Yagura Restaurant

I grew up two blocks away from Yagura Restaurant, back when Dutch Girl Bakery was nearby across the street, the best custard pies and ensemada for miles.
Growing up we never stopped in at Yagura, not even once, but my husband and kids and I love Japanese food, so we tried it out. My kids want to eat here every week… but cannot afford.
Yagura is a place that breeds nostalgia. Complain all you want about the lack of parking, the smallish party room, the quaint menu board with the stick on letters. It’s the little details that help you to recall an older Liliha. Where unionized workers went to and from the cannery or hospitals (there were two) a Children’s Hospital and Kuakini. Traveling in groups they may have stopped in for a hearty meal before going home or starting the late shift, since canneries and hospitals never close.
The waitresses are very polite and kind, their uniforms also seem from an earlier era in sync with the hand made curtains.
My family, my parents included, love to eat fish here but me and my kid love the sizzling chicken platter. Don’t skip the mac salad, I always ask for a side order.
I’ve driven around and around to snag a parking spot here. Ya, I think this joint, the entire package is worth the wait. Or you could catch bus and walk the block.

The food here is, and has always been, one of the better places in Hawaii to get authentic Japanese food and great service. My tutu used to bring me here all the time and ever after she’s passed, I continue to go here on my own or with my friends. The aunties that work there are friendly and provide fast service. Even the younger girls working there are very nice. I love the Sashimi here! It’s always so clean cut, and tastes extremely fresh (unlike the sashimi I’ve had at other places). The udon is also a really great option as the soup tastes just like the soup you can get in Osaka! I would love to give this place 5 stars, but the lack of parking and weird hours forces me to give only 4 :(
Overall, I will continue to patron this place forever — as long as they will have me.

Old school, hole in the wall, Japanese teishoku. Such wonderful words that remind me of the best places at home. The waitresses are veterans that have probably been wearing the same muumuu uniforms since the 70s. The location and décor have the old school feel too.
It’s a small spot of Liliha Street — a little hard to find and there’s only 4 stalls up front. Do a loop around a few times, you’ll find street parking.
And the food — LUNCH TEISHOKU with chicken tofu, mixed tempura and ahi sashimi. The sash was fresh, the tempura crispy with the right amount of breading and the chicken tofu shoyu-​sugary. Presented in the standard teishoku box, it’s home-​style cooking, but local-​Japanese style.

Love the food and service here. I’ve tried various things on the menu and my favorites are the oyaku donburi, katsu donburi and spicy sashimi.
Of the three it’s too hard to pick which one is my favorite! I do love how crispy the katsu is though, especially in the curry. Of all the places I’ve tried, Yagura has the best katsu~

Local-​style Japanese restaurants have been one of those things that I’ve frequented since childhood, and I guess that’s why I never really appreciated them until I moved away. The smell of fresh miso and of course the hon-​dashi are things you don’t really notice until you try to find just a simple home style Japanese restaurant in the Inland Empire and wind up instead settling for an egg roll joint just because Asians work there.
Well, if what you’re looking for is a simple «like grandma makes» country style Japanese meal, Yagura is certainly the right choice. Nabe and donburi dishes are a good direction to go here and of course things like butterfish misoyaki and fresh sashimi are always delicious. Most importantly the «aji» is always «chodo ii» (just right).
Tonight I went with the sukiyaki and it was the perfect balance of sweet and salty – not too much either way. The portion was so huge I wound up only eating half and taking the rest home for lunch the next day. Two wonderful meals for the price of one perfection.
Mr Yagura, please build one in Corona. I promise to go every day. M

Used to go there often but then they made a lot of mistakes on our several take out ordered. Different time and there we go back again to let them correct the orders. They didn’t even busy at all. Never busy I would say. We not go there anymore bcuz my husband mad at them.

Got the tonkatsu curry plate. It was ok. The curry was a little too thick for my taste. I prefer Curry House.

I love eating here and getting there bento until today! I usually get bento B with the shrimp temp. As I was eating the seaweed and going to eat the fish cake there was a good size cockaroach!!! I fckn cockaroach still alive underneath it! NEVER GONNA EAT HERE AGAIN I LOST MY APPETITE! IF IT WAS HAIR I WON’T MIND BUT A COCKAROACH THAT’S SUPER DISGUSTING! always check what you eat before eating it.

Japanese food combos nice like: udon and Spicy Ahi Donburi, Ahi Nitsuke and tempura, Pork Tofu and Ahi Tempura. We haven’t eaten anything we didn’t like!
Restaurant clean!

Normally we turn to our friends for the hip new places. Rarely do we ever ask our parents because we think we’ve been to all of them. I think I know my dad. I eat with him all the time. I know everything about him. Then he takes me to restaurants I never dreamed of going into. He takes me to restaurants that have defined neighborhoods. He’s been here during lunch while working hundreds of times. This was my first time and I loved it.

