Livestock Tavern

Livestock Tavern is located in downtown Honolulu on the corner of Hotel Street and King Street. It's a restaurant that specializes in American cuisine but they also have a full bar with specialty beers and wine. They are open for lunch and dinner. For lunch, they do not take reservations so I recommend going at 11am to get a table. Their menu is seasonal and my favorite item so far is the burrata with fruit compote but it's not available on the current menu. The warm brie, crab cakes, and shortrib winter stew are highly recommended on the winter menu. All their portions are big and the food is on the heavier side so you get full pretty quick. The prices are reasonable and the appetizers are good for sharing with 4 people. An entree or sandwich could be shared between 2 people.

If you work in the downtown area, do give it a try. The interior is clean and well lit with all the windows. The servers are friendly and the food comes out fast. It's a nice spot to dine at with your co-workers or clients.

For more information about Livestock Tavern, visit www.livestocktavern.com. 

49 N Hotel St.
Honolulu, HI 96817
(808) 537-2577

Warm Brie

Crab Cakes

Maine Lobster Roll

Shortrib Winter Stew

Braised Oxtail Pasta

Kohnotori - CLOSED

Kohnotori is a Japanese restaurant located in the Moili'ili area that is known for yakitori. Their building is next to the Pucks Alley parking structure. If you are driving on King Street, they are directly across Central Pacific Bank. 

The restaurant is small so seating is limited and this place is not good for big groups. They are only open for dinner. There is one chef that does all the grilling so your food can take a long time. Everything on the menu is priced as 1 stick. This is one of the more pricier yakitori places in town but their food is very good. If you try to do a walk-in between 6-9pm, you will be turned away. I recommend calling a week in advance to make reservations. When you call, be patient. The staff sometimes will hang up while you're on hold. I don't know why that happens but just call again at a different time.

There are a few parking spaces in front of the restaurant but it's shared with the other businesses in the building. If you get lucky, you might be able to find parking on the street behind the Kohnotori building. The other option is paid parking with no validation in the Pucks Alley lot.

2626 S King St.
Ste 1
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 941-7255

Gizzard, Chicken Meatball

Bacon w/ Quail Egg, Bacon w/ Enoki

Chicken Meatball, Chicken Thigh, Chicken Breast w/ Wasabi

Asparagus, Sausage, Quail Egg

Fried Cheese

Rice Ball w/ Shoyu

Oysters w/ Ponzu

Okra w/ Ponzu

Scallops w/ Ponzu

EARL Sandwich

EARL Sandwich is located in Kaimuki near Happy Days and Big City Diner. The shop faces the parking lot so you won't be able to see it on 11th Ave. They are known for their sandwiches and bacon jam. I highly recommend the turkey jam sam and the caprese. All of their sandwiches are $9 or less. They are only open for lunch and it's busy between 12pm-1pm. During the peak hours your order could take up to 20 minutes. You can also call in your order to avoid the wait. The sandwiches are small but it's packed with a lot of flavors. If you have a big appetite you might want to order an appetizer or a side salad to go with your sandwich.

If you find yourself coming back quite a bit, ask them for a stamp card. They accept credit cards and parking is available in the paid lot or on the street.

1137 11th Ave #102
Honolulu, HI 96816
(808) 200-4354

Caprese

Avocado Toast

Caesar Salad (side)

Jamestown

French Dip

Turkey Jam Sam

Sansei - Restaurant Week 2015

Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar is offered a 5-course menu for $48. If you love raw fish and seafood, this would have been a good one to try. I recommend adding this to your list for next year's restaurant week.

For more information, visit www.restaurantweekhawaii.com/restaurant/sansei.

Kona Kampachi Carpaccio

Seared Cajun Salmon Salad

Seared Tuna Flatbread

Kiawe-Smoked Sous Vide Shinsato Farms Pork Belly

Pan-Seared Opah Linguini

Chef Cherie's Honey Lemon Cake

MAC 24/7 - Restaurant Week 2015

MAC 24/7 Bar & Restaurant is offering a 4-course menu for $39. This is probably one of the best deals for restaurant week. The restaurant is open 24 hours so go at anytime and they have a big space with lots of TVs.

