Japanese Restaurant Rinka

Reviews

• Steffanie T.

  star star star star star 26 May 2026

  Wow! Just had an amazing lunch at Rinka!!
  
  The restaurant in conveniently located in the same building as the kakaako Whole Foods, so there was plenty of parking. And there was no wait to be seated for lunch at 1230, perfect!
  
  My boyfriend ordered the crab cream croquettes and I had the special of the day which was a negitoro don. Everything for lunch came as a set and the chawanmushi we got with our meals was very good, I couldn't stop eating it!
  
  For the mains- the croquettes were perfectly crispy on the outside and sooo creamy and delicious on the inside! Highly recommend!
  
  I love negitoro rolls and I really liked the don version that Rinka prepared! It also came with an udon, so much food!!
  
  The presentation totally reminded me of eating in Japan with all the side dishes - I loved it! Our meals were both under $20 for so much good food. So worth it!
  
  All in all, if you're looking for a good deal on authentic Japanese food, check out Rinka! (Recommend coming for lunch because I think dinner can be a little more pricey.) I'm already itching to go back to try everything else on their menu!

• Nina A.

  star star star star_border star_border 26 May 2026

  There were several hiccups during our dinner experience, but since it did not happen directly to our party and the waitstaff managed the event very professionally I will not be including this in my review.
  Service here is excellent. At first, the server kept coming over to us even though we were obviously still looking over the menu, trying to decide what to get. However, after getting our order in, everything was prompt and we never felt bombarded or rushed.
  
  We were all looking forward to the sukiyaki, but realized sukiyaki was a lunch time thing! So we ordered the beef shabu shabu instead because it's relatively similar. We also ordered the sesame tofu, scallops with uni, and the rinka roll.
  The sesame tofu got mixed reviews from us. We all agreed it was kind of like eating dessert for appetizer, but some of us enjoyed the sauce while others didn't, and some of us enjoyed the tofu while others didn't. The uni added a nice hint of salt to the otherwise sweet dish.
  The rinka roll was quite disappointing considering the price point.. but the scallops with uni left me feeling like maybe there are other menu items that are worth the price. The scallops were my favorite part of the whole meal. Nice and crunchy outside, tender and warm inside, nice salty taste from the uni and from the sauce. I'd recommend this dish!
  The shabu shabu was just ok. It came with beef, an assortment of mushrooms, chrysanthemum greens, and iceberg lettuce. Yes, you read that right. Ice berg lettuce. This was a big turn off for me, and honestly it was kind of weird in the shabu shabu. I didn't hate it, but it's not something that I'd willingly eat again.
  
  All in all this place has a nice clean interior, and I like that there is an open kitchen, but the food left us wanting more.

• Hannah F.

  star star star star star_border 26 May 2026

  Rinka is located in the same building as Whole Foods on the first floor. It's a cute japanese restaurant. There's a lunch menu and a dinner menu. I came here for dinner. Staff was amazing and super attentive. They gave my daughter her own little kid friend bowl and utensils. I was a little shock at the kitchen though. It's a more upscaled Japanese restaurant but they had all their serving stuff open and not hidden. It was sort of a eye sore.
  
  Now let's get to the food. The food was alright. I tasted better Japanese food for WAYYYY cheaper. Everything was definitely over priced. This was a good place to "just try" but not a place I would come again.

• T. Anthony N.

  star star star star star_border 25 May 2026

  Friends finally got me to visit this place...knowing that I love Japanese food!  Never really made it here because it is so frenetic to get here - to get through the new Kakaaako construction all over, then to get into the whole food parking thing.  We got stuck on the ramp due to a couple cars insisting on waiting for a space close to the WF elevators instead of proceeding up the ramp to ample spaces.  Ridiculous.
  
  But, hey - endurance was was worth it.   Clean and bright.  Like other reviews the location makes it hard to just "discover" unless you know about the secret back elevator in the WF parking.   Wait staff was on point and very attentive.  Go early for lunch - there was a line waiting for them to open!
  
  I had the Sukiyaki set for lunch.  Small offerings but so tasty.  Pure and fresh dishes.  You get two small side dishes that you pick from a roving waiter with 7 or 8 small dishes to choose from.  Nice touch.   The multigrain rice was perfect and went well with the rich broth.  The set is not for big eaters but perfect for picky eaters.   I kept eyeballing the shrimp tempura meals passing by the table - next time.  
  
  Perfect place to bring my aunts here - they love smaller lunches.  Clean and bright places.   I guess I will need to drive them. oh well.....

• Mika G.

  star star star star star 14 May 2026

  Man I absolutely love this place!  I grew up going to this place when they were at their old location across from Ala Moana specifically for their Crab Cream Croquettes!  I finally made it to their new location for lunch and man it was still delicious!  I was worried that they had taken away their cram cream croquette but luckily it was a lunch set item, YAY!
  
  Service/Environment- We came here on a Saturday around 12:30pm.  I was so worried that they would be so busy that we would have to wait since we had a party of 5 but luckily we got a table fast!  The service was awesome, they were very attentive and constantly coming by to refill our water and tea.  
  
  Food- BEST Japanese Teishoku on this island.  I lived in Japan for a little bit and my mom is from Japan so I am always on the hunt for something that reminds me of home.  This place is it!  It was so beautifully presented and everything tasted amazing!  I had the crab cream croquet lunch set, my BF had the Sukiyaki lunch set and his grandmother had the Nabe set.  It was all delicious!  With your lunch set, you get to pick two extra sides which was so fun for our table!  They bring out the options and let you pick on the spot as you look at them.
  
  Worth the $$$- YES!  It was surprisingly not that expensive!  I believe my Crab Cream Croquette lunch set was $16 and it was very filling and had so many items!  
  
  Instagram Worthy- Absolutely!  The present the food so beautifully...the camera definitely eats first!
  
  Added to my go to list?- ABSOLUTELY YES!  Whenever I am in the mood for food Japanese food I think this will be the place!