Family setting and an absolute gem of a restaurant. Took me wife and daughter for our anniversary and plan on doing it whenever we are in town. read more

One word.....Wow! All the years I and the family had been visiting Honolulu, and all the times my father had been taking his meals in Honolulu's Chinatown, never ever did we ever expect to stumble across this amazingly wonderful gem of a restaurant....and in of all places, Chinatown! My father had a hankering for a western style roast duck, but for the life of me, I couldn't find any good places in all of Honolulu.....then, Duc's popped up on Yelp....not quite what we were expecting, but they had duck, so off we went to give it a try on our final night on the island. Wow, it's like we just went back in time to old world Saigon.....actually, I've never been to Saigon, but the interior kind of reminded me of old Singapore, where similar styled restaurants still exist today......with the old world charm, dimly lit bar (seemingly frequented by more mature group of regulars) and dining areas......yes, a very classy tablecloth fine dining restaurant. Service throughout was so warm, friendly, and personal......we had several chats with our server (Kenoa), and the owner (Duc) himself......they all made us feel so welcomed which gave us a good feeling that this dining experience was not going to disappoint us. We were first greeted and seated by Ian, who was just wonderful in explaining how their menu worked and what recommendations he had. The dishes here are family style and usually served with either Jasmine, Saffron, or Aromatic Red rice....however, the featured (and comp'd) rice for the evening was saffron, so that's what we ordered. Everything on the menu looked and sounded so yummy, but we had to make the best choice for just the two of us......went ahead and ordered the Tomato Lobster Bisque, Green Papaya Salad (Goi du du) , Breast of Duck Marnier, Cari Ga (chicken curry), and for dessert, the Tapioca and Crème Brûlée.....also ordered some vino for myself and a couple of signature martinis that my father enjoyed very much! Again, Wow! Everything was prepared to absolutely delicious perfection! My father's lobster bisque was delicious.....so hot, fresh, with very nice and comforting flavor. I also loved the perfectly cooked saffron rice....so fluffy and fragrant.....and went perfectly with the delicious curry.....oh, it may be easy to simply ignore, but I particularly liked the Rau Ram (Vietnamese coriander leaves) garnish used on the curry, which really added a mild yet distinctive pop to the flavor. My plate was spotless by the end of it all. Then there's my father's duck.....ok, I'm not a duck person and will usually never order it for myself. However, my father has a small appetite and couldn't finish the dish on his own, so I got to try some. The gamey taste of duck doesn't quite appeal to me, but I must admit that the pink'ish juicy tenderness of the meat was so perfectly done....very nice. We also enjoyed the green papaya salad very much too......lovely textures and distinct flavors of spicy, sweet, sour with crisp, fresh, and refreshing shreds of papaya....yum! As for the desserts.....Wow, yet again! The Crème Brûlée was so yummy....crispy caramelized surface with milky smooth custard texture on the inside, and not too sweet! My tapioca was also d'lish.....warm, comforting, and a great way to end my dinner.....Yum too! Judging from the clientele that dine here, it seems to be a popular place with regular locals for both drinks a the bar and dinner. I would highly recommend making reservations. Love this place and will most definitely be back during my next visit. In fact, I kind had a strong feeling my father would really like this type of old world nostalgic decor and ambiance very much.......so much that he too insisted he wanted to come back again during his next visit. read more

See all

If I could give Duc's Bistro extra stars, I would. After leaving another restaurant due to poor service, my boyfriend and I ended up stumbling upon this place. When the restaurant opened for dinner, we were greeted by the owner whose shown us the best hospitality that we've ever received on the island. We ordered the Foie Gras, baguette, peppercorn steak, and steak Saigon. Then Mr. Duc suggested we order a side of green beans and threw in saffron rice for free. I can't describe the food better than say it's divine. The meat is cooked to perfection, and the vegetables were crispy and covered in garlic to my delight. Mr. Duc even gave us a free baguette to-go. If you're looking for a great memory and a meal, 10/10 you should go here. read more

