AGU Ramen

6÷12÷16 update — so I found out that it wasn’t the ramen that got me sick. It was actually the jellyfish. I ate jellyfish at a sushi restaurant yesterday and ended up throwing everything up. This was sad cause it was a $ 70 meal…
But I’m really happy to say that I can go back to Agu and eat my favorite ramen again just not the jellyfish salad. :(only reason I’m not giving a 5 star is because the manager didn’t follow up when he said he would until I made the 1 star review 3 weeks later.

Finally tried this place with a friend today for lunch. I’m so glad they’re finally starting to open good eats out here on the west side! Let’s just say AGU lived up to the hype! It was not too busy as we went on a Thursday around 2. Parking was a bit tricky, I think I accidentally parked in a «20 minutes limit» spot, but I chanced it and it turned out fine. *disclaimer* not sure how strict they are on parking, so just be aware that it probably wasn’t the safest choice.
Anyway, we were seated right away and our server was nice and attentive. Based on my friend’s recommendation we both ordered the Original Koterri and the pork cheek balls pupu (no that’s not what it was really called, but it is what it is). Our ramen came out first, but our pupu followed soon after.
The broth was rich, but not in a make-​me-​sick kind of rich. The black garlic really made it stand out aesthetically. The noodles were done perfectly, not too soggy or not undercooked. It had 3 generous pieces of pork, along with mushrooms and half a soft boiled egg. The egg threw me off a bit as I wasn’t expecting it to have a sweet taste. I ended up only eating half the egg, but finished the soup. I blame my salty palate. The pupu was also good, very rich as well, but nudging a little closer to the need-​to-​do-​100-​burpees-​after line. Fried balls of goodness on top of smeared mayo. mmhhmm *insert Homer Simpson shudder here*
Our check came quickly and our server was able to split it even, both paid card. The ambiance was elegant and classy but still casual. I liked the fact that we could sit in the center bar-​like area. Last words before we left, «I’m taking my husband here so we can try all their pupus!» Only reason for 4 stars is because I don’t think trying only 2 dishes is worth a full star salute. will update when I try more dishes! Beers were also a bit pricey. wish it was BYOB

Agu’s ramen is both delicious and unique in its own way. I’ve been here twice since they opened and I’ve enjoyed both times. I really like the parmesan ramen that they have (both of them). It seemed weird to add cheese in ramen, but as a cheese lover I defiantly had to try it. The broth is very flavorful and the ingredients are very filling. I’ve had a couple of the appetizers (such as the croquettes, fried pork, Rafute, and gyoza) it was good… nothing outstanding though. The croquettes and Rafute was prob the best appetizers i had from there (being it filled with pig cheeks and its fatty goodness).
Overall I only gave 4 stars because after eating and getting full, I felt very oily and disgusted. (You know that feeling when you eat too much oily or fatty foods, yeah that.) BUT it could just be me or what I ordered. Other then that, the ramen is good (pricey but filling), atmosphere is gorgeous, and staffs were very nice and attentive. It’s defiantly worth a try, even if you don’t care much for ramens.

Horrible customer service.
Wish we didn’t come here… The food wasn’t good either.
Won’t come back again for sure.

With so many new ramen places popping up all over Hawaii, it’s really good to find a shop that stands out! Agu Ramen provides excellent service with unique flavors to their ramen.
For lunch, I had the parmesan tonkatsu ramen. I wasnt sure what to expect with so much cheese added to my soup, however it is fair to say I was pleasantly surprised. The flavor was not overwhelming at all and the garlic oil broth was spectacular.
The waiter was always consistently checking up on us making sure we had enough water. As soon as our bowls were finished, they were cleared out quickly. He was also helpful in explaining the menu to us newcomers. I definitely recommend Agu Ramen to anyone craving some warm noodles and soup!

With AGU Ramen now on the West side, this has been a constant and reliable a go to spot for my friend and I. I have found this to be a good place to eat, and I’ll definitely be coming back.
PROS:
— The ambience is great, but it depends on the time and day you decide to go. Some days are less busy than others.
— The food is delicious and served in a timely manner. I personally enjoy the Original Kotteri, and sometimes I’d even add Level 3 heat to it.
— The servers are friendly, and always greeted my friend and I upon walking in.
CONS:
— Appetizers. The appetizers are great, but for some of them the portions seemed small.
— Parking sometimes sucks, but it of course depends on the time of day.

So good! I don’t know where to begin. The broths of each ramen they offer here are unique and awesome in their own different way. I mean, if you’d be looking for the top of each category from miso to shio and everywhere in between, you’d come here!
I am a phở phanatic and can appreciate good soup, but this place has brought be back to ramen. My favorite is the koteri, not even sure if that’s spelled correctly, but it has parmesan in it. Now you’re probably asking yourself, what how do you put parmesan in ramen and how does it work? Well, it works! And it works very well! The mixture of sweet, salty, spice, everything is a silent symphony in your mouth!
The appetizers were really good as well, tasty, and fresh. But if you’re a foodie be advised that you can rack up a bill pretty quickly, but food and service here is worth every penny!

