Better late than never, but come too late and missed out on the good stuff? Honolulu Seafood Restaurant is a sister restaurant to Kapiolani Seafood Restaurant. Located in Downtown in the same space where Yong Sing, Mandalay, and the short-lived Bourbon Street used to be. Inside feels and looks essentially the same as the prior restaurants. Huge, open, two levels. Would you believe there was once a time where the second floor was an option to sit because it was just that busy? Hours is basically 10am everyday till 3pm, then 5-930pm. Seems like the hours are geared towards Downtown workers. Where to park? 8am-5pm, Monday-Friday, park in the Ali'i Place Parking garage. Entrance is right past the restaurant. Only 75 cents per half hour and restaurant validates one dollar. After 5pm on weekdays, and 8-1am on weekends, park at Bishop Square Parking. Entrance is across from the restaurant, entrance from the left lane of Alakea. Cost is $1.50 with validation. The regular menu is exactly the same as Kapiolani Seafood Restaurant. However, the dim sum is not the case. It's much, much less. There's only 16 total, and 7 more on weekends only. It's essentially the bare basics (but no beef ball!). All the dim sum looks exactly the same as Kapiolani Seafood Restaurant, but everything was on the bland side and just felt like it was missing something. Steamed Spareribs was one note and meat was not as tender. Beef Look Funn was good. The look funn had perfect thinness and texture. If have this dish, how come cannot have steamed beef balls? Chicken Feet was good. Soft, tasty, and meaty. But just ate and felt one note. Pan Fried Shrimp and Chives Dumplings was pretty good. Pan fried very well. Generous amount of filling. Just on the bland side. Chicken Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf was pretty good! Soft, moist mochi rice with a good amount of tasty filling. The Bean Curd Roll with Pork was probably the most flavorful dim sum of the meal. Jam-packed with tasty and flavorful filling. Overall, the dim sum was decent and almost similar to Kapiolani Seafood, but it was a touch on the bland side and a slight step below. Service was good. Friendly and attentive. Food came out pretty quick. Inside was cool, spacious, and comfortable. I want to come back on my lunch break! I don't mind dim sum'ing solo! Hopefully there'll be more dim sum choices. I remember seeing on social media they had some unique items only at this location. But I guess I'm too late! **I heard some news, maybe rumors, but the Kapiolani Seafood location might be forced to move due to that and the next lot being torn down for..... you guessed it, more condos! It might have an effect on the Honolulu location. We'll see. read more

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I dined here once for dinner with friends to celebrate the Lunar New Year. The food and service was great. I was honored to have the opportunity to experience it then. This time around, family wanted to dine here for lunch so I was confident that it would be another great experience. They did not disappoint! With a very large dining area, this establishment was able to fit 12 of us at one huge round table, comfortably. Table, seating, dishes, and surrounding area was clean and organized. Our family ordered a combination of dim sum and entrees for lunch. They have an incredible variety of delicious options and we most certainly filled our table with all kinds of good eats! In total, we had 13 different items, which was served timely and everything was very tasty! Of all that we ordered, my personal favorite was the crispy soy wrapped shrimp patty. The outer crust is a thin soybean layer which had an excellent crunch. Inside, is a generous portion of shrimp patty that is perfect in flavor and texture. I will gladly return because both my lunch and dinner experiences were spot on. We all left fully satisfied! read more

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Dim Sum for the win. Also, Karaoke. You can't go wrong! They popped up on Alakea and the downtown crowd loves them for lunch. They offer bentos but if you're gonna dim sum, you gotta get sum. We always go all out! Keep an eye on where you sit. I did get stuck under their leaky air conditioner and left with a soaking wet purse. Win Sum. Lose Sum. Dim Sum. read more

