We come here a lot for work lunches but the food has always been pretty good. Â I haven't had anything terrible. Â Given the location I think the prices are reasonable. Â I like that they get a pretty creative with the dishes. Â They're local dishes that are slightly gourmet. Â
It can get pretty loud in the restaurant though if it's busy but otherwise the service is good, the food is good and it's convenient for me. Â I'll be back for more lunch meetings I'm sure.
Checked this place out during happy hour. Â The place was empty so service was amazing ;). I went there with three guy coworkers. I was the only one having shots they had boring beers...so I guess you could say it was a ladies night out. Lol. We didn't order any food because we had just come from a private party at lucky belly, so I can't review that. But I can review the awesome experience of being able to watch playoffs with a couple of what you could call bar regulars (not my coworkers) and staff of the bar. I would definitely come back. Seems like a good place to people watch. Maybe next time I will even try the food.
Review Source:Fun, casual place to chill with friends after work. Â We usually come to Hukilau for a few drinks, fries, and garlic edamame. Â It's a great place to unwind and get ready for a night of going out. I particularly like the iced tea-- I don't usually like flavored coffees or teas, but the fruitiness of this one is pretty delish. Service is pretty good and I like that Hukilau doesn't get too packed.
Review Source:Update: I went back here and got the ESPN Sports Animal BBQ burger. It was HEAVENLY - one of the best burger's I've tasted. It comes with Kobe beef, onion rings, guava BBQ sauce, advocato and bacon. Get it with the sweet potato fries- the fries come with a dipping sauce that is delicious!
Review Source:2.8.13
Hukilau...if you can sense my skepticism, let's just say that I was when my Mom suggested this as an option for a lunch date. Honestly, the first thing that popped into my head was the Tiki Room and that "Hawaiian music" they have at Disneyland. This restaurant can be found at the bottom of the escalators near Longs/Ross. Who would have thought anything was down there, let alone that it was actually pretty schnazzy down there...clean area with pink tiling that kind of glowed, a lot of elevators...
I thought the restaurant had a nice feel to it--kind of casual, but food is kind of gourmet...and the ambience was nice, not too loud but not cricket status. The hostess was pretty nice, our waiter on the other hand was a little more abrasive. But overall, not bad; we were checked in on multiple times during our meal.
The lunch menu ranges from wraps to burgers to pasta to seafood. There are also specials available; they usually have a "bento" option that changes daily. I decided to stick with something from the menu and went with a NEW item (as noted by the menu), the Roasted Salmon - Salmon over a sweet corn & mushroom risotto ($16). Yes, it is on the pricier side here... But quality was great! My salmon was roasted with just the right amount of crisp and the risotto was to die for (i.e. super cheesy and there was plenty of corn and good sized mushrooms)! It was a little on the salty side, but I'm not complaining! I was also surprised to see Plantation Iced Tea on the menu--YUM! I'll def have to try that next time...
If I learned anything from my experience today, it would be don't judge a restaurant by it's name! I'm sure I'll be back sometime soon! Happy Aloha Friday!
Yelp 365 Challenge: #039/365
Discovered this place recently and ordered the lunch special - grilled ahi sandwich with sweet potato fries. Â It was good, except that it came with a very heavy mayo aioli that I had to scrape off. Â The fish was fresh and the portion was generous. Â The sweet potato fries were piping hot, but could have been crispier, although I know it's hard to do sweet potato fries well. The service was quick and friendly, but the restaurant was a little too noisy and "sports bar" for my usual mood. I might be back for lunch when I'm working in downtown again.
Review Source:Working in the financial district of downtown, it's very convenient to have lunch as there are so many choices. Â However, with only one-hour lunch break, it's essential to go to an establishment that can deliver the food out on a timely basis.
I have been to Hukilau several times now and I do enjoy the ambiance - the sports bar theme plays very well. Â They seem to attract a great crowd and this place can get packed quite quickly so I make the effort to come here earlier.
I recently had the daily special - pulled BBQ pork sandwich and had sweet potato fries substituted instead of regular fries. Â The sweet potato fries were a big hit as my colleagues were eating off my plate! Â However, the sandwich was somewhat disappointing as the it lacked the BBQ flavor. Â The pork was very moist but sadly, it needed much more sauce!
