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Arancino Di Mare
Categories: Restaurants Italian Restaurants Pizza Italian, Pizza
2552 Kalakaua AveHonolulu, HI 96815
Neighborhood: Waikiki
(808) 931-6273
Announcement
New Italian Breakfast Crepes!
Start your day with Arancino's savory breakfast crepes at our outdoor patio! Daily from 7am - 10:30am
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 7 am - 10:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Validated
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Romantic, Classy, Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
101 reviews for Arancino Di Mare
Review Highlights
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"However, the spaghetti blue crab & zucchini is amazing." In 5 reviews -
"Rosemary & sea salt foccacia, like everyone says, was good." In 5 reviews -
"We had the shrimp and avocado salad (delish." In 5 reviews
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100 reviews in English
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Review from Eila S.
San Jose, CA
5/25/2012 1 Check-in Here
Arancino was great. My boyfriend and I decided to stop by in the middle of our moped ride for their crepes. However we got there a little past their breakfast hours so we just ate from their lunch menu. He got the linguine with calamari and tobiko. Although I have never imagined such a combination, it was really quite good. Not too fishy or oily. The noodles were cooked al dente. I had the alfredo which was perfectly sauced. Not too much sauce and not too little. Just enough so you can taste the creaminess as well as the al dente pasta. Their foccacia bread was so good! It came out steamy warm with a hint of sea salt on top. It tasted great with a little olive oil and balsamic.
I wish I could go back and try their breakfast menu!! -
Review from Jennifer B.
Seattle, WA
4/21/2012
After seeing the fabulous reviews, I have to admit my expectations were higher than what was delivered!
For a drink I had the 1/2 bottle of chianti - I've had better. It tasted like a watered down version of the normally very strong drink that chianti is.
To start off I had the lobster bisque. It was good, but there were no chunks of lobster in it at all! There were tiny specs of lobster, smaller than a pea size, that were more weird than tasty. It was still good, but for a place that has no problem serving an entire giant lobster on top of a plate of pasta you'd think I could get some lobster in my bisque!
My husband had the tomato basil to start - he says it was good, not bad or great.
For my entree I had the margarita pizza - it was listed as one of their house specialties. The inner 6 in diameter of the pizza had all of the sauce, then the outer 6 in had all of the cheese - so you only got like 1 bite per slice that actually had cheese and sauce - very strange. It was OK but really not great.
My husband had the lasagna - it was fantastic - I definitely should have ordered that! Highly recommend.
For dessert we had the tiramisu - delicious!
The service was a bit iffy. Our waiter was extremely nice and so helpful, but when we first sat down, it was clear that he had just been seated with more tables than he could take care of at that moment, so we got the short end of the stick for a bit and sat for a long time (about 15-20 min) without the bread or any drinks. The manager stood in the doorway and watched the entire time while our waiter was clearly overwhelmed. He did nothing! So - great job waiter. Manager - learn to read when your waiters need you to step in and get a drink order and bring some bread.
Overall - it was OK. -
Review from derek n.
Honolulu, HI
3/7/2012
Went into Waikiki recently with some friends to try Arancino Di Mare
Overall the vibe of the restaurant is casual, right off the sidewalk of the Waikiki Beach Mariott hotel, with seating indoors or near the sidewalk outdoors. If saw it in passing, I would simply think 'overpriced tourist trap.' While I believe the prices were slightly high, the food was good.
Our group shared food 'family style', which allowed us to try a whole bunch of different things.
starters - eggplant was really good, scallop carpaccio was decent, bruschetta was a little weird because it was a tortilla for the bread, and mixed italian meat was ok
salad - had a mixed green salad that wasn't that great
main dishes - osso bucco was ok, ribeye was fatty and good,
pasta - spaghetti w/meatball was good, gnocci was ok, mushroom risotto was good and had a fancy prep where the risotto is heated tableside, then tossed in a huge cheese wheel that's been hollowed out and blowtorched to melt more cheese into the risotto
dessert - tiramisu, gelato, sorbet, and ice cream/marscapone cheese desserts all ok, nothing overly special
service was very good and very helpful
definitely will go again when we get the chance and hunkering for italian
oh, one last thing, I was hoping a place named arancino would have arancino, but no such luck -
Review from Emily C.
Houston, TX
5/15/2012 1 Check-in Here
Had a great steak there and fettucine alfredo. The ambiance is great. Romantic but not too stuffy and great view
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Review from David G.
Austin, TX
5/20/2012
My family and I ate at Arancino four times while staying at the Waikiki Marriott. Yes, we really like the restaurant! The caprese salad is a standout, as is the mushroom risotto. I'd give the restaurant 5 stars if they offered some gluten-free pasta dishes. My wife and grandson are both gluten-free and would have enjoyed the pasta dishes.
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Review from Cindy L.
