Beautiful restaurant. Service was great and the food was excellent. Our table had the pork chop and the Butter Fish, both perfect. Only negative comment, there was no one there. Our dinner from 6pm to 8pm on a Saturday night and the restaurant never was at half capacity so no buzz, some may like that.
Tess
This was our first visit back to Stage since the pre-pandemic days. What a treat! It had always been one of our favorites & we were so happy to see that it has maintained its excellence. Please have that pork chop! (You can thank me later!)
SummerC
This review should be 5 stars across the board but an INCREDIBLY RUDE wait staff and manager changed that and insured that we will not be going back. The food at Amuse wine bar was delicious, especially the sliders. The Ambiance was great for a double date. The service was even decent until we were toward the end of our meal and the busser returned to our table 4 times in a matter of 5 minutes interrupting our conversation each time to ask if he could take plates that were still covered with our dinner- clearly trying to let us know they were ready for us to leave. It was 9 pm. After asking him to stop, he returned a minute later to try to take more plates. Our friends were having to grab their food off the plates midair. I asked him to stop again and he immediately copped an attitude saying, “stop what? Bussing your table?” To which I replied, “yes, please stop bussing our table.” That's when the bartender who was also our waitress jumped in and started yelling at us that he was “just doing his job,” and “what's our problem?” We nodded and said okay. Then the manager came over to ask if we had a problem and who rudely let us know that he employees were simply doing their jobs. That might have been acceptable had we seen the busser even once during our entire experience, if they would have cleared our empty glasses when we asked during the meal and if I hadn't have waited 20 minutes for a water refill. Upon giving us our credit card receipts the waitress/bartender dropped the check down on the table and walked away with an attitude- not even bothering to say thank you to the other people at our table who never made a peep. So incredibly rude. We will not return and recommend giving your money to a business that values its customers.
Our waiter had to explain that the kitchen was short staffed and that we should get our entrees ordered along with the starters. When the entrees came, we ordered another round of drinks... waiter cones back after a few minutes to ask if we were going for a thrid round of wine as the wine bar was closing. We just felt rushed throughout the dinner. It's a shame because the place was really nice and had a few good wines.
The live music was limited and only lasted until 7:30pm and some guests were being extra noisy in the back of the restaurant which detracted from the experience a little. Service was fine. The food was the highlight for sure! The miso steak was unique and extremely delicious with the sauce, albeit slightly overcooked. The rack of lamb was perfectly done. The deserts were delicious and innovative as well. Would love to have that dinner for our anniversary again and again.
Kate Marshall Nystrom
Let me start off by saying that if you’re considering going to Amuse, just go. If you live locally, go and you’ll find a new go-to spot in town that actually has convenient parking and doesn’t leave you wrestling with people on Kalakaua. If you’re visiting, go and enjoy great food near the primary tourist hubs while experiencing a genuinely one-of-a-kind dining experience that will make your trip that much more memorable.If you’re able to stop by Amuse Wine Bar, you’re in for a great meal, excellent drinks and unbeatable service. If you have the excellent luck of having Haley as your bartender and server, then your whole experience will be further elevated. While I’ve come to expect a lot from Amuse based on the consistently high quality, Haley’s service and expertise took that expectation up another notch.Amuse has excellently curated dishes- especially the appetizers and desserts. If I had to choose just one dish to live on for the rest of my life, the fried brussel sprouts would immediately come to mind! If that’s not enough, the desserts featured here are the quality, appearance and taste of what you’d expect to see in a culinary arts textbook or on competitive patisserie shows. Pastry chef Cainan Sabey has a great array, and Amuse serves their creations in generous portions at fair prices for what you’re getting.Haley was able to describe every dish and drink in precise detail and was even able to paraphrase and further elaborate so that I could pair exactly what I wanted among the various drinks and dishes. I’ve been to Amuse a few times over the years and I can’t stress enough how great it is to have a reliable go-to spot in Waikiki that has great atmosphere and excellent food and drink every single time. Haley was kind, gracious, knowledgeable and professional- if she serves you, trust her judgement and recommendations. She won’t let you down!If you’re wanting to get 5 star service and 5 star quality without completely compromising your wallet, definitely head to Amuse. I can’t stress that enough.Vegetarian options: There is a vegan dessert option that I enjoyed when I was vegan and when I wasn’t! It’s delicious and worth the trip!Parking: Amuse does validate as long as you’re parked in the attached parking garage.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Wine Bar, Patatas Bravas
Joyrdan W.
