Every dish we ordered was full of flavor. The grilled mackerel is my favorite, with its skin grilled to perfection. Will definitely come back!
Such a fun place to have a great meal and hang out with friends - at a super reasonable price. All dishes are meant to be shared and it was a pleasure to try dishes. Favs definitely included jelly fish, bbq squid and pork belly. Definitely somewhere we will be visiting everytime we’re there.
Food took a little longer than I liked, despite being the first and only customer in the store for a while. Okonomayaki was average, the soft style. BBQed squid didn't have any charcoal flavor, I think it's just a simple grill. Draft Kirin was super cold and nice.Strange and American: the izakaya was victim to a sting operation by Hawaiian authorities making sure they were checking IDs for alcohol, and let off with a warning..
Very good place if you want to get izakaya experience. The food is inexpensive, taste good, and the service is great.When we were there, the owner played a mixed playlist of song, from anime ost, J-pop, and enka. It was great time.
We waited at least 30 min until we get our first dish, and then another 10 min until the second dish… service was good but they are for sure understaffed.Four stars because the chicken had a very gamey taste, grilled squid tasted mediocre, and stir fry veggie also tasted mediocre (too much ginger!). The only two dishes we both enjoyed were the garlic shrimp and beef udon soup.Price was really good though!
Food is okaySmall tables and seatsThere were only 2 servers to cover the hall and patio ( outside ) so couldn't get the food / drink / bill on time.... Had to wait for a long time.
HIDDEN GEM ALERT! Tucked away in the corner is this small (~6 tables) Japanese restaurant that's authentic to it's origin. The wait is not too long, but it's to be expected since there's only 1 waitress (so cut her some slack); as for rudeness, I didn't encounter any, maybe because I was quick to order, eat and leave. The food was delicious and small portioned so you'll be ordering a lot if you're with company, but the prices are cheap so don't fret.
So good and cheap and delicious!! The Japanese food was so authentic and the cocktails were amazing. Would definitely come back many many times!
We got the cold tofu, yakitori, grilled mackerel, and katsu curry. Everything was delicious, especially the mackerel and curry. The mackerel was grilled perfectly, and the curry was more sweet than normal but still very tasty. When we got there, the place seemed understaffed and we waited for a long time for our food. Not sure if this was the norm or a one time thing.
Loved this spot & will remember it forever! First off this is not a 5-star Japanese restaurant. The restaurant is located in a lanterned lighted back-alley way in Waikiki. ( in my neighborhood, as I was a regular) I would describe Pau Hana Base as an urban Japanese city street cool, street food/type of sit down restaurant. ( always A+Clean) Staffed by all younger Japanese people with younger to middle-aged customers. ( mostly Japenese/ that's a good sign ) Yet welcomes all! I visited on a regular basis for quick, eats and beers. Loved the atmosphere the food was interesting and decent. I would recommend visiting if you are in Waikiki and are into the feel of Japenese culture and unique food options. Actually don't miss this spot at all, if you are cool! lol The service is fine, they get busy, ( popular) it is a tiny place, and they do the best they can. The music is on and varies, could be hip hop at times, cool Japanese music, & random sounds, etc. Like I said this is a cool urban Japanese spot, not a five-star luxury. Didn't get to say goodbye to the staff before I left, so saying hello/goodbye now. Enjoyed this location, while spending my last year in Hawaii on Oahu and would visit again if I ever made it back to the island. ( the dates are off on these trips, but Tripadvisor will not let me pre-date prior to 2021 . They are still opened I checked. Hope I can make it back one day)