Came here because of getting a Groupon. It was actually a really nice place in downtown, but parking is horrible! I got lucky with street parking as so did my friend. We were able to get parking right in front since we met up there right after work. I don't know where we would've parked if not. We ordered the poke tacos, escargot, foie gras, ossobuco, and shared the chocolate flambé for dessert. Everything was decently good, but none that great. Service was good, but a little slow. They came to check up on us time to time and fulfilled our needs. I did like how they flambed the dessert in front of us because there's not many restaurants that does that nowadays. The prices were a little high for the quality of the food. Even with the groupon it came out to be priced like a normal meal. It parking were better, I might want to try go again. But besides that, not sure if it's worth it. read more

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Great little restaurant in the middle of town. I came here twice, once for a company lunch and another for dinner with a friend. Both times the food was delicious and the customer service was great. I would recommend coming here when there is a deal either with Livingsocial, Groupon, or Amazon. It usually is $25 for $50 worth of food. With these deals the value of the experience was actually reasonable. If you come here for lunch, I would recommend getting the garlic fries. They are fried perfectly and seasoned to perfection. For dinner, I would recommend the seafood salad. There was plenty of seafood and can seriously be called a salad despite the fried shell and the bed of mashed potatoes or was it smashed potatoes? (not sure). I would defiantly recommend getting the deserts here. We ordered the Cherries Jubilee was artfully prepared by the GM, Emerson, who chatting with us about the history of the desert and the art of customer service. While dinner was a great experience, Cafe Julia would not be my first choice for lunch. I had the lobster roll which I regretted afterward. I think there was just too much sauce in the roll. Plus, there are plenty of other places around Town open for lunch. Would I come here again? Most defiantly- but only for dinner~ read more

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Attended here for a wedding 7/2/2021. Venue set up was beautiful. Had small talk with the owner and I'm glad he's keeping this restaurant in his family. Overall service was great! Food tasted amazing! From the appetizers to the main dish! Never a moment we had to ask for refills, Staff was super friendly and very prompt. Thank you guys for a great experience! read more

This review will likely mirror those along the lines of "Wah! I miss Old Cafe Julia!" After hearing a lot of chatter about the changes that happened earlier this year, I've avoided the place for both lunch and brunch (which I previously loved) -- as well as mourning the missed opportunity to try their pau hana and dinner menus. However, a friend had a 20 percent off coupon so it seemed like a good time to roll the dice. Honestly, if I had never experienced Old Cafe Julia, I wouldn't have minded my dinner experience as much. It's still a beautiful venue that's even prettier at night with the old architecture offset with hanging lights. Service and presentation were good, but none of the food was innovative or surprising in the way it used to be. As a group, we split an appetizer of ahi tacos. Hearing that the chef had steakhouse experience, I opted for a meat entree of a half rack of lamb with rice pilaf. (Other choices from the table included chicken marsala, ahi and a juicy-looking slab of prime rib.) I appreciate that service for the lamb included table-side carving (they also do tableside salads and a couple of flambe desserts), but everything else was so mediocre. Lamb was a little more done than I would have preferred with the rice and veggie sides being forgettable. I would have rather have paid more for something to have wowed me and I got the feeling that no one else had anything worth remembering either. Be back? Maybe if someone's planning a big event, but I wouldn't go out of my way to go back. An unfortunate loss in downtown. read more

Cafe Julia - Half rack of lamb with rice pilaf - Cafes Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Came here for a nice lunch one afternoon. It's very pleasant sitting in the courtyard of the YWCA. I'd recommend the venue for a breezy, informal business lunch. I had the Cafe Julia Burger ($12.50) - Grandma Inspired Kuahiwi Ranch Beef Patty with Caramelized Onions, Swiss Cheese and Teriyaki Sauce on a Toasted Potato Bun. It comes with fries or a salad. I ordered the burger medium but it came out well done. That's fine because the patty was juicy and flavorful. I didn't find the burger especially good or bad - it was a decent burger. The fries were good, though not plentiful. My husband got the French Dip ($12) - Roasted Big Island Beef with Horseradish Sour Cream, Caramelized Onions and Swiss Cheese on a Toasted Hoagie Roll. Au Jus of course. This also comes with fries or a salad. The meat was tender, the roll soft, and the au jus tasty. Overall, the food's a little overpriced and the meals a little skimpy on the fries. Other than that, I'd come back for a nice lunch. read more

