Award-winning chef and pioneer of farm-to-table cuisine, known for fresh island flavors.
Insights
AmericanBurgersSteakhouseFrenchVegan-friendlySeafoodUpscaleBrunchLunchDinnerFarm To Table
Last updated: 7/6/2026, 7:31:27 AM
Key Information
Merriman's Honolulu is a pioneer of the “Farm to Table” movement in Hawaii, bringing award-winning Hawaii Regional Cuisine to Ward Village near Kaka'ako on Oahu. It offers a lively neighborhood bistro vibe blended with hints of old Hawaii, emphasizing fresh, locally grown ingredients and sustainability. The restaurant provides a high-end service and environment, often featuring live music.
Customer Perception
Customers consistently praise Merriman's Honolulu for its outstanding food quality, highlighting dishes like the cheeseburger, macadamia nut fresh catch, hummus, roasted chicken, beef bourguignon, leek soup, sturgeon, and bread pudding. The service is generally described as attentive and knowledgeable, though some reviews mention minor issues with timing or attention to detail, which are often promptly rectified with thoughtful gestures like complimentary desserts. The ambiance, often enhanced by live music, is highly appreciated, contributing to a special dining experience.
Additional Details
Merriman's Honolulu is part of a collection of Merriman's Hawaii restaurants located across multiple Hawaiian islands, including Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island, all sharing the commitment to Hawaii Regional Cuisine and the Farm to Table philosophy.
Merriman's Honolulu is open daily for lunch and dinner from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm. They also offer brunch specials. Evenings, especially when live music is featured, are ideal for a lively and enjoyable dining experience.
The cheeseburger was amazing. The fresh bread was delicious and it paired well with the parmesan truffle fries. The macadamia nut fresh catch was just as good. Our shrimp appetizer came out after our meals, but it was delicious. Our server gave us extra bread and we used the bread to soak up the remaining sauce it was so good. Our server also brought us a scoop of their vanilla ice cream and prosecco since the appetizer was late. It was very thoughtful and the ice cream was delicious. There was also live music which was nice and not overwhelming. We will definitely be coming back in the future.
We had an amazing experience at Merriman’s! The food was outstanding, specifically the hummus, roasted chicken, and beef bourguighon! Perfectly cooked, fresh spices, flavors were amazing. We also were so fortunate to have Kelani outside the singing and playing guitar, he made our night that much more special. Next time we’re in Honolulu we will 100% come back!
5
If you’re even slightly familiar with the Hawai’i’ culinary scene, then you know Peter Merriman is an icon. His original restaurant is a cozy little joint in Waimea on the big island that I love. This Honolulu location has a different, upscale city vibe, but still manages to bring the comfort of the original. Rest assured, it’s a total knockout in every way!
The menu is unique, local, inspiring, and downright delicious. The interior is charming and bright. Service is top tier. And that famous lilikoi foam mai tai will forever ruin all other mai tais for you. There is simply nothing to critique.
To top it all off, they have a spectacular happy hour that runs until 5:30. They often feature live music on the patio too, which is lovely.
Make sure to book a reservation - it’s always busy. But if you can’t get in, consider trying one of Merriman’s other restaurants instead. Moku and Monkeypod are slightly more casual, but equally good. The menu at Merrimans is the best, but I actually prefer Monkeypod for the amazing ocean views. Moku is a nice alternative because there is rarely a crowd and it’s easier to get to. They all feature similar menus and all serve the one and only mai tai.
3
Merriman’s used to be my husband and I’s go-to spot. We had a magical experience during our first time there while celebrating my husband’s birthday, so we started going there around twice a week for about six months straight. We even took family from out of town there once and had a great time as a party of six plus two babies. However, our affinity for Merriman’s quickly faded after one of the worst customer service experiences I’ve had on O’ahu.
I made a reservation for my husband, parents, baby nephew, and me for outdoor seating at dinner. I made the reservation for four and added in the comments that we would be four adults and one baby, and required a high chair. When I checked in, I informed the hostess (the short girl with long/thin eyebrows) as a reminder that we needed a high chair, and she confirmed. We waited about 15 minutes past our reservation time to be seated, and when we were, we were given a very small round table with no high chair. So while my mom held my nephew, I went back inside and asked the same hostess for a high chair, again, and mentioned that I requested it on OpenTable. Rather than just saying okay, she takes the time to open my reservation on her computer, and says that I never requested it on OpenTable while rolling her eyes. I’m thinking, even if that was the case, 1) you saw we had a baby with us when we checked in and 2) I’ve asked for it in person already. In the time she took to open the reservation details on her computer and contradict me, she could have just gotten us the chair.
Adding salt to the wound, I guess I was stood there for .02 seconds too long because as soon as she walked away, the other host (the skinny guy with an aloha shirt and a long/straight hair/middle part combo that was reminiscent of Sokka cosplay) goes, “uhhh, can I help you?” in the most insufferable voice possible. Mind you, in the time after we checked in that we waited to be seated, I watched this guy belittle an older woman for at least five minutes by insisting that she didn’t have a reservation. Staring straight at his computer and not bothering to look her in the eye, he spoke to her like filth as he insisted that she did not have a reservation with them. She goes, “Are you sure? My name is ____” and he finally relents and tells her he thought her name was something else, and that he sees her reservation now. No apology at all, although he was incredibly rude and the poor woman was clearly in distress.
Anyway, once I got back to my seat, the waiter walked by looking curious because we had no high chair and were still having to hold the baby. A few more minutes went by until someone brought it eventually, and it wasn’t the hostess.
Just wanted to say that the wait staff is generally great (shoutout Ben and Francis, who redeem Merriman’s), although inconsistent. We had one time where our entrees came less than five minutes after our appetizer, to which our waiter gave us a “whoops sorry” and carried on. That same night, I had put in our OpenTable note that we were celebrating something special, but no one was aware (of course I could have told our him, but it was for my husband, and he insisted I didn’t). The food is also generally great but inconsistent.
For a place where you can drop $200 on a dinner for two, you shouldn’t have to endure the antics of washed-up high school bullies recreating their glory days before even being seated (we spent $362.99 on the day that happened btw). Especially on O’ahu, where good food is everywhere and many people work hard for their money and to treat themselves, customers deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. I want to love Merriman’s, but I’ve only been there once or twice in the past year because of the disrespect and its inconsistency. For other restaurants fit for a special occasion with great food and customer service, I recommend Fête, located downtown, or Pig and the Lady in Kaimuki!
5
Merriman’s was AMAZING!! We were seated kindly and quickly per our reservation. Our server Brandon was attentive, knowledgeable, and helpful. The food was divine. The leek soup-some of the best I had. The sturgeon- also some of the best I had. And to top it all off, the bread pudding was DIVINE. One of our drinks was forgotten, and we did have to ask for it multiple times. We did order 2 bread puddings, but our server assumed we wanted 1 to share, so only 1 was brought-which we ended up being ok with. Overall we had an amazing experience, I would just recommend to encourage your staff and servers to be more detail oriented.
