Tenkaippin Hawaii
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: No
- 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
30 Reviews for Tenkaippin Hawaii
I like noodles...and so I love ramen. This one here is very heavy (kotteri). The flavor is good...and they'll give you just the noodles if you want more noodles with your left over broth. =o)
Best ramen in Hawaii!! Don't listen to the waitress who always tries to push the Kotteri ramen, its the worst one in my opinion. GET THE PAITAN / TONKOTSU RAMEN!!! You will thank me. Even the beef / soy one was better than the one the waitress pushes, I don't know why. The garlic/chili pepper mix is good to add in with gyoza sauce. I liked the location in Waikiki, now that its on Kapahulu everyone goes there.
The food was awesome. The style of ramen they serve is a bit different from all the other types of ramen I ate. I'm pretty certain they used MSG, but who cares?
I would have gave this place a better rating if they gave us Kama'aina rates. I asked the cashier for Kama'aina rates and she told me "it's already taken in the bill." Yeah right.
I never met a bowl of ramen i didn't like...including this one.
Although it was the first time I had the Kotteri style ramen ( I don't think they have da kine in San Fran...), and the consistency of the broth was a bit too thick for my taste, but overall it was still a good bowl of ramen.
It's easy, fast, tasty and affordable...
Just make sure don't eat it too often...I know it's supposed to be good for you, but I'm sure there's some sort of fattiness (chicken fat anyone?) in the broth....anyway, just wanna make sure your hips don't grow as thick as the broth!
Came to Hawaii twice. Ate here eight times...lol. Yes, the ramen is hella good! The fried rice is hella good! I tell every one of my friend's about this place when they go to Hawaii. The last time I was there I brought a bunch of business cards back to San Fran. Yes, it's that good.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (3)
Cool (3)
Since I love Kyushu ramen, I ordered the Paiten tonkatsu style.
They charge an extra $1 for garlic chips in your bowl.
Place smells funny. Friendly staff. Serves Yebisu if that's your thing.
I ate here about a year ago. I was living in Japan at the time, so I knew my ramen. This was the worst ramen experience I've EVER had. The waitress didn't seem to care much for our existence, and the food came late and cold. The broth was thick and nasty, I was only able to finish half of my bowl before I lost my appetite. To top it all off, I saw at least three cockroaches crawling around. I won't be returning to this place.
I had heard about this place from friends as well as seen their commercial on TV. This being a Hawaii satellite to the Japanese store I was quite excited.I have had Kotteri style ramen at other places in Japan and Los Angeles so I thought I knew what I was in for. I ordered their ramen and out came a bowl of noodles drowning in what appeared to be a gravy.
I ate some noodles and a spoonful of the broth and something just didn't click for me. I know that this is supposed to be a collagen rich broth cooked down for hours but I couldn't get past the consistency. For all of its gelatinous goodness there was a very distinct powder/granular texture on the tongue. Its almost tasted as if they added copious amounts of poorly dissolved corn starch or other thickening agent into the broth and did served it unsifted. The actual taste of this super broth was also a disappointment as it was dreadfully bland.
In anycase I struggled to finish the bowl as I could feel the broth turning into a anchor in my stomach. Their interpretation of kotteri style is just too extreme for my tastes.
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Cool (1)
This is a review for the Kapahulu Location.
I really don't like their Kotteri ramen. It's waaaaay too thick for me.
If you're like me, you may want to ask for a half/half broth of Assari and Kotteri. My sister in law told me you can order that.
My bf had the Paiten ramen. that's like tonkotsu and really good.
I'd go back for Paiten or try out the half half broth.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Note this Review is for a different location - 617 Kapahulu Ave
I picked Tenka-ippin for my next stop on the Honolulu Ramen tour because it is colocated with a Kozo sushi, so my non-ramen-eating wife could eat too. Apparently the Kapahulu corridor is a hotbed of ramen activity so there are other choices a short walk away, but the alluring poster-size shot of their signature Kotteri ramen facing the street and the inviting yellow walls would probably have drawn me in regardless. At any rate I'm very glad I tried it!
