Gaslamp — Restaurant in Oʻahu

Completely pretentious for no reason. Pretending to be some cool Manhattan speak easy but misses the mark in every way. Terrible drinks, no Aloha, ordered the bar tenders special and it came in a cracked glass. Makes you walk through a fun local pub wildly over dressed, can’t hold your reservation doesn’t give you anywhere to wait so you stand outside the dominos. Then absolutely does not enforce the dress code, another group walks in with slippahs and a baseball cap. ‘Rules’ and ‘About Us’ are dripping with offensive judgey comments about everything from ranch to TVs and cosmos. Of course you can still watch the TVs from the adjacent bar which they proceed to insult while simultaneously writing about love and acceptance.

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We were explicitly and repeatedly told by the hostess that due to the layout of the bar we were not able to wait adjacent to the speakeasy. As there was no other available standing space (congrats to the Pub for being popular) this resulted in us needing to wait outside. We confirmed with the hostess , “Since we can’t stand out front of the speak easy is outside our only option?”. Yes the dominoes does have an empty retail space as a buffer between the pub entrance, but the blue glow of the logo does fill the Parking lot.

I find it highly unlikely that the three men in hats and slippahs had a legitimate medical reason for said attire. While I don’t mean to pass judgement on someone’s potential disability without full knowledge of their medical history the appearance of their highly visible feet did not indicate any bandage or scarring that might require such accommodation. Nor did their mobility suggest any limitation, now another guest with axial crutches did enter at a similar time and she had made the effort to meet the dress code. In addition I am unaware of a medical condition that requires the use of a baseball cap. Frankly I don’t really care it’s Kailua, slippahs are great, share the aloha, but if you’re going to remind us repeatedly of your high standards, stick to them.

I’m challenged to understand why a good conversation can’t be had over ranch or a cosmo. It’s fine to not choose to serve these things but somehow suggesting they are beneath your establishment felt judgmental. While I wholeheartedly agree with televisions being distracting, frankly from my seat within your establishment the bright lights of the Memphis game was still highly visibly and distracting (picture included). A frosted glass or solid door would easily address this.

Waiting a few minutes is absolutely fine and understandable, however providing an appropriate area to wait would have been appreciated especially in the stated dress code. In addition your reservation system sent no less then 3 reminders as a countdown to ensure our on time arrival. Your policy of charging no shows left us in a position where we did not feel we could leave. We’ve spoken to others who have simply given up after your establishment did not seat them more then 30 minutes after their reservation time.

It is clear that the ownership is the same which is what made it so odd to take such a judging tone. I truly like the the adjacent pub and the fact that we couldn’t wait there is a testament to its popularity. It’s what a pub should be, lively, entertaining and sociable. Just as a speak easy should be refined, service oriented and ‘classy’ to use your word. We should celebrate what we are rather then explaining why we aren’t like ‘them’ especially when extolling the virtues of community and acceptance.

While I understand that a negative review may be less then desirable it’s also an opportunity to review how to improve. It seems like insulting a patron who had a negative experience (but compliments your other establishment) by calling them an illogical liar is not the best use of time.

As you’ve accused me of not stating the truth I’ve also included photos of my broken glass, the visible television and...

Not the level of service that should be expected for this price. Waited almost 40 minutes when we were told our table would be ready in 5. Make sure you read the fine print (first come first serve for the bar vs. table and it’s an up charge to pay with a card and the prices on the menu show the cash prices). The food was only ok and left us both with stomach aches. Also the floor of the pub is slippery if you’re in heels.

————————————————————————— Using resy (their only way of making reservations) was confusing and left us unsure of if we actually got a table. We were also prompted to put in if we were celebrating something (we were) and no one even acknowledged our celebration. I also called multiple times over a few days with no answer or call back. We waited in the phone area for a few minutes until a waiter came through clearing plates. It seemed like a busy doorway after that but no hostess came to help us so we stood in the bar to avoid being in the way. Once a hostess did come she asked us if we had the password and we said no we never got a text and weren’t able to use the password which we were excited about. She told us it would be 5 minutes for our table to be ready and we needed to wait outside the pub. 40 minutes later someone finally came and got us.

