Irifune Restaurant

Great authentic Japanese local restaurant. Options for vegetarians. Healthy food. Friendly service. And the bathroom looks like a japenes tree house with neat gadgets and décor. We were recommended to come here by local and then everyone was so friendly. Super cute place

This is by far, the best «hole in the wall «place you are ever going to find in Waikiki. (mind you, I am sure, there are more down in Chinatwon). Anyways, we always come here, and we always, enjoy our food. I like it all. The miso soup. The tempura. The ahi tuna. The rice. And the atmosphere is really one of a kind. Its worth the walk up from the strip. Enjoy.

It was my first time here and i always wanted to try it since it had pretty good reviews. At first, i thought that the ahi was going to be very overwhelming with all that garlic but i was wrong. it had the perfect amount of garlic and seasoning. I also loved there kapahulu roll and spring rolls. will definitely be coming back to try the other stuff on their menu.

This 45 year old restaurant is eclectic to the max! When you walk in, you feel like you walked into your eccentric Uncle’s living room… lot’s of Hawaiian charm. It is a «BYOB restaurant» so buy a 6 pack at Safeway a block away on Kapahulu or bring that bottle of sake or wine that you have been waiting to open. I had just had my hair cut next door (Aloha Barbershop is the best «one barber» shop in Honolulu) and I wasn’t that hungry but it was time for dinner. I asked my barber; Mr. Son from Korea, if «the Japanese restaurant next door is good». His English is very poor but he said «Very good» and gave a thumbs up. That’s all I needed as a reference. I wasn’t that hungry so I went in, opened the sliding door that separates their waiting room from the dining area, sat down and ordered the Garlic Ahi Filet dinner. The server was very cordial and he brought me ice water, hot ocha and their great miso soup. The Ahi filet was HUGE and the plate of rice (steamed to perfection) was large! The salad was fresh as heck… I was so pleased. Remember that I was not hungry as I had a late lunch but I ate the whole Ahi, salad and almost all of the rice… I was stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey when I walked down Kapahulu to my car. I recommend the following when you eat at Irifune Japanese Restaurant:
1) Go there on an empty stomach because their servings are large.
2) Check out their rather interesting bathroom with the pulley system for the door.
3) Order the Garlic Ahi for either lunch or dinner.

Unpretentious interior with excellent food (such as avocado and ahi tartar and garlic caper ahi) and super friendly service! We’ll definitely come back here next time we’re in Hawaii.

UPDATE 12÷11÷15
After consultation with Darcie I and misleading Kuuipo D that this might not be a place to eat, I have changed my rating to 4. I was really at odds with my rating l, so thanks my Unilocalie frenzies for pushing me in the right direction. I guess I can be influenced. Lol.
I was debating where or not to give 3 or 4 stars. I love this place and have been coming to dine for nearly 40 years. I decided to stick with a 3 because it’s not one of those places where it’s OMG, I think I just lost my virginity.
Right on the Restaurant Row that is Kapahulu Avenue on the outskirts of Kaimuki, Irifune sits between Island Triathlon and Uncle Bo“s. Parking is at a premium so we generally walk there. There is also street parking if you’re lucky and a pay by the hour lot across the street. If you’re coming from Waikiki you can catch a bus or taxi if you don’t want to walk
From since I’ve known, they have always been BYOB. The bathroom is an interesting shack of home design creations. Two more things before I get into the food, if you buy soda, you pay by the can. I only figured this out today when I asked. I don’t know if they were giving me free sodas or I never checked the bill closely enough. And if it’s your birthday, tell them and you’ll get a surprise.
Some of the items I don’t care for is the curry. If you wan that go somewhere else.
What we (I) like to eat. Garlic Ahi is always a winner. The tempura is alright. The garlic crab is tasty but hard work for such little meat. The sashimi is always fresh. I never really rubbed noses with the long time owner chefs, but they’ve always prided themselves on the quality food stock.
Th rest of the stuff is ok.
I used to really like the desserts. They aren’t to die for but there is a crêpe, fried bananas and ice creams.

Recommended by a flight Attendant.
I walked into this restaurant. .
Felt the local friendly atmosphere.
No frills. amazing seared ahi with capers
It did not disappoint.
BYOB. I brought my own white wine and enjoyed my ahi.
Again the staff is super friendly and the ahi tuna was very fresh and delightful.
Next time I will try their garlic ahi, which they are known for.