The place is small, clean and dominated by the counter down the middle of the restaurant. There are three 4-person tables on the left side but (like most ramen shops) this would not be a good place for a large party. The company-issue posters are all in Japanese but on one wall there are pictures of the owner with various Sumotori and celebrities.
I started to order my usual Miso ramen but the waitress convinced me that the Kotteri was what I really wanted, so I acquiesced. There was almost nobody else in the shop so the bowl came out quickly and from the first slurp of the broth I knew I was in for a treat. As others have noted the Kotteri soup is thick and creamy. Perhaps the yelper who noted an unpleasant powdery taste got a freak bowl-- all I know is that mine had a deep, delicious flavor to it that I couldn't stop slurping.
Once I got into the bowl, I found the noodles were perfectly done, the chashu slices large and tender, the bamboo shoots were crisp and there was a giant pile of fresh green onions on top. The waitress also supplied a soy sauce bottle labelled 'kotteri' on top, which she said was a Japanese mixture of shoyu and pork flavor. What more could a noodle hound ask for?
(Maybe a little larger bowl, and maybe some spinach or tamago, but griping about it would be manini grumbles...)
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
A-W-E-S-O-M-E!
This is a raumen must. If you are down in Waikiki...STOP HERE for some raumen. Get the Kotteri Raumen. It is smooth and delicious. It is cash only and the services lacks, butthe raumen makes up for all of that! Get there early!
Their Kotteri ramen is simply delicious, too bad the ramen portion is too small for me.
I can finish it in 5 minutes nah kidding actually in about 10 minutes *-)
Their services is pretty fast
It's limited seats so go there before lunch/dinner hours and when there is a parade in Kalakaua Ave.
Definitely worth to try.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
I have mixed feelings about this place. The gyoza is really good here. I think their ramen is good, especially with that yummy chili and minced garlic topping, but it can be a shock to those who are used to local-syle ramen. The other reviewers did not mention that this type of collagen-rich broth is a bit frothy and the texture can seem rather slimy to the non-initiated.
Also not mentioned is that they offer a kamaaina discount (I forget the percentage), so bring your ID. However, they will sometimes try their darndest not to give you that discount. They gave my mother such a hard time about it and then padded her bill and gave her the wrong change. She was furious and swore she wouldn't set foot in there again.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (1)
Like I said before, some places you find from just dumb luck. Well in this case I used Yelp. My dad asked me where I heard of this place.... I can't say I heard it from some faceless internet weirdos writing restaurant reviews! So I told him that I'm just really smart and all.
This place is known for their kotteri ramen. The broth ain't your mama's ramen broth, its more like gravy. There's a poster on the wall with a ladle pouring this stuff so it must be their pride and joy. It was thick but good. Weird, sure, but good. My dad, he couldn't get over it being so thick... you know, old dog new tricks.
My sis-in-law, she couldn't finish her bowl of miso ramen. Bless her heart, pass down the bowl please. The miso was flavorful without being overpowering. This was more my dad's speed. I shared some of my windfall with him, but deep inside I was thinking, "Aren't you full yet?"
My mom, she didn't drink all her kotteri soup (aka gravy). Bless her heart, pass down the bowl please. And all for me, dad doesn't like this glue.
I kinda felt like the human garbage disposal, but I didn't care. I have no shame when it comes to good ramen. The gyoza was homemade. And the chicken karaage was good too.
Oh and its kinda expensive and cash only. My dad told mom, don't worry let one of our "rich" sons pay for it. Unfortunately he was looking at me.
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (7)
Cool (6)
I walked past this place a couple times before it really piqued my curiosity and I liked that it was small. Almost everything here is written in Japanese so I figured that was a good sign. I ended up wanting cold noodles so I got #4 and it was delicious. It was totally not what I had expected but was nonetheless amazing.
