Rijō Restaurant

This place opened with a BANG and I was super impressed by it when I first came here for lunch. The appetizers were delicious!!! My main entrée (salmon) was not bad but not as amazing as my appetizers (tofu quinoa and the fried chicken and some others)… I also loved dessert (green tea chocolate lava cake) however the amount of vanilla ice-​cream that they gave with it was seriously not enough… But lately whenever I have come here I haven’t been impressed at all with the food. The desserts are probably the only good thing about this place now. I had the lunch buffet and there weren’t a lot of options to choose from, and it just wasn’t that delicious. So, I would come back to this place for desserts, but I wouldn’t come again for the food.

Rijo Restaurant… what a strange eating experience! Had our belated Xmas dinner among friends there tonight. A bit of a disappointment to say the least! Whatever has gone in that location after Palomino’s has failed. This restaurant will probably follow suit.
It’s a beautiful restaurant but tonight it was pretty much empty. There were 4 parties seated by the time 7:30pm rolled around, and we were there since 6pm!
Service was the best part of the night. They were attentive and personable. They handled our requests as efficiently as they could.
I don’t know who is responsible for table settings and glassware but for a restaurant who’s entrée prices average about $ 30 plus, I would expect cloth napkins and NOT cheapy low grade paper napkins! Really?!
And then one of my friends ordered a martini and it came in a plastic martini glass with the words Grey Goose on it! Now THAT IS SOOO TACKY!!! she sent it back to get put in a real martini glass. Their excuse was too many glasses have been broken… yeah…OK…I guess…
The food actually was quite tasty. We had for apps a couple of sushi rolls, the fried calamari, the carpaccio… quite tasty… for a salad, the fried tofu quinoa salad which was very good!
Entrees were their miso butterfish, a seafood bento and New York strip steaks. Now that’s where the problem for the food began. My biggest pet peeve is when your food comes out luke warm and pretty much COLD! My steak which was very flavorful was barely warm and the stir fried veggies were cold! My husband Lance’s steak and veggies were the same… COLD! Our friend’s steak and veggies came out steaming hot!
Maybe because they ordered it well done and ours were medium.
We sent them back but they came out still luke warm! BIG DISAPPOINTMENT!
Their pitiful and unappealing desserts were displayed in a bowl and looked so bad we all passed!
Funny thing… my friend Barb was In one of the other parties in the restaurant and I went over to say hi and to ask how their dinner was going. They said they will never return. It was also their first time there and I won’t get into all they went through because it’s their story to tell, but one of their entrees ordered had some food parts of their dish missing when it was served. When they asked where the particular item was, the server said that they had ran out and that they would discount the dish!!! WTH!!! And they were the second party seated for the evening at 6pm when they opened! We were the first.
So…if you were to ask if I would go back, you can probably guess what my answer would be!
Oh, and by the way, if you pay cash, they will discount your dinner 10 percent. Trouble in paradise?! Yikes!!! Aloha!!!

It’s the best place to celebrate Christmas Eve dinner… not that crowded and there was a great variety of food. The chef cut fresh Hamachi sashimi right in front of my eyes. They don’t overstuff the buffet with food so it stays fresh as they replenish timely. There was fresh oysters too. Can’t go wrong with that. Desserts were great too!

It’s a good place, but I really see potential for improvement.
This place is huge and we came early for dinner on a Saturday. The place was dead, like 2 other people walked into a place that can easily seat 50 people. Now this is rather telling for some, but I will rate this place on food, not popularity. (Not every crowded restaurant is good)
Rijo has some good points. The view is really nice. The view over looks the harbor, which is peaceful, but usually if you’re driving in that area, its anything but… so it’s kinda nice to get a different take from above all the chaos.
The service was very good. Our server was personable and able to give good suggestions on food and drinks. They have football sunday specials, but in downtown it really only appeals to those around the area. They have disposable napkins, which I think this place needs cloth napkins considering the cost of the food.
The food was overall pretty good. The misoyaki butterfish served two ways was probably the best dish. The salmon carpaciao was good and also the calamari was well cooked and not oily. The shio chicken was cooked perfectly in the brick oven, but the flavor was typical. I think it’s a perfect lunch dish, but a little too simple for dinner and highly priced.
The parking is validated. A two hour dinner will cost about $ 2.25.

