Sushi Ginza Onodera

Reading through the Unilocal reviews definately overhyped this place.
The variety was less than expected for an omakase course. The quality was definately not up to price point… no tears of joy here.
Atmosphere is great, sake selection is not unique– just overpriced. Service is of course, excellent, you basically have a personal tour guide for the extent of your journey. Chefs are great but it’s definitely more personable if you speak japanese.
Sushi is edomae-​style and you will not get shoyu. Real wasabi is freshly ground and used. But the rice is flavored using a strong sushi su so the delicate flavors have a hard time shinning through.
It’s a good experience if you can afford it (without hardship), but realistically it’s not even on the radar for the «last meal before I die» category.
The food was something like 4 appetizers and 20 one piece nigiri (irony) with an amazing brown sugar sorbet (Or a really strong machado pudding both are small).
Best piece was the hagai (sp?) River fish sashimi appetizer. Nothing else– including the uni, was mind blowing.
Final verdict: for the price and intimacy, I am disappointed and underwhelmed by the quality.

An exquisite omakase experience. My friends (local transplants) were back in town from Minnesota. They like fine dining, so we set up this time to hit up one of the top (if not the top) sushi restaurants on the island. Overall in quality, style and presentation, I believe it is the best. Sadly, ikura, sake (I heard about the special salmon they have), and hotate were out of season.
My friend Myong C recommended the $ 160 nigiri omakase as sufficient (and supplement if I was hungry for more, as Anthony Bourdain says). The $ 160 omakase worked just fine, along with an encore uni nigiri. You have to specifically ask for this set, as it is not on the menu.
Speaking of the uni nigiri, that was one of the two highlights for me. It was Hokkaido uni «bafun» style. My friend I was with told me that they dive for the uni in the waters of Hokkaido, package it at the bottom of the ocean in the ocean water, then ship it out. So basically when presented it is still one with its element. It’s the best uni I’ve ever had. It’s not just butter, it was liquid. I never had uni that pure.
The other highlight was the hirame nigiri. They showed us a picture of hirame, and it is one of the ugliest fish you will ever see. However, it is meaty, and its liver is dense. The liver was placed on top of the nigiri, and went down smooth and buttery good.
We started off with a tofu soup with crab hair from Hokkaido, and ended with brown sugar ice cream after a uni encore. In between were many different kinds of fish from Japan (flown in three times a week), including three cuts of tuna in succession (maguro, chutoro and otoro). The omakase lasted close to two hours. If you order the $ 200 or $ 240 set, you will get a few more appetizers and nigiri, but I was very happy with my set. With two rounds of Asahi, my tab was $ 205 out the door (no tip required).
I think while some of the appetizers that Sasabune has provides for a heartier meal (e.g. crablegs and other cooked dishes), Onodera has that style and elegance that makes it a cut above. The chef and waitresses are super helpful, friendly and ready to answer any questions about each of the omakase items that are placed before you. As always, I recommend making a reservation at the bar, so you can experience the fullness of the sushi chef’s artful process. If you are a sushi maven in Hawaii, Onodera cannot be missed.

1÷30÷2016 Another fantastic visit to an elegant, top of the line in service, excellent quality, creative presentations and combinations of flavors. Naoki was great serving up his omakase. Definetly will keep returning for more and more innovative tastung sushi!

We had great dinner but unfortunately even we had good time they gave us someone’s used kid’s chopstick. We saw someone’s name on the アンパンマン chopstick. This service was totally turn us off and not happy. 楽しい時間を過ごす為に決して安いお金を払いお食事に行きましたが子供に渡されたお箸は洗い過ぎてアンパンマンの絵がハゲ落ちた、おまけに誰かのお名前みで書いたお箸…気持ち悪くお箸を変えて下さいと申しあげても全く気が付いてられませんでした。お食事は美味しくいただきましたがとっても残念に思えました。

It was just like having sushi in Japan. It makes you forget that you are in Hawaii. I went with a client so I am not sure what course she ordered but everything was just sooooo good. Delicate sushi, just the way I like. They said that most of their fishes comes from Japan fresh. The only thing was that it seemed like it didn’t really have an variety, it would of been nice to have clams and shrimps mixed in the course. I wish I could go often… But too pricey to be a regular there ;p but it was good and worth the experience!

