TLDR: Melissa is AWESOME! But, if you are gluten free (ie no soy sauce with wheat) or allergic to mushrooms, you can’t eat here.
My husband and I combined have those allergies and Melissa was very kind to ask the chef if we could be accommodated. Unfortunately it wasn’t possible. Melissa was so respectful of how she informed us - aaaaaaand then offered us a complimentary cocktail (which was on point) and a reservation down the road at a nice restaurant that she knew could accommodate our allergies!
I don’t envy her for effectively having to kick us out, but she (and the entire staff) were so gracious to us. Thank you Melissa!
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Leon
Very good food and cocktail pairing. Decent value. However, for this price point we should not have to wait for seating on a reservation. We waited in excess of 10 minutes for them to clear the other table and get it ready for us. No service recovery offered.
Service during was good. Atmosphere left a bit to be desired. Picture fine dining dishes served in a modern izakaya venue. Pictures added for the experience menu dated for today. Total dining experience was about 2 hours long.
Again, in excess of $200 a person. There should be no wait times for reserved seating. Also, there was no alcohol or drink pairing for the dessert course. A simple dessert wine or hot tea would’ve elevated the finishing part of the meal but none was offered leaving a flat finish compared to the rest of courses. Also, left a bit hungry. Would recommend adding a bread or roll to help. Just a few suggestions for the restaurant.
Highlight was the lobster roll, definitely worth paying for the add-on or upgrading to the experience menu.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Abigail J
We did the Christmas menu for dinner and it was incredible. Honestly too difficult to decide which was our favorite. The common standout was the salmon toast, it was perfectly smoked and the toast was perfectly crunchy. I personally loved the Wagyu kimbap, it was one of the most flavorful bites I’ve ever had to eat. I wish I could go back to eat it again. The baked potato was my other favorite. They bake the potato, then mash it, then bake it again. The crunch topping pairs perfectly with the caviar. Best baked potato I’ve ever had. My partner really enjoyed the galbi ribs, they were incredibly marinated and so tender. The garlic paste was really good, and it paired well with the caviar as well. My favorite desert was the shaved ice. It tasted like 雪花冰, it was perfectly milky and sweet and light and refreshing. The apple bits, puff pastry, and caramel sauce were the perfect touches. I got mocktails and my partner got the cocktails. What I loved is my mocktails tasted just like his cocktails. I feel like often restaurants just serve something super sweet for mocktails, or something that tastes nothing like a cocktail. I felt like my mocktails had the same dimensions as his cocktails and were the perfect palette cleansers. Both are perfectly suited to complement the courses they are paired with. Can’t recommend enough if you’re looking to splurge on a nice dinner. Both the taste and presentation are on point. Don’t worry about wasting your money on something that only looks fancy but doesn’t taste that good. Bar Maze both looks good and tastes amazing. We left full and very happy.
We (party of 4) came here for dinner after reading the reviews, and wow were we all impressed with the meal. We decided on the seasonal tasting menu with the musubi add on, and a few drinks sprinkled in. The food was incredible from start to finish, and well worth it at this or really a higher price point. Let's just say on the drive home we all discussed what everyone's favorite dish was, and none of us could settle on a single dish that's stood out above the rest...they were all equally as good in different ways. Highly recommend this place to friends and anyone else visiting Oahu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Scallops, Shaved Ice, Washugyu and Local Banchan, A5 Miyazaki Wagyu Ribeye, Miso Salmon, Rock Dessert
Jason Yiu
If Hawaii had Michelin stars these guys would definitely deserve some. I’ve experienced over 200+ Michelin stars and Bar Maze has been easily a top 20 meal. Not very often does every course in a tasting menu blow me away.
Lots of fancy places have great techniques and gimmicks that might not add to the end product of flavour but I found there were no gimmicks at Bar Maze. Everything contributed to the experience and put flavours first. That being said, the non alcoholic cocktails were also great but not exceptional to me.
Some highlights included a scallop + chicken flavour dish which was quite the delectable combo, the Wagyu musubi and rock chocolate. I’m very much looking forward to coming back here when the menu changes.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 4
Jenny Zaerr
What an experience! My husband and I came to celebrate my birthday and we both did the tasting menu. He did the cocktail pairings and I got a little taste of each pairing. They did such a good job (not surprised being related to bar leather apron).
The courses were incredible. I think my very favorite bite was the snack... the bourbon barrel smoked salmon toast on Japanese milk bread. But really every bite was so delicious. We ended up adding 4 of the chimichurri oysters and that was the BEST decision. Unique and amazing flavor combo.