I wanted to try Café Julia once they opened, but was always discouraged because of the long wait. Finally got to try, but was a bit disappointed. I thought the food was okay, nothing special or fancy about it. I can't even remember what I had anymore... was it the loco moco??? read more

Cafe Julia - Loco moco - Cafes Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I would say this place is quaint and upscale and made for business lunches to impress. Really, that's how I feel about Cafe Julia, made to "impress". They appeal to the higher end customers, but their food is just okay. For the price, the portions are small and there is nothing stellar about the food. Cafe Julia's burger is not your typical delicious, simple burger. They should preface with the fact that it's more like a sweeter meatloaf patty than a burger. Also, the garlic fries are fries tossed in a "garlic chicken sauce". I'm not sure why I expected different. Not only were they WAY too sweet for me, but it was also the fact that my fries came out to me soggy. Never a good thing. Apparently they are starting a pau hana. Maybe I'll give it another go. Drinks will be necessary. read more

Cafe Julia - Burger with garlic fries $14 - Cafes Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Visited Cafè Julia with my family because we bought a Groupon for this restaurant. I had no idea there was a restaurant in the YWCA! The ambiance is nice, set in a historic building the restaurant attracts townies just getting off of work. Parking can get a little hairy if you're not able to find street parking in the immediate vicinity. After three go-arounds we found parking on the street near the post office. Luckily it was a Sunday so no need to pay the meter! The service was nice, but slow. The furnishings inside the restaurant were a bit odd, with tables similar to the wrought iron ones at Starbucks. It was strange to me that such a cute place would have such cheapey furniture. The food was delicious, although I felt like it was slightly overpriced. My seafood salad had such little seafood, it eventually was just rabbit food. The French onion soup was delicious and their wine and cocktail selection was abundant. I liked the fact that they had a musician playing during our meal. It gave it a nice touch! Overall if it weren't for the groupon I wouldn't have visited this place, and I probably won't go out of my way to go back either. This spot is more for the working professional catching a cocktail and some apps after work. Not for me! read more

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We went here for lunch with the work family. I ordered the open roast beef sandwich with a side order of fries. It was OK. But the lilikoi cheesecake was soooo delicious. It was served in a martini glass. The flavors were just right, not too sweet, with the right amount of tart. I can only complain about the place being hot. There were overhead fans, but was no ac. It was lunch time. The only condiment they had was packets of sugar, everything else you need to ask. The service was very professional. read more

Cafe Julia - Cafes Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Bought a groupon to try Cafe Julia and we r pleasantly surprised. Food tasted good, prepared with care and cooked with love. Service professional, pleasant music from the guitar duo, the place oozes old world charm! Will definitely return. read more

Seriously, this is an amazing gem in the heart of Downtown! We were invited to dinner here a few weeks ago and we were completely surprised by the warm hospitality and amazing ambiance as soon as we approached the hostess stand. We arrived right before 6pm and were seated near the solo musician which was a great touch. We order the ginger mojito to start (YUM!) as well as escargot, poke tacos (excellent), and oyster rockafeller. We ordered three entrees; rack of lamb, filet mignon and foie gras, and new york steak and scallops. The scallops were so delicious and paired perfectly with my steak. Even though we were overstuffed, we couldn't pass up dessert. The ube cheesecake is a MUST try as well as a table-side dessert. The cherries jubilee was amazing and the presentation was very entertaining. The owner and general manager, Emerson, and his team work so well together and it's very obvious that he cares about his staff. The chef even came out of the kitchen to greet his guests and see how everyone was enjoying their food. The servers worked together to make sure glasses were full and dishes were taken away at the appropriate time. Without a doubt, this is one of the only establishments that I've been to where every team member is genuinely friendly and appreciative of their guests. One hour validated parking available at Ali`i Place or metered parking on Richards Street (free after 6pm). Prices are GREAT for the quality of food, ambiance, and service. Perfect place for girls night or date night. Can't wait to try their breakfast menu but will definitely be back for dinner! read more

