Indigo Eurasian Cuisine
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Garage, Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Alcohol: Full Bar
28 Reviews for Indigo Eurasian Cuisine
This review is strictly for the bars and drinks, trying the food is on my to-do list. The happy hour is excellent, but we've never arrived early enough to try the free pupus. During the weekdays, the number of people have seemed about right; not too loud but not near empty. On Fridays (esp First Friday), however, it will be packed with all sorts of people and it'll be hard to hear anything or even move, let alone try to get a lychee martini.
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Bring a flashlight if you'd like see your food--this place has a monthly electricity quota.
My first visit was top-notch: The cheese wontons with fruit sauce and shrimp spring rolls with chipotle aioli were sweet, savory, and scrumptious; I cleaned my miso salmon plate, too. As a fruit person (as opposed to vegetable one), I enjoyed how the entrees came with fruity sauces or salads.
I severed my relationship with this restaurant the second visit. The appetizers were lame this time around, and my braised beef was just ok--until I got home. I contracted food poisoning that left me bedridden for a week. Day in and day out, I felt sick and threw up the entire color spectrum of puke. It was a month before stomach could take anything but congee.
I'm not implying that if you eat here, you'll get ill--but if you can't see your food, you don't know what you're eating. Be wary!
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Kind of a random posh-like club situated in the middle of chinatown.
Parking was a bit of a pain since there were first friday activities in the same area.
I have to say that the venue was fantastic. The decor was laid back, but classy. The appetizers were pretty good (although small). The service was quick. The crowd was pleasant, friendly, and attractive.
***3.5 STARS Overall
If you're from the SF Bay Area and you like Straits Cafe, this is the place for you. Decor in the outside bar and open-air seating area is really laid back & cool with a nice tropical feel. Main dining room inside however has a very strange contrast to it. Feels as if it were better-suited for an old-school Italian restaurant or something.
Waitstaff is very attentive & polite. Drinks are pricey but very tasty. If you want to avoid some wallet-thinning, go here for drinks during Happy Hour instead. Our dinner entrees were good but far from memorable. Coconut cream pie dessert was yummy.
Overall, I think there are better fusion dining options in Honolulu (ie Alan Wong's, Roy's)...but if drinks are a priority, then check Indigo out for Happy Hour.
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It's a strange thought that the last time I was on this block I was graduating from high school. Seven years later, I'm back for $3.50 martinis (tasty though weak), gazing at $10 appetizers (no, thanks), and dealing with bartenders who don't believe my California Drivers License is legit.
So what if it has my Hawaii address on it?!
I hit puberty over two weeks ago, I swear...
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had happy hour here yesterday which turned into a very long night;) the drinks were great and we had a tuna roll that was very good. nice decor on the inside and the bartenders were friendly.
What a beautiful concept for a restaurant/ bar. Part of the space is open air, part of it is indoors. There are different rooms with different vibes. There are 2 bars, which makes getting served much easier. I love their french fries! They honestly taste like McDonald's and are served with tobasco ketchup. Happy hour is legendary. They have really inexpensive martinis, which for me is very dangerous. The lychee ones are super good, as well as the dirty ones. Aloha Fridays is all about Indigo for me. But, it does get pretty crowded during happy hour, so get there early! Later in the evening, it turns into a club, where there is dancing. There is always good music. The crowd is a good mixed crowd, which is nice. I LOVE Indigo... many good times had here.
Cool place. fabulous exotic decor. As if yer stuck in Bankok or Thailand at the old turn of the century bar and eatery next to the lagoon and waterfall, while you wait for the cargo plane run by dubious mercenaries to get ready to lift off after a few fuselage bullet holes are patched.
For such an "upscale" place, quite a reasonable happy hour. Stellas are only 3 clams. But here's something i don't see often, and hope never to again. The other afternoon, while shooting the great old buildings of C-Town, popped in there to quaff a mug or three. Among the attractive vahines of all ages, and yuppies and business people, there stood a gaggle of middle aged guys, (yes,. THIS was a gaggle) standing there near those umbrellas, about five of em, standing around drinking and joking, and one of 'em started picking his nose. I mean really goin' for the gold. This was not a slight pinkie finger quickie. Nosirreebobster. he was tickling his brain with the index finger crane. And assessing his resultant treasure. Then, off he goes! More excavatin' in an industrial manner that would impress a quarry Luna. Really was thinking we would see a finger exit the opposite ear... I was quite surprised one of his buddies didn't yell out; "Hey! None o' that while others are eatin and drinkin' or at least tryin' to!"
