Valentines days always packed, opt for outdoor seating
Had a reservation on Valentines Day - they had a limited menu for $50 which we were not aware of because it wasn’t on their site or no notice when we made the reservation. We decide to stay anyway. We were seated and no one greeted us for 20 minutes so we left. Come to Honolulu every other month on business but will not go near this place.
I made an OpenTable reservation to celebrate a 5 year anniversary (our anniversary also happens to be Valentine’s Day). Our reservation was at 8 and we showed up to check-in around 7:50 - it ended up taking about 30 minutes for the host/waitress to get around to seating us (she was working very hard, running around the restaurant). Once we got seated, we looked over the menu for a few minutes and were ready to place our drink orders/pre-fix menu selections, but to no avail. We waited and waited, watched the male waiter scan our section and he continued to avoid eye contact with us... we didn’t even get served water. We ended up walking out at 8:45 because no one came by to serve us. This was also our first time dining (or attempting to dine) at Bethel Union, and it was very disappointing. We frequent much of the downtown/Chinatown food scene. Seemed like they overbooked for this particular evening. As we were leaving, the couple next to us noted that they had ordered an hour earlier and still hadn’t received their food.
We don’t mind waiting, we consider ourselves pretty patient people - our main issue was the lack of communication by our waiter and the staff. Seeing other people seated after us receive water and drinks made it seem like we were skipped over purposefully and was the main disappointment. We ended up making the best of our anniversary at a different restaurant, but I don’t think we will be coming back to Bethel Union anytime soon...
We had a 7:30 PM reservation for Valentine’s Day dinner and did not actually get anything to eat until well after 9:30 PM. The waitress was not very solicitous, and more interested in telling us how much she disliked having to deal with Valentine’s Day crowds than in ameliorating the situation. The food was actually very good, although it was no longer even warm by the time it reached the table, and the “crispy” calamari was actually soggy and cold. We strongly recommend that the restaurant control the number of reservations it accepts, so that the number of patrons does not exceed the capacity to serve them.
I don't usually write reviews weather the service/food was good or bad but this time, i have to cause of the experience I and my wife encountered last night. Let me start from when we checked in with the hostess at around 6:40 pm. Yes, she was cheerful and greeted us pleasantly and had us seated in the courtyard. So me and my wife sat, took some pictures and looked at their menu. We would expect that someone will come over to take our orders after we got seated. So we waited and waited and waited and waited patiently. After almost 20 minutes, a waitress came and took our drink orders. We would expect her to say " Thank you for waiting, I'm sorry for .....etc etc but no, she was cold. Then after almost 20 minutes of wait, our drinks finally arrived. She poured the wine into our glasses and took off without getting our food orders and again we waited for a good amount of time to have our orders taken. This time it was a very long wait. It took almost an hour for our food to be served. We really wanted walk out at that time but because it was Valentines Day we do not want to ruin it.( although it was already ruined). Finally the food arrived only to find out that the steak my wife ordered was still alive and my paella tasted like you're sipping a glass of apple cider vinegar. It was sour. Good thing the desserts were good. I am an open table VIP member and this is by far the worst service I've experienced. With that said, I still left them a good amount of gratuity but I will not go back or recommend this restaurant to my guests in the hospitality business.
I’m sure our experience had a lot to do with it being Valentine’s Day— The kitchen was not equipped to handle the dinner rush. It took 40 mins to get any type of food. We ordered the prifix menu and the second course came before the first. The entrees were cold and we didn’t stay for dessert.
The couple next to us had it worse — their server lost their ticket and didn’t realize it until 45 mins into their dining experience. The manager had to comp many meals this evening.
All in all it was terrible and we won’t be going back.
Our Valentine's Day special dinner in a rustic courtyard setting started, surprisingly, with the second course, calamari and caprese salad, arriving before the first, a Caesar salad and tortellini soup. The calamari were excellent. The Caesar salad was small and meh -- no croutons, just romaine sprinkled with cheese and a dressing without a hint of anchovy. The soup was good; nothing special about the caprese. We both opted for the surf-and-turf entree: tender, tasty shrimp and a six-ounce beef tenderloin fillet cooked perfectly medium-rare. Desserts were a bread pudding with mango and coconut and a pleasant tiramisu. The coconut didn't add much to the pudding. With two drinks apiece and the tip, the bill came to $180. It was a busy night; service was spotty and often loud but reasonably quick. Our 6:15 p.m. seating was early and one hopes things smoothed out as the evening progressed.
After our last visit, the manager graciously invited us back. We got our favorite table and the service was.. spectacular! They paid attention to every detail and the food as always, was amazing. We enjoyed a 3 course dinner, all wonderfully paired with special wines. We’d like to thank all the staff and specially to Kristen, she took it upon herself to make us feel welcomed. We are so pleased, we booked our wedding reception to be hosted here. It will be wonderful!
We came for a birthday dinner and had a wonderful time. The food was amazing as usual and the service was great. I cannot wait to go back!
This place has the most amazing food ever!! Great service. Wonderful experience could not have been better!!!!
Great pasta and salads. Nice decor and polite staff.
Great food, reasonable prices. The service was really slow, considering there weren't very many people in the restaurant. Fortunately, the six of us were not in a hurry.
