If there were a “Who’s Who” list of restaurant tables in Hawaii, these would certainly be among them. They’re the most requested spots in the house — where people propose marriage, finalize business contracts and celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, retirements, friendships … and life. Here’s what makes these tables special:
Oahu
Duke’s Waikiki
Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort, 2335 Kalakaua Ave., 922-2268, dukeswaikiki.com
Enjoy that postcard picture of Diamond Head, Waikiki Beach and the Pacific at Tables 1, 2, 11, 12 and 13. Love Hula Pie? Here’s another reason to visit: In addition to the original made with vanilla macadamia nut ice cream, there’s a second flavor option that changes by day, for example, double-fudge brownie, espresso chocolate chip, green tea or peanut butter cup.
The Signature Prime Steak & Seafood
Ala Moana Hotel, 410 Atkinson Drive, 36th floor, 949-3636, signatureprimesteak.com
Tables 90 to 93 are the ones to reserve for a spectacular display of city lights that extends from Manoa Valley to Waikiki. During happy hour, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. daily, receive deals on appetizers, including half off ahi tartare and filet mignon sliders. Live piano music nightly from 6 to 9 p.m. is another draw, and kamaaina will appreciate the 20 percent discount on bottles of wines.
Haleiwa Joe’s in Haiku Gardens
46-336 Haiku Road, 247-6671, haleiwajoes.com
For glorious mauka views, few match those from Tables 8 to 14 and 30 to 33. Arrive before sunset to admire the majestic Koolaus and Haiku Gardens with a gazebo and pond that’s home to koi, turtles and ducks. On Fridays, there’s live music from 8:30 to 11 p.m. The chef’s current specials include miso salmon on edamame garlic rice.
MAUI
Capische? At the Hotel Wailea
555 Kaukahi St., 808-879-2224, capische.com
Eight of Capische?’s 16 tables are al fresco, set in quiet, intimate nooks amid vivid bougainvillea, mock orange and night-blooming jasmine. Ask for Table 24, which also has a sweeping vista of the Pacific. Taking the farm-to-table concept to heart, the chefs maintain a 1-acre organic garden, which supplies most of their herbs and root vegetables.
Humuhumunukunukuapuaa
Grand Wailea, 3850 Wailea Alanui, 808-875-1234, grandwailea.com/dine
With the sky as its roof and sunset as a backdrop, Table 70 floats on a saltwater lagoon teeming with 30 species of tropical fish, including the restaurant’s namesake. On the third Thursday of every month, the prix fixe Ka Malama Dinner features island delicacies such as malolo (flying fish), opihi (limpets) and pohole (fiddlehead ferns).
Son’z Steakhouse
Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa, 200 Nohea Kai Drive, 808-667-4506, sonzrestaurant.com
Candlelight, lush greenery, swans gliding in a waterfall-fed lake — this setting is made for romance, and the prime seats are at Tables 2, 11, 16, 21, 22, 26 to 29, 32 and 33. In Son’z’s cellar are 1,500 bottles of fine wines from around the world. Celebrating a very special occasion? Consider toasting with a bottle of Screaming Eagle Cabernet, priced at a mere $2,900.
HAWAII ISLAND
Lava Lava Beach Club
69-1081 Kuualii Place, 808-769-5282, lavalavabeachclub.com
Kick off your shoes—Tables 9/11 to 9/22 are set on the beach, right by the ocean, so it’s OK to dine with bare feet. There’s live music nightly; on Fridays, headliners Henry Kapono, John Cruz, Brother Noland or LT Smooth perform. Lava Lava Beach Club will offer the same “toes-in-the-sand” experience at the Kauai Shores Coconut Coast in Kapaa in early November.
The Rim
Volcano House, 1 Crater Rim Drive, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, 808-441-7750, hawaiivolcanohouse.com/dining
This aptly named hot spot is in the historic Volcano House, which is perched on the edge of Kilauea volcano’s caldera. Bordering a wall of large windows, Tables 1 to 14 offer a magnificent view of smoldering Halemaumau Crater. Also notable: 95 percent of the restaurant’s meat, seafood and produce is sourced locally.
KAUAI
RumFire
Sheraton Kauai, 2440 Hoonani Road, 808-742-4786, rumfirekauai.com
The number to remember is 200. Just steps from the sea, this table offers a 180-degree panorama of southern Kauai that encompasses sunset and Spouting Horn, a geyser of seawater that shoots up from the lava coast. A new program called Paired matches premium wines and craft beers with small plates such as Coconut Crab Luau Dip with smoked taro leaf, toasted coconut and crispy flatbread.
Makana Terrace
St. Regis Princeville Resort, 5520 Ka Haku Road, Princeville, 808-826-9644; stregisprinceville.com/dining
Every table on the patio opens to a fabulous view of Hanalei Bay and Makana Mountain, and the best of the best is Table 25 for two. The Bloody Mary was created at the St. Regis New York’s King Cole Bar in 1934, and St. Regis hotels worldwide have their versions of it. Sunday brunch at this property features a selection of those and its own Aloha Mary concocted with clamato juice, organic made-on-Maui vodka, wasabi and sriracha sauce. Rimming the glass is sea salt smoked with guava wood.
Cheryl Chee-Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.