You will never thought of finding a restaurant in a garage, but there is one. They provided good instruction how to get there, basically, you walk up to the garage, turn towards Diamond head side, there is a small sign. (I also posted a photo) Inside the restaurant has 7 tables, each seats 4. We were greeted by Jennifer at the door (one of the owner) she is very nice and friendly. It is BYOB, so, you can save money on drinks which is good. I believe they only open Friday to Sunday and they are currently look for another place to open a restaurant. OK, enough of the introduction, let's talk food! First item, Hokkaido Milk rolls - OMG, so yummy, fresh from da oven. I can eat 3 orders of that. Then we have the Bigeye tuna, Calabrian chill crisp, ginger, chive. Not the regular dish you will have in the other restaurant. We like how they mix and match difference items on the Ahi, we like it. The Bangs Island mussels, tasty but very small. Next dish, Dan Mien bolognese, Hawaii pasture-raised veal doubanjiang, whipped tofu. We love this dish, hot, rich in taste. Next, Pork alla sweet & sour (Kurobuta rib chop), we are not super excited with this, we feel the pork chop is just OK, some of the meat is dry, some of the meat is too fatty. They also serves rice with some crispy stuff on it which I forgot what it is, but taste good. Dessert - Black sesame & condensed milk gelato, this is a bit too sweet to our taste. I was expecting gelato is not that sweet. I also want to share the dish was served pretty slow, most of the dish is 30 minutes apart. we started at 7:00pm, finished at 9:00pm, at times, we feel like we are just waiting too long for each dish, however, if you have a few friends to talk story, that may not be too bad. Overall, services is good, and they do change their menu from time to time, let's see what will come up in the future. Dinner is $95 per person. read more

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We had a nice dinner at Giovedi. There was something sticky on the arm of my chair when we sat in the outdoor area, I was able to clear it with my napkin and water. Service was attentive with water and delivering dishes. We wanted to love the food but thought it was okay. Bread rolls were fluffy and delicious. The fried vegetables dish was interesting -- I didn't like the flavor. Green salad was fine. We enjoyed the Arrabiata but didn't care for the capellini. Limited wine selection. We had nice bites, but some not so great. Went elsewhere for dessert. read more

Located behind a discrete door hidden in the restaurant row parking structure, you'll find a hidden gem; Giovdei. Giovedi is a pop-up restaurant that was started by three brilliant friends. They offer a tasting menu that features pan-asian flavors prepared with a classic Italian culinary technique. It's a very intimate space that is BYOB, on the contrary, you'll leave here very full with leftovers to go! Our meal began with Hokkaido milk rolls with the most delicious bagna cauda butter with hints of anchovy. It paired perfectly with our CA Cab! Next, we had a crudi set with three variations; ono, tuna and Kauai shrimp. Boy oh boy, let me tell you their ginger sauce and chili crisp topping is to DIE for. I'd buy containers of them in the heartbeat if they ever decided to sell them! The Spaghetti vongole was chef kisses because the briny juices from the clams brought so much flavor to the brothy sauce; you can just tell that the clams that they used were fresh. Our closing dish before dessert was the pork alla char siu cooked to a perfect medium. Dessert featured a houjicha budino that also had the best almond cookie I've ever had. All in all, Giovedi has a place in my heart - I highly recommend this pre-fixe menu gem. The food is amazing, but the company made the experience even more memorable. Make sure you book your reservations on Resy! There are limited seatings and dates so what are you waiting for? read more