The food did not come all at the same time so it was somewhat awkward to eat before others but due to a fixed lunch break, I was pressured to eat first.
Food is okay and service is average but not worthy of 4-stars from me.
This is one of the few sit down restaurant spots in downtown.  Sports bar theme, comfortable atmosphere  - one place I don't mind dining alone. This place is located in the bottom of Exec Center (down the escalators) in the hotel lobby.
Go here for lunch, and you will enjoy a great variety of food - from bentos and kalbi to  hamburgers, soups sandwiches and stews. Â
They have great onion rings and a fantastic pastrami Reuben on marble rye. Â Their fries are great - you have choices of Cajun, garlic, or sweet potato. Â
Service is usually a little slow - they are busy and the workers are few, so be prepared to spend your whole lunch hour eating here. Â But well worth it!
I had the Bento of the day: Â garlic chicken, spring roll, tossed salad with oriental dressing and bread pudding. Â The garlic chicken didn't have much flavor, I've tasted better like The Alley's Tasty Garlic Chicken was much better. Â It's one of the nicer restaurants in the downtown Hotel Street side. Â I think I'll stick to their hamburgers and sweet potato fries.
Review Source:Overall a good sports bar. Â Convenient for a work day lunch.
Had the special of the day - shrimp and mahi on a curry risotto. Â Risotto was more like sushi rice in texture, rather than the creamy porridge that is traditional risotto. Â Still a good dish. Â Their fish seems to be quite well done for the price. Â It flaked perfectly.
Oct 31 Yelp Challenge: #4/31
I pulled a 12 day stay at the Aston @ The Executive Center in downtown 'Lulu, and the Hukilau was its indigenous restaurant & bar. After multiple visits during my stay, I can say that the Hukilau is the BEST hotel bar that I've ever had the pleasure of being a 'temporary regular' at.
I was always greeted with a warm welcome, and the staff is fantastic. The manager, Emerson, is a stud and got me hooked on a certain drink that will be a staple in my nights of drinking from now on (see below). The food is fantastic, most of which is discounted during a very LONG happy hour (something that I'm not used to). I had the Kal Bi, the Kim Chee Fried Rice w/ pork & shrimp, the sashimi, and both the Oxtail Stew and Soup and all were amazing. Oh...and the drinks...FRIGGIN' DELICIOUS. Go with the 'Summer Breeze', it's an absolutely phenomenal cocktail that tastes like a watermelon mojito. I'll readily admit that I drank enough in 12 days to sink a ship.
There are t.v.'s set to sports, cheap (select) martinis during happy hour, and a local beer on tap. I'd say the only 'con' for this placeis that it's sunk into the first floor with no windows to see outside. But really, that's about it. Well worth the money.
HIDDEN GEM
Hukilau Sports Bar & Grill is located in the Executive Centre building on Bishop Street. I would have never known about this place bc it's kind of hidden and out of my "normal" scene. (I rarely go Downtown.) I'm so glad that I was introduced to this place bc the food is dang delicious. And $1 martinis are a flippin' steal!
AIRPORT BAR
The atmosphere is nice and laid back. Even though it's brightly lit, I didn't feel weird at all! There's lots of tables like a restaurant, so there's plenty of places to sit! One of my friends said that he felt like we were at an airport bar-restaurant! That's the perfect description! LOL.
WEEKLY SPECIALS
Monday: Happy Hour 3:30pm-7:30pm
Tuesday: Happy Hour 3:30pm-7:30pm
Wednesday: Herb-Crusted Prime Rib Dinner
Thursday: Martini Night, Live Music, & Happy Hour ALL NIGHT
Friday: Live Music
$1 MARTINI NIGHT
We happened to make it down here on a Thursday AKA $1 Martini Night!!!
I'm not supposed to be drinking bc of health reasons, but for $1 martinis, I had to make an exception. (Not all martinis are $1, it's only certain flavors like apple and lychee.) We had rounds and rounds of $1 lychee martini shots. I don't normally like sweeter drinks, but the lychee was good. Plus, they put an alcohol-infused lychee in each drink!
The other cocktails we tried were good, too!
