We went here for my spouse's birthday dinner. Upon walking in, one hostess was exceptional with a birthday greeting, and we were excited. The live music was amazing, and we had a great table right by it. Cocktails were spectacular and I loved the drink menu... bar staff was was excellent. My spouse got the Chinese-style mahi mahi, and it had incredible flavor! I ordered the rib eye; while cooked well, it was mostly fat unfortunately and I enjoyed the mahi mahi much more. Service was pretty good although I would've appreciated the server just acknowledging my spouse's birthday.
Ashley Rountree
Excellent restaurant experience - beautiful tropical outdoor atmosphere with live music and delicious seafood! Very relaxing spot with great service!
We arrived early for our reservation and we found a seat around the bar. We ordered two drinks each and they were delicious and rhetorical service at the bar was very good. The bartender thankfully informed us that the gratuity was automatically being added to the bills that evening. Once we were seat everything went downhill from there. Stefan, our server was not very informative and mentioned there was no pizza and another item which has slipped my mind. No bread service of any kind was offered and I had read reviews that this was supposed to be offered. My husband and I both ordered the rib appetizer and the ribs although tasty were dry and tough. My husband ordered the daily fish special and a Caesar salad which both arrived to the table at the same time. I ordered the Cobb salad which was good but subpar. Stefan never returned to our table to check on how things were pretty much the entire time except when he brought our ordered items. We were so disappointed, especially after the reviews I had read were all top notch. We paid for our meal but my husband did remove the gratuity and explained to our server why he was doing this. We would never return to dine here and when we have mentioned to others how horrible our experience was they have been shocked.
Absolutely ridiculous. Im only 18 years old so im definitely on the younger side of guests there to begin with and then let alone i wasnt with an adult so there for the waiter thought he could blatantly disrespect me and my party for 3 other teens. I believe his absolutely horrid attitude was due to the automatic 19% service charge because it was easter. I never got my side of mash on my plate after asking for it several times my requests were disregarded, my steak was practically black and blue when i asked for it mid rare. Once again out waiter never checked on us and when he did it was in a condescending tone and talking to us like kids. I tend to be treated disrespectfully at nicer restaurants because of my age but this was hands down the worst experience i have ever had. EXTREMELY dissatisfied
A 4 ounce miso salmon for lunch cost $46! It was the special and it was good, but not great. The server didn't state the price. My husband ordered the Cesar salad with chicken which brought it to $38. It was big whole leaves of lettuce with no dressing and a slice of grilled chicken breast. He didn't finish because it was tasteless without dressing. You can no longer see the ocean when you sit down, because the hedges and walkway block your view. This is not the House without a Key that I remembered from my youth. I wouldn't go again.
Lavinia Pedrollo
Great food and drinks! I suggest to book a table in advance if you’re planning your trip. However, you can get immediately seated at the bar table and they serve you the food there too! I got a pizza, slightly over priced for the size but it was very good. The poke bowl was superb. Overall great experience and also I had the chance to experience an Hawaiian dancer performing, as well as live music. Recommended! ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Poke Bowl
Steven Nygren
We sat all meal with napkin in the aisle. 100 employees stepped right over it. Service just isn't as good as food and location.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 2
alan H
Delicious food. Fun atmosphere. Music on tje weekends till 10pm. Worth the reservation totally.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michael Munoz
We had dinner here on our last night in Hawaii. This place will forever bring back memories of our first time in Hawaii. The staff was extremely pleasant, the atmosphere was nice and calm with live, relaxing acoustic music. Drinks can sometimes be a hit or miss at some places but this place takes the win for presentation and preparation. The food was delicious and very fresh. I would recommend this place to anyone visiting Waikiki. I can't wait to be back.
We loved this place. Our first time in Hawaii and a coworker suggested it. We walked up just before 5:30 pm and were seated shortly after.It is inside the beautiful Halekulani Resort, with beautiful views of the ocean. Mostly open air seating. A lovely trio playing wonderful music. We got a special treat when the former Miss Hawaii, Miss USA, Miss Universe performed Hawaiian dances with them.The food was spectacular - the shutome (swordfish) melted in our mouths.Watched the sunset and was able to see a green flash just as the sun dipped below the horizon.In whole, it was an amazing experience and we will be back the next time we are in Hawaii.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fish
Never disappointed. Food was wonderful and the view spectacular. Jan was our server during this lunch visit. She was delightful and very attentive to our needs. You can tell she loves doing what she does. We felt like she was part of our family by the time we finished. House Without a Key is always a favorite! ◡̈
LeanneK
My mother, husband, and I had a wonderful experience dining at the House Without a Key. My mom and I loved the Chinese-style sea bass, and my husband enjoyed his pizza Margherita from the wood-fired oven. The musicians and hula dancer created a relaxing, yet festive ambience. Our server, Joe (“JoeJoe”), was excellent! Of course, the signature coconut cake for dessert was amazing! Our main reason for the visit was for the coconut cake, and even at $16.00 per slice, it was worth every penny! Highly recommend the House Without a Key for an outstanding experience!
