New York Times Lists Maze Honolulu Among Its 50 Favorite Restaurants in the Country

Photo: Courtesy of Maze Honolulu

Maze Honolulu, whose omakase menus intertwine inventive cocktails and playful modern courses, made history last week when it became the first Hawai‘i eatery named to The New York Times Restaurant List of the paper’s 50 favorite places in the country.

Photo: Courtesy of Maze Honolulu

“Spam musubi, a 7-Eleven staple, might be reimagined with a gossamer strip of Wagyu and crackly crisp nori over rice steeped in Wagyu fat,” writes Ligaya Mishan, the Times’ chief restaurant critic. “Drinks … bring their own revelations, whether a potent drop of green garlic chive oil or a smoky throb of lapsang souchong.” Mishan, who grew up in Honolulu, early this year gave Maze a Critic’s Pick distinction and a two-star review, the Times’ grading equivalent of “very good” (only six restaurants hold the maximum 4 stars, including Le Bernardin and Eleven Madison Park).

SEE ALSO: Sampling the Omakase at Kaka‘ako’s Bar Maze: Four Courses with Cocktails

Opened in 2021 by mixologist Justin Park and his business partner, Tom Park (no relation), Maze in recent years has seen its star rise on the national scene. In 2024, the New York-based James Beard Foundation named head chef Ki Chung a semifinalist for Emerging Chef, a national award; and followed up the next year with a semifinalist nod for Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific. Bar Leather Apron, the Parks’ Downtown Honolulu cocktail nook, won Hawai‘i’s first national James Beard Award in 2023 as Best Bar. (Chung and the Parks are also behind BirdyGo, a new chicken sandwich-centric takeout counter in Downtown.)

Photo: Courtesy of Maze Honolulu

The Times’ annual Restaurant List is ever-changing, as places selected in previous years are cycled off. This year’s 50 were culled from 538 the paper’s scouting team visited in 38 states, many of them only months old. Other restaurants that made the cut include Anjin in Kansas City, Creepies in Chicago and Komal of Los Angeles.

As a disclaimer, Tom Park is also director of growth and new initiatives at aio, the parent company of Frolic Hawai‘i and HONOLULU Magazine.

Wednesday to Sunday 5:30 to 10:30 p.m., 604 Ala Moana Blvd., Kaka‘ako, mazehnl.com, @mazehnl

Mari Taketa is editor of Frolic Hawai‘i and dining editor of HONOLULU Magazine.