Any Suggestions for dinner in Honolulu?

[cal101]

There is a great thread on places for breakfast so thought I would ask "what is your favorite place to have dinner in Honolulu"? We will only be there one night and are staying at the Waikiki Beach Marriott. We were also thinking of going to see the free show at the Hilton Hawaiian Village if we are not too jet lagged.

[beachchick]

Aloha. There are many terrific restaurants in Waikiki, and many are easily accessible. I'd be hard-pressed to select one specific favorite. As this is a question that comes up often, here are links to some recent threads which discuss this question in detail:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=549663&highlight=honolulu+dinner

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=562273&highlight=honolulu+dinner

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=561766&highlight=honolulu+dinner

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=448507&highlight=waikiki+dinner

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=521947&highlight=waikiki+dinner

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=537999&highlight=waikiki+dinner

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=584553&highlight=waikiki+dinner

 

Hope those give you some ideas.

 

beachchick

[RSWBADGER]

There is a great thread on places for breakfast so thought I would ask "what is your favorite place to have dinner in Honolulu"? We will only be there one night and are staying at the Waikiki Beach Marriott. We were also thinking of going to see the free show at the Hilton Hawaiian Village if we are not too jet lagged.

 

A 10 minute walk from the Marriott, enter through the Outrigger Waikiki.

Also enjoy upstairs above Dukes, same great view. Chucks Steak House and Hula Grill

:)

http://www.tsrestaurants.net/menus/images/dw/dinner.pdf

 

 

http://www.restaurantswaikiki.com/chuckssteakhouse.htm

http://www.restaurantswaikiki.com/ChucksMenu.htm

http://www.hulagrillwaikiki.com/

[sboh]

We really liked Duke's also. Fun atmosphere, good food and reasonable prices.

[cal101]

Thanks Beachchick and RSWBadger for all the great links, they will keep me busy for awhile tonight.

[mithryl]

Dukes...four thumbs up!

[RSWBADGER]

Thanks Beachchick and RSWBadger for all the great links, they will keep me busy for awhile tonight.

 

Cheesecake Factory is also next to the Outrigger, they do not accept advance reservations either.

[MisterBill99]

We'll be in Oahu for 2 nights (actually 3 since we do not leave for the airport until 6:50pm the last night) and was planning to have dinner at Alan Wongs and Chef Mavros, both high end Hawaiian Regional Cuisine places. I'm actually not sure we will end up going to Chef Mavros as it seems even more expensive so I may cancel, but I'm really excited about Alan Wongs. This seems to be higher end than most of the recommendations in this thread, I guess.

 

Maybe we will try to get to Roys for lunch or dinner.

[bbaileyfamily]

Duke's at the Outrigger Waikiki is the one!! Unbelievable view and great food! Incredible atmosphere watching the people on the beach. We ended up eating there two nights in a row. Afternoon drinking there is incredible also. ;)

 

Cheesecake Factory is always good food and is pretty much next door to the Outrigger Waikiki. However, Duke's faces the ocean whereas Cheesecake Factory faces the main drag on the other side of the hotels. No ocean view. And besides, let's face it, you can do a Cheesecake Factory here in Houston, or San Antonio, or any of dozens and dozens of locations in the country. There's only one Duke's.

[MisterBill99]

And besides, let's face it, you can do a Cheesecake Factory here in Houston, or San Antonio, or any of dozens and dozens of locations in the country.

And that is why I cringe when I see people suggesting it here. I guess if you don't have one near you it's a novelty but it's crazy to eat at a chain restaurant like that when there are much better options.

[spleen93]

We'll be in Oahu for 2 nights (actually 3 since we do not leave for the airport until 6:50pm the last night) and was planning to have dinner at Alan Wongs and Chef Mavros, both high end Hawaiian Regional Cuisine places. I'm actually not sure we will end up going to Chef Mavros as it seems even more expensive so I may cancel, but I'm really excited about Alan Wongs. This seems to be higher end than most of the recommendations in this thread, I guess.

