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Hi everyone. I have been to Honolulu in the past and I am planning another trip soon and wanted your opinion about the restaurants.
The last time I was in Honolulu, I ate mostly at off the wall, cheap places, other than Top of Wakiki(it was ok, not bad, not great). I'd like to eat at some of the Mid to Upscale trendy/foodie restaurants. Also, Im def. interested in a nice upscale sushi restaurants.
Can you please recommend some good sit down restaurants(any cuisine), and then recommend in your opinion, what are some best sushi restaurants are? Thanks!
How long ago were you here? Top of Waikiki has a new executive chef (last couple of years), and I think their food is pretty terrific. I never went there before he was the chef, though, so I can't promise it's better.
Hakone is good mid-scale Japanese. It's a buffet (and pricey), but really fresh and good, and they have sushi as part of it (limited selection, but good). I've heard you should go on a weekend and not a weekday to get the widest selection and best stuff. I've only been once, so I can't say that for sure.
Our favorite upscale foodie restaurant is definitely Alan Wong's. Nobu is supposed to be fantastic and has an extensive sushi menu. We've only been here a year, so we haven't made it there yet. Chef Mavro was OK, but I thought not nearly worth the price. La Mer was great, but I like Alan Wong's better. I guess it depends on how many upscale places you can afford to hit in one trip!
Gotta disagree about Duke's. Great place to take visitors. Fun atmosphere and location. Food? Meh.
How long ago were you here? Top of Waikiki has a new executive chef (last couple of years), and I think their food is pretty terrific. I never went there before he was the chef, though, so I can't promise it's better.
Hakone is good mid-scale Japanese. It's a buffet (and pricey), but really fresh and good, and they have sushi as part of it (limited selection, but good). I've heard you should go on a weekend and not a weekday to get the widest selection and best stuff. I've only been once, so I can't say that for sure.
Our favorite upscale foodie restaurant is definitely Alan Wong's. Nobu is supposed to be fantastic and has an extensive sushi menu. We've only been here a year, so we haven't made it there yet. Chef Mavro was OK, but I thought not nearly worth the price. La Mer was great, but I like Alan Wong's better. I guess it depends on how many upscale places you can afford to hit in one trip!
Gotta disagree about Duke's. Great place to take visitors. Fun atmosphere and location. Food? Meh.
I agree about Duke's...mostly burger and bar food...I mean it was ok. I was there last year so it hasn't been that long. Alan Wong and Nobu is a given I guess...Thanks for the input!
There used to be a good sushi place on the second or third floor of the Illikai Hotel. It was facing the street you drive into to get into the boat harbor there. Dunno the name, but start at the Harbor Pub, go across the street and up the escalator and turn left.
We like the less expensive sushi that arrives on boats at "Catch of the Day", I think the name is at the McCully shopping center where Foodland is.
Oahu has lots of little sushi places. There is also a good one over near the newspaper building. Across the street and about a block Diamond Head is a small white with brown latticework sushi place. That one is quite good and very traditional.
I agree about Duke's...mostly burger and bar food...I mean it was ok. I was there last year so it hasn't been that long. Alan Wong and Nobu is a given I guess...Thanks for the input!
Yeah, I guess I was saying:
Alan Wong's -> totally worth the cost
Chef Mavro -> totally not
La Mer -> in between... great service & atmosphere, but I didn't think the food was as good.
Nobu -> dunno, haven't been yet
Alan Wong's -> totally worth the cost
Chef Mavro -> totally not
La Mer -> in between... great service & atmosphere, but I didn't think the food was as good.
Nobu -> dunno, haven't been yet
TOTALLY agree on the first two. Chef Mavro was one of the biggest dinner disappointments we've had in Hawaii. (Another, oddly, was Alan Wong's at Hualalai on the Big Island.) We've had great food at the Alan Wong's at Ala Moana, though.
We really like La Mer and also Orchids (downstairs at the same hotel). Orchids is really subtle, but we always have great food and service there.
Friends (who live in Honolulu) were at Nobu last week and really liked it. Their favorite place near there, though, is Kaiwa, the Japanese restaurant on the upper level of the Waikiki Beachwalk. They like the both the tappan-yaki and the sushi there -- go all the time.
Last edited by whynot?; 04-16-2009 at 01:23 PM..
Reason: clarification
Two of my favorite restaurants are John Dominis (by Fisherman's Warf) and Michels past Kapiolani Park. They are lovely places with classically delicious food- you can check out their menus online.
Sushi? We like Kobe Japanese steakhouse & sushi. Yummy.
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Yes!
