XO Restaurant

I'm new to the whole fine dining experience, so I have literally 0 expectations. So maybe take that in consideration when I say this was the best meal I had in my life. I've only ever had a course set meal maybe 3 times in my life, but every time I have, there was always at least 1 dish that I didn't care for. For this one, however, I loved every single dish. We arrived right at opening time and were the only ones dining aside from one other party, so it was nice and quiet. One server was working and he was very attentive and informative, I believe his name was Andrew. He was also the host and bartender too! We ordered the 7 course meal with the lamb and Wellington, which was 65 (+ 10 for the lamb and Wellington addition, actually not bad and totally worth it). We also ordered drinks- I got the lilikoi margarita and my fiance got the Pink Cactus (which was more purple than pink but he said he really liked it). My margarita came in a tall glass and tasted like fresh lilikoi juice, but I'm not sure if it was. The dishes were brought out at a pretty swift pace, there was overlap but I kind of preferred if that way since the main courses were just meat, all the dishes complimented each other really well and I actually got really full about halfway through and had to pace myself lol. Notably my favorite dishes were the beet salad with radish, and the scallops woth chili dumpling and bacon jam vinaigrette. There were honey walnuts on the scallop it tasted like honey walnut shrimp- SO GOOD. The beets were soft and sweet and radish added a nice fresh lightness l. A lot of the meat based dishes were kind of heavy so it was a nice break from them. Not to say the meat dishes weren't good, they were AMAZING. The lamb was so soft and the pork belly ssam was amazing- their pickled daikon was uniquely delicious. Also, I'd they sold the wagyu fat caramels by the bag I'd happily buy them. I never thought a piece of candy could be that good.Their menus change weekly so keep an eye out on their instagram.

A gem! Incredible flavor and value for a fixed menu course. We went for a birthday dinner and enjoyed EVERY course except for the scallops which were very dry. I would highly recommend coming here for a special occasion. The service was attentive, friendly and knowledgeable. TIP FOR FAMILIES: They don't advertise it but there is a kids offering as well. Call to see what it is before you dine. Make sure you stop into the "small kine" gift shop next door for the cutest things!

The food is very good. Our favorites are the Kalbi wraps, the beef tacos, the hamachi, the fried chicken, and the brown butter mochi bunnies.Some of the dishes were a little off like the potatoes.We would return, but I have to say, the "feel" (decorations, service) is off, like I swear they just put the interior together without using an interior decorator so the whole experience feels slightly off.So how to rate 4-4.5 star food with a 2 star interior. Depends on what you're looking for.

I drive by this place nearly every day. Finally went to dinner to close out the year. One guy was doing everything in the front of the house. Think his name was Anthony? He was awesome! We tried a bunch of things off the menu and everything was tasty. Have to say my favorite were the butter mochi bunnies. Didn't get photos of everything as folks were digging in as dishes arrived, but all the plates were pretty and like I said, all tasty. Even the picky eaters left with bellies full. Will definitely be back.The food was fancy but the atmosphere was pretty casual.

Hands down best restaurant I've had in Honolulu so far! The food was absolutely amazing! Honestly pushing on Michelin star status. We got a chance to try a good chunk of their menu and everything was at peak status. We tried their Braised Beer-ia tacos, pork belly, hamashi sashimi, Pad Thai, and Scallops. Everything was cooked perfectly and was so savory and full of flavor. They did their own take on a couple of the dishes and everything came out so well! The portions are decent size and perfect to share. The drinks were very tasty as well!When it came to service, they went above and beyond! Derek who is the Sous chef was also our waiter and he was amazing! He gave very detailed descriptions of all of their food and made sure to set expectations when we were ordering food. And even though he was cooking all of our food, he still made sure to come and check in on us. We never had to turn around and try to find him. The decor of the restaurant is very cozy, modern, and minimalistic. They have great music as well and everything is very clean. Highly recommend to anyone here!

