Rokaru Shabu Shabu - Aiea, Hawaii

Yolande F.

Absolutely fabulous food and I just tried a few dishes from their pupu menu! Lightly fried vegetables, chicken and calamari. Fresh tasty greens and sauces paired to each dish. Definitely need to return to try more of their menu! Their takeout menu is well-varied too.

Daniel N.

I wanted to like it but was honestly kind of let down. I will have to say their saving grace was the amazing and hard working service. All the servers and food runners were so friendly and welcoming, hence the 3 stars. The system of ordering and food options were meh though.

There are two AYCE options to choose from, standard or premium, where premium is just a few dollars more and includes pupus and better proteins. We went with the latter. The meat quality is good, and we made sure to order all the premium beef options plus pork belly and some seafood. Kauai prawns are huge, so definitely stock up on that. Proteins could be ordered 4 at a time. For pupus, the taro arabkiki (fried sausages) and candied bacon were pretty good. There were like 3 veggies you had to order from the server, but otherwise there was a self-serve veggie bar. I will have to say that they had an extensive selection of starches, with noticeably healthier options like tofu or zucchini noodles. There is a large selection of broths, of which I chose the spicy goma. They seem to have a lot of special items for broths or menu items, so be sure to ask! The sesame sauce is pretty good, and the yuzu sauce is tangy and fresh. Green tea ice cream was delicious, strawberry not so much.

The things that were kind off include things like having to ask for sauce bottles instead of having each bottle at a table or a self serve sauce bar, 1 tong and 1 ladle for a whole table of 4, small bowls for each person rather than plates to scoop food out to, and only 1 large plate to get veggies from the bar rather than everyone being able to grab plates themselves. While we were never denied and requests from the servers, it just got annoying to have to keep asking for things.

I enjoyed their playlist, but it was pretty loud inside and hard to hear. Recommend to make a reservation on yelp as wait times can get pretty long. Parking is easy in the large parking lot. Will probably try again to see if this one time was a fluke.

Drew N.

The service was outstanding. I believe our server name was Chanise. She was attentive and ensure we had a good experience. The fryer was down so we couldn’t get any fried items, but they did tell us prior. My only complaint was that the table was too small. We couldn’t fit everything on the table and felt like we HAD to put everything in the soup immediately to make space.

Don O.

Great all you can eat shabu shabu! Will definitely eat there again to try their other broths!

Allo C.

It's ok for shabu shabu however the service could be better. Not only they keep reminding us we only have 1.30 min even before we seat they also forget to bring our protein. They have 2 choice standard all you can eat or for extra $5 premium. I guess it's ok. Also the stove is way too high so it's become Inconvenience.

Margaret M.

You will not regret going to either location. Great broths, lots of meat and seafood selections, and delicious appetizers (especially the fried garlic chicken). The only downside is that they don't bring you the vegetables anymore you have to get them from a shared buffet and that has led to some not so nice pieces of veggies.

Stuart L.

Great new location! Larger, more open seating. Staff service is just as good as the previous location. They now have a vegetable buffet. Meats are the best, especially the lamb!

Ed T.

I recently dined at this fantastic restaurant where the food consistently wows my taste buds. The flavors are exquisite, and the service is impeccable. A truly delightful dining experience!