Caryn’s Okazu-Ya

FINALLY found Caryn’s after MONTHS of missing their okazyu!!! They are located next to Ono’s Hawaiian food in the Takahashiya Tonkotsu Ramen restaurant.
It was great seeing you Chris, I will pass along to all your new location.

Closed— WTF
Loved dis place
Aloha oi

We’ve moved to 730 Kapahulu Ave. inside Takahashiya Ramen.
(808) 927‑1797

I love Caryn’s! Their garlic chicken is my favorite on the island. Other place’s garlic chicken is fried and crispy all around but I really like Caryn’s because there isn’t much skin. It’s all meat with just a bit of crispy batter so it doesn’t taste like fried skin. The garlic sauce is nice and sweet, great for people like me with a sweet tooth. I really recommend you go try it. Only downfall is they are hard to find at first and because they leave it out in the display window, the chicken tends to get cold.

Boo! They are closing on as of December 31^st! My favorite go-​to Okazuya-​ya! Although they went through a management and staff change in the last few years, I still liked going there for their mochiko chicken, eggplant tempura, kabocha and yummy musubi. I will miss them but the guy told me today that they’re looking for a new place to open up so keep your eyes open! Thank you Caryn’s!!!

I only gave this place one star because the staff was extremely nice to me, but other then that the food was crap, a waste of my money in my opinion. The Mochicko chicken tasted like oil, wasn’t crunch at all more soggy, as well as the rice. There dinning tables were dirty & the parking is extremely cramped. Never coming here again.

My favorite Okazuya’s!
My Special:
Garlic Chicken
Sweet Potato Tempura
Stuff Eggplant
Ume Musubi
Potato Salad (2)

Nice small little hole in the wall. Even when we got there 30 minutes before closing they still had a good selection of food. Also there are tables available for people to sit and eat, which you can’t see til you are actually there so that is definitely a plus. The workers were really nice and lets us stay and eat even though they were closing soon. No attitude or trying to rush us out. Definitely will be back.

Moneyball: good for a quick bite away from the usual fast food.
Makes: need food fast? Hit up caryns. Food is pretty good too at a not so pressing price. Free parking in their lot. Easy to find… just look for their yellow flag flapping around young street. At least the dude taking orders and handing out our food was cool.
Misses: food isn’t great, but it’s like having some home cooked food in the middle of town. You could even say leftovers as the food sitting out long won’t taste hot and fresh. Parking is a little tight: gotta reverse out. The facilities are crap. They do have tables but very dirty chairs, kitchen looks like it has a lot of late night critter guests. And please, in any business, don’t dish out f#%*s and other disrespectful language to your coworkers in front of customers.
Food tried: garlic chicken (good, minced garlic chunks, but kinda fatty/​bready, probably better at fat boys), gobo (good, very slight spice to it), tempura (was hot and fresh and goood), nori musubi, mochiko chicken (very tasty but fatty bready, still, I really liked it), long rice (lots of flavor, moist).
If I’m in the area and need food quick l’ll turn to caryns otherwise I’m not going out of my way for a not so clean place… a clean kitchen = healthier for customers and a happy staff creates better tasting food.

Anytime I go to an Okazu-​ya I feel like a little kid again. I remember tip toeing to look through a glass window choosing what I want in my bento. Is it just me but everything taste better when its in a bento box. For those of you not familiar with an okazu-ya…um you must not be local. The okazu-​ya bento box is as local as our plate lunches. So tourist here is something you must try. As for the locals we know how lucky to still have the mom and pops places. We must cherish these places because as generations past, okazu-​ya places close. So everytime I spot an okazu-​ya place I havn’t tried I always smile.
Yes Caryn’s has been here for awhile, but I only recently discovered it near my work place. Yes it is a hole in a wall (typical of okazu-​ya) but they do have a parking lot. If you were to picture a okazu-​ya you have a small order window, written menu and a glass window displaying all the yummy foods.
Some of the yummy foods include sushis, musibis, Kabocha, Mahi mahi, fried chicken, chicken hekka and much more.
My favorite meal is a musibi, fried chicken and japanese rolled up omellete (tamagoyaki)
I’m not going to try and compare Caryn’s Okazu-​ya because the fact that its still around is a testament of the quality of food. I am going to mention, people lets continue to support our mom and pops store before one day it will not be there any more.
I hope to one day share this wonderful thing called okazu-​ya to the future generations.

