The Sake Shop

If you want authentic and THE sake or umeshu, you got to come here. They selection makes me dizzy, but with the help of super friendly staff, I got the right one for me. Decent price, great taste.

We stopped here to pick up a few holiday gifts. The owner of the shop was very friendly and helpful. She made some recommendations based on what type of food and drinks my friends like, yet she was not pushy at all. Such a comfortable shop and a perfect place to find gifts for your foodie friends.

Great selection of sake from a business that has passion for their product. Nadine has so much knowledge — I will return soon!

This place is a life saver! Well, it’s a life saver if saving your life involves drinking sake. It has saved my life countless times. Mostly my sex life (Significant Others tend to be much more open to «new ideas» after some good strong sake). I think that’s why our annual sake event is called «Joy of Sake.» (We all know where that name came from. OK, enough naughty puns…)
Seriously, The Sake Shop is where I get my stash of a certain sake that I love so much (I won’t tell you which one because then you’ll buy all the stock and there will be none for me). If you’re looking to try sake, go here. There’s a wide variety of sake including flavored sake and shochu and awamori and other nice potions. The girls working here know their stuff, so just ask if you’re not too smart on the particulars. They are happy to teach and share.
The only other places I’ve been able to find sake I REALLY like are Tokyo and Hokkaido (and rarely a favorite among the hundreds at Joy of Sake each year). A lot of the good stuff never makes it to the USA, so I depend on my business and personal travels to purchase good sake abroad, but there’s a couple gems at The Sake Shop which fills in the dry periods of my sake cupboard.
Also, there’s street parking available — and much of it is across the street, so keep your eyes open.
Kanpai!
P. S. Watch your step when leaving the store…

Been going there since they 1^st opened 2010. Met Malcolm and Nadine thru a good friend Timmy. They had good sakes & tastings then, but now, omgosh, a place to get quality and varieties too. Although, I moved to the west side and don’t get to go there very much now, but I still highly recommend you check them out, super knowledgeable, friendly, nice and good friends/​people. Don’t forget to sign up, get emails and news about new sakes, complimentary sake tastings, and special events. Also follow them on Facebook, and Instagram. Bonsai!

Very knowledgeable. Very helpful. Had a great time getting sake there and the woman who worked there was amazing. Would definitely go back again. Even just for info it’s a great place to go. Thanks for the great sake help!

Good and friendly service here. The range of sake is good and the prices are same as Don Quiote and Marukai.

Hello. My name is Jacob N., and I love sake.
OH YEAH!
+ Wide assortment of sake
+ Super friendly and knowledgeable owners
+ High quality sake
+ Convenient location in town
+ Free tasting events
+ Reasonable prices
OH NO!
— Sometimes limited (free) parking options
— Small space
OH MY?!
~ Watch that first step out of the shop!
As far as I can remember I was never really a huge sake fan. I didn’t not like it, but it was never one of my go to drinks. That all changed when I won a chance to go to a Joy of Sake event thanks to Unilocal!Ever since then it’s been a non-​stop sake adventure for me. I got hooked!
The next problem that came up for me was that aside from supermarkets and other stores like Longs, Marukai and Don Quijote were the places that I knew carried sake. My options were limited to what these places had on hand. Where could I find the spectacular intoxicating bottles that I fell in love with on that drunken night?
Enter The Sake Shop. I found out about this little unassuming shop on King Street, and I knew I had to check it out. Just judging from the name, I knew i was in for a treat. From my first step in there, I was met with a warm greeting from Malcolm and Nadine, the owners, and I knew I would be coming back again… frequently.
That first visit was so long ago, I don’t even remember if I walked away with a purchase, but I can tell you that since then I’ve revisited countless times, and have brought home even more bottles of very wonderful sake.
Aside from carrying dozens of different sake on the shelves and in the refrigerators, they also carry a few types of shochu, and even some sake drinkware. The owners, Nadine and Malcolm are very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful if you have any questions, or want recommendations for anything. This is definitely the shop to stop at for expert advice!
Another great thing about The Sake Shop is that about once a month they hold a small sake tasting event where a few different types of sake are available for sample, and if you like them, you can buy a bottle for yourself at a special sale price. This is an excellent opportunity to try new sake, and to mingle and chat with fellow sake drinkers. Just watch out, it can get pretty crowded in the little shop sometimes. It amazes me that they manage to have such a big selection of sake all fit into the small space that the shop is in.
The parking situation here can be a little tricky. There is meter street parking on King Street, but only before and after certain no-​parking hours. There is also ample parking for the building accessible via the road behind the building, but you still have to pay a couple bucks to park. This isn’t a big issue because I usually manage to find street parking on one of the side roads if it’s no-​parking time on King, or if there is absolutely no available street parking, I’ll cough up the couple bucks to park in the lot. It’s just weird that the pay box for the parking is at the far end of the lot from the building. Why do they do that?!
If you’re looking for a nice bottle of sake for a dinner, stop by The Sake Shop. They’ll definitely have something for you. If you’re «not really a sake drinker», but want to find out more, or start exploring the wonderful world of sake, keep an eye out for one of the monthly tastings to see if you find something out there that piques your interest. If you’re looking a gift for me stop by The Sake Shop and tell Nadine you’re looking for something for me. She’ll be able to tell you what to get for me. ;)
The Sake Shop has grown to become one of my absolute favorite local businesses here in Hawaii, and it’s not only because they sell premium sake at a great price. It’s also because the owners Malcolm and Nadine are amazingly wonderful people who have a passion for sake, and it really shows at The Sake Shop.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to a coveted dinner slot at Morios Restaurant recently, so I needed to show up with a bottle of good sake in hand. By no means am I a sake officionado, so I decided to give, «The Sake Shop» a try and see if they could help me find a bottle to bring to dinner.
I walked in and saw a nice variety of sakes on display. I was greeted immediately by Nadine one of the owners. I told her what kind of food I wanted to pair the sake with and she immediately gave me a few great suggestions. She also pointed me to a new sake that shed just brought in to Hawaii.
In the end, I walked out with two different and very affordable sakes for dinner. My fellow dinner companions also enjoyed the choices as well.
I highly recommend checking this place out. You will walk out with a nice bottle of sake and may even learn a thing or two about the different varieties. Ill be back for more!