Duc's Bistro - French Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Drinks were good. However they charged $18 for a tiny slice of apple pie. Super uncalled for as all there other deserts were $7-$9. The pie was a special and it was just alright, not $18 worth though. Steak was tough, portions were small and the fish had a very mushy texture. read more

Thoroughly enjoyed everything!!! We went for a belated birthday celebration with my in-laws and it lived up to and exceeded my expectations for a special night out. The ambience is awesome. It's very clean and a touch fancy but not over the top or stuffy. The servers are all in point- water was constantly refilled, questions answered in a helpful way, friendly genuine service, etc. the owner came out to chat with us more than once. He's such a nice guy. Ok, the food... everything we ordered was delicious. We tried the bread (totally worth the extra charge); Spring rolls (different wrapper than most places use. Interestingly, it's the same wrapper I learned to make spring rolls with while doing a homestay on the Mekong river in Vietnam!). The garnishes that come with it are also different than other places, including apple slices and fish mint. Yeah. Chicken curry- this was my favorite! There's an ingredient in there that I can't decipher that makes it taste different than most Asian style curries. Prawns- big, tasty, perfectly cooked. The seasoning was very simple (salt and pepper) so if you want wow factor, get something else. Lamb chops- SUPER yum!!! Perfectly cooked, quality meat, delicious gravy. I'd get this again. Duck with the orange sauce- the duck was perfectly cooked. The sauce was just ok in my opinion, I think we should have gotten the Asian sauce instead. Saffron rice- yes, and yes. Very good. The owner even asked me if I wanted a little more to finish my meat with (I eat slower than everyone so they had cleared this out!) Dessert- they brought out a dessert with a candle in it and the woman who sings live music by the bar sang a happy birthday song to me. The dessert was ginger candy with vanilla gelato was tasty but idk if it's really worth the price tag. I didn't pay the bill so IDK if it was comped or not. Affogato- espresso with vanilla gelato- again, tasty but prob not worth it. Tapioca pudding- not too sweet. I only had 1 bite but it was good. And then at the end of our meal, the owner, Duc came out again and gave us all a shot of Corvossier to enjoy after our meal. That's service and hospitality!! Parking across the street is validated, don't pay, just let hem know your stall number. Overall, a great night!!! I'll be back for more special occasions. read more

See all

I feel bad only giving them 3 stars but I didn't feel like the food had a lot of flavor. The foie gras was the highlight of our meal. Making it the best thing I've had on this trip. We also had the grand mariner duck which I felt was flavorless and gamey. The papaya salad was okay as was the curry prawns. The people here are very nice. read more

See all

amazing food in a great ambiance! the service is outstanding! i've been twice now and will continue to go back.

We love to go there. We took our friends from Idaho and they loved it. The ambiance, food and welcoming staff.

My daughter found this place online. It had good reviews so we went for it. It's located in Chinatown. The location is not in the most posh part of town but don't let that deter you from finding street parking and walking in. Once you do you will be pleasantly surprised. This restaurant is an oasis! The tables are beautifully set with real fresh flowers. Clean linens adorn the tables. There is beautiful lighting on the walls. The place is spacious yet still quaint so it's great for a date or nice dinner. The service is impeccable. Our wait staff was knowledgeable and helped us order for our large group of 9. He directed us what to order and the quantity as well. When we ordered a half bottle of wine by mistake he pointed it out to us and we ordered a full size bottle of oregon Pinot noir to complement our meal. The pineapple martini was awesome. The Madame Vu cocktail was spectacular and comes with a fresh sugar cane stalk. I highly recommend the crab cakes! They were some of the best I've had in my life and I'm from the Pacific Northwest! I also recommend the spring rolls. So amazing and fresh and authentic. They don't cut corners in quality. We had the papaya salad. It was so yummy. For the main meal the chicken curry is amazing. We had the New Zealand lamp chops which were cooked to perfection. The lemongrass chili chicken was also good. Lastly we had the fresh fish which was sooo flavorful. I highly recommend you order the fish. Seriously nothing was bad at this place. This review is 100% in favor of this place. You will not be disappointed if you go here. It's a small family run business and the owner, Mr Duc was present and came to our table and helped take photos. The dessert was also amazing. Creme brûlée and sherbet and tapioca were our choices. We had all three! If I come back to Honolulu I will definitely make Ducs Bistro my first stop! read more

