Kotetsu Chaya — Restaurant in Honolulu

5/24/2024 - This was our 2nd visit to Kotetsu Chaya. We enjoyed it so much the first time, a few weeks ago, that we had to go back. Last time we had Happy Hour Ika Kimchee, Gyoza, Spicy Menma x2, & Karaaage. All were enjoyable! The spicy menma was very crunchy & tasty. Karaage was not oily at all, very lightly coated with fry mix and incredibly juicy and tender. Then he had the Okinawan Yakisoba & I had the Caesar Taco Rice. Everything was delicious! I'm not usually a fan of any type of fried noodles but I loved this! The yakisoba noodles were the perfect texture and had a different taste to it. Topped with an egg this was a winner! Very savory & satisfying! I enjoyed my first time trying Taco Rice. Yummy! And I was so full I had to take the rest home.

This time we had the Caesar Fries (not on the happy hour menu) and Ika Karaage. Both great! I can now say that this Karaage is the best I've ever had. Not overfried, not oily, not hard & stringy, but juicy, tender, and addicting to eat with fresh lemon wedges squeezed over. We shared the Yellow Tail collar and then hubby ordered the yakisoba to take home. I love the food, the chill and homey feel, and the kind and friendly service. I've read that the wait for food can be long as there is only a smiley lady waiting on tables and a gentlemen cooking the food in the back. That's not a problem for us. BYOB is also appreciated. We both love this place and will keep going back!

P. S. While we were eating dinner, a lady came in, sat down and ordered food. She spoke unintelligibly (not in English). As I worked in the service industry, I can tell you this lady's vibe and presentation was off. The smiley lady noticed it too and politely asked this customer to pay for her food before she put the order in. The potential customer kept trying to say something in her language in addition to where's my food. The smiley lady seemed flustered and tried to explain that the food needed to be paid for first. After a very brief, polite exchange the potential customer ended up grabbing her many shopping bags and leaving. I admired the smiley lady's ability to handle this type of customer. As the area across the street has lots of homeless folks, I can imagine this situation occurs from time to time. Of course this is no deterrent to us...

edit 10/20 been here 2 more times now, its my go to lunch place when im in the area for authentic Japanese food🤙 Tried their Tonkotsu ramen with side rice and gyoza, and also the Daily Special which was the Aimori bento (chicken karaage and ginger pork). Friendly service and food that is made to order🤙🤙**

Legit little authentic Japanese diner/take out place that I stumbled upon looking for another restaurant in Honolulu. Located in the building with restaurants on King Street and Keeaumoku, where Sushi Sasabune is located. This place is at the end to the left.

There was a late lunch crowd when i walked in so took a little while to be seated. Note that this place is run by two people so if youre in a rush, this isnt the place for you as the food is prepared on order so it takes some time.

They were running a promotion the day i went, which was Niku no hi, or Meat Day where if you ordered a specific meal, you would get 150% more. Since it was my first time here, the waitress suggested the popular Karaage Fried Chicken Plate, which I gladly ordered.

Took a while for the meal to arrive since there were two parties seated in front of me, and their meals looked great too... Especially the ramen. When my meal arrived it was piping hot, the way I like it. Squeeze the lemon on and it came with a shoyu dipping sauce that I felt didnt need. The chicken was crisp, not oily and already marinated before fried just like you would eat in Japan.

There was more chicken than I could eat in one sitting so I took half of it home. Would recommend if in the area, Im sure their other dishes are excellent...

This restaurant is kind of hidden on King Street due to the Traffic in the area. Located near Keaaumoku and King Street, it’s across a small park and parking meters. Trees somewhat hide the restaurant name, and it’s hard to see due to driving, you could lose focus lol.

They do make really good Chicken Karaage. It’s legit, kind of like going to Japan and having it there. The fried chicken is so moist and not too crispy, the soy sauce they give goes well with it.

They also told me they serve Minced meat katsu. If you’ve ever had minced meat katsu or “Menchie” Katsu before in Japan, that thing is the...