Ménage Atois -  Absolut Rasberri Vodka, peach and pineapple schnapps, fresh squeezed lime, and sprite. Fresh and tasty, but still sweeter than what I would normally order.
Passion Martini - Absolut Citron Vodka, Grand Marnier, Lilikoi purée, splash OJ and soda. (Not one of the $1 martinis). This one seriously tastes like lilikoi juice. It's absolutely delicious!
PUPUS: The pupus were outstanding. I'd go back just to eat here! I really want to try this place for lunch and dinner. Everything sounds so appetizing.
CRISPY ROCK SHRIMP & KALUA PIG SPRING ROLL $9 <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/0ldeBiVX6m9bB6glHVavCA?select=QgdYcyrI26pWrCtxNiebWw#VYr9UVCDpohhIh1ppmmlTw">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
It's served with a Mandarin chili sauce that complements the flavors of the meat so well! This is not a skimpy spring roll. These are packed with a flavorful mixture of meats and veggies. I loved it.
FRIED TAKO $10 <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/0ldeBiVX6m9bB6glHVavCA?select=QgdYcyrI26pWrCtxNiebWw#Uh46Tu6rlmrTaxqatTJtlw">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
Local-style fried, smokey tako served with a lemon chili pepper aioli. It was pretty tender (not ridiculously chewy or anything like that). The flavor of the tako was phenomenal. If you like smoked / dried tako, you'll most likely enjoy this dish. The lemon chili pepper aioli was the perfect sauce to accompany the tako.
TERIYAKI STYLE HOUSE SMOKED ISLAND FISH $12 <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/0ldeBiVX6m9bB6glHVavCA?select=QgdYcyrI26pWrCtxNiebWw#FktF3v9EflQeTpr7LYW9KQ">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
Not a strong teriyaki flavor, which means you can actually taste the fish! Very nicely done! I loved the smokiness.
HUKI-WING PLATTER $13 <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/0ldeBiVX6m9bB6glHVavCA?select=QgdYcyrI26pWrCtxNiebWw#8qrMUC6Qft6EWht-fnA8wA">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
You can choose just one or mix up to 3 styles of wings:
-Buffalo w/ blue cheese buttermilk dressing
-Chipotle Mango BBQ wings
-Garlic wings with spicy ko chu jang sauce
-Salt and Pepper wings
We chose 3 styles (of course). I really liked the Salt and Pepper bc it was simple. The Chipotle Mango was also very good.
CRISPY SHIITAKE MUSHROOM & SHRIMP POTSTICKERS $9 <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/0ldeBiVX6m9bB6glHVavCA?select=QgdYcyrI26pWrCtxNiebWw#Xg2UkgILT75LHaKYOVSvgw">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
These potstickers came on a plate full of miso-yuzu butter sauce. One of my friends said that it almost reminded him of the See's Candies Caramel Lollypop bc of the sweet, rich and creamy taste. The Shiitake mushrooms were not lost in these potstickers! I could actually taste them. Super delish!
VERDICT
I definitely encourage any bar-hopping enthusiast to give this place a try. Hukilau is more than just another bar, it's more of a bar-restaurant with tasty food, drinks, and specials. A little out of the way for some, but totally worth the trip and hassle of driving into Downtown. (Taxiing is probably the smarter, wiser way to go.)
Yelp 365 - #348/365
Our latest visit was the final night of the NBA finals. Â The game had finished about 1hr prior and the place was starting to clear out, about half to two thirds full and the place was still very noisy. Â What do you expect for a bar underground with no windows or anywhere for sound to escape.
Having said that..........the food was decent. Â The kim chee fried rice was just ok, it didn't have enough stuff to it. Â No essence of kim chee or anything else it was just blah. Â The boneless kalbi was just ok. Â It seemed to just sit on the plate in liquid, even the mixed veggies that came on the plate was just dead. Â The clams was a lot of shells........a lot of empty shells. Â The spring roll dish was good but oily. Â My wife loved the fungus in the rolls though.
I guess the Happy Hour prices are what attract a lot of people (prices are not that different than the regular prices) and the sports on tv but I think that if you are in town, don't mind yelling and saying "WHAT?" often this is your spot.
My friend and I had lunch here and for business people, this is a convenient place to meet and gather for any casual or business lunch.
