My husband and I have been to Bernini on a regular dining night, and on Valentine's Day. And what I can tell you in a nutshell is this: the food is fresh, service is consistently top notch, and the parking blows chunks. We usually park across the street at Ala Moana (Sears side) and walk over. We really don't mind, plus it gives us a chance to work up an appetite before the meal and work off some calories after the meal. Their parking lot only has about 6 stalls, and street parking is scarce there, so we wouldn't recommend trying it - especially during peak dining hours or weekends. Their seafood dishes are excellent! You know how some places serve you seafood that tastes like solid ocean? Not here. The linguine pescatore was perfectly spiced and full of seafood flavor - not ocean. I love their elegant yet rustic-cozy decor. I know it's not for everyone, but I love it! And what I love best about the layout is that their kitchen is totally open: no hiding behind swinging doors. They also have a semi-private side room that I'm already considering reserving for my birthday - and that's not for another 10 months. Check this place out if you're looking for a night of refined dining! read more

What a rip off! Artichoke Salad- priced at $17.00. Tasteless, with a few canned sliced artichokes and a dressing of lemon juice and olive oil. Uni Pasta Entree - Uni was the size of a ping pong ball. Pasta tasteless. Further, the price on the bill charged dollars more than in-house menu listed. They would not adjust the price. They said sorry. My son didn't want to make a scene, so we left paying the higher amount. Panna Cotta Dessert- dessert dish only half filled with panna cotta, the other half filled with clear gelatin. Served with a few halved grapes. Thanks to my kids for taking me out for dinner on Mother's Day. First and last time at Bernini. read more

Bernini Honolulu, what a beautiful Italian themed restaurant, Bernini Honolulu kinda of reminds me of something you would find hidden away in Chicago / New York or San Francisco, it is one of those hole in the wall restaurants that the locals talk about and the only way to find it is by word of mouth or YELP. Bernini Honolulu is a must try Food: Excellent, tasty it will be no surprise that this hole in the wall will rock in a few months. Service: There service is second to none, for a hide away it is amazing how great and professional there service is. Staff: There staff, well how can any one describe it, Professional, Well groomed, Attentive I guess you would say this cozy hide away gives 5 star service. Decor: Yes the décor is as you would expect for a hidden away, 5 stars, word of mouth Italian restaurant, very well done, very clean and crisp, the owner took his / her time to do it just right. Prices: There prices are very reasonably for the ambiance, averaging slightly under $20.00 a plate. Parking: Bernini offers free parking right outside there door and on the street front there is also loads of metered parking (It may be free after 5pm) read more

Ordered the beef stroganoff. The picture had a big plate of fettuccine looking noodles. They asked me if I wanted bread or rice and I assumed that was on top of the noodles. When I get home all I have is a tiny plastic bowl of stroganoff and no noodles. On top of that the whole thing is filled with mushroom and barely any beef. This dish is $17. Do not order this! **Edit to this review, looked up the menu photo again on the internet and it was actually rice not noodles. I assumed it was noodles because stroganoff is almost always served with noodles. Either way the portion is too small, definitely not worth $17. read more

The food here is pretty good, but the service was a little lacking. Maybe it was just a bad day or bad timing but our server was slow and much more attentive to the OTHER guests. You should NEVER favor other tables as a waiter/waitress! I tip well, but only if you meet the basic standards of service. The restaurant closes at 11pm but for some reason I couldn't make a reservation for 10pm, so I had to make it at 9:45 and rush there after work. Suuuuper weird that they said they can't do a 10pm reservation, when their website says 10:30pm last order and 11pm close.. And then when we got there to check-in, they were surprised to see my reservation in the book, like it caught them by surprise. They had to then separate some tables, clean them, and rearrange everything while we waited at the hot, musty entrance for a while. FAIL. Yes, the ambience is decent and so if the food, but for the price we're paying I'm not a fan. Most likely won't be back here unless it's for a someone else's special occasion. read more

