Five stars. I've only tried the steak plate here. But the steak is oh soo ono! The sauce is a nice blend with the steak and the toss salad has a, to die for, dressing on it. The blending together just makes the entire experience, heavenly. Recommended!
(5)
Jayme K.
Their dynamite shrimp is AWESOME! Their pricing is very reasonable for the amount of food that they give you.
(5)
Michele W.
I've had the Koi Garlic Ahi Caesar Salad a couple of times from lunch orders at work, so when the opportunity arose to bring my family here on a weekend, I thought they'd enjoy the food. So we go and they didn't know what to order so I got them the Koi Bento (it has a little of everything) and a Garlic chicken plate. My family LOVED the food there. They have actually asked several times after that day to go to Kois for lunch. So my little family of 5 give Koi's 10 thumbs up!
(5)
Asako O.
It was several weeks ago that I went to have lunch at Koi Catering & Takeout for the very first time. Since their daily specials were all sold out, I had ordered the crab cakes. Just recently I went back to have lunch there again and this time I ordered their daily special, the shrimp dynamite with brown rice and toss salad. It is shrimp prepared tempura style and served over sliced cabbage and drizzled with a garlic aioli and unagi sauce. The sauce was so tasty with the shrimp which made it simply fantastic while eating it with hot rice. It is DYNAMITE! I highly recommend this place and ordering their shrimp dynamite.
(5)
Glenn D.
Best blackened ahi lunch salad on the island! There's a blackened Ahi caesar salad that was a little too salty, but the plate lunches are awesome. Sometimes they run out of food if you go when they close. Plus they're not open during the weekend which is too bad. Good food in the middle of Kalihi tho.
(4)
Ryan T.
Just went here for lunch today and had the Pesto Mahi over linguine with the house pesto sauce. The fish was cooked perfectly and the panko crust was just right. As this is near my workplace, this is a great alternative to the L&L type plate lunch places in the area. Although they do have a few stalls, their parking lot is pretty tight. I would recommend going there early to grab a parking stall and to beat the lunch crowd.
(4)
K H.
My dad told me about koi. I finally ended up there one day and OMG! The garlic mahi or "gahi" is so good! They have a miso tartar sauce that is addicting. My dad says that the whole menu is good, but every time I go there, I end up just getting the gahi. I try and make it there weekly. And lastly the staff is always very nice!
(5)
Christopher C.
Visit: 10/21/09 - Lunch. Had the Garlic Chicken. The garlic chicken was really good. I think better than sugoi. It didn't leave me with the overwelming taste that sugoi's chicken does. The chicken is nice and crispy and the garlic sauce is tasty. Price was pretty good. I would come back.
(4)
Katie K.
I was just introduced to Koi's and all I have to say is Wow! Why didn't anyone ever tell me about this place sooner! So far all I have gotten a chance to try is the Blackened Ahi Caeser, but I will definitely be back! The fish was so fresh and perfectly seared with just the right about of seasoning. The salad itself was huge and I realized after I could have been just as satisfied with the smaller option! Besides their seafood options, I've heard great things about their Chicken Katsu and Garlic Chicken. Needless to say, I hope to keep coming back here until I've tried it all!
(5)
Mahina C.
After my doctors appt in Kalihi, my doc told me about this place down the street from her office. I love hole in the wall places just because you know they put more loving in their food rather then just serving something out of the freezer. The steak is good, but their chicken with mushroom gravy is BOMB! I use to go all the time after school for lunch and when i finally went back here after a few months, they took off the shrimp dynamite! That was like an orgasm in your mouth. so hence the subtraction of one star, but overall it's delicious!
(4)
Les U.
I've seen the sign but never read it. Just found out that the proceeds from the brownies and butter mochi go straight toward medical bills for the owner's son. He has ALL (acute lymphocytic leukemia), sometimes referred to as childhood leukemia. If you went to the last Kakaako event, he was selling lichee lemonade. I like the treats at Koi, really great snack during my bike rides. Give it a try, the butter mochi is really ono.
(5)
Cassie F.
Honestly, the best food I had in Hawaii!
(5)
Aaron B.
Bento w/ garlic chicken, grilled steak, and ahi. The chicken was light and tastey w/ mild garlic flavor. The steak was grilled nicely with a smokey flavor (overdone for my taste, i like it rare/ medium rare.) The ahi flavor was nice with a hint of wasabi spice (would have been perfect more on the rare side.) Gotta say the rice was fantastic, bad rice can ruin a whole bento. I am a bigger boy and only wish there was more food? Especially the steak (will buy again). One of the better $10 plates in kalihi. Koi will make it into my weekly resturant rotation.
(4)
Monica L.
**UPDATE** They're now open!! --------------------------------------------------Â----------------------------------------------- I went there today and they said they're closed til Jan.4 for the holidays. Try calling if you want to make sure. I tried their food at Taste of Honolulu (seared ahi + wasabi sauce) and it was deeelicious!
(4)
Dan N.
Good quality food you really get what you pay for phone order is best garlic mash potatoes 50 cents a scoop wow
(4)
Shelley K.
I've been wanting to try this place for awhile cause a friend of mine told me it was really good. I finally got to try it the other day for lunch. I have to say for a small place it was very popular cause there was a line. I had ordered their pesto mahimahi and my bf ordered the garlic ahi and we also got their blue velvet cupcakes. That's right, I said BLUE! My plate was okay. The mahimahi was cooked and seasoned perfectly. The pesto linguine, I didn't care for it. The menu said it was mac nut pesto (which I LOVE!) but on my plate, it looked like regular pesto made with pine nuts. I hate pine nuts and it had little chunks of the nuts in it. That was a disappointment. My bf's plate was delicious! I loved the garlic ahi, especially their wasabi aioli. Was really good! The BLUE velvet cupcakes were delicious!! It had white chocolate chips baked in the middle which added an extra sweet but the cream cheese frosting was nice and cheesy so it balanced out the sweet and salty. Very nice! I think I gotta go back and try some other things on their menu. Maybe then I'll add another star :)
(3)
Art G.
Slow down when you get near this place because you'll miss it. Not much parking, so I try to go here a little before lunch time around 10:30. Call ahead if you're in a rush. Staff is very friendly and if you eat in, the place is nice and clean. I always make sure to get the "Dynamite" shrimp with what ever else I'm getting. The Steak and Garlic Ahi is also "winnah".
(4)
Scott W.
Chose Koi for a retirement party thanks to good yelp reviews and was not disappointed! ALL the food (garlic chicken, crusted ahi w/ sweet wasabi sauce, kalbi beef, kalua pig-best I've tasted, and mac salad was delicious. All our guests were going back for more! Great, friendly service too! Mahalo, Koi!
(5)
Kelly T.
I had the kalua pig plate at the Wa'a event at Kualoa beach park from their food truck. It was the best kalua pig I've ever had. Not to toot my own horn but I'm pretty much a kalua pig connoisseur! It was just moist and simply delicious. Def plan on visiting their permanent location!
(4)
Jennifer Y.
The food here is off the charts! Every single item we've ever ordered is exceptionally delicious and consistent. We've tried the grilled steak, furikake mahi, garlic chicken, opah dynamite special, shrimp dynamite special, mochiko chicken. We would've tried other items, but they're so good about quality control and they're so popular, they sell out by the time we get there after peak-lunch hour. This place is a keeper!
(5)
Darrell P.
Great salads. Garlic Ahi salad with the wasabi sauce was winner. Wasabi sauce had a little bit of a bite too but wasn't overwhelming but just perfect. Romaine lettuce with other geens were well worth the $8.00 and change. My partners said their Furukaki Mahi plate was excellent. The staff was very friendly and the order didn't take very long either. I would recommend this place to anyone.
(4)
Kauhi M.
If your in the Kalihi area go and check this place out! it's a must try! Chicken Portabello Mushroom with pasta! one of my favorites! I got a few more Steak with Dynamite Shrimp aka Konfrontation Special Hands down just killer also the Bonless Kalbi or the Braised Bonless Shortribs! Junior and Lendy and Eric are on point with the menu and service with ALOHA! Note they are now open for dinner on Thursdays and Fridays call them for the hours. IMHO you just gotta try for yourself and make your own judgement!
(5)
Shon S.
My colleagues and I always come to Koi whenever we're in town for business. It's close to the office (Sand Island) and the people there are friendly and remembers us when we drop by once or twice a year. I guess when we go there for lunch every day for a week or two, the staff is bound to think we're nuts about them. They expanded their place so now there are plenty of seats during lunch. I will be going to Hawaii in a few weeks, so I guess we'll be eating this place everyday again. Most recommendable.
(5)
Jenny C.
After seeing some great pictures of their food, I just had to try it! I got my office into it and we put in an order last week. I'm sad to report that the food I got myself was not so good. I should have went with my gut (they had prime rib on special!). Anyhow, I got the pork chops with garlic mashed potatoes. The potatoes were great, the pork not so much. I did not expect the pork to be made tonkatsu style, just thicker and well....rougher. My coworkers tried the prime rib and the braised shortribs and they had nothing but praises....so I am definitely looking forward to trying that! I also like this place because they have their own parking lot! Score especially for Kalihi!
(4)
sky i.
I waded through 40 minutes of traffic during Friday's rush hour reaching Koi only to discover it closed at 2pm. I spent another 50 minutes traveling empty handed to a home with a slighly angry and very hungry wife. So I vowed to try again the next day. When I arrived, having already invested 110 minutes and $10 worth of fuel, I whispered to myself through gritted teeth that this had better be worth all the effort. In fact, I vowed that I'd leave Joshua C. and Liz T. out of my will if the food was less than awesome. Well, luckily for them, the grindz was YUMerrific and ONOlicious (yeah, I know they're not real words, but it ain't like I'm writing a term paper for English Lit. 101). My wife and I sampled the steak & shrimp combo, the crab cake, and the mushroom chicken. These are sliver fork and knife quality foods at plastic fork and styrofoam prices. Very impressive. We pretty much polished off the whole thing in about 5 minutes. Hehehe. I'd probably order lunch here everyday if weren't so dang far from work. Oh well. Oh, and by the way, in case you're wondering what I'm leaving you in my will: Joshua C., I'm leaving you my 8 track tape of Barry Manilow's Greatest Hits and Liz T., you can have my copy of 'E&O's Secret Recipes' because I know how much you LOVE that restaurant ;-) Hahaha. Seriously, good call on this one. Thanks, Josh and Liz. And please keep in mind, for the rest of the Yelpers, that they're open for lunch service only. Hours are M-Sat, 10am-2pm.
(5)
Rie A.
I ordered koi bento. The cashier was friendly and food was really good! Parking is really small so it will be hard to find a spot when you go there lunch time.
(5)
Max K.
Aloha Yelpers, I've visited here for lunch a bunch of times. Great food...parking is very difficult most of the time. I think if their parking situation was better, they'd get more business. Often I'll spin around a few times and if I still can't get a space, forget it...next! Absolutely love their Garlic Ahi and their bentos are awesome. It seems like their servings have gone down a little the last few visits. They're food is delicious and the friendly smile when you walk in the door is always a plus. They have a lunch wagon that parks along side of Queen's Hospital on the Ewa side of the Board of Water Supply Bldg. on Beretania St. I'm sure they're busy too.
(4)
Laurie A.
Great place for some Ono grinds at great prices. I enjoyed the hamburger steak; lots of taste, a little on the salty side but not over cooked and moist. Crab cakes were the best - the sauce makes it a winner!
(4)
Sho U.
A gem. The Koi bento is a must.
(5)
Angie T.
Oh man, oh man.. Best plate lunch place EVER! I went to this place thinking it was going to be more, shall I say, plate lunch quality! Panko crusted mahi-mahi over pesto linguine is clearly too fancy of a dish to be serving it in a styrofoam container, but hey, I'm not complaining! The food here is great, my only complaint would be that they're a bit short on the seating. However, if they expanded this into a full-sized restaurant, they would STILL be packed full!
(5)
Chad G.
Don't order the mini just go for the regular, for about two dollars more it's way worth it, trust me. Everything is awesome! Especially if you have space later for there to good to be true desserts. The Wasabi sauce they use is one of a kind, I loce it on the mahi mahi. Very busy around lunch time, and they close at two.
(4)
Shannon C.
We catered food from here yesterday for our church youth group Christmas party. We ordered the garlic chicken, hamburger steak, kalua pork, chow mein, mac salad, and garden salad. Everyone enjoyed it! They kept going for seconds and thirds and so forth! Can't wait to try the other things on the menu! Also the staff is really nice and friendly! YUMMY!
(5)
Kristen C.
More like a 3.5 until i try more items. I came here because Tani's Lunchwagon down the street ran out of furikake salmon and I was craving for some kind of fish and i remembered this place. The parking lot is really tight and even when i came at around 11:40 am there were some open stalls so lucky for me. I came in and there were 4 other people waiting to order. So while deciding between the garlic ahi, blackened ahi, furikake mahi, or the special panko mahi with mango salsa, i finally decided on the blackened. I got the mini with brown rice and tossed salad which came up to $6.28 (w/ tax). The lady at the counter was nice and even offered a stamp card where you buy 12 minis and get $3 off your next purchase. Well I waited for my dish for maybe 5-10 mins. The ahi was a good size portion that was covered in a wasabi sauce that I didnt really like because I dont really like wasabi to begin with so i just tried to wipe it down as much as I could and then added tabasco for a better, less pungent, heat. Overall it was delicious and the spices on the fish was pretty good but next time i'll order it w/o the sauce
(4)
Eiich O.
really good hamburger steak. however, they screwed up my order which is why i only gave them 3 stars.
(3)
Cielo A.
Ono grinds at great prices!
(4)
Katrice K.
After all the good stuff I heard about this place I decided to try it. I ordered the shrimp scampi and my boyfriend ordered the furikake crusted ahi. It was not good. The scampi and noodles had no taste, I don't even think they put anything on it. The furikake crusted ahi salad was ok, too much wasabi for me and nothing I would eat again. I had also went there before with my mom and I had the garlic chicken and my mom had the steak. The garlic chicken does not stand out in my memory and the steak was just ok. I would not go back since I feel I can get better plate lunches for cheaper elsewhere.
(2)
P C.
UPDATE: picked up lunch for the office today. Had the steak and portobello mushroom salad and also tried some of my coworker's muchroom chicken. The salad wasn't as fresh as last time. Still great though. The portion seemed smaller for some reason. Maybe I was just really hungry today... The mushroom chicken was good. Koi's version is breaded, deep fried (maybe Baked) chicken with their mushroom gravy on top. So it's a little different than what you may think of the typical plate lunch version which is usually chicken thighs cooked in cream of mushroom style gravy. My other co-worker had the crab crusted slamon salad. i didn't have a chance to try it but it looked really delicious. I'm definitely going to try that next time.
(4)
Nel O.
First of all I'd like to give kudos to Lendy and her crew, they did an amazing job catering our event! She was helpful, friendly, and very accommodating when we had a last minute add on. I had so many compliments on the food, especially the Grilled Steak with ginger sesame sauce. It was so tender and broke da mouth ono! Everything had to be carried up a steep staircase, but the crew didn't fuss or complain, they delivered our order on time and it was all kept warm too! If you are looking to cater an event and are tired of the usual suspects then look no further than Koi Catering and Takeout. From start to finish they exceeded our expectations of a caterer: ono food, great service, and incredible quality. What more could you ask for?! I also have to thank Yelpers for helping me decide on a caterer, I planned our event from Illinois without even tasting 1 morsel from Koi. The reviews dont' lie! Mahalo!
(5)
Camille K.
On the way out of a food truck gathering I was gifted with some fish by Marcos. I was extremely hungry and without utensils. It was also dark! As I pulled away, I broke off a piece and went directly to heaven! The fish was perfectly cooked, moist and laden with the ideal amount of wasabi sauce. Hunger and pleasure compelled me to stop and enjoy the food in the manner it deserved. Absolutely wonderful!! Thank you!!
(5)
Aaron I.
