Italian

Baci Bistro

30 Aulike St., Kailua (262-7555). Mon-Fri 11:30am-2pm, 5:30-10pm; Sat, Sun 5:30-10pm. Appetizers: $3.95-$9.50. Entrees: $10.95-$23. AmEx, MC, V.

Kailua residents keep this neighborhood restaurant bustling. Rustic, home-style food such as pungent puttanesca are on the all-over-Italy menu.

Bistro Sun

2671 S. King St. (946-7580). Mon-Sat 11am-2:30pm, 5:30pm-midnight; Sun 11am-2:30pm, 5:30-9:30pm. Entrees: $8.95-$19.95. AmEx, Disc, JCB, MC, V.

Bistro Sun has the alarming tagline ‘Italian Fusion Style.’ But you can have a good comfort dinner by mixing and matching dishes such as kakuni (long-simmered pork in a sweet shoyu sauce), maguro carpaccio and a really eggy carbonara (with or without kimchee).

Buon Amici Ristorante

3605 Wai’alae Ave. (732-5999). Daily 5:30-9pm. Pastas $18.50-$22.50, entrees from $20.50. MC, V.

The restaurant strives to retain Italian-style neighborhoodiness. Fresh pastas are a standout, including classic Bolognese, papardelle with sausage and pancetta and gnocchi with gorgonzola cream sauce. BYOB for now.

Caffe Latte Italian

339 Saratoga Rd., second floor (924-1414). Wed-Sun 6:30-10pm. Three-course prix fixe: $35. MC, V.

The menu is prix fixe only–choose an appetizer, soup or salad, an entree and dessert. The 13 different house-made pastas are the stars. Choose from selections such as pillowy gnocchi in a tomato sauce, tagliatelle bolognese and butter-sage ravioli.

Cafe Sistina

1314 S. King St. between Pi’ikoi and Ke’eaumoku Sts. (596-0061). Mon-Fri 11:30am-2pm, 5:30-9:30pm; Sat, Sun 5:30-9:30pm. Appetizers: $6-$12. Entrees: $9.25-$17.75. AmEx, MC, V.

This cornerstone of Honolulu Italian dining is the perfect place for a contemplative dinner for one. Order some hearty fresh-made pappardelle topped with venison-and-merlot ragu.

Pasta Basta by Donato’s

Restaurant Row (523-9999). Mon-Thu 11am-10pm, Fri 11am-12am, Sat 5pm-12am. MC, V.

Donato Loperfido brings quality Italian ingredients–including house-made pastas, sausage and mozzarella–to this counter-service casual eatery. Twenty-three pastas (gnocchi gorgonzola, tagliatelle Bolognese) and an appealing array of salads, pizzas and paninis make deciding what to have a very difficult task.

Romano’s Macaroni Grill

1450 Ala Moana Blvd. (356-8300), Sun-Thu 11am-10pm, Fri-Sat 11am-11pm. Entrees: $9.99-20.99. Disc, AmEx, MC, V .

Macaroni’s offers traditional fare including chicken scaloppini and veal saltimbocca. Order the giant mushroom ravioli covered with a creamy marsala sauce for a starter and the chocolate ganache-filled dessert ravioli for a finale.

Vino

Restaurant Row, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Diamond Head end (524-8466). Wed, Thu 4:30-9:30pm; Fri 4:30-11pm; Sat 7-11pm. Tasting plates: $7.95-$16.95. AmEx, Disc, JCB, MC, V.

In master sommelier Chuck Furuya’s domain, grapes are the main attraction, with the wine list dwarfing the abbreviated menu. Vino is a learning center, and Furuya is an enthusiastic teacher. The kitchen delivers savory dishes such as a revamped caprese salad, silky butternut squash and mushroom ravioli and rich osso buco.

Japanese & Okinawan

Asahi Grill

515 Ward Ave. (593-2800). 6:30am-11:00pm. Entrees: $5.50-$17.95. MC, V.

Here you’ll find an intriguing mix of relaxed, local dishes: oxtail soup, fried rice, kim chee fried rice, hamburger steak, loco moco, chicken cutlet and pork cutlet. The ribeye steak, piled with a mountain of mushrooms and onions and topped with a citrusy ponzu, sizzles.

Banzai Sushi Bar

North Shore Marketplace, 66-246B Kamehameha Hwy., behind Patagonia (637-4404). Tue-Sun 5-10pm. Appetizers: $3-$12.50. Sushi & sashimi dinner: $18.75. AmEx, MC, V.

You get standard sushi with a Brazilian twist at Banzai Sushi Bar. Take a seat (on a chair or on a pillow) on the big wood lanai. Tuck into citrusy ceviche, nigiri sushi and maki as crickets and geckos serenade you.

Dining Wataru

432 Ena Rd. (941-4200). Tue-Sun 5:30-9pm. Entrees: $7-$20. MC, V, AmEx, JCB.

Offering an extensive menu–18 appetizers and 25 entrees–of innovative, well presented Japanese plates. The deep-fried soft-shelled crab with pepperocino sauce is a zesty choice for seafood lovers, while the simmered beef tongue in a rich demi glace will satisfy the adventurous palette.

Gaku Sushi Izakaya

1329 S. King St. (589-1329). Daily 5pm-11pm; dinner $2-40, omakase from $30. Disc, JCB, MC, V

A casually festive sushi bar/izakaya hybrid. Sit at the sushi bar and choose from the catches of the day: jumbo scallops, peacock seabass, live lobster sashimi. Opt for sake and beer-friendly nibbles to share like the TNT, baked king crab, or garlic ribeye and baked potato with mentaiko.

Hakkei

1436 Young St., Suite 103 (944-6688). Daily 11:30am-4pm (last order at 3:30pm) & 5:30-11pm (last order 10pm. A la carte items: $2.20 & $3.20. AmEx, MC, V.

Oden is the staple here. You choose items from a menu and order by the piece. Items include back-to-the-earth basics like daikon, potato, tofu and konnyaku. Hakkei also offers chicken dumplings, shrimp dumplings and squid dumplings, beef tendon and pureed pumpkin.

Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas

Restaurant Row, 500 Ala Moana Blvd. at South St. (533-4476). Nightly 5:30-9:30pm. Dishes: $6.75-$21.95. AmEx, MC, V.

You can eat tapas style, ordering an assortment of small plates (recommended) or you can go the usual starter-entree-dessert route too. There are no false moves on the menu–kampachi carpaccio, braised veal cheeks, salmon chazuke–it’s all good.

Ichiriki

510 Pi’ikoi St. (589-2299). Mon-Thu 5-11pm, Fri-Sat 5pm-midnight, Sun 5-10pm. Entrees: $15.95-$45.95. Disc, JCB, MC, V.

This nabe restaurant offers a refreshingly civilized way to dine out. The portable burners set on each tabletop soon come ablaze when the showcase Japanese hot pots arrive in either single servings in a metal pot, or in a serving for two in a washi paper-lined basket designed to absorb fat. You cook your choice of meats, vegetables and noodles in your choice of broth.

Imanas

2626 S. King St., Diamond Head of University Ave (941-2626). Mon-Sat 5-11:30pm. A la carte: $2.50-$12.50. Beef shabu-shabu: $18.50. AmEx, DC, MC, V.

Exemplary classic Tokyo-style sushi is as close as you’ll come to Sushi Sasabune in this price range. Order a parade of beautifully composed plates–grilled butterfish, seaweed salad, chilled kabocha pumpkin, shabu-shabu salad–to go with sips of sake and shochu. The sake list is short but sweet.