I was looking forward to trying this restaurant especially for the uni pasta. Having lived in Japan I knew what to expect for Japanese Italian food. Not quite Italian food and more Japanese flavors and interpretation of Italian flavors. I was not impressed with this restaurant. Flavors weren't developed enough to have any real taste. Marinated octopus was ok. Typical flavorless hard hawaii tomato and tako tasted like a bland tako poke from Safeway. Pizza was good. Thin crust tasty tomato sauce. This was the only decent dish. Uni pasta really had no flavor of uni more of salty dashi. Bottarga pasta was just another salty bowl of noodles. Pasta itself was al dente so that's good. Overall another restaurant targeted and advertised in Japanese travel magazines catering to an unsophisticated palate. If you are in the mood for Japanese pasta go to pietros...tastier and cheaper! read more

The food is mediocre at best and the only reason they get away with charging the high prices that they do is because of the nice decor. The lady who owns the place has no sense of service whatsoever, and is known to loudly argue with customers, which is exactly what happened to us. The first wine we bought was corked and when we pointed this out to the waiter he immediately went to go change it. Within a minute this lady comes in yelling at us asking what to do with the wine. Needless to say, I was in utter shock at the sheer unprofessionalism of the owner and cancelled the rest of the order and took my business elsewhere. read more

We brought a large group of out of towers to Bernini. As usual, the food was great. We especially enjoyed the prosciutto fungi pizza and vongole pasta. Pizza was fantastically crispy. My only complaint: I never thought you could have such good food in such dismal, overly warm conditions. The wait staff was sweating and our waiter told us everyone was complaining. He said that is how it gets when is hot outside. What? It's Hawaii! It's always hot! It was so unbearable one of my guests started feeling faint and had to step outside for air and never returned. Half way through the entree, my father also had to leave the restaurant. Nobody at my table (there were 9 of us) wanted to stay for dessert. We wanted to just get out of there. read more

5 stars for the uni pasta. garlicky rich goodness. al dente pasta with just the right bite. i want to eat this right now. the ambience, service, wine etc were good but the uni pasta is why i will go back here. p.s. the parking is TERRIBLE. but the uni pasta is INCREDIBLE. read more

Bernini in my opinion is my definition of a small but successful restaurant. They're always packed and on top of that is still popular with take out orders. To add on that, the service was great. Wanted give a big shoutout to our waitress first off! She was amazing and kept checking up on us. One could argue that because the customers line up to dine here that servers are rushing customers to eat and go. HOWEVER, it didn't give a sense of being rushed. She was attentive and was helpful in answering our questions. It seems like they also study the menu (including the daily specials) which I feel is what makes a server a server and worth their tip (anyone can just bring food to the table). The food itself was light and would probably fill up a 200 lb man about 55% but the taste works! So for all of you peeps who wanna impress someone (boss, significant other, family,etc. Bernini is the place to go. read more

Overall experience : 8/10. The service is on point and they change out your plates every so often. We did family style and tried just about every dish on the menu. Loved everything! read more

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A solid attempt at upscale Italian food. The decor is contemporary and the restaurant is divided into several rooms. It would be a lot nicer if they knocked down some walls and opened up the space. I'm assuming this used to be an old office with several separated spaces. The menu is very limited unless you want pizza or pasta. The pizza is thin and crisp with some upscale topping choices such as goat cheese, prosciutto and shellfish. The one's we tried were pretty good. However any topping you wouldn't consider "standard" also comes with an upscale price. The service was good. Attentive yet unobtrusive. They lack a good spirit selection at the bar. I think I remember the waitress saying they only have five different brands of liquor. Total. They have a fairly decent wine selection but not large either. The highlight of our meal however was the dessert. Everyone in our party ordered one and everyone was pleased. I probably wouldn't come back here again. It doesn't have the comfy feel I long for in an Italian restaurant. The prices are a little over the top as well. Overall not a bad experience but nothing memorable either. Parking is also a nightmare. read more

