Ichiriki

★★★★☆ 4.2 (879) • $$

"Came in to take advantage of the lunch specials (see attached pic). It's a pretty good deal all around. Service was however, exceptionally slow. Nothing against our server. He apologized for the wait so I believe it was because of the kitchen getting the plates together. Also this was not the first time where we were seated and the lunch special menu was not handed out to us when we were first seated. The menu is on the front door, but has not been included with the regular menus so check the front to see if it's still being offered. Food is still fresh and plentiful."

Hot Pot Heaven

★★★★☆ 4.2 (719) • $$

"Amazing food and service! Located in McCully Shopping Center, there was ample parking. I came here with 2 friends and sat down immediately with no reservation.You start by ordering your broth and meats. We got the Thai broth which was delicious! It was acidic and a little sour which made it refreshing and easy to eat. As for meats we tried the ribeye, pork belly, and brisket. Each portion was a decent size.Everything else can be grabbed from the fridges and DIY sauce bar. There was a variety of vegetables and starches with classics like cabbage and unique items like bitter melon. We loved the quail eggs and Korean rice cakes! Such a fun and delicious experience we will definitely be back again!"

Rokaru Shabu Shabu

★★★★☆ 4.2 (540) • $$$

"Attentive service and that's really appreciated at an all-you-can-eat restaurant. The AYCE menu has a great selection and variety of appetizers, meat, soups, veggies, rice and noodles and there's even a premium option that increases tour choices. It also comes with dessert. And if you're not looking for a buffet of choices, they have several different sets to choose fromThe quality of meat is stellar and I would pay them another visit in the future. The seating and tables have ample space and you won't feel cramped.Definitely make reservations as they can get busy, but we risked it and were seated right away.Plenty of parking out front in the Waimalu lot."

Rinka

★★★★☆ 4.1 (520) • $$

"We had the pleasure to re-visit one of our old favorites recently. Rinka has been a Kakaako area staple for 5 or 6 years now, and we love coming here, as well as their take-out only Bento Rinka location on Beretania street.The restaurant is open and brightly lit, and service is prompt and polite.They have a variety of beer, sake and a selection of cocktail and hard liquor as well. Coffee, tea and soft drinks are also available.We particularly like their lunch specials, which consist of a choice of entree with miso soup and chawanmushi (a savory Japanese custard) plus a choice of two small sides.Prices for the lunch specials range from $18-20 for croquette or tonkatsu with most in the $30 up to $40-plus for more extravagant choices like sushi and sashimi entrees. Alternately, if you really feel like going over the top, the chef's selection sushi set meal can reach $60 or more for the deluxe assortment.The dinner menu includes most (if not all) of the lunch entrees as well as an expansive selection of other items for both teishoku sets and a la carte items. Additional selections like hamburger steak, yakiniku, various hot pots, sukiyaki or assorted teishoku sets. For dinner, the more modest sets start in the $35-$45 range, topping out in the $65-$75 area for the top tier sushi and sashimi selections. They also have an extensive a la carte menu of sushi, sashimi and more; I'd say that almost every entree choice from the dinner set menu is available as an a la carte selection as well.The food quality is always top notch, and I would say they're amongst the best Japanese restaurants on Oahu in terms of bang for the buck. You could easily pay more for this qualify of food, but there are few places in this place range that are as good."

Hawaii Pot Shabushabu House

★★★★☆ 4 (544) • $$$

"I've been coming here for years, and my picture is still on the wall! Even after moving off the island, I make sure to visit every time I'm back. My family loves making me jealous with photos of their meals here .The hot pot is always amazing , and the service is so kind. I'll definitely be back again! Recommended broth: ThaiTomYum"

Hawaii Pot Shabu Shabu House

★★★★☆ 3.9 (462) • $$

"A fellow foodie who I've known for over 10yrs via Yelp Hawai'i recently moved from 808 to 702 and our foodie group wanted to get together one last time before she flew out. She chose Hawaii Pot Shabu Shabu House (HPSSH), located on the 1F of 808 Center.HPSSH opened back in 2007 with the concept of combining Chinese and Japanese cooking styles. Basically they offer hot pot and you can also cook your meats shabu shabu style. For you big eaters out there, HPSSH is AYCE that offers unlimited, assorted fresh ingredients, including various kinds of noodles, proteins, and locally sourced vegetables. Dining here is quite simple: 1) select your soup base; 2) pick your meats; 3) pick items off their conveyor belt and their chiller refrigerator; and 4) create your personalized sauce at the sauce bar. There was an impressive list of soup bases and was so tempted to try their coconut chicken but ended up "chickening out" as I was afraid the broth wouldn't appeal to me. I then asked my foodie friend for her suggestion as she's been here before. I followed suit by also ordering their tom yum soup broth. You get to order 2 plates of meat each time, where I started off with beef ribeye and lamb. I then made my way to the chiller and was impressed with a large selection of proteins, mostly raw seafood, dumplings and hot pot favorites. My eyes locked on book tripe, which I absolutely enjoy. I also got some whole shrimp, fishcake tofu, stuffed fish balls and bean curd sticks. While my broth was boiling, I made my way to their sauce bar and was so happy to have found Chinese ginger and onion sauce. I added a whole bunch of chopped Chinese parsley, chili oil and for a spoonful of their house special sauce. I headed back to my table and added the fishcake tofu, stuffed fish balls, bean curd sticks, as well as fresh mushrooms and long rice that I got off the conveyor belt. When my broth came to a boil, I started to add the sliced raw meats and ate. I was impressed of their food quality and me being able to control my meat temperature. I hate overcooked meats as I'm not a fan of dry proteins. My dipping sauce paired well and I was a happy camper. I was also impressed with the large bowls of snow crab legs but because it's a hassle to eat and didn't want to get my hands all dirty I passed on them. I made the mistake of sipping the broth as it was super, super HOT. I semi burnt my tongue. Aiyah!!! Should have known better. The book tripe was delicious, as well as whole shrimp where I ended up eating the shell and all. They also offer rice, which I declined as to save stomach space.Service was a little spotty. The wait staff on the floor are non-English speaking natives where there was some confusion and disconnection during our meal. They were blunt with explanations and a little aggressive which I didn't really care for. Although I enjoyed my experience, I did find the layout of the restaurant somewhat awkward with narrow walkways. Foot traffic was passing our table and because I sat on the outside, I could feel motion on my right arm as someone passed me.Overall, a great first experience as I was able to see my friend one last time before she relocated to 702. Food was tasty and I wouldn't object returning, especially with our weather getting cooler, which would be great for hot pot/shabu shabu."