Honolulu Magazine voted this find Best Lunchwagon 2006, so I knew this was already going be onolicious grinds. Da Salty Lady took me to this small take out place, where she frequents often. They actually get a few tables and chairs and I was surprised it wasn't packed. My luck because when I went to look at the menu I couldn't decide, it all sounded super ono. I decided on trying 2 miniplates, Garlic Ahi with sweet wasabi sauce and furikaki mahi with wasabi tartar, mmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The ahi wasn't overly garlicky and the sweet wasabi was served on top of the ahi, just imagine a sweet garlic moist fish. Then the mahi mahi had a nice light batter with the furikake and the wasabi tartar on the side for dipping. I actually don't like wasabi, but it was really mmmm!!!!! with the mahi. Lunch plates also come with options white or brown rice and tossed or mac salad. Rebbis family knows how to take care of their patrons, service with plenty aloha. Great service!!!! I heard the panko mahi pesto pasta is really good and I'm a sucker for miso so I'll be back for miso ahi Wednesdays and Thursdays and miso chicken and miso butterfish Fridays and Saturdays. Is there anything they can't do miso? Excellent food, service, and I can see this Koi turning into a full out sit down restuarant on day, but for now enjoy this find.
(5)
Mako H.
ok ok i'll be the one to go against the grain, after reading the mouth watering reviews and trying to go there for the last 6 months (every time i'm in kalihi/sand island area i try to go)only to be denied by either their being closed or the parking so full people are waiting on the street for parking i finally got there at 10:30am today to beat the rush. ordered the "blackened ahi w/creamy wasabi sauce", maybe my idea of "blackened" is different then everyone elses, i think of seared a couple seconds on each side and delishishly RAW on the inside, well my plate came with 2 pieces of ahi about 1/4 inch thick each and so well done that not only was it cooked all the way thru but it was blackened to a crisp on the outside, about halfway thru i ran out of the wasabi sauce, i had to use a lot just to get it to slide on down and asked for more, the girl was friendly enough but i had to add as i asked for it that the fish was so dry i need something to keep from choking as i ate,, wooo weeee did i get some looks from the other people eating there, who cares, not going back there again,,,, bummers other stuff looked better. also the mac salad wasn't very good, it wasn't bad just not very good,,,,, the highlight of the meal was the rice (was it calrose or hinode) i like the better rice (that costs 30 per 10lbs from safeway
(2)
Michiko H.
i haven't been dissapointed at this place at all! theres usually a lunch rush but its easier if you just phone your order in. the garlic ahi is the best and so are their salads. i can never choose what i want cause i want everything! the price is great and good size portions.
(5)
surprise m.
wow! now here's a steak and shrimp combo worth yelping about! the salad was really good too because it wasn't the usual cheap iceberg lettuce crap other places give you. i got the creamy pesto as a dressing and that was good too.steak was cooked just right and i poured that dipping sauce it comes with on the steak strips,YUM! just a heads up though this place is really busy but well worth the wait. i had fun just checking out out what other people ordered so i could plan my next meal...lol! they have pics of some of their food on their site so check it out if you're curious.this place is on Dillingham blvd. right across from the blood bank. so if you're coming from the airport, it'll be on your left so don't blink you might miss it.
(5)
Kurtis W.
Stopped by today after being off the island for a few months and found out they've closed. Too bad because I thought they were the best lunch plate place around.
Koi Catering & Takeout is CLOSING, their last day is on Friday 2/13/2015! They are catering until their last day, but as they run out of things throughout the week they are taking it off the menu. They will continue to have their Lunch Wagon near Queen's Hospital, but catering will not be available. (Lunch Wagon has a limited menu) When we heard that there wouldn't be any more Dynamite Shrimp (Dynamite anything!) we were devastated, but we were informed that the Chef would be going to OnStage Drinks & Grinds (Bar) on Kapahulu, the Dynamite Shrimp will be available as a pupu. Oh and if you love their Oriental dressing, they showed us their last bottle, they will be out of that too :(
(5)
Cathy T.
Even though the a/c in this restaurant is practically non-existent I've still been here twice and plan on coming back. And that's seriously saying something about how yummy the food is here! On my first visit I brought my mom, dad, and uncle. This was a risky move on my part because I'd never eaten a KOI (not even the truck) before! But I trusted in my fellow Yelpers and am really glad I did! My uncle was unimpressed with the restaurant's appearance (it's pretty beat up) and he said that this was "working class" food. (I forgave his grumpiness because his doctor had just told him to go on a diet and eat salads.) He half-heartedly stabbed at his salad and eyed out our plate lunches hungrily.... My mom, on the other hand, really liked her food (garlic chicken). She was a little annoyed about the a/c situation but at least she's willing to go back with her friends because the food is good and decently priced. My dad didn't say anything (as usual) because he was too busy eating..... My most recent visit was one of my best friends and he LOVED the food. Koi is just a 5 minute drive from his house so he's thrilled that I introduced him to this place! "I never get full when I order fish but I'm actually full from that!" [That] was the garlic ahi plate that he ordered. I got a mini seared poke bowl and was so HAPPY that I almost cried. Food so good it'll made you cry. I think that's a great slogan!
(4)
TiffanyRose L.
I havent been here before but ive tried the dynamite shrimp before(picked off a friends plate LOL) Anyway,today i decided dynamite shrimp sounded good for lunch.I read in the reviews that it takes awhile for ur order to be ready so i decided to make a phone order.Sent my bro to get it and my order was ready in 10 minutes :) I wanted to to get the shrimp and crabcake combo bt sadly they were out of crabcakes so got the garlic ahi instead..not sure how the bento was (my brothers) but i LOVED that dynamite shrimp..the garlic ahi was good too but i didnt care for that wasabi sauce too much..just not my taste. All together i paid about $34 for a Koi Bento and Dynamite shrimp and Garlic Ahi combo 2x...the portions couldve been bigger but still a good place...
(4)
Sean D.
Great price for "gourmet" bentos/plate lunches! Always have a good change up on their specials. Today was Furikake Opah Katsu. Winner!
(5)
Michelle And Bernard S.
I've been waiting to try this place because everything looked so good on yelp. I had the dynamite shrimp and crab cakes. They both look so much better in their pictures. Crab cakes fell apart and shrimp weren't to die for! The salad I'd have to agree with the other reviews....lacking taste (tasteless)! My husband had the koi bento...he enjoyed his meal. Next time, if there is a next time I'll just stick to their garlic ahi!
(2)
Casey I.
Koi bento is the winnahz!!! So sad they're shutting down tomorrow! Thank you Lendy and team for the awesome food and great service! Aloha!
(5)
Debbie L.
I ate here for the first time today since I work in the Mapunapuna area. I'm not too familiar with this but I heard a lot of good things about this place. I wasn't sure what to get, but the garlic ahi sounded tasty. And it turned out to be great! I usually don't like wasabi but their wasabi sauce on the ahi tastes soo good! It gives it the perfect kick. Portions are also large. Mini is about $8 and regular is $9, so might as well get the regular. This place deserves 5 stars. But the only reason why I'm taking one away, is because their parking lot. Koi's is located on a little strip mall with very limited parking. They also have stamp cards here. For every 12 plates you buy, you get $5 off your next purchase. So if you plan on being a frequent eater here, don't forget to get your card stamped! I look forward to trying the rest of their menu items :)
(4)
Michael C.
Plate lunches kicked up to a whole new level. Yes I am definitly a fan so far of the food that I have tried. Parking wise. 3/5. Very small parking lot shared with couple of other business. So parking might be hard depending on the time that you come. Wait time. 3/5. Be aware that if they do get slammed that the wait time might be longer. This is in an industrial area so one person might go for the whole office or work crew. They try to fill the orders as fast as possible in the order that they are received. Food wise. 5/5. This is what it is all about in the end. We tried the dynamite shrimp and the pork chops plate. The dynamite shrimp, 5/5, was describe as the shrimp being tempura'ed and then having a masago sauce. Loved the sauce it just complimented the technique in which the shrimp were cooked. The pork chops, 4/5, it seemed like they deep fried it since it had a nice crispy outer texture while being firm in the center. It was accompanied by a brown gravy that went well with it. Service. 5/5. The girl working the counter was friendly and efficient. She apologrized for the long wait time it took for us to get our plates which I thought was great. Overall. 5/5. Can't wait to come back and try more of the awesome stuff on the menu. #Yelp 365 006/365 Date Visited: Saturday, August 6, 2011
(5)
Michael M.
you need to have the butter mochi. That is all I have to say. DO IT!!! The Koi bento is a signature dish. I enjoy ALL the items on the menu. A healthy selection of fish is available for those who do not eat meat. Do visit the lucnh wagon and try the daily specials.
(5)
Jason K.
Whew! Been here many times and ordered ahead where meals are served on time. Walked in today at 11:30 ordered at 11:41 and walked out with six (6) plate lunches. Three (3) Koi bento and two (2) salads and a Kal Bi plate. At 12:20 is when I finally got my food. I'm not expecting fast food, but almost an hour for those six (6) plates....AUWE! Not good! I haven't been in a while and I think this experience jogged my memory as to why. The salad I ate was totally drenched in dressing and was soggy. Bleh!! Don't order the blackened ahi salad. My friends meal, the crab topped salmon salad had very little lettuce and seemed more like a side dish. The others who ordered the standard fare Koi bento and Kal Bi plate said there dish was what they expected. Very good! Please know that one day someone with an attitude may not be so quiet in your shop and that yes, aloha Fridays can be even busier than any other weekday. That should not be the customers fault. Especially those who get overlooked for walking in and ordering. It's a shame, I used to give a lot of business to you guys. Now, I've gone from being a loyal customer to someone who will no longer return. Customer service with a friendly smile and apology goes a long way as opposed to making excuses about being "really busy".
(2)
Beth I.
This place is BUSY! A coworker saw a review about Koi on the local news yesterday and was really interested in checking it out for lunch. We called in for take out around 1130am and it was ready when we got there (about 20 min). We waited a while in line to pay for our order and the line continued to grow. Only downer is that the parking lot is nuts and one person had to wait in the car to juggle around because there were no stalls left to park. I had the pesto mahi mahi which is a pair of mahi fillets panko crusted and served over pesto linguine. It came with two pieces of garlic bread and a small salad. My coworkers enjoyed the crab topped salmon (which I'm interested in trying next), garlic shrimp plate and the Koi bento which is garlic chicken, steak and garlic ahi. I tasted the sauce that came with the bento and it was ono! I would ask for that sauce on the side! The food is great, the fish is well cooked, and it's better than the average fish place. I'm a fan!
(4)
Tien E.
Very good local food with their own unique flare added in for good measure. Sure, they have some standard items like hamburger steak but you can count on it being different than other the usual suspect smothered in gravy. Other menu items are unique enough to give you some lengthy pause as your mind digest the vivid descriptions as to what they are. I'd say you just about have to try almost every menu item they have because they each have they're own flavor. I'm always amazed at the plating or food arrangement in the Styrofoam box because it's always so neat and orderly inside, hardly any spill over to any of the divided sections in the box (no guarantee it'll stay like that if you do a takeout). If you get the chance to eat in then do it and you'll notice that this is not your typical run of the mill local plate, I think it's a few notches up! Taste, presentation....double win!
(4)
Val D.
Koi's lunch truck participated in July's Eat the Street. Since it was early and no line, I decided to try their fried ahi with wasabi sauce: Fried Ahi w/wasabi Sauce - 3 stars - For $6.50, I got a mini plate of one piece of fried ahi with a sweet flavorful wasabi sauce. This sauce blended well with the ahi even I could feel the wasabi slightly stinging up my nose, but not enough to make me tear. The macaroni salad was different, made with macaroni, rotini and salad type of pasta with potatoes, carrots and celery. However, it didn't have much taste, so it wasn't the best I've had. I was a little disappointed to have such a small serving for $6.50 though. Service - 3 stars - They were friendly like most lunch trucks.
(3)
Mika H.
Every time I come here I have no complaints. My food is always so good. I tend to always order fish and today was no different I ordered the garlic ahi salad. The garlic ahi is usually cooked through but I like mine rare. The Panko crust still crispy and the ahi tasted fresh. The wasabi sauce makes it!!! It was perfect on a bed of lettuce. I got some pumpkin cupcakes but didn't eat it because I got it for a friend but she said it was delish! Thank you koi!! I think you're gonna have me craving this one!
(5)
Pomai S.
Recently tried Koi's: Garlic Ahi: Fresh Island Ahi Seared with a Garlic Seasoned Blend with Koi's Signature Sweet Wasabi Sauce. $8.45 Rating: 4 stars (3 SPAM Musubi) Notes: Full of flavor thanks to garlic-seasoned batter and very moist and tender, belying it's thin cut where you'd expect it be overcooked and dried out, but it's not. Their "signature" Sweet Wasabi sauce is also very good, with a subtle, complimentary sweetness to it and a good nose-clearing kick of distinguishable "Wasabi action" going on, while the white and black sesame seeds give it a nice nuttiness. Shrimp Scampi: Tiger Shrimp (really?) sauteed with Garlic Butter and Fresh Herb on a bed of Linguine. $6.75 Rating: 4 stars (3 SPAM Musubi) Notes: The shrimp were smaller than I had hoped, yet for what it's worth, they had all the flavor, sweetness and tenderness of tails twice their size. Plus they were expertly shelled and deveined, which is always appreciated. Just as important, the well-seasoned, garlic-infused butter coated all surfaces of the tail meat like glue, so it was Shrimp Scampi "flavortown" in every bite. The linguine pasta was done perfectly al dente and was flavored simply by the run-off garlic butter from the scampi. Perfect. A squeeze of the lemon and it was all good. The toasty 'n buttery french bread accompanying it was a nice touch and welcome option to mac' sal' or tossed greens. See photo section to check out the plates mentioned in this review.
(4)
Scott M.
This is one of my favorite plate lunch places. Pretty much anything you get here is super good. The only thing is that I always seem to have to wait for my food, but I don't really mind (its that good!). Just make sure not to come here if you know you're in a rush and only have limited time on your lunch break. If you're not in a rush, I definitely recommend it.
(4)
Misty P.
I only eat here when I am working - since I work in Kalihi. The food here is exceptional. Think of it as a gourmet plate lunch kind of place. Very creative take on a local type menu. There's everything from steaks to a fancy hamburger steak. My favorite to take out is their steak that is cooked to perfection. There is a ginger wasabi type sauce that comes with the steak that compliments it well. As always with plate lunches you get rice or mac salad. I am not a fan of mac salad so I always get tossed salad. It is always fresh and extra points for having mixed spring greens that are fresh! I absolutely hate it when a food establishment gives you iceberg lettuce for a salad! The dressing here is noms too! Another favorite of mine is the bento which comes with steak, garlic fried chicken and garlic ahi. I also love the braised shortribs that are seasoned well and I love the gravy that goes well with the rice. Service is always fast and friendly if you call in your order. Never did dine in here. The only downside is the very crowded and small parking lot.
(5)
Michael G.
I'm sorry, but I can explain this in one word: Diarrhea. Went there 2 weeks ago. Had the Ahi, my two friends had the Ahi and the Mahi. It was delicious. Service was good. A little bit warm in the restaurant, but overall very good experience. Later that day, I got Diarrhea. I thought it was something I ate the night before. So, this week, went there again with a different pair of friends. Got a different Ahi plate, other two friends got Ahi and Mahi. Again, food was good, service was excellent. But same result! Diarrhea again! So I asked my two friends if they had "stomach issues." They both did! So I called my two friends from the prior visit and asked if they had "stomach issues" and they did! Both of them! Me twice with two pairs of different friends, five separate people, 6 cases of "sore stomach" = something is wrong here. I am very sad about this because the food tastes good and the service is great.
(1)
Sharon N.
If there is one place I had to recommend, Koi's is the place. My fiance introduced me to this place a few months ago, and I have been hooked ever since. I can't eat enough of their food. We even drive in to town from Mililani just get lunch from Koi's. I started eating the blackened ahi, my fiance's favorite. It has just the right amount of spices, I think it's a Cajun rub, with this wasabe sauce that compliments the ahi and spices. I'm not a fan of spicy foods and thought the wasabe sauce was going to ruin it for me, but it did no such thing. It really is a melt in your mouth kind of a dish. Then, I started ordering the crab cakes and shrimp dynamite combo! It is just out of this world...sinful! I love crab cakes, and theirs is pretty darn good...moist and satisfying. The shrimp dynamite?!? Well, that should be illegal. It is ridiculous how good it is. When I first tried it, I didn't know how to react and started cracking up. I was shocked at how much flavor it packed. On top of good food, the customer service is excellent. They know me and my fiance by name! Probably because we frequent that place...A LOT! =) Koi's is a definite winner!!! Can't beat that place!!!
(5)
Teresa G.
