Ka Ikena Laua'e Restaurant

This place is adorable. The students at the KCC Culinary Arts program get their first taste of fine dining and you can tell, they're eager to learn. My grandma has always loved to go to this spot. It takes a little advanced notice to get a reservation, and she has a wealth of knowledge about the chefs who have managed the menu and restaurant over the years. She is Swiss, and preferred the Swiss/french chef who managed it a while back but still attends this restaurant frequently. We enjoyed the local twist on many of the dishes we had!

What an incredible experience!! The students of the culinary arts school prepared everything! The service was wonderful the food was delicious and the Ka 'Ikena Laua is an excellent setting for the training as well as the meal

"People who love to eat are always the best people." - Julia ChildMy husband's brother-in-law invited us to celebrate Valentine's Day lunch at the Ka 'Ikena Dining Room on the campus of Kapi'olani Community College (KCC) at Diamond Head. We excitedly accepted because we've supported the culinary arts program since its "early days" on Pensacola Street near McKinley High School. The culinary arts program at KCC has been steadily ranked as either the top or one of the top culinary schools in Hawai'i. It's a great training program for students who desire to become culinary arts and management professionals. The program includes working in on-campus student-run businesses such as this Ka 'Ikena Laua'e Dining Room, cafeteria, and catering service. The course work gained through working in Ka 'Ikena Laua'e prepares students in proper and modern dining room service while students prepare the Asian-Pacific and Continental menu items within their respective culinary arts and pastry arts labs.Thanks to Yelp Hawai'i, you can make lunch and dinner dining reservations at Ka 'Ikena online without having to wait in a telephone queue like you're calling in for a tee time at one of the local municipal golf courses.Entering the 'ōhelo Building, we were greeted by a host and hostess while I glanced down to the left and right hallways where I smelled aromas of cooking foods and breads. The hostess confirmed our reservation and the host escorted us to our table. My husband's brother-in-law and guest were on their way to the lunch reservation while our server, Kamele, took our beverage requests. Kamele offered to describe the menu items but we told her to hold off until the rest of our party joined our table. Meanwhile, I selected a cooling glass of Butterfly Pea Lemonade ($5) and my husband chose the Plantation Iced Tea ($5) with free refills to sip on while we waited. Kamele mentioned their on campus garden where the students grow and gather the butterfly pea leaves and herbs. Just then, our relatives arrived and were promptly seated. Kamele returned to take their beverage orders and offered us a selection of freshly baked breads from her breadbasket.While perusing the week's menu, it's good to notice that the prices include your choice of bread service, appetizer plate, entrée and dessert ranging from low to mid $30. Kamele descriptively recited the pasta daily specials listed on the appetizer page. Each of us ordered a different appetizer which we felt would complement our entree choice. The presentation, flavors and textures of the food were comparable to fine dining restaurants. My husband's brother's-in-law guest enjoyed the table side opening of her Rex sole fillet and careful plating as the entree released its aromas. The fillet of sole was cooked perfectly, tasty, moist and tender. My husband's entree choice was the Grilled Octopus Leg & Shutome (swordfish) which was another great choice because whoever was the fish chef or poissonnier grilled the shutome with even brown grill marks and a slightly pink interior. IMHO, cooking fish or chicken isn't easy as these protein sources can easily dry and become tough with improper cooking techniques. Unfortunately, my husband's brother's-in-law Deconstructed Beef Wellington ($34) and my Pork Shank "Ossobuco" ($32) appeared to have been plated earlier than the fish entrees because our food was served at room temperature. Still, the presentation and flavors were excellent. After we completed our meal and the used dishes removed from our table, several servers brought the dessert cart to our table to make our selection. All of the desserts looked luscious and we all chose a slice of Dutch Apple Pie to take home.All in all, we enjoyed this establishment where students can apply and practice their culinary arts skills in a real-world environment and diners can take advantage of the professional service and tasty rotating weekly menus at a great value.

Please note that since Ka 'Ikena is currently closed due to the pandemic, this review relates to their new Ka 'Ikena at Home program, where they offer fixed menus for 2 for curbside pickup at KCC.I cannot say enough good things about this program. I've been spending a lot of time (and money) trying out different curbside pickup options during the pandemic. This was on par with all of the high-end restaurants in Honolulu with one notable difference, the price. For $75 an order (which feeds 2 people), we received a salad, an appetizer, 2 sides, an entree, and a dessert. My husband and I can eat A LOT, and yet our 1-year-old and 6-year-old also ate off our plate and we all ended the meal stuffed. I am still drooling over the salmon which was one of the most delicious dishes I've ever eaten.This experience has definitely made me want to be a repeat customer, assuming I can put in an order the next time they offer it (they are incredibly busy and sell out within hours).

Happy to support the KCC culinary school! During the pandemic they have shifted to take home dinners and it's so good!Everything is made from scratch and it's so convenient to pick up.The quality is excellent and the portions are generous. My family and I look forward to their take home meals.

What a nice treat! My girlfriend took me to lunch st Ka'Ikena today for my birthday! I'm always so impressed with what the students do. The menu was quite extensive and service excellent! I need to find out when they are opening reservations for the next luncheon.

Ka 'Ikena is the upscale dining experience at Kapiolani Community College. It's challenging to get a reservation, because they are snapped up early by the "ladies who lunch." I couldn't believe my good fortune in scoring one for dinner on Valentines Day, especially since they only had one seating. The pictures are the special V-Day appetizers.The service and food are all done as classes for culinary students, so you have to be prepared to be a little bit patient, and willing to participate in their learning experience. Their enthusiasm generally makes up for their lack of experience. The view is fabulous, the prices simply cannot be beat, the presentations are usually beautiful, and I've never had a dish here that was worth fewer than 4 stars.

This has been on my bookmark list for a very long time. I suggested it to my family for a family dinner and we finally found the time to come. It was a great first dinner to meet our baby cousins girlfriend. The restaurant itself is in KCC and a little hard to find. We got lost looking for it. I think it's because none of us were familiar with the KCC campus. Don't trust Google maps because it took me to some strange part of KCC. The restaurant itself is a little dated but the view is amazing. We were surprised at how busy the restaurant was. They were full which was unexpected. A restaurant run by students really gets a lot of community support. They don't charge tax and you don't need to tip so that also helps with their popularity. You do have the option to make donations to the program when you leave. There is a box that you can leave donations. I ordered the Seafood Laksa with Coconut Milk as my entree and the Ahi Poke as my appetizer. Mink ordered the Kauai Black Pepper Shrimp as her entree and Classic Cesar Salad as her appetizer. The flavors were very good but the starch portion size of the Laksa entree was smaller than expected. My cousins wife had only 2/3 scoop of rice. Maybe they ran out of rice? Overall, it was a great meal and we all agreed that we want to come back.

Always up to par, hot dish served quickly and courteously, well trained students, well priced prix fix price. Had tried the succulent leg of lamb, duck sofit, and lamb shank; all tastey and perfectly prepared. Creative appetizer with balsamic vinegar pearl. Give them an A+ this term. Shout out to the floor mgr. Chef Johnwith his organzed students and ease and care of each table. GO for it!

virtually impossible to get online reservations. supposed to use "table agent" per Kapiolani community college website.but after 3 days and nights cannot get a reservation. despite trying to login from 9pm to 2am. AT midnight says cannot login as has to be 14 days in advance. then one minute pass midnight hawaii time- says booked upthis has happed three days in a row. nobody answers their land line, just says leave a message, and nobody calls back.