Caleb our server was kind and exceptional. His recommendation for the Ginger Chicken Rice was spot…read moreon. The food and service improves with every dining experience. Be sure to arrive with enough time to find parking. Vehicles come in and out pretty quickly, but you may have to wait a bit to find a stall if your timing is off.

I've now been to Chao five times and still keep coming back. I came shortly after they opened and…read moreloved it so much I came back the following week and have had business meetings and family dinners here. It's to the point that at least one of the servers has recognized me and welcomes me back. Each time, we have enjoyed every thing that we've ordered. Frankly, my only trouble with this restaurant is finding parking. I plan to get there early so I can have a few laps around to find a spot. Their apps are always tasty. I've loved their hamachi crudo, the calamari, the Spanish octopus and the street corn. My go to app is the maitake mushrooms. For lunch, I'm a big fan of their banh mi's as I've eaten both the brisket and lemongrass. The bread is nice and crispy and everything is oh so good. For dinner, my wife loved the soft shell crab pasta and I've really enjoyed the crispy pork belly. I'm going to come back to try the Picanha this next time! I normally take pictures but for whatever reason, I didn't these past times probably because I was too busy stuffing my face. Guess I have to come again and retry!

Came back to Jessica's again and had another great experience! This time our waiter was Eli --…read moresuper nice, cool, and easygoing, and he took great care of us. I ordered the Filipino bangus with rice and eggs and it was sooo good. The fish was crispy on the outside, flavorful, and the portion was HUGE. Everything tasted fresh and satisfying, and I love that Jessica's has Filipino comfort food that actually feels like a proper meal. After having such a good experience the first time, I'm happy to say the second visit didn't disappoint either. Great food, great service, and such a welcoming atmosphere. Definitely becoming one of my go-to spots. Thank you Eli & Jessica's!

Summary: NOT RECOMMENDED. Bad service, below average food. Soft opening though, so let's give them…read morea chance to improve. PARKING: Location is in Kapolei Commons, so lots of parking. However, when the other restaurants, Target, etc are busy, expect to park some distance from where you want to go and walk. SERVICE: The moment we walked in, the staff looked busy and stressed. Understandably so since it's a soft opening. However, not a single greeting from front staff. Not a simple "sorry for the wait, thank you for your patience". Honestly, the wait isn't what bothers me, it's the lack of communication and unapologetic interaction from staff. A LOT of mistakes from the staff. When we finally got a table, we just sat and that's it. No menus, utensils, cups of water, etc. After getting menus, we placed an order. EVERYTHING was basically sold out or "still marinating". SUGGESTION: give the menus once guests sit, and tell them what is not available. FOOD: Very below average yet pricey. The Loco moco was dry and overcooked. The kids chicken tenders/fries were completely missing. I did see one delivered to another table and they were saying it wasn't theirs. Not sure what they did with it, but we had to wait a long time to get our order. Anything we ordered with "overeasy" eggs, came out overcooked and not runny. Maybe they leave the food under heat lamps after cooking? Or chefs just too overwhelmed to keep track. Soda is unlimited refill. But that's practically useless when we ask for refills and nobody ever brings it. Everything mentioned can be improved upon. It's not unfixable. I'm hoping the staff get better after soft opening and the cooks improve. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt since it's soft opening. I plan on returning again another day to see how they have improved.

It was noonish and I was getting hungry (not quit Hangry! But getting there!)…read more While looking for something new, I discovered Hangry Mana Bar & Kitchen. Shared with my wife and we came for lunch today. Took a moment to find how to drive in the back of the mall / building (recommend the driveway ramp on the East side of the building). Then when we pulled up, my wife was like "where are you taking me?!" being this is kinda a "hole in the wall bar"! ;0) Sign is inviting, Yelp profile as well... so we went in! Staff were super friendly and the restaurant / bar was very clean! We just wanted a light lunch / pupu style, so we got the sizzling steak, fried noodles and chicken wings. Wings were good. Fried noodles a really good comfort food! And the sizzling steak was awesome!! We'll be back to try other options and for drinks! PLUS, they are open until 2pm! Sometimes it's hard to find decent food later in the day once you head West from Honolulu, NOW we know a place!! "Thank You... Very much!"

Website says they close at 2 AM. We went in at 845 pm, and they told us they were closing the…read morekitchen, says it closes at 945. They said that was closed too. Maybe they just don't like visitors......

