I have been to many fine dining restaurants in Europe and the US and the New Years dinner I had with my husband at AV was absolutely our favorite! I understand the critical points in the other reviews, the seating options could definitely be optimized a bit to allow more privacy, yet, there is really nothing critical i could say about the staff. They were very attentive and made our dinner possible even though there was a mistake with our reservation. The food was an absolute highlight, every dish was full of flavor and delicious. Also the surprise dish is a very creative and much appreciated idea. From all the dining out experiences I had in Hawaii, this is the one that left a lasting impression.
Dinesh Rao
An amazing, attentive, delicious, innovative all-vegan fine dining experience that I would recommend to all. Delicious, and I left full. Can't wait to go back!Vegetarian options: It's all vegan.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sandwich
R B.
Amazing find in Hawaii! My wife is vegan and we always struggle to find good restaurants. Every one of the 10 courses were flavorful and we recommend you try the sake pairing. So happy with this experience!!
Sanjay T.
Overall, I find $120 for the tasting menu too expensive. Vegan food was good. Ambiance could be better! People are nice.
TwoRabbits
We enjoyed the location and service at AV - which are two sticking points in other reviews. The chefs were friendly and talkative about the food if you engaged with them. It wasn't too difficult to get to this small cozy location from Waikiki.
The food was quite good with a range of different cuisines and flavors. Not all of it was my cup of tea but there were a few standouts including: Turkish eggplant and truffle mushroom bao. This is upscale expensive dining and it felt like that. It's hard to determine whether the high price is worth the experience / food, but we didn't feel ripped off by any means. We were the only people in the restaurant that night which can feel a little isolating - opposed to feeling special.
Vikram S
I will tag this place as Asian influenced vegan/vegetarian tasting.We went to this place to celebrate the wedding anniversary. As said in other recent reviews, the place was empty. That means we had the entire restaurant for ourselves. We were asked to choose a table or bar, and we opted to table.Good things:1. Food is loaded with flavors2. Not all items are supposed to be eaten by chopstick. The crew provides specific instructions on how to eat. If you don't know how to eat with chopstick, don't worry.3. Staff is friendly and enjoys conversations.4. There is a happy meal option, in case you are not feeling filled. It is suggested a few items before desserts. It includes a plant based patty and fries and costs extra.A couple of downsides I noticed:1. Service was too fast. Initially, it felt like they were rushing through items. We had to eat slowly to enjoy the flavors.2. There are not many pairing options of wine other than sake.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Davey W.
Delicious, well presented tasty food. Great staff.All the courses were flavourful and complement each other so well.
Felicitas O
Oy where do I start? First off I want to say I was very excited to be trying out a vegan fine dining experience in Honolulu and neither the cost nor the small plates were a turnoff. I came with a local friend and we reserved a table at 5:30 expecting this to take a while. When we arrived 5 minutes late the place was deserted and I thought I had gotten the time wrong but no, we were the only guests. Oh well. We were seated at the end of the long bar like sushi counter, like someone else remarked under overhead lights next to the kitchen with little ambiance. No tablecloths, the surfaces are black corian. The server could not have been nicer and it is he that made the entire event bearable! Right of the get go the food was not awesome! Beautiful to look at but not very flavorful. Basically mostly prepared and stored in tupper containers, then plated in front of us! I believe the first three dishes took 15 minutes or less and I made a remark that at this pace we’d be done in about 40 minutes or so! Insane!The server then offered to slow things down. We had a nice conversation with him about where he’s from, his upcoming trip to Japan and so on. I had been to 11madison in New York which I shared images off. We were basically killing time! The food was mediocre at best! The fact that someone was basically standing right in front of us, snapping open Tupperware, taking out prepared items, placing them on dishes then sliding them over simply felt surreal!No chef in site! A second person was there but I’m not sure what she was doing, possibly preparing for guests arriving for the 8 pm seating?I’m grateful that my friend and also myself have a good sense of humor and pretty much laughed this entire thing off as an experience we’d be looking back on one day as a funny story! One dish, done colorful pasta like ravioli looked like kids food with bright blue striped. Rubberlike cold texture! The hot broth poured over it was actually pretty good.The worst was the cream cheese like sauce on the rice ball like things we were served. It tasted like breakfast spread with jelly mixed in. The last dessert I also did not finish! I’ll say at this point that I’m not a huge foodie! I love a lot of things, enjoy “ raised by the waves” because it’s so clean and fresh and flavorful! This food was just terrible! The chef I hear teaches at the culinary institute! I’m beyond astonished! Truly! Amazing!!! I just can’t imagine this restaurant will last.I’ve been vegan for over 6 years and gladly try out any place that offers vegan food but this place was probably the worst vegan food I’ve ever had. Again, the plating is great, it looks pretty enough and our server was lovely. But that was about it.I just can’t imagine what it would be like to book this for a special occasion or romantic evening!
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 4
Michelle A.