Janeen Hughes
Best chicken I have ever had! Mai Tai was amazing as well! It was a little hard to hear the music sometimes but overall was a great time!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
William Steiger
My wife and I shared a Cobb salad and vegan pizza. Limited
We went here for my spouse's birthday dinner. Upon walking in, one hostess was exceptional with a birthday greeting, and we were excited. The live music was amazing, and we had a great table right by it. Cocktails were spectacular and I loved the drink menu... bar staff was was excellent. My spouse got the Chinese-style mahi mahi, and it had incredible flavor! I ordered the rib eye; while cooked well, it was mostly fat unfortunately and I enjoyed the mahi mahi much more. Service was pretty good although I would've appreciated the server just acknowledging my spouse's birthday.
Excellent restaurant experience - beautiful tropical outdoor atmosphere with live music and delicious seafood! Very relaxing spot with great service!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We got a little late. Missed hula dance..!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Halekulani Coconut Cake, Ahi Tataki
We arrived early for our reservation and we found a seat around the bar. We ordered two drinks each and they were delicious and rhetorical service at the bar was very good. The bartender thankfully informed us that the gratuity was automatically being added to the bills that evening. Once we were seat everything went downhill from there. Stefan, our server was not very informative and mentioned there was no pizza and another item which has slipped my mind. No bread service of any kind was offered and I had read reviews that this was supposed to be offered. My husband and I both ordered the rib appetizer and the ribs although tasty were dry and tough. My husband ordered the daily fish special and a Caesar salad which both arrived to the table at the same time. I ordered the Cobb salad which was good but subpar. Stefan never returned to our table to check on how things were pretty much the entire time except when he brought our ordered items. We were so disappointed, especially after the reviews I had read were all top notch. We paid for our meal but my husband did remove the gratuity and explained to our server why he was doing this. We would never return to dine here and when we have mentioned to others how horrible our experience was they have been shocked.
Absolutely ridiculous. Im only 18 years old so im definitely on the younger side of guests there to begin with and then let alone i wasnt with an adult so there for the waiter thought he could blatantly disrespect me and my party for 3 other teens. I believe his absolutely horrid attitude was due to the automatic 19% service charge because it was easter. I never got my side of mash on my plate after asking for it several times my requests were disregarded, my steak was practically black and blue when i asked for it mid rare. Once again out waiter never checked on us and when he did it was in a condescending tone and talking to us like kids. I tend to be treated disrespectfully at nicer restaurants because of my age but this was hands down the worst experience i have ever had. EXTREMELY dissatisfied
A 4 ounce miso salmon for lunch cost $46! It was the special and it was good, but not great. The server didn't state the price. My husband ordered the Cesar salad with chicken which brought it to $38. It was big whole leaves of lettuce with no dressing and a slice of grilled chicken breast. He didn't finish because it was tasteless without dressing. You can no longer see the ocean when you sit down, because the hedges and walkway block your view. This is not the House without a Key that I remembered from my youth. I wouldn't go again.
Great food and drinks! I suggest to book a table in advance if you’re planning your trip. However, you can get immediately seated at the bar table and they serve you the food there too! I got a pizza, slightly over priced for the size but it was very good. The poke bowl was superb. Overall great experience and also I had the chance to experience an Hawaiian dancer performing, as well as live music. Recommended! ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Poke Bowl
We sat all meal with napkin in the aisle. 100 employees stepped right over it. Service just isn't as good as food and location.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 2
Delicious food. Fun atmosphere. Music on tje weekends till 10pm. Worth the reservation totally.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had dinner here on our last night in Hawaii. This place will forever bring back memories of our first time in Hawaii. The staff was extremely pleasant, the atmosphere was nice and calm with live, relaxing acoustic music. Drinks can sometimes be a hit or miss at some places but this place takes the win for presentation and preparation. The food was delicious and very fresh. I would recommend this place to anyone visiting Waikiki. I can't wait to be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Halekulani Coconut Cake, Fish
Restaurantji Recommends
We loved this place. Our first time in Hawaii and a coworker suggested it. We walked up just before 5:30 pm and were seated shortly after.It is inside the beautiful Halekulani Resort, with beautiful views of the ocean. Mostly open air seating. A lovely trio playing wonderful music. We got a special treat when the former Miss Hawaii, Miss USA, Miss Universe performed Hawaiian dances with them.The food was spectacular - the shutome (swordfish) melted in our mouths.Watched the sunset and was able to see a green flash just as the sun dipped below the horizon.In whole, it was an amazing experience and we will be back the next time we are in Hawaii.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fish
Never disappointed. Food was wonderful and the view spectacular. Jan was our server during this lunch visit. She was delightful and very attentive to our needs. You can tell she loves doing what she does. We felt like she was part of our family by the time we finished. House Without a Key is always a favorite! ◡̈
My mother, husband, and I had a wonderful experience dining at the House Without a Key. My mom and I loved the Chinese-style sea bass, and my husband enjoyed his pizza Margherita from the wood-fired oven. The musicians and hula dancer created a relaxing, yet festive ambience. Our server, Joe (“JoeJoe”), was excellent! Of course, the signature coconut cake for dessert was amazing! Our main reason for the visit was for the coconut cake, and even at $16.00 per slice, it was worth every penny! Highly recommend the House Without a Key for an outstanding experience!
Best chicken I have ever had! Mai Tai was amazing as well! It was a little hard to hear the music sometimes but overall was a great time!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My wife and I shared a Cobb salad and vegan pizza. Limited
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cobb Salad