Happy Hour here is amazing! It can be a bit pricey, otherwise.

The farm-raised Kampachi is so delicious. It's a definite 'must try' if you've never had it before. Also, don't pass up the Uni (sea urchin from Japan). You won't taste a anything like it anywhere else (but Japan, of course). Totally worth the price. You'll taste the difference and know exactly where your money went. It's so good! Do get the Tenderloin Carpaccio too. You won't regret it. It practically melts in your mouth.

There was not a bad dish to be had in sight. I'll definitely be back, the next time I'm on the Big Island.

Amazing variety, delicious food, unique flavor profiles, beautiful presentations
and great service
Thanks

The food at this restaurant is amazing!!!
Service was perfect, presentation beautiful . I recommend this restaurant to everyone visiting Kailua-Kona ....

Enjoyed eating here for my friend's bday. The food was delish. I had chicken lettuce wrap. My friends had teriyaki sizzling chicken and the crab lettuce wrap. We also had some appetizers and drinks. We all thought the prices were decent and flavors were excellent. The wait staff was awesome and friendly. We all decided that we'd eat there again.

Consistently fresh. Hard to go wrong here. Service was great. The Austin Roll stole the show!
Go after the sunset, because there is no view here, but the food makes up for it!

Excellent sushi! Fresh and inspiring rolls. The waiter was one of the nicest and most attentive I have ever met in the food industry. Wonderful experience and will def come back the next time I am on the big island!

Found this place by accident, as I tend not to honor establishments with 3 Yelp stars. What a treat! Fish is fresh, service is superb, great great restaurant!

Best dinner in S Kona that's I've found hands down. Sushi and overall experience was thoroughly enjoyable. Service staff had great suggestions on what to order and chefs were very pleasant.

We stopped by for happy hour and overindulged on several rolls. Everything was fresh and tasty. Our service was great! I topped off a great sushi meal with a lychee martini, yum!!

Awesome spot in Kona for sushi! Gotta got up happy hour 4:30-6pm for half off sushi rolls. Good service and enjoyed all the food and apps.

Awesome little spot with great happy hour 4:30-6:00pm 1/2 off rolls! Food was amazing. Enjoyed the firecracker shrimp! Close to our hotel in Kona.

Sushi fish is the best. Loved the hamachi Kama. And thank you for opening during the Christmas.

A local at my hotel (sheraton kona) recommended this restaurant to us. At first when looking at the reviews i was a little deterred because it was mixed reviews but since it was late and dark and closest to our hotel we decided to give it a shot. I'm glad we did. So far this was the best experience on the island yet! Almost every dish we ordered was delicious. From the beef carpaccio to the miso cod. We enjoyed it all except for the dynamite shrimp. That's basically a fried shrimp tempura topped with sauce. Nothing dynamite about that. The sushi chef was great. Very friendly and very informative. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone!

Another great experience, sashimi was very fresh and awesome, oysters were over the top and after a hard Dayan the ranch, the Asahi went down easily!
Wife also had the chicken wraps, I stole 2 of those and they were great also.
Our waiters, Maverick and Beverly- excellent.

The new style sashimi was perfect.
Black miso cod was nice maybe a little overdone.
Scallops with udon in curry sauce was good, the one prawn that came with was way overdone though.
Ambience was good as was service.
A bit pricey but as expected on Kona.

Awesome happy hour....4:30 -6:00 in the lounge. Great prices on rolls and other appetizers. Service was also outstanding!

First night in Hawaii, started off with a bang at Kenichi's. Had the MIST amazing sushi and a sashimi appetizer of fresh caught kambashi in a shoyu sauce, to die for. It's in a shopping center but don't let that fool you. It is a gourmet level restaurant.

Excellent sushi on the big island.
Went to happy hour and they have a reasonably large menu and a number of rolls.
Everything fresh, service was fast, will be back for sure.
Had 4 different rolls and all the fish was excellent.
Sat at the bar, also has outside seating and restaurant seating.

Great food with reasonable price . Definitely will come back next time I with big Island

Quick service and delicious food! We had a wonderful time and had amazing waitstaff. Richelle was funny and sweet, making our dinner even better! Thank you again for such a great meal.

OMG folks, please come here! Absolutely the best experience we have had in Hawaii, hands down! Definitely have the yellow tail hamachi! We had to have two orders, it was so good. We also had the tempura udon, the seared scallops with udon and curry, and the ono dinner. Omg. Delicious. This restaurant is far above all the others. We were thrilled.

The service was very good. waitress and hostess are very attentive. The chicken teriyaki was very good. The sashimi was worth the money. The only thing I had a gripe about was the sushi rice being under cooked. But all in all the restaurant was one of the best restaurant we got to try in Kona.

We had just arrived in Kona, from California, and were looking for something near where we were staying. We read the recommendations for a nice dinner restaurant in our room's information guide and we drove off the the local shopping center where it was supposed to be located. Couldn't find it. Pulled into a parking space to consult map, but as we did, there was Kenichi Pacific, right in front of us (not the recommended restaurant).

So, we gave it a go instead and we were delighted!

Full bar, indoor and outdoor dining, very friendly and attentive service, and truly great food.

Two days later we went back for more and we were not disappointed.

Great food, great service great ambiance!

Amazing sushi and sake. Everything was extremely fresh and flavorful. They have real wasabi imported from Japan. Most if their fish is locally sourced. The cold sake was very smooth and delicious. And the server was both helpful and knowledgeable.

By far our go to restaurant. Always fresh always delicious. Tip: happy hour is 3-6pm, this is no secret anymore and only in the bar with selected menu items discounted. Because I want to eat everything, I typically do not save any money, but I get to eat more! Roasted edamame, sunomono, beef carpaccio , firecracker shrimp, total raw and local salad, miso soup, aspen roll, yum!
It WILL be packed so come early but everything is delicious! I'm
Not a huge sushi fan, but the rolls are flying out of the kitchen ! There is plenty for everyone not just sushi, if you're not into crowded bar area an early dinner is nice and relaxed and well worth the price point 25-30.00 pp I'd say, but fresh flavorful food.
And you leave fulfilled and not bloated having to discreetly "unbutton" yourself . Trust- it's worth it really. There is no "view" but I'd rather have really good food and go for a beach walk after there's plenty of oceanfront options for breakfast -- add this spot to your list vacationers, delish!

My friend and I had dinner here the other night and it was very good. We sat outside on the lanai and watched Hula in the court yard. The ambiance is nice and clean and the food was good. I ordered the Austin Roll as usual and as usual it is amazing. It is a very unique roll consisting of tempura asparagus, edamame paper, smelt aioli, teriyaki sauce (mouth watering). My friend ordered the Rainbow roll and enjoyed hers as well. Every time I come here I experience the freshest sushi and will definitely continue coming back.

This is simply phenomenal sushi. Not a place for spicy tuna peeps.

Cozy atmosphere and a good variety of wine for selection.

Kenichi Pacific was recommended by the staff at Sunset Terrace. They said if you like Sushi you have to go to Happy Hour. Well, we did go today and we must say the food was great. We had a lot of food and Saki and the bill was $60.00. The bartender was Ally, she was fantastic, made our stay great. We will definitely go back.

My husband and I went there TWO times in one week and we learned: GO FOR THE HAPPY HOUR. And get there early!!

The first time we went there we had:
1. firecracker shrimp for appetizer (it's good, but it's too expensive for that you get) $11
2. Salmon Sizzling plate (not that good and expensive)$26
3. Spicy tuna Roll (delicious and great price - what made us actually go back!)

Second time:
We walked there at 3:30pm since our last waitress told us that they actually have a line! And I'm glad we did. Everybody walks in the SAME time and there is only the bartender to serve us all! And GUESS WHAT? She did an pretty good job! Fast, nice and very capable!! She'll tell you the Chef's choice but ASK for the price since it won't be in the "happy hour menu".

Everything we ordered was delicious and you can't beat the price!

I've come in here multiple times for happy hour and always have had great experiences. The staff is friendly and the food is excellent. I came in with a few of my girlfriends this past weekend and we ordered lots of plates to share.
Our recommendations from our server Hayley were very helpful. We ordered the Kenichi special, the truffle drizzled carpaccio, grilled salmon skin roll, the macadamia nut salad, some cocktails and a few other rolls.
You will not be disappointed. Ask for Hayley. She's the best.

Fourth night on the island and the best meal by far. Had the poke salad and the dressing was light and nutty. Had the marinated black cod and flavor was so rich. Service too was excellent.

Kenichi would give you the impression that it would be a low end food simply because it is in a strip mall. DON'T LET IT FOOL YOU! The food was phenomenal. I had the best hamachi Kama in my life! The fish is limited, so keep your fingers crossed.

The assorted sashimi (chef's choice) seemed very general with no unusual or rare kinds. Still very tasty. The only criticism is that adding pickled ginger on the plate would make it perfect.

The molten chocolate cake was surprisingly amazing! Even the non-chocolate lover fell a little in love with it.

We had an amazing server, I want to say her name was Heather. She was so calm and collected during a surge of business.

Pleasantly surprised and so happy we stopped to eat there!

Saw this place last year but did not get to try it out until our trip back to Big Island this year. We came for HH which runs from 4:30-6pm at the bar area which is to the left of the entrance of the restaurant. It was great! Fast and attentive service. We got a couple of hand crafted drinks and they were ok. I probably would just get a beer next time.

Sushi rolls were good! Nothing amazing but at $6-8.50 a roll during happy hour, I can't expect amazing, right? Am I just a really cheap date?? No, I'm awesome. Duh. Kidding, of course.

Oh yeah, we got the "fresh wasabi" for $4. Ehh..nothing really special but maybe I just don't know my wasabi. I might have to enroll in some wasabi school???