 

No one has commented on this so I'll throw in my two cents. IMHO, Alan Wong's is the best restaurant on Oahu. If you can swing the price and the stomach space, I highly recommend their tasting menus - the 7 course with the associated wine pairings is amazing. Much more intimate location than Roy's - I like the food there but I also like being able to hear myself think, LOL. Chef Mavro is also good - some great service at this restaurant, but in my mind Alan Wong's is superior. If you're interested in Mavro's food, he just opened up a more casual (lower priced) eatery called Cassis near Honolulu Harbor, in the old Palomino space which may be interesting to you. It's actually walking distance from the cruise ship pier (across from Aloha Tower).

 

http://www.cassishonolulu.com/

 

It just opened so the reviews have been a little spotty about the service but I think that it's got great potential and they might have ironed out the bugs in service by now. Just another option.

 

I really love La Mer as a special occasion place (location, service combines to make it fantastic) but I like the food at Alan Wong's better.

 

Also, one of the hottest foodie spots in Honolulu now is a restaurant called Stage in the Honolulu Design Center. The interior is funky, befitting the fact that it's located inside essentially a high-end furniture store, but the food is amazing. A lot of the staff are alumni from Alan Wong's including the head chef, the general manager, and the pastry chef. The food was great and it gives Alan Wong's a run for its money though I do like the decor in Alan Wong's better. The Honolulu Design Center is located about a block or two away from Ala Moana Shopping Center so it's pretty close to the Waikiki area with free parking.

 

http://www.honoluludesigncenter.com/index_mn.htm

http://honoluluweekly.com/restaurants/2007/07/haute-cuisine/

 

The local newspaper food editor reviewed the place back in May 2007 and raved about it (unfortunately, the Honolulu Advertiser starts charging for articles older than 2 months so I can't post a link to the story). It has the coolest wine bar called Amuse right outside the doors of the restaurant where they have 80 bottles of wine in Italian-made Enomatic wine machines that dispense an ounce of wine at a time (you pay per ounce) - set up as a vending machine where you get a card to keep track of your purchases. And you can bring your wine into the restaurant - I kept going back through my meal to try different wines to see how they matched with my food.

 

I should warn that neither Alan Wong's nor Stage has anything resembling a view of anything tropical. So if you're looking for a view, then La Mer, Orchids, Roy's Hawaii Kai (even this isn't much of a view), Duke's, and maybe Cassis may be better choices.

 

Anyways, just some thoughts from a foodie. :)

 

Spleen

[MisterBill99]

Anyways, just some thoughts from a foodie. :)

Thanks for that point of view. I happened to have dinner at a local restaurant last night, and I asked the owner if he had any recommendations because I know he has done some Hawaiian stuff at his restaurant like shave ice. Well, it turns out that his wife is from Hawaii and they go there every year. His #1 suggestion was Alan Wongs, to which I replied that I already had my reservations (and I have a coupon for a free entree as well from Mastercard!). I asked about Chef Mavros, he said it was good but very expensive and you'll wonder where the food is, the portions are so small. He gave me a few recommendations, including some place for Garlic Ahi that he could not remember the name of. He said there is a place with the best shave ice on the north shore? Also a few other places that I have written down at home.

 

Food is more important to me than view. Maybe Dukes is a reasonable choice for our last meal since I need to be able to get back to the hotel for our shuttle back to the airport (I could keep my rental and drive myself but then I have to pay for mileage since it is a one-way rental, and I may as well take advantage of the ride since I have paid for it already). I saw that Zagat gave it a 17 for food, and it would be a nice place to sit for our last few hours there (well, other than the airport, of course). I assume the food is at least decent.

[Sunshine's#1]

Another vote for Duke's! The food is not gourmet, but is absolutely delicious. The atmosphere is fun and view is great. It would be a wonderful place to hang out before heading to the airport.

[spleen93]

Duke's food is actually pretty good. Nothing special but good.

 

Garlic ahi? Probably Irifune. It's kind of a dive but the garlic ahi IS pretty good.

 

http://onokinegrindz.*****.com/ono_kine_grindz/2004/09/irifune.html

 

Also the place on the North Shore with shave ice is probably Matsumoto's. I personally don't like Matsumoto's as much as I like Waiola Shave Ice (and they're a lot closer to you since Waiola is right outside of Waikiki).

 

http://onokinegrindz.*****.com/ono_kine_grindz/2004/10/waiola_bakery_s.html

 

Spleen

 

(edit to fix typos)

[MisterBill99]

It appears that the place with Garlic Ahi is Irifune. Looks like a good place for lunch.