I don't shake hands around that part of town now. Otherwise, a good time is had by all. (except those with a low gag reflex)
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2 words. Happy Hour.
Happy hour is on Tuesday through Friday, from 4:00pm to 7:00pm. Martinis are only $3.50 and free pupus are served until they run out. The pupus were just okay, but the martinis were delicious!
The lychee martini was super tasty. It comes with 3 juicy (canned) lychees on a stick. I had to force myself to order other flavors, so I tried the strawberry shortcake and the Tony Soprano, which were good, but not as good as the lychee martini. Before we left, I ordered another lychee martini because it was just that damn tasty.
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Great Martini Happy Hour - if you try em all, you won't be standing. Interesting atmosphere inside (that is, um, largely outside).
In the heart of Chinatown, Indigo is one of the best restaurants on Oahu. The waterfall and zen garden add to a serene atmosphere. Order the ice tea. It comes with mint syrup. Nice touch. The pork chop entree with apple compote and jasmine rice is my favorite.
It's easy to like Indigo. Its operators have done a great job with this restaurant, expanding it slowly and surely, stressing quality and attention to detail.
Early evenings here are unhurried and romantic. A well-dressed crowd makes its way down an alleyway entrance, revealing a culinary stage set with hand-carved Indonesian wood panels, lanterns, decorative rattan and bamboo, and lush, tropical plants. In the background gurgles a picturesque waterfall.
The restaurant has been open about 10 years now, and it seemed a good time to revisit -- especially since we hear that its lease is up for renegotiation and the future is by no means assured.
Indigo offers a number of areas in which to be seated -- the dining room, around the small bar and in the patio/lanai areas. I enjoy sitting in the back by the bar, beneath a ceiling fan. Illuminated by candlelight, it is so dark you may wish to ask for a mini flashlight to read your menu.
You could easily make a meal from the dim-sum segment of the menu. These small tastes bring a lot of flavor. Definitely try the lobster potstickers with chili soy sauce, an upscale version of the more common meat-filled ones. The lemongrass chicken brochettes are similar to Thai satay; char-grilled chicken served with a dark peanut sauce. Chinese gin doi, a chewy favorite of mine, is made with mochi rice flour that is stuffed with roasted duck and dried apricots, and then fried.
Lumpia-wrapped shrimp is actually a shrimp mousse filling inside a crisp fried eggroll wrapper; it's served with a mildly spicy chipotle (smoked jalapeo pepper) aioli dip. The shiitake mushroom and chicken bao buns are a new take on a familiar dish we often call manapua.
Roasted tomato garlic crab soup jumped off the page as something I had to order. Given all the wonderful ingredients such as blue crab and cilantro pesto, however, this soup was a bit too thick and overpowering to carry the crab. The Hau'ula tomato and gorgonzola salad is a delicious marriage of perfectly ripe sweet tomato, along with the creamy sharpness of the noble and bold Italian cheese.
One of the things I love about Indigo is the way flavors become surprising components of a dish. Case in point; the Shanghai mahogany duck with soft bao buns.
Half of a roasted duck is placed over black rice (a Thai rice similar to wild rice, with a pleasant firm crunchiness). The duck was glazed with a raspberry hoisin sauce and topped with sweet pink Chinese berries. Satellite sides such as cranberry-apricot compote, a mixed melon salsa, a red cabbage slaw, and an unusually good vegetable combo of baby bok choy and steamed orange squash surrounded the dish. This plate has so much going on that it's remarkable how it all comes together.
Mongolian lamb chops are served with minted tangerine sauce, roasted peaches and garlic mashed potatoes. Emperor Po's ginger ham shanks are braised ham hocks, soft from a long, slow simmer, flavored with black pepper and ginger.
Desserts are done in-house and are artfully arranged. The caramelized pecan tart is held in place with a buttery pastry shell and topped with vanilla gelato. Unlike many overly sweet pecan desserts, this one hit the middle-range bull's eye. The apple lemongrass crisp was not crisp; it actually looked a lot like the pecan tart with the exception of a softer pastry crust. The lemongrass flavor works quite well here as a foil to the sweet apple filling. It, too, is served with vanilla gelato.
Chocoholics need not fret: There's a double-double chocolate torte, a dense mousse cake matched with a raspberry coulis.
Indigo is a great place to people-watch, too. A reasonably priced lunch buffet brings together many different items definitely worth trying. And the evening valet parking service makes dining here a much less harrowing experience than trying to find a space in Chinatown at night.