Oodles for noodles!
When I look at a bowl of ramen, I pay special attention to noodle quality and its broth. Everything was close to perfect, the bamboo shoots, soft char siu, a hearty broth, everything but the noodles. The noodles were thin and did not seem like traditional ramen noodles. They were closer in character to phở noodles or somen noodles. I ended up giving my bowl to my sig fig to finish because I wanted to top off my meal with the their gyoza. They were small but very tasty. Often, there is always an imbalance of meat and vegetables — twas a perfect balance.
Nommy, but not the best ramen shop that I’ve been to.

Like a virus, it spreads. It spreads through the ecosystem of the Oahu landscape. First near University. Then near Ward. And now, the Westside.
Is there no stopping the burgeoning onslaught of the ramen tide? I hope not. I’m a ramen monster. At first I didn’t think much of Agu Ramen. It was just OK. I had loves elsewhere.
Considering myself an expert on ramen, I asked my Japanese friends which was their favorite ramen joint. I expected to hear my favorites. Instead, my favorites were considered trash. Nearly all my Japanese friends said Agu Ramen reminded them most of ramen from Japan.
With that in mind, I went back to Agu Ramen. Apparently my taste buds were swayed by the opinions of those more experience in ramen than I. For whatever reason, their traditional koteri (sp?) opened up a can of flavor and seasonings that left my mouth stunned. The firmness of the noodles were enough to be chewy and not too soggy.
This Agu Ramen is in Kapolei. Enjoy my Westside friends. I’ll be sticking to the joints in town.
Defend Town.

I ordered the original kotteri and it was sooo delicious — at first. Towards the middle the richness started to hit my mouth and stomach. TOO RICH! I immediately thought, «I REALLY need a hot beverage!» «Sorry, we’re just a ramen shop and don’t serve hot beverages.» I couldn’t believe it! Yikes it was hard to swallow the rest of it.
The taste was awesome but no hot beverages?! Because you’re just a ramen shop?! Dude, any self respecting ramen shop has hot. Green. Tea.

My friend suggested a movie around 8pm in Kapolei, with our busy schedule, I didn’t get a chance to eat before the movie. It was a busy Saturday night, the line for the concession stand was too long, so we said we’d go eat after the movie. Being that it was after 10pm when we got out, we didn’t have much choices to chose from. So I turned to my trusty Unilocal app for help. I had no idea there was an AGU in Kapolei and they are closed late!
We got there and there was a bit of customers in there, but not too busy. We easily got a table and the waitress helped us right away. She was very friendly, knowledgeable, helpful and fast.
I ordered the original Kotteri, it came with 3 thin slices of pork, half a soft boiled egg, and some garnishes. It wasn’t very hot when it arrived, but the broth was still very tasty. Noodles was a good texture, not too soggy or raw.
It’s a nice casual vibe. Clean establishment. Food is good!

I’ve been hearing great stuff about Agu ramen when they opened in the Honolulu area. But it’s too far for me to drive all the way there. Thankfully, they opened a new branch at kapolei, which is a lot closer to me.
Food: I got the yuzu jidori and our party had appetizers too like gyoza and the ika karaage I believe. All taste great compared to the other ramen place that I’ve been too not too long ago. They serve their dishes in a very generous portions, which I say is worth the sticker price.
Service: I came here with a party (of 5). Since the place is not that big, we had to wait a little bit, as it was also dinner time. But once inside, our server was all nice and friendly. Even though they were busy they never showed attitude. We sat at the table and a few minutes later my mum and sister wanted to switch tables where there’s backing on the seats. The servers gladly accepted their request even though they were super busy, so that’s a big yes for me. The server also gave my mum a tip about the dish she was going to order. Upon hearing that, my mum wanted to change her choice but couldn’t decide which one to choose. The server also gladly made a suggestion as to what could be good that she would like. He was so helpful.
Ambience is quite chill. I wish they have a bigger area to accommodate more people and minimize customer wait time for tables, but all in all, great food, great customer service!

