Great food and service. Prefect for a date night. The focaccia was authentic. We ordered the uni pasta the best

I've been trying to get to Arancino for awhile since reading about it several years ago. For one reason or another I hadn't gone 'til last night. Glad I did. Great little Italian place in Waikiki. I've been to Italy several times so my snobbery meter is high when it comes to Italian food. Arancino passed the test with flying colors. I had the Spaghetti alla Carbonara 'cause my pretty waitress recommended it as her favorite. Although the name sounded plain it was definitely not plain. The egg and the crispy pancetta made a big difference. It was a unique flavor to me compared with other Italian meals I've had. I poured a healthy amount of the chili oil in there, too, to add heat. The Tiramisu was decent and the Cappucino was also good. The service was excellent. Waitress was bubbly and fun. And the entire staff seemed ready to help and fill in the gaps. Great job to the owner and manager of this restaurant. Keep it up! Judging by the # of Japanese tourists looking to get a seat y'all are doing something right! read more

Arancino - Spaghetti alla Carbonara with egg on top - Italian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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We came here on my last weekend in Oahu through a recommendation from a friend. The restaurant is tucked away - and a welcomed oasis - from the constant hustle and bustle of Waiks. The atmosphere takes you to Italy, and the food is a great complement to your journey. Starting off with the alffettato misto as our appetizer, the three of us also ordered the spaghetti al nero di seppia (squid ink), spaghetti melanzane e mozzarella (the one with the eggplants and mozzarella), and pappardelle con scampi (shrimp scampi) with the latter two entrees recommended by our server, Dan. He was able to hold his own while juggling our many demands and questions. Props to the fella, rock on my dude. After we embarassed ourselves by butchering the names of the dishes, our efforts were rewarded. While the squid ink pasta was great, the recommendations were fantastic, especially the shrimp scampi. The sauces were delicious, perfectly balanced, and does not detract flavors from the main ingredients. The shrimp was oxymoronically jumbo and generously portioned, and the fried eggplants added a hint of roasted profile that goes great with the dish. Even the squid ink pasta was on a league of its own. Through the fear of sarcastic ridicule from my companions, pics were unfortunately not taken but my fellow yelpers seemed to have done the heavy lifting for me. To literally sweeten the deal, through the act of divine intervention, we were gifted with not one, but 2 tiramisus (pictured below). Throwing in one would've made my day, but two... no words can describe the feeling. How we were able to stuff those down our throats were beyond me, but we did and we're glad. I'm a big believer of tiramisus and these were among the finest that ever reached my taste buds. Apparently, from reading the other reviews, a custom chocolate engraving comes with a select some. read more

Arancino - Italian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

We scootered here on a warm Hawaiian night. My first time eating uni pasta was right here, a few years ago. The uni pasta was delicious and novel at the time; this, coupled with good service in a cozy setting, made for a memorable experience. I would recommend anyone here. I hope they've kept up the quality; judging by the other reviews, I would guess that they have. I have since tried uni pasta in several other places, some better and some worse than Arancino... but I had a great experience here, so four stars! read more

Arancino - spaghetti al nero di seppie $15 - Italian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I must say, I'm not a fan of Italian food. However, this place amazed me. The service was great and the freshness and great quality of the food was outstanding. Now I know what the rave was all about. We sat down, ordered, received our soup and salad, and started to eat our entrees in less than 30 minutes! The food came out hot, not warm, hot. Again, I was very impressed with this place read more

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On my solo trip to Honolulu, I found this through my friend, Yelp. This is what you get if Italian and Japanese food got married - uni pasta! $32 - pricey but worth trying if you love uni. Tips: Make reservations if you can or put your name down and be prepared to wait. I didn't mind the 1 hour break that gave me the opportunity to stop by Tiffany's, which is just down one block. The focaccia bread is AMAZING. Soooo soft. One of the best I've tried. I also ordered the arugula and procuitto salad, two of my favorite things. The dressing was very light and tarte! Its made with red wine vinegar, tomato sauce, olive oil and garlic, as I was told by the sweet waitress. However, next time, I would order it with the dressing one the side. As I got into it, I felt there was too much dressing. And a chianti red wine that was delicious. Arigato! Grazie! read more

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I've given up on Mexican food in Hawaii, but still have high hopes for Italian. The good: I ordered their signature cocktail and i loved it . Delicious and just perfect! Exactly what what I wanted. Service was fast and efficient, despite being crowded. Also, the tiramisu dessert was excellent. The price was a good value for the portions. Foccacia bread was served and very good. The bad : my entree was terrible! I ordered penne all' arrabbiata con gamberetti. It was like no con gamberetti I have ever had. Instead of lemon and parsley flavor, it was overwhelmed by a bad flavor I couldn't put my finger on . The shrimp was low quality, resulting in an unusually fishy flavor, more often found in stronger fish like salmon. The penne was so chewy,,never had anything like it . I know I have only myself to blame for leaving passive-aggressive reviews instead of telling my server , but honestly didn't think she could do anything to help. I also was not convinced a different menu item could help. While there are definitely some good aspects of this experience, I will never go back. read more

