great atmosphere for families or a lunch meeting. Their remodel in December 2012 made the atmosphere so nice and open. Dress it up or dress it down. Gyotaku is excellent for kids, even young children.
(5)Clement Y.
I don't come here very often only when it's someones birthday but i do enjoy eating here. So far everything i have ordered has been good i especially love the salad the dressing is so good. Although i do find the prices a bit on the higher end i don't really mind it to much its not like i eat here everyday. Most of the menu items don't look as big as they do but when you get it, it is a lot of food. Service here is always good i have never eaten downstairs but I'm sure it doesn't matter. I must say i do enjoy eating here whenever i do eat here.
(4)John L.
WTF! Seriously, It all happened after two days of bad food, all my regular restaurants were closed. Decided to try new restaurant and damn this one is gross. Tempura, we thought it was either gone bad or really old. Hamachi, omg, why did I order Hamachi here, gag. I downed everything with beer just to make sure I won't get any food poisoning. I mean alcohol supposed to be your sanitizer right. Oh why didn't we just go to Uncle's. sighs.... Place has a nice interesting facade from the side of the building but inside it's just an old Teri-teri house, nothing against that, I love good teri, but this was bad....bad...bad....
(1)Shauna K.
This was the first time I'd eaten there, and had the Shrimp Tempura set. I like that it came with miso soup, a bit of pickled cabbage, and complimentary green tea. The tempura itself, however, was lacking. The shrimp was very heavy with pancake-like batter and lots of oil. The vegetables were cut too thick and were raw and crispy in the middle. The portion was very good, especially considering the price tag ($11). I must also say that all of the servers were extremely friendly and pleasant. My water cup was constantly topped off. The ambiance is more casual, home-y feeling, which I felt was appropriate for the price and caliber of the food. I will probably go back and try them once again to see if I just got the tempura on a bad day.
(3)Kimo K.
We live in Phoenix, AZ now, but ocassionally we get to go back to Honolulu. Last month, we were back in Honolulu and hosted a small luncheon for about 11 people at the Gyotaku Niu Valley location. The food and service was very good there. We went to this location because three of our relatives said that the King Street location had gone downhill a lot and was not worth going to -- we would all be disappointed with the food and service, etc. But last week, my son and some of those same relatives went back to the King Street location to give it another try. Here is the consolidated comments from them: "Just got back from a very, very satisfying , filling, tasty lunch. Yes, there has certainly been an improvement in the food there. We discussed it and felt that the food was 1. fresh - hot things were very hot, cold things were nicely chilled. The last couple of times that we were there, the tempura was cold and soggy but today it was hot and the batter was crispy. One cousin's favorite - nabe yaki udon - was very hot and tasty . Miso soup and chawan mushi were hot too. 2. Quality and quantity improved - varied , generous serving of salad, the nabe yaki had more veggies in it as well as 2 shrimp tempura instead of skimpy 1 that was served before. 3. Tables seemed neater and cleaner - perhaps because we were there at 11:00 when they open. Also, the salad was much more appetizing to the eye besides very chilled and good. In the past, we were served only ice berg lettuce but this time they added some shredded red cabbage , cucumbers, tomato and a piece of imitation crab. So it not only tasted good but was appealing to the eye. Still a few improvements can be made, in other areas, but all-in-all, the visit and food was good and we would go back again."
(4)Mikayla M.
There Sashimi is bomb, butterfish and the Godzilla Roll ROCKS!
(4)Tomtom K.
Expensive Japanese food. Its fresh food and a large restaurant with easy parking. good for big groups. great selection/variety from sushi to tempura to katsu.
(3)Arabiki D.
Very plain decor and a family weekend eatery. Mostly great food and PRICES are higher due to the NEW MENU trend! Sushi is great...recommend: GOJIRA Roll! Great stuff! Parking can be tricky...they added new lots on the side street along building but the neighbors look kinda sketchy so if I'm not parking in front or side...I'll try street parking.
(3)Makakaualii R.
Great Japanese grinds, good service and take pride on what they do. #4 bento was good and I got all the fish; salmon, sashimi/tako, poke and the ono miso buttahfish was and still a bomb. To top it off we had for an appetizer was the sashimi sushi roll. We go there all the time at least once a month.
