Onoya Ramen — Restaurant in Honolulu

So glad we have another great ramen restaurant in Hawaii.

This is off of Kapahulu Ave, near Papa Johns and the laundry mat. They have a parking lot that is on the smaller side but it seems like if you wait, you could get a stall. Otherwise, street parking on Kapahulu may be your next best bet.

I remember Onoya from Shirokiya Village Walk and I do remember it being one of the more memorable ramen places I'd tried. We got the Spicy Tonkotsu and Classic Tonkotsu Ramen. The Spicy Tonkotsu was very good and was not too spicy. It did have a kick though. The soup was pretty creamy, rich, and quite savory. The noodles were perfect - straight and firm yet chewy. The toppings of vegetables were very pretty and complimentary to the ramen. The egg was more cooked and less like a really jammy ramen egg. Nonetheless, it was great that egg even came with the ramen with no extra charge. Now the star of the show was the piggy. Talk about soft, a little smokey, and not fatty. The umami of the pork was unreal. Also the slices were on the thinner side, but not ridiculously thin, and pretty long, so you get pretty heft pieces! "It's okay little porky, your sacrificed life did not go to waste." The Classic Tonkotsu's broth was also pretty amazing. I liked that one better. It was VERY creamy, not salty, and perfectly garlic-y. I got to say, this one was a showstopper in comparing our two ramens. Unfortunately, I was not the one who ordered it.

Prices are typical of ramen here in Hawaii (around $15). Despite the discount of 25% off for their grand opening, I think the prices are reasonable and worth paying for. You get a filling bowl of ramen that is not only quantitatively justified but very tasty and perfectly satisfying for any ramen craving. Also, don't forget to get that stamp card. Props to all businesses who reward their customers for their patronage!

One more thing, customer service was great! They were friendly, fast, and informative. I have no complaints and appreciate their service during their opening week.

I am very happy Onoya Ramen was able to open up their own shop with Shirokiya Village Walk being closed. I was reminded of how delicious their ramen was! I am very grateful for another ramen shop opening up in Hawaii because I absolutely love ramen and I LOVE that pork. I will keep supporting them to get a delicious bowl of ramen and...

The first thing I noticed when I walked in was the heat. No A/C? Not sure but it was very warm. Had to dodge some fly's on my way to my table. Inside the decor was nothing to really talk about. A little dark and the hanging lamp shades so not look like they have been cleaned in years. Dust all over them that looked like snow. I am not trying to be critical here, but just my observations and how it may or may not affect the dining experience. I did not have to wait for a table when I got there, walked in and sat right down. Glasses of water came right after and our waiter a few minutes later was there to take our orders. Ordered our Ramen and appetizers. To my surprise our Ramen was at our table in not less than 15 minutes later. I did want the appetizers first? Both those, Spring Rolls and the Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice came as we were eating the Ramen. I ordered the Tonkotsu Tan Tan. The broth was thick and favorable with the Pork flavors coming through loud and clear, very good. I believe I asked for regular noodles but I was served thin. Noodles were cooked just right and held the broth very well with every chop stick grab. 2 pieces of Chasiu (I was expecting more) had a nice flavor and were not chewy at all. I could have used more fat on them which would have made them awesome. As they were, they were good. The Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice left a little to be desired. Yes the rice was crispy, the tuna not so spicy. Well not spicy at all. It tasted like eating regular plain poke. Eel sauce on the side was a nice touch. The Spring Rolls have mozzarella in them just enough to know that it's in there. Caution, they were cut diagonally so watch out on those corners, they're sharp because of the crispyness. The shrimp on the inside was on the chewy side and thought it was octopus. Overall it was ok, different. Good service, Good Food and good company made this a comfortable place to have a...

We're both vegetarian and were very excited to try this ramen spot out as they have SO MANY vegan options on the menu! Unfortunately we have to say they are average We got the vegan black ramen, vegan Tan Tan ramen and vegetarian gyoza. We were there early in the evening and caught a the mid wave of happy hour for the gyozas.

Vegan black ramen: the broth was light bodied, heavy on the sesame, garlic was a bit burnt so it had a bitter aftertaste. Vegan Tan Tan ramen: the kick of spicy adds to the flavor profile but also heavy on the sesame giving it quite a bit of a nutty and almost bitter aftertaste

Like most tofu preparations, both the fried tofu were lacking a bit in flavor. Though we have to say the noodles themselves were really great! They were very chewy and smooth! Gyoza felt a bit undercooked as the skin tastes a bit like raw dough and the filling was a bit too mushy. Though we did come from Ramen Nakamura in Waikiki and they had really good gyozas and that gyoza sauce (we'll be writing another detailed review of our experience there on our IG + yelp).

Overall, we're very happy to see restaurants are at least giving vegans/vegetarians options. Veg ramen can be challenging as so much of the dish comes from the broth and sometimes a lot of creativity is needed for an amazing ramen experience. Onoya Ramen has good service and environment!

Side note: they're doing a BOGO event until end of October 2021 on IG, unfortunately we didn't know until after the fact so if you're reading this now, we hope you can get the deal!

We're two veggie heads traveling around, eating and cooking. If you have a moment, drop by our IG for some of our adventures @vegeatswithya! You're welcome to DM us if you have any questions about our veg...