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Categories: Hawaiian, Seafood, Asian Fusion [Edit]
Neighborhood: DowntownMon-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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Marcia was our server and she could not have been better. Her knowledge of wine was amazing. She was personable, friendly and helpful.
Our dinner was delicious and the ambiance is really cozy and stylish.
Definitely a must-experience restaurant!
My favorite! I had dinner last night with my cousin at the Downtown location. Marcea, our waitress was so lovely and friendly. I've been to Roy's before but for some reason, last night's dinner was the best I've ever had. We got 2 Lobster Potstickers, the Sunrise sushi and the Calamari. It was delicious, crunchy..perfect. I usually ask for a side of the peanut sauce cause I love it so much! For dessert, we got the Upside Down Pineapple cake with vanilla ice cream on the side and two lattes. DELICIOUS! I'm a huge chocolate lover but this pineapple cake is the best dessert they have. They serve it with small slices of fruit which makes it so much better and tasty! I love Roy's. They really deliver the best customer service and make sure your food is perfect.
** If you join their mailing list online, they will send you $20 credit for your next visit!
Ok...
Hawaiian... that is bullshit..
Does anyone really know what the fuck do Hawaiians eat?
Chef Roy Yamaguchi is Japanese from Tokyo, but smart enough to mix up all kind of Asian food and call it Hawaiian for white people to eat!!
It is more like confusing Asian mix up of all kind of Asian stuffs!!
They mixed Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Thai, American, little French kind of food.
Other than that... not bad for a fresh fish and seafood meal.
Beautiful decoration and pretty lady servers.
Bring your own wine, no corkage...promotion!!
Came here a few months ago! I'm a huge fan of Roy's.
Been to 3 different locations in Hawaii.
I have my favorites: ribs, salmon/butterfish & chocolate souffle. The ribs taste better in Hawaii, but it was still pretty good. I like that they serve you soy beans.
The inside of this location is really pretty considering it's in DT LA. There's a paid parking lot across the street. Customer service was pretty good.
I'll def come back. Wish it was closer to me.
My mom and I went out to Roys to celebrate our birthdays. We sat at the bar and received some of the best, friendliest, attentive service I have ever had. They brought us a free appetizer roll, gave us a free dessert, took a picture of us and then later gave us a free framed photo. So, they definitely do there best to make customers feel special.
Like everyone says: order the butterfish and the chocolate souffle both are truly outstanding. The fish is so tender it seems to melt in your mouth. The chocolate lava cake is probably the best I have ever had. I would also recommend the lobster potstickers drizzled with a delicious miso, butter sauce.
-1 star for being a chain, but I guess they can't really help that.
3.5
I discovered I couldn't make reservations through Open Table but did easily directly through Roy's website.
When I walked in, they seated us promptly. The dining room is large and mostly filled. Our server apologized a few times for not remembering a few things off the bat when we questioned her about the menu. Apparently she had been gone for a month and didn't remember exactly what makes the fries "hurricane" or if they even did coffee to go.
We ordered the lobster potstickers for an appetizer. They were good but at $10.95, I expected a few more potstickers. There were five and the presentation made it seem like we were missing one. Hm.
We were given complimentary edamame which was quite spicy.
In any case, everyone told me to order the butterfish. I had it in the Local Boy bento box which also came with Korean BBQ short ribs with three tiny pieces of kimchi, ahi poke, and Asian chicken salad.
The butterfish was unfortunately burned and covered in so much sauce it was my least favorite thing on the menu.
The Korean BBQ short ribs were pretty good. The sauce wasn't cloyingly sweet which was my main concern. And there were quite a few pieces.
I thought the Asian chicken salad was a bit weird. It was more like a cole slaw with a piece of fried battered chicken tender and a couple of pieces of ginger. It was fine though.
My favorite was the ahi poke but I feel they need to clean their fish better. The silver skin was evident on some of the pieces and tendon was clearly prevalent as well. Still, great seasoning and loved the tobiko and tiny cubes of avocado.
Erica R raved about her sliders. They looked pretty good and I snuck an hurricane fry. That was tasty.
