Ask any one of your friends or family about what their favorite Japanese restaurant is and you'll more than likely end up with at least a "Top 5" list. Now ask them about their favorite Italian restaurant. Odds are the response you'll get to the latter question will not be nearly as extensive.

Just a few nights ago I experienced this first hand. My wife and I were in the mood for some nice Italian food but could not really think of where we would like to go. There were the usual suspects, but nothing that really stuck out in our minds. I eventually turned to a few of my trusty friends on Yelp. Lo and behold, I stumbled across a little restaurant on King Street named Mediterraneo. I picked up the phone to make a reservation for dinner and immediately things were looking good. I didn't catch anyone live, but the outgoing message on Mediterraneo's answering machine is voiced by a very, very Italian accent. I could have sworn I was about to leave a message for Mario and Luigi!

And so, as the day turned into night, my wife and I headed out to Mediterraneo with high hopes. Located on King Street (ocean side) almost directly between Pensacola and Keeaumoku, Mediterraneo is a very easy place to miss. The limited parking area holds perhaps three to four cars at best. We ended up finding street parking and making a short walk to the restaurant.


Although easily missed from the street when driving, Mediterraneo has all the makings of an Italian restaurant as you walk up to the front door. The window is filled by a shelf displaying a multitude of Italian wines and pottery. As you make your way through the door you'll be greeted by a quaint and rustic interior. The walls are adorned with paintings, plates, and baking pans. The heavy wooden tables and decorative painted plates complete the rustic feel of the restaurant. As the night went on the restaurant gains a slightly more romantic atmosphere with low, warm lighting. Mediterraneo plays music throughout the night ranging from songs in Italian to Frank Sinatra.


As we entered Mediterraneo we were greeted warmly and asked to select any table. After being seated and reviewing the menu for a few moments, our server came by to take drink orders. The back page of the menu is a listing of the various wines that Mediterraneo offers its patrons. From my observation all the wines at Mediterraneo are from Italian vineyards. I placed my drink order and went back to browsing the menu.

The menu at Mediterraneo was unlike most that I've seen in Hawaii's Italian restaurants. It features a variety of Italian dishes that I rarely encounter locally. Mediterraneo's menu runs the gamut of Italian cuisine from traditional appetizers to less common (at least in Hawaii) pasta types like trenette and tagliatelle. It's moments like these that make you wish you had come to dinner with more people, just so you could order half the menu and share! Ultimately we decided on a couple of entrees and an appetizer to share.

After placing our orders our server brought to our table a fresh, warm loaf of bread with some "Italian butter." The bread at Mediterraneo is as good as I've had at any Italian restaurant on Oahu. After observing other diners throughout the evening (and ordering another loaf of bread), I have a sneaky suspicion that Mediterraneo bakes their bread fresh in small batches throughout the evening.


For an appetizer we had ordered the Porcini Ai Crostini. This dish is comprised of a toasted piece of Mediterraneo's house bread topped with a mixture featuring porcini mushrooms. One of the most vital things about crostini is the texture of the bread. Mediterraneo's preparation did not disappoint. The bread was perfectly toasted giving each piece a great crunch! The porcini mushroom topping was delicious, providing a great earthy flavor with each bite.


Probably one of the most talked about dishes at Mediterraneo on Yelp, the Ravioli Neri Zafferano features lobster filled black ravioli in a basil saffron cream sauce. When I read that description on the menu I was immediately sold! The ravioli pasta was cooked to a perfect al dente. Each piece had a nice chunk of lobster inside which added a great richness to the whole dish. Everything combined with the basil saffron cream sauce was delicious and decedent. I would definitely order this ravioli again!


Gnocchi is a dish that features little dumpling traditionally made using semolina, a kind of coarse and purified wheat middling. I have not seen many places in Hawaii that offer gnocchi as a regular menu item, so when we saw it on Mediterraneo's menu we knew we had to give it a try. We ordered our gnocchi with the Amatriciana sauce which is made up of bacon, garlic, white wine, tomatoes, onion, and parmesan cheese. The gnocchi itself was fairly well prepared, being soft and light in texture which is what one looks for in proper gnocchi. The real winner in this dish was the Amatriciana sauce. The sauce was hearty with great flavor notes from the salty bacon, garlic, and caramelized onions.

We enjoyed our meal very much all the way down to the last spoonfuls of sauce that we ate up with a second round of house bread. From beginning to end our first time experience at Mediterraneo was a pleasant one. The atmosphere combined with the music and great food made for a very authentic Italian dining experience. Service, while perhaps just a tad slow at times, was also great. Our server was attentive and checked up on our table several times throughout the evening.

I left Mediterraneo knowing that this little gem of Italian cuisine had won me over. I'll definitely be back again to try a few more things off the menu!  Until then, as they say in Italy: "Buon Appetito!" and "Complimenti alla cuoca!" (Have a great meal! Compliments to the chef!)

Mediterraneo Italian Restaurant
1279 S King Street Honolulu, HI 96814
Phone: (808) 593-1466

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