The best French on the island. You will enjoy the flavors and season with traditional French style cooking. You need to be ready to take time for your entire meal. Seven courses can go easily above three hours. The service is elegant and they know what they are doing. It has one of the best view with a timeless feel of Hawaii.

The service here is top notch. Staff is extremely attentive you practically have a personal butler at your service at all times. I am not exaggerating when I say this, my water glass was getting refilled every 3 sips. Breathtaking sweeping ocean views all around, candles lit on the table with red roses really set the tone for mine and hubbys romantic date night. The food had some hits and misses. My husband and I agreed the lobster and scallop dish both would have been phenomenal but the seafood was noticeably rubbery. For the price we paid $$$$ that should not have been the case. The filet was decent nothing to write home about though. The star of the show was definitively the scallop-kampachi tartar. With hints of caviar, uni and crème fraishe, I will be dreaming about this dish!

Simply amazing. I booked 1-2 months in advance for a celebratory dinner. Prime window seating is honored in order of request (you indicate it in your requests during booking, so I suppose the earlier you book, the better your view). Definitely come during sunset so you can enjoy the view! I read amazing things about both the food and the experience, so was actually rather excited to come dine here. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. The service is most definitely 5 stars. Staff anticipated our needs before we even need to ask, and throughout the evening, all staff members addressed us by name. They even offered to take photos throughout the night and walked us through the restaurant to find the best views. We ordered the suggested tasting menu ($295/person) and they were able to accommodate my dietary needs. My primary server went above and beyond to check with management to remove any supplemental fees associated with my adjustments. He felt like it wasn't fair I had to pay more to sub out dishes just because I don't eat meat. Everything we ordered was superb. Some standouts were the scallop-hamachi tartare and the grilled scallop (one of the best I've had- not only in taste, but also presentation). I also generally don't care for lobster, but was able to consume the entirety of the dish. My fiancé also quite enjoyed the grilled scallop, and also thought the filet of beef was cooked extremely well. Dinner lasted about 2-3 hours and we left completely stuffed. We had to box up some sweets and mignardises to go because we couldn't take another bite. They also provided us with a additional complimentary mousse cake to congratulate us on our recent engagement. At the end of the night, we were sent home with 2 boxes of chocolate pop rock mac nut bons bons to enjoy. Well worth the money! I would highly recommend this restaurant and can't wait to come back.

I came here for my birthday this year over the summer. This review is long overdue but I feel the after shocks of the meal still lingering. La Mer was always on my checklist and I finally did! If you have the means to splurge, do it. It does not fall short of expectations at all! I mean, it's a heinous amount of money to be spent on one single meal, but the entire experience from service, to plated course after course, to the beautiful views of Diamond Head/Waikiki and the oceanside, was divine. Opted for the menu dégustation with additional ala carte items from the menu soiree. I feel inadequate as a fine dining connoisseur to describe every dish but the pictures should do it all justice! There wasn't a dish I didn't enjoy (except for the duck liver - foie gras is just not my taste which is very subjective). They added complimentary amuse bouches, dessert tea cookies, birthday cake and chocolates (with pop rocks hidden in them!) in boxes to take home. The Michelin guide has not made its way to Hawaii but I definitely feel La Mer is up to those standards in fine French dining! I wish I could go back!!

This is a classic jazz bar located below the French restaurant. There was an excellent jazz band playing music and the cocktails were excellent. The ambience was refined and relaxed. The prices are on the higher side but excellent quality and a special place.

I absolutely love La Mer. It's not just my favorite spot in Honolulu, but one of the best restaurants I've ever been to and I wish I lived closer. It's mind blowing that they don't have two Michelin stars, but that's only because Michelin doesn't rate restaurants in Hawaii--it makes no sense to me. My husband and I come here whenever we are in Hawaii. We always do the tasting menu with the wine pairing because it's just absolutely fantastic. We both love everything they bring to the table, the attention to detail is amazing, and the flavors are explosive yet perfectly balanced. I also love the wine pairings. They pair nicely with the dishes and some of them truly elevate the dishes. I also love that the sommelier will chat with us about the wines and the regions. It's fun to nerd out on that level. Food aside, the experience is wonderful. You are greeted when you arrive and we've never had to wait to be seated. There are stunning views with a lovely tropical breeze drifting through the restaurants. If you can time it, try to be there during sunset because it's absolutely gorgeous. The ambiance is elegant and the service is top notch, but I love that it doesn't feel pretentious. The last time we were in Hawaii, my husband was out at dinner with friends, so I decided to bring my girl friend here. We had a great evening at the bar trying their amazing cocktails that come with a fun appetizer pairing. They were all super creative and delicious. We ended coming back a couple nights later with my husband and he really enjoyed it too. Whether you're celebrating something special or in the mood for a few elevated cocktails, La Mer is hands down the best restaurant on the island. The food, service, drinks and views are incredible. I look forward to coming back the next time we fly in and highly recommend carving out time to enjoy this experience if you're on Oahu. Ke aloha!

