Are you looking for the best restaurants on Oahu for your honeymoon? Keep scrolling for this list of the most romantic Oahu restaurants that are worth a reservation.
This list of the most romantic Oahu restaurants was written by Marcie Cheung (a Hawaii travel expert) and contains affiliate links which means if you purchase something from one of my affiliate links, I may earn a small commission that goes back into maintaining this blog.
Oahu has no shortage of romantic restaurants. Every hotel has one. Most of them have ocean views, good lighting, and prices that make you wince. A fair number of them are worth it. Some are not.
I have visited Hawaii over 40 times, and I have eaten at a lot of these dinners.
I have had the ones that made me forget what city I was in and the ones where I sat there doing the math on whether I could have gotten better food at a food truck for twelve dollars.
This list is the ones worth your honeymoon budget, with honest notes on what to actually expect.
Quick answer if you are short on time: if you can only do one special dinner on Oahu, make it House Without a Key or La Mer.
Both are at the Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki. They are completely different experiences, and between them they cover almost every version of romantic you might be looking for.
The Most Romantic Restaurants on Oahu Right Now
1. House Without a Key (Halekulani, Waikiki)
My personal favorite restaurant in all of Hawaii. I have been here more times than I can count and I keep going back.
You are sitting outside under a 130-year-old kiawe tree with the ocean right in front of you and Diamond Head off to the side. Live Hawaiian musicians play all evening, and hula dancers perform as the sun goes down.
I say this as someone who danced hula professionally for over 20 years: the hula here is the real thing.
It is graceful and genuine, not a performance you sit and endure between courses. It is just happening, beautifully, while you eat.
The food is good without being the main event.
What I keep thinking about are the purple sweet potato mashed potatoes. They are this deep jewel-toned purple, creamy, slightly sweet. I have thought about them on more than one Hawaii-less winter evening at home. Order them.
One thing to know going in: this is not a quiet dinner for two. There is music, there are other tables, there is energy. That is the whole point and I love it. But if you want a hushed, private evening, La Mer next door is a better fit.
The restaurant finished renovations recently and added a new outdoor bar called Earl’s, named after the author of the Charlie Chan novel the restaurant takes its name from. Open daily, dinner from 5 PM.
Best for: couples who want live music, hula, and the feeling of actually being in Hawaii
Not the right call if: you want total quiet and privacy
2. La Mer (Halekulani, Waikiki)
The most decorated restaurant in the state of Hawaii, and I mean that literally.
La Mer has held Hawaii’s only Forbes Five-Star rating and has been consecutively AAA Five Diamond since 1990. That is not a marketing claim, it is a 35-year track record.
The setting is open-air and oceanfront, the service is the kind where your napkin gets refolded when you stand up, and as of April 2026, Chef Alexandre Trancher introduced a new eight-course tasting menu.
The current menu includes seared scallop with caviar, poached Maine lobster, and duck foie gras with cotton candy. The menu only changes a few times a year, so this is what you will actually get right now.
Dress code is strict. Women need elegant evening attire. Men need a collared dress shirt or aloha shirt, dress slacks, and closed-toe shoes. No denim, no open-toed shoes. They do turn people away.
Open Tuesday through Saturday, 5:30 to 8:30 PM. Budget 00 or more per person and ask for a window seat when you book.
One honest heads-up: the portions are small, and reviews mention this consistently. This is a tasting menu where you are paying for craft and experience, not volume.
Walk in expecting that and you will be floored. Walk in expecting a full plate and you will be confused.
Best for: a true once-in-a-trip special occasion dinner
Not the right call if: formal dining is not your thing or you are not into tasting menus
3. Alan Wong’s at The Kahala Hotel (Kahala, Honolulu)
The most exciting restaurant opening on Oahu in years. It opened in April 2026.
Chef Alan Wong is a James Beard Award winner and one of 12 founders of Hawaii Regional Cuisine, the movement in the early 1990s that put Hawaii on the global food map.
His King Street restaurant ran for 25 years before closing in 2020 during the pandemic. A lot of people thought that was the end. It was not.
The new Alan Wong’s opened at The Kahala Hotel on April 8, 2026, bringing back the dishes that made the original legendary: ginger-crusted onaga with miso sesame vinaigrette, the whole tomato salad with li hing mui ume dressing, and The Coconut dessert of haupia sorbet inside a chocolate shell.
