Maguro Zanmai

Fast and decent sushi/​donburi within close proximity to the beer garden in shirokiya? Count me in! This places serves up both set meals and also carte nigiri sushi. Fish was pretty fresh and no wait for a table. Prices are also pretty reasonable, which makes it easier to go regularly for a quick fix.

Oohh man… I knew that some of the Shirokiya food court vendors wouldn’t be able to make the transition from old Shirokiya to New Shirokiya. We ate here for lunch because my daughter is home from college and wanted to come here. And a great lunch it was!
This place has fresh fish only and today my ahi bowl was better than ever. Good quality and great value and great service. We have eaten here lots of times over the past few years.
I am going to miss this place for sure. But, now is your chance, until the end of the month, to eat here one more time. We’ll be back one more time to say good bye.

Maguro Zanmai is located in the corner on the second floor of Shirokiya near the takoyaki stand. You can’t miss it, it’s literally in a corner! Plus they show a replaying video of the sushi they make and the fish they get. It’s pretty educational I think.
First time here and I loved it! One, because it is in the same area as the beer garden, they serve beer at the same prices! Pretty awesome! But their main menu includes the Donburi or variety of sushi.
I tried the creamy salmon and spicy ahi Donburi combo. Both so good and the portions are big enough for the price you pay. The spicy ahi wasn’t creamy like other places but it had a nice kick. The creamy salmon was super good. I don’t know what’s the best way to explain it. Maybe a salmon version of a normal spicy ahi?
Anyways try this place out. It’s like a very good authentic sushi place that you’d never expect to be at Shirokiya.

This place seems like my «go to» after shopping. Hehehe. Well, I think because the food here is very fresh and the prices of their dishes are not bad either. I love the fact that the chef recognizes me whenever I come in.
They don’t have tons of dishes on the menu to choose from, which how I like it. I think this is how they keep the food they serve fresh, every time.

I’ll start with really, the only negative I could see. Service was just a little slower than I would’ve liked, but I know there’s only so much you can take care of when there’s only two servers and 3 groups are in need of attention. Everyone was really gracious and polite though, especially the chef who is super hard at work preparing everyone’s orders.
Now on to the food. Wow. Not only is the food good, but so is the presentation.
I can usually eat a lot and it takes a good amount of food to get me full, but I just barely finished everything. The creamy salmon and spicy ahi were amazing and came in two really nice, separate bowls, with garnish and everything. Rice was the kind you would expect from a sushi restaurant, mixed with vinegar for that sweet taste. Complementary miso soup, wasabi, and pickled ginger and cucumbers made it complete.
Everything came out to around $ 27 for two people, which is really not bad at all considering the quality of the food and portions you get. Really can’t wait to come back.

One of the little eateries in Shirokiya. I had like a poki bowel. Fish was fresh, rice was good. I would come back. try something else.

Tokyo, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Honolulu… I’ve had amazing sashimi and nigiri sushi around the world and this little corner of Ala Moana Center holds its own amongst the best. The fish is expertly selected and artfully sliced… Perfection. Sadly, the fact that Maguro Zanmai is located in a mall may be its greatest challenge as some will no doubt struggle to overcome their biases and overlook this absolute gem… Perhaps to my benefit.

The sushi chef is so nice and always accommodating! I love his sashimi, I love the negi toro, and the ikura salmon bowl is perfect!
Service is excellent! The two girls always refill my hot tea!

A little gem in the Japanese food court.
They are one of the few places on the island that has Chu Toro. And it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. It totally reminds me of my time in Japan.

This place is a great value. They have an authentic Japanese sushi chef who looks so focused and disciplined every moment he is working.

I would consider Maguro Zanmai as one of the more solid food options this Japanese haven known as Shirokiya. While lunchin’ with the infamous Emi H, I tasted a couple of yums:
*Spicy Ahi Poke: Not the best ahi poke I’ve ever eaten, but it definitely satisfied my craving. I think some kind of sauce, to marry the rice and ahi, would’ve enhanced it a bit.
*Creamy Salmon: Ooh, delicious! Fleshy salmon with a delectable mayonnaise sauce = Hard to resist.
*Service: Super fast!
*Price: Most dishes fall under $ 15. Not bad!
Again, a great food option if you’re in Shirokiya!

If you are craving for sushi in Shirokiya then here’s a cool place. In my opinion it was ok and service was ok but if you are seeking lighter option then here’s the place to go in Shirokiya!