(5)Inthira M.
This is one of my absolute favorite Japanese restaurants of all time. I've been coming here since I was a little kid with my family... I even buy their salad dressings and put them on my salad just to reminisce since I can't go back every night. lol. Though I'm going to have to say that I haven't ventured off and tried different menu items. Oh who am I kidding, I get the same thing every time. Every time I come I'm dead set on trying something new and as I look through that color printed menu with picture after picture of every single item on their menu I always end up getting the same thing... The 3-combo items. You know, the one where you get to pick 3 out of a whole list of things. And though my items may change I still get the choose 3 (I think it's because whenever I look at the other sets there's always something I don't like in the dinner set). Two staples that I always get: The misoyaki butterfish and the sashimi (all ahi, no octopus), the third option is left to my mood. The set comes with oshinko (shredded cabbage... through some shoyu on it and I mmm mmm good), pickled daikon, miso soup, and that salad I've been talking about (has one cucumber, one tomato, and 1 stick of imitation crab). I think the amount you get (ex. size of the butterfish) has been shrinking over the years... and the price has been going up.... but it's so good and I'm full by the time I leave here anyway. Service is always good, food is always consistently scuptious, and everything comes in and out of the kitchen really quickly. I have also tried their famous poke nachos (or whatever they're called) and it was so-so. Been eyeing out their crab lettuce wraps... looks yum and I'm a sucker for anything crab. I think there's also a day during the week (I wanna say tuesday but don't quote me on it) where kids eat free... shoot if I was a parent I'd go just for the free food for my kids. lol. They have two locations... one on king street (right across from sonoya's.. also really good and cheap japanese food but I looked in their kitchen and haven't gone back since) and one in niu valley in the kfc shopping center. Check it out, you won't be disappointed.
(5)Daryl Y.
We had dinner with 12 people...food was very tasty and the service was very good...we went early around 5pm so there was no wait...if you go later it gets busy...parking is limited...
(4)Dennis K.
Not worth the price. Can get better food at the foodcourt
(2)Jim M.
Lunch with friends.......Never a rush.....plenty to eat....service was good....food.....zarusoba.....good Tempura....adequated Sushi...satisfactory......Teriyaki....ok Not a place where one would "tank-up" like some of the locals do at a buffet.... Pleasant place.....not gourmet but the prices are not either in this clean place....
(3)R N.
We had our New Years dinner catered. We we very happy that they were open that day. Food was ready on time for pick up. Food was well prepared and tasty. Lots of care in the preparation and packing. Will recommend them in the future.
(4)Andy N.
Quality of the food and prep is very good.. Lived in Japan 10 years so I think this place rates pretty good. Variety is lacking and wait can be super long. Staff is alright..
(3)Elle B.
Reasonably priced and lots of great variety on a menu that looks borderline food porn-ish. They are known for their set meals which offer everyone's favorites like butterfish, unagi, kaarage, poke, furikake salmon, tempura, etc...Nothing particularly exciting but good Japanese comfort food. The sushi quality correlates to their price bracket...if you know what I mean... I highly recommend the Nattochos, which is their greatest gift to the culinary landscape of Honolulu. Whoever invented this is a genius...fried wonton chips, topped with natto, avocado, ahi poke, grated yamaimo, and kaiware sprouts. The contrast of flavors and textures is absolutely amazing. The only downside of the King Street restaurant is that the ambiance really sucks (i've never been to the other branches). The dining room is depressing...dimly lit with the blueish white hue of flourscent lights, kind of dated and looks like what I remembered my preschool cafeteria to look like (that was over a quarter century ago!). Plus its a popular family restaurant so you'll bound to run into people you know and your dining experience will be filled with the symphony of screaming children. Oh my! Definitely not a date spot.
(3)Karl K.