Place has a sports theme with multiple TV and game jerseys favoring the University of Hawaii and is the home of the Downtown Athletic Club.
Overall food is high quality with a number of items. I've been to this place three times and the food has gotten better over time. I had the side salad with Chinese style steamed opah while my friend had the Mediterranean bean soup with seafood pasta. For dessert we had mac nut tart with kona coffee ice cream.
Atmosphere and service was good but not great. My salad was $7 and the fish was $16 with the ice cream at $5 so expect to pay a more than average price for a business lunch. Â
I like the fact that the menu had a variety of items and the place was packed at lunch time however keep in the mind the noise level was really loud and you'll be competing with the people and the TV.
This place is alright. Â The food options here are what you would expect. Â I do enjoy their happy hour, but I can't say much about their prices reflecting traditional happy hour prices. Â Some items are brought down by a dollar or so.
My favorite night is Thursday. Â They have $1 martini's and happy hour all night for people that want other beverage options. Â Their pitchers are reasonably priced.
All-in-all, it's a decent place for happy hour. Â It's a spot for a business meeting, but that's due mostly to its ideal location.
Note that cell phone reception is sparse to non-existent. Â Make sure your guest knows where the place is.
One star for convenience. Â One star for sports on tv's. Â One star for quality of food. Â
Minus one star for questionable service every time I go. Â Minus one star for ALWAYS taking too long to deliver the food.
Located under the Longs Drugs on Hotel Street, Hukilau is in a great location for those of us who work downtown, particularly along Bishop Street. Â Lots of tables inside and out, and the choices on the menu are great for lunch fare. Â Today, I had the prime rib sandwich with sweet potatoe fries. Â The fries were winna winna chicken dinna, but the prime rib sandwich was really just OK. Â It comes as a Philly Cheesesteak wannabe, but fails to deliver what I was hoping for. Â I ended up eating the beef sans the bun. Â Thankfully, someone did come around pretty often and kept my iced tea glass full.
My lunchtime experiences at Hukilau have almost always resulted in the same thing - frustration with how long it takes for the food to come out. Â They must be the only restaurant in downtown Honolulu that doesn't fully get what 'lunch hour' means. Â Don't eat here if you're in a hurry, but if you've got time to kill and you want a place to sit for a while, eat, and socialize, the Hukilau delivers.
I'll be back, no doubt.
One of the two best places for beers on tap downtown. Â A great place to catch a game after work if you like good beer. Â Happy hour runs from 3:30 to 7:30 and all night Friday so definitely a good deal. Â The food is pretty good as well. Â The kalbi steak is ono!
One negative is that when the place is packed the service can be very slow and I have my order screwed up on more than one occasion. Â But overall I like coming here pau hana for a game, especially UH.
The great thing about this place, and the reason everyone ends up going here, is that it is conveniently located, the happy hour prices are decent, and happy hour lasts until 7:30PM. Â Most of the major downtown office buildings are within a couple blocks from this place, and it is perfect for those who have to work late.
The food is nothing spectacular though. Â One time I got some sort of fish burger and I had a BONE in it! Â Yuck... Â And another time, my boneless kalbi was really undercooked. Â The better things to stick to are the fries, sliders, and kalua pork nachos. Â They have several types of fries and they are all good. Â The sweet potato fries and the cajun fries are really good. Â Not the healthiest selection here, but their salads aren't too bad if you want something not deep fried and covered in cheese. Â The Asian Chicken Salad is good.
The drink menu has a lot of options, and for happy hour, the martinis and house wines are only $3. Â There are lots of delicious sounding martinis. Â I've had a couple and they were pretty good.
The service is kind of slow--order fast and expect to wait a long time. Â They'll show up to take your order, fill your glass, get you what you ask for, etc, but don't expect them to do it quickly. Â Part of it is the waiters, part of it is how long the kitchen takes to get the food out. Â
The space is pretty large, so you can fit a large party there. Â But they also have live music so it is way too loud to carry on any kind of decent conversation. Â You'd be better off by taking a smaller party and sitting away from the music. Â There are also many TVs all around the place. Â They usually only show one station, but if there is a big game on, it's a good place to watch it.
