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  • Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar - WAIKIKI, Oahu

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Reserve at Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar - WAIKIKI, Oahu

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Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar - WAIKIKI, Oahu
Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar - WAIKIKI, Oahu

Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar - WAIKIKI, Oahu Details

  • Dining Style: Casual Dining
  • Website: http://www.dkrestaurants.com
  • Email: inagayama@dkrestaurants.com
  • Phone: (808) 931-6286
  • Hours of Operation:
    Dinner: Sunday - Thursday: 5:30pm - 10:00pm, Friday - Saturday: 5:30pm - 9:30pm.
    Late Night: Friday - Saturday: 10:00pm - 1:00am.
  • Payment Options: AMEX, Discover, JCB, MasterCard, Visa
  • Cuisine: Contemporary Asian, Sushi
  • Executive Chef: JJ Reinhart
  • Dress Code: Casual Dress
  • Accepts Walk-Ins: Yes
  • Additional Details: Bar Dining, Beer, Counter Seating, Entertainment, Farm to Table, Full Bar, Gluten-free Menu, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking Restaurant, Private Room, Takeout, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Catering: Off property caterings and private dinners from 20-200 covers. Plated or buffet style.
  • Private Party Facilities: Intimate Private Dining Room that can accomodate up to 22 people. Set menus or ala carte from our menu.
  • Private Party Contact: Ivy Nagayama (808) 931-6286
  • Entertainment: Free Karaoke on Friday Nights for 21+, 10pm-1am Open Mic Night on Saturday Nights for 21+, 10pm-1am 50% off Sushi & Appetizers & Drink Specials