I don't find Gyotaku to be expensive; I consider their prices moderate. The weekday lunch specials such as the California Delight and Gyotaku Lunch Box are bargains. So are their Early Bird dinner specials (W-F, 4:00-6:00 pm). But don't be late - we got seated last week at 6:01 and couldn't order it.. I usually pick either the Tonkatsu or Beef Teriyaki to go with the tempura (shrimp [2], green bean, eggplant, sweet potato), the mini-California roll (six pieces), miso soup, tossed salad, tsukemono, rice, and hot tea. All for $12.95 and quite filling. On occasion, it's sweet potato pie or Key lime pie for dessert. There is also a Seniors' menu for those age 60 and over, as well as many sushi offerings. American-style entrees like rib-eye steak with rice or french fries are also available. But, it's mostly local Japanese food. I usually go to the King Street location where parking is adequate. Two levels of dining is a plus - we usually go upstairs. I have also ordered their bentos for UH football tailgating.
(4)Consuela P.
A comfortable Japanese family dining restaurant. Two locations; one in town on Kind Street and the other out in Waimalu, I prefer the Waimalu location for its size and service. Great sushi selection, teishoku sets, hot or cold noodles and I always order my usual ~ MISOYAKI BUTTERFISH & TENPURA (Misoyaki Butterfish Served with Assorted Tenpura, Rice, Salad, Miso Soup and Pickles). Yum!
(4)Carol L.
My parents love this place. I think it was okay. I got the sashimi and tempura teisuko. Not bad 2 slices of hamaichi~ish fish, 3 ahi~s, 3 tako eh not bad (yanagi's is better) tempura pretty generous 4 pieces + veggies. My parents had the ahi poke don they said it was a bit too salty. Hubby had teribeef and sashimi, sister had an udon sushi set she loved. Brother in law had tonkasu he loved it. Oh we had a rainbow roll and a godzilla roll which everyone like! It had spicy ahi, shrimp tempura, avocado, and bonito. Service is excellent. I was pleasantly surprised. The best dessert to get is the sweet potatoes haupia pie!! My parent would come back i would tag along.
(3)Keith N.
Food was great! We went for lunch and the specials were awesome. I had a combination plate for $9.95...Restroom needs updating, but it was clean.
(4)Andrew P.
not bad at all. the portions are huge but that is expected in hawaii. the overall taste is good. they use a lot of rice to fill their sushi rolls as well. overall average japanese food for reasonable price considering the portion you get. don't bother getting "shave ice" here. we tried the green tea flavored shave us and it came out more like an icy snow cone. =P would i go back? well if someone wanted to go there i would go but not on my own.
(3)Kimmy C.
One of the worst Japanese food places to eat. Food is terrible, poor quality and service is bad. Waited over 30 minutes for bill no one came, we asked for check they said we couldnt pay because computers were down. no one told us or came to refill or ask how our food was. Manager said we could leave without paying. I live really close but would never go back. Ive given this place more than half a dozen chances to change my mind. I would not recommend this place.
(1)Amy G.
i came here for the first time and i was expecting a grill like gyukaku. haha i was wrong. but the food was still good. got there and had the lunch special. pretty cheap for what they give. their ninja roll is really good :) wouldn't mind coming back for more
(4)Nommie M.
I really wanted to like this place because everyone else I know seems to enjoy it a lot. But I don't. I've given it multiple tries. It just seems that every time our food either ends up being served to us cold or well, it's just mediocre for the price you pay. The service isn't bad but it's not the greatest either. I think I'd rather go elsewhere.
(1)Nicole M.
I have never had a bad meal here and I am a pretty frequent patron. I get the Udon/Cali/Tempura set which is always too much food, so I end up taking the sushi home which balances out the price. Japanese food is expensive anyway so to have a better lunch here, than at Genki Sushi, is totally worth it.
(4)Michael B.
I will never dine here. I called at noon to make a reservation. I pressed #3 to hear their reservation policy and when that did not work, a staff member answered. I identified that I wanted to make a reservation for tonight, Saturday. He told me very distinctly that they did not take reservations on weekends. I then asked his hours. We went there at 6:30 and were asked if we had reservations. I explained what had happened and he said they did not have any availability until 7:30. I am familiar with other establishments not taking reservations after 7 and would have been fine with that. The others in my party, who were Japanese, were confident that it was because I was too white. Please do not patronise this restaurant so as not to encourage this behavior.
(1)Betty B.
