Kirin Chinese Restaurant was actually underground, at negative one level, although its sign is on Kalākaua Ave, facing next to the beach. Missed the Chinese food and the dishes were great. But nothing else fancier. read more

Kirin Restaurant - 2025.03.18. Kirin Restaurant, Honolulu, O'ahu, Hawaii - Seafood Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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We were on a staycation and having walked most of the day we decided to just eat at the hotel. I haven't had Chinese food in many years so was anticipating an enjoyable meal. Yelp reviews were great and given that many celebrities have dined here, we gave it a try. We arrived on a Sunday night around 8:30 PM. As we looked around it looked predominantly of Chinese customers. As soon as we sat down we were given forks. We are part Asian and use chopsticks fully. We ordered the honey walnut shrimp which I wish to love but it was heavy on the mayonnaise. The Mr. ordered the beef special and said there was less beef and too much vegetables. The dim sum was OK. Service was mediocre for the restaurant being fairly empty given it was later in the night. Was the food horrible? No. Did I expect more? Yes. Overall, it was just an OK meal for the prices that are placed. read more

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Parking: if your hotel/condo s nearby, walk here instead. Carpool. Parking garage nearby, bring ur ticket so it can be validated. Been here for lunch/dinner, tried it all. I just havent left a review yet for the many times I've been here. There's no hit or miss when it comes to this restaurant and if there was ever a "it could've been better" experience, it was on a busy day/night and still the service and food rate would still be high. Food - not too over powering with seasoning, fresh, the spicy foods has a nice kick to it. Portions are served in group settings, if you havent been to Chinese/Cantonese restaurants in town. Its not a plate per person unless you feel like eating for two or three. Be prepare for that. Must try since you're reading my reviews: Dim Sum lunch: BBQ pork bun, fried shrimp dumpling, sui mai, steamed Shanghai dumplings. Lunch/Dinner: Honey walnut shrimp, Peking duck, Hot & Sour soup, Beef Pan Fried noodles/Hong Kong noodles Drinks: if you want alcohol, then stick to the bottles. The mai tais and mixed alcohol beverages from the bar tender has been juice lol iykyk not worth getting the drinks. If you made it this far in my reviews, gratuity is automatically added on whether you're a party of 1 or 20. If your server is trash, request another one. read more

Great food. Traditional atmosphere which I loved. The staff is accommodating and very efficient. The food was delivered quickly and was delicious. We enjoyed the potstickers, honey walnut shrimp, black pepper calamari and cheesecake. My husband drinks a lot of water yet never had to ask for more as his glass was always filled. Amy and her team were welcoming and created a wonderful dining experience. We just found our favorite Chinese Restaurant. read more

Best Chinese food in Waikiki! The lemon and pepper fish is the best along with the thin noodles and friend rice! We would order our dinner to go and the host that would take our order was always so kind and helpful... one night they were closing and they still took our order. Love this place! read more

For short notice they were able to accommodate our party of 10 plus 2 babies. We came and they were pretty full too. Thank goodness we called ahead to ask. Food is family style. It's Chinese food even though it's called Kirin. I mean it wasn't bad. We got everything. The special crab, sizzling beef, steamed fish, walnut prawns, peeking duck, roasted duck, and seafood mix with noodles. Everything was good except the crab. I mean the crab was fresh bc they pick it out from their tanks but the house special sauce had too much soy sauce in it. Other than that, service was pretty attentive giving how busy they were. Definitely not a quiet or date night type of restaurant. More towards family and larger parties with nose level. read more

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We Decided to try Kirin Restaurant today for Dim Sum. Restaurant is lower than street level so you will need to take stairs down to get to restaurant. There are no elevators. I believe they do have a lift to get you up & down the stairs if needed. Dim Sum was so so & a bit on the pricier side. Roast Duck Noodle Soup was decent. I would still prefer to go to Jade Dynasty for when I do have my Dim Sum cravings. With restaurant's Parking Validation, it is $3 for 4 hrs vs $4/hr in Hyatt Regency's Self Parking. read more

Service was great and quick. Do yourself a favor and get the salt and pepper pork chops. You're welcome.

