Jimbo Restaurant
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner
39 Reviews for Jimbo Restaurant
Definitely my favorite Japanese noodle place. There's a smokiness to the broth that's just perfect. Oyako Don Combo for me. Udon and a bowl of chicken/egg/rice/sweet soy sauce....the perfect hearty meal. The great thing is that even after all that food, you don't leave feeling weighed down, just satisfied. My gf also loves the grilled salmon special they have on certain days. If they offer it she orders it.
Is there a difference between fresh and pre-packaged udon noodles? The answer is a resounding yes. I came here a few weeks ago and had the combo with udon noodles in broth and curry over rice. The noodles have been in my mind since then. Next time, I'll be switching it up and going for the curry udon with the seasoned rice.
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You know how some places you review you need to contemplate whether to give it three stars or four, four stars or five? Well, this was one of those places that, while waiting for the page to load, I was anticipating anxiously about the five stars I was going to give to Jimbo's. I can't tell you how impressed I was with the place. Of course, keep in mind that I've only been there once, so after a few more times patronizing that place I'll let you know if my star rating's changed.
At first I was turned off by the priciness. $13 for a nabeyaki udon? Well, I knew that it wasn't really fair to compare it with the fast-food types at the Pearlridge and Ala Moana Food Courts and I reasoned that it would cost more at a sit-down anyway. I had a craving for it, and it was opened past 9 on a weekday so whatever.
Man, the broth was so good! We're talking good. After working at ramen restaurants for several years you learn from the cooks and the seasoned customers that it's ALL ABOUT THE BROTH!!! It wasn't salty like the other udon places I'd had. It was piping hot and there were so many vegetables I was in love.
Then I looked at the wall and next to the sign that says NO MSG was another sign giving the price of their freshly made udon noodles and broths. It's rare to find places in Hawaii that have the facilities to make their own noodles. Of course, I am no udon expert by any means so I can't really tell what makes udon so good, but fresh is definitely good.
Dessert was good -- a HUGE scoop of ice cream topped with azuki beans. They also have some lychee sorbet, kinda sweet for me but a nice change from your regular vanillas and green teas.
Mid-meal we decided that whenever we wanted to eat udon we were coming here.
My new obsession has got to be udon noodles. They always bring back fond memories of Mongo's in downtown San Jose, RIP.
Anywho, came upon Jimbo's Restaurant from Yelp reviews and I have to say they have some pretty good food over there. The place has got that mom & pop restaurant sort of feel.
I had the curry and rice combination plate with hot udon noodles and have to admit that their curry is pretty good, dare I say comparable to THE Curry House? It was a lot of food for my $11 and filled me up. I ended up trying to mix everything together and in the end it was recommended that I should have just gotten the curry udon meal (I honestly didn't get past the first page of the menu when I saw this combo meal, so I didn't know that such a thing existed).
Overall though it was a pretty good experience for a spur of the moment meal. I reserved giving them five starts as I want to go back there and try something else and look over the menu a little more. A note about the parking, if you can't get any out front, there's a section in the back.
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Here are my favorites:
1) Curry Udon (beef)
- Broth not too thick, not too runny. Bursting with curry flavor & dashi.
2) Takana Bacon Yaki Udon
- Takana is spicy pickles. It goes great with Bacon! Yaki Udon is like Yaki soba, but with udon noodles.
The other noodles I've tried tasted a bit too light for my liking. The 2 above, I assure you, are bursting with flavor as I've already mentioned.
I ordered take out lunch from them almost on a weekly basis when I used to work around there.
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i LOVE the curry udon here! I always ask them to not put soup, just put curry. It's sooo delicious. Also good prices. I honestly have only tried curry udon so I can't speak for the other food.... haha. MMmm. GO CURRY UDON!
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The udon and broth were both spectacular. And to use the word "spectacular" about noodles is a stretch in most cases, I know.
But in this case, it truly was mind-blowingly delicious. They were hand-made strings of love. I can't believe I ate an entire bowl.
And a plate of curry.
