Ezogiku

I love this place! The owners are really nice and they give great deals! I’ve been here so much that the owners know my order :)
Their sesame chicken and tempura are delicious!

This place has been open for decades. I love it here and always get their miso ramen every time I’m in town.

Owner is probably the sweetest lady ever!!! So refreshing… had the mabo tofu ramen… hit the spot!

I love it here. The owners are so nice and friendly.
This has been my new favorite spots for ramen.
I come here for the mabo tofu ramen!
I get mines spicy. They have a mild option too for people who can’t eat spicy (like my boyfriend).
Its so flavorful. For $ 3.50 more you can had gyoza and fried rice to any order of ramen which I always have to get. Their fried rice is also really good! I definitely recommend.
I also like that they aren’t as crowded as other place so you don’t have to wait for seating and your food comes out pretty fast.

Worst service I’ve ever received from a restaurant in a while. So my friend wanted to go because they like their fried rice and I’ve never been there before.
So as soon as I entered there these two male customers who started checking us out. Like EWWWWWW .you’re like 50 and im a college student and that’s just so gross. Plus they were checking us out the entire time we were there, like double ew .
But anyways, that’s why not why I’m giving them 1 star, I’m giving them one star for their terrible customer service, lack of clensiness, and the food .
So I have a severe peanut allergy, like if there’s cross contamination in my food I need to go to the ER. So there I was asking if they used peanut oil or any peanuts in any of their cooking, he CUTS me off and tells me no practically shouting it in my face. Like what the heck? First of all, cutting someone off is EXTREMELY rude, and secondly, my life is on the line eating here.
So we get our napkins, and there are ANTS crawling ALL over my napkin. Like wtf. That’s gotta be a safety violation .
So my experience isn’t all that pleasant to begin with, and then comes the food .
and ohhhh boyyyy, that gyoza was so sad, and a disappointment. The gyoza was so too small to be worth 4 bucks. I’ve had humongous pieces from so many places that was 4 dollars.
And my my my, it gets better.
The gyoza was slightly undercooked so I got kind of sick after. I wanted to throw up pretty badly like fifteen minutes after I finished it.
Old man, I don’t know you are, but I’m probably not coming back here ever again. Also, I don’t want to be checked out by a bunch of old men who are apparently regulars because you seemed happy talking to them but gave my friend and I terrible service.

Slow service, very bland, tasteless soup. Noodles are horrible, gyoza was burned and looked unappetizing. Char siu tasted weird, didn’t even bother trying the fish cake :/​I’d honestly rather have instant ramen.
Their Waimalu location is much, much better. I don’t care much for the small area and old tables, for it doesn’t effect th e food. But yeah, I will never be coming back :(

Been a regular here for years, and I honestly thought that I had left a previous review. Ezogiku is one of my standbys across multiple groups of friends. The singular reason that keeps me coming back: Chicken Katsu Curry.
I actually had a friend who worked in the kitchen here for a short while, and said that they use a special curry powder from japan for the curry. I could never figure out why I liked the curry so much better than the blocks I buy from the store, so there it is. The curry usually has large carrot & onion pieces mixed in as well.
For about $ 8, the katsu curry plate on rice will get you two large fried chicken katsu cutlets on rice with a generous helping of curry. The katsu here is very thin and crispy, a perfect medium for curry consumption. For $ 8.75 at this time of writing, I would also recommend the chicken katsu curry udon. This is my go-​to when I’m absolutely starving, as it is a TON of food.
If you’re feeling more adventurous, maybe take a tour of their mini-​combos on the wall. Combo E has a smaller katsu curry with gyoza for about $ 8, and others with ramen and/​or fried rice instead. The crispy noodles and cold noodle dishes are also good. I would stay away from the rice dishes like the mochiko don or teri chicken bowl, as they’re very one-​dimensional.
I’m not a big fan of the ramen here, despite the namesake. You’ll find better fare down the street at Agu or Hokkaido.
It’s always been a little dingy on the inside, but the owners are constantly updating the amenities. Water glasses have been recently replaced and there are now hashi carriers next to the sauces. Sriracha is there on every table if that’s your dig.
Service is top-​notch, the chinese lady that always serves us is prompt and polite, always filling water and checking up on our progress. She also lets you do takeout by phone, so you can call in your order if you don’t feel like dining in.
Chicken katsu curry! Chicken katsu curry! Don’t forget it!

