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Buona Sera Italian Restaurant
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Intimate
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
32 reviews for Buona Sera Italian Restaurant
Review Highlights
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"...that is cooked in their white wine lemon butter sauce is..." In 3 reviews -
"Excellent Calamari Fritti, Lightly breaded succulently soft..." In 2 reviews -
"It was a delicious Chicken Eggplant Provencale (breaded..." In 2 reviews
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32 reviews in English
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Review from Kate H.
Honolulu, HI
4/29/2012
Buona Sera, you've been sitting in my "bookmark" for too long. Now I've racked up a few visits so I can more accurately yelp of your merit.
This spot is a cozy restaurant tucked away in Kailua Town. I've dined without reservations here a number of times and have been consistently pleased with my experience. The tables, and restaurant itself, is cozier (read: smaller) so I'd recommend for groups of 4-5 or less. The ambiance is terrific. The service is even better - they know how to be attentive without being too visible.
The entrees are fantastic and the house salad dressing is delicious. There's a wide variety of pastas, meat, seafood and to make the indecisive even more indecisive, they will mix and match just about any sauce or meat or veggie to any dish with pleasure.
Wine list is decent - ask the server for recommendations - I haven't been disappointed. Pay the extra $1.25 or so and skip the house wine. I appreciate a fine wine but am no connoisseur. Even my unrefined palate could detect the house wine was a little watery.
All around, great impromptu date night or small birthday celebration with a couple friends in an intimate setting. -
Review from Amy F.
3/9/2012 2 photos
For some reason, I always bypassed Buona Sera when looking for somewhere to eat along Hekili Street. I'm sorry that I have, now that I've been there a few times recently. Comparing its romantic atmosphere to the other Italian restaurants like assiagos, zias and Baci, I think this one is the best at making you feel like its just you and your company there.
Inside it looks cute, romantic, and has that low/dim-lit vibe. The service is always warm and welcome. The wait for the food is just right and the complimentary bread is AMAZING. Dare I say better than Outback Steakhouse's brown bread??! They do have a wine list, but I can't remember if there is a corking fee if you bring your own...or if you are allowed to bring your own alcohol at all. None of the tables or chairs felt close to each other which is great, since I don't really like talking to strangers with my mouth full. I'm sure they would appreciate my consideration, too. The wait for a table looks like it varies. One night they had at least five parties waiting outside. Another night we went, there was no wait at all.
I can't remember what entree I had exactly but their food is delicious. One night we ordered the roasted red pepper appetizer that was drenched in a oilive oil/vinegary type of sauce with capers, garlic and parmesan cheese I think. SO GOOD. The bread was crispy on the outside and hot and chewy on the inside. We didn't even need butter or a spread on it, it was so good by itself. My entree was a special. It had breaded chicken with spinach, mushrooms, garlic, spaghetti, garlic, cheese maybe tomatoes in a creamy vinaigrette sauce.
I really enjoyed this place. The bottles on the wall are a little overwhelming but its something you get used to. This restaurant has become one on my list of "the usual" places to go eat out in kailua. I'm glad I started paying attention to other places like this one, that I never really gave much second thought to before. -
Review from Mary M.
Honolulu, HI
3/27/2012
I really loved the ambiance here! It is small and intimate. Much more expensive that I thought but I definitely paid for what I got. The food was fresh and light, which is hard to say for Italian which is usually greasy and heavy. The vegetables were high quality and very crisp. I would definitely recommend it and come again. They forgot our bread, but I can forgive them... so when you go make sure they give you the bread... it is awesome! I ordered the vegetable lasagna, the waitress told me people usually take half home..... I ate the whole thing! Guess I am not most people^^ another reminder :)
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Review from Karen D.
9/8/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Buona Sera is an old Kailua standby and has been around for years. The cozy dining room is lined with hundreds of empty chianti fiaschi, many of them signed by the patrons, a testament of good times.
Buona Sera offers comfort food at affordable prices, with traditional favorites like calamari fritti, lasagna, and pasta e fagioli. Vegetarian dishes are available as well.
Everyone in our party was reasonably happy with our appetizers and entrees, although our favorite hands down was the fresh, hot bread. This wasn't the best Italian food we'd had, but the price was pretty reasonable, so no one was complaining. Service was friendly and fairly attentive.
