Kona Kai Sushi

I don’t fish. But I’m about to go out and buy a pole. Rainbow trout… the pregnant ones. I’ll take the roe and head straight to my smoker. Because Honolulu is way too far away every time I’ll be craving nijimasu. Yep… first timer.
This is the best sushi I’ve ever had. I have eaten sushi all over this great country… and this is my new number one. The freshness and variety are superior.
My highlights include the aforementioned nijimasu plus:
Miso Salmon Scallop roll — incredible. Could have ordered two more and had just this for dinner
Tuna trio — fresh, tasty, delicate, beautiful
Masago — I’m a Tobiko guy but this was good.
Negi-​hama roll — the weakest item we had and still better than average.
Unagi — dessert as usual and by that time the love was real… melt in your mouth.
Other notable comments:
They have Asahi, a favorite with sushi
The rice was a little soft and not sticky enough for my taste.
They open at 5 not 5:30, and it’s not a huge place. I would make a reservation if you plan to be there after 5:30 on a busy night.

Very good authentic sushi bar. All Japanese drinks with a very nice selection. They have a very large variety of seafood and high quality

Tried it for the first time and I was not disappointed. The sushi was delicious and our waiter was very willing to offer recommendations for us first timers. I’ll definitely be back.

Very solid 4 stars. There is no atmosphere but food is very good. Not sure what other reviews were talking about bad/​slow service. Service was fantastic. Maybe they listen and have made changes. A little off beaten path and sign is hard to see but definitely a «go».

My girlfriends and I were craving sushi and heard great things of Kona Kai Sushi! So we went on a Friday night and truly enjoyed all the delish sushi and drinks! I can’t tell you what we ordered because we devoured it in seconds– so not kidding. We also enjoyed the plum sake which was perfect as it was mixed with sparking soda.
The quality of sushi was quite surprising. The fish was fresh and you could tell everything was made with quality in mind. The presentation did not disappoint as well. True perfection. The customer service was wonderful as I did not expect that great of service. Everyone was very kind, thoughtful and offered suggestions on what we should order. Top notch sushi!
The parking was in the Kaimuki parking lot. We couldn’t find any parking there, especially on a Friday night so we had to park in the next lot over. Regardless, it was so worth it!
Kona Kai Sushi– a great place to go for quality sushi in town or the Kaimuki area. Definitely a must!

Love love love this place!!! The service is excellent, their nigiri is BOMB! I love their ponzu… mouth watering! My new favorite sushi restaurant!

One of my fave places to dine. Baked Lobster, baked oysters, fresh oysters, stuffed calamari, tuna trio… Holy moly the list goes on and on! The only thing that was not on point this time was the size of the sushi fish… Seems like the fish was shrinking? I hope not I love this place and would not want to stop eating here!

My fiancé and I go to Kona Kai at least twice a month. At one point we were going there every weekend. It was an obsession. The quality of the food and services definitely kept us coming back. It’s our go to place when we’re craving sushi because it always hits the spot and Jason always delivers the best sushi. Our favorites are the uni, langoustine, 3 wiseman, sashimi deluxe boat, miso seared salmon, Maguro, toro, snow crab, and so many other things that will melt in your mouth. Sit at the counter and get to know Jason and his staff. They’ll take care of you. They are so attentive with all our needs. They constantly re-​fill my hot tea every 10 minutes because they know I drink a lot of tea. That’s just exceptional customer service. We will see them next week!

This is our favorite sushi bar. It’s always fresh, and they bring in a lot of seasonal fish without the price being outrageous. The staff is friendly and almost always on point.
The fish is cut in the perfect proportion to the rice ratio which to me is very important.

My parents and I went to Kona Kai tonight to celebrate my mom’s birthday. It was our first time there, it came highly recommended by my dad’s employee. The restaurant is pretty small but decent looking inside. My mom ordered the omakase and my dad and I started with the sushi trios. My dad got the tuna trio and I ordered the ebi trio.
Service was very slow, my dad’s trio took 15 minutes to be prepared. My trio came about 10 minutes after that. We shared my mom’s omakase while we waited. The fish was fairly tasty, but the cut of the fish was very meager. The sushi rice wasn’t well formed, it fell apart easily. I ordered the Blue Tama Roll next and my dad ordered tempura. It took about 40 minutes for my dad’s tempura to come. He said it tasted funny and a few pieces were burnt. I tasted one piece and it was pretty bad. I used to get better tempura at my favorite takeout Japanese restaurant in Burbank.
My dad told the waitress the tempura was burnt and she apologized and said they wouldn’t charge for it. They brought out a complimentary mochi ice cream dessert with a candle for my mom’s birthday, which was nice.
All in all it was a disappointing experience and we won’t be coming back.