The restaurant was already booked out for two months after opening. That tells you everything.
The Kahala neighborhood is about 10 to 15 minutes from Waikiki and feels like a completely different city. Quieter, residential, no tourist strip energy. Walk Kahala Beach before dinner and make a whole evening of it.
Open Tuesday through Saturday, 5 to 10 PM. Book as soon as your travel dates are confirmed.
Best for: food-focused couples who want the best table in Honolulu right now
Not the right call if: you cannot get a reservation (try 6 to 8 weeks ahead)
4. Azure (The Royal Hawaiian, Waikiki)
The Royal Hawaiian is the pink hotel in every Waikiki photo. Built in 1927, Spanish-Moorish architecture, right on the beach.
Azure is its restaurant: open-air dining under historic pink archways with Diamond Head straight ahead.
Five-course tasting menu, locally sourced ingredients from Chef de Cuisine Jose Reyes, and private cabana tables right at the water if you can get one. Ask for a cabana table when you book.
Open Wednesday through Sunday, 5:30 to 8:30 PM. Reservations are essential.
One honest note: a review from New Year’s Eve 2025-26 describes a bad special-event experience with long waits between courses and portions that did not match the ,000+ price tag for two.
Regular dinner service reviews are strong and consistent. Just check recent reviews if you are booking around a major holiday.
Best for: a classic Waikiki beachfront dinner experience
Not the right call if: you are visiting on a major holiday without checking recent reviews first
5. Beachhouse at the Moana (Moana Surfrider, Waikiki)
The Moana Surfrider just finished a major renovation for its 125th anniversary. The Beachhouse is its oceanfront restaurant, on the same famous wraparound porch that has been there since 1901.
Three or four courses, Pacific Rim menu with local sourcing. Recent reviews call out the mojo verde pork with chicharron gremolata and a truffle cotton candy sundae for dessert. Dinner Wednesday through Sunday, 5:30 to 10 PM, last seating at 8:30 PM.
The Moana also does afternoon tea at the Veranda if you want a lower-key romantic option during the day.
6. Michel’s at the Colony Surf (Kaimana Beach, Honolulu)
Michel’s has been on Kaimana Beach since 1962. East of the main Waikiki strip, quieter, less foot traffic, a completely different pace.
French cuisine, tableside preparations, chef’s tasting menu, and a Most Romantic Restaurant vote from Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.
What most people do not realize until they arrive: the sunset view from this location looks back toward Waikiki and Diamond Head, not away from them. It is a perspective most tourists never see, and it is stunning.
Arrive around 5:30 to catch the transition from daylight to sunset. Open daily 5 to 9 PM, until 9:30 PM on Fridays and Saturdays. Complimentary valet.
7. 53 By The Sea (Kakaako, Honolulu)
Multiple Hale Aina Awards for Most Romantic Restaurant, plus Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s Hawaii’s Best award for Restaurant with a View.
The panorama takes in Waikiki, Diamond Head, and the Kakaako surf all at once. You enter through a grand staircase. If you want drama and a view that has earned every award it has, this is it.
Hawaii Regional Cuisine menu, strong wine list, complimentary valet. A short rideshare from Waikiki.
8. Orchids (Halekulani, Waikiki)
The third Halekulani restaurant and the one that gets overlooked. Same oceanfront location as La Mer, Mediterranean-inspired menu with local Hawaiian ingredients, more relaxed and more affordable.
Dinner dress code is casual elegant. Hours are 5:30 to 8:30 PM daily. If you are staying at the Halekulani and do not want to make reservations across town, this is a very good option.
Get the Halekulani coconut cake for dessert. Everyone who goes there mentions it first, and for good reason.
9. Noe Italian (Four Seasons Ko Olina)
About 35 to 40 minutes from Waikiki on the west side. Worth knowing upfront so you plan the evening right.
Southern Italian cuisine with handmade pastas and local seafood in an outdoor setting overlooking the Four Seasons gardens.
The service gets called out specifically in anniversary and honeymoon reviews, which says something.
If you are staying at the Four Seasons Ko Olina, this is your dinner. If you are based in Waikiki, pair it with a full west-side day and end it here.