Not much to say but only that the ambiance was so elegant, the workers were super friendly and the food was delicious! Not to mention the drinks were the real deal too and strong lol! I recommend going!!
Restaurant opens at 5pm so when we got there we cruised around the Inspiration looking at furniture. Got a table right by the overlooking window of Piikoi below. Great food. Drinks were great also. Would come again.
Katy A.
Had a great Happy Hour with two of my best girl friends. I got there early to get a good table and was seated on the comfy sofa and chairs right across the bar. Amuse has the self/serve bottles of wine where you can use a prepaid Amuse Wine card to sample a vast variety of wines by the ounce. That's a lot of fun and gives you the opportunity to get a taste of a lot of different wines. (Right now it's $2 for a card with a minimum $30 load. You can save it for a future visit so you needn't drink the entire $30 during one visit. Or you can share it.) Our group tonight was interested in conversation and food so our seats near the bar were perfect. Ask to be seated nearer the front of the establishment if you plan to do a lot of wine tasting. Amuse has three special wines during happy hour that range in price from $9 or $10 for a good sized pour. I love how they use specially designed glasses the wine you choose. Appetizers are unique and delicious. One of my friend has gluten and nut allergies yet there were many selections available for us to share. We had the Brussels Sprouts, Truffle Fries, Escargot and the Patataes Bravas - a very unique dish bringing together ingredients from many cultures. Wine by the glass is very reasonable even outside of Happy Hour. The mocktails sounded so amazing. My friend had the Hibiscus and ginger ale. Pretty and tasty! We had a wonderful time!
BettyB
We love Stage, even though the prices have gone up since we were last there. I don't think I'll go for the sorbet again, but everything else was super yummy. We enjoyed being the only ones in the restarant part, but are sorry to see it so empty. Well, it was a Tuesday night.
Fantastic as always! I've celebrated other special occasions and each time they have added a special touch. The food was wonderful, the service was amazing, & the ambience is also wonderful. This is a restaurant of course so what about the food? The executive chef thoughtfully chooses menu items. The shrimp pasta was tasty. My picky 7 year old enjoyed the garlic loaf and grilled cheese! Such a wonderful time.
craig
Another great experience at Stage. The shishitos and the tomato salad made excellent contrasting appetizers, and the mushroom risotto an outstanding main course. The verdejo was also very fine and a great bargain for the price. Ryan's service was friendly, attentive, and well-informed about the menu--he properly warned me that the shishitos were spicier than some preparations (not everyone would have liked them as much as I did). Don't know how he did it, but for the first time in memory anywhere he got the chef/kitchen to honor my request not to bring my main course taken from the starters *until* I had finished my appetizers. The setting remains uniquely attractive.
DianaA
Such a great experience. We had the garlic bread and risotto to start. 10/10 Entrees: salmon (7/10) and pork chop (9/10) The salmon was a bit fishy for our taste but still good. The pork chop was full of flavor and a great portion! Dessert: lilikoi creamsicle - pretty tart but super good! The service was exceptional. We got a great recommendation on wine and she was just so sweet. Our waitress and the manager were both great. The wine selection is huge and we loved our recommendation. Ambience is great. Great decor, live piano player, strategic seating arrangement, and medium noise level. They bring out one course at a time and our overall dinner with starters, entree and desserts was about 1.5 hours. They also provided a beautifully decorated free chocolate dessert that was delicious! Thank you for making my husbands birthday special and a great experience!
JAXJim
The atmosphere was quite chic an relaxed. Open kitchen concept made it feel that you were part of the preparation experience and the food was fabulous an tasty. Would definitely recommend.
We recently had dinner here over the holidays to celebrate my daughter being home. I've heard a lot about Stage restaurant. It is located in the Honolulu design center, and you're able to park in the building for free. We made reservations for dinner on a Friday night, and it surprisingly was not crowded. The restaurant is very spacious, and has artistic feel. I started off with a beet salad, and then we all ordered entrées, including butterfish, mahi-mahi over risotto, and the salmon special. Portions are on the smaller side, but all the fish entrées, we're all cooked perfectly, not overcooked or dry. We finished off the night with a sorbetto dessert along with the chocolate macadamia nut dessert bar. All the food was beautifully presented, and aesthetically pleasing. Our waitress was Crystal, who provided us with excellent service throughout the meal.
