Best Italian Restaurants in Kailua

We had a lovely anniversary dinner at Arancino at the Kahala. It began with a sincere welcome at the host desk and continued through dinner, ending with a beautifully crafted celebration cake, complete with congratulations from our server, Katharine, and the manager, Christopher. The delicious food - lobster bisque, pappardelle Bolognese, and the cacio e pepe prepared table-side - was accompanied by an accordion player whose set included both standards and Hawaiian music. We loved it! Impeccable service, outstanding food, and beautiful ambiance made this a memorable dining experience. As we left, several members of the staff wished us Happy Anniversary. Arancino at the Kahala knows how to make you feel special! We already have reservations for a return visit.

Ruscello never disappoints. Jessica was a fabulous server and the food was on point as usual. The shrimp and arugula salad and salmon with cauliflower entree were delicious. By the number of patrons it’s clear that Ruscello is a perfect destination to dine.

Taormina is a great Sicilian restaurant in the middle of Waikiki. The place is clean and modern, and the service is welcoming and efficient. At lunch they provide free focaccia with olive oil/balsamic vinegar and a passion fruit sorbet after the meal. The Siciliana pasta was excellent. Great spicy flavor with a unique sweet/spicy beef ragu sauce. It's not a huge portion but it's very good. The chicken alla Griglia was excellent. It's a huge piece of chicken, perfectly roasted and seasoned. It's very tender and flavorful. Really it's better than the pasta IMO. I'll definitely go back next time I'm in Hawaii. Make a reservation because you probably won't get in without it.

Being a Lone Ranger here on island at Christmas, I decided to take myself out to dinner. I sat at the bar with my reservation and ordered a real nice Cabernet to go with my absolutely delicious chicken Parmesan and spaghetti. The service itself was great. 3 different servers consistently attended to me which was very pleasing. The dessert finished off very well with my wine as well. The ambiance was very holiday visitor vibe but the staff was hosting at a great level. Thank you for a great ending to my solo Christmas Formaggio’s!

The entire experience was wonderful, starting with a very warm and welcoming Hostess who checked us in for our reservation and explained some of the menu to us. After being seated, we were readily greeted by our server, who was very personable and attentive to our questions and needs throughout the dinner service. He patiently explained the differences in our wine choices, suggested various dishes, and explained some of the local sourcing for our dishes, which we really appreciated. Our appetizer and dinner dishes were delicious, fresh, and hot! There was a nice pacing between our appetizer and dinner and we savored every morsel. And our server made sure our water glasses were filled and asked how our meals were throughout. We will definitely come back!