Updated Review-
I went to Doraku last night for a casual business dinner with my dad and one of his friend/customer from the mainland. Â Well I picked here because I had such a great experience a couple months ago...
I really love the food here and our server (I don't remember his name) was tentative and friendly. Â
Me, my dad, and his friend had the Omakase (very good deal!!) We had 5 courses. The fish was fresh and everything tasted great. Â The only down side to the Omakase is that they didn't time it good. Â We had long waits in between some of the courses and other came out before we were finished so there were too many plates... It takes a lot to time perfectly (La Mer does this perfectly and Nobu's). Â But because we had waits in between courses I was really full by the time the last course (the sushi) came out. Â I didn't even eat the rice... We all just ate the fish!
Anyway despite the length between the courses the food was great. Â
My sister got the yuzu butterfish was very light and refreshing. Â She also got a california roll and the Salmon Chazuke. Â All very tasty. Â
The one thing I really disliked and a big reason I gave a 3/5 instead a 5/5 this time was because of the ambiance. Â I know that this is a big happy hour place and everything (we went after happy hour...) but the music was way too loud. Â I felt like I was shouting across the table. Â When I came here in March it was more low key almost like a loungy feel... but this time the music was loud so the people were loud (so they can hear each other). Â I felt like I was in a bar not a restaurant. Â Another thing is that there were some customers that were blocking the way to the bathroom... they were just standing in the aisle and when my sister and I were trying to go to the restroom and trying to say excuse me without shouting because the music was so loud. Â The hostesses just watched us and didn't say anything to try to move the customers....
Another thing was that there were a couple of waitress/hostesses that I felt weren't dressed appropriately. Â I am all for "if you got it flaunt it" but there is a time and place for it. A couple waitresses had their shirts tied up in the back to show their midrift up to their belly buttons. Â I thought that Doraku was a classier sushi restaurant but I guess not. Â There is a time and place for it and I think that working in a food establishment is not one of them. Â It was inappropriate.... another reason I felt like I had brought my dad's client to a bar (Silly me next time I will take them to Hiroshi's). Â I also felt that the hostess's skirt (or it could have been a dress) was too short... it was practically showing her butt... I am not taking away stars because of the bad dress code but I just feel that there is a time and place to dress certain ways and being at work in a nice restaurant shouldn't be one of them. Â
Now I am not sure if I will return. Â I really like the food so I may try go back to the Waikiki location and hopefully it isn't as loud... I hate having to shout across the table to people and hearing the conversations of people next to me because they are shouting too. Â
Maybe for happy hour with my girlfriends and I am gonna be drinking... but not for a date night with my husband or casual business dinners.
I'm not sure what this restaurant is going for...I went in for lunch today and  my food was decent, however the service was a piece of crap. I wish I got her name so I can put her on blast. She was so rude! She decided to lean against the wall while taking our order, which I think is very disrespectful. I've been in the restaurant industry for many years, front and back of house.. She decided to ask what we wanted to drink when I was the only one at the table when clearly my friend was in the bathroom. Can't we just wait a minute? Not only that, she was behind the bar and drinking out of a beer bottle. Wtf?.. Is this what it's like all the time? It was my first time, but if the servers are drinking on the job then ill pass. She was constantly coming over and hovering over us... If I need you, I'll ask for you... Absolutely no common sense as a server.... I'll probably never return to doraku thanks to the server who was drinking on the job.
Review Source:1. Food=5 stars
-The sashimi/nigiri sushi here is the BOMB. Â It's so fresh, I literally thought I was going to cry when I ate my hamachi. Â It felt like it would melt in my mouth. Â The amaebi and uni were also super delicious.
-I also had the uni and ikura don, which at lunch is a steal since it's the same size portion for like $16. Â However, the spicy ahi was a miss for me. Â I don't like whatever spicy sauce they use on it.
-Oyster shooter was to DIEEE for. Â (Even though its $6 and they only give you one...) Â Unlike the one at yanagi, this one comes with uni inside, which probably explains why its so expensive.
2. Parking=1 star.
-Street parking OR valet (which is like $3? I think...) Â During lunch, you can't park on the main street so you have to park closer to ward OR pay for parking. Â Luckily we found parking on a back street, but there aren't many stalls. Â I think after 6:30 you can park on the main street, which I assume gets filled up very quickly.
3. Â Service=3 stars.
-Our waiter was very friendly and informative. Â He was prompt on refilling our water and clearing our plates. Â However, the food took FOREVER to come out to our table. Â I kept thinking..."how long does it take to cut some raw fish..?" Maybe it was because we ate around 2pm, which is not a busy period and they could have been short staffed...but still. Â I was hungry.
Overall, the food was good. Â The other stuff...not so much. Â But the food was good enough that I would definitely go again to try the other nigiri/sushi. Â Possibly even some of the hot dishes. (:
Doraku is a really nice restaurant overall. Since I am always around Ward from 4-6 I always go by for their happy hour. Their menu for happy hour is about $5 per item and the food you get for the price is reasonable for being upscale. It is also great for those underage because unlike Shokudo, you can still enjoy the happy hour menu! The setting is very hip and modern and the service is top notch. They are friendly and always willing to serve. I had a good experience and I am sure you will too. I only give this a four star because I came out spending 20 bucks on happy hour after tips and tax. I can't imagine how much I would be spending when NOT happy hour!