Beautiful restaurant. Service was great and the food was excellent. Our table had the pork chop and the Butter Fish, both perfect. Only negative comment, there was no one there. Our dinner from 6pm to 8pm on a Saturday night and the restaurant never was at half capacity so no buzz, some may like that.
This was our first visit back to Stage since the pre-pandemic days. What a treat! It had always been one of our favorites & we were so happy to see that it has maintained its excellence. Please have that pork chop! (You can thank me later!)
This review should be 5 stars across the board but an INCREDIBLY RUDE wait staff and manager changed that and insured that we will not be going back. The food at Amuse wine bar was delicious, especially the sliders. The Ambiance was great for a double date. The service was even decent until we were toward the end of our meal and the busser returned to our table 4 times in a matter of 5 minutes interrupting our conversation each time to ask if he could take plates that were still covered with our dinner- clearly trying to let us know they were ready for us to leave. It was 9 pm. After asking him to stop, he returned a minute later to try to take more plates. Our friends were having to grab their food off the plates midair. I asked him to stop again and he immediately copped an attitude saying, “stop what? Bussing your table?” To which I replied, “yes, please stop bussing our table.” That's when the bartender who was also our waitress jumped in and started yelling at us that he was “just doing his job,” and “what's our problem?” We nodded and said okay. Then the manager came over to ask if we had a problem and who rudely let us know that he employees were simply doing their jobs. That might have been acceptable had we seen the busser even once during our entire experience, if they would have cleared our empty glasses when we asked during the meal and if I hadn't have waited 20 minutes for a water refill. Upon giving us our credit card receipts the waitress/bartender dropped the check down on the table and walked away with an attitude- not even bothering to say thank you to the other people at our table who never made a peep. So incredibly rude. We will not return and recommend giving your money to a business that values its customers.
Our waiter had to explain that the kitchen was short staffed and that we should get our entrees ordered along with the starters. When the entrees came, we ordered another round of drinks... waiter cones back after a few minutes to ask if we were going for a thrid round of wine as the wine bar was closing. We just felt rushed throughout the dinner. It's a shame because the place was really nice and had a few good wines.
The live music was limited and only lasted until 7:30pm and some guests were being extra noisy in the back of the restaurant which detracted from the experience a little. Service was fine. The food was the highlight for sure! The miso steak was unique and extremely delicious with the sauce, albeit slightly overcooked. The rack of lamb was perfectly done. The deserts were delicious and innovative as well. Would love to have that dinner for our anniversary again and again.
Let me start off by saying that if you’re considering going to Amuse, just go. If you live locally, go and you’ll find a new go-to spot in town that actually has convenient parking and doesn’t leave you wrestling with people on Kalakaua. If you’re visiting, go and enjoy great food near the primary tourist hubs while experiencing a genuinely one-of-a-kind dining experience that will make your trip that much more memorable.If you’re able to stop by Amuse Wine Bar, you’re in for a great meal, excellent drinks and unbeatable service. If you have the excellent luck of having Haley as your bartender and server, then your whole experience will be further elevated. While I’ve come to expect a lot from Amuse based on the consistently high quality, Haley’s service and expertise took that expectation up another notch.Amuse has excellently curated dishes- especially the appetizers and desserts. If I had to choose just one dish to live on for the rest of my life, the fried brussel sprouts would immediately come to mind! If that’s not enough, the desserts featured here are the quality, appearance and taste of what you’d expect to see in a culinary arts textbook or on competitive patisserie shows. Pastry chef Cainan Sabey has a great array, and Amuse serves their creations in generous portions at fair prices for what you’re getting.Haley was able to describe every dish and drink in precise detail and was even able to paraphrase and further elaborate so that I could pair exactly what I wanted among the various drinks and dishes. I’ve been to Amuse a few times over the years and I can’t stress enough how great it is to have a reliable go-to spot in Waikiki that has great atmosphere and excellent food and drink every single time. Haley was kind, gracious, knowledgeable and professional- if she serves you, trust her judgement and recommendations. She won’t let you down!If you’re wanting to get 5 star service and 5 star quality without completely compromising your wallet, definitely head to Amuse. I can’t stress that enough.Vegetarian options: There is a vegan dessert option that I enjoyed when I was vegan and when I wasn’t! It’s delicious and worth the trip!Parking: Amuse does validate as long as you’re parked in the attached parking garage.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Wine Bar, Patatas Bravas
Not much to say but only that the ambiance was so elegant, the workers were super friendly and the food was delicious! Not to mention the drinks were the real deal too and strong lol! I recommend going!!
