Waikiki Shokudo — Restaurant in Honolulu

We ate at their Ala Moana area location years ago and really enjoyed it. I was happy to see that this location was close to our hotel (Lay Low) and was open late (till 1am).

ATMOSPHERE: Located on the second floor of a multi-tenant building, the cozy izakaya has no decor, warm lighting and can get a bit loud. Seating is spacious along with a bar setup.

RESERVATIONS: I made them on OpenTable for 9:30pm on a Friday night, which was a good decision as they were pretty busy even at that late hour.

PARKING: Street or in nearby garages.

MENU: They were out of several items and still had 3.5 hours till closing. Strong list of Japanese apps, handful of sushi styles, stir fried, grilled and rice dishes. Definitely get their infamous Honey Toast for dessert.

BEVERAGE: Sake Lychee-tini Perfectly sweet with bold lychee flavor.

FOOD: Tako Karaage Ugh, sold out!

Tataki Cucumber Refreshing & crunchy, with savory sesame & bonito flavors. Highly recommended.

Miso Butterfish Nice sized filet with not a single bone in it! Flaky, moist, and perfectly seasoned. Highly recommended.

Shokudo Roll Thin ring of rice (a plus for me) with a trio of fresh fish, drizzled with a sweet and savory sauce. Highly recommended.

Yakisoba They were out of pork, instead replaced with thin slices of beef. This was such an enjoyable dish! The chewy noodles and crunchy veggies were stir fried in a tasty seasoning and sat on a thin layer of scrambled egg (pics make the egg look like a pool of sauce). Highly recommended.

Jidori Chicken We got it salted with the teriyaki sauce on the side. The chicken slices were juicy but unevenly seasoned and lacked texture from the grill. Still, a good dish.

DESSERT: Honey Toast How can something so simple be so heavenly? Thick buttered and toasted Japanese white bread with a cubed out center, two scoops of vanilla ice cream sitting on top, all drizzled with honey.

SERVICE: Host greeting was immediate and friendly. We arrived right on time and our table was ready.

Male server was mainstream. Waters were constantly topped off.

TIP: Maybe dine early to avoid dishes being sold out?

OVERALL: Good food, fair pricing...

Our dining experience at Waikiki Shokudo, which we hoped would be enjoyable, turned out to be quite frustrating. We had a reservation for 6:15 PM but ran a little late. I called ahead, and the staff was pleasant and accommodating, allowing us to push our reservation to 6:30 PM. Upon arrival, everything seemed promising; we were seated quickly, and the staff was friendly.

We placed our orders around 6:40 PM, and the first portion of our meal arrived at 6:45 PM. Unfortunately, things quickly took a turn for the worse. With a party of five, we noticed that our meals were delivered almost exactly ten minutes apart, with my grandson receiving his meal last. After waiting for about ten minutes, we inquired about his food and received a hastily prepared, sloppy roll. While the quality of the food was decent, it was nothing remarkable.

Throughout the evening, it was apparent that we were being treated differently compared to other tables. Diners who were seated well after us received their meals promptly. Despite our patience, we received no explanation for the delay, aside from a simple thank you for waiting. Additionally, my granddaughter received her meal with onions, despite specifying that she wanted no onions—an oversight that added to our dissatisfaction.

It was disheartening to witness the disparity in service, as it was clear that we were being treated differently from the locals around us. Having been involved with family in the restaurant business for years, I believe that the true measure of a restaurant is how they treat all customers, not just their regulars.

In conclusion, if you’re visiting Hawaii, I would recommend looking for a different sushi restaurant. Our experience at Waikiki Shokudo was overshadowed by frustration rather...

Has an infestation problem.

I sat at the counter and experienced two different bugs crawl on the counter.

The first incident was when a tiny cockroach scurried infront of me, and then scurried up a black pillar at the counter. I had flagged a server down and we both saw it disapear behind the pillar, and the employees behind the counter where on high alert to get it if it crawled out of the black pillar. During this time I took a napkin next to me to squash it while it was visible, but when it hid I left the napkin on the counter. A few seconds later a tinier bug appeared on the napkin I had left on the counter. I hailed the three people behind the counter and they witnessed and disposed the bug/napkin.

The initial cockroach was not seen again since it hid in the black pillar at the counter.

The staff apoligized and moved me from thee counter to a table in the dining room. Afterwards they offered only a 15% discount for the bug issue. After pointing out how I experienced two separate bug issues, they only offered 50%.

I also reported the issue to the City...