Never knew there were that many kinds of Sake. Small store, great selection, knowledgeable owners. Parking is on the street which is, depending on the day/​time, tricky. But still a great store, so don’t just take my word for it, go see for yourself!

Love the store, the owners are knowledgeable, and the emails highlight what’s coming up!

We were on our way to a party and we wanted to bring a bottle of sake for our hosts. Our first thought was to stop by Don Quiote but I follow the Sake Shop on IG and suggested that we try there.
I’m not really a sake drinker so I let my husband do all the talking. While I was waiting, I checked out some of the fruity sakes realizing that I had tried a couple before and that I really liked them. I moved along to the next case and lo and behold, umeshu (plum), my most favorite drink. All of a sudden, I felt like a kid in a candy store.
I had never seen so many umeshu varieties in one place before. I took my time reading each of the in-​depth descriptions and settled on the satsuma godai umeshu. Because I usually have one drink a night, I prefer an umeshu with a higher alcohol content. (Parent translation: I have two small children and homework time especially drives me crazy. I recognize this may develop into a drinking problem as the older one is only in second grade so I limit myself to one.)
My husband ended up choosing two bottles of sake and also taking note of some that piqued his interest. The customer service was outstanding. We can’t wait to visit again!

The Sake Shop is THE best place to buy your sake. They have a wide selection from easy drinking sake, to the sake for the hardcore drinkers. Their prices all range from $ to $$$. So whatever kind of sake drinker you might be, I’m sure you’ll find something that will match your taste buds here.
Oh and yes, you can shop with aloha here. The owners are SUPER friendly and helpful. They’ll help you find something just right for you.

If you are into Japanese/​Okinawan spirits such as sake, shochu or awamori this is the store for you! In fact, if you’ve ever tasted a good sake at a restaurant or The Joy of Sake this is the place to go to find & learn more about these fine spirits.
For me, I’ve gotten into sake in the past 6 years or so but only recently have I really been introduced to some of the good quality stuff! Some of the good ones I’ve tried & even learned about were from this very nice little quaint shop on King Street run by husband and wife Malcolm & Nadine. One thing that is great about this place is that they hold sake sampling/​tasting at least once month or more which really allows you to try a broad spectrum of different sakes that are out there. If you thought the sakes or shochus or Japanese liquors you’ve seen at Longs or Don Quijote are great stuff you NEED to come here during a tasting and really sample some of the good stuff. As mentioned earlier, the neat thing is you get to learn a little about what you’re tasting and this will help you figure out & find something you’ll really enjoy.
The Sake Shop is located right around the corner from Bank of Hawaii on King Street and is a nice little place that you probably drive by frequently and don’t realize it’s there. When you enter, you can’t help but notice the multiple shelves along the left side of the shop starting with sake glasses near the door and the various spirits going toward the back. Everything is neatly & well arranged so if you’re looking for a specific type of sake and want to know what else is similar you’ll find it easily. As mentioned earlier Malcom & Nadine host sake tastings almost every month which feature sakes from all over Japan and from the various distilleries. The nice thing is the various people they bring in are always friendly and do a great job of helping you learn a lot about the sakes and spirits being sampled. Both Malcom & Nadine are very knowledgable as well and are a wealth of information which you definitely should take advantage of if you’re looking to try something new or find something that you’ve had before.
Lastly, don’t forget to visit their website for a wealth of information about the spirits they sell as well as for information about the sake tastings. One great thing is that the site also gives information about sake tasting events around town as well as background information about the sakes being presented at their own events at the shop. Be sure to stop on by if you’re into sake and want to learn more or if you’re already into it this is still a great place to stop by and find something new and different!

