Zigu

I never write reviews, but after eating at Zigu tonight I feel like I need to write one. This was the best food I have ever had. The blue fin tuna melts in your mouth, we ended up getting three orders, and I NEED to come back to get some more wagyu. Service was great and the staff seems to love working there, everything was great.

I had a craving for Soba Noodles and searched for a spot suitable for a single diner… up popped Zigu! Walking into the restaurant, it had a certain sense of coziness to it. I elected to sit at the bar where I was attended to by Candace (sp?). She was very friendly and personable. She started me off with a glass of water and a nice glass of Sake (which I ordered). I selected the Chilled Soba with Tempura. As I checked emails waiting for my dish, I felt this sense of calm due to the setting. It really is a beautiful, homey kind of space. The noodles arrived and the dish was fantastic! Perfectly cooked and presented, I dug into the dish. I’d probably rate it in my personal Top 3 soba’s outside of Japan. If you’re in the Waikiki area and want a traditional/non-traditional Japanese spot. Zigu is the place!

We came over since we couldn’t get a reservation for 4 at other places that we frequently visited. It turned out that we all enjoyed the food and service here. The food was not quite traditional Japanese, but instead it used locally sourced ingredients and added a bit of creativity to come up with some really tasty dishes. For example, the local cucumber salad and the Maui pickled onions were great appetizers. The poke was fresh as was the seared ahi (very tasty). The mochiko chicken was tender and tasty (pieces could be a bit smaller). The ginger Kona pork (not sure if the pork is form Kona or just the taste was created in Kona) was tasty but could use a bit more ginger. I am sure the chef has a good reason for that, but I just love ginger in just about any dish. Finally, the spicy soba was quite unique, tasted nothing like soba that we had known and loved. It was excellent and perfect to finish our meal with a bowl. We also tried its 3-sake flights and even though our server told us the names of each, but we couldn’t remember them, but they all tasted very good. Our server, David, was entertaining and attentive. We sat outside in the patio area, which was comfortable and looked better than its tiny indoor dinning area. It was a bit pricy even for Waikiki, but definitely acceptable for the nice dining experience. We will add this to our regular dining spots in Waikiki

Our waitress was very attentive and friendly, answering all of our questions about dishes we were not familiar with. I ordered the ahi with a kale salad - all of it absolutely phenomenal. Best kale salad I've ever had and the ahi was perfection in both texture and flavor. We ordered the Zigu sushi roll and that was excellent as well!

👥 2 pax on a weekday after 9pm, walk-in 🍽️ ZIGU roll, cucumber salad, spicy noodles, 2 alcoholic beverages 💸 approx. $70 + tip Pros: Went in for late night happy hour (after 9pm). Very spacious spaces, pleasant staff, and decent quality food using fresh ingredients which can be rare to find at late hours in Waikiki. Cons: Cucumber salad was a bit weak in flavour, and sushi portions felt on the small side for the price ($24). Happy hour discounts are quite minuscule compared to the regular food menu, so would consider visiting again at regular hours to try their other dishes.

We tried Zigu and had the Ahi cutlet, spicy chilled soba, and the Zigu roll. The food was okay overall—nothing particularly memorable. Service was fine, though it felt a bit pretentious at times. Unfortunately, we found a hair on one of the sushi plates. We mentioned it to the server, and while the plate was brought back very quickly, there was no apology or acknowledgment. Given how fast it returned, it didn’t feel like it was actually remade—more like the hair was simply removed. Overall, an average experience that didn’t quite meet expectations.

If I could give this place more than 5 stars I would. We came across Zigu on Open Table for a last minute reservation. I am so glad this is where we settled for our final dinner in Waikiki. Everything we had was delicious; from the sweet potato salad to the sushi omakase plate. Garrett, our server, made sure everything was great and he was very helpful in directing us around the menu. If you're wondering if this place is a good fit for your needs, it is.

One word sums up the visit....very MEH. Came here for a birthday dinner with some friends and the server was excellent. However some of the food items were very good (looking at you wagu), but...90$ for 6 sashimi style pieces is absurd (that then needed to be cooked by us at the table). The wagu and the ginger pork were the only two dishes out of the 8 or so we ordered that were notable. The rest had i not taken pictures of them i would have forgotten about as soon as we were done eating them. I don't see a need to come back here, VERY overpriced mediocre food. I will say, the saka they have is excellent and i would come back just for that, just would eat somewhere else first.

Incredible Flavors & Service! ​Zigu is a must-visit! The Sauteed Big Island Ginger Pork was exceptionally flavorful—the ginger was perfectly balanced and the aroma from the hotplate was amazing. We also loved the Chicken Nanban bites and the Hot Broth Tempura Soba, both of which tasted great. ​Huge thanks to David for the wonderful service! He made our meal even more enjoyable. Highly recommend!

Otoro, chutoro, salmon, local ahi and amberjack Sashimi/Nigiri out of this world! Had the special premium A5 wagyu yakiniku melted like butter!! Had the premium daily steak special last time we visited, both the daily steak and A5 are amazing. Hands down recommend this restaurant! Did I mention they are a 3 times gold medalist best Japanese restaurant on Oahu! Definitely try this place out!