Step into The Dotted Line on a weekday around noon, and you’re likely to see tables of business professionals making deals over Wagyu burgers and miso yuzu salmon. By 5 p.m., a similar crowd gathers to sip cocktails and enjoy pūpū.
The Dotted Line is tucked in The AC Hotel by Marriott, which opened in 2024. The hotel is a home away from home for many business travelers and metropolitan-loving vacationers and its chic restaurant, located in the lobby, is their go-to spot Downtown. The restaurant also offers a buffet and serves breakfast in the morning.
In October 2025, The Dotted Line unveiled a refreshed menu created by new executive chef Christopher Murakami. Whether diners are cementing a business deal or relaxing with a cocktail, Murakami says the menu is designed to bring people together and, ultimately, to fill their bellies with memorable meals. “It’s hard to be angry on a full stomach,” Murakami says with a laugh.
Photo: Courtesy of The AC Hotel by Marriott
The Dotted Line’s menu is a mix of global cuisine inspired by what Murakami grew up eating as a kid in Hawaiʻi. From breakfast, with sweet items like haupia pancakes and French toast made with Punaluʻu Sweet Bread, to dinner, with entrees such as Szechuan noodles and garlic North Shore shrimp, familiar Island flavors are woven into every course.
Per local Island style, many of the pau hana plates are meant to be shared, from the ultrafresh Kona kampachi to the ʻahi tataki served with a sweet mango glaze. The sampler, which includes huli huli fillet tips, karaage chicken bites, mandoo, ʻahi dip and sweet potato chips, is a favorite among groups looking to taste a little bit of everything.
Diners who stick around past pau hana can savor more thoughtfully crafted dishes from the dinner menu. Murakami says his chicken pot pie is popular and a great meal during the winter. His buttery and flaky pie crust is filled with peas, carrots, celery and Maui onion. The Szechuan noodles have also been a crowd-pleaser, served with shrimp and bok choy dressed in a spicy peanut sauce.
Photo: Courtesy of The AC Hotel by Marriott
Murakami says he’s looked forward to leading The Dotted Line. “I’m excited to give the team opportunities to grow and develop—as a team and as individuals,” he says.
A graduate of Kapiʻolani Community College’s culinary program, Murakami has worked in Hawaiʻi’s dining scene for more than a decade. He’s served as chef and restaurant manager for Diamond Dining International and as executive chef at Sky Waikīkī Raw & Bar. Most recently, Murakami served as chef de cuisine at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Committed to giving back to the community, he also spent two years volunteering as an instructor for the Asian cuisine class at Kapiʻolani Community College, where he focused on Japanese foods.
Photo: Courtesy of The AC Hotel by Marriott
With its multicultural influences, the dishes at The Dotted Line reflect Murakami’s commitment to celebrating the local community that shaped his childhood and career.
The Dotted Line isn’t in your typical beachfront hotel; it’s in the heart of an urban oasis, within easy walking distance of museums, local bookstores, chic boutiques, Chinatown’s vibrant markets and some of the island’s best bars. The surrounding blocks are home to a colorful array of restaurants, some of them award-winning and others of the “if you know, you know” variety. And, along with The Dotted Line, they’re all helping to fuel Downtown’s dynamic dining scene.
Grace Maeda is the editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine.
