Tanaka Saimin

I was super excited to finally get to go and try something different today. Unfortunately my experience that I had was not the best. Placed an order for our office today over the phone. Whomever I placed the order with asked me if I wanted one check or separate checks, I told her one.
Got there about 15 minutes later and right when I walk through the door there was no one to be seen. So we waited a few seconds until a lady approached us. She then asked how many were dinning in and I had told her I was there to pick up. I then told her «I’m sorry, we are going to have to split…» She then cut me off and rudely told me that she had already discussed this with me over the phone about only needing one check and she was very adamant when she said she could not split the check. She then took whatever paper I had in my hand and walked away with my hand written note to myself on what we ordered. Like did she really need that paper? She went to the back where the kitchen was and left without saying anything. She then returned a little more calm and said that she couldn’t split the check because she already put it into one. So I simply cut her short and told her that she did not need to explain herself and I understood the first time. Since it was a big deal I would just pay it all on my own. Our total came out to a little more than $ 60.00 for 5 plates. I wasn’t really checking our order and at this point was just disappointed at the way I got handled and wanted to leave.
We got our food and left and at that time my coworkers told me that I was really calm at the situation and she was really rude to me. While they were talking I noticed on the receipt that a lot of prices were $ 1 more than their take out menu. I then asked the rest of the workers when Did we get this menu? They told me they just picked it up a couple of weeks ago. When I got back to my office I then called and asked about the prices. She was still rude when she picked up the phone and told me the prices have changed since last year and went up. So I simply told her okay, that’s weird because we just picked up this menu recently. Instead of being apologetic she told me literally I was wrong and she was right. So I just left it as is.
When opening our 2 Hearty bentos, we noticed that it was missing the hotdog and no one informed us that they ran out or it wouldn’t be in the bento? At this point I was over arguing with her. I would like to say that I’ll try it again, but after all of that on my first visit and the prices being ridiculously over priced… I think I’ll stick with Zippys or La Tour that is a little cheaper and better service! :(

We were going to Kam bowl but they were closed so we ended up at Tanaka Saimin.
Our waiter Jeff suggested the Korean plate, Kim Chee fried rice, eggs, 3 pieces of kalbi and 3 pieces of crispy won ton. Food was delicious and the plate was portioned well enough to feed 2.
Thank you Jeff for your recommendations and A+ service!

Good food good service, I had the Heartyman lunch, crispy shoyu chicken, spam and pork chop was a perfect combo, they have a good variety of kids meals too, my grandson had the yakitori with fries of coarse and corn, my wife was in the mood for the can never go wrong choice of the Tanaka special. As usual we always order a plate of Fried Saimin. Everything on point and delicious

I’ve been here a couple of times previous to my visit last night and it was always delicious! Last night, my boyfriends family & I (14 of us) came in around 10 to have a late dinner and they seated us right away. Our server was really nice, she helped us get settled and order.
I would be giving them more stars if it wasn’t for what we encountered later during our visit. My cousin in law ordered a shrimp tempura plate (which looked delicious) but mid way through her meal she bit into one of her shrimp and there was a thick black hair fried into her tempura. NASTY. Working in a food business also, I understand that these things do happen but what disappointed me was when we told our waiter that we had found a hair, she hadn’t apologized. All she said was «okay» I’m not sure if she didn’t understand or if she just didn’t care but she brought the plate to the back and we got another one in about 5 minutes.
Everyone else loved their meal, despite my experience I do believe this is a good restaurant if you’re looking for variety. They would’ve gotten a better review if the waitress showed more understanding.

Looking for a place to have a quick dinner while visiting family in town, my father in law recommended Tanaka Saimin. He shared that this was a place he frequented with his friends for simple meals.
The restaurant was buzzing with people and there was a waiting list. Good thing they have a seating area while you wait. After signing in, our table was finally ready after 15 minutes.
Our waiter was friendly and very eager. He made menu recommendations & was very enthusiastic about his job.
My mother in law ordered the mushroom burger with a side of fries & said it was pretty tasty.
My husband ordered the donburi Saimin and also said it was pretty tasty.
I however ordered the chicken papaya soup. I was feeling a bit under the weather & wanted something satisfying. My chicken papaya soup came out steaming hot with a side of fresh minced ginger and white rice. The very few chicken pieces in the soup were dry and flavorless. The broth also tasted watered down and unlike the homemade chicken papaya soups I’ve had before. The vegetables were also very minimal. It was okay, but I would not order it again.
The star of the dinner show was the banana cream pie. The crust was buttery and the banana cream was heaven, absolutely smooth and flavorful. I would come back just for this dessert.

