Hale Ohuna

I was having a ramen craving on a recent trip to Honolulu, and our friends recommended this spot. I was unaware of the affiliation with Top Chef, as I don’t watch that show (or whatever cooking reality show it is).
We snuck in on a Friday without a reservation with the caveat that we had to vacate our table before 7:30 (the next reservation). That gave us slightly over an hour, so we went for it. I would recommend making a reservation, but you could also get lucky on a cancellation.
Kinda pricey, but that’s Hawaii.
Cocktails: Extremely creative cocktail list. They also have a really well stocked bar, so basically you can get anything, but go for it and try one of their cocktails from the menu.
Food: Everything looked delicious. I got the pork ramen (first item on the menu, if I recall). I am not a Japanese food expert, and I have a shellfish allergy, so I had to Google literally all of the ingredients on the list. Good news, no shellfish. The ramen was TERRIFIC and I recommend it. It’s no Daikokuya (LA), but what is. It’s a close second. I will say, this was my only ramen I enjoyed on Oahu.
Service: FAB! Gavin was our server and he was great.

1^st time to this place and I would go back to sample other dishes. Although I had reservations, when I walked in at 6p on saturday night it wasn’t crowded at all, my girlfriend and I sat at the bar. They have those convenient purse holders underneath I love those.
They have a happy hour drink and pupu menu and a regular menu.
Jidori wings (6 $) happy hour price was pretty good. It was a mixture of sweet and spicy, very unique flavor. B+
Dumplings all day Wong (6 $) happy hour price I honestly didn’t think we’re that spectacular C+
Pig face musubi (9 $) regular price was not bad but I didn’t think lived up to its cool sounding name. C+
Elima pua’a Ramen (20 $) was the best dish we ordered. It was a large bowl of yumminess that hit the spot. The soup was really hearty and tasty the noodles were cooked perfectly and everything just blended well together. To pay 20 $ for a bowl of fancy noodles… this one just might be worth it. Reminded me of the one they have a Lucky Belly. A
Wine Gomay red (7 $) happy hour price not bad almost like a pinot noir B
Uchinanchu (10 $) regular price, LOL now try to say that 10x fast! Have no idea how to pronounce it but… it was fabulous. Shiranami shochu, okinawan sweet potato syrup, coconut water, mint, sea salt, angostura. Don’t know what half the ingredients are either but it was yummy! A
Overall I’m giving it 4 stars because they have a really extensive drink menu, imported beer, wines, sake, shochu, Scotch whiskey, Japanese whiskey, American whiskey, Irish whiskey, etc…
The menu contains 6 pages of alcohol and about 2 pages of food;) The ambiance is very hip and it’s decorated very nicely, it’s a cool intimate setting. Perfect for first dates, girls night dinners, boys night out and even solo dinners at the bar. I’ll go back to have that sweet potato drink;)

