YuZu

Excellent food with a cozy ambiance. Kind of tucked away in the back halls of Ala Moana Hotel. Easy parking due to the mall parking structure. great service.

Yusu was a good place to eat now out of business. According to an Ala Moana Hotel employee they abruptly closed without giving any notice two months ago.

I love love love yuzu (the fruit). After attending a Unilocal event at yuzu (the restaurant), I was excited to come back with my friends for great food and drinks.
This restaurant is located in the ala moana hotel. If you can figure out how to park by the ramp from Macy’s, I think that’s be best way to get there. Once you’re in the hotel, yuzu is a little hard to find. If you’re familiar with the side door to the hotel where the tour buses pick up tourists, it’s right next to that door.
I like that their restaurant feels spacious and has a unique shape. The ambiance and décor are nice as well. I also like the big, solid tables and variety of seating options. The service was a little awkward and slow, and there was surprisingly a lot of people eating dinner her on a week night.
I liked the tempura avocado, but other than that, not much else was memorable. I wish they would give more than a few grams of sauce to accompany each dish, too.
I coincidentally purchased a groupon to yuzu and tried to redeem it recently. Apparently the restaurant is closed for renovations… At the exact time my groupon expired. They’ve been closed for 2 months now… And I haven’t heard anything about refunding my groupon.

Recommend Dinner — bigger selection to choose from. Lunch is good, but their lunch menu is very limited.

Per hours listed on Unilocal and business website– came to try today. Closed for lunch. Table tent on a table behind the glass door states open from 5:00 p.m.
This really is a «non-​star» non-​review– but be warned that hours are not what is in the Internet resources say

YUZU
what happened?
Brought the family here for dinner.
I wanted the kids to try my favs. @ Yuzu
but so sad… =(
CLOSED, @ 8:00 PM.
I asked the security guard, he mentioned restaurant has been closed for awhile.
& he doesn’t know status.
Hope you will open up soon!
Dislike situations like this, took me 20 mins on deciding where to go for din.

The food here was decent. Everything is a little overpriced, I thought that only the udon was worth it. The ahi 9 piece sampler was good, but if you do the math its 3 dollar a piece. Overall probably won’t come here again. Also weird décor.

It’s a really hidden place in Ala moana Hotel. We walked in at 8:30pm, and the server has told us it’s last call already. HOWEVER, the restaurant was supposed to close at 10pm.
We ordered two Nabeyaki Udon, and waited for more than 30mins. While the waiting time was so long and took away our patience, the Udons were served. It was bland. If you don’t add extra additional soy sauce. It is inedible.
The server came to our table and asked us to close the check RIGHT after our food were served. So we talked to the server about the waiting time and the food taste, he ignored us and trying to rush us to leave around 9pm.
Overall, I don’t recommend this place at all. Unless one wants to get some tasteless food and a bad serving experience.

Overall, the quality of the food was great. Still cranking out some great sushi and tasty noodles. The front of the house staff & service was terrible. Good food, bad service.
We sat at the sushi bar for dinner one weeknight. They cut and prepare the noodles for you fresh right there, and someone was cranking out the sushi as well.
It wasn’t very crowded at all, but the service was bad. Once we sat and got our food order, the staff ignored us. We finished our first drinks, downed our water, and still no one would come by to check in. It’s a little confusing to who is doing what, but we flagged someone down finally to get another drink. They never refilled the water, our food came out, but still no drinks! We were close to finishing our meal and I was looking to cancel the drink order, and of course they came out towards the end. Then it took forever to get the bill, pay it, and leave. Leaving was the best part of the whole experience.
It sounds like there was a good sushi chef that ran this operation, but seems to have left. In it is a very apparent and depressing void. It would not surprise me if this place goes under in the near future.

I love YuZu, but I feel compelled to share that I was disappointed during my recent visit. I’m not big on holidays, but I am a firm believer in making loved ones feel appreciated and extra special on their birthdays. I purchased a Kulu Kulu cake for the evening because we humans do that on birthdays. We buy cakes and sing to the person celebrating their life. It was my first time celebrating a birthday at YuZu and I was not aware that they have a cake fee policy ($ 15 for cakes under 10″ and $ 20 for cakes over 10″ in diameter).
I’m sure there are several reasons for a cake fee and I do accept the responsibility of not asking the restaurant ahead of time. However, the disappointment wasn’t rooted by the cake fee itself, but the way in which the cake was presented to our guest of honor. For $ 15, our cake was anticlimactically placed on our table still in its box within the plastic bag. I understand that it takes away from purchasing desserts and is along the same principle as a corkage fee, but I still find it a bit uncouth.
In regards to the food, everything was delicious (salmon lover sampler, lotus root pizza, hamachi five-​O) as usual. I’m still a fan, but I will not celebrate birthdays here anymore.

