Omakase By Aung — Restaurant in Honolulu

I love food and did quite a bit of research before choosing Omakase by Aung for Mother's Day this year. I had high expectations because the chef used to work at one of my favorite omakase spots in SF. Unfortunately, it was one of the worst dining experiences my family and I had and my mom and I ended up getting food poisoned. It's better to spend this

We went for the 1:00 pm lunch omakase and were about 10 minutes early. I tried to open the doors but realized they were locked. The chef saw us so I smiled at him, but he was prepping and ignored me and my family. It would have been nice if he at least smiled back or asked us to wait, but he didn't even acknowledge us until the time of our reservation came up. There were no other staff members.

At 1:00 pm sharp, he opened the doors and had us sit on the chef's counter as he continued to prep. We were waiting for a few minutes when he said the other party who was supposed to come in was running late. He was texting and then went to talk on his phone; he came back, saying that the other party would be there at around 1:30. We had our first course at 1:10 - it was an appetizer. We had all 3 appetizer courses before the other party arrived, and he kept checking his phone in between prep until the other party came in, which ended up being past 1:30 pm.

He asked us all a few questions but the conversation was dry. Wouldn't be surprised if the other party felt that way too, since after a few exchanges the other party members were constantly on their phones and didn't say a word (they were a party of 2).

Our first nigiri was given to us at 1:40 pm. All the nigiris were placed on the same plate (I get that it was Versace, but it would make more sense to use regular plates and change them out). Pacing felt fairly slow (at least until the other party arrived). I noticed that the chef was trying to space the courses out such that the other party and my family would have the same courses at the same time. Within the next few courses we were eating the same dish even though they were 30+ mins late. And when my dad went to buy a drink (around 10 mins, it's BYOB here), the pacing was slowed down for the other party as well.

The food itself was good - the fish and wagyu were of high quality (the omakase was mostly seafood, one wagyu course). But the base sauce the chef brushed over pretty much all the raw courses were the same, so the courses overall fell kind of flat. The clam soup was not good at all, with barely any flavor. There was one course that was great, though - I think it was the cherry blossom trout? The ika was also interesting (finer scoring/crosshatching on the surface, it could be a pro or con). But yeah, the courses... nothing to write home about. Dessert was homemade ice cream and was so bad, and left a greasy coat in the mouth.

For almost half of the meal, Chef Aung operated alone. While we went through the courses, one staff member came in to the restaurant to help the chef. She was friendly. Around this time Chef Aung offered a glass of sake to my dad so that was unexpected and kind of him. I don't know if I was charged for it though, because my bill came out higher than expected.

I would never go back, and neither would my family. Aside from the less than pleasant dining and waiting experience, my mom and I got food poisoned (my dad and brother were fine). My mom and I have sensitive stomachs and tend to get food poisoned when the food is not clean or not fresh. I'm guessing it's the former here, since no one really washed their hands. There's a hand wash station with no soap, and even then the water was barely used. Chef Aung didn't wash his hands in between touching his phone and our food, a dirty rag, or after unlocking/opening the doors and touching the fridge (no sushi/sashimi fridge here). When the staff member came in, she didn't wash her hands either and she went straight to preparing our other courses.

Unfortunate. My family had been really excited to celebrate here. For around $700 for 4 people, there are SO many other places...

I waited a couple weeks before posting this review because I'm conflicted about our experience at Omakase by Aung. On the one hand, the food was tasty, the vibe was fresh, and the service was great. On the other hand, Chad Aung was visibly ill and somehow failed to follow allergy restrictions that we double confirmed at the beginning of the meal. Absent those two complaints, Omakase by Aung would have become one of our regular favorites and this review would be five stars. Through an unfortunate accident of timing, I cannot give quite so positive a review.

Omakase by Aung is in a nondescript space along Kapahulu Blvd, with no sign or indication that it's even there. I like hidden gems, and this small restaurant is hidden in plain sight.

The interior of the restaurant is simple, with a sushi bar that seats maybe 10 people max, but there were only 7 people eating during our visit. Lights are low and the dark colors of the bar and walls contrast with the modern hits playing from Chef Aung's speaker. Chef Aung and his assistant greeted us as we entered, and they took our beers to chill on ice and our whisky to serve when we were ready. BYOB, and consider bringing some to share because that's definitely more fun.

The food was very good, and aside from some very loud coughing when he stepped out between courses and occasional sniffles, Chef Aung did a great job preparing everything. Unfortunately, the fear of getting sick battled with the good food, and so we sat watching Chef's every move to make sure there was no visible mishandling that might lead to contamination. If the food was not excellent we would have left after the second course when we realized he was sick, but it was too good, and chef kept his hands clean and away from his face.

My favorite dish was the half seared toro, which was a new take on a common dish. The frequent use of uni throughout the menu was also a treat. Overall the fish was all fresh, delicious, and high quality. Premium ingredients were included in most Dishes and were used appropriately. Dishes were tasty and mixed traditional and modern approaches.

Our neighbor at the sushi bar was Junior, who also had a shrimp allergy and we were chatting energetically by the end of the meal. I hope he was okay. My wife and son both had allergic reactions to shellfish that somehow got served to tham and is the main reason I felt obligated to leave this review.

Sometimes a Chef or the service at a restaurant is just not at the top of their game, and I think that's what happened during our visit. While I would not recommend Omakase by Aung to anyone with a food allergy, I do think it is probably worth a visit for those...

I took my mom here for what we hoped would be a special dinner, but unfortunately, it turned out to be one of the most disappointing omakase experiences I’ve had, especially for the price (nearly $400 for two with tax and tip).

The food itself was okay. I’ve had better omakase elsewhere, but this wasn’t terrible, just nothing memorable. The overall ambience, however, was incredibly offputting. The restaurant felt run-down, with no gas stove in sight - just portable burners. Hygiene also seemed questionable; both the chef and assistant repeatedly wiped their aprons in unsanitary ways, and dishwashing was done right in front of diners in a manner that felt more like a back of house scene than a curated experience.

To make matters worse, the background pop music was blaring, completely disrupting the atmosphere. I actually had to ask them to lower the volume. Other diners were also being loud and disrespectful, speaking over us, and rather than managing the environment, the chef encouraged it. This made the entire meal feel chaotic and uncomfortable rather than intimate and refined.

The chef offered little explanation of the dishes, and I had to interrupt his casual chats with others just to ask what we were being served. It gave the impression that he wasn’t taking the experience seriously.

The location didn’t help either. It was hard to find, with no signage and in a sketchy looking area. From the outside, it looked more like a dump site than a dining venue.

All in all, this was not worth the cost and certainly not an experience I’d recommend. There are far better omakase spots in the city that respect both the craft and...