Restaurant in Honolulu, United States
Consistent udon, easy access, low booking friction.
Tsurutontan Waikiki is a reliable udon-focused Japanese restaurant on Kalākaua Ave, ranked by Opinionated About Dining in consecutive years through 2025. The service runs a notch above its casual format, and booking is straightforward. Best for bowl-focused Japanese dining in Waikiki; consider Sushi Izakaya Gaku if you want broader izakaya range.
If you've already eaten at Tsurutontan Waikiki once, you already know whether you're going back. The udon holds up on a return visit — consistently ranked by Opinionated About Dining in consecutive years (Recommended 2023, #761 in 2024, #751 in 2025), which is a meaningful signal in a casual dining category that churns fast. This is a reliable, well-executed Japanese udon house at 2233 Kalākaua Ave, sitting inside one of Waikiki's busier retail corridors. Book it if you want something specifically Japanese and bowl-focused; skip it if you're chasing the kind of experience that Honolulu's more ambitious kitchens deliver.
The OAD track record here matters more than it might seem. Moving from Recommended to a numbered rank, then improving that rank in a single year, tells you that this is not a static operation coasting on tourist foot traffic. Tsurutontan's parent brand has sister locations including TsuruTonTan in New York City, and the Waikiki outpost applies the same approach: a focused udon menu, Japanese service sensibilities, and a dining room pitched at a more relaxed register than Honolulu's fine-dining tier. If you've visited the New York location, expect a familiar format with a Hawaiian context layered on leading.
The service model here is the deciding factor for most diners. Tsurutontan runs a structured, attentive floor rather than the casual counter style you'd find at a typical udon shop, which means the experience sits slightly above its price point in feel. Whether that justifies a return visit depends on what you're weighing it against. For pure udon execution and a reliable room, this is the call on Kalākaua. For something that pushes harder on the Japanese side of the menu with more izakaya depth, Sushi Izakaya Gaku is worth considering instead.
Timing your visit makes a difference. Kalākaua Ave sees its heaviest pedestrian traffic in the early evening, when the strip fills with visitors moving between hotels and restaurants. Coming at lunch or in the early afternoon — before the dinner rush builds , gives you a noticeably quieter room and faster pacing. If a second visit is in the cards, this is the version of the experience worth repeating: the same food, less noise. The Waikiki address at suite B310 puts you inside a shopping complex, so walk-in access is direct and the booking difficulty is low.
The aroma in a udon-focused kitchen is its own orientation: dashi stock simmering low, the faint sweetness of mirin, a clean broth presence that reads lighter than a ramen house but more substantial than a soba counter. At Tsurutontan, that kitchen register sets the tone before the menu arrives. It's a useful signal for what kind of meal you're having , not a showstopper, but a precise and dependable one. Food enthusiasts drawn to depth in Japanese regional cooking will find the format honest rather than ambitious, which is either the right fit or a reason to look elsewhere depending on what you're after that night.
Honolulu has plenty to explore beyond udon. For cocktail-forward evenings, Bar Maze offers an omakase cocktail experience that operates on a completely different axis. For Japanese-influenced cooking with more French technique layered in, Miro Kaimuki is the move. And if you want to benchmark Tsurutontan Waikiki against what serious tasting-menu cooking looks like nationally, the contrast with The French Laundry or Atomix in New York City is instructive , entirely different categories, but useful for understanding where casual Japanese dining sits on the spectrum of value and ambition.
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Booking difficulty is low , walk-ins are generally feasible, and the location inside a retail complex on Kalākaua Ave means access is easy without advance planning. There is no published dress code, but the room leans smart-casual given its Waikiki address and the slightly polished service style. If you're visiting with a larger group or have a specific timing preference, booking ahead removes any friction. For solo diners and pairs, the format suits counter or table seating equally well. Price-range data isn't published, but the casual OAD ranking and Google review volume (over 1,000 ratings) suggest this sits comfortably in the mid-range tier for Waikiki dining.
See the comparison section below for how Tsurutontan Waikiki stacks up against Honolulu peers including Fête, Sushi Izakaya Gaku, Miro Kaimuki, and others.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tsurutontan Waikiki | Opinionated About Dining Casual in North America Ranked #751 (2025); Opinionated About Dining Casual in North America Ranked #761 (2024); Opinionated About Dining Casual in North America Recommended (2023) | — | |
| Fête | — | ||
| Liliha Bakery | — | ||
| Sushi Izakaya Gaku | — | ||
| Miro Kaimuki | — | ||
| Zigu | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Waikiki casual works fine here — resort wear or neat streetwear is appropriate. This is an OAD-ranked casual venue inside a retail complex on Kalākaua Ave, not a dressy destination. Leave the aloha shirt pressed or the sundress on; you will not be underdressed.
Udon-focused menus typically offer some flexibility around proteins and toppings, which gives diners with common restrictions reasonable options. That said, specific dietary accommodation details are not confirmed in available venue data, so check the venue's official channels before visiting if you have strict requirements.
Walk-ins are generally feasible, so advance planning is low-stress. The venue sits inside a retail complex at 2233 Kalākaua Ave — easy to reach but easy to miss if you are not looking for it. Tsurutontan has held a consecutive OAD Casual North America ranking since 2023, improving its position year over year, which signals consistent execution rather than a one-season spike.
For a more ambitious, chef-driven meal, Fête or Miro Kaimuki are the clearer calls. Sushi Izakaya Gaku suits groups wanting broader izakaya variety. Zigu is worth knowing for a tighter, more focused Japanese experience. Liliha Bakery is an entirely different register — local institution, comfort food, no overlap with what Tsurutontan does.
It depends on what the occasion calls for. If you want a low-key dinner where the food is the point and the atmosphere is relaxed, Tsurutontan works. For a milestone meal where setting and ceremony matter, Fête or Miro Kaimuki are better fits — both carry more occasion weight in the Honolulu dining scene.
Yes, and it is one of the more practical solo options in Waikiki. Walk-in accessibility, a noodle-forward format, and a casual retail-complex setting all suit a single diner without friction. OAD has ranked it in the top 800 casual venues in North America, so the solo experience is backed by consistent quality rather than just convenience.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
