Yotteko-Ya

I love how the pork here is not as fatty as a lot of other places. The broth is delicious, and I recommend ordering your ramen with firm noddles.

The paiten broth was so selfish. Even all the other dishes we had was great. I really enjoyed the char sui because it is melt in your mouth good! Will try and go again when I return to Oahu for vacation.

Loved the restaurant. Our waitress was so nice and informative of what the food was. I ordered the Paitan Chashu Ramen and I finished every last bite. Will definitely come back!

Went for lunch for my husbands birthday, and it was definitely a good choice! Ono ramen. I’m all about a delicious broth that tastes like it’s been simmering for days, and Yotteka-​ya has got just that.

Super yummy! The paitan broth is nice and rich. Very flavorful. The perfect sized bowl to get you full! Will be back again.

Ended up here by accident but so happy I did. The Paitan Ramen broth was heavenly and the Charshu was soft and completely infused with the marinade. Most Japanese places Charshu means a simple roast pork. This was like Okinawan Rafute. Roasted sesame seed were sprinkled on top. These were small and sourced from Japan. They were not the bigger cheap ones you buy in bulk.
The chicken karaage was good but slightly oily. Gomatei does a better job.
The high point of the meal was the Charshu Gohan. The quality of their ingredients showed through. High-​quality Japanese rice + Charshu+ roasted sesame seeds + Japanese Beni Shoga + small thing Japanese negi. Completely satisfying. It is always refreshing to have something Japanese that is not made through the filter of five generations of Japanese immigration like Sekiya and Gyotaku. I like my okazuyas but they are not Washoku.

Went here again when a friend from the mainland visited and as always, yotteko-​ya delivers great service with amazing food– I got the paitan ramen, my boyfriend got the same with extra noodles, and my friend got the kimchi paitan ramen. All 3 of us left feeling full and ramen craving satisfied.
P. S. The broth is so delicious! Reportedly simmered for 10 hours

Had a ramen craving last night and we decided to try Yotekko-​Ya. I loved the entry way as it reminded me of some of the small restaurants in Japan. I’ve never had Kyoto style ramen, but after slurping-​down our meal last night, I think I need to.
We were seated quickly and were able to glance over the menu. We had a couple of questions and the restaurant staff helped answer all of them.
We decided to order the Chashu Gohan, Gyoza and Chicken Karaage as appetizers. The Chashu Gohan was amazing. If they had this as an entrée, I’d order it. The Gyoza and Karaage were really delicious too.
For our Ramen, I ordered the Paitan Chashu Ramen, my wife ordered the Yataiaji Ramen, my older son ordered the Tabeteko Katsuo Dashi Ramen and my youngest son ordered the Tabeteko Paitan Ramen. Each broth was simply ono. The richness if the flavors were awesome. The Chashu were soft and tender, so just perfect.
Service was really good and the staff was friendly. Parking at the McCully Shopping Center is never fun, but we found a spot really quick, which was a bonus.

The chashu is to die for here! Whenever I stop by it is hard for me to order anything but some type of ramen with chashu in it, because of the melt in your mouth goodness that is their chashu. Chashu is the Japanese take on Chinese char siu. It’s a little bit different than its Chinese counterpart. Chashu is soft, a little fatty, but simply melts in your mouth here.
Besides ramen, Yotteka-​Ya serves rice bowls, beer, and gyoza. Service has been spotty every visit. Once food is ordered and dropped off, it can sometimes be hard to find the server. Once, my party of six ordered a round of beers along with ramen. Halfway through the meal, we wanted another round, but we didn’t see the server again. Still, I love the chashu so much here that I will keep coming back.

By far one of the better ramen places on island; you can decide who is the best.
First off you they multiple choices for broth: Paitan, shoyu, and shio. All are good but I go for the Paitan for a more deeper flavor. Some have complained about it not having taste, but I have never had a problem. Go for shoyu if you’re uncertain about the thickness or taste.
Next, you have to have their chashu. They have a block version and then slices of it as well. It melts in your mouth and is easy to eat. Very different from Goma Tei’s where it can be tough to eat at times. The block version looked really good but someone bought it before me.
I recommend getting the combos as it offers you a variety of options and extras. I prefer SET B, Paitan style, Karaage chicken, rice, add Chashu, and the Japanese style (firm) noodles. You can get noodles firm or soft; this is totally preference.
The Karaage chicken is the top two I have had on island. It’s lightly breaded so it doesn’t just soak up the oil and feel like you need to really bite through everything to get to the chicken.
The Gyoza is nicely pan fried and has a nice crisp outside with goodness in the inside. You get three with the combo and they are a good size.
Service is relatively quick considering there is usually 2 people working to do everything. They definitely take care of you but can be a little for them to clear tables and take orders. But then again, I’m there to socialize and enjoy company so what’s a minute or two.
Atmosphere seems very traditional walking through the wooden sliding door. Inside there are a number of tables, counter seats and also includes a large group table. Tables can be put together elsewhere.
Parking is never good at McCully with the tight stalls but you can make due. Just go underneath the building for additional parking.
The price is approximately $ 11 – 17 depending on if you get the combo or ala carte. This seems about right for most places nowadays.
Food 4.5÷5
Price 4.5÷5
Atmosphere ⁴⁄₅
Service ⁴⁄₅ only because there are only two ppl there to help clean, serve, and cook but they are amazing
Parking 3.5÷5