Review By
Matthew Gray ("Luckiest Guy in Hawaii")
Matthew@HawaiiFoodTours.com
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Solid four stars.
Went with Daddy (visiting), E & D for happy hour. Loved. It.
I had a Sake Martini which I found to be a refreshing idea of vodka with a whisper of BLANK (in this case sake, with ginger and cucumber garnish. mmmm...ginger and vodka...). The others had the following: Strawberry Shortcake, Lychee, Tropical Something. I tried all of them, and I liked the Lychee and Tropical Something the next best (think I'll be a Sake regular though). Daddy had a beer. He's so metro.
We also had some pupus, which were tasty but really beyond our general budget (we are graduate students). We had some of the sliders (which I liked a lot...but you only got two plus some fries per plate), the goat cheese wontons (which were loved by all...though I thought they were good but not WOW) and some fries. All in all, I think the best thing about the plates was the chipotle aioli and the spicy ketchup business. Fairly respectable food, but I didn't think they were really worth the price.
Will be back many times for the martinis. Also hoping to join the mad rush for the buffet.
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Food here sucks, drinks sucks, music sucks...service so so, only valet parking...
Extra dirty please. A bar that has any martini imaginable for $3.50 in downtown Honolulu for happy hour is at the top of my list. Dirty, Lychee, Chocolate, UV, Perfect Mary, Sangria, Lemon Drop. Love it! You can have an entire meal made up of martinis. Start with 3 dirty martinis (with bombay of course), next have one or two perfect mary's, skip it to a couple lychees, and end it with chocolate. All under 20 buckaroos. Cute boys willing and able to buy you a chocolate martini. In the end, little chocolate kisses waiting for you at the bottom of your glass and standing next to you. ;)
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Indigo has all the markings of a "wanna-be" -- at first blush, everything kind of seemed geared to making peoplpe think they were having a good time rather than any kind of concerted focus on the food or a natural atmosphere. It seemed like it was for tourists.
And indeed, it may very well be for tourists. But the food -- well, no complaints there! It was surprisingly tasty across the board; maybe a little "too much going on" in some of the dishes, as Tom Colicchio might complain on Top Chef, but it was all perfectly good. The dessert was insane (some kind of chocalte gooey cake thing). And i really enjoyed the "ginger martini" which bore absolutely no resemblance to a martini except that it was served in a martini glass, but still tasted great with fresh ginger mixed in...
Watch out for the ridiculous gong that they hit when it's someone's birthday. Yeah, that's right -- very TGI Fridays for a fancy restaurant.
I think this place really stands out for fine dining in Honolulu area. The decor is fabulous, all Asian antiques and umbrellas, colorful draperies, lanterns and even tranquil waterfalls to bring out out of the hustle and bustle of the downtown area. It's a fun, chic spot for dinner- and it also turns into a lounge/club scene late night.
To start there is a wide variety of really tasty drinks (like the tasty lychee martini), they also have a sizeable tea selection- and the starters are really fun and inventive. The best part about Indigo is the unexpected flavor combinations, and variety of dishes themselves. Be sure to come with a group so you can sample lots of different starters- then choose from any one of the great, constantly changing entree items. I always love the Hau'ula tomato and gorgonzola salad, the shiitake mushroom and chicken bao buns, and I honestly have loved all the entrees I've tried. From fish to pork chops, to lamb or chicken you won't go wrong. The desserts are also FANTASTIC- I particularly love the gooey chocolate cake of death or whatever they call it- and usually I'm not a huge fan of chocolate desserts. I think tourists and locals alike will agree that Indigo provides a great dining experience!
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Do you ever wonder where the downtown crowd goes on a friday night after they are done pushing paper for an entire week - well after their local pau hana, most of us find our way, one way or another, to Indigo. Why? Because Indigo offers one of the best Lychee martini's on the island and a decent nightlife to boot. The place by day is a great (and dinner) is an upper class restaurant that serves great euroasian cuisine - but when the sun goes down all the real fun starts. So if you're in or around downtown Honolulu on a Friday night and you need a swanky lounge to grab a good drink and socialize with friends or just people watch (but don't stare because that is rude and you wont get any digits) - try Indigo
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I think this place is kind of overrated. Especially on First Friday's, it's always too crowded to even move. The minute I get in here I just want to get out. The drink prices are okay, and the martinis are decent.
They should concentrate on getting more of a pathway in the middle.
Go down the street to Next Door or 39 Hotel, much better atmosphere.