So calling in your order here is useless because your food is still not ready when you get there. We still had to wait over 20 minutes to get our food. We called in our order at 1130 and asked for it to be ready at 1230. We were ahead of schedule and showed up at 1215. We didn't get our food until 1245. The reasoning of why it took our food a long time for our food to come out is because we came early?!?!? What? Seriously? That makes no since. Are they saying that if we showed up at 1230 insread that it would of been ready? I don't think so. They weren't in the process of cooking our food when we came. We ordered 3 ahi Caesar salad. The description says that the ahi is on a bed of romaine lettuce with paresan cheese and homemade croutons. Let me tell you what came with it. Wilted iceberg lettuce with cabbage (looked liked the store bought mix bag) with the ahi in it. The only thing caesar about it was the dressing. The portion is not worth the price. My friend ordered a mini plate as well and her salad was on the side wilted. Very disappointed in this place. We ordered 6 plates total. No one was pleased with their food. In fact we dumped the lettuce because it was black and wilted and just ate the fish. Needless to say we are all still hungry. This was my first time and my last time here. I give it 0 stars but it made my choose one.
(1)
Erin Y.
I do not love the parking lot or the location. It's close to my ex's workplace, so chance of running into him is high. Do not like. The food, however, is excellent. I try to go early to avoid the lunch rush and to get parking since the private lot is shared by about 3 other businesses (including a tattoo shop [like] and a porn store[dislike]). Usually I get a parking stall, usually the most unfavored one by the dumpster. I've tried the dynamite and the salmon salad in this particular location. Sooooooo good. If I could speak pidgin, it would be, "Eh bra, the buggah was ono!" I love both dishes so much, it makes it hard to make a decision there. The salmon salad has this great dressing on it and is so perfectly cooked each time. The dynamite is the right amount of mayo and not at all overbearing. I've also tried Koi's truck at Eat the Street, and a friend and I had the ahi. To be fair, I knew it had a wasabi sauce and I do not care for wasabi AT ALL. (I will not add or minus stars for this because my friend and I had been drinking and it was our own fault that we wanted to try the ahi) The service was great. Even though they were really busy, the girls at the front were really friendly and the food came out in a relatively timely manner. We parked ourselves in the back by the boys cooking on the grill, and they were awesome too. A great place with a great truck and great people. Too bad I always get the dumpster parking. :( Also too bad I never see the truck in Mapunapuna. *hint *hint ;)
(4)
Jensine S.
One of my favorite places to take-out for lunch because I come here for the crab cakes! I'd say 95% of the time I order the crab cakes it's so good! A plate comes with two patties over cabbage, a lemon wedge, two scoops of rice, and either toss or Mac salad. I always go with the toss salad with their oriental dressing! The cakes are delightfully made with real crab and dressed slightly with a this sweet/ tangy/ spicy sauce. The meal is not heavy so you're left satisfied. I like it because I can carry on with work after lunch without feeling so full! Thing about this place is limited parking and I also recommend calling in before hand.
(4)
Mr. Sonoma S.
Id say this place is a step up from L&L and zippys!!...but has some issues. Atmosphere: the building that this place is housed in is a bit run down and could definetley use a renovation. Being next to a loan shop and tattoo parlor doesnt help either...The ac isnt very cold and is basically non-existant so i prefer to do take out. However the restaurant does give you a mom and pop feel and although a bit run down, its kept fairly clean and has televisions for you to watch while you eat....or wait. Staff: of all my trips here i have to say that the staff is very friendly! Theyre nice, take your order, and are very accomidating (im one of those that buys for different people and trys to pay it all separately). They make sure you got everything you ordered and always greet you and send you off with a cheerful smile. Food: The food here is usually pretty good. I've had a bunch of their entrees in either catered or plate lunch form. I'd say everything is fairly good and there's a lot of interesting dishes you can't normally get at most places like the fried pork chops with mushroom gravy and mashed potatoes, fish entrees, shrimp dynamite, short ribs and of course their famous steak! HOWEVER..... although I find the food good, I think there's a slight problem with consistency. I'd say everything is really good....WHEN it's made good, and it can be hit or miss as sometimes there's a lack of flavor, thing's aren't coked very well (burned steak isn't my favorite meal) or overall taste is just disappointing. I consider myself to be pretty lenient as far as food quality goes, and I know it can be hard at times to come up with consistently good food, however I find that the amount of times that this place is a miss is fairly large for the amount of times that I've been here(about 70% miss). One thing I found very disappointing was the ahi salad with wasabi drizzle. The ahi itself was overcooked, hard, and the taste....I can't really describe how it was. Not good, not bad but just...odd. The wasabi sauce which I've had before was way to overpowering (and I like wasabi!) But the lettuce in my opinion was just bad. It was some wilted brownish iceberg lettuce and some trimmings like cabbage and what not. Their plate lunches normally come with nice "fancy" tossed salads so I assumed this premium salad would have that too....so I was quite disappointed to find some plain run of the mill iceberg lettuce (honestly jack in the box has a nicer tossed salad). I suspect that they ran out of the 'good stuff" and just slapped some iceberg on my salad. Add that to burned steak, tasteless macaroni salad, hard rice and other issues throughout my visits and that's why I can't give this place an excellent review sadly. Prices are ok and are pretty good for the seafood dishes. Wait times....well, just call in your orders ahead of time. Waiting for an order especially during the busy lunch time can be very long. I know you need to wait sometimes but 40 plus minutes? That's a bit too long for me. Overall I like this place, the staff is friendly, the food choices are interesting and unusual, and it can be good...when it's good... and yes, I do continue to come back (although the time between visits is getting longer)...but they need to work on the consistency and wait times. 3 stars!
(3)
Kelly M.
Gourmet plate lunch, really really good plate lunch. A bit pricy, but where else can you get crab-topped salmon or great garlic ahi with two scoops and mac or tossed? (One side note - roast pork is hard chewy cubes. It's the only thing I don't recommend here. Go to Tsukenjos if you want roast pork.)
(4)
Summer N.
A couple weeks ago for our work's weekly Friday take out lunch, a co-worker suggested Koi. The shrimp dynamite, she said, was "slap your momma good," so we drove down to Kalihi to find out for ourselves. The restaurant is small, kind of a blink-and-you'll-miss-it kind of place, located kitty corner from OCCC. Parking was tight, with only about 6-10 stalls available, but luckily I was able to squeeze my car into the last free stall. We had called in our order, so the wait was minimal. The hardest part was not devouring the food with our hands on the slow ride back to the office. By the time we got back to the office, the shrimp was a little on the limp side, but still delicious. The fried shrimp was drizzled with a spicy aioli, and came with a choice of white or brown rice and tossed or mac salad. Portion size was fair for a $9 plate lunch, and while it didn't quite want to make me slap my mom, I did end up devouring the entire plate. I definitely will be back to eat at Koi again soon, perhaps, this time to eat in.
(4)
Nat N.
We catered a few pans of food from Koi for our co-worker's retirement luncheon. 1) chinese chicken salad - this did not last very long - everyone loved it. The dressing was ono 2) chow mein - this was just ok. It was a little mushy. 3) Mochiko chicken - winnahs! The chicken was not overly greasy or fatty. Perfecto. 4) boneless kalbi with garlic teri sauce - a lot of people said it was a little salty, and even I, a lover of salt, thought it was a bit salty. But, I still liked it because the meat was tender and not dry. 5) Roast Pork with gravy - always a winner!
(4)
Jerome B.
Ok, it's the season for fish Fridays and I'm determined not to let the kalbi, meat jun, garlic chicken or seasoned pork chops faze me from my annual "emulation" of Jesus. There are a few dirt dive restaurants to go to get some fish, but I usually gravitate towards Koi's. It's a real hole-in-the-wall whose location (a stone's throw from a correctional facility) only adds to its locale's dangerous-but-I-gotta-try-it aura. Today's special was the Salmon Katsu sprinkled with furikake, a side salad with pesto dressing and brown rice. Yes, the last two options were healthy-ish, it's great a hole-in-the-wall even offers brown rice! Many things at this restaurant are good, the salmon katsu was no exception. If the cut of salmon were larger, I think the fish would have been even juicier. But I can't complain, the salmon was still very good. Koi's is as reliable as they come for good food and pretty quick pick-up if you order ahead. Emulating Jesus' fasting can still involve good food if you know the right places!
(4)
Mobile G.
Koi bento with the steak, garlic chicken, and the ahi stuff is awesome!
(5)
Bradley H.
So i ventured away from the fish plate lunches since they have a steak plate lunch where the steak won some award for taste somewhere...so i took the leap. ONO...not "Oh no!"...ONO! The steak was slightly more cooked than medium/rare, but it was very well flavored, and me and a friend both enjoyed it. The garlic something sauce that comes with it is pretty awesome, and i'd have to say i have a new favorite dish over there now. I've yet to have anything from Koi that was less than great...looking forward to going back again soon. Happy Eating!
(5)
Jane S.
This is a review about their catering services. Once the food arrived I mostly forgot about their lousy communication skills. Be prepared to wait a LONG time for emails to be returned if at all. Lesson learned. Now back to the food. The steak was generous and perfectly cooked. it came with their miso ginger sauce which is really divine. The garlic chicken was good but had a lot of skin so we won't be ordering that again but luckily there are many other treats on their menu to choose from. The salad was also generous and fresh - no iceberg lettuce in sight! The butter mochi was warm, sweet, chewy perfection and just melt in your mouth kick ass delicious. Delivery was prompt and the food was hot.
(4)
Joseph N.
I get the sense, that if your selective, this place can be a great experience. Out of the two plates ordered, there was a serious contrast between them. One was the Garlic Chicken Plate, that honestly, I would not order again. On the other hand, was their Dynamite Shrimp that left me speechless. It's as if these plates came from two different restaurants. This place gets four stars for the shrimp, service and comfortable environment. I'll be back to try more and hopefully other items will be as impressive as the dynamite shrimp plate.
(4)
Ramfis B.
Ok foodies, like i said there are certain place to eat and Kalihi has so much to offer. At Koi, the draw here is the Steak Plate. The Steak is so moist and tender and they have daily specials as well. The owners here are very charming and accomodating. It is always a treat coming here time and time again....
(4)
mia o.
Why didnt I try this place earlier???? Cheap and Great food! I was kind of getting board of eating similar food although I love food in Hawaii. This place gives a kick, and let me explore the other way of enjoying same meals. *Fried Ahi came with sauce that is mastard and wasabi type of flavor, a bit sweet and sour. delicious! *Garlic chicken, I was thinking Aiea bowls makes it the best, but now I like KOI's better. Sorrry Aiea bowl... *Steak, it is marinated very well. *Rice comes with generously with Furikake on the top. (Yatta~!!) My hubby wanted to go back there for dinner tonight after eating lunch there today. Unfortuantely, they are not open for Dinner.....(T T)
(5)
Jennifer T.
Great gourmet lunchwagon located in the parking lot across the street from the Blaisdell. I called and ordered a fairly big order (10+ plates) in the morning. Drove right up to the truck, found decent parking, and they had my food ready and waiting for me to pick up immediately. The portions were decent and the food was good. I only got to try the short ribs, and they were delicious. Others in my group had the furikaki mahi, the garlic chicken and the grilled steak, and they were all a hit.
(4)
Nick W.
This place deserves some quasi-inappropriate yelp lovin' for being amazing. our friend recommended we try this as soon as we landed (from california). and I hate myself for not visiting hawaii sooner and thus allowing me to eat Koi sooner. Bullet points for this place: *Order their Koi Bento Box if it's your first time... what is it you ask? Stop asking questions I'll say. Just do it. *Their garlic chicken is stupid good.. chicken should not taste like that because the phrase "it takes like chicken" loses it's meaning - but I still approve of the flavor *Their wasabe sauce is both great and painful to non-wasabe eaters. I loved it. You should too or you're a square bear *The lady at the counter remembered us when we came back 2 days later with another friend. She remembered a lot about our previous conversations. A+ for the service. *We got the same thing the next time and also wanted to try something new, (couldn't order too much, that bento is filling), so the nice lady recommended the dynamite shrimp.. Holy hell was that good.. I *heart* you nice lady for that recommendation. One of my favorite things I have ever eaten, anywhere *They also have a famous food truck (as seen on tv!) - I want one in my area... now... *Follow them on @koicatering on twitter - and give them some quasi-inappropriate twitter love as well A must make stop on your hawaii travels. Thank you! you're welcome
(5)
Kenny A.
First time going to this place and tried the Pork Chop Plate. All in all pretty good, only complaint I have is there wasn't enough dressing for the tossed salad. They charge $0.25 more for the creamy pesto dressing and it comes in a really small cup that was only half full. Other than that, the food had good taste. Would recommend and would go back to try other dishes.
(4)
Mary P.
Good ol' 'Yelp' to the rescue yet again. We ended up in this hole-in-the wall (my favorites) and our taste buds leaped for joy! Hubby & I ordered the furikake mahi-mahi, salmon topped with crab salad & grilled steak & shrimp combo. The fish was cooked perfectly, the steak was tender paired with large tasty shrimp & the salad was more like an entree than an appetizer with real crab, no imitation going on here. We were so stuffed, but kept drooling over the other items on the menu. So we ended up ordering their mini-plates of garlic ahi & mushroom chicken. We're such fatties! The lady behind the counter was surprised when we ordered again. We took it back to our hotel room & ate it later. It was definitely worth the extra caloric intake, but who's counting anyway? Especially in Hawaii.
(5)
Eddie C.
I first tasted their food at an event where they provided catering. I instantly became a fan. Every dish was amazing, and I just had to keep having more. Then I just found out that they had an actual restaurant. Went there today, and am still a huge fan. Got the dynamite shrimp, which was perfectly fried, with the shrimp nice and hot, with a fresh, gentle crisp/crunch to the shrimp meat. The oriental dressing for the tossed salad was also really good. But it was not an easy decision in regards to what to order. This is one of those places where I probably just spent 10 minutes standing there staring at the menu trying to figure out which option out of many delicious-sounding ones I wanted to try. Needless to say, I will be going back. I also went right before closing at 1:45pm, so I did not have to deal with lack of parking or crazy lines.
(5)
Jesse G.
I've bought lunches from Koi's lunch wagon half a dozen times before so I was already familiar with the menu items and cooking style of this place. I wasn't much of a fan as the quality of the lunches seemed to go down and the freshness of the seafood items was always at question. A friend of mine told me that the restaurant location was much better than the lunch wagon so I decided to give this place a try and went there for lunch with a bunch of colleagues. I'd previously been known to make the right recommendations for lunch, but with this suggestion my reputation was tarnished. This place gets a big thumbs down from me on both service and food quality. Our food took so long to get ready. It was as if there was only one cook in the back in the middle of lunch hour. After I got my food in about 10 minutes from the time I ordered, we had to wait an additional 15 minutes for my colleague to get his food. Considering that most people get about an hour for lunch, having to wait 25 minutes to eat is unacceptable. Now on to the food. I ordered the Blackened Ahi Salad. Upon opening the styrofoam plate I was immediately greeted by a strong fishy smell. I recognized that smell from the times I ate their lunch wagon food. I cut into the fish to see that it wasn't blackened ahi at all, but instead it was well done, cooked through-and-through. I could taste that the fish was far from fresh and that it was over-seasoned with salt and cayenne pepper, among other spices, to mask it. If the fish isn't fresh then the restaurant should take blackened ahi off the menu. Blackened ahi should be rare on the inside so it requires that you use fresh fish. What a disappointment that was. My coworker ordered the crab cakes. She complained that it was mostly corn meal with hardly any crab. I could see that it was completely falling apart and she cut into it. It did not look appealing at all. My coworker left feeling hungry and robbed of her lunch money. My other coworker enjoyed his special bento without complaint. I don't think I'm going back here again. I got home with the runs later that night from eating bad fish. If you go here, stick with the garlic chicken or other non-seafood items.
(1)
Angela A.
Koi's butter mochi is to die for! They even ask if you want the crispy ends or soft middle. It's to perfect way to end a meal :)
(5)
Amanda Z.
The husband and I were looking for a place to grab lunch one day. I busted out my phone and searched for restaurants nearby on my handy dandy Yelp app. Koi sounded promising, so off we went. Missed the restaurant/parking area (about 8 spaces) on the first go around, so had to circle the block. I decided to go with the shrimp dynamite, and the husband got the koi bento. It took about 20 minutes to get our food, but luckily the food was delicious, so I forgot about the long wait. Note to self: next time call in our order. The shrimp dynamite came with about 10 decently large shrimp, lightly battered and fried and then smothered with yummy sauce. Sooo good, I didn't want to share! The koi bento had the garlic ahi with wasabi sauce, steak with dipping sauce and garlic chicken (all tasty). The potato mac salad was good too, with some kind of herb and interesting pasta shapes in addition to the normal macaroni shape. Yum, I wish I had some shrimp dynamite right now!