The bathrooms are outside of Hukilau. Â When you go out the front, turn immediately to the right and then right again into the hallway on the side.
Hukilau was my second home when I lived in San Francisco, and no doubt, will be one of my go-to places since I've recently moved back to Hawaii. Although both locations are related, Hukilau Hawaii has a different feel and menu from the SF one.
First off, the space is huge. Good, because you don't have to wait long to be seated. The menu is different too. It's more sophisticated, offering a wide selection for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, such as kalbi steak, kobe beef burgers, seafood, fish, and lots more! They even have daily drink specials. Every Thursdays after 6pm is $1 martini night.
Sometimes they are so busy that the waitress may forget a thing or two, but other than that, customer service is up-to-par. Bartenders are quick and personable too.
Huki-WOW!
My husbands HPU group planned to meet up here for pupus and drinks on a Friday night. We had a pretty big party and they wouldn't allow us to steal an extra table. I found this to be odd. Oh well bring on the menus! The happy hour pricing was pretty cheap! I had a pomegranate martini (more sugar than alcohol). My second drink was a glass of wine. Not bad for $3!
We ordered the prime rib sliders which were pretty tasty. We also ordered the shrimp and mushroom wontons. I would stray away from those if we return. Finally, we ordered the spic garlic edamame. If you like garlic, which I do, this is perfect!
Pretty happenin on a Friday night!
Came here yesterday with the gang from work...since it's right across the street it made perfect sense!
I have never even heard of this place until now...
This is what I wanted: Miso Butterfish. Heard it was to die for! It must be since it was SOLD OUT at 11:45am. Super Sad Face!
Instead, I decided to order an Animal Style burger. It was HUGE! Covered in avocado, guava barbecue sauce and onion rings with 2 slices of bacon. It was fantastically over cooked!! When you want medium, and get well done, it really sucks! Needless to say, I didnt eat my food.
I decided to opt for the Poke Avocado Salad. Ah, the redemption...It was delicious! The tuna was fresh and the greens were too! The flavors were perfectly tangy and spicy and the serving was very filling. I would return just for this salad.
Overall, I dont think that I would come back unless it was for the Poke Avocado Salad. The place was hopping for lunch so it seemed that there would be a long wait if you wanted to just go grab lunch.
This rating is based on the numerous (10+ times) I've been there, but recently this place has gone down hill which warrants only 2 stars. Service has certainly gone down. How can an order of beer take over 10 minutes? Â They explained that it was Friday night with many large groups. Shouldn't you have more staff, especially on a Friday? Â
The food is good and the all night happy hour on Friday means we can order more for the same price. The problem with going to the same place frequently is that the food becomes boring. They really need to change/upgrade their menu. Add some daily or at the very least weekly specials. Definitely need a break from this place.
While recently staying at the Aston Executive Center, I ate at the Hukilau a couple of times since it was easy to order and take the food up to my room. Â For dinner one evening during their Happy Hour, I had the calamari and sweet potato fries from the Tapas menu. Â Really too much for one person, so I supplemented my breakfast the next morning with sweet potato fries :-)
I then had lunch there one day and had the Grilled Opah Sandwich. Â Delish! Â Large portions and if they weren't a chain, I'd probably give them 4 stars. Â Service was a little slow both times, but I need to remember that time is relative in Hawaii :-)
While the need for a power lunch downtown hasn't arisen recently, Hukilau is certainly a good choice for that. However, this time around, my review update is based on their afternoon happy hour. Let's be honest, it is one of the best bets in downtown and offers good food, decent service, and some great drink specials.
The happy hour menu offers some tasty noshes to complement those cold suds you're going to be sucking down. Whether it is something simple like the garlic fries or something more bold like crispy calamari, you won't be wow'ed and say it is among the best bites you ever had, however it won't disappoint where you say..."why did we order that?" Their kobe sliders are well done with a moist patty with flavors that come through and complement the beef rather than overwhelm it.
Service doesn't wow you with attentiveness, however they certainly don't let your water glass go empty and are always on hand when you are ready. The bartenders can mix up some pretty good drinks whether you want something sweet or something more traditional.
Like I said, they don't wow you, nor do they disappoint. However, if the time comes for a pau hana and you are downtown, Hukilau certainly is a very good choice to check out!
