Monarch Seafoods

Not in a easy location to get to in terms of take out for lunch but if you make the trek and find parking on the street you won’t be disappointed. Tried the spicy tuna (ahi) on warm white rice and furikake, which had the consistency of good quality fish. You’ll have to construct your own bowl by deciding how much fish and rice you want as if you are at a supermarket.
They’ve got several other food options and service is fast and efficient.

Everything is super delicious and I’m going to be craving this back on the mainland. Think about being permanent resident with eats this good: yummy

This was my first time eating at this place after hearing all about their Nori Wrapped Crab Stuffed AHI:))…
We decided to ck this place out after our meeting in town… Being this was the first time going to this place ii didnt want to place a take out order. We (my manager n ii) couldnt find parking as the streets were filled… ii told her to park at the bank, which is located directly across the street as this place is located right at the corner of Kalihi st. We didnt realize until we got out that there was security watching the parking lot. It was my managers idea to literally walk through the bank like we were going in there n come out the other end of the building, LMAO. Well luckily as we were coming out they lady was going on a lunch break or going home we assumed. We laughed n kept walking without turning back, LOL… But word of advise dont park there.
Upon entering there were several people already in there, it was a really tight fit. It was like we were playing human tetris, hehe… We got to the counter n looked over what they have there which is paper menus as well as whats on the wall. Of course we ordered the Stuff Ahi, mind u we ordered 4 plates… ii also ordered the Ahi limu which ii must say was FRESH:)) n DELiCiOUS. The food was very quick n it was a good thing ii checked the bag for utensils n napkins bc there wasnt any in there… You need to grab ur own which is located on the counter… They didnt even let me know, but its okay ii wont dock them for that…
They really need to renovate space tho, bc its super small in there.
But overall it is a MUST try!!!

Love the ahi selections and stuffed crab meat. If ur craving fresh poke, this is the place. It’s a small take out kinda place, but I don’t mind! It may get cramped on the weekend so come early and come prepared to order so the line doesn’t build up. They also accept phone orders and catering too!

Difficult to find parking. I usually get the stuffed ahi. Place can be a little hit or miss.

Came here for the first time today. food is delicious!!! i got the Monarch Bento (crab cakes, mochiko chicken, fried poke). the cashier was very friendly and pleasant. parking is restricted, but conveniently accessible at BOH across the street. I will definitely return to try other dishes.

It is a great place to try the crab stuffed ahi Katsu. The poke is fresh but the line system is really lame. The order system needs to be improved.
We order our plate and the cashier takes someone else’s payment. Then we are waiting in this cramped up line and the next customer walks in front of us and orders then pays. Then the next guy they knew paid for his poke and when the cashier finally asked what we were waiting for. She puts white rice on my order when I clearly ordered it with brown rice. Then we try to pay for out take out plate. To top it off as I leave and go in my car, I realize she purposely didn’t even give me a fork, knife and no napkin! So lame!!! How am I supposed to even eat the take out plate? With my fingers?
They need to better their line system and have a number counter to pick a number and you order and pay when your number is called. Their system is confusing to the workers and the place is so tiny, hardly anyone can fit in for the lunch rush.
But the food and poke are extra fresh and delicious!

Had their Nori Stuffed Crab Ahi Roll for lunch some shoyu poke and was pretty good. the ahi roll was crispy on the outside and moist on the inside very
.decent price too.

Absolutely love the Crab Stuffed Mahi and usually eat here once a month. My only gripe is that their food portions have gotten smaller over time and that is kind of a bummer considering the price. Still one of the better seafood plate lunch places. Parking is extremely limited, so I recommend calling in your order before you drive there. Surrounding businesses have tow trucks waiting near by to tow as well so be careful.

