Where Time Stands Still: Maguro-Ya
After 25 years in Kaimukī, this beloved neighborhood restaurant is still my go-to for delicious Japanese food, served with a side of warm memories.
Editor’s Note: Where Time Stands Still is a new Frolic series that celebrates Hawai‘i’s longstanding and beloved eateries. These places comfort us because they are the same as they always were, serving up favorite foods and dishes that we love, generation after generation.
Photo: Brie Thalmann
Comfort food comes in many forms, and for me, Japanese food always feels like home. And on days when I’m craving a taste of something deliciously familiar, I often find myself at Maguro-Ya, one of Kaimukī’s oldest restaurants. Opened by chef Goro Obara in 2000, the quaint Japanese eatery sits near the top of Wai‘alae Avenue, nestled discreetly between Happy Day and Lotus Café. Cozy and rustic, it was a favorite of my grandma, who would take me there for lunches when I was growing up.
SEE ALSO: Hawai‘i’s Oldest Restaurants Are Still ‘Ono After All These Years
Aesthetically, not much has changed over the years. Enter from the parking lot, and you’ll shimmy down the same long, narrow hallway lined with bins and spare chairs. Behind the 12-seat sushi counter, Obara’s collection of fish tails is still mounted like trophies on the stainless steel hood vent. In the dining room, the fishing boat hull installed at opening still floats overhead.
The restaurant is known for authentic Japanese fare with a focus on ‘ahi dishes, prepared a multitude of ways. The appetizer menu alone boasts six different offerings, from tataki with ponzu and tsukune (grilled meatballs) to maguro yamakake (sashimi dressed with grated yam). Still, we’d usually stick to our regular order—a teishoku with tempura, zaru soba, miso soup and a little bit of sushi—which I still get to this day. And since my grandma had a major sweet tooth (which I inherited), we couldn’t leave without dessert—kinako-dusted warabi mochi, now drizzled with nostalgia, and a scoop of green tea ice cream.
3565 Wai‘alae Ave., (808) 732-3775, maguroyakaimuki.com, @maguroyakaimuki
Read more from this series:
Where Time Stands Still: Bravo Italian Restaurant
