The story
The Banyan Tree sits at One Ritz-Carlton Drive in Napili-Honokowai, Hawaii, where the Hawaiian seafood kitchen earned the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence (2025). The menu leans on fire and the sea, with Josper-grilled catches, prime steaks, and island produce.
Ignacio Carballo leads the kitchen as Chef de Cuisine. He started as a pastry cook and rose through the ranks at oceanfront resorts, including The Westin Maui, before taking charge of the daily menus here. The Josper oven is central to his cooking, and his plates pair clean technique with Asian and Latin influences.
The menu includes Hawaiian ahi tuna poke, fresh local seafood, and seafood towers meant for sharing. Josper-grilled prime steaks anchor the meat side, alongside farm-inspired sides. Portions are designed to linger over, which suits a long dinner with the ocean in view.
A hand-crafted wooden bar wraps the center of the open-concept room, and the windows frame expansive ocean views. An expanded open-air dining room looks out over the Pacific, with living walls and the sunset in the frame. Michael Kennedy, Vintner and Sommelier, curates a wine list built around the dishes, and the restaurant also holds a Four Diamond rating from AAA.
Recognition
Details
History
AAA: 4 Distinctive fine dining, well-serviced amid upscale ambiance.
Location
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