(4)
Joshua C.
So good I momentarily considered not moving! Gourmet food at plate lunch prices, even a better value then the Alley. Beautiful, perfectly seasoned, wonderfully executed joy served in a styrofoam container. Don't waste your time reading this just go. Garlic Ahi Caesar | Pesto Mahimahi | Chicken & Portabello | Classic Spaghetti & Meatballs | Blacken Ahi | Crab Cakes | Grilled Steak | Kalbi | Beef Stew | Garlic Chicken | Pork Chops w/ Garliic Mash Potato This isn't the full menu and doesn't even include the daily specials. Click here to induce drooling: koi808.net/images/KoiMen… And just when you think this place can't get better, why not impress your friends and family by having Koi cater: koi808.net/menu.html This is why I Yelp. Thanks Edwina K., Liz T., Dave H., and Aaron I. for trying to get me to stay. I'll have to go here at least a few times a week before my September departure and this'll be a must visit anytime I come back. Marcus, Lendy, and Eric (Koi owner's) I think this concept would do really well in Portland--I'm just saying. *pictures: yelp.com/biz_photos/jEN6… *
(5)
Liz T.
Consider me officially hooked on Koi. This is my new favorite lunch spot thanks to Edwina K. and Aaron I. Hole-in-the-walls like this make me extremely happy Yelp exists and justifies my addiction to yelping I think. My boyfriend and I split three minis: Garlic Ahi ($5.75), Furikake Mahimahi ($6), and Mushroom Chicken ($5). They were absolutely stomach-satisfyingly delicious! The ahi had a crispy outside that was perfect with the koi wasabi sauce. The mahimahi was moist, bursting with flavor, and enhanced by the wasabi tartar sauce. The chicken was lightly battered and fried and melted under a bed of mouthwatering gravy. I loved everything I inhaled in front of me! As I was leaving the place I planned my next lunch here: Grilled Steak, Garlic Shrimp, and Blackened Ahi. Mmmmmm! The cheap minis are great because you can try a little of everything. Check out the yummy food photos I posted.
(5)
Emily L.
I tried their garlic chicken plate when I was at the Biggest little air show on Fort Island. For just ~ 7 bucks I got a LOT of food. You can choose from white/brown rice and mac salad/salad. They were generous with the amount of food they gave you. I couldn't finish my plate, but I'm a small eater. Although fried food is mind-blowingly delicious, I've been trying to significantly cut down on my junk food binge eating, but I was hungry that day so i got the garlic chicken which IS fried. I was extremely pleased that it wasn't overly fried or oily at all. Just enough to give it a crispy warm texture on the outside and soft and flavorful on the inside. Just the way I like it! If you order their fried products (or any fried products at any place), you must eat it fresh or it'll become soggy and bleh, not that great. That first bite was yummy yummy and even though it got stale (cause i saved some for later) toward the end of the day, it was still good. Hahaha. You know the food must be good if it can still taste good when it's not 100% fresh. Thanks for making it out to Fort Island that day Koi!
(4)
Ashley T.
Awesome food. Healthy & delicious food with reasonable prices! A must try. They also have a lunch wagon stationed across of Neil Blaisdell Concert Hall. If going to restaurant, parking lot is small & hard to find street parking.
(5)
Yvonne M.
This place is a HIDDEN GEM in Kalihi! There is so much flavor in this food it's outrageous! Asian fusion at its best! I ordered the the Garlic Ahi with the their secret wasabi sauce and my husband ordered the Furikake salmon. The Garlic Ahi was evenly cooked and the sauce is to die for! It was creamy, but light with the perfect amount of wasabi spice. The furikake salmon was moist and flavorful (teri like sauce). I like that you have options like brown rice and toss salad (for the health conscious). Coming here next time to order their signature steak dish and I'm pretty sure I won't be disappointed. Hours are weird, probably because they are a catering co. Open Tues - Fri. 11-2 and 5-8:30, Sat. 5-10pm, closed Sundays (boo!) and Mondays.Small parking lot. Decent amount of seating. Could be better with customer service though. We were wondering where our food was, come to find out our food was sitting at the counter! Lucky their food is delicious. It definitely overrides that any day for me! (unless it happens the second time) ;P
(5)
eric e.
I had the furikake mahi plate and it was great. Serving size, seasoning, & price was spot on. It's amazing how busy this place gets but know i know why.
(4)
Cy C.
When in town and I'm craving for a fancy plate lunch I always go to Nico's. So I always use NIco's to compare other fancy local plate lunch places. In my search for other places to go I found Koi's on Yelp. I heard some good things about this place so why not. Went with my wife and my parents. Best way to describe its location is its almost across OCC couple blocks away from Marukai. I had the crab cakes which was okay but not great. My wife had the special furikake salmon which was prefectly cooked but a little sweet. My dad had the braised short ribs which tasted like a pot roast. My mom had a Ahi bowl (which is actually fried poke on rice) Overall I wasn't estactic but happy and will come back again to try other dishes. Looks small from outside but they have at least 7 tables for you to sit down. It looks like a pretty new joint. The biggest issue is very limted parking. Don't worry I don't think they have the fish Koi on the menu.
(4)
J R.
Tried this out today at a meeting we had the catering service for. The food was not too bad. I've had better, but it was okay. We had chopped steak, char siu, rice, and noodles. The steak was flavored well. Not too salty and not too peppery. You can't really mess up rice, so that's a given. The char siu was pretty good too. I think that there are other places out there that are better, but this place isn't a bad choice either. Food: I'd give it a 3/5 Catering service: I'd give them maybe a 2/5. They were almost an hour late in delivery, and the natives were getting restless. So that's not good.
(2)
Dave H.
What happpened?! I went today for lunch and got the "Award Winning" Steak. What awards did this steak win? B/c it wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be. Thick slices, cooked to medium heat, but not tender and not flavorful. Achk! I was looking forward to this place because I rarely come home to the islands these days. I'll probably give it another chance when I forget how bad today's lunch was...maybe 6 months or so.
(2)
Madaline H.
Ive been eating this food since 2002, always a winner!
(5)
Thomas P.
Okay I have given this place a low rating based on one dish and one dish only. I got the Crab Cake meal. Being from the East Coast when I saw Maryland Blue Crab on the details I instantly became ecstatic. I love home made crab cakes from Maryland, where I am from. When I make them at home, I buy the meat from Costco for like 8-12 bucks a pound, I make several of these guys. I make them with lump, back fin or claw meat. If it is too clumpy I may use a fork to whisk it around and break some clumps up. Then I will add an egg or 2, some old bay, paprika and other spices. Sometimes I will add cold butter diced real small. If I feel like having something else I will add minced garlic and/or onion, but only a TINY amount, as in like 2 tablespoons of onion and 1 tablespoon of garlic for 2 pounds of meat. Then I would form my cakes and just place them into a container of breadcrumbs and make sure the outside is completely covered. Then fry to a golden brown and enjoy! What I got was a GREAT hushpuppy! It was moist and delicious. I did not taste any crab at all. It was cornmeal 100%. Not one lump of meat. I did however find a grayish speck of something and I think it could have been some sort of meat. Please do not ADVERTISE made with a mixture of Maryland blue crab claw and imitation crab when there is maybe 1 pound of crab, 1 pound of imitation crab and 10 pounds of cornmeal and binders. It was the single most disappointing thing I ever ate with high expectations. The description made no mention of cornmeal or any binders, I thought great it is going to be a meaty crab cake, but I was wrong. There was no meat at all in there and after I ate it I felt queasy from the grease that the cornmeal mixture must have absorbed. The sweet chili aioli sauce was good, mayonnaise and sweet chili sauce is kind of hard to mess up, but then they put the lemon wedge on top of the sauce. How am I supposed to squeeze the lemon on the crab? It is covered in sauce. Technically it was not even a wedge just a slice of lemon because it was too thin to squeeze even if I could. So overall I can not describe the whole ambiance because I just got it to go for lunch, but I will NEVER go back there again for crab cakes. If they would like I could educate them on how a crab cake is supposed to be made. After reading some other reviews on here I can see that I am not the only one who is disappointed at this menu item.
(1)
Andy D.
Upscale plate lunch food - a trend that seems to be really thriving right now. The prices are comparable to L & L, and cheaper than the similar The Alley at Aiea Bowl. Oh, but the food...the food is so much better. Again, its nice to have a choice of green or mac salad and brown or white rice. Got two mix plates today. Went home to share with my mom, so I could try more food. The pork chops with garlic mashed potatoes were delicious. Nice crust, but the meat was a little too tough. The garlic chicken was good, nice big pieces of meat. The hamburger steak was good - the gravy was great, but it would have been so much better if the hamburger was better. It was way too thin and too dry. The steak was so good too. While I'm not quite on the five-star bandwagon yet, this is a great plate lunch place. I might need to go back again to see about upping it one more star.
(4)
Edwina K.
Definitely agree with Aaron! One of my co-workers used Koi to cater a special occasion and raved about them. One by one, she got us hooked and now our company uses them for almost every event! How funny. My favorite is the furikaki mahi w/ wasabi tarter - sooooooooo GOOD! Too good that I haven't tried anything else. My other co-workers have tried the garlic ahi and beef stew - all positive reviews. And the portions are enough for two people. What's great about this place is that they give you the option of white or brown rice. I love brown rice so Koi already had 3 stars and the furikaki mahi added the Woohoo! They also have a lunch wagon on Kilihau Street. Yummy food! Great find!
(5)
Monica S.
I have to agree with Mako H's review. I, too, was anxious to try this place because of the Yelp reviews and was also thwarted by the hours, but Koi's didn't cut it for me. Koi's closes @ 2p. No points off for my mistake, but I persevered and made it in the next day determined to see what all the fuss was about. Here's what my group of 4 tried: garlic ahi salad: overcooked garlic butter shrimp: overcooked and shrimp wasn't fresh tasting poke plate: overcooked furikake encrusted mahi mahi: overcooked, but better than the others grilled steak: overcooked and too sinewy making it difficult to eat kalbi: good, but I've had better The total with drinks cost $41 which is fine for mini dishes, but quality wise I can't justify coming back. Sorry. Let me tell you what I liked about Koi's is that they offered a very small green salad as a side instead of all that rice & mac. Vegetables are lacking in the Hawaiian diet so I appreciated the non-starch option.
(2)
Lisa K.
Jumping on the bandwagon. A great addition to the Kalihi plate lunch scene. Furikake mahi - moist and flavorful. Don't really need the wasabi tartar suace Grilled steak - cooked perfectly medium with a ginger sesame dipping sauce Garlic chicken - fried goodness with a really crispy skin. Not greasy or heavy. The sauce poured over is your typical sweet/shoyu.
(5)
Elvin B.
Haven't been here in awhile but what I noticed was that there are more seats! I don't have a favorite because whatever I order it's really good. The staff is also friendly and the place is clean. Parking sucks, but it's not worth losing a star...
(5)
Lorna M.
My pallet requires a meal with substance, variety, and bold flavors for me to go "OMG I'm coming back". Tonight I had the dynamite shrimp with salad and oriental dressing. The dressing was ono! Not sure if they make a dressing that tastes similar to this that you can buy off the shelves. The shrimp was so-so. It tasted like tempura which I love, but the sauce that they used did not compliment it appropriately. I think it may have been a bit too salty and not what I expected. I also got the brownie that they had made that day. This was the winnahs!!! It was soft and gooey and just absolutely made of perfection. The cashier told me it had almond rocca in it but I didn't taste any almond or rocca in it, but nonetheless it was AWESOME! So in short, the salad good, the shrimp mahhh, and the brownie: IMMA BE BACK FOR MORE.
(3)
Jamie D.
Food is awesome! Love the Bento....my favorite! Service was great too!
(5)
Stephanie I.
I've been going to Koi for a few years now and had this been at the precipice of my visits here I would have awarded 5 stars, but it just seems like every time i go back the quality of their food gets worse and worse. I went here for lunch today, craving a really great salad, but decided to splurge on some plate lunch food instead. I ended up ordering a mini hamburger steak. First of all, holy crap that was an incredibly small mini. I'm not sure if it's because i'm used to places that have gigantic portions and moderately portioned smalls, but i was pretty floored at how little the portions had gotten at Koi. My hamburger steak came with a little scoop of rice, tiny hamburger patty (which happened to be entirely burnt on side, and that's just another paragraph of ranting all in itself), and some tossed greens. The flavor was there, it was served hot, but i just couldn't seem to get past the burnt hamburger or the small portion, had i known, i probably would have orderd a regular. Actually, maybe it's good that i didn't because a regular sized portion of burnt hamburger steak can only lead to bad things, methinks. My friend, Heyvis, ordered the shrimp scampi and she said the shrimp was good but the pasta was bland. I'm guessing they season and cook the shrimp and the pasta serves merely as a bed of carbs to lie on and soak up the excess butter. No complaints here, we're all about carbs and butter (yay, carbs!). So... two stars because i will probably eat here again (i'm a glutton for punishment) and probably be disatisfied yet again, so i'm going to go ahead and save myself the trouble of re-reviewing and/or editing and just give them the lower star-age.
(2)
David G.
I basically work across the street from Koi so I find myself going very often. Koi has some nice plates and they are very friendly. The kitchen is extremely clean, portions are good, prices are nice, quality of ingredients are fine and wait times are reasonable. Thanks for offering so many great things and always being so nice. David... PS. I know you know who I am! :)
(3)
Les Is More M.
finally took the plunge, after hearing/reading good things about this place. it is located in a delapidated strip mall, next to a check cashing place and an adult emporium. not the best, brightest, most attractive location but you never know, sometimes you find gold in the hole-in-the-wall places. not today. ordered the bento, which featured furikake rice topped with some garlic mahi served with sweet wasabi sauce, garlic chicken and teri steak, which seemed like a boneless kalbi style. first of all, the bento isn't as big as the price tag would lead you to believe, and for $10 I'd expect something a bit bigger - or portioned out a little better. the cover of the bento features a small "peoples' favorites" sticker which indicates it was voted the best bento anywhere. I'd beg to differ, even without the price or portions, because the steak/kalbi was really salty and seemed like it was marinated too long. the garlic chicken appeared to be cooked in old oil - it was literally blackish in color. taste was just OK, but you had to brave the appearance of it before tasting it and it was overdone. the sweet wasabi sauce is the only thing that kept lunch from being a major disappointment/1 star rating - the sauce was excellent. service was decent, the cashier was friendly and polite enough and the wait wasn't bad. there's a couple items on the menu I wouldn't mind trying, but I definitely won't be in a rush to go back.
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Specialities
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : No Caters : Yes
Jarod H.
Five stars. I've only tried the steak plate here. But the steak is oh soo ono! The sauce is a nice blend with the steak and the toss salad has a, to die for, dressing on it. The blending together just makes the entire experience, heavenly. Recommended!
(5)Jayme K.
Their dynamite shrimp is AWESOME! Their pricing is very reasonable for the amount of food that they give you.
(5)Michele W.
I've had the Koi Garlic Ahi Caesar Salad a couple of times from lunch orders at work, so when the opportunity arose to bring my family here on a weekend, I thought they'd enjoy the food. So we go and they didn't know what to order so I got them the Koi Bento (it has a little of everything) and a Garlic chicken plate. My family LOVED the food there. They have actually asked several times after that day to go to Kois for lunch. So my little family of 5 give Koi's 10 thumbs up!
(5)Asako O.
It was several weeks ago that I went to have lunch at Koi Catering & Takeout for the very first time. Since their daily specials were all sold out, I had ordered the crab cakes. Just recently I went back to have lunch there again and this time I ordered their daily special, the shrimp dynamite with brown rice and toss salad. It is shrimp prepared tempura style and served over sliced cabbage and drizzled with a garlic aioli and unagi sauce. The sauce was so tasty with the shrimp which made it simply fantastic while eating it with hot rice. It is DYNAMITE! I highly recommend this place and ordering their shrimp dynamite.
(5)Glenn D.
Best blackened ahi lunch salad on the island! There's a blackened Ahi caesar salad that was a little too salty, but the plate lunches are awesome. Sometimes they run out of food if you go when they close. Plus they're not open during the weekend which is too bad. Good food in the middle of Kalihi tho.
(4)Ryan T.
Just went here for lunch today and had the Pesto Mahi over linguine with the house pesto sauce. The fish was cooked perfectly and the panko crust was just right. As this is near my workplace, this is a great alternative to the L&L type plate lunch places in the area. Although they do have a few stalls, their parking lot is pretty tight. I would recommend going there early to grab a parking stall and to beat the lunch crowd.
