Il Lupino Trattoria & Wine Bar
Royal Hawaiian Ctr,2233 Kalakaua Ave, Bldg B, Ste 110, Honolulu, HI, 96815
Il Lupino Trattoria & Wine Bar Menu
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Happy Hour
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Salumeria
Healthy Meal suggestions for Il Lupino Trattoria & Wine Bar
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Happy Hour
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Salumeria
Visit below restaurant in Honolulu for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
Royal Hawaiian Ctr,2233 Kalakaua Ave, Bldg B, Ste 110
Honolulu, HI, 96815 - Phone (808) 922-3400
- Website https://www.illupino.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :7:00 am - 10:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Validated
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : No
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Classy
Noise Level : Average
Good For Dancing : No
Alcohol : Full Bar
Happy Hour : Yes
Best Nights : Thu, Fri, Sat
Coat Check : No
Smoking : No
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : Yes
Dogs Allowed : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
Categories
Italian Cuisine
The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.
Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.
If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.
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Liana T.
Fellow Yelpers: did you ever have an experience that warranted zero stars? Well, add this venue to that list. First, the pluses: convenient parking in the mall parking lot and validation offered by the restaurant, a casual but elegant ambience, friendly service staff, and an extensive menu. My relatives, residents of Oahu, had good experiences in the past so we made a reservation for 4. With our waiter's recommendations, we ordered two Greek-style salads to share and three entrees. And then the problems began. 1. the salad was OK, but the croutons were completely inedible: they were rocks. Even with brute force, none of us could cut them with a knife. We mentioned this to our 2nd waiter (we were never told by our 1st waiter that we would be served by the 2nd waiter). He said he would notify the manager. About a half hour later he admitted that he hadn't notified the manager. 2. From the time we ordered, we waited an hour and a half for our entrees. Neither of our waiters came by to apologize for the very long wait. Finally, only one entree (the ahi tuna) was served. And the spinach was missing from the plate. This was not even noticed by the waiter. I asked him to show me the menu and showed him that the dish should have included spinach. He apologized and said he would order that. (It came after I was nearly done with my meal.) 3. We were half way done through our ahi dinner, and still the other two entrees hadn't been served. Neither of our waiters came to let us know what was causing the delay. We had to work at getting their attention, and finally when this situation was reported, the entrees arrived. 4. And once our entrees were all served, neither waiter come by to ask how were our entrees or whether we needed anything. 5. When we complained about the very long wait, the 2nd waiter said he would definitely report this to the manager. About 15-20 minutes later, she came by. She politely apologized for the situation. She offered a complimentary dessert as compensation, but didn't ask us if that would be satisfactory. (None of us, at this point, wanted to stay any longer than necessary.) 6. We had to work at getting our waiter's attention for our check. When it came, they had comped only one salad. Really?! They should have offered far more as compensation, and not assumed that we would want what they offered, which was tiramisu (why didn't they offer us a dessert menu and allow us to choose?). To get their attention, I proposed to the waiter that the restaurant comp the entire dinner. 7. The manager returned to our table. After reviewing all of the problems that occurred at our table, she said, "but how was the service?" Were you listening at all? Plain and simple: The service was abysmal, both in the kitchen and in the dining room. (Furthermore, the dishes, in particular the osso bucco, did not justify the pricing.) The ending: they comped one salad and provided a 15% reduction, which we agreed to because we just wanted the ordeal to end. 8. Icing on the cake: the dinner took so long that we exceeded the 2 hours of validated parking. If you want to pay extravagant prices and chance having what, for us, was a zero-star experience, here is your place.
(1)Thu P.
First I almost never yelp negative reviews but don't want you to go through this too. Happy hour- my husband had a nice sports team polo on and the bartenders first comment was "we don't serve (insert team name here) fans here". Ok bad start but whatever, then just kept saying things that were borderline offensive. Just very awkward. Then they tell us they ran out a bunch of meats and cheeses when we tried to order. Ok... Wine was decent and they give you large glass. Gin martini after HH ended was huge and good. After HH we got table for 4 adults and 3 kids. They tell us shipment didn't come in for sourdough so they gave us sliced sandwich wheat bread instead. Hmmm... Is sourdough that hard to get? At any rate... 1) rack of lamb $45 was cold and over cooked. We asked for med rare. Sauce sweet and very strong Rosemary flavor. My husband said it was inedible. Sent that back. 2) gnocchi was ok but bland and single note 3) bolognese with meatball was very good! 4) ordered ragu with papadelli they they forgot to put in so it had to but rush made while I watched everyone else eat. Table service was ok. Super hot outside. They should consider fans with water sprays or something. $80 for HH for 3, $200 for dinner minus $45 for lamb. Not impressed. Plz go somewhere else.
(1)Ellen O.
Good food and service from waiters except receptionist should be informed of whether parking is validated at Royal HAWN Shopping Ctr parking lot. When we called she didn't know answer to that question and didn't bother to find out answer.
(4)Becca M.
This place was recommended by an employee at hotel. I was in the mood for some pasta.. but....Super expensive IMO.. Took way to long to get our "to go" order, which we called in and were told it would be ready in 40 min.. We walked from hotel with kiddos and still ended up waiting another 40 minutes outside..total probably about 1 hr 20 min.. Ordered 2 kids spaghetti, 1 regular, 1 gnocci, Caesar salad to split and 2 tiramisu. Gnocci (white sauce) was really bland, spaghetti was good, tiramisu was good.. Caesar salad was a Caesar salad.. Got charged for 4 full, regular plates and total came up to $133.. Don't think THAT spaghetti was worth $133 and doubt we will go here again..nice restaurant though.. Maybe good for a date, definitely not for a family meal..
(3)R K.
This chef is qualified to work at McDonalds. First time I've ever sent food back to the kitchen. Hostess would not seat us 15 mins early from our reservation despite many open tables. We waited 45 minutes and ended up eating at the bar. Our order was incorrect. Got the carpaccio that was rotting paste barely identifiable as meat. Cartoccio was burnt so badly the fish tasted smoked. Clams were hard, dry, crisp from overlooking. Arrabbiata pasta was worse than Spaghetios. Expensive and horrible.
(1)Brandy E.
My husband and stopped in for Happy Hour at the bar; started with a glass of wine and a meatball off the HH menu. We continued on to share a salad and the Gamberoni alla Siciliana off the full menu. Everything was delicious. The pasta dish was exceptional, I love homemade pasta!!
(5)Trisha G.
POLPETTONE al POMODORO. Unassuming looking, but juicy, meaty and delicious. The most delectable, giant meatball sitting in a shallow pool of pomodoro tomato based sauce. So yum. It is the perfect mix of ground veal, beef and pork, which is probably why it tastes so great. I'm sad that I forgot to take a picture. We also had a PROSCUITTO PIZZA on a wonderful thin crust with fresh tomatoes and argula and drizzled with white truffle oil. A worthy italian style pizza. ARANCINI was four perfectly deep fried truffle risotto balls served with a tomato based, cocktail-ish sauce. This was a special for this visit Lastly we have CALAMARI FRITTI which was lightly breaded and a good size portion to share. As with any Waikiki restaurant, any local will have to battle with the pedestrians and parking. This restaurant is part of the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center (right across the valet area of the Sheraton Waikiki.) It is worth the drive -- at least once. Don't forget to have a glass of wine. There is a visible wine cellar next to the dining room, which creates a great ambiance. The decor which includes photographs of famous Italian landmarks adds to the food experience. Delicioso!
(5)Dana J.
I'll give this place one extra star cause I'm nice and I have two experiences actually . I came here for first my birthday dinner and the service was amazing! Very attentive and nice servers. But the food was not good ! Highly disappointed and it goes to show the price has nothing to do with quality. A couple months later I went on a double date against my better judgement because I remembered the atmosphere was nice and I thought maybe I just ordered a bad dish Nope food was still disgusting! The pasta is made fresh daily apparently but the sauce must not because it was major lacking in everything. Very acidic and bland. The service that day was subpar im sure they have good days and bad days in terms of service but I mean I'm not going to go to a restaurant if the food sucks. I loved their wine but I found some at the store for much cheaper so I'll can make some bolognese at home that tastes much better.
(3)Bethany G.
We came here for breakfast. The menu items are pricey. I got the frittata and my husband got the pepper and sausage omelet. I really liked my frittata but my husband did not enjoy his omelet mainly because it wasn't a good breakfast choice. Also, the service was a bit sparse.
(3)Natalie C.
Love it! I live in Honolulu and never really noticed the restaurant. My dad read a review of the restaurant in a Canadian newspaper. He insisted that we try it. So glad he did! Service was great and so was the food. I will be returning!
(5)Gluten L.
We've been here quite a few times now and we like it even more each time we go. It's very very expensive, so we don't go very often. It was great for Christmas dinner. They have awesome cocktails and good wine. They are very accommodating for my gluten allergy. The service is always outstanding, too.
(4)Kenneth M.
Great food and service, kamaaiana discounts and all. Lobster Benedict is the bomb!!! Service is impeccable. Initially I thought brunch here may be too much, but I was pleasantly surprise with the entire experience!
(4)Kristin K.
Delicious food, great service, and wonderful ambience. Ordered a pizza to split and a few appetizers- plenty of food. Would recommend.
(4)Chas B.
Great setting, good food. Service.... Forget about it. What a cluster. They forgot to take our drink order. Forgot to turn in the appetizer order. Entrees took forever. Second glass of wine took forever. Wife's pasta ended up being under cooked. Yah, for an expensive joint, this place has a lot of work to do. Funny part was other tables would have food run out to them and the runners had no clue which table they were going to. Shit show.
(1)Jasmine N.
Came for lunch to celebrate a friend's birthday. We came because of a recommendation that Il Lupino has a better burger than Wolfgang Steak House (Same company). I had the prosciutto panini with salad. It was ok. The salad dressing was too tart. One friend had the lobster sandwich. The lobster sandwich was ok. I didn't think it was $19 worth. The other had the burger. This was probably the best of the three. It was juicy and came with truffle fries. I wish the fries were hotter but it was still pretty good. The verdict between WS and IL burgers. WS Burger: $10 at lunch cooked to order comes with fries and onion rings IL Burger: $13 cooked to order comes with truffle fries. I would pick the WS burger. It's $10 and i felt like it was bigger. Tip: They asked if we were local and gave us 10% off. We also received a free Tiramisu for the birthday girl. :)
(3)Carlos L.
Is this an Italian restaurant ? I thought so before ordering and getting my food, but after that I was left with many doubts. Yes, I know that coming from NYC I could sometimes be very picky and demanding, but please give me a break .. the only Italian item in this restaurant seems to be the Pinot Grigio because the food does not taste anything like Italian cuisine. I ordered Bruschetta and Linguine alla Pescatore; my wife ordered spaghetti Carbonara. My Bruschetta was simply a slice of bread with some tomato on top; No olive oil, basil, dry tomatoes. It tasted awful as the tomato was not even the correct one for this appetizer. Both pastas were overcooked so when my wife and I had a 5 min chat and gave something to eat to our daughter both pastas became like a baseball ball. By this time I had to order my second glass of Pinot Grigio to calm down and move on. So, here I blew $140 which in my mind was only for the 2 glasses of wine. Location: 5 Decor: 5 Service: 3 Food: - 12 Total rating: 1
(1)Junko K.
The food was very disappointing. Basically I paid $35 a dish for the view. Trust me, don't waste your money; I'd rather eat at Macaroni Grill any day. Plus they took about an hour to bring the food out.
(1)Azam O.
First of all, I wish if I could give it less than a star. The service was too slow we've waited for15 min to have someone ask us what to drink and he was rude and aggressive. After waiting for ever the waiter got out order wrong and totally different than the one we ordered. The missed up the whole order, and forgot one of the dishes that we ordered. The food was bad except for the meatballs, which was good. For a place and a price like that I don't recommend anyone one to try it. Slow as hell, not that good, so very pricey for nothing.
(1)Vladi Z.
The food here is pretty good. We came here for breakfast around 8am, where there were few guests. Unlike some of the negative reviews here we were attended to a bit much. I ordered coffee and didn't expect someone to come by and refill it every time it was 3/4 full. Also the waitress stopped by our table about 6-7 times over the course of 45 minutes, which is fine but I feel like it's just a bit too much. For breakfast I has the omelet peperonata, which sounded good when reading. Unfortunately, it was too much for a breakfast (not a complaint you'll often hear). There were about a dozen or so chunks of the peppered sausage, enough to give you heartburn for the rest of the day, and it seemed that the eggs were only there as a single layer covering what seemed to be an entire bowl of sausage and marinara within. Personally, I thought it was too much and didn't eat most of the sausage. My wife ordered the brioche French toast, which was also a very generous portion with blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries. It was very delicious and worth it for $14. To sum it all up, the service was good, maybe just a bit too much attention, the good was great, but some of the portions might be a bit much for most people, and the prices were pretty fair. We ended up with a $35 check with multigrain toast and coffee included. Next time we go here, I'm ordering something more on the light side.
(4)Lauren T.
Good food but a bit pricey. I sat at the bar and had some appetizers and wine. The bar tenders were attentive however discussed personal matters about work that were inappropriate and I could tell they didn't want to be there. They even discussed how much they made that night so far and were very oblivious to the fact that we could hear them. Otherwise it was a great spot to grab some wine and Italian food in Waikiki.
(3)Andrew H.
I'm not sure why this place only averages 3 stars!? I've eaten at all kinds of Italian places all over the mainland, including some of the best Italian on the east coast, new jersey/new york area. Let me tell you that I think this was about the BEST Italian food I ever had. My partner and I arrived and checked in (via open table) and were promptly seated at a beautiful outside table. It was a little hot with no breeze and I was a uncomfortably warm so I asked to be reseated and they accommodated us without any problems to an inside seat. The wine list is exceptional, and a tad pricier than you might expect for some of the wines with the markup but not outside the realm of the restaurant industry. Especially since some of the CA varietals probably have extra freight to get over to Hawaii. We started off with a bottle of CA Zinfandel and a selection of meats and cheeses from their Salumeria menu which features meats and cheeses from around the world. The freshness and level of quality that went into the meats and cheeses was incredible! We sat and sipped wine and enjoyed. What a great appetizer. Next up was the Caesar salad. This was about the best caesar I've every had. Perfect balance of cheese with dressing. Some caesars are not as cheesy as I would like or they just put the cheese on top but this was mixed thoroughly throughout. So balanced! Next we shared the lobster ravioli. There was plenty of lobster inside and the pasta was freshly cooked al dente. Truly phenomenal! Lastly, we finished up with Tiramusu and I had an espresso. The Tiramusu was balanced perfectly with the right amount of sweetness and the espresso shot was pulled beautifully with the right amount of crema. Overall I cannot say enough good things about this place. Amir F. was our server and he was terrific! Maria was the manager on duty and I thanked her for such a wonderful time. We took our time and I think were there almost 3 hours. It was funny because the table next to us was a family that sat down and each ordered spaghetti and meatballs. I'm sure it would be delicious but come on! so many interesting things on the menu besides that...LOL if you come here try some of the interesting items, ok? :)
(5)Alex S.
I just literally walked out of this place! Had a busy day so didn't have time to make reservations somewhere. Walked up and got seated right away. Was seated outside. A server came up us and let me know that he was going home but another server would be taking care of us. We waited and waited and waited. In total we waited 40 minutes just sitting there with our menus waiting to see if any sever with common knowledge would notice we have not been helped. We did get poured water... Awesome! After 40 minutes I couldn't take it anymore and walked out. A simple greet from the new server or the old server could have asked to start an appetizer for us.... Nope! Nothing... Not going back and the funny thing is as we were waiting we started reading other reviews... They all have something in common
(1)Kyle L.
Food looked ok until we saw the menu and prices. 36 dollars for spaghetti? 46 dollars for ravioli ? We are on our honeymoon and are spending thousands of dollars on our honeymoon, and are staying across the street at the Sheraton but we walked out on this place before the waiter arrived. Too expensive!!! Go to the Shorebird at the Outrigger way better prices and great food!
(1)Mimi G.
Where do I even begin? When the table behind us sent back both of their dinners my reaction was "seriously? how high maintenance can you be?" Little did I know that they were on to something. This place has tons of employees, but not only does it not help the services it lends a chaotic vibe to the whole dinning experience and creates a situation that no one is genuinely responsible for your table. Back to the food, I had a pretty good salad (insulata rape rosse) and my husband had the carpaccio, it looked pretty good, but let's just leave it at there was a heck of a lot of profit margin in that little appetizer. My husband had the linguine pescatore for his entree and I had the pappardelle al ragu Maile, which the waiter recommended. Both dishes were uninspired and somehow boring. If the pasta really was fresh, they really should re-think their pasta making ability. I am not sure what went wrong, but the pasta seemed either undercooked or cooked and left to sit out so that it was dry, un-supple and chewy in a bad way. Meanwhile, back to the service, which was so lame it was a little bit funny. When the main course arrived I picked up my empty salad plate so the server could set my pasta down since he had his hands full, once the food was served he just walked away while I held my empty plate. We had to call him back and ask that the plate be removed. About half way through dinner our actual waiter materialized and asked if we wanted cheese. We ate about half of our dinners and when the bus boy asked if we wanted the leftovers boxed he did not seem surprised when we said no, nor did he seem surprised by how little we ate. We also were not surprised when the hostess did not acknowledge our exit and we were especially not surprised when no one asked if we had enjoyed our dinner. Overall I will have to stay that this restaurant is a waste of perfectly good commercial real estate.
(2)Brandy H.
I ordered from their on-line menu and asked an assistant to pick up my order. When I received the bill, I couldn't believe the cost. They charged me $45 for pasta. I asked my assistant to call them and tell them there must have been a mistake. She called and was told that the "add shrimp" part of the menu means $7 per shrimp. They did not ask how much shrimp was wanted and decided to add three shrimp to the meal. I took the phone and asked for the General Manager. I was given the same story. I asked them if the "add meatballs" on their menu for $10 means $10 per meatball and they said yes. This is a rip-off and completely false advertising on their part. I never write reviews but this was truly one of the worst services I've ever received from a restaurant. The food is good but the service is terrible and unfortunately that makes a major difference in dining. We called three times to sort it out and they refused to assist.
(1)Kitty C.
Breakfast: fresh fruits plate , super beacon ( the real juice one) fresh orange juice that No other place can beat the : Price and services! Dinner : the pairing 5 course meal was fantastic. From taste to presentation, service and Price !!!! Highly recommended!!!
(5)Anna S.
Myself and my boyfriend were looking for a nice place to have dinner on our last night stay on Waikiki Beach and we were overwhelmed with the outstanding hospitality and friendliness. All staff were welcoming and very well trained. Working in hospitality back in Australia, I couldn't fault one thing throughout our entire experience. We would especially like to thank Michael our Server who recommended all our meals and we were very impressed with his recommendations: the bruschetta, sirlion dish and the linguine with marinated seafood (Us Australians call it Marirnara) His knowledge of the food and then the cocktail and drinks list was impressive and comforting that we had someone to guide us along our night. We were not left with any questions or worries because we were constantly taken care of. Definitely recommend this beautiful restaurant with an amazing atmosphere to anyone that is wiling to pay for a remarkable night. Thank you to all the staff at Il Lupino, especially Michael!!! From Nick and Anna
(5)Trinh L.
Great ambiance but food was nothing spectacular for a place that touts serving delicious and quality Italian cuisine. We came hungry and looked forward to a good meal, but the two pasta dishes we ordered (tagliatelle bolognese with meatballs and linguine alle vongole) were short of memorable. Perhaps the other dishes are better but too disappointed in giving it a second chance. Left hungry and didn't bother to take leftovers home.
(2)Faye S.
The stars are for the hostess, the patio ambiance and the dessert (cheesecake). The food...somewhere between bad and mediocre. Pasta undercooked and Luke warm. Service...slow slow slow and unfriendly. Don't be deceived and think this is a nice, fancy restaurant with amazing food. Based on my experience I would not recommend it.
(2)Berkeley B.
Best (and only?) lobster croissant in Honolulu! Keep it on the lunch menu.
(5)Sam D.
I had been here once before when on vacation alone about 4 years ago. The food then was quite good. I was a little dismayed that it is currently three stars on yelp. However my wife and I, who are on vacation, could not get into the two higher rated Italian restaurants in Waikiki since they were packed. Seemed odd that Il Lupino had zero wait time and it was empty inside. That was this past Wednesday. Needless to say that the food was mediocre at bes and not worth the price. My gnocchi dish had zero flavor and they were over cooked. My wife ordered linguine with an arrabiata sauce that was very plain. The service, however, was very good and attentive. If you want Italian food in Honolulu and you don't want to wait for a table, go to this place.
(3)Jarrett B.
Began with them taking 15 min to bring me a beer. When pasta came, it was hard. I told the waiter it was the hardest pasta I've ever been served. They brought me another dish later with pasta just as hard, but without the meatball that I ordered. Not once did I get a 'sorry'. They took off my meal from the bill, and even brought us a round of some liquor drinks. Too late for our group. Ruined the night.
(1)Ken D.
Two stars is an accurate rating for this restaurant. Service was alright... The staff should focus on the service rather than looks (although the 4 or 5 women who look like they were in charge were stunning in their dresses, shoutout to the lady in red). Drinks were warm, my water was colder than my beer. Mixed up and unsure of red wine orders. Food was par bout as good as Olive Garden, didn't have two menu items because they ran out after we ordered. Really wish the food and service was as good as the lady in red.
(2)Susan N.
I found my pasta dish of bottocelli (?) good, though the portion was rather small. My appetizer was Italian ham and mellon, but was the mellon was mango, not honeydew or cantelope My friend had the Taglitelle with Bolonese sauce. He said that the dish was good, and even though the noddles were a bit stuck together, were freshly made He also commented that the portion seemed small My son had the Caprese and Tomato salad which he liked, though the buffalo mozzarella was a bit salty and he did not add salt. His main dish was the gnocchi in a tomato sauce which was good, but not notable for a high end Italian restaurant. The dish does not lend itself to being gourmet, flavorful, or even tasty, but if you are hungry that is the ticket to order. None of us opted for the dessert menu which my friend claimed was just ordinary, despite the server's claim that the tiramisu was outstanding. I have heard that claim made hundreds of times in other restaurants. Our server was attentive WHEN AVAILABLE. My friend claimed he was overly enthusiastic. All in all, the service was slow. We waited 30 minutes for our main dishes, and had to request bread twice which was mediocre
(3)Russel M.
Best Loco Moco in Honolulu. They now open at 7am for breakfast.
(5)Chuck L.
Good is pretty good. The service is good but a little boring. Te drink prices are what you'd expect from waikiki. Almost as good as bravo Italian food.
(4)Mike A.
Paying 35 dollars for 7 pieces of ravioli and waiting almost an hour for it to arrive. For a restaurant that preaches its home made pizzas to run out of pizza is ridiculous. Overpriced tiny mediocre portions and the offensive wait time makes me wonder how a shit hole like this stays open.
(2)Loren P.
Of course , anything I write is only my opinion. So, I must start by saying to please try this restaurant for yourself as everyone's experience will always be different. This is my 4th time here and it is safe to say for me, my last. We celebrated my husbands birthday and the staff and service was excellent. Food though ? Hmmmm. Ambiance was nice as we sat outside. We started with the Caesar salad. It was a bit on the heavy and rich tasting side. The Brussels sprouts were prepared well. The black ink pasta? Very bland and the pasta did not taste fresh. I can compare one other place in which I love the black ink Pasta and that is Sabrina's on Waialae. Probably one of the best in town. We also had a fish in parchment paper. This was just ok and the clams were all dried with no juice. The Osso buco, I thought had a gamy flavor. I love Osso buco but did not love this. It wasn't melt in your mouth yummy. We also had a grounded pork pasta and thought it was alright. Overall, for the price I just didn't find this place was worth it. It is not one of my favorite Italian restaurants. I am not bothered by price if the food is good. This place needs to step up its game.
(3)Natalia M.
We passed this place few days in a row as we strolled though the city trying new places out. Our last day in Hawaii we decided to come here finally and I am so glad we did. We wanted to stay away form Italian since we are from NY and have plenty of excellent places here. We were more interested in ethnic foods. Well I have to say the food was amazing, service was excellent, everyone was extremely knowledgeable about wine pairings etc... Let me get to the amazing part....CHEESECAKE! Yes I said it...cheesecake! You would think the best cheesecake can be found in NY. Well this thing was out of this world. Amazing crust on the bottom and the cheesecake was seriously like nothing I have ever had before (and I've had my shares of cheesecake). I can't gush enough about this cheesecake.
(5)Mike W.
Try the happy hour! The bruschetta di tonno is awesome! They just added a loco moco to the happy hour menu, which is not the typical loco moco.. Awesome! Prices are great! Will be back soon.
(5)Sasha L.
Il lupino is a cute little spot if you're grabbing a bottle of wine and a meat and cheese platter :]. Had the moscato on a hot day during lunch and it was wonderful! Definitely a nice spot for a casual lunch date.
(5)Jonathan S.
I thought this place was a tourist trap. But I was wrong. Great service, wonderful bartenders and nice ambiance. And they pour a stiff cocktail. The food was pretty good. The antipasto plate was exceptional. Fresh cut meats and cheese. The meat pizza was really good as was the mushroom risotto. The only place they fell down was the pasta carbonara. Which is really easy to make. It was to watery and didn't have enough of the egg and cheese flavor. But the pasta was cooked aldente which was perfect. I do like this pace and recommend it.
(4)Erika E.
Took my twin sons here for their 21st birthday. Management was aware of the occasion and had the table generously sprinkled with red and gold star-shaped glitter! We were still a little full from an earlier meal, but wanted to try as many flavors as possible, so: We ordered a platter w/3 meats and cheeses, the grilled, prosciutto-wrapped asparagus (OMG amazing!), and the super-soft meatball in fresh tomato sauce. YUM! We also decided earlier we NEEDED to save room for dessert. Affogato was a MUST, but we also wanted more flavors. No problem! Il Lupino offers a choose-your own trio! Service was perfect. Prompt, attentive, and WARM! Could not have asked for a better experience for my sons' milestone birthday! My young men demurred on alcohol, but their mama enjoyed one of the best dirty vodka martinis EVER! Smooth, and just enough brine, delicious!
(5)Jim C.
Pretentious, in a single word. Service mediocre at best, some food very good, some just ok. I live within 4 blocks of this restaurant, have been there 5-6 times. Don't know why I go back Last visit, server assumed we were tourists and treated us that way. Had to ask twice for bread, and for 2nd bottle of wine. My advice, stop pretending to be fine dining and focus on being a good restaurant.
(2)Carolyn I.
Il Lupino is one of my favorite Italian spots (Arancino both on Beach Walk and @ The Marriott are also solid options). While a bit pricey for dinner, it's worth the investment to dine on homemade house pasta and freshly sliced gourmet deli meats and cheeses. Definitely check out this place for lunch too when the prices are more reasonable and not because there's any skimping going on. The portions are more than fair and the menu, especially the sandwiches and the salads, are refreshingly diverse. Special thanks to bartenders, Jed and Brad, for schooling us on some new delights. We'll be back.
(4)Jean S.
We walked by and it looked lovely so we gave it a try. So very GLAD we did. We waited about 10 minutes (we had no reservation) to be seated. The food was excellent and portions were large (you could easily share the salad). My fish special was flaky and flavorful. My husbands paperdelle with meatball was as good as our favorite Italian resturant in New Jersey (and that is good). The service we received was excellent and there did not seem to be any complaints from tables near us, so I don't understand why previous reviews slam the service. We never felt rushed nor did we feel neglected. We were too full for dessert but I will definately make room next time. This is a hidden gem!
(5)Raymond P.
Awesome and authentic. First time I tried a dry linguini that was great. I had a linguini with jumbo garlic shrimp that was awesome. Our waiter was attentive even though he was running through his tables. He also knew proper timing to ask about when to order our appetizers, main entrée, and dessert. Will come to this place again when I could gather the funds because it was worth it.
(5)Steve S.
Stopped by here after a run around 11 am on a Saturday. The atmosphere is perfect with hula dancers performing nearby at the royal Hawaiian garden stage. We both ordered the brunch specials that included pan jacked for Serena and eggs Benedict for me. Taste size value. Perfect!!! I'll try again and if same experience will update review to 5 stars.
(4)Rob M.
