Moku Kitchen

YumFound online for a birthday lunch for the wife. Bigger party but we were able to make a reservation online. Food was great. Hand cut fries with truffle was good. Apps were a hit. The poke tacos were good. I ordered fish tacos. They were awkwardly cubed hunks and did not really work in the context of a soft tortilla shell. Poke bowl was majority rice with only a few pieces of tuna. The choco nut pie was a welcome touch. Would definitely come back and try other things.

We came here on a Sunday night as a party of 3. It's pretty lively and had a nice bar vibe going on, but we were just here for dinner. However, upon entering, we were told there was a bit of a wait despite there being plenty of open tables on the right side of the restaurant. Perhaps the tables were reserved (though nobody seemed to be seated in them during the duration of our meal) or they were short staffed, but it wasn't a great first impression considering we had to wait about 25 minutes to be seated. Upon being seated, our server kindly greeted us and got us set up with menus. I took a look at the menu and wasn't feeling particularly hungry, so I considered ordering the ahi tacos from the starters as my entree, but my partner warned me that since it was labeled an appetizer, I should probably first inquire on the portion size for the tacos. "That sounds pretty unnecessary... they were priced at the same price as an entrée at $21", I thought. "Certainly they're meant to be shareables." Well, when the waiter came to take our orders, my partner ended up asking about the portion sizes for the ahi tacos anyway. Our waiter almost looked embarrassed as she told us that the tacos were "pretty small" as she gestured the rough size of each taco and told us there was 3 tacos total and about 1oz of fish per taco. We were all collectively shocked considering 21 dollars is enough for an entire poke bowl about anywhere on the island, so we ended up foregoing the ahi tacos. The most disappointing part of our meal, however, was yet to come. We ended up ordering two dishes - two orders of the fish and chips, and one order of the fish bahn mi. It pains me to say this since the waitress was so kind and I really dislike leaving negative reviews on local businesses, but both of these were pretty bad. The fish and chips, which were described to be fried "tempura style" were anything but (and frankly kind of insulting to actual tempura). The batter was thick, with a kind of mushy inner coating. The fish itself (which we were told was spearfish when we inquired) was unfortunately pretty dry and quite thin. I really should have taken a photo of the cross section of the fish after biting into it, because it would show how thin the fish was relative to the batter and air around it. There were also only 3 small pieces and I couldn't help but think that the fish was practically kids meal sized if you took away some fries. Looking at other pictures of this restaurants fish and chips, it really didn't look like the portions have always been this small, so maybe the portions have shrunk or it's an issue with the fish itself. The fries were underwhelming as well and tasted like they were made a while ago and had been sitting out in a warmer. They were fried way past well done which would suggest that they should be crispy, but they weren't. They were limp, dry, and really just served as starchy vehicles to deliver ketchup with. I left the majority of my fries untouched. My partner ordered the fish bahn mi, which I also sampled. We've had a lot of bahn mi, and we can pretty confidently say this was one of the worst we've had (ignoring the fact that the markup on this bahn mi is more than 3x a normal priced bahn mi). The baguette itself wasn't crisp or seem freshly toasted; it just was kind of dense and thick. The taste was the worst offender, though. It had the traditional bahn mi ingredients like pickled radish, carrots, and cilantro... but that's about as far as it goes. The actual fish (which we assume is also spearfish) in the bahn mi feels like a completely afterthought - it's minimally seasoned and tastes like its just been slapped on as a protein supplement. The taste of fish is practically nonexistent as any flavor is completely lost in the rest of the bahn mi toppings and sauces. Maybe fish just isn't this restaurants forte, or they just had an off day. The staff did apologize and try to make up for it when we left feedback on our meal, which we appreciated, but since we collectively agreed we probably wouldn't come back, I can't honestly give a 3 star review. That being said - to end on a positive note - we did enjoy the strawberry cream pie. It wasn't overbearingly sweet and the flavor of the strawberries were distributed well into the pie - the flavor is reminiscent of a strawberry shortcake, but cream flavored! We liked it, but our friend (who's a local) said she would order just dessert to-go rather than dine here again.

Delicious as always. Great service and loved the pizza flavor this week! I'm always excited to see what new flavors are available. I loved going during happy hour for such great deals .Although, I noticed they filled the corn chowder about half way less than they usually do. It was still good, but a little disappointing.

Three and a half stars. We went here after lunch to enjoy some pau hana with nice pau hana menu and prices. They have a selection of pau hana choices of food as well as a few dollars off of drinks. Win win The place is huge so we went to the counter in the back area. The place has a nice ambiance and some nice artwork. We started out with some drinks and truffle fries. The bartenders were friendly and personable and it's great. The fries came out so quickly with a ranch like dressing as well as ketchup. Both went well with the truffle fries. We spent a while there talking and laughing and ordering more drinks. When it was time to go we ordered bulgogi sliders as well as potstickers to go. The bulgogi sliders come in 2 but I ordered one extra and the potstickers were very ginger toned.All in all it was a good experience and it's friendly and comfortable at pau hana prices

If you're going to try one Mai tai, do this one! Loved the lilikoi foam as it added much more flavor to the drink. Our server was great and we were given free dessert for my birthday. I had the ahi plate and it was bursting with flavor!This is a good atmosphere to meet with friends, celebrating occasions, dates, etc. as it's lively! It's located in SALT which is a small, but walkable area. Check the live music schedule! Overall I'd like to see a few more plated options that don't involve fried foods/pizza. We didn't try some of the apps, but they all looked delicious!

Awesome vibe, decent service. This is a cool American food spot if you're in the area and need a reasonably priced sit down restaurant. They had live music going when we walked in, and on a busy weekend afternoon we waited less than ten minutes for a seat with no reservation.Ordered two smash burgers and the Tuna Steak plate.Smash Burgers (A-): The only reason these aren't A+ is because they were heavy on the mayo/sauce. Some people are into that, and I think these would easily be an A+ for alot. Can recommend.Sautéed Ahi Plate:-(Japapeno Mashed Potatoes on this plate (A+) -Ahi was average for a seared tuna steak (B-)Value was ok given the location. It wasn't a bargain, but I didnt walk out feeling cheated either haha. I've been here before and was underwhelmed, but can honestly say the food choices make or break this experience to me. I've always been disappointed when I go for the small plates, and this was the first time I gave the entrees a side. Come here for the entrees!!!

Moku kitchen has undergone several facelifts, and I think they are back to the vibe I like best. My grandfather took the grandkids out for dinner on a Friday evening, and boy was it busy! Highly recommend a reservation via OpenTable if you have the foresight to do so!We are family style, enjoying the garlic green beans, fish and chips, garlic fries, and Margherita pizza--plenty of food for four! Like all of the Merrimans establishments, Moku serves its famous monkeypod mai tai, topped with a lilikoi foam. And while we didn't get to enjoy happy hour, 3:30-6pm boasts a fabulous $2 off apps, select $9 cocktails, and half price pizzas, making it an incredibly affordable and delicious pau Hana.

Came here for an early (5 PM) dinner to use my gift card. The place was very busy but we got seated right at our reservation time and the servers were polite. We started off with the stir-fried green beans with mac nuts. Very tasty way to start off. This was followed by the butternut squash ravioli in a cream sauce. Also very tasty. Poke tacos were next, which come 3 to an order. The tacos were filled with very yummy poke, although the wasabi cream didn't have much heat.Drinks are kind of pricey, even for the NA ones.For my entree I had the double smash burger with "fries." The burger was well-executed with a nice crispy edge to them. The fries, however, were a big disappointment: soggy and oily. It's a shame, because two of us got the same soggy inedible fries on our plates.Unfortunately, our server never checked in with us til it was time to order dessert. She offered to get us a new order of fries, but by then it was too late. But then, I am wondering how the kitchen could send out such a poor product. Busy kitchens are no excuse for poor quality control.Mac nut chocolate pie did not disappoint.This is not the place to go unless you like shouting to your fellow diners over the loud noise level around you.Food: 3.5 Needs better QC on the food going out.Service: 3.5 Need to check in after partons receive their food and have tasted it.Ambiance/Noise level: 1 WAY too noisy. We couldn't have a normal conversation at all.

Happy hour is great! I've come many a times, and it's a great deal: 50% off small plates (potstickers, green beans, bulgogi mini sliders, chowder, etc.) and $2 off libations and $12 pizzas. The staff, whether or not you sit bar top or booth/table have been great! Chill but ready ambiance; it's nice when there's live music playing while you eat. Cool date night, or as a self-care solo date :)Tip: Get the strawberry pie! And ask them to add less salt for the sautéed green beans. For some odd reason, that particular item is always salty.

Cool spot for happy hour with tasty drinks! Service was really good while food was so so. It was really loud inside so not the kind of place you'd go if you're looking to have a conversation but it's a lot more quiet if you're outside on the patio. If it's not happy hour this place can be on the pricey side.