Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching, and we have a hunch that you might want to woo your loved one with a classic romantic date or impress them with an unconventional modern date. Heck, why not surprise them with it all? Honolulu lovebird locales, we’ve got you covered with four food joints to appease any date, adventurous foodie or traditional basic eater. Leave the planning and decision-making up to us this Valentine’s Day (we see you, procrastinators, and we can relate). Here are our top 2019 Valentine’s Day spots in Honolulu to treat your date right this year.
Moku Kitchen: For a Hip, Local Twist on Classic Favorites
Under part ownership of Chef Peter Merriman of the Hawaiian islands’ renown Merriman’s and Monkeypod Kitchen, Moku Kitchen is by far the coolest restaurant in Honolulu to date.The restaurant’s support local, everything scratch-made (their house-made spicy ketchup is ethereal and this statement is coming from a fervent ketchup-hater) take on culinary classics that the restaurant stands behind is what truly makes this place an innovative dining experience. Take your date here for an idyllic lunch/happy hour date this upcoming Valentine’s Day
Moku Kitchen is serving an exclusive, Kona Lobster & Swiss Chard Ravioli dish for Valentine’s Day for $39, but before digging in, make sure you order some of their phenomenal appetizers/(half-off!) happy hour dishes, like our favorites, the Garlic Truffle Oil Fries, and the Roasted Squash Ravioli.
If you’re looking for another dish or two to share (or not) with your date, look no further. Spoon Hawaii devoured the Hamakua Mushroom Pizza (also on happy hour!) and the newest lunch addition, the Lava-Rubbed Ahi.
But the stars of the show were, of course, the desserts. Moku Kitchen is known for their famous and tall pies. We got to taste the limited-time Okinawan sweet potato and haupia pie—and most notably, the strawberry cream pie, the quintessential Valentine’s Day dessert.
Waikiki Yokocho: For the Indecisive Couple
Why only visit one restaurant when you can hit up all of them? The Waikiki Yokocho, a.k.a. Japanese Food Alley, is the epic date spot to grab a drink at the Nomu bar, make your own takoyaki at Kushikatsu Tanaka,
savor the best tempura you’ll have outside of Japan at the Tokyo-famous Kaneko Hannosuke,
enjoy the lesser known tsukemen dipping ramen at Ramen Bario,
share a KAI Deluxe Seafood bowl—filled to the brim with seven different types of sashimi from salmon to ebi (shrimp)—for only $27.95,
and end this cultural food tour with matcha, hojicha, and azuki red bean parfaits from the beloved Nana’s Green Tea. Not only can you have a one-of-a-kind at-home vacation to a traditional food alley in Japan, but you and your date can also try several, even dozens of a variety of savory and sweet (and alcoholic) treats for the price of a boujee pre-fixe dinner and make that date a little longer if it’s going well.
MW Restaurant: For an Elegant, Fancy Dinner
When you think of Valentine’s Day, it’s natural for you to think of a place like MW Restaurant. Clean, Upscale, Fine Dining to impress your SO. MW Restaurant will leave you and your date in awe with their exquisite menu items that put a twist on local Hawaiian & Asian dishes.
We especially love their unconventional “Fried Chicken”, Ahi Poke, and Unagi & Hamachi Arancini appetizers,
but as this is a Valentine’s Day post, let’s get down to business with their V-Day specials
Their 4-Course Tasting menu offered from Feb. 11 – 17 includes a Trio of Appetizers along with a choice of Seafood Bisque or House Salad, a choice of any of their four entrée’s, and a choice of any of the four desserts.
The Spoon Hawaii team loved everything; especially the Mochi Crusted Kona Kampachi and “Mud Pie for Two.” For $69 a person, this is one of the fanciest, tastiest, prettiest dinners we’ve probably ever eaten. We’re definitely not complaining about that price, but for the outstanding quality, variety, and service that you get at MW, I wouldn’t hesitate to drop $100 on this 4-course meal. Heck, I don’t have a boyfriend and I’m thinking about having a Valentine’s dinner for One, just to get a taste of everything all over again.
Feeling extra fancy? They also have a Grand Tasting Menu for $195 only offered during one time slot on Valentine’s Day.
Tiki’s Grill & Bar: An Affordable Night Out with a View
If you haven’t noticed already, Spoon Hawaii loves our local restaurants, and what’s more local than a restaurant started by three UH Manoa alumni? Tiki’s Grill & Bar has an amazing view of the famous Waikiki Beach, from their lanai seating in the Waikiki Aston Beach Hotel, and this is the perfect spot for a romantic evening with your loved one at a very affordable price.
Their Valentine’s Day special includes a choice of the adorable Heart-Shaped Watermelon Salad or Lobster Bisque, along with their Surf & Turf (petit filet mignon AND lobster tail?!), and Twenty Layer (yes, you read that right. twenty. layer.) Raspberry & Chocolate Crepe Cake for only $49.
We love that Tiki’s uses so many local ingredients in their dishes (175lbs of local grass-fed beef & 450lbs of locally caught/raised fish each week), and the fact that they give back to numerous charities in the community touches our hearts. Chef Ronnie prepared many Hawaiian/Pacific Island + Asian Fusion dishes that had such nostalgic sense to them. It was like an upscale, cozy family dinner at home. But fancier. And with a beautiful view.
Spoon Hawaii would like to thank Moku Kitchen, Waikiki Yokocho, MW Restaurant, and Tiki’s Grill & Bar for inviting us to dine at their exquisite restaurants. We fully enjoyed ourselves and beyond, now it’s time for you and your date to have the same (perhaps even better) experience this Valentine’s Day!
Be sure to tag us in your V-Day pics @spoon_hawaii and #spoonhawaii for a chance to be featured on our page!