The most amazing service always! Great sake and drink selection! The appetizers are so mouth watering delicious! The sushi is amazing! The restaurant is so clean and modern style! I love it! I will continue to dine here on a weekly basis!

Pretty good experience. Only omakase menus were offered and friendly staff.

I had $ 200 omakase (incl. gratitude) here. Probably it’s not fair to compare the pricing and quality of the food from a different city, but my usual place on SF serves better omakase with nicely prepared me edo style at $ 100+ price range (without gratitude).
I also found how the price tier set up for the omakase two courses does not do well for the sushi bar and customer. The omakase with higher price tag comes with more food (and higher quality fish). They should market the pricier omakase as the same quantity but better quality of fish. I would have picked $ 250 omakase if that’s the case. If you can hungry towards the end of the course, you can just add your favorite nigiri.
Anyway, I heard they would be expanding the sushi bar to New York and Loa Angeles. They have to work on improvements in many areas to survive there.
Lastly i did not compare their sushi with what I usually have in Tokyo. It’s not fair to do so.

I think my experience can be summed up by this quote:
«Beavis, I’ve seen the top of the mountain. And it is good.» — Butt-​head

As a sushi lover, I hated having to wait this long to try Sushi Ginza Onodera. But you know… that hefty price tag is primarily the reason why. But when the next special occasion happened upon us, my gf and I finally took the plunge.
So what happened? Only probably the best dining experience I’ve had in Hawaii. Seriously.
Let me start off with the service. It was a rainy night so I had my umbrella with me. I didn’t know where to put the drenched umbrella when I walked in but one of the waitresses kindly took it from me and said that she’d take care of it. At the end of our meal, my umbrella was neatly tied up and ready to go. Nice. That’s just an example of the level of service here. While English isn’t their strong suit, they are all super nice and accommodating, paying attention to little details.
As for the meal, we both ordered the mid-​level $ 200 omakase. There were 5 appetizers but I was anxiously waiting for the nigiri courses.
And the sushi was bomb. Simple as that. Fish was stellar and I really dug the weirdly colored sushi rice. Must be the vinegar they used or something but the flavor was great. Not a single piece required any dipping in shoyu as they were all coated with a sauce by the chef himself.
I was even shocked to learn that I could enjoy ikura. I normally hate the stuff and when I saw that it was the next dish to be served, I kinda felt a little disappointed as I knew I wouldn’t like it. But holy shit, this ikura was so good, served over a tiny scoop of rice. What was once one of my least favorite types of sushi was now one of my faves.
Favorites of the night were probably the trout, toro, ikura and anago. Yum! Oh yeah, and that brown sugar sorbet to cap it off was perfect. When they heard about our special occasion, the chef also offered up a free nigiri, our choice. He literally opened up his box of fish and said, you choose. Of course we went for the seared wagyu nigiri. Oh yeah…
No tip, thank you very much. Including drinks, our bill came out to be $ 485 and I walked out thinking it was worth every penny.
Tip for those wondering if they should go… the simple answer is yes. But next time, I will skip the appetizers and simply go for the sushi. The appetizers were good but nothing spectacular enough for me to order them again. Save yourself a little bit of money and just order the $ 160 sushi only omakase.
I can’t wait to go back.