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This is a friend's favorite. On my previous trip to the island, my kind Elite friend, who happens to be the duchess here, Li Y. (https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=fWJok1wljTdXP7VyIDBYoA), wanted to bring me here for dim sum a number of times. You know how it is, too many food options and not enough stomach space. My opportunity to dine here was for an UYE organized by Peter C. (https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=guwRwwQLPJ2ie_7YNfHMmA) and Terry K. (https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=fHqt_c3oDQ4ZWFzeOo4ezA), an annual event but held here for the 1st time. The restaurant is located downtown in a modern venue. Unlike most Chinese restaurants a few blocks away in Chinatown, this eatery is modern with high ceilings and spacious. Coming here on a Friday night after Chinese New Year around 6 pm, there was only a scattering of occupied tables as our party group took three large tables near the entrance. Having dinner banquet style, here's a quick summary of what I ate: A. Hot & sour soup (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=216&select=PItf9oyjplBryyNNzn-bgQ) - a nice start and good, considering this is a Cantonese restaurant. Wished the portion was larger for our table of ten. 2. Fire Mongolian beef (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=216&select=w31nF4FMLxpoMC7W3JgfCw) - Tasty and sweet but not spicy. C. Stir Fried Green beans (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=216&select=uSuZcwJ2cSnjvknOKgoSJA) - A non-typical style (Two Chow) using an olive leaf seasoning. D. Spicy stir fried prawns (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=192&select=IVM5HfUTiufEcyiZnbe2nw) - Large head-on shrimp in a sauce that had kick. E. Peking duck buns, prefilled (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=192&select=qmnJ9JDiJa47qm8E-w2WTw) - Convenient for the diner, not having to construct this ourselves. F. Peking duck meat with plum sauce (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=192&select=33o393EPKYRt79bo3BrByw) - The remaining duck pieces in a Cantonese style marinade paired well with the sweet sauce. G. Salt & pepper pork chops (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=192&select=ou_kdYXYP2m5uj4OCjklUg) - Mildly seasoned, these came crispy and temperature hot. H. House stir fried noodles (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=192&select=ZVJ6YuhjEzuRpOv5B2vS5w) - not sure whether this is considered cake noodles (closeup - (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=192&select=ZP1EHIVGLcyT17gnAO3w0Q)), I asked for red vinegar for a flavor contrast which made this delicious. I. Dried scallops & egg white fried rice (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=192&select=_QmjtSbDCv3A_rn6NFw8bA) - on the bland side, I asked for chili sauce which kicked this up a notch for me. J. Cold almond soup with tapioca (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=192&select=kI5adXZcGWQhJKM4g2RI5w) - a nice finish and palate cleanser, this wasn't overly sweet. Thank you, staff members and the above organizers for putting this banquet together. It's not easy to craft meals for 30 with this consistency. The wait staff were quick and pretty efficient given that all tables were occupied by our mid meal. Happy Chinese New Year to all who enjoyed this meal, our party and the other diners who were there. read more

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01/31/25-update Celebrated Chinese New Year with Yelp friends tonight. A beautiful night of food, friendship and fun. The 9 course meal selected by our hosts was amazing, savory, spicy and sweet. Please see pictures for the dishes. Service was great and follow up with tea replenishment is appreciated! Parking validation at the restaurant is provided here. $2.00 total for the evening event. We parked at Alii Place on Alakea Street. Restrooms are available inside of the restaurant. read more

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Trying Honolulu Seafood Restaurant for the first time as we had enjoyed our visits to their sister restaurant Kapiolani Seafood Restaurant. I read the reviews and decided to dine here primarily because of the better parking at All'i place during the day and larger sized dining area. Bonus is that the restaurant partially validates parking at Alli'i Place M-F between 8am to 5pm and on weekends and holidays. . You can also park at Bishop Square M-F between 5pm to 1am and Sat, Sundays. Parking at Bishop is a tad bit more and across the street from the restaurant. We were seated shortly after walking in with no reservations into a private dining room. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The room was significantly quieter as the new clean spacious interior has been modernized since their previous tenants.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]The open dining area does not absorb chatter and can be quite loud.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Order from the dim sum and/or regular menu. Love the pictures and descriptions in English. FYI the menu pictures may look different from what is actually served. The XLB order had a variety of sizes. Not uniform and was stuck to the small tins. Probably will skip the next time. Chicken feet (or should I say foot ) was excellent Our group enjoyed our meal and will probably return to this location. Give Honolulu Seafood or their Kapiolani location a try as there is something for everyone with the extensive menu! Yes, there is validated parking at Ali'i Place or Bushop Square depending on when you dine! That's a plus in my book! read more

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I was so hungry I forgot to take photos! This was my first time at Honolulu seafood and it was pretty good! They have all the dishes you expect at dim sum and can also order other dishes as well. We got the dim sum and an order of noodles. Service was as good as you can expect to get at dim sum and the food was good. It wasn't THE best I've ever had but I would come back again. read more

First time here and definitely not our last. We came here on a weekday around 1100 before the downtown office workers lunch rush. We were greeted and seated right away. They dim sum menu is extensive and offers variety. They do not have the dim sum carts going around, instead they have the menu on the table which you pick what you want and quantity. We ordered Har Gow, Chicken Feet, Siu Mai, Spare Ribs, Seafood Seaweed Roll, Shrimp Look Fun, and Taro Puff. All.came out fresh, delicious and flavorful. One of the best dim sum in the island. We really loved the Seafood Seaweed Roll, Chicken Feet - tender, falling off the bone, the Shrimp Look Fun. Service was pleasant and attentive. Restaurant is clean and bright, and a huge dining area. They got busier and louder during the lunch rush hour. read more

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Their dim sum was okay. The taste is a bit lacking. They did not have baked egg custard buns on their menu. The waitresses came with our orders in a good amount of time. We were in a room by ourselves that at night, they have karaoke, for a price. Parking is in the Alii building or street parking on Richard's St. read more

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This location is on Alakea and is the same restaurant as kapiolani seafood. They aren't open all day long and the dimsum menu is limited compared to the kapiolani location. There are similar dim sum like the basics, but maybe 1/2 or less of the other menu. Overall, good dimsum and quick friendly service. Parking is difficult, so that may be difficult. Restaurant is very clean though and well kept. I didn't try their regular menu food, but looks the same as kapiolani as well. 4 stars only because less menu items and parking is difficult. read more

