Best Lunch Restaurants in Kalihi-Palama

What a gem of a place! Came here for our Valentine's Day Lunch. Ambiance: Feels like you stepped back in time, velvet covered seating, cozy nooks, art deco fixtures and decor. Service: Friendly, welcoming, attentive, helpful, expeditious. Food/Drinks: Everything we tried was delicious, fresh, homemade and different in a good way! We tried the Devils on Horseback, Bao Buns, Tagliatelle Carbonara (fresh pasta) and the Fish & Chips. For dessert we had the Ice Cream Sandwich, for today it was chocolate chip cookies and we chose vanilla ice cream sandwiched in between. Drink menu had many fun and creative choices, nice selection of spirits. Cleanliness: This is the cleanest restaurant I think I have ever been in! Tables are wiped with disposable disinfectant wipes then thrown away. Not the same rag that was used to wipe other tables and who knows what else and is never rinsed. There was no dust to the visible eye, fixtures, furniture, baseboards immaculately clean, no crumbs hiding under the booths, no dust collecting on the AC vents or high light fixtures. Bathrooms tidy and clean. Parking: Street metered parking or with a short walk you can park in a public parking garage or lot. Overall, a wonderful experience! Will definitely be going back to try other menu items!

Went there two days in a row for lunch, something we do only when a restaurant is exceptional. Over the two meals, we had the seaweed salmon, confit pork belly, miso eggplant, and the bulgogi bebop, plus the chocolate dessert, and the old lady coffee. All were first rate and the young woman server on both days was helpful, fun to talk to, and offered solid recommendations. The decor is understated but the food is first rate. All in all, a five-star experience.

Food was excellent, loved the raw and grilled oysters. The grilled were wonderful, spicy and Decadent with nori butter. Clam Portuguese dish was nice to share and paired very well with the Rioja that we ordered. My husband got the black squid ink risotto with calamari. This dish was perfect, better than anything we have had in Venice, Italy. I ordered the scallops and as much as they were excellent. I spent a lot of money for two scallops, when I was expecting three. However, the waiter comped dessert. The brownie was yummy! Most important the service wasn’t rush and when I booked we were at the counter, but I asked if we could be moved to a table. Wish was granted and we had a delightful meal.

Overall we had a great experience. We were seated quickly after arriving, our server greeted us, brought us water, took drink orders, went over specials, and got our order taken. The timing of everything was great. We got our drinks, our appetizer came out shortly after, and our food came out shortly after we finished the appetizer. Everything was delicious. The staff was very friendly and great throughout the whole dinner. We’d definitely come back. We would just note to be seated inside next time. The street noise was a little loud for our liking, but not enough to ruin the experience.

We had excellent service for our large party during lunch time. The server was very patient and accommodating.