(4)K H.
My dad told me about koi. I finally ended up there one day and OMG! The garlic mahi or "gahi" is so good! They have a miso tartar sauce that is addicting. My dad says that the whole menu is good, but every time I go there, I end up just getting the gahi. I try and make it there weekly. And lastly the staff is always very nice!
(5)Christopher C.
Visit: 10/21/09 - Lunch. Had the Garlic Chicken. The garlic chicken was really good. I think better than sugoi. It didn't leave me with the overwelming taste that sugoi's chicken does. The chicken is nice and crispy and the garlic sauce is tasty. Price was pretty good. I would come back.
(4)Katie K.
I was just introduced to Koi's and all I have to say is Wow! Why didn't anyone ever tell me about this place sooner! So far all I have gotten a chance to try is the Blackened Ahi Caeser, but I will definitely be back! The fish was so fresh and perfectly seared with just the right about of seasoning. The salad itself was huge and I realized after I could have been just as satisfied with the smaller option! Besides their seafood options, I've heard great things about their Chicken Katsu and Garlic Chicken. Needless to say, I hope to keep coming back here until I've tried it all!
(5)Mahina C.
After my doctors appt in Kalihi, my doc told me about this place down the street from her office. I love hole in the wall places just because you know they put more loving in their food rather then just serving something out of the freezer. The steak is good, but their chicken with mushroom gravy is BOMB! I use to go all the time after school for lunch and when i finally went back here after a few months, they took off the shrimp dynamite! That was like an orgasm in your mouth. so hence the subtraction of one star, but overall it's delicious!
(4)Les U.
I've seen the sign but never read it. Just found out that the proceeds from the brownies and butter mochi go straight toward medical bills for the owner's son. He has ALL (acute lymphocytic leukemia), sometimes referred to as childhood leukemia. If you went to the last Kakaako event, he was selling lichee lemonade. I like the treats at Koi, really great snack during my bike rides. Give it a try, the butter mochi is really ono.
(5)Cassie F.
Honestly, the best food I had in Hawaii!
(5)Aaron B.
Bento w/ garlic chicken, grilled steak, and ahi. The chicken was light and tastey w/ mild garlic flavor. The steak was grilled nicely with a smokey flavor (overdone for my taste, i like it rare/ medium rare.) The ahi flavor was nice with a hint of wasabi spice (would have been perfect more on the rare side.) Gotta say the rice was fantastic, bad rice can ruin a whole bento. I am a bigger boy and only wish there was more food? Especially the steak (will buy again). One of the better $10 plates in kalihi. Koi will make it into my weekly resturant rotation.
(4)Monica L.
**UPDATE** They're now open!! --------------------------------------------------Â----------------------------------------------- I went there today and they said they're closed til Jan.4 for the holidays. Try calling if you want to make sure. I tried their food at Taste of Honolulu (seared ahi + wasabi sauce) and it was deeelicious!
(4)Dan N.
Good quality food you really get what you pay for phone order is best garlic mash potatoes 50 cents a scoop wow
(4)Shelley K.
I've been wanting to try this place for awhile cause a friend of mine told me it was really good. I finally got to try it the other day for lunch. I have to say for a small place it was very popular cause there was a line. I had ordered their pesto mahimahi and my bf ordered the garlic ahi and we also got their blue velvet cupcakes. That's right, I said BLUE! My plate was okay. The mahimahi was cooked and seasoned perfectly. The pesto linguine, I didn't care for it. The menu said it was mac nut pesto (which I LOVE!) but on my plate, it looked like regular pesto made with pine nuts. I hate pine nuts and it had little chunks of the nuts in it. That was a disappointment. My bf's plate was delicious! I loved the garlic ahi, especially their wasabi aioli. Was really good! The BLUE velvet cupcakes were delicious!! It had white chocolate chips baked in the middle which added an extra sweet but the cream cheese frosting was nice and cheesy so it balanced out the sweet and salty. Very nice! I think I gotta go back and try some other things on their menu. Maybe then I'll add another star :)
(3)Art G.
Slow down when you get near this place because you'll miss it. Not much parking, so I try to go here a little before lunch time around 10:30. Call ahead if you're in a rush. Staff is very friendly and if you eat in, the place is nice and clean. I always make sure to get the "Dynamite" shrimp with what ever else I'm getting. The Steak and Garlic Ahi is also "winnah".
(4)Scott W.
Chose Koi for a retirement party thanks to good yelp reviews and was not disappointed! ALL the food (garlic chicken, crusted ahi w/ sweet wasabi sauce, kalbi beef, kalua pig-best I've tasted, and mac salad was delicious. All our guests were going back for more! Great, friendly service too! Mahalo, Koi!
(5)Kelly T.
I had the kalua pig plate at the Wa'a event at Kualoa beach park from their food truck. It was the best kalua pig I've ever had. Not to toot my own horn but I'm pretty much a kalua pig connoisseur! It was just moist and simply delicious. Def plan on visiting their permanent location!
(4)Jennifer Y.
The food here is off the charts! Every single item we've ever ordered is exceptionally delicious and consistent. We've tried the grilled steak, furikake mahi, garlic chicken, opah dynamite special, shrimp dynamite special, mochiko chicken. We would've tried other items, but they're so good about quality control and they're so popular, they sell out by the time we get there after peak-lunch hour. This place is a keeper!
(5)Darrell P.
Great salads. Garlic Ahi salad with the wasabi sauce was winner. Wasabi sauce had a little bit of a bite too but wasn't overwhelming but just perfect. Romaine lettuce with other geens were well worth the $8.00 and change. My partners said their Furukaki Mahi plate was excellent. The staff was very friendly and the order didn't take very long either. I would recommend this place to anyone.
(4)Kauhi M.
If your in the Kalihi area go and check this place out! it's a must try! Chicken Portabello Mushroom with pasta! one of my favorites! I got a few more Steak with Dynamite Shrimp aka Konfrontation Special Hands down just killer also the Bonless Kalbi or the Braised Bonless Shortribs! Junior and Lendy and Eric are on point with the menu and service with ALOHA! Note they are now open for dinner on Thursdays and Fridays call them for the hours. IMHO you just gotta try for yourself and make your own judgement!
(5)Shon S.
My colleagues and I always come to Koi whenever we're in town for business. It's close to the office (Sand Island) and the people there are friendly and remembers us when we drop by once or twice a year. I guess when we go there for lunch every day for a week or two, the staff is bound to think we're nuts about them. They expanded their place so now there are plenty of seats during lunch. I will be going to Hawaii in a few weeks, so I guess we'll be eating this place everyday again. Most recommendable.
(5)Jenny C.
After seeing some great pictures of their food, I just had to try it! I got my office into it and we put in an order last week. I'm sad to report that the food I got myself was not so good. I should have went with my gut (they had prime rib on special!). Anyhow, I got the pork chops with garlic mashed potatoes. The potatoes were great, the pork not so much. I did not expect the pork to be made tonkatsu style, just thicker and well....rougher. My coworkers tried the prime rib and the braised shortribs and they had nothing but praises....so I am definitely looking forward to trying that! I also like this place because they have their own parking lot! Score especially for Kalihi!
(4)sky i.
I waded through 40 minutes of traffic during Friday's rush hour reaching Koi only to discover it closed at 2pm. I spent another 50 minutes traveling empty handed to a home with a slighly angry and very hungry wife. So I vowed to try again the next day. When I arrived, having already invested 110 minutes and $10 worth of fuel, I whispered to myself through gritted teeth that this had better be worth all the effort. In fact, I vowed that I'd leave Joshua C. and Liz T. out of my will if the food was less than awesome. Well, luckily for them, the grindz was YUMerrific and ONOlicious (yeah, I know they're not real words, but it ain't like I'm writing a term paper for English Lit. 101). My wife and I sampled the steak & shrimp combo, the crab cake, and the mushroom chicken. These are sliver fork and knife quality foods at plastic fork and styrofoam prices. Very impressive. We pretty much polished off the whole thing in about 5 minutes. Hehehe. I'd probably order lunch here everyday if weren't so dang far from work. Oh well. Oh, and by the way, in case you're wondering what I'm leaving you in my will: Joshua C., I'm leaving you my 8 track tape of Barry Manilow's Greatest Hits and Liz T., you can have my copy of 'E&O's Secret Recipes' because I know how much you LOVE that restaurant ;-) Hahaha. Seriously, good call on this one. Thanks, Josh and Liz. And please keep in mind, for the rest of the Yelpers, that they're open for lunch service only. Hours are M-Sat, 10am-2pm.
(5)Rie A.
I ordered koi bento. The cashier was friendly and food was really good! Parking is really small so it will be hard to find a spot when you go there lunch time.
(5)Max K.
Aloha Yelpers, I've visited here for lunch a bunch of times. Great food...parking is very difficult most of the time. I think if their parking situation was better, they'd get more business. Often I'll spin around a few times and if I still can't get a space, forget it...next! Absolutely love their Garlic Ahi and their bentos are awesome. It seems like their servings have gone down a little the last few visits. They're food is delicious and the friendly smile when you walk in the door is always a plus. They have a lunch wagon that parks along side of Queen's Hospital on the Ewa side of the Board of Water Supply Bldg. on Beretania St. I'm sure they're busy too.
(4)Laurie A.
Great place for some Ono grinds at great prices. I enjoyed the hamburger steak; lots of taste, a little on the salty side but not over cooked and moist. Crab cakes were the best - the sauce makes it a winner!
(4)Sho U.
A gem. The Koi bento is a must.
(5)Angie T.
Oh man, oh man.. Best plate lunch place EVER! I went to this place thinking it was going to be more, shall I say, plate lunch quality! Panko crusted mahi-mahi over pesto linguine is clearly too fancy of a dish to be serving it in a styrofoam container, but hey, I'm not complaining! The food here is great, my only complaint would be that they're a bit short on the seating. However, if they expanded this into a full-sized restaurant, they would STILL be packed full!
(5)Chad G.
Don't order the mini just go for the regular, for about two dollars more it's way worth it, trust me. Everything is awesome! Especially if you have space later for there to good to be true desserts. The Wasabi sauce they use is one of a kind, I loce it on the mahi mahi. Very busy around lunch time, and they close at two.
(4)Shannon C.
We catered food from here yesterday for our church youth group Christmas party. We ordered the garlic chicken, hamburger steak, kalua pork, chow mein, mac salad, and garden salad. Everyone enjoyed it! They kept going for seconds and thirds and so forth! Can't wait to try the other things on the menu! Also the staff is really nice and friendly! YUMMY!
(5)Kristen C.
More like a 3.5 until i try more items. I came here because Tani's Lunchwagon down the street ran out of furikake salmon and I was craving for some kind of fish and i remembered this place. The parking lot is really tight and even when i came at around 11:40 am there were some open stalls so lucky for me. I came in and there were 4 other people waiting to order. So while deciding between the garlic ahi, blackened ahi, furikake mahi, or the special panko mahi with mango salsa, i finally decided on the blackened. I got the mini with brown rice and tossed salad which came up to $6.28 (w/ tax). The lady at the counter was nice and even offered a stamp card where you buy 12 minis and get $3 off your next purchase. Well I waited for my dish for maybe 5-10 mins. The ahi was a good size portion that was covered in a wasabi sauce that I didnt really like because I dont really like wasabi to begin with so i just tried to wipe it down as much as I could and then added tabasco for a better, less pungent, heat. Overall it was delicious and the spices on the fish was pretty good but next time i'll order it w/o the sauce
(4)Eiich O.
really good hamburger steak. however, they screwed up my order which is why i only gave them 3 stars.
(3)Cielo A.
Ono grinds at great prices!
(4)Katrice K.
After all the good stuff I heard about this place I decided to try it. I ordered the shrimp scampi and my boyfriend ordered the furikake crusted ahi. It was not good. The scampi and noodles had no taste, I don't even think they put anything on it. The furikake crusted ahi salad was ok, too much wasabi for me and nothing I would eat again. I had also went there before with my mom and I had the garlic chicken and my mom had the steak. The garlic chicken does not stand out in my memory and the steak was just ok. I would not go back since I feel I can get better plate lunches for cheaper elsewhere.
(2)P C.
UPDATE: picked up lunch for the office today. Had the steak and portobello mushroom salad and also tried some of my coworker's muchroom chicken. The salad wasn't as fresh as last time. Still great though. The portion seemed smaller for some reason. Maybe I was just really hungry today... The mushroom chicken was good. Koi's version is breaded, deep fried (maybe Baked) chicken with their mushroom gravy on top. So it's a little different than what you may think of the typical plate lunch version which is usually chicken thighs cooked in cream of mushroom style gravy. My other co-worker had the crab crusted slamon salad. i didn't have a chance to try it but it looked really delicious. I'm definitely going to try that next time.
(4)Nel O.
First of all I'd like to give kudos to Lendy and her crew, they did an amazing job catering our event! She was helpful, friendly, and very accommodating when we had a last minute add on. I had so many compliments on the food, especially the Grilled Steak with ginger sesame sauce. It was so tender and broke da mouth ono! Everything had to be carried up a steep staircase, but the crew didn't fuss or complain, they delivered our order on time and it was all kept warm too! If you are looking to cater an event and are tired of the usual suspects then look no further than Koi Catering and Takeout. From start to finish they exceeded our expectations of a caterer: ono food, great service, and incredible quality. What more could you ask for?! I also have to thank Yelpers for helping me decide on a caterer, I planned our event from Illinois without even tasting 1 morsel from Koi. The reviews dont' lie! Mahalo!
(5)Camille K.
On the way out of a food truck gathering I was gifted with some fish by Marcos. I was extremely hungry and without utensils. It was also dark! As I pulled away, I broke off a piece and went directly to heaven! The fish was perfectly cooked, moist and laden with the ideal amount of wasabi sauce. Hunger and pleasure compelled me to stop and enjoy the food in the manner it deserved. Absolutely wonderful!! Thank you!!
(5)Aaron I.
Honolulu Magazine voted this find Best Lunchwagon 2006, so I knew this was already going be onolicious grinds. Da Salty Lady took me to this small take out place, where she frequents often. They actually get a few tables and chairs and I was surprised it wasn't packed. My luck because when I went to look at the menu I couldn't decide, it all sounded super ono. I decided on trying 2 miniplates, Garlic Ahi with sweet wasabi sauce and furikaki mahi with wasabi tartar, mmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The ahi wasn't overly garlicky and the sweet wasabi was served on top of the ahi, just imagine a sweet garlic moist fish. Then the mahi mahi had a nice light batter with the furikake and the wasabi tartar on the side for dipping. I actually don't like wasabi, but it was really mmmm!!!!! with the mahi. Lunch plates also come with options white or brown rice and tossed or mac salad. Rebbis family knows how to take care of their patrons, service with plenty aloha. Great service!!!! I heard the panko mahi pesto pasta is really good and I'm a sucker for miso so I'll be back for miso ahi Wednesdays and Thursdays and miso chicken and miso butterfish Fridays and Saturdays. Is there anything they can't do miso? Excellent food, service, and I can see this Koi turning into a full out sit down restuarant on day, but for now enjoy this find.
(5)Mako H.
ok ok i'll be the one to go against the grain, after reading the mouth watering reviews and trying to go there for the last 6 months (every time i'm in kalihi/sand island area i try to go)only to be denied by either their being closed or the parking so full people are waiting on the street for parking i finally got there at 10:30am today to beat the rush. ordered the "blackened ahi w/creamy wasabi sauce", maybe my idea of "blackened" is different then everyone elses, i think of seared a couple seconds on each side and delishishly RAW on the inside, well my plate came with 2 pieces of ahi about 1/4 inch thick each and so well done that not only was it cooked all the way thru but it was blackened to a crisp on the outside, about halfway thru i ran out of the wasabi sauce, i had to use a lot just to get it to slide on down and asked for more, the girl was friendly enough but i had to add as i asked for it that the fish was so dry i need something to keep from choking as i ate,, wooo weeee did i get some looks from the other people eating there, who cares, not going back there again,,,, bummers other stuff looked better. also the mac salad wasn't very good, it wasn't bad just not very good,,,,, the highlight of the meal was the rice (was it calrose or hinode) i like the better rice (that costs 30 per 10lbs from safeway
(2)Michiko H.
i haven't been dissapointed at this place at all! theres usually a lunch rush but its easier if you just phone your order in. the garlic ahi is the best and so are their salads. i can never choose what i want cause i want everything! the price is great and good size portions.
