Japanese Grandma's Cafe

This place has been highlighted enough to warrant a reservation sometimes weeks in advance. We booked a dinner reservation for Friday so we could partake in the local art night afterwards. (Hanapepe 5-8 on Friday nights) The atmosphere is tucked away cozy and fun to be in. So why the 3 stars? While the staff was friendly and engaging we personally found the food to be overpriced for the portion and flavor. I would only eat here if you are planning on dropping $100 or more. My husband and I each got a sushi roll. While they were fresh and enjoyable, we spent $50 on what was essentially a snack. On an island where sushi is fresh and abundant - I feel the price point was off for the portion. If we had been wowed by the flavor it could have been a different story.

We went during Happy Hour and sat outside. Delicious food. We had their veggie tempura, poke bowl, dragon fruit yuzuade and papaya pineapple Mai Tai. Our server was friendly and attentive. This was our first time here but we will definitely be back.

This was our first meal after landing in Kauai and it did NOT disappoint! All of the food was delicious from the karaage which was so tender with a delicious eel sauce to the golden dragon sushi role to the crispy rice appetizer. Our cocktails were amazing and tasted so fresh as well, plus we got to hang out with a local stray cat who came up to us for pets! I can't recommend this place more highly! Pro tip, they will cover the cost of your meal if you adopt the stray cat haha!

We really liked this restaurant! We started with a special roll and two sashimi dishes everything was wonderful. They have outdoor seating with music, which made for a great atmosphere. Service was fast and very good. There are a few parking spots on the street, and they have happy hour from 3 to 5 with discounts on some drinks and rolls. Great spot

A wonderful local restaurant with garden dining in historic Hanapepe. Went for happy hour and got seated right away. Everything was delicious but we thought their $45 sashimi bento was too steep for the small amount we got. Other than that it was ono and will be back!

Even though they were very busy, we had multiple people check on us to make sure we had everything we needed. The patio was spacious and live music was nice. The food was fresh and my matcha cocktail was unique, refreshing and absolutely delicious. What we will remember the most is our lovely server going above and beyond! She also helped us with menu recommendations and other recommendations for our trip.

We had reservations for 6 and arrived early. The hostess was kind enough to accommodate our early arrival and sat us right away. We ordered a variety of menu items - rolls, specials, soup, sashimi and more. Appetizers were delivered to table in two waves. The entree items were staggered and quite delayed - one person in our party ended up eating alone because her roll came so late. We had no service - any requests or follow up were because we had to request our missing items. Same with our check - we had to ask and we waited 15 Minutes and had to track someone down. 20% gratuity automatically added🙁 food was average - nothing stood out and was exceptional. Perhaps we caught them on a night when they were short staffed in kitchen and wait staff?

The atmosphere here is wonderful! There’s live music, a cozy patio in the back and nice lighting. The food, especially the poke, is fresh and delicious. The Chicken Karaage is also really tender and pairs well with its sauce. Highly recommend coming, just the food is a little pricey.

Great experience!! Sat outside in the garden with the lovely and attentive Amber serving us, although she was assisted by the rest of the staff, who were equally friendly and attentive. My lilikoi margarita was delicious; and my husband enjoyed his lilikoi old fashioned. We ordered a few items and they were all fresh. No room for dessert but look forward to returning.

First time here, was recommended by a friend. Friendly staff, was seated right away (we did have reservations) nice atmosphere and had very pleasant live music. Quality of food was good and portions were adequate. Things that make me deduct starts Metal chairs were extremely uncomfortable (asked for a different chair and the were happy to exchange it with a plastic one) The pricing is absolutely criminal....very expensive, so if you are on a budget go elsewhere They have lots of cats roaming around, luckily were were not on the bench seating where they can easily get on your lap. It was very painful to watch a customer trying to eat her meal with the cats tail in her plate.

We absolutely loved our lunch here; we were there before they opened (which seems like a must) and got seated outside on the back patio. Service was amazing, the service staff is really outstanding and works in parallel with each other. Our server knew what they had on tap and really took the time to talk with my husband about what the options were and what would go best with his order. It's all outdoors and more sitting in someone's backyard than fine dining, but that's what this restaurant is all about, right? So don't expect to not be out in the elements, but in a wonderful and weird and lovely way. Food was outstanding, all fresh and made with a nod to local ingredients and style. Definitely a meal I would go back for, they took care with my gluten free status and made sure that we enjoyed everything.