We tried the happy hour at Kenichi's and we are happy to report that it deserves the recent survey results that designated it as the best happy hour in the Kona area.
The sushi was excellent as were the other items we tried: Asian style ribs; popcorn shrimp; and the dim sum. You have to get there either early or late as the small area designated for the happy hour fills up quickly. If you get there late order all your items before the happy hour ends as they do enforce the rule.

The sushi here was amazing would highly recommend our waitress Jessi was really friendly and a native to island . Restaurant was clean and well maintained which is always at the top of my list when considering a place to eat

Go for Happy Hour (4:30 to 6pm). Get there on time or you might not get seated. Half priced rolls are the best value. Ask for Marissa as your server. She is the best!

Wonderful dinner in the midst of the shopping Center's annual Halloween party! Service was good, greeted very warmly, our waitstaff was costumed as Jack Sparrow and she nailed it! Red curry scallops and Kauai shrimp excellent and my husbands filet was perfectly cooked and delicious. The Restraunt is nicely done. Comfortable, contemporary with a nice sushi bar. Next time I'm ordering sushi, it looked wonderful. Will absolutely return...only wish they were open for lunch!

Overall, a good dining experience. Kind of a sleepy shopping mall area, but overall top drawer sushi and specials. If you're in the neighborhood it's a handy place to go or also for take out. Friendly service and a very relaxing atmosphere. I didn't do it but the happy hour (4-6) is 50% off sushi rolls.

This place had seafood that was amazing. I ordered the Salmon with the Spicy Tuna rolls. I also had the miso soup. The Flavor was explosive the service was top notch and they were extremely attentive to every need we had. We were on our honeymoon so the waitress was very inquisitive hitch made our 10 days in Kona even that more special! I would recommend this place if your looking for local fare and fresh fish cooked Hawaiian style! 4 thumbs up for me!

We chose this place for our last meal in the islands and boy we weren't disappointed! World class sushi it is, but it's great for non-sushi eaters like my mother. Her filet was excellent and the service was AMAZING, thanks Cori!!!

My favorite place on the Big Island to grab sushi. The daily happy hour prices make this place even better. Great service and atmosphere. The options on the happy hour menu are extensive too. Every time we come to Kona we make sure to eat at Kenichi.

Great location, food, service and atmosphere ! We had the black cod a must try for anyone! Delicious!! We also had the scallop and shrimp curry, chef made it a special spice and it was so amazing! He also spiced our mahi! Wow we loved this place.

They have been around for a long time. Mr. Kenichi greets his customers and is on the floor helping his team. Service is excellent. They have indoor and outdoor seating. It's very cozy. Sushi is good-nothing fancy. Locals like the sushi. Poke is excellent. It has fresh high grade ahi. The miso cod is the best dish. Hamachi and Kenichi shrimp are very good. Not sure why their ratings are so low but it's a great place to eat.

I love this place! I love the sushi and the creative dishes they come up with. I pretty much try the special every time I go and its always delicious. The crab cakes are awesome, as are the dynamite shrimp and lobster summer rolls. I've never had an entree though because I usually get sushi rolls which have always been great. Their Molten choco cake is AMAZING! And tempura ice cream?! Come on now, AWESOME!

My sister and I started out on our date night here at Kenichi's...what a beautiful start! We got several orders of maguru (YUMMMY!), a spider roll, dynamite roll, austin roll, (yeah we can eat) hamachi rolls, more maguru...and proceeded to eat ourselves into a Hawaiian paralysis. The hamachi was divine, fresh and buttery. The best thing I've ever put in my mouth...(insert dirty thought/joke here______).

Was it so wrong to deep throat my sashimi in front of the sushi chef/my sister??? Whatever...

Fat and happy, we rolled our way over to the Keauhou Theaters to watch 300 Spartan washboard abs defeat an effeminate Persian king. That fuckin' love scene rocked, the chicks hair was blowing everywhere while she was saddling up on her Spartan king. Is that how it's supposed to look? Wow! My sister: "I feel kinda funny down there?!?!" Me: "Ugghh...shut up!"

This place is awesome. I always eat here when I go to Keauhou. It's located in the Keauhou Shopping Center. So no view, but excellent food. The sushi is wonderful. This is really a local spot not a tourist place.

Good sushi rolls -- though high prices. The lobster one was really good. The special of yellowtail cheeks was awesome! Serving each tempura vegetable as a separate order is fantastic -- you can have exactly what you want in the amount you want (I hear that's what they do in Japan, so I guess they didn't invent it). Nice wine choices too.

We really enjoyed Kenichi. We had a couple specials - some amazing sashimi and seared tuna, the lettuce rolls (which were great) some maki, and dessert. If you're getting sushi, be sure to get the fresh wasabi from Japan - it will blow your mind.

The service was very good. Only negative was it was squeaking babypalooza, and the place is too small to get away from the noise when it gets busy.

great food! very fresh! make sure you get the fresh wasabi..wow, it's amazing!

the service is a little snotty, but if you can get over that, i highly recommend this place for some good food. there are no views of the sunset or ocean here, but then again, you're in hawaii, you can go anywhere for a beautiful view!

My husband and I must try sushi in every new city we go to. We asked the concierge at our hotel on the Big Island to find us some and she suggested Kenichi, located within a shopping center about 15 miles away from The Four Seasons and very close to The Fairmont. When we arrived I mentioned to someone who I believe was the manager and/or owner that we were serious sushi addicts and he insisted we try the ono tataki. We took him up on his suggestion and absolutely loved it- a must for anyone dining here! We also ordered a spicy tuna roll and eel roll, which were good, but not any better than what we have back in Chicago. However, my husband performed his sushi test by ordering a piece of yellowtail and it passed with flying colors.

Save some time before and/or after dinner if you'd need to do some shopping within this outdoor complex. After all, it's only fitting when in Hawaii to make a stop at Tommy Bahamas.

(Confession: it's been awhile since I ate here, so my memory about this place is spotty.) Really good food, kinda pricey (esp. since it's in a shopping center with no special view or anything).

The ironic thing is that when I looked at the menu, it talked about how the restaurant had 2 locations -- in Kailua Kona and in Austin, TX (where I lived for 6 years!). And then I remembered where Kenichi was in Austin -- I had never gone there 'cuz it seemed over-priced. =P Well, luckily the food was very good, so I didn't have much to complain about. =)

Some of the best sushi we ever had and good sake selection, too. Service was friendly and attentive without being obtrusive.

We started with a beef carpaccio appetizer with truffle oil. It was outstanding. The beef was so tender, it's amazing they were able to slice it so thin without messing it up. We took our time savoring it. Quite amazing stuff.

Then we had a shrimp tempura roll. It was very nice but they left a little too much shell on the tail of the shrimp and I hit a piece in the roll. Quite yummy in spite of that little annoyance.

Then we had a spider roll which was absolutely heavenly. It almost seemed whimsical with the variety of things put together in it. A nice change of pace and yet mainstream enough for most sushi lovers to enjoy.

Dessert was ice cream tempura. The tempura is a little thick and almost tasted like a Twinkie. It was very good. The only downer was that there was a little more tempura than ice cream. They should definitely do a larger scoop. The chocolate sauce served over it was nothing extraordinary but the combination was nice. Dessert wasn't that pricey, though. I think maybe $7, if memory serves.

Dinner, dessert, sake, and tip were about $83 for two. I wouldn't go there all the time but it was nice for a special occasion. I think the size of the dishes is appropriate. America has gotten used to heaping mounds of food at chain restaurants, I guess. Kenichi is quite all right. Thumbs up!

Don't let the shopping center location fool you, this was a great place. The service was excellent even being seated outside. The drinks were delicious and I loved the Raw and Local Salad, a truly wonderful dish. My boyfriend was impressed with the freshness of the tuna and how quickly the food arrived.
Great place.

More like 4.5. One of the best Japanese fusion places. We went 2 days in a row because my husband fell in love with their butterfish. A bit pricey but food quality makes up for it.

Chic place in a hilltop mall near the outskirts of Kona. Kind of cool just for that. We ordered a variety of good stuff - the firecracker shrimp appetizer is great, and the yellowtail appetizer is good (this ain't Nobu...). The black miso cod was also solid, not great. Service was a bit grouchy, and we never did get a tonkatsu that we ordered, but...

What I really liked here was (for me) a new kind of firewater: Iichiko shochu. This is a Japanese barley distilled spirit - much lower proof than vodka, but much higher than wine. Think of it like this - you can order and finish a bottle with a couple of people (we did) and feel perfectly fine the next morning. Pretty damn good.

THIS IS THE BEST LIL ASIAN RESTAURANT EVERRRR! in fact, it's one of my favs! and in fact (once again lol!), it's apparantley one of kevin costner's favorites. This place is so nice as delicious!!! And the food is really healthy too! But the presentation is so nice! I love how my plate was lookin so elegant! It's upper class, but still more on the casual side! I had the seared Ahi tuna w/ mashed potatoes. It tasted just like steak n mash potatoes, it was sooo ridicuoulsouslyyy good! and my mum had the onagi dinner plate which looked so delicious, and was!! They got two in texas and one in aspen too! So if you can't have it in hawaii, you can check it out there. it's worth the money! ur gonna love it!

We loved the sushi here, and my husband really knocked himself out on the saki. Sure, it's pricey, but it doesn't have to be over your budget if you keep the booze to a minimum (or at least choose your booze wisely).

We had a good time here, I had an excellent eel and avocado roll for myself, and my husband had some very spicy ahi. The molten chocolate cake was scrumptious!

