Genji Club

On Thursday night 1÷7÷2016 after leaving Ward Winter Village Ice Rink I took a ride with J.Y. to Club Genji. She had asked if I ever been to this club before which I have not. She also asked me if I ever been to the McCully area… only McCully Shopping Center.
As we approached the vicinity of Club Genji then I said «I remember coming to this area. I walked to American Savings Bank from Bubbies on University Ave.». Heading towards University Ave on King Street the club would be on your right hand side. Drivers would need to access the parking lot from one of the side streets. Entrance to the club will be near the parking lot.
Entering the club I noticed the counter area where the bartender was located. Pretty much all the seats were taken. There were booths that can fit up to four people. There were tables with swivel chairs. I noticed the flat screen TVs. Patrons was singing karaōke either in English or Japanese. The bartender herself went sing a Japanese song.
As I made my way to the booth in which one of my other friends was seated… the employee hands us the menu. I looked over the menu and spotted three items: chicken sukiyaki, sauteed mushrooms, and miso soup. When I placed my order the employee says «Why you ordering two soups? Sukiyaki is already a soup.». I didn’t know that. «Cancel the miso soup.»
Looking over the drink menu I noticed there were 500 different shots that can be made. I was tempted to order a shot but just stuck to drinking water.
When I received the chicken sukiyaki I noticed there was tofu, green onions, mushrooms, onions, chicken, and noodles all in the soup. The sauteed mushrooms was cooked in butter with chopped garlic. Too much garlic for my taste buds. It was a first time of eating sukiyaki for me and it was good.
My eyes got big when I seen my friends order of chicken wings and the tempura dish. If only I had seen those Items I would have ordered it too. Oh well next time… if I ever do make it out to McCully.
My friends T.Y. and N.C. did some karaōke that night. They even joined in with the other patrons in singing some songs. Sounded awesome.
¹⁴⁄₂₀₀

After leaving the skate park, someone suggested we get some grub… so off we headed to the McCully area, to a little «hole in the wall» karaōke bar/​restaurant.
What place am I talkin’ about?
Club Genji of course!
Club Genji is a little karaōke bar/​restaurant located in the McCully neighborhood, just next door to the Sanoya Ramen restaurant. Or if you don’t know where Sanoya is… then it’s right across the street from the McCully Times Supermarket.
As I walked into the joint I noticed Genji was a very small little pub/​restaurant with just two rooms.
Inside the rooms were small booths, as well as small tables with swivel seats.
I could see that this place was pretty busy for a week night (Thursday), as I think the people who come here are probably regulars.
Upon getting seated, a elderly waitress comes over to drop off menus, waters, and to take our drink orders.
Upon scanning the menu… Jules Y, & I decided to order the following grub —
1. Shrimp & Vegetable Tempura ($ 11.50)
2. Chicken Wings ($ 9.75)
3. Chicken Katsu Curry ($ 10.00)
4. A bowl of Rice ($ 2.00)
I also ordered two Heineken lights to wash down my grub.
What can I saw about the grub?
Pretty good bar food, not bad at all… plus the price for the food, & beer came out to a very reasonable $ 43.00 (not including tip).
The atmosphere of the bar/​restaurant was pretty mellow… a great place to hang out with friends for socializing, singing, having a few brews, or downing some good bar grub.
I noticed regulars were pretty skilled at singing, as they belted out song after song! But the best part of it all, was the singers actually sounded real good too!
That night I also got to see the famous auntie — Nadine C, as well as Terrance Y. sing too! And I must say they did a fantastic job! They could easily say that they kept up with the regulars too!
There was a small private parking lot in the backside of the building, but it is shared with Sanoya Ramen, therefore parking can be challenging. But don’t worry folks, there is lots of metered parking on the street, and if you go at night, you probably don’t have to feed the meter.
Looking for a mellow chill place to have a few, and some good bar grub? Check out Genji’s!

