I use to come to this place and it was great, but its really gone downhill. The place needs to be cleaned, and some basic repairs need to be done (stickers on the booth upholstery to cover tears?). The food was terrible. We got the carbonara, which tasted more like butter sauce; no sign of cheese or egg. The spaghetti and meatball had a red sauce that was watery and flavorless. Even the wine that used to make me think of this place as a wine bar, was down to just a few basics. Not good. I won't be back until I hear that its gone through a major overhaul on the space and the food.
Overall it was a chill vibe, just kinda bummed on the night I decided to dine a lot of what I was looking forward to trying was out of stock (Gamberi dish). I ended up goin w the Pescatore dish w House Red Wine.
What a disappointment having been there so many times years before. Food is atrocious with some items not available due to no customers attending. Basically meat balls were just warmed up with no taste. Entrees were acceptable. Poor wine list. Staff are friendly but overall it is not recommended. We will not be returning.
BriannaH
Took off a favorite plate from the menu yet it's not updated on their website or this app either. The waiter said he'll check if they would still make it which I appreciated it but they said no. I ordered the bolognese and then the server said they didn't have the correct pasta but can still make it. So I just ordered the basic spaghetti and meatballs. Overall not even worth coming here, back in 2021 it was such a great experience now I know why this restaurant has a low rating. Not worth eating here or the price for the basic dishes.
Worst experience ever! We ordered a pizza for our kid : marguerita: we told them we want half with tomato sauce and half with tomate sauce and cheese... we got a pizza with cheese ( no tomate sauce) like dough and cheese, we told the waitress no we said half no cheese and half with cheese... they made another pizza half with nothing and half with cheese, we were like : where is the tomato sauce??!! They said we dont make pizza with tomato sauce?? WTF, why you are mentioning the ingredient pomodoro on the menu???!!! We were really upset , my kid had to wait for an hour without eating, and we left !!! DO NOT GO THERE!! It is overpriced and the food was so so
DonaldE
We were celebrating my daughter's 30th birthday. They were very accommodating. They had us sitting outside, but we asked if we could move inside of the restaurant, and they moved us very quickly. Our server was very good. Management managed the restaurant very well.
StacyB
We had the most beautiful Christmas Eve dinner. The service from the moment we walked in was amazing, everyone was on top of our needs the whole time, the outside atmosphere was perfect! We are so thankful and appreciative!
We've eaten at Il Lupino a few times but this was not a good visit. Being vegan, we had been accommodated with the chef preparing a pasta dish for our needs. No vegan pasta. Waiter brings out appetizers with cheese on them even though we told him no cheese. Not a positive experience but it may have just been a bad night for the restaurant.
Chris Dominik
All food undercooked, including chicken. Lamb chops served in pairs(why!?), not seasoned at all, cold in the middle. Veggies (carrots) undercooked. Manager came to us and asked us to cut redone chicken breast (originally raw) to make sure it’s done this time and offered no apology at all. They did not charge us for chicken though and waitress was great but food is below average.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
DavidC
It's so hard to find decent authentic Italian cuisine in Honolulu since theclong ago days of Matteo's. . This is NOT the place. Food is bland and interior ambiance is sterile. Service was fair.
First time here February 2020 the food was amazing. Today, December 2023, the food was horrible. Ok, arugula salad, caprese salad and octopus salad were good. Bolognese (with wide noodles), spaghetti with tomato sauce and the spaghetti Vongole we’re edible but certainly not memorable or worth revisiting (4 of the 6 diners are Italian). The Chicken Marsala was inedible! The chicken had been cooked to death and was like chewing rubber. Absolutely one of the worst meals we’ve had in Honolulu.The staff were very friendly and pleasant but the service was neither prompt and the servers did not know much about the ingredients and when asked them to verify with the chef the answer never came back. Probably not the server’s fault, I would question management and staff training or lack there of.Sorry, I’l Lupino, we will never return.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Grilled Octopus
Greg Dutson
This is one of the worst places I have ever eaten.I'd really advise against spending your money here or even sitting here as you can read below.Food:-The housemade lasagna sheets sounded amazing, but they were thick and chewy and just unappetizing.-The Carbonara was flavorless- this is a trend in the food.-The Caesar salad was just lettuce- the little bit of dressing was actually unpalatable and tasted like how my garbage smells.Service:-our waiter was very nice. However, once he took our order, he was not seen until well after we were done and waiting for a check. I wasn't even able to order another glass of wine to drink away the meal.Atmosphere:-my wife got bites from the seat! Like I get Hawaii has some different critters, but how the heck did she get bedbug looking bites from a seat??I was so disappointed. And for $115 I would have loved at least an OK meal, but this was nowhere near it.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
MikeysDad
We had a reservation to sit inside & were promptly seated. While walking to the table, we commented to each other that it was warm but figured it was because we just came in from outside. We sat, ordered wine and while waiting, said it was still hot. We asked our server if they could turn on the air conditioner and she said no because the window was open! We canceled the wine order and walked out.
WalkedOutHungry
We had a reservation to sit inside & were promptly seated. While walking to the table, we commented to each other that it was warm but figured it was because we just came in from outside. We sat, ordered wine and while waiting, said it was still hot. We asked our server if they could turn on the air conditioner and she said no because the window was open! We canceled the wine order and walked out.
Auston
Had the lasagna and eggplant parmesan. both were mediocre. Couldn’t finish the eggplant Parmesan, because the fryer oil tasted like it hasn’t been changed recently, burnt taste was over powering. The service was OK but it wasn’t even that busy and the staff seemed really chaotic, poorly managed.
