We were fortunate enough to snag a table for Pai’s Christmas Eve chef’s tasting menu. Our evening could not have been more perfect! Justine assured we were well attended to, and Chef Kevin curated an inventive yet accessible menu to treat us for the evening. Although it’s hard to pick a favorite, the tako and watermelon was a standout. My fiancé opted for the mocktail pairing, and it was clearly well crafted and not just an afterthought (as many mocktails are). The wine pairings were also very tasty, so any choice would be a good one! We felt like part of the family and also very spoiled; we can’t wait to return!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gabriel Barsi
Excellent everything! We’ll be coming back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joshua Marks
The food tasted very good and the staff was very attentive. Great experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cornbread
Creighton Chong
Chef Kevin Lee at PAI Honolulu is hands down one of the best chefs I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing. Every dish was not only beautifully presented but packed with unique flavors that blew me away. You can really feel his passion for blending local Hawaiian ingredients with modern techniques—it makes each bite unforgettable.
The whole experience, from the food to the warm atmosphere, was perfect. If you’re looking for an amazing culinary adventure in Honolulu, Chef Kevin Lee won’t disappoint!
Staff are all very attentive and accommodating. Justine has very good wine pairings with the Chefs Tasting Menu. My husband's Duck Confit dish was his favorite. He wants to go back and have it again.
Stacie
Always an excellent dining experience at Pai. The food is creative and delicious. It's fun to sit at the counter and watch the kitchen create their masterpieces. Looking forward to going back soon.
This restaurant deserves Michelin stars! They have many local awards displayed and rightfully so. We had dinner at PAI HNL with some friends , it was delightful! The Chilled corn soup with crabmeat was oh so good! A large potion of crab and pickled grapes in the soup was a culinary delight! The braised beef was so soft and tender. It just melted in you mouth! The panna cotta finished the meal with a bang. Service was excellent! A must try for everyone, truly an amazing experience for the tastebuds!
Elizabeth
This is a restaurant that should not be missed! We did the 3-course tasting menu and everything was delicious. I wish I could have the five spice pork shoulder every night - if you like pork definitely order that. In addition to the amazing food, Justine made us feel welcome from the very moment that we walked in. You really feel like part of the family during your dining experience and it's one of the best dining experiences that I have had all year.
Andrea Tam
Our experience at Pai was a great disappointment. We had hoped for a nice last meal in Honolulu, but the food ranged from mediocre to poor in quality and was extremely slow.
Service: Our servers were polite but lacked the polish and professionalism we would expect from a restaurant at this price point ($210 per person). Our server, though well-intentioned, spoke very softly and mumbled the dish explanations so we had difficulty understanding him, and he generally appeared nervous, avoiding eye contact.
Ambiance: The restaurant, which seats only ~12 parties to begin with, was no more than half full. The bluetooth speaker kept disconnecting, so every 10 minutes the music stopped and we heard an automated notification that the bluetooth speaker was disconnected. When the fire alarm went off in the middle of the meal, none of the servers stopped by to explain what was happening. We had a view into the open kitchen which only had 3-4 kitchen staff in it, including the head chef-- this may have contributed to the painstakingly slow pacing of the meal.
Food: We had the Chef’s Tasting Menu. The dishes, each of which drew from a different global influence (Southern, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, French, etc.) lacked cohesion as an overall menu. The food itself was the biggest letdown.
