Daiichi Ramen & Curry

Very generous portions, even took the leftovers home for dinner. Tan Tan Ramen was delicious.

The food here was fantastic. They have many varieties of ramen broth which you can get standard ramen noodles or udon noodles in. I went with the Tonkotsu broth, it was deliciously fatty, almost to the point of creamy. The porky essence of the broth clung to the noodles and would have warmed my insides, had it not been a beautiful 75 degrees outside.
The level of customization on the menu is fantastic. Some of the rice combo dishes allow you to get a mini ramen on the side. As someone who really enjoy trying as much of the menu as possible I love these options!
The service here was curt and to the point. The food came out quickly and the restaurant was clean. Best to think of it as a counter service restaurant level of service. That being said, it’s a great addition to Kailua side!

Food is always sooooo yummy
Crispy Noodle shrimp
Fried rice
Shoyu saimin
Chicken katsu
Fried Gyoza
BYOB too
I’m getting hungry
It’s CHEAP
Service is good but when they first opened service was even better.

Price was great, food was really good. Had the katsu curry and the spicy beef ramen and both were excellent. Had the free gyoza during happy hour which is a great deal as well.

Food was amazing! Had the Gyoza udon! So delicious and service was fast!
Definitely coming back

This is a really popular place good for a casual dinner! I like how even with a large-​ish group you’re still seated relatively quickly.
The service is okay. They’re very prompt with everything but I sometimes feel rushed. I like to order the mini miso udon with chicken katsu (the regular sized udon is way too big for me), both of which are excellent. My friend really loves the kim chi udon. If anything, I’d say steer clear of the shrimp ramen/​udon. It was an unpleasant combination of spicy/​fishy and my half-​eaten portion sat unwanted in my fridge until it got old enough to throw away.
Not my favorite udon place but very convenient and fast!

This place was OK. My parents recommended it, since they have large portions. We got a combo (miso) with chicken and the big ramen bowl (tonkatsu). The soups were good, the noodles were disappointedly ordinary. The big ramen bowl was too big for one person (it came in 3 huge to go containers!) If you’re looking for a bargain meal, this is great. I’ll be checking out other local restaurants rather than returning here.

The only reason why I gave it two stars is because sometimes… SOMETIMES, the food can be good. I guess it depends on which fella is preparing the meals. Let me start on my review… Entered into the Aikahi Park Daiichi Ramen restaurant in the evening. Like usual, the staff were not friendly, no smiles, no proper greeting for consumers. As we ordered, it was like a chore to the waitress and it seemed like she was rushing my family to order. I ordered my meal and because I was not feeling well, I asked if they served any hot water, maybe with lemon. The look I got was as if I was asking a trick question. She responded we only have tea. So I asked how much is it for tea, the response, «we no charge for tea» with her bland look. Now my food review. We got our food, taste… Okay… by my ramen (Spicy Shrimp) didn’t taste right, but the bad service we started off with, I did not want to say anything and just proceeded with my entrée. Waited for about 10 minutes than brought it to the staffs attention that they did not bring my tea (Oh the look I got for asking). 10 minutes later they bring my tea. So I figure, because I waited for 10 minutes for my tea, It will be very hot from a fresh pot and that is what I looked forward to, my blazing hot tea. When I took a sip… Warm! Now I have warm tea, our water cups are all empty, so I asked for more water for my family. Can you believe they came with a water pitcher with NO ICE?!? Now we have warm water, my wife is about to «Snap» so as professional as I can be, I wave down our waitress to ask for «Iced Water» with ice in our cups. No reaction to my request. Now she adds ice to her pitcher, walks past our table, fills customers in front and pours my family last (Some of you reading this might be thinking, here’s a person complaining, must have been a mean customer. I can assure you, I am a person full of aloha and does not like to cause a scene or bring attention our way). That was it, My wife and kids was out the door (wife steaming of course) while I stay back and paid our bill.
We dined at Daiichi at the Kapolei location and pretty much the same service…
Are the staff all family or something? Is this family owned and all family is running the business?
I’m amazed to see 5 star ratings, I wonder if it’s staff who are creating accounts and writing positive reviews. I’ve dined here about 6 times and the service, not the food is the major problem. After last night, we plan on not dining here again, we plan on staying faithful to #SUMORAMEN.
Sorry Daiichi, just had to speak from the heart. Hopefully your management team reads this and makes the necessary changes to maintain operations for your establishment.
A Hui Ho!

