The story
Mugen serves a Hawaiian tasting menu with Japanese roots at 2452 Kalakaua Avenue in Honolulu, and Forbes Travel Guide gave it Five-Star status in 2026. The name means infinity in Japanese. The restaurant sits inside ESPACIO, The Jewel of Waikiki.
Executive Chef Colin Sato, a Hawaii native, runs the kitchen with consultation from Alan Wong. The lineup changes with the calendar and leans on island farms and purveyors. A poke and caviar starter has become a house staple, and it shows how this Hawaiian and international kitchen borrows from flavors around the world. The team explains the technique and ingredients behind each course.
The dining room is small, with only 34 seats. Artisanal Moroccan fixtures throw a warm light, and the bar is topped with blue Carrara marble. A wall of live greenery runs alongside.
Breakfast is served daily from 7 a.m. Lemon ricotta pancakes come with compressed pineapple and mango-lilikoi butter, and a lobster Benedict is on the menu too. At the bar, the Dragon Wings combines freshly pressed sugar cane with locally distilled Koloa Rum, while the Hawaiian Honeymoon uses lychee puree. Sommelier Douglas Priesel looks after a list of more than 400 wines, which earned a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2024.
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A sense of place and a spirit for adventure guide Mugen’s tasting menu. The lineup changes along with the calendar, ensuring maximally fresh ingredients. Hawaiian cuisine’s fusion of world flavors inspires many dishes, best exemplified by the poke and caviar starter, a staple that is taken to sophisticated heights here.Mugen's recently refreshed dining room shares the restaurant's global sensibility. The intimate 34-seat space glows with the warm light of artisanal Moroccan fixtures accented by the bar's vivid splash of blue Carrara marble and a wall of live greenery.Brajas’ cocktail menu aligns with the restaurant’s emphasis on seasonal cuisine. Many of the drinks feature local fruit, such as the lychee puree used in the Hawaiian Honeymoon and the freshly pressed sugar cane and locally distilled Koloa Rum featured in the Dragon Wings.Mugen’s decadent breakfast is worth setting an early alarm for. The lemon ricotta pancakes served with compressed pineapple and a mango-lilikoi butter pack an unforgettably fruity punch, and the lobster eggs Benedict is indulgent, especially when washed down with a freshly squeezed mimosa.Sommelier Douglas Priesel offers impeccably paired pours from Mugen’s award-winning collection, which boasts more than 400 globally sourced wines.
AAA: 5 Leading-edge cuisine, ingredients and preparation with extraordinary service and surroundings.
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