Matsuri Izakaya Japanese Restaurant

Excellent service led by Julie, outanding for from Chef Yoshi. With Japanese music in the background and the dining area sprinkled with photos from Japan, Izakaya Matsuri is an authentic Izakaya with lots of free parking and a lively local vibe fueled by alcoholic beverages like Kubota sake, Coedo beer and Asahi on tap. Great eats here!

I went with friends and we enjoyed the Sake tasting as well as the food. Everything was perfect. From the Sake selection, to the food, and the desert. 😎

We arrived on a Tuesday evening and within an hour it was pretty full. Reservations are required to ensure you have a table. The place is unassuming from the street and I would never have known about this place had my other half been recommended it by a friend. The restaurant is small and quaint. Parking is in the back. Everything we ate was exceptional. Please note that all "entrees" are that item only. I ordered the miso butterfish and for the price, I expected miso soup, rice and maybe a salad. Nope. It was only the fish. Everything is ala cart. That really was misleading for this foodie. Having known that, I will remember for next time to order the side of rice. And yes, there will be a next time. Oysters tend to be small in Hawaii and not the fattys you can expect in the NPW however, these were really fresh and flavorful. We'd order them again. The rolls were delicious as well. The fried ama ebi was also tasty however I am not a fan of eating shrimp with the shell on or the head so be mindful of that. The Mr. loved the beef tongue and miso with full shrimp inside. One of the most pleasant surprises for me is receiving our beers in super icy glasses with super cold beer. It was so good and I am not a beer drinker traditionally speaking.

The restaurant has a very good vibe and nicely decorated. We ordered the 3 different Ramens on the menu (tonkotsu, shoyu and miso) and we were very disappointed with the presentation, flavours and very little vegetables in each Ramen. The waiter was very friendly, but he forgot to offer us the drinks. We decided to give another try and went back today and what an amazing experience we had. Abdullah (I hope I'm spelling his name correctly) was our waiter and he showed and explained the menu. We decided to go with his recommendation and we tried the "tapas", assorted taste of really good food. We also had sushi Tyger Roll and Katsu Don, that was divine. We will definitely go back.

A smal gem! The most fresh delicious sushi like it literally has been caught right before they served it. The price is definitely what you get… so if you are not a real sushi eater and all you eat is a California roll, this is not your spot. This is for the real sushi eaters who love Uni w/ Quail Egg on top and can eat Live Oysters…. yum! Definitely try this spot!!!

Food was decent but not spectacular. Really enjoyed the miso butter fish. The rest… meh! They were out of the special $125 crab dish… that’s why I went. Likely won’t return here.

The food was great! We ordered sushi rolls and they did not disappoint. We also ordered nigiri, which was delicious. I do feel like the food was a bit overpriced, but it was still delicious. The customer service from staff was wonderful. They were so kind! You definitely should make a reservation as this restaurant is small and seats are limited. The vibe was perfect for a night out!

Their grilled fish and misoyaki Kama are amazing, as so far the best I have found. Strongly recommend their grilled nodogoru ichiyaboshi and sea bass Kama. Their rice is from Japan and being cooked in wood pot. That makes a difference! However, their sushi is too pricey to be worthy. In terms of taste, each piece is top notch. But this is even more expensive than a Michelin level sushi in London. And the rice base is warm. I don’t mind high price if every detail is correctly done since their icon is sushi. Their chefs could be more attentive to refining details. For budget visitor, personal suggestion is to skip sushi or sashimi and you might still enjoy a wonderful meal.

Excellent food but definitely pricey if you go for the sushi/sashimi. We had the Oboro Tofu with Ikura, Kabocha Nimono (pumpkin), Hokkaido Uni with Quail Egg, Amaebi, Shima Aji, Kinmei Dai, and Kotobuki Dynamite Roll. All tasted amazing and authentic. Wanted to try more of their dishes but it could easily add up to over $100 a person. Highly recommend the tofu and pumpkin dishes, they are very unique cold appetizers you won’t find in most American sushi restaurants. The menu can be confusing and it took a long time for us to decide what to order, but our waitress was extremely patient.

Very good food though on the pricy side. We ordered crab fish, sashimi, tempura etc, they are all tasty. Drinks are ok-ish, not much good sake selection.