Sugoi

LOCATION:
inside of the dillingham shopping center. right across of pancakes & waffles and next to ha long.
SETTING:
the have only indoor seating. ALOT of seats so dont worry. once you enter, thats the front where you order, then you go into the next room full of seats to eat on.
SERVICE:
the service there is okay. no greetings when i enter though :(the guy is just kind of there to just take orders and repeat that cycle. there is alot of workers in the back but they only talk stories within themselves.
FOOD:
i tried the oriental salad with garlic ahi. their salad is HUGE!!! it came with lettuce, tomatoes, mandarin oranges, fishcake & wonton chips. with their oriental sauce. its good! i couldnt finish it because that was waaaay too much for me! haha took it home and enjoyed it by myself :) although i need to try their garlic chicken next time because thats what they’re known for :)

I dream of their garlic chicken.
This is the best garlic chicken I’ve had anywhere, primarily because they use a good amount of garlic. Not just a hint of garlic flavor. Not just a smidge of garlic essence. Not just one minced up clove. A perfect amount of garlic flavor. Conversely, it’s not super overwhelming with the heat from a giant heap of raw garlic.
I had a brain fart and ordered the ahi loco moco once, which was rather meh. Not sure what I was expecting, but it tasted like you’d think cooked ahi + gravy + egg + rice would taste. Thankfully my dining companions had some of that fantastic chicken to share.

I absolutely love the quality of products that are sold here!
The breading on the Chicken is always crisp, and the Garlic sauce is so well balanced!
The hand molded Teri Beef patties are hearty and well seasoned. The gravy that tops the Loco Mocos are very flavorful.
Hands down, the Macaroni salad that is served with the plates here are easily on my top 3 favorite Mac salad recipes.

Tried this place once with my coworkers, I ordered garlic chicken with Mac salad. The garlic chicken was okay because it has too much skin than meat. The garlic sauce on the chicken was really good but too garlicky for me. The mac salad was bland.
I’ll probably go back and tried more foods and will definitely update this review.

Went there today and ordered a mini garlic chicken bento. 2 small pieces of garlic chicken and a thin piece of Teri beef. If you stretched the piece of beef out, it was about 4 inches x 5 inches at the most. They must have used a sashimi knife for the thinly cut meat. ALL of that was around $ 8. ²⁄₃ of the bento was rice. Not going back any time soon.
What happened? It used to be really good!

Drove all the way from Kane’ohe to eat here on 4÷23÷16, only to arrive and see that they decide to have «whatever hours» and closed earlier than usual.

Finally got to eat here and it was really good! My boyfriend and I split a large garlic chicken plate with white rice and Mac salad. It was huge! We managed to eat it all though because it was so tasty. They were medium size chicken, not bite sized like we expected but still good stuff. At around dinner we were still full!
It’s a very local place. It’s well kept and I liked that every table had a container of antibacterial wipes. Being a germ freak I was happy to see that. Service was nice and friendly.

It’s really hard to mess up SALAD.
First and LAST!
Unilocal and other FORCE a star to post someone needs to come up w another option

If you love garlic you’ll love this place. The garlic chicken and spicy garlic chicken is so good. Although the they could tone the sauce down a little it’s flavor is a little over powering. Extremely strong garlic smell and taste. Walking in to this place will leave you smelling like garlic. It hits you right when you open the doors. Plates run $ 10+ and up. They do have good bento combos with decent pricing and also offer catering and take out.
They’re open early and close early. Parking is very limited as there are a lot of other good places in this area like Kam bakery across the street and Pancakes and Waffles diagonally from it.
Be prepared to wreak of garlic for the rest of the day. This place is no joke when they say «garlic» chicken.