I love this place. Don’t be fooled by the outside appearance. The food inside is amazing. I love the breaded tofu. Irifune is usually pretty busy on the weekends so go early or go during the week and don’t forget to BYOB. :)
sometimes parking can be tricky so make sure to pay attention to the street signs bc some lots are really strict and they will tow.

True local, hole in the wall place. It’s a bit old and needs an update but that does not affect the food at all. All the customers were local and knew each other and the waitstaff. I was the only tourist in the place. I’m so glad the owner of the bubble tea place several doors down recommended it.
I ordered the sashimi lunch, but the waitress suggested that I not on this particular visit. I really appreciate when the waitstaff is honest about the quality of their fish. She suggested the ahi tuna belly. Wow, it was so delicious and fresh. I think I got the ginger sause which was also excellent.
The prices are very reasonable for the area.

Garlic king crab was the best I’ve ever had. Reminded me of the way Giovanni’s Kahuku shrimp used to do their garlic and butter! Garlic ahi was good but would’ve preferred them leave the seared steak whole so we could cut ourselves. Great service from the 2 aunties running around the little place. Will def be back and next time we’ll BOOB. (bring our own booze)

Family style Japanese restaurant. This restaurant has been around for many years. They are consistently good and you and your family or friends can have a good meal at a reasonable price.
Today sampled the bento box (tempura, Teri pork, garlic chicken and sashimi, and teri chicken plate. Both items were spot on. The test was good and the garlic chicken very tasty.
Overall restaurant rating 3.5
Food quality 3.5
Food selection 4
Value for the price 4
Friendly staff 4
One of the more affordable Japanese restaurants in town. Don’t be turned off by its old charm appearance. It is showing its age (over 45 years old) but the food and charm of this old restaurant is different from the many high end and extremely expensive Japanese sushi houses in town.
Check them out.

Just got my hair done at color queen salon. She suggested that i come try this restaurant. And i am so glad i did. This place is so good. I highly recommend the fried tofu.

We haven’t been to this restaurant since 2006. This will definitely be on our list of restaurants to have dinner at when we are in Honolulu. garlic ahi tuna was fantastic. Service was excellent! Don’t miss the ice cream crêpe with mango’s.

BYOB, interesting décor, friendly staff, and great food… what more do I have to tell you to make a trip here?
We went with a big group and for this tiny place, they had to split us up. Luckily it is still an intimate place so we were still able to converse. I brought a 6 pack of beers and they offered to put it in their fridge for me to keep it cool. The garlic ahi was on point.
We also happened to have a birthday among our group, so it was really fun to see how they celebrate birthdays! Also, be sure to check our their interesting bathroom.

One star for this place. Very disappointed with our selection called the Bento lunch special. Beware, the fish is super SALTY! I couldn’t even eat the fish. The really nice waiter told me that people have written comments on Unilocal about their experience with the salty fish. When I go to pay for my meal I ask the waiter, is this the way you do your customers in Hawaii? Serve me a salty dish and don’t replace it with something I can eat. She said this never happened to me the 8 years I’ve been here. The story didn’t add up.
I travel around the world, and I love to experience new highly recommend places to eat. I am not impressed with this place at all. Eat at your own risk.

Found a dead baby COCKROACH in my food.
This restaurant is really dirty, seriously avoid this place its a health hazard. Dont let the cheap prices attract you because you get what you pay for…
Our 2^nd time here, 1^st time was so-​so. We thought we’d give it another try.
But this time it was absolutely horrible. After we were sat it took about 15 minutes for us to even be greeted. We ordered our food and we were almost finished and I realized they forgot the miso soup that goes along with the meal. I told our waitress and she gave a really insincere «oh no oops haha» and I told her its not a big deal but we would still like it when she has time.
When it finally arrived I found a baby COCKROACH IN MY SOUP.
Grossest thing ever, pretty big one too maybe about the size of a dime. I let our waitress know that the kitchen should check the pot since I found a bug in mine, she saw the cockroach and did a little laugh and said «oh no I’m sorry», like I guess this happens often. She said oh I’ll get you guys dessert. I said it wasn’t necessary (I honestly didnt want anything else out of that kitchen, but she brought it anyway). Vanilla ice cream with some chocolate sauce? Seriously, thats the service recovery. She gave us our check about 2 minutes later with everything still on the bill inlcluding the dish with the miso soup. I thought it was just common sense that you never charge someone for something they find a dead cockroach in.
Overall, avoid this place. If you are forced to go here by friends or family dont order any raw fish and CHECK YOUR FOOD FOR MOLD/​BUGS. Try not to look into their kitchen because you’ll want to leave ASAP!