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My friends highly recommended this place so I took my mom here for her birthday. My dad wasn't happy and wanted to go to Kapa Hale instead (I guess he forgot about the fiasco last time and our entrees taking an hour after our appetizers were long gone). Anyway, we went on a Sunday night and were able to find street parking. We ordered family style and got Hokkaido milk rolls, onion dip, scallop crudo, some mango seasonal item, and prosciutto San Daniele for our appetizers. I did like the Hokkaido milk rolls but they were nothing special. The butter probably distracted you from the pillow-y softness of the rolls. It just tasted salty even though it was black garlic butter. The onion dip was just okay even though I was excited to order it since it had onions five different ways (I read about it in another review) but it was a letdown. The mango burrata was good and probably my favorite appetizer. The mango was super sweet and fresh. I liked the scallop crudo as it had good flavor but my dad was not a fan since they were sliced so thinly and you couldn't even see it (it blended in with the plate since they were paper thin). My husband loved the prosciutto which is saying a lot since he doesn't even like it (neither do I). It was good with the jin dui type bread it was served with. For the entrees, we also did family style and got the mushroom donburi, dan mien Vietnam-atriciana, gnocchi mapolonese, and char siu pork. I think my favorites char siu pork and mushroom donburi. The dan mien which I was also very excited about was bland and boring. The char siu was really good and tender. The mushroom donburi completed the pork nicely. The gnocchi/mapo tofu thing was just okay for me. We ordered a tiramisu and carrot cake for dessert. Both were good and the carrot cake had a nice ginger taste to it. Overall service was okay but I would not recommend them leaving the dishes on the outside tables. Ours had weird black specks on it that we had to brush off or switch with other tables. My dad was not a fan but my mom, husband, and I thought it was good. I don't know if I would go back as the portion sizes are small and while the food was good, nothing was worth me going back for a second round. My dad and husband ended up eating pho afterward since they were still hungry. Oh and this place is NOT BYOB. read more

The ambience is calming. The food is world class. The service is fantastic. We recommend this fabulous restaurant.

service was good but food was mediocre , pasta was ok waiter hyped up the pork chop saying it was smoked and soups vide but ended up really tough nothing stood out but cocktails were good read more

This was our 2nd time dining at this establishment. The first time was so amazing we just had to come back and eat the other half of the menu- big mistake. Customer service seriously lacking on a Saturday evening :-( We arrived on time and had to wait 30 minutes past our time per the poor organizational skills of the hostess who also doubled as a customer as she kept sitting down in between seating guests and happily drinking and eating with her table of friends, she was more concerned with her table and drinking than she was with customers waiting to be seated- after asking around we found out she's entitled because she's engaged to the owner (family and business do not mix well-to night was a prime example) ..... the hamachi crudo was a favorite from our 1st visit but the 2nd time around lacked seasoning and had an old fishy taste to it. We were so hopeful after our first visit, and super disappointed with the lack of professionalism and communication from both the hostess and server- High notes: mushroom donburi was excellent Sour notes: hamachi crudo tasted fishy and lacked seasoning Steak dish was undercooked (a little too blue and chewy) read more

Service was great! Food tasted good! Price was kind on the high side! Cute place! We shared the special mango salad refreshing but little over ripe Gnocchi was good the goose liver ok it was more a pat'e overall good just a little overpriced... read more

Food was good. Not amazing. Service was great. Server gave good recommendations. Cool dinner spot.

Food-Awesome Service-Awesome Portion Size-Really small Ambience-Awesome Outside & inside seating Drinks-Really good read more

A bit too expensive for the amount you get. When the place is busy, it was very noisy, even though we were sitting outside. Sliced scallop hors d'oeuvre was way too thin, and it seemed as if they were only maybe two scallops in total. They were paper thin. For the spaghetti with lup Chong , The flavor was good, but tasted more chili than lup chong. I would suggest slices of Lup Chong and maybe adding either chicken shrimp or fish. All those things go good with lup chong. My take on the bread with black garlic butter was that the bread was excellent because I love garlic. I would've liked more garlic taste in the spread. It was mild for my taste. read more

I was so excited to try this restaurant and it didn't disappoint! TLDR - everything was delicious, cooked perfectly, and the set menu is a lot of food! The menu is set and for $95 you get quite a lot of food. I didn't leave hungry, in fact I took some food home, which I find is rare for a tasting menu. The Hokkaido milk rolls were soft, buttery, and sweet with a perfect crispy top. The truffle garlic butter and salt flakes really complemented the sweetness of the bread. The crudi dish was excellent as well. My favorite was the scallop, which was sliced thin to melt in your mouth and was surprisingly sweet from the oranges. The pasta was another favorite. The preserved lemon sauce really showcased the lemon flavor without any sourness. They were GENEROUS with the crab, which was buttery and tender. By the time the swordfish came out, I was already full, but I thoroughly enjoyed the tender fish, crispy potatoes and the pickled side dish which tied everything together. Even the dessert didn't disappoint. The gelato was creamy and came with some exciting sundae toppings. I could have eaten the banana caramel by itself hehe. They validate parking and are BYOB I can't wait to come back for their next menu read more