Sushi Ginza Onodera is one of the best, if not the best, omakase in Oahu.
Finding the place was fairly easy and they offer free valet parking. We got there before opening for dinner but they let us in and hang out in their restaurant while they prepared. The service was attentive. We always had full cups of water and hot tea. The chef and waitresses even took time to show us pictures and explain what we were eating. They made sure that we had what we needed throughout dinner. Our chef even walked us out on our way home.
The sushi and sashimi that we had here were by far one of the best, if not the best, me and my wife have ever had. First, they used real, freshly grated wasabi and freshly cut ginger along with the food. They grated the wasabi and cut the ginger in front of us. They were delicious. Even my wife, who doesn’t normally eat those, really liked it. Most of the fish and seafood were from Japan. The toro they served were really good. They even showed off the block of toro that they will be serving for the night. It looked really good! It actually looked like beef because of the marbling of the fish fat. We had all 3 kinds: lean, medium fatty, and fatty toro. The lean toro was so good, it might as well have been the fatty one! We’ve also never had a lot of fishes and seafood that they served us, which excited both me and my wife. We’ve never seen such big abalone before! Another test for both us and the restaurant was the salmon roe and uni. Me and my wife have never had salmon roe like this before! It wasn’t fishy at all! It was rich and flavorful. Same goes with the uni. I’ve had good uni before, and this is better. Uni tends to be rich and sweet, sometimes to a fault, but the uni that we had was just right on the border.
We really loved the food and service here in Sushi Ginza Onodera. On special occasions, we definitely will be thinking of coming back here.

My favorite sushi omakase restaurant on Oahu.
I have had this review pended as a draft for quite some time now — I’m talkin’ at least a year. I’ve been here a handful of times and have loved it each time.
But really, it is difficult to write a review that would do this place justice… But here goes!
Osamu and co. are incredibly friendly and professional. Ultra skilled, knowledgeable, and funny as heck. And the quality of the fish is spot on.
I can’t talk about any specific type of fish because I believe they change their menu based on what is fresh and available at the time. But what I can comment on is the quality.
I have noticed that they really take pride in the freshness and quality of their fish. I’ve never had a bad piece of sushi from Sushi Ginza Onodera. Not even slightly questionable. Everything is served and prepared with the utmost care and pride.
I always leave feeling happy and satiated, but never stuffed. I have never left this place bursting at the seems, which is probably a good thing, but I also eat more than the average female.
VERDICT
Sushi Ginza Onodera is a place for those who love great-​tasting fish. Whether you’re a sushi newb or a sushi snob, this place is a must-​try. It is hands-​down my favorite go-​to sushi restaurant on the island, and I am sure that it is likely to become yours, too!
Oh, and to top it off, they have homemade dessert!

This is the freshest, most delicious omakase I’ve tried in the US. It does, however, come at a price. The omakase menu comes in 3 varieties, starting at $ 160 for sushi only, $ 200 for sushi + appetizers, and $ 250 for even more sushi + appetizers. My fiancée and I ordered one $ 160 omakase and one $ 250 omakase, and they kindly split the appetizers for us so we were able to share everything. I absolutely loved everything, especially the seared otoro that they grilled to taste like beef, the delicate chawanmushi, the melt-​in-​your-​mouth A5 wagyu beef, and the melt-​in-​your-​mouth squid. By the end of the meal, we were stuffed, but not uncomfortably so.
Things to Know:
–Book in advance due to small restaurant size. There are only 7 seats at the sushi counter, though there is also a private room (s?) too.
–Casual dress okay. Unilocal says dressy, but wearing a business casual dress and heels, I was the most dressed-​up person in the restaurant. All the other Japanese customers were dressed along the lines of flip flops and Hawaiian shirts.
–Catered towards Japanese clientele. The sushi chefs are Japanese and speak some words of English, enough to tell you which fish you’re eating, etc. During the entire evening, my fiancée and I were the only English-​speaking customers in the entire restaurant. We also had a hard time communicating my fiancée’s shellfish allergy, which I alerted them to on the phone and upon arrival, but he was still served uni and tamago that had some shrimp in it (which ended up burning my fiancée’s tongue and causing some extremity swelling, which he powered through due to the sheer deliciousness of the meal).
–There is free valet parking in front of the restaurant. As some people mentioned, you may upset some drivers if you choose this method, as it would involve stopping traffic on the busy Kapahulu Ave. Instead, we decided to park in the strip mall that has Safeway in it.
In short, Sushi Ginza Onodera is recommended for the freshest of fresh omakases in Honolulu. Is it better than the omakases at Sasabune, Mitch’s, Sushi ii? Yes, but be willing to shell out the big bucks :).

