Izakaya Tako-No-Ki

Pretty good Izakaya place in the middle of Waikiki. Prices are fairly reasonable for the location, service is efficient, food is very authentic.

Came here for dinner one day and ordered a bunch of dishes to share. I'm a huge fan of izakaya and Oahu is known for all the good Japanese restaurants. The menu is extensive and we did ask our server for recommendations. Ordered a few of the skewers, and wanted to try the pancake special. That was really tasty! The sashimi platter was so so, the fish was fresh but not of a good cut.

Bathrooms are clean, we walked over because there's no parking on the street. This place is definitely better than many of the tourist traps around Waikiki.

I would probably have gave this place 5 stars but I feel like I ordered the wrong thing and didn't try the stuff that was probably better but I don't know.

I ordered the ribeye steak, it was served on a sizzling platter over bean sprouts. Steak was over cooked not good. Again, this was probably my fault for ordering this but it was not good.

Sitting in front of the sushi bar, and seeing what was going out after I ate, was disappointing that I didn't order that.
The poke was make with sashimi grade ahi. If you don't understand what a difference this is, think Ruth's Chris steak versus a plate lunch steak.

The sashimi that they did send out was huge cuts of fish! Like not a normal cut size.

The "pickles" was a delicious spinach salad with pickled onions with what tasted like a balsamic vinaigrette.

I also saw noodles coming out of a package so maybe no noodle dishes and no steak.

Almost missed the most important!
Asahi Draft (I think, didn't see the actual tap) $14 for a 32 oz mug is a little pricy I think but it goes good with Japanese food.

Overall very good!
Waiters are friendly
Foods are delicious
Beef intestine was the best!!
Definitely recommend

Solid Izakaya. I loved the Chinese cabbage with anchovy - ultimate comfort food and amazing in flavor. The anchovy flavor is subtle yet distinct.

Skip beef intestines unless you are Japanese and have tried and liked it before. To me, it was too greasy and chewy. Not edible to me.

Miso soup with clams was solid.

A classic Izakaya where people go to eat small tapas like plates and enjoy each other's company over sake and other adult beverages.

I've been coming to this place for at least 10 years and have eaten pretty everything on the menu through the years. The interior is simple but clean with 12 chairs at the bar and about 8 tables. The decor makes you feel like you're in Japan. You know it's authentic because the majority of the patrons are Japanese visitors.

The extensive menu has a variety of fresh seafood, beef, chicken, ramen and okonomiyaki. My fave dish there is the Gesokaraage ( deep fried Squid legs ). The legs are big and well seasoned. It's like eating fried chicken of the sea. The Maguro Natto is also a winner. Served chilled with a healthy dose of delicious Natto. Warning, Natto is fermented beans with a strong fermented flavor. It's definitely an acquired taste. The Garlic Steak and Steak Tataki are great with red wine. I The okonomiyaki is on the floury side for my taste. The Grilled Salted Squid Legs is great with a cold Asahi draft. Firm yet tender with a clean ocean taste. If you're in a committed relationship or not looking to sweet talk anyone, the Deep Fried Garlic with Bacon, Cheese, Green Onion and Mayo is seductively delicious in a cheesy, fatty garlicky way.

The service is consistently friendly, polite and timely. I like sitting at the and interact with the two Chefs. It's also fun to watch them create those wonderful dishes.

Expect to wait if you come after 8 pm. I usually go at off hours between 6-7 and can usually get a table or seats at the bar.


Happy Eating !!

Izakaya takonoki is a small izakaya (Japanese bar) right in the heart of waikiki. Food options are pretty traditional and standard. While it's tasty, I found the prices to be extremely high for what you're getting and quality did not match up to par with izakaya torae torae.

For example, they charge $9 for cabbage with anchovies...

Some of the food we had including the cabbage and grilled fish were overly salty. I wouldn't recommend coming here. There are a lot better izakayas that are more reasonably priced that may not have such a central location. I personally don't mind a slight walk for better food.

The bf and I were looking for a late night snack and we stumbled upon this joint. It lead us upstairs and a server took us to our table. You could tell it was more of a local place because everyone spoke japanese and were enjoying a good night with bottles of sake.

SASHIMI MIX- maguro, salmon, hamachi, and ika
The assortment of fish were so fresh! The tuna was light, but didn't have a fishy odor, the salmon was oily and smooth, the hamachi was really light, and the ika was firm, but had a nice texture.

SALMON PONZU
I liked the citrus flavors with the buttery salmon. The sliced onions were also great because they were sweet and pickled from the sauce. This dish was fresh and very simple.

HORUMONYAKI- grilled beef intestine with garlic teriyaki sauce
I wanted to try this because I saw a lot of reviews saying it was good. It definitely is an acquired taste. The intestines were chewy, but had a slight sweetness to them. The garlic flavor didn't really hit me, but another did. I can't put it into words, but it slightly reminded me of chinese stinky tofu, which is also an acquired taste.

Food here tasted fresh, ambiance is very home-y, and service was friendly. The dishes here are simple, but pretty solid.

200th review!
Really cool place with a low key vibe. I have a certain nostalgia for Japanese izakayas, and so far this place always does the trick for me and my friends when we want to hang out and drink.

The food is good to boot; I've had a little bit of everything on the menu and there's nothing to really complain about from me except that sometimes the prices don't really fit the portion sizes. The little yakitori skewers are a bit too pricy in my opinion just as an example.

As of right now it's $22 for a pitcher of Japanese beer which may seem crazy to anyone who has been to Shirokiya, but sometimes the atmosphere is worth the price.

The staff has always been really great and we received a kama'aina discount. Overall, I'm very pleased with this place and have no problem recommending it.

TL;DR- order the okonomiyaki and a beer.

Visited at 630 on a Sat. Seating was plentiful at that time for two. The servers were nice. To be honest, I would be leaving a much (MUCH) lower review if it weren't for the okonomiyaki. Skip everything else and jump straight to this. The one with the fried noodles was honestly Japan level delicious. Would come back for this only.

The squid we got was too chewy to eat. Only 1 tentacle piece, which was a bummer. Chicken and sausage were fine but nothing to write yelp about.

They charge the tips as a dish by themselves. After that they wrote the tip amount and total for me again, it makes me feel like they are suspect the tourists will skip the tip. And the service was rude. It feels so uncomfortable.

Nobody says bye when we leave.

The food was sample and oily. Interior looks old.

The menu may done with google translate, some dishes are Japanese spelling instead of English.

Don't come this place and waste your time in Waikiki. There are so many good Japanese food and bar.