Gyotaku Japanese Restaurant

I have now eaten at Gyotaku on S. King St. three times now, in a period of a couple of months. I just wanted to make sure that this place is as good as my first impression was. Sure, I have eaten here before. In fact, my parents use to eat here for years before I started to bring my wife (they would love to invite me to join them). Well, here it goes. This is my favorite place to eat in all of Honolulu... as of right now (this could change at anytime). Hot Pot Heaven was my previous favorite place, but the prices have skyrocketed making a casual visit too pricey for me and my wife. Somehow, Gyotaku has defied the trend of overpriced meals and offers an UNBELIEVABLY VALUE PACKED meal for a very reasonably price dinner bill. Last night, by wife and I had what had to be the GREATEST TASTING DINNER that we have eaten in what feels like a decade. And I can honestly say that both my wife and I have eaten at A LOT OF PLACES in the last few years. I picked the combination dinner which gives you a choice of 3 or 4 tasty protein items. My wife picked the Udon dinner which included sushi. Every items, salads, miso soup, teriyaki beef, chicken katsu, tempura, udon, sushi... everything we ate gave us an incredible feeling of Zen... just perfection in everyday (actually, my chicken katsu was a bit overcooked, but still very very delicious and tender). The teriyaki beef was the absolute best teri-beef that I have ever eaten (tasty, super super super super super tender, and just the right amount of sweetness). Our bill came out to $46. Unbelievable! The decor is nice and well appointed. The service matched the quality of the food. Our dinners did take a bit longer to get to us than I felt it should but still within reason. All in all, just an amazing dinner experience that both my wife and I still have goose bumps just thinking about.

We went there for my mom and sister's birthday. The food was outstanding. Great fresh fish and the tempura was light and crispy. Everyone enjoyed their main course and the deserts were fantastic. There is a large selection on the menu, salads, main courses, noodles, sushi and combinations. The prices are very reasonable. The service was quick and friendly. Make reservations in advance if you are going there on the weekend or dinner or have a large group.

Definitely order up a sake flight for the table. It's fun to taste the different types and compare notes. Tempura, huge sushi order portions make it a great value, and the combos offer something for everyone. I ordered to types of sushi rolls and it was WAY more than I could eat. Service was efficient, decor done with shoji screens but not over the top, and the place was bumping. Highly recommend!

Although the TripAdvisor listing is for the King Street location, this review is for the Aina Haina location which is not listed separately here. Among the six of us, we had a variety of dishes and were pleased with all of them. The service was excellent.