T'was my mistake for staying in Chinatown on a First Friday. Hukilau was PACKED to the point that my friend and I sat in the lobby area of the hotel! This turned out to be a blessing in disguise because the music was deafening.
Drinks are decent. Pork chops was excellent. Truffled fries disappointing. Overall kind of pricey, but my friend had a discount! So a night of drinking and eating = $30 per person (including the discount and tip).
I thought this place was going to be a hidden gem, but I was slightly mistaken. Â
The first part of my review is for the food, which I wasn't a fan of. Â Whenever I go to new places, I have to get their garlic fries. Â I base my perceptions and first-impressions on garlic fries. Â Sadly their garlic fries didn't cut it. Â They weren't horrible, but they didn't "wow" me. Â I also wanted to get the kalua pig nachos and compare it to Uncle Bo's ... I'd recommend going to Uncle Bo's. Â Next time I'll have to order different types of food.
The second part of my review is for their happy hour. Â Excellent happy hour. Â Went on a thursday, and they had super amazing drink specials. Â $3 for the house red and white wines. Â $3 martinis (kind of small, but hey it's $3), and $3 beers. Â
I posted a picture of the happy hour menu, so you can see what days are good for you. Â Different days (monday through friday) have different specials.
The Hukilau in San Jose, CA is better than the one here in Honolulu....
This place should NOT be called Hukilau Sports & Grill, it should just be called Sports Bar & Grill.
What kind of hukilau is this? No authenticity whatsoever, other than the fact that there were pics of beaches on the walls and they served tropical drinks that tasted like juice.
I've always wanted to eat here, but never traveling to downtown made it sort of hard. Â But, the other week when my boss and I were thinking where we should go for lunch she brought up the Hukilau and since I've been dying to come here but haven't gotten to, I jumped at the chance.
Located at the bottom of the Executive Center (below downtown Long's), you take the escalator down and right at the bottom is the entrance to this sports bar-type restaurant. Â We were immediately seated having come right before the lunch rush and I proceeded to look over the menu. Â They have a lot to choose from: specials of the day, salads, burgers, sandwiches, entrees, but all was over overlooked when I saw oxtail soup on the menu. Â Hello, JACKPOT! Â I ordered that and my boss had the kalbi plate.
When our food arrived I had this massive bowl that was accompanied with a side of rice and a garnish of ginger and the kalbi came with two strips of meat (I don't think it was traditional kalbi with the bone in, I believe it was boneless), stir fried vegetables, and rice. Â I didn't get to taste her dish, but my dish was very good. Â The broth was delish and I couldn't stop sipping on it. Â The oxtail... oh the oxtail. Â There was sooo much of it!! Â I love meat that has been simmered so long it just falls of the bone and melts in my mouth.
Some of the downfalls is that service was a little slow. Â They didn't seem overly busy, but in total we almost had a two hour lunch (thank goodness I was with boss lady or I would've been in trouble!!). Â I'm not sure if the server was in between shifts and she was getting off, but towards the end of the meal she seemed to try and rush us (again, there was no wait or anything). Â But if she was in between shifts I've been a server before and know how that feels ("can you just leave already I want to go home!!"), but still. Â And the last thing, some items seemed a little expensive. Â Our dishes were only $12, but if I got the miso butterfish, that would've cost me $19. Â Ouch!! Â
I'm glad I finally got to try here and there are definitely enough items on the menu to keep me interested, so I will definitely be back for either breakfast, lunch, happy hour, their tapas dinner menu.... or all of the above!
Located on the bottom floor of the Executive Centre in Downtown Honolulu, the Honolulu Hukilau franchise shows enough promise that if you go at the right time with the right staff working, this place can easily supply you with a memorable lunch/dinner with your friends or coworkers alike.
The menu features a decent selection of fish, chicken, steak, burgers or even chili to satisfy your appetite. My personal favorite is the Shrimp Risotto. The only problem with this dish is that it only seems to be available to order bi-weekly and you have to ask for it specifically since they do not list it on their menu.
