Ninniku-Ya Garlic Restaurant

After hearing about this restaurant from various people my husband and I went with my mother-in-law for her birthday. We sat outside in the patio area, were seated promptly and then pretty much forgotten. We ordered soup and salad to start and the portion was large enough to feed all three of us. We ordered Lamb and Rib-eye and garlic pasta. All portions were large enough to share with enough to take home. I would in the future NOT order the pasta. From a garlic restaurant I thought the pasta would be full of flavor but this lacked any taste at all. The garlic chowder was one of the best I have ever had and had a lot of vegetables in it and the spinach salad was incredible with the heat of the spinach and the flavor of bacon complementing each other and the garlic not being overpowering to fight with either flavor. Their specialty seems to be meat which is served on a large skillet and carved at the table by the server. Portions are large with everything and the price is very fair. The biggest problem I have with this restaurant is between the soup and the salad, we waited an hour and 10 minutes without the waiter checking in with us to offer any explanation as to why our meal was taking so long or to offer us any thing while we waited for our main course. It took another half hour to get our check to pay. If you go with a large group of people and have a lot to talk about then this is a great place to be to share a long wait, and good food. I do have a complaint regarding the noise, the street traffic was distracting from the setting and the music when sitting on the patio is too loud. Going to celebrate a birthday we thought we would order a nice dessert at the end however, after waiting so long for our main course we decided it would not be worth the wait. The waiter never came back to ask if we wanted anything else anyway. We asked the man busing tables for our bill. Great food, but be prepared to wait. RECOMMENDED rating for food BELOW AVERAGE for service Pros: Great meat dishes, salad and soup great guy busing tables, he should be the waiter. Cons: Long waiting between courses, poor service, very bland garlic pasta, street noise, too loud music, poor wait staff. . more

I am a garlic fanatic and this was the right spot to go. From the outstanding garlic bread, roasted garlic (YUM!) and the garlic chicken, my experience was outstanding to say the least. We ate outside which had a nice Japanese garden feel to it. The service was great and the whole experience was very welcoming. You can really cater your needs to no garlic or extreme garlic. They give you plenty of portions. I can't wait to go back on my next trip to Hawaii! \r more

This quaint garlic restaurant is one of the best in Hawaii! With restaurants domestic & international, this restaurant is right up there among fine dining experiences with a lax side. In other words, you get a bit of both worlds: your nice fine dine along with a casual touch. Pros: Fair costs & portions Cons: Parking more