Fresco Italian Restaurant

One word summary of our visit - pleasant!! The ambience was relaxing, but not high end. Service was decent. But what about the food, you ask? I had a pleasant tasting, not exciting bowl of garlic shrimp pasta. Pretty basic stuff but well executed. For a price point in the low 30s, I would've expected a bit more shrimp and or some imagination in the dish.However, my husband's spaghetti and meatballs were not pleasant; they were outstanding! Tomato sauce was complex with a roasted undertone. I'm a hard critic of meatballs having grown up in Italian, and I would've placed theirs in the top five. Absolutely delicious with authentic flavors, and not overly heavy due to miss -handling the meat like so many restaurants do.

We had breakfast while staying here at the Hilton Village. We arrived at 8am and hardly had to wait. By the time we left at 9am there was a huge line. While it's an Italian restaurant, the breakfast menu is very American with Hawaiian influences. We all enjoyed our food. It was fresh, and there were a lot of good options. Service was a little slow, but we enjoyed the ambiance with the windows open.

Very nice Italian restaurant on the second floor. Interior is well designed, clean, and inviting. Menu prices are higher than expected but they do have specials available that are within a more affordable price range.Lots of unique cocktails on their drinks menu. Service is top notch. Food is acceptable. Didn't blow my socks off in a taste test but wasn't bad either. Overall, I'd give this place somewhere between 3.5 to 4 stars.

The service was amazing! Let's just say fast and very friendly. We got this table in the back, super secluded and wonderful view of the lagoon. Their drinks were amazing. The Mango and Pina colada were just right. The appetizers were perfect, the trio of bruschetta were tasteful. My favorite was the minced mushrooms. And the garlic bread...OMG to die for! I had the risotto and it was perfectly cooked. Seasoned well and melts in your mouth. Over all great place, great prices and cute little date spot.

After days of enjoying the Hawaiian staples of mixed plates and grilled fish, we were ready for a pasta dinner a change of pace. Fresco is located in the Hawaiian Hilton Village on the second floor of the mall area, next to the actual hotel. It can be tricky finding it from the gigantic parking lot, so just head down and follow the crowds.Donner was excellent. We shared two pasta entrees. I like most kinds of pasta shapes but our 4yo son's favorite is always penne for some reason. Luckily the restaurant had two preparations. The 4-cheese penne with chicken is like mac and cheese and so creamy. The penne alla vodka is probably my favorite though - very tomatoey and creamy and you don't really taste the alcohol. Should be toddler-safe. LOL! For sides we got the grilled asparagus - very plump and juicy.Note they validate parking too, which is a great deal. They have a full bar as well, though I would probably stick to wine next time since cocktails were a bit on the fruity and sweet side.

Very friendly service as well as fast. Out of character, I ordered a drink that sounded amazing...and it was! I got the Fresco colada and always want to remember the ingredients to see if I can order when I get home. It was coconut vodka, amaretto, crème de banana, and pineapple juice.I should have trusted my instincts and just have gotten one if the two appetizers instead of my meal. I ordered Penne Ai Quattro Formaggi expecting to taste the Gorgonzola, and got absolutely none. The pasta was cooked well and very nice mushrooms, but I didn't get much flavor from it. It absolutely could be me because I didn't taste the Gorgonzola. My husband got the lasagna and thought it was really good.

Now that I'm a mom, I expect/look for different things at a restaurant. I got last minute Valentine's Day reservations here for 5:30 pm. I requested for 2 high chairs and our table was set perfectly. I ordered ASAP as I have two toddlers. I'm hoping to enjoy my dinner, but also not be there for forever. I ordered mac and cheese for the kids and requested it to be served quickly since... well... kids. It was SOOOOO salty. Like who does that? It's a kid's meal! The kids didn't eat it so we asked to box it up. It was supposed to come with dessert and a drink, but we didn't get those served. *shrug* I got the 3 course Valentine's special with the Risotto Ai Fungi because I love truffle. While the flavor was good it was SOOOOO salty. Ugh. I want to love this place... but I can't. My wife got the Penne Alla Vodka with chicken and the kids ate her pasta and chicken. *whew* At least they ate something....The course came with a HUGE ice cream sandwich cookie, which was good, but just way too much. We had to box it up. It also took a long time to get... we were sitting there wondering where is our dessert? The check took a long time too! Apparently their American Express system was down... Ugh. Yes, it's our fault for not asking to validate our parking ticket, but also... it would've been nice to have the waiter ask if we needed parking validation because we walked all the way back to the car and realized we need to go back. My wife went back to get the ticket validated while I waited in the car with fussy toddlers, but she needed $4 which she didn't have on her. So she had to come back to the car for that. Again... we want to go in and out and that just took an extra 15 minutes. Also, the website said it's not ADA friendly so we opted not to take our stroller. Thank goodness we didn't because they weren't kidding. It's a bunch of stairs up to the restaurant with no other access. Would I go again? Probably not.

10/10 hands down one of the best meals we had during our stay, chefs kiss excellent. Everything we had from the insalata caprese, to the fresh catch of the day (Mahi Mahi), to the Quattro formaggi pasta to then ordering brunch for pick up here the next day was excellent! The service was good, our food came out fast and the ambiance is nice as you're up stairs or can sit outside. I would suggest calling to make a reservation as this place can be very busy since it is located in the shops/restaurants area in the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

I ordered the 2 different penne dishes to-go on their menu, one was vodka penne and the other was cheese. Both were very good, the portions were great and filling. They even give you a tiny box of bread with oil and vinegar. The servers were nice

We arrived and there was a 30 minute wait about a hour before closing. The inside is very nice and a bit on the fancier side. Our waitress was amazing and I regret that I do not have her name. She was very nice and accommodating. The calamari was delicious and tasted fresh. The bread was also a highlight and our waitress brought out two stuffed baskets of it. The piña colada was sweet but not too sweet. The spaghetti and meatballs were great and the fresh Parmesan is fun for all.