Margherita Pizza was excellent with prosciutto, Mushroom risotto was kind of salty. All the appetizers were excellent. VERY poor wine list...By the glass. and in general. Service was poor. She was not attentive and was no where to be found at most times. She continually checked up on us when we were FINISHED with the meal. Not ANY time while we were eating. Finally, the desserts were quite awesome. Tiramisu and Chocolate cake... ONO. However, the cheesecake needed some work. Oh and our waitress brought spoons to eat everything which was kind of difficult to work with. Overall, Ok experience. For the money, I would rather have dinner at IL LUPINO instead. The price, food, and service is better there. read more

I've heard very mixed reviews from friends and fellow Yelper's (and I mean really mixed - some love it, some hate it), and sadly I was just not impressed. The food was just OK, and for the price I would go elsewhere. The service was excellent though so I bumped up my 2 to a 3 star. Some of my quick tips (or rants? lol): -Parking sucks, since it is a cramped/tight parking lot and people don't know how to park so I just recommend looking for street parking or walking over from Ala Moana. -I thought the best dish we had was the "Norcia" pizza (sausage mushroom truffle oil pizza) but I prefer a non-cracker crust. I love thin crust but this crust was so thin it tasted like soda crackers. The topping was good and it was a great appetizer for us to start with. -Our pastas were just OK. My bff had her King Crab pasta and I had the Vongole, both which were not very flavorful. I did really enjoy the noodles though. -Dessert was also OK. Had the fruit tart and the mille crepe, between the 2 we preferred the mille crepe. read more

This little restaurant is a real keeper, certainly one to keep in mind when you want to experience a slightly unconventional, yet wholly satisfying, light Italian dinner. The menu takes you on a culinary tour from appetizers (antipasti), to skillfully prepared pastas, then to thin-crust pizzas with or without tomato sauce, and finally to house-made desserts. My cousin (who graciously picked up the tab) and I ate the antipasti misti appetizer, which, that night, included tuna carpaccio, marinated calamari and shrimp, and porchetta ham. This appetizer was absolutely delightful: light, tasty without being salty, refreshing, and appetite whetting. We then shared the mozzarella and tomato pasta, which was cooked al dente, and the presentation of which was light and simple, showcasing the pasta itself (I loved that the sauce did not overpower or drown the spaghetti). We then had the norcia pizza, prepared bianca (without tomato sauce) with sausage, mushrooms and walnut/truffle oil. This pizza was wonderfully unique -- a medley of flavors, all on a thin crust. We concluded our meal by sharing two desserts. Candidly, I cannot remember the details of our desserts, other than that we finished them both with nary a trace left on the plates. The only real negative about the place that I could detect is the parking. The lot fronting the restaurant is so cramped that only mini-sized cars ought to be allowed. Street parking and a flat-rate parking lot across Waimanu offer alternatives. This is truly a little gem near Ala Moana that I would recommend for a quiet dinner any day of the week. read more

