My partner and I were craving teriyaki beef on a trip to Waikiki and surprisingly we found it hard to find any! We saw only a few reviews about sansei seafood restaurant but we decided to go and oh my goodness. It was juicy, tender and flavored so well. The other plates we ordered were great too. The ravioli as well as the squid salad. We were really impressed with this place.
rings. The crab was very fresh, but was cooked very well. Easily a 4/5, as it was really good with nothing amiss, but just. didn’t have the “blew me away factor.” Also, it was very expensive for the price, even at 25% off. . Panko-Crusted Ahi Sashimi $13.25. Tempura Shrimp Dynamite $12.25. Japanese Calamari Salad
This is one of very few places I will go every time I come to Waikiki. If you don't mind a bit of a broad pallete you can allow the sushi chef to make choices for you. I've never been disappointed. Always a great selection of fresh fare and the experience at the sushi bar won't let you down. I'll also say that it is very reasonably priced compared to other sushi restaurants in the area.
As I mentioned on our recent post of d.k. Steak House, sister restaurant Sansei Seafood was super busy when we first tried to get in to their 50% off happy hour. We wound up eating next door at d.k. instead, which was still a really great meal. However, we knew that we wanted to revisit Sansei eventually during our trip so we came back later in the week for their regular menu.
Both Sansei and d.k. share an entrance on the third floor of the Waikiki Beach Marriott.
The waiting area has these large paintings of sea life to keep you occupied while you wait.
We started out with some drinks. Since they didn’t have the Notorious POG anymore, we picked the Hawaiian Fruit Punch, the Yuzu Shiso Martini ($9) – Sobieski citron vodka, yuzu, soda, Sprite, and housemade lime sour and the Lychee Sangria ($9.50) – moscatto, prosecco, lychee puree, cranberry juice, pineapple juice, and orange juice.
We decided to order a bunch of things with our friends and just share. Despite how long we had to wait to get a table, the food came out really fast. Sansei’s Shrimp Dynamite ($12.25) were plump and snappy to the bite. The tempura coated shrimp came with a garlic masago aioli and unagi glaze drizzle.
We remembered that we really enjoyed the Sansei’s Mango Crab Salad Hand Roll ($10.25) on our last visit here so we wound up getting 2 orders of this. The mix of ripe mango with blue crab made for a creamy crab salad that was combined with fresh greens inside a green mamenori soybean wrapper and served with a sweet Thai chili vinaigrette.
There’s something so pleasing about Edamame ($3.95) lightly salted and boiled in their shells. You could drop a big bowl of this in front of me and I’d polish it off.
Sansei’s Lobster and Blue Crab Ravioli ($11.25) was very light and creamy. The ravioli were stuffed with a mixture of sweet lobster, blue crab and shrimp and served with a truffled shiitake Madeira cream sauce.
The Seared Sea Scallops ($9) only came with 2 scallops but they were quite large and served with Neuske bacon, Waimanalo spinach, Hamakua ali’i mushrooms, and apple cider vinaigrette.
I know we had a lot of poke on this trip but the Sansei Style Ahi Poke ($16.25) was a good version. The ahi tuna was so fresh and prepared with sweet Maui onions, wakame, and kaiware sprouts in a spicy poke sauce.
Lastly, we decided to try some of their sushi rolls. The Takah Sushi Special Roll ($12.95) is named in honour of Takah Sama, a sushi chef of a well-known sushi restaurant in Aspen, Colorado who was a mentor to Sansei’s owner, D.K. Kodama. On the inside is shrimp, ahi tuna, crab, avocado, and cucumber. On the outside, a thin ring of sushi rice is encased with masago.
The Salmon Skin Roll ($7.25) was really good. The crispy salmon skin was paired with katsuobushi (dried, fermented, and smoked skipjack tuna). Simply loved the crispy skin in this roll.
The food is quite good here and it’s best to order a lot of dishes and share with friends.
Absolutely bonkers sushi. Make sure you get the award winning ahi crusted roll. Fantastic! Also Sunday & Monday have a 50% off time slot. Call them
We didn't feel like going far for dinner so this was perfect being located in the hotel. Wonderful food. Couldn't ask for a better server. Being pregnant I wanted to avoid raw sushi and our server (Christina) was very knowledgable and even had the chef make me something special (as I was being so picky 😏). Great food, hubby enjoyed the sashimi and cocktails :) if we come back to the island we will eat here again.
I love this mob. They are here in Waikiki and also on the Big Island and Maui.Great sushi and sashimi. The Dragon Roll or Spicy Tuna are hard to beat.
But more than that terrific chef specials. The Hamachi Collar is my fav.
