Bernini Honolulu — Restaurant in Honolulu

The worst restaurant I have ever visited.

We tripped to Hawaii from Japan this summer and ate at this horrible restaurant.

We chose to visit this restaurant because my wife read several positive reviews on her favorite Japanese magazines. She was eager to eat sea urchin pasta there.

The food was OK, but it was just a typical Japanese style Italian food. Since I wasn't expecting to eat Japanese-Italian food in the US, and I know so many other restaurants they serve far way better Japanese styled Italian restaurants in Japan, I was very disappointed. I wanted to eat real Italian, or American style Italian food in the US!! Sea Urchin was in very small portion, too. 　I later found out the restaurant were run by a Japanese owner. If you are not Japanese, it may be good to visit there to see what typical Japanese Italian restaurants are like.

I would give three stars on food, and why I had to give nothing but one star was because of their services.

The waitresses there were horrible. The waitress who served us was a Japanese lady apparently never experienced waitress and she does not know how to talk and does not know what to do, she does not even know how to smile. When I asked for the check she told me she would print the percentages of tip we want to give her. I never experienced this kind of service but by the time I knew she is so inexperienced, I told her to put 20% of tip which is what I usually tip. She brought the check but quickly disappeared and never showed back for more than 10 minutes, so we decided to leave the table. I could not find the Japanese waiter, so I talked to another waiter who wasn't Japanese and told her that I want to pay and leave. She looked at the check and told me very arrogantly, “Why you are not paying any tip?" I was very embarrassed but I try to be gentle and calmly told her the tip is already included in the receipt, when she found out her mistake, she never apologized and disappeared. It was closed to $400 on total by five people. I found the Japanese waiter and told her we were so embarrassed but she also did not apologizes and just told us to come back again. I would never never visit there again.

Later, I found out why there are many "Bernini Honolulu" reviews in Japan. It was run by a Japanese owner and he runs three cheap Italian restaurants in Japan. The name is also "Bernini," and you can eat similar food at less than half of the price. I think the owner just paid some money to write good reviews in...

The world food tour duo returned to Bernini; it had been almost a year since our last visit and we wanted to celebrate after seeing Cats at the Blaisdell. We had a 5pm reservation and were seated in the middle of the room; not our favorite location. Later, we were able to move to our preferred table next to the inside divider.

I ordered a 2017 Tenuta CastelGiocondo Brunello di Montalcino (Sangiovese grape). It was full of fruit with a hint of spice; it paired well with the food we ordered. We were served squares of bread with olive oil and balsamic; perfect to whet our appetite.

Our appetizers were the Keiki Portabello and Escargot and a dish that wasn’t listed on the online menu, a foie gras and sweet corn tart, The escargot was fine but I couldn’t tell if it contained pieces of portobello or another type of mushroom. It was served with thin slices of toast. My tablemate used the bread to sop up the garlic butter sauce. The foie gras tart was a visual and taste treat; a quenelle of foie gras mousse atop a petite tart containing sweet corn and some kind of soft cheese (I think), topped with edible flowers. Simply sublime! I wanted another order, or two!

We ordered the Risotto Al Tartufo to share with the Rossini for my tablemate and the Roast Maple Leaf Duck Breast with Orange Sauce for me. The scent of the truffles emanating from the risotto was intoxicating! The Rossini, “Washugyu” filet mignon atop potato puree, topped with a piece of foie gras, Perigueux sauce and slices of truffle, remains one of our favorite dishes at Bernini. Do not ever take this off the menu, please! The duck breast was cut into three pieces and served with pieces of mushrooms It was scrumptious; perfectly prepared, tender and juicy; the best duck we’ve tasted in 2023.

We ordered Tiramisu and the Affogato for dessert; wonderful finishes to a superb meal. I added an Italian coffee because I can never get enough good coffee.

It was a leisurely meal; we really appreciate that they don’t try to rush you and serve courses at an pace appropriate for fine dining. Too many places now try to speed you through dinner, wanting to turn the table over. We understand but it dampens the experience. No such problems at Bernini; a wonderful meal in a relaxed setting. Highly...

Didn't have to park in a parking garage. They're downtown, but they conveniently have their own mini parking lot in front. Staff was very courteous and professional, as expected of any fancy restaurant. I like how the atmosphere is more brightly lit like a normal eatery (it's not "intimately" dim like other fancy places).

The Genovese Seppie (Grilled Squid with Basil Garlic Cheese Sauce) is a dish with spaghetti noodles, a green pesto sauce, basil, and asparagus. The sauce itself is seasoned well. The squid pieces are very tender and also salty, which might be a bit much overall for some people, but perfect for me. The asparagus had a good gentle snap to them and was not about fibrous. The basil leaves were freshly topped, as none of them were wilted or discolored by heat. They added a refreshing element to the dish.

The Grilled Scallop with Fresh Tomato and Basil Sauce is a good appetizer if you like scallops. The natural taste of the scallops is preserved and complimented by the sauce. The arugula leaves pair well and increases the overall perceiver healthiness of the dish.

The Ricci De Mare (Fresh Sea Urchin, Pepperoncino Style) is a spaghetti dish topped with prepared sea urchin. You will not like this dish if you're affected by strong fishy tastes. This was my first time eating sea urchin, and it's like a really concentrated oyster or mussel taste with a smell that creeps up into your nose as you're eating it. If you cut it up and mix it in with your noodles, I think it becomes bearable for most people, and possibly even tasty for some. Fishiness doesn't bother me too much, but I enjoyed it more after mixing it into the noodles. The sauce increases the richness of the noodles and makes it easier to eat.

The Bolognese (Washu Beef ) reminds me of Hamburger Helper (in a good way). The taste is similar, but the Bolognese is obviously more expensive and tastier (or at least that's how my mind is justifying it). The salty and savory meat was very satisfying and the penne-looking noodles did a great job delivering the sauce to the mouth. This was the favorite out of the four dishes we tried.

Overall, the food was mostly good, and the service was very attentive and great. This is a good place if you're wanting fancy...