And a salad.
And a lychee sorbet.
I'm a weak woman. I went for the combo. DON'T JUDGE ME.
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Good Udon... I've heard they make them fresh, but I'm not exactly sure. Food is good, and reasonable. It's a small place, so if it's crowded, it may be a wait... but their food is pretty decent. If you want to try something new, it's worth a try...
Stick with Yelp and you can't go wrong... I'm trying to find my first island spot with less than 5 stars, but so far it's a perfect 2 for 2 with highest marks.
Jimbo, your udon is off the chain. House-made noodles and a superior broth necessitate a return visit before I leave. I ordered the #15 (Zouni hot udon). Grilled Mochi, chicken and veggies seemed like an interesting combination... The grilled mochi complimented the noodles well- crispy texture on the outside with the signature chewiness that actually kills a number of Japanese elders every year. Mochi's so damn good, I'll be risking death when I'm chomping it down with dentures.
My mom's Tentoji Combo had me almost rueing my decision to go with the udon... I'm always on the prowl for tempura, omelette-style. I've never seen it done like they do it at Jimbo's. It just looks slothingly sinful... the eggs, the shrimp and veggie tempura over rice. It's the reason I'm going back next week. Nonetheless, I was definitely happy with my udon.
The only thing that seemed a bit suspect was one of the hot udon items. I did a triple-take when I saw "Bukkake" hot udon on the menu. Say again? The description says "tempura chip and vegetables with dark broth." I'm not asking what goes in that broth.
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Comfort food to me is a bowl of Katsu Curry Udon. If you're a fan of Japanese-style curry, their curry soup is not too thick nor too runny, but rich and flavorful, topped with fukujinzuke, green onion and tonkatsu. Their udon noodles are perfectly prepared al-dente, and are delightful to slurp, one noodle at a time.
Loved the combo deals at Jimbo's but I have to say I've had better udon in Seattle. The tonkatsu bowl was delicious and I can't believe I ate the entire thing. My friend got the same combo but with tempura and loved it.
I also took my mom there and got the katsu udon stir fry and I have to say it wasn't that great and kind of bland. My mom said the skinny noodles were good but I don't think she would return to Jimbo's on her own.
Warning: I overheard the bathrooms were "disgusting" and it gets packed pretty fast.
Ono Grind. I really wanted Ramen that day but the Udon quality was a pleasant surprise. The large order wasn't that much bigger than a regular order, but a regular should fill up even the hungriest of people. I visited the joint in the evenings at 8 and there's no line at all. If you're craving ramen though there's a really good hole-in-the-wall just across the street on the corner.
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My favorite are the fried noodles with char sui. Great place to go for a quick casual meal. It gets packed though! This is a local hotspot so be prepared to wait.
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Clean, busy & friendly rest. The best udon & soba in honolulu...i should know i grew up in tokyo!
You must try the combination plates - tempura don & udon usually works for me! Come early since it may take you 15 min. to sit down!
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Love this place. Combos are your friend. My usual is the udon and vegetable tempura combo with extra sauce. I love that sauce! You can get sides to add into your udon. I personally love mochi in my udon, but the mochi here wasn't anything to write home about. Udon still good though!
It's obvious that Jimbo is a titan here on Oahu--I must have eaten here about 100 times--and I will NEVER get tired of it. Even when I'm in San Francisco for school, my heart yearns for Jimbo.
Jimbo is my favorite restaurant in Hawai'i--the noodles are fresh & succulent, flavors burst in your mouth, service is quick, and the atmosphere is chill--there's always tons of conversation going on and kids slurping down noodles next to their parents. It's just got a good vibe.
As a vegetarian, I almost always order the Yaki Udon Tofu & Veggie, the Salad Udon/Soba (incredibly fresh, crisp, and healthy), or the Curry Udon Combo with fried tofu instead of meat (even though the curry itself is definitely made with meat, the flavor is out. of. this. w o r l d.) The veggie tempura has a great spread of veggies and is crisp and perfect. The only thing about Jimbo is that it can be hard on the pocketbook, especially for a poor college student, but Jimbo reeled me in before they raised the prices, and I can't stop being devoted.
