Kuni Restaurant & Catering

Made reservations for my son's birthday, very easy to do. You have to secure the spot with your credit/debit card.There were only a few people there when we were seated but by the time we left, they place was pretty fully1830 reservation for today, 20 February 2025. When we entered, we were greeted by a very nice young Filipino man. We were seated and immediately a nice older Filipino lady who gave us a carafe of ice cold water to fill our cute black cups. It took a bit, but not too long for someone to take our order. Also, if you let them know it's someone's birthday, they will take a picture of their ID and it depends on what the birthday person orders (my son ordered the beef Teri ribeye), they will receive a discount.There were 3 people in our party and this is what we ordered:My son-beef Teri ribeye (sizzling) & tonkatsuMe-teishoku: shrimp tempura & teri ribeye and a large AsahiMy EX-teishoku:teri ribeye & grilled salmon The food came out really fast and the food was so tasty!!!This is the first time we all have been here and we heard so much great things about this place and IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!Thank you Kuni staff for such an amazing first experience!!

KUNIA CHINESE RESTAURANT is as close a "throwback" to the old traditional Chinese cuisines that arrived almost a century ago on sailing ships from China bringing hundreds of migrant field hands to these islands - Men were only allowed during these very early arrivals so the cooking expertise and recipes became their signature staple that established Chinese food into the local Hawaiian culture.Unfortunately the grandfather of all the iconic CHINESE restaurants was "CHAR HUNG SUT" that "closed permanently" in 2020 due the COVID pandemic. Downtown Honolulu on OAHU is still the epicenter of the original flavors that I grew up eating even before the local population had refrigerators or access to "supermarkets" here in Hawaii which meant a daily trip into Chinatown for fresh produce if you wanted to eat.KUNIA CHINESE RESTAURANT only opened after the C&C of OAHU plan development of the WESTSIDE for subdivisions and shopping centers and malls - Hungry for just good, simple down home flavor of simple Chinese cuisine I searched for a decent Chinese restaurant and decided to try KUNIA CHINESE RESTAURANT and have never looked back."WOR WON TON MEIN" is my "go-to" comfort dish that was my "TEST" for an acceptable meal that would make me to want to drive all the way from EWA Beach to eat - It's iconic and very consistent, there's always "2" pieces of chunky pieces of CHAR SUI, a ton of Won Bak cut into squares and "5" plump Won Tons (large enough to be considered as "Gau Gee") - The "broth" is perfectly savory and very satisfying as one slurps it up in combination with a bite of Char Sui and Won Bak Cabbage all in one spoonful - BUT the absolute "must have" is the iconic Chinese Yellow Mustard mixed thoroughly into the Shoyu Sauce as a added condiment - Combined the flavors meld and immediately transports me back to my "HANA-BUTTER-DAYS" walking the concrete sidewalk in downtown CHINATOWN in old Honolulu. There is absolutely no comparison to this younger generation's craving for Japanese ramen and gyoza which is their attempt to emulate the original style of "soup, dumplings and noodles" as the original oriental comfort food.I've been to this restaurant so many times that when the owner/waitress sees me walking through the front door it's a familiar nod and my "WOR WON TON MEIN" is promptly ordered from the back kitchen - AND in about a few minutes after sitting down and mixing a serving dish of Chinese Yellow Mustard with Soy sauce a steaming hot bowl of savory dumplings, vegetables and saimin noodles is delivered directly to my table just waiting for me to burn my impatient lips and tongue just to get that first spoonful of wonderfulness into my anxious stomach !

Been coming here for a very long time, 30+ years when my grandparents were alive. I haven't been back since the new owners as I was skeptical. It was my first time back and I was very disappointed. Rice portions are SO SMALL. Not like it used to be with the rice container. I appreciated the water pitcher as that was a great touch but it pretty much eliminates anyone coming to check on you. They drop the waters, take your order, drop the food, and no one comes back except to give you the check. There's NO customer service here, barely even a hello when you walk in the door. Even the food portions just seem so different. You get two vegetables with your tempura and I don't remember that being the case. Miso soup used to be my FAVORITE. And now even that tastes different. Sad that it has lost what it was known for.Edit: just read other people's reviews and Mr. sato is still there. Bummer! He wasn't there the night I was there so that might've been the reason service was so bad. It's always great when he's around.

Our first visit here left us pretty underwhelmed. While it seems to be a popular local spot, we struggled to understand the hype. The food was overpriced for small portions and average quality, especially for Japanese cuisine.Here's what we tried:- Shrimp Tempura Set: Just two shrimp and a few veggies for $21. We were shocked by how small the portion was for the price.- Shrimp Tempura Udon: The broth was overwhelmingly shiitake-heavy, and the udon noodles were overcooked. While the tempura was good, it was the same portion as the entrée set for the same price--might as well get the udon.- Chicken Katsu & Teriyaki: Both were standard and unremarkable.- Misoyaki Butterfish: Easily the best dish. The fish was fresh, tender, and perfectly fried.The side dishes and salad were fine, but they didn't elevate the meal enough to justify the cost. My dad upgraded to a complete meal for $7, which included watered-down root beer (with no refills despite multiple requests) and two tiny pieces of mochi ice cream... definitely not worth it.While we're glad we gave it a try, we won't be coming back.

