Buona Sera Italian Restaurant
131 Hekili St Ste 101, Kailua, HI, 96734
Buona Sera Italian Restaurant Menu
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Address :
131 Hekili St Ste 101
Kailua, HI, 96734 - Phone (808) 263-7696
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Opening Hours
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Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Intimate
Noise Level : Quiet
Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
Categories
Italian Cuisine
The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.
Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.
If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.
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Kalani C.
Been coming here sporadically for years. Admire the warm, cozy ambiance with hanging chianti fiascos abound. Lighting is low and service is efficient and friendly. Good setting for an intimate date. Food is an excellent selection of interpreted Italian dishes that satisfy. Along the lines of Palazzo Ristorante in Aiea and Ricado's in Pearl Kai. Prices won't break the bank, so you'll have enough for dessert elsewhere.
(3)Mary M.
I really loved the ambiance here! It is small and intimate. Much more expensive that I thought but I definitely paid for what I got. The food was fresh and light, which is hard to say for Italian which is usually greasy and heavy. The vegetables were high quality and very crisp. I would definitely recommend it and come again. They forgot our bread, but I can forgive them... so when you go make sure they give you the bread... it is awesome! I ordered the vegetable lasagna, the waitress told me people usually take half home..... I ate the whole thing! Guess I am not most people^^ another reminder :)
(4)Nicole C.
A cozy atmosphere and the food is consistently good.
(4)David S.
Love this place. Hole in the wall. Outstanding food. Comfortable environment. Good for family or date.
(5)Evan R.
I walked into Buona Sera and instantly fell in love with the place. You know that feeling you get when you know right away that you're discovering your new favorite spot? This is it. Bottles of chianti in straw-baskets line the walls and it all just feels so welcoming. But, most importantly, the food is ridiculously good! I always have the Caesar salad to start... it's excellent. My first time there, I tried the veal saltimbocca and I could hardly chew I was in such awe as to how incredible it tasted. In that one bite, what I had first suspected about loving the place, was confirmed... we've been to Buona Sera about twice a month ever since (we would go more if we could). My favorite item, although it isn't on the menu, is the chicken zingella, which is a piece of breaded chicken and eggplant, topped with the white wine butter sauce, pepperoncinis, black olives, and roasted red peppers. Seriously, it doesn't get any better than this!
(5)Tracie F.
The service at Buona Sera was phenomenal. The waitress was genuinely kind and was always smiling. All of the staff were attentive, kind, and courteous. The atmosphere is quaint and the bottles on the wall add a nice touch to the decor. In actuality they ARE the decor. The menu was moderately priced with a decent selection. The warm bread was delicious although a bit sweet. The tossed salad was fantastic and the garlic bread was one of the best I have had. I did not however enjoy the entree. The carbonara was mediocre and definitely not something I would order again. I would definitely return here however may stick to salad and garlic bread. Honestly with the generous portions that would be enough for dinner.
(3)Forest F.
This place is really good. The bread is so fresh and hot. You have to seriously stop yourself from gorging on it prior to your meal coming out. The food is good, its not amazing but its good. I think the prices are fair. Its a great date place, small and non-trendy. I could picture Don Corleone eating there... Que Italian mafia music here....
(4)Deborah M.
Best Italian in Kailua, with charming, romantic atmosphere, excellent service, and really good traditional food. Every dish I've tried has been well prepared and tasty...favorite as a side dish or pu pu is the broccoli sauteed in garlic...they'll prepare it for you if it's not on the menu. The chiantis we've tried there have always turned out great.
(4)Joe L.
Love this place great service and excellent house special chicken.
(5)Matt M.
This is a great place if you want a decent Italian meal for a great price. The staff is very friendly and the atmosphere is cozy. There are the house Chiante wine bottles hung all over the walls with customers names and artwork on them. The Eggplant appetizer is amazing.
(4)Lisa J.
This place is always good. The customer service is great along with the good. The only reason I am not giving it a 5 is because the arribiatta wasn't as good as it normally is. Too many garlc chunks. Overall really good.
(4)Michael F.
Went here for some spaghetti and meat balls. It wasn't on the menu but I was quite satisfied by their meat sauce. The bread was great, salad was fresh, and pasta cooked just like I love it.
(4)Jenni S.
Such a quaint, romantic place! I love coming here on date night with my husband. The food is wonderful and the atmosphere is so unique and charming.
(5)Joshua C.
Like most things in life trying out new restaurants has its pluses and minuses. The plus side: -Get to experience original and/or unfamiliar dishes (some might be really good) -See how different types of cuisine are interpreted -Find new favorite restaurants -Observe friends and relatives in new settings -Have something else to Yelp about The minus side: -Get to experience original and/or unfamiliar dishes (some might be really bad) -See how different types of cuisine are interpreted -Find restaurants that make you wish you stayed home, saved money, and cooked Mac N Cheese (or make you wish you'd just gone to one of your favorites) -Miss the comfort of familiar surroundings Visiting Buona Sera for the first time (family b-day dinner a few nights ago) definitely had more pluses than minuses (but holy cow that was a horrific Tiramisu). Pluses: -Cute intimate little setting (though the hanging Chianti bottles might have been more appealing had we actually ordered and decorated one...otherwise they can be a bit much, you'll understand) -Excellent Calamari Fritti, Lightly breaded succulently soft strips of squid. A little greasy, but soooo good (was tempted to stop passing the plate around the table). yelp.com/biz_photos/Iohy… -Tasty Escargots Stagionale, cooked with spinach, basil, garlic, butter, white wine, romano, and mozarella. The snails were tender, and the left over butter cheese sauce they were drowning in made for a fantastic bread dip! yelp.com/biz_photos/Iohy… -I had the special of the day as recommended by my server. It was a delicious Chicken Eggplant Provencale (breaded Chicken and Eggplant topped with cheese and a savory tomato, garlic, butter, wine sauce). It was the best and most expensive dish of the night. yelp.com/biz_photos/Iohy… -Service, friendly and never once did my water go empty -Chocolate Hazelnut Gelato Minuses: -Hawaiian Style Italian, overly buttery and oily, don't come expecting real Italian cuisine. While executed well and still enjoyable the food here is more similar to what you find at Assagio or Ricardo's than what you'd get at Mediterraneo or Sabrina's. If you look at the pictures everything's just glistening yelp.com/biz_photos/Iohy… -Don't get the by the glass Chianti, my water was better (opt for the straw basket Chianti...at least you can decorate that one) -Buona Sera's Tiramisu sucked big time and had just about every bad trait a Tiramisu could have. My better half, who being local Japanese is not especially direct, spit out her piece and blurted how horrible it was. Save your $4.50 or get the gelato, just as the Tiramisu made Liz T's meal at Meditteraneo ( yelp.com/biz/mediterrane… ) this "whatever it was" almost ruined ours. BLEH! yelp.com/biz_photos/Iohy… Well all that being said I'd still be willing to return, like I said the pluses out weighed the minuses. Buona Sera is a cute, unique, laid back place serving up some tasty (how can something drenched in butter not be) Hawaiian Style Italian. Worth checking out, but do yourself a favor and DON'T ORDER WHAT'S LISTED AS TIRAMISU!!!
(2)yang k.
Cute little restaurant with great service and good food for good price. This place is hands down the best Italian restaurant in Kailua. They use an appropriate amount of garlic and butter unlike the others here. I love a really good marinara sauce and to me all their dishes with the marinara are good, just choose your meat or non-meat such as eggplant parmigiana, which is fantastic. And they always start you off with warm bread. I love that.
(5)Jesse W.
8/6/10: Dinner with family here, we stopped in on a Friday night expecting a crowded restaurant but pleasantly surprised that it wasn't. The place filled up towards the end of our meal. We've been here twice, first visit was take out, this visit we got the full experience of being surrounded by all the chianti bottles, cute for a couple minutes but a bit overwhelming. We started out with the antipasta plate which is served with a delish creamy dressing (looks Iike it has dill too), I ordered the chicken cipolla, breaded chicken served with linguine pasta, white sauce with stuff. Tasted good, pasta was well made and cooked properly. Overall experience was favorable, excellent courteous and attentive staff. Prices are on the higher end, I think cafe 8.5 in downtown has better food for the same price.
(3)John K.
The decor with the signed chianti bottles is odd but the place is intimate and quiet. Very reasonable prices and the pastas, anti pasta were very good. Would go back.
(4)Sara H.
after trying this place, i've come to the conclusion that i def need to check out more small kailua restaurants! :) the bf and i came around 8 PM on a thursday night. it wasn't too crowded so we were seated immediately. the menu i would say is pretty standard italian. i forget what i ordered but it was like chicken with garlic, pasta, onions and potatoes. super yummy! the bf got the special and that was AWESOME. it was like chicken with red sauce and a bunch of veggies and stuff. the bread they serve is hot and fresh and as always was my favorite part of the meal. :D prices are decent and the place is very home-y. parking seems limited but we were able to find a spot on the street. if you're craving italian and in kailua, definitely give this place a try!
(4)M L.
I like the fact that this place is small, cute, and quiet. It's the perfect place to take a gf on a date. One of the fun things about it is drinking a bottle of wine, then decorating the basket around it and they hang it on the walls. I'm not sure if they still do this though. It's been a year or two since I've been back there and the last I knew, they didn't have a lot more room on the walls. Other than that, the food is alright and the service is decent.
(3)Dan N Kara R.
Charming and intimate atmosphere with authentic Italian quisine. You can decorate and purchase wine bottles as souvenirs
(4)William F.
The service and food is good. I liked the ambiance, cozy and warm. My wife had the Lasagna, she liked it but it was a little sweet for my taste. I had the Rigatoni Carbonara, I thought it was tasty but I would have enjoyed it more with a different type of pasta. The desert's were good, I enjoyed the cheese cake and the wife loved her chocolate mousse cake. I will need to come back to try some other dishes.
(3)Puddytat C.
