AGU, a ramen bistro

I didn’t come to Hawaii to eat ramen. I came to get away from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, and just kick it for a few weeks over the holidays. I have family in Hilo on the Big Island, but this time I opted to spend some time in Honolulu first. I was there just long enough to get sick of all the locomoco, burgers, and sub-par gourmet cuisine. I needed a ramen fix.

AGU came recommended by a trustworthy source, and it completely lived up to the expectations. The kotteri tonkotsu is very reminiscent of a Kumamoto-style bowl, with garlic oil and garlic chips battling the fatty soup for flavor. The egg was great, the chashu great, and the noodles were practically perfect.

Many people are put off by all the fat in a bowl like this. Look at the photo above. If it looks bad to you, you won’t like it. But if you are accustomed to this sort of seabura rich soup, you’ll be right at home. They have a lighter jidori ramen made with local chickens that is, I’m assuming, lacking all the fatty bits.

The menu is vast, and most of the diners were pigging out on ramen, rice, stewed pork, fried chicken, and gyoza. I have no idea how they do it. A bowl and a beer for me was just the right amount of food.

Official Site Here.

925 Isenberg St., Honolulu, HI 96826
Nearest station: Take the Narita Express to Narita Airport, then fly six hours

Open 11:00-24:00

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AGU in Honolulu, Hawaii

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Lucky Belly in Honolulu, Hawaii

Narumi Ippudo at the Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum

里山の麺処と和布あそびあら木 (Araki in Kagoshima, Prefecture)