Ri-​Jo, located in the heart of downtown Honolulu in the Harbor Court, this Asian-​Infusion inspired restaurant boasts a beautiful ambiance. With a picturesque setting and beautiful view overlooking the Aloha Tower harbor. The setting is absolutely glorious, especially an early evening dinner during sunset!
The hostess and staff are very friendly and welcoming! There is a lounge as you enter on your left, perfect for a casual cocktail and «pupus» or just hanging out with friends! And for you downtown folks, yes, they have a happy hour menu! A perfect after-​work getaway. ;)
The restaurant is an open feel setting with high ceilings and bold colors. I had the «bento box», and no, this is not your fast-​food type bento box. As with your typical restaurant style bento box, all of the items are organized and placed within its’ own compartment. The sashimi and sushi were high quality as it just melts in your mouth.
There is parking in Harbor Court, and on-​street parking on Bethel and Bishop street, among others.

Rijō Restaurant is located in the Harbor Court building. When I walked in, the first thing I saw on the right was the nice bar/​lounge area. I was surprised to see how large the venue was, I had no idea it was even here.
Came here for lunch about 11:30am. We got seated by a window. The view honestly wasn’t that great because of all the surrounding buildings and the huge boats in the harbor blocking any nice view of the ocean.
The service was good. Our waiter was very tentative. Just because of the style restaurant everything takes awhile. So the entire lunch took over an hour.
The Grub.
[[ SASHIMI MORIAWASE $ 24 ]]
This sashimi platter comes with ahi, salmon and Hamachi. The fish was fresh and came with 3 pieces each.
[[ KARAAGE CHICKEN $ 9 ]]
The karaage is made with a Buttermilk marinated and served with spicy sriracha aioli sauce. The dish was ok. The breading was different from what I am used to.
[[ CRAB DYNAMITE CRUSTED FISH $ 24 ]]
The catch of the day was ono and was topped with crab dynamite and served with chili soy vinaigrette. All entrees also come with side vegies, miso, house salad and rice. The fish itself was a bit dry. But the crab topping was really good.
Overall: I really enjoyed my meal. I was so full I couldn’t event finish everything! I plan on coming back soon so I can check out their Pau Hana bar.

I had the opportunity to eat at Rijo last weekend and I must say it was one of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had.
I have to admit that my meal was actually comped by one of the people that helped get the restaurant up and running, so my mom and I were really spoiled by all that the restaurant had to offer. We were treated like celebrities that night, and really had the most amazing dinner.
We arrived as they were opening on a Sunday afternoon around 5:15, and there were only a few other couples chilling in the bar/​lounge area. The place still looks so much like Palominos, it was very nostalgic. As we waited for our friend, mom ordered a glass of wine from their happy hour menu and I had a water (no drinkies for me these days). The bartender brought out not only the glass of wine that she had ordered but also another one with about an ounce of wine in it that she insisted mom try. She said it was a specialty they had just started serving and wanted mom to be able to taste it. I thought that was really awesome of her.
Once our friend arrived he escorted us to a really nice booth set along the windows overlooking the harbor. The sun shades were pulled down because it was still quite bright, but the views were beautiful all the same.
Appetizers: mom had the ahi sashimi which came out as these huge thick pieces with your own porcelain tea pot of shoyu for dipping. I’d recommend sharing their sashimi orders, but since I don’t do raw fish mom was on her own. I ordered the crab crusted scallops. OMG heaven in your mouth. The scallops were large, and the whole dish was very flavorful and sitting in this yummy spicy citrus cream broth. (Our friend told us that it’s really good with a little truffle oil too which I love. So he actually went to the kitchen and brought me the truffle oil serving bottle and let me drizzle a couple drops on top. Wow, did that make it seriously amazing. Of course I doubt that in a regular dining experience the kitchen would be down for that lol, but we were special guests so we got spoiled!)
Entrees: mom ordered the Bouillabaisse which looked amazing. It was a huge bowl chock full of fresh seafood including a lobster tail, shrimp, scallops, mussels, fish, and clams on a spicy cream based broth.
I ordered the tiger prawns. You get served 4 huge prawns on top of sautéed vegetables with a side of brown rice that I didn’t end up eating. The sauce was garlicky and flavorful and so good.
And then while we were eating my friend brought us out a plate of grilled rib eye steak to munch on as well as their calamari that is served with a jalapeño lime dipping sauce. Mom loved the sauce so much that she poured some into her Bouilabaisse to spice it up a bit since the broth was quite mild. We were so full after all this food. Really it was too much for just two gals, even if we are foodies.
Dessert: we both had their delicious coffee– it’s a must have. And the chocolate lava cake filled with a hot matcha molten filling. You have to get it. It’s amazing. The matcha is like nothing I have ever had before! I almost prefer it to regular chocolate filling.
All in all the meal was amazing. Even if we hadn’t been treated like foodie queens, I think Rijo is doing an amazing job! I recommend it to everyone who loves quality seafood and beautiful views while dining!