4/17/2012 2 photos
Japanese Italian fusion food! I am always a fan of Arancino, even when they had their only and first location at Beachwalk. This weekend, I had their lunch special ($17.95) includes the main dish and your choice of soup or salad. that's a really good price. But wait..... there's a kamaaina discount! It's so great and they will validate your parking for up to 3 hours, so you can enjoy lunch and walk around Waikiki. Some of the dishes I recommend are uni pasta, blue crab pasta. However, those are on the regular menu, not the special. Oh, they have great service, too!
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Review from Judith H.
Honolulu, HI
3/18/2012
love the breakfast buffet for $17.00. not an american buffet. AN ITALIAN BREAKFAST BUFFET. something different from the usual. real italian coffee too! (included in the price)
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Review from Q B.
San Diego, CA
1/20/2012
This is the best restaurant my husband and I visited in Waikiki during our trip about a month ago! Everything we had was delicious! I don't think you can go wrong with any of their dishes. I do remember that I love the antipasta sampler, a trio of their most popular starters; Caprese Salad, Shrimp & Avocado Salad and Prosciutto with Papaya. :)
The service was great, everyone was nice and friendly. And to top it all, they returned the shopping bag we accidentally left at the restaurant. I realized the night after we had dinner at Arancino that I was missing a shopping bag. My husband remembered seeing it when were at dinner so he called them to ask if they had seen it. Lo and behold, they kept it safe for us! It's good to know that there are still honest people out there. :)
We will definitely visit again the next time we go back to Honolulu! -
Review from Pamela S.
Waxhaw, NC
4/15/2012
We ate here for dinner one night while staying at the Marriott. Unfortunately, this was our worst dinner of our entire vacation. The service was slow and the pizza that the waiter suggested that I order was awful. (I only ate one piece so they took it off of our bill). My husband and son both had Spaghetti and Meatballs and they said it was "ok". I tasted the meatballs and they were very dense so they were over-mixed and too tightly rolled. The sauce was a pale red color so I don't know if they added cream to it? My Mom had the Eggplant Parmesan appetizer and although it was tasty, it was total mush. On a positive note...the bread was very good. We would be hard-pressed to ever return.
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Review from Kathy P.
Santa Ana, CA
1/24/2012
This italian restaurant is absolutely my favorite!! I'm sad that I have to travel from Cali to eat here :(
This was my 2nd visit at this restaurant and it was just as pleasant as the first time...
I ordered the spaghetti alla pescatora and my fiancé had the rigatoni all amatriciana. Both pastas were cooked to perfection and were so darn good! I couldn't stop eating mine and his...
In the future..If we do come back to Waikiki, it will only be for Aranchino! :)
- Our waiter was very attentive and professional.
- Prices are reasonable for the quality food.
- I always recommend this place to people when they ask me what to do in Oahu :) -
Review from Jeffrey K.
West Hollywood, CA
12/21/2011
I took a group of 8 friends there for dinner here while on our Hawaiian holiday and a few of our orders came out wrong. The food was tasty enough (though my lamb chops portion was on the small side and definitely not a meal in itself), but the service was pretty lousy. Also, I can't say it was intentional, but I'm something of a wine snob and after just a sip I noticed that my second glass of wine was not the same pricey glass as my first. I endured a sneer from the server when I inquired about it and had to tell him a second time that I did expect him to replace it.
I noticed the manager running around quite panicked throughout much of our meal and, despite the fact that our meal was clearly not going well, he never bothered to stop by our table to inquire about the errors they had made. -
Review from Diane Y.
11/22/2011
A lovely place for a kama'aina lunch. $10 will get you a sizable entree (a giant calzone! a heaping plate of pasta!) and your choice of salad, soup or coffee. Hint: the coffee is instant, so try the soup or salad. I loved the caesar, but it comes with a seriously salty slice of anchovy. Break it up and eat it with the salad and don't be silly like me and try nibbling it by itself.
If you eat outside, you'll have the ocean for company -- it's just across the street.
As compared to Arancino on Beachwalk, I noticed the rosemary focaccia here isn't nearly as fresh, and it isn't served warm. That was disappointing. The restaurant also shares a bathroom with the Marriott, so you have to do the get-the-bathroom-key dance and go searching for it.
I tried the calamari and roe pasta and I thought at first that I didn't like it because it was too plain. I took a second bite and a few more flavors came out - a hint of garlic, the richness of butter. I took a few more bites and was completely sold. If you get it, mix it well, and you won't be disappointed. This dish unravels itself and gets better with every bite. -
Review from Yuko A.
11/3/2011 3 Check-ins Here
If you like squid ink pasta ($15), go to Arancino. If you don't know what it is, try it. Yes, its black and yes its scary looking but you won't know if you like it till you try it. Right? My bf tried it for the first time this year when we were in NYC and loved it so of course when he came to Hawaii, what did he want? "Squid Ink please" He wasn't disappointed. The sauce had a garlic and olive oil base and was filled with pieces of tender squid.
They serve complimentary warm foccacia bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar but be careful. If you are like me, you'll eat 3 pieces in no time and start getting a little full.
We had the raw scallops with sea asparagus, tobiko caviar, and champagne sauce ($16) and it was SO good. If you like scallops definitely try this appetizer. It never dissapoints. Although sea asparagus are on the salty side the champagne sauce balances it out and its a really great dish.
