Roy's Hawaii Kai

Roy's Hawaii Kai is the original restaurant in the empire built by chef Roy Yamaguchi, a James Beard Award winner who is credited with pioneering Euro-Asian cuisine in Hawaii and helping to establish the Hawaii Regional Cuisine movement alongside Alan Wong and other foundational chefs of that era. Opened in 1988 in the Hawaii Kai shopping center on the eastern end of Oahu, the restaurant has served as the proving ground for the culinary philosophy that Roy's would take to dozens of locations across the United States and beyond. The cooking style is built on the marriage of European classical technique — roasting, braising, sauce construction — with the aromatics, spices, and ingredient vocabulary of Japan, China, Thailand, and the Philippines, applied to the fresh fish and agricultural products of Hawaii. Signature dishes that have defined the restaurant across its decades of operation include misoyaki butterfish, a preparation of butterfish marinated in miso, sake, and mirin that caramelizes beautifully in the oven and has become one of the most-imitated dishes in Hawaiian restaurant cooking; blackened ahi tuna with a spicy soy mustard sauce; and the melting hot chocolate soufflé dessert, a lava-cake-style signature that has appeared on the menu since opening and continues to be the most-ordered dessert. The open kitchen is a deliberate feature of the dining room's design — Roy's was among the first Hawaii restaurants to make the kitchen a visual and social part of the dining experience rather than hiding it from view. The dining room is warm, lively, and buzzy in the evenings, particularly on weekends, when the room fills with both local regulars and visitors. The staff is typically well-trained in the menu's backstory and ingredient sourcing. Situated in the Hawaii Kai Marina shopping center, the restaurant sits away from the Waikiki tourist corridor and draws a loyal local clientele. Reservations are recommended, particularly for Friday and Saturday evenings.