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Alan Wong's Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Hawaiian Restaurants Asian Fusion Hawaiian, Asian Fusion [Edit]
1857 S King StHonolulu, HI 96826
Neighborhood: Moilili
(808) 949-2526
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 5 pm - 10 pm
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Valet
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Upscale
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
815 reviews for Alan Wong's Restaurant
Review Highlights
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"Had the 5 course tasting menu ($75) and it was divine." In 74 reviews -
"Da Bag with clams, Kahlua Pork was indescribably good." In 62 reviews -
"2 - butter poached kona lobster, on a nagaimo potato cake." In 19 reviews
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814 reviews in English
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Review from Brad P.
5/9/2012 Seated via OpenTable
Dearest Mother,
I write to you as I am in the Hawaiian Pacific islands with my sweetheart to celebrate our anniversary. We have been having a delightful time and we have stumbled across a humble eatery run by a very nice man named Alan Wong.
It is at this place that I had my first taste of chili water. I was so enthralled by this concoction that I placed it upon everything I so desired. My sweetheart was very dismayed at this, as I gleefully poured it all over her frowning head. I ruined her dress.
Yet, I digress.
The bread served with a spicy aoil before the meal was smashing.
The Nori wrapped tempura ahi was brilliantly delicate with a tiny tempura crunch.
The poke' pines were fun, but did not set my heart a' flutter.
The ginger crusted onaga was superior to the tilapia jun.
"The coconut" dessert was simply smashing! When I sank my spoon into it, I discovered it was not a coconut at all! Rather, it was a scrumptious haupia sorbet in a thin chocolate shell. I tell you, there are no greater innovators than these friendly island denizens.
It is worth noting that the service here is second to none. When I asked the waiter for a drink recommendation, he did not give me the tired old "it depends what you are in for" routine. Instead, he gave me an honest, great recommendation for a cucumber cocktail that put the swing in my step for hours to come! He also called us a taxi cab to insure our safe arrival back at the resort! Smashing!
Your son,
Sir Arnold Merriwether IV -
Review from Justin T.
Kaneohe, HI
5/16/2012 1 Check-in Here
Went here for Mother's Day. They had a great prefix menu, and every single dish was excellent! The food gets 5 stars from me, as does the wine! The house pinot is only $30 a bottle and it is very yummy and very smooth. We went to Karaoke after, and their house wine which was $25 a bottle was night and day compared to Alan Wong's!
What was neat is that the wine menu can be viewed on their in-house iPad3. Very chic! You can read a little bit about the selection as well as view the price. If you like it, you can add to your cart and compare your selections at the end. Very well organized!
The only reason I did not give this restaurant a 5 is because the service wasn't that great. Our server was snooty. Didn't say anything mean, but his attitude came off as if he didn't want to be there. Actions speak louder than words. When I was ready to order my wine, it took over 20 minutes before someone came to take my order. Another 10 to 15 for the bottle to show up. By then, a couple dishes came, and I DO NOT like to start drinking my wine AFTER I eat my food. My glass also went empty multiple times and the server had to be flagged down. I shouldn't have to focus on this, especially when he gets over a $125 tip for 6 people (Would of been more for great service).
Also, multiple guests on my table said they felt overwhelmed by the number of servers standing around in the restaurant. Towards the end of the night there were maybe 3 servers for every 1 guest. With that many workers, you would think I wouldn't have to flag someone down for more wine, but they were all just standing around, talking to each other.
5 for food, 3 for service, that rounds out to a 4 in my book. -
Review from Kathy L.
5/15/2012 1 Check-in Here
Came off of an 11 hour flight from NY, showered and headed straight to Alan Wong's. We were an hour late for our reservation but we called from the airport and they kindly moved it to 9pm. It was so nice to be at a high end restaurant enjoying wine and clean linens after a long journey.
Food was delicious. The Nori Wrapped Tempura Ahi was one of the most amazing things that we ate on our trip to Oahu. The tempura batter was extremely light and the ahi was very tender. The sauce MADE the dish. We loved it so much that we soaked it all up with our bread.
For entrees, I had the Ginger Crusted Onaga Snapper. This is one of their signature dishes and we can totally see why! The flavor and texture combinations were amazing. I took the leftovers home and it was just as good the second day.
My husband had the short-rib and this is where 5 stars became 4 for me. Granted, he liked it but for one of the most amazing chefs in the world, I would have expected a slightly more tender, melt in your mouth short-rib.
The parmesan garlic mashed potatoes that comes with the meal is a must! -
Review from Betsy O.
San Francisco, CA
5/25/2012
Food, service, and atmosphere were all amazing. The wait staff were incredibly attentive, helpful with drink suggestions, and offered to help us get a ride home at the end of the night if needed. Now on to the food:
- they serve warm bread with an aoli sauce that is delicious
- cucumber martini - refreshing; pineapple martini - packed a tasteful punch!
- lobster dumplings appetizer, Ginger Crusted Long-Tail Red Snapper, Grilled Mahimahi were all to die for, perfectly cooked and seasoned.
