I will not spend another penny in there ever again! I will try to convince others never to go! Horrible service. Rude waiters. The waiters saw us locals come in and gave us a "what are you doing here" look. Said nothing as he tossed napkins on the table. He kept us waiting as he catered to the Japanese guests. He gave us a snotty attitude. I felt like the african Americans felt back in the 60s when they walked in a "whites only" diner. I don't care how good the sake is, With service to locals like that they need to be called out. Not to mention it is shockingly expensive. A friend of mine order the karage chicken and got 3 little nuggets that cost like $9.00. The most racist bar in Hawaii! Do not go to genius lounge! Ever! read more

Fun place to grab a drink at night or happy hour. The bar tenders are super nice and helpful, and make great conversation. I come here everytime I come to the island, fun place, atmosphere and great people. If you are looking for a fun place in Waikiki that's lowkey, look no further. read more

One of the best hidden gems Ive discovered recently. Located on top of a clothing store this place serves up some decently priced sake and various foods. It is open pretty late as well so it is a perfect place to lounge. They also have different sake flights to try and they are all very reasonably priced at about 10 bux for 3 good quality sakes. Seating can be at the bar area or balcony area. I prefer the balcony area because you can just chill and shoot the sh1t. The waiter had the most "i dont give a F attitude that it was hilarious" Wife: what kind of teas do you guys have waiter: brb....comes back with a case of different packets....We have umm green tea, and this tea i have no idea what it is, and this other tea I have no clue what that is either. wife: hmmm i'll guess i'll have the green tea Later in the night..I handed the extra menus in his direction, he just waved me off saying nah thats ok you can keep it..We both just found his nonchalant behavior as a waiter was comedic. Seriously a laid back lounge. Would return with more people when Im in town. read more

GARLIC FRIES. garlicfriesgarlicfries. The Genius Lounge has one of the best garlic fries I have ever had in my life. We like to come here during happy hour, as that's when the value becomes worth it. I did not like the pizza at ALL, so learned the hard way to stick to the happy hour menu. read more

This place is a fantastic spot to come after work with coworkers and enjoy the lanai. Nice drink prices. I'm not a huge fan of their food but I do like their curly fries. BF and I enjoy splitting a bottle of wine there on occasions. I'm here again enjoying curly fries and some champagne. Nice service read more

My Japanese girlfriend first introduced me to this place back on our first time on Oahu in 2009. We've been back to Oahu 2x's since, and I always go here-- Seems like a Japanese/local hang out, which makes it a nice change from the usual in Waikiki. If you're not a sake snob, the staff will be one for you--and they're helpful and informative, not annoying and condescending. Staff is always cool when we come in--I've even gone in and drank alone here--nothing will keep me from my hot sake (which they actually discourage, since it damages the integrity of the sake, but I like it hot, so be it). If you arrive by car, good luck finding street parking--you will have to go to one of the structures a few blocks over and pay out, unless you're a local w/some secret spot around the street its on. We always walk here from our hotel, so no worries. It is located on Lewers, which can be inconvenient from many hotels, but if you're a tourist, just be happy you found a cool spot like this, and don't act touristy--you'll piss the locals and people like me off. I've had the aps, and I do the sake, that's it. The appetizers are really good, and they have a good selection of sake, including 3 sake sets--the Genius and 2 others--I forget since its been a few months since I last went. I recommend the sake sets. They actually come w/ little place cards explaining the sake's origin and the flavors you can expect to taste (like a wine bar or cigar club). I'm sure the food is good. It has a nice, clean, chill vibe. It's upstairs, and the front patio has a nice homey feel w/ white candles lighting it up, walking through the door to the left you have more of a hip Japanese spot w/ the way the tables and booths are set up with a dark atmosphere, walking through you have a real nice little bar to your right, lit up, w/ non-intrusive plasma tv's, and seating for 10 (?). Past that is the outside balcony patio, where I like to sit and drink, and look at the foot traffic below and enjoy the nice climate. So do it up, and remember to tip, since you're probably a cheap tourist, ya bastard. read more

This place we terrible! The service was slow and the food was flavorless. We ordered the tuna carpicao, which was actually not bad, we also had shrimp in chili sauce. This turned out to be shrimp in a ketchup like jelly sauce. Gross! Entrees we had Udon noodles that were over cooked, mushy and tasteless. The Pork ramen resembled pork taco meat over ramen noodles. Needless to say we left still hungry and won't be going back. read more

