Izakaya Tako-No-Ki

Authentic Osaka food with master chef on the grill. The food is great the takoyaki and monga is fresh, vegetables organic the staff are friendly and professional great atmosphere I feel like I’m in Japan every time I go in there and it’s off the main drag yet it right in the middle of Little Tokyo a Japanese food district. Place is packed but always room at the counter beer is cheap

most wonderful Japanese restaurant I have been to so far. The grilled shrimp and secret chicken wings are highly
recommended.

The food is not good.
The thing ridiculous is they charge tips by themselves instead of by the customers’ will, even their service is not that good.
Be honestly, they don’t deserve a good review.
I don’t recommend this restaurant at all.

I have been to Tako-​No-​Ki many times and have always liked it. But you know that one slip up and all of the good comments just go by the wayside.
I went there the Tuesday night and found a line half way down the stairs. Knowing the food is good, my wife and I figured it is worth the wait.
When the line moved and I got to the top of the stairs, I was informed that they were taking reservations only at that time. Now mind you, there was about 10 to 15 people on the stairs. When I asked about the couple in front of me, and I heard them say, «No we do not have reservations», the host said they had reservations. Both my wife and I replied «What?» That is when the true attitude came out. The hostess, was rude and acted as if I did not matter to their business. Guess what? You did not get my money that night.
Rather than engaging in an argument with some one who has no sense in what customer service is, I left. I figure they must not want my money. So be it.
My point to the owner is, if you are going to play these games, with a loyal customer, do it right. At least put up a fricken sign that says «Reservations only». That way, I and other potential customers will not waste our time.

Too slow. No one tried to take order so I asked a chief to call a server. A waitress took an order and I waited and waited food. It took almost a half an hour; Food is good but I felt like service was not that good. I don’t think I will go back this place again.

Fantastic authentic Japanese izakaya. Amazing food. Friendly & on-​point hospitality at every moment of the experience. We will definitely be back.

Fun place to go. Best for small groups wanting an awesome dining experience. Good service & well made dishes. Must go just to see the high-​tech-​toilets!

My gf and I have a soft spot for izakayas after our experience with some in Southern CA.
I have to say that this is the most traditional one that i’ve visited for all great reasons. Though their menu is limited compared to some other places I’ve had snacks/​drinks, No-​Ki had some good eats. I ordered a 60oz beer, ramen pankcake (out of this world, with plum sauce), karage, and some items off of the yakitori menu.
If i get the chance, ill visit again. Plenty of seating, friendly staff and easy location. Thank you

I love Takonoki! It was the closest thing I experienced to a «real» Izakaya since I lived in Japan. The dim lighting, the atmosphere, the Enka music, the décor, the delicious food… everything was spot on!
Whether you are a seasoned professional with Japanese food or a beginner, this is a good place to go. Of course, this is not your typical Japanese restaurant. They are an «izakaya», which is basically the Japanese equivalent of a pub, so that is the type of food they serve there. They have Japanese «pub food» staples such as edamame, ochazuke, yakitori, and sashimi, as well as ramen and delicious piping-​hot okonomiyaki. Any of these, plus a glass of ice cold Asahi beer, equals heaven!
If you are not sure what these foods are exactly, the staff seemed willing to help. There was a family sitting across from me that seemed totally in the dark about the menu, but the waiter was helpful and willing to explain what certain items are.
The menu is available in Japanese as well as English. The staff also speak both Japanese and English. The staff were all very courteous and kind.
My hubby got okonomiyaki, I had salmon ochazuke, cold tofu, and shared some edamame. All of it was very good. I felt like I was back in Japan again.
Basics: Opens at 6pm, do not open the doors and go upstairs before they open like we did, lol. Oops. Located across from the DFS Galleria. It’s kind of a hole in the wall, but you’ll spot them by their illuminated lanterns outside when they’re open. They take card. We went on a Thursday night so it was not too busy, but there were lots of tables reserved, so maybe it gets busy on weekends or later in the night. Might be wise to make a reservation if you’re going at a peak time.

One of the best restaurants on the island. A bit on the pricey side, but you get what you pay for. I would definitely return, everything ranged from above average to spectacular. And it wasn’t as busy as a bunch of more «mainstream» places too, which was a HUGE bonus by this point in the trip when we were «over it»…

Had yakitori, wafu salad, and the pork okonomiyaki. We eat a lot of Japanese food back home and having been to Japan, and we found the dishes to be authentic but greasy and pretty average. The steak on the grill ordered by the table next to us smelled better than any of the items we ordered. The restaurant was pretty quiet at 7pm on a Tuesday night.