Their food is so comforting, very homestyle, yet fresh and restaurant quality. Anyone who has not paid Jimbo a visit is seriously missing out big time.
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Why can't we have places like this in SF?
Udon and fried mochi.... YUMMY!!!!!!!!!
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What more can I say?
A nice boy introduced me to this place and I love it.
Fresh.
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I've been a loyal and frequent customer of Jimbo since it opened years ago. Now, if you're used to eating at Japanese noodle houses in California, this place may not excite you as much, but it was the first place on Oahu that served freshly made, authentically prepared, quality al dente udon, not the usual soggy, overboiled mass served at other local eateries.
For your maximum udon-chewing pleasure, I recommend trying the cold udon dishes. Not only is it refreshing to eat in our climate, the cold udon showcases the quality of the housemade noodles.
Four out of five times, I end up ordering the Hiyashi Sansai udon. The noodles are seved in a laquer box topped with ferns and mountain vegetables, wakame, julienned cucumbers and shiso, grated daikon, and sliced negi (Japanese green onions). It comes with wasabi to mix into your tsuyu (dipping sauce). Both the tsuyu and the dashi (broth) are excellently made.
My second favorite udon dish is the Hiyashi Kakiage, cold udon topped with a warm tempura lattice of chopped shrimp and vegetables. This dish is a wonderful study in contrasts: cold with warm, crunchy with chewy . . . mmmm
If you prefer a more local flavor, try the salad udon: skinny udon topped with corn, lettuce, grape tomatoes, wakame, and your choice of fried baby shrimp, chicken, or tofu, served with a tarter, sweeter sesame-based tsuyu. The flavor is akin to somen salad and the skinny udon is a textural delight. You can also substitute skinny udon for regular for a $.75 surcharge in other dishes. The only thing that baffles me about this dish are the tomatoes. I like tomatoes, but it doesn't match the rest of the dish.
I love the cold udon so much, I rarely order udon in hot broth. When I do, I have the nabeyaki udon, which is chock full of goodies. You can also add to your soup a variety of sides such as zouni (grilled mochi), corn, wakame, sansai, agedashi tofu, etc.
Stay away from the fried udon. I've tried the bacon takana and a regular fried udon, and both of them are awful. The flavors are strong and salty and not at all authentic. My friends could not eat it either.
If you have room, order a side of light, never soggy shrimp tempura for $5.50. My absolute favorite side order is the agedashi tofu. I never eat here without ordering it. Three cubes of soft tofu are rolled in arrowroot flour, flash fried, and served in a warm dashi topped with spicy grated radish and negi. I love tofu and this version is the real thing. Other places either serve hard tofu, have bad sauce, or put so much batter around the tofu that when you bite into it, the little hard, crunchy pieces of batter cut into your palette. The subtle flavors and textures of this agedashi tofu blend so perfectly together that I marvel with every bite.
For dessert, have the green tea ice cream (Dave's!) with azuki beans. The sign attached to the condiments says it cost $280, but do not be alarmed. It seems they have an aversion to decimal points.
Note: After writing this review, I got such a bad case of noodle craving that I had to go to Jimbo's to indulge. I ordered the Hiyashi Kakiage and the portion was so filling, I couldn't even finish it. The following week, I returned to order the Hiyashi Sansai and found that the portion I got was smaller and the prices went up again!!! Noodles that used to set me back around $8-$9 now go from $10-$13. Noooooooooooo!
Update #2: Jan. 22nd. Okay, I cannot stay away from this place. I have a problem. But I am happy to report that I ordered the Hiyashi Sansai and the portion is generous once again. Whew!
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yummm!! Skinny Udon with no MSG... yet lotza flavor and soo addictive...
My gf and I would always return back to this restaurant every time we're back in Honolulu. Their skinny udons are an additional 75cents... don't try to cheap out on that 75cents coz it's sooo good! =)..
