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Mon-Sun. 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
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Ruth's Chris, Morton's, Dk's, Wolfgang Zweiner - eat your hearts out! This is, by far, not only the best-quality beef on the island, but among the the best on the entire planet!
These foie-gras-like cuts laugh in the face of USDA Prime, which would rate around 5 or 6 on a Japanese BMS (Beef Marbling Score) scale. That doesn't even remotely compare to the 9, 10, or higher ratings that Kobe beef normally places at, the highest possible score being 12.
Unlike American steakhouses that serve giant slabs of beef, the yakiniku style, thin-sliced cuts here are much better suited for the most highly-marbled cow in the world, as these fats melt away so quickly that a thick steak would largely defeat the purpose - they stay on the grill for so long that too much fat vanishes into thin air. Thin cuts preserve much more of that precious fat, as they literally grill in a matter of seconds!
If you're more of a New York than a Spencer/rib kind of person, there are also less-fattier versions of USDA Prime available, as well as a few seafood and vegetable choices. But then again, you can find these items at other restaurants, too, so why bother coming here? Actually, there are a few other reasons:
Yukkei, listed as Asian Steak tartar, is also the best anywhere, as are the egg and wakame soups, both perfect for ending the meal and warm-washing everything down. The atmosphere is hip, trendy, and street-chic, waaay cool in every way. Draft beer's are ice cold in stylish mugs. Ample waitstaff are there to change your grills and serve your needs.
Like a good sushi bar, the only thing to watch out for is price - forget what I said earlier and go with thick cuts, and you could spend $100-$200! To me, a waste of time, money, and most of all - taste. The best of the regular, thin cuts of Kobe at the top of the menu all go for about $20, and may seem small (see pics), but with all that fat, they'll fill you up a lot quicker than you'd think!
For the whole story on Yakiniku Hiroshi's, see Aku Z's Yelp home page info.
Another reviewer (sun) says:
"the GM even let me keep the certified beef certification with date, weight of cow and everything. I dont know what one reviewer (olivia) was saying that the meat is from the US. it isnt its from Japan and they have the certificates to prove it."
This is what the menu at Yakiniku Hiroshi says:
"Don't be misled by other establishments using "Kobe Beef," currently the US does not allow beef to be imported from Japan. We use American Kobe Style beef which is raised in Idaho by Snake River Farms." I read this on the menu when I was there and I just checked their website again to make sure. Here's the link: http://www.yakinikuhir...
I know the Department of Agriculture has barred Kobe beef from entering the U.S., saying that Japanese slaughterhouses fail to meet U.S. standards. I don't think their stance has changed lately.
I'm giving Yakiniku Hiroshi only 3 stars because the hostess, our first point of contact, was very… Read more »
so a girl we went to hawaii with SWEARS this is her ALL-TIME-FAV restaurant. "this place is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO good...but kinda expensive....can we go still? its my favvvvvvvvv"
so we go.
um.
the food portions were enough for the girls but at 6 thin slices of beef for $26? the boys were NOT satisfied.
yes...it is some AWESOME quality meat that falls apart (kobe) but our dinner consisted of the meat...kimchi...and green salad. this place doesn't have good CHEFS they have good butchers that know how to pick their meat...i mean you can't really go wrong when picking a5 kobe but....to me it just seemed like just another korean bbq place minus the banchan
Oishii!! Great selction with fresh meat! Price is up there compare to all the yakiniku places in honolulu. Usually when going to (korean) yakiniku place, they give complimentary side dishes but this one is all ala carte or sold seperately. Still worth it to go.......
High quality beef but definitely not for those that prefer lean beef. All beef here comes with a lot of fat. Good meal but there are other Japanese BBQ restaurants I prefer back home.
Photo of the meat uploaded.
What you see is basically TWO servings at $24 per serving. Frankly, I know some 3 year olds who can clean off that plate in under 5 minutes. What you're seeing is $50 worth of meat right there!
I'm torn.
This place had some of the most amazing meat I've had to date.
Everything came with a hefty price tag, but dare I say it, each bite was worth it - and this is saying a LOT. What makes the tiny portioning even more ridiculous is that the meat just MELTS in your mouth - - no chewing needed, no teeth necessary. Yeah, it's THAT good.
So - FIVE STARS ALL THE WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!
But then, half of their menu was unavailable.
Australian Wagyu Beef at some $99 for one steak, of which we wanted two - - out of stock.
Australian Kobe Slices of Beef - - ran out.
King Crab - - sure, they said - - but 2 minutes later he came back and yes, you guessed it, they just ran out of that.
