Yard House — Restaurant in Honolulu

Had such a great experience here! This place is often recommended so we decided to try it for our anniversary. They don't do reservations and you have to be present for check in. We went around 5:30pm on a Monday and waited about 10-15 minutes. Their notification system is kinda crap because we received both the notification that our table was ready and that we took too long to show up so they gave away our table, at the same time. We were 5 ft from the counter. But when we showed the ladies at the counter, we still got a table almost right away after that. Food is good, my husband ordered a spicy garlic pasta (I think) I wasn't a huge fan of that but he liked it. I had the orange chicken and it was good. I loved the baby corn and baby bok choy. Serving sizes are pretty big. My husband actually made a joke about how big my rice serving was. It was a good cup and a half ish 🤣 If you like poké, I highly recommend the poké nachos. It's one of the main reasons I chose to go here and was not disappointed! 10/10. Overall though, I'd say food was 4/5 ⭐️ I've had better, but still good and FRESH. It reminds me of a fancier version of Applebee's (not an insult), same types of food. I liked the vibe better here. The family seated next to us was super annoying and kept asking the waitress ridiculous questions. But I know that can happen anywhere and not to reflect the business. It was nice and breezy, not cold, not hot, but the fans were drying my eyes out.

Drinks: we aren't drinkers, but the first like 6 pages were all alcohol, so they have a good variety if that's something you're looking for.

Bathrooms: were a little dirtier than I expected, and smelled so bad. But it's a Bathroom so 🤷🏻‍♀️

Service: the absolute best part of my experience was the service. Even when I called to ask a couple questions the lady on the phone was super patient and polite. Our waitress was the same, I can't remember her name, unfortunately. But seriously, this was some of the best service I've ever received and I've dined in at legit 5 ⭐️ restaurants. I did not feel neglected and I never had to look around for our server. I also didn't feel like she came to our table too often, so we were able to enjoy our meal.

Price: definitely on the reasonable side for Waikiki, vut still kinda pricey. For 2 meals, 2 non alcoholic drinks, and an appetizer, it came out around $90 before tip. Be sure to bring extra to tip your server!

Parking: we parked in the parking garage of the international market place about a mile away. We had parking validated at the ABC store (spend $10). And then it was a couple extra dollars. We were parked there...

I've always wanted to try this Darden-company chain restaurant (whose portfolio also includes Olive Garden and Capital Grille) but just couldn't commit due to the numerous other (and better) options in the area. But, a late lunch combined with a way too early cocktail time pushed our dinner plans to 10pm which limited our dining options even more. Enter, Yard House.

ATMOSPHERE: This sole Hawaii location is on the first level of the Waikiki Beach Walk mall. The restaurant expands far back so don't be fooled by the small store front. Dim lighting, TV's abound, two big bars and oversized booths made for a comfortable, almost homey feel.

MENU: A very intimidating collection of drinks and mishmash of cuisines.

BEVERAGE: Ecco Domani Super smooth pinot grigio from Italy. My new favorite! For the record, you can buy this bottle in Wally's for $10, ahem.

FOOD: Traditional Caesar Very mainstream but still good as I was craving it. Creamy-tangy dressing, shaved parmesan, small portion for the price.

Traditional Wings 9 pieces. The jerk sauce was pretty spicy, about a 4 on a 5 heat scale. I didn't care for the sweetness of it though. The wings were moist with crunchiness here and there and coated well with sauce.

Fried Calamari Another very mainstream selection of rings and tentacles. The batter had medium density and wasn't oily. Two dipping sauces accompanied; a spicy white recipe and marinara, both of which went great with the calamari.

The Carnivore Pizza 8 slices. As its name implies, it's loaded with good 'ol salty meat (pepperoni, beef, sausage and bacon). They did a good job on this chewy, thin crust version with a savory marinara base. Easily my favorite dish of the night.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps Avoid this unless you're really into tofu. Don't get me wrong, I eat tofu but was not expecting it in this dish. Instead of a traditional ground pork filling, they mixed in tofu which gave the mix a dry texture that totally killed the dish. On top of that, the ribs of the butter lettuce were brown. Three different sauces accompanied but I didn't use any as I'm more of a purist. Pass!

SERVICE: We walked in around 10:30pm and got seated immediately. Our server Brooke (2018) greeted us soon after and took great care of us throughout the evening.

OVERALL: Nice late night dining option in Waikiki if Cheesecake Factory isn't your thing. I expected better food regardless of its chain DNA....

Blatant Racism and Disrespect — Completely Unacceptable

I am absolutely appalled by the experience my husband and I had at Yard House in Waikiki around 8 PM during our honeymoon. What should have been a joyful, once-in-a-lifetime trip turned into a deeply upsetting and hurtful memory — all because of the shocking behavior of one of your staff members, a hostess named Sav (as shown on her name tag).

From the moment we arrived, Sav(the woman working infront of the outside desk) was incredibly rude and dismissive. Because we didn’t immediately catch what she said — English is not our first language — she snapped at us with a nasty attitude: “Are you eating or not?” It was condescending and completely uncalled for. We said yes and walked in, but no one seated us. When we sat at a clearly open table, she returned and scolded us with a harsh, aggressive tone: “Next time, sit only when I tell you to.”

We are Asian, and it was painfully clear that her attitude toward us was rooted in racism. We were made to feel like we were not welcome, like we didn’t belong — simply because of the way we looked and the fact that we didn’t speak perfect English. It was humiliating, degrading, and deeply hurtful. This kind of behavior is not just rude — it is discriminatory and completely unacceptable.

We left feeling disrespected, shaken, and incredibly sad — this is not what anyone deserves, let alone on their honeymoon. No customer should ever be treated like this.

Shame on Yard House for allowing this kind of racism and xenophobia from staff. I sincerely hope this is addressed properly — because if this is how you treat Asian guests, the world...