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



## TagsMissy

hey Gang,

Thought I'd start this thread for DVCers so we can share ideas of places to go for a meal on the Island and for DISers to share their experiences.

I'll start with a list of a few places to check out:

Anna Miller's Restaurant
Roy's Restaurant
Giovanni's Shrimp Truck


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## Carriemel

In Oahu, on Waikiki...the SHORE BIRD!  OMG...kalua pork sandwich...unreal!


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## travlrmel

On our first (so far only) visit we sampled several places around the island for some local flavor.  Here are just a few places we went to.

Koa Pancake house near Aulani for inexpensive breakfast:





Matsumoto's on the Northshore for Shave Ice:





Helena's for some real Hawaiian food:





Royal Kitchen in Chinatown for Manapua:





Coco Puffs at Liliha Bakery, they also have a 24hr counter 6 days/week:





Malasadas at Leonard's Bakery:


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## Disneypapa

TagsMissy said:


> hey Gang,
> 
> Thought I'd start this thread for DVCers so we can share ideas of places to go for a meal on the Island and for DISers to share their experiences.
> 
> I'll start with a list of a few places to check out:
> 
> Anna Miller's Restaurant
> Roy's Restaurant
> Giovanni's Shrimp Truck




Before Aulani, my wife and I stayed at the Marriot Kolina and enjoyed the luau at Paradise Cove.  Just a few miles inland toward town is a large shopping mall with several chain restaurants.


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## CrazyDuck

You gotta figure out if you want to eat where the tourists eat or if you want to eat where the locals eat...  2 totally different experiences!


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## aymekae

Interested in suggestions as well. I've been thinking lately about how much to budget for food. 

We'll be in a studio, so while we plan on some groceries, we won't be cooking. We're also not planning on eating at the resort. I think we will be mostly eating at recognizable chains for a few reasons. First, DH is very picky. He's happiest with burgers, pizza, and hot breakfasts. Second, I will be eating gluten free. Chains do have one good thing going for them... they are consistent and as such, usually have allergen info available. So we won't be able to go as authentic as I'd prefer. 

My original estimate is $50 per person per day, so $1,000 total for 2 adults for 10 days. Anybody have any thoughts on this? Anecdotal experience? TIA


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## rstamm

aymekae said:


> Interested in suggestions as well. I've been thinking lately about how much to budget for food.
> 
> We'll be in a studio, so while we plan on some groceries, we won't be cooking. We're also not planning on eating at the resort. I think we will be mostly eating at recognizable chains for a few reasons. First, DH is very picky. He's happiest with burgers, pizza, and hot breakfasts. Second, I will be eating gluten free. Chains do have one good thing going for them... they are consistent and as such, usually have allergen info available. So we won't be able to go as authentic as I'd prefer.
> 
> My original estimate is $50 per person per day, so $1,000 total for 2 adults for 10 days. Anybody have any thoughts on this? Anecdotal experience? TIA





We too want chains, I saw a post that Outback is nearby, we will probably hit that at least twice, any Red Lobster or Olive Garden?


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## living20057

I had half of these on my list of places to go. This means I'm taking good notes 




travlrmel said:


> On our first (so far only) visit we sampled several places around the island for some local flavor.  Here are just a few places we went to.
> 
> Koa Pancake house near Aulani for inexpensive breakfast:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Matsumoto's on the Northshore for Shave Ice:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Helena's for some real Hawaiian food:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Royal Kitchen in Chinatown for Manapua:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Coco Puffs at Liliha Bakery, they also have a 24hr counter 6 days/week:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Malasadas at Leonard's Bakery:


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## living20057

aymekae said:


> Interested in suggestions as well. I've been thinking lately about how much to budget for food.
> 
> We'll be in a studio, so while we plan on some groceries, we won't be cooking. We're also not planning on eating at the resort. I think we will be mostly eating at recognizable chains for a few reasons. First, DH is very picky. He's happiest with burgers, pizza, and hot breakfasts. Second, I will be eating gluten free. Chains do have one good thing going for them... they are consistent and as such, usually have allergen info available. So we won't be able to go as authentic as I'd prefer.
> 
> My original estimate is $50 per person per day, so $1,000 total for 2 adults for 10 days. Anybody have any thoughts on this? Anecdotal experience? TIA



This is range I was planning to spend on food. It probably will be more because I would like to try all of Aulani's restaurants.


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## spleen

rstamm said:


> We too want chains, I saw a post that Outback is nearby, we will probably hit that at least twice, any Red Lobster or Olive Garden?



No Olive Garden in Hawaii.  Only one Red Lobster and it's in the middle of Waikiki so may not be practical to go.  

I've got a couple of chains listed on my map.  Click thumbnail to enlarge.





Other good places to eat on Oahu (high end) (located all around the island, not necessarily close to Aulani):
Alan Wong's
The Pineapple Room by Alan Wong in Macy's Ala Moana
Mariposa in Neiman Marcus in Ala Moana
Azure in the Royal Hawaiian Hotel
Hoku's in the Kahala Resort
Roy's (already mentioned by others)
Chef Mavro
Le Bistro
Sushi Sasabune / Mitch's Sushi
town / 12th Avenue Grill

Non high falutin good places to eat on Oahu:
Side Street Inn (large quantities of local Hawaiian bar type food and surprisingly good quality)
Rainbow Drive Inn (classic plate lunch - can't go wrong with the mixed plate)
Liliha Bakery (at the counter - already mentioned)
Kahai Street Kitchen (upscale plate lunch)
Teddy's Bigger Burgers
Genki Sushi / Kuru Kuru Sushi (conveyor belt sushi places)
Chun Wah Kam Noodle Factory (humongous Chinese food plates)
Grace's Drive In (great chicken katsu)
Honolulu Burger Company
Kua Aina Burger (the original location in Haleiwa)
Assagio's (many locations - neighborhood Italian joint)
Zippy's (classic Hawaii drive in)
Curry House Coco Ichibanya (for curry anything)


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## CrazyDuck

Also in the same shopping center that houses target is a Denny's and a Subway.  In kapolei near Safeway ther is also a pizza Hut and Taco Bell


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## TagsMissy

Anybody have recommendations over what luau to do? We want to do one but if we're doing one we want to do it right.


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## CrazyDuck

Just do the one at paradise cove... You can just walk there from Aulani.  The others on the island are equally cheesy not worth wasting gas to get to!


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## cj9200

Great suggestions.  Thanks for the lists.  Cut and pasted them to my HI file.  I am looking for non tourist places.  

This will probably be my one trip to HI.  Is it worth going to a luau?  I imagine a more authentic version of the Spirit of Aloha and maybe not worth the time.


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## ccigliano

We like Duke's in Waikiki for the ambiance.  And while Waikiki is like a city on the beach - it does have some great nightlife but keep in mind it's a good 45 mins from Ko Olina.  Be sure to visit Lanikai Beach on the east side of the island as it is just spectacular.


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## adminjedi

spleen said:


> No Olive Garden in Hawaii.  Only one Red Lobster and it's in the middle of Waikiki so may not be practical to go.
> 
> I've got a couple of chains listed on my map.  Click thumbnail to enlarge.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Other good places to eat on Oahu (high end) (located all around the island, not necessarily close to Aulani):
> Alan Wong's
> The Pineapple Room by Alan Wong in Macy's Ala Moana
> Mariposa in Neiman Marcus in Ala Moana
> Azure in the Royal Hawaiian Hotel
> Hoku's in the Kahala Resort
> Roy's (already mentioned by others)
> Chef Mavro
> Le Bistro
> Sushi Sasabune / Mitch's Sushi
> town / 12th Avenue Grill
> 
> Non high falutin good places to eat on Oahu:
> Side Street Inn (large quantities of local Hawaiian bar type food and surprisingly good quality)
> Rainbow Drive Inn (classic plate lunch - can't go wrong with the mixed plate)
> Liliha Bakery (at the counter - already mentioned)
> Kahai Street Kitchen (upscale plate lunch)
> Teddy's Bigger Burgers
> Genki Sushi / Kuru Kuru Sushi (conveyor belt sushi places)
> Chun Wah Kam Noodle Factory (humongous Chinese food plates)
> Grace's Drive In (great chicken katsu)
> Honolulu Burger Company
> Kua Aina Burger (the original location in Haleiwa)
> Assagio's (many locations - neighborhood Italian joint)
> Zippy's (classic Hawaii drive in)
> Curry House Coco Ichibanya (for curry anything)



What about Morimoto's restaurant in Waikiki?


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## TreesyB

I went here for a snack:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/yard-house-honolulu#query:yard

They have happy hour.  And the countless draft pulls are picture worthy!


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## TEK224

I definitely want to get to Leonards for the malasadas!   Trying to figure out how to get them home in eatable condition.

Plan on Roy's for dinner.  The chocolate souffle' is awesome.

I love Paradise Cove luau (although haven't been there for several years)

Where exactly is Giovanni's Shrimp Truck.  I know there are several trucks and want to make sure I hit the right one.

Two years ago I ate breakfast in a local place in Haleiwa.  I can't remember the name of it, but it was on the main road near Matsumoto's.  Breakfast wasn't fancy, but it was good and reasonable.

Less than a month until I'm Hawaii bound!


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## spleen

adminjedi said:


> What about Morimoto's restaurant in Waikiki?



Morimoto's is an interesting experience.  Been there twice now - once on a tasting menu.  I wouldn't rank it in my top 5 restaurants of Oahu but the food is good (if expensive) and if you're a fan of the Iron Chef, it's hard to go wrong visiting his restaurant, maybe catching a glimpse of him working (he shuttles between all of his restaurants but does seem to spend a fair amount of time in Hawaii).  If you get lucky, you could even get a photo with him or get him to sign a cookbook!

I would probably rank Nobu's in Waikiki similar to Morimoto's.  Which sort of makes sense given their background.


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## spleen

TEK224 said:


> I definitely want to get to Leonards for the malasadas!   Trying to figure out how to get them home in eatable condition.



They really don't travel well - they're nowhere near as good even 30 minutes later so good luck with that.  



TEK224 said:


> Where exactly is Giovanni's Shrimp Truck.  I know there are several trucks and want to make sure I hit the right one.



Here's their website - has directions on there.  I think the Kahuku one is the original but don't hold me to it.


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## emum

Thanks for this thread !

Cheers,
Sally


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## DVC Doc

We were fortunate to have a friend who is a local give us some great tips on places to eat.  Here are my reviews....

NEAR AULANI:
*Just Tacos* - across the street from Aulani, decent Mexican food at touristy prices; we were put off by the loud music inside, would request to be seated outside
*Zippy's* - these are all over the place and the nearest one is in Kapolei (by Safeway); I kind of think of as the Hawaiian equivalent of Denny's, they serve the classic plate lunches at decent prices
*Hapa Grill* - haven't seen this place mentioned on this thread yet, it's also in Kapolei near Safeway; they serve great breakfast and dinner here at reasonable prices http://hapagrill.net/ 
*Costco* - if you're a member, you really can't go wrong with a dirt cheap Costco meal  also lots of souveniers and Hawaiian foods available here
*Roy's* - didn't get a chance to eat here as they had a fire during our visit
*Paradise Cove* - it's a decent luau, and apparently the one the locals prefer; I though it was a bit touristy and the food just OK; drink lines get horrendous, get in line early!!

WAIKIKI:
*Rainbow Drive-In* - probably my favorite meal of the trip; the best plate lunch on the island!
*Leonard's Bakery* - you absolutely must go for a hot malasada!  there is also a Leonard's truck you'll see parked at a shopping mall near Aulani on the north side of H1 (I think near the Home Depot)
*International Market* - a bit touristy but lots of fantastic cheap meals at the food court; you can get a Dole Whip here! 
*Cheesecake Factory* - didn't eat here but hadn't seen in mentioned yet on this thread but there is one near Waikiki Beach; always a safe bet

NORTH SHORE:
*Giovanni's Shrimp Truck* - this is where we stopped due to the reviews and it was pretty good; apparently the shrimp comes from Asia; don't miss the BBQ corn from the stand behind it!
*Ted's Bakery* - stop here on your drive along North Shore; they are famous for the chocolate haupia pie...get one to take back to Aulani with you!
*Aoki Shave Ice* - Matsumoto's next door is more popular but this is where the locals go!  very friendly and delicious shave ice!  get vanilla ice cream and beans with it!


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## dvc_john

I always have to go to Matsumoto's for a shave ice!

Ruth's Chris Steak House is normally out of my price range, but last time I was there both the one in Waikiki and the one north of Waikoloa on the Big Island had an early bird special that was reasonable, and very good.


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## Lisacope

We are going to Aulani in February and places to eat is a top priority! for me it is about fine dining (I will almost certainly try Nobu) and places that the locals like.


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## travlrmel

If you're interested in trying some new and different food, try the Hawaii Food Tour.  http://www.hawaiifoodtours.com/hitw.html  We went and had a great time.  They took us to some of the places I posted about earlier.  Unfortunately, they don't pick up at Aulani so you have to drive Ala Mona Mall to meet the van.


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## Ggatorgirl

Bumping up this thread to get some more ideas.  

We'll be at Aulani in 2 weeks and am finalizing my to-do list!

Does Chuck's at the Ko Olina Beach Club still have happy our mai tais?


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## izzy

I can give an enthusiatic thumbs up for Leonard's malasadas!  If I remember correctly, you take exit 7 on H1 and head north for about a block or so (depending on whether you're getting off of H1 east or west), turn right and go to the shopping center that has Lowe's and Kmart in it.  Their truck/trailer is at the far end of the parking lot near Lowe's.  (You can actually see it if you are driving H1 west.)

I agree that they are better hot.  The chocolate filled ones and the coconut filled ones are to die for.  I stopped by there twice.  

And at Costco I got my best food bargain of the trip - a 1/4 lb hotdog and drink for $1.50 - just like on the mainland!  And boy was that place packed around lunchtime.  They had 3 of the 4 cash registers open, and I'd guess 8 to 10 people in each line.  It does move fast.  I've never seen the food counter at a Costco with this many registers and this many customers.  Looked like mostly locals, too.

I forget to find out exactly where Matsumoto's shave ice place is on the North Shore the day I was driving around the island, so I never did try it.  Later I happened to be talking with one of the bellmen at Aulani, and he told me that the syrup they use at the shave ice stand at Aulani is the same as what is used at Masumoto's.  I don't know if that's true or not, but it did make me feel a little better.


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## izzy

Ggatorgirl said:


> Bumping up this thread to get some more ideas.
> 
> We'll be at Aulani in 2 weeks and am finalizing my to-do list!
> 
> Does Chuck's at the Ko Olina Beach Club still have happy our mai tais?



Oops, just saw your question.  I was there about 3 weeks ago, and yes, they do!  $4 from 4:45 - 6.  I was going to get two since they were such a bargain, but one ended up being enough for me.  I definitely can't hold my liquor!


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## dr&momto2boys

Longboards at the Marriott timeshare located 2 lagoons down from Aulani is a very convnient and pretty decent meal.  There is live music on the weekends and the tropical drinks are way better than at Aulani.

The restaurant by the pool at the JW Marriot next door to Aulani is a good lunch alternative.  The food is just okay but it's nice to have different options.  Their are hammerhead sharks to watch in a tank/pool right there too.

The malasadas should definately be eaten hot!  We got some to take back to the hotel and they were just a greasy mess the next day.


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## oktracy

Are the malasadas hot when purchased from the Leonard's Truck????


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## oktracy

Are the malasadas hot when purchased from the Leonard's Truck????


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## ennisb

Also at exit 1B just make another left after Costco

Pizza Hut
Papa Johns
Taco Bell
Burger King
McDonalds
SafeWay
Zippy's (local favorite)
Denny's
Chinese (Panda express?)
Chilis
Outback
A bunch more in all the strip malls


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## mouseaider

We were at Aulani in April and I can tell you that the Luau at Paradise Cove was just OK.

