Shingen

A truly mediocre Japanese restaurant. They brought us the wrong food, our broth was eh, and there was a long wait for a table and for the food, which came out at all different times. More than twice the price it should actually cost. Also, what Japanese restaurant runs out of rice?

Second day in a row I’ve had soba noodles here for lunch. A very welcome and refreshing change from the rest of the ubiquitous fast food joints in Waikiki!
The noodles are very good and the lunch special includes a small selection of tempera.
Stylish while sedate the atmosphere is very calming which, again, is a welcome change in Waikiki.

If you want soba noodles then you should dine here as they have a great selection of soba. They also have udon noodles of course but it’s easy to get udon noodles at many places. If cold noodles are your thing they have about 20 different options for you.
I personally like the chicken with green onion udon, now I normally don’t rave about onion but their green onion was so tasty! The broth is not spicy but is flavorful. Also at the end of the meal they will offer you hot tea if you wish for free.
Make sure to check in on Unilocal and redeem your free beer or wine.
Their service is great. I was seated right away and the waiter recommend which bowls you should get udon with and which are better with soba, which is very helpful. If I was writing this review somewhere else the rating would be higher but in Waikiki there are just too many delicious Japanese restaurants to give this place 4 stars.

I liked their appetizers and soba noodles.
I just knew that they started the Bar on weekends and enjoyed sparkling wine and cheese plate & nuts there tonight. Cheers!

My wife and I thought this place was excellent. The cucumber kim chee was excellent; crunchy and spicy. The kalbi ribs were fantastic; the pork belly was sensational – came with this fantastic green sauce that was like a ponzu chimichurri sauce. 5 stars! The Ahi poke was mouthwatering and finally the sweet eel was delish. For two people after 15% tip it was $ 80. Great location and friendly service. The menu is in Japanese and English. I highly recommend this place.

I’ll have to come back and try again because the soba was good, but the lunch special was poorly executed. With that said, this place seems more authentic compared to Matsugen, which was the restaurant before. Matsugen did not serve sobayu, and the quality of soba was better. Menu is definitely better, and there are more options. So, I’ll definitely give it a another try.

Really like the new feel to this place. I’ve eaten here many a time by tonight’s the first time since its been remodeled and really digging the open feel! I love the cold soba noodles and now that the menu selection has increased, there is a lot of options. Diner is always great and the no too heavy or Full after finished.

Shingen is only the one place you can have SOBA in Waikiki! The location is perfect.
My favorite is «Kamo Seiro» which is dip cold soba noodle with hot duck soup.
Why don’t you try super healthy Japanese noodle SOBA!

When I first went here years back it was called Matsugen and was a pretty great soba restaurant. I was disappointed to see that Matsugen had closed. Fortunately, Shingen stepped in and, aside from some redecorating, is pretty much the same restaurant.
I think the menu has expanded a bit, but the main focus is still the soba (Japanese buckwheat noodles). They’ve got pretty much every soba dish I’ve seen in Japan and then some, including numerous variations on cold, hot, in broth, and with dipping sauce. I even got one with duck. No complaints about the noodles (I think they make their own) and the dashi broth was fantastic. If you’re not in a soba mood, they have other dishes as well including tempura (I got a side of the uncommon but good ginger tempura). I was also pleased to see a full oden selection, which I’m definitely going to be trying on my next visit. Needless to say, it’s all very authentic Japanese. Actually, I think I was the only American there.
The restaurant is small (I could easily see it filling up at peak times) but the décor is nice and the service was great. The prices… Well, it’s a bit expensive for soba, but pretty reasonable for a good meal in the Waikiki area. Really, if you like soba you can’t go wrong at Shingen. I’ll certainly be back.

Not too many places have homemade soba or udon noodles, but this place does and it’s delicious! Their menu is quite abundant with many different varieties and you can choose udon or soba, hot or cold. Everything on the menu looks so good and it may be hard to choose, but I would recommend the natto soba don (pictured here). Now now, you probably cringed at the thought of natto, but it’s good for you and there’s only about a scoop so it’s not much at all. Don’t knock it til you try it! It’s tasty, refreshing and healthy! I really enjoyed it! Oh and don’t mind the scrambled egg; that is just how I always order my eggs when it’s typically supposed to come sunny side up. Even on loco moco’s — scrambled eggs it is and everyone makes fun of me!
My favorite part of the meal is the soba Yu. Soba yu is the water that was used to boil the noodles and is served warm upon completion of your meal. It cleanses your palette and has many health benefits as well. It’s as though you’re drinking hot tea.
Since the restaurant is rather small, I would suggest making reservations ahead of time or else you may have to wait. Even lunch time is busy and there’s always a line so reservations are highly recommended. The hardest part might be finding parking, but you can always park at the Bank of Hawaii building, which is within walking distance, for a small fee.
The price is a bit expensive, but just remember it is homemade and you can’t get that at many places. It’s definitely worth a try!