I probably wouldn't come back for lunch again (which ran me about $44 after tax and tip) and unfortunately, they don't do happy hour. Perhaps for a business lunch or a nice dinner.
I've been to Roy's several times now. For a chain type restaurant, it ain't "bad". It's definitely not my first choice nor close to the first on my list of places to dine in Downtown. Unfortunately, *sigh* had to meet up with the lawyer today and it just so happens his office is across the street. I figured I might as well try and get a free lunch out of it since I'm paying him enough. Errrr..... I'm not bitter... I swear...
Since I'm not much of a mid day eater, I just ordered a few rolls. The Lakanilau is probably my favorite. Nice tender slices of beef wrapped in asparagus. The sushi is decent. Just had the regulars. Yellowtail, Tuna. etc... For the price and quality??? You can find much better sushi in JTown. To meet your lawyer to go over legal mumbo jumbo? ROY'S.
BTW...
When I have been here with friends for HH or to watch a Laker game the bartenders are really cool, nice guys. There are 2 mid size teles at both ends of the bar. Not a very intimate setting. The prices stink tho. But, ladies.... they will make your drinks strong if you shine them your pearly whites.=)
I just got lunch here today. The restaurant is well-lit and cleanly decorated. The staff is extremely helpful and nice. I liked the ambiance immediately when I walked in.
I ordered the butterfish (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) since that is what many Yelpers seem to be raving about. I'm so glad I read these reviews because that was an amazing dish! The fish was juicy and flaky with just the right amount of seasoning throughout the outter area. It came with green beans and a scoop of rice that was garnished with sesame and seaweed. Everything went very well together. After this first experience, I will definitely be back.
Very much enjoyed my dinner at Roy's. Went for a friend's birthday, and they had very sweet little touches for such occasions...a special birthday menu, a curly ribbon laid out on the table, and a beautiful dessert (a pumpkin custard with fresh fruit) brought out with a little candle burning on the side of the plate. In other words, I would highly recommend this for a simple, yet very classy birthday spot. Romantic lighting felt dark at times, which is a bit of a pet peeve, but my eyes got used to it after a while.
We enjoyed the Canoe Appetizer (the lobster pot stickers were unbelievably good). Our waiter had forgotten to put our appetizer order in, so along with the birthday dessert, we were given a free chocolate souffle as well. Roy's is famous for this very rich dessert, so it's a must-try. My dinner companions both ordered the Classic Trio and were both in love with the meal. I had the macadamia-crusted Mahi Mahi. HUGE piece of fish, delicious lobster cognac butter sauce, and baby potatoes surrounded with mashed potatoes.
My only complaint would be the service which, while very good, did not seem to befit the restaurant. We were there on a Saturday night and the place was FAR from full, but our server seemed inappropriately stressed, and when he did forget our appetizer, he spent what felt like the next 20 minutes apologizing profusely to what became an annoying point. We obviously appreciated his apology and of course the free dessert, but his stress level just didn't fit the restaurant environment and stressed us out a bit. But if one's only complaint after visiting a restaurant is that the staff is too eager to please, I think that's a good sign. Would definitely head to Roy's again.
"Which roll would you recommend?" "The Lakanilau Roll's awesome." And indeed it was.
My favorite restaurant downtown!! My friend and I are considering making this our seasonal restaurant, meaning we'll come everytime the prix fixe menu changes. Except the souffle. We'll always get the souffle, no contest.
Service is extremely friendly, and sort of caught me off-guard when they greet you with "Aloha" at the front. They start you off with edamame sprinkled with spice (that they willing replenish at your request, my hungry friend found out).
Great and amazingly friendly service. Also, the waiters give great recommendations if you're unsure of what to do.
Their prix fixe 3-course menu is always the best deal. I've always loved their beef, which is so tender you can cut it with a fork. But, hands down, best part of the meal is the melting hot chocolate souffle, served with a side of vanilla ice cream.
We've decided the souffle's the best right out of the oven. If you let it sit too long, it remains delicious, but turns into a bit of a mess, especially with the ice cream.
As we were celebrating a late graduation, Roy's helped us celebrate with a complimentary dessert (btw, new favorite ice cream flavor: banana macadamia nut chocolate chip).