Ahi bruschetta insane! One of the best ever. Great happy hour. The tagliatelle bolognase was amazing! Great for work traveler or family.
(5)Barbara S.
My husband and I were walking on the beach and stopped at this restaurant. It was drizzling but we wanted to sit outside. We ordered Caesar Salad and Margherita Pizza to share . We had a very pleasant experience. The atmosphere was lovely and the food was good. My rating is mediocre because we felt that our wait staff was not appreciative of our lack of choices: No liquor, no dessert and splitting two items.
(3)Kristen C.
Nice atmosphere, TERRIBLE food. For the price, best you go elsewhere. My girlfriend ordered the linguine with clams which was bland to say the least. I ordered bruschetta as an appetizer and the gnocchi ragu. The bruschetta was layered with the exact same meat sauce as the gnocchi... I basically ate the same thing twice. This was not what the menu listed.
(2)Rajan G.
Very nice. ..good service. ..don't forget to try there home made gnocchi...reminds me of Rome
(5)Courtney D.
Service is just awful. I'm not going to waste my energy to write how bad it really is, just trust me!
(1)Treena B.
Went for lunch and it was truly like being back in Italy. The bread is made and served exactly Italian and not some interpretation or guess of what Italian bread should be. Same goes for my primi piatti (tomato and mozzarella) and secondi piatti (pasta carbonara). Delicioso! This is indeed Italian cuisine. Amazing wine selection too. Service was very good too.
(5)Melissa D.
Exceptional service and outstanding food... especially for it's very tourist-y location. We stumbled across this place by accident the first night we were in town. Boy did we hit the jackpot! We sat on the patio which was lovely ~ the hostess even made sure we had an umbrella as the late afternoon rain showers were threatening. We started with the bruschetta plate - 2 pieces of 3 different types. All were fantastic and the goat cheese was exceptional. The hubster is willing to try anything once but rarely loves really fancy food ~ he would have licked the plate had I let him. The mushroom gnocchi was delicate and savory with the most amazing creamy truffle sauce. I confess I ate the whole plate so it's a good thing we hiked the Diamond Head crater the following morning because that decadence couldn't be low in calories. The hubby had the carbonara and was very pleased. My only concern is the beer selection is substandard. I understand this is a wine bar, but it is important to have alternatives for those that are just dining with winos such as myself!
(5)Laurence K.
Wow by reading all the reviews a little deeper We booked on opentable, We have it a try We started with cocktails which were both excellent food wise we had the meatball which was huge and had a great flavor the the Arugala salad which was great and the panzenella salad which was off the hook . Next was a Margareta pizza which had a paper thin crust and a lot of cheese my only complaint that it should of been cooked a little bit longer and lastly the home made parpadella with pork and beef it was excellent Christina was out server and she and the rest of the service host bread water was all excellent I would def come back .
(4)Meha P.
Food is mediocre. Lots of service problems. I entered at the back entrance and waited at the host stand for several minutes before a waiter said the host was only at the front entrance. Went to the front and host said it was a 30-40 minute wait. Restaurant was only 1/2 to 2/3 full so that was weird. I invited myself to have dinner at the bar. The 2 bartenders were so engrossed in conversation with a patron that they ignored all the other customers, including me. I had to interrupt them to ask for a menu. When I ordered a salad and a pizza, the bartender asked if I wanted the salad and pizza at the same time or to have a "long gap" so I could eat my salad. I said not a long gap, so please serve at the same time. He insisted that I needed a "little" gap. So I ate my bland salad, and after I finished, I waited *20 minutes* for my pizza. Turns out the bartender didn't put the pizza order in til I was finished. Pizza crust was so tough that I could not eat it. My pizza and wine were removed from the bill as an apology. I won't be back.
(1)Jennifer J.
Incredibly great food and service. The Hostess asked the Chef if he could make a kid sized Mac n Cheese for my daughter and he did. Everything was so great, I can't honestly say what my favorite was. The meatball is 8oz! Be prepared. My 11 year old ate 1.5 meatballs he loved it! If you get here and there is a wait, it's worth it!
(5)Ivy R.
For all the trips to Waikiki we've made it was always impossible to just walk up and get a table for dinner. We made the mistake twice and I never tried again. My mother in law made a reservation for dinner at least a day in advance. So finally we were able to eat here. Our inlaws were already seated when we got there. At which time we found out that the air conditioning was leaking onto my father in law. We didn't move tables because it seemed like an inconvenience to them to have to move us. Our wait staff also seemed new and just focused on getting us in and out. To start we had a sample of their Artisan Meats and Cheeses. Due to my pregnancy I passed on most of the meats and some of the cheeses. It was nice start. I didn't drink either but some of the people at the table ordered cocktails and some of them were really bad. Even though I'm not imbibing now, I could just tell this isn't a place that knows how to make a good cocktail. My meal more than made up for crappy service and less than stellar ambiance. I had the Risotto Con Argos, or Lobster Risotto. It was divine. So rich and creamy. The Lobster was slightly sweet which offset the savory saltiness of the risotto. It was such a great meal. If only the waitstaff was as good as the cooks. My son split portions with everyone at the table since they really don't have a kids menu. This is a kid friendly place considering most people on vacation have to take their toddlers with the everywhere. Our meal ended with Chocolate Gelato and Vanilla Gelato. It was a big hit with my son and husband. I even had some being pregnant and all, why not? They have opened for breakfast recently and while I wanted to come here my husband didn't want to because the dinner service was so bad. Come here for the food but make sure to make your reservation way in advance. Don't expect much as to cocktails or service.
(3)Nicki F.
EDIT (Il Lupino round 2): Because I do believe in second chances. One more star. I'd like to thank Il Lupino for inviting us (the concierge) all out to experience more of what they offer. I can say that we were treated with amazing service, and got to try a lot of the different dishes they offer. Burger: GREAT! Prosciutto sandwich: WOW! Prosciutto pizza: MORE PLEASE! So many good things to try. Meatballs were ok but I felt they needed more flavor The loco moco... I wish that same hamburger patty was used on this dish. The one used tasted like it had too much filler and not enough meat. Overall though, great food. We also got to meet some of the local wine vendors who had a WEALTH of information on the wines that they serve here. I really hope the servers got some information from them as well. Little did I know, their wine selection is massive and impressive. They even feature an exclusive wine that you should ask about, it's very tasty. Also learned that they have house made lemoncello!!! I wish on my first trip someone had told me this. I love lemoncello. I can say that the house made lemoncello here is delicious. I could have had lots of it without ever getting tired of the fresh taste. With all that said... I can't wait to visit again and see the improvements for the guests. I look forward to a dinner service there soon that is hopefully just as amazing as the treatment we had as local concierge in Il Lupino. I want every guest treated like they are welcomed just as we were today. So give this place a chance. Perhaps things have changed. Just know I'll be back for a round 3! First Visit (original post): My experience at Il Lupino last night was... meh. Nothing special and kind of disappointed in the service overall. First I arrived for my reservation and there was no hostess at the desk. A waiter came over and asked if I had been helped. I said no and he said he would go get the hostess. I stood there for about 5 minutes when another waiter came by and asked if I had been helped. I let him know what the other waiter had said, but no hostess ever showed up. He then then let me know that the hostess was at the other entrance only. Um, ok. Maybe a sign or something to let people know that, as I am no mind reader and I cant see through walls. So waiter 2 walks me over to the hostess table where I let her know I have a reservation. She asks if I would like to sit inside or outside and I tell her I prefer indoors. As she is walking me over to my table, the manager located in front of us starts waving his arms wildly, giving her an angry look and pointing to the outside patio. Thanks for making me feel bad for sitting indoors guy, thats exactly how I wanted to start my evening. Super professional. I am finally seated and I look over the wine list and can't wait to ask some questions. Too bad the really nice waiter is not trained in wines... at a WINE BAR. He lets me know he likes beer. Fantastic, I like beer too but I came to a wine bar and I really wanted some kind of wine bar experience. I just picked whatever bottle sounded good to me and went with it. I tried asking a few more questions about wine but gave up completely when I realized there is nobody in the place who really knows wine. He said something about the bar tender knowing about wine but the guy was behind the bar and not serving my table. Am I supposed to walk over and ask or something? Ordered some cheese and meats on a plate to go with my wine, that may or may not have been a good selection to go with since the servers at the wine bar don't know wine. It was... ok. Two stars only because the server was a nice guy. It was not his fault management has 0 interest in running an actual wine bar. It is not his fault nobody take the time to sit down with them and educate them on what exactly goes with what, or what the alcohol content of a certain wine may be. SHAME ON YOU MANAGEMENT. You have a fantastic location, a great set up and a nice group of people, you just don't know what to do with it. I also made the hostess aware that I am a local concierge. I let her know I would like as much info as possible so I can recommend this place to the THOUSANDS of people who ask me where to eat every week. I will not be recommending Il Lupino to any guests, or any friends and family. I have found other places with more knowledge of wines, that are not even wine bars. Why would I want the embarrassment of a guest coming back to my desk with the experience I just had? No thank you. Get your place together and let the local group of concierge know when you become what you claim to be, a WINE BAR. Thanks.
(3)Kate S.
My family and I came here for our last dinner in Waikiki before returning home. It was probably the best meal we have had our entire trip. Our waiters name was Joe (Hi Joe if you're reading this!!) and he was great, giving us recommendations for dishes and drinks. He recommended that we try this Lobster salad that was on the specials, and boy it was amazing. The peaches, almonds and goats cheese all complimented the dish and there was enough of the Lobster to feed the four of us, it was so succulent and ahh delicious. We also had the salt and pepper calamari I think- equally as good and the tomato based sauce that accompanied it was devine- plates were definitely licked. Joe's service was fantastic, he brought us bread which was again very yummy and that also went in a hit before our main dishes even arrived. The accompanying olive oil and balsamic vinegar reminded us of Italy and home as we often do this too. Our mains were closely followed by the entrees. I ordered the NZ Salmon, it was cooked to my liking (not too raw) and had a little tomato salad thing that worked well. The skin of the Salmon was crispy and enjoyed it, however it was cooked in a little too much oil that + more oil on the plate as a sauce was a bit too much but still fantastic. The rest of my family had the Snapper baked in parchment paper, a seafood pasta and the hit of the night was the Lobster Ravioli with a truffle cream sauce. That was fantastic, the truffle flavour was so strong and delicious. All the meals were the perfect sizes and you could definitely finish them (unlike other restaurants we visited where after the entree you were full). To finish the night, Joe recommended we try the Tiramisu and that wasnt a disappointment either. We all had a fabulous time and definitely will be returning!! Thankyou Il Lupino and thankyou Joe!! (the 4 aussies that visited on the 12th of July)
(5)Foodie Queen B.
This was so close to perfect. The ambiance is very tropical and relaxing outside. We arrived late afternoon and were seated right away. The wine list is excellent. The bread was warm and delicious. This is a great place to spend some time eating appetizers and sipping wine. I ordered the reasonably priced $10 giant meatball. Now my grandma made the World's best bolas bolas and insisted you must use beef, pork and veal. They did, so half the battle, however the meat needed just more salt and pepper and onion powder or cooked onions in the meat. The sauce was fresh and reminded me of the simple tomato sauce used in Spanish cooking. It was wonderful to dip fries in, but I wanted it thicker with more tomato chunks and perhaps a pinch of salt. It was a bit watered down. Now my husband got the lobster croissant sandwich and truffle fries. It was beautiful on the plate and when my husbands' eyes began to water with happiness I knew he was in heaven. The lobster was plentiful and delicious and the bacon was like a ham steak. He picked every piece of lobster off his plate and licked each finger. He couldn't believe he paid $18 dollars expecting it should be more like $30 for that much lobster! Don't get any ideas of increasing the cost because that price sent the meal over the edge for him. His three rivers Syrah really sealed the deal. His trip is now ruined for all other meals. We are coming back to try breakfast and I am sure again for another sandwich for my husband...I want that tiramisu!
(4)Nicole V.
We've walked past this restaurant many times over the years and have always wanted to try it. Last night we finally decided to give it a try. BIG MISTAKE!!! We should have known right away that we'd be in for a huge disappointment. We sat for 15 minutes before we were even approached. We finally got offered some water, when the table behind us wanted to be reseated due to a trail of ants going across their table. Our server was really unprofessional and all over the place. The first words out of his mouth was "hey." We ordered some wine, unfortunately it was delivered to the wrong table. He got our drinks right the second go around however the server held my wine by the brim of the glass... EWWW... That's where my lips go. Our dinner finally came... We took two bites and quickly decided that it was not worth the price or the terrible service. Our waiter took our food back to kitchen and didn't even offer to remove it from our bill. He dropped the check for our signature and surprise surprise... There was no pen! We walked to the front to speak with the manager... Unfortunately she was on her personal cell phone while on the floor. She stood and looked at us as if we were inconveniencing her and continued to gossip on her cellphone. Finally the hostess offered us a pen. I can't believe I paid $100 bucks for such terrible restaurant.. I shouldn't have left 10% tip, but I've worked in the restaurant business... I know what it's like to have terrible leadership, it's a toxic poison. If you're reading this... The tall blonde manager, you should really rethink your career choice. I would fire you. LOCALS: DO NOT WASTE YOUR HARD EARNED CASH IN THIS ESTABLISHMENT. THEY HAVE NO ALOHA.
(1)Talia F.
Not only is this the best place to have an amazing glass of wine, thank you to Jed for doing the ordering on that but great food & Michael as your server is awesome!!! Must get the meatball.
(5)David G.
I wish this was a better place. The service was pretty bad. Never came to refill water or bread. Never really checked how we were doing. The food took forever. Even after saying something that weren't even that concerned. Didn't even offer to give us a free drink or dessert or take anything off the bill. The place is very loud also.
(2)M C.
We reserved a table for our Christmas Eve dinner and we were seated right on time. The service was really good even though the restaurant had a busy night. We ordered the prosciutto pizza for our kids and it was not well received but I guess it was a matter of taste. We had to ask for bread but it came hot and the vinegar and olive oil were great. The restaurant has an extensive wine list but they are grossly overpriced, even the ones that are basic. They had to move our table twice as the neighbouring table had trouble with water leaking from the ceiling. Back to food, my wife and I had the picatta di pollo and the dish was tasteless: the chicken was bland and the pasta was heavy on the oil or butter. For dessert we had the trio special with really good tiramisu and panacotta but a forgettable canolli. The red wine, a Malbec from Argentina, was really good.
(3)Cassie B.
I just visited this restaurant for a friend's birthday dinner! I enjoyed my time there, but there are a few reasons why I will only give this restaurant 3 stars. Although it breaks my heart to do so, since our waiter was so great to us! He deserves a 5! I also want to mention that I am not one to easily give stars away.... First off, the decor to the place is quite decent. It's not overly "fabulous" but it was cosy enough and the lighting was delightfully dim. Everything was clean and put together; it was simply nice. The menus were already ready for us to peruse once we got seated, and they were FULL of wonderful choices. I was delighted to see traditional Italian favorites and some interesting cocktails as well. I went with a margarita (my usual) to start off the evening. It was STRONG and I like that. The margarita gets 5 stars in my book. Although I was enjoying my drink, my bf pointed out to me that we had been seated for almost an hour and noone had come by to take our dinner orders yet. That's a no-no in my book. I kept munching on the free bread to dull my hunger pains. After we finally ordered, we waited quite a while longer for the (entree) food to be served. The appetizer that my bf and I ordered (the one large meatball) came quickly. It was quite tasty, but I am not sure I would pay $12 to get it again. It was simply a large meatball. The pasta that I ordered off the specials menu (tagiatelle bolgnese) was good. The sauce was not too rich, and the meat gave the sauce a wonderful flavor. AND the pasta was cooked perfectly. However, I again felt that it was a little too pricey for what I was served. Although it was cooked well, there was nothing too innovative about the pasta dish. Still, hats off to the chef for cooking that pasta SO perfectly. my GOD. Lastly, I had a great espresso to finish off my meal. I think my negative experiences were 1) the loooooong wait and 2) the prices. I thought the food was good but not so excellent to warrant a heftier price tag. Still, I might go back again.
(3)Christina Z.
I brought my daughter here with 2 of her friends for lunch this past Sunday. It wasn't very crowded and we were all hungry from a morning of shopping in Waikiki. The food was pretty good as well as the service. I ordered the gnocchi, which was light, soft, and just plain delicious! This was quite obvious because I gobbled up everything. 2 of the girls wanted just plain alfredo, which the restaurant was kind enough to do for them. And my daughter's friend ordered the black angus hamburger. It was enormous and juicy, and must have been tasty because she ate all of it!! When the hostess discovered that it was my daughter's birthday, they sprinkled the table with red & gold stars and brought her a tiramisu, singing "Happy Birthday". She was quite embarrassed, being a mature 13 year old and all. ;) Good food, good service, watery iced tea. But overall good experience!
(3)Terry L.
The manager contacted me saying they do not add the tips to any bills. We've come to realize that the server added the tip onto our tab in hopes that we wouldn't notice it, and then leave an additional tip. BE MINDFUL OF YOUR TAB! This happened to us but fortunately we caught it. Someone else may not be so fortunate.
(2)Judith H.
Still one of my favorite spots. Great for locals because parking is easy and free for the first hour. $1 and hour up to 4 hours. Il Lupino is so lovely nestled in the greenery. I've never been disappointed but I've never gone for dinner. Breakfast a MUST.
(5)Cin T.
I really regret not seeing Jaime W.'s review prior to dining here for breakfast. My friend always raves about happy hour here, so I was excited to try it for myself. I even didn't bother to check their filtered review, half of it was all 1 or 2 star ratings. Check out Jaime W's review. Her dirty bread plate had been reused and not washed: yelp.com/biz/il-lupino-t… I wouldn't have stepped foot into this nasty place if I had known that they REUSE dirty plates and glassware!!! Wtf.....blech!! We started off with a glass of wine ($6) for myself, mimosa ($9) for my friend. The orange juice wasn't freshly squeezed, some sort of pulpy concentration mix was used. yelp.com/biz_photos/MiAL… Notice all that pulp in that mimosa glass?? Take it in. Remember it....... Now here's a my diet coke. My thirsty ass sipped on this disgusting crap without looking down until it was half empty. I thought it tasted oddly citrusy but didn't realize why until I finally looked down, ugh!! yelp.com/biz_photos/MiAL… The glass is FILTHY and appeared to have been filled with mimosas or orange juice prior to being used for my diet coke. Full of the same orange juice pulp that was clinging onto my friend's mimosa glass. Oh yeah, there were also LIPSTICK STAINS among other smudges on my glass. Not my shade, mines doesn't transfer.......plus I was using the straw. I called over another waitress and basically got a seemingly unapologetic "Oh. Lemme get you another one. Sorry" response. Our own waitress didn't even apologize or bring it up at all when she dropped the food off. And on top of that - their wallflower of a manager just stood there staring in our direction, no apologies or word from him either. My BACON BENEDICT ($14): I love all things pork, I especially love bacon. So you can imagine my disappointment when the plate arrived with 2 slices of burnt, tough bacon. Blasphemy!! yelp.com/biz_photos/MiAL… The final insult was having to walk on glass on our way out of their outdoor dining area. There were broken glass shards everywhere, it was scary hearing glass break from under your feet with every step. It trips me out how this place even was a finalist for the 2012 Hale 'Aina award. More than half of the reviews here are 1-2 stars! Never again, Il Lupino!
(1)Ash I.
My friends and I came here on a recommendation through the happy hour pal app. We had to double check if the app was correct in which the it was not, no big deal, so we proceeded to order, got my drink and was told it was a margarita when I ordered a martini.....and after 5 minutes debating between themselves of what I ordered they decided I ordered a martini...????? well yea of course it was a martini since I asked for the tuscan martini. Other than that fiasco the meatball was pretty good, Oh and the only person that gave us a smiling service was the girl that showed us to our table and refilled our waters more than once so thanks Marissa!!!
(2)Shaun S.
Bucatini alla Amatricana... need I really say more? Smokey pancetta, sweet onion, spicy red sauce all over the wonderful Bucatini noodle! I've only had it better in two places, one in Rome and at Mario Battalli's joint in NYC (1st place). We had great service, wonderful outdoor seating and overall unexpected experience considering the trattoria is located in a huge upscale mall. So if you're in Hawaii, tired of seafood and need a taste of home or something more familiar... stop on by.
(4)Me M.
Tired from walking all over town, I happened upon Il Lupino in the late morning hour. I enjoyed Eggs Benedict with a side of greens instead of potatoes. It was fantastic! It was so great I suggested we go to dinner there a few days later. The steak was top grade, and perfectly seasoned and tender. My fresh shrimp resting on angel hair pasta was a healthy and savory dish. The waitstaff has been well trained to be unobtrusive; near enough to sense when you may need something, yet far enough to allow you to enjoy your dinner conversation. Mike R. Was our waiter on our latest visit for breakfast. He is intuitive and graceful, taking care to keep everything we wanted at our fingertips. The Italian espresso, Iperespresso, they serve there is so good I will search for it online later. It is made by a company called Illy. It is the best I have ever enjoyed.
(5)Erin M.
To be terribly frank, this restaurant was awful. The squid ink pasta with lobster sounded so delicious, but I was absolutely disappointed. It tasted as if the "sauce" was nothing more than melted (unsalted) butter. The lack of flavor was let down enough, but I thought, well at least these generous chunks of lobster will make up for it. Nope. It was also tasteless and tough and dried out (lobster jerky, not a good idea). I have never sent a dish back in my life, but I had to do it this time. The dish was inedible. The staff politely obliged and brought me what I thought would be a difficult to screw up dish: linguine vongole with white wine sauce. This dish was also completely tasteless. I took two bites and wanted no more. The waiter offered to bring me something else but at this point I lost all confidence in the food and the rest of my party was almost finished eating. The other dishes ordered by my table (a pork ragu and a shrimp pasta) were alright, nothing special. I'm surprised that such a first rate hotel would have such a sub par restaurant and staff so unconcerned about its patrons. The hotel's other restaurant, Azure, is a 100 times better in terms of food, service and ambiance. I ate at a food truck on the walk back to my hotel. It was delicious.
(1)BestofHawaiibyKalani S.
What an awesome experience eating Osso Bucco and squid ink with Lobster. Great service at the bar. Pro: The service at the bar was awesome and the food came out perfect. Cons: Don't expect to be seated even if you have reservations. After a 30 minute wait I still did not get my table. I went to the bar and spent $400. The check in girls messed up and made the bar happy.
(4)L N.
I'm giving il lupino 5 stars they do not deserve 3 stars overall... 4.5 stars is my rating. We ordered the smoked Scottish salmon with baguette and the frittata Florentine. I would've liked 1 more tomato and a little more cream cheese. But that's the fat girl in me. And the omelette was Hawaiian style, not an American omelette. The service was great and I appreciated the manager making rounds to his visitors. I'd recommend and come again. Mahalo!
(5)Andrea S.
So many haters on here that I almost didn't make a reservation at Il Lupino. Thank goodness I didn't listen! After a few days on Oahu my husband and I were craving something a little less, well, how do I say it, Asian. We started with a plate of talleggio, gouda, and boschetto. The cheese plate came out with a few slices of bread, grainy mustard, and a smidge of jam. Really, for a cheese plate, it was great. Also started with the pepperoni arrosto, roasted red peppers with arugula and goat cheese. Seeing as I hate cooked peppers, arugula, and goat cheese I was prepared to loathe this, yet for some reason I tried to hoard it all for myself. Next, the entrees. I had the gnocchi al tartufo, and let me tell you, it was way bigger than the photo on their website. Rich yet light, these little potato pillows really hit the spot. Hubs got the tagliatelle bolognese and they certainly did not skimp on the meat. Tons of pasta, but just mounds of meat sauce. I have to be honest, I was no fan of the Honolulu food scene, nor did I appreciate having to spend so much money on such average meals, but il Lupino was just what we needed to slog through our remaining days of the trip.
(5)Julian B.
waited 1 hour for our appetizer and another 30min for our main - none of the mains were served at the same time. food was ok but the waiter was terrible making up stories about why the food was late. the restaurant was also out of pizza, carpaccio and meatballs - about the latter we learned 30min after ordering them. Got desert and wine for free after complaining and about 5 apologies from all stuff but our waiter. other than that no AC, slow serving of water, food served half cold. Overall way below expectation for a restaurant with that location and price level. Top 5 of my worst experiences ever.
(2)Mark H.
Drinks at the bar are stiff, and the company of the two bartenders went unrivaled during our stay in Hawaii. They guys were super cool, and both spent time in our neck of the woods (Florida), so we had plenty to bump our gums about. Wish I remember their names. I only remember a dude with a mustache and one without. Drinks I recommend are the old fashioned and espresso martini, which is not on the menu. They whipped on up for La Chica's sister without hesitation as a special request. We tried to make it back for food, but ran out of time on the island.
(5)Karin H.
Man, I really wish I had Yelped this place before we came here. Locals: Read ALL the bad reviews before you decide to go here! They are ALL true! Trust me! Unfortunately, I found out too late (I read it while I was there - that's how slow it was.) Which was embarrassing cus I picked this loser. We had 6 pax in our party w/ 5 table settings. I had to ask for a separate glass of water twice. Whatever, they looked busy walking around just looking busy and not actually doing much serving. Then I had to ask for an extra plate and told him there's only 5 settings. You would think one would put two and two together and bring the utensils as well...Idk maybe my common sense is different from others. I'm not gonna go thru the play by play about my experience here cus its 5 a.m. and I'm tired but I really wanted to make sure I rated this place but more importantly, try to warn some ppl. We waited 45 mins for our food and only got our calamari appetizer (which was mediocre at best). The service is turtle speed here, maybe even slower. We left after an hour after we were seated. Some of the servers we're very nice (only the two that helped us take a picture and get the pw for the WiFi.) I asked another server to check on our food and he said "ummm Idk, it should be coming out soon." He offered to get some more coffee, but never came back. We waived the same server down and told him we were leaving and want our check. The manager came by and apologized and comped our coffee and mediocre calamari rings (which was actually very nice of him) but the apology came too late cus we were on our way to another restaurant. And for the first time for ALL of us, NO tip. We always tip, we were servers ourselves and know how hard it could be (well, unless you work here). But this was a different service we aren't used to. Il Lupino you've wasted our time and sort of ruined late Xmas dinner for us (the other restaurant saved the night.) We will never be back.
(1)Shane S.
Dined Sunday 1/11 10:00 am Party of 2 in Outdoor Lanai area Positives: With the wonderful sunny weather outside, the wife and I decided to sit in the outdoor lanai area and people watch the guests of the Royal Hawaiian and Sheraton Hotels walk by... We also had the pleasure of owner Wolfgang Zweiner dining with his family a couple of tables down... My wife had the Macadamia Nut Crusted Pancakes with Haupia Syrup and a side of the Thick Cut Bacon. The pancakes did not past the eye test because it looked very dry, but after the initial bite, everything came together. The Thick Cut Bacon was identical to one's you order upstairs at Wolfgang's Steakhouse, which means not your store bought type, but more ham like. I had the Loco Moco dish. Its in-house made patty consisted of a Veal, pork and beef combination. It was an absolute delight... Negatives: The reason for the 3-star rating is the service was not up to par. The food took a while to be served, considering it was breakfast entrees. Additionally, with the owner dining in-house, you would expect everyone to be on their toes. Maybe, because of the service we receive from Wolfgang's upstairs, that we was kind of expecting that kind of service as well because of the same ownership...but I guess, each restaurant has different service standards...
(3)Ron V.
First and last time I'll ever eat at this restaurant. Carbonara was the worst I've ever eaten and pizza was dry. Really expected the food to be nice but... also, in this warm weather, AC was not cold
(1)Mylene H.
This is my first time EVER writing a review, so I'll try to make this short and to the point. My husband and I heard great reviews about this place, so he made res for 6:30 pm on 8.01.15. We were probably the 3rd party in the entire place. We ordered: ·3 MEAT/CHEESE apps= Probably the only thing we enjoyed. ·Calamari= Not fresh, obviously frozen ·Rinky dinky salad that cost over $15= Absolutely Forgettable. **We wanted to order the salad with lobster but we were told they didn't have lobster. What overpriced restaurant in Waikiki doesn't have lobster on a Saturday night?! After eating all the above, we waited patiently for our Ossobuco with polenta for FORTY-FIVE MINUTES! Our waiter said a party before us ordered five...Sooo?! By the time it arrived, it was the most BLAND piece of meat I have ever tasted!