I've been 3 times and love it. The venue is pricy, so I have to pace it, but it is worth it. The experience of many small, creative and delicious plates (which by visit 3 were generally larger servings!) is awesome. It is hard to find vegan wine, so it would be nice to have a BYOB option since my friends weren't sake fans. I enjoyed theirs! :)
julesaregems
We came here on our honey moon. It's expensive but we loved every bite. It was magical. Each chef tells you about the different courses, there's little things to prepare for each course. We were enchanted .
We came here on our honey moon. It's expensive but we loved every bite. It was magical. Each chef tells you about the different courses, there's little things to prepare for each course. We were enchanted .
Dustin D.
Ate at chef Kens XO restaurant many times before and had to try AV...loved the ambiance and the food was not only astatically amazing but delicious! Highly recommended :)
RoseDelaney
Satisfying, interesting tasting menu, however, I would say it is overpriced as the location and service is not on par with the price of the tasting menu. Especially loved the mushroom dumpling!
TianTian Eats
Better intentions than execution. of the meal was overly salty, to the point that the broth accompanying the agnolotti was essentially inedible.Service: Decently friendly service in this small restaurant, but for a fine-dining restaurant where we were one of the only two parties, we expected a bit more prep than to find dirty seating and serving plates that my family had to take the extra effort cleaning on their own before dining.Value: At $120 (instead of the $99 shown on the menu during our service) per person before taxes/gratuities/and an extra 3% credit card surcharge (unheard of at fine dining), very underwhelmed by the one extra-special meal I reserved in HNL to celebrate my dad's birthday and my mom's retirement.Instagram: TianTianEats
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
Eri S.
Small cave-like space, visually calm. Had a series of good to great dishes, with fun sake pairings. I left full and couldn't finish the second dessert. A got the "chkn" slider add-on with French fries that were really crispy with tender centers. He only ate half of the sandwich but all of the desserts. The service is good - there were 3 servers for 4 parties (8 adults plus one kid that was super game), but at the end when I was trying to get some tea to have with dessert, they were suddenly very busy. Only when they brought our check was I able to get the teas added. The only place on the island that i heard a loudly vegan-proselytizing customer. I mean, everybody there got a reservation, managed parking during dinner time in Kaimuki and agree to eat and pay for a set vegan menu... you can tone down the performance, my guy. On the other hand, that guy probably won't be there when you go. If you want to try an interesting (expensive) vegan experience, could be worth it. If you eat at good vegan places regularly or are/have access to a good home cook, it may feel less innovative. I think I was hoping for more a celebration of local ingredients and flavors. I am glad there are so many more vegan/vegetarian-friendly places than before.
I have been to many fine dining restaurants in Europe and the US and the New Years dinner I had with my husband at AV was absolutely our favorite! I understand the critical points in the other reviews, the seating options could definitely be optimized a bit to allow more privacy, yet, there is really nothing critical i could say about the staff. They were very attentive and made our dinner possible even though there was a mistake with our reservation. The food was an absolute highlight, every dish was full of flavor and delicious. Also the surprise dish is a very creative and much appreciated idea. From all the dining out experiences I had in Hawaii, this is the one that left a lasting impression.
An amazing, attentive, delicious, innovative all-vegan fine dining experience that I would recommend to all. Delicious, and I left full. Can't wait to go back!Vegetarian options: It's all vegan.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sandwich
Amazing find in Hawaii! My wife is vegan and we always struggle to find good restaurants. Every one of the 10 courses were flavorful and we recommend you try the sake pairing. So happy with this experience!!
Overall, I find $120 for the tasting menu too expensive. Vegan food was good. Ambiance could be better! People are nice.
We enjoyed the location and service at AV - which are two sticking points in other reviews. The chefs were friendly and talkative about the food if you engaged with them. It wasn't too difficult to get to this small cozy location from Waikiki. The food was quite good with a range of different cuisines and flavors. Not all of it was my cup of tea but there were a few standouts including: Turkish eggplant and truffle mushroom bao. This is upscale expensive dining and it felt like that. It's hard to determine whether the high price is worth the experience / food, but we didn't feel ripped off by any means. We were the only people in the restaurant that night which can feel a little isolating - opposed to feeling special.
I will tag this place as Asian influenced vegan/vegetarian tasting.We went to this place to celebrate the wedding anniversary. As said in other recent reviews, the place was empty. That means we had the entire restaurant for ourselves. We were asked to choose a table or bar, and we opted to table.Good things:1. Food is loaded with flavors2. Not all items are supposed to be eaten by chopstick. The crew provides specific instructions on how to eat. If you don't know how to eat with chopstick, don't worry.3. Staff is friendly and enjoys conversations.4. There is a happy meal option, in case you are not feeling filled. It is suggested a few items before desserts. It includes a plant based patty and fries and costs extra.A couple of downsides I noticed:1. Service was too fast. Initially, it felt like they were rushing through items. We had to eat slowly to enjoy the flavors.2. There are not many pairing options of wine other than sake.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Delicious, well presented tasty food. Great staff.All the courses were flavourful and complement each other so well.