A co worker of mine recommended this quaint little gem. This was my last stop before my flight back home to Cali since it was on the way to the airport.
The menu can get a little confusing but if you stare at the boards long enough, you can figure out what to order.
I ordered two large garlic chicken togo with brown rice and mac salad (Lrg portion has 2 scoops of rice, one hefty side, and 5 pcs of chicken). I also got a mini spicy garlic chicken with rice and mac salad (3 pcs chicken 1 scoop of rice and side).
You’ll notice in Hawaii that EVERY single place serves white rice and mac salad. I didn’t know you can have mac salads in so many different ways. The mac salad here was just okay.
What makes this place so good is the fried chicken! I wish I had the sauce on the side to dip because it’s served drenched over the chicken. I thought both spicy and regular garlic chicken was pretty sweet for my taste. Still enjoyable nonetheless. The prices were cheap! $ 8 – 11 for a full size order.
But what I regret not ordering more of… is the YAKI UDON! My friend ordered a full plate and shared it with the table. It had a spicy kick to it. Stir fried with some fish cake and other goodness. I waited in line again to make a togo order to take home but we were running late to our flight home so I cried a little inside…
It did take a while for the udon to come out the first time so I had to sacrifice making my flight rather than sitting happily slurping up some spicy udon. I will come back for the Yaki Udon someday.

Sometimes it’s good to wait before writing a review. Here’s a good example of why:
I came to Sugois today to pick up lunch on the run. A regular plate of garlic chicken (1 scoop of mac salad, two scoops of rice) and a side order of yakisoba set me back $ 18+! Holy cow. So after grinding my garlic chicken and yakisoba, which I whipped through in a matter of minutes, I was about to compose a 3-​star review and grumble about the price, when one of my Unilocal BFFs Fran tells me that if you order the chicken-​only side order (5 pieces for $ 7.54) and rice separately, it comes out cheaper than the regular plate ($ 10.95). Fran, you are a genius! Because I really only need one scoop of rice (not the two that the regular plate comes with), and I really don’t need mac salad/​tossed salad to make my life complete.
So now that I know I can get their onolicious garlic chicken at a much more reasonable price, I’m a much happier camper and will remember to order the chicken and rice separately on my next visit.

The first time I’ve had Sugoi it was already down played by Mitsu ken. I came here for their breakfast order, and got rice, eggs, and 3 pieces chicken.
Was a little underwhelming. I dunno, maybe just was used to something more flavorful, chrispy, and just broke da mout good, but this didn’t do it for me. Given the prices, don’t think its worth it.

Upon a recent trip to Sugoi, I realized that I actually knew where it was – and passed by multiple times – without really taking notice of it. The local eatery is popular for take-​out orders during lunch (they close early).
It wasn’t until I dined in recently that I discovered how good they actually are. And I’ll surely be back soon.
First tip: be sure to check the daily specials before going … that may determine the day you visit. For instance, I went on a Wednesday because I knew the chicken katsu plate I wanted to try was slightly cheaper than its regular price.
It’s a good idea to call in your order; otherwise, you may have to wait some (even if it’s for take out). We were dining in and probably waited a good 15 or so minutes before our food was ready. But, the wait was worth it. My mom and I both enjoyed every bite of what we got, and there’s lots to choose from on the menu.
The workers were friendly and efficient; I could see them preparing the food, assembly-​line format, right behind the register. Definitely can’t wait to visit this place again.
Here’s what we got:
«Regular Chicken Katsu Plate»: I got this regular plate for $ 2 off since it was a Wednesday and that was the special of the day. For plate lunches, you get your choice of chicken, as well as two scoops of rice and salad (I went with mac salad). This was one of the best chicken katsus I’ve had to date. The chicken was moist, tender and juicy without being fatty, and the breading was fried to a crispy, golden brown. It wasn’t super crunchy, but it provided the chicken with an adequate amount of flavor and texture. I also really enjoyed the katsu sauce — Sugoi gives two containers, and I used every drop. I really enjoyed the mac salad as well. I don’t like mayo, as a whole, but I like mac salad if it’s not too liquidy. The consistency of this particular one was on point. It was creamy and slightly peppery and gave it an extra kick … perfect creamy complement in between bites of that savory, crispy chicken. This was enough for both lunch and dinner (saved the leftovers for later).
«Fried Rice Spam Musubi»: My mom and I saw these at the counter, and we couldn’t resist grabbing one. This has to be one of the best spam musubis I’ve ever gotten. Usually, I don’t eat all the white rice in my musubi, but for this one, I made an exception because it included fried rice. The fried rice was tasty and savory, and the shoyu flavor wasn’t overwhelming. The spam was cut a little thicker than I’m used to (compared to our home-​made musubis), but the flavors worked together well. I loved how it was moist and tender. This is a great snack or breakfast option … so glad I got to try it.
«Side Yaki Plate»: My mom opted for this noodle dish during our visit, and she chose the yakisoba. She was pleased with the texture and consistency of the noodles, saying that it was moist and soft. They hardly required any chewing and for a «side plate,» it included a good amount of noodles.
«Hash Loco Moco»: If I’m ever at Sugoi for breakfast, this is the first item on my to-​try list. I like loco moco, and this eatery presents a different version because it uses hash. I’m interested to experience the flavors of this dish.
«Ahi Loco Moco»: I’m sure the «Loco Moco» from Sugoi is good, but ahi loco moco? Can’t say I’ve ever had this dish. I love fresh ahi, so I’m intrigued by this option. It’s not too much pricier than some of the other menu items, as well as the bentos, so I look forward to trying it one day.