I’ve given this place two chances and both times I’m left wanting a microwave and a whole new meal.
The food is always cold (I know, I know, it’s Okazu-​Ya and not made to order). It also has to do with the food being left on make shift shelves behind a window.
The mochiko chicken is disappointing because the batter is soggy and over-​fried (it’s not a golden brown but a doo-​doo brown). The tempura shrimp is all tempura and no shrimp. Allow me to explain: the shrimp is about 2 ½ inches long and ½ inch wide, but once Caryn’s Okazu-​Ya gets their hands on it the tempura shrimp becomes 6 inches long and 3 inches wide. Catch my drift. The shoyu chicken has a weird after taste and is too slimy with all that skin. There are other items but nothing to rave about. I prefer Gulicks and I’d much rather drive to Kaneohe to enjoy Chi-​Chans.
I don’t like this place. The hubs does. To each his own.

Caryn’s did an ownership change a while ago and it does feel like the food has lost a bit of it’s magic. Caryn’s is your typical okazuya and after Ebisu’s closed was the best downtown. I loved that you could pick 6 things and leave with an awesome $ 5 plate lunch. Now, however, it seems that the prices are a bit more.
The atmosphere and the parking leave much to be desired; this place was all about the food. However, a couple of the staples could be improved. One of which definitely is the chow fun which was very boring and tasteless. I used to love the fish, but I went before 10:30 and it wasn’t out yet. The mochiko chicken was awesome, but the corned beef hash wasn’t special either and it was small.
The truth is, I probably will go back. The guys that work there are nice and the food still is okazuya. They deserve the 3 stars but I will go back and look for reasons to improve it.

I’m really sad to have to revise my rating for Caryn’s, especially since it’s to knock off not one, but two stars, but really, I’d be embarrassed if someone went here based on my 5 star review because quite frankly, lately it has certainly not been worthy of my far-​and-​few between 5 stars.
My first experience with Caryn’s was really a 5 star experience, and maybe I was lucky that day, or maybe it was only because I had tiny little samples of everything (the food was actually for my husband) but since I’ve been back a few times, I have been really disappointed.
In my original review, I claimed that their chicken was better than Gulick and Mitsuken, I COMPLETELY take that back! While Caryn’s mochiko and garlic chicken tastes OK, it’s been a little on the soggy side and also very greasy. I don’t know what I was thinking (maybe it was the pregnant hormones at the time, messing with my brain, and taste buds! haha) but Mitsuken still hands down has the best garlic chicken. I also said in my first review that the food here was not too greasy. I was wrong again. The last time I had Caryn’s I was feeling a little nauseous, and I was NOT pregnant anymore. Also, kabocha was undercooked and the corn-​beef hash was stale.
Despite all that however, I will probably continue to go to Caryn’s because 1) They are still REALLY cheap and affordable 2) I can park my car right next to the take out window and leave both my kids in the car so it’s just as good as a drive through 3) Buying a musubi and a piece of chicken (taking the grease sopped skin off) is still SOMEWHAT healthier than buying her a happy meal, and is cheaper too and 4) You can’t really go wrong with a musubi. IF their musubis somehow stop being good, then hey shouldn’t even be open in the first place.
So if you still have never been to Caryn’s and decide to try it out, please don’t blame me for your «A-​OK» or even «Meh, I’ve had better» food based on my previous 5 star rating — now that the truth be told, and the stars have hereby been knocked off, I have the right to say, «I told you so» ;o)

OK — went here for lunch today, and it was an important decision because it is my last plate lunch meal while home in Honolulu. I’m heading back to LA tomorrow!
Got to Caryn’s around 11:45 and there was a line of 4 people. I waited patiently and finally got my turn!
Chow Fun Noodles: Fat Chinese Noodles stir fried with won bok (Napa cabbage), onions, green onions, and carrots. It was a bit bland, and Meh. Grade: C
Garlic Chicken: Chicken pieces fried then dipped into delicious shoyu /​soy sauce with garlic. YUM! Grade: A!
Pork Hash Patties: Canned Corn Beef Hash mixed with potatoes and fried as patties. Yum, but a little small (one biter). Grade: B+
Shoyu (soy sauce) chicken: YUM! Grade A–
Japanese Eggplant Tempura: Japanese long strips of eggplant made into delicious tempura. Light crispy batter, not heavy. YUM Grade: A!
(Darn you lady in the front of me in the line, who took the last piece of Japanese Okinawan Purple Sweet Potato Tempura — Looked DELISH!).
Gobo (Burdock root): Light soy and dashi taste with heavy sugar flavor. NICE! Grade: A+
Cone Sushi: Japanese aburage (tofu) stuffed with sushi rice. A bit mushy and a bit too sweet. Nonetheless local and fun! Grade: C
The servings were a bit smaller than usual. Was this a sign of a bad economy? Trying to save money? Or me just having too much /​big of an appetite? My total was $ 10.75 for the plate lunch, and I still walked away hungry… I’ll be back!