The only real complaint was the noise level. Since this small venue was completely full on a busy weekend night, the noise level was very high. It got so loud that we hurried to finish and beat a hasty retreat so that we could find a quieter place to enjoy conversation.
We will likely return on a weekday evening so that we can enjoy the intimate atmosphere. Those wishing to dine here during peak hours are advised to call ahead for a reservation. Free street parking is available; the nearest handicap parking is behind the building.
Yelp 365 Challenge #036/365Listed in: Yelp 365 Challenge
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Review from leigh o.
Kailua, HI
9/10/2011
Anything that is cooked in their white wine lemon butter sauce is YUM. It is on the salty side, but I like my food salty so I'm a fan. My parents and i have been coming here since we moved to Kailua, and it's always been one of our favorites.
The service is excellent and the servers are all REALLY nice! The portions of the food have gotten a little smaller over the years, or maybe I've gotten bigger.. I don't know, but its still a pretty good sized plate, and its always consistently good. The place is tiny and sometimes it fills up pretty fast. The restaurant can get a little loud because its so small, but the interior is nice and romantic. Its a little on the pricey side, but for some reason, most Italian restaurants are, so its pretty standard.
The eggplant appetizer is really good (I forget what it's called, but it has capers and onions and a white wine sauce). My mom loves the house salad, and I usually get anything with the white wine lemon butter sauce, chicken, spinach/eggplant, and prosciutto.
Overall, great place for dinner in Kailua. -
Review from David S.
Pleasanton, CA
2/3/2012 1 Check-in Here
Love this place. Hole in the wall. Outstanding food. Comfortable environment. Good for family or date.
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Review from Lowe S.
Honolulu, HI
7/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
Good service, good atmosphere. The waitress was very friendly and helpful. She gave me a great recommendation on the menu and even let me request to add an extra ingredient. I forget what it was exactly but it was a vegetarian pasta dish with sun dried tomatoes & olives. I ended up adding sausage. It was pleasantly delicious.
My rear end was on the line on this one as I had recommended my whole family to check out this place having tried it once a few years ago. I was happy with the place in that first visit but never got the chance to try it again until now.
I'm happy to say my rear end is still intact and I'll probably be going back again for a repeat visit. Hopefully my next visit won't be as far apart! -
Review from Matt M.
Kailua, HI
1/6/2012
This is a great place if you want a decent Italian meal for a great price. The staff is very friendly and the atmosphere is cozy. There are the house Chiante wine bottles hung all over the walls with customers names and artwork on them. The Eggplant appetizer is amazing.
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Review from Terry L.
Honolulu, HI
7/26/2011
I've been twice in the last two months. The staff is extra friendly and helpful. Service was outstanding.
The food is very good. Pasta is cooked properly and seasoned well. Although it is more on the spendy side, you do get a good portion. The salad dressing is really good as well.
Atmosphere is very cozy and quaint. The only downside is the chairs as they are flat pieces of wood so it is not the most comfortable. Maybe this is a ploy so you don't sit and linger? It is a small place so it does fill up quickly. I never made a reservation and when i have gone (usually around 6PM-6:30PM) I had no problems getting a table.
Overally, I do recommend this restaurant. -
Review from Stefanie M.
Kaneohe, HI
1/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place has been on my "to try" list for months now so I am happy I was finally able to try it, and even more pleased that it was all that I expected and more! Showed up on a friday night with no reservation and was promised a 15 minute wait. Luckily for us a giant party had just left, and they just needed the time to rearrange and set up. As promised, 15 minutes later we were sat at a small table for two.
As soon as you walk in you get this intimate feeling--dark lighting, candles, single rose, and empty wine bottles lining the restaurant. I've read some other reviews from those who didn't like the lighting, but I thought it gave the restaurant a romantic touch. I'd definitely recommend this place for a good date night. A perfect, quiet small restaurant perfect for getting to know someone.
As for food it was great! For the appetizer we had the shrimp and mussel dish in an amazing sauce. I wish I knew what it was exactly but it was tomato based and great for dipping the complimentary bread. Yum! For my entree I had shrimp and calamari bosciola or something like that. Basically shrimp and calamari (yeah I love seafood...) with a buttery garlic sauce served over linguine. So yummy! My bf got my second choice (i was torn between the two!) veal and eggplant. Very well cooked and tasty too! They have a limited wine menu but by looking around the restaurant the obvious choice was the chianti straw basket bottle. Good taste and good price. To top off our meal we had the spumoni gelato..mmm...
