Eating House 1849 Waikiki - International Market Place — Restaurant in Honolulu

Let me start with a confession: I'm not a big kale fan. I've on occasions, dutifully gnawed through it post-gym while questioning both my life choices and the meaning of joy. But my brother loves kale and asked if I would share a kale salad, with him. After a couple glasses of wine, I'm pretty agreeable to most things except giving up wine.

Then snap... that was like not just one of the best kale salads I've ever had but one of the tastiest salads ever! The kale itself was moist, tender yet firm and didn't have the usual cardboard flavor and texture. The papaya seed dressing was bright and tangy, but the real star was the crispy garlic chips -- earthy, toasty flavor bombs that added a wonderful crunchy texture to the salad.

The oysters from Washington were plump and meaty, with that briny ocean essence followed by a milky, rich finish. They came with a couple of side sauces but I'm a purist when it comes to oysters. Just give me a lemon wedge and a dash of tobacco.

The Kampachi Crudo- Thin, silky slices of fish, cut to a nice thickness that gave a wonderful chew, with a hint of citrus and a light touch of truffle yaki. It was fresh and refreshing , clean, and flavorful -- simple but memorable. Love it when a chef resists the urge to smother the dish -- just some tasty support and let the fish do the rest.

For the main, we shared the butterfish kamameshi. The fish was slightly overcooked -- a little firmer and dryer than I'd prefer -- but the flavor was there. The seasoned furikake rice underneath almost stole the spotlight. Layered with flavors and cooked perfectly . The vegetables including daikon added texture, and those crispy bits of rice at the bottom of the cast iron pot? Total food gold.

The Service :

My brother and I sat at the bar -- always my first choice, and after more than a decade behind one, still where I feel most at home. The service is faster , the energy more dialed up . At the bar, the world comes at you with the good, the bad, and the downright messy. You learn to duck and weave, toast and cheer, and take it all in--one slurp of wine at a time. It's like having a seat at the chef's table, but instead of watching tweezers and foam, you hear the shaking of martinis and the stirring of spirits. And even now, from the other side of the rail, it still feels like the best seat in the house for me. And don't get me started about the people watching.

Huge shoutout to Sasha, our bartender for the night. She was handling drinks for the entire dining room, yet still made us feel like honored guests in her little corner of the chaos. Always checking in on us with a warm smile. It resuscitated old muscle memory from my own nights in the trenches. Respect Sasha!!

The Atmosphere:

Beautiful and comfortable interior with a laid back elegance. A blend of modern and Hawai'i plantation. Elegant enough for a date night yet casual enough for shorts and slippers. A guitar player with a Fender Strat skillfully filled the empty spaces between conversations .

Will definitely be...

Eating House 1849 - A Great Large Group Dining Experience

I recently took my family to dinner at Eating House 1849 located in Waikiki, Honolulu, HI. Food: 5 stars. Service 5 stars. Ambiance 5 stars. Value Five Stars.

When I booked the reservation, I happened to speak with McKenna Brown, the restaurant general manager. We were able to reserve a private room that seats up to 20 people, which was perfect for us (10 adults and 7 children ages 2 – 11). The Eating House private room might be the best I have ever experienced. The ceiling is high (18-20’) so the room feels open and airy. There is plenty of room around the table for both servers and kids running around. The common wall between the main dining room and the private room is glass from floor to ceiling, which provides an even more open, spacious feeling.

Pre-Order While making the reservation several weeks before the dinner, McKenna helped me pre-order several of the most popular appetizers. She also let me know what wines were in stock so I was assured of having the wine I wanted for our party (Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs sparkling & Honig 2021 Cab. Note: at this time, bottles of wine are 50% off on Wednesdays!) Pre-ordering was a big part of kicking off the dinner quickly and smoothly for our big group and the restaurant.

Dinner CJ was our primary server supported by many other restaurant staff. He did an excellent job of taking care of our large party. The kitchen started on the appetizers as soon as we arrived so the kids would have something to eat right away. Kampachi crudo, Mongolian BBQ back ribs, steamed clams, and crispy Brussel sprouts all came out within minutes of our arrival. Chef Ike Koniokalani also generously made some mini cheesy quesadilla appetizers for the kids. How cool is that! The bubbles were also poured as soon as we were seated.

Dinner entrees ordered included Kampachi (yellowtail), Plantation style Paella rice stew, Butterfish Kamameshi, and 1849 EH Ramen, with kids enjoying pasta and swordfish. For desert, we enjoyed the Chocolate Soufflé and Oatmeal Blondie Skillet. Each dish was unique and delicious (lots of sharing went on).

The Eating House 1849 Waikiki location appears to have a casual dining atmosphere with a menu that honors the traditions and flavors of old Hawaii. My opinion is that service levels are near fine dining and the dishes, although simple, have been elevated beyond their humble beginnings. In short, Eating House 1849 has the fingerprints of Roy Yamaguchi all over it. Five Stars all...

The WORST restaurant I have EVER eaten at!!!! First of all, they brought our kids food about 30 minutes before ours which is ridiculous! I can't understand, they bring it earlier because kids take longer but not 30 minutes earlier!!! By the time we got our food our kids were done eating and ready to go. Now the food, we ordered the paella, the fried chicken with polenta, and the salmon off the keiki's menu. EVERYTHING was SUPER bland!!! The salmon was super greasy, had no salt, no flavor except for grease! It came with white rice with seaweed and broccoli. The broccoli was flavorless as well. The rice well, it's rice...who can mess that up?!!! The chicken tasted like boiled chicken, literally NO FLAVOR except for dead chicken!!! Do these people every think of using salt, forget any other spices JUST SALT PLEASE?!! The polenta tasted like a buttery mess, but at least it tasted like butter I suppose. Now the paella...WHAT A JOKE!!! First of all, if you are expecting paella, don't bother. If you are expecting some spaghetti looking mess with rice instead of noodles then that may meet your expectations. The taste wasn't terrible except it wasn't paella. The clams weren't cleaned properly and had like sand so whenever you bit into them you'd bit into sand. We got literally 3 small pieces of chicken and again it tasted like it was boiled with absolutely no seasoning or salt what so ever. Mix this with a large amount of tomato sauce and you get the mess that they call paella. I don't know who their chef was but he needs to go back to culinary school to learn the value of using salt and seasoning in his food. To top it off, they charge like they are an upscale restaurant when the quality of the food is horrible and the atmosphere of the restaurant is like a coffee shop with patio seating. The only thing this restaurant has going for it is the location, that's it. Avoid it like...