An Italian twist on Halloween

Blood & Guts Lovers Pizza ($12)

Il Lupino Trattoria & Wine Bar gets into the spirit of Halloween this year, taking on a fun, fairy-tale theme as staff members dress up as Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.

“We love Halloween at Il Lupino, and wanted to really celebrate with a sense of fun and adventure,” says public relations and marketing director Mona Wood-Sword. “With an estimated 100,000 people in Waikiki enjoying all the festivities, we’d love for people to stop by for some of our great specials, which have a Halloween twist on the names of the dishes and drinks.”

Dark Side Spaghetti and Meatball ($20)

On Tuesday, there will be a series of Halloween-centric specials throughout the day at the Italian restaurant. Starting at noon through 9 p.m., enjoy an extended happy hour with “Bewitching Hour” cocktail and pupu specials.

For keiki, trick-or-treating will take place from 4 to 8 pm. There’s fun for adults, too: Wear your own spooky costume, and you’ll receive a complimentary candy cocktail to enjoy throughout the night.

“Bewitching Hour” cocktail specials

And, from 5 to 10:30 p.m., there will be dinner specials, including Fried Zombie Eyes ($9), which includes five cheesy arancini bites with arrabiata sauce, as well as Blood & Guts Lovers Pizza ($12), which has Italian sausage, mortadella, salami, pomodoro sauce and roasted peppers. Also intriguing is Dark Side Spaghetti and Meatball ($20), featuring squid ink spaghetti and the restaurant’s famous giant meatball made with veal, pork and beef, and topped with pomodoro sauce.

Throughout the year, special occasions and events are celebrated often at Il Lupino. In addition to Halloween, there’s the upcoming four-course Dalla Terra Wine Dinner ($125 per person) Nov. 13 at 6:30 p.m., with special guest Rupert Billins of Dalla Terra, a wine importing company.

Fried Zombie Eyes ($9)

For reservations on the wine dinner or questions about Halloween specials, call 922-3400. Remember that parking is validated at Royal Hawaiian Center (first hour is free, and $2 per hour for the next three hours).