Walking around Waikiki zapped us of all of our energy so we were in desperate need of nourishment. My brother-​in-​law remembered a favorite Ramen spot of his so we walked all the way to Yotteko-​Ya.
Located on the second floor of the plaza, we pulled aside the screen door and was welcomed by quite the quaint little restaurant. Black-​and-​red themed décor was strewn throughout with Japanese lanterns and posters hanging upon the walls and ceilings.
Yotteko-​Ya provides a large selection of ramen styles, but their famous style is called paitan, a broth stewed with pork bones for a prolonged amount of time. So we all just ordered different versions of the paitan ramen. I myself got the paitan chashu ramen, extra spicy with soft noodles. We also got an order of garlic chicken fried rice to share.
The fried rice was served first and had a distinct «sour» taste that most likely resulted from the vinegar used. Really different but really good! The rice grains were soft and the chicken had a good bite to them to them as well.
However, the star of the night was the beautifully plated Ramen. Served in a large, black ceramic bowl, the broth had a bright tint of red from the spices and neatly layered chashu on top. The broth was super spicy! However, it wasn’t overly salty which made it easy to slurp it all up. The noodles were soft the way I like it and the tender chashu was marinated well, unlike other places that don’t seem to make it with much flavor. I was a little disappointed about the lack of a soft boiled egg though.
Food wise, Yotteko-​Ya is pretty dang good and deserves five stars. But the end to our night somewhat ruined what should have been a perfect dinner. As we were leaving the restaurant, one of the waiters actually had the audacity to ask us why we tipped a certain amount. Not only was it extremely uncomfortable to have to justify our financial choice, but it made the whole establishment seem incredibly greedy about money.
So while the food is worth bragging about, the strange and honestly rude interaction at the end of our night just put a bad taste in my mouth.

Definitely one of the top ramen places on the island, Yotteko-​Ya, although having been around for quite some time now, still doesn’t seem to have huge name recognition among many locals. They’re famous for their Paitan broth which is milky and slightly oily yet still light and clean-​tasting. I would say though, that the ingredient that makes the ramen at this restaurant special is the chashu. It has a deep flavor that is common in Japan but pretty rare to find in Hawaii. They even put it in a couple of their rice sides – the fried rice and the chashu rice, basically just white rice topped with chunks of pork. The karaage and gyoza are pretty good here as well. Yotteko-​Ya is a solid choice if you’re looking to satiate your ramen craving.

I’ve always loved ramen! And I’ve devoted my life to exploring all the ramen shops here on Oahu! Ok maybe that’s a stretch but it’s also not farfetched either haha. Hawaii has some great places for ramen thanks to its huge Japanese influence and after visiting Japan twice I’d say owners here do a good job of continuing the tradition and recipes. Yotekko-​Ya is definitely in my Top 3 of places I’ve been to so far. And I just might have to say it’s #1 on my list. It’s definitely left an impression and become a regular stop for me.
Let’s start off with that door! How authentic! I really feel like I’m venturing in Japan upon sliding it open and the décor lives up to it once you’re inside. Nice lanterns and red walls but not overdone. But it also still has that mom and pop feel that is oh so welcoming in my eyes.
Go for the Paitan and Charaiu Ramen and Japanese (firm) noodles. It’s a nice subtle creamy flavor. I’d recommend going with a set. There’s 4 different options adding either Karaage, Gyoza, white rice or fried rice ranging from $ 12-​$ 15. That’s pretty cheap considering some shops charge upwards of $ 15 for a bowl of ramen alone. I fell in love with their deep fried gyoza. Normally I’d prefer it steamed but they do such a good job of not over frying it. And their fried rice is delicious with a good amount of veggies and meat.
Parking can get a little hectic as we all know with McCully but it’s definitely worth it for this gem of a ramen shop!

One of our favorite ramen spots on the island is Yotteko-​Ya in McCully Shopping Center. Parking can be pretty tight here, but we usually park downstairs and have no problem. Yotteko-​ya is located above Snow Factory on the second floor. It’s a pretty small restaurant, so we try to go right at opening to avoid the crowd. We always have the same nice lady help us. I’m not sure how she manages all the tables by herself! Sometimes when it’s crowded the wait is a little longer, but you gotta give her credit! She’s running the whole front alone!
We both get the Paitan ramen which comes with the softest charshu you will ever have. We order Japanese style noodles which are firmer and chewier. The broth is full flavored and multi-​layered and does not leave you feeling too full and heavy. Occasionally, if hubby is lucky he can snag an order of the Kakuni paitan ramen which is a huge block of pork. Unfortunately this usually sells out early. We also love their gyoza! Oh man, I’m getting hungry just thinking about their ramen.
p. s. I compare all the ramen I try to Yotteko-Ya’s. I even prefer Yotteko-ya’s to some ramen places I’ve had in Japan!

