Formaggio

Great intimate hideaway at the lower level of Market City. Super good food and super friendly efficient service.
If you’re looking for a casual dimly lit place to chill or bring that special someone then this is definitely the place. Really good variety on the menu from pizzas to escargot. My fave pizza is the mushroom pizza. The crust is made from baked flour tortilla. But the short rib in a red wine reduction sauce is also a hearty well executed dish. Of course the escargot in garlic butter with Roquefort cheese served with a side of warm toasty French bread is pretty much irresistible. Happy eating !!

One wouldn’t know this place existed, just by driving around in the parking lot. It is a bit stealthy and looks like it is part of Fujioka’s Wine Times. But that’s ok. We found it.
This gathering was for my friend’s birthday. She likes wine so we decided to venture outside of our normal comfort zone.
Reservations were very easy to make. The gal on the other end was very pleasant and easy to talk with.
Parking is in an abundance in the lot fronting the establishment, but in the event the lot is full, there is a secondary parking lot just up the ramp. (The upper lot gets full fast due to Foodland, Gina’s Korean BBQ, Toritos, and Walgreen’s, just to name a few, up there.)
As we gathered outside, just prior to 5:30pm, our tummies began rumbling. Apparently we realized how hungry we were. Then the door opened and we were ushered in.
It was dark, with lots of tiny lights dangling from the ceiling. I was a bit concerned that my party would be talking in the dark, but then it dawned on me that we had been standing outside in the sun. Our eyes just needed to adjust a little.
Once seated, we perused the menu. I had been on Unilocal looking at the photos of the menu for 2 weeks, and knew what I was going to order. My friends decided to let me order the food and we would all order our own drinks.
Happy Hour grindage consisted of Mixed Greens, Escargot, Cheese Bread and Wild Mushroom Pizza. Ok, does anyone else think we went a little overboard with the starch and cheese? Don’t get me wrong, every dish was yummy.
Mixed Greens were nalo type greens with walnuts and slices of sun dried tomato. The dressing, sweet and vinegary, brought it all together. A
Escargot, not the usual butter & garlic. The little critters were each swimming around in their own pool of Roquefort & herbed butter. Crusty baguette slices made for nice transportation vessels from pool to mouth. We skipped the plate altogether. A+
Cheese Bread. Who doesn’t like thick sliced baguette covered in cheese? After the snails had been consumed, we were left with six ponds of buttery cheese sauce and made for nice dipping of the cheese bread. A
Wild Mushroom Pizza was, again, cheesy. I would have preferred more mushrooms and all toppings to at least ½ from crust. As is was, the toppings began about 2″ from the edge of the crust, which by the way was very nice. I like a thin crust pizza, but when there are no toppings on it, it becomes a very dry cracker. (butter would have been another way to eat it)
B
For dessert, I ordered the Bananas Foster, which I was a bit disappointed by, because it did not come to the table flaming. That took the «ooh» and «ahh» out of it. It was four slices of banana swimming in a cinnnamon /​sugar sauce with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the middle. Very meh. C
The birthday girl received a dessert of a slice of chocolate something. I think this was Caroline’s Addiction. The chocolate was like a flourless cake, and was very dense. The flavor was out of this world. Cross between chocolate cake, fudge, and a candy bar. Also served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and sliced strawberries. A+
I’m sorry, but I don’t have a review of the wine, as my friend ordered one glass of the house white, defeating the purpose of bringing her here. She enjoyed the food and the company, so it’s all good.
Definitely making a reservation for the next birthday get together.

This place is a hidden gem for modern Italian food. The atmosphere is romantic with low lighting and candles on the tables. Even though the romantic atmosphere would suggest this is a place to dress up for, that wasn’t the case, which is great. Some dressed up, while others write shorts and a tee-​shirt. Everyone seemed comfortable.
We went on a Saturday night. We had the braised short ribs and garlic bread to split. the food was absolutely delicious. I want to give this place more than three stars but the service was bad. I waited 20 minutes for a refill on my drink after a waiter asked what I had a drink. My empty water glass sitting on the edge of the table never was refilled in the hour and half we were there. It also took forever to get the check and while we usually use credit card, we left cash in this instance as they never came by to pick up the check. I want to eat here again, but maybe a different time with better servers.

