I would have loved to give Chez Kenzo Bar & Grill one more star than I did, and that would've been the case if it had not been for an employee who called me four hours after I had left. Â Here is what happened, we had a party for 12 during happy hour from 5-7 PM. Â A friend and I had to leave early so I asked for a separate check before I ordered anything, 5- $2 Sake Shots, 1- Sensy (which is the best watermelon drink I have ever had), 1- Uni Pasta (totally delicious if you love uni), 1- Cheese Gyoza (it couldn't have been cooked any more perfectly), 1- Garlic Shrimp, 1- Hummus & Flat Bread.
The servers were all pretty busy, wished there were more of them around. Â Service wavered a bit in the refilling water department, remembering a new order, or retrieving an extra fork, but I would have to say they were on it with their smiles. Â The rest of my friends of course stayed longer than I and they later told me my order was added on to their tab. Â I'm not sure how that went down or how they cleared that up with the server but I end up receiving a call later of how "your party underpaid, there was product brought out and not paid for, etc, etc."
That is completely RUDE. Â 1) I've worked in food service before and if a server lets their party leave without paying, that's on them 2) We have our receipts to prove that we DID pay 3) Don't call me super late at night demanding that "it doesn't matter about tip, we just need to get the unpaid items PAID for."
It's not so much the food because everything was delicious, ambience is decent, the japanese wet towelettes were a great souvenir... but really, you're going to call me 4 hours after I left to tell me that we underpaid and that it needs to be paid for? Â Believe me, I was livid. Â Korean came out and I chewed that man out over the phone, I know a couple of my responses were "My credit card ends in XXXX, do you want the transaction number? Â This is how much I paid..." and my friends were around to tell me how much they paid. Â All in all, at the end of the conversation the man over the phone said, "nevermind, but you folks still underpaid." Â REALLY? Â If that is seriously the case.. I'd like to hear from the manager because money ain't a problem for myself or ANY of my friends. Â
Besides that, the rest of my friends ordered the following: kabocha & bacon, deep fried rock shrimp, hamburger steak, four cheese pizza, ahi & octopus, ahi sashimi (forgot the name but it came with a pretty delicious shoyu sauce) .... everything was ono, just wish the uni pasta was a larger serving & presented nicer for the price.
Someone remind me to check my CC statement to make sure they don't OVERCHARGE me! Â Haha. Â Assholes.
i'd already given my stamp of approval to Genius Lounge so thought Chez Kenzo was a safe bet for a double date. located where Verbano used to be on south king street, the trendy decor, loungey music and noisy patrons breathes new energy to the space - i loved the vibe! there's a sports bar area with standup tables, stools and tv's, a dining area with more comfortable tables and chairs, and a semi-private nook that seems to amplify the merriment taking place in there.
as for the food and drink, it's pretty much the same menu as Genius. we arrived before 7 so were able to order some happy hour items such as fried rock shrimp, pesto pasta, garlic french bread, beer and the biggest pours of daiginjo sake you'll ever get for $5. from the regular menu we tried nagoya chicken wings (3 pieces per order, tasty but messy), kabocha with bacon (prolly their most popular item), cheese gyozas (more like ravioli with all that cheese) and french fries. the damage before tip was $82 - not bad for stuffing 2 drinking guys and 2 pregnant women!
the cherries on top are free parking and more central location. so what's higher than genius? apparently, some dude named kenzo!
Based on Yelp activity, I knew this was a spot I HAD to hit up while I was in Hawaii and not only did it exceed my expectations, I can't stop thinking about it! I would fly to Hawaii just to eat here..yeah, that good.
(04/29/2013) With four of us, we had the opportunity to try a good selection of dishes, mostly the ones I knew were really popular. Shrimp Cocktail, Pirikara Konnyaku, Kabocha and Bacon Sauteed in Garlic, Rock Shrimp Deep Fried, Hane Cheese Gyoza, Ume Pasta, Sauteed Pork with Teri Sauce, Taegu Watercress Salad, Wafu Hamburger Steak, and Uni Pasta.
The dishes that really stood out were the Pumpkin and Bacon (cubes of crispy, but soft kabocha with pieces of bacon sauteed in garlic, soo good), Deep Fried Rock Shrimp (I'm a fan of rock shrimp and this preparation served with aioli for dipping was really great), Hane Cheese Gyoza (I knew this was a really popular item, but I didn't even want to try it - didn't sound enticing - but oh my, it was mysteriously delicious!), and the Ume Pasta (oh my gosh, pasta perfection - the spaghetti noodles were perfectly al dente and fresh and ume flavor with the katsuobushi - amazinggg!).
For dessert, I got the Original Parfait that they prepare with Big Island Natural Green Tea Ice Cream and mochi balls, fruit cocktail, and cereal! Sounded odd, but it worked! The ice cream was magical.
We were able to take advantage of Happy Hour with a couple Saketinis and beers. All really great. Toward the end of our meal, it appeared that some friends of our server had come in to dine, so we completely lost her attention (she was even sitting with them). Besides that, service was good. Either way, the food is really all I can think about when I think of Chez Kenzo. I truly can't wait until I can dine here again!
I made the mistake of walking in one evening on a weekend. Â The place was packed and since it has more of a bar vibe than a restaurant one, I couldn't really find someone to help me. Â Do I seat myself? Â Is there a host? Â Who works here...all the workers are wearing plain clothes! Â I saw reservations cards all over the open tables so I left before I could even flag someone down to help me. Â I was much smarter the next time around and called ahead to make reservations. Â
I came after work around ten-ish and I told the bartender that I had a reservation and got seated right away. Â I was eager to check out their menu but found out that the majority of the menu was confusing. Â They lacked a description for menu items but I went into the restaurant with an idea of what I wanted to try so it wasn't a big deal. Â Although I do want to try different stuff next time so I think I have to do more research here on yelp! Â The servers seem really busy so we didn't want to bombard them with questions so we stuck with the hamburger steak, cheesy gyoza, and ume pasta. Â
The hamburger steak was very flavorful and I liked that it came with mashed potatoes so it was more of a meal than just bar pupus. Â I don't even need to say much about the cheesy gyoza...I think my fellow yelpers have got that covered. Â So friggen good! Â And my favorite dish of the night, ume pasta! Â I wouldn't normally order this for myself because there are so many other yummy sounding pasta options but after hearing positive reviews and being intrigued on the idea of ume pasta, I gave it a go. Â The ume isn't very strong and it's prepared with very minimal sauce, just tossed in some garlic and butter maybe? Â The ume flavor comes from these slices of ume scented konbu scattered throughout the pasta. Â They were my favorite part! Â I would come back just to eat pasta.
The dessert wasn't that great. Â Maybe I just ordered the wrong thing? Â I got the homemade tiramisu but it wasn't your traditional tiramisu with the rum soaked lady fingers on the bottom of a light mascarpone cream topping. Â Their tiramisu was made in a ring mold with small pieces of lady fingers within the cream. Â The ratio of mascarpone to lady fingers was off so I didn't really enjoy it.
I kind of wish that this was more of a restaurant than a bar because I think I would come more often for dinner. Â The bar vibe makes me feel as if I should come with all my friends and hang out and drink when all I want to do is eat ume pasta.
It's been about a month since i've been here but for some reason, the filet dish with wasabi/jalapeno relish (?) is stuck in my mind!!!! Â the kabocha and pumpkin dish was also great. Â i want to go back just to eat a bowl of the wasabi/jalapeno relish...definitely a MUST TRY with the filet...tastes good on the fries too! Â :oP
Review Source:Came here for GNO with 2 girlfriends. The happy hour menu is a bit small and limited but the price was good. Everything we ate here was delicious and unique. The service was pretty slow but the food made up for it. Will definitely be back again.
Mentaiko Mayo Pasta: I love mentaiko. Adding mayo just enhances the flavor. The pasta was nice and with a salty flavor. This got eaten up rather quickly.
Shabu Shabu Salad: I wasn't expecting much when my friend insisted we order this since it didn't sound very tasty - but it was great. Loved the ginger-y shoyu dressing on the thinly sliced pieces of pork. Wish they had more cucumbers though.
Eggpant with sauce: forgot what the name of this dish was, but you need new plates when eating this because the sauce gets all over the place. Probably won't order again.
Pesto Pizza: I think this was my least favorite of the bunch since I'm using the eating really gourmet pizza elsewhere. It wasn't bad though.