First time. Had the Seafood with white wine sauce and Shrimp & Calamari with Sun Dried Tomatoes in Butter/Garlic.. Both dishes were very good including serving size. Service was fast, maybe too fast. It was reasonably priced and quaint atmosphere. Chardonnay's selection needs improvement. Will go again.
(4)Lionel P.
Our friends had told me that this is the be all end all of Italian and invited us to dinner. I was glad they made a reservation because the place was full on arrival - not difficult in a small and charming space. The decor was fun at first glance and after being seated for a while you begin to notice the actual age of the place. We started with the calamari - cut steak not tubes and tentacles which I prefer - in an overly sweet batter and a hot from the micro tomato sauce - that was actually quite good. As we were all food affectionate people we all traded entree portions - the veal picatta, my dish, came with a more than ample supply of capers and was done to perfection - by far the best of the four. The veal saltimbocca, second place only because of the excessive mound of cheese, Third place was the chicken parm - again too much cheese but very moist and quite flavorful. Finally and don't order it if you do go was the Arrabita that cane with rigatoni instead of a long pasta. In fact all the pasta dishes were rigatoni for some strange reason, The sauce was bland and flavorless other than sugar. I will go back for another meat dish some day.
(3)Charlie D.
Very close the the famous Boots and Kimos breakfast joint, this is such a fun little find. Straw basket wine bottles cover the walls, the food is lovely and since it is such a small little place usually quite quick too. All in all? Don't take my word for it! Try it yourself!
(4)Kona F.
One of the best Italian restaurants in Hawaii. Unfortunately, that isn't saying much because there aren't many good Italian restaurants in Hawaii.
(3)William R.
Had the shrimp casino with bacon. So good. Great atmosphere. Try the Camelot Pinot. Definitely worth trying if you are in Kailua.
(5)Jaryn L.
This place is AMAZING! Hands down one of my favorite restaurants in Hawaii. I've been coming here for my birthday every years since I first discovered this place. If you are looking for a cute new restuarant to try, check out Buona Sera. Their bread is always fresh out of the oven when it comes to your table. My favorite appetizer is their seafood composto. And favorite entree is their rigatoni carbonnara. My mouth is watering just thinking out the food.
(5)Mandy R.
Amazing food! I had the Calamari & Shrimp Boscaiola. The sauce was delicious as well as the Camelot Pinot Noir. Perfect date night!
(5)Shyra S.
Cute, quaint Italian restaurant BUT because it's a small place make sure you make reservations... Food is good, I love pesto and they have a good one. Service attentive, the only thing that disappointed me was the dessert portion. I ordered tiramisu and it was the tiniest slice, granted it was only $4.50 I think. I'd be willing to pay more if they gave a decent amount. If you go order your own dessert!
(4)Lester B.
My wife and I used to eat here every Saturday night after church in the '90s. Food was always excellent. Hope to get back soon. Have some wine bottles hanging somewhere.
(4)Kylan K.
The interior is lined with old bottles of past customers makes you feel like part of a legacy. It is a nice texture, that almost beckons you to be part of that tapestry. Everything was very tasty. (I forgot what appetizers we ate). The most memorable dish was the Chicken Sangella, pardon if I spelled it incorrectly, (breaded chicken with vegetables, eggplant, and pepperoncini's). My friend recommended it, and it was literally to die for. I typically eat only half of my pasta dishes and save the rest to make my co-workers peanut butter and jealous the next day. However, I just didn't want to stop eating it. Unfortunately I ended up wheel barreling myself back to the car...then eventually proceeded to an early slumber. It was definitely one of those moments, where I said screw my diet, just for this evening. You have been warned :)
(4)Chloe L.
Bueno Sera is a cozy, romantic Italian restaurant with excellent food and service. I have been to this restaurant several times and have always been pleased with the overall experience. The Shrimp Veneziana is the best dish!!! Con: I called around Saturday noon to make a dinner reservation for the following Sunday (Fathers day). The hostess said they were booked at 630 so she tentatively put my name down for 530pm. She said she would call to confirm later that evening. It was almost 830pm (closing time) I didn't get a call back so I called the restaurant to double check my reservation. And to my dismay, they had no record of my reservation. The hostess was very apologetic and fortunately I was able to get a reservation for 715. When we got to the restaurant for Father's Day, they seated us promptly. :) And the waiter was very polite and knew the menu well. And the pasta was so tasty! Definitely recommend!
(4)Jason W.
The atmosphere, service, and finally, what you've all been waiting for, THE FOOD are top notch. We stumbled in last night after a pau hana hike and I set aside my current starch avoidance to enjoy a great Italian meal. The server we had took the time to explain different dishes and guided me away from a meal, "though delicious," might not be good for someone like myself who didn't know if anchovies were enjoyable. The decor is dimly lit and your attention is drawn to the thousands of chianti bottles (and they are still adding to it) that adorn the wall. We were told the tradition started in 1995 and I saw 04, 10, 11 on bottles as I looked around. The price was reasonable and well worth it. Go now!
(5)Larry P.
Great vacation restaurant a little expensive and the staff is always changing, but nevertheless a real relaxing place and a very friendly staff
(4)Donna O.
Had a girls night out here. They were very accommodating. I'd not been here before and loved the atmosphere. This is a little gem. The Cesar salad and calamari pasta was very good. Gotta bring my husband here for a date night!
(5)Jessica M.
Food here is excellent! The Calamari, mozzarella fritti and chicken parm are all amazing. Restaurant is really cute....walls are covered in old Chianti bottles. It's a quaint little restaurant perfect for dates! The prices are good for the quality of the food. I loved that they had peroni! Rare find in Hawaii! Our waitress was kelsey....she was great! She knew the menu very well and made our dining experience very special. Will definitely come back.
(5)Beth F.
So in love with this little Italian restaurant! We had dinner with a friend here last night and it definitely exceeded our expectations. Definitely get the Calamari Fritti as an app (so tender!). We all loved the dishes we ordered and plates were completely cleaned. Service was pleasant and attentive. And I loved the atmosphere of all the hanging wine bottles. We've been to some other (and more expensive) Italian restaurants in the area and we were more impressed with the food and service here. Definitely going back - soon!
(5)Brianna S.
I'm not normally one to eat Italian food when out... Because pasta dishes are relatively easy to make at home, I always fancy something different when I am in the mood to go somewhere. We spotted this place when we were in Kailua, peeked in, and it was so cute! We had to give 'er a go. Walked in for dinner, and were able to get a spot for four. The mood lighting was set, which was cute, but far too dim for us to read the menu! My boyfriend's grandfather gave up on seeing, and we picked a meal for him and a bottle of wine to share. They should up the notch on the lighting, just a smidge. The bottle of wine was priced pretty reasonable, and I ordered calamari cooked in white wine and mushrooms over angel hair. It was very good, and definitely something I would not have made from home. Their fresh baked bread is warm and slightly sweet... Make sure to have a slice while waiting for your meal.
(3)Mak L.
Because of hearing so many good reviews about this place I decided I needed to try. Easy to find parking and inside was small and cozy. I love the romantic setting and we had great customer service. Maybe because we arrived at before 6 so it was still empty but I that the service was great. I ordered the escargot which was way too salty. I had the veal and it didn't taste like veal. The sauce did not have flavor but it was indeed salty. The calamari was good though. The setting is nice but I would not go again because the food was lacking flavor.
(3)Erin H.
We had a party of four celebrating my recent wedding looking to consume good food and a few bottles of wine. We were recommended this place by a local. We arrived and were seated right away. The waited, Justin I believe his name was, asked if we had a reservation after we were seated. We informed him that we did not. He said no problem and gave us our menus and informed us that they had wine and beer but no well drinks which was fine. We skimmed the menu and drank our waters for about 15-20 minutes. A few other couples were seated and received their wine, salads and bread during this time. My husband went to the bathroom and passed our waiter on the way back to our table. The waiter told him he would be there in a minute. After another 5-10 minutes and empty water glasses we got up and left. We passed Justin on the way out. Not only did he not apologize as we passed him bringing food to another table, but he didn't acknowledge or even make eye contact with us as we left. I understand places get busy and we would have been perfectly fine had he just communicated with us, but he didn't.
(1)Jojo F.
We went for our Mother's Day dinner and we went early as we knew it would probably be busy. There were only 3 other tables occupied and when we sat down, we weren't even given enough menus for all of our guests! None of the waiters came to tell us the specials or even ask if we wanted water or any other beverages! When our orders were finally taken, our appetizers came: fried calamari was cold and soggy- no crisp to it whatsoever! Almost as if it was sitting for hours! Our complimentary bread was burnt...when our entrees came they were all extremely salty and the protein that was promised in the courses were skimped on...shrimp and calamari pasta only had 2 shrimps, the chicken, sausage and shrimp pasta had little itty bitty pieces of chicken and only 2 shrimp with a half of a sausage and was again VERY SALTY! When we were done, we had to flag someone down for the bill and we weren't even offered a dessert menu! Long story short, it was the worst experience we've had here because of the lack of attention given to us. This restaurant is lucky because it gets a lot of local customers and they should really do better or they will lose the business of the people of this town!
(1)Chris L.
Been here 4 times now and had to up the stars from 4 to 5. They fixed the bread and it is good... Old review: How have we not gone here before? Great Italian food at a decent price. Not fancy just really good old school Italian fare. The calamari was soft and not over cooked. The clam in my sauce was tender and not chewy. The wine selection was nice and not too bad on the price. Missing star is because of the bread was a bit scorched on the crust. Savory chefs never seem to pay attention to the baking side of things. And the seating is tight. Only have 12 tables in a small room. So do make a reservation and hope they have a table cleared for you when you get there. We will eat here again soon. I liked this place.
(5)Bradlee S.