Still cute and comfy. Nice neighborhood vibe. Prime your appetite by running up and down the two flights of stairs to the parking lot.
Noodles still nice and chewy. Prices good value. The paitan broth however lacked the depth that it used to have. Many in our party noticed the same. Gyoza still rocks! Would definitely come back for the gyoza and a side of ramen.

There are only a few things that really make me miss Hawaii and this is probably in my top 3. Since being introduced to this dish on my first trip to Japan in 1986, one of the food obsessions that have stuck with me over the years has been my love for Ramen. Until Yotteko-​ya opened around 10 years ago, there was really NOWHERE in Hawaii where someone with a traditional Japanese palate could satisfy their craving for Kansai style ramen. It was just one of those things you’d starve for until your next trip back to the motherland. Then came Yotteko-​ya! Talk about a hard to reach itch that I could finally scratch. What a life-​saver. I’ve been going to them since then and not coincidentally have been traveling less to Japan from that point… (only just realized that)
Seating is comfortable but a little limited as there are only about 6 tables of four, one bench seating style table that will hold 12 and about 4 counter seats, so if you come on a busy day, expect to wait a bit. Service isn’t always the quickest when it’s busy as it’s normally just one very nice floor server for the first hour until the second shows up and the shifts overlap which continues on to dinner.
The Ramen: I WILL ALWAYS ORDER THE PAI TAIN BROTH and CHAR SIU (Kakuni if it’s available – usually not at night). It’s ALWAYS perfect as the broth is consistently a milky white meld of boiled down chicken and pork bones and marrow as well as the collagen. So wonderfully smooth and tasty. The Char Siu is tender, juicy and tasty all the way through. Absolute perfection and beauty.
There is love in this bowl and is the perfect example of KAIZEN in action.
Gochisousama deshita Yotteko-​Ya!

When it’s been raining for days and all you really want is something warm and comforting in your tummy, and ramen is a perfect choice! I rank this ramen shop in my top 5. My first time eating here and I’m definitely a fan.
McCully shopping center has some winning tenants. I’ve always gone to Hot Pot Heaven, Milk or Tea… even the Phở restaurant upstairs, but I’ve never eaten at Yotteko-​Ya before! This small intimate ramen shop tucked in the corner on the 2^nd floor of the McCully Shopping Center (right above Hot Pot Heaven) has the best Paitan ramen. The broth is the perfect consistency of smooth and creamy without being too thick. I love that they gave a choice of noodle thickness, since I love my noodles a little firmer rather than local-​style which is softer. The paitan chashu ramen comes with soft, homemade pork and you can either get spicy or extra chashu slices on the side or in a small bowl with rice. I’ve never eaten ramen as fast as i did here, even slurped the bowl dry! A great choice for ramen enthusiasts and for those colder/​rainy days when you’re on a mission for something warm and delicious.

Looking for a hot bowl of noodles on a rainy evening? You can’t get much better or authentic than Yotteko-​Ya! Located in McCully Shopping Center on the 2^nd floor, they have a great view of the all the lights and traffic on Kapiolani. The traditional sliding Japanese doors greet you into a brightly lit, yet cozy, dining room. The restaurant has a certain cuteness with origami and Japanese kitsch all over.
Their menu has many choices. You start by deciding what type of broth you’d like, followed by how much meat and vegetables. I love their pork, it’s so soft and flavorful. I generally stick with the paitan with kimchee or vegetables; delicious flavor and not too salty. The ramen noodles themselves are always done to perfection, firm and big. Beer is cheap and goes great with all dishes.
Service can be a little slow, but it’s perfect for a leisurely evening meal. Prices are excellent, maybe a little high for portion size. The staff is always friendly and does their best to be efficient. Parking is free. McCully Shopping Center is centrally located and easy to walk to from Ala Moana and Waikiki. This isn’t a place to overlook!

Sometimes when the weathers all muggy and funky, and it’s just one of those «I’m-done-with-everything» sort of day, all you need is a nice, warm bowl of delicious ramen that’ll soothe your troubles and your soul.
Yotteko-​Ya in Mccully Shopping Center has been my go-​to ramen joint for years and I’m glad to go back each and every time for their hospitality, delicious broth and to die for chashu.
At Yotteko-​Ya, a lot of things run out because they make things at the beginning of the day, for the whole day. I kind of like this concept because it makes you savor each and every bite, as if it was meant for you (sorry for being dramatic, lol).
I prefer ordering the paitan ramen with Japanese style noodles over local noodles. Japanese style means it’s firm and local is soft. The paitan broth is very soothing and its the best selling broth they make. The paitan ramen comes with two slices of delicious chashu that falls apart.

Not my first time but I haven’t written a review yet.
Atmosphere: Very cozy restaurant on the 2^nd floor of the plaza. Clean and seating available throughout. Parking is hard to find but check the basement floor for parking.
Service: There is only one person who does everything from setting and cleaning tables, hostess and cashier. She’s very friendly and attentive. Just be ready to order ASAP.
Food: The paitan broth is their most popular and my favorite. I always get one of the combos either C or D. The noodles are perfectly chewy and tender and the portion sizes are plenty large.
Intangibles: many good ramen places in Honolulu and this is definitely one of them.