Praise the heavens because the Lord has blessed the west side with an Agu Ramen!!! Like a few Unilocalers had mentioned nothing beats the original location on Isenberg but not having to drive all the way into town for your agu fix is definitely a great consolation prize.
My usual order consists of the cheekabu croquettes, jidori kawa, and spicy kotteri ramen (level 3 — my goal is to get to level 5!). Their food quality and standards for great flavor are met at all locations so don’t be worried! I’ve already written what I feel to be a 5,000 word essay on how amazing Agu is, it is my all time favorite comfort food. so I won’t go into detail here.
One thing they don’t have at any other Agu location is their OkinaQwan Rafute Donburi (I apologize if I’m wrong.) Oh how I wish I could eat this wonderful tender and fatty piece of meat everyday without worrying that I’ll become morbidly obese –_​– The struggle! It may sound small but this can definitely be eaten as a small entrée on its own. This huge chunk of meat is served with sushi rice underneath and garnished with green onions. I will be back for you very soon… on a cheat day.

Last night, temperatures in Makakilo dipped to 62 degrees. If you’re a local, you know that that is FREEZING! That is bundle up under 5 blankets FREEZING! That is contemplate turning on your car’s heater FREEZING! That is warm up with a steaming hot bowl of ramen FREEZING! Thank goodness for Agu Ramen!
We arrived at Agu Ramen’s newest location in Kapolei (the old Tokyo Noodle House) around 6 p.m. and were surprised to find just a few patrons seated. Throughout our stay during peak dinner hours, the crowd at Agu Ramen stayed relatively small. I’m used to the long waits at Agu’s other locations and am sure Kapolei’s location will see its share of crowds soon (if it hasn’t already).
From the moment we entered to the moment we left, the service we received at Agu Ramen was phenomenal. I have never had a bad experience at any other Agu Ramen and am happy to report their friendly and knowledgeable service extends to this newest location.
As a huge fan of Agu’s Savory Parmesan, I decided to take my love for the unique and indulgent ramen a step further and order the Innovative Hot Mess (Agu’s Savory Parmesan + Bari Kote). All the creaminess and cheesiness of Agu’s Savory Parmesan is mixed with the garlicky and buttery flavors of the Bari Kote for a flavor explosion. It is basically the Seal of Ramen: Unique, Flavorful, and Smooooooooth! *Starts humming Kiss From A Rose*
I am so excited to have an Agu Ramen in the neighborhood and will certainly be a repeat visitor!

Agu Ramen Kapolei. (4 stars)
Let me start off by saying Agu Ramen Noodles are very chewy and texturally satisfying! We really enjoyed the Fried Idako (little octopus), Agu Gyoza, and Buta (Pork) Curry Rice!
Agu Ramen (Kapolei) is located in the Kapolei Shopping Center (across the street from Ho Ho Chinese Restaurant). It is a little smaller than the downtown location (if I remember correctly). The Kapolei location has a nice bar area with about 12 seats which is where we sat and about another 8 – 10 tables with seating as well. The inside is very nicely done with a «dark wood theme» and a cute pig decal on the right wall. The service was on point. Our waitress was awesome and kept checking up on us and refilling our water. (But even if she hadn’t my biggest thing when I review a place is how the food taste!!)… I can forgo just about any horrible service issues if the food is on point.
I don’t know of many places in Hawaii that sell Idako in restaurants so I was very excited to try it! I’m not sure how much it costs but there is an option to have sauce with the Idako. The volcano sauce sounded the best to me but I really wanted to enjoy the «true» flavor of a deep fried Idako by itself and I’m so glad I did! It was cooked very well with just a hint of salt and pepper right after coming out of the fryer that made it lip smacking good! (4 stars)
The homemade Gyoza was another success in our book! One order has 6 Gyoza pieces and they were pan fried and then steamed perfectly! They still had that good crunch from being pan fried and the soft delicate steamed outside that makes me crave it even now! (4.5 stars)
One thing that I was a little bummed about is the selection of «sauces» to use. There was one bottle which I assume was pepper but I could be wrong, a bottle of chili oil, a bottle of vinegar, and a bottle of Soy sauce. I was hoping for another spicy sauce that had grounded sesame seeds infused in chili oil to add to the Tan Tan ramen soup base (like Gomatei)… I wanted to try the Epic and WTF sauce but there is a $ 3 up charge which is pretty pricy (especially if I don’t know how hot it really is or if I would like it???)…
My BF had the Buta curry rice. I thought it was going to be a tonkatsu (pork cutlet) with curry and rice but the pork took the place of what normally would be beef in the curry. He really liked it so I will leave it at that. They also have a chicken karaage curry and rice which I would have wanted to try since I love karaage! I think the curry may be a little too sweet for my taste (yes I know Japanese curry is sweeter than American or Indian curry), but the overall dish was still tasty and for $ 6 (small size)… Even I can’t complain! (4.5 stars)
Last but not least… My big sad disappointment! Sigh…
(I LOVE TAN TAN RAMEN! Maybe I am so used to Gomatei and Gomaichi (or even Tankaippin) where the Tan Tan Ramen base is full of sesame flavor! Rich and almost too thick to be a soup base but not! Ever since I ate at Gomatei and Gomaichi, it has been really hard for me to eat any other type of ramen (Japanese style) other than Tan Tan ramen… In comparison all the other soup bases are bland for me!!)
Agu ramen’s Tan Tan ramen left me really wishing I could drive to town to have my one of my favorite ramen! The soup base at Agu ramen is very light when it comes to the «sesame» flavoring and almost creamy? (Yes, in Agu Ramen’s defense the menu does say mild sesame flavoring). I wish I at least had some Togarashi seasoning to help the lack luster ramen have a chance! (I was afraid to ask as it probably comes with an up charge too!!)… Again I am sure some people prefer this «mild sesame» version of Tan Tan ramen but it just really did nothing for me but upset me that I waited so long to come here and try it! I think the hardest part for me is that this bowl is small (think of a normal rice bowl at a Japanese restaurant and maybe double that size)… AND THIS BOWL COSTS $ 19??? SO NOT WORTH IT FOR ME AGAIN! (1.5 stars)
I have been to Agu ramen in town a few years ago when they first opened (3 times)… Back then they never had Tan Tan ramen.
I guess, all in all, I’m glad I did try the Tan Tan ramen at Agu so I know when I go back to just have Idako, Gyoza, and maybe some curry rice. But I will be back for I do like the rest of what we ordered!