My husband and I came over for a quick weekend getaway, and had a great time at Grandma's Cafe! Service was quick and pleasant and I loved the variety of non-alcoholic options available. The prices were fair and the food was delicious. Our tuna rolls tasted fresh and we will be back!

Thought this was just ok. Sushi like the Kaua'i Sushi station deliver more on the sushi side. We didn't try anything else one the menu that was non sushi related. Cats and other animals allowed on the patio, along with lots of fruit flies that were in our drink and sushi. I wouldn't go back.

Good food Liked karage chicken, halapepe roll, nice ambiance! Service was quick and good

I honestly don't get the hype of this restaurant. There was no waiting in the afternoon and the outdoor seating is nice. Overall, my recommendation is you aren't missing much if you decide to skip this restaurant. It's not worth the overpriced food which doesn't taste as good as it looks. The service was kinda weird because the server was attending to people who came later first. We were attended to before our neighboring table and that couple was waiting to even receive the menu when we already got the chance to even place our order even though they came before us. They were also mixing up the order on some of the tables luckily ours came correctly and quickly but some people on the other table were not getting the right order. This is kinda basic when you are running such as popular restaurant which claims to be fully packed everyday for dinner and when we were dining in the afternoon it wasn't filled to half of the capacity. Let's get to the food, for appetizers we got the chicken karage with the yuzu sauce. It was fresh and hot but the sauce was better than the chicken. I liked the tangy flavor. For the sushi rolls, we went with popular hanapepe roll and classic spicy tuna roll. Both were okay. It wasn't bad but it wasn't good enough to justify its price. The sushi rolls are extremely overpriced. Another thing that wasn't as pleasant was that the server was kinda pushy in asking if we wanted to order some drinks even after we said we weren't planning to.

Hubby's choice after a four hour strenuous hike. Located on a main street with plenty of parking on the street or nearby. Indoor dining closed. Dined al fresco in the back of the restaurant. Cute patio area with a bar. Unpretentious and prestine. Service prompt. Wait staff very friendly, welcoming, and recommend so many items that were truly outstanding!! Had to try the Liliko'i Old Fashioned. I loved it!! Not too sweet and Woodford Reserve Bourbon was the perfect choice for their Old Fashioned. I also had the Guava Mai Tai, which was the drink of the day. So refreshing!! All food items ordered were exquisitely plated and at the right temperature, not to mention perfectly seasoned!! We ordered another serving of Ahi Tuna Wonton Tacos because it was so delicious!! It was a truly pleasant dining experience!! I would definitely come back and highly recommend.

This place is so charming and tasty! They have a cute patio in back that has some covered and uncovered areas. We were able to get reservations the morning of to head there later that night (went in October). The waiters were super friendly and helpful and the food and drinks were excellent. I had the guava mai tai which had an amazing flavor. We also shared the crispy rice, a California roll and a tiger roll. All were delicious!

Beautiful outdoor covered seating. I love that the tables were not so close together. Service was great our server was very attentive and they were very knowledgeable about the menu and took my wife's food allergy seriously. The saki list is excellent with many options to choose from. We ate mostly sushi and it was one of the best on the island. The fish was fresh and the cuts were perfect. The only disappointing dish was the crispy rice. I felt that the rice was not crispy but soggy from the oil. The tuna flavor was good but it did not meet my expectations. The tako was excellent and very tender. If you want quality sushi this place is for you. Also just to be aware there is a neighborhood cat that can come around begging for attention.

The most adorable and peaceful eatery in all of Hanapepe. This was out first time stopping in and it was so nice! Love the outdoor seating and space, dog friendly! We ordered some chicken karaage and vegetable tempura and it was all so fresh and delicious! Will come back to try to the sushi!

My husband and I were craving Sushi after our Na Pali coast raft adventure, and Japanese Grandma's Cafe was one of the only restaurants open on Sunday. Well we were very happy we went here because the food and drinks were delicious! We ordered the Hibiscus Mint iced tea and the Raspberry Lemonade for drinks, and the Hanapepe sushi roll and Chicken Karaage Bento Bowl. We devoured every last crumb. The seating was lovely - outside with string lights. Our server was attentive and fast. Highly recommend!