One of our favorite date night places! I still remember going there the first time and being a little skeptical when I was standing in front of the dark tinted door. But there lies such a cute place behind it with great wines, awesome food and lovely live music.
Try the French onion soup, my absolute favorite!

Love the music, love the food!
Very good wine selection. Child friendly when needed. Only suggestion is the ventilation could be better but otherwise very much enjoy this lovely little wine bar!

I’m so glad I found this place, I really need to head back! It’s great for a date night with the dark lighting and live music. Amazing wine selection, this is where I discovered I have a love for port wine. The crab cakes were to die for, and I think my husband had a beef curry/​stew dish that was really tasty. Highly recommend!

Went for their happy hour from 5:30−7pm. It was a small happy hour menu. Got the salami mini pizza which came with a side spinach salad with balsamic vinegar dressing (yum!), steak tacos (winner, soooo ono!), curry with rice, Formaggio Mojito (just so so). We also ordered the much raved about escargot (which wasn’t a happy hour item)…I didn’t especially care for it since the blue cheese was so overpowering.
Wait staff was excellent… very pleasant and especially friendly.

Last night, we had dinner at here and later stayed to listen to the music provided by Jules Kam. We ordered the Napalese Chicken Curry, which was quite spicy and i ordered French Onion Soup which had a lot of pepper in it. The Vegetable Napoleon Medley was quite good. It’s a nice place to hang out and the wait staff is very attentive.

Looking for a place you can go to feel fancy without having to dress up? How about a place with a sizable wine selection? Or maybe you’re just looking for a bar with free and plentiful parking? Look no further, because Formaggio has got you covered!
I’ve been to Formaggio a few times now, and if it wasn’t for school four nights of the week I’d probably be here more. They have a happy hour with food specials from 5:30−7pm and 10−11pm every night, so take advantage of that! The HH portions are slightly smaller than the regular size portions, but the taste is not lost. Its been a while since I’ve gone to Formaggio during HH, but now that its winter break I have all the time in the world to check it out!
The past couple of times I’ve come have been on weeknights, so finding a table and seating ourselves was not a problem. I always get really lost in the wine menu… there are so many choices! Its best to ask a server for recommendations, and they’ll make a few suggestions based on your likes. The food menu is excellent, with just the right amount of options so that its not overwhelming but still full of variety. I’ve tried the cheese fondue dip, escargot, and prosciutto de parma sandwich and have enjoyed all of these selections. The cheese fondue dip says there is crab and artichoke, but I didn’t really see/​taste anything on my most recent trip here. Still good though, especially on the toasty crostini that come with it! Escargot is also good… though I have yet to find a place in HI that serves escargot in the shell, I will settle for the great buttery and cheesy option at Formaggio. The escargot comes with a tiny baguette, perfect for dipping into all the leftover sauce! What I found interesting is that the bread is not complimentary… I noticed that there is a slight charge (around $ 4) if you want to order a side of bread.
And trust me when I can say you can come into Formaggio looking like you just woke up from a nightmare and still be treated with great service! My friend and I came in last night after taking our last final of the semester, and we were totally beat. Our cheerful server agonized in our pain with us and checked on us regularly to make sure we were doing ok. On the table next to us, where a man came in alone for a quick drink, she was nice enough to talk to him for a bit even though she was busy! Last night we were also surprised by the live music, which I believe runs from 8−10pm (at least on Mondays). The music was great especially in the cute and cozy ambiance of the bar… even though I wasn’t actively listening I was a little sad when they packed up for the night!
Parking is a breeze in the Market City lot… just make sure you park in the lower lot with Ben Franklin and across from Kaimuki HS so you don’t have to walk up the ramp to the Foodland parking lot late at night.
TL;DR — free parking in Market City, cute but casual atmosphere, and very extensive wine list!

This place was fantastic — once we found it ;]
My boyfriend and I sat at the bar, we started with some fantastic WA red wine and margarita pizza (delish!) and then ordered an app of the the chicken curry– which I wish had been spicier as it was incredibly mild, but decently flavorful; my boyfriend loved it– though he has a rather basic pallet when it comes to curries. The service was phenomenal and the atmosphere welcoming.
We will definitely be back!

