Kiki Is My Favorite Tempura Shop in Hawai‘i

Local tempura lovers never really recovered after the loss of Tempura Kaneko Hannosuke. The Tokyo-based chain with over 130 years of history closed along with most of the eateries in the former Waikīkī Yokocho during the early pandemic days, never to return. Our dreams of balanced and tasty shrimp tendon bowls were shattered.

Hope was rekindled in February 2021 when a similar eatery popped up in Mitsuwa Marketplace. The tendon sauce and batter at Tenten Japanese Tempura, which later rebranded as Azasu Tempura, were as close as you could get to the style Hannosuke was known for. But the pop-up was gone by the end of that summer. Finally, this year, tempura fans can rejoice again. Kiki Authentic Tempura has opened in Kaneko’s former space in Stix Asia Waikīkī food hall.

SEE ALSO: Stix Asia Food Hall Now Open With 13 Restaurants in Waikīkī

Of the two tempura specialists now in Waikīkī, Kiki is the better one. There are two reasons why: It offers a better dining experience than Tempura Endo down the street, and it’s also a better value. Kiki’s fryer-to-table model maximizes taste and texture by delivering tempura in small batches instead of all at once. That won’t be the case if you’re ordering a tendon (tempura rice bowl), but for any of the teishoku meal sets, it is.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

If you’re still set on a tendon, I must inform you that Kiki’s special sweetened and reduced tendon sauce is on your table among other condiments. The main reason I (or anyone) would order a tendon over a teishoku set is so that each piece of tempura is doused in tendon sauce. Now that you know you have full control over your tendon sauce, go for the teishoku and enjoy each crispy tempura piece as it comes out.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Kiki’s six teishoku sets and four bowls vary in their tempura offerings. The standard Kiki set ($17 at lunch, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; $25 at dinner) and Kiki tendon ($17 lunch, $22 dinner) are solid and have the most variety. The set includes pork, fish, squid, shrimp and four veggies: kabocha, bell pepper, lotus root and eggplant. The tendon has pork, fish, squid, egg and three veggies: kabocha, bell pepper and lotus root. With any order, you can upgrade to a larger serving of rice for no extra charge.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Other bowls and sets include anago eel, a mix of pork and chicken, shrimp or just veggies. Tempura a la carte is also an option, and for pieces like the molten yolk tamago ($4), shiitake ($3.20) and scallop ($9), it might be worth it to splurge.

My shrimp tendon ($27) includes four pieces of shrimp, three veggies and an egg. It’s remarkable how similar it is to Hannosuke’s shrimp tendon. The shrimp has a clean flavor and the slightest hint of bite, and the veggies are crisp and fresh. But the egg, which is best mixed into the rice with more tendon sauce, is the best bite of the whole bowl.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

If I were to redo my order, I’d opt for the shrimp set ($27) and add on an egg. That way I could course out my tempura for maximum crispiness while adding tendon sauce to flavor each bite. It’s a best-of-both-worlds scenario. Now for similar sets and bowls at Tempura Endo, you can expect to pay about the same, but Kiki offers a 10% discount for kama‘āina. Tempura Endo also has less variety in its sets and doesn’t have options like pork, squid or eel.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

That’s not to say that everything at Kiki is memorable. I order the tempura sushi roll to share with the table, but to be very frank, it’s not worth busting your gut for and is unexpectedly heavy compared to everything else we try.

Seating is limited in the small eatery, and you might have to queue during peak meal times. If you stick with the tempura, it will be worth the wait.

Open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Waikīkī Shopping Plaza, 2250 Kalākaua Ave, Lower Level, (808) 888-0514, tempurakiki.com, @tempurakikihonolulu