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Pai is a celebration of flavors, creativity, and true aloha—where every dish has a story, and every guest becomes part of ours. Chef-owned since 2017, Pai is a culinary experience created out of Chef Kevin’s love for cooking and we’re grateful to share with each guest who walks through our doors. Each dish is crafted with locally inspired flavors, blending artistry and warmth into every plate. By sourcing ingredients from Hawaii and preparing each element in-house, we create a culinary experience that is as genuine as it is beautiful – a refined yet relaxed atmosphere, a place where we hope you’ll enjoy the moment, connect with loved ones, and feel welcomed as part of our ‘ohana. We’re honored to welcome you to experience Pai.
Sophisticated restaurant featuring refined, internationally-inspired fare, with tasting menus.
Hours
| Sunday | Closed |
| Monday | Closed |
| Tuesday | Closed |
| Wednesday | Closed |
| Thursday | 5:30–10 PM |
| Friday | 5:30–10 PM |
| Saturday | Closed |
Address and Contact Information
Address: 55 Merchant St #110, Honolulu, HI 96813
Phone: (808) 744-2531
Website: http://www.paihonolulu.com/
Menu Photos
Order and Reservations
Reservations: paihonolulu.comopentable.com
Related Web Results
Pai Honolulu
A Chef-driven fine dining restaurant located in downtown Honolulu, featuring a Seasonal Chef’s Tasting Menu and culturally inspired dishes.
Chef’s Tasting Menu – Pai Honolulu
You can find our Standard and Beverage Menu under the Menu tab at the top navigation bar. Mahalo. PAI Honolulu. 55 Merchant Street, Suite 110,. Honolulu …
Pai Honolulu Restaurant – Hawaii – OpenTable
Pai Honolulu offers an “outstanding menu” with varied and complex flavors, expertly balanced by Chef Kevin Lee. Guests rave about the “exceptional” service, …
Reviews
Scott Hendrickson
This was one of the best dining experiences my wife and I have ever had. The flavor profiles, creativity of ingredients, and presentation were top notch.
We did a full testing menu, with each dish paired to a complimentary wine. It was absolutely spectacular. My wife literally, and involuntarily, giggled when first trying both the first and second course. I asked after the second time and she said that it was just so good she couldn’t help it. This happened on each course but one. I had never witnessed her do this before and haven’t since.
… moreWe did a full testing menu, with each dish paired to a complimentary wine. It was absolutely spectacular. My wife literally, and involuntarily, giggled when first trying both the first and second course. I asked after the second time and she said that it was just so good she couldn’t help it. This happened on each course but one. I had never witnessed her do this before and haven’t since.
W&E
We celebrated my daughter’s birthday at a special Pai event.
Each dish was paired with a corresponding drink. The plating was elegant and clean. The flavors were distinct.
It was definitely a night to remember.
… moreEach dish was paired with a corresponding drink. The plating was elegant and clean. The flavors were distinct.
It was definitely a night to remember.
Nicole A
My brother in law bought us dinner her for the night of our elopement. This restaurant went above and beyond. They made us personilized menus and gave us a champagne toast for our big day. Portions are small and delicious. Our waiter was very sweet and attentive! Thank you guys for the amazing dinner.
… morejoy shim
We celebrated my mother’s 60th birthday here and had a phenomenal time. The space was cozy and intimate, as if it were a completely private dining experience, and the Pai Honolulu team went above and beyond to make our celebration special. Chef Kevin’s menu is carefully curated. the dishes are beautiful, and everything we ate was absolutely delicious. We especially loved the carrots (which we learned came from his own garden)! I’d highly recommend celebrating a special occasion here!!
… moreKM L
Chef Kevin is a science genius! Love every ingredients that touched my palate! And his wife Justine was a wonderful host! Definitely a Michelin star restaurant in my book! Homemade strawberry gelato with velvet cookie for my friend’s birthday was amazing! Thank you ❤️ I had to lick the bowl!!! Highly recommend it!!!
