Mensho Kapolei, Hawaii - Tokyo’s Ramen Pioneer Lands in the Islands

Mensho Finally Makes Landfall in Kapolei, Hawaii

Mensho has been steadily working its way across the mainland U.S. for years — San Francisco, Oakland, Arizona, Houston, Utah. Mensho has now officially made it to Hawaii, with its first island location open in Kapolei.

I’m a genuine fan of this group; their Tokyo branches each carve out their own identity rather than repeating the same bowl across locations, and it’s exciting to see that same spirit of evolution show up this far from home.

The Signature, With Truffle

First up: the Signature ramen, the bowl that’s popular across many of Mensho’s branches outside Japan. This is the style that helped build Mensho’s international reputation — a supremely smooth rich chicken broth. Add truffle oil — you won't regret it (it doesn't overwhelm either).

Being one of Mensho’s pillars outside Japan, I was glad to see the Kapolei kitchen didn’t cut corners: even here, the crispy burdock root (gobo) topping made an appearance.

Clam Butter Shio — My Favorite of the Three

My favorite of the three I tried was the clam butter shio. This is a punchy shio (salt-seasoned bowl), and it’s certainly not boring — the clam flavor comes through clearly, and they’re generous with whole clams on top.

A good amount of melted butter finishes the bowl, working perfectly with the shio base and mellowing out the saltiness with milky richness. It’s not the lightest shio ramen you’ll find, but it’s delicious.

Abura Soba, for a Change of Pace

The last bowl was abura soba — a soupless, noodle-forward style that’s noticeably oily by design.

If you want to focus purely on the noodles without any soup at all, this is a solid option to round out a visit, especially if you’re ordering multiple bowls to share.

Worth the Wait

Beyond these three, Kapolei’s menu goes deep — plenty of drinks and side dishes to round things out. It’s genuinely nice to see Mensho finally land in Hawaii after being on the mainland for a bit now, and this location feels like a proper extension of the brand rather than a scaled-down version.

If you’ve had Mensho in Tokyo — our flagship Gokokuji write-up covers that shop in depth — this is a fun one to compare notes against.

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