Tempura inaba Hanaleiʻi Sushi inaba Hanalei’i

Tempura inaba Hanaleiʻi Sushi inaba Hanalei’i reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Review summary

1. N

   Nathaniel

   Hawaii1 review

   2.0

   Dined on 23 February 2025

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

   My experience was mixed. i-naba Hanalei'i Honolulu Sushi and Grill is located on King Street in a low-key unassuming plaza. However, once I came in, the restaurant was spotless and gorgeous. I was welcomed into the 7-seater sushi bar. The sushi chef was incredibly kind to us, though he was unable to speak English. While this wasn't an issue at first, problems arose when there were problems with food safety. Regardless, I am thankful to the i-Naba Hanalei'i for being professional and doing their best to take care of our needs. I just felt as if things could've been better for our $120 omakase experience.
   

   • 

   1 person found this helpful

2. N

   Neil

   Hawaii2 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 17 February 2025

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

   A very private experience, and each dish was excellent.
   

   Is this helpful?

3. J

   Janelle VIP

   Hawaii2 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 30 January 2025

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

   Delicious sushi. Fresh, great value. Great service
   

   Is this helpful?

4. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Los Angeles1 review

   5.0

   Dined on 6 January 2025

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

   Very good experience! I’m very recommend this place
   

   Is this helpful?

5. S

   Sandy VIP

   Hawaii14 reviews

   2.0

   Dined on 30 December 2024

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

   Not very impressed with the grill side. Liked the sushi omakase much better
   

   Is this helpful?

6. R

   Ria

   Hawaii6 reviews

   3.0

   Dined on 15 December 2024

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

   Didnt feel welcoming, limited menu. Only one side, no option to add on, no dessert.
   

   Is this helpful?

7. J

   Jeff VIP

   Las Vegas47 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 15 November 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.
   

   Is this helpful?

8. C

   Cedric VIP

   Los Angeles7 reviews

   3.0

   Dined on 9 November 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.
   

   Is this helpful?

9. J

   Joan

   Las Vegas1 review

   5.0

   Dined on 2 November 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.
   

   Is this helpful?

10. K

    Kathleen VIP

    Hawaii1 review

    5.0

    Dined on 1 November 2024

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

    Great food and atmosphere. Chef was very friendly and engaging
    

    Is this helpful?