Honolulu Seafood Restaurant - Dim Sum Near Me - Urban Honolulu, Hawaii

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Honolulu Seafood restaurant is a relatively newer Chinese restaurant that is in the old Young Sing building in downtown. They specialize in dim sum, but do offer regular Chinese cuisine as well. We went here twice, once for dim sum with my family, and an additional time for a scholarship dinner. Food was good. When we went for dim sum, we got our usual favorites, especially the shrimp dumplings, taro puffs, bao, and jian dui. The shrimp dumplings had more of a peppy taste than what I'm used to. The jian dui were good, but a lot smaller than the traditional. I thought it was pretty good, but my dad is quite a stickler (I know you know that from my previous reviews) and he made a comment that this was not Cantonese. Service is OK. Dim sum is served relatively fast, so you're in and out of the restaurant. They seemed a little disorganized when it came to our check as they could not find the paper menu that we ordered from, and kept insisting that we still had it, even though the lady took it from us. Eventually, they located it and we were able to pay our bill. read more

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This restaurant is where Yong Sing and Mandalay Bay used to be on Alakea Street. You can park at Ali'i Place and they will validate for half an hour. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The restaurant is bright and clean.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The dim sum is ok but expensive! read more

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Came here on a Saturday with friends, we got to park at my friends parking garage in the building she works at which is a block away from the restaurant on Alakea St and did the short walk to the restaurant. It is the former Yong Sing Chinese Restaurant. When we arrived, there were only few tables occupied, we didn't make reservations, just walked in and were seated right away. The staff were very friendly and quick and attentive. They had a lunch special that we decided to try. 5 choices of dim sum, choice of fried rice or noodles for $48 and it fed all 3 of us. We did order 2 other plates of Dim Sum to try. Everything was hot and delicious, I really enjoyed it. They do have a regular menu with all kinds of different Chinese staples. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Restaurant and bathroom was clean.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

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This is one of the nicest dim sum places I've been to in a minute! My friend who's from China recommended that we go here because they have lots of unique food options. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Ambience is clean and modern.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]The air conditioning works and it's nice and cool.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] It didn't get too busy on a Sunday morning (we met at 11am, PRIME TIME for that dim sum!) and there was no wait. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Tables are spaced apart so you have room to breathe and it's easy to hear the other person.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]A lot of other dim sum places are LOUD and crowded which is a vibe itself but this is great for a date or dining with friends/ family who you want to chat with.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We ordered: Chicken feet - these were big and juicy! They had a nice black bean sauce with a hint of sweetness and vinegar and boiled peanuts. Yum! Beef tendon look funn- theirs is served in a sizzling bowl with stir fried onions, fresh bouncy noodle rolls and lots of fatty gelatinous beef tendons and meat. Yum! Durian puffs- these were piping hot, crispy and not too sweet. Yum! Shrimp ha gao- big fat juicy shrimp dumplings. Pretty standard. Yum! Beef tripe- this was ok, I'm not a huge fan of this kind of intestine (I like the Japanese style fat tubular ones served in motsu). It was steamed in ginger and was tender for something that's normally chewy if that makes any sense! Service was polite and efficient. Prices were a little more than the divey places but the ambiance more than makes up for it! [[HIGHLIGHT]]They have party rooms on the side and are BYOB. I think this would be a fun place to have a party![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] You get a choice of free tea, default is Jasmine. read more

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Servers are friendly, fast, and opens up the sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Ambiance is very average noise level, but bustling with activity.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Ordered: (2) Mochi Puffy with pork dim sum (2) Seafood Bean Curd Beef with boiler melon (2) Abalone Sticky Rice Food has crunch in seafood bean curd and mochi puffy with pork. Both are succulent and filled with flavors. Seafood has little bits of celery that adds to it. Bitter melon is not so bitter with the tender succulent beef...very nice. It's good for your blood pressure. Abalone sticky rice is a pocket full of surprising flavors, lup chong, abalone, chicken, mushrooms, and a meal buy itself! read more

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Came here on a Saturday for lunch and it wasn't as busy as I thought it would be. We only waited for a few minutes. [[HIGHLIGHT]]While you wait, you could watch the fishies in the aquarium. They follow your hand which is pretty amusing because they think you're going to feed them.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] It was our first time here and oddly enough, we didn't realize we didn't get the lunch menu till after we were done eating. We just ordered from the dim sum menu. Had the shrimp hargow, siu mai, spring rolls, turnip cake and shrimp crispy noodles. The spring rolls were super oily and the flavors on all the dishes were very strong. Like a lot of oyster sauce flavor and not much else. The hargows are huge but I didn't really care for the texture. Unfortunately, this place didn't make the list of my top dim sum spots. Service was okay, they took a long time to bring one dish and we had to ask a few times if they were still on it's way. Overall, I don't think I'll be coming back here. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Ambiance is really nice, bright and open but it's not worth for me to come downtown for this restaurant.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

