6 places Reed recommends · Reed’s channel
Asian Italian fusion place, only open in the afternoons. A lil pricy, but you're probably here on vacation anyway. Hawaii is called a 'melting pot' and this definitely is that. Parking sucks in Chinatown, so hope for a street parking stall or find one of the garages nearby. All their pasta entrees are amazing, but definitely try the Vietnam-atriciana!
Inspired by Japanese record bars. They have a pho spice cocktail that I constantly think of on a weekly basis. It tastes like pho broth, weird I know, but it's insanely good. GO NOW
Spanish and Italian fusion place. Everything's good here, don't even worry. From the tapas to the pastas, it's all bangers. Favorites of mine are the crostini, tortilla, Bismarck pizza, and the Bolognese. If you're a drinker, get the crack seed cocktail. They open for lunch and dinner, but the former is way more lax. They often have lunch specials with items that you don't get on the dinner menu. Oh they also have valet parking.
Saimin isn't ramen. Do not call it that or you'll get like 3 big local guys teleporting behind you. This is not a joke. Don't expect ramen. Local joint, as hole in the wall as you can get, very no frills place. They got saimin, wun tun min, and barbecue sticks, and that's it. It is cheap, but it outdoes your average ramen joint by a mile. They don't hide behind a billion toppings because they know they're good.
Local guy serving up some very innovative Korean BBQ. You choose a menu tier and order AYCE, the more expensive menus having wagyu and whatnot. The chef will also just give you random specials to try out, and you can ask for more of them even though they're not on the menu. The enoki pork rolls are my favorite thing here and I order like 5 plates. Drinks wise, the Mango Sticky Rice cocktail is a must have.
Fancy omakase place where each course gets paired with a drink (can also be non-alcoholic if you're a responsible adult). If you want to splurge on some fine dining, go here.