TIP: Make sure you don't park by the gate.. I did not know that there was a paybox and ended up getting a ticket.
I absolutely loved my experience at Chez Kenzo! Â I heard lots of good reviews about this place but only recently decided to try it when my friend visiting back home asked if there were any new places. Â I automatically thought about Chez and thought it would be a perfect spot.
We came on a early Friday night. Â It was pretty busy but they were able to take us in. Â The menu kind of reminded me of Genius Lounge. Â They have all sorts of dishes.. some were very unique like cheese gyoza or salmon croquette. Â Being that we were hungry, we ordered about 7 dishes (there 4 of us all together and 1 one them was a guy). Â We thought the dishes might be on the smaller side like izakaya style but boy were we wrong! Â Everything was a pretty decent sized portion. Â I think one of my favs was the mentaiko pasta. Â Actually they were all good! Â I was pleasantly surprised. Â I was even more surprised at the pricing was so reasonable! Â I can see why this place is popular. Â The food and price is great and awesome service. Â Our waiter was super helpful with helping us decide what to order. Â I am most def going back here =)
My friend and fellow Yelppie suggested this place for pau hana with the girls. This is a gem, tucked away along King Street - great vibe, yummy pupus & dishes that were Japanese influenced, and of course, excellent cocktails. Â I also quickly noticed that at Chez Kenzo, the boys run the show - meaning, it seemed to be an all male crew. No worries ladies, they were very nice. Â Great friendly service for sure!!
During the after-work hours, it gets busy - so make a reservation. There's also a private room for larger parties.
I dropped in for happy hour with some girlfriends. We arrived at 5:30, so parking and seating were no problem. I had a couple glasses of wine, and my girlfriends opted for sake cocktails, which were all really cheap. Looking over the menu, the happy hour food specials did not really jump out at us, so we ordered mostly off the regular menu. We had the following:
Shabu Salad - Very nicely dressed and a generous portion of meat. I liked this a lot.
Kabocha w/Bacon - So simple yet so delicious. A nice mix of flavors and textures.
Mentaiko Pasta - Again, quite simple yet tasty.
Nasu - My friends deemed this to be their least favorite. I guess I would agree, but I think I liked it a lot more than they did. It basically tasted like mapo tofu without the tofu over eggplant. This was a very large and filling portion.
Four Cheese Pizza - Okay, so...I was still hungry. This was a lot better than I thought it would be, as it had a light pesto sauce, and I love pesto.
Tiramisu - I don't really love tiramisu in general, because I don't drink coffee nor do I like coffee-flavored items. This was an interesting interpretation and reminded me more of Japanese cheesecake. I'd rather have pizza for dessert. :)
The service was just okay - friendly enough but sort of inattentive and rather slow. This seems like a good date spot - in fact, we were semi-spying on the couple at the next table and decided they were on a first date. Heehee. So nosy. One negative is that it gets VERY LOUD in here. The table on our other side had a woman who was cackling at a high pitch, making our eavesdropping endeavors a little more difficult. Chez Kenzo also has a semi-private seating area done up in red, which would be good for parties. Recommended.
Quite a few of my friends stop by Chez Kenzo for after-work drinks and food, so I was eager to as well.
FOOD
The cheese gyoza. That is all. SO. DELICIOUS.
Food portions aren't the largest, but the taste is satisfying enough.
SERVICE
The workers were very friendly, although our table wasn't checked up on as often as we would have liked so our rounds of drinks were spaced out...which actually may be a good thing x)
OVERALL
Great for a drink or two with friends and some light appetizers. The ambiance is also more contemporary and chill compared to other bars & grills. The dim lighting and the sparkly tables stood out to me though; try using flash in pictures - the tables look great!
This somewhat hidden bar is located on King Street right next to Bank of Hawaii. My first impression was that it was a little dark and very noisy. It didn't affect me at all after I got my drinks and delicious food! Reading other yelp review, I had to try the food here. It is a Japanese style cuisine with a local touch. The food portions were larger than I expected for the price. It is like a full size plate, but that didn't stop me from ordering more than one dish! (Note: the prices on the food listed below ranges from $8-$15).
Original Poke was delicious! It was topped with a lot of onions though. The ahi was fresh and there was a shoyu sauce, I think.
Salmon w/ Lomi Tomato Rice was something I only got a bite out of, but it was still very flavorful. The tomatoes and salmon were fresh and not like the lomi salmon you buy from the store. It went so well with the sushi rice!
Kimchee omu-rice was super good! Basically, it's kimchee fried rice topped off with a scrabbled egg. I also, only got a bite out of this, but it was one of the best fried rice I've tried because it wasn't so spicy (I dislike very spicy food).
Hane Cheese Gyoza was very interesting. It was about six gyozas topped with A LOT of cheese on top baked, I think. It was the first time trying something like this. I thought it would be gyoza filled with cheese, but I was soo wrong! It is a must try!
Mench Loco Moco is made japanese style, which to me is a thicker hamburger. The hamburger was very juicy on top of a huge scoop of rice topped with an egg. The gravy isn't that thick, more on the watery side but that's how I like eating it!
Wafu Hamburger Steak. Omg... This was probably my favorite dish and was all mine! It came out on a sizzling dish, steam & all! The hamburger was super juicy and I think there was a layer of cheese inside. The gravy was the same as the loco moco. It also came with a scoop of mashed potatoes. This is a MUST HAVE when coming to eat here!
Overall, I enjoyed my drinks and food while I was here! Although it is very noisy, you'll get over it after a few drinks. Definitely coming back here soon! There is also happy hour from 5-7pm!
As expected, the food was excellent. Â The only bummer was that they were out of the kimchi omu-rice so I didn't get to try it. Â But the waiter was very helpful in suggesting other dishes to try. Â The food we did get was very tasty and nicely presented.
The waitstaff are all very friendly and helpful - they get 5 stars as does the food.
The only reason I rated the place overall as 4 stars is because of the noise! Â There were two large groups, and given the design of the restaurant with hard floors and high ceilings the noise was almost unbearable. Â I had to shout for my friend to hear me and even then we had a hard time carrying on a conversation. Â In what looks like a nice place for a date, the noise makes it feel more like a sports bar when a big game is on.
Will try again, hoping that the noise was unique to this one night...
Oh, and I did notice that most people were pretty dressed up. Everyone looked either like they came straight from an office job or were going out to party after. Â Not a t-shirt and jeans kind of place.
Somewhat fine dining but without the price tag. The atmosphere is quite nice here, lights dimmed with a small tabletop candle. Perfect for date night with your bf/gf.
My friends and I were the youngest patrons with everyone else ranging between 30's-50's. Tonight was slow which was great for me! Food and service was quick and the waiter provided recommendations as well.
I wonder what kind of draft system they use because my beer came out perfect! Super cold and delicious! especially after a long day at work! :) They must maintain and clean it too.
I LOVE Gyoza!! throw some cheeese on those bad boys and you got yourself a "superfood" hahaha!! :)
The regular poke was alright.. Majority of the dish was onions.. :( Â The Kimchee Hiyayakko (cold tofu) was tasty and not too strong of a kimchee taste which doesn't leave your breath smelling afterwards. Hamburger steak was super moist and served with mash potatoes AND loaded with onions again.. :P
For pastas I ordered the uni and the crab meat. Both were delicious! It was my first time eating uni and I loved it more than I thought!
Overall my experience was good except for when the busser scolded my friend for trying to help him put the plates together.. that really irritated us. anyways, I would definitely return! Our waiter said the menu will be changing so I'm looking forward to new items!
Let me start by saying that the food here is really good. I will explain in further detail later. However, the reason for 3 stars is from the lack in...
SERVICE. The wife and I came here for happy hour. They were fairly slow during our time there. In fact, we were only one of two patrons for the first half hour. Upon entrance, we were not officially greeted by any of the three employees.  I had to ask if it was okay to just choose any table. They were very friendly  but we were rarely checked on during our time there. We had to consistently flag down employees when we needed something. Let me add that the employees were not busy (Watching tv) when I was trying to flag them down. They also forgot about one of our dishes. No apology was given but I appreciated the quick turn around time. I don't feel they were doing anything on purpose but improvement is needed in the customer service department. Now the..
FOOD is 100% gratifying. I was impressed with the extensive food and drink menu. Their happy hour menu is fairly small compared to the regular menu. We tried a few items off both menus, starting with my favorite down to my least favorite. However, all dishes were excellent.