- Five spoons of brulee - couldn't have been better, just a taste of 5 different creme brulees topped the meal. Perfection! -
Review from Ellie M.
Tampa, FL
5/23/2012
This place is definitely a splurge but in general, it was a good experience. The highlight was the superb service and staff. They went above and beyond in every way, and could not have been friendlier. As for the food, it was very good with the highlights being the Nori Wrapped Tempura Ahi (my favorite, delicious) and 'Da Bag' on the appetizer menu. The mains were somewhat less impressive though the short ribs were very tasty. Had the banana split for dessert and did not like it. The price tag for this dinner for 2 was about $250 (including tip). I think it is worthwhile for a special dinner.
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Review from KaThy T.
5/9/2012 1 Check-in Here
My friend, his friends, and I loved the food and drinks. The first thing I ordered was the tropical colada, which was really good. It consists of: Fresh Pineapple, Lychee, Coconut Cream and Old Lahaina Rum. After that we all ended up drinking 2 bottles worth of cakebread cellars cabernet sauvignon wine.
As for dinner, our table got the Chef's Tasting Menu which was only available if the whole table got it. It's $105/person. It consisted of these taken from the restaurant site menu (all tasted delicious):
1) Trio of AppetizersSeafood Salad on Soy Milk Panna Cotta
Kona Lobster Vichyssoise
Peterson Farm Egg FlanVeuve Fourny, "Blanc de Blancs", Brut, Non-Vintage, Champagne, France
2) Crab "Tofu" AgedashiTofu-like Spanner Crab Mousse, Kona Lobster Medallions and Lump Crab Meat, Kudzu Dash
Kasumi Tsuru, Kimoto Extra Dry, Hyogo-Ken, Japan
- the spice used tasted like the spice that's added in those microwavable Asian noodle bowls.
3) Pan Seared Day Boat ScallopDry Scallop, Edamame, Truffle Risotto
Muller Thurgau, Paul Furst, "Pure Mineral," Franken, Germany, 2010
4) Pan-Steamed Opakapaka, Short-Tail Pink SnapperShrimp Pork Hash, Truffle Nage, Gingered Vegetables, Tapioca Pearls
Chablis, Olivier Savary,"Selection Vieilles Vignes", Burgundy, France, 2010
5) Maui Cattle Company Beef TenderloinRed Wine Ume Sauce, Croquette
Alan Wong's, "The Kitchen Sink," Napa Valley, California, 2008
- We got to pick b/w te4nderloin and lamb. I ate the temderloin, which was good.
6) Kula "Strawberries Romanoff"Hawaii Island Dairy Goat Cheese Panna Cotta, Kula Strawberry-Hibiscus Consomme, Goat Cheese Sorbet
Chateau Roumieu Lacoste, Sauternes, France, 2009
- the sugary stuff added to the top is very carby/sticky; it looks like noodles. -
Review from Erin Y.
LOL. I have to laugh at this one. I call to make the reservation since Alan Wongs does not do reservations on Open Table during "normal" dinner hours. She tells me that it's to control the crowd. Here's how it goes down:
Me: Can I make a reservation for 2?
Her: OK, let me check. (long pause) What day?
Me: Wednesday.
Her: (long pause) OK, hold on. (BEEP) puts me on hold. 2 minutes later...
Her: OK What's the occasion?
Me: Ummm.....
Her: Special occasion?
Me: Ummm...dinner???
Seriously, I don't know how to answer that. I know they want to make people feel special if its their anniversary, birthday, whatever...
We were debating what to eat in the car on the way there. Then we look at the menu date. 2010. Probably outdated, right? They have to have changed the menu in the last two years. NOPE! SAME EXACT MENU. Barely any specials. If you're a meat eater, this place is not too carnivore friendly. Lots of fish and seafood, only braised short ribs and garlic steak for us. No chicken.
I had the whole tomato salad to start. It was beautiful! It did not taste as beautiful as it looked. The tomato itself was de-skinned, and lightly salted and was pretty good with no dressing at all. Add the li hing mui, and the taste was just too sweet, overbearing, and not good. I ate half, and mostly without the li hing mui.
We shared the garlic steak and the twice cooked short ribs. The short ribs were slightly dry, and the sauce underneath wasn't too impressive. The garlic steak was really good, generous portion, and good flavor.
Ohhhh, I'm torn. I really want to love this place and support local chefs and employees. I want to say that I would die to come back here and that I want to spend every special occasion here. But I don't. The service was nothing spectacular, and neither was the atmosphere. We were seated THISCLOSE to our next table, making it for very hushed conversation. The next table came in at least 15 minutes after us, but got bread before us.Listed in: Go Local!
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Review from sam l.
Cupertino, CA
5/18/2012
Everything was delicious down to my last drop of their prize winning coffee appropriately served by French press. So yummy! We loved everything, the most memorable being the butter fish, the best fish I've ever had. Service was great and not stuffy at all. Five stars all the way !!!
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Review from Ava C.
Honolulu, HI
5/2/2012 1 Check-in Here
I want to give 3.5 stars.