Best for: Four Seasons Ko Olina guests, or couples building a day on the west side
Not the right call if: you want something walkable from Waikiki
10. Chef Chai (Kakaako, Honolulu)
New ownership took over in late 2025 and briefly got a health department closure because the permits were not in order when the inspector showed up. Sorted within 24 hours.
Mentioning it because those headlines still show up in searches and there is nothing to actually worry about.
Asian-Pacific fusion: oysters, lobster, lamb chops, roasted duck, tasting menu option. Holiday prix-fixe dinners sell out.
If you are visiting around Valentine’s Day or New Year’s Eve, book as soon as you know your dates. Open Wednesday through Sunday, 4 to 10 PM.
11. Haleiwa Joe’s (Kaneohe or Haleiwa)
Two locations with genuinely different energy.
The Kaneohe location near the Haiku Gardens is the honeymoon pick. Koi pond views, Ko’olau mountains, quiet and green in a way that is nothing like Waikiki beachfront.
The food is solid: coconut shrimp, spicy poke, prime rib, good seafood. A really enjoyable dinner without the fine dining price tag.
The Haleiwa location has North Shore ocean views and that small surf-town feel. Same food, different vibe.
Not every honeymoon dinner needs to cost $100 a person to be romantic. These two make that case well.
12. Haleiwa Beach House (North Shore)
For the North Shore day that should be in your itinerary: dinner here, second-floor lanai, fire pits, the sun going down over Ali’i Beach.
Casual menu: garlic shrimp, mahi mahi, short ribs, poke. Dinner runs 5 to 8 PM. Closed Tuesdays.
This is not about the food specifically. It is about ending a North Shore day in exactly the right place with your person.
Bonus: Star of Honolulu Sunset Dinner Cruise
Not a restaurant, but it belongs on any honest Oahu honeymoon list.
You are on the water watching the sun drop with Diamond Head in the background, live Hawaiian music, Polynesian entertainment, dinner included.
Couples have been booking this for decades and the reason is obvious once you are out there.
The part most write-ups skip: the tier difference matters a lot. Lower deck reviews are mediocre.
The three-star or five-star upper deck seating is the version worth doing. Friday evenings include Hilton fireworks on the return, which is worth timing for if it fits your schedule.
Check availability and book the Star of Honolulu via Viator.
Practical Notes Before You Book
Make reservations from home. La Mer, Alan Wong’s, and Azure fill up weeks out. Alan Wong’s is especially tight right now. Start checking 6 to 8 weeks before your trip.
Dress codes are real. La Mer is strict and will turn people away. Most other places here are resort casual to casual elegant. Closed-toe shoes and something nicer than a t-shirt handles almost everything.
Budget honestly. Fine dining on Oahu runs 50 to 50 or more per person at the top end. House Without a Key, Haleiwa Joe’s, and Haleiwa Beach House are much more affordable. One or two splurge dinners with a few lower-key evenings mixed in is usually the right balance, practically and financially.
Getting out of Waikiki requires wheels. Michel’s, 53 By The Sea, Alan Wong’s, and anything North Shore or Ko Olina are much easier with a rental car. I book through Discount Hawaii Car Rental every single trip.
Capture It While You’re There
A sunset dinner on the beach goes by faster than you think. Flytographer does portrait sessions all over Oahu including at sunset in Waikiki, and you’ll save 0 with my link. Those photos will outlast the meal.
For the full Oahu honeymoon picture, my Oahu Travel Guide covers where to stay, what to do, and how to structure your days. A few other useful links:
- Most Romantic Things to Do on Oahu
- Best Oahu Honeymoon Resorts (where you stay affects which restaurants make logistical sense)
- Budget-Friendly Waikiki Restaurants for the nights when $100 a person is not the move
If you want help figuring out which of these fits your specific trip, budget, and travel style, that is exactly what my Hawaii travel consultations are for. A lot of couples overthink the planning and one conversation usually cuts through it.
My podcast Hawaii Travel Made Easy is worth putting on during your commute if you are still in the research phase. Practical advice from someone who has visited Hawaii 40+ times and still finds reasons to keep going back.
Make the reservations before you leave home. That is the one thing people consistently wish they had done sooner.
