Izakaya Nonbei

First time trying this place and everything we ordered was so good! I recommend this place for sure! Prices are reasonable, staff are nice, and the restaurant is clean and modern. I didn't take pictures of everything we ordered (was too excited to eat and forgot to take pictures) but everything we ordered was on point. We ordered three rolls. Good size rolls!Dragon rollSpicy hamachi rollShrimp tempura rollWe also ordered hamachi Kama, fried flounder, eggplant with mushroom in a buttered sauce, braised pork belly (melt in your mouth), and a sashimi platter. Everything was so fresh and all such great quality! I will definitely return! Parking is located right outside the restaurant. If that is full, there is street parking in the neighborhood.

TL;DRA worthy competitor in the Honolulu izakaya landscape.Nasu Kinoko = ONO (!!!)Wafu Steak = ONOTori Kara = ONOKarei Karaage = ONO-----I finally made it to Nonbei! My wife wanted Japanese food to celebrate her birthday, so we dined her with four of our friends. I was able to make a reservation online for a Saturday night dinner at 7:30pm without any issues. There is a parking lot in front of the restaurant and street parking all around if the lot is full.A couple of my friends had already enjoyed several meals at Nonbei, so we followed their lead and mostly ordered their recommendations (in addition to a few selections that people were feeling at the time).We ordered quite a bit to share amongst the table. Simply put, everything was delicious. There are so many izakaya options in Honolulu (and in Hawaii in general), so to succeed in such a competitive space all your offerings have to be on point. And I'm happy to report that Nonbei delivers. We ordered the following items: Agedashi Tofu, Chawanmushi, Nasu Kinoko, Crab Avocado Salad, Buta Bara, Yakitori, Misoyaki Butterfish, Hamachi Kama, Wafu Steak, Tan Shio, Hotate Garlic, Tori Kara, Karei Karaage, Truffle Fries, and Veggie Korokke.All the dishes were oishii, but my favorites were the Nasu Kinoko, Wafu Steak, Tori Kara, and Karei Karaage. The Nasu Kinoko in particular was unbelievably great. I did not expect for the mushroom and eggplant dish to be my favorite, but their signature butter sauce blew my mind. We ordered two of these (as well as two of the Tori Kara and Karei Karaage) because it was so good.We also enjoyed their dessert offerings, including a matcha tiramisu that was fantastic.Nonbae will definitely be part of the Japanese restaurant rotation moving forward. I can't wait to go back!

Izakaya NonbeiOverall: ***** Highly Recommended *****Food: ****Value: ****Menu: ****Ambiance: ****Service: ****Parking: ***** (in front but limited)Izakaya Nonbei is my go to JapaneseRATINGS & RECOMMENDED ORDER:Miso Butterfish = A Salmon Colars = AKubota Pork = A Assorted Tempura = AAgedashi Tofu = ACrab Avocado Salad = ATori Kara (Chicken Karaage) = B Nasu Kinoko = BNot Recommended:Spider (soft shell crab) Sushi Roll = B Dragon (unagi) Sushi Roll = BSashimi A Platter = B (expensive)Omakase Nigiri = B (expensive)Karei Karaage (flounder) = COkinomiyaki Fries (special) = CWafu Steak = D (gravy not tasty)Wagi Steak = D (sour)Website: https://www.izakayanonbei.com/YELP: Sorry! They allow only one 12 second video & the remaining to 3 seconds, with maximum of 10 pictures/videos. The full video can be found elsewhere: MiltonIn808RATINGS KEY: A = Really Good - one of the best B = Good - would order again C = ok - similar, nothing special D = Not very good - wouldn't order F = Terrible - avoid

EVERY IZAKAYA HAS SIGNATURE DISHES THAT YOU MUST TRY. Then there are the other dishes.Nonbei is located just off of Kapahulu blvd. The parking lot is small and the restaurant is a two story house converted into a restaurant. Very loud and festive.First floor has the sushi and sashimi bar. I will say the fish is fresh and these are the must try dishes for sure. We had the hamachi sashimi and it was buttery fresh. All other raw dishes passing by looked amazing.Karei karaage (deep fried flounder) is a signature dish. Presentation is stunning served on a deep fried skeleton of the fish. Very tasty. Our waiter informed us to eat the fin and skeleton like a chip. Never had anything quite like it.Wafu steak comes out sizzling and each piece is tender and flavorful. Yes, get it.The chicken karaage was a bit wet with ponzu flavor. I think the cook likes ponzu here. The chicken skewers were standard, good.Eggplant was solid, cooked with a lot of butter. The tempura roll was excellent.Agedashi tofu was ok. Hiyayakko (I'm boring, I know) was refreshing albeit a small serving. Someone in our party had a cold, so we sampled the udon--nice.Overall, a good dining experience. I will go again and order a lot of sashimi dishes next time.