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Cafe Julia is one of those hidden gems tucked away nicely in the downtown YWCA. The atmosphere is so tranquil with its historical charm and gentle trade winds. The food is absolutely AMAZING! Their garlic fries are gourmet and for $4, easy on the pocketbook. Sorta like Pringles..."You can't eat just one!" It is a bit pricey, but you're definitely paying for quality. For example, the loco moco is around $16 (expensive by local standards), but the flavor is oh so mouth-watering! The Chinese Chicken salad is really tasty too. If you still have room, the desserts are well-worth it! The fresh mango cobbler with vanilla ice cream is simply delicious. The Japanese Lilikou cheesecake comes in a wine glass, so its a lighter option (no crust) and bursting with flavor! Overall, Cafe Julia is a place you'll not want to pass up! Great food, atmosphere, service and when you balance that with the cost, its well-worth it! read more

Cafe Julia - Cafes Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I love the ambiance here and the service - very friendly! I needed a good salad for lunch and found it with the radicchio/arugula salad. I'd go get that again there! read more

I recently attended a wedding here of one of our employees. The venue is very pretty. It looks historic. The wedding was beautiful. The only problem was it was noisy from the traffic and the parking garage next door. We had an hour break between the wedding and the reception. We were taken to the building adjacent where they had a full bar and pupus and plenty of tables for everyone to sit at while they prepared the outside for the reception. The time went by quickly as the food was tasty and the conversation was lively. The reception was also a real hit. The buffet was delicious. Everyone was enjoying the food and open bar. It sprinkled on us a bit, but this is Hawaii. We can't have rainbows without a little rain. I probably wouldn't choose this place because of the road noise, but they did have a beautiful wedding with delicious food. read more

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The open atmosphere is very appealing. We enjoyed the lobster rolls. We pre-ordered to make sure they would not run out! The wait staff is very friendly. read more

Very cool setting in a historic building; we attended for a wedding and everything went off without a hitch. We'd like to come back and visit during regular hours to see the whole property. Feel like I could get lost exploring for hours! read more

OMG! This place is like a little hidden oasis in the city. We walked in and was immediately greeted by our waitress "Annie". She was incredible. Always made sure we were taken care of but she wasn't hovering over us. It was perfect! Plus she was fun, nice and relatable. I'm not used to going to fancy restaurants but Annie helped me feel comfortable. The food! OMG! Ok after getting over the prices we ordered the Seafood Salad and the Prime Rib. OMG!!! Both were Sooooooooooo good!!! The salad jumped in your mouth while the mash potatoes just melted. Then add some perfectly cooked and seasoned shrimp, scallops and calamari, and your in heaven! Then the prime rib came out. It was sooooooo juicy and the vegetables were crisp. It was Awesome! Lastly, since we were celebrating my birthday the restaurant gave us a complementary dessert. So we ordered the caramel bread pudding. And we just melted. The bread pudding was so soft and the caramel just melted in your mouth. Overall we Loved coming to Cafe Julia! The service, food and experience was EXCELLENT! Can't wait to come back again! read more

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I had a wonderfully relaxing lunch with a friend at Cafe Julia today! We had the Lobster Roll ($19.95) and the Grilled Vegetable ($16.95) sandwiches, both excellent and served with side green salad. Nice open-air ambiance but service although efficient, was not warm. Cafe Julia is very expensive but it's convenient and always makes us feel nostalgic. read more

