Akira Japanese Restaurant — Restaurant in Honolulu

I called earlier in the day and was told no reservation was necessary. When my wife and I arrived (we were the first ones there), I requested to sit across from her, but instead, we were given a window seat facing the street, seated side by side — not ideal for conversation.

The food itself was excellent. Everything is à la carte, and the menu offers a wide variety of options, which is great. However, the menu is spread across multiple sheets, which makes it a bit cumbersome. It would be helpful if it were consolidated into fewer pages. Also, they only provide a few menus for the whole table to share, which makes it awkward to pass them around.

Service was another area that could use improvement. Our server came to take our order very quickly, without giving us enough time to look over the extensive menu. When food arrived, the staff often seemed unsure of which dish belonged to whom.

We also had a small issue with a lemon wedge. My wife and I both wanted lemon with our water, but we were given only one wedge to share. When I asked for more, the server repeatedly mentioned that there would be an extra charge. I understand there may be a policy, but repeating it multiple times felt unnecessary and off-putting. More courtesy and attentiveness would have...

Hands down 5-star Kaiseki style course, yet very affordable. But it lack a star because of ambiance and a bit slippery service. I took my husband for his birthday, and was hoping that it’ll be a special dinner. Food was exceptional — love that they use seasonal ingredients in Japan. You can’t find places offering shirako白子 in January in Honolulu! However, the ambiance of the restaurant is mundane, and tables are too close to each other. We were sandwiched by a family table and a group of loud gentlemen, so had a hard time hearing each other here and there. Our server (I think his name was Andy..?) was very attentive and pleasant, but the rest of crew was ok. One Japanese woman served me a plate that’s facing the other way around, which is a crucial mistake of serving manner especially in Japan restaurant. I think I was impressed by the whole experience here if the restaurant had more exquisite design of space. I vouch their food as a native Japanese, but would not recommend here for a special occasion.

Read parking directions that other reviews wrote — took us a while to figure out their parking, but our reservation was past 6 so we just did...

Really good food here!

Got the lunch special where you get a bunch of stuff plus your choice of two items. I got the sashimi and butter fish. It was about $30+ for the set.

We also got sake samplers (~$27) which was refreshing.

Was a little surprised when the server asked why I gave so little tips at the end. Had given 12%, which I know is not a huge amount, but at the same time, the service was pretty normal, not extraordinary or anything. He asked if the food was not good or something and we said the food was good, we had just arrived in Hawaii so not sure what is expected here. Maybe a lot of tourists come so they expect a lot? Anyways I thought we gave a reasonable amount but ended up giveing another $5 after the...