After a recent dine with my visiting relatives at Win-​Sputino, we were looking for a casual watering hole that serves up some decent snacks and wines near Waikiki. We all wanted to dine at low-​key places as our big Thanksgiving Day feast was quickly approaching.
We met at Formaggio’s at 6:30PM after, again, battling the crazy Market City parking lot. The traffic madness certainly put us into the mood for «needing a drink»! We anticpated entering into a crowded restaurant but were pleasantly surprised to find a relatively empty place. Another bonus that we gladly accepted was their Happy Hour was still ongoing until 7:00PM.
Our server was friendly and pointed us in the direction of their Happy Hour House selection which turned out to be a domestic Syrah for $ 6 per glass as we placed our food order. The Syrah was a 2012 Washington State vintage and was very drinkable. We all received very generous pours… in fact, we each ordered a second glass. As we were sipping our wine and in deep conversation, we could smell the food aromas wafting from the kitchen. Then, BOOM, all of our food started arriving…
— Margherita pizza
— Steak tacos
— Baked Lobster Mac n’ Cheese
— Formaggio della cassa: Chef’s selection of assorted cheeses, seasonal fruits and a baguette of bread
— Italian charcuterie plate
As the evening progressed, more people started to trickle in but the restaurant never got full. We stayed while eating, talking and laughing until slightly after 9:00PM. All the while, our server frequently returned to check on us, refill our water glasses and we were never rushed out. The food was delicious and the flavors of the Syrah paired well with the dishes.
Geez, I can’t find any reason why we don’t come here more frequently. I’m putting this onto our 2016 Resolution List.
#473

I really loved this restaurant… but no more.
Unfortunately, last time I was here, we had an awful experience. It was not necassarily the fault of the staff but definitely shows that some action needs to be taken.
We started out ordering a glass of wine and having some appetizers. The escargot was buttery and delicious– as usual! There was live music, which made the experience more enjoyable!
An obviously high woman walked in with only a bra on, dancing and talking to herself loudly. She sat at a table close to the musician and began gyrating, putting the fake candle in her mouth, singing loudly, etc. The waiter brought her water but not a menu. All the wait staff just watched this happen for at least 15 – 20 minutes– throughout our entire meal. My heart went out to the woman but it really ruined our date night. The staff was obviously aware but didn’t do anything to check in with her, ask her to leave if she wasn’t ordering anything, etc.
Overall, it was a tough experience for everyone, I am sure. I wonde if I should have done more. It just was disappointing that no one from the restaurant did anything before we left.
Hopefully next time we go, we will be able to enjoy the food and the experience more.

Pregnancy craving of the day? Fondu!
The great reviews and Formaggio being the Italian word for cheese made the decision pretty easy.
Service very friendly and attentive. The restaurant is extremely dark.
The buttery, and flavorful escargot was almost perfect. Tasty but the sauce had just a tinge of sour and bitter, which was a little off putting, but better than any escargot I’ve had anywhere else on island.
Happy hour mini mushroom pizza was good. Not amazing, but a great deal for $ 5 bucks. The side salad and light dressing was a good pairing.
My husband’s Kobe beef burger was okay. The beef itself was nothing special, I thought it was actually bland, but the flavorful sauce made up for it. I wonder if we could have gotten a different side for the burger rather than salad. My husband is not a fan of greenery but I finished it for him.
The reason I wanted to come in the first place. Fondu! Their fonduta was cheesy and creamy. Flavor was nice but one disappointing thing was no crab meat. That was one of the reasons I chose to come because the menu mentioned crab meat but sadly there was not even one piece. That didn’t stop us from wiping the ramekin clean with the crostini.
All the bread that came with all the dishes was delicious and perfectly toasted. I couldn’t stop eating it.
I think this was a very good place to try but don’t think we will frequent it.

What a great place to have a family dinner or a girls night out! First off, it’s a wine bar and who doesn’t like a wine bar? :) One of my BFFs and I ordered wine on the happy hour list– she ordered the Chardonnay and I enjoyed my typical Merlot. Both filled with mellow and delightful flavors. It’s such a great price it’s almost difficult to not order more just because it’s so worth it!
We started with the wild mushroom pizza with truffle oil and salad. Oh la la! I think this is one of my favs!!! Then we shared the escargot. Love love love!!! Lastly we ordered the bruschetta. They had to substitute mushrooms on a few slices– in guessing there wasn’t enough tomatoes? She also ordered French onion soup, but they were out of that.
The service was very nice as the waitress keep checking up on us. The in house musicians filled the air with classic goodness! One of my fav musicians there was a guitarist, Kristi. A rather young musician who’s musical talents radiated the air with pure delight. Love!!!

