Artizen by MW

I ordered the Mochi Crusted Mrs. Cheng’s Tofu and was completely disappointed. Tofu was salty and oily. Sauce didn’t taste of yuzu kosho at all. Very small amount of somen and the tsukemono made the dish even more salty. The lilikoi lemonade was good tho.

11/01 attempted to grab a quick bite at Artizen. Website and front door says they open at 5pm. Didn't appear to be correct...granted i visited at 5:05pm.

​I recently visited Artizen by MW over several days to sample a variety of their offerings. Overall, the experience was a positive one, blending contemporary island flavors with excellent service.
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​My clear favorites were the Loco Moco and the Artizen Smashburger. The Loco Moco was a standout, featuring perfectly cooked sunny-side-up eggs and a savory, seemingly Japanese-style burger patty served over delicious fried rice. It was an amazing take on a local classic. The Artizen Smashburger lived up to its name, served smashburger-style with crispy, thin fries (well seasoned in salt). While I found the sauce slightly heavy, the burger was delicious overall.
​The dishes I did not prefer were the Fish and Chips and the Bubu Arare Garlic Chicken Sandwich. In my opinion, the fish was too thin, consisted of only 3 pieces were overly crispy, and lacked flavor, tasting mostly of oil. The chicken sandwich featured a unique batter that created an interesting texture (i assume thats the bubu arare part) that wasn't to my preference, and the tonkatsu-style sauce also didn't quite suit my taste.
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​The service across all my visits was consistently excellent. The older male and female cashier/server staff were universally nice, patient, and very helpful to me and others ordering. The younger male staff member didn't want to be there.

​The atmosphere was mix. The dining location, situated between a car dealership and the walkway to the Ward Ave side entrance, felt a bit randomly placed. Business was slightly busy on a Friday and mostly quiet on the other weekdays. There is ample seating, but I ultimately chose the convenient of take out.
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​Regarding the price, I found it to be comparable to other quality restaurants in Honolulu, and I would not consider it overly expensive. It is unfortunate that the location might not draw the volume of customers the quality of the food deserves.

The menu offers a very good variety of contemporary, local-style dishes. Something to note: they serve Illy coffee, which is a nice touch for fans of that brand, though I did not try the desserts on any of my visits.

​I would certainly return to Artizen by MW. It is a worthwhile stop for delicious island-inspired cuisine.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 3

The smash burger was good, comes with the skinniest fries. The chicken sandwich was not good (also came with fries). ~$60 for the two sandwiches, a drink, and tip.

You order from the counter (or online), food takes 15-20min, they deliver it in plastic containers to your table.

Lots of indoor/outdoor seating.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 2

Expensive but delicious food

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 4

Service: 5

Not exactly a professional coffee shop or cafe, they serve quality coffee drinks from an espresso machine behind the bar inside the car dealership. Nice server makes me a drink close to a cortado and it is good, though a bit high priced with only to-go cup options. Lots of seating w/ covered seating outside if you don’t mind the traffic. It’s all there for a great coffee shop but it’s not the restaurant’s priority. To-go food options look really good as well. High-quality spot for people with too much money… but if you’re walking by it’s good 🤙🏼 4.5/5

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Yummy pastries

I’ve only experienced the Thanksgiving bento box, but it was sensational and the staff went well above and beyond to accommodate the hordes of people wanting a meaningful meal on the holiday. I will definitely be back to try the rest of the regular menu!

I ordered take out from here, the food is very good. Price is quite reasonable. The portion is not huge, just the right size.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Mochi Crusted Fish

Today, I had lunch at @artizenbymw in @velocityhonolulu. Following the previous Chick Fil-A, chicken sandwich?Anyway, this is huge. The chicken was sticking out of the bun ? I couldn't fit it all in, so I had to cut it in half to eat it ?It was crunchy on the outside, juicy and delicious on the inside.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Bubu Arare Crusted Chicken Sandwich

Today, I had lunch at @artizenbymw in @velocityhonolulu. Following the previous Chick Fil-A, chicken sandwich?

Anyway, this is huge. The chicken was sticking out of the bun ? I couldn't fit it all in, so I had to cut it in half to eat it ?

It was crunchy on the outside, juicy and delicious on the inside.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Bubu Arare Garlic Chicken Sandwich

We were treated to some bentos at work and they were really delicious

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Bento Box

I was excited to try Artizen’s weekly specials after seeing it posted on Instagram. The portions were decently sized. I don’t know if the eggs were cooked ahead of time but the yolk didn’t run when broken and had a slightly rubber consistency. The pork chops were cooked perfectly, but in the vegetables that came with it the carrots were undercooked. After finishing the ham plate we noticed a lot of oil left behind on the bottom of the container.

Had a really good experience here! A nice hidden little gem. (They did seem to be out of a significant amount of menu items: drink-wise, which was pretty weird…) It’s a nice place to just chill and work. Super comfy dining room area- probably because intended use seems to be people waiting for something related to the auto business connected to it. This also might be why the menu items are so expensive. The staff was so so friendly, sweet, and informative!

11/2/2022: Food was delicious. The two of us ordered the Cesar salad, tonkatsu, and Shepherd's Pie (daily special). The pipikaula poke was yummy! Tonkatsu beautifully fried. The Shepherd's pie was very filling, nice fluffy layer of potatoes.Disappointment: Even though we dined in, our meal was delivered in plastic to go containers. When we were done there was no trash sorting receptacles so everything went into the trash...plastic, compostable cutlery, and glass. Very disappointed.

Fresh cream, an abundance of strawberries, and the tightly balanced, loamy-herbaceous notes of matcha spongecake are a few of the delicate flavors and sensations that rise in layers atop a crispy-sweet feuilletine crust. Strawberry matcha shortcake from Artizen by MW, which was created by Michelle Karr-Ueoka, a semi-finalist for the James Beard Award three times, has a flavor that is reminiscent of early summer in the clouds.