Higoto Japanese Eatery — Restaurant in Honolulu

Higoto Japanese Eatery, as it's named definitely owns up to it! If I lived in the neighborhood, you'd find me here 'DAILY'! Just be sure you time it right! Parking can be a challenge, you'll most likely be standing in line and they do sell out fast. It's your basic, walk in and walk out with one cashier. And here is what we've ordered.

We started with the Mini Tofu Salad with Roasted White Sesame Dressing. Mmm mm mm this mixed green, tofu, cucumber, tomato salad with a light ratio of dressing combo was refreshing! I should have grabbed myself the regular size!

If you ask me, I love my Hamachi sashimi style! But let me tell you, the Hamachi Kama Bento is top notch definitely WORTH getting! Juicy broiled yellowtail fish paired with an assortment of vegetables and hapa rice is the perfect meal to enjoy after a high intensity workout (like I did)! And the portion is definitely enough for two!

Miso Butterfish Bento is one of my all-time favorite local Hawai'i dishes. What can I say other than this black cod cooked perfectly, melting in your mouth with every bite and has the right amount of flavor!

Hamburger Steak Bento consist of a huge patty glazed with a teriyaki like sauce. Moist and not dried which can be a problem when the portion is biiigg. Price is very reasonable considering the quality freshness of the ingredients.

Karaage Chicken Musubi was certainly a miss for us. The portion of the chicken to the rice not ideal as they give 2 small pieces of chicken for the amount of rice in the musubi. Not worth the price compared to their other offerings.

Their consistency of serving high quality bentos and delicious food with fair pricings is what continues to bring us back! Stick with the Bentos Not our first time at Higoto Japanese Eatery and it sure will not...

Before coming I really wanted to like this place based on reviews, demand and aesthetics, but alas what we had just wasn't good. We had the hamburger steak and the yakitori bentos. Hamburger steak had a teriyaki-like flavor and yet they provided ponzu-oroshi (why?). The patty itself was very firm almost hard, and I struggled to cut it with my chopsticks. The yakitori wasn't even really yakitori, unless a literal translation is being utilized. The cost performance is terrible imho.

If I recall correctly each bento was around $16. It just wasn't tasty. I now understand why everyone lined up was local and not Japanese.

All this aside, the food presentation and the shop were aesthetically sound. Sorry, but this basically means that they fooled us. Never judge a book by it's cover is an apropos cliche as far as our experience was concerned.

If one is going to pay this much for a Japanese lunch or bento, there are just so many other better options.

I don't think that they really need to do anything as they already have a formula that seemingly keeps them in biz, and a following. This review is merely my observations and for the more discerning Japanese bento/lunch connoisseurs thinking of trying Higoto.

Thanks...

This little Japanese lunch spot is amazing. They have a variety of different bentos, somewhat a blend of a sushi bowl, and musubis of all different flavors for you. Every item is made with so much care and I love that they have multigrain rice options. You can really taste the freshness of the ingredients when you bite into anything and everything that you get there.

My favorites are the butterfish, and the cheeseburger musubi (This is such a unique and amazing musubi! You must try it!)

Pro tip: A lot of their sushi bowls sell out very quickly and so you need to get there early to snag one. Also, they only have two small 2 seater tables outside the restaurant so it's probably best that you take your food somewhere...