Food was good. Only problem was it was a little pricey $ 11.50 for a bento. Nice to have a authentic Japanese restaurant in town. Would probably recommend to go elsewhere if you’re seeking more quantity of food. Overall not a bad place to eat.

Yagura is a small Japanese restaurant on Middle Street in Honolulu’s Liliha neighborhood. If you live in the area, it’s handy. If not, you have to have good timing to snatch one of four parking stalls in front of the place. Otherwise, good luck finding street parking.
I ate there once before, a few decades ago, say sometime in the late ‘70s or early ‘80s. The menu is typically Japanese, the usual popular entrees you can find at many other Japanese establishments.
Seating is limited, but ample for a lunch crowd. The interior is well-​lit and … it smells good, with aromas of Japanese cooking in the air. Rather simple décor, with a kind of homey appeal.
In the back is a little nook with Japanese samurai armor on display, with flowers in a vase and a little sign imploring customers not to touch the armor.
We sat directly in front of the display so I could turn around and study the medieval war artifact.
These things fascinate me. The only thing they couldn’t stop was bullets. So when firearms were adopted in Japan, that spelled the end of this type of armor.
I had been in the mood for some teriyaki beef — you know, the heavily charred, burnt shoyu kind. So that’s what I ordered. The usual starters came: Miso soup, tossed green salad with creamy French dressing, salted cabbage, and steamed white rice.
The teriyaki beef was served on a sizzling hot platter. Quite impressive, I must say. Hopefully the entrée would live up to its promise.
Unfortunately, the flavor was a little too mild for me. I wanted dark grill marks and got none. Plus, the rib eye was on the tough side. Heck, it WAS tough. But as disappointed as I was, I was hungry, so I ate it all. What did help were the onions under the steak; they added quite a bit of flavor to the dish.
To top off my meal, I had a huge scoop of green tea ice cream. Now … THAT hit the spot, and mitigated some of the disappointment over the teriyaki beef.
The wife had a teishoku combo — her misoyaki butterfish was divine, the sashimi was very good, and she gave me one of her shrimp tempura. So the lunch turned out well anyway.
By the way, lots of people came by to order take-​out meals for lunch.

Kids Bento were so cute. Really tasty food. Restaurant décor is outdated, plate wares are old. Tempura cooked perfectly. Price is good for Japanese food. Only five parking spaces up front so have an early dinner.
MOOD: Nothing special caught my eye.

Parking around here is a little tough to find, but well worth the search and possibly a little walk.
When you step inside it is like walking through a time portal. Everything is well maintained and clean. It is like you are back in the 60−70s japanese restaurant. You kind of forget that you are still somewhat in a city. I felt transported away from all the traffic and back to a simple time.
Everyone here is really friendly and making sure that you are taken care of. It was pretty close to closing time but the waitress said that we could still come in. We ended up getting take out so we do not stay super late past closing. They gave us a table and asked if we wanted any water or tea. That always is a sign of good service.
The amount of food that you get is pretty good for the price. I got the combo plate with tempura and fish. My recommendation is that you eat it right away or leave the cover slightly open so that it still stays crisp.

Yagura is a small restaurant located in a very old building with scarce parking. A friend mentioned it and so a few months ago, I tried it for the first time. I enjoyed it and so I went again a second time when I was in that part of town and also able to find parking. Based on the first two visits I would consider it four stars.
The menu is varied and consists mainly of local Japanese traditional foods. Although I thought the prices were expensive when I first read the menu, I discovered that the portions are extremely huge! I enjoyed the friendly ambience, and appreciated the gracious and attentive service of the local ladies working.
However…the third visit was very disappointing and emphasized to me how the quality of service affects one’s entire experience. Most recently, the server spoke with a heavy Chinese accent and was very impatient when we could not easily understand her… and vice versa. she argued with me for asking for a minor modification to my order. Even that would have been forgivable if she compensated by being super efficient. But sadly, she was not.
So overall, the restaurant is not excellent. I wish I had learned the nice waitress’ name, though, so I can just request her table next time…

I went to Yagura for my birthday this year. I usually go to Kunio when I’m craving Miso butterfish, but the traffic has been so bunk lately with the rail construction that we decided to drive to town instead.
It was really easy to find, but oh my the parking situation is bonkers. There are 5 parking stalls, one accessible by driving up over the sidewalk curb. Otherwise there is metered Street parking, if you can find any.
It’s a cute restaurant. There is a private room on the side, but I can’t imagine someone reserving it unless you bus your guests in from somewhere else. There are quite a good number of tables and booths.
This restaurant does take reservations.
If you are dining in, do not sit by the table next to the bathroom. There is a funky cleaner smell coming from the men’s restroom and behind the counter.
Food is typical Japanese restaurant. Ala carte and teishoku style meals. I ordered the butterfish and shrimp tempura teishoku (19.99) and the bf got a two combo plate, Teri beef and Teri chicken (14.99)
You get a complimentary pot of hot tea, but it gets cold quickly. My order came with salad and pickled vegetables. The food came in about ten minutes. The butterfish was okay. I really do prefer Kunio’s butterfish, but it was still tasty here. Shrimp tempura was okay too. Bf enjoyed his food, but he never complains.
You can choose dave’s ice cream for dessert (3.99). Soda in a can is also available (1.50)
Servers are very pleasant. I like this place, I wish the parking was better.