The restaurant was very busy without sufficient wait staff. Our waitress was good but she was trying to take care of too many tables. The main course was tasty, but the portions were a little smaller than expected, especially for a pasta dish (beef short ribs over pappardelle). The side dish of garlic bread was tiny (6 small half slices of a baguette) for $4. The desert (apple cake) was dry and rubbery. Also, the restaurant was already out of several dishes, Osso bucco and porchetta, at 6 PM. I would consider returning, but probably not on a Saturday night.
This was our first visit to Bethel Union (yes, there will be a second). The food was great. The burrata appetizer was very good. The tomato salad that came with it was outstanding but too skimpy (it shouldn't be a "garnish" since we, at least, believe it is a co-star to the burrata). The bread provided with the burrata was good too but simply not enough for the size of the appetizer portion. The pasta entrees were outstanding and priced right. The service was sketchy. Not sure if they were short staffed but we waited for 15 min after walking in the door before someone actually walked up to us and ask if we had a reservation (which we did). It took another 10 minutes to get water and at 40 min, she took our order. A bit slow by our standards. Overall, the experience was ok since we weren't in a rushand food was great so we will try Bethel Union again.
It is unfortunate because I really used to enjoy this restaurant. I agree with the other review on New Years eve. It was clear they were understaffed which has been our experience the last couple of times. This is not the staff's fault but the fault of ownership and senior management. They were sold out of most of their entrees. The quality and service has declined since I first tried it. We had reservations and also waited for quite a long time before being seated. After being seated, we noticed the other couples next to us were waiting for a check, take out box, etc. Such a shame from a restaurant that showed promise
New Year’s Eve dinner; show at Hawaii Theater right after. Asked and got outdoor seating; lovely area. Chicken was awesomely tasty; finger licking good. Drinks arrived fairly quickly but food took a long time. Waitress was pleasant but not very attentive (definitely not ignoring us on purpose; just more absent than should be...maybe they were short handed?). Very good locale if going to HT across the street. For dinner, get lucky and find free street parking.
It was NYE. Kitchen ran out of 3 entree from the menu. Our main dishes never came until we asked after 1.5 hrs. When they came, 2 pasta dishes were overly cooked with mushy spaghetti! Pesto sauce tasted like just some salty vegetable soup. We complain to the manager who did not charge us for the meal...Nevertheless , I would rather had a good meal than a bad meal. It was my boyfriend’s birthday celebration too.
Great food and great wine selection!
Authentic, fresh food.
Love the menu choices and preparation is exceptional!
Go for pasta, or fish of the day - its all delicious!
A great location when going to the Hawaii theatre
We were a party of 8 on a busy night but had made reservations in advance and it shouldn’t have been surprising that it was busy so I give something of a pass to the lack of sufficient staff but not completely. Inattentive service, long waits for food and mistakes in orders are all somewhat forgivable too but the food simply wasn’t consistently good. Three in our party ordered the same dish and each one came out looking different.
Great spot! Food, ambiance and service --- can't wait to come back soon.
We enjoyed our dinner at Bethel Union on Christmas Eve. The restaurant was not packed and the staff were friendly and accomodating. Only issue was the porchetta that my husband ordered was pretty much cold by the time he got it. It was tasty but would have been much better served hot. The staff removed the charge from our bill even though he ate most of it. Everything else was delicious.
The menu isn't huge but that works to their advantage as everything they make is excellent. Their cocktails and wine are also well above average. We brought 4 friends with us and they were equally impressed. Highly recommended!
Love this place! Great cocktails and happy hour.
Went in to use a gift card for some appetizers, left vowing to come back. The oysters and mussels were amazing. The food was fresh, delicious, and decently sized. The service was on point, describing plates so well we ordered more than planned. Highly recommend checking them out.
Will make this my go-to restaurant for family/friend celebrations.
A four course dinner with a wine/beer pairing with each course, outstanding.
The food was excellent, the pairings inspired, and the service kept us on our toes as to what the next course and pairings would be like. Dining should be like this all the time.
First time here. Food wasamazing and the service was excellent. Will definitely be back.
As I was attending an event held across the street at the Hawaii Theater, the location was perfect. The setting was lovely, rustic homey feel. I was not impressed with our server Matt. There were very few patrons at the time of our visit. One couple at a table, and maybe 2-3 people at the bar. The female server (unfortunately I did not get her name) was a lot more enthusiastic about assisting my party of four (4). My pasta dish was a little bland; could have used a bit more seasoning. However, the shrimp skewers were very delicious. I tried to ensure each bite of pasta was accompanied with a bite of shrimp. Not a bad restaurant. But nothing about the food or cocktails standout for a second visit.
Had lunch on Veterans day so the had the place to ourselves. The food was excellent and wine was even better.
Fabulous food and atmosphere. The wait staff and kitchen staff are the best people ever! I love this place.
Really enjoyed the ravioli and caprese salad. Will come back for dinner.
The food was lack luster in flavor and presentation.
Our server was outstanding. She handled a Friday night crowd all but on her own and the service didn’t suffer. Great food, great service.
Very nice service as always, menu has delightful changes this time.Loved the parings
Great dinner, great service, definitely a go to place for a delicious and unique dining experience expertly paired, by a master sommelier, selection of wine. If you want an awesome meal with a relaxing atmosphere and a perfect wine selection check out Bethel Union. *Tip - Ask Kevin to pair your meal with his great selection of wine.
Fabulous pasta! Love the meatballs! Fresh fish daily special is also delicious!!
Too loud, but everything else was stellar. Awesome food quality & selection, solid service, and properly served wine.
Great food , great server