This was the first place my wife and I ever tried Sushi and Sake. I figured, if I was going to do it, Hawaii would be the place to do so. It was a very nice place, kind of odd tho in a shopping center. It by far exceeded all my expectations on what I thought Sushi would be and we had the most amazing sake which we have never been able to find to order or get locally.

I have been spoiled having been to this place. I have tried other Sushi places, and they do not compare to the quality of the fish here, but I am sure its because of its location, and its ability to get fresh fish.

I went to this place to get my drink on and get some sushi and I fulfilled that mission here! I arrived during happy hour and it was a pretty good deal. 50% off all rolls except for the Godzilla roll and the Rainbow roll. I tried the spicy tuna roll, cucumber and avocado, and their salmon and avocado. They rolls were really good, my favorite being the salmon and avocado. I also got 2 cocktails with that.

Bill came out to a little more than $30 for 4 rolls and 2 cocktails. They also had complimentary edemame. Service was good and the wait staff was friendly. Nice, contemporary ambiance. Happy hour only applied to the bar and lounge area.

The food is really good but the price is simply outrageous. We only went in because it was happy hour from 5 pm to 6:30 pm, which offered sushi rolls on half price on the bar side. We ordered four rolls (spider, aspen, super kakiage, and kenichi special), which were ALL very tasty. We also ordered the super hot chicken karage, which was not super hot but super tasty. We didn't order any entrees or other appetizers because of the price.

It is located in a mall south of Kailua-Kona downtown, right next to Keauhou Bay. Perfect place to eat after the snorkeling boat rides.

Had a delightful first experience - great sushi bar and saturday night is local night. Will definitely make this a regular night out.

Here's the thing to do in Kona on a Wed late afternoon/evening. Come to Kenichi's for happy hour (4:30-6:30 pm). All sushi rolls are 1/2 off. This is as good as sushi anywhere in HI, and at this price, the rolls will run $3.5-6.
The edeme is complimentary, too! We tried the fresh wasabi ($3 extra): a different texture compared to paste, with a similar taste. They also offer $1-2 off sake, wine, beer. My wife and I had uni, a sake, and 6 rolls for $50.

Decor is very nice Asian inspired, as would be expected. Unfortunately, the owner needs to toss the peeling chair and love seat in the bar!

After dinner, go to the courtyard at Keauhou Shopping Center at 6 pm and enjoy 2 hours of ukulele music (free!) by the Mele O'hana group. A dozen or more local strummers join Kona Bob for a jam session. You just don't get a better sense of what life on the island is like!

This was the best sushi we had on our trip to Kona! The service was unbeatably friendly and accommodating (they mad custom rolls for at least 3 of us...they made me a vegetable tempura roll with just asparagus and sweet potatoes...SO tasty. They also let us bring in our own bottle of wine, which is rare for nice restaurants). In addition to my special roll, I ordered some edamame, miso soup, and a shrimp tempura roll. Everything was fresh and tasty, and the shrimp tempura roll was DELICIOUS! I tried some firecracker chicken (not sure if thats the real name) off a family members plate, and it was sweet/spicy and scrumptious! I had the green-tea ice-cream for dessert, and it did not disappoint! It was creamy and wonderful, and it tasted like there was actual matcha green tea powder in it as opposed to artificial green-tea flavoring. This was definitely one of my favorite dinner spots on our vacation :) I would give it 5 stars if it was a little less pricey.

Just had a very nice dinner here...eel roll was excellent, soft shell crab was great, too,

Came here with the hubby on Saturday--currently they have a half off sushi rolls and nigiri special on Saturdays. Ordered nigiri (white fish, sea urchin, sweet shrimp) and some rolls (kenichi special, spicy tuna, Hawaiian roll). The seafood was very fresh and yummy, though my husband found the Hawaiian roll a bit jarring (not used to pineapple in sushi). We've been to other restaurants where the rolls are smothered in sauce and the flavor of the seafood and other ingredients gets buried, but they didn't do that here. Just about the right proportion of sauce to sushi.

We're definitely fans; however, we'd only go when they have the half-off special. Paying $12+ for 6 skinny pieces of a roll isn't quite our thing.

Almost didn't come because of negative reviews. Food was excellent as was service by Ali. Highly recommend.

We return to Kenichi Pacific every year as the food is always excellent. This year we both had their catch of the day, Opah (Hawaiian Moon Fish) with a spicy asparagus risotto. Both the fish and the risotto were outstanding. Coupled with a nigori sake it was an outstanding meal. I should probably mark 5 stars for such a meal, and the only reason I didn't is that it is pretty expensive. You do get what you pay for, however!

This is one of our favorites in Kona. We've been going there for several years. Yes, order the fresh wasabi. The fish is fresh, the nigiri specials are exceptional, haven't had a bad recommendation yet. Love the creative specials they have, they add a 'local' flair with a cosmopolitan essence. Is it cheap ? Relative to what you get given where you are, it's actual right in line. You can pay less in Kona for a lot crappier food. But if you want something that you know is fresh, creatively prepared, with cool surroundings (on some nights there are little kids dancing hula in the courtyard- dinner and a free show !) you really can't go wrong. The happy hour prices are decent, but not Walmart specials. That's one thing I guess I really don't mind paying for, fresh sushi. Would you want 'discount' sushi on vacation ? Compared to places in the SF Bay area (e.g. Mountain View, CA) this was right in line and much nicer comparatively. Enjoy. Also, the owner, Mr. Kanichi is there frequently even though he has restaurants in Austin and Aspen. Ask for him and he is SUPER friendly !!!

I see a lot of slagging on Kenichi in the reviews lately, which taken individually represent an inaccurate picture of the place.

Picture a roller coaster. You can be up or you can be down at any point on the ride, but only seeing one point doesn't describe the whole ride.

So it is with Kenichi's. I've been there 4 times, and have had 2 5-star experiences, one 4 star, and 1 two star. The latest experience, May 10, 2011 was 5 star, in part because of what I've learned:

- don't do the happy hour and expect dinner ambiance
- eat inside
- load up on rolls, augment with nigiri, avoid entrees (who'd do lamb at a sushi place anyway?)
- definitely have dessert
- understand that high staff turnover raises the risk of a poor experience, especially off-season.

Fortunately, we hit a great night, with a fabulous, professional server, quiet, romantic ambiance in the dining room, and to-die-for sushi, better than anything in the Bay Area, and almost as good as Sasabune in Honolulu, which is a world-class operation.

So do yourself a favor, know the risk, expect a $ 100 minimum bill, but maximize your chances of a win by knowing what it is that makes you happy in a high end place. On it's night, Kenichi's is the best food in Kona, and outside the moi at the Four Season's, may be the best on the Big Island, since I'm not crazy about Merriman's.

But be aware, Kenichi does have bad nights. It is inconsistent. So if risk is not in your make-up, stay away. Otherwise, enjoy.

I felt compelled to write a review for Kenichi's due to the fact that is one of the last "put on your good T-shirt" restaurants left in Kona and I want to see it survive. I ate here last night and had a great experience. Hamachi, scallop hand roll, shrimp dynamite, misoyaki black cod and the beef carpachio were all excellent. Service was perfect and they have a good cab on the wine list for $30. Fine dining in Kona is horrific for both diners and owners of the restaurant. So many restaurants have closed in Kona that I really try to support the ones that are left. Compared to what is left, this place is one of the best restaurants you will find in Kona outside of the resorts. Other restaurants I would suggest for fine dining are La Bourgogne and Mi's.

The thing to remember about Kona is it is either extremely crowded with tourist or extremely void of tourists. If you are visiting during the busy periods expect the decent restaurants to be a zoo.

This place is awesome! May original dishes. Ask for Alison, she's the best!

I dream of some of Kenichi's Sushi rolls. The sushi is fresh and delicious. I love the happy hour too. The Super Kakiage and Kenichi roll is amazing. The other rolls are all very good as well. I recommend this place over any other Japanese restaurant in Kona.

During my Kona visit, I had some sticker shock when it came to food prices. $8 for a gallon of milk seems a bit excessive, no? But, I guess that is island life for you...lots of cuisine must be shipped in from the mainland and it comes at a price. However, when you are an island and the ocean is right outside your door, so is local seafood of all kinds.

Kenichi does local faire so right it's almost wrong. It's hard to think of any sushi I have had that is better than that at Kenichi. We sampled some standard rolls like spicy tuna and salmon, but also had some unique and absolutely amazing tasting ones like scallop and what they called new yellowtail sashimi. The yellowtail was probably the highlight for me--it was in some sort of soy sauce marinade and the fish was topped with a slice of jalapeno. Sweet and heat happily dancing in my mouth.

We hoped that the chef would make something custom for us since he did this for the bf when he last visited, however, I think our waitress was scared to ask because instead of getting something truly unique, she came back with the most popular veggie roll on our plate. You weren't fooling us, honey. It was pretty good, albeit a bit salty.

Be sure to save room for dessert-I was pleasantly surprised by the chocolate lava cake. Nothing super original, but super delicious nonetheless.

I don't doubt anyone's review about Kenichi, but I can only speak to the experience I had last evening and ladies and gentlemen, it was excellent.

I was cranky to begin with, having been drug out of bed from my evening nap to walk over to Kenichi. I planned to angrily sip Miso soup while my fiance ate his sashimi salad. However, once he offered me a bite, I sprang to life, happily visualizing the next item I would order for us to share.

We shared the Agedashi tofu (4 stars) and the Ono Tataki entre (5 stars). Neither of us had ever even heard of (edible) Ono prior to last night, but its succulent flesh and beautiful presentation left a lasting impression. Quite possibly the best meal we've had on the island thus far.

