4 King’s

What a great restaurant and wonderful food. From the house-​made catsup to the homemade meatloaf, it’s my kind of place. I had the steamed fish with lupchong shavings because it seemed healthier than having the meatloaf. My friend had the novel loco moco which was made with a huge mahimahi patty instead of hamburger patty some of the most sumptuous sauce you have ever had topped by two perfectly poached eggs. The place could fill up fast because it is tiny but go there early and you won’t be disappointed. No booze though. Not a bad thing if you don’t drink. Very reasonable with almost nothing over $ 10.

I have been eating here since they were Green Papaya. Actually started eating at their Dillingham location and then they opened up here in Kaimuki. I eat here about once a week and have for a few years.
I’m not much of a sushi fan, so I can only speak about the Vietnamese food. The sushi gets high marks from my friends though.
My favorite on their menu is the vermicelli (rice noodle) dishes though the plate combos are great. One of my friends loves the Phở. The vegetarian summer rolls are also quiet good!
The service is very good and always prompt.

I eat here periodically and I can say it’s one of my favorites. I started eating here when they were called «Green Papaya», known for vegetarian cuisine. I guess business for them got real slow during the current sign of the times, so they reinvented themselves — creating a sushi bar in the restaurant. Most days I would pass by the restaurant and peak in. Alot of empty tables, but that’s a fact of life now. What I usually get is the Oxtail Phở, which is awesome. A tad less meat than I would like, but it’s ok. I never get those rice platters they have, but I should try them sometime soon. Also get those appetitors like green papaya salad and sometimes the spring rolls — which come out of the kitchen hotter than hell.
Good pricing and a homely atmosphere.

I come here allll the time. It is decent. Not the BEST but decent enough that I like to come here often for reasonably priced sushi. Spicy tuna was good.

I have NEVER seen a place that offers Phở and sushi at the same time! This place is cool! Woah accidentally stumbled upon this place while on a long bike ride and was soooo hungry!
I had the bento box with 2 choices. Had the lemongrass beef (was very tough and dry) and pork chops. The Bento box came with miso soup, rice and kimchee and 2 gyozas and 1 fried egg roll. We left very satisfied. Oh yea. they also serve avocado milkshakes! Yummmm!
This place offers Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, and Japanese food and the set meal prices are great. The prices are very decent for what you get. Wish I took some pictures though. next time.=p

This is one of those places that has become one of my regular, monthly eating out joints. at least once a month ill find myself here. Because sometimes you can’t afford to drop a lot of cash on dining but still want to go out and get something healthy and more sophisticated than fast food. The place formerly known as «Green Papaya» is now «4 King’s.» the food served here is mostly Vietnamese and Japanese (Sushi)… but not in a fusion sorta way — you won’t be able to order phở tempura sticks here… But somehow I wish I could. or or spicy ahi summer rolls… wait… they had the summer rolls last time I went. hum… ^_​^ anyhoo.
Everything is perty great here — the phở, sushi and stir fries, rolls and curries. Well Most of the time… I got a half cooked shrimp tempura in my Spicy Ahi, Shrimp Tempura roll ($ 12.95) the last time I visited. :\ other than that the food is tasty, with just the right amount of portions. I often order the Tofu Curry ($ 9.95) and add a hint of sriracha (Yum!) and my girl always gets the Chicken Phở ($ 7.95).
Over all, I will be eating here again… sometime in a few weeks. Maybe you will too? The atmosphere is casual, the service is polite and the food is better than alright!

Overall: 3.5 stars
The Good: decent food, good portions, trendy décor and most meals are under $ 10 (pretty excellent prices if people are doing family style). Plus you can get Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Thai food all under the same roof (hence the 4 Kings name).
The Not-​So-​Good: that dang public parking that is crazy busy on the weekends, limited street parking alternatives, and their plastic water cups (i’m not sure why this bothers me so much).
My cousin first recommended this place after recently discovering it. It has quickly become a favorite… I think mostly because I often crave «Asian» but am fairly indecisive about what kind of Asian. Well, this pretty much solves my dilemma because you can get a pretty good mix of Asian all on the same menu. The sushi is good, I’ve had the Vietnamese «bun» (cold noodles), the house-​special fried rice, and several of the complete meals. There is a pretty awesome ahi tempura appetizer I cannot leave without ordering. The food has also remained very consistent — always a plus.
I have noticed that it is unusually quiet during the Saturday lunch hour — so that’s a good time to go w/​o a wait (if you are willing to brave the parking situation).