The kitchen is exposed to the customers, so you can see the chefs workin' their magic.
This restaurant has pretty good sea food and they also have some delicious combination of Asian food. The service is ok but must try for the food. Also the presentation of the food is one of the best i have seen.
Great food, strong, bold flavors.
Food:
I recommend the butter fish with red rice...it's got a nice subtle flavor with a sweet soy sauce marinade. I also ordered a white fish - the name is slipping me - but it came out a little dry. Not a big fan of that but the flavors of the sauce were good.
Their dessert is well done too. Go with the chocolate cake.
Decor and Ambiance:
Great ambiance, good for a date place. It's casual yet nice but I wouldn't call it elegant - and it's a pretty loud place. Make sure you're not seated too far from your date or you'll be yelling...haha..
In the same building as my company, we visited Roy's a couple times when we first moved, mainly to check it out.
Roy's is Hawaiian fusion gone a bit odd. The combination of Asian + European is interesting + a constant battle to find the right palate combination. The food is not terrible by any means, especially with its emphasis on fresh seafood, but it never quite overcomes mediocrity. Nothing really stood out to me here. It seemed like another much-hyped restaurant that didn't/couldn't QUITE deliver. Again, the food wasn't bad, but I was expecting spectacular.
The place itself was quite nice, leaving me with a disconnect between the food + the ambiance.
I was expecting more from Roy's. I had been to other Roy's with better service. First of all, the valet dude wasn't even there when we pulled up our car to valet. Instead, we parked across the street in a pay lot. We had a reservation for 2 and got seated right away, but our waiter was a bit slow the rest of the evening.
Our drink glasses were constantly empty and my butterfish came out a bit on the cold side. The salt and pepper calamari was a small portion and was good, but nothing out of this world. At the end of the day, just go to Roy's for their butterfish and chocolate lava cake!
This place is fantastic! I have been to many Roy's restaurants (on the various Hawaiian islands) and I have yet to be disappointed. Since the prices are a bit steep this is a place I usually reserve for "special occasions".
Recently I had the opportunity to frequent Roy's in downtown L.A. -- twice in one week! Once for lunch and once for dinner...it was a great week!
For lunch I had the Wood Grilled Szechwan Spiced Baby Back Pork Ribs as an appetizer - these are the most AMAZING ribs I have ever tasted! You must try these! For an entrée I hade the Hawaiian Style Misoyaki Butterfish - this was absolutely mouthwateringly delicious! I have never had fish that tasted SO good!
For dinner on the latter occasion I had Garlic Blue Cheese Grilled Filet Mignon - this was cooked to perfection (medium) and the combination of blue cheese and grilled filet dazzled my taste buds!
Overall the service is very good; however, on my last visit my lap was nearly the recipient of an entire glass of ice water...luckly, I have fantastic reflexes! Wheew! So, I have to knock off one star for that...
I had my big birthday celebration here and reserved the side private room for about 30 guests. I was so much hoping to love this place, because the Roy's in Hawaii Kai (on O'ahu) and Kona (on the Big Island of Hawai'i) ROCKS. The food here was so-so. I kept thinking to myself that the food recipe here seems to have been altered from it's original recipe to meet the Western (mainland) tastes.
My favorite dishe was the baby back pork ribs. Butterfish is also pretty good!
I exchanged my American Express points to a $50 gift card from Roy's Restaurant. I have been wanting to try Roy's for a long long time. We went to Roy's to celebrate for Dr. P finishing his quarter and me finishing my semester.
We went to the restaurant around 8pm. There weren't too many people in the restaurant and we thought people probably finished eating already. But actually more people came after 9pm. The restaurant was almost completely full by 10pm. Strange.... I didn't think LA people eat this late. From our seat, we could see the open kitchen area. Lots of chefs busy working in the kitchen.
We both ordered from the Spring Prix Fixe Menu. Appetizer, entree and dessert for $35 per person. Pretty good deal.
Free edamame to start the meal. I like the spices they used on the edamame.
