Going to Aulani -- Let's list places to eat

[JacksGirlz]

Bump.
Subscribing. We'll be at Aulani in 74 days!!

 

[abthomas]

Thanks for info. Going in June.

 

[abthomas]

Thanks.

 

[LUVMICKEY]

Great thread. It has helped us decide a little about where to eat besides in our room. Thank you to everyone who has given their valued opinions.

 

[lovetotraveltx]

Anyone that's been to Aulani recently have local or Waikiki restaurants to add.

Also anyone do fia fia recently? How was the food?

Thank you!

 

[GoGoJulie]

There is an awesome coffee shop in the plaza across the street from Aulani. It is Island Vintage Coffee Company. We tried several types of coffee beverages and were pleased with them all. They also have breakfast and lunch items that look delicious. They had a breakfast bowl called the Acai berry bowl. It is like a berry smoothie on the bottom, but topped with fresh fruit and local honey. It was $10 but very filling. This is not a fast order and grab place. They take their time with everything, so be prepared to wait a bit because each item is crafted individually. The Vintage Kona Mocha is a frozen drink that will have you back again. We didn't discover this place until day 3, but we were back every day after that. My husband skipped getting an Aulani T-Shirt and bought and Island coffee T-shirt instead. They also have a great selection of coffees. They even have Peaberry Kona. https://www.islandvintagecoffee.com/

 

[lovetotraveltx]

Thanks GoGoJulie. Our 20 something dd's will love it there!

 

[kkmcan]

What are you all eating at Monkey Pods? I looked at the menu and didn't see much that would appeal to my family. Maybe I missed something. What do you recommend?

 

[WDW_Diane]

What are you all eating at Monkey Pods? I looked at the menu and didn't see much that would appeal to my family. Maybe I missed something. What do you recommend?

Margherita pizza, the fries, the burgers..... My family enjoyed it, but we don't have little kids.

 

[mom2aidanNpiper]

What are you all eating at Monkey Pods? I looked at the menu and didn't see much that would appeal to my family. Maybe I missed something. What do you recommend?

We have only gone while the kids were in the clubs (been to monkey pod 4x).

Poke tacos were the best! Their fish burgers and truffle fries also very good. For happy hour we always do pizzas- the pear/arugula one, the truffle one, the lobster one, etc. all good!

 

[Cinderpamela]

What are you all eating at Monkey Pods? I looked at the menu and didn't see much that would appeal to my family. Maybe I missed something. What do you recommend?

I loved the Fish Tacos.... and like others have said... the truffle fries were super good! My DS (12) really liked the sliders, he had them both times we went.

 

[kkmcan]

Ya, that's probably why I didn't see much on the menu. I'm always looking for stuff I know my kids will like. Can't have a nice meal if they are unhappy, I tell ya.

Dh and I would like all of those things mentioned. If I can get my kids a plain cheese pizza or chicken tenders of some sort then it will work. DS like wings and I think I saw those on the menu.

Thanks for the recommendations!

 

[AKVFamily]

Here are some reviews from my trip 1-2 weeks ago

Ama Ama - Fantastic sunset view if you time it right, which we did.

Makahiki - We really like the breakfast buffet the best. In fact, we did it twice, our first full day and last day which both happened to Mondays, the non character day which was great. The dinner buffet was ok but nothing spectacular. Funny thing is that neither of us are really dessert people and we though the desserts here were better than the food. They had these mini chocolate souffle type things that were awesome.

Leonard's Malsada's - these were so good! We ended up going twice! I had the plain ones with sugar on the outside and my husband had the ones filled wth chocolate dobash. He tried the Li Hing sugar ones too and though they were good.

Boots and Kimo (in Kailua) - This place was recommended by one of bellman when we asked about some good local places to eat. He said they have the best macadamia nut pancakes. He said there is typically a 30-45 minute wait but we arrived, checked in and were seated within 15 minutes. This was one of our best breakasts. We got the macadamia nut pancakes which were awesome and I typically don't like pancakes. We also got a portugese sausage omelette which was also very good.

Giovanni's Shrimp truck - It was okay. I was expecting a little more flavor but not bad. We wanted to try Macky's later in the week but we were never hungry when we were back up on the north shore.

