WAIKIKI RESTAURANTS
FROM ISLAND TO PLATE
Unique among Waikiki restaurants, our menus highlight Hawaii’s vibrant flavors with refined, global influences. From inventive shared plates like Venison tartare to elevated yet approachable field-to-fork classics, each dish by chefs Makoto Ono and Amanda Cheng tells a story of place, season, and artful taste.
Makoto Ono
Executive Chef Makoto Ono
Arden’s Executive Chef Makoto Ono grew up immersed in the culinary world, where from a young age he helped at his father’s restaurant, Edohei, Winnipeg's first sushi restaurant. Ono further developed his culinary skills at Vancouver’s Dubrulle Culinary Institute where he learned the fundamental techniques of French cuisine. Upon graduating in 2000, Ono moved to London, training under Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten at Vong and later Chef Marco Pierre White at Mirabelle before returning to Canada where he opened his first restaurant. His passions and expertise lead him to open award-winning and highly sought after restaurants across Canada and China. During his time in Hong Kong, Chef Ono met his now life and business partner, Executive Pastry Chef Amanda Cheng. Together, they opened Pidgin, and shortly thereafter, Mak N Ming in Vancouver, before relocating to Hawaii to open Arden.
Amanda Cheng
Executive Pastry Chef Amanda Cheng
Celebrated as one of Canada’s best pastry chefs, Chef Amanda Cheng brings elegant desserts with unforgettable flavors to Arden.
After graduating from University of British Columbia with a degree in psychology, Cheng studied at the Culinary Institute of America’s campus in New York and held a coveted internship at Park Avenue Café. She turned her focus to sweets, presenting flavorful dessert menus in top restaurants in Canada and China, earning accolades along the way. She met her now life and business partner, Makoto Ono in Hong Kong. Together, they opened Pidgin, and shortly thereafter, Mak N Ming in Vancouver, before relocating to Hawaii to open Arden.