This meal was exquisite. The service was so attentive, knowledge, and friendly. Each course was…read morebetter than the last. The overall ambiance was perfectly casual. We cannot wait to book our next visit!

This is for the 2.2.25 event at Hamada General Store…read more Friendly table-side service for each course. Every dish --from the chips appetizer to the dessert, delicious. The sides hold their own with the star of the show--the prime rib. BYOB The staff--attentively open, pour and refill. I thinks it's one bottle per two guests, check your email. The ticket purchaser advised being ready to purchase as soon as sales open. The first seating sold out quickly, so we attended the second seating at 7:30. We arrived around 7:15. Most guests from the 5:30 seating left, so there was ample parking. Ambiance--Palaka print placemats, casual, Aloha wear type of atmosphere. Enjoy--you're in for a treat!

Had a smoked ahi tataki, Sumida watercress ikurazuke, sea grapes on vernacelli crisp.... "To die…read morefor". Soooo good! Colin is very personable and I'm excited to try his other offerings.

First time trying their take out at Fishcake (a rotating culinary artist incubator space). I…read moreordered "pork and lamb bolognese." Rich ingredients and taste satisfied me. Btw they cook in front of you after you place an order. You can eat in too. Thank you very much for an early dinner!

Food is amazing and made to order. Onigiri and side dishes are authentic and just like in Japan!!!read more

I finally got to try this place for the first time at the strawberry moon market. Everything was…read moresooo sooo delicious. I personally think this was single-handedly the best musubi/okazuya I have ever had in a meal on this island. It is a shame that they do not pop-up as often but I was very grateful that they were able to make some more food even when the sign said they were "sold out." I guess it was fate that my taste buds were blessed by the hands of this cute Japanese family.

About 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, there was already a line of people placing their order for fresh…read morepulled noodles. We were told that the first batch would be served about 11 a.m. so we quickly put our order in. The first thing that caught my attention, was the savory aroma of their 5-spice ground pork being cooked. You can add this as a topping to the noodle dish. The second thing that caught my attention, was the labor of love going in to each order of fresh pulled noodles. You can watch him stretch the dough ball and slap it on the counter before he boils each batch with careful preparation. The third thing that caught my attention, was their adorable mother, helping to slice the cucumbers and top each dish with crushed iso peanuts. Do not forget to order the side of pickled bittermelon....so good!! From beginning to end, this was an incredible experience of all my senses! To see and hear them at work and then to taste the delicious sesame sauce on the fresh pulled noodles....WOW! The soft noodles, the crisp bittermelon, and the savory sauce....super delish! Seriously, go early to place your order. The wait is totally worth it :) Will come back next time to try other menu items.

Shima Dreams of Noodles is a pop-up, located at Fishcake -…read more This place supposedly has a huge following, and people anticipate for the changing menu of various noodle dishes. When we went, the menu focused on udon: +Hot Yamakake Udon with Quail Egg (a special) +Cold Yamakake Udon (a special) +Hot Udon +Cold Udon The special udon dishes are servied with tororo (grated mountain yam), housemade tsukudani (seaweed braised in a sweet Japanese sauce), crispy nori, green onions, and an option to add wasabi. We went for both the hot and cold udon specials - I think it was a consensus that we would have liked to have more noodles in the dish. This is definitely a sweeter dish, with the tororo and the tsukudani. The place already had a long line, and the best way to enjoy would be to dine-in. Note that if you do order a carry-out, the quail egg would not be included. +ordering online is available +changing menu of noodle dishes +popup at Fishcake

I'm always a little nervous when I try new Filipino restaurants since my family cooks Filipino food…read moreall the time, but Minasa was so good! I didn't go to their actual restaurant, but I tried their food at a Filipino event. The lechon fries were sooo good. The lechon wasn't as crispy as I thought it would be, but the crinkle cut fries made up for it. The pork sisig with the spicy sauce was also pretty good! The employees were helpful and the food came out so quickly. I'm sure their food is even better at their main location! I'll definitely check them out.

A hidden gem in Waipahu!…read more Before I get into their food, order the calamansi drink. It's refreshing, on the sweeter side, and honestly the perfect touch to your meal. It truthfully completed everything. We ordered the sampler set, the adobo fried rice special, kare kare, and the lechon. Everything tasted great! The adobo fried rice was a little on the vinegary side for me. The taste was powerful, but everyone else loved it. The kare kare was my favorite. It was savory and just had a comforting taste to it. I'd order this again for sure. The restaurant is on the smaller side, so seating could be a little tough during peak hours. Same goes for parking, it's a shared parking lot with other places in the complex. But the service is welcoming and the cashier was so helpful guiding us on what to order and describing the meals.

Giovedi delivered an exceptional dinner for our group, seamlessly blending interesting flavours…read morewith flawless execution. We started with pillowy soft HOKKAIDO MILK ROLLS alongside the refreshing SCALLOP CARPACCIO. The pasta courses each stood out on its own right. DAN MIEN VIETNAM-ATRICIANA, deep and rich savoury sauce on egg noodles was so comforting and delicious we ordered a second one. CAPELLINI GRANCHIO was another crowd favourite. The thin capellini were perfect strands for this dish. It could use more crabmeat though. GNOCCHI MABOLOGNESE, this was a clever fusion of mapo tofu with gnocchi mimicking tofu in a hot sauce. I'm not a fan of gnocchi much more tender gnocchi in this dish. Two Donburi dishes - Veal and Mushroom - stood out with the addition of pop rice. Grated truffle was very generous. We ended with both desserts on the menu. Every single dish hit the mark, and sharing everything family-style across six people was the perfect way to experience the menu. Fantastic cooking, great atmosphere, and an absolute must-visit.