One of my new favorite places to eat. Tropical garden and sushi goes well together. We got the prettiest bowl of super fresh sashimi with some crispy rice tuna and was not disappointed. I also got some uni, not usually a fan but this was sweet and really good. They serve a variety of cocktails but we got mocktails, their lilikoi drink is made with fresh passionfruit, highly recommended. Everything was chef's kiss.

Love stopping here whenever we're near Hanapepe. They have a cute garden seating area in the back that we ate at this time. Their fish is very fresh, and the rainbow roll and spicy hamachi were especially great. Their spicy poke bowl and steak bento bowl also had great flavor!

Japanese Grandma's had promises of excellent poke bowls, and it surely did not disappoint. Don't be fooled by the quiet street (we almost were) - the majority of the restaurant is in the back (I don't even know what the inside looks like) and is well hidden from the street. It would be easy to miss if you weren't looking for it. The vibe is super casual and the food is really fresh. We both had poke bowls and a roll, and while the local beer was great, this was one of the best mai tais of the trip. It was very different than some of the others - a bit more fruit forward, but still packed plenty of punch (ha) in the rum department. It was a perfect late-afternoon lunch; I would say sit in the back, grab a few beers (and mai tais) and have some excellent poke bowls. We enjoyed our lunch here so much we actually ended up coming back for dinner, and had a salad, ahi tacos, some rolls, and ended up trying their beef short rib special which was fantastic. Super fresh food and great service, not to be overlooked while on the island.

This was our favorite meal we had during our trip to Kauai. Food and drinks were delicious! We had the Hanapepe roll, golden dragon rolls, and crispy rice. Service was fast and the outdoor seating area was a nice vibe for dinner.

Lovely experience in their back garden area for lunch. This would be great for dinner, of course, too. Poke, salad, bento boxes, sushi, and high quality sashimi shine here. We tried 4 different cuts of tuna and loved each more than the last; most of which are local. Full bar, vegetarian options and free street parking. Very laid back, and high quality.

I don't love raw sushi's. But the ambiance drew us in as we walked through Hanapepe art night. My hubby and I were seated in front of the entertainment, which was excellent. I had edamame, and tempura shrimp and veggies. My hubby ordered rolls. We loved the food. Our service was excellent. Our girl was so good. I had the tea of the day and wished I could have bought a gallon of it.

Some of the best sushi I've ever had with lots of gluten free options and knowledgeable/allergy conscious kitchen staff! Make a reservation if you can because the wait can be long, but it's worth it! We loved everything we tried, including the cocktails. The restaurant is set in a cute backyard style covered outdoor area decked out with string lights. All of the fish was *so* fresh and I absolutely can't wait to get to eat here again!

Had a chance to try this place and overall it was a great experience. I ordered the karaage and the Hanapepe roll--both were absolutely delicious. The chicken was crispy and juicy, and the roll had a really nice balance of flavors. You can tell they use quality ingredients and take care in the prep. The only downside was the service--it was noticeably slow, even though it wasn't super crowded. Still, the food made up for the wait. I'd definitely come back, just maybe when I'm not in a rush.

We went on a Saturday night in April on the recommendation of a friend. Hubby had the ahi tacos and I had the chicken karaage (they were out of the ahi katsu). We had the edamame for an appetizer. I also ordered a cocktail that was on the special menu with ginger beer. The portions were not large for the higher price, but adequate. Total bill was $80 with a tip. After dinner we went out to the swinging bridge and saw the most amazing full rainbow!

We read so many "must try" reviews for Japanese Grandma's Cafe and thought we must pay a visit. It was referred to by many as the best food in Kauai and we were very excited when we made the reservations in advance. When we arrived at Grandma's, we realized there was a Friday night market and parking was difficult. We dropped off the family to find parking and eventually found a spot a few blocks away. During dinner time, the restaurant is situated in the back garden area, and the atmosphere was chill with laid back Hawaiian live music playing in the background. Our server was friendly and took our orders quickly. We ordered a Spider roll, Fresh Catch, Mixed tempura, Braised Short Ribs and Pork Tonkatsu. Most of the family enjoyed their dishes. However, I found my spider roll a bit loose as it felt apart with chopsticks. My fiancé mentioned he was still hungry after his Braised Short Ribs. There was a wait to get the check, but it's understandable as the restaurant was quite busy. Overall, I think the experience at Japanese Grandma's would be excellent if you ordered the right items, such as the mixed tempura bowl or the fresh catch. My fiancé and I both hope the food portion would be a bit more and I wish there was more care in making my spider roll.