Not a great rating because it has been one of the worst service I have ever experienced.Our waiter was great and did his best. However, the place is understaff and the bartender did not even show up, which is a same for a place known for their cocktails.So no cocktail unfortunately.The food though was really good and tasty. It was nice to share several dishes and enjoyed different flavors. Not sure I will go back. Will see if they can solve their staff issue.

I ate at Kuni one night after a school event. My coworker and I chose this place because it was convenient and the reviews were good. I made a reservation through open table and was surprised that Kuni offers 1000 point reservations. Anyway, we were seated quickly at one of their newly renovated booths. The place was packed, we ordered and I noticed that if you're going to order a 2 option combo with sashimi as one of your options, it's actually cheaper by $1 to get a one option teiahoku and order the sashimi on the side. That doesn't make sense to me and even the waiter was confused when I tried to explain it to him. Anyway.... The food is good, but pricey. $30 for dinner without drinks? Yikes! Service was attentive and the interior is nice. I like teiahoku but maybe not enough to come back often.

We were super excited to check Kuni out for dinner the other night. They seemed to have excellent reviews and on our arrival, the place was packed. Almost a sure sign of a solid choice...one would think. We ordered what I thought was a decent spread: udon, tempura, chicken katsu, chicken teriyaki, and butter fish all from their combo menu. All of our entrees were served to our party of four one at a time a I assume in order of being prepared...not normally an issue but my entree (katsu and butter fish) weren't brought out until well after the rest of the food had been delivered to our party. Most of our party were well over halfway through their entrees by the time my food was served. Not sure if the order was just forgotten, or if things just got real backed up, but on the bright side, those two items - when finally served - were extremely fresh/hot.That said, rating the majority of items as "mid" would be a bit generous. With such a large Japanese community on the island, I was a bit surprised the food wasn't better. From the salad and miso soup starters to the chicken teriyaki and udon...truly nothing to write home about...much less charge as much as they do for.The diamond in the rough, however, would have to be their butter fish. Their butter fish truly flies above and beyond on another tier compared to all of the other dishes we ordered. I really enjoyed the miso based sauce and the tenderness of the fish that just melted in my mouth. I can't say that I'd return here, but if I did, I'd just order the butterfish. And nothing else. The butterfish alone brings the overall rating from a 2 to 3 star!

We catered from here on our son's 1st bday back in 2021 and again this year for his 4th bday. Their food is delicious AND they offer DELIVERY (as they are in waipahu and we live in town), more on that later.This year's order: Shrimp tempura, chicken katsu, and shoyu pork. The tempura and katsu was still crunchy, moist inside and come with their own great sauces. Shoyu pork in one of my favorites. Soft, savory, sweet, scrumptious, and some FAT (my fav pieces, haha) Back to delivery, it was $60, but well worth it, as it makes it simple and convenient. So we can spend more time with our son for his party ;-) vs slaving away on the stove and grill haha. They always come with a a warmer box and we live in a condo and on both occasions transported all the food up to our party area in the warmer box. The staff on both occasions were friendly and helpful. We'll definitely come back for more and if ever wonder n that part of waipahu stop in for a great meal.

Lunchtime in Waipahu, Oahu, Hawaii...I was going to do takeout and bring lunch to my mom, but decided to dine in... It turned out to be a good decision...Do you know why?Ordering takeout is like listening to a record vs. going to a concert.Dining at the restaurant is like watching a movie at the theater vs. watching it on your phone.It's the total experience. That's what Kuni's Restaurant reminded me of...Because this is an old school kind of place, it might be taken for granted. However, if it's your first encounter, you might be blown away!I didn't expect such a pleasant interior with simple decor and peppy, contemporary local music. From the outside, it doesn't seem like much... especially since it's located in a humble part of town. The free shared parking lot is fine in the daytime. I'm not so sure about this area when the sun goes down...Zaylee was the competent, friendly server! She cheerfully greeted me at the door and showed me to my table. I had made a reservation online. I wasn't sure how popular this place was. There were other customers, but it wasn't crowded. Maybe dinnertime is busier. Zaylee was so kind to warn me about the upcharged for the Beef Teri Ribeye and Miso Butterfish when I ordered the two-choice meal. It came with rice, miso soup, tsukemono, and green salad. I couldn't finish my lunch even though everything was delicious. I was given a takeout box and a paper bag... thank you!This was a great experience! I wouldn't mind returning. I would dine-in... rather than do takeout! Oh... they also have a catering service!

Made reservations on Yelp but when we got there our hostess/waitress said they no longer do Yelp reservations. For future reservations she said the open table appis best. Came to the restaurant around 745 and was seated at 824ish. The entire restaurant was full and lots of big parties/families. However, the wait was worth it. Ordered teishoku sets (mahi mahi, tempura, Teri beef, and sashimi). If you choose to get the teishoku, get the 2 choice and make sure 1 of your choices is the sashimi. 10 thick cuts with radish is so ONO, buttery and high quality. The reason why we drove all the way from Town to Kuni's was to celebrate my Dads birthday. He said the last time he's been to the restaurant/karaoke bar was in the 80s when him and my mom first met.His meal was discounted (teishoku 1 choice is comped, the difference is charged) and the BEST Birthday Surprise ever...Birthday Bash tickets for our 'Ohana ! Mahalo Ray Jr and Kuni's staff ! They really made my Dad's birthday special. This is what supporting local is all about. We need more local businesses like Kuni's in Hawaii.