Maguro Zanmai is a sushi bar in Shirokiya’s Yataimura. There are plenty of places to get quick nigiri or rolls in Ala Moana, even in Shirokiya, but this is the only place with a sushi chef hand slicing to order.
The fish quality is good for a food court and the meals come with miso soup and tsukemono. For $ 12, the Spicy Ahi and Creamy Salmon Don combo was mildly spicy and the salmon had an unexpected, but not unpleasant smokey flavor. For $ 12, the Seafood Don, is their version of a Chirashi or $ 14 for the Negitoro Don, the scraped ahi has a great mouth feel and flavor. My favorite is the Special Nigiri which has 11 different pieces of Nigiri plus Tekka Maki, but also comes with a $ 28 price tag.
It’s nice that you can bring any other vendor’s food into their seating area or take their food out to eat in any other area. All in all it adds to the variety and liveliness of the Yataimura, and a good choice for casual sushi when you’re in the area. Just be sure to order and pay by 8 pm as they close up before the other food vendors.

I finally got a chance to come here after many attempts to stop by but was distracted by all the ramen counters instead.
I ordered 2 ebi, 2 hamachi and a miso soup. My mom had 2 eel, 2 hamachi and a miso soup. We also shared a rainbow roll.
The food was good and the employees are friendly. Dine in customers are allowed to bring in food from the store (I’m not sure about bringing in from the ramen shops though, just the packaged food).
I would definitely stop by again.

this was one of the many, many places to choose from at shirokiya dept store at the ala moana center.
what caught my eye was their fresh sushi rolls, some already made, sitting in their refrigerated case, some posted as photos by the cashier.
i decided to get the mixed maki rolls from the case ($ 9) and a freshly made dragon roll made to order ($ 11). since the dragon roll would take some time, i opted to start on the maki rolls, which consisted of 15 rolls, 3 of each type: tuna roll, salmon roll, crab-​avocado roll, crab-​egg-​cucumber roll, and yellowtail-​scallion roll. while i could tell these were not freshly made, as the texture was a bit hard, they were still very, very good. all of these were small, bite-​size pieces, the perfect size for whetting my appetite and preparing my stomach for what was to come. about 10 minutes later, the dragon roll was ready, and it looked stunning, in the form of an eel, almost, and topped with the signature eel sauce. the taste was even better, fresh eel on top with crab-​avocado inside the roll simply melted in my mouth. this was definitely the best dragon roll i’d had in years!
for $ 20, i had a total of 24 pieces, which i thought was a pretty good price. the fish was fresh and the sushi rice was just right.
the ladies working here were very cute and friendly.

Loved this quirky little place inside the amazing food court on top of an Asian dept. store. We found our way here via Unilocal map. It was a busy little place with fresh, fresh delicious sushi. We especially liked the assorted sashimi: ahi, yellowtail, salmon, mackerel, shrimp. I would post a picture but somehow it always ends up on my Facebook and I don’t like that.
The chef who says he is a manager, did a wonderful poke, and sea water eel don. We ended with magical seared scallops. What a gem. We would definitely become regulars but alas, Honolulu is a few thousand miles away.

When I was living in LA, my parents would tell me that they ate «donburi at Shirokiya» on Friday nights. I imagined they were picking up stale bentos and calling it a night. I was SO wrong.
Shortly after I moved back to Hawaii, my parents took me here for dinner and I was quickly impressed with the quality. Generous portions at a great price (combo don is about $ 12). I understood how this corner eatery was one of their favorite weekend spots.
My favorites:
— Ahi Poke & Creamy Salmon Don
— Rainbow Roll

I can’t believe this was my first time here. $ 10 for a fresh donburi and some miso soup is a pretty good deal for Shirokiya seeing as they are charging an arm and and a leg for some items there. Lameeee, but thats another story.
Anyway, after eating a huge steak dinner the night before all I wanted was fish, fish, and well fishh. So when I walked by Maguro Zanmai, with the cute little Japanese lady trying to lure me in I got lured in. I suggested we check it out to Chris M. and we both decided on some donburi’s for dinner.
Although I would have loved an uni/​ikura don I was a little hesitant to spend $ 20 on a place I had never eaten fish before and decided that I would play it safe with a negi-​tori don…
Turned out to be an awesome choice, besides the one tiny piece of fish scale I found. I definitely want to come back and try the salmon/​ikura don. I saw someone eat a piece of uni nigiri but to be honest, it didn’t look that great so I’m glad I stuck with what the store’s named after, maguro. :)
So if you are in Shirokiya, looking for a lighter meal check out Maguro Zanmai!
Unilocal 365: ²⁰³⁄₃₆₅