I was honestly very disappointed with this restaurant. The outdoor seating area was cute and the quality of the food was fine, but the staff seemed very unprepared to start service at opening and all the dishes were very overpriced. The sashimi bento was 45 and all 3 dishes in it were fish and rice. Even though the quality of the fish was good, it didn't feel well thought out as a bento, and the portions didn't feel at all generous (4 small pieces of fish for the sashimi).

My husband found Japanese Grandma's Cafe and after one failed attempt of eating there (they were closed!), we were able to eat there our last day on Kauai. I had made a reservation ahead of time but there ended up being plenty of tables when we got there. My husband and I opted to each other a cold soba lunch plate and then shared two maki rolls (salmon and yellowtail). We also ordered a passionfruit lemonade to share. The food came out sooooo quickly and we quickly realized we had ordered too much! The soba noodles came with a plethora of tempura shrimp and veggies that were hot and fresh. The consensus: the maki rolls were okay and standard. We wish we had more soba noodles instead of more tempura, but we were overall satisfied with the food. The passionfruit lemonade tasted like standard lemonade. We loved the interior and the staff were so kind. We'd eat here again and highly recommend the drive to eat here.

Nice garden setting for lunch. The portion is on the smaller side for the poke bowl for the price as others have mentioned but the poke is very fresh and flavorful. You can tell it was not the previously frozen ahi. The rolls are made nicely and taste great. Very friendly and helpful staff.

The food was good, I really liked the tacos. Food portion is enough to keep your stomach full. The backyard dinning is fun. Located in a cute little town with interesting history.

Food: fresh and refreshing! Overall is a bit too expensive for an island surrounded by ocean...but the quality is very satisfying! Hanapepe roll is a must-order item! Their dinner outdoor dining is very vibe with live music. Ambiance: Definitely a top choice in this little town to enjoy a nice, cozy dinner and date time Service: Everyone is so warm and welcoming. We came with a party of 9 and they served really nice and are helpful.

Located in old town Hanapepe gravel parking lot times two walk-through the little shops to the outdoor dining area. Luckily, we made reservations via Yelp and was immediately seated after walking past the gentleman playing live music and the bar. Two of our plates had hard rice stuck to it, which was not a good way to start our night here. Between four adults and I child we spent a little more than $500. The sushi was mediocre at best. The New Zealand salmon was fishy smelling, the uni stale. The best thing was the nightly drink special.

We ate here after going to Waimea Canyon. We did not have reservations and went right in. I had the shrimp, add on of rice and miso soup. Hubby had fried chicken , add on miso soup. Dessert was green tea cheesecake. We drank dragon fruit lemonade. Good service and the seating was outdoors and very comfortable.

First off, I'm a vegetarian, so I can only tell you, the reader of this review, about the items I ordered. The veggie roll was excellent, as was the service (make a reservation), atmosphere, and overall vibe. I wanted to try something new, so I ordered the fermented soy maki. The waitress warned me that I might not like it. I didn't. I guess it's an acquired taste! Patty said her Red Dragon Roll was "beyond expectations." The passion fruit mai-tai was a great take on the classic drink.

delicious bentos stopped by here for lunch prior to our boat tour. they have a wide selection of bentos. we tried the soft shelled crab, which was superb. fresh and savory. their ahi katsu was also great - crispy although a tad overcooked for my taste.

There's a couple of plate lunch and sandwich shops in town, but Grandma's is the only dinner restaurant in Hanapepe, so make reservations. We've enjoyed eating here a number of times in recent years. It takes a lot of effort for a restaurant to maintain consistency over time when faced with rising food costs and wages. We ordered some of the same items that we had last year, and they were not as good. The sushi was still decent, but hurriedly and sloppily made. The sunomono salad recipe has changed for the worse. It was overdressed and soggy, with slimy seaweed added and too much sesame seed. I think eating this gave me the runs. One day at lunch they gave us free extra wasabi and ginger, a few days later, they didn't. They now charge $8 for a small glass of iced tea. You used to be able to order tempura a la carte at lunch, now it's only available as an add-on in a bento bowl. Flies landing on your food are still a problem. I'm still fond of the restaurant, but with lowered expectations.