JAAAAAAMESSSS Yo, James really hooked it up the night my two out of friends and I came by. This was the first time for me (I suck as a local) coming to this bar/lounge. We all sat up on the 3rd story balcony that overlooked the street. Great atmosphere and didn't feel stuffy like most indoor bars. Then again, it's Hawaii, so I mean.. stuffy isn't really a problem unless you're in the back of a cop car for drinking on the beach. Not that I would know. Anyway, the three of us spent about 140 something + tip. We came in during happy hour and the Kirins were 3$, and then we had shots, and then mixed drinks, and then something else but heck if I remember. Oh! We had Little Purple Men. And I taught James a signature drink mix that I won't disclose here, but my man there should know what I'm talking about. The night was great. Will return with more out of town friends at a later date. read more

I'd call this a hitten gem to offset the high end part of waikiki. Ambience is relaxed, simple and stylish. Great short menu of italian japaness fusion. Service was top notch. Seems like a great place to start out before hitting the bar scene, for 1-4 people. I personally was very happy to just kick back here by myself after a long day. And zone with the music. read more

Definitely a cool place to chill out with a decent amount of outside seating. Happy hour includes $3 Kirin drafts which is nice. My only issue was with the food; it's decent but nothing special. The unanimous decision in particular was with the kalua pork nachos. The toppings were fine, but they're not really nachos but instead fried wontons, which didn't really mesh well. This is definitely one of those places where you probably won't start your night thinking "Let's definitely go there!," but with the chill atmosphere and decently priced drinks, it's a good middle point if you're bar hopping or a finishing point if you're starting to wind down for the night. read more

Absolutely delightful assortment of Japanese booze and phenomenal food (i.e. chicken karaage and Ahi poke). Located upstairs, they have a great balcony to eat, chat, and have a great time in Honolulu. read more

Aloha and much mahalo to genius lounge for the patience and cooperation working with us . We are looking forward to visiting you in the near future . Our server Brady was on point and treated us with royalty . Thank you you read more

Really good happy hour with lots of food choices and drink on special for $5. Love sitting on the deck, it has little tables with cute string lighting, and a great place to go with girlfriends before going out or just to catch up after it gets dark. read more

the happy hour is amazing. i really wish it was a secret because i love this place. the kirin ichiban is only $2.50 on draft. the poke bowl, pesto/cheese pizza, rock shrimp are my favorites. the food was really cheap too. too bad i have selective memory. all i know is i left happy and i will be back! :) read more

It's all about happy hour once again. Drinks are stiff and very affordable. Tons of food options, you'll be sure to find something to help soak up that booze. Genius is open later than most bars on the island (2:00am) so it's a wonderful spot to end your night. If you're planning a bar crawl, this location deserves a spot in the rotation. read more

Great cozy bar. It took me a while to find it but I was glad I put in the effort. We arrived and sat at the bar for drinks. Moderately priced. Bar staff was helpful and friendly. Will definitely come back to try the food. read more

Oh man . . . I am so conflicted!! I love this place, but if I review it too highly it will get super crowded, and what I love about it is how uncrowded and low key it is! Off the beaten track and you really have to know where you are going to get here (don't look to me to make it any easier on you guys to find it!). I love this place, great place to just chill, chat, and drink. Bonus? They serve echigo! Mostly a sake and sochu bar, they also make mixed drinks but don't have a menu. Ordered a strawberry lemondrop after I mentioned, hey I want to try the strawberry vodka. It was strong and delicious and really well made. I totally need to come here to eat one of these days! read more

I just came here tonight for dinner with the boyfriend. I have to say this place is really cute. It's hidden in an upstairs part of a building right across from the Ohana Malia, we sometimes stay at the Malia for our random staycations.. with that said, we now have some place to go instead of always going to gyukaku(which I dont mind). We got the kim chee fried rice, garlic shrimp, pumpkin with bacon, this beef thing..I forgot the name, poke, beef donburi, and cold tofu. I have to say they were all very delicious. Everything was cooked perfectly. It was so good I have no other way to explain it because it was just that good. the atmosphere of the place was just lovely. Relaxing lights, couches, tables, the workers were so nice as well. The prices were about $8 to $18 depending on what you get. Like everyone else said, its more of a sake and sochu stuff. They do have mixed drinks, but they didn't list what they make exactly. But all in all, great place. read more

Just off the tourist trap streets of Waikiki but close enough to walk. Genius Lounge does have a decent ambience and Matt was a very good bartender. The Poke was so-so. Great place to kick back with friends. read more

Genius Lounge - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Came here one evening for happy hour with my sister and her friend before heading to Yard House. I had a couple glasses of the homemade sangria. This was very cheap and very tasty. The alcohol is masked very well and I got a good buzz going from just two cups. My sister and her friend had a Sensitive Richie and a Murasaki something. This was a while ago, so I can't remember the actual drink names. Sorry. One of their drinks was way too sweet for my taste. Because I was getting a bit buzzed, I was hungry, and it was happy hour, I ordered the pepper chicken which was 8 dollars. The portion wasn't as big as I would have liked, but the chicken tasted very good and came with an excellent, spicy sauce/dip. This place is excellent for coming with a few friends, since it is a small place. The atmosphere is very refreshing. Hopefully I can try more of the food sometime soon. read more

I love this place. Its the perfect place to hide out from people when you just want to get away from the club scene or night life. Its a perfect place to chill and observe what is going on in Waikiki. Great parking, great location, great food and great SAKE! On a recent visit, I had the Citrus chicken, Kim Chee Fried rice and the Natto sushi. I must tell you that the food is GREAT! www.HawaiiToday365.com read more

We got seduced by the sign promoting their happy hour, and ended up staying all afternoon and well into the night, enjoying a great modern-Japanese share-plate kind of dinner. Loved the chilled loungy atmosphere, staff were equally as laid-back, and it was a nice night to sit out on the two balconies and watch the world go by with a beer in hand. Big fan. read more

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During my research before going to Hawaii I was looking forward to trying this place out mostly for the hello kitty drink & the glowing drink someone had posted. Getting into the lounge- it was really nice! The atmosphere was nice. The lighting for beautiful & moody. They had love seats out on the patio to seat at with tables. Really loved that inlieu of most of the bar atmosphere in Waikiki. My boyfriend & I only stayed for a drink- we were hungry but he wasn't feeling this place. I ordered the glowing drink but I was informed that there is no such drink! I was heartbroken. Damn you previous reviewer :) I had the hello kitty tea which was watermelon, apple pucker and something else I cannot remember a week later. Also ordered the house red wine where was okay. All in all I wish I had stayed for dinner there- The nachos looked amazing. Next time I want to go there for happy hour again and get snacks. read more

This is a great sake bar with delicious food. Our waiter was knowledgeable with his sake and made great recommendations. We tried the Japanese style chicken nuggets which tasted delicious. The Udon is another great choice as well. read more

Homemade Sangria. Just as the title says "homemade". I love Sangria but this one was just "eh" to me. It is the red wine version of Sangria but I guess since people buy the sangria a lot i got the new batch and when they gave me my glass i just tasted all red wine. I love red wine but i was wanting some Sangria flavor. But for being a sake bar they do great. Atmosphere is awesome. The waiters and bartenders are fun to talk to. If you love sake then this is the place but no Sake Bombs :,( they said their glasses are to sensitive for that. read more

Don't go here unless you have a reservation. I was staying in a hotel next door and was interested in their menu, which had some vegetarian items. I certainly understand if they could not give me a table (despite the place being empty). Maybe they could have sat me at the bar or said my food would be out in 15 minutes. No, none of that. The host just turned away a prior customer and pretty much ignored me. Should I wait around to see if I actually get food? read more

I really like this place. No, it's not cheap, but you're in Waikiki, things aren't cheap (except those novelty things you take back home). Went there on two occasions and it has this feeling of being in SoHo or somewhere else. It does not feel like you're in middle of Waikiki (tourists, you may want to avoid this place then if you want a fake-y Waikiki experience). The food has been great! Be warned, the cheese poke is exactly that, poke made out of cheese (does not include fish). I don't know why I assumed it would include fish, but no, it's just cheese. It was good though. What really got me back here was the service though. Very nice people, this one guy, he might be the owner or manager, is always ultra nice and friendly and chatty. Will come back here again. read more

its a nice, quiet, and relaxing place. a friend brought me here and i was very excited to try it since everyone talks about this place. Nice employees as well!!! we did order too much food and they were nice enough to let us cancel it even though they started to prepare it:) read more

Service was great! My boyfriend and I were given a bigger table on the outside patio - one of the workers made sure of it (we were initially seated at a cramped table right in back of the bar). The lounge/restaurant sits right around the corner of the famed Waikiki strip. Parking's dicey as there's metered parking in the back. We were looking for somewhere that had tapas/appetizers and drinks - basically somewhere that was much more laidback. read more

I've heard of this place and I'm thinking I'll have to return to make up for my first impression of this lounge. It was less crowded than I expected for a Friday night at 9:30pm, it probably helped that First Friday was also going on in downtown. We put our names in and stood around in awkward spots for about 20 minutes. Wish they could arrange some benches or something on the sides to optimize the space better, I dunno. When a table did open up out on one of the two patios, we finally felt like we were part of it all. The tables are spaced well away from one another and the ample white lights strung up like the hoildays can be mesmerizing...cute spot. Just wish the service was a lot better. I'm not a sake connoisseur but I enjoyed what we had, it was either junmai or daiginjo. We were in a sea of Japanese nationals, along with other tourists, it was pleasant, but quite warm from the humidity. We had just eaten dinner at Arancino's so we were just looking for some good sake and didn't order anything to eat. The dishes served at the other tables looked good, the menu showed some interesting little Japanese style tapas or dishes so will try some of the food if I do get the chance to come back. The sakes we ordered were pricey, honestly I can't see myself just drinking a ton of sake, I can only do it once in a while, luckily our friend took care of most of the bill since we got his dinner. :-) Although the service wasn't great, it wasn't so horrible that I wouldn't come back, because I do plan to return some time so I can try the food.. and add to this review! Tips: Make sure to put your name in for a table immediately if you can't find an open table. Prepare for warm weather if you're out on the patio. read more

Tonight we were basically the first customers who were privy to an absolutely new menu and chef. It was even our waiter's first day. Regardless, it was a great experience. We started off with the ny rib eye, salmon capriccio, garlic shrimp and unfiltered sake. Did I mention that everything is only $3.99!!!!! After several rounds of sake and multiple orders like short ribs, lobster (limit 10/night), and furikake ahi we left happy and buzzed. Service from waiters was excellent. I recommend trying the new menu. read more

Genius Lounge - Furikake ahi was a little plain but we requested the chefs sauce that came with the rib eye steak. - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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$3.99 for lobster oyster and almost everything !!!! Always a great place to unwind after work!!! Great bar and host !!!! Cheers guys!!!! read more

Genius Lounge - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Friendly bartenders! Got the bikini bomb! And yes it is a bomb! It has champagne,orange juice,amaretto,lime juice and a shot of sake. It was good though read more

Genius Lounge - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Fabulous! Walked by this place a few times and finally decided to have dinner here. It was so yummy. Very cute and cozy atmosphere with friendly staff. The food was really yummy too, perfect serving sizes. We will be back! read more

Genius Lounge - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Tofu, everything! They now serve breakfast. The cream cheese tofu pancake was actually rather good, and I'm far from a tofu lover. But it was fantastic. The pancakes were thick and large. The cream cheese sauce was fantastic. The berries were relatively fresh. Not a bad place for an affordable breakfast/brunch in Waikiki for a reasonable price and without the wait and all the crowd of tourists. read more

Want Sake? This is the place to go to! Tarako and Mentaiko spaghetti is genuine, reminds me of when I was fed this as a little kid. Menchi katsu, loco moco, and kara'age is delicious as well. Crowed is hip from the mid 20's-30's age group Great place to take a date to on the weekdays read more

This place could do no wrong in my book. I ABSOLUTELY hate going into Waikiki, I will avoid it like the plague but I have no problem whatsoever putting aside my grumpy road rage attitude to go to GL!! Fun, creative food that is very approachable and can be very vegetarian friendly if you just talk to the servers about what you do and do not eat. Cream cheese poke!!! Not for everyone but I love it!! The atmosphere is cozy with ambient lighting, music at just the right volume - a really great drinking atmosphere. Being on the third floor is an absolute plus, you're above the dirty grittiness that is lewers and yet still feel part of the party atmosphere. Overall it helps put you in an romantic setting that helps make you feel like hey! I really am in paradise! Really hard to get that kind of feeling anywhere else (especially in Waikiki) Service is great, super friendly and easy going. There's a skinny tall server who is just funny as hell. Definitely puts you at ease. Sake galore!! So many at such great prices it kinda melts my mind. Also lots of other liquors on the menu but it's definitely for sake lovers!! Parking is shit but hey it's Waikiki. read more

First time here and totally loving it! Great food and great booze at reasonable prices. Awesome music while sitting on the lanai people watching. Definite place for a date read more

I enjoyed the atmosphere here and the sake too! The music being played that night was also an interesting mix of 90's hip-hop. I guess it was a slow weekend night but the service provided during my experience was just terrific! Our waitress kept a good pace of checking up on our group and made some good selections on sake. Oh and thumbs up on the bartender for letting me sample a spicy chili type sake (had a cinnamon like after taste). Definitely will be coming back. My only concern is parking (which can't be helped in Waikiki). read more

This place is simply amazing. If you want drinks, this place can hook you up. Try and get there during happy hour to get the five dollar House sake, which changes daily to give you a chance to try a wide variety if you go enough. If you don't want to wait, get the sake samplers! Food is pretty decent and the portions are just the right size for me. The Sweet Potato and Bacon dish was amazing. read more