12th Avenue Grill

First is the reservations staff. We called the day before we wanted to dine at 12^th Ave. Grill and asked for a 6:30 reservations for 2. We were told that they could not give us a 6:30 reservation as they were booked solid but could do 6pm. We reluctantly agreed. When we arrived there were many open tables and we didn’t think much about it as we assumed that by 6:30 or 7pm at the latest the empty tables would be full. We took our time eating as there was no visible shortage of tables and departed at 7:25 with almost a dozen empty tables… hmm. Maybe all the reservations were for 7:30 or later on a Thursday night, but it wasn’t apparent so we just ended up feeling like we had been pushed to an early reservation to make more room for possible reservations.
Now on to the food… the Ahi baguette portion was small but tasty, the featured local lamb shank was very tender and well presented. The other entrée, lamb kabobs were cooked perfectly, but of the 2 skewers of lamb pieces, many of the pieces of selected lamb were mostly gristle and fat, which were not eatable. For the price of the entrée, we expected more. We enjoyed the pear/​lilikoi crumble for desert. Our table server was great.
So this should have been a 4 star rating, however with a bad taste in our mouth from the reservations and then from one of the entrees as well, 3 stars was all that was due, in our opinion. With such a limited menu, all of the entrees need to be worth the money, especially when part of the featured selections.

I have only had great culinary experiences here at this place. I have been in the corporate incentive group industry here in Hawaii for the past 26 yrs. I have eaten at all the best restaurants statewide. There are very few places that are a guarantee homerun. This is one of them. In Top 5 places for great cuisine in the state. Winnaz in every sense of the word. Always look forward to what they have on their black board for chef specials.

Just ate here last night and it was pretty average, we had the Brussels sprouts app to start which was amazing but the mains were very average. We had the shrimp, pork chop and braised beef cheeks and they were all average with the beef cheeks being the worst. I was super excited to go here as it was my fav restaurant but unfortunately i guess times have changed, I was let down big time.

This was our first time here. Chose to check it out based on the hype. The Ribeye was great. Ambiance is nice.
However, our server was not nice to us… at all. Maybe she was having a bad night but that’s unacceptable when you’re heralded as the restaurant of the year. We are very friendly and easy going so I can’t imagine we did anything to deserve that attitude.

Outstanding service as always! Seth always remembers my favorite cocktails and pupus. Ryan’s fried chicken was out of this world. Mahalo

My first time here was for a private party. We were in a small, reserved room on the side of the restaurant. The room had sliding glass doors which allowed us to see the rest of the hustle & bustle of the restaurant.
We had CRISPY BEER BATTERED AVOCADO — which was simple, yet delicious with a yummy sauce. Next, a HAWAII FARMERS MARKET SALAD which had roasted beets, tomatoes, cucumbers and a citrus vinagrette. Add GRILLED PORK CHOPS with crème fraîche and a stuffed baked apple and STEAMED MONCHONG with zucchini and squash pasta and a tomato & pineapple chutney. Finish off with a FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE. Even with all that good food, the SALAD was surprisingly the best part of the meal.
They were also nice enough to accommodate the kiddos and served mac & cheese. I was so impressed. I don’t know if all of these things are on the regular menu, but I’m ready to go back to find out.

I wanted to like this place to see if it lived up to the hype… It didn’t. I should have stopped at the starters. The crispy beer battered local avocado with saffron remoulade and salad of local mango, Sumida Farm watercress, red onion and pancetta was a marriage of delightful flavors and texture. The red beet gnocchi with walnuts was a small portion, and available as a starter or an entrée. (My opinion is that you’ll bore quickly with this dish as an entrée). On to the entrée, which we shared. My dining companion thought the beef cheeks were dry and I thought they were salty. It was nothing I’d care to ever have again. We moved to dessert, hoping to end on a high note. Unfortunately, the cheesecake was very dry and barely edible. I recommend the flourless chocolate cake made with Valrhona dark chocolate, warm melted center, rice crispy chocolate tuile, candied walnuts and a scoop of caramel gelato. My favorite part, honestly, was the latte. The start and the end were the best, and everything in between was fairly forgettable.

I miss the old 12^th Ave Grill. The new location means I can actually get a dinner reservation the night of. Unfortunately, some of my loved food items just don’t have the perfection of before. That’s just what happens when you have to mass produce.
I suspect some of the longer cook time meat dishes are cooked beforehand then scorched on high heat to give it that black char to make it look like it was fresh cooked. That’d be fine, except I can tell the difference — not as juicy, flavor not as good, meat isn’t hot like fresh cooked, it’s like lukewarm.
I was excited to see the kim chee steak back on the menu. Back in the old days, it was on the menu, then only sometimes when they could get the meat cut, then it disappeared. Again, same thing — outside scorched black, but when you bite the meat it’s lukewarm. The scorch technique doesn’t heat the entire meat. Just blackens the outside. Flavor was more teriyaki than kim chee. Meh.
Mind you, this is still good food compared to other places — just knowing the before and comparing it to the present — I find myself not frequenting as much.
Service is top notch as always. Good vibe and hustle.