Restaurant opens at 5pm so when we got there we cruised around the Inspiration looking at furniture. Got a table right by the overlooking window of Piikoi below. Great food. Drinks were great also. Would come again.
Had a great Happy Hour with two of my best girl friends. I got there early to get a good table and was seated on the comfy sofa and chairs right across the bar. Amuse has the self/serve bottles of wine where you can use a prepaid Amuse Wine card to sample a vast variety of wines by the ounce. That's a lot of fun and gives you the opportunity to get a taste of a lot of different wines. (Right now it's $2 for a card with a minimum $30 load. You can save it for a future visit so you needn't drink the entire $30 during one visit. Or you can share it.) Our group tonight was interested in conversation and food so our seats near the bar were perfect. Ask to be seated nearer the front of the establishment if you plan to do a lot of wine tasting. Amuse has three special wines during happy hour that range in price from $9 or $10 for a good sized pour. I love how they use specially designed glasses the wine you choose. Appetizers are unique and delicious. One of my friend has gluten and nut allergies yet there were many selections available for us to share. We had the Brussels Sprouts, Truffle Fries, Escargot and the Patataes Bravas - a very unique dish bringing together ingredients from many cultures. Wine by the glass is very reasonable even outside of Happy Hour. The mocktails sounded so amazing. My friend had the Hibiscus and ginger ale. Pretty and tasty! We had a wonderful time!
We love Stage, even though the prices have gone up since we were last there. I don't think I'll go for the sorbet again, but everything else was super yummy. We enjoyed being the only ones in the restarant part, but are sorry to see it so empty. Well, it was a Tuesday night.
Restaurantji Recommends
Fantastic as always! I've celebrated other special occasions and each time they have added a special touch. The food was wonderful, the service was amazing, & the ambience is also wonderful. This is a restaurant of course so what about the food? The executive chef thoughtfully chooses menu items. The shrimp pasta was tasty. My picky 7 year old enjoyed the garlic loaf and grilled cheese! Such a wonderful time.
Another great experience at Stage. The shishitos and the tomato salad made excellent contrasting appetizers, and the mushroom risotto an outstanding main course. The verdejo was also very fine and a great bargain for the price. Ryan's service was friendly, attentive, and well-informed about the menu--he properly warned me that the shishitos were spicier than some preparations (not everyone would have liked them as much as I did). Don't know how he did it, but for the first time in memory anywhere he got the chef/kitchen to honor my request not to bring my main course taken from the starters *until* I had finished my appetizers. The setting remains uniquely attractive.
Such a great experience. We had the garlic bread and risotto to start. 10/10 Entrees: salmon (7/10) and pork chop (9/10) The salmon was a bit fishy for our taste but still good. The pork chop was full of flavor and a great portion! Dessert: lilikoi creamsicle - pretty tart but super good! The service was exceptional. We got a great recommendation on wine and she was just so sweet. Our waitress and the manager were both great. The wine selection is huge and we loved our recommendation. Ambience is great. Great decor, live piano player, strategic seating arrangement, and medium noise level. They bring out one course at a time and our overall dinner with starters, entree and desserts was about 1.5 hours. They also provided a beautifully decorated free chocolate dessert that was delicious! Thank you for making my husbands birthday special and a great experience!
The atmosphere was quite chic an relaxed. Open kitchen concept made it feel that you were part of the preparation experience and the food was fabulous an tasty. Would definitely recommend.
We recently had dinner here over the holidays to celebrate my daughter being home. I've heard a lot about Stage restaurant. It is located in the Honolulu design center, and you're able to park in the building for free. We made reservations for dinner on a Friday night, and it surprisingly was not crowded. The restaurant is very spacious, and has artistic feel. I started off with a beet salad, and then we all ordered entrées, including butterfish, mahi-mahi over risotto, and the salmon special. Portions are on the smaller side, but all the fish entrées, we're all cooked perfectly, not overcooked or dry. We finished off the night with a sorbetto dessert along with the chocolate macadamia nut dessert bar. All the food was beautifully presented, and aesthetically pleasing. Our waitress was Crystal, who provided us with excellent service throughout the meal.