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
Two visits. Twice ended the night at another restaurant.
To be fair, the ambiance is; well Palomino. Nothing has changed. So comfortable albeit outdated.
To the drinks. Two specialty cocktails (Rice Rocket and Bully Bard) completely miss the mark. The first, a take on a lychee martini, is tooth achingly sweet. The second, bitter and off balance from excessive campari coming into contact with an orange zest and its pith. Both impossible to finish.
To the food. avoid their «Contemporary Maki Sushi». Two flaws; one, all are over dressed with strong sauces that mask the flavor of the seafood and two, any fried items within the roll like the shrimp tempura are far too oily. The two together cause the roll crumble when you attempt to pick it up.
Additional starters fail to impress unless you enjoy the delicacy, chicken sashimi. On two occasions, the karaage was perfectly cooked on the outside and raw on the inside. Great if this were Japan but alas, it’s not. The duck in the smoked duck inaniwa udon tsukemen was very rubbery and while flavorful, the unrendered fat quickly coats the palate. Finally the «Japanese-​Memphis BBQ Pork Ribs». Oh lord why? Generations must be turning in their grave. Two places that don’t mix. Besides, who souse vides ribs? Let’s just leave it at that.
For mains, an undercooked Chilean sea bass, a rubbery misoyaki filet mignon, and equally rubbery lightly smoked kalbi rib eye. Creative yes, but seriously, why treat good proteins with marinades and cooking techniques that tighten up the meat and make them chewy?
Slow and clumsy service with one diner’s plate being removed before everyone else finished, food arriving before dishes are finished, and dishes arriving with no flatware.
Swing and miss.

Very good! Went for lunch today at 1130am. Made reservations on open table very easy. It wasn’t crowded and everyone was friendly. I think that they saw negative comments regarding service complaints previously and have stepped it up 5x better! Great job. Plantation Iced tea was very good! Kalbi ribs were tender and tasty and the Ahi Katsu was a winner. The miso soup and fresh salad came with our meal and it was tasty. Great place for business lunches and special occasions. Very clean décor and friendly service. Glasses were kept fill and it did not take yoo long for the food to come out. Really enjoyed lunch and will be back for dinner. With validation my parking was 2 $. It’s a lot better than palominos I hope that it can remain open great potential.

