Fancy/Nice places to eat on Oahu?

[jacobzking]

Headed to Aulani tomorrow if the weather Gods permit lol (we're in Texas). Are there any particularly cool/fancy/foodie places to eat on Oahu? Not looking to blow tons of money, but always down for cool presentation and food with flare. Thanks!

 

[nkereina]

I'm not sure if its open, but House Without a Key at Halekulani resort In Waikiki is beachfront and what I would consider upscale dining, though I'm not at all a foodie so not sure how it compares to a true 5 star/fine dining experience. But the ambiance and views are beautiful. I would also put Haleiwa Beach House in the North Shore in this category.

Roy's is at the Ko Olina Golf Club and is often recommended for special occasion/nicer dinners. Its walkable from Aulani, though maybe not so much in nice clothes/heels.

Safe travels and prayers to you and yours in Texas!

 

[happymommy]

There is a French restaurant at the Ritz Residences in Waikiki that has an appealing prix fix menu (with optional wine pairings). Sadly, Alan Wong’s closed in Honolulu; had a wonderful dinner there once. Safe travels!

 

[Disney_Fan_01]

Headed to Aulani tomorrow if the weather Gods permit lol (we're in Texas). Are there any particularly cool/fancy/foodie places to eat on Oahu? Not looking to blow tons of money, but always down for cool presentation and food with flare. Thanks!

we are from TX as well and feel for you. Forecast looks promising for much of today and tomorrow. Hope you get to go. We are not too familiar with fancy places to eat, but have enjoyed our meals at Roy’s and Monkey Pod at Ko Olina as well as AMA AMA when it was open. While at Waikiki, we had dinner one night at Tommy Bahamas. Food was good, but it was tucked away and no ocean view.

 

[happymommy]

When we lived on Oahu, we frequently enjoyed nice meals at various resorts. The Moana Surfrider was our favorite for appetizers and drinks (they used to do a fabulous Sunday brunch, but they do have a wonderful breakfast buffet, although right now not sure about the buffet but the food was amazing last time). The Kahala hotel has great views and fine food too. I’d definitely look into the higher end hotels on Waikiki beach for views and nice dining. When we go back now, we sometimes will do one nice fancy meal, but most often do casual local places as we can do fine dining at home, but can’t get the likes of Sushi Bay, Pearl’s Korean BBQ, Hawaiian local plate lunches at home.

 

[OKW Lover]

Another vote for both Roy's and the Beach House. Also, just about any restaurant at the Halekulani, but especially their sunday brunch in the Orchid room.

 

[Pete W.]

Another vote for House Without a Key at the Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki. They feature live music and a hula dancer and the woman dancing when we dined there in 2018 just happened to be Brook Lee who was 1997 Miss Hawaii, Miss USA and Miss Universe. Evidently this is a regular thing (Miss Hawaii’s doing hula during dinner). Quite a unique experience, and the hotel validated 4 hours of parking since we ate there, so we only ended up paying $9 instead of $40.

 

[nkereina]

The Moana Surfrider was our favorite for appetizers and drinks

We didn't eat at the Moana Surfrider, but we had drinks at the Banyan Tree bar and looooved it! Such a unique atmosphere and beautiful views! We enjoyed it so much that we agreed we'd stay there on a future trip.

 

[nono]

I'm not sure if its open, but House Without a Key at Halekulani resort In Waikiki is beachfront and what I would consider upscale dining, though I'm not at all a foodie so not sure how it compares to a true 5 star/fine dining experience. But the ambiance and views are beautiful. I would also put Haleiwa Beach House in the North Shore in this category.

Roy's is at the Ko Olina Golf Club and is often recommended for special occasion/nicer dinners. Its walkable from Aulani, though maybe not so much in nice clothes/heels.

Safe travels and prayers to you and yours in Texas!

Your instincts are correct. Halekulani is closed until end of summer.

However, your other two recommendations are open! Hale'Iwa Beach House is open for dinner on weekends, lunch daily. Roy's Ko Olina currently open for lunch and dinner.

 

[corgi_monster]

If you're looking for small, unique local eateries that are not in guidebooks, try:

- MW restaurant - this is where locals go for nice dinners because we hate driving and parking in Waikiki lol
- The Nook (I hate to include this place on the list because it's such a well kept secret, but I figure they need all the help they can get these days)
- Pig and the Lady
- Cafe Miro
- Ichiriki (hot pot/nabe, it's not for everyone but shabu shabu joints were all the rage in Honolulu before covid)
- Hau Tree Lanai - Chris Kajioka is the chef now and this place is the newest foodie hotspot. Disregard any old reviews about this place.

Bonus: Uncle Lani's poi mochi (Ka Makana Alii mall in Kapolei) - this is a great snack for foodies! Delicious, unique, and a local favorite. I hate regular poi, but this stuff is AWESOME!

 

[JC1984]

Roy’s is pretty good

 

[nala2018]

Travel safely also from Texas heading there in May. Send back some good reviews on Aulani

 

[Iceman93]

Back when the world was sane, this place (https://mbychefmavrorestaurant.com/) was phenomenal--not just the best meal we'd ever had in Honolulu, but one of the best we'd had anywhere. I have to imagine their COVID-restricted offerings are still amazing.

 

[Quicklabs]

Another vote for Roy's

 

[jacobzking]

That’s what I’m looking for! Thanks Iceman!

Back when the world was sane, this place (https://mbychefmavrorestaurant.com/) was phenomenal--not just the best meal we'd ever had in Honolulu, but one of the best we'd had anywhere. I have to imagine their COVID-restricted offerings are still amazing.

 

[jacobzking]

That’s what I’m looking for! Thanks Iceman!

Back when the world was sane, this place (https://mbychefmavrorestaurant.com/) was phenomenal--not just the best meal we'd ever had in Honolulu, but one of the best we'd had anywhere. I have to imagine their COVID-restricted offerings are still amazing.

 

[corgi_monster]

Back when the world was sane, this place (https://mbychefmavrorestaurant.com/) was phenomenal--not just the best meal we'd ever had in Honolulu, but one of the best we'd had anywhere. I have to imagine their COVID-restricted offerings are still amazing.

You're absolutely right - Chef Mavro was one of the best restaurants in town for many, many years. I'm sorry to say that it's not the same restaurant you visited on your last trip. New owner, new concept, new everything.

 

[Iceman93]

You're absolutely right - Chef Mavro was one of the best restaurants in town for many, many years. I'm sorry to say that it's not the same restaurant you visited on your last trip. New owner, new concept, new everything.

Oh, no! Is the magic hopelessly lost, or can the new owner make the new concept work post-COVID to be as wonderful as it was before?

 

[corgi_monster]

Oh, no! Is the magic hopelessly lost, or can the new owner make the new concept work post-COVID to be as wonderful as it was before?

I really hope the new owner can do the restaurant justice, but I don't have high expectations. There are many other restaurants at this price point that serve much better food.