Went for a girl's night, and this was the perfect venue! We enjoyed good food and lots of wine! The staff is excellent. Only inconvenience is that the bathroom is in the adjacent shopping center, so there is some walking if you have to go (and be sure to get the bathroom code before you go so you dont have to walk back ). read more

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Botanico is located in Waikiki and is fairly easy to get to, though parking does require a longer walk than expected. From parking, you need to take escalators and elevators, then exit the building and walk along the sidewalk to enter the restaurant. Not a huge issue, but something to be aware of. On our first visit for dinner, we were greeted promptly and seated quickly. The host and staff were friendly and professional. Our server was knowledgeable about the menu and made recommendations. As expected for Waikiki, there is a noticeable push toward alcohol, which is understandable. We ordered two drinks, an espresso martini and a Grey Goose vodka martini. Both were made competently. Nothing wrong with them, but nothing memorable either. The best part of the meal was the appetizers. The whole wheat focaccia with ricotta was excellent and easily the standout item of the night. We also ordered a mushroom stuffed appetizer, which was very good as well. The Prosciutto Zeppole were where things became confusing. While the dough itself was fine, they include seaweed as part of the preparation, which was an unexpected flavor choice and did not work for us. It felt out of place for what is traditionally a very straightforward Italian item. For my main, I ordered a pizza topped with arugula and prosciutto. The flavor was okay, but the execution was poor. It was overloaded with toppings to the point that it could not be picked up or eaten properly. Everything slid off, forcing it to be eaten in pieces. The crust was also soft and somewhat soggy. My wife ordered a pasta dish and commented that it was just okay. Overall, dinner was not a complete disappointment, but it did not live up to the marketing and hype. Botanico presents itself as Italian, but in reality it is Italian inspired rather than Italian. I am Italian, grew up with Italian food, and am very particular about it. None of the dishes we had would be considered traditional Italian. This does not mean the food is bad, but it is clearly aimed at a specific clientele. The restaurant group is Japan based, the chef is Japanese, and the flavors are clearly designed for a Waikiki tourist audience, particularly Japanese tourists familiar with this style of fusion. Japanese influenced Italian fusion simply does not work for those accustomed to traditional Italian flavors. The pastas leaned noticeably sweet, and items like zeppole with seaweed do not align with Italian or even standard American Italian expectations. That is fine if that is the intent, but the presentation and marketing should be more transparent. We gave Botanico a second chance at lunch, and unfortunately that experience was worse. We were seated immediately and both ordered pasta. My wife ordered the Carbonara, and I ordered the Amatriciana. Both dishes were overloaded with sauce, noticeably sweet, and the noodles were stuck together. My wife's carbonara had the same issue, far too saucy and poorly executed. We ordered the focaccia again, but it arrived with nothing. No ricotta, no butter, nothing. After waiting, we flagged down our server. She acknowledged that ricotta normally comes with it but did not bring it out initially. She returned with butter only, still missing the ricotta. After more time, she brought the ricotta separately and said she had to look for it. The server seemed unfamiliar with the menu and inattentive overall. When leaving, the server asked about my untouched pasta. I explained politely that it was not to my liking due to the sweetness and preparation style, not because anything was wrong. She acknowledged that. Bottom line: The staff are generally polite, and the focaccia is genuinely very good. However, Botanico is essentially a Japanese restaurant presenting itself as Italian, aimed at a tourist clientele. Prices are high for what you get, and execution was inconsistent, especially at lunch. If you are there for drinks, happy hour, or enjoy Italian Japanese fusion, you may like it. If you are expecting traditional Italian food, this is not the place. We will not be returning. read more