We booked the VIP Royal Box to celebrate our anniversary and we thought the food was horrible. 

Everything was overcooked and you could not eat the chicken if you tried. It was the worse dinning experience that we've ever had.

Save your money and go to see the Starlit Hui for your luau fix.


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## TagsMissy

mouseaider said:


> We were at Aulani in April and I can tell you that the Luau at Paradise Cove was just OK.
> 
> We booked the VIP Royal Box to celebrate our anniversary and we thought the food was horrible.
> 
> Everything was overcooked and you could not eat the chicken if you tried. It was the worse dinning experience that we've ever had.
> 
> Save your money and go to see the Starlit Hui for your luau fix.



I agree, it did NOT live up to the reviews. It was just OK. Chances are I'd not pay to go there again. We were there within a day or so of mouseaider's visit to the Luau


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## izzy

oktracy said:


> Are the malasadas hot when purchased from the Leonard's Truck????



Both times I went they were.


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## spleen

izzy said:


> Both times I went they were.



Yes, should be.  Turnover at that Leonard's truck is fast enough that you should be getting malasadas that are pretty much right out of the fryer.


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## Hunnypaw

we copied some of these places to our list.   We will be at Aulani in 3 weeks!  Thanks!


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## treborq

Can anyone detail the pros/cons between these 2 Luau choices, Paradise Cove vs Polynesian Cultural Center.
We will be at Aulani first 10 days of August 2012.
Thank you in advance!


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## Silly Little Pixie

treborq said:


> Can anyone detail the pros/cons between these 2 Luau choices, Paradise Cove vs Polynesian Cultural Center.
> We will be at Aulani first 10 days of August 2012.
> Thank you in advance!



Or, even staying at the PCC for the luau vs. just watching the Starlit Hui? Thoughts? 

We will be taking my inlaws (never been to Hawaii) and if the food isn't good, then maybe it's not worth it to do a "luau". My family went to a luau in Kona before so the whole food part isn't a necessity for us. I don't want to waste the money on a luau at Polynesian Cultural Center if it's not great food- as you can see lots of other places to try on Oahu! My inlaws do want to visit PCC.


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## boiseflyfisher

oktracy said:


> Are the malasadas hot when purchased from the Leonard's Truck????



Ours were piping hot.  We had to wait while they were making a new batch.  Yum!


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## poohkinandpiglet

We just returned from 11 days at Aulani.  Here's a random list of some of my favorites.

North Shore:  Giovanni's Shrimp truck, Woody's corn on the cob and Ted's bakery (loved the mini chocolate chip macadamian nut cookies)  
Matsumoto's shaved ice, too.

We ate appetizers for dinner off The Olelo Room menu while listening to the live music.  Loved the nightly live music in a beautiful setting!  Ama Ama was our favorite on-site restaurant for a nice sit down meal.

Try a Tropical Ginger Lemonade if you've never had one.  YUM!

The Swap meet at Aloha Stadium is every Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday.  It's a great place to shop for souvenirs including locally made items.  

Electric Beach is a great place to snorkel.   The power from the electric company heats the water offshore and attracts all types of fish, eels, sea turtles, etc . . . 

Spend an afternoon at the spa and relax in the hydrotherapy garden.  Heaven! 

Food:

Ko'Olina BBQ across the street from Aulani was good.  We liked the BBQ chicken best.  

ABC market had good panini sandwiches and other easy lunch options.  Portions were large so we shared.

Just Tacos-- food was not great (I'm from Texas so it takes good Mexican food to impress me) but their tequila selection was extensive and the margaritas are worth a try.

Roy's-- good fixed price option

Brick Oven Pizza in Kapolei 

Safeway in Kapolei was super expensive ($7 for a box of cereal).  Walmart has better prices for basic grocery items.  Buy what you can there then splurge on the other stuff at Safeway.

If you geocache, take time to geocache in Oahu.  There are some amazing places to discover.

Aloha!


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## ejw

where is electric beach?

ellen


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## podsnel

poohkinandpiglet said:


> We just returned from 11 days at Aulani.  Here's a random list of some of my favorites.
> 
> North Shore:  Giovanni's Shrimp truck, Woody's corn on the cob and Ted's bakery (loved the mini chocolate chip macadamian nut cookies)
> Matsumoto's shaved ice, too.
> 
> We ate appetizers for dinner off The Olelo Room menu while listening to the live music.  Loved the nightly live music in a beautiful setting!  Ama Ama was our favorite on-site restaurant for a nice sit down meal.
> 
> Try a Tropical Ginger Lemonade if you've never had one.  YUM!
> 
> The Swap meet at Aloha Stadium is every Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday.  It's a great place to shop for souvenirs including locally made items.
> 
> Electric Beach is a great place to snorkel.   The power from the electric company heats the water offshore and attracts all types of fish, eels, sea turtles, etc . . .
> 
> Spend an afternoon at the spa and relax in the hydrotherapy garden.  Heaven!
> 
> Food:
> 
> Ko'Olina BBQ across the street from Aulani was good.  We liked the BBQ chicken best.
> 
> ABC market had good panini sandwiches and other easy lunch options.  Portions were large so we shared.
> 
> Just Tacos-- food was not great (I'm from Texas so it takes good Mexican food to impress me) but their tequila selection was extensive and the margaritas are worth a try.
> 
> Roy's-- good fixed price option
> 
> Brick Oven Pizza in Kapolei
> 
> Safeway in Kapolei was super expensive ($7 for a box of cereal).  Walmart has better prices for basic grocery items.  Buy what you can there then splurge on the other stuff at Safeway.
> 
> If you geocache, take time to geocache in Oahu.  There are some amazing places to discover.
> 
> Aloha!



Great list- thanks for sharing!  Also, very glad to hear you enjoyed Ama Ama- does that mean it has improved?


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## spleen

ejw said:


> where is electric beach?
> 
> ellen



Electric Beach (also known as Kahe Point) is slightly to the west of Aulani.  Keep going west on Farrington Highway (the main road/highway outside of Aulani) until you see the big electrical plant on the right - it's the beach across the street. Be warned that break ins are pretty common in cars parked there so I would make sure not to leave any valuables in the car.  It's definitely a much better snorkeling spot than anywhere in Ko Olina (where Aulani is).  I got PADI certified there ... 

http://www.hawaiisnorkelingguide.com/kahe_point_beach_park_snorkeling.html


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## Figee17

If you are able, head over to Kaneohe at some point.  They have some good restaurants over there as well.  Or favorite is Haleiwa Joe's at Haiku Gardens (http://www.haleiwajoes.com/111111_hjoes_kaneohemain.html). Great food, beautiful view, and nice atmosphere.  While over there, be sure to visit the Byodo-In Temple (http://www.byodo-in.com/) which is very close by and a beautiful, peaceful spot.  Enjoy!  I have been to Hawaii three times, but not to aulani yet, I can't wait to go!


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## rusafee1183

What a great idea for a thread! I am subbing to this for when I plan my Aulani trip!! 

Thanks!


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## rsjj

Best shave ice...waiola!!  It's a drive away from aulani though...

Burger on the edge...chose ur own burger w/lots of toppings.  Huge selection!! Hubby loves burgers, and he really loved this place!!  Across from Leonard's bakery.  Again, a drive away...


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## ejw

spleen said:


> Electric Beach (also known as Kahe Point) is slightly to the west of Aulani.  Keep going west on Farrington Highway (the main road/highway outside of Aulani) until you see the big electrical plant on the right - it's the beach across the street. Be warned that break ins are pretty common in cars parked there so I would make sure not to leave any valuables in the car.  It's definitely a much better snorkeling spot than anywhere in Ko Olina (where Aulani is).  I got PADI certified there ...
> 
> http://www.hawaiisnorkelingguide.com/kahe_point_beach_park_snorkeling.html



thanks for the info.  would like to check it out but don't like the idea of our rental car being broken in to.  any chance we can walk there?


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## knhellesky

rsjj said:


> Best shave ice...waiola!!  It's a drive away from aulani though...



We call that lady in Waiola "shaved ice nazi" 

Make sure you read the rules before ordering


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## Island Mouse

My personal favorite shave ice place is Ailana's on Kona street right at Ala Moana Center.  It's a hidden gem and near a popular visitor location.  I heard they opened another shop in Waikiki, but have yet to try it.

If you venture into downtown/Chinatown my favorite pizza place is JJ Dolan's on Bethel street.  They are an Irish pub/sports bar type restaurant with awesome pizza.  

Other favorites:
Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin (Waikiki)
Ramen Nakamura (Waikiki)
Honolulu Burger Co. (Honolulu)


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## rsjj

knhellesky said:


> We call that lady in Waiola "shaved ice nazi"
> 
> Make sure you read the rules before ordering





We just tried this place called shimazu on school st.  Pretty good!!  They had a "rules" posted there as well!!  Hilarious!!  I was trying hard to not mess it up!!


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## spleen

ejw said:


> thanks for the info.  would like to check it out but don't like the idea of our rental car being broken in to.  any chance we can walk there?



Nah, too far.  Plus the area between Ko Olina (where Aulani is) and where Electric Beach isn't the most scenic.  If you go, I'd plan on going there, leaving nothing in the car and leaving the doors unlocked/windows open to make it clear that there's nothing in the car.  They won't steal the car itself (as long as you don't leave the keys too, lol).

As for shave ice, Waiola is our favorite as well.  Though Ailana's is a close second.  The Waikiki location for Ailana's is located in the Waikiki Shopping Plaza.  Waiola also has 2 locations but the original behind the Moilili library is still the best.


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## mitymott

Nico's at pier 38, Ono Hawaiian foods,Hukilau cafe, and above all else get a coco puff( or a dozen)from the liliha bakery. We found food to be not all that expensive away from the tourist traps. Awesome places.


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## haredi

We went to the taco place across the street, Just Tacos.  It was good, but beware that if your family likes the ground beef type tacos, you won't find these in Hawaii. They are steak, chicken and pork.  My son was disappointed, we liked it.

We also went to 

Duke's in Waikiki and Assaggio in Kapolei.

We were not happy with Longboards at one of the nearby hotels.  And Roy's is good, but we have one down the road in FL so we did not go there.


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## BrianM

Although there's probably a bunch of places that serve banana/Mac nut pancakes, I really liked this at Moose Mccillicudy's in Waikiki.


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## Psychodisney

In Waikiki, we went to Jimmy Buffett's at the Beachcomber.  They have free valet parking which was great.  Also went to the Shorebird for lunch.  Valet parking was only a couple of bucks.  Open air looking out onto Waikiki Beach.
Matsumoto's Shave Ice was a big hit for my family.  Got there shortly before noon.....no line.
Across from Leonard's Malsadas, we had reasonably priced and tasty burgers at Over the Edge.
Didn't care for the Paradise Cove Luau.  Food was very disappointing.
We looked around Kapolei and ended up at Chili's.  Outdoor seating was nice.  Good service.


----------



## gwensgoofy

bumping this up to see if anyone has any additions to make before we venture there in December!


----------



## Skatetigger

We were there a couple weeks ago and had some good food.

If you make it up to Haleiwa (North Shore) we had some great Thai food that Guy Fieri visited on Diners, Drive-in's and Dives.  It's called Opal Thai food, and it's awesome.  It's in a little strip mall and you do have to look for it or you might miss it but great experience if you like Thai.  Opal is the owner and chef, he took our order and made us some great food.   Here's a link to the yelp review

http://www.yelp.com/biz/opal-thai-food-haleiwa

We went to the PCC, and we didnt' do the luau but we did their main meal before the evening show.  It was great food.

We miss Leonards  but had plenty of shaved ice. 


We also ate at a great pizza place on the East side of the island but I wish I could remember the name.

We went to Just Tacos as well and split the appeitzers plate for dinner as we weren't that hungry.  The chicken wings were great.

Enjoyed our meals at Ama Ama and Roys.  I did the prefix at Roy's and it was really really good.


----------



## Carriemel

I already posted about the ShoreBird but I forgot about this shrimp truck = 

http://www.bigwaveshrimp.com/

If it's good enough for Guy Fieri and me...well...


----------



## eva

Really want to do a luau when we go in May. I really love the idea of walking to the Paradise Cove. Has anyone tried the deluxe luau package they have. They say you are served table side, not buffet style, with this package. The list of food was a bit different on the website. Also, it appears that drink orders are taken at the table for this package. Any thoughts or more reviews?

Also, if this is really that bad, are there any more recommendations for luaus?


----------



## stitch'sgirl

mouseaider said:


> We were at Aulani in April and I can tell you that the Luau at Paradise Cove was just OK.
> 
> We booked the VIP Royal Box to celebrate our anniversary and we thought the food was horrible.
> 
> Everything was overcooked and you could not eat the chicken if you tried. It was the worse dinning experience that we've ever had.
> 
> Save your money and go to see the Starlit Hui for your luau fix.



Agree as well!  The Starlit Hui is beautiful and so much more intimate.

As far as best food value goes, I have to agree with Costco.  Large pizza for $10, eat some there and have enough left over to throw in your fridge for snacks later after swimming.  We did it a couple of times!


----------



## dbenlee

eva said:


> Really want to do a luau when we go in May. I really love the idea of walking to the Paradise Cove. Has anyone tried the deluxe luau package they have. They say you are served table side, not buffet style, with this package. The list of food was a bit different on the website. Also, it appears that drink orders are taken at the table for this package. Any thoughts or more reviews?
> 
> Also, if this is really that bad, are there any more recommendations for luaus?



We did the Deluxe luau at Paradise Cove in June of this year.  We really enjoyed the whole experience.  The food is served to you at the table instead of going through the buffet line.  Also, like you see on the website, the menu is a little different.  They bring seconds if of anything if you request.  You can also order drinks from the table and they will bring them to you.  You can also use your tickets at the bar area as you walk around the grounds before the luau starts.   Being a literal 2 minute walk from the front of Aulani to the entrance of the luau was a huge plus also.

As I mentioned earlier, we really enjoyed the luau and the deluxe package.  You will read differing reviews, but for the most part I think most people like this luau.


----------



## aclov

I didn't see anyone mention Germaine's Luau - is it a NO or just too far?


----------



## Dean

aclov said:


> I didn't see anyone mention Germaine's Luau - is it a NO or just too far?


Mediocre.


----------



## oh_coconuts

Make sure you hit the Rainbow Drive-in of you have a car. It was featured on diners, drive-ins, and Dives. It was awesome. My DW was not sure about it but loved the food and could not stop eating mine.


----------



## oh_coconuts

Saw some one mention Ted's on the North Shore and Leonard's bakery. I want I go back!


----------



## dsneygirl

oh_coconuts said:


> Make sure you hit the Rainbow Drive-in of you have a car. It was featured on diners, drive-ins, and Dives. It was awesome. My DW was not sure about it but loved the food and could not stop eating mine.



Be warned this place can be a zoo! The day we were there it was PACKED and loud. I thought the food was ok noting memorable compared to other "plate lunches" we have had.



oh_coconuts said:


> Saw some one mention Ted's on the North Shore and Leonard's bakery. I want I go back!




Yes to Ted's a hidden gem!


----------



## Silly Little Pixie

dsneygirl said:


> Yes to Ted's a hidden gem!



Tell me about Ted's!