We ordered an extra appetizer because the Yellow Fin Ahi "Poketini" just looked too good on the menu. It came in a martini glass. The glass looked small, but the amount of food inside the glass was way more than I thought it would be. Lots of delicious yellow fin tuna sashimi. I love the avocado and spicy wasabi aioli. This dish was full of flavor and we love it!
Dr. P picked Curried Citrus Shrimp for his appetizer. The shrimp was huge, and we love the curried citrus flavor.
I picked Tamarind Glazed Salmon as my appetizer. For appetizer, the portion was really big. This could be the main entree portion at some other restaurants. I took a bite of the salmon and thought, "hmmm this just taste like salmon... not much flavor." Then I had another bite with the sauce, and the salmon came alive! The tamarind sauce was too good!
Dr. P got the "Pulehu" Sirloin & Maui Onion Jus for entree. This gotta be the tenderest sirloin steak we've ever had. Dr. P kept on praising the chef's seasoning skill. He thought everything was seasoned perfectly. He also loved the pineapple coleslaw and the big fat steak fries with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.
I got the Pecan Crusted Spring Trout. This dish was much lighter comparing to the steak. The fish tasted really fresh. I really like the fennel salad.
Dessert time! Dr. P got a coffee so he could drink coffee while I eat all the desserts.
Seriously, this is the BEST dessert! Roy's Melting Hot Chocolate Souffle is a must get item at the restaurant. The chocolate cake was just heavenly delicious. Mmmmmm.....
"Anakalia's Passion" was good, too. But the chocolate souffle was just too good and nothing could really compare to that.
We were too full to finish the passion fruit cake. They packed it for us in a pretty green bag.
Delicious! We like Roy's Restaurant. They have a different prix fixe menu every season. I guess that means we'll be back 4 times a year!
I stopped by here for lunch the other day after my meeting with a client at his office downtown. I've been wanting to try this place for the longest time and was glad I finally did!
I liked the cool vibe of the place with the purple tones mixed with the dark brown wood. It really made it a hip atmosphere.
Since I was dining solo, I decided to just sit at the counter overlooking the kitchen so I could watch all the action. It was cool to watch the food preparers hustling about. http://www.yelp.com/bi...
As I perused the menu, it seemed to have a good variety of dishes and I settled on the Trio Slider which is 3 mini burgers of mahi mahi, Kobe burger and Kalua pulled pork. They gave you a choice between fries and onion rings as a side and I opted for a mix of both.
As I was waiting, one of the servers came by and dropped off a plate in front of me. He told me it was a lobster potstickers and was complimentary! Ho dang! I was a bit surprised but thankful too as I dove into the golden brown dumplings. http://www.yelp.com/bi... Wow, the potstickers was great! After my first bite, I inhaled the rest, wiping up the tasty sauce, cleaning my plate. I waited in anticipation for my main order because I knew I was in for a treat after tasting this awesome appetizer dish.
My order of the Trio Sliders came and it looked really good. http://www.yelp.com/bi.... Well, it tasted as good as it looked as I thoroughly enjoyed the subtle use of garlic and ginger in everything. It really made the food taste unique. Even the fries and onion rings had a hint of garlic which I enjoyed immensely as well.
This place is definitely a winner and hats off to Roy and his flavorful concoctions as well as the artistic presentation of his dishes. I can't wait to come back again to try more of his unique culinary creations!
Despite making a reservation, we had a 10 minute wait, even though there were tables available. Snotty hostess. The hostess and host mispronounced my name, even though it only has 3 letters.
Our waitress was wonderful. She more than made up for the hosts.
I asked the bartender to recommend a Roy's cocktail. He gave me the Roy's Hawaiian cocktail, which tasted like Listerine. Awful, I couldn't finish it and I love martinis.
I got the poketini and the lakalaikau roll, which is way too much seafood. The poketini is like half a pound of fish, so if you get that, order something non-seafood.
Chocolate souffle was wonderful. Since it was our anniversary, they gave us a free dessert of 2 creampuffs and "happy anniversary" written in chocolate. That more than made up for the other stuff.
We had a gift card and we left a big tip from it. You can tip from the gift card.
GREAT LUNCH!
Cathy and I decided to treat our colleague to lunch on her last week. Due to the budget crisis at the district, certain people's positions were cut. So we used Cathy's $20 discount if reservations were made online.