I haven’t been back in awhile but went here with some friends on a Saturday night. As usual the food and service was great! Had the breaded tofu and garlic mushrooms & tofu for starters. had a combo with spicy garlic ahi (would like to try it spicier) & asst tempura. For dessert I had the fried bananas with vanilla ice cream and haupia sauce. For those that love haupia you know you cannot miss this one. So ono! Also it’s BYOB so bring in your favorite drinks to enhance your meal.
Be aware of parking in the pre-​pay lot across the street — they will tow quickly. With poor lighting, rain and a machine that was not functioning properly (would not take customer’s dollars) people were lined up trying to figure out this machine. I wish that the restaurants in the area would give their patrons a heads up like Leonard’s bakery does to warn about the parking situation.

Decided to take my wife somewhere new and we found this place. At first we were worried about Parking but they have a parking lot across the street. Just make sure you pay before you go in or you will get towed.
They had a pretty decent menu, my wife got the tempura and crab and I got the garlic chicken stir fry. Both were very good and plenty to go around. Our server was very polite and made sure we were taken care of. I would recommend this place to anyone looking for good Japanese food.

I got to say the food tasted amazing and was well presented. I was with my bf and his friends. We ordered the garlic soybeans and poke avocado roll for appetizers.
Then came out our main dishes. I ordered the garlic crab with vegetable and shrimp tempura. The crab was so ono with garlic. The tempura was tasty as well, not too oily. There was even a side of salad and rice with pork tofu. Earlier we thought about ordering the dessert but we were too full to eat anymore. Plus my stomach wasn’t feeling too well (darn iced vanilla latte drink gave me a sore stomach and was biting my tongue to get through the dinner).
Friday night it was so packed with people that we wait more than 30 mins to get seated. The waitress didn’t bother letting us know when we could get seated. There was only one waitress serving to the tables and taking orders. Seeing how long we waited to get our orders, get the appetizers, and get our check paid, it too long :(
But what could you do. We only paid for two hour parking and waiting to get seated and order and eat our food and pay took almost 3 hrs. That’s not acceptable. At least they could hire one more waitress to get the orders and passing out the food quicker.
Parking across the street sucks because the instructions to pay for the parking was not very clear. Some ladies ahead of me were struggling to get their parking pass paid for. Parking gets full quickly between 6 and 7pm. They ought to make a parking structure so they can accommodate more customers.

Irifune is a Japanese restaurant located on Kapahulu Avenue. It is one of the mainstay eateries on this popular dining street.
The restaurant is located near Ala Wai Golf Course and is across the street from the Kapahulu Zippy’s. There is a bus stop right outside the restaurant. And there is a waiting area outside the dining room which I wasn’t expecting.
Once I entered the dining room, I was amazed by its roominess. I was expecting it to be a hole in the wall type spot. The interior is decorated with eclectic furnishings on the wall.
I had lunch here with my dad. They have a good selection of lunch specials here for under $ 10. A few of them are listed on the sandwich board outside. You can find the full list of lunch offerings on the wall to peruse over. The printed menu they give you is of the regular menu.
The restaurant’s specialty is their garlic ahi. Hence, I got the lunch menu bento ($ 8.50) which consists of garlic ahi, sashimi, tempura and miso soup.
I thought the food was alright. The garlic ahi is good, but nothing out of the ordinary. Overhyped in my opinion. The sashimi was okay. It did not look that fresh, but it tasted alright. The other offerings were as expected.
I liked the service here and the dining room has a casual and low-​key feel. There is no parking lot, so the only option is street parking unless you are taking a bus. It can be a challenge to find parking in the area, but you should be able to find a spot on a side street nearby. Just a little walking is required.
If you are looking for an eatery in Kapahulu, Irifune is a decent option for Japanese food. It has been in business for a long time which says something given the number of eateries in the area. Restaurants come and go, but Irifune endures.