This review is on the LUNCH menu and service only
Rijo; Home of the old Palamino now serves a delightful menu of Asian Fusion cuisine. Owner and innovator of this restaurant is from Hiroshima where «Rijo» has a meaning. (you would have to go there and ask what the meaning is… I forget LOL) I had the pleasure of dining there for lunch with a dear friend of mine Kathy A and this is the finding:
1) go early for lunch as at high noon– the restaurant was pretty much packed (noon-​1 pm) They may not have enough servers to handle a high noon rush
2) Executive Management very conscious of customer service. Walked the floors checking in to make sure everything was okay
3) Wait staff great; noticing that wait staff handled quite a bit of table bus work as well (I found that interesting for a «fine dining» restaurant)
4) Harbor View– as always GREAT!
5) Ambience– good
Okay– enough of the pleasantries and let me go on about the menu
Mon Chong fish special– I tried a bite of the fish. Seemed overdone to me. It had a crab bake topping I’m told. Maybe the bite I had didn’t have the bake I certainly didn’t taste any crab.
Jidori Chicken Katsu– I think the fryer was too Hot as it was too brown and over done (see picture) the taste however was good but it didn’t take away from the fact it was over fried.
With the lunch entrees come a serving of a macaroni type salad; interesting in that it was prepared with clams; that was nice. But imho, the salad was a bit dry. maybe, quite maybe that’s the way it should be. Jury is out on that.
Sushi Roll– okay at best. I was somewhat puzzled that the rice is the sushi was not as «done» and nice like the rice served with the regular meal.
Desssert– Crème Brulee and Chocolate Molten Cake with Green tea Lava= off the charts
Price Point– your lunch will run $ 20 not including alcoholic beverages. their lunch menu is clean and simple. A few appetizers, salads, along with about a dozen lunch entrees including their signature «lunch bento»
I will try them again, maybe for dinner. The staff and dining with a dear friend is reason enough for me to give them another try. Stay tuned! Jury is still out.
Oh! PS! After a decent lunch tab be prepared to shell out for parking $ 5 INCLUDING validation. Restaurant validation = $ 1 (this price tag makes parking in Waikiki cheaper than Rijo)

Rijo was close to being a grave disappointment but rose from its ashes. Explanation below…
Atmosphere: Hide and go seek with this place. It’s on the 3^rd floor of a complex with no signs to identify it as Rijo. White cloth tables but with a hotel breakfast buffet bar feel. View is good with wide open windows.
Service: Certain menu items were unavailable and waiter seemed too overwhelmed and busy. Waiter did not seem he knew what the menu consisted of and did not care.
Food: The roller coaster started with the appetizers. So disappointing the seaweed salad was a pile of unprepared dressing salad. The karage chicken was underwhelming with poorly cooked chicken and buffalo sauce. Once our main courses arrived I saw some hope. The filet mignon was delicious, the fish of the day was also pretty amazing. The plating could have used some work and also the timing. The filet was cool to the touch.
Intangibles: If you’re looking for overpriced «fusion» you’ve found the spot…

Who else misses Palomino’s!!! Rijo Restaurant is in the same spacious space in Harbor Court in downtown Honolulu.
The restaurant is really pretty, but not at all crowded on a Friday night for dinner. We had wine, cocktails, skipped the appetizers and went straight to the entrees. I ordered the Two Way Saikyo Yaki Butterfish ($ 29) which is served in a sizzling stone bowl with asian herbs, simmered shimeji, shredded nori and dashi consommé. It was great!
My friends also really liked the Rijo Bouillabaisse — ($ 38) half tail lobster, crab, fresh fish, shrimp, clam, squid, scallop, mussel with japanese bouillabaisse broth. Although they joked it was more like a miso soup broth. Still, they loved it.
For dessert we had the panna cotta and the green tea ganache molten lava cake. The cake was my fave.
Service was great and we had a really nice dinner. $ 3 parking with validation in the garage.

This restaurant I think deserves 5 stars because they had awesome service and
Food. In my opinion my favorite dish was the steak. they actually had two of them it was a ribeye. I think my recommendation is to try the molten lava cake. It felt like heaven in my mouth!
Yours truly,

Bookworm 88

Woo hoo! What a winning dining experience we had tonight at Rijo!
We started our evening with the tempura onion and tomato salad-​delicious and the dressing was tangy but complemented the tempura onion perfectly. The crab cakes with tofu was as good as all my fellow Unilocalers said it was-​ono! We also tried the Karaage chicken; the dipping sauce makes the dish.
The entrees were spot on, not overpowering nor lacking in flavor! We started with the misoyaki filet mignon with bok choy and scalloped potatoes. Yum! And we had the bouillabaise, with large chunks of fish, mussels, extra large scallops, shrimp, calamari, and half a lobster, including the pincher. The soup was so smooth with a hint of miso, but none of the bitterness that some bouillabaise end with. The misoyaki butterfish dish came in a hot metal pot with sauce in a tea pot, like soup. Winner!
We finished our dinner with the lava cake with green matcha filling; I, being a true chocoholic, would have preferred true molten chocolate filling, but it was good nonetheless! The coconut bread pudding was excellent too!
Overall a great dining experience and the service was good, friendly and attentive with good food recommendations from our waiter. Elijah did an excellent job of keeping our food coming out in a timely manner, and keeping our orders and separate checks straight! Can’t wait to dine here again! Woo hoo!

