Taste of Ward returns Wednesday for a two-week run through Sept. 30, turning Ward Village's Kakaʻako restaurants, cafés and shops into a district-wide dining promotion. More than 25 businesses are offering limited-time dishes, set menus and other specials, ranging from wagyu sushi with sea urchin to a torched-bowl crème brûlée.
Ward Village describes the event as a showcase of “local fare, global flavors, exclusive menus, and special offers,” according to Ward Village. The promotion covers both food-and-beverage businesses and retail shops, with individual participants setting their own menus and offers through Sept. 30, as Aloha State Daily reports.
Wagyu, Caviar and a Torched Crème Brûlée
For diners looking for premium ingredients, Han No Daidokoro at 1108 Auahi St. is offering A5 Miyazaki wagyu tsukimi yukhoe and Miyazaki wagyu sushi with sea urchin, paired with Nicolas Feuillatte brut champagne, per the event reporting. An Di Dzo, at 1044 Auahi St., is putting a washugyu spin on pho and a French dip sandwich, each with an optional caviar bump. At South Shore Market, Ocean Taste is pairing a lava flow don with spicy salmon crème brûlée served in a torched bowl, a featured offering on Ward Village's event page.
South Shore Market's Kamitoku Beef / Ramen / Kitchen is serving an exclusive tsukemen, with thick noodles presented separately from concentrated dipping broth, according to Hi Now Daily. At 1000 Auahi St., Nori Bar's Taste of Ward special is the Nori Oishi Deluxe Platter, a broad selection built around lomi ʻahi, oysters, wagyu, toro, ʻahi, kanpachi, salmon and sashimi.
A District Built for a Multi-Stop Visit
The breadth of the promotion reflects Ward Village's physical scale. According to Ward Village, the development is transforming 60 acres of Honolulu ocean-front land and includes 116,000 square feet of services and more than 150,000 square feet of parks, helping explain why Taste of Ward spans multiple commercial areas and business types. Visitors also have neighborhood transportation changes to consider. The City and County of Honolulu says the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation paved Queen Street from Kamakeʻe Street to Cooke Street in late 2024 after various Kakaʻako streets transferred to city ownership. The city also records that protected bike lanes on Ward Avenue from South King Street to Ala Moana Boulevard opened in May 2021, adding non-driving access to the broader district.
Italian Comfort and a $120 Dinner for Two
Cino, at 987 Queen St., is offering an exclusive three-course Italian-inspired menu. Diners can choose between panzanella salad or caprese, butternut squash agnolotti or rigatoni bolognese, and panna cotta or tiramisu.
Off The Wall Craft Beer & Wine in South Shore Market is offering a four-course dinner for two for $120, with a salad, Manila clams, a 10-ounce New York sirloin and chocolate cake, according to Nate Eats Hawaii. Merriman's Honolulu, at 1108 Auahi St., has a miso salmon lunch special with banchan, garlic rice and miso lemon vinaigrette, plus a dinner surf-and-turf combination of Manhattan steak, garlic potatoes, local vegetables and shrimp pot pie.
Global Bites From Turkey to Texas
Istanbul Hawaiʻi, also at 1108 Auahi St., is serving mersin tantuni made with wagyu, tomato, onion, mardin sumac, Kahuku parsley, Maui lemon and thin lavas bread. Luna's Tex-Mex Cantina at 987 Queen St. is offering al pastor skewers, a carne asada torta, Jarritos soda and strawberry lemonade, while Onkee Korean Grill House at 1000 Auahi St. is featuring specialty japchae. The Social Honolulu, on the second floor of South Shore Market, is dishing out tomato bisque with seafood alongside fried pocho sausage.
Vegan-focused Māla-Be, founded in 2023 and located at Victoria Ward Park Makai, is offering a Mediterranean plate and a Hawaiian cookie crumble. Westman Café at Kōʻula Shops is offering a Café Coco Mocktail — made with coconut water, espresso cold foam, orange juice, maple syrup and dehydrated orange — and a Mānoa chocolate Basque cheesecake served with tropical compote and vanilla ice cream.
Coffee Deals, Sweets and Sushi Specials
Caffeine fans have several targeted deals to chase. Cotti Coffee at 1000 Auahi St., known for specialty drinks like its Cloud Mousse Latte, is offering a drink of choice for $3 with an order of steamed dumplings. The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, inside South Shore Market, is knocking $2 off any fall pumpkin or horchata drink. Happy Lemon, also at 1000 Auahi St., is serving mango sago and a bubble waffle, while Fishcake at 307 Kamani St. is featuring special beverages from Laʻa Kea Wellness and Aloha Matcha Hawaiʻi.
Dessert options extend well beyond the restaurants' own menus. Cream & Sugar Hawaiʻi at Victoria Ward Park Makai is featuring fresh breads and sweets including cinnamon rolls, pesto tomato focaccia and scallion chili crisp focaccia. Dean & Deluca at Kōʻula Shops is offering yame-matcha and white chocolate mousse with matcha brownie, an ube coconut tart, macedonia, and whole Montblanc roll cake and green grape shortcake. Mochi Momma HI, also at Victoria Ward Park Makai, is serving azuki strawberry mochi, butter mochi biko and cookie butter mochi, and Ginza Sushi at 1044 Auahi St. is running special offers on sushi rolls.
Health-minded options and gift shopping are part of the mix too. Nalu Health Bar & Café in South Shore Market is offering a Heartbeet juice and a Purple Bliss smoothie made with blueberries, bananas, spinach, almond milk and an acai blend. La Tour Café at 987 Queen St. is serving a falafel banh mi, watermelon mint julep and fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. Tonkatsu Kuro at 1000 Auahi St. is offering a rotation of drinks including lilikoʻi, Jeju mandarin orange, lime and Jeju green citrus, honey grapefruit black tea and strawberry hibiscus. Potluck Hawaiʻi, with locations at East Village Shops and South Shore Market, is serving truffle & pop popcorn and its Please Come Again ice cream, while House of Mana Up in South Shore Market is offering an Ultimate Sweet and Savory gift set along with customizable gift boxes, and Jules & Gem Hawaiʻi, also in South Shore Market, is featuring coffee-scented products.
A Growing but Shifting Lineup
This is the third Taste of Ward. The 2025 edition ran Sept. 4-19 and was described as featuring more than 30 establishments, including a four-course menu at Cino and seafood juk at Merriman's, according to Honolulu Magazine. Ward Village and current event coverage describe this year's lineup as more than 25 businesses, but the available reporting does not explain the difference in counts. The consistent feature is a two-week September promotion built around temporary menus and offers across the district.
