Livestock Tavern

Service was good! The ambiance is horrible as this place has poor acoustics and it’s so loud when it’s full it’s a detriment to the enjoyment of a 5 star dining experience.
The cheeseburger was excellent as were the scallops and chopped salad.
The prime rib was tough and dry but cooked to requested medium rare?
Ruth Chris or Morton’s for prime rib!
The waiter seemed to take offense after he asked «
How’s everything going ?» and my Japanese GF responded with «it’s too loud in here!»
Don’t ask if you won’t like the answer!
Average for Waikiki

There’s only one reason, and one reason needed to come down to Livestock Tavern: Maine Lobster Roll!
I’m sure Livestock Tavern has many other delicious menu items (clam chowder is awesome) but the Maine Lobster Roll is to die for! The crunchy buttery goodness of the white bread beautifully compliments the main star of this dish (the lobster duh!) Huge chunks of lobster are stuffed in your sandwich so you have to watch out b/​c those little buggahs are going try jump ship. Every bite was a taste of heaven and I was so sad to see it disappear from my plate but don’t fret because your sandwich is accompanied by either seasoned chips, french fries, or salad!
My first experience was wonderful and the waiters are trained for perfection (my knife was slightly out of place and he actually took the time to fix it) Even though the lobster roll is the most expensive dish on the menu ($ 18), I wouldn’t hesitate to get it again!

Came here for the Tavern Burger! Da Best Burger!
My son ordered Lobster Roll that he wanted try so bad and so long. I enjoyed my Burrata cheese with wine!

When your first arrive, it appears to have that modern, trendy feel to it. You must make reservations or you will have to wait a bit like I said in my top. Or you could actually go early when it opens and you will for sure get seated. There is no crowd waiting like Maharani.
Simple menu… Just one page front and back. One page for drinks that include your champagne, white wine, red wine, and well drinks. The other page has starters like soup and salad, small plates, and your larger entrees.
We started off with the chopped salad topped with eggs that was pretty good. Then we had this beet ravioli that was weird because I was not use to eating warm beet with cheese in a pasta. The third thing we ate was the scallops, which was our favorite dish of the night. The fourth thing we are was the chopped up prime rib with potatoes and beans. We had the herb chicken which was stuffed and seasoned and on top of a bed of mashed potatoes that was tasty. Lastly, we ordered the rack of lamb that was served with a quinoa on the bottom. So, we did sample several dishes and my two must haves for next time would be the chicken and the scallops.
To drink, I had the genache red wine from Spain. That was good. Hubby had the New York sour, two pickles, and a Heman. I just sampled his New York sour which just wasn’t my cup of tea. Out of all three though, my hubby liked the New York sour, but guess we differ on well drinks. To end the dinner there, I had my French pressed coffee and I must say I enjoyed the coffee.
Overall, cool place to hangout with your friends and family. Just gotta fight for street parking or pay about $ 8 for a spot in one of those lots.

I don’t usually rave about a place, but Livestock Tavern is amazeballs! I came here not expecting much, but boy did they deliver.
It’s on the corner of N. Hotel and Smith Streets. The interior is very classic and hipster if you want to call it that. The servers were very gracious and always came by to check if we were ok and always refilled waters.
There were so many choices for dinner that we wanted to try them all. So our plan was to order many plates and split it in three so we would all be able to try as much as we could on the menu. Akamai, right?
Clam Chowder (⁵⁄₅):
This was one of the best clam chowders I’ve ever tasted. I have read past reviews that stated there were not enough clams, but in my bowl there was enough fresh clams, potatoes and celery. The soup base was creamy and very flavorful. I’ve lived in New England and this can stand up to the clam chowders up there.
Bone Marrow and Escargot (⁵⁄₅):
I’ve never tried bone marrow but I love escargot. This was a perfect marriage, as they blended the bone marrow with the snails, placed it back in the bone and topped it with a delicious garlicky bread crumb crust. It is served with toasted bread and parsnip mash. The parsnip mash was to die for! I’ve never had parsnips either but this tasted like a delicious out of this world garlic mashed potato with a carrot aftertaste.
Clams and Mussels (⁴⁄₅):
The broth the clams and mussels that it was tossed in was delicious. It was accented with bacon. The only problem is the mussels and clams they picked rarely had meat in it.
Baby Back Ribs with Honey Cornbread (⁵⁄₅):
One word: Delicious! The ribs were fall off the bone tender. It had a sweet BBQ taste but also had a hint of an Asian/​Chinese allspice or char siu flavor to it. It was served on a bed of cooked Swiss Chard. Not a fan, but it kind of tastes like collard greens with a bitter aftertaste. The cornbread that accompanied it was toasted and drizzled with fresh honey. Totally winners!
NY Steak with mushroom medley and small potatoes (³⁄₅):
The NY Steak was a thick cut. It was cooked a perfect medium rare. I don’t know if I was getting full but it was just ok. There was too much gravy/​demi glaze for me. The selection of different mushrooms were awesome and I liked them. The small potatoes were cute, but I think this entrée would go well with that parsnip mash instead. It was just okay out of all the other dishes.
Great food, great drinks, service is on point! Parking is street or municipal. If you go on a weekday for dinner, I’m sure there’s lots of street parking available as Chinatown empties out. A very classy place and I’ll definitely come back for their lunch menu.