Never disappoints
Ratings out of 100
Variation of menu: 90
Quality of produce: 95
Service: 90
Cleanliness: 90
Ambiance: 95
Overall Rating: 92.
Great food, friendly atmosphere and good service made this our favorite restaurant in Waikiki. We ordered a variety of menu items and our favorite was the Shrimp Dynamite. Only thing we didn't like was the fried calamari which was so rubbery we couldn't chew it. They sent us a second order of calamari which was as chewy as the first, so the manager came out and apologized, thanked us for the feedback and took it off the bill. We ordered more shrimp dynamite instead. Overall we had a good experience here and definitely recommend it to other visitors in Waikiki.
Great service, relaxed atmosphere and really good sushi at a good price. We were in and out within 30min of walking through the door without feeling rushed at all. Would go back there again.
Hard to find and tough to beat. This place was a great find. Delicious food and a phenomenal cocktail list!
The best sushi and seafood I have had since arriving in Hawaii! Very large and interesting menu. My waiter was fantastic. Check it out
It was absolutely amazing. We vacationed in Waikiki this week and wanted some fresh sushi. This was the place to go. The wait staff was helpful and friendly. The food was amazing. The drinks were also good. Next time we come back we will def be dining back here.
Top Notch. Sansei really knows how to deliver a great experience and meal. I dined here with several others twice recently. On both occasions, service was outstanding and the food was amazing.
Our server did a great job of suggesting amazing items from the menu. One of those, the Avo on Fire was a really unique take on a tempura avocado with tuna that was simply delicious. Everyone at the table concurred and we ultimately ordered it several more times.
The prices are very reasonable given the Waikiki location. One in our group had a small child and they did a great job accommodating those needs.
The view is, of course, spectacular and the food tops it.
Definitely worth a visit for great sushi if you're in Waikiki.
Go for the Sunday and Monday evening half-price sushi - and get in line very early. Excellent sushi and service. Manager paced the floor talking with guests. Chefs at the bar catered to particular tastes. (Was amazed at how one went well out of his way to please a real dork sitting next to us.). Good restaurant.
Happy Hour. We ate at this location twice in less than a few days. Food was phenomenal-taste and presentation. Get in line early to experience happy hour prices.
Nice, with great highlights. A good solid sushi bar with also a wide array of more westernized dishes. Everything was nice but only a few things were amazing: the ootoro nigiri and the seared foie gras nigiri. Both are a must try. Nice cocktails as well.
Jennifer Feeser Smith
+4.5
The food was awesome! I don't eat sushi or seafood, but my husband had 3 different rolls, and they were delicious. I had the cucumber roll...which is what I had been craving...and it was also delicious. With alcohol and dessert..out meal was under $60. Nice atmosphere and was located in the Marriott where we were staying.
Awesome sushi! Had a great seat overlooking the sunset. Extensive menu and fabulous service and food. Can't wait to go back.
Quite likely the best sushi I have ever had...and I've had a lot of sushi. Every dish was unique and unusual. And at a great price too. Will most definitely be back.
I have had sushi from all over the planet and Sansei sushi takes the cake. We ordered nine different rolls Nd each one was phenomenal. It's pricey but worth it. Took a 45 year old colleague who's never had sushi with us and he absolutely loved it. Can't wait to go back.
Quality Sushi That Delivers. In the midst of high-end restaurants on Waikiki, Sansei offers some good quality sushi. For Japanese cuisine, it certainly delivers but the prices are set high.
We got a broad range of dishes, each delicious and well-made; you can tell the effort put behind the preparation. Definitely some unique flavors as well with the special and house rolls like the Dragonfly, "69" and Sansei rolls. All worth trying despite being some of the higher priced items.
Even their award winning dishes were memorable. The Shrimp Dynamite was a nice candied batter around plump, juicy shrimp. The Panko-Crusted Ahi had a great deep fried texture surrounding the cool raw tuna.
The service was quite helpful in suggesting dishes for us to try. The food also came out quite quickly especially as we ordered dishes in intervals.
All in all, good sushi at a premium price. If you're craving sushi on Waikiki, Sansei would certainly fulfill your needs.
Solid choice. Expensive and the decor needs a makeover badly.
Sansei offers a plethora of fresh sashimi and sushi, but my favourite dish is the entrée combination of Cajun-seared Hawaiian ahi tuna and the award-winning crispy shrimp cake. Absolutely scrumptious! Go for the early-bird dinner special when nearly all the menu items are half price. A $180 food bill for four people shrank to $90!
Fantastic modern Japanese food, Jordan was an awesome server. sit on the patio for a stunning view of Waikiki.