(1)Taryn S.
This place is a joke. I've never seen a more poorly run establishment. What sucks is the food we actually received was really great. However, 60 minute ticket times and then the food is incorrect is unacceptable and then the manager avoided us like the plague. Two other people actually walked out because of the same thing while we were there. Don't bother... The negative reviews on service are accurate, I'm on my honeymoon and feel no need to go into any more details about my terrible experience here. --------------------- As far as the owner/manager responding to my yelp review it's not helpful. Sorry. Your management was aware of the incident the night it happened and didn't say a word... Intact he avoided us. I live in NYC so no, I will not be returning. Which is clearly how you stay open, you bank on tourists who won't be returning anyway.This was the last night of my honeymoon that this took place and was a complete waste of time and money. I understand food being made to order, my husband owns two restaurants and I've been in the business for 12 years. I know how kitchens work. I understand getting slammed. What I don't understand is 60 minute ticket times and it still being wrong. Yes, I asked for sauce on the side... Guess what, it wasn't. You seem to think that's not really a big deal.But that's what I ordered. Also, your bar back, bartender, whatever, Thomas, informed us that when he went to tell the kitchen the staff told him "I don't care". Maybe Your staff needs some training... We should have never been told that your kitchen "doesn't care" it was clear they didn't, but a staff member shouldn't tell a customer that. Also when a glass is broken near a nice bin the ice is supposed to be burned...all of it... It was not... I watched this in horror.Your staff is direr need of training if you want to stay open... That's a law suit waiting to happen.
(1)Wendy K.
The food (brunch) was fair but the service was poor. The ac was off and all of our party were sweating PROFUSELY. The interior restaurant was totally empty and yet we had to wait up to 20 minutes just to get water and coffee fills. We had preordered our menu, but we kept getting brought incorrect orders. Some of the food came out fast while other orders took 15-30 minutes to come out. Seems a little late considering that we preordered everything. Asking all those around me, no one was very impressed with their meal. My eggs Benedict was overcooked and only moderately tasty. The overcooked comment came up a lot for our orders. When we were leaving, the ac was finally turned on - almost 3 hours after we arrived! It sure didn't seem like they wanted to do anything to secure return customers.
(1)Don M.
Just had dinner here. Best part is the appetizer, the calamari to be exact (large portion). The wait staff, exactly that---you wait for them. After waiting for several minutes, we finally got someone to help---the other wait staff from another table assisted since our waiter is nowhere to be found. Anyway, she tried her best to help us. For entree, ordered the clam with red sauce and spaghetti noodles, small portion and tasteless. Great location but the restaurant is tightly packed to the gills. People and tables are literally bumping into each other, no room to breath. In closing, if you want Italian food, better off going to Jack In The Box. No, seriously, go elsewhere.
(1)Bruno S.
Great Italian experience! Nice music, really good homemade pasta. It would be even better if it was just a bit cheaper, but it's definitely worth the price.
(4)rin c.
The comments about the $ are irrelevant when you are talking about a place in the heart of any city....of course its going to be expensive. However, i still want to think that I got my money's worth, unfortunately I did not. Service was sub par, and food was so so. The restaurant wasn't busy, and because of that you expect more from the staff. If the management does not do their part to read the reviews and step up, this place probably won't last much longer.
(2)MONY N.
Bad service and bad food. On December 25, 2015.
(1)Laura K.
Loved this place! Wine list was huge, food was amazing and the service was top notch! :) Many thanks to my server Kenzie, she was awesome!
(5)Adriana T.
Everybody has their own experience, don't try to judge by the impression of others. The table sitting next to us had a terrible experience but me and my husband had an almost great one. We started with the tomato bruschettas, absolutely delicious. Extremely fresh and tasty. Then we ordered a Spaghetti Primavera and another pasta with creme and truffles. Both great dishes. The Primavera is spicy so if you like it you will love this. The only reason I don't give this place 5 stars is because the service is kind of slow. It took a long time for the waiters to attend us and bring the check or any other request, but they were really nice and polite people.
(4)Mike M.
We have been here twice in two days and both experiences have been fantastic. Jed behind the bar is super friendly, fast and makes a killer margarita. Food has been wonderful both breakfast and lunch. I would recommend this place
(5)Pepper R.
This is one of the coolest places in Waikiki, but you don't know that. You don't know that the food is delicious. You don't know that, although pricey, the charcuterie plate is AMAZEBALLS. You don't know that you should sit at the bar on date night (2+, get a table.) You don't know that if you sit at the bar, you might be lucky enough to meet and be served by Jed... One of the most educated and charming bartenders we have ever have the pleasure of meeting. You don't know the stories he will tell; the joy and entertaining discourse during your meal. If you are lucky, patient and not obnoxious, he might even share a secret or two. You have no idea. Really.
(4)Robert B.
They have a great bar if you enjoy a peaceful drink to the point where you can hold a conversation with someone without raising your voice at all. Amazing bartenders who really know their stuff. The reason I gave 4stars is because their menu could be a little larger to appeal to more clients. Overall I will be back to this bar.
(4)Garry T.
We entertained an out-of-town guest for dinner last night. It was basically a very uneven experience. We opted to sit inside in the a/c as it was a warm outside...well, it was also quite warm inside. (The staff was sweating bullets and it was borderline uncomfortable.) We opted for a cocktail and ordered the bruschetta (because they were out of carpaccio) to share. This came and went before the drinks ever arrived...I hate that! The drinks were great, but the bruschetta was hard as a rock...although the flavor was fine. We each had a salad. I ordered the panzanella salad...very disappointing, although my friends enjoyed the caprese and pear salad. We never received any bread service and everything from the drinks to the entrees were never brought to our table before first going to a wrong destination. "A failure to communicate!?!" When a runner/back waiter, etc... did bring something to the table, they were clueless as to ordered what. I don't think this should happen in a $$$ restaurant. We ordered a bottle of wine (they were once again out of the wine we preferred, but opted for a replacement.) The wine was good and the entrees were fine, except my tagiatelle bolognese was tempid at best. We really wanted to like it, but we were ultimately disappointed in the overall dining experience. There is lots of competition folks. You need to up your game.
(3)Erica W.
Came here on a whim and I am glad I came here. The place is clean and the waiter was nice (sorry I forgot his name but he has a ponytail and facial hair). My parents shared the 3 meat and cheese platter. You get to choose the salami and cheese from about 6 - 7 different types. For my main course I had the bolognese. My mom had the spinach ravioli. My dad had the black squid ink pasta. All were very tasty and Al dente. But because this place is in Waikiki expect the menu to be pricey and to be surrounded by tourists.
(4)W Q.
I have high expectations for italian food, and this just doesn't cut it for me. It's good, but it's not great; however, the ambiance and location here is excellent. Great date spot, and the outdoor seating is amazing, great landscape and live music depending on the time (royal hawaiian shopping center). You are mostly paying for the location and setting here, not so much for the food.
(4)Joan B.
I found a good place to eat and hang out with your friends. I got share with you. Happy hours is my favorite. Reasonable price and delicious food. Ambiance is great. I love to sit at patio area. I feel like I am in Italy. Believe me! You will like this place.
(5)Hisoo H.
I've been here a few times for breakfast or brunch and always enjoy the eggs benedict fixed a couple of ways. Love the coffee. Sitting outside is always pleasant as you're outside but not on the street, set back from Kalakaua Ave. Parking is at Royal Hawaiian center up the ramp and take the elevator down. Service has never been atrocious for me but could be better. I've yet to come back for dinner but I think I will sometime soon and try the giant meatball!
(4)Aaron P.
Got seated quickly and our server greeted us within 2 minutes. Mark and his partner for the night , John? (young guy with chin fur that fits him well) were super helpful and attentive. Mark was very good at suggesting the wines, even brought us a sample and suggested ordering by the glass because we weren't sure if we would have 2 glasses each. John went back to the kitchen a few times to ask the chefs about spices they used for our dishes. The noodles are fantastic, you could sell a plate of noodles, butter, and a little pepper easily. The pork on my dish was fantastic as was the bread. Would have gotten dessert but too full.
(5)René K.
We arrived & asked for a table. There was two of us. We were told it would be a 10-15 minute wait. We were fine with that and proceeded to wait another couple came after us and was also asked to wait. Then a boisterous group of scantily dressed women came in and were immediately seated. There was a few vacant tables for two available. I am upset that because I choose to be conservative in my fashions and avoid being loud and obnoxious upon my arrival that I should not be seated before a group like that. Needless to say we went to Roys were seated immediately & and had a superb meal
(1)J G.
In our 10 day stay in Waikiki, this is the only restaurant we returned to for dinner a second time. We happened to have the same server both times (Justin) who was very attentive and helped make this such a great dining experience. The food itself was excellent as well. The pasta, which is made in house, is exceptional. We also tried the calamari appetizer, which was good. My fiance had the lobster ravioli on both visits, and says that the truffle sauce is out of this world. On our first night there was a very large party, that was very rowdy, and up out of their seats congregating in front of our table. We mentioned this to our server and he quickly and with apologies found us a quieter table.
(5)Muru N.
Very good restaurant, they just don't have a big kitchen staff to handle all customers at one time.they run out of sparkling water, crowded at night but very good food
(3)Harlen B.
Going out for breakfast, found the omelete pepperonata here, which tastes like a calzone wrapped in fluffy omelete instead of bread. Delicious. They even had avocado to supplement. I see a low average star at 3 today, but this place really hit the spot for me. Give em a shot at breakfast!
(5)P C.
Did not get a chance to try the food. Seated us outside and the chairs were wet. Had to ask for a server and when he came, we just felt like he was talking down to us because we were a family. Bad vibe so we left. Not sure if he thought the kiddos were going to be a lower tab. As a former bartender and server I still left a tip, but he missed out on the $30-$50 he would have gotten if we were treated better.
(2)rasa f.
This classy-looking restaurant was my go-to place for fine Italian dining when it first opened. However, the food quality has been sub-par in my last couple visits. I brought friends who had just moved into town to Il Lupino last week for a welcome-to-Hawaii dinner, but we all left promising never to come back. My $23 primavera pasta was something from a ghetto. It had no vegetables (definition of primavera is that it's a veggie pasta!) and was way overly al dente and clumped into a small lump, bound by a glop of tasteless cheese. I've never had worse pasta in my life. The cheese pizza was equally disappointing ... No tomato sauce, just a thick layer of tasteless cheese, so each bite felt like one of those nightmares where your mouth is full of goop and no matter how much you try to pull it all out, it's still blocking up your mouth. We ordered a wonderful-sounding salad, which turned out to be nothing but giant (bigger than bite size) squares of less-than-succulent tomatoes. That's it ... Just a bowl full of large tomato squares, and expensive ones at that. The panna cotta dessert, which used to be a decadent tower of white chocolate pudding swimming in a plateful of amazing berry compote seasoned with cardamom and lavender, is now a chalky tasting goo in a small cup with a thin film of berry mush. Awful. My guests were appalled, and I was mortified.
(1)Naomi G.
Excellent service from hostess to wait staff to chef. Prosciutto pizza-all time favorite. Filet on special-incredibly tender and full flavored. Drinks were nice and strong. Special thanks to Jerrod and our waiters who timed our drinks, appetizers, entree, and dessert perfectly. Late night happy hour prices will bring us back! Great setting, perfect for any time of day in Waikiki
(5)Rudia L.
The setting and ambiance was nice, however the service was a bit lacking in that the dish that I had requested came out too late in the evening and the server did not come around. I don't quite remember if it was busy or not, but I do remember going there around 10:30 in the evening and I actually got my entree at around 11:20 or so. The food wasnt bad but would have liked it better if it didnt take so long.
(3)G S.
IF i could give less than 1 star i would! I will dispute with AMEX and NOT pay it was THAT BAD!!! HORRIBLE in everyday! I live close by and moved here from Maui VERy much was happy to find new Italian place! I was shocked! i.e. it was busy etc and HOW anyone could eat there is beyond me PLUS took 1Hr 45min to get fed! and it was solo horrible I would rather eat out of a dumpster at Macdonalds in terms of quality! ... i am adding this on to original post = i drove by there and got sorta SICk! it might be worst place i have ever been!
(1)G P.
Breakfast/Brunch.... oh, make sure you check the two entrances. So, I go there to check out what iL Lupino can do for breakfast... Unfortunately, it got off to a bad start... My wife and I unknowingly enter the side that has no hostess. No sign posted to enter the other side... The hostess later apologized that they usually have a camera to catch those that might be entering that side of the restaurant.... as it usually has a hostess during dinner hours. In any case, there were two servers... serving 5 tables... they could clearly see me sitting and waiting there... but ignored my wife and I... I could see them serving their tables... and I know they saw us... they had enough time to go to wait for their customers food to come out... sure I could have yelled, "excuse me"... But why should anyone have to yell and bother other people's breakfast... FINALLY, one server came and asked, "Have you been helped?" "Nope, i have been sitting here for awhile..." i reply... He apologized... AFTER THAT.... it was fine... Food and service was great thereafter... To start: Brioshe French Toast with strawberries and blueberries, syrup on the side. Anyway... it went well with my smooth black coffee... .... main brunch.... Lobster Benedict... sweet lobster... the hollandaise seemed stop on to my wife their version of the Loco Moco... moist patty with a crisp nice sear; the 'gravy' was very Marsala... if you don't like that... maybe it's not for you... eggs were perfrect.... AND A LOT of rice... i guess for rice lovers... Food... All very good... The thing is... I wish yelp provided a seperate rating for Service versus Food... I used to not get how restaurants get dinged for bad parking or bad service despite that same reviewer saying the food was incredible... A couple once told me... the service "sucked" but the food was awesome. NOW, i sure understood where they were coming from... ANYWAY OUR server's name was "Nicholas K" That is how you treat a customer... HOW HARD IS IT TO SAY, "HAVE YOU BEEN HELPED?" I think he sensed how ticked off I was... who wouldnt be if one was hungry and ignored... was it because I wasn't a tourist? A SIGN that said "Please enter our other entrance would have worked"... I dont care for servers that ignore customers... it reflects on the restaurant... Those servers need to get ignored... i wish i got their names... one dude had greasy hair and i barely remember the other dude, just that he was a white dude... anyway those guys need to show some class... The cooks, hostess, and our server deserve 5 stars... but it's impossible to do that when i was ready to leave the restaurant... and yelp them a big fat 1... as zero is not possible... 5 + 1 divide by 2.... i guess 3 stars... I probably wont be going back for awhile... seeing those dudes might ruin my meal... it's ashame...
(3)Stephen And Shawn A.
The food here is average. The service is fine when it's around, but is too often absent for very long periods. The restaurant Taormina is about 200 yards away on Lewers, and is much better than Il Lupino in all respects. Go spend your money there instead.
(2)Dee D.
Everything from food, service, to wine prices and quality were all just plain bad. I was embarrassed to have brought a friend from Europe here. As we were seated, we were informed our waiters would be Mike, Jeff, and Matt* (names changed). Who the heck are they? One of them, we can only presume to have been a Mike, Jeff, or Matt, soon approached the table. We were immediately asked if "we are having our first night here?" (I'm glad he felt invited, but I'd hope this isn't his first time, at least.) The service then proceeded to be the most tasteless, yet snooty, Americanized Cheesecake Factory style "faux upscale" service. Nothing was right. It would be better if they tried a lot less to have an air of fine dining, focused more on being nice, accommodating, thoughtful, and putting out great food. As for the food, it can all be summed up by simply describing one of the dishes we had. The vongole dish was served with fusilli. Absolutely the wrong noodle for the dish, for the sauce; missing the entire rationale behind pasta dishes altogether. The icing on the cake? The pasta was downright mush. I will never go back.
(1)Elizabeth N.
Just came here for early dinner; would have liked to tried their happy hour but it's only at the bar and we had our little one with us. It wasn't that busy yet (about 5pm) and we opted for this quaint environment versus battling every tom,dick and harry at Cheesecake Factory. We were seated very quickly out on the patio and service, though very friendly and attentive, wasn't the quickest. Kind of odd actually. At anyrate, overall experience was good and my dish (the mushroom gnocchi) was really good. My husband enjoyed his linguine alle vongolle and spicy salami. Prices were on par with the other 2 like-minded, italian restauarants we've tried so far on Oahu. Here's my recap: Pros: -Casually elegant atmosphere. You feel as if you should come here a little more dressed up BUT you can come in here super casual, just not necessarily dripping wet and half naked from the beach/pool. -Very friendly and knowlegable server(s); gotta love waiters who actually know the menu first hand. ATtentive wait staff as well -Food was really tasty and fresh -Their extensive meat and cheese selection (will come back to do this exclusively) -Nice decor; pretty big inside but some tables just seemed all jammed up together. I'd definitely prefer to sit outside versus inside. Cons: -Slow service; I know, strange to say they were attentive but slow. It just took longer than I would think for our food and my soda to come out, when were only 1 of 2 parties sitting out on the patio. I felt that I had to remind or re-ask the staff for things. BUT they were so nice and apologetic about it all! lol... -Portions are on the smaller side but it's Waikiki; meaning you can pay the same price ($25 a plate) at another Italian joint NOT in Waikiki and you'd definitely have left overs.
(4)Hinano F.
All hail to the chef "Uncle Cisco"!!! Ask him to make your food! I asked our waiter to find out who made our food and he said, one of their new chefs aboard "uncle" but he only makes certain dishes. it was amazing! i will be back!
(5)Aaron F.
Best place in Waikiki for breakfast. Service was awesome. Alex our waiter from Siberia was great. Very good service and friendly personality. If you're going for breakfast go early before the sun gets too hot and sit outside and enjoy the courtyard atmosphere. Pancakes are very nice as well as the Eggs Benedict. Every time we stay in Waikiki we visit Il Lupino.
(5)Avery Y.
Food WAS (formerly) good...the app meatball smaller than I remember and not the soup plate - the flat app plate made sopping up the sauce impossible. Had to ask the waiter for the bread after 30 min, after he took orders, after the dropped wine. Twice. Salad was forgettable Then the fungi gnocchi without any fungi...we added shrimp and was given one chopped shrimp. Bland. Overcooked. Not salted.
(2)Christian L.
We was here for Dinner, just 2 people. The Resturant was not full. We startet with a Ceserina Salad, how I can say the 13dollars for a Salad with 3 Croutons, and a bit Parmesan is really expensiv. The Salad dressing tasted=nothing. Then we wait over 30 min. (the Restaurant was almost empty) The Pizza e Carne was ok but not more, in a Italy Restaurant expect more. The Gamberoni with Linguine tasted really good, but a very little portion for this money. The Service was friendly but forget a much. ( my drink, knife...)
(2)Woody F.
We were seated right away. The service was excellent and so was the food. I had the Tagliatelle alla Carbonara and my wife had a shrimp and pasta dish as well as the Naughty Monkey drink. Everything was excellent!
(5)Diep P.
Excellent italian foods, homemade pasta, cocktail and services, price is very decent, highly recommend. we were here 4 kids 4 adults, everyone was happy. Kids rated restaurant 6 stars :) we had dinner here, prime steak is the best, mash potatoes (yum)
(5)Karen H.
Lovely atmosphere. White lights on palm trees and great service. Bruschetta was excellent. I'm giving it 3 stars due to the average pasta dish (tagliatelle bolognese) and the bland wedding soup. For the price; wouldn't come back unless for a drink due to great location and atmosphere.
(3)Alyse P.
1 star for poor service. We were seated right away without a reservation, but never met our actual server. We waited for a long time and saw the girl who was supposed to be our server sitting at the front chatting with other staff instead of greeting us. We sat there, menus closed, waiting to order a drink or appetizer. Nothing. I look at her direction a few times and pointed. She knew we were there. It was bizarre. Lots of staff standing around doing nothing. We finally walked out. If you can't even greet me and get the ball rolling than I'm not wasting my money. The restaurant wasn't even packed. There was no excuse to not acknowledge we were there. I'm baffled. Management needs to step up at this joint and train their staff. Restauarnts are a service industry and last night what I received was not service, I even
(1)Myong C.
Had never been before but I scored a $50 gift card so the gf and I went to check out their happy hour. Happy hour is until 6:30pm and we barely got there in time due to shitty Waikiki traffic. But we sat our butts down at the bar at 6:26pm and ordered away. We ordered four items off the happy hour menu: Angus burger sliders - Sliders are becoming commonplace on happy hour menus now and I can see why. They're bite size so you don't get full on just eating that one item yet you can get some premium quality meat in that one bite. The sliders at Il Lupino were pretty good. The meat was nice and tender and the flavoring was good. I'd give them 3/5. Polpettonne al Pomodoro - Sounds fancy but it's just a big meatball. I say it simplistically like that but this was actually my fave dish of the night. I've never ever been a fan of meatballs, meat loaf, or anything that was made up of ground up meats (except burgers of course). But man, this meatball was so good. Really tender and flavorful, made up of veal, pork and beef. Yummy! 5/5 Happy hour pizza - Simple margherita style pizza. Was warned that it would be small but it actually came out pretty big! 3/5 Calamari fritte - This dish was meh. The calamari had no flavor and even the spicy dipping sauce was underwhelming. 2/5 The atmosphere was great and the service was also very good at the bar. I'm really glad I got to try this place. I do want to go back and try their dinner but prices are pretty high for Italian food. Anyone wanna give me another gift card?
(3)Mark B.
Stopped in here for breakfast with my daughter. Service and food satisfactory. For a $57 breakfast I think I would have enjoyed Denny's more.
(3)Kailyn G.
Last dinner in Hawaii. Just walked around and picked this place. FOOD: Get a cheese/meat plate - small one is good for three people. So delicious. Entrees we both got a pasta dish - very good. All with a bottle of wine, and it was a great dinner. ENVIRONMENT: We sat outside and it was nice. Toward the end it started to rain a tiny bit, but it wasn't awful. Just be sure you're under an umbrella. SERVICE: I think our waiter was new. Wasn't terribly helpful with recommendations, had to double check our order, etc. But it didn't mess up the evening. Also the hostess wasn't very friendly. I don't know if it was busy or what, but it almost seemed like she was annoyed to have to deal with us.
(4)Jeanine V.
Mediocre food in a great location
(2)Nani M.
Even though the entree took two hours to get on the table, we were having a good time. We ordered a few appetizers, wine....and the conversation between long-time friends was flowing plentiful. But three of our four entrees were cold. I had ordered the seafood linguine and you could tell it had been sitting out for a while before they brought it out, cold hard noodles and cold hard shrimp and scallop; there were no calamari on it which is how is should have been plated based on the same dish I had seen earlier in the night on another table. So I sent mine back, as did another person at our table, and we asked them to heat it...for mine I inquired as to whether the dish came with calamari. When the food runner returned with our plates heated, he had a side dish of calamari for me (I guess it was too much work for the kitchen staff to actually plate the dish themselves.) No calamari on top, like the other dishes, just a side bowl. (This becomes important later.) I took a couple of bites. No flavor. Disappointing. I began tossing the pasta thinking maybe it needs more sauce. Then....at the bottom of the plate, under all the pasta, I find a perfectly raw large piece of calamari legs. Raw. I stopped eating. Obviously everyone at the table was understandably disturbed by this. That was bad enough. But, after we notified the manager about what happened, she didn't do much to service us....meaning "customer service." She came over and apologized and asked if I wanted something else. I told her unequivocally that I didn't trust her restaurant to serve me food at that point...I mean, raw squid legs?? Really? I've worked in food and beverage and knew the risk of sending it back, but we were spending a lot of money and when I'm dining in that type of establishment I expect my food to be well prepared and hot....especially a seafood pasta dish. But I never thought they'd pay it back by giving me raw squid. We asked for our tab and said we'd leave. Why spend more money at a place that treats you like that? Our tab was $400. I'll never be back, and I hope you work on training your employees, from runners, to chefs, to management. This wasn't just a customer service issue, it's also a food safety issue. You should be ashamed of yourselves.
(1)stevie y.
So sad, had such high expectations, but left disappointed. A wine bar with only one cab by the glass??? Slow service, ok food, and limited wine selection completely underwhelmed us. Will keep searching for something better here in Waikiki.
(2)Ariana M.
I have to say, the service here is AMAZING. After watching the sunset in Waikiki, we decided we wanted food in our belly! So we walked from the Sheraton Waikiki and the first place we saw was Il Lupino. We glanced over the menu in the front and decided to give it a try. Although we were a little shame to come here because we were dressed like beach bums and everyone else was dressed nicely. We both ordered some Martinis, which were good. They came out really slow though. I don't know why it took so long for them to make two Martinis but whatever. I gues the bartender must have been backed up or something. I wish I could remember our waiters name was. He gave great customer service. He was super patient with us because we had no idea what to order, he also gave great advice on what to try on the menu. The Grub. CALAMARI FRITTE {$12) Simple. Deep fried calamari. This is a great dish for sharing and for pupu style things. POLPETTONE al POMODORO ($12) This dish is a vela, pork and beef meatball! Served over a bed of pomodoro sauce and Parmesan cheese. THIS DISH WAS BOMB :D LINGUINE alle VONGOLE ($21) Im not 100% sure, but I think this is what we ordered. It tasted really really good though. OVERALL: My experience here was great! I definitely want to come back and try more on their menu!!
(5)Alan R.
We were staying at the Royal Hawaiian and this was very close by so decided to give it a try. Highly recommend making reservations here. We were able to get seats on the outside patio and it was a gorgeous night, so how could we not be happy. The service that we received was extraordinary. I can't remember the name, but they had a fantastic bottle of Prosecco on the menu. Food was great, especially for Waikiki, which seems to have no shortage of good awful food to go around. Will visit next time I'm in Oahu.
(4)Joe C.
Made a reservation through open table. We got there at our reserved time. We waited 10 minutes, then were sent to sit at a table that was outside, uncovered in the rain. We asked for a table that was not being rained on and the very rude hostess said that she couldn't predict the weather and that it would be about 30-45 minutes. She said that we we're lucky because the couple that was ahead of us on the list had already been waiting 45 minutes. Terrible customer service, we left never to return.
(1)Ivory H.
After reading several reviews we decided to give Il Lupina a try since my husband loves gnocchi. It did not disappoint! Service was awesome and the entire staff took care of our party of 6 better than most. The gnocchi bolognese was surprisingly light and fluffy and the tagliatelle was house made and cooked perfectly. Definitely a place we would come back to.
(4)Luann L.
Oh my gosh!!! It was our LAST day in Hawaii. We were there for our first time at the end of a vacation celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary. We didn't want to waste this beautiful morning so went strolling to look for a good EARLY morning place for breakfast. Somehow, someway we came across Il Lupino and their wonderful waitstaff to give us the send off breakfast we so needed to finish up this trip. With their elegant and delightful champagne breakfast, we felt like royalty as we closed out our vacation under the pampering care of Nick and Jarrod, our wait staff. These gentlemen seemed to really care about whether we were enjoying ourselves. They took the time to chat with us, see what we might need, ask how we were enjoying our meal and cater to our every whim! Another delightful waitress took several photos of us at our request so that we'd have some memories of this delightful breakfast. My husband had an omelet with a Mexican bent (can't remember the name) which was beautifully spiced and delicious. He complimented it with a mimosa. I enjoyed a brioche French toast (which was so generous my husband had to finish half of it for me) along with a glass of sparkling rose. Our table was pristine and located outdoors on their lovely patio. I just don't have enough good words to describe what a delightful time we had, how good the food was and, more than anything, how absolutely wonderful our waiter was!!!!! This Trattoria showed us the true Hawaii Aloha spirit and closed out an unbelievably beautiful vacation in a perfect way.
(5)M P.
I'm a fan, and I will be back. They had great espresso, the pizza margherita was on point and very cheesy, and their pasta was fresh. I had the bolognese, and it was tasty, simple, and good. The chef doesn't try to get too fancy or cute, just makes good Italian fare. The pilliard was fresh, chicken was well seasoned. The gelato was great. Service was on point too. Fast and courteous.
(4)Stacy P.
We found the service to be great. Hostesses sat us right away, took our drink and app order immediately, didn't put in our meal order until we had completed our apps. Still got our entrees very quickly. Mushroom risotto is average at best. Lobster ravioli is amazing. Very rich-so always a good idea to share with someone else and try a couple items. Calamari was very good. I would recommend to family and friends. Found nothing wrong with the friendly service, prompt service and very good food.
