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Restaurant XO Honolulu Tripadvisor Reviews
Latest Reviews On Tripadvisor
13 Reviews
0 Replys |
Massive disappointment
We came here because it had an insane number of 5 star reviews on Yelp. It felt like we were tricked. We were the only customers and this was the worst meal we had for our entire trip. Do not recommend.
Be the first to ReplyAwful food and weird smell
It’s the worst ever meal in my life. Everything was awful from head to toe. The restaurant calls itself fine dining but it’s style is just a cheap Chinese restaurant with a couple unprofessional staffs. The courses were hideous and tasted really weird, and the drinks makes me sick. Don’t come here with so many more great food options in Hawaii
Be the first to ReplyWe’ll worth the trek from Waikiki
Found this place on Yelp. It is mostly filled with locals. All of the people, including waitstaff, are cooks and chefs. The service was great, friendly and engaging. When I inquired about the ingredients in a dish, the cook who makes it came out to talk with me and explain the process in detail. The courses were all delicious and some surprising in taste and texture combinations. Highly recommend this place.
Be the first to ReplyMassively Disappointing
Dinner at XO Restaurant was massively disappointing and one of my worst restaurant experiences. The menu is set up as a family style tasting menu with seven courses and it shouldn’t be. The quality of the each course ranged from decent to very bad and is definitely not what you would expect from a tasting menu, which ended up costing over $200 for two people. I would recommend they change their menu to allow for customers to order stand-alone dishes rather than committing to an expensive and massive tasting menu. The first course we tried was the Beet Lotus, Emulsified Chimichurri, Shiso Gel, Quinoa. The dish was ok but forgettable. Soft beet patties were topped with crisp radish slices, crunchy quinoa, and a bland chimichurri sauce. The second course was actually pretty good. The Oxtail XLB (Soup Dumpling), Truffle, Parmesan, which required an upcharge from the tasting menu, featured warm soft savory dumplings filled with rich juicy tender oxtail. However, the third course of Foie Gras, Salt Roasted Crispy Rice, Gravy, which was supposed to be a specialty of the restaurant, was very average. Basically crisped rice was topped with a slab of foie gras. The dish felt like it was missing something important and was an underwhelming use of the foie gras. The fourth course, Seared Scallop, Mussel Sinigang, Crispy Kale, was very bad. The scallops were very chewy and seemed like they were starting to go bad and paired with flavorless crisp kale and Brussels sprouts. The fifth course, Updated Signature Adobo Fried Chicken, 4 Hour Braised Peppercorn Togarashi, was pretty good. Juicy tender chicken was covered in a crisp breading and a creamy flavorful sauce. The sixth course of Kalbi Pork Belly Ssam, Gochujang Aioli, Pickled Relish was also disappointing. The meat was marinated in an overly sweet and smoky sauce. This was some of the worst pork belly I have ever tried. Finally the dessert course of Fluffle of Brown Butter-Bunny-Butter Mochi was enjoyable and basically a warm dense soft lightly sweet pastry. On a positive note our server was very friendly throughout our dinner. Overall, XO Restaurant acts like an upscale fine dining restaurant but serves mostly low quality food at high prices.
Be the first to ReplyBeen so excited to try this
Been so excited to try this place for months coming from the mainland.
I highly recommend this place!!! Great Asian fusion!!! Service is impeccable- john knew the menu well and help us decide on our dishes.
This is tasting menu only. Price is reasonable for the food you are getting. They do have Vegan selection as well.
I do recommend making reservation thru Yelp. My group enjoyed our meal. I do advise you go hungry cause you get a lot of food.
Our favorite dishes are the chicken skin, seared scallops, and beet salad - that chimichurri sauce is so good. Love to end the meal with the butter Mochi bunny. One more thing- try the ube lemonade- it's the bomb.
Yummy from start to finish.
We decided to have the tasting menu as described from beginning to end. Every portion was well thought-out, delicious, and perfectly executed.
Be the first to ReplyDiamond in the Rough
My family was visiting Honolulu to celebrate my recent engagement and my mother found Restaurant XO online while searching for "set menus" in Oahu. When she sent me the link, I wasn't sure what to expect considering the venue appeared to be in a strip mall. Although I wasn't exactly thrilled we wouldn't be having dinner overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the menu looked good and I agreed.
We arrived late to our reservation. When we called ahead, they said the delay was fine. TO MY RELIEF. Yes, this place is in a strip mall, but you would never know that once sitting at your table. The place was clean and open. I was thrilled for the experience once I had seen the venue myself.
The set menu was far more customizable than I had expected. While my family wanted to try every which option, I suggested we stick with the set menu as is. This place serves each entree family-style and I am the type of person who thinks, "If it's not broke, don't fix it."
Each course was amazing. They all had a spin on something I have eaten many times before. It was quite an experience. The drinks were a delight. I had their spin on a Manhattan and it was a multi-layered experience that paired quite nicely with the food.
