Tough to say… I haven’t been to Mitch’s or Sasabune (my local friends recommend them both, but didn’t have time to check them out), but recommended Kona Kai since it was a cheaper alternative to Sasabune and the food was fantastic. I haven’t been for a few years, but Hakone (3rd floor inside the Hawaii Prince Hotel) was fantastic also (I think if you go on Fri/Sat they have a sushi chef there to cut the sashimi to order, they toro the time I went). It’s more of a buffet though, but they have various items. Also, if you like ramen, check out Lucky Belly, 50 N. Hotel St.
William - Thank you for the Lucky Belly reco. I like the focused menu. Also noticed they have a corkage of $15 which they wave if your wine is 5 yrs or older. That’s an interesting hurdle for corkage…Cheers, Gary
Add - Looks like Honolulu Mag did a review soon after Lucky Belly opened. Favorable review and interestingly they want to be known for their sake list. That’s a good thing…
No problem, Gary! Enjoy your meals out there!
Gary, I highly recommend that you sit at the sushi bar at Tokkuri Tei 449 Kapahulu ave. and start talking to the young chef. He will amaze you. Sometimes they are open for lunch as well. I have been blown away for the past 3 years!
After a few days of MIL home cooked meals we had a chance to try Maguro Ya sushi in Kaimuki. The place is smallish and they gear their business to local repeat customers which are typically Japanese speaking. Lucky for me my spouse speaks Japanese. We tried a wide range of nigiri sushi and it is all fresh. Some pieces have inventive additions of sauce, citrus peel, or shiso leaf that enhance the fish. We were lucky to have many different cuts of tuna including several ‘toro’ preparations. All were good with the exception two pieces which were chewy. The pieces are right sized for a single bite which I appreciated. The rice prep needs a little more stickiness so that it holds together from plate to mouth. Overall this place is a bargain with very good quality fish and some inventiveness by the sushi master. Is it up to the standard of Sasabune not in my opinion but I would be happy to come to this place many times over at a reasonable price. For out of town visitors note that Maguro Ya is a locals place and should you need menu explanations( essentially no translation of items) just ask. Will try one more place before I leave the islands next week…Cheers, Gary
Round 2 - Tokkuri Tei : This is a second floor restaurant in the old Sam Choy space on Kapahulu Ave. Pretty spacious inside but the sushi bar is relatively small. Large menu of all kinds of light bites and complete meals. Good translation of the menu items and the wine list has some fun descriptions. Sushi list is not long but it carries all of the usual suspects with special daily items not mentioned there but by sushi maker. This restaurant has a nice sake list to accompany the sushi. The fish was fresh and flavorful on a straightforward presentation. The exception was a fresh oyster on rice wrapped in nori with shiso, green onion, micro ginger dusting, and ponzu sauce. The maguro, hamachi, shima aji were spot on for freshness, texture, and flavor. The rice was nicely done and held together. My only rub on the fish sushi was that it was a bit too large and thick. The sushi size is reflected in higher pricing. By no means is it super expensive but its higher than some other Honolulu options. Also the way in which the sake is served(glass overflow into small box = 2 small glasses) it ends up being a bit pricy. Super friendly service. This is a very good place to visit and enjoy the sushi. …Cheers, Gary