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No-hassle seating even without a reservation, fantastic friendly service. Sat at the bar. Classy but not pretentious and perfect for an intimate dinner. We had so much fun eating everything (each dish had a touch of intrigue, but the hints of Chinatown charmed) with pacing enough to enjoy the ambitious amount of food ordered. Seasonal spritz and salad were my favorites; I'll be sad when mango season is over but can't wait to see what new dishes shift in! read more

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I had dinner at Giovedi on August 19 and everything on their menu was tasty and delicious. My wife asked me which was my favorite dish. It was hard to give an answer because everything tasted really good. I asked her the same question and she said the same thing. Everything tasted delicious. The service was good, too. Friendly staff and attentive. The place was kind of small, but comfortable. The staff said that the menu changes, so I hope to go there again when it does. For the price, we had more than enough food. We even took home leftovers. I'm glad that my wife and I tried this restaurant. It was worth it. read more

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My friend and I were looking for a place to eat around 8 pm on Sunday in Chinatown. This was my first time at the restaurant and won't be my last. A lot of restaurants were closed or going to close soon but not Giovedi. We had just missed the dinner crowd, and we were immediately seated inside. They also have an outdoor seating area in the back. The first thing I noticed was the wonderful ambience highlighted by the lighting and spectacular music selection. Our server was amazing, always smiling when talking to us. The 2 appetizers and 2 entrees we ordered were so delicious that we couldn't resist ordering both of the two desserts. We ordered the following: Hokkaido Milk Rolls, Foie Gras Torchon, Dan Mien Vietman - Atriciana, and Char Siu Pork, Mrs, Tran's Tiramisu, and Five-Sprice Carrot Cake. The Foie Gras Torchon was a generous size, the Char Siu Pork extremely flavorful and juicy, and the carrot cake was such a treat. The ginger candy and ginger sorbet on the carrot cake was my favorite but I recommend all six dishes. This place gets an A+ from me. I will be telling all my friends to stop by Giovedi for a culinary journey. read more

The food and drink were delicious. 100% worth it. The portions are on the smaller side, but the flavors make up for it and more read more

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Pros: Food was good Cocktails were good Cons: Didn't know everything was ala carte, the staff didn't inform us of that, I thought we were ordering entrees..prices were quite spendy for tapas. If we knew it was ala carte our table probably would have ordered a more diverse selection vs ordering the same dish 3 times. Service was not ready, I know the restaurant had only been opened less than a month, but a few of the servers didn't feel like they worked at a restaurant before..not going to call anyone out but I would certainly give a refresher. Overall experience was good, with room for improvements read more

Absolutely incredible! The food was so delicious. We ordered the onion dip with caviar, the scallop crudo, the milk rolls with black garlic butter, the steak, the crab pasta and the beef cheek with gnocchi. Everything tasted so fresh, great combination of flavors and so satisfying! The service was above and beyond and the restaurant has such a cute aesthetic! Will definitely be going back. read more

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Love this place! It's so fresh and different. Everything I have tried here, which is about half of the menu now, has been spectacular.

Simply spectacular. The food was all amazing with a depth of flavor that is hard to find nowadays. Tony was on point with both his service, attentiveness and knowledge. read more

Went to Giovedi late August. Didn't get a chance to write a review yet. But the food was fantastic. The location was quite interesting, which was just a very small dining room. The menu seems to change a bit, but the Calabrian chili crisp was fantastic on the fish crudo. BYOB has its pros and cons. Very professional service. read more

Giovedi - Asian Fusion Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Welcome addition to Honolulu's gourmet restaurants. Attentive, efficient and friendly servers. The ahi and scallop appetizers were very good with fresh ingredients. The freshly-baked bread rolls were outstanding! Among the entrees, the Vietnamese pasta was delicious. So, was the black and white rice with mushrooms. The steak, however, disappointed. Need to improve the meat quality, flavoring and the presentation. Looking forward to another visit. read more

Great service, amazing food combinations, friendly folks. Never really knew it was there, but it's now on our short list to return to.