----------



## dsneygirl

A nice stop on the north shore for baked treats
http://www.tedsbakery.com/


----------



## aymekae

Wow, I saw that I posted almost a year ago on this board. Glad we didn't end up at only chain restaurants like we planned! Below is a short summary of my likes/dislikes:

Likes

Koa Pancake House
Zippy's
Ko Olina BBQ
Forty Niner Restaurant (the locals thought we were locals at first and couldn't believe TOURISTS had found their beloved little place)
Island X Hawaii (North Shore coffee and chocolate store that also offers natural flavored shave ice that was to die for. Even though I knew what I was ordering, I was still in shock that the strawberry and coconut tasted REAL. Some of their natural flavors are from ingredients grown on Oahu.)
Auntie Pasto's
One Paddle Two Paddle
Off the Hook
Papalua Shave Ice

Dislikes

Makahiki (breakfast buffet was so disappointing it made me sick how much it cost for the two of us and lunch was the same; service was so-so both times; most of the breakfast items were cold or lukewarm, and this was at 7:30)
Boston Style Pizza (couldn't eat more than a few bites of my slice that had spinach on it; tasted like it had been sitting for hours, and even though they reheated it, it was so gross; DH liked his pepperoni well enough)


----------



## Silly Little Pixie

Ayme, where is the Forty Niner restaurant?  
And thanks for the heads up about Makahiki. It's soooo expensive for the 4 of us- if it's not great, then we can skip it.


----------



## bfosbenner

In Haleiwa on the North Shore try the Grass Skirt Grill!

Paradise cove was dissapointing, we even went last Valentines Day. I heard the Cultural center was better.

Try the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, The Pink Hotel. Waikiki.  We ate at the outside lounge up against the beach!  Nice atmosphere, less cost than the main rest.

Leonards!

Mosumoto's shave ice!

Ama Ama!


----------



## georgeat

Another local place to try is Lulu's down by the zoo end of the beach. Good local atmosphere
http://www.luluswaikiki.com/


----------



## eva

dbenlee said:


> We did the Deluxe luau at Paradise Cove in June of this year.  We really enjoyed the whole experience.  The food is served to you at the table instead of going through the buffet line.  Also, like you see on the website, the menu is a little different.  They bring seconds if of anything if you request.  You can also order drinks from the table and they will bring them to you.  You can also use your tickets at the bar area as you walk around the grounds before the luau starts.   Being a literal 2 minute walk from the front of Aulani to the entrance of the luau was a huge plus also.
> 
> As I mentioned earlier, we really enjoyed the luau and the deluxe package.  You will read differing reviews, but for the most part I think most people like this luau.



Thanks so much! I think between the Paradise Cove luau and the Starlite Hui, we will be good to go. From a number of reviews, it appears it is worth doing the deluxe luau too. So I am going to reserve that before we go.


----------



## floribr1

Great thread! I only wish I had found it before our trip to Aulani in August/September... 

We also did the Delux package at Paradise Cove luau, and liked it well enough. They offer two different delux packages: one where you sit right in front of the stage (less expensive) and another where you sit under covered seating at the back of the viewing area (more expensive). We opted for the more expensive, rear seating. It was nice not to have to push/shove with the throngs of people in the buffet line, and to be able to order your drinks from the waiter. Was it fine dining? No, but the overall experience was fun and that is what you are paying for.

You have to understand, there is always going to be a certain "cheese factor" at any luau. These luaus cater primarily to the tourists who want to enjoy what the media represents to us as an "authentic Hawaiian experience," and that is what they try to deliver, coconut bras, grass skirts and all. As long as you are prepared for that, you will be fine. My first luau experience was at the Spirit of Aloha show at the Polynesian resort at WDW. I was really looking forward to that show, and ended up disappointed. So after that, my expectations were not quite as lofty for the Paradise Cove luau, and I ended up genuinely enjoying it. If I go back to Hawaii with others who have never experienced a luau, I would probably go back to Paradise Cove. But if it's just me -- I feel that I have now "been there, done that" and don't need to repeat.

Have fun -- I bet you will really like it.


----------



## aymekae

Silly Little Pixie said:


> Ayme, where is the Forty Niner restaurant?
> And thanks for the heads up about Makahiki. It's soooo expensive for the 4 of us- if it's not great, then we can skip it.



It's not near Aulani, closer to Pearl Harbor and on the way to the airport. The address is 98-110 Honomanu St., Aiea, HI 96701. We ate there on our way up to the North Shore and on the day we flew home. I had banana & macadamia nut pancakes with haupia sauce the first time, and a fried rice omelet with Portuguese sausage the next time.

Yeah, I know we were in Hawaii at a "resort" and should just be expected to cough up $30+ for breakfast. But when you can go to Koa or Forty Niner and pay $5-10 and be completely satisfied, I mean, why not. It's a bit of a drive, but we enjoyed seeing more of the island anyway.


----------



## msbatchelor5

In the shopping center where the Target is there's a place called Aloha Salads. It's a sandwich/salad place but its all locally grown produce, bread, etc. it was really yummy plus I liked supporting the local business. As vegans we are there once a day. Ha! Their champagne Italian dressing is yummy!!

Also. Same shopping center is a Genki Sushi. Was super popular but went a little early the next night and had a yummy meal. 

The Grass Skirt Grille on the North Shore looked and sounded fantastic. Wish we'd eaten there. 

I do NOT however recommend Kapolei Chinese Resturant.


----------



## oh_coconuts

Lulu's in Waikiki was great for lunch. Kona Brewery has excellent food. The pink hotel in Waikiki has a coffee shop on the first floor that sells Dole Whip!   Thought I could only get that at MK and the Poly.


----------



## bfosbenner

The Dole Plantation has Dole Whips also!
Just walk in the Gift Shop on your way to the North Shore


----------



## runmommyrun

ccigliano said:


> We like Duke's in Waikiki for the ambiance.  And while Waikiki is like a city on the beach - it does have some great nightlife but keep in mind it's a good 45 mins from Ko Olina.  Be sure to visit Lanikai Beach on the east side of the island as it is just spectacular.



Heading to Aulani for first HI trip in June.  A friend told me tonight that Duke's was by far the best food and atmosphere of their trip.  Throwing a wrench into this thread, son recently diagnosed with celiac disease.  Anywhere in particular that may accommodate that?  I've become spoiled with Disney properties/restaurants because they do such a great job at making adjustments to food for celiac kids.  But we have one child with a food issue and the rest of us want to try whatever we can!  (That sounds horrible... we ALL want to enjoy local cuisine... just not suffer for it!).


----------



## Dean

runmommyrun said:


> Heading to Aulani for first HI trip in June.  A friend told me tonight that Duke's was by far the best food and atmosphere of their trip.  Throwing a wrench into this thread, son recently diagnosed with celiac disease.  Anywhere in particular that may accommodate that?  I've become spoiled with Disney properties/restaurants because they do such a great job at making adjustments to food for celiac kids.  But we have one child with a food issue and the rest of us want to try whatever we can!  (That sounds horrible... we ALL want to enjoy local cuisine... just not suffer for it!).


I would assume Duke's is easily able to cater to a gluten free diet.  Here's the website for TS Restauran's which has Duke's among other great choices.  IMO, Duke's in Waikiki is among the lessor of their choices but the best are on other island's.  Roy's is a similar chain and very good.  Neither are cheap but they are reasonable by resort and HI standards and very good food generally.


----------



## spleen

Dean said:


> I would assume Duke's is easily able to cater to a gluten free diet.  Here's the website for TS Restauran's which has Duke's among other great choices.  IMO, Duke's in Waikiki is among the lessor of their choices but the best are on other island's.  Roy's is a similar chain and very good.  Neither are cheap but they are reasonable by resort and HI standards and very good food generally.



I honestly don't get the love for Duke's that some people have.  Great place to have a drink and watch the sunset and fun to people watch but never felt the food was anything special.  I agree that some of the other TS Restaurant places are decidedly better (especially in Lahaina).


----------



## Dean

spleen said:


> I honestly don't get the love for Duke's that some people have.  Great place to have a drink and watch the sunset and fun to people watch but never felt the food was anything special.  I agree that some of the other TS Restaurant places are decidedly better (especially in Lahaina).


We find Duke's in Waikiki only OK and the Hula Grill (both locations) less than that.  Duke's on Kauai was better.  We really like Leilani's and Keoki's Paradise.  I haven't tried the Duke's on Maui or Kimo's.  We often  have a card for a free hula pie which they normally will let you combine with other discounts or the early bird specials.  

One word on Roy's, it's now under the OSI chain (Carrabba's, Outback, Bonefish) and one can often pick up holiday specials on gift cards and there are locations that sell their gift cards for a discount.  I get a 7% discount through our CU and often stock up on their cards when they have holiday specials.  Unlike Darden and Brinker, their holiday specialty cards are good at all of their brands, not just the chain of purchase.  Only Outback tends to extend the expiration or let you use more than one card at a time in my experience but I'm sure it's by location and we're just lucky that way.


----------



## aclov

Went to Dukes for breakfast but the bar area seemed to be the nicest part and although I wanted to return we didn't get a chance to go back  ~ Been to Roy's in Chicago and that was awesome!     ~ Just tried Carraba's for the first time last week, we don't have any in my area.  The chocolate  dessert was soooo good


----------



## bluedoggy

Wanted to post that our 1st experience in Hawaii and at Aulani was absolutely amazing!!  We have stayed at Disney resorts for many years, but the staff and cast-members at Aulani take SERVICE to a whole new level! From the time we drove up and were greeted and escorted through the resort to our room to the moment we left -  there was nothing that was less than 1st class.

On food- we LOVED AMA AMA  we ate there for meals at breakfast lunch and dinner.  the view is beautiful.  The best server we had was a young woman- Lokelani.  Smiling-knowlegeable-friendly and so accomodating.  We liked AMA AMA the best.  Actually better food than in the buffet at Aulani.

Looking forward to another trip to Hawaii ... we'd be happy to just hang out at Aulani...


----------



## woodkins

After our Thanksgiving stay at Aulani I can offer my $.02.
-Makahiki character breakfast was great, good selection, we had excellent service & the character interaction was great.

-Makahiki dinner buffet-literally walked out. The kids menu has 3 choices a la carte and then the buffet. My daughter is 10 so they gave us the choice of the kids menu or pay adult price for buffet ($43). all she wanted was chicken nuggets (and eats literally 3). they have nuggets on buffet but not on separate menu and refused to substitute them for the baked chicken breast or mac and cheese on kids menu, so told me I would have to pay $43 for her to get the 3 nuggets....ummm no.

-Poolside dining was great, good selection, excellent drink and food delivery.

-ABC store has great sandwiches and prepared foods. Well worth the quick walk across the street

-Roys...by far the best meal of our trip. Macadamia crusted pacific blue nose with a chocolate souffle for dessert!! Delish! Also within walking distance of the resort

-Paradise Cove luau: overpriced tourist trap! Food was beyond disgusting. We paid for the "Deluxe" which meant they deliver the gross food to your table!  Sooo not worth it.

-Ama Ama: food was excellent, although we preferred Roy's. The atmosphere and view are amazing and nicer then Roy's so we considered it a tie.


----------



## tfc3rid

We went to Aulani last January for a aweek and had a blast...  First time to HI...

We ate at:
Ama Ama (dinner) - enjoyed it...  Expected the high prices but was a terrific dinner
Makahiki (dinner) - really liked it...  high price but expected in HI...
Maui Mike's Fire Roasted Chicken - Excellent prices and great chicken/sandwiches/etc. Located in Wahiawa...  Big spot for the military.
Genki Sushi - near Aulani. Conveyor belt sushi...  Yummy food, good choices and not a budget buster.
Cinnamon's Cafe (breakfast) - Located in Kaneohe - Terrific breakfasts...  Lots of food, reasonably priced. Red velvet pancakes...
Macky's Shrimp Truck - Terrific value and wife loved the shrimp.
Leonard's - Stopped at the truck about 3 or 4 times for hot malasadas...  Excellent

We went to the PCC for the Luau and night show...  It was ok...  A one time thing...  Wouldn't do it again...

We had lunch from One Paddle Two Paddle often as well as had breakfast in our room and made some frozen pizzas for lunch...  

Loved our time at Aulani and cannot wait to return!


----------



## lilpooh108

spleen said:


> I honestly don't get the love for Duke's that some people have.  Great place to have a drink and watch the sunset and fun to people watch but never felt the food was anything special.  I agree that some of the other TS Restaurant places are decidedly better (especially in Lahaina).



 Thank you.


----------



## mom2aidanNpiper

My DH and I went tp Hawaii in the spring sans kids. We went all over the island but stayed in Haleiwa. We are headed back in April for a split stay at Aulani and the bungalow we rented. 

Here is where we ate:

Waikiki:

Rumfire (in the Sheraton hotel). Went for drinks and apetizers. So good! Tip: get an outside table facing diamond head. Order the fish tacos

Alan Wongs: our major splurge! Loved everything about it. Can't go wrong here but make reservations in advance, its tiny.


Dukes at the outrigger hotel: came here for lunch. We both got burgers, I'm a vegetarian (I do eat seafood) and got the best veggie burger in my life. Mixed drinks good as well. We got an inside table though so atmosphere just so-so. 


East side:

Kalapawai market (in Kailua)- very good. Came here for lunch. You can order made to go entrees or get something out of the deli case. They also have beer/wine and an espresso side of the cafe. Lots of tables. 


West side:
Ama Ama- we came for lunch and were pleasantly surprised since we had heard bad things. Got fresh catch of day and was really good. The ginger lemonade (with vodka) my favorite drink. 

Off the hook: we came for apetizers and drinks before Paradise Cove Luau. Good drinks. DH got fish tacos and I got tofu lettuce wraps. Both good

Paradise Cove Luau- awful in our opinion. Maybe just us but it was over the top. We had a long day and were mostly.in nature (did the LOST tour at kuolua ranch ans were basically on our own in the mountain valley all afternoon- pure bliss). We got our free drinks (not great). Wandered a bit and actually left during dinner without our picture package cause food was awful. 


North Shore:
Teds bakery: we came here every morning for breakfast. So good! Then we went 5 min down the road for Starbucks (we didn't think teds coffee was that great)

Haleiwa Joes- so good! Pricey though! Try the black and blue ahi appetizer got fresh catch of the day for entree.

Grass skirt grill- great cheap food. Not a lot of seating so its best to count on taking it to go. Cash only! We got the ahi plate.

Luibuenos- Mexican and seafood. Good food! Got swordfish with saffron rice and tomato pesto sauce.  Got a passionfruit margarita and was amazing. 

21 degrees North (at turtle bay resort)- had our wedding night dinner here. Very good! The chocolate Soufle was to die for!

The bar that serves lunch at turtle bay (don't remember name)- awful!!! Way overpriced and icky food. We ordered up to our day room on our wedding day while we got ready and was basically inedible. 


Ok I think that's it


----------



## DUHgreg

Bump. We're going to Aulani in March. Keep giving us suggestions.


----------



## Anal Annie

TagsMissy said:


> hey Gang,
> 
> Thought I'd start this thread for DVCers so we can share ideas of places to go for a meal on the Island and for DISers to share their experiences.
> 
> I'll start with a list of a few places to check out:
> 
> Anna Miller's Restaurant
> Roy's Restaurant
> Giovanni's Shrimp Truck





Carriemel said:


> In Oahu, on Waikiki...the SHORE BIRD!  OMG...kalua pork sandwich...unreal!



Bump....going this summer....  

Have never eaten at a Roy's but just saw it listed as an option on the back of an Outback gift card that we just used so I'll be sure to pick up 1 or 2 to bring on the trip (picking up Disney gift cards or dining gift cards is my way of saving / pre-paying for things on vaca).  Should we make reservations for Roy's?   Anybody do the walk-in thing?

Skimming through this thread reminds me of our previous stays in Waikiki...Duke's....Hula Grill....Shore Bird (we often stayed at Outrigger's in the past).  We will have to go in to Waikiki a time or two for sure.

Looking forward to what's up on the North Shore....we haven't been there before but plan to this trip.


----------



## aclov

I bought an Outback GC last weekend and noticed that too about Roys and got super excited!  Roys in Chicago is outstanding!


----------



## Dean

aclov said:
			
		

> I bought an Outback GC last weekend and noticed that too about Roys and got super excited!  Roys in Chicago is outstanding!