This was our first time at 12^th Avenue Grill, and it definitely won’t be our last. After all of the small local restaurants, it was nice to go to a place that was modem and a little upscale. Being from San Francisco, this was reminiscent of one of the many trendy hip restaurants there.
First off, the service was amazing! Our waiter was very attentive. He frequently checked on its too make sure everything was going well. Everyone was great from the minute we walked in to the minute we left. A++
The food was really good here. Every dish was created from local ingredients. We ordered a lot, so bear with me. The beer battered avocado was really good. But come on, it’s beer batter and avocados, so how could it be bad? The smoked ahi bruchetta was okay. The ahi was flavorful, but I wish the bruchetta had more of a crunch to it. The ribeye was delicious! It was perfectly seasoned and cooked. The garlic noodles that accompanied it was really tasty as well. The garlic mashed potatoes were delicious. The buttered taro mash was tasty, but it was a little dry. The baked mac + cheese was awesome! It was easily the best side here. It was so creamy and had a delightful crunch on top.
I liked 12^th Ave Grill. While in Oahu, I was missing the modern type of restaurant with good food that you find in San Francisco. This place was exactly that.

Great 1^st experience at 12^th Ave Grill. I had the grilled skirt steak, the other three guests with me had shrimp and the ribeye. Everyone loved their dishes. I also had the fried avocado. It was excellent, especially when dipped in the sauce.
The service was excellent. Our server was very attentive, friendly and remembered our orders perfectly.
From the outside it looks small, but it is actually decent sized inside. They have a nice bar as well with over 100 different types a whiskey. I made a reservation which allowed us to be seated as soon as we walked in.
There is ample parking behind the restaurant at a very decent rate.

So glad we tried this place. We didn’t have a reservation so we sat at the bar– which had a perfect view into the kitchen. We started with the Smoked Ahi Bruschetta which was delish! I had the Big Island Lime Gulf Shrimp a la Plancha for dinner and my husband had the Grilled Kim Chee Marinated Hawaii Ranchers Skirt Steak which was cooked perfectly! He also had some of the gnocchi which was so different– I would go back for just that alone! They have very friendly staff and a great drink and wine list as well!
I don’t think I would order the shrimp dinner again, the shrimp was cooked to perfection but I like creamier sauces when I eat pasta, my husband loved it though so I am probably being picky.
We got the Mac and cheese to go (with mushrooms and pancetta instead of ham– best decision ever– thanks to our weightier)
If you are looking for a nice place to get dinner– come here!!!

Sit at the bar during happy hours from 5:30 — 6:30, service is fast and seems to have more attention from the staff since you’re right by the kitchen. As always the food was absolutely awesome! Get the meatloaf sandwich!

My first time at the new site since they moved several years ago. Love the expanded dining area and booth seating. Menu has been refreshed though some favorites (e.g., mac ‘n cheese) remain.
I ordered the Nalo greens appetizer salad and smoked ahi bruschetta, while my dining companions went big ordering the hand-​cut fettuccini with grilled shrimp and the catch of the day (Opah). The entrees were clearly the winners — nice sized portions and fresh ingredients beautifully plated.
It’s hard to go wrong with salad, and 12^th Avenue Grill knows how to marry flavors and textures. The julienned jicama were totally the hit of the dish that also included Nalo greens, bright bursts of juicy grape tomatoes, shaved onions and a light vinaigrette dressing.
Sadly, I was disappointed by the ahi bruschetta. I blinked twice when the plate came to rest on the table, hoping that the itty bitty three pieces would magically transform. But, nope, they were dismally small pieces of crostini topped with a sum total of a tablespoon of the ahi paste. At $ 9, even with the cute presentation (sundried tomato garnish and sprinkling of chopped red onion, peppers), I definitely had sticker shock. Probably because I know an 8 oz. tub of smoked ahi from Foodland is about $ 7.99 and tastes as good.
Ken had ordered the crispy beer battered avocado for his appetizer, and we all took a bite agreeing that this combo of crispy, salty, creamy was outstanding.
Service was friendly and accommodating, making sure we checked out before our theatre time. Ample parking in the metered lot, but on a Friday night, plan to get there before 6 p.m.

