Two men are suing Nobu Waikiki restaurant for refusing them dining room service because one of them was wearing a tank top.

Washington state residents Charles and Kevin Reed filed their lawsuit against the restaurant in state court earlier this month.

The Reeds, who say they were married earlier this year, were in Hawaii in November 2011 to celebrate their seven-year anniversary as life partners.

Kevin Reed says in the lawsuit that while making a dinner reservation, he asked about Nobu’s dress code and described for the reservationist in detail what the couple would be wearing, including Charles Reed’s kilt and sleeveless shirt. He said the reservationist told him the restaurant’s dress code prohibits beach attire but assured him that what he had described was acceptable.

Charles Reed posed for a picture in front of a portrait of Queen Liliuokalani while dressed in the clothing he later wore to the restaurant.

The Reeds maintain that when they arrived at Nobu, a hostess led them to an available dining table. But after a male waiter approached and appeared to whisper to the hostess, the Reeds say she then told them she would not seat them in the dining room because Charles Reed was wearing a sleeveless shirt.

The Reeds say they spoke to several more restaurant employees, including some claiming to be managers, who told them to leave or the restaurant would call police. When they pointed out that other diners were wearing sleeveless tops, they said, one manager told them the restaurant requires men to wear shirts with sleeves “because men are unsanitary and women are not unsanitary because unlike men, women shave their underarm hair,” according to the lawsuit.

After the Reeds filed their lawsuit, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser called Nobu to ask whether the restaurant posts its dress code. An employee said the restaurant does not. However, she described the dress code as “business casual,” which she said means no beach or athletic wear and that males are prohibited from wearing tank tops.

The Reeds say one manager suggested Charles Reed wear a dirty, smelly, stained T-shirt the restaurant provided. When he refused, several restaurant employees forcefully pushed Charles Reed, who is deaf, out of the dining room, the lawsuit says.

The suit says one Nobu manager offered to serve the Reeds in the restaurant’s bar and lounge area. The Reeds say they left the restaurant after the manager refused to apologize to them or assure them that they would be treated respectfully.

The restaurant’s general manager did not respond to multiple requests for comment.