JO2 Restaurant in Lihue

Service was nice, food presentation was beautuful, but flavor just wasnt quite there (for me). Having said this, what I ate was worth $35 for three course fixed menu.

Truly great. Really interesting, inventive, authentic dishes to the island. Honestly one of the top 20 or so meals I’ve had. Amazing staff as well (hi Nicole)! We liked it so much we rebooked for another dinner two days from now.

This is one the more difficult reviews to come up with. Ambivalence perhaps describes it best? We were referred here for dessert by the bar tender at Oasis. For reference: Joel no longer works there so with him also the perhaps best Bloody Marys on the island left as well.Back to JO2. From the reviews it seems nothing goes without reservations. But, since we just wanted dessert, we figured wed ask. And yes, they let us in and seated us at the bar. Kudos for that!From there, I kinda wondered what the hype is? The bar tender seemed to hate every second of his life. No music, just the uninterrupted buzzing of the AC unit throughout. People were pouring in, just to be turned around by the really friendly hostess, for lack of reservations. The plates that were served to the tables around us looked like they had lots of decorative items...and not much actual food. I figured unless I want to eat decorations, this seems a bit pricey? But again, we just came for dessert so I have no idea if the taste is perhaps worth it. Our dessert was reasonably priced, and had really good flavors! Except ...we werent provided any dessert spoons, or napkins for that matter. No refills on water either. So yeah... Im neither here nor there with this place. Not going back though to try the main menu, just because of the (lack ofambiance, island vibes, views etc

We (party of 4opted for the prix fixe menu. The dumplings were great but the portion was very small. Both options for the fish were fully cooked through and the spices used were overwhelming any of the original taste of fish. The bill was brought while we were still eating dessert which made us feel like they want us to wrap up even though we were there for just over an hour.

Years ago we always ate at A Pacific Cafe in Kauai. We were so sad when it closed. Chef Josselin has now opened JO2.. The menu is a bit different but the essence of the flavors of the original restaurant is still there. The scallop raviolis are a must.. the fish was fresh and the human lamb was delicious.

We had an amazing meal here this week. We reserved (lucky we didfor a late evening sitting, and the staff were very helpful with selecting what we wanted.We had so many dishes to list, but the Sashimi was a favourite, as was the tempura green beans, lamb chops and the Marlin (only photo I took, as we tucked straight into the food).Thank you to the whole team for looking after us.

The restaurant was very busy when we arrived. The hostess was super kind, and offered to seat us at the bar which ended up being perfect. We had the pleasure of having Cody wait on us. He was super knowledgeable about the menu and gave some great suggestions. I enjoyed watching him make any different cocktails the restaurant offers. I wish I could’ve tried every one!! Cody- thank you for making our evening that much more enjoyable!!The food was absolutely delicious, every bite!! Thank you chef!!

I recommend this restaurant without reservations. The food is extremely interesting and has one of the best cooked octopuses I’ve eaten in a very long time. All their dumplings are worth having. Save room for desserts as those are amazing as well. A side note, which tends to be valid for the whole island: cocktails are on the sweet side. Too sweet for me, but that’s a personal preference and I am sure the bartender can accommodate individual requests. Seemed like he knew what he was doing.

Cant beat the value of the $35 3-course meal, but if I had to choose one fine dining meal in Kauai, this probably wouldnt be it. Despite being in a strip mall, the ambiance is pretty nice (would avoid parking lot side porch). The service was excellent. Cocktails were pretty good, but not the most inventive. Our meal was very good, but I have to say the flavors didnt quite live up to the presentation in a few cases. For a restaurant claiming to be focused on local sourcing, I was a bit surprised to see blueberries on our panna cotta. The scallop ravioli were worth every penny to add to our meal.If you want a fine dining experience in Kapaa, check them out. If you want one great meal on Kauai, go to Beach House and pay the extra $$ for the view.

Fantastic dinner spot with fresh and imaginative dishes. Start with a passion fruit martini and save room for dessert! The chef sent out a complimentary appetizer and dessert. The scallop ravioli was amazing. Make a reservation!!

