Gyotaku Japanese Restaurant — Restaurant in Honolulu

Had reservations at 530pm for party of 7 last night. Brought in-laws and sister-in-law's family that just arrive from mainland. Arrived eatly and were seated back by the restrooms. Its generally cold back there in the back and the in-laws were cold so we requested another table. So we go back to the front and wait. The hostesses managed to sit about 10 parties ahead of us while we waited. We asked why we havent been seated and told they didnt have a server for that area, yet they sat plenty of parties near that area. Its like we were being penalized for asking for another table. After waiting 30 minutes and watching numerous tables be seated, we inquired again and were told that we must still wait. All the while more parties were being seated. Finally we asked why we just couldnt be seated somewhere else. We were told we have to wait for server who is running late. Really? We have been loyal customers for 10 years, but never again will we visit here again. Not that management will read this, but train your staff on customer service. We left and went to...

Gyotaku provides what can best be described as "Japanese comfort food". A casual family restaurant serving up the tastes of home - with the occasional local kine flourish. They're like Applebee's or Chili's, but with a pan-Asian flavor, and with slightly more upscale prices. Portion sizes are reasonable, and all dinner plates come with a small bowl of miso soup and a house salad with zesty soy-ginger dressing, but they still sometimes feel a little overpriced. Best to go during their after-work happy hour, or their late-night happy hour, which can cut about 20% off of the price of certain foods.

No matter. The waitstaff at this particular Gyotaku are occasionally distracted teenagers, but enthusiastically helpful when their focus returns from talking story with friends or moves away from their cell phone. They are good at accommodating families and larger parties, and are quick at cleaning up afterwards. There is plenty of parking (unless the church next door is holding an event!), and the...

We came from Arizona to spend seven days. Stopped in to check out the food and was pleasantly surprised. The hostess was very friendly. We had a short wait of about 5 minutes. They sat us down to a cute little table for two. The restaurant was clean and the atmosphere was beautiful. Our waitress was knowledgeable of the food on the menu. She never let our drinks get less than half full. Greeted us with a smile and positive attitude every time she checked in. The tempura shrimp and vegetables, soup, salad, noodles, rice and sushi was amazing! The portions were the right size and the price for what we got was very good. We will definitely return on our next trip to Oahu without a doubt. I'll also tell everyone I know by word of mouth how well our dining experience was and quite possibly do a review video on my YouTube channel (jiujitsu2000). Thank you so much you guys did an amazing job!!!...