Ichiban Okazuya Hawaii

Ordered the Nabeyaki Udon, which was one of their most expensive entrees. It was disgusting. All you can taste is mushroom. My girlfriend ordered ramen and it was nothing special either. 2 stars for the good customer service though.

Food quality is 100% awesomeness
Phone orders lately have been repeatedly taken down wrong, i order the same items every week for 10 years, and the lady that has been answering the last few months writes it down wrong or doesn’t even write it down.
Lastly the portions, especially the chicken Katsu plate lunch has declined, i would even take it as far to state its half the portion it was last year and the actual price of the plate lunch feels that it was raised, Regardless if you phone in the order or wait in line to order it.
With this being said if you want a regular. Chicken Katsu plate lunch with mac salad, rice, and a simple soda (12oz), you will either pay $ 12.00 or $ 14.00 depending on who is working the register. As before it was under $ 10.00. Ive even been charged $ 15.00 for this plate here at Ichiban.
Now this exact Same plate at L&L Diner maui market place would run you $ 6.99 and double the amount of food. But it wont taste as good, in my opinion, but its pretty good and you wont be left hungry.
Aloha…

I love this place! Everything looks yummy! Reasonable price too. :)

The best local Asian food in Wailuku. This place is busy so your best to call ahead early and give about 15 minutes. I recommend the opaka served with steamed vegetables and add tempura shrimp

I had the katsu chicken and my wife had the Korean chicken. My meal was PERFECT. My wife enjoyed her choice as well. We’ll definitely go back and try the other items. Bench was occupied but there was a park nearby where we ate. Mac salad was the best I’d had out of the past 8 days of eating mix plate every day.
Service was fast and friendly. Prices very reasonable. Portions weren’t huge but food quality was top notch and portions were big enough to satisfy me (and I’m a bit of a glutton).

Hole in the Wall Local Food with Strong Japanese Influence, what makes this place stand out is that most of the staff actually understand the food they are cooking. The food is tasty and if not made to order it still fresh. prices are fair and portions good but not excessive. I have had the fish dishes and many people enjoy the tempura. There is a one table next to the parking lot you can you meal at after you pick up your order.

A great selection of local Japanese food. The breaded cod and the unagi bowl were fantastic. The cod was crispy and not too oily. The unagi was delicious and not rubbery like some I have had in the past. The shrimp tempura, hijiki, and tonkatsu don were, however, a disappointment. The tempura was very soft and soggy like it was made a long time ago and just kept in the window. The hijiki was too dry for my liking, and the tonkatsu don was so salty! I think they added way too much shoyu. The chicken katsu looked delicious and I wish we ordered that instead of the tonkatsu! Next time I will be smarter with my order. The service was awesome though.

Quick, fresh, delicious, affordable. Don’t let the small space fool you, this place does it right.

I love coming here to Ichiban Okazuya. Located on Kaohu street in wailuku. It’s a cute little small building with a small parking lot on the left hand side. Order as you walk in, they have a few options to choose from. I like getting the mahi mahi sautéed. It’s winnahs!
The staff are always friendly and helpful. Prices are reasonable to. I got two plate lunches a large cow fun and 2 sodas for 25 bucks. I will go here if I am in wailuku. Or if I’m craving their food I will make the drive from upcountry… sometimes they get busy to where the line is it the door.