I was in the mood for a tomato based sauce so I tried the rigatoni all' amatoriciana ($20). Wow. Seriously. Wow. When I first saw it I thought eh, it looks like a basic tomato sauce with onions and pancetta. I don't see how this is a staff favorite. Boy was I wrong. The sauce was so flavorful and the sweet onions and the spicy pancetta really complimented each other. I couldn't put my fork down it was that good.
The service was great. Our waiter was patient even though it took me way too long to decide on my entree and he answered all my questions honestly.
All together it was $78 with a caesar salad, scallop appetizer, 2 entrees and a 18% tip.
YELP 365: 010/365Listed in: YELP Three Hundred-Sixty Five
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Review from Zoe B.
Honolulu, HI
12/4/2011
My husband and I tried the breakfast buffet yesterday morning, and we liked it. There were tomato bisque, frittata, risotto, pizza, baked potato, bratwurst, salad, fruit, pastry, panna cotta and order to cook crepe. I loved the pizza and ate alot of them. Everthing tasted good except the risotto. The risotto actually wasn't bad tasting, just that I think they didn't use the right rice for risotto, and it was a bit too dry.
It's $17 per person, and we got 25% discount with the isle discount card. The price is really good with the quality of the food. The seating was very comfortable and we enjoyed the breakfast alot. Probably would go back again on a morning that we can wake up early and hungry. The breakfast buffet starts at 7am and ends at 10:30am. The 25% off with isle discount card is valid when going in between 7:30am and 10:30am. -
Review from Ashley C.
San Mateo, CA
Updated - 9/21/2011
I always look forward to having dinner here! Had to get my craving satisfied!! As usual we were greeted promptly and were seated fairly quickly.
We started with some cocktails and appetizers. Our server (Alyssa) was on top of her game making sure our drinks came quickly and that the food was timed just right! I hate cold food!
I ordered the seafood pasta for myself. When my dish arrived it was served nice and hot with the pasta just right. I had asked our server for more freshly grated Parmesan cheese on my pasta and she didn't flinch when I asked. Love fresh Parmesan!!!
The nice thing about this place is that they don't rush you out and the bus people clean up pretty quickly. We sat and had dessert for a bit longer thereafter.
When I got the check, I was pleasantly surprised when our server came to take it from our table. She promptly picked it up and said she would be right back with our change. She never asked the dreaded question "would you like your change?" I absolutely hate it when servers ask you if you need change back. It should be automatic!
A tip for getting bigger tips.....don't ever ask me if I need my change back! Just bring it back and you'll get a bigger tip!
As for our server.....thank you for not asking that question!
Until next time!
Ristorante * * * * *
Service * * * * *
Cocktails * * * * *
Food * * * * *Listed in: Best Happy Hour
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/3/2011
Great place! Food, service and atmosphere are fantastic. Across the street from the beach and… Read more »
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Review from Ryan M.
9/7/2011 7 photos
We came here and ordered family style so we could try everything not just your own dish. We shared Osso buco, spaghetti alla pescatora, spaghetti lobster, and risotto di funghi.
Focaccia bread was really soft and tender
Osso buco (veal shank) was soft and tender, pretty standard stuff, no complaints .
Both spaghettis were good, the pescatora had an assortment of different seafoods, clams, muscles, calamari, shrimp; it was good but what you'd expect. http://www.yelp.com/bi...
I preferred the Lobster spaghetti, http://www.yelp.com/bi... it had a richer more full bodied taste and i used the focaccia bread to sop up all the sauce, which is always a good indication that something is good. It's basically a civilized way of licking the plate! =P
The thing that stood out the most with both spaghetties were the consistency of the pasta; PERFECT al dente! I make pasta all the time and make it al dente, but it doesn't turn out like this! This is the consistency to strive for.
Risotto with mushrooms was really cheesy as it came with a table side service. A large block of parmigiano reggiano that was hollowed out and torched, and risotto tossed inside to pick up extra cheese flavor, and boy did it add lots of flavor! http://www.yelp.com/bi...
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
it was really cheesy, guess torching the block releases the oils into the risotto... yummy!
for dessert we shared a tiramisu which had a good expresso flavor but was still very light and delicate. http://www.yelp.com/bi...
But the star of the show didn't cost a thing! Just before dessert i looked out the window to see a deep burnt orange sunset. http://www.yelp.com/bi...
So i guess dinner came with a free show! simply awe inspiring, nature at its best!
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
if this can't get you laid then i don't know what will!
Tip: make an early reservation so that you can take a walk along the beach afterward to see the sunset. (hopefully its a clear day) or if you're on a budget you can eat at McDonalds and just walk along the beach at sunset, the view is free! -
Review from Tammy B.
Kaneohe, HI
11/22/2011
My hubby and I have eaten here for dinner and the food and pasta are delicious....but the brunch is where it's at!!