After a VERY BUSY two days, my hun bun decided we needed a lunch date of my choice! Since SUSHI BAY, AGAIN SURPRISE SURPRISE was full, I chose to try out Agu Ramen.
If you see the outside, it looks like it would be another mama papa shop. I was happy to see some modern themed décor and pretty lighting. I think they have a copy of my ipod, because my jams were playing! The place was very inviting at the start.
Right when we walked in we were greeted and was seated right away. We made it just in time the restaurant was almost full and only two tiny tables were left.
I decided to go for the baru kate (I hope I did not butcher the title. Sorry if I did!) My hun decided on tan tan ramen. We decided on the fried chicken skin appetizer and were suggested to try the sausage and the croquette appetizers from Alex. THEY WERE SOO GOOD! The croquette had a sweet red tomato-​ish sauce. The inside had a gooey filling that reminded me of the savory chicken and rice soup arrozcaldo. I wasn’t sure if it was rice or riced potato, but whatever it was it tasted delicious mixed with the sauce it was laid on. My hun enjoyed the kurobatu sausage with the Japanese mustard sauce. The sauce had mustard seeds in it. I usually do not like mustard (EVER! YUCK!) But it tasted good with the sausage. (I liked the croquette sauce better though!)
The fried chicken skin was surprisingly not greasy. They were crispy and came with a soy, vinegar ish sauce. I did not care too much for the sauce because the chicken skin tasted better with my bari kote ramen broth better. I would suggest to try it anyway, you might like that type of flavor.
Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, our ramen came.
The Baru Kote had a LOT of flavor. The broth was so rich of garlic, garlic oil and broth that I couldn’t stop drinking the broth. I loved that there was a soft boiled eggs and soft brisket. The noodles were perfect. Not mushy or sticky at all. I tried my hun’s tan tan ramen and it was ok. (Ok so I’m a little biased, I really liked my ramen choice) Note: if you dobt like oily, get something else. I know it’s so bad, but it was soooo good.
Overall, I loved the food and the service. I LOVE the alternative music choices olaying as well! The appetizers were good, but the broth is the winning key to why I would come back. I haven’t tried the other locations, but now my interest is peaked to see what differences they have. Can’t wait to come back and try more!

I am beyond excited that Kapolei now has its own AGU Ramen location! Seriously guys, if Lady Gaga sang about the food scene in Kapolei she’d be crooning ga-​ga-​ooo-​la-​la because it’s a bad romance on the West side. We are in desperate (three days in the dessert level desperation) need of more food options. Like all AGU Ramen shops, it’s a small space with tables and a countertop in the center. It wasn’t busy when we popped in to grab lunch and we got a nice big booth for two. I ordered my usual which is the Shio Jidori with noodles cooked extra firm and the waitress suggested the jellyfish and cucumber salad. Our order came out quickly and my simple ramen dish was exactly what I expected. The jellyfish salad was okay but not something I’d order again, especially for $ 7, but at least we tried something new.
I don’t know what it is, but AGU Ramen’s original Isenberg location is still my favorite by far. There’s just a different kind of magic there that’s hard to explain, but if you’re an AGU fan I’m pretty sure you know what I’m talking about. Service was friendly and attentive at this location which is the same mall area as Safeway Kapolei. I’ll almost definitely be back because well, there’s nowhere else for me to eat ramen within 20 miles!