So I’ll have to admit, when a friend of mine told me about this place I was quite ambivalent. The concept is quite interesting that you can get Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese all in one place. I love it. If only they opened till 3am!
Let me just say we ordered Phở and sushi and it was all EXCELLENT.
The service was quick. Our sushi rolls came out really fast considering we got some of their specialty type dishes. Mmmm, I can’t wait to go back.

I am a fan of Green Papaya on keeamoku st. and the work staff there told me they opened up a new sushi style restaurant, so i bit and as i expected i was very impressed! the menu is an interesting collaboration of sushi and Phở-​type food. i ordered the combination meal which comes with soup nalo-​greens (nice!) miso soup, a kimchee type of side and rice of course. the portions are very big, this includes the sushi portions and the taste is superb! I also ordered the soft shell crab roll, that also was very good!
i went there on a saturday night and they were packed! the only seats left was a two seater which was perfect, there was only one waitress so the service was slow but i understood as they werent expecting to be that busy! the waitress was the same one that helps us at Green Papaya, very friendly and personable.
This is a great little place that gives you your dollars worth! its also a nice little place for a date.
and yes I over-​ordered as I was starving. i left so full

What a combo. You can have your phở and eat sushi? It works. Especially with a big party. So many choices, its worth it.
The sushi is super fresh and the chef will make special items if you sit in front of him. very good quality for your buck.
As for the kitchen food. Very tasty. Addicted to the spring rolls. The curry and the house fried rice is on point. The bbq combos come with so much food, you’ll be satisfied. Try the curry bbq chicken and the lemongrass «everything».
Last but not least, the phở of course. For 3.50 more, you get a side of gyoza, spring roll, and pickles with your meal. Oh yah, check the wall for creative specials. Also, top your day with their desserts like their tapiocas and flan.
Oh, they now serve alcoHol. But ask the sushi guy what’s good because no one in the the front drinks except the sushi guy.

The food here is very tasty and I really enjoyed the sushi roll I had (we tried the California Roll with Spicy Tuna on top – VERY SPICY though!). The phở is also delicious and the complete meals come with a lot of food. The only thing is, it is kind of strange to be ordering sushi roll and then phở and have your lemongrass chicken served with a miso soup and gyoza on the side. I still don’t quite get the concept, but whatever, the food is good as well as the service so I would most likely return.

I’m glad I waited to write this review. After my first visit, I thought this place was great but after returning for a second and then third visit, my opinion has changed.
The food and the sushi are very well prepared and the fish is always extremely fresh. However, the service from the woman who works (or possibly owns the place) is unpredictable. She is moody and depending on when you go and what her mood might be, the service is reflective of her attitude. Sometimes she charges you extra for substitutions and sometimes she doesn’t. Sometimes it’s «okay» to make special requests and other times you’ll get «we cannot do that». WTH!
I haven’t been back because I’m done dealing with Ms. Jeckyl & Ms. Hyde…
Too bad, because the sushi chefs are always pleasant and accommodating but «she» tends to «butt-​in» when they’re interacting with the customer.

Vietnamese and Japanese food under one roof? WEIRD.
Don’t expect fusion cuisine here since it’s one or the other.
The complete meals are great deals because at about $ 14.95, you get miso soup, salad, rice, entrée, and possibly spring rolls and gyoza.
The sushi rolls are a whole page long. Read through them fast and order them first since it took us the entirety of our meal to get our 911 roll. By the time we got it, we were beyond stuffed and could barely finish one piece. SHAME, since we couldn’t eat it fresh there.
Polite staff, the waitress was very attentive even though she was by herself. Portions are generous, don’t over-​order. Our bill was $ 60 with tip. Yikes!

So Super Phở people were on vacation for like a month and the fiancé and I decided to try this place. After being used to what Super Phở tastes like, we really didn’t care for 4 kings. The service was slow and the extras like the mandoo wasn’t even worth it. The broth for the phở was watery and had almost no taste. It wasn’t all the memorable and I probably won’t be going back any time soon. It didn’t even fufuill my or the fiancé’s phở craving. Sad times. if you want phở, just walk over to Super Phở… they even have parking! Why bother going to 4 Kings? You have to fight for street parking there…

Green Papaya gave itself a new name and an updated menu, from what I understand. I give the sushi 2 stars, although did not get to try the phở this time around (although had their phở a while ago when it was Green Papaya, it was just okay back then).