If you're in the mood for a nice (...and expensive) meal at an unpretentious restaurant (it's in a shopping center flanked by KTA Superstore), I'd highly recommend Kenichi.

P.S. The Tempura ice cream/pound cake combo - To.Die.For.

This is by far the best restaurant in the area, the sushi and sashimi was excellent, service friendly and good atmosphere.

Great mellow environment , friendly staff, Ono grinds. Ono Tatake is a winner!!!

We recently mentioned you in our lifestyle blog sutralifestyles.com/mai- Check out our photo journal and favorite aspects of Kenichis!

We cant get enough of the happy hour specials and amazing specialty rolls! We highly suggest visiting Allison and Jessica at the bar to enjoy some amazing handcrafted cocktails!

Pricey... but the Happy Hour is worth a stop here.

Good sushi and drinks. We avoid dinners here because of the costs.

First things first: Kenichi has the best hamachi sushi I've ever had! I didn't even need to chew it, the fish just melted in my mouth. Order this fish here. Pork belly buns were also insanely tasty, as was the hamachi collar.

The service was excellent. Everyone was as nice as could be, and the server occasionally showed us dishes that other diners had ordered to help us decide (I had told him that my parents had never eaten sushi before, so his show and tell was very helpful). I wish I had more room for the new-style sushi, it looked very good.

Excellent! I loved our sushi rolls! We had the Austin roll (Tempura Asparagus with veggies and soy paper), the Salmon Skin Roll and the Hawaiian Roll (Seared Ahi), so yummy! We all got bento-style dinners as well, very good! (my teriyaki salmon dinner was great). Bummer they're only open til 9, but other than that, it's awesome!

We had dinner here the night before leaving Kona. The food was very good. We ordered ono tataki and sashimi dinner with miso cod, calamari and new style sashimi for appetizers. Every dish was fresh and delicious, particularly the miso cod was awesome!

Service was unfortunately quite slow. Although we had reservations, we still waited a while to be seated even though there were many tables available. Additionally, it took about 20 minutes before the appetizers arrived. However, they did try to make it up to us by comping 2 miso soups for the slowness.

The most memorable part of my visit to Kenichi was that I left my phone on our table and didn't realized it until they were closed. Since we were leaving the next day at noon and they don't open for lunch all I could do was leave them a voicemail about my phone. When we got back to CA, the manager, Koi, returned my call letting me know that he would immediately send my phone. That's what I call customer service! Thank you Kenichi!

BEST hamachi/yellowtail sushi EVER. The tuna also very good but I wanted nothing but hamachi. I often have trouble with generously-portioned sushi as I have a small mouth, but this hamachi was so fresh I barely had to chew it and despite the very good portions never felt choked by the mouthful.
My husband had the lamb chop appetizer and loved it. The server was great at suggesting their new and featured items but wasn't grumpy at my obsession with just plain untouched yellowtail.
Good beers on tap and a healthy selection of sakes.

Love the happy hour and the comfy couches in the lounge!!

I was on the Big Island for 10 days, and ate many good things on this trip, but Kenichi was the best complete meal we had on the island. The food was excellent, the service was on par and the prices were very reasonable. We found Kenichi 1/2 by accident and 1/2 by recommendation. Our waiter, Michael, was personable, helped guide us through the menu and pointed out some dishes to try. He also didn't push us to over order or pad the bill by suggesting a super expensive bottle of sake, in fact it was the opposite, he showed us one of the cheaper options. The whole meal was really delicious. If Kenichi NYC opened, I'd be the first in line for a reservation. The must order is the crab cake.

Delish. Super friendly, non-pushy staff. Everything we tried was tasty. Fish was fresh, specials were well executed, can't complain. The crab cakes with phyllo were amazing, and the manapua (pork belly bao bun yum) was so tender and super flavorful. Will definitely dine here next time in Keauhou. Plus the sushi chef had amazing grey sideburns..Winning!!

This place was amazing! My hubby and I love sushi and this did not disappoint. Order anything - it's all superb. Get the fresh wasabi & have Corey the GM recommend the saki. You won't be sorry!

Food preparation and presentation was excellent. Crab cake preparation quite unique and very tasty. I usually go for the lamb but tried the Kampachi special and was very impressed. Service was passable and pleasant but a bit on the slow side.

Used reservation system on yelp which worked fine though no place to specify outside or inside.

This place was recommended by the front desk at the resort my husband and I were staying at during our vacation. We sat at the sushi bar and ordered directly from the sushi chef. The fish was SUPER FRESH (Tuna was a BRIGHT RED color). Great flavors and our server was very attentive, giving us refills on our water without having to ask, and making sure that we were well taken care of.

Excellent food . Excellent service. Ordered the kakiage roll and extra spicy karaage chicken for appetizers. Flavorful and the karaage was served with mixed greens dressed with a citrus miso vinaigrette. For dinner we ordered the tempura dinner and Kenichi duck confit. The duck was fabulous with a Chinese five spice infused crispy skin served over mashed potatoes. The tempura was light, crispy and not greasy. The only downside -- and it's minor -- we would have preferred more of the tempura dipping sauce. An extra plus is they offer a kamaaina discount!

Best service we have found so far on our first trip to Kona. I wish I would have gotten our servers name. She was very attentive and personable and knew the menu like the back of her hand. A refreshing change from the slow and indifferent service we had received at other places. And the food- delicious. I wanted sushi, but I also wanted to try some new stuff without breaking the bank. We had fresh, perfectly prepared sushi and rolls. We also ordered the black cod, lamp chops and fire cracker shrimp apps- yummy.

Hands down, best food on the island. Over our trips to the Big Island, we've eaten here 2-3 times each time.

Killer sushi! Ken has this one down. Plus the bar tender Corey is way cool! Go check it out! Let's keep this one alive!

Food was great! Atmosphere was nice. I'll definitely be back next time I'm in Kona town!

Amazing sushi. The Ahi Sashimi melted in our mouths. All the seafood was super fresh. My youngest is not much of a fan of Seafood had options as well. They prepared "the most amazing filet" she has ever had. My wife, older daughter and I got the Kenichi Roll, Ranbow Roll and the California rolls. All were amazingly good. Service was great. Worth the trip if you are in Kona.

Ok, I really love the happy hour scene in the bar from 4:30-6 pm. Half price sushi and appetizers ! So delicious! The staff are great, very attentive. My husband and I always come here a couple of times when visiting our home in Kona. The quality of sushi is amazing. Come here! You will not regret it!!!!
Thinking about Kenichi, now, I want some sushi!!!!

This is one of our most favorite restaurants on the Big island. Last week we had incredible, over the top fresh catch with 3 amazing sauces. Every bite was heaven. The presentation looked award winning. The atmosphere is romantic. And the staff are so warm, making it a personal experience. Kenichi the owner had been here to greet us throughout the years. We highly recommend a meal and dessert here. It's located in the Keauhou Center with a regal theater a stones throw away.
Sandra and John

I could eat here everyday and it would never get old great menu great sushi and amazing drinks ..I promise you will not be dissatisfied here ever

We stopped in here because it was just up the hill from where we were staying and were pleasantly surprised by how good our meal was. I didn't expect it to be so good mostly because of the strip mall location. We preferred it to Sansei, which is another one of our favorites. I think in the future we will just come here instead of driving all the way to Sansei. I ordered the calamari for my son who is a bit picky and he ate the whole thing! The waiter told me that they hand cut the strips of squid, bread, and fry them. Nothing from the freezer! The sushi was really fresh and the rice was cooked & prepared perfectly, which in my opinion makes *the* difference. We went here a total of three times during our stay and ordered nigiri, rolls, drinks, entrees, and dessert and everything was good. To me the consistency was what brought it to a five star.

Friendly and fast and the best sushi I have ever had.

All 4 of us had a wonderful dinner here. The sushi & fresh seafood were very good. The service was good too

Nice place, good food. We went for the happy hour (4:30-6pm) and the choice was good enough so we didn't get to the dinner menu (although it looked very good too). Everything we had was delicious, I loved the Kenichi special roll. They have fine cocktails too and the 5th star goes especially to the service - it was the best service we've had on the island! Thank you, Marissa! ;))

Sushi was delicious. Quiet on weekday evening. Delicious cocktails.

Friendly service. Amazing uni and grilled miso cod. Happy hour a real deal. Kid friendly as well.

Good selection of sake and delicious sushi.

Super tasty! The lamb was amazing and the sushi (with fish caught from local waters!) was prepared fresh right in front of us. Everything hit the spot. Pro tip, they have 50% of sushi happy hour at 4:30-600pm. Review haiku Yummy in my tum My soul couldn't ask for more Sushi is the best

This is one of those restaurants that we keep going back to. Their sushi is delicious, and they have an excellent selection of non-sushi items as well. Their happy hour (4:30 to 6:00 PM) gets you a large selection of half price rolls. The place is quite family friendly also!

Happy hour between 4:30 and 6:00 is the BEST time to go because their sushi and drinks are about half price. You have to try the Dynamite roll, the Rainbow roll, and their Austin roll. If you like soft shell crab, the Spider roll is to die for. Top flight sushi at a great price. $6 to 8$ for 5 large pieces of sushi is a deal and a memory for a long time.

We love this hidden gem. We feel so lucky to have such great quality sushi all around us here in Hawaii, and Kenichi is right at the top. Do yourself a favor and try this place! If you've never tried sushi...Give it a shot! It's pricey, but I promise....You'll love it. I recommend Ahi tuna.
Oishi kata!
Aloha!

Kenichi Pacific has the best sushi in Kona they offer 50% off 4:30 p.m. till 6:30 p.m. 7 days a week in their Lounge Bar area amazing sushi and amazing desserts as well

Solid sushi, excellent drinks. Went during happy hour, when sushi prices were reasonable; wouldn't do it any other time.