Loved the Pop-up and now they're back with their own place! The taste and presentation rivals the best that's out there. Amazing blend of Italian and Asian flare that brings these dishes to a whole other level. The drinks were superb. Best New place in Town for sure! read more

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Twice here and both times were exceptional! Thank you Jennifer! The bread was moist and the butter, wish they would sell it. Go there while it's still byob.. read more

Can't say anything about the food but something is messed up about their reservation system on ressy. It's fine if there are no available tables. But, Jerking you around and giving you giving hope then forcing you to roll through all the settings is a dick move please fix and I'll correct review. read more

The husband and I had a date night here and we couldn't get enough! First off the space is small and cozy, we sat outside in the lit up patio area, which being in Hawaii is always a go to! Our waitress Alyson was incredibly sweet and explained the specials with great detail and enthusiasm! We ordered the veal tar tar with grated black truffles! Chefs kiss on this one! I had the peacock cocktail and my husband had the strawberry infused Negroni , both delicious! For dinner we opted with the lemon pasta and the char siu pork with wine soaked plums! Ended the night with a slice of tiramisu and coffee. Enjoyed every bite! To top it off the playlist they have was EXCELLENT!! We have been to many upscale restaurants and for us everything will be great, food, service, decor but then they loose me with music. Not here, it was such a pleasant experience! Highly recommend having dinner here with your partner or a group of friends! read more

Absolutely loved this place! This pop up is a hidden gem in restaurant row, entrance is through the 2nd floor parking lot love how it's byob! It was so easy to make a reservation on Resy i put that we were celebrating a birthday and the restaurant contacted me who's bday it was and they printed my friends name on the menu! That special touch started off our dinner so well! Each course came out in a timely manner and we left full. Started with the Hokkaido rolls and the butter flavor changes every month, then with the crudo, pasta, then the steak it was so tender and that broccoli sauce was everything! They brought out a small orange sorbet as a palate cleanser then brought the dessert the banh flan which was amazing i wanted another one! Most times when you go to course menus you are hungry after but here the portions were very generous. The service was great from Jennifer she always came and checked on us and refilled our drinks ( she opened all the wines for us that we brought and kept them cold) definitely will be back !! read more

Giovedi - Asian Fusion Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I don't usually write reviews, so I am not likely to be as eloquent or as descriptive as the other glowing reviews already posted. But I definitely concur: just an overall amazing and fantastic dining experience. The food is excellent, the service is excellent, the atmosphere is just right (casual, comfortable, intimate, but elegant), and the cozy atmosphere makes it individualized and personal...not a generic experience. I highly, highly recommend Giovedi. Book early and commit to showing up because they are a small restaurant and if you cancel the day before that really hurts their price point. You won't regret it and you will want to go back! read more

Service & food always consistently great! Staff are genuinely engaging, and every menu item is on point.

A very unassuming entry way leads to a pop-up establishment with lots of promise and potential once they find a space of their own. Their current space, tucked in the 2nd floor corner of the Restaurant Row garage, is small, seating about 25. Due to the small space, conversations reverberate, so take away from what could be an intimate dinner. Currently, they do a prix fixe menu, and they do it quite well. Pacing and sequence of taste from dish to dish are are smooth and complement each other. Their at-table descriptions are detailed, and we appreciated talking with Jen about each dish. Some dishes stood out more than others. We loved the milk rolls and black garlic butter...I could've licked the butter dish. The crudo trio was also flavorful and well-balanced, though the seared ono was overpowered by the chili garlic mix on top. We did like the chili garlic, but beef might have been a better combo. Also, loved the washugyu and broccoli verde, as well as the mango sorbet. The dishes are "Italian" with Asian inspiration. Various European and Asian cultures are represented in the techniques and processes they use to prepare the food. For example, the gnocchi were shu buns, which were surprisingly creamy and potato like. Other than the noteworthy dishes, the rest of the menu was delicious, but small tweaks could possibly be made to bring out the flavor or deepen it. Excited for this young husband, wife, and their team... they've got a great thing going on Giovedi's and look forward to dining with them again. read more

The food was absolutely fabulous! Everything was so fresh and new to us. We especially enjoyed the thinly sliced scallops and the pasta was amazing! We had a great time for our first visit and will definitely go back. Thanks to our server, Jen for the great service, advice and just talking with us. It was nice to meet you and it made our dining experience even better. I highly recommend trying this place. read more

Giovedi - Asian Fusion Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Great innovative food, excellent service, very nice setting. Owned by young couple chef/front of restaurant.

