The Pig and the Lady

We came for the highly recommended Pho French Dip. We found it’s only available for lunch… although our highly skilled waiter told us it’s also available at the farmers market on Saturdays. I had the pork chop with mango slaw - it was amazing! We enjoyed incredible appetizers: chicken wings fried to perfection with a tasty sauce + peanuts and a Cesar salad. The dessert was incredible: a soft serve with a unique Vietnamese honeycomb cake. Oh, and the bathroom was hilarious and cool!

Some of the best food we had on the island. We went for our last dinner on Oahu (and my birthday) and we weren't disappointed. I'd seen the place on a few food shows and had checked out their menu online, so I knew we wouldn't be disappointed. They had recently moved locations, but all of their communication via text and reservation made it super easy to find. It's about a 10-15 minute drive outside of Waikiki if you're on vacation and planning on going, but it was just a $10 Uber for us each way. Anyway, incredible menu. Tons of options, and if you're not regularly eating Vietnamese food, probably hard to pronounce or envision. It was hard to pare down what we wanted, but got a couple small plates and then shared a couple entrees. You could make any number of interesting combinations the way their menu is laid out. We started with one each of their bites, basically a tuna crostini, Vietnamese pickle skewer (so interesting and good), and potato three ways (even better). We kept seeing the chicken wings go out, so we got a small order after our server told us they were probably the most popular thing on the menu. Honestly the biggest letdown of the meal - underseasoned fried whole wings with a sauce that had to be sopped up from the plate to get any flavor. Pass. The entrees were 1 for 2, with a massive epaulette pasta pair, though the sausage should've been broken up and distributed more evenly. We ended up eating more of the pho, which was understandably and appreciably delicious. We also got a side of mushrooms over grits for just a few bucks, which ended up being one of our favorite few bites. Their dessert menu is great as well, and we got to try some of the soft serve since they put together something for my birthday. Much appreciated. Our server was awesome, but I'm knocking a service star just because it was the longest meal we've ever experienced at almost 3 hours for some reason. There were lots of times where we were just sitting and waiting between courses, with seemingly only one or two servers but lots of food & water runners. It was a busy night and they were celebrating, but still. If you go, go with a group of 4 to 6 so you can order and sample more - the menu just lends itself to it, and I hate we missed out on some great things limited by our bellies. Great spot. Lunch looks awesome as well.

​Outstanding Culinary Experience! (Except the Pho) ​We had a great family dinner at Pig and the Lady. The food here truly knocked it out of the park! ​The Lamb La Lot appetizer was the highlight of the night. This dish is a complex explosion of flavor: tender, spiced lamb mixed with lotus seed, earthy cumin, mint, and nuts, all served over creamy hummus. The accompanying puff pastry and fresh lime wedge perfectly cut through the richness. It’s an absolute must-try. ​My sons, devoured the Chicken Wings—a perfect kid-friendly dish. ​My only critique is the Pho my mom ordered. While the broth was fine (tasting "normal"), the price point was noticeably above average for Pho in the area, and the flavor didn't justify the cost. ​Highly recommend for their innovative appetizers and signature dishes!

Amazing service. Amazing food. Innovative menu. The Chinese mustard dressing on the chrysanthemum salad was out of hand. The cabbage, delectable and the yolk sauce almost made me cry it was so good. The bites were great! I had a couple of good cocktails too.

Went for the soft opening and I got to say, they absolutely crushed it! Sean and all the outdoor staff were engaging and friendly, despite being exceptionally busy. The food was delicious and you could tell that the kitchen was on point despite being their first day back there. I think this will be a wonderful addition to Kaimuki and hope it wakes this sleepy neighborhood up for years to come. Oh and they validated parking for the attached garage!

Pig and the Lady in Honolulu absolutely lives up to the hype. The service was amazing, and the food was incredibly unique! So aromatic, herbaceous, and layered with flavor. We ordered the Bo Kho Bolognese, Lê fried chicken wings, P&L Caesar salad, Kurobuta pork collar, pa’i‘ai bánh xèo, and the charred cabbage, and every dish was outstanding. Each plate brought something different to the table, and the creativity and balance of flavors really set this place apart. I’ll definitely be going back the next time I can secure a reservation. I highly recommend making one in advance because this place is always packed for a reason, it’s that good. It’s located in Chinatown, so expect to park in one of the nearby paid lots, but it’s absolutely worth it. An unforgettable dining experience.