I can feel every foodie within a 50-mile radius of my computer shunning my existence and composing death threats to send via yelp messaging. But wait my friends, I have reason!
In the passed year and a half, I have gone to Alan Wong's five times and each visit has been increasingly worse than the last.
Let me start by saying that the food was EXCELLENT I am always impressed by the unique, inventive, and stand out dishes this gastronomic mecca of hawaii regional cuisine pumps out. The flavors of every dish is intricately constructed and each bite bursts with deliciousness. The food NEVER fails to impress.
But to my suprise, the service was quite horrible compared to other visits!
I continually had to ask for my water to be filled, a problem I expect to have at Zippy's, NOT Alan Wong's. I think the bread waiter died halfway thru the night because he never came back, which was extremely inconvenient considering we had ordered the local flight of butter which is supposed to be sampled with BREAD the entire night. And our appetizers all came at the same time and there wasn't enough room on the table to fit them all.
Then they brought the wrong dish! My date ordered the Ginger-crusted Onaga and was brought the Pan-steamed Opakapaka. We didn't make a big deal about it because we wanted to eat dinner and he still enjoyed the fish.
However, these were all very novice mistakes.
And it was my date's first time to the restaurant so I was soooo disappointed that my attempt to impress my date with a classy experience fell flat on its fail face. I specifically chose to book Alan Wong's because they're supposed to be a sure thing... I'm SAD. -
Review from Lisa S.
Honolulu, HI
5/8/2012
fantastic dinner.
The food was exceptional and we did have very good service.
For me highlights were
*seafood cake appetizer (a nice combination of fresh seafood with a refreshing fusion preparation)
*Lamb Chops, marinated very well, very suitable accompaniments on the plate
server made appropriate wine pairings.
I notice that they do a tasting and pre fixe menu on certain nights - will have to give that a try in the future. Main recommendation to anyone else: I have been here on weekends and found the atmosphere more appealing on a slower night -
Review from Erin Y.
Honolulu, HI
5/18/2012 1 Check-in Here
Went here for my graduation dinner and tried the 5-course meal with wine pairings. Wow. The food was very rich, flavorful, and filling. It was exciting to see what came next and how the wine did compliment the food. I was most impressed with the first and last course, which was a tomato soup with a kalua pig and foie gras grilled cheese sandwich .. and to finish everything, coconut ice cream inside a coconut chocolate shell with fruit and a lilikoi syrup. It was a great food journey, though extremely filling.
-
Review from Lizzy M.
Oakland, CA
4/9/2012
I think that this was the perfect meal! The food was playful and delicious. Chef Wong is a master at what he does.
My problem was wanting to try everything on the menu but not being able to shove more food down my pie hole!
So believe the hype! -
Review from Kenyan K.
4/9/2012
My favorite fine dining restaurant on the island! I ate here for dinner with my girlfriend for our anniversary a couple years ago. The food and service was excellent. The prices are on the higher side of course but it was well worth it. We both ordered like 7-9 course meals (can't remember the number but it was choke) and were completely stuffed! I usually have no problem finishing all my food but I couldn't eat all my dessert. I did have like four different desserts but I still had to tap out. I was eating everything my girlfriend couldn't finish so that's my excuse...
Anyway, the food looked and tasted good. One of the appetizers I remember is the poke pines. Awesome tasting ahi poke inside a crispy pineapple looking outer shell. They also have a crazy selection of wine, beer, and coffee. They carry echigo beer.
The staff was friendly and professional. We ate here on a weekend and it was packed. The parking is valet only. -
Review from Brandi K.
Waianae, HI
5/19/2012
I don't blame President Obama for wanting to dine here when he comes to Hawaii, it is an EXCELLENT restaurant! Definitely in my top 2. Food, service and setting: top notch. Taste and presentation is awesome and the portions are big for fine dining standards. Been here twice and would love to go again!!
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Review from Jeanny D.
Tustin, CA
5/16/2012
Gotta give it to Alan Wong's for their service. For our anniversary dinner, they really went all out with a personalized menu and exemplary service. We spent $250 for our dinner, and although it was good, I can't say that it was worth it. I had the tasting menu, and the only thing I absolutely LOVED was the soup & sandwich. I loved that they put such a twist on something so ordinary, no wonder it was featured on "Best Thing I Ever Ate". My hubby had steak, they asked if he wanted the island beef or beef from the MidWest. He made the mistake of getting the island beef, it was the fattiest piece of steak I've ever seen - not the good, marbled fat but the grisley yucky kind. He ended up tossing out 1/3 of the steak. Overall, I would not recommend this restaurant, unless you want to get just their soup & sandwich.
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Review from Dabras T.
Newport Beach, CA
4/30/2012
First time at Alan Wongs... we decided on the spot to celebrate our wedding anniversary a month early and - who knows if the plane will make it back to the mainland? So, we went with the Tasting Menu... and forgive me if I've transposed a few things, I'm working from memory...
First couple there... If I'd had my wits about me [jet lag] I'd have asked to sit at the lanai [we were led straight to the west wall]... though they did keep the adjacent tables empty until the restaurant hit capacity.
