The Lanai List
Five editorial picks, ranked by the only filter that matters: why you are dining.
Nobu Lanai
Nobu Matsuhisa's Pacific flagship, Four Seasons Lanai's signature Japanese kitchen with sweeping Pacific Ocean views and a 15-course teppanyaki experience.
Sensei by Nobu
Sensei Lanai's wellness-focused Nobu omakase, Lanai's most architecturally striking dining room, with a multi-course tasting and the Pulama Lanai wellness programme.
Osteria Mozza Lanai
Nancy Silverton's Pacific outpost, Four Seasons Lanai's contemporary Italian dining with ocean views and the celebrated Mozza-and-Pizzeria Mozza programme adapted to Hawaii.
Malibu Farm
Four Seasons Lanai's waterfront-casual sister, Helene Henderson's Malibu Farm concept brought to Manele Bay, with the canonical Lanai poolside-and-ocean lunch.
Blue Ginger
Lanai City's local-village institution, Blue Ginger Cafe's homey island-flair cooking and the canonical Lanai-resident casual dining.
Best for First Date in Lanai
Intimate, conversation-friendly rooms. Impressive without being intimidating. The tables where first impressions are made.
Malibu Farm
Four Seasons Lanai's waterfront-casual sister, Helene Henderson's Malibu Farm concept brought to Manele Bay, with the canonical Lanai poolside-and-ocean lunch.
Blue Ginger
Lanai City's local-village institution, Blue Ginger Cafe's homey island-flair cooking and the canonical Lanai-resident casual dining.
Best for Business Dinner in Lanai
Power tables, private rooms, considered wine lists. Where the deal gets done.
Nobu Lanai
Nobu Matsuhisa's Pacific flagship, Four Seasons Lanai's signature Japanese kitchen with sweeping Pacific Ocean views and a 15-course teppanyaki experience.
Sensei by Nobu
Sensei Lanai's wellness-focused Nobu omakase, Lanai's most architecturally striking dining room, with a multi-course tasting and the Pulama Lanai wellness programme.
The Top Five in Lanai
Ranked against a single question: if you had one night in Lanai, where would you go?
Nobu Lanai
Nobu Matsuhisa's Pacific flagship, Four Seasons Lanai's signature Japanese kitchen with sweeping Pacific Ocean views and a 15-course teppanyaki experience.
Sensei by Nobu
Sensei Lanai's wellness-focused Nobu omakase, Lanai's most architecturally striking dining room, with a multi-course tasting and the Pulama Lanai wellness programme.
Osteria Mozza Lanai
Nancy Silverton's Pacific outpost, Four Seasons Lanai's contemporary Italian dining with ocean views and the celebrated Mozza-and-Pizzeria Mozza programme adapted to Hawaii.
Malibu Farm
Four Seasons Lanai's waterfront-casual sister, Helene Henderson's Malibu Farm concept brought to Manele Bay, with the canonical Lanai poolside-and-ocean lunch.
Blue Ginger
Lanai City's local-village institution, Blue Ginger Cafe's homey island-flair cooking and the canonical Lanai-resident casual dining.
The Lanai Dining Guide
Lanai is the smallest of the seven main inhabited Hawaiian islands, a 364-square-kilometre privately-owned island, with 98 per cent of the land bought by Larry Ellison (Oracle co-founder) in 2012 for $300 million, and is one of the most discreet luxury destinations in the Pacific. The island holds about 3,200 year-round residents and runs primarily on the cluster of two Four Seasons resorts: the Four Seasons Resort Lanai (on the southern Manele Bay coast) and Sensei Lanai, A Four Seasons Resort (the all-villa wellness retreat in Lanai City).
The dining is correspondingly serious for an island of 3,200. The Four Seasons resorts run an exceptional cluster of celebrity-chef restaurants: Nobu Lanai (chef Nobu Matsuhisa), Sensei by Nobu (the wellness-focused omakase sister), Osteria Mozza Lanai (Nancy Silverton, the celebrated Los Angeles chef), and Malibu Farm Lanai (Helene Henderson's California-style waterfront kitchen). The local Lanai City village holds Blue Ginger Cafe and Ganotisi's Pacific Rim Cuisine, the canonical local-island casual dining.
Neighbourhoods
Reservations & Practical Notes
Nobu Lanai, Sensei by Nobu, Osteria Mozza Lanai and Malibu Farm Lanai must be booked four to six weeks ahead in peak (American winter, December, April); two to three weeks shoulder. Most resort restaurants are accessible to non-guests but require advance booking. Dress is Lanai-resort-relaxed, linen rather than tailored, sandals are acceptable everywhere except Nobu Lanai which enforces smart-casual. Tipping is American-style (15 to 18 per cent) for exceptional service.
For a deeper editorial read, see our ongoing Editorial coverage, including pieces on the
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