We ordered takeout. Food was good tasting. But, the portions were smaller than expected for the price we paid. 2 small slices of bread was included and the taste was ok. read more

When in Waikiki, this is a must to just eat some good ol pasta. Don't expect Italian! I get the ginger cooler. It's so refreshing. Everything is so delicious. My kids love the pizza. read more

Great service & great Italian food! There's two locations : Arancino on Beachwalk and Arancino di Mare. Both are the same, but I think the one on Beachwalk has a shorter menu/offering -- but that doesn't mean the food is different. We ordered the Uni Pasta and the Carbonara. Uni pasta was good, very creamy and if you like the taste of Uni, then you'll definitely like the dish. The carbonara was amazing! The bacon bits were so crispy and the fresh egg/egg yolk to top it off was the PERFECT addition to this dish. Highly recommend! read more

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Whaaaaat? Only three stars for the best uni pasta on island? Yes. The uni pasta was fantastic with earthly chunks on uni on top. The scallop carpaccio was also excellent with the sea asparagus and caviar complimenting the scallops. Those two were excellent. The rest of the meal was disappointing. My wife ordered a smoke salmon pasta. The white sauce was ridiculous overly salty. Salty like elementary cafeteria school food. The smoked salmon was excellent but I expect the brined smoke salmon to add a savory component to my food and not to be competing with a salty white sauce. The tiramisu was okay. Nothing good, nothing bad, and nothing special. I know this is originally a Japan based restaurant but why play J-pop in a restaurant with an Italian flag at the from door and Italian decor? While it was nice hearing some J-pop I like, it made no sense with the theme of the restaurant. At this price point, I expect a lot more. Aside from the uni pasta, no reason to go back. read more

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First timer over here! This place was great, definitely raised my standards for Italian food. Our reservation was on Monday (10/8) for 9pm, I was able to book our table for two through open table, which was perfect because I hate when I call an establishment and then you're put on hold because they're busy, through open table I was able to find a time that worked best for me. My husband and I were coming from a movie that ended 2 hours before our reservation, which gave us some free time to play tourist, the restaurant is right on Beachwalk, which made it perfect for us to walk the Waikiki strip and see the different stores to kill time. We ended up getting to the restaurant at 830pm and was happy hear that we were able to sit earlier than our reservation time. As we were seated I noticed that this place was tiny, literally one aisle in and out, straight bee line from entrance door to kitchen door with tables on both sides. Even though the place was small, it had a "homey" feel to it and even though the tables were only about a foot or two away from each other, I was still able to have a conversation with my husband and hear him. To begin our evening we ordered the Carpaccio di Capesante for an appetizer, a La Rossa beer for my husband and the Italian Surfer cocktail for myself. My husband enjoyed his amber beer and I really did like the taste of the Italian Surfer. The appetizer that we got was actually a suggestion from our server, Tracey, and she was right. The Carpaccio di Capesante were sashimi style scallops topped with sea asparagus, red onion, a touch of tobiko caviar and a champagne dressing. Let me tell you this was amazing! It was so good, I had more than my half of the appetizer. For our entrees my husband ordered the Tagliata di Manzo con Rucola, which is a prime grilled 8oz ribeye, evenly sliced cooked to perfection over a bed of fresh arugula, that was drizzled in an Italian dressing, and topped with fresh Parmesan cheese. My husbands meal was so delicious, the meat was so tender that my butter knife cut through it with ease. For my entree I ordered the Risotto di Funghi, which was a creamy mushroom melt in your mouth goodness. I had mines topped with extra freshly grated Parmesan cheese so I was basically in food heaven. Overall our experience here was amazing. The food for spectacular and the service was great. Everything from making our table reservation to paying our check ran so smoothly. We will definitely come back to this restaurant for future Italian cravings! read more

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This place has to be one of the best Italian restaurant on the island, every time I've been here it was always great service and the food is always good as well! During this Covid time they are really doing a wonderful job with health regulations. As we arrive they told us it was a 20 minute wait. As we were escorted in I notice the table space are much more farther apart and they are wearing gloves. They also provide a brown paper bag to put ur mask in. Since all workers are wearing mask they also have a land yard with their friendly faces on top. My favorite dish here has to be the Uni Pasta! I usually like the mushroom Risotto but they aren't serving it right now due to covid. Over all the dining experience was great and to top it off it's 20% off until the end of June! I heard there's a lunch special as well but I forgot what it was. read more