Three Visits and Still Impressed…read more I've been to Giovedi three times now and have been impressed every time. The small plates are meant to be shared, which is perfect because it means you get to try more bites. Their cuisine is creative, with interesting flavors and combinations that make the meal fun to explore. I loved their Crystal Tiger cocktail. Lychee goodness. The foie gras spread with toasted bread was divine, but my favorite bite was the scallop carpaccio. Fresh, delicate, and delicious. And all their pastas are fire. Seriously. Service has always been great. The tables are close together and it can get a little noisy, but honestly, that is part of the ambiance and vibe. Three visits in, and Giovedi continues to impress.

Pop up with poppin' flavors!…read more Yelp BFF and I have been eyeing out Mama Guava and after the end of the hectic holidays, we finally got a chance to visit. Things we ordered: lumpia look fun, veal pancit/pad see ew, and curry fish with roti My favs: lumpia look fun and curry fish with roti The lumpia was crispy and the look fun was nice and thin. Topped with green onions, a soy, vinegar and chili sauce. My only wish is they used a Thai sweet chili sauce instead. The veal pancit/pad see ew was saucy, but a little too salty for my taste. The curry fish with roti was perfect. Fish was flakey, curry was packed with flavor, and paired well with the crispy roti. Definitely worth a visit! Thanks for reading my reviews! Let me know what I should try next!

Bold Bites and Soulful Flavor at Mama Guava…read more I first tried Mama Guava's food at a pop-up at SALT at Our Kaka'ako, and it was delicious. So I had to check out their pop-up restaurant in the former Pig and the Lady space in downtown. Lumpia Look Fun: A fun fusion of two of my favorite things to eat. Oxtail & Pechay Soup: Hearty and healing, this soup had real soul. Fried Chicken: Crispy salt and vinegar fried chicken was a hit. The batter and crunch were excellent. Tortang Talong: Charred eggplant and garlic rice. I became addicted to that garlic rice. Kang Kong (Ong Choy): My favorite bite, served in a savory garlic sauce. The staff was friendly and attentive, and we really enjoyed our time there. Mama Guava brings bold flavor, thoughtful fusion, and warmth in every dish. This is the kind of pop-up you hope sticks around for good.

A night in Kaka'ako is always a fun place to explore, and just be entertained!…read more The Honolulu Night Market at Our Kaka'ako is indeed a fabulous adventure into the biggest street/block party filled to the brim with all things local...food, retail and culture. I've been to so many and each and every one is very unique where you can find either fashion runway stage, live street art, or even a dance night in the barn. I just love the vibe SALT and surrounding Our Kaka'ako brings with the vibrant art we're so blessed to have and this particular night (November 19th) there was actually much more shopping just perfect for the holidays and the party went further down to Ya-ya's. Tonight I was fortunate to have gone after work so I kept it short but found some awesome treats. Some straw toppers to add to my holiday gift giving and some cheesecake cups (OG, Strawberry and Cookie Butter) of course I got one of each to share...ate the Strawberry which of course omg was yummy!! Not too sweet as the Strawberries was just perfect as I tried to get an even scoop of it all in every bite. Walked further down and honestly wasn't in the mood to wait too long for anything found something that would just exactly work for me. Ya-Ya's Chophouse & Seafood and tonight they had two items - Steak Kebabs - Fat Fried Rice with TAB (aka Thick Ass Bacon lol!) I seriously wanted the fried rice but thought that the Steak Kebabs was more sensible for me personally and it came with two kebabs each fully loaded with steak, mushrooms, peppers and onions with a huge scoop of rice! So many options I really was considering including Henna from Henna Happens, Birria Tacos from Dolce Vita, Corn from Corn Onoz Hawaii but though there's always a next time yes!?! I remember pre-pandemic Yelp had a booth here and hoping as things return to normalcy that we'll see it back again one day (hint hint!) Absolutely love this Honolulu Night Market as it offers so many cultural coolness that you can't find anywhere else! Thank you!

There were only about 4-5 food trucks when I visited, and it felt small. Around 6 PM, the area had…read morevery few people. There was some live music, but it seemed more like a quick stop for tourists rather than a real night market. I didn't try any food because the atmosphere wasn't appealing, so I left quickly.

Come here on a weekday not a weekend. I've attempted to come to the ghost bar last year and a few…read moreweeks ago on a weekend night. Don't do it. There's a crazy long line outside to get inside and the space is not that big. It's a bar, I guess, with seats and cool Halloween decor. The prices per drink range from $10 and up. All three drinks we tried were actually tasty and not overall sweet. I was hesitant to get the killer clown because it's a sweet drink with milk, but I just had dinner and wanted a dessert like drink. It's cute because there was a big red nose for you to keep on the straw. As for the taste, it wasn't that sweet and was the perfect amount for me. I never order mixed drinks, so when I say not bad, it was not overpowering. Definitely a dessert drink though and I wouldn't order if I wanted to just drink for the night. I also didn't really taste much alcohol in my drink. My friends ordered the vampire bite and another ordered the cool drink with a light up cube with lilikoi, it was similar to an alcoholic lilikoi blended drink. It wasn't too sweet either! Overall, cool place to try out at least one during the Halloween season. I wouldn't go back because it's pricey and all the drinks are mixed sweet ones which usually aren't what I prefer. Fun place to get festive though. You are definitely paying for the ambiance and vibe more than anything else.

Great decor but it gets boring quickly. Maybe projecting horror films and offering food would…read moreentice more people to stay. We left after one round.