Overall I had a great experience. The servers were sweet and everything we ordered tasted great. To get the full dining experience for two will cost you about 100 bucks but if you skip on the wine and dessert you can shave it to about 50. Can't wait to go back and try something else on the menu!Listed in: Just you+Me, Windward Side
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Review from Sara H.
1/6/2012 1 Check-in Here
after trying this place, i've come to the conclusion that i def need to check out more small kailua restaurants! :) the bf and i came around 8 PM on a thursday night. it wasn't too crowded so we were seated immediately. the menu i would say is pretty standard italian. i forget what i ordered but it was like chicken with garlic, pasta, onions and potatoes. super yummy! the bf got the special and that was AWESOME. it was like chicken with red sauce and a bunch of veggies and stuff. the bread they serve is hot and fresh and as always was my favorite part of the meal. :D prices are decent and the place is very home-y. parking seems limited but we were able to find a spot on the street. if you're craving italian and in kailua, definitely give this place a try!
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Review from Forest F.
Kaaawa, HI
12/3/2008 3 Check-ins Here
This place is really good. The bread is so fresh and hot. You have to seriously stop yourself from gorging on it prior to your meal coming out. The food is good, its not amazing but its good. I think the prices are fair.
Its a great date place, small and non-trendy. I could picture Don Corleone eating there... Que Italian mafia music here.... -
Review from Joe L.
Honolulu, HI
8/21/2011
Love this place great service and excellent house special chicken.
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Review from Kira O.
Eugene, OR
1/5/2010 1 photo
My family and I have been coming to Buona Sera for years now. And it has consistently been delicious. Most of the menu is a safe bet for yumminess. Family favorites are the pesto and chicken marsala.
The one down side of this place is the lighting. If you like to guess where your food is or what is looks like, this is the place to be!
Overall this is great hole in the wall place with reasonable pricing! -
Review from Dan N Kara R.
Kailua, HI
8/27/2011
Charming and intimate atmosphere with authentic Italian quisine. You can decorate and purchase wine bottles as souvenirs
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Review from John K.
South Pasadena, CA
8/20/2011
The decor with the signed chianti bottles is odd but the place is intimate and quiet. Very reasonable prices and the pastas, anti pasta were very good. Would go back.
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Review from Brody B.
Richmond, VA
7/11/2009
Small, quiet italian resturant. It has a "cozy" atmosphere, but it fills up, it starts to feel rather cramped. If you plan on coming, reservations are highly recommend. All-in-all the food is fair. It may seem very bland to some. The bread is outstanding however. They charge a $1.00 "corkage fee" for every bottle if beer and $10.00 for each bottle of wine.
Great place to try, but we will not be coming back. -
Review from Melissa E.
Kailua, HI
8/29/2008
I like the fact that this place is small, cute, and quiet. It's the perfect place to take a gf on a date. One of the fun things about it is drinking a bottle of wine, then decorating the basket around it and they hang it on the walls. I'm not sure if they still do this though. It's been a year or two since I've been back there and the last I knew, they didn't have a lot more room on the walls.
Other than that, the food is alright and the service is decent. -
Review from Evan R.
Los Altos, CA
5/5/2010
I walked into Buona Sera and instantly fell in love with the place. You know that feeling you get when you know right away that you're discovering your new favorite spot? This is it. Bottles of chianti in straw-baskets line the walls and it all just feels so welcoming.
But, most importantly, the food is ridiculously good! I always have the Caesar salad to start... it's excellent. My first time there, I tried the veal saltimbocca and I could hardly chew I was in such awe as to how incredible it tasted. In that one bite, what I had first suspected about loving the place, was confirmed... we've been to Buona Sera about twice a month ever since (we would go more if we could).
My favorite item, although it isn't on the menu, is the chicken zingella, which is a piece of breaded chicken and eggplant, topped with the white wine butter sauce, pepperoncinis, black olives, and roasted red peppers. Seriously, it doesn't get any better than this! -
Review from Nicole K.
Waipahu, HI
It's actualyl a quaint little place in Kailua town. My mom and I went on a Monday night, and it was pretty empty around 7pm when we got there. But business really started picking up around 8-8:30. Their walls are adorned with empty wine bottles of their patrons. I think it's so cute that customers can decorate their bottle flasks :) My mom and I were debating on buying the house wine, but I had to do homework :( That's for next time!