An Italian/Japanese fusion restaurant ... hmmmm ... interesting. That was my first thought when my fellow food tourers mentioned trying out this restaurant. Italian food is one of my FAVES so I was ready to try out this fusion experience to see what it was like. I'd have to say I was not disappointed. It's amazing that I've never noticed this place before as I've driven past it so often and been to other places nearby. The parking is very small, so your best bet is finding street parking which is FREE after 6:00pm!! Once inside the decor is so chic yet comfortable. I was highly impressed. My friends and I were seated in the back room and since we were having dinner a little earlier it was almost as if we had our own private dining room!! From reading some other reviews it seems like we had the best waitress at the restaurant, Nadia. She answered all our questions with a smile and checked on us regularly throughout the night. Gotta love quality service!! Now, on to the food!! As usual, my food tourers and I ordered a bunch of food that we've heard was good or sounds interesting and we share. The restaurant provides fresh baked bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Gotta love that!! We decided to start off with the Porchetta appetizer .... simply delicious. The pork was thinly sliced and served on a bed of greens. It was a great way to get a small salad serving without having to order an entire salad on the side! For our entrees we ordered the Quattro Formaggi pizza w/ truffle oil, the "King Crab" linguine w/ tomato cream sauce & the "Beef Ragu" linguine. I'm just gonna start out with ... I TOLD YOU SO to my fellow food tourers!! I say this because I thought the Quattro Formaggi pizza sounded good because I love cheese ... but my friends thought it was too boring to order. Oh, but when our waitress recommends it as one of her favorites then they'll consider it :p .... well I was right! Hahaha. The Quattro Formaggi doesn't come with truffle oil, but it sounded so good we asked if we could add it to our pizza and the chef agreed!! Also, the chef recommended drizzling honey on the top of the pizza ... HEAVEN!! It was my favorite dish of the night!! The "King Crab" linguine was also very good. You could taste the crab, but it wasn't too seafoody (yes that's a word) tasting which is always a bonus!! I wish there was a little more flavor in it without having to add the house spicy sauce to it. The "Beef Ragu" linguine was my second favorite dish of the night. The beef was cooked well and was juicy and not chewy. I also liked the sauce it was cooked in. I would order it again! We had also ordered a bottle of wine to have with our meal. Again, Nadia was able to give us great recommendations for a nice full bodied wine. We ended up getting Conn Creek wine from Napa Valley ... it was a perfect addition to our meal. For dessert, because you have to get dessert, we got the Tiramisu Bernini style. I would say it wasn't my favorite Tiramisu ... Sabrina's is better ... but it was still good and it still disappeared! This place doesn't get 5 stars from me because I'm a little particular about my Italian food and I don't give away 5 stars as easily!! FINAL VERDICT: Italian/Japanese fusion is nothing to be afraid of ... in fact it's pretty darn delicious! Take some friends or someone special and have a fancy night out!! read more

This is my favorite restaurant in hawaii. I love this place and the food never disappoints. The calamari is a must and my fiancé hates asparagus but we have to order 2 every time. We refuse to share. I always try to order the specials just to try something new. They pizzas n pastas are prepared fresh and the deserts are too pretty to eat. I recommend this place to any guy for a first time romantic date location read more

Bernini Honolulu - A must order - Italian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Had a decent dinner here the other night. The atmosphere here is very chill and I noticed almost all of the patrons were Japanese. We decided to get a bottle of the Belgurado Serrata which ended up being a lovely blend of Sangiovese and Alicante. To start things off, we shared the Proscuitto appetizer with mozzarella and romaine lettuce. It was a light dish, nothing too extravagant. I ordered the Boscaiora which was a linguine dish with homemade sausage, porcini mushrooms in a light cream sauce. I thought the pasta was very solid, can't really go wrong with that combination in my opinion. It was a hefty portion too so I ended up taking some home. For dessert I tried the Tiramisu. I wasn't that crazy about Bernini's take on the tiramisu, it wasn't as decadent as I had hoped it would be. Overall I think the food here is 3.5 stars but our service was very good so I'll give them 4 stars. read more

Bernini Honolulu - thumbs up for the Boscaiora...linguine, homemade sausage, porcini mushrooms in a light cream sauce. - Italian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Here's the deal. If you love REAL Italian food (as served in Italy) this is la dolce vita (the sweet life) in Honolulu and the only place to get it. Whether it's terrific woodfired pizzas cooked in 3 minutes, fresh housemade pasta, antipasti, salads, or desserts, it's all fresher than fresh and bellissimo. If you prefer Chicago style pizza with lots of toppings or heaps of pasta with "red sauce" you will be unsatisfied and maybe even unhappy. But maybe you want to come for dessert because it's just wonderful. Our service was fantastic maybe partly because we knew a little of what we were ordering. The food was brought in sequence - not rushed altogether so they can "turn the table" faster. Nice, relaxed, elegant, wonderful, delicious. The hard part is they have only 3 parking spots - there is street parking but it's not the most convenient and there is a pay lot between streets. But this is no different from parking in Chinatown so no big deal. In short, Bernini - please don't dumb down your menu. Those who love you will be loyal! We promise! read more