Darcie and I went here for Honolulu Restaurant Week 2024 with high hopes. This restaurant seemed to be elevated by its review, so we were excited to give it a try.Located on Waialae between 8th and 9th Avenue, Mauka, it is pretty easy to find. Parking spaces are small and limited.Once inside, it was pretty spacious and the waiter was courteous. From there it all went downhill. When I rate something two stars, all it means is I had a bad experience and won't go back there again EVER, but not so bad that the establishment pissed me off. Granted, other may have great times here, but it wasn't for me (us).1. The beer was warm and this was the final straw for Darcie. Although they comped the beer, the mood was already set.2. My water glass was continuously empty. I drink a lot of water, so take a clue when I need it constantly refilled. 3. Hamachi Crudo was tasty, but a little too salty for my taste. 4. All the other dishes were ok. Didn't stay for the dessert. Had to get out.

Dinner here was sadly so mediocre and a letdown given the positive reviews I had read prior. When we arrived at 6pm on a holiday, there was only one other table of customers which was odd given the high reviews. Like some other reviews mentioned, the restaurant put a lot of effort in renovating the restaurant but it just came off as less genuine and more pretentious. The ambiance was off.The wait staff was nice, but spoke so softly that none of us could hear what he was saying and kept having to ask him to repeat himself. It was hard to communicate with him.The food itself was really average, especially for the prices. I took my family here and we all felt something was missing. The food was really greasy and salty but did not have very unique flavors. I felt a little sad that my parents and I rarely go out to eat together and when I finally took them out it was disappointing.I feel like the restaurant is really trying, which is why I still gave 3 stars even though I felt more bummed with the experience. I just don't think I'll come back, sadly.

XO Restaurant**** RECOMMENDED ****Food: ****Value: ****Menu: ***Ambiance: ****Service: *****Parking: ***** in front, freeWhile looking for restaurants to dine at during restaurant week, XO caught my attention because they had a 7-course prefix menu of their most popular dishes for $60. They offer Izakaya (small plates), with a menu that changes weekly.On their website, they say that they are a Modern Local Cuisine. If I were to classify them, I would classify them as fusion. The Chef is very creative and he combines of variety of ingredients, ethnic flavors, and styles into each dish. I really enjoyed their Kalbi Pork Belly and their Seared Scallops with Dumplings. If you're tired of the same old thing and would like to try something different, XO Restaurant maybe just what you're looking for.RATINGS & RECOMMENDED ORDER:Grilled Kalbi Pork Belly = A deliciousPan Seared Scallops = A very good Buttermilk Fried Chicken = B Hamachi Sashimi Cudo = CBeet Lotus, Shiso Gel = CLoaded Potato Au Gratin = CBrown butter bunny mochi = B (dessert)Yelp: https://yelp.to/mOHNve39SeWebsite: https://www.xorghawaii.com/xo-restaurant/YELP: Milton KSorry! They allow only one 12 second video & the remaining to 3 seconds. The full video and pictures of the entire menu can be found on other platforms/apps: MiltonIn808RATINGS KEY: A = Really Good - one of the best B = Good - would order again C = ok - similar, nothing special D = Not very good - wouldn't order F = Terrible - avoid

Nice place and we were able to find parking on the street. My family did the 7-course set dinner. For the price, it was a decent value and they were able to make substitutions for my pescatarian daughter. After the first 3 courses, we added an extra course of beef Wellington and lamb chops for an extra $10 over the base $65 price since the portions up to that point were a bit small. We enjoyed the yellowtail and beet courses then the chicken course came out and it was huge! We were positively stuffed by the end and needed to take some food home. We had a lovely dinner but, when looking at the number of stars, we all agreed that the food was just not that great. Nothing was noteworthy or overly delicious.

We had been hoping to try XO for a while and made a reservation to do so! Making a reservation might be a good idea since it was crowded when we went and everyone had one. There is a small parking lot in the front and the restaurant itself is clean, dark, and a bit intimate. The service is quick and our waiter seemed knowledgeable about the items on the menu. We ordered the buttermilk fried chicken, seafood pancake, ginger scallion gyoza, yakisoba, grilled kalbi pork belly ssam, and brown butter mochi bunnies. We liked the yakisoba best, which was super flavorful. The gyoza came shaped like a pancake, which was a neat way to do it. Everything was very tasty and we enjoyed having everything in small plates so we could try it all. The bunnies were cute and yummy, a great way to end the meal!