I love this little place. The owner/chef is really cool you can tell he is very passionate about making the food and owning the place. Very humble guy. His place is small and clean. His food is absolutely delicious. I recommend the tendon plate. His ginger dressing is delicious and all the food is well made and very well put together. His prices are really good too. Overall check his place out, support local businesses. You won’t be disappointed.
Kaliko K.
Classificação do local: 5 Hilo, HI
Ummm… How in the world have I never been here til now?! Omg so good the food and super cheap too! Cash only so be prepared. I had a crunchy sushi roll and mini Menchi Katsu with Brown Rice, Salad and Picked Veggies. So so Ono and all for only $ 8!!! Definitely gonna check this place out again.
Stephen H.
Classificação do local: 5 San Francisco, CA
This is a one-man show. no eating on the premesis. You get your bento and get out. I have had so many satisfactory lunches here, his kim-chee fried rice is one of my mainstays and his musubi are definitely worth it. My husband will often just buy me a bento from his counter for lunch and it really doesn’t matter whats in it, it’s all good.
Shirene T.
Classificação do local: 5 Hilo, HI
The Best Ever! A Hole in the wall; but to die for literally! Very authentic nice guy!
Laurie H.
Classificação do local: 4 Oakland, CA
Kimchee fried rice with tofu. Kimchee fried rice with tofu. Kimchee fried rice with tofu. You know I’m closing my eyes and clicking my heels while I repeat this phrase so that I will be transported back to Tamari and this meal, right? So happy to stumble upon this as I wandered Hilo while my daughter practiced for Merrie Monarch. It was the perfect combination of fast food/freshly made. All he had to do was wok-it-up for me and I had an amazing lunch that was warm and hearty and delicious. I will definitely be back to sample other menu items… but then again… I may just go for what I know I love!
Eric Robert R.
Classificação do local: 4 Manoa, Honolulu, HI
This was my surprise find on my latest visit to «sleepy town» Hilo! Located on that French sounding street, 22 Furneaux Lane, in downtown Hilo! Wait… It IS a French name! It’s located next to a 5-stars rated Thai restaurant and my favorite pastry shop, Moonstruck Patisserie! Oui, oui, you got it… A French styled bakery/café! So yes, this hidden gem was found on a French Lane next to a French bakery! And yet, we’re talking Japanese food… TAMARIJAPANESELUNCHSHOP! And ironically if Kawamato Okazuya & Hilo Lunch Shop were actually opened(closed on Monday) I probably wouldn’t have ventured here… Well, maybe next door for some French pastry! However, the calendar says it’s «Monday» and a lot of the signature places are closed! So, my legs lead me to… TAMARIJAPANESELUNCHSHOP! I found it neat that it had«healthy food» tucked somewhere on the sign! I walk in and immediately noticed how tiny this place is — like«smaller than a toilet in Shibuya tiny!» Yet, it was very clean, organized and oh so wabisabi! A minimalist place that sells«healthy» Japanese foods, or so the sign says! I was also pleasantly stoked with the prices! I immediately noted spam musubi for .99 cents! Can that be healthy? Oh well. I also noticed the plate lunch specials… Mini $ 4.95(1entree, 1 scoop rice, tsukemono) Regular $ 6.50(2 entrees, 2 scoops rice, tsukemono) Large $ 7.95(3 entrees, 2 scoops rice, tsukemono) Those prices. Those amazingly cheap prices. Wow! So, I order the Regular and choose the Sweet & Spiced Chicken and the Pork Curry as my main. You have about a dozen choices to choose. Once again, Rice(soft & fluffy), Tsukemono(Japanese vegetables) or Tossed Salad are part of the deal! Plus, generous scoops, too! A’right! It was simply DELICIOUS. Very GENEROUS. And CHEAP! So yes, I highly recommend this little known spot called… TAMARIJAPANESELUNCHSHOP! A healthy alternative-type Japanese takeout restaurant somewhat hidden in Old Hilo Town! It’s a great option even if Kawamoto Okazuya & Hilo Lunch Shop are open, too! The owner, who’s also the cook, and the dude that scoops the food — we talked story, but I noticed he was fresh from Japan — I did get that he’s been here about 3 years and has a «Yelp Loves Us» sticker on the door! Just remember it’s takeout only! It’s definitely worth a try and best part is you’ll have enough coins for dessert! OVERALLGRADE: 4.2-STARS!
Lauren G.
Classificação do local: 5 Hilo, HI
One of my favorite lunch spots. My favorite is the Tofu Stir Fry and the Croquettes… he has rotating specials and everything is YUMMY! FYI, it is cash only and has no seating.
Dania-Maria K.
