Tanaka Ramen & Izakaya — Restaurant in Honolulu

When my family and I went to Tanakas, the atmosphere was a bit dark. I looked at the reviews to see what people said about the restaurant in what tasted good. The takoyaki (octopus balls) wasn't what we expected it was soupy on the inside and crunchy on the outside, very bland, with no taste. Very disappointing. We all ordered soup, and the noodles were flat like chow fun mixed with udon, and except for the Tanaka classic, which I and my bf had, it was like saimin from the grocery store refrigerator section. Also, there are no restrooms inside the restaurant. It is a very far walk going to the restrooms from the restaurant. By the time my family got back, the food was set, and the server forgot who ordered what. They also never came around to see if our table needed water and the servers just stood around waiting for us to leave. The place was practically empty, with only 2 long-length tables. There was another big family like ours but they didn't finish their food. And our family, we were very hungry cause we all went gallivanting all day. We all love to eat saimin but this wasn't what we expected 😔. The only good thing was the rock shrimp and tempura Brussels sprouts. My Aunty said that the meat was raw and today my bf and I regret going there. We have been going to the bathroom constantly, and both of us have been feeling sick in our stomachs and vomiting🤢 🤮. We think we may have gotten food poisoning. My family said that the udon restaurant in Waikiki was way better than this place. Tanakas is way below mediocre. My bf had to call off from work cause of the vomiting and diarrhea that he got from this place. My family and I all would look for another saimin place, and we wouldn't ever go back to this place again. It was our first time and it will be our forever last time.

Our advice is to go somewhere else. Other places to go that is way better service and food: Just so everyone knows my family is big on saimin and udon. Tokatsu Tamafuji in Kapahulu and the saimin at Eating House 1849 Roy Yamaguchi is our absolute favorite. Also, for udon the place in Waikiki. There is always a long line to go inside. The seating has limited space, so if you are going with a big family, you may not be able to sit together. They do not accept reservations.

Here is the list of what we ordered: Rock shrimp Takoyaki balls Tempura Brussels Spicy creamy vegan: asked for mild a bit too spicy Vegetarian Dan Dan Man: not the best at all Tanaka combo: the meat was raw. Spicy Tanaka: the meats asked for mild said too spicy Tanaka Spicy Miso: was a bit too spicy meat wasn't fully cooked in the middle 2 Spicy Chicken Tori: asked for mild but still too spicy very tasty, very bland only the spicy stood out. The thin noodles were flat and had the same texture as udon. Not what was expected we came for saimin, not udon. Classic Tanaka: with recommended Parmesan. Found out it was a Kraft bottle of Parmesan cheese not fresh. Which was dumped in one section of the bowl meat also was raw. Classic Tanaka: is regular without the cheese a bit salty needed more water.

The only thing fresh in the soup was the vegetables.

Looked for a server but was in the back and scarce. Hard to find. Until we were about to leave they just stood around waiting for us to go. We had to buy water bottles from inside...

pretty much what you need from a ramen joint, a little light on izakaya options, but decent basics. good quality, appropriate portions, classic presentation, fast and attentive service. will give it another chance on other offerings. price is about what I would have expected for location, which is an adjustment.

tonkatsu ramen: a strong, but not stand out showing -noodles: fresh ish, al dente, pleasant and mellow -soup: the best part of the dish. balanced, creamy and umami laden. just a touch grassy -protein: charsiu: should have been 3 thicker pieces vs 2 thinner. looked to have been not prepared in house -egg: yolk slightly overcooked, served as 1 whole egg. toppings: classic mix + fried onion. was told black garlic oil (not listed) and served regular garlic oil.

soft shelled crab bun: crab was excellent in portion and prep. ratio of meat to dressing to bun was good. the bun was the toughest steamed bun I have been purposefully served.

matcha ipa: better left separate, or with a different hop profile. the bitter of the matcha and hops aren't well balanced. glad I tried it, won't order it again unless they adjust....

The food is good, but the service is seriously lacking. The problem here is the staff prefer to stay on their phone than be attentive to their job. Since we got our food, we haven’t even had any of the staff check up on us. A lady worker was on her phone for so much she rather be on it than do anything else. We also had a male waiter and he was also a on his phone but not as much as this girl. I don’t know what kind of business allows their employees to be on their phones most of the time and not pay attention to their guests that are paying for the experience. One party member was out of water for a solid 20 minutes. No one came to check up on the table except for the time they came to have us our check. Literally did not even ask us if we needed anything else like dessert or anything which our kids wanted, just gave us the check and still no water refills or anything.

Waiters did not check in with us at all since getting our food. This is terrible service at its finest.

I took a photo of that girl to show you what I was dealing with…

Don’t eat here if this is the kind of...