(4)Rick W.
The service was not very good. In fairness, the waiter we had was not a seasoned professional. He was a grad student who is surfing before law school. Nice kid but just not a pro. The food could best be described as tourist Italian. It was pedestrian in nature and should not be a destination. The evening was a letdown. A nice patio setting undermined by amateurish service and quasi decent food. Go if you must but you can do better.
(2)Kimberly S.
We are staying at the Royal Hawaiian and this place is next door. We came for breakfast and it was delish! They have pretty much anything. If you want a heathy option the egg white scramble was yummy! Also, the mimosas are great and the atmosphere classy yet relaxing. We will try it for dinner one night too!
(5)Kristen K.
Overpriced. But it's in Waikiki, so that's a given. We wanted to go to Cheesecake Factory. And the wait was quoted at an hour and a half. Absurd. So we ended up at Il Lupino to get validation. Contrary to some of the other reviews, we received stellar service. So that warranted an extra star. Both the dishes we ordered were forgettable. Portions are also on the smaller side. My husband's carbonara ($21) sauce was weak. And my Arrabiata ($18) sauce was kind of on the thinner side, so it just "slipped" right off my noodles. It lacked any kind of "kick", which Arrabiata should have. Very disappointing to say the least. The highlight of our meal was our salad. Now THAT was excellent! Well worth the $15. It had roasted beets, candied almonds, gorgonzola and avocado on top a huge bed of arugula. Delicious. Overall, there's better places in Waikiki where you can get a way better meal that will justify the price tag (i.e Arancinos...)
(3)Bill R.
It saddens me how a place can decline so far in just a few months. Lupino has been a consistent deliverer of high quality, authentic Italian classics for a couple years. But something has changed. Perhaps it's the call-girl look of the hostesses, or the local chefs eating on the job--something is definitely off here. To be perfectly blunt, the tagliatelle bolgenese was flavorless and dry--and the tagliatelle carbonara was watery and undercooked (and I know exactly what "al dente" means). Both these dishes would be a punishable offense in Italy. I was told by the waitress that a new chef was hired. Note to management: the new chef is costing you your brand and reputation. It's not too late to go another route! I reduce to 2 stars. The service was good and wine selection is still excellent. FIX THE FOOD!
(2)Sivilay T.
This review is based solely on my experience at the bar: I met up with my friend, Ryan, on a Saturday night 4/18 around 9:45 PM. The place was kind of hard to find because Apple maps gave me bad directions so I had to call him and ask where the heck the Sheraton was in Waikiki--that was where his company held their award banquet ceremony from 5-9 PM. I was on the right track, but I just needed to keep driving straight ahead into the back instead of turning left. Good grief! To make matters worse, I had an even harder time finding the restaurant/bar that he asked me to meet him at...which was only a few footsteps away from the Sheraton, if he had told me to go right instead of left. A white boy, who has lived on Oahu for 13 years, giving an Asian girl poor directions...then blames me for not taking direction well. The crap I put up with from my guy friends! I asked for a Sprite and the bartender says "Boy, you're no fun!" and Ryan turns to smile at me. I'm not sure what he had, but he seemed to enjoy himself A LOT--ordering a second and then a third. The bartender was very friendly. He kept us company the whole time we were there. We were just talking about a bunch of nothing, if I recalled correctly. LOL About an hour into our conversation, the lights just went from dim to super bright. Someone must have hit the wrong switch or something. But the bartender exclaims to the men "OMG! You guys are hideous! Turn the lights back off!" We all just cracked up. He is definitely a character, I tell ya! You'll never see me at a bar because I don't drink, but I've come to appreciate the humor and patience it takes to be a very good bartender.
(4)Eryn N.
I really don't like writing bad reviews. That being said, this place really needs to work on a lot of things. To start, it took 45 minutes to get our food. We weren't there during a busy time, it's was almost 8pm and most of the staff was standing around with nothing to do. When our food did arrive, mine was frozen. I don't mean it sat for to long, I bite into a chunk of ice. Our waitress apologized and said she would get me a new plate right away. 25 minutes later we were tired of waiting and asked for our bill. When it came we were a little annoyed that my food was on the bill. My food showed up at this point. This time it was just cold, probably from sitting to long while our waitress chatted with the bus boy. We asked for a box, paid and left. By the time we got home, I was mad so I called and spoke with the manager. She apologized and said to send her an email and she would send us a gift card. It has been a week and there has been no response to my email and no gift card. The portions are small, food over priced and the service is poor. The only person who did their job well was the guy who filled our waters.
(1)Jennifer C.
Pancakes featured in the waikiki magazine we picked up from the airport. Pancakes with fresh fruit, front and center. We get here and theyre ... Out of pancakes? Fine. Ordered eggs benedict without sauce. Here it comes, with the sauce. Ketchup please? Oops, forgot. Thank you for refilling the coffee. The server was friendly, at least. Wont be coming back.
(2)Thomas G.
Always a pleasure and never a disappointment. From the atmosphere to food, this is a great place that reminds me of Spain. A great location with a great staff led by the personal touch of the GM and managers...like the island of Oahu, il Lupino is a great gathering location for family, friends or even just yourself.
(4)Cy T.
We tried this Waikiki Italian restaurant by sitting at the bar and ordering food and drinks from the bar staff. They were great, and we were impressed with the quality of food and service. Very tasty, and not too expensive if you share, which we do a lot. Two of us had one drink each, and split an appetizer, salad and pasta dish...all for about $50. We are anxious to return soon, and will try sitting at their outdoor tables overlooking the Royal Hawaiian Hotel and Shopping Center.
(4)Jeff F.
We decided to try this restaurant after going there in 2013 and had bad service. Well nothing seems to have changed. The service is AWFUL. It took nearly 45 minutes to get a glass of wine and the waiter brought red instead of white, nearly 60 min to get the salad and about 75 min to get the main course. One person in our party ordered salmon which was only warm. The reason for this was it was not cooked completely. The manager came over early on when we said the service was terrible but she never checked back in with us again and things only got worse!!! They did change the waiter out but that really did not make any difference. There are plenty of other italian restaurants in Waikiki that will provide better service for the amount you are paying. The table next to us had sent some food back as well and they were offered free dessert and coffee!!!! The employees at this restaurant starting with the management could use a course in customer service. They are just fortunate they depend on tourist rather than regulars in this restaurant as they would have no return customers. I would rate zero stars but they require you to rate at least one. Spend your hard earned money at a restaurant that will provide service!!!!
(1)Mike O.
Ive been here for lunch a few times before and it looks like they scaled back their menu a bit. Their service has been exceptional every time I've been there. Honestly I cant remember what I had, but it was linguine with tomato based sauce with ground beef, pork and veal. It was pretty good but had too much meat for me. Their bread is really good and goes very well with the pasta. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. They have inside as well as outside seating. Overall very good for a business lunch.
(4)Eric S.
Decided to eat at Il Lupino after strolling and enjoying the surroundings. Our waiters Mere & Jimmy were excellent, especially Jimmy who was very attentive to our every need. We say outside, and coincidently there was Hawaiian music being played in the adjacent garden/open theatre, what a treat! Our dinners and drinks wonderful! Eric & Jane Schneider Lancaster,Pa
(5)Julie O.
One star solely based on incredibly poor service! We have frequented Il Lupino in the past and this last time, took friends who had a not great experience at once. We wanted to prove to them that is was a great little place. We quickly deduced that are waiter was probably new on the job. You could tell he probably held a waitstaff position in the past; however, his knowledge of the wine list lacked greatly and he fumbled with the wine service. In addition, we literally asked for more bread FIVE times before getting it. Once our entrees came, we decided we needed another bottle of wine. Our waiter didn't come see that our food was satisfactory (some other staff delivered the food) thus we decided to flag him down to order a second bottle. After several minutes, we couldn't find him so asked another waitress to please let him know we wanted wine. After getting our wine order (we were literally waiting to eat our entrees with our wine at this point), it took several more minutes for our fresh wine glasses to come. In that time, our sparkling water had run out so we asked our assistant waiter for still water. We finally started eating and by the time our wine came, we all had just a few bites of food left so declined the bottle. As we waited for the dessert menu (which we opted out of after such poor service) and the entire time after while we were waiting for our bill, we had nothing but empty water and wine glasses on our table (both of which we would've loved to have filled). Very poor representation of such a lovely restaurant. On a side note, the assistant waiter was trying hard but not crossing the line of the main waiter. We felt bad for him because he felt so bad for our poor service.
(1)Malida M.
The fried ravioli appetizer was the best thing we had for dinner. Pasta didn't taste fresh as it is claimed to be made in house. Ragu sauce was pretty bland and very beefy. Not enough salt. Overall great service but food definitely needs some improvement.
(2)Shay F.
I remember coming here for dinner once and I liked it... so I decided to check out the happy hour here. The food menu items are all $7. Kinda pricey for what you get, but what else would you expect if it's in the middle of Waikiki. House wine is $5. I don't know if I'll go back for happy hour, but definitely for dinner.
(4)Dave M.
This is what I get for not checking in with you Yelp. I got cocky and thought I could pick a restaurant without you. I am so sorry. Please forgive me. I promise I will check with you before dining out again. I saw the gnocchi and I became weak. I asked if they were homemade and got a resounding "yes". Hook set. The antipasti were delicious. Very good, however I wish they offered some more Italian cheeses. There are a ton to choose from. Taking a step back, I should have walked out when I read the menu. "Gnocchi alla Ragu Toscano." Nothing wrong there until you read the description and it says "house made Bolognese sauce". SLAM ON THE BREAKS! Tuscany and Bologna (other than one being a region, the other a city) are totally different, with different ingredients, methods and flavors. That's like saying you have a NY pizza with deep dish crust. It doesn't happen. Go back to the hook set part. I couldn't walk out because gnocchi are my favorite and not many places can do them well. So I get the gnocchi. Great size, great texture, no flavor. The sauce was bland as well. Someone forgot to salt the water and add some into the sauce. I looked for the salt. Like a good italian restaurant, there was none. And I would never ask for some, Don't insult the chef like that. I ate a little and asked for the rest to be boxed. We got home and added some salt. Ecco ci siamo. It tasted quite good. The other thing was I really had panic attacks when the waiter would leave because I didn't know when i was going to see him again. Kind of weird. Soup to nuts, great location, great presentation, add some salt. Why the 2 stars. You're an Italian restaurant. Know the difference between regions and their sauces, always salt the water, and never, ever have a bland sauce.
(2)Adi F.
The breakfast is amazing!! I went here three times during my vacation, twice for breakfast and once for dinner. Dinner was really good and service was good as well, but if you want exceptional service...I highly recommend going to breakfast! Our servers Jarrod and Nick were so friendly and man, were they on top of it!! When my husband and I went back for the second time, I was hoping that they would be there, and they were! The pancakes and waffles are so delicious!! I thought of all the places we went during our stay, this was the best place for breakfast!
(5)Rachel O.
Snotty hostesses. Told we were second on the list only to hear them say the same thing to the person after us. Couldn't tell us a wait time. After waiting half an hour (where there were empty tables visible) we left.
(1)Katie S.
Such good food! We had cocktails, a mussels and clam soup with orzo, and a pizza. Amazing! Everything was perfect.
(5)Flo G.
Overall negative experience. We felt rushed throughout our dinner, while there were plenty of empty tables. 3 times our waiter confused our order with another table. And the portions of our leftover pastas were not even half of what we had left on the plate (little accident while packing it ??? At least tell us, that was over $30 of pasta...) I emailed the restaurant via Yelp before writing this review in the hope of giving them a chance to explain but I guess they didn't feel the need to respond. I like - not love - their food, even though it is clearly overpriced for the experience you get. There are plenty of better Italian restaurants in Honolulu (Sabrina's!!) that will get my $$ from now on.
(1)Linda E.
Yelping Away my Friday Thursday in Waikiki! Started at Il Lupino Waikiki was a 2 thumbs down for service and a 2 thumbs down for a too tangy out of the can like marinara sauce that is served with bread and fried calamari. Sauce lacks EVOO, and garlic as well as sweetness to cut the sour tang. My opinion not worth $13 a shot or by the glass pours on house wines pricey for the lack of service! I could make better sauce hung over and without even trying hard especially with a complete kitchen but a single burner will do! Yeah Amber and I gave it a both thumbs down. No FUN! 6 drinks and an appetizer $94.24 $47.12+ tip So there we were hardworking Dual Therapist, Massage and Aesthetics people what I refer to as Spa People out and about to release some steam about living, working, life and romance in the new millennium when we are quite aware that we aren't receiving proper service. Being in an establishment that is service and sensory oriented, and being that we are established cooks in the kitchen it was difficult to imagine that this service we desired to pay for and or tip. Initially it was quite fantastic then we realized it went from sweet to was like pretty much looking around for a sever to order drinks. Nevertheless we are a part of a minority but still a demographic of those who are capable of visiting the establishments after work and boosting their rating or giving a thumbs down for food and service while spending our hard earned dollars! They need customer service training.
(2)Victoria M.
This place has really good Italian food. It's a bit pricey, and you may need reservations at peak times. Also, I'm just warning you, you may have to wait a few minutes even with a reservation. They have the classic Italian fare, as well as locally-caught fish, and more. My favorite thing there is the Mushroom Stuffed Gnocci. It's in a white sauce, and is absolutely delicious. Save room for desert, if you can: I'd recommend the White Chocolate Panna Cotta. I am docking a star because I'm so disappointed with them for discontinuing a dish that changed my life: the duck ravioli. :-/. Oh how I miss thee...
(4)Veronique N.
Food was good but not excellent. I can appreciate that this is a brunch place though. There are not many places that have a decently priced brunch. They do offer a champagne brunch for $20 which I think is a pretty good deal. My rating would have been higher if there was better service and if the atmosphere was nicer. The servers seems a little unsure of themselves which made service slower. The food took long to come out and the food was only warm, not hot. The food took so long that the waitress thought we had gotten our food and was going to ask us if we wanted the check. Imagine going to a "fine dining" restaurant and having servers that are inexperienced. They were very nice though. It was outside seating and it was a very hot day. I wished they had mist machines or something to make it cooler or had given us an option to sit inside where there was AC. It was fine when we were not eating and just enjoying our coffee and water but when it came time to eat it was rather uncomfortable eating in the heat.
(3)Lynn S.
Honestly, my husband and I cannot figure out why Il Lupino has so many negative reviews. We had reservations for Valentine's Day. Traffic in Waikiki was at a standstill, so we were 45 minutes late, calling twice to say so. At arrival, we were thanked for calling and promptly ushered to our table and our meal began with tasty bread. The wait staff was prompt, warm, informative, and impeccable! We had a lovely bottle of Barbera and each enjoyed a salad, Mine was a beet salad, delicious and crunchy, and my husband relished his caprese. I then had penne pescatore, which was wonderful. My husband enjoyed his scallop dish. Bottom line, Il Lupino was a definite hit!
(4)Jenifer G.
Most of the dishes were amazing, some fell a little flat, but I'll be returning to come for more. For a while my picture of the eggplant and zucchini appetizer was my phone wallpaper, it put a smile on my face whenever I would look at it. :) Our vegetarian friend was visiting, staying in a nearby hotel; he had already tried this restaurant and suggested we check it out. They have both outdoor and indoor seating and have a nice wine list. I was skeptical at first, but I am glad I got to try it. I can't remember all the names of the dishes we ate but here they are, and they are all in the photo gallery. - Eggplant and Zucchini appetizer (a special): This was truly amazing, the eggplant was sliced lengthwise very thinly (perhaps with a mandoline) and draped over one another in a very beautiful striped pattern. The inside was soft and creamy with the zucchini, and the entire thing sat on a bed of a pomodoro sauce with dabs of marscapone cheese around it. It was quite dreamy. I would order this again, hands down. - Wild Mushroom Gnocchi entree with white sauce (a special): Another amazing meal. Fluffy creamy mushroom flavors encased in heavenly gnocchi pillows, surrounded by a wonderful creamy, yet light, white sauce. If you listened closely you could hear the angels play their harps as you took each savory bite. ;) I was the envy of the others at my table, and I would order this again, hands down. (the picture doesn't do it justice) - Veal Chop entree ($38): A beautiful chop, with a lovely truffle and madeira sauce and buttery potato mash (...it reminded me of restaurants in California, you know the truffle and madeira or port wine thing...). The veal was cooked perfectly medium rare, with the chop bone as clean as clean can be, we ate it to its last bite. Mmm. - Wild Mushroom Risotto ($18): I'd probably give it a 2 or 3 star? It did not please my vegetarian friend to eat this sad meal, after I tried a bite I felt very bad for him. The risotto didn't seem to be cooked properly and even the flavor fell flat. Luckily my gnocchi dish was vegetarian (and that I am a generous and gracious friend, lol!) so I obligingly shared my meal so that he was able to enjoy his dinner too :) - Panna Cotta creme dessert ($10): A lovely and refreshing dessert, it was creamy and surrounded by a madeira wine compote, with cardamom, lavender and orange peel. It was melting rather quickly since we were sitting outside and hey it's Hawaii, but it held pretty good and tasted great. - Vanilla gelato ($9): Mmm, the perfect way to end a meal, with a sweet and nicely clean vanilla note :)
(4)Chris M.
* Review is for Happy Hour only * Our group of 8 ventured into Waikiki to check out Il Lupino's happy hour on a Saturday afternoon. Yup, they have happy hour even on the weekends. Happy hour is 3:00 - 6:30 pm daily, which is great....though due to our experience, I'm pretty sure we won't be returning. The bartender was prompt in serving waters and the first round of drinks. However, it just went downhill after that - he disappeared to work the inside bar and his replacement was often nowhere to be seen. We ordered one of each food item on the HH menu (all were $5): TRIO DI BRUSCHETTE For me this was just okay; the bread wasn't crispy enough and I didn't care for the toppings (description from the menu - "Grilled pieces of parmesan batar bread topped with tomato, tarragon vinaigrette. Golden and red beets baked with gorgonzola dolce with balsamic reduction and prosciutto mousse."). POLPETTONE AL POMODORO (aka Big Fat Meatball with Pomodoro sauce) Definitely our favorite! It was juicy, tasty, and large enough for everyone to have a bite of it. We liked it so much that we ordered another. HAPPY HOUR PIZZA Nothing spectacular but it was a decent plain pizza. CALAMARI SICILIAN STYLE GROSS!! Fishy & obviously SPOILED. We were appalled that they'd dare to serve this! MELANZANE PARMIGIANO Basically a mini eggplant parmesan. This was pretty darn delicious! I'd order it again for sure. Aside from the food, everyone seemed to enjoy their drinks (we all opted for beers or wine, so that's not saying a lot). The bartender was quite generous with my glass of Pinot Grigio, though I'm not sure if it was a normal pour - I ordered it immediately after returning the calamari. Service was close to non-existent. It even took an unnaturally long time to get more bread...I mean really, it's an Italian restaurant, so you wouldn't think there'd be a problem with the bread supply. The bread thing was minor compared to what happened when we got our check. The bartender added an extra glass of wine to our bill! Luckily, someone in our party noticed and it was taken off. We were left wondering if they "mistakenly" punched in an extra wine since they couldn't charge us for that AWFUL calamari... There are other (more enjoyable) happy hour spots in Waikiki. If by chance there was a return visit, I'd order the meatball or eggplant and another glass of Pinot Grigio, the only things that kept this from being a one star review.
(2)Lance A.
Taglietelle ai Tartufi - nice, heavy cream, light citrus flavor. Warning: I was asked if I wanted to add chicken to the dish. I said yes and regret that I did because it was $10 extra for about 3 oz of chicken strips. Yikes! Menu said "with asparagus spears" - in reality received one stalk cut into 6 pieces. Chicken Piccata - traditional, simple, expected. Pizzas - thin, tender crust. Nothing special in taste. Warm, crusty bread was yummy. Server, Nate, was spot-on: professional, correct server etiquette, did his best to accommodate a busy section.
(3)Food Find F.
We were a party of 6 and so excited because we all lived in NYC at one time in our lives so we've all had "the real deal" and I'm not talking Little Italy "red-sauce" Italian. Anyway, at the end of the meal, everyone concurred that we could have gotten the same meal at the Olive Garden. And that's not a compliment. For starters, an Italian restaurant should know how to cook pasta properly. And by proper, I mean al dente. I ordered the lemon cream, asparagus with truffle mushroom pasta dish. The pasta was overcooked and mushy! The cream sauce had too much lemon and it overpowered everything else. The consistency of the cream sauce was really thick like undiluted Campbell's cream of mushroom soup. I think I got 4 pieces of asparagus. I'm not talking spears, I'm talking 1" pieces. The "truffle" mushroom was non-existing. Come on, at least pretend and finish it with a truffle oil! The mushroom was portobello [at best] that was put into a food processor and chopped into itty bitty mushroom crumbs. But come to think of it, that's how the mushroom look in the Campbell's soup, so I just confirmed my earlier statement. My husband ordered the risotto tartufi. But where was the tartufi? It has a mushroom flavor, but not truffle! Again, pretend and finish it off with a drizzle of truffle oil. It was also underseasoned. Hello, chef, taste your food before you send it out! The risotto was also too thick, overcooked and the texture was mushy. It stuck to your teeth when you chewed - yuck. Risotto is supposed to ooze onto a plate and be lite on the fork. This was 1 big glop in the bowl. We shared the Margharite Pizza and Proscuitto / melon as an appetizer for the table. Both alright. The crust of the pizza was very light and crispy. But if you're in the mood for a good pizza, just go to V-Lounge near Ala Moana! On a positive note, the restaurant is very comfortable and hip. If I had to guess, I would say he copied Mario Batali's decor concept. All that was missing was The Cure playing in the background. And the service was great! Our waiter was very attentive, our water glass was never empty and the bread was served warm - all good things. If you go to the official website, it talks about how Wolfgang is known as 'Il Lupino' [little wolf] because of his extensive travels through Italy. Well, I'm glad he appreciates the country and cuisine, but he should hire a chef that does too!
(1)Steve O.
Lesson learned: don't trust the reviews of a random guy in the pool. By far the worst meal of our honeymoon. Things that went wrong throughout our meal: 1) We sat down at 730 for dinner and they were already out of the spinach gnocci ( their signature dish) and the mozzarella + tomato appetizer. How do u run out of potatoes???? 2) We ordered the salad that comes with Gorgonzola cheese only to receive it without the cheese. 3) We flagged down the waiter for a coke for my wife, which never came ( had to ask him again) 4) After a 40 min wait (not exaggerating) our pasta entrees arrived, at which point we realized we had no forks and had to again flag down the missing waiter. Unimpressed by either of the entrees I wanted to get a taste of the familiar diet coke in my mouth and after locating the waiter he promised to come back with it. 30 mins later no coke and no waiter we were pissed and ready to leave. I made sure to write our gratitude on the back of the check ( first time ever). I hope for their sake that they just had an off night.
(2)Kimo K.
Such a nice location.. too bad this restaurant fails. It has a nice spot in the center of Waikiki.. where there are no other outside dining options... they have a nice happy hour with a bar outside.. some sports on the TV.. always walk by and thought ok.. will have some lunch there. Had the Salmon $25 and it was bland and boring.. had some pasta.. ordered clam sauce but got bacon.. bacon pasta sauce with yellow eggs yolks cholesterol off the charts.. that is ok.. pasta is pasta. I hate eating out for Pasta.. $16 for lunch .. are you kidding me? $9 for a bottle of Pelligrino? add a cup of coffee ....$70 lunch for two.. forget it. Never again.. what a rip and the food was not that good.. its not NY or even Chicago. I can make better pasta at home. I will never go out for pasta or eat Italian food in Waikiki .. always better to make at home with nice organic sauce, things you like in it.. never order pasta even in Italy.. it is just noodles and sauce.. Heard they were related to Wolfgangs upstairs with the snooty Russian mob hostesses ... I dont need to pay $$$ to sit outside and not see the ocean.. and the atmosphere or view of the butt side of Royal Hawaiian with construction going on.. terrible lunch.. no aloha experience.. only ones there for over an hour .. empty for lunch on a weekday?.. oh yeah.. one other couple did come and they sat right behind me ... I hate that.. empty restaurant and people come sit right next to you and yak yak .. again $70 way too much for lunch.
(3)P C.
Food is really tasty! I've had breakfast and lunch there, Love the loco mock, belgian waffle (crisp on outside) , and there are great deals at lunch. Servers are awesome, they are so nice and offered me a Kamaaina discount! Make a day of it and enjoy the beach prior or after, that's what I do!
(5)Tamra P.
Came here with a group of girls for a ladies' brunch this weekend so the review is not for the Italian food or wine - bummer. I'm hoping to give those a shot down the road. Breakfast was eh, okay. Place was pretty empty, and 2 out of the 7 of us were brought the wrong dish so there was a bit of a gap between when we got our food and they finally got what they ordered. I had the french toast with fruit which was $12 and good, albeit nothing spectacular. Portions were girlish which was fine with me. Parking was validated so I took advantage of being in Waikiki and walked around a bit for some shopping a.k.a. post brunch cardio.
(3)Jeanette L.
Came here on a whim with a group of 6. They easily sat us without reservations. Our waiter was nice. Overall, the prices are OK and the food is good. Not great, not terrible but good. If you're in the mood for a nicer italian sit down dinner, try Il Lupino but just don't expect too much!
(3)Robert M.
We really enjoyed this place. Sat outside with nice atmosphere & lighting. Tried two pasta dishes & loved them both. Gnocchi with a truffle cream sauce was tasty! Pappardelle with marinara sauce & braised short rib meat was equally delicious. Both pasta dishes consisted of the house made pasta. Good bottle of wine. I recommend this place.
(4)Todd T.
Booked a reservation through open table with no problem. We had 5:30pm reservation. Checked in with hostess who brought us to outside table, the chairs were wet and silverware, plates were a little wet. Why would the hostess bring us to a table outside with wet seats. We then requested to sit inside. Were were happy to be inside because when we left about one hour later it was raining hard and we would have been wet. Service was so so. They don't give food menu right away when you sit down, you have to wait for a server to come to your table to bring menus. The only appetizer we wanted to order the calamari was sold out. Later in the night when I walked by restroom I saw an order of calamari waiting to be delivered to a table. We ordered the Carpaccio. This was the thinest meat ever, could barely scrap it off the plate, very expensive appetizer for the amount of food you get. The food was really bad, this was the first time my wife and I didn't eat even half of our food. We ordered gnocchi and papparadelle from special menu. At the end of our meal the busser asked how our food was and we didn't answer it was that bad. This place is over priced and bland flavors, I can't recommend this place to anyone. This was our family Christmas eve dinner and we were starving when we left. The best thing was the free bread. I'm glad I had open table credits to use because it was a waste of money.
(1)Le'a T.
Food sucked and is way overpriced. My dish tasted worse then canned ravioli. Female manager and staff was rude and so unprofessional. Wouldn't recommend this place so not worth it!
(1)Sher S.
Ugh. Where do I start. Friday night in Hawaii. We did our research and thought that this would be the perfect place to have a nice time. We were given an outdoor seat which was really nice. We ordered off the specials menu. Penne Arrabiata and Braised Lamb shank with polenta. BLAND BLAND BLAND food :( You could have the freshest ingredients but if you aren't going to season the food properly, you might as well eat cardboard. The service was great and fresh warm bread with balsamic vinegar/ olive oil was good, but we weren't here to eat bread! We didn't stay for dessert because we were SO disappointed with the food :( Never going back there again.
(1)Jesse W.
8/16/13: Friday evening early dinner. No reservations. walked in at 5:15pm and was seated outside at a table for four. The patio was much busier by 6pm and inside was also quite busy. August is generally busy as all the west coast visitors get their last vacation fill before school starts. I ordered mushroom risotto and it was quite bland, it was atleast seasoned properly but there was little flavor. The rice was cooked well and not overdone. Great atmosphere all around, conveniently located next to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel adn Sheraton Waikiki. Not sure I'll be back but it was certainly worth trying.
(3)L L.
