Let’s Make a Deal: The Best Dining Discounts at Honolulu’s Favorite Restaurants

Not all deals are created equal. Sure, these favorites for dining in and at home cost a bit more, but they’re absolutely worth it if you want to almost splurge.

SUSHI⁠

Omakase Takeout, $30

There is nothing budget about the word omakase, but when restaurants had to shift and we could no longer sit shoulder to shoulder in front of the sushi chef of our choice, Sushi Sasabune switched things up. Its special lunchtime takeout showcases a grouping of sushi, selected by chef and owner Seiji Kumagawa, that barely fits inside its to-go boxes. The 11 nigiri and six rolls nestled inside look as lined up as patrons on a busy night at the sushi bar. Don’t wait to try it: The takeout may disappear when business in the dining room picks up.

1417 S. King St., (808) 947-3800, sasabuneh.com, @sushi_sasabune

All You Can Eat Sushi, $29.99

Yes, there are other all-you-can-eat buffets. But the quality of the nigiri and hand rolls at Kats Sushi on South King Street makes this one stand out. You have two hours to indulge in as many of the 11 different nigiri and 17 hand rolls on the menu as you can finish, rice and all, as long as you follow the rules including no stacking or sharing with people ordering à la carte. And don’t look for loopholes: I know someone who downed so many unagi nigiri with his friends one night that the sushi chef actually glared at them and said, “no more unagi!”

715 S. King St., (808) 526-1268, reservations are required.

Sushi Sho Special, $30–$50

When the state shut down in 2020, something intriguing popped up on Instagram. Sushi Sho launched @sushishowaikiki in March and its signature takeout just about a month later. The artistically arranged bento boxes hold a treasure of chef’s choices: Recently it included Edomae and kaisen bara chirashi with black cod, octopus, toro and uni side by side with an array of sushi rolls and appetizers. Do note, just as reservations for the $300 omakase were difficult to get in years past, getting one of these limited offerings takes persistence and luck; once a new Sushi Sho Special is announced on Instagram, calls are only taken between 2 and 4 p.m. And we hear the phone rings nonstop.

Inside the Ritz-Carlton Waikīkī, 338 Kalaimoku St., (808) 729-9717, ritzcarlton.com, @sushishowaikiki

STEAKS

12-ounce rib-eye, $25 at Happy Hour

Steakhouses offer some of the best happy hour deals. If you’re not tempted by the discounted seafood trio or sizzling steak on a stone, The Signature Prime Steak & Seafood’s steak is the way to go. The 12-ounce prime cut, rib-eye or New York, is a quarter smaller than the 16-ouncer on the dinner menu, but it’s also $32 less, so you can throw in a discounted glass of Stag’s Leap Artemis cab while you drink in the views from the top of the Ala Moana Hotel, and still get change back for a 50.

4:30-6:30 p.m. daily, 410 Atkinson Drive, (808) 949-3636, signatureprimesteak.com, @thesignatureprimesteak

Taste of New York, $49.95

If you can get out of your office/away from your computer to make 4 p.m. deals, we’re jealous. For the rest of us, the Wolfgang’s Steakhouse’s workday-friendly happy hour, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., includes this set of a 12-ounce New York sirloin steak, which, of course, arrives on a sizzling platter of butter with mashed potatoes, creamed spinach and New York cheesecake. You can also get in and out in less than three hours, meaning parking in pricey Waikīkī is free.

(808) 922-3600, wolfgangssteakhouse.net, @wolfgangswaikiki

Filet Mignon Family Dinner, $265 for five

Unless you pull out your own bow tie and three-piece suit, you’ll have to skip the traditional white linen service with Hy’s Steak House’s take-home box. But, for just about $53 a person, you will get filet mignon ($62 each when dining in) cooked rare, with instructions for careful reheating, along with cheese biscuits, salad, pesto vegetables, mashed potatoes and cheesecake.

2440 Kūhiō Ave., (808) 922-5555, hyswaikiki.com, @hyshawaii

PRIX FIXE

Chef Chai, $47 for four courses

You have to get a seat before 5 p.m., but the range of the Early Bird menu is a great incentive for the early start. It includes chicken satay, a sampler of appetizers, including Chai Chaowasaree’s signature and always impressive looking kataifi- and mac nut-crusted tiger prawns, your choice of entrée and a chocolate truffle and halo-halo to finish.

1009 Kapi‘olani Blvd., (808) 585-0011, chefchai.com, @chefchaipacifica

Mud Hen Water, $140 for four people

The family-style menu is just right for those who usually end up ordering one of everything on the menu. The last lineup included 11 of the 17 offerings, from pohole and chef Ed Kenney’s preserved akule, whimsically served in a sardine can, to the fried J. Ludovico chicken and all three desserts. When this magazine was going to print, you could order it to-go, if you could get it before it sold out.

3542 Wai‘alae Ave., (808) 737-6000, mudhenwater.com, @mudhenwater

Miro Kaimukī, $70 for five courses

If you go to Miro, prix fixe is your only option. But we’re not complaining. Each item is described simply by the main ingredients which means we never really know what the heck is coming next. Check @mirokaimuki on Instagram for photos if you’re the type who reads the end of a book first; otherwise, sit back and prepare to be surprised.

3446 Wai‘alae Ave., (808) 379-0124, mirokaimuki.com, @mirokaimuki