If I had to sum it up in 1 word I would have to say AMAZING!
The service was great and the atmosphere was cozy. We were there for a birthday dinner so our group was in a cozy room. The waitress was sweet and she checked on us regularly. The dishes were timed perfectly and our waitress explained each dish.
Even thou I couldn’t remember all the dishes I can remember ALL the dishes were yummy!!! THE WAGYU BEEF WAS MY FAVORITE! It was so delicious!
I would definitely recommend this place!!!

Absolutely my fave sushi spot. I’ve been to just about all the top sushi joints in Hawaii and this is my fave experience to date. The presentation was outstanding, the whole place looks operating room clean. Lighting is outstanding. The sushi chefs are 6 months removed from Japan and extremely pleasant and knowledgeable. Culturally, an amazing, authentic experience. I’m thoroughly impressed with the business and while pricey, I’ll definitely be back to experience them much more. Thank you for a killer dinner guys.

been wanting to try but hesitant about its price tag. always thought I needed a good «excuse/​reason» to go there. but now it’s clear that Sushi Ginza Onodera itself IS THE REASON.
My friend and I are both professionals in the food industry, and we experienced uncountable sushi & omakase menus across the States. we both agreed this is THE BEST we had. in Hawaii, we enjoyed other places like Sushi ii very much, but Sushi Ginza Onodera takes your sushi experience to a different level. everything was as simple and original, nothing super fancy, but truly an eye opener. we were impressed. it’s not just the food on your plate, but the overall service, the interaction with the Chef and all. It’s a bit pricy (of course we went all the way for the $ 250 menu), but definitely well worth it. Now I would want to try other locations when I travel. They are opening one in NYC end of the year, LA next.

First off. The phone may not ring but they are open. Very very good sushi. and great experience.
Everyone wants to compare to sushi ii, sasabune, and kona kai. It’s different. Those three places should be compared.
This is an extremely different experience and a very good one. If you can afford it, you should go. I found out their fish changes seasonally so they recommend coming at least 4 different times throughout the year. Winter, spring, summer, and fall.
Great staff!
The most unique and delicious tamago. Hahaha

Ten rules for SGO.
1. If you enjoy the $ 2 /​$ 4 /​$ 6 /​$ 8 deal at Denny’s — don’t go here, you will be dissapointed.
2. You will learn Japanese.
3. Buy your chef/​server a drink.
4. Get your fill of Asahi — it’s your only beer option.
5. Despite 90% of the restaurant speaking a different language — you will feel at home.
6. You will teach English.
7. You will debate which of the 100 Oahu sushi places to go. Stop now.
8. They used a samurai to cut Blue Fin Tuna. So be nice.
9. Learn something — ask Shinsuke to see the information they have on fish/​food.
10. You will have the Omakase meal of your life and it’s worth every cent.
Now stop reading, and go.

Exceptional sushi experience, my favorite in Hawaii.
Edomae style and traditional yet modern ambiance and the staff is professional as well as friendly. Of note, the counter is well lit and inviting which I preferred to Sasabune’s dimly lit restaurant-​style atmosphere. I prefer this place slightly over Sasabune, and wins most categories except the parking (which is valet, but a little bit tricky given the property position).
I recommend going as a pair and reserving a seat at the counter for the full experience. As others have written, there are three omakase courses in which the number of dishes and nigiri change up, feel free to ask.
There was not an unremarkable dish and the quality in ingredients and preparation is toe to toe with any of the high-​end sushi restaurants in Tokyo.
From A5 wagyu just ever so slightly grilled and the hour-​long prepared tamago to the red-​hue vinegar used for their shari, everything was unique and inspiring.
This really is like art that you eat. The price is worth it just for the experience.