Duc's Bistro - French Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

The menu has been pared down a little, but Duc has never disappointed us. Our favorites are duck Saigon and the roasted eggplant. The steak tartare is a generous serving. It is a treat when Duc is in front greeting guests, but the entire staff are welcoming. read more

It was French Vietnamese mix restaurant. Service was really nice. Oyster taste good but very tiny. All good ware good except stakes. Beef was really dry. read more

See all

There really isn't so many nice spots to eat a nice sitdown lunch in downtown/chinatown...they also serve dinner here! Great little spot on Maunakea right off of Beretania. Don't ask me where you park, I think it's fend for yourself street parking or go find one of the cheap municipal garages. We walked here for lunch and it was a good thing so that we could walk off the lunch afterwards. It's probably best done family style so you can try different dishes. Some of the key ones: papaya salad, crab cakes, chicken curry, peppercorn prawns, and steak saigon. They were all quite good. Good enough for 4 stars from me. I think I'd have to go back before I could give it 5 stars though. My favorite thing was that they provide saffron rice and it is oh so flavorful! I don't know exactly what Duc charged us for (in terms of the rice) but it was all fairly reasonable (sorry I can't remember how much it was exactly but I think dishes are in the 7-22 range, depending on what you get. I was tempted by both the Vietnamese coffee and the affogato. I just got the ice cream and it was tasty. The affogato smelled so yummy. Wish i were still in-taking caffeine at the time! You may have passed this place many a times after you bought a lei or something around there. When coming from Beretania, after you turn left, it'll be right there on your right side. Duc is super friendly as well so he makes sure your meal is tasty, done right, and entertaining. I'd definitely go back, and I'd even consider coming here for dinner! You have to check out the women's bathroom (if you're female) to see his interesting choice of artwork staring right back at you.... Yelp 365 Challenge #09/365 August 9, 2011 read more

Duc's Bistro - Green papaya salad - French Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I finally gave it a try after seeing this place in Chinatown many times! ...and I'm glad I did! It is a small, family run business, Vietnamese - french fusion. I had to reschedule my reservation 1/2 hour before I was to show up and they were very accommodating. So at 630pm, we parked across the street in the metered lot and walked in, and they had one open table in the main dining area awaiting us. Oh yea, for parking, we found out all you need to know is to park in that lot on Mauna Kea Street, just let the restaurant know the stall number, and they take care of it (instead of paying the weekend $13 evening rate like how I did) ... So we were promptly sat down, and given water and menus by the son(?) of the owner. Appetizers (duck truffle pate and spring rolls) came fairly quickly, the sourdough bread freshly toasted and the spring rolls freshly fried. Yummy filling in the rolls with shiitake mushrooms with the regular stuff. Later a singer arrived and started playing guitar and sang in the bar area in the back. I think there are more seating areas in the back but I did not venture there. The main course came and the braised fish is REALLY good! My son ordered and made me wish I did! But the orange duck breast grand marnier was good, the sauce tasty and not strong, cooked perfectly, soft, very juicy! My wife had the lamb chops, medium, and came with 4 ribs. It was cooked very well also, tender and juicy. While it was really good, somehow if the sauce was a little more flavorful, it would have been perfect. Main course came with saffron rice. Food is served family style so it is nice to be able to sample each other's choices. Lychee sorbet dessert was GREAT! So was the tapioca and mochi rice served with hot coconut milk and bananas. So all in all, a good dining experience. I think next time I'll study the Yelp tips more closely and give Duc's Bistro another try! read more

Duc's Bistro - Black truffle duck pate with sourdough crisps, yum !!! - French Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

Amazing Food and Great Service. Highly recommended and definitely going back again. Thank You Ducʻs Bistro for treating us like family.