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Oh.. Em Gee..
Lychee Martinis!!!
I love the korean bbq skewers, that goat cheese wonton thing, etc etc.
The decor is fab.
I've only been there for dinner once. It was good.
--
go there for happy hour (i think it's until 6 or 7) and get free pupus - like a free dinner too. martinis are like half off
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I am a foodie, and I have to rate this place on the food, since it is operating mainly as a restaurant. Do not let the lovely atmosphere with the Asian antiques, lush gardens, and tranquil waterfalls lull you into having anything more than a drink here. I have eaten here three times and have always been so disappointed.
The thing about the food is that it is always ALMOST good. Sometimes it comes close to being good, but never gets there, and that is SO frustrating. I went once for the lunch buffet. Standing in line, I was quite excited by the array of beautifully presented coices before me. There was quite a selection of colorful salads and enticing entrees. Everything looked so fresh and tasty, but when I put the food in my mouth, the flavors were either off or nonexistent. I almost wanted to cry. (Yes, I take eating quite seriously.) It LOOKED good, I wanted it to taste good, but it just didn't and it was so close!!!
The other two times I ate here I went for dinner. On one occasion, it was my birthday and I had reservations. My date and I walked up to the hostess stand. The young Asian hostess didn't utter a word of greeting, but merely stared us down, sizing me up rather openly. I didn't want to be a jerk because it was my birthday, but I couldn't believe her cheekiness. I mean, the function of a hostess is to greet and welcome guests. We finally forced her to show us to a table, only to be ignored by our waiter. We could only get him to stand still long enough to order a few appetizers. The goat cheese wontons are really just that--nothing you can't get anywhere else for cheaper. In fact, you can get them frozen from Safeway just down the street. The lamb meatballs, however, were downright nasty. Flavored with cumin, they smelled and tasted exactly like smelly man armpits. At least, that's how I would imagine smelly manpits to taste like.
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One of my favorite happy hour spots when I worked in downtown HNL. The martini selection is huge and the prices are unbeatable (granted they do use SKYY or similar quality vodka). Atmosphere is usually more diverse than most other scenes and you get less of that Hawaii asian cliquish vibe. Oh and the food. The lunch buffet is great!
Awesome place to get some PuPu's at Martini Happy Hour. A great range of Martinis provide a great break from school or whatever you're doing downtown. Cool atmosphere, and really good food and drinks. Great price..hit it up!
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First of all, the setting is really beautiful and the dining room is tucked away in what seems like a little alleyway. There's even a waterfall. I tried the lunch buffet here and it was amazing. They had a whole array of creative offerings, and the food is definitely fusion--Asian with a European flair as advertised. The rose hibiscus tea and ginger creme brulee was a nice way to end the meal. The menu isn't cheap, but it's totally worth the $$.
I've come a few times for after work (pau hana) drinks, but only recently had dinner here and the experience was outstanding. The food - Eurasian Cuisine - was excellent and the portions were enormous. Luckily, we asked the server ahead time about splitting a salad and entree, and it's a good thing we did - put it this way, it didn't look like a half. It was so much food and all of it was very tasty. And then dessert - I don't finish my meal because it was too much food, but then I have room for dessert. Typical chick! Warm Soft Chocolate Cloud in High Heaven Ala Mode - Yes, it is as good as it sounds. A definite must have.
And of course, Indigo is known for their Martini Happy Hour - it wasn't happy hour but I had a Lychee Martini, comes with three, yes three, lychee garnishes! Watch out for the little skewer/stick thing the fruit is on, it sticks out of your glass and can really poke you in the eye.
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Martini hour. That is all I can remember to say. Best on First Fridays, get sloppy and visit museums.
Indigo's quite the place to be. The ambiance is perfect- the food portions are generous, the presentation is good, and the cocktails are creative. A waiter came out and convinced my girlfriend to let him go back to the bar and make her the perfect concoction, which he did. Worth the price.
Asian antiques and contemporary art provide an attractive setting for outstanding Eurasian cuisine. Among the better offerings are spicy lamb siu mai dumplings with a ginger-mint sauce for dipping, and individual pizzas topped with Singapore eggplant, goat cheese, and Chinese sausage. The garlic crab soup is superb. Platters of Norwegian salmon cakes or shredded chicken cakes are accompanied by the vegetable, chutney, and salsa of the day, and a choice of rice or a chive noodle cake. Moderately expensive, but worth the trip downtown for a pleasant change from the family-oriented eateries lining Waikiki Beach.
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