House Without A Key

Last night my boyfriend and I came here for dinner for the first time. We didn’t really know what to expect but one look at the menu on Unilocal and we figured we would give it a try. The ambiance of the restaurant is great. We went in the evening, 7:30−8 pm and it was beautiful. Live music and dim lights with the view of Waikiki at night. Our waiter was Alfe, he was great. He made the experience even better. His service was exceptional, he was very kind and our glasses never went dry. Is it possible to request a server? If so we definitely want Alfe again

When you are Waikiki you have to each here. The place is five stars for both food, service, and location.
Now the plating is very good, and the service very good.
The location is next to the pool with a view to the ocean (Waikiki Beach), under the umbrella with ginger beer …
Do not miss the coconut Layer cake…
Shalom

I love this gorgeous restaurant, it has a delicious breakfast buffet with a view of the ocean :)
–breakfast buffet. It’s pretty pricey but it has a good selection of local as well as American and Japanese eats, you can load your plate again and again to sample everything! Drinks (non alcoholic) are included so that’s a nice touch. The bacon is soooo good (but then again, when is bacon NOT good?) ;)
–coconut chiffon cake: This is a MUST! Please, do yourself a favor and order this
Service and ambiance: Impeccable

This is a favorite spot for my husband and I to eat dinner, have a great Mai tai and enjoy live hula performance while the sun sets into the Pacific Ocean.

Come here for the great atmosphere. Outdoor seating right on the beach, looking out over the ocean and the sunset, with live Hawaiian music and hula adding even more to the ambiance. The food and drinks are fine but not memorable, and admittedly overpriced. Certainly worth a visit, though.

I felt that the food and drinks where just ok, combined with the steeper prices this might be a place on Waikiki you can skip. I felt it was very overpriced for what we were getting!
The atmosphere was ok, it was pretty touristy filled with a ton of hotel guests and tourists and you couldn’t actually see the beach.

This is an interesting spot along Waikiki. You can walk in around 5pm to have cocktails or even dinnee without reservations. If you keep ordering, you can stay for live perfornances by traditional Hawaiian groups. They also always have hula dancers who are current or past Miss Hawaii. We were very surprised that they were relaxed about serving non-​hotel guests. At dinner time, they were so swamped we could have escaped with a free meal. We finally saw our waiter and closed out our bill.
The drinks and food are standard if not a little overpriced, but the sunset view makes up for it.
If you want a nice Hawaiian experience this is a better option than some luau you get trapped at for 3 hours.

Simply the best. The views, service, food/​drink and live music w hula are all fantastic! The setting is perfect and magical, right on the beach in Waikiki. I love going here for a cocktail to celebrate a special occasion. Free valet parking w validation too. This time of year, the Christmas decorations at the Halekulani hotel are exquisite! I will ALWAYS come back to House Without a Key!

They switched the complimentary maui chips to a rather lackluster cracker. However, the food is still really good. Other than needing a better wine list, I think the location along with the food and live Hawaiian music is worth the slightly steeper price tag. We had the butterfish served over mushrooms and spinach with a tomato cream sauce. Not only was the presentation spectacular but the dish was the highlight of our dining in Waikiki. The veggies were not over salted or buttered, which complimented this fish perfectly. It was melt in your mouth and too filling to even allow room for dessert. Next time…

The customer service is excellent! Reggie was the most attentive sweetest man. The food is just eh and waaayyyy overpriced! $ 26 for spaghetti??? Seriously? And if it’s so expensive it better taste the best of the best right? Nope, definitely wasn’t and not even close. I didn’t even finish my spaghetti because it was just to saucy and had to much of something but I couldn’t pinpoint it. We also waited about one hour for our food, that is just way to long of a wait for lunchtime and it wasn’t even crowded.
View is beautiful but there are so many other restaurants in all the hotels down this little strip so I would recommend going to another one before coming here, food is just way to pricey and doesn’t taste the best.

House Without A Key is a really nice restaurant. Great views, beautiful surroundings and great service. I ordered Fresh Catch of the Day– Ahi cooked medium with sautéed vegetables and a bowl of rice. Also ordered a carafe of the Albariño.
I’ve had better service, better food and better wine, but the combination offered is top notch. The service is professional, yet friendly. No snobs working here. The plate was very good. I would have preferred my fish rare, but the flavors were balanced and tasted good. The wine was actually quite good, especially considering the location. And, the live entertainment was very good. Definitely set the the tone for a wonderful night.
The prices weren’t as bad as I anticipated. About $ 50 for myself (plus tip).
Do yourself a favor and take your better half to an evening she will remember.

If you’re visiting the islands or even if you live here… This is a MUST to go at sunset and have a tropical drink, have some ono pupus and listen to awesome Hawaiian music. You will even see a beautiful hula dancer from time to time if you’re lucky. When night falls they do a keawe grill for dinner and it is just amazing!!! I’d you’ve never tried something grill with keawe wood you’re tastebuds are surely missing out.

Went to HWAK for a sunset dinner. The service was fantastic. I wish I had gotten the name of our server because she was very attentive.
We ordered Mai Tais (of course). The drinks were beautiful and you can definitely taste the rum. I was afraid I would to be able to walk back to my room if I got a second drink.
For dinner, I ordered the chopped salad. It was just ok. The Cesar salad is so much better. I also got the fish of the day. It was cooked very well. My mom got the tasty ribs. We split the coconut cake. Oh man, that coconut cake is heaven. After that, we were way too full, but worth it.
My only complaint is that the dinners should be closer to the front than people just getting drinks. But, that’s a pretty petty complaint.

