Hawaii Sushi

Here in Waikiki for the week and we were looking for a fairly cheap sushi place. After a lot of searching we found this place and it did not disappoint. None of the rolls we got (which was 9 rolls) were over $ 10 and they were all good sized. The crunchy lava roll was my favorite. Don’t remember the guy’s name working the register but he had a beard, he was super friendly and helpful.

Really great value. The prices are good for what you get. The food is small and simple, but fresh and tasty. Good service. Doesn’t have the fancy sushi with all the frills.

I don’t know how I haven’t written a review on my favorite sushi restaurant on the island. I am definitely a regular… meaning, I am here at least 2 – 3 times a week. My wife and I have to take turns on who’s going in to not feel embarrassed about always being there, haha. I tell everybody about this place because I love to support small businesses when it’s actually a good business. Ryo is the owner of Hawaii Sushi and he’s probably the hardest working person that I know. He’s always working… whether he’s in the back making the sushi or on the register, ringing people up… or sometimes both.
Lets talk about the food, which is all good. Here are some of my favorites…
–Crunchy Lava Rock Roll
–Lava Tube Roll
–Spicy Ahi Jalepeno Roll
–Avocado Ahi Poke Roll
–Sunset Roll
–Shrimp California Hand Roll
Honestly, everything is good here… good and fresh ingredients. The best thing about Hawaii Sushi is the prices… the rolls are inexpensive ($ 7-​$ 8 a roll). Parking can be an issue as Hawaii Sushi is in a really small shopping center with limited parking. There is usually parking on the nearby side streets though. They also take credit cards (with a $ 10 minimum) so no worries with that. There are a few tables inside to eat at and a few outside as well, but it is a really small and casual place. I usually take my food for carryout, but occasionally, I will eat my food there if I’m not in a time crunch.
In closing, I love this place. If there’s a day that it’s closed or if it closed early, I’m usually worrying and wondering if there’s any problems and if there’s anything I can do to help, haha… that’s how much I love it. Hawaii Sushi, don’t you ever go away and to any customers that’s reading this review, please continue to support good and local businesses. Aloha!

Very clean, cute little place at the end of a strip mall. Fish was very fresh, good rice, had local Hawaiian flavours. Quite affordable for Honolulu. I had the Big Island Roll and hubby had the Hawaiian sushi combo. Both were delicious. Space for 10 inside and some more seats outside. Definitely recommend.

Good sushi for a reasonable price. We came at 2:30 on a Wednesday, so it was not busy either. We ordered the big island roll, crunchy lava rock, and the rainbow roll. The lava rock was my favorite! I would come back again.

For the price it’s great. I’ll be coming back to try more. I got the hamachi jalepaneo roll and the hamachi 6 piece. It was a… mazimg.
Update, since I’ve tried this place, I’ve been back 3 times in one week.

Such a cute little sushi place! And their sushi is so cheap! 3.50 for a six piece! Military discount too. This place isn’t hyped up enough

This place can’t be beat. Everything I have tried has been delicious and reasonably priced. The staff is friendly and works quickly. My fiancée is allergic to shellfish and the very nice owner always accommodates substitutions so we can avoid an anaphylactic episode. Never had a bad experience and we have been coming here about once every week or two for the past year. Try the hamachi jalapeño roll! You won’t regret it.

I ate here a few days ago. The amount of food for the price was amazing. I had the Lava Rock which was really good. All together we don’t under $ 10. We got or sushi very fast even though a bunch of people he ordered. The restaurant was very clean and the food was really good. Would definitely recommend and go back again myself.

Amazing prices, amazing service, and amazing quality of fish!!! I’ve been looking for a place to get my weekly sushi fix and I finally found it!!!

I’m a Hokkaido girl and loving this place so much! I miss them if I dont get to go for a week. Especially their awesome $ 6 lunch special! Nothing can beat this deal! As a fan, my favorite thing to do at the beginning of the month is to go there and find out what their monthly lunch specials are. Love all the ones we tried so far, ahi poke don, spicy ahi don, (spicy) shrimp california rolls & veggie rolls, but my most favorite don has to be salmon poke don! So good! Super fresh & flavorful! :)
When we went last time, it was getting late and my baby was crying in the car so I just decided to pick the ones in the fridge, instead of waiting for the fresh one. Just found out 25% off on the ones in the fridge like inari, california & tekka/​avo rolls if you go late. We went around 7pm, but not sure what time it starts. We tried a few of them and they were all still delicious! Salmon nigiri was soo good! Love their generous thick cut!
The owner chef is super cool and always smiling, too! He is so great at what he does! We love his nice irasshaimase! :)
Gonna try to bring my Hokkaido parents on their next visit!

I was craving sushi and of course I whipped out my Unilocal app. My sister was not convinced of the reviews, but Unilocal never steers me wrong so I dragged her there.
There was 4 of us. We got the lava roll, crunchy lava roll, sunrise roll, and a basic California roll. We also got one miso soup to taste. All the rolls had the same California roll base. The lava roll had a hit kick in the middle– enough to make you say, «oh that’s spicy», but not enough that you wish you hadn’t tried it. The crunch lava roll surprisingly was not hot at all, but had a nice Saracha mayo like topping with crunch onion bits. The sunrise roll was salmon topped with lots of onions and lemon. We squeezed the lemon and it was a Japanese take on locks and bagels with the salmon not being as fishy and the onions being mild with little to no bite. The California roll was shrimp based– simple and tasty. For $ 3.50 it was a nice addition. Lastly the miso soup… It was different. Not a bad different, but different– a little fishy as if a bit of clam juice or brine water was added.
All in all quaint, cheap and fast. We fed 4 people sushi for $ 28 which included tax. The venue is small and holds about 15 people.