I am unclear as to why so many reviewers have been giving such praise for this establishment.... Then again, Dominos Pizza gets 4 Stars, so I guess it's not that far of a stretch. The decor is interesting and I will leave it at that. The wine is reasonably priced and the bread was warm. Also, you get free refills of water.... It all goes downhill after that. We placed our orders and within TWO minutes our entrees arrived. EVERYTHING was reheated in a microwave oven. The so-called broccoli florets are in fact defrosted broccoli picked out of an assorted frozen vegetable packet, and my penne pasta had the consistency and flavor of overlooked boots. To his credit, our server did not ask us how the food was, but eagerly took our 7/8th uneaten plates away with little comment. If Italy ever discovers we are calling this place Italian cuisine, they will likely declare war on the state of Hawaii.
(1)Keoki Y.
Unfortunately Buona Sera fell into the category of over sauced and over buttered American restaurant. The two linguine dishes we ordered were exactly this. Or rather it was a soup of, canned, marinera sauce that had a few shrimps and few pastas swimming on the plate. The other linguine dish tasted like pasta and butter...with garlic. It was not good. The service on the other hand was delightful and for having a busy night and only 2 servers they did a great job.
(2)Tori M.
Sad to say- this was not a good experience for me! First of all- we had dinner reservations at 7. We were seated on a timely manner but our house salad took 30 minutes to get to us along with our burnt garlic cheese bread. I had the Chicken Sorrentino which is always a favorite of mine at other Italian restaurants and I have never had something like what I got. It was like a gravy sauce not like a wine butter sauce. I am extremely disappointed and will not be coming back here. I wanted to love it but I can't :( the only reason I gave a star was because our waitress was nice.
(1)Rome S.
Exceptional flavor in their Italian dishes, pastas, appetizers. Escargot was below average. Linguine anchovy oilo exceptional. Marinara and meat sauces also very good. As well as roasted calamari and broccoli. Don't order the green salads, not worth paying for even though it's between 3.50 -7$
(4)Evey U.
Buena is a beautiful restaurant located in Kailua! Drive too fast and you'll miss it! You will be easily taken to a whole different world from the moment you walk in! To beautifully decorated wine bottles surrounding you to happy faces greeting you as you enter! The food is amazing! I love the breaded chicken with eggplant! I'm not a tomato sauce kinda girl so I have it with butter white wine sauce! You definitely need to order their antipasta and enjoy it with the fresh hot bread that they bring out!!
(5)Rick M.
This is a very nice little place. They are not too loud as some have said unless they are absolutely packed. Very good appetizers & good selection on the entre' menu. Wonderful hot bread that comes with each meal. The only thing is that the chef cooks with a little too much oil for my taste but they will lighten that up if you ask. We go there about once a month and have for years!
(4)Bj D.
I like this cozy, warm Italian eatery for the decor, soft lighting, raffia chianti bottles all around, reasonable prices and conversation- friendly noise level. The food is good, ask for chili flakes, garlic, Parmesan cheese if you like it more highly seasoned--the pastas shine. Excellent classic Tiramisu dessert finale! Make reservations for this small space, better for small parties. Buon Appetito! Enjoy a lovely evening.
(4)Amy K.
For some reason, I always bypassed Buona Sera when looking for somewhere to eat along Hekili Street. I'm sorry that I have, now that I've been there a few times recently. Comparing its romantic atmosphere to the other Italian restaurants like assiagos, zias and Baci, I think this one is the best at making you feel like its just you and your company there. Inside it looks cute, romantic, and has that low/dim-lit vibe. The service is always warm and welcome. The wait for the food is just right and the complimentary bread is AMAZING. Dare I say better than Outback Steakhouse's brown bread??! They do have a wine list, but I can't remember if there is a corking fee if you bring your own...or if you are allowed to bring your own alcohol at all. None of the tables or chairs felt close to each other which is great, since I don't really like talking to strangers with my mouth full. I'm sure they would appreciate my consideration, too. The wait for a table looks like it varies. One night they had at least five parties waiting outside. Another night we went, there was no wait at all. I can't remember what entree I had exactly but their food is delicious. One night we ordered the roasted red pepper appetizer that was drenched in a oilive oil/vinegary type of sauce with capers, garlic and parmesan cheese I think. SO GOOD. The bread was crispy on the outside and hot and chewy on the inside. We didn't even need butter or a spread on it, it was so good by itself. My entree was a special. It had breaded chicken with spinach, mushrooms, garlic, spaghetti, garlic, cheese maybe tomatoes in a creamy vinaigrette sauce. I really enjoyed this place. The bottles on the wall are a little overwhelming but its something you get used to. This restaurant has become one on my list of "the usual" places to go eat out in kailua. I'm glad I started paying attention to other places like this one, that I never really gave much second thought to before.
(5)LeaDan Y.
The food was great, I really loved the escargo and the bread. It is indeed those simple pleasures that give a restaurant staying power. If you order a bottle of chianti, then you will go down in history via art pieces on the wall. This is a neighborhood gem that I would definitely return to.
(4)Shanti B.
This restaurant never disappoints! No matter what dish I try it's delicious! This is one of my favorite italian restaurants to go to because of the "comfy" atmosphere, the servers are always nice & very friendly, and MOST importantly the food is delish!!! Everytime I go there, I always TRY to get different pasta dishes (especially if they have a special that I haven't tried) & I am never disappointed! I'm glad that its like 5 minutes from me because I've been getting a lot of pasta cravings lately (which could quite possibly be because I know this place is near) For such a little "hole in the wall" looking place (and I know on the outside it doesn't look like much), the food is GREAT. I just have 2 downsides (if you can really call them a downside): 1. they recently got different chairs that aren't as comfortable to be sitting on and 2. because its a small restaurant alongside other small businesses/restaurants with no parking lot, you have to park along the street. But note, there is are 2 parking lots across the street one for the bowling alley and another is where Foodland is
(5)Sarah B.
Sorely disappointed. Maybe I'm picky about Italian, because I feel like I can whip up a good pasta sauce or chicken parm at home, but the garlic chicken pasta dish I got here was flavorless and blah. I didn't finish it and went home hungry. My husband's dish, which was with a red sauce, was a bit better but also didn't amaze me. The atmosphere was ok, but I thought it was pricey for the food quality and won't be returning.
(2)Debi F.
Good, decent food. Surprised that no fountain drink refills, but there was plenty of water. Very nice servers.
(3)Matthew A.
Everything was fantastic. The house salad, salad dressing is wonderful. The bread is extremely hot to the touch and fantastic as well. We ordered the special which was a breaded chicken and breaded eggplant with white sauce on top of Linguine with mushrooms. Excellent. Reasonably priced with nice sized portions.
(5)Jessyca M.
My family has been going here for YEARS and I always have to go when I come home to Hawaii. The waiters and waitresses are so nice and always greet us with a smile. The owner is always there too and is welcoming whenever we come back. She knows our drink orders by heart and brings it as soon as we sit down. Can't beat that! Let me describe the perfect meal to get at Buona Sera (well, I can't choose just one thing, so I'll give you two choices): Appetizer: Escargot: It comes in a cute little dish with 6 or 7 snails in their own compartments, swimming in sauce and tucked in with a nice blanket of cheese...YUMM!! It will be VERY hot so be careful!! I usually flip them over in their mini bowls to get some steam out before I dive in. DO NOT waste any bit of that sauce!! Sop it up with bread; you will thank me. If you aren't into snails, get the Caesar Salad: They make their dressing in house and it is divine. It is not that bottled, runny stuff that other restaurants serve. It is packed with flavor and you will not be disappointed. Don't forget the fresh ground pepper! Entree: My favorite is the Chicken Sorentino: Chicken Breast topped with a breaded filet of eggplant, melting mozzarella cheese, and mushrooms over linguine (the best) with a white wine, butter sauce! SO DELICIOUS!! Another good one is the Shrimp Venniziana: Large Shrimp cooked in that delicious white wine and butter sauce with BACON served with linguine and their amazing marinara. Now, I'm not usually one for mixing sauces, but THIS WORKS!! Dessert: Ginduia (I think I'm spelling that correctly): The chocolate, hazelnut gelato is out of this world! It is smooth and it honestly is heaven in a bowl. TRY IT, TRY IT, TRY IT!!! I admittedly am not a chocolate fan (yes, I see your look of shock), but I will get this any day of the week. Not in the mood for chocolate? Ask what the sorbet of the day is. I've tried the Passion Fruit, Strawberry, Orange, Berry, Peach, and pretty much anything else imaginable and they are ALL good. Enjoy!!
(5)Kate C.
Buona Sera, you've been sitting in my "bookmark" for too long. Now I've racked up a few visits so I can more accurately yelp of your merit. This spot is a cozy restaurant tucked away in Kailua Town. I've dined without reservations here a number of times and have been consistently pleased with my experience. The tables, and restaurant itself, is cozier (read: smaller) so I'd recommend for groups of 4-5 or less. The ambiance is terrific. The service is even better - they know how to be attentive without being too visible. The entrees are fantastic and the house salad dressing is delicious. There's a wide variety of pastas, meat, seafood and to make the indecisive even more indecisive, they will mix and match just about any sauce or meat or veggie to any dish with pleasure. Wine list is decent - ask the server for recommendations - I haven't been disappointed. Pay the extra $1.25 or so and skip the house wine. I appreciate a fine wine but am no connoisseur. Even my unrefined palate could detect the house wine was a little watery. All around, great impromptu date night or small birthday celebration with a couple friends in an intimate setting.
(4)Ej S.
Their cuisine goes a little beyond Italian with Mediterranean and European dishes. Outdoor dining, enjoyed, great staff, chef/owner came out to table to check on us. I think they're new, had a great meal, no more expensive than any other solid restaurant in Kailua.
(5)Al D.
The food was okay. I was disappointed in the cheesy garlic bread. Not enough cheese and the bread was the same they use as house bread -- essentially just a big warm dinner roll. The biggest downer was the restaurant itself. It was kind of dingy and smelled like cat.
(3)Savannah G.
After realizing that the uahu grill next door was closed (being Sunday and all) my friend and I decided to just try buona sera. It was really surprisingly good! I had the lasagna meat sauce which was delicious, the meat wasn't overdone and it was seasoned to taste homemade - nothing fancy here, just good food. My friend had the linguine primavera and also really like hers. Next time I'm back in Kailua I'll definitely stop back here!