Cafe Julia - Lobster Roll - Cafes Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Ambience was a solid 5. But I found the meals uninspiring. The foie gras was over done and more offal taste than the amazing succulence foie gras can have. Prime rib was okay but again, not inspiring. Luckily my wife asked for salt for her mashed potatoes(see below) which helped more than the jus and horseradish sauce. Rice with curry powder was the starch. My wife got the seafood salad which had the high point of the meal which was perfectly grilled shrimp that tasted fresh. The scallops were small and probably over grilled by just a hair. The calamari was rubbery. The odd thing about the salad was it was served in a fried tortilla bowel a top a good heap of mashed potatoes. The unbaked lilikoi cheesecake was good. read more

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After reading the mixed bag of reviews on Yelp, I finally decided to give this place a try. Apparently, based on the reviews and what I was told directly from the owner himself, Cafe Julia has been in a state of semi-flux for a while now and is just now starting to get back on its feet. I don't know exactly what has or had been going on, but here is what I do know: - The service was some of the very best I have ever had in Hawaii. All of the servers were extremely attentive and very friendly. My glass never got any less than half-full. - Table-side service is grossly underrated. This gesture adds such a bold touch of class to any venue. My half-rack of lamb was de-boned, carved, and plated right before my eyes by the manager. That's service. - The aforementioned rack of lamb was perfectly cooked to medium rare and every bite, while undersalted (which is the only reason this place is not getting 5 stars), was juicy and tender; a perfect combination of lean and fat, with a hint of rosemary. If the food was somehow better before all the changes to the staff, there was no evidence of this, in my opinion. - The vegetables were gently steamed and well-seasoned; still slightly crunchy which is a sign of freshness. - The bananas foster was classically prepared table-side once again. The server explained each step of the cooking process, which my girlfriend appreciated, as she had never had bananas foster before, let alone table-side. A great finish to a great meal. For the level of service as well as the quality of food that you get, I feel that the price points for the menu are spot on. I mean, really. Where else in Hawaii are you going to get a rack of lamb carved table-side for $26 (That's not a rhetorical question, so if you know of any, please hit me up)? Sometimes, going out to eat it about more than just eating. It is about the experience. Cafe Julia gives you more than just a plate of food; for the cost, it gives you a quality dining experience that is hard to come by on Oahu. Highly recommend and will return for sure. "S" read more

CAFE JULIA'S CHEF IS NO LONGER LANCE KOSAKA AS OF END OF APRIL 2013. Those of you who had the pleasure of enjoying fresh, inventive and tasty dishes like the filipino-inspired pork belly on mung bean puree, chicken fried pork chop, farmer's breakfast with local greens and tomatoes, loco moco with local beef, house made smores, eggs benedict with chorizo and polenta, tripe alla parmigiana, and porchetta,with pickled fennel, giardiniera, star fruit mostarda, and okra, bananas foster pancakes, manila clams with lup cheong in chili broth --be glad you had the opportunity, but mourn that you never will. Chef Lance and pretty much his entire crew left Cafe Julia. Management replaced them with a chef who serves furukake salmon, garlic ahi, chicken alfredo, and garlic cheese bread. Do I need to say more? read more

Was one of my absolute favorite places for lunch because the menu was amazing: Chinese Chicken Salad, Chicken and Mac Salad Sandwich, Furikaki Salmon, French Dip Sandwich, Asparagus Tempura, Asparagus Pesto Pasta, etc. etc. EVERYTHING was wonderful. Went back today with new chef and new menu. Ordered the chicken marsala, which was dry with goopy gravy and the noodles were overcooked. My friend ordered the portebella burger, and it was not very flavorful. Looking around, people generally seemed a little shocked over the food. read more

Located in YWCA on Richards Street adjacent to 'Iolani Palace. Park in Ali'i Place for 1 hour of validation... I made a parking mistake and it cost me $12, stupid downtown. I believe the entrance is on Alakea St just prior to Hotel St. Came in here for a weekday brunch, and I was blown away. The food is absolutely first rate, the plating, service, and cleanliness are on par with any 5-star restaurant, yet the price is very reasonable. Had a 3-cheese quiche as the tart of the day served with a turkey barley soup and house salad for $15. Shared a tempura asparagus (light and flaky crust) and GF got the grilled chicken breast which was surprisingly moist and served on a bed of pan-fried potatoes. If I worked in downtown, I'd be here every day... Hope to update when I try the dessert. read more

Don't waste your time. The chef from before left and now the food is terrible. The burger on the loco moco looked & tasted like a May's patty and the fried rice was hard and crunchy. The lobster roll just tasted like celery and apparently they use canned lobster, if there is such a thing. Not one chunk of lobster and couldn't taste it at all. Ordered couple other things that were just as disappointing. Service was pretty bad too. Spent around $90 on lunch for 2 people. What a rip off. I wish I had a time machine so I could go back to before I suggested trying this place and punch myself in my stupid face. Place sucks. I Crush Your Head! read more

I have yet to be disappointed with this place. I've only gone for lunch, but I plan on hitting it up for their pau hana. I like the atmosphere. The staff are friendly and attentive. I like the inside/outside feel of the inside and I like sitting outside as well. It just has a relaxed atmosphere. And if you work downtown, it's kinda nice to just sit and enjoy a lunch break without the rush of people. I'm always torn on what to choose to eat, but I usually end up getting the Cafe Julia Burger with Garlic Fries. Seriously, a damn good burger. I'm a sucker for a burger. I have eaten other food off of others plates and I'm always really happy with how it taste. They do use a lot of local ingredients which I like and have new twists on old classics. This is a place that you want to get dessert. They are outrageously good. And if you really have your eye on something, I say order before the end of your meal, because towards the end of the lunch crowd they will run out. And it's just so sad to be told "sorry but we're out of the best thing every created to go into your mouth today." This is definitely becoming one of my favorite places to eat downtown, especially for a lunch with colleagues and catching up with friends. Because you never know downtown how some place is until you've been there a few times, I gave this place a thorough vetting. The hype is valid and I can't wait to go back for breakfast, pau hana, and of course lunch. read more

Charming cafe, delicious food and good service. This was my second time at this restaurant. It's my go to place in that area.

Saw that there was a Groupon available, so decided to give it a try. We arrived 45 minutes early and thought it would be nice to just have happy hour before our reservation. Seemed fine, we saw a few people having wine and some french fries. We walk in and let the hostess know that we have a reservation, but we were wondering if we could do happy hour to kill time before the actual dinner. She already knew we had a Groupon (I let her know when I made the reservation). She said it was fine and took us to a table. Our waitress came by and told us that we could not do happy hour and then dinner. We were confused. She explained that we could not do both and that we had to choose one or the other to use our Groupon on. When I explained that we were fine with just paying the full price for happy hour, and that we weren't expecting to use the Groupon for that, she said that it was not allowed and that if we had drinks for happy hour, then we MUST use the Groupon for that. My fiance and I agreed that it seemed like too much of a hassle to order drinks from this place, so we said we would leave and come back when our reservation time was. We got up and left. Then, the waitress comes out and starts yelling "excuse me, excuse me"...we turn around and greet her, she seems annoyed with us, but tells us the same exact thing again. They cannot let us do happy hour AND dinner, and that we would have to choose one or the other. We told her that we already understood that, but thought it was silly, as paying customers, that we were not allowed to have drinks. She blamed it all on the owner, and said that it was his way of doing things. Of course we understand that staff is has to follow managements orders, so our frustration wasn't toward her..but toward the owner. I understand that there are rules, but this seemed excessive. Why do I have to choose between happy hour and my regular dinner? I was willing to pay for both..I was willing to combine all the checks and pay whatever the difference was, or close out happy hour and pay full price. This really made no sense. I made this abundantly clear! Its not like i was trying to stiff them..I was trying to give them more money....guess they didn't want it. I saw on YELP that others had happy hour and then had their dinner. I am not sure why we weren't allowed to do the same. It seems like bad business. On top of that, the food is SALTY. Since my experience was bad, I cannot recommend this place. read more

My husband and I had heard so many nice things about this place that I cannot begin to express how disappointed we were. The staff was pleasant and the service attentive, but that is the best we can say about the restaurant. In the end a restaurant is evaluated for good food and value, neither of which this restaurant has. First, we were rather astounded at the prices for this particular venue. We don't mind paying for good food, but this was not "white tablecloth fine dining". The food was slow in coming out of the kitchen, even though the restaurant was nearly empty. We did not blame the waiter, since the service was attentive throughout, but felt that it must be either a lack of preparedness or skill in the kitchen. Then there was the food. The calamari was over cooked and tough. The breading was very dark and falling off the calamari. The fois gras was tasty, but the portion was remarkably small for the price (in comparison, I have had larger, more succulent pieces of fois gras at the buffet at the Kahala Hotel). The linguine was swimming in grease and had four small pieces of shrimp, not what one might expect for a $29 entree. The French Onion Soup was small, and very ordinary. Neither of us has any desire to go back to Cafe Julia. Once is enough for overpriced, ill-prepared food. read more

No garlic fries. New menu. Must call ahead for reservations and pre-ordering is a must here. I had gone with a group of co-workers with a voucher in hand. We arrived without a reservation and were turned away because they didn't take any walk-ins until 12:45pm. Umm...where is that stated anywhere? It's not on the site, it's not posted at the cafe. But fine, we told them we would come at another time. We glanced inside of the cafe and there were several tables empty, but tried to give them the benefit of the doubt. One of my co-workers called for a reservation later with no problems. She was advised to pre-order ahead of time since they do get a rush. We knew what we wanted, so she gave them our order, only to be told that they had a new menu and they were no longer offering the menu items we wanted. (French dip, garlic fries and furikake chicken with mac salad) They offered to send over the new menu. As we were looking over the menu, we were surprised to see that the entrees, salads, sandwiches (roast beef and the burger), were all around the same price range ($16-$19)! Really? For a salad or sandwich? At first we thought they had sent us the wrong menu, but they confirmed that was the lunch menu. Yikes!! We arrived for our reservation and were immediately seated indoors. Our drinks were brought out to us and we chatted while we waited for our food. Our server kindly told us that it was "on the fire" and would be out momentarily since we had pre-ordered. About 15-20 minutes had gone by, and just when I was about to ask about our food, it arrived. Loco Moco $17- As a reviewer had mentioned, and one of my co-workers concurred, it tasted like May's hamburger patty. It was a large amount, but it looked like two patties were joined together. My co-worker order fried rice instead of the "fluffy white rice" and she was happy with that. But the hamburger patty wasn't cooked to order. She had wanted it medium done, and it was more than well done. It was very hard/tough to eat and only lukewarm. The gravy was also lukewarm and...I don't know how else to say this, interestingly buttery sweet in flavor?? Pass. Roast Beef Sandwich $16- Slathered in caramelized onions, gravy and sauteed mushrooms, this was the tastier dish out of the ones we tried. The roast beef was soft and the bread roll it was on was nice and chewy. It came with fries which were lukewarm, but still crisp. Will try. Chicken Marsala $16- I couldn't find the marsala no matter how many times I tried the dish. It tasted bland with a slight gravy taste. (see loco moco review above) The noodles were too soft so that they broke apart easily. I'm a little picky I guess, I like mines a little chewy. The mushrooms were nicely sauteed. But the chicken was super super super tough. I had to saw through it to break it apart into little bite sized pieces. Pass. Service was awesome. The wait staff always came by to ask us how we were doing and refilled our drinks. The ambiance was nice. Will I go back? Maybe when they change their menu again. read more

Where's ZERO stars? First visit. I made a reservation for my husband and I to have dinner. We arrived on time and greeted by the hostess to a nearly empty space. Possibly 5-6 tables had customers. We were seated by the live musicians, which I love. After we were seated, we waited for service. And waited. And waited. And waited and waited....... a total of 30 minutes from being seated. During this time, NOBODY came to bring us a menu, water, or to even ask if we had been helped. Worst service of my entire life! We counted at least 3 different wait staff in the front, not including the hostess or the bartender. To me, that is not understaffed and no excuse for such poor service. We got up and walked out and went 1 block down to THE GROUND FLOOR Restaurant. Second visit. I decided to give them a second chance and try the place again hoping it was just a bad day for everyone and that the food would more than make up for the service. I had ordered a salad and the ahi tacos for take-out. Another disappointment. When I arrived, the food wasn't ready yet and I had to wait another 15 minutes. Now for the food. The salad was hardly a salad. It looked like just greens from a Costco bag with a few spoon fulls of corn tossed on top and a little bit of dressing on top. The ahi poke tacos were not that great either. Not the freshest ahi and hardly a poke. Not to mention I ordered and paid for 4 and only got 2. I wasn't about to waste my time to turn around to get the other 2 mediocre tacos. Point being, this place was a waste of my time and money. Never again! read more

We did the happy hour friday evening. Got seated right away, it was 5:15. Service: good, pleasant servers and hostess. Ambience: good. Nice, quiet casual , good environment to unwind after work. Value: poor. We had 2 mojitos, 2 poke tacos (the shells were like the Taco El Paso kind that you can get in the supermarket, bruschetta (3pcs cut into 6) and cherries jubilee for 1 (performed table side) . Our tab was $50. This was after the 20% discount. All tasted fair/good. I will not return for happy hour. I think they need to review their menu prices and either up the food quality or decrease their prices. read more

My sister told me she was taking me out to lunch one day and we arrive there and the moment I walked in, I was in awe at how beautiful the YWCA was. I had felt like I took a trip to Italy on a sunny summers day. I took many pictures of the amazing atmosphere and the food at Cafe Julia is simply delicious. I believe the garlic fries there are the best garlic fries on the island and the yuzu creme brulee is to die for. Yes, there's not many desserts yet but once they hire a pastry chef, there will be many more desserts on the menu and I believe very soon they'll have their license to serve alcohol so that will also probably make an appearance on the menu. Now, I've been to Cafe Julia three times since they've opened and the workers at Cafe Julia are super friendly and always smiling. Also, I'm always checking Facebook to see what Chef Lance and his brilliant crew of food engineers have made as the tart of the day and the soup of the day. I'd recommend Cafe Julia to everyone because who doesn't enjoy beautiful atmosphere, lovely service and delicious food? read more

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If you are looking for a great wedding venue with the BEST people ever, look no further! Emerson (the owner) and Sonia (manager) were the BEST people to work with when planning my wedding. They were so accommodating and really made sure that everything was absolutely perfect. They answered all my questions and the answer was always "YES", and they would bend over backwards to make sure I was happy. We ended up booking the Fuller Ballroom for our reception (seats 80-100 comfortably) and had a dance floor and dj booth and the setup was amazing. We also used the courtyard for the ceremony, and the restaurant itself for pupus, photo booth and buffet line. My wedding guests loved the food. I believe we chose the short ribs, macadamia nut crusted chicken, haupia shooters, chocolate covered strawberries, tofu salad, fried noodles,and some other stuff that I cannot remember, but everything was delicious! Other accommodations that they made were that they let me have my donut and coffee bar (they supplied the coffee, we went through a baker for the custom donuts) ! read more

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The food overall is above average, but quite pricey. The restaurant is located downtown. There is some street parking on Richard Street however parking is for one hour only. After 6 PM however parking is free.The ambience of the restaurant is quite nice. I had the garlic ahi as my entrée it was okay. My daughter had the furikake salmon that was actually pretty good. Chocolate lovers dessert was very good but pricey at $16. Service was great our waitress was very attentive and friendly. read more

Very convenient especially if you work in town. A great place for meetings or just to hang out during lunch time. Very spacious and variety of food to choose from. Owner is very friendly am very knowledgeble. They also serve different kind of alcoholic drinks. I also attended a private event here and was so cool. You can either use the inside or the garden or both. Very nice presentation with the buffet. They will around with whatever budget you may have. read more

Note: Brunch experience on a Sunday What a wonderful little surprise when your plans go awry!!! We had planned on visiting the Iolani Palace for a tour, but when the tours were already booked, our stomachs called up to us saying "Please feed me, and it better be good!" I call Cafe Julia a light at the end of the tunnel when we couldn't decide on a place to eat. I recommend going to Iolani Palace early in the morning to get your tickets and walking on over to Cafe Julia for the perfect brunch date and talking stories with your girlfriends. It's located on Richards Street inside the YWCA. It has a quaint ambiance with friendly vibes. The specialties for the day are written on a dry erase board that perches at the entrance. They have an extremely small brunch menu that has chocolate mac nut waffles, regular waffles, garlic cheese bread, fruit bowl, breakfast quesadilla, and specialty omelettes. I ordered the fruit bowl and garlic cheese bread.. which was super delicious. I had a bite of my friend's chocolate mac nut waffles and it felt like I was eating a super moist brownie!! yummerz The portion of the waffles are a bit small, but its so good that you have to try it. We were lucky that we got there when we did because after placing our order, the waffles were sold out! gahh The chef also came by and went to each table saying his hellos. The parking in the area on weekends is free and you're bound to find street parking! Overall: a great discovery!! Yelp Review #65 read more

A friend brought me here after he came and checked it out. I was very surprised to find someplace like here in the middle of downtown Honolulu. It has such a relaxing feel to the restaurant and I love how breezy it is. The food was awesome! We ate the burgers and it was a little messy, but the taste was GREAT! For dessert we had the apple cobbler and creme brûlée. The cobbler was heavenly! The creme brûlée was very interesting. I don't usually care for creme brûlée, but our waitress recommended it highly. It wasn't too rich and they put citrus as a garnish. The grapefruit was an interesting addition to this dessert and it was quite refreshing. I will definitely be back to try out their breakfast! Tip: they do validate parking for one hour. read more

Been itching to come here to eat and finally had the opportunity! Came here for lunch with a friend, and I have to admit, we sort of felt out of place. Being that the location is in downtown, the room mainly consisted of men and women in business attire, and we were in jeans and shorts...I think if the host seated us outside, we wouldn't have felt so odd. Still makes me laugh that just the TWO of us shared two burgers, a pasta, and the risotto balls. I knew it was going to be a little pricey but the food was so delicious, we almost forgot. The Cafe Julia Burger was delicious, the shrimp pasta was great, and so were the risotto balls, but what stuck out to the both of us was the Garlic Chicken Furikake Macaroni Salad sandwich. It was basically a plate lunch in sandwich form! So why 4 stars? I think they have some great items for breakfast and maybe dessert. Would totally come back to try and see if they could earn my 5th star rating :) read more

Great experience here. My husband and I had a groupon so we decided to check it out. It's location in the YWCA is nice with all the plants. Our waitress Annie was amazing! She was extremely friendly. The food was absolutely delicious. I had the garlic chicken, it was juicy and tasty. I can't wait to return. Thank you Annie for making our experience great. read more

I'm sorry to say that unfortunately I'm not a fan as many others have been. Although the ambiance is nice and the menu seems promising, we left feeling underwhelmed and actually quite gassy (TMI!). GREEK SALAD (3 Belly Rubs) $15.50: It's hard to go wrong with a salad and this one is done just OK. Nothing too exciting to write home about especially at a $15.50 price point, hence the 3 belly rubs. OPEN FACED ROAST BEEF (2 Belly Rubs) $17.50: My husband loves Italian dips or saucy roast beef sandwiches. We were looking forward to trying this one since it's hard to come by a good saucy sandwich. And although this sandwich was decently tasty, something was a little too heavy in it as we both felt very full and heavy from a few bites. We gave up on it with more than half a sandwich left. SERVICE: It was OK. It wasn't as slow as some of the reviews had mentioned but my husband did have to get up and flag someone down for more ketchup. OVERALL: The food felt waaaayyy to heavy for a lunch and was pricier than it needed to be. We left feeling gassy from something we ate and just felt overly bloated. I don't think we'll be back, with the meal totaling ~$50 (w/ tip), we weren't too impressed on the first go. read more