Last night was our second time to Bernini and I have 3 more reservations this week! When we went there the first time, I was so impressed with their food that I decided to do all of our social occasions to be done there. But already the cooking got sluggish. Pasta was still good and the pizza was fine. But octopus appetizer dish we ordered was really not up to their standard. They mixed in the old potato pieces which tasted like they were in the fridge for a while with the leftover tako (octopus.) You know right away when potato is not freshly cooked. I did not see the chef Matsumoto last night. Has he gone home to Tokyo already? And are the kitchen staff already lacking attention? read more

WONDERFUL place. Took my wife here after we've had a couple trips to Italy. I didn't think we could find dishes as subtle and as enticing here in the islands. We are grateful to have wondered upon Bernini's. This is not some heavy-handed overly saturated Italian place. Bernini's is an intimate bistro with a staff you can really see care about what they present. This owner has a lot to be proud of. My wife and I will be back many times for the foreseeable future. read more

This restaurant was proposed to me by a fellow food critic aka Kalei F. and I happily accepted seeing as how it just opened back in April so everything about the place should be new except that it's a restaurant "chain" - and I use that word with caution because when most people hear that word they think Chili's, The Cheesecake Factory, Olive Garden, etc. but it's more like fine dining than anything commercialized. At first I thought it was a restaurant from the mainland but after reading their website, they only have locations in Japan. Bernini is located on the left hand side of Waimanu Street between Pensacola and Pi'ikoi. There are a handful of stalls in front of the joint but I would recommend the street parking as the stalls are pretty tight. The space the restaurant occupies use to be a tuxedo shop so it's remarkable how they redid it and made it look super duper fancy. We were seated in a secluded back area away from the front of the restaurant with 4 tables. When empty it's a real nice area. Quiet and exclusive. But can be quite noisy when all 4 tables are filled due to the acoustic sound. Our waitress, Nadia, was exceptional. Always checking on us and making sure our dining experience was top notch. She did a great job of explaining the specials of the night but not forcing us upon those options. Upon first sitting down they offer three types of water: sparkling, bottled, or regular. Nadia gave us ample amount of time to decide which was nice because there were many items recommended by other Yelpers. We decided to go with the following: Antipasta: Porchetta - homemade, slow roasted pork served on greens Linguini: Beef Ragu and the King Crab Pizza: Four Cheese - this one we adjusted a little (yes... I know... we shouldn't have but hey it turned out great!) by adding truffle oil. It's served with honey. Free bread is served with a side of olive oil and balsamic vinegar (and you CAN ask for more!). Everything was amazing! The Porchetta had to be the best roast pork I've ever eaten and I'm a huge fan of pork. Served on a bed of greens drizzled with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It was nice and light. The linguinis came out at the same time. Each with its own distinct taste but both absolutely fabulous. I'm a beef person but I really liked the King Crab version. The pizza in all it's divineness was delicious! Who knew that cheese could taste so phenomenal. Add a drizzle of honey and you've got a whole other thing. Not a single drop was left on the plates or pan. We paired everything with a nice red wine. Most of the wine here is served by the bottle (and well it's not that cheap). There are a few choices for wines by the glass. The choice we chose was a nice Cabernet Sauvignon by Conn Creek Limited Edition. Bold yet smooth and delicious. For dessert, we went with the well known Tiramisu. It was delicious! Not too heavy on the coffee and liquor taste but sweet enough to satisfy that sweet tooth. Overall, I enjoyed myself quite amazingly! The only downside is the parking. If there was a nice parking structure with ample stalls and you didn't need to worry about finding a stall, it definitely would have been 5 stars all the way! read more

Parking lot is small, but there is also street parking. They have an extensive wine list. Private back room if you and your friends/family want a more quiet atmosphere. There menu ranges from pastas, pizzas and desserts. Our server said that they have specials that change all the time. I kinda wish it didn't because the special we had that night (there were 3 different specials on one plate - eggplant, shrimp and a meat) was delicious. The service was good. Price was ok. All in all I'd go back. read more