If this place makes Juliet M. sing show tunes like «Don’t Cry For Me Argentina» when she thinks about it, then the first song that comes to my mind is Joe Esposito’s track «You’re The Best Around» from the 1984 film ‘The Karate Kid’.
Random…moving on…
The ahi and tako you buy here is super fresh. However, the lomi lomi salmon is kind of lackluster, but I can’t quite figure out what is missing. Plate lunch portion sizes are good and you have two rice options, but I order sans rice and request a double salad portion because the dressing is really THAT ‘ono. The crab stuffed ahi is ok, but that declaration is based on personal preference because I prefer my ahi raw.
A tip to new customers… know what you want before you get there. MS receives a lot of phone orders and has a lot of ‘regulars’. These customers, in my opinion, represent the bulk of their business. After reading this paragraph, be patient. You’re important too, but you probably don’t order from this place on a weekly basis. If you don’t understand what I am trying to convey, then buy subpar ahi from Foodland and never visit this place again.
Also, buy a crabcake. Those super ‘ono too, and much better than those overly fried, oil laden crab patties served at Chef Roy’s restaurants.

Bad customer service. Called an order in, lady said it will take only 20 minutes. Arrived at the restaurant 20 minutes after but food wasn’t ready. Then waited another 50 minutes for my order… asked them how long more but couldnt give me an exact answer then never apologized once my order was ready.

Come here for BAD SERVICE! Just stopped by for lunch and I must say the service here is horrible. The lady who helped up was ignorant! I asked for Spicy Ahi and she decided to give me a different fish. And when I pointed out her mistake she wouldn’t give me the fish I asked for even after I pointed out the spicy ahi she tells me «No it’s Spicy Tuna». Then she decides to ignore me when I’m trying to settle the situation! Are fricken serious lady! Whatever. Never again.

Crab stuffed ahi. That seems to be the jam around here and it was just okay for me. For my friend and I, when we arrived shortly after 1PM, we kind of wanted to leave. The customer service was horrendous. Please give us a few minutes to look over your menu rather than rushing us and making loud grunts of disapproval as we look over your menu. We want to enjoy your food like others have!
The crab stuffed ahi was mediocre. It was very dry upon consumption. I’m a little suspicious because after we had ordered it, they gave us our take out containers almost immediately. It makes me wonder how long it had been sitting.
Poke was choice! We had shoyu ahi and the wasabi tako. So good!!! Tako was so tender and soft. Same goes for the ahi. I enjoyed the tako much more than the ahi. I was so pleasantly surprised!
The dressing on the salad was also really good. I enjoyed the little green salad. Note: I used the salad dressing for the crab stuffed ahi as well since it was dry. The dressing may have salvaged the entrée for myself.
In all, I’ll come back if I’m in the area or if a friend wants to do take out. But really, I was so put off by the owner/​cook/​cashier.

Love the food here. Try to go here once a week. Only problem I have here is that one female cashier. She is always grumpy. Grumpy on the phone and grumpy in person. Quit your job if it’s that bad.

…I had to let it happen I had to chaaaange! This place makes me soooo happy that I sing show tunes when I think about it. Don’t cry for me Argentina is the song that comes to mind! The signature lil wrapped fried goodness changed my life. Each bit is the perfect balance… allowing your taste buds to go to blissful heaven. Ummm my yummy meter went for broke… bc it was busted off the charts.
The salad dressing that is served with the plate is fabulous. I could drink the salad dressing— order one 12 oz of monarchs magical salad dressing please. All joking aside it is fabulous dressing for those greens. I usually order double salad bc the dressing is such a treat. I don’t even miss the rice.
A win win win win! Enjoy the glorrrriousness that this lovely place has to offer. Worth the horrid parking situation they have– totally and completely worth it!

Unilocal said this place was open on Sunday but we drove there and it was closed. Hours of operation sign was not operational as well.