Our family has been coming to Yagura for the last 35+ years. It used to be a family favorite, but we just haven’t gone in a long time. Nothing has changed with this restaurant — it looks the same and the menu is somewhat the same. The two waitresses were speaking Cantonese to each other and to the cooks, so I’m assuming that this Japanese restaurant is now owned by Chinese.
For appetizers, we ordered the fried oysters. Three oysters to an appetizer order, for $ 5.95. The oysters were plump, juicy, and tasty. Served with a tonkatsu sauce. Grade: B
The food hasn’t changed in taste much. I ordered the Yosenabe ($ 15), which is a seafood and chicken nabe (ingredients in a broth) dish, served with a spicy ponzu sauce. In the pot was won bok cabbage, konyaku noodles, udon noodles, chicken, shrimp, butterfish, salmon, kamaboko (*fish cake), green onions, tofu, and several other goodies. The hot pot was topped with an egg. The taste was very familiar, as it had tasted years ago. Grade: B+
Food Grade: B
Service Grade: B–
Worth the Money Grade: B
Overall Impression Grade: B

Yagura (lit. castle, compound, scaffold) — an aptly name for a family restaurant in plain sight on Liliha Street. This restaurant has been serving Japanese teishoku set meals for decades and hasn’t changed one bit. Some things are meant to remain true and constant over the trials of time.
Try the Teishoku E for a little bit of everything; sashimi, tempura, misoyaki butterfish, salad, mac salad, miso soup.
I always looked forward to trips to Yagura after my clarinet lessons on Judd Street. Even a decade and a half later, Yagura is still consistently serving tasty teishoku meals and hasn’t changed much (and that’s a good thing).
The samurai armor in the back is a conversation starter. I can’t tell if the mask is supposed to be smiling or just saying hey.
The parking could be tricky since there are only ¾ open spots in front of the restaurant. Street parking is available further up the street on either side. Be careful when crossing at night since cars tend to go flying by like it’s a West Side cruise.

Pros: Consistently delicious food, good value, fresh Ahi sashimi, ono miso soup, BYOB!, private side room for large parties, takes Saturday reservations
Cons: 4 parking stalls in front, super tiny restroom, needs renovation
My family and I have been coming here for what seems like and could possibly be for over 20+ years. We have dined here for lunch and dinner, taken out meals, and had parties in the private room. If you want a restaurant that is consistent in what it gives you whether good or bad then this is your restaurant.
Consistently good Japanese cuisine. Nothing extraordinary but nothing terrible. Just delicious Japanese food. All the basic items you would see at any standard Japanese restaurant. Their Ahi sashimi is always fresh with nice color and not «stringy». The miso soup always comes with big cubes of tofu and has lots of flavor. All the «norms» could rival most Japanese restaurants. You get so much food for your money. Combo meals come with miso soup, tsukemono, mac salad, tossed salad, and rice. I love how the rice comes out in its own serving pot. Makes the meal more authentic. Last but not least, BYOB! We save a ton of money by bringing our own drinks!
Consistently not good or need improvement? The waitresses could smile more and be more upbeat. Their muumuu uniforms may need to be changed to something more modern. The parking is only 4 stalls so pretty much street parking is it. Liliha street is a very busy street. The restroom is dingy, old, and smaller than a bathroom on cruise ship. Entire place needs a face lift. Old school metal chairs that squeak when you get in and out of your seat. Yikes!

Why do we keep coming back? Now that I think of it, the food is probably better than what I stated. Combine location which is close to where my grandparents use to live and my parents now live with good food at affordable prices, plus BYOB then this place is perfect for us. I think what is also good about Yagura’s is that although they are not «kid friendly» (no crayons, origami, puzzles), they are kid friendly because your meal is served super fast so the kids don’t get too restless. Enough time to enjoy your meal and enough time for the kids’ attention span. Overall great place for a Japanese food dinner with the entire extended family. Ohana approved!

This review is bias. It’s filled with love and daily memories. I actually cannot tell you how many times my family has gathered here over the years. There is nothing really fancy about this place. No fresh paint or chandeliers. No frill. But sometimes that is what you want; what I crave.
This is an old school Japanese restaurant. My grandfather was so comfortable in these walls that until the last of his days their udon was one of the few things he would try to eat.
Now we ahve switched over to mostly take-​away from here, and we still find ourselfs with Fong, our favorite waitress, remembering our faces and names and asking about my grandma and the rest of the family.
This is a legit teishoku kind of place… and it’s worth struggling to find parking or carpooling and then struggling to find parking. It seems like a hole in the wall, but the food is comforting and if you have Fong, the service is wonderful.
We will keep returning here as long as the doors are open.