Vein at Kaka'ako

Cool casual spot for fancy food. Was looking for a quick bite before my evening class. Got the uni carbonara which I think has a lot of unrealized potential. The sauce is pretty overpowering and salty (it’s cooked with bacon in bacon grease I think). The uni on top is really good but I think it would do so much better with a milder sauce. My recommendation is to switch the bacon out to something else fatty but not yet salted and salt to taste. Presentation was great, though. And the 3 bites with uni were pretty good barring the “too salty” part of it.

Excellent spot for date and HH. Friendly staff /service, fun and romantic atmosphere. There’s parking structure that is shared among other businesses but easy to get to.

I loved my experience at Vein at Kakáako. The food was delicious. Staff were friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. The atmosphere is beautiful. Would highly recommend. My husband devoured his pasta and my steak was so tender.

My wife and I stopped by Vein for a simple glass of wine to cap off the night… but one glass quickly turned into a bottle and a couple of spectacular appetizers we couldn’t resist. The artichoke karaage arrived perfectly crisp and addictive, while the grilled Spanish tako with chimichurri was tender, vibrant, and beautifully balanced. Paired with a refreshing Alverdi Pinot Grigio, every bite and sip felt thoughtful and effortlessly elegant - exactly the kind of flavors that make you slow down and savor the moment. The service and ambience were spectacular, transforming an impromptu nightcap into one of the most memorable parts of our evening. Safe to say, we’ll absolutely be back.

My wife and I had a wonderful dining experience at Vein at Kakaʻako. We both ordered the dinner specials, which included an entrée, starter, main course, and dessert—and every part of the meal was thoughtfully prepared and delicious. From the very first course, the flavors were well-balanced and beautifully presented. The first course was a beet salad that was fresh, vibrant, and full of flavor. From there, the second course featured pastas—my wife had the white pasta, which was rich and comforting, while I had the wagyu pasta, which was incredibly flavorful and indulgent. For the main course, I had the steak with fries, which was cooked to perfection, and my wife enjoyed the rack of lamb, which was tender, flavorful, and expertly prepared. The dessert was the perfect finish to an already outstanding meal. You can really tell a lot of care and creativity goes into the food here. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, making it a great spot for a date night or special evening out. The service was attentive and friendly without being intrusive, which made the experience even more enjoyable. Overall, Vein at Kakaʻako exceeded our expectations. Amazing food, great service, and a memorable dining experience—we’ll definitely be back and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fantastic meal.

For lunch, I ordered Neapolitan and butter soy sauce pasta. It also came with salad and salted bread, and everything was delicious. The Neapolitan is delicious on its own, but it's also delicious with a little chili oil added! Even though we're not good at English, the staff were very polite and helpful. Also, when we left something behind at our table and had to leave the restaurant, the staff came out to look for it and brought it back to us. We were really touched by their honesty. We'd definitely like to visit again! Arigato!!

Let's get into it. Online they didn't have a table till 7pm. It was 5:45pm and we wanted to eat like meow. My friend called and made a reservation for 6pm. Amazing. We get there. Get seated and we were just catching up and talking story. The server, Not Jamie hahaha apologized after saying that she had missed seeing us sit down since we were behind the wall out doors. She was incredible. The drinks were superb, I got the Paloma... smokey in all the right places. We started with the burrata and mochi starter. Very interesting the mochi was a little sweet and the avocados, tomatoes and cheese mixed well. I also got the uni carbonara, very flavorful and light. We also got a comped bread pudding which was delicious. Amazing dining experience had a wonderful night. Not Jamie was a great addition. Mahalo 10 out of 10 would recommend.

We had an amazing meal at Vein! Made a reservation for 5:30 on a Tuesday for their pasta happy hour and also 50% off drinks! For appetizers, we ordered the Brussels Sprouts and Grilled Spanish Tako. Both were yummy and easy to share; however the Brussels sprouts were on the heavier greasier side, I probably wouldn't order it again. The Tako was unique and fresh, would easily order again. For pasta, we ordered the Bolognese, Bascaiola, and Pistachio Pesto. All three pastas tasted amazing and we loved all of them! They were a bit under seasoned but that was an easy fix with some more salt. The portion sizes were great and easy for sharing as well. We also got a few drinks; the Orange Bang (with an extra shot!) was a favorite of mine ;)

We took our infant out to eat with us in a public setting for the first time today, and "Vein" did not disappoint :). This was also our first time at this restaurant. Delicious food at decent prices. A nicely decorated, clean, and airy restaurant. Customer service was excellent. We went during lunch time, so they had a variety of lunch sets. The Koshihikari side tasted good, too.

⚠️WARNING: a 20% gratuity fee was applied for a table of 5, as well as a 2% kitchen fee on top of that. And they charged us $3 for two small slices of extra bread for the bone marrow like?… If the business would be so kind to explain this predatory pricing it would be much appreciated. A 15%, NOT 20%, makes sense for a table of five. It was not a busy day at all as well. The staff were kind however. The food was so mid I can’t believe the prices. Why were all the meat super overcooked and dry?!! There was so so much flavor lacking in the pastas - no spiciness or umami, little to no saltiness and sweetness. Genuinely I think all they used for seasoning was salt and pepper. And for a so-called fusion restaurant the only Japanese element they incorporated in these completely Italian dishes was Uni. So, so utterly disappointed with this place and will never come back 👎