Great ambiance outdoors on the patio with live music. We made a reservation, which was necessary since it was Hanapepe Art Night. We got our drinks quickly, but food took a little longer -- once it arrived, it was served all at once. Everything was very tasty -- especially the crispy rice. We also liked our drinks a lot. The prices are a little steep, but we had a great time and enjoyed the meal tremendously.

Bento Box $44 plus WORM in the Fish and they still made us pay. This place is a Joke. Price an Quality doesn't stand in relation

An amazing place we found for lunch. Quaint little shopping area with many small joints. Kids love sushi so we landed here. I stay safe with the tempura's My hubby and I had the Bento bowl with rice, shrimp tempura, ginger-garlic sauce, fresh garden salad with roasted sesame dressing. Super yummy Kids had the Tiger roll and California roll which they enjoyed a lot. The drinks were very refreshing on a hot day. Highly recommend!

Solid 4. Table had edamame (salted nicely), sunomono with tako (cucumbers with octopus) - balanced flavors, deep fried soft shell crab salad - large portion with good flavor, red dragon roll - nice flavor, hanapepe roll - very good and light, California roll - good crab mix and ahi poke wonton tacos - fabulous. Desserts included coconut gelato - very well made and matcha cheesecake - so good. Service was very good. Ate in the back area near the beautiful tree.

Chris was our fabulous server! they were short handed, yet yummy food came out timely :) nice outside ambiance! all guests super chill, local kind way :) thank you for a great lunch!

This is a great Japanese restaurant. We order the avocado sea asparagus salad, veggie tempura and rice cakes for appetizers. All were amazing ! The rice cakes and sea asparagus salads are a must! We ordered the dragon roll, tuna bomb, rainbow roll and chicken karang. The rolls were awesome and the chicken was perfectly fried. The service was a little slow but it is Kauai bro it is island time!!

Japanese Grandma's is a nice, cute restaurant where you'll find tasty Japanese-Hawaiian fare. There was plenty of outdoor seating when we came and service was nice and attentive. I got the chicken kaarage bento which had really tender moist chicken and a nice crispy layer of fried exterior. Also came with a mini fresh salad that balanced the meal well. The hanapepe roll was also a highlight - good shrimp tempura and eel. Would definitely get again. Do stop by and the hanapepe swing bridge is a short stroll away as well

Came here for dinner and while the food was good, it was incredibly overpriced for the amount that we got. We ordered: - chicken kaarage with the ginger sauce and eel sauce. the ginger sauce was better. the chicken was tender and slightly battered and fried - chirashi - the amount of fish was great but slightly overpriced but at least the slices of fish was thick and fresh - salmon nigiri - this was disappointing - ahi wonton tacos - very buttery ahi and crispy taco shells - pork katsu - good but overpriced - sunomono with tako - nothing special - shrimp tempura - this was delicious - hamachi jalapeno sashimi - this was okay but my dad thought that the sauce and jalapeno overpowered the fish - hanapepe - nothing special - red dragon - nothing special - spicy tuna classic - a good classic roll - golden dragon - very tasty - rainbow - nothing special - shiso roll - this was mediocre Overall the fried items - shrimp tempura and chicken kaarage - were the best. Out of the sushi, it was the chirashi that was the better option. It was also crazy to see that the tip was an automatic 22%. That's actually insane for a guaranteed tip. Our total bill came out to be $600 but it should've been $400-500 at most including everything which is why this place is too overpriced.

