Patricio Utz
While I was initially not totally into the interior design of the place (just felt not very genuine), the food was amongst the best I've had in the United States. Highly recommend getting the soup dumplings, and the salmon cannoli. Will change your life.
Our waiters both days were awesome, and all contribute to the recipes!
Max Tave
Hidden gem with great value and really unique dishes.
I drive by this place a few times a week and my wife and I decided to give it a try today.
Most dishes were under $10.
The must gets are the ginger scallion gyoza and the a5 wagyu fat caramels after dinner.
9/10 taste
11/10 service. Anthony needs a raise
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HB S
Our local friends took us here for NYE and so glad we did! The food was amazing and the service was top-notch. I loved that we were able to experience this in a group setting and see how everyone reacted to all the different dishes. Also, I could eat the mochi and dessert every day for the rest of my life. There was an issue with the receipt--- caused by me, and the owner was quick to resolve it, on NEW YEARS DAY! Shows how much he cares about his restaurant. Thank you again !!!
Hayden Shieh
Solid tasting menu here but the first few one bites weren’t that good. Highly recommend the fried chicken. The wagyu fried rice is a little weak, the beef could be seared hotter and quicker on the outside and served with plain rice wasn’t that appealing to me. Overall great.
Charlie Te
Nice place to try an unique tasting menu. They have some interesting items on here and also let's each individual choose his/her main entree which can be shared with the group. The place isn't too large, but has a nice simple feel to it. The standout dishes for me were the Beet Lotus and Signature Adobe fried chicken. I also liked the soup dumpling as it was full of flavor and the brown butter bunny mochi dessert. The staff here was very friendly and attentive as well as knowledgeable about the dishes.
jeff reader
came here with my family for my wifes birthday dinner. we had an arlier reservation but could not make that time so we called to push the time back and they were very accomodating. we got there a little early and they sat us right away and brought drinks. the service was great and the guy whontook care of us was super nice. the food was all creative and yummy. the best was the little roll thing for first course the soup dumpling the chicken, duck and the rabbits! very interesting and nice dining experience!
Nick H.
This place was a fun experience. The restaurant is a bit dark, black walls and minimal natural lighting, but they had a neat feature wall with mounted dishware and plants, creating a fun art piece.
The dishes were mostly good, some were hit or miss as some of the flavors just didn't come together so a few of the dishes seemed discoherent. However, the scallops were tender, the chicken was not only tender but all around fantastic; great breading, fried to perfection, served with an amazing sauce, I'm guessing something mustard based; anyway it was my favorite dish by far. The ice cream cake dessert was also fantastic; chocolate and toffee I believe, a wonderful way to end the meal.
This was a memorable meal just be prepared to pay handily for it, which is the only reason I did not give five stars. I don't mind paying for a special meal but I expect every dish to be top notch, for the money.
Alexis Broady
Came to celebrate my birthday with my mother, came on a Sunday night and had a reservation at 7:30, we showed up early and got seated quickly. Staff were extremely nice and explained each dish we had questions about. Food was amazing and I definitely loved the soup dumplings, and every dish on the menu. Definitely would come back and recommended to anybody that gisits the area.
Lake George Adventures
This was absolute BEST local/asian food I had ever had!! Went with the whole family and we loved it so much. Service was also incredible, Anthony was a pleasure. Some of our favorites were the Endive Cup Salad, buttermilk fried chicken, scallops, and Butter-Bunny-Butter for dessert!! 11/10 Recommend!!!!!!
Gerard Lee
This is a hidden gem in Kaimuki; I almost don't want to tell you where it is because we want this place all to ourselves. We had the tasting menu, a great way to try out lots of their dishes. Everything was fantastic, full of flavor and food as art!
The best feature about the tasting menu is you can choose other dishes to replace ones you don't like or can't eat due to food allergies. It also allows you to come back more often because you can try all of their dishes.
The decor is simple (austere), with metal chairs. You will come for the food, not the decor. The place was full of young people, great to see. We loved it!
Emma Linh Stark
Exquisite experience. One of the best meals I’ve had in a while, and I’ve been eating great food on this island. The chefs here take your order, make your drinks, and explain all the food in great detail. Everything was flavorful and delicious.
Get the ube lemonade, you won’t regret it.
