We’ve never been to Waikiki Beach Marriot Hotel and we were blown away at how beautiful the lobby was. We can’t wait to stay there one day. Aside from the hotel, we came here to have a family dinner. Just a few levels up in the hotel, on the 3rd floor, lies Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar.
Sansei Restaurant & Sushi Bar: A critically acclaimed sushi bar with a modern vibe and listed as one of America’s best sushi bars by Bon Appetite. If you are a sushi lover, Sansei is the place to go! It has many assortments of sushi rolls and freshly cut/cooked seafood just the way you want it. It has a very laid back, casual setting yet, transferred us to a seafood-world with our senses immediately getting bombarded by freshly cut fish!
Setting
Like many popular sushi spots, the main bar had an open framework where you can see the chefs prepare meals. It smelt like a fish market..and that’s a compliment because that only means they were serving the freshest of fish! We aren’t too much of fresh fish lovers but Sansei really caters to those unsure of their ‘fishy’ taste! Fish/Seafood of all shapes, sizes, and flavors are served here. However, if you aren’t into fish and you’re there just to be with a party, don’t fret, they have a large menu of other dishes such as steak, lobster, shrimp, chicken, and many more.
Starters & Appetizers
Sansei’s Shrimp Dynamite – Crispy tempura shrimp tossed with a garlic masago aioli & unagi glaze drizzle. (*Award Winner Dish). Reid’s choice of appetizer and I’m so glad he went with this dish! The sauce all over the shrimp was so yummy. The flavor is a bit rich for one person so definitely share it! HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS DISH; you will NOT regret this one!
Crispy Fried Calamari – served with a spicy Japanese cocktail sauce. I was definitely craving calamaris! The saltiness was perfect along with a zest of lemon! It was Landon’s first time tasting calamaris and he devoured it. His favorite part were the tentacles, surprisingly enough because he really eats anything unfamiliar to him!
Maui Style Teriyaki Beef – Marinated & grilled in mildly spicy kal-bi. Another appetizer for us. The flavor of this kal-bi: oh my goodness! It was so tender and easy to chew – almost melting in your mouth. Every bite was divine!
Salmon Dynamite – 4 pieces of California Roll, salmon, Maui onions, baked with masago aioli, bubu arare, unagi glaze. (*Sushi Chef’s Special). Reid’s choice of his second appetizer, it was his first time tasting fresh salmon and let’s just say he still is not a fan of freshly cut. On the other hand, I thought it was a nice, light dish, and the spice was perfect on this salmon. If you’re a fresh cooked fish lover this is possibly the best dish to try!
Matsuhisa Style Miso Butterfish – a Japanese specialty! Tender butterfish marinated and roasted in sake & sweet miso. My second choice of appetizer. I’m so glad I went with our servers recommendation with this dish. I love butterfish and this is probably the best I have ever tasted, no joke or exaggeration. I even saved some to take home just so I can have it for leftovers, it was that great!
Dessert
Tempura Fried Macadamia Nut Ice Cream – vanilla ice cream, buttery pound cake, roasted macadamia nuts, chocolate-caramel sauce. Our dessert, I can’t say much about this…the picture speaks for itself. Oh so delicious!
For only ordering appetizers, we we’re all so full! We can’t wait to come back and try other dishes. If you’re around Waikiki, definitely check out Sansei Restaurant for a dish or two. The service was great (quite possibly the best service we had at any restaurant thus far!) and we appreciated that our server filled out water at all times (Thanks, Dave!). For parking, it’s $12 valet parking with a validation or self parking was about $5 for 3 hours.
Hours of Operation:
Dinner nightly 5:30 P.M. to 10:00 P.M
Late Night Dining Friday and Saturday 10:00 PM to 1:00 AM
*Parking Validated Self Parking and Valet Parking, enter via Ohua Street.
For more information on Sansei Restaurant, visit here.
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Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar
2552 Kalakaua Avenue 3rd Floor
Honolulu, HI 96815
Phone: (808) 931-6286
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