I am a long time customer of Il Lupino. Have had many meals, and excellent service every time I have been there. Just recently a very good breakfast. Tonight I had called and made reservations and let the hostess know that one person in our party was celebrating a birthday. When the three of us arrived we were walked to our table which was nearest the Sheraton side and very secluded and perfect for a birthday dinner. It was set for three, suddenly the hostess looked confused, bolted away and left us standing there alone looking at our table. At that moment another waitress walked in front of us and begin to set up more place settings on our table. After quite a wait the hostess, rather than coming over to us called us from halfway across the room and motioned us towards a very crowded area where they were seating walk ups. Not very professional customer service! We had our meal and I was hoping the waiter to at least acknowledge that some one was celebrating a birthday. Most places in Hawaii provide a small dessert and at the least a "Happy Birthday" from the waiter or hostess. Never happened! Il Lupino this is not how to treat local patrons that visit your establishment. Will no longer be visiting or recommending your restaurant to friends or visitors.
(1)John B.
Enjoyed a late breakfast on the patio. Food was very good and service was great. Nice peaceful setting. Prices were reasonable. Would definitely go back.
(4)A A.
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(1)Herb E.
Wife and I have probably had lunch here 10 times over the past few years and the staff, setting, and food were all wonderful each time. The chance to sit outside in a quiet garden setting right next to the Waikiki busy shopping buzz is a miracle. Yesterday my wife had the Acai bowl which was beautifully presented and tasty. My Vongale al Mare had hand crafted noodles and just the right amount of spice, and was also beautifully presented. Our server, Amir (I think was his name), was attentive, well informed, and did great, as did all of the staff who were happy to help one another. We look forward to our next time in town!
(4)Jill R.
I agree with the reviews. The food here is super overpriced. Ok it is Waikiki, but if you're charging that much the service needs to be better and the food as well. I had a glass of wine, a bruschetta appetizer and a cheese pizza. The only reason I got out of there in under two hours was I followed up to see if my food was going to come out. Bruschetta was good but the pizza was undercooked and had 4lbs of cheese in it making it hard to eat. Overall: not worth by $60 bill. I would not reccomend this place
(3)Toya R.
We just returned from eating at this restaurant. It was horrible. The waiter left us waiting for about 15 minutes before ever acknowledging our existence. He took our order and we had to ask another server for bread and butter. Our waiter returned to tell us one of our dishes cannot be made because the chef did not like how the fish turned out. He returned again and completely mixed up the drink order. We were still waiting for the food for another 15 to 20 minutes and still no butter for the bread. It was as if we were on the "punk'd" show and waiting for Ashton Kutcher to appear. It was unreal! The food finally arrives and it was awful! DO NOT GO TO THIS RESTAURANT. The are two other very good Italian restaurants nearby!
(1)Holly B.
This was used to be a great place to dine before the original owner passed away. . .He was friendly and came around to see how we enjoyed the food. More recently, we went to try their happy hour, and the food was OK, though for the price, not very filling.
(3)Addie L.
We came based on a recommendation by my co-worker. This restaurant does have some good points but the lack of flavor in some of their dishes outweigh the positives. First the good: great location with nice scenery, the interior design was tasteful and very well laid out, very classic. The early dinner special (3 courses) for $21 is a great deal, the caesar salad was perfect. The happy hour had some good prices to sample their food between $5 to $10. Service was great, prompt and friendly. It's a good place to bring a date. Now for the misses: the meatball dish was strange, very light and fluffy, not something we are used to. The tomato flavor was there and nothing else, if there were other seasonings, it was over taken by the tomato. Tagliatelle ai Tartufi was too heavy and we didn't taste much or any citrus, maybe because the cream took over. Hardly any asparagus but the truffle oil was a nice touch and was the one highlight of the dish. The apple tart was a disaster, the crust was hard as a rock. Tarts are supposed to be crispy right? The tart was also surrounded by cream and apple was overwhelmed by everything else. Too bad, this restaurant has potential and great location. We were disappointed and hope they improve so we can come back again.
(2)Mj N.
We went here mid-afternoon and had their lunch menu. While we like to stay away from most Waikiki restaurants, we were happy we gave this place a try. The food was good, but the service was exceptional- we were getting more than enough attention and felt spoiled. Plus, they accommodated our meals to our picky tastes. It was a great atmosphere for an afternoon date, and I could see it also being a perfect place for a romantic dinner. Parking is close in the parking center, and they validate.
(4)Barbara D.
After initially friendly greetling we asked if we could order a small size of salmon for our son. The waiter told us that they didn't have this on their kids menu and he also couldn't ask the chef ...plus they wouldn't reduce the price $32 for salmon to a kids price...so far so good...we ordered our mains, me salmon so I could share with my son and my husband ordered the fresh local fish which was stemed in parchment paper with clams.. The salmon was ok but I had way better salmon the night before in Roys.. And the fish my husband ordered was way over cooked..when we told the waiter he was surprised that we mentioned it and said that he would speak to the chef... Then the Manager came over and she said that the feedback was really good about this fish....my husband cooks amazingly good and we were surprised by the arrogance of the Manager...when the check came the waiter kind of sheepishly explained that nothing has been taking off the bill...which made me wonder what they thought of us....we were not trying to get something off the bill rather than accepting real feedback...guess it is a captured audience there but if you really would like good food you are better off in Roys or even CPK is better plus you don't spend that amount of money for something you are not completly satisfied with!!!
(1)Leigh N.
Dinner here was one of the worst dining experiences. A comedy of errors. A live and in person "How to Keep Patrons from Coming Back" guide for restauranteurs. When we checked in, we noticed the restaurant set up is rather cramped and the tables are very, very, very close together. Hope you don't end up having another patron who is wearing waaaaaay too much overpowering perfume seated next to you like we did. Gag. It took at least 15 minutes after we were seated for our table to be acknowledged. Our server was not helpful when we asked simple questions about the menu and after taking our order disappeared and completely ignored us until it was time to bring the bill. Our table ordered entrees only and it took OVER an hour to receive them. We observed other tables who arrived after us, order, receive food, eat and leave before our entrees even made an appearance. We had to ask what happened and why they were taking so long. We were given a lame excuse of " A very large party ordered right before you so the kitchen is backed up." Really??!! So obviously that means the smaller parties in the restaurant have to just wait? And not be irritated about the wait? How about informing those who are waiting of the situation and making sure that they are comfortable and have more bread? Or drinks? Or even sending out some complimentary salads or antipasto? Geesh. When food finally does arrive, 3 dishes are luke warm, the 4th is cold and was sent back. My friend wanted another drink while she waited for hot food from the kitchen but our sever was no where to be found. Friend had to go up to the bar and get it herself. Yikes. We were "comped" one round of drinks because we vocalized our displeasure but that was not accompanied with an apology or any other gesture to suggest our patronage was of value. It appears this restaurant survives because of its Waikiki location = tourists. Service is unacceptable with servers that are incompetent and unapologetic. We will never go back and will definitely be telling others about our experience so they can go elsewhere.
(1)Jamie T.
MEH. My mom and I were having a mother-daughter day in Waikiki and wanted to find a special place to have a nice lunch. We found Il Lupino tucked away in the back of Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center, and it looked like a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of Waikiki. There is an outdoor dining area that backs against the Royal Hawaiian Hotel courtyard and offers a peaceful atmosphere. We had high expectations as we sat down. We ordered a salad, pizza, and pasta to share. We were brought out some bread, but I was a little disgusted when I turned over my bread plate (it was upside-down since we were eating outdoors) to find that it had obviously been used and not cleaned. There were no servers around, so I just grabbed a plate from another table. Our caesar salad came, and it was on par. Nothing extraordinary, but nothing bad. Next was our funchi e spinaci pizza, which was sorely disappointing. The spinach made my mouth so dry I had trouble eating it. Maybe it was my American palette, but I wish the pizza had more taste. My mom and I ended up having to add salt to it, which helped a little. There was no sauce, so I dipped it into some olive oil to add some moisture. I was really looking forward to the tagliatelle ai tartufe pasta (citrus cream sauce with asparagus spears and black truffle puree). When it came out, it was tiny! The bowl was only about half full. It ends up we didn't end up eating most of it anyway. I could taste some truffle, and my mom enjoyed the tiny asparagus spears, but other than that, it lacked a lot of taste. Overall, we were disappointed with the food and will probably not be back.
(2)Alvaro M.
Overall a very pleasant experience. The food is on the bland side, but that seems to be a problem with many restaurants in this area. The service was attentive and friendly. Do not expect the best Italian food you ever had, I come from NY, but it is very acceptable; especially when you consider that the restaurant is in the middle of a super tourist area.
(4)Luis R.
First off, using the yelp map didn't take us directly there but got us in the area. This restaurant is in an open air shopping center. Just look at the "mall" directory and it will tell you where to go. We had the linguine alla carbonara and the penne arabiata. The pasta dishes lacked flavor but besides that the service was good. We went after nine P.M. so it wasn't busy. The price of the food suits the location. The Meatball appetizer was the best part. $50 for two (not including tip), two pasta dishes, one appetizer and a coke; not bad for Waikiki. (Living in Italy for two years spoiled me.)
(2)Andrew W.
My experience was pretty good. Went with a friend who is a "regular" at the bar on the patio. Jed the bartender took good care of us. I asked him what dish he'd order if it was his last meal ever and he hands down said Gnocci. Theirs has a bit of mushroom inside each little plump delish-ous-ness. And then a truffle cream sauce. Crazy good. And a glass of Amadore Red Table which was just fine. Give a "Go Bolts" wave to Jed when you see him.
(4)Coreen L.
Great place to celebrate my birthday!
(4)Christopher D.
Mixed review on this place. I would like to give it another try, but there were a few things lacking that made this particular experience less than expected. To start, we were walking by at 6:00pm on the way to the Royal Hawaii Hotel for sunset cocktails. I decided to make a reservation for 7:45 (2 people) and requested the lanai seating. I understand that a request is just that, and NOT a guarantee. Upon arrival, there was a couple in front of us without a reservation, that asked to be seated on the laani and was given a table. Being next in line, with a reservation, we were seated inside towards the back of the restaurant. The hostess completely ignored the reservation and the request. No big deal. Very friendly staff buzzing about and doing the "waiter dance" to accommodate a pretty busy restaurant, but not full. Our server approached and immediately asked about drinks. I ordered a bottle of Italian Pinot Grigio. A few minutes later, a new staff member arrives with the bottle in tow, 2 glasses and starts the wine presentation. The next comment surprised me a little, but the young man pouring the wine stated that it was warm and had not been chilled. Um, OK. Unlike coffee, hot chocolate or tea, I'm not really a fan of warm pinot grigio. The server said that it wouldn't take very long to cool down in the ice bucket next to our table. While true, it's still the point. Either come back and say you are out of that wine, it's warm, whatever, but to serve the bottle anyway...not a good impression when the "Wine Bar" is in the name of your restaurant. The original server offered a complimentary white wine to share while the bottle was cooling down to a drinkable level. That was a nice suggestion on his part. A new staff member arrived to take our order, presumably the manager. Kudos for stepping in if the server was busy. Service starts from the top down and she took the initiative to assist. Food ordered, bread arrives warm and dinner begins. The shared caesar came out shortly thereafter and it was delicious. Perfectly lemony, crisp romaine, not too much anchovie. Recommended and perfect for sharing. We ordered two entrees to share, a mushroom stuffed gnocchi and tagliatelle Bolognese. While the gnocchi were perfectly cooked and delicious, I didn't detect much mushroom inside. The sauce was a truffled cream sauce and perfect for dipping the bread in. We enjoyed the tagliatelle as well. Too stuffed to order dessert, we'll have to try it on another visit. The waiter than stopped buy to let us know that the table behind us had bought us dinner. Wow, you start thinking to yourself...we didn't notice who was sitting there before they got up, certainly not anyone we knew or recognized. Upon further explanation, the waiter mentions that he gave our check to them and we were paying for their meal instead. Sort of odd and maybe the check should have just been adjusted by management to reflect the correct items. The difference was only a dollar or two, so no big deal, but you'd think it would have been taken care of instead of pointing it out to us. (Sort of like a warm bottle of wine) Looking forward to trying Il Lupino again, just may consider a weekday when Waikiki isn't so busy.
(3)Sasha N.
Not bad. Restaurant is nice, service was good and food was ok. Nothing over the top so I will just rate it 3*.
(3)Rob M.
Worst service ever! Food took about an hour and all I was offered was a glass of wine! Are you kidding?!!! Totally unacceptable. I have been coming since the beginning. I will never come back unless they change SOMETHING!
(1)Brooke M.
Had a nice New Year's Day lunch here. Service was pretty spotty, but the food was great. Wait, I take that back. The pizza would've been great- if it was hot. It was practically cold by the time it got to our table. This doesn't sound like a 4-star review so far does it? Well, one dish in particular stood out. So much so that I'm dreaming of going back to have it again. It was the Tagliatelle ai Tartufi- long pasta with asparagus in a citrus black truffle cream sauce. I'm not sure what drew me to it because I'm not a big truffle fan, but it was DELICIOUS. Five stars for that dish alone. And it was only $15. So-so service and cold pizza bring it down to three and half or four overall... Check out this late night happy hour menu. Cocktails by the carafe and yummy pizzas for ten bucks! We go! illupino.com/menu/englis…
(4)Rita L.
Breakfast here was pretty good. We were the only ones but I think I would love to try dinner here next time. I think the restaurant is super cute. See pics of our breakfast.
(3)Lisa Marie M.
My mom had been here before and had mixed reviews. We had come here specifically for the chicken panini which is a lunch item. We were told that lunch was served until 5 pm so we decided to stay. The outdoor patio was pretty much empty, so we expected great service- think again. Besides asking if we wanted bottled or tap water, the waiter was virtually non existent from then on. No bread was brought or offered, which we didn't say anything about, since we were going to be having paninis, but considering how long it took them to bring our order - it would of been appreciated. When it finally came, we had to ask for fresh ground pepper. The salad was awful - it was just greens - nothing else but it was all brown on the ends- clearly either should of been cut off or thrown out. I could barely find any that I could eat- so I skipped it. The panini was another story ! It was big pieces of juicy chicken breast grilled to perfection. The bread was tender on the inside with a nice crust on the outside. It also came with Cheese melted on it ( I normally am not a cheese fan but it was excellent ) the tomatoes I picked off but my mom ate them. When we told our waiter about the salad, he said he would tell the chef, but we doubt it. He had to be asked to bring us our bill. His service left a bit to be desired. There are many food choices to be had here in Waikiki - I do not think this will be one of ours again.
(3)Frank B.
Went there with a large party...we had sampled about 5 diffeent dishes...all were excellent...this place has great service and excellent food.
(4)Ryan P.
Breakfast of champions !! I've had many loco moco's, but this was one of the best, bar none. Usually after an unhealthy start to the day you feel unmotivated, but the way this was prepared had you feeling like a champ. The gravy was fantastic !! I highly recommend.
(5)Adam P.
Do not come to this restaurant. The way we were treated here was tantamount to fraud. The restaurant basically allows its waitstaff to steal money from customers. I hardly ever write Yelp reviews, and I often don't read them, but I certainly wish I'd read some for this place before I went. Il Lupino had absolutely the worst service I've ever had at a restaurant. My wife and I were looking for a place to eat on a busy night in Waikiki and we love wine, so Il Lupino stood out as a great option (needless to say we didn't check Yelp). They had a table for us which we gladly took. Once we were seated, we repeatedly felt ignored. Everything took quite a long time to come out, and rarely were our drinks refilled. It took quite a long time to even get a waiter to come to our table. We attempted to order a bottle of wine, and the waiter couldn't find it. I had to give the number again, and then after an interminable wait, it finally came. The food was OK but not great, and we declined having dessert because the experience was so terrible. Now at this point a 1 star reviews seems a little harsh. But what happened next was unbelievable. We get the check, and by now we've had a bottle of wine so we're not thinking 100% straight, but the waiter tells us that for orders "over $150" they charge an automatic gratuity. This information was not on the menu. Obviously at this point I should have called for the manager, but I was so upset I just wanted to leave so I paid it, but on the way home it occurred to me that that was probably a lie and the waiter was probably just trying to avoid getting a poor tip for his awful service. I called the next day to talk to the manager who assured me that that wasn't the policy and she said that she would make sure the tip wasn't applied, and if she couldn't do it she'd give me a call. I checked my bank account and as a pending transaction, the tip hadn't been included, so it was going to actually take a few days to find out what I ended up actually getting charged. When the charge finally hit, it turned out that we got charged the full amount with the bogus tip. The restaurant did nothing to stop it from happening. I recommend that no one patronize this place, since the prices on the menu are basically fake as long as they let waiters get away with these surcharges.
(1)nadir s.
This place looked very promising as we passed by there and it seemed busy and the menu looked good. However it was far from that! Went the next evening for a late dinner and restaurant was fairly empty. Got seated quickly on the patio. After realizing the menu we had been given was just the wine and cheese list, we asked the hostess for actual menus. "Oh, your server will be bringing those to you" 10 minutes later, they show up. We order some pasta and bruchetta. Bruchetta was fine. Pasta arrives -- no offering of pepper or Parmesan. The server didn't look like he really wanted to be there. Pasta was rubbery and had no flavor at all. Manager finally comes over and asks how things are going. We tell her the service has been poor and staff doesn't seem very helpful or friendly, almost like they resent being there. She apologizes, says she will take care of us, and goes on her way. We get the bill for the full amount, paid it, and left quickly. We had great dining experiences in Hawaii but this was by far the worst.
(1)Keith P.
It's my second time in 2 years. I didnt like the food the first time but this time it was fine. The service was very professional and friendly and the foods were actually good this time. Overall very good experience. Will visit again!
(5)Kyle H.
The fiancee and I visited Il Lupino once again on 10/01/11. The restaurant was much busier this time and a lot noisier. We were fortunate enough to get the same waiter again too. He seemed a littler flustered, as the restaurant was quite packed, but remained friendly, courteous, and composed. On our last visit, we had ordered a regular menu item for our appetizer and specials for our entrees. This time we reversed our order and got the special appetizer and regular menu entrees. Our appetizer this time was the stracciatella, which is basically a mozzarella with cream served with heirloom & cherry tomatoes, basil, basil oil, and balsamic. The dish was good, but could have been a little better. The mozzarella was bland due to the absence of salt! It was a minor issue, though, and we enjoyed the dish. For our entrees, I had the excellent risotto con aragosta (lobster risotto), while my fiancee ordered the tagliatelle ai tartufi. The risotto was superb! The lobster tail served on top was succulent, sweet, and cooked to perfection! It was not rubbery or stringy at all even near the end of the tail! The risotto was also perfectly cook, being creamy but still possessing a little bite. It was also very flavorful, with a nice tomato base and slight lobster essence. The tagliatelle ai tartufi, on the other hand, was ok. The pasta and asparagus was cooked well and the cream sauce had subtle lemon and black pepper taste. The black truffle puree was very subdued. It would have been nice to taste more truffle! Also, asparagus for this dish was not such a great choice in my opinion. The dish would be much better if the asparagus was replaced with mushrooms and/or a protein of some sort. For dessert, the fiancee couldn't resist ordering the white chocolate and apple cheesecake once again. Basically it is a white chocolate cheesecake, but in between the crust and cheese layer, there is a thin layer of apples prepared similarly to apples in the apple tart. As for myself, I enjoyed a nice chocolate-hazelnut gelato.
(4)Adrienne T.
My mother's fresh off the boat from Verona, so I have strict standards for Italian cuisine. I judge by several criteria: 1. Crispy crust-to-glutenous dough ratio of the bread 2. Appetizers (something other than Caprese and Calamari) 3. Simplicity of paste, light texture 4. Variety of sauces available 5. Non-chocolate dessert options Il Lupino has a lot of the above. I highly recommend their gnocchi (so fluffy) and bucatini Alla'Amatriciana, although the "spicy" description of their Puttanesca has me curious for next time. Affogato= espresso and gelato= perfection. Service was a little spotty, but I don't expect much from the local surf crowd ;) Great wine selection-- had a few reasonably priced bottles from the Veneto region!
(4)Diane M.
Four stars for atmosphere, especially when you can get a table outside. The food was good, but not memorable. We'll go back for the atmosphere.
(3)Jon M.
I've eaten in the restaurant and on the patio and recommend the patio. I just love being outside so I always prefer the patio though. The outdoor section of the bar is my favorite spot to sit here. There's only about 6-8 seats at the outside section, but if you can get one, it's great. The bartenders are all friendly and entertaining. The wines, drinks, and beers are great. If you're not sure what you want, let them know what you like and they'll do an excellent job picking a wine that matches your taste. Dry white, jammy red, that's how I order my wines here and I've never been disappointed with their selections. The food is great, at least everything I've had so far. I've tried a couple pasta dishes and all the happy hour food. If you can make happy hour, that's the way to go (4-6.30p I believe). There's 5-6 food items on happy hour for $5, a giant meatball, a pizza, calamari, their take on bruschetta (3 different non-traditional bruschetta), etc. And they have wine and drinks for $5 as well. It's a great deal considering the prime Waikiki location and quality of food and drink. They do validate parking if you park in the Royal Hawaiian mall parking structure. Make sure you don't park in the Sheraton parking lock which is right across the driveway. Also, make sure you're out of the parking lot within 4 hours. Made that mistake once and paid $25! With validation it's something like, an hour free, then 3 more hours for $1/hour, and then $1.50 every 20 minutes or something. It gets absurd after 4 hours, so just don't stay parked there that long. Overall it's delicious, nice atmosphere, outdoor patio seating and bar, friendly entertaining bartenders and service, and great happy hour deals. Everything you could ask for in a Waikiki Italian restaurant.
(4)N H.
Where to begin.... The wife and I tend to eat late due to our work schedule. Seeing how it says they're open till 12a we decided to walk over since we live in Waikiki. From the beginning I should've known it was going to be one of those nights. We got there about 9p and was told about a 20min wait, no problem. Figured we'd sit at the bar and have a drink while we wait for an available table. We waited about 5mins till even noticed. We finally got a wine menu about the same time when a lady sat next to use and was shown so much attention that she received her drink and even had a decent discussion about some wines. As we waited for a pause between the 2, we were finally ready to get a glass of wine and unwind. After trying to grab his attention, (I guess since I wasn't a single lady) the bartender just walked off around the corner as we tried to waive him down. Umm.. oookkk... let the night begin! So after being stumped for a couple minutes and sitting there a tad bit baffled, our pager buzzed so we just walked off and went to be seated. Our waiter greeted us several minutes later and we finally ordered some wine! No problems with service so far. But as we were enjoying ourselves I couldn't help but over hear the table next to us (party of about 10) complain about their order. They had the same waiter as us. I thought they were just being one of "those" types of tables, but it didn't all click until we were walking back home. Apparently their orders were all wrong, something was undercooked and the manager was even called. To accommodate them, bottles of sparkling wine were offered on the house along with some dishes taken off the bill. Now back to us. We decided to try the 3 cheese/meat platter. I don't know much about cheese but we chose one and left the rest up to him. The wife did mention anything but blue cheese. The platter came and we started sampling and noticed one was really.. distinct. After asking him what type of cheese that particular one was, (I don't remember the exact name) it was a type of blue cheese though, he explained. If we didn't want blue cheese don't you think we wouldn't want any time of blue cheese?? As for the entree, the wifey's pasta was good and came out nice and hot. Mines on the other hand.. right below warm. My wife is so sweet she apologized to me and said "Sorry, your food must've been waiting for mines to finish." Now for the finale! Waited a while after asking for a dessert menu. Waiter comes back and say he only has a Japanese one. Seriously?... there was only 2 other tables left in the inside seating area! Whatever. Brushed it off and said "Hey no problem, my wife can translate it for me." Already slightly irritated knowing that if I ordered one of those "lava cake things" (I was guessing as I tried to read TORTINO AL CIOCCOLATO in Katakana) that its going to take a while to make. After about 10mins or so, Genius woke back up to reality and comes back and says "Oh sorry, completely spaced-out." So I ordered that along with a decaf coffee, and tested my patience. About 15 minutes go by as I converse with my wife and start giving her the play-by-play of our waiter setting up tables for the next day and probably forgetting about us... and my coffee. Sure enough he did. I flagged him down and asked if we could have the check.. Comes back with the check and I noticed the coffee wasn't charged. Sure I don't mind a free coffee at this point. I cashed out and said "oh, and I'll take my coffee now too if you don't mind." He comes back and says, "oh, they just dumped the pot of coffee, yeaa.. sorry. BUT! It wasn't on your check anyways." Seriously? If you weren't busy spacing-out you might've been able to get me my cup before they "dumped" it. After still waiting and seeing the last table leave and being fed up with the whole coffee thing, I flagged down a different waiter and said "you know our dessert, just make it to go, I feel weird cause the last table just left." He replies and says "Don't worry, we still have some tables outside." I said "Nah just make it to go still." But just as I said that, our waiter comes walking behind him with our dessert. So he says "oh here it is.. too late.. now you HAVE to eat it here." So to just get on with it... I did. I would like to say that it was good, but I really don't remember since I pretty much ate the thing in several bites just to get the hell out of there. Waiter was no where in sight as we got up and left. And sure enough there were still couple of tables being served outside. I cashed out at 11p they close at 12a. Again... How do you throw out all the coffee when there's still tables being served outside?!? I took my wife out randomly on a weekday because she was having a bad day. Now she has a bad night cause she had to deal with the terrible service and my Bi*$#ing after.
(1)John H.
Some of the BEST Italian food I've ever had, bar none!! The drinks left a bit to be desired, but that will not dissuade me from a five star rating. I had a strawberry daiquiri and my wife a lava flow. Both were decent, but nothing spectacular. But then bring on the food! We started with the small antipasti platter, 3 meats and 3 cheeses. All the meats were sliced paper thin and incredibly fresh. The cheeses were a great blend of smoky Gouda, a sharp something, and a creamy buttery Gorgonzola .... There was a variety of spreads that complimented the meats and cheeses really well. The complimentary bread was fresh from the oven sourdough. Next up we both had the caprese salad. The mozzarella was super fresh with a good mix of ripe and heirloom tomatoes. I did add some balsamic vinegar to mine, but that was more a personal preference rather than a necessity. For the main course, I ordered the linguini carbonara and my wife the linguini with clams. (Apologies, I can't remember the name of the dish). The clams according to my wife were buttery and perfect, and the dish was flavored wonderfully. My carbonara was really smoky and sharp. The ham (bacon) was wonderful. The linguini was a perfect al dente. Even though I prefer my noodles somewhat overcooked, I couldn't even begin to complain. We also ordered the "Rape Rosse" with dinner which is the Roasted beets with a balsamic glaze. Again these were cooked marvelously and had wonderful flavor. We didn't quite finish everything but we have it a good run! If you're in Waikiki and want REALLY amazing Italian food, you cannot go wrong with Il Lupino!!
(5)Sarah M.
I would possibly give an extra half of a star but two stars seems too high. My friend and I went to eat after working all night. We arrived as soon as it opened. We were sat quickly. We sat at one table and noticed lipstick and coffee stains on a coffee cup on our table that was supposed to be clean. We ended up moving tables because it was raining lightly. The new table had a water glass unused with lipstick stains on it. Our waiter comes to take our drink order. We order bloody Mary's and asked for extra olives. He seemed very unsure and said the bar was not fully open so he would check. Bloody Mary's arrived with one olive, so they did have them but we could not get extra?! He then asked if we wanted to order however they were out of the eggs Benedict, loco moco and potatoes. We asked what they did have and he said everything else which was basically omelets and waffles. We declined food since I wanted the eggs Benedict and my friend wanted the Loco Moco. The friendliest any of the staff got was on our exit out which made this the time we finally got excited. I'm not sure I would check them out again.
(1)Shellee R.
Great ambience and service!! Thanks Il Lupino for making our Birthday Celebration so Special!!
(4)Ginger O.
Great Italian food here! This is a beautiful restaurant that is next to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. The one MUST TRY is the amazing meatball - it was not heavy, light and the size of a baseball - no joke!! It literally melted in my mouth! Each time we have gone, we sit at the bar and get real prompt service.
(4)Kerri C.
