Teruya's Andagi (Oahu)

Teruya's Andagi (Honolulu, Oahu) is one of my favorite takeout spots. They've been around since 1987, making local Japanese bentos, hot andagi, and sweet potato mochi.

Head this way for local Japanese bentos!

What Is Teruya's Andagi

We love to eat bentos in Hawaii, and Teruya's Andagi makes some of the best. This is a family-run shop that turns out all kind of local Japanese bentos, side dishes, and deep-fried sweets like andagi and sweet potato mochi.

They're also a great go-to for catering and parties...everyone loves Teruya's.

Where Is Teruya's Andagi

Teruya's is located on Pensacola Street, 15-minutes drive from Waikiki and 5-minutes from Ala Moana Shopping Center.

It's a small takeout shop (though they have a small table against the window and three stools if you must eat there) that's open for breakfast and lunch. 

What Makes Teruya's Andagi Special

Quality, consistency, friendly faces, and good local Japanese food! Really fair prices. What more can you ask for?

What To Get At Teruya's Andagi

Bentos

We call this the "9 square bento." ^_^ You can pick between meat or vegetarian. I like them both, but get the vegetarian one more often (it's super good).

There's always mochi rice in the middle square, and a mini andagi (more on that below) for dessert.

The other seven squares rotate, and you'll find everything from braised kabocha (one of my favorite things to eat), bitter melon and egg, hijiki salad (seaweed salad), nishime (a mixture of simmered vegetables), braised eggplant, tofu patties (local-style tofu patties are really good, we'll do a recipe soon), renkon (lotus root), and kinpira gobo (braised carrots and burdock root).

Sozai / Side Dishes

If there's a certain item you like in the large bento, you can get a side dish of that item for $2. I like their hijiki (seaweed salad mixed with carrots and mushrooms) and often get a side order to accompany my large bento.

Shrimp Tempura Roll

Shrimp Tempura Roll is one of Teruya's most recognizable items. It's a big shrimp tempura, wrapped with rice and nori. It's like shrimp tempura sushi! You can get it by the piece for $2.50 each. They also have garlic chicken rolls and spam rolls (which is similar to spam musubi). Makes a good snack. 

Sukiyaki Donburi

I LOVE the donburi (rice bowls) from Teruya's! These are the only items that are made to order so there's usually a 5-10 minute wait for the food. They have three types of donburi: Sukiyaki, Shrimp Tempura, and Garlic Chicken.

I always get the Sukiyaki one. It's soooo good, with lots of sliced onions cooked soft in sukiyaki sauce (made from shoyu, mirin, sake) with eggs (I like how the whites and yolks are swirled), beef, tofu, and shiitake mushrooms, and that little pinch of green onions and pickled ginger at the end. I love sukiyaki in general and this is a nice way to enjoy simple "sukiyaki on the go."

Andagi

Andagi! These doughnuts come from Okinawa, but we've fully embraced them in Hawaii. Teruya's makes some of the best in town. They're ping pong ball size, with no hole, deep fried. It's more akin to a cake doughnut (instead of a yeast doughnut). The dough is dense, tender, and a touch sweet. I like the craggy crunchy parts that are extra crisp. Here's a whole post devoted to andagi in Hawaii ^_^

Sweet Potato Mochi

You know how we love mochi everything in Hawaii? Meet sweet potato mochi! These are two-bite puffs of sweet potato mochi...deep-fried! They outside is all crispy and golden, inside all soft and chewy. These are amazing straight from the fryer.

If you get them cool or plan to eat them a few hours later, heat the mochi in the toaster oven for a few minutes so they can crisp up.

When To Go

Teruya's is only open during the day, so it's primarily a breakfast and lunch spot. Go early in the mornings to get hot-from-the-fryer andagi and sweet potato mochi.

There's usually a daily lunch rush from office workers nearby, so I try to go before 11am. Late afternoons are quieter but they can sell out of items by then. 

Teruya's Andagi: Insider Tips

• Parking: you can usually find metered street parking right in front of the store. It's also temping to park in the big Petco and First Hawaii Bank lot across the street, but try not to do that (they're pretty strict with tow aways there).
• If getting the andagi and sweet potato mochi is important, go early for a hot batch.
• My go-to order for two people: 1 sukiyaki donburi, 1 vegetarian bento, 2 sozai (which one depends on our mood), 1 shrimp tempura roll, 1 andagi, and 2 sweet potato mochi.

Teruya's Andagi: Info

• Teruya's Andagi | 1104 Pensacola Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 96814 | 808-389-1714 | teruyasandagi.com
• Price: Bentos and donburi (rice bowls) range from $6.95-$7.50
• Hours: Monday-Friday (10am-3pm), Saturday (9:30am-1pm), Sunday (closed)