(5)surprise m.
wow! now here's a steak and shrimp combo worth yelping about! the salad was really good too because it wasn't the usual cheap iceberg lettuce crap other places give you. i got the creamy pesto as a dressing and that was good too.steak was cooked just right and i poured that dipping sauce it comes with on the steak strips,YUM! just a heads up though this place is really busy but well worth the wait. i had fun just checking out out what other people ordered so i could plan my next meal...lol! they have pics of some of their food on their site so check it out if you're curious.this place is on Dillingham blvd. right across from the blood bank. so if you're coming from the airport, it'll be on your left so don't blink you might miss it.
(5)Kurtis W.
Stopped by today after being off the island for a few months and found out they've closed. Too bad because I thought they were the best lunch plate place around.
(5)Kelli S.
I've been to Koi a few times, for both lunch and dinner. The one time I went for lunch was for a late lunch--around 2:30 p.m.--and I went for dinner at around 5:30 p.m. During both of my visits, I was pleased to see that the eatery wasn't crowded. The commute was short, since I worked pretty close to the restaurant. Koi is known for their delicious local plate lunch-style cuisine, as well as their featured desserts. You gotta check their Facebook page, though, to see what's being featured for that week/day! Though I didn't get any dessert during my visits to Koi ... there's always next time! I definitely want to try their delicious-looking cupcakes one day. Here's what I got, as well as dishes I want to try: "Furikake Mahimahi": Mahimahi is one of my favorite fishes, so it made sense to order this dish on my first trip to Koi. It featured seared island mahimahi crusted with Japanese seaweed and served with tartar sauce. I normally don't use tartar sauce, and I loved all the flavors that this dish encompassed. The mahimahi was seared and cooked perfectly--the interior was tender, moist and succulent--and the crunchy, exterior crust provided the perfect finish. I love anything covered in furikake! The plates come with your choice of white or brown rice, as well as tossed salad or mac salad. I went for brown rice and tossed salad with Ranch dressing (though next time, I would want to try the mac salad). I devoured my entire mahi for lunch (got the mini size), but if I were hungrier, I definitely would have opted for the regular portion! "Garlic Ahi Caesar Salad": My friend opted for this dish for lunch, since the eatery's known for their ahi. The entrée features Island ahi crusted with garlic panko with signature Koi wasabi sauce on a bed of Romaine lettuce, topped with Parmesan cheese and homemade croutons. This lighter entrée looked delicious, but the seared garlic ahi definitely makes it unique. The next time I come to Koi for lunch, I want to get this salad. My friend said the Romaine tasted fresh and crisp, and the homemade croutons were delightfully crunchy. "Pesto Mahimahi": When I went with a different friend to Koi for dinner, he got this pasta dish ... and it was the first time I saw someone order pasta from Koi. However, it definitely looked appetizing. It featured Island mahimahi perfectly seared with a seasoned Japanese bread crumb crust, topped with pesto-infused linguini. My friend really liked his linguini and said the pesto taste was pretty strong. The mahimahi looked delicious with its breaded crust ... if I'm going to Koi for dinner again, I would definitely want to order this entrée for myself. "Shrimp Scampi": I don't get "Shrimp Scampi" very often, but if I'm in the mood for pasta and seafood, this would be my go-to. It features tiger shrimp sautéed with garlic, butter and sweet basil on a bed of linguini and Parmesan cheese. I prefer creamy sauce over tomato/marinara any day, so I know this pasta entrée is already right up my alley. I can't wait to experience the succulent shrimp, and I'm sure the basil-Parmesan-garlic combo is amazing. "Garlic Shrimp": If I want a pure shrimped-up meal, this is my go-to. This entrée features shrimp sautéed in sweet basil, garlic and butter. I'm not sure how big the shrimp are--or how many come with the dish--but the basil-and-garlic sauce (of course, combined with melted butter) alone makes this entrée worth trying. "Garlic Ahi": Garlic flavor added to any entrée is sure to make it better ... and ahi is no exception! This dish features island ahi with a garlic-seasoned panko blend, served with signature Koi wasabi sauce. If you want to skip that salad and enjoy more of this ahi goodness, then this entrée is for you. I had a bite of my friend's seared ahi and it was amazing, so I'm sure I'll order this garlic ahi entrée for myself at some point. "Crab Cakes": This entrée features a mixture of Maryland blue crab claw and imitation crab with sweet chili aioli. Kudos for including parts of "authentic" crab in the crab cake ... I've had crab cakes before that definitely tasted like pure imitation crab (which I do like, but I feel like crab cakes should be made with real crab). This menu item is definitely toward the top of my must-try list. "Garlic Chicken": I do love a good local plate full of garlic chicken, but since this dish was located on the latter end of the menu, it was more of an afterthought. I definitely do want to try it one day, though! Based on the other entrees I've tried so far at Koi, I'm sure this chicken is coated with tons of flavor.
(4)Dae A.
Koi Catering & Takeout is CLOSING, their last day is on Friday 2/13/2015! They are catering until their last day, but as they run out of things throughout the week they are taking it off the menu. They will continue to have their Lunch Wagon near Queen's Hospital, but catering will not be available. (Lunch Wagon has a limited menu) When we heard that there wouldn't be any more Dynamite Shrimp (Dynamite anything!) we were devastated, but we were informed that the Chef would be going to OnStage Drinks & Grinds (Bar) on Kapahulu, the Dynamite Shrimp will be available as a pupu. Oh and if you love their Oriental dressing, they showed us their last bottle, they will be out of that too :(
(5)Cathy T.
Even though the a/c in this restaurant is practically non-existent I've still been here twice and plan on coming back. And that's seriously saying something about how yummy the food is here! On my first visit I brought my mom, dad, and uncle. This was a risky move on my part because I'd never eaten a KOI (not even the truck) before! But I trusted in my fellow Yelpers and am really glad I did! My uncle was unimpressed with the restaurant's appearance (it's pretty beat up) and he said that this was "working class" food. (I forgave his grumpiness because his doctor had just told him to go on a diet and eat salads.) He half-heartedly stabbed at his salad and eyed out our plate lunches hungrily.... My mom, on the other hand, really liked her food (garlic chicken). She was a little annoyed about the a/c situation but at least she's willing to go back with her friends because the food is good and decently priced. My dad didn't say anything (as usual) because he was too busy eating..... My most recent visit was one of my best friends and he LOVED the food. Koi is just a 5 minute drive from his house so he's thrilled that I introduced him to this place! "I never get full when I order fish but I'm actually full from that!" [That] was the garlic ahi plate that he ordered. I got a mini seared poke bowl and was so HAPPY that I almost cried. Food so good it'll made you cry. I think that's a great slogan!
(4)TiffanyRose L.
I havent been here before but ive tried the dynamite shrimp before(picked off a friends plate LOL) Anyway,today i decided dynamite shrimp sounded good for lunch.I read in the reviews that it takes awhile for ur order to be ready so i decided to make a phone order.Sent my bro to get it and my order was ready in 10 minutes :) I wanted to to get the shrimp and crabcake combo bt sadly they were out of crabcakes so got the garlic ahi instead..not sure how the bento was (my brothers) but i LOVED that dynamite shrimp..the garlic ahi was good too but i didnt care for that wasabi sauce too much..just not my taste. All together i paid about $34 for a Koi Bento and Dynamite shrimp and Garlic Ahi combo 2x...the portions couldve been bigger but still a good place...
(4)Sean D.
Great price for "gourmet" bentos/plate lunches! Always have a good change up on their specials. Today was Furikake Opah Katsu. Winner!
(5)Michelle And Bernard S.
I've been waiting to try this place because everything looked so good on yelp. I had the dynamite shrimp and crab cakes. They both look so much better in their pictures. Crab cakes fell apart and shrimp weren't to die for! The salad I'd have to agree with the other reviews....lacking taste (tasteless)! My husband had the koi bento...he enjoyed his meal. Next time, if there is a next time I'll just stick to their garlic ahi!
(2)Casey I.
Koi bento is the winnahz!!! So sad they're shutting down tomorrow! Thank you Lendy and team for the awesome food and great service! Aloha!
(5)Debbie L.
I ate here for the first time today since I work in the Mapunapuna area. I'm not too familiar with this but I heard a lot of good things about this place. I wasn't sure what to get, but the garlic ahi sounded tasty. And it turned out to be great! I usually don't like wasabi but their wasabi sauce on the ahi tastes soo good! It gives it the perfect kick. Portions are also large. Mini is about $8 and regular is $9, so might as well get the regular. This place deserves 5 stars. But the only reason why I'm taking one away, is because their parking lot. Koi's is located on a little strip mall with very limited parking. They also have stamp cards here. For every 12 plates you buy, you get $5 off your next purchase. So if you plan on being a frequent eater here, don't forget to get your card stamped! I look forward to trying the rest of their menu items :)
(4)Michael C.
Plate lunches kicked up to a whole new level. Yes I am definitly a fan so far of the food that I have tried. Parking wise. 3/5. Very small parking lot shared with couple of other business. So parking might be hard depending on the time that you come. Wait time. 3/5. Be aware that if they do get slammed that the wait time might be longer. This is in an industrial area so one person might go for the whole office or work crew. They try to fill the orders as fast as possible in the order that they are received. Food wise. 5/5. This is what it is all about in the end. We tried the dynamite shrimp and the pork chops plate. The dynamite shrimp, 5/5, was describe as the shrimp being tempura'ed and then having a masago sauce. Loved the sauce it just complimented the technique in which the shrimp were cooked. The pork chops, 4/5, it seemed like they deep fried it since it had a nice crispy outer texture while being firm in the center. It was accompanied by a brown gravy that went well with it. Service. 5/5. The girl working the counter was friendly and efficient. She apologrized for the long wait time it took for us to get our plates which I thought was great. Overall. 5/5. Can't wait to come back and try more of the awesome stuff on the menu. #Yelp 365 006/365 Date Visited: Saturday, August 6, 2011
(5)Michael M.
you need to have the butter mochi. That is all I have to say. DO IT!!! The Koi bento is a signature dish. I enjoy ALL the items on the menu. A healthy selection of fish is available for those who do not eat meat. Do visit the lucnh wagon and try the daily specials.
(5)Jason K.
Whew! Been here many times and ordered ahead where meals are served on time. Walked in today at 11:30 ordered at 11:41 and walked out with six (6) plate lunches. Three (3) Koi bento and two (2) salads and a Kal Bi plate. At 12:20 is when I finally got my food. I'm not expecting fast food, but almost an hour for those six (6) plates....AUWE! Not good! I haven't been in a while and I think this experience jogged my memory as to why. The salad I ate was totally drenched in dressing and was soggy. Bleh!! Don't order the blackened ahi salad. My friends meal, the crab topped salmon salad had very little lettuce and seemed more like a side dish. The others who ordered the standard fare Koi bento and Kal Bi plate said there dish was what they expected. Very good! Please know that one day someone with an attitude may not be so quiet in your shop and that yes, aloha Fridays can be even busier than any other weekday. That should not be the customers fault. Especially those who get overlooked for walking in and ordering. It's a shame, I used to give a lot of business to you guys. Now, I've gone from being a loyal customer to someone who will no longer return. Customer service with a friendly smile and apology goes a long way as opposed to making excuses about being "really busy".
(2)Beth I.
This place is BUSY! A coworker saw a review about Koi on the local news yesterday and was really interested in checking it out for lunch. We called in for take out around 1130am and it was ready when we got there (about 20 min). We waited a while in line to pay for our order and the line continued to grow. Only downer is that the parking lot is nuts and one person had to wait in the car to juggle around because there were no stalls left to park. I had the pesto mahi mahi which is a pair of mahi fillets panko crusted and served over pesto linguine. It came with two pieces of garlic bread and a small salad. My coworkers enjoyed the crab topped salmon (which I'm interested in trying next), garlic shrimp plate and the Koi bento which is garlic chicken, steak and garlic ahi. I tasted the sauce that came with the bento and it was ono! I would ask for that sauce on the side! The food is great, the fish is well cooked, and it's better than the average fish place. I'm a fan!
(4)Tien E.
Very good local food with their own unique flare added in for good measure. Sure, they have some standard items like hamburger steak but you can count on it being different than other the usual suspect smothered in gravy. Other menu items are unique enough to give you some lengthy pause as your mind digest the vivid descriptions as to what they are. I'd say you just about have to try almost every menu item they have because they each have they're own flavor. I'm always amazed at the plating or food arrangement in the Styrofoam box because it's always so neat and orderly inside, hardly any spill over to any of the divided sections in the box (no guarantee it'll stay like that if you do a takeout). If you get the chance to eat in then do it and you'll notice that this is not your typical run of the mill local plate, I think it's a few notches up! Taste, presentation....double win!
(4)Val D.
Koi's lunch truck participated in July's Eat the Street. Since it was early and no line, I decided to try their fried ahi with wasabi sauce: Fried Ahi w/wasabi Sauce - 3 stars - For $6.50, I got a mini plate of one piece of fried ahi with a sweet flavorful wasabi sauce. This sauce blended well with the ahi even I could feel the wasabi slightly stinging up my nose, but not enough to make me tear. The macaroni salad was different, made with macaroni, rotini and salad type of pasta with potatoes, carrots and celery. However, it didn't have much taste, so it wasn't the best I've had. I was a little disappointed to have such a small serving for $6.50 though. Service - 3 stars - They were friendly like most lunch trucks.
(3)Mika H.
Every time I come here I have no complaints. My food is always so good. I tend to always order fish and today was no different I ordered the garlic ahi salad. The garlic ahi is usually cooked through but I like mine rare. The Panko crust still crispy and the ahi tasted fresh. The wasabi sauce makes it!!! It was perfect on a bed of lettuce. I got some pumpkin cupcakes but didn't eat it because I got it for a friend but she said it was delish! Thank you koi!! I think you're gonna have me craving this one!
(5)Pomai S.
Recently tried Koi's: Garlic Ahi: Fresh Island Ahi Seared with a Garlic Seasoned Blend with Koi's Signature Sweet Wasabi Sauce. $8.45 Rating: 4 stars (3 SPAM Musubi) Notes: Full of flavor thanks to garlic-seasoned batter and very moist and tender, belying it's thin cut where you'd expect it be overcooked and dried out, but it's not. Their "signature" Sweet Wasabi sauce is also very good, with a subtle, complimentary sweetness to it and a good nose-clearing kick of distinguishable "Wasabi action" going on, while the white and black sesame seeds give it a nice nuttiness. Shrimp Scampi: Tiger Shrimp (really?) sauteed with Garlic Butter and Fresh Herb on a bed of Linguine. $6.75 Rating: 4 stars (3 SPAM Musubi) Notes: The shrimp were smaller than I had hoped, yet for what it's worth, they had all the flavor, sweetness and tenderness of tails twice their size. Plus they were expertly shelled and deveined, which is always appreciated. Just as important, the well-seasoned, garlic-infused butter coated all surfaces of the tail meat like glue, so it was Shrimp Scampi "flavortown" in every bite. The linguine pasta was done perfectly al dente and was flavored simply by the run-off garlic butter from the scampi. Perfect. A squeeze of the lemon and it was all good. The toasty 'n buttery french bread accompanying it was a nice touch and welcome option to mac' sal' or tossed greens. See photo section to check out the plates mentioned in this review.
(4)Scott M.
This is one of my favorite plate lunch places. Pretty much anything you get here is super good. The only thing is that I always seem to have to wait for my food, but I don't really mind (its that good!). Just make sure not to come here if you know you're in a rush and only have limited time on your lunch break. If you're not in a rush, I definitely recommend it.
(4)Misty P.
I only eat here when I am working - since I work in Kalihi. The food here is exceptional. Think of it as a gourmet plate lunch kind of place. Very creative take on a local type menu. There's everything from steaks to a fancy hamburger steak. My favorite to take out is their steak that is cooked to perfection. There is a ginger wasabi type sauce that comes with the steak that compliments it well. As always with plate lunches you get rice or mac salad. I am not a fan of mac salad so I always get tossed salad. It is always fresh and extra points for having mixed spring greens that are fresh! I absolutely hate it when a food establishment gives you iceberg lettuce for a salad! The dressing here is noms too! Another favorite of mine is the bento which comes with steak, garlic fried chicken and garlic ahi. I also love the braised shortribs that are seasoned well and I love the gravy that goes well with the rice. Service is always fast and friendly if you call in your order. Never did dine in here. The only downside is the very crowded and small parking lot.
(5)Michael G.