… moreAndrea Tam
Our experience at Pai was a great disappointment. We had hoped for a nice last meal in Honolulu, but the food ranged from mediocre to poor in quality and was extremely slow.
Service: Our servers were polite but lacked the polish and professionalism we would expect from a restaurant at this price point ($210 per person). Our server, though well-intentioned, spoke very softly and mumbled the dish explanations so we had difficulty understanding him, and he generally appeared nervous, avoiding eye contact.
Ambiance: The restaurant, which seats only ~12 parties to begin with, was no more than half full. The bluetooth speaker kept disconnecting, so every 10 minutes the music stopped and we heard an automated notification that the bluetooth speaker was disconnected. When the fire alarm went off in the middle of the meal, none of the servers stopped by to explain what was happening. We had a view into the open kitchen which only had 3-4 kitchen staff in it, including the head chef– this may have contributed to the painstakingly slow pacing of the meal.
Food: We had the Chef’s Tasting Menu. The dishes, each of which drew from a different global influence (Southern, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, French, etc.) lacked cohesion as an overall menu. The food itself was the biggest letdown.
* Chef’s buttermilk cornbread – 5/10. The cornbread was good/ordinary though the honey-miso butter was tasty.
* Kona kanpachi – 5/10. Three small pieces of kanpachi and two tiny pieces of scallop. The dish was nice but could have used a more generous portion of seafood as most of it was cucumber, tomato, and puree.
* Samoan crab purse – 6/10. Though slightly one dimensional, there was good amount of crab and filling and as dim sum lovers, we appreciated the take on siu mai.
* Lobster Cioppino – 6/10. The cioppino was flavorful and the half lobster tail was well cooked. However, the pieces of fennel on the side were confusing as they were not really integrated into the dish.
* Escargot toppogi – 6/10. One of the better dishes, a combination of escargot and small pieces of tteobboki in a pesto sauce that worked well but didn’t wow us. The two carrots on top, which might have been meant to provide freshness, were raw and out of place.
* Duck confit taro puff – 3/10. This is where the meal went rapidly downhill. According to the menu, the taro puff contained duck confit and foie gras rags with cabbage, shoyu mustard, and micro shiso. All of this was overpowered by the taste of cumin. The texture inside was oily and gooey with nothing to relieve the heaviness. Moreover, part of the filling was cold inside.
* 90 Day Dry-Aged Ribeye – 2/10. Two very rare, small blocks of meat were gummy in texture and lukewarm in temperature. The cauliflower was ok and so was the XO sauce just but the steak itself can only be described as terrible.
* Mai Tai Sherbet – skipped. At this point, we explained to the waiter that the meal had been taking a long time and we were not enjoying the food and asked if we could skip to dessert.
* Dark Chocolate Haupia – 5/10. The chocolate haupia itself was neat and tasted fine but the crumble was gritty.
Our final bill came out to $470, which is frankly outrageous for what we got. It is difficult to fathom how such a meal could be priced at a Michelin level. Our waiter apologized to us at the end for the slow and disappointing experience and we overheard him apologizing to at least two other tables as well, which suggests that our experience was unfortunately not unique.
… moreService: Our servers were polite but lacked the polish and professionalism we would expect from a restaurant at this price point ($210 per person). Our server, though well-intentioned, spoke very softly and mumbled the dish explanations so we had difficulty understanding him, and he generally appeared nervous, avoiding eye contact.
Ambiance: The restaurant, which seats only ~12 parties to begin with, was no more than half full. The bluetooth speaker kept disconnecting, so every 10 minutes the music stopped and we heard an automated notification that the bluetooth speaker was disconnected. When the fire alarm went off in the middle of the meal, none of the servers stopped by to explain what was happening. We had a view into the open kitchen which only had 3-4 kitchen staff in it, including the head chef– this may have contributed to the painstakingly slow pacing of the meal.