There was a rim of mayo on the plate which reminded me of that Kewpie Doll (sp?!) mayonaise I used to have in Japan when I visited as a kid.
Anyhow, totally tasty - reasonably priced, and nice and cozy. My favorite noodle place that I hit on that main drag...
Delicious ramen, reasonable prices and friendly service.
I stopped by today for lunch and ordered the Koterri ramen with a side of fried chicken (Set C lunch). Their specialty Kotteri Ramen is a thick chicken miso broth with ramen noodles topped with sliced pork, bamboo shoot, and chopped green onion. This might possibly be the best ramen I've ever had. A definite must try if you're in Waikiki.
noodles vs. broth? it's the broth! checked out tenkaippin w/ 2 work friends one cold/rainy day. so good.....
food: i had the miso ramen and it was yummy! little bits of char siu, lots of bean sprouts, and good textured noodles. friends had char siu ramen and kotteri ramen. there's like 4 different broth styles, all thick, all flavorful. on the table, there's every condiment you might need, including raw crushed garlic/chili flake mixture. yum!
service: prompt. water, menus, food, extra water, extra napkins, bill, change - it was great! only thing was that our noodles came out one by one. so do you be polite and wait for other noodles to come out and risk your noodles getting bloated? or do you just say "sorry" and eat your noodles? eat!!!
ambience: the entire place is yellow. yellow walls, yellow counters, etc. but i love yellow so it was all good! ~4 4-top tables plus a tight u-shaped counter top in middle.
parking: little lot shared w/ genki sushi, jamba juice, starbucks, etc. was pretty crowded at lunch time, but since many people are just getting drinks, spaces opened up pretty quickly.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
i'm sobbing from thirst. ramen makes me soooo thirsty! *whine*
deliciously fried chicken kaarage with skin of pork rind crispyness makes this place a hit.
so does the gravy-ish broth mentioned by brothers - it tastes mildly like boiled eggs and is rich in meaty flavor.
the miss is that each extra topping cost $1 - i didn't know this because i ordered after the fact and only saw the choices in japanese on the board. thus i was tricked into a $15 bowl of ramen.
urgh. don't be tricked like i did!
People thought this was:
Useful (4)
Funny (2)
Cool (4)
I think this is the restaurant we ate at... it's the one next to the Waikiki Gun Club... The ramen and food to me was just okay. It seemed really oily. The gyoza was really oily too. I was happy that they had ramune though because I was feeling dehydrated and that hit the spot :) yuM!
I found out about this place while flipping through my tv channels one night and stopping on OC16's Tiny TV. I live in Waikiki, so I thought- hell, why not check it out? I wanted to try something different, so I had the Kotteri Ramen, and I was HOOKED! I know the gyoza is homemade, but I thought it was so-so (I like Tan-Tan Ramen's gyoza better). If anything, you have to try the Kotteri. The soup has a chicken base, I believe, and its very thick. Its definitley different than you may be used to, but I like it.
Plus- they give a kama'aina discount, 15%. I go there quite often and they usually recognize me, so they give the discount without me even asking. Only downside is that its pretty small, can be hot sometimes- I don't know what is up with their a/c- and parking is difficult. If I don't feel like walking there, I'll park at the Niketown parking lot and go into either Banana Republic or Niketown for validation. I think its like $3.00 or something with validation- check before you go in.
This is probably the best of the waikiki ramen triangle (also including EzoGiku and Nakamura... neither of which have been Yelped you FTR hos!). Tenkaippin is famous for their rich Hakata style chicken bone Kotteri broth.
Maybe it was because it was about 2:30pm on an 85 degree day (God I love Hawaii in Winter!), but the idea of buttery fat congealed broth sticking to my ribs was not my idea of the best ramen that I've had in Japan. Not to say it wasn't good, because it was. But I think this Kotteri ramen is especially for you Santa and Halu tonkotsu addicts who probably stick a tongue depressor into a stick of butter and eat it like a popsicle.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (4)
Cool (2)
So after reading all the good reviews abt this place I decided to give it a try... Afterall.. Im a big noodle fan..
