← Blue Water Shrimp and Seafood Market – Ala Moana (Hawaii 2019): Amazing Garlic Shrimp and Seafood. Roy’s Waikiki: Classic Pacific Rim Restaurant. Posted by pennyandrusty. We’ve always thought about trying Roy’s Waikiki in the past but timings just never worked out before. Roy’s is one of the many restaurants founded by Japanese-born Roy Yamaguchi (who has a long and storied history with cuisine in Hawaii).
Had the $45 sunset menu. Great value for money. The main is really entree size however by the time you eat all 3 courses you will be full anyway! Also great kids menu, crayons for color in to keep kids occupied is great idea! My favorite was the chocolate cake that has hot sauce inside!
We dined at Roy's our first night in Honolulu. We asked for a table outside. There is some street noise, but people watching and the sea breeze make it pleasant. We had wine and enjoyed one of the price fixe menus. The appetizer was a beautifully prepared spicy raw fish. The salad was pedestrian, but adequate. The Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi-Mahi with Lobster Sauce was one of the best dishes either of us could remember! The fish was fresh and prepared perfectly. The sauce is rich, buttery and full of macadamia nuts. The final course, Roy's Melting Hot Chocolate Soufflé is almost too decadent! Add a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, a great way to start vacation in Waikiki!
We arrived late on a holiday weekend evening, because we had been let down by another restaurant. We were found a table in the bar. We skipped starters and were given some complementary cheese bread....very nice.
Our garlic/mushroom filet steaks were 100%, with French fries and a small portion of vegetables. We had ordered some extra broccoli at $14. The sweets were delectable. Service was perfect.
The cost for this plus one of the cheaper bottles of Californian Red wine ($80) bought our bill to $225 plus tip.
Great dinner, surroundings and service, but top $
We had such great experience dining at Roy's Waikiki. It was really busy on a Friday night when we walked in and was advised there will be at least 30 min wait for a table. However, there was table by the kitchen which was available immediately so we were happy to take it! It turned out to be the best seats in the house, as you could watch all the actions in the kitchen preparing the scrumptious food. To start, there was complimentary edamame which was perfectly seasoned, then we had the Hawn Martini. Between the two of us, we shared the Double decker sashimi and 3 course dinner ( prawn, ribs, spring roll as entree, short ribs as main, macadamia nuts as dessert). All the food are so delicious and service is excellent! If you're at Waikiki, you must give this place a try! Highly recommended.
One of our favorite, if not the favorite, meals from vacation was at Roy's Waikiki. We made reservations for a Friday evening before we left Pittsburgh. It was a 10-15 minute walk from the hotel along the beach. Here's what we enjoyed:. This bowl of spicy edamame was waiting at our table. I didn't eat any (spicy) but SP thought they were fantastic. He ate two bowls of them.
Roy's was a delight. The sushi and crab cakes were fantastic. The short ribs were tremendous. Service was great. Nice room. Good value. Would definitely go again when in Honolulu next. D
We have many Roy's locations in California so I'm already a fan. I figured why not try a Roy's that's actually in Hawaii (hints the name: Roy's Hawaiian Fusion) so convinced a couple of co workers to dine with me here. I've always been impressed by the food and that there's a different chef partner at each location with a different menu.
As expected, all food was excellent. Not a single dish was disappointing. I ordered the tasting course which consisted of a choice of an appetizer, main course and dessert. I also ordered other appetizers and beers.
Great service and great atmosphere. Also great for big groups so if you haven't been to a Roy's, check it out!
Visit date 5/6/2014
Very nice place. We did the tasting menu, which was 3 courses for $50 or so. Everything was really nice and the service was great. Really enjoyed it!
This is a restaurant we always try to visit at least once when we are in Waikiki. There are a handful of these restaurants, each offering a little bit of a different menu. I haven't been to a single Roy's that the meal has been short of amazing. If you have a large party reservations are a good idea but the bar out front is a great place to snag a late dinner for two.
Roy's Waikiki is an amazing restaurant!
This was our first visit to Roy's Waikiki; we've been visiting Waikiki for over 30 years. Our so encouraged us to visit Roy's Waikiki with him on this trip.
Oh my, I can't even imagine a better dining experience. The restaurant is staffed with professional and friendly staff attending to our every need. The menu is robust; there is truly something for everyone. Expect to spend about 2 hours for dinner.
The service was great; our entrées were prepared and served to perfection. Our beverages were top shelf!
Do yourself a favor and give Roy's Waikiki a try; you will not be disappointed!
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I’m visiting Hawaii with my family and this wasn’t a typical place we would pick to eat but definitely a great experience. The food was absolutely amazing not only in taste but presentation as well. The portions size was not skimpy at all. The service not only is friendly and attentive but also knowledgeable about the menu, you can tell they have pride in what they do. I ordered the tiger shrimp with crab ravioli and I finished the whole plate it was so flavorful and moist, not to mention the biggest shrimp I’ve ever eaten in my life and the garlic parmesan sauce is the perfect combination. Others at my table ordered the ribs and finished the whole dish as well as the sampler all were very pleased. And for those who enjoy fish the snapper comes WHOLE head and tail attached and cooked to perfection. I definitely would recommend and plan on coming back for another meal.
I will start saying that I’m not a big fan of fancy food, so you shouldn’t consider this review if you like a good “quality” meal. That being said, I’ve ordered the short rib, which was pricy but tasty…what I don’t like is that I cannot choose the sides, and as much as there was a good portion of food, the sides weren’t enough. One thing that I’ve loved was the fact that my water glass was NEVER empty, there was someone filling out every 5 minutes. One thing I didn’t liked it at all, was the bathroom, very dirty for a nice restaurant. In the other hand my husband ordered the sushi and he absolutely loved it, he said was one of the bests he ever had I’m sure if was for him he would give 5 stars…but it’s my review, so for stars for me!!!