At 10:30 am I made an online reservation for three at 12:45. The response was immediate, and the emails were sent to the other attendees. And pretty soon we were all keen on the thought of our lunches.
The drive was quick, less than 8 minutes from the office. Parking on 8th and Figueroa was convenient. At the door we were greeted by our hosts and were seated quickly. Of course as a lunch meeting, it meant soda and ice teas because we were heading back to the office within an hour. The ladies ordered burgers and sliders. I was more daring and ordered the Aloha Roll: tuna and salmon sushi wrapped with rice and avocado.
Service was nice and prompt, even though the restaurant was only half full. Our glasses were always full: diet coke and ice tea. The sliders were pretty good: three mini burgers with pork and other stuff, and the burger was filling. My sushi was tasty, and the tuna and salmon were fresh. That's what I expect when going to a restaurant like Roy's. The pickled ginger was also delicious.
This is my 4th or 5th time to Roy's Downtown, and I know that I'll be returning.
I booked reservations online for a b-day dinner for a small group of 4. The online reservation system is on top of everything. They send you reminder emails and then they call you the day before to confirm. Very attentive. When we arrived they had little small streamers on the table and they made a special menu for the b-day girl. It was such a nice touch!
I ordered the ahi tuna dish...OMG it was so good! I kept eating it even after I was so stuffed! I've had their butterfish on a separate occasion and it was good. You can't go wrong with their pre-fixe menu. The three classics is also a good entree choice. The Hawaiian martini is a very delish cocktail. We ordered the chocolate souffle which is of course super yummy. I burned my mouth because I didn't have the patience to wait for it to cool. They gave the birthday girl a green tea/citrusy dessert. That was ok. Not sure if it's on their menu since the 3 times I've been to a Roy's we always order the souffle. I get that this place is a little pricey but it's the whole experience. The service as always been great! This place is worth it and I highly recommend it for a special occasion...they take good care of you!
The Mr. took me here for my birthday because he knows I'm such a fan, and I am even more so now because of the special things they do for those who have an occasion to celebrate. They don't sing to you or anything, thank G! Instead, they present you with a personalized menu greeting in both english and Hawaiian, I think I got a little vaklempt.
The menu denotes the classic and most loved entrees - they don't lie! On this visit we had the Seared Ahi, Misoyaki Butterfish, the Appetizer Sampler, the Lava Cake and their Green Tea Mousse Cake. Just like Ohana, nothing got left behind.
So, we had ordered the lava cake to share and they still brought out an additional dessert for free with more birthday greetings written in chocolate around the plate! I heart Roy's.
I know there are some gripes about the food quality to price ratio but if you're looking to celebrate someone special, Roy's does it right.
I LOVE THIS RESTUARANT.
The food is delicious and the fish and meat just melts in your mouth. There is a lot of flavor so if you aren't a flavor person.. I'm sure you could find something else to like here. HEHE.
One bad thing though: the food is uber expensive. But what do you expect? The food is great, the service is great, the atmosphere is great. I wish I could go more often but my wallet is not cut out for it.. :((
The lighting is not that dark, which I personally like. Dark restuarants are not really my thing, neither are loud ones. Roy's isn't too loud where you have to sceam across the table.
You have to try the souffle. Make sure you order it beforehand because it takes a while to prepare it. Its delish!
The location, I feel, is rather random but accessible. If you go to USC then you can take the bus to downtown and wa~la~ enjoy!
The last time I went, there was a guy with a limo and it was complimentary from the restaurant. There was a sign that said "Roy's Shuttle." I don't know the details of that but such a thing does exist.
TRY IT AT LEAST ONCE! Spend a little, enjoy a lot! :))
My sister decided to take the family out for Mother's Day dinner. This was my second time dining @ Roy's. First time through was a couple years ago and I didn't walk away all that impressed. This time was different.
We showed up at the restaurant pretty much on the dot for our reservation and only had to wait a few minutes for our table. It wasn't a big deal even if we had to wait longer since we wanted to order some cocktails at the bar. My mom ordered the Pomegranate Patrón Mojito, my sister the Lychee Caiprihina (I think), and I the Pear Martini (I think). They all tasted pretty good.