They are tucked away in Market City Shopping Center, on the bottom level. Parking is difficult to find during peak times, but be patient… It will be well worth the wait! They have HAPPY HOUR here, so do come early! I got there around 530 and it wasn’t packed yet. Got seated right away and got my food and drinks fairly quickly.
$ 5 wine specials during happy hour — food prices vary, but still reasonable. Don’t think that you need to dress all fancy schmancy to come here! Just be presentable, whatever that means to you.
Their margherita pizza is good. The pork tacos are DELICIOUS! And I’m told their wagyu burger on their Panini bread is awesome. I got to taste it and found it to be really juicy.
Whenever I am having a craving for a glass of wine and some good company, Formaggio is usually one of the places on my list. Prices are reasonable. Great ambiance. And if you’re lucky, you’ll catch some live performers during the weekends!
Enjoy!

I don’t write a lot of reviews for Unilocal.I use it mainly for a reference when scoping out a place to eat BUT I possibly had the best dinner I’ve had in a while at Formaggio’s last night, so a review is much needed.
The occasion was a birthday party for a cousin of mine thrown by another cousin of mine at a place I’ve never been to before that I thought was just a place to buy wine. I never really payed attention to this place when passing it by. Ambiance was nice and wait staff were friendly and attentive. My wife and I arrived there early so we decided to start off with their happy hour Merlot at $ 5 a glass. (5pm-​7pm & 10pm-​11pm). I’m not much of a wine drinker but it was nice and smooth. Smoother than the happy hour House Red.
Then the rest of our party started filling in. Everyone ordered different dishes and we just passed them all around to try. The Foie Gras, Wild Mushroom Pizza, Margherita Pizza, Caprese, Kobe Beef and Fried Rice, Baked Lobster Mac n Cheese, Escargot Bleu, and the Crème Brûlée were all very good. All enjoyed to live music that was very soothing and complemented the whole evening. Time and money well spent. I will be coming here A LOT!

I’ve come here for the past few Valentine’s. The dim-​lit ambiance makes it an intimate dinner evening perfect for such an occasion. Tables are accented with a fresh red rose (which you can take home at the end of the night) & subtly lit by a LED candle flickering away. The room is filled with well-​dressed couples lost in conversation. Good vibes all around.
There’s always a set Valentine’s dinner menu. It features a four-​course meal with an add-​on wine pairing option. The first course is a choice between salad or soup. I went with the gourmet corn chowder. With a delicate, creamy base accented by the faint sweetness of the corn, it was the best corn chowder to have graced my taste buds. The second course was a chicken roulade appetizer with mango chutney. The main entrée included tender boneless short ribs doused in a red wine sauce, meaty lobster tail, mashed potatoes & grilled asparagus. To top it all off was chocolate ice cream covered in a heart-​shaped chocolate dipped shell & blueberry ricotta cheese bread pudding. I’ve been told there’s live music after 8:00 pm, but we’ve always eaten dinner early & haven’t gotten the chance to be entertained.
Aside from the Valentine dinners, I’ve returned to Formaggio to try food on their regular menu & get a taste of that corn chowder I loved. Unfortunately, there’s only an onion soup available so I decided to give it a try. Tasted junk. However, I’d recommend the fondue which is a mix of cheese, crab, spinach & artichoke served with warm crostinis. Also try the thin crust wild mushroom pizza. Servers are knowledgeable about wine selection & will eagerly assist you in choosing the right wine for your meal. I haven’t tried anything else, but I’ll be back to try more items on their menu.

