Ya-Ya’s Chophouse & Seafood

Was looking for a place to celebrate my mother's birthday and decided to give Ya-Ya's a try. Making reservations was super easy via Open Table. What made the evening really special was Jerome Dawson providing live music on his Tenor Sax on Saturdays. Music ranged from reggae to jazz. He came by the table multiple times to serenade my parents and even played Happy Birthday for my mom. Parking: After validation, parking came out to $2. Super reasonable. Service: I was concerned because of other Yelp reviews saying that service was lacking but the service we received was excellent. Staff was attentive, responsive and really pleasant. Appetizers: We ordered the Thick Ass Bacon (LOVED), Spanish Octopus (super soft and comes with greens), and Fat Fried Rice. I would have the fried rice come with the entree and not as a pupu. Entrees: Pork Chop was brined, so was juicy. I thought it was good but will try something else next time. Prime Rib was nice. Appreciate that they ask how you want it done. Seafood Pan Roast. I honestly don't understand pan roast as a dish but my parents enjoyed it. Sides: Steak Fries (good), Mushroom Medley (okay), Bacon Brussel Sprouts (good), Mashed potatoes (meh), Jalapeno Tater Tots (okay). Note: You get complementary white rice with your entrees. Oh, they have taro rolls too. On the negative, they didn't have bottles of the wine we selected. Waiter had to go back and check on status, which was odd. If you don't have it, don't list it or let us know it's not available. Oh, and not a fan of having to exit the restaurant to find a restroom. Other than that, this was a nice place for a celebration!

We went for Valentine's dinner today.This was our first time to visit.We order the roots salada, ahi tartar and TAB for starters. They are ok but nothing special. Filet mignon and Ribeye were good! We ordered Yaya's potato and brussel sprouts for side and they were good as well.But the foods and drinks took so long to come. Our drinks went to wrong table. Other peoples dishes were incorrect and went to the wrong places. There was no communication between servers and staff. Lastly, when one of the servers took our plate to box it up, he put the bottom of the dish straight on the food to be boxed up. This is not acceptable for us but since still some people around us were enjoying their dinner so we didn't complain about that at the moment. We didn't expect very fancy services but still yet this was so disappointing.

Wanted to try a new steakhouse for our 29th wedding anniversary tonight. 630 reservations - we got there about 20 min early and it wasn't busy at all, was escorted to table immediately to our table. First impressions were fantastic. Sophisticated and classy atmosphere and we knew we were in for a dining treat! The use of such a small space was impressive. Ordered appetizers of crab cake and friend rice. Both were fantastic, although the crab was cool to temp on the inside. It was after we were finished with our appetizer, server finally took our order. And besides trying to upsell us dessert at the end of our meal, that was the last time she (or anyone for that matter) ever spoke to us. Steaks came out first, on the same plates that were cooked on in the oven. Plate were oven scorched. Halfway thru eating our steak the potatoes came out (we were beginning to think they forgot the accompaniment but we couldn't get the attention of our server). Then a few minutes after that, the asparagus Now, the food was AMAZING. Steak cooked perfectly. Asparagus was flavorful and crisp. That in itself is worthy of 5 stars and what you expect when you walk in. However - The service was NOT on par with the expectation with what ended up being a $300 meal for just the two of us. I truly believe this is a restaurant that expects you to flag them down if you need anything. With four servers, No fewer than 15 pass-by's they all just glanced at our table (with empty drinks) and ignore us. It was actually starting to be comical. The restaurant was not busy by any means. Super quiet so I was confused by the lack of attention from anyone on the floor. Not once did anyone check on us to see if we needed anything. When we finally flagged down our server (we HATE waiving down servers - it seems so rude) to ask for refills. She grabbed the empty glass, refilled it by the bar and returned it without saying a word. Didn't bother to ask if there was anything else or even ask how our meal was. We also noticed neighboring tables having to wave down their server as well, so it wasn't just us. The lack of attention was actually getting frustrating and did not make for a special experience. Also, you have to leave the restaurant and walk around the building to a shared restroom. At least we were able to validate parking at it only cost $2 in public the garage on the same side as down to earth.

Smoky old fashioneds and light up menus! This place has something different to add to the evening. Deliciously prepared steak is what I was hoping for and that is exactly what I received. The perfect medium rare! Nice options for wine as well. The price is a tiny bit higher for the location in comparison to some of the steak houses in Honolulu, simply because the restroom is located outside of the restaurant. Nice spacious booths and a nice full bar. Dressy but jeans ok with nice tops. Indoor and outdoor seating. Great for date night or celebrations. Fairly quiet, but does have a television behind the bar for sports goers so if you are seeking something more romantic, request a booth away from the screen our outside. $ Parking garage through the walk way, or a few meters.