Also, the fried rice with small fish is NOT to be missed... the flavor are soo intense... it makes my tastebud tingle just thinking about it, coz I've never tasted japanese fried rice this good before... *drools*...
If you're not feeling really hungry... try the mini-udon instead... that with the fried rice was perfect portion for me... since I'd l wanted to leave more room for pigging out during dinner =)
The wait wasn't very long since we went around 2pm (prolly missed the lunch crowd by then)...although do note that the parking here has about 15 spots or less maybe.. we managed to find one of the last two parking in the lot at that time...
Also on another note, there's a wait list (that's not really noticeable) that's pasted outside next to the entrance of the restaurant (right next to the menu) if you do arrive when there's a wait going on...
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Despite living on O'ahu for 20 years, I somehow did not know about this place until after I moved away. It's too bad b/c this place is the shit when it comes to Japanese noodles and I can only get them once or twice a year when I visit my folks. Anyone who compares Jimbo's noodles to ones you get in SF Japantown is downright crazy. Jimbo's noodles are housemade and are ultimate perfection. And there are always several patrons from Japan getting down to business, sucking down big bowls of udon with nods of approval (so you KNOW it's authentic and good). It's become a family tradition to come here for lunch and then head over to Waiola Shave Ice for dessert. I can't wait to go back next year!
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Jimbo is a weekly stop for me, usually a weekend lunch before the shopping tour with my gal. Cold udon with the kakiage don is my usual choice. I LOVE the kakiage. I just got back from Japan and tried some kakiage there and all I could say was "It's not as good as Jimbo's." It is rare when you find a something in Hawaii that tastes better than it's Japanese counterpart. I have had the katsu curry, hot udon, inari sushi and others but always go back to the kakiage. I gave five stars because this place has never let me down.
My udon dish tasted so weird! I got the stir fried chicken katsu udon and I asked for them to make it spicy. There were 3 flavors going on - the spicy flavor (tasted like sriracha), the salty sauce & some mayo they squirted on top. However, the noodles itself were good... they definitely tasted homemade. Are all the dishes w/o MSG? My friends & I were wondering why the taste of all our dishes were different (aside from my nasty combination) from the udon we've had in the past.
My friend's cold udon with veggies dish was REALLY GOOD THOUGH! It was very refreshing & I wish I got that instead but I wanted meat. They give you a lot of veggies and the dipping sauce is very light and yum. Remember to mix some wasabi in with it.
I clicked on "No" for the Good for Kids option because it's actually really really quiet in there! Everyone is busy eating their noodles and I felt like I almost had to whisper to my friends.
A very simple, homestyle restaurant with excellent, homemade noodles that was recommended to me by my Auntie. The only reason I was able to remember it was because the name is similar to my dad's. The best thing for me is that they offered the thin udon noodles for a nominal fee. I'm not a big fan of regular udon, so this was a great treat. I also would have liked to try the soba, but since it was touted as an udon restaurant, I thought I should give that a try first. The kakiage was also good as I could taste the individual flavors of the vegetables and the shrimp, unlike most places where all I taste is the tempura batter. I got the lunch special that came with the kakigara? gohan (like gomoku gohan, rice flavored with soy sauce and sweet vinegar with different vegetables and sometimes chicken), but next time I would just order the udon as it was plenty and I wasn't impressed with the rice.
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Udon is the main draw here and also highly recommended from frommers guides, but if you've been to places like Mifune in SF Japantown or live in a city where there's a lot of Japanese run restaurants that offer similar fare, this place isn't that much better than that and might not be worth your time.
Might be going out on a limb here but if you've eaten at the restaurant Tombo in San Mateo California (now izakaya mai), Tombo's core offering was fresh kansai style udon which was THE definitive standard for what freshly made udon in house is supposed to be. Jimbo's udon while is hearty and tasty, is nowhere near what Tombo used to make.
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Every single time I go to Jimbo's, I order the same darn thing! I absolutely love their Kanikeiran Udon... It's japanese comfort food to me.