Who would have thought that a single building standing by itself as a mom-&-pop operation selling okazu would have lines out the door! Established in 1982, Ichiban Okazuya was given its name: «ichiban» means number one or the best, & «okazuya» means a shop that offers cooked & seasoned side dishes (fish, meat, vegetable, tofu) to accompany rice. These eateries were common during Hawaii’s plantation days, as immigrant field workers would buy these portable lunches in the morning prior to their long work days in the fields.
Owner Tony Sasaki w/​his wife, Nami, moved to Maui from Japan 33 years ago, where his family had a restaurant business. Having worked in food service at the former Renaissance Wailea Beach Resort (now known as the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa) and the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa in Kaanapali, he subsequently started Ichiban Okazuya in a small building in a vacant lot in Wailuku. As Wailuku is the home of Maui’s city, state, & federal governmental offices, Ichiban Okazuya is w/​in a four-​block radius of the many office workers who would walk from their offices to buy their lunch there; & many would stop again for dinner on the way home. As this eatery is also very popular w/​the Wailuku community residents, some 300 customers are served daily.
The Sasaki’s do their best in keeping their customers satisfied w/​their flavorful & delicious menu items. They use light seasonings as done in Japan, thereby highlighting the main food item itself. And what’s different at this okazuya as compared w/​other eateries is the number of choices that you have. With each entrée plate, you have a choice of rice (white, brown, or hapa) or noodles (chow fun, chow mein, chop chae) & a side (eggplant, macaroni salad, nishime, gobo, namasu, hijiki, okara. Fried tofu balls, steamed veggies, fishcake, kim chee) + pickled cabbage. There is no additional charge for these choices; in fact when I was there I saw customers substituting a side for a starch & vice versa, as well as getting half of two sides. I think the staff is very flexible as to what choices you choose & what can be substituted. Entrees include their perfectly prepared chicken or pork katsu; teriyaki chicken; five different kinds of fish, either fried or grilled; beef stew; tempura shrimp/​veggies; eggplant w/​pork; chopped steak; unagi; & Korean fried chicken. They also have donburis and saimin/​udon soup bowls.
I’ve tried the following thus far:
* Chicken katsu w/​hapa rice, gobo, & nishime. Yes, it’s true, as what others have said that this is the best katsu around. The katsu is very tasty, non-​greasy, light, & crispy. Hard to believe that the delicious nishime is considered a side.
* Shrimp & vegetable tempura w/​hapa rice & chow fun. The tempura was light & crispy, & some of the veggies surprisingly were chunks of cabbage, broccoli heads, zucchini, eggplant, & sweet potato slices. While the tempura was good, the chow fun could use some additional seasoning, though.
* Chicken katsu donburi topping w/​chop chae &fried tofu ball. While I had planned to order a chicken katsu donburi, I was surprised to learn that the special of the day was a plate lunch of the chicken katsu donburi topping, which I selected instead, as it came w/​a starch & side. The chop chae was flavorful w/​so many ingredients, & the big tofu ball was so soft & tasty.
* Chopped steak w/​rice & namasu. Not your regular American-​style chopped steak, but is of Japanese style w/​onions, carrots, cabbage, & light Japanese seasoning. This was good, & I would definitely order this again.
I found the Sasaki’s to be very friendly & accommodating. Their home-​cooked food is freshly made each day, delicious, reasonable in price, & are of generous portions. There is minimal waiting time once your order is placed. And while there are pre-​made okazu items, many items, such as the chopped steak &fish are made to order. In addition to the husband & wife team, there are four other workers assisting in cooking, taking/​preparing phone orders, assembling the plate lunches/​dinners, & ringing up the sales. They are hard workers, w/​the cooking starting from 5a in the morning.
Entrees are take-​out only, as there are no tables & chairs inside the restaurant. There is a picnic table on the side of the building if you desire to eat it there. Parking is available in a small gravel lot adjoining the building. Ichiban Okazuya is open Monday to Friday from 10a to 2p for lunch &4p to 8p for dinner. Go early, as their popular items sell out fast. Credit cards are acceptable w/​minimum $ 10 purchase. In addition to the regular menu, they also have a catering menu, which they deliver, set up, &provide warmers/​utensils.
Ichiban Okazuya is certainly a mom-&-pop hole-​in-​the-​wall gem that is frequented by locals in the know. One of my favorites when visiting Maui for sure!

My family always comes here at least once when we visit maui. The staff are super friendly and the food is delicious! Not to mention that the meal is a great price! Only thing is it is a bit difficult to find. but once you find it, you won’t regret taking the time to get here! Definitely get the chicken katsu! They have daily fresh fish specials. They serve sushi, but I wad told you need to give a 24 hr notice? Always great to visit here!