Tried this place for the first time for our anniversary and it did not disappoint. I wanted to try the trendy cocktail that's so cute and t was very refreshing. The waiter was very friendly and reccomended some dishes, we ultimately went with the tomahawk and the seafood soup and it was really delicious! I didn't care that I had to walk into a separate part of the building for the bathroom but everything else was great! You park right in the lot, and the restaurant validates parking.

I did not care for the seafood tower. Service was great and ambience was nice. I will return to try their steak.

GO, GO, GO!!! You will love everything about it. I tried to make a reservation online but party size too big. I called in and was able to make reservation over the phone, for party of 10. It has street and garage parking available. The walk from garage is short. It took us about 3 minutes. They will validate your parking ticket. Upon arrival we checked in at front desk and proceeded to create photo memories as we waited for the other guest. One of the front desk clerks was nice enough to offer to take some photos for us so that we all were in the shot. Next we went to our tables which was pre-decorated with balloons and flowers. One of my friends arrived early to place them since my daughter graduated college. The restaurant was immaculate. From the dim lighting, amazing decor and saxophone artist playing live. The table was already set with plates, glasses, utensils, food and drink menu. We began to place our orders. I ordered the purple rain, linger, crab cake, lamp chops, fried rice and white rice. White rice comes with all entrees upon request. The linger was the best drink or the night. My guest had pink cadillac and strawberry mango daiquiri. The lamp chops is #1 on the island! The well seasoned, succulent, great size and proportions! The fried rice and crab cakes also are stellar. Everyone loved their food and can't wait to return. I planned to give 5 stars until the waiter decided to ask my daughter the graduate why she didn't tip. In which she was paying for both of our meals with my card. I didn't instruct her to tip due to us having party of 10. I thought gratuity was included in my $325.53 bill. I asked the young lady if she felt she deserved a tip? She said yes. I reached in my purse gave her $20. My daughter was the only one she asked for a tip out of the party of 10.

We picked a great restaurant for our final 2023 review. Made reservations for Christmas Eve at Ya-Ya's Chophouse and it was a wonderful experience. Located in Kakaako there are public lots and street parking near by making it a very accessible restaurant. No special menu Prix Fixe menu for the holiday but we were very pleased with our meals.The Great: I ordered the 24 oz Prime Rib which I believe is the best I've had on island. Fork tender, just the right amount of fat, and the aus jus was fantastic. Wife went with the Ya-Ya's Lobster Pan Roast which had very generous portions of scallop, shrimp, and lobster. The rich and creamy sauce it was sitting was also amazing. Finished up dinner with their Taro Bread Pudding based on our servers recommendation, can't go wrong with that dish. I also loved the option of choosing my own steak knife, just adds to the overall enjoyment.The Good: Large selection of specialty cocktails, wine, and spirits though the wines by the glass were a bit limited. Heard they have a $15 per head corkage fee if you bring in your own bottle which may be our best option when we return.The Okay: The Lobster Pan Roast sauce was great, it would have been even better if it was accompanied by a few slices of sourdough bread to soak up the flavor. Not a minus but we took home the leftovers and dipping a good artisan bread into the sauce is magical.Service was fast and friendly. Food was prepared well and portions were large enough we made a second meal with the left overs. Ya-Ya's may be my new go to for Prime Rib when the cravings strike!

Ya-Ya's has been one of our favorite happy hour and neighborhood dinner spots since they opened their doors in 2019. This Kakaako chophouse concept is from Uncle Bo's and has been a wonderful place for locals to enjoy an elevated yet approachable menu of steak and seafood. They have the most hospitable and welcoming team that provides such great service each visit. We love sitting at the bar and our go to's on the menu are their caesar salad and their mouth watering seared ahi steak! We've tried their entire happy hour menu and our favorite items are their soup and sandwich, mini meatloaf and mash, and spicy mini chicken tacos. They even have live music on the weekends now making this the perfect place for your next date night or celebration!

700 reservations: order food and drinks immediately after seating 30 mins later drinks come out90mins steaks come out cooked incorrectly. Was told it would be a bit longer. We decided to leave after because the service staff was abysmal management staff can contact me if they feel this isn't a fair review