Minato Japanese Restaurant

I Love the early bird special here! It’s from 5pm-​7pm with great prices of ramen or a meat dish. They also have bento boxes for very good price. I believe it’s under $ 10. The food is delicious also I really enjoy coming here to eat. I also usually get the sukiyaki chicken udon and it is huge and it comes with rice.
The service here is perfect. Workers here is very nice.

I haven’t been to Minato in a while so going again was a different experience than I remembered. We walked in for Lunch since it is near our workplace and as soon as you walk in there is the Lunch menu, it seems you make your selection and pay right there for your Lunch and then have a seat. I guess Maybe it’s different for dinner (which was when I last went a while back).
The décor seemed more sparse than I remember and a bit more lacking also.
I proceeded to order my Lunch which was the Teri Chicken and Broiled Salmon Combo Plate Lunch for $ 8.
The plates we ordered came withing a short time and the waiter was at least sort of pleasant, My Teri Chicken was quite salty but ok other than that, but at least my Broiled Salmon was good, being that the Teri Chicken was salty it made me need more rice which the plate actually only comes with one scoop which usually is fine with me except this time. The portions were a bit small but satisfying enough so I don’t end up having to be sleepy back at work from a lot of food.
Parking during lunch for those that will drive there is quite plentiful, dinner time may get a bit more crowded but it seems there is enough parking to go around anyway. What is good is that the $ 8 price for the Combo meal includes the Tax so it’s actually a pretty decent deal for Lunch.
I guess I may come back a bit more often for lunch but I’ll try to stay away from the Teri Chicken and select something else.

Feb.2016, There is the two of us went for supper, we order their full dinner, with soup, salad,
and 3 main courses, salmon, ribs, veg. and shrimp tempures, with salt and pepper shrimps.
The services is OK, but all the foods comes out cool to warm, we could not eat them because
they do not taste right, We will not be back. RJ

Minato isn’t a fancy place, but it’s a lovely one. Think of it as a step up from Japanese take out, offering friendly service, a nice dining area, and superbly cooked cuisine. Not a place I would go on a first date, but a great pick for family and friends (and maybe a third date if, you know, the other person keeps it real). It has a great family-​owned vibe.
The miso butterfish is particularly good, as is the chicken karaage (accidentally squirted lemon on it and it tasted even better!). Ribeye steak was flavorful, as was the saba. Beer and wine are affordably priced. Stop in earlier and get a discount off certain combinations.

This looks like a hole in the wall place you would normally never go, unless you know about their delicious and really reasonable lunch and dinner combos. Honestly, the interior is not much to look at and I’ve only dined-​in once. But take-​out is the bomb!
We order take-​out from here at work religiously and you MUST get their karaage chicken! It’s fried crispy but not over-​done and perfectly seasoned! I also love their grilled salmon — very simple and well-​salted also.
But above all, get the KARAAGE CHICKEN! It’s so cheap too, lunch combo set is under $ 10 for sure (forget the exact price) and dinner sets during their happy hours (5 – 7) are also a steal!
I’m writing this review because I’m hella craving this now. Makes me want to eat dinner at 5 like I’m a senior!

Ran into this place located on a weird side street while trying to get to Palama Mkt for soon dubu. I never saw or heard of this place before, Unilocal reviews weren’t the best, but complaints posted were not about the food as much as the dingy atmosphere. Very happy that we took the risk; we had a lovely lunch of ahi belly and grilled salmon; they were super fresh and expertly prepared with salad and well made rice. Only 9 bucks a plate for a ton of fish. One of the better deals in HNL. But the place was run down; however, the super sweet Japanese server made up for much.

First time here, since it’s a rainy day today co-​workers (who have been here before) wanted some Ramen. I got the miso ramen with Karage chicken and I have to say this was one of the best ramen I’ve tasted and the chicken was on point with the ramen. I would definitely recommend coming here if you want some good Japanese food. Yum yum!

Great mom and pop restaurant. Food is great and they have early bird special till 7 pm for dinner. The ramen combination is very reasonable. Its simple and delicious. The service is quick. Local Japanese food and likes the menu selection. They do have Vegetarian dishes too.
Will sure bring family here.