Imagine strolling through the streets of Sicily , Taormina in Italy . BOTANICO Waikiki welcomes as if you were dining in Italy . Beautiful modern Mediterranean Restaurant . Gold accents throughout the Restaurant with artwork and a beautiful stained glass window in the heart of the Restaurant. I was greeted with sincere warmth and aloha from Aya ( host and manager ) Anthony the general manager welcomed guest with warmth and aloha . BOTANICO will be open 7 days a week for lunch , happy hour and dinner . For the grand opening week they are open for dinner from 5:00 pm. Starting mid - November they will be open from 11:00 am for lunch . Chef Tama has created such a delicious, diverse and wonderful menu at BOTANICO . The restaurant offers indoor and outdoor seating in the patio . One can make a reservation through Open Table. Extensive wine selections from all over the world . Curated by one of the 3 Master Sommelier in Hawaii .T.K .offered many great selections from the menu . I chose the prosciutto zeppole . Italian dough mixed with seaweed and accompanied by prosciutto and Parmesan. Cheese . I paired my dish with Poggio Costa Prosecco. For my main dish I chose the housemade bolognese. Was so flavorful and delicious. Paired with Capichera ' Lintori " vermentino . Truly such a wonderful restaurant with an amazing team headed by Anthony and Kensuke the district manager of Zetton Group. Thank you for a wonderful evening at BOTANICO . I highly recommend to dine at BOTANICO . Great for groups and special occasion like birthday or anniversaries. Date night is also highly recommend to dine at the restaurant. I will definitely return to try Chef Tama menu creations . Aloha and mahalo read more

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Loved the food and loved the bartender. I dined alone and he kept me company by making conversation read more

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Liz our server was super nice and provided top notch service. The food is fabulous and the portion's are just right. The menu is a terrific blend of Italian & Mediterranean and very well prepared. The happy hour was longer than most others and I certainly will return. I highly recommend. read more

A new Beautiful restaurant right in the heart of Waikiki delicious food wonderful staff Blown Away by all the dishes especially the Bolognese and the cheek and the seafood platter. read more

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Well, I should have known not to come to a new restaurant even if the same owners have my favorite restaurant Zigu. We were greeted well by the manager I assume, waitress was nice and prompt, but the menu only had half the items available. Literally half on an already minimal lunch menu. Nothing really looked great to be honest but we had reservations here and didn't want to just walk out when we found out they only had 50% of their menu. Ordered the focaccia and ricotta as the starter and it was ok. Could have used more flavor or crunchy salt. I ordered the cream pasta which was basically clam chowder with shell pasta. It was ok but the pasta was as mushy as the potatoes. Not even Al dente in the American version and definitely not as an Italian. Flavor was ok but even if they cooked the pasta perfectly, it didn't have much depth and I would not order it again. My husband got the genovese pesto and it was a beautiful looking dish but tasted quite odd with the green beans being so forward tasting. I didn't even taste any pine nuts or garlic. I was really glad I didn't order it. My husband said it was ok but as the ingredients are so cheap, not worth $24. The two lunch plates also came out 5 minutes in between so I just sat looking at my plate while waiting for my husbands food to come out. The restaurant was definitely not busy at all. Maybe 3-4 tables including ours. The inside is really pretty though but there was cigarette smell all in it as it's open to the street and someone was smoking near the door. read more

Botanico Waikiki - Cream pasta - Mediterranean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

First time. Short menu options and not all available. Communication about food status was poor. Long wait and plates came out with different pasta than listed on menu. Wine glass was poured way shy. And desserts were not impressive. Our group of 6 was expecting a lot more form this place. Not interested in coming back. read more

Terrible service !! But honestly the problem start at management !! I work at best restaurants here for many years already!! and this place is disgrace as offending the word " European " food ., PINSA ..?? Really ?? Go back to you tube ( yeah because u don't have any idea what means pinsa or zeppole !!) u should feel ashamed!! And look all your places how they doing ..!! Kamado ..heavenly..and oyster bar ?!! Pls learn how to cook and how to serve !! read more

Food and presentation was outstanding. Top notch chef knows how to prepare food and stage it. Ribeye steak was excellent as was the moussaka appetizer. Although located in a shopping mall, the atmosphere was very upscale, quiet and comfortable. Excellent service from Quynn, who was very helpful explaining the menu and serving us promptly and efficiently. read more

Wow, my only regret is that we didn't find this earlier so we could have done it again. Best meal we have had during our 10 day stay. Ambiance was about as good as you can get. We ate just inside, off the patio and felt like it was the best seat in the house. To be honest tho - they all look like the best seat in the house. Just relax, order a bottle of wine and settle in. They have a pretty good wine list and you don't have to go spendy. They have a house carafe, but we had the $45 merlot and it did the job just fine. We ordered the margharita pizza as an appetizer and thought it was one of the best bites we've had this trip. Crust was great. Sauce was great. The basil is served whole leaf which looks great and avoids that charing, but a chiffonade would have spread the love a little for every bite. Who cares, I'd order it again in a second. We then decided to split a couple pastas. We had the bolognese and the carbonara. They were both two of the best expressions of those I've had. Crazy good. My only nit would have been to leave off what may have been shallots in the sauce which isn't on the menu and worked fine (we ate every scrap) but confused the palate a bit because it looked just like the guanciale or whatever they use. The carbonara was outstanding and we ate every bite. Finally, the service was outstanding. They really worked as a team. Attentive but not pushy or hovering. Our server was Beighlee and she was perfect. Always had water, food came out at the right times, checked in throughout the meal (as did about 4 others) but in just the right way ... which was the icing on the experience. This is a solid 5 out of 5 and I hope they have the rating they deserve when I come back this spring. read more

