Hata Restaurant

Delicious Japanese food with that authentic home-​cooked flavor (as opposed to a «restaurant» style flavor). There were a lot of people there but they all seemed like regulars and were talking story with the waitress and kitchen staff, which is always a good sign in my book. The combo meals are well worth the price and this is the only restaurant I’ve been to where they give your whole table a pot of rice and will keep filling it if you want more. They were also really sweet to my 2 year old son and gave him some free miso soup (I was sharing my meal with him). Definitely a nice place to eat at with good food. Will definitely be back again. And they take credit cards now too!

I know natto isn’t everyone’s fave, but I happen to love it! Although I don’t think the natto is from Japan, it is very very yummy! Whatever they mixed in with the natto, was soooo good, I could have eaten a huge bowl of it!
Portions are on the smaller side. However, surprisingly filling!

Sukiyaki was delicious! I just wish the portions were a bit larger. The side salad has maybe 1 – 2 sliced pieces of romaine lettuce.

This is still one of my favorite Japanese food spots. Home-​made comfort food that bachan used to make. Try the tofu special. Chose from pork, chicken or beef tofu, with sashimi and your choice of one more dish (I usually get the teri chicken). The pork tofu is amazing and comes in a perfectly sized pot. The sashimi is good quality for the price you pay. The teri chicken is always tender and very flavorful. Plus you get miso soup, okara, tsukemono and rice. All of this for $ 21! I always leave happy and ready to go sleep!

Servings small but food tasty.
Have been to the restaurant maybe a dozen times for lunch over the last two years or so.
Friends always order fried ahi belly. I have ordered the garlic miso ahi and pork tofu combo many times, shio salmon a few times, and the sashimi plate. All good.
Classic small neighborhood Japanese hole-​in-​the wall diner with 8 tables.
Lunch price around $ 17 or $ 18, including typical Japanese side dishes.

Wow, what a hidden gem. Think 1950’s. But the food offered is old school. Wholesome, quality and quantity. Ambiance so so. I came to eat no site-​see. Service a little slow but offered by someone who is there to serve from the heart. I had pork katsu, udon and a nice tempura selection. Very nice and yummy. If you can, stop by. It is right across the street from Zippy’s. Some parking in front, with some in the back. A little shave ice store next door. He has probably the oldest shave ice cutter on the island.

Yeah the portions might be modest, and the décor simple, but
for the taste that’s always just right for me, and the serene feeling I get every time I go, Hata get’s 4 stars from me.
«Cindy» tells me Hata has been around for 40 years. Mr. and Mrs. Hata still work their magic in the kitchen, and Cindy has been waitressing there for 26 of those 40 years. Such longevity and consistency is reassuring in this day and age of constant change (more often not for the better).
In those 40 years, we’ve been to Hata many times. I remember coming to Hata shortly after my first daughter was born. My wife and I needed some quiet time and good food, so we took a short trip down the street and around the corner from Kapiolani M.C. to Hata. For us, Hata was just the ticket.
Maybe that’s why I remember Hata, and remember it so fondly — because it was there at such a momentous occasion in our lives. Maybe, but I think it’s as much for the good food and comfortable, old-​time feel we get every time we go. That feeling of «slow down, relax, enjoy your food and family and friends» is so welcome in this go-​go-​go day and age.
And the portions, so much more sensible in this day and age of excess and «gravy all over».
Arigato gozaimasu, Mr. and Mrs. Hata.

If you’re looking for a traditional Japanese-​style meal with an old-​fashioned ambiance, Hata’s is the place for you!
At the suggestion of fellow Unilocaler, local-​boy, Steve in California, I took my transplanted-​to-​Las Vegas cousin to Hata’s for lunch. I wanted my cousin to have a unique experience with good food and quaint atmosphe. This place was perfect!
We found the free parking stalls behind the building and sat down right away. Service was quick and friendly. We had the butterfish/​sashimi/​tempura combo — it was excellent! My cousin used to run a food truck, so he pointed out all the great things about our meal, such as the presentation and the attention to detail (the scored eggplant skin, the light tempura batter, the seasoning of the butterfish, the freshness and quality of the sashimi, etc.).
Besides the totally satisfying meal, I enjoyed the decorations: Shoji screens, pictures, and figurines. I appreciate the «homemade» cover on the menu and the Loyalty card — which expires in 6 months — so cool! That’s real incentive to return to Hata’s! Let’s go!