Hole in the wall. Good service and good food! Really cheap with a good sized portion!

It was a rainy night that I had visited Ezogiku on University Avenue for the first time. I only visited this ramen shop to have won ton ramen to warm me up between visits of a popular ice cream shop that was located near by.
I was greeted right away by the female employee who was manning the front of the small ramen shop. I was given a menu as well as a glass of water by the employee. She had asked me if I wanted to store my mochi ice cream in the freezer until I was finish with my bowl of won ton ramen. Of course I told her no since I’d be eating it right afterwards. The employee did check up on me and refilled my cup of water.
While enjoying my won ton ramen I noticed that there were very few seating available for the customers to sit down. I am not quite sure but I am guessing there were like six or seven tables available. Each table seats at least four individuals maybe six at the most.
If I ever do end up playing tourist near the University Avenue at least now I know on where to go for some won ton ramen.

Reminiscing on the good old days when my parents used to pick me up from school with take out from Ezogiku, I dragged my parents here for dinner. At first I couldn’t even tell if they were open since no one was inside and there was indication that they were open for business. I popped my head in and was told that they were open so we sat down and ordered a miso ramen and a cold noodle. The food was okay, nothing super special but it wasn’t awful either. The main kicker here was the fact that the place is dirty as hell. Something smelled real weird that I had to hold my breath while eating. I kept asking my mom if it was safe to eat here. Not to mention the water cups have weird suspicious looking stains on the rims so I didn’t even want to touch that. The tables and chairs were sticky too.
I mean it’s pretty cheap for the amount of food you get but I don’t think I’d want to sit down and eat here again. I think i’ll pay the extra few bucks for ramen somewhere else. I think that was the fastest i’ve ever eaten because I wanted to get outta there. The food is alright but I don’t think I feel comfortable enough to eat here again. Meh.

Stopped in to grab a quick bite after a long day of seeing the sights. Ezogiku is casual and cozy (probably not the best place for a larger group). The food was a good value for the price. The Sesame Chicken was enough to share between two people. We also ordered the 6 gyoza for $ 4.75 which brought our total to $ 10.50 for a very filling lunch for 2. What a deal!

This is my #1 place 4 «saimin” — I remember when they 1^st opened up in Waikiki on Kuhio Ave. at the beginning it was just a small place but it was the best! So, Ezogiku has been around a very long time Bcuz I was pregnant w/​my 1^st child who is now 40 LOL… the tall Japanese guy who ran the place was a very nice guy N he always gave me more (he said was 4 the baby)…Anyway, even though the owners here at UH is Chinese they still have the same recipe N they R pretty fast N the wife is nice/​friendly — This is the place if YOU want some good saimin/​ramen — they get pretty busy at times but they R da best, stop by they won’t disappoint U will leave so full (especially if U take advantage of their «combos»)! Da best!

My family and I thoroughly enjoy this restaurant. Although it is a bit far from our home, we do try to come here at least once a month.
My kids always enjoy the chicken katsu curry, or mochiko chicken curry. I tend to try different Ramen combos with fried rice, and gyoza. Every once in awhile the soup with the ramen comes comes a bit salty, but never excessive. My wife really loves their salmon fried rice, and and can bribe her to come here sometimes reminding her of its awesomeness. Parking is tight at times, as the lot is very small. Also the restaurant is quite small, so I don’t recommend busy days.

Came here for lunch one day because I was craving ramen — «real» ramen. From the reviews I figured this was on the low end — cheap eats for someone on a tight budget. Doesn’t matter — it was right nearby as I Unilocaled in the middle of Puck’s Alley wondering where I could get some ramen. Tiny place and probably better for individuals or couples rather than large groups. Ordered the Ankake Ramen which was a whopping 8 bucks. The broth was good — not spectacular but back home I’m used to mediocre so this was definitely light years better than that. Noodles were good — main thing here was the shrimp and squid and pork. Woman running the place was very attentive about filling my water glass. Place had about 4 tables other than mine that were occupied — mostly people eating by themselves. I left satisfied — you definitely get value here for your money. Place is in that mall on the other side of University avenue from Puck’s Alley. Small parking lot — which was nearly empty when I went but your mileage may vary depending on day and time.