My friend got pooped on by a bird in the rafters! That’s just part of it.
Service: waitress was knowledgeable about all the items we inquired about — food and drink. However, the service was extremely slow. Dinner lasted over two hours mainly due to the slow service, it wasn’t busy so i can’t say they were busy with other tables, food also came out quite slowly. We ordered appetizers at the same time as our mains and we waited a long time between these courses.
Drink confusion: i arrived early, settled in for a drink at the bar downstairs. Great selection of Japanese whiskies, which i appreciate. I ordered the Yamazaki 12 year. The bartendress brought over the bottle of Yamazaki 18 and started to pour when I caught a glimpse of the bottle and i saw my wallet flash before my eyes. There’s a $ 20 dollar difference between the two on their menu. I interrupted just in time.
Then upstairs at dinner, my friends ordered drinks: a certain bottle of Coedo beer and a Shochu. The waiter brought the wrong type of Coedo beer and RED WINE. Our waitress corrected the wine mistake, we lived with the beer mixup.
Worst part: did i mention we got (bird) pooped on! During an extended wait between ordering and receiving our dessert, my fellow diner across the table received an unwarranted gift from above– a bird quietly waiting in the rafters released his dinner onto my friend’s back. I alerted the waiter of our misfortune, he apologized and said he would «get» our desserts. After receiving our check, our desserts were still charged on the final tab. We got fooled… and pooped on!
Food: We ordered the dumplings and the veggie pupu platter for appetizers. The dumplings were very cheesy, it reminded me of a pizza pocket in dumpling form. The veggie platter was the best part of dinner: small salad, tiny brussel sprouts, soba noodles, curried cauliflower, a a tempura vegetable root i can’t recall.
I had the lamb neck curry. Waitress described it as Japanese curry, «sweet and spicy.» Dish came and lamb was definitely sweet, however complete lack of spice. Furthermore, the dish did not come together well. There was the lamb in sweet curry sauce, fall/​winter vegetables (carrots and squash), pickled ginger, and flavorless udon noodles (no broth, no sauce on the bottom). The lack of a overarching sauce or strong flavor contributed to these various ingredients not meshing well together. I picked around, took most of it home.
Conclusion: after two visits to Hale Ohuna (first visit i had the underwhelming ramen bowl, broth leaves much to be desired), i don’t think I’ll be back. Overpriced & overhyped.
I miss the Salt kitchen, formerly of that space.

Prices actually very reasonable for ambience and drinks. Large sake selection. Service very attentive and friendly.
Food: had jidori chicken wings flavor on outside delicious. Little red near bone but 100% organic jidori so prolly ok. Kawa gyoza interesting but not crispy where skin folded. Dumplings were purported to be smashed knishes — outside coating not what I expected not bready like knish when I was little in public school in ny. Whole fried baby fish bones in and if flash fried hotter bones might’ve been easier to crunch. I’m a wuss when it comes to fish bones so couldn’t crunch these up. Best item was chopped salad with luau as dressing. Was fresh and yummy. Maybe we should’ve gotten noodles since it was a noodle bar?
Temp control issues upstairs with air con blasting too cold and then off becomes too humid.
Overall maybe expectations too high. I will try again and give second chance. Kinda like how I felt with kokohead café. Liked it much better second and third times.

This place, tucked away in the ‘Muks’ is so good its scary. The mixology starts you off great, then every bit of food you eat takes you down a flavorful adventure that your mouth will want to take again and again. The staff is also super helpful.
Not only will you be happy with the place, but you’ll automatically feel better about yourself since its Farm-​to-​Table and quite hip too!

Fucking amazing! The food was great! The service was better and the owner/​head chef came by to say hi by bison our table.
We had the happy hour chicken wings, dumplings all day, the lamb burger and pork ramen! Everything was on point! Def goin back! Mahalo staff
@haleohuna!

Excellent food, priced fairly (although the appetizers are a little pricey), great alcohol list and awesome décor.
Pig Face Musubi
Tasty but a bit too rich, deep fried fatty pork musubi sitting in a pool of aioli with some tsukemono on top. Found it a bit funny that our server bought it and set it down with «Here’s your Pig face mooSUbi»
Okinawan dynamite skins
2 small okinawan potato skins stuffed with a mix of seafood in a aioli based sauce, delicious but maybe a bit overpriced at $ 12.
‘Elima Pua’a Ramen
Again, very tasty but very rich, a complex fatty garlic pork broth with both savory and sweet undertones. There’s at least 8 different toppings on this including pork belly, kalua pig and chicharron.
Fried Daily Fish
We had a fresh fried aweoweo which was delicious and the plate was beautifully composed. The sides were interesting but not really sure how it was meant to be eaten as I’ve never had a soft boiled egg and ulu poi? with fried fish before.
Service was excellent and I look forward to trying more things here.