We always look forward to going to Izakaya Tako-​No-​Ki. The Ahi Poke is so
good! I love the sauce. We ate Yakitori with mentaiko and ume paste. Delicious!
Master San is so friendly, and like going here to relax. Very, very good!
Ishiharas

This was our 1^st time here and were looking for a good place with Okonomiyaki.
The service was great! Server was knowledgeable and courteous.
My girlfriend is Japanese and she said the Mochi w/​Cheese Okonomiyaki was average.
We also got the Grilled Squid Legs. Cant4 go wrong with these, they weren’t too salty either. Might have been great with beer. Just didnt have one.
If I go there, I may try a different dish, because other people’s food looked good.
AMAZING bathroom though! Should have gave it 4 stars just for the bathroom.
#foodorderregrets

Came here for a late night snack and ordered the cabbage with small anchovies, hamachi sashimi, saba shioyaki, and beef intestines with a large Sapporo. Fish was fresh and everything tasted great but I had to minus a star as the dishes seemed a little greasy. Service was attentive.

I rarely use Unilocal for «that» purpose… to «bash» an establishment, rant and rave about how horrible it was. I just do not give out 1 star very often but this place literally blew my mind in the sense that I just don’t understand what happened.
We came in here late, to be fair. I think it was 11:15 pm on a Sunday. The waitress greeted us with a tired smile and then informed us that it was last call soon. Some guy, it might have been the owner, came out of the kitchen to literally stare at us as if to say «are you really about to eat here…». It was incredibly awkward. We sat down, ordered beers and ordered what we knew we would like.
The first thing that was off as when she brought the ochazuke FIRST… usually this dish is meant to be eaten at the very end of the meal so I was quite surprised that she brought it out first. Then the hiyayako. Next came the grilled prawns with the shell. And then the squid legs. And then the chicken. Everything was promptly plopped down in front of us, with no smile, no eye contact. She didn’t attempt to make any new room on the table, just kind squeezed every dish where she could. She did not take dirty dishes away, didn’t inquire as to how anything was tasting, it was such odd behavior. That and the quality of the food was so bland it was almost inedible. The texture of the tofu was so crumbly and cheap. The squid was rubbery and almost tasteless… the chicken skewers were bland and there was some sort of cheap terriyaki sauce drenched over it. Everything just tasted frozen, heated up in a microwave, with generic sauces. It was… horrible.
We still had some fried chicken legs coming but I asked her not to bring anything else, and that we would just like the check. The gentlemen who came out in the beginning, came out yet again to stare at us. We paid and left without so much of a goodbye or a thank you from anyone.
Honestly, if they didn’t want to seat us, they shouldn’t have. It was such a rushed, horrible meal that I don’t see how any one person could enjoy this establishment’s offerings. What is even more surprising is that the owner was Japanese, the few drunken folks left in the restaurant were also Japanese. I thought we were in good hands, but its best not to assume sometimes. I will shudder when I pass this place on my next visit… No good.

LOVE the sushi here! Extremely fresh, pretty much everything on the menu is to-​die-​for-​yummy!
Get the Sushi boat! $ 25 and you get a nice variety and have it sliced up, and prepared right in front of you – amazing!
Last time I went, it was packed! We had to wait a whole five minutes for a couple to finish their meal at the bar to be seated. :smug: It was worth it. ;D

This place is legit in the best sort of way!
This is an izakaya, meaning exactly what you would think — basic Japanese beer garden décor, izakaya style food (fried stuff, stuff on skewers, etc) and lots of alcohol. Very much frequented by Japanese people — honestly, more so than English speakers. The area it is located in is a bit sketch at night (adult video places, etc) but is also pretty close to the beach.
The food here is super delicious and legit. The okonomiyaki was just as good as you can get in Tokyo, and almost as good as you can get in Kyoto. The grilled chicken heart was super tender and tasty. I also highly recommend the fried fish cake and the octopus with wasabi — both were great appetizers. Our drinks, both pineapple shochu, were also rather tasty.
Needless to say, this was a great find!