Went here for my birthday dinner. Thoroughly surprised at how good the food was and the service…read more Beautiful, modern interior and the atmosphere was chic. The menu has changed to a more tapa style. We went with our two young children & they were very accommodating. We ordered a bunch of stuff but most notable was the Ensalada Salad, Croquette Cordero, Taco Raisu, Karaage Pollo, and for dessert, the Piña Borracha. We ordered some pork and steak skewers. These were ok, I would skip these next time. A little burnt. My favorite was the Ensalada Salad. The crab was sweet and the salsa opaca was so refreshing with the apple foam. Was told to smash the crisp on top and combine it with everything and that took it to another level! So good that we ordered another one. The price of this was so affordable too! The Croquette Cordero was like a mini curry ball with chimuchirri sauce. A little heavy but if you love curry, this is for you! The Taco Raisu surprised us. The taco meat was so flavorful!! Even though we were stuffed, we kept going back for more. It's like a deconstructed taco & you use the lettuce as a wrap. The Karaage Pollo came with a Cucumber Escabeche. It was so tangy and refreshing, which perfectly cuts through the rich, savory oiliness of the fried chicken. We got the Piña Borracha for dessert and that had a coconut cake, coconut lime mousse, banana lilikoi curd, and pasted pineapple on top. Amazing!! Great way to end the night. Everything was top notch. You can tell they put a lot of effort into each dish. Can't wait to go back!

I go here on occasions. I've made to brunch a couple times but typically I make it to the…read moreevenings. The restaurant hours are relatively calm, but switches gears when it becomes a nightclub. Restaurant-wise, I believe the menu had a recent change-up to further explore fusion possibilities. I've been going down the list and the dishes have been pretty good so far; I haven't made it to the taco raisu yet, but I do need me some desserts. The picarones is like a peruvian andagi, which was pretty cool. The miso cream brûlée was from the prior menu, but also a Yes. The bar is knowledgeable and innovative their mixology- I've had the shizuku garden and that was amazing.

Needed to find a spot on route to the airport from waikele so decided to try this spot. Unusual in…read morethat it's located inside the Blue Tropics bar. If you order takeout there's one menu online but if you dine in there's a happy hour menu from 3-6 plus bar menu. The catch if you dine in is that there's a 2 drink minimum per person at regular prices. All dishes came out piping hot (except ahi poke) and fresh . The happy hour dishes were wonderful, especially the manapuas! The spicy pork cheese manapua were great and a bit different. The chasui manapua were delicious. Garlic fries were extra crispy, lots of garlic but greasy. The poke fresh and lemon pepper salt wings crispy but juicy. So all in all a great option for happy hour goodness.

A friend of mine posted food from here on his story and it looked so good I had to ask where it was…read morefrom so I could try it for myself. Location: Kitchen Deja Vu is located inside the Blue Tropix Bar & Grill, which just so happens to be right across the Chili's from Pearlridge Center. Parking: Plenty! You can park anywhere in the Pearlridge Center parking lot Food: We ordered 5 items 1) pan fried pork cheese buns: 10/10 - pillowy soft bread expertly soaks up all the juices from the pork filling, perfectly pan fried bottom adds a bit of crunchy texture, pork filling was seasoned well and there was a decent amount of cheese inside as well (it was giving pizza flavor vibes), supposedly "spicy" but it wasn't too bad at all so this would be good even for those with a low spice tolerance 2) pulehu style short ribs: 10/10 - incredible smoked and grilled flavor, cooked and seasoned to perfection! They're not stingy either, nice portion size and a hearty amount of meat on each short rib too 3) big shrimp potstickers: 11/10 - succulent pork & shrimp filling filled to the brim of wrapper! Very on brand because these buggahs was massive and sooo tasty! Classic potsticker taste and there's a whole shrimp in there too, paired with their shoyu vinegar (I think) sauce and wooo this one was winnnahz ‍ 4) charsui udon: 10/10 - nice & chewy udon noodles and absolutely loaded with charsui and veggies that were so wonderfully stir fried allowing them to soften just a little but remain crispy, adding another layer of texture to the dish and ensuring you get a nice little crunch in every bite! 5) kau yuk (caramelized pork belly): 10/10 - big chunks of sweet & savory pork belly, but not as sweet as the name would have you think. It's actually perfectly balanced, you can definitely taste some authentic asian spices going on in there, and the meat was nice and tender Service: 11/10 We ordered take out but you can absolutely dine in if you wanted to, plenty of booths and/or tables to choose from. But I did wanna mention that we were lucky enough to meet Charlie, the owner! Really nice guy, after we gave him our order, our server Kyle took such good care of us. Checked in on us multiple times & offered to get us some water while waiting for our food. Overall: 10/10 Food was delicious, the chefs obviously know what's good, hats off to them! First time trying this place out and it didn't disappoint and love that you can also order directly from your phone through all major food delivery apps or you can even text your order in, how convenient!