- Appetizer trio, the vichyssoise with leek and lobster was the standout, the egg 'flan' had a nice hint of curry. The theme with this menu seemed to hints of spice except for course 2...
- Lobster dumplings. I wish the dumpling had been more tender.
Beware the sansho leaves - I ate them first and they did what sansho does - numbs your mouth like novocaine. No hint here!
As good as our server Yuki was while the restaurant was partially filled, a warning would have been in order for this.
- Foie Gras, which I love as pate when I make banh mi, which I love old school as those thick, fattened seared slabs - this is the 'ethical' Hudson Valley variety which reminds me of a greasy oyster, and is there anything other than a Sauterne-like wine that the ever-present Hudson Valley liver could be paired with? Wish I had a substitute at this point.
- Snapper, excellent. The truffle nage was incredible - the entire dish subtly reminded me of sukiyaki, and was the TKO of the night for me.
- Prime Ribeye. And here's where the ball dropped for both of us. Over-seared on the outside, bloody underdone on the inside - it turned out all wong. No attempt at trying to trim the fat properly - some slices were half fat, some lean.
There was no segue from the sparkling/white wine/sake pairings, to the red with this. The eringe mushrooms were excellent, if the meat had been properly cooked this would have been stellar. We asked for a takeaway box and got a bit of 3rd degree from the staff. A bit quicker to wit and I could have replied that there is a reason they used to call them 'doggie bags'.
Decent dessert, though I liked the malasadas at Chef Mavro's better.
3.5 Stars. We'd definitely go back, learn a bit more from the reviews here, home in on a couple starters and main courses and a decent Pinot. Some wonderfully complex, subtly Pacific dishes here, great environment. I imagine the lanai seating with the daylight view of the ko'olaus is even better. -
Review from Dedy E.
San Jose, CA
5/23/2012 Seated via OpenTable
Great food - great service!
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Review from Nat N.
Despite the one hour wait for our food to arrive, I am still giving these guys 5 stars. the food is just that good.
We had a party of 11, and they had asked us to call in our order ahead of time. I'm not sure why, because we still had to wait an hour for our first course to arrive. But, once the food came, it was all good and the fact that we waited one hour for our food quickly vanished from our minds.
If you are more into quantity, I would avoid the crab tofu agedashi appetizer. It was good, but very very small in size. My favorite is the nori wrapped tempura ahi, and it's big enough to share.
For entrees, I tried the seafood duo for the first time. The lobster tail was amazing and I wish there was more of it. The lasagne part was a little rich for me, but my in-laws really enjoyed it. My father-in-law could not finish his 12 oz garlic steak, probably because he had started his meal with an appetizer AND salad. The sauteed shrimp and clams penne pasta is very spicy, so if you're not into spicy, you should not order this one.
I thoroughly enjoyed my kula strawberries romanoff dessert, because I am a big fan of strawberries and panna cotta. "The Coconut" is also recommended.
Hint: if you're celebrating a birthday or anniversary, let them know when you call in your reservation, and they'll give you a special menu for you to take home, signed by the employees. -
Review from Emily C.
Houston, TX
5/15/2012
Good if you like the fancy stuff. Me--not too much. The service was wonderful and the place is a great experience.
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Review from Seneca J.
Chesapeake, VA
4/18/2012 Seated via OpenTable
Three stars, and here's why:
Food - The appetizer was delicious (ahi poke), the wine was good but overpriced (as was the restaurant itself), and the dessert was wonderful (creme brûlée). The entree was ok (Mahi and tilapia, neither were something I would write home about)
Service - Very happy with the service, our server was professional, the manager spent a few minutes chatting with us and there were random gentlemen replacing your utensils and napkins often.
Ambiance - For the price, every table should be special. Ours, situated close to the kitchen, was not. There was a marked difference in temperature for one end of the table to the other because of the heat coming from the kitchen, it was noisy and there was a lot of traffic near our table. Ambient temperature was a little high as well, that could have been from my over exposure to the sun though.
Cleanliness - I added this for two reasons; when the cab driver dropped us off I was a little confused, the area does not seem to be commensurate with the exclusivity of the restaurant itself, a bit run down and dirty. Additionally there was food, presumably from the previous diners, under our table that was smashed into the floor, kind of gross.
The price is just not where it should be, too expensive. All told, I would probably go back, but only on a special occasion and I would request better seating. -
Review from Patricia L.
4/3/2012
I've been putting off writing this for awhile now because I wanted to like this place so much, plus I had to process this meal for a bit of time afterwards to ensure that my prego hormones had nothing to do with how badly this experience went. Unfortunately, there was no way around it, this dinner was just one disappointment after another and the service was just bizarre.
We came here during our Aloha Honeymoon getaway. I had been here before many years ago for a Girlfriend getaway and that first experience was good enough that I wanted to bring my baby-daddy here to come try this place too. It was also good enough to make this a 2 star review instead of a 1.
Anyway, long story version - we ordered the Chef's Tasting Menu after a bit of consultation with our server. He was nice enough at first after we explained that I had a few dietary restrictions being pregnant and all. My baby-daddy was concerned and actually asked the server if the A La Carte menu options would be better for me, but our server assured us that the Chef would happily accomodate our situation and make the right substitutions where needed.