Back patio was lovely but quite busy. All the five dishes we tried were delicious and unique. My lilikoi cocktail was pretty and flavourful; however, it was first delivered to the woman at the next table that arrived 10 minutes after us. The server eventually took it away and a few minutes later we got our drinks. I wondered if it was a new one or if the other customer had tried it? Other than that everything was good. You do wait a while between dishes. We were there at least two hours and others were the same or longer. Make sure you reserve ahead.

There isnt anything I can say about JO2 that hasnt been said by other comments. Its fantastic.The staff was amazing, very accommodating and exceptionally polite.The food was pretty epic. The small plates hit the spot, especially the scallops. The large plates were excellent as well. I had the Ono fish and my wife the shrimp risotto (pictured). Both were delicious.And the drinks! Anything with honey in it! The empress honey bee and Waipake Julio were our drinks of choice and hit the mark.A bit thank you to our servers and the staff at JO2! You helped make our last night in Kauai special. Until next time!

Absolutely spectacular meal, and wonderful service. If you can have an early dinner, we fully recommend the menu (only available 5pm-6pm). No words!

We had a good time here. Every dish was unique and beautifully presented and thoughtfully prepared. The sauce for charred mahi mahi could use a little more salt. The cocktails fun. There was a signed mentioning they were understaffed but very good service over all. Would come back to try other dishes.

Amazing meal!! Food was so fresh and the presentation was so creative. Our server Nicole made the meal special. Highly recommend when you visit Kauai!!

This fusion is a miss! We left half way through the meal to another restaurant. Lacks flavor and over priced for absolutely nothing.Moreover, we had a reservation for 7:30 and they seated us only at 7:50!No idea why this place needs reservations and how poor they are with the planning.

The quintessential "dont judge a place by outside appearance" restaurant. Some of the best food weve had in Hawaii. Though we had to wait a while past our reservation, thats a sign of how good this place is. The chef sent us 2 comp appetizers as an apology for the delay. The food is roughly Asian fusion, but not bound by any strict constraints. I had a pork belly pasta plate and shared a beet salad with my wife. The homemade wide noodle pasta held the meaty pork flavor well. My wife had the opakapaka, aka pink snapper, a delicious slightly dense but light flavored white fish. Jo2 should be on your dont miss list on Kauai.

Had a lovely birthday dinner here.Reservations- easy through YelpAmbiance- super cute outdoor space in the backDrinks- delicious! Had a lychee martiniVegetarian food- amazing! Must try the poached carrot ravioli. The fusion works well here and everything tasted fresh and unique with a beautiful presentation!Service- they were attentive, quick, and courteousLoved our time :will recommend to friends and family!

My family and I had an amazing culinary experience here. We chose about 8 plates from the small plates and vegetables menus to share amongst four of us and our waitress was so amazing and coursed the dishes out for us from lightest to heaviest. We loved spending a good amount of time savoring each of the dishes which came out with a nice amount of time in between. Each dish was so well seasoned and thought out that you could not want for anything else. The flavors melded together perfectly and the plating was just beautiful to look at. It truly was an experience, not just a meal.

A real gem. Interesting and tasty fusion dishes, fast and friendly service, an elegant and understated setting, and exceptional value. We got the fixed price dinner (with the paired wineand had our best dinner on the island. The lilikoi cheesecake in particular is something that I will be daydreaming about for years to come. Make a reservation for just after they open and be ready to be wowed!

Top 2 meals on Kauai! Food was fantastic. We wanted almost everything on the menu. We ended up getting scallop raviolis, tempura green beans (local favorite), ahi scallop combo and thai snapper and loved them all. The service was wonderful. Tami is the absolute best. I would come back just to see her. Because our mains took a little longer than expected, they sent out the pork shrimp rolls as a courtesy and they were delicious. The restaurant itself is tucked away in a small mall area and isn’t located in the nicest location but the food and service is worth it. Also the Yuzu cheesecake was a delight! 10/10!

This has been one of the top highlights of our Kauai trip so far. This place is amazing... Service was top notch, food was dream inducing, we left that place feeling happier than kids at Willy Wonka factory.