I can buy the OSI gift cards for 7% off plus their bonus cards can be used at all of their options unlike Darden or the group chilis/OTB/romanos where their gift cards are shared but not their bonus cards.  I can also buy these at 10% off through the same organization.


----------



## aclov

Target also sells gc's for anyone that had the Red Card it's 5% off


----------



## scroot

Where is Roy's in relation to Aulani?  Can one walk there?


----------



## Dean

scroot said:


> Where is Roy's in relation to Aulani?  Can one walk there?


Absolutely, it's an easy walk.


----------



## candiemonster

I prefer Fumi's shrimp truck over Giovanni's. I like the shrimp flavor better and the dinning area is free from flies. There's also a sink with faucet and soap to wash your hands with.


----------



## gatorgirl02

So after reviewing the whole thread, people seem to not really like the Paradise Cove luau but what is the general sentiment on the luau at the Marriott next door?

Thanks!


----------



## twopeasonepod

Born and raised.  Here is my "local" perspective...

Best shave ice:  Waiola's.  I also like Shimazu.  Matsumoto's is fine though, if you are out that way and don't want to come into town.

Best counter food:  Kahai Street Kitchen, Aloha Salads (Kamuela Cobb!), W&M Burger (but most people prefer Teddy's), and everyone loves Rainbow's.

Best Poke:  Pokeman in Wahiawa.  The limu (seaweed) is incredible.

Best secret:  Sunnyside, also in Wahiawa.  The most amazing pies.  Try the chocolate cream or Peach/Pear combo (my favorite!)  They only make P/P on certain days though.  They also have plate lunches, burgers, and breakfast for cheap!

Others have mentioned excellent choices like Cinnamon's, Haleiwa Joe's (I prefer the Haleiwa location), and Roy's.  I also like:

Ola (right on the beach -- like really, they have tables in the sand if you prefer) at Turtle Bay

Nobu's bar -- too expensive to eat there and get full IMO, but you can get the best cocktail in the world (Suika martini -- watermelon!) and jalapeno yellowtail ahi sashimi for pupus.

PCC's luau and evening show, HA.  I may be going out on a limb, but I really think the show is Disney caliber.  They work really hard on it and the entertainment is incredible.  Plus, you can spend the day at PCC and get a real flair for different cultures.  Not like anywhere else.  So you get culture, dinner, luau, and a show all in one place.

If I didn't mention it, it either doesn't wow me (or I forgot haha).


----------



## twopeasonepod

OMG can't believe I forgot one of the best places -- Little Village!

Pricey, but the best Chinese food, hands down!


----------



## Dean

gatorgirl02 said:


> So after reviewing the whole thread, people seem to not really like the Paradise Cove luau but what is the general sentiment on the luau at the Marriott next door?
> 
> Thanks!


In general Luau's are subpar on Oahu compared to other resorts.  As I've said and agreeing with above, I think the PCC offers the best option and value.  I haven't done the one at the Marriott but those who have generally gave it good reviews for food and the show.


----------



## spleen

Dean said:


> In general Luau's are subpar on Oahu compared to other resorts.  As I've said and agreeing with above, I think the PCC offers the best option and value.  I haven't done the one at the Marriott but those who have generally gave it good reviews for food and the show.



The only thing about the PCC (and I agree that as a luau goes, it's the best commercial option on Oahu) is that because it's operated by the Church of Latter-Day Saints, it does not offer alcohol on premises.  That may or may not be a big thing for people depending on what their expectations are.


----------



## Dean

spleen said:


> The only thing about the PCC (and I agree that as a luau goes, it's the best commercial option on Oahu) is that because it's operated by the Church of Latter-Day Saints, it does not offer alcohol on premises.  That may or may not be a big thing for people depending on what their expectations are.


Years ago they didn't allow caffeine.  The other thing is it's not a traditional luau setup.  Still, in aggregate, it's a very nice production, IMO.


----------



## MinnieMomMe

Just got back from an amazing week at Aulani and thought I'd mention two very new dining options we enjoyed.

Monkeypod in Ko Olina:  Just opened right across the street from Aulani.  It's a new restaurant by Merriman and has very good food at reasonable (for Hawaii) prices.  Here's a link to their website:  http://www.monkeypodkitchen.com/ko-olina/  DH and I shared the Kiawe grilled ahi steak with jalapeno mashed potatoes (yum!) and the margherita pizza.  DS(12) had the peppercorn filet steak and was able to sub in the chipotle bacon mashed potatoes (super yum!) that were part of the special of the day.  All of our meals were outstanding.  DS(10) had the keiki saimin.  It was very good, although a tad bit salty.  He ended up eating half of our pizza (I got to eat his crust which was still very good).  They have a great bar (lots of beers on tap).  We really liked the Maui Brewing Co "Mana" wheat beer.  Very lively micro brewery like atmosphere.  We were told the upstairs dining area was going to be opening soon.  It was very popular when we went but had no trouble with seating since we made a reservation.

Daiichi Ramen in Kapolei:  We found this place on a random Yelp search after a day of surf lessons with Hawaiian Fire Surf school.  What a find!!  They just opened up a few weeks ago, and if you like ramen (hot Japanese noodle soup), this is the place for you.  We loved it so much we ate here twice.  We tried the miso ramen, mabo tofu ramen, tan-tan men (spicy sesame), and beef curry ramen.  They were all awesome.  I'm Japanese and I've eaten a lot of ramen, and this is some of the best I've had.  Only four reviews on Yelp so far, but all give it five stars, and we would agree.  The food and service are superior.  And cheap!!  Our first meal cost us $50 with tip and included four bowls of ramen, drinks, and an order of potstickers (that we never ate because we were so full from the ramen).  Our second meal cost us $40 with tip for four bowls of ramen and water (that the waitresses fill up as soon as you take a sip).  It's in a really new area of Kapolei and hard to find--don't use your GPS it will take you someplace really strange.  It is in the same shopping center as Foodland and in the same area as Costco and Koa Pancake house.  Best to look it up on Yelp and use their map (but not GPS directions) to find it.  It's small, and already very popular with the locals, so I would advise getting there early or expect a wait.  Also, we had fun looking through Foodland (market) next door.  They have a large selection of island style foods (they have an amazing poke deli).

Enjoy!!


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## surfer_ed

Thoughts on Germiane's Luau?  If you want to do one with kids but also would not mind a few drinks?


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## Dean

surfer_ed said:


> Thoughts on Germiane's Luau?  If you want to do one with kids but also would not mind a few drinks?


It's been a while since we did that one but my recollection and reviews would suggest it's just OK but in line with Paradise Cove.  If I were going to do one along those lines, I'd simply opt for PC due to the proximity unless there were a significant price difference.  There are often discounts for 25% off either for the adults, I know the entertainment book (and related options) have them.


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## Parkhopper

MinnieMomMe said:


> Just got back from an amazing week at Aulani and thought I'd mention two very new dining options we enjoyed.
> 
> Monkeypod in Ko Olina:  Just opened right across the street from Aulani.  It's a new restaurant by Merriman and has very good food at reasonable (for Hawaii) prices.  Here's a link to their website:  http://www.monkeypodkitchen.com/ko-olina/  DH and I shared the Kiawe grilled ahi steak with jalapeno mashed potatoes (yum!) and the margherita pizza.  DS(12) had the peppercorn filet steak and was able to sub in the chipotle bacon mashed potatoes (super yum!) that were part of the special of the day.  All of our meals were outstanding.  DS(10) had the keiki saimin.  It was very good, although a tad bit salty.  He ended up eating half of our pizza (I got to eat his crust which was still very good).  They have a great bar (lots of beers on tap).  We really liked the Maui Brewing Co "Mana" wheat beer.  Very lively micro brewery like atmosphere.  We were told the upstairs dining area was going to be opening soon.  It was very popular when we went but had no trouble with seating since we made a reservation.
> 
> Daiichi Ramen in Kapolei:  We found this place on a random Yelp search after a day of surf lessons with Hawaiian Fire Surf school.  What a find!!  They just opened up a few weeks ago, and if you like ramen (hot Japanese noodle soup), this is the place for you.  We loved it so much we ate here twice.  We tried the miso ramen, mabo tofu ramen, tan-tan men (spicy sesame), and beef curry ramen.  They were all awesome.  I'm Japanese and I've eaten a lot of ramen, and this is some of the best I've had.  Only four reviews on Yelp so far, but all give it five stars, and we would agree.  The food and service are superior.  And cheap!!  Our first meal cost us $50 with tip and included four bowls of ramen, drinks, and an order of potstickers (that we never ate because we were so full from the ramen).  Our second meal cost us $40 with tip for four bowls of ramen and water (that the waitresses fill up as soon as you take a sip).  It's in a really new area of Kapolei and hard to find--don't use your GPS it will take you someplace really strange.  It is in the same shopping center as Foodland and in the same area as Costco and Koa Pancake house.  Best to look it up on Yelp and use their map (but not GPS directions) to find it.  It's small, and already very popular with the locals, so I would advise getting there early or expect a wait.  Also, we had fun looking through Foodland (market) next door.  They have a large selection of island style foods (they have an amazing poke deli).
> 
> Enjoy!!



We just got back from Aulani and we wound up eating at Monkeypod on three different nights. Everything that we had was outstanding!  While we felt that their food was reasonably priced, we found that they did a happy hour every day from 3 - 5:30 where drinks were reduced and most appetizers were 1/2 price and most of the pizzas were $10.


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## Disney_Ohana

Shimazu Shave Ice (in Honolulu- red velvet & creme brulee are popular flavors + alot of other unique flavors) 

Boots & Kimo's (breakfast in Kailua town  - YUM! Banana macadamia nut pancakes!) Worth the drive to my beautiful beach town! It's where Obama stays on his vacations here  Come! 

Cinnamon's Restaurant (also in Kailua town)- red velvet pancakes, guava chifon pancakes, crab benedict- super yum! 

Liliha Bakery for the yummy coco puffs 

Shirokiya at Ala Moana has alot of yummy Japanese food, the best bubble drinks (boba) & a beer garden  Nice little spot to rest your feet 

Check out these different places, reviews & pics on Yelp


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## bfosbenner

We ate at the Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai bar for dinner.  Nice atmosphere but less cost than the dinning room.


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## MinnieMomMe

surfer_ed said:


> Thoughts on Germiane's Luau?  If you want to do one with kids but also would not mind a few drinks?



We did Germaine's Luau on our recent trip to Aulani and here are some of my thoughts.  We had originally planned on doing the luau at Paradise Cove for the convenience, but with our DVC perks we were able to get the kids in for free at Germaine's.  It's actually pretty close by, but we decided to go with the chartered bus (included in the price), in case we wanted to have a mai tai or two.  We weren't really impressed and probably won't do it again.  It really depends on what you are looking for in a luau.  We have two younger boys ages 12 and 10.  We felt it had a distinctly more adult slant, lots of "party bus" comments and hidden innuendoes in the dances and comments.  We probably would have enjoyed it ten years ago, but we're just in a different place now.  It was also about 15 minutes too long and the food was just ok.  We were all "luau-ed" out and high-tailed it back to the bus as soon as it was over.  The Starlit Hui at the Aulani was just right for us and we'll probably stick with that in the future.  I'm hoping to do a mini trip report sometime soon that will go into more details!


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## bfosbenner

Just a small price comparison.

I took DW to the ChartHouse rest. at the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City before Christmas.  We never go to AC for dinner but thought we would try something different.

It cost the same for dinner for two with no drinks.  

AmaAma was wayyyyy better.


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## bakenatj

I can't believe no one said Cheese burger in Paradise! We at there a lot in Maui. We love their breakfast and the price are reasonable. This is not the jimmy buffet chain restaurant though.


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## Puffpatty

Just on day 2 of 15 here and wanted to share that we ate a pizza across from the resort at a new place called Monkeypod kitchen.  The server said they have been open for three weeks. We had their strawberry cream pie for desserts and it was divine. They have one location in Maui and now this one, in the same center where the ABC/island market store is. 
The menu is online, and aims to serve fresh island ingredients. Prices are comparable to Disney park prices, so its not unreasonable...we will be going back to try it again.


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## jforever52

Thanks for all the great suggestions.  Heading out to Aulani on February 9th.  Hopefully I'll have some input to add to this list when I return!!!


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## DUHgreg

Mega bump. We're going in two weeks!


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## bfosbenner

AAAHHHHH! WE WERE THERE 1 YEAR AGO!


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## salemk

gatorgirl02 said:


> So after reviewing the whole thread, people seem to not really like the Paradise Cove luau but what is the general sentiment on the luau at the Marriott next door?
> 
> Thanks!



I recently came back from Aulani & we did the luau at the Marriott called Fia Fia. Hands down this is the best luau on the island. I thought the food was good. Most reviews would would rate the food from decent to very good which is way better than the food reviews for PC or Gemaine's and even the PCC. What seperates this luau from the other's is the entertainment. The chief is hilarious and is very engaging with the audience. There is some audience participation which leads to some great entertainment. The only drawback is the luau is only on Tuesday night. The show has a great location on the lawn at the Marriott which again is only 2 resorts down. Read the reviews on yelp & what people say about the show is spot on. It might be a little more expensive than the other luau's but it's well worth it so, call the Marriott about 1 month prior to the day you want to go to get a good seat.


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## Susan C

Hello, 

 Considering a trip..is there a dinning plan available with the resort? 

Thank you for your replies..

Susan


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## dianeschlicht

Parkhopper said:


> We just got back from Aulani and we wound up eating at Monkeypod on three different nights. Everything that we had was outstanding!  While we felt that their food was reasonably priced, we found that they did a happy hour every day from 3 - 5:30 where drinks were reduced and most appetizers were 1/2 price and most of the pizzas were $10.



Another vote for Monkeypod Kitchen!  Their desserts are amazing too, and if you go around 3:00, they have half price appetizers and all pizzas are $9 for happy hour.  I loved my wood fired pizza!


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## BCV23

We liked Monkeypods enough to have one dinner, one lunch and another carryout dinner. 

Another vote for Giovanni's shrimp truck and the malasadas from Leonard's wagon. 

We enjoyed an a la carte dinner and lunch at Makahiki. Didn't try the breakfast or dinner buffet there. Two in our family had appetizers at the Oleo Room and we've decided to have a light dinner there next trip. We had dinner and lunch at Ama Ama with mixed reviews. Great service for dinner, terrible service at lunch. Some things we ordered were very good but nothing worth the price at dinner. View was gorgeous, of course. We were surprised how little fish was on the menu at Aulani restaurants in general. Oh, and the breakfast sandwiches at the Oleo Room are quite good.


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## MinnesotaChill

BCV23 said:
			
		

> We liked Monkeypods enough to have one dinner, one lunch and another carryout dinner.
> 
> Another vote for Giovanni's shrimp truck and the malasadas from Leonard's wagon.
> 
> We enjoyed an a la carte dinner and lunch at Makahiki. Didn't try the breakfast or dinner buffet there. Two in our family had appetizers at the Oleo Room and we've decided to have a light dinner there next trip. We had dinner and lunch at Ama Ama with mixed reviews. Great service for dinner, terrible service at lunch. Some things we ordered were very good but nothing worth the price at dinner. View was gorgeous, of course. We were surprised how little fish was on the menu at Aulani restaurants in general. Oh, and the breakfast sandwiches at the Oleo Room are quite good.



If you are headed up the North Shore, the food tour people said that Ted's shrimp is even better than Giovanni's AND-you get a free slice of their awesome pie.  We got a whole chocolate cream haupia pie that was to die for.  We took outback to our villa and ate it all week.


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## dianeschlicht

Yeah, what's with the lack of seafood at the resort?  It's one of the reasons we went over to Marriott one night.


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## LynnsGirl2027

We ate the garlic shrimp at Teds and it was amazing.  The shrimp was huge (no legs) real butter and shaved parmesan cheese.  Yummy!  (and it's true that you get a piece of pie for free with the garlic shrimp order).

