Restaurant SUNTORY — Restaurant in Honolulu

The restaurant is peaceful and relaxing, and the fish was fresh, as it was reputed to be. The miso broth was delicious as well. However, the service was surprisingly below expectations. Our order was taken and accepted by our server, one of which was an order for the September lunch special. We were excited to see and taste this special lunch offering, as well as to see and taste the sushi and miso grilled fish plate that I had ordered. A bit later after ordering, the server returned explaining that the kitchen had run out of the Sept lunch special and that something else had to be selected, on the spot. My husband had to request the menus be returned again to consider what else to order. We did not expect that at this high-end restaurant that the server would not know if they had run out of anything before, or while taking our order, because we saw that the server wore a black-wired ear piece that they used to communicate while working. Also, my lunch combo came with rice, but on arrival, it was completely room temperature and the surface had somewhat hardened. It seemed that it had been sitting out for a while. Warm, fresh rice is a big part of my meal, and eating that rice as served was not appetizing to me at all. When I called the server over to replace the rice, but before I even got a chance to say a word, the server spontaneously asked, "what, you need a fork?" No, I did not need a fork, I was using chopsticks. After that stereotypical assumption, I explained that the rice was cold, and she replaced it with some that was warm and seemed to have been freshly scooped out. The server apologized, having recognized the problem. I found the service to be unprofessional and uninformed and I really didn't appreciate the assumption made of why I was seeking their attention. We did not really enjoy our lunch experience overall because of the multiple issues and I unfortunately, I have no yearn to...

My friend and I walked in for dinner without reservation and the hostess was really nice and still managed to squeeze us in even though it was a busy evening, after 30min wait we got seated and our waitress approached us, it was a pretty cold rushed inpatient interaction, we picked some items from the menu based of the pictures, when she came back she told us that the pictures actually don’t represent the items, so we were confused what is actually comes with the course, she didn’t explain anything and just left us saying “i’ll let you browse”, then when we found different items she came by and the same thing happened again, so we were trying to figure out what is actually comes with a course ourselves, absolutely no suggestions or recommendations it just felt rushed, we would take a second to think about the item and she would run away, some other waiter tried to help us out and ask if we have any questions but then we heard our waitress yelling at him for picking on our table, so he left apologizing, we finally decided what we want to order and then she told us that it’s too much for two of us and again left without any suggestions, the food we ended up ordering was fine, but the whole interaction with a waitress completely threw us off, we both under 30y.o so we look young and we were dressed really casual, so it felt like we were judged by her like we don’t have money to spend on this type of restaurant, even tho we each spent around 150$ on that dinner and tip we didn’t even get simple glass of water, at the end it felt like we paid to get traumatized. So if you trying to get dinner there and not being happy with a waitress please have more courage than us and ask for a different waiter/waitress! Had a WAY WAY better restaurant experiences for this type of money, wouldn’t return...

Decent entry level Japanese fine dining spot.

At Restaurant Suntory, the space is neatly divided into two sections - one focusing on the intricacies of Kaiseiki cuisine and the other on Teppanyaki. On this occasion, luck favored us with a last-minute reservation for the latter.

We decided on the Royal Course featuring an array of seafood. Our meal commenced with an artistic tray of various Japanese appetizers – sashimi, salad, and more. Although satisfying, the quality was akin to what you might find in a competent mid-tier restaurant in Japan.

Prior to Teppanyaki, we were also presented with a tomato-based clam chowder. Coming from Boston, I found the umami from the tomato as a rather unique, yet odd, departure from the traditional bacon-infused chowder, almost veering into creamy tomato soup territory.

The main Teppanyaki course was a trilogy of seafood dishes, beginning with panko lobster tail, followed by a combo of scallops & shrimp, and finally, a pairing of tuna & salmon. The ahi tuna was a standout, cooked flawlessly to medium-rare, while the shrimp, tender and succulent, delivered a sublime texture. As the curtain closed on the Teppanyaki stage, a bowl of garlic fried rice made its appearance. It was a touch bland, which, paradoxically, elevated the aroma of garlic and green onions. The finale was a refreshing melon pudding, its pleasing melon scent and silky texture serving as a palate cleanser to wrap everything up.

Teppanyaki at Suntory may not come with the traditional smoke and mirrors one might associate with this type of cuisine, but it offers an experience that's rich in flavor, showcasing quality ingredients and delivered with professional service. A solid choice for anyone seeking an authentic, unembellished...