Review Source:Doraku is now one of my favorite places to eat. This was only my second time there and it was better than my first. Our server Andrew was awesome. When my boyfriend asked him what was good, he recommended we try the butterfish, which was delicious. After trying the unagi nigiri that I ordered, my boyfriend wanted an order for himself. Our server recommended that he try the anago instead and my boyfriend really liked it. Of course, our favorite dish was a tempura brownie. Even though we were both really full, we had to order it since it was so delicious the first time.
Although you have to valet if there isn't street parking, it's totally worth it. The food is delicious and the service was great.
Doraku is an amazing restaurant overall. The setting is Asian aspired, their selection of sushi is amazing, and the food is delicious. I suggest the brownie tempura for your choice of desert, it's to die for :)
My two complaints is that service is slow because the number of customers they are juggling, but they are still exceptional servers. Second, the hostess' in front of the restaurant aren't too friendly and they tend to stand around getting into servers ways.
My favorite happy hour spot! Good staff, vibrant ambiance, but casual and chic at the same time. I almost always sit at the bar when I dine here, mostly 'cause it's always busy and 'cause I like sitting with Ikaika the bartender (lots of tattoos). He makes it fun and knows my order right away when I walk in. "Ahi tataki one or two orders?", says Ikaika, and I've barely even sat down. LOL
I like it and def think you should swing by for a mellow crowd and lunch specials during the day. Valet parking is tight, so don't bring your SUV. Street parking available when permitted.
One Saturday it was around 1pm and my BF and I were looking stupidly at each other trying to figure out were the hell we were gonna find food. It was one of those beautiful days where it would've been a shame to choose to be indoors. Nico's was a suggestion but is it just me or has the food there been kinda crappy lately?? Anyway, we figured we just get ready to leave and take it from there. The BF slips on his sushi shirt (yup) and my lightbulb went off...DUH! lets hit up Doraku!!
We gathered a couple of other friends and got there around 1:30 p.m. Lots of outdoor seating - and perhaps due to timing, it was sunny with just enough shade not to melt.
With the crowd I hang with it's always drinks first, of course. The guys ordered beers and the girls ordered Sake Sangrias. Gotta do it if you come here. I think they're about $6 a pop and be prepared to drink at least 4 of them.
Food was God of Fire roll, spicy edamame, dragon roll, salmon nigiri, other nigiri, and I feel like there was a "surf and turf" roll but I can't find it on the menu (was all those darn yummy sake sangrias!).
By the time we were done with lunch, happy hour was just getting started at 4pm and we would've stayed eating and drinking but I had to leave to go baby shower shopping. Buzz kill.
Came back the following week and I can't get enough of their happy hour menu which includes tuna tataki, clams, spicy tuna roll, chicken karaage and $3 Kirin.
One last important point: parking! At lunch we were able to self-park in the lot and the restaurant validates so no fee. At night, try to street park to save the $3+ tip valet only fee.
After all the hype, of course I had to try their food! My boyfriend and I went during happy hour(of course, gotta save money when we can) and we waited about 45 minutes give or take. The staff is friendly and our waitress was helpful.
We ordered the ahi poke, red dragon roll, misoyaki butterfish, spicy tuna roll, doraku roll, brownie tempura & I forget what my boyfriend ordered for his main dish, but I know he said it was good. I enjoyed all of it. Nom nom nom.
I wouldn't mind coming here again, but only during happy hour. Our bill came out to around $60. I think I like Kunio's better, but this is still a place that has bomb food.
One of my favorite go to place to have sushi. Â The service is excellent, attentive, friendly staff. Â The atmosphere is very casual, and clean.
You can't go wrong with any of the specialty rolls. Â The sushi is always made fresh when ordered behind the counter. Â The taste very clean, fresh. Â The happy hrs are great buys. Â I highly recommend the Ahi Poke and Hamachi Carpaccio All are reasonable prices.
Happy hour from 4-6 and again later in the evening. Â We stopped by at around 430 on a weekday. Â Not a big crowd, which meant quality and speedy service. Â
Drinks: Â $3 Heinekens for the boys and $6 Lychee Martini for the girls (worth the price for the martinis -- it was a strong drink!)
The entire happy hour menu was delicious (we almost ordered every item). Â But the must-order highlights were: Â ahi tataki, ahi poke, karaage, garlic teriyaki edamame. Â Other decent picks: eggplant miso, spicy ahi roll, firecracker shrimp.
Supplemented our order with items off the regular menu, including a tender steak with a yummy sauce. Â Add a bowl of rice with a small miso soup for the baby. Â The whole experience was great. Â There were multiple families there and the staff was very friendly.
The regular menu is a bit pricey, but I would return for the happy hour pupus and lychee martinis.
It was the first time I've been to this place. Â I agreed to go on a last minute invite, even though I felt it may not be a great idea because I was babysitting. Â When we walked in, I immediately thought, "I knew it, this was a bad idea". Â The atmosphere didn't look the least bit kid friendly at all. Â
My friends requested a table outside, which I didn't even know was an option. Â It worked out just fine! Â I came prepared and brought my own booster seat, put baby in the chair next to me and we were all good!
Our server was great. Â She was super friendly and always came to the table with a smile.
The food was YUMMERS! Â We had the Deluxe spicy tuna roll, Doraku tuna tataki, Hamachi kama, and the Firecracker shrimp.
OMG! Â The firecracker shrimp was so good we ordered 3 of them! Â Yeah, piggy status
Happy Hour is a must here. Â Hawaii has a ton of amazing authentic Japanese and sushi restaurants...but when I feel like indulging in the non-traditional in a festive setting...Doraku is my restaurant of choice. Â This is the best place to take mainlanders who want to try sushi for the first time. Â Favorites are the Double Happiness Roll, the Emporer Roll, and don't forget to order ice cream or the fried brownie! Â P.S. This location is much more local friendly than the craziness of Waikiki!