If there were three sets of stars food would get 5, service would get 4, Attitude of hostess on the phone and in person would get -2 I have been 10+ times because food quality is excellent Dinner for two with decent wine is +$150, but worth it read more

Exceptional food and service in a chic setting. I was told that the oven takes 5 hours to get to temperature and once there it takes just minutes for food to cook. Amazingly the noise level was low for the number of people dining and we were able to have our "business" meeting without interruption. read more

We had an extremely good meal last night. The pasta was done to perfection , the appetizer was flavorful and full of surprises and the desert was great. I like the decor - but the most important thing was the service. I can not tell you what a great dinning experience this was in words because of Nadia - she was attentive, polite and very knowledgeable of the menu. Great Job Everyone read more

Their lunch menu is so worth the $$. Met my GF there for lunch. Great place to talk story & catch up. Food was awesome. I would go early to find parking which is a little tight. But if you go early you can find street parking. read more

Unexpectedly delicious with excellent service!! The veggie gratin appetizer was amazing!! Never had anything like it. For dinner I had their specialty pizza which was the closest thing to thin crust authentic Italian pizza that I've had in Hawaii. It tastes pretty close to the ones eaten in Rome! Our server was very attentive and provided just the right amount of approaches to the table without giving off the hurry up vibe. I have nothing negative to say other than the shortage of parking. But can't wait to return!! read more

Favorite restaurant in town! This is our "go to" celebration or date night spot. The service is always great. The food is always exquisite. We usually start with a pizza as our appetizer. Last time, I ordered the Gorgonzola penne with asparagus. The portion is the perfect size because the sauce is so rich. We topped this off with a fresh espresso and the Crepe cake. 100% satisfied. Tip: Make a reservation! Also, parking may be a challenge, the lot is small and fills up quickly. There is street parking though. read more

My fiancé took me here for Valentine's Day and I have to say it's the first time (through no fault of his) that my Valentine's Day was perfect. Food: 5/5 The prix fixe menu was divine--absolutely no complaints! I think I got especially lucky because the truly unique fusion of flavors were all my favorites. (That foie gras, mmm!) Emphasis on UNIQUE! Great value for the cost, which I'm supposed to pretend not to be aware of. Service: 4/5 Our waiter was really nice, but I'm pretty particular about fine dining service. He sensed we were sociable people, but took that as an invitation to encroach a bit too far into our date--talking a bit too long, sharing more than asked about himself. I'm really not into that. He was good about not stopping by too often, though, which I appreciated (and was 4/5 knowledgeable about the wine). Ambiance: 3/5 It's cozy, it's chic, and although I'm not sure if the seating that night is typical for their regular dining services, it was a bit too close for comfort. I'm sort of used to this as it's typical in the DC/Metro area, but not standard in Hawaii. I was also a bit jealous that my friend (who was coincidentally there the same night as me with her date ~Hi Julianne!~) was seated in the corner and had waaaay better lighting than our table, which was practically in the center of the room. We're foodies. We take pictures. And mine all came out pretty dark and disappointing in comparison (though it probably did wonders for my face #justsaying). Also, why are there tiny antlers on the walls? Parking: 3/5 There's limited parking in the front, but a good amount of street parking available nearby. We'd never been there before so we parked on the street and just guessed our way there. I could have worn comfier stilettos for that trek. read more

We ordered olive and artichoke salad, sea urchin pasta and mushroom. Everything is so good and we would definitely come back to get same menu. read more

Bernini Honolulu - Italian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Bernini is a little restaurant located by Ala Moana, nearby Chun Wah Kam. The food was amazing and the service was equally great. Our server was very knowledgable about the menu and the seasonal dishes. She did not make any recommendations to us when we asked because she said everything is delicious! The food can be pricey, but is well worth if if you want to treat yourself to something unique and delicious! Parking can be a little difficult since the lot is very small. Street parking is available, but you can park around ward/ala moana and walk over. read more