It's really our favorite brunch in all of Waikiki! And we've been back several times and brough our out-of-town guests to check it out as well! (It's at the Waikiki Marriott)
They offer and italian breakfast buffet which includes a fruit bar with panacotta, crepe bar, salami and cheese selections, breakfast pizza, juice bar, breakfast croissants, and my favorite- tomato bisque!!
It's only $17 and you can ask fo a kamaaiana discount. It is seriously the best breakfast bar ever!!! And the service and atmosphere are great too -
Review from Ramfis B.
8/11/2011 19 photos
Ok, the first thing i think about when i go to an Italian Restaurant is all about who is the owner of the restaurant. When i find out that the chef/owner is Japanese, that just put me at ease because there is not one time i have ever had a disappointing meal in Japan when eating italian because the Japanese are just on the spot when to comes to taste and flavor.
The only disappointment i have ever had eating Italian food run by a Japanese chef was at Bernini Italian Restaurant here in Hawaii, but i just might have to give them a second chance because maybe i just caught them on a bad day.
Now on to my review of Arancino Di Mare, which in my eyes is one of the finest Italian Restaurants here in Hawaii.Located at the ground floor of the Waikiki Beach Marriott, Arancino Di Mare has it all, Great Food, Great Service, and a dining experience like you wouldn't believe. The food here is just amazing from the Scallop Carpaccio to the Osso Bucco on Saffron Rice to the Uni Pasta and washing it down with an ice,cold, Peroni Beer and eating one of the BEST RISOTTO'S i have ever eaten..seriously and then on to the dessert which is a MUST ORDER HERE.....The Crema Catalana or the Soft Orange Frozen Custard with Grand Marnier..HEAVENLY =)
If there is one thing i love about Arancino Di Mare, it's all about CONSISTENCY. We have been here at least six times already and it is always what we expect here, just great food with great flavors. I have to tell you though, it isn't the most romantic place to dine and it isn't cheap either. But i can tell you this, when you pay this kind of money to eat stellar italian food, i will gladly shell out my hard earned money to eat food of this caliber. The service here is amazing as well. Our server Neal is spot on. He is everything you look for in a waiter...Knowledgable,Professional, and just gives you great service everytime we dine here.
I can honestly tell you this, when you eat italian food like this, it sets the bar pretty high for me but Arancino Di Mare exceeds all of my dining expectations when we eat here. And even my Mi Chan's guests from Japan just rave about this place when they dine here..
Now on to the food here...
You have start off your evening here with an Ice, Cold, Peroni Beer which i think is the BEST BEER EVER...
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
And for starters, the Carpaccio di Pecse or the Scallop Carpaccio $17
is raw Scallops topped off with Grapefruit Slices and Sea Asparagus and finished with a Homemade Lemon Dressing..YUM
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
The Lobster Bisque was rich,smooth, and exquisitely divine
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Now the pasta dishes are just amazing. Each and everyone we had was cooked to perfection...
*SPAGHETTI ALA PESCATORA $29
Seafood Pasta served with a white wine, olive oil sauce
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
*SPAGHETTI ai ricci di mare $27
Uni pasta is Sea Urchin Pasta in a Sweet Garlic Wine Cream Sauce
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
*FETTUCCINE alla crema $20
Fettuccine with Asparagus and Prosciutto Ham in a Cream Sauce
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Now for all of you Risotto Lover's this is a MUST ORDER, the RISOTTO DI FUNGHI $20, is a creamy risotto with 5 types of mushrooms and is served tableside in a block of imported Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese. This just BLEW ME AWAY!!!!!
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Did i forget to tell you that Arancino Di Mare also makes superb main dishes as well..
*FILETTO AI FERRI $30
The Filet Mignon with Roasted Potatoes and a Merlot Reduction was outstanding. The Filet was cooked perfectly..
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
*OSSO BUCCO $29
For all of you Braised Veal Shank Lovers, Arancino Di Mare makes a splendid Osso Bucco here served on Saffron Rice..
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Now for all of you dessert lover's out there, this is a MUST ORDER HERE!!!!!!
*CREMA CATALANA $9
The Soft Frozen Orange Custard with Grand Marnier otherwise known as a frozen Creme Brulee is just the perfect way to end the evening here. The creamy citrus texture of this dessert just take you to another foodie demention and just makes me feel on top of the world. Nothing fancy, just straight up delicious!!!
*GELATO AFFOGATO
Fresh Espresso poured over Vanilla Ice Cream
http://www.yelp.com/biz_ -
Review from Kim S.
2/3/2012
Went for the buffet breakfast - saved 25% with the iDcard! The choices were few yet pretty good. The highlights for me were the fruit juices (included) & made to order sweet fruit crepe. Only egg dish was a spinach fritatta which could use more spinach. The sausages were pretty good. TIP: 3 hours of free validated parking in the Marriott garage!
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Review from Tara K.
9/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came here for brunch buffet one morning. Was good, but didn't hit the spot. I prefer french toast, waffles, pancakes, etc (see where I'm going?) for breakfast, but this buffet didn't have any of that. It's more weighted towards eggs, sausage, hash browns, etc. They do have made-to-order crepes, which were tasty, but not worth the price of a buffet.