* Chef’s buttermilk cornbread - 5/10. The cornbread was good/ordinary though the honey-miso butter was tasty. * Kona kanpachi - 5/10. Three small pieces of kanpachi and two tiny pieces of scallop. The dish was nice but could have used a more generous portion of seafood as most of it was cucumber, tomato, and puree. * Samoan crab purse - 6/10. Though slightly one dimensional, there was good amount of crab and filling and as dim sum lovers, we appreciated the take on siu mai. * Lobster Cioppino - 6/10. The cioppino was flavorful and the half lobster tail was well cooked. However, the pieces of fennel on the side were confusing as they were not really integrated into the dish. * Escargot toppogi - 6/10. One of the better dishes, a combination of escargot and small pieces of tteobboki in a pesto sauce that worked well but didn’t wow us. The two carrots on top, which might have been meant to provide freshness, were raw and out of place. * Duck confit taro puff - 3/10. This is where the meal went rapidly downhill. According to the menu, the taro puff contained duck confit and foie gras rags with cabbage, shoyu mustard, and micro shiso. All of this was overpowered by the taste of cumin. The texture inside was oily and gooey with nothing to relieve the heaviness. Moreover, part of the filling was cold inside. * 90 Day Dry-Aged Ribeye - 2/10. Two very rare, small blocks of meat were gummy in texture and lukewarm in temperature. The cauliflower was ok and so was the XO sauce just but the steak itself can only be described as terrible. * Mai Tai Sherbet - skipped. At this point, we explained to the waiter that the meal had been taking a long time and we were not enjoying the food and asked if we could skip to dessert. * Dark Chocolate Haupia - 5/10. The chocolate haupia itself was neat and tasted fine but the crumble was gritty.
Our final bill came out to $470, which is frankly outrageous for what we got. It is difficult to fathom how such a meal could be priced at a Michelin level. Our waiter apologized to us at the end for the slow and disappointing experience and we overheard him apologizing to at least two other tables as well, which suggests that our experience was unfortunately not unique.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
Kevin Liu
My dining experience at Pai was deeply disappointing, bordering on feeling like a scam. I rarely write reviews, but I hope this one spares others from a similarly unfortunate experience. This review is about the Chef's Tasting Menu.
Ambience: The restaurant is a modest space with an open kitchen layout. The decor is unremarkable, but what stood out immediately was the lack of staff—just 3 servers and 3 cooks, which raised our first red flag.
Service: While the servers were polite, the service was far from polished. Our server, though well-intentioned, spoke so softly and mumbled through dish explanations that it was difficult to understand him. He also avoided eye contact and generally appeared nervous, which was another red flag.
An especially odd moment occurred when one server interrupted us as we were providing feedback on a dish, eagerly interjecting with, "EXCELLENT, right?" I wish I was joking.
Food: The food was the biggest letdown of the evening. The initial courses were mediocre at best, lacking the flavor and composition one would expect from a meal at this price point. From the Taro Puff course onwards, things took a turn for the worse—the puff was cold in the middle, and the dry-aged ribeye was nearly raw, and had a gummy texture. Additionally, the timing of the courses was odd, with some dishes arriving immediately and others taking 10-15 minutes.
Although our server acknowledged the poor experience and apologized, the head chef—despite being informed of our dissatisfaction—never came out to address the situation or offer an explanation. Notably, our server also apologized to two other tables, suggesting our experience was not unique.
I strongly advise against dining at Pai, especially for the Chef's Tasting Menu. Our experience was far from what one would expect for the price, and it was clear that we were not the only ones who felt this way. Be warned!
My dining experience at Pai was deeply disappointing, bordering on feeling like a scam. I rarely write reviews, but I hope this one spares others from a similarly unfortunate experience. This review is about the Chef's Tasting Menu. Ambience: The restaurant is a modest space with an open kitchen layout. The decor is unremarkable, but what stood out immediately was the lack of staff—just 3 servers and 3 cooks, which raised our first red flag. Service: While the servers were polite, the service was far from polished. Our server, though well-intentioned, spoke so softly and mumbled through dish explanations that it was difficult to understand him. He also avoided eye contact and generally appeared nervous, which was another red flag. An especially odd moment occurred when one server interrupted us as we were providing feedback on a dish, eagerly interjecting with, "EXCELLENT, right?" I wish I was joking. Food: The food was the biggest letdown of the evening. The initial courses were mediocre at best, lacking the flavor and composition one would expect from a meal at this price point. From the Taro Puff course onwards, things took a turn for the worse—the puff was cold in the middle, and the dry-aged ribeye was nearly raw, and had a gummy texture. Additionally, the timing of the courses was odd, with some dishes arriving immediately and others taking 10-15 minutes. Although our server acknowledged the poor experience and apologized, the head chef—despite being informed of our dissatisfaction—never came out to address the situation or offer an explanation. Notably, our server also apologized to two other tables, suggesting our experience was not unique. I strongly advise against dining at Pai, especially for the Chef's Tasting Menu. Our experience was far from what one would expect for the price, and it was clear that we were not the only ones who felt this way. Be warned!
