ARANCINO AT THE KAHALA

ARANCINO AT THE KAHALA

KAHALA HOTEL & RESORT

5000 KAHALA AVENUE

HONOLULU, HI  96816

808-380-4400

www.arancino.com

https://www.yelp.com/biz/arancino-at-the-kahala-honolulu

https://www.facebook.com/arancinokahala/

https://www.instagram.com/arancinokahala/?hl=en

It used to be when people asked me what my favorite restaurant was in Honolulu, I would pause and think for a long time.  Now without a pause I would say Arancino at The Kahala.

Absolutely love the food here.  The Ebi Caviar and Carbonara with Truffles is all I need to be happy, but the Pizza, Uni Pasta and most everything else here makes me happy too.  Always leave Arancino happy and satisfied which I cannot say for 90% of the restaurants we visit.

My Wife absolutely loves the Tasting Menu and she always gets the Uni Pasta and Lobster Bisque.  The Lobster Bisque is the best on the Island.  My former trainer and her boyfriend joined us on this night.  They are moving to Florida and will be greatly missed.  

ARANCINO AT THE KAHALA

ARANCINO TASTING MENU

ARANCINO MENU

EBI WITH CAVIAR

CAVIAR ON TOP AND RAW SHRIMP ON BOTTOM

BAGNA COUDA

PIZZA TRE PORCELLINI

FRESH SHAVED TRUFFLES FOR THE CARBONARA

SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA WITH TRUFFLES

CARBONARA WITH EGG YOLK AND TRUFFLES

SPAGHETTI AI RICCI DI MARI

TAGLIATELLE AI FRUTTI DI MARI

TAGLIATELLE ALLA BOLOGNESE

ANOTHER AMAZING DINNER AT ARANCINO

 

ARANCINO

ARANCINO

OUTRIGGER REGENCY ON BEACHWALK

255 BEACH WALK

HONOLULU, HI  96815

808-923-5557

HOURS:  Daily 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM / 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM

www.arancino.com

Arancino on Beachwalk has been drawing lines of customers since it opened.  It is a big hit with Japanese tourists and locals alike.  I cannot remember ever going past this place around dinner time and not seeing a line.  It seems just to pack them in year after year.  The small restaurant is located at the Outrigger Regency on Beachwalk which is a boutique hotel just steps from Waikiki beach.  The place is small and reminds me of those little Italian restaurants in San Francisco or New York.  Tables for two and four people are packed in and you will get to know the people sitting next to you when you are seated at tables that are right next to each other.  We had a group of seven so our large table was in one row with a bit of privacy.  I like the look and feel of Arancino which serves Napoli Style Italian dishes with a Japanese influence.  Service on this night was excellent from check in to check out. Really impressed the male Host outside at the podium.  He greeted each customer with a smile and by name.  Also offered up menus so you could review while waiting.  Another female stood vigil at the door keeping the Host posted on what tables are becoming available.  This place is busy but they do the right things to make sure you know accurate wait times and get people in and out without rushing you in any way.  Once inside Arancino we were greeted by several employees with huge smiles.  Really made us feel comfortable.  Our waiter was knowledgable about the specials and menu and he did a pretty good job serving me and six girls.  I ordered the Columbus Set Menu ($58) and actually shared it with my Wife.  I went for the Wine Pairing for an additional $16 and it was worth it.  Pours were a little light but the vino was good.  Our first appetizer from the Columbus Menu was Scallop Sashimi with Sea Asparagus (seaweed), Red Onion and Tobiko Caviar.  This dish was perfection on a plate.  Both me and the Wife loved it and savored each bite.  Two pieces each was perfect portion for the appetizer.  There four pieces so I am glad we split it.  Next up was an Antipasti Sampler.  The Shrimp and Avocado Salad was very light, fresh and good but the vinaigrette was pretty tasteless and a little bitter.  Loved the Caprese which consisted of simply fresh Tomato and Mozzarella.  The Proscuitto and Papaya was also light and refreshing.  Again enough to split with my wife and we were both happy.  The Seafood Medley in Garlic, Wine and Olive Oil was really good.  I asked them to delete Mussels and they did.  The pasta was cooked perfectly and very lightly sauced.  Nice pieces of Shrimp, Calamari, Clams with one large Langoustine on top.  Again shared this with my Wife and we actually took some home too.  This was an excellent Tasting Menu.  My Daughter and her friends enjoyed salad, several pizzas and pasta dishes.  They started the Caesar Salad ($13).  This was a nice salad that was lightly dressed with a good dressing, anchovies, and fried Pancetta.