On the other hand, my husband thoroughly enjoyed the brunch buffet.
Service was very friendly and attentive. Located on the ground floor of the Marriott Waikiki. Brunch was pretty much empty, but I noticed it gets very crowded for dinner. -
Review from Henry L.
Los Angeles, CA
1/8/2012 1 Check-in Here
ARANCINO ROCKS AND ROCKS! This is the BEST ITALIAN on the island period. Everywhere else is just another pizza joint. Everything, I mean everything on their menu is fantastic. We eat her at least three, four times every visit. The Owner's Favorite pizza is a must try. The osso bucco is FANTASTIC, fall off the bone, big old bone with marrow, and mouth watering/dripping sauce. My family yelled at me for not taking them here more than we did. Our last meal before coming back home to L.A. was at Arancino. This place is the Italian BOMBA! I even took two pizzas back to the Kahala Resort valets so they could refer the hotel guests to this place. It is really that good.
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Review from Seleena H.
Honolulu, HI
12/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
If you'd like to have a pleasant and romantic experience dining on Italian food outside, this is the place! Happy hour from 4 to 7... guavatinis for $4.50!? Yes, I'm a fan.
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Review from Adrian L.
Aiea, HI
1/30/2012 2 Check-ins Here
Loved this restaurant. Had a 20 minute wait and headed to the petite bar to catch the happy hour. Had a peroni for $3.50 and my date had a refreshing guava martini. For dinner we shared a thin crusted gorgonzola apple pizza and spaghetti tossed with a medley of veggies in olive oil and garlic. Yummy! the focaccia was delicious too. Our server was sincerely friendly and attentive. Looking forward to returning :)
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Review from Jenna H.
1/18/2012
I cannot believe after all of my trips to Hawaii I am just finding this place! I did not think Hawaii had any good Italian restaurants until I came here. I had the rigatoni all' amatoriciana - the sauce (which included Zesty Pancetta and Maui Onions in Tomato Sauce) was amazing! The overall flavors in this dish were quite impressive, it was very fresh. I highly recommend this place and will come back again.
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Review from Valorie W.
Longmont, CO
7/27/2011
We were seated promptly around 12:30pm on a Monday, and the wait staff were attentive to our young children who were hungry after our arrival from Colorado. They immediately got the boys' orders in and had bread and dipping oil/vinegar on the table and beverages out for all of us.
We all enjoyed the food. Kids' portions, though expensive, were large, and we wound up taking half of each back to the hotel room.
I enjoyed the Caprese salad and the baked eggplant Parmesan. The Mozarella on the salad was freshly made from buffalo milk and the tomatoes were local and delicious, while the eggplant was perfectly cooked, bubbly, and was not breaded, so the flavor of the dish was not lost in a soggy texture. Those combined with the focaccia were plenty for a meal.
My husband had the spaghetti con tobiko e calamari and really enjoyed the dish. The balance between the pasta and calamari (Italian flavors) and tobiko (Japanese influence) were carried out well, and matched well with the bread.
We would eat there again. -
Review from C S.
Honolulu, HI
1/23/2012
Was craving Italian, so I perused Yelp for suggestions. Being the lobster whore that I am, choose this restaurant cause of the lobster dish. Suggestion to all, call the restaurant, even though they don't take "reservations", they used the term "call ahead list" which basically means when you show up, you get the 1st available table ahead of everyone else that was waiting and luckily I did because there was a lot of people waiting.
Once we were seated our waiter greeted us with a basket of focchacia bread and was told there are the bottles of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Uhh..what?? Every Italian restaurant that I have been to, the waiter always does that for you and gives puts it in a separate dish. We had to use 1 of our bread plates to mix it up in. At least the bread was nice and hot. We also had to ask for water which should have been standard. And the red and white checkered table lining on the table wasn't cloth, it was plastic, so you sometimes will stick to it.
On to the important stuff, the food. I ordered the Zuppa di Vongole..not really a soup, it was more of a clam steamer appetizer. The manila clams were tiny and the broth didn't have much flavor. The bf ordered the Lobster bisque. It was more of a soupy cream with a hint of lobster. The main dishes came out, I of course had the Spaghetti Astice, lobster spaghetti and boy did it look GOOD! It comes with a 1 lb split lobster on top in a garlic white wine tomato sauce. However, the sauce was on the salty side and the lobster was over cooked but being that it was lobster, I devoured it. BF had the Spaghetti Granchio e Zucchini, blue crab and zucchini with a spaghetti pasta. This was the highlight of the meal. It was nice and creamy and perfectly cooked. You get nice chunks of crab meat and the zucchini still had a nice crunch to it. To end the meal, we ordered the Tiramasu which was also pretty good but nothing special.
Customer service was pretty good here and prices are reasonable. And though it states on Yelp that they have Kama'aina discounts, it is only for lunch and it's only for 1 dish. Seating outside looked like it would be nice but it was kind of on the noisy side with the indoor seating. The food was just ok, just a little bit better than an Olive Garden type of italian fare. -
Review from Inigo M.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 1/1/2012
Excellent breakfast buffet.