A super popular restaurant so be sure to come here with reservations although it seems like everyone who came right when the restaurant opened at 5pm was able to be seated.Really enjoy the early dinner served between 5-6pm which is a 3 course fixed menu and a great value to allow you to try quite a few featured options.Started the meal with some delicious bread. This was then followed with a seared ahi and noodles, also a organic beet salad arugula. Fish was fresh and noodles had a lovely sauce. Salad was very fresh and delicate and a light dressing to tie everything together.For the main dish, ordered the seared local ono with soba noodles and the sesame crusted mahi in a tom yum broth. Both pieces of fish were perfectly cooked, light and flaky, delicious sauce.For dessert had the buttermilk panna cotta and croissant bread pudding. Nice way to end the meal.Staff was friendly although service was definitely a little slow.

The quality to price ratio of this place can not be beaten. I come here on every visit to Kauai and never disappointed. They have a three course menu for $35 from 5pm to 6pm. Service is also great.

Recommended by a friend who used to live on Kauai. Delicious, fresh food. Everything we ordered was so delicious. Definitely try the scallop raviolis and green beans. The duck salad and snapper was amazing also. Service was awesome, and everyone was so kind and welcoming. Definitely a go to while on the island, make sure to make a reservation.

Best fine dining on the island! The food was unique and delicious. Get the scallop ravioli if they have it.

Summary: Great service, 5 Vegan Okay Options, Hella ExpensiveService: Absolutely great. Our server Tammy was fantastic. Happy, attentive, gave us time when we needed it but was there when we wanted her. We never waited for anything. She talked to the kitchen when we asked about the vegan options and came back with a marked up vegan menu.Ambience: One of the nicest places to eat on the island, but still, not fine dining level nice.Food: per the Google rating system, "Its Okay." Generally, the spring rolls were the tastiest of the vegan options. They had flavor but were a tad soggy in the middle. The agadashi tofu was a nice idea, but once again, I always recommend for restaurants to press their tofu before seasoning it. Few things are worse than cutting into a block of tofu and it is white and bland in the middle. The pesto farro dish was good at first, but the more you ate, the heavier and more bland it got. The worst dish was the yellow curry. It was practically just a half a scoop of quinoa with veggies in coconut broth. I know my yellow Thai curries. I eat Thai curry in almost every city I travel. This was so bland, I did something I havent done in almost 10 years. I asked for salt and pepper for the table to just try to save the dish. It needed more curry paste and quinoa to make it feel like a substantial dish.Price... look I know Hawaii is expensive. I know that Acai bowls cost like $15 here instead of $10 even in places like LA. But $15 for four spring rolls? $110 for two people with meh food? We appreciate the thought and presentation, but the execution of flavor needs increased 3x to match the price tag.

Let me be clear. Get the scallop ravioli. Dont ask questions. Just do as you are told. Food here is really tasty and the service was very attentive. There are outdoor options for those liking a little ventilation with their meal. The prix fix option was very good and good value. But you are going to want that ravioli and the sashimi small plates. Soooooooo good. Cody was a friendly and attentive waiter. Parking may be tight in the lot but dont let that stop you from checking it out.

Excellent service. Very accommodating with our 1yo baby girl. Food was amazing with loads of gluten free options. $$$ but worth it. Beef cheek was money.

The food was delicious! There were a lot of vegetarian options, which was great for me. Really liked their beans tempura. I made a reservation and would recommend the same to others. It was pretty busy the night we visited.

There is a bug in my glass. The plate is not clean. Utensils are missing. Waited more than half an hour between appetizers and entrees. Waited for 20 minutes for someone to grab our check. Food is meh.

JO2 is the best dining experience on Kauai. I looked hard. We went to a lot of spots. But this was by far the standout. The food and the service were impeccable! Get there early for the pre fixe!

Phenomenal gourmet dining experience. Highly highly recommend! Grilled octopus and carrot ravioli were real favorites!

Service is great, food was terrible, terrible, terrible. I participated in the 5PM dining $35 3 courses meals and was excited to book the dinner in a couple of days for my birthday. What a disappointment, salad arrived wilted, the edamame hummus tasted bland, the pasta dish was really an overcooked udon dish with Asian vegetables inappropriately mixed in as if one would toss leftovers together. The Ahi tuna tasted similarly to one’s burnt hair. Lastly the Yuzu cheesecake tasted of Meyer Lemons, not a hint of Yuzu. The chef bad attempt at fusion food equals to an extremely disappointing memory of Kauai for us, would have been happy eating poke at the Fish Express.

