Shirley "Good eats from Olympia, WA to Honolulu, HI"

I love it! I’ve been here over 5 times already in the last couple of months (and I don’t even eat out that often)! I’ve read some bad reviews for this place on other websites, but I think people have way too high of expectations for food so cheap. My boyfriend and I can both eat and come out totally full for a total of $10!

We usually get shumai, chicken’s feet, shrimp dumpling, bamboo wrapped shrimp and mushrooms, etc.

I was not pleased. Since I had done the research ahead of time, I had great expectations for this place…from all the reviews. However, I was met with cold, flavor-less shrimp. DO NOT GO. TERRIBLE RIP-OFF.

Very homey food. I go there and everything looks good. Their hamburgers seem to have decreased in size. Their plate lunches, albeit a bit more expensive, are the much better deal.

Their homemade Paitan soup base is absolutely delicious! The service, however, is a little slow because most of the time, there is only one waitress running the whole of the restaurant. It takes her a little while to get you seated and come take your order. But, after that, the food comes out pretty quickly. I would recommend this to ANYONE who is looking for a big, warm bowl of ramen.

In response to the previous review, I think they’ve worked out some of the “kinks” referred to above. By no means was it spectacular, but the food was decent for their asking price. I would say – solid, which is more than I can say for the service, however.

My friend brought me to Leonard’s for their malasadas the first day I step foot on the island of Oahu. It was good then and is good now. I’ve branched out and tried some of their other desserts – like the Long Johns or the Sausage Rolls, both of which were also excellent. I would recommend it any time you feel that snack attack. :)

Busy, crowded and a little dim. That’s my recollection of Art’s. The food is okay – not something that was spectacular by any means.

I would highly recommend that you order via phone and pick up your order to go. The venue for the restaurant just isn’t all that attractive to me. I mean, I am definitely one for little hole-in-the-wall places that serve great food and have character but I honestly don’t think Art’s is it. It has the beginnings of a great hole-in-the-wall place but the food just doesn’t meet with my expectations.

I went there with my boyfriend for lunch one day and they took our orders. Since I only have a one-hour lunch in the middle of my work day, speediness is key. We were waiting for 20 minutes because our waiter came back to tell us that they’re out of what Matt had ordered. We didn’t have time for him to order and eat something else, so we just split my dish and went next door for plate lunch afterwards to fill up. It was actually kind of sad since Art’s was recommended to me by a co-worker with high regards.

While this restaurant may be a little tucked away in the heart of Chinatown, the food certainly does not disappoint. When I was introduced to this restaurant, I was a little skeptical at first because the atmosphere is a little run down. But, really, I wasn’t there to soak in the choices of interior design, I was there for…the food – which was outstanding! If you’re looking for a reasonably priced Chinese meal (and if you’re Chinese – the way your mother/grandmother used to make it), then Ken Fong is the place for you.

They’re known for their oxtail soup as their lunch special on Fridays. Additionally, you can pretty much go and ask for whatever you’re missing from “home” and they’ll make it for you. The lady who runs the restaurant (along with who I believe to be her grandson) are very friendly.

I am not one for fancy shmancy restaurants. It is my believe that a great restaurant should have local flavor (in terms of the atmosphere) and out-of-this-world food. I give little credit to interior design and romantic mood lighting. In fact, when a place has such qualities, I tend to come into the dining experience with a prejudice – that their food will be sub-par, thus they try to compensate with the rest.

BUT, Shokudo surprised me. While it does seem very modern and “fancy shmancy” from afar, their food is actually quite good and reasonably priced.

Finally, the wait staff can leave something to be desired. I’ve been there a total of two times and the first time, the staff seemed normal. However, when I returned two months later, it seemed like they were (1) all instructed to squat next to the tables when taking orders so as to make the guests feel more at-home, (2) not getting any of our orders right and (3) making intruding conversation to compensate for their lack of experience. While this might not be representative of a typical night at Shokudo, it certainly was my experience.

Given the variety and sheer abundance of Japanese cuisine available on the island of Oahu, it baffles my mind why anyone would ever go to Genki for sushi, or anything Japanese for that matter. While it might seem harsh, it is absolutely true to my experience the one time I stepped foot into Genki on Kapahulu.

The vast majority of the items that we had were cold since they had been rotating on the conveyor belt for so long. The service was sub-par and the prices are, in fact, NOT reasonable when compared to what’s available in the surrounding area (if you compare what you pay for what you get in return). For example, we tried their karaage chicken. It was cold and flavorless. To be honest, I can marinade, bread and fry chicken with mochiko flour or katakuriko (potato starch) far better than that!

To end on a constructive (and perhaps helpful) note, I would suggest trying the other two places in its vicinity: Izakaya Nonbei (slightly more expensive Japanese lounge across the street), which serves high-quality food and drinks if you’re looking for that extra touch of class or even Sushi-man on Waialae if you’re just looking for a cheap bite of something good.

While Genki might be the McDonalds of Japan, it cannot come close to stacking up to the other options that you’re given for Japanese food in Honolulu.