Terrible service-- from the hostess stand to the server "Mark P". Hostesses were rude and unwelcoming. Ladies, isn't your job, to be the "directors of first impressions?". uh...not so much. We were sat on a wet patio, had to ask for a server after sitting unrecognized for 10 minutes. Mark P the server came over begrudgingly when seeing our family. Then questioned by Mark that we weren't waiting on others to join us on the rained out patio? Again, no Mark, go talk to your hostesses, I already answered your question the first time-- which I guess he wasn't completely happy with as then Mark questioned in a completely patronizing tone that we really wanted TAP WATER?!? Oh Heaven forbid that we would want TAP water!!? Closed out our drink tab, and left. I served in restaurants for over 8 years so I am particular-- but dude, you put up the worst first impression as one of the worst servers EVER.
(1)Elizabeth P.
I went here since it was the closest Italian restaurant near my hotel but the prices are high for Waikiki and for Italian. I ordered the mushroom ravioli and it was overpriced for Italian considering the order size and a little bit too much garlic, but I am use to fresh pasta with my Italian. I asked the waiter if the pasta was fresh and at least he was honest with me and the wine service I received was excellent. The wine I selected was great and they allowed me sample another variety until I chose the one I liked. Wine by the glass is expensive but that is expected with the shipping costs to Hawaii. Overall, it was a good meal with great service; but was not the best Italian meal I ever had.
(3)Gavin L.
"Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup. All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle." - Paulo Coelho And drink the whole bottle I did! The late-afternoon sun seeped into the central terrace of the Royal Hawaiian shopping center as I approached the bar of il lupino, the little wolf, a bar within a restaurant that sat unassumingly and reserved, nestled in the corner of a large café patio where a variety of tourists enjoying their first or tenth vacation to Hawaii sat drinking, eating, and, as far as I could tell, being merry. My friends sat at the outdoor bar waiting for me as I acknowledged but hurriedly walked passed the cute blond hostess and towards the little wolf's little bar. It could only seat about six people comfortably, meaning it was just the four of us, with occasional couples sitting at the end of the bar engaged in their own conversations. I like this bar, I can't speak for the restaurant, but the bar, yes, it's worth your time to have a late afternoon drink. So, I have no idea what dining in the restaurant itself is like, and I have a feeling I never will. When you have an outdoor bar like il lupino's, with a happy hour priced as it is, and with a beverage connoisseur waiting on you who is the archetype of a dexterous bartender; entertaining, knowledgeable, and just plain fu@!ing interesting to talk to, I can't imagine wanting to sit anywhere else in this place. Drink the wine the bartender recommends, eat the meatball, pizza, and eggplant bruschetta, and do this all during happy hour (3:00-6:30 pm) at the outside bar and if you do, you will have a great time, and before you realize it, you'll wonder... "...how did it get so late so soon? It's night before it's afternoon. December is here before it's June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?" -- Dr. Seuss
(4)Jennifer T.
This review is for HH only. YOU CAN BRING YOUR BIG HUSKY DOG! And sit on outside patio and eat $5 pupus. I have tried them all. Best - eggplant Parm. Next Pizza. Next I don't really like the others, but they include calamari, a giant meatball and bruchetta. Wine is $5 a glass too, we love coming here for HH starts at 3 pm and ends? I've never been there that long to know but I believe it is 6 pm. I willl check and update if necessary.
(4)Zane L.
Arrived here on a Saturday and asked to be seated outside on patio... Host with blonde hair was great as she was very prompt and courteous while waiting for our seats. We ordered to start prosciutto melon, arugula walnut salad with braised pear and candied walnuts...and main dishes...linguine carbonara and chefs special with mare medley with linguine and light red sauce accompanied with a good wine on list by the glass...New Haven Sauvignon Blanc. About $136. The price is a bit steep but if u are out for a simple romantic date then this place is worth having to converse over. Our gentleman waiter by name of Adrian was very spot on with dish recommendations and attentive to details. If u are expecting huge big bold flavors as u usually find in most Americanized Italian places then this place is not for you. The delicacy and simplicity of flavors is something you appreciate as u progress through the course of meals. It doesn't hurt to ask for extra heaping of fresh shaved parmesan on side though. Lol. Check out this place!
(4)Florence K.
The fact that the name of this restaurant had the words "wine bar" in it, had my boyfriend and I headed into that direction right as after we walked in to Cheesecake Factory, and having to wait an hour until our table was ready. A few drinks would help us pass the time as well as maybe burn our stomachs so we were ready for the huge portions that the Cheesecake Factory was about to throw at us. Luckily, Il Lupino Trattoria & Wine Bar is also located in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center, so if you're waiting for your table at the Cheesecake Factory, or just having dinner and drinks here, it's located in a great place. Only $1 per hour after validation =)! We got to choose our own seats at the bar, since we were only going for drinks. But wow, as I walked in, I definitely felt out of place wearing my t-shirt and jeans. It's definitely the more classier restaurant, but you have quite a bit of those in Waikiki. I had to take a sneak peak at the menu as I walked by it, and those dishes sounded good. Another look at the dishes coming out to the tables behind me had me salivating already, and I still had to wait AT LEAST an hour to eat! I was this close to cancelling my table at the Cheesecake Factory, in order to have some pasta here. Seeing sangria on the drink menu, I knew immediately what I wanted. Of course I ordered this, and the boyfriend did the same. You know what was weird though...they poured the sangria out of a plastic jug into our wine glasses of ice. This is like the first time I saw someone do that. My boyfriend was already confused on how to tip, since the bartender didn't really "make" the drinks. But whatever, the sangria was delicious. Definitely one of the better ones I've tried. Sitting there for an hour sipping the sangria was great. However, those few drinks only turned to 1, since the receipt was in an empty cup in front of us, and once my boyfriend saw the prices for that sangria (reading backwards of course) he knew that one would be all we would have. Hey, we work hard for our money you know! Especially since we would probably be drinking more as well as eating on our way to the next establishment. This really looks like an amazing place to have dinner and drinks, but it is on the more pricey side. Definitely not for a casual night out for my boyfriend and me. More like somewhere we would go to celebrate something.
(3)Valerie M.
Il Lupino is a new Italian restaurant in Waikiki at the Royal Hawaiian Center. The decor speaks casual dining but the food and presentation screams classy and white-tablecloth. Plan to have a leisurely dinner and go with friends or someone you want to have a conversation with. Expect to spend money. GM David Nagaishi presides over the restaurant with coat and tie and Chef Nic Sayada's dishes take time to prepare but are worth the wait. Molto bene! The winners: Zucchini e Melanzane , oven roasted eggplant, zucchini and peppers Insalata di Rucola, baby arugula salad with candied almonds &pears Tagliatelle ai Tartufi, pasta in a light citrus cream sauce with asparagus & black truffles Gnocchi ricotta e spinaci, spinach and ricotta stuffed gnocchi
(4)Rose M.
Been here three times. Really wanted to like it. Each time service poor, sketchy pasta, bad wine. Won't return, save yourself the $ and time.
(1)Tracy J.
I was hedging between Meh and A-OK...but I've only been here the one time so I can't make a true judgement yet. My husband and I met another couple here for a business dinner. I have to be honest and was curious as to how our experience would be compared to what everyone on Yelp has talked about. We stopped at the bar for a drink because we were a little early. The bartender was sweet and attentive. They were pretty busy for a Wednesday night at 6PM and only got busier. It's a cute little restaurant right in the middle of Waikiki. That being said, it's kind of in the back of Royal Hawaiian Shopping center and not right on Kalakaua...different scenery. Once we got seated, our waiter came by a few times...we were busy talking and he allowed us that time...we didn't feel rushed at all. He was also very attentive. If I was rating them on service alone, I would give them four stars. I only tried two dishes...the mushroom risotto and a bite of my husband's pasta carbonara. They were both very good although the mushroom risotto was a little bland. Honey thinks that I salt everything too much but this needed it! Risotto was just the right consistency? I hear the gnocchi is very good and one of our guests had that and agreed with that point. The carbonara was very good...something I would order for myself. I don't normally order cream sauces like that but it wasn't overpowering and the proscuitto was great...little chunks of it. I'm a fan. We didn't order anything else but I'd definitely go back just to try the gnocchi. And we had great service!
(3)Valerie R.
It's like this: Oahu is not known for Italian food. There are not many places I'd go to on this island and expect to have fantastic osso buco or veal chop. Il Lupino does have fantastic osso buco AND veal chops, so I'll be back. We also had the gnocchi with truffle oil and it was perhaps the best gnocchi I'd ever had. This is the kind of Italian food I long for - not that Olive Garden stuff (but don't get me wrong, I miss it from time to time!). That being said, I thought the service was a little awkward and slow. Plus, the entrees only came out with starches. You could purchase veggies like beets on the side for about $10. I like beets, but not for $10. So yeah... As for ambiance, I liked the outdoor seating. It's right on the first floor of the Royal Hawaiian Center, so there's a meandering path with lit palms and the backdrop of that famous pink hotel. No complaints about that! I felt like a tourist, even if it's kind of annoying to have people eyeballing your food as they walk by. Parking was only $2 with validation, $14 without, and that was pretty sweet. Definitely will be back to try the happy hour.
(4)Raquelle Z.
We started with the eggplant and zucchini appetizer, then we each ordered the pasta in a creamy citrus sauce with truffle oil. It was delicious and neither of us was able to finish the dish. Our server was attentive, and eating on the patio was enjoyable and provided a perfect people watching venue.
(3)Joy K.
Finally made it into Waikiki to feast at this place I heard so many wonderful things about. With excitement, the friendly waitress allowed us to sit in front of the kitchen to be in clear view of the action behind the counter. With suggestions from our waiter Patrick, we ordered what was probably one too many dishes. The more the merrier though! Our caesar salad came and it was not your typical with dressing just drowning the beautiful greens but rather the simplicity of garlic, parm and anchovies perfectly complimenting each strand of lettuce. Wonderful. For our main course we had the suggested favorite gnocchi and my favorite the puttanesca. I have to try the puttanesca if its on the menu and this being the place of "True Italian Cuisine" and "high-end old school" I couldn't wait. Honestly, I didn't think much of the gnocchi but MAN that was heaven! I called them little bundles of heaven. These little guys are actually stuffed with a pleasant mushroom mixture that just melts in your mouth and luxurious sauce leaves a wonderful elegant tinge of truffle on your tongue. It has just the right balance of cream that isn't too heavy and makes you want to go back for more. My puttanesca on the other hand was powerful like puttanesca should be. The salty goodness was delicious and they were kind enough to add some calamari to it as well. One big problem though as I devoured my dish, I found some noodles were a little undercooked. Then I found a bunch of noodles stuck together. my first thought, 'what amature chef back there didn't pay attention to the most simple thing. Then I found more stuck noodles. We called the water guy over to tell him about it. Wrong person to waive over!!! He looked at it, looked at us and asked, "So what would you like me to do about it? Do you want another one made?" Appalled, I told him I wasn't planning on eating anymore of it and didn't want to bother the busy kitchen with making another plate. "Ok," he replied and simply walked away. My first incling was he was an idiot, my second was they must have this happen a lot to not care that much about the quality of the food that goes out. So then, I wait for my hubby to finish his meal and for someone else to come to our table to ask why bunches of noodles are laid all over my plate. 10 minutes later, empty glasses of wine and water our waiter comes over to ask if I'd like another glass of wine. I proceed to them him about my uncooked noodles. Patrick, our once kind waiter, closes his eyes in disgust and replies, "Well I wish you would've told me sooner when I first asked how things were going." Who the f*** says something like that to a customer. I shoot back and say, "Well, should I have rummaged through my dish when I first got it to see if anything was wrong with it.' Then another one of those, "Ok" replies and he walks away. Do they train all of them that way??? Seriously cuz I haven't even told you about the manager that came by another 10 minutes later. Why were we the idiots sitting there any longer you may ask?? I don't know myself but I was cussing the whole time. So the manager comes over politely and asks, "So how was everything this evening?" I wanted to tell her, "Are you serious!!!" Let me just say that up until now, there were no apologies or anything of the sort nor did we even get one from the manager. She simply took my terrible plate of hard uncooked noodles away with an, "Ok." What a rollercoaster ride that night. From exuberant excitement to ultimate disappointment. Patrick the waiter - you are a disgrace to the industry but your water boy and manager are even worse. I'm just ashamed that I didn't read the Yelp reviews prior to going there. I had too much hope in this place.
(2)Kimberly C.
After reading about Il Lupino in the Dining Out section of the newspaper, I've been dying to try it out. When we got there, the place was packed with people (mainly tourists), which makes sense since it is in the middle of the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center. We were seated and the waiter was very helpful with the menu since it was our first time eating here. The have a great wine selection and glass case wine cellar where you actually see them get bottles of wine. We ordered the meatball appetizer and caesar salad. The meatball was the most tender and juicy meatball I have ever eaten! I think the combination of the meats made it so tender. I only wish there were 2 giant meatballs, rather than one. My fiance ordered the lobster risotto which was very good. I ordered the mushroom gnocchi special, which was amazing. The sauce was creamy, but not overly rich like other cream sauces can be. It came with 15 little gnocchis that was the perfect amount. For dessert we ordered the tiramisu. It was so rich and creamy and didn't have a strong alcohol taste in the sponge cake. Overall, the service was okay seeing that it was super busy. The prices were reasonable also being that they serve high-quality Italian food. The next time we go there, we might just order a few plates of meatballs ($10) and a side of risotto because the meatballs are totally worth it!
(4)RB19971 R.
Service was awful. I can honestly say, with my hand on my heart - it was some of the worst service I have had since I moved to Hawaii. The food was bland, undercooked and overpriced. Living only about half a mile from this restaurant, when asked by friends where did I want to go for a special meal, I thought of this place and thought it would please everyone - sadly, it didn't please anyone in our group. I wouldn't recommend is place to my own worst enemy. We had pasta and pizza at the table, and all the dishes were just blahhh and to top off just mediocre food, we had to ask for olive oil (wasn't in the table), ask for water (after 20 minutes it still hadn't been poured), ask for cracked pepper, ask for Parmesan cheese, and then ask numerous times for the check!!! Don't do it - spend your time and money elsewhere.
(2)Marian R.
Small and sweet and really good drinks. Only had happy hour. Minimal selection. The bar staff is attentive and friendly!
(3)David M.
Tagliatelle ai Tartufi Citrus cream sauce with asparagus spears and black truffle puree... ... as suggested by the waiter was a tasty sauce. However, as the description points out, "asparagus spears" were nowhere to be found. Stems, pasta, and sauce where the basis of my plate. IF I shall visit again, I shall ask for only sauce and bread. Please save the stems for the compost heap.
(2)Gina O.
try their spaghetti and meatballs al Pomodoro. Scrumptuous!! love it. good service. clean floors. clean table. tablecloths are impeccable. The girls are lovely in the front door. Go!
(5)Joe C.
Decided to give Il Lupino a 2nd try after a very disappointing first experience on their opening weekend two years ago. I was glad that I did as things had significantly improved from my last visit. Tonight I started the meal with the grilled octopus salad and we split the mushroom gnocchi special and a Veal Chop Milanese. The gnocchi was excellent but the veal chop milanese was exceptional, worthy of a flight from LA to have it again. The breading on the veal chop had a nice black pepper quality while the veal chop itself just cut with a fork and melted in your mouth. I am hooked and will be back on every trip to Honolulu.
(4)James L.
Great view, and bar atmosphere, severs good wait long
(4)Taylor M.
Food is nothing special and the service we had was horrible. Definitely not worth the money.
(1)K K.
- amazing Italian food (caprese, prosciutto & melon, ravioli, meat & spaghetti, gnocchi is what we ordered). So yummy! - service could have been better. - tables are WAY too close together. - Best chocolate cake ever!!! It's warm and gooey and not too swe
(3)Jonathan B.
We had a reservation for 8pm. We arrived a few minutes early and were given a pager. At 8:20pm I went to check when we would be seated. Heller the hostess was very rude and completely unapologetic. All she said was "we don't have a table yet" We were seated at 8:40pm to mediocre food. Stay away - rude hostess who thinks she is doing you the favor by allowing you in the restaurant.
(1)Chelsea H.
This review is based strictly on late night happy hour. I will probably edit this review if I go for lunch or dinner one day. I was really excited when I heard Il Lupino is open til 2:00am on Sundays and so is their kitchen. There isn't much to choose from on Sundays besides the usual Zippys after work and I can only eat so much chili. I think Sun-Thurs they're open until 2:00am if I remember correctly from reading the menu. It is located in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center. They validate your parking but you still have to pay $1 so be prepared! My boyfriend put in a $20 cause that's all he had and it gave him $19 in ones back lol. The place is really dark inside. Like kind of weird dark. The fact that there weren't many people probably added to it but I felt like I shouldn't have been there. Like they really wanted to close but couldn't because of business hours and were hoping people wouldn't come in. Make sense? Yeah. Anyway, there is outside table seating and bar seating. I chose the bar because I really hate eating outside. I feel like my chances of something crawling/flying into my food increases and it grosses me out. We sat down and were immediately given a menu. The bartender was kind of sassy. She came up to us and said "so you guys gonna get something to eat or what?" after taking our drink order. Then she was nice to us. Then she was rude again. And then she was nice after we paid. Meh. I didn't wanna tip 20% but I did anyway because I work in the restaurant business too and I know people have to pay bills! They have like 5 food items and 8 drinks on late night happy hour. There's 2 types of pizza (prosciutto/arugula & margherita), meatball, lasagna, and italian meat/cheese platter (you can pick one for $5 or 3 for $12) everything else is $10. I'm not sure if this is normal happy hour pricing but it seemed a little steep to me, especially for the quality (I will come back to this) There's a bunch of mixed drinks and I had the hummingbird. St. Germain (made from elderflower, tastes like lychee and it's what we use to make lychee martinis. yum!), prosecco, campari, and soda. It was really delicious. Not too sweet which is what I was going for. My boyfriend had a basil lemonade thing. It was nice and refreshing. We ordered food too. The italian meats/cheese platter. We went for the 3/$12 deal and chose prosciutto, salami, and pecorino cheese. This is my favorite Italian appetizer so we order it at every Italian place. Boyfriend had the prosciutto/arugula pizza and I had the margherita. The food took some time to come out, but I might have been impatient because I was starving from not eating right after work. The platter was good, but then not really good? The meats were nice and thin and tasted fresh, the cheese DEFINITELY did not taste fresh. I love pecorino cheese and this one was hard and crumbly. It seemed like it was sitting out for a very long time. It also came with honey, jam, and mustards. I'm not into dipping sauces so I didn't try it. And now for the pizzas. This is what I'm getting back to. The prosciutto/arugula one looked good. It had fresh tomato too. I don't like arugula so I wouldn't have liked the pizza either way, but my boyfriend finished all of it. The margherita one was not good for $10. Both pizzas are thin crust and the margherita one was a lot of tomato sauce with a little bit of grated parmesan and a blob of mozzarella cheese with a basil leaf. It didn't taste like anything special and I was disappointed that it was $10. Granted, they did give you a whole personal sized pizza but still. It seemed like the only cheese on there was the slice of melted mozzarella and they just took a cheese shaker and shook it over the pizza once. And there were no fresh tomatoes!! I had to steal them from my boyfriend's pizza :( I finished my food still wanting more. I wasn't very satisfied, which was disappointing but I wasn't about to eat more since it was almost 1:00am. I want to come back here for dinner after taking a look at their dinner menu, but I'm not sure about late night happy hour. Also, I commend anyone who got through reading this entire review. Thank you.
(3)Maria G.
Wow! What a find! So we decided to try this place out during our staycation in Waikiki and what although it is in the middle of tourist central, it's an authentic, delicious italian restaurant. For appetizer we had the tuna carpaccio...seriously, super light and if the server hadn't told us otherwise, we would have thought it was beef carpaccio. For the main course I had the pasta with uni and my hubby had the pasta with black truffles. I am salivating just at the thought of our wonderful dinner! The truffles, the uni...it was definitely one of the best meals I've had in a while. To boot, it's reasonably priced with our entrees each costing less than $20. We'll definitely be back....yummy!
(4)Cathy P.
One the best places we ate in Waikiki. The mushroom gnoochi was the best we've ever had. They were also very accomadating to children even though the atmosphere was a little upscale. Would go again.
(5)Kevin H.
We were pleasantly surprised at how DELICIOUS the food is here! We had the beef carpaccio for appetizer and my fiance had the lobster risotto. Tasty! The lobster tail was fresh and very good size! I had the Costoletta (veal) with black truffle and Madeira sauce. Holy cow (LOL)!!! It was the best steak I've ever eaten since CUT in LA. I mean Wow! We both practically licked our plates clean. We were so stuffed afterwards that we couldn't even order dessert (and I love eating dessert)! This place supposedly has one of the best happy hours in Hawaii. We never tried the happy hour (we came for dinner), but we look forward to trying it one day. The cocktails were Meh, though. BTW, don't order the Cucumber Caliente cocktail unless you want to light your mouth on fire. It was made so spicy that I couldn't finish it!
(5)Shane H.
Just about the best meal ive ever had in my life and trust me when I say im a foodie. The hostess, server, bartender and manager on duty were on point. Excellent customer service, food and setting. Highly recommended!!!
(5)Natalie C.
Not impressed. The patio was beautiful but understaffed. Our poor waiter had to worry about too many tables. Each round of drinks took upwards of 15 min...apparently no one wanted to come to work that day as a bar only had one person taking care of the entire place according to our waiter. My salad was definitely the best part of my meal. Our medium rare steak was closer to well done. The gnocchi was mediocre. They didn't put enough sauce on my friends dish and then charged her $5 for side of sauce. The worst part of this night was the fact that we were sitting next to some local wine or liquor reps who had about 20 people stop by and fawn all over them. Our orders took about twice the time to come to us as theirs did. I don't appreciate feeling like a second class citizen while spending over $100 on a meal. I couldn't enjoy my meal or listen to my companions as I had to listen to the loudest rep scream about her sister Sunshine, the Elks, how the guy from Maui blew his sales number, her 43rd birhtday and that she wants to retire to some hotel because some other retirement place is 'so over'. I could go on and on...but she isn't really that interesting. I never speak with a manager but did this time. He's a nice guy but it didn't make up for the rest of the night.
(2)MTBer I.
I can only vouch for the Mac Nut pancakes. They were decently priced and tasted pretty good. Lots of nuts embedded and the cake was the right kind of spongy. Good place for take out to beat the high coast of hotel food.
(3)Miki L.
Yes, it's in the heart of Waikiki, but don't let that deter you. It's worth the visit. (And I'm sure validated parking is in the mix.) Make a reservation, ask for a seat outside, and prepare for a lovely, outdoor dining experience. I've been twice. And twice I found the food delightful. And twice I found the service so-so. It wasn't bad, they just seemed a bit overworked and therefore inconsistent. The biggest boo-boo was my server brought the dessert menu while I was still eating dinner. This time I had the cheese and truffle stuffed gnocchi, veal picatta and a side of roasted red and gold beets. So tasty and satisfying. A good share meal. They have a nice wine selection, really not badly priced at all -- by the glass or bottle.
(4)Kate R.
Reviewing their happy hour - I've never had regular din here. Happy hour was awesome! Firstly, it's from 3-6:30, giving you a pretty large window of time to play with. Secondly, they had amazing deals! $5 for pizza, a super duper big meatball, prosciutto, bruschetta, eggplant, etc. Food was fresh, hot, authentic, and delicious. Mmmmm. I was hesitant about trying this place from the reviews - but I had such a great experience, I'll definitely return. Drinks were yummy too - house chianti, a great limoncello and basil drink, and refreshing Bellini.
(5)Toni M.
Really wanted Il Lupino to be awesome, but it just didn't come together. The location is picturesque. The decor is trendy. The bar has the largest, most diverse stock of liquors that I've seen on the island. And, the staff is uber-friendly and knowledgeable. But, the food and wine fell short and the prices are high. Wine: Billed as a wine bar, the selection of wines by the glass is disappointing. And, the majority are small production vintners that require some explanation. Now, the exploration could be fun, but it would also be pricey. Food: The menu is reasonable with a nice selection of pastas. I tried the Zucchini con Ricotta, Shrimp entrée and Roasted Beets with Gorgonzola. These items are unique to the restaurant. Zucchini con ricotta: the zucchini/eggplant was tough and the ricotta filling was stringy. The shrimp was well prepared but the flavors were a bit bland. And the beets, although perfectly cooked, lacked flavor even with the cheese. So my experience was mediocre at best. Saving graces: the full bar (even old tom gin and numerous hard to find Italian bitters), all Italian pastas, and freshly made bread/pizza dough (made with imported Italian flour). The staff and the bar might lure me in for another visit though...
(3)Melissa J.
Incredible quality Italian food. Wonderful cocktails and wine. Will most definitely visit this place again. Bread basket w/EVOO and vinegar hit the spot, too!
(5)Bryan I.
I recently went here for a friends birthday party. Up until that point, I have never heard of that place. I'm assuming they're new, since I don't recall them being in that particular location in the past. The atmosphere in the restaurant is very nice. It has a very warm atmosphere, ironic because it also matches the overall temperature of the restaurant itself (very warm, the first half of the night it seemed they didn't want to turn on the A/C above us). Reservations are probably recommended as the place filled up fast, mostly w/ parties larger then 2. The food was very good. The presentation was tastefully done, and everything was full of flavor. Being that we had a fairly large party, we all got to try a little bit of everything. Needless to say, there wasn't a particular dish that I wasn't impressed with. Now for the reason why I give this place 2 stars... unlike their food, I was less then impressed w/ their service. Myself and a few others got there extremely early, so we decided to sit down before the rest of the party came. In all honesty, it seemed that they were hesitant to serve us until we actually started spending some money. Of course the water was free, but the bread we had to ask for (literally). It wasn't until the rest of our party came, and that we started ordering appetizers and drinks, that they started to pay more attention to us. Call it coincidence, but this is about the time that they turned on the A/C! Although not too long after, they turned it off and opted to open the window adjacent to us instead. Another thing I found ironic was that their wine list wasn't initially available. For being a wine bar, you'd think that this would be the first thing they would give you along w/ the menu. Apparently they had to print one out for us specifically. Though to add to the authenticity of this Italian Restaurant, all of the waiters had authentic accents, which is a nice touch
(2)David H.
The food was okay when we finally got it! Our first server was terrible. Thanks to Chris who stepped to save us!"
(2)Christopher R.
Had an excellent breakfast here that gave me a new appreciation for eggs benedict. Service and prices were good.
(5)Yana S.
Our RSVP was for 8pm we still had to wait to be seated. We ordered our food right away, not only did our server ignore us; but an hour later our food was still not ready (note: we ordered simple dishes). We asked to see the manager, not only did she give us attitude and no explanation for why our order was taking so long, our food still arrived 1 hour and 20 min later it was not good at all. My salmon had some weird spices was not salted at all! No one was happy with their food. Never again. And to top it off no one ever apologized.
(1)Amber W.
Tried this place out when it was still in the soft-opening stage. The service and timing of food left a lot to be desired but I imagine they were still working out the kinks. The food was hit and miss but, again, I really want to give them another shot. Wine prices were good and the beet salad was divine.
(3)Krystal T.
Reasonable prices, but super small portions! Don't come here hungry. Went here for a friend's birthday dinner, about a dozen of us. The food was very good, and so was the service. However, the prices are pretty high, considering how much food you actually get. I ordered the gnocchi, and that was delicious. It wasn't too soft, like most gnocchi tend to be. The portion was alright, especially since I was also tasting other dishes. If not for my friends' plates to pick off of, I'd have been left very very hungry. Four of us decided to each order an entree and split one order of the lobster risotto. After clarifying that an entire lobster tail would be part of the dish, we figured it was worth the $30 to try. The risotto was tasty--it had a nice texture to it, and seemed cooked just right. But I don't even think there was an entire cup of risotto on that plate. For $30, it was definitely disappointing to not see a heaping serving of risotto servied on a big, deep platter. My friend ordered the linguine with clams and garlic, which was very tasty, but nothing to write home about. I wanted to try the osso bucco, but was discouraged by the price. In retrospect, I'm glad I didn't order the more expensive stuff. There is a lot of room for improvement here. The wines we had were vey good, and so was the carpaccio that we sampled as soon as we got in. Upon looking at the menu, we thought the prices were moderate and reasonable. But after seeing how small the portions are, we figured that's the trade off. Not sure if I'd go back again. Possibly. But defnitely not if I'm starving and looking forward to stuffing myself and being able to leave with money in my pocket.
(2)Quagmire Y.
