Tempura Ichika — Restaurant in Honolulu

Hands down the best meal of our last trip to HNL!

First discovered Ichika from a post on IG. The pictures of the restaurant had me sold and knew we had to make reservations which wasn't too difficult. There is a small lot behind which we luckily scored a spot otherwise, you'll have to find something on Piikoi or the surrounding area.

As you enter, you are warmly greeted by the hosts and shown your spot on the 12 person boomerang shaped table. Everyone seated is served the same tempura omakase course which was outstanding. We thoroughly enjoyed every course and left satisfied. Service was perfect and exactly what you'd expect while in Japan. To be honest, I think the meal was almost as good as our meal at Uchitsu in Tokyo.

Will definitely be back and may try their sushi restaurant...

Tempura Omakase in heart of Honolulu. Everything was freshly fried as it is the best to eat when it’s hot and crispy.

The the quality ingredients and friendly service. I have never eaten so many variety tempura. Enjoyed the each piece but I could not help thinking it would have been nice to eat fresh or cooked in a different way especially the ingredients were fresh and good quality.

The restaurant was very spacious plenty of space in between the guests, however, it made difficult to talk to friends as we sat apart from each other facing the counter. We were party of four talking to a friend who sat end made it difficult to have a...

The courses were expertly prepared, and each bite was incredible. Standouts were the eggplant with bonito/ginger, and the nori wrapped Hokkaido uni. The fish and shrimp tempura were expectedly amazing as well.

The staff was warm and sincere from beginning to end, including chef Kiyoshi Chikano, who greeted us as we walked in, and came over to say goodbye to us on our way out.

By no means do I consider myself a food expert, but I've had the pleasure of dining at a modest assortment of one to three star Michelin restaurants. I consider Tempura Ichikawa among the best experiences I've had. Can't wait...