Food: We had the Chef’s Tasting Menu. The dishes, each of which drew from a different global influence (Southern, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, French, etc.) lacked cohesion as an overall menu. The food itself was the biggest letdown.
* Chef’s buttermilk cornbread – 5/10. The cornbread was good/ordinary though the honey-miso butter was tasty.
* Kona kanpachi – 5/10. Three small pieces of kanpachi and two tiny pieces of scallop. The dish was nice but could have used a more generous portion of seafood as most of it was cucumber, tomato, and puree.
* Samoan crab purse – 6/10. Though slightly one dimensional, there was good amount of crab and filling and as dim sum lovers, we appreciated the take on siu mai.
* Lobster Cioppino – 6/10. The cioppino was flavorful and the half lobster tail was well cooked. However, the pieces of fennel on the side were confusing as they were not really integrated into the dish.
* Escargot toppogi – 6/10. One of the better dishes, a combination of escargot and small pieces of tteobboki in a pesto sauce that worked well but didn’t wow us. The two carrots on top, which might have been meant to provide freshness, were raw and out of place.
* Duck confit taro puff – 3/10. This is where the meal went rapidly downhill. According to the menu, the taro puff contained duck confit and foie gras rags with cabbage, shoyu mustard, and micro shiso. All of this was overpowered by the taste of cumin. The texture inside was oily and gooey with nothing to relieve the heaviness. Moreover, part of the filling was cold inside.
* 90 Day Dry-Aged Ribeye – 2/10. Two very rare, small blocks of meat were gummy in texture and lukewarm in temperature. The cauliflower was ok and so was the XO sauce just but the steak itself can only be described as terrible.
* Mai Tai Sherbet – skipped. At this point, we explained to the waiter that the meal had been taking a long time and we were not enjoying the food and asked if we could skip to dessert.
* Dark Chocolate Haupia – 5/10. The chocolate haupia itself was neat and tasted fine but the crumble was gritty.
Our final bill came out to $470, which is frankly outrageous for what we got. It is difficult to fathom how such a meal could be priced at a Michelin level. Our waiter apologized to us at the end for the slow and disappointing experience and we overheard him apologizing to at least two other tables as well, which suggests that our experience was unfortunately not unique.
Matias
The cornbread and turnip cake was some of the best foods I’ve ever had. (Pictured below).
However compared to other Michelin starred restaurants it is not perfect.
But service was incredible and food was still absolutely amazing.
… moreHowever compared to other Michelin starred restaurants it is not perfect.
But service was incredible and food was still absolutely amazing.
Star Taylor
OMG! This chef knows how to tickle the taste buds! The staff is so friendly and knowledgeable. The food was fantastic. They sure know what wine to pair with what dish! The whole thing was amazing! I did this as part of the Hilton Grand Vacations exclusive event and I highly recommend it!
… moreKevin Sharpe
We had the chef’s fall tasting menu and it was possibly the best meal we’ve ever had. I’m not sure why they don’t yet have a Michelin ⭐.
The service was impeccable. Two fantastic and knowledgeable waiters tag-teamed to ensure we never had to wait for anything.
The decor was minimalist, but being able to look into the kitchen was great. Excellent ambiance. I HIGHLY recommend trying it out. Be warned though, you get what you pay for, so don’t expect it to be cheap.
… moreThe service was impeccable. Two fantastic and knowledgeable waiters tag-teamed to ensure we never had to wait for anything.
The decor was minimalist, but being able to look into the kitchen was great. Excellent ambiance. I HIGHLY recommend trying it out. Be warned though, you get what you pay for, so don’t expect it to be cheap.
Austin Zielman
Our dinner experience at Pai blew me away; every course was a carefully plated expression of the chef’s creativity, and it was all absolutely delicious. The drinks were also super well crafted and balanced, I personally loved the Coyote. If and when Michelin finally makes it out to Honolulu, this place deserves to be starred!
We’ll definitely be making our way back here next time we’re in town.
… moreWe’ll definitely be making our way back here next time we’re in town.