This restaurant is amazing in every way. Came here for breakfast and dinner, both times were great.
Breakfast buffet: worth the wait. The buffet is pretty well stocked and had every traditional breakfast items you’d want. Favorites would have to be the fresh fruit, Portuguese sausage, and the omelette bar (shrimp is an item at the omelette station and it’s so so good). Add a guava juice and you are good to go.
Dinner: here is even better. More private, beautiful view of the ocean, the best breeze sitting outside is perfect.
Food: 5 stars, everything was wonderful, even the items you wouldn’t expect. I saw a lot of tables ordering the spaghetti & so of course I gave it a try, perfection! Someone else at my table ordered the Hawaiian BBQ ribs which is a for sure 5/​5, everyone at the table agreed that was the best dish.
Service: 5 stars. Jan was our server she is beyond fantastic so funny and wonderful. She made the atmosphere even better.
Lastly, best lychee mojito hands down. Give it a try you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

We came for the nice ocean view and beautiful atmosphere. The Maitai was excellent, the Caesar salad was delicious with grill chicken.
It is great to bring visitors there for their first meals, and dine outdoor with the view of the blue sky, beautiful ocean and hear the sound of the ocean. The best Hawaii offers.
The lunch automatically came with a good size basket of bread & 2 jar of butter. Today’s special was 2 palm size pieces Ahi Tuna. It was prepared medium rare, fresh and delicious. The seasoning was just right.
However, the food came out quite slow, it took about 20 minutes. But nobody seemed to mind because it is very beautiful there, with gorgeous ocean view and light breeze.

my boss recommended this place for drinks and I’m glad we checked it out.
House Without a Key is located inside the Halekulani hotel. I suggest taking an über here as parking in this area is tough.
We came by for drinks around the evening time right before the sun was setting. The view is amazing! They have a live band as well as hula girls performing. It was so much fun. The mai tai served here is the best I’ve had. Beautifully crafted with an orchid on each one.
The coconut shrimp is a must get.
Definitely worth checking out if you’re visiting Oahu.

This place does not take reservations but the wait was only about 30min when my husband and I were there (around 7:30pm). The scenery is beautiful overlooking the beach and diamond head. They play good music and the customer service was great. I had a pasta and my husband had a fish… they were both just okay. But their coconut cake is a killer!!! Gotta have it. One of places good for a romantic dinner in Waikiki.
P. S. They have validated parking up to 4 hours, right in front of the hotel.

Great location in a beautiful hotel.
Service is great. Great views.
Food is great.
My favorite was the shrimp. Their seafood overall is amazing!
Mai tai was good, but not the best!
Coconut cake was a little dry. Don’t see what all the fuss was about.
Overall pretty pricey for a lunch, but would definitely come back.

This is a must-​do activity while staying in Honolulu.
HWAK is one of the most relaxing, pleasant experiences you’ll have. It’s a multisensory experience. Relax with the tradewinds in your hair, feast your eyes on a colorful sunset, listen to the gentle waves slapping against the sea wall, taste delicious tropical drinks and smell Miss Hawaii’s beautiful flower leis as she walks past you to dance hula on stage.
What I love:
–Mai Tai and other tropical drinks are pretty darn good. In fact, these are classy tropical drinks. All killer, no filler. Even the blended ones!
–Live Hawaiian music. This is the Hawaiian music of old Waikiki… circa the 1950’s.
–Miss Hawaii hula dancers. All the dancers are former Miss Hawaiis. Kanoe Miller is exquisite and I believe she still dances Fridays and Saturdays. She is graceful and utter perfection. No one compares!
–The service. Halekulani offers among the best. From the valet attendants to the waiters to the bussers, the employees are polite, classy, attentive, and doting.
Things to know before going:
–Get there early to snag a seat close to the stage. It’s critical if you want a seat on the lower chairs and tables at the terrace. Otherwise, you’re stuck «inside» at regular tables.
–Use the Halekulani valet parking (HWAK validates, so just pay a tip).
–The food isn’t fabulous. You don’t go for the food.
–It’s expensive. Just consider the higher prices «rent» for an evening on the terrace. :)
–If you’re celebrating a special occasion, drop a hint to your waiter or the host.

Decided to enjoy dinner with a view, live music, and a hula dancer. Before picking this restaurant to take my visitor to, I of course read some reviews from fellow yeeps. I was prepared to spend a bit in order to have a gorgeous view and great music.
We parked down the road and had a nice 5 minute walk down the sidewalk to the Halekulani hotel where this restaurant is located. I wasn’t sure which direction to go through the lobby so I asked at the reception desk.
After walking around and coming upon the pool, seeing the ocean, and turning the corner to get to the hostess stand I almost changed my mind. There were quite a few people ahead of us. Apparently dining for dinner guests get a different table than those who are there for cocktails.
We were immediately sat a nice table with a view of the water, sailboats, and of course the musicians and dancer. Our waitress was quick to introduce herself and ask what we would like to drink. We both ordered mai tais which were very good. We received complimentary bread and some water. That held us over for a bit while we relaxed and perused the menu. We both decided to get the burger and I also got the potato chips. Our burgers came with bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, on a brioche bun with ketchup and mustard on the side. They were both served with greens and a macaroni salad.
We didn’t wait very long for our food to be delivered. They were both cooked perfectly and were juicy and delicious. We took small bites in order to enjoy it along with the music and dancer and watch the sunset.
I had a wonderful time at the restaurant enjoying our drinks and burgers. I don’t think the macaroni salad was very good, it didn’t seem very flavorful. There were definitely plenty of tourists surrounding us but that was to be expected.