Kabocha & Bacon - AKA pumpkin and bacon (on the menu) Â Wow, talk about sweet and savory. Especially the savory. You will enjoy this if you love salt.
Pasta with Pesto - Well cooked noodles with a very rich pesto sauce. Mouth keeps watering even after your done with the dish.
4 Cheese Pizza - Personal pan sized but loads of cheese with a pesto based sauce. Each slice with slice of tomato.
Cheese Gyoza - This was definitely good. Their gyoza alone is good so when you add cheese it becomes better. Â If they added bacon on the cheese it would be great.
Rock Shrimp - My least favorite but still good. It was basically deep fried shrimp on lettuce with a dipping sauce. The dipping sauce is what gave this dish life.
ENVIRONMENT here is pleasant. A contemporary look. I have never been here when it was Verbanos so I have no comparison on a before or after.
PRICE is very good considering the quality of food that they serve. Even more so during happy hour.
PARKING is free as long as you park in the designated stalls. I was about to pay parking but my smart wife decided to call and ask if parking was free. Lo and behold, there is a sign on the door that explains the parking situation which can be a problem since most people would have already paid by then.
Even though I am giving them 3, I wouldn't mind giving them another chance because the food is good. I will definitely update on a second return in the future, but for now, I have to stick with 3.
I think I could easily come back here over and over again.
Came here for the first time, and of course, Yelped up what to order. Considering that everyone posted the same EXACT 4 photos, we ordered just what everyone basically was telling us to eat. (our waiter asked if we yelped this place prior to coming.)
Kabocha and bacon: good but nothing that WOW'd me. I enjoyed eating the dish as the kabocha was very sweet, soft, and hot when it came out. The bacon was somewhat crisp but really, that's basically what the dish was: kabocha and bacon. the sweetness from the kabocha went very well with the saltiness from the bacon but I think it was just lacking a wow factor
Crab meat pasta: this surprisingly was good! I enjoyed this dish but the sauce was a little runny. I wish it was a little thicker because at the end of our dish, it was all liquid and crab meat b/c it just didn't stick to the pasta well. Other than that, I would actually order this again.
Hamburger steak: YUM it was a nice thick piece of hamburger and a nice scoop of mashed potato's. although i thought that eating half of this order myself was a little heavy, my friend thought it was just perfect. I think it was the sweetness from the sauce (which is very good) but also was a little much for me.
Cheese Gyoza: SO GOOD! as weird as the combination may sound, the crispy burnt cheese is just PERFECT with those gyoza's. My only problem with this dish is the amount of time it took to come out. All 3 of our orders came out before our gyoza's did and I kind of wish it was one of the first. Maybe a lot of love was given to it thats why it took so long. Yes, this was the one dish I wanted to try and didn't have the patience for
What I didn't like about Chez:
-menu: what in the world is 75% of the menu?!?! Most of the items on the menu had names I've never heard of before and no description to go with it!!! Their extensive menu with no descriptions made it a little hard and overwhelming to order. We wanted to order something that wasn't mentioned on Yelp, but how could we? Yes we could ask the waiter, but who has the time to explain 3/4 of the menu when it's packed?
There are enough staff around but can't say the service is efficient because of that. Â The owner types are sort of standing around getting in the way of a couple of the more harder working and energetic young staff members. Lots of food choices, probably too many in my opinion, but they seemed to have kept up the fine quality Japanese bar/lounge food offerings from Genius Lounge.
The crowd ranges from super young to seniors due mainly to the demographics of this area. Â Tourist couples and local industry staff round out the clientele profile.
Drinks are all good pours but would like to see a more middle range choice in wines, both red and white. Â Gone are the days when people will splurge on the higher end offerings they have.
Echoing the comment of a fellow Yelper, "where's the uni in the uni pasta?!?!?"
Alle-freaking-luia!
Love this place, recommended by a friend and I was sold when he said that this is the same chef as Genius Lounge. Hello, love Genius Lounge. And not in Waikiki, sign me up!
The GOOD
* cheese GYOZA - holy crap. No joke, HAVE TO ORDER. I don't care who you are, who your with... order this.
* Ikura Pasta yum yum
* service was great, attentive, friendly, and very knowledgable.
The BAD
* they kept the same set up as Verbano, the restaurant that was there before... I wish it was more like Genius Lounge!
The WEIRD
* Don't try to slide your drink while it's sitting on the table. It'll tip over. Because of the material they chose to staple to the reused table, your drink will not move if you try and slide it over, and it will tip over. Be careful!
I was excited to try Chef Kenzo when I heard it was owned by the same owner as Genius Lounge.
I arrived at Chef Kenzo, formerly Verbano, on King Street. Parking is generous but in a paid lot. I parked in one of the stalls nearest the restaurant and walked to the pay box and paid the $3.00. Walked to the entrance of Chef Kenzo only to see a sign telling customers that it wasn't necessary to pay for parking if parked in certain stalls. For the life of me, I can't remember which stalls except that I was in one of the pre-paid stalls. Look at the sign on the door before paying for parking.
Walked in and was greeted promptly by friendly staff. The restaurant layout is nicely done, with a seating area in front of the door, and a bar to the right of the seating area. The host stand is behind this seating area, and to the left sectioned off from what I assume is considered bar seating is the dining room seating area. There's also a small private room in the back, curtained off from the rest of the dining area, with about 6-9 tables.
Our server greeted us quickly and took our drink orders. It was happy hour, though I must say the happy hour wasn't too impressive. Food items range from $6 - $8 and beers included kirin and bud light draft.
We ordered a few dishes:
Maui onion with salmon - tons of onions, not as much salmon, but the light mayo dressing paired well with both.
Deep fried breaded shrimp bites - a very good portion, but the breading was a bit soft with hardly any seasoning.
Four cheese pizza - super awesome, with a perfectly crunchy crust and tons of cheese, good portion size, too.
Crab meat pasta - huge portion, red sauce was amazing, hardly tasted the crab meat though.
Uni pasta - this one I was really excited about. Slightly disappointed as I could barely taste or see any uni. Instead, there was a strong shiso taste.
Fruit parfait - combination of green tea ice cream, azuki beans, and corn flakes. Good flavor and good portion size.
Overall, loved the service (quick and courteous), liked the atmosphere (a bit cold, but hey I should've brought a jacket, and on the verge of being trendy), and thought the food was ok. I might try it again, but if I'm craving uni pasta, I'm definitely heading over to arancino's instead, king of the uni pasta!
You know how Norm and Cliff used to hang out daily at Cheer's, where everyone knew their name? Well, my friends (affectionately known as Papa, Mr. T., Muscular S., and, on occasion, Press and Chubby M.) and I (aka "The P." or the "employee") would be classified as habitues of Chez Kenzo as well. We not only go almost every day (well, to be honest, on average, once or twice a week), but the workers have come to know our names and we have come to know theirs. The decor is simple and, in one respect, quirkly: for months, there were no chairs to go with the tables in the bar area; now, the beautiful new stools are, interestingly, higher than the tables (raising the perplexing question, "how do I sit and eat at this table without straining my back"). But the real reasons my friends and I continue to return are (1) the friendly, sincere and attentive service; (2) the excellent and wide variety of food; (3) the reasonable prices; and (4) the convenient location and ample free parking.
All of the workers are friendly, have a great sense of humor, and treat us as friends. They make us feel at home and are attentive without being overbearing. We always feel welcome and appreciated - like Sam from Cheer's, in his heart, felt about Norm and Cliff. Chez Kenzo has a 5-star staff.
The menu is extensive and has something for every taste. My personal favorites are the watercress/tofu/taegu salad, the shabu shabu salad, the kabocha pumpkin with bacon, the Portuguese bean soup, the natto/cheese omelet, the jaja nasu, the wafu hamburger steak, the pirikara konnyaku, several of the pasta dishes, and the curry udon. The parfait and tiramisu (when available) are superb desserts. The gang and I have probably eaten our way through 3/4 or more of the menu and we love nearly everything on it. To be perfectly honest, a couple of dishes are only so-so (e.g., the hummus and pita), but most are excellent or outstanding. Even Mr. T., a devout natto-hater, has grown to love the taste, texture and presentation of the natto/cheese omelet, a most unique creation of the chef.