Say Yuzu, say me, say it together, that’s the way it should be.
My amiga despite growing up in LA had NEVER tried Sushi… are you kidding me??? You’re killing me smalls. So I decided to take her to Yuzu and we got our Sushi on big time. Ahi lovers, Salmon Lovers, Seafood Dynamite, we just kept it coming.
To mix it up we got the Steak that was laid upon a bed roses… well actually a bed of sprouts, but it was really tender and flavorful. We also indulged in the shrimp tempura and the three dipping sauces they give you make it fun… even if you’re a germaphobe and fear L.A. mouth double dipping.
So the salmon and ahi lovers comes in sets of nine and I noticed that each plate had one row of three still on it as politeness kept us from taking the last of each row. I solved this problem by sending down an edict from on high ordering that I shall consume no last row sushi till my Broncos win another Super Bowl… problem solved.
The owner came out and charmed us and made us feel like regulars. Fun times at Yuzu for shuzu my nuzu.

If you are in the mood for… good cocktails, good appetizers and good company, go to YuZu with your friends or co-​workers. The atmosphere reminds me of Izakayas in Japan. It is a great place to relax, unwind and kick back.
I started the night off with cocktails. I tried the YuZu red sangria. It was infused with little bits of strawberries. This drink was sweet, tasty and refreshing. The strawberries were a nice touch! Loved it! Then, I tried the YuZu white sangria. This drink had a nice citrus and tart taste to it with bits of citrus fruits in it. I enjoyed this drink, too.
For appetizers, I tried…
*avocado appetizer
*rock shrimp sushi
*soft shell crab sushi
*yakitori chicken sticks
*soy karagge
*lotus pizza
My favorites were the…
Avocado– very generous portion (half an avocado), pit removed and replaced with a unique seaweed salad. Very creative and very delicious. I loved the different textures and different flavors of this appetizer.
Soft shell crab– nigiri type of sushi with layers of taste… the layers consisted of spicy tuna and deep fried soft shell crab
Lotus pizza– like a cheese pizza, but made with lotus root. Tender and crispy sliced lotus root placed in a circular pattern covered in melted mozzarella cheese. So tasty… so different… loved it!
Enjoyed my dining experience at YuZu. Go check it out when you want to go out for «Happy Hour.»
Thank you, YuZu owners, Emi and your wonderful team for inviting us to this special Elite event. It was a spectacular evening of yummy cocktails and yummy food.

This restaurant is tucked inside the Ala Moana Hotel. I went after 9pm and it was empty. The food took awhile for it to come out. I’m very convinced that the sushi chef was not there or the hostess was cooking the food. Due to the late arrival, I was limited to what I can order. I tried the signature nigiri that was shaped like a ball? It looks very unique. It was fresh which it should be expected. Otherwise, the flavoring was average.

Reasonable price and not too big portion. If they had Kama aina, I would give them five star.
I had fresh salmon poke donburi. It was mix of salmon and ahi which was very ono :)

Never knew this place existed until my friend told me about here. It’s inside Ala Moana Hotel. We went on a Saturday night around 8PM, made reservation. Not that much people. A few tables. Cute looking wooden Japanese style table.
We actually ordered a lot of food. Don’t remember the names of all of it. I can remember plates of color pokeball sushi. It’s soooo pretty! There was a steak poke plate. Pretty good. I ordered the 6 sticks yakitori for around $ 12. Flavors (yuzu, basil, and pepper). Love the yakitori. But I noticed most food on the menu are yuzu flavor. Sooooo weird… maybe that’s why it’s name Yuzu.
You can BYOB! They provide ice and cups if needed.

Located in the first floor of the Ala Moana hotel (if you are facing the reception desk in the lobby, go to your left, then past the gift shop). I believe the hotel has valet, but I’m too cheap for that, so I parked on the 2^nd floor parking of Ala Moana mall near the Macy’s end and walked across the bridge to the Ala Moana hotel.
I went with a group of about 6 girls for dinner on a Friday night. It was suprisingly not so crowded and there were a few open tables around us, considering its a small restaurant.
I ordered the 6pc yakitori, and told the gal to suprise me with the sauces. There were multiple options — I had 3 of them on my plate as it returned to me with the 6 pcs. One kind of tasted like a catsup concoction with yuzu; one was like a basil mayo concoction with yuzu; the 3^rd was just unmemorable at this point. Not bad, but nothing exceptional.
I also ordered the special of the day sashimi set — ~$ 18. It came with a decent selection of thick wide cut slices. Not a bad value.
One of the other gals ordered the Shrimp Tempura, which came with it appears 3 types of things to dip the shirmp into — all containing something with yuzu. I have to say, I commend the restaurant for trying to keep with its name and put yuzu in everything it can, but some things just don’t pair with yuzu in my opinion.
Another gal ordered the Lotus root pizza, which I did enjoy. Crunchy root with lots of cheese.
Service could have been better considering how empty it was… But not the worst. Just not ambitious or not so much training.