Went there a few times and the food is great… worth the visit. The only thing that irritated me was the young server… he was a little rude and rushy but he said he had a class to go to… not a problem and he is easy to ignore since the food is great.

When I’m in the mood for simple yet a higher-​end plate lunch, especially after a long day at work, I head to Minato. I ate at the restaurant a few times, but I usually do take out. This place is very much like a mom-​and-​pop restaurant. The age of the place is starting to show in the tables, chairs, and overall ambiance of the place. However, since I order take out, I’m not coming here for ambiance. I’m coming here for the food.
The employees are always welcoming and courteous. I usually phone in my take out order so I can just go in, pay for the meal, grab the food, and go home. Only certain items are available for take out, but the take out meals are relatively cheap (about $ 10 for the plate).
The meal comes with a scoop of rice and a side of salad with their signature dressing (it tastes like a miso dressing). If you want miso soup, it is an additional $ 1.
The chicken teriyaki is pretty good — nice, tender, moist, sweet, boneless pieces of chicken. However, it is not my favorite entrée. That title goes to the chicken karaage. The chicken karaage is moist and boneless. The outside is crispy and I think they use furikake to season the batter they use on the chicken. It is not oily either. The karaage comes with their ponzu sauce, which gives the chicken a refreshing tartness. After I eat all the chicken, I love to use the leftover ponzu sauce over the remaining rice.

I remember going to the Minato in San Jose and always enjoying the food. The local version is also just as good. I wish they would renovate their interior as it’s been getting run down over the years. If it weren’t for the food or the reasonable combos, not sure how they would expect to attract more customers by the sheer look of things. Parking is available so that’s a big plus. I’d recommend this place to friends for the combos despite the look of the entire down interior!

Sorry, shitty food… even for happy hour. Terrible food. Warm not hot, ramen… Chirashi, frozen, poke grade sashimi at the most. Yakisoba, stew meat with sugar.
Fail…once and only time I come here. Everyone praises the miso butterfish… it’s hard to mess up butterfish

The local Japanese food is good here and at a reasonable price. Service is pretty good too. Plus it’s 2blocks from my apartment, so I can walk off my lunch lol

I don’t understand the reviews saying the portions were small. We went there for dinner and I had the butterfish — 2 large filets! What? (The last time I had butterfish was at Roy’s, which was twice as costly for an APPETIZER sized portion and not even twice as good!)
My mom ordered the fried chicken and shrimp tempura combo, which was very tasty, and my husband had the furikake crusted salmon. Both of these dishes came with a clear dipping sauce that had a vinegar base which was ok but none of us loved it. Mom’s tempura also came with the usual tempura sauce.
All our entrees came with edamame, miso soup, rice, a little potato salad, and a green salad with a yummy dressing. It was tasty, reasonably portioned and very reasonably priced. The green tea ice cream for dessert was homemade and great, the server was polite and just attentive enough. We went on a Tuesday night an hour before closing, so we were the only ones there except for a couple getting takeout. I loved the pendant lights and think the décor is fine, not stuffy but comfortable.
My mom’s dentist is right around the corner so we’ll definitely be back again, maybe for lunch or the early special.

This place is a hole in the wall, old school kine Japanese restaurant. Portions were small, very bland, and not quality Japanese food. The soup base for undon or noddles no taste, fish is bland — barely any seasoning, and chirashi was frozen fish. Overall, not recommending this place and won’t be back again.

We love it here! ESP for lunch. My son loves their Soba and salmon and I love their signature Ponzu sauce.
3 of us ate VERY well for under $ 10 each.