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It's been awhile since I've reviewed a restaurant, but as I was so pleased with this place, I just had to. We hesitated trying Arancino at first, as the reviews said it was small...but I am so glad we did. Open table said there was no availability, however when I called I was able to nab a reservation 1 1/2 hrs later. I ordered the Rigatoni All' Amatriciani. My exact words were, "Oh my gosh...wow...what the heck". The sauce was so fabulous, I savored every bite. The meal was accompanied by a glass of Chianti Classico, and upon request a mild but flavorful balsamic to go with the olive oil. The tiramisu was different in that it was more espresso flavored instead of liquor tasting; even though I didn't want to like it (because I don't care for coffee flavored things), I did. Arancino has a pleasant atmosphere and was a wonderful dining experience. We will be back. read more

Arancino - Italian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

My husband got the squid ink pasta and I got the spaghetti carbonara... and it was delicious! The place is very small. I highly recommend to make a reservation. We didn't make one and we waited an hour and a half. read more

Arancino - Italian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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We went here for lunch because it was so crowded for dinner They have a lunch special tte at comes with a salad or soup. They have several outstanding pasta dishes that are served hot and fresh. The carbonera and bolognese were excellent. They also serve warm focaccia bread and are generous with it. The service was excellent and the decor makes you forget you are in HI. More like a little Italian cafe on a side street in Italy. read more

My family and I had a staycation over the weekend and decided to try a different restaurant to change it up from our normal Steakhouse choice or Tanaka of Tokyo which is my kids favorites. This time it was the parents choice! I had been eyeing out the menu on this restaurant for a while. Arancino is a small Italian food restaurant hidden away on Beachwalk in Waikiki. We got here a little after 6:00 pm and requested a table for 5. The wait at this time was about 45 minutes. I had called earlier to inquire about making dinner reservations, but the host had told me that reservations were good only up until 6:00pm, anything between the hours of 6:00-9:00 pm, patron would have to walk in and wait. However, the host did recommend to call them about 1/2 an hour prior to wanting to have dinner, and they could put the name down on a waitlist. I decides that we'd take our chances and just put our name in when we got there. We ended up waiting for about 30 minutes for a table. We are seated in this venue and it is packed with mostly Japanese tourist. I hadn't done deep research on the place except for view pictures in Yelp's gallery taken by other Yelpers and read some reviews. My husband mentioned this place is owned by someone who is from Japan. I will have to do some research on this later. My family and I are deciding what to order and come to a decision. We decided on an appetizer, the Carpaccio Di Capesante, which was a Sea Scallop Sashimi with tobiko caviar and sea asparagus with red onion and a dressing on it. My son goes for the steak dish, Tagliata Di Manzo Con Rucola. An 8oz ribeye grilled and slice on a bed of Arugula with an Italian dressing drilled onto it. This entree seemed more of a pupu style cut steak. It wasn't enough for my son, so if you have a big appetite and love a good steak, I wouldn't recommend this as your entree. However, the flavor of this dish was great and prepared to my son's liking at medium rare. My husband ordered the Uni pasta in a white garlic cream garlic sauce, Spaghetti Ai Ricci Di Mare. This dish was really good! Creamy sauce mixed into the pasta with the uni. Made for a really good flavor. Not too heavy or rich but it was a delight to taste! My daughter had the Spaghetti Ala Pescatora, a mixed seafood pasta with clams, mussels, calamari and clams in a garlic oil based sauce. This is another dish that was really good. It had a little bite of spice in the sauce which made it even better. My daughter enjoyed her dish the best out of all our choices. I ended up having the Risotto Di Funghi, which is a mushroom risotto in a heavy cream sauce. This dish contained of 5 different mushrooms which burst with flavor. I highly enjoyed my dish and would definitely order it again, but maybe with another dish like the steak dish my son had to supplement it. We did the switching if plates, just so all if us could try one another's entrees. We were all very satisfied except for my son who has a big appetite and not so fond of this type of fancy cuisine. Come to think of it, he's only 11 and eats like a horse and knows what he likes, so it's understandable. My family and I will definitely go back to eat at this venue again. Possibly try the squid inked pasta and the lobster pasta just to try new flavors. To me it was worth the wait. Go and try it for yourseld! read more

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My friends and sister back home highly recommended me to visit this restaurant so of course I did! I would highly recommend making a reservation weeks before especially if you want to eat here at prime time. I was able to get a last minute reservation at 5:15 pm a day before because that was my only choice! Once we got there, we were seated immediately. We ordered a glass of red wine, uni pasta, and a pizza. I'm salivating as I write this. UNI PASTA - BEST I EVER HAD. There were small bite size pieces of uni and it was creamy but it was not heavy! I usually eat creamy pastas and feel temporarily ill afterwards because it's too heavy but nope not this time! Our server was attentive and very friendly and I even went back few days later again without a reservation just to maybe test my luck but the wait was one hour and I was just too hungry........ next time I will ensure that I make advanced reservations!! read more