I had high expectations but was sadly disappointed. Let's start with the best part which is the service. The hostess and servers were all very attentive and knowledgeable. The food, so-so. Not very tasty and nothing special, especially for the price. We had the uni pasta and clam. We were still hungry even after dessert. Go to Arancino instead... trust me! read more

I loved the food here, as did my Grandma and family. True, the parking was somewhat challenging, but the service was fine, and the food was outstanding! We tried all kinds of things, including the octopus appetizer, the porchetta over greens, a simple nalo greens salad, the steamed vegetables with a parsley sauce, three pastas (Clam pasta, King Crab pasta, Chicken Carbonara) and the Norcia pizza. What really impressed me was that the food was flavorful but not over-salted (as restaurant food is prone to be...) and on the lighter side. We pretty much cleaned our plates. Everyone liked everything. I don't know if the pizza is a "must-have" but I might be biased; it came out after all the pastas (which were lovely) and maybe we were getting a little full. We ate all but a tiny slice though so I guess the empty pizza plate speaks for itself. I recommend for a nice date, or family dinner, or whatever else, except maybe a rowdy group. read more

I'm writing this review now after coming here twice. The first time I tried Bernini last year, I was very excited after all the hype my friends had been giving it. My experience was not bad, but I just didn't come away from the dinner thinking it was amazing. Recently, I went again thinking that maybe my expectations were just too high the first time.. but I left feeling the same way I had the first time I came: meh. [+] Our waitstaff has always been so courteous and welcoming. We also never had to wait very long for our food, which is one of my biggest pet peeves at fine dining restaurants. You can tell that they care about their customers here. [+] The appetizers are wonderful. My favorite is the Caprese Bernini, with mozzarella that practically melts in your mouth. In addition, we ordered the Porchetta, Tuna Carpaccio, and the Marinated Octopus. [+] Dessert-wise, Bernini has got you covered. We ordered the Panna Cotta (yes, you should also order this), Buddino, Pineapple Tart, and Mille Crepes. All were great, but the Panna Cotta is the best one. [-] I'm going to be blunt and admit that I just don't care for the pasta. And I loooove pasta! We ordered four different ones: uni, clam, king crab, and beef ragu. Out of all four, the best were the king crab and beef ragu. The uni always sounds so dang delicious but is ultimately rather disappointing. [-] I get that the style of Pizza served at Bernini is supposed to be more traditional italian, but I didn't seem to care for it. We ordered the Seafood Pizza, Mushroom, and a Sausage. Each was "ok", but not as exceptional as they should have been. I get why so many people love this place, but I can also see why others consider it so overrated. I enjoyed my meal here both times, but would be in no rush to come back any time soon. P.S. the parking lot here (if not already full) is a car accident waiting to happen. Save yourself the stress and either find metered parking on the street, the Nijiya Marketplace parking lot, or you don't mind you can also park inside the TJ Maxx parking structure next to the park. It's not too far of a walk and it'll help to burn off some of that food off! read more

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This place never turned me down!! We had 4 different dishes, but everything taste so good. We were in heaven.... Will come back soon, I mean very soon :) read more

Bernini Honolulu - Italian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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This restaurant is an unexpected surprise.It is hard to get a reservation. This restaurant is worth the wait. The pasta and pizza were amazing. This place is something special read more