I found this place on Unilocal!because I was in need of party platters on short notice, and the reviews were good. I called on a Friday during lunch, and while it took a few tries before someone answered the phone, the woman who helped me knew her stuff. She told me that a half plate would feed 20 people, so I told her I wanted a half plate of rice, kalua pig, and firecracker chicken. She advised me to go with mochiko chicken because firecracker is really spicy and not everyone can eat it. When I asked about poke, she told me they sold it by the pound, and when I asked how much she recommended for 40 people, she said 5 pounds. I didn’t know anything about feeding that many people, so I went with it.
Like previous reviewers have said, parking is a bit of an issue, but they had someone help me get all the platters to my car. The platters were also ready and waiting for me when I got there, so all I had to do was review the order and pay. I got everything exactly as I asked, and the ahi shoyu poke came with the sauce, onions, and green onions on the side. They were adamant that I don’t mix the sauce into the poke until right before everybody eats.
The group I brought this in for loved it! 40 different compliments! Everybody’s favorite part was the poke, because without sitting in sauce forever, you could tell that the fish was super-​fresh. I actually forgot to mix the sauce in right before serving, but everybody liked that they could put as much or as little on as they wanted. The mochiko chicken was delicious and the kalua pig was outta this world! And the best part was that it was exactly the right amount of food. Everybody got a big plate of food, and there were barely any leftovers at all. It was that good!
You really can’t beat the price, too. Especially considering the 5 pounds of poke, the whole thing, including tax, came in right at $ 200, which was our budget. Other places on the island will charge way more, but this food was delicious and they were able to handle my order on short notice. I couldn’t have been happier with the experience!

Got the nori wrapped crab cake dish. Very delicious, but I encountered symptoms that are usually caused by some sort of food borne illness. I can’t say for sure that it was the crab cakes – but to this day I wonder.
Regardless, it was the best tasting crab cakes I’ve ever had!

This was my first time here. I got the stuffed crab. It was delicious! & the sauce for the salad was great too!
There is no parking lot. So you need to find street parking. I drove around for a bit and couldn’t find any close parking so I parked at the bank across the street instead. lol
My food was ready in less than 5 min! I will definitely be coming back again.

Parking is a mess and hard to time right because it is normally busy. Occasionally I’ll park at the Bank of Hawaii parking lot and withdraw funds for my lunch… lol. My coworker offered to pickup since he was out and about so I took him up on his offer since I haven’t eaten here in a while. I highly recommend phoning in the order to speed up the process.
I ordered my usual, the nori wrapped crab stuffed ahi, which is by far the most popular item on their menu. It comes with a scoop of rice and nolo greens with an asian style garlic house dressing.

Holy macaroni, Batman! When my coworker first introduced me to this spot, I was a skeptic. I have to admit, I generally like my food places to be pretty. It adds to my experience, it makes me feel like I’m bound to have a great tasting meal… and this spot didn’t make me so sure. But my coworker was adamant! And I like persistence! ;)
HYPES:
I got the Katsu ahi and let me just say… OH MY LANTA… what was there not to like about the thin crust on the ahi, or that glorious orange sauce that tastes better than the shoyu+wasabi combo on the Katsu (I think it’s salad dressing, but I put it on everything instead) over rice annnnnd salad?! This plate stole my heart. I’d be such a dummy to not go back and try other things!
GRIPES:
Just the general vicinity & the lack of visual up keep. But I guess when you’re serving such BOMB food you don’t need lots of glitz & glam!

Dear Monarch Seafood,
Thank you for holding down the lunch rush hour!
Though I have only tried the ahi belly, furikake salmon, and tako poke. I dub thee 4 stars!
Your seafood is fresh and delicious.
Your service can be understandably frustrating, so I am not bothered by the sassy front cashier lady, she means well and the lines can get long!
The fact that you now serve brown rice… YAY!
If you’re passing through Kalihi, give this place a try! There is no seating area, so expect to grab and go. Parking can be a little tough, it is only street parking, but I promise you won’t be let down.
I’ve read good things about their wrapped crab stuffed ahi, that is definitely next on my list! Also, if you want to ditch rice all together, they give you a heaping serving of nalo greens, YUMM.
So with no further ado, stop by or better yet, give them a call a head of time! So you can enjoy your freshly cooked meal ASAP.