I used to frequent this little hole-​in-​the-​wall joint when I still lived on campus at UHM. It’s a quick walk or drive or bus-​ride down University Ave, and it’s easy to grab yummy mochi ice cream for dessert right after!
I stopped by yesterday with a few friends for the first time in a few years. The restaurant is, mostly, exactly as I remembered it.
The food isn’t the best ramen I’ve ever had, but it’s cheap enough and filling enough, and yummy enough to satiate me and my other broke college student friends :)
I always get the Chuuka Ramen because I am a huge bamboo shoots lover. However, I think next time I want to try the Chicken Katsu Curry Udon. My friend swears that’s the best thing on the menu, and she made it look so good!
So why three stars? Well when we were there, I felt like we were the only people in the entire restaurant who were not relatives. Not necessarily a bad thing. Our waters were constantly filled by the different relatives in the restaurant. But yet when we needed something (a take out box) we couldn’t get anyone’s attention for nearly 10 minutes. Finally I just ended up waving my arm in the air until the waitress saw me, and I had to tell her from across the restaurant that we needed a box. The service is not bad, it’s just awkward sometimes.
Also, I recommend avoiding their bathroom. Hold it, or go somewhere else. Last night the toilet wasn’t functioning properly. I had to open the tank and fix it before I could flush the toilet and get on with my business. Not exactly what anyone wants to do when they go to a restaurant. Washed my hands 3 times, and thanked the gods I was done eating by the time that happened.
So 3 stars. Because it’s still okay, it’s just not fantastic.

Holy smokes! We were waiting a half hour for our take out order & it still wasn’t ready! We asked how much longer it was going to take & the server said she wasn’t sure. We ordered beef curry! I know that stuff already comes premade, so I’m not sure what was going on. Whatever. Asked for our money back & went across the street to Curry House.

I ordered the Seafood Ankake and man its is the best! :) I love this place. Low price, great food, and fast service.

A small slightly run down branch of the ezogiku franchise. Looks can be deceiving, good flavor and a friendly owner await in this little nook. Be sure to check the daily special board for some of there best and most interesting items. Not sure what to get? I recommend asking for a wonton ramen with a miso base. No matter your choice u should be pleased with what u get.

If I could give them 0 stars, I would. I ordered a shrimp tempura bowl (tendon) because the picture made it look good. What I got was totally different.
Instead of getting large shrimps with a crispy batter, I got 3 tiny shrimps that were not deveined and had a flat, pancake-​like batter. I could tell it was pre-​fried and reheated because it was not crispy, yet very hot. The shrimp was bland and the sauce was bland… and they only gave me one container of sauce, which was barely enough to coat the tempura, and I still had all of my rice without sauce.
Instead of getting a variety of vegetables to go with my shrimp, I got 4 eggplant tempura. The rice was also starchy (typical cheap quality rice that wasn’t cooked well). Service was also poor; the cashier was watching a video on his iPhone with ear buds in his ears.

Custom noodles crafted by Sun Noodles, EXCLUSIVELY for Ezogiku! Any Ramen connoisseur will tell you, that the primary ingredient for Authentic Ramen are the noodles. You can have the BEST broth with a million ‘SECRET” ingredients, locked away in a closed special bag and boiled for days on end and the BEST toppings and side dishes… but if the NOODLES are not superior then the dish will fail.
Combine that with the prepping and cooking of the noodles and you have Ezogiku! Contrary to what many THINK, boiling any brand of ramen noodles to a specified time, will not yield the BEST Ramen. The noodles itself MUST be perfect to begin with in it’s uncooked state.
In this context, Ezogiku noodles are the BEST period. As close to authentic, Tokyo and Osaka ramen noodles as you can possibly get outside of Japan.
I chose the University location because I live in the area so I have been going there for quite some time.
If you consider yourself a self proclaimed EXPERT in Ramen Awesomeness, then it would definitely be time and money well spent if you’re in search of the Perfect Ramen bowl!