I didn’t leave hungry and not too full either. It all was perfect!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Audrey L
Within the first four bites of the “experience” menu, I knew without a doubt that Bar Maze is easily on their way to earn their first star (whenever Michelin decides to come to town).
Normally, as with any tasting menu, there’s often a favourite dish - something that really stood out. But at Bar Maze, my husband and I found it difficult to decide which dish was best.
The oyster starter with chimichurri & daikon was a phenomenal start to the meal… followed by the wagyu on nori with shitake mushroom, the dungeness crab chawanmushi & salmon on toast - each dish with balanced flavours and left us wanting more.
The rest of the meal passed in equal measure - delicious dish after delicious dish, all served with a smile. My only regret of the entire meal was not reserving a seat at the bar.
Chef Ki Chung - you’ve curated an amazing menu, and team. Thank you for such an incredible meal, we can’t wait to hear of all your future success!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ángel Martínez Capilla
Nice flavors, Good service. Love the aesthetics
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kevin
I was bummed out that Bar Leather Apron did not have any reservation available during our spontaneous trip to visit friends. But our friends surprised us by taking us to this location (thanks Crystal and Andy)
Loved that each course comes with a pairing cocktail . When we visited Bar Leather Apron before, I had wished food would be available. Apparently this location is run by same people behind Bar Leather Apron. No wonder we were just as impressed. My wife had opted for non-alcoholic options and they were just as delicious. Probably one of the best food experiences in my life.
Kent Young
Wow - this was our second trip to Bar Maze, but it won’t be our last! Another exceptional meal and cocktail pairing. Some dishes were the same as last time (happy to have these stars again) and some were new. All the dishes were so creative, beautiful, and flavorful. And the cocktails paired nicely with the food, and also were so delicious and well presented. Mahalo Bar Maze team for another spectacular meal! From beginning to end, this continues to shine as the top dining in Oahu
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Steak Tartare, Washugyu and Local Banchan, Miso Salmon, Rock Dessert
I was very excited to experience this restaurant as an individual who visits the finest restaurants around the world with the price point and reputation i was expecting a premium level of service. I also was celebrating my birthday..
They sat us at a table less then 48 inches from the hostess stand after i politely requested a seat at the bar this request was ignored and not even responded to.
The first 3 courses where well paired but struggled to keep from being uncomfortably salty and the server didnt know anything about origins and then tried to tell us the wine was from somewhere it wasnt and had no knowledge about it. The fourth course looked amazing but after asking i was told it was beef short rib and it ended of being pork. There are several problems with this but the biggest outside of the fact the server didnt know what type of meat it was is the fact that my first bite caused my mouth so much pain i could barely contain myself and then i couldnt taste anything for a long time after. The entire dish was confused unbalanced and had no business being on a plate.
The spice on the pork left my mouth burning for hrs and upset my stomach so i not not only had my birthday dinner completly ruined by bad service and even worse food but i had to loose a nights sleep from the pain
they tried to offer another piece of meat to make up for it but due to the pain i was in i couldnt enjoy it or the desserts and no one even attemtped to apologise or find out what was wrong.
The chef walked right past our table and ignored us. Which seemed to cement the overall ego of this place the that customer, their experience, and the lack of a trained staff are all things that dont matter not to mention the $500 fee to have your birthday ruined.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Fangjia Li (Lee)
if you like cocktail and pairing with food, this is the best restaurant for you!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rahul Shekher
Bar Maze would be a very high 1* or potentially a 2* Michelin level restaurant if Michelin came to Honolulu. Very good food and cocktails. There were five courses but the portions were larger than restaurants that have 8+ courses. Highly recommend the wagyu upgrade with the bar maze rice. The cocktails were very innovative and would be great if they came from a top cocktail bar. I was very surprised at how good the cocktails were and how well they paired with the food, especially compared to a 2* star Michelin restaurant like CODA in Berlin. The cocktails here were simply far better and more creative. The service is nice and friendly. Not very formal. If you want a very good tasting menu with exceptional cocktails, then you should come here. It's not cheap, but it's worth it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Christine Yang
Phenomenal experience. Cocktail pairing super fun and everything tasted perfectly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Daniel Ness
The food was fantastic and beautifully presented with great descriptions. The cocktail pairings were innovative and excellent additions to the food. The service was attentive and friendly but not overbearing. The dinnerware and barware were of good quality and fun. The lighting and background music were the only things that weren't absolutely spectacular. It was fun to see the kitchen work in process but the general lighting over the tables didn't highlight the food and drinks on the table as much as it could have. But overall a wonderful experience.