You cannot go wrong when you come to Monarch Seafood. The seafood is always fresh and the food is delicious.
My favorite dish here is the nori wrapped crab stuffed ahi with all nalo greens. I would think this dish is their signature dish by how popular it is.
The seafood is always super fresh. Give the tako poke a try and you’ll see how super soft it is and not chewy and rubbery like other places.
The dried aku poke is pretty good too. Its a little more expensive but well worth it.
I would definitely recommend ordering your food ahead of time for pick up becase the line here is sometimes pretty long and the wait is too. Its not a dine in place either so its just grab and go.
The parking is tight. street parking only. If the driveway is open I park in there sometimes and the owners dont seem to mind. If you park at the bank you might get away with it if the parking attendant is not paying attention too.

I am a one-​dish woman. (So apologies ahead of time if you are looking for guidance on any other dish.) But seriously, for as long as I can remember, the crab stuffed ahi has been a staple local plate lunch in my diet. I don’t have it all the time, but when I do, I have all the same thoughts: 1) why do I not eat this more often 2) oh my gosh, I love the salad dressing on the nalo greens and 3) crab stuffed ahi, i love you! it’s a pretty simple love story.
But things get complicated and here’s how: 1) parking is yucky. But when you want something so bad and look forward to it getting in your belly, you will park ANYWHERE. 2) it gets crowded, very crowded — note: CALL IN YOUR ORDER — this is key when you decide to literally park anywhere that you can run in, pay, and jam back to your car that you parked in the middle of the street blocking other cars (I am not speaking from experience, but I’ve seen it happen *wink*) and 3) you will be tempted to buy other things, but stick to the plan. Seriously, the poke looks melt-​in-​your-​mouth, the pies look so delectable, other orders will be called out that will tempt you and then you will think, «Ok, next time, I’m going to try that.» But in my case, that never happens.
I can pretty much guarantee the crab stuffed ahi is the way to go. I’m sure practically anything else there is 5-​star worthy too, but seriously, how would I know?! I have been and will continue to be faithful to my go-​to dish. Love it!

Came here for some plate lunch action today! After driving around for about an hour my gf and I decided to settle for plate lunch. By this time we were super hungry.
After all these years of living in kalihi this was my 2^nd visit. The place is take out only and parking is limited. Basically right in front of the store, if there isn’t any I’ve seen people park at the bank parking lot right across the street, I guess it’s ok but sometimes get security guarding the lot.
Onto the food. In all honestly everybody only comes here for the Crab Stuffed Ahi roll. However it lives up to the hype. Its basically ahi stuff with crab wrapped in nori then battered then deep fried. It’s pretty tasty especially with the wasabi aioli thing they put in there. The plate lunch also come with scoop rice and mix salad. Their house dressing is hella good also! Oh and I forgot to mention you could also order the stuff roll ala carte. My gf also ordered their Crab Cakes and that was also delicious. The sweet spicy aioli they put it in goes really well with the cakes.
I will probably be back soon.

I’ve been coming to Monarch Seafoods off and on for a few years now. Located on Kalihi Street near Dillingham they have very limited hours. In general they are just an average seafood market with an extremely limited selection of poke/​fish. They also have a menu though, with a number of plate lunch options.
The only option that people really come here for is the nori wrapped crab stuffed ahi. It’s by far their most popular item and the only thing that keeps me coming back here. This dish is exactly what it sounds like. A generous portion of both crab and ahi in a nori wrap fried with breading. On top is a light drizzle of some sort of aioli. It is very good and quite satisfying. I’m not sure if it’s just my imagination but the amount they give you now feels like it’s smaller than it was in previous years.
I know of a few other places that offer a similar dish, including Fresh Catch in kaimuki. I think that Monarch’s version is better than the competition.
Overall, Monarch has an interesting and semi-​unique dish which is quite tasty and I can definitely say that «I’m a fan.»

Really awesome seafood plate lunches! I tried the deep fried, nori wrapped, crab stuffed ahi… yum! It comes with rice and salad with an asian style garlic dresssing… so ono! I also tried the fried poke which was also super good! If you like battered and fried fish, this is your plate lunch spot!
This is a take-​out only place, no seating.