A particular Shochu they had on the menu - - - nope, not available, but they did suggest a replacement which was a bit less than what we'd hoped for, but was acceptable.
I mean, seriously.
I so wanted to give this place 5 stars, but not having SO many things on the menu available on a Friday evening at 9 pm is a bit ridiculous.
It's a pretty casual place located on a brightly lit street. There is NO parking in sight - you have to go down an alley to find parking structures - - pay to park and walk to the restaurant. Service was very courteous and friendly, and it's a good thing, too, when you tell four hungry Asians that everything they want, you no longer have available.
Even with the best of their items unavailable, what we DID order was incredibly fresh and tasty. Beef tongue chunks were tender and delicious (I love it when restaurants give you THICK slices of tongue), the kobe kalbi was terrific - both the seasoned and marinated types, though in this case, marinade was a waste. Get it with just salt - - it needs nothing more.
For four people, dinner came to a whopping $500 with one bottle of Shochu which was $45, I believe. Unfortunately, I don't think any one of us can say we were STUFFED... but we were adequately full. To be truly full at this place, I would estimate no less than $150 per person, easily. Now THAT is one expensive dinner.
But Hiroshi's beef is truly impressive. I can't believe I had to go to the distant ISLAND of Hawaii to find such incredible meat, but this is perhaps the finest Kobe beef dinner I have had to date. It comes in a close second to the meat in Argentina which is probably unbeatable. I think I liked it a whole lot more than Rob did, though.
Whatever you do - do NOT overcook this precious meat. If you want to overcook it, just head over to the Burger King down the road and satisfy yourself there. Grilling this meat to death would be a sin!
Meat IS definitely daaaaaamn good and of realllllly spectacular quality. Buuuuut.... I'm not a huuuuuge meat lover so it turned out to be too much for me. Meat overload.
Beef tongue: Too irony for me. It tasted similar to heart and I wasn't a fan.
Toro kalbi: Tender, sweet, perfectly sliced into thin cuts.
Ribeye steak: My absolute fav! SOOOO juicy, flavorful and rich!
The salad was realllllly good as well. Forgot what was in it but it was delish! Nice change of pace from the meat-fest I was eating.
Kimchee: Some of the best I've had. EVER.
One of my dining buddies is friend's with the owner so we got hooked up with some of Hiroshi's special cha su pork. YUMMMY. Not too sweet like most cha su.
Sidenote: I don't get why you'd put an ice cream puff on the grill after cooking meat on it. Um... meat flavored ice cream. Yummm... NOT! Oh and you have to be ballin to come here. It is definitely ex-pen-sive!
DAMEJAN!
They were out of so many things..........it was heartbreaking. Friday night dinner....and they ran out of so many of the choices. It was disappointing! WHY!? It came down to "just let us know what you DO have"
Charged for the Kimchi? WEAK...so Japanese......so komakai yo
ANYWAYS, once we did get the meat.....boy was it good. We ordered up whatever Wagyu they had left, beef tongue, scallops, salad, soup.
The TORO KALBI was so good..........melt in your mouth butter. The Beef Tongue were snatched up right away too. Thank god one of us didn't like tongue...more to go around.
Can't say the cheapest, can't say the best......ran out of certain meats..........mmmmmmmmmm 3 stars.
It is impossible for me to use words to describe how I feel about Hiroshi's. Lean in to your computer, I want to sing you a ballad I've composed for my one true love. Closer... closer... there.
Wasn't that beautiful? I especially loved the part where I crooned about the two orders of $80 Kobe prime rib that grilled up into succulent morsels of beef flavored butter. The tragic moments of the song when we briefly ran out of kim chee still bring a tear to my eye. The happy, up beat part where we declare our love and put ice cream on the grill still makes me smile while crying happy tears.
I will dream of you tonight, and every night Hiroshi. Sweet dreams (of short ribs) to you too, my love.
Oishi!
We really only concentrated on the MEAT and it was really good. They really tried to push the Kobe and set menus on us but we went ala cart. All of the beef (tongue, thin ribeye and skirt steak) was excellent. Top quality and nice full slices. At most of the Yakiniku places you get scraps/shards of meat. We also had some veggies (uninspiring) and the 2 pork dishes (roasted and with kim chee) which were also (by) passable and the roasted garlic made a nice accompaniment..
If they had spicy Arabiki sausage and charcoal cooking this would be my favorite Yakiniku.
All in all very enjoyable but very pr icy.