For example, the Fois Gras (no liver, pate and the like for Pregoes allowed - note there hat I don't make the rules, in fact I EFFING LOVE fois gras), and nothing raw or rare etc. would have to be subbed out. Once again, I'm not the one making the rules, these are doctor's orders! I wasn't all that concerned when we first arrived because well, I just wanted to eat some good food. Last time I checked, I don't think being pregnant means that you can't eat good food, but this meal made me feel badly about trying to eat fancy while being pregnant.
Our meal service began and things just went downhill from there. The courses were all over the place. Completely strange food combinations and fusions that just didn't make any sense. At first I thought my taste buds may have been altered because of baby, but my baby-daddy was the first one to talk about it.
We went from Japanese fusion, to Chinese food, to Lamb Chops and then to other places that weren't even recognizable. It was all very confusing and the tastes and flavours being thrown at us were just not coming together at all. So sadly the Tasting Menu for us that night was a fail. It was just so, so sad.
As I said before the service was bizarre too, our server was alright at first - textbook formal, textbook trained. But when my Lamb Chops came to me cooked rare and there was a huge Fois Gras Patty of some kind served along with it, I had to tell him at which point he was like "Uh...that's not Fois Gras..." I KNOW it was, it said on the menu and my baby-daddy had the exact same thing on his plate. Also, because I thought I was being properly taken care of for this meal by your establishment I took a huge trusting bite of the patty thinking that my food was baby-safe. Then I had to taste the bitter, metallic taste of the Fois Gras, which I then promptly had to spit out in my napkin. Dear server, I'm pregnant, not stoopid.
He then went on about the Lamb Chops "Can you really not eat that? I guess I can bring that back to the kitchen for you. Do you really want me to? It's no problem, but really? Do you really want me to?" I felt like I was getting kicked in the balls over and over again with all the "Really's?" being thrown at me. I felt so bad I actually mumbled "No, it's fine." and I just sat there like a bumpkin, left my plate full and just let the bus boy take away my FULL PLATE away faking the claim that I was done.
Now I don't know about you, but any other 5 star establishment would have sent someone to our table PRONTO to ask if everything was okay if a FULL PLATE had been sent back to the Chef. But alas, nothing, but NOTHING happened. We were treated like cattle to get through Dinner Service as quickly as possible and then shoved out the door.
My baby-daddy also observed servers being quite angry and hostile to each other and other employees on his way to the restroom. Servers and other employees alike were also quite rude to him on his way back from the restroom. Everyone working there seemed to be crowding around that area and no one would get out of his way, he had to move out of their way. Just bizarre. A little common courtesy never hurt anyone. Geebus.
I have to say this again. I really wanted to love this place, but it just didn't work out that way. It just makes me sad, so sad.
Oh, one last note - we found out after our experience that if you do decide to come here, you have to make sure that Alan Wong himself is cooking on the night you go. Apparently the quality and experience is top notch when he's in house.
Finding that out just pissed me off more. How unprofessional and embarrassing for the Chef that he has to be there to make sure people are doing their jobs. Just so sad. POO on making me hate you! THE END.Listed in: I HEART Food!
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Review from Angela Y.
3/13/2012
I had heard amazing things about Alan Wongs from all my friends who have been to Hawaii. It's supposed to be THE place to eat - so naturally, I wanted to come!
It's in an office building which I was aware of when trying to find it - yet, it's still hard to find. There isn't a big fancy sign. There is valet parking but we just found street parking and that was just fine. You enter an elevator and it takes you up to the third floor where the restaurant is at.
The atmosphere was very classy. It was a moderately lit room, definitely a place to go for a nice, romantic dinner. Our server was awesome, really nice and helpful. He came around and checked with us often to make sure we were doing well. Great service! They handed us the menus and their 'ipad menu' for drinks. To start, I ordered the passionfruit mojito and my boyfriend got their 'bully's drink', a pineapple martini. Both delicious!
On our table:
- "Da Bag" - An apparent favorite as it popped up on Yelp all over the place and my friend highly recommended it. It comes out in a foil bag (literally). In the bag is a plate of steamed clams, kalua pig, spinach and shiitake mushrooms. The kalua pig was incredibly tender.
- "Poke-pines" - Interesting! Ahi poke in a crispy wonton wrap. When it came out, it looked like an anemone. It's served with avocados and brown wasabi sauce. Not my personal favorite, but well presented and still tasty.
- Twice Cooked Shortribs Soy Braise and Grilled 'Kalbi' Style - This was my personal entree. SO GOOD! The shortribs were incredibly tender and tasted like they were marinated for DAYS in the soy braise. They are served with shrimp and some vegetables.
- Macadamia Nut-Coconut Crusted Lamb Chops - My boyfriend ordered this and this was probably my favorite dish we ordered. Lamb chops cooked PERFECTLY and I loved the coconut crust. Yum!