Right when the drinks were about to come the hostess told us our table was ready so we were seated and the drinks were brought over. We ended up ordering:
Lakanilau Roll (Seared Kobe Beef, wrapped around Dynamite Crab, Tempura Asparagus, Avocado) - This was great. No need to even dip in soy sauce. There might have been seven pieces, but they were a good size. See picture.
Roy's Canoe Appetizer for Two (Szechwan Baby Back Ribs, Seared Tiger Shrimp, Lobster Potstickers, Kalua Duck Lumpia & Panko Spicy Tuna Roll) - Even though it is labeled for two, we got away with it since we had the roll in addition. All of the items were great, but my favorite was probably the Lobster Potstickers. They are paired with a spicy Togarashi Miso butter sauce. I'm not sure I would say it was spicy, but it sure was tasty.
Roy's Classic Roasted Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi (Lobster Cognac Butter Sauce) - This was my dish. The piece of Mahi Mahi is seated upon three pseudo scalloped potatoes. The fish portion was a lot larger than I thought it would be, which is a good thing. I liked it. See picture.
Hawaiian Style Misoyaki Butterfish (Chinese Sizzling Soy Vinaigrette) - see picture
Roy's Classic Trio (Hibachi Grilled Salmon, Roy's Original Blackened Island Ahi & Hawaiian Style Misoyaki Butterfish) - It's sort of like a sampler. See picture.
Shellfish Combo (Caramelized U-10 Scallops & Oven Roasted Tomato Tiger Shrimp) - see picture
We opted not to get dessert since we were all quite full. Had we not ordered two appetizers to begin with, we probably would have ordered the souffle, which is their specialty.
Service was excellent. Our waiter was attentive and helpful in highlighting some of the menu dishes as well as recommending cooking temperatures. Even one of the managing partners stopped by our table to wish my mom a Happy Mother's Day.
Overall, it was a great experience and a good way to celebrate Mother's Day dinner.
Sent my mom here for restaurant week a few months ago and she absolutely RAVED about the food, the service, the ambiance, etc. So I just called to book for Mother's Day (only 6 days in advance, yikes!!!) and a VERY VERY nice wahini named Aya got us in, emailed the confirmation, explained the menu and absolutely could not have been more accomodating.
I've been to several other Roy's and am looking forward to enjoying the downtown location. If their food is half as good as the customer service, I know we will have a wonderful gathering.
Went here for my birthday this year. Had a very good experience. I enjoyed that the menu had my name and stuff on it. So cool, and a nice touch. It was an eventful night, too, because it was the night Lebron James hit that ridiculous buzzer beating shot during the playoffs.
Folks were watching the game in the bar, and my table happened to be close enough for me to see the TV. The place was at first cool with nice ambiance. When dude hit that bucket, all those who could see the TV went WILD! I just so happened to look up at the TV whilst taking a bite of my delicious Caramelized Sea Scapllops with Wild Mushroom Risotto. I did see Lebron make that shot, but I was not about to put my fork down and stop chewing!!! The waiters sort of lost their decorum for a moment or two. I loved it! It was like we were at a sports pub for about 45 seconds or so. And then it was over, and everyone returned to their various levels of good clean restaurant snobbery - I say that with the utmost love. :D
BUTTERFISH and MELTING HOT CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE.
That's all you need to know.
Love Roy's. Good food and wonderful wait service. Enough said!
I had my graduation party here and it was amazing.
I was pretty much the most annoying person alive and called 10 times changing the menu, sending things in late, etc and they had everything set up when I got there in a private room (that I hadn't requested.) To top it off, the menu was personalized with my name AND school on it!
We got the 4 course tasting menu which saved us tons of time and made it easy for the large group. Another bonus - you can choose six items from the menu that people can choose from so there is a little of everything for someone.
The service was great, and they even gave us gift cards at the end to come back :) I would highly recommend this Roy's for any type of private party downtown - they made it so easy for us, executed everything perfectly, and the food was better than other Roy's I've been to - and I like Roy's as is.
Never disappointing!