Prices are in the $5 to $15 range, and the servings are generous. We love the Happy Hour prices for the four-cheese pizza, the French bread, the Budweiser and Kirin beer on draft, and, especially, the $2 sake shots. Chez Kenzo does not scrimp on the pour or the quality of the sake even during Happy Hour.
In all my times there - probably over 50 - I have found parking without a problem. No charge, as long as Bank of Hawaii is closed. You just can't beat that situation in the Kapiolani, Keeaumoku, South King Street area of town.
Overall, the place has genuine "heart" and "soul" beyond the food and prices. This extra special quality makes Chez Kenzo a real gem of a place - a legitimate 5-star bar and grill.
Can I tell you a secret? So I've been being a hermit at night and haven't really gone to a bar/lounge in the last couple years. So from all the reviews, this is the perfect place for my return debut to bars and nightlife and a really nice place to just hang out.
First off, you don't need to pay the yellow box for parking if you park in the correct stalls (there's a sign on the door...but doesn't it make more sense if there's a sign as you pull into the parking lot before you park? I'm just saying).
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/chez-kenzo-bar-and-grill-honolulu?select=VtvOsrCnmtFNF5A1Kvhl1g#yhlrLZ89pTnRz-BFVs2LGg">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
The lot is a pretty good size, however it does get packed fast. We went on. Friday night at 7:30pm and there were a couple stalls. When we left at around 10pm, it was pretty packed.
I strongly recommend reservations for weekend nights. We didn't have any so, we had to wait to sit at the bar. The staff was very friendly and apologetic. So luckily, we sat and had a drink on a reserved table til something opened up.
The place is setup with 3 different areas: a bar, a small dining area and some kind of private room.
They had a hello kitty drink! She was sweet and packed a hidden kick I must say (gotta be the 151). They have a good amount of drinks and beers bottles to choose from, however not a lot on draft.
The menu is quite extensive and you just want to try everything! Â However, I had no idea what a lot of things were. Â I do recommend descriptions or photos to help customers figure out what they want. Thank goodness for yelp! We looked at some photos on yelp which helped us decide what to order.
Ok onto the food....
Hane Cheese Gyoza $8
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/chez-kenzo-bar-and-grill-honolulu?select=VtvOsrCnmtFNF5A1Kvhl1g#4XudsEwwzljs4onPYnCiRQ">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
-This dish looked yummy when we got it. However, it's only good when its hot and it's extremely rich.
Pumpkin and Bacon sautéed with garlic $10
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/chez-kenzo-bar-and-grill-honolulu?select=VtvOsrCnmtFNF5A1Kvhl1g#EMgwPAa4LjEDxxrXg9TjXQ">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
-This was my favorite dish (great pick by my dinner date). All the flavors complemented each other well.
Mentaiko Pasta $11
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/chez-kenzo-bar-and-grill-honolulu?select=VtvOsrCnmtFNF5A1Kvhl1g#OF2HBPm7TDVcO0_1O16maw">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
- This dish was a bit disappointing. I wish had more flavor than just the spicy mentaiko.
Taegu Watercress Salad $10
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/chez-kenzo-bar-and-grill-honolulu?select=VtvOsrCnmtFNF5A1Kvhl1g#KRTeB7DmaD5uLmVLV_DHEQ">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
-The waiter recommended this salad which was pretty good. again, Â a fusion of labors that meshed well (watercress, tofu, taegu and two small tomatoes). The watercress wasn't too bitter and balanced well with the taegu.
My dinner date did order a beer and we thought the waiter forgot, but actually was waiting to change out the keg so they comped the beer.
Overall, if we planned better and made reservations, it would have went better so Its not fair to write a bad review based on our waiting. I'm willing to come back again and try other dishes.
But free parking, alcohol, yummy food and a hot date? Successful night!
If you liked Genius Lounge, then you will like Chez Kenzo since it is the same owner. Everything from the menus, the dishes, sake, and the staff look familiar! All around a good experience except for two things:
1. They need more waitresses. This new location is much larger than the old venue and more patrons require more staff.
2. The "red room" is far too quiet and intimate feeling for what this place is. They should get rid of the massage parlour curtain, paint the whole thing black and gold trim, eliminate most of the tables, and turn the area into a lux VIP area with a yakuza-esque flair.
Other than these two, Chez Kenzo is like having the wonderful Genius Louge transplanted and set up closer to where I live and out of Waikiki. No complaints there!
Fun place to hangout after hours. No hassle looking for parking. I really like the back dining area. Nicely lit in an elegant way that encourages nice get togethers for business or pleasure. Front areas spacious and makes me want to get my yopparai action on.
I just dropped in one monday night looking for drinks and a good time. My friends brought me here basically for the new bar factor. The servers showed us fun times. Servers and Bartenders looked ridiculously good looking... or maybe they got my beer goggles on SUPER FAST! HOH-NYOOOOOO. I guess I gotta go back to double check.
A friend wanted to try this place so ventured over to see what it was like.
Parking is free in the lot at night so that was a plus. Â I had been to Verbano once at this location and cannot remember anything about it. Walking in, it is dark (mostly black) but has a "bar" feeling. Â The bar is in the front area with seats as high as the table so not sure what that is all about. Â Luckily, my friend was NOT sitting in the bar area and I found her in the inner restaurant area. Â Phew!
She was there with a beer and told me she ordered it because it was happy hour until 7. Â It was 6:57p so wanted to order an HH beer but it was tough getting the attention of on of the 2 servers. Â Finally, when he came, I asked if I can order HH and he said I was 3 minutes over but would get it in at the HH price. Â I ordered a beer and humus from the HH menu. Â What a relief, since I got no attention for 6 minutes. Â
The beer and humus came. Â The presentation of the humus was really nice but that was about it. Â The flat bread it was supposed to come with was the Costco/Sam's Club flattened bagel and the humus was not creamy at all. Â Total disappointment. Â
We continued to study the menu (me for vegetarian options and she for something inviting) and it was at least 20 minutes before one of the 2 waiters came around to ask what we wanted. Â My friend ordered the Citrus Chicken (with yuzu). Â I opted to wait since I was still tackling the substandard humus. Â The chicken came and I ordered the pirikara konyaku. Â My friend said the chicken was good, but the pirikara konyaky was way too sweet and not spicy enough. Â Another disappointment for me,
After another snub for at least 20 minutes, we were able to order our next round of drinks. Â We both ordered the sake sampler. Â It was nice. Â Three different chilled sakes with an explanation of each one. Â Best if drunk from left to right but, of course, I drank from right to left before I read the accompanying material. Â It was good nonetheless.
We then decided to share the kamaage udon but it took at least another 30 minutes to get anyone's attention. Â When in came, it was nicely cooked and a decent dish.
Dinner tonight took 2 hours and 34 minutes. Â The only factor was the fact that they have 2 servers for the entire place and it was packed. Â Customer service should be tantamount in the success of any restaurant. Â I suggest they get more people to serve the clientele. Â Food portions are rather large so sharing dishes with a group of 4 is the best ratio, in my opinion. Â My personal desire is that they make their dishes smaller so that one cane order more dishes to sample more options. Â
The other down side was that the noise level was horrendously high. Â People laughing sounded like it was piercing, which prevented a decent conversation.
There are few places where a group a friends can get together and kickback with some bites and libations...in town, with parking, at a reasonable price and not in Waikiki. Chez Kenzo is simply that...however what sets it apart is its eclectic menu that fuses Asian and modern flavors in a different manner.
The eclectic menu showcases a tapas style menu that features an array of pastas, salads, and proteins. The sauteed foie gras was memorable. Its balance of salty duck with the fresh flavors of the orange and strawberries with a hint of balsamic vinegar was a harmony of sweet and salty that would keep me coming back for more. The beef kakuni was respectable and well executed if the mood for beef strikes. The kabocha pumpkin with bacon lacked the garlic flavors I was expecting, but it was decent. I could have used just a bit more salt to balance the sweetness of the kabocha and just a bit more crunch to balance the texture.
The natto cheese omelete wasn't my favorite dish of the night, however you would be hard pressed to find me enjoying natto. It was decent, but nothing spectacular. The garlic bread with mushroom cream sauce was a tad under-seasoned, but welcomed if you are having a lot of beers or sake to sop up the alcohol. The cheese gyoza was different and the briny-ness of the cheese balances the pork flavors and the crispy cheese brought a nice texture to what would otherwise be a fairly gummy dish.