This sushi bar is more casual than Sasabune or Onadera, but I find the quality of the sushi close to being on par. There are places with better ambiance for a romantic date, but this place is just fine if you are going for some quality sushi with friends. The rating I gave is just for the food, since that is most of what I care about. My wife and I usually get the Omakase, but we tried other items on their menu and it was just as good. Their seafood always seems fresh and all of what they serve is prepared with meticulous care. I do like how they have more readily available seating than their competitors but parking is a gamble since they are in a plaza with lots of good restaurants.

This was a really nice surprise! The quality and uniqueness of the fish they had was top notch!!! I’m big on sushi so this is BIG for me to say. Everything was really! I would definitely be back. Prices are on the high end. But when it comes to sushi, I’ll pay!

The sushi and hot food were very delicious. Two bad things about this place is the lack parking spaces and it’s pretty pricey since they have small portions.
We got the following:
Maguro Sushi ($ 8): Very good, it melted in our mouth. The size is about 2″ x3″.
Hamachi Sushi ($ 7): Very good, I recommend.
Kampachi Sushi ($ 6): Very good
Miso Soup ($ 3): good, but really? $ 3 miso soup in a small bowl. I don’t think so…
Bonless Kalbi ($ 14): yum!!! So much flavor and very tender. I totally recommend this.
Hamachi Kama ($ 16): Over priced for a small piece of cooked yellowtail collar.
S. African grilled lobster ($ 14): It was good but a very small piece of lobster.
Assorted Tempura ($ 15.50): Very pricey for battered fried veggies and small shrimp.
Rice ($ 3): just like my $ 3 miso soup… Really??? for a small bowl of rice???
It was good but not that good…

Stop by for late dinner, the place is very comfy and relaxing. Everyone is friendly and waited till we finished. One of a place to come by again. Good food, good service and great atmosphere.

This has been one of the best sushi experiences to date. Forget the cream cheese, the fried rolls, or whatever restaurants do to mask the poor quality of the fish they serve. Here at Kona Kai, you come for the delightful nigiri they serve and that is an acquired taste for the average American.
Two local friends brought me here as I was in town and wanted some sushi. They knew exactly what to order so we ordered a hodge podge of maybe 12 dishes. Started with the stuffed calamari which was delicious and there came the line of some of the best sushi I’ve ever had.
My absolute standout dish that I believe was the ultimate game changer: the tuna trio. They bring you a dish of three nigiri pieces and you can try them in order of grade. The first one is what you’re used to having at normal sushi restarants (cough mainland places cough), the second is marginally better, and the third one is just WOW. It just melted in my mouth! There were obviously other really good dishes that we tried but I particularly loved the tuna trio. The raw shrimp was also a very interesting taste as I have never tasted anything in that texture before. Fun fact, they bring out the shrimp heads fried, so that’s a really delicious treat!
We finished off with the unagi as our «dessert» and it was the perfect way to end our delectable feast.
I would love to return here whenever I’m on Oahu.

Finally made it to Kona Kai after literally years of hearing friends rave about it and I can say that this place definitely lives up to the hype! The staff was so friendly and helpful, even going into detail about all of the dishes we ordered and were very attentive! A full water glass is always a sign of great service! We ordered the spicy ahi chips (genius!), oyster trio, kona Kai dynamite (much less mayonnaise-​y than most so very yummy), a couple of rolls and the bintoro ponzu which was by far my favorite of the night and definitely recommend! All in all a great experience and can’t wait to come back again soon!

As a tourist, it’s often difficult to find a quality sushi restaurant as reviews frequently base their opinion on whether or not the sushi is cheap. Personally, I’ve never been too excited about cheap, raw fish. I was pleasantly surprised by the omakase meal we were served tonight, NYE. The variety and quality of fish was excellent. I particularly liked the range of mackerel offered after I informed the chef that aji was my favorite. A trio of oysters was a highlight, as was a surf and turf nigiri combo of wagyu beef and lobster. The service was attentive, and everyone was quite friendly. We’ll be back the next time we visit Honolulu.

Simple no frills for take out. Ordered Teri chicken and got a chicken beast with Teri sauce poured over it. The chicken was not marinated and cooked.

Kona kai sushi is one of my favorite places to eat. The fish here is handled very meticulously and has the perfect rice to fish ratio. There is very good sake offered here and very reasonable prices, and they even have a guide to picking one out. The servers are knowledgeable enough to recommend one to your liking otherwise. My recommendation is to try the oxalate the first time you are here and decide what your favorites are when you come back. And it’s so good, you will come back! Every time I go to kona kai, I see the same regulars also dining in. That says a lot about a place. They really do take care of their customers. The wasabi and shoyu is their own product, and it compliments everything so well
My favorites are the hagashi maguro, sake (king salmon with white kelp on top), Hirame ponzu, and of course their delicious ankimo! Occasionally they get it fresh and it is out of this world. Just try to ask what is good or new and you won’t regret it.

