Daiichi Noodles Cafe

I came here hoping some hot ramen would help my cold. Instead it made it worse. I had the tonkotsu ramen & shortly after eating I started to feel nauseous & my throat became swollen. Come to find out **THEY PUT PEANUTBUTTER IN THEIR BROTH & THERE IS NO ALLERGY WARNING** I’m allergic to peanuts, luckily I grew out of it enough that I don’t go into anaphylactic shock. What if it was a little child eating the broth who has this allergy?! When we confronted them about it they simply said «we told the owner already»… OKAY. PUT UP A WARNING SIGN! Never again.

The pork fried rice has fish cake in it. This is not listed on the menu or clear from the picture. When I asked for one without, they said okay but the new one they brought me still tasted of fish and had random pieces of fish cake in it. In addition, the waitress was not listening to us when we ordered. I had to repeat my wife’s order to her when she didn’t get it right. And the food was basically thrown onto our table as the waitress ran by. By the way, the place was less than half full while we were there…

Food is excellent but service is awful. We ordered our food and got our curry and ramen fast. Then we waited and waited and waited for our gyoza. I had to ask where the gyoza was. By the time we got it, we were already done with our meal. No apologies from server. It didn’t appear like anyone knew what they were doing. They had enough kitchen help and restaurant wasn’t crowded. They obviously aren’t smart enough to figure out how to get everything plated at the same time.

Whenever I’m ono for ramen, this is where I go to. Inexpensive, but good selection and worth it for you money!

After reading positive reviews we were hopeful for a good experience at Daiichi, however, that wasn’t the case.
The Pros:
— Large portions, plenty to eat, more than you can have in one serving
— Easy to read menu with photos for those not used to a ramen/​curry restaurant
The Cons:
— Found the staff to be completely indifferent and uninterested in our business. We were not welcomed, and when we sat down, not only was the order incorrect, but the rest of the time the staff (3 people out front) all on their phones the entire time. They didn’t check to see if we needed anything or how things were, but rather just stared at their phones the entire time we were there.
There are too many options in Aiea, and around the area to be bothered with somewhere that doesn’t care about service as a top priority. I’d skip Daiichi and try somewhere else. Do yourself a favor and realize a large portion of ramen isn’t worth the poor service.

I never leave reviews unless service or food is really bad. But as mentioned in other reviews the waitresses aren’t polite at all, they make you feel rushed when ordering and quite frankly probably don’t even know how to smile.
To start my friend asked the waitress which is better the tan tan or spicy beef ramen. Her reply was «the tan tan has pork and the spicy beef has beef». I understand there may be a language barrier but if I wanted to know what was in the ramen broth I could’ve read the descriptions.
I ordered the Mabo tofu ramen which was more like a Mabo tofu pasta. There was absolutely no broth in my ramen. I asked the waitress for more broth her reply was «no. Why?» Simply pointed at my ramen that was broth less and she gave me a blank stare.
Friend mentioned above decided to go with the tan tan but only ate a few bites due to being too salty. Now I understand ramen is meant to be salty. The base is usually made from some kind of sodium base. But to the point of not even being able to eat it?!? When we asked for the bill the waitress noted that he barely ate his food. Didn’t ask was anything wrong when he declined a take out container.
Here’s to say never eating here again and when the reviews say service sucks believe them!

Been here twice now for lunch after church. Huge portion sizes, excellent curry, clean establishment and fast courteous service. The portion size is actually large enough that it can be split between two persons, which is what we do. Ample parking available in the back if front spaces are full.

I have been to this location twice and must say that Daiichi food is yummy, but the service could use some minor improvements. Walk in the first time & we’re greeted & seated. Second time, we walk in and are invisible. We seat our selves & someone brings us a menu not too long after, so that was great.
The first time we came, one of the waitresses brought our plates of food including a little serving dish for katsu sauce and spills some on the floor & our table (and she wasn’t even aware of it). I even told her about it (very nicely) and no sorry whatsoever. Maybe she didn’t hear me? Idk.
Anyway, that is pretty much my service complaints. With that said, they also did some really great things. They filled our water cups right away & provided us with a separate bowl for my niece as they could tell by our order that we would be sharing.
For both visits, we ordered two combos. I had the tan tan udon and I loved it! My fave tan tan spot for sure… Sesame-​chili goodness! I also added more chili powder & the dried minced garlic that they have. I’ve also tried the pork tonkatsu ramen and that was pretty tasty too. They cook their noodles nicely too.
For the sides, I really enjoy their katsu items. It’s coated & fried really well. Crispy & delicious! My niece especially loves the spam katsu. She can eat the two thick pieces & her little bowl of ramen! I haven’t tried anything on the menu that I didn’t like, so I’ll for sure be back to try more :)
P.s: You get a huge amount of food for really decent prices!