We ate at MonkeyPod twice, Just Taco's once and Chuck's Steakhouse and Seafood (happy hour $5 mai tai's!), Roy's and Aloha Salads in Kapolei.  All good recommendations!

We also spent one day doing Hawaii Food Tours - Hole in the Wall tour.  I highly recommend the tour as it takes you to some of the places recommended above around Honolulu (Chinatown for lots of goodies, Liliha Bakery for Coco Puffs, Leonards for Malasada's etc.).  The tour guides Matthew and Kiera were fantastic.


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## Anal Annie

Can't wait to try some of these places...I just got a gift card the other day that's good at Roy's...will we need to make reservations there??


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## Anal Annie

Oops!  Double post!


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## gatorgirl02

salemk said:


> I recently came back from Aulani & we did the luau at the Marriott called Fia Fia. Hands down this is the best luau on the island. I thought the food was good. Most reviews would would rate the food from decent to very good which is way better than the food reviews for PC or Gemaine's and even the PCC. What seperates this luau from the other's is the entertainment. The chief is hilarious and is very engaging with the audience. There is some audience participation which leads to some great entertainment. The only drawback is the luau is only on Tuesday night. The show has a great location on the lawn at the Marriott which again is only 2 resorts down. Read the reviews on yelp & what people say about the show is spot on. It might be a little more expensive than the other luau's but it's well worth it so, call the Marriott about 1 month prior to the day you want to go to get a good seat.



Thank you so much for the detailed review! I actually booked about a month ago, since I wanted to have something (and thinking I could cancel if I heard bad things), but seeing as how we will be there next week, I am SUPER excited!


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## BCV23

MinnesotaChill said:


> If you are headed up the North Shore, the food tour people said that Ted's shrimp is even better than Giovanni's AND-you get a free slice of their awesome pie.  We got a whole chocolate cream haupia pie that was to die for.  We took outback to our villa and ate it all week.



LOL we stopped at Ted's for desserts to take back to the villa Next time we'll have to try the shrimp there, too. This trip we drove up the East shore in the morning so by the time we got to Giovanni's we were ready for lunch. In addition, two in our family had enjoyed it last trip to Oahu and wanted to go back. Someone posted that Mackey's is very good, too. Or is it Macky's?



dianeschlicht said:


> Yeah, what's with the lack of seafood at the resort?  It's one of the reasons we went over to Marriott one night.



Yes, seafood but even more so just fish. Where's the opah, ona, mahi mahi, etc.? There were some selections but nothing compared to what I expected. I did have good monchong at Ama Ama.



LynnsGirl2027 said:


> We ate at MonkeyPod twice, Just Taco's once and Chuck's Steakhouse and Seafood (happy hour $5 mai tai's!), Roy's and Aloha Salads in Kapolei.  All good recommendations!



What did you enjoy from Just Tacos? We had carryout from there one time but I didn't care for mine at all. So unmemorable that I don't recall what it was.  I will have to order more wisely next time.


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## dianeschlicht

We ate at Ted's at noon on our way up to PCC yesterday, and it was fantastic!  DH had the crab and bacon sandwich, and I had the BBQ spare ribs.  Both were amazing!  Unfortunately, we didn't have room for the wonderful looking desserts!  Oh, and Monkeypod Kitchen was very popular with the 3 of us.  We kept trying to think of reasons to eat there.  In fact, we cancelled 2 Ama Ama reservations and ended up at Monkeypod's instead.  We really enjoyed Makhiki too.


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## dianeschlicht

Saw this cute guy on the sea turtle beach today.  They rope off the area when a Monk Seal arrives because they are very endangered.  I used my zoom though, and got a couple of really great pictures of him.





We also saw sea turtles in this lagoon 3 times.

Loving the art and decor around Aulani too.


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## jforever52

We just got back. Monkeypod Kitchen lives up to the hype. I would suggest saving room for desert and having their strawberry cream pie. The restaurant also had live music on both nights we were there. My family loved it.

Daiichi Ramen was also a big hit. We had so much food it was a dinner and a lunch for us. We ran into "auntie" from the resort while we were there. She said the locals eat here all the time.

The Marriott next door also has a sushi buffet at their restaurant called Ushio-Tea. It had some really good buffet options and since my DH can eat his weight in sushi it was a good value for us. Just the 2 of us ate there for a valentine's day date.


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## Lisacope

Wanted to share my foodie thoughts since I have benefitted so much from others!

Fri Feb 15: Our flight got in at 2:00pm so we stopped at Safeway on our way to the resort and bought groceries for Breakfast, lunch, drinks, and snacks, yowie, the total was $165!

I hadn't made any dinner plans for this evening in case of travel snafus but I was able to snag a ressie at Monkeypod across the street. This place is convenient and easy for when you haven't made plans but want a decent sit-down meal. The food is pretty good, the prices fair for the area and the service is decent. What a welcome addition to the Ko Olina area! We tried 
the pizza, raw bar mixed plate, Beet salad, and the Bulgogi pork tacos

Sat Feb 16: The next morning we got up and drove to the Dole Plantation for Dole Whips, walked around a bit, fed the fish, and bought a 
pineapple.Then we drove to the east side of the Island on H3 and then up the coast to visit a few beaches and then back down 
to Kaneohe to Fresh Catch. The lady behind the counter was really friendly and encouraged us to try many samples of the poke 
which was awesome. They don't just have poke, we also had a great BBQ pork platter and garlic shrimp. We didn't have dinner plans again so went back into Kapolei and ate at PHo808 (Same shopping center as Safeway)
Not the best pho but okay, reasonably priced, quick service

Sun Feb 17th: Sunday night we had a "Date night" and our DD12 had a hamburger and fries from counter service and DH and I went to Roy's at 
the Golf Course. Really great food and service, awesome butterfish and sushi, had to have the chocolate souffle. I was impressed with how reasonable the prices were.

Mon Feb 18th: We drove up to the North Shore and visited the beaches there and visited Waimea Falls Park. This is a beautiful 
botanical garden ending in the falls which you can swim in if you want. We had dinner reservations in Honolulu but were tired from our excursion so we  cancelled them and ended up going to Azul at the Ihilani next door. From my Tripadvisor review: What a shame - this elegant hotel should have a 
first class restaurant to match. Azul is set on the edge of a pond filled with Hammerhead sharks and Manta Rays. It's sad that this is the main attraction to eating here. The menu is a tired litany of cliched italian dishes. I had the caprese salad which was nothing more than ordinary beefsteak tomatoes and sliced grocerystore mozzarella. The lobster in the lobster fettucini was mushy and dry, and the sauce was watery and tasteless. My husband's Spaghetti Bolognese was also nothing to write home about - I was fuming when I saw the $230 check at the end of dinner.

Tues Feb 19th: We went on the Hole-in-the-Wall food tour of Honolulu (www.hawaiifoodtours.com) with Matthew Gray and his charming 
assistant, Rachael. Be sure and use the zipper lane when coming from Aulani - it will REALLY save alot of time getting to the pick up spot, the Ala Moana Mall. This was really fun - be sure and book in advance, we visited a variety of authentic Hawaiian and asian eateries and chinatown and ended with a visit at Leonard's for Malasadas. Matthew and Rachael did a 
wonderful job of entertaining us and providing history and culture information - this is great whether you are a foodie or 
not, and these guys are great eating and entertainment resources. 

I wasn't sure how we would be feeling about dinner after our tour so I had not made reservations so we ended up at Monkeypod
again, and had poke tacos, pizza, and peppercorn steak. Again, the food and service were reliable. 

Wed Feb 20: We went on Wild Side Ecoadventures (SailHawaii.com) Morning Wildlife Cruise which was $115 per person, for 3 hours on water. This is about 40 minutes North in Waimea. We got to do some Whalewatching and snorkle with the Turtles which was fun. One of the tour highlights is 
supposed to be getting to swim with the spinner dolphins but the boat was not able to locate any for us to swim with, but it sounds like from reviews that this does not happen often. Our crew did an excellent job and I don't think I have ever had a better experience snorkeling. 

This evening we had reservations at Ama Ama. I had made this reservation with trepidation - last year when we were at Aulani we had eaten there and really had not been impressed - What a vast improvement from last year! The menu and food were excellent and the service was great! We had the big-eye Tuna and Sea Asparagus poke, heirloom tomato salad, Hawaiian Snapper, 
Grilled Striploin, and the desserts were fantastic!

Thurs Feb 21st: We saved our last night for Nobu in Waikiki - this was the dining highlight of the trip! The food here is awesome, I had the $125 omekase menu which was amazing, and the service was so attentive and friendly - I can't say enough about this restaurant and can't wait to go back!

Fri Feb 22nd: Firday morning we decided to go to the Makahiki Character Buffet which was surprisingly good. As you are waiting to be seated 
you have your picture taken with Mickey and then the pictures are available for purchase for $33. The buffet is pretty good with traditional western and Japanese breakfast foods, and really great character interaction - I don't know if it was because the restaurant was not very full but the characters seemed to take alot of time at each table and the "Emcee" who was playing 
games with the kids and singing seemed to do a great job.


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## Anal Annie

So this has me wondering which places we can go to without reservations & which ones we can just decide to try on the spur of the moment?!  Do Monkeypod Kitchen & Roy's take walk-ins and if so how long are the average waits?  We do much better just deciding where we want to go & just going than we do being tied to reservations.  And are reservations required for Ama Ama as well?  So many places we'll want to try and only 7 nights to try them!


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## Lisacope

Anal Annie said:


> So this has me wondering which places we can go to without reservations & which ones we can just decide to try on the spur of the moment?!  Do Monkeypod Kitchen & Roy's take walk-ins and if so how long are the average waits?  We do much better just deciding where we want to go & just going than we do being tied to reservations.  And are reservations required for Ama Ama as well?  So many places we'll want to try and only 7 nights to try them!



We made reservations for Monkeypod in the afternoon on Friday for Friday even though it was quite busy - I use opentable.com quite a bit. I think you could easily get reservations at Ama Ama on the day you wanted to go there - there were empty tables around us. Not sure about Roy's - maybe you could check the day before? I think the weekdays are a little easier - and if you don't want a sit down place every day then you have alot of CS type places in Kapolei to fall back on.


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## erikawolf2004

Bumping this so it doesn't get lost!


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## Susan2771

Can anyone advise me on whether Roy's is a dressy and  elegant restaurant?  It will be our 10 year wedding anniversary during our stay at Aulani and I'm trying to find a restaurant near the resort to celebrate with the hubby.  We are going to sign our girls up for the Surf's Up with Chip N Dale so we will have 3 hours to be able to fit in dinner and travel time.  My husband isn't crazy about the idea of us dining off the resort and leaving the girls.  If I can find a restaurant that is close by at least we will be able to focus on celebrating our anniversary for those 3 hours.  I was hoping to find a restaurant that is a little bit on the elegant side with great food.  It would be nice to dress up just a wee bit for our special night  

If not Roy's does anyone have another suggestion for something close to the resort?  We've only got the 3 hours to celebrate 10 years of marriage


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## Anal Annie

Susan2771 said:


> Can anyone advise me on whether Roy's is a dressy and  elegant restaurant?  It will be our 10 year wedding anniversary during our stay at Aulani and I'm trying to find a restaurant near the resort to celebrate with the hubby.  We are going to sign our girls up for the Surf's Up with Chip N Dale so we will have 3 hours to be able to fit in dinner and travel time.  My husband isn't crazy about the idea of us dining off the resort and leaving the girls.  If I can find a restaurant that is close by at least we will be able to focus on celebrating our anniversary for those 3 hours.  I was hoping to find a restaurant that is a little bit on the elegant side with great food.  It would be nice to dress up just a wee bit for our special night
> 
> If not Roy's does anyone have another suggestion for something close to the resort?  We've only got the 3 hours to celebrate 10 years of marriage



My DH's idea of celebrating would be room service (ahem).


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## Dean

Susan2771 said:


> Can anyone advise me on whether Roy's is a dressy and  elegant restaurant?  It will be our 10 year wedding anniversary during our stay at Aulani and I'm trying to find a restaurant near the resort to celebrate with the hubby.  We are going to sign our girls up for the Surf's Up with Chip N Dale so we will have 3 hours to be able to fit in dinner and travel time.  My husband isn't crazy about the idea of us dining off the resort and leaving the girls.  If I can find a restaurant that is close by at least we will be able to focus on celebrating our anniversary for those 3 hours.  I was hoping to find a restaurant that is a little bit on the elegant side with great food.  It would be nice to dress up just a wee bit for our special night
> 
> If not Roy's does anyone have another suggestion for something close to the resort?  We've only got the 3 hours to celebrate 10 years of marriage


Roy's is as dressy as you want it to be but realize it's HI.  It should be a good choice for your special meal but I'm sure there are others.


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## Susan2771

Anal Annie said:


> My DH's idea of celebrating would be room service (ahem).



Haha, that's funny. My husband would much prefer to celebrate the same way but in that case HE can book the girls into the Fish Are Friends Premium experience for lunch on our anniversary and arrange for room service.  I want to go out for our anniversary dinner, and have a romantic 3 hours.   As they say, a happy wife, is a happy life 

Thank-you Dean for the feedback.


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## christine*

We arrived late at night, around 10 pm and were hungry. We noticed Zippy's was open and decided to check it out. It was actually pretty good. It's a counter service restaurant and they have various locations throughout the island. 

We loved Hula Dog near Waikiki. One of the best hot dogs I've had. We ended up going there twice during our trip.

If you're going to be near Kualoa Ranch area, I recommend Mike's Huli Huli Chicken Truck. The chicken had great favor and I loved the garlic butter shrimp. The place has been features on Diners, Dives, and Drive-Ins. 

Nico's at Pier 38 near Honolulu has also been features on Diners, Dives, and Drive-Ins. It was good, the food was really fresh and portions were large. Another plus is that they had lots of parking. 

Alan Wong's restaurant is supposed to be really good. Unfortunately I tried booking a table two weeks before my trip and they had no openings on any of the days I was there except for a random 9:30 pm seating.


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## gatorgirl02

Food report from my 2/24 trip:

*North Shore*
Giovanni's Shrimp Truck- The shrimp were delicious and if you love garlic, then you will love the garlic shrimp. There were also three other trucks in the little area that Giovanni's was that seemed to be pretty busy, so you may want to check those out. I will mention that the flies were a bit annoying, as one previous poster mentioned, but otherwise, I recommend it.
Motsumoto - This is delicious shaved ice. I got a lychee and mango mix with ice cream, and while the ice cream addition may sound wierd to some, it was quite yummy. My hubby got the Motsumoto special one, and that was pretty good as well, though very sweet.

*Honululu*
Rainbow Drive-In - This was absoultely delicious! My DH ordered the chili (featured on DDD) and it was really that good. I ordered the BBQ beef and I could not stop eating it. The prices were very reasonable, esp. in HI terms, and the servings are generous. I highly recommend this one 
Tanioka - This is a hole in the wall poke place that is only opened till 5 and also has no where to sit, so it's best for a lunch to go when arriving into HNL or leaving. The poke is pretty good and they offer a wide variety of ahi and other pokes. I also recommend the tempura rolls and lumpia. 

*Aulani Area*
Aloha Salads - This was pretty good. I loved how fresh the veggies were. I got the Ahi salad, but I was not in love with the spice on the ahi. That being said, I don't think you can go wrong for some greenery here
Monkey Pod Kitchen - Huge win here! The prices are decent, especially when compared to the hotel. My DH had the ahi with jalepeno mashed, which was amazing, and I had the fish tacos, which were equally as good. You absolutely need to get the truffle fries too, as they are fabulous! 
Makahiki - Though it is definitely pricey, the dinner buffet was decent here. They have a wide variety of food choices and offer chilled shrimp, oysters and some poke and sushi, which is nice. This wouldn't be my first choice, but if you want to stay at the hotel, this will do just fine. 