The three course deal was a great value for the money. All the food was flavorful and the fish was tender. This is a great little spot with a nice patio area and attentive staff. This would be five stars if the food hadnt taken as long to get out to the table. Otherwise, a great experience.

#1 meal on Kauai! The fish was prepared perfectly, a light sauce that complimented the dish instead of covering up the true flavor. Megan was very attentive and made wonderful suggestions. We enjoyed the price fix menu. Cocktails were fabulous too! Thank you for making our last evening more special.

Excellent Asian fusion cuisine. Dont over order as portions are generous. We had a mix of small plates and a large one. All were delicious. Reservations are recommended. We got lucky and there was enough room at the bar for two. Staff are friendly, and bartender is welcoming. Will be back next time.

Amazing food, tasty cocktails and lovely service. I wish we made reservations for more than one night so we could try more dishes. You can choose to share small plates or have larger entrée size plates. There was also a type of prix fixe menu for early dinner (I believe the time was 5-6which seemed like a good deal.We got four dishes: green bean tempura with spicy garlic sauce, hoisin chicken with bao, the grilled ribs with kimchi fried rice and the agedashi tofu with eggplant. Highly recommend the green bean tempura and the ribs. We also got both martinis (lychee martini and lilikoi martiniand they were both amazing!! The yuzu cheesecake was also superb, no photo because we ate it too fast! Thank you to our amazing server Keani for a wonderful night.

Visited JO2 tonight with my wife, we are vacationing here in Kauai from Washington State. We had been highly anticipating this meal given JO2s reputation! Unfortunately the main was very overcooked.For starters JO2 obviously is no slouch when it comes to plating and appearance. Each course, which I photographed (they were all picturesquelooked wonderful.Our server recommended the green bean tempura, it was delicious. 10/10. This set the mood for our experience.Cocktails, again, 10/10, my wife had the Lychee Sangria and I had the Lilikoi Martini.The salad I thought was good, it didnt knock it out of the park but it was good and the short rib was cooked well and had a great sear. I dont generally expect much from a salad.This is where I think things flopped a bit. The crusted Mahi we ordered was minimally crusted which I was okay with, but the plate was extremely hot (I always touch the plate when told not to, have since I was a kid, this could have actually had reprocussionsleaving me to suspect it had been left in the window. Cutting into it confirmed my suspicion that it had been left there a while. I am of the opinion the opinion that the main course should always be prepared with great care, this was not.You know the feeling of overcooked fish where it sticks to your teeth? Unfortunately we are talking about that. I was hoping my wifes was better and it was not, she actually didnt finish it. The waitress asked if she was finished and we politely mentioned it was very overdone and it seemed to go overlooked.The cheesecake was outstanding, so delicious, many different flavor profiles at work, I wanted more as soon as I finished it.All in a this was a good dinner but it was really dampened for me by the main being so overcooked. I wouldnt serve it to a friend to be honest, and for a $150 meal for two people I believe it should have been better. They also did not offer to rectify anything for us based on our comment about the fish being so overdone which further bothered me. We were here for two hours, service was somewhat slow.JO2 was a good stop, I dont think I would order fish in the future however.

We ate at J02 for my 40th birthday and they made it an incredible dining experience. The menu is clear indication Chef Josselins unique and eclectic style from his French training to his mastering of Asian and Hawaiian cuisine. The carrot ravioli can only be described as other worldly. The tempura green beans elevated the most simple vegetable and brought out its full potential. Whats more tender, the beef cheek or the octopus? I couldnt decide, both melted in my mouth. The cheesecake was a new version of a creamy explosion of flavor.

We had multiple fabulous meals at JO2. Excellent seafood and cocktails. Don’t let the curb appeal fool you. This is a classy restaurant with attentive staff and thoughtful food.

Food was delicious, wide range menu and spectacular presentation. Our server was great too with recommendations and attentive service.

Great experience and amazing food. JO2 has just become one of our favorite restaurants to eat at. Definitely recommend as you will not be disappointed.

great Asian fusion. really enjoyed the flavors and combos. soft shell crab salad and Hamachi sashimi were umptious.