Food was alright, in my opinion a little overpriced. I came here about a week ago.. the service however was atrocious. Many things were messed up and there were no apologies by the staff. There are many better izakayas to go to. This is not the place. I remember coming here with my husband years ago and it was much better but as reviews have said, this place has gone downhill

Just tucked away in Kapahulu, right across safeway is where you can find this place. To be honest, I didn't realize that this place existed until my friend introduced to me. Upon entering, you are greeted by the most friendliest staff. We were seated fairly quickly for 2 people - although we settled for the counter. Side note, if you want a table it's important that you make a reservation!! Food was amazing! We got the most recommended, the wafu steak, deep fried flounder, spicy hamachi roll, and the chawamushi! Honestly everything that we order was amazing and we came out of this place very pleased! Definitely recommend this place who are within the area and is craving some Japanese dishes!

Izakaya Nonbei is easy to find, right off of Kapahulu Avenue. We had a friends dinner here and to my surprise, the restaurant is very spacious with tables that can fit bigger parties. The only downfall is their parking lot is small and quite tight. However, free parking is still a plus! I really enjoy eating izakaya style in which you order a variety of smaller plates. Perfect for a variety lover like myself! I ordered the Kurobuta Pork Katsu, Agedashi Tofu, Korokke, and Garlic Hotate. Everything cooked well and delicious. I ended my meal with a sweet, refreshing Strawberry Dream w/ add on Mochi and Ice Cream! The service was great! Everyone was friendly and made sure to keep our waters refilled. I'll definitely be back!

My relatives were visiting from the mainland during the holidays and they invited us to try Izakaya Nonbei. The restaurant were 2 floors where they offer counter seatings, table seatings, and private room for larger parties. Since we were a large party, we sat in the private room on the second floor.Karei Karaage: The fried fish flounder was alright. It was crispy but not much flavor or seasoning. The bones were also edible and crunchy deep fried. Ika Dynamite: When I think of dynamite, I expected a baked dish with torched dynamite cream sauce on top. However, it is a fried squid with unagi and spicy mayo sauce drizzled on top. The fried squid tasted fine. It was like the fried squid from Genki Sushi. Just the labelled "dynamite" was misleading.Nonbei Spicy Ahi Roll: I always get spicy tuna every time we visit a sushi restaurant. The spicy tuna roll was good. Good amount of fresh spicy tuna in the roll and a raw ahi sushi on top. Dragon Roll: The dragon roll was good. It's basically a California roll with a unagi on top. It would be great if there was also a slice of avocado on top along with the unagi. Spider Roll: The spider roll was also good. The soft shell crab was meaty and crispy. Chawanmushi: This was not bad. The egg custard was savory and firm. Good amount of chicken and shrimp.Misoyaki Butterfish: The butterfish was alright. It was a little on a charred/burnt side but the butterfish flavor was good. Sushi Sampling "C" Course: We asked our server what sashimi is included in the C course since the menu stated "today's" fresh fish so we thought the sashimi would change daily. The server said whatever is shown on the picture, which was not helpful since there was no description of the sashimi included for the C course. Regardless, the sashimi we recognized were salmon, ahi, hamachi, and scallop. We not sure what the other 2 types were. The sashimi were fresh. Overall, the foods were not bad. The sushi rolls were my favorite. Their fried dishes and other appetizers were a little on a plain/bland side but their sushi/sashimi were fresh and delicious.

Aloha, lucky us we had our post Holiday company party upstairs at Izakaya Nonbei. Besides the main dinning room downstairs, there are 3 private areas upstairs and a coed restroom, nice you only have to trek up but just once. Great atmosphere and service was superb. Food came out at a very steady pace and my beer and sake glass was kept full. The crab salad was delicious as well as all the fresh fish. Good quality sushi, would definitely be back again and again. We could make all the noise we wanted during our games. So fun! Enjoy!

Very good food, great suggestions from the wait staff. Very relaxed atmosphere, no rush. Definitely recommend this restaurant.