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
Straight up, Agu Kapolei does not measure up to the original Isenberg or even the Ward location. Rapid expansion and the all mighty buck seem to trump pride and craftsmanship. Same great tonkotsu and jidori chicken broth. The first heavily extracted and gelatinous, the second with good extraction and flavor. Same friendly service. The problems, glaring:
1. Overcooked noodles — Noodles cooked ahead of time and held at room temp. Adding cold noodles to the hot broth cooks them for a second time. Soft and mushy.
2. Lukewarm broth — Cold noodles plus hot broth equals no bueno. No steam and cool enough for the fat in the broth to begin separating.
3. Minimal broth — Ramen is half about the noodle and half about the broth. Proper ramen etiquette dictates you drink ALL the broth. What happens when there’s nothing to drink? Broth barely covers the noodles and because of #1 above, noodles suck up what little was put in the bowl.
4. Tiny gyoza — Minimal filling, edges pinched in reducing the amount of filling even further. Half the size of any other Agu location. Check other Unilocalers posted pics and compare the locations.
5. Sugar coated aji tamago — Yes, sugar. Modernist cuisine does cure egg yolks in sugar but this isn’t modernist cuisine. The coating is so thick it melts on to the noodles. Sugary noodles?
Prices push the boundary of sanity. $ 13 for your basic bowl of noodles and sparse toppings, $ 17 add char siu, $ 19 add braised pork for a dish that maxed out doesn’t usually pass JPY 1,000 in the best of Tokyo or $ 10 at Daikokuya LA (arguably the best tonkotsu broth ramenya in the US); you get the point.
For now, stick to the original location and hope the expansion doesn’t cause the entire chain to melt down.

Here again, this time with some girlfriends for catch up. We were early so we were seated right away. Shortly after receiving our menus, the server came back three times to ask us for our order. We haven’t seen each other for a while and for one in our party, it was her first time. She was taking the time to read carefully through the menu. Server was kind of pushy. Funny because when I was there a few weeks ago, she was the same server that was not attentive at all.
I had the Kotteri with my level 3 spice on the side, we shared gyoza and chick-​a-​bu.
Chick-​a-​bu is weird but tasty, crunchy and hard on the outside and soft almost gooey on the inside. The cream sauce smeared on the plate seemed zesty.
Gyoza seemed on the petite side, but packed otherwise. Gyoza is always a winner with me, can’t do wrong.
My Kotteri was awesome, I love the broth and how the egg always seems to be cooked perfectly. They somehow get the yolk to taste sweet, which I really enjoy. Everyone seems to comment about how thin the meat is. Yes, it’s on the thin side… almost reminds me of the kine you get with phở. However, it’s much easier to stomach than the giant gobs of meat & fat you get at Goma.

The broth at this location was alright, more watery than other AGU’s. I was also served WARM water. My cup of water had no ice and wasn’t even cold.

Definitely try the Savory Parmesan, the agucini, and the cheek-​a-​bu croquette.
The staff members were very nice and helpful.

This was probably the worst service I ever gotten in my life! As soon as we walk in we seen a table being clean up. We requested to seat at that table. The waiter replied their is somebody measuring the bench. So she wanted to seat us at another table. Ok! I seen the guy measuring the bench but we told the waiter we was willing to wait. But she insisted we sit at another table. A minute later she seats somebody at the exact table we requested. Unreal! So finally we look at the menu and decided what to eat. The waiter takes my wife’s order, then I order the Kaarage Don which is (Chicken plate with rice). The waiter tells me that they don not have any rice! And I have to get the appetizer Kaarage. Now another family is seated after us but is seated across the table from us. After we get our food I notice the family that is seated next to us gets there food also. But somehow miraculously they have rice! WHAT THE FUCK!!! The food was good but it was way over price! I ended up getting a Ramen for $ 13 which was kind of small. I should’ve went to Daiichi could’ve gotten a bigger Ramen bowl for half the price.

I really have mixed feelings about this place. My family and I tried this place out on a Sunday. Be sure to arrive before the dinner rush or expect a 30 – 40 minute wait. Our wait time wasn’t that bad maybe around 10 – 15 minutes. I swear every restaurant should have a rule that in order to be seated in a table with many chairs your party should have a minimum of three people eating. There was this couple that were seated at a table that held six seats. While the area with bar stools had ample empty seats.
Anyway, on to the food review.
For appetizers we got the gyoza, pork cheeks croquette and ika. The gyoza was delish! Best I’ve had so far. The pork cheeks had a little heat on them so my kids didn’t care for them as much but they were delicious as well! The ikageso came grilled with a dipping sauce, it was alright.
The food came out fast so I’m glad that they were on it to help accommodate the long wait outside. Any extra wait time is just based on how fast people ate their food.
I choose the koterri ramen. Now this is not to be confused for the ramen with the same name served at tenkaippen. The broth is much lighter but it does have that subtle chicken flavor infused in it. It came with black sesame seeds in them so it had that little nutty flavor. There were also little fried garlic chips that served as a garnish alongside with some green onions, thin slices of pork, and half soft boiled egg that tasted mildly sweet. The noodles were al dente and thin. Overall I felt like the ramen lack flavor. Maybe even more so on the watery side.
All in all, the appetizers were great, ramen was «okay» and the service was awesome.
It’s a little more on the pricier side. Spent about $ 70 for three ramen bowls and three appetizers.
Oh! I forgot, I tasted my husbands tan tan ramen and it was pretty nutty. Kind of like tasting kare-​kare with noodles.
Must try if you’re looking for something new to eat in Kapolei. Personally I feel like they have way too much ramen places in the area. They seriously need to have more diversity. Can’t wait till someone opens up a Mediterranean or Indian restaurant here!