Almost always on my list for local places to eat with family and friends if time permits. Delicious and traditional Japanese meals that never lose their appeal to me. Perfectly prepared home style cooking. Only drawbacks are the limited parking spots in the back (I think only four stalls behind, but now there are additional metered stalls street side along the new bike lane), the small dining room and narrow aisles that cannot accommodate a wheelchair or walker for seniors… try making your way to the restroom through their tiny kitchen and into the narrow store room… tip: GO before you go… lol… and bring a sweater or light jacket if you get cold easily.

It’s getting harder and harder to find a good homestyle Japanese restaurant. I have been going to this gem for over 20 years now imagine that!

Talk about an authentic hole-​in-​the-​wall homestyle Japanese kitchen. The menu is surprisingly extensive from sashimi to nabe to teishoku to donburi. They accept credit cards!
I had the soft shell crab and vegetable tempura ($ 12) which comes with rice, miso soup, pickles, and tofu. I thought this price was really reasonable for soft shell crab (they give you two crabs, cut in half). The tempura was perfect, light and crispy without being greasy or heavy.
My husband got the seafood nabe ($ 13) which comes chalk full of fish, noodles, tofu, and meat. The broth came out near boiling (great) but he said the broth was good but not the best he’s had.
Since both our dishes came with rice, they give us a bucket of rice. Perfect!

Really good authentic Japanese restaurant. I have been coming here since I was a kid. The okara is very good along with the miso soup. The miso soup is homemade daily and can satisfy that miso soup craving. I always get the chicken teriyaki. I love how it’s grilled to perfection with a tasteful teriyaki sauce drizzled over the chicken. For dessert, I always get the kinako mochi. You can’t go wrong with that. My family always gets that for dessert it’s so good!

There are hole in the wall restaurants, and then there’s Hata. I’ve literally passed by this place a million times, and never knew about it or even noticed it until a friend suggested we try it out. Anyway, let’s talk about first impressions. Hata is… old. In every sense of the word. The tables and chairs could seriously use some reupholstering and cleaning, there needs to be new paint in multiple sections of the walls, and they really oughta get rid of some of the useless clutter of books and magazines. It just gives off that spare room/​office type of vibe, which might work for some, but it wasn’t for me. I mean when I go out to eat, ambiance is a major factor to enjoying your meal, and it just wasn’t working for me. The service was also a letdown. It was fairly crowded the night I went, and although the tables were mostly full with eagerly waiting customers, there was only one worker taking orders, and she literally ignored tables for long periods of time. That might sound rude and mean, or you might think there must be some sorta out of context thing that would justify her actions, but I promise you that she just didn’t notice people trying to get her attention. She would just stand behind the counter area, and even when people were trying to flag her down, she didn’t move. Even for our table, she didn’t come by to take our order until way after we’d been seated. Not even a courtesy check up on us to see if we were ready or anything. Multiple tables literally had to walk over to her and get face to face with her just so they could order.
Well, criticism for the way Hata looks and runs aside, the food is quite good once you get it. The flavors and menu items are all reminiscent of home cooking. I ordered the tempura udon and was very happy with it. The shrimp and vegetables were not overly battered and they were not saturated in oil. Sometime you’re eating tempura and you get that wave of nausea later because it’s too oily. Yeah, none of that here. The udon dashi was not too salty, and they didn’t skimp on the noodle portion either. I also shared an order of agedashi tofu, which was okay. My friend got the sukiyaki, which she complimented for its flavor and copious veggies, as well as the mugi rice.
All in all, I have to give Hata a mediocre score because of their faults. The food might be deserving of a 4, but I just can’t overlook the décor and the poor service. Actually no, I could ignore the ugliness if the food made up for it, but I just can’t forgive the lack of service. Maybe it was a off night, so I’ll be more than happy to edit my rating later on if it warrants. But honestly I’m not very eager to give them another chance anytime soon. Unfortunate but true.

If you’re expecting fine dinning, then look else where!
You have to appreciate the little whole in the wall mom-​pop styled restaurant.
Their menu is pretty extensive, especially during lunch hours.
I have yet to come for dinner but I was pretty satisfied with my tsukemono bento salmon lunch :) Parking might be hard to find (street parking) but it is worth your while and wallet!

This is a good Japanese restaurant. The service is a little slow, but the décor and ambiance is pretty cool. It’s an old school place.
We had the shrimp tempura which tasted very fresh. I had the teishoku with sashimi, tonkatsu, and ahi. The ahi was really tender and not overcooked. It had good flavor. The tonkatsu had good flavor but was a little overcooked in the fryer. The sashimi was super fresh.
I would definitely go again.