(4)M R B.
There is another Italian restaurant in Kailua but I forget its name now that I have eaten at Bunoa Sera. There are not enough superlatives to pile upon this fine little place. The service, from the moment we walked in the door until we barely were able to walk out on our own (no alcohol - just good food), was beyond excellent. The service people actually cared about what we wanted and truly created a lovely evening. The food: the appetizers, the main course, the garlic bread with mozzarella, the deserts were truly bellissimo! Not sure what the complaints are about. If you want a well light place try the food court at Ala Moana. This is for a comfortable casual intimate dinner with your sweetie. What surprised me was the lack of salt or very little. I guess that the owners are out to just give you salty food so you'll but more drinks. We will go back again and recommend it to our friends.
(5)Kira O.
My family and I have been coming to Buona Sera for years now. And it has consistently been delicious. Most of the menu is a safe bet for yumminess. Family favorites are the pesto and chicken marsala. The one down side of this place is the lighting. If you like to guess where your food is or what is looks like, this is the place to be! Overall this is great hole in the wall place with reasonable pricing!
(3)Karen D.
Buona Sera is an old Kailua standby and has been around for years. The cozy dining room is lined with hundreds of empty chianti fiaschi, many of them signed by the patrons, a testament of good times. Buona Sera offers comfort food at affordable prices, with traditional favorites like calamari fritti, lasagna, and pasta e fagioli. Vegetarian dishes are available as well. Everyone in our party was reasonably happy with our appetizers and entrees, although our favorite hands down was the fresh, hot bread. This wasn't the best Italian food we'd had, but the price was pretty reasonable, so no one was complaining. Service was friendly and fairly attentive. The only real complaint was the noise level. Since this small venue was completely full on a busy weekend night, the noise level was very high. It got so loud that we hurried to finish and beat a hasty retreat so that we could find a quieter place to enjoy conversation. We will likely return on a weekday evening so that we can enjoy the intimate atmosphere. Those wishing to dine here during peak hours are advised to call ahead for a reservation. Free street parking is available; the nearest handicap parking is behind the building. Yelp 365 Challenge #036/365
(3)Leigh O.
Anything that is cooked in their white wine lemon butter sauce is YUM. It is on the salty side, but I like my food salty so I'm a fan. My parents and i have been coming here since we moved to Kailua, and it's always been one of our favorites. The service is excellent and the servers are all REALLY nice! The portions of the food have gotten a little smaller over the years, or maybe I've gotten bigger.. I don't know, but its still a pretty good sized plate, and its always consistently good. The place is tiny and sometimes it fills up pretty fast. The restaurant can get a little loud because its so small, but the interior is nice and romantic. Its a little on the pricey side, but for some reason, most Italian restaurants are, so its pretty standard. The eggplant appetizer is really good (I forget what it's called, but it has capers and onions and a white wine sauce). My mom loves the house salad, and I usually get anything with the white wine lemon butter sauce, chicken, spinach/eggplant, and prosciutto. Overall, great place for dinner in Kailua.
(4)Thomas L.
This is a great place for a tasty Italian meal. My family has been coming to this restaurant for years and enjoys the meal every time. Tasty pasta, warm atmosphere, good service, reasonable priced... love this place.
(5)Nicole K.
It's actualyl a quaint little place in Kailua town. My mom and I went on a Monday night, and it was pretty empty around 7pm when we got there. But business really started picking up around 8-8:30. Their walls are adorned with empty wine bottles of their patrons. I think it's so cute that customers can decorate their bottle flasks :) My mom and I were debating on buying the house wine, but I had to do homework :( That's for next time! We got the escargot. It was tasty, but after chewing it for about 2 seconds, it got really salty. That wasn't my favorite, but the sauce it was sitting in was delicious. Oh, P.S. before I forget, it gets really cold in there so bring a jacket. I got the vegetarian lasagna, and it was delicious. It was really different both taste and texture wise from the lasagna that I'm used to. But definitely different in a GOOD WAY! It looks like a small portion, but it filled me up. I took a bite out of my mom's chicken pasta dish, and it was so good. I'm not usually a fan of creamy sauces, but this sauce was light. It had the perfect amount of richness! The price range was very reasonable, and that's always a plus. I'm not sure where the parking is, but my mom and I parked on the side of the road in the marked stalls. I highly recommend trying this place out.
(4)Raphael L.
Good service, good atmosphere. The waitress was very friendly and helpful. She gave me a great recommendation on the menu and even let me request to add an extra ingredient. I forget what it was exactly but it was a vegetarian pasta dish with sun dried tomatoes & olives. I ended up adding sausage. It was pleasantly delicious. My rear end was on the line on this one as I had recommended my whole family to check out this place having tried it once a few years ago. I was happy with the place in that first visit but never got the chance to try it again until now. I'm happy to say my rear end is still intact and I'll probably be going back again for a repeat visit. Hopefully my next visit won't be as far apart!
(4)Chris D.
Pretty good authentic Italian food. Quite surprised by the apps and entrees and quality of service. Great place for a date night. Only dings: 1) bread quality could have been better as I am a bread snob when it comes to Italian food; 2) they're heavy on the red sauce for entrees.
(3)Brody B.
Small, quiet italian resturant. It has a "cozy" atmosphere, but it fills up, it starts to feel rather cramped. If you plan on coming, reservations are highly recommend. All-in-all the food is fair. It may seem very bland to some. The bread is outstanding however. They charge a $1.00 "corkage fee" for every bottle if beer and $10.00 for each bottle of wine. Great place to try, but we will not be coming back.
(2)Char M.
I read the reviews and was excited to try a new restaurant, especially since I love Italian food....unfortunately it was the worst italian food I ever had. I ordered the chicken Parmesan and the marinara sauce was very tart and lackluster. The calamari forgettable. The ambiance was okay, but the restaurant was so tiny and had blind spots that we actually witnessed two waitresses slam right into each other resulting in hot pasta all over the floor in the midst of customers. Overall it was not a good experience and I don't plan on returning anytime in the near future.
(2)Stefanie M.
This place has been on my "to try" list for months now so I am happy I was finally able to try it, and even more pleased that it was all that I expected and more! Showed up on a friday night with no reservation and was promised a 15 minute wait. Luckily for us a giant party had just left, and they just needed the time to rearrange and set up. As promised, 15 minutes later we were sat at a small table for two. As soon as you walk in you get this intimate feeling--dark lighting, candles, single rose, and empty wine bottles lining the restaurant. I've read some other reviews from those who didn't like the lighting, but I thought it gave the restaurant a romantic touch. I'd definitely recommend this place for a good date night. A perfect, quiet small restaurant perfect for getting to know someone. As for food it was great! For the appetizer we had the shrimp and mussel dish in an amazing sauce. I wish I knew what it was exactly but it was tomato based and great for dipping the complimentary bread. Yum! For my entree I had shrimp and calamari bosciola or something like that. Basically shrimp and calamari (yeah I love seafood...) with a buttery garlic sauce served over linguine. So yummy! My bf got my second choice (i was torn between the two!) veal and eggplant. Very well cooked and tasty too! They have a limited wine menu but by looking around the restaurant the obvious choice was the chianti straw basket bottle. Good taste and good price. To top off our meal we had the spumoni gelato..mmm... Overall I had a great experience. The servers were sweet and everything we ordered tasted great. To get the full dining experience for two will cost you about 100 bucks but if you skip on the wine and dessert you can shave it to about 50. Can't wait to go back and try something else on the menu!
(4)Terry L.
I've been twice in the last two months. The staff is extra friendly and helpful. Service was outstanding. The food is very good. Pasta is cooked properly and seasoned well. Although it is more on the spendy side, you do get a good portion. The salad dressing is really good as well. Atmosphere is very cozy and quaint. The only downside is the chairs as they are flat pieces of wood so it is not the most comfortable. Maybe this is a ploy so you don't sit and linger? It is a small place so it does fill up quickly. I never made a reservation and when i have gone (usually around 6PM-6:30PM) I had no problems getting a table. Overally, I do recommend this restaurant.
(4)Jennifer L.
This restaurant is my favorite Italian place in Hawaii. It reminds me of the trattoria's we would eat at every night in Florence, Italy. The house salad and dressing is SO good as is any of their pasta dishes and the fresh bread they offer as you wait for you dish which arrives super fast. I can't say enough about their food or their vino. FANTASTICO!!
(5)Leilani L.
LOVED this place. Best Italian food in Hawaii hands down. The service was awesome and the pricing was great too. Can't wait to bring our friends and family here. I'm from Hawaii but my husband is from the East Coast. He's full Italian and knows great Italian food. I'll put it this way, his Italian mother and grandmother would be happy eating here!
(5)Z Z.
I would give Buono Sera a higher rating based on the food alone (maybe one more star), but there were other factors that contributed to my lower rating. First, upon entering the restaurant I was hit with a waft of a dingy, musty, kitty litter type smell. This was off putting and almost made me reconsider staying for dinner. I immediately questioned the sanitary conditions of this eatery. Secondly, I was overwhelmed by the decor of chianti bottles strung everywhere (and I mean everywhere). They hang on all sides of the walls, with no nice pictures or other nice decor in sight. Very tacky. Now on to the service. Our server was pleasant, but I still got a strange vibe from him and the place in general. Couldn't quite put my finger on it, but enough about that. We ordered an eggplant appetizer (it was tasty, but rather expensive for what we got), eggplant parmesan, and garlic bread. As another Yelper noted, the garlic bread is the same size as the free dinner bread, with some garlic and cheese thrown in. Not really worth $5, when you get almost the same thing for free. The eggplant parm was soggy and was probably fried too long in too much oil. It lacked the crispy breading/crust that I like and is the norm at other places. Overall, there are way worse places on the island to get italian food, but due to my suspicion that this place could end up on Kitchen Nightmares, I don't think I will be returning. My advice to the owners would be to take down 75% of the chianti bottles, put up some nice lighting and pictures, and throughly clean and sanitize the entire restaurant. Maybe then I would return.