First and last. Sorry. The waiter kept looking away while taking our order. Too pricey $ 75 + tip for 4 ramen we ordered. I would rather drive all the way to town and eat at tenkaippin or hokkaido. Better service and better quality. Better price for my wallet

My first time at agu:
Let’s see, food come out slow like verry slow I ordered a xtra gyoza after we got our order and it took them 25 minutes to make a six pcs of gyoza, an it became a take out order coz we already finish our ramen and server clean up our table by the time gyoza arrive.
Portion size is small-​not gonna fill you up
Price is too expensive $ 18 for a ramen $ 1 for a one bite pc gyoza
The good is ramen broth but you have to eat the noodle fast or else the noodle will absorb all the small amount of soup in the bowl. May not going back again.

My first time and sad to say my last time here.
I’m sorry but it shouldn’t take 30 minutes for 2 bowls of ramen to come out. Atleast make the wait worthwhile if you’re going to let me wait that long… too much to ask? I think not.
I got the Yuzu Jidori and husband got the Parmesan ramen. The broth was so-​so. Average. Both were nothing special. I expected better. Thin char siu and a half boiled egg. Also got the gyoza which was forgettable. I would rather eat at Daiichi or goma tei. More bang for the buck. And the broth is tastier.
Overrated ramen restaurant and based on previous reviews, I’m not the only one that feels like this.

We enjoyed a great meal tonight at the new Agu Ramen in Kapolei.
The Gyoza appetizer was fresh and delicious, not frozen. The Ramen was delicious and definitely not the fast food variety. Quality ingredients and excellent presentation.
The new restaurant is hip and modern. Great music, attentive service, and good attention to detail.
I recommend it for a change of pace and an upgrade from the usual ramen choices.

Nice addition here in Kapolei! It’s my first time to dine in here and I haven’t been to their other locations in town. The reason I knew they opened here in Kapolei is from my friend’s post on Instagram; the ramen looked so good that I had to check it out.
Here’s my review:
Food (3.5 out of 5) — I ordered the Original Kotteri ($ 13), my boyfriend ordered the Soboro Donburi ($ 10) and a side Gyoza ($ 6) to share. The ramen broth is very tasty, but I think they give a little bit of broth for the amount of ramen noodles that’s in the bowl. Also, the pork slices were very thin and honestly, I kinda expected more out of a $ 13 bowl of ramen. The Donburi was mostly rice and not that much chicken meat. My boyfriend said that it was tasty but not worth it for the price. Ohh, the gyoza was decent. They give (6) pieces for $ 6, so dollar per gyoza. The ramen here is better than Daiichi and Ramen-​ya, but it’s also almost twice as expensive. If you’re looking for quantity, go to Daiichi or Ramen-​ya.
Service (3.5 out of 5) — the waitresses are friendly, seems to know the menu well. We were acknowledged when we enter the restaurant and got seated right away. The waitress had to wipe our table first, but she forgot to wipe it with dry towel, so I asked her for a napkin so I could dry our table (i dont like eating food on wet table).
Ambience (4 out if 5) — nice decorations, they have a mixed of regular chairs and high stall chairs.

Got to try Agu for the first time tonight. It was pretty busy when we got there, so we put our names down and they told us it would be a 15 – 20 minute wait. After 40 minutes of waiting, we were finally seated. We already knew what we wanted when we sat down, so we ordered right away. While we waited, we overheard many unhappy customers asking when they would be seated.
We sat there waiting for our food for about 30 minutes, which is pretty ridiculous since most ramen places already have most of their ingredients ready. When we got our food, we realized that they had forgotten our gyoza but we decided it wasn’t worth the wait.
Overall, the food was really good. I ordered the original kotteri, which I was surprised to see had Parmesan cheese on it. I was a little confused because it wasn’t supposed to have cheese, but I was too hungry to care. The cheese was an interesting addition, but I don’t think I would pay $ 5 extra for it. Even though the food was good, I’m not sure waiting over an hour for overpriced ramen was worth while.