Arancino - Uni pasta (DROOL), pizza tre porcellini, & red wine! - Italian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Second time dining here and I have to say both experiences were excellent! The servers are very pleasant and helpful and the atmosphere is simple and comfortable. Now, let's get down to business. This review is really about the uni pasta! I ordered this both times that I came here and it is nothing short of amazing. The uni flavor is definitely recognized in the pasta and also there is a lot actual uni pieces within the pasta. There is a garlic element to the sauce and it adds the perfect flavor component without being over-powering or strong. The pasta consistency is perfect and not dry at all, even after it sitting while you eat. This dish is perfect but definitely rich. As much as I love this pasta and have dreams about it, enjoying it once in a while is all I need. I did get to sample some other dishes that my friends ordered and all were great as well. A nice touch is the complimentary dessert. We were celebrating one friend's birthday and another's graduation from grad school. They offered a complimentary tiramisu that was delicious and very generous. Definitely would recommend Arancino to anyone, especially if you are a uni lover! read more

Arancino - The famous, most delicious, UNI pasta! - Italian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

We went for lunch. And order lunch special. $23 for choice of pasta and salad or soup. Also come with Focaccia. Tomato soup was warm, a little bit salty. Black tobikko squid pasta was very good. Not strong taste and simple. Mushroom creamy pasta is also very good. Server are very nice . I will go back again. read more

Arancino - Italian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Solid 3.75 stars. Just where i'm from, we have an Italian area with tons of authentic dishes. Of course the uni pasta is the first and deleesh but since I've cut back on carbs 2017 and lost almost 40 lbs (sorry had to brag there). Shrimp with bits of cooked garlic on pizza, just meh to me. Nice European style bistro. Lineup moved fast. So was our server Tasha, a friendly mix of white & Japanese, fluent. Clean washrooms. read more

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Oh wow..what a great Italian find. I had the Uni, husband had the risotto, then we ended the meal with the panna cotta and two Illy espressos. Amazing. I wish we could have tasted more-so that's why it would be advisable to skip the Insalata mista- not worth it. Great service and great ambiance. read more

Arancino - Illy and panna cotta - Italian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This place i really did not enjoy.if you ever had any real italian food ,this would not make you happy at all.super expensive and service very slow and unprofessional. read more

Upon walking in, I immediately noticed that the décor is cliche Italian/Pizzeria, with its red and white checkered tablecloths. A dimly lit, romantic ambience was cleverly attempted with the use of black dish rags. So shabby chic, lol! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/IKUwIvTsleqvPSbnRXVTsw?select=Ik8ljbzYC8ePnLySmhUZ2Q Started the meal off with some wine ($7.50 chard & Monte Antico $8.50) and delicious hot focaccia, yum! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/IKUwIvTsleqvPSbnRXVTsw?select=9_qBSoU6a4kdn2KRsZH8Lg SPAGHETTI AI RICCI DI MARE ($27): http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/IKUwIvTsleqvPSbnRXVTsw?select=UfMwmggG_x2w9ll_hAJEYA I came in specifically for the Uni pasta. I love all these Uni, so I had to make a trip just to try out this pasta dish. Naturally, my expectations were high, since everyone keeps raving about how awesome it is. The sweet tomato cream-parmesan sauce (like a 'rosa sauce' but heavier) overpowered the delicate taste of the uni. It also was lacking salt and flavor, I had to add salt and chili flakes myself before eating. I've had uni pasta similar to this before, but the difference was that Arancino used too much whipping cream and not enough salt. I think a simple olive oil-butter sauce would have been a better pairing with uni. The sauce needs to take a back seat and let the uni flavors come through. What a shame to dump all that precious uni into the sauce and not be able to taste it. SPAGHETTI PESCATORA ($29): You would think that with the hefty price & menu description promising "a sensational seafood medley of......topped with a large savory shrimp scampi", that the dish would be amazing. But it wasn't. Shrimps, calamari, clams and mussels were tossed in a white wine & olive oil sauce. Didn't get much of the listed garlic and it lacked salt. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/IKUwIvTsleqvPSbnRXVTsw?select=MaZO3c4NFF_lEjPjjnBOoQ What's also disappointing was that the seafood was all OVERCOOKED. Even, the shelled prawn on top of the pasta was pretty much meatless because it was so overcooked and dried out. Here's a pic of it all shelled and tossed together. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/IKUwIvTsleqvPSbnRXVTsw?select=8HbbH7cXRDSjLgxpKUEJiA ZUPPA DI VONGOLE ($13): Clams in a garlic/white wine broth This was listed under Zuppa/soup, but it was more like a clams appetizer. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/IKUwIvTsleqvPSbnRXVTsw?select=mhaENkj5Sq4sOPGRlc81xw Their "exquisite white wine garlic sauce" was okay, but calling it "exquisite" is a bit much since it was nothing spectacular, I've had better. It was very unappetizing when you're constantly crunching on sand/grits with every piece of clam. ZUPPA PICCANTE ($9): A simple "spicy tomato soup" with calamari. The soup wasn't spicy at all. The calamari was cooked just right though. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/IKUwIvTsleqvPSbnRXVTsw?select=CmSoP8ugLjQCAZ6FKfvxBA Vanilla Gelato ($4, also avail in non-dairy flavors of strawberry & lemon): You get 3 generous scoops of gelato. This was the 2nd best part of my meal, the first being the house focaccia. We got ours for free, my friend had a coupon for free dessert because he was staying at the Marriott. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/IKUwIvTsleqvPSbnRXVTsw?select=5ncgwLYeotI2GzWllT9yvg I'm not a fan of desserts or sweets, but I licked this bowl clean. It was a little too frozen/stiff, our waitress had a very difficult time as she struggled to scoop it. It wasn't as smooth or creamy as some of the ones I've had before, but it was still delicious. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/IKUwIvTsleqvPSbnRXVTsw?select=6EOljbW7C0uLMwtpTWv6UA An extra star was added for the amount of uni given, otherwise it would've been just 2 stars because in all honesty, "meh, I've had better"........and I couldn't really taste the uni. read more