Came here to eat before the Lakers/Clippers game. And as always, right on!
The Canoe appetizer combo was great. The lobster roll and another roll we had, were wonderful.
The drinks are always poured perfectly. Ketel sodas!
This place is always fun!
This Roy's never ceases to amaze! 2nd time I've been here, and their specials are wonderful. Yes,… Read more »
This is one of those restaurants that is perfect to take some of your out-of-town business clients who aren't super-savvy or picky about their cuisine. It's located in Downtown near the Staples Center, and I assume by the rest of the undeveloped/boring area that there probably isn't much to do after 10pm on a weeknight.
Roy's is a chain restaurant for Asian Fusion. Yes, these things should have told me to steer clear, but I was blinded by the Hawaiian part in the restaurant's name.
The best thing I had was the tuna tartare (or..whatever was in the appetizer section). The rest was all edible but not all that original or great-tasting. I'd rate it on the higher end of the ethnic-food-turned-bland-for-the-strip-mall-Americ an-masses but it's definitely not a destination restaurant, so skip if you can.
Came here for dinner on a Saturday night to celebrate my birthday. I've eaten at the Newport Beach location before so I was expecting the same quality and service here. Walking in, I notice the bar scene and the whole layout of the restaurant. It's a good setup, if you want the hustle-bustle excitement, they have seating for that. If you want quiet and intimate, they have seating for that.
Went for the quiet and intimate scene and ordered from the prixe fixe menu. Gotta love the prixe fixe. $35 a person for choice of appetizer, entree, and dessert = good deal. Ordered the Sunrise roll, seafood chowder, pot roast, and chocolate souffle. All good food. Nothing that made my taste buds do the hula, but good nonetheless. I think the winter menu was concentrating on the warm/hearty food, because I was stuffed by mid-entree.
Highlights of the meal were the appetizer and dessert. Seafood chowder was a lot of flavor in one bowl, and it was a good combination. I got to have 2 different dishes for each part of the meal, woot for parties of 2 :). Personally, I preferred the banana creme brulee over the souffle. A foodie like myself has been to enough restaurants to realize you can't really go wrong with chocolate souffles/flourless cakes/lava cakes so it just ends up tasting the same and not really all that special. It was good, but the creme brulee was more fun to eat.
Service was excellent from the moment we walked through the door and out and back again because I dropped my phone at the table. They know how to make the experience special for every customer right down to the personalized Happy Birthday message inside my menu and the complimentary dessert with candle and a Hawaiian Happy Birthday message spelled out in chocolate. Friendly host/hostess, waiters/waitresses. They even had someone lead me to the bathroom! That right there is good service. A note to all restaurants, if you got a waiter/waitress who happily volunteers to show/lead you to the potty, you've got yourself a happy yelper.
My husband and I just went here for our anniversary and it was nothing short of fantastic. I had been a few times with coworkers and Roy's stands as one of my favorite "chain" restaurants.
They were very accomodating and my husband wonderned if it is always like that or if it was just because it was our anniversary - it's always like that! They really know how to capture the Aloha in a upscale way.
We both had salads which were fantastic and my husband had the sashimi platter which he enjoyed very much. It even had sea urchin which looked a little scary but he said it was the best he ever tasted. I had the macadamia nut crusted mahi on a bed of yummy potatoes in an amazing sauce. For dessert, they brought us a complimentary anniversary plate of cakes and fruit and we couldn't leave without chocolate molten cake a la mode. If you go to Roy's you must get the chocolate molten cake. It's one of the best I've ever had.
And here's a plus - as we were walking out a limo driver was parked asking us if we were going to any of the theatres downtown. Apparently they have a "complimentary" (i.e. tip) service if you dine there where they will bring you to the theatre and back to your car no matter what time that evening. Now that's great service!
I am not a big fan of FUSION food. I much prefer authentic cuisines, but what I had today at Roy's was pretty ONO (delicious in hawaiian lol) I got the Bento Combo and potstickers for appetizer. Bento box comes with misoyaki butterfish, kalbi short ribs, ahi poke, and crispy chicken salad nicely displayed on a square plate with 4 sections. Potstickers was pretty yum!