Review Source:It's 930PM and I'm starving and I'm craving sushi.
Luckily Doraku has a dope late night happy hour from 9PM-close. YESSSSS!!!!!! No reservations during happy hour. NOOOO!!!!!!
We had a very important business meeting (ahem) with our homie so we decided to chance Doraku and see if we could get some seats. There were three of us and the hostess said it'd be an hour wait. At this point we were pretty desperate and just tired of trying to find a place to eat at the time so we waited. It really only took like 20 minutes for us to get seated.
We were seated on the sushi bar where there were platters of salmon, ahi, avocado and all kine goodies waving to me, TEASING me practically. Checked out the happy hour and the most expensive thing on there was $6. My kind of menu.
When the waitress came, we ordered tree tree dolla Kirins (gotumk) and I told her I wanted pretty much everything with the D on it (teehee). I got the Spicy Tuna Roll, Ahi Poke, the Tataki, Firecracker Shrimp, and the Garlic Teriyaki Edamame. Beer makes me particularly hungry so I ended up ordering off the happy hour menu and getting the Emperor Roll.
Everything was really good and flavorful. The only thing I didn't care for was the ume (correct me if I'm wrong) in the spicy tuna roll. It threw off the whole thing for me.
I ordered the Emperor Roll pretty blindly, mostly cause I was just following whatever everyone was recommending on Yelp (no, just cause people jump off the bridge I will too). First thing I noticed was, NO RICE. No rice. There's no rice in this roll. Is this possible?
Oh it is. As soon as I put a piece in my mouth, I was asking "what the fuck is rice?!"
It practically melted in my mouth. The crab mayo was on point, and I was so happy with how it tasted and I even ended up eating the shredded carrots and shit on the plate if it was garnish I probably looked stupid but whatevs.
I have to mention this but damn their bathroom is super nice. They even have those super high-tech hand dryers where you thrust your hand up and down (dirty dirty).
Most definitely coming back to get drunk off my ass.
Doraku takes your average conventional sushi and gives it one tasty makeover! The new Kaka'ako location is the newest and coolest hot spot for izakaya flair, and they do it with such creative edge it's hard not to love it!
Living in Hawaii, we are fortunate to have a superabundance of outstanding Japanese restaurants. There's a mom-and-pop noodle shop, teppanyaki, yakiniku, or izakaya eatery in almost every district on Oahu. In the last year, a crop of new Japanese restaurants popped up filling an already saturated industry.
Doraku is different.
Tired of the boring spicy tuna roll? Try the God of Fire that kicks the heat up a notch with crunchy, fresh jalapenos and spicy garlic aioli.
Love your  Dragon Rolls? Bite into the White Dragon Roll (my personal favorite); made with traditional shrimp tempura and unagi, but with a morsel of hamachi, avocado, and the savory garlic aioli with kabayaki sauce.
Trying to cut down on your rice intake? The Double Happiness Roll is the only non-rice sushi dish composed of crab meat, salmon, tuna, and shiso bundled in nori and cucumber membrane topped with garlic aioli, tobiko eggs and ponzu.
There's something for everyone. If you're not crazy about sushi to begin with, they have main dishes like the panko crusted hamachi and Japanese garlic steak. I love trying a little bit of everything: the Geisha Roll (another spicy tuna alternative), the Chilean Sea Bass, and the firecracker shrimp were all delectable, too!
Our server Jamie was fantastic! She observed that we were celebrating two big events without us even mentioning it to her (our friend's deployment and our recent engagement). The manager gave us complimentary Double Happiness roll and Hamachi Salad, and Jamie finished off the meal with complimentary dessert. Oooh, that warm brownie tempura with vanilla ice cream sure was amazing...
Their happy hour is a good deal with way decent selections including their famous lychee martini! I will come back again just for that!
I really like this place! They have good food, great happy hour, and yummy drinks! Â My fave is their lychee martini, which is a better deal if you get it during happy hour for $6. The servers also provided good service, and the ambiance is very nice.
The food can be kinda pricey if you go with their regular menu, so I'd recommend coming during happy hour, which is late afternoons/early dinner and then late night happy hour.
Food that I liked here was the hamachi carpaccio, the white dragon roll, and the ahi poke. The garlic steak was also good and cooked perfectly, but it wasn't anything outstanding/special to me. My bf also ordered the oyster shooter, and he said it was good but very citrusy or something...he made  somewhat of a thizz face after swallowing, but then immediately after he said it was pretty good, lol.
The only thing I really dislike about this place is the parking situation, and you have to pay for valet to assure yourself a parking spot. Luckily for me, I live walking distance from this place so I don't even bother driving here anymore.
If you only come here once, just try their Brownie Tempura - MUST ORDER
First, PARKING - gotta park in the building for $3 charge. No, I did not tip the valet ppl as when I got my car back my AC was on full blast! Fail!
Getting to the restaurant, you either gotta walk through that coffee/tea shop or walk all the way around passing Chai's restaurant.
The happy hour everyone seems to be raving about is a joke to me. I arrived at 5:30, but obviously that's too late to take advantage of the happy hour, which I believe only goes 'til 7. The hostess, who wasn't friendly at all told me that they were full at the time and can't seat me and my friend until a party is done - which means we could easily be waiting for an hour to be seated for happy hr, but she couldn't even tell me how long the wait would be.