Rating: 3.5 stars
Service: Average.. we went there around 2pm and there was only one table that was occupied in the resturuant. The waitress spoke little english and was quite friendly. The ONLY part that would refrain me from going back was that they charged an AUTOMATED 15% tips into your bill... (although the owner asked if that was okay when i asked him about it... but HEY... wad was i suppose to say in tht situation? "no.. itz not ok"?? LOL..)
The ramen itself was really different from the regular ramen that I've tasted... the soup base was really thick and not "soupy" at all... I guess that's the style... but what disappointed me and mygf was that there was such a small portion... i come from asia and i know ppl usually eat in smaller portions there... but the portions we got were pretty damn small (especially when the bill came out to be $30 plus for two bowls of ramen and two can drinks) and we ended up still hungry after the meal..
The chilli minced garlic that you're supposed to add to the ramen was REAALY good... itz actually pretty addictive.. I'm hungry just thinking abt it..
Overall, I would this place is considered quite pricey for their portions and I would recommend you come here if you're in a situation where you're not exactly hungry but don't wish to eat a full meal either... However, it's definitely a place to stop by if you're craving a bowl of ramen...
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
Do not eat here then eat ramen back in the SF Bay Area....you will be severely disappointed.
More stars if I could give it for the kotteri ramen, thick chicken bone/bone marrow based broth with everything else done as decadently as possible. Extra points for literally making your own gyoza dipping sauce, I went crazy with the minced garlic in both the gyoza and the ramen.
What a shame, this chain couldn't expand onto the mainland!
People thought this was:
Useful (4)
Funny (4)
Cool (5)
Sure, Ezogiku is good, it was my favorite for over a decade until I walked into Tenka Ippin.
If you haven't been here before, please order the Kotteri Ramen. I work at a hotel and when people ask me for Ramen, I always tell them to go here and order the Kotteri Ramen. I will even write it on a piece of paper so they won't forget.
It is so good! Too bad they don't open till late. You also get a discount if you're kamaaina (local resident!)
thanks to a friend of mine and the raves about the ramen at this place, i finally decided to go there one evening. i've passed by this place a million times and yet i haven't tried this place.
a few things i've noticed -
- the place is small so there is limited seating
- there was a tv that had a dvd/ video of this japanese female singer. i've seen her before but i forgot her name. she likes to wear a lot of pink.
- the waitress, although she didn't look too happy, was very quick to take our order although we barely sat down and haven't looked at the menu yet.
a bowl of kotteri ramen is about $10. i believe there is a kaimaina discount. i paid $9 the last time.
after one taste, i was hooked!
the broth is very rich and tastey. i'm scared to imagine the fat/ salt content in that...but oh so worth! i couldn't walk after...and that was okay because it was oh sooo goooood.
if you want something not as rich, i think there is the assari ramen?? my friends haven't tried the others (assari, miso) and will ONLY order the kotteri every time they go there.
i've been there once and i can say that was the BEST bowl of ramen i've ever had so far. can't wait to go again soon!
be sure to finish the entire bowl if you can. i heard a friend couldn't finish hers and asked for a "doggy bag" to take the rest home. the waitress and/ or owner didn't look too happy. i think they even declined to do such a thing. i'll ask my friend again about that.
now i'm hungry.
http://onokinegrindz.t...
Hokkeri Ramen, I thought, was totally awesome. I just met someone visiting from Hawaii and it reminded me of this place as I am sitting here thinking about what I can get to eat: thick-brothed Ramen. Part of my daily ritual there: wake up, surf, ramen, nap, surf, Korean BBQ (let's see if I can remember the address so I can Yelp it).
GABRIEL
Jer, dude, you gotta try this Ramen. I heard they ship the ingredients fresh from Japan every day.