Visited Honolulu from LA! As a Vietnamese, I highly recommend this place! Everything we got was delicious and well seasoned. Their take on French Vietnamese fusion was well executed! Definitely will come back next time we're in Honolulu! read more

Had dinner with a friend and had escargot, spring rolls, pate & banana flower salad, lemon grass chicken, & cream brule. I brought my own bottle of wine and paid the $25 corcage fee since their lowest cost bottle was $54. All the food was excellent, service was superb, ambiance was quiet and enjoyable to have a nice conversation. It is a great place for a romantic dinner with your special someone. Parking is right across the street & free with a code they give you to enter at the pay box when you call to make reservations. I will definitely be going back soon. read more

Great food and gracious attention from the owners. We let the owners order for us. They asked about our likes and dislikes, and took it from there. Be ready to share the smaller plates and enjoy the taste adventure. read more

Foie Gras was bad, my husband and I ate it at dinner and went diarrhea the whole night and the whole next day. Foie Gras was not fresh or bad quality, taste not juicy or soft, it's a little bit chewy and muddy. Not recommend read more

We called for a last minute New Year's Eve dinner date and they were able to accommodate us immediately! Owner Duc, and son Ian were so kind and made our experience even better! The food was incredible and is definitely a 5/5 and two thumbs up! Thank you for the awesome experience! We can't wait to come back again! read more

See all

What a wonderful little surprise. Walked into this place on a whim and had probably one of the best dinners I've had in a really long time. Everything from the appetizers to dessert were wonderfully prepared and decadent. Can't miss this place and yes the cocktails were amazing as well. Try the pineapple martini it was to die for. read more

See all

OMG! Amazing place. Small place delivered BIG! Such, the owner, came around several times to check on us and chat. The food was so good! Every dish was above and beyond what we expected. Dishes are all served family style. We ordered the duck, prawns and pork spareribs for variety. Everything was delicious. I would definitely recommend trying this place read more

Duc's Bistro - Duck Grand Mariner, Tom Rang Muoi Peppercorn Prawns Saffron Rice New Zealand Lamb Chops - French Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Five of us just celebrated my wife's birthday in this hidden gem of a restaurant in Chinatown! All the glowing reviews of this restaurant are well earned and deserving! As others have already mentioned, Duc's is a family-run operation (for 33 years), with Duc's son currently running things, while father Duc and other family members support in the background. The food is delicious and served family style, with spoon-sized pieces to make it easy for everyone to sample everything, and still leave enough for seconds. Our starters were the escargot, eggplant, spring rolls and baguettes. Our entrees were beef curry, lemon grass chicken, Saigon duck breast, and peppercorn steak, with saffron rice and side orders of sugar snap peas (green beans weren't available tonight) and more eggplant. Desserts were chocolate ganache, crème brûlée, and affogato. All dishes were delicious, and the service was excellent. This restaurant is just perfect in every way! Take your mainland visitors there at your next opportunity! read more

One of the best restaurants in Honolulu. My favorite. Great food, excellent wine list.

This place is a must add to your places to go... great ambiance and service... Food presentation and texture was excellent and flavors was well balanced... Lamb Chops, Duck Pate, and Tapioca dessert is a must have here... gave us complimentary Grand Marnier after dinner!!!! read more

See all

I believe on second opportunities (no, if you are my ex, this doesn't apply to you!!). I have been to Ducs bistro plenty times until one night i came and the fish was frozen (you can tell since it had no flavor) and my crab cakes were pretty bad too... i am not sure if the chef was having a bad day, maybe got on a fight with his wife or i dont know what but that was the last time i was here. Today i was craving his fish again, so decided to give them a second chance. *Ambience: place is nice inside and kinda romantic (watch out who you ask to join you for dinner!) *Parking: there is a public parking lot in front, make sure you remember what parking stall you parked and let your waiter know so they will take care of it for you. *Service: its always good, the owner probably will sit in your table and talk story with you. He is sup *Crab cakes ($14) I always like their sauce (lobster tomato bisque) it was a little tiny bit on the salty side but i wont be that picky! It was good! *Fillet of basa nonpareil ($20) Yay! My fish was frozen today. I wouldnt say it was super super fresh either but it was good! Not really mind blowing but good overall. read more