I’m going to list/​summarize my review because all my fellow-​yelpers covered the main details:
Pros+
— Really delicious garlic chicken. I don’t order the mild garlic chicken, it HAS to be the spicy.
— They have variety of meats and noodles.
— Free drink with student I.D. :D
— I always experience quick service, even when busy.
— Huge portions. You get what you pay for.
— Sani-​wipes on every table.
Cons–
— Inconsistency of spiciness of the spicy garlic chicken. Chix always tastes good but sometimes I’m overjoyed with spiciness and sometimes it’s just a hint of spiciness.
— Parking lot sucks. That’s not their fault but the spaces are weird and small here.
*P.S.: I totally agree that Mitsu-Ken’s chicken WAS one of the best back in the day. But as Mark Y. stated, I feel like the chicken changed within the last few years. *shoulder shrug*

To me, a good piece of garlic chicken is like a little slice of heaven, one bite and I swear I hear angels singing. Well, I used to have that experience at the old Mitsu-​ken okazu counter in Kalihi but sadly, over the years, Mitsu-ken’s garlic chicken just seemed to lose that «special» something. I’ve been on the hunt for another place that has heavenly garlic chicken ever since but still haven’t found a real replacement.
We were looking for somewhere to grab lunch in the Kalihi area the other day and Sugoi came up on Unilocal.I had eaten here once before but it was a very long time ago and the thought of having some garlic chicken sounded really good to both of us. The prices of the plates at first seemed kinda high, $ 14.95 for a combination of 2 things plus 2 scoops rice (white or brown) and a scoop of mac or tossed. We both got the Garlic chicken/​Tonkatsu combo plate, one with mac for me and one with tossed. The portions definitely match the price I’d say. The plate is enough for 2 or 3 meals, even by my eat-​til-​you-​pass-​out standards. The scoops of rice and mac salad were big, and the portion of tossed salad was hefty, as well.
As for the proteins, both the Tonkatsu and Garlic chicken were tasty. They both had a nice crispy texture and the meat in both were pretty thick so they weren’t dried out at all. The sauce that came with the Tonkatsu tasted good, like the sauce you’d get at a Japanese restaurant, not like some places that mix ketchup/​shoyu/​worcestershire/​sugar together.
For the chicken, there were 4 good sized pieces of chicken that was doused with their garlic sauce. Some might say there was too much sauce but for me, that’s a good thing. I moved my rice into the space where the chicken was and let the rice soak up all that garlicky goodness. The chicken was definitely tender but I think the chunks were a bit too big. The ratio of chicken to crispy skin to garlic sauce just didn’t seem balanced right… but it was tasty nonetheless.
So did I hear angels sing after eating the Garlic chicken? Nope, but I do think I heard a quiet harp playing in the distance, but it was Kalihi so who knows?

