Location: Wailuku
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Where to eat Japanese food in Wailuku: The Best Restaurants and Bars
Best Japanese restaurants nearby. Discover the best Japanese food in Wailuku. View Menus, Photos and Reviews for Japanese restaurants near you.. Wailuku is a census-designated place (CDP) in and county seat of Maui County, Hawaiʻi, United States. The population was 15,313 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Maui County.
Things to do in Wailuku
9. Restaurant Matsu
Overall Ratings
4 based on 40 reviews
Reviewed By lwj
Restaurant Matsu is located in an area that is tucked away and not easily located by visitors to Maui. It is more of a place that locals visit.We stopped by for lunch and ordered our meals at the counter... the dishes were brought to our table.Very good tasting and a little high for what it was.... but that is Maui.
8. Takamiya Market
Reviewed By Hitlerhater
I love Takamiya Market!! It is a unassuming, old school, Japanese family run market which is totally my style. I believe it's been open since 1948 and is located in Happy Valley (Wailuku) Maui. They sell so many different items from regular groceries, Asian goods, Japanese and Korean products, prepared foods, plate lunch, bentos, poke, kalbi, fried chicken, desserts and marinated meats you can take to BBQ yourself. I can go on and on. They have lots of food ready to grab and go which is perfect for a quick snack or for lunch on the beach and it's really inexpensive. I bought some Lau Lau and rice to take back to our condo. I actually ended up freezing it and bringing it home to Cali so I could have a bit of Hawaii at home. Let me tell you, it was some of the best Lau Lau I've ever had. It had so much flavor and a nice smokiness to it. It makes my mouth water just thinking about them. They come in packs of 2 for like 6 bucks!! Total bargain!! If I lived on Maui, I'd probably eat there everyday. If you're the type of person that likes expensive, pretentious food, then this is not for you. If you appreciate good, home style local Hawaiian kine food, then you will love it. I cannot wait to go back to Maui so I can try more!! Mahalo nui loa Takamiya's!! Don't ever go away!!
7. Umi
Reviewed By Anne U
We loved our dinner there--had calamari salad (yummy), caterpillar sushi roll (up to our standards), miso soup (excellent), and when we were too full, fried softshell crab in bau was offered to us. We didn't refused and were blown away by what we tasted--definitely worth ordering. The servers were gracious and friendly. We were well-cared for, like family.
6. Ramen-Ya
Overall Ratings
4 based on 89 reviews
Reviewed By MauiWorldTravelers
This is central Maui's first true ramen shop, a chain from Oahu. Don't get excited as there's only a total of two now. Sigh... sad but true. LOCATION:Inside Queen Kaahumanu Center, first level, by the WOMEN'S Macy's (there are 2 Macy's in the mall.)ATMOSPHERE:They're constantly busy! It's a small and cramped spot that they've outgrown in no time. Not good for large parties. Table turnover is pretty quick. Fairly clean.MENU:Ramen, local plate lunches, fried noodles, curry dishes.FOOD:Shoyu Ramen - This is my favorite ramen dish here, though it's not a traditional shoyu base, as the broth color is a little murky like they add in a pinch of miso, therefore the flavor depth isn't there, but what helps is a swish of shoyu. It comes topped with bean sprouts, char siu, and green onions. Sometimes they run out of bean sprouts and add in shredded cabbage which is gross. Ask before ordering!Mapo Tofu Ramen - Thick gravy-like broth with tofu, chiles, garlic and ramen noodles. Kind of an odd combo. A bit spicy cause of the bits of chili mixed in (2 on a 5-scale.) It's probably a bigger portion compared to the other ramen dishes because of the enormous amount of gravy. You can opt for no spice. Gomoku Ramen - Horrible! Zero flavor. If you want a good gomoku, head to Archie's in Wailuku. Seafood Ramen - Odd ingredients & toppings. Not into seafoody-tasting ramen.Chuka Ramen - Overkill of seaweed, and the canned bamboo shoots tasted "plasticky." The broth flavor was too mild for me.Miso Ramen - Super light flavor, no depth. I really didn't want to add in soy sauce but it did help a little. The best part was the char siu. Another one to avoid.Gyoza - These are yummy. Get it pan or deep fried. I personally like the pan fried version. Ask for it to be "well done" to get that nice crispy crust.Fried Rice - It may look plain, but it's full of flavor and the portion is generous. Good job!Mochiko Chicken - Good sized portion, the chicken was lightly flavored and not crispy (maybe cause it sweated in the takeout tray?) The mac salad was over cooked and almost tasteless.Pork Fried Noodles - The dish is huge! The noodles are wok fried with super tender pork strips, cabbage, carrots, onions and bean sprouts. The flavor is subtle but still good. I added in more white pepper and some soy sauce for an extra kick. Highly recommended.Tan Tan Ramen - I never look at their menu as I always know what I want, but one day a few weeks ago I did and was surprised to see this offered. I wasn't too excited as the benchmark version of this death row dish of mine resides at the Goma Tei Ramen chain on Oahu, which no one can duplicate. I searched on every Ramen Ya location's Yelp page and found nada a review on this new dish. So today I took the guinea pig challenge. Unfortunately Ramen Ya's version falls flat on its face. The broth color was similar to a tonkotsu but with a hint of orange; orange from what, I have no idea because there was no real taste to it. The overall flavor was that of a very light miso, with no body or depth. They gave a good amount of seaweed whose flavors bled into the broth and gave it an even odder taste. On top of that, their nasty-tasting bamboo which for some reason tastes like