Pastas are easily done and easily ruined. Their pastas were well cooked and the uni and ume flavors easily were showcased on their own merit but were missing a final element that could take the items over the top.
Service was a little lacking, but I credit that to their opening. They are still getting to their groove, but they make up for it by clearly knowing their menu well and being accommodating and helpful. Once they are fully up and running I would expect them to hit that high note.
Its ambiance isn't anything special but the tables are well spaced out so that you aren't hearing the next table over and its laidback environment isn't intimidating nor rushed. Its simply that neighborhood spot that you can relax at. Parking is available in the lot fronting the restaurant right off King street.
All in all, the food was quite nice and the drinks well done. Prices reasonable and service decent. That keeps me coming back, but their eclectic items are what sets it apart for me and makes me want more.
Chez Kenzo... Hmmm... Now what would you think or expect from this place by hearing a name like that... I would soon find out. Chez Kenzo had been on my radar scope ever since their recent opening. Last time I was here, it was still the old Verbano's Italian restaurant. An amazing transformation has taken place and this place has quickly turned into a hip, place to be place! Several good friends of mine had been there before and liked it, so a visit there was in order.
One recent Saturday night, the posse and I decided to meet for drinks and dinner and to unwind together... We were not disappointed. Of course, drinks were in order, so when that was out of the way, the journey began. There were six of us and we all ordered whatever each individual wanted to try.
Here are some of the items on the menu that captured our taste buds.
For starters, ordered some good 'ol steak fries and hiyayakko, cubes of tofu garnished with tuna flakes and green onions.
Cream Cheese Poke. Yep. For me, you have to be a hardcore cheese fanatic to appreciate this dish. I was trying to picture in my mind a bunch of chefs brainstorming on what would become the next rage in poke, in other words, what would be the next spicy ahi poke sensation!! I passed on this one.
Kabocha and Bacon. Who would think that this combination would taste so good! I can now imagine kabocha being prepared with different meats, fish, pork, etc. Really good.
Fried Rock Shrimp. Good stuff, I just wish there was more sauce that came with this dish.
Crab Meat Pasta. This was delicious! The pasta was cooked perfect, al dente and the sauce was rich and flavorful...
Wafu Hamburger Steak. A winner! Served with mashed potatoes and gravy, I was actually craving a side of rice with gravy all over!
Salmon Steak. This delectable dish is served with a creamy sauce and I would definitely order it again. I'm not really a salmon person, but this dish was moist, flaky and the sauce was rich.
Ochazuke. The ultimate Japanese comfort food. Served with green tea and a great way to settle the 'ol stomach after a night of drinking and eating oily food! Order it as the last dish.
I passed on dessert, but a couple members of the posse indulged in the cheesecake and were delightfully satisfied! Me, I was happy having a few drinks with a great bunch of friends and good food. I had a great time trying innovative dishes, well thought out with the intention of boggling the tastebuds of amateur foodies like myself! Â Bravo, Chez Kenzo, I am looking forward to my next journey in taste sensations with you.
I never went to Genius Lounge because I loathe Waikiki so I was beyond  ecstatic when I heard that Chez Kenzo took the spot of the old Verbano located on King St. next to Bank of Hawaii.  I finally get to try the food yay!
We got there around 11pm and the place was comfortably full. Â There were some open tables so we quickly grabbed one. Â We sat for about 10 minutes and my excitement quickly became ample disappointment as no one came to greet us or take our drink order. Â I started a mental countdown of which I was going to walk out and leave when the waitress finally saw the look on my face and came to the rescue. Â I later realized she was pretty much the only one running the floor. I wanted to get up and help the poor girl!
Everything we ordered was delicious and the food came out briskly.
We ordered...
Hane Cheese Gyoza - I love cheese so for me, bacon doesn't make everything better, cheese does! This is a dish I would order on every visit.
Beef Kakuni - I couldn't decide on the pork or beef but decided on the beef since I never had beef Kakuni style before. The beef looked a little dry but it was surprisingly tender and moist. The flavors were spot on too.
Kabocha w/Bacon - I liked this dish but I wished the bacon was a bit more crispy to balance out the texture of the Kabocha. It's a good simple dish that can be tweaked to perfection.
Uni Pasta - If you know me, you'll also know that uni pasta would be my last meal on earth! It was once so difficult to find and now I feel like its everywhere! That's good news for me as long as its executed well and Chez Kenzo knocked it right out of the park.  BF hates uni so I got to eat it all by myself and let me tell you I almost licked the bowl.  The pasta was perfectly al dente and the sauce was divine.  My palate was in a  state of euphoria afterward.
Wafu Hamburger Steak - This was BF's dish. It was good but it came with mashed potatoes. Nothing against that but hamburger steak taste so good with RICE! Just saying. The patty was a good size and there was cheese in the middle of the patty. What did I say earlier? Cheese makes everything better!
No room for dessert but damn sure I'll be back to try some later.
Five minutes from my house, ample free parking, delicious food, sake, wine, and separate semi-private dining area for parties make this my new favorite spot period.
BTW the bathrooms were not in service when I went. Â We had to use the upstairs bathroom which was kind of out of the way and confusing. Hope they get that fixed soon!
I love(d) Genius Lounge. For the unsurpassable sake selection and eclectic bar food, and the service. In my Yelp Youth, Genius provided me the backdrop to grow and nurture my foodie passions so I will always look back fondly on that place.
*let's take a moment of silence for Genius...
Ok, This place is Genius all grown up, and I'm ready to take that step forward with them. I know now. I know that Chez Kenzo is the place to shift towards. In town! Free parking, OMG yes.
And, seeing Grant "Chuggy Bear" S. and Kim M. (nice to finally meet you!) on the same night with different parties, you know they know too! Three Yelp Elites checked in at one time, unplanned, thats gotta say something!
The food menu is an unapologetic, expansive menu of whatever it is you would like to find on there. Despite the quantity, still manages to maintain its quality. Spanning from hummus plate, garlic french bread, ahi carpaccio, and japanese fusion pastas, to chazuke. All of the favorites I've come to know and love at Genius are here, including kabocha bacon, and natto cheese omelette.
$5 house sake was the Tamano-hikari junmai. House sake never tasted so good. Yes, speaking for myself and other value-concious individuals, we order house sakes/wines/etc when we go out since yes, it will be cheap. But I can't say the quality is always up to par. Well, this $5 sake is a bit dangerous, because the serving size is so big, and it goes down so smooth, most amazing value ever that I hope they never EVER get rid of this and I want you all to know about it that I will continue to run this sentence on and on until you fully understand. So there.
The sake menu isn't as extensive here , but they still have my favorites, so no complaints there.
No stomachache despite mixing all kine any kine genres of food. It just works.
Maybe because the sake is sooo dericious! Â Happy Hour 5-7, see you there.
Ok, first off I am a bit biased because I used to frequent Genius Lounge in Waikiki at least once a week when I used to work in Waikiki. So I was already a fan of the food, and already friends with the fantastic staff. I haven't gone to Genius as regularly ever since I stopped working in April 2012.. But when I heard they just opened a restaurant/bar outside of Waikiki, I knew I had to check it out!
I want to give 5 stars but its the seating area that kinda bothers me. I think there should be more chairs for more dining area. Upon entering, you see a bar to the right, then the entire restaurant is split in half. Half with tables for dining (with a separate area that's more lighted and private for dining), and the other half is open with some tables for people to stand at. I get it - an area for people who want to just drink. Maybe it's because I went on a Saturday night that's why it was so busy? Are there less busier times? I just think the space can be used a little better.
The food gets 5 stars! I also appreciated how the food came out quickly, but one after the other so it wasn't very overwhelming. Kenzo told me the food is about 20-30% larger than at Genius... fine with me! We had some of my fave Genius food and some of the new new:
Pumpkin and bacon - yummy in my tummy!
Cream cheese poke - my bf was a little confused when I wanted to order this; he thought it was regular ahi poke with cheese on top lol. But it's little pieces of cream cheese in place of ahi. Cheese lovers like me just have to get this!!
Cheese gyoza (new) - it's pretty much gyoza with cheese on top. Idk what it is, it's so simple but it was soooo good! Who woulda thought cheese on gyoza haha
Wafu steak (new) - oh man. Cheese filled hamburger steak with the most delicious brown gravy on top. Comes with a scoop of mashed potatoes.
