Takumi — Restaurant in Maui

Takumi Sushi is a new sushi restaurant in Kaanapali that is truly outstanding. This review will focus on Takumi’s omakase offering, but the restaurant also offers a less expensive patio dining option featuring a range of a la carte nigiri and roll choices or combos, as well as a tempura combo. All of the patio options can also be ordered as takeout, along with a 40 or 60 piece sushi platter. Any of their sushi is top notch and reasonably priced ($30-60 for a meal) given the top quality.

The 17 dish omakase course is absolutely world class. (Takumi’s $160 omakase is as good as much more expensive omakase dinners that my Japanese wife and I have had in Japan and California). There is presently only one omakase seating per night for the 7 sushi counter seats and one 4 person table. Reservations on their website. Chef Yamada is very friendly and explains each item that he has chosen for the evening in fluent English and Japanese.

The omakase course has a few traditional items such as pickled vegetables, chawanmushi, grilled fish and tender octopus (which I usually hate but was delectable). But the star of the evening was, of course, THE SUSHI. Chef Yamada prepared about 10 delicately seasoned nigiri sushi, most of them exotic cuts of fish that you won’t see in your typical sushi restaurant, except the tuna which was the best of thousands of maguro that I’ve eaten in my life — just melt-in-your mouth, savory delicious! The fish are mostly flown in that day from Japan, though the marvelous sweet shrimp (amaebi) came from Molokai. The last sushi item was a delightful hand roll containing toro and crunchy takuwan radish pickles).

Yes, $160 is not cheap for a dinner, but you will feel that you got full value for a very memorable sushi experience that may be the best...

Takumi, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways… We typically head up to another sushi restaurant n/of Kaanapali, but it’s always a loooong wait to be seated. We decided to try Takumi. We are SO GLAD WE DID! Now, it was NYE. Not a reservation to be had. Called Takumi. Two hour wait for sushi! Ok, fine. Beggars can’t be choosers. We got some pizza next door for the kids and waited. When we picked it up, it came in these adorable little wooden boxes. Everything was like artwork. I had No Ka Oi, and ordered it twice.. on my last day here as well, and it was every bit as good as the first. Hubbs got the assorted nigiri… twice. Its presentation was just beautiful inside its wooden box. Miso soup was on point, the ahi was fresh and melt in your mouth delicious. Fish quality is phenomenal. We cannot recommend this place enough and we will be back next time we’re...

Ate for the first time here last week, getting takeout on a rainy Sunday evening. Online ordering was easy. Very quick, ready in about 20 minutes. The takeout window is a nice touch. The inside is small, but kind of reminds of of the "hole in the wall" style or yokocho-style places in Japan because of the size. But that's the charm of those places. It is very new and clean. The prices are "Maui" prices, but that's to be expected. Good otoro, chutoro, hamachi and tamago. I liked the tempura, but it's appetizer size. The boxes are a nice touch. Overall a really good place and it's sooooo nice to have a place like this in Ka'anapali. The focus on takeout is really good for both tourists after a long day and locals driving home from work who may want some sushi to pick up for dinner. And as a former resident of Japan, it's very authentic and not...