We got the escargot. It was tasty, but after chewing it for about 2 seconds, it got really salty. That wasn't my favorite, but the sauce it was sitting in was delicious. Oh, P.S. before I forget, it gets really cold in there so bring a jacket.
I got the vegetarian lasagna, and it was delicious. It was really different both taste and texture wise from the lasagna that I'm used to. But definitely different in a GOOD WAY! It looks like a small portion, but it filled me up. I took a bite out of my mom's chicken pasta dish, and it was so good. I'm not usually a fan of creamy sauces, but this sauce was light. It had the perfect amount of richness!
The price range was very reasonable, and that's always a plus. I'm not sure where the parking is, but my mom and I parked on the side of the road in the marked stalls. I highly recommend trying this place out.Listed in: Good for Groups, Pepperoni and green peppers,…
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Review from Lisa J.
Kailua, HI
8/29/2010
This place is always good. The customer service is great along with the good. The only reason I am not giving it a 5 is because the arribiatta wasn't as good as it normally is. Too many garlc chunks. Overall really good.
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Review from Joshua C.
Portland, OR
4/12/2008 9 photos
Like most things in life trying out new restaurants has its pluses and minuses.
The plus side:
-Get to experience original and/or unfamiliar dishes (some might be really good)
-See how different types of cuisine are interpreted
-Find new favorite restaurants
-Observe friends and relatives in new settings
-Have something else to Yelp about
The minus side:
-Get to experience original and/or unfamiliar dishes (some might be really bad)
-See how different types of cuisine are interpreted
-Find restaurants that make you wish you stayed home, saved money, and cooked Mac N Cheese (or make you wish you'd just gone to one of your favorites)
-Miss the comfort of familiar surroundings
Visiting Buona Sera for the first time (family b-day dinner a few nights ago) definitely had more pluses than minuses (but holy cow that was a horrific Tiramisu).
Pluses:
-Cute intimate little setting (though the hanging Chianti bottles might have been more appealing had we actually ordered and decorated one...otherwise they can be a bit much, you'll understand)
-Excellent Calamari Fritti, Lightly breaded succulently soft strips of squid. A little greasy, but soooo good (was tempted to stop passing the plate around the table). http://www.yelp.com/bi...
-Tasty Escargots Stagionale, cooked with spinach, basil, garlic, butter, white wine, romano, and mozarella. The snails were tender, and the left over butter cheese sauce they were drowning in made for a fantastic bread dip! http://www.yelp.com/bi...
-I had the special of the day as recommended by my server. It was a delicious Chicken Eggplant Provencale (breaded Chicken and Eggplant topped with cheese and a savory tomato, garlic, butter, wine sauce). It was the best and most expensive dish of the night. http://www.yelp.com/bi...
-Service, friendly and never once did my water go empty
-Chocolate Hazelnut Gelato
Minuses:
-Hawaiian Style Italian, overly buttery and oily, don't come expecting real Italian cuisine. While executed well and still enjoyable the food here is more similar to what you find at Assagio or Ricardo's than what you'd get at Mediterraneo or Sabrina's. If you look at the pictures everything's just glistening http://www.yelp.com/bi...
-Don't get the by the glass Chianti, my water was better (opt for the straw basket Chianti...at least you can decorate that one)
-Buona Sera's Tiramisu sucked big time and had just about every bad trait a Tiramisu could have. My better half, who being local Japanese is not especially direct, spit out her piece and blurted how horrible it was. Save your $4.50 or get the gelato, just as the Tiramisu made Liz T's meal at Meditteraneo (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) this "whatever it was" almost ruined ours. BLEH! http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Well all that being said I'd still be willing to return, like I said the pluses out weighed the minuses.
Buona Sera is a cute, unique, laid back place serving up some tasty (how can something drenched in butter not be) Hawaiian Style Italian.
Worth checking out, but do yourself a favor and DON'T ORDER WHAT'S LISTED AS TIRAMISU!!!Listed in: 808: A Taste of Italia
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Review from Charlie D.
San Francisco, CA
4/14/2007
Very close the the famous Boots and Kimos breakfast joint, this is such a fun little find. Straw basket wine bottles cover the walls, the food is lovely and since it is such a small little place usually quite quick too. All in all? Don't take my word for it! Try it yourself!
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Review from Clifford C.
