If you want to eat someplace that's a favorite with locals, visit Kintaro's. But be prepared to wait, because the dining room and sushi bar are always busy. Try the Bali Hai, a roll of eel and smoked salmon, baked and topped with wasabi mayonnaise. For an "all-in-one-dish" meal, consider the Nabemono, a single pot filled with a healthful variety of seafood and vegetables. Teppanyaki dinners are meat, seafood, and vegetables flash-cooked on tabletop grills in an entertaining display. Tatami-mat seating is available behind shoji screens that provide privacy for groups. Like many longtime restaurants, it's an enduring favorite that doesn't always live up to expectations.
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Reviewed by Rudedog from Riverside, CA on 10/10/09
Decent food. Nothing special. Service was horrible. We got 1 drink for the evening without refills of even water. After the meal it took 20 minutes to get the bill, 15 minutes to pick up the bill, and another 15 minutes to get it back. Not a fluke! The tables in front and behind us also waited that long and received bad service. It was a joke among everyone in the restaurant. No one felt bad for not tipping. McDonalds would have been a nicer meal
Reviewed by maghols from Madison, WI on 9/20/09
My husband and I visited Kintaro as many times as humanely possible while on Kauai in 2006 and 2008. The sushi is the best we've ever had. We learned to be in line before the restaurant opened to insure quick service, but even before we learned that trick it was worth the wait. The quality of the sushi is fantastic, and the lack of pretentiousness is refreshing. One of the top 5 restaurants we have ever been to.
Reviewed by johngrouse from Newport Beach, California on 7/31/08
We were the second group through the doors on opening. We were seated and went to wash my hands where two elderly gentlemen were changing their clothes, washing their feet in the sinks, and hogging the bathroom. Bad start. Ordered the Bali bomb roll which bombed out tasting boring and dull. Cajun roll was all pepper and sucked. Hanalei roll dripped of deep fried grease, and California roll was bland and boring. Only one person working behind the sushi bar and I guess was throwing it together as fast as he could without regard for quality and taste - really loosely rolled rolls - sloppy and uninteresting. Dull average Japanese cuisine for tonight 8/30/2008.
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