1 Previous Review:
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7/6/2011
Food could be slightly better quality given the sizzling prices.
Pleasant service.
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Review from CONNIE H.
Diamond Bar, CA
7/11/2011
Had quite a wait even though we called in ahead of time, but impatient me actually didn't mind it too much.
The shrimp and avocado salad was alright. The owner's pizza was alright. For the pastas, we ordered the spaghetti alla pescatora (seafood pasta in garlic wine & olive oil sauce) and spaghetti con polpette (basically, spaghetti and meatballs)-- they were both pretty good. A safe bet. However, the spaghetti blue crab & zucchini is amazing. And If you're a fan of uni (sea urchin) like I am, you'll love the spaghetti ai ricci di mare!
Definitely give it a try if you're in the area! -
Review from Denise M.
Apex, NC
8/15/2011
We were pleased that our hotel (Marriott Beach Waikiki) had so many great restaurants to choose from!
Arancino Di Mare is an upscale Italian restaurant. Even though it was a bit cool, we chose the patio seating. Fortunately, we were near some tiki torches which provided nice warmth. Our waiter was excellent and took very good care of us. We started out sharing a bowl of crab bisque and the herbed bread for the table was great to sop this up with!
My husband had the rigatoni. I ordered the spaghetti blue crab & zucchini - this was utterly amazing - one of the best meals I had on our trip.
Highly recommend!! -
Review from DOM d.
San Francisco, CA
6/12/2011
We got here around 920pm asked to sit outside but they said it would be a 20 min wait although there were empty tables outside.
The house foccacia bread tasted very floury.
Ordered a spaghetti al piscatore and the noodles were super al dente stuck to my teeth returned it and came back warmer And harder how u do that?!?!?!.
Pepperoni sausage mushroom with fresh mozzarella pizza took 25 min to come and when it came it was in a box AWTF (a=aloha) and it looked liked the pizza had been thrown against the wall. WTF . They came back in a min and offered me another pizza on the house but it was not the one I ordered :(
Service was up to par minus the two seating dudes host in the front.
I will not eat here again wah wah wah all the way home.
So I'm gonna assume what happened they didn't want to sit us outside so they can clear out the outside first and try to get home .
earlier. How the pizza got in the box I have no clue.
Wil I come back ? No Mahalo -
Review from Thi L.
Honolulu, HI
4/12/2011
I had the shrimp and avocado salad with grapefruit vinaigrette...it was nice and light. I didn't want pasta so I opted for the zuppa vongole (clams in garlic broth) for my meal. It was tasty as well...very garlicky.
The service was friendly but inconsistent. Our salads came out very quickly but we waited FOREVER for entrees and dessert.
It's nice that they validate for 3 hours if you park at the Marriott. -
Review from Joe W.
All of my stomachs are officially full. "Stomachs?" you may ask. Yes stomachs. It's a scientific fact that we have our main dish stomach, appetizer stomach, and dessert stomach. Aracino Di Mare filled all of them.
Parking can be difficult, given its location at the end of Waikiki, but the stars were aligned tonight because we got premium street parking literally across the street. Seating was very prompt (we had a reservation) and the hostess, seater, and server were very friendly.
The menu is pretty extensive, with pasta entrees ranging from simple pasta dishes ($16) to lobster dishes ($35). We opted for the carpaccio di capesante for an antipasto, which is raw scallop with sea asparagus, maui onions, caviar, and a champagne sauce. This was a nice and refreshing appetizer, as it's light and served cold. The scallop is extremely fresh and the combo of smooth scallop and crunchy sea asparagus is a match made in... the kitchen. The caviar brings it together with a salty "from the sea" taste. I was told to get the gnocchi here, and I'm glad I did. The gnocchi was served in a pesto genovese sauce, which, to my lacking culinary vocabulary, is like a heavy creamy pesto. Fans of gnocchi know that gnocchi is either amazing or abysmal, and this was amazing. My girlfriend ordered the rigatoni all' amatoriciana, which was served with a tomato and pancetta sauce with serious deep, roasty, garlicy undertones and a little kick of spice. I think I actually ended up liking her dish better. For dessert, we got the gelato affogato, which is creamy vanilla gelato served with a hot glass of espresso to be poured over the gelato. What an ingenious idea! Serve dessert and coffee in one dish! We thought it was pretty smart, anyway, because not only did it taste amazing (imagine a rich coffee ice cream, except the ingredients are served separately and are leagues beyond in quality), it staved off the impending food coma until we made it home.
The service here matches the quality of the food. Top notch. We were seated promptly, engaged by our server, not rushed, not made to wait, and felt genuinely appreciated. What more could you want?
This was one of those nights where, if I was flexible enough, I would have given myself a pat on the back for choosing Arancino Di Mare.Listed in: Date Night
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Review from Nina Y.
12/26/2010 5 photos
My first impression of the place was that it was nice. I walked it by it all the time since I've been staying at the Waikiki Marriott.