Getting there

  • Cross Street: Ohua & Paoakalani
  • Parking: Hotel Parking
  • Parking Details: Parking in the hotel. Self parking = 3 hours complimentary, valet parking = $12 flat rate.
A word from Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar - WAIKIKI, Oahu
Sansei, meaning third generation, is a locally owned contemporary Japanese Restaurant offering new wave sushi. The force behind the food is Chef/Owner Dave "DK" Kodama. An Oahu native, he is fearless when it comes to flavors and one of the most adventurous chefs you will meet. At Sansei, he has… combined his Japanese heritage with Hawai'i's incredible ethnic mix and the flavors he experienced in his travels to create a New Wave Sushi, Japanese-inspired Pacific Rim, Contemporary Japanese type of cuisine. Call it whatever you like. What you will taste are unique combinations of flavors and textures.Continued
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Awards voted by OpenTable diners
  • Diners' Choice WinnerHot Spot
Diner Reviews
  • "go for a table out on the porch, deck whatever they call, food is great, kids loved it, so did mom and dad"
    Dined on 3/24/2014
  • "We came here with the intent of eating a lot of great sashimi, and were not disappointed! We had the Sansei sashimi combo (30+ pieces) as well as the ootoro and king salmon and some appetizers. The scallops were so good we had to order more. Additionally, they made great cocktails. I LOVED their Sazerac. From outside, we could hear the live music at Tiki's next door. Highly recommended."
    Dined on 4/11/2014
  • "We had a great dinner at Sansei as usual. This time our experience was made extra great because the waiter (Joe) was very keen on what my 3 year old son needed. We didn't even have to ask and he showed up with kid-prepped chopsticks! Kudos to him for that. He also packed my to-go dessert nicely --- separating the pastry from the sauce and the ice cream --- so I could still enjoy it when I got home. Very thoughtful. The food was excellent as always. Can't go wrong at Sansei."
    Dined on 4/8/2014
  • "Overall experience was great! The food was excellent! I've been there couple times prior, and tried different drinks and food and everything was great!"
    Dined on 4/4/2014
  • "Lu the food here since the days it was at Restaurant Row. But rarely make trips into Waikiki. The food was great and the service was actually excellent. But from a pure luck perspective, we ended up with a table outside on a beautiful night. We sat across from The Tiki Bar (Lounge)? at the Aston and enjoyed the lively Hawaiian music performed by some locals. That was all luck....But the food and service were great. I just wish the hotel or the restaurant would consider "really" validating the valet parking. $12??? Still....My GF loves Shokudo. So, she says in the future we'll be eating there for our sushi fix. Driving is one thing...paying $12 to park - she won't have it!"
    Dined on 4/4/2014
  • "Order mango hand roll and Pablo crusted ahi roll. So good!!"
    Dined on 3/27/2014
  • "Very disappointed in this restaurant. Waitress had attitude. Food was ok but nowhere near as good as inexpensive Japanese restaurants in Australia"
    Dined on 3/19/2014
  • "We had a wonderful dining experience. We had ramen and crab ramen and the broth was so good it made you want to cry. For apatizers we ate teriyaki beef and the award winning ahi sushi role both were fantastic. We ended the night with deep fried macadamia nut ice cream! Wow!"
    Dined on 3/14/2014
  • "Wow, I could not believe how poorly the sushi was put together and presented! Everything fell apart when we tried to pick it up. Only one dish had good visual appeal. It was very disappointing. I would never recommend this to a friend. Same pricing as Doraku, but quality was like boxed sushi at 7-11... I want to say at least one good thing, so the Baked Scallop tasted good, once we could pick it up."
    Dined on 3/9/2014
  • "We love sushi and when the locals recommended this restaurant in our hotel we decided to try it. What a fantastic culinary experience! I work off and on in Honolulu and can't wait to go again. Best sushi we have ever eaten hands down!"
    Dined on 3/8/2014
  • "We looked forward to the evening at one of our favorites. Our server was great, but, and he had no control over this, a group of 25 were seated in a function room, and apparently the need of the group negated the needs of the dining room. Our server kept us informed that the big group ordered more than expected, thus our order was delayed, but after a protracted wait, we cancelled our 2d sushi order and left. Really unfortunate, food and drink were great, but a negative end to an otherwise lovely evening. The hostess addressed our concerns. I felt really badly for the server who had to keep explaining to his customer what was going on. Management needs to take the responsibility here on managing the large group better."
    Dined on 3/6/2014
  • "The food at Sansei was great, and the service as well. I easily made a reservation online and everything was prepared for me as requested when I arrived. We ended up staying for a few hours and talking after dinner, when the live music began. While the music itself was fine, the dining room itself is rather open, and not very well-planned acoustically. Because of this, matched with the poor placement of the speakers, the performance was rather loud near the performer, and barely audible towards the back of the room."
    Dined on 3/1/2014
  • "Doesn't get much better. Everything arrived quickly and was so fresh. A little tricky to find - third floor in the Marriott complex. Worth the trip."
    Dined on 2/27/2014
  • "The AC was extremely cold that made it very uncomfortable to sit there. The food taste was good but the portion was surprisingly small compare to all other sushi restaurants I have been to. It felt like... rip off."
    Dined on 2/24/2014
  • "Probobably my fault. I chose the Waikiki location, sight unseen, for our Waikiki Vaentines dinner. Restaurant was full of families and screaming kids. Awfuk table - felt like it was placed there for overflow purposes. Food okay. Servers nice. Won't be back."
    Dined on 2/14/2014
  • "Our server whom name escapes me though we were seated in the back corner on the lanai by the door on Saturday night, she was terrific, very warm, accommodating and made terrific suggestions with regard to our sushi choices. At one point we even ordered just a spicy ahi roll and she came back and offered other fabulous options with or without rice. In edition the ahi was fresh as ever it had a melt in your mouth texture. We were celebrating the birthday for my fiancee and he too thought brilliant, thank you for the great experience we look forward to coming back soon."
    Dined on 2/8/2014
  • "We were looking for good sushi and found it there. Good selections and nice. The service was excellent, attentive and considerate. We were seated promptly according to our reservation."
    Dined on 2/9/2014
  • "Had a much needed date night out .. wanted something nice but not over the top and this fit the bill. Food was excellent and our service was beyond exceptional. Atmosphere was nice and we didn't have to shout to be heard. At 10, everything goes to half price because they turn the lights down and do karaoke .. next time we will be staying for that!"
    Dined on 2/7/2014
