Restaurant in Honolulu, United States
Daytime-only seafood counter locals trust.
A counter-service seafood spot in Kapahulu that has ranked on Opinionated About Dining's Cheap Eats in North America list three consecutive years, reaching #42 in 2025. Open Tuesday–Saturday, 9 am–4 pm only — no reservations needed, but the hours require planning. At a 4.6 Google rating across 2,600+ reviews, the execution is consistent. Worth building a Honolulu morning around.
Ono Seafood is the kind of daytime-only seafood counter that Honolulu locals treat as a known quantity and visitors routinely overlook. Ranked #42 on Opinionated About Dining's Cheap Eats in North America list for 2025 — up from #81 in 2024 and #95 in 2023 — it has climbed consistently on one of the more credible cheap-eats rankings in the country. If you are spending a day in the Kapahulu neighbourhood, this is worth planning your morning around. If you are only in Honolulu for a weekend and haven't built in a Tuesday-through-Saturday lunch window, you will miss it entirely.
The scarcity here is structural. Ono Seafood operates Tuesday through Saturday, 9 am to 4 pm only , no Sunday, no Monday, no dinner service. That window closes off a large share of casual visitors who eat at restaurant hours rather than planning around a counter. For those who do show up, the format rewards the approach: this is a counter-service seafood spot at 747 Kapahulu Ave where the experience is direct, quick, and focused entirely on the food rather than the room. Chef Judy Sakuma runs the operation, and the kitchen's output has earned the kind of repeat recognition from OAD that reflects genuine, sustained quality rather than a one-year spike.
The counter format is the point. At a place operating within these hours and at this price tier, the experience is about proximity to the kitchen, a short menu, and food that doesn't require ceremony. That is what OAD's Cheap Eats list measures: whether the cooking delivers real value at a low price point. Three consecutive years of national ranking, each one higher than the last, suggests Ono Seafood is not coasting. If you've been once and ordered conservatively, the ranking trajectory is a signal to come back and order more broadly , the kitchen appears to have room to surprise a returning visitor.
At a 4.6 Google rating across more than 2,600 reviews, the crowd consensus is unusually consistent for a casual counter. That volume of reviews with a high average is harder to sustain than a small sample of enthusiastic early fans, and it points to reliable execution across a wide range of visits rather than a handful of exceptional ones. For context on how that compares within Honolulu's seafood and counter-dining options, see our full Honolulu restaurants guide.
If the counter format appeals to you specifically , and it should, given that counter seating at a focused seafood spot typically means you are eating closer to prep, with fewer intermediary steps between kitchen and plate , Ono Seafood delivers that without the complications of a reservation-required room. For visitors who want a counterpoint to Honolulu's more formal seafood experiences, compare this with what Arancino at The Kahala offers at the higher end, or with the more casual izakaya format at Fujiyama Texas. For a broader sense of Honolulu's daytime food options, Fumi's Kahuku Shrimp is the natural comparison for casual, counter-style seafood outside the city centre.
Globally, the benchmark for serious seafood execution at a fine-dining level sits with venues like Le Bernardin in New York City or coastal Italian spots like Alici Restaurant on the Amalfi Coast and Gambero Rosso in Marina di Gioiosa Ionica. Ono Seafood operates in a different category entirely , the comparison is not price-tier but intent. A counter in Kapahulu that has earned three years of OAD Cheap Eats recognition is doing something distinct: consistent, affordable seafood that holds its own nationally, not just locally.
For visitors planning a broader Honolulu itinerary, Pearl also covers hotels, bars, wineries, and experiences across the city.
Hours: Tuesday–Saturday, 9 am–4 pm; closed Sunday and Monday. Reservations: Counter-service format; no booking required. Dress: Casual. Budget: Cheap Eats tier , expect low per-head spend consistent with a counter-service operation. Getting there: 747 Kapahulu Ave, Honolulu, HI 96816.
See the comparison section below for how Ono Seafood stacks up against Fête, Bar Maze, and other Honolulu options across different diner profiles.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Ono Seafood | — | |
| Fête | — | |
| Liliha Bakery | — | |
| Sushi Izakaya Gaku | — | |
| Miro Kaimuki | — | |
| Zigu | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Ono Seafood and alternatives.
Lunch is your only option — Ono Seafood closes at 4 pm Tuesday through Saturday and does not offer dinner service at all. Given that, the practical goal is arriving early: popular items at counter-service seafood spots in Honolulu sell out before closing. Sunday and Monday are closed entirely.
Not in the conventional sense. Ono Seafood is a counter-service format, which means no tableside service, no ambient dining room, and no dinner window. For a celebratory meal with atmosphere, Miro Kaimuki or Fête fit that brief better. Where Ono Seafood earns its place is as a deliberate daytime detour — ranked #42 on OAD's 2025 Cheap Eats in North America, it carries genuine critical credibility for what it is.
The venue database does not include specific allergen or dietary accommodation details. Because this is a counter-service seafood specialist, diners with shellfish or fish allergies should check the venue's official channels before visiting. The 747 Kapahulu Ave location does not have a listed phone number in current records, so checking via a current search or walk-in inquiry is advisable.
Three things: it is counter-service only, it closes at 4 pm, and it is shut Sunday and Monday. No reservation is needed — walk up, order, and eat. It has appeared on OAD's Cheap Eats North America list three consecutive years (2023, 2024, 2025), climbing from #95 to #42, which tells you the food quality is consistent and the recognition is building, not fading.
Ono Seafood operates as a counter-service seafood spot, not a bar or sit-down restaurant, so there is no bar seating in the traditional sense. Expect a casual order-and-eat setup rather than a table-service environment. If a proper bar experience is part of your plan, Bar Maze is a separate Honolulu option worth considering.
For a similarly affordable local meal with critical backing, Liliha Bakery covers breakfast and casual Honolulu eating in a different format. If you want a full sit-down seafood or modern Hawaii meal, Fête and Miro Kaimuki operate in a different price tier but offer dinner service. Sushi Izakaya Gaku and Zigu suit evenings and more structured dining. None of these directly replicate Ono Seafood's daytime counter-service seafood format.
Specific menu items are not listed in current venue data, so naming dishes here would be speculative. Ono Seafood is a seafood counter in Honolulu, where poke and fresh-cut fish preparations are the category staple. Checking their current offerings on arrival is practical given counter-service menus can shift by season and availability.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