We came here at around 6pm and we waited for about 40 minutes before being seated. The seats we were first seated at were right next to the door and the kitchen. My mom found it way too loud and wanted to be reseated. It took about another 10 minutes before we were reseated to another table that was a bit further from the kitchen which was nice.
Drinks:
Guavatini - so I'm guessing this is supposed to be like a guava flavored martini, but since I've never had a martini before, I don't know if it does taste that way. I love guava - especially in guava juice. I think I've been obsessed with guava juice for like years now so it was nice to get a mixed drink with guava in it. I enjoyed it.
Food:
Rosemary and Sea Salt foccacia - This was complementary and pretty good. The first batch that we got was much better than the second one. It was great with olive oil and a bit of balsamic vinegar.
spaghetti alla pescatora - I had ordered this because I decided that I really wanted a seafood pasta dish again. I had ordered something similar at an Italian place in NYC and I had really enjoyed it and thought I would enjoy it here too. It was quite delicious here, but the pasta was a bit underdone. I know pasta is supposed to be al dente, but really I dont need to try so hard to chew my pasta. All of the seafood was cooked pretty well and
linguine ai gamberetti - my mom ordered this dish and had enjoyed it quite a bit. I think that the prawns were delicious and the tomato sauce complemented the linguine well. I'm not exactly sure how it was since I had barely a taste of it.
spaghetti blue crab & zucchini - my dad had ordered this and it was a great selection. There was definitely a lot of crab in the dish all mixed together in the sauce which makes it harder to pick the crab out when you're really full, but it was pretty good. The sauce was a bit too creamy for me, and there was no acid to cut the creaminess. I felt like it probably needed a bit of lemon or something.
saltimbocca di pollo - my brother loves chicken so he decided to go with this chicken dish. He realized the chicken was covered in "bacon" and loved it because well he's a 12 year old boy, he loves chicken and bacon. Sounds about right...I had a piece of it and it was pretty good. The dish was a bit too salty though and I had to wash down the taste with a bit of water.
Service:
Well obviously they were nice enough to move us when we wanted to change seats. When we finally changed, the new waiter was not as attentive as the old one. He was decent and alright, but he probably thought he could make a bigger tip on some other people. Ah, oh well - I'm in a Chinese family, we don't tip well and don't eat too much apparently either.
Overall, I had a decent time and it's not like it was amazing or anything. I'm on vacation; I guess I was just hoping for amazing food every night and maybe we just need to choose better places. Onwards to something bigger and better tomorrow!Listed in: O'ahu, Hawai'i
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Review from Matt R.
San Rafael, CA
12/13/2011
Very good, but not great, Tuscan Italian, with very friendly service. Prices are fair for what is served. You can eat inside or outside on the patio.
We ate here on the evening of December 12.
The meal started with fresh rosemary and lightly salted foccacia. Olive oil and balsamic vinegar (aged, but not lengthily aged) were on the table.
Our first course was the caprese salad. The salad was 8 halved teardrop tomatoes with bufala mozzarella and sprigs of basil with a very slight amount of olive oil. The cheese was good, but did not have the rich taste of high quality bufala mozzarella.
The lobster bisque was very good.
The entree items were the seafood salad--fresh greens with generous portions of calamari, shrimp, and mussels in a Italian vinaigrette. The menu said the dish contained claims, but there were only a few in the salad. The other dish, the spaghetti checca, was fresh tomatoes with mozzarella cheese and basil slivers tossed in. The dish was very good.
The table next to us had what appeared to be a very interesting dish -- the rib-eye steak. The manager stated the steak is cut fresh each day. The dish was slices of rib-eye with arugula, Parmesan cheese and an Italian dressing. The restaurant also serves a risotto that is stirred in an entire block of Parmesan cheese. This too looked looked like an interesting dish.
The special iced tea (pineapple) was very good, but each refill charged.
This restaurant is a 3.5 stars. -
Review from Janice U.
10/27/2010 2 Check-ins Here
It's like going to a club with 10 of your best guy friends and trying to pick up on a hot chick. Sometimes, you're successful, but most of the time, you get cockblocked.
Kinda like this location. It's hit-or-miss with this place. BF and I used to spread our "eating time" equally between the Beachwalk location and this location, but now we just stick with Arancino on Beachwalk. We've been Arancino fans for the last 3-4 years now.
It's too large and too busy, lacks the quaintness and intimate nature of the site of the original restaurant, and the food isn't always consistent (it's been served to us either freshly baked/cooked, or room temperature cold). We've gotten the best service where our waiter/waitress was on top of everything to the waiter taking off for the night & not bothering to inform us, or any of the other staff that he was leaving!
Da hell? This place is like an indecisive, emotionally unstable chick, really.
I don't like grindin' at places that lack consistency. I have a better chance of consulting with an 8-Ball than figuring out how I'm going to be served, or how my food's gonna come out.
My exclusive relationship is with Beachwalk since she's got it together and, while she does hiccup from time to time, it occurs less than here. -
Review from Kelly J.