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Honolulu Seafood Restaurant (sister ship to Kapiolani Seafood Restaurant) is located in the former Mandalay and Yong Sing Restaurant's former location. You will find them on Alakea Street, next to Central Pacific Bank Building (south) and below Alii Place (north). For those who are unaware, Alakea Street is a one day street going north. NOTE: Alii Place has the municipal parking so easy to get there. Don't quote me but I think they may validate your parking ticket. Unlike some restaurants with the dim sum carts, Honolulu Seafood has a menu on the table to which you pick what and the quantity of what you want. Your assigned waiter ore waitress will deliver the bamboo steamer bowls with dim sum delight to your table. Noodle and other prepared dishes are on their regular menu. The facility is huge and I'm told it can seat a capacity of 300. They have a second level area where you can be seated just in case you want to avoid the noise, hustle and bustle of the first floor activity. Food looks good. Food tastes good. read more

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Special occasion dinner with Friends and Family. Our annual dinner celebration at Honolulu Seafood Restaurant celebrating the Lunar New Year and my brother. Large dining area with private rooms available. Servers are efficient and accommodating. They're very consistent the chefs always execute and deliver wonderful Chinese Cuisine. Tonight's menu was Seafood Tofu Soup, Dungeness Crab, Peking Duck, Spinach with Garlic Sauce, Peking Pork Chops, Scallop and Egg White Fried Rice, and Chicken with Salt Fish and Tofu. All were wonderful and delicious. The Chicken with Salt Fish and Tofu stole the show tonight. read more

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Came during lunchtime on a Wednesday. We wanted to make reservations, but we were told we couldn't make reservations for only 3 people. We took a chance and walked in. We were able to get seating upstairs. I'm not sure if the second floor is accessible by an elevator, so I recommend calling if there may be mobility issues for anyone in your party. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The interior is a bit stark, kind of like a food hall. I was expecting a darker interior with a homey feel.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We ordered the beef and bitter melon, a vegetable with dried cod, pork and shrimp hash, shrimp dumpling, turnip cake, and a few others. Everything tasted great. Our servers were quick to take our orders and bring the hot tea. read more

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We had lunch here when my family visited from Seattle last week. It's the sister restaurant to Kapiolani Seafood Restaurant. Although it's owned by the same people, I liked this restaurant much more. This restaurant has more space and the food is of better quality. We had a party of 11 and they tried to squeeze us on a round table. It was really tight and my mom asked if we could sit in the room with the bigger round table. They said that we would need to spend $250 to use the room, so that's what we did. We ordered a lot of food and had left overs. I can't remember everything we ordered, but the food was delicious. We had the usual shrimp dumplings, shrimp look fun, black bean spareribs, chicken feet, turnip cake, taro cake, etc. The best item I do recall having is the salted egg bun. The bun is black with a gold stripe running across it. Instead of using a piece of salted egg like most places, they make theirs runny and creamy. This item was amazing. Get this!!! read more

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***4.5 STARS*** It's been several months since Honolulu Seafood Restaurant (HSR) opened their doors in early February 2024. They took over the spot previously occupied by Mandalay Restaurant or for those old timers out there, Yong Sing Restaurant on Alakea Street. I no longer work in the downtown nor Chinatown area so it took me some time to make my way here. My aunt turned 92 years a few months ago and had requested to get together. As she still goes to work daily and her shop is in Chinatown, I suggested we come here for dim sum. We came on a Saturday and agreed to meet at 1230pm. Upon arrival, I was impressed HSR was quite packed as surrounding businesses and offices in the financial district of Honolulu are closed. My cousins and aunt arrived first so they secured a table for 8. Here at HSR you are given an order sheet and you indicate the number of dishes for each item. I usually rely on the food pics posted on Yelp but with so many foodies in our group, I pretty much marked up the sheet as family members blurted out what they wanted to eat. In addition to dim sum, I took the liberty of also getting 2 different noodle dishes. Shortly after ordering, we saw a showcase of premade, baked items such as the baked char siu buns came out. There was also a steamer section where staff delivered assorted, steamed dim sum over to us. I tried to snap photos but many were hungry. Dim sum tastes better when eaten hot. Standouts for our group included the abalone glutinous rice in lotus leaf wrap, baked char siu buns, deep fried shrimp balls, and the harm sui gok (deep fried savory glutinous dumplings in the shape of footballs). My aunt and I really enjoyed the chicken feet and the crowd favorite was the steamed book tripe that was tender and flavorful. The steamed shrimp dumplings were ginormous - - generously stuffed with shrimp. I was impressed with the seafood fried noodles and dry style beef chow fun dishes. The egg noodles were fried on both sides crispy and it absorbed the delicious gravy from the assorted seafood and choy sum vegetables. I was also impressed with the wok hei achieved from the beef chow fun. Both noodle dishes were executed well. There were some items that didn't make the cut with me: shrimp cheung funn rolls, pan fried turnip cake, taro puffs, and the beancurd rolls. They were just marginal and nothing exceptional. Service was somewhat spotty and lacked communication. There were many waitstaff on the floor so we experienced highlights of our teapots constantly refilled and food being delivering to us but I had to follow-up on items that were still missing. For example, I had ordered multiple steamed shrimp dumplings and baked char siu buns but noticed we were short as not everyone got their share. I had to flag the staff down towards the end of our meal and indeed when realizing the shortage we were delivered the remainder. However, they were all out of the baked char siu buns and the chefs weren't going to make more so the staff ended up adjusting our order. We were impressed with the major renovation as clearly monies were invested in upscaling the interior. It lifted HSR into a high-end venue that justifies their pricey dim sum at the minimum of $6.50 per basket. Validated parking is adjacent to Ali'i Place, that is just next door to HSR. It is a little inconvenient to make your way over to HSR after parking and exiting via elevator as Ali'i Place is not open on Saturdays so we had to exit from N Hotel St and then make our way over HSR. Overall, a very pleasant first experience at HSR where I'd be game for a return visit. Clearly HSR is a worthy venue to celebrate a special occasion or a get together with family and friends. read more