This place has potential. Vongole pasta was excellent. I tried the Margarita pizza and that was done perfectly as well. Two things that made me take away a star. #1 Lunch menu is the exact same price as the dinner menu but with fewer choices. This place is owned by the guy who opened Wolfgang's upstairs. Wolfgang's figured out how to get lunch business by having lunch specials. I guess they don't want the crowds because they just opened but there are a lot of good lunch specials in the same shopping complex (Suntory comes to mind as well). #2 Ice tea. This is a true conversation I had with the waiter: ME: "I would like some ice tea" WAITER: "We only have sweetened rasberry tea: ME: *making constipated face* WAITER: "Yeah I know, Everyone hates it." ME: "Well good luck with that then." I liked this place a lot but don't like spending $20 a person for lunch with so many other choices around.
(4)Lily N.
WOW! Me and my husband were in Hawaii 3 weeks ago. We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiin Village. We are so happy we found this place, the food is amazing!! I had the spinach and ricotta gnocchi and my husbad had the mushroom risotto. It is the best dish I have ever had! We ate here 3 times, while we were in Hawaii! You won't be disappointed!!
(5)Neil R.
Excellent Italian food. Try the happy hour specials and outdoor seating.
(5)Trevor I.
In one word-DISAPPOINTED ! Actually, I should say consistently disappointed. Let me explain. Went on a Wednesday night with a party of 8. The server was was not too eager to accommodate us with a high chair for our 2 year old nor was he helpful with some simple requests for food that she could eat. The drinks we ordered came after the appetizer was served and the 2nd appetizer that was ordered was not served until dinner was finished and the plates were cleared. The server never apologized but blamed it on his kitchen and not once did he ask if we would like more drinks or dessert. Nothing was comp'd and no manager ever visited our table. While the place screamed red flag I thought the food at least was decent so decided to give it another chance the next night with another visit, this time with 6 of us. Considering the same server was assigned to our table and that he did recognize me (even remembered my drink), I'm thinking only positive thoughts. that quickly changed as we waited 40 minutes between the appetizers and main course. When food finally did come up on the line, we watched it sit there for 10 minutes before a random server noticed it, looked around and then responded to my gesture that it was ours and could he please bring it. As we began to eat our cold, dry, very expensive entrees, the server and the manager began a heated exchange about what the problem had been. I eventually approached the server and the manager separately explaining our dissatisfaction and both responded with what appeared to be understanding and concern. THEN I GOT THE BILL. We were charge for EVERYTHING, even the dessert, coffee, and extra glass of wine the server said he would like to bring me. We were even charged for things we did not have like 3 cosmopolitans (only had 1) and the 2nd appetizer that I ordered, the roasted brusell sprouts, never even got those. Upon departing I directed my complete disappointment to the manager, my astonishment that not even our coffee was complimentary, and a 3-fold promise; I'd never be back, I'd never recommend Il Lupino, and I'd finally use YELP for what it was intended, to let others know of my experience. Bottom Line: 5-Star Prices, 1 Star Restaurant
(1)Rodney S.
Food came out hot and fresh, although they did bring me out the wrong dish at first but it was quickly corrected. All in all this is a good restaurant, 3 stars
(2)Luanna Y.
Pros: 1. Kitchen is open late. Showed up at 9:30pm for a relaxed, inviting dinner without a problem 2. Solid service - waiter was friendly and attentive. 3. Good wine list 4. True to traditional Italian flavors - previous reviewers have complained of lack of flavor, but the food here (at least the pastas) aren't soaked in vats of salt, cream, and cheese like a lot of American establishments seem to do. The pastas here are light and don't place a heavy emphasis on sauces. 5. Meatball appetizer - probably the best thing I ate while here - melt in your mouth tender! Cons: 1. Bit pricey. Wasn't expecting on spending $90 on a dinner for two when the pastas we ordered were only in the $16-18 range. It was the wine and appetizers ($10/order) that did us in. 2. Limited patio seating - we weren't able to sit out on the patio, unfortunately :( Overall, a good dining experience. Edit: forgot to mention - order the Tiramisu!! Aside from the meatballs, this was my favorite part of the meal. Not too sweet and no heavy alcohol taste. Just a light, fluffy dessert with cocoa powder on top as well as a healthy helping of creamy, vanilla-like sauce below. After polishing off the tiramisu itself, I asked for a spoon to eat up the sauce. It was delicious!
(4)Ben S.
We were amazed at the quality of both food and service tonight, our first dining experience here. Amir, our server, was flawless and made the experience even more satifying. The food was superb. Highly recommended.
(5)Takeshi S.
Location is nice. Service was great. Bruschetta's bread was rock hard. Pizza was cold. Risotto was excellent. Adding automatically 18% service charge is ridiculous.
(3)Andrew K.
The setting was nice (set away from the busy Kalakaua Ave). While the food was average, the service was absolutely terrible. It might have only been our waiter, but I can only describe it as "the best place I have ever gone to be ignored". Sad... A 1-star rating seems to high!
(1)Curtis M.
i give it ZERO stars, I would rather dine at The Olive Garden. I ordered a simple pizza and the crust was like a thin cracker, the pizza was cold, they had a 1/4 inch of raw arugala on the top of the pie and it tasted as if they dumped a ton of salt on top. My wife ordered the seafood pasta and the red pomodoro sauce was watery and tasted worse than Ragu. Our server was nice enough, but i have never had a worse meal in my life. i could only finish half a slice of my pizza and asked them to take it away. We went around the block to Taormina and ordered a fine meal. Take it from me, a Paisan "FBI" from North Beach in San Francisco, don't waste your money on this joint.
(1)Lindsay B.
Things we observed while waiting at the bar for a table on Sunday night: * A frustrated bartender throwing an empty wine bottle into the trash from across the bar - shattering it - and bringing the startled restaurant to a standstill. * The bartender mixing a drink for the gentleman next to us in a used glass. I repeat, not a glass that ran through the dishwasher and remained smudged - but a glass that HAD JUST BEEN USED by another bar patron. The guy next to us politely requested a new glass. * A server picking up a smudged glass, reaching into the glass and using his fingers to rub off the dirt before pouring a beer and bringing it to his table. * Our bartender welling up with tears when we ordered a mixed drink from the cocktail list. A second bartender called in to mix the cocktail poured the soda water directly into the cocktail shaker (causing an eruption), and poured the shaker ice directly into the glass (rather then pouring over fresh ice). The result - a butchered full glass of ice with little liquid and a single wilted basil leaf fished from the bottom of the shaker. * The worst house white wine I've ever been served * An hour wait for a table in a half-empty restaurant. At that point we opted to abort the mission - as none of the above occurrences inspired confidence. We saw very little food coming out of the kitchen at all and that which we did (ie. a plate of 8 gnocchi and one giant big-as-your-head meatball with pasta) just didn't seem persuasive.
(1)Sarah O.
This place is an unmitigated disaster. I have worked in this industry as a dining room manager for many years, so I'm always extremely observant when I dine out. I can see what is happening with a trained eye. The night we went, my friend and I received poor service from the time we approached the hostess podium, all the way to the end of our meal. The hostesses were overwhelmed with the amount of people trying to get a table. They were clearly not trained to handle the volume. There were also several different groups of people who were clearly frustrated with the situation as well. By the way, the manager on duty that night was a dolled up Hispanic looking woman who seemed disinterested in helping to solve this situation. She would show up every five minutes and ask them if they were ok and then disappear. We finally got a table. Our waiter was about a 5 out of 10. He was unable to answer several of my questions about the wine list and the food menu....fail. The only good thing about him was his semi pleasant attitude. Again not enough training. The food was alright but we had to wait a ridiculous amount of time to get it. Then I witnessed something I could not believe. There was a very pleasant looking Japanese couple sitting at the next table. When the server dropped their check, they seemed confused about the charges. When the waiter returned they disputed some the charges on the check. He took the check and walked away. Here comes the dolled up manager. She proceeded to intimidate these nice people with her abrasive demeanor. She was speaking to them with an unfriendly and loud voice all the while insisting that they pay the full amount. She was a flat out bully to them, clearly taking advantage of the humble and respectful Japanese culture. I don't know the nature of the dispute, however, the way in wich the manager handled it was a catastrophe. I called the next day to try and contact the owner, but was told that the restaurant managers handle all complaints. Then how can she be held accountable for her unacceptable behavior ? It' s just a complete shame that really nice people on vacation have to experience such unprofessional behavior. EPIC FAIL !!!!
(1)Princess D.
Very good Italian restaurant in a very nice setting. The inside of the restaurant is larger than expected. It's very clean and nicely decorated. They also have a nice outdoor patio which we sat at. The service was excellent. I had the spinach and ricotta gnocchi which was delicious. It was definitely lighter than the typical (potato) gnocchi I've had at other restaurants. Their bread was fresh and served warm - very good. Overall, it was a lovely dining experience.
(4)Jen H.
Came for post-dinner wine and it was a nice, loungy, dim, chill atmosphere, tucked away from the main drag enough to feel out of the way of tourist bustle. Service was standard. I would definitely recommend this place for some drinks at the bar or on patio; wine selection was very nicely edited, lots of italian choices, as you'd imagine.
(4)Richard D.
Stay away!!! I feel for the tourists that get trap by the setting. I wanted to try this place for a while and I decided to go and sit in the bar to have my dinner there. My first contact with the bartender was to order a soda since I don't drink and is fair to say that he did not show any disappointment for not ordering a $70 bottle of wine. Whenever I go to a restaurant like everybody else, I have some basic expectations. After serving my soda he never asked me if I wanted to see the menu so I told him I was planning to have some food. I order the nogquis since I come from an Italian mother and is one of my favorite dishes. The food came fast (it was not hot enough) I waited few minutes before touching it hoping he was following soon with bread and Parmesan cheese. BUT NOT. So I try some pasta and the first impression was NO TASTE! still he is not coming with bread so I asked him for some and soon he brings the oil and vinegar mix. Right there I realized that the pasta was SAD, SO SAD! so I asked him if they have a side order of Italian sausages or meat balls He said no sausages so I order one meat ball on tomato sauce. Put half if the ball on top of the pasta and it seemed a little happier but no much, because the meat ball was also SAD, NO TASTE EITHER!! 10 minutes passed and the bread comes!! ( the one and only star of my review goes to the bread) good. Now I'm ready to eat my almost $40 dinner which is cold and NO TASTE and no even the mother of all cheeses (parmigiano reggiano) was able bring up some flavor of this thing in front of me. So now I'm wondering if really was P. Reggiano. :( trying to finish my dinner and the bartender was MIA, other waiter comes to the bar and asked me if I wanted some more water and I said no that is not water is Sprite but some water would be wonderful I said. He did not serve me the water he just put it on the counter. I think everyone will figure out what I mean. To finish. BAD SERVICE, the food NO TASTE, OVER PRICED, STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE. For half of their prices are much better and authentic Italian restaurants in Oahu.
(1)Greg P.
This restaurant is in a beautiful garden setting behind the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center. That's the biggest thing it has going for it. There were lots of employees passing by our table, but none of the ever seemed to the be the one handling our table. i.e., "I'll notify your waiter". I had the Tagliatelle Bolognese and my wife had the Gnocchi ala Ragu Maile. The Tagliatelle was good. The Gnocchi was mushy and flavorless. At these prices, there's better places to eat.
(2)Tim R.
I feel bad for the servers and hostess. They worked hard to ensure that we had a great experience but the kitchen and the bar let them down. The food was under seasoned and my wife's gluten free pasta was obliterated. Drinks from the bar weren't prepared well and had to have them remixed with instruction. Save your money its not worth the chance.
(2)Kim S.
Awesome dinner and service. Had carbonerra and a special pasta. So yummy and atmosphere was great. Service awesome. Tomorrow I'm checking it out for breakfast!
(5)Julie K.
This restaurant is racist towards Asians! Being that I'm from Hawaii, where the majority of the population is Asian, I've never thought I would come across racism! That is until I came to this restaurant. Our party of 5 showed up at 10:30 p.m. When we got there the hostess whispered to one of the waiters asking if he wanted to take us and he said. "I don't want to take them, its the middle of shift change." We waited for about a minute or so until another waiter decided to take us. After we were seated, we waited about 10 minutes and didn't get a menu so I decided to ask the waiter who was talking to another waiter if he could bring us a menu. He said he would bring it over right away. After about waiting for another 10 minutes we still didn't get a menu. The waiter finally came to over to our table (without the menus) and asked for our drinks. We ordered our drinks and told him we still didn't get a menu. He apologized and said he would get the menus right away. We waited for another 5 minutes until I decided that I would get the menus myself from the hostess. Another waiter brought out our drinks and spilt a glass of wine on my husband and broke the glass. He didn't bother to clean up the glassware right away and kicked it below the table. We were all in shock! What kind of restaurant does this? He did come back with a new glass of wine and said " Since I spilt the last glass, I filled this glass to the top." Keep in mind that my husband did not order the wine! He ordered beer and someone else in the party ordered the wine. So, my husband was left with a wet shirt and not even offered a comped drink. We waited for another 15 minutes and wanted to order our food but our waiter was no where in sight. When we did finally see him, I raised my hand to get his attention and he quickly turned in the other direction and walked away. He pretended he didn't see me. Then about 10 minutes later, he came back and someone else in our party tried to get his attention but he proceeded to the table behind us and took their order. The table behind us was a haole couple in their mid 50s. We all looked at each other and said "Maybe, this guy really doesn't want to take our order." We looked around the restaurant and saw that everyone else has been helped. Then someone else in our party went up to him and asked if he could take our order and he said he would be with us right away. About another 10 minutes has passed and he still did not take our order. Everyone in the restaurant was non-locals in their mid 30s and up. We came to the conclusion that maybe he thought Asians in their mid 20s didn't tip. We went to the young Haole manager and told her about our whole experience. She wasn't apologetic at all and seemed like she didn't even give a shit. She had a strong accent so maybe she couldn't even understand what we were saying. Shouldn't you have a manager that speaks English? This was by far the worst restaurant I've been to! Please save your money and time! Do not go to this restaurant!
(1)Victor H.
We have an unbelievable prosciutto pizza, very nice environment with water fall and beautiful palm trees surrounding, The waitresses Naoko and Robyn are amazing friendly and we strongly recommend this place. For lunch try the hamburger and Arugula salad you will not regret it.
(5)Larry H.
What a disappointment. We watched as the tables around us turned once and some twice while we waited for our food. The server apologized and tried to explain that it was a 'firing' (?) problem. Whatever. Once the food did show up it was mediocre at best (at least it was warm). As suggested in an earlier review you can go to a place like Auntie Pasto's for comparable food at more than half the price. To their credit they comp'd us a glass of wine as an apology but by then we were bored, hungry, and tired of the entire experience. We will never go back.
(1)Samuel A.
Happy hour on website will not be honored.
(1)Aleena Anne O.
We had a great time here! The food was awesome overall. Would have rated 5 stars, but my boyfriends steak was served undercooked and when you order medium rare that means it was raw. However, other than that it we had a an amazing time. Our server was stellar and made the whole experience that much better. Our appetizer wasn't on the menu- the meat and cheese plate (3 meats & 3 cheeses) which was awesome! The Gorgonzola brie was just fabulous! I ordered the fettuccine with asparagus with a black truffle sauce-delicious! My boyfriend ordered the Filet Mignon other than the fact that is was very under-cooked it was still good. He ate the whole thing! For dessert we ordered the tiramasu which was soooooo good! The almond sauce was yummy! Definitely would recommend to friends! Love that you can make reservations on opentable.com
(4)Dave H.
I would have given this place one star, but my first experience here was a good one. So, to be fair, I gave it two. On my first visit, I thought I had found my new perfect happy hour spot. Good wines at $5 a glass and excellent antipasti at $5 each. The bartender (Danny) was attentive, personable and conscientious, even with a busy bar. Over the next few days I told numerous friends about my great new find, right there in Waikiki. Now I wish I hadn't done that. I went for happy hour yesterday with high expectations. Being an Italianophile, I am always looking for good Italian food. When I got to the bar there were four people beside myself. The bartender was talking to two customers, whom he clearly knew, so it took him 2 or 3 minutes to take my order for a glass of wine. He asked if I was hungry and I replied that I was starving. He handed me a Happy Hour menu and that's the last time he said a word to me. I slowly sipped my wine for 25 minutes, waiting to order food, but it was pointless. I had become invisible. The bar never got busy. At one point it was just me and two other customers. Unlike my previous visit, I was not offered bread while I waited to order (their fresh bread is excellent, making it all the more aggravating). I was never asked if the wine I ordered was fine. The bartender kept doing busy work while ignoring the customers. I don't think it's my job as a customer to beg someone to take my order. I don't know what the deal is. The restaurant probably has enough tourist business to afford to neglect the locals, be it for Happy Hour or dinner. What a shame, because the food is good; however, I refuse to spend my money where it is not appreciated.
(2)David K.
We attended this restaurant for Xmas dinner & came away largely disappointed. The bread, olive oil & balsamic whilst we pondered the wine & food list was good, but after that everything went pretty much down hill. We ordered a bottle of Pinot Grigio, which both the waiter & us knew was best served very chilled. Why then would we receive a room temp bottle in a bucket of ice which we declined. This was replaced bya recommended alternative wine, which although fruity was acceptable but not worth $45. We shared calamari fritter which comprised fried batter & limited calamari, very bloody ordinary. The mains, my wife had a white flesh fish cooked in a salt shell. If you enjoy eating salt, this is for you. I had a pork rib eye which was a well cooked & presented, meaning one of us at least partly enjoyed our dinner, but I emphasise partly. The bill before a tip totalled $145, which was way over he top for the quality of the food &!wine. Come again, you've got to be joking. David Gold Coast Australia
(2)Bronwyn W.
My friend and I had just flown in, and were both hungry and tired so didn't want to eat too heavily. We both had ceasar salads and split the "Owners" pizza (eggplant and zuccini). Tres Bon! The lettuce was perfectly coated with a dressing with a hint of sardine and lemon. Just the right amount of shaved parmesan. The pizza was classicly thin (although no char bubbles) with thinly sliced vegetables. Superb! The waiter was accommodating, attentive. The hostess on the other hand was bossy and rude, running that house with an unnecessary iron fist. She's a fail; the rest of the place is a definite keeper. A bright spot on an otherwise dismal dining scene on the west end of the Waikiki strip.
(4)Mark M.
Did not even get the privilege to eat here. Was told a ten minute wait with many open tables. We were told they were not seating people because the kitchen was backed up. That certainly was cause for concern right away. Frustration grew when 4 couples were the seated before us. Maybe they had reservations (I really don't know), but I do know they didn't increase kitchen capacity in that time. Maybe it was good, but after 40 minutes I was done waiting to find out.
(1)Gloria A.
Had breakfast here. Food & ambience were above average, however, service was poor. Hostess offered still or sparking water (@ a cost) & never offered tap water. Some diners received nice cold iced tap for free. I raised the point & I was not charged. Order took a long time coming. Lots of bus help, but I had to hail them & the waitress for coffee, refill, etc.
(2)Thomas D.
Pros: 1.Color palette is warm and inviting to the eyes: muted yellows, whites and browns. 2. Staff is friendly 3. Service is pretty good 4. They have a full bar and a nice selection of wines. Their choices of Italian wines are especially impressive. 5. The dishes were not heavy and/or soaked in oil. Cons: 1. The food isn't that great--we had the linguine carbornara and it was tasteless---not kidding. It has to be difficult to mess up such a basic dish like this one--but they managed to serve a dry and tasteless version of this classic. We also had the bucatini amatriciana--that too wasn't very good. The flavors of this standard should be bold and peak your taste buds' interest. Pancetta, caramelized onions and pecorino cheese served in a simple plum tomato/garlic sauce isn't difficult to create. I think they need to sit down as a restaurant and have a tasting of their dishes again. It might help to sample what is being served every now and then. The meatball appetizer wasn't good and should be removed from the menu--it is Americanized food. I hope they continue to improve. This restaurant has potential.
(3)LT L.
Food was decent, service average. We sat on the lanai at a four top and my chair was bumped by servers six times in 2 hours. At one point a server hit my friend in the head as she passed by with her plates. Umm...they all apologized but come on people..this is not a diner! Not once did the manager come over to attempt to move The table and make more room. No one cared..too many tourists go there and clearly they do not count on repeat business. Too bad, so sad.
(3)Mango M.
Recently had a nice dinner service here. We came at around 7:30pm on a weekday. Good food, good service. Waiter was attentive from beginning to end.
(4)Toan D.
$13 for a Dewers & soda ? It's a run of the mill blended scotch in a dark bar at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center. I'll go to Rum Fire with an ocean view, live music and pay $9.
(3)Glenn G.
Houston we have a problem ... Outrageously bad service. I tried the happy hour on the patio instead of at the bar tonight and what a mistake. It wasn't just my table - most, if not all, of the other tables were having a similar experience. Despite plenty of staff, service was slow, chaotic and incorrect. If you still want to give happy hour a try - recommend you sit at the bar.
(2)James V.
An inexpensive yet elegant, and most importantly, GREAT Italian place on Waikiki? This is the place! Il Lupiano just opened two weeks ago so I'm glad we didn't plan our trip here sooner. The food and service are both excellent! This place rivals and fine Italian restaurant in South Florida. Be sure to try a Lemon Chello martini. . . YUM! The menu isn't terribly expansive, but everything we had was wonderful. PS - Like all places on Waikiki you probably won't get in without a reservation unless you show up right at six.
(5)CJ C.
Came here last night with a party of 8. When we arrived it was early and uncrowded. Service was very good at the beginning of the meal and got VERY SLOW toward the end when the restaurant was crowded. Their best feature was that they were friendly. So, why 3 stars (I'd actually give it 2.5)? Food was just OK and very expensive. The best dish was the eggplant appetizer which held much promise for the rest of the evening. It was flavorful, light and with a wonderful tomato sauce that was not too tart. Unfortunately, the rest of the entrees were disappointing. Two of us ordered the rack of lamb for $38 dollars. 3 chops? Seriously? At almost $13/chop, I expected it to be outstanding. On the plus side, the meat was perfectly cooked in terms of done-ness. On the downside, the meat and sauce were simply bland. From the looks of it, the lamb was barely seasoned (if at all) before it was seared. There was no flavor! As for the butchering, the 3 chops were served as a whole. And while beautifully, cleaned with visual long lines of pristine bone, the chef neglected to trim off the gristle which made it impossible to saw the chops apart without huge effort despite the steak knife provided. The accompanying veggie (hard to tell if spinach or kale) was fine, if not bland. The accompanying arborio rice studded with duck was pretty tasty, which was a happy contrast to the rest. I tasted the veal chop, which was also beautiful visually, but on the bland side with its accompanying mashed potatoes (also bland). Other diners commented that their dishes (vongole and mushroom ravioli were less than memorable). The star dish appeared to be the cioppino--but at $42--it should have been. Two of our party ordered salumi--prosciutto, speck, salami and mortadella. All OK; nothing to write home about. Desserts were very pricey--$9 for 2 small scoops of sorbet? The tiramisu was pretty and tasty, but I'd expect that for $11. All in all, VERY disappointing. Service was pleasant, but uneven in terms of wait time. It was sad that what appeared to be good quality product was not treated with more care. Salt and pepper would have gone a long way in making these meals more flavorful.
(3)Lisa C.
This place for dinner was a disappointment . Ambiance was great, the staff was very nice, but the food was terrible. I had the ossobucco, an expensive dish, but it was fatty with no flavor. My fiancé had the veal special that sounded awesome, but had no flavor either. Maybe we should of ordered pasta, but we wouldn't go back there again. :(
(1)Krystal W.
Definitely don't miss the happy hour..can't beat it in waikiki! Free bread.. they keep quality wine on their happy hour and just 5 bucks for a big Italian pizza.. its our new happy hour/dinner spot!
(5)Audrey C.
Extremely bad service - Overpriced food. We had to repeatedly ask the waiter to take a drink order. At a wine bar? Our group of ten was on its third basket of bread & had heard about the daily specials all before we finally convinced the waiter to take our order for wine & cocktails. Oh, and re the bread - it came out promptly, but no plates on the table for the olive oil & balsamic. We mentioned it to the waiter who promptly brought about four plates (again, party of ten) Apparently the waiters are so used to having someone else set the table that they don't even look to see that everything is set when a party is seated. Food was good, but extremely overpriced. Meats & cheese appetizer? Yes it was tasty, but I'm pretty sure the ingredients were sourced from the Costco deli section. Gnocchi was good, as was the veal chop. Salads & other items were o.k.. But for the price I was expecting great. I have heard their happy hour is pretty good but I'm sure in Waikiki you can find better.
(1)David G.
Still very good! I went again and everything I had was very authentic. My only complaint was their pizza. It should have been better for a place like this. It was a let down especially when the rest of their menu is spot on. The bread they serve is some of the best I have had on the island.
(4)Ken K.
It may well be that Honolulu, or at least Waikiki just does not have the clientele to support a real Italian restaurant of the sort that Il Lupino aspires to be. Or it could simply be that the folks who run Il Lupino haven't a clue about how to create and educate such a clientele. In either case, our experience of eating there proved to us that in Waikiki anyway one should stick with Asian or Asian fusion, which is well represented by any number of places to meet all tastes and budgets. At Il Lupino we ordered the Prosciutto and melon and the Arugula Salad as starters. Even though at our small hotel we had incredible, ripe, melon, the melon here was hard, unripe and tasteless. The prosciutto itself was fine but the combination was disappointin; if the chef does not have the ingredients to make a dish properly, it shouldn't be on the menu. The salad was ok, though it was topped with slices of some sort of cheese that didn't add anything to the mix at all. For main courses we chose the Pizza Margherita and the carbonara. The pizza was, frankly, pathetic even though the sauce on it was actually quite flavorful. The crust was underdone, flavorless, and neither really chewy nor crispy. The carbonara was a mystery. The basic ingredients are pasta, egg, parmigiano, and sauteed pancetta, and there are usually two approaches to restaurant carbonara; either it is cheesy, thick, and rich, or it is creamy and rich. This was thin, salty, and tasted of neither cream, cheese, nor egg. The pancetta was flavorful enough on its own, but the thin sauce reminded me of an underdone omelet in consistency and yet had no egg (or cheese) flavor. We passed on dessert. The wine was ok, though the selection in per glass wine was VERY limited considering the size of the cellar. The service was adequate but not, in a place that oozes charming friendliness, neither particularly charming nor friendly, though the waiter believed he was trying. After we heard him tell the neighboring diners that he would soon be leaving to live in the house he had in Santa Barbara so he could invest in his friend's private bank, it became difficult to know exactly how to take his rather odd style. I don't think we would go back, in part because we didn't think these folks were serious. It didn't seem like they had set a high standard for themselves in both food and service and just hadn't quite gotten there yet; rather it seemed like they had already decided that everything was just perfect and they were waiting for everyone to recognize the fact. Didn't work for us.
(1)Isaac Z.
It is kind of hard to mess up Italian. By the same token, it is difficult to make 5 star Italian food. But this place was disappointing.
(2)Satoru Y.
This place has the best gnocchi I had on the island. That being misleadingly said, there are some quirks to this place. I had been wanting to try this place out for quite some time; the promise of any new great Italian restaurant was hard for me to ignore. We also were surprised that they had an extensive vegetarian menu, and it was suggested by our vegetarian friend. We decided to meet up with him while he was staying in Waikiki. The interior was nice and open; definitely designed to maximize patron volume and turnaround times. It had a large indoor and equally large outdoor seating. The place is going for that metro-sleek look and feel: simple and clean. They did a good job at making a great space. However, the food was a mixed bag: most of our dishes were great, then some fell flat face first. We started with the Melanzane e Zucchini Soufflé appetizer: thinly sliced eggplant and zucchini layered and draped over pomodoro sauce lightly topped with marscapone cheese. I loved the rich, yet stripped-down, flavor that this dish had: a great starter. I had ordered the Veal Chop in a truffle and madeira sauce, served with potato mash. I love truffle and wine sauces, it's hard not to. The beautiful large boned chop was cooked perfectly to medium rare: pretty straight-forward but it was delicious. The best dish was the Wild Mushroom Gnocchi in a white cream sauce. I was actually expecting gnocchi that would have tasted as an average in my book. However, I was shocked at how good it was here. The gnocchi was perfectly fluffy, like heavenly fluffy. The earthy mushrooms and the comforting cream sauce meld together with the fluffy gnocchi, and the result is a dish that I'll definitely get when I come back. The worst dish of the evening, and possibly the year, had to be the Wild Mushroom Risotto: it was actually atrocious. Mind-blowingly bad. Like listening to Christopher Walken do Shakespeare. Unfortunately, this was the dish our vegetarian friend ordered, so he was kind of stuck with it: I felt so bad for him. The risotto was a mushy confused mess. Besides being bland, the texture was just disgusting. I just kept looking at the large clumpy blob on his plate like it was going to start talking. We ended our meal with the Panna Cotta dessert in a white chocolate creme. This was a great finisher: light yet rich, refreshing, and delicious. We also shared a Vanilla Gelatto, which was whatever: not the best gelatto I've ever had. It made me ask why did we order this. All in all, some great dishes and some that need a lot of work. Not exactly an overall mind-blowing experience, but I probably can see myself coming back again. A great place to check out, but be mindful that the food can be a bit uneven.
