There’s a new gyoza and ramen shop in Honolulu — Tanto Gyoza & Ramen Bar just opened its second location across of Ala Moana Center.
The business’s second location is in the same building as Tonkatsu @ Honolulu. Its original location — which is still open — is in Puck’s Alley.
The Piʻikoi store is currently only open for lunch (11:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m., closed Wednesdays) during the business’s soft opening.
The restaurant is popular for its gyoza, which is freshly handmade every day. The gyoza is Hamamatsu style, filled with vegetables (cabbage, chives, garlic, ginger and pork) and petite in size.
A single serving (recommended for one person) features eight pieces ($8.50). Customers can also opt for orders of 16 ($16.75), 24 ($24.75) and 32 pieces ($32.75), if dining in a larger group.
Salt, chili sauce and sweet ponzu sauce are located at each table, so you can dip the gyoza at your leisure.
You can also choose from fried or grilled gyoza in a variety of flavors. The flavored gyoza include six pieces per order ($8.75).
The garlic lovers’ fried gyoza and the yuzu miso grilled gyoza are both popular options. A lot of garlic is packed into the former, while the latter boasts a nice balance of rich miso and citrusy, refreshing yuzu.
Other unique flavors include grated daikon and ponzu, Mexican cheese and kimchi mayo.
The menu also includes assorted appetizers for sharing. Choose from deep-fried shishito peppers ($7.75), takoyaki ($9.75), crispy karaage ($9.75), shrimp tempura with mentaiko sauce ($9.75) and Tanto salad ($10.75). The latter is especially refreshing and flavorful; it features a variety of veggies, along with almonds, fried onions, cashews and a creamy sesame dressing.
The Tanto shoyu ramen is the eatery’s signature dish. It features an umami pork and chicken broth, and is topped with aged charsiu, ajitama, green onions, grated radish and red onions.
While the broth is flavorful and balanced, there are many options to choose from, including Sapporo miso ramen ($17.75), Tanto tonkotosu black ($18.75), red hot chili ramen ($16.75) and Tanto creamy goma ($17.75), to name a few.
You can take your ramen to the next level with additional toppings like corn ($2), char siu ($3.50), bamboo shoots ($1.50) and ajitama ($2).
If you’re not in the mood for ramen, the eatery also features a selection of rice bowls. The original Tanto bowl ($17.75) is a customer favorite. It includes pork belly and sweet onions in a rich soy-garlic glaze, served over a bed of rice with a soft-boiled onsen egg, green onions, fried onions and pickled red ginger. While the tender pork is the highlight of the dish, we enjoyed the variety of textures.
The eatery is BYOB for now while it waits to get its liquor license. But, customers can already get a sneak peek of specials via a flyer on the wall — $3 sake and $3 Sapporo draft beers will be coming soon.
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CONTACT
Tanto Gyoza & Ramen Bar – Piʻikoi location
1232 Waimanu St. Ste. 105, Honolulu
Instagram: @tanto_at_piikoi_ala_moana
Currently open lunch only, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. (closed Wednesdays)
Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