I eat here everytime I go to Hawaii. I wish there is a good yakiniku place like this in LA, too. Hiroshi salad is a must! Soysauce based original dressing is great with fresh greens and topped with fresh apple slices. I also recommend Pork Kimchi and Char Shiu. They are great appetizers. For meat, I stick with beef since their beef is amezing. I order Harami, Rosu, Kalbi. Their meat always comes in regular and premium. They always have special of the day, so I just go with what they recommend and they never fail! For dessert, of course, local pineapple! So sweet. I only eat pinapple in hawaii.
I brought my mother and three friends from out of town to eat here last night and Hiroshi is still the #1 destination for serious carnivores in Hawaii.
EVERYONE reveled in gorging some of the SOFTEST and TASTIEST beef this island had to offer.
If you got deep pockets and a lust for red meat, Hiroshi will sate your appetite. Other than the lack of parking and a bill the size of the national debt, I LOVE this place.
Reservation is a must if you plan to dine before 9pm.
Hiroshi is my personal favorite yakiniku restaurant in Hawaii. All the meat are tender and fresh,… Read more »
I have to say, "Thank God we didn't have to catch the bill last night!" This place is on another level in terms of price. Party of 4 - no alcohol (that's a first for me) Beef Tongue, Toro Kalbi (kobe beef), Ribeye Steak, Scallops, Roasted Garlic, Seaweed Soup, Some spicy korean soup, 2 small korean salads($9 each), 4 Big Scrips incl. tip. FYI, the scallops only came with 4 small pieces. I was still hungry when we left. Went to Tsunamis afterwards and contemplated ordering the pork chops. I didn't want to insult my friend who just treated me to dinner. So I just sat there, HUNGRY.
The only reason I am giving this place 5 stars is because of the cow that tragically surrendered her life for my carnivorous pleasure, I owe her a depth of gratitude. Yes, SHE cow because only ladies taste this good.
We dined in t-shirts and shorts, it was a last minute, u hungry? Staff was friendly, good service. Although, we were 1 of 2 tables. Don't know what time they close but we got there at 1030.
A must try, if you're ballin outta control. I can still taste the toro kalbi melting in my mouth. It literally melted without me having to chew. It was like a party in my mouth and I was the only one coming.
I had two reasons to celebrate last night: 1) My friend's birthday, and 2) Dinner at Yakiniku Hiroshi. When my husband and I first started dating, it was a monthly treat...a place that served perfectly cooked hi-polished rice along with their melt-in-your-mouth quality beef.
But gawd it's expensive, and our visits to Yakiniku Hiroshi have been less frequent over the years. Despite the price, we always seem to find a reason to go back to this place. Although, several dinners is probably equivalent to buying at least one round-trip ticket to Japan...
It's kind of hard to add anything more to what's already been said by other yelpers. However, if you haven't been to Hiroshi's in awhile...there are a few things that have changed.
Grilling: The days of cooking your food over Japan-imported coals is over. Impacted by inflation and higher fuel-import taxes, the grills at Yakiniku Hiroshi have all been changed to rectangular gas things. Although it somewhat robs the experience of hearing the fat sizzle on the coals, and seeing those nice cross-hatched markings across the meat, the gas seems a more even (and fast) way to cook.
Rice: I know this is contrary to what I said in the first part, but I seriously think the rice is different now. In our past few visits, it's been a little on the mushy side, and while it may not be a different quality...though I think it is...it's just not the same anymore. The rice used to be one of the REASONS we kept going back, and could have rivaled any restaurant in Japan. While it's no reason for me to remove a "star" from my rating...it's just a little sad. :*(
The first time I tried this place, about 4 years ago, I thought "I am definitely going to come here every time I visit Honolulu." It's true, the last 5 times I went on vacation I made it a must to have dinner here at least one night of my stay.
Well worth it every time! This place never let me down and whoever else tagged along with me absolutely dug it as well. The meat at this place is amazing... so fresh and delicious. ALL of them, the rib-eye steak and toro kalbi.. mmm..mmm.mmmm... not to mention the beef tougue, couldn't get enough. (Thanks Grace K. for the uploads of the meats, looks great! Just the way I remember it)
Salad and Kimchi very good as well. The staff - always friendly. It is a place you'll remember and go back to if your craving really good beef! Of couse, I 'll definitely be back!
As a Korean, I totally disagree with the description of "Japanese-style Korean BBQ". But as a hungry wannabe foodie, this was great. The restaurant itself is in the heart of Waikiki, so it's very convenient for tourists visiting, but it would be worth the hassle for locals as well, because the food is that enjoyable.
The first thing you'll notice when you walk in is the writing on the wall... literally. Years of celebrities from Asia have signed the walls, so maybe you'll recognize a J-pop star or even your favorite actor from a Korean drama.