See all

If you have not been here what are you waiting for????? Mr. Duc's is quite charming and will make sure you have the best dinning experience. The location is not the best but once you step inside you are in another world. There is plenty of parking in China Town. I'm not sure if there is another French place around. We found this gem since it was open late on a Sunday. Best escargot I have had in a while!!!!! The crab cakes seem to be all crab!! No cheeping out!! There's a thin crispy crust on the outside of the crab cake. The fish with the capers was on point. The green papaya salad is the best I have had. It's nice and thin, comes with a kick on the side if you so do choose. Pumpkin cheesecake for dessert , drooling read more

See all

Came here for a family dinner and essentially got everything off the menu. Each dish was wonderful, service was great and the dessert was the perfect capstone. I'd recommend the eggplant, papaya salad and tapioca! read more

I came here because the restaurant that I planned to go to had no open reservations. I am glad that happened. So I gave Duc's a shot because of the reviews. My wife and I had the foie gras, Beef tar tar, green beans (cooked in olive oil, garlic), and the steak Saigon. Everything was excellent. I'm 51 years old, lived in Hawaii my whole life. I am bummed I only found this place now. I'll definitely be coming back to try everything else. read more

This is a pretty upscale, classy Vietnamese restaurant. Located on maunakea street, I've probably passed by here more than 100 times, but I've never noticed it! It's definitely a hole in the wall. Once inside, there is soft music playing and tables covered in linens. There is also a big lion dance lion hanging from the ceiling, eyes aglow. We sat at the bar for desserts and after dinner drinks. They have a house made ginger syrup that they put in several drinks. Some drinks also get a sugar cane stirrer. The desserts are very good, and as we had eaten dinner before we came, I can't say much about the dinner food. But if the regular menu options are as good as the desserts, I'll be back more frequently! Nicole K and I shared a tapioca. It was amazing. Warm and sweet, with chunks of apple banana and red beans (which I don't love, but when covered in coconut milk, it's good!), this was maybe the best tapioca of my life. The owners, who closed up the night we went, were super sweet and friendly. I'll be back to try the regular menu and get more tapioca for dessert!! read more

The owners always there, greeting , serving, and guaranteeing a great experience. Food is excellent with both French and Vietnamese classics. read more

If you're looking for a reason to come to Duc's, look no more. Duc's Bistro is a fantastic little gem of a restaurant, off the beaten path, but well worth it. They were so kind they even offered to pay our parking when they found out we parked illegally. The staff was wonderful as was the ambiance. Everything we ordered was delicious. They truly made every effort to highlight their quality ingredients. I've had basa at least hundreds of times in different iterations, and yet the basa dish still surprised, delighted, surpassed my expectations. I honestly cannot wait to return to try other dishes, I am here on vacation with a limited number of days and meals and yet I am looking forward to coming back to Duc's read more

First time here and I'm in love! My favorite is the papaya salad! The owner and his wife are so friendly :) read more

See all

This is still a favorite dinner spot for us to take guests. We just tell them to send out the food as Duc knows that we will try anything he cooks! Imperial rolls, lamb chops, fresh fish...just to name my favorites. Free parking! read more

I can't say enough kind words about this restaurant, but my mouth is full of the food. Take my money, Duc.

This is our most favorite restaurant and a hidden gem. When you arrive at the door, you enter into a beautiful setting and never imagined you're in China town. It's a family owned restaurant and the food is consistently delicious! read more

Great food, great people, great service. The spring rolls are amazing and the bar has everything you need.