Kaneohe, HI
10/15/2011
Reservations should mean your table is ready if you are late... Food was great, comparable to higher priced pasta places. Staff was very welcoming, but seemed to be low-3 people to serve about 12 tables. Took a while to get our order placed, but gave us time to take in the ambiance. Over all this is a great spot for an unhurried meal. Portions are generous too, but not overwhelming.
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Review from Kalani C.
1/22/2010
Been coming here sporadically for years. Admire the warm, cozy ambiance with hanging chianti fiascos abound. Lighting is low and service is efficient and friendly. Good setting for an intimate date. Food is an excellent selection of interpreted Italian dishes that satisfy. Along the lines of Palazzo Ristorante in Aiea and Ricado's in Pearl Kai. Prices won't break the bank, so you'll have enough for dessert elsewhere.
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Review from Jesse W.
8/7/2010 1 Check-in Here
8/6/10: Dinner with family here, we stopped in on a Friday night expecting a crowded restaurant but pleasantly surprised that it wasn't. The place filled up towards the end of our meal. We've been here twice, first visit was take out, this visit we got the full experience of being surrounded by all the chianti bottles, cute for a couple minutes but a bit overwhelming. We started out with the antipasta plate which is served with a delish creamy dressing (looks Iike it has dill too), I ordered the chicken cipolla, breaded chicken served with linguine pasta, white sauce with stuff. Tasted good, pasta was well made and cooked properly. Overall experience was favorable, excellent courteous and attentive staff. Prices are on the higher end, I think cafe 8.5 in downtown has better food for the same price.
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Review from Deborah M.
Kailua, HI
9/1/2011
Best Italian in Kailua, with charming, romantic atmosphere, excellent service, and really good traditional food. Every dish I've tried has been well prepared and tasty...favorite as a side dish or pu pu is the broccoli sauteed in garlic...they'll prepare it for you if it's not on the menu. The chiantis we've tried there have always turned out great.
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Review from Michael F.
Portland, OR
4/10/2010
Went here for some spaghetti and meat balls. It wasn't on the menu but I was quite satisfied by their meat sauce. The bread was great, salad was fresh, and pasta cooked just like I love it.
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Review from Kona F.
Torrance, CA
12/21/2006
One of the best Italian restaurants in Hawaii. Unfortunately, that isn't saying much because there aren't many good Italian restaurants in Hawaii.
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Review from Tracie F.
8/31/2009
The service at Buona Sera was phenomenal. The waitress was genuinely kind and was always smiling. All of the staff were attentive, kind, and courteous. The atmosphere is quaint and the bottles on the wall add a nice touch to the decor. In actuality they ARE the decor. The menu was moderately priced with a decent selection. The warm bread was delicious although a bit sweet. The tossed salad was fantastic and the garlic bread was one of the best I have had. I did not however enjoy the entree. The carbonara was mediocre and definitely not something I would order again. I would definitely return here however may stick to salad and garlic bread. Honestly with the generous portions that would be enough for dinner.
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Review from yang k.
Kailua, HI
5/19/2011
Cute little restaurant with great service and good food for good price. This place is hands down the best Italian restaurant in Kailua. They use an appropriate amount of garlic and butter unlike the others here. I love a really good marinara sauce and to me all their dishes with the marinara are good, just choose your meat or non-meat such as eggplant parmigiana, which is fantastic. And they always start you off with warm bread. I love that.
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Review from Lionel P.
Kaneohe, HI
6/25/2010
Our friends had told me that this is the be all end all of Italian and invited us to dinner. I was glad they made a reservation because the place was full on arrival - not difficult in a small and charming space. The decor was fun at first glance and after being seated for a while you begin to notice the actual age of the place. We started with the calamari - cut steak not tubes and tentacles which I prefer - in an overly sweet batter and a hot from the micro tomato sauce - that was actually quite good. As we were all food affectionate people we all traded entree portions - the veal picatta, my dish, came with a more than ample supply of capers and was done to perfection - by far the best of the four. The veal saltimbocca, second place only because of the excessive mound of cheese, Third place was the chicken parm - again too much cheese but very moist and quite flavorful. Finally and don't order it if you do go was the Arrabita that cane with rigatoni instead of a long pasta. In fact all the pasta dishes were rigatoni for some strange reason, The sauce was bland and flavorless other than sugar. I will go back for another meat dish some day.