When I’m in search of good wine, good food, and live music, I head to Formaggio. It’s conveniently located in Kaimuki, across from the high school, with lots of free parking. My party of four dined here last night and we had so much fun!
First off, a special «Thank You» to our waiter, Camille, who gave us outstanding service, provided recommendations for food and drinks, made sure our wine glasses were filled and up to par. He even put an entrée of ours on the warmers bc our table was full and brought it out when we were ready. It was refreshing to see someone give us such great service. Thanks again Camille!
Ok we loved everything we ordered:
Wild Mushroom Pizza: ($ 14) With White Truffle Oil. Must have, delicious.
Bruschetta Trio: ($ 13.99): Tomato/​Basil, Wild Mushroom with truffle oil, roasted pepper and goat cheese. Thumbs up!
Boneless Spare Ribs in a Red Wine Sauce: ($ 15.99) «Slow cooked til tender and juicy, served with a Cabernet Bordelaise sauce.» My friends all loved it, I don’t eat meat.
Caprese Salad: ($ 11.99) Mozzarella, tomato with a «sweet basil pesto sauce and 18-​year-​old aged balsamic vinegar.» Loved the pesto combination. Another must have!
Nepalese Chicken Curry:($ 14.99) Served with basmati rice. It was different for me, never had this before. I enjoyed it. And it wasn’t too spicy.
We did have wine, as there is a great selection to choose from. Our waiter brought some over for me to try, and I enjoyed all of them!
We love live music and that’s also why we love Formaggio! There was a gentleman playing oldies on his guitar that night. My friends recognized a lot of his songs and were singing along. We thoroughly enjoyed him!
Great restaurant. Go check it out!!!

I love this place because it feels like I’m in a wine cellar. I’m not sure why there’s something romantic about that. (Has anyone figured out I’m a wino yet?)
Jake and I have gone on dates here, and it’s a nice romantic spot earlier in the evening when it’s not too crowded. As it gets later and the larger groups start to roll in, the atmosphere really livens up!
My friends and I reserved a table here for a birthday dinner before a night of festivities, and it was a really fun time! We shared the fondue to start, which gets you 10 crostinis and a bowl of cheese fondue to dip or spread. It was really warm and tasty. Keep in mind that they don’t offer free bread to finish off the fondue. We got a small baguette to do so, but were charged about $ 3.
I ordered the Wild Mushroom Pizza and was happy to find that the mini size is $ 5 during happy hour! I am a mushroom pizza *enthusiast* and this one is at the top of my list because of its thin, crispy crust and cheesy, flavorful toppings.
In honor of the birthday girl, our waiter Ryu brought us a round of free shots and a complimentary slice of thick, fudge cake with a candle in it. The night’s entertainers even sang her happy birthday. Live music starts around 8pm on a Saturday!
Service can get a little spotty when the place is full on a Saturday night, but Ryu was great. The atmosphere was perfect for a group of girls ready to party!
WINE: Select $ 5 glasses of wine during happy hour! But whatever you do, you need to try the Moscato Sunrise ($ 8). It is sweet and delicious, and I wish I could have it all the time.
HAPPY HOUR: Two daily from 5:30pm — 7pm and 10pm — 11pm.
PARKING: Free in the upper and lower Market City parking lots. Formaggio is on the lower level near Ben Franklin. The bottom lot can fill up in the evening, but it’s usually pretty easy to snag a stall. If none are available, there’s always the upper lot or street parking.

A friend of mine brought me here a long time ago, so when we found ourselves wondering where we wanted to eat, I remembered this little hole in the wall place, that if you didn’t know where you were going, you wouldn’t see it. I felt like I needed a secret password to get in!
It wasn’t crowded and there was a free wine tasting going on… YES PLEASE! We took a seat in the back and ordered a margherita pizza from the HH menu to go with our free wine. Nice crispy crust and flavorful basil and tomatoes. For dinner I was torn between the pork belly tacos or the chicken? LOL! The friendly waitress said to get the tacos, I mean, «how often do you cook pork belly for yourself?» The partner ordered the chicken pesto panini. Both dishes were good with a few flaws. My tortillas could’ve been grilled a little longer and the panini could’ve been a little bigger. They do have a great selection of wines and naturally, we got a bottle of their Malbec which was really good! We also got dessert… I mean, when in Rome… er…Hawaii…LOL! Both didn’t disappoint and went well with the rest of the wine.
I remember when I first came here, they had a jazz band playing in the dining room. Apparently it’s under new ownership so some things are the same, some are different. The menu is totally different from what I remembered. But I like the ambiance and vibe of the place and will definitely return at some point in the future.