Herringbone
Herringbone is run by the “Tao Group Hospitality”, which operates more than 80 branded locations in 20 different markets. I didn’t really know what to expect, but per recommendations, we were able to do a walk in around 7 PM on a Monday. The restaurant is located on the top floor of the “International Market Place” where many restaurants are located, and it has a pretty laid back exterior. As you can vaguely tell from the picture, the right side is an outdoor covered patio letting in the Hawaiian breeze.
Ambiance & Service
We decided to sit indoors, and the lighting was fairly dark and lit by these touch-sensitive lamps. The service was pretty fast when we sat down.
Food
The Lotto ($16 - bottom) came with Los Vecinos mezcal, aperol, and Lillet blanc. This drink was pretty smooth and good.
The Pineapple Coconut Mai Tai ($16 - right) came with plantation pineapple rum, Zaya rum, coconut, and orgeat. The mai tai had excellent combination of flavors, and it tasted very smooth.
The Peach Daiquiri ($16 - top) came with Koloa rum, peach, lime, and demerara. I did not have this, but my party thought it tasted moderately sweet.
The Bitter is Coming ($16 - left) came with Conciere gin, campari, grapefruit, and lime. I’m not a fan of gin, but my party who had this enjoyed it.
The Island Chopped Salad ($19) came with pipikaula, romaine, Castelvetrano olives, local tomato, cucumber, mozzarella cheese, and lilikoi vinaigrette. The salad was a much needed to add to a very protein heavy meal today.
The Clams & Sausage ($23) came with Manila clams, Portuguese sausage, local cherry tomatoes, Mari’s Garden Okinawan spinach, and grilled baguette. Everything here tasted pretty decent, though nothing here really stood out.
The Furkikake Fries ($15) came with scallions, tobiko, yuzu aioli, and togarashi. The fries were surprisingly very crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Again, it was pretty good, but nothing that really stood out.
The Baked Crab Cake ($21) came with Japanese tartar sauce, Kunia Country Farms Kolohe mix, truffle/yuzu vinaigrette, basil oil, and local micro shiso. The crab cake was a bit underwhelming because it didn’t have enough crab meat chunks. It was also heavily sauced which I’m not a fan of.
The Liliko’i Tapioca Pudding ($15) came with macadamia nut shortbread, haupia, and liliko’i sorbetto. Liliko is basically yellow passion fruit. As expected, the passion fruit flavors do come out pretty decently. The dessert was a pleasant cap for the night.
Final Verdict
Herringbone has pretty good cocktails and decent food. By no means is it the best in the world, but it’s a pretty safe restaurant to checkout while you’re in Waikiki near the International Market Place.
Yelp Jabs
Food: Rating this as okay based on food we ordered. Perhaps we ordered the wrong items. Writing this review so you know what to expect with these two dishes.
I understand the high ratings of reviews, but at the same time, I think this place has to be considered on its own. By itself, it’s pretty good. Compared to other restaurants across the United States, it may not be as high of a mark.
The restaurant was only half full, but our dinner went over 4 hours. Our sever kept apologizing that the kitchen was backed up, and must have told us he needed 15 more minutes 4 times… They really struggled last night and I hope they can improve on their service.
Fast forward to April, and it seems the restaurant has figured out its pacing and delivery. Kitchen was definitely not backed up for us.
Revisions
- Apr 24, 2023 - Initial revision.