Always have the corny bread and tried the eggplant and where's da beef pasta. The eggplant tempura batter is so light! Little hiccup on the pasta but plan to come back.
Grace
Went back for dinner again after restaurant week. We tried the laksa risotto and the fish special. The lemongrass broth for the fish was excellent We live in Kakaako where we can walk to great places to eat, but the food here is worth the drive. Strongly recommend
Karen
A delicious restaurant week menu. The food is always great so we knew it would be a great experience!
Glady
Friendly staff. We were first seated next to a boisterous group there for a birthday and asked to be moved. They did so though the vibe I got was a little off putting. I don't think a lot of people ask their tables to be switched, but I could feel a migraine coming on. If they hadn't accommodated us, I probably would have just left. Food was good. I don't know if it's a thing with some of the more hipster restaurants here where they do too much sometimes with the flavors. It was restaurant week so we got to choose an entree and dessert. Appetizers were all the same, corn bread with honey butter, a pumpkin spice muffin with lilikoi butter, and a cranberry scone. The scone and corn bread were yummy. The lilikoi though did nothing for the pumpkin muffin and I ended up scraping it off as the two flavors did not mix well. My entree was the kfc with waffles. Waffle was good with the chicken, but there seemed to be some kind of glaze/butter(?) in the middle and that just overpowered all the flavors. I still don't know what that flavor is. My dad had the breakfast burger. Meat was good he said though he didn't feel like the teriyaki sauce brought anything to the table since the egg and cheese overpowered the flavoring. He said the chips were also bland. All in all not a bad experience. Don't know if I would ever come back though. I encourage others to at least try it.
Jodie
We had a large-ish group (9 peeps) and they were amazingly accommodating. The food was fab! Some of us chose the Prix Fixe menu, others ala carte - no problem with the orders or the pacing of the meal! We brought 2 bottle of wine, ordered another, plus a few individual drinks throughout the eve - all spot on! We definitely will go back!
Patty
Food was excellent freshly prepared and tasty! Loved the Kalo hummus, seafood paella and pumpkin brûlée and hula pie. Went for restaurant week! I would come back again!
Sharon
The overall experience was great. It was a farewell lunch for a friend and we appreciated being able to stay at the table for a while even after we finished our food. And we were delighted with the complimentary ice cream to be shared. Those who ordered the burgers, fried chicken and shroom melt were very pleased with their food. The only disappointment in the food was with the avocado toast-lots of delicious toppings but hard to find the avocado. It was a bit noisy with ringing phones and several loud talkers. But we all agreed we would return to this restaurant again.
Glenn
The food and service were excellent. Due to it being restaurant week, it was crowed and noisy.
John
Good food for the value just be aware that you may have to wait as it's very busy even with a reservation.
Ernest
The food portions and quality were great. Initially there was an issue with what appeared to be an overbooking issue as I had to wait almost a half hour to be seated in the restaurant despite having a reservation. It seemed there were several guests who were also waiting to get seats that had reservations as well when I arrived and it was disheartening to see guests that seemed to arrive after me (though I'm not sure if they had checked in earlier and left and came back) be seated before me. My irritation must have been obvious because an employee named Ethan came over to me to see what was happening and apologized on behalf of the restaurant which was a very nice gesture and helped to diffuse the situation. I was later given a complimentary appetizer in appreciation for my patience which made me feel they cared about their customers concerns. I would like to thank Ethan for his great customer service and apologize to the hostess who was trying her best to accommodate all the restaurant patrons despite how busy they were at the time. Overall, the restaurant service and food was great and maybe not for the reservation issue I would've said outstanding. I will be back.
I seemed to be one of only about five diners which was a little strange. Why is the restaurant not attracting more patrons?
Humberto
Food was fantastic. We are from the east coast and we're not familiar with most of the dishes but everything was delicious. Presentation was great too. At end of meal the chef came over to our table to ask how everything was. I told him he should apply for Top Chef. If we were from the area, we would be regulars here. The restaurant location and appearance was low key but the food was not. I highly recommend the seafood risotto. I never had anything like it and wish I could have it again.
Christopher Reichle
This unassuming gem in Kahala is a must. No real frills regarding the aesthetic of the restaurant, but the food and drink menu more than made up for it. The steak tartare was a new and unique take on a classic dish and it didn’t disappoint. The smoked ahi dip was outstanding. I had the steak. It was seasoned and cooked to perfection over a bed on long beans that were sautéed perfectly. My friend had the seafood risotto. I got jealous the second it hit the table. All sorts of different seafood like clams, perfectly seared scallops, and huge shrimp all piled on top of an amazing portion of risotto. Their old fashioned menu was diverse and revolutionary. Highly recommend the brown butter old fashioned. Sadly we didn’t have room for dessert. Will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gerard
The K-pop trio went to see The Rose: Come Back to Me at the Kahala Theater so I made a reservation at Kapa Hale, a place I love, save for the limited parking. One of us started with a Cranberry Mule while we perused the menu. The Fall tasting menu looked great, but we thought it might be too much food for us on this evening. We ended up ordering the Chicken Liver Mousse, Everyday I'm Brussel'N and the Naan Ya Business as our appetizers and the Hawaiian Beef Tartare and Eggplant, Where's Da Beef (Tagliatelle) Pasta and the Chop It Like It's Hot (pork chop) as our mains. The liver mousse was served on a plate with pickled vegetables and nice slices of toasted bread. I ordered a glass of Steorra Brut (Russian River Valley, CA) sparkling wine to have with the liver mousse. The Brussels sprouts were perfectly charred ... Often times they're charred too much, and we receive a dish of blackened vegetables ... Not so at Kapa Hale. The naan bread with Tikka Masala curry (with pieces of Sumida watercress Namul) arrived much later than the other appetizers ... The naan was just right and the curry was mild (to me). Each of us liked our entrees ... Hah, this time the better half of the world food tour duo didn't get any of my pork chop. It was Jamaican Jerk seasoned with slices of lime and served with Cannellini (white beans) ... I loved it! I ordered a glass of Intrinsic cab (Columbia Valley, WA) to accompany my dish. The tagliatelle looked amazing as did the beef tartare and eggplant. This time, only one of us asked for a container (for the tagliatelle). We shared a Da Kahala Shuffle (chocolate and Kahlua mud pie), and I ended my meal with a French Press coffee. The prices were reasonable and service from AJ was fine, even though he was the only server working on a Saturday evening. I like their food and would like to visit more but I don't like the parking situation. However, I found a nice stall in the mall parking garage, so future visits are in order. Recommended!
Sandra
Researching the food didn't really interest me to visit here but there was so much positive reviews that just out of curiosity wanted to see for myself. I must admit, the food was great, lots of taste but most of all, the service was wonderful! The main dish took a while to come out which was the only negative part. Not sure if this was part of the plan to spread the appetizers and your dish but I was sort of full by the time my food arrived. We did have great service so that made up for it. I honestly would visit here again!
Always have the corny bread and tried the eggplant and where's da beef pasta. The eggplant tempura batter is so light! Little hiccup on the pasta but plan to come back.
Went back for dinner again after restaurant week. We tried the laksa risotto and the fish special. The lemongrass broth for the fish was excellent We live in Kakaako where we can walk to great places to eat, but the food here is worth the drive. Strongly recommend
A delicious restaurant week menu. The food is always great so we knew it would be a great experience!
Friendly staff. We were first seated next to a boisterous group there for a birthday and asked to be moved. They did so though the vibe I got was a little off putting. I don't think a lot of people ask their tables to be switched, but I could feel a migraine coming on. If they hadn't accommodated us, I probably would have just left. Food was good. I don't know if it's a thing with some of the more hipster restaurants here where they do too much sometimes with the flavors. It was restaurant week so we got to choose an entree and dessert. Appetizers were all the same, corn bread with honey butter, a pumpkin spice muffin with lilikoi butter, and a cranberry scone. The scone and corn bread were yummy. The lilikoi though did nothing for the pumpkin muffin and I ended up scraping it off as the two flavors did not mix well. My entree was the kfc with waffles. Waffle was good with the chicken, but there seemed to be some kind of glaze/butter(?) in the middle and that just overpowered all the flavors. I still don't know what that flavor is. My dad had the breakfast burger. Meat was good he said though he didn't feel like the teriyaki sauce brought anything to the table since the egg and cheese overpowered the flavoring. He said the chips were also bland. All in all not a bad experience. Don't know if I would ever come back though. I encourage others to at least try it.
We had a large-ish group (9 peeps) and they were amazingly accommodating. The food was fab! Some of us chose the Prix Fixe menu, others ala carte - no problem with the orders or the pacing of the meal! We brought 2 bottle of wine, ordered another, plus a few individual drinks throughout the eve - all spot on! We definitely will go back!
Food was excellent freshly prepared and tasty! Loved the Kalo hummus, seafood paella and pumpkin brûlée and hula pie. Went for restaurant week! I would come back again!
The overall experience was great. It was a farewell lunch for a friend and we appreciated being able to stay at the table for a while even after we finished our food. And we were delighted with the complimentary ice cream to be shared. Those who ordered the burgers, fried chicken and shroom melt were very pleased with their food. The only disappointment in the food was with the avocado toast-lots of delicious toppings but hard to find the avocado. It was a bit noisy with ringing phones and several loud talkers. But we all agreed we would return to this restaurant again.
The food and service were excellent. Due to it being restaurant week, it was crowed and noisy.
Good food for the value just be aware that you may have to wait as it's very busy even with a reservation.
The food portions and quality were great. Initially there was an issue with what appeared to be an overbooking issue as I had to wait almost a half hour to be seated in the restaurant despite having a reservation. It seemed there were several guests who were also waiting to get seats that had reservations as well when I arrived and it was disheartening to see guests that seemed to arrive after me (though I'm not sure if they had checked in earlier and left and came back) be seated before me. My irritation must have been obvious because an employee named Ethan came over to me to see what was happening and apologized on behalf of the restaurant which was a very nice gesture and helped to diffuse the situation. I was later given a complimentary appetizer in appreciation for my patience which made me feel they cared about their customers concerns. I would like to thank Ethan for his great customer service and apologize to the hostess who was trying her best to accommodate all the restaurant patrons despite how busy they were at the time. Overall, the restaurant service and food was great and maybe not for the reservation issue I would've said outstanding. I will be back.
Restaurantji Recommends
I seemed to be one of only about five diners which was a little strange. Why is the restaurant not attracting more patrons?
Food was fantastic. We are from the east coast and we're not familiar with most of the dishes but everything was delicious. Presentation was great too. At end of meal the chef came over to our table to ask how everything was. I told him he should apply for Top Chef. If we were from the area, we would be regulars here. The restaurant location and appearance was low key but the food was not. I highly recommend the seafood risotto. I never had anything like it and wish I could have it again.
This unassuming gem in Kahala is a must. No real frills regarding the aesthetic of the restaurant, but the food and drink menu more than made up for it. The steak tartare was a new and unique take on a classic dish and it didn’t disappoint. The smoked ahi dip was outstanding. I had the steak. It was seasoned and cooked to perfection over a bed on long beans that were sautéed perfectly. My friend had the seafood risotto. I got jealous the second it hit the table. All sorts of different seafood like clams, perfectly seared scallops, and huge shrimp all piled on top of an amazing portion of risotto. Their old fashioned menu was diverse and revolutionary. Highly recommend the brown butter old fashioned. Sadly we didn’t have room for dessert. Will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
The K-pop trio went to see The Rose: Come Back to Me at the Kahala Theater so I made a reservation at Kapa Hale, a place I love, save for the limited parking. One of us started with a Cranberry Mule while we perused the menu. The Fall tasting menu looked great, but we thought it might be too much food for us on this evening. We ended up ordering the Chicken Liver Mousse, Everyday I'm Brussel'N and the Naan Ya Business as our appetizers and the Hawaiian Beef Tartare and Eggplant, Where's Da Beef (Tagliatelle) Pasta and the Chop It Like It's Hot (pork chop) as our mains. The liver mousse was served on a plate with pickled vegetables and nice slices of toasted bread. I ordered a glass of Steorra Brut (Russian River Valley, CA) sparkling wine to have with the liver mousse. The Brussels sprouts were perfectly charred ... Often times they're charred too much, and we receive a dish of blackened vegetables ... Not so at Kapa Hale. The naan bread with Tikka Masala curry (with pieces of Sumida watercress Namul) arrived much later than the other appetizers ... The naan was just right and the curry was mild (to me). Each of us liked our entrees ... Hah, this time the better half of the world food tour duo didn't get any of my pork chop. It was Jamaican Jerk seasoned with slices of lime and served with Cannellini (white beans) ... I loved it! I ordered a glass of Intrinsic cab (Columbia Valley, WA) to accompany my dish. The tagliatelle looked amazing as did the beef tartare and eggplant. This time, only one of us asked for a container (for the tagliatelle). We shared a Da Kahala Shuffle (chocolate and Kahlua mud pie), and I ended my meal with a French Press coffee. The prices were reasonable and service from AJ was fine, even though he was the only server working on a Saturday evening. I like their food and would like to visit more but I don't like the parking situation. However, I found a nice stall in the mall parking garage, so future visits are in order. Recommended!
Researching the food didn't really interest me to visit here but there was so much positive reviews that just out of curiosity wanted to see for myself. I must admit, the food was great, lots of taste but most of all, the service was wonderful! The main dish took a while to come out which was the only negative part. Not sure if this was part of the plan to spread the appetizers and your dish but I was sort of full by the time my food arrived. We did have great service so that made up for it. I honestly would visit here again!
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