I'm sorry, but I can explain this in one word: Diarrhea. Went there 2 weeks ago. Had the Ahi, my two friends had the Ahi and the Mahi. It was delicious. Service was good. A little bit warm in the restaurant, but overall very good experience. Later that day, I got Diarrhea. I thought it was something I ate the night before. So, this week, went there again with a different pair of friends. Got a different Ahi plate, other two friends got Ahi and Mahi. Again, food was good, service was excellent. But same result! Diarrhea again! So I asked my two friends if they had "stomach issues." They both did! So I called my two friends from the prior visit and asked if they had "stomach issues" and they did! Both of them! Me twice with two pairs of different friends, five separate people, 6 cases of "sore stomach" = something is wrong here. I am very sad about this because the food tastes good and the service is great.
(1)Sharon N.
If there is one place I had to recommend, Koi's is the place. My fiance introduced me to this place a few months ago, and I have been hooked ever since. I can't eat enough of their food. We even drive in to town from Mililani just get lunch from Koi's. I started eating the blackened ahi, my fiance's favorite. It has just the right amount of spices, I think it's a Cajun rub, with this wasabe sauce that compliments the ahi and spices. I'm not a fan of spicy foods and thought the wasabe sauce was going to ruin it for me, but it did no such thing. It really is a melt in your mouth kind of a dish. Then, I started ordering the crab cakes and shrimp dynamite combo! It is just out of this world...sinful! I love crab cakes, and theirs is pretty darn good...moist and satisfying. The shrimp dynamite?!? Well, that should be illegal. It is ridiculous how good it is. When I first tried it, I didn't know how to react and started cracking up. I was shocked at how much flavor it packed. On top of good food, the customer service is excellent. They know me and my fiance by name! Probably because we frequent that place...A LOT! =) Koi's is a definite winner!!! Can't beat that place!!!
(5)Teresa G.
So calling in your order here is useless because your food is still not ready when you get there. We still had to wait over 20 minutes to get our food. We called in our order at 1130 and asked for it to be ready at 1230. We were ahead of schedule and showed up at 1215. We didn't get our food until 1245. The reasoning of why it took our food a long time for our food to come out is because we came early?!?!? What? Seriously? That makes no since. Are they saying that if we showed up at 1230 insread that it would of been ready? I don't think so. They weren't in the process of cooking our food when we came. We ordered 3 ahi Caesar salad. The description says that the ahi is on a bed of romaine lettuce with paresan cheese and homemade croutons. Let me tell you what came with it. Wilted iceberg lettuce with cabbage (looked liked the store bought mix bag) with the ahi in it. The only thing caesar about it was the dressing. The portion is not worth the price. My friend ordered a mini plate as well and her salad was on the side wilted. Very disappointed in this place. We ordered 6 plates total. No one was pleased with their food. In fact we dumped the lettuce because it was black and wilted and just ate the fish. Needless to say we are all still hungry. This was my first time and my last time here. I give it 0 stars but it made my choose one.
(1)Erin Y.
I do not love the parking lot or the location. It's close to my ex's workplace, so chance of running into him is high. Do not like. The food, however, is excellent. I try to go early to avoid the lunch rush and to get parking since the private lot is shared by about 3 other businesses (including a tattoo shop [like] and a porn store[dislike]). Usually I get a parking stall, usually the most unfavored one by the dumpster. I've tried the dynamite and the salmon salad in this particular location. Sooooooo good. If I could speak pidgin, it would be, "Eh bra, the buggah was ono!" I love both dishes so much, it makes it hard to make a decision there. The salmon salad has this great dressing on it and is so perfectly cooked each time. The dynamite is the right amount of mayo and not at all overbearing. I've also tried Koi's truck at Eat the Street, and a friend and I had the ahi. To be fair, I knew it had a wasabi sauce and I do not care for wasabi AT ALL. (I will not add or minus stars for this because my friend and I had been drinking and it was our own fault that we wanted to try the ahi) The service was great. Even though they were really busy, the girls at the front were really friendly and the food came out in a relatively timely manner. We parked ourselves in the back by the boys cooking on the grill, and they were awesome too. A great place with a great truck and great people. Too bad I always get the dumpster parking. :( Also too bad I never see the truck in Mapunapuna. *hint *hint ;)
(4)Jensine S.
One of my favorite places to take-out for lunch because I come here for the crab cakes! I'd say 95% of the time I order the crab cakes it's so good! A plate comes with two patties over cabbage, a lemon wedge, two scoops of rice, and either toss or Mac salad. I always go with the toss salad with their oriental dressing! The cakes are delightfully made with real crab and dressed slightly with a this sweet/ tangy/ spicy sauce. The meal is not heavy so you're left satisfied. I like it because I can carry on with work after lunch without feeling so full! Thing about this place is limited parking and I also recommend calling in before hand.
(4)Mr. Sonoma S.
Id say this place is a step up from L&L and zippys!!...but has some issues. Atmosphere: the building that this place is housed in is a bit run down and could definetley use a renovation. Being next to a loan shop and tattoo parlor doesnt help either...The ac isnt very cold and is basically non-existant so i prefer to do take out. However the restaurant does give you a mom and pop feel and although a bit run down, its kept fairly clean and has televisions for you to watch while you eat....or wait. Staff: of all my trips here i have to say that the staff is very friendly! Theyre nice, take your order, and are very accomidating (im one of those that buys for different people and trys to pay it all separately). They make sure you got everything you ordered and always greet you and send you off with a cheerful smile. Food: The food here is usually pretty good. I've had a bunch of their entrees in either catered or plate lunch form. I'd say everything is fairly good and there's a lot of interesting dishes you can't normally get at most places like the fried pork chops with mushroom gravy and mashed potatoes, fish entrees, shrimp dynamite, short ribs and of course their famous steak! HOWEVER..... although I find the food good, I think there's a slight problem with consistency. I'd say everything is really good....WHEN it's made good, and it can be hit or miss as sometimes there's a lack of flavor, thing's aren't coked very well (burned steak isn't my favorite meal) or overall taste is just disappointing. I consider myself to be pretty lenient as far as food quality goes, and I know it can be hard at times to come up with consistently good food, however I find that the amount of times that this place is a miss is fairly large for the amount of times that I've been here(about 70% miss). One thing I found very disappointing was the ahi salad with wasabi drizzle. The ahi itself was overcooked, hard, and the taste....I can't really describe how it was. Not good, not bad but just...odd. The wasabi sauce which I've had before was way to overpowering (and I like wasabi!) But the lettuce in my opinion was just bad. It was some wilted brownish iceberg lettuce and some trimmings like cabbage and what not. Their plate lunches normally come with nice "fancy" tossed salads so I assumed this premium salad would have that too....so I was quite disappointed to find some plain run of the mill iceberg lettuce (honestly jack in the box has a nicer tossed salad). I suspect that they ran out of the 'good stuff" and just slapped some iceberg on my salad. Add that to burned steak, tasteless macaroni salad, hard rice and other issues throughout my visits and that's why I can't give this place an excellent review sadly. Prices are ok and are pretty good for the seafood dishes. Wait times....well, just call in your orders ahead of time. Waiting for an order especially during the busy lunch time can be very long. I know you need to wait sometimes but 40 plus minutes? That's a bit too long for me. Overall I like this place, the staff is friendly, the food choices are interesting and unusual, and it can be good...when it's good... and yes, I do continue to come back (although the time between visits is getting longer)...but they need to work on the consistency and wait times. 3 stars!
(3)Kelly M.
Gourmet plate lunch, really really good plate lunch. A bit pricy, but where else can you get crab-topped salmon or great garlic ahi with two scoops and mac or tossed? (One side note - roast pork is hard chewy cubes. It's the only thing I don't recommend here. Go to Tsukenjos if you want roast pork.)
(4)Summer N.
A couple weeks ago for our work's weekly Friday take out lunch, a co-worker suggested Koi. The shrimp dynamite, she said, was "slap your momma good," so we drove down to Kalihi to find out for ourselves. The restaurant is small, kind of a blink-and-you'll-miss-it kind of place, located kitty corner from OCCC. Parking was tight, with only about 6-10 stalls available, but luckily I was able to squeeze my car into the last free stall. We had called in our order, so the wait was minimal. The hardest part was not devouring the food with our hands on the slow ride back to the office. By the time we got back to the office, the shrimp was a little on the limp side, but still delicious. The fried shrimp was drizzled with a spicy aioli, and came with a choice of white or brown rice and tossed or mac salad. Portion size was fair for a $9 plate lunch, and while it didn't quite want to make me slap my mom, I did end up devouring the entire plate. I definitely will be back to eat at Koi again soon, perhaps, this time to eat in.
(4)Nat N.
We catered a few pans of food from Koi for our co-worker's retirement luncheon. 1) chinese chicken salad - this did not last very long - everyone loved it. The dressing was ono 2) chow mein - this was just ok. It was a little mushy. 3) Mochiko chicken - winnahs! The chicken was not overly greasy or fatty. Perfecto. 4) boneless kalbi with garlic teri sauce - a lot of people said it was a little salty, and even I, a lover of salt, thought it was a bit salty. But, I still liked it because the meat was tender and not dry. 5) Roast Pork with gravy - always a winner!
(4)Jerome B.
Ok, it's the season for fish Fridays and I'm determined not to let the kalbi, meat jun, garlic chicken or seasoned pork chops faze me from my annual "emulation" of Jesus. There are a few dirt dive restaurants to go to get some fish, but I usually gravitate towards Koi's. It's a real hole-in-the-wall whose location (a stone's throw from a correctional facility) only adds to its locale's dangerous-but-I-gotta-try-it aura. Today's special was the Salmon Katsu sprinkled with furikake, a side salad with pesto dressing and brown rice. Yes, the last two options were healthy-ish, it's great a hole-in-the-wall even offers brown rice! Many things at this restaurant are good, the salmon katsu was no exception. If the cut of salmon were larger, I think the fish would have been even juicier. But I can't complain, the salmon was still very good. Koi's is as reliable as they come for good food and pretty quick pick-up if you order ahead. Emulating Jesus' fasting can still involve good food if you know the right places!
(4)Mobile G.
Koi bento with the steak, garlic chicken, and the ahi stuff is awesome!
(5)Bradley H.
So i ventured away from the fish plate lunches since they have a steak plate lunch where the steak won some award for taste somewhere...so i took the leap. ONO...not "Oh no!"...ONO! The steak was slightly more cooked than medium/rare, but it was very well flavored, and me and a friend both enjoyed it. The garlic something sauce that comes with it is pretty awesome, and i'd have to say i have a new favorite dish over there now. I've yet to have anything from Koi that was less than great...looking forward to going back again soon. Happy Eating!
(5)Jane S.
This is a review about their catering services. Once the food arrived I mostly forgot about their lousy communication skills. Be prepared to wait a LONG time for emails to be returned if at all. Lesson learned. Now back to the food. The steak was generous and perfectly cooked. it came with their miso ginger sauce which is really divine. The garlic chicken was good but had a lot of skin so we won't be ordering that again but luckily there are many other treats on their menu to choose from. The salad was also generous and fresh - no iceberg lettuce in sight! The butter mochi was warm, sweet, chewy perfection and just melt in your mouth kick ass delicious. Delivery was prompt and the food was hot.
(4)Joseph N.
I get the sense, that if your selective, this place can be a great experience. Out of the two plates ordered, there was a serious contrast between them. One was the Garlic Chicken Plate, that honestly, I would not order again. On the other hand, was their Dynamite Shrimp that left me speechless. It's as if these plates came from two different restaurants. This place gets four stars for the shrimp, service and comfortable environment. I'll be back to try more and hopefully other items will be as impressive as the dynamite shrimp plate.
(4)Ramfis B.
Ok foodies, like i said there are certain place to eat and Kalihi has so much to offer. At Koi, the draw here is the Steak Plate. The Steak is so moist and tender and they have daily specials as well. The owners here are very charming and accomodating. It is always a treat coming here time and time again....
(4)mia o.
Why didnt I try this place earlier???? Cheap and Great food! I was kind of getting board of eating similar food although I love food in Hawaii. This place gives a kick, and let me explore the other way of enjoying same meals. *Fried Ahi came with sauce that is mastard and wasabi type of flavor, a bit sweet and sour. delicious! *Garlic chicken, I was thinking Aiea bowls makes it the best, but now I like KOI's better. Sorrry Aiea bowl... *Steak, it is marinated very well. *Rice comes with generously with Furikake on the top. (Yatta~!!) My hubby wanted to go back there for dinner tonight after eating lunch there today. Unfortuantely, they are not open for Dinner.....(T T)
(5)Jennifer T.
Great gourmet lunchwagon located in the parking lot across the street from the Blaisdell. I called and ordered a fairly big order (10+ plates) in the morning. Drove right up to the truck, found decent parking, and they had my food ready and waiting for me to pick up immediately. The portions were decent and the food was good. I only got to try the short ribs, and they were delicious. Others in my group had the furikaki mahi, the garlic chicken and the grilled steak, and they were all a hit.
(4)Nick W.
This place deserves some quasi-inappropriate yelp lovin' for being amazing. our friend recommended we try this as soon as we landed (from california). and I hate myself for not visiting hawaii sooner and thus allowing me to eat Koi sooner. Bullet points for this place: *Order their Koi Bento Box if it's your first time... what is it you ask? Stop asking questions I'll say. Just do it. *Their garlic chicken is stupid good.. chicken should not taste like that because the phrase "it takes like chicken" loses it's meaning - but I still approve of the flavor *Their wasabe sauce is both great and painful to non-wasabe eaters. I loved it. You should too or you're a square bear *The lady at the counter remembered us when we came back 2 days later with another friend. She remembered a lot about our previous conversations. A+ for the service. *We got the same thing the next time and also wanted to try something new, (couldn't order too much, that bento is filling), so the nice lady recommended the dynamite shrimp.. Holy hell was that good.. I *heart* you nice lady for that recommendation. One of my favorite things I have ever eaten, anywhere *They also have a famous food truck (as seen on tv!) - I want one in my area... now... *Follow them on @koicatering on twitter - and give them some quasi-inappropriate twitter love as well A must make stop on your hawaii travels. Thank you! you're welcome
(5)Kenny A.
First time going to this place and tried the Pork Chop Plate. All in all pretty good, only complaint I have is there wasn't enough dressing for the tossed salad. They charge $0.25 more for the creamy pesto dressing and it comes in a really small cup that was only half full. Other than that, the food had good taste. Would recommend and would go back to try other dishes.
(4)Mary P.
Good ol' 'Yelp' to the rescue yet again. We ended up in this hole-in-the wall (my favorites) and our taste buds leaped for joy! Hubby & I ordered the furikake mahi-mahi, salmon topped with crab salad & grilled steak & shrimp combo. The fish was cooked perfectly, the steak was tender paired with large tasty shrimp & the salad was more like an entree than an appetizer with real crab, no imitation going on here. We were so stuffed, but kept drooling over the other items on the menu. So we ended up ordering their mini-plates of garlic ahi & mushroom chicken. We're such fatties! The lady behind the counter was surprised when we ordered again. We took it back to our hotel room & ate it later. It was definitely worth the extra caloric intake, but who's counting anyway? Especially in Hawaii.
(5)Eddie C.
I first tasted their food at an event where they provided catering. I instantly became a fan. Every dish was amazing, and I just had to keep having more. Then I just found out that they had an actual restaurant. Went there today, and am still a huge fan. Got the dynamite shrimp, which was perfectly fried, with the shrimp nice and hot, with a fresh, gentle crisp/crunch to the shrimp meat. The oriental dressing for the tossed salad was also really good. But it was not an easy decision in regards to what to order. This is one of those places where I probably just spent 10 minutes standing there staring at the menu trying to figure out which option out of many delicious-sounding ones I wanted to try. Needless to say, I will be going back. I also went right before closing at 1:45pm, so I did not have to deal with lack of parking or crazy lines.
(5)Jesse G.
