I've been to many of the highly rated sushi restaurants in Honolulu (Sasabuni, Ii, Murayama, Mitch's) and this deserves to be on the list. Very authentic. Fish sourced from Japan. Excellent omakase experience. I'll be back.

The experience was quite interesting and different. As such, I wasn't sure how to write a worthy review. So I decided to point out things we enjoyed and things that would've been nice to know prior to visiting. 1. Reservations are highly recommended. We got lucky and were able to get seating without one, but saw numerous people turned away. It's a small space and seating is done at one time. 2. Dinner is Omakase ONLY. 3. THERE'S NO SET PRICING. Total is determined at the end of the meal based on how much you eat. Nice part is you can stop at any time or keep going. 4. Communication can be a little tricky, unless you speak Japanese. With that said, it took us a little time to figure out the ordering process. We were offered a complete Omakase with appetizer, sashimi and sushi. Or, sashimi and sushi only. Or only sushi. My recommendation is to go with the complete Omakasa. If you don't, you will be waiting a long time before eating (as plates are prepared in order) and miss out on some great preparations. 5. The quality of the seafood was excellent and the plates were prepared in a traditional manner. Reason I say that is it doesn't have the flare of some other spots that are known for the chefs creating their own salts, soy sauce, etc.. 6. It's a family operation with excellent service. 7. Okay, the one thing that can improve, chopsticks. For this price range, the chopsticks were quite cheap and splintery. I'm guessing the expectation was to eat the sushi by hand in the traditional Japanese way. Chopsticks were however needed for the sashimi and appetizer plates. Overall a positive experience, but not my top choice for Omakasa on the island.

This little gem has got to be one of my fave sushi omakase spots. They are located in the Waterfront plaza across of the Row Bar. We had so many great plates including otoro, uni, scallops, and so much more. The cool thing is that you can tell them when to stop - or to keep going. They also have some good sake and beer that go well with the sushi. It can be pretty pricey if you keep adding plates but in regards to the quality of the fish, it's totally worth it. The chef/owners are really nice and the service was great. Will definitely be back soon.

I never knew there was a sushi restaurant hidden in this little area! We stumbled upon this because we were hungry and thought that there may be food in the area. The bf and his friend wanted to go to the bar near by and thought we just find food in the same area. So we came to Kinchan sushi. I've seen the Yelp for this place but didn't know it was located at restaurant row! We got there and the place was empty so we were sat right away. Upon sitting down we didn't know that this place was only omakase style. Lol so we just decided to stay for it anyways knowing that it's probably going to be expensive but there weren't any other places to eat at that time. I've posted pictures of all the dishes we got and of course I don't remember any names of the dishes but it was all really good! Hehe we had 10 courses plus a salad in the beginning and dessert at the end. All dishes were my favorite but I really like the hand roll the best with the avocado and the crab meat! If you haven't tried this place out, I highly recommend to try it out because omakase are the best experience for sushi! You never know what's going to be the next course and surprising your taste palette!! I would definitely come back! I think it was about $600 something including tip for 3 people! FYI, if you're already feeling full you should definitely tell the sushi chef to stop. I believe he will keep going until he has either given you everything he has or until you tell him to stop. He was going to continue for we told him to stop after the 10th course because we were already full. But definitely give this place a try if you haven't already, it is a hidden gem!!

My heart is beating and stomach rumbling to the beat of a skinnnnn bump raising chantttt. Nestled in the Waterfront Plaza/Restaurant Row on the ground floor, under a black wooden banner inscribed with golden KIN CHAN SUSHI lacquer characters is one of Hawaii's most time tested omakase experience. Price point: $150/head, omakase Starter salad: Salmon skin salad. Honestly, I was not very impressed with this dish. The salmon skin was a bit soggy/chewy) (like it was out of a microwave) and a bit lacking in flavor and inspiration. Appetizer 1: Sampler plate of Nishime, abalone and squid-shiso leaf in tobiko and ikura. I enjoyed the textures of the quality nishime, the crunch of the abalone and the flavor profile of the ika against the shiso leaf. Appetizer 2: Ikura, avocado, okura and golden kiwi on top bed of Hokkaido scallop and maguro. I liked how the tart kiwi cut through the creaminess of the avocado and accentuated the flavor of the fresh scallop and maguro. It was a refreshing and well rounded dish. Sushi 1: Ootoro. Among the butteriest, fatty pieces of tuna I have eaten on the island. It melted on the tongue and was thoroughly enjoyable in every way. Sushi 2: Hokkaido scallop. Delicate, fresh and refreshing. Sushi 3: Butterfish shioyaki. I personally prefer misoyaki over shioyaki, but nonetheless, delicious in its own right. Buttery on the inside, salted on the outside. A bit on the thin side. Sushi 4: Seared salmon. Sushi 5: Amaebi with tobiko. This piece was okay - maybe in times of COVID it is difficult to catch really sweet amaebi. Sushi 6: Hirame with grated radish and ponzu. I always enjoy the texture of a good hirame! Sushi 7: Shima-aji shiso. I loveeeeee the addition of shiso!! The shiso against the shima- aji was so delicious. Sushi 8: Hokkaido Uni. Fresh and delicious. But I personally enjoy Santa Barbara uni more - a more robust, sweet, and creamy flavor profile. Sushi 9: Anago. Usually prefer unagi over anago - I like a good crispy exterior unagi! But for anago, it was decent. Sushi 10: Mirugai. Love this dish. Love mirugai!! Additional dishes (on request): - Ika filled with shiso and maguro - crunchy fresh ika against the herbal shiso and maguro. It was a delight. - California roll. One of the best California rolls on the island made with real Hokkaido crab and creamy avocado, coated with tobiko. Dessert: Hokkaido mochi filled with red bean. The service could've been slightly more thoughtful (granted, with empathy, given the age of the elderly couple operating the business). The atmosphere was very cozy and traditional, with a triangular shaped sushi bar, with unique Japanese trinkets and memorabilia lining the walls. Notably, the restaurant boasts a wide selection of sake. If you're looking for good value, this is likely not the place. However, for decent quality sushi at the convenience of Restaurant Row and on a time crunch if you're not looking to wait in line or be stuck amid a sea of people (they are quite flexible on taking reservations), you're paying for convenience and location. Not a go-to or favorite must eat spot, but a good place to keep in mind. Overall, I did enjoy a positive experience. Fun fact: the owner-couple resided in Taiwan and they speak both Chinese and Japanese.