TLDR: Melissa is AWESOME! But, if you are gluten free (ie no soy sauce with wheat) or allergic to mushrooms, you can’t eat here.
My husband and I combined have those allergies and Melissa was very kind to ask the chef if we could be accommodated. Unfortunately it wasn’t possible. Melissa was so respectful of how she informed us - aaaaaaand then offered us a complimentary cocktail (which was on point) and a reservation down the road at a nice restaurant that she knew could accommodate our allergies!
I don’t envy her for effectively having to kick us out, but she (and the entire staff) were so gracious to us. Thank you Melissa!
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Very good food and cocktail pairing. Decent value. However, for this price point we should not have to wait for seating on a reservation. We waited in excess of 10 minutes for them to clear the other table and get it ready for us. No service recovery offered.
Service during was good. Atmosphere left a bit to be desired. Picture fine dining dishes served in a modern izakaya venue. Pictures added for the experience menu dated for today. Total dining experience was about 2 hours long.
Again, in excess of $200 a person. There should be no wait times for reserved seating. Also, there was no alcohol or drink pairing for the dessert course. A simple dessert wine or hot tea would’ve elevated the finishing part of the meal but none was offered leaving a flat finish compared to the rest of courses. Also, left a bit hungry. Would recommend adding a bread or roll to help. Just a few suggestions for the restaurant.
Highlight was the lobster roll, definitely worth paying for the add-on or upgrading to the experience menu.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
We did the Christmas menu for dinner and it was incredible. Honestly too difficult to decide which was our favorite. The common standout was the salmon toast, it was perfectly smoked and the toast was perfectly crunchy. I personally loved the Wagyu kimbap, it was one of the most flavorful bites I’ve ever had to eat. I wish I could go back to eat it again. The baked potato was my other favorite. They bake the potato, then mash it, then bake it again. The crunch topping pairs perfectly with the caviar. Best baked potato I’ve ever had. My partner really enjoyed the galbi ribs, they were incredibly marinated and so tender. The garlic paste was really good, and it paired well with the caviar as well. My favorite desert was the shaved ice. It tasted like 雪花冰, it was perfectly milky and sweet and light and refreshing. The apple bits, puff pastry, and caramel sauce were the perfect touches. I got mocktails and my partner got the cocktails. What I loved is my mocktails tasted just like his cocktails. I feel like often restaurants just serve something super sweet for mocktails, or something that tastes nothing like a cocktail. I felt like my mocktails had the same dimensions as his cocktails and were the perfect palette cleansers. Both are perfectly suited to complement the courses they are paired with. Can’t recommend enough if you’re looking to splurge on a nice dinner. Both the taste and presentation are on point. Don’t worry about wasting your money on something that only looks fancy but doesn’t taste that good. Bar Maze both looks good and tastes amazing. We left full and very happy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shaved Ice, Steak Tartare, Miso Salmon
We (party of 4) came here for dinner after reading the reviews, and wow were we all impressed with the meal. We decided on the seasonal tasting menu with the musubi add on, and a few drinks sprinkled in. The food was incredible from start to finish, and well worth it at this or really a higher price point. Let's just say on the drive home we all discussed what everyone's favorite dish was, and none of us could settle on a single dish that's stood out above the rest...they were all equally as good in different ways. Highly recommend this place to friends and anyone else visiting Oahu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Scallops, Shaved Ice, Washugyu and Local Banchan, A5 Miyazaki Wagyu Ribeye, Miso Salmon, Rock Dessert
If Hawaii had Michelin stars these guys would definitely deserve some. I’ve experienced over 200+ Michelin stars and Bar Maze has been easily a top 20 meal. Not very often does every course in a tasting menu blow me away.
Lots of fancy places have great techniques and gimmicks that might not add to the end product of flavour but I found there were no gimmicks at Bar Maze. Everything contributed to the experience and put flavours first. That being said, the non alcoholic cocktails were also great but not exceptional to me.
Some highlights included a scallop + chicken flavour dish which was quite the delectable combo, the Wagyu musubi and rock chocolate. I’m very much looking forward to coming back here when the menu changes.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 4
What an experience! My husband and I came to celebrate my birthday and we both did the tasting menu. He did the cocktail pairings and I got a little taste of each pairing. They did such a good job (not surprised being related to bar leather apron).
The courses were incredible. I think my very favorite bite was the snack... the bourbon barrel smoked salmon toast on Japanese milk bread. But really every bite was so delicious. We ended up adding 4 of the chimichurri oysters and that was the BEST decision. Unique and amazing flavor combo.
I didn’t leave hungry and not too full either. It all was perfect!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Within the first four bites of the “experience” menu, I knew without a doubt that Bar Maze is easily on their way to earn their first star (whenever Michelin decides to come to town).
Normally, as with any tasting menu, there’s often a favourite dish - something that really stood out. But at Bar Maze, my husband and I found it difficult to decide which dish was best.
The oyster starter with chimichurri & daikon was a phenomenal start to the meal… followed by the wagyu on nori with shitake mushroom, the dungeness crab chawanmushi & salmon on toast - each dish with balanced flavours and left us wanting more.
The rest of the meal passed in equal measure - delicious dish after delicious dish, all served with a smile. My only regret of the entire meal was not reserving a seat at the bar.
Chef Ki Chung - you’ve curated an amazing menu, and team. Thank you for such an incredible meal, we can’t wait to hear of all your future success!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nice flavors,
Good service.
Love the aesthetics
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I was bummed out that Bar Leather Apron did not have any reservation available during our spontaneous trip to visit friends. But our friends surprised us by taking us to this location (thanks Crystal and Andy)
Loved that each course comes with a pairing cocktail . When we visited Bar Leather Apron before, I had wished food would be available. Apparently this location is run by same people behind Bar Leather Apron. No wonder we were just as impressed. My wife had opted for non-alcoholic options and they were just as delicious. Probably one of the best food experiences in my life.
Wow - this was our second trip to Bar Maze, but it won’t be our last! Another exceptional meal and cocktail pairing. Some dishes were the same as last time (happy to have these stars again) and some were new. All the dishes were so creative, beautiful, and flavorful. And the cocktails paired nicely with the food, and also were so delicious and well presented. Mahalo Bar Maze team for another spectacular meal! From beginning to end, this continues to shine as the top dining in Oahu
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Steak Tartare, Washugyu and Local Banchan, Miso Salmon, Rock Dessert
Restaurantji Recommends
I was very excited to experience this restaurant as an individual who visits the finest restaurants around the world with the price point and reputation i was expecting a premium level of service. I also was celebrating my birthday..
They sat us at a table less then 48 inches from the hostess stand after i politely requested a seat at the bar this request was ignored and not even responded to.
The first 3 courses where well paired but struggled to keep from being uncomfortably salty and the server didnt know anything about origins and then tried to tell us the wine was from somewhere it wasnt and had no knowledge about it. The fourth course looked amazing but after asking i was told it was beef short rib and it ended of being pork. There are several problems with this but the biggest outside of the fact the server didnt know what type of meat it was is the fact that my first bite caused my mouth so much pain i could barely contain myself and then i couldnt taste anything for a long time after. The entire dish was confused unbalanced and had no business being on a plate.
The spice on the pork left my mouth burning for hrs and upset my stomach so i not not only had my birthday dinner completly ruined by bad service and even worse food but i had to loose a nights sleep from the pain
they tried to offer another piece of meat to make up for it but due to the pain i was in i couldnt enjoy it or the desserts and no one even attemtped to apologise or find out what was wrong.
The chef walked right past our table and ignored us. Which seemed to cement the overall ego of this place the that customer, their experience, and the lack of a trained staff are all things that dont matter not to mention the $500 fee to have your birthday ruined.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
if you like cocktail and pairing with food, this is the best restaurant for you!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bar Maze would be a very high 1* or potentially a 2* Michelin level restaurant if Michelin came to Honolulu. Very good food and cocktails. There were five courses but the portions were larger than restaurants that have 8+ courses. Highly recommend the wagyu upgrade with the bar maze rice. The cocktails were very innovative and would be great if they came from a top cocktail bar. I was very surprised at how good the cocktails were and how well they paired with the food, especially compared to a 2* star Michelin restaurant like CODA in Berlin. The cocktails here were simply far better and more creative. The service is nice and friendly. Not very formal. If you want a very good tasting menu with exceptional cocktails, then you should come here. It's not cheap, but it's worth it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Phenomenal experience. Cocktail pairing super fun and everything tasted perfectly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food was fantastic and beautifully presented with great descriptions. The cocktail pairings were innovative and excellent additions to the food. The service was attentive and friendly but not overbearing. The dinnerware and barware were of good quality and fun. The lighting and background music were the only things that weren't absolutely spectacular. It was fun to see the kitchen work in process but the general lighting over the tables didn't highlight the food and drinks on the table as much as it could have. But overall a wonderful experience.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shaved Ice, Honey Donut Banana Caviar, Miso Salmon
Loading...