When I need some cheering up, or a familiar friend to give me a hug, I always run to saimin. Yes — in mostly all shapes, sizes and places.
Today was no different. It was so nice to slide into the vinyl booth and just glance at the menu, knowing that «Today’s Special» — oxtail stew (no less) or the mixed plate couldn’t tempt me away from… The Tanaka Saimin Special.
It was just the thing for a late lunch after running around amidst the hustle and bustle of Christmas shoppers and the weird Nimitz Hwy traffic-​of-​the-​day. We went to Costco Iwilei to «just look around.» Sounds lolo but I wanted to see what kind of Christmas deals were being offered.
But I digress. Tanaka Saimin was in the vicinity so we looped the parking lot (twice!) and got the last open booth in the whole place.
It was 1:30 and it was still packed. But the service was quick and so pleasant which capped off our meal in a very nice way. My wonton min was hot. The side plate with strips of teriyaki beef, shrimp tempura (with my fave tartar sauce) and the potato mac salad (ok ok — a little over the top but it’s Christmas) was ono!
Suffice it to say, it hit the spot and provided sustenance to give us strength to brave the Liliha Times after that! Haha!

The restaurant was relatively packed, and that’s a good sign on a Thursday night. The rain was coming down outside, and the trade winds were strong. I started to have some sniffles, and knew that I needed some warm comfort food.
The reason why I gave this place two stars is because of the meal I ordered. I have just never ate something that almost made me throw up.
The waitress was really sweet. I ordered the beef stew entrée with a side of mashed potatoes and salad. Before she left, I asked if the stew was made daily, and she informed me that it was.
About ten minutes later, the food was placed in front of me on a tray. The stew had an odd orange brown color. But, I don’t judge a book by its cover right;). I then dug into the beef and it was hard. I ended up using a sharp knife to cut it. I put it in my mouth, and I almost gagged.
The flavor was underwhelming, and the meat was terrible. There was thick coats of fat on the others, and the meat was no where near tender. The carrots and potatoes in the sauce was dry and hard, as if it had been sitting in a pot for days. I no longer had an appetite. The mashed potatoes were aged as well.
It hurts me to write this experience. But, she did take the meal off the tab. It might be a while before I give this place another chance… I’ll stick with saimin next time!

Post Japanese breakie butterfish at Tanaka’s ! Then lilikoi desert! $ 12 — good deal! Plus senior discount today. CB

I was expecting a lot more because of the location but honestly, this place isn’t that bad.
The saimin itself is unfortunately not good quality noodles but I think it’s not bad. It’s kind of the same as S&S brand saimin. If going to a restaurant, however, I prefer more dense noodles and these were just… kinda meh.
Also, sadly, they didn’t have anything spicy on their menu but they do have togarashi on the table (or in their cabinet). I was able to spice up my saimin quite a bit with the togarashi and it was amazing after that, lol.
As for pricing, it wasn’t so bad. For the quality, it kind of matched. I think i paid around $ 10 for my saimin. Unfortunately the prices and the quality don’t seem to match with the interior and location. By that I mean that the inside looks pretty nice. I expected higher prices and better quality noodles. What you’re getting though is pretty much the same as what you get from Sumo Ramen but in a nicer setting.
The good thing is that the price is low, and that afforded this place a good deal of stars. Unfortunately because the taste of the saimin was sub-​par and the noodles were junky quality, it lost a star for me. In addition, the tea was not pot-​brewed jasmine tea. If you want tea they give you hot water and a tea bag. That… was interesting. I also believe that the desserts are just scoops of store-​bought ice-​cream which I also find very… interesting and kind of «chang» so to speak. That’s where they lost another star for me.
Other than that our waitress was an absolute pleasure to have. She was SO nice, I wanted to give five stars for her alone.

Figured I’d wait to dine in a couple times before writing a review. I got the Korean loco Moco the first time and wonton mein with vegetables the second time around. I have to agree with other reviews that the noodles are not anything to rave about and the same for the won ton. I would come back because of the variety of the menu but not especially for their saimin.