(3)N. T.
My friends and I stayed nearby at the Sheraton Waikiki and we had walked by this restaurant a few times on our way to get coffee and noticed eggs benedict on the menu. We decided to try the place out and Im glad we did. My friend and I both ordered the bacon and eggs benedict. I added spinach to my plate which complimented the meal very well. Bacon was thick and delicious! Staff was very nice however I am knocking one star off for slow service. We had to ask for our waters as well as refills on our coffee.
(4)David M.
Meh... My wife and I decided to give this place a try on the recommendation of one of her coworkers. The atmosphere was good, but that is about it. To begin with, the service was poor. We were seated in a section that was apparently unmanned by their staff. After a rather long wait, what appeared to be a manager came by somewhat flustered and asked how things were. We told her that a server would be great. I'm not sure whether it was at her direction or not, but eventually a waiter who was handling the other side of the restaurant eventually picked up our table. As for the food, it was okay. We started with a meat and cheese plate which was probably the best part of the meal, though ordering was a little confusing because the manager(?) took the cheese and cocktail menu and the server couldn't find one that was identical to the one we started from. We ordered the pecorino, gorgonzola, blue brie, gouda, hot dry salami, and another meat that was like a smoked ham (not sure because this was where the menu confusion came into play). The cheese was served in small cubes, 4-5 per variety, with a small stack of slices for each of the meats. It was high quality (though the Gorgonzola was a little potent for my taste) and served with a bit of honey, mustard, and two olives. Next, we split a caprese salad. This was decent - though not overly impressive. The mozarella and tomatoes were very fresh. The basil was very light, and the balsamic was formed into small beads of gel which we initially mistook for some sort of caper by their appearance. Interesting, but some of the flavor was lost and that is one of my favorite parts of this dish. For the main course, I ordered the penne arrabiata and my wife ordered the bucatini with a pomodoro sauce. These fell completely flat. Not awful, but I have had better pasta with a $7 lunch plate (see JP Serrato). Strangely, her pasta was a bit spicy as well and that was a major turn off for her. There's better Italian in Hawaii, and I will probably not return simply because the quality of the food does not match the price. If the goal here is to simply bring folks in the door, it succeeds. Fortunately, in Waikiki a restaurant does not need repeat business to survive.
(3)Courtney F.
We tried this place on a recent trip to Waikiki and were really pleased! We ordered two pasta dishes (sorry can't remember the names) and both were YUMMY! Oh and I really enjoyed the Caesar salad which we split :) my main compliment is their service though, which some other reviews say is poor quality. Our service was awesome! Really attentive! Water constantly refilled etc. Our main server was really thorough when I asked for recommendations which I found nice and helpful. I would 100% go back! The ambiance is nice too if u sit on the patio :)
(4)Gini K.
This restaurant is by far the best restaurant to go to and be totally ignored for the duration of your dinner. Hated our waiter...no personality whatsoever. He never once made the effort to check to see if you needed anything else even water! Food was mediocre, same with the wine they recommended. Will never go back in my lifetime.
(1)Jeff O.
Ok so I decided to try IL Lupino again (benefit of a possibly bad night) and brought along my girlfriend & 3 of our friends. First it was taking quite a long time to be seated so we decided to wait at the bar and order a round of cocktails after talking to the hostess. Our bartender was prompt and entertaining and the drinks were really good. The mojito was a little strong but that's never a bad thing and the bartender was great checking in us from time to time.One star! 15 minutes goes by and I went to ask the hostess how much longer since there were quite a few tables open. She said another few minutes which I didn't think that would be fine. Now we did have reservations for 7:30p and soon it was closer to 8p. Patience is not my virtue so was starting to get irritated. I turned to go ask again and NOW the 6 empty tables were filled! WTH? I asked the hostess which now she was irritated w/ my "nagging." Now it's 8:15p and we're finally being sat. No waiter, no water, hostess forget our menus which we received 5 min later. Still no water or waiter. Either they were shorthanded or most were amateurs. The restaurant seemed to be in a state of disarray! Minus 1 star. When a waiter finally arrived we decided to order 3 Caesars & 1 beef carpaccio AND our entrees at the same time. I ordered the veal chop med, my gf the tenderloin Med, friends ordered 2 Amachrcciana & 1 Arrabiatta since there seemed to be multiple customers waiting a long time for their food and quite upset. We all ordered another round of drinks as the waiter tried to get us to order a bottle of wine...sorry we're not wine drinkers. I think this was the last time we saw our waiter. We asked for bread which a bussed brought it...then we waited oh about another 45-an hour for our food. Having worked in many restaurants I can understand waiting for your food, but NOT an hour! We finally was served our food haphazardly handed it from our right side? You serve from the "left!" I know I can be critical cuz I was (incl 2 of our friends) in the industry for over 10 yrs but come on! Water glasses empty, maybe remove the empty bread basket, ask if we'd like more, etc. Now the food. My veal chop was well done. Flavor wise decent but I wasn't about to wait another hour for a new one! Tenderloin well done, geez! Amachtricciana no flavor & how do you over cook the pasta? Supposed to be slightly chewy but this was mushy! The arrabiata was so freakin spicy (and my friend loves spicy) but thus was ridiculous!!! Negative 1 star! We asked for it to go figuring we could mix the two pastas and it would be okay for later. We ended up w/ a different waiter to cash out & left a dollar tip. Way overpriced for food destroyed by the cooks! Oh & the bussed said that 3 of the best cooks were fired last week, and so is this the customers fault? Whoever is in charge of the evening kitchen crew should be fired!!! They fire their best cooks and keep what? The worst cooks?! This is shameful!
(1)U'ilani A.
Expecting to find an extensive selection of wines by the glass & Italian fare to match, I was sorely disappointed. The kicker was when our (very crappy) server said their Sauv Blanc was "like a cab." (Huh?!?) Far from a trattoria & wine bar, it's nothing more than an overpriced Waikiki facade.
(1)G F.
dis*ap*point*ment -noun [dis-uh-point-muh nt] 1. the act or fact of disappointing 2. the state or feeling of being disappointed Not what I expected from a Wolfgang Zwiener partnership... We went on a weekend at 5pm. There were a few tables taken and a few people at the bar. No problem, right? We sat at the bar and planned to take advantage of the $5 happy hour specials. We had the red wine of the day which was Chianti. Good so far... Ordered the calamari, meatball, eggplant special ($5) and the arancini di riso off of the appetizer section for $10. 41 minutes later our food came. Meatballs and arancini was cold inside. The appetizers came with a marinara sauce which made everything taste the same. Eggplant was the best of that bunch. We then ordered the $5 pizza (tasteless) and the hot dry salami and Gouda cheese ($5 each). These came quickly and the salami and cheese was really good. The bread was really good as well. Poor service and one-note food. I hope newly named GM, David Nagaishi can fix these issues faster that it took us to get our first appetizers.
(1)Roger F.
Amazingly friendly staff and great restaurant. The duck Raviloi was good, but not amazing. Meat ball appetizers were also good. Felt that one would have a good meal here and leave very happy.
(4)Kerry K.
We stumbled upon the beautiful patio after passing PF Changs and Cheesecake Factory. We asked for a seat on the patio and were told there would be a 30 minute wait. After amazing shopping nearby, we returned to be seated in the back of the restaurant by the bathroom and obnoxiously bright kitchen. "there are no seats outside. Everyone out there still has menus" said the augmented hostess in the short, tight dress, who ironically was the same hostess who promised a 30 minute wait. The food was great but the service remained mediocre, we had to ask for forks, promised bread never arrived... We've all been there...
(1)Kiki O.
I ate here last night around 9pm. I usually drink merlot wine but there were no selection of merlot by the glass. Instead, I decided to try a "well rounded" cabernet by the glass that was suggested by the wine guy that the waiter brought to the table. Good choice, not too heavy. The cheese and meat platter was greatt because the three choices of meat had different tastes so I could compare flavor. The best was the really smoked flavor, then there was a slightly smoked but more meaty flavor, last was a deli meat that tasted as if i got it from the super market=watered down flavor... cheeses were yum. I originally wanted to order the Gnocchi ricotta e spinaci. I really, really, wanted to try it but was disappointed because they had just ran out.. last night, the fresh catch of the day was unavailable along with the salmon dish =(. So in place of the Gnocchi I ordered the Melanzane e Zucchini Soufflé(eggplant appetizer-decent/good and pretty looking). The MUSHROOM RISOTTO is DELICIOUS and the Ossobuco(braised veal shank) was nicely tender =). Service was excellent, the waiter continuously filled my water. Food was served in a timely manner. I would rate way higher if I was offered the dessert menu. I realize that it was later in the night and dinner was coming to a close but there were a couple tables also present still finishing up their dinner.. I dont think the time is a good enough of an excuse to not serve dessert especially since my date and I was not given a heads up for last call for dessert. (A previous restaurant that I ate at, at least told us that if we wanted dessert it would have to be served now during our meal because it wont be available later due to the time) I think it would've been a much more better experience if I got to try a dessert dish especially since i had seen a sample of one of the desserts from one of the pictures posted on yelp( I was looking forward to trying dessert..) looks goood. oh by the way, the other reviews are right!! ---- the bread is amazingly good and served with vinegar and oil. Thick and chewy bread=fresh!
(3)Kristin C.
We read some of the reviews about poor service, but due to its location decided to try it anyway and we are really glad we did. Our waiter was very pleasant and gave is great suggestions. We decided to go with the chicken scallopini as well as the mushroom gnocchi. Both of the dishes were absolutely amazing. Our service was very fast, the meal delicious, and atmosphere on the patio wonderful. We will probably go back for another dinner before our vacation is over.
(5)Jon C.
Husband and I ate here last night- the food was delicious, the service was great and the atmosphere was nice. It wasn't very busy, which I could only attribute to the road construction outside blocking the sign. It didn't bother us, however, because the food came out quickly and the waiter was attentive. I had the Margherita pizza which was perfectly prepared and tasted just as good as leftovers the next afternoon. Hubby had the spinach Gnoche which he also said was superb. We would definitely return.
(5)George J.
was concerned with all the negative reviews, but pleased to report that we did not have the same negative experience. James was our waiter ... the food was gr8 ... the service was gr8 ... we really enjoyed our evening here!!!!
(4)Kyle A.
This place has a nice atmosphere, food was great and service was decent. Tried the eggplant and prosciutto appetizers. Lobster risotto was a great deal and the duck ravioli was tasty! Good Italian wine selection too! Would definitely return!
(4)Jess C.
The food was good, not great, but good; the portions, service, and overall experience was not worth the price paid for our meals (about $60 each person, splitting dishes!). We came with a big group, which may have been the straw that broke the camel's back, but regardless of the table size, any good server knows that a drink order, especially at a WINE BAR, should be done within a few minutes of seating. It took us about 10 minutes to get waters, another 10 to get in our drink orders and then another 10 to actually get our drinks (all wine & beer) the entire process took so long that we actually opened our own beers we had from earlier since we were so thirsty. The hostesses were snobby and obviously don't understand the role of a hostess / host, and there was another waiter that kept whispering into our waiter's ear, it was really uncomfortable. IF I came back here I would do so only on date night, only during happy hour and sit only at the bar. I'd really rather go to Buca Di Beppo...
(2)Justin B.
This brand new Italian restaurant, in my understanding, opened about three weeks ago and although it has some bugs to work out (making sure food doesn't run out and making the wine list more descriptive) it has the potential to be one of Waikiki's finest offerings. The food is fantastic, the service is top notch, and the ambiance is exciting and stunning. Make sure to try the lobster risotto or the osso bucco, awesome dishes!
(5)Sonja B.
We braved Waikiki to seek out this new Italian bistro on a tip from a friend. Started with the spinnach and ricotta soufle which was lovely. Their red sauce is fabulous and the gnocchi was soft and perfect. My husband could not eat his linguini with clams fast enough. Our waitress was Melissa, who was very friendly and gave us great service!
(4)Katie W.
Treated myself to a Friday night dinner date for one - scored a perfect seat at the end of the bar with a great view of the surrounding area. Sipped a perfectly shaken, but slightly overpriced martini, while waiting an appropriate amount of time for dinner to arrive. I enjoyed a plate of handmade gnocchi stuffed with mushroom, smothered with a yummy cream sauce. These little gems were well crafted and melted in my mouth, I just wish the flavors popped a little more. To top it all off, I finished up with a warm chocolate cake oozing with goodness and served with a dollop of ice cream. The bartender recommended a glass of sherry that complimented the richness of the dessert wonderfully.
(5)Emma K.
I'm a New Yorker and spend my winters on the Big Island. I needed to get off of "Gilligan's Island" and do some shopping and good eating. Il Lupino did not dissapoint. Our waiter, James (family from the Bronx where I grew up) hit the mark. Food was excellent. And this is from a native New Yorker who knows good food. So, on that note, unless you can find better food in Hawaii I suggest you only open your mouth to enjo yhe food.
(5)Flyboy F.
Was leaving Rumfire happy hour with a friend and happened upon this place. Looked interesting so we just went in. We initially started with the Salumeria menu which consists of cured meats and some unusual cheeses. Ordered Speck, Blue Brie and creamy Dutch Gouda. The fresh bread was excellent. This was all paired with wonderful glasses of Italian red wine. (They really have a nice wine selection especially Italian wine. A bit pricey but really nice.) Anyway decided to have a full meal since we had the validated parking, were seated outside at a nice table and wanted to explore the menu. Ordered Insalata di Rucola which consisted of baby arugula, candied Marcona almonds, ricotta salata, candied pears, and lemon vinaigrette. This was an excellent combination of light refreshing, peppery and savory. Next Tagliatelle alla Puttanesca ( spicy pomodoro sauce with capers, anchovies, and olives ). Very well done classic dish. Pasta was cooked perfectly al dente. Margherita pizza was good, reminiscent of pizza from Naples. Nice crisp, slightly chewy crust and toppings were flavorful and proportioned nicely . Host who I believe was the manager did a great job greeting us and being patient, giving us a little information on the restaurant before we decided whether to sit at the bar or a table. Our waiter was also patient and informative about the meal choices but a bit unknowledgeable about the wine list. Service was a bit spotty for the caliber of restaurant. Examples; we were sharing everything and had to continually request plate changes, parmijiano cheese asked for 3 times, it began to drizzle and although our table was changed to one under an umbrella immediately we had to walk back and forth to carry all our things to the new table ourselves. Not really a big deal, but again for the class of eatery they are trying to represent ???. Hawaii is definitely lacking in authentic Italian food. I am sure you fellow foodies know that we have our own local or American versions but..... Assagio's and Pizza Hut ranking #1 for years does not mean they make authentic italian food. Anyway I will definitely return to Il Lupino and try other dishes. What I had was nice ambience with some good renditions of classic Italian dishes and great wine. It's a bit pricey but hey your dinning on Kalakaua Ave. in Waikiki, so actually price was fair. $65.00 for two minus the wines.
(4)CoCo A.
This is a nice place to relax and enjoy some music on a Friday evening. I had a glass of wine and the spinach pizza, which came with a thin crisp crust just the way I like it with mushrooms, mozzarella and ricotta cheese. I took half of it back for lunch the next day. They also brought fresh sourdough bread and oil and vinegar for dipping, yum. A bit of a carb overload, but hey, that's Italian!
(4)Larson V.
About the only good things I can say about this place is that it's nice looking and situated in a convenient Waikiki locale. It's all downhill after that - flavorless food and sub par service. Had high hopes for Il Lupino since there aren't many good Italian restaurants in Honolulu. Sadly, Il Lupino isn't doing it's part to change that. Having sampled several dishes I've got one word: salt - or lack of it. None of the pasta or meat dishes were adequately seasoned. Service is slow, disorganized, - it's pretty clear the servers are pretty inexperienced.
(1)G T.
Good food, terrible service and very noisy made it difficult to carry on a conversation. Wait staff was rude and they seemed short staffed for a busy night.
(2)George Q.
Overall I think this place is a pretty good Italian spot for Honolulu.. I liked most of the dishes I've had there in the past 3 times I've.. However, I don't think I'll ever order the steak anymore because last time I had it, it was a bit tough and the meat quality was not so special....
(4)Shannon H.
Would return to eat here. Close to a REAL italian restaurant that you can eat at and I ate in Little Italy in Boston.
(4)Frank S.
Enjoyable trattoria style (more casual than a ristorante) with an excellent wine cellar. My favorite is the Veal Piccata with lemon and capers.
(4)Eliana B.
The start of the evening was good, then we ordered our main course and waited, when we asked about the status, we were told one or two minutes and the waiter was rude. Three tables around us, where served and left....and we waited. Once again I ask and the waiter was rude. The food was OK, but I would not recommend it for the amount we spent wchich was over $500. Not again, not even on a bet.
(1)Eric M.
Had dinner clams linguini and lunch cesar salad here. Delicious italian. Wines good. Excellent service, a bit overwhelming lunch service with 2 waitrons.
(4)The T.
The kitchen is being let down by the poor service. Food was good but when you have to wait for the wine, more bread, the dessert menu, it put us off. Embarrassed to have left a low tip but service didn't deserve anything higher. Too bad.
(2)Tiff F.
Awesome mushroom stuffed gnocchi and beet risotto. Also had our favorite wine, Meiomi. Nice outdoor seating as well.
(4)Ralph R.
We dined here for the first time on the night of February 18, 2012. We sat outside on the patio and had dinner starting at 5pm, while the place was only about 1/3 full. Our service was a little on the slow side, but I think our food more than made up for that in a big way. For our appetizers, I had the black truffle infused porcini mushroom gnocchi, which was outstanding. It was cooked perfectly and my wife Valerie said she could smell the truffle oil from her side of the table. For my entree, I had the osso bucco, braised veal shank. It too was fabulous, as was the saffron risotto. They were both to die for. The veal was tender, they included a tiny fork so I could pick the marrow out of the bone, and the sauce was very well seasoned and flavorful. The risotto was al dente, creamy, and had plenty of saffron flavor. Valerie had beef carpaccio. I really don't enjoy raw beef, but I tasted it and it was very tender and nicely seasoned. Her veal chop was delicious. She apparently also thought so as she picked every bit of meat off that bone. I had a glass of the house red wine, and it was very good. For dessert, I had hoped to find something like vanilla panna cotta, but they only had chocolate, so we had the warm apple tart with vanilla ice cream. It was decadently flavorful and rich. I would definitely come back here for dinner again.
(4)Jane V.
Live here and tried it because we had to entertain some of husband's business associates and there was a huge convention in town and our usual tried and trues were not available. We like the location -- heart of Waikiki- in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center-but hidden off of the main drag (Kalakaua Ave) and thought we'd give it a try. We should have know when we walked by it the night before and stopped in to get a card that they didn't have any and handed us a ragged menu and wrote their phone number on it. Pros - nice relaxing view from the "sidewalk" tables (no sea view) Cons -- LOUD Completely uneven service -- all kinds of food and drinks coming at all different times as if no one had a lick of training on how to pace a meal and get different course out at the right time Salads were mediocre and not very generous. Pasta was mushy and flavorless and expensive - I wanted to say "where's the beef when i bit into the ravioli -- still looking for the filling. $48 bucks for osso bucco -I think they must have microwaved it instead of giving it the slow cooked treatment. There are way way too many other good places in Waikiki and beyond to waste your time here. Run fast -- * Date of visit: March 2011
(1)C K.
I have been waiting for an authentic and delicious Italian restaurant to open in Hawaii and thank God it's finally here! I was spoiled with amazing Italian food when I used to live in NYC, so I was a bit disappointed when I first moved to Hawaii. Il Lupino was absolutely delicious! They have an actual Italian chef, so the flavors are a lot more authentic. Don't expect your Buca di Beppo or Auntie Pastos here. It tastes a lot more like you're in an actual trattoria. I had the homemade gnocchi, and it was perfectly soft and chewy and it was seasoned so deliciously with a pomodoro sauce dusted with parmesan cheese. My husband had the bucatini all'amatriciana, which is his favorite dish from Mario Batali's restaurant in NY, and he was very happy with his dish at Il Lupino too. Wolfgang's Steakhouse is absolutely the best steakhouse in Hawaii and now they opened the best Italian restaurant on the island too! Thank you Wolfgang Zwiener for bringing the best steak from NY and now a taste of Italy to Hawaii too!
(5)Dave L.
Il Lupino Trattoria & Wine Bar was visible from the Sheraton Waikiki front entrance so we looked it up. On Yelp it had 5 stars. It just recently opened December 26, 2010 and was favorably written up in Honolulu Magazine. The location is great and the size of the restaurant is large with the kitchen in the middle. There are better sections than others, we were seated in the worst part of the restaurant and therefore we got horrible service. Our top 2 dishes that we wanted were not available (Gnocchi and Lobster Risotto). I guess if you want to ensure you get those dishes then make a reservation for earlier than 8:30. The waiter offered to make it up with a free dessert but almost comically they were out of tiramisu. This commonly happens with Gnocchi but lobster tails and tiramisu? We ordered 3 entrees, tagliatelle alla puttanesca, mushroom ravioli and shrimp risotto (substitute for lobster). I liked the mushroom ravioli but wish there were a few more, my wife liked the tagliatelle but is was too spicy for me, it tasted like the cap fell off the red pepper. We both did not like the shrimp risotto at all. We also ordered the prosciutto and melon, don't bother. The entrees were decent but certainly not 5 star or even 4 star. Maybe I have a higher standard being Italian and having eaten at some of the best Italian restaurants on the East coast. Even though I'm Italian I'm not an expert on Italian wines and if you aren't an expert then you better have someone with you that is or have your favorite wine app on your phone. I thought a wine bar would have had a more descriptive wine list but it's just a list of the wines on the menu, not organized or separated into types or regions. So of course we asked the waiter and he suggested some wine that wasn't even on the list. It was ok after it got some Hawaiian air in our glasses. It looked like they were either pushing that wine or other people were having trouble ordering off the wine list because we saw it on 2 other tables. The meal was at least cheap in comparison to what we paid at other restaurants. I'd like to give it another try and order different dishes, hopefully the ones we wanted when we showed up. I think with some tweaks it could get to 4 or even 5 stars. I just don't think you give it 5 stars because it's the only decent Italian restaurant in Honolulu.
(3)Jennifer W.
sat at the bar the food was absolutely wonderful, but we didn't receive what we ordered and the bartender didn't try to fix that. also charged $70 for a bottle of wine that was only $14 glass? no bottle prices listed on the glass list. we had to ask for water four times. we will return but not to the bar. mushroom risotto is great (although we ordered mushroom ravioli), the meat and cheese platter had a very nice presentation and nice contrasting flavors, and the brushetta had diverse flavors and a great presentation.
(3)Farz N.
My wife and I were on vacation in Waikiki for 9 nights. We ended up eating at Il Lupino for 3 of those nights. The mushroom risotto is unbelievable (the best I've ever had). My wife had the spinach stuffed gnocchi and substituted their cream sauce instead of the tomato sauce. This dish was also unbelievable. I'm not too crazy about gnocchi as it usually is a little to rich for me, but this I loved. My wife can hardly finish her plate, so I knew she loved it as she totally cleaned her plate. The waiting staff was awesome and the food was always consistent. You've got to give this place a try!
(5)Renee M.
My son, husband and I stumbled upon Il Lupino on our first night of vacay in Waikiki (8/27/11). It was late, expectations were low and we were hungry. We were greeted by a young, but friendly hostess who took our name and instructed us to sit at the outside bar, with our son in tow (he's 18) for drinks (his would be a coke) and appetizers before being seated in about a half hour. We followed her instructions and sat on the beautiful patio, which was full of seated diners. The food looked and smelled terrific, so we were excited to try the appetizer menu and get a couple glasses of wine and the coke for our son. Ten minutes later, we still could not even get the attention of the bartender, who seemed new and very focused on one particular couple. I finally spoke up and asked her for a menu. With a disgusted look, she immediately asked for our son's ID, and we explained to her that he was not drinking, that he was a minor and that we were following the hostess' instruction to sit at the bar until our table was ready. She replied, "If I even see him drinking, you will all be asked to leave!" in an extremely rude tone and proceeded to walk away. She would not take our order and although she checked in with the couple next to us three more times, one time, even staring me in the face, she refused to return. To be honest, it was that move that prompted me to ask for the manager, which I did, but not before flagging down a very friendly waiter who brought my starving husband and son the most wonderfully hot, fresh bread and the drinks we had intended to order from her. The hostess gladly offered to get the manager, and asked me if "my complaint was concerning one of the two bartenders." I replied yes and she responded that this exact thing had happened "numerous times already" throughout the evening. I told her I didn't think I'd ever have someone try to stare me down across a bar, and she rushed to get the manager. He responded promptly, listened to my concerns, sincerely apologized and asked me for our last name and where we were sitting. Within minutes, we were seated inside the air conditioned area of the restaurant, our drinks, bread and appetizer we had ordered (a wonderful margherita pizza!) were all transferred and he introduced us to our waiter and the sommelier who proceeded to apologize on behalf of the bartender and cater to our every need. The food that was to come was wonderful - from the chicken picatta to the duck ravioli - and the desserts phenomenal (chocolate souffle, which was like a lava cake and white chocolate cheesecake with an amazing apple crust). The drinks were wonderful as well. Bottom line for us - what started as a terribly rude, shocking beginning to our dinner was turned around quickly by a phenomenal management style and a belief in customer service. Thanks to David and his team for making our fist night back in Waikiki a positive one - we will be back to your wonderful restaurant. And to the bartender - I think you might want to consider another career! This establishment deserves better!!!
(4)Anthony M.
My girlfriend and I grabbed an early morning breakfast served on Il Lupino's nicely shaded patio. The team of servers was attentive and polite. I had the delicious eggs benedict while my girlfriend enjoyed her frittata fiorentina with roasted potatoes. All of this was washed down with a fresh orange juice mimosa and a cappuccino to finish. For a semi-elegant breakfast for two the bill was reasonable and ultimately well worth it.
(5)janine r.
my waiter was so helpfull with the menu and winesthe food was great and the prices are great for what you get and the decore is so simple and yet classy my waiter was dave ambrose he made our nite he was friendly and went out of his way to get us a great table in front of the kitchen also the outside bar is a nice touch also everyone seem to really enjoy their meals around us if you enjoy a good glasss of wine and cheese they have that too.
(5)Beyonce H.
I could get addicted to this place.! We sat at the bar and enjoyed a few glasses of wine and enjoyed the cozy atmosphere...The food is excellent had a panatella salad (the other review is right, the tomatoes, cucumber, bread & cheese - excellent, as was the zucchini souflle. Upscale, yet affordable. I would highly recommend!
(5)Lilo S.
Il Lupino is the first and only Italian restaurant in Hawaii that I wouldn't be embarrassed to recommend to actual Italians. Everything was splendid from the ambiance, to the food, to the handsome (and part Italian) waiter, Tona, with the non-stop beautiful smile (what can I say, I'm a sucker for dimples). The caprese salad was constructed of the best tomatoes I have ever eaten in Hawaii. The eggplant, zucchini and ricotta souffle could possibly turn me into a vegetarian.......if the shrimp on the risotto weren't so delicious. I found the veal chop a little underwhelming, but to be fair, I was so full by then, that I will personally disqualify my own opinion. The tiramisu is still sinfully delicious, even at max capacity. And thank you, Il Lupino, for bringing the concept of 'al dente' to this island paradise. I look forward to sampling tutti i piatti! In boca al lupo, Il Lupino (good luck)!
(5)