Both of our main dishes came with their garlic mashed potatoes which sadly I only managed to squeeze one bite into my stomach. We were both too full to get dessert (CRY!). Definitely a good dinner with decent sized portions (especially since it is $$$$). Would come again next time I'm in Hawaii.
Don't forget to MAKE RESERVATIONS! -
Review from Wing Man C.
San Jose, CA
4/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
3 stars only because the food was good, but nothing I'd dream about having again in the future. Service was less than what I would expect for this caliber of a restaurant. I had such high hopes for my ONE fancy meal while on vacation, but was welcomed by an irritated looking hostess immediately after entering the restaurant. Our waiter didn't seem knowledgeable about the food or wine list and seemed like he was ready to home. He was unable to provide suggestions, etc. I was so underwhelmed by the service that I decided to pass on dessert.
Don't think I will come back next time. UGH!! -
Review from Brett G.
San Luis Obispo, CA
5/9/2012 1 Check-in Here
WOW! I'm not easily impressed, but all 4 courses exceeded my expectations. Unique and bold flavors on everything. Highly recommended.
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Review from M H.
4/2/2012
Visited Cafe O'lei a few times during a recent visit to Maui. The first time the location made me a bit hesitant (located in the top floor of some type of outdoor mall) but upon entering it really felt like a real proper restaurant. Service has always been very friendly even though they at all times seem to be almost full.
We had a lot of different dishes from the menu and all of those have been good. The ones that have stood out have been the macadamia nut crusted chicken breast with pasta and asparagus, the ahi, the mahimahi, the jumbo shrimp and the braised short ribs. What I do however must say are that the portions are huge - we never ordered any appetizers (but of course the house salad is complimentary when ordering an entree) and we only had room for dessert once (the cheesecake as well as the creme brulee are both highly recommended as well).
The selection of beer is good (like that they offer a few local options) and the wine selection is decent (would have liked some more options but considering the type of restaurant it is still sufficient). The only minor complaint I have is that the food has often arrived to quickly - I prefer to be able to sit and relax a bit after ordering and not having the food appear at once. -
Review from Justina L.
Fremont, CA
Updated - 3/31/2012
It never fails me.
Seafood cakes are A MUST EAT. Omgoodness...the seafood flavor...the richness..the goodness..the freshness....it was so amazing. My eyes bulged out when it touched my taste buds!
The pokey pines (sp?) were OKAY. The won ton chips that surrrounds it was kinda bothersome for me. It was like digging through the sand to find the treasure! hahaha. But the poke was so yummy! :]
The coconut..something was different about it...Sorbet was more watery than usual? the coconut looked smaller? Either way though...still my favoritest dessert and it still never failed me. :]]1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/30/2009
I LOVE this place.
The ginger crusted onaga is my favorite and I get it every time I come to the… Read more »
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Review from Adam G.
Las Vegas, NV
4/22/2012 Seated via OpenTable
Nice restaurant with a beautiful view but something was missing. It was hard to find it, we drove past it twice because it's on the third floor of a building and the building itself has a very small sign. The restaurant is nice inside, waiter was friendly and the food was better than decent but something was missing for us. We ate here during our honeymoon and left feeling unsatisfied. The menu it creative and portions are small but it just wasn't hitting on all cylinders. This was a borderline 3 star but the service was great and the view pushes it to a 4 star review. Not sure we'd eat here again, though.
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Review from Jiajia C.
San Francisco, CA
3/5/2012
I was really looking forward to my dinner here. Not only Alan Wong is considered the godfather of HRC, I actually know a girl who once ate there and became his apprentice, and has much admiration not just for his food, but his character as well.
Unfortunately, the dishes just failed to wow me.
I ordered the five course sample menu. The first one, soup and sand(wiches), looked very pretty., but both of the tomato based soups were a little too acidic for me. The sandwich with foie gra was tasty, but all things foie gras are usually yummy--- if otherwise I'd question whether the chef should have been a chef. The second course was the seafood lasagna, which was so heavy that the flavor was pretty much drowned in all the butter and cream. And the custard like crust that holds the seafood together, originally intended for a nice balance on texture, was impossible to cut through. Hence a mess on my plate that no texture was intact.
The fish I had was also mediocre at best. However, my boyfriend's opakapaka was really good, cooked in a truffle butter broth. But according to him, it was only good for the first three bites. After that it just became way too heavy. The last course for me was the short rib, supposedly known as the famed dish. It really was just ok. A little too sweet, and yes you can cut through it easily which is a sign that it had been slow cooked for a long time... but isn't that just how anyone makes short rib to aim for being edible?
The dessert was once again, very rich. It was very beautiful to look at, with a small malasada on the plate that tasted, once again, very ok. I would've preferred Leanoard's.
It was not a cheap meal, and I am grateful to be taken out to a nice dinner with impeccable service in a hidden building off King. But for fine dining, I have certainly had better. Sorry Alan. -
Review from John L.
Irvine, CA
3/26/2012 1 Check-in Here
Everyone I know who is from (or who has been to) Oahu urged me to have dinner at Alan Wong's if I ever found myself in Honolulu. So, on a recent trip for a friend's wedding, my wife and I had the 5-course tasting menu ($85/person), and we tried some of the signature drinks - the Bully's Drink and the Passion-Fruit Mojito.