Old school karaōke. .
Write your song number, song title, and table number on the pre-​printed slip of paper, give $ 1 to the lady and wait for her to bring the microphone to you. .
For years, I have driven past this place on King Street in Moiliili, Honolulu, and wondered how it was. The sign outside says «karaōke» but you can’t tell how «advanced» it is… Techie, it is not.
There are no private rooms. Just sit at a booth or table and enjoy each others’ voices in a community atmosphere. There are no remote controls or iPads to input your song choices. Grab a little pencil and write down your info.
We were lucky that our friends are «regulars» here. They knew where to park (in the private lot in the back) and that the front door is in the back! The other regulars came to chat and welcome us — wow — that’s ohana! Even the mama sans were friendly and took our song and food orders! We even were warned that there were 15 songs ahead of ours!
The bartender belted out a classic Japanese tune and almost got a standing ovation! Other singers were stellar (one guy even stood up for better delivery) and sang oldies such as «Lean On Me» and «Daydream Believer». You can tell that they frequent this joint often and probably practice daily!
The food was great with reasonable pricing. My friends ordered Fried Chicken Wings, sautéed mushrooms, and Chicken sukiyaki. I had Shrimp Tempura (in honor of National Tempura Day) which included Sweet Potato, Eggplant, and Green Bean Tempura. The batter was light and crisp with a good dipping sauce! Everything was yummy!
Overall, it was a fun experience and I’m looking forward to returning. .especially since I discovered the Styx and Boz Scaggs song lists! They even had «modern» songs from Maroon 5 and Katy Perry! How cool is that?!

This place is racist and awful. Bad service, bad food, bad staff. Vomit for decoration. Bad parking situation. Food was so bad.

If you’re not looking for anything fancy and just need a comfortable atmosphere were you want to relax, drink with friends and sing a little karaōke then this is probably the waterhole you should think about visiting. Good for small parties and groups, the service is very hospitable and friendly. Like it was your own family hosting you. Parking is in the back. They also have pretty good lunch take out as well.

Love this local style bar! Reasonable pupu & drinks! Lots of karaōke… English, Japanese, Hawaiian & more!

One old lady works here who looks like she has been mummified is really rude. She can’t take any order without making mistake.

The food prices are very low, the only thing is that after a certain time they stop serving Luch which makes it hard if you have a late lunch break. If you happen to get there after lunch youre stuck with Pupus which are pretty good, but very oily. So Oily that youd fall asleep after consumption.
The wait for food isnt that long, usually the Okami or one of the Mama-san’s will bring out snacks.
The ambience is very typical Japanese Izakaya, very dim and multiple televisions. everytime were there some kind of sport is playing on TV.
There is even a Karaōke room very old not updated at all, but good for what it is. I believe the last time they updated was about 2004.
It’s a great place fot drinkinh but I would not recomend bringing guests there.

We came here for lunch, though they stopped serving lunch, so we had to order pupu plates. The servings were large and I guess it was worth it. I got the chopped stake, it had very little stake but it was delicious.
It seemed really small and it was dark but I guess that’s how it’s suppose to be. I didn’t really have the time of my life and I wouldn’t be like «I wanna go to genji’s!» But it was over all good and the waitress was really friendly.

Old School, that’s my description of this place. You walk through the door to find booths with glass cups filled with karaōke request papers and golf score card pencils. A menu sits next to it filled with the normal bar cuisine with a Japanese theme.
So what makes this place special? The service and hospitality are awesome. The owner Art, sits at the bar between food orders and occasionally belts out a Japanese tune. Why is this special? Art is a local born haole who has won a karaōke contest in Japan singing in Japanese!
You can park in the rear and just double park if no stalls. Come check this place out and sing a tune!

This is where the original old time local japanese like to hang out! The regulars are very welcoming to any new face, which is comforting. The bar is reminiscent of a 50’s style izakaya from tokyo! Back in the day It was known as a classy hostess bar with tokyo standards (not the typical korean or vietnamese kind!) The same hostess girls are still working there to this day to serve drinks, talk story, and enter your favorite songs in for you. They’re quite cute! Lee chan is my favorite! The bartenders always have good stories to tell and will always make sure your cup is never empty. PLUS, they have a very good selection of karaōke songs including english, japanese, hawaiian, and okinawan songs! The crowd here will never you judge you for your singing but instead will encourage you to keep going!

