Sushi Ginza Onodera

This is the same restaurant chain located in various states across the US and also in Japan. They've been awarded Michelin stars are other venues and would probably have one here if Hawaii had the Michelin Guide. We came for dinner (reservation only) and had the $300/person omakase. They follow traditional Japanese standards and do not/will not accept gratuity. You simply pay the expected $300 and any add-ons + tax and that's it. Staff also remind you of this once the bill comes. Service was AMAZING. Staff was spot-on with my needs and gave me what I wanted even before I asked for it. For example, I was close to finishing my green tea and was going to ask for a glass of water. Lo and behold, a glass of water appeared before me seconds before I was about to request one. The food was excellent and fish were all very fresh. There were only a couple pieces of nigiri that I didn't care for (just personal preference). Prior to starting the course, staff asked if we had any dietary restrictions. I was also asked whether I liked certain fish/shellfish, and I honestly replied that I didn't care much for shrimp. They then proceeded to customize my meal so that shrimp did not show up on in any of my omakase courses! I was so stuffed, I couldn't order any of the extra add-ons at the end of the meal. We sat at the counter, but saw that there were a few rooms that could accommodate small groups. Friendly reminded to not wear any scents at the bar! I speak for myself as I personally have a sensitive nose and an unfortunate aversion to strong fragrances, but I'm sure there's others out there that might have the same issue. PSA: future patrons, please be considerate of others and not wear smelly perfumes/colognes. TY!

Very good omakasei sushi and also upgraded to toro steaks.Service was okay but not needed since I sat at the counter but the presentation was great to watch!

The best sushi omakase you can get in Honolulu without breaking the bank, or your cedit card, is their lunch. Currently offered only on saturday and Sunday, strictly by reservation. Yes, there are several sushi omakase at lower price points that are highly thought of, but Ginza Onodera's quality handily beats them all.The counter will seat 8 pax maximum, and conveniently their hole-in-the-wall garage next door holds 4 vehicles so buddy up! You can check in early but you won't be seated until a few minutes before the start of the meal so wait in your car and listen to Apple Music, or stand on the noisy street in the wind. Once seated service will be attentive and efficient. Don't speak Japanese? English is spoken by everyone. Every dish will be explained in English, often with pictures and English names for the neta on a notepad - you have no excuse not to caption your pictures!What is served will change frequently, day to day in many cases. The order of neta served will also vary with what they get in and the itamae's skills and preference. Dinner is a bigger production than lunch with the evening's neta being displayed, but don't expect theatrics at this Honolulu outpost. With few exceptions, usually supplements, flavors are also not piled on in layers. Each piece is not going to be picture perfect and uniform though you can see the itamae's precision and economy of movement as he shapes each coursed nigiri. No gas torched aburi neta - they flame sear over charcoal in the back and you can taste bits of smoke and char at times.People will comment about not being "wowed" by the taste of some items, or they don't enjoy the texture, or it didn't look like the pictures they saw. Each itamae has a unique style within the requirements of Ginza Onodera. Mine's was sufficiently proud of his kohada to serve it near the beginning of the meal. Very few diners appreciate the tedious work and skill it takes to make a standout kohada, and few diners appreciate its taste. The kohada had just enough sour bite to complement the salty sour akasu rice. It was a preparation of your tastebuds for the fattier items following. An akami zuke and a nakaochi nigiri were equally standouts - the akami marinated just a few minutes to add richness to the lean meat, the nakaochi shaped using a shiso leaf to add a faint bright fresh scent.Elsewhere, I've seen a huge bluefin tuna head displayed with a paper tag indicating the date the whole fish was shipped and its whole weight. I've seen a huge live spiny lobster paraded in front of me before being unceremoniously dispatched to the back to be served as sashimi. I've seen diners covetously wanting to handle a two person knife used to cut a whole bluefin tuna. None of that here ... hopefully. But if it happens, enjoy the theatrics. Otherwise, this is an extremely good omakase with it's best value at lunch.

WOW!!Sushi Ginza Onodera left me speechless! Good, service, quality, price, just wowI made a reservation on Yelp BFF's birthday for an omakase luncheon at the sushi counter. It's $150 per person for the Sora course, which comes with an appetizer, 10 piece nigiri, 5 premium nigiri pieces, tamagoyaki, miso soup, and dessert. They were also very thoughtful about my food allergies. Here's the list of what we ate:Appetizer - chawanmushi1. Kue (grouper)2. Ottoro (fatty tuna)3. Buri (yellowtail)4. Sumi ika (cuttlefish)5. Aji (horse mackerel)6. Kinme dai (golden snapper)7. Maguro with yuzu8. Sugurai (conch)9. Katsuo (bonito)10. Kohada (gizzard shad)Premium nigiri1. Salmon roe2. Kegani (hairy crab)3. Saba (mackerel)4. Tuna tartar5. Nodo guro (black throat sea perch)They also gave us a small portion of uni (my favorite). Some of the nigiri I was familiar with and it was my first time trying others. Overall, I loved everything that was presented. Expect to spend approximately 2 hours at lunch. After dessert, the sushi chef and staff brought out a small piece of cake and sang Happy Birthday to BFF. At the end, the chef gifted us 2 pairs of chopsticks. It was such a memorable experience. The next time you are planning to celebrate an event, Sushi Ginza Onodera is the perfect place.Thanks for reading my reviews! Let me know what I should try next!