Matsumoto's - We tried to stop once and the line was so long so we kept driving. A few days later we stopped and there was only two people in line in front of us. I think we made a meal out of the shaved ice with ice cream. I was so full after eating it. Very good!

Roy's at Ko'olina Golf Club - We went here because I had a gift card. We were seated at a great table outside with a perfect view but I wasn't really impressed with the food. I guess I was expecting something a little more spectacular. I would say Ama Ama was better than Roy's in my opinion.

Just Tacos across the street - We wanted something simple one night so we went across the street. The service and food were both good. My husband ordered tacos and I ordered steak fajitas. The fajitas would have been enough to feed both of us and the prices were very reasonable.

Monkey Pod - As many others have, we tried Monkey Pod and were very pleased with their service and their food. The restaurant was very busy but we had called later in the afternoon and made a reservation so we didn't wait for a table once we got there. Our server was very attentive and they had live music outside.

Country market - We had breakfast there twice. Once we shared a breakfast sandwich that they made fresh with home fries. Very good and reasonably priced and the second time we did the ready made breakfast bowls. I was very surprised to see how fresh their food was.

Duke's in Waikiki - After our hike up Diamond head we stopped here and they happened to have their breakfast buffet up which was fine and fresh. I was hoping for lunch but it was just bad timing on our part. We again had a great table outside though.

We did eat at Mama's Shack for lunch one day and appetizers for dinner one night from Off the Hook. The Kobe sliders at Off the Hook were very good.

i think this pretty much sums up our meals on our trip.

Great information! Thanks for posting.

 

[happymommy]

I used to live on Oahu, and we own at Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club (right next to Aulani). Although my son was born there, we moved to the East Coast 15 years ago. We've taken our children back 7 times and are going again this year.

We do cook quite a bit, as we usually go for 2 weeks at a time. When we're out visiting old hangouts, though, we have some favorites that you won't find tourists at.

We like to drive up to Kailua, where we lived, and stop at Willow Tree (by Safeway in a strip mall) for the most incredible tasting Korean BBQ lunch plates (same owners are there from when we lived there - we used to go there every week or two years ago). You will thank me, trust me. And you won't see a tourist in the place. And it's about $10 or so for lunch that only my 17 year old son can eat all of! It's super clean and the best!

We also liked Enchanted Lake BBQ for Korean lunch plates too! It's nearby - search on Google I guess.

Those are some good options if you're wanting to drive up to Kailua Beach and then grab lunch. Of course Buzz's is famous but it's just overrated burgers.

Also, if you go to the Flea Market (now they call it the Swap Meet but I just don't sorry!) at the Stadium (I highly recommend one visit but go early - it gets hot!), and you feel like sushi afterwards, on the way back to the Ko Olina area if you drive Kam Hwy west you'll pass Genki Sushi on your right. Decent and inexpensive conveyor belt sushi - this has been a ritual for my kids for years. We buy our tee shirts and knick knacks and then go to Genki Sushi for lunch (and they always get the melon sodas). It's all locals there too - at lunchtime you may have a wait.

We found a new conveyor belt sushi place right in Kaolei last year that I honestly wanted to keep to myself it's so good - we actually don't know if we'll go back to Genki Sushi (definitely not the one in Kapolei, although I was thrilled when that one opened by Target, and even having Target on the island don't get me started about how happy I am since we never had Target before!). Okay, so I'm rambling. Anyway, first we were excited to have Genki so close, then I found on Yelp a new place called Sushi Bay. It's in the strip mall near Safeway. It's all locals - sometimes military guys filling up on delicious sushi for lunch. You will have a wait. It is worth it. The portions are huge, and half the price we pay here. It is fresh. I'm going on and on, since my son is a sushi nut, and he is not a cheap date! We can let him eat so much here and it's still inexpensive! Nice folks, good service, clean (a must) and I hope they do great business for years, since I can't wait to go back. If you like sushi and don't go here, well don't blame me! They'll do party trays too - I may get one for one evening next visit (my father in law and his wife are joining us after we all go to Korea to see where my husband was born - I'm caucasian (Irish/Austrian) and my husband is Korean). That would be a fun thing to get a huge party tray and enjoy it on the balcony at the resort!