In my previous review, I mentioned, "I'm excited to go to Giovedi again to see what the chef prepares next time." I stayed true to my word and went again! I'm soooooo glad that I did!!! This time, the prix fixe menu consisted of Hokkaido Milk Rolls, Crudi, Gnocchi Pomodoro, Steak Alla Beef Broccoli, and Houjicha Budino. The Hokkaido Milk Rolls were once again soft, buttery, and absolutely delicious. I ate two rolls and wanted to eat more; however, I knew that I needed to save room for the rest of the food. When the Crudi was served, the presentation in itself made my mouth water. I was ready to dig in! Putting that first piece of Ono in my mouth reminded me of why I wanted to go to Giovedi again. It was the start of an amazing dinner! The Calabrian chili crisp on the fresh Ono surely adds to the flavor and isn't spicy at all. The fresh Tuna had a topping which is out of this world. Yummy! The Kauai shrimp was something that wasn't on the menu the last time. I really enjoyed it, as it had an orange and yuzu kick to it which was also delicious. All I can say is, "The Crudi was incredible!" I was a good wife and let my husband have his share, BUT what I REALLY wanted to do was.....eat it all by myself! The next dish was the Gnocchi Pomodoro. When I took a bite of the Gnocchi, it had a little crunch to it and was served with a slightly sweet and tangy sauce which was perfect. This was another delicious dish which wasn't on the menu the last time. The Steak Alla Beef Broccoli was also new. The Washugyu flat iron steak was very tender and served in a hot mustard jus and salsa verde. I've never tasted anything like it. Outstanding!!! I wish I could have taken the chef home with me to cook dinner for me every night! A bowl of Kamiakari Brown Rice was served with the steak. That, too, was seasoned perfectly and complimented the Steak Alla Beef Broccoli well. Then came the dessert. I was soooooo full but had to eat the Houjicha Budino which contained an almond cookie and vanilla whipped cream. OMG! I thought I couldn't eat anymore, but it was sooo good that I actually finished eating it all! My overall experience at Giovedi once again exceeded 5 stars. If you haven't gone to Giovedi yet, my advice is.....GO! You won't regret it! The food and service are amazing! read more

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Food was amazing. Service and hospitality was outstanding. Location and ambiance are a little funky but that's became it's a pop up. You get over that once you start to eat the food. read more

What a gem of a restaurant. Granted, it's a pop-up in a very hard to find small section of a space in Restaurant Row but the food really made up for it!! The chefs are a married couple (with another person) running the place. The waitress, Jennifer, is one of the owners and she was great and talked us through the inspiration and food, etc. She was also very attentive and friendly. Every dish had great detail and an amazing spin on it. It was all so different and I couldn't decide on a favorite dish. BYOB (no corkage fee!) so we brought champagne (it was our anniversary) from home that would have probably costed $200 to buy at a restaurant. That was a nice perk when a place doesn't have a liquor license. Lastly, the reason why I spent time to write this review is because Jennifer wrote a follow up, personalized email to me the next day. She congratulated us again on our anniversary and hope that we enjoyed our meal. She's obviously a busy lady and to have the time to do this made us feel very special. I'm just hoping their next / permanent location has better decor hehe, but looking forward to dining with them again. read more

Giovedi serves Italian food with sophisticated Asian influences. If you're thinking: been there, done that...think again. Chef Bao, who opened Mad Bene in Kapolei, lets his heritage create new and delicious Italian comfort dishes: scallop crudo with brown butter and pistachios, prosciutto with Vietnamese sesame donuts, mushroom risotto with cilantro pesto and crispy black rice, fresh clam spaghetti with homemade XO sauce, Washugyu Denver steak with broccoli salsa, and the best Tiramisu on the island. And we loved the green salad with butter lettuce and white endives. His wife Jen runs the front of house to ensure service is attentive but not overbearing. The cocktails feature in season local fruit and flavor, refreshing and unique. The contemporary dining room and bar allows for distanced dining and quiet conversation and opens up to a Chinatown courtyard with twinkling lights; quite atmospheric in downtown Honolulu. If there is a downside, the menu is not extensive but it's growing every week or two. We'll be back! read more