We had a sampling of almost everything on the menu, and it was all Fan-freaking-tactic! The sushi was melt in your mouth, we had crab cakes that were off the hook awesome, tons of crab! The rolls - tender and flavorful. Go, you won't regret an evening with the wonderful staff.

Good quality, moderately to moderate high prices. The decor is dim dark, typical sushi bar night-style, and the limitations of its location in a mall. The happy hour sushi and drink pricing is a good deal. Best to get a table between 6-630 pm. Bar area has obligatory (Western) flat screen TVs, but it's a bar, not a serious sushi place..... At least they're not usually set too loud. Some of the special sushi rolls are creative and very good. Dinner entree offerings are very good to excellent.

Why haven't I gone here sooner? My dad goes here all the time and raves about it. I finally joined him and I must say I'm impressed. The staff is friendly, the ambiance is soothing, and the food is great. You have to try the lettuce wrap! It's enough to share for a light pupu or a filling meal for one. Rochelle, was our bartender and did a great job. We also met the owner Kenichi, who was very pleasant as well. Needless to say I will now be raving about this place and proudly visiting more often. I heard Happy Hour is really great, I'll be sure to check that out soon.

My wife and I ate dinner at this restaurant the other evening. Everything was exceptional. From service to food, it was excellent. Our best meal on the Big Island. My wife ordered Ono Tatiki and Miso soup. I ordered the Pork and Prawns Dim Sum and Firecracker Shrimp. Oh my gosh! Too good! The server was very attentive, but respectful of quiet time. We will return soon. We believe this restaurant is the best of the best in Kona.

Good sushi. Service ok.

We had sushi at the bar and were pleased with the selection and the service. Sushi chefs were talented and friendly. Really nice fresh Kona kampachi and buttery hamachi. Other half had fresh Uni and really liked it as well. Special sashimi with oysters was tasty and good value. Sure it's in a strip mall but nice place with lots of seating and busy bar. Would definitely come back.

Everytime we go to Kona, we have to eat at Kenichi's! I always go for the special-- it's never let me down! I like to go later in the evening after the crowds are gone, and my fiance and I have a romantic dinner with the patio to ourselves, usually!

Great service. Very good happy hour. No complaints

Stumped why this place doesn't get higher accolades. Simply put: some of the best sushi I've ever had.

The only negatives are: shopping center location may not be for everyone and the website is confusing. There are other Kenichi locations and the website makes me feel like it's trying to get me on a plane to Aspen. At no point was I confident that I was looking at the menu for a place in Hawaii.

Loved This Spot! We ate here 2 days in a row. I think we had the firecracker shrimp, I could be wrong about the name. It was on the appetizer menu. They were flash fried shrimp with a Cajun seasoning with spicy aioli, Delish! I had the filet mignon one night which was cooked And tasted perfect. My husband had the ahi and loved it. The next day we came back for more shrimp, fried rice, and a sushi roll...all delicious. Also tried the fried ice cream, yum!! The service both nights were exceptional. I highly recommend it here!

Great food, very nice place Hiro the sushi chef was great we don't eat mayo or mayo based sauces so he made our food special. Which makes Hiro our hero. Will definitely go back.

By far the best restaurant we've found in the Kona area. We started with the New Style Sashimi with the ponzu sauce, which was amazing. Then on to the Avocado Mac Nut Salad which was also scrumptious. Next we were graced with the "world famous" Dynamite Shrimp and the Kenichi Special Role. Even though normally I don't go for cod, the Miso Black Cod melted in my mouth. Truly, this was a culinary extravaganza.

We ate here twice during our vacation and thoroughly enjoyed the food. The avocado and mac salad and dynamite shrimp were worth repeating. Service is a little slow and inattentive.

Best food and service in town.

Brittany was amazing, great service, awesome food with the atmosphere for any party large or small.

We had an amazing dinner last night. We almost missed it because I considered coming only for the happy hour, but I really like nigiri sushi, not just rolls. The sushi chef, Hiro-San, took wonderful care with each dish and did a beautiful job cutting each piece. The fish was incredibly fresh. The sashimi combo and sushi combo were presented elegantly. I loved the fresh wasabi (more vegetal and fresh flavors). Finally, the molten chocolate cake was very nice with the perfect amount or sweetness and perfect texture. We order these things all the time since my husband is a chocolate addict, but this one stood out.

Good happy hour specials.

Would love to come back if i ever visit this paradise island again.

Aloha Mahalo

My wife and I have come to Hawaii annually for 20 years but had not eaten at the Kenichi Pacific restaurant until tonight (2/18/16) Although I am not a sushi fan, we sat near the sushi bar where sushi were made as ordered by three cooks. They were continually busy indicating many of the patrons thought highly of their sushi. I had Tempura vegetables and shrimp with rice and Saki. My meal was outstanding and as good as any I have had in Japan. My wife had lamb chops and said her meal also was excellent. The ambiance was outstanding and better than some of the other highly rated restaurants we have eaten at on the Big Island. We intend to make this an annual eating place on our visits to the Big Island.

It was my kid's 17th birthday and the only thing she had been bugging us about while in Hawaii- sushi. So...what the birthday girl wants, the birthday girls gets (within reason).

Noticed this place the first night in Kona and saw their daily Happy Hour sign. I'm always down for some discounted food and drinks. ALWAYS.

First up: miso soup. OMG, it's good. Rare to the day do I rave about miso soup cause it's usually watery, flavorless, and not memorable...but Kenichi's is so damn good- so flavorful and not too salty. Our kids ordered two each. It was that good.

For starters, we got the Tenderloin Carpaccio and the Firecracker Shrimp. YUM!

Then came the rolls- we ordered like 6 or so. Our favorite was the Kenichi Special-snow crab, tuna, cucumber, avocado, and smelt eggs on top. Second fave...the Rainbow Roll. The Tempura Shrimp is always a family fave of ours because everyone in the family will eat it: it's like little kid approved.

We also tried the Hawaiian Roll-Yellowtail, Serrano Chili, and Pineapple...not gonna lie, not a fan of mixing pineapple with meals but the b-day girl was feeling adventurous.

They also have a pretty good chocolate lava cake...that is, if you have enough room in your belly.

Sushi was excellent, especially the rainbow roll. Dynamite shrimp was excellent as well. Taste and presentation do not fit description on menu. Crab cakes in bird nest phyllo dough wonderful. Amber our server was pleasant, personable and very charming. We went for the happy hour, sauvignon blanc wine, crisp, cold and perfect. We dined outside, quiet, comfortable and pleasant. Highly recommend Kenichi for Sushi and fine Asian dining lovers.

This is the place to go for sushi when on the Big Island. If this place wasn't here, I would have moved back to California. Great food and awesome service.

Food is excellent. Service is excellent. We had seared ahi tuna with yummy spinach and mushrooms all over mashed potatoes. We also had the avacodo salad. The avacodo was creamy and delicious. The sushi roles were ok. Service is excellent.

Surprisingly good....
After many disappointments elsewhere, we were pleasantly surprised by this restaurant and its Japanese cuisine. The seafood and sushi were fresh and delicious, and the prices were much less than other high-end restaurants....probably due somewhat to its location -- a casual setting in the middle of a stripmall. But don't let that stop you....it's worth a visit.

The best the town has to offer.
I have dined at Kenichi's multiple times and I couldn't disagree with the review below more. (And I am confused as to how his Spider Roll was a California roll.) The sushi is outstanding. The daily specials are nothing short of works of art. They are presented beautifully and taste even better. The waitstaff is friendly and helpful (and hot!) My favorite dishes are the Saikyo black cod, carpaccio, lamb (this is DIVINE. You must have this if you are a fan of lamb.) and molten cake from the kitchen. From the sushi bar, the Salmon/Avo sashimi with sweet miso sauce is to die for. The Kenichi Roll and Hawaiian Roll are both perfection, especially when used with the fresh grated wasabi they have. (It is much better than regular wasabi.) I would definitely recommend reservations. They tend to be really busy at night. Pros: Amazing food, Excellent service, Easy to park Cons: In a strip-mall

Jamila was awesome,thanks for making our new years dinner awesome,,,,,,we will be back

We had the dynamite shrimp appetizer a salad and the cod which were excellent. As a main course we choose the lamb, it was the best lamb we ever had. We decided on the chocolate souffl for desert and it was amazing. The service was awesome. This is one of my favorite restaurants on the island.

Love this place! Happy hour is the way to go! Fresh fish, comfortable seats and inspired rolls. Much better than some of the places that have higher stars on this app. Will be back!

Absolutely delicious! Our waitress Jamila was great. She was so friendly and helpful with suggestions. The food was amazing. Everything was prepared and presented beautifully. Best sushi I've had on Big Island. This is our second time here and we'll definitely be back.

Best Happy Hour on the island! Good fresh sushi, 50% rolls, $3.50 beers, and beautiful presentation!
The ambiance is casual but nice. Great to go on a date or bring the whole family.
I highly recommend this spot! Aloha :)

This place was really good. We had the steak carpaccio, pork belly apetizer, duck confit and 2 sushi rolls. We went later so it wasn't that busy

This is really two restaurants, so you have to take that in to account when you read these reviews. I wasn't there for happy hour; I went to the regular restaurant, and I didn't have any sushi. For starters, I had an amazing avocado and macadamia nut salad. Delicious. For the main course, duck -- get it! You won't regret it. Dessert -- tempura fried ice cream. Get it!! -- you might regret it from a calorie perspective, but it was delicious. I was extremely hungry after a full day of hiking, and I really appreciated how quickly the food came out, but still made to perfection. Plus, I had forgotten my wallet, and the restaurant was totally cool about it. Went back to my hotel to get the wallet, and they were very gracious when I returned. I think this place is really underrated by other reviewers. I thought it was amazing.

My favorite martinis and half off sushi rolls during happy hour. Perfect service and great food.

Very good, and very fast. Only a modest selection of rolls, but a huge selection of sushi. Nice wine list, too
I saw several people around get tempura, too, and they said it was good also.
40% off sushi 'happy hour' in the bar and outside from 5 to 6:30 everyday, too. Packs the people in.

Good service, great ambiance and awesome sushi. Will definitely visit this place again.

Great meal here and phenomenal service!! Sushi was very fresh, the food tasted great. It's not in the touristy area. Go eat with the locals. It's worth it!!!

We love Kenichi Pacific! We go to this restaurant a couple of times every time we visit Kona. The service is excellent and the wine list offers choices appropriate to whatever you choose for dinner. We tend to order several of the appetizers because they are so creative and amazingly tasty. We particularly love the "birds nest" crab cakes, macadamia nut lamb and firecracker shrimp. I am also partial to the molten lava cake for dessert. On our most recent visit we tried some of the sushi rolls and they proved as delicious and original as the rest of the menu. You really can't go wrong at this restaurant!

If you're in mood for sushi, they have one of the best selections on the island. Don't miss the happy hour where most rolls are 50%. The service could be a little faster, but everything happens on "island time".

Expensive but excellent! From his new style sashimi to simple Hamachi sushi.. delicious!.

I came during happy hour which was from 5 to 6:30. Lots of the rolls are 50% off and very good. I got the rainbow and Hawaiian. I tried some of the shrimp appetizers and they were all very good

This is a restaurant in the shopping plaza near the Sheraton. We wanted sushi, or anything, that is away from the hotel. This place was great. Service was good and the rolls were very tasty. Finally, the mai-tai drinks we had were nice and strong. Definitely a good stop for a casual meal!

During my last stay in Kona I ate here a few times because I loved their happy hour so much. I loved all the pupus (especially the calamari), sushi and signature drinks. Can't wait to come back. :)

Frist time here I don't eat sushi nut omg it was the best I ever had me and my wife thank you chef loa'a great food we be back Charlie the runningchef Bbq

Great service at happy hour and sushi was good. The Austin roll was fabulous. My friends love the lillikois martinis and the prices were great at happy hour. Will definitely go back and try more of the sushi.

Great food, fast service, only slightly more expensive than in New York.

We have been coming to Kenichi's for years, and our most recent visit confirms that the food is as wonderful and creative as it's ever been. The menu is so diverse, and the food so uniformly excellent, that we were able to dine here on three separate nights on our recent trip and each time get outstanding meals without ever repeating. The miso black cod and ono tataki are classics, and the opah special warrants a place on the regular menu. The filet is perfect, as are the sushi rolls, and the wine and sake selections are well-chosen and ideally matched with the cuisine.

We love Kenichi Pacific! We go to this restaurant a couple of times every time we visit Kona. The service is excellent and the wine list offers choices appropriate to whatever you choose for dinner. We tend to order several of the appetizers because they are so creative and amazingly tasty. We particularly love the "birds nest" crab cakes, macadamia nut lamb and firecracker shrimp. I am also partial to the molten lava cake for dessert. On our most recent visit we tried some of the sushi rolls and they proved as delicious and original as the rest of the menu. You really can't go wrong at this restaurant!

We're sushi snobs but this place was decent.  The mac nut salad was too salty,  needed a little sweet maybe? The rolls were good.    

The tempura veggies were good,  the poki was salty again but still good.  Maybe we were just starving.

The gentlemen next to me got the mac nut crusted lamb which looked amazing and he cleaned his plate!

Best Sushi!!!
Kenichi is the best place for sushi!!
The austin roll, the raw salad and the
tempura beets are a must have on your dinner order.

The best the town has to offer.
I have dined at Kenichi's multiple times and I couldn't disagree with the review below more. (And I am confused as to how his Spider Roll was a California roll.) The sushi is outstanding. The daily specials are nothing short of works of art. They are presented beautifully and taste even better. The waitstaff is friendly and helpful (and hot!) My favorite dishes are the Saikyo black cod, carpaccio, lamb (this is DIVINE. You must have this if you are a fan of lamb.) and molten cake from the kitchen. From the sushi bar, the Salmon/Avo sashimi with sweet miso sauce is to die for. The Kenichi Roll and Hawaiian Roll are both perfection, especially when used with the fresh grated wasabi they have. (It is much better than regular wasabi.) I would definitely recommend reservations. They tend to be really busy at night. Pros: Amazing food, Excellent service, Easy to park Cons: In a strip-mall

Tucked away in a quiet shopping center, this restaurant is amazing. Fantastic Japanese food, sushi and cocktails. Try the Miso Black Cod.

This is an excellent place to eat. There is a limited selection of restaurants in Kona and most are overpriced and poor quality. This place is convenient to town and does not disappoint. I had dinner here three times within 10 days. I had the lamb, fresh catch, and steak-- all meals were outstanding. The portion size was generous and appropriate. The flavors are inventive and hip, but not strange. I tried some of the sashimi, it was also excellent. Really on point!  The service was friendly, accommodating, and prompt.

The price point is about $50 per person for a complete meal. We shared appetizers and salads and ordered cocktails. The cocktails were slightly disappointing as they didn't live up to their descriptions on the menu. (Not as fruity and flavorful as I expected, and tending to be weak pours) However, that may be my personal preference. I was completely satisfied with the wine and beer selections the other evenings.

I hope this place continues on as they are, they have a good thing going.

Excellent happy hour but get there early. There was already a line at 445pm. Sushi is great and very reasonable priced.

Wonderful food and great service!  We had the Shrimp risotto, Filet with mashed sweet potatoes, and Tuna Tataki salad.  All delicious and prepared perfectly.

I have dined at Kenichi's multiple times and I couldn't disagree with the review below more. (And I am confused as to how his Spider Roll was a California roll.)\t\n\t\nThe sushi is outstanding. The daily specials are nothing short of works of art. They are presente... read more
I have dined at Kenichi's multiple times and I couldn't disagree with the review below more. (And I am confused as to how his Spider Roll was a California roll.)\t\n\t\nThe sushi is outstanding. The daily specials are nothing short of works of art. They are presente... read more

The sushi is awesome, fresh, and 40-50% cheaper during their daily happy hour.

You really can't beat that -- need I say more?

The best food! Wonderful staff, I have come back to the main land and only wish we had a Kenichi here in San Diego. I have such happy thoughts when I think of my dinner there. And really, the Banana Foster we had, napkin please I am drooling :).

My wife and I decided to give Kenichi's a try when mentioned by a friend. Although tucked back in a mall, we found this restaurant meet our every expectation. It is smartly decorated, impeccably clean, and the wait staff most professional. The food was delectable and excellently presented, Our only regret was that we didn't find it earlier on our...

I'm a sushi rookie. This place is amazing! Had the dynamite shrimp, dim sum, and rainbow roll and all were heavenly good. Awesome service and ambience too. Go!

Great food. Daily Happy Hour/specials.

One of the best restaurants on the Island! Sushi and gourmet dinners, great happy hour, a 10 minute walk from our home. - 1-808-322-6400

My best meal in Hawaii, twice.  I notice the people who criticize this place seem to like dynamite shrimp, enough said! We ate at Marimotos in Waikiki and felt this place was far superior.  We ate there 2 nights back to back. We ate sushi 6 times during our stay in Hawaii.  We are sushi people!  We don't eat fancy rolls or dynamite  we only look for quality fish.  The sushi chef made the sushi the way I like it.  Quality rice seasoned perfectly.  The proportion of fish to rice was perfect.  The staff was attentive and personable and made excellent saki suggestions.  I can't stay enough about this place I wish we had it in Santa Fe.

We have been going to Kenichi's for the past couple of years and have never been disappointed. The food preperation & presentation is outstanding. The wait staff is superior to any we have experienced in Kona. Keep up the good work!!

Superb dishes all around. Dynamite shrimp, crab cakes, rolls and even the fried ice cream. Our server Brittany was a delight.

A must try, add to your to do list...Fresh fish, and a good wine selection.

My favorite restaurant ! Always wonderful. The best hamachi kama ,crab cakes, ono tataki and mac-nut crusted lamb anywhere! Beautiful presentations. Great service and close to home. The best kept secret with us locals is the half-price rolls and drink specials.

Just a perfect dinner!
Our server was excellent and extremely accommodating to our crazy requests! She made amazing recommendations and we had so much food for an amazing  price! Amazing happy hour deals as well!
This is the best place had dinner our entire vacation! If you're staying anywhere near by, definitely have a meal here! Don't miss out!

Great food, service, location. We had the Die Hard roll. A new menu item and it was amazing. We also had the Scallop Curry... wow. My wife had some lilikoi flavored drink that was also good. i don't know the name. Our friend had the duck which was also good. The happy hour was really cheap. i think they have a local kama'aina night too. i think it's wednesday.

Went on Christmas Day- Excellent service and great food. From the miso soup to the special roll everything was super yum. Friendly wait staff and classy interior design. Good place to enjoy sushi on the Kona side.

Kenichi lived up to its billing.
The service was excellent and gracious even when our party was a little ambiguous over whether to sit inside or outside. The server handled the move cheerfully with aplomb.
We had a special roll and the crab cakes for appetizers. Both were excellent. Moving on to a bento combination dinner all was very tasty.
Teriyaki salmon cooked perfectly and very good. The portions are adequate but not large. We will definitely swing through each time we are in Kona.

Staying power! What else can you say for restaurant that's been around for 10 yrs?  It's all about the fresh, fresh sushi that melts in your mouth plus the lobster risotto is a must! For dessert, the molten cake was to die for.

Service was wonderful and I can't say enough about our server Mikala, she was absolutely great from beginning to end.

This is by far the best Japanese restaurant in Kona. Is it expensive? A bit. Is it worth it? No question. We usually go for the sushi and small dishes in the bar. We have never had anything less than very good, and a few things that made us want to stand up and cheer.

Probably the best sushi we've ever had. Tuna sashimi salad was excellent.

The fiancé and I came here on our first night in Kona. We were looking for something other than the typical burger/sandwich/boring food place.

It's kind of tucked away in a strip mall, so we were a bit leery at first. Also, we went on a Sunday evening and the place was almost empty. We were hoping the food would be good and boy, were we surprised! Once we tasted the food we knew the place was legit! The Ali'i cocktail was refreshing. We wanted to try a little bit of everything, so we ended up getting sushi to start off with, a duck entrée and pork bao.

The duck entrée was extremely flavorful and beautifully plated. The sauce was rich and complemented the duck wonderfully. The menu kind of had a bit of everything and we didn't realize that they had pork bao until after we ate our entrée, so we ended up getting it as our "dessert." They were phenomenal and the perfect end to our meal.  

Don't let the location of this place fool you, it's definitely worth the visit!

Very cool restaurant, great waitress. I tried sea urchin for the first time and instantly hated it, which is just a matter of personal taste. Besides that, I really liked the Sushi and considered the avocado salad to be the best I ever had. The place is a little bit pricy though.

We enjoyed the food here - especially the miso cod, the sushi, etc.  Even though it was in a strip mall, had a great ambiance. Nice waitress too.

AMAZING!!!  Truly the best meal we had on the island. We asked the bartender at Rays on the Bay where we could get some sushi. Her recommendation was perfect. Every dish was fresh and flavorful. Discovered a new favorite wine and the lava cake was a perfect ending. Service was excellent. We well definitely come back on our next vacation. Thank you for a incredible evening!!!

I've been here 3 times in the last 5 years.  Never disappoints.

Fresh fish...in Hawaii...in a Japanese sushi resto.  Nuffin more ono.

Mahalo.

We decided to have dinner at Kenichi Pacific because after a  year of living in Kona we always wondered about the food here since it was in Keahou shopping center. We ventured down to Keahou where there is ample parking and had a 7PM dinner reservation.

We started with the beef carpaccio which was quite good, well seasoned and marinated, and also the Spider roll, which was freshly made.

My partner had the five spice duck confit and I had the macadamia nut crusted lamb chops. both dishes were extremely well prepared and the lamb was a perfect medium rare as requested. The au jus provided the perfect  balance of savory to lamb and the potatoes cooked perfectly as we're the Chinese long beans! The duck confit was awesome with Chinese five spice, not overpowering the duck but providing a great balance of flavor. Service was a little weeded at one point as many tables were seated at 7 but our server who also bar tends there was outstanding, and offered more information about the menu and appetizer specials during the week. They also have a kamaina  rate (I shouldn't tell people this) as it will probably start to get crowded on Saturday nights....but if you are local and can prove it....25% off the entire meal.

We most definitely will return as the food was outstanding and we have found a great new restaurant to enjoy right here at home....Mahalo Lui noa Kenichi!!

Tried Kenichi for dinner one night and it was pretty good.  I really didn't eat the sushi, the only one I ate was the tsubugai which I always like.  Most of what we had were appetizers.  Tried the tenderloin carpaccio, avacado mac nut salad, dynamite shrimp and firecracker shrimp.  Of these I would definitely recommend the tenderloin carpaccio, its sliced super thin and sitting in a truffle ponzu, it melts in your mouth and taste wonderful with the truffle ponzu!  The other one that stood out was the firecracker shrimp, its crispy and nice and spicy.  Next time in Kona, I'd go there just for the carpaccio.

A friend of ours recommended Kenichi Pacific to us in 2011.  We loved it so much, we dine here every time we're in Kona.  The Sashimi is fresh, Lobster Risotto is amazing, cocktails are perfect, desserts are delicious and the service is fantastic.

Our lovely dinner started great with Dynamite Shrimp appetizer.  This was not your typical Dynamite.  My Ono Special with spinach mash potato and shitake was delicious.  Hubby simply had 2 rolls, both of which were very good.  The presentation was nice too.  Our server Whitney was top notch.  This overall was probably our best meal on the island.

This place is a favorite of my wife and I. No, it is not cheap and the portions are relatively small, but everything comes out looking  a work of art and the food is consistently delicious. We will often eat tapas style with several appetisers, sometimes share an entree and/or a sushi roll or two. Our favorites are the black cod, dynamite shrimp, crab cakes, and the raw and local salad and steamed vegetables are also good. We also like the Kenichi special roll, spider roll, and look for hamachi special rolls when they have them.

This is one of my favorite restaurants.  The Sushi is THE BEST in my opinion. I've never really been a fan of Sushi especially considering how expensive it is. This is the only place I would say it's worth the money.  Its is SUPER expensive, so I may just have to hit up the half price sushi roll happy hour some evening. I will say that the lobster risotto was cooked perfectly, but lacked seasoning, wouldn't pay full price for that again.  Could get just as yummy and entree somewhere else probably and pay less, but the Sushi here is my favorite anywhere.  Desert looked better than it tasted, not bad, but not as amazing as it appeared.  All in all..This place makes me actually love sushi!  I LOVE the rainbow roll!  Dynamite shrimp is AWESOME! Miso soup is yummy and the tempura calamari is the BEST ANYWHERE! Not chewy at all...as seems to be my usual complaint with squid, melts in your mouth instead. Cocktails are FABULOUS! Saki is great! Service is usually excellent .  They do sometimes seem a little under staffed, but are always friendly and polite.  Expect a wait though (at your table). If you're in a rush to eat, this is not the place to go.
OH and unlike a lot of places in the area..VERY CLEAN!! Very nice ambiance.

When we first walked in, on the way to our table all of the servers greeted us and made us feel welcome. The room was lit calm and made me feel like I was at my grandmothers house on Christmas night. Though the music seemed different, it was very poppy and upbeat making the exact mood confusing. I ordered edamame and a chicken teriyaki combination dinner. My mother and my great grandmother both ordered the salmon teriyaki combination dinner. They came with miso soup which tasted very warm and nice. The edamame was okay, still better than the frozen. The fresh wasabi was very well paired with the chicken teriyaki. The teriyaki sauce was delicious. The  salmon was cooked well and was very delicate. All of the items in the combination seemed well thought out. Overall If I was in the mood for some good teriyaki chicken and a nice inviting place I would come again.

What a find !!
Awesome Food & Drinks. The staff were Awesome and very attentive. We were in town for 7 days and we ate there for 4 evenings.
Happy Hour is Great 40 to 50 percent off all Rolls. Yummy !!
The Ahi pepper steak was the Bomb !!  :).
It's a must eat place for Sushi and Asian Fusion. :).  
Thank you to the Owner and Staff.

I absolutely love this place, I will be returning to Kona this year and you bet this is the sushi restaurant that I will be hitting up:) love the carpaccio dish and the rolls are always fresh and tasty!!! A bit pricy but well worth the money...

My favorite sushi on the island, hands down.  I could have sworn I posted a review of this place a while ago, but apparently not, so I shall try and make up for that now..........

Kenichi's has been around a few years now, and my wife and I have been going here for some time, especially since they discount Saturdays for kama'aina (local residents).  And as noted, it is not inexpensive, so we appreciate the discount.  You can also go during happy hour and get half off  on sushi (check with the restaurant to see what their current offers are before you go as this may change without notice).

First tip, it is best to make a reservation.  It may or may not be busy;  usually it is packed on a weekend.  Also we like to dine in the outdoor section.  It is much quieter and the water feature in the shopping mall center is a peaceful background.    It can get rather loud inside when the place is packed so we gravitate towards always making a reservation for outside, and are glad that we did.

Second tip, if Michael is working, ask for him.  I will say that all the wait staff we've dealt with have been knowledgable about the menu, friendly, and provided good service.  However Michael is over the top, and an interesting person to talk with as well.  Over the years we've grown to consider him a friend, so I suppose I'm biased.  

If you enjoy watching experts at work then you should ask to dine inside at the sushi bar so you can watch these professionals at work.  Since I do most of the cooking in our home I avoid watching, as it only reminds me of my limitations.  We prefer to sit outside as close to the waterfall as possible.  

And if you are not a sushi fan there are lots of other delicious options.  Lately my wife and I will typically share a salad, an entree, and a couple of pieces of sushi.  They have a couple exotic sushi that are delicious and so beautiful that you hesitate to actually eat them.  Food as art!  Last visit we tried the duck as our entree.  Not a large entree, but oh so good..... and that with a salad and some sushi was just right.  Next time we're trying the mac nut lamb as I've heard it is delicious.

Favorite sushi?  For us it would be the Super Kakiage, followed by Die Hard.  

If you live here or visit regularly then I would suggest joining the Kenichi Club.  They'll send you a credit card sized i.d., and you will get discounts for things like birthdays.  Our bill for two last weekend was $63 thanks to the $20 discount we got with our Club membership....... this was one of our alcohol free visits.  They have an extensive bar, and I see people go in and dine in the bar area as they have happy hour discounts there.  Also note the discounts on the display board before you enter.  Drinks are reasonably priced and they have a large sake selection if you want to go for the whole experience.