JERRY
(squinting at the signs pasted inside)
They're all in Japanese.
GABRIEL
Like I said...anyway, rumor (from Yelp) is it's made from melted chicken bone marrow. It's really thick, rich, awesome.
JERRY
(beat)
Did you say...bone marrow?
GABRIEL
Yeah.
JERRY
There needs to be a law against that.
GABRIEL
Aren't you going to make another one of your stupid analogies, you know, rich, savory, juicy broth with chewey noodles that just dance on your tongue -- just how you like your women?
JERRY
(long beat)
Did you say "bone"?
People thought this was:
Funny (1)
... Ahhh, Waikiki. If you concentrate really really hard, you can almost trick yourself into thinking it's a vacation in and of itself. The white sandy beaches, the melting pot of cultures and languages, and the multitude of shopping options and eating establishments. Taking a stroll down Kalakaua Avenue will give you a first person's view of living the life as your typical tourist.
(! - If you're from these parts pard'ner, I suggest you park your horse ride at one end and walk through Waikiki, rather than drive it. It gives you more of a touristy feel, helps you get circulation through your otherwise dormant legs, and allows you to notice a lot more than you probably would if driving.)
Among the myriad of eateries is an authentic, Japanese noodle-shop style restaurant called Tenkaippin (pronounced as two words, Tenka Ippin) on the more western end of Kalakaua. As part of a chain of restaurants in Japan carrying the same name (www.tenkaippin.co.jp), this little, unassuming shop carries a big chopstick when it comes to taste and popularity, and has been doing so for the last six years.
Read my complete column (with photos) here:
http://www.world-wide-...
okay the ramen here isn't for everyone. at least the chicken broth one isn't. the broth is very thick but in my opinion, it's really tasty and different. i couldn't finish the whole thing (yes i know...quite an anomaly) but i really enjoyed it as well as the fried rice and gyoza. next time i go there i'm getting a full plate of fried rice as well as the fried chicken! screw the diet! this place seems very authentically japanese!
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
exceptional ramen. the specialty here is the kotteri ramen. the broth is savory, thick, and rumored to be made from melted chicken bone marrow. wow! there is nothing else like it! gyoza are fresh and very delicious. a lot of the ingredients are flown in daily from Japan to maintain the authenticity of flavor. this is a large ramen restaurant chain in Japan with this location in Hawaii as its only US noodle shop.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
i was extremely excited to come here. i found this unlikely little building on kalakaua ave, which if you dont know, is pretty much like rodeo drive. when i entered, it was entirely deserted and i gazed at the sticky looking tabletops in dismay. i ordered the number one, and the ramen came in plastic, cheap chinese restaurant bowls with a tiny ball of ramen that i could barely see through the opaque broth, which was more of a paste. however, the noodles were of a perfect texture. while the broth was good, it was not very tasteful, but it did a vrey good job filling me up, since i couldn't finish the bowl of noodles. the gyoza came out looking suspiciously like chinese potstickers. turns out that they were authentically homemade, fully stuffed full of pork, chives and garlic. soon after, japanese families began to pour in and i gave up my seat to a family, itching with anticipation. ive had better ramen, but it was very satisfying and the gyoza was among the best ive had. oh, being hawaii, the ramen was $10. ]:
People thought this was:
Cool (1)
People Who Viewed This Also Viewed...
Related Lists
-
Top Restaurants
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the… -
Hawaiian Delights!
besides me! well I'm not Hawaiian so I guess not.… -
Japanese Food
I eat a lot of it. Here is a long list of my…
Hot and New
- Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ
18 reviews
Honolulu, HI
- Moana Surfrider, A Westin…
59 reviews
Honolulu, HI
- Tenkaippin Ramen
14 reviews
Honolulu, HI
- Imanas Tei Restaurant
27 reviews
Honolulu, HI
- Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin
6 reviews
Honolulu, HI