Decent plate lunches but a bit overrated based on reviews. Food was fine but not much parking or any seating as well. I was hoping for some tasty local food and wasn’t too impressed.

Great local plate lunches. Food is as expected and prices are low. I’m assuming they own the building…
Definitely call ahead with order or you will be waiting a long time; especially during peak eating times.

Highly recommend eating here. Been buying chicken katsu plates from here for over 20 years. By far one of my favorite places to eat.

Came here for an early lunch on a Friday. I’d been forewarned about the atmosphere, but forgot and my whole party was caught off guard a bit.
Our lunch consisted of chicken katsu + jap chae + green beans and spam, garlic opakapaka + chow fun + chili gobo, and an unagi bowl. The texture of the chicken was spongy and not as crunchy as I was expecting. The jap chae looked like it normally does, but the taste was off. The noodles were mushy without any chew, and there wasn’t any sesame or crunch of veggies. The green beans were al dente, just how I like them, though there were only a few measly bits of spam interspersed in there.
The opakapaka, which took forever to come out, tasted a bit over to me. The flavor was spot on– a touch of garlic and well-​seasoned, with a really nice lemon aioli on the side. The chow fun was unplatable, the noodles too thick/​doughy and pale. Even my carb-​loving brother refused to eat more than a bite of it. The chili gobo was my fave side of lunch, the burdock (gobo) crunchy and slightly pickle-​y tasting with just a hint of spice (perfect for a spicy wimp like me). The unagi was probs my fave protein of lunch; it was super tender, and had a good amount of teriyaki on it.
Atmosphere didn’t bother me as much as it did my brother, even if we did eat on a shaded-​but-​still-​über-​hot picnic bench facing the parking lot (don’t do this). The food, however, wasn’t all that, and I’d much rather have straight up Korean or Japanese food. Two point five stars.

This place is the best! Delicious and freshly made homestyle Japanese food, including excellent and tasty fish options. Daily specials are awesome. Hearty and generous servings at a reasonable price.
It’s take out only. Friendly and family run business. They’ve added more parking, which makes it easier than ever to pass this place by.
Namasu side — highly recommended.

Small little place on the way back to airport. I had the chicken katsu/​korean chicken combo.
Katsu was one of the best I have had. Very meaty, crisp, tasty, but not greasy. They slice exactly a certain amount of pieces per plate. Owners look like they are from Japan.
Plate comes with rice and one side dish, which has a choice of mac salad, some kind of noodles or tofu ball (very tasty!)
Was not as impressed with the Korean chicken. It was a cold. piece of boneless fried chicken dipped into a thick barbeque. like sauce, not the local style Korean sauce I was expecting.
Next visit, I will just stick wuth the sure thing.
Small parking lot with one picnic table to eat outside.

I love this mom and pop restaurant. Take away, no tables (one picnic table outside). Fast, fresh food. I love the Korean Chicken, Katsu (chicken or pork). They have the best plate lunches! Can’t beat $ 9 lunch including a drink. Cash only

Always enjoy coming here for my Asian local flare of food. Renovated to put more parking is great too!

OMG! I am surprised this place doesn’t have more reviews! This was one of our favorite places to eat on Maui. It was far from our hotel, but it was worth the trek every time. Definitely a great hole in the wall local place.
The first time we went we were pretty overwhelmed at the menu. We both ended up ordering the chicken katsu plate. it comes with rice and mac salad. They give very generous portions of the chicken katsu. You can watch the people in the back of the restaurant prepare and cook the food, so you know everything is freshly cooked. Just writing this review makes me wish i could go back.
We also had the udon. I think there was tempura option and another one that I can’t remember the name of. This was kind of difficult trying to eat out of styrofoam container, but let me tell you everything was sooooo good!
Pro-​Tip: There is NO seating in this place, everything is to-​go. We tried eating the udon on the picnic table in the parking lot, and it ended up raining on us while we ate! haha