Rating: ⁴⁄₅ (There’s always room for improvement)
Date (s) visited: 10÷23÷10, many times before this.
Food ⁵⁄₅
Drinks ³⁄₅
Service ⁴⁄₅
Atmosphere ²⁄₅
Price ⁴⁄₅
Parking ²⁄₅
One of the Best «Hole in the Wall» eatery’s. Know for their famous Mochi Chicken, which is what I always get from here.
Food:
You can select your choices and create your own favorite plate lunch.
Drinks:
Water, Pepsi etc.
Service:
Never had a problem. They are real nice.
Atmosphere:
Feels like a «Mom & Pop Shop.» I wish the dining area was cleaner. Feels like I’m in the ghetto’s of the Philippines.
Price:
Very reasonable. The food really hits the spot, so I don’t really care what they charge.
Parking:
It can get pretty tight if you arrive during lunch hour, so get there around 11:30am if you want to get in-​n-​out.

Stopped by Caryn’s on my way to work. I’ve heard (and read) a lot of good things about this place and wanted to see how their food fared in comparison to Fukuya and Nuuanu’s. Got there around 6am so there was no wait. I got quite a spread along with a diet pepsi for $ 7.95 and the portions were a lot more generous than Fukuya.
Unfortunately, food was blah to say the least…
Garlic chicken and Mochicko chicken:
They had the same sweet marinade underneath all that batter and the garlic chicken wasn’t garlicky at all. Although the meat was tender and not overcooked, the batter was not what I had expected (there was nothing crispy/​crunchy about it). Both types of chicken were soggy, the spongy batter was soft and seemed to have expanded. I got rid of the mushy batter b/​c I didn’t feel like starting my work day with my stomach gurgling from all that grease. I wonder if I got leftovers from the day before, or was it meant to be so mushy so early in the morning?
Cone Sushi: You can tell from the pic that the rice was mushy. The overall taste was too vinegary for me. It lacked that familiar sweetness that’s normally present in sushi rice. I prefer Fukuya’s and Kabuki’s one.
Furikake Musubi: The rice was cooked well with this one (thank goodness!). I wished they made my favorite shiso musubi… and I wished I ordered two of these instead of that cone sushi!
THE GOOD:
Hamburger Patty: Moist and tender and pretty tasty. The grilled onions was a nice touch.
Kabocha (Japanese Winter Squash/​Pumpkin): I’m glad I got this item b/​c aside from the Hamburger Patty, this was the only other thing I got that was good. Fork tender and delicious! The light sauce gave it a nice sweetness, bringing out the natural chestnut-​like flavors of the pumpkin.
I initially gave this place 2 stars as in «Meh. I’ve had better» but an extra star was added for the Kabocha and Hamburger patty.