***UPDATE***
Livestock Tavern. (4 stars)
I wish the Summer Menu was out already! The food was tasty this time around but not as exciting! Perhaps because I had already tried virtually the entire menu the first time! There was NO CARAMEL CHEESECAKE this time around which heartbreaking because that was one of the best things I had the last time! The only dessert they had was the equivalent to a chocolate lava flow cake. Not everyone enjoys chocolate so no one ordered the dessert. Boo!
Divers Scallops. (4.5 stars)
Delicious and cooked perfectly! The butter sauce was a nice compliment to this dish. Three huge scallops was a good portion size! But for me I would have been happier if there were also some cabbage or crunchiness to liven up the dish a little? Yes, I had this dish the last time but I can hope can’t I??? Haha. Maybe it’s just me since I like different textures in one bite…
Prime Rib. (4 stars)
First off, I have made and devoured hundreds of pounds of prime rib in my life. The flavor was nice and it did have a hint of «smokiness» which I enjoyed! Second, yes I do know prime rib is on the «fattier» end of the spectrum. However the prime rib that was served this time was one-​third fat! After slicing off the huge chunk of fat there may have been maybe a few bites left…
Tavern Chop. (3 stars)
I wasn’t impressed with this salad at all. I don’t know if it was the «dressing» or the fact that the bacon, avocado, and eggs were minuscule at best…
I will be back when the Summer Menu comes out and I am really hoping this was just an off night… I would have expected to have a better meal than I did this time around. Again, I do attribute some of it to the fact that I had high expectations from the first time I was here and that I had tried everything the last time and was assuming it would be the same if not better the second time around… Optimistically hopeful for the Summer Menu…
See my first review below…

You need to try their Tavern Burger!

Hands down my favorite dining experience in Honolulu. Actually my favorite dining experience on the entire island of Oahu.
We got lucky coming in with zero wait as it was a bit of a late dinner. I’m thinking you should normally make reservations.
The service was outstanding and the food blew me away.
Duck ravioli as an appetizer. The duck was ground up inside the ravioli and the flavor and texture was perfect. I believe we had a salad too but with the duck served alongside it I guess I blocked out the salad details.
For an entrée we shared the gnocchi pasta which was creamy and rich. We also had the chicken entrée. I normally feel like it’s hard to make chicken exciting but this dish was delicious. Tender roasted chicken with just the right amount of seasoning.
To top it all off we had the chocolate mousse for dessert and it was heavenly; light and creamy. A perfectly executed dessert.
I can’t say enough good things about this place — loved it.

I found this to be a great alternative to the grotesquely-​packed The Pig & The Lady, where we were unable to secure a table on a busy Thursday night. The bone marrow & escargot and beef cheeks were especially tasty, as was the salted caramel cheesecake. I also tried the gnocchi, which could have been a bit lighter and fluffier, but had great flavor nonetheless. Luckily, we shared these insanely rich dishes between four of us so I was still able to fit my ass in a bikini the next day.

The service here is really really really good! The server and the person that sat us down, you could tell they’re genuinely super nice.
We came here with a reservation of 8pm but had to last min change it to 8:30pm an hour in advance — no problem! Awesome!
They sat us in the corner with our stroller.
We ordered the Lobster Pasta, the scallops risotto, and the baked chicken. On the side we got the basil strawberry sweet iced tea — must get! It’s not too sweet, just perfect!
The lobster pasta was pretty delicious, I feel that they might have salted the pasta just a little too much.
The scallop was also very delicious, but nothing too extraordinary.
We did hear good things about both the New York Steak and their Prime Rib. They’re usually both sold out. Tonight the NY steak was sold out. We really wanted to try out the Prime Rib but we wanted to be adventurous and try out the chicken.
From the way the waiter described it, we were sold. Once we got the order, man! It was so delicious. Absolutely the best dish of our night. Chicken was super juicy and filled with all sorts of flavor like bacon and mushroom, etc. must try if you decide to pass on steak and still want a meat dish.
Overall we are please with our dinner but aside from the chicken the other 2 dishes wasn’t outstanding. So I can’t give them ⁵⁄₅ stars just yet. Maybe next time they can win me over.
Service definitely is a solid 5.

