Chef Mavro

Reviews

• Jonathan C.

  star star star star star 27 May 2026

  Pretty good food. I dined at Chef Mavro when they had their Nov. 5-9 3-course menu. Their menu changes fairly often, so you might experience something different.
  
  I chose the egg poutargue, wagyu, and cheesecake. Great presentation. Seasoned lightly, but well. Portion size is typical for a 3-course meal.
  
  Different feel compared to most restaurants. Quiet and half-empty on a Friday night. Slow paced. Relaxing.
  
  I'd say I prefer Alan Wong's nearby, or Roy's, but Chef Mavro is a respectable choice.

• Amelie N.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 23 May 2026

  Absolute WORST "fine dining" experience in my life. Michelin star/James Beard pricing at Taco Bell quality. Actually, Taco Bell has never caused the amount of gastrointestinal upset we had in the days (yes days) following this meal. We should have known upon entering the completely empty (expect for one other table) restaurant at 8pm on a Friday night. We, unfortunately chose to "experience" the tasting menu. The amuse bouche and seaweed butter were the only good items served that night.  After that, the evening quickly devolved into a culinary nightmare where each dish served was more terrible than the last. The scallops had a terrible odor; they were supposedly cooked sous vide but I suspect that they were spoiled and raw. The next course was an overly salty small piece of lobster accompanied by the most bitter and sour garnish. Then it all finally culminated with supposed A5 wagyu beef that tasted more like tiny strips of fat snipped off from trimming a ribeye. We honestly thought we were being punk'd.
  
  The staff knew how terrible the dishes they were serving us were because after the amuse bouche they did not once ask us how the food tasted! They could barely look us in the eyes. No chef came out to greet us so I'm assuming Chef Mavro wasn't the one cooking that evening...I certainly hope not. But for that hefty almost $1 k meal for 4 people, we still expected a top chef quality meal. To really top it off, they had the nerve to charge a new soda for every "refill". Unbelievable. We ate at Alan Wong's the night before for a fraction of the price but far superior food; that's where you should go if you're looking for a solid fine dining restaurant in Honolulu.

• Clifton C.

  star star star star star 19 May 2026

  My last visit to Chef Mavro was many years ago.  A good friend was celebrating her birthday and I asked her where she would like to go and her choice was Chef Mavro.  When I called to make a reservation they had a record of my last visit in 2000, very impressive.  I decided to make an early reservation for 6pm on a Friday.  30 minutes before our 6pm reservation, I get a text to please let them know if I will be running late.  Surprise, when we arrive on time, we're the only reservation.  An hour or so later, two other tables of two arrived.  By the time we left, there were no other new diners.  I was  surprised the restaurant was not busier.  There was a plus to having only three tables of diners.  Service   was impeccable and attentive.  Chef Mavro has a casual sophisticated vibe.  We decided on the four course menu and I also had the Wine accompaniment.  There is a nice start to the meal with a complimentary small glass of champagne or sparkling water.  I also had a Grey Goose Martini that was perfectly done.  We totally enjoyed our meal and every dish was perfect.  The portions are just right and the presentation is impressive.  I like that they came by to offer another roll and checked in to see how each new dish was tasting.  It was also very nice that my friend celebrating her birthday, received a complimentary dessert.  You get what you pay for, so I have to say, the overall experience of dining at Chef Mavro is worth what they charge.  This is fine dining at it's best.  Enjoy just some of the photos from our lovely meal!  I don't think I'll wait another 19 years before I'm back!

• Mike P.

  star star star star star 13 May 2026

  I saw this place from buzzfeed (sue me, I know), and was a bit skeptical if it qualified as "fine dining" but oh my god I cannot be more happy that I was wrong. Chef Mavro is an essential fine dining experience that any conesseiur must try.
  
  Ambiance is pretty casual but still elegant - low lit but not too stuffy.  I believe the dress code was "smart casual" which I don't really parse but it wasnt suit and tie, thank god.  We went for the five course tasting (118) with a wine pairing (45 for 4 glasses) and left absolutely stuffed.  Let's dive into it:
  
  Ahi tuna, foam reduction, nori crisp - I love all the poke here in Hawaii but this puts all others to shame.  Delicious bits of rock salt, perfectly crisp nori (crush it up and throw it on top instead of eating it like ceviche), it just seemed like the perfect ahi bowl EVER.
  
  Sea Scallop with hibiscus reduction, sliced ume plum, heart of palm, toasted corn: delicious, perfectly plump sea scallop.  I honestly felt all other scallops I've eaten so far have been overcooked, it was so juicy and delicious. The heart of palm was my favorite part.
  
  Salt crust onaga (+60?) - their speciality - all I can say is that it lives up to the hype. Loved the bitter ti leaves, the tomato reduction, the salt crust that made all the flavors meld together -- simply amazing. Voraciously eaten.
  
  Keahole lobster - this was honestly my favorite.  The keahole lobster served with a reduction of it's own lobster head and shells combined with the red miso eggplant and finally a black sesame seed pate made an umami bomb so rich I thought I would DIE if not for the amazingly paired chablis.  Absolutely delicious and well worth the extra $6. My entire table ordered this and agreed it was the best.
  
  Truffle risotto (+75) - a slight misstep in my opinion.  Maybe I'm just not used to raw white truffle but I'm not sure if it stood up against the parmesan risotto.
  
  Miyazaki wagyu beef fricassee: nothing stewlike about this one - just delicious pieces of amazingly rich wagyu beef paired with crispy breadfruit, greens, and a chimichurri mustard sauce to balance it all out. Tender, melt in your mouth wagyu beef and crispy and fresh accoutrements made for an amazing main.
  
  -As hard as it might to believe, my friend got the elysian lamb (+10) and it was amazingly delicious. If you get the wine pairing, the wine (chateauneuf de pope) is an extremely good, dense, fruity wine that's worth the extra $10 in the first place.  Highly recommend, though I only had a slice myself.
  
  Dessert was a delicious honey lavender cake on top of toasted mereigne.  It was very good, but the port pairing (+29) elevated it to the very peak deliciousness as the port melted the honey lavender into one delicious boozy mass. Highly recommend with or without though.
  
  Finally, I just want to thank Chef Mavro and the team for making my friends 6 month anniversary really special with an extra treat.  Not going to say what but it was very nice and I'm so glad they paid attention to detail.  Will definitely be back and recommend it to all my friends.
  
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  Sweet: KEAHOLE LOBSTER.  everything else was quite good too.  Wine pairings extremely on point and very reasobable.  Also our waitress had great nails.
  Bitter: Truffle risotto was a misstep. Not worth docking a star though.

• Alicia G.

  star star star star star 9 May 2026

  This restaurant is a hidden gem. I absolutely love French food and the owner/chef executed our dishes well. I love how personable he was when greeting the three of us. My favorite dish was the egg morels. Our 12 course wine pairing was out of this world mind blowing. Hands down the best chef in Hawaii. This place is definitely in my top 5 and worth every penny.