I dined there yesterday for the first time & had lunch. A coworker recommended their miso butterfish which is only available as part of a bento box during lunch. It also featured shrimp tempura (2 pieces) and vegetable tempura & Maguro sashimi with hijiki & some pickled cucumbers. You have a choice of white or brown rice & I chose the healthier option of brown rice. The bento includes miso soup, which was pretty good & warmed me up since their air conditioning is pretty strong. The sashimi & tempura were pretty good but the star was the miso butterfish. I wish it was available as an entrée during lunch, but it’s only available on their dinner menu.
For dessert, we tried the panna cotta & cheesecake. The cheesecake, listed as Japanese NY cheesecake was a blend of both styles of cheesecake & was definitely more dense than the usual Japanese style. The panna cotta with raspberry sauce on the side was a lighter dessert, which I enjoyed more.
They have a happy hour menu that I will try soon.
Service is friendly & prompt.

I finally had a chance to try out Rijo with my girlfriends. I had heard some really good reviews about this place and some so-​so reviews. Figuring it was a pretty new restaurant I’m sure there were a few kinks to be worked out. I was definitely excited to try it though! The girls and I came on a Friday night. Surprisingly when we arrived it was pretty empty. The restaurant is pretty spacious and I feel like it could have so much potential there. It’s just too bad it seemed so dead!
Anyway, our server was very nice and accommodating. She helped me settle on a cocktail to order since I was on the fence about which drink to try. I can’t remember the name of it but it was a cocktail mixed with beer but had a very slight beer taste. It was also a little on the sweeter side but not too sweet. I actually really enjoyed it.
As for the food items, my friend who had been their before recommended the crab cakes. I must say that was probably my favorite dish/​appetizer there. It had a good amount of crab in it and went well with the truffle egg tofu. I could probably ordered another one of those.
The garlic shrimp with the saitoimo mochi I think we could have done without. I think we only ordered it because it sounded interesting. The «mochi» was like those turnip cakes that they serve at dim sum restaurants. The shrimp was good but nothing really special I thought.
We ordered a few rolls which were pretty good. The bouillabaisse had an abundant amount of seafood. Another dish I’d recommend.
Although I wasn’t blown away by the food, I’d probably come back here again to give it another try. I’m interested in seeing what their lunch menu and happy hour is like too!

Honolulu Harbor Views. Japanese contemporary cuisine that can please a wide array of people from vegetarians to meat eaters. A grand venue that has the ability to take the place of the nostalgic Palominos.
FOOD
The CHILEAN SEABASS was melt in your mouth goodness. The best dish of the night! The MISOYAKI RIB EYE was large, satisfying, and good. The DUNGENESS CRAB CAKE was hefty, but I’m not complaining. That’s how all crab cakes should be! It fulfilled my crab cake dreams because it was large, with a crispy coating, and the black truffle dashi-​consommé completed it. The Rib Eye Negimaki had perfectly cooked meat, but the thick piece of scallion it was beautifully wrapped around was just bitter and unappealing. It would have been better with a daikon or something else crunchy. The GREEN TEA MOLTEN CAKE was aaammaazing! I loved the concept of green tea goodness inside the cake. I also enjoyed the RIJO RABA. It was very refreshing. There is also HAPPY HOUR from 3 – 6 pm in the lounge area. Cheaper drinks, but the appetizers were pretty much the same price as the regular menu. They are open for lunch & dinner.
ENVIRONMENT
This restaurant is located in the Harbor Court Condo on the 3^rd floor in Downtown, Honolulu. Booth & table dining. White linen table cloths, wooden seating. Nothing fancy, but the high ceilings make this place grand. Parking Validation.
SERVICE
The wait staff and manager was very attentive. The waitress gave us great recommendations and we were satisfied. They were like lightning speed with our food and drinks, but then again it could have just been because it wasn’t crowded. Let’s pray and hope it will stay this way.
CONCLUSION
Great place to try at least once whether it’s for a birthday, family get together, or any special occasion. Also a great place for a business meeting. Delicious food, wonderful venue and views.