So after almost 15 minutes of waiting we scrapped that idea and just decided to sit and their "regular" menu tables.
Their Clam Sakamushi was really good, however I was disappointed with the so-called "Doraku" Sushi Roll - wasn't anything special to me. I must admit though, their Hamachi roll was quite delicious.
DO NOT ORDER - their Cube Style Steak. I ordered it medium well, but tasted like it was cooked well done.
Our waiter was good, but his service wasn't anything out of the ordinary.
I wouldn't waste my time here again unless a friend wants to try their food again. I want to like this place, but the hostess's attitude and some of the food killed it for me.
Pretty high falutin' swanky place to hang out. Â
Met a couple of friends here for some drinks and some sushi on a Sunday evening. Â The place is very well decorated and the menu is quite creative.
Drinks and sushi delish, tried the li hing mojito and white dragon sushi and red flame thrower or something....I forget. Â Whatever sushi the server recommends...EAT IT, it's probably pretty good!
Our server started off great....and then he disappeared.
Parking is valet in the garage, but they close at 9:30, so then you have to get your own  car.  They basically collect your money and then let you do the work.  Meh.
With everyone's schedule being so busy, it was surprising we even got together!
I had made reservations the week before. I didn't know  the day of about Happy Hour, I am so disappointed in myself.
Though one person wasn't there yet, we got seated in a somewhat private area inside the restaurant. (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/doraku-sushi-honolulu-2?select=2Eye9LWRQwK_fuafa0Ow7g#2Eye9LWRQwK_fuafa0Ow7g">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>)
We had made it in time for happy hour BUT where we were seated we couldn't be served that. For the happy hour menu, you had to be seated at the sushi bar or outside. Why didn't you say so? There was no indication on the menu! We were all hyped up for nothing.
We waited until our final person arrived and we started ordering our dishes.
As we looked at our menu, we thought that we could have our own dishes but it seemed family-style, so we all picked off the dishes we ordered.
What we ordered:
Sweet and Spicy Miso Seared(?) Edamame
I know it was covered with something but I don't remember which one we got. I usually don't eat this, but after that night... I want more!
Red Dragon Roll (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/doraku-sushi-honolulu-2?select=Ssdnppt6Om55suPbKwR4tw#Ssdnppt6Om55suPbKwR4tw">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>)
I won't lie, there was some ingredients on this roll that made me go, ew gross! Just don't look at it, because after eating one piece, I came back with my chopsticks for more! I don't know what it is, but it's definitely a favor... so far!
Volcano Roll (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/doraku-sushi-honolulu-2?select=Ssdnppt6Om55suPbKwR4tw#xhB4QRJ7f0WejdY4Z49czQ">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>)
This one, I didn't enjoy. It could've been the scallop or the crab but whatever it is, ain't ordering this one again! I tried two pieces. Once to see if I'd like it or not, the second time to make sure I still felt the same.
Steak - cube style
So, one of the workers accidentally placed it at the wrong table. The other party across of us and of course she made the mistake of telling us that it was over there. Not good! Of course it looked like they hadn't touched it so we dug in... Yes it's steak... No it wasn't yummy as it had sounded. It didn't look appetizing either. Just a mountain of all the ingredients piled together.
Teriyaki chicken
Idk, it's chicken? Looked and tasted good. Nothing unusual.
Hamachi
I didn't know what this was. It's fish? We asked for forks and a knife for this one. Luckily we also shared a bowl of rice with one another. There was a lot of flavors to take in but the fish itself tasted dry. No picture because... It was another mountain of food. It was interesting to try I'll admit that, maybe some shoyu next time.
Of course it wasn't over yet! I guess it was also in celebration of some graduates myself and another. If I remember correctly the brownie was complementary. I asked to order the Banana Flambe.
Dessert:
Brownie Tempura (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/doraku-sushi-honolulu-2?select=Ssdnppt6Om55suPbKwR4tw#k8fR4-sfOc7Zoviyru0MHQ">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>)
Hearing brownie and tempura together, I was like 'what?!' I just remembered the brownie and ice cream. I didn't know it was macadamia nuts on top!
Banana Flambe (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/doraku-sushi-honolulu-2?select=Ssdnppt6Om55suPbKwR4tw#L-pcqjt-uYqTUyM_nvRJVQ">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>)
The bananas reminded me of banana lumpia. Same concept as the Brownie Tempura, just not something I would order again.
Overall, I'd come back... DURING HAPPY HOUR, now that I know where we have to sit.
Came here on Saturday night for happy hour dinner and drinks with some friends. We were lucky enough to find parking on Kapiolani Blvd but it was difficult. This place also gets packed, so reservations are suggested, however, I did see additional seating on a higher alcove, so maybe they wanted the flow of the restaurant mainly on the floor. We were all seated in what appeared to me as a sauna box but was tastefully decorated with candles and Asian-themed upholstery.
Ordered the eggplant through the power of suggestion and a riceless roll. The eggplant was not delicious to me, but I was convinced it normally tastes better. The riceless roll was reaaaally good, and I didn't miss any carbs at all. The sushi was nothing too impressive; it tasted like any sushi I could get here in Vegas, but with much less tempura chips and flair that Vegas sushi restaurants offer.
We shared a couple bottles of hot sake, and I enjoyed a deliciously cold Kirin with dinner. Our waiter was super nice and fun the whole night. He kept the drinks coming and made sure we were all taken care of with water and food. Definitely check this place out if you get a chance.