Kali
Server was warm and welcoming. Our entire group agreed food was underwhelming and we would not dine there again. Every item seemed unfinished - Kanpachi was drowned out by the coconut sauce, lemongrass curry noddles were sloppy with no acid or crunch component, malasada had raw dough in the middle, same dishes ordered across the group were plated differently with varying portion sizes, proteins were tiny. Course menu pricing does not make sense with the reduced portion size, just order a la carte. “Wine pairing” was not provided for each of the coursed portions and were odd selections (ie did not complement the dish) poured so quickly tableside that you didn't know what you were drinking (provide it in the menu). You could feel that they were minding their margins and many ingredients/flavors repeated across the menu. Fake plants everywhere that did nothing for ambiance. It was an expensive meal, we had a nice evening regardless, however not worth $600.
Heidi
Pai is our favorite upscale restaurant in Hawaii. We have been twice, each for a special occasion, and have had the chef's tasting menu with wine pairings both times. The food is beautifully presented and absolutely delicious. The wine is paired perfectly to elevate each dish. I cannot emphasize enough how delightful this experience is. You will not be disappointed.
I wanted a nice, relaxing night out and they provided the best experience! I had a 3 course menu. The soup was amazing and the pickled grapes was a nice touch. I highly recommend the braised beef, it was so good with the XO green beans and wow, those mashed potatoes!!! The service is absolutely amazing and the food is so good. Chef Kevin's new menu is outstanding and they now offer Ala Carte as well! Will be back soon!
Matias
The cornbread and turnip cake was some of the best foods I’ve ever had. (Pictured below). However compared to other Michelin starred restaurants it is not perfect. But service was incredible and food was still absolutely amazing.
Vegetarian options: Many of the dishes on the tasting menu(s) have animal products.
We were fortunate enough to snag a table for Pai’s Christmas Eve chef’s tasting menu. Our evening could not have been more perfect! Justine assured we were well attended to, and Chef Kevin curated an inventive yet accessible menu to treat us for the evening. Although it’s hard to pick a favorite, the tako and watermelon was a standout. My fiancé opted for the mocktail pairing, and it was clearly well crafted and not just an afterthought (as many mocktails are). The wine pairings were also very tasty, so any choice would be a good one! We felt like part of the family and also very spoiled; we can’t wait to return!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Excellent everything! We’ll be coming back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food tasted very good and the staff was very attentive. Great experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cornbread
Chef Kevin Lee at PAI Honolulu is hands down one of the best chefs I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing. Every dish was not only beautifully presented but packed with unique flavors that blew me away. You can really feel his passion for blending local Hawaiian ingredients with modern techniques—it makes each bite unforgettable.
The whole experience, from the food to the warm atmosphere, was perfect. If you’re looking for an amazing culinary adventure in Honolulu, Chef Kevin Lee won’t disappoint!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Katsu Adobo Headcheese Bao, Chocolate Brownie, Dark Chocolate Haupia, Oysters, Salad, Cornbread, Wagyu Beef, Escargot
Staff are all very attentive and accommodating. Justine has very good wine pairings with the Chefs Tasting Menu. My husband's Duck Confit dish was his favorite. He wants to go back and have it again.
Always an excellent dining experience at Pai. The food is creative and delicious. It's fun to sit at the counter and watch the kitchen create their masterpieces. Looking forward to going back soon.
This restaurant deserves Michelin stars! They have many local awards displayed and rightfully so. We had dinner at PAI HNL with some friends , it was delightful! The Chilled corn soup with crabmeat was oh so good! A large potion of crab and pickled grapes in the soup was a culinary delight! The braised beef was so soft and tender. It just melted in you mouth! The panna cotta finished the meal with a bang. Service was excellent! A must try for everyone, truly an amazing experience for the tastebuds!