Ahi is delicious here. Melts in the mouth and doesn’t taste fishy. I was excited they had Hamachi but it was a bit too fishy for my taste here. Their ahi avocado bowl is my new favorite!
The atmosphere is very casual and nice. The service is friendly. There’s no waiter service. You order at the counter and chose any table you want, but they do bring the food out to you. There’s not much seating available inside but there are a few tables outside — the place is tiny. You can also grab pre-​made bentos and go.
They also take cards.
Parking is not easy to find over there though, but I usually get lucky.
I like this place for a quick mellow solo lunch break. Definitely one of my spots.

Only salmon bowl i had all island, a tad bit too salty n too much shoyu but still very good. Lava rock roll was a bit busy but you can tell that their fish is very fresh from both dishes. Prices reasonable and service was good. Two outdoor tables.

I read about this place, so I had to try it. They promptly opened at 10am (as advertised)! We ordered the Lava Tube (shrimp california roll, topped with ahi, spicy sauce & green onions), hamachi jalapeño (shrimp california roll topped with hamachi lemon & jalapeño) & an avocado spicy ahi bowl. Let me tell you… you will not be disappointed with either of these selections. And to top it off, cucumber infused water!
I cannot describe to you how delicious each order was except that the combination of flavors are PERFECT! Bottom line: you just need to come here!

Unilocal 100 Review Challenge 2015: ¹²⁶⁄₁₀₀
OH WOW. What the heck took me so long to visit Hawaii Sushi?!? Better late than never!
Parking/​Location:
Hawaii Sushi shares that tiny, one-​way parking lot (if you can even call it a parking lot) with the well-​known Diamond Head Health Bar. With two super popular eateries in the same small lot, you can bet that parking is limited. Street parking in the neighborhood across Monsarrat Ave is an option but then you have to dodge speeding cars to get across to Hawaii Sushi.
Interior/​Atmosphere:
Yes, this place is TINY. But from reading previous reviews, Hawaii Sushi has actually added seating space and I feel they utilize their small space very efficiently. It’s cute, clean and well ventilated.
Food:
We ordered the Spicy Avocado Bowl ($ 13), Spicy Ahi and Avocado roll ($ 3) and the Crunchy Lava Tube Roll ($ 8). They have both a menu board AND a menu book which includes tons of pictures of each menu item. They also have some of their menu items in a little refrigerated take-​out area. On this visited we were fortunate enough to score seats inside and therefore dined in. They provide free fruit infused water and when your food is ready, it is brought to your table.
Fresh! Fresh! Fresh! One of thee freshest sushi rolls I’ve ever had in Hawaii. And the wasabi? OMG super fresh and creamy! The 3 items were delicious and perfectly satisfying for my fiancé & I for lunch. This is my new favorite casual sushi place!

I am going to start by saying this poke bowl was good! Not the best I’ve ever had but it was good.
4 stars
2 stars for the price. I got the daily special (Tuesday’s is spicy ahi) and everyday there is one bowl that is $ 6.00. That is a steal for the price
1 star for the softness of their ahi. I honestly have never had such tender and almost whipped ahi.
1 star for the service. Although the daily bowl is just a grab and go kinda operation, the staff working there (I believe are the owners) are friendly and extremely attentive.
So after all that why only 4 stars, well the flavor or the ahi was good but it was so soft it kinda just mushed into the rice. I would have loved some sliced cucumbers or onion in there to contrast the textures. The aioli was also good but I did have to use all the wasabi and soy sauce given to get it to my desired spiciness (but I like things super spicy). All in all it was a good experience but it was not the best poke bowl I have ever had.

I’ve lived in Kapahulu for almost two years now, and I am not sure how I over looked this gem!
I wondered in one day and I’ve never left. If I’m craving sushi this is the place I go to. With daily $ 6 sushi don specials and rolls starting at $ 7 you can’t go wrong.
The fish is always fresh and the service is very friendly. This is a great spot to pop in and get your sushi fix.

Cute small shop that really has a mixed Hawaiian feel with a Japanese flavor.
They have many menu items that are available as well as a monthly special that will keep you coming back.
I had the spicy ahi bowl and this is one of the softest smoothest spicy ahi that I have eaten! It was so wonderfully prepared and pretty. I am coming back for sure to get more of the poke bowls that they have.

«Eat to Live or Live to Eat»?
I’m sure that you’ve heard that quote before and I’m confirming that I Live to Eat like most of the Unilocal Community. In fact, as I’ve been getting older, I seem to have fallen into the category of «working out more so I can eat more».
We roam about the Diamond Head and Waikiki neighborhood during our brisk and sometimes leisurely walks. That being said, we’ve discovered several dining options that we dare say are also healthy. Hawaii Sushi falls into tasty and healthy. We haven’t been here for dinner so we can only speak about their lunch specials ($ 6 poke bowls) but, if dinner is anything like lunch then we’d probably drive back here in the evening. The prices match the food quality and portion sizes. Their menu includes sushi and bowls that are not usually found at other Japanese restaurants, such as Hamachi Jalapeño rolls or Crunchy Lava Rock roll (shrimp California roll topped with spicy ahi, spicy sauce, fried onions, eel sauce and green onion) or Avocado Ahi Natto bowl.
Their service is quick, efficient and friendly. The seafood is fresh and put together well into sashimi plates, sushi rolls, combination plates or bowls. They even cater or prepare party plates. The only drawback about this business is the lack of dining space and sometimes parking. But, that’s ok since you can have your sushi as a takeout and go grab something to drink at another business in this arcade of shops.
I have to give credit to fellow Unilocal friends, Mike O. and Jack W. for reviewing this business that I’ll call worthy of my repeated returns while in the DH/​Kapahulu/​Waikiki neighborhoods.
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