Good. I liked this place. The sushi was great - very fresh, not a ton of rice. I also had the Calamari Salad which was good, however if I were to go back I would definitely order it light on the sauce.
Service was great, everyone very friendly from the hostess to the bartenders.
For a hotel restaurant, very good.
Good sushi. All around good sushi and a large menu. make sure you make reservations so you dont have to wait to get a seat
Fantastic Food and Variety. My wife and I just ate at Sansei last night. The food and the service were both excellent. We ordered the "meal for two", which consisted of three courses and at least nine different dishes. It was a great way to sample a variety of foods from the menu. Everything tasted great and was well presented. We got there around 6pm and were able to watch the sun set over Waikiki. Our favorite dishes were the Panko Roll, the Calamari Salad, and the Lobster Ravioli.
Great sushi and even Greater for the price!
Go for the drinks. The skill of the bartenders is very high - the food is good but the decor has got to be updated (please!) - omagase menu is a great way to try many things without committing to a huge plate of just one thing - but the tables were so crammed together I kept getting distracted and annoyed by my fellow diners - try the sake sampler or the Mai Thai (note the spelling) and maybe a snack at the back
Would go again..... The food was pretty delish and the price made it taste even better. Good service all around. The ambiance was pretty bland inside however. I would reccomend calling ahead and reserving a table on the patio so you can enjoy the ocean sights.
Fabulous!. This place was insanely good!!! Their Hawaiian Poke was phenomenally delicious. It was recommended to us by a server over @ the Sheraton. The recommendation was beyond our expectations :) We came out very happy & our bellies so content!
Superb. Located in the Marriott. Try the happy hour specials. Great selection of sushi and amazing Japanese food.
Don't let the in-hotel location fool you. Food is top notch. We tried the chef menu. Included a great spicy roll, grilled shrimp, butterfish (black cod), spicy calamari. We will try their other locations. We really enjoyed this place despite the in-Marriott location.
It was overpriced and not the best I had. The flavors of my sansei's seafood pasta just wasn't working for me.
We liked that we went when prices for sushi was half off. Wouldn't pay the regular full price though. It was karaoke night if you like that.
Wonderful food. Good prices. Try the miso butterfish! It melts in your mouth!
Sansei ~ Marriott Waikiki. Aloha! In a word, Sansei's is Fantastic! From Sushi to Seafood to their Service and Staff!
We were in Waikiki for business (first, and vacation second) our event chose Sansei's for a number of dinners with our staff and attendees. One of my favorites is Sansei's Shrimp Dynamite! No matter what, order this first! :o)
The service was above and beyond and their attention to every detail was amazing! The staff from the hostess to waitstaff, to bartenders to sushi chefs to the management was just outstanding!
They even went out of their way to make a few special order Sushi dishes! I would recommend this as a must for anyone visiting Waikiki!
I'll have to find a few pictures to post too!
The Sansei sushi menu was filled with delicious options and it was hard to decide but we finally chose a variety of sushi rolls. I was intrigued by the option to add uzura (quail egg) to the sushi so the waiter suggested a sushi shot.
The Dungeness Crab Ramen sure was a treat with the truffle broth. There was the perfect amount making the dish fragrant and flavoursome without going overboard
There are 4 Sansei locations in the Hawaiian Islands… one of which is located on the 3rd floor of the Waikiki Beach Marriott. Right next door is the d.k. Steak House (both of which are part of the D.K. Restaurant group).
We had an interesting, but tasty roll of Ume (pickled plum) and Shiso (an herb), as well as a panko crusted ahi with spinach instead of rice, the Sansei special (which featured crab), and as a gift from our sushi chef, Greg, some spicy tuna rolls (there w
Sansei was a little strange. Starting at 10 PM on the weekends, they turn into a crazy late-night karaoke bar with half-off most of the menu. We arrived at 9:15, and the hostesses almost wouldn't seat us because they wanted us to wait for 10.
The service was fantastic. Our server was very personable and offered great suggestions to help us narrow down our choices. The food was amazing. The sushi was excellent, and the flavors exploded in our pallets. We were pleasantly pleased with the dining experience here.
Best sashimi and seafood ever in this restaurant! We love the divine taste, melting in your mouth bites, multiple senses with the best combination of flavours you can ever imagine! Above all it was the extraordinary service that Jazdee Vance provided us! She is the best on the whole beautiful Hawaii islands. She is such an amazingly talented waitress, she suggested the best dishes and gave my daughter and I attention despite the she had so many other customers! We simply adore her! Please recognize her exceptionally customer service and dedication to your restaurant!!! Sansei seafood restaurant is magnificent!!!