I remember seeing this restaurant while my friend was driving to another place. Ever since then, the name stuck in my head and when they asked where was a place we didn’t go to eat around the McCully/​Moiliili area… I said Minatos. At the time, I wanted to try any and all new restaurants I’ve never been to before.
I thought this would be a more fancier restaurant because of the name, but I was wrong. It’s somewhat casual and a nice place to eat and catch up with friends. The ambience is very quiet and peaceful. There wasn’t that much people inside when we arrived. They had a lot of different types of bentos and you can mix and match items!
Maybe it’s just me, but their portions were very small. I liked the whole presentation of the food, but when it comes down to it… I wanted my stomach to be full (dinner is an important meal) and I was not satisfied. My friends seemed to be happy though. I ended up sharing a poke bowl/​udon set, but next time I think I’ll just order the set for myself. Their udon was nothing special and the poke didn’t look too appetizing to me. I did not care for the dressing or miso soup.
Other than the boring food, there was only one waiter working. He was nice and friendly. Managed to help us with some questions we had. Parking wasn’t that bad either, they had a whole empty lot… However, I’m not sure if this is a place I’d revisit anytime soon.

Girls night Christmas dinner on a Sunday. Surprisingly… it wasn’t that busy. It’s a small restaurant located around the corner of Mcully Zippys? Parking was decent. Doesn’t feel like a Japanese restaurant inside and out. But it was comfortable seating.
I guess they are known for the bentos and sets. I ordered the furikake salmon dish and got to try my friend’s croquette set. The food was pretty good. Not too salty. It included a bowl of rice, salad, and miso soup. The salad dressing was pretty good… don’t know why.

I have walked and drove by this place many times for many years. Always telling myself that one day I will try it. Well that day has finally come!
The menu itself is pretty basic, Japanese set meals. Reminds me a little of Gyo Taku across the street, but seems more mom and pop style.
The Grub.
[[ DINNER BOX $ 13.95 ]] The Minato Dinner Box comes with rice, soup, salad, and one choice from A & B.
Choice A: Sashimi, Saba or Tofu
Choice B: Salmon, Miso Butterfish, Furikake Salmon, Saba, Karaage Chicken, Chicken Katsu, Teri Chicken, Tonkatsu, Shrimp Katsu, Salt & Pepper Shrimp, Vegetable Croquette, or Spare Ribs
Miso Butterfish —
The butterfish was yummy and had very few bones. Butterfish is a boney fish, so finding places that serves it with most the bones picked out, is always a good thing to me!
Shrimp Katsu —
The shrimp katsu was alright. Really nothing special just an ebi fry. But we got it out of curiosity :)
Overall I would like to come back and try a couple more things on the menu. I also wanted to try the dessert. Unfortunately, they were out of all the desserts on the menu. Maybe next time.

I remember when Minato first opened many, many years ago. I would guess it was sometime in the late ‘70s or early ‘80s (the mind has turned into a wasteland, I fear).
The first time I went there was about a month or so after it first opened; the family went along, and they weren’t terribly impressed. I thought it was not too bad. Then, for some reason, I never went back until last September.
It’s more than not bad, it’s quite good. They have just about everything you’d expect at a Japanese restaurant, but apparently their big seller is the Minato Dinner Box: It starts with choice of sashimi, saba fish, or tofu, then another choice from a list of 12 items that includes salmon, miso butter fish for a dollar more, kara’age chicken, tonkatsu, vegetable croquette and spare ribs, to name a few.
Want more? You can add two more choices for five bucks. The dinner box includes rice, soup and salad.
That’s what I had — a dinner box.
Their dinner salad was dressed with their «famous» pineapple salad dressing that can be bought for home use (they advise using it within a few weeks). They also gave me a traditional small bowl of miso soup, which tasted good but wasn’t piping hot, unfortunately.
My dinner box included the three entrée selections of fresh sashimi, shrimp and vegetable tempura, and misoyaki butterfish. Also in the dinner box were boiled edamame beans, and unfrozen mixed vegetables dressed with a special sauce. I ordered a side of pork cutlet tonkatsu to share with the wife.
Everything was pretty delicious, but I shouldn’t have ordered the tonkatsu. We ended up taking it home, where it disappeared from sight (I truly don’t know what happened to it, if someone ate it, or if it’s still there hiding in the cold confines of the refrigerator).
Go back? Sure, I’ll return … someday, hopefully sooner than 20 years.