Totoya

Have you thought about traveling to Japan to have a good bowl of fresh negitoro miso soup and a fun and small diner place but doesn't got the travel money (and time) to go to Japan every day lol... well Totoya is the right place for a very Japanese style diner, which really reminds you of Japan. The freshness of the scallop and uni, the servers who were very attentive and knowledgeable about each item on the menu. They did an amazing job giving us recommendation and even made our experience a memorable one! My favorite part was their yuzu infused pickled ginger which goes extremely well with the whole dish giving it a punch of flavor.

Is it worth the wait? Ultimately yeah! But if you're not willing to spend 1+ hour in line, it's definitely significantly less busy Tues/Wed/Thurs nights. We got there before opening and could have been seated right away but only if your whole party is there so we ended up doing the second seating. The staff is super sweet and made our experience pretty memorable! One of them (maybe the owner?) remembered one of us from the previous week. The food comes out relatively quick for you hangry people (me) and WOW -- that first bite captivates you in wanting more. Lowkey felt like I was transported back to Japan; everything was super fresh and I surprisingly came out pretty full (granted I did eat some leftovers from my friends but I still would of been happily satisfied regardless) 10/10 would recommend (especially with the soy egg yolk) and wouldn't mind coming back again!

There is likely no better cost to value proposition for Kaisen style Japanese food on the island. Big words I know, but it's true. Totoya offers relatively high quality, fresh seafood at a price that is incredibly hard to compete with. You just have to deal with an occasionally epic line. Yes, this isn't the top tier quality seafood, but look at that price and show me something that can even hope to play in this food league with Totoya, the heavy hitter. Anywho, my partner and my friends were first in line at 4:30 PM on a Sunday afternoon. Every time we have tried so far to go, the line has been so long it is stretched nearly to Koa Pancake House and we ain't got time to wait in line for that, especially when hungry. So we committed to grandparent style eating by getting in line early bird style and were rewarded with the first to be seated prize with at least 18 people behind us when the doors opened at 5 pm. Totoya only has around 14 seats, all bar style, so commit to going early if you want to eat without a long wait. We ordered several Nishiki, Nagomi, shrimp head miso soup bowls. The Nishiki comes with negiotoro, two large pieces of tuna, two to three scallops (depending on the size), two large pieces of salmon, three pieces of uni, snow crab, a spoonful of tobiko, and an extra large scoop of ikura. For $33. I'm not sure they are profitable on with this quality and quantity at that price. And everything was delicious. The fish, while not melt in your mouth, was still fresh and delicious. The scallops tasted very fresh and firm. The negitoro was nothing amazing, but a good filler. The snow crab wasn't the sweetest crab, but it had good texture and good taste. I'm not a huge uni fan, but I liked the fresh taste of the sea that good uni is supposed to taste like. And that ikura? So much spread all around the bowl. My friend got the Nagomi, which is similar to the Nishiki, but it has a sweet red shrimp, but fewer pieces of fish for a reduced price of $25. They also go the shrimp head miso soup and devoured all of it, leaving just exoskeleton. The miso soup that the Nishiki came with was perfectly balanced, not so salty, but with the right flavor.We also got the egg shoyu add on, which was different in a rich sort of way, but I'm not sure it made the experience any better. I did enjoy their house made shoyu, which was already on the table when we sat down. I should note that the wasabi that they placed in the bowl seemed to be of better quality than most sushi style places. Staff seem to be replicating the boisterous nature of some Japan eateries where they get all loud to greet and say goodbye to each guest. Quite different from how many Japanese eateries present themselves in Hawaii. Parking in street or in the two paid nearby lots. The restaurant is clean, well light, with professional, polite staff. The place is credit card only, but they do take American Express. We will be back, but hopefully the lines won't be so bad.

We first learned of Totoya through social media, as many others did, but wow.. it was even better than I expected!We got the Tokujo with seaweed miso soup and Fukuju with crab miso soup. Both bowls were exceptional. The fish tasted incredibly fresh and of high quality - everything mixed together with the sushi rice, nori, and more was simply fantastic. The prices are also extremely reasonable for the quality and amount of fish you get. I'd highly recommend coming but I'm bittersweet knowing next time the wait will most likely be even longer. I can confidently say Totoya was well worth the hype.

I may have gotten lucky because I only waited 5 minutes¯ we got there when they opened and for ampartynof two itbwasnquick the place is small so that's why there's a lines all bar seatinglI enjoyed my bill and thenprice is like any chirsashi on Oahū. This is not Japan. i heard someone ask their son if there was tempura and nō¯ they only serve what you see here's if someone doesn't like raw fish this is not fo them. For me, it was oishi

Totoya, the "new kid" on the block. The word is out...this is the place to go for fresh seafood. Delicious negitoro and kaisen bowls are what is served here. Paired with miso soup. One can upgrade to include shrimp heads or crab.Since I wanted to try all of their seafood I got the Fukuju kaisen bowl. While it was good, I will go without the shrimp next time. I did upgrade my miso soup to include crab. While it was good, think I will forgo the upgrade next time.Friends got the Nishiki and enjoyed it immensely. I might just try that one next time.And hopefully there will be a next time soon! If you hope to get in grab a place in line! We arrived 30 minutes prior to opening and had to wait until second seating. Place accommodates about 15 persons at one time.

Tonight, since there was no line, we decided to try this new place.The inside of the restaurant is quite spacious and inviting.We ordered Nagomi 海鮮丼, which came with a generous portion. However, next time, we'll skip the Uni. Sushi rice can be improved. Unfortunately, there's no BYOB, which was a bit disappointing.

Laundry and friendly welcome when we walked inGreat and quick serviceGreat foodThe ambiance is casual and cozyWill definitely come back to try out other dishes!

Worth the hype! I will definitely come back again. My group went on a weekday, got in line around 4:30 and were able to make first seating. The atmosphere was very unique and staff are super friendly. Viral places like this tend to be a hit or miss but the quality exceeded my expectations.I got the Nagomi Kaisen Bowl, which I feel is the most worth it for the size and variety. Sashimi was soft as butter. I usually don't like seaweed salad but this was the best one I've ever had. Not the normal slimy texture and tasted like sesame. You also have to try their house-made shoyu and yuzu ginger.

I used to live in Japan for many years, speak the language, and go back and forth frequently. It's so awesome to have a place locally where I can eat authentic Japanese food! The staff was so polite and conscientious and the food and atmosphere were both authentic and made me nostalgic. And the portions themselves were great!Definitely recommend giving it a try! I would gladly eat here again.