Aina Steak & Seafood

Absolutely delicious. The restaurant was harder to find, it’s on the second floor above another restaurant, but glad we spent the time to find. Everything was homemade, fresh and filing. Staff were friendly, also helped pair the food with the perfect matching flavors. And again, IT WAS DELICIOUS!

We had a late dinner reservation at this steakhouse and were disappointed to learn upon arrival that most items on the menu were unavailable due to the high volume of reservations. We decided to proceed and ordered the Wagyu steak, ahi carpaccio, and the only available sides (salad and mashed potatoes). Unfortunately, the experience did not improve. The ahi was served more like sashimi than carpaccio, and when I requested lemon to make it more palatable, it never arrived. The steak, ordered medium, came out closer to medium-well, and the cut itself tasted like a lower-grade piece of meat. We couldn’t manage more than a couple of bites. The salad never came at all. The “truffle mashed potatoes” were particularly underwhelming - they resembled powdered mix potatoes, with no detectable hint of truffle or mushroom flavor. While we understand that a late reservation can make for a long evening for staff, no one checked on our table to ask how the food was. When we asked for the cheque early, there seemed to be no surprise. Overall, a disappointing experience and not one I would recommend.

We came by on a Friday night for dinner not knowing what to expect, except for the great reviews. It is located above the street level so it was a bit hard to find, but so glad that we did! Our server was Will and he was so attentive and knowledgeable. He provided us with great recommendations and also was very sweet. We did not catch Chef’s name, but he did come out to greet us at the end of the meal. Speaking of the meal - what a fantastic dinner. We ordered a half dozen oysters and the fried calamari to start. The calamari was perfect - it was not over battered or breaded and the texture was 10/10. It was also not greasy at all. The oysters were a generous size and Will brought us out horseradish to enjoy with the cocktails sauce. Our steak - 10/10. It came with loaded mashed potatoes and a fresh dinner salad with a choice of three dressings - we chose spicy mango and Lilikoi papaya. They were both delicious. The lobster was very tender and it was huge! In addition to the sides that came with the meal, we ordered the mushroom medley and asparagus. They were perfectly cooked and seasoned and we ate every drop. Overall the reviews lived up to the hype and we had a fantastic dinner in Waikiki to end our trip. Thank you to the Aina team, for a great experience.