Parfait (can't use the same name but it was called Genius Parfait) - vanilla ice cream, green tea ice cream, mochi balls, mandarin oranges, a layer of azuki beans and a layer of corn flake cereal. This was one of my faves at Genius but only a few people could make it, I had to order it far in advanced (takes time to make) and most of the time I wasn't able to order it. I love that I can be a fatty and order it any time now!!! Lol!
The best part about all of this is the food came out to $35, which I think is reasonable for 2 people at that high of quality. We also had some drinks we ordered at the bar before we sat. Next time I will be more adventurous and order more off of their new menus - I will be back soon!
I had high expectations prior to stepping foot in this restaurant. Â The Yelpers have been raving about it, as has my good friend Brandon S. Â I'm happy to say that this place actually exceeded my high expectations!
The service is pretty good, considering they don't have a lot of employees working the floor (seemed like there was one waitress, and two guys helping her bring out the food). Â The food came out quick and was served hot.
The highlights of our meal were:
Kabocha with bacon: the kabocha was really tender and paired well with the bacon. I would definitely recommend this!  <a href="http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=5iOId572Hr76oucpP1TNCg">http://www.yelp.com/user…</a>
Gyoza with cheese: sounds really weird, but was surprisingly good.  <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/chez-kenzo-bar-and-grill-honolulu?select=H1i5gGdosGlvNB0mZSn-_Q#H1i5gGdosGlvNB0mZSn-_Q">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
Crab pasta:  they put a decent amount of real crab meat - would order this again. <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/chez-kenzo-bar-and-grill-honolulu?select=H1i5gGdosGlvNB0mZSn-_Q#j9r1MNSmDqZL-gtSA8q0sg">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
Fried rock shrimp: this was only $6 on the happy hour menu - great deal.  Good portion of shrimp, lightly breaded and deep fried.  <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/chez-kenzo-bar-and-grill-honolulu?select=H1i5gGdosGlvNB0mZSn-_Q#OCppioHm1jijA96fKxzsEQ">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
Fried chicken: the hubby loves fried chicken and will always order it if it's on the menu.  We weren't that impressed with the fried chicken.  Small portion for the price, and there was nothing special about.  Next time we'll skip the fried chicken and try something else on the menu. <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/chez-kenzo-bar-and-grill-honolulu?select=H1i5gGdosGlvNB0mZSn-_Q#9RqtjIHSwmDMlNiJdexIpQ">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
For dessert, consider the homemade cheesecake.  It's a little lighter than traditional cheesecake.  Nice flavor and goes well with the whipped cream.  <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/chez-kenzo-bar-and-grill-honolulu?select=H1i5gGdosGlvNB0mZSn-_Q#11QNW6tliUZ5OrHYc6iwrA">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
Our tab for 2 including 2 glasses of wine came out to $66. Â
We will definitely be back!!
I've been dying to come here since they opened and and it's really one of the better new businesses I've been to in a long time. Â I've been to Genius Lounge a few times and I was a fan and with this location, I hope to be a regular.
Located on King Street right after Keeaumoku on the right hand side, Chez Kenzo Bar & Grill took the spot formerly occupied by Verbano. Â It's located where the Bank of Hawaii is. Â Slow down to get into the driveway - I missed it the first time around. Â Although it looks like you have to pay for parking, it's actually free, so don't worry about it. Â The lots huge too and if for some reason parking gets full, you can park on King after 6:30pm or park in the neighborhood behind. Â
They have happy hour daily from 5 - 7pm and the prices are very reasonable. Â In fact, their non-happy hour prices are reasonable as well - take a look at the menu pics fellow Yelpers uploaded.
My party ordered a bunch of food. Â We started with the rock shrimp and four cheese pizza which were on happy hour. Â The shrimp were deep fried and the dipping sauce was to die for. Â The pizza had a pesto base with a delectable crust. We also ordered the kabocha & bacon - seriously one of the best things I've ever eaten - simple, savory and why didn't I think of that? Â Also ordered the mentaiko pasta - the pasta was "spiced up" perfectly by the mentaiko. Â Also ordered the mentaiko tako, where the mentaiko was a bit more pronounced and still yummy, and also the steak. Â The steak was cooked perfectly and was accompanied by mashed potatoes and homemade gravy - so good!
The decor here is really nice - different from the old Verbano. Â There's a private room that seats about 20 people as well. Â Hopefully my office will come here for our Christmas party!
I really wanted to like this place a bit more but I had a few turn-off issues that dropped me to a very fair 4-star review.
1. Service was initially very slow, hard to get wait staff to take drink orders and they didn't check on us as frequently as I would have liked. Â Especially given that only 1/4 of the place was full.
2. Prices were a bit up there, for a party of four we spent close to $200. Â Just a tad priced more than I thought was reasonable (given the portion sizes).
3. Dark. Â Very dark. Â Had to use my phone to read the menu. Â Adjust the lighting a bit.
Overall though, the food was good... a HUGE selection so you'll definitely need to bring a group (like we did) to even make a dent. Â I was actually surprised by how many dishes they offer. Â Still, we followed recommendations from Yelp and found that almost all of the dishes were enjoyable.
MY NEW FAVORITE SPOT IN TOWN! :D
This place has a lot of resemblance to Genius Sake Lounge, but this is because the owner used to be partners with Genius. The parking here is much better then it was in Waikiki. I also like this better because the location is closer to home and the crowd is a lot better because it's not as touristy. Â
Their happy hour is from 5 PM to 7 PM! I mostly like the drink specials compared to the food happy hour menu.
The service here was fantastic. Everyone was very helpful when we had questions about the menu.
THE GRUB.
TUNA CARPACCIO ($13) I simply LOVE this dish. The flavors/sauce they use is different from other carpaccio's that I have tried. I really think they did a great job with this dish!  <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/chez-kenzo-bar-and-grill-honolulu?select=3zk3_VwosZqN_1_74RNXEw#3zk3_VwosZqN_1_74RNXEw">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
SMOKED SALMON WITH MAUI ONION SALAD ($8)  This dish was alright. I feel that the salmon and onion ratio was really off. I would have liked this more if there was more pieces of salmon inside.  <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/chez-kenzo-bar-and-grill-honolulu?select=MRgSMZH6lcaxJmHVgXUxbw#5vLGjDEoa6YMqadKb-U08Q">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
SAUSAGE ($?)  Just as good as other places. I really like how it comes with 6 pieces! A lot of places I been to and order sausage only comes with 3-4 pieces.  <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/chez-kenzo-bar-and-grill-honolulu?select=MRgSMZH6lcaxJmHVgXUxbw#hjIafd5iDAouwhrtI5A_Pw">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
PUMPKIN & BACON ($10) Delish! I think this is a great thing to order for a snack/pupu. <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/chez-kenzo-bar-and-grill-honolulu?select=MRgSMZH6lcaxJmHVgXUxbw#-hEur6gTDYmKoFdm7CEwTA">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
BEEF KAKUNI ($13) Very tender and yummy. Not my favorite out of all the dishes but still good. <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/chez-kenzo-bar-and-grill-honolulu?select=MRgSMZH6lcaxJmHVgXUxbw#60AT6JLGLUD8rerwmSlI3Q">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
WAFU HAMBURGER STEAK ($9) This hamburger steak had CHEESE in the middle! AMAZING! I really thought it was tasty. <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/chez-kenzo-bar-and-grill-honolulu?select=MRgSMZH6lcaxJmHVgXUxbw#LHLWssbwJLiAgp1mMvTmzg">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
NABEYAKI UDON ($12) Definitely my favorite dish! The broth for the Udon was super good. <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/chez-kenzo-bar-and-grill-honolulu?select=MRgSMZH6lcaxJmHVgXUxbw#0_8nI3yH29AVHyYE_F-0Xg">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
BANANA CAKE WITH ICE CREAM ($6) The cake was more like a banana bread. Still good and the ice cream it came with was chocolate and coconut. I liked it a lot!  <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/chez-kenzo-bar-and-grill-honolulu?select=MRgSMZH6lcaxJmHVgXUxbw#MRgSMZH6lcaxJmHVgXUxbw">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
OVERALL: I will definitely come back here more often! The prices are good and the service is great.
This newly opened restaurant / bar has been attracting the attention of foodies and bar flies, both young and old, from all over the island. The lengthy and intriguing menu features mostly Japanese-influenced dishes with nostalgic hints of local (Asian) flare. Its refreshingly swanky-casual vibe makes this place a great modern hangout. AND, in addition to the appetizing food and great atmosphere, Chez Kenzo has a full bar. And happy hour from 5-7PM. (Yay.)