Another restaurant I wanted to love. Read so many great reviews that I decided to have my birthday dinner here. Started off with champagne and their famous mac and cheese which truly was delicious. I also had the kim chee skirt steak which was tender and flavorful. But the food, to me anyway, wasn’t memorable and did not make me want to return.
Another contributing factor was the service. Although it was decent and pleasant, I didn’t feel our server was genuine. There are so many great restaurants all over Honolulu and sometimes service can tip the scale.
I’m glad I gave it a go, but based on my experience wouldn’t return.

This place represents comfort food to me. I have tried their mac-​n-​cheese, salads and some main entrees. Nothing spectaular. The employees are friendly and the place is clean.

The night I came here, I was looking for something away from The Hilton Hawaiian Village so had a cab to bring me here which was located on a small street… a good distance away from the hotel. I had high expectations due to food images I had seen previously online and all I can say is all expectations were met.
I was by myself so I sat at the bar. The guy helping me out behind the bar instantly began chatting with me and giving suggestions on certain dishes. He was joking and laughing with me and other customers which was great due to me riding solo that night. The appetizers came out and wow! Never thought avocado and rabbit could taste so good.
The big winner of the night was the vanilla and orange braised beef cheek. Like butter, the fork went straight though the meat. The meat itself and tons of flavor and the gravy surrounding it with the farro… AMAZING!!! So good I ran a spoon all around the plate to get a last taste of whatever was left of the gravy after the dish was done.
I highly recommend this restaurant for both visitors (like myself) and locals in that area. Really really good food!!!
Dinner 5÷5÷2014

New location: such an improvement!!! It’s open and modern, yet they still keep the dim ambiance for dinner. Parking is plentiful but make reservations – the place fills up fast!
I am all for places like 12’th Ave Grill, who follow the «farm to table» concept, and take pride in using locally sourced ingredients whenever possible.
Service was great and attentive the entire evening.
We started off with the beer battered avocado. It was excellent! The outside was crisp and then you’d get the creamy soft texture of the avocado.
For dinner I went with the flat iron steak. It was propped on a bed of scalloped potatoes that were so luscious and rich. The meat was perfectly cooked, thinly sliced (for easier eating) and without a drop of fat. It was topped with slaw and caramelized onions – these totally completed the dish. It was a perfect execution of flavors and textures. I ate the entire portion.
For dessert, the Lilikoi mochi cake and the flourless chocolate lava cake. Both were served with ice cream. Perfect ending to a wonderful meal.
Five stars for improvements made to a place that was already good to begin with.
I can’t wait to go back.

Maybe it was because I had high expectations and hopes that 12^th Avenue Grill would be my new go to restaurant for special occasions… but it just did not live up to the hype.
Food:
1. Complimentary bread: ⁵⁄₅. THE BREAD WAS AWESOME. But sadly it was basically my favorite part of the meal and I ate two servings of it before my food came out. They serve two types of bread but I personally prefer the herbed bread over the french. The butter is whipped, nothing fancy or flavored.
2. Ahi Bruschetta: ⁴⁄₅. The smoked ahi was delicious mostly because you could really taste the ahi. There wasn’t an overpowering amount of mayo, which is what a few other places normally do. The diced onions/​tomato mixture along with the sundried tomato really compliments the ahi spread well. My only downside was that the servings were so small. 3 tiny pieces of bruschetta for $ 9; it left me wanting more.
3. Lamb Shank: ²⁄₅. For $ 27 the lamb shank was on the specials for the night. I normally really like rack of lamb so I thought I’d try out the special. I really should have tried the pork chop like I intended to because I didn’t really enjoy the dish at all. Everything was cooked well but I did not like the flavors. I’m not really a fan of beef stew and this dish just gave me really bad flash backs to elementary school beef stew lunches. The lamb was prepared well and didn’t taste super gamey but I definitely wouldn’t order it again. It also comes with rice but it becomes like a risoto because it’s mixed in with the sauce and becomes really soupy. Also I don’t know if they only put in a single spoon of rice or something because I could barely put enough on my fork to take a full bite of rice.
4. Jidori chicken: ³⁄₅. For $ 25, I think the chicken was probably the better of the two entrees. It was seasoned well and cooked perfectly. It wasn’t dry like many other places. Unfortunately there really is only so much you can do with chicken, ya know? It was a good chicken dish but a pretty standard chicken dish nonetheless. Also my boyfriend was still a bit hungry afterwards since the portions are bit small…
5. Mac and Cheese: ²⁄₅. I like to think of myself as a HUGE fan of mac and cheese. Where there is mac and cheese, I’m there. This dish was a letdown, especially since so many people have said that it was awesome. The mac and cheese wasn’t hot when it arrived at our table. Luke warm at best, which was surprising because it looked like it was going to be hot judging by the plating and all. I also thought the mac and cheese was sweeter than other places. Mac and cheese is normally really heavy and rich, which this was. However, it had a bit of a sweet flavor to it, sweet cream maybe? I did not particularly care for it.
6. Dessert: Flourless chocolate cake: ¹⁄₅. I was a little offended by this dish because it shouldn’t be called a cake. It should be called Molten chocolate with a smidge of cake. I’ve had molten cakes at other places and this was probably my least favorite. It’s extremely small and there is very minimal «cake» with a whole lot of melted chocolate in the middle. The balance is off because you’re basically eating melted chocolate without any kind of cake to soak it up. The icecream balances the sweetness out a little but it’s not enough. The caramel icecream is pretty good but the flavors are really subtle, my bf thought it was vanilla. It was alright at best but I would hardly call that thing a «cake».
Service was really good. Our server was really helpful in explaining the specials and the most popular items. She also told us her personal favorite items and how popular they were. Our waters were promptly refilled and one guy noticed we were done eating and offered to pack up our leftovers.
We parked in the metered lot with kokohead café. Bring quarters if you’re going to park here! Otherwise you can park in the lot with via gelato and you can pay at the standing kiosks with a credit card.
Another thing I noticed on the bill was that for standard gratuity, they start off at 20% instead of 15%. I personally felt this was a bit offensive as well because tip for the most part is dependent on the service received. Sure, our service was good but can you honestly say that every dining experience warrants a 20% tip?
For the food, I would say it’s more like 2 stars. The service bumps it up to 3. Overall the experience was alright but expensive. All the above dishes came out to $ 80 before tip. Not sure if I will be returning though. Maybe if I want to try those pork chops at some point we may venture here again. For now though, I’ll just stick to what I know.