If the Risotto is out, other great alternatives I recommend are the Mauna Kea Burger, the Terikayki Salmon (although the portion is a bit small for my liking) and the Ahi Poke. There are a quite a few decent options on the menu to choose from, even though I share the same sentiment as other Yelpers who mention that the dishes are overpriced.
Service is pretty hit and miss . I've had anywhere from exceptional to downright atrocious service (as I said before, it depends on the staff). I remember my first time here, a friend and I decided to eat here after the lunch rush and the restaurant was virtually empty except for 5-6 idle servers just hanging out. Regardless, it took us about 20 minutes for someone to help us. I felt more neglected than a redheaded stepchild when I asked two of the servers to help us and they told us they would return, but never did.
How did I finally get served? I seriously built a 2 foot tower with our menus and table condiments in order to get SOMEONES attention (immature I know, but I was proving a point!). The plus side of my little childish act, however, is that we received 50% off our bill because the manager was "embarrassed" on behalf of his wait staff.
In short, Hukilau Restaurant is a "safe" option to meet up with a friend for lunch or for a quick happy hour. I especially enjoy the live music they have here on Friday evenings. However, my experiences here vary as much as my schizophrenic ex-girlfriend's behavior, therefore I have to settle for giving it just an "okay" rating.
Its website states that "Aloha Served Here." Â Ya right! Â The only "Aloha" I saw was "Mainland Aloha," Â the fake type. Â The kind that mainlander's try to portrait when they are trying to fit in. Â Sad!
All 1 star and 2 star reviews are all spot on. Â They advertise in their web site that they are an A.i.O. company, which explains a lot. Â See my other reviews of A.i.O. companies:
Obun Hawaii, Inc.:
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/user_details_review_search?userid=gzLNJYcykoNlod6C2csdUw&q=obun+hawaii">http://www.yelp.com/user…</a>
Japanese Guide to Hawaii-Ai
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/user_details_review_search?userid=gzLNJYcykoNlod6C2csdUw&q=JGH">http://www.yelp.com/user…</a>
After trying to deal with Jason Takemura, self proclaimed executive chef (from Aiea, HI), you might as well label him a prep cook. Â Customer service is below a 1 star rating.
Sports Bar? Â Ya right! Â More like an "Under city cave." Â This place is lame, and would not recommend anyone to go here.
Can you believe they have 2 other locations besides this SH** hole?!@#$%
I wanted to try their poke bowl, but for some reason they ran out of poke bowls and only had poke salad....so I ordered that.
Poke was okay-tasting. Â Not great, but not bad either. Â Terrible for the price you pay, actually, since they pretty much give you a big plate of lettuce, throw in a few chopped tomatoes and cucumber and maybe a quarter of an avocado, sliced, atop a small bed of the poke with some deep fried lotus chips which tasted like fried nothing. Â Ponzu vinaigrette that went with it was okay, but not amazing.
I liked the place, though. Â It's very casual, and I can see how people would like to come here for happy hour and the pupus during sports games. Â Next time I'm going to try one of the burgers or the miso pork because apparently they're pretty good.
I'd just like to start out by saying that I've never been to the mainland Hukilau restaurants and really only want to compare this sports bar to others in the area.
I've been here for drinks and pupus several times. Highlights include good beers on tap and multiple big screen TVs, perfect for catching a game or watching a UFC fight (and you can reserve a table ahead of time for UFC!!!) One saturday night they had happy hour pricing during the ENTIRE UH football game which was prominently displayed on 6 or more televisions. This place ROCKS for watching sports!
Pupus that we enjoy:
Shrimp fried rice - good quality sticky rice that is not too greasy. It needs an overeasy egg though...
Sliders - three cute burgers: bacon and pepperjack, mushroom and blue cheese and bbq. Multiple friends have raved about these.
Chili - extremely high quality chili
Sweet potato fries
Calamari - interesting because it comes with long beans
Boneless Kalbi - good flavor and served with pickled cabbage
Wings - I like that you can pick three varieties in one platter
Truffle fries - don't taste like truffle but they are still delish!
Overall A-ok. Bartender is very friendly. Now they offer 50% off pupus all night on Mondays. Been there for two UFC fights and both times they had different liquor samples (tequila and rum I think) and they were very generous.