FRESH SUSHI and BEER with SIT DOWN SERVICE in the Shirokiya food court (aka «Yataimura»).
This place is the answer to the ongoing dilemma we always have when it comes time to choose somewhere to eat. It usually goes something like this: «I want sushi.» «I don’t eat sushi. I want chicken» «I want spam musubi» «I want GOOD sushi. And I want UNI.» «I want a donut» «I want noodles» «I want a beer» «I want juice» «I want dessert» «I want yogurt» «I want to watch TV» «I want you guys to shut up!»
Believe it or not, this place is able to satisfy ALL of the above requests.
1. As the name would imply, there’s maguro and other cuts of fresh fish. MAGURO & SALMON DON bowls during lunch are a great deal for $ 9.50 and are available TO-​GO now.
2. For $ 25 the SPECIAL NIGIRI SUSHI ZANMAI SET usually includes UNI on one of the four little plates. The sushi set changes slightly depending on availability but usually includes fresh cuts of maguro, hamachi, ama ebi etc. and comes with miso soup and tsukemono.
3. BEER is served here. I think because they have a little «fenced off» corner, they are able to serve beer and can do it from lunchtime. The last time we went, we ordered beer before 11am. $ 3 for the small, $ 4 for the large (16oz?). Not as cheap as the beer garden at after 5pm, but for 11am that’s not a bad deal.
4. OUTSIDE FOOD from other vendors in Shirokiya are allowed into the fenced off section. We have asked multiple times if we could bring the spam musubis, udon, and chicken entrees from the other vendors into their section and they’ve told us «YES». We’ve even taken the donuts from the bakery downstairs into this section too.
5. If you position yourself right, the TV from the Okonomiyaki vendor is on continuous play and shows all sorts of fascinating things. Every so often the guys start beating the drums and making loud noises = live entertainment.
6. CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED, pay at the cash register. There is no line to add the gratuity, so you need CASH for tips.
Thank you to Vince B. for solving one of our ongoing family dilemmas. Now if only I could figure out how to keep the socks from disappearing in the dryer…

Only thing you need to know: they have a daily special that is $ 9.50… not sure how long this will last, but yesterday, it was a generous helping of ahi on sushi-​rice donburi, miso soup and tsukemono… oh and free green tea.
On to the review:
Stopped in on opening day Feb. 18^th and I’m very excited about this little gem.
Although it’s not quite the same as a traditional sushi bar, the quality of the seafood and chefs is top notch. It’s a little out of place, but the sequestered corner on the top floor of Shirokiya next to Macy’s is relatively quiet compared to the beer garden and yataimura.
They’re in the process of getting a liquor license, but as of now, if you want a beer/​sake with your sushi, you’ll have to take your tray over to the cage (which they allow).
Although on the higher end for Shirokiya, the prices are rather reasonable for the quality of fish (especially that daily special). The selection is a little limited, but they are brilliant in the basics. As the name may imply, their specialty is in Maguro/​ahi/​tuna and I was greeted by a fresh Ahi (head and all) in the display fridge by the register.
They had actual dishes presented by the entrance to give you an idea of what you’re ordering and the menu is simplified with numbers and photos… I’ll post a photo of the menu.
GF and I settled on the uni-​donburi, ikura donburi set and the nigiri sushi set. $ 38 after tax for pretty decent sushi.
The uni was from Hokkaido, smaller than the California uni and comparatively mild in flavor, but creamier. The ikura I think was bathed in a sake-​shoyu, but I may be mistaken. GF mixed in the shoyu and wasabi, so it was kind of washed. The donburi portions were similar to the display and they are served on a bed of sushi-​rice (a little bit dryer than sticky rice and mixed in with vinegar right after cooking). The rice often is a reflection of the chef and it was fantastic on this night.
The sushi set was a mixed batch. 2 pieces of maguro, salmon, snapper, shrimp, ika, and yasai (greens), as well as 2 pieces each of maguro and cucumber handrolls. The maguro, salmon and snapper were great, I did not try the ika since GF ate. The shrimp is the boiled kind, so nothing special there. The presentation was immaculate and the cuts were done very well, all one-​bite sushi as it’s supposed to be.
There’s a chef’s omakase for $ 25 which has I think 11 or 12 nigiri and the menu says you can order nigiri and sashimi as you’d like. Not sure if they’ll run a tab for you, but it is available.
The maguro is fresh caught and the abalone (which I did not have) was from Kona and still alive in the tanks.
The miso soup was pretty standard, a bit on the salty side for my palette which will be fine as soon as they start serving beer.
The staff were all Japanese and the service was impeccable. We’ll see if they lose steam, but I was impressed at how smooth the operation was for the first day of business.
Complimentary green tea and most of the offerings come with the pickled daikon and hakusai (tsukemono) and miso soup.
They open at 10:00am and close I think with everybody else which changes based on the day.
Worth checking out, I’ve found my new sushi fix for when I don’t want to break the bank.