19 Hoolai StKailua, HI 96734-2632(808) 262-8196
Categories: Middle Eastern, Moroccan
Serves: Dinner
Entrée Price Range: Under $40.00
Features & Services: BYOB, handicap accessible, smoke free, vegetarian friendly
The brightly painted, impossible-to-miss exterior facade of Casablanca in Kailua merely hints at the unique experience that awaits once inside. With a warm interior reflecting the sensual cuisine of its namesake, this Moroccan eatery almost hypnotizes its guests with a sensory overload of intricate patterns, rich colors and soothing background music. Bypass the traditional American tables out front for one of the U-shaped couches farther back. These little cabanas are where the true Casablanca adventure begins. A ceremonial washing of the hands kicks off the utensil-free, prix fixe meal to follow. The five courses include a traditional soup, a mixed salad plate and a warm chicken pastry sprinkled with powdered sugar and cinnamon. And that's all before the main course is served. A list of entrées features a dozen or so choices of poultry, lamb and seafood dishes laden with the savory spices of North African cuisine (honey, ginger, saffron, cardamom and pepper). On any given night, entrées can include anything from a delicate vegetable couscous to spiced Cornish hen to lamb tajine, a slow-cooked dish named for the enamel pot in which it's baked. If you've managed to save room for dessert, Casablanca prepares consistently delicious palate-cleansing pastries and treats sure to leave the sweet taste of the entire experience in your mouth for days to come. Those desiring to enhance the meal with appropriate wine pairings should be mindful of the restaurant's BYOB policy, although many local wine shops are familiar with Casablanca's fare. Reservations suggested. Serving dinner Tue–Sat. Closed Sun–Mon.
Have something to say about this restaurant?
Send us a comment
Has something changed about this restaurant?
Send a change or correction
Enter your mobile phone number:
A valid phone number is required
Yes! No Clear Rating
Click yes to notify our editors that this restaurant is closed. This cannot be undone.
You have already flagged this restaurant as closed. Closing notifications cannot be cancelled, but our editors will confirm a restaurant's status before making any changes to our content.
Thank you for letting us know about errors or omissions in our information about this restaurant. We use your name and email address for verification, and we may contact you for more detail. However, we will never publish this information.
We welcome your comments. Our editors review every comment we receive, but please note, not all comments are posted on this site. We use your name and email address for verification, and we may contact you for more detail. However, we will never publish this information.
Enter your comments Comments are required Enter your name Your name is required Enter your email address Your email address is required
Enter your name: Your name is required Enter your email address: A valid email address is required
0.2 mi 0.5 mi 1 mi 2 mi 3 mi 4 mi 5 mi 10 mi 15 mi 20 mi 25 mi 30 mi 35 mi 40 mi 45 mi 50 mi
Hawaiian cuisine reaches its zenith with local dining icon Alan Wong's nationally renowned restaurant, but you'll also delight in the grab-and-go style of French-Vietnamese sandwich shops, shrimp trucks and the Portuguese donuts called malasadas.
View a map showing all the restaurants on our Top 100 list for Honolulu
Click the name of one of the points of interest below to get a list of restaurants within a one mile radius of its location.
To suggest a blog, email:
Online reservation services powered by OpenTable.com
Click a city name to see our restaurant selections for that city.
Don't see the city you want? Browse all of our locations.