Such a beautiful sushi spot! We made dinner reservations for a Wednesday and were so impressed with the backyard, string light, patio vibes. Service was so quick and friendly. I wanted to try everything on the menu, but since my name is Jo, it only made sense to order the Jo Nigiri Set. This set came with a good amount of nigiri to include my fave ones: uni, Amaebi, and hamachi. Of course, I saved these for last. Each piece was so fresh and yummy. The actual slices of fish were huge. Definitely not the norm. At least for me and the spots I've gobe to. The set also came with a salad and miso soup. Definitely will be returning when I visit again :)

I am glad we were in the area and we got to try them .The setting is beautiful and the food fresh .When we initailly sat down it was sunny and 15 minutes in it started pouring ,fortunately the covered patio made it easy to enjoy both types of weather . We also lucked out on a table because 10 minutes after we were seated we saw a line started forming and the wait times seemed to be upwards of 40 minutes. Since we had an early dinner planned ,we shared the soft-shell crab bento with veggie tempura, which we found to be a substantial meal for the two of us . There are options to customize the bento bowl, and we added a few extras. I highly recommend including the veggie tempura with the bowl--even if you're not usually a fan of vegetables, it was crispy and delicious. The staff didn't seem very friendly. They appeared frustrated when we asked questions or requested basic things like cutlery and napkins. The food took over 30 minutes to arrive, which could explain the long wait for tables.

Awesome sushi, I highly recommend this place! The sushi has great taste. The strawberry yuzu lemonade is also very good. I don't know if this belongs to the restaurant but there is this super cute and sweet cat that is there every time we go.

What a beautiful cafe! So happy we were nearby and decided to check it out for dinner. They have a wonderful patio with umbrellas and you have dinner surrounded with trees and flowers. We asked for a sake recommendation and ordered sushi, rolls and chirashi bowl. All fish was fresh and we really enjoyed our dinner. Sake recommendations was wonderful and paired well with our dinner. Service was great too. Food and drinks arrived promptly and our server was attentive to us throughout our dinner. We would live to be back!

Would you drive half an hour to eat sushi? JGC has a reputation as the best sushi on the island, and charges $20 upfront on your credit card to make a dinner reservation, to deter no shows for reservations. Drove 14 miles in 30 minutes noon time on a Thursday. And no exotic views of the ocean, just brush and tropical vegetation. Saw what I thought was a food truck with Japanese Grandma's Cafe on the sides. Parked next to a building with signs saying go to the back. Thursday at noon, only a dozen customers in a place that can hold 60 people with 30 tables, all outdoors. And they have sizeable indoor dining for dinner in the main building. Outdoor dining only for lunch under waterproof ceiling, with sides open. Gravel dirt flooring, so watch your step for potential buried cat poop, and if wearing sandals don't get any pebbles or gravel dust on your bare feet. Everything on the table, including menus and napkins had to be anchored due to high winds blowing everything off the table. Takes a good 12 minutes for our orders to arrive, but sushi is labor intensive to prepare. The $13 spicy tuna roll was not spicy and had little flavor by itself. Had to add ginger or dip it into dipping sauce. The $12 California roll was outstanding with heavy crab flavor mixed in a creamy sauce. Probably the best California roll I have ever tasted, with the freshest ingredients. The $24 Golden Dragon was another superb offering with salmon on the top and California roll underneath in a sweet sauce to give it flavor. Our $49 order of sushi came without wasabi and ginger. Neighboring table gave us their w/g after they were finished. The sushi lunch menu says "extra wasabi and ginger $3". First place I've encountered which nickel and dime you by charging $3 for wasabi and ginger, and dinky amounts of it to boot. Missed the sign at the front stating that the fryer was down, and no cooked food available. No bento boxes, no shrimp tempura, no fresh fish, no Tiger roll, no Grandma's chicken karaage, no mixed tempura, no crispy rice, no seared tofu, no tempura rolls, and no dishes with shrimp. No wonder place was near empty. On the positive side, high winds meant no mosquitos.

Food was great and our server was attentive as well as informative. The outdoor dining area is well covered for shade it still allows a nice breeze in. We had the pork Katsu and chicken karage bowls. Both were excellent. Good value !

This was our last night and we really enjoyed the food and the live music. Our server was super helpful and friendly. He even gave us great advice on a sunset spot for after the meal. I think his name was Danny? Thank you!

This was our favorite meal on the island! From the drinks to the sushi, everything we ordered was amazing. We enjoyed the garden seating which makes for a causal environment. Service was prompt for a weekday lunch and the servers were all friendly.

We stopped in for a quick lunch on a hot day. The staff were all super friendly and helpful. In fact we took some of their recommendations and were happy with our choices. The seating is adorable and outside with pretty garden vibes. Everything we ordered was delicious and wish we had room for more. Highly recommend this place for families, couples and people who enjoy a cozy vibe and excellent food.