Eat your okazu-​ya food while you can people because one day there might not be one near you to patronize. Next to shave ice and the beach, grabbing lunch from a little Mom n’ Pop okazu-​ya is one of my favorite things about living in Hawaii.
Growing up in Hawaii my Dad used to take me to different okazu-​yas around Honolulu and my favorite was a tiny hole in the wall in Kalihi. I can’t remember what it was called but an old Japanese Obachan ran it and she was definitely the heart and soul of that business. We’d wander in before my Dad dropped me off at school around 6:45 am and I’d order everything from kabocha to corn beef potato patty to gobo. I remember very distinctly that her gobo was cut the way my grandparents made theirs, very thinly sliced and with just a tiny bit of pepper flakes. If you’ve ever made gobo, it’s a total pain to cut burdock root if you don’t have a mandolin.
That okazu-​ya, like so many around Honolulu is now gone, because the owner has since passed and there was no one in the family who wanted to take over the business. It probably wouldn’t have been as good anyway since it was that little old Japanese lady who meticulously watched over the food that was made each day and that’s what made everything taste so good. Or maybe it was because I was 12 and eating okazu-​ya for breakfast kind of rocked!
Now back to reviewing Caryn’s, an okazu-​ya located on Young Street between Pi’ikoi & Ke’eaumoku. I walked up to the window to order and suddenly realized that they only take cash and I didn’t have a lot on me. I went up to the window and counted out my cash and change.
I told the counter guy, «I have $ 9.35, is that going to be enough?»
He said «We’ll make it work!»
I said «I’m suppose to get my boyfriend something as well.»
He said «No worries. We’ll make it work!»
I said «Oh well he only needs a small snack.»
Side apology to my boyfriend: «Sorry honey but the baby and I need our okazu-​ya fix!»
I looked at the different items in trays in the window and ended up ordering the garlic chicken, a musubi with ume, potato patty and gobo. I got garlic chicken and a musubi for my boyfriend. Hey, don’t give me that guilt trip! At least he got something! I gave up kabocha for him! Everything came out to $ 9.15. Boy that counter guy was awesome!
My garlic chicken wasn’t amazing but I partially think that it’s because it wasn’t hot. But that’s okazu-​ya food for ya. I think next time I’m going to give the mochiko chicken a try. I liked everything else and actually like it better than Fukuya down the street because I feel like they don’t over salt the food. I was impressed by the portion side for the gobo because most places give it to you in a tiny white circular container and I just want to throw it back at them because I’m plain insulted. Caryn’s gave a really nice portion!
So far my fave okazu-​ya on the island (I’m comparing them to Fukuya and Gulick’s) but I must say that it does not compare to the little okazu-​ya I once fell in love with in Kalihi. I think they just don’t have the little old Japanese lady fairy dust that makes these types of places really special. In the past I would have given them 4 stars but because there are so few okazu-​yas left in Honolulu they deserve 5 stars. The guy at the counter really helped to put it over the top because he was super cool about the fact that I only had $ 9.35! I need Caryn’s to stay in business so my kids have an okazu-​ya to grow up with, just as much as they need a 5 star shave ice joint.

Gotta give it up for Caryn’s. I’m such a townie and I just discovered the place this year. Their mochiko & garlic chicken are excellent (both are actually the same chicken, the garlic jus comes in the sauce). They are also very accomodating. They will do ½ orders of anything.
Since I’ve discovered them 3 weeks ago, I’ve eaten lunch there 4 times! The price is right and the food is good. Winnahs!

Walked over to Caryn’s today. It was actually open! See before I was too late (noon, waaay too late) and they pretty much close up shop when they’re sold out. Make sure to go early, even at around 10:30 am today, they were running out of stuff.
I just had something small though. Their «Mini Special: Spam, Hash, Eggs and Rice.» It’s about the size of a Zip Pac from Zippy’s. The best part? IT WAS THREE DOLLARS! Holy cheapness Batman! Zip Pacs are like $ 6 these days. It’s like I got 50% off plus it was good! I also just got some inari sushi because I have a lunch date later on so I just wanted to eat light. I am definitely going back because the prices just can’t be beat for local diner style food and there was a ton of other stuff that I wanted to try.
I ate in their small little dining area. I liked it. Cozy, open air, not crowded, there’s no where better to eat your local food than somewhere like this. I over heard a conversation that the old owners sold the business to these new guys, but since I just went, it’s just as good to me. The local guys there are pretty laid back as well. They also do catering and special order bentos.
Parking is right out front in a small lot. Look for the yellow banner. I think they only put it out when they’re open. Otherwise look for the pasty green apartment building close to Makiki Bakery.

Holy Moly, I love Caryn’s.
This is my favorite okazu ya spot on Oahu because they know what they’re doing. It is probably a little spendier than places like St Louis (Waialae), but to me more flavorful than Fukuya (King St).
I always order:
— shizo musubi (that purplish leaf… just try it)
— mochiko or garlic chicken (I tend to pick whichever is freshest)
— stuffed konbu (you HAVE to try this, but think it’s one of the more expensive items)
— stuffed eggplant (tempura style)
It’s such a small spot that you could easily miss it. It’s on Young St (mauka), between Piikoi & Keeaumoku. It looks like a light green 2story house, but it literally is not near any kind of visible landmarks.
They’re open Wed-​Sat, and the counter guys are super cool local guys. They have about 8 parking spaces in their front lot, and then 3 picnic tables on the side if you feel like eating there. Very casual, no frills, and just really good food. Always a winner in my book.