Located in the ala moana hotel, kona tower lobby, Yuzu, obviously, incorporates yuzu sauce into their dishes.
I booked a reservation through open table, which is so easy, I wish all restaurants used the service. We all parked at ala moana center (free parking) nextdoor and walked. When we arrived, the place was empty. However, we were quickly told that they were not serving alcohol at this time and was directed to the lobby store for our wine. I’m not sure what happened, but that was an extra cost we weren’t expecting to incur.
The service was disappointing. For an empty restaurant, we expected a little more attention from the staff, but we had to flag her down almost every time. I’m not asking for be hounded, but to be checked up on every ten minutes or so would be appreciated. Our entire group ended up sharing menus because of the lack of attention from the staff.
The food was a fun experiment to our senses. Not everyone was impressed with the yuzu sauce. The descriptions we gathered throughout the night included «salty mayo», «shampoo», and «spicy citrus.» I started with the lotus pizza, which was a crunchy salty mess. I think the cheese overpowers the other flavors.
I ordered the hamachi sampler, which honestly, was the best dish at the table in my opinion. The yuzu sauce paired with the different pieces of sushi complemented each other perfectly instead of sticking out like a sore thumb.
I was disappointed to find out that the dairy free acai mousse was discountinued. The acai cheesecake neutralized the taste of normal acai, which I did not like. However, it was exactly how an acai cheesecake would have tasted like.
In all, I would return solely for their sushi, and when I did, I would sit directly at the sushi bar, hopefully bypassing the service completely.

YuZu is located deep in the burrows of a seemingly abandoned are of the very dated Ala Moana Hotel. The décor here is also a little dated looking, and the location is small, but it’s good enough for me. The only issue with the size is that they can get slammed pretty quickly. But even with a near full house, service remained composed.
So how’s the food? It’s good! It’s important to note, however, that the menu here differs from the one at Sushi Yuzu in Ko Olina. But that’s for another review. First up for our visit to YuZu was the Temari sushi sampler ($ 15). Temari literally translates to handball, so the sushi here is ball shaped, unlike the usual nigiri most are accustomed to. The su (vinegar) is a proprietary blend that has a hint of yuzu, but at the same time has a lighter, different taste than the usual sushi su. Anyway, the temari sampler is topped with shiromi (white fish), hamachi, ahi, shrimp, and unagi (eel). Each one is topped with a different type of sauce. Each one was tasty and offered something different.
Next up we ordered the yakitori sticks ($ 9), with choice of sauces. On this occasion, we ordered the yuzu kosho (yuzu pepper) and ume sacue (cured plum). Again, both were delicious. The yakitori was then followed by the Hokkaido Scallop Sashimi with Yuzu Sorbet ($ 12). The scallops were good and sweet, while the yuzu sorbet was very tart and refreshing. Accompanying the Scallops by the Soft Shell Crab Oshi Sushi ($ 12), which if I recall correctly, this is a California Maki topped with fried soft shell crab and kabayaki sauce. Wasn’t something completely different, but was good nonetheless.
The last two dishes up for us was the Yuzu Nabeyaki Udon ($ 15) and the Spicy Sukiyaki Beef Udon ($ 10). The nabeyaki udon is filled with all kinds of goodies, including veggies, shrimp tempura, chicken, and an egg slowly cooking in the boiling hot broth. On the other hand, the spicy sukiyaki udon was served with cooled noodles and thinly sliced beef in a spicy broth. Both are good, but we over ate and had no room for dessert. Like the other location, the food and service was good and is definitely worth a return!

I have never been to Japan, but if the sushi is as fresh & delish as that of what I was served at YuZu, I think I wanna hop on a plane & never come back: p.
If you’re driving around, you won’t be able to spot this place. It’s MY hidden gem (located in the Ala Moana hotel… I parked at the mall & walked to the restaurant)
The interior is so nice and modern looking. It can definitely accommodate a big group or an intimate two (or one) person party. I would probably be willing to go alone. That’s just how much I loved it!
I ordered the yellowtail 5 – 0, lotus root pizza, a YuZu mojito, and an apple banana with Nutella crêpe (Zelda, I believe). Everything was amazing!
The yellowtail 5 – 0 came with 5 different pieces all served with it’s own sauce & garnishes. I won’t be able to let you know what those are, but I can tell you for sure that each unique piece was very very yummy — the ingredients worked together to create this wonderful explosion of flavor in my mouth. Mmm!
Love, love, love this joint! Try it! Gooooo Noooowwwwww :)

A vegetarian style restaurant located on the first floor of the Ala Moana hotel. The place is clean and the employees are nice.
My family and I ordered family style to get a sense of the food. We happened to be there during happy hour (ends at 6pm, sorry I don’t know when it begins). We had tofu, soybeans, California hand roll, udon, chicken skewers, spicy tuna roll, and lotus pizza. The Lotus pizza was surprisingly good and would definitely recommend this dish.
All in all the way okay. I don’t know if I would come back. But this place has an interesting concept of being a vegetarian sushi place. And that is something worth definitely trying at least once.