I have been DYING to try AGU for years (roughly two or three), and finally, close to a week after the Kapolei location had opened, I was able to pay AGU my first visit. My friend and I arrived at AGU around 9:10pm and were a little hesitant because it was sorta close to close time (10:00pm) and we don’t really like pissing anyone off haha. We went in and were greeted while we sat in our chosen seats. We waited for about 5 minutes for someone to come over and provide us with menus and water. Prior to our first interaction with our friendly server, we just felt like we were in a somewhat awkward position with not knowing where to sit and wondering when our menus would get to us. Shortly after receiving our menus, things started to pick up (yay).
BOOOYYYY, the ramen selection is huge & I had a really hard time deciding what to order! Ultimately, I chose the Bari Kote (rich and yummy garlic, black garlic oil and garlic butter broth) and an order of the chicken karaage and AGU gyoza. Everything was delectable (nothing left to waste)!
The flavor of the Bari Kote pleased my taste buds. It’s been a while since a bowl of ramen had me feeling that type of way (haha). A definite must for all the garlic lovers out there. The gyoza was delicious as well — seasoned and cooked to perfection. The karaage was tasty and tender and was served with a vinegar-​like sauce. It was different, but I didn’t hate it.
Finally… What I loved most… That egg in the bowl of ramen! Omg soooo sooo soo flavorful! Don’t know what it’s marinated in, but it is amazing! It’ll change your life. Trust me :)
I do believe that there is room for much improvement in service, but with the service provided tonight along with the yummy bowls of ramen and appetizers, I will be back! I already have a mental list of my next order: P

Nice restaurant. Best ramen ive ever had (or at least the best that i can remember). I lived in Japan for a few years and Agu was better than any ramen that i can remember. The parmesan cheese ramen (cant remember the exact name) was really good. The server gave 2 of our 3 dishes to the wrong table, so we had to wait a bit longer to get our food. Honest mistake, still kind of sucky, though.
Pricey. 3 bowls of ramen + 1 order of gyoza was $ 52 before tip. This place will NOT be a weekly visit for us. Definitely worth a visit if you havent eaten there before.

I went here on a Monday night with my boyfriend and got seated right away. We were seated on the counter and thought it was kinda awkward due to the fact that the counter was more like a dinner table with a few plants in the middle to separate us from the party across of us. I felt very awkward facing another woman as I ate my dinner.
The servers were polite and took our order promptly. Though, it took about a half hour for two bowls of ramen to come out… a half hour. When we got our food, I realized that there was nothing special about it. I thought the broth was going to be full of flavor like it says in their menus but I thought wrong. Also, for $ 13 per bowl of ramen you’d think the bowl would be much much bigger.

FINALLY… Agu Ramen Bistro in Kapolei!
They’re located in the Kapolei Marketplace, a couple doors away from Boston’s Pizza. There’s lots of parking.
We ordered the Ikagesu and gyoza for appetizers which we always enjoy. Another appetizer to try are the balls made from pork cheek… I believe their called Cheek A Bu… this is to die for! Both my fiancé and I usually order the Agu Parmesan Ramen. There’s five different spicy levels with number 1 being the mildest. My fiancé usually gets the #2 and I like it halang so I get it level #5…YUM! All you have to do is ask your waiter/​waitress and they can explain the different levels and what kind of chili peppers they use for each level. Everything tasted very delish… almost as good as Isenberg location except for a couple of things. The reason I gave it four stars are because for starters, our waitress forgot our gyoza… had I not reminded her, it would’ve never came and she blamed it on the kitchen. Lol We finally got our gyoza after finishing our ramen. Secondly, our soup wasn’t hot temperature wise as we always get it at the Isenberg location. Lastly, I noticed our ramen was originally delivered to the table behind us by another waiter and our waitress caught it after about 1 – 2 minutes. I was upset that our waitress actually grabbed our ramen from their table and delivered it to us without offering to make new ones! Go figure! Other than that. The staff was really friendly!
We hope to have a better experience the next time we dine here!
We’ll definitely be back… we still love Agu!

So so happy that Agu Ramen opened on the west side! I love the location too right in the beginning of Kapolei!
My boyfriend and I came with his dad (because he loves ramen & lives on the west side), thinking hey this place is a great place to eat ramen and we go to the ward location often. But it was a little disappointing due to service.
We were greeted upon entering and seated. It wasn’t busy when we came in. There were three of them working, one guy and two ladies. But it felt as if the only one working was the gentlemen.
He gave us water and took our order of Yuzu & Shoyu Jidori, the croquette, and the Char siu tonkatsu. As soon as we ordered, the lady sat three tables. It was almost dinner time so whatever. BUT, we waited more than 30 minutes for our order and the people she sat got theirs first. I felt ashamed to have brought my bf’s dad after raging that this was a good place to eat.
The ladies didn’t even bother acknowledging us or asking to refill our waters. And as for the gentlemen, I felt bad. He was scrambling. He did apologize to us though.
He comped us for the croquette and one of the ramen bowls because he knew we’d waited for a long time.
If it wasn’t for him or the delicious ramen I would’ve gave one star.