Love Doraku at the Royal Hawaiian so was happy that one opened outside of the chaos of Waikiki!!  Great vibe, good food, good location.  But I had to minus one star for the parking situation.  Valet parking  only - $3, plus tip of course. And then it's so strange... you have to walk through Blue Tree Cafe from the parking lot to get into Doraku.  But the at the end of the night, Blue Tree was closed for a private party so we had to walk outside and around and through the parking garage driveway to get our cars.
So aside from the parking situation (which is a problem in Hawaii anywhere you go...), the place is so great for Happy Hour! Â The food is good, the Happy Hour food selection was great, and good drink options too! Â I had the hot sake... seriously, it was only $6 for a bottle and I swear that bottle was endless!!! Â Can you say awesome.
After four visits, I've decided that I really don't like this place. Â It saddens me because it's in a good location, but the service and food quality just ain't cutting it for me.
The hostesses need to be trained on how to provide good customer service. Â
Incident 1:
On one visit I was told that a table was readily available outside and they were going to get the table ready - I told her I would sit either inside or outside. Â They then sat four customers right after me at tables inside. Â 15 minutes later (I'm patient) I asked the hostess if I seat myself since it's outside and she said they were getting it ready still. Â 5 minutes later I asked her again (because they kept seating more people inside) if my table is ready and that's when she shared that there are no tables ready outside and they were going to squeeze me and my party in at the bar. Â The bar is L shaped and they were going to squeeze the chairs at the corner, clearly where it's designed not to have any chairs. Â The hostess could see that I was getting frustrated and that's when she finally said that a table was ready (weird). Â
Incident 2:
On another visit (on a Friday night around 10pm) I was told that there was a two-hour wait for a table. Â Ok, they're pretty busy, but seriously, 2-hours? Â I figured it would've been less so I put my name down. Â What shocked me was the hostess told me that I needed to call them if I was going to cancel. Â Umm, excuse me, but why do I have to notify you - I'm the customer - you should be calling me to see if you still want my business. Â Anyway, I called my friend up to see if we should go somewhere else and five-minutes later, my phone rings saying that a table was ready. Â What happened to the two-hour wait? Â
Incident 3:
Kind of minor, but details go a long way. Â When they changed their happy hour to what it is now (5 - 6pm and 9pm - close), the hostess didn't tell me that they changed the happy hour. Â I got there a little after 6 and she said that happy hour is done. Â Maybe if she told me that they have a later happy hour, my party would've stayed for dinner and maybe a few more drinks after, or maybe just returned later in the night. Â
On to the servers:
In the four visits, service has always been pretty slow. Â Fine, they're busy, but c'mon - 20 minutes for a beer. Â Then the server forgets and we need to remind him for beer and green tea. Â
I think the kitchen is pretty fast because my hot food's always come out cold. Â
I'm saddened to really downgrade this place, but I think I gave them enough tries. Â Just about any other Japanese restaurant will provide you with better service and food at the same or even less prices. Â You're really paying to be at a good location that's close to all the action.
My first experience here was excellent: awesome food paired with excellent service.
Service: in general, very fast. They are so accommodating to my shellfish allergy and during my first visit, I could tell that the waiter was so passionate about Doraku. He was very enthusiastic, hospitable and knowledgeable, and recommended dishes that became some of my favorites.
Food: Amazing. Really fresh. Some of my favorites are the Doraku Tuna Tataki (must try!) and Dragon roll without shrimp. I tried the brownie tempura with green tea ice cream, which was really interesting. Bad if you're on a diet though lol. My family and friends love the Red Dragon Roll, White Dragon Roll and the garlic steak.
Atmosphere: slightly romantic, bar-like, very hip/modern/naturalistic Japanese.
A downside is the parking, which is a $3 valet, unless you can find street parking. Definitely want to come back for happy hour!
We decided to drop by here for a quick bite to eat after hearing so much about it. Â We walked in about 7:30 p.m. on a Friday night and decided to sit at the bar instead of the tables since there was a 45 min wait; we found seats at the bar right away and we still enjoyed our dinner. Â I really wanted to come for their happy hour, because if you know me, you know that I love to be frugal.
I love a good bubbly and it was Friday night so I had to ditch my old ways and go for some Prosecco. Â Mamma loves some champs. Â We ordered some garlic teriyaki seared edamame, which is delicious in its own special way. Â I ate all of it, don't get me wrong, but there was something about it that I just didn't like. Â I don't know if it's the sweetness of it all, but I just don't know if I'll have it again.
We also had some Yamakake Agedashi Tofu, which was bathed in miso soup. Â I think after having this dish, I learned something very valuable about myself: I just dont like soft tofu. Â I think the texture of it just does not sit well with me and I immediately gag. Â The soup that the tofu was in was extremely delicious; and I really do think the tofu was good too, but the texture was throwing me off.
I also had the vegetable sushi roll, which comes in 5 pieces. Â Sushi was delicious and can't complain; the only thing I wish was that they gave the spicy mayo on the side (so I can lather it up), rather than just drizzled on top.
Finally, we finished the night with some tempura brownie. Â My expectations when I read brownie and tempura in the same sentence was that it's going to be disgusting, but alas I was proven wrong. Â I couldn't stop myself from licking the plate. Â The combination of ice cream and tempura battered brownie was simply the best thing ever! It's a good thing I don't know how to make this at home, because I might be unrecognizable after a week because I've become an oompa loompa. Even if you're full from all the amazingness you had, you simply must try this! You will be haunted by all the yelp ya di das abou the dessert if you don't try it.