They ate two plates of this salad and all of the anchovies too.  Next up were the Meat Lovers Pepperoni and Sausage Pizza ($23) and the Owners Favorite Pizza ($25).  I enjoyed a slice of the Owners Favorite Pizza with Shrimp and Garlic Chips.  This is a sauceless pizza but it was good.  The Shrimp and Garlic really stand out.  The Spaghetti Tobiko ($18) was a huge hit.  The bowl was empty in minutes.  The girls almost finished off the Lasagna ($23) too.  Seemed to like just about everything.  When you can take out five teenage girls and have them all happy and eating everything served this is a good thing.  All gave Arancino the thumbs up.  I also liked the food, service and atmosphere of Arancino.  Recommend this place if you are in Waikiki and looking for some Italian.

Click link below to view post on Arancino at The Kahala Hotel;

http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2015/02/arancino-at-kahala-hotel-and-resort.html

ARANCINO

ARANCINO ON BEACHWALK IS CLOSE TO WAIKIKI BEACH

LINES EVERY NIGHT HERE SINCE I CAN REMEMBER 

ARANCINO IS LOCATED AT THE OUTRIGGER REGENCY ON BEACHWALK CONDO/HOTEL

SPECIALS POSTED ON MENU OUTSIDE

ARANCINO IS SMALL NEIGHBORHOOD RESTAURANT THAT IS VERY POPULAR
WITH JAPANESE TOURISTS

ARANCINO ON BEACHWALK MENU

ARANCINO TASTING MENUS

I WENT FOR THE COLUMBUS TASTING MENU WITH WINE PAIRING

ANTIPASTA AND SOUPS

SALADS 

PASTA DISHES

LASAGNA, RISOTTO AND PIZZA

APRIL SPECIAL SET MENU 

FOCACCIA BREAD WITH OLIVE OIL AND BALSAMIC

CAESAR SALAD

CARPACCIO DI CAMPESANTE

SCALLOP SASHIMI, LOCAL SEA ASPARAGUS, TOBIKO CAVIAR, RED ONION WITH LIGHT CHAMPAGNE DRESSING - YUMMY!!!

ANTIPASTI SAMPLER - SHRIMP AND AVOCADO SALAD, PROSCIUTTO AND PAPAYA, CAPRESE

SHRIMP AND AVOCADO SALAD

PIZZA PEPERONI E SALSICCIA - MEAT LOVERS PIZZA

OWNERS FAVORITE SIGNATURE PIZZA - SHRIMP WITH ONION GARLIC CHIPS

LASAGNA

SPAGHETTI WITH TOBIKO

SEAFOOD MEDLEY FROM COLUMBUS MENU

VANILLA GELATO WITH ESPRESSO

ARANCINO AT THE KAHALA HOTEL AND RESORT

ARANCINO AT THE KAHALA HOTEL AND RESORT

HONOLULU, HAWAII

ARANCINO AT THE KAHALA HOTEL AND RESORT

5000 KAHALA AVENUE

HONOLULU, HI  96816

808-380-4400

HOURS:  Daily 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM / 5:00 PM - 10:30 PM