The spouse always wanted to dine at La Mer, Halekulani's French restaurant. While they don't have any Michelin Guide recognition, they are constantly crowned with AAA's Five Diamond Award. 2024 was the perfect time to celebrate our birthdays and anniversaries with 20 of our close family and friends. ATMOSPHERE: Located oceanfront above Orchids restaurant, we had use of their 22-seat private dining room "Salon du Vin" at the front of the establishment. It's air conditioned but open air at the same time, so it was a little toasty. MENU DÉGUSTATION: It's amuse bouche (chef-selected small portions). FOOD: We started off with a chef's complement basil pesto gazpacho with crab which was refreshing & divine. I passed on the duck foie gras with strawberry jam & pickled onions due to health reasons. A perfectly roasted scallop topped with caviar in a newburg sauce was amazing. Poached lobster tail & claw with chorizo squares, squid ink gnocchi & cream sauce was outstanding. Filet of beef with truffle sauce, mashed potatoes and potato "puffs" were excellent. Trio of cheeses were good but one cheese in particular was unpalatable to me and others due to its intense bitterness and earthiness. DESSERT: Canelé over a caramel mousse was fine. The last course was a beautifully plated and magnificent semifreddo, or frozen mousse, in a honey cream flavor. We each received sensational bags of homemade chocolate & Pop Rocks-covered macadamia nuts, compliments of La Mer. SERVICE: Unparalleled, first class professionalism. OVERALL: Exceptional cuisine, presentation and service.

We came to celebrate a friend's birthday and it was my first visit to La Mer, and it certainly was a treat to dine here! There were a variety of traditional French dishes to choose from and you also have the option to Ala carte. However the best is to order the menu so that you can enjoy a variety of dishes designed by the chef. The service was absolutely superb. Our waiter Nick was attentive and also Stephen who helped making our evening wonderful! We got seated the ocean view and enjoyed the sunset till we finished dining last 9. The parking is fully validated by Halekulani Hotel. Easily pull upfront for valet. Validation is good for four hours.

The world food tour duo celebrated the birthday of the better half of the duo at La Mer, in the Halekulani Hotel. We were seated at a table by the railing, so we had killer views of Diamond Head and the ocean. The wine menu is vast and very comprehensive; it took me a while to select a wine ... 2017 Corton Bressandes from Domaine Follin-Arbelet. This wine was a "steal" as it sells for almost $300 in a wine store. It had finesse in spades and was full-bodied, yet lightish in tone ... one of the best wines we've tried in 2024. We opted for the Menu du Soir, the four-course tasting menu for $255. It began with an amuse bouche of a green panna cotta made with two vegetables (neither of which I can recall). I thought it tasted like a matcha custard ... An interesting start to the evening. The first course was a Kampachi Tartare, pieces of fish hidden by a Tuile Croustillante, decorated with with uni (sea urchin roe), sitting in a coconut milk / basil oil sauce that was poured by wait staff. This was a visual and taste sensation. The next course was lightly grilled, smoked monchong served with a mint-green puree, pieces of asparagus and sugar snap peas. I love monchong (AKA sickle pomfret) and the vegetables were perfect. The main course was roast duck breast with a Cassis red sauce. There were squares of glazed turnip with spinach inside and dollops of black garlic. The duck was flavorful and tender, perfectly cooked. It's so easy to undercook or overcook duck ... Either will make the skin and the underlying fat layer almost inedible. We opted for two desserts ... The La Cabosse de Chocolat (a cacao pod, Guanaja mousse, Kona Coffee caramel and Kalua jelly) and the Vanilla Souffle from the Degustation menu. My dessert was fine ... three delectable concoctions to savor. The Vanilla Souffle came with three different sauces: Spiced Caramel, Grand Marnier Anglaise and Milk Chocolate sauce. I sampled the souffle; it was sublime. Mignardises followed but we were too full, so it went into the take home bag. The finale was a very light birthday cake ... A perfect end to a perfect evening. La Mer is expensive, a special occasion venue ... It was our first five-star evening of 2024. The food, atmosphere and service are second to none. Highly recommended!

Glorious food in the ideal Hawaii setting! Truly the location could not be more beautiful. I love how they keep all the doors open to the fresh island breeze. The view out over Waikiki, the ocean and Diamond Head is spectacular. We were lucky enough to come early in the evening when there was live Hawaiian music playing downstairs on the terrace, and we were able to enjoy it throughout our meal, but it was not so loud as to be overwhelming. In fact, the whole restaurant was very quiet, making it easy to talk to the older generation who is a bit hard of hearing. We really had a fantastic meal - the kampachi Krudo starter had a delightful combination of flavors, my husband loved the duck, and my mom and I feasted on the cheese cart! The only hiccup was that the service was a bit slow, but it was a wonderful epic celebration and we are so grateful to have come to.