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Someone at work suggested us trying uni pasta. I looked up uni pasta and Arancino popped up. We looked at the menu and decided to take the drive and try it out. We ordered quite a bit, guess you could say we made our on tasting menu ... we ordered the scallops, clams, steak, uni pasta, and squid ink pasta. Of course on the menu they have a more pleasant sounding name for the dishes. Our favorite was the squid ink pasta. However each dish was delicious. We enjoyed our visit to Arancino and look forward to dining there again. Service was wonderful! We liked the fact that our table wasn't loaded with food, but each dish was brought out one at a time. read more

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Really good pizza & pasta.. bread was really soft... Great flavors.. service was good... Relaxing vibe... Slightly pricy but worth it! read more

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Arancino is great Italian place a bit more on the expensive side. They offer parking validation for the Bank of Hawaii when my friends and I went there at nighttime. The wait was approximately 15-20 minutes with plenty of people waiting after us later. We got the insalata rucola con prosciutto, tobiko and calamari noodles and the black squid ink pasta. The salad was okay, nothing really special in my eyes. It tasted good though! The tobiko and calamari noodles was good with the tiny popping caviar to top it! The black squid ink pasta was my favorite having tiny squids inside it! It had a seafood type of taste (obviously from the squids) that was delicious and booming with flavor. Be VERY careful when eating this because it stains badly. My friend unfortunately wore a white shirt and got it stained from eating the pasta. This place is a fancy little restaurant on Boardwalk, with expensive yet exquisite menu items! read more

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What a cute, charming, and intimate Italian restaurant! Arancino, you put a new spin on Italian food! It's not exactly Italian but more of an Italian/Asian fusion leaning more towards the Italian side! Arancino on Beachwalk is located on Beachwalk in Waikiki right next to Tonkatsu Ginza Barin and Matsugen. The restaurant is quite small yet still gives off a subtle romantic/homey atmosphere, perfect for a casual date or a dinner with friends. I recently dined at Arancino with two friends and I wish we ordered a wider array of food. We got the Spaghetti Alla Pescatora $29 http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/IKUwIvTsleqvPSbnRXVTsw?select=Qp8g-JoIk-cWc7nP8oxTIQ Uni Pasta (Spaghetti ai ricci di mare) $27 http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/IKUwIvTsleqvPSbnRXVTsw?select=HBOwBkgqjT7s2ecX-4fYUQ and the Frutti Di Mare $24 http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/IKUwIvTsleqvPSbnRXVTsw?select=2nQH_wUGvFwb34i60rfdYg The (uni pasta) spaghetti ai ricci di mare was to die for~ I wanted to cry. How can uni pasta taste that phenomenal?! Okay the crying part may be a little exaggerated, but it was the best dish of the night. Normally I refrain from eating uni. I think uni is gross and sometimes taste like mud. But this uni pasta broke my uni expectations and left my mouth dying for more! Plus it was fun tricking my friend! She had no idea what uni was and kept on eating it with pure delight up until my other friend said that uni was sea urchin haha. If I were to return, the one dish I would stay away from would be the frutti di mare. The frutti di mare is a cheese-less pizza with a mix of seafood (clams, calamari, and shrimp) and tomato sauce. The idea of a cheese-less seafood pizza is a pretty innovative idea, but didn't taste as good as I thought it would be. The thin crust pizza was good but the seafood would sometimes fall off my slice. Plus it was kind of a nuisance to remove the shelled clams from the pizza, pull out the clam, and put it back on the pizza. Overall I thought Arancino on Beachwalk was pretty good and has definitely won my heart with their uni pasta! The portions may be a little small but it's definitely worth a try! The only drawback is making reservations. If possible I would suggest eating before 6. As stated in previous posts, some people said that Arancino does not take reservations. But that is a small misconception! The trick is that you CAN make reservations, only if you eat before 6:00pm.You cannot make any reservations thereafter. I went around 6:30 and waited about 25 minutes. The wait varies depending on the amount of people in your party, but rest assured the wait will definitely be worth it! read more