Peak lunch & dinner time can be a bit crazy busy, so be prepared to wait.
NO MSG and fresh noodles says it all!!!
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Let's see... they make their own noodles and all their food tastes like heaven in a bowl. Probably my favorite place to get Japanese noodles on the island.
Some of the best udon available in Honolulu. Very fresh noodles that literally melt in your mouth.
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If you like udon, eat here. Really, that's all that needs to be said, but I'm not usually a brief writer.
Their noodles are made in house. How well do they know their food? You can get the noodles to go and make them at home, and they tell you how many minutes to cook them. I've done this more than once, and depending upon the time of day they made them, and the batch they were in, the time changes. It's also based on humidity....how cool is that? Their tempura udon is the best I've had, and I think of myself as a bit of an afficianado on it, as I have had it on 3 continents, and it's one of my favorite comfort food dishes.
It's tiny, the parking lot is a zoo, and it's worth it, so get your okole in there and just eat already!
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i love the fresh udon and the tempura. all items seems fresh. Location is great. Plenty of parking
Amazing ramen/udon dishes! It's in a little neighborhood area with a bunch of other restaurants on that street so you can drive by without noticing, but do make a point to try it especially their cold noodle dishes with shredded dried seaweed
I really wanted to try a local joint in very touristy Honolulu. This was a great choice! Daily made udon noodles which were cooked just right. Not too gooey, mushy nor too frozen, al dente tasting. The broth was extremely soothing. Savory with nice shoyu, miso taste. We threw in grilled mochi balls from my friend's rec. I wouldn't advise. It's too chewy for a soupy dish. I can definitely eat this often on cold nights.
I wish I knew more Japanese cuisine because the array of items on the menu was vast. I didn't know what many were, and the description next to it was a bit generic. Many sounded delicious and I could tell by the plates on neighboring tables that this place needed many visits to appreciate the restaurant. Waitstaff was friendly to local and tourists alike. Clean and tidy. Lines out the door signifies this is a favorite to many.
Here is a pdf menu I found online: http://onokinegrindz.t...
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great ramen and udon. They also have some nice curry dishes. The best is to go during lunch. They have a set lunches that are good deals and let you try everything.
I hate to say it but this place rocks.. i just went there a couple of weeks ago.. and oh boy i was not disappointed..
Now from the general perspecitve it looks like a japanese restaurant.. but here there are some interesting things that make it special..
1. I believe their Udon noodles are made special in house.
2. the curry Udon is the favorite..
3, They give great value for the combos such as Udon and some other dish..
You can also have soba.. etc..
Great eats no doubt.. don't know how long it will last. ..restaurants in Hawaii seem to come and go ..
Best udon broth I've ever had. The broth has so much depth, I can't get over it. A simple bowl of plain udon in broth is heaven. The tempura is very good too, lightly crisped, unlike how other restaurants love to cake the batter on.
We have been going to Jimbo Restaurant for a very loooooong time. Excellent udon...all made in-house....their combos are the "bomb"...Tendon Combo is my favorite...You can order it with extra large udon...my husband loves the Tempura combo...Very good tempura too...not all batter...real shrimp, etc. Everyone in our family has their favorite...dashi is delicious.
Go early as it gets filled up fast...Parking in the back on Young St and in the front on King St.
GOOD PLACE!
I am a vegetarian/vegan or at least try to be one. I'm not sure if the items at their restaurant is vegetarian or not.....
But, I usually have the plain curry with vegetables or the salad udon. They also have a stir fried udon with veggies and tofu. This is also good. For vegetarians, they also have vegetable tempura. I have not tried that yet, nor have I tried the "regular" udon.
The wait staff is very nice. Before you know it, your food is right in front of you. The price is pretty reasonable.
the best udon! --and it's all freshly made right at their restaurant. soft, chewey, and a very tasty broth. the katsu curry and oyako donburi are also incredible. parking is difficult, and if you come during peak times for lunch and dinner, expect a long wait, but you won't be disappointed.
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