The place gets pretty crowded for lunch so you might want to make a reservation if you are going there with a big group of people.
Food = great
Service = very busy but they were at least nice
Ambiance = too many tables/people? but not so bad
It's a bit pricey for a regular lunch outing with coworkers, but I would come here once in a while :)
I've been to Roy's Restaurant in Hawaii long time ago for dinner and I wasn't too impressed... but then again this was more than 10 years ago... I didn't appreciate fine dining at the time yet. So good job Down Town LA for changing my view on Roy's Restaurant!
I came here TWICE while in LA for a conference. The first time was for dinner, and the second for a happy hour drink.
Dinner was fantastic. I went with the surf & turf and a delicious, huge glass of cabernet savignon. The steak was cooked to order and topped with the right amount of blue cheese. The shrimp were perfect, too. My friends and I shared the pineapple upside down cake, which was so delicious that words fail me (coconut ice cream, too!!)
Happy hour was just as great. I had a strong-but-delicious pear martini that left me buzzed and happy. My friend had the specialty pineapple martini, which she oohhed and ahhed over. Roy's gave us complimentary lobster gyoza, which were so fresh and delicious...the right balance of rich with spicy.
I'm so glad we have a Roy's in Chicago....(smile)
I know it's a chain. I know I live near Ventura Boulevard, where there are 5 mom-and-pop sushi places on every block, and I should be ashamed for going out of my way to eat sushi at a chain.
I know. But I'm weak.
Roy's is just so damn good, especially this one. We split a kobe beef roll, and it was so good I wanted to order 5 more. Service was great too. Thinking about it now, I can't wait to go back. (don't tell anyone!)
I'm sure Chef Yamaguchi is a great Chef and has built a successful enterprise with his Hawaiian fushion creations...but for me the dishes I tried were presented very well but lacked the flavor I'm used to having from a top of the line menu.
The place is awesome inside and the service was excellent but my date and I left feeling cheated. I shrugged my shoulders at the end of the night and just said "next".
I wish I could have left with a better impresation so I could talk about the food and it's different tastes and smells but the only thing significant about this dinner was watching Obama win the Presidency.
My brother had a better experience at their restaurant in Hawai'i but I'm in L.A. and I'm not about to board a plane and fly for five hours just to give Roy's another chance....although if I leave now I can be having some loco moco at Hawaiian Style Cafe in the big island for breakfast.
I prefer this location over the new La Jolla and Fashion Island locations. Although they are all pretty good as well. The thing I like about this one is that they have always been very consistent with both the meat and fish dishes. At the La Jolla and the Fashion Island locations, I have had some fish dishes that were just ok.
One of the best values here is the Prix Fixe meal that is only about $35 and comes with a good size appetizer, a main course and a chocolate souffle ... well you actually have a choice of other desserts, but I don't because to me the souffle makes the whole meal worth while and is one of the reasons I really like going to Roy's
Aside from the souffle, my other favorites are the short ribs and the butterfish.
I'll admit that what caught my eye about Roy's was the bottles and bottles of booze in the window. Looked like a cute little place to have drinks one night. Fast forward a few months and my best friend and I decide to check it out.
Boy were we glad we did! We couldn't decide on what to get so we both ordered the prix fixe. This way we could try it all. Even then, we ended up with doggie bags. The food was fantastic! I have gone back about 3 times and every time it is great.
Oh, and my first attraction... the booze bottles... yeah, they make a great martini! ;)
Roy's is more like 2.5 stars. It is within walking distance to Staples Center, which is nice. The decor is kind of cheesy.
We had a sampling of the appetizers including sushi rolls and their hot stuff (ribs, potstickers). It was kind of a mixed bag--some good, some bad. For my entree, I had the beef short rib. I am not a big fan of the beef short rib, but it was their speciality. It was a little too fatty and greasy for my taste.
For dessert, we had the melting hot chocolate souffle (which was actually really good) and the pineapple upside down cake (which was okay, but I wouldn't get it again).
Roy's offers a fixed 3 course menu for $35. I should have gone for that because much of what I order was from there anyway (and the portions were big). If I had gotten that, this place would probably be 3 stars because it would have been much more of a value.
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