This place was great! A friend had referred us. We ordered the lunch special. Everything was fresh, tasty, and clean. High quality. I’d definitely go back.

What was once the old Matsugen, Shingen has taken over with a similar menu. From what I understand it’s basically the same just a new owner. The menu looks a bit more expanded however.
Love the interior of the restaurant which seems a little more spacious then the former. Like it’s predecessor, Shingen has the freshly made soba and udon as well as other items off the menu such as homestyle oden, poke, sushi appetizers, tempura just to name a few.
On this night my friend and I had some soba and oden. To which we both eagerly gobbled up. It seems like skimpy portions at first but once you get going you really start filling yourself up. The added bonus of course is asking for the soba-​yu which not many places in Hawaii provide. If you don’t know what that is, it’s the water that the soba is cooked in. Once you’re done, they bring it out for you, served hot, and you add it to your dipping sauce. It provides a nice mellow broth to ease your meal down.
There’s no parking for this place unless you put out some cash and park at the Bankoh building or one of the other public lots. It’s location is nestled on the Beachwalk between Ginza Bairin and Arancino Beachwalk. It’s a great place for small settings but not for large groups.

Would have given this place one more star, if the servers weren’t so obsessed with making sure that people leave a tip (I’ll get to this in a minute)
This place was formerly called Matsugen.
The food here is delicious.
The soba noodles are cooked just right — no matter if you have them in a hot soup or if you eat zaru soba. It isn’t mushy nor is it al dente. Just perfect. I also love the tempura (or tenpzaru = tempura & zaru soba) combo. Their inari sushi (they only make a limited number of them a day) is also really yummy.
Like I mentioned above, the only thing I dislike, is how the server here (especially the lady server) is obsessed with making sure that customers leave a tip.
One time I was there with another person, once we asked for our check, the lady approached us, handed the check to the other person while she says «Please don’t forget to tip». The person that accepted the check talked back to her and said «Why would I forget to tip?» and she scurried away looking all guilty.
It’s just the way she said it — and I’m glad the person that was with me talked back to her. It’s just rude. If her comeback was «Well, some people coming from different countries are not used to tipping» then I would have told her to place a big a$$ sign on each table that says something like «It is customary to tip your server and that amount is not included in your check» so that ALL patrons are notified — not just the particular few that you «think» comes from a country that doesn’t tip (isn’t this some kind of discrimination? to remind some and not others?)
This wasn’t the only time this happened. Another time I was here (this time by myself for a quick lunch) and the SAME lady, upon bringing me the check says «did you want us to add the tip on your bill or???» I looked at her and said «no, I know how to calculate and leave a tip, thanks»
I felt like going LADY, stop obsessing about the damn tip!
If this restaurant is truly worried or is having issues with tourists not leaving a check — seriously — do what other restaurants do:
PLACE A LITTLE NOTE ON EACH TABLE — explaining that tip is not included in the bill, and that it is customary in the USA to tip servers — and then leave them alone!
Even after that little note, if a server doesn’t receive a tip — well, maybe the server did a crummy job?
Tip is not MANDATORY. It is how customers express their appreciation depending on the level of service they receive. Keep pestering them about leaving a tip — and maybe that’s good reason enough NOT to leave one. Just saying.

We stumble upon this restaurant because all the other ones had a really long waiting list. I don’t usually write a review but the service at this place is ridiculous. The servers are lack of experiences and the kitchen just took too long to prepare food.
1. I waited a couple of minutes by the door and they were too busy to greet me. Then I saw a board so I put my name on it and waited outside. 15 mins passed, another group went in and the server gave them the table right away. I went in to complain and the server just kept apologizing for not checking the board!
2. So I got seated and asked for a cup of water for my toddler, the server gave us a big cup and no straw. This is by far the first restaurant we’ve ever been in that does not know how to serve a family with young kid!
3. We ordered food, waited another half an hour for my food. Why would it take 30 mins for a cold noodle with already made sauce?! Food wise, it was just ok. Nothing special.
4. We asked for napkins the server bring them and they happened to have some giant black insect on them. The server again kept apologizing.
Bottom line, I would never ever come here again. :(

I believe ratings are relative.
So I give this place 5 stars for their soba because it is very authentic and the quality of food is great.
This isn’t a «fancy» restaurant. So the 5 stars isn’t for that. But if I want «the best, authentic» soba made with pride, I’d go back here.