(2)Mary M.
I really loved the ambiance here! It is small and intimate. Much more expensive that I thought but I definitely paid for what I got. The food was fresh and light, which is hard to say for Italian which is usually greasy and heavy. The vegetables were high quality and very crisp. I would definitely recommend it and come again. They forgot our bread, but I can forgive them... so when you go make sure they give you the bread... it is awesome! I ordered the vegetable lasagna, the waitress told me people usually take half home..... I ate the whole thing! Guess I am not most people^^ another reminder :)
(4)Nicole C.
A cozy atmosphere and the food is consistently good.
(4)David S.
Love this place. Hole in the wall. Outstanding food. Comfortable environment. Good for family or date.
(5)Kalani C.
Been coming here sporadically for years. Admire the warm, cozy ambiance with hanging chianti fiascos abound. Lighting is low and service is efficient and friendly. Good setting for an intimate date. Food is an excellent selection of interpreted Italian dishes that satisfy. Along the lines of Palazzo Ristorante in Aiea and Ricado's in Pearl Kai. Prices won't break the bank, so you'll have enough for dessert elsewhere.
(3)Michael F.
Went here for some spaghetti and meat balls. It wasn't on the menu but I was quite satisfied by their meat sauce. The bread was great, salad was fresh, and pasta cooked just like I love it.
(4)Evan R.
I walked into Buona Sera and instantly fell in love with the place. You know that feeling you get when you know right away that you're discovering your new favorite spot? This is it. Bottles of chianti in straw-baskets line the walls and it all just feels so welcoming. But, most importantly, the food is ridiculously good! I always have the Caesar salad to start... it's excellent. My first time there, I tried the veal saltimbocca and I could hardly chew I was in such awe as to how incredible it tasted. In that one bite, what I had first suspected about loving the place, was confirmed... we've been to Buona Sera about twice a month ever since (we would go more if we could). My favorite item, although it isn't on the menu, is the chicken zingella, which is a piece of breaded chicken and eggplant, topped with the white wine butter sauce, pepperoncinis, black olives, and roasted red peppers. Seriously, it doesn't get any better than this!
(5)Tracie F.
The service at Buona Sera was phenomenal. The waitress was genuinely kind and was always smiling. All of the staff were attentive, kind, and courteous. The atmosphere is quaint and the bottles on the wall add a nice touch to the decor. In actuality they ARE the decor. The menu was moderately priced with a decent selection. The warm bread was delicious although a bit sweet. The tossed salad was fantastic and the garlic bread was one of the best I have had. I did not however enjoy the entree. The carbonara was mediocre and definitely not something I would order again. I would definitely return here however may stick to salad and garlic bread. Honestly with the generous portions that would be enough for dinner.
(3)Forest F.
This place is really good. The bread is so fresh and hot. You have to seriously stop yourself from gorging on it prior to your meal coming out. The food is good, its not amazing but its good. I think the prices are fair. Its a great date place, small and non-trendy. I could picture Don Corleone eating there... Que Italian mafia music here....
(4)Deborah M.
Best Italian in Kailua, with charming, romantic atmosphere, excellent service, and really good traditional food. Every dish I've tried has been well prepared and tasty...favorite as a side dish or pu pu is the broccoli sauteed in garlic...they'll prepare it for you if it's not on the menu. The chiantis we've tried there have always turned out great.
(4)Joe L.
Love this place great service and excellent house special chicken.
(5)Matt M.
This is a great place if you want a decent Italian meal for a great price. The staff is very friendly and the atmosphere is cozy. There are the house Chiante wine bottles hung all over the walls with customers names and artwork on them. The Eggplant appetizer is amazing.
(4)Lisa J.
This place is always good. The customer service is great along with the good. The only reason I am not giving it a 5 is because the arribiatta wasn't as good as it normally is. Too many garlc chunks. Overall really good.
(4)Jenni S.
Such a quaint, romantic place! I love coming here on date night with my husband. The food is wonderful and the atmosphere is so unique and charming.
(5)Joshua C.
Like most things in life trying out new restaurants has its pluses and minuses. The plus side: -Get to experience original and/or unfamiliar dishes (some might be really good) -See how different types of cuisine are interpreted -Find new favorite restaurants -Observe friends and relatives in new settings -Have something else to Yelp about The minus side: -Get to experience original and/or unfamiliar dishes (some might be really bad) -See how different types of cuisine are interpreted -Find restaurants that make you wish you stayed home, saved money, and cooked Mac N Cheese (or make you wish you'd just gone to one of your favorites) -Miss the comfort of familiar surroundings Visiting Buona Sera for the first time (family b-day dinner a few nights ago) definitely had more pluses than minuses (but holy cow that was a horrific Tiramisu). Pluses: -Cute intimate little setting (though the hanging Chianti bottles might have been more appealing had we actually ordered and decorated one...otherwise they can be a bit much, you'll understand) -Excellent Calamari Fritti, Lightly breaded succulently soft strips of squid. A little greasy, but soooo good (was tempted to stop passing the plate around the table). yelp.com/biz_photos/Iohy… -Tasty Escargots Stagionale, cooked with spinach, basil, garlic, butter, white wine, romano, and mozarella. The snails were tender, and the left over butter cheese sauce they were drowning in made for a fantastic bread dip! yelp.com/biz_photos/Iohy… -I had the special of the day as recommended by my server. It was a delicious Chicken Eggplant Provencale (breaded Chicken and Eggplant topped with cheese and a savory tomato, garlic, butter, wine sauce). It was the best and most expensive dish of the night. yelp.com/biz_photos/Iohy… -Service, friendly and never once did my water go empty -Chocolate Hazelnut Gelato Minuses: -Hawaiian Style Italian, overly buttery and oily, don't come expecting real Italian cuisine. While executed well and still enjoyable the food here is more similar to what you find at Assagio or Ricardo's than what you'd get at Mediterraneo or Sabrina's. If you look at the pictures everything's just glistening yelp.com/biz_photos/Iohy… -Don't get the by the glass Chianti, my water was better (opt for the straw basket Chianti...at least you can decorate that one) -Buona Sera's Tiramisu sucked big time and had just about every bad trait a Tiramisu could have. My better half, who being local Japanese is not especially direct, spit out her piece and blurted how horrible it was. Save your $4.50 or get the gelato, just as the Tiramisu made Liz T's meal at Meditteraneo ( yelp.com/biz/mediterrane… ) this "whatever it was" almost ruined ours. BLEH! yelp.com/biz_photos/Iohy… Well all that being said I'd still be willing to return, like I said the pluses out weighed the minuses. Buona Sera is a cute, unique, laid back place serving up some tasty (how can something drenched in butter not be) Hawaiian Style Italian. Worth checking out, but do yourself a favor and DON'T ORDER WHAT'S LISTED AS TIRAMISU!!!
(2)yang k.
Cute little restaurant with great service and good food for good price. This place is hands down the best Italian restaurant in Kailua. They use an appropriate amount of garlic and butter unlike the others here. I love a really good marinara sauce and to me all their dishes with the marinara are good, just choose your meat or non-meat such as eggplant parmigiana, which is fantastic. And they always start you off with warm bread. I love that.
(5)Jesse W.
8/6/10: Dinner with family here, we stopped in on a Friday night expecting a crowded restaurant but pleasantly surprised that it wasn't. The place filled up towards the end of our meal. We've been here twice, first visit was take out, this visit we got the full experience of being surrounded by all the chianti bottles, cute for a couple minutes but a bit overwhelming. We started out with the antipasta plate which is served with a delish creamy dressing (looks Iike it has dill too), I ordered the chicken cipolla, breaded chicken served with linguine pasta, white sauce with stuff. Tasted good, pasta was well made and cooked properly. Overall experience was favorable, excellent courteous and attentive staff. Prices are on the higher end, I think cafe 8.5 in downtown has better food for the same price.
(3)John K.
The decor with the signed chianti bottles is odd but the place is intimate and quiet. Very reasonable prices and the pastas, anti pasta were very good. Would go back.
(4)Sara H.
after trying this place, i've come to the conclusion that i def need to check out more small kailua restaurants! :) the bf and i came around 8 PM on a thursday night. it wasn't too crowded so we were seated immediately. the menu i would say is pretty standard italian. i forget what i ordered but it was like chicken with garlic, pasta, onions and potatoes. super yummy! the bf got the special and that was AWESOME. it was like chicken with red sauce and a bunch of veggies and stuff. the bread they serve is hot and fresh and as always was my favorite part of the meal. :D prices are decent and the place is very home-y. parking seems limited but we were able to find a spot on the street. if you're craving italian and in kailua, definitely give this place a try!
(4)M L.
I like the fact that this place is small, cute, and quiet. It's the perfect place to take a gf on a date. One of the fun things about it is drinking a bottle of wine, then decorating the basket around it and they hang it on the walls. I'm not sure if they still do this though. It's been a year or two since I've been back there and the last I knew, they didn't have a lot more room on the walls. Other than that, the food is alright and the service is decent.
(3)Dan N Kara R.
Charming and intimate atmosphere with authentic Italian quisine. You can decorate and purchase wine bottles as souvenirs
(4)William F.
The service and food is good. I liked the ambiance, cozy and warm. My wife had the Lasagna, she liked it but it was a little sweet for my taste. I had the Rigatoni Carbonara, I thought it was tasty but I would have enjoyed it more with a different type of pasta. The desert's were good, I enjoyed the cheese cake and the wife loved her chocolate mousse cake. I will need to come back to try some other dishes.
(3)Puddytat C.
First time. Had the Seafood with white wine sauce and Shrimp & Calamari with Sun Dried Tomatoes in Butter/Garlic.. Both dishes were very good including serving size. Service was fast, maybe too fast. It was reasonably priced and quaint atmosphere. Chardonnay's selection needs improvement. Will go again.