Wife took me here for a birthday lunch. I've never been to such a fancy omakase restaurant before! They have a few really tight stalls on the side but there is street parking and some other small pay lots in the area.The service was impeccable, I really felt welcomed and taken care of. We sat at the bar and got to watch the chef work his magic! He told us what every fish was that was being served and then the attendant would come by and show us a picture of said fish.All the sushi given to us was so good! Very buttery and melt in your mouth. I liked the amount of wasabi he put between the fish and the rice. The rice itself wasn't quite like normal white rice or even sushi rice, can't explain it but it was good.We had 15 pieces of sushi in total along with miso soup and a dessert. They came out with a surprise cake for my birthday which was super sweet of them.

If you want a traditional omakase experience, this is the place to go. Our party of 5 came here for lunch to celebrate my birthday. My son treated us to this amazing meal - instead of the lunch omakase, he opted for the dinner meal. I counted 20 courses and dessert. Some of the dishes were as follows:ChawanmushiOctopusOtoro steakBonitodifferent types of sashimiUniSquidYellowtailNegitoro wrap (tasted like a loco moco)Black throat fishWe were seated at the counter and was able to see the chef prepare the dishes. Our chef was funny. He said heʻs orginally from the Haneda, Tokyo and was photobombing some of our pics. The rest of the staff were very attentive also - making our experience there a relaxing and wonderful. At the end, the staff sang happy birthday and I got a yuzu cheesecake plus 2 pairs of chopsticks from the chef (those wooden chopsticks are so good to pick up sashimi).

Golden eyed snapper ChutoroGizzard shadBonitoKing salmon MackerelYellowjackCuttlefishBluefin tunaSweet shrimpTuna tartareSea perch UniEelTamagoThe service is excellent. But the fish is not special as I thought, generally very ordinary.

The first question I'm sure Yelpers will ask when they see my rating: Why didn't you give this place a perfect five star rating? My brief answer: It's excellent but trades setting, the show of making sushi, and the art of up-selling for a truly exceptional experience. I'll explain infra. For perspective, I've eaten sushi in Japan and other major cities and travel extensively. Food: We ordered a ten piece prix fixe for $200/person. The offerings ranged from very "low end" cuts of sushi to a few medium grade items. The sushi portions were just a little smaller than what I would classify as average. Some items were very good and some were disappointing. Examples of disappointing items: 1. Cold Japanese steamed egg- I wasn't expecting a cold steamed egg, and the combination of texture, temperature, and flavor wasn't very good. 2. Squid- beautifully prepared but squid is a poor man's sushi. 3. Mackerel- I view mackerel as bait fish for real sushi (I've been deep sea fishing in the Pacific and used mackerel as bait). 4. Shrimp- I didn't even eat the shrimp. Chef was surprised, but it didn't go to waste. My wife ate it and said it was just ok. 5. Miso soup was good but served a bit tepid. On the positive side, the singular piece of tuna was good quality and very tasty. It wasn't Oh Toro fatty, but it was good. Service: Good but micro managing service. The staff wants everything to be perfect from its perspective. For example, one patron at the bar wanted to share his sake with his wife. The waitress sternly corrected the young man and said no sharing is allowed. The show: Sitting at the bar was interesting to see master sushi chefs at work up close. Comfort: Sitting at the bar for two hours on an uncomfortable stool with your knees jammed into the counter with barely any room between patrons was horrible. Also, if you're unfortunately seated at the bar with less than stellar bar-mates, the whole experience can be excruciating. Ambiance: Formal Japanese ambiance with a very modern, clean vibe. Value: If you want to pay for a show rather than sushi, by all means Sushi Ginza Onodera is worth it. Also, expect up-selling after the prix fixe. Another menu with additional items is offered after the meal. For $36, we ordered two very small tuna rolls. They were good but not exceptional. If you are an epicurean focused more on food than show, skip Sushi Ginza Onodera and go to Gaku or another sushi restaurant in Honolulu. At the end of our meal, including one beer, an extra tuna roll, and our prix fixe, our bill approached $500, and I needed a snack later that evening. For the same money you can eat like a king, including indulging on some Oh Toro bluefin at Gaku and be truly satiated. In sum, concerning value Sushi Ginza Onodera is low on the value spectrum judging solely by food. For the show and experience, I see some value added but this metric largely drives my four star rating (along with lack of comfort as a lesser metric). Overall cleanliness: perfectBathroom cleanliness: perfect

Love the sake cups that's my first impression. Food wise I think it is ok. Or maybe because my appetizer was not good that night. Service is good as expected. Entering the room has some kind sewer smell, maybe just that day. Later on you will not recognize that since used to it.

The restaurant was small and quaint, it only had about 7 seats at the sushi counter, which is about the entirety of the restaurant. The staff there are phenomenal and extremely nice. They really care about the service they provide, constantly cleaning your area, filling your drink, and even show you a picture of the fish for each piece.The restaurant was omakase style, and you have the option to add a few more pieces to it at the end. They served about 15 pieces, along with two apps, and dessert. The sushi itself was overall good, 3-4 outstanding pieces, and the rest were good. Not a single piece was fishy, nor an undesirable texture. My only complaint is that the eel had small fish bones in it. Overall, solid sushi place. As a side note, they refuse to accept tips, as traditionally it's included in the price.