Shingen is a small soba restaurant located on Beachwalk next to Ginza Bairin. The place is pretty small and was pretty busy for lunch. I ordered the cold soba with tendon. The food was really good. I actually finished the whole thing! Portion was just the right size. Great spot if you are craving for good soba!

I had a really great first experience here — the soba is awesome! My only issue, which really isn’t a huge one, is the prices are a bit high. Maybe if the portion was a little bigger or the prices a few $$ lower than it would be perfect! PLUS if you check in on Unilocal,you get a free drink (including a draft beer that’s like a $ 6 saving right there!)
LOCATION
In Waikiki, on Beachwalk wedged right between Ginza Bairin and Arancino’s. Another Unilocaler mentioned they can validate parking at Bank of Hawaii (enter on Kalakaua or on Beachwalk before ABC).
ATMOSPHERE
Small, but clean and modern. Because it is small, if you come on a Saturday night at peak dinner time, you will most likely have to wait. We waited about 10 – 15 min before being seated, but we 2 groups that came in after us couldn’t wait 5 mins, scratched their names off and left. I just don’t get why they would expect to be seated when its peak dinner time on the weekend, and the restaurant is so small. Oh well, their loss! Once you walk in, its a narrow entrance and you can see a clipboard to sign in, as well as two small benches to wait. One side has 4 or 5 tables that can sit groups up to 4 people, and the other side looks like it’s just counter seating that wraps around.
SERVICE
I always say, if it’s a small restaurant there better be good service! Less tables leaves a little more intimate setting ;) and surely enough, we had excellent service. Young Japanese speaking workers were really attentive and friendly. We just didn’t receive any refills on water, but other than that it was good.
FOOD
I really enjoyed the soba here. The noodles are soft, smooth, and fresh. I honestly think this is the best soba noodles I’ve ever had! And I can’t wait to come back to try the other interesting menu items, such as the Duck soup soba! Here’s what we had:
— Ahi poke (appetizer): Small portion and kind of expensive. It was OK.
— Tofu salad, full order (appetizer): Good size for two people to share, they also have a half order. We thought it was good.
— Curry Tsuke: The menu said this was a new item, and I was intrigued by having curry as a dipping sauce for the soba noodles so I had to try it lol. and I’m glad I did! The curry was delicious with just the right amount of kick, and the noodles were awesome.
— Tempura Soba: My bf had this, it came with a variety of tempura and was freshly battered/​fried. I really like that it was light on the batter and delicious!
Near the end of our meal, they gave us this little pot of hot white water. We didn’t understand what this was, but the waiter explained that it is the water that was from cooking the noodles. We could eat it with the noodles, but at that point we were nearly done so we didn’t drink it lol. Oh well. We’ll be back for more!

I went there right after they changed the name maybe…
I made a reservation looking up name Matsugen which is old one so even when I got there I didn’t realize the new restaurant name said Shingen until my friend mentioned…
There used to be Japanese or Japanese speaking servers before but I didn’t see any this time and the service was really a local style. I couldn’t get the «excellent» service as nice Japanese restaurants usually provide us.
I ordered a glass of red wine and right after my server gave it to me she took it back saying something looks wrong with it but not enough explain. I couldn’t tell just looking at it though… have no idea what was wrong. Anyway I got new glass of another SUPER chilled red.
The food here is just okay for me but nothing special. I’ve been several times to the previous Matsugen since they had special for Kamaaina. It was a great deal came with soba, tempura, beef tongue, salad and so on.
Now the service is just okay so as the food but it’s pricy and I don’t think I would go back there for Soba anymore. I would go to Inaba on King St. cause for me it’s the Real Soba… LOL

So… this place is just Matsugen with a different owner, different name. It’s a soba/​udon place. The menu items are very typical of a Japanese soba/​udon place. The food is good, but the prices are a bit high. I guess they have to charge that much since they are located in Waikiki.
I recently got the wakame/​tororo soba, and it was good.
What’s great about this place is that they serve the soba-​yu afterwards too. That’s the water they boil the soba noodle in. It’s filled with lots of nutrition so people drink it. Make sure you mix some dash when drinking it!

Absolutely loved this place. Great food. Great service.
I love trying new things. The cold noodles with the dipping sauce stole the show. Everything else was flavored just right.
The duck soup had a excellent broth that didn’t require any additional seasoning.
The short rib had a very pleasant sauce with it. As well as the first dish that was braised beef (I think).
They only had a single dessert. Maybe too authentic for our tastes. LOL
This place is right next door to the Tongkatsu restaurant we visited yesterday.
Highly recommend this place to anyone that is up for a different style of Japanese food especially the cold noodles.