i-naba Hanalei'i Honolulu Sushi and Grill

Review summary

1. J

   Jeff

   Las Vegas

   46 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   46 reviews

   Dined on November 15, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   I went here thinking I was going for a sushi bar, but I ended up with an Omakase experience. The fish was extremely fresh, I found out Thursday as “fresh fish Thursday“ when they get all of their shipments in, but when I came into this place I thought it was going to be busy because of the reviews, but I was the third person there. The sushi chef was one year in the US coming from Japan, so knew very little English, but I just rolled with it. Turned out. I had a wonderful experience with some delicious sushi. I’ve had Uni in the past and I thought it tasted like the bottom of the ocean, but the Uni they had here was straight from Japan and it was very sweet … and I can now understand why they consider it a delicacy. Had a couple glasses of sake, along with the Omakase experience. All in it was about $160 … but it was unbelievably delicious. I would highly recommend this place.
   

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2. C

   Cedric

   Los Angeles

   6 reviews

   vip
   3.0

   6 reviews

   Dined on November 9, 2024

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   The Open Table link to this restaurant is very confusing and the menu shared was from their other sushi/Izakaya location down the block which is what we thought we would be getting. When we showed up we were told they were an omakase restaurant with a set tasting menu. We thought we would give it a chance…However, the experience was not great. The tasting menu was priced about $120/ person with wine pairing of $80 extra/person. My wife had that option. The menu itself was made up of about 6-7 courses of high end menu items that although esthetically pleasing was not well designed or refined in flavor profiles. This was even further confusing with the wine pairing they provided which was not well thought out or even explained to us. The server would simply bring out wine, sake, or a cocktail and never explained how they would pair with the dish or where the wine came form or what type of variety it was. She was very nice but had no understanding of the drinks provided in the menu as if the chef and her never discussed it. The seating was around the grill top leading to a smoke filled environment and strong smells associated with it during this supposed high level dining experience. Lastly, the noise was very loud, we were sitting across a group of other diners who were drinking heavily and laughing and talking very loudly. This further lead to a less than optimum dining experience. To summarize, we felt an bit “bait and switched” with what we thought our reservation was and though we gave it a chance, we were not impressed with the underwhelming and disappointing dining experience we had there. I’d recommend someone there update their link to this restaurant because it is not reflective of the menu or location of this restaurant on Open Table.
   

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3. J

   Joan

   Las Vegas

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on November 2, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   There were 8 of us in our party and every single one of us enjoyed the tasting menu. Each dish offered a unique flavor, using the best ingredients! It felt we were actually like dining in Japan. The taste of every dish was clean, almost perfection. I highly recommend this place.
   

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4. K

   Kathleen

   Hawaii

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on November 1, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Great food and atmosphere. Chef was very friendly and engaging
   

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5. M

   Malia

   San Francisco

   4 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   4 reviews

   Dined on October 29, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   This is really special restaurant for Hawaii. The young chef Yoshi from Japan, does an incredible omakase course,which he cooks and prepares each course in front of you either on the Tepanyaki grill or the hibachi. Each course was incredible and thoughtful, with flavors and ingredients you would only find in some of the best restaurants in Tokyo. He also adds a modern twist to each dish so you are always looking forward to what’s next. We had a beautiful wagyu beef for one of the courses that he flame charred on the hibachi right in front of us and it was just amazing. The setting is intimate, there’s only 10 seats in the restaurant, so it feels like you have your own private chef. I seriously can’t stop thinking about the food here. It’s a really special and delicious experience.
   

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6. R

   Ryan

   Hawaii

   3 reviews

   5.0

   3 reviews

   Dined on October 28, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Chef Kakazu is outstanding! Very attentive and skilled at his craft. Such an amazing omakase experience with an intimate sushi bar setting.
   

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7. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Orange County

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on October 12, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   It was amazing experience! Would definitely come back!
   

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8. J

   Johnny

   Hawaii

   40 reviews

   4.0

   40 reviews

   Dined on October 12, 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Great omakase experience. Came in on an early reservation and we were the only ones there at the sushi bar. Got the most attention before other guests stared to arrive. Thank you chef for focusing and finishing our meal before spending time on the other parties.
   

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9. M

   Matthew

   Washington DC

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on October 6, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   I made reservations with my wife while here in Hawaii for our wedding along with 2 of our close friends. The atmosphere was private, quiet and elevated without being overly fancy. I have a shellfish allergy and in general don’t eat a lot of fish and certainly not sushi but the rest of our party are sushi enthusiasts and we were all blown away. Teru, our incredible chef, made every item taste delicious and easily accommodated my shellfish allergy to keep me safe. As someone who has never really enjoyed sushi some of the nigiri that Teru crafted for us were some of the best things I have ever eaten and my wife and our friends were all thoroughly impressed by the freshness and the flavors of each selection. Teru is a master, it was entertaining to watch him work and he was so fun and kind- he was even gracious enough to tolerate me trying to speak in very broken Japanese as I’m trying to learn. The ambiance was amazing, the food was beyond delicious and Teru is the best in the game. This place is a 11/10.
   

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10. DA

    DiaAnia

    Washington DC

    4 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on October 5, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    This is in my top 3 dining experience ever for all over the world. I think the only one on Hawaii that was comparable was the Cave vintage club that doesn’t exist any more. Service was impeccable, excellent cocktails and sake, super good value. The chef at the grill is absolute pro, amazing to be so good. This place is a hidden gem and hole in the wall in the literal sense. I want to come back tomorrow, it’s that good.
    

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