My (now) fiancé and I tried Duc's for the first time and I'm embarrassed to say as a longtime and frequent visitor of the beautiful island of Oahu, I had not dined here in the last 30 years this gem has been in business. First, the service was fantastic. Since we were already in the area during traffic hour, we decided to drop in an hour and a half early from our original reservation time. It wasn't a problem at all and they happily greeted us and sat us. Because we were unfamiliar with the area, we ended up parking in a potential ticket/tow zone. Seeing as we were not locals, the restaurant host/server directed us to a paid parking lot and even offered to pay for our parking. While we didn't take them up on their offer to pay for our parking, we did repark and appreciated their kindness. Now, the piece de resistance: the food! We tried the foie gras, beef tar tar, basa fish, roast duck, and long green beans. Everything was delicious and flavorful, fantastic Vietnamese and French fusion cuisine that is difficult to find elsewhere. When we left, I turned to my fiancé and told her I'd happily come back to Duc's, even during the same 1 week stay in Oahu. A big thanks to Duc's for a wonderful experience. We actually just got engaged that day, and the dining experience at Duc's was a fantastic way to top off such a wonderful day. Mahalo! read more

This was my first time here. We had the pho which isn't on the menu. The broth was amazing. It's a little different from how I usually eat pho, with a lot of hoisin sauce and sriracha lol. But it was delicious and satisfying. read more

Duc's Bistro - French Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

If you visit one restaurant while you are in Oahu, make it Duc's. Duc, his wife and his son will take care of you. They each wear masks, use sanitizer before attentively coming to the table to take your order or bring you anything you desire. The tables are all spaced more than 8 ft apart, so you feel very comfortable as we all remember how to dine in restaurants again! Their cocktails are not to be missed. I particularly recommend the lychee martini. The food is all incredible. I particularly recommend the pork belly! read more

Fine dining in Chinatown...whodathunk? Though I was told by the waiter Duc's has been around for 20 years, you wouldn't think so as the interior is well-maintained and clean, a welcome environment after you've just entered from a not-so-savory street-person/urine smelling sidewalk. The decor is interesting ... it's Fall so there were little pumpkins on almost every surface, a large chinese dragon hanging over the bar area, colorful lanterns and fake flower trees toward the back of the restaurant... overall a culturally confusing appearance but very charming in a strange way. Our waitstaff were extremely polite and attentive. He informed us that all of the dishes would be served family style, so, when the food arrived I was taken aback a bit by the small portions. But, again I was definitely not expecting this to be a fine dining establishment, and typically fancy food means higher-quality (not quantity!) ingredients at a higher price. I really enjoyed the Banana blossom salad, I've never had banana blossoms before - it looked and tasted similar to a green papaya salad, served very artfully in an inedible red plant "cup", topped with peanuts and spicy thai chili on the side. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/ducs-bistro-honolulu?select=moHYxrrmdwhtSG2w7lUYKQ#qS70Oe2BjIejnUuBGrbbaA For our entrees, we chose lemongrass chicken (standard stuff, nothing wow), choi sum with garlic, and the pièce de résistance was the pan fried basa! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/ducs-bistro-honolulu?select=moHYxrrmdwhtSG2w7lUYKQ#OEJjoQzfi1LaFRPaB3NKUg The fish was perfectly crisp with a light batter and topped with shredded green papaya, herbs (mint, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves I think) chili sauce and the bottom of the plate was sauced with a tart ginger and fish sauce. I wish I had this whole dish to myself! Everything was served with a jasmine saffron rice, aromatic and fluffy and complemented the dishes perfectly. We ended the meal with drinks - an irish coffee for dad and an americano for Mike - I ended up drinking most of his americano because it was so delicious! 100% Kona is worth the money. Overall, the menu seemed to lean more Vietnamese than French, we were encouraged to try the foie gras but declined - next visit I'll be sure to check out some of the more French-infused offerings. read more

Duc's Bistro - Banana blossom salad - French Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all