Nanzan Giro Giro — Restaurant in Honolulu

The short review:

Nanzan GiroGiro is pretty much hands down the best kaiseki (set menu) I have ever had in my life! Easily 6 stars if Yelp would let me have the honor.

The slightly longer review:

I have been meaning to try Nanzan GiroGiro for a very long time. Since it opened, I have never found the time to visit, or when I tried to go they were booked for the night. But I've finally managed to find some free time and make a reservation! Getting a reservation is a MUST; it's very hard to get in without reservations. Nanzan GiroGiro is open from 6pm-Midnight and is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. For parking you may park in front of the restaurant or find street parking.

Like you may have already heard, the main attraction is a $50 seven course kaiseki (set menu) with an optional $8 dessert, which changes monthly. They even have a nice selection of wine, Japanese sake, and beer which you may choose from (not included as part of kaiseki).

The service and experience was spectacular! Yoshihiro (the head chef) was amazing and a delight to converse with. Yoshihiro is from Japan and English is his second language, but nonetheless his English is really good. Throughout the night I learned more about him and Nanzan, and he's a really funny guy!

Food is served one course at a time and a brief description is given for each course. Yoshihiro tries to use as many local ingredients as possible and those that aren't local are from Japan. The presentation of each course is very artistic and the plates and dishes are beautiful and unique.

Now if you have the appetite of a sumo wrestler or you're starving, this pricey meal may not be the best place to settle that rumble in your stomach. The portions are on the smaller side but they are spaced out nicely to let your food digest. This is at least an hour, hour half meal so be patient, converse, and enjoy the beautiful artistic creations from Nazan GiroGiro! Also, make sure you get the $8 add on dessert! After all, the menu changes monthly so you'll probably never be able to have the same...

I wish I could give Nanzan GiroGiro more stars! I have tried their menu--which changes monthly--twice and can't decide which was better. You can choose a 6 or 9 course kaiseki style meal. Go with the 9 course for the complete experience. It's not pricey when you try it realize everything you are getting. The ceramics are Cochinware imported from Japan, made by co-owner Nanzan Ito. It is truly unique and amazing. The food is thoughtfully prepared and presented by the head chef and about 6 others who multitask serving, dishwashing, plating and hosting. They move about quickly, yet calmly, gracefully, and quietly in the small kitchen arena like a well-orchestrated theater. Their timing of everything is brilliant, everything comes out at perfect temperature, and the courses don't feel rushed or make you feel like you're waiting around. The quality, tastes, flavor and texture combinations are subtle yet incredibly clear. Even the order in which the courses are presented is thoughtful, where the flavors build in intensity as you get to the middle of the menu and wind down to get you ready for the last dessert course. I can't recommend this place enough for the most exquisite dining experience you'll ever have on island! Pay close attention to their thoughtful details, the filtered water for soups and tea, the way each guest is greeted upon arriving and departing, how they try to keep you comfortable and satisfied. This is now my #1 place to go for a special...

Went here with my mom in October for her birthday. We both left a bit disappointed, because a lot of the dishes were similar with fish in them. Not to mention the only rice dish came last which makes no sense for an asian restaurant. We also paid extra for the bigger course meal as it had a lobster dish but it was so mediocre and not worth the extra cost. The server was pretty shy/awkward but she started asking personal questions out of nowhere and chatting us up when the course was nearing its end, and I quickly realized it was so she could get a big tip out of us. When she handed me the check, she was staring at me and the check (and could see what I was putting down) and it made me so uncomfortable to where I felt pressured to give a bigger tip. My mom always mentions how good a restaurant was when she has a good meal but she didn’t say anything about this place and I wanted to give her a special time for her birthday so that was really disappointing. To this restaurant, I’d say please do better for your customers, a lot of us are hard workers that save up for a long time to come to a place like this and it really sucks when the food and the server makes the experience...