So this place is pretty great. It’s on king street and if you’re not paying attention, it’s easy to miss. If you can’t find street parking, there’s a free lot literally 1 minute away.
The shop is very small but had a HUGE selection of premium sakes. The price range varies greatly – you can get some cheaper premium sakes or you can break the bank :)
I’m a sake noob and so is my boyfriend so we weren’t really sure what to try. The staff member was extremely knowledgable and helpful. He explained the different levels of sake, asked what our price range was, and if we were looking for something more on the sweet floral and light side or other. We ended up picking a 30 dollar bottle. The brand was gold… that’s about all I remember lol (sorry!)
My boyfriend enjoyed it. But unfortunately I think I might just stick to my red wines. Love the idea of this place and maybe one day, I’ll acquire the sake taste and come back. Definitely a great gift idea for the sake lovers though!

My wife and I wanted to do a sake barrel opening ceremony at our wedding and Nadine at the Sake Shop had just the products we needed. Nadine was very informative about how everything worked and also the sake. It can get a little overwhelming with so many choices of sake… but, we we’re able to find just the taste we were looking for.
Needless to say, the ceremony was a hit and the 3 magnums of sake were gone in about 10 minutes!
Thank you Nadine for all your help. We’ll be by again for more great sake!

Maybe my all time most favorite place on the Island of Oahu!!! The selection of Sake is outstanding, the service is great, and the lady that helped me was very kind and friendly!
I really don’t know what else to say, this place is amazing! I absolutely love Sake, and I always had a hard time finding a good selection until i found this store!!! :D They also have a FB page with great updates!
If you are a lover of Sake, and you want somewhere to get great drinks, this is definitely the place to go!!!

Malcom and Nadine are great hosts. They truly enjoy good Sake and understanding the balance of the flavor to food concept. I so enjoy going there every time. They understand good customer service. Check them out too when they have tasting.

This is a fantastic little shop that brings in all sorts of sakes and be sure to like them on facebook to find out when they have tastings or bring in new sakes. The first time I went to the Sake Shop was with a friend that told me about their sake tasting and we went in to try 4 new summer sakes that are only available at this time of year. The folks at the shop are so helpful and knowledgable and it was fun and interesting to learn about the different areas the sakes come from and the differences in how they are prepared.
We then proceeded to Gaku with a bottle of sake to enjoy! (FYI $ 20 corkage there — but it’s worth it to pair your amazing sakes with amazing sushi!)
I will definitely be back to this little shop. It’s like a candy store for sake lovers!

I enjoy sake but I’m ashamed to say that I don’t know too much about it, especially because I used to work at an evil-​sushi-​restaurant-​that-​shall-​not-​be-​named. I learned that sake tastes best when someone else is paying. Of course I’m sort of familiar with the everyday cheap sakes, but when I needed a better sake I would go to Marukai and try to make sense of the vague and limited English information available, which usually wasn’t very helpful. I’d end up selecting a bottle that appealed to me solely based on appearance/​cuteness and I’d just hope for the best.
Thank you, Unilocal,for helping me discover the Sake Shop! The owner (or the lovely woman whom I assume is the owner) was so knowledgeable and extremely helpful. I told her that I was looking for a sake that would go well with sushi in the $ 30 range, and she gave me several recommendations for sakes on the sweeter side, dry ones, and in-​between sakes. The owner was so patient with me and my noob questions, especially when I kept changing my mind because everything sounded amazing.
I ended up selecting the Nishida Kikuizumi ginjo and the Kokuryu Tokusen ginjo… and I only know this because for each bottle the owner gave me a LITTLE CARD WITH THE ENGLISH NAME AND DESCRIPTION OF THE SAKE AND A PICTURE OF THE BOTTLE!!! Hey, maybe I’m just easily impressed, but the librarian in me really appreciates having the information about the sake; gone are the days of taking a picture of the bottle and trying to figure out what it is using the internet. I think there are cards for every sake they sell. Cool!
Oh, and both bottles of sake were great! Everyone at dinner enjoyed them very much. The Sake Shop is now my go-​to place for getting my bobora on.