Hale Ohuna has a inventive menu that is perfectly catered to local tastes with just enough of a touch of mainland sophistically to keep things fun and hip. The curated bar selection, shareable plates, and cool ambiance makes it a perfect spot for a date, hanging out with friends, or even a solo foodie outing. No matter who you come with or where you are seated, expect great service that’s warm and welcoming. Chef might even come out to greet you.
Tip: save room for dessert. They have the best almond tofu. But if that’s not your thing, the location in Kaimuki is perfect for taking an after-​meal evening stroll.

Great spot with a good vibe and a crew that was on their game. A cute spot, with an extensive bar and hip yet casual surroundings. This place is going to be another hit for Chef Leanne Wong.
The night we got there, we had a table of 12, sitting upstairs on the loft. The restaurant was still relatively new and I think, the cooks were still ironing out some of the wrinkles in terms of timing, consistency and such — but it was still a great night! And I loved that Chef Leanne came out, to talk to our table to ask for feedback.
For example — we had 2 people who ordered the same dish but each had different noodles, toppings and tastes. Not necessarily a bad thing since each person liked their food. In fact we all didn’t even realize the difference until later in the dinner.
Since then, others have returned and/​or friends have enjoyed the offerings here — so I’m planning on giving it another try soon!

Very nice place, staff was awesome especially Yuki the bartender! Place looked terrific. However, seriously overpriced. No happy hours yet. I’ll go back once in a blue moon.

I had such a fabulous meal here last night! Everything we ordered was amazing and delicious.
3 of us shared 3 pupus: stuffed okinowan potatoes are a must! and the potstickers were great too.
Then we shared the tandoori chicken ramen and that was great too. The highlight of the ramen was definitely the mushrooms.
My favorite drink was rice rice baby and it was strong!
I can’t wait to go here again.
We didn’t make reservations, but it was filling up on a Monday night. Might be good to call ahead since it’s a smaller place.

I have been dying to try here & was looking for any occasion. Lee Anne Wong is one of my lady chef crushes. My birthday came & my chance. We had dinner on a Saturday night, party of 10. I called ahead and they were cool about accommodating us. We arrived promptly at 7:45 where we were escorted to the lounge or ‘Green room.’ It was actually adorable and oddly quiet even though only a curtain separated it from the main area. What looked like local carved wood tables and stools were through out with pillows in greens and there was mellow lighting. We were able to order drinks as our whole party arrived and as they set up our table. What a fun cocktail menu! With names likes the Thaimuki and Rice Rice Baby it’s hard to go wrong. I ordered the Beet Beet ahh Toot Toot, a mix of rum, aperol, beet-​kaffir lime shrub, mint & lime. Vinny our server told me I had to sing it. Loved the sass! Our group got seated pretty shortly after getting drinks; the timing was actually perfect as we had a few moments of intimacy before entering the main area. I loved the décor/​vibe of the restaurant immediately. The lighting was dim, almost pale yellow and I somehow got lost in the music and laughter. A movie played on the wall with a projector. Chic, like NYC bars. Our table quickly ordered a bunch of whiskey flights, a few more cocktails, sake, etc. We were going all out! Then Vinny brought up the food…
He started by announcing the special because they only had 7 left — the chefs friend from NY had flown her in some fresh foie gras and duck so they were serving a kona coffee & shoyu marinated seared duck breast with hoso udon & foie gras mac nut sauce, finished with a coffee shoyu tare. HOLY CRAP. We were all nodding, licking our lips. Besides ordering that delicious sounding special, we ordered the kawa gyoza, the dumplings all day wong & the ichiban lamburger. The gyoza are wrapped in chicken skin instead of wontons and stuffed with ground chicken and other goodness before they’re fried up into perfect bites. I don’t know why this has never entered my mouth before but it was delicious. I love fried food and getting rid of that wrapper? Genius. The Dumplings All Day Wong were peking pork and were one of the more different dumplings I’ve tried of hers as they were long as well as softer & boiled, with only seared edges. I have no idea what she put in the peking pork mixture or in the beautiful hoison type sauce that drizzled the top with fresh herbs but talk about delicious. We liked these even more than the kawa gyoza. The lamb burger showed up next. I honestly wasn’t expecting much but this burger was cooked just right, topped with spicy tempura cheese, miso red onions, tomato jam & house pickles on a challah bun. I bit into this thing and after wiping the juice the dripped down my chin, I savored the layer of tastes in my mouth. The cheese, the onions, the lamb. Every aspect of this burger were truly on point. Came with a side of fresh fried up taro chips. Finally, the crème de la crème; the lamb came out. The lamb was cooked PERFECTLY pink, next to the noodles covered in foie gras macadamia nut goodness. I can’t even put into words how delicious this plate of food was. The crunch nuts over the top added a nice textural note, the fatty foie gras nuttiness & creaminess of the sauce was to die for and the lamb melted in each bite. The true winner was the coffee shoyu tare. The bitter notes complimented the dish so well.
We were supposed to go karaōke but the food & booze coma was hitting and we decided to ride the wave into dessert. Another round of drinks for all along with the dessert menu. I tried a few of the after dinner drinks from their selection and was pleasantly surprised. I’m usually not a dessert person and just share with my boyfriend but it was my birthday & Lee Anne was killing it. Madre chocolate rice pudding brûlée with cinnamon and the hand pie of the day which happened to be kabocha. I’ve never been a fan of rice pudding but the spicy chocolate notes, the crunch of the brûlée, and the creaminess of the rice. It was light & airy. My favorite dessert I have had in quite awhile. Almost won me over for the whole night. The hand pie came out next, with a side of maple & bay leaf whipped cream. We are big fans of kabocha & pie so this was automatically awesome. The whipped cream was unique beyond belief. I am going to have to experiment with bay leaf more often.
Lee Anne came out and I saw her saying hello to many of her tables which I love. Any chef that wants to get to know the people who enjoy their food is a winner in my book. You can’t forget that personal touch. You can taste it. She came over and wished me Happy Birthday where I almost fainted in pure glee. It was the conclusion to the most perfect birthday dinner of my life.
Location is where SALT used to be. There is street parking or the lot out back. Impeccable & knowledgeable service, delicious local and unique food; this is a must try!