Tried a bunch of sushi dishes: Stupid Rolls, Uni, Spring Rolls, BBQ Chicken Summer Rolls, Agedashi Tofu… others that are not even a bit memorable. Must say that everything I ate was just okay. They did not hit the mark, $ 30/​person was really not worth it. Maybe $ 20 is okay, slightly same quality of food as Sansei (um I never eat there either as first choice). I dunno. can’t say I’d order sushi here again, maybe phở I’ll see how that one goes.
The pluses though are that the staff is super nice and friendly, and that they accommodated our large group by moving the tables around, etc.

Sushi and Phở!!! I wasn’t too sure of this place, but after trying it, I like it. C’est bon! I can have phở and the husband can have sushi, and we don’t have to go to 2 different places to satisfy our cravings.
The main sushi guy is Hiro, a yellow hat wearing guy from LA. Very friendly and inquisitive man. I keep thinking that he’s in the witness protection program trying to assimilate into the «local» culture because he asked so many questions. Since I can’t eat too much raw fish because it makes break out, I got the phở. It came out piping hot. The broth was dark, but tasted good. There were lots of noodles and meat. I wonder if I didn’t get the tripe, would I have gotten more meat? It was a good, hearty, bowl of phở. I tried some of the poke salad and sushi the husband got. The flavors were light and fresh and not heavy to cover up the fish. I hate when some places put so much wasabi that you can’t taste the fish. I hope to try some of the stupid rolls next time.
If you’re ever passing by, introduce yourself or wave to Hiro. He made eating there enjoyable and it’s good the food is yummy.

same owners, new name, new menu.
green papaya was too vietnamese so somehow 4 kings gets to include a sushi bar and some korean dishes.
parking in the back is 75 cents an hour if you don’t manage to find a spot on the street. you can also enter through the back and avoid walking all the way around to the front.
the décor has improved and the colors actually go together. under the old name, you could tell it was a bunch of guys making a play at interior design. now, the light shades match.
the spring rolls were tasty. but i found the stupid rolls the most fun. «stupid #1» was one of the guys working there but you can’t order him. you can order «stupid # 2» and «stupid #3» rolls. we tried the #2 which had a white fish, avocado, and crab meat.
the lemon grass chicken was flavorful and heavy on the ginger.
the phở was solid — lots of thinly sliced meat and noodles.
i did not sample the other orders at the table but they seemed happy with the tempura ramen, chicken and vegetables, and kalbi (bbq short ribs).
the atmosphere was casual and the service was friendly and fun. lots of smiles and jokes. we left with happy full bellies.

For whatever rhyme or reason, the owners of the Green Papaya decided to get Benjamin Button with the restaurant and re-​birth it into 4 King’s sushi bar and Asian cuisine. Now if the presence of an apostrophe being in the wrong place (it’s supposed to be 4 Kings’) doesn’t scare you, saunter on in and try the sushi, it’s not bad.
(This review takes in mind that this is a mom-​n-​pop sushi place in Kaimuki, of all places.)
I never ate at the Green Papaya (Vietnamese food), but the 15% off grand opening special at 4 King’s appealed to my Taiwanese blood like the opportunity to dance on Chiang Kai Shek’s grave. It seems that they kept the original menu intact and just added sushi, since I never heard of any other sushi bar that serves phở.
We had the spicy ahi, spicy hamachi, stupid roll #2 (yep, that’s the name and there is a stupid roll #3 but no stupid roll #1, go figure) and calamari. The calamari was whatever, but the sushi was actually decent. After seeing phở on the menu, I was afraid that the sushi chef was going to get all Genki Sushi on us and short us on the fish, but he put so much fish in there I was afraid Aquaman was going to come through the door and bust a cap in him. With the 15% off the whole bill was less than ~$ 35, not bad. (It’s also BYOB since they don’t have a liquor license yet.)
For decent sushi considering the price in a, uh, phở restaurant in, uh, Kaimuki, this place gets 4 stars! (It would be 2 – 3 stars if I was to compare it to real sushi restaurants. 4 stars comparing it to Genki Sushi, which for some reason was ranked as Hawaii’s best sushi restaurant by a Honolulu Advertiser survey… which goes to show that the Mufi-​supporting Advertiser staff are deaf, blind, dumb AND lack taste buds.)