It's a hand brew/pour over coffee cafe by day, sushi bar by night. But you would never know about the sushi bar unless you follow them on Instagram, know the owner, or frequent the coffee shop, because they do not advertise.
I first learned of 22Kailua on Instagram, right before they fired up the sushi bar. I stopped by one day for a cup of coffee and talked story with the owner, who was very nice and talkative. I noticed there was a sushi bar set up in the back, and inquired on what that was. After he told me that it was for omakase-style dining at night by reservation only, and that he was the former chef/owner of Kohnotori, I quickly invited a couple of my BFFs to dinner and booked our reservation about a month in advance (that's how far in advance we have to book our dinners due to our schedules!).
The sushi bar seats three very comfortably, and it looks like it can fit a maximum of six (call to inquire on how many he can accommodate at once).
It's BYOB with no corkage fee - my friend brought a couple of bottles of sake to share.
It's a one-man show, literally. No hostess, no dishwasher. Chef does it all himself, and he does it well.
Here's what we ate:
Everything was prepared as we were seated, right before our eyes. It was definitely one of the more memorable meals that I've had in recent memory. The sushi of course was the highlight of my meal (I love sushi!), but I also liked the tempura - he made them by batches so that each piece served crispy and hot. What's nice about dining here is that there is only one seating/reservation per night, so we had the Chef all to ourselves. We could make as much noise as we wanted to, and take our time enjoying each bite of our food.
If you want to learn more, just stop by the shop for a cup of pour over coffee and strike up a conversation with the Chef. Since it is a one-man show, you may want to check his Instagram page or DM him to make sure he'll be there before you head down there.
22KAILUA
22 Oneawa Street
Kailua, Hawaii
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