As the year 2025 begins, information on the latest gourmet spots is pouring in. In an area I have taken the liberty of naming the “Waikiki Meat Battleground,” a new yakiniku restaurant called “Han’s Kitchen” has appeared.
A yakiniku restaurant with a branch in Japan, it quickly became a popular restaurant after opening its first overseas location in Kakaako in 2021. This may be because although there are many Korean yakiniku restaurants in Hawaii, yakiniku restaurants serving A5-ranked Miyazaki beef and Washu beef were rare. Washu beef is a cross between Tajima beef, one of Japan’s three major beef breeds, and Black Angus beef, which is considered the highest quality beef in the U.S. The meat is said to be attractive because it is packed with the flavor of beef.
They opened their new restaurant on Kuhio Street, just a little east of the center of Waikiki. This area is dotted with steaks and teppanyaki restaurants. The new yakiniku restaurant here makes it the strongest meat zone (I think).
The restaurant, decorated with portraits of American heroes, is a luxurious space with partitioned seating in the back, so you can dine calmly as if you were in a private room.
The signature course menu includes salad, kimchi, yukke, five plates of meat with different parts and flavors, beef nigiri, and dessert. The Washu Beef Course ($85), Miyazaki & Washu Beef Course ($120), and Miyazaki Beef Course ($150) are available, and the Miyazaki & Washu Beef Course is recommended as it allows diners to compare different cuts of beef. A la carte dishes such as salads and bibimbap are also available.
The menu is the same as the Kaka’ako location, but there is a Happy Hour only at the Waikiki location. It is from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., including weekends, and the menu starts at $8 per plate of meat.
The attraction of this restaurant is that you can enjoy a comparison of Miyazaki Wagyu and Washu beef. The Miyazaki beef, with its beautifully marbled texture, offers the unique flavor of Wagyu beef along with its sweet fat. On the other hand, Washu beef, as mentioned above, offers a juicy beef flavor that is the pride of the United States.
The homemade kimchi, which I casually brought to my mouth, was rich and exquisitely balanced in terms of spiciness and depth. Even one of my acquaintances, who said he was not fond of kimchi, said, “This is delicious! He said, “This is delicious!
Nigiri of Washu beef with tenderness and sweetness of meat enveloping the rice, Miyazaki and Washu beef tenderloin, chef’s cut, seared Miyazaki wagyu beef dipped in yam, Miyazaki ribeye roll, rare outer skirt part of Washu beef, spicy seasoned Washu beef, beef tongue…. …. The amount of food ordered by our table of four people from the “arafifa” and “araku” generations was quite large, but we realized that high quality food goes smoothly into our stomachs without getting boring.
In addition to the food, what impressed me was the quality of service. The person in charge was Korean. It is a culture, not a denial, but there are many restaurants in Hawaii (even in upscale restaurants) where customers and servers talk for a long time to enjoy the dining space, and only when you want to order something extra or ask for the bill, you are left waiting without making eye contact with the server. However, in this restaurant, no matter how crowded it was, the server paid attention to the table in charge, and when someone got up to go to the restroom, the server quickly made way for him or her (is this normal in Japan?). (Is this normal in Japan?) The attention to detail was wonderful. When I mentioned …… to a local friend the other day, she said, “I’m going there next week!” He said, “I’m going next week! I am sure he will be satisfied.
© Source travel watch
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