An impeccable dining experience. Here’s why:
Non-​pretentious, knowledgeable service. On point food. Great ambiance. Good location. A superb meal. What else could you want?
I called 20 minutes before they opened on first Friday and they were able to save a table for my boyfriend and I at 5 o’clock. We were promptly seated, then greeted by our server.
Our server was friendly and well-​versed in menu items. Her suggestions were on point. We started with the escargot and bone marrow small plate. It definitely was a «sinful» experience to slather bone marrow with escargot onto toast and devour it. The only suggestion I would have would be to sprinkle a hint of sea salt on top, or toss it into the watercress, or give a squeeze of lemon: some acid or salt to cut through the richness.
I ordered the New York Steak which was cooked to a perfect medium. I enjoyed it very much, and my boyfriend’s lamb was plate-​licking good.
Water refills came unannounced, and the manager visited the table twice to say hello. It was a nice touch.
I’m excited to come back and try whatever else they have cooking in the future.

Another gem in Chinatown! Place is pretty busy for a Saturday night dinner but we got seated right away at the bar… Best customer service we had in a while… The bartender was so efficient and super friendly! The restaurant itself looks modern and edgy… With a full bar and lots of beer choices!
Now the food — we started with the soup of the day and some duck ravioli… YUMMM! For main course I got the artichoke and bread pudding, a friend got the scallops, and my fiancé ordered the burger. Everything was 10 out of 10!!! It was just all so delicious and presentation was also on point!
We were so full that we didn’t have room for dessert. But we’ll be back for sure! Thank you Livestock Tavern for a wonderful dining experience…

Livestock is located on the corner of Hotel and Smith Street. There is street parking available on Smith or there is varies downtown pay lots.
I’ve come to Livestock a few times now, but only for lunch. I never had a chance to try dinner here yet.
My recommendation for coming during lunch on a weekday is to come before 12 to avoid the crazy downtown lunch rush. And yes because its busy, prepare to wait a little while for your food to come out. Its expected when the entire restaurant is full.
If it is your first time here, you have to order the lobster roll! That’s one of the few items that stays on the menu all seasons.

I finally got in! Who knew coming in late on a weeknight would mean no line or wait, duh!
After having some Phở for dinner with my newly found sistah from anotha mistah we decided to have some drinks (since we drank our bottle of wine ahem… a little quick).
Livestock Tavern is the sister restaurant of Lucky Belly and if any of you have been to Lucky Belly you KNOW you’ll have to try this place out. We walked it and the place is lightly lit with a hip vibe to it. We opt to sit at the bar since we had already eaten.
Let me say I was VERY tempted to order food as the Spring Supper menu looks DIVINE! Currently this review is on the bar area service and drinks. BUT I will update my review for the food when I come back, asap!
I order one of their specialty drinks, which was called the ‘Party On’, omg, so good! Our bartender Allison was so bubbly and knew her alcohol and alcohol history. As I skimmed over for more drinks, Allison asked «the name of the drinks are all named for a certain popular movie, do you know what movie?» I looked and once I saw ‘bohemian’ I knew, ta da…“Wayne’s World”!
Their drinks are very well prepare and they use quality alcohol. You could smell the scotch and the woody accents that they add. We wished we could have stayed longer but they closed and 10pm and it was already well past 10pm. I guess we better let them close. noo, it was so hard to leave. Thankfully, Allison told us that they (Livestock and Lucky Belly) have a sister BAR just a few doors down, «look for the red carpet». Yay!
Great service, awesome drinks, friendly, informative and located in the heart of Downtown and Chinatown. I will definitely be back… mmm, Roasted lobster tail. I’ll be back for yah!
¹⁰⁄₁₀₀