This place is always a winner! The food is always consistent. The servers are pretty good and quick. Will definitely be back

I used to love this place and still do but the Kapolei and ewa locations this one in aiea is terrible especially the employees asked them if ac is broken then they check said no I said can you please turn it up its hot as he’ll plus I’m dropping with sweat ugh then asked them again to turn it down to make it cooler then she turns and talks to the other employees wick sounded like grumble grumble grumble fricken hate it when they talk another language then English never coming here again

Cheap lunch dates are always fun! There’s so many choices to choose from. I always get their combos which comes with a mini ramen of choice and a side like gyoza or curry rice ($ 7.50). It doesn’t get cheaper than that! We tried their tan tan and it was just okay. Hard to go anywhere after having Gomatei’s version. Their kids ramen is a good size portion when you’re not too hungry. For all you garlic lovers, they have this garlic seasoning and chili oil. Add it in and enjoy!
And btw, their take out portions are HUGE! We’ve gotten the chicken katsu curry plate which comes with a side bowl of curry and a big plate lunch of rice and katsu. The katsu was covering the whole thing!

Very good food and good prices. The goyza is very tasty. The ramen is one of the best. Tan tan ramen is very tasty and spicy. They say it’s also healthy. My boys love the fried rice.

I have come to this location several times before and service is usually always good. Tonight was a little different. There were 7 of us and it wasn’t really crowded. We all ordered. Some of us got mini ramen combo with 2 choices, some got the chicken katsu curry, etc. Our food came out one persons order at a time. So, I got my mini ramen, I finished it before the next person got their food. Then the next mini ramen came out and they finished it before the next person got their food. And it kept going like this. Finally after everyone got their food, we got our 2 choices that came with the mini ramen. Luckily the food is always good. Maybe we just caught them on a bad night.

Great food, had Tan tan and gyoza.
However, could use more staffing. Wait was long. Only one waitress, she did cashier too.

I ate dinner here with my buddy about 2 hours ago. Service was prompt and very friendly. Our ramen was delivered to our table quickly and it was piping hot. The portions were generous and the prices were very reasonable. I have no complaints.
The menu and format for Chinese-​operated ramen establishments like Daiichi appears to use a pretty standard template (similar to how L&L barbeque type restaurants are). Daiichi executes this better than most I have been to. I appreciate how they seemed to really care about food quality and cleanliness (not all of them do).
I noticed on their menu that they have about 6 locations around the island.

I LOVE THE RAMEN. It was so good and definitely hit the spot with the cold winter weather. Soup was hearty and noodles not soggy or hard. Generous on the garnish too
topped it off with the hook up in the gyoza.
missionaccomplished. tummy full.
NEXT ITEMS TO TRY ON THE MENU, IS THE FRIED RICE AND CHICKEN.

Came here with my family and we ordered mini tonkatsu/​tan tan combos with gyoza, fish katsu, and fried rice. So much food for a cheap price! The ramens came out fast, but gyoza didn’t come until we were almost done with our meal. Overall, everything tasted super good! I love daichii!

Love their chicken katsu curry. It’s so ono. This is a place to go if your around aiea area. When you walk in its a nice atmosphere. You can see them cooking from where you seat.
If you go anywhere between 2:30−5. You’ll get a free gyoza. However I got a kau kau card that also gets you free gyoza.
Tons of other shop around this area so that means there’s tons of parking.

The Back Up Plan.
And certainly Daiichi is a favorable «back up» if craving ramen and not wanting, or just being lazy to drive into town to more well-​known/​popular restaurants (i.e. Goma Tei, Kiwami, Hokkaido Santouka).
With all of this recent «cold» weather, my craving for ramen sort of intensified, yet I was too lazy to make my way to town. Enter Daiichi. Located in Aiea Shopping Plaza (near Young’s Kalbee), there is ample parking available within their lot.
The menu is diverse with offerings of noodles, fried rice, curry, and other sides. Combo meals are also an option. To satisfy my craving I chose the tan tan ramen, while my friend opted for a combo of fried rice and gyoza. The «back up» tan tan ramen was satisfactory for the most part. The portion not as large, the noodles not as fat nor the char siu as thick as you might find at other ramen restaurants (i.e. Goma Tei). However, it was certainly a welcome substitute on a chilly evening. My friend enjoyed his food as well, no complaints from him. Sauces and chopsticks readily available on our table as well.
SETTING/​SERVICE: Service also satisfactory. Seating is available at various tables or at the counter (near the kitchen area). We were greeted upon entering and directed to sit any open table. Server was friendly and attentive throughout the meal.
BOTTOM LINE: A suitable alternative on the west side for ramen/​noodles.

My family and I come from afar (town – which by mainland standards, is not far at all, but hey, we live on an island). So when we decide to eat here for dinner out of all different places on this side, you know it’s gotta be pretty special.
My sister, mom and I ALWAYS order the same thing. Three orders of the crispy noodles with mabo tofu on the side. The crispy noodles are thin (unlike cake noodles which are on the thicker side), and are deep fried to be super crispy. Amazingly enough, they are not super greasy, I don’t know how they do it. On the side is a pretty darn decent portion of mabo tofu. Scalding hot, no matter how hungry you are, please do not DO NOT forget to cool it down before ingesting it. LOL, major burns. The mabo tofu is delectable; it is a bit spicy, with tofu, onions, beef, the sauce that it is in is great. But don’t just eat it by itself! When you put it on the crispy noodles, it becomes a medley of textures, soft from the tofu, crispy from the noodles, crunchy from the onions perfectly cooked in.
The food here is definitely affordable and well worth it. The people are friendly, and are prompt with orders. We never have had a complaint despite coming here every so often.