Cheerful hideaway featuring upscale Vietnamese & French cuisine & wine, plus piano music.
Ronni Perkins
We are in Hawaii for our family vacation and wanted to experience Chinatown. Our Google directions left so much to be desired, so we found a random street in Chinatown and held out hope that we could find parking for our two vehicles, holding our large family of 8. We found a little lot and paid the $3, and set out to find someplace for dinner. Directly across the street was a charming storefront with a whimsical neon artwork in the window of roses and their leaves. Duc’s Bistro. Just the exterior was enough to draw me in, and my stepson chimed in that it was a highly rated restaurant on TripAdvisor. We went in. We were accomodated quickly and with a very genuine, warm welcome. The interior is gorgeously upscale, but you still feel like you can make yourself at home. We started out with wine and cocktails, ordered appetizers of escargo and spring rolls, both of which were over the top amazing. We sopped up the liquid left over in the escargo dish with crusty yet soft bread. We ordered 4 entrees, pork belly, duck made with Grand Marnier, Saigon steak, and fish of the day, which was Mahi Mahi. The accompanyments were rice and green beans. Every entree was so incredibly delectable that every one of us couldn’t stop remarking about it. We finished the meal off with crème brulee, which, of course, did not disappoint. Ok, the food: top notch. GO TO THIS RESTAURANT. Now, onto the ambiance: gorgeous, SUCH a perfect choice of music, there’s an amazing dragon suspended from the ceiling.
Now for the staff. I would absolutely return to Hawaii solely to be able to spend time with this family, who are the staff. So attentive, pretty much can anticipate what you’re about to want, charming, warm, entertaining. I could go on but I don’t know how many words I can put into one review. Just GO HERE! Duc’s Bistro. GO NOW
… moreJaylyn Garces
It’s so cute here. Great food, friendly staff, and I love how the owner comes by to talk story!
… moreJoyce Liu
This is an unsophisticated (appearance wise) little restaurant in the middle of Chinatown. We ordered the escargots, fire roasted eggplant, pork belly, and fillet Of Basa Nonpareil and were very pleased with each one. Every staff was professional, attentive, and friendly, and drinks and dishes were served at the perfect pace. I’d really love to go back there if we could stay longer in Honolulu.
… moreLila C
Relaxing environment, good service.
Beef tartar was very good, they did not put too much egg in it which was great! You can really taste the beef! The bread was crunch outside soft inside, it was a good match with the beef tartar!
The spring roll was also very good! Interesting way to eat the spring roll with fresh greens!
Saffron rice was tasty!
Vietnamese coffee was just ok, not as good as we expected.
Overall, the price was good in Waikiki.
… moreRob Gronauer
Highly recommend! Everything was delicious: lamb rack, duck breast, spring rolls, charred eggplant and duck pate! Service and atmosphere were all great and reasonable prices. Should definitely try.
… moreGi C.
Fine dining restaurant in Downtown/Chinatown. It’s good that they keep their sources and ingredients local. Can’t believe that they’ve been here for 32 years.
We ordered foie gras, duck marinier, braised pork belly, and ginger fantastic. They gave a bowl of saffron rice as complimentary with the order. We love them.
… moreRebecca Tsang
5 stars. Great food, cozy and romantic ambiance inside. Friendly and personable service. Wide selection of traditional French and Asian dishes with an elevated touch. What’s not to like?
There were 4 of us and we tried a lot of things: foie gras, escargot, spring rolls, duck breast, pan fried fish, lamb chops, chicken curry, saffron rice, and tapioca banana pudding, crème brûlée and affogato for dessert!
Honestly, I enjoyed everything and I can’t wait to go back to try the rest of the menu lol. The star dishes for me were the pan fried fish and the chicken curry with saffron rice actually! I mean the traditional French fare was solid too, but you know there isn’t much surprise to it. The pan fried fish however was a shocker in that it’s done so well with the texture and the taste. I was hesitant about getting the chicken curry, but the sweet lady (who’s also a cook) recommended the chicken curry so I was like, OK let’s give it a shot. Hmmmm that might be one of my favorite curries that I tried. The chicken was tender, and the curry had depth without being sweet or salty; it’s hard to describe.
The portions were not big. They’re all “exquisite” but I thought the prices were not ridiculous. They’re higher than average, but the quality was delivered, so it’s worth it imo.
Parking lot is across the street with discount code provided by the restaurant, make sure you don’t pay yet until you get the code from them, or free street parking after 6pm.
I can’t wait to go back. Thank you for the delicious food and friendly service!
… moreRachel H.
My boyfriend and I had dinner here last night for the first time and it was great! I liked the decor and ambiance, service was amazing, and the food was delicious!
Started with the escargot and a ginger martini, both of which I would recommend! For dinner the fish (opakapaka) and lamb were recommended and that’s what we had. Delicious! And although quite full, we got the tapioca and there wasn’t a trace of it left when we were done.
I’ve lived here my whole life, no clue why its taken me so long to eat here, but very glad I finally did!
… moreRebecca Zatarain
I can’t say enough about this hidden gem tucked away on a side street on Chinatown. Ian who runs the front of the house while his dad is in the kitchen is one of the most welcoming hosts you will ever find. The food is French with a subtle hint of Vietnamese The spring rolls are simply the best ive ever tasted rolled up in the fresh butter lettuce with nuoc- cham sauce you just can’t get enough of it. The garlic mushrooms and that delicious French bread lick your fingers good! We had one of the dock dishes as well as fish dishes both expertly prepared .The resturaunt is a family affair and should be celebrated !
… moreJeff Nash
Duc’s has been around since the early 90’s. It’s an upscale viet/French bistro and everything on menu is great. This little China town joint has survived the test of time. You can expect the namesake, Duc, to greet you at the table most nights. He’s a nice guy with great food. Definitely a great spot for a nice dinner.
… more