plastic didn't help. There was also an overkill of bland char siu, about 4 pieces. I wouldn't mind the generous portion if the char siu had a good flavor, but it tasted like warmed up meat without any seasoning. Last but not least is half of a boring hard boiled egg that didn't go well with the dish. I stand by my word that NO restaurant on this rock can do a soft egg. So sad. Pass! Seafood Crispy Noodle - This is a huge portion for the price. I did takeout so the noodles were packed separately from the sauce. The sauce was lightly flavored, similar to what you'd get at Chinese/Thai/Vietnamese places, and was full of veggies like cabbage, carrots, and shiitake mushrooms. The only seafood ingredients were shrimp and chunks of super tender white fish, and thankfully no rubbery calamari. Good but I prefer versions at Bale and Thailand Cuisine which have tastier gravies and ingredients. Shrimp Tempura - The side dish comes with 4 pieces of the frozen variety with oddly, katsu sauce for dipping; I used the gyoza sauce instead. Crunchy and good taste. Seafood Fried Noodle - $10.25. The portion is big enough for two. The ramen noodles are stir fried in a very subtle sauce with tender white fish, a few shrimp, onions, cabbage, carrots, and bean sprouts. Shoyu is definitely a needed condiment.Vegetable Ramen - $9.50My goodness, there was not one pic nor review on this dish even on their Oahu location Yelp pages. So, you're welcome, lol! The shio-based broth had a cloudy yellow color and tasted just as I had imagined - subtle savoryness with lots of veggie-flavored notes. A mound of chopped & blanched cabbage sat atop the noodles like Mt. Fuji. An enormous amount of bean sprouts were hiding on one side of the bowl so I didn't find them until I was almost done which was a bummer. As usual, the noodles were perfectly chewy and eggy (Sun Noodle brand) and served searing hot. Seafood Ramen - $11.75The last time I had this was over 8 years ago so it was time for a retry. According to the server, the broth base is a dual combo of shoyu and "something else" which I suspect could be mapo due to its slightly thicker texture. The broth was a bit bland so I added a swish of shoyu which helped bring some sort of life to it. Oddly there were hints of bitterness to the broth, though I'm not sure where it came from. The amount of seafood toppings were very generous with lots of shrimp and insanely flaky fish, cabbage, carrots and shiitake mushrooms. The noodles are the same Sun Noodle-brand found in their other bowls which were cooked slightly past chewy but still good due to their eggy flavor. I was surprised I couldn't finish the bowl as I was extremely stuffed! Never have I left noodles uneaten until today.Mochiko Chicken - $10.75Fast forward a few years and this dish has gotten way better. The chicken was moist, crispy in places, lightly battered, subtly seasoned and a bit sweet. Splashes of shoyu did the trick for me, giving it more of a savory flavor. SERVICE:They don't take reservations so it's always walk-in status. The lunch hour is busy so the wait can be about 15-minutes or so. The staff are friendly and food delivery is quick. OVERALL:The best variety of ramen on Maui, but definitely not Hawaii. Read less
5. Miyako Sushi
Reviewed By Pattie H
Great simple style maki and cone sushi PLUS the best spam musubi ever! It is the STUFF that makes this place stand out - lotsa lotsa stuff - antiques, baseball cards, koa furniture, kamaka ukulele, dishes from japan and thats just at the door
4. TJ's warehouse outlet
Overall Ratings
4 based on 22 reviews
Reviewed By ECL
We had heard good things about TJ's and drove over there on a late afternoon to stock up on food over the weekend. Very wide assortments of bentos and bento fixings including a good chicken Katsu and garlic chicken. In addition to the premade bentos you can go through a hot table and order ala carts and pay by quart or pint sizes. Plus they take credit cards. There is also an impressive display case of poke but we didn't try any.
3. Tokyo Tei
Overall Ratings
4 based on 52 reviews
Reviewed By lwj
Tokyo Tei in Wailuku has always been one of our favorite places. Not fancy or expensive, this restaurant simply serves good food at decent prices.... a place that locals go, not necessarily visitors.Finding this restaurant is the first challenge... it is located at the back of a covered parking structure. A modest street sign indicates its location.We ordered the Chicken Hekka (Sukiyaki) and their Chicken Katsu. The Chicken Hekka is one our favorites, not a sukiyaki as we normally have, but it is very good.The Chicken Katsu was not quite as impressive.... it was just OK, not great.
2. Ichiban Okazuya Hawaii
Overall Ratings
4 based on 46 reviews
Reviewed By GC404
If youâre in the Wailuku area, be sure to stop at this little cafe to enjoy some really ono Japanese food :)). Their menu includes typical dishes (katsu, teriyaki, etc), the miso soup is really yummy, and thereâs fresh Hawaiian fish as well... prices are reasonable, the service is friendly and prompt, and the portions are generous too. Enjoy!
1. Da Kitchen
Overall Ratings
4 based on 1906 reviews
What do you get when you combine raw creativity with authentic Hawaiian cuisine? The answer to this question will become clear as soon as you order a meal at Da Kitchen. From the Chicken Katsu Plate to the Hawaiian Plate, our local ethnic cuisine is truly
Reviewed By rckndad
Nice place that offers the options of take out or eat in. The food and service were both excellent. The staff was extremely helpful and pleasant. We would recommend this place for anyone looking for a good meal.Thanks so much for the kind review! We're always doing our best to take great care of you. Hope you'll come back to us next time you're on the island!Mahalo,Keala Richards, General Manager
Where to eat Asian food in Wailuku: The Best Restaurants and Bars