Cute little oasis!
Came in here last night after dinner with my date/​fellow Unilocal twin! She’ve been wanting to try this place and I’m glad we came in! How cute is this place. It’s like being back on Capital hill again!
Yea totally the youngest/​hippest/​hipster neighborhood in Seattle. It’s also the most fun. Same rustic minimalist vibe, dim lit, great cocktail list as well as wine list! And last but not least, great food items. Not the usual dishes you find at every single place, rather more creative and fun dishes!!! Yummmm!!! Grilled octopus?! Sea urchin pasta? Si! Seared duck liver? Hmm! Small plates? So much to choose from!
And the best part? A wall/​ceiling full of Lephroig and scotches! They use bitters in their drinks! They also have a wine list just the way I like it! Red, white, sparkling and then some! Yummm! Reasonably priced too. We sipped, conversed with the super fun bartender who guided us to another bar next door! And we actually loved it!!! Thank you! Now I just need to come back and try the lunch menu! Love the ambiance, love the menu! And love the drinks! A little piece of Seattle for sure :)

Finally had my chance to check out this little corner joint on Hotel & Smith Streets. Got in around 12:30 and didn’t actually have to wait for a table. Place was still busy, almost 100% full. Easy to read menu, not an overwhelming amount of choices. My friend already had been given the recommendation to try the beef tongue sandwich. First thing that caught my eye was the lobster roll, and that was absolutely amazing. In the mix are some onions but in the end I felt that it was minimal enough to just add flavor and not leave you with lingering onion breath. I was hesitant to taste my friends beef tongue fear that it would be tough since its a pretty thick cut of tongue, but it was perfect. Tender and juicy just like steak!
1000% recommend the lobster roll to anyone who decides to check Livestock Tavern out. The bread is absolutely delicious! I couldn’t give it a proper description in words.

Anytime a friend recommends that we go to a restaurant downtown I cringe a little inside, only because of the parking situation. However, Livestock Tavern is a few blocks away from a paid parking lot (Next to O’Tooles on Nuuanu) that I always find parking vacancies at so, not bad!
Finding street parking after work or the weekend is epic, save yourself the hassle and pay for parking or use Über. Trust me, would you rather be having their yummy champagne cocktails inside or circling down one ways endlessly?
Make a reservation if you are here for dinner. The one night my friends decided to do a get together we did not, and were so lucky to get the last table. That was only because one of my friends was there right when they opened.
This place reminds me of a trendy urban hipster joint in NYC and the tastiness of all the dishes equals the look and ambiance.
We ordered small plates to sample everything family style. Everything was delicious but the four standouts were the Duck Liver Profiteroles ($ 21), Beets & Frisee Salad ($ 14), Smoked Salmon Tartar ($ 14), and the Grilled Octopus with Chorizo ($ 15). I could eat the deep fried goat cheese balls that come with the Beet salad and Duck liver all day. So yummy, but probably about 500 calories per bite!
Service was fantastic, I really hate it when servers rush you out to get the table turned to increase their tip volume. Our server and backserver were great at reading us, and knew that we wanted to be left alone for girls night out, but were also very responsive to requests.
If you work downtown this is a great after work de-​stress cocktail place, or if you want a truly delicious meal in a cool ambiance, Livestock Tavern is the place to be.

I met up at Livestock Tavern with friends last night and all I kept thinking was: Wow, this place is packed on a Monday night; and Cool, I feel like I’m in a restaurant on the Mainland. This place is trendy and hip, the vibe is mellow yet fun! Definitely very unique to the Island restaurant scene.
We opted to order appetizers and an entrée to share. We ordered:
**Warm Brie — With Cranberry, Walnuts, Toasted Sourdough ($ 15). Delicious! We asked for more sourdough and she brought us a lot. Oh, and it’s better when eaten with a small portion of Brie, as too much can be too rich.
**Smoked Salmon Tartar — With White Bean Purée and Roe ($ 14). Yum! This is a raw dish, the Salmon and Roe (fish eggs) were tasty. It was also served with toasted bread. I enjoyed this dish as well.
**Crab Cakes — With Tomato Hollandaise and Pickled Vegetables ($ 16). A very safe dish, loved the sauce and flavor of the cakes. A normal order comes with three pieces, but they happily added one more because there were four people in our party. Our waitress was kind enough to suggest that; great customer service shown here.
**Tavern Chop — Radicchio, Bay Shrimp, Bacon, Corn, Avocado, Tomato, Hearts of Palm, Egg ($ 14). A great salad with lots of «goodies.» Very light too.
**Pumpkin Stuffed Pasta — Kale, Walnuts, Brown Butter ($ 24). This was just good, a little rich. The pasta was sweet because of the pumpkin so that was a little different.
Overall: The food was good. Not excellent, but I’d say, above average. The service was wonderful, as always. I tend to judge an establishment and its employees by my first impression. Here, I was quickly welcomed as I walked in and everyone within those first few minutes was friendly and nice. Thank You for the great service.
I think one of the things I like about Livestock Tavern is that it’s a perfect place to meet up with friends and catch up over a drink. Although it can get loud, the atmosphere is upbeat and fun. We spent 2 ½ hours there last night, talking more than eating. The company and atmosphere made the time fly by… It was a lovely evening.

