La Mer at Halekulani is a fine-dining restaurant in Honolulu.
La Mer at Halekulani is the French fine dining room in Honolulu's Waikiki that has held AAA Five Diamond status since 1990 and a Forbes Five-Star designation under chef Alexandre Trancher.
Must order: Eight-course menu degustation; the bouillabaisse course is the signature.
Tip: Tuesday to Saturday, dinner only. Jackets required for men; book four weeks out for an ocean window.
Address: 2199 Kalia Road, Honolulu, HI 96815
Senia in Honolulu Chinatown is chef Anthony Rush's fine dining tasting room of eight to ten courses, drawing on Hawaiian, Japanese and French training; co-founded with Chris Kajioka in 2016 and Rush-led since 2021.
Order: Chef's tasting menu, with the smoked ahi cigars and bone marrow course.
Tip: Sit at the chef's counter for a closer look; book through Tock three weeks ahead for prime time.
53 By The Sea is the oceanfront fine dining room in Kakaako Honolulu, opened in 2012 with a grand staircase, Diamond Head views and a Pacific Rim menu of catches and steaks.
Order: The Hawaiian opah preparation and a steak from the prime board.
Tip: Sunset tables go fast; aim for the second seating. Complimentary valet at the main door.
Merriman's Honolulu is Peter Merriman's first Oahu outpost, opened at Ward Village in 2017 from the chef who co-founded Hawaiian Regional Cuisine in 1991 in Waimea on the Big Island.
Order: The wok-charred ahi and the Hawaiian opihi shooters on the half shell.
Tip: Anaha tower entrance via Auahi Street. Sunset terrace seats book first; ask for an upper level.
Stripsteak Waikiki is Michael Mina's modern American steakhouse in Honolulu's International Market Place, with prime Angus, American wagyu and Japanese A5 by the slice.
Order: The triple-seared Japanese A5 wagyu with yuzu kosho, and the truffle pommes puree side.
Tip: Open-air Grand Lanai seats catch the trade wind. Happy hour 16:00 to 18:00 daily for bar bites.
Sushi Sho Hawaii is chef Keiji Nakazawa's 16-seat edomae omakase counter at The Ritz-Carlton Residences Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, the master sushi chef's first counter outside Tokyo opened in 2016.
Order: The full 30-plus course omakase; the otoro nigiri and aged Maui bonito are signatures.
Tip: Two seatings nightly, no children under 12. Reservations open via phone only; book eight weeks ahead.
MW Restaurant is the Ala Moana Honolulu fine dining room of husband-and-wife chefs Wade Ueoka and Michelle Karr-Ueoka, who trained at Alan Wong's before opening MW in 2013.
Order: Mochi-crusted local fish; pastry chef Michelle's caramel miso baby cake to finish.
Tip: Velocity Honolulu second floor, dinner only Tuesday through Sunday. Order the dessert tasting.