We've taken our grandson (10 y/o) and he's been very happy with teri chicken and rice....  and I regularly see families here.  They have a couple of items just for kids;  if you google kenichi pacific menu you should end up on their site.

So it's not oceanfront but you are not coming here for the view.  There is a wide variety of sushi places here in Kona, but this is the one that I find myself returning to again and again.

mahalo!

Great fish!!! Definitely a must do if you are in the mood for sushi. Excellent preparation, service, atmosphere (bar, sushi bar, formal indoor, formal outdoor). The only thing missing is a sunset lanai overlooking the ocean.

Very good food with wide menu of choices. Sushi was very fresh and pieces were of good size. Sake was priced on the higher side and could stand a few more options. Two types of wasabi are offered but they charge $3 for fresh Japanese wasabi. This was nothing special as it was not creamy and light in texture like premium wasabi. Service was good and I would recommend.

Kona is lacking in really good restaurants and this is a rare find. Excellent service and tasty food despite the strange location.

One of my favorites! Always great food whether steaks or sushi. Kenichi Special roll is great, crab cakes, hamachi Kama  and the lamb is the best on the island!

My wife and I have eaten at Kenichi Pacific, Kona several times.  We have never been disappointed.   Service (Mike) is very professional and attentive.  Food is always well prepared and flavorable.  Very clean and attractive setting.  One of the top restaurants in Kona.  Can't wait to return! Kona Tom

Came to try it out after a movie. It was happy hour and we got some great rolls for a great price! The fish was fresh and the pork belly manapua was delicious. We also really liked the super kakiage roll. We will be back!!!

Had a wonderful dinner here. Fantastic! Die Hard Roll was delicious. Fried ice cream was amazing. The service was excellent. This place is a secret gem of a restaurant. And I will be back.

This is one of my favorite restaurants in Kona. The staff is very friendly and professional. The ambiance and decor are very nice, high end but still comfortable and relaxed. The food is excellent. The sushi, the appetizers, and the main courses offer a large variety to create a great meal. My favorite, lobster risotto

A wonderful, relaxing atmosphere and pace. It made excellent food even better.

If you want a delicious night out, you should be sure to include Kenichi Pacific in your plans. We LOVE coming here. The food is absolutely delicious and the staff are warm and attentive. We particularly love the half price sushi during happy hour, so make it a point to get there before 6:30 and you can really have a feast for half the cost. You definitely won't be disappointed when you eat at Kenichi.

It took a little while for the service to get going, but once it did, everything went great. The Dynamite Shrimp are a must try. The teriyaki chicken dinner is worth every penny and the presentation is outstanding. At last, teriyaki chicken I can eat with chopsticks! Get some cold, unfiltered sake to go with if. Skip beachside Kona. Try this instead.

Always love the experience of eating at Kenishi's... especially the "Happy Hour" in the bar... wonderful sushi's and comfortable ambiance... Also exellent service and manager is very accomodating....

Kenichi's is our favorite restaurant in Kona. Located in the Keauhou Shopping Center, on a Friday night you can sit outside and watch the Hula dancers while enjoying wonderful drinks, sushi, pupus, delicious fresh fish offerings, yummy duck and crab cakes and more we've yet to try! Great service, consistently great food and really nice folks there behind the sushi bar creating fabulous eats! Price wise: reasonable to rich depending on how much you want to indulge. • • • Kenichi's is our favorite restaurant in Kona. Located in the Keauhou Shopping Center, on a Friday night you can sit outside and watch the Hula dancers while enjoying wonderful drinks, sushi, pupus, delicious fresh fish offerings, yummy duck and crab cakes and more we've yet to try! Great service, consistently great food and really nice folks there behind the sushi bar creating fabulous eats! Price wise: reasonable to rich depending on how much you want to indulge. • • •

We have been coming to Kenichi's for years, and our most recent visit confirms that the food is as wonderful and creative as it's ever been. The menu is so diverse, and the food so uniformly excellent, that we were able to dine here on three separate nights on our recent trip and each time get outstanding meals without ever repeating. The miso black cod and ono tataki are classics, and the opah special warrants a place on the regular menu. The filet is perfect, as are the sushi rolls, and the wine and sake selections are well-chosen and ideally matched with the cuisine. • • • We have been coming to Kenichi's for years, and our most recent visit confirms that the food is as wonderful and creative as it's ever been. The menu is so diverse, and the food so uniformly excellent, that we were able to dine here on three separate nights on our recent trip and each time get outstanding meals without ever repeating. The miso black cod and ono tataki are classics, and the opah special warrants a place on the regular menu. The filet is perfect, as are the sushi rolls, and the wine and sake selections are well-chosen and ideally matched with the cuisine. • • •

We love Kenichi Pacific! We go to this restaurant a couple of times every time we visit Kona. The service is excellent and the wine list offers choices appropriate to whatever you choose for dinner. We tend to order several of the appetizers because they are so creative and amazingly tasty. We particularly love the "birds nest" crab cakes, macadamia nut lamb and firecracker shrimp. I am also partial to the molten lava cake for dessert. On our most recent visit we tried some of the sushi rolls and they proved as delicious and original as the rest of the menu. You really can't go wrong at this restaurant! • • • We love Kenichi Pacific! We go to this restaurant a couple of times every time we visit Kona. The service is excellent and the wine list offers choices appropriate to whatever you choose for dinner. We tend to order several of the appetizers because they are so creative and amazingly tasty. We particularly love the "birds nest" crab cakes, macadamia nut lamb and firecracker shrimp. I am also partial to the molten lava cake for dessert. On our most recent visit we tried some of the sushi rolls and they proved as delicious and original as the rest of the menu. You really can't go wrong at this restaurant! • • •

After many disappointments elsewhere, we were pleasantly surprised by this restaurant and its Japanese cuisine. The seafood and sushi were fresh and delicious, and the prices were much less than other high-end restaurants....probably due somewhat to its location -- a casual setting in the middle of a stripmall. But don't let that stop you....it's worth a visit.
After many disappointments elsewhere, we were pleasantly surprised by this restaurant and its Japanese cuisine. The seafood and sushi were fresh and delicious, and the prices were much less than other high-end restaurants....probably due somewhat to its location -- a casual setting in the middle of a stripmall. But don't let that stop you....it's worth a visit.

I have dined at Kenichi's multiple times and I couldn't disagree with the review below more. (And I am confused as to how his Spider Roll was a California roll.)\t\n\t\nThe sushi is outstanding. The daily specials are nothing short of works of art. They are presented beautifully and taste even better. The waitstaff is friendly and helpful (and hot!) \t\n\t\nMy favorite dishes are the Saikyo black cod, carpaccio, lamb (this is DIVINE. You must have this if you are a fan of lamb.) and molten cake from the kitchen. From the sushi bar, the Salmon/Avo sashimi with sweet miso sauce is to die for. The Kenichi Roll and Hawaiian Roll are both perfection, especially when used with the fresh grated wasabi they have. (It is much better than regular wasabi.)\t\n\t\nI would definitely recommend reservations. They tend to be really busy at night.
I have dined at Kenichi's multiple times and I couldn't disagree with the review below more. (And I am confused as to how his Spider Roll was a California roll.)\t\n\t\nThe sushi is outstanding. The daily specials are nothing short of works of art. They are presented beautifully and taste even better. The waitstaff is friendly and helpful (and hot!) \t\n\t\nMy favorite dishes are the Saikyo black cod, carpaccio, lamb (this is DIVINE. You must have this if you are a fan of lamb.) and molten cake from the kitchen. From the sushi bar, the Salmon/Avo sashimi with sweet miso sauce is to die for. The Kenichi Roll and Hawaiian Roll are both perfection, especially when used with the fresh grated wasabi they have. (It is much better than regular wasabi.)\t\n\t\nI would definitely recommend reservations. They tend to be really busy at night.

Kenichi is the best place for sushi!! The austin roll, the raw salad and the tempura beets are a must have on your dinner order.
Kenichi is the best place for sushi!! The austin roll, the raw salad and the tempura beets are a must have on your dinner order.

Great place in the Kona area
We love this restaurant - have been there several times over the course of several years and it's always terrific. Sushi - both traditional and "modern" is great. This time we were a group of 6 and everyone ordered something different - everything was delicious! Desserts (which we hadn't ordered in the past) were excellent!

Surprisingly good....
After many disappointments elsewhere, we were pleasantly surprised by this restaurant and its Japanese cuisine. The seafood and sushi were fresh and delicious, and the prices were much less than other high-end restaurants....probably due somewhat to its location -- a casual setting in the middle of a stripmall. But don't let that stop you....it's worth a visit.

The best the town has to offer.
I have dined at Kenichi's multiple times and I couldn't disagree with the review below more. (And I am confused as to how his Spider Roll was a California roll.)

The sushi is outstanding. The daily specials are nothing short of works of art. They are presented beautifully and taste even better. The waitstaff is friendly and helpful (and hot!)

My favorite dishes are the Saikyo black cod, carpaccio, lamb (this is DIVINE. You must have this if you are a fan of lamb.) and molten cake from the kitchen. From the sushi bar, the Salmon/Avo sashimi with sweet miso sauce is to die for. The Kenichi Roll and Hawaiian Roll are both perfection, especially when used with the fresh grated wasabi they have. (It is much better than regular wasabi.)

I would definitely recommend reservations. They tend to be really busy at night.

The Best! by Malia K. at InsiderPages
The food at Kenichi is amazing-anything you order is going to please you.My favorite on the menu would be the raw salad, the Austin roll, tempura beets and tempura avocado and don't forget the chocolate molten cake! The service is very prompt whether if your seated at the sushi bar or at a table.Prices are great and you walk away feeling very satisfied.Don't miss out on a great place to dine in Kona!