Karlen Ross
Blink and you'll miss it, this restaurant is located on the top floor, up a long staircase along the side of the building. This is a great place for sharing plates, and I took a chance on some of the menu (The Beef Tongue Curry was a dish of note) and I was not disappointed. The value for quality of food and portions makes this a must visit if you're looking for a restaurant after 10pm.
Craig White
Love this place! Stumbled upon it recently and I’ve now been back twice and I’m already planning on going again soon. This is a hidden gem in Waikiki that you don’t want to miss! The food is INCREDIBLE! I haven’t found anything that I don’t like. The Mac and cheese is to die for. Cameron is an awesome bartender! She does a great job taking care of each and every customer. If you haven’t been to Genius yet, you have to go!
Kailey Grass
My husband and I came here for a late night dinner and drinks-we LOVED the pork nachos and mochiko chicken. I can’t remember the drinks we got but we enjoyed those as well!!
The nachos were made with chips that were so thin and crispy, not your traditional nacho chips!! Every topping was just perfect on them. I could have eaten the whole plate alone, and will be back just to get these.
I recommend reservations as they were pretty busy on a Friday night! We got seated in 10 minutes and got to sit outside with the nice breeze. I’d call it a hidden gem given how the outside looks. A little sketchy of an area but amazing hole in the wall!
Aksana Hetsevich
Delicious food and cocktails! I thought the prices were fair. I ordered Loco Moco and really liked it! The service was a bit slow, but the food compensated for that. I LOVED that the tip was already included. We did not need a reservation for a sit-down dinner. Overall, I highly recommend this place.
Scott Waite
Highly recommend this place. It was our last night and it’s away from all of the Waikiki madness that comes with the territory. Japanese and Hawaiian inspired food. Delicious drinks and amazing friendly service. If I lived here I’d be here often. Get the spicy poke, the pickles were amazing, don’t sleep on those. Kalua Mac and cheese had a delicious white cheese flavor. And a half order of the nachos, with yellow wontons eaten with chopsticks, because of perfectly messy they were.
Jenny Lee
A hidden gem in downtown Waikiki! Our server was super kind and friendly and the mochiko chicken and ahi tuna were divine. Super competitive prices and worth it compared to all the pricey restaurants downtown. Highly recommend stopping by, especially during their happy hour!
Dave J J
Fantastic food and Cocktails. Really attentive friendly staff and fun ambience.
Reservations required they are a popular place. Some outdoor seating.
Udon bowl was phenomenal. Shrimp and mushroom dish delicious and the tongue was good as well.
Nice Cocktails, reasonable price of $12.
Our male server was full of energy and very friendly, we appreciated that.
Appears to be a great happy hour as well although short just an hour I believe.
Highly recommended.
Lori Gutierrez
We went to Genius Lounge for the first time and had a great evening. We made reservations (a must) and sat inside. There is outdoor patio seating as well.
Our waiter was very friendly (he said he had been there for approximately 6 months), which always helps when going out.
We ordered several appetizers with our drinks, starting with the Kauai Shrimp and Mushrooms, Sushi Tempura w/ pico roll, another roll with poke and avocado (all were delicious). The Kauai shrimp (shell on) & mushrooms came in a garlic butter sauce with small baguette slices on the side - very tasty. We also ordered the Hawaiian Rib eye (cooked medium rare) and the Garlic Ahi steak (lightly seared). The chef cooked them perfectly!
Jay Vinson
Genius Lounge was a very good spot. The appetizers were on point, lots of local Hawiian flare (I ate the food so quickly I didn't have time to take a photo) and the drinks were very good. I would have rated 5 stars but they open kinda late, 6pm. Will definitely stop in again
Anne Cnockaert
My family stumbled upon Genius Lounge during our vacation in Oahu. The servers were friendly and the food was extremely fresh. Items do come out as they're ready, so be aware if you are uncomfortable with some in your party having food before others. The price is extremely reasonable given the area, and we are still raving about the khalua pork nacho appetizer we split before our dinner entrées. What a great local gem. Not sure I'll ever get back to Honolulu, but I'd definitely come here again!
David Vogel
Outstanding! We ordered tapas style as the menu had many interesting items. Presentation of each dish was excellent! The Kikusui Perfect Snow sake was a great accompaniment to our meal🥳
Andrea Isabelle
WOW! To the staff here at Genius Lounge - you guys are amazing. The food was phenomenal we had to come back twice. Your hospitality was totally on point, and we loved the vibes. A big thank you to Kano and Saori for both nights, because every one of your recommendations on the menu was worth ordering twice.
To anyone visiting, please go here! It's a must. We will be back soon. :))
Lily McGraw
Very cool place and as the reviews say, the staff were so accommodating and attentive. The Kaula mochi cheese springs were a nice surprise. Will definitely be coming back.
Shawna Raye
My husband and I ate here right after arriving and we were lucky enough to hit happy hour. The prices were super cheap for happy hour, both for food and the drinks. We were served sake in masu, which was a first for me! The yuzu chicken was phenomenal, as was the kimchi octopus and the karaage. But honestly, the thing I would say has to be rated the highly from here was the service! Our food and drinks came out super quick, they made sure our water was filled several times, and we never had to wait long to order another round.
Elisa Handugan
Great ambiance! I brought my relatives here when they visited and they were very impressed. Meal offerings are very reasonable priced for high quality dishes that are plated beautifully and taste delicious! The menu is very extensive—literally the first 8 pages are just their drink offerings followed by another dozen pages of their food options. Their pupus were delicious. The only complaint we had was that their steak was fairly small. It came out FLAMING and looked incredible, but my uncle ended up getting something else to eat afterwards b/c it was not a very large portion. Overall, a great hip place to get some good fusion food! Super close to the main strip, but tucked away just enough to provide a quieter and more private atmosphere.
WJ Sonier
Love this place and the foods are in great presentations and most important it’s so delicious! This is our second last day here in Honolulu and we are really glad that we found his place and they have this Hawaiian Feast set to order from! No regret at all! Staffs are friendly!
Richard Menzia
Long story short, this place is great we loved it. All the dishes and drinks were amazing. If you like Instagram worthy tapas style dishes of Japanese/Korean fusion that look as great as they taste this is your place. Variety of dishes is really diverse so go nuts, we had fried chicken, spare rib, steamed vegetables (amazing!!!) carbonara pizza, some kind of egg roll, and the best mojito we have ever had. Service was maybe four stars but this is Hawaii in a pandemic so let it slide. They mixed up a few drinks but fixed it no problem. Also, when every other place was booked they were still taking walk-ins. This place is especially fun if you really know Japanese food or have someone who is Japanese in your group. My wife is Japanese and she really appreciated the quality and variety.
mike jones
I had a great time, enjoyed the food, and the atmosphere. I tried the loco moco pizza which came with the gravy on the side and it was delicious. The drinks were good.
The atmosphere was modern, clean, and appealing. I would recommend trying it out.
Jordan McAngus
Genius is a little hidden gem within Waikiki. The food & drinks here are perfect to unwind from the hustle & bustle of Waikiki. The service is usually always friendly & they are super accommodating.
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