Oceanarium in Waikiki, Hawaii: Restaurant Review

For a truly unique dining experience in Waikiki, head over to the Pacific Beach Hotel where you will find the magnificent restaurant Oceanarium. Oceanarium offers tableside views of an amazing three-story saltwater aquarium. Here is a restaurant review of Oceanarium at the Pacific Beach Hotel in Waikiki, Hawaii.

Waikiki's restaurant industry is very competitive, and many of the best restaurants on the island of Oahu lure visitors with promises of oceanfront dining. Oceanarium offers something a little bit different: a three-story 280,000 gallon saltwater aquarium, complete with reef fish, giant stingrays, even sharks. Diners during the lunch hour can enjoy watching scuba divers swim among and feed the fish for the ultimate underwater dining experience.

Oceanarium offers a terrific daily breakfast buffet for under twenty dollars. The buffet includes omelettes, fresh and delicious items from the bake shop, and sides such as ham, eggs, sausage, corn beef hash, bacon, spam, hash browns, yogurts and cottage cheese. Or you can choose from their regular breakfast menu, which includes hot and cold cereals, fresh island eggs, grilled corn beef hash, flame broiled New York steak, eggs benedict, Hawaiian french toast, old-fashioned pancakes, and waffles.

For lunch, you can dine on burgers, chicken, steaks, salads, and of course, seafood (just remember who might be watching you dining through the glass). Dinner at Oceanarium is an exceptional buffet that features prime rib and outstanding seafood. The dinner buffet is open from 4:30 until 10 p.m. In addition to the prime rib, you will have your choice of salads and appetizers, including oysters and mussels on the half-shell, shrimp with cocktail sauce, island sashimi, fish and tako poke, salmon, tossed green salad, potato macaroni salad, pasta salad, fresh fruit and New England clam chowder. Daily entrees can include king crab legs (Mondays and Thursdays), lobster specialty (Tuesdays and Wednesdays), maki sushi station (Fridays), whole roast suckling pig (Saturdays), and dim sum station (Sundays). They also offer a selection of treats from their talented pastry chefs.

The service at Oceanarium is very good. The wait staff is fast, and everyone is extremely friendly. The food is excellent, and the presentation is superb. But, of course, what really takes your breath away is the three-story 280,000 gallon saltwater aquarium and the ocean life that inhabits it. So during your stay in Waikiki, be sure to pay a visit to Oceanarium at the Pacific Beach Hotel at least once. It is located at 2490 Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki. For reservations, call 808-921-6111. Or visit their website at pacificbeachhotel.com and click on dining for more information. Aloha!