I alway passed this place on the way to work. Today I finally went and tried it. It’s everything you would think of as a izukaya. Their prices are very reasonable and the quality of food its top notch. I tried their maui onion salad which was very good. Also their new item spicy chicken wings for $ 3 per piece it’s worth every penny, it was very juicy and flavorful. They have a good arrange of alcohol. This izukaya seems to be more for tourists with all the foot traffic in the area.
After this one time this izukaya has become my favorite place to eat in waikiki. Not only for the quality of food but the price also.

We stopped by for dinner, the place was still quite empty around 6:30 — 7:00 ish.
We ordered a sashimi salad, salmon Kama and shrimp okonomiyaki.
The sashimi salad was heavily drizzled with mayo, sort of took away the fresh taste of the fish itself.
Salmon Kama took quite a while, I understand it takes time to grill, however the it’s fairly a really small Kama, doesn’t worth the price they charge.
And finally the shrimp okonomiyaki, was very gooey and saucy. Quite unappetizing I would say. Tho in the picture it might look nice, the texture is definitely what I have expected.
And the next day, we both got food poisoned. Due to the timing, that is very likely from this restaurant.
Anyway, this is Honolulu, so many good Japanese arounds restaurants around, no harm just to skip this one.

I loved this place! My hubby and I visited while we were playing tourist in Waikiki and we are so happy we stopped by. It is kind if touch to find, so keep your eyes peeled, while on Kuhio. You have. Walk up some stairs to find it.
The staff is friendly and they put us on a waiting list, but the wait was actually pretty short because service is so quick. They really have a good system in place because our meal went pretty quick, but we saw people who were in there for a while hanging out too. Since it was our first time there, we Unilocaled to get recommendations, and the waiter echoed many of the sentiments of our fellow Unilocalers.
We ordered the beef intestine, which was my absolute favorite item. I would have ordered another one if I wasn’t full at the end of the meal. It was amazing. It was tender, salty… delicious. The chicken hearts were also yummy and well seasoned. We then ordered the famous fried chicken which was really juicy and crunchy… awesome. The tako was also really tasty… I loved the texture and flavor. Finally, we also ordered the okonomiyaki with pork. We got the mayo on the side… it was great!
The portions are small, but you are meant to order several little plates. Everything was great, including the service, make sure to let them know you’re local too… Kamaaina discount :)

Plus Japonais que ça, tu meurs.
On était à la recherché d’un petit restaurant pas trop touristique (ce qui est rare dans ce quartier) et en mettant un pas dans ce restaurant on à vu tout juste. La carte est en Japonais donc ça avait l’air déja bon signe. Une fois rentré, on se rend compte qu’on est les seuls touristes et que tout les autres étaient Japonais (pour vous dire, certains mangeaient les jambes en tailleurs sans chaussures) et même les toilettes sont Japonaises (oui oui, avec le jet et les millions de boutons pour régler le tout).
Je commande une soupe et un butamama (je né savais pas à quoi m’attendre, mais autant essayer de nouveaux plats).
Ma soupe miso arrive, juste succulente.
Ma tante prend un plat au poulpe et après l’avoir gouté elle était tout aussi bonne.
Et la, le serveur arrive avec un plat méconnaissable qui s’avère être mon plat. Je prend une bouché et franchement je n’ai pas connu de plats aussi immonde que ça, c’est enfaite une tarte avec du porc broyé que mon ventre n’aurait pu digéré plus que les 3 ou 4 cuillères que j’ai prises.
Pendant ce temps de supplice, d’autres japonais étaient arrivés à la table à côté et ils ont pris des plats qui me donnaient tellement envie! Du saumon coupé en petit dés en accompagnement, des nouilles, une soupe miso avec… des nouilles (miso ramen), un sahimi et d’autres plats que je né connaissais pas (ils ont aussi pris le butamama mais ils avaient l’air d’aimer).
Ma mère a pris des brochettes de coeurs de poulets et ça n’avait pas l’air mauvais
Bref, j’ai jamais autant regretté de né pas être japonais car j’ai pris apparemment le seul plat qu’un ventre Français né pouvais digérer, la prochaine fois que je vais à Hawaï je né me ferais plus avoir.
Pour résumer, c’est un très bon restaurant authentique (quand on sais ce qu’on prend) avec des serveurs impeccables, seul regret mis à part mon plat: des japonais bruyants à coté de nous.
(Mis à pas le sashimi, ce restaurant né propose pas de sushi)