Best Restaurants for Anniversaries in Honolulu

It was super busy! Possibly due to New Year celebrations? Glad they’re doing so well. Our dinner guest said it was the best strip steak he’d ever had! My hubby and I had the ribeye that was charred to perfection (medium and medium rare), generous portions and juicy. We also ordered the twin lobster entree to share for a personalized surf and turf. Even the dinner rolls were the best. They said it’s Liliha Bakery’s famous rolls. Dessert of ice cream with hot espresso topping was delish. I’d skip the pineapple upside down cake. Not remarkable. Service was very good until our desserts arrived. We realized too late that we had no spoons and no coffee or tea had been offered. Ice cream was melting and we were unable to flag a server. Hubby went searching. Manager delivered and was very pleasant. This was our second time. Be sure to ask for a “quiet table” if you want to be able to talk across a table for 4. Our first time, that was impossible!! It was extremely noisy. The configuration has open ended blocked off areas of 4-6 tables along the walls. We were in one of those where the sounds seemed to reverberate within the area. There are several larger rooms and an open center area. This second time we requested a quiet table via Open Table. The hostess was very accommodating. She went to check the noise level at the table selected in one of the larger rooms. She returned and said she wanted us to decide if it was quiet enough! Impressive service! Overall it’s an outstanding restaurant.

The staff was so kind to accommodate us with a child. Also quick to assist with ordering the food right away for him and giving us the perfect time to get our order in. They were very attentive and aware and we appreciated it so much.

Lovely time with a lovely chef definitely a must for visiting Waikiki Honolulu

Our server was very helpful in identifying gluten free options. The menu option were interesting and diverse. It was an opportunity to eat ulu, it’s a starchy fruit that was fried and served with a tasty mayo sauce. The kalo (taro root) hash selected by others in our party looked delicious, but the fish and luau (taro leaves) was really good. The staff all helped to make our visit enjoyable.

Cons: First staff member (male) to approach our table silently filled our water; no greeting, no invitation to make our way to the buffet. Buffet didn’t have eggs and bacon very undercooked. Coffee was self serve and ran out, making us wait for more to brew. Crab would run out and we’d have to keep checking the line for refill. Saw a guest cutting the prime rib for himself because no one there to serve. Pros: The rest of the staff were very friendly and helpful. Obviously understaffed and they were doing their best. Fun to speak with the pastry chef, who was encouraging guests to try the stolli, which was delicious. All the desserts and crab was very good. In spite of the shortcomings, we enjoyed our time there.