Ichiban Okazuya Hawaii — Restaurant in Maui

Some people just love this place, but I haven't found my hit-the-spot dish yet.

ATMOSPHERE: Hole-in-the-wall building in Wailuku. Difficult parking. Take out only.

FOOD: Nabeyaki Udon Broth has a salty and slightly sweet taste. Comes topped with fresh mushrooms, green onions, kamaboko, chicken, broccoli, zucchini and 1 piece of shrimp tempura. It's good, but the one from Archie's is better (better taste and more veggies.)

Chopped Steak Steak filets done with white & green onions and bean sprouts. Doesn't really taste like your typical local-style chopped steak, unfortunately, but more like a cross between chicken hekka & nishime.

Chicken Katsu IMO, it's hard to screw up chicken katsu unless you overcook it. Here, their katsu is good. Tender, tasty and a breading that's not too oily, with a perfect portion size. I'm not a fan of their house made katsu sauce, which is a little sweet and tart, like how most eateries are. Luckily I always have a bottle of Kagome-brand sauce at home. There are different side dishes I could've chosen from, but I'm not sure what they were as I wanted to try their mac salad. The macaroni salad also includes potatoes, diced raw onions, carrots, celery, and relish. Didn't care for it. It was too sweet (possibly Miracle Whip) and crunchy. Just mix in some mayo and salt, and I'll be ecstatic. The plate comes with a big scoop of rice (your choice of white or hapa which is a mix of brown & white,) and a tiny pinch of tasty pickled cabbage.

Opakapaka The skin-on filet was on the smallish side, flattop grilled, very lightly seasoned, topped with grilled white onions and a few fresh mushrooms, and came with tartar sauce for dipping. The tartar sauce easily overpowered the delicate fish and killed it. I think seasonings of salt, shoyu, or even teriyaki would be more appropriate to keep with the Japanese theme. A scoop of rice and steamed veggies of broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and pickled cabbage were the sides.

Teriyaki Chicken So disappointed in this dish! The skin-on, boneless slices of chicken were under seasoned and dry. Talk about a weak teri sauce, but the dryness is unforgivable. Come on guys!? Sides were a scoop of rice, pickled cabbage, and their infamously gross Miracle Whip-based potato macaroni salad that is just too sweet.

Chow Fun Their porkless concoction lacked any sort of flavor and tasted similar to chow mein at your local Panda Express. The beige noodles were a bit underdone, and stir fried with julienned carrots, green onions, and...

This place was probably my favorite place to eat on Maui. No joke. The food here is super delicious. I'm sorry we were only able to eat here one time since we were staying on the North Western side of the island. This place is small and to go only, usually something that would make me less likely to go. We had just spent the day at the 'Iao Valley State Park hiking and looking at all the beautiful surroundings and decided to look for something to eat. My wife looked up to see suggestions based on reviews and this place popped up. The reviews were great and the pictures of food were even better. We parked and there was a little line in front of us, always a good sign. When we made it in the door the smells combined with the views of the food was so amazing. The menu is very straight forward and old school. I wanted to try everything but I had the Pork Katsu and my wife got the Udon. The side dishes are in the counter you walk by and everything looks so good. You can pay a little extra to get 2 sides instead of rice & 1 side. I think most of the customers are local and regular. Wish I could eat more often. The staff...

Local Japanese food that's meant for take out only... there are a few vegetarian options... musubi (rice balls), tamago Don (egg omelette over rice), miso soup, tofu balls, hijiki (seaweed), tsukemono (salted cabbage)...

The kitchen staff has changed throughout the last 2 years... The tofu balls have changed recipes or the newer cooks aren't making it the right way... the new tofu balls are tasteless... 😖. They use to be savory... Had the right amount of salt and sweetness... But now it's bland... No spice.

Really awesome front staff... Owners are really nice & cool... if you enjoy local Hawaii Japanese food... This is a must try on Maui... 😊

Food 4 (please make the original Tofu Balls!) Service 5 Decor & Ambiance 2 (not meant to dine...