CHIBA-KEN ちばけん — Restaurant in Honolulu

We are here in Oahu Waikiki on this Thursday right before the new year. The family had a hankering for sushi and we were at the four-story Mall. There are so many sushi restaurants here in Waikiki and this one was our second choice after the one that was within walking distance from where we were at the four-story Mall was full and unable to accommodate us for another 45 minutes. It has just the right amount of stars and it's current position with reviews which qualified it for our patronage based on my wife's standards. One of the differences we noticed about the menu selection was that unlike the sushi restaurants near our home in California, they did not appear to have a selection of baked sushi rolls like the dragon king that my family enjoys. As a result, we were in a position to choose a selection rolls that we typically would not, except for my son who gets what he always gets so that didn't change. The employees and servers were very polite and kind, and legit Japanese or at least two of them were. And we also noticed that it seemed that the folks making the sushi rolls were Japanese themselves, again, unlike in California, where many times the sushi makers are something other than Japanese. We ordered the deep fried tofu in broth which I believe is the same as agadashi tofu, and we came in after 9:00 p.m. which gave us access to their late night happy hour which goes from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., their closing time. The tofu was made very well and the broth was very good. If you are not a fan of ginger, I would caution you on this dish as my wife says the ginger flavor across the tofu in the broth was very strong. I had the udon noodle with tempura, and this was standard fare for a bowl of udon. The rolls I sampled from my wife and daughter's plates were also good. My daughter says the fish was good, notably so. However, she did order a roll that turned out to be bigger than she thought it was, or rather she mixed it up and that has nothing to do with the restaurant. The restaurant satisfied our hankering for sushi this night. The atmosphere was medium sized for a sushi restaurant and cozy. The service was excellent, and the price was good. Relative to the idea that eating out in general is expensive. These post covet days and that eating in Waikiki in general is expensive. With that being said, I can recommend this place and I am sure they would satisfy your hankering should you have one for...

I’m not even sure how we even found this place. It’s almost as if this place found us. We were going to dinner somewhere else and for some reason that I cannot recall, had to cancel thus opening up or dinner options. Somehow Chiba-Ken jumped out on an endless list of options. When we arrived, after a short wait, we were seated on the patio and ready to get the sushi flowing. We had a number of different nigiri (so fresh and delicate and delicious) as well as perfectly crispy gyoza, a bunch of different yakitori, and perfectly fried katsu chicken!! It was all like being in Japanese food heaven. The menu is like 15 pages long which can be frightening, worrisome, and overwhelming, but don’t let that put you off. There is not a single way to fail here! Also the service is phenomenal. It’s almost like the wait staff can read your mind, something frightening and exciting. Atmosphere is very cool with a great patio and fun art inside. Saki was great and they have the big Sapporo cans! We came back here two times on our trip and hope to Tavel to Oahu again soon to eat here. Also we went to a super fancy Japanese restaurant during our trip and the server said Chiba-Ken was also her favorite and that really meant a lot to me to hear. We are presently discussing naming our next pet or child Chiba-Ken. They don’t sell T-shirts but I I really wish they did.

Update: 5 months later…1.12.22 They still do not sell t-shirts but I was gifted a custom one for christmas and it’s my all time favorite. Excited to wear it next time I’m in...

I had to comment on Mr. Hair-in-my-food. Funny, I was at the restaurant that night you claimed there was hair in your food. It was quite suspect when you started screaming in a crowded restaurant that there was hair in your food only after you had just taken your food (he ordered a roll for takeout) outside the restaurant and claimed there was this huge clump of hair. Even though you were sweating profusely, screaming, and honestly look like you were on some illicit substance, the owner offered to remake your order until you spit on the floor right at his feet in front of the sushi bar. By the way thanks for that my family and I were 2 chairs away when you did that. He then gave you your money back and asked you firmly to leave. You're a real winner.

I've been going here for about 6 years. This place is hands down one of my favorite restaurants in Hawaii. The food is fantastic, the beer is cold, and they have a great sake and shochu selection. I always recommend this place for sushi. This is also my go to spot for entertaining my friends and...