Several weeks ago a friend & I ate an early dinner here. It was a great experience. The food was tasty and the service was quick. Now my family is here from the mainland. I took them to Gyotaku on a Saturday night. OMG! What an experience! The restaurant closes at 10pm. Does that mean they want you off the premises at 10pm, or does it mean that the last order will be taken at 10pm? We arrived at around 9:15pm. The waiter was a cocky young Asian dude who wanted to know our order the instant we received the menu. He seemed irritated that we even came in. We couldn't make up our minds and he left in a huff three times. The food must have been put away for the night because they took a very long time to prepare our dishes. The most expensive item we ordered was the misoyaki salmon and it was NOT good. It looked terrible, too. We didn't complain...we ate and paid...and left. Our bill was $94.00 including tax. They made a little money off us but I got the feeling they'd just as soon we stayed away. So, I will stay away for good.
(2)Craig I.
this place is usually pretty busy. they have a huge menu with a lot of options. the food is average but the service is very friendly and accommodating. it's good for large groups. more of a local family restaurant, not a tourist stop.
(3)diego m.
Their Ahi poke is really good - with a heavier than usual sesame oil and I believe their shoyu is somewhat integrated sweetly in the sesame oil, making a memorable pupu. Fragrant yet not overpowering.
(4)Mary c.
Came here after seeing it was voted one of the best Japanese restaurants in Honolulu Advertiser. Used to just drive by this place thinking it was a fancy touristy place, but it's actually really local thus easy going. Lots of parking. Ordered three lunch sets for about $9.75 each- sashimi over rice and seaweed (kinda oily), teriyaki chicken with rice and tempura (yum) and other deep fried veggies, and a deep fried chicken with some seame seeds that tasted like KFC (a GOOD thing although very unexpected), with side of tempura and other deep fried veggies. All three sets came with a bowl of miso soup, little salad. Will come again to order the rolls... seemed like nothing special but with the pictures for all of them it looked AMAZING. Ranged from $7-14ish a roll
(3)Mike U.
Not a bad place, the combo meals come with lots of food, although don't come here for the sushi-it's not bad, but it's also not a sushi joint. With the exception of the fish prints on rice paper on the wall, the decor isn't anything fancy. The bento boxes were what we went with, came with tempura, miso soup, that tofu custard I don't know how to spell, some fish, broiled and raw, some rice and soba noodles. The price for the amount of food that came out was very reasonable, about $16. This is definitely a local joint, and I'm throwing in an extra star for being served by a pidgin speaking server, "Are you ready for DESert?"
(4)Anjelika J.
I like this place. I find it to be "comfort" food for me when needed. If ya have kids, Mondays and Tuesdays, it's the place to be. Kids eat free with each paying adult. The poke is really really really good here, but I don't care for the sushi. A few times I've found that it was "fishy"... yuck! BUT, here's what I do like: *the Pele Lava roll *Shrimp Tempura *their tonkatsu (mmmm) *plain ahi sashimi *the fact that they have a "make yer own" combo *the poke *Mondays and Tuesdays Kids Eat Free nights *the melon float But, even with all that... I surely do miss Wisteria :(
(3)Angel L.
This is a great place for family outing! They have great combos but the sushi isn't that great. Should look for coupons, my boyfriend found a coupon from the entertainment book, which saves a lot!
(4)Mayu M.
my friend was craving shrimp tempura so we decided to try this place. she ordered the shrimp tempura and she enjoyed it. i had the 3 choice bento box. i ordered the miso butterfish, grilled salmon, and poke. Although the fish was tasty, i do not believe it is worth $19.95. Maybe i need to come try the lunch. Anyways, the staff is very friendly and very personable. that is all i have to say about that.... :)
(3)David B.
went here tonight with a bunch of my high school friends. first time there, and i gotta say the bill came out a lot lower than what i expected to pay for a party of our size, with beer, some pupus, and teshoku dishes. this place is pretty well priced. not the best i ever had, but not so bad either. i guess you can say its worth the price. our waiter gave excellent service! so thats a plus i ordered the 3 item set, miso butter fish, tonkatsu, and tempura. not the hottest plate i had. the rice i think couldve been better, or maybe it was just the lighting that was killing it.?? it looked a bit old.... chawan mushi , and miso soup was good. in all everything was ok. i was not disappointed. this place is quite big, two floors. it was quite empty and i got there about 7:15. the place could probably do much better with a better ambiance setting. maybe some warmer lights, instead of those office fluorescent lamps? idk, call me picky, i just did not care for this lighting at all....