The 5 courses were as follows:
(1) Ahi Tartare & Soup and Sandwich
(2) Seafood Lasagne
(3) Ginger Crusted Onaga, Pacific Long-Tail Snapper
(4) Another Fish (forgot which one)
(5) Waialua Chocolate "Crunch Bars"
Every dish was spectacular, both in taste and in presentation. Even the bread and butter were out of this world.
For those of you who are considering dining at Alan Wong's, call and make reservations!!! You won't be disappointed. -
Review from Elias B.
San Francisco, CA
5/5/2012
We had the five course taster meal and were blown away. I can't say I'm a big fan of dessert or sorbet but the coconut sorbet alone justified the entire meal. And amazing service, that stands out as the best I've had in a while (I eat at restaurants every night in San Francisco and use to be a waiter so know good service when I see it). Only negative is slightly higher priced than average but it was definitely worth it.
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Review from Mimi N.
Los Angeles, CA
3/21/2012 1 Check-in Here
Food: 3 stars
Service: 2 stars
Overall experience: 2.5 stars. Nope, I changed my mind, 2 stars.
I have had my share of fine dining and this restaurant definitely tried it's best to impress but it didn't work. Wannabe upscale.
Upon our arrival, the waiter immediately tells us that the restaurant is sold out of a couple of dishes on the menu. The waiter basically reads through half of the menu. I understand that some dishes may be popular but to have over 5 dishes missing on the menu? That's absurd. I was so turned off by this point but kept my cool.
I, along with my two other friends, wanted to order the garlic steak dish. Of course, they only had two orders left. Half of our party ordered the 5-course tasting menu, but they ran out of the seafood lasagna and ahi tartare.
My friend and I ordered our garlic steak medium rare and her steak was cooked well. It was dry so, she had to send it back to the kitchen. They reduced her check, which we were appreciative of; however, it does not take from the fact that they overcooked it in the first place. My rib-eye steak was medium rare and the mushrooms did compliment the dish. However, it was nothing spectacular.
Service is everything. The importance of good service parallels with the significance of food for me. Our waiter and his colleagues were standing next to our table heckling, pointing, and laughing at the guests. I was so uncomfortable. While we were eating, approximately 4 of the waiters were just staring at us and laughing. I was floored. I've never experienced such disrespect and it was the most unprofessional thing I have ever witnessed.
Please save yourself time and do not fall into this tourist trap. I'm sure that there are other fine dining restaurants that are noteworthy in Oahu, minus the rude service, mediocre food, and sketchy location. Sketch city B., sketch sketch city B. -
Review from Cecile M.
Fremont, CA
3/30/2012
The Alan Wong's restaurant experience was above average in comparison to restaurants in the Island of Oahu.
The food was above par with minor flaws.
First Course: Tomato Ceviche, Tuna Tartare, Rice Chip and Chilled Tomato Soup, Kahlua Pork/Goat Cheese Pressed sandwich, Parmesan Crisp
This was my favorite dish of the evening. The Tomato Ceviche was well seasoned, light and refreshing. Tartare was prepared well and paired nicely with Rice Chip. The Tomato soup with Pork sando was a good take on the classic tomato soup and cheese sando pairing. I loved the texture and temperature contrast of this dish.
Second Course: Seafood Lasagna
This dish was tasty but had technical flaws. The good: Noodles were cooked perfectly, sauce and seafood was well seasoned. The bad: The cheese broke and left a greasy swirl, and there was a piece of lobster shell that made it to the dish (Not so good!)
Third Course: Ginger Crusted Onaga, Corn, Mushrooms and Miso Vinaigrette
This dish was my second favorite. The fish was well cooked and the crust was nicely browned. The corn and mushroom paired well with the miso vin and had a nice balance of sweet, salt and tangy (from I believe pineapples in the dressing). Overall a nice a dish.
Main Course: Twice Cooked "Kalbi" short ribs, Gochu Jang Glaze
This dish was good but lacked the harmony in the composition. By itself, the "Kalbi" braised ribs were delicious (a bit dry, could've used less time or temp in cooking). The glaze though overpowered the dish as it was too sweet and did not compliment well with the ribs (rich and fatty beef+sweet/spicy glaze=too much). The sides were kind of a throw away with steamed broccoli and cauliflower florets and roasted eggplant (Could've used an Asian Veg with a raw/fresh preparation)
Dessert Course: Hawaiian Chocolate Mouse Bar, Encrusted Salted Caramel, Local Vanilla Bean Doughnut
This final dish was delicious. The mousse bar was creamy with a crispy crust. The fried encrusted caramel had a hint of salt, and the doughnut with Local Vanilla bean was nice (Though it was a touch on the stale side)
Overall the food had some brilliant flashes but needs fine tuning.
The service was excellent on the other hand. Although I had mentioned to the hostess that it was my Girlfriend's birthday, yet there was nothing they did to commemorate that (Not a big deal), the server and bus staff were attentive and accommodating. They were professional and was somewhat the saving factor for the dinner.
