GREAT EATS HAWAII: EMPIRE STEAK HOUSE HAWAII

Sunday, June 15, 2025

EMPIRE STEAK HOUSE HAWAII

ILIKAI RESORT

1777 ALA MOANA BLVD

HONOLULU, HI

808-777-3100

https://empiresteakhousehawaii.com/

https://www.yelp.com/biz/empire-steak-house-honolulu

https://www.instagram.com/empiresteakhousehawaii/?locale=us&hl=am-et

https://www.facebook.com/empiresteakhousehawaii

We arrived at the Ilikai which has gone through a pretty nice makeover to find a pretty young woman at a reception counter for Empire Steak House. She politely welcomed us and then led us to a steaming hot elevator that whisked us to the top of the hotel. We were greeted by another gal who took us to our table overlooking Waikiki and pretty much the entire Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort. Our waiter who it turns out I knew was fantastic. I enjoyed a nice glass of wine and we began to order. My Daughter who had just had here Wisdom Teeth removed opted to only have some Seared Ahi and French Onion Soup. The Seared Ahi came to the table looking like no other Seared Ahi I have ever seen. It was black. Black is not good when it comes to Ahi. You want a bright red color that hopefully is fresh and not pumped with chemicals. This Ahi was not good. In fact, there were four pieces on the plate and no-one wanted the fourth piece. That's a first when it comes to Seared Ahi in our family. The French Onion Soup which I tried was delicious. The Crab Cake was pretty basic and nothing I would come back for or order again. The Hearts of Lettuce Salad which is a version of a Wedge was very basic. I honestly make a better Wedge Salad at home. The lettuce was cut like I have never seen in a restaurant. Large pieces of Onion and Dill were on the plate which didn't seem right. There was no Bacon, Egg or Crumbled Blue Cheese. The Dressing wasn't that great and we ended up not finishing the salad. The Special Catch of the Day Whole Fish was pretty good. It was served with a plate of Asparagus that was unseasoned and without a sauce. Don't think anyone ate it. My Steak at $99 was expensive and different as it was very stringy. The meat pulled apart in strings which I have NEVER experienced before. Was however impressed with the size of the Steak which needed more seasoning. Maybe use the Empire Steak Sauce that tastes a lot like Cocktail Sauce for Shrimp. Through all of this our waiter was fantastic. The Manager introduced himself and we chatted about his history and really enjoyed the conversation. This was nice. We were treated to a Trio of Desserts which was amazing and so nice. Greatly appreciated. Overall I probably would stay with

Ruths Chris Waikiki or DK Steakhouse for food and Empire for the view.