It’s like Hamura Saimin winning the James Beard Award… Hata may not be your most glamorous restaurant around, but it is one of those tiny Mom and Pop eateries that serve down-​to-​earth delicious comfort food. It is one those places that is slowly diminishing across the state of Hawaii. Each time I hear of another old-​time gem closing its doors, I am saddened by the realization of the fading of an era.
I took my daughter to Hata on the day before she left for college, her last semester. She appreciates these cute places. The day that we went to Hata was certainly no let-​down. We both ordered the butterfish/​sashimi combo and sat back to listen to the adorable conversation behind us. So cute how the two older Japanese gentlemen pondered the questions of life! «Why are there so many places on the Big Island that do not have Hawaiian names? Like Glenwood?» :)
Our meals could have come straight out of my great-Grandmother’s kitchen on Kauai — a kitchen filled with goodies like yellow Wrigley’s gum in jars… a kitchen cluttered with things and definitely, love. Hata’s butterfish is flavorful and the best I’ve tasted. The miso soup is perfectly seasoned, and even the rice seems special. Hey, and all with no MSG high! Oh, and let’s not forget our dessert of kinako mochi, which we ordered as a result of overhearing the Japanese gentlemen ordering it. It was delectable to say the least! It was a magical time for my daughter and me, and we considered our meal at Hata to be a wonderful start to our day.
Don’t come here for a progressive fusion meal or if you are in a rush. Come here for old fashioned tasty Japanese food and a glimpse into the old Hawaii of yesterday.

This hole-​in-​the-​wall restaurant gives you the real «papa-​san mama-​san» feel. I feel like the people that live in the area eat here as if it’s the cafeteria of the neighborhood. So many people were even taking out their orders since there are only so many seats within the restaurant. I though the food I got was ok. It gave me the real home-​y feeling.

***CASH ONLY***
My husband and I always pass by this place and last Friday we finally decided to eat here. Their closing hour is 8:45pm which I found kinda odd. Skimming through others reviews this place was really an old mom and pop Japanese restaurant. When we entered we were the only non-​senior citizens having dinner there that night. Literally.
We got seated right away, what I didn’t like was the waiter had us move seats right after.
I’m giving this place a 2 star rating due to 3 things that occurred:
1. When we were seated at our table it was still a mess and they had left the rag on there
2. We had placed our orders and within 5 minutes the waiter came back to tell us we had to change our orders because they were out of salmon and sashimi
3. Another couple whom I believe are regulars came in 10 minutes after us (which we had ordered before them) got their orders first and clearly you can tell they were getting the better half of the service.
Food: I would give it 3 ½ star rating, portions are small but the taste and quality is there

We have passed this restaurant innumerable times, yet we never stopped by until now while our kitchen is being renovated. I wish I had ventured in here earlier, because I really liked it. I ordered the letter «G» teishoku, which was the sashimi and salmon. I ordered the salmon grilled, the other choice being teriyaki. The dinner included sashimi over shredded daikon, a small fillet of salmon (careful of the bones), a nice square of tofu, green salad, tsukemono, miso soup and rice. I believe it came out to $ 14.75. Oh, and they give you a nice little teapot full of green tea, too.
My wife commented that the meal was not cheap, and that’s true, but is anything «cheap» these days? I mean is anything «good» cheap? Actually for those of you who are single, some meals are indeed cheap if your date takes you out and he or she picks up the full tab!
They do not sell alcoholic beverages, but they do sell soft drinks if tea and water are not enough to satisfy you. Also, be sure to bring your cold, hard cash, because they do not accept credit cards. I will definitely return, as long as I can help my wife keep things in perspective; I mean it is «cheap» compared to certain upscale restaurants! Plus, they give you a card with spaces for a stamp for every meal that you purchase. When you fill up the card (as long as you redeem it before seven months have elapsed) you get a free meal! Now, how many other restaurants do that? Cheap-Shmeap…I like it!

We came here at 1:15 pm on a weekday afternoon and we were the only ones in the joint. Awesome! That translates to free parking in the back of the restaurant (I’m chinese and hate to plug the meters) and undivided attention by our waitress!
I love old fashioned Japanese restaurants such as Hata, where they give you a tea pot of green tea, and one of those large round laquered rice serving bowls, filled with lots of steaming hot rice. They also gave us a community bowl of tsukemono!
My shrimp/​veg tempura and chicken teriyaki combo meal was presented in one of those multi-​compartment bento boxes — classic! For $ 12.25, I’d say it was a good deal. The portion size is not as big as other places, but the food was ono.
They have a stamp card program, where for every $ 11.75 purchased, you get one stamp, and once you get 10 stamps, you get one free meal (you get to choose from a special list of meals on the last page of the menu). The catch is that you need to fill it and redeem it by the expiration date, which is 6 months from the date of your first visit. I don’t know of any other Japanese restaurant that has a stamp card program — I love it!