  • "I chose this over Nobu and was disappointed in the service, quality and ambiance. Expected way too much based on the reviews in Zagat. Just looked at my book and realized it's dated 2011. My bad."
    Dined on 2/4/2014
  • "I had been to the Sansei on Maui and was delighted to learn of the Waikiki location. The sushi is absolutely outstanding in both places! The waiter was helpful in making choices, but not overbearing in any way. The Mui Thai mai tai was very good, not too sweet. Deschutes XPA beer excellent as well. The weather was extremely windy with a storm front coming through, so unfortunately outdoor dining was closed, but that was completely understandable. Table for two was not in a great location in the restaurant, but our waiter did not ignore us. The only food disappointment was the fried macadamia nut ice cream dessert. Not especially tasty, and so I do not recommend it. Everything else was outstanding, and I highly recommend Sansei!"
    Dined on 1/21/2014
  • "We quickly realized upon our arrival that Sansei is no more than a tourist trap. We kepi our hopes up since we figured that at least the quality of the sashimi would be outstanding. Unfortunately,we were disappointed. Perhaps sushi and sashimi is not their forte, and it would have been a better meal had we simply ordered other items. We have had much better sushi and sashimi in Manhattan at lower cost. Then again, you are paying a premium for dining in Waikiki. And it's hard to be disappointed by the food when you are essentially oceanside, surrounded by palm trees and in 70s degree weather in the evening. If you do dine here, ask to be seated outdoors on the balcony."
    Dined on 1/18/2014
  • "great food! The service staff are all Korean and most dont seem to speak English so some of the communciation was a bit stilted but they were attentive and came through in the end. But the food is the gem and they give reasonable portions. We were a party of five and sat down immediately and really enjoyed it. It got busy later in the evening with many Korean tourists that obviously enjoyed the food - attesting to its quality."
    Dined on 1/21/2014
  • "This is a great place for Sushi. When I'm in Honolulu, I make it a point to visit and have a great dinner."
    Dined on 1/9/2014
  • "Sushi was outstanding and we sat on the porch overlooking Waikiki Beach and the street. It was a great vantage point. Service was good and Sushi was very fresh!"
    Dined on 1/18/2014
  • "Loved the innovative preparations...and the service was incredible. Our server was extremely knowledgeable and helpful...and accommodating."
    Dined on 1/17/2014
  • "I won a gift card at my company holiday party so decided to take my husband and daughter before she headed back to college. The service was excellent and the food was delicious----seared scallops, Mr. Miyagi roll, misoyaki chicken, grilled ahi and shrimp cake and delicious creme brulee and brownie sundae. The only not great thing was the vegetable tempura---a bit greasy. Overall, a very pleasant evening."
    Dined on 1/18/2014
  • "Excellent all around. Charming staff and great food and wine."
    Dined on 12/27/2013
  • "Sansei is a great sushi restaurant with a ton of choices. The staff were really nice in helping my wife and I celebrate our anniversary. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone."
    Dined on 1/2/2014
  • "We sat out on the terrace and overlooked the beach. Our waitress was local and made some great suggestions. The sushi special and Hawaiian were great, as were the main dishes of shrimp and scallop pasta. We were very pleased and would go again next time in Honolulu"
    Dined on 1/4/2014
  • "Wonderful small plates. Crab ramen is to die for. Lot of new inventive dishes as well. One of the best in Hawaii."
    Dined on 12/30/2013
  • "The best sushi ever! After Sansei you won't be satisfied with sushi anywhere else. It's that good. Hands down the best sushi I have ever had. My first time in Sansei was nine years ago and it never disappoints me. <3"
    Dined on 12/27/2013
  • "We've dined at sansei on Maui before but this was our first time to the Waikiki location. We were happy to find favorites like the Panko crusted ahi roll which is amazing and they had holiday specials like the Rudolph the red nosed reindeer roll which sounds kitschy but was delicious. They were great with our girls (ages 5 and 9) and the server was really helpful With figuring out how much we needed to order. She did miss part of our order but was quick to fix it when we mentioned it. We sat outside on the patio which was lovely, the inside seating was far too air conditioned for our taste. Definitely recommend sansei if you're a lover of creative sushi!"
    Dined on 12/25/2013
  • "Outstanding sushi. Difficult to find as it is in a hotel on the 3rd floor. AC too cold. Service, slow and confused. Price ok. Took 5 min to get a fork."
    Dined on 12/26/2013
  • "The food was excellent and the staff were very approachable. We sat outside so there was no restaurant noice"
    Dined on 12/25/2013
  • "Overall the food was good but nothing notable. The sushi was very ordinary and not exciting. The was no creative presentation so when the meal came out, one might begin to wonder if the food is any good. I had the beef teriyaki and a bowl of rice- that's how it came out, too. My husband had the shrimp tempura - same, the presentation was bland and not too appealing. We gave it a 3 because the food was just that good making the meal less than stellar."
    Dined on 12/21/2013
  • "We caught the early bird special (from 5:30-6pm), which is unusual for us (we usually have dinner late). I enjoyed my Catepillar roll more than the other two rolls I had (spicy tuna and spicy yellowtail). We split a fried macadmia nut pound cake icecream dessert thing. It was pretty big, and felt like a full dessert for each of us. It was VERY tasty. We were headed to the airport from here, so watching sunset was a nice way to say goodbye to Hawaii."
    Dined on 12/21/2013
  • "This restaurant claims it pride dish to be an ahi roll...which was ok..covered in sauce....Everything else was just typical sushi...Prices were fair for Waikiki beach but certainly nothing to write home about....Has to be much better Sushi in Honolulu/Waikiki"
    Dined on 12/14/2013
  • "our third time dining here and continue to enjoy the food; a bit noisy and energetic but the food is great!"
    Dined on 12/8/2013
  • "Second time I have visited this place, likely some of the best sushi ever! We did not order entrees, no need, with many sides, sushi to select. The service was friendly, helpful, a bit odd with items coming out fairly randomly so one sushi roll and seaweed salad then miso, but swift, smiling servers. Not inexpensive, but then dining out in Hawaii tends to be a pricy affair, but outstanding quality, therefore feels like a value, great mixed drinks. We will be back in Honolulu in a few months on business and will make sure we visit again."
    Dined on 12/10/2013
  • "E very trip to Honolulu includes a trip to this restaurant. Sometimes more than once. Love the food, atmosphere, & staff. Always a memorable evening."
    Dined on 12/6/2013
More reviews ›
  • Easter Brunch & Dinner Reservations
    Sunday, April 20, 2014›
    Come in and join us on Easter Sunday. We will be offering great Easter Specials in addition to our ala carte menu.
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Diners' Choice Awards
  • Oahu Winners
  • Hot Spot
Learn more ›