Overall, great service, great food, great everything. Â *food coma*
The white dragon roll, hamachi nigiri and tempura brownie is what we go to Doraku for. Â That, and the fact that we can get a seat at the sushi bar without a reservation. Â Service is fast and you order sushi from the waitress, even when sitting at the sushi bar. Â They also have a community table that is often available for spontaneous diners like us.
It's only a little bit strange that you have to walk through another restaurant in order to enter Doraku.
The only downside is the parking. Â It's valet and costs $3. Â Make sure the valet parkers give you an exit ticket. Â If they don't, you won't be able to get out of the garage!
INTERESTING FACTS: Â Kevin Aoki (the owner of Doraku) is the son of the founder of the Benihana chain. Â Doraku means, "the road to happiness."
We were in the area and wanted to try the infamous happy hour. Â Doraku did not disappoint :)
SERVICE: Our server, Tai, was both friendly and knowledgeable. Â
Between the two of us, we left quite full. Â
FIRECRACKER SHRIMP: Â I love fried things but normally you feel so weighed down once you bite into something that is battered. Â These shrimps were done nicely in that they were light and crispy. Â The aioli dipping sauce that came with the dish added a nice kick to the overall flavor. Â Surprisingly the HH portion was pretty generous.
CLAMS SAKAMUSHI: Â This was my favorite dish of the night. Â The broth is so flavorful!! Â I was tempted to order a side of rice so that I could soak it and eat it with the broth. Â Be careful not to slurp the broth too quickly as it is little spicy and will make you cough if it downs the wrong tube.
SEAFOOD POKE: Â This was my least favorite dish because it was honestly subpar to the poke at Foodland. Â There was something off about a few of the bites I took. Â Some parts of the fish had this cooked texture...
TERIYAKI GARLIC EDAMAME: Â The garlic flavor did not disappoint, although these would have been messy to eat without chop sticks. Â Surprisingly the HH portion was pretty generous.
TUNA TATAKI: Â My theory is that the fried garlic makes this dish. Â The bed of onions and daikon help too :P
DELUXE SPICY TUNA ROLL: Â I'd skip this roll. Â The only thing I liked about it was the shiso leaf.
OYSTER SHOOTER: Â This took a while for them to make, but I enjoyed the shooter.
BROWNIE TEMPURA: Â We really should have stopped eating but were convinced to cross over into the darkside of gluttony, after the couple next to us ordered this dish. Â It looked amazing and worthy of some investigation. Â The brownie tempura came in about 4 sticks the length of a Kit-Kat bar. Â The ice cream brownie combo was a win.
DRINKS: I was hungry and focused on food. Â The bf had a $3 Kirin. Â
I must say, we left pretty happy :)
P.S. Our HH was about $50 pre-tip. Â Reasonable considering the awesome service. Â The menu offered a good variety. Â The ambiance was nice. Â For the most part, the food was pretty good ;) Â HH is a great bargain!
P.S.S. Once you leave your car with the valet, you walk through Blue Tree Cafe to get to Doraku. Â Then you need to walk over towards the middle of the restaurant to the host/hostess stand to request a table and be seated.
I have been meaning to try Doraku for years, but I didn't want to deal with Waikiki parking. Â When the Kapiolani Doraku opened up, I was excited and knew it was the sign I was waiting for to try it.
I cannot believe it took me this long to try this restaurant. Â The ambiance is similar to a bar; it can get very loud and crowded. Â When I went to Doraku, it was at 6 pm on a Saturday night. Â It was an hour wait to get a table since I had a party of 4 with no reservations, but I felt that the wait was well worth it.
The hostess was very accommodating and tried her best to get us a table as soon as possible, even when they were booked. Â Our server was great - while there were times we had to follow up with him for some items, he was very charismatic and enthusiastic about the food. Â He made great recommendations on what to order, which was helpful since it was my first time there. Â You could tell he really enjoyed talking to people and loved the food.
Speaking of food, it was delicious. Â At first, my main concern was that the food portions would be small, but I felt that the portions were just right, if not larger than I expected. Â I ordered:
Miso soup - good, authentic taste/flavor
Sauteed vegetables - it was cooked in butter & garlic; it can't get any better :)
Japanese garlic steak - very tender and flavorful. Â It tasted great with the ponzu sauce
brownie tempura - not too heavy. Only thing to make it better would be more ice cream.
Overall, I felt that it was a great experience and cannot wait to go back again!
I love this place :)
The GOOD
* location
* available $3 valet parking
* happy hour whoop whoop
* ahi tataki mmmm (on happy hour)
* chef's salmon special -- Cheeeeyeah!
* great attentive staff
* love the interior architecture at this location
The BAD
* I don't want to say because it may be too personal!
The WEIRD
* although i love Doraku.. I loved Doraku when it first opened up in Waikiki. However, the staff at this location look like they all came from the same hood! I can't believe I just used that word lol. I feel like you can only work here if you have either 2 or more of the following: 1) piercings other than on your ear, 2) gauges, 3) tattoos, 4) very visible tattoos, 5) able to wear your work shirt showing your mid-drift without looking chunky, 6) almost hipster and hipster hair cuts
Don't get me wrong, the staff is friendly, attentive, and seem like a family as a whole, but I, personally, still have to get used to a restaurant setting with these characteristics in their staff. I not used to it! XD! Atleast they have all the other good qualities you want in your restaurant staff :)
I came here for happy hour last week with some girlfriends. We really enjoyed it.