We ate at Roy's once last time. $45 for just an entree? Yes it was good, but worth it? No.

Years ago, when we lived in Kailua, we used to go to Waikiki almost every Sunday afternoon. Sometimes early for brunch at the Moana. We would walk around and then have pupu's and drinks, sometimes at the Hale Koa (they used to make the best Mai Tai's but I don't think they're good anymore and now they're like $9 instead of $4 that they used to be) but more often we'd go to the Moana and see what music was playing. They often have some fantastic musicians and the atmosphere is beautiful! If you're in the mood to relax and have a cocktail, I recommend the Moana Surfrider for the atmosphere and you can have a snack (yes overpriced) and enjoy the breeze. Waikiki does get too crowded and noisy to me at night, so we try to head back before it gets dark!

If you like teppanyaki, Tanaka of Tokyo used to be really good. I think they still have locations in Waikiki.

I understand some folks have picky eaters and want to eat what they get at home (we do that too). The Outback by Ko Olina is actually very good and reasonable! We had an excellent dinner there years ago. It was probably half the price of the Chuck's Steakhouse right at the Marriott and also probably way better. I refuse to eat at Chuck's (it looks overpriced, and honestly we have gas grills at the condo too so I could just as easily make a steak or go to Outback). Also, if you wander over from Aulani to the Marriott, I do NOT recommend Longboard's. It's convenient, yes, right on the beach and by the pool, and we did eat there last trip (as we always do when we just got there and we're tired). Yet again, overpriced (I felt bad as my friend treated) and my fish taco was just icky. My son explained he has dairy and egg allergy, and ordered a chicken terriyaki dinner. Instead, they brought him the sandwich - and had put mayo on it. Mayo has eggs, and who the heck puts mayo on terriyaki? Anyway, I'd avoid Longboard's.

Costco - you can get super fresh fish to cook, and also sashimi trays usually! I personally don't like their poke - I've tried it and it doesn't taste the way I'm used to. Too much soy sauce.

Sorry to ramble!

 

[AKVFamily]

This is outstanding local insight, thank you!

 

[happymommy]

Anyone that's been to Aulani recently have local or Waikiki restaurants to add.

Also anyone do fia fia recently? How was the food?

Thank you!

Sadly, Fia Fia is going to end at the Marriott Beach Club. It was recently reported that Marriott didn't renew their contract with them.

I don't know if they'll do it at the JW Marriott? I googled it and found their website, which doesn't provide much information.

it's www.fiafiashow.com

We always enjoy the chief at the free weekly get together on the lawn - never went to Fia Fia but he's a hoot!

 

[wutnik]

We were at Aulani last week and went to the Pizza Corner across the street twice. It is a quick walk to the corner and across the street.
We loved it! It was very reasonable a large (8 big slices) of a specialty pizza for $24. Also, it is BYOB, we brought a cooler with 2 beers (for my hubby and our friend) and me and the kids had sodas there. The staff was very friendly.
They deliver to Aulani too!
I am not sure if this is allowed, but would be AWESOME to have pizza delivered while watching the outdoor movie. I found that was one thing that I really wanted - popcorn or a snack while watching the movie.

Seriously? Pizza Corner is BYOB? I have never heard of such a thing.

 

[lovetotraveltx]

Sadly, Fia Fia is going to end at the Marriott Beach Club. It was recently reported that Marriott didn't renew their contract with them.

I don't know if they'll do it at the JW Marriott? I googled it and found their website, which doesn't provide much information.

it's www.fiafiashow.com

We always enjoy the chief at the free weekly get together on the lawn - never went to Fia Fia but he's a hoot!

do you know when it's due to end?

 

[yolie912]

Yes, I have reservations at FIA FIA. Will they let me know?

Worried..

Thanks

 

[happymommy]

I read on the TUG board that it's supposed to end soon! I'd call to make sure, since I haven't called myself.

Lots of places are BYOB in Hawaii, or at least used to be 15 years ago. You just need to make sure. Our favorite Korean place was, and it was right next to Safeway, where we'd pick up a 6 pack of beer before dinner there. I think the liquor licenses are expensive for a lot of mom and pop places.