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I love this restaurant! Some might say its not worth the drive but I say otherwise. If you come with the right state of mind and an empty belly this place is totally worth it. Now, I'll admit that there are a few items that they don't do exceptionally well on, take for instance the pizza. While I do enjoy it, I think this place specializes in pasta. Their pasta is amazing! It is always perfectly cooked(and I mean perfect, seriously. hehe) , balanced, and of high quality. You not need worry if you're taking a gamble with consistency because they nail it every single time. One complaint that I've heard that I can agree with is some of the food might be a little bland. Again, I've noticed the pastas usually come out very well and are kind of exempt from that rule. One other rule here is that everything is in some way shape or form, "creamy," notably the tomato sauce. For me it's a great thing but I know some others don't like that type of cooking. Some highlights on the menu: Italian beer: Yup imported and everything. Caprese salad: So fresh! Traditional pastas: Trust me they do the classics very well and it's worth it. Tirimisu: Just brilliant! We get it every time. Presentation is really cool too. One thing I think everyone can agree upon is the excellent staff that they have here. They just have a way of making you feel really comfortable amongst a busy bustling restaurant. It's like service with the mindset of a fancy restaurant with a causal feel. Awesome! So lastly before you come here get a reservation. You'll be sorry if you don't because the wait at 8 or later can be up to an hour long. Yikes! read more

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This is a nice place right on Waikiki strip. There's two locations on opposite ends of Waikiki. I've been to both locations a bunch of times and they're both real good! The beach walk location has lots of outdoor seating with a juice "buffet" and great selection of pasta, crepes and appetizers (they only serve crepes and breakfast stuffs before 1030a, then they switch to lunch/ pasta menu). Japanese tourists LOVE this place! You'll have to compete for seating. If you walk in, leave your name and take a buzzer- the waits usually like 15-30 minutes. I've had a bunch of crepes, appetizers and their famous Uni Pasta every time I'm in town. This is one of the best spots on the east end of Waikiki. Way better than cheeseburger in paradise, lulus, wolfgangs, tikis etc. etc. read more

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3 stars for food, 1 additional star for service. Antipasti sampler: Small. Caprese was a hit. The grapefruit and avocado salad and the prosciutto over papaya were okay. Lasagna: Burnt at the bottom. Owner's Favorite Pizza: Dry and bland. Margherita: Too oily and needed pepper. Spaghetti and meatballs: Perfectly cooked spaghetti. Limoncello: Sweeter and smoother than La Cucina's. Tiramisu: Tasty and creamy! Multi-layered. Creme Brulee: An Arancino twist on the original. Frozen creme brulee with sugar torched out it. Tasted almost like a custard ice cream. Different. Food for me was OK. I wouldn't go out of my way to eat the food here, because the wait to be seated can be long if you don't have a reservation. I felt that the food overall was a little bland, possibly to cater to Japanese tourists. Nothing really stuck out for me, but if you do decide to go, I would suggest sticking to one of their pastas and avoiding their appetizers and pizzas. Service excellent and was the highlight of the night. Our server was very courteous, friendly, made to sure always refill our drinks and check up on us. She packed our leftovers and thanked us at the end of the night. Everyone greeted us as we left. I think the service is what really drives people to this place, not the food. read more