My boyfriend and I were really exited to try this new place because we LOVE ramen.
SERVICE:
The service is GREAT! Our server knew a lot about the menu and she was very informative and friendly.
DRINKS:
I had the Tokyo Mule and my boyfriend had hitachino white ale. The Tokyo Mule had a kick to it but it was an average drink, nothing special. It was awesome that they had hitachino because my boyfriend always looks for it.
FOOD:
For appetizers we had the luau tako bites, which was ok… nothing special… and it didn’t come out hot. We also had the sweet potato skins which were pretty bomb! That was my favorite dish of the night. And lastly we had a special hamachi appetizer which was also good.
My boyfriend had a fish based ramen which I thought was good in the beginning but the broth is so sweet and overwhelming as you keep eating it.
I had the Elima pua’a ramen which did have a lot of things in it which I didn’t even eat. Usually the broth is my favorite part of ramen but I didn’t even want to drink this broth because it was bland.
I don’t mind at all paying a big price for great food and a great restaurant experience but when we got the bill it made me irritated because it wasn’t worth the food we just ate. I felt ripped off to be honest. Either lower the prices or pump up the food quality.

Ok, now that there are 18 reviews, I finally can write my review and not feel too bad about it. Let me remind you, 2 stars equals «I’ve experienced better.» When I heard about a new noodle restaurant, I was super excited to try it out. I think I even went there on opening night. The menu looked promising as there were a variety of noodles to choose from. I got lots of different appetizers and the garden phở. Not only was the noodle served luke warm the flavor wasn’t impressive. This is what always happens when I have high expectations about a place. On a brighter note, service was excellent. I think what I might need to do is go back and give it another shot now that it’s been open for some time.