This is a restaurant that should not be missed! We did the 3-course tasting menu and everything was delicious. I wish I could have the five spice pork shoulder every night - if you like pork definitely order that. In addition to the amazing food, Justine made us feel welcome from the very moment that we walked in. You really feel like part of the family during your dining experience and it's one of the best dining experiences that I have had all year.
Our experience at Pai was a great disappointment. We had hoped for a nice last meal in Honolulu, but the food ranged from mediocre to poor in quality and was extremely slow.
Service: Our servers were polite but lacked the polish and professionalism we would expect from a restaurant at this price point ($210 per person). Our server, though well-intentioned, spoke very softly and mumbled the dish explanations so we had difficulty understanding him, and he generally appeared nervous, avoiding eye contact.
Ambiance: The restaurant, which seats only ~12 parties to begin with, was no more than half full. The bluetooth speaker kept disconnecting, so every 10 minutes the music stopped and we heard an automated notification that the bluetooth speaker was disconnected. When the fire alarm went off in the middle of the meal, none of the servers stopped by to explain what was happening. We had a view into the open kitchen which only had 3-4 kitchen staff in it, including the head chef-- this may have contributed to the painstakingly slow pacing of the meal.
Food: We had the Chef’s Tasting Menu. The dishes, each of which drew from a different global influence (Southern, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, French, etc.) lacked cohesion as an overall menu. The food itself was the biggest letdown.
* Chef’s buttermilk cornbread - 5/10. The cornbread was good/ordinary though the honey-miso butter was tasty.
* Kona kanpachi - 5/10. Three small pieces of kanpachi and two tiny pieces of scallop. The dish was nice but could have used a more generous portion of seafood as most of it was cucumber, tomato, and puree.
* Samoan crab purse - 6/10. Though slightly one dimensional, there was good amount of crab and filling and as dim sum lovers, we appreciated the take on siu mai.
* Lobster Cioppino - 6/10. The cioppino was flavorful and the half lobster tail was well cooked. However, the pieces of fennel on the side were confusing as they were not really integrated into the dish.
* Escargot toppogi - 6/10. One of the better dishes, a combination of escargot and small pieces of tteobboki in a pesto sauce that worked well but didn’t wow us. The two carrots on top, which might have been meant to provide freshness, were raw and out of place.
* Duck confit taro puff - 3/10. This is where the meal went rapidly downhill. According to the menu, the taro puff contained duck confit and foie gras rags with cabbage, shoyu mustard, and micro shiso. All of this was overpowered by the taste of cumin. The texture inside was oily and gooey with nothing to relieve the heaviness. Moreover, part of the filling was cold inside.
* 90 Day Dry-Aged Ribeye - 2/10. Two very rare, small blocks of meat were gummy in texture and lukewarm in temperature. The cauliflower was ok and so was the XO sauce just but the steak itself can only be described as terrible.
* Mai Tai Sherbet - skipped. At this point, we explained to the waiter that the meal had been taking a long time and we were not enjoying the food and asked if we could skip to dessert.
* Dark Chocolate Haupia - 5/10. The chocolate haupia itself was neat and tasted fine but the crumble was gritty.
Our final bill came out to $470, which is frankly outrageous for what we got. It is difficult to fathom how such a meal could be priced at a Michelin level. Our waiter apologized to us at the end for the slow and disappointing experience and we overheard him apologizing to at least two other tables as well, which suggests that our experience was unfortunately not unique.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
My dining experience at Pai was deeply disappointing, bordering on feeling like a scam. I rarely write reviews, but I hope this one spares others from a similarly unfortunate experience. This review is about the Chef's Tasting Menu.
Ambience: The restaurant is a modest space with an open kitchen layout. The decor is unremarkable, but what stood out immediately was the lack of staff—just 3 servers and 3 cooks, which raised our first red flag.
Service: While the servers were polite, the service was far from polished. Our server, though well-intentioned, spoke so softly and mumbled through dish explanations that it was difficult to understand him. He also avoided eye contact and generally appeared nervous, which was another red flag.
An especially odd moment occurred when one server interrupted us as we were providing feedback on a dish, eagerly interjecting with, "EXCELLENT, right?" I wish I was joking.
Food: The food was the biggest letdown of the evening. The initial courses were mediocre at best, lacking the flavor and composition one would expect from a meal at this price point. From the Taro Puff course onwards, things took a turn for the worse—the puff was cold in the middle, and the dry-aged ribeye was nearly raw, and had a gummy texture. Additionally, the timing of the courses was odd, with some dishes arriving immediately and others taking 10-15 minutes.
Although our server acknowledged the poor experience and apologized, the head chef—despite being informed of our dissatisfaction—never came out to address the situation or offer an explanation. Notably, our server also apologized to two other tables, suggesting our experience was not unique.
I strongly advise against dining at Pai, especially for the Chef's Tasting Menu. Our experience was far from what one would expect for the price, and it was clear that we were not the only ones who felt this way. Be warned!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
My dining experience at Pai was deeply disappointing, bordering on feeling like a scam. I rarely write reviews, but I hope this one spares others from a similarly unfortunate experience. This review is about the Chef's Tasting Menu. Ambience: The restaurant is a modest space with an open kitchen layout. The decor is unremarkable, but what stood out immediately was the lack of staff—just 3 servers and 3 cooks, which raised our first red flag. Service: While the servers were polite, the service was far from polished. Our server, though well-intentioned, spoke so softly and mumbled through dish explanations that it was difficult to understand him. He also avoided eye contact and generally appeared nervous, which was another red flag. An especially odd moment occurred when one server interrupted us as we were providing feedback on a dish, eagerly interjecting with, "EXCELLENT, right?" I wish I was joking. Food: The food was the biggest letdown of the evening. The initial courses were mediocre at best, lacking the flavor and composition one would expect from a meal at this price point. From the Taro Puff course onwards, things took a turn for the worse—the puff was cold in the middle, and the dry-aged ribeye was nearly raw, and had a gummy texture. Additionally, the timing of the courses was odd, with some dishes arriving immediately and others taking 10-15 minutes. Although our server acknowledged the poor experience and apologized, the head chef—despite being informed of our dissatisfaction—never came out to address the situation or offer an explanation. Notably, our server also apologized to two other tables, suggesting our experience was not unique. I strongly advise against dining at Pai, especially for the Chef's Tasting Menu. Our experience was far from what one would expect for the price, and it was clear that we were not the only ones who felt this way. Be warned!
Server was warm and welcoming. Our entire group agreed food was underwhelming and we would not dine there again. Every item seemed unfinished - Kanpachi was drowned out by the coconut sauce, lemongrass curry noddles were sloppy with no acid or crunch component, malasada had raw dough in the middle, same dishes ordered across the group were plated differently with varying portion sizes, proteins were tiny. Course menu pricing does not make sense with the reduced portion size, just order a la carte. “Wine pairing” was not provided for each of the coursed portions and were odd selections (ie did not complement the dish) poured so quickly tableside that you didn't know what you were drinking (provide it in the menu). You could feel that they were minding their margins and many ingredients/flavors repeated across the menu. Fake plants everywhere that did nothing for ambiance. It was an expensive meal, we had a nice evening regardless, however not worth $600.
Pai is our favorite upscale restaurant in Hawaii. We have been twice, each for a special occasion, and have had the chef's tasting menu with wine pairings both times. The food is beautifully presented and absolutely delicious. The wine is paired perfectly to elevate each dish. I cannot emphasize enough how delightful this experience is. You will not be disappointed.
I wanted a nice, relaxing night out and they provided the best experience! I had a 3 course menu. The soup was amazing and the pickled grapes was a nice touch. I highly recommend the braised beef, it was so good with the XO green beans and wow, those mashed potatoes!!! The service is absolutely amazing and the food is so good. Chef Kevin's new menu is outstanding and they now offer Ala Carte as well! Will be back soon!
The cornbread and turnip cake was some of the best foods I’ve ever had. (Pictured below).
However compared to other Michelin starred restaurants it is not perfect.
But service was incredible and food was still absolutely amazing.
Vegetarian options: Many of the dishes on the tasting menu(s) have animal products.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chef's Signature Agedashi XO Turnip Cake, Turnip Cake, 2pcs Oscietra Caviar & Oysters, Chef's Buttermilk Cornbread
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