(3)Kayfo T.
The food here is always really good- and very reasonably priced. The lunch box special is my favorite: miso soup, mini salad, mix tempura and mix sushi for $10. The misoyaki salmon is also a winner. The servers are really on top of it. I know that the King street location has a large upstairs seating area with small private rooms available. Gyotaku is definitely a lunchtime favorite.
(4)Paul S.
best cold soba i've had due to the sauce. everything else was so-so. well, the butterfish was really good too.
(3)Evan N.
Having eaten at the Waimalu location, I prepared myself for slight disappointment. My cousin had decided on this place and she's usually spot on for Japanese food. I had to get some raw fish that I desperately miss when I'm not in Hawaii so the hamachi and maguro nigiri were my first pick. Man, the fish was super fresh and easily the best I've had in the past 6 months! Poke-chos and Natto-chos sounded quite tasty so I convinced my family to get a few orders. They are a conglomeration of a ton of japanese ingredients such as natto (fermented soy beans), radish sprouts, seaweed, etc. served on a bed of wonton chips with chunks of raw tuna on top. Also very tasty but I think they overdid it with the multitude of ingrediments. My raw fish festival would not be complete without some type of roll. I settled on the Fuzzy Wuzzy Roll made with hamachi (yellowfin tuna), fish flakes and green onion. Again, the quality of fish made it awesome. I can't remember what else I at that nite but I was quite happy with the raw fishes being digested in my belly.
(4)SuperDeeDuper S.
My friend from Hawaii recommended this place, and I wanted to go to a place where the locals go. The place is very simple and no-nonsense type of place, so don't expect the dim lighting and pictures and statues of Buddha. Their menus are extremely elaborate with pictures of everything! This made things easy for us to figure out what we should get, but also super hard to decide because everything looked so good! I went with the Pele Lava roll and thought it was fairly decent, except it was a little too creamy/mayonaise. My boyfriend got one of the bentos with tuna sashimi, octopus, and beef teriyaki. Afterwards we shared the green tea ice cream. They serve Dave's ice cream, and it was so good we had to go find the Dave's ice cream parlor the next day. We were sad that our server gave us such a tiny scoop. 3 stars because the food didn't really stand out, our server spoke wayyy too fast and didn't really give us much time to ask questions, and the pricing was a bit expensive for the amount of food and ambiance.
(3)Irene C.
This place is great for group meals. The teishokus, which is what is primarily served, are huge. The miso soup is typical, nothing special. I like the shrimp tempura, and they'll provide you unlimited daikon. mMm. This is the only place i will get zaru soba. . .it takes me back to my Japan summer days. It's usually super busy around 6-8pm. Oh, and keikis eat for free on one day of the week. I wish i could pass for a keiki.
(4)Kari C.
The food here is good and has friendly service. It's a family friendly place. Overall, a nice Japanese restaurant.
(4)Teddi A.
Gyotaku is now our "go to place" for Japanese food. Quality is great, prices are reasonable and the food is consistently good.
(4)David K.