We went there thinking it was going to be busy and try to get a seat. never had a reservation but asked if we could eat there. Clearly had at least 12 tables available the manager said its we don’t room. this was a Friday night.
I don’t intend on going and trying it out.

This place is a copy of Tokkuri-​Tei. They even have spicy ahi chips and salmon skin salad. I bet Kazu’s not very happy about this place.
I have mixed feelings since I am a fan of Tokkuri-​Tei and they have been around since 1989. However, I have to say that this place was clean, organized, and had friendly staff. It’s also far enough away from Tokkuri-​Tei to be serving a slightly different customer base.
The food was good, however, the salmon skin salad wasn’t as good as Tokkuri-Tei’s. I was a fan of the boneless kalbi and butter fish. I also liked the spicy ahi chips.

First time dining here at Kona Kai and it was awesome. Service was great and the food was delicious. Everything from the steak to the sushi and appetizers we had were great!!! Definitely would add this on to my list of places to visit again. Thanks to the staff and Jason I had an awesome birthday dinner this year.

My friend and I are going down the list from Honolulu magazine’s top 8 izakaya and Kona Kai was up next. The food was great and the staff were helpful and funny. The sake selection was good and we had more than a few. If you get the chance you should check it out. On to the next one on the list

I wanted to wait to write a review after I’ve been here a few times. And hasn’t disappointed me. I always come here with my parents and we always share everything we order. They have both the nigri style and rolls with a lot of ala carte items as well. The last time they changed it up a bit on how they show you what the daily specials are — when they bring you your individual menus they also bring a chalkboard for the table listing all the daily specials. Nice touch!
My family always order the same things here (we can be creatures of habit) but they staff is always friendly, the place always clean, and the food is always consistent.

If you find yourself in kaimuki and in the mood for good quality sushi, kona kai is the place to go. If you manage to find a spot in the ridiculously crowded parking lot shared with big city diner, Kim chee II and happy days, it’s easy enough to find from there. The restaurant is decorated nicely enough, and they offer both sushi bar seating and regular tables. There are also various daily specials listed on the wall, as well as on a little chalkboard that they bring to your table.
I came with a friend late one night for a light dinner. We were leaning towards the omakase menu as there was no nigiri set on the menu, but we weren’t hungry enough to spend ~$ 100 each. We settled on selecting a few orders of nigiri to share. The quality of the sushi is better than most places, but the price reflects that, too. You should expect to pay quite a bit, even if you don’t go with the omakase option.
We tried the oysters, the agedashi tofu, salmon, tamago, unagi and hamachi nigiri. The oysters were delish, but I prefer the sauce at sushi king more. The agedashi tofu was kinda weird… It was like there was a sack around the soft tofu. There are plenty of other menu options as well that I wouldn’t mind coming back to try.
The waitstaff was friendly and attentive. Although I really hate packing in the lot behind the restaurant (the self exit gates frequently break, the pay booths infrequently work and it always seems like the entire town is trying to find parking when I’m there), I’ll probably be back

We loved this place. It is simply decorated in the izakaya tradition. The service is welcoming and helpful. The food is outstanding.
We started with the salmon skin salad. A simple dish, but they use each ingredient to its fullest potential. The greens in Hawaii are fantastic, and the ones in this salad make for a nice base for the crunchy and mildly sweet salmon skin. This was a winner.
We also tried a special, big island abalone sashimi. The abalone was fresh, briny and crunchy, beautifully sliced in the shell. On the side was a shooter of the abalone’s liver, which to my surprise was rich and delicious.
Other sushi we tried included the snow crab, spicy scallop, Hokkaido scallop, kampachi, saltwater eel, and the Saba mackerel. All were sublimely fresh and nicely seasoned. The rice was great. Loved that it was a tad warm.
I loved the Three Wise Men, two pieces of nigiri that combined Kira, uni and miguro giant clam. So beautiful and fresh. We also loved the Jodie roll.
Our waitress took great care of us. Friendly and über-​knowledgeable and competent. I wish I could take this place back to NJ with me. Truly outstanding.

Always the best UNI, ikura, sayori was delicious, crab stuffed calamari with Yuzu.
The service is phenomenal! Best service ever! Everyone here is friendly and very attentive! I love the clean atmosphere!
I will definitely eat here again soon!

If you want decent and reasonable priced Raw fish, this would be the place! I came in on a late night weekday and ordered about $ 100 worth of sashimi and nigiri for 2 people. It was fresh and good. The waitress was extremely knowledgable in regards to the different type of sashimi and fish they have to offer. The list of fish and seafood is very extensive. Unfortunately, after this meal, i was too rawed out and couldn’t eat sashimi for few months.

