Izakaya Uosan — Attraction in Honolulu

I’m ok with paying $100+ per pax for decent food but this restaurant is shady. A friend of ours was misled by some afflicted marketing on RED and we ended up making a reservation at izakaya Uosan thinking it would be a great experience for our Hawaii vacation. I thought the food wasn’t too bad but definitely not worth what they are charging for. My husband was upset that the waiter told him their omakase was $42 but they charged us double on the bill. He felt so cheated that he did not want to tip (he still tipped in cash btw). At first I thought it was just a miscommunication since the waiter changed half way during our meal (it was a younger Asian dude when we were ordering but when we were paying, it became an older Caucasian who was serving us); then I discovered some other reviews also complaining about the same “mix up” and it appeared to be their MO. I was going to let it go and wasn’t planning on posting a review since we are on vacation and don’t plan on coming back to this restaurant, but the staff at the restaurant pretended to be customers and posted a fake review on Yelp trying to humiliate and discredit us (my friends who went to dinner together posted their experiences on Yelp), this is incredibly dishonest and really escalated the situation that now I feel like I need to share what happened to warn other customers. I understand there may be miscommunication at times but unethical businesses need...

My night with Uosan was something to remember. Chef nobu and his entourage served us with utmost attention and detail. Ranging from different crustaceans to omakase sashimi to sushi piece by piece (I didn’t take pictures for the fish. Was too hungry!) The quality of the fishes were impeccable, it was all flown in daily from Japan! The crab was live from Japan too. It was HUGE for 78$. The sushi was firm and tasted of years off experience. It doesn’t fall apart nor was the cuts of fish too big.

There were such a vast amount of sake that the waiters were kindly explaining to me about sakes that were off list. I settled upon a basic kubota manju after I was paired with an amazing 08 don peri! Their service reminded me of when I spent a getaway at the four seasons in Maldives, DIVINE. I can’t commend them more than that. Well done.

I’ve spent monies at other sushi restaurant and I felt that the service and the food in uosan was on par with a fine dining restaurant like sushi sho whilst on the other hand, the cost of the dinner was comparable to an izakaya (which means great price!).

• It saddens me that there are so many one star reviews lately. Maybe they are just fake reviews. Chef nobu definitely does not deserve a one star for uosan. That is saying chef is serving conveyor sushi restaurant quality food, which I object. Additional to that, service was top notch.*

I hope this review helps...

First of all, I want to say that the service at this restaurant is very good, and the chefs behind the sushi bar are also very friendly. However, this meal was definitely the least cost-effective one during our trip to Hawaii.

Many people recommend their truffle uni rice, but as someone who frequently enjoys similar dishes in Los Angeles and Japan, I can only say it was mediocre. The chawanmushi, with just one piece of uni, costs around $20. The sushi was decent, but the prices were on the high side. A single sazae (turban shell) costs nearly $60, even though this ingredient is not considered expensive in Japan. The beef tongue was also underwhelming—thin, not tender, and far from impressive even with the addition of onions. It pales in comparison to the thick-cut beef tongue you’d find at some izakayas.

In the end, the two of us spent $300 (including tips). In Los Angeles, $300 could get you a very satisfying omakase meal with higher-quality ingredients. And in Japan, there’s no question—you could eat almost anything for this price.

So, my heartfelt suggestion: If you’re someone who doesn’t regularly eat Japanese food, has a generous budget, and wants to try something different, this place might be worth considering. But if you’re already very familiar with Japanese cuisine, you’d be better off spending your money elsewhere—even in a place like Hawaii where great food can be...