(4)Lionel P.
Our friends had told me that this is the be all end all of Italian and invited us to dinner. I was glad they made a reservation because the place was full on arrival - not difficult in a small and charming space. The decor was fun at first glance and after being seated for a while you begin to notice the actual age of the place. We started with the calamari - cut steak not tubes and tentacles which I prefer - in an overly sweet batter and a hot from the micro tomato sauce - that was actually quite good. As we were all food affectionate people we all traded entree portions - the veal picatta, my dish, came with a more than ample supply of capers and was done to perfection - by far the best of the four. The veal saltimbocca, second place only because of the excessive mound of cheese, Third place was the chicken parm - again too much cheese but very moist and quite flavorful. Finally and don't order it if you do go was the Arrabita that cane with rigatoni instead of a long pasta. In fact all the pasta dishes were rigatoni for some strange reason, The sauce was bland and flavorless other than sugar. I will go back for another meat dish some day.
(3)Charlie D.
Very close the the famous Boots and Kimos breakfast joint, this is such a fun little find. Straw basket wine bottles cover the walls, the food is lovely and since it is such a small little place usually quite quick too. All in all? Don't take my word for it! Try it yourself!
(4)Kona F.
One of the best Italian restaurants in Hawaii. Unfortunately, that isn't saying much because there aren't many good Italian restaurants in Hawaii.
(3)Mak L.
Because of hearing so many good reviews about this place I decided I needed to try. Easy to find parking and inside was small and cozy. I love the romantic setting and we had great customer service. Maybe because we arrived at before 6 so it was still empty but I that the service was great. I ordered the escargot which was way too salty. I had the veal and it didn't taste like veal. The sauce did not have flavor but it was indeed salty. The calamari was good though. The setting is nice but I would not go again because the food was lacking flavor.
(3)Bradlee S.
I am unclear as to why so many reviewers have been giving such praise for this establishment.... Then again, Dominos Pizza gets 4 Stars, so I guess it's not that far of a stretch. The decor is interesting and I will leave it at that. The wine is reasonably priced and the bread was warm. Also, you get free refills of water.... It all goes downhill after that. We placed our orders and within TWO minutes our entrees arrived. EVERYTHING was reheated in a microwave oven. The so-called broccoli florets are in fact defrosted broccoli picked out of an assorted frozen vegetable packet, and my penne pasta had the consistency and flavor of overlooked boots. To his credit, our server did not ask us how the food was, but eagerly took our 7/8th uneaten plates away with little comment. If Italy ever discovers we are calling this place Italian cuisine, they will likely declare war on the state of Hawaii.
(1)Keoki Y.
Unfortunately Buona Sera fell into the category of over sauced and over buttered American restaurant. The two linguine dishes we ordered were exactly this. Or rather it was a soup of, canned, marinera sauce that had a few shrimps and few pastas swimming on the plate. The other linguine dish tasted like pasta and butter...with garlic. It was not good. The service on the other hand was delightful and for having a busy night and only 2 servers they did a great job.
(2)Tori M.
Sad to say- this was not a good experience for me! First of all- we had dinner reservations at 7. We were seated on a timely manner but our house salad took 30 minutes to get to us along with our burnt garlic cheese bread. I had the Chicken Sorrentino which is always a favorite of mine at other Italian restaurants and I have never had something like what I got. It was like a gravy sauce not like a wine butter sauce. I am extremely disappointed and will not be coming back here. I wanted to love it but I can't :( the only reason I gave a star was because our waitress was nice.
(1)Rome S.
Exceptional flavor in their Italian dishes, pastas, appetizers. Escargot was below average. Linguine anchovy oilo exceptional. Marinara and meat sauces also very good. As well as roasted calamari and broccoli. Don't order the green salads, not worth paying for even though it's between 3.50 -7$
(4)Evey U.
Buena is a beautiful restaurant located in Kailua! Drive too fast and you'll miss it! You will be easily taken to a whole different world from the moment you walk in! To beautifully decorated wine bottles surrounding you to happy faces greeting you as you enter! The food is amazing! I love the breaded chicken with eggplant! I'm not a tomato sauce kinda girl so I have it with butter white wine sauce! You definitely need to order their antipasta and enjoy it with the fresh hot bread that they bring out!!
(5)Rick M.
This is a very nice little place. They are not too loud as some have said unless they are absolutely packed. Very good appetizers & good selection on the entre' menu. Wonderful hot bread that comes with each meal. The only thing is that the chef cooks with a little too much oil for my taste but they will lighten that up if you ask. We go there about once a month and have for years!
(4)Bj D.
I like this cozy, warm Italian eatery for the decor, soft lighting, raffia chianti bottles all around, reasonable prices and conversation- friendly noise level. The food is good, ask for chili flakes, garlic, Parmesan cheese if you like it more highly seasoned--the pastas shine. Excellent classic Tiramisu dessert finale! Make reservations for this small space, better for small parties. Buon Appetito! Enjoy a lovely evening.
(4)Amy K.
For some reason, I always bypassed Buona Sera when looking for somewhere to eat along Hekili Street. I'm sorry that I have, now that I've been there a few times recently. Comparing its romantic atmosphere to the other Italian restaurants like assiagos, zias and Baci, I think this one is the best at making you feel like its just you and your company there. Inside it looks cute, romantic, and has that low/dim-lit vibe. The service is always warm and welcome. The wait for the food is just right and the complimentary bread is AMAZING. Dare I say better than Outback Steakhouse's brown bread??! They do have a wine list, but I can't remember if there is a corking fee if you bring your own...or if you are allowed to bring your own alcohol at all. None of the tables or chairs felt close to each other which is great, since I don't really like talking to strangers with my mouth full. I'm sure they would appreciate my consideration, too. The wait for a table looks like it varies. One night they had at least five parties waiting outside. Another night we went, there was no wait at all. I can't remember what entree I had exactly but their food is delicious. One night we ordered the roasted red pepper appetizer that was drenched in a oilive oil/vinegary type of sauce with capers, garlic and parmesan cheese I think. SO GOOD. The bread was crispy on the outside and hot and chewy on the inside. We didn't even need butter or a spread on it, it was so good by itself. My entree was a special. It had breaded chicken with spinach, mushrooms, garlic, spaghetti, garlic, cheese maybe tomatoes in a creamy vinaigrette sauce. I really enjoyed this place. The bottles on the wall are a little overwhelming but its something you get used to. This restaurant has become one on my list of "the usual" places to go eat out in kailua. I'm glad I started paying attention to other places like this one, that I never really gave much second thought to before.
(5)LeaDan Y.
The food was great, I really loved the escargo and the bread. It is indeed those simple pleasures that give a restaurant staying power. If you order a bottle of chianti, then you will go down in history via art pieces on the wall. This is a neighborhood gem that I would definitely return to.
(4)Al D.
The food was okay. I was disappointed in the cheesy garlic bread. Not enough cheese and the bread was the same they use as house bread -- essentially just a big warm dinner roll. The biggest downer was the restaurant itself. It was kind of dingy and smelled like cat.
(3)Savannah G.
After realizing that the uahu grill next door was closed (being Sunday and all) my friend and I decided to just try buona sera. It was really surprisingly good! I had the lasagna meat sauce which was delicious, the meat wasn't overdone and it was seasoned to taste homemade - nothing fancy here, just good food. My friend had the linguine primavera and also really like hers. Next time I'm back in Kailua I'll definitely stop back here!
(4)Shanti B.
This restaurant never disappoints! No matter what dish I try it's delicious! This is one of my favorite italian restaurants to go to because of the "comfy" atmosphere, the servers are always nice & very friendly, and MOST importantly the food is delish!!! Everytime I go there, I always TRY to get different pasta dishes (especially if they have a special that I haven't tried) & I am never disappointed! I'm glad that its like 5 minutes from me because I've been getting a lot of pasta cravings lately (which could quite possibly be because I know this place is near) For such a little "hole in the wall" looking place (and I know on the outside it doesn't look like much), the food is GREAT. I just have 2 downsides (if you can really call them a downside): 1. they recently got different chairs that aren't as comfortable to be sitting on and 2. because its a small restaurant alongside other small businesses/restaurants with no parking lot, you have to park along the street. But note, there is are 2 parking lots across the street one for the bowling alley and another is where Foodland is
(5)Sarah B.
Sorely disappointed. Maybe I'm picky about Italian, because I feel like I can whip up a good pasta sauce or chicken parm at home, but the garlic chicken pasta dish I got here was flavorless and blah. I didn't finish it and went home hungry. My husband's dish, which was with a red sauce, was a bit better but also didn't amaze me. The atmosphere was ok, but I thought it was pricey for the food quality and won't be returning.
(2)Debi F.
Good, decent food. Surprised that no fountain drink refills, but there was plenty of water. Very nice servers.
(3)Matthew A.
Everything was fantastic. The house salad, salad dressing is wonderful. The bread is extremely hot to the touch and fantastic as well. We ordered the special which was a breaded chicken and breaded eggplant with white sauce on top of Linguine with mushrooms. Excellent. Reasonably priced with nice sized portions.
(5)Chris D.
Pretty good authentic Italian food. Quite surprised by the apps and entrees and quality of service. Great place for a date night. Only dings: 1) bread quality could have been better as I am a bread snob when it comes to Italian food; 2) they're heavy on the red sauce for entrees.
(3)Brody B.
Small, quiet italian resturant. It has a "cozy" atmosphere, but it fills up, it starts to feel rather cramped. If you plan on coming, reservations are highly recommend. All-in-all the food is fair. It may seem very bland to some. The bread is outstanding however. They charge a $1.00 "corkage fee" for every bottle if beer and $10.00 for each bottle of wine. Great place to try, but we will not be coming back.
(2)Jessyca M.
My family has been going here for YEARS and I always have to go when I come home to Hawaii. The waiters and waitresses are so nice and always greet us with a smile. The owner is always there too and is welcoming whenever we come back. She knows our drink orders by heart and brings it as soon as we sit down. Can't beat that! Let me describe the perfect meal to get at Buona Sera (well, I can't choose just one thing, so I'll give you two choices): Appetizer: Escargot: It comes in a cute little dish with 6 or 7 snails in their own compartments, swimming in sauce and tucked in with a nice blanket of cheese...YUMM!! It will be VERY hot so be careful!! I usually flip them over in their mini bowls to get some steam out before I dive in. DO NOT waste any bit of that sauce!! Sop it up with bread; you will thank me. If you aren't into snails, get the Caesar Salad: They make their dressing in house and it is divine. It is not that bottled, runny stuff that other restaurants serve. It is packed with flavor and you will not be disappointed. Don't forget the fresh ground pepper! Entree: My favorite is the Chicken Sorentino: Chicken Breast topped with a breaded filet of eggplant, melting mozzarella cheese, and mushrooms over linguine (the best) with a white wine, butter sauce! SO DELICIOUS!! Another good one is the Shrimp Venniziana: Large Shrimp cooked in that delicious white wine and butter sauce with BACON served with linguine and their amazing marinara. Now, I'm not usually one for mixing sauces, but THIS WORKS!! Dessert: Ginduia (I think I'm spelling that correctly): The chocolate, hazelnut gelato is out of this world! It is smooth and it honestly is heaven in a bowl. TRY IT, TRY IT, TRY IT!!! I admittedly am not a chocolate fan (yes, I see your look of shock), but I will get this any day of the week. Not in the mood for chocolate? Ask what the sorbet of the day is. I've tried the Passion Fruit, Strawberry, Orange, Berry, Peach, and pretty much anything else imaginable and they are ALL good. Enjoy!!
(5)Kate C.
Buona Sera, you've been sitting in my "bookmark" for too long. Now I've racked up a few visits so I can more accurately yelp of your merit. This spot is a cozy restaurant tucked away in Kailua Town. I've dined without reservations here a number of times and have been consistently pleased with my experience. The tables, and restaurant itself, is cozier (read: smaller) so I'd recommend for groups of 4-5 or less. The ambiance is terrific. The service is even better - they know how to be attentive without being too visible. The entrees are fantastic and the house salad dressing is delicious. There's a wide variety of pastas, meat, seafood and to make the indecisive even more indecisive, they will mix and match just about any sauce or meat or veggie to any dish with pleasure. Wine list is decent - ask the server for recommendations - I haven't been disappointed. Pay the extra $1.25 or so and skip the house wine. I appreciate a fine wine but am no connoisseur. Even my unrefined palate could detect the house wine was a little watery. All around, great impromptu date night or small birthday celebration with a couple friends in an intimate setting.
(4)Ej S.
Their cuisine goes a little beyond Italian with Mediterranean and European dishes. Outdoor dining, enjoyed, great staff, chef/owner came out to table to check on us. I think they're new, had a great meal, no more expensive than any other solid restaurant in Kailua.
(5)M R B.
There is another Italian restaurant in Kailua but I forget its name now that I have eaten at Bunoa Sera. There are not enough superlatives to pile upon this fine little place. The service, from the moment we walked in the door until we barely were able to walk out on our own (no alcohol - just good food), was beyond excellent. The service people actually cared about what we wanted and truly created a lovely evening. The food: the appetizers, the main course, the garlic bread with mozzarella, the deserts were truly bellissimo! Not sure what the complaints are about. If you want a well light place try the food court at Ala Moana. This is for a comfortable casual intimate dinner with your sweetie. What surprised me was the lack of salt or very little. I guess that the owners are out to just give you salty food so you'll but more drinks. We will go back again and recommend it to our friends.
(5)Kira O.
My family and I have been coming to Buona Sera for years now. And it has consistently been delicious. Most of the menu is a safe bet for yumminess. Family favorites are the pesto and chicken marsala. The one down side of this place is the lighting. If you like to guess where your food is or what is looks like, this is the place to be! Overall this is great hole in the wall place with reasonable pricing!
(3)Karen D.
Buona Sera is an old Kailua standby and has been around for years. The cozy dining room is lined with hundreds of empty chianti fiaschi, many of them signed by the patrons, a testament of good times. Buona Sera offers comfort food at affordable prices, with traditional favorites like calamari fritti, lasagna, and pasta e fagioli. Vegetarian dishes are available as well. Everyone in our party was reasonably happy with our appetizers and entrees, although our favorite hands down was the fresh, hot bread. This wasn't the best Italian food we'd had, but the price was pretty reasonable, so no one was complaining. Service was friendly and fairly attentive. The only real complaint was the noise level. Since this small venue was completely full on a busy weekend night, the noise level was very high. It got so loud that we hurried to finish and beat a hasty retreat so that we could find a quieter place to enjoy conversation. We will likely return on a weekday evening so that we can enjoy the intimate atmosphere. Those wishing to dine here during peak hours are advised to call ahead for a reservation. Free street parking is available; the nearest handicap parking is behind the building. Yelp 365 Challenge #036/365
(3)Char M.
I read the reviews and was excited to try a new restaurant, especially since I love Italian food....unfortunately it was the worst italian food I ever had. I ordered the chicken Parmesan and the marinara sauce was very tart and lackluster. The calamari forgettable. The ambiance was okay, but the restaurant was so tiny and had blind spots that we actually witnessed two waitresses slam right into each other resulting in hot pasta all over the floor in the midst of customers. Overall it was not a good experience and I don't plan on returning anytime in the near future.
(2)Leigh O.
Anything that is cooked in their white wine lemon butter sauce is YUM. It is on the salty side, but I like my food salty so I'm a fan. My parents and i have been coming here since we moved to Kailua, and it's always been one of our favorites. The service is excellent and the servers are all REALLY nice! The portions of the food have gotten a little smaller over the years, or maybe I've gotten bigger.. I don't know, but its still a pretty good sized plate, and its always consistently good. The place is tiny and sometimes it fills up pretty fast. The restaurant can get a little loud because its so small, but the interior is nice and romantic. Its a little on the pricey side, but for some reason, most Italian restaurants are, so its pretty standard. The eggplant appetizer is really good (I forget what it's called, but it has capers and onions and a white wine sauce). My mom loves the house salad, and I usually get anything with the white wine lemon butter sauce, chicken, spinach/eggplant, and prosciutto. Overall, great place for dinner in Kailua.
(4)Thomas L.
This is a great place for a tasty Italian meal. My family has been coming to this restaurant for years and enjoys the meal every time. Tasty pasta, warm atmosphere, good service, reasonable priced... love this place.
(5)Nicole K.
It's actualyl a quaint little place in Kailua town. My mom and I went on a Monday night, and it was pretty empty around 7pm when we got there. But business really started picking up around 8-8:30. Their walls are adorned with empty wine bottles of their patrons. I think it's so cute that customers can decorate their bottle flasks :) My mom and I were debating on buying the house wine, but I had to do homework :( That's for next time! We got the escargot. It was tasty, but after chewing it for about 2 seconds, it got really salty. That wasn't my favorite, but the sauce it was sitting in was delicious. Oh, P.S. before I forget, it gets really cold in there so bring a jacket. I got the vegetarian lasagna, and it was delicious. It was really different both taste and texture wise from the lasagna that I'm used to. But definitely different in a GOOD WAY! It looks like a small portion, but it filled me up. I took a bite out of my mom's chicken pasta dish, and it was so good. I'm not usually a fan of creamy sauces, but this sauce was light. It had the perfect amount of richness! The price range was very reasonable, and that's always a plus. I'm not sure where the parking is, but my mom and I parked on the side of the road in the marked stalls. I highly recommend trying this place out.
(4)Raphael L.
Good service, good atmosphere. The waitress was very friendly and helpful. She gave me a great recommendation on the menu and even let me request to add an extra ingredient. I forget what it was exactly but it was a vegetarian pasta dish with sun dried tomatoes & olives. I ended up adding sausage. It was pleasantly delicious. My rear end was on the line on this one as I had recommended my whole family to check out this place having tried it once a few years ago. I was happy with the place in that first visit but never got the chance to try it again until now. I'm happy to say my rear end is still intact and I'll probably be going back again for a repeat visit. Hopefully my next visit won't be as far apart!
(4)Stefanie M.
This place has been on my "to try" list for months now so I am happy I was finally able to try it, and even more pleased that it was all that I expected and more! Showed up on a friday night with no reservation and was promised a 15 minute wait. Luckily for us a giant party had just left, and they just needed the time to rearrange and set up. As promised, 15 minutes later we were sat at a small table for two. As soon as you walk in you get this intimate feeling--dark lighting, candles, single rose, and empty wine bottles lining the restaurant. I've read some other reviews from those who didn't like the lighting, but I thought it gave the restaurant a romantic touch. I'd definitely recommend this place for a good date night. A perfect, quiet small restaurant perfect for getting to know someone. As for food it was great! For the appetizer we had the shrimp and mussel dish in an amazing sauce. I wish I knew what it was exactly but it was tomato based and great for dipping the complimentary bread. Yum! For my entree I had shrimp and calamari bosciola or something like that. Basically shrimp and calamari (yeah I love seafood...) with a buttery garlic sauce served over linguine. So yummy! My bf got my second choice (i was torn between the two!) veal and eggplant. Very well cooked and tasty too! They have a limited wine menu but by looking around the restaurant the obvious choice was the chianti straw basket bottle. Good taste and good price. To top off our meal we had the spumoni gelato..mmm... Overall I had a great experience. The servers were sweet and everything we ordered tasted great. To get the full dining experience for two will cost you about 100 bucks but if you skip on the wine and dessert you can shave it to about 50. Can't wait to go back and try something else on the menu!
(4)Lester B.
My wife and I used to eat here every Saturday night after church in the '90s. Food was always excellent. Hope to get back soon. Have some wine bottles hanging somewhere.
(4)William R.
Had the shrimp casino with bacon. So good. Great atmosphere. Try the Camelot Pinot. Definitely worth trying if you are in Kailua.
