Best Authentic Restaurants in Kalihi-Palama

This place is simply amazing. Our waitress was so sweet. She was so knowledgeable about all menu items. We have been meaning to try this place for a while and never got a chance to. I saw their James Beard special on TV and finally got a chance ro try them last week. We just HAD to return again this week. They are just that good. We will keep returning again and again. Their Caesar salad dressing (as our waitress says) is DRINKABLE! SERIOUSLY! That thing is ridiculous!! The Kaua'i shrimp special (we may be a little biased) was so 'ono. The shrimp dish and risotto dish was so flavorful. Everything we ordered was just so mouth watering! Go, go, go, go,go!!! This place is a MUST visit. Worth the parking hassle. Lol. Find it on the street or st the end of the road in the paid parking lot.

I keep coming back! The food and folks here are just excellent ...they keep changing the menu enough that there is always something new to try. While some might not give 5 stars for ambience...the back patio, kind of funky is my kind of intimate outdoor space. It's also byob which I like too

A nice surprise excellent food in a hotel restaurant. All staff members were very attentive and friendly as they wanted to make sure we had a positive dining experience. Our server Ken was excellent in giving us food and alcohol recommendations. Her periodically checked in with us to see if we needed anything. The restaurant has dry nice atmosphere and decor was trendy and comfortable. My friend and I chose items from the “restaurant week” specials, pasta bolognese and classic Cesar salad. Both very flavorful and the salad was fresh and crisp. The Sauvignon Blanc (Andis) was an excellent pairing with the meal, not sweet, but even balanced. I had their Prosecco (Zarin) which tasted as a lower quality Prosecco, but their Sauvignon Blanc made up for it. I highly recommend this restaurant and plan to go again as their regular menu offers a variety of food that would please all palates.

Visited during restaurant week Nov 2024 and got the $50 pre-fixe omakase menu with some additional skewers. The omakase menu is normally $80 so it was such a great value (the restaurant week menu had slightly less items). We sat at the counter and it was great to be able to see the chefs at work! Loved the smoky smell in the air and the overall ambiance of the restaurant. Favorites of the night were the sukiyaki skewers, beef tongue skewers and the salmon, ikura, uni don. This was our third or fourth time back to this restaurant, but it had been about 3-4 years since our last visit. We had a great date night and will definitely be back!

Our reservation was last minute - after the UH football game. We needed someplace to lick our wounds!! Very happy to get a table at Lucky Belly! Onolicious food! I wanna go back to taste more!