I use to come to this place and it was great, but its really gone downhill. The place needs to be cleaned, and some basic repairs need to be done (stickers on the booth upholstery to cover tears?). The food was terrible. We got the carbonara, which tasted more like butter sauce; no sign of cheese or egg. The spaghetti and meatball had a red sauce that was watery and flavorless. Even the wine that used to make me think of this place as a wine bar, was down to just a few basics. Not good. I won't be back until I hear that its gone through a major overhaul on the space and the food.
Overall it was a chill vibe, just kinda bummed on the night I decided to dine a lot of what I was looking forward to trying was out of stock (Gamberi dish). I ended up goin w the Pescatore dish w House Red Wine.
What a disappointment having been there so many times years before. Food is atrocious with some items not available due to no customers attending. Basically meat balls were just warmed up with no taste. Entrees were acceptable. Poor wine list. Staff are friendly but overall it is not recommended. We will not be returning.
Took off a favorite plate from the menu yet it's not updated on their website or this app either. The waiter said he'll check if they would still make it which I appreciated it but they said no. I ordered the bolognese and then the server said they didn't have the correct pasta but can still make it. So I just ordered the basic spaghetti and meatballs. Overall not even worth coming here, back in 2021 it was such a great experience now I know why this restaurant has a low rating. Not worth eating here or the price for the basic dishes.
Worst experience ever! We ordered a pizza for our kid : marguerita: we told them we want half with tomato sauce and half with tomate sauce and cheese... we got a pizza with cheese ( no tomate sauce) like dough and cheese, we told the waitress no we said half no cheese and half with cheese... they made another pizza half with nothing and half with cheese, we were like : where is the tomato sauce??!! They said we dont make pizza with tomato sauce?? WTF, why you are mentioning the ingredient pomodoro on the menu???!!! We were really upset , my kid had to wait for an hour without eating, and we left !!! DO NOT GO THERE!! It is overpriced and the food was so so
We were celebrating my daughter's 30th birthday. They were very accommodating. They had us sitting outside, but we asked if we could move inside of the restaurant, and they moved us very quickly. Our server was very good. Management managed the restaurant very well.
We had the most beautiful Christmas Eve dinner. The service from the moment we walked in was amazing, everyone was on top of our needs the whole time, the outside atmosphere was perfect! We are so thankful and appreciative!
We've eaten at Il Lupino a few times but this was not a good visit. Being vegan, we had been accommodated with the chef preparing a pasta dish for our needs. No vegan pasta. Waiter brings out appetizers with cheese on them even though we told him no cheese. Not a positive experience but it may have just been a bad night for the restaurant.
All food undercooked, including chicken. Lamb chops served in pairs(why!?), not seasoned at all, cold in the middle. Veggies (carrots) undercooked. Manager came to us and asked us to cut redone chicken breast (originally raw) to make sure it’s done this time and offered no apology at all. They did not charge us for chicken though and waitress was great but food is below average.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
It's so hard to find decent authentic Italian cuisine in Honolulu since theclong ago days of Matteo's. . This is NOT the place. Food is bland and interior ambiance is sterile. Service was fair.
Restaurantji Recommends
First time here February 2020 the food was amazing. Today, December 2023, the food was horrible. Ok, arugula salad, caprese salad and octopus salad were good. Bolognese (with wide noodles), spaghetti with tomato sauce and the spaghetti Vongole we’re edible but certainly not memorable or worth revisiting (4 of the 6 diners are Italian). The Chicken Marsala was inedible! The chicken had been cooked to death and was like chewing rubber. Absolutely one of the worst meals we’ve had in Honolulu.The staff were very friendly and pleasant but the service was neither prompt and the servers did not know much about the ingredients and when asked them to verify with the chef the answer never came back. Probably not the server’s fault, I would question management and staff training or lack there of.Sorry, I’l Lupino, we will never return.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Grilled Octopus
This is one of the worst places I have ever eaten.I'd really advise against spending your money here or even sitting here as you can read below.Food:-The housemade lasagna sheets sounded amazing, but they were thick and chewy and just unappetizing.-The Carbonara was flavorless- this is a trend in the food.-The Caesar salad was just lettuce- the little bit of dressing was actually unpalatable and tasted like how my garbage smells.Service:-our waiter was very nice. However, once he took our order, he was not seen until well after we were done and waiting for a check. I wasn't even able to order another glass of wine to drink away the meal.Atmosphere:-my wife got bites from the seat! Like I get Hawaii has some different critters, but how the heck did she get bedbug looking bites from a seat??I was so disappointed. And for $115 I would have loved at least an OK meal, but this was nowhere near it.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
We had a reservation to sit inside & were promptly seated. While walking to the table, we commented to each other that it was warm but figured it was because we just came in from outside. We sat, ordered wine and while waiting, said it was still hot. We asked our server if they could turn on the air conditioner and she said no because the window was open! We canceled the wine order and walked out.
We had a reservation to sit inside & were promptly seated. While walking to the table, we commented to each other that it was warm but figured it was because we just came in from outside. We sat, ordered wine and while waiting, said it was still hot. We asked our server if they could turn on the air conditioner and she said no because the window was open! We canceled the wine order and walked out.
Had the lasagna and eggplant parmesan. both were mediocre. Couldn’t finish the eggplant Parmesan, because the fryer oil tasted like it hasn’t been changed recently, burnt taste was over powering. The service was OK but it wasn’t even that busy and the staff seemed really chaotic, poorly managed.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3