Went in at 11:00 for lunch and decided on the mini garlic chicken plate. My daughter wanted the breakfast with fried rice but were told they were out of fried rice.
I could smell the garlic before opening up the styrofoam cover. What looked like 3 pretty big pieces of chicken seemed to be mostly skin and breading. It was very tasty, but not enough chicken.
My daughter had the Portuguese sausage, scrambled eggs and rice. Standard breakfast. Enough rice to feed 4 people, and they could have one piece of sausage each. Overpriced in my opinion. If it came with fried rice it would have been 10.95 instead of 8.95
Dining area is clean and air conditioned. I like the sanitizing wipes on each table. Fountain drinks are refillable.
Would come back to try the bentos.

GARLIC ANYTHING IS SO GOOD IN HAWAII! Garlic shrimp, garlic chicken… everywhere you go, it’s all good! But the garlic chicken here is a must have!
My friends and I originally planned to stop by the Kamehameha Bakery next door to try the poi donuts, but I guess they sell out pretty early in the morning unfortunately. But luckily, I noticed Sugoi next door and remembered it was something I bookmarked. We all ordered the garlic chicken. I don’t remember if I said it tasted like San Tung, but it was hella good, almost equivalent. They gave such huge portions, I couldn’t even finish it.
Super tasty and extra crispy. Need to go again, please take me back!

Decided to eat at Sugoi’s bc I just stopped by at Kamehameha Bakery next door. I know they are known for their garlic chicken but I already ate garlic chicken earlier this week. I was craving a loco moco so I had that. This review is mainly on their loco moco.
At $ 8.50 the price as not that bad as Sugoi’s is not a cheap plate lunch place. The loco had one large need patty, one egg, rice, and brown gravy. I opted for the toss salad instead of the Mac salad. I liked the party as it was freshly hand made and was tender and flavorful. The gravy tasted like normal scratch brown gravy so I was not too impressed. I wish they used a mushroom gravy or some sort… Most of the plate was rice which I thought as a waste… I would of rather have another patty and egg than a whole bed of rice. I could not even finish the rice… Overall the loco moco was average that a why I gave it 3 stars. Still one of the cheaper regular plates on the I menu.
Recommend to stay with their bentos and their daily discount specials to save $$.

Thanks to a recommendation from my longtime friend Fran C., we went to Sugoi for lunch today. Lot parking was scarce this afternoon as peak hours tend to be. Although best known for their Garlic Chicken, we decided on a regular mochiko chicken with all toss and a regular hamburger steak with white rice and tossed salad. Both generously proportioned plates came to $ 22.30 and were ready within minutes of ordering. Their counter and kitchen staff are certainly well organized and efficient. As for the food…
MOCHIKO CHICKEN
Three thick, medium-​sized pieces of tender, juicy dark meat chicken perfectly marinated in a sweet, savory mochiko batter and deep fried to a golden brown. Nicely done, Sugoi. On the down side, a faint odor of old deep fry oil could be detected in this batch of mochiko chicken. Maybe it’s just time to change oil? It’s definitely worth a second try though.
HAMBURGER STEAK
Two huge 4″ round x 1″ thick patties smothered in brown gravy and sautéed onions. Not sure, but the patties appear to have been pre-​baked ahead of time. The texture, on the other hand, reminded us of a cross between a very bready meatloaf and over-​handled ground beef which tends to have a solid, compacted mouth-​feel after cooking. Taste was okay, however it definitely could’ve been more beefy like the natural meaty flavor of ground beef. The gravy was also standard non-​scratch made. Needless to say, we won’t be ordering this again.
TOSSED SALAD
The iceberg lettuce was fresh and crispy while the light, creamy house-​made vinaigrette was slightly sweet and tangy with just the right amount of savoriness.

A must visit lunch spot!
So every time I have lunch here I tell myself that next time I’m only getting a mini-​size.
BUT again today I walk in an order a full plate of their famous garlic chicken.
Soooo good but too much volume to finish, even with my big appetite.
These guys really make some of the best plate lunches around. I only wish that they had more than one location.
Currently they are celebrating their 15^th anniversary and offering free fountain drinks with purchase of bento or plate lunch.