Modern, inviting, relaxing atmosphere. Staff is well-​versed on menu and there’s an extensive sake and whiskey collection. They serve checks in hallowed books, ours was «The Weight of Yen» which conveniently open to «The Credit Decision» chapter :)
We had the kawa gyoza: 4 dumplings which came with a twist — savory crispy fried chicken skin as wrapper, and the Haloa’s Bowl: noodle soup with fried opah in a spicy coconut broth, topped with slices of apple banana and fries pai’i’ai. Heavenly!
We were so full that we had to pass on dessert but plan to return soon to try the Madre chocolate koshihikari rice pudding brulee.

If you’re gonna be a jazzed up ramen shop, you know you’ll be compared with Lucky Belly and Agu Ramen. Unfortunately, LeeAnne Wong has got some work to do.
The dumplings appetizer paled in comparison to Lucky Belly’s. The ponzu sauce had a bit too much heat and the dumplings weren’t that flavorful. The presentation was lacking as well.
The «Elima» ramen had way too much ingredients with hearts of palm that resembled pieces of plastic. And the broth was way too salty. My wife has the phở and thought the broth was too salty as well. Maybe they should have just retained the old restaurant’s name («Salt»!).
However, the service was excellent and Sarah was super informative and attentive.
LeeAnne Wong had better check her competition’s ramen and appetizers and step it up or else the restaurant will be in trouble.

Okay, I really liked it, but I live in Kaimukī and have been faithfully praying to the gods (all of them) for a good new bar to open.
First of all, anything Lee Anne Wong does is awesome. The place is beautiful. Salt was kind of a weird, dark hole. Wong has re-​envisoned the space with a sort of amazing local flair that really needs to be experienced. There’s local art, local décor, the space is beautiful. It’s inviting. You feel good walking in.
She also has the best staff for the high end places. Period. They’re nice. They’re attentive. This matters.
I really should have paid more attention to the specific names of what I ate, but I was eating, so I didn’t. We had the Dumplings All Day Wong — which are always fantastic. Seriously. Always. We had the daily fish as an appetizer to share — which I recommend. It was spectacular, and I’m not a fan of fried fish, especially when it’s staring at me. But it was ta’ape, and it was my first time eating ta’ape, and I loved it.
I had the lamb burger, and it was great. It was also huge, so there was more than enough to spare, but it was fantastic. My new favorite burger — seriously, because it wasn’t greasy and gross. It was just a great burger.
The liquor menu goes on forever. Everything we tried (and we tried a lot) was great.
When the waiter offered us dessert, we looked at him like he was crazy. We were stuffed! Happy and stuffed!
This is seriously my new favorite bar in Kaimukī!

Im not going to sugarcoat this review as I believe the restaurant needs constructive criticism to improve.
Service was very good. Servers seemed well trained for opening night and knew the menu items and ingredients to the t. They all were pleasant and different staff came around to chat and see how everything was going.
Food, to be blunt, was below Lee Anne Wong’s standards.
For appetizers, we had the tako balls. I didn’t quite know what to think of this. It was just blah to me and my dining companions. Next were dumpling. They were good, but not WOW, just like won tons. Lastly was the was the sweet potato dynamite. This was creative, balanced and had good flavor. Our favorite dish of the night.
Now to the bad, bad part, the noodles. We had the Ramen and the Saimin. Noodle for both these dishes were literally mush, starchy and just plain bad. I heard the noodles were made in-​house. This may need to change or maybe the cooking time was off, but something was wrong there. Sometimes less is best. There just seemed to be too much going on in both bowls of noodles. From the red ginger, to salty pork, to kalua pork, to wakame to vinegary sour salty soup base, this was just a hot soggy mess. Now these are $ 20 bowls of noodles we are talking here. Not good!
Desserts again were just average. A mango pudding and a fresh fruit plate with sake ume jello and cream. Nothing spectacular.