To park, you have to turn into the garage and valet there. You then go through Blue Tree Cafe to get to either the side entrance or out to the street to the main entrance. I'm not explaining it too well, but I promise it makes more sense once you're there.
It looks like Alyssa K. and I disagreed on the menu items. I preferred the miso eggplant and shrimp to the chicken. I must like things she deems too sweet! :) No comment from me on the sushi, since I don't eat it. We also had the poke, which I liked a lot, but that could just be because I've been quite the poke fiend lately. Maybe next time (which we have already scheduled), we'll be wild and order things not on the happy hour menu.
We also tried 2 desserts - the tempura brownie and some sort of bananas flambe. The bananas were fine. I give the brownie points (CWIDT?) Â for being a little more creative. I wouldn't necessarily order either again, but Thi L. often likes to have a little dessert, and I think those were the best options on the menu.
The happy hour crowd is lively without being too loud. We were definitely still able to have some interesting conversations. Service was a little slow but quite accommodating and friendly. Recommended.
The butterfly ooh thats old. Â Let me see that tootsie roll... ooh wrong roll. Roll out.
Dragon roll. Buddha roll. Emperor roll. Â This is craziness. I've decided to check this place out. I have heard they have an awesome happy hour so I decided to meet a friend early (happy hour starts at 4pm for us old folks who like to eat early).
Ok so first of all this place is in the Pacifica building. Boo, it's valet only ($3). Good thing I had some spare cash. The valet told me walk through Blue Tree Cafe and Doraku will be on my right. Strange.
When I got to Doraku, the hostess was very nice and friendly when she greeted me. She said happy hour is only at the bar or lanai. I chose the lanai which surprisingly wasn't too noisy even though it's fronting Kapiolani Blvd.
Happy Hour didn't have many specialty drinks like I hoped so I settled on a lychee infused martini $5 (regularly $9). It was absolutely delicious. It was a lychee libation that went down smooth, almost too smooth. I had 3.
They have a couple beers on draft, house wines and sake as well. The prices range from $3-$6. The happy hour menu had hot dishes (9), cold dishes (4) and rolls (3) ranging from $2-$6.
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=HuWEj615KvxRmjJq8JY7Ng">http://www.yelp.com/user…</a>
We decided to order 3 Doraku favorites (marked with a D by item on menu). I used the menu item descriptions from the menu.
Doraku tuna tataki $5
Julienne Daikon Radish and Sweet Onions with Seasoned Wakame, Kaiware, Ponzu Sauce, Crispy Garlic Chips, and Garlic Aioli
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=q3c4nzoIfk6l4V6cUB4Xcw&userid=HuWEj615KvxRmjJq8JY7Ng">http://www.yelp.com/user…</a>
- 4 pieces of tuna with a not too overpowering ponzu sauce. I can see why this is a favorite. I could have ordered ore than one of these babies, but I don't want to look like a pig in front of my dinner companion,
Ginger chicken karaage $4
Tender Dark Meat Chicken, marinated in Ginger
Soy Sauce and fried to a crisp
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=I601tbaKNNe-Luq4xvSRhg&userid=HuWEj615KvxRmjJq8JY7Ng">http://www.yelp.com/user…</a>
-the chicken was a bit dry but it had good flavor. I'm not a huge chicken fan but this one was ok.
Firecracker shrimp $5
- no description
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=bGQ_cjO87BRGjto4IpwVMw&userid=HuWEj615KvxRmjJq8JY7Ng">http://www.yelp.com/user…</a>
- this was tempura style rock shrimp with a dipping sauce. I wasn't too impressed with this dish. It wasn't bad but it wasn't anything memorable either.
At the recommendation of our server, who was fantastic btw, ordered the
Asari clam sakamushi $5
Fresh Asari Clams steamed with Sake, Garlic Butter
and a hint of Ginger
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=fpu9kAsy22JPia1Edoqu1w&userid=HuWEj615KvxRmjJq8JY7Ng">http://www.yelp.com/user…</a>
- omg someone make me  a huge pot of this broth. The clams were clams but the broth was to die for. I slurped up as much broth as I could as I ate the clams. This is a definite must try for clam lovers. I was secretly happy, my fiend didn't eat clams so I could devour the whole bowl.
Even if it wasn't part of happy hour, we wanted to order a roll. The menu is full of all these innovative and complicated rolls that after awhile all start sounding the same. So we went with  the
White dragon roll $12.95
Shrimp Tempura and Avocado topped with Hamachi, Unagi Sauce, Ao Nori, Garlic Aioli and Garlic Chips
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=rgI5e69P9CXqVi2p7fZAGg&userid=HuWEj615KvxRmjJq8JY7Ng">http://www.yelp.com/user…</a>
- beautifully presented and yummy. I love garlic so this roll was great with the garlic chips. The roll didn't go overboard with too many ingredients. It was a good choice with a myriad of flavors that mixed well.
The clams and the tuna tatami are definitely on my happy hour list for my next visit.
The ambiance is modern and the service was really great. The waitress was on it and even had some great suggestions. The regular menu is a bit pricey and overwhelmingly huge. But I can't wait to come back to try more items when my pocketbook allows... If not I can definitely afford happy hour and I am certainly not complaining. Happy hour here is definitely worth it for quality food. I'm so glad they opened up this location. Highly recommend this place!
Came here for happy hour GNO. Loved it! Happy hour drinks are $3 - $6, and pupus are $2 - $6. Really reasonable prices. The bill for four of us came out to $93 total and we had 6 drinks and a bunch of pupus plus dessert. Yaye~!