What I find unique about this place is that its where the olde folks like to hang out, sing karaōke, and their special drink menu. Its not THAT bad since they don’t mess around with their drinks one bit. These old ladies know how to please their customers right! I remember ordering a double jw black neat, one cran vodka, and two specialty mixed drinks for 36, and that’s with complimentary nuts, cuttlefish, and chips. That’s not bad compared to other well known bars. There’s no pets allowed but you will see the owners cute fluffy white dog chillin’ sometimes. I went when it was slow, but I’m pretty sure lil doggy is gone when its busy.
About that mixed drink/​shot menu, you gotta check it out. There’s a ton of drinks to choose from and its funny as heck! Its provocative and gets the people going! You would trip to see a menu as naughty and yet its in a place where all the old people go. Ah no wonder!!!

There are alot of other karaōke places… there are alot of japanese restaurants out there too… put the two together and you have this local japanese bar. i think this is one of the last japanese style bars that is still around. the food is yummy and i guess MOST of the servers, or shall i say hostesses are much much much older… but it is not like a KOREAN bar, if you know what i mean… the people who come here can range from early 20s to late 70s… very fun atmosphere and there are 4 separate areas… 2 of them are like a private area and you can reserve them ahead of time at no extra charge. If not for the karaōke, you definitely have to come here and try the food. lunch, pau hana, a night out, or even a late night stop … this place is a thumbs up~!!!

Rating: ³⁄₅
Date (s) visited: twice
Food: ³⁄₅
Service: ³⁄₅
Atmosphere: ²⁄₅
Price: ³⁄₅
Parking: ³⁄₅
Don’t judge a book by its cover. This Karaōke Bar is another hidden gem. Great for just hanging out with some friends after work, and even better on those late late nights. I’ll be back.
Food:
Good menu. Enough to keep you satisfied with what ever you’re drinking.
Service:
The old asian lady can seem pushy, but that’s just her style.
Atmosphere:
Seem kinda ghetto at first, but who cares when you’re drinking with friends and having a good time. Better than most places.
Price:
Ok. Nothing to complain about.
Parking:
Private lot for customers can get full, but there’s also street parking.

Annual trip includes a stop here for some karaōke with one of our local friends. This time we ate dinner and ordered some onigiri, chicken katsu, poke, potato mac salad and cold tofu. «Auntie» brought us out some fresh watercress to dip into this mayo/​shoyu dippy stuff and it was pretty tasty. We also got a pack of Korean nori to wrap our rice in — good and salty. Everything was delish and they poured super strong drinks.

What??? No one wrote a review for this place yet?
My cousin turned me on to this local bar. It’s a hostess bar but the hostesses are actually grandmas. I was taken aback at first but it’s such a homey place to relax and have a couple of drinks with friends. The hostesses are so sweet and funny. I notice people of all ages come here to sing karaōke. The songs are not that updated but you tend to forget that cause everyone is so laid back here. The food is also great. I think they make the best fried chicken wings and akule.
If you come with a large group on the weekend I would call ahead cause it can get busy. Don’t park in Sanoya’s parking stalls cause the bitchy Sanoya people will hunt you down.

Excellent place for lunch at a very reasonable price. In fact unheard of price and you’ll leave there filled. They do not serve dinner but the pupu menu and the drinks are great. Last week had 13 drinks and two for the hostess with a wide array of pupus and bill was under $ 100.

I LOVED their tenpura here! It was light and really crispy. I went here for lunch and it was a great deal. I paid $ 10.50 for 3 shrimp tenpura and mixed vegetable tenpura AND chicken katsu. It came with the standard bowl of rice, miso soup, salad, tsukemono, and green tea. Great deal and the tenpura was surprisingly great!