This place was superb. The portions are generous and the unique flavors and savory combinations were so thrilling to eat that it felt like a true culinary journey. My husband and I came here two nights in a row because we loved it so much. Not only was the food spectacular, the entire staff was also warm and inviting. Special shout out to our waiter Maike, who treated us like family both nights. Thank you!
My family had a wonderful time. Definitely made our last night in Hawaii more memorable. I’m so glad I took my parents here. We did the prifix 3 course meal and the portions were perfect, we were so stuffed by the end. And the wine parings were well done. Presentations and taste were both great. Wasn’t crazy about the appetizers but the main and the wine pairings made up for it. The waiters were fantastic they were super courteous but very pleasant and friendly. Would love to come back when I get a chance to visit Hawaii again, thank you for making our night 🤙
Beautiful restaurant right at the corner of Seaside. Great place to celebrate a special occasion. They use nothing but fresh ingredients. The Butterfish was amazing along with the rest of the dishes. Service was top notch and the ambiance is second to none.
Top notch restaurant! If you want an upscale dining experience in Waikiki, this is the place for you. The amazing food is topped still by the impeccable service. We had multiple people caring for our table at all times to ensure glasses were always topped off, dirty dishes were cleared and if you left the table for any reason, you'd come back to your napkin folded on the table! Incredible, we'll be back
I've had great fish at a lot of fancy restaurants, but I've never had fish like this. The hibachi salmon and the macadamia nut crusted Hawaiian fish were absolutely unreal. Forever changed the way I think about fish as a meal.
Lots of fancy restaurants, the food scales up, but the service stays average. Not so, here. The service was every bit as incredible as the food. It was formal and yet welcoming. Highly professional, but also warm. Very impressive!
Atmosphere was upscale, but there were still plenty of muted Hawaiian shirts and tan cargo shorts.
Highly recommend going here!
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A very famous restaurant with a lot of people. It said on the Internet that reservations are required, but in fact it should be possible without reservations because we decided to come to this restaurant at night. I originally wanted to sit outdoors and feel the gentle breeze blowing by, but there were too many people, so I had to go indoors. I was a little disappointed at first, but I was attracted by the open kitchen as soon as I entered, it was really cool up! The service attitude of the staff is particularly good, very enthusiastic, and will actively recommend dishes.
As soon as we sat down at the beginning, we were given free food, including vegetables, pancakes, and edamame. The edamame smells like sesame oil. I personally think it is very good, but there is no salty or sweet taste. . I only ate pancakes on the plate of vegetables, and there was something similar to cheese in it? I feel very fragrant and chewy.
We ordered a Hawaii Kai Crab Cakes as a starter, which is a crab cake with real crab meat inside, served with real ingredients, served with those sauces, and fried crispy on the outside, with a sweet and crispy taste. There is also a Kanpachi Crudo, which is sashimi and the like. My father ate it and said that the sweet and sour brought out the umami taste of the fish and removed the fishy smell of the fish itself.
The four of us ordered two main courses, one is Misoyaki Butterfish, the fish is topped with miso sauce, its salty fragrance brings out the umami of deep-sea fish, and there is no fishy smell. There is black rice below, which is very filling. There is also a Slow Braised Honey Mustard Glazed Beef Short Rib, which tastes good and the sauce is well adjusted. It has a sour taste and is very greasy, but it may be that the meat has been stewed for too long, and there is a faint smell. On the contrary, I think it was just ok, but it may also be the reason why I am too picky.
For dessert, we ordered a Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, which has a crunchy cake bottom and fire-roasted pineapple on the top, which is sweet and sour. The whole cake tastes very sweet. The vanilla ice cream next to it is really delicious Taste the aroma of vanilla, which is different from the taste bought outside. The combination of the two is really eye-catching and shocking! I wanted to try the most famous Roy's Signature Melting Hot Chocolate Soufflé here, but the waiter didn't pay attention to it when I placed the order. It's a pity that I found out after asking, but the waiter also sincerely said that he didn't notice. But I also think that maybe I didn’t said it clearly at the time🥲
In general, I think it is worth a try, no matter from the environment to the service attitude to the taste, they are all first-class
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Overall not bad, but definitely on the pricier side with a few hiccups in food prep.
One thing to note, depending on the dish you ordered, you had a pretty different experience. The dishes I ordered, I was really impressed by the flavours:
Appetizer: Misoyaki Butterfish (Appie version, not entree)
Entree: Cilantro Chimichurri local catch on crab risotto
The sauces in particular were super good - with very unique flavour combinations. However, I think the butterfish was a bit underdone compared to what I prefer - usually with butterfish I like it to flake apart but not be dry - what i got felt closer to sashimi which was a bit odd for the prep type. Meanwhile the local catch was a bit overdone, but not so much I was turned off by the meal - i was pretty satisfied by the flavours. Unfortunately I don’t remember what the local catch was that day.
I also ordered the Roy’s signature martini; which heads up, was way too strong for me. Plus the pineapple is literally pure vodka in pineapple form (there’s literally no pineapple taste left in it after they’ve soaked it for so long). The drink was too much for me, but the wait staff was nice enough to exchange it for an espresso martini without extra charge - so kudos for that. So overall i had a good experience.
However, my friends on the other hand who ordered the pre-fix menu were not super impressed; I tried a bite of each dish and the meals were pretty basic in flavours and in most cases a bit overcooked (short rib and the local catch fish). Similarly with the three fish sampler, the salmon was definitely overdone despite ordering it on the rarer side.
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