We pulled into Tanaka Saimin in desperate need of some local style comfort food, you know what I mean — wun tun min, saimin, crinkled fries and homemade desserts. Yup, it was just one of those days.
What I love is that the crew at Tanaka Saimin are super friendly and efficient; ready with their recommendations and just make you feel at home.
Aside from what I already mentioned, another friend went for the grilled liver and onions, she absolutely loved it. Not me, I was happily slurping my wun tun min and sharing some fries too.

Wow… where do I start? Came here with some coworkers on a cool cloudy day for some saimin and I gotta say… I’m severely disappointed. If I could give 0 stars, I totally would.
Let’s see… from the start, we had to sign in to a restaurant that was barely half full. No greeter or hostess. Nothing. Multiple employees walked by without giving us a second look. It took a good 10 minutes before we got seated to a very awkward seating arrangement. Single booths running along the wall and larger booths down the middle. Think, airplane style seating, but in a restaurant.
The grub. For a «saimin» place, you would THINK they would have some awesome saimin (c’mon, you have the word in your name). Their menu was quite overwhelming. Lots of plate lunch style plates. Beef plates, Chicken plates, Seafood plates, AND saimin. Seriously, if you’re going to call yourself a «saimin» place, focus on saimin.
I wasn’t feeling too hungry so I opted for the standard saimin without all the toppings. Based on other reviews, I think they use the same noodles and broth for all their saimin, but vary in toppings. Honestly, I was VERY unimpressed. Noodles were slightly overcooked, but I look my noodles pretty al dente, so I’ll let them slide for that. Their broth was pretty bland. Cup ramen has a more complex flavor than their broth. It’s VERY shrimpy and that’s about it.
Even when we were paying, the waitress gave us a smug look when we told them we wanted the separate the check. It took her a while to separate the check (might just be a shitty point of sale system), but it shouldn’t take 10 minutes to split up a check of 5 people. i
Parking around that area can get tough, but usually pretty available. They have a bar, but it seems like its there to address another type of audience. I probably won’t be going back unless they do some serious restructuring of their menu. Ditch most of your menu items, change your name, or just make the food better.

I don’t know why they have 2 stars. It’s a great place to eat. We have had many different plates here. All good. It’s not a 5 star restaurant and I don’t expect that kind of food. It’s local, good food. The price is right for what you get here and the portions are big. Also, it’s a nice looking place to eat and they have TV’s if you need to look at something while you eat.
We stopped in after shopping at party city. We have done that a few times in the past. We eat what’s on the special or tempura or saimin burger (bomb) or tanaka mix plates. It has been all good for us.
The servers are nice and we get great service. The deserts are good too. I like the fried ice cream (called tempura ice cream) but we had the banana cream pie ala mode today.
It’s always great for us. Foods good, the price is good and service is good. I have no idea why they have 2 stars on Unilocal.They get 5 stars from me, every time!

I noticed that a lot of my Unilocal buddies have already reviewed Tanaka Saimin and they are heavy hitters (in Unilocal reviews, not weight). The pressure is on to get mine in. So here it is. I totally disagree with the current 2.5 star review. We are fairly regular customers and Tanaka Saimin has never failed to provide us with a good meal and great service. For me, staff retention is a huge indicator of the quality of management. I see the same friendly staff each time I visit; thumbs up. Prices are reasonable even though this establishment has a large footprint and presumably high overhead.
I am big on diners and diner food and Tanaka Saimin gets the job done. Maybe not every item on their menu rates as the best in town but there are a lot of winners. And they know how to make good saimin… duh. If you are in the mood, they serve beer and wine.
Here are some of the highlights (see below for photos) from our recent visits:
–dinosaur bone (ham shank) — One of the daily specials. Meaty, fork tender, tasty and huge. It also comes with 2 sides. Don’t get this if you want to have a light meal.
–pork cutlet — One of the better pork cutlets in town. Pork cutlet is one of my favorite meals. Let me know if you know of other good ones. This comes with 2 sides.
–Hawaiian plate — A very good looking Hawaiian plate. All items are tasty and on the whole it is definitely competitive with other places that offer one.
–spaghetti with garlic bread — This is a staple item on the menu at Zippy’s. Tanaka Saimin’s is at least on par with their benchmark. That is a bold statement around here.
–crinkle fries — I am very partial to crinkle fries. I could eat them with just about anything.