Brett Harrington
About 20 minutes ride from Waikiki, this is a better meal than you will get from the resorts. The restaurant takes mainly reservations but seemed to be allowing some walk-in traffic. The menu starts at $65/person so beware. Find their current menu on Yelp or their website and make a reservation. The waitstaff are the cooks, the cooks are the waitstaff, this was interesting as it seemed like each person had an influence on the menu and a special understanding of the kitchen and each dish. The adobo fried chicken was a favorite. We also ordered the A-5 Waygu which as a ~10oz cut was more than enough for two people when considering the other dishes we ordered. Each person picks two dishes and one dessert which are shareable. As a table of two, we could pick four menu items for the $65/pp unless otherwise stated on the menu.
My only recommendation would be that the Waygu option cost significant extra($140)but also took away two menu choices from one diner. While the Waygu was less than the market price on the island, once the reduced menu options are taken into account it really isn’t much less if at all.
Also, despite COVID, I think for the cost of the meal that a cloth napkin instead of a thin paper one might be better received for a fine dining experience.
Also a 3% credit card fee which isn’t uncommon on the island as well.
Your money is better spent here if you are going to splurge a bit even though it is not beach views and white linen tablecloths and napkins.
Bronsen K (FarmDeeLV)
Fantastic dining experience at XO. Service was great, interior was comfortable yet artsy, and the food was awesome - literally everything we had to eat was yummy. Best dishes of the night for me were the Kim Chee fried rice and the fried chicken! But, again, everything else we had was great. Kudos to Chef Aleina, Chef Kenny and the team for serving up delicious dishes that catered to comfort food familiarity but managed to step away a bit with some fun creative twists. Next time we fly in to Oʻahu, we're definitely eating here.
Sabrina Saiki-Mita
Tried XO for the first time on Valentine's Day, their 9 course tasting menu. I had some expectations after reading about the restaurant online, but the food exceeded my expectations. The flavors were creative and well-balanced and there was a range of wonderful textures from appetizers through desserts. The price for the filing 9 course menu was an unbelievable deal, $69. We were served by the chefs that night, who were doing double duty with great calm and cool. Kenneth was friendly, attentive and informative. Also, I was told by one of the chefs that they don't use MSG.This was easily one of the best meals I've ever had. I would highly recommend XO!
Hana Kim
Rounding up to a 4 (because staff is very friendly) but really would give this restaurant maybe a 3.5 for all other elements.
It's fine but not a fine dining experience. The ambiance is non existent with the location being in a strip mall, staff was mopping up on the other side of the room, you can hear the telephone ringing. Maybe my expectations were higher but it was surprising to find the strip mall entrance (tho the convenient parking was nice).
We ended up not eating half our food because portioning is definitely generous (probably a good thing for most folks) but our party has small appetites.
We left not feeling great as the food is collectively on the saltier side.
The duck breast mochi pancake was one of my favorites dishes. The soup dumpling was unique! The bunni mochi is very cute wish I had the appetite to finish mine!
Richard Blacketer
The experience my girlfriend and I had coming here for the first time was excellent!
From the street there isn't a lot to draw you to the location which is unfortunate, however, I immediately liked that parking was available in a lot directly in front of the restaurant.
Upon entering it is clear that it is a modern and classy venue. Nothing is over the top but there is plenty of seating and the soft lighting and music are enviting while facilitating conversation.
The host was very polite and more than happy to make recommendations that were very spot on. We both ordered drinks and the cocktail was good. For dinner we ordered their tasting menu. My girlfriend is vegetarian and I was very impressed by how readily they offered to make adjustments to the tasting to suit her needs.
Each dish was very obviously prepared with care. The platings were beautiful and temperature was perfect. The chef came out to explain a couple of the dishes which I really appreciated. The flavors were all interesting and some were exceptional. I especially liked the pumpkin and beet roulade. The scallop was one of the best I have ever had.
If you are looking for something that is different but not strange, fun, and unique, I would absolutely recommend this restaurant!
Mandy Kan
Had a great experience dining at Restaurant XO. Didn't get to take all the pictures of each dish but it was a 7 course set menu with items that you can sub and add on for additional $5/$8; but we just went with the basic courses. Kamaaina was $68 per person and regular was $72 per person.
Our favorite was the Seaweed potatoes with Portuguese sausage and the Beet Lotus dish. Our least favorite was the Adobo chicken and the Scallops because we felt like there was a little too much vinegar in the sauce. Overall it was good and unique since they tried to do something different. The waiters were very attentive and knowledgeable of the menu. Would come back again when I visit home.
Andrew Ardizzoia
Thank you for a SPECTACULAR meal tonight! Creative cuisine executed in FINE fashion.
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