I’m a fan of Koko Head Café, so I decided to check out Chef Lee Anne Wong’s next food establishment, Hale Ohuna. If you’re in a bang for your buck mentality, don’t come here and cry about the price disguised as constructive criticism and rate it low stars. If you are a fairly knowledgeable cook and know the local agriculture and food scene, you’ll appreciate what Chef Wong is bringing to the table.
The food is skillfully prepared and the offerings are inventive and mindful. Just as you won’t be able to find another breakfast spot that can serve up the unique local flavors at Koko Head, you’ll be hard pressed to find a noodle spot that can offer you the same twist.
I’d be happy just eating the pupus! Ocean malasadas, lomi toast and okinawan dynamite skins were well received by the whole table. The appetizers are small and served in twos, except for the kawa gyoza (5 pcs).
The bowls are heaped full of toppings, from meat tempuras, sliced pickled ginger, veggies — these noodle bowls will fill you up! The broths edge towards the saltier side. The saimin and ramen were table favorites. Haloa bowl was interesting in a one brow raising way.
The phở was served lukewarm but once brought to the attention of the waiter, was quickly remedied — if you have a complaint, speak up and give the restaurant a chance to fix it on the spot! Perfection is non-​existent and to expect it is ludicrous! However, a restaurant willing to fix an error means they care about your experience!
My favorite desserts were the annin tofu and sake sabayon with fresh fruits. After intense broth flavors, these light desserts are perfect and refreshing. The fresh fruits included white guava which is not easily sourced. Tell me, when did you last eat white guava? Not pink guava, not strawberry guava — white guava. White guava is more delicate than its pink counterpart and difficult to find. Thank you, Chef Wong, for bringing it to the table. The sake sabayon is a great twist. Sabayon is much more than a «cream». Leave your pretentiousness outside and appreciate the simple offering of fresh local fruits elevated with an unexpected flavor accompaniment.
The atmosphere is great, love it. That blank white wall on the 2^nd floor? Now plays surf documentaries ala projector. The stairs? As you’re walking down, take note of the vibrant purple rave lights peeking through the cracks! Tons of art, and wood, and more wood (I love wood!) and ropes — this place is swinging and hip!
Service was great! We were greeted with smiles at the hostess bar. We were promptly taken to our seats. The waiter was knowledgeable and friendly. Plates cleared, plates brought, water refills– great! We even got to see Chef Wong herself!
Hale Ohuna took over the old Salt location, fronting Waialae ave between Verde and Coffee Talk. I parked in the metered private parking lot located behind Koko Head Café.

I am a big fan of Chef Lee Anne Wong because of her great brunch restaurant Koko Head Café so I was very excited to hear she was opening up a noodle bar. I had a super easy time making a reservation on line for opening night. Once I arrived at the restaurant, previously Salt on Waialae, I was taken to the Green room, a lounge area, to meet the rest of my party. Once we were all there, we were seated at a table upstairs with comfy bench seating complete with decorative cushions.
I love, love the comfy and relaxing atmosphere of the restaurant. It indeed feels like someone’s home which made me feel at ease and more apt to having a good time.
After ordering a round of drinks (they have an impressive drink list), our server went over the menu highlighting the unique dishes like the kawa gyoza (which uses chicken skin instead of a gyoza wrapper) and the pig face musubi.
On the noodle menu are Chef Wong’s own versions including a ramen, saimin, cold noodles, and phở. I chose the ‘Elima pua’a ramen which came with a shinsato pork bone broth, miso braised belly, kalua pig, chicharron, black garlic kotterri, onsen egg, and Sapporo style noodles. It’s quite pricey at $ 20 a bowl, but the dish is innovative and you can just taste the quality of the ingredients.
I was a little taken aback with how my noodles were cooked. They seemed to be heavy with broth. Not bad, but different. And I did eat it all. For dessert, we had the Madre chocolate rice pudding brulee. We loved the subtle richness of the chocolate and the texture of the rice pudding.

Hale Ohuna has a fun and exciting vibe and it makes me want to return and try a different dish.