[MisterBill99]

Duke's food is actually pretty good. Nothing special but good.

 

Garlic ahi? Probably Irifune. It's kind of a dive but the garlic ahi IS pretty good.

 

http://onokinegrindz.*****.com/ono_kine_grindz/2004/09/irifune.html

 

Also the place on the North Shore with shave ice is probably Matsumoto's. I personally don't like Matsumoto's as much as I like Waiola Shave Ice (and they're a lot closer to you since Waiola is right outside of Waikiki).

 

http://onokinegrindz.*****.com/ono_kine_grindz/2004/10/waiola_bakery_s.html

 

Spleen

Thanks for the info (we crossed posts on the Irifune name). It's good to know about another shave ice place. I would love to know what makes Matsumoto's so great. Can you give me any insight?

 

Also good to know that Duke's food isn't bad. It would be terrible to have a bad meal as our last meal on the island. But it does make a lot of sense to eat there.

 

I think we might do our other dinner at Roys Waikiki. They emailed me their menu and while it will probably not be the same the night we go there, they had a 3 course meal for a very reasonable $39.50, and it even included the warm chocolate cake. And it's certainly convenient.

[win1]

Hi there,

My husband and I enjoyed a wonderful early meal at Roy's Waikiki in May. We tried their Tasting Sampler as an appetizer which was a delicious. My spouse enjoyed the butterfish for his entree and I enjoyed the Ahi which was recommended by our server.

We will enjoy going back again.

For the ladies they have plumeria in the restroom for your hair or purse, I didn't know and my guy got me flowers from the tree in the landscaping.

Enjoy,

Winnie

[spleen93]

Matsumoto's and Waiola are both known for the fineness of the shave. A shave ice is different from a snow cone since a snow cone is usually made with finely chipped ice. This gives the snow cone a grainy texture. A properly made shave ice uses an EXTREMELY sharp blade to "shave" the ice - the resulting texture is kind of like eating very cold cotton candy. Beyond that, it's the syrups and the add-ons that they use - and this is where I like Waiola better since I like their syrups better. But it's certainly a personal choice.

 

The blackened ahi at Roy's is very good - not a Cajun type of blackened fish but more of an Asian flare. It's certainly a classic on their menu - it's been there ever since they opened.

 

Spleen

[murphysmum]

Hello....

 

I loved the long review posted by Spleen93 and I agree with all of his choices.

 

My personal favorite is Roy's...I always love dinner there and somehow I like the atmosphere better than Wong's or Chef M....although their food is technically more "gourmet"...and there is arguably no better dessert on earth than Roy's chocolate souffle.

 

A note about Duke's. I know that it's consistently mentioned as a wonderful place to eat. If I'm there for more than a week, I'll go to Duke's. However, I think the draw there is the view rather than the steak/seafood menu. The food and drinks are very good, but if you're looking for unique and beautifully prepared food, read Spleen's review.

For me, the draw of Duke's is the completely beautiful view of Diamond Head.

 

It's good that we all have our own preferences or the lines would be so long we'd never get to eat!

 

murphysmum:)

[MisterBill99]

My personal favorite is Roy's...I always love dinner there and somehow I like the atmosphere better than Wong's or Chef M....although their food is technically more "gourmet"...and there is arguably no better dessert on earth than Roy's chocolate souffle.

I have to agree with you on that! I remember having Roy's chocolate souffle 20 years ago when we ate at his restaurants in Maui. And after reading some of the comments here (and seeing the menu) I called Roy's this morning (well, 2am my time, 9pm their time) and made a reservation. And it really wouldn't be a trip to Hawaii unless we ate at Roy's. Maybe once we finish with our meals at Alan Wongs and Roy's we can forget about the food on NCL :-).

 

As for Duke's, I certainly would not eat there as my only meal, but given the constraints I have (I have to be back at the Hilton by 6:45pm for my airport shuttle), it is probably the best choice.

[spleen93]

I agree, Roy's chocolate souffle is still one of my all time favorite desserts. Preferably ala mode!

 

And yes, like murphysmum said, it's good that we all have our different likes or dislikes - otherwise we'd never get into our favorite restaurants! :D

 

Spleen