Really great experience! The server was happy to explain all about each of the dishes and where it came from... The chef is doing some great Japanese- French fusion which just seems to work! Our favorite drink was the empress honeybee made with a unique purple gin and all the food was delicious.

First impression, terrible service. Waitress asked if my wife and I were ready to order no less than 1 minute after sitting down, and proceeded to ask us 3 more times before we were actually ready. When we finally did order, we got the beets w goat cheese, chicken lettuce wraps, bolognese and snapper. The chicken lettuce wraps were the only item worth paying for. Everything else was bland and forgettable. 5 stars for presentation of dishes, 2 stars for taste. After three days of vacationing and eating out on the island, my advice would be to save your hard earned cash and eat at the local spots where all the tourists aren’t flocking to overpay for “trendy” spots.

This restaurant is amazing. By far the best meal we have had on the island so far! We had the duck salad, lobster ravioli, tempura green beans, and beef cheek entree. For desert we did the banana cream pie and although it was unusual, it was divine. Prices are great, especially considering the portions. We will definitely be back!

VISIT: end of April 2021MENU: limited with COVIDRESERVATIONS: were booking 2 days out, the week we were there. So, reserve beforehand! Book through YelpWHAT WE ORDERED: Scallop Ravioli, Short Rib Bolognese, Seared Ono, Seared Beef CheekPARKING: Get here early to find parking, we ended up having to go across the street (by the gas station and there were some parking spots that looked "safe" lolTIME: with reservations at 6:30pm, this was a 1 hour and 50 minute experience for appetizers and entrees. I did overhear someone saying they were short-staffed the night we wentThis was a highly disappointing dining experience. Based on the reviews, I was SOO excited to try this place and their menu sounded delicious. As is with every place, the menu was limited secondary to COVID but we still found a few good things to order. The scallop ravioli (highly recommended on several reviewswas bland and tasteless. The short rib bolognese although flavorful and the noodles were delicious - there was some taste in there that I did not love, I think it was too much cumin. Now, our entrees, those were both incredibly delicious and at least helped me understand why this place is so highly recommended, but that was the end of our positive experience. (Those 2 entrees are the reason I opted for 2 stars rather than 1)We made reservations and it still took 1 hour and 50 minutes. We arrived promptly, were seated quickly and were ready to order as soon as we our waitress addressed us. 30 minutes after our reservation, we still had no food. Our seats were also HIGHLY uncomfortable, outside on the sidewalk RIGHT by the entrance. So by the time our food came, we had a large amount of traffic gathering around our table which was just awkward to eat with everyone staring at you or talking loudly next to you. Not to mention, I left the night with a few bug bites (I didnt notice at the timebut the next day was itching up a storm. It just wasnt the way we would have loved to spend this nice anniversary dinner that we had planned. Especially worse, that the couple that walked it right after us got to sit inside. I understand that restaurants are just trying to squeeze in as many customers as they can while distancing, but the spot on the sidewalk by the door should be reserved for those who dont have reservations (we saw this happen at other restaurants). It literally felt like we were chucked out on the sidewalk. Also, maybe a heads up that you will be sitting outside or maybe something to control the mosquitoes as Ive seen other reviews that this was an issue.Please note that the entire staff was great, this review has no bearing on our waitstaff or the hostess, but it is disheartening thinking you booked this romantic anniversary reservation and ended up thrown on the sidewalk. Im hoping we can one day try them again at a time when there arent so many hiccups.

Wow. This restaurant is a hidden gem! Every single dish we tried were not only beautiful to the eye but were packed with flavour. The cocktails were delicious, we were lucky to get a spot at the bar where we enjoyed a lovely conversation with the bartender Kaieia and saw all the efforts he put into each drink. I highly recommend you try the Mule it is very refreshing! As for the food our favourites were the duck kale salad & the carrot dumplings but every other dish we tried was scrumptious, so in just you can’t go wrong no matter what you pick. I truly wish we could have tried every item on the menu, but we will have to come back for that!

JO2 - unassuming yet solid restaurant. Their presentation is remarkable with certain dishes being exceptional and others just ok. The octopus risotto and seared ono with scallop were made exceptionally well. The scallop ravioli was much more delicate with a subtle sour tang to the cream sauce and the beet salad begged for more flavor. Service was spotty at times but this is a spot to visit.