Only giving it four stars be had I haven’t tasted the food yet.
I was greeted immediately upon walking inside. It’s a cute restaurant, not big but not «suffocatingly» small either, just right.
You can view the kitchen from the counter so don’t come too hungry because the sounds and smells make you want your food before you even place your order. Sitting here waiting for my food to arrive I hear and see sights and sounds indicative of good food, people are enjoying their ramen, rice, or dish of choice and enjoying good conversation as well (always a good sign).
The restaurant appears very clean and tidy and the servers are friendly and efficient (I just received my to go order).
I would say certainly worth your time to try!

Most of the employees are Chinese (Cantonese) and boy do they live up to the stereotype. Constant talking/​yelling with each other. Throwing the menu, throwing your food down at the table etc.
Felt rushed when dining here. Was not a welcoming presence and they really didnt like it when we asked questions.
If you want a quick fix sure come here order your food and leave. you can literally be in and out in less then 30 min.
If you want stellar ramen you are NOT going to find it here.

SO good! Super cheap! I got a HUGE bowl of Ramen for $ 9 and change, love this place will be going back soon!

Didnt dine it but i had the take out and it was pretty good for $ 9.50. I had a miso combo that included miso ramen, fried rice and gyoza. They give you a lot of food and its good if your craving ramen. I think i ate at the sister location in hawaii kai? I dont really know but both places taste exactly the same.
Ramen was tasty but with a lot of salt and noodles werent over or under cooked. I love their fried rice but it can be a little oily. And their gyoza is good, their sauce is different from most places.
Im excited to go back when im hungry and craving cheap eats.

I had a serious ramen craving at 8:30 tonight and since Rai Rai in Kailua was closed I decided to try this out instead. Overall the whole experience was less than stellar.
I got the death state when I walked in, a full hour before closing, and neither of the girls bothered to crack a smile the whole time I was there. The food came out super quickly, which I’m not sure is a good or bad thing.
I got charsiu ramen in spicy broth. The thing that really irks me is that the broth was not spicy at all and had no real taste to it. Such a disappointment. All I could taste was salt. The charsiu was tough and too fatty to enjoy.
Out of the 3 ramen options in Kailua, this one would be at the bottom of the list.

I went for lunch today. My gomoku ramen was $ 8.50 …I think. Broth was good, my udon noodles were a bit too soft, plenty veggies it’s a plus, and egg/​meat was ok. I liked that they provided dried garlic clumps to put into your soup, along with the usual vinegar, chili oil, shoyu, and chili flakes.
The restaurant was nice and cool, which is good for soup eating.
My food came out fast and the staff checked on me twice.
I would say it’s a good little spot to get your ramen fix, just don’t expect anything mind blowing or fancy.

I ordered the chicken katsu Ramen with an order of gyoza. This was my first time and I was pretty impressed. It was a decent price $ 14 and definitely a great portion. Also I ordered it for pick up and it was ready in 10 minutes when I got there. The only negative was the Ramen broth in my opinion was a little bland for my taste but very filling and lots of veggies in it. Overall I was pretty happy and will be going back again.

If you’re absolutely just craving ramen in the Kaneohe area, I would visit this place. otherwise, I would totally pass on this place.
I ordered the Tan Tan Ramen, Gyoza, and Fried Rice, and the breakdown is as follows:
Ramen Soup Base: Very light, personally not my taste.
Meat: Thinly sliced, not really high quality
Noodle: Not bad
Gyoza: I feel like this item was a total after thought. The Gyozas had that previously frozen-​for-​awhile taste.. Skip it
Fried Rice: The fried rice in contrast, was fresh and pretty tasty. I would highly recommend it. An just skip the Ramen and Gyoza.
If you have time, I would highly recommend driving to the other side of the island and check out either Goma Tei or Agu Ramen.
On the mainlands, I would give my highest recommendations to the following:
SF Bay area:
— Ramen Dojo in San Mateo
— Kotetsu in Santa Clara
LA
— Daikokuya
— Orochon
New York
— Totto Ramen
— Ippudo