That's my food report, so hopefully that will be helpful to you all. Happy eating!


----------



## TagsMissy

I love that this thread is still going  

Did anybody try the Mexican place across the street from Aulani? We went one day and I don't know if it was just an off day but neither of us enjoyed our meals and even worse Aulani staff were there at a table next to ours bashing guests. Believe me I can understand complaining about rude, etc guests -- you are amongst your coworkers and letting off steam but don't do it across the street to where you work LOL


----------



## Happy99

Susan2771 said:


> Can anyone advise me on whether Roy's is a dressy and  elegant restaurant?  It will be our 10 year wedding anniversary during our stay at Aulani and I'm trying to find a restaurant near the resort to celebrate with the hubby.  We are going to sign our girls up for the Surf's Up with Chip N Dale so we will have 3 hours to be able to fit in dinner and travel time.  My husband isn't crazy about the idea of us dining off the resort and leaving the girls.  If I can find a restaurant that is close by at least we will be able to focus on celebrating our anniversary for those 3 hours.  I was hoping to find a restaurant that is a little bit on the elegant side with great food.  It would be nice to dress up just a wee bit for our special night
> 
> If not Roy's does anyone have another suggestion for something close to the resort?  We've only got the 3 hours to celebrate 10 years of marriage



Roy's is not super dressy. Hawaii is normally a casual place I wouldn't go in shorts but you don't have to dress up like going to Victoria and Alberts at WDW


----------



## kvichi

We're headed to Aulani in 10 days!!! Our flight arrives at 11:30 am so I'm sure we'll need some lunch when we arrive. Can someone suggest a good casual place to eat between the airport and Aulani? We plan on stopping at Target and maybe safeway for a few supplies as well.

thanks


----------



## NC State Tigger

We are booked for an October trip to Aulani

Starting to research all the dining options.  I am sure the family will want to try one of the luaus and wondered about tipping at a luau.  From what I read, most offer a buffet meal and entertainment.  Is the gratuity usually included in the price?  If not, do you tip a percentage on the total?  Is it added for large groups?  We will be 6 adults and one child.


----------



## erikawolf2004

kvichi said:


> We're headed to Aulani in 10 days!!! Our flight arrives at 11:30 am so I'm sure we'll need some lunch when we arrive. Can someone suggest a good casual place to eat between the airport and Aulani? We plan on stopping at Target and maybe safeway for a few supplies as well.
> 
> thanks



Someone posted this a while ago and I have it in my notes

"In the shopping center where the Target is there's a place called Aloha Salads. It's a sandwich/salad place but its all locally grown produce, bread, etc. it was really yummy plus I liked supporting the local business. As vegans we are there once a day. Ha! Their champagne Italian dressing is yummy!!"


----------



## msbatchelor5

erikawolf2004 said:
			
		

> Someone posted this a while ago and I have it in my notes
> 
> "In the shopping center where the Target is there's a place called Aloha Salads. It's a sandwich/salad place but its all locally grown produce, bread, etc. it was really yummy plus I liked supporting the local business. As vegans we are there once a day. Ha! Their champagne Italian dressing is yummy!!"



Yes! I posted about it and its a great place!!!

There is also a subway but we were in Hawaii and didn't want things we could easily get at home. 

I'm craving a good wrap today!


----------



## john1516

I remember reading that you can pre-order a dinner and have it delivered to your room. Does anyone rember this or have sone it. Thanks


----------



## peacefrogdog

kvichi said:
			
		

> We're headed to Aulani in 10 days!!! Our flight arrives at 11:30 am so I'm sure we'll need some lunch when we arrive. Can someone suggest a good casual place to eat between the airport and Aulani? We plan on stopping at Target and maybe safeway for a few supplies as well.
> 
> thanks



Around the area of Target in Kapolei there are a bunch of chain restaurants like Dennys, Outback Steakhouse etc
If you like Japanese food there is a Ramen and curry house not far from Target called Daichii Ramen that we really liked. Good prices and lots of food.  It is in a plaza with the Foodland


----------



## peacefrogdog

john1516 said:
			
		

> I remember reading that you can pre-order a dinner and have it delivered to your room. Does anyone rember this or have sone it. Thanks



We tried two of them and loved them, not because it was high grade restaurant type food, but it was nice not to have restaurant food for a change.  Plus there was a ton leftover to have for lunch the following day.  We got the pasta one first that came with a Caesar salad, penne in marinara sauce, rolls and a whole blueberry cheesecake.  This was $75 but they add on a 20% gratuity. Last night we had the rosemary chicken meal that came with a salad, rolls, corn on the cob, Mac and cheese, and either an apple cobbler or fruit plate. We chose the fruit plate and it came with a bunch of melon, papaya, star fruit, pineapple and dragon fruit

We would definitely do these again as it's nice to not have to rush and shower to go out, the food seemed as healthy as we would make at home. I'll post pics once I get back but if you want to see them via email PM me


----------



## Jkpark

How are the meals delivered? Could you take it to picnic on the beach? Or do they set it up like room service?


----------



## peacefrogdog

Jkpark said:
			
		

> How are the meals delivered? Could you take it to picnic on the beach? Or do they set it up like room service?



They bring it into your villa and setup dishes on the stove or in the fridge depending on if they need to be kept warm or cool.

I don't believe you're allowed to bring food onto the beach though


----------



## john1516

peacefrogg, how did you order the meals?


----------



## john1516

sorry for wrongname


----------



## G'sMaman

Here's a link with more info and pictures on the meals that they deliver:

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...n-club-members-at-aulani-a-disney-resort-spa/


----------



## peacefrogdog

G'sMaman said:
			
		

> Here's a link with more info and pictures on the meals that they deliver:
> 
> http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/04/its-dinner-family-style-for-disney-vacation-club-members-at-aulani-a-disney-resort-spa/



Yup the ones they showed in this link were the ones we got.

You order them from the room service private dining line


----------



## Jkpark

Thanks for all the great info. T-9 WOO HOO!!!


----------



## gatorgirl02

NC State Tigger said:


> We are booked for an October trip to Aulani
> 
> Starting to research all the dining options.  I am sure the family will want to try one of the luaus and wondered about tipping at a luau.  From what I read, most offer a buffet meal and entertainment.  Is the gratuity usually included in the price?  If not, do you tip a percentage on the total?  Is it added for large groups?  We will be 6 adults and one child.



I had forgot to mention it in my previous post, but we did the FiaFia Luau at the Marriott Vacation Club two lagoons over from Aulani. It was absolutely great! The show is wonderful and it lasts quite a long time. Arrival is 4:30 and we didn't leave till close to 9. The dinner was tasty, though not amazing. Although, compared to reviews from other luaus, I think the dinner was pretty good. I will warn that the luau is pricey ($90 per person), but considering you get the food, 2 drinks, and a 4+ hour show, I think it was worth it. Do note that they only do the luau on Tuesday nights though. Also, if the price is a bit steep, some people recommended the Paradise Cove luau too, though I have no personal experience. Either way, have fun!


----------



## salemk

I also did the Fia Fia Luau when I was there last month. It's the best Luau on Oahy. It's way better than Paradise Cove or Germaine's. Only issue is that it's only On Tuesdays. The price is more than worth what you get.


----------



## AKMOUSE

Are Dole Whips available at Aulani? Don't get me wrong - I know Dole Plantation is close by - but have been there twice. This vacay is all about relaxation and staying put - no sightseeing this time! 

And what about Mickey Bars? A family fave that are mandatory when at any Disney resort.


----------



## amym2

I have read that Roy's has a good kid's menu, but I can't seem to find any info on what is offered.  Has anyone eaten there with kids?  Do you remember what was on the kid's menu?  Our kids are 11and 9 and are used to dining out (they loved Cali Grill last year), so I assume they'll be fine eating at Roy's.


----------



## peacefrogdog

AKMOUSE said:


> Are Dole Whips available at Aulani? Don't get me wrong - I know Dole Plantation is close by - but have been there twice. This vacay is all about relaxation and staying put - no sightseeing this time!
> 
> And what about Mickey Bars? A family fave that are mandatory when at any Disney resort.



Mickey Bars were available in the store in the pool area (forget the name). 

Didn't see any Dole Whips on property though.


----------



## FlygirlHNL

Don't miss High Tea at the Kahala or the Sheraton Moana.

Have Fun!


----------



## audrey2580

Not sure if its been posted before but Monkeypod Kitchen has a happy hour everyday 3pm-5:30.  

Apps are 50% off and pizza's are $9 

http://www.monkeypodkitchen.com/ko-olina/happy-hour/


----------



## cal2net

Peacefrogdog, are the Family Style meals all $75 that you order from Private Dining at Aulani? This might be something we might try.


----------



## Lake Rat

This doesn't really belong here but I only know how to reply...lol!!
My husband and I are going to Hawaii in Sept with 4 nights at Aulani followed by a 7 day cruise around the islands. We our celebrating his 70th birthday. Since neither of us care to drive we would rather not rent a car but it looks difficult or expensive to get around Oahu otherwise. Any suggestions?


----------



## disney4metoo

Great thread! Leaving for Aulani in a few weeks!


----------



## disney4metoo

twopeasonepod said:


> Born and raised.  Here is my "local" perspective...
> 
> PCC's luau and evening show, HA.  I may be going out on a limb, but I really think the show is Disney caliber.  They work really hard on it and the entertainment is incredible.  Plus, you can spend the day at PCC and get a real flair for different cultures.  Not like anywhere else.  So you get culture, dinner, luau, and a show all in one place.
> 
> If I didn't mention it, it either doesn't wow me (or I forgot haha).







Dean said:


> In general Luau's are subpar on Oahu compared to other resorts.  As I've said and agreeing with above, I think the PCC offers the best option and value.  I haven't done the one at the Marriott but those who have generally gave it good reviews for food and the show.



I bought tickets for the Luau and show at the PCC for our trip to Aulani in a few weeks. I just read the reviews for the PCC Luau on Yelp and they are not very favorable. I was thinking about canceling because the Yelp reviews. Is the Prime Buffet Dinner any better or do you still recommend the Luau over the Prime Rib Buffet Dinner?


----------



## flyingcat2003

Any good seafood or steak restaurants?


----------



## Dean

disney4metoo said:


> I bought tickets for the Luau and show at the PCC for our trip to Aulani in a few weeks. I just read the reviews for the PCC Luau on Yelp and they are not very favorable. I was thinking about canceling because the Yelp reviews. Is the Prime Buffet Dinner any better or do you still recommend the Luau over the Prime Rib Buffet Dinner?


Sorry for the delay, we were on a cruise and just got back today.  I've done several Luau's and the PC  package.  IMO it's simply different than a Luau but the sum of the parts adds up to more.  Better show, likely better view, food as good or better than most plus the park is a great option to get one oriented to the culture and history.  Certainly compared to the other Luau's on the island, I think you'll get more in total out of the PCC than the other options.  I haven't done the PC luau and it's been some time since we did Germaine's but generally the one's on Maui are considered better and we've done several from that group so I feel I have a valid sample for comparison.  Of course ETOH isn't an option with the PCC.


----------



## Sir William

Lake Rat said:


> This doesn't really belong here but I only know how to reply...lol!!
> My husband and I are going to Hawaii in Sept with 4 nights at Aulani followed by a 7 day cruise around the islands. We our celebrating his 70th birthday. Since neither of us care to drive we would rather not rent a car but it looks difficult or expensive to get around Oahu otherwise. Any suggestions?



Your best bet is to sign up for some tours that will pick you up and return you to Aulani.  

We were also there for 4 nights but only left the resort once for a visit to the USS Arizona Memorial.  We just enjoyed being at Aulani.


----------



## aclov

Would I need ressie for Monkeypod for Happy Hour?   Wasn't sure if it was just in the bar area or dining room area as well.

TIA!


----------



## MissMet

Hey guys. We leave for Aulani in 4 days! 

Anyone have a favorite dim sum restaurant on Oahu? We'll have a car so any location is fine.

Thanks!


----------



## Sir William

aclov said:


> Would I need ressie for Monkeypod for Happy Hour?   Wasn't sure if it was just in the bar area or dining room area as well.
> 
> TIA!



Don't think so.  We went over around 6pm to meet friends and were able to get a table right away.  We were seated upstairs, but there were tables downstairs as well.  We went on a Tuesday night. perhaps a weekend might be more crowded (Monkeypod is getting a reputation with the locals).


----------



## aclov

Where can I get Mickey waffles? Was not planning on doing character breakfast.


----------



## mom2aidanNpiper

aclov said:
			
		

> Where can I get Mickey waffles? Was not planning on doing character breakfast.



Ama Ama has Mickey waffles on the kids menu (as of mid April) .

Hope that helps!

ETA: I'm hoping the new quick service restaurant opening this year has them. We did breakfast at Ama Ama once to try it (and kids wanted Mickey waffles) and was good but so expensive!


----------



## aclov

Thank you for answering about the waffles, hopefully adults can order from the kids menu.   When is the new counter service scheduled to open?


----------



## gatzsd

Big thumbs up for AMA AMA . Have had lunch there twice now and will have dinner there on Sunday. Everything was fantastic. Also no construction wall!! I thought the prices for lunch weren't too bad considering it was an ocean front resort. 16 for my entree. Kids meals 8.50. It was worth it to pay a few extra dollars an entree for. Also drinks for hh at olelilo room were awesome and only 7 bucks


----------



## shrinkydinky

Going to Aulani June 4-10 with my husband and his son.  Very excited! In fact, so excited that i have been packed for several weeks now, with the exception of last minute stuff like meds and make-up.  We are going to Roy's while we are there.  Used to live close to a Roy's in Los Angeles and it is one of our favorite places.  i found online that (for a limited time) if you buy a $100 gift card, you get a bonus $20 gift card, so ordered that yesterday.  It says you can't use both at the same time.  But if our waiter doesn't let us, i *think* you can also use them at Outback Steak House, and there is one near where we live.  

Have loved reading all the great information about good places to eat while there.  i have downloaded menus and programmed them all into our GPS.  Can you tell i'm really excited?


----------



## Iceman93

shrinkydinky said:


> It says you can't use both at the same time.  But if our waiter doesn't let us, i *think* you can also use them at Outback Steak House, and there is one near where we live.



You are correct, and they're also good at Fleming's and a couple of other chains.  Another possibility would be to use the bonus gift card for a pre-dinner drink at the bar, and then the main card for dinner.


----------



## shrinkydinky

Iceman93 said:


> You are correct, and they're also good at Fleming's and a couple of other chains.  Another possibility would be to use the bonus gift card for a pre-dinner drink at the bar, and then the main card for dinner.



Great idea!  i think we will do just that.


----------



## Dean

Iceman93 said:


> You are correct, and they're also good at Fleming's and a couple of other chains.  Another possibility would be to use the bonus gift card for a pre-dinner drink at the bar, and then the main card for dinner.


Roy's, Bonefish, Carrabba's, Outback and Flemings at least.  Their bonus cards are also good at all locations.  Our experience is that the one's we've used are very strict on the restrictions with the exception of outback, ate least locally.  They'll allow multiple at one time and to be used after expired.

ETA:  those who have access to benefits-plus.org can get them for a 7% discount and no shipping.


----------



## Anal Annie

I usually pick up a $25 Disney gift card every week either with my groceries or at Target with the 5% off (except lately my Target has only had $50 ones).  My plan is to have at least $100 / night to bring for our 11 nights at VGC and Aulani.  Anyway, every once-in-awhile I will buy a $25 Outback/Roy's card instead and I plan to bring a few of those too to use at Roy's.  The closest Roy's to us is in Baltimore but we've never been there because we just never go up there.  I've looked at the Roy's website to see their menu but there were no prices online.  I am assuming it will cost more than the Outback but less than Ama Ama...can anybody tell me about how much their entree's run on average?  Do they average more like in the mid-$20's or closer to $30?  Trying to estimate how much a meal for 2 adults & a 16 yr. old would run there so I can bring plenty of gift cards (in case we want to eat there 2x)?   Thx


----------



## mom2aidanNpiper

Roys  has a totally different website for their Hawaii locations  we never made it over there but wool next time!