For more information, visit www.restaurantweekhawaii.com/restaurant/mac-247-bar-restaurant

Sushi Sampler

Thai Grilled Kalbi Steak Salad

Fried Chicken & Waffles

Hawaiian Boneless Short Ribs

Mini-MAC Daddy Pancake Sampler

MW - Restaurant Week 2015

MW Restaurant is offering a 3-course menu for $50. The food here is always good and the desserts are amazing. If you still haven't decided on where to eat for restaurant week, pick this one. Reservations are recommended.

For more information, visit www.restaurantweekhawaii.com/restaurant/mw-restaurant

Chefs Selection of Appetizers

Flat Iron Steak with Housemade Gnocchi

Pan Roasted Ahi and
Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras

"Strawberry Cheesecake"

Waialua Chocolate "Brownie Sundae"

"Lemon Meringue"

Hale Ohuna - CLOSED

Hale Ohuna is Chef Lee Ann Wong's new venture and is located in Kaimuki at the former location of SALT. There are more drinks on their menu than food. If you love sake, this is a good place for you. For food, their specialty is noodles but there is a twist to all the dishes. It's not your average plate of cold noodle or bowl of ramen with shio, shoyu, or miso broth. They use a lot of vegetables in their dishes, which is really good because it made me feel like I was eating healthy. I recommend trying a few dishes on their nightly specials menu and a few from their regular menu. The cold soba with pumpkin dashi was a daring dish for me because I don't like pumpkin in the form of broth but it ended up tasting really good and it was a light dish so I could eat more of the other food. You probably won't see most of these dishes anywhere else on the island so it is worth checking out. Just keep an open mind and be willing to try new things when you eat here. They are only open for dinner and reservations are recommended since the restaurant is small. The interior is the restaurant is very nice and their menus are well designed too. 

The prices are reasonable but they have a few items over $20 and if you go with a group and split the cost, it's not bad. For parking, if you get lucky, you might be able to find a space on Waialae Ave, 12th Ave, or Koko Head Ave and walk over. If not, there's a metered parking lot behind the restaurant and a paid lot on 12th Ave and Waialae Ave.

For more information about Hale Ohuna, visit www.haleohuna.com.

3605 Waialae Ave.
Honolulu, HI 96821
(808)744-7567

Rice Crusted Salmon Cakes

Lomi Toast w/ Tartare

Cold Soba w/ Pumpkin Dashi

Bacon Leek Ramen

Annin Tofu

The Pineapple Room by Alan Wong - CLOSED

The Pineapple Room is located in Macy's on the 3rd floor. They specialize in Hawaii regional cuisine. The recommended dishes are the loco moco, kalbi, and hapa poke. The dress code is causal for lunch but for dinner, you might want to dress business causal. The restaurant has an open kitchen and an open dining space so it can get loud sometimes. Their food is good but the prices are on the higher end. For first timers, get their prix fixe or tasting menu. It's the best way to try a little bit of everything. I recommend making reservations if you plan to dine here with during the weekends or with a group of 4 or more because it does get busy.  

For more information about The Pineapple Room, visit www.alanwongs.com/locations/pineapple-room.

Ala Moana Center
1450 Ala Moana Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 945-6573

Ho Farms Tomato & Watermelon Salad

Sizzling "Hapa" Poke

The "Loco Moco"

Kiawe Grilled Kalbi Short Ribs

Kula Strawberry Tiramisu

Scratch Kitchen & Bake Shop - Autumn Dinner

Scratch Kitchen & Bake Shop is open for dinner on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. They change out their menu every quarter. This past week, I was invited to a special dinner by Grant aka Chuggy Bear. I got to try a little bit of everything on the new dinner menu and I left stuffed. If I wasn't so full, I would take a second serving of the charred corn ravioli, warm brussels sprouts, and the chocolate chip cookie bread pudding. I highly recommend trying their dinner because the prices are very reasonable and it's in Chinatown. For those who work in downtown, you can just walk over to the shop after work.


1030 Smith St.
Honolulu, HI 96817
(808) 536-1669

Bowl o' Chicharron

Poached Pears Salad

Tortilla Espagnole

Pork Adobo Quesadilla

Chicken Fried Deviled Eggs

Ahi Ceviche Tacos

Garlic Shrimp & Chorizo

Charred Corn Ravioli

Crispy Buttermilk Fried Oysters

Warm Brussels Sprouts

Southern Hot Chicken & "Waffles"

Olive Oil Cake + Lemon Curd +
Whipped Sour Cream

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bread Pudding +
"Milk" Sauce + Cocoa Whipped Cream