The space inside is a bit small, especially near the entrance. I came with my fiancée to try their fall dinner menu and ordered one of each bite, their chicken wings, and the pho 75 with stewed oxtail. The P&L style “Gilda” Pintxo was a skewer with Vietnamese style pickles. We both tried to eat half but was very disappointed because the pickles were extremely salty. I couldn’t finish my bite. The potato two ways was interesting. The foam tasted like a lightly onion flavored sour cream. There was some pickle and one fried potato gnocchi thing in the middle. The best bite we got was the ahi tataki which was well-balanced in flavors. I only wished that the tataki was cut further for eat of biting through the fish. The wings were fried well and had a good crunch. The sauce leaned more vinegar and had a liquid or watery consistency. I liked the daikon pickles but didn’t love the sauce. The wings needed to be re-dipped in order for me to taste the sauce. Lastly, we got the pho 75 with stewed oxtail. This was pretty disappointing overall. The soup came out warm and there were tons of chopped chilis on top. I wouldn’t say this was stewed oxtail. It was just cooked enough to be eaten, but required some biting and gnawing to get the meet off the bone. The soup was meaty in flavor, but for me a bit salty. I could taste the vinegar in the soup, which isn’t a preference of mine as I’m Vietnamese and we usually eat pho with lemon or lime for a touch of acidity. We had great service during our meal. The server who helped us was wearing a jade bracelet. I think her name was Dee? She gave us all the utensils we needed and came by to even wipe our table off. It was nice talking to her for a bit during our meal and she helped us close out very quickly. If you have the money to splurge and want to try some new things it might be a good spot to go check out. I just thought it was not consistent in taste and had some big misses like the pickle bite and the not-so-soft oxtail.

We were really looking forward to dining at Pig and the Lady given the hype and James Beard recognition. Service was warm and friendly, but the food was ultimately disappointing due to inconsistent execution. The mushroom pâté was flavourful and nicely plated, though the sourdough madeleines were quite sweet and didn’t feel like the right pairing — toasted baguette or a more savoury bánh mì–style crisp would have complemented it much better. The Bánh Đúc Nóng had good flavour, but the rice cake was overly soft and lacked texture, and could have used more acidity. Unfortunately the Hokkaido scallops were very overcooked — gummy with no sear — which was a shame because the curry sauce was excellent. The Dungeness crab bucatini had great flavour and an interesting Bun Riêu-inspired concept with shiso, but the noodles were also overcooked and too soft. We also tried the charred cabbage side — good flavours, but it lacked crunch and ate more like steamed cabbage than something properly charred. Overall, strong ideas and flavours, but the execution missed for us. This place could be great with more consistency.

This restaurant is not as good as people make it. The pho + added oxtail was $37. You don’t even get a full piece of oxtail and the broth was flavorless. The pho noodles were also strange? Chicken wings came out hot and was really good. The grilled oysters were very different and had good flavor, just a bit too salty. Also ordered a Thai tea to go..Thai tea was clearly just a powder mix. I won’t be returning.

To start, this restaurant leans more toward fusion than authentic Vietnamese cuisine. That’s not necessarily an issue, but the food and service did not justify the high menu prices. We saw the menu prior to dining, so the cost wasn’t a surprise however, spending around $200 for a party of four set certain expectations, especially for something as simple as pho. Our experience started off great. The Vietnamese coffee and the Miso Bloody Mary were outstanding. Unfortunately, the food that followed didn’t match that initial impression. The Hu Tieu was solid, but the pho arrived at about room temperature and really salty. The meat was also tucked under the oxtail and still raw and cold (as shown in the photo). The Banh Mi was decent, but the $14 side of pho barely two spoonfuls was also served lukewarm. Service was another disappointment. With the menu prices and an added 6% “kitchen service charge,” we expected timely service and properly prepared entrees. Instead, the pace was extremely slow and not ideal for groups. For our party of four, the first two entrees took over 30 minutes to arrive, and the last two followed about 10 minutes later. When Shaun brought my pho, his thumb was in the bowl. He did not acknowledged it and carried on as if it weren’t an issue. Bottom line his thumb was in my soup and he chose to serve anyways. Overall, while the drinks were great, the food quality and service did not meet the standards suggested by the price point. This wouldn’t be my recommendation, especially for larger parties.