Medici’s

First, a positive: they hire great musicians to perform.
The bummer: gigs that are advertised get cancelled all the time.
I planned to bring 15 students for a Friday performance. I called on Thursday morning to reserve our spots, and the owner had not only cancelled the performance, but then chastised me for not making the reservation by Wednesday. Their website and Facebook page say nothing about needing to reserve by Wednesday. After I mentioned that to the owner, he yelled at me and hung up the phone.
Whoa. A quick way to lose my business forever.

Just recently I was under considerable pressure, nearly on the verge of pulling my hair out and Medicis came through. One might ask, «how did Medicis come through»? Well, I had asked a certain someone out and she said yes. Thus, the pressure to make everything right was on.
I spent considerable time perusing various sources of information in an effort to find something for us to enjoy that was appealing, entertaining, yet not the typical waikiki experience.
As it turned out we both enjoy Jazz, so I noticed a small place I hadn’t heard of (Medicis) featuring a live Latin Jazz Band (as was advertised) and which also served dinner.
Now, this place is very small with approximately 10 to 12 tables and a loft space near the bar with additional seating for about 5 – 6 people. So when they do host music events, which I believe are Fridays and Saturdays.
I highly encourage reservations. Especially if the musical group is popular. Calling and speaking to someone for reservations may be tough, as I encountered. I ended up making reservations through their website and followed up with a phone message the next day to confirm. Which they replied to.
Located in the shopping center in Manoa its a little tough to find as its located in tucked away spot easily missed if you are driving through the parking lot. Once we entered we were greeted at the door and escorted to our table.
The band was very good (I believe it was headed by Thomas McKay). We enjoyed three hours of fantastic music and great conversation. Dinner was buffet style with an assortment of selections for varying tastes.
Interestingly, Medicis hosts other events throughout the week, such as dance classes and from what the owner mentioned, Zumba. So for jazz and dinner being one of their many endeavors they did well. As for my date, It went off without a hitch and we both had a great time.
Im a new found fan. So if there are any more jazz ensembles I find appealing performing at Medicis, I would return.

Got talent?
At Medici’s, you’ll find plenty. I took the wife and daughter here to see/​hear DeShannon Higa and QuadPod. That Saturday night, QuadPod was Larry Cook on tenor sax, Ethan Capone on piano, Jon Hawes on bass, and Darryl Pellegrini on drums. They were supposed to be joined by vocalist Rocky Brown, but she was under the weather.
Man, these guys can play. And with such obvious pleasure and passion. For most of 3 hours, we were treated to a variety of music — covers, show tunes, and original compositions — all uniquely jazz-​ified by DeShannon and company. We were seated on the «Protea» table so got to experience all that talent and sweet music up close and personal. Cover charge $ 20. No drink minimum, and BYOB for $ 5. Plenty of free parking in the Manoa Marketplace.
With only 9 tables of 6 seats each, Medici’s is cozy. The band looked a little less comfortable on the small stage. Some of their body movements (from really feeling their music) seemed careful and abbreviated. No crotch grabs ala Michael Jackson thank you. Just some innocent swaying and head-​bobbing. But the music was as fine as you’d hear in some of the best jazz clubs in New York I’d wager.
There is also a small mezzanine with a small bar, and where the salad bar is set up. I wouldn’t call the salad bar «massive», but there were quite a few tasty offerings. For $ 20 you got 2 visits, and 1 visit to a cookie bar. That night there was clam chowder, penne pasta and mini meatballs in a tomato sauce to go along with several different salads, and a bunch of different dips and relishes.
Owner Tim Stanton is a man of many talents. He is an artist, cook (he makes all the dishes on the salad bar), and perfect host. A more friendly, generous, gentleman you’ll not easily find. He and his wife, Carolyn, are dedicated to sharing their knowledge with others and helping them find their own talents. They do it «so you will have more love, compassion, gentleness, good – in short, more life!» Reportedly, all of the profits from Medici’s support the Manoa School of Art and Music downstairs — the Stantons’ other venture. In that light, or on that note, the cover charge is a bargain, and a worthy investment in future artists.

We discovered Medici’s last night in the Manoa Marketplace and really enjoyed the live jazz, the venue and the food. It’s a wonderful place to hear live music (only $ 20 cover) and their salad bar is amazing… plus you get the cookie bar included and it’s only $ 15. They also serve a special entre on weekends but we didn’t try that, although we were told it’s quite good. It’s also BYOB so you can bring whatever you prefer to drink with a minimal corkage charge of $ 5 per bottle of wine or 6 pack of beer. The owners Tim Stanton and his wife Carolyn are very passionate about supporting live music and all net proceeds after paying the musicians go to support scholarships to their Manoa music school and it’s really worth supporting… we highly recommend it.

We agree 100%! Medici’s is a perfect hidden gem for listening to live jazz music. The venue is quaint and the owner makes everyone feel welcome and comfortable.
Last weekend, Laura Sable brought down the house with her renditions of Patsy Cline, Etta James, Barbara Streisand, Connie Francis and much more. 3 hours of live music for $ 15 cover charge and all proceeds after expenses goes to supporting the music & art school.
The menu is simply salad bar, pizza and entrée of the day, which is hand crafted and inspired by the culinary talents of Chef Tim. They serve a variety of beer and wines, but you can also BYOB for $ 5. Best deal in town…
Medici’s is cash only, but don’t worry there are plenty of ATMS nearby.
Support live music and check out Medici’s.

Medici’s is a gem of a live music venue located on the 2^nd floor of Manoa Marketplace (and connected to the Manoa School of Art and Music). This past Saturday, my BF and I went to check out the Honolulu Jazz Quartet with special guest, DeShannon Higa. The band was simply amazing! The acoustics in the room are superb! The owner and bartender were very welcoming!!!
The room seems to fit about 35 or less on the lower level. There are mostly a couple rows of folding chairs and a good number of chairs around little tables, which is perfect if you plan to drink and/​or eat. Also, the fliers say to get there early for the best seats but it seems that you can call ahead to reserve a table, which is a plus if you end up going with a small group.
The upstairs level features a bar in one area, and a banquette table with seats that look down at the band.
We were told they don’t always sell alcohol but this past Saturday they had some hard liquor (vodka but i can’t remember what else), a few bottled beers (Guinness and Angry Orchard Cider are 2 that I recall) and wine. However, Medici’s is also BYOB ($ 5 corkage fee/​bottle or 6 pack), which really helped me since I’m pinching pennies. It’s also convenient that Safeway is around the corner because during intermission, my BF ran over to pickup a 2^nd bottle of wine.
Their food selection is also worth checking out. They offer an all-​you-​can-​eat salad bar ($ 15, also included desserts). The salads included greens but also couscous, deli meats and cheeses, breads, etc. They have pizza at $ 5/​slice (we got veggie — it wasn’t the best but it was satisfactory). And, they’ll do an entrée of the day — on Saturday it was Moroccan beef served with a rice side dish ($ 12); I think that also came with a naan bread and chutney. Next time I’ll try the entrée!
Cover was $ 20 but I don’t know if that varies by night.
Please check this place out! It’s so great to find a sweet setting for live music and super fun to head into Manoa.
Their event calendar can be found at
but the owner mentioned they’d have a dedicated Medici’s website up soon.