So I just came into this place on Sunday as a a recommendation from my dad, and let me tell you, this place is no joke! Located in Kalihi, this hole-​in-​the-​wall shop has honestly stolen my heart. Not only do they have poke so fresh that I feel like they just caught it that morning, but they also have delicious hot entrees and banana cream pie!
[THE FOOD] ⁵⁄₅
All entrees come with a side of rice (which may be subbed out for brown rice) and a green side salad with a slice of a tomato. The salad dressing is to die for and leave you ALMOST wishing you just bought yourself a salad for lunch with a tub of the dressing.
(Furikake Salmon -$ 8.95)
Moist, tons of flavor, and my favorite entrée from the items ordered.
(Nori Wrapped Crab Meat Stuffed Ahi — $ 8.95)
Very delicious, but the immitation crab can make it or break it for you. I’m not the biggest fan, but I can eat it and still enjoy the meal. (Tip: they give very little wasabi sauce for this, I’d recommend asking yourself for a little extra)
(Ahi Katsu with Creamy Wasabi Sauce — $ 8.95)
Warning: Wasabi sauce is for true wasabi lovers. If you only put a dash of wasabi in your shoyu, I recommend diluting it with some at home to fit your liking. That being said, I thought the intensity was perfect, as I love wasabi. Great texture and freshness, I’ve never enjoyed ahi katsu like I have here.
(Banana Cream Pie — $ 2.50 per slice /​$ 14.00 whole pie)
So I don’t really care for BCP, but I LOVED this one. Can’t really put my finger on it. Is it the crust, the creamy, pudding-​like consistency, the lightness of the cream? I may never know, but I do know that this place has gotten me into banana cream pies!
[THE VALUE] ⁵⁄₅
All of the entrees above for $ 8.50, I think that’s spank-​tacular
[THE SERVICE] 3.5÷5
The Salmon did take a little longer than the rest, but that’s because it’s broiled. The lady that helped us wasn’t particularly pleasant, but she wasn’t horrible either. Definitely didn’t look like she was happy to be there. That aside, it didn’t change the way I enjoyed my lunch.
[MISCELLANEOUS AND OTHER TIPS]
–Parking can be rather difficult, so if you have 2 people in the car, one can jump out and get in line while the other parks
–Get the banana cream pie, get the banana cream pie, or get the banana cream pie.

Not really a seafood person, of course I am usually a see-​food-​and-​eat-​it-​person (ha ha ha). So when it came to ordering from Monarchs SEAFOOD, I was a bit iffy about it. But hearing this place is of legend when it comes to friends who work nearby who rave about their nori crusted crab stuffed ahi complete with nalo greens, you know I just had to try it.
Of course when it is also offered at a work training, I was going to totally spring for it! It was so good that I convinced my mom to order it for the both of us the next day. Good eats for two days in a row? Yes please!
Hot to order and extra crispy with the panko deep fried nori surrounding the delicious ahi and crab pieces all rolled into one. Let’s not forget the finishing touch of the wasabi sauce drizzled atop it, which added a nice kick to the main course. It all went perfectly with the rice! Let’s take a moment to talk about the nalo greens. Seems simple enough right? WRONG. Well. It is nalo greens (not that cheap iceberg lettuce), but the dressing is superb! I’m a total dressing fanatic when it comes to my salad.
Granted parking sucks and it’s a two person job (someone picks up while the other waits in the car in the parking lot across the street), the food is worth it… All for $ 9.00 a plate. Ordered over telephone and they had it ready within 10 minutes. Talk about speedy service!
Totally craving it again. This place is no joke.

Here are two things you should know: Its take out only (no seating available) & street parking can suck.
You have to drive around looking for street parking. Lucky for us we found a spot close by :) Being here for the first time, there was just so much items I wanted to order~! Finally decided on our two items we are going to try.
The Grub.
[[ FURIKAKE SALMON $ 8.95 ]]
Nomz~! This salmon was cooked perfectly. Super moist and soft.
[[ AHI KATSU $ 8.95 ]]
I thought the Ahi Katsu was okay. It was good, just I liked the salmon much better.
Overall I thought this place was good. I wouldnt mind coming back to try more items on the menu :)