We had specifically chosen a table versus the bar because I have a bad back and we wanted it to be a fancier experience than just sitting at a bar. When we walked in she motioned to the bar and I stopped her to let her know that we had gotten a table not a bar reservation. She said that it’s in the fine print that it’s first come first serve for what is available. Why have the option to choose on your reservation if it doesn’t matter?

Once we sat down it took abnormally long for someone to engage with us about drinks and food. There were 3 waiters for 5 tables and 1 bar seating. They were all in the bar area but weren’t really acknowledging us. Once we did get out drink order in (special made which were amazing) it felt like we were still fighting for their attention. We asked a lot of questions and were assured the large (more expensive) version of the yacht was the best way to go.

We ordered the yacht, the burrata and the truffle fries. The fries were really good. The burrata was alright but the balsamic glaze that was on top had a weird flavor which was a shame because it left the rest of the dish feeling bland and had a bad aftertaste. The yacht came out looking so impressive and is definitely a great photo op. I felt it was lacking sauces or seasonings to add to the flavor. They gave us butter and something for the oysters but no cocktail sauce or anything for the shrimp and poke. I should have just ordered the crab dish on its own because that’s what I ended up enjoying the most.

The barstools were incredibly uncomfortable and I felt smushed in there because there was a table right behind me. A 2 person table opened up shortly after ordering and we asked to switch to that table since we originally reserved a table. We were told “a larger group needs that table”. Seemed strange because there was absolutely no way that more than 2 people could have sat there. Then about 30 minutes later a table of 2 sat down. Why were others allowed to move and we weren’t and we were lied to about the table?

Then when we got the bill we realized the prices we were charged were higher than what was on the menu. When I asked about it the waiter told us “if you pay in cash it’s cheaper. It’s in the fine print that it’s 2% cheaper to pay cash”. We paid and left both feeling disappointed that our big celebratory night out turned out to be a dud.

Also I went back and read all of the fine print and it does not say anywhere that the tables are first come first serve but I did find on their website the 2% up charge note. It is not shared in the confirmation...

A very uncomfortable experience from start to finish. We couldn’t find the speakeasy and couldn’t get anyone on the phone to direct us so we were late for our reservation. The password to enter was cute. The ambience was dimly lit and the vibe appeared quaint, like a prohibition jazz bar. It was tiny…like a converted coat closet with 4 tables and a few bar seats. We were sat in the corner near a door that later revealed itself to the be walk-in cooler. I was blasted with cold air every time staff entered and exited. They tried to conceal what it was by entering with the light off and fumbling around in the dark…quite humorous. My husband and I don’t drink and were there for the food. We were pressured repeatedly to order alcohol after declining several times. One staff would refill our water and 20 seconds later, another would do the same. They were at our table far too much checking in and one of the servers spoke quickly and quietly, making it challenging to understand. We had the bay scallops “Gaslamp Style” (with caviar) at the server’s recommendation. Cooked perfectly, but no flavor to speak of. We had the charcuterie board and found it to be underwhelming with some bruleed Brie, a chunk of grocery store Gouda and some standards meats/accouterments. We ordered the French Laundry tomahawk steak and it came to the table rolled on a cart hanging from a hook. Mind you, the speakeasy is in the back of a dive bar and that means our steak was rolled across the bar, past the dive bar patrons, from the kitchen to our table. You’d have to see it to understand how strange this is. The server torched butter over it, torched some rosemary and some garlic, cut it up and put it all in a tray on the table, along with the mashed potatoes drowned in the butter from the previous activity. We got miso Brussels sprouts as well. The steak was a bit underdone….we ordered MR. The demi glaze was tasty. The mashed potatoes lacked seasoning and the Brussels sprouts had an off flavor. The food was just okay. Presentation was wonderful but the flavor and execution just weren’t there. We don’t mind paying $$$$for outstanding food, but this was not that. Almost forgot to mention the jazz musician who climbed through the walk-in to get to some room above it to perform. He was great! We laughed the whole way home about our strange experience. I’m sure that’s not what they...