Nestled in the Aina Haina Shopping Center is a small Japanese restaurant named Komakata. I have heard many good things about this restaurant from various friends and co-workers over the years. Truth be told I remember going to this restaurant many years ago with my family, but could not recall the dining experience at the time. Luckily for me one of my weekend travels took me to a neighboring business in the shopping center, giving me a second chance to sample Komakata’s Japanese cuisine.
The outer door to Komakata is reminiscent of a traditional Japanese shop or restaurant you might find on the streets of Japan. Once inside you are presented with the brown tones of the numerous wooden furnishings. The restaurant is somewhat dimly lit inside. The main area of the floor is occupied with numerous tables with a small section toward the rear featuring a sushi bar.
Komakata is definitely a Japanese restaurant with a kind of “local” feel. The staff members we encountered very friendly and more casual than I had originally anticipated. As soon as we entered the restaurant we were seated at the table of our choice and presented with menus. The menu at Komakata runs the traditional gamut of Japanese food with everything you might expect from tempura to nabes (hot pots).
Like many Japanese restaurants on the island, Komakata offers a variety of alcoholic beverages. For this particular outing I felt compelled to drink some sake. The selection was limited but ultimately I enjoyed this cold sake very much.
We decided to try Komakata’s “house specialty”, the Miso Chanko Nabe. Along with a big pot of nabe our meal came with a small salad and a plate of three small appetizers. This plate contained a small portion of tsukemono (picked vegetables) and poke. The poke was fairly good and had a slight tangy flavor to it.
Soon after our appetizers had arrived our server brought to our table a gas burner. On top of this burner he placed a large pot filled to the brim with ingredients which were simmering in a miso-based broth. The ingredients filling our pot included crab, scallops, shrimp, fish, clams, squid, carrots, tofu, Chinese cabbage, and green onions.
This large pot was placed over a high flame for some time until the steam began to rattle the cover and the wonderful scent of the miso broth began to drift into the surrounding air.
After being fully cooked we began to dig in. The nabe is meant to be shared by two, but the amount of ingredients used is so great that I’d recommend 3 or even 4 people! The miso broth was delicious, permeating into all of the ingredients adding great flavor to the natural taste. All of the seafood was quite fresh and matched well with the hot miso broth.
Final thoughts: Although you won’t find anything very unusual or extravagant at Komakata, what you will find is a restaurant that has long served great tasting traditional Japanese food. The staff was very friendly and service was great. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who finds themselves in the Hawaii Kai or Aina Haina areas.
| Service: |   | Above Average |
| Food: |  | Average + |
| Atmosphere: | | Average + |
| Overall Value: | | Average + |
| Price: |  | $20+ per person |
Komakata Japanese Restaurant
820 W Hind Dr #102 Honolulu, HI 96821
Phone: 808.377.5700
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