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We came here to celebrate our 1st anniversary. Our Hostess was Aya. Come to find out she was the manager of this fabulous restaurant. Our waitress was Yuri she such a little thing. But she knew how to make our experience unforgettable. Our food is to die for. Lava Funghi is something I want to try and recreate. Portabella Mushroom, the sausage and the sauce. Oh! Man!!! You just have to taste it to know what my rave is about. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you again. For an unforgettable 1st Anniversary dinner. read more

This place has a lot of potential, but the food is abysmal. Mussels come over a bed of fries that completely ruins the broth and dish itself. I got a 4 cheese pizza and it came without any sauce and the server told me "that's how it comes" which insane if you want to call that pizza. Pasta for my girlfriend was undercooked and not good at all. Drinks are fine, but everything is not worth the price that comes with it. They didn't even offer to take the pizza off the bill after I told them I wasn't eating it. They're clearly extremely cheap and could use a new chef that actually knows Italian cuisine. read more

We went to Botanico on a date night and were so pleasantly surprised by every detail. It's a newer spot (they opened just before Halloween 2025), and the interior is gorgeous--stylish and well thought out, but still relaxed and welcoming. It feels like the kind of bar you want to linger in with a great cocktail, not stiff or pretentious. We sat outside, which was perfect, and our waiter was fantastic- friendly, attentive. The house wine was great and a great value (especially for Waikiki), and the food was delicious across the board. A really lovely addition to the neighborhood. We'll definitely be back. read more

My wife and I came in after a day out on the island and it was the perfect spot to debrief about our day! The manager Anthony was amazing as well as the entire staff. Drinks were top notch we will definitely be back on our next visit to try the food! read more

Out of curiosity we stopped in for a small lunch on Saturday, Feb 7th. My wife was in a transport chair and one of the staff noticed this and opened a big door allowing us to roll in. Liset welcomed us and was a great ambassador'/server/guide for the restaurant. We had the Amatriciana and homemade pancetta pasta -- super good. I mean "lick the bowl" good (but being in public I demurred). We coupled that with the Prosciutto & Arugula Pinsa (flatbread) that was rather large (brought half home) but also very good. We accompanied the meal with Belliza Sarmede Pinto Grigio and I had the Bindi Sergari Toscano Roso Sangiovese. We were very happy. This is a bit high end and very delicious. Good deals to be had starting at 2pm for Happy Hour. We will be going back. read more

Two stars for two weak pour twenty dollars glass of wine. It's a good thing the kitchen was close, i don't think the portion is any better. read more

I went last night..I live here and like to try new places. What a story I have to tell! I got there before my party arrived and while I was waiting I heard a worker yelling at and berating the very young hostess! I was appalled!! He stormed off and I went and asked the hostess if she was okay? She was embarrassed that I heard it and thanked me for checking on her!! I literally hugged her! My party came and we proceeded to enjoy the evening. We had a couple of bottles of wine and pupus and meals to share. When we were leaving..3 hours later I saw the employee that was previously yelling at the hostess. I stopped to tell him I heard him berating the young girl and it was appalling! This man proceeded to yell at me!!! Telling me to have more wine and calling me names!! He didnt even wait on us! We had 2 bottles among 3 people in 3 hours! We spent $400 to be screamed at, insulted and threatened! Come to find out he is a manager! His name is Anthony Torcivia! I called Zetton Inc who is the managing company of several restaurants in Waikiki. They were apologetic and said they appreciated my call and would talk to HR regarding the hostess situation. Anything short of firing this so called manager will not be enough! He obviously picks on young women and women customers! I will not be back. I am in the industry as well and I will be telling everyone not to go! If they truly do something about this manager I would go back! But not unless he is fired! Imagine spending $400 to be called names and screamed at! read more