***************Review for Restaurant Week********Nov 17^th — 23^rd 2014*************
I’ve always wanted to eat here and what better time than now, Restaurant Week!
Menu:
I loved how they renovated the old Victoria Inn as it turned out beautifully, I know it involved a lot of work and mega money. Kaimuki really needed a fine restaurant like this in their community.
Three courses ($ 40) I Chose:
*Smoked Ahi Bruschetta: Smoked Ahi Spread, grilled baguette, hearts of palm & garden vegetable relish, dried tomatoes… The Three pieces of Ahi Bruschetta, i found it a little sweet and not as smokey as I would have prefered. But were nice tasty bites to start off my meal.

*Herb Cracker Meal Crusted Opah: Ho Farms butternut squash & Brussel sprouts hash with three pepper vinaigrette… I found the Two nice pieces of Opah which were cooked perfectly delightful. The Brussel sprouts hash was very good, I wish they gave more of it, I enjoyed it very much.
*Flourless Chocolate Cake: Valrhona dark chocolate, candied walnuts, caramel gelato, rice crispy chocolate tuile… They perfect way to describe this dessert is to picture yourself having really hot sex, that’s the sound and face you’ll make with every bite you take… OMG!
*I also had a Ballast Point Calico Amber Ale and an Edge Cabernet Sauvignon Wine with my meal which were both fantastic choices.
*Our friendly server Seth did a great job as the timing of the dishes were perfect, very attentive.
*Definitely be back here to eat again, darn why did I wait so long?

This was my 2^nd stop during Restaurant Week 2014. I hadn’t been to 12^th Ave Grill for probably 5 years so this was a nice reminder of how good everything still is over there. Service was excellent and the food was great.
FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE (subliminal message: get this!)
Valrhona dark chocolate, warm melted center, caramel gelato, rice crispy chocolate tuile + candied walnuts. Let’s talk about dessert first because if you stuff yourself during dinner you won’t be able to experience the best part of dinner. This dessert is like the Roy’s chocolate soufflé with more molten chocolate erupting from the center but not quite as crispy on the outside. Very very good.
JIDORI CHICKEN was excellent, as was the KIM CHEE SKIRT STEAK, their signature dish (to us anyway). We had to try the RABBIT FRITTER (which looked like a crab cake) and the BRUSSEL SPROUTS SALAD which were good too. To quote the Lego Movie: «Everything is Awesome»! No complaints.
LOCATION: They moved earlier this year into the old Victoria Inn space about a block away and across the street from the original location, still on 12^th Ave in Kaimuki. I like this new home, it’s larger and not as loud as their previous location. Kaimuki now has so many great eateries to choose from, but from the looks of it, people are still choosing to eat here.
TIPS:
Use Open Table for reservations.
They open at 5:30pm (not 5:00pm)
Get the flour-​less chocolate cake.
If your date flakes on you, they may charge you. Let me know, I’ll be the chair warmer.