11/9/2010
My first impression of Aracino was their patio area. Trees wrapped with lights, candles on the table, perfect weather to be sitting out. Is definitely a nice place to take a date! Take note guys!
Our party of 5 was seating almost immediately (~8:30pm) in the patio. Waters took awhile to arrive, but the service with the bread was fast. We took awhile to order but the waiter was patient and helpful.
Rosemary & sea salt foccacia, like everyone says, was good. Dipped in the oil and vinegar was nommy!
Bruchetta pomodoro ($11) is your basic bruchetta tomato but on a naan like bread. The tomatoes were sweet and seasoned well.
Insalata mista ($12) was delicious. Basic salad, but was done right.
My spaghetti with tobiko and calamari ($17) was yum! Light but seasoned well. Calamari was perfect and the tobiko yummy. I was so full from the bread and appetizers I had could only eat half my dish.
I was able to taste the spaghetti blue crab & zucchini ($22), the cream sauce was also not too heavy! Also, the linguine ai gamberetti ($22) had big pieces of shrimp! The tomato sauce seemed a little acidic to me, but could have been because I had been eating my dish.
No room for dessert, but I'll be back! I saw someone order the mushroom risotto and its made table side! Upon my request, my server was also very kind to throw in some of the foccacia into my take home box.
Overall, very satisfied with this location and can't wait to try their beachwalk location. -
Review from Max S.
Honolulu, HI
Updated - 11/12/2011
I find this place to be hit and miss... As long as you do not order the risotto (then its a bad experience waiting to happen).
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/15/2010
Ugh. I live in Hawaii and I wanted to try something new and was greatly disappointed. The risotto… Read more »
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Review from Margret C.
Las Vegas, NV
1/20/2011
An elegant charming Italian restaurant in Waikiki? Don't sound so surprised that it exists. If you've been to the island enough, you'll come to discover lots of neat places/treasures. It is a true melting pot and variety is the spice of life, right?
We went here on a recommendation from Ohana TV- oh gosh, my husband loves singing the jingle, "Ohana means family and that's exactly what we will be..." Haha- he's gonna have that song in his head for the next trip (next month) since we're staying at an Ohana property.
It wasn't crowded, but it wasn't empty either. Nice decor and ambiance. The people working there were all very nice as well.
We had the bread before dinner (which so many italian restaurants offer, it's expected, isn't it?). We had the eggplant (starter but we had it at the same time) and the shrimp pizza (thin crust but not flat bread and was generous with garlic). It was yummy- everything was great. Of course, we had pretty strong garlic breath afterwards! (Something you expect with Italian cooking). At least the both of us had it. We would come here again but we've got lots of favorites (and counting) and more new places to explore. But if you are looking for a good italian place, come here. It must be doing well since they've opened up another location at the Beachwalk (good sign, right?).
The thing I remember the most and associate with dinner here was seeing the green flash while at Waikiki Beach (we like walking along the beach at night) during my husband's filming (but he missed it). It was gorgeous and something I will never forget.Listed in: 808 Trips
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Review from Joanna S.
Long Beach, CA
10/24/2010
I was on a Hawaiian vacation with my bf and was walking around Waikiki. My bf is Dutch and he's all about the warm and cozy feeling (he calls it "gezellig") when it comes to restaurants. This one's definitely one of them, and we came back for a second round the night before we left Hawaii.
The staff is very friendly and they greet you right away. You can choose to dine inside or in the patio/outside area. We chose the latter since it was warm and it looked very cozy for dinner.
The foccacia bread topped with rosemary sea salt was fantastic with the olive oil. For starters, my bf had beef carpaccio (it's his fave and he always orders it when we go to Italian restaurants) which was good while I had prosciutto with papaya. I was surprised how good it tasted since I'm usually used to having it paired with melon.
For our main course I ordered spaghetti alla pescatora since I was craving seafood at the time. I absolutely loved it and it's by far my fave dish here! The seasoning was good and the seafood was cooked perfectly. My bf had the gnocchi al pesto genovese and it was very good too.
We shared tiramisu and had coffee (cappuccino for myself and espresso for him) afterwards, which is always a good closing after a wonderful dinner.
I have to admit it's quite pricey but you'd expect it to be that way since Oahu (well Hawaii in general) is a tourist place. So if you want to splurge for a night/afternoon, and you're tired of Cheesecake Factory (near the International Market Place) this is one of the places to try! :) -
Review from Emily L.
Decided to splurge this weekend by dining at Arancino. We immediately saw that the menu had a different look - uh oh, hubby's favorite duck pizza was no longer on the menu! Apparently, it was not one of their better selling pizzas. As for me, I was relieved to find my all-time fave spaghetti al nero di seppie was still offered!
If you love squid as much as I do, you have to give this pasta a try! Beyond the blackness of the sauce, it is medium rich with just the right amount of garlic and most importantly, the squid is very fresh and not rubbery. You might find it a bit messy to eat but don't worry, their napkins are colored black so you have no idea just how much of a mess you are making. Just don't try this dish while on a first date :)
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