Anyway, here is their menu (with prices)

http://royshawaii.com/locations/roys-ko-olina/menu/


----------



## WDW_Diane

DVC Doc said:
			
		

> We were fortunate to have a friend who is a local give us some great tips on places to eat.  Here are my reviews....
> 
> NEAR AULANI:
> Just Tacos - across the street from Aulani, decent Mexican food at touristy prices; we were put off by the loud music inside, would request to be seated outside
> Zippy's - these are all over the place and the nearest one is in Kapolei (by Safeway); I kind of think of as the Hawaiian equivalent of Denny's, they serve the classic plate lunches at decent prices
> Hapa Grill - haven't seen this place mentioned on this thread yet, it's also in Kapolei near Safeway; they serve great breakfast and dinner here at reasonable prices http://hapagrill.net/
> Costco - if you're a member, you really can't go wrong with a dirt cheap Costco meal  also lots of souveniers and Hawaiian foods available here
> Roy's - didn't get a chance to eat here as they had a fire during our visit
> Paradise Cove - it's a decent luau, and apparently the one the locals prefer; I though it was a bit touristy and the food just OK; drink lines get horrendous, get in line early!!
> 
> WAIKIKI:
> Rainbow Drive-In - probably my favorite meal of the trip; the best plate lunch on the island!
> Leonard's Bakery - you absolutely must go for a hot malasada!  there is also a Leonard's truck you'll see parked at a shopping mall near Aulani on the north side of H1 (I think near the Home Depot)
> International Market - a bit touristy but lots of fantastic cheap meals at the food court; you can get a Dole Whip here!
> Cheesecake Factory - didn't eat here but hadn't seen in mentioned yet on this thread but there is one near Waikiki Beach; always a safe bet
> 
> NORTH SHORE:
> Giovanni's Shrimp Truck - this is where we stopped due to the reviews and it was pretty good; apparently the shrimp comes from Asia; don't miss the BBQ corn from the stand behind it!
> Ted's Bakery - stop here on your drive along North Shore; they are famous for the chocolate haupia pie...get one to take back to Aulani with you!
> Aoki Shave Ice - Matsumoto's next door is more popular but this is where the locals go!  very friendly and delicious shave ice!  get vanilla ice cream and beans with it!



Thanks for this info..... We are going to Ko Olina in a month.  We couldn't get Aulani, but are staying next door and will visit daily!  

I am concerned about my SHELLFISH ALLERGY and eating in places where my health/life could be at risk.  Any suggestions appreciated on places in the area that have proven to be good at this.  I have had good experiences at WDW on how they handle food allergies. We will have a large kitchen and will make most of our breakfasts and  dinners.  I wanted to go to a luau, concerned about exposure there.  We will likely eat lunches out while touring.


----------



## WDW_Diane

izzy said:
			
		

> I can give an enthusiatic thumbs up for Leonard's malasadas!  If I remember correctly, you take exit 7 on H1 and head north for about a block or so (depending on whether you're getting off of H1 east or west), turn right and go to the shopping center that has Lowe's and Kmart in it.  Their truck/trailer is at the far end of the parking lot near Lowe's.  (You can actually see it if you are driving H1 west.)
> 
> I agree that they are better hot.  The chocolate filled ones and the coconut filled ones are to die for.  I stopped by there twice.
> 
> And at Costco I got my best food bargain of the trip - a 1/4 lb hotdog and drink for $1.50 - just like on the mainland!  And boy was that place packed around lunchtime.  They had 3 of the 4 cash registers open, and I'd guess 8 to 10 people in each line.  It does move fast.  I've never seen the food counter at a Costco with this many registers and this many customers.  Looked like mostly locals, too.
> 
> I forget to find out exactly where Matsumoto's shave ice place is on the North Shore the day I was driving around the island, so I never did try it.  Later I happened to be talking with one of the bellmen at Aulani, and he told me that the syrup they use at the shave ice stand at Aulani is the same as what is used at Masumoto's.  I don't know if that's true or not, but it did make me feel a little better.



Can you get a short term membership to Costco? We don't have them in Oklahoma, so we are not members.  I'd like to go while at Ko Olina next month.


----------



## royal.kate

We live in Hawaii on the Windward side of the island, so a lot of my favorites are located in the Kailua area, but some of them have locations all around the island. Also, some of the ones below have already been mentioned, but I'd like to give them the thumbs up too! 

Nico's at Pier 38 - This is our current go-to dinner spot. Why? Excellent, extremely fresh fish served up at half the price you will pay in Waikiki. Featured on DDD. _Bonus:_ The sunset here is fabulous! _Must try:_ Deep Fried Ahi Tuna Ribs appetizer

Lanikai Juice - Perfect local spot to grab a smoothie or smoothie bowl. The fresh fruit is so refreshing after a day at the beach. They are located a few places on the island, but I frequent the one here in Kailua. So, if you're on this side of the island to visit Kailua or Lanikai beach, try to stop in! _Bonus_: They even have 'decadent' flavors (try the Monkey Bowl) if you're not into fruity drinks. _Must try_: Acai Bowl or Monkey Bowl

Cinnamon's - Still over on the Windward side (Kailua/Lanikai)? Stop in for breakfast at Cinnamon's to order their famous red velvet pancakes. Delish!

Aloha Salads - Already mentioned multiple times here on the boards. Locations all around Oahu, but one near Aulani. They have fresh salads, wraps, and sandwiches. _Must try_: My fav is the Island Ahi salad w/mango vinaigrette dressing

Crepes No Ka ** - Crepes! This small ma & pa joint serves sweet and savory crepes. Just typing this out is making my mouth water. _Must try_: Ultimate Breakfast Crepe & Lover's Delight

Kalapawai Market - Going to Kailua Beach or Lanikai Beach? Stop in here, walk to the back of the market to the counter for GREAT (and huge) sandwiches!! This is the location on Kalaheo Ave, not Kailua Rd. There's a few stalls in the front, but go down the alley right next to the Market and it leads to the Kailua Beach parking lot.  _Must try_: Kailua Club 

I would also like to add a quick thumbs up to Dukes (lunch buffet is cheap & good!), Roy's ($$$ and worth it), Doraku Sushi (Waikiki/happy hour), Rumfire (for drinks & sunset only as the food was terrible! cucumber lavender mojito is my fav), Motsumoto's, and Giovanni's shrimp truck.


----------



## DisneyAndRedSox

Subscribing, plans are for Aluani in February 2014!


----------



## Anal Annie

mom2aidanNpiper said:


> Roys  has a totally different website for their Hawaii locations  we never made it over there but wool next time!
> 
> Anyway, here is their menu (with prices)
> 
> http://royshawaii.com/locations/roys-ko-olina/menu/



Thank you so much!!   I bookmarked it!!  Looks like we'll need a couple more gift cards than what we would use at Outback!!   There's one in Ka'anapali too which we may have to hit while we're on Maui if we like the one at Ko Olina...the menus are different too!!


----------



## aclov

mom2aidanNpiper said:


> Roys  has a totally different website for their Hawaii locations  we never made it over there but wool next time!
> 
> Anyway, here is their menu (with prices)
> 
> http://royshawaii.com/locations/roys-ko-olina/menu/



Thank you for this, we are planning to eat here next month! I heard it was pricey but didn't realize how much so we will also be needing more gift cards!  This is a spurlge trip for us


----------



## MinnieInMI

Thanks for the suggestions.  We will look forward to enjoying meals at these locations during our February 2014 visit!


----------



## MinnesotaChill

I know I mentioned this before, but it's been awhile... if you like food.  I'd suggest Hawaiifoodtours.com.  They have a downtown tour that hits a lot of local favs and a new North Shore tour.  It's a great way to go to a few different restaurants and then decide if you want to go back later in the week.  We had so much fun that it was the highlight of our trip!

Here's a link to a review that I wrote about it for our website: http://ontheroadwithlewisandclark.com/traveling/hawaii-food-tour

They were rated the #1 Activity on Oahu by Trip Advisor.


----------



## blondietink

I have heard Roy's has some Happy Hour specials..  Is this true?


----------



## shrinkydinky

i can't seem to find on the Hawaii menu if they do have a Happy Hour.  i may call there today to find out.  i did find out, however, that the bonus gift card you get now when buying a $100 gift card online cannot be used at any of their Hawaii locations.  Would be nice if they stated that on the website.  We have no Roy's near where we live now, so i guess we will use that at Outback back home.


----------



## shrinkydinky

Oh wait, i spoke too soon.  It does look like they have a happy hour.  It's listed under locations.

Aloha Hourz:

3:00 -5:00pm Daily

Roys Specialty Cocktails & Martinis $8

Glass Wine $8

All Draft Beer $4

Select pupus $3.50  $7

Call For Reservations:
(808) 676-7697


----------



## aclov

shrinkydinky said:


> i can't seem to find on the Hawaii menu if they do have a Happy Hour.  i may call there today to find out.  i did find out, however, that the bonus gift card you get now when buying a $100 gift card online cannot be used at any of their Hawaii locations.  Would be nice if they stated that on the website.  We have no Roy's near where we live now, so i guess we will use that at Outback back home.



Can you use the bonus and gc's together?   I have $100 currently saved in gc's but after looking at the menu was going to buy more to make sure I have enough to cover 3 people.

Also can you use Roy's specific gc's at Outback than?


----------



## Dean

aclov said:


> Can you use the bonus and gc's together?   I have $100 currently saved in gc's but after looking at the menu was going to buy more to make sure I have enough to cover 3 people.
> 
> Also can you use Roy's specific gc's at Outback than?


I seem to recall reading on the latest bonus cards that they exclude Roy's in HI as well as Franchise Carrabba's locations.


----------



## SuperPreparo

Just back from Waikiki and Aulani, and I'd like to thank everyone for the great food tips! While in Waikiki we ate at Jimmy Buffett's at the Beachcomber (definitely recommend if you are a Jimmy Buffett fan like me!), California Pizza Kitchen, and had a really delicious lunch at a little hole in the wall place on the beach called Steak Shack. For $6.95 you get steak or chicken, rice, and salad, and there were plenty of tables along the beach. On our way from Waikiki to Aulani we stopped at Leonard's Bakery to try the malasadas. 

At Aulani we bought food and ate breakfast and most of our lunches in the room, but we had wonderful dinners at Roys, Just Tacos (huge portions), and MonkeyPod Kitchen (be sure to save room for the strawberry creme pie). Would definitely recommend any of these. We had Dole Whips at the Dole Plantation and continued up to the North Shore where we had a delicious lunch of coconut shrimp at Kahuku Grill. 

Since the general consensus seemed to be that the luaus were not worth the money we skipped that and attended the Starlit Hui which was lots of fun. I am so glad I subscribed to this thread before we went!!


----------



## WDW_Diane

TagsMissy said:
			
		

> hey Gang,
> 
> Thought I'd start this thread for DVCers so we can share ideas of places to go for a meal on the Island and for DISers to share their experiences.
> 
> I'll start with a list of a few places to check out:
> 
> Anna Miller's Restaurant
> Roy's Restaurant
> Giovanni's Shrimp Truck



Has anyone been to House Without a Key for the sunset cocktails and hula? 
How about Duke's, also on Waikiki Beach?


----------



## Anal Annie

WDW_Diane said:


> Has anyone been to House Without a Key for the sunset cocktails and hula?
> How about Duke's, also on Waikiki Beach?



Don't know about the first one but have been to Duke's before (stayed at the hotel where Duke's is located the last time we went to HI).  Decent food, average (for HI) pricing and good location on the beach.  I'd look up reviews on Trip Advisor for the other one...


----------



## aclov

WDW_Diane said:


> Has anyone been to House Without a Key for the sunset cocktails and hula?
> How about Duke's, also on Waikiki Beach?



Breakfast at Dukes was good and very reasonable.   I didn't have a chance to go to House without a Key last time but hoping I will next month!


----------



## BowlingAriel

What an amazing thread - Thank you!

We are heading to Aulani in November.    I haven't seen any comments on 
Chief's Luau.  

Does anyone have any experience with it?  Pros & Cons?


----------



## Dean

BowlingAriel said:


> What an amazing thread - Thank you!
> 
> We are heading to Aulani in November.    I haven't seen any comments on
> Chief's Luau.
> 
> Does anyone have any experience with it?  Pros & Cons?


The comments I've seen on the Sea Life Park Luau have been limited but generally positive.  The TA rating is the highest of the regular Lua's.  The distance is quite far from Ko Olina but probably no further than PCC unless you have to navigate rush two hour traffic which might add another 2 hours to the commute in some situations.


----------



## aclov

Definately going to Roy's, trying to decide on reservations.  Are they recommended?


----------



## hjgaus

Highway Inn
226 Leoku St. Suite B1
Waipahu

Shown on DDD
Small place in a strip mall but GREAT local stuff!


----------



## WDW_Diane

BowlingAriel said:
			
		

> What an amazing thread - Thank you!
> 
> We are heading to Aulani in November.    I haven't seen any comments on
> Chief's Luau.
> 
> Does anyone have any experience with it?  Pros & Cons?



Reports I have read were vey good for the chief. I believe he also performs at the Fia Fia luau, I think at the Marriott on Tuesdays.


----------



## salemk

WDW_Diane said:


> Reports I have read were vey good for the chief. I believe he also performs at the Fia Fia luau, I think at the Marriott on Tuesdays.



That is correct & by the way it's a great show.


----------



## winegirl

Joining thread ... going to Aulani in October!


----------



## lchute1158

Just took a tour of the property... Very nice!


----------



## aclov

Any good breakfast places near or in the North Shore?  How long of a drive is it from Aulani to the North Shore?


----------



## aclov

Bumping!


----------



## mom2aidanNpiper

aclov said:
			
		

> Any good breakfast places near or in the North Shore?  How long of a drive is it from Aulani to the North Shore?



for breakfast we like Teds bakery (grab a pie there too!) Or the Coffee gallery

Its about 35-45 min depending on traffic and time of day. It can take longer on a weekend going through a certain stretch of the north shore (one lane each way and everyone trying to score parking  alongside it because the road follows the beach)


----------



## dstupper

Don't drive to the North Shore during peak traffic hours from Aulani! That being said, I would guess  at 45 minutes travel time from Aulani to Haleiwa. I don't eat breakfast out there though... That would require me to get out of my bed Way too early


----------



## BWV Dreamin

Are there any places to eat within walking distance of the Aulani resort? If so I want to compile a list....we won't be renting a car.

So I am reading the Marriott Ko Olina is a good place to eat.
Any other places within walking distance?


----------



## Psychodisney

We ate at two of the Marriot properties....one to the right of Aulani and one down the beach to the left. The one down to the left has a couple of restaurants.   For a nice dinner, Roy's is within walking distance.  The taco place across the street has some decent reviews.  And the ABC store for lunch.  Plenty of options.


----------



## Cinderpamela

BWV Dreamin said:


> Are there any places to eat within walking distance of the Aulani resort? If so I want to compile a list....we won't be renting a car.
> 
> So I am reading the Marriott Ko Olina is a good place to eat.
> Any other places within walking distance?



Check out the Ko Olina Resort website ... it lists all the restaurants in the resort area under the Dining tab here:
http://www.koolina.com/experience/dining


----------



## WDW_Diane

Cinderpamela said:


> Check out the Ko Olina Resort website ... it lists all the restaurants in the resort area under the Dining tab here:
> http://www.koolina.com/experience/dining



We are here now at Ko Olina.... Ate at Monkeypod Kitchen this evening during happy hour, it was good as earlier reported. They handled my shellfish allergy, a huge plus for me. We saw lots of locals getting pizza from the place in the same shopping complex, it must be good too.  We went to the Paradise Cove luau a couple of nights ago, pretty lame food and average entertainment... would not do that again. I guess after going to the Old Lahaina Luau on Maui a few years back, nothing else compares.