I've bought lunches from Koi's lunch wagon half a dozen times before so I was already familiar with the menu items and cooking style of this place. I wasn't much of a fan as the quality of the lunches seemed to go down and the freshness of the seafood items was always at question. A friend of mine told me that the restaurant location was much better than the lunch wagon so I decided to give this place a try and went there for lunch with a bunch of colleagues. I'd previously been known to make the right recommendations for lunch, but with this suggestion my reputation was tarnished. This place gets a big thumbs down from me on both service and food quality. Our food took so long to get ready. It was as if there was only one cook in the back in the middle of lunch hour. After I got my food in about 10 minutes from the time I ordered, we had to wait an additional 15 minutes for my colleague to get his food. Considering that most people get about an hour for lunch, having to wait 25 minutes to eat is unacceptable. Now on to the food. I ordered the Blackened Ahi Salad. Upon opening the styrofoam plate I was immediately greeted by a strong fishy smell. I recognized that smell from the times I ate their lunch wagon food. I cut into the fish to see that it wasn't blackened ahi at all, but instead it was well done, cooked through-and-through. I could taste that the fish was far from fresh and that it was over-seasoned with salt and cayenne pepper, among other spices, to mask it. If the fish isn't fresh then the restaurant should take blackened ahi off the menu. Blackened ahi should be rare on the inside so it requires that you use fresh fish. What a disappointment that was. My coworker ordered the crab cakes. She complained that it was mostly corn meal with hardly any crab. I could see that it was completely falling apart and she cut into it. It did not look appealing at all. My coworker left feeling hungry and robbed of her lunch money. My other coworker enjoyed his special bento without complaint. I don't think I'm going back here again. I got home with the runs later that night from eating bad fish. If you go here, stick with the garlic chicken or other non-seafood items.
(1)Angela A.
Koi's butter mochi is to die for! They even ask if you want the crispy ends or soft middle. It's to perfect way to end a meal :)
(5)Amanda Z.
The husband and I were looking for a place to grab lunch one day. I busted out my phone and searched for restaurants nearby on my handy dandy Yelp app. Koi sounded promising, so off we went. Missed the restaurant/parking area (about 8 spaces) on the first go around, so had to circle the block. I decided to go with the shrimp dynamite, and the husband got the koi bento. It took about 20 minutes to get our food, but luckily the food was delicious, so I forgot about the long wait. Note to self: next time call in our order. The shrimp dynamite came with about 10 decently large shrimp, lightly battered and fried and then smothered with yummy sauce. Sooo good, I didn't want to share! The koi bento had the garlic ahi with wasabi sauce, steak with dipping sauce and garlic chicken (all tasty). The potato mac salad was good too, with some kind of herb and interesting pasta shapes in addition to the normal macaroni shape. Yum, I wish I had some shrimp dynamite right now!
(4)Joshua C.
So good I momentarily considered not moving! Gourmet food at plate lunch prices, even a better value then the Alley. Beautiful, perfectly seasoned, wonderfully executed joy served in a styrofoam container. Don't waste your time reading this just go. Garlic Ahi Caesar | Pesto Mahimahi | Chicken & Portabello | Classic Spaghetti & Meatballs | Blacken Ahi | Crab Cakes | Grilled Steak | Kalbi | Beef Stew | Garlic Chicken | Pork Chops w/ Garliic Mash Potato This isn't the full menu and doesn't even include the daily specials. Click here to induce drooling: koi808.net/images/KoiMen… And just when you think this place can't get better, why not impress your friends and family by having Koi cater: koi808.net/menu.html This is why I Yelp. Thanks Edwina K., Liz T., Dave H., and Aaron I. for trying to get me to stay. I'll have to go here at least a few times a week before my September departure and this'll be a must visit anytime I come back. Marcus, Lendy, and Eric (Koi owner's) I think this concept would do really well in Portland--I'm just saying. *pictures: yelp.com/biz_photos/jEN6… *
(5)Liz T.
Consider me officially hooked on Koi. This is my new favorite lunch spot thanks to Edwina K. and Aaron I. Hole-in-the-walls like this make me extremely happy Yelp exists and justifies my addiction to yelping I think. My boyfriend and I split three minis: Garlic Ahi ($5.75), Furikake Mahimahi ($6), and Mushroom Chicken ($5). They were absolutely stomach-satisfyingly delicious! The ahi had a crispy outside that was perfect with the koi wasabi sauce. The mahimahi was moist, bursting with flavor, and enhanced by the wasabi tartar sauce. The chicken was lightly battered and fried and melted under a bed of mouthwatering gravy. I loved everything I inhaled in front of me! As I was leaving the place I planned my next lunch here: Grilled Steak, Garlic Shrimp, and Blackened Ahi. Mmmmmm! The cheap minis are great because you can try a little of everything. Check out the yummy food photos I posted.
(5)Emily L.
I tried their garlic chicken plate when I was at the Biggest little air show on Fort Island. For just ~ 7 bucks I got a LOT of food. You can choose from white/brown rice and mac salad/salad. They were generous with the amount of food they gave you. I couldn't finish my plate, but I'm a small eater. Although fried food is mind-blowingly delicious, I've been trying to significantly cut down on my junk food binge eating, but I was hungry that day so i got the garlic chicken which IS fried. I was extremely pleased that it wasn't overly fried or oily at all. Just enough to give it a crispy warm texture on the outside and soft and flavorful on the inside. Just the way I like it! If you order their fried products (or any fried products at any place), you must eat it fresh or it'll become soggy and bleh, not that great. That first bite was yummy yummy and even though it got stale (cause i saved some for later) toward the end of the day, it was still good. Hahaha. You know the food must be good if it can still taste good when it's not 100% fresh. Thanks for making it out to Fort Island that day Koi!
(4)Ashley T.
Awesome food. Healthy & delicious food with reasonable prices! A must try. They also have a lunch wagon stationed across of Neil Blaisdell Concert Hall. If going to restaurant, parking lot is small & hard to find street parking.
(5)Yvonne M.
This place is a HIDDEN GEM in Kalihi! There is so much flavor in this food it's outrageous! Asian fusion at its best! I ordered the the Garlic Ahi with the their secret wasabi sauce and my husband ordered the Furikake salmon. The Garlic Ahi was evenly cooked and the sauce is to die for! It was creamy, but light with the perfect amount of wasabi spice. The furikake salmon was moist and flavorful (teri like sauce). I like that you have options like brown rice and toss salad (for the health conscious). Coming here next time to order their signature steak dish and I'm pretty sure I won't be disappointed. Hours are weird, probably because they are a catering co. Open Tues - Fri. 11-2 and 5-8:30, Sat. 5-10pm, closed Sundays (boo!) and Mondays.Small parking lot. Decent amount of seating. Could be better with customer service though. We were wondering where our food was, come to find out our food was sitting at the counter! Lucky their food is delicious. It definitely overrides that any day for me! (unless it happens the second time) ;P
(5)eric e.
I had the furikake mahi plate and it was great. Serving size, seasoning, & price was spot on. It's amazing how busy this place gets but know i know why.
(4)Cy C.
When in town and I'm craving for a fancy plate lunch I always go to Nico's. So I always use NIco's to compare other fancy local plate lunch places. In my search for other places to go I found Koi's on Yelp. I heard some good things about this place so why not. Went with my wife and my parents. Best way to describe its location is its almost across OCC couple blocks away from Marukai. I had the crab cakes which was okay but not great. My wife had the special furikake salmon which was prefectly cooked but a little sweet. My dad had the braised short ribs which tasted like a pot roast. My mom had a Ahi bowl (which is actually fried poke on rice) Overall I wasn't estactic but happy and will come back again to try other dishes. Looks small from outside but they have at least 7 tables for you to sit down. It looks like a pretty new joint. The biggest issue is very limted parking. Don't worry I don't think they have the fish Koi on the menu.
(4)J R.
Tried this out today at a meeting we had the catering service for. The food was not too bad. I've had better, but it was okay. We had chopped steak, char siu, rice, and noodles. The steak was flavored well. Not too salty and not too peppery. You can't really mess up rice, so that's a given. The char siu was pretty good too. I think that there are other places out there that are better, but this place isn't a bad choice either. Food: I'd give it a 3/5 Catering service: I'd give them maybe a 2/5. They were almost an hour late in delivery, and the natives were getting restless. So that's not good.
(2)Dave H.
What happpened?! I went today for lunch and got the "Award Winning" Steak. What awards did this steak win? B/c it wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be. Thick slices, cooked to medium heat, but not tender and not flavorful. Achk! I was looking forward to this place because I rarely come home to the islands these days. I'll probably give it another chance when I forget how bad today's lunch was...maybe 6 months or so.
(2)Madaline H.
Ive been eating this food since 2002, always a winner!
(5)Thomas P.
Okay I have given this place a low rating based on one dish and one dish only. I got the Crab Cake meal. Being from the East Coast when I saw Maryland Blue Crab on the details I instantly became ecstatic. I love home made crab cakes from Maryland, where I am from. When I make them at home, I buy the meat from Costco for like 8-12 bucks a pound, I make several of these guys. I make them with lump, back fin or claw meat. If it is too clumpy I may use a fork to whisk it around and break some clumps up. Then I will add an egg or 2, some old bay, paprika and other spices. Sometimes I will add cold butter diced real small. If I feel like having something else I will add minced garlic and/or onion, but only a TINY amount, as in like 2 tablespoons of onion and 1 tablespoon of garlic for 2 pounds of meat. Then I would form my cakes and just place them into a container of breadcrumbs and make sure the outside is completely covered. Then fry to a golden brown and enjoy! What I got was a GREAT hushpuppy! It was moist and delicious. I did not taste any crab at all. It was cornmeal 100%. Not one lump of meat. I did however find a grayish speck of something and I think it could have been some sort of meat. Please do not ADVERTISE made with a mixture of Maryland blue crab claw and imitation crab when there is maybe 1 pound of crab, 1 pound of imitation crab and 10 pounds of cornmeal and binders. It was the single most disappointing thing I ever ate with high expectations. The description made no mention of cornmeal or any binders, I thought great it is going to be a meaty crab cake, but I was wrong. There was no meat at all in there and after I ate it I felt queasy from the grease that the cornmeal mixture must have absorbed. The sweet chili aioli sauce was good, mayonnaise and sweet chili sauce is kind of hard to mess up, but then they put the lemon wedge on top of the sauce. How am I supposed to squeeze the lemon on the crab? It is covered in sauce. Technically it was not even a wedge just a slice of lemon because it was too thin to squeeze even if I could. So overall I can not describe the whole ambiance because I just got it to go for lunch, but I will NEVER go back there again for crab cakes. If they would like I could educate them on how a crab cake is supposed to be made. After reading some other reviews on here I can see that I am not the only one who is disappointed at this menu item.
(1)Andy D.
Upscale plate lunch food - a trend that seems to be really thriving right now. The prices are comparable to L & L, and cheaper than the similar The Alley at Aiea Bowl. Oh, but the food...the food is so much better. Again, its nice to have a choice of green or mac salad and brown or white rice. Got two mix plates today. Went home to share with my mom, so I could try more food. The pork chops with garlic mashed potatoes were delicious. Nice crust, but the meat was a little too tough. The garlic chicken was good, nice big pieces of meat. The hamburger steak was good - the gravy was great, but it would have been so much better if the hamburger was better. It was way too thin and too dry. The steak was so good too. While I'm not quite on the five-star bandwagon yet, this is a great plate lunch place. I might need to go back again to see about upping it one more star.
(4)Edwina K.
Definitely agree with Aaron! One of my co-workers used Koi to cater a special occasion and raved about them. One by one, she got us hooked and now our company uses them for almost every event! How funny. My favorite is the furikaki mahi w/ wasabi tarter - sooooooooo GOOD! Too good that I haven't tried anything else. My other co-workers have tried the garlic ahi and beef stew - all positive reviews. And the portions are enough for two people. What's great about this place is that they give you the option of white or brown rice. I love brown rice so Koi already had 3 stars and the furikaki mahi added the Woohoo! They also have a lunch wagon on Kilihau Street. Yummy food! Great find!
(5)Monica S.
I have to agree with Mako H's review. I, too, was anxious to try this place because of the Yelp reviews and was also thwarted by the hours, but Koi's didn't cut it for me. Koi's closes @ 2p. No points off for my mistake, but I persevered and made it in the next day determined to see what all the fuss was about. Here's what my group of 4 tried: garlic ahi salad: overcooked garlic butter shrimp: overcooked and shrimp wasn't fresh tasting poke plate: overcooked furikake encrusted mahi mahi: overcooked, but better than the others grilled steak: overcooked and too sinewy making it difficult to eat kalbi: good, but I've had better The total with drinks cost $41 which is fine for mini dishes, but quality wise I can't justify coming back. Sorry. Let me tell you what I liked about Koi's is that they offered a very small green salad as a side instead of all that rice & mac. Vegetables are lacking in the Hawaiian diet so I appreciated the non-starch option.
(2)Lisa K.
Jumping on the bandwagon. A great addition to the Kalihi plate lunch scene. Furikake mahi - moist and flavorful. Don't really need the wasabi tartar suace Grilled steak - cooked perfectly medium with a ginger sesame dipping sauce Garlic chicken - fried goodness with a really crispy skin. Not greasy or heavy. The sauce poured over is your typical sweet/shoyu.
(5)Elvin B.
Haven't been here in awhile but what I noticed was that there are more seats! I don't have a favorite because whatever I order it's really good. The staff is also friendly and the place is clean. Parking sucks, but it's not worth losing a star...
(5)Lorna M.
My pallet requires a meal with substance, variety, and bold flavors for me to go "OMG I'm coming back". Tonight I had the dynamite shrimp with salad and oriental dressing. The dressing was ono! Not sure if they make a dressing that tastes similar to this that you can buy off the shelves. The shrimp was so-so. It tasted like tempura which I love, but the sauce that they used did not compliment it appropriately. I think it may have been a bit too salty and not what I expected. I also got the brownie that they had made that day. This was the winnahs!!! It was soft and gooey and just absolutely made of perfection. The cashier told me it had almond rocca in it but I didn't taste any almond or rocca in it, but nonetheless it was AWESOME! So in short, the salad good, the shrimp mahhh, and the brownie: IMMA BE BACK FOR MORE.
(3)Jamie D.
Food is awesome! Love the Bento....my favorite! Service was great too!
(5)Stephanie I.
I've been going to Koi for a few years now and had this been at the precipice of my visits here I would have awarded 5 stars, but it just seems like every time i go back the quality of their food gets worse and worse. I went here for lunch today, craving a really great salad, but decided to splurge on some plate lunch food instead. I ended up ordering a mini hamburger steak. First of all, holy crap that was an incredibly small mini. I'm not sure if it's because i'm used to places that have gigantic portions and moderately portioned smalls, but i was pretty floored at how little the portions had gotten at Koi. My hamburger steak came with a little scoop of rice, tiny hamburger patty (which happened to be entirely burnt on side, and that's just another paragraph of ranting all in itself), and some tossed greens. The flavor was there, it was served hot, but i just couldn't seem to get past the burnt hamburger or the small portion, had i known, i probably would have orderd a regular. Actually, maybe it's good that i didn't because a regular sized portion of burnt hamburger steak can only lead to bad things, methinks. My friend, Heyvis, ordered the shrimp scampi and she said the shrimp was good but the pasta was bland. I'm guessing they season and cook the shrimp and the pasta serves merely as a bed of carbs to lie on and soak up the excess butter. No complaints here, we're all about carbs and butter (yay, carbs!). So... two stars because i will probably eat here again (i'm a glutton for punishment) and probably be disatisfied yet again, so i'm going to go ahead and save myself the trouble of re-reviewing and/or editing and just give them the lower star-age.
(2)David G.
I basically work across the street from Koi so I find myself going very often. Koi has some nice plates and they are very friendly. The kitchen is extremely clean, portions are good, prices are nice, quality of ingredients are fine and wait times are reasonable. Thanks for offering so many great things and always being so nice. David... PS. I know you know who I am! :)
(3)Les Is More M.
finally took the plunge, after hearing/reading good things about this place. it is located in a delapidated strip mall, next to a check cashing place and an adult emporium. not the best, brightest, most attractive location but you never know, sometimes you find gold in the hole-in-the-wall places. not today. ordered the bento, which featured furikake rice topped with some garlic mahi served with sweet wasabi sauce, garlic chicken and teri steak, which seemed like a boneless kalbi style. first of all, the bento isn't as big as the price tag would lead you to believe, and for $10 I'd expect something a bit bigger - or portioned out a little better. the cover of the bento features a small "peoples' favorites" sticker which indicates it was voted the best bento anywhere. I'd beg to differ, even without the price or portions, because the steak/kalbi was really salty and seemed like it was marinated too long. the garlic chicken appeared to be cooked in old oil - it was literally blackish in color. taste was just OK, but you had to brave the appearance of it before tasting it and it was overdone. the sweet wasabi sauce is the only thing that kept lunch from being a major disappointment/1 star rating - the sauce was excellent. service was decent, the cashier was friendly and polite enough and the wait wasn't bad. there's a couple items on the menu I wouldn't mind trying, but I definitely won't be in a rush to go back.
(2)