The restaurant was ok. They may have had another entrance, but where we came in we had to go down a bunch of stairs. The service was nice. The food wasn't anything special though if I went again I would try the crab. read more

Kirin Restaurant - Wok fried ocean harvest basket - Seafood Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

A pretty solid spot for Chinese food in Waikiki! We came for dinner and were seated right away. It kind of felt like a hole in the wall, since you had to walk down into a basement essentially to get to the restaurant. I'd highly recommend the honey walnut prawns, garlic spinach, and the peking duck (the buns especially!). Everything tasted pretty good, though wasn't extraordinary. Service was great - they were always quick to refill water or take empty plates away. Lots of tables with lots of seating, which is perfect for larger parties. I believe they also have dim sum for lunch! read more

Kirin Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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My husband and I walked by the entrance to this restaurant for 15 years every time we went back to Oahu. We finally went inside and ate and boy, it was delicious! The dim sum was wonderful. Wontons were great. We spent the extra to get the live lobster and it was prepared perfectly. I highly recommend dining here.. read more

Kirin Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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A MUST visit when in Waikīkī. I live on Maui and travel to Waikiki regularly. Never miss stopping at Kirin for my Chinese fix and cravings. The food never disappoints. The service is always attentive, polite and goes out of their way to make sure you are pleased. Amy today (10/21) was wonderful. Great dim sum at lunch. And the dinners are more than generous size. read more

The best CHINESE Restaurant in Oahu, here's why: 1. Then Peking duck is extra crispy when requested and is the only restaurant on the island that serves pancakes with their Peking duck (praise be). 2. The crab with house sauce is one of the best sauces I have ever had the chance the drool on. You can request this sauce with multiple dishes. 3. Service is really good. read more

Had good time with my friends here, food was good! The fish was the best ever! We also saw pictures on the wall many celebrities came for food, must be good one! read more

Kirin Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Food was not the best Waitress Cindy was rude Spoke to the manager Amy but she was sweet and nice. I have no idea why Cindy was nasty. She asked me if I was ready to order more than 5 times with 4 minutes. She didn't know how to explain the dish and she was rude. read more

Based on the reviews, our party was disappointed with the food. We were looking forward to the experience. The servers were friendly and attentive, but the food lacked flavor. We decided to splurge, given previous food reviews, and got: Dungeness crab and salt and pepper fish. The latter of which could have benefitted from tarter sauce. The crab was $38 per pound and with it being around 3 pounds, it came with a hefry tag. I suppose people find it's a novelty to be able to look at the crab prior to it being boiled. I will admit, there is a wide selection of items on the menu, but perhaps focusing on the quality of less would be beneficial. The restaurant was dusty and had an outdated feel to it. I will say the restroom was quite clean. But overall left disappointed that we hadn't chosen another optimal place to eat at. read more

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1. Took to long to get food 2. Meat inside bun was cold 3. Very expensive 4. Both me and my wife had gastrointestinal issues later in the evening. This was the only restaurant we ate at the entire day read more

While the food is definitely authentic Cantonese, the portions felt small for the price, making it a bit overpriced overall (and I'm used to NYC prices! Took off 1 star for this reason). That said, the service was attentive, and there was plenty of seating, which made for a comfortable dining experience. read more

This is my official favorite spot for dim sum in Hawaii! My husband and I came after I recalled the experience with my best friend on a separate trip because the quality of the dim sum was so memorable. The service is quite fast and the price for portions and quality is awesome! We came here and ordered a bunch of things and loved it all! Overall ambiance was relatively quaint and it wasn't cramped at all. We will definitely be back on future trips to Waikiki! read more

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The food here is the worst in Honolulu. Nothing is fresh and it costs a fortune and it's enormous and loud. The waiters are useless. I've eaten all around the world and this might quite possibly might be the worst restaurant I've ever eaten at. AVOID AT ALL COSTS. SWILL! read more

As we were strolling on Kalakahua Ave, we were compeled to go dine into KIRIN by the amazing smell. Seating was pleasant in typical family style round tables notorious of Cantonese restaurants. The attire of the workers was so professional. Service was impressive and all the workers were so quick, amiable and on top of all tables. Food...oh man was delicious just as the incredibly smell sipping out so elegantly out to the street suggested. Both dishes we tried were delicious! The Mangolada was also insanely delectable....so much that my husband wants to go back for another one. Definitely a place to dine while in the area. Other Positives Tableware for children read more

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The food is great, the service was spectacular and the ambiance gave me rush hour movie vibe.

Food was very good and arrived quickly.... Nice atmosphere and pleasant staff. DimSum only available at lunchtime but you can get as an appetizer/sampler. read more

Overrated and over priced for their crabs. The crabs were so salty..... the other negative reviews were right.. We also got treated differently from other tables who sat around us. The power went off, they gave everyone around us a little battery lamp except us. They also charge 4% for credit card!!!! Our understanding is that banks charge restaurants only 2%, so they are also making money on that 4%... Tourist TRAP read more

Overall rating: 4.5. Best Chinese food I've had in quite awhile. Service: 5 stars. We were greeted immediately, seated quickly after we gave the name of the person who made the reservations, and our order was taken quickly (you check off what you want on the dim sum order sheet, standard at many Chinese dim sum restaurants). Food came out quickly except one dish, but hostess immediately went to check on it when we asked and apologized for the delay. Server who brought it did the same. Both the hostess and a server kept on checking on us to be sure everything was ok. Water was refilled quickly. New plates were provided after we finished the crab. Hostess also explained about the validation to be sure we didn't try to use any kiosks, which you'd have resulted in a huge charge. Parking: 2 stars, but it's the Hyatt Regency parking structure, since the restaurant is on the bottom floor of the hotel. Structure is known for tight and limited parking. I think it depends on the time of your reservation. So not the restaurant's fault. TIP: if you have 11am reservations you'll be battling against the crowds who have checked out and are getting to get out of the parking structure. It was like salmon trying to swim upstream! Even if you try to valet park, there's a line of cars trying to do the same, or people checking out waiting doe their car. Facility: 3.5. Nicely decorated but a little old. No complaints from us. It was still nicer than most Chinese restaurants. Price: 2.5 stars. It's in Waikiki and in the Hyatt Regency so you expect it to be pricey, but even the tea (albeit fancy tea) is expensive versus free like most restaurants. Crab was $42/pound...! Don't order rice unless you are really planning to eat it. Two can share a bowl if you are doing a lot of dim sum and have noodles. Food: 5 stars! We started with Ti Quan Yin tea, one of the best teas (IMO) from China. (Other choice was Jasmin, no run of the mill black tea here.) It was nice and hot and so smooth, no bitterness, just as expected. First dish out was the chicken lettuce wraps (also listed as an appetizer so maybe that's why it was first?). The filling was very tasty. Could have given us a couple more lettuce leaves since there was a lot of filling. Honey walnut shrimp was very good. Someone's review commented it had too much mayo but we were ok with it having a bit more mayo than most places. The BBQ pork buns were good, more for the person who wasn't into seafood). The Shanghai dumplings had a really tasty soup inside, with a tiny bit of heat. Never had it with a bit of spiciness before. Some stuck a little so you had to be careful and quickly flip your dumpling over to minimize soup loss. The fried salt and pepper fish fillets with the usual green onion, garlic, and a few slices of jalapeño were delicious. Just the right amount of salt, lightly battered. Beef broccoli crispy noodle was also delicious. Gravy was very good. Siu Mai was good. Mochi rice in lotus leaf were excellent. They cut the two pieces in half so you could get the rice out of the lotus leaf easily, and easier to share because the pieces are somewhat big. Rice also didn't stick to the leaf, like it often does. This was also delicious. Char siu look fun was excellent. Nice, silky look fun, good sauce. Crab was awesome. They pull the crab from the tank, present it in a large black shell bowl for your approval, then whisk it away to the kitchen. The black bean, ground pork, egg white, egg sauce was amazing. Everyone was very pleased with the food. Not a single complaint about anything. Would come here again when I'm willing to spend a lot for Chinese food, because it's very good! read more

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An available Chinese style restaurant close to our hotel in Waikiki was Kirin. They had many pictures of celebs hanging on the wall! This restaurant and usually Chinese family style restaurants accommodate towards big groups so this was not the best choice for quality of food, but for big parties. We ordered Honey Walnut shrimp, Stir Fried Broccoli, Fried Rice, Salt and Pepper Squid, and Mongolian Beef. For parties larger than 10 people, definitely order double entrees because their portions were small, but they were just enough for us to finish everything. As we were partially satisfied, we did not continue to order more as we felt the food wasn't matching the price tag. They also didn't have most Chinese classics and some items were sold out but they did not mention to us. We had to keep picking other choices at least 2 times before selecting something off the menu they could make! read more

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We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki, and this Chinese restaurant was one of the many restaurants within the hotel complex. We chose to eat there on our first night and we're very happy with the food, service and atmosphere. I had scallops and black bean sauce, delicious. A couple in our party both had the sesame chicken and I tried it and it was literally one of the best Chinese restaurant chicken dishes I've ever had. We also ordered chicken fried rice for the table, which was very good. Service was fast and very, very friendly. It's in the lower level of the hotel and my father, who is handicapped was treated so nicely, one of the staff members even rode the Electric stair climber up with him when we were done, and was so nice and helpful. Would definitely go back! read more

My husband was craving dim sum and found this place. It's a dark below ground restaurant with a large seating area. My husband enjoyed the food more than I did because it's just not my jam. He said it was very good though and the prices were low. If I was hungrier I would've tried more items so I would definitely come back. read more

Stopped by this place to grab some dinner. Keep in mind they don't open until 5pm- they do have lunch hours but we missed it. Our favorite dish was the honey walnut shrimp, soo yummy and the sauce was not too overpowering! The staff were excellent and always checking in on us. read more

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Food is great. Amy was very hospitable and accomodating! We really love the food. Hope to return soon next time.

Pricey but a decent Chinese food spot for the cravings. I loved the Peking duck the most. read more

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we had lunch at Kirin earlier. It's over priced and the servings were smaller than the normal Chinese restaurants. The shrimp rice roll dish only had two rice rolls instead of four in other restaurants. The food was not fresh. We had to return couple of dim sum dishes because it didn't taste right. The service was average. read more

hands down best Chinese restaurant we've tasted in Hawaii! We were trying to look around where we want to eat for dinner, and the pictures on the menu really gravitate my parents in. It was crowded when we came, and the space was pretty big! We ordered four dishes: Fresh Abalone - comes with two pieces of abalone steamed with ginger & green onion. I didn't really care for the abalone, but it was savory and sweet. My parents loved it. Ong Choy (Chinese water spinach) with minced garlic - I can't believe this costs $23 oof. It's a basic dish, but it was actually REALLY good though. Dry Fried Beef Chow Fun - this was REALLY good too. When you go to a Chinese restaurant, you would see all the sauces laid out on the table that you can put if you want more flavor, but this restaurant provides no sauce at all, so you know that it's gonna be good and perfectly seasoned. Foo Chow Fried Rice - I'm not a big fried rice lover, so this was just okay for me. My personal favs are the ong choi & the chow fun. SO GOOD. This is a solid place to eat if you're craving some Chinese food. Highly recommend! My parents loved this place so much that we came for the second time a few days later. read more

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I have not been to this Waikiki location since they moved many years ago. I was surprised to find their dim sum delicious and service was very good as well. Park at Hyatt Regency Waikiki $5 for valet and $3 for self-parking. They only open at 11:00am for dim sum. We tried shrimp Look Fun , chive dumpling , spinach dumpling, and pork chop. Will be back again for other dishes! read more

Honestly a pretty disappointing experience. We ordered four dishes: Half roast duck ($30+) "Hawaiian shrimp" ($40+ per pound) Stir-fried water spinach ($20+) Yangzhou fried rice ($20+) First, the food overall was very average for the price. The "Hawaiian shrimp" honestly just tasted like regular frozen shrimp you'd get from a supermarket--nothing special at all. The water spinach portion was very small, and the Yangzhou fried rice was mediocre, slightly sticky, and lacked flavor. Service was just okay. The restaurant is located in a basement, and the environment feels pretty ordinary--definitely not matching the price level. The tipping policy is also questionable. They did mention the 18% tip, but it was already added to the bill automatically, which still feels a bit off. On top of that, there's an extra 3% fee if you pay by credit card. With average food, small portions, and added fees, it really doesn't feel worth it. I'd suggest avoiding this place--there are much better options out there. read more

Great food! The location is downstairs. It is the first Chinese restaurant I have been to that has the air conditioner on where it is actually cool inside. Their soups are really good. I tried the egg and mushroom soup. The vegetable eggs rolls are delicious. My family ordered various meat dishes and loved all of them. They didn't leave anything behind. Every bite was enjoyed! read more

We had a great family meal here, from grandparents to young kiddos. The food was delicious, well-portioned, and reasonably priced. The service was prompt and friendly. We have high standards on good Chinese food coming from San Francisco, and we were not disappointed :) read more

This place is legit!!!! Worried it was a tourist trap in our hotel but my daughter who's picky wanted fried rice so we got it to go along with the poke we got from down the street (another good place) Everyone in the family agreed it's "real" Chinese food and delicious!!!! I really didn't want to risk getting the crab before but now after trying their fried rice we will 100% dine in and have a feast. We always gauge our authentic Chinese food by the SGV in so cal and this place passes our test with flying flavors! Even the hot sauce was legit and tasty lol read more

Great food great taste considering that the restaurant is in Hawaii. Lots of famous Hong Kong and American pop stars had been to this restaurant. The walnut shrimp isn't your regular Panda Express walnut shrimp. The mayo sauce isn't overpowering nor drenching the shrimp. The shrimps are very fresh ! The sweet and sour pork is so good and the sauce reminds me of eating at authentic Hong Kong restaurants. The Ong Choy was a little too old. I also like the Fillet although it's on the expensive side. The service is consistent and we were asked many times if we need anything else. Water was always topped off. The food came out so fast ! I was shocked. The restaurant is relatively quiet and it's located underground. You will see huge LED screens before the entrances. Overall, everything is on the expensive side but you won't be disappointed with the taste and service. read more

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I don't even know how this place has such a high rating. Worst Chinese food I've ever had, makes Panda Express look like fine dining. Extremely overpriced for the portion size. 6 pieces of salty shrimp should not be $30. Food was mediocre at best. Waitresses kept trying to take our plates while we were still eating, felt like we were being rushed out of the restaurant. The icing on the cake was the included gratuity, which was never mentioned and we did not hear them force this gratuity on anyone else around us. Overall, worst experience ever and I would not recommend this place to anyone. read more