We went to a show on a Sunday night Downtown but only a few things were open and those places that were open were jam packed. Since we were in town and the show got out a little early, I felt like venturing into Waikiki. Sometimes I like to feel like I'm on vacation even though I am home. When the restaurant is 99% tourists, I definitely feel like I'm not home. We always eat at the tonkatsu place next door but have always wanted to try Arancino on Beachwalk. We finally committed and decided. It was busy and there were lots of families waiting outside. The benefit of just being a couple is that we don't need to wait as long as big parties. We were seated in about 5-10 minutes. Nice. The place is pretty small inside but I like it. It was cozy. We sat in a little corner next to a family. Our server was really nice and helped us immediately. We ordered some alcohol and ordered our food. We decided on the pizza capricciosa and rigatoni all' amatoriciana. While we waited they brought us some amazing bread. It was really soft and fresh and I could have eaten it as my meal but I refrained and let the hubs eat most of it. We got our pizza and it had egg on it. It's weird since I only see egg on pizza in Japan but it didn't matter because the pizza was really tasty. Thin crust and crispy! And the pasta. The tomato sauce was creamy and it was spicy. I would seriously order it again. I am pretty picky with Italian restaurants. If I can cook it at home, then I opt not to go that a restaurant again. I have no idea what they put in the sauce but it taste really good and different. Service was really good and prices pretty reasonable. Our server was really attentive to us even though it was really busy. I normally don't like to venture into Waikiki but if I'm feeling like eating Italian food and play tourist I am coming here again. read more

Arancino - our yummy pizza and pasta! - Italian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I hate to be the first person to give this place 1 star, but I have to say that this place was the worst place I ate in Hawaii. With all the amazing reviews about this place, we were hoping that our experience would be as great as other have had. Let's start with the service. We sat outside for about 30 minutes for a table because it was full. We were expecting it as this was pretty high on Yelp. After being seated, we were ignored for a good 10 minutes before our waters came. We decided to stick with water and I felt like the waitress gave us a stink eye for not ordering alcohol. Then we waited again. To the point where we need to flag someone down for more water and some service. Overall we felt ignored. Next I'm going to talk about is the dining area. Its tiny and very cramped. We pretty much had dinner with this Italian family next to us because the tables were so close. We had to speak in Chinese to keep them from listening in to our conversation. To go to the bathroom would require a grandma and her elder husband to stand up for me to leave the table. So I didn't get a chance to review the bathroom. Food? Let me begin by saying the menu items were mostly in Italian with a line of what it includes. So I ordered something Italian with 5 mushrooms and my fiancée ordered something with fish eggs and octopus. What came out was some kind of off white paste with mushed up mushrooms inside and a plate with pasta and fish eggs and octopus and nothing else.(I included pictures). The mushroom paste thing was not only disgusting it didn't even filled the plate. It was only on one side. And the other side? Nothing. No parsley or any decorations or anything. Just emptiness. Right side mushroom paste, left side nothingness. The pasta + fish egg + octopus tasted slightly better than the nasty paste, but was very fishy tasting. Definitely not worth the 22 dollars it was priced at. We couldn't return the food because we couldn't flag down the waitress and after waiting almost an hour for our food we ate a few bites and left dropped cash and left. Perhaps we ordered the worst things on the menu. Perhaps we were seated at the worst table in the restaurant. Perhaps we were expecting too much. Whatever it is, we will never go back again. Thanks. read more

Arancino - Gross 5 mushroom white paste thing. - Italian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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To be honest I prefer their sister location over at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Hotel. Not because of the food but just the environment. But don't let me discourage you from coming here. When I say environment it's because that location is opened aired and close to the beach. This location reminds me of a more traditional Italian eatery. Dark, romantic, mysterious and the sweet smell of garlic. Most locals don't really know or come to Arancino's because of it's out-of-the-way location but you should definitely check this place out. Make it a date night with a loved on or friends. The food here has never let me down and it's always been quite delicious. It's a little pricier due to the fact that you're in Waikiki but you should expect that anytime you eat anywhere in Waikiki. The traditional favorites are good like the spaghetti & meatballs but I enjoyed the shrimp pasta in tomato sauce and arugula. Not sure if it's still on the menu as it was a special the night I went. read more

Service that we received from this place was excellent. My Mom and I came here around 5:30pm in the middle of the week and were told that the wait was going to be about 45min. After we heard that, we thought for a moment of going someplace else, but since we came here once before two years ago and enjoyed our time here, we thought, well, why not? We were seated exactly 45min later and we decided to order the Insalata Mista/Salad w/mixed greens, Linguine ai Gamberetti/Linguine w/ black tiger shrimp and arugula in a tomato sauce and the Spaghetti al Nero di Seppie/Spaghetti in a black squid ink garlic sauce. The salad was fresh and had a number of different varieties of veggies in it with some papaya on top, and the pasta from here is oh so delicious!!! I could tell the shrimp was super fresh, and the tomato sauce that they used for their linguine was seriously up to par with the sauce used in the seafood linguine that I had gotten from Sotto Mare (one of the best Italian restaurants in SF). And don't let the color of the black squid ink deter or scare you from ordering it - that is so tasty and it has a bit of spice to it that gives it a certain kick - this is definitely worth ordering. For dessert, we had the Tiramisu and that was one of the best of its kind that I've ever tasted. Yes, since this place is in Waikiki, the prices here are going to be on the high side (depends on what you order, but likely about $25-30 per person w/out drinks), but for me, I thought for going there once a year or so, it's surely worth it. Our server (an Asian female) was so attentive and even though this place was super busy, she came over often to check up on us. The other servers that we had encountered were pleasant and the lady who was taking the reservations at the entrance was nice as well. Some folks may understandably be a bit bothered by the intimateness and coziness of this place, since the tables are set a bit close to each other, but it personally didn't bother me at all and I've been to many places where it's easily even more cozy and intimate than here. When considering the level of service and the quality of the food that we received from here, this place personally to me is simply 5 stars. read more