(If you loved Genius, you're sure to love this place bc it's the same peeps.)
KABOCHA & BACON
I love the simplicity of this dish. If you have a savory-tooth, you'll love this dish.
NATTO CHEESE OMELETTE
I felt that this was a very cohesive dish -- the right kind and portion of cheese + perfectly fermented natto + a light and fluffy omelette. It's absolutely delish!
UME PASTA <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/chez-kenzo-bar-and-grill-honolulu?userid=U-7EVbeRf1wlSZfHW_gujQ#YZupJfzPoPsolvwZ-fMMrA">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
A seemingly simple dish made with butter, ume, and shredded nori garnish. This was one of my favorites.
HANE CHEESE GYOZA
Calling all cheese lovers!! This is a great dish to accompany an ice cold beer. Delish!
ROCK SHRIMP DEEP FRIED
This dish is only $6 during HH. I order it every time. Can't get enough of these sinfully treats! It's like popcorn shrimp, but lighter. And the sauce is great!
EBI MAYO
This is like Chez Kenzo's homage to honey walnut shrimp, IMO, but without the walnuts. (It's garnished with pine nuts instead.) The shrimps were cooked well, with the tails crunchy enough to eat.
TAEGU WATERCRESS SALAD <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/chez-kenzo-bar-and-grill-honolulu?userid=U-7EVbeRf1wlSZfHW_gujQ#qz2_sl_3AIf7fgGgRqOPKA">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
A refreshing salad with tender bits of taegu.
I loved this! My only gripe = the mammoth watercress chops. I had a fun time trying to get them in my mouth without looking like a heifer in more ways than one. (Serving this with a knife would work...or serving smaller chopped pieces would work.)
PARFAIT
I don't even know everything that's in it -- green tea ice cream, whipped cream, cereal, azuki beans, and a bunch of other stuff. Every bite was a delicious surprise.
ATMOSPHERE
The atmosphere is comfortable, intimate and relaxing. I like the décor and romantic mood lighting... It's suitable for couples and groups alike.
HAPPY HOUR
HH runs nightly from 5-7PM, so go early to take advantage of the specials. My pick off the HH menu is the $2 Sake Shot. For the price, it's really good and much smoother than expected.
VERDICT
Chez Kenzo has made its way up to one of my top choices when it comes to the perfect spot for GNO (girls' night out), date night with my special someone(s), or dinner with the fam. I am in love with their fresh menu, bistro-esque style and HH. I see this place doing well, especially with the ample free parking. :)
One of my new favorite hangouts! I love the food from Genius Lounge, and Kenzo has the same cooks.
They added more stuff to their menu compared to the old Genius. The ume pasta, I know sounds weird, is so delicious. It has a creamy texture and even though you're not a big fan of ume (like me), it's something different. Like a sweet/savory taste. Other items that are new & yummy are: cheese gyoza, shabu shabu salad, and taegu watercress salad.
Right now they are renovating the bathrooms so it kinda sucks cuz you have to go outside and upstairs. Junky if you're drinking a lot.
Location is where Verbano's use to be. And parking is free in the lot!
Please stay open til 2am instead of 1am ;)
I am totally biased because I just adore Chef Kenzo. Â He's the awesome bartender who you'll often seen pouring a stiff drink. Â I remember him from when he worked at Genius and he was always so nice and friendly so I decided to check his new place out with my boyfriend a few days ago.
It was pretty empty when we went around 5:30 pm, but Ken said it picks up later and especially on the weekends. Â Guys, this is the hot new place to go! Â Forget Home Bar and Grill with it's crazy parking. Â I know locals will be packing into Chez Kenzo for the great food and awesome atmosphere.
So everyone before has pretty much said everything their is to say about, but I got the inside dish--apparently the dancers from 939, yes, Club 939, come over for about an hour to drink and relax between shifts for about an hour. Â So any guys out there who like gawking at strippers? Â Well, sometimes they will be at Chez Kenzo with clothes on. Â Just thought it would be funny to let you all know this.
The food: That's all that one cares about, right?
Portuguese bean soup--WINNER. Â I can't describe to you how much I love PBS. Â Please just take my word and order it. It's only five dollars and you can share with a friend or greedily stuff it down your throat.
Cheese pizza--made with pesto instead of tomato sauce. Â A surprising and nice touch.
Arrabbiata pasta--delicious, perfectly al dente, so flavorful, and only $10! Â Pasta in this town can be $22 for a simple tomato sauce so I consider this place a great deal.
Like most Japanese establishments the portions are a little smaller, but not nearly as eye-boggling small as Genius. Â They are reasonable portions. I am actually glad the portions are not mega-super-awesome-gigantic because let's face it, Americans as a whole tend to be a little overweight and we don't need to be eating giant portions anyway! Â Because the portions are reasonable and not insane like say, Buca di Beppo, you can order more dishes!
Love this place and I have a feeling it will become a super crazy popular place. Â I'm going to recommend it as pau hana place and as meet-up with your best buds place before 11 pm.
Rating: 4.5/5
Date(s) Visited: 2/16/13
Food: 5/5
Service: 4/5
Atmosphere: 5/5
Price: 4/5
For most people, I am sure there will be a split-second before opening the door where the thought that they are about to enter a hostess bar will cross their mind. If this happens, I would strongly encourage you proceed anyways. Despite the unholy black window tint penetrated only by a lonely neon open sign, Chez Kenzo's interior, food, and service are far classier than the exterior would suggest. Don't judge a book by its cover.
Food
Our evening started with an order of hiyayakko. As I explained to my dining partner who seemed puzzled by my order, "Any place offering Japanese food can be judged by how good its hiyayakko is." I was very pleasantly surprised. The tofu, rather than being mushy, was excitingly firm. It was topped with generous heaps of katsuobushi, ginger, and green onions. No fancy sauces, no crazy toppings - just well-executed traditional Japanese fare.
I also ordered their "Maui Onion and Pine Nut Salad". I was expecting the onions to be mixed with salad greens and topped with pine nuts, but it was nothing more than an elegant mound of Maui onion shavings, pine nuts, and a yuzu-like sauce. The Maui onions were clean, crisp, and refreshing. When eaten with pine nuts and sauce, the result is a graceful dance of sweet, nutty, and tangy.
My friend also ordered their "Hane Cheese Gyoza". In essence, it is a meat gyoza with a thick layer of melted cheese and a mustard sauce. The dish definitely tastes fattening, but it did so without being heavy. I think the mustard helped lift the item, but it would have been nice if there was a bit more sauce on the plate and if it was a bit spicier.
Their "Original Poke" was one of the pricier items we ordered. A small pile of poke and onions was served on a plate decorated with their spicy sauce. At first I was not expecting the sauce to be anything special, but after five seconds of waiting it was as though I had swallowed fire. That may be a bad thing for some people, but when mixed with the icy fish and onions, it had a pleasant finish.
My friend ordered their "Crab Meat Pasta". Personally, I thought it tasted too crabby and did not have more than a few mouthfuls, but my friend enjoyed it a lot. The sauce was quite generous, so they must have also been generous with the crab. Things from the sea with exoskeletons are not really my cup of tea, I guess.
Our final order was the "Steak Fries". The thick, crispy, and moist planks of potato were served with melted cheese and a pinch of some sort of seasoning salt. I could not tell what it was beyond just salt, but it had a slight kick to it. Bar food? Sure - but it was good bar food.
We also ordered their sangria, Moscow Mule, and Vampire. I found their sangria to be a bit on the strong side, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Their Moscow Mule and Vampire were amazing. Neither too strong nor too weak, you could detect the alcohol, but you primarily tasted the ingredients that went into the drink.
Service
The service here is very good. Food is brought and cleared away quickly. The servers are friendly, willing to explain the menu, and offer refills. You just have to make sure that you make eye contact with them if you want to order something, especially once the restaurant starts to get full. They might be appropriately staffed for the few hours after they first open, but afterwards it looks and feels like they could do with an extra pair of hands. No matter how rushed they look, however, they never sound like they are slammed when they talk to you. Grace under pressure.