A wonderful dining experience, particularly during happy hour where some of the dishes are half price. The restaurant shares space with a steakhouse (d. k.) and one can order from either menu, but sitting at the bar and sampling various sushi dishes is where it's at. Service is professional but friendly and speedy. Prices are high, but getting there early and taking advantage of the half-price menu can help make a great meal more affordable.
I had such a great time while in Oahu. It was experiences like these that made everything memorable.
To Our Host: thank you for being so Friendly and welcoming.
To Our Bartender: Jade, Thank you so much our drinks were Delicious.
To the Manager Coby: you are so awesome and help run your eatery to its finest.
Hadn’t been to this sushi place in years and love the ones in Maui and as I was in town decided to go back and check it out and enjoy me some fresh sushi. It was great but nothing fancy to write home about.
Perhaps my expectations were too high because of memories but I could’ve had similarly good sushi in deserts of Southern California. Solid but not over the top.
Restaurant is on 2nd floor of the plaza in the same space as DK Steak house. We were quickly greeted when we walked into the establishment. We ate at the sushi bar. The chef, Greg, was polite. Our waitress came after a few mins . We ordered sushi and steak. Our rolls were tasty and a sharable size. The steak was Huge and succulent. Both came rather quickly. Great spot for sushi or steak. Food was Plentiful and delicious.
Great Sushi Restaurant!
I enjoyed our dinner at Sansei Seafood Restaurant and Sushi Bar!
During our stay in Hawaii we dine in here for 2 times, great service, delicious rolls and very clean!
Our Server was very attentive and all time was checking on us!
The rolls were fresh and fast made, we enjoyed our food!
Highly recommend this place!
P.S. You have to make a reservation prior, because they are too busy or fully booked!
An excellent place to have sushi in Honolulu. It is inside the hotel, so it is kind of hard to locate it since it’s in the third floor. The servers are nice and courteous. The good is good and fresh, the beer is cold AF. I highly recommend the dragonfly roll 😋
Best sushi we have ever had. The entire meal was wonderful❣ Started with delicate green salad with a ginger sesame vinaigrette. Tempura asparagus & a wok stir fried seasonal veggies. All three were amazing. Then yellow tail sashimi, spicy tuna roll with spicy tuna on top, the picture we took doesnt do it justice as the slices look like little houses from the side. Yaki Maki California Roll with smoked Salmon & baked with Sensei's special dynamite sauce, tuna carpaccio with thin sliced cucumber and cilantro in a sweet chili vinaigrette that was so amazing you want to eat it morning noon and night. There is rarely a time when everything you order is just perfect. This was one of those times. Sensei Seafood Restaurant
and Sushi Bar. ❤
The Sunday and Monday happy hour is intense. People who lined up for a table at 4:15 didn’t get in. There are two lines, left is table, right is bar. Know this trick!!!
Most things on the menu is 50% off which is amazing and the food comes out real quick. Was it good? Yes, was it the best? Probably not. Good savings though.
Sansei never disappoints and we’ve always enjoyed dining here since they opened on Oahu. The sushi is consistently awesome and entrees are delicious. It’s best to come with family and/or friends so you can share a bunch of different dishes. Excellent happy hour as well if you can make it. 🤙🏼
If you looking for a quality sushi, please come here. It's in the waikiki Marriott next to D.K. steaks. Atmosphere is elegant & nice. The service is on point, servers, host & managers are amazingly nice & chill. Sushi chefs make your food right there while you watch. Every food is top notch. I really cannot remember what these plates where but all was amazing! I can't eat sushi the same, it has to come from here lol.
It is reservations only & I believe they have specials on Sunday & Monday. Check them out I highly highly recommend 🤙🏾🤙🏾🤙🏾
Very friendly and efficient bartender made me a delicious raspberry cosmopolitan. Ahimsa tuna salad was substantial. Pretty atmosphere. We sat at the bar. Hubby had sushi.
Fresh, fresh, fresh and very unique flavors. We wanted more than just burgers, poke, and tempura. The special Brussels sprouts were a treat and the crab ravioli was AH-mazing. We were lucky to get a walk up and made a reservation for the next day, to visit again because it was that good. Heads up their website says they don't take reservations/same day reservations but they do. You just need to call.
We ate here 3 times while in Honolulu. Everything was amazing, but our favorite dishes were the shrimp tacos and the dynamite shrimp. The sushi was also delicious. If you go, ask to sit in Jazz's section. She is the best!!!
Nice spot and conveniently in the same building as our hotel (Waikiki Marriott resort and spa). A little pricey but normal for Waikiki. Service was prompt, food was delicious, and drinks were great! It was dark by the time we ate but the restaurant has a great view of the beach.
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