Hot for Nabe

Instead of a meal for one, Japanese nabe is custom for sharing. Nabeya Maido, accordingly, presents a clean and contemporary, family-style atmosphere. Specializing various hot pot options, Nabeya Maido is the place where “you choose what you want to eat and how much you want to eat,” says co-owner and general manager Kevin Suehiro.

The restaurant, which is celebrating its first anniversary in April, is a new face in the Japanese restaurant scene, which already has won over a staunch clientele with its delicious broth, exceptional service and welcoming atmosphere. “We cater to a lot of families,” Suehiro says. “A lot of the regulars know us by our first names.”

Nabeya Maido presents hot pot specialties, along with a grand selection of meats and vegetables.

“We’re about enjoying good, healthy food.”

Although the wide range of options can be confusing for some, Suehiro says that a lot of what he and his staff do is “educate our customers about nabe.” While he says “there are no wrong or right ways” to choose and prepare your chosen ingredients and broth, Suehiro will make certain recommendations. For example, “hodomo (large intestine) is best — not in a curry-based broth, or in shabu shabu — but instead pairs best with a hot and spicy broth, or shoyu-based maido broth.”

For customers who want to sample specific sauces, Suehiro recommends shabu-shabu — hot water cooked with konbu (flavorful seaweed) — and served with four sauces mixed with vegetables and protein. The Lunch Set ($9.90) is a fantastic deal, which includes broth and a combination lunch plate filled with cabbage, udon, minced chicken, pork belly, tofu, aburage, pumpkin, mochi, and more.

At Nabeya Maido, Suehiro and his staff take the time to walk diners through the nabe process and make them aware of the delicious options, because as he puts it, “When I see smiles on customers faces — that’s what I go to work for.”

Nabeya Maido

Market City Shopping Center
2919 Kapiolani Blvd., Honolulu
739-7739
Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Saturday-Sunday, 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m.