I have been wanting to try Livestock Tavern because of all the rave reviews. I recently came here for an early birthday dinner with friends and had a great time!
When I called for reservations a week in advance, I was informed that they no longer take reservations for groups larger than 8. Since we had a group of 12, that was disappointing to hear. However, the gentleman on the phone told me I could get in touch with Tiffany, who oversees operations, and see what she says. I thought that was very helpful of him. I e-​mailed Tiffany and held my breath. She was friendly and replied that the communal table was the only table large enough to seat all of us but that they have stopped taking reservations for the communal table. She said if we showed up right as they opened at 5 PM, however, that we should be able to get the communal table. It was a gamble but foodies take risks in the name of great food all the time!
So was it worth the gamble? Yes, totally! Only four of us arrived right on the dot but we were immediately seated and they set up the communal table for our party of 12. Service was excellent from start to finish. We were promptly presented with menus and waters. Our orders were taken in an efficient manner and the food came out at a good pace. Our water glasses were refilled often and our waitress was very knowledgeable about the menu.
I thoroughly enjoyed my food. I got their famous clam chowder and squid ink and lobster pasta. Both were sooo good! I appreciated the large portion of the chowder. The pasta had a robust tomato sauce and came with big chunks of lobster. I loved the sauce and was overall happy with my choice of entrée. Others got the smoked prime rib, smoked pork belly, and tavern burger. The consensus was that the pork belly and tavern burger were good choices but that the smoked prime rib was bland and a bit chewy.
There were two dessert options – a salted caramel cheesecake and a flourless chocolate cake. I opted for the cheesecake. It was decadent and yummy – could totally taste the salted caramel! They put a candle in my cheesecake and a candle in my friend’s flourless chocolate cake since we were celebrating our birthday, which was nice of them =) The desserts were not complimentary although a few other reviewers mentioned theirs were. I think it might depend on whether the manager is present and knows it’s your birthday.
Overall, I highly recommend Livestock Tavern and want to come back to try their lunch menu sometime!

meat! Meat! MEAT! Literally just had Stuart Anderson’s (now Black Angus Steakhouse or something like that) prime rib, but really, one can never get enough red meat. My date and I wanted to eat prime rib from somewhere in town, so we Unilocaled and he happened to stumble upon Livestock Tavern. Best stumble ever!
Parking: Junk cause the restaurant is in Chinatown. We parked at the Municipal Parking lot and paid only two bucks for parking. Boom!
Ambiance: We had a little trouble finding this place, largely because I couldn’t follow Google map directions. Fail. Also didn’t see the sign for the restaurant (it’s on the wall and kinda blends in), so would’ve walked right past it had it not been for my observant date. Second fail. Anyway, the restaurant itself is very modern. Loved the walls… The slightly eroded brick appearance gave the restaurant an old-​fashioned feel and matched the «tavern» part of the name. Very clean and spacious.
Food: The absolute best part of the whole experience! We both ordered the prime rib with veggies (including brussel sprouts, potatoes, onions, butternut squash). Our order was brought relatively quickly to the table and was utterly delicious. The prime rib was cooked PERFECTLY to medium rare and was exceptionally seasoned. Definitely had a different taste than the prime rib at Stuart Anderson’s. The cut of meat was large enough so that, with the generous helping of tasty veggies, the meal was quite filling. We were debating whether to get an appetizer, but ended up happy that we just got the prime rib. Date also had a beer suggested by the waiter, which was darker and heavier and paired excellently with the meat.
Service: We were acknowledged almost as soon as we walked into the restaurant and seated quickly (be sure to MAKE A RESERVATION! Place gets busy!). The waiter was nice and very familiar with the menu. He made great recommendations and described the items in detail.
Overall: Already can’t wait to return to try other items on the menu. Of course the menu changes depending on the season, but it’s nice that there is that variety and the menu itself isn’t overwhelming. Now that I know where the Municipal Parking lot is located (not a Chinatown frequent), hoping to come quite often!