What a great dining experience, service was quick and friendly, the dishes came out promptly, gorgeous presentation, food was cooked perfectly, and the views of the harbor is very calm/​serine. The highlights:
Tofu quinoa salad — very light and refreshing, a good start
Crab cakes with tofu and truffle — real crab is used and this is seasoned pretty good, nice and crispy on the outside. Pieces of truffle in the light broth.
Seafood Bouillabaisse — not your classic dish, it’s a miso based broth. Seafood is cooked perfectly except for the half lobster which was slightly overcooked. Generous portions of scallops, shrimp, clams, and mussels.
Chilean sea bass — seasoned like misoyaki butterfish but that works, perfect cook, very moist and flaky.
Ahi katsu — nice crispy thinly breaded outer layer, inside is warm, not cold. Asparagus was cooked perfectly, not too soft nor too crunchy.
Molten lava cake — this is with a twist, instead of a chocolate middle, it’s green tea! This works, as the sweet chocolate is countered by the slightly bitter green tea.
Panna cotta — made the classic way, no changes here.
Expect to pay about $ 60 per person for a full meal including tax and tip which is well worth it. Highly recommend this place for special occasions.

Rijo has a great location in the old Palaminos space of Harbor Court, however it seems all the same décor, lighting and even the old 80s carpet has remained. Is it ugly? Well… not really; its a beautiful open space with the same beautiful views overlooking the boat harbor as before… it just feels dated and uninspired with not so much as a «Rijo» sign anywhere…
SERVICE
Inexperienced…you could say they havent found their flow since they just opened but thats not true. I went on Valentine’s Day and they werent too busy or chaotic — they just have unattentive service. Our server was timid and didnt know how to speak to the menu items, nor did she have enough common sense to go find an answer from a supervisor; we had to direct her and tell her how to answer our own questions. She also took our order, then through FIVE courses never came back to check on us… she wasnt busy nor unfriendly… just oblivious.
PRICE
The menu prices were waaaay overpriced for the small portions. The beer menu was very affordable however at $ 4 for foreign beers and as low as $ 2.50 for Miller Lite! Very reasonable, cheap even!
FOOD
This place is a very loose Asian fusion… Japanese name, but VERY few Japanese dishes and/​or flavor profiles… in fact the dishes had simple flavors, nothing special… the Monchong was too salty, though cooked well. The steak was well cooked too but miso glaze was too sweet. Overall, not great… I wouldnt go back.
I recommend to only try them for lunch as they may serve more typical Japanese teishoku style items as opposed to overpriced petite portioned «fancy» food that is trying too hard. Dont waste your time at dinner here…

I love the space. Always wanted a new restaurant to open up here. It’s a great big, open beautiful space. The plates were very pretty. I admired it alot. We all did. The service was exceptional. Staffs were smiley and welcoming. Our water glasses were always filled. The lunch dishes were decent priced, just like any downtown restaurants. All good things. Now the food. Well, I’m not too impressed.
I had the cornflakes jidori Chicken katsu. Meh, it was chicken katsu to me. No sparks. No fireworks. The lunch entrée came with miso soup and green salad. Simple miso soup and green salad. The salad dressing I’ve tasted before and I do like it.
I would give it another try but maybe for happy hour or dinner. Maybe I’ll wait a bit first. It’s a great place and great service.

Automatic 4 star for being veggie friendly.
5 star for the awesome food and service. We loved everything we ordered. It’s Japanese food made by a chef that understands what the locals like/​want.
One thing I recommend to the restaurant is to either raise the price for tea or not charge for tea. It’s because most Japanese restaurants don’t charge for hot tea. This one does. $ 3. So awkward.
I can’t wait to go back with friends and family.
They validate parking but you still need to pay $ 2 for 2 hours.