Genki Sushi Kapahulu

Genki Sushi Kapahulu

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Genki Sushi is a most loved and cherished sushi restaurant. On Sunday November 9th, 2008 we decided to drop by one of my all-time favorite restaurants. As we parked our car in the small cramped lot, we were greeted not by a smiling face but by a big angry one. Some may think, "Why is he angry? Shouldn't he be smiling?" In my opinion it doesn't matter. That angry white face speaks one thing to me; sushi. Lots and lots of sushi.

As The Host, a friend and I walk from our car to the front doors, I ponder the meaning of "genki". I've taken Japanese classes and through it I've learned the phrase, "O genki desu ka?" which translates to "how are you?" in English. Genki, in the literal sense, roughly translates to "healthy". This gave me pause -- Healthy Sushi? The thought passed as we walked through the doors and we were greeted by our waiter.

Our waiter seemed a bit confused. He had a slight mix-up on open booths and didn't seem to know where there were open chairs for three. We finally got a booth about a minute later. I was starving.

The basic layout of any Genki Sushi is a long usually round counter with stools and in our case at Kapahulu Genki Sushi there were booths as well. The counter holds a moving conveyor belt with slow moving plates of sushi. The way your bill is totaled up is by the color of the plates on which the sushi are placed on. The plates are counted up and your bill is given to you.

Here you can see the conveyor belt and the plates of sushi. Note the sushi prep area in view of the public.

The prices of the plates ranges from $1.20 - $4.80. I should note that when quality vs quantity is concerned, quantity is the winner in this case (which is why I love it on an empty stomach). Genki Sushi Kapahulu also offers take out and party platters. Besides sushi Genki also serves a range of Japanese treats. You can choose from edamame, miso soup, fried chicken, shrimp tempura -- desserts such as mochi ice cream, green tea ice cream and cheesecake; the list goes on.
Above is my favorite dish at Genki Sushi (Scallop Mayo). Below is one of Genki Sushi's more expensive rolls (soft shell crab roll).


It is important to note the time at which you eat at Genki Sushi. We sat down at 3:00 PM so some of the sushi had been sitting out on the conveyor belt for quite some time. Although I'm sure Genki Sushi complies with local health regulations, leaving the sushi out that long makes me cringe at times. This sitting of food is easily noted as I order sushi off of their menu (which is freshly made). The nori of the sushi that we had ordered off of the menu was crisp while some of the sushi that we had eaten off of the conveyor belt felt chewy.

The best tip that I can give you if you are going to any Genki Sushi restaurant is to order off of the menu. The conveyor belt doesn't always have everything that is on the menu circulating all at the same time. So if you want freshly made sushi (especially those that you cant find on the conveyor belt) I highly recommend ordering off of the menu. I also suggest sitting near the chefs work station. If you are sitting near the chef, he will usually hand you the plates himself instead of giving it to the waiter. I say this because our server had some problems remembering who ordered what and how many. Now I must admit, this is the first time that I've encountered waiter problems at any Genki Sushi so this might have just been an off day.

As for the quality, Genki Sushi serves decent sushi. If you were to ask me for a comparison, I would say better than Kozo Sushi and Aloha Sushi but not as good as a formal Japanese restaurant. The main reason for going to Genki Sushi is the variety of sushi and the cost. For the amount of money that you are paying for sushi at Genki Sushi, you would be eating only half or even less than half at a formal Japanese restaurant.

Arigato Gozaimasu, Genki Sushi Kapahulu! Thank you for another great meal!

Rating System: 1-2.5-5 (poor-average-excellent)

Service: 2
Food Quality: 2.75
Monetary Value: 4
Quality vs Quantity: Quantity
Overall: 3

Contact Info:
Address: 900 Kapahulu Ave.
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone: 808-735-7700
Hours: 11AM - 9PM (Sunday-Thursday), 11AM - 10PM (Friday-Saturday), 11AM - 9PM (Takeout 7 Days A Week)