Kogi Aina

★★★★☆ 4.4 (356) • $$

"I came out of Yelp retirement because I'm so irritated by my recent experience.I've patronized this restaurant several times years ago and it easily could get 5 stars. We returned recently and it was pretty awful in terms of service and being empty on a weekend evening was telling. We arrived a little before their happy hour ended and the waitress said she would honor their early bird prices so we ordered our first round. Upon receiving our bill, we were charged full price so we went up to ask and the waitresses said the lady in charge (kitchen) said because we ordered after their happy hour we had to be charged the full price?! Never was that disclosed on the menu not in person because we would've ordered everything the first time! It felt very shady.Food was fresh and good but the service was lacking even beyond that bill incident."

Hot Pot Heaven

★★★★★ 4.7 (269) • $$

"First time at this hot pot restaurant, the place was quiet, being a Tuesday at 5.Server explained the process, pick your broth, meat, and vegetables. Price based on number of items and type.We chose 2 different broths to create our soup with. The Thai and beef broth, as you can see from photo there is a divider in bowl.It was interesting to create our own soup and place our items in it. We picked ribeye, noodles, bok choy and mushrooms.Both broth choices were were good with the beef being more like what we were use to. I took home what was left of Thai broth to create my own soup.The server was friendly and fast. We enjoyed our experience. The ambience was was tidy and clean."

Pho One Kapolei

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (453) • $$

"I like the music selection in the background, Vietnamese pop music. Also the French baguette with the banh mi sandwich was perfectly done. Lemon beef salad was not too spicy for me . Great service from our server, Henry. I would return again for another meal to try more dishes :)"

Pho 97 One

★★★★☆ 4 (220) • $$

"Pho 97 One is my partner and I's favorite pho spot, and he's from Washington so he knows his pho. Conveniently located in the Waimalu Plaza, this hole in the wall is almost always busy and for good reason. You can never go wrong with their pho tai with rare steak. Each table has an assortment of sauces and chilis for you to use to your heart's, and stomach's, desire. Service is hit or miss on the friendliness scale but I've never had an overall bad experience.Pro tip: ask for the rare steak on the side so you can cook it in the broth yourself and determine how well-done you want to enjoy it!"

Hot Pot Heaven - Kailua

★★★★★ 4.8 (125) • $$

"I just came here for a visit with my family of five, and we all thoroughly enjoyed the food! This place is pay-per-plate (not all you can eat), and the total for our party of five ended up being around $85 before tip.We got the Thai Broth at level 5/10 spice and the Miso Broth (not spicy). Most of the party enjoyed the Thai Broth more, but the Miso is also great and preferable for people who do not want spice. Both broths already came with a few additions to the soup. For example, the miso had some tofu and seaweed in it.For meats, we enjoyed the ribeye more than the brisket, but both were good. We also ordered chicken breast and shrimp (comes whole and in the shell). We also got lots of yummy veggies and fresh noodles from the self-serve fridge.Honestly, I like this restaurant more than Shabuya at Ala Moana Mall. The broth here was rich and flavorful, the meats were good quality, and the restaurant had a small homely feel. Our server was very friendly and helped walk my parents through what to do since it was their first time at a hot pot restaurant. I look forward to returning in the future!"

Yakiniku Sizzle

★★★★☆ 4.2 (149) • $$

"So...I didn't quite anticipate much coming into Yakiniku Sizzle, but boy did the expectations kind of play out a ton better than I thought it did.This place screams 'Japanese' from the decor to the menu...and I liked that.I ended up ordering the Beef Tongue Stew lunch plate, which, price-wise, for almost $20 (with tax), it might have been a bit pricey. But...because it's beef Tongue, I think it's understandable why it's priced that way.It really deliverered for sure. I never had beef Tongue before, and yet having tastes it, I have to say...it wasn't that bad. Super tender and the sauce really was delicious. Might have been the best thing I ate at a Japanese restaurant by far.Would I come back there again? Absolutely. Even though the place is pretty small, it definitely is a great place to consider if you're looking for something to eat that's kind of "out there" for sure."