Japanese B.B.Q. Yoshi — Restaurant in Honolulu

I don't write many reviews, but I had to review Japanese BBQ Yoshi because it was the best restaurant experience I've had in Hawai'i in quite a while.

First off, the boring stuff. Do you need a reservation? We had a 5:00 reservation for our visit on NYE but the restaurant was only about half full. However, it's not a huge place so a reservation is probably recommended. Also, their parking lot only has 9 marked spaces, so plan accordingly.

There were three of us, so we split the Wagyu Set Menu (which is intended for two people) and added on a Washugyu Sampler Plate. That was more than enough food for us.

The starters included assorted kim chee, a green salad, nori, beef bao buns, soup, and a plate that included potato salad, seasoned broccoli fllorets, and pickled vegetables. Everything was light, fresh, tasty, and not too heavy (which is important, considering the amount of meat we had coming).

We opted for the beef tongue over the pork belly and the miso scallops over the garlic shrimp. Both were excellent choices and the beef tongue was SUPER tender, while the scallops were flavorful with a perfect texture - not mushy or rubbery.

Side note on the grill: you grill your own meat, so you have to carefully balance cooking and eating. Wagyu and Washugyu cook very quickly due to the high fat content, and the thinner cuts will cook extremely fast - the staff advised that thin cuts should be seared for only about 8-10 seconds per side. Tip: don't put too many pieces on the grill at once, otherwise you risk overcooking your beautiful Wagyu! Also, the grill is nonstick so it doesn't have to be replaced; the staff will occasionally wipe it down to keep it clean.

The meat itself was amazing! Super tender and melts in your mouth like butter. The cuts arrived lightly seasoned and three dipping sauces were provided. My favorite was the sesame oil based sauce with salt and pepper. There was also a thin cut of Wagyu where, per staff instructions, you grill it, add green onions and garlic chips, then roll it up and pop it in your mouth. Soooo 'ono!

There was so much food that we completely skipped the noodle course, which was cold soba. The staff packed it up for us to take home. The fact that they were prepared to pack up the soba tells you that they know how much food they give you!

Finally... dessert. Two desserts are provided with the set menu so we went with sorbet and the S'mores cheesecake. The cheesecake was very heavy and very rich, but I can't resist chocolate and house-made desserts!

Along with the food, what really made this an unforgettable experience was the staff. All the staff were friendly and super helpful. They were attentive, checking on us every so often and making sure that our water and tea were full. Plus they also provided clear explanations and instructions for cooking so that everything came out delicious!

Japanese BBQ Yoshi is not cheap, but it is most definitely worth the money. While we were there, several of the other guests were greeted warmly and recognized as repeat customers - always a good sign about an establishment. I hope to become a repeat...

I decided to try them after seeing a facebook post and seeing that they offered a $300 and $250 meal package featuring Japanese Wagyu beef. Trying authentic Japanese Wagyu beef is on my bucket list (I’m 70) after the US banned it from being imported and only US raised Wagyu beef is available in the USA. That might have changed recently but I’m not aware of it.

Anyway, since their meal package was for two people, I invited a good friend to join me at my treat. You have to make reservations making them appear to be very exclusive. We got there at 6:30, and though they open at 5pm, we were their first customers, followed by a mother and her two children. They didn’t have any other customers until about 30 minutes later when a couple showed up, but that was the extent of their customers until we left about 8pm.

Their $300 and $250 meal packages only offered different cuts of AMERICAN WAGYU to my extreme disappointment. But they had a $200 steak package consisting of three different cuts of imported Japanese Wagyu beef and the whole reason why I even considered trying them. The entire three cuts together probably weighed about a pound and a quarter. Just enough for two people to get a taste of each cut and not much more. It was enough for me to scratch authentic Japanese Wagyu off my bucket list without having to travel to Japan, I guess. $200 just for the Wagyu beef, but we had to order two bowls of white rice, an order of cucumber kimchi and an order of fried garlic. The kimchi and fried garlic was $7 each…and the serving was manini and not worth it. No wonder the place was EMPTY. I don’t think they will be in business very long at the super expensive and unreasonable prices they charge and the tiny servings that I were not even close to being filling. A couple of days later, my friend’s son sent me a photo from Japan from a Japanese restaurant he was eating a WHOLE TWO POUND WAGYU STEAK that cost him $20 and it came with rice and all the sides included. I’m going to Japan this coming May for two weeks and I’ll more than make up for the Wagyu beef I have been lacking but I also look forward to all their exquisite...

To say the least, my food experience at Yoshi was one of, if not the greatest I have had in my life. To start, the pork bao buns presented in the beginning were amazing, and only a prelude to this restaurant’s true culinary capability. The real show stopper were the wagyu strips. Cooked for just about 20 seconds on each side, this meat was the best I had ever tasted. The steak almost immediately melts in your mouth, and is identical to what you could find in some of the finest dining establishments in Japan. To finish, I enjoyed the Teddy Graham Gelato, which was a delicious and creative twist on gelato I had never previously seen. The service was also nothing short of the best. I could not have possibly asked for anything else from Yoshi. I strongly recommend to any tourists in the area to head out and try it, because food this authentic is an extremely rare find outside of Japan. Thank you to Yoshi for a truly...