Need to know
Area
Waikiki + Chinatown
Description
The original Maguro Brothers sits in the back of a Chinatown market that’s anything but glamorous — picture other vendors selling chicken feet, seafood, vegetables, etc.. But people come from all over and wait in lines to get their super fresh poke and donburi (sashimi served over rice) bowls. You can also pick up poke by the pound
The owners are 2 Japanese brothers who were once fishmongers in the Tsukiji Market. They handpick fresh seafood about 2 miles away from the Honolulu Fish Auction every morning.
The Chinatown location is open from 9 - 2:30. Then they close up and head over to the Waikiki location to serve dinner. The only other differences are that the Chinatown location serves grilled fish, while the Waikiki one has a couple extra ahi poke options (like honey balsamic-mac nut ahi poke). Both locations are mainly takeout (with just a couple seats at the Chinatown one).
The quality of fish is so good that there’s always a line at both locations.
Covid Specific
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Adjusted hours: Waikiki closes at 8pm right now.
Location #1: Chinatown
Kekaulike Market
1039 Kekaulike St #113
Honolulu, HI 96817
808-259-7100
Hours
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Mon - Sat ▭ 9am - 2:30pm
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Sun ▭ CLOSED
Location #2: Waikiki
Pearl Hotel Waikiki
415 Nāhua Street Pearl
Honolulu, HI 96815
Hours
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Mon - Sat ▭ 5pm - 8pm [Temporary hours]
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Sun ▭ CLOSED
Price
$$
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Grilled items: ~ $11
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Sushi Bowls: ~$10 - $18
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Poke Bowls: ~$7 - $13
Nearby
Chinatown Location
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Skull & Crown Trading Co. — 2 min walk
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Senia — 3 min walk
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The Pig & The Lady — 3 min walk
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Tchin Tchin! Bar — 3 min walk
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Local Joe — 4 min walk (2 min drive)
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Jolene’s Market — 5 min walk
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Bar Leather Apron — 9 min walk (2 min drive)
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Podmore — 10 min walk (2 min drive)
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Liliha Bakery — 2 min drive (12 min walk)
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Tiger Sugar — 10 min walk (4 min drive)
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Kaka’ako Street Art — 5 min drive
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Nico’s Pier 38 — 5 min drive
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Nisshodo Candy Shop — 6 min drive
Waikiki Location
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Kona Coffee Purveyors | b patisserie — 1 min walk
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Marukame Udon — 2 min walk
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The Laylow — 2 min walk
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Maui Brewing — 5 min walk
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The Surfjack — 6 min walk
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Musubi Cafe IYASUME — 6 min walk
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Waikiki Beach — 7 min walk
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Moana Surfrider — 7 min walk
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‘Alohilani Resort Waikiki — 8 min walk
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Tim Ho Wan — 9 min walk
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Doraku — 10 min walk
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Morimoto Asia — 10 min walk
Melt in your mouth poke and donburi. Chinatown location for lunch, Waikiki for dinner — both are no frills. Incredible quality, hand selected at the fish market daily.
Maguro Brothers
POKE + DONBURI
Good to know
PHOTOS
AMENITIES + PERKS
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Chinatown has 3 tables inside the market (but they fill up fast). Waikiki is takeout only.
TRY THE...
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Chu-Toro (Fatty Tuna) Donburi (with & Ikura)
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King Salmon Donburi
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Grilled Hamachi Kama (Yellowtail Fish Collar) [Grilled dishes only at Chinatown location. FYI comes with collar bone.]
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Maguro Donburi
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Spicy Mayo Ahi Poke Bowl
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Chirashi Donburi
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Add uni to any dish
TIPS + TRICKS
Both locations
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They also serve large sashimi and poke platters.
Chinatown
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Expect a line. By noon, you’ll probably have a 45+ min wait.
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There are only 3 tables inside. Most people take it to go.
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It’s inside the Kekaulike Market, towards the center in the back.
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The grilled fish is served over regular rice, but you can ask for sushi rice if you’d prefer it.
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Parking is tough in Chinatown. Street parking is mostly metered and not always easy to find a spot. If you can’t find street parking, there’s a municipal garage between N Hotel Street and N King Street. It’s actually connected to the marketplace where Maguro Brothers is located. Taking an Uber or Lyft is probably the easiest.
Waikiki
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No seating. All takeout. If you walk across the street to the International Marketplace, there’s lots of free seating throughout the open air shopping center.
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Lines will start forming even before they open at 5pm. If you get there by 4:45pm, you’ll be good. Otherwise, expect long lines.
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They technically open at 5pm, but that’s when the staff shows up and starts setting up. Expect to wait a little while they get ramped up.
DID YOU KNOW?
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When locals refer to Maguro Brothers, they’re usually talking about the original location in Chinatown.
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The owners are brothers Junichiro and Ryojiro (Jun and Ryo) Tsuchiya. Both worked in the famous Tsukiji Fish Market in Japan, choosing seafood for the family restaurant. They came to Hawaii to help their father run Sakura Restaurant at the Olomana Golf Course. They decided to open a small fish market to sell directly to their customers.
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They opened their Chinatown location in 2014 and followed with their Waikiki location in 2016.
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They visit the Honolulu Fish Auction every morning to handpick their selections.
Last Updated 11 / 22 / 21
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