Yanagi Sushi

Came here for the first time. We ordered: Unagi Donburi with miso soup- Donburi was pretty good, but it was a bit coldish warm. Miso soup was flavorful. Spicy Ahi Roll- delicious Beef Teriyaki and Chicken Katsu combo- katsu was good, but not a fan of beef with cold teri sauce squirted on top. Fresh Salmon w/ Sweet Round Onion- Oyster Dynamite- huge and delicious Fried Baby Tako- delicious and crunchy Deluxe Spider Roll- delicious and crunchy Salmon Katsu and Chicken Teriyaki combo- katsu was good, but not a fan of beef with cold teri sauce squirted on top. Overall, pretty pricey for decent food. Staff is friendly. Lots of tables to dine at. And the parking lot is small, but street parking is available.

Great happy hour after 9 p.m. Their salmon dish is popular for a reason. Their sashimi is decent. The only downside is that service can be slow at times.

Went there at 10:30pm right after we landed in Honolulu. Decent food, traditional style Japanese food. Nothing fancy but more comfort food style.

You step in for the first time and are taken back in time. The decoration, the photos on the walls, and the furniture seem dated, but you immediately realize that it’s designed to be that way….like a diner turned Japanese restaurant stopped in time. It’s clean, it’s packed, and it’s good. You quickly settle in and realize that its popularity is due to the quality of the fish, the speed of service, and overall no gimmicks. Yanagi lets the quality of the fish and food speak for itself.

Took my parents out to Yanagi Sushi last night and walked away genuinely impressed. This place has earned its reputation among locals, and one visit makes it obvious why. We did the omakase and it delivered on every level. The fish was pristine, each piece thoughtfully composed without any unnecessary flourishes. Simple, precise, and memorable. The tamago alone was worth mentioning, and the progression kept us engaged from the first bite to the last. The nattoro was a must-order. We rounded out the meal with vegetable rolls and an order of shrimp and vegetable tempura that was honestly some of the best I've had. The batter was impossibly light, fried to a perfect crisp without a hint of grease. A Kirin on draft brought everything together nicely. The room itself matches the food. Spare, unfussy, and completely focused. No one hovers, no one performs. You sit down, you order, the food comes out, and everything moves with a kind of quiet precision that feels deeply intentional. Coming from a Japanese Hawaiian American family, that efficiency reads as respect — for the craft, for the customer, for the experience. It's the kind of hospitality that doesn't need to announce itself. A friend from the North Shore put me onto this spot, and now that I know it's practically around the corner from where I live, I have a feeling it's going to become a regular habit. Already planning the next visit.

Always a great place to eat at after seeing a show at the Blaisdell. Their baked oysters are so delicious! Sushi here is always good, but their baked rolls are my favorite.

This has always been a top spot for me, where you can sit down and know you'll be taken care of by the staff. The food is amazing and I cant fathom how amazing everything tastes. I love this spot, ans everyone I've taken, has always come back because you got everything you need there!

Came by for a birthday dinner last month and it was good. A 4/5 is not bad, keep that in mind. We shared a sukiyaki set, ordered some sushi, and got the salmon onion with ponzu. The latter is a must-get. It's even cheaper on their late night menu. Would recommend.

They were constantly checking in on us to make sure we were doing alright and were taken care of. The food was delicious as well. The space is a bit on the small side; if you're thinking of bringing a party of more than 4, I would recommend calling ahead to see what accommodations can be made.

Expensive for okay sushi with bad service. For context, I have visited many kinds of sushi and Japanese restaurants across the world. Came here in a large group with a reservation. Some of us arrived a bit early and were forced to take a seat at the table, even though we had rather waited (and said so many times). Once we were seated, the waitress seemed very rude about even filling up our water and taking our order. After a reasonable time, we started getting dishes -- but not all at once. Later, we noticed that about 1/4 of the dishes were missing. I mentioned it to a waiter who said he'd double check. At that point, most of our table had finished their plates while some didn't even receive their food. We told a different waiter who didn't say anything and just walked away. After 5ish minutes, they came back and said they lost the ticket or something. Eventually, after many plates were already cleared, the last dishes showed up. No amends were made. Food wise, it wasn't very fresh. It felt precut and dry. Additionally, their rice was the prepared incorrectly. It broke apart when one tried to pick up nigiri. This made it very difficult to eat the sushi without making a salad accidentally. Aesthetic wise, the place looked like a traditional Japanese restaurant. But without the service to match, it felt wrong.