(5)Jaryn L.
This place is AMAZING! Hands down one of my favorite restaurants in Hawaii. I've been coming here for my birthday every years since I first discovered this place. If you are looking for a cute new restuarant to try, check out Buona Sera. Their bread is always fresh out of the oven when it comes to your table. My favorite appetizer is their seafood composto. And favorite entree is their rigatoni carbonnara. My mouth is watering just thinking out the food.
(5)Mandy R.
Amazing food! I had the Calamari & Shrimp Boscaiola. The sauce was delicious as well as the Camelot Pinot Noir. Perfect date night!
(5)Shyra S.
Cute, quaint Italian restaurant BUT because it's a small place make sure you make reservations... Food is good, I love pesto and they have a good one. Service attentive, the only thing that disappointed me was the dessert portion. I ordered tiramisu and it was the tiniest slice, granted it was only $4.50 I think. I'd be willing to pay more if they gave a decent amount. If you go order your own dessert!
(4)Kylan K.
The interior is lined with old bottles of past customers makes you feel like part of a legacy. It is a nice texture, that almost beckons you to be part of that tapestry. Everything was very tasty. (I forgot what appetizers we ate). The most memorable dish was the Chicken Sangella, pardon if I spelled it incorrectly, (breaded chicken with vegetables, eggplant, and pepperoncini's). My friend recommended it, and it was literally to die for. I typically eat only half of my pasta dishes and save the rest to make my co-workers peanut butter and jealous the next day. However, I just didn't want to stop eating it. Unfortunately I ended up wheel barreling myself back to the car...then eventually proceeded to an early slumber. It was definitely one of those moments, where I said screw my diet, just for this evening. You have been warned :)
(4)Chloe L.
Bueno Sera is a cozy, romantic Italian restaurant with excellent food and service. I have been to this restaurant several times and have always been pleased with the overall experience. The Shrimp Veneziana is the best dish!!! Con: I called around Saturday noon to make a dinner reservation for the following Sunday (Fathers day). The hostess said they were booked at 630 so she tentatively put my name down for 530pm. She said she would call to confirm later that evening. It was almost 830pm (closing time) I didn't get a call back so I called the restaurant to double check my reservation. And to my dismay, they had no record of my reservation. The hostess was very apologetic and fortunately I was able to get a reservation for 715. When we got to the restaurant for Father's Day, they seated us promptly. :) And the waiter was very polite and knew the menu well. And the pasta was so tasty! Definitely recommend!
(4)Jason W.
The atmosphere, service, and finally, what you've all been waiting for, THE FOOD are top notch. We stumbled in last night after a pau hana hike and I set aside my current starch avoidance to enjoy a great Italian meal. The server we had took the time to explain different dishes and guided me away from a meal, "though delicious," might not be good for someone like myself who didn't know if anchovies were enjoyable. The decor is dimly lit and your attention is drawn to the thousands of chianti bottles (and they are still adding to it) that adorn the wall. We were told the tradition started in 1995 and I saw 04, 10, 11 on bottles as I looked around. The price was reasonable and well worth it. Go now!
(5)Larry P.
Great vacation restaurant a little expensive and the staff is always changing, but nevertheless a real relaxing place and a very friendly staff
(4)Donna O.
Had a girls night out here. They were very accommodating. I'd not been here before and loved the atmosphere. This is a little gem. The Cesar salad and calamari pasta was very good. Gotta bring my husband here for a date night!
(5)Jessica M.
Food here is excellent! The Calamari, mozzarella fritti and chicken parm are all amazing. Restaurant is really cute....walls are covered in old Chianti bottles. It's a quaint little restaurant perfect for dates! The prices are good for the quality of the food. I loved that they had peroni! Rare find in Hawaii! Our waitress was kelsey....she was great! She knew the menu very well and made our dining experience very special. Will definitely come back.
(5)Beth F.
So in love with this little Italian restaurant! We had dinner with a friend here last night and it definitely exceeded our expectations. Definitely get the Calamari Fritti as an app (so tender!). We all loved the dishes we ordered and plates were completely cleaned. Service was pleasant and attentive. And I loved the atmosphere of all the hanging wine bottles. We've been to some other (and more expensive) Italian restaurants in the area and we were more impressed with the food and service here. Definitely going back - soon!
(5)Brianna S.
I'm not normally one to eat Italian food when out... Because pasta dishes are relatively easy to make at home, I always fancy something different when I am in the mood to go somewhere. We spotted this place when we were in Kailua, peeked in, and it was so cute! We had to give 'er a go. Walked in for dinner, and were able to get a spot for four. The mood lighting was set, which was cute, but far too dim for us to read the menu! My boyfriend's grandfather gave up on seeing, and we picked a meal for him and a bottle of wine to share. They should up the notch on the lighting, just a smidge. The bottle of wine was priced pretty reasonable, and I ordered calamari cooked in white wine and mushrooms over angel hair. It was very good, and definitely something I would not have made from home. Their fresh baked bread is warm and slightly sweet... Make sure to have a slice while waiting for your meal.
(3)Erin H.
We had a party of four celebrating my recent wedding looking to consume good food and a few bottles of wine. We were recommended this place by a local. We arrived and were seated right away. The waited, Justin I believe his name was, asked if we had a reservation after we were seated. We informed him that we did not. He said no problem and gave us our menus and informed us that they had wine and beer but no well drinks which was fine. We skimmed the menu and drank our waters for about 15-20 minutes. A few other couples were seated and received their wine, salads and bread during this time. My husband went to the bathroom and passed our waiter on the way back to our table. The waiter told him he would be there in a minute. After another 5-10 minutes and empty water glasses we got up and left. We passed Justin on the way out. Not only did he not apologize as we passed him bringing food to another table, but he didn't acknowledge or even make eye contact with us as we left. I understand places get busy and we would have been perfectly fine had he just communicated with us, but he didn't.
(1)Jojo F.
We went for our Mother's Day dinner and we went early as we knew it would probably be busy. There were only 3 other tables occupied and when we sat down, we weren't even given enough menus for all of our guests! None of the waiters came to tell us the specials or even ask if we wanted water or any other beverages! When our orders were finally taken, our appetizers came: fried calamari was cold and soggy- no crisp to it whatsoever! Almost as if it was sitting for hours! Our complimentary bread was burnt...when our entrees came they were all extremely salty and the protein that was promised in the courses were skimped on...shrimp and calamari pasta only had 2 shrimps, the chicken, sausage and shrimp pasta had little itty bitty pieces of chicken and only 2 shrimp with a half of a sausage and was again VERY SALTY! When we were done, we had to flag someone down for the bill and we weren't even offered a dessert menu! Long story short, it was the worst experience we've had here because of the lack of attention given to us. This restaurant is lucky because it gets a lot of local customers and they should really do better or they will lose the business of the people of this town!
(1)Chris L.
Been here 4 times now and had to up the stars from 4 to 5. They fixed the bread and it is good... Old review: How have we not gone here before? Great Italian food at a decent price. Not fancy just really good old school Italian fare. The calamari was soft and not over cooked. The clam in my sauce was tender and not chewy. The wine selection was nice and not too bad on the price. Missing star is because of the bread was a bit scorched on the crust. Savory chefs never seem to pay attention to the baking side of things. And the seating is tight. Only have 12 tables in a small room. So do make a reservation and hope they have a table cleared for you when you get there. We will eat here again soon. I liked this place.
(5)Terry L.
I've been twice in the last two months. The staff is extra friendly and helpful. Service was outstanding. The food is very good. Pasta is cooked properly and seasoned well. Although it is more on the spendy side, you do get a good portion. The salad dressing is really good as well. Atmosphere is very cozy and quaint. The only downside is the chairs as they are flat pieces of wood so it is not the most comfortable. Maybe this is a ploy so you don't sit and linger? It is a small place so it does fill up quickly. I never made a reservation and when i have gone (usually around 6PM-6:30PM) I had no problems getting a table. Overally, I do recommend this restaurant.
(4)Jennifer L.
This restaurant is my favorite Italian place in Hawaii. It reminds me of the trattoria's we would eat at every night in Florence, Italy. The house salad and dressing is SO good as is any of their pasta dishes and the fresh bread they offer as you wait for you dish which arrives super fast. I can't say enough about their food or their vino. FANTASTICO!!
(5)Leilani L.
LOVED this place. Best Italian food in Hawaii hands down. The service was awesome and the pricing was great too. Can't wait to bring our friends and family here. I'm from Hawaii but my husband is from the East Coast. He's full Italian and knows great Italian food. I'll put it this way, his Italian mother and grandmother would be happy eating here!
(5)Z Z.
I would give Buono Sera a higher rating based on the food alone (maybe one more star), but there were other factors that contributed to my lower rating. First, upon entering the restaurant I was hit with a waft of a dingy, musty, kitty litter type smell. This was off putting and almost made me reconsider staying for dinner. I immediately questioned the sanitary conditions of this eatery. Secondly, I was overwhelmed by the decor of chianti bottles strung everywhere (and I mean everywhere). They hang on all sides of the walls, with no nice pictures or other nice decor in sight. Very tacky. Now on to the service. Our server was pleasant, but I still got a strange vibe from him and the place in general. Couldn't quite put my finger on it, but enough about that. We ordered an eggplant appetizer (it was tasty, but rather expensive for what we got), eggplant parmesan, and garlic bread. As another Yelper noted, the garlic bread is the same size as the free dinner bread, with some garlic and cheese thrown in. Not really worth $5, when you get almost the same thing for free. The eggplant parm was soggy and was probably fried too long in too much oil. It lacked the crispy breading/crust that I like and is the norm at other places. Overall, there are way worse places on the island to get italian food, but due to my suspicion that this place could end up on Kitchen Nightmares, I don't think I will be returning. My advice to the owners would be to take down 75% of the chianti bottles, put up some nice lighting and pictures, and throughly clean and sanitize the entire restaurant. Maybe then I would return.
(2)