Anybody been to Makino Chaya at Aloha Tower lately?

**Expat Kamaaina** · February 18th, 2010, 06:42 AM

My son told me last month that MC at Aloha Tower is not kinda bad. He said they cut way back on the menu choices, do not have sashimi anymore, and the fish for the nigiri was old and Grade B or C. The snow crab legs were freezer burnt and things like that. Anybody else gone recently that can share their experiences with us?

**mybotoitchy** · February 19th, 2010, 11:18 AM

Went there a couple of times in the last couple of months. I do know that they don't seem to offer hamachi sashimi anymore, but I remember them having ahi sashimi. The crab legs are a hit and miss, as once the leg meat didn't even fill half the shell and another time the meat was big, meaty and filled the whole shell. The sushi seemed pretty good for a buffet. I'm hoping they aren't starting to go downhill, as I plan on going there on the 4th for my b-day.

**Expat Kamaaina** · February 20th, 2010, 06:36 AM

Originally Posted by mybotoitchy

Went there a couple of times in the last couple of months. I do know that they don't seem to offer hamachi sashimi anymore, but I remember them having ahi sashimi. The crab legs are a hit and miss, as once the leg meat didn't even fill half the shell and another time the meat was big, meaty and filled the whole shell. The sushi seemed pretty good for a buffet. I'm hoping they aren't starting to go downhill, as I plan on going there on the 4th for my b-day.

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Thanks for the reply. Let me know when you go again.

**Walkoff Balk** · February 20th, 2010, 02:15 PM

Is there a difference between the one at Aloha Tower and the one at Pearlridge?

**Kalihiboy** · February 20th, 2010, 02:51 PM

I always liked to go there on my birthdays, but last couple times I went they had no sashimi whatsoever, a major reason why I liked to go in the first place. They said they now only have it on certain days, but wouldnt tell me exactly when. So with that being said, I havent gone back!

**Da Rolling Eye** · February 25th, 2010, 06:55 PM

The furthest MC I've been to was the Pearlridge location. So-so. We used to go to the Mililani MC often and saw it go south before our eyes. First they got rid of the menu items like the king crab and lobster. Then they started shorting the sashimi platters and other "pricey" entrees. The dessert bar was reduced to a chocolate fountain with pineapple, bananas and marshmallows. Then they started doing takeout by the pound.

After they closed, a Korean buffet took over and saw them take the same path to oblivion.

Can't really blame them as their busy nights were usually the weekends. Weekdays were slack at meal times, both dinner and lunch.

Town locales don't seem to be encumbered as much with this problem as out here in the boonies, but if they continue to short the customers on quality it'll come back around to bite them on the ass.

My son loves hamachi. If a place like MC stops serving it to cut corners, he stops going there....and he has.

Btw, there used to be a Japanese buffet place over in Restaurant Row. Is it still there? Anyone know?...or has it been closed for the last century and I need to get out more.

**Honoruru** · February 25th, 2010, 07:23 PM

Originally Posted by Da Rolling Eye

Btw, there used to be a Japanese buffet place over in Restaurant Row. Is it still there? Anyone know?...or has it been closed for the last century and I need to get out more.

Are you thinking of Sansei, when they were at Restaurant Row? They used to do a lunch buffet (lots of sushi), all you can eat. I remember going there when I was doing jury duty at the courthouse nearby. They had to feed us (at their expense) when the deliberation went beyond noon, so they ushered all the jury members to Sansei at Restaurant Row. All you can eat! That was the only good thing about jury duty.

**mybotoitchy** · March 5th, 2010, 11:16 PM

So I went to the Aloha Tower location this past Thursday night. Sushi was pretty good. Ahi sashimi was on the buffet, as was hamachi sushi. The lobster was really small, like they were baby lobsters or something. The snow crab legs was pretty good and they were pretty nice size. They did have king crab legs, although you'd think that they were from a miniature king crab. The legs were no longer than a dungeness crab leg and was covered in some kind of cheese or something. The steak that they fry up on the grill was overly seasoned with some kind of new seasoning I guess they are using now, which made it too salty. Scallops were not offered on this night on the grill. Overall, it was OK, meaning i'm in no rush to go back there, but maybe in a couple few months...

**Fritz** · June 25th, 2011, 09:35 AM

I was at Aloha Tower two nights ago and Makino Chaya had vacated their premises as had most every other business formerly at Aloha Tower.

Went to Gordon Biersch and had lobster mac and cheese. Judging from the way I felt the next two days, won't go back to GB. Maybe for a beer and a pupu whilst watching the boats go by. But nothing more.

If Aloha Tower gets much emptier it would be a great homeless camp. Or a prison.