This steaming bowl of ramen hit all of my senses, and I still find myself daydreaming about it with an intense craving. This could be my breakfast, lunch and dinner, if only it weren’t on the complete opposite side of the island.
I was in Kailua for an appt a few weeks ago and (luckily?) I happened to have a sore throat that day and all I could think about was noodle soup. Spicy noodle soup. I immediately asked a friend working nearby to meet up for lunch at Daiichi. It’s all I could think about that morning and I had worked up such high expectations that I was fully prepared to be let down.
It was the exact opposite. Food, service and atmosphere were all top notch, and don’t even get me started on the price/​portion ratio.
The interior is way more modern, clean and welcoming than I anticipated from the outside. It was bustling at noon on a Friday, but within 15 secs of walking in, we were pointed to a table and our water glasses were filled. The glasses are a step up from most places too, which was a nice touch, and they were kept filled throughout the course of our meal. I needed the water too because I ordered an extra spicy chicken and veggie ramen that was just at the edge of too spicy, but soothed my throat like the perfect elixir.
The noodles were just the right chewy texture and they didn’t skimp, the veggies were fresh and the broth was the piece de resistance — a rich blend of salty, spicy and tang. I ate until I could not eat any more any took the rest to go. Two meals for $ 10.
I’ll keep daydreaming about that perfect steaming bowl o’ noodles until my next trek to Kailua (or someone wises up and opens one on the N. Shore).

Great service but really terrible ramen. The noodles are overcooked, the broth is flavorless, and the meat is tough. Perhaps ordering the curry is the safest option.

As boyfriend and I were on the way to Lanikai Pillboxes for a hike, we got hungry and decided to stop for some lunch. With not too many reviews, I was a little skeptical, but I love ramen and boyfriend loves curry, so I figured, why not?
Like someone mentioned in another review, while this place is supposed to be Japanese, the interior design screams Chinese haha. But very elegant and welcoming, nonetheless. At 12pm, there was no wait and we were seated right away. Service was great the whole time — our waters were always refilled (to the point of being a little excessive, but that’s okay.)
Portions here are extremely generous, so if you’re not super hungry (or don’t want to take a lot of leftovers home), I would suggest maybe sharing with someone else. You get a lot for your money! And while I’m talking about money, oh my gosh! The prices here are awesome! $ 8.50 for a big bowl of wonton ramen?! $ 8.50 for a huuuuge plate of chicken katsu and curry?! Such a great deal. Oh and we highly recommend their fried gyoza. They were giant in comparison to gyoza at most restaurants. Lots of filling and boyyyy, were they tasty! The dipping sauce was a little too tangy, but we counteracted it with soy sauce. They have a Happy Hour where you can get an order of their gyoza for free, so come when that’s going on. (although, I forgot when the HH is… oops)
The thing boyfriend and I loved the most (which may seem really insignificant to some, but we are garlic lovers…) was the container of fried garlic pieces on each table! They were so crunchy and flavorful! Most ramen places give out garlic cloves that you can crush yourself, but the fried garlic was so much better! I took a separate container of it to take home, but unfortunately forgot it at my aunt’s before our flight home, so I was really depressed hahaha. But it was that good!
I seriously wish they had a Daiichi on the mainland. It would definitely be my new ramen/​curry spot. I want to go there right now, ugh. Dangit Daiichi, come to California!

Awesome, huge portions of ramen and curry. This is fast food ramen and curry. They’ve got this down to a science. Nothing wrong with that, but don’t go in with high expectations of a complex broth type ramen.
The curry is good. We had the fish katsu curry. The curry is pre-​made so ff you’re a vegetarian be warned that there are bits of meat in the curry no matter what type of curry dish you order. All of the dishes above have one spice level, mild, with condiments on the table. The curry dishes are huge! I took out my tape measure and the dish itself was 11+ inches:
The ramen is also a large serving (w/​shrimp karaage). Love that they give a lot of bean sprouts, but I think I will order the combo the next time I get ramen (smaller portions):
I am not a fan of the mabo tofu. It just didn’t have enough body. It was thin and gelatinous. Can’t go wrong with the soft tofu, but the crunchy noodles were too crunchy:
The service is fast and everyone is very attentive. It’s inexpensive casual dining with table and counter seating: