Fantastic! Service was excellent. Food was a journey. Chef tells a story with each dish. We will be coming back again and again. Thank you, chef! And thank you Mike for great service. read more

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Pros: location Nice ambiance Good service Good steak Cons: seafood dishes aren't good read more

Restaurant UMI by Vikram Garg It was very weird entering UMI for the first time. Where this restaurant is located was the original Nobu. We were regulars there and had over two hundred dinners. After the initial weird feelings we relaxed and Vikram's staff made the entire evening unbelievably enjoyable. From the beautiful place settings to the superbly comfortable chairs we felt like we were very special. Although just opened, the staff is totally versed concerning each and every dish. Chef Vikram even spent time with us. We had the following: Scallop Carpaccio with cucumber namasu, dashi then another scallop dish with foie Gras Gyoza, kabocha, jasmine tea. This was followed by a lobster dish with shellfish essence, togarashi and lemon. We ended with a dimpled plate( no escargot) with shrimp, shochu-garlic butter and shokupan. A great Chablis Vallions totally married the meal. What was also so incredible was how totally relaxed we were during the entire evening. read more

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We found Umi for breakfast on our last morning in Honolulu. We are unhappy that we will not be able to try dinner until next visit. Both food and service were top-notch and we are looking forward to coming back. read more

Food was great, (high quality) however portions were small. Perfect for those who don't eat alot. Would definitely not recommend for those who have larger apetites. Service needs to match the prices you are charging. In this case, it did not. The service started out strong, however as the meal progressed and the restaurant was closing, the servers disappeared. Common in the industry, however this should never happen when your prices are averaging $50/pp for breakfast. We had to ask for water and coffee refills and removal of our dirty plates took longer than it should and we sat with dirty plates in front of us for 20 minutes after we were done. When we left the restaurant, no one was around. We were courteous not to stay longer since the last seating is at 10:30am. Would we return? No, we would not. Definitely not worth the $ and the service. There are too many other great breakfast/brunch restaurants with food just as good and much better service. read more

Tried Umi for dinner. Very indulgent; the menu was spectacular. Service was very good. My husband ordered the branzino, served whole, the smoked oysters and the foie gras gyoza. All extremely yummy. I ordered the seafood curry pre fixe and it was just lovely. Curry was very satisfying with the rice, I got arugula salad and the mango popsicle. When we first arrived at 5:00, the restaurant was quiet. But by the time we left the restaurant was hopping. read more

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The website is beautiful and the ambiance is gorgeous. My SO and I were celebrating our anniversary and looking to eat some surf and turf, this restaurant has steak and lobster on the menu and was in walking distance so we tried it. The food was presented in a California cuisine style, highly artistic and flawless in presentation, so 5 stars for quality but the portion was seriously lacking. We ordered a starter, main and they were so kind to surprise us with an anniversary dessert. (We left still hungry and I ate a pulled pork sandwich leftover from highway inn, thank you, Auntie!) Aloha! read more

To spend $318 for dinner, I expected the best but it turned out to be one steak that didn't even compare to Denny's. It was a Sirloin and I expected some fat but it was full of vain's and gristle, cartilage, especially when found as tough inedible tissue in meat. Spending this much money I was very disappointed and gladly excepted an apology but they didn't even comp the water or the coffee for such a disappointed Birthday dinner. As for the rest of the food it was bland and tasteless, it didn't even come with bread to soak up some of the sauce on the lobster. The staff and service is Five Star but the food and especially the steak was at least a two star of disappointment for a Birthday dinner. read more

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Typical restaurant and menu you'd expect for a restaurant inside a hotel. We had the loco moco and fried rice. It all tasted fine, but nothing too special and a bit pricey for what you get. I thought the loco moco had a slightly sour taste and I was actually worried maybe something was off but seems it's supposed to be tangy. Not sure if I'd come back, but maybe to try dinner. read more

Umi By Vikram Garg - Fried rice - Seafood Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Initially the manager, Abby, took our reservation for a party of 20 (kids were mentioned to be in attendance, also requested a kid's menu) for a Thursday night. We had zero requests for anything special. Abby did ask us to choose entree options before hand since we opted to not have the pre-fixed menu, which was no problem. We had a reservation at 7pm and I spoke to Abby at around 5:30pm to confirm entree options. During that conversation, it was brought up that we will be taking up "half of the restaurant" and typically a half buyout would need to meet a $6,000 minimum. I explained to Abby that would not be possible and we were not aware of this, she assured me it would still be fine to come and that she had taken the reservation so it was okay. I confirmed 6 kid meals and 12 adult meals and explained 1 adult would just be having appetizers because she didn't want to eat an entree. Upon hearing that, I could tell Abby was displeased. She explained she didn't know about our party having this many kids and that the other 1 adult should eat an entree as well, not just appetizers since we were sitting at "prime time". She then asked about us buying bottles of wine or cocktails. Everything seemed to be about how much money we're going to be spending. When we got there, our table was less than 1/4 of the restaurant's total seating and we absolutely should have not been told we would be taking up half of the restaurant, it was no where near that. The meal itself was tasty but nothing extraordinary. The waiters were nice and accommodating. At first Abby was nice and friendly when we sat down. But throughout the evening she did seem to have attitude towards our entire party, scolding my nephew at one point. After spending several thousands of dollars, we received even more attitude from Abby about 1 single parking validation and she still had the audacity to bring up that we should've spent $6,000. If our party wasn't there that evening, they would've had maybe 3-5 other tables throughout the whole night. Needless to say, we will never be returning. read more

Nice dining atmosphere and great presentation of the food. You can valet at Halekulani for parking. Service was also helpful and attentive especially for being newly opened. All of the food tasted great, the portions were just small. The set menu includes drip hot coffee or breakfast tea, any starter excluding the chariot du pain, and any main excluding the caviar. I decided to go ala carte and got an iced coffee with a side of oat milk. The glass was really skinny with no refills, but I was surprised bc the quality of coffee was really good! Tbh the coffee here is better than at halekulani. For my main I got the eggs, scrambled and it came with a side of toast. The eggs were cooked really well, I definitely can't make scrambled eggs like it LOL. I also got a side of bacon for $9 and it only came with three small strips. The portions aren't the biggest, so you won't leave full, but the quality is good if you aren't going for quantity. read more

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Fantastic venue with fabulous food in a lovely setting. Our servers Nate and Rebecca provided exceptional friendly service. Omar the manager was extremely attentive and accommodating. Back of the house produced food that make your pallet dance and visually appealing. Chef Garg should be proud. Will definitely be back! read more

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Title: "Disappointing Visit to Umi" My recent dining experience at Umi was deeply unsatisfying. The service was incredibly slow, with a staggering 20-minute wait between each dish. This severely disrupted our meal and tested our patience. Furthermore, the food was a letdown. Each dish lacked flavor and failed to meet our expectations. To compound the issue, the staff seemed uninterested in our needs, often overlooking our attempts to get their attention. Curry was so salty and waiting here for just one dish about half an hour is totally wasting my life Overall, the combination of slow service, poor food quality, and inattentive staff made my visit to Umi an experience I'd rather not repeat. read more

Umi By Vikram Garg - Seafood Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Food here is amazing however be prepared to wait 30-40 minutes between courses. Their tasting menu is composed of four items but we're almost 3 hours in and have only had 3 courses. The restaurant is new but the timing needs to be worked on. Food, service and ambience are great but you almost need to nap in between courses. Hopefully things improve soon. read more

Great service, great people. I love the ambience. The food was very delicious. The only issue I had was portion size. Again, it's a wonderful place. Mr Vikram Garg needs to put more food on the plate. Apps and a main and we are still hungry. Probably going to order a pizza. The food was great, just need to feed the people..... read more

Excellent food, delicious cocktails, perfect service and lovely ambience. Not sure what else you need, but Umi is a wonderful restaurant. It's within the Halepuna Hotel so it feels very private, cozy and away from the Waikiki buzz. The staff are really warm and attentive, particularly the Manager, Abi. She's a remarkable jewel of a human being and makes you feel so welcome. Loving this establishment and will definitely come back when visiting Honolulu again! read more

Umi is a hidden gem that needs to be experienced. After enjoying 49 years of some of the best dining in San Francisco, I was completely surprised to discover Umi where creativity meets genius at surprisingly reasonable pricing considering the high quality. Every dish is created with the best and most interesting ingredients in a manner that will please and again surprise you. This was as good and interesting a meal as I can remember anywhere! The staff was very nice, helpful and fun. My advice is to get there before this off the beaten track terrific, unusual and very special restaurant becomes difficult to get in! Five PLUS stars!!!!! read more

We went to Umi by Vikram Garg in Waikiki on our first night in Honolulu and had to walk to in to make reservations. What we didn't know was that we would end up having two meals and bottomless champagne and wine thanks to the work of the chef for 3 decades in reimagining Michelin star experiences around the world. His and his wife's nurturing personality and commitment to his art, each guest, and each glass of wine shows in his presence and how much he cares. The service from customizing my Indian meal towards my dietary needs and my husband's Seafood tasting we were both warmed by the chef giving personal attention to our needs and diet restrictions and checking in to make sure we were happy. We even went for brunch next morning to have their delicious masala omelette and french toast with one of the best bottles of champagne. It felt like we were sitting in Italy with the down to earth conversations and very loving and warm vibes that you are likely not going to get anywhere else in Honolulu. We highly recommend meeting the staff, trying the delicious meal tastings, champagnes and having a conversation with them. My personal favorites were the dessert at dinner which I did two rounds of called Umi, a true Hawaiian delicacy done to perfection. I would come back to Honolulu just for that and to meet them. Thank you Chef Garg and Abhilasha and the staff for such a warm welcome to Honolulu. read more

I admit it...I'm a stalker of Chef Vikram! Wherever he goes, my tummy follows! Finally had an opportunity to visit his new restaurant, Umi. And once again his food far exceeded my expectations. We were greeted by his incredibly lovely wife who has an infectious laugh and quick wit! She's the perfect first impression of Umi. Vibrant, fun, warm, a little mischievous! And the menu complimented her energy. I selected the Waikiki Tasting menu option with beverage pairing. The meal started with a beautiful kampachi dish with jicama. It was bright and fresh. A perfect way to the start the meal. Then came the popcorn soup. And yes, I did say popcorn soup. The best way to describe it is a delectable, luscious bowl of heaven. Chef needs to sell it by the gallon. For my main course was Kogi-aged tenderloin. It was so tender, melt in the mouth tenderloin. Simple and delicious. For dessert, had four choices and I opted for the Brown Butter Ice Cream Sundae. Just scrummy! And if you are fortunate to dine when Mike is working, he was a perfect guide to helping us decide drink and food options. All his suggestions were perfect. All in all, Chef Vikram Garg has another winning restaurant and a forever devoted fan of his culinary wizardry. read more

We had our first day Breakfast herein Honolulu. Chef's wife greeted us and get a very nice window side table. Food was outstanding. Interior decor is very unique and love the wood panelling all over the ceiling and side. Coffee taste A-Class along with fresh squeezed pineapple juice. We order a fruit platter, it only comes with pineapple, was expecting few other locally grown fruits though. Very professional servers. Will try to have dinner here as well. read more

The rib eye was probably the best I've ever had and the tasting menu was overall super unique and delicious. The banana old fashioned was incredible but also they have these amazing mock tails. Breakfast French toast, pancakes, and avocado toast also killer. Not a fan of the onsen egg preparation, so look that up and mention if you want a different style. read more

Best fine dining in Hawaii. The food is consistently excellent. Fresh ingredient and great service! Check it out read more

Awesome food and service tye best meal we had in Hawaii. Prices are high but you get what you pay for and in Waikiki prices are hight everywhere. Food is innovative and delicious! read more

Had high hopes coming here and unfortunately left very disappointed. I work at a Michelin star restaurant, so I generally have higher expectations than most so take that into consideration. I ordered the Golden Osetra caviar and the umi tasting menu. The caviar course was definitely the highlight of the meal. The rest of the meal was very underwhelming and lackluster of flavor and uniqueness. Every course in a tasting menu should be dropped off with an as to what the dish prepared is. Nothing of the sort was. I ordered the cookie jar as a dessert and was served a cold cookie. If you're going to charge a 7$ up charge they need be a good cookie not cold and sad. If you don't go out for fine dining often or ever go and give it a shot. But if you're a seasoned diner pass this up. read more

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What an incredible hidden gem; not only chef Garg is an amazing chef, he is also an incredibly humble and talented leader; this is an amazingly well run restaurant/ operation; they exceeded my expectations by far with incredible food AND service ! Also accommodated my dietary restrictions although I didn't expect it! I recommend without reservation; it will be a highlight; the ambiance is also very aesthetically pleasing and thank you Nate for the most pleasant serving experience read more

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The entire experience was enjoyable. The dining room is lovely. The service was excellent. The menu made it hard to decide. I wanted to try it all. I will definitely be back! read more

This morning, I had breakfast at Umi by Vikram Garg. It's located at the former Nobu's in the Halepuna Hotel. We got the set menu, with choices of starters and mains along with coffee or tea for $45. For the starter my friend got the granola w/yogurt and I got the yogurt w/chia. For the main I got the loco moco & my friend got the fried rice with egg. Everything was delicious! We would like to come back to try some other breakfast mains. And we'd like to return for dinner! Service is impeccable and the ambiance is casual. We made friends with the friendly manager, Jeff. read more

food was ok. there was nothing to make it stand out from other "fine dining" places. price is atrocious for the quality of service. the hostess who is also claiming to be the owner and chefs wife is a mean lady. she was scolding our children, scolding her staff, and arguing with members of our party. we were a party of 20, had over a 2000$ combined tab, and she made a huge deal about giving one parking validation. this place is not worth it. boring, mediocre and tense. booo read more

I enjoyed Vikram's new restaurant! the service was wonderful. The CURRY was so so yummy (love the just right spiciness ) BUT I WISH the curry came with condiments like mango chutney, coconut, egg, etc etc or at least the mango chutney --- that would've made this review 5 stars if they served a little chutney. Even if we had to pay extra for it. My husband had the other set meal and it looked very delicious. The ambience was very nice. I kinda wish they had different desserts... would've rather just have something simpler. read more

If I want to go somewhere special occasion, definitely I'll pick this restaurant! The ceiling were little law but spacious table arrangement, so you can relax with your group. We chose 'UMI' Tasting Menu. It's more than the price! All seafoods are very fresh and taste and beef was so tender. Foods are delicious and beautiful! Server is very polite and Chef is friendly I can't wait until next visit. Hopefully they have different special course read more

New restaurant by Chef Vikram at Halepuna Waikiki. We went there without knowing what to expect but we're so glad we gave it a try. We ordered Waikiki Menu ($89) which is 4 course menu. Kampachi was so refreshing and perfect starter as it stimulated our appetite. Popcorn soup was sweet & salty with spicy kick to it. Ribeye was sooo tender and perfectly seasoned and cooked. And the dessert!!! Sooooo delicious! We were very very happy with all the dishes. Everything was executed beautifully - flavor, presentation, portion... and the price! This course could be $150 easily but was only $89. It's a bargain!! Too bad they still don't have a liquor license. I would have wanted to have wine pairing with this course. Mock tail was nice but cannot replace good wine. It's still BYOB and there is $12 per glass fee. Service was excellent too. All the dishes came out at perfect timing. Chef came to greet us, which was a classy touch. Do I recommend this restaurant? Hell YES! Everyone should give it a try. You won't regret it, I promise!! read more

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We came here for brunch and were not impressed. Paid $11 for seasonal fruit which happened to be pineapple. Given that we are in Hawaii we assumed it would be delicious Dole pineapple but it was one strip with 6ish slices of the worst pineapple I've ever tasted. They served it with salt in attempt to bring out the sweetness but it did not help. We noticed all the tables around us who also ordered the pineapple were not eating it. For the price and quality of this restaurant, it would have been a better option for the chef to say they were out of seasonal fruit for the morning rather than allowing that pineapple to be served and uneaten by so many guests. The $9 glasses of orange juice and inedible pineapple set us back $29 alone before the food even came out. The food was good, nothing special or memorable. There are better places nearby to grab breakfast if you are looking for a yummy meal that won't cost you $100+ read more

Food was excellent and unique. I got the UMI tasting menu and I thoroughly enjoyed everything read more

Umi By Vikram Garg - Seafood Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Five star food, coffee and service at breakfast. The banana french toast was exceptional.

Upon entry of the restaurant, we were greeted by one of the owners (they're a couple). The wife was warm and pleasant. She complimented our bright and vibrant attire and then walked us into the restaurant to identify a seat that best accommodated our needs. We had laptops so needed a larger table than the average for two. It was early in the AM, so the restaurant wasn't too busy which led her to take a few more minutes to engage us about the menu, make tea suggestions, and tell us about native items curated for the menu. We then received the a la carte menu which had a simple but intentional list of food items. She made suggestions based on our interests such as rice if you're going to be out touring for the day and want something substantive to hold you over (thoughtful) or sweet vs. savory. Our waiters were attentive, welcomed us back from the day before, and ensured we were well accommodated. The food was incredible. I ordered the Umi Fried Rice (without shrimp) and an espresso martini. The beverage was not on the menu, but they were happy to accommodate me. It was incredible. I also had the earl grey loose leaf tea with honey. The vibe was calm and intimate. I'll be honest, I have not had a bad or cocktail here since arriving. They truly channel the spirit of Aloha! Mahalo!! read more

Blown away! We have dined at very good restaurants (Michelin rated) and we were amazed at how food these dishes were. So, so good!

We first visited Umi two weeks ago and immediately made plans to return. The curry tasting menu was terrific. Hands down the best Indian food we've had on the island. It could easily compete with many Indian restaurants on the mainland. The salad was so refreshing, the curry so satisfying, and the mango popsicle so creative - all in all a fun experience. The cocktails are also very well done and add to the overall joy of dining here. The staff is friendly, warm, and welcoming. Their kindness to our group was greatly appreciated. Cannot recommend Umi enough! read more

Was eager to try this new restaurant after reading a rave review in Honolulu magazine by Martha Cheng. For the most part, I was disappointed. But I have to say that part of it was comparing my experience with the review. For one thing, Cheng never mentioned that the restaurant did not yet have a liquor license so you had to bring in your wine. Cheng raved about the oysters. She said they were $18 for 4. There were only 3 and you had to pay an extra $6 for a 4th. Worse yet, although they were tender and fresh, they needed more acid to make them pop flavor-wise. Cheng raved about the abalone, but I found the miso topping overbearing. Etc. the best thing we ate was the curry that the chef is known for. My last comment is about the noise level. The place was not full, but its poor acoustics made the restaurant echo with a woman's laugh from a raucous group throughout the restaurant. I was not the only one turning to look to see the source. I'm absolutely not faulting the woman. But I am faulting the restaurant design that should be more attentive to sound and thus ambience. read more

Went for breakfast and so I can't comment about dinner. Admit it is difficult to find a reasonable Breakfast place in Waikiki at times without waiting in line but if you are the Yoga type and wanna feel like you need a big mac after finishing breakfast, this is the place for you. Beautiful decorum, good service and presentation (though they server did bring the wrong dish for me) but the food was nothing special. Don't expect anything special. We reserved a corner table , which they completely forgot. No great view which you would expect from a higher priced Waikiki hotel restaurant. But perhaps what perturbed me the most is that they have a "set menu which include an appetizer and entrée and drink (coffee or tea only) for 45 dollars but when we ordered separately it was cheaper. Yet the server supposedly unknowingly tried to charge us the higher amount. I truly doubt the server was not aware as many of the entrée + appetizer + drink add up to less than the set menu. If you order the set menu, encourage you to add up the tab. The young couple next to us are only half their plate and left after 5 minutes . The place was only half full for breakfast, so i suspect the place won't be in business for long. Perhaps what was most disappointing was that the restaurant uses a Japanese word 海, and is located in a Japanese operated hotel yet I can tell there is nothing like this in Japan (not a compliment). 日本人の方、このレストランは勧めできません．隣のパン屋さんで食べた方がいいです．もしお金を捨てたかたらどうぞ．英語ができなかたら気おつけて下さい．メニュの値段で騙される可能性があります．それで日本語できるウェイターもあまりいなかった． read more

A wonderful meal. Very special place. Everything we ate was delicious. From abalone to monchong and salmon. Dont miss the sundae for desert.