Here is what we ordered:
Ginger chicken karaage = winner
eggplant miso = not that great. The miso was too sweet.
Deluxe spicy Ahi roll = winner. Loved the shiso.
Fried shrimp = not that great. Sauce was too sweet.
Tempura brownie = pretty good. Brownie was nice and hot.
Banana with ice cream = not that great. Banana was mushy.
Lychee martini = winner!!
Service = great!
We all loved this place and will be back in a couple weeks for another GNO!
Where do I begin . . . . . .
Okay. Â We went on 4/27/2013 with a party of 12. Â They placed us on two separate tables of 6 persons on each table. Â You know how people are, some people were running late and one couple went to the wrong Doraku Waikiki. Â My girlfriend and I were late because the valet parking was completely full and there's no self-parking. Â It took us a while to find street parking. Â So we walked in 20 minutes late.
So finally we join our party and sit down. Â Doraku is an Izakaya style restaurant - small plates made to order and meant to be shared. Â I've been to Doraku Waikiki, which is just wonderful and cozy with dark lighting and dark woods. Â The Kapiolani location is bright. Â It was built to be seen and get attention. Â The restaurant has this really fancy interior decor that tries to combine the look of a-hole-in-the-wall Japanese back alley yakiniku bar with the modern feel of Iron Chef. Â Chai's is right next door. Â And wow, the gas torches outside are spectacular at night.
So back to this disaster called Doraku Kapiolani. Â We order something really simple: cold tofu, garlic karaage chicken, shrimp tempura and misoyaki butterfish. Â The only dishes I had a problem with were the shrimp tempura and the misoyaki butterfish. Â The shrimp tempura wasn't completely cooked. The batter was still soft and mushy. Â And the misoyaki butterfish hardly had any miso flavor. Â I've had a better misoyaki butterfish from a Korean hostess bar. Â Oh and another thing - how do you assholes charge $2 for every tiny bowl of rice???? Â Shouldn't a bowl of rice be offered if you're ordering dishes?? Â Is it because most of the customers in there are white and you know they don't normally eat white rice? Â
And finally to top it all off, the we were told we have a two hour time limit. Â Whoa....I was never told that at the Waikiki location. Â This isn't a buffet! Â And besides the servers kept getting the dished all confused or sent them to the wrong table. Â We would order things and not get them at all. Â So we ended up spending a lot of time just sitting there and not eating anything. Â So how do you give us a two hour time limit and expect us to rush our eating when the restaurant is screwing up? Â
I would like to say this was the worst dining disasters I've had in a long, long time.
I'm so glad my best friend suggested we have dinner here tonight! I was a little skeptical at first, thinking that the portions would be small and the plates overpriced....but I'm so glad I was wrong!
It was a last minute dinner selection, so we didn't have reservations. My friend and her husband arrived there first and the hostesses told them the wait would be about an hour. My friend left her number, and they told her they would call when a table was ready. Parking for this location is either by valet ($3.00) or if you can find street parking right in front of the restaurant, it's free after 6:00pm.
The food was absolutely amazing!
*Traditional Miso Soup (extremely flavorful)
*Hamachi Carpaccio (The sauce definitely complimented and enhanced the flavor of the Hamachi)
*Spicy Tuna Don (It looks like a tiny portion...but I loved how fresh and light it tasted...dare I say, one of the best Spicy Tuna Dons I've had in a long time)
*Panko Crusted Hamachi (Extremely flavorful and balanced flavors...loved the mango salsa on top and the oyster mushrooms!)
*White Dragon Roll (with hamachi and a garlic chip on top...it was a small roll, but really satisfying)
*Miso Butterfish (We got this dish because our waiter raved that it was his favorite item on the menu...but after the first couple of bites we weren't impressed. Definitely squeeze the lemon over it---it completely changed the flavor profile...much better!)
The Brownie Tempura deserves its own paragraph because it was simply amazing!!! Let me just say that I'm not a brownie ala mode dessert girl...but this dish completely blew me away! The tempura batter added a much needed crunchy texture to this classic dessert! (this dish definitely needs two scoops of ice cream). Make sure to save room for this!!!
Our waiter was awesome and really made our first dining experience here an amazing one! Definitely looking forward to our next visit!
HAPPY HOUR!! Â 4pm-6pm or 9pm-closing. Â 'Nuff said. Convenient location in the heart of Honolulu. Â This hip sushi place has locations also in Miami, Florida & Malaysia.
FOOD & DRINKS
Doraku Tuna Tataki!!! This is the best thing on the happy hour menu! The sear is perfect & the sauce if refreshing!
Dynamite Donburi - Sweet & Filling!!
Edamame - The usual
Ginger Chicken Karaage - quite tasty!
California Roll - Meh
Spicy Tuna Roll - Meh
Lychee Martini $6
Kirin Draft $3
SERVICE
Excellent, friendly, & quick service! Â They were very accommodating to us, even when we brought our kids!
ENVIRONMENT
Located on Kapiolani Blvd across the street from the Blaisdell Arena in the Pacifica Condo. Large lighted lanterns, wooden furniture, an ample sake bar, and Japanese decor inhabit this chic & trendy space. Lanai, bar seating & community table for Happy Hour. Â Valet parking for $3. Street parking is free after 6pm and all day Sunday.
TIPS
Great for parties. Private room available for up to 16 people. Large tables that can fit up to 14 people. And Chef tasting table.
CONCLUSION
Good for happy hour. Â A little too pricey for sub par food. Â 3 stars for Food. Â 5 Stars for service & environment.
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