I realize that I'm not giving this King St. Gyotaku a good rating but I can honestly say that this restaurant is perfect for their target audience-- which is Hawaii's local Japanese families, of which the restaurant was primarily filled with. I irony here is that I am a local Japanese but I guess my tastes varies from my "relatives." Starting with the decor. The grey-blue painted walls were sooo depressing. Their mix and match tables and chairs were somewhat embarrassing. I can usually forgive that stuff if the food was really good but I'll get to that later. The service was, how can I best put it---efficient but robotic. We were seated right away even thought the place was busy. We got our water right away and looked at their nicely done menu. The waitress was neither rude nor friendly, just robotic. She could care less about answering questions or our dining experience but she did smile on occasion. Our drinks and food did come out reasonably fast even though the place was busy. And they have a bunch of busing staff that would swoop down without a word and take away the finished bowls or dishes. Never a word was said such as a polite "can I take that" or a "are you done with that?" So although we were never burdened with dirty dishes, we weren't treated like precious customers either. Like I said, efficient but all so robotic. My wife and I are former restaurant workers so we both know that even when a night is busy, you can still give fabulous service. Ironically, the manager went around to the tables to ask if everything was okay. Thats fine and dandy but why waste their time checking on customers if they are not bothering with properly training their staff. As I said earlier, I can always forgive not so good service or not so good decor if the food is delicious but we felt that Gyotaku's food is just a cut about mediocre. The food presentation was well done as you would expect from a Japanese restaurant but the food was, well, exactly how the local Japanese community likes it---mediocre done with rice. Within our group, there was butterfish, tempura, sashimi, tonkatsu, salmon, karaage chicken, etc. and all tasted just okay. Actually, I would have to say a Shirokiya Bento is better tasting and somewhat more authentic. But like I said, Gyotaku is made for that local tastes which the local Japanese just love so those who fit in that category, don't be negatively swayed from my review. In fact, I would say it is a Safe place to go if you have a relatively large party or group of locals in that they can accommodate a larger party and most would enjoy the food as long as they are not expecting too much for service and ambiance. As for price, it is reasonable by Japanese restaurant standards where you'll hit about $15 to $20 per person, not including tip. On a positive note, we did not order any appetizers but I did remember seeing some interesting items on the appetizer menus that I may actually come back to try one day. I'll wait until I'm really hungry though.
(2)Christina K.
This place won an Ilima Award by the Honolulu Advertiser, but you must always consider the source. i.e. Starbucks got the award for best coffee bar for crying out loud. The menu caters to a local Japanese demographic, and my experiences have differed on occasion. My mom always orders the ahi poke-don, but I prefer the combos. Big fan of their miso salmon; it has good flavor, and you can tell it was marinated well. Now for the con: as Gyotaku has grown in popularity, so has its price, and you could get better Japanese food somewhere else for the same amount. I usually only go here for social events. i.e. wedding showers, post-cruise lunches.
(3)s c.
I've been here many times and this place has good food..............but it is kinda pricey.
(4)Kelly B.
Excellent food, service is attentive without interrupting. The fish is very fresh, and their flavoring is consistent and distinct. The food is a little slow to come, but that's pretty typical of Japanese restaurants in Hawaii.
(5)Dijon Y.
The miso soup was fine. Salmon and butterfish I didn't like. The sashimi was not good. The salad was fine. My last 2 times here were not very good. I don't care for the quality of the food that much. Service was fine. The food is very mediocre. I'll try a different Japanese restaurant next time in Hawaii.
(3)Jennifer F.
3.75 stars based on a single visit to the King St. location. We met family here for dinner with early evening reservations. For those of you who normally order iced tea, try the ginger tea for an interesting change of pace. The syrup isn't too sweet, and gives a nice warm flavor to your tea. As mentioned by other reviewers, you can get an Early Bird special before 6, but I wanted to try the various fish, so ended up ordering a 3 choice combo of misoyaki salmon, butterfish, and poke. I was a little surprised that the poke was very lightly seasoned, but I was still quite happy with it, but the salmon and the butterfish were both really yummy. Add to that the not-too-salty miso soup and I was a very happy camper! $20 for this combo may seem like a lot to some, but I thought it was fair. For a group of 5 we got out of there at around $100, and I thought that was pretty good considering we ordered some desserts. I would definitely go back to try more stuff!
(4)Waynele Y.
This is a pretty standard japanese restaurant. their menu is very comprehensive from sushi to teishoku and all of the food is quite good. very popular among the local japanese. to me, it's nothing that stands out.. nothing spectacular. they have a great deal if you order from the early bird menu, other than that, i think it's a little pricy. you can get better value & quality at yama-chan.
(3)Beth W.
when i came to Gyotaku, i ordered the pele lava roll and the ahi tuna poke roll. both were pretty tasty, but i agree it's not exactly the cheapest sushi around. actually it is pretty pricey. but since the ahi tuna poke roll kept me happy, i'll give it 3 stars.
(3)