The vibe is pretty chill but the place needs a renovation for sure. The furniture is SUPER outdated, like early 90's status which really annoyed me for some reason. there was private party inside the restaurant so my friends and i sat in the outside lobby area which wasn't too bad. we peeked inside the private room and the light green walls looked terrible....just old old old.
the food is pretty decent, i liked the bbq guava wings and the kobe burger was pretty delish. personally, if i had kobe beef, i wouldn't think to grind it up into a burger but that's innovation i guess? haha i enjoyed it, i won't lie :)
the first waitress was super chill and on top of the service. the second one was meh. she took outr tickets to validate them and didn't being them back, we had to ask to get our tickets back...twice. grr.
i would go back but only for happy hour.
I heart Hukilau. Â I am constantly coming here for business lunches much like the rest of the Downtown crowd. Â The food is delicious and consistent and the servers are experienced and well-trained. Â A few of my faves:
Hukilau Burger- This burger is awesome. Â A little pricey but oh so worth it. Â Best burger in Downtown if you ask me. Â Juicy kobe beef, crunchy fried onions, buttery avocado, MmMMmmmm. It melts in your mouth.
Prime Rib Chili- The best combo since pb & j. Â The chili is the perfect blend of spices and the juicy chunks of prime rib make it even more delectable.
Asian Chicken Salad- Â When I'm on a healthy kick, this is my regular menu choice. Â The chicken, and dressing, and the little asian crunchies perfectly compliment each other and come together for a party in my mouth.
Tomato Bisque Soup- Â The soup changes daily but when they have this one, order it. Â The consistency and flavor is spot on and really fills you up.
Warm Vanilla Brioche Bread Pudding- I'm not a huge bread pudding fan, but this one is AHHHmazing. Â It's soft and moist and the vanilla sauce that it's drenched in makes me want to order a cup of it so I can drink it straight.
I almost only come here during lunch but I did come once for breakfast and enjoyed it and I've also heard their pau hana is really good too. Â Give this place a shot if you're ever in the area just be warned- it is underground and their is no cell phone reception. Â It's actually a good excuse if you wanna take a long lunch and don't want your boss to bother you :)
1) WORST coffee ever. Â Like burnt instant. Â Great way to start my day. Never again.
2) Waitress kept asking me if I was finished with my breakfast when I still had food on there. Â NO, dammit, if you see bacon on my plate, I'm not done. Â Finally one of the times she asked me, "Are you done with this?", I said yes and lost some bacon because I thought she was asking me about the check. Â Yes, I'm done with the check, NO, don't touch my bacon.
3) One Megatouch game eats quarters. Â Only put cash in there. Â The other one doesn't work at all.
4) This past week my spinach salad wasn't very good. Â It was oily and not very tasty.
11/30/07: Breakfast meeting - having lived in San Francisco for 6 years and visited their original location, I've been curious about their Honolulu location since it opened. To be frank, I've been perplexed and couldn't find it until this morning. I work around the corner (Hotel and Alakea) and heard it was at the corner of Bishop and Hotel, but all I could find was the Verizon storefront. Anyways, if you haven't figured it out, the restaurant is in the basement (very tough location from a retailing perspective). I didn't have anything to eat but really enjoyed the Illy coffee. Finally, another place that I can add to my list of establishments that don't serve (watered down) Kona coffee.
Lots of plasma TVs around, this place must be buzzing during the UH games and happy hour, I hope the poor location doesn't kill the business (this is the fourth restaurant in this space).
This is my thrid amendment to the review, seems each time I go I like this place less. Â The one thing that it has going for it is that there are usually empty seats (not always a good sign) and they are open when the games are on TV.
This is a second emendment of the review.
Went for lunch, not so good. Â This place is inconsistant. Dropped a star again. Â I've been there enough times now. Â
This is an emended review.
Hukilau is not a bad place to go after work but it can't escape the feel that it is a hotel lobby bar. Â The food is not bad, better than some of the food that I've had downtown. Â They have a pretty good happy hour cheap beers. Â Their portions are good sized for the most part. Â I didn't particularly care for the edemame but everything else was better than average.
They have 10 taps which is enough for me, some interesting choices too; Wailua Wheat, Primo, Deschuttes, Drop Top, Shock Top.
They have darts which is actually rare downtown.
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