Atmosphere
If you plan on catching up with someone at Chez Kenzo, your best times are between 5 and 8. The restaurant is reasonably quiet and relaxed. You can talk without being loud or having to wait for the people nearby to stop laughing. Afterwards, though, the place feels more and more bar-like. Alcohol begins to raise everyone's volume, leading to table pounding and shots all around. It is still enjoyable if that is what you are here to do, but it is somewhat irritating otherwise.
When it is still reasonably quiet, they play an interesting mix of contemporary acoustics and big band music. It makes the place feel both modern and classy. The subdued interior gives a sense of distance between tables and encourages unobtrusive conversation - at least for a time.
Price
I expected our several hours of food and drink to come to approximately $80, but was pleased to see that it cost us a more modest $70. The portions were not exactly generous, but they were certainly appropriate for the quality. They do have happy hour from 5-7 if you are looking to save a few bucks, but otherwise I doubt anyone can come away from an experience here feeling cheated. Chez Kenzo is a bit pricey certainly, but it is a sensible choice for anyone who wants to stay out of Waikiki without sacrificing the experience.
This bar is very similar to Genius Sake Lounge but isn't touted as a sake bar. Â The menu is fairly extensive and is an expansion of Genius' menu--much of the same offerings. Â There should be something here to please everyone's palate.
The portions are what you would expect from Tapas... smaller plates... appetizer portions...
How was the food? Â Ummm, the food tasted good, but my group didn't think it was anything to rave about.
Excellent customer service from owner Hiroshi. Â He was constantly checking up on us and conversed with us with a jolly attitude. Hiroshi was patient and thorough as he went over the menu. Â He even offered us a free serving of a junmai diaginjo sake.
I look forward to returning and trying other things from the wide ranging menu.  What was the pasta  they offered during Joy of Sake last year?  That was sooo good!  I am craving that now...
Finally, a place that hits the four of the Five Cs - Clean, Convenient, Comfortable, and Chill. Chez Kenzo is a new and definitely clean spot on King Street that features an eclectic Japanese menu in a dark, relaxed setting with soft jazz music. This is an awesome place to come and chill with friends or for a date. The only C that Chez Kenzo didn't hit was Cheap, but it's pretty reasonable.
Overall, the food my friend and I tried was pretty good. The menu is extensive and a bit overwhelming, and there are no descriptions of menu items. It would be nice to know the preparation, sauce, garnishes, etc. Fortunately, the servers were able to answer our questions about the food and they made some nice recommendations.
The pumpkin and bacon was pretty simple and straightforward, but yummy. The crab meat pasta came with generous chunks of crab in a creamy tomato sauce that was satisfying without being too rich or fishy. The only disappointment was the pork with teri sauce. The sauce was great, but the pork was really tough and chewy, so I don't think I'd order that again.
The drink menu is pretty standard - cocktails, house wines, sakes, beers, shochu, and the usual things one would expect from a bar. We tried the sake sampler ($13) and that was pretty nifty- it comes with a card with the names and descriptions of the sake for drunk people who like to read. Iichigo bottles are $45.
Service was excellent. There's a decent amount of parking in the lot and the gate thing was up at night so I think the parking is free, but don't quote me on that.
If you ever went to the Verbano on King Street you'll notice that it's no longer there anymore but you'll recognize that something is in it's place. That my friends would be Chez Kenzo Bar & Grill. Â
Opened on Monday January 28, one of the original owners of Genius Lounge in Waikiki Ken Kawasaki and his business partner Kenzo opened this new eatery to cater towards the local market.
Before I get into the food, let's start with parking. Unlike Genius, this place has a ton of parking options. Â You've got the street parking after 6:30 on either King Street or Liona Street in the back. Â You can also park in the big front lot but there is a pay box. Â Here's a little something that I'm only telling you....as long as I've been going to Verbano and now Kenzo, I've never paid the box. Â At first it was just by accident..... I didn't know you had to pay and then after I noticed that I didn't get tagged, I figured it was okay to just keep doing what I do :)
Upon entering you'll noticed a full bar on the right and some cocktail tables to your left. The further into the restaurant you go on the left there will be some seating options for you to park your tush. Â This place is great for larger parties, in fact you may want to consider coming with more people and I'll get back to this in a second.
Try to come here during happy hour (5-7pm) when you can get a great deal on food and drinks. Â Form the Happy Hour food menu we ordered:
Pesto Pasta $6
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/chez-kenzo-bar-and-grill-honolulu?select=DMUOyeals7T80tVGffuaMg#5Zn4UiLYdjEE_9Aubweu9w">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
Hummus with Flat Bread $6
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/chez-kenzo-bar-and-grill-honolulu?select=DMUOyeals7T80tVGffuaMg#GLRQ2cGshm4ww41SRvTp6Q">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
Antipasto $6
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/chez-kenzo-bar-and-grill-honolulu?select=DMUOyeals7T80tVGffuaMg#-1XiGzyJzoTAkJ4RmMcgeA">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
Shrimp Cocktail $6
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/chez-kenzo-bar-and-grill-honolulu?select=DMUOyeals7T80tVGffuaMg#_dpe1qr8LKIJXvpq-1Oz-A">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
Unlike Genius Lounge the portions aren't what I refer to as "Japanese" size which is about as tiny as a 4-year old's stomach. Â The portions here are much larger and cater towards the locals. Â The best part is the price is very reasonable. Â Once happy hour was over we also ordered some Wafu Hamburger Steak, The cheese gyoza, Bacon and Kabocha and mentaiko pasta. All of which was very tasty.
The best part is for all the food we ordered (there were 8 of us) each person's share including tax and tip was $15 (food only). Â Not bad for eating our fill and getting a variety of different dishes. Â Which is what I was referring to as far as coming here with a larger group. You'll get the most bang for you buck. Â The one thing I did wish they would address is that it's really dark in the restaurant, it was difficult to see the food and one thing I like seeing is what the food looks like and all the different colors they give off. Â I'm wondering if there's a way they could install a little more lighting. I realize they want to set the mood but still, you want to see the things being served to you with some clarity.
Overall for the large menu selection, taste of the food, varieties of different drinks, service, parking and atmosphere..... I give Kenzo 2 thumbs up. Â I put this place up on my chill hang out places with the likes of Home Bar, Genius Lounge, Dash, Tsunami, etc. Â I will definitely be back with more friends.
Chez Kenzo is the hottest new thing in town! Rolling with a good friend's recommendation to try something new (thank you Iris K.!), I was thrilled to put my international palate to the test. This restaurant is brand-spankin'-new and had its hard launch just days ago. Our party of four were delighted to try about a dozen dishes of apps, entrees, and "Tiffanie's Sweets"-our high school classmate's fabulous desserts!
Although the word "Chez" is French in origin, there are more pasta/risotto dishes that point to Italian inspiration. There are so many fusion restaurants on the island-Angelo Pietro's spicy pork & eggplant pasta and Happy Valley's Pasta & Pizza come to mind. How did Kenzo measure up to these veterans?
Well first off, the Kenzo menu is dizzying, with a bit too much selection than need be. If they chopped the options in half, it would probably work better for the customer as well as the kitchen staff. I feel this may be a temporary thing, and hopefully the staff will learn which items go faster. Their libations and concoctions menu is moderate; we ordered a Jameson mix and a bottle of white Beringer that lasted well into the night with the help of our great waiter.
For starters, we tried the bacon kabocha, salmon with maui onion salad, Agedashi-style tofu with soy drizzle, and namasu sampler. Our server who just happened to be the assistant manager was very accommodating; answering our questions while giving his direct and honest opinion about the food.
The kabocha was tasty and different. I'm not sure I would order it again, but it was satisfying in a unique, sweet-and-salty way that chocolate dipped potato chips seem to work. The salmon, namasu and tofu dishes were refreshing, cold, and nice on the lips. For our entrees, we gave in to the garlic shrimp, uni pasta, and cheese gyoza. And finally for dessert, we ordered the tiramisu, cheesecake, and banana cake with ice cream-all delicious and fancifully made. The portions left the only man on the table feeling undersatisfied so keep that in mind when ordering for the male counterparts. The flavors were well-tempered and satisfying, however I would not order the uni pasta nor the banana cake again. Everything else though was delightful.
I'd compare the the overall experience to a Japanese-Italian love child blooming with potential, right at the cusp of culinary maturity. Its pubescent flavors has its mood swings of indecisive seasoning, just prematurely beaming with the anticipation of success. Some dishes were unanimously tasty, others were split decisions. We shall see next month with a return visit!
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