This place is one of my favorite Italian restaurants. Their pasta is al dente. It is important to me. Some Italian restaurants here serve over cooked pasta :( I often eat there at lunch time because they have kamaaina special price which is only $12.90 with soup or salad. I normally order spaghetti con tobiko e calamari for lunch. It's really good! Don't forget to bring a kamaaina ID. read more

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Nice little place where the food is actually good. The black squid pasta is very good and if interested in trying something new that is a must. Recommend booking as this is a busy place. Staff is very friendly. read more

I don't come here very often because...well...it's in Waikiki. But the pasta's are good if not a tad high in price:portion. Most recently, I had the "spaghetti con tobiko e calamari" in a lunch special that included a choice of garden salad or Caesar's salad or small bowl of tomato bisque soup for $12.50 for kama'aina. (A not-so-special $23.95 for non-kama'aina). The soup was especially delicious, and well complemented by the complimentary rosemary focaccia bread. Make yourself an olive oil-balsamic vinegar dip from the table-top condiment bottles and go to work. I've also had the "fettuccine alla crema" off the regular menu. The salty bits of prosciutto accent the not-too-thick, sweet cream sauce nicely, and crisp asparagus slivers provide a textural as well as a taste contrast. But at $22, a bit high for the modest portion you get. The "affettato misto" (mixed cold cuts) app. is a small---and I mean SMALL---sampler of genoa salami, pistachio mortadella, prosciutto crudo, grana padano cheese, and kalamata and green olives. The prosciutto was good, but the mortadella was just a large slice of bologna with bits of cheese and pistachio embedded in the meat. Not worth $22. Described as "lightly frozen orange crème brulee infused with grand marnier", the "crema catallana" dessert ($10) sounds good. While I did detect a pleasant taste of orange in the crust of caramelized sugar, the underlying custard was too egg-y. Think sweet scrambled eggs in taste and texture. Disappointing. I'd return for the lunch special, but the location, and regular prices keep me an infrequent diner here. Now if valet parking was included then... read more

Arancino - $12.50 for kama'aina.  But parking in nearby Bank of Hawaii building not validated for lunch on weekday's.  youtu.be/yJxCdh1Ps48 - Italian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Expect to wait long! They call you so you're free to go shop and go explore the food trucks near by. We waited 1 hour on a Tuesday night around 9:30. Drinks are delicious. Guava Rita was strong and yummy :) Had shrimp and avocado salad and seafood pasta. Yumzo! There is just so many other option and great food in the area and really nothing out of the ordinary. Definitely good tho. read more

Arancino - Italian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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This is hands down my favorite restaurant on Oahu. It's funny because I didn't know it yet at that time when I first started frequenting it since college days. You can say it grew on me. Back then I was the type that didn't dig places with hard to find parking, long waits or the feeling of being cramped up next to other diners. Now mention the thought of eating here in front of me, and I'll jump at the chance to. Thanks to the original Arancino on Beachwalk for helping me to change my ways. That's love. Best parking choice will be validated where the Wyland Gallery used to be or where Gorilla in the Cafe and Teddy Bear World are currently at. There are an ample amount of stalls and then it's a very short walk from there. I hope you made a reservation for you and your date or small group of four. (I wouldn't recommend a party larger) Even with a reservation made, please expect even a short wait. It can get that busy for a good reason that you'll find out if you're a first timer. Upon being seated, soak up the ambiance and decor of this place. I've never experienced anything close to an authentic Italian eatery since dining at a restaurant in Little Italy in Manhattan. It's that intimate. Service is very pleasant and on point in every aspect. You'll end up wanting to tip the staff well. They take care. Now, the best part... The food! I've tried numerous menu items here and I'll have to write you a book instead of a review if I had to tell you all about them. From the drinks, to the bread, to the salad, to your choice of an entree and dessert, I have faith in them that you'll leave here satisfied and wanting more. You must experience it for yourself. I could go on and on with the intricate details about this place.. I'd be rambling though. I try to keep my reviews as short as possible but look where I'm at now. I'll leave you a pic though of one of my favorites. "linguine ai gamberetti". So good. read more

Arancino - linguine ai gamberetti - Italian Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii