Beautiful setting, delicious food, and great service.
Big Island Goat Cheese Salad
Prime rib
Chocolate and vanilla gelato & wild strawberry sorbet
Tables
Loco Moco
Gnocchi Portofino
Prime rib
NY Strip 10oz
View of the grounds and ocean
dessert, food
outside
Suckling pig
drink
Mai Tai
Interior overlooking ocean
Keahole Lobster Tagliatelle - San Marzano tomatoes, hint of curry $54
Todays Catch Carta Fata
Prime rib
Octopus
Seafood bar
Bryan S.
Dec 12, 2024
Orchids for breakfast was a great experience. The food was great. I had the NY Strip and Eggs and it was solid. The staff were very friendly and accommodating. The view and atmosphere of this restaurant is probably the best thing about it. Had a nice view of Diamond Head from our table and the overall atmosphere was enjoyable. I would recommend trying for breakfast and look forward to trying out lunch/dinner, or their weekend brunch.
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Donna L.
Feb 13, 2025
This is more like a 2.5 star rating.A business associate made our reservations at Orchids for a weeknight evening. I had never been before and was looking forward to great music and a nice evening. I arrived a little early and checked in with the hostess about 10 minutes before our reservation time thinking I could sit and enjoy a drink while waiting for my associate to arrive. But even though a few people were already seated, and the tables were all set, I was politely refused seating. Sigh. So, I wandered around for 10 minutes.At our appointed reservation time, we were greeted and seated. Throughout the evening, we received fine dining style service. However, this may seem picky, but our main waiter was not enthusiastic in his service or in answering questions. He seemed to just want to get it over with. A couple times he'd serve a dish then just walk away and we had to call him back; one time I wanted another drink and another time I wanted to order dessert. This is what happened. My first drink (a cocktail) sat empty through several courses. Usually, I wait for someone to ask me if I want another drink, but nobody did, so I had to ask for it. Then, towards the end of our meal, the waiter served my friend a dessert and walked away without asking me if I wanted dessert, which I did. So, we had to call him back. Sigh.About the food. I tried the rum cocktail and glass of white wine; complimentary breadbasket with butter, olive oil-vinegar, assorted olives; lobster bisque with long breadstick; sea bass entree with asparagus flan; and coconut cake. The rum cocktail was way too sweet for me and like sweet drinks. The white wine (a blanco) recommended to me (by the maitre d?) was very good. The accoutrement that came with the breadbasket was quite nice, but every piece of bread in the basket was dry and hard. My friend requested softer bread, but the server said that was all they had (!) As well, the breadstick that came with my soup was dry, crumbly and flavorless. The bisque was served as a dry bowl with pieces of lobster and a dollop of creme fraiche at the bottom, then at tableside, the waiter poured the soup base on top. It was a brown liquid, a little salty but mostly lacking in any depth of flavor or creaminess. The sea bass was ok, it was served as two plain pieces of fish, lightly seasoned, not overcooked or undercooked, with a small pitcher of butter sauce for adding flavor. The asparagus flan was tasty and nice. The coconut cake was good, fresh and light.The best part of Orchids is the outdoor seating with a nice view of the lawn and the band. Would I go back again? I wouldn't want to, but if I had to, I would need some advice on what to order!
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Hanaah F.
Feb 6, 2025
Came here to celebrate our anniversary. We booked in advance as the reservations seem to book pretty quickly. I was also told this restaurant was very close to Mama's Fish House in Maui, so was pretty excited as I love Mama's Fish House. This restaurant is located inside the Halekulani hotel. The hotel is fancy and there are signage that indicates appropriate casual elegant attire. To find the restaurant, it depends on where you enter. We didn't enter through the valet entrance, so ended up searching for the restaurant. However, a staff member pointed us in the right direction. You have to pass through the shops inside the hotel, and then you'll see Orchids on your right. You should see signage. There is a spacious and cozy waiting area to the restaurant after you check in, as they will not seat you soomer than your reservation time. You can go to La Mer for drinks, or can wait in the lobby with the fireplace. We did the latter, and the wait wasn't so bad. We were called by the hostess at 6:30pm (the time of our resy). We were seated on the patio, overlooking the ocean, which was nice. It wasn't too hot nor cold. It felt just right.The ambiance and staff = 5. It is a clean and romantic restaurant for sure. Good experience overall. The waiters and servers were all attentive and pleasant. Service was great throughout our dining. No issues there. They actually gave us a slice of coconut chiffon cake on the house for our anniversary, which was nice. The cake was very soft and delicious. I don't even like coconut, but this one was delicious. Then we also got 2 small biscotti pieces to finish off the course.As for the food overall = 3. It's actually a 2, but I gave it a 3 for the artistic plating of each item. Most were so beautifully placed. However, the food did not taste as good as it looked. It was also pretty pricey for what you get also. You're basically paying for the fancy experience. The frutti de mare was very minimal and had a whole ton of taro(?) under it. It was purple in color and tasted very similar to a bland potato, so I'm thinking it was taro. The scallop on this dish was delicious though. Then the hamachi appetizer was also pretty good, although the sea asparagus was salty and not good. The truffle fries were good. The Hawaiian sea bass was cooked appropriately with a butter-caper sauce on the side, but the green pureé was not very good. The prawn and scallop entrèé was... nothing too spectacular. Had focaccia bread under it. The scallops tasted bland. I think the desserts stole the show. The chiffon coconut was good, and so was the hazelnut torte. Although the torte was not out of this world fantastic.
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Chris T.
Dec 28, 2024
We came here on recommendation of our friend that lives on the island. He recommended because it is romantic place and it was our anniversary. This is a one air restaurant so plan accordingly if the weather is on the hotter side. There are great views of the ocean and the sunsets are amazing. I did not realize it was open air until free we arrived and I had to put my hair up because it was a warmer day.Service: very attentive and constantly on top of you. The waiters are a bit on the snobby side but the water fillers are nice and will gladly snap a photo of you with the sunset in the background.Food: a major expensive letdown. My husband ordered the multi course prix fixe menu. My husband steak was inedible, he took two bites and stopped. A filet should not be tough and unchewable. The server asked how was the steak, my husband said it was tough and not chewable. Our server immediately took the plate away and left. He did not bring a new steak but rather the manager came over and apologized. But nobody offered to bring my husband something else to eat. I got the sea bass. The sea bass had an asparagus purée. It was bland. The food all looks pretty but it does not taste as good as it looks. Because my husband did not get an edible meal, the manager gave us a free slice of their coconut cake. We said no thank you but they brought a slice anyways. It would have been better if they prepared the steak for my husband so he could have a protein for dinner or gave us a discount, but a free piece of cake does not make up for a good meal. The coconut cake was the best part of the dinner though. If you come here, I would recommend having dessert one, coconut cake is delicious.
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Lesle S.
Feb 27, 2025
We came for the Sunday brunch and Orchids delivered the classic brunch buffet experience. They had honey ham, brisket, prime rib, whole roasted pig, and turkey at the carving station. There was a ramen bar, a very well provisioned seafood station with crab, oysters, sushi, sashimi, and poke. There's salads of every kind and deserts of all sorts. We also ordered eggs Benedict and waffles from the staff. I think there was also an omelette station, but I was so full. Service is understated elegance in a nice outdoor venue.
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Dan P.
Dec 27, 2024
Overview: A super classy and beautiful restaurant overlooking Waikiki Beach. Service was great but food missed the mark. A friend who lives in Waikiki recommended Orchids. We were excited to have an excellent meal at a renowned restaurant. Food: Our food was mediocre. I had the $180 tasting menu including tuna tartare, lasagnette, branzino, tenderloin, and dessert. The tuna tartare was good but not great. The lasagnette was ok (one giant shrimp on some mediocre pasta) The branzino was severely overcooked. The tenderloin was served cold, and it was tough and gristly; the tenderloin never should have left the kitchen, it was that bad. I sent most of the tenderloin back. Dessert was not edible. Very, very disappointing meal. Drinks: good drinksService: Overall above-average service but not very attentive. When someone refuses to eat a tenderloin and provides negative feedback on the food quality in real time, I'd expect a little more in the area of trying to make it right. For example, when I sent back the tenderloin, the reaction was basically "sorry you didn't like it' and nothing else. My wife ordered the sea bass entrée and was very disappointed with the overcooked and nearly flavorless fish. Ambiance: fantastic, but not enough to bring me back for another meal given the poor food preparation and sub-par food quality Value: Given the very poor quality of the food, Orchids is an extremely poor value. For $180 prix fixe meal, only half of what was served was even average. I rejected the steak and dessert, and we ended up going to another restaurant to finish our dinner. Overall cleanliness: excellentBathroom cleanliness: excellent
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Barbara C.
Nov 16, 2024
I had to hear on the second night of our vacation the restaurant located right on the beach you have beautiful views of the ocean and the sunsetting. The restaurant is beautiful and it exudes a lot of elegance.I had the Mediterranean Branzino , which was delicious. It was flaky and soft and had a full of flavor. and artichokesand Pearl onions.Our second order what is the tasty menu which included five different specialty items such as Hawaiian yellowfin Ahi Tartare, tenderloin, fillet, lasagnette, and Mediterranean Branzino, It was good we enjoyed ourselves. The servings weren't very large. The service was excellent.
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Kimber R.
Oct 11, 2024
What an absolute lovely experience. A group of ten of us came in for high tea and had the most wonderful time. The service couldn't be beat and the food and tea were delightful. They were spot on with accommodating allergies and preferences. We had someone who was vegan and someone who was allergic to seafood and they made sure they brought out their own plates so nothing even came close to touching things it shouldn't. The orchid vanilla tea was so good! I'm a black tea girl and that one was one of the best I've ever had. It was expensive. A little more expensive than I think it was worth, but not enough to take away a star. It will be a special occasion spot when family comes to town for sure.
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Neal I.
Sep 8, 2024
This was one of my late brother's favorite restaurants. After enjoying a special lunch in his memory, we can see why he liked it so much. For starters, the service is excellent. You're greeted by everyone, don't have to wait for a menu or to hear the specials and you are served your water and drink orders taken as soon as you are seated.The selection of foods is excellent, from seafood to burgers. Lunch is a two course menu with your choice of a starter and entree. I went with the endive salad and Orchids seafood curry. The salad was about the portion of a house salad. The ingredients nicely complemented each other; endive, arugula and tomatoes with shaved parmesan and a light dressing. The seafood curry was excellent. A nice mix of fish, shrimp and scallop. It came served separately from the jasmine rice and with side condiments; chutney, pineapple and dried coconut. The curry was so good it didn't need any of the condiments and the portion was large enough to get you stuffed. Regardless, I couldn't pass up trying some of my wife's dessert, the panna cotta. Really nicely served with whipped cream, shaved ice, fruit and meringue. The atmosphere is one of the best on the island. We were seated outdoors where you have a view of Diamond Head and Waikiki beach. There's nothing more relaxing than hearing the sound of waves and the feel of the tradewinds. This lunch was not just a meal but an experience!
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Emily G.
Mar 4, 2025
3/2/25 11:20a - We were greeted warmly and seated overlooking a grassy area with a view of trees and the water. The waiters and staff were friendly and attentive. Our waiter (Teru?) provided excellent service. There is an elegance and refinement which truly sets this brunch apart from any other. The complimentary champagne; sweet snow crab; the fresh sashimi; the oysters, mussels, clams, and shrimp were so ono. I especially enjoyed the warm omelette made to order, the lechon skin and shredded pork, the brisket, and the prime rib with vegetable accompaniment. Waiters assisted placing food from our trays onto the table and clearing our plates when we got up to get more food.The assortment of desserts were eye catching. Definitely worthwhile and will be back again to try the ramen station, eggs benedict, waffles, maki sushi, hand rolls, and ice cream as I was too full to take another bite. The talented pianist played a range of songs that added to the relaxed ambiance. The attention to detail from the superb service to food presentation and quality made this a memorable occasion with my daughter and son-in-law. Already looking forward to the next brunch opportunity.
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