Came here for some saimen/​ramen burgers, but left a bit disappointed.
Their version was trying too hard to be something its not — the American cheese didn’t suit well with the ramen, and chips were so salty. Sauce was great, but way too much… this would be better paired with a salad of some sort to balance the sodium-​heavy entrée out.
As for the ramen aspect of it… it didn’t provide any enhancement to the eating experience except that it made it difficult to eat, and the rubbery texture failed to absorb the flavors like a typical bun would.
The overall place was spacious, but felt a little dirty, typical of a chinese restaurant I suppose.
Mind not blown.

Tried this place for the 1^st time on Sunday night and ah, I had better tasting food!
1^st of all, server takes other guests before us and we signed in 1^st … hello!!! I had to go up to him and tell him we signed in and he said «oh I can seat you guys now» … didn’t even apologize … how rude!
Waitress was nice … but food was so so. The only tasty item was the tempura ice cream!

First time here and I always said if I do come here its to try out the Oxtail Soup.
I ordered it with the saimin instead of rice. It came with grated ginger and some pickled seaweed. The Oxtail nice and hot and was definitely fall off the bone action and soft as well. The saimin was was a new twist from regular rice but was ono. Hidden on the bottom was some long rice noodles too. The broth was just fine. No need to add anything to it.
We arrived a little after 10:00 am and was seated quickly. Not much people there yet either but it did slowly start to fill.
Waited about 10 – 15 minutes tops for our order to arrive. Customer service was very friendly and not overly attentive which to me is kinda irritating.
One thing I like about this place is the booth seating. It gives you more of a sense of privacy opposed to chairs and tables.
Get here early before 10:30 am to receive your 20% off your tab!

I complain to my husband a lot that we tend to always eat at the same places on weekends we don’t venture out… in an effort to appease me he picked Tanaka Saimin without Unilocaling it first and by the time my panic of «oh crap it has two stars» set in, he wouldn’t let me run out the door screaming.
We came for dinner last Saturday and we were both surprised by how big the restaurant is. From the outside, you would never know it can seat so many people, but I guess now it makes sense why there’s NEVER parking in the parking lot there. There was a bit of a wait but we were seated relatively quickly for a Saturday evening.
In addition to the regular menu items there were specials available such as prime rib, giant pork shank (it had a better name that I forget), and a pastrami burger with corn chowder. My husband ordered the Beef Teriyaki Samin and I ordered the Beef Curry and because I’m a sucker for tempura vegetables I ordered the zucchini tempura as a side.
The zucchini tempura tasted more like corn dog tempura but for $ 2.50 I guess I don’t have much room to complain. My husband enjoyed his Saimin but I tasted his broth and in all honesty it was flavorless and in dire need of flavor. The Beef Curry was good but there were literally three small pieces of beef in the curry… more like potato and carrot curry.
Our server was meh. She also was serving the table behind us and there was an obvious difference in the service that we received and the service that they received… for example she never asked us if we wanted to order desert or if we needed boxes… she seemed eager to get us our check and get us the hell out. She wasn’t rude, but it could be that we weren’t regulars and she didn’t care if we came back or not… duly noted.
Overall the food was maybe 2.5 stars and the service was about the same. I’m downgrading to a 2 stars due to the fact that I was in severe gastrointestinal distress about a half an hour after leaving there and survey says it was the food. Needless to say «A» for effort for my husband trying to find us a new place to eat but «F» for execution. We won’t be back.

I should have listened to the other Unilocal reviews regarding the teriyaki beef saimin. The broth was bland in taste (hint of shrimp based broth) and the «teriyaki» had not teriyaki flavor. Rather it was just overcooked rubbery like substance that was called ‘meat.‘
The place is clean and the staff friendly but despite thie hospitality, my stomach says otherwise on the star-​rating. Want somewhat decent saimin? Go to Zippy’s instead.

Felt a little under the weather so decided to go here for Ramen.
The wait was quick, it wasn’t too busy around 8pm. We waited about 10 minutes. Finding parking was what took longer.
I ordered a small won ton min with side fries and my boyfriend had ordered a princess cut prime rib with a side of corn chowder. The portions were big for what I expected. My boyfriend enjoyed the prime rib and said luckily he didn’t get the king size or else he wouldn’t have finished it.
Our waitress was so friendly and always came to check up on us if we needed anything. Overall, good dining experience.