If you'd like to see the menu, I believe there are pictures on their Yelp page. My favorites were the Beet Lotus vegetable plate, Adobe Fried Chicken protein plate, and the Seaweed Potato Au Gratin starch plate.
Highly recommend this place if you're in the mood for a casual venue with some great eats. If we return to Honolulu, we will definitely be making our way inland to Restaurant XO.
Another addition to our TOP five
Moved from the second greatest food city in the world, New York( Paris #1) to a Oahu eight years ago. Former wine educators so unique and creative food is a must. We have our favorites but XO has been on our list since it opened. It is now after only one visit in our top five. The restaurant is immaculate. The owner, Ken Lee spent a lot of time with us explaining via a very passionate rhetoric his culinary philosophy. Brilliant! Every dish we had was multi layered and filled with textures and flavors never tasted on Oahu and rarely found in NYYC or Paris. My absolute favorite was the Korean Beef Taratre, Yukhoe Caramelized Kim Chee & Puffed Rice. Like sweetbreads( the offal ones) which I’m obsessed with I will also go to any restaurant that has beef tartare on their menu. It’s impossible to describe it only to say it’s the best concept and the best flavored I’ve ever had. The rest; Bird's Nest Scotch Egg & Tartar Sauce, PumpkinRoulade,Chimichurri, Shiso & Quinoa, Foie Gras, Salt Roasted Crispy Rice and Chinese Foie Gravy
Adobo Fried Chicken & Braised Peppercorns left us speechless but with the look of total amazement and joy. Their new menu will be up and running in about two weeks. Can’t wait.
Restaurant Week in Hawaii Dinner Special - Fantastic!
We decided to give XO in Kaimuki a try, and it definitely didn't disappoint. It was Restaurant Week here in Hawaii and they offered a 6 course family style tasting menu @ $50/person and the chef and owner Kenneth Lee welcomed us and went over the menu items with us. Here's the menu items.
Veg: Beet & Pumpkin Roulade, Chimichurri, Shiso, Quinoa
Starch: Loaded Potato Mochi Gnocchi
Protein: Adobo Fried Chicken, Braised Peppercorns
Protein: Sweet & Sour Char Siu Pork Belly, Carrot, Crispy Brussels
Protein: Scallops, XO Goma Sauce, Matcha Scallion Puree, Tuile
Side: Chef's Nontraditional Taberu Rayu
Dessert: Heather's Homemade Double Layered Ice Cream Pie, Granola
We devoured everything and was totally satisfied! We can definitely recommend this new and up and coming eatery. Excellent service for a Saturday nite, make reservations and enjoy!
Well prepared unhealthy food
This place has potential but I wouldn’t seek it out again. The menu needs more options - everything is fried - fried crab, fried chicken, fried oysters. The dishes that aren’t fried are still heavy and fatty - like foie gras on rice, loaded potatoes, pork belly. The veggies we ordered still had loads of oil. I’m not against ordering a few heavy dishes but there needs to be more light options on the menu to balance it out and make a complete meal.
That being said, individually the dishes were nice, and the rice and foie gras was a particular highlight. Diversifying the menu a bit would help a lot. The portions are huge.
Lastly I expected the restaurant to have more of an Asian fusion vibe and while they are going for that, the flavour definitely feels more like heavy American style food than Chinese or pan-Asian.
Bursting with flavor
Had a great culinary experience. Its a friendly and spacious restaurant, easy to go there on bus. Creative and tasty foods
Be the first to ReplyGreat Dinner at XO
Based on a local recommendation- we decided to try XO while here on vacation. The food is served family style. We ordered 5 dishes and all were a true taste pleasure. I love when the food is both delicious but has a unique complexity of flavors. Service was great and friendly and we were even greeted by the Chef. A little out of the way - likely not to be discovered by many tourists.. and that is truly unfortunate. Find your way and have a unique and pleasure dining experience!
Be the first to ReplyWonderful taste experience not to be missed
Ever since this restaurant opened, by two chefs from Senia, I've been dying to try it. Finally got my chance and I was NOT disappointed at all. The dishes are incredibly well priced and served family style. They have just changed the menu slightly to highlight a new former Senia chef's skills in the kitchen who has added the flair of Philippines to some of the dishes. Their signature fried chicken dish had an adobo sauce rather than the XO sauce. The expertly fried boneless chicken pieces were heavenly, and for me, the best fried chicken I have ever had. The sauce had a nice vinegar kick and we were encouraged to enjoy each bite of chicken with a braised peppercorn that really added a subtle but delicious flavor. We had the crispy chicken skin (OMG!) which came with a cream dipping sauce that incorporated smoked trout roe. Simply delicious. The loaded potatoes au gratin were novel and also very tasty. The restaurant was a little noisy and the chairs somewhat uncomfortable, but the ambiance, highlighted by artwork and glass from Jonathan Swanz made it a comfortable atmosphere. If I ever eat fried chicken or fried chicken skin again, it will be at Restaurant XO. Another item I can't wait to try are the house Ginger Fried Rice with 63 degree egg. I'll be back.
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