Oy where do I start? First off I want to say I was very excited to be trying out a vegan fine dining experience in Honolulu and neither the cost nor the small plates were a turnoff. I came with a local friend and we reserved a table at 5:30 expecting this to take a while. When we arrived 5 minutes late the place was deserted and I thought I had gotten the time wrong but no, we were the only guests. Oh well. We were seated at the end of the long bar like sushi counter, like someone else remarked under overhead lights next to the kitchen with little ambiance. No tablecloths, the surfaces are black corian. The server could not have been nicer and it is he that made the entire event bearable! Right of the get go the food was not awesome! Beautiful to look at but not very flavorful. Basically mostly prepared and stored in tupper containers, then plated in front of us! I believe the first three dishes took 15 minutes or less and I made a remark that at this pace we’d be done in about 40 minutes or so! Insane!The server then offered to slow things down. We had a nice conversation with him about where he’s from, his upcoming trip to Japan and so on. I had been to 11madison in New York which I shared images off. We were basically killing time! The food was mediocre at best! The fact that someone was basically standing right in front of us, snapping open Tupperware, taking out prepared items, placing them on dishes then sliding them over simply felt surreal!No chef in site! A second person was there but I’m not sure what she was doing, possibly preparing for guests arriving for the 8 pm seating?I’m grateful that my friend and also myself have a good sense of humor and pretty much laughed this entire thing off as an experience we’d be looking back on one day as a funny story! One dish, done colorful pasta like ravioli looked like kids food with bright blue striped. Rubberlike cold texture! The hot broth poured over it was actually pretty good.The worst was the cream cheese like sauce on the rice ball like things we were served. It tasted like breakfast spread with jelly mixed in. The last dessert I also did not finish! I’ll say at this point that I’m not a huge foodie! I love a lot of things, enjoy “ raised by the waves” because it’s so clean and fresh and flavorful! This food was just terrible! The chef I hear teaches at the culinary institute! I’m beyond astonished! Truly! Amazing!!! I just can’t imagine this restaurant will last.I’ve been vegan for over 6 years and gladly try out any place that offers vegan food but this place was probably the worst vegan food I’ve ever had. Again, the plating is great, it looks pretty enough and our server was lovely. But that was about it.I just can’t imagine what it would be like to book this for a special occasion or romantic evening!
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 4
I've been 3 times and love it. The venue is pricy, so I have to pace it, but it is worth it. The experience of many small, creative and delicious plates (which by visit 3 were generally larger servings!) is awesome. It is hard to find vegan wine, so it would be nice to have a BYOB option since my friends weren't sake fans. I enjoyed theirs! :)
We came here on our honey moon. It's expensive but we loved every bite. It was magical. Each chef tells you about the different courses, there's little things to prepare for each course. We were enchanted .
Restaurantji Recommends
We came here on our honey moon. It's expensive but we loved every bite. It was magical. Each chef tells you about the different courses, there's little things to prepare for each course. We were enchanted .
Ate at chef Kens XO restaurant many times before and had to try AV...loved the ambiance and the food was not only astatically amazing but delicious! Highly recommended :)
Satisfying, interesting tasting menu, however, I would say it is overpriced as the location and service is not on par with the price of the tasting menu. Especially loved the mushroom dumpling!
Better intentions than execution. of the meal was overly salty, to the point that the broth accompanying the agnolotti was essentially inedible.Service: Decently friendly service in this small restaurant, but for a fine-dining restaurant where we were one of the only two parties, we expected a bit more prep than to find dirty seating and serving plates that my family had to take the extra effort cleaning on their own before dining.Value: At $120 (instead of the $99 shown on the menu during our service) per person before taxes/gratuities/and an extra 3% credit card surcharge (unheard of at fine dining), very underwhelmed by the one extra-special meal I reserved in HNL to celebrate my dad's birthday and my mom's retirement.Instagram: TianTianEats
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
Small cave-like space, visually calm. Had a series of good to great dishes, with fun sake pairings. I left full and couldn't finish the second dessert. A got the "chkn" slider add-on with French fries that were really crispy with tender centers. He only ate half of the sandwich but all of the desserts. The service is good - there were 3 servers for 4 parties (8 adults plus one kid that was super game), but at the end when I was trying to get some tea to have with dessert, they were suddenly very busy. Only when they brought our check was I able to get the teas added. The only place on the island that i heard a loudly vegan-proselytizing customer. I mean, everybody there got a reservation, managed parking during dinner time in Kaimuki and agree to eat and pay for a set vegan menu... you can tone down the performance, my guy. On the other hand, that guy probably won't be there when you go. If you want to try an interesting (expensive) vegan experience, could be worth it. If you eat at good vegan places regularly or are/have access to a good home cook, it may feel less innovative. I think I was hoping for more a celebration of local ingredients and flavors. I am glad there are so many more vegan/vegetarian-friendly places than before.