My hubby and I had a wonderful experience at Bernini. It was date night - and we didn't know where we wanted to go for dinner. We called Bernini at the last minute, thinking they're probably going to tell us that it was booked (it was Friday night afterall) but they were so sweet and accommodating. They said that they have a table available, as long as we finish our meal in 2 hours (they had a reservation but table was available for 2 more hours). Not a problem! I love it when a restaurant as popular as this one is willing to do what they can to make the customers happy. They even accept reservations for 2 people. I drive around this area all the time but never knew that there was such a wonderful little Italian restaurant there! We read other reviews for this restaurant and knew that parking was going to be difficult. We got there early and we were lucky enough to find street parking. Once we entered the restaurant, we were promptly greeted by the staff and seated right away. Everything was smooth sailing from there. Our server was very professional, explained the specials and even made recommendations for our main dish. For starters, hubby and I ordered the Porchetta (Slow Roasted Pork) and the Caprese Bernini Salad. Both delicious! For the main, hubby had the Saltimbocca Bernini Stylye (Sauteed Angus Filet Mignon with Prosciutto, Sage, White Wine Sauce. (He loved it!) and I ordered the Pomodoro. Oh my goodness, the Mozzarella was so tender and fresh inside the sauce. Pasta was cooked to perfection. Delicious! I want to try the Ricci di Mare next time or the Beef Ragu! Pizza wouldn't be a bad idea either. So many choices, so many reasons to go back again! We were having such a wonderful time there, that we even ordered their famous Panna Cotta with White Wine Gelle & Fruits and the Mille Crepes with Strawberry and Chocolate. It was heavenly. Seriously. Every dish came out at the right time. Server was very nice and attentive. Will definitely be returning to try other items on their menu. Had a WONDERFUL night. Excellent restaurant with delicious Italian cuisine! Tips: Reservation is highly recommended as it gets quite busy. Parking may be a challenge. Even if you find a parking space in their parking lot, you may have a difficult time getting out of the lot once you're done because the space of the lot is very small, crammed with cars and when we were leaving I saw a customer not being able to back out because another car was blocking her in and she had to wait until the other person's car was moved. read more

White table clothes and other small fancy appointments which kinda made me sorry I wore jeans. (naaa...) Even thought the restaurant says here in Yelp that they have a "Full Bar".....NOT SO!! As a gin martini drinker, they only had one brand of gin, Bombay Sapphire which is good but not my favorite Tanqueray and no vermouth! NO MARTINI GLASSES EITHER.. Auwe! So I'd venture to say this is really a wine place. Bottle do line the walls. They don't permit outside wines!! Forget about it! So no such thing as a corkage. Next time, I'll have my martini at home and do some beer (if they have it) with the dinner. BTW - their gin pour was 1.5 oz. Kinda manini in my opinion. The waiter said it was to make more money. Well, not if I have mine at home it doesn't! My wife's wine was a small pour as well. Live and learn. BUT THE FOOD WAS EXCELLENT! We started with the Gorgonzola Cheese Gratin which was wonderful. I loved it even tho I'm meant & potatoes guy. Great way to do vegetables with a thick crust of chewy burnished cheese. My main course was the Chicken Carbonara. Not your mother's carbonara. It's better. It had some interesting spice in it that I didn't recognize but really enhanced the dish and made it unique....at least in my limited experience. The sauce was creamy unlike most places that drench it in butter. Slightly spicy and tasty spiced chicken chunks. My wife had the Gorgonzola Cheese and Asparagus in Cream Sauce. It too was slightly different that standard Italian fare and easily competitive with my carbonara for a super good main course. I had to try a desert and went for the Apricot Crostata, Vanilla Bean Gelato because it sounded good. I was disappointed. Besides being tiny the crostata (a layered pastry) was tough and really hard to cut into with a fork. But have been old. It tasted ok, but geezz?? The minuscule scoop of gelato tasted good, but like the martinis I guess they want you to order two. No desert next time. Amazing that I gave it a four, ya? Well the service was good, the decor very nice and the two pasta dishes we had were killer. So for me it's more of a 3.5. But that's just me. PS - This place is very popular with the Asians who come and visit their nearby Kakaako condos. They dress better that us. :) read more

Excellent service, atmosphere and dishes. Pricey but worth it. My suggestion, skip the appetizers and go main dish... Pizzas are wonderful, risotto is heavenly (but a speciality item), and go for the king crab linguine... Deliciously deadly :) read more

Bernini Honolulu - Best dish.. Their risotto.. But call first to make sure they have it!! - Italian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii