A couple months ago, I went shopping with a friend at all the cutsey japanese boutiques in waikiki. We looked around the genius store on the bottom two levels of the genius building, but I had no idea the lounge existed until a few days ago. I came at about 6:45 with one of my friends, and we were directed to a small table on the entryway at the top of the stairs. We ordered the antipasto, pumpkin with bacon and citrus pepper chicken. I also tried their sangria ($2.50 during happy hour!). The food is all pupu style and can get pricy if youre really hungry. I definitely recommend the pumpkin (kobocha) with bacon. The antipasto was disappointing though, it was the only food item we ordered off the happy hour menu, so I would probably stick to the regular menu next time. I didn't have any complaints about the service....and I don't look asian....sooooo idk what those other reviewers are talking about lol. read more

Come here for ono food and quick service! Sitting outside is nice and relaxing as well.

Great Vibes and place to relax as the sun goes down. Food was delicious and had a good spread at Happy Hour.

I've been here at least 4x and have not been disappointed. The mochiko chicken is delish. My favorite is the Kalua pork nachos. The cleanliness of the restaurant bathrooms are always on poin as well. Service is great too. read more

Wow, what a great discovery while playing tourist in Waikiki this weekend. Genius Lounge is located on the third floor. Once I walk in I felt an awesome vibe of a happening place! The place was nicely decorated, a great crowd enjoying themselves and the music was perfect. The drinks are strong and definitely not watered down. It was a little bit hard to get a drink and they only took credit cards that night. Who doesn't take cash, a little odd? I would definitely go back and take any friends from out of town here. read more

Genius Lounge - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Really good happy hour. I was impressed by their drinks (lava flow, pina colada especially). You could tell they were made with real coconut milk instead of just slushies with added alcohol. The curly fries were amazing, almost like glazed with sweetness. Would recommend if you're in Waikiki area, it's a little off the hotel/beach path but is walkable. read more

I ordered an avocado sushi with pico de ahi from the recommended menu and it was very good. The service on the other hand, was forgetful and our groups server hardly came to our table at all. The seating from the 3rd story balcony side was great for viewing the fireworks nearby that night. Make sure you can find good parking when considering the time of your reservation. read more

My husband and I LOVE the food here. We tried garlic shrimp all over Hawaii and the best ones are HERE! Udon is also DELICIOUS. Guava soda and drinks are delicious here, too. Service is quick, but be sure to call ahead and put your name on the waitlist. We ate here twice on our trip. Highly recommend! read more

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Great service. I wondered over here hoping to smoke a cigar on their outdoor space... unfortunately- no smoking in HI. No biggie- I stayed for a Bourbon and a beer or two. Good music and good bartenders. read more

Genius Lounge - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This is a hidden gem! If you're looking to get away from loud tourist spots this is the place for you. A beautiful, quiet setting with fantastic servers. I didn't get his name but he made jokes with us and gave quick service even though I noticed he was serving the entire balcony full of tables. The food was incredible! Highly recommend the furikake ahi steak and the rib eye steak. read more

Came here for a few drinks and had their garlic fries, SOO GOOD! Wish we didn't eat dinner before I would've tried more food, everything on the menu looks really good! read more

Really nice diner lounge / bar to eat and chill at in Waikiki. Few things to comment: -food quality is very good, especially the blackened mochiko chicken, garlic fries and calamari. -food portions however, are a little bit small so you may need to order more food depending on how hungry you are -shots and drinks aren't that bad. Paid $32 for 4 tequila shots -beautiful outdoor atmosphere, good date spot Would come back again for the good food! read more

Wow, what can I say. Shannon is one of the most incredible bartenders I've met in my life. Her menu tour, to the drink recommendations. She is a queen. I can see why people go to this place, the food is incredible. The happy hour, amazing. I got the loco moko, the ahi poke(shoyou), and the kimchee takowasa. Go here! Worth it. Also sit at the bar with Shannon. She's a cutie. read more

Genius Lounge - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Best hidden gem on Lewers in my opinion. I would have never known this place existed if it wasn't for my homeboy @juanconscious - this kid knows all these spots. It was nice to hide away from the craziness that is Waikiki, yet still be in it. We sat on out on the lanai - perfect since it was cool, nice slight breeze and quiet. Well, until this group of loud-mouths came. Not their fault, I could tell they had a hard day too so go on wit yo bad self and unwind. We had the spicy poke, locomoco and karaage chicken. The poke was spicy, but it was missing something - flavor and not just heat. The locomoco was alright, but I've had better. The karaage chicken was ono! Nice, hot and juicy. The server was cool, nice lady, but we kinda had to keep flagging her down and it wasn't super busy, but worries though. Will I be back? That's a definite! read more

Genius Lounge - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

The food is sooooo good! Yelpers, make reservations!!! If you don't have them, they will turn you away if the other tables are reserved. There's not that much seating space anyway but they have small 2 person patio tables. We were fortunate enough to get a last minute reservation for a group of 6. This menu is huuuuuuuugggee! I would best describe it as a Japanese/Korean bar. We ordered kalua nachos, garlic and Cajun fries as appetizers. For entrees, my only gripe is they didn't have anything clearly for kids. We ordered the udon bowls but the soup was thicker than they're used to. I ordered the sizzling steak and garlic shrimp between my husband and it was sooooo good. The shrimp was fresh, the steak was soft and tasty. My siblings ordered the same. We left soooooo full. I even considered going again the next day because the garlic shrimp was so good. Would highly recommend. read more

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The food is great here , I ordered the garlic shrimp, salad, Karaage & edamame. It was so good I told my friend Shannon that was Bartending that I didn't want it to end. I'm looking forward going back to eat again. I'll be bringing more friends. This place is so freaken good read more

Genius Lounge - Happy Hour - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Quick and friendly service! Kalua pork and mochi cheese spring rolls were amazing. Less touristy, making for a more relaxed atmosphere. read more

Genius Lounge - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I absolutely love this place. Out of the way niche that isn't super busy. The poco loco was amazing!! Especially with the lava sauce! I had a great recommendation on a Japanese whiskey as well staff were super helpful and polite!! read more

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This is a great little hole in the wall spot (in a good way). Contrary to other reviews, we found the portions to be quite generous. Based on other reviews, we assumed we would need appetizers and entrees, but appetizers were more than enough for family of four. Had the kalua pork nachos, the black mochiko chicken, the kalua pork Mac and cheese, and garlic butter curly fries. It was more than enough for dinner for 2 adults and two teens. Also a Mai tai, sake, and non alcoholic beverages for the kids. May have been least expensive meal in Waikiki. Service was attentive and excellent, and dined outside. Parking lot view nothing spectacular, but the place is not about paying for a view. Good food, good service and good drinks. Cheers! read more

I wish that I could give a good review for the lounge but, I never got the chance to dine there because of their reservation system on their website. I reserved a table for 2 and, there is no place on the website that told me that I would need an email confirmation. We didn't know this until we arrived to dine. I tried it again. This is what I received in return:リファラチェックエラー。フォームページのドメインとこのファイルのドメインが一致しません. This may be a confirmation. As a Librarian, I have experienced thousands of websites. This was so substandard that I cannot recommend the restaurant. read more

We have eaten here twice during our vacation here to Oahu~the food is amazing, the drinks are spot on and the staff very friendly! MUST eat here!! read more

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Miso Ahi Poke bowl is a must - also the menu is very long so do not hesitate to ask for recommendations. The staff is beyond friendly - note that the kitchen is small and the food comes out when it's ready. I appreciate this and the fact that the staff gives you heads up. Thank you Kyle, you were great! We will be back next time we return. read more

Genius Lounge - Miso ahi poke bowl - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Delish . We go visit every time we are in Oahu. Fun, easy and enjoyable . Highly recommend

My friends and I were looking for a chill place in Waikiki to grab a few drinks so we decided to check out Genius Lounge. It's located upstairs of a boutique on Lewers (off Kalakaua). The place itself has a very relaxed and casual atmosphere. There is a relatively extensive drink menu but it seemed pretty touristy. Prices are $8-13 for cocktails, which is pretty standard for Waikiki. There is also a decent selection of food options. We tried the curly fries and kalua pork quesadilla, both of which were decent. They give you a free bowl of furikake popcorn with your drinks, which was a major plus in my book. I can't say anything bad about the service we received. Overall, good spot to grab a few drinks/food and chill. I wasn't blown away by any means so it would not be my bar of choice, but I'd still come back. read more

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Great service. Fabulous food. Intimate location. If you don't like this place, you LOVE this place.

This was an absolute hidden gem on our trip to Honolulu. We had a huge group of 11 to accommodate and were able to make a reservation about two hours before on Openable. It was a close walk from the Waikiki Beach hotels and such a cute + quaint interior. Food and drink items were abundant - lots of cocktails and classic Hawaiian must-get food as well as some unique dishes like spam fries and kalua pork mochi cheese egg rolls! :O We filled up on lava flows and delicious mojitos as well as a number of different dishes. Service was excellent. Our waitress was patient and sweet. The kitchen seemed understaffed - it took a while for our food to come out but I understand we had a big party and we were able to keep ourselves busy while waiting. Very delicious, perfect place to grab food or even just drink, as they are open to 2am. I wish we stayed here all night instead of bar-hopping the night we came. It was lovely here! read more

Great late night choice. The place is clean and really nice welcoming , chill vibe. Great food presentation and even better tasting, I recommend the green salad with the onion dressing to start. I also recommend the Dynamite sushi roll. Can't describe the flavors other than Tasty and delicious. Staff was really friendly. What impressed me was when he didn't know the answers to my question, he was polite and said he'd find out. Great stop for me! read more

Amazing Japanese-Hawaiian restaurant bar. Skip the tourist traps and come here for a chill night out! I'm not a big drinker but loved the expansive selection of cocktails, alcohol, etc. you'll find someone for everyone. The mochiko chicken red and black were perfectly prepared and I savored every bite. Will def return on my next trip to explore more of the huge menu. read more

Absolutely phenomenal. Everything was amazing! That's rare. My mind is blown. From the perfect cocktails, to the deep fried avocado roll topped with poke, to the twist on the traditional loco moco (which is one of my new favorite dishes) and this is my favorite place to eat in Waikiki. read more

Food was not very suitable towards families, not great service which took forever, and overall not a great experience.

The Ahi Garlic steak is pretty good. Next time I would prefer to order something else. The nachos are really good!! read more

Genius Lounge - Ahi garlic steak - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Food was decent but service was non existent. We ordered drinks and appetizers first and the server was extremely attentive. Then, we lost all service after that. We waited 15-20 minutes after our appetizers and drinks were finished to see any server from when the food was dropped. The kitchen was backed up after that which was fine - we were willing to wait with good company. Our meals came out and were underwhelming. We asked for rice on the side and that took 20 minutes to come out. The rice came out exactly when we asked for the check - we gave up on waiting. The server ended up taking it back to the kitchen instead of comping it for us. We came here last night expecting to have an amazing experience for my friend's birthday. I stressed to my server that we were looking for a special night for her because she turned 21 last year during peak lockdown times. Also, we haven't had a real meal in a week from camping and we're starving. We ended up dropping $170 (before tip) and went right to Burger King after - disappointed. read more

Terrible experience! I never write any review before, but this time is different. The food was okay but the service was pretty bad. The food was ready but our table didn't have any plates or utensils. We were seven and they gave us only five plates. We didn't mind that. However, the service was getting worse and worse. We were quite friendly however all the servers seem careless and rude. They treated customers differently and unfairly. The restaurant was not really busy. So we expected better service but it was very disappointed. All of us were pretty upset. Because they treated us as one time customer (travelers). They auto charged us 18% tip, which was okay only if they have good service for their customers like us. I think tips was only thing they cared but not customers. Never never come back. read more

The food here is delicious! It was four of us and we were starving. My friends come here all the time and I see why. Two garlic ahi steak.... perfect Garlic fries....perfect Calamari....perfect Steak skewer....perfect Two short ribs.....perfect I most def recommend this place read more

Our first time here and it definitely didn't disappoint. The service was on point and food was amazing with great flavor! Drinks were super good too! We will be back, thanks for a great evening ! read more

Try the calamari!! 3rd floor of a small building with a view of the city- good spot. We ordered the nachos and calamari (2x) and they are different but soo awesome!!! A must try! Service was awesome as well. Hidden gem that wasn't on our map! read more

We went here late at night with friends. The garlic shrimp was the best and a good selection of sake. The parking was fine as there is a public parking space in the bsck. Service was good and the ambience was perfect read more

Small place with local flair. Service wasn't bad, but definitely not top tier. Don't even remember what I ate, so that might give you a hint. read more

My brother and I stumbled here one night in 2015... Entrance is upstairs on the side, so a bit hard to find, but it was a great find. Bartender was great and did a gsolid job with our drinks. Ordered some snacks and they were all delish. I plan to return soon! read more

I was really disappointed with this place. The food was not bad, but the service was just terrible. It was a group of 6 of us. I had made reservations for this place way in advance, for 8:30pm, on the outside patio. When we arrived, exactly on time, I was told that we had to wait because our table was still occupied by another party. After 20 mins the host came up to me and told me that they'll actually sit us down at a table inside. Once we sat down, the waiter came right away and took our orders. Since he came so fast, I didn't have a chance to look at the menu yet and so I put in my drink order and said that I needed a min to figure out the dinner option. Every else at my table had put in their drink and food orders right away. The waiter never came back to our table to get my food order. 20 mins passed by and I waived him down to put in my food order. Another 10 mins went by and 3 out of 6 people received their food but still none of us had received our drinks. I reminded him about the drinks and he said that they'll be ready soon. Couple mins later, he brought the drinks and the meals for the other 2 people of our group. So while the first 3 people were finishing up their meals, the other 2 just received theirs and I was sitting there still waiting on mine. Finally they brought my out 7/8 mins later. I have never experienced such poor service at a restaurant. And I would be more understanding if the restaurant was packed with customers but it wasn't. There were 4 other tables besides us. I will never return to this place again. There are plenty of other restaurants to dine at, that will provide great food and service. read more