Parking: valet otherwise street parking
The cost: $ 160-​$ 250
The food: 3 types of omakase
Restrooms: yes very clean and classy and with a japanese toilet!
Reservations: yes absolutely
From the outside this place is easy to spot as a bright lighted white beacon. The moment you enter you feel like you’ve entered someone’s home. We made an 8p reservation and our table was not ready when we got there. We were ushered to a waiting room of sorts with a dining table, menu, and hand towels. The bar area can hold about 6 – 8 people with one chef serving every party. The level of customer service is truly superb. We were offered a complimentary bottle of sake for having to wait. The choices are 3 kinds of omakase with prices ranging from $ 160-​$ 250. After chit chatting with the chef and servers, then the experience begins. Every piece of sushi is presented one at a time in an immaculate show. Each sushi prepared with care like a work of art. You wonder how something so simple can taste so sublime. This place has ruined all sushi for me because nothing can simply compare. Even the glasses are pieces of art handcrafted in Japan. Our neighbors were a little rowdy so our chef offered us some extra pieces on the house. Even as we were leaving we left like we were leaving a friend’s house after a great night. The bill is japanese style. No tip just pay the price listed.
Overall, definitely a place to come to treat yourself. Is it worth $ 250? Depends on the kind of person you are I guess. If you appreciate food and the sheer experience versus seeing it as a form of pure sustenance, then sure. A little pretentious? Yes. But sometimes you just have to treat yourself. It’s a must try for all sushi aficionados.

WOW WOW WOW.
Three different «meal plans» you can get: $ 150, $ 200, or $ 250. Of course, we went big and went for the $ 250 plus sake.
AMAZING — I’ve never seen fish this color anywhere else, nor octopus with such an amazing texture, nor such wonderful and gracious service. Chef’s choice on everything and the waitress explains each dish and how to best eat it (with/​without wasabi, soy sauce, etc.). Even the ginger for palette cleansing was amazing! Dessert also included. If you like to drink, get some sake as well — sooooo gooooood. I literally teared from happiness and pleasure.
Absolutely nothing negative to be said. Please, for the sake of everything that is good in this world — if you eat any kind of sushi and want to experience what it can be like at its pinnacle — go here at least once and go big.
Btw, we parked at the Kapahulu Safeway and walked over. No worries about the valet.

There’s a s***t ton of sushi eateries in Hawaii and it’s no surprise as we’re in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. But there’s something about Onodera that takes sushi to an entirely new level.
I love sushi as much as I love Ramen but I was hesitant to come here because of the price points. You can either get the $ 160/​$ 200/​$ 250 omakase meals. Quite steep right? But you pay for what you get and my friend and I decided to try this place to celebrate our birthdays. We were both happy that we did. After the appetizers, sushi and dessert… we were stuffed.
The food itself was high grade pieces of fish and seafood. Never had I tried two types of Uni before, I’ve always had just the common red uni. The otoro and salmon melted in your mouth. I’ve never been a fan of silver fishes like Kohara or Aji but they really mellowed the flavor and it tasted wonderful enough to fall in love with it.
The staff was also quite accommodating and nice as well. Before our meals started they asked if we were allergic to anything or had any strong dislikes. For the price I guess they wanted us to really enjoy what we were going to be served. They even found out it was our birthdays and comped us a bottle of sake which I found out later was about $ 30. Two thumbs up for that. They are also very traditional Japanese in which they ask that you do not add tip to your payment (no tip required in Japan).
Parking is either on the street or valet only. I suggest trying to park on the street b/​c the valet is like a Chinese Fire Drill where you literally stop traffic to get out of your car while the valet rushes into it and drives off to park across the street.
Overall the experience itself aside from the food was a great experience. If budget allows, I’d keep coming back here.