The menu can be a little intimidating, but I didn't think the sets were that good a value - it's really better to just choose what you want. I highly recommend the Kobe choices (the Kobe tartar is excellent), and the beef tongue is great.
If you are a fan of true Korean BBQ, the various soup dishes won't satisfy you - they tend to be too sweet and mild to be authentic. But why fill up on soup when you have heaps of freshly grilled meat in front of you?
Portions are small, so dinner can get quite expensive, but I went with a couple of friends and we all ate our fill for less than $200.
PROS:
- Excellent quality meats and ingredients
- Very good service
CONS:
- Pricey, but worth it if you want to splurge
Japan is the greatest trading partner to Korea. Why? They take what Koreans don't care anymore and treasure them like their own. They are preserving what it seems a small crafty idea from the back street restaurants of Korea and doing it like they mean business. Korean restaurants in Honolulu don't have soul. It's more like ya ya we have everything korean what? not genuine? shut up and go the other place if you have money or eat some leftover banchan from the other tables you won't know the difference anyway. Hiroshi definitely isn't the current trend in Korea either, but beautifully preserved the best yakiniku restaurant of the past. When I recently visited good Korean restaurants in Korea their yakiniku skills advanced to a higher level: exotic ingredients, no burn, and simply luxurious. Most Honolulu restaurants still serve Charcoalean or Coloncancerian BBQ. What I cannot find in Honolulu is a Korean restaurant that serves one special dish, Chicken Soup with Ginseng, Oxtail Soup, and so on. Hiroshi is definitely one of those. This is a Yakiniku restaurant. I just cannot give five stars because of the price.
This has got to be one of the best meat/grilling spots ever, either in Hawaii or the mainland. We met some friends who live in Hawaii here, and they said it was their hands down favorite restaurant in Hawaii. They knew all the waiters and chefs and we were greeted like old friends. The meat was super high quality, and they have some novel dishes like raw beef (that you're supposed to eat raw). Definitely has this little hole-in-the-wall gem atmosphere, like you stumbled upon some speakeasy grilling joint that only locals know about.
Probably a tourist trap 'cause its pricey---but they had the best bi bim bap I have ever had in the US!! I still crave for it. Great Korean BBQ. The male waiters were hot! been there only once though. OHH, if only I can get this restaurant shipped to me in Boston!
This restaurant is on my list of places I absolutely must go to when visiting the islands. The meat is so tender and so buttery, it just melts in your mouth. I believe it was the boneless short rib that I fell in love with. And I'm not a big red meat eater! For dessert, they have these frozen mini cream puffs that you set on the grill for a minute or so before popping into your mouth. I was so full from dinner, but that didn't stop me from eating 4 or 5 of them. I can't wait to go back!
I am only giving this place four stars because its so damn pricey! However they got good quality meat like Wagu which will set you back about $94 bucks, but if your on vacation why not splurge? You get free kimchi and frozen cream puffs to grill. They also give you a small bottle of water on your way out. This place is good, but I have had better back on the "mainland."
only four stars because i refuse to give a yakiniku place 5 - for its genre, hiroshi takes the cake. the quality of meat is great, and you can go as tender as you could like. There is a decent salad and some non-meat choices for those who arent into being a carnivore for the night. The place that separates here from other contenders though, is the wine list. It is extensive, and very solid - Their California wines in particular are very strong - everything from Opus One on down. There is a decent selection of French and other international wines as well. Reservations definitely recommended, especially during tourist season. I wouldnt call this place a tourist trap, but it is japanese heavy. the wait staff are attentive, and most speak some japanese as well. Location is about as convenient as you can get in waikiki.
Definitely not a "tourist trap" like So S. stated......Hiroshi is conveniently located directly across from the entrance to Duty Free Shoppers on Royal Hawaiian Avenue. If you enjoy quality meat, then Hiroshi is the place to get your fix. The meat selections and the side dishes are of the best quality. The owner will actually fly in genuine Kobe beef and offer it as a special during certain times. The service is very friendly and efficient and the environment is very clean. This is definitely not your average yakiniku restaurant you can find on every block. This establishment defines quality.......even the kimchee is so clean and fresh tasting......definitely the best I've ever had. If you are staying in the Waikiki area, then it is convenient to get there by foot. If parking is a necessity, you can park in the Waikiki Trade Center (On Seaside Avenue) and the restaurant will validate.
Honolulu, HI
Category: Japanese
Honolulu, HI
Category: Japanese
Honolulu, HI
Category: Japanese
Honolulu, HI
Category: Restaurants
Honolulu, HI
Category: Asian Fusion
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