I absolutely love Agu and would have given 5 stars, but the one thing that dissapointed me was that they do not do ramen take-​out.

In my previous visits to the other Agu Ramen locations in town I’ve given 5 stars because of my overall experience with the food we order and the customer service given.
So why not 5 stars for the Kapolei location? Well, my favorite dish at Agu is the Original Kotteri and not once had I ever had any complaints about the ramen. However, for some odd reason today I noticed one thing that I don’t think I ever noticed in the other locations. The pork char siu here was razor thin. This was the same for my wife’s Shio Ramen. I don’t remember any ramen spot that I’ve been to having such thin pieces of pork. Usually the pork is soft and tender but today it seemed like pieces of boiled bacon and I’m not exaggerating, just look at the pic I posted. Maybe they’ll just need to adjust their meat cutter to give a more generous sizes of pork because it was a bit ridiculous especially for a dish worth $ 13.
However, everything else about the ramen was on point. The oh so delicious broth, yummy egg, and overwhelming amount of noodles. Also the service was great but that was probably because we were there right when they opened for lunch at 11. Oh about that, we got there at 11 am which is their normal opening time, but came to find out they wouldn’t open until 11:30 am for equipment installment and maintenance. So we sat around in front of the entrance until it hit 11:30. What disappointed me was that not once did the employees come out to notify it’s waiting customers (6 – 7 people) that the restaurant was now open. It took a curious man who had just arrived at 11:30 to walk in and get seated before the rest of us took notice that we were allowed to come in. C’mon man! The employees should be able to clearly see thru their clear windows that they had folks waiting for the restaurant to open, it takes a matter of 20 steps to notify us but nope never happened. But like I said, the service after we were seated was great so it somewhat made up for the disappointment.
I’ll definitely be back to give them another chance and hope by then they’ll give less bacon sized char siu pork pieces.

Rafute for days…
Shortly after eating at the original location in town I found out agu ramen was opening another location in Kapolei. After finding out about this location I waited an excruciating five days for them to open. Waiting patiently my anticipation for being reunited with delicious Rafute grew, hoping that this new location would meet my hopes, dreams, and expectations of Rafute compared to the original location.
Anyhow upon arrival on opening weekend slam in the middle of lunch rush I was happily surprised that there was a short wait time. In a group of 4 we were seated roughly 10 – 15 minutes after arrival and sat at the counter. Which by the way if your a midget like me you might find yourself climbing up on the stools since half of their tables are taller.
I was happy to find that their menu is exactly the same as their town location. But I couldn’t help but to wonder if it tasted the same. It took about 15 – 20 minutes for our food to arrive, but I’m happy to say that my expectations were definitely met up to. Of course being a different location the taste isn’t exactly the same as the original location but the flavor was «on point» so to speak.
We ordered
–Rafute (delicious pork belly)
–Rafute Tonkatsu (pork belly with ramen)
–Curry Plate (self explanatory…)
–Savory Parmesan (yes that’s a ramen)
–Gyoza (… You should know what this is…)
–Tori Nanban (fried chicken in sweet vinegar)
The Rafute was nice and moist with its sweet and savory drippings, perfectly even with just the right balance of meat and fat. This dish will always be the highlight of my visit here! The other dishes were good to but I was especially excited to try the Rafute Tonkatsu, that’s right pork belly in ramen. It’s like hog heaven you have tonkatsu the holy grail of all ramen broth this rich and creamy base topped with noodles and a slap of succulent pork belly the size of my fist. After all this place is a ramen bistro so with that in mind I’ll admit the few ramen bowls I’ve tried here were pretty good but what makes this place work is their side dishes as well. All the side dishes I’ve tried here greatly complimented the ramen, so they pretty much work hand in hand making you wanna come back for more. And that’s why I need to go and run a thousand miles now to work this off!
The upside:
–It’s one of few decent restaurants in Kapolei.
–Great food!
–Pretty fast.
–Pork cheeks and belly for days…
The downside:
–Parking for this shopping center is tight.
–It’s new and one of few restaurants so it’ll probably be slightly crowded/​busy for a while.
–I’m gonna get fat off Rafute!

An agu ramen on the west side. Finally!!!
Wait staff was super helpful and the food was delicious!
Tried the agucini, which is a fried rice ball. Sort of risotto like taste. Amazing!
Tip: if you don’t like soggy noodles, order them al dente or half cooked to avoid mushy noodles at the end of your meal.