www.arancino.com

I love the Kahala Hotel and Resort.  Probably my favorite Oahu hotel and a place that I love to introduce to visitors who are staying in Waikiki.  The hotel is only minutes from hustle and bustle of Waikiki but seems like it is on a different Island.  It is a world unto itself with a beautiful beach, dolphin lagoon and large pool area overlooking the ocean.  This to me is a real Hawaii experience.  We cruised the property and enjoyed watching the reef fish and dolphins before sitting down for lunch at Arancino.  Arancino is somewhat of a success story as they started with a small hole in the wall location on a quiet street at the end of Waikiki.  The restaurant that serves Italian dishes with Japanese influences quickly became a huge hit with Japanese tourists and locals alike.  People wait in line daily to dine in the Waikiki location so they opened a giant second location at the Marriott Hotel in Waikiki.  Again success and then the opening of a third location at the Kahala Hotel and Resort.  The Kahala is high end with room prices starting around $400 per night.  Arancino seems to have risen to the location with a pretty high end menu for Italian food.  We arrived for lunch and were greeted by two smiling hostess.  Both welcomed us and we were asked if we would like to sit inside or outside.  It was a cool and comfortable February day with temperatures just under 80 degrees so we opted for an outdoor table.  All of the four top tables were taken outside, but rather than make us wait, the hostess quickly seated us at a table large enough for six people.  This gave us plenty of room to spread out the giant plates and enjoy our lunch family style.  The waiter and overall service here was excellent.  I never noticed my water being filled but every time I went for a drink it was filled to the brim.  My girls ordered Plantation Ice Tea ($6).  The glass is tall and includes a beautiful slice of Pineapple and lots of ice.  A few sips and the glass is empty.  Very surprised to find out that the $6 glass of tea does not include refills.  The waiter will however replenish the glass with regular ice tea at no additional cost.  Our waiter took time to guide us through the menu and offer his personal favorites.  He explained that the $39 Lunch Menu was the way to go for variety and value.  The portions on the 3 Course Menu are exactly the same size as the regular menu.  As we reviewed the menu, each one of us were presented with a plate of fresh baked bread with sweet butter and black volcano sea salt.  Thought this was nice having your own plate of bread, butter and salt.  The butter and black salt on the bread was delicious.  We started with the Tartare di Mare.  Finely cubed Ahi Tuna, Kona Kampachi, Avocado and Tobiko served with small toast.  This dish was very beautiful and pretty darn delicious.  I could have eaten the entire dish myself.  Next up was the Bagna Cauda.  A flowerpot with dried mushrooms depicting dirt and fresh vegetables.  Amazing presentation of vegetables served with a garlicky anchovy sauce.  Loved the vegetables and the sauce.  Just wish there would have been more vegetables.  At $16 these are some expensive vegetable bites.  The Spaghetti Ai Ricci Di Mari is the signature dish at Arancino.  It is Uni Pasta.  Uni is Sea Urchin and this Urchin comes from Japan.  At $32 it is one of the most expensive plates of Spaghetti on the Island I would think.  The Spaghetti was cooked to perfection and the Tomato Cream Sauce and Uni were delicious.  Very light pasta dish with big flavor.  The Casarecce Ragu Di Poipo included Octopus in a Spicy Tomato Sauce.  I thought the sauce was delicious and liked the pasta.  Did not really get the great Octopus taste as there were only small tiny pieces in the dish.  Don't know if I would order this pasta dish again.  The Pizza Bismarck ($22) was delicious.  Loved the egg in the middle.  The yolk really added another depth of flavor to the pizza.  Also liked the meats and tomato sauce.  This was a really good pizza.  Only complaint is that there was a lot of moisture puddled up on the ends of the pizza which made parts of it soggy.  Other than that, I would order this pizza over and over again.  Our $39 3 Course Lunch included dessert.  We went with one order of Tarimisu and one Pana Cotta.  The Tarimisu was delicious.  Probably one of my favorites.  Nice chocolate and coffee flavor but oh so light.  The Pana Cotta was Tomato and it was served with slices of fresh Tomato.  More like a vegetable appetizer to be served prior to a meal rather than after a meal.  This was nothing like a dessert.  More like a salad.  All in all we really enjoyed our lunch at Arancino.  A bit expensive but the food is good.  Quality of ingredients is excellent and so is the service.

Click link below to view updated post on Arancino at The Kahala;

https://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2021/12/arancino-at-kahala.html

Click link below for post on Arancino on Beachwalk;

http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2015/04/arancino.html

ARANCINO AT THE KAHALA HOTEL

THE KAHALA HOTE AND RESORT IS JUST MINUTES FROM WAIKIKI

BEACH AT THE KAHALA HOTEL AND RESORT

STING RAY CRUISES AROUND THE KAHALA HOTEL 

FAMILY ENJOYS LEARNING ABOUT HAWAII REEF FISH AT THE KAHALA HOTEL

DOLPHIN LAGOON AT THE KAHALA HOTEL

GUEST ROOMS AROUND THE KAHALA LAGOON HAVE GREAT VIEW OF DOLPHINS

THE LAGOON IS IN THE CENTER OF THE PROPERTY 

DOLPHINS WERE PLAYING AND HAVING FUN

WE ENJOYED WATCHING THE DOLPHINS BEFORE EATING AT ARANCINO

LOBBY AT THE KAHALA HOTEL AND RESORT

ARANCINO IS RIGHT OFF THE LOBBY

SMALL BAR AND EATING AREA AT ARANCINO

SHADY OUTDOOR SEATING

OUTDOOR LANAI SEATING WAS COOL AND COMFORTABLE

OPEN KITCHEN WITH PIZZA OVEN

THREE COURSE LUNCH MENU (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

ARANCINO AT THE KAHALA LUNCH MENU

INSALATE AND ANTIPASTI

PASTA

PIZZA

PLANTATION ICE TEA 

INDIVIDUAL BREAD PLATES FOR EACH PERSON AT THE TABLE

TARTARE DI MARE

FRESH AHI, KONA KAMPACHI, AVOCADO AND TOBIKO

BAGNA CAUDA

FRESH VEGETABLES CRUDITES 

WARM ANCHOVY GARLIC DIP

LOTS OF GARLIC AND ANCHOVY 

DIP THE VEGETABLES IN THE GARLIC/ANCHOVY MIXTURE

SPAGHETTI AI RICCI DI MARE

SPAGHETTI WITH JAPANESE UNI, WHITE WINE, GARLIC, TOMATO SAUCE

CASARECCE RAGU DI POIPO

OCTOPUS, CASARECCE, SPICY GARLIC TOMATO SAUCE

PIZZA BISMARCK

POACHED EGG, MORTADELLA, MUSHROOMS, MOZZARELLA, PARMIGIANA AND TOMATO SAUCE 

TIRAMISU

TOMATO PANA COTTA