We visited here again. Many guest came to enjoyed sushi. It was pleased for us Japanese to see the foreigner enjoyed Japanese food. In this time I surprised that many guests ordered the Omakase menu. Omakase menu was I recommended for Unilocal’s readers. I’ｍ very glad if they become a little help of everyone. Enjoy the nice sushi bar!

My best friend and I decided to meet up here for drinks and sushi. It’s been a long long time since I had super quality sushi-​places like this are not to be found in Philadelphia where I lived or the Midwest which I just moved to-​so perhaps this review is a little biased because I was definitely hungry for some LEGITMATE sushi.
In both Philly and Omaha, sushi is defined as a trendy thing to eat, that it seems the more stuff you can put inside the roll or pile on top, the more exciting and delicious it will be! WRONG. If you go to majority of the places in Japan, they dont put cream cheese in a roll, drench it with sauces, or fry everything. A simple nigiri [fish laying on top of rice] will do, brushed lightly with a ponzu glaze or just a hint of lime with pinch of green onion garnish. Even more delightful, perhaps a scorch or some scored light grill marks. The quality of fish is unquestionably as fresh as it could possibly be here and the nigiri quite literally melts in your mouth.
Kona kai succeeds in bringing the simplicity of sushi to light, and while also making it a savory and delectable treat. You pay for this service, and its not cheap. For 3 people we spent $ 200 and I wasnt even stuffed when I left. I especially enjoyed the langoustien, toro, lobster, and the hamachi collar. The service was pretty good (I see some complaints in the other reviews) but we also went early at 5:30. By the time we left it was pretty packed.
I can’t wait for my next visit home– this will be one of my first stops.

I know I got ROTD for this establishment, and gave it a 5-​star «A-​M-​A-​Z-​I-​N-​G» rating, but after dining there again recently, i realized that it’s not quite 5-​star worthy.
Ya the sushi is good but they were out of a ton of items. This past time the service was really good (although that could have been because we were like, one of three small tables in the place)
What irked me about this place is that they totally over sold on their recent Groupon deal. I know a LOT (a lot) of people who sprung for the offer (myself included) and we were ALL completely let down because it was impossible to get a reservation to redeem.
Why would an establishment do something like that? Oh, to ensure that they’d get business — eventually — because all those people might still come in to redeem the actual value that they paid for those damn Groupons. Since that actual value doesn’t expire. But ummm, the reason everyone brought them was not because they wanted $ 30 to spend there… they wanted the $ 30 for $ 60 or the $ 50 for $ 100 deal that the Groupon advertised for. This place knows that people would probably end up spending more if they came in to redeem, since how much can you really get at Kona Kai for a measly $ 30? Super irritating.

The Groupon seems to have been the demise of this place. I’ve heard wonderful things about the pre-​Groupon Kona Kai, so I’m sure they were pretty legit at one point. However, it seems as if the restaurant is unable to keep up with the demands of the cheap-​ass cockaroach Grouponers like myself.
Overall, the nigiri sushi at Kona Kai is not bad. It’s not amazingly WOW and still wiggling fresh, but it’s good. It’s not my first choice for sushi (or 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, or even 5^th, for that matter), but still decent for the price and quality.
The baby squid stuffed with blue crab, rock lobster, and bintoro ponzu sashimi are decent rip-​offs of courses from the Sasabune omakase. Not as refined, but not bad for copy cat dishes.
Spicy Ahi Chips — Overdressed and over-​seasoned, but that’s probably what makes this dish fun.
Three Wise Men — Nyeh. I went against my better judgement and ordered this. The ikura overpowers and immediately kills the delicate flavor of the creamy uni, and with the chewy mirugai everything turns into this muddled wash of weird flavors and textures.
Jodi’s Roll — It was alright. I’m obviously not a fan of these new fangled overprocessed sushi rolls, but my bf wasn’t impressed with it either. It wasn’t ordered again on subsequent visits.
Seafood Dynamite — Not bad, but ugly and sloppy in presentation compared to other restaurants with the same dish.
Mushroom Medley — Yawn. Good, but nothing that one couldn’t get elsewhere.
The counter sushi case was really messy, sloppy, disorganized, and quite frankly, unappetizing. The sushi chefs just stick their hand in and grab around from the pile, slice off what is needed, and toss the fish back in the pile. Maybe it’s because they’re young, but I don’t think old-​school sushi chefs would keep their fish like that.
Making reservations at Kona Kai takes an act of Congress. I’m sure other reviews have gone into detail about the shit show on how they were supposedly booked for months, so it was pretty obvious that they were purposely turning away customers with Groupons.
As for service… well, you get served. Don’t expect friendly service, especially if you’re using a Groupon. I don’t think I’d return to pay full price for the food. I’m not even sure if I would pick up another Groupon if they offer one.