Hiro No Uchi - Omakase Sushi

Chef Hiro

We recently enjoyed a wonderful omakase experience at Hiro No Uchi in downtown Honolulu. The location at 25 North King Street is pretty hidden. Find the intercom near the door and press the button to be buzzed in. When you walk in you will be transported to a dark, speakeasy-like place with stylish chairs leading to an attractive sushi counter that seats about eight.

Chef Hiro begins the omakase by greeting his guests and displaying what fish will be served that night. Each nigiri was thoughtfully prepared and presented beautifully. The textures and flavors made for a very happy and delicious meal. 

The cozy vibe.

Tasting plate

Engawa

Saba

Hottate

Kinmeidai

Salmon

Otoro

Amaebi

Uni and ikura

Matcha dashimaki tamago

The cost of the omakase when we dined was $150 per person and the establishment is BYOB. They have two seatings at 5:30pm and 7:30pm. They are also available for catering and private parties. You can make a reservation using this link.  

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Nori Bar

We finally made it to Nori Bar on a Friday night—and wow, what a great first experience! We didn’t have a reservation (risky, I know), but we decided to try our luck anyway. Timing was on our side: they could seat us right away as long as we were out by 8:15 PM. That gave us just about an hour, and honestly, it turned out to be the perfect pace for a relaxed, delicious dinner.

A unique feature of Nori Bar is that it’s all counter seating, which makes the experience feel more personal and interactive. You get a front-row seat to watch the chefs prepare each dish with precision and care—it really adds to the atmosphere and appreciation of the food.

One of the first things I loved? The ordering system. Everything is done online—just scan the QR code in front of you and start building your order. 

There's no pressure to order everything at once, which is great if you like to add on as you go. Your tab stays open, and the process is seamless.

Now, onto the food. Here's what we tried:

• Nigiri Flight – A beautifully presented selection to kick things off.

  

  
  

  

• Blue Crab - Truffle Kanimiso – This was the star of the night. I loved it so much, I ordered it twice.

  

• Maguro Avocado Roll – Simple and fresh.

  
  

  

  
  

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• 2-piece Seared Garlic Truffle Salmon  

• Unagi Roll – A rich, flavorful finish.

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  We had a $100 gift card, and yes—we spent it all. Every bite was worth it. Watching the sushi being prepared right in front of us added to the whole experience. You could see the care and attention that went into each piece.

Would I recommend Nori Bar? Absolutely. But next time, we’ll be sure to make a reservation!

Take out is available!

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NORI BAR

1000 AUAHI STREET

808-379-1144

 

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Sushi Omakase at Amaterasu Sushi

Lobster, crab, and shrimp appetizer

In search of an intimate sushi omakase experience? Amaterasu’s omakase may just be for you. With only 7 seats at the sushi counter, you’ll be served a 15-course premium omakase dinner that includes appetizer, chawanmushi, age mono, 10 pieces of nigiri, toro taku hand roll, and miso soup. If that doesn’t fill you, you can order additional items from Chef Hideo.

Shima Aji

Katsuo

Saba

Engawa

Kisu tempura

Chef Hideo 

Chawan Mushi

Maguro

Hotate

Akagai

Otoro

Japanese Uni

Kauai Shrimp with uni garlic butter

Toro Taku Handroll

Miso Soup

I really enjoyed my sushi experience here and appreciated that it included classics like shima
aji, otoro and uni, but also offered saba and a most delicious Kauai shrimp nigiri topped with uni garlic butter.

Cost of the dinner is $150 per person and the 13-course lunch is $89. You can also opt for seating at the large table behind the sushi counter. Amaterasu is no longer

BYOB and charges a $35 corkage fee if you bring your own bottle.

Amaterasu Sushi

Ala Moana Shopping Center (near Barnes and Noble)

1450 Ala Moana Blvd.

Reservations on Open Table

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Omakase at Sushi Que

Located on King Street next to Golden Pork, Sushi Que is a sushi restaurant offering $100 per person omakase with the option of ordering additional items at the end of your meal. The chef began at Jinya before opening his own restaurant and calling it Que, which is his nickname. 

The restaurant is small and cozy with a 6 person table and a sushi counter that seats 9. For the best experience, definitely recommend sitting at the sushi counter. The omakase began with an appetizer, bouillabaisse, and an oyster followed by sashimi that is served with a Himalayan salt plate you use to salt your sashimi. Then, we were served ten delicious pieces of nigiri.

All in all, it was a fantastic sushi experience and a must try for any sushi lover! They are open from 5pm to 9pm and closed Wednesdays and Thursdays. For reservations, call between 2pm and 5pm. The restaurant is BYOB.    

Sushi Que
1273 South King Street
808-478-9973

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Izakaya Uosan

Chutoro

Located on Kapiolani Blvd. in the same building as the Original Pancake House is Izakaya Uosan where you can enjoy fresh sushi and Asahi draft.  The restaurant has a sushi counter as well as tables, and a semi private tatami room.  

To start, we had oysters, baby sardine chips, dried stingray fin, and fish cake tempura (so good!).  The uni caviar blinis sounded really fun so we ordered that as well.  As for sushi, I liked to have my favorites so I usually order king salmon, kinmedai, and chutoro.  My husband usually opts for omakase. 

Oysters

Fish cake tempura

Uni caviar blinis

View from sushi counter

Kinmedai

King Salmon

February menu

Service was great and friendly and we had a great time seeing Chef Nobu-san again.  Open daily for dinner except Wednesdays.  Two hour validation is provided.  

Izakaya Uosan
1221 Kapiolani Blvd Ste 108 Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 200-5077

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