XO Restaurant

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.

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!!!!!!

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.

Soup dumplings were decent, au gratin potato’s were interesting and the butter mochi bunnies were yummy but the rest of it was meh and the ambiance was poor. Bright track lighting in your eyes the whole time. Cheap feeling finishes in the decor for the price point. Felt more like you were in da club then a nice restaurant. The food is terribly overpriced and nothing to write home about. The foie gras had decent flavor but was shaped into an unnatural disc and was placed over crunchy rice that only distracted from the texture and richness of the liver. Not a fan of that pairing at all. And the crispy duck was disappointing. The service was good but the menu explanations weee so complicated when it came to how to order. Would have done A5 but they wanted $250 for one ribeye! Overall, won’t be back.

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$140but 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.

I tried their tasting menu. The price was $72 before tax and service included 7 courses with alternative options for vegetarians and vegans. The portions was generous and I was really full. The bar has a fancy drink list as well as basic classic. I loved the seared scallops to be directed. The roasted cauliflower and buttermilk fried oyster was complimented with a glass of beer or spicy cocktails. There could be heavy sodium in some dishes. Notice your host in advance if you would like your sodium to be at control level. Otherwise, I had a great feast. The vibe was chilled. Service was prompt and super attentive. The Ube Lemonade cocktail was great to start and finish with. XO is a plus to Kaimuki quaint neighborhood. Worth to try in an attempt of Asian Fusion. Keep it up!

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.

If you’re looking for an experience and delicious food this is your place! The food was amazing and the service was spectacular! Everything was very well balanced in flavor and the combinations worked so well together. Although it may seem expensive the food is worth that price tag! I’m so happy we decided to come by.

The staff were thoroughly invested in making this the best dining experience possible. Myself, a vegan, and my friend with a gluten allergy had dinner here and every member of the team accommodated us. The food is phenomenal, unique, and very well balanced texture and flavor wise. Bonus: the music was bomb! Will come back every time I’m in Honolulu!

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.