Classificação do local: 4 Kailua-Kona, HI
If you’re looking for something yummy and quick try Tamari! Everything I’ve tried here so far has been delicious. I like that you have three options sizes with the plate lunch type items. I ordered a mini plate with the spiced sweet chicken. It came with one scoop rice(brown or white, your choice), some pickled vegetables, a little salad(with a yummy gingery dressing, if my taste buds aren’t completely off), and about four pieces of the chicken(so juicy!). The combination of all the flavors worked well together with this plate lunch. The mini plate was $ 4.25. I also had the apple kenicha(I think that’s how it was spelled) tea. I love that tea, it is very refreshing, especially on a muggy, humid day in downtown Hilo. The prices for the other items are very reasonable. My friend had the chicken katsu curry which only comes in a regular plate lunch size, meaning two scoops of rice, salad, and pickled veggies. It was big man. Lots of food for about $ 8 or $ 8.50 if my memory hasn’t failed me. I highly recommend this spot if you want to grab something to take back to work or home.
Sara A.
Classificação do local: 4 Pāhoa, HI
Tamari’s Lunch Shop is a small take-out lunch shop on Furneaux Lane that serves delicious food at a cheap price. It’s a cute, little shop and I think it may only be run by one guy. There is no place to sit down in Tamari’s, so you just pick up to go. Tamari’s is known for serving healthy options, so if you’re looking for quality food and don’t want to bust your waistline, this is the place for you. There are a bunch of options to choose from — veggie curry, tofu croquettes, nishime, pork katsu, musubis, tempura, and much more. The mini plates come with one selection from the hotline, one scoop rice(option of white or brown), and salad for only $ 4.25! My favorite was the veggie curry and tofu croquette. Everything is made fresh and whatever isn’t on the hotline is made to order, so if you’re in a rush to just pick up and leave I’d go somewhere else. But if you endure the wait, you will be satisfied at the results.
Federico I.
Classificação do local: 4 Valencia, CA
Small take out restaurant with healthy and vegetarian Japanese food.
Victor H.
Classificação do local: 4 Sunnyvale, CA
Small little take out place. A lone Japanese guy runs the place. He’s the cook, server, and cashier. I guess he only makes one huge pot of rice and when he’s out, he’s out until he reopens in the evening. All he had was brown rice left. We ordered the pork curry and garlic shrimp special over brown rice. Both were great. You have to love curry and garlic because both were potently flavorful.
Bonnie S.
Classificação do local: 4 Hilo, HI
I just got finished eating my meal from there. I am very surprised! I walked down Furneaux Lane with no real direction except to find food. The smells wafting out of this place were like something out of one of those cartoons, where the good smells physically carry you right into the place. The place was small, with just a counter for ordering, a shelf with take out goodies, and a fridge with beverages. They had the hot stuff behind the counter to make mix plate with, which sounded reasonably priced It all looked pretty good, but for my first visit I decided I should try something off of their wall menu, though I wanted to try the tofu croquette. I ordered the chicken katsu curry, which I got with brown rice, and it came with some greens on the side(the greens were nothing spectacular, but the bite of pickles was good and the dressing was delicious). I must say, I wasn’t expecting much from the food, but the curry was ONO! Well seasoned and spiced, and the katsu was actually well breaded, seasoned, and fried but not greasy. I was sad that it didn’t come with more katsu to eat with the rice and curry sauce, but I am full now! I will definitely be returning to try some other stuff. They only take cash, but it is a perfect use for my left over farmer’s market money on Saturdays(the only day I would be able to go since they close by 2PM).
K A.
Classificação do local: 3 Waikoloa Village, HI
Tried this place for the first time today. Had the regular plate(2 scoops rice, tossed salad, 2 selections from hot line, and tsukemono) for $ 6.50. I chose nishime which was ok and menchi katsu which had good flavor. I liked that they offered both white and brown rice. I was looking forward to trying the vegetarian lasagna because I’ve heard good things about it, but it’s only served on select days. The girl at the counter was very friendly. Cash only. Overall a decent place.
Amanda Z.
Classificação do local: 3 Honolulu, HI
Checked out the new Japanese deli in downtown Hilo a few weeks ago. The shop is small(no seats), but clean. It’s okazuya style, but with very limited offerings. They also have small musubis and bentos on the side. We tried the veggie curry mini w/brown rice, which came with a couple leafs of lettuce(«salad») and tsukemono. The curry was decent, but not amazing. We also got the croquette(good), menchi katsu — deep fried hamburger(soggy), spring roll(soggy) and the rolled egg(average). The second time we tried the pork curry(okay), tofu lasagna(surprisingly good), and the bento — bonito flakes, half menchi katsu, nishime(okay, but seems to have been sitting out a while). Overall, it has potential, but needs to work out the kinks(no more soggy fried dishes, please!).