I give the Alan Wong's experience a C+ and would recommend for future visits. -
Review from Yichuan Z.
Bellevue, WA
3/27/2012
Recently when we were in oahu we finally made it to Alan Wong. My wife is from the island so we normally go to more hole in the wall places. But we really enjoyed ourselves for dinner this time. The service was great, very helpful and very attentive with us. We got a bottle of wine decided to skip appetizers and go for the main course. I had their take on kalbi and my wife had a lamb dish. Both were absolutely delicious and we loved it.
I don't think we'd come here again though, I much prefer the local hole in the walls but it is definitely a place that you should experience once. -
Review from Dot V.
Honolulu, HI
5/2/2012
I loved this place. Went here for our anniversary this past weekend. Amazing food and great service. We got the chefs menu and had a great time just talking while we waited for each course to come out. I loved their yuzu soda and their watermelon sangria. And the dessert was amazing... We got the strawberries with goat cheese. Yummy... Next time I want to just try a regular entree course.
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Review from Jeanne K.
San Jose, CA
3/16/2012 1 Check-in Here
Alan Wong's is my absolutely my favorite restaurant in Hawaii and on the mainland. The seafood cakes were the. best I have ever had! The Cesear Salad was served in a light netted basket of cheese. It was fabulous. Plus. The Onaga, red snapper was an incredible lightly crusted fish on a bed of corn, truffles and very tastey sauce. I loved the whole experience. We will be back many times!
Fatty's is a very small Chinese Fast Food Restaurant. Seating is only on the counter. The food is fantastic! Surprising as I am used to eating Chinese Food in san Francisco! -
Review from Cheyenne C.
San Francisco, CA
4/24/2012 Seated via OpenTable
I'd give this place 3.5 stars. For the price, I'd expect more personalized service and a better atmosphere. The food was creative and delicious but coming from San Francisco, I felt that price didn't match the atmosphere.
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Review from Liz T.
Updated - 1/22/2012 9 photos
I've already written two reviews for Alan Wong's, but on my latest visit I ate something that merited an update. I had the Mini Loco Moco as an appetizer--OMG, it was love at first bite. The quail-egg topped, mochi-crusted unagi meatloaf was a beautiful flavor and texture symphony. It was crunchy, moist, sweet, savory, and the portion was impressive. The wasabi kabayaki brought everything together like Tom Brady does for the Patriots. Incredible!
I'm also happy to say that eight years after tasting the Whole Tomato Salad, the Li Hing Mui Ume Vinaigrette remains my favorite dressing. I don't have it at Alan Wong's anymore because I've recreated it at home successfully per the chef's recipe, but it's still winning!
This restaurant is as good on my fifth visit as it was on my first. Don't forget to order the cocktails--they're the bomb dot com.Listed in: Food is love
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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1/6/2009
I like new and exciting things--like the carne asada fries and chicken makhani I had for the first… Read more »
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Review from Joshua J.
Honolulu, HI
2/2/2012 1 Check-in Here
There's a reason why restaurants like Alan Wong's, Mavro, and Roy's are at the forefront of the Hawaii fine dining scene. As a first timer here I must say that I was thoroughly impressed with every aspect a restaurant has to offer. From the service, to the food, and wine selection.
For starters I think it's very cutting edge that Alan Wong's gives each table an I-pad that allows the customer to peruse through wine selections, alcoholic beverages, and food menu items (bonus points that they offer wine pairings with each course). They also carry Evening Land wine by the glass, which is pretty rare and they even have a special one made exclusively to them. Another thing I noticed was that not only was the food really good, the presentation of each dish was so spot on that I was blown away. By far the most creative and well plated food I have ever seen in any restaurant I've dined in Hawaii so far.
I was fortunate to sample a myriad of dishes because one of the people in our party was a employee there. I was very happy to say the least because it was my first time and I wanted to try everything. On to the food, I'd highly recommend getting the mini loco moco app which is an unagi crusted mini beef patty with a quail egg cracked over it. I thought it was one of the highlights of the meal. Also get the seafood lasagne and the lobster ravioli. The main dishes I tried three which were the ginger crusted onaga which was cooked perfectly, the twiced braised kalbi short rib with ko chu jang sauce which was tender and could be cut with a fork, and finally the garlic steak, which was good but it didn't blow me away like the other two.
Finally dessert, as I stated earlier I was blown away by presentation and Alan Wong's dessert's aren't lacking either. The deconstructed banana split was one of the most clever play-on I have ever seen. I think this dessert takes the cake for most creative in any restaurant.
I see now why most people rave about Alan Wong's and look forward to going there again. -
Review from Jackie P.
Waimalu, HI
4/21/2012
I LOVE this place! Wish I could afford to eat here more than once a year. The food and service is excellent!
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Review from Matthew M.
Waipahu, HI
4/22/2012
Went here for my birthday....personalized menu was totally cool. Food was even better.....I recommend the Kalua Pork Caesar Salad (cheese basket is the BOMB!!) Will definitely go again!!
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