So glad we ate here! Looks like there are lots of hip options in Chinatown, and we would have…read morewalked around and tried even more if we had had more time. We had a 4 hour layover in Honolulu and it was a quick 15 minute Lyft ride here to Lucky Belly. We were the only party here right at 5:30 pm. Loved the art and clean simple elegance of the exposed brick wall and wood tables. We were greeted and served by a very friendly host. We had the duck tacos, plus the special dim sum appetizer combo of pork belly bao, lobster dumplings and oxtail dumplings. We could not pick a favorite. The variety of textures was fantastic and each of the meat fillings were perfectly seasoned and tender, delicious! Each had a different sauce- just enough, not too much. Nothing was spicy but there was chili oil on the table if you wanted to add more heat. We got 2 nonalcoholic spritzers, one lilikoi and one hibiscus, which were each refreshing and complimented the meal. Since the service was so efficient, after eating, we still had time to zip over to Magic Island to stroll around, take in the scene and enjoy the sunset before heading back to the airport. Our last evening in Hawaii was really special thanks to this delightful restaurant!

Horrifying experience. We arrived to a nearly empty restaurant. The hostess asked if we had a…read morereservation. We arrived an hour or so before they were about to close. All of the window seats were empty. In fact the restaurant was nearly empty. We were told the only option for us was the inconspicuous booth at the back of the restaurant. Not a good start. The food was okay. There was more than we were expecting, however the short ribs were a little tough. The ambiance, it was nice and empty by the time we left. Overall, what had been something we'd been looking forward to for years turned out to be a dismal disappointment. The experience left us feeling unwelcome, particularly because it seemed the staff were uncomfortable with two men simply going out for lunch. Being a Black and Asian couple shouldn't have any bearing on how paying customers are treated, but unfortunately, that's how the experience felt to us. We can overlook mediocre food or service, but feeling judged or unwelcome is something we won't overlook. We were there as paying customers and deserved to be treated with the same courtesy and respect as anyone else. Unfortunately, this is a place we won't be returning to, and based on our experience, we would not recommend it to others.

5 Stars for service! Our server was fantastic! She always made sure we had water, fresh plates, and…read morevery attentive. We were seated near the doors which lead to the patio, against a wall with really neat paintings. It was the first thing I noticed, so figured it deserved a mention. We started with the dinner with bread, butter and beverages, as should everyone. yummm. I enjoyed the espresso martini made with rye and cold brew on ice. It was different, but I appreciate the flavors. Each corner of the table ordered different meals, but I shared the clam noodle special and homemade gnocchi. The noodles were interesting, like al dente saimin without the broth. I liked it! The gnocchi was not my favorite because the texture was kind of strange, very soft. I will note that the server did let us know it was made without potatoes. We ended the meal with one of each desert and a round of green tea shots! The tiramisu was my favorite. Thank you Giovedi!

We arrived about 15 minutes early for our reservation and waited several minutes without being…read moregreeted. The inside is fairly small, so I understand why there may not have been a traditional hostess stand, but regardless, no one acknowledged us or let us know what was going on. Several bartenders and servers saw us, and while one waiter briefly said hello, no one checked us in or offered to find someone who could help. After a few minutes, I went toward the back to find a staff member, while another person in my party went toward the middle of the restaurant to get the host's attention. The host asked if we had been checked in, and when my sister explained that we hadn't been helped yet, she told us to go back and wait in the front. Her tone came across as somewhat condescending, and we weren't given any information about our reservation or how long we would be waiting. While we waited, we all noticed the host whispering to a server, who then looked directly at us. I don't want to assume what they were discussing, but given the interaction we'd just had, seeing her whisper to the server and then having the server look directly at us made the situation feel awkward and unprofessional. We eventually decided to wait outside, and about five minutes later, the host came out and seated us right at our reservation time. There were plenty of open seats on the patio, where we were ultimately seated, so it felt like we could have simply been acknowledged when we arrived and given some basic information about our reservation. Our server was friendly, but unfortunately, the service was minimal. He only checked on us a couple of times throughout the meal. We later found out that the host who talked to my sister was actually the co-owner of the restaurant, which made the experience more disappointing. I was taken aback by the lack of professionalism, especially seeing her repeatedly whispering with staff directly in front of us. Again, I can't say what was being discussed, but regardless, I don't think that type of interaction creates a very professional impression for someone representing their own restaurant. To me, it doesn't really matter how good the food is if the service is poor. Service can make or break an entire dining experience, and unfortunately, the food wasn't particularly impressive either, so there wasn't much to redeem the experience. For the price, I expected a lot more in terms of both the quality of the food and the overall experience. I understand the restaurant was busy, especially around the bar. However, the biggest issue was the lack of communication and professionalism throughout the experience. We were there celebrating a birthday, and unfortunately, it wasn't what we had hoped for. Overall, there are plenty of places where I'd rather spend this kind of money and receive both good food and service. I hope they take this feedback seriously and work toward creating a more welcoming and professional experience for their guests. I'm not leaving this review simply to criticize or tear down the restaurant, but I do think businesses should be open to honest feedback and use it as an opportunity to improve. I hope they are able to take the feedback in that spirit. Aloha.

A small Vietnamese restaurant in a strip mall in Kalihi. There are plenty of free parking shared…read morewith many other restaurants. The restaurant is very cute and clean, with a lot of nice pictures of their food on the wall. We had the French Dip and the Combination Pho. The sandwich had a lot of hot seasoned beef and pickles, it comes with a bowl of pho broth for dipping. The pho had different cut of beef, meatballs and tripes; the pho broth was clean, piping hot and amazing. I think it is a family restaurant and the service was so friendly and impeccable. They even opened the door for us when we left. We will definitely be coming back.

The french dip was good! Bread was not hard and broth kept the sandwich at a good temperature…read more Didn't care for the pho because the noodles were al dente so it was difficult to slurp. Broth had a good mild flavor but a tad on the oily side + needed more meat. Egg rolls were small too (around 1/2 normal size!). Fast and friendly service! Lots of restaurants in the lot so parking can be tight. Small hole in the wall spot, but is on the expensive side. Love the name of the resturant but did not feel chubby after.

Went for their Thai week and the food and drinks were delicious. Service was good…read more I asked for Lao style papaya salad and he didn't know what that was. I asked if the chef was SE Asian and he said yes and I said then he may know. Papaya salad did not come out Lao style and there wasn't follow up regarding my request. Even so, I still enjoyed my time. I think they are a cool place to try innovative and yummy dishes. It has an upscale ambience and when I went, it was all old people. Not sure if it's always like that. They seem to have a lot of events and I'd like to go to try them out! I will be returning.

Glad you liked it! Here's a shorter Naomi-style version that still feels authentic and reads like a…read morereal Yelp review. Chef Chai has been one of our family's go-to restaurants for celebrations over the years, so hearing they brought back some favorites and added new menu items was the perfect excuse to return. We started with the tiki whiskey cocktail and took advantage of the happy hour menu. The Oxtail Ramen was just as comforting as I remembered, the Hurricane Fries disappeared almost immediately, and the Spicy 1-800 Hotline Wings definitely lived up to their name. For dinner, the Hamachi Crudo was incredibly fresh, and the Scallop Pot Pie was rich, flaky, and one of my favorite dishes of the night. I also loved the crispy fish prepared Thai style, while the wok-fried jumbo black shrimp had great flavor and were perfectly cooked. The Green Thai Curry was a pleasant surprise--it's the kind of dish I'd happily order again or even take home. The service was warm and attentive, and the atmosphere still makes Chef Chai feel like the perfect place for a date night or special occasion. It's always nice to try new restaurants, but coming back here reminded me why Chef Chai has remained one of Honolulu's classics for so many years.

This place is a hidden gem!!…read more Located at the old Princess Palace in Pearl City (across Zippy's) underneath the old Flamingo restaurant. Wow! The food is EXCELLENT!! Service is spectacular! Scilla & Shaun are super friendly & hospitable. On point & on task for service! Karaoke? It's on! Wanna watch the news? Bet! Football? No problem! The house hostess Bella (sweetest pup ever!) is welcoming all! Troy is friendly & personable. I'm surprised this place isn't busier than it should be! Parking is plentiful. Don't judge the book by its cover!

Cute little hole in the wall with a great karaoke list and lots of space…read more Uncle Troy cooks some bar basics and some other things and offers everything you want from a dive bar. They even have non alcoholic beers and the prices are extremely reasonable.