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Update: Suggestion: Dim Sum available from 9:30 am. Tried yum cha (dim sum) on a weekday. It was ok. If you want more flavorful dim sum, you may want to check out other places too. Regular lunch or dinner here is recommended. We tried the black bean spareribs but it was boney and overly tenderized. Flavor was not that pronounced. The custard buns, turnip cakes and siu mai were all good. I'd not choose the crispy look fun, but I'd order regular look fun instead. Overall, try regular lunch or dinner here rather than dim sum. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Service is always good here and ambiance was pleasant as well.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

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I got take out today from here today. Made a phone call and my take out order was ready in 15 mins! I ordered their abalone mochi rice wrapped in lotus leaves, seafood wrapped in beancurd, siu mai, fried taro dim sum, Gai lan or Chinese broccoli, and egg tarts. Their dim sum seems bigger size but also cost more. Our faves was their siu mai and gai lan. Everything else was just ok. They do validate for the Alii parking lot right next to this restaurant. read more

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We arrived very early soon after the restaurant opened. Only two other tables were occupied in the huge downstairs dining area. It's much more spacious with more bling light fixtures than its sister restaurant and they use the takeout bags with that restaurant's name on it. The young good looking person immediately took us to a table when we entered with the hard cover menu and brochure to order from. Another smiling employee asked us which flavor tea we wanted and suggested Jasmine when I said first time here. She also brought water. She returned a few minutes later to place our order which came out very quickly. I asked about the roast duck noodle but a man behind me said 11:00. Okay, next time I replied. I really miss the flavors of dim sum I grew up on from Char Hung Sut, Asian Palace and Yong Sing. Lots more choices here and dishes to order from the kitchen. They have individual rooms plus upstairs. I would imagine it's a good venue for a birthday celebration or wedding reception. Parking next door at Alii Place is very stylish and elegant plus safe with security in the lobby. Next time I have to make different choices. read more

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We walked here after a meeting for lunch on a Friday. It took about 20 minutes for us to get our order for dim sum in. The host seated the people on the table next to us and took their order. We expected someone to come and take our order because we had been seated first. One waitress came to our table, looked at our order form, but placed it down and walked away. I finally had to get the attention of another waitress to finally get our order in. Our orders came from the kitchen, as the dim sum was not served from carts. The rolled look fun with shrimp was excellent and most of the dim sum as well. Unfortunately,they ran out of baked char siu bao. Their pan fried chive dumplings were good, but should have been fried a little longer to crisp the bottom. Aside from the service experience, the food was good enough to return here. read more

3.5 stars Came to the newest dim sum place in town. It was nice and more fancy than your typical dim sum place in China Town. I got some of my usual favorites seafood bean curd roll, seafood seaweed roll, taro puff, and mochi puff with pork. We also got char siu siu which I recently discovered at a China town bakery. The seaweed roll was pretty good. The bean curd roll was deep fried, I'm used to it being steamed. The taro puff though light and fluffy had a slight smoky flavor, maybe from being fried too hard. The char siu siu had a nice flaky crust but the filling was not as tasty as the one from the local bakery. The har gao was tasty, the shrimp was cooked nicely and had good texture. We also got the beef look fun which took the longest to come out because it was cooked to order. It was filled with beef meatball, so it had to be steamed for awhile after it was ordered. I did not care for the flavor of the meatball, it had cilantro and/or tangerine peel. Service was quick and prompt. I like that you order from a menu rather than from the carts. I also liked that the shoyu and chilli sauce was on the table so I didn't need to ask for more each time I wanted more. I thought the prices were higher than other places in China Town; Most of the small plates were $6.50. Parking was at Alii Place, the first parking lot just past it. They validated but we still had to pay 0.75 which isn't bad for down town. The elevators in Alii Place are weird, you have to press the floor you want to go to OUTSIDE and look at which elevator to take. Once inside the elevator there are no buttons for floors so you can't choose the floor once you're in the elevator. So even if you see people waiting for the elevator press the floor you want to go to, because the people may not be going to the same floor. Once you get down to the ground floor, take a left and go to the doors down long hall past Hawaii State Federal Credit Union not the one in front that gets you around the block from the restaurant. read more

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We came here on Chinese New Years to Celebrate! This place was really lively! All I remember having was: **Char Siu & Jelly Fish (8/10) ~ Char Siu was really soft and tender. It was marinated really well! The Jelly wish had a nice crunch and the perfect app before eating something big! Overall, It wasn't bad, lots of space to bring a huge party! I would like to come back to try dim sum here next time. read more

Honolulu Seafood Restaurant - Char Siu & Jelly Fish - Dim Sum Near Me - Urban Honolulu, Hawaii

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If you love Kapiolani Seafood restaurant, you'll love this place. Actually, this restaurant is better because you don't feel as cramped....the tables are not right next to each other and they give a $1 parking validation. The parking lot is right next door. The servers here are also very friendly and courteous....not the norm for a lot of Chinese restaurants. I mean, they're really really nice! If you want good dim sum, this is where you have to go! The atmosphere is nice, service is great and food is delicious! read more

Had early Father's Day dinner here with the family . Portions were big and flavors were decent. They said parking is $1/hour if you park at the parking across the street. The string beans was a tad strange with added star anise? Or some sichuan peppercorn? The honey mayo walnut shrimps...the walnuts were a tad stale, not crunchy. The ginger scallion shoyu chicken was pretty good though. Chicken was soft and moist. The rest of the dishes were good. Haven't tried their dim sum yet. read more

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Newish dim sum place in downtown a block away from the courthouse and across the street from Bishop Square. They validate for the Bishop Square garage on the weekends. They suggest another lot to park during the weekdays that they validate for. Dim sum is literally my favorite food so of course I had to try this place when I heard there was a new dim sum restaurant opened recently. Clean and spacious. There are two floors. Don't expect dim sum carts rolling around to tables. You mark what your selection is and they make it to order. With the exception for bakes items. It looked like it was in a warming case. The owner, Terry Cheung, was a Hong Kong native before moving to Hawaii, and brings authentic Hong Kong cuisine with him. He had a heavy hand in opening Kapiolani Seafood so you will notice many similarities to both restaurants and their offerings. We got the usuals siu mai, turnip cake, black bean spare rib, shrimp cheong fun. Their Singapore curry rice noodles were a winner. Service was great. We didn't get it but noticed they had cha leung, the cheong fun with fried donut in it. Try it if you haven't, great taste and texture. read more

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Honolulu Seafood Restaurant Overall: ***** Highly Recommended ***** Food: ***** Value: **** Menu: **** Ambiance: **** new, but noisy Service: ***** (Wed night, Fri day) Parking: **** municipal lot next door at Ali'i Place, or validated across the street at Bishop Square after 5 pm & weekends. When I married into a Chinese family our go to restaurant was Wong & Wong in Chinatown. We then follow the cook to Asia Manoa till he left. Then, Duk Kee became go to restaurant for years, but the chefs recently retired, so we decided to try Honolulu Seafood Restaurant for dinner. DINNER: I am happy to report that we have a new go to Chinese restaurant. They passed the pallets of 4 pure Chinese, 3 half-Chinese, as well as my Japanese pallet. Our 10 dishes were mostly rated Delicious "A" and the rest were all Good "B." LUNCH: DIM SUM: I'm also happy to have another good dim sum alternative for lunch. Some of their dim sum are better than the former Mandalay and the old Legend, while others are not as good. Honolulu Seafood Restaurant, now occupies the space that Mandalay restaurant once occupied. They are a sister restaurant to Kapiolani Seafood Restaurant and Kaneohe Dim Sum Station. The menus are almost identical to the Kapiolani Seafood menu. Notd: If you're planning to do a business lunch, keep in mind that the restaurant is very noisy, due to the new stone flooring. DINNER RATINGS & RECOMMENDED ORDER: Beef black bean fun = A 2x Honey walnut shrimp = A 2x Salt & pepper pork chops = A Sweet sour pork = A Clams with black bean sauce = A Mapo tofu = A Green beans with ground pork = A Ong Choy Ham Ha = B Choy Sum Oyster Sauce = B spicy prawns LUNCH RATINGS & RECOMMENDED ORDER: Stir fried look fun with XO sauce = A Salt and pepper fish fillet = A Pan fried shrimp and chives dumpling = A Deep fried shrimp ball =A Pork hash with seafood (siu mai) = B Mochi puff with pork = B Shanghai pork dumpling = C Barbecue char siu dumpling = C Yelp: https://yelp.to/MoINNsupDZ YELP: Sorry! They allow only one 12 second video & the remaining to 3 seconds, with maximum of 10 pictures/videos. The full video, more videos of dishes and pictures of the complete menu can be found elsewhere: MiltonIn808 RATINGS KEY: A = Really Good - one of the best B = Good - would order again C = ok - similar, nothing special D = Not very good - wouldn't order F = Terrible - avoid read more

It's great to see this location is once again a Chinese restaurant. I miss Yong Sing and the successor restaurants didn't last long. The owner, Terry Leung, owns Kapiolani Seafood as well as a dim sum place in Kaneohe. We were hoping for dim sum at dinner, but unfortunately, it wasn't available. Their standard dinner menu is very extensive, and they provide good pictures of what you're ordering. We ordered the string beans with pork, beef chow funn gravy style, and the beef tendon stew pot. The string beans were excellent and very tasty. I couldn't put my finger on the salty element...dried scallops maybe? The beef chow funn was good, but not great. A solid 3.5/5 stars. The beef tendon stew was good, with lots of ginger. It was missing a punch of five spice, though. Service is great, and our server had helpful suggestions, too. The ambiance is very clean and modern with lots of lighting. However, the giant karaoke TV could be turned off during dinner. Can't wait to try their dim sum at lunch! read more

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Brunch in Downtown Honolulu, Hawaii... My lunch buddy, Daniel C., was very enthusiastic about going to Honolulu Seafood Restaurant on its first day of operation: February 1, 2024. I was hesitant because of the parking situation. I was honestly thinking about parking in a free parking lot, but it was about 4 blocks away... and I'd probably arrive at the restaurant looking windblown, perspiry, and out of breath - not to mention the risk of getting towed for parking in a private lot... LOL! Dear Daniel said that he was going to just park next door at Ali'i Place. Ok... alright. It's 75 cents for the first half hour and $1.50 for every hour after that. I ended up paying $3 total. Uhg. Honolulu Seafood Restaurant is located on Alakea Street, where Yong Sing Restaurant was. After that, it was The Mandalay Restaurant for a while. The interior is really beautiful, with artsy crystals hanging from the ceiling around the lighting. The upstairs was ready for customers, but the word isn't out yet about this Hot New Business, so no one was upstairs. There are several private rooms with karaoke equipment. We sat in the spacious common area around 9:30am. It got crowded after we left. The main entrées were dimsum, but limited selection. They didn't have custard tarts nor cha siu su (baked BBQ pork flakey pastry) yet. They did have jook (congee) and look funn (flat rolled noodles)... and there are five types of complimentary tea! We got the shrimp dumplings, hom sui gok (deep fried mochi with savory filling), pork with shrimp dumplings (siu mai), deep fried shrimp balls, and parsley shrimp dumplings. Everything looked and tasted great! Service was very thorough. Several people checked to make sure we got everything we ordered because the kitchen would tell the servers which items weren't available, then the servers would give us suggestions as to what's a good replacement. I think I'll stick with the Kapiolani Boulevard location because it has free parking. I'm looking forward to the Kaneohe location, which is coming soon! Good luck and welcome to Honolulu Seafood Restaurant! Wishing you much success! read more

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At the start of the New Year, I heard about the Grand Opening of Honolulu Seafood, but because we were dealing with water damage in our condominium, we put off eating out. However, even knowing we could be celebrating the Lunar New Year (February 10, 2024) with sumptuous dim sum and other Cantonese culinary specialties, we still held back until after this restaurant's one-month anniversary passed. We decided to yum cha at Honolulu Seafood Restaurant on a Saturday afternoon. We thought we'd have to wait in line since the restaurant looked crowded as we passed in front and peered in through their front window. However, we were immediately greeted at the entrance and escorted to a table with menus. The menu cover showed us this restaurant is owned and operated by the same people as Kapiolani Seafood (which we've dined at) and Kaneohe Dim Sum Station. We were impressed by the spaciousness, bright, clean, and contemporary decor of this restaurant, which formerly housed longtime Chinese tenants such as Yong Sing and Mandalay Restaurants, where we'd often spend time going to special occasion banquets or meals whenever we were in Downtown Honolulu. We missed trying the short-lived Cajun-Creole tenant, Bourbon Street. Of course, we attempted ordering "The Four Heavenly Kings" (siu mai, har gow, charsiu bao, and daan tot) to compare with its sister restaurant. However, Honolulu Seafood does not make/serve daan tot, and we could have substituted the Steamed Salted Egg Custard Buns. We ordered the Pan-Fried Turnip Cake and a plate of Beef Chow Fun, Dry-Fried instead. The dim sum was plump and filled with properly textured and delicious fillings. I was a bit disappointed with the Har Gow/Ha Gow or Crstyal Skin Shrimp Dumpling because the wrapper seemed to be thicker and not as translucent as its sister restaurant. The dim sum prices ranged from $6.50 to $12.50 per basket/plate, as at Kapiolani Seafood. The generously portioned dry-fried beef chow fun cost $18.50, and the wok hei was perfect since there were hardly any broken rice noodles and the beef slices were tender. As of this writing, we found the service spotty and slow. On this Saturday, the restaurant was near its 350 seating capacity, but they seemed short-staffed, and the servers all seemed to be rushing around as opposed to its smaller sister restaurant. We hope they'll be able to recruit more experienced and personable workers. We are happy to see a good Chinese restaurant in Downtown Honolulu that is conveniently located for the workers in Financial and Capitol Districts and neighborhoods rather than having to go further into Chinatown. read more

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What a beautiful restaurant! Huge, Impressive, downstairs, upstairs, really spared no expense making it a lovely place to spend some time. Arrived at 10:00 to try and beat the crowd and ran into Daniel C and Nadine C already enjoying their order. They open at 9:00 for DimSum on weekdays and 8:30 on weekends. Like their sister restaurant Kapiolani Seafood they close from 3:00 until 5:00 then reopen for their Chinese Food menu. When the 11:00 hour came the restaurant filled up as the downtown diners streamed in. I can only speak to the DimSum served at this establishment. It's exactly the same, meaning just as good as the sister Kapiolani. Same menu in fact the front of the menu note the Kapiolani Seafood Restaurant first, the Honolulu Seafood Restaurant (this review) and another Kaneohe DimSum Station third. I did call the number listed for that last one as it would be great to hit it up on a circle island adventure but the number is a disconnect so I believe it's a future venture and why reprint later. Because my visit was the first day they were officially open, the day before for invite only which my brekkie partner was lucky to snag, there were a few items not available but that was expected. Funny, the one item I really wanted (taro puffs) is rarely available the sister restaurant most days. Tea is no charge and there are five choices. Service is prompt as when you're seated you are asked if you want tea and/or water. The menu is left for you to peruse and it's also your order form, your server will be back in the blink of an eye so think and decide quickly, as with all DimSum places they want you to order now. They are no carts, kitchen service only. Many of the servers were from Fook Lam and Kapiolani Seafood and laugh with you as they explain they're just temporary help for the opening but some will work their "other" jobs morning/afternoon but here for dinner. Parking is street or at Ali Place next door just past the restaurant. Bring a small car so you don't get pinned in as I did. No parking validation from the restaurant and payment for parking garage is cash only but relatively cheap at 75¢ per half hour. read more

Honolulu Seafood Restaurant is the sister restaurant of Kapiolani Seafood Restaurant. Same menu and I believe the prices are identical. They are located in the old Mandalay location in Downtown. The space is open and bright with lots of tables for all party sizes. They even have private rooms with karaoke. You can find street metered parking or park in Alii Place (public parking). If you work or live in the area then it's a quick walk over to the restaurant. I came on 02/01/2024 which was their official opening day and parked in Alii Place. There was no metered street parking available due to all the no parking signs posted. When Lunch Buddy arrived, we walked in and were one of the first people to dine there for the day. Shortly after Kathy A and Li Y came in to dine there as well. With it being the first day open to the public, their menu was limited so we ordered 5 items to share. You have a menu where you write down how many of an item you want below the photo and dish name/description. Tea was complimentary but our first choice was not available after checking. No biggie and understandable. A staff member apologized for not having all the menu items available and for a slow dining experience as they still had kinks to work out. It wasn't really too noticeable since it wasn't busy when we dined there. Overall, good dimsum option in the downtown area. read more

Honolulu Seafood Restaurant - Dimsum - Dim Sum Near Me - Urban Honolulu, Hawaii

Overall decent dimsum with a few kinks since they are still new. We were quickly seated upstairs and I can see how with the stairs our food took longer. We ordered 14 dishes from the dimsum menu. No food carts upstairs. Everything came out very slowly and sometimes quite nice and hot and other times lukewarm. However, I think the food here tastes better than their other location. The most interesting dish is the black bun egg custard. Just the look is unique. Bread is soft, hot and middle so creamy with hints of saltiness. My favorite is the panfried shrimp noodles. Crispy, soft on the inside but crunchy with the right amounts of texture. Shredded taro cake came out slowly but cold. That was sad. I am sure it would have tasted phenomenal if it came out when it was cooked immediately. The taro flavors were there and textures were crunchy. Steamed rice wrapped in yellow noodles is a cross between sticky rice and a dim sum. Good and enjoyable because the portions were larger and less wet than a lotus leaf sticky rice. Everything else such as shrimp dumpling, siu mai, pan fried buns with meat were decent. Probably will not recommend the soup dumplings nor green onion pancakes. They were a little mediocre in taste. Servers were nice and apologetic about the slowness of the service. Owner also knew the issues with service in general and mentioned they are short staffed and trying to work out the kinks. Restaurant is bright with lotsa of space. read more

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Honolulu Seafood now open for business. Highlighting some of the best dim sum this island has to offer. The space is beautiful with upstairs and downstairs and a much larger sitting area than most restaurants. More than suitable for banquets. Food is delicious. Is it more expensive? Not anymore than other dim sum restaurants in town. Definitely more worth those places as the serving portions are generous and the prices are on par. The taste equaling their sister restaurant called Kapiolani Seafood Restaurant which sits on Makaloa Street. Service so friendly. Efficiency will come with time. Situated right on Alakea Street and just next to Beyond Pastry, public parking lot right next door on Alii Place. Thank you owners Tony Leung, Terry Cheung, James Chen, for another excellent Chinese food establishment. read more

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Came with a hostess of the mostest...Li Y with other friends and had a wonderful dim sum lunch! The dim sum was spot on, flavorful, delicious, wonderfully seasoned and hot. Loved the variety and especially trying out new taste treats. Steamed salted egg custard bun was a total surprise treat...especially if you like salted egg (which i do!). There's plenty of seating so didn't feel crowded. Will be back! read more

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My family and I came to the restaurant for a large friend gathering. One might think Chinatown is difficult to get to or the parking is crazy but there's several options to keep your car safe either across the street or next door and it is in a convenient and safe location. The menu is large and there are so many options. Although I didn't try the dim sum, I'm sure it is authentic based on the dinner food. We had several of their seafood items and they were incredibly fresh. The staff was kind, the service was great, the seats were comfortable, and the dinner was amazing! Definitely come check out when you're in the area or need to find a place for a small or large gathering! read more

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