We ate at Duke's on Waikiki Beach for lunch yesterday, great atmosphere.  Also went to the International Market down there for the Thursday evening Farmers Market and got malasadas and great coconut rolls, and you could get dinner there too. Too risky for me with my food allergy, but fun for people who have no worries in that department.


----------



## HD1

We are here now too!  We are sad to say that Sunday is our last day after over a week at this amazing place!  The pizza place you are speaking of is Pizza Corner, it has been open for just about 4 weeks.  My family and I ate there on Sunday and it is great food and fun!  There is nothing more than pizza, garlic knots, and a few salads there, but the pizza is great! It comes out hot, cooked well and very tasty!  While we were there the owner, Frank came out and greeted all 12 of us in our party!  He even took a picture with us!  He calls the pizza traditional NY Style, but it was a bit thicker than NY style.  Still good!  Specialties are $24/LG and Cheese are $19/LG.  12 of us ate 3 larges and were full when we were done!  Not bad considering we are in Hawaii.  

For the most part we have been eating in our room with a few lunches out by the pool.  Mama's shack has incredible Coconut shrimp and fries for $11.  Not bad lunch.  The kids are digging the chicken "strips" yes they are real breaded breasts of chicken and fries!  I know I know fried, but still good! Hope this all helps!


----------



## oktracy

Thanks for the Ko'olina restaurant updates! I was so pleased to here about the new addition of coconut shrimp at Mama's. Shrimp was not on the menu last September. Mama's fried chicken tenders are awesome!!!! Reminds me of the yummy chicken tenders served on a Disney Cruise - but better! I can't wait to try the Pizza place across the way. Sounds like an excellent addition to the area.


----------



## eandesmom

We enjoyed Monkeypod so much we went there 3x. Lunch, dinner and happy hour.

Roy's for dinner, also quite good. All walkable


----------



## aclov

Monkey pod for happy hour!   Garlic fries were soooo good and the chicken wings were more on the healthy side looked grilled not fried buffalo style.   Great selection of beers on tap more local types, not Budlite, Sam Adams, etc


----------



## TagsMissy

I love that this thread is still going strong  We recently bought Aulani points so I'm going to have to re-read this thread once more to see all the great discussion I've missed 

BTW if you can find Agostino's Pizza ((he has a mobile brick pizza oven)) his pizza is amazing!  http://www.yelp.ca/biz/agostinos-pizza-honolulu-2 . He had been set up about 15 minutes away from Aulani when we were there and we bought from him.. heavenly... I am Italian and picky about my pizza.


----------



## aclov

Had the pumpkin ravioli (served with spinach and goat cheese on top) and pizza at Monkeypod.  It was delicious!


----------



## Halle

aclov said:


> Thank you for this, we are planning to eat here next month! I heard it was pricey but didn't realize how much so we will also be needing more gift cards!  This is a spurlge trip for us



On the Roy's gift card it states a limit of two cards, do you know if they adhere to that policy?


----------



## aclov

Halle said:


> On the Roy's gift card it states a limit of two cards, do you know if they adhere to that policy?



We didn't have any issues or even mention of that.  We used 5 gc's...one from Roy's the other Outbacks.


----------



## Anal Annie

My trip is coming up soon so I need to keep this thread on top!!


----------



## gonzalj1

Anal Annie said:


> My trip is coming up soon so I need to keep this thread on top!!



You beat me to it Annie. I think well be there at the same time!


----------



## Anal Annie

gonzalj1 said:


> You beat me to it Annie. I think well be there at the same time!



We'll be there from Aug 7th - Aug 14th.   We're leaving for Maui on the 14th...


----------



## psimon

Anal Annie said:


> We'll be there from Aug 7th - Aug 14th.   We're leaving for Maui on the 14th...



We are there a few days later! 

---Paul in Southern NJ


----------



## psimon

Are reservations needed for Monkeypod?

What do they serve for Happy Hour?

Thanks...

---Paul in Southern NJ


----------



## WDW_Diane

psimon said:


> Are reservations needed for Monkeypod?
> 
> What do they serve for Happy Hour?
> 
> Thanks...
> 
> ---Paul in Southern NJ



We were glad that we had a reservation at happy hour because other people were having to wait. I think we went at 5:15 or so.  Some specials that we had were garlicky French fries (half price)  dd loved those. I ordered a margarita pizza, dh had a burger, I don't think it was on special though. The pizza was 9. My dd ate part of it.


----------



## travelbug

psimon said:


> Are reservations needed for Monkeypod?
> 
> What do they serve for Happy Hour?
> 
> Thanks...
> 
> ---Paul in Southern NJ


We went to Monkeypod without a reservation and got right in.  We sat at a lovely table outside and had a wonderful dinner. I'm trying to remember what time we went; Happy Hour was over when we got there.


----------



## aclov

psimon said:


> Are reservations needed for Monkeypod?
> 
> What do they serve for Happy Hour?
> 
> Thanks...
> 
> ---Paul in Southern NJ



We went twice with no resv but sat at the bar.  It can get crowded a lot of locals go there.   The garlicky fries are awesome, the pumpkin ravioli was delicious,  the chicken wings are grilled not buffalo,  the pizza was okay.  They have a lot of different beers on tap,


----------



## Saralyn

psimon said:


> Are reservations needed for Monkeypod?
> 
> What do they serve for Happy Hour?
> 
> Thanks...
> 
> ---Paul in Southern NJ



Half price drinks ($6 instead of $12).


----------



## DenLo

> Ko Olina Happy Hour
> We are proud to offer happy hour every day from 3:00 PM - 5:30 PM (excluding holidays).
> Our happy hour features great specials for food and drinks:
> Drink Specials:
> Draft Beers: $4.75 for beers originally $9 and under,  $7 for over $9 (Chimay and St. Bernardus go to $10)
> $6 Ocean Vodka cocktails
> $6 white and red wines by the glass
> $8 culinary cocktails
> 
> Food Specials:
> 50% off all appetizers (with the exception of the raw bar mixed plate and poke tacos)
> $9 pizzas (excluding Bourgeois)



http://www.monkeypodkitchen.com/ko-olina/happy-hour/

There are links to a Beer, wine and cocktail lists as well.


----------



## aboveH20

Lots of people have upcoming trips it seems. 

First, enjoy every minute, and

Second, please come back with a report, no matter how short.

My question is about jet lag and circadian rhythms.  We're flying in from New York on Sunday and I want to have dinner at Ama Ama on Monday.  It's been a while since I've crossed so many times zones.  Any opinions about a good dinner reservation time?


----------



## MinnesotaChill

aboveH20 said:


> Any opinions about a good dinner reservation time?



We're from Minnesota (CT) and arrived at 11pm.  Even though we were dead tired (3am Minnesota time), we were up a mere 4 hours later for the day!  

We tried and tried to get back to sleep and couldn't.  But we also weren't tired that night.  The next morning we woke up at 4am again.  It was about the third night it hit us HARD.  

So, an early-ish dinner the first night would probably be fine.  I'd have a good stiff drink right before you head to your room and hopefully it will help you get some sleep (and yes I know that's not recommended for jet lag, but I tried the recommended jet lag solutions and they didn't work either).

When we go again, I swear I'll try altering my wake/sleep times a bit starting two weeks before we go.  It's too much of a splurge vacation to spend so much time feeling "off" from weird sleep.  We've gone to Australia (albeit before we had kids, about 15 years ago) and didn't have so much trouble adjusting!


----------



## WDW_Diane

aboveH20 said:


> Lots of people have upcoming trips it seems.
> 
> First, enjoy every minute, and
> 
> Second, please come back with a report, no matter how short.
> 
> My question is about jet lag and circadian rhythms.  We're flying in from New York on Sunday and I want to have dinner at Ama Ama on Monday.  It's been a while since I've crossed so many times zones.  Any opinions about a good dinner reservation time?



We have been back for almost a month now....still miss it so much!

I agree with the other post, that first full day we were there we were up at 6 am Hawaii time and went to Pearl Harbor that day, then a luau that night. We were back to go to bed at about 9:30 I think and that helped us get good sleep and adjust to the time. 
(I had read on this board to go to the early line at Pearl Harbor on your first morning there if you don't have tickets, that was good advice.)
Really, I had no problems being on Hawaii time; i am good at staying up late anyway.  It was Oklahoma time that I had a hard time readjusting to, as we all did.


----------



## msabol01

Headed back in a little over a week and CAN"T wait!!!  Last year we flew direct from Philly and were quite beat the first few days.  I don't think  I saw past 9 p.m. those first few days and was up no later than 5 am Hawaii time.  If you plan to dine soon after arriving, I would recommend going as early as possible, maybe 5:30 / 6:00.


----------



## aboveH20

MinnesotaChill said:


> We're from Minnesota (CT) and arrived at 11pm.  Even though we were dead tired (3am Minnesota time), we were up a mere 4 hours later for the day!
> 
> We tried and tried to get back to sleep and couldn't.  But we also weren't tired that night.  The next morning we woke up at 4am again.  It was about the third night it hit us HARD.
> 
> So, an early-ish dinner the first night would probably be fine.  I'd have a good stiff drink right before you head to your room and hopefully it will help you get some sleep (and yes I know that's not recommended for jet lag, but I tried the recommended jet lag solutions and they didn't work either).
> 
> When we go again, I swear I'll try altering my wake/sleep times a bit starting two weeks before we go.  It's too much of a splurge vacation to spend so much time feeling "off" from weird sleep.  We've gone to Australia (albeit before we had kids, about 15 years ago) and didn't have so much trouble adjusting!



I absolutely agree about it's too much of a splurge vacation to spend time feeling off.  Your idea about tryng to adjust ahead of time has merit.  It's hard to factor in, but when we go in February (how can I wait seven more months!) it gets dark here around 4:30 PM.  Change in daylight will be a shock to the system.



WDW_Diane said:


> We have been back for almost a month now....still miss it so much!
> 
> I agree with the other post, that first full day we were there we were up at 6 am Hawaii time and went to Pearl Harbor that day, then a luau that night. We were back to go to bed at about 9:30 I think and that helped us get good sleep and adjust to the time.
> (I had read on this board to go to the early line at Pearl Harbor on your first morning there if you don't have tickets, that was good advice.)
> Really, I had no problems being on Hawaii time; i am good at staying up late anyway.  It was Oklahoma time that I had a hard time readjusting to, as we all did.



Good idea about seeing Pearl Harbor early in the trip while we're still on New York time.

More than one person has recommended to us staying a couple nights on the west coast on the way home to help readjust.  Seems to me that after two weeks in Hawaii we'll just want to get home, and/or instead of spending money in Los Angeles or San Francisco we'd rather spend that money in HI.



msabol01 said:


> Headed back in a little over a week and CAN"T wait!!!  Last year we flew direct from Philly and were quite beat the first few days.  I don't think  I saw past 9 p.m. those first few days and was up no later than 5 am Hawaii time.  If you plan to dine soon after arriving, I would recommend going as early as possible, maybe 5:30 / 6:00.



Excited to hear that you're going back since you're an east coaster, too.  I figure we'll either love it and buy into DVC while we're there (we're STILL waiting for "the unexpected check" to surprise us in the mail some day) or be thankful we went for two weeks before we get any older and figure it's our last trip to HI.


----------



## WDW_Diane

I guess it wouldn't be too bad to spend a couple of days at Disneyland on the way home after Aulani.  Too bad the airlines won't let you have a 48 hoûr layover!


----------



## lovetotraveltx

WDW_Diane said:


> I guess it wouldn't be too bad to spend a couple of days at Disneyland on the way home after Aulani.  Too bad the airlines won't let you have a 48 hoûr layover!



Some airlines will let you count a few nights as a layover!


----------



## aboveH20

lovetotraveltx said:


> Some airlines will let you count a few nights as a layover!



Hmmmmmm.  Worth looking into.


----------



## psimon

lovetotraveltx said:


> Some airlines will let you count a few nights as a layover!



For my trip in a few weeks, I just booked two flights.... a red eye out of Maui into LAX, arriving 4:44AM on a Thursday morning, and then a red eye out of LAX at 11:50PM on Friday. 2 almost full days of DL.... if we don't crash from the time change coming back east first! 

---Paul in Southern NJ


----------



## Saralyn

We really liked Naupaka Terrace at the JW Marriott next door.  I thought their selection and prices were better than anything at Aulani.  It's open air seating with a view of their pool and the ocean. We ate dinner there twice and were very pleased with our meals both times.  

http://www.ihilani.com/Oahu-Hawaii-Restaurants/Napupaka-Terrace-18.html


----------



## aboveH20

psimon said:


> For my trip in a few weeks, I just booked two flights.... a red eye out of Maui into LAX, arriving 4:44AM on a Thursday morning, and then a red eye out of LAX at 11:50PM on Friday. 2 almost full days of DL.... if we don't crash from the time change coming back east first!
> 
> ---Paul in Southern NJ



Creative scheduling!


----------



## lovetotraveltx

Enjoying this thread.  Some dining questions, please.

Has anyone done the afternoon tea at the hotel where The House Without a Key restaurant is, (Halekulani)?  Or any other afternoon tea on the Island.

Also, what's a good place to get flavored pancakes, ie, pineapple, banana...

Any Puka Dogs on Oahu?

Most reasonably-priced good seafood close to Aulani?

Thank you!


Thank you!


----------



## lovetotraveltx

Bump


----------



## momofthreeangels

Just tacos across the street was a complete disappointment! Worst food we ate on our trip......


----------



## aboveH20

After finally deciding on the Polynesian Cultural Center's luau, my husband mentioned that last time he went to Hawaii (pre me) he went to the luau at Hale Koa to meet an army buddy.  He's a sentimental type, so I know he'd like to go back there.  Anyone been to both and have thoughts?


----------



## stitchgal

We are coming on the 10th of August! I've read through the thread but anymore recommendations for plate lunches or local type places? Thanks.

We plan to do Duke's on Waikki, never been to this location but we've had great meals at the one on Maui and in California.


----------



## Halle

stitchgal said:


> We are coming on the 10th of August! I've read through the thread but anymore recommendations for plate lunches or local type places? Thanks.
> 
> We plan to do Duke's on Waikki, never been to this location but we've had great meals at the one on Maui and in California.



We ate at the Yardhouse @ Waikki, food was 100 percent better than Dukes.


----------



## psimon

Halle said:


> We ate at the Yardhouse @ Waikki, food was 100 percent better than Dukes.



Not that I put a lot of stock in Yelp, but I noticed that Dukes has 4 stars and Yardhouse has 3.5.

What do you think Yardhouse is better? (Doing my research for our trip in a few weeks )

Thanks

---Paul in Southern NJ


----------



## Halle

psimon said:


> Not that I put a lot of stock in Yelp, but I noticed that Dukes has 4 stars and Yardhouse has 3.5.
> 
> What do you think Yardhouse is better? (Doing my research for our trip in a few weeks )
> 
> Thanks
> 
> ---Paul in Southern NJ



The food, service and the atmosphere at the Yardhouse were fantastic.  Dukes reminded me of a place that tour buses stop at. No attention to detail. There is a buffet at Dukes which we did not take of advantage of.  

Loved, loved, loved Monkey Pods which is across the street from Aulani.  We also loved Roy's (upscale dining).  Ate at MonkeyPods 4 times and Roy's twice.  Ama Ama for lunch excellent food, horrible service.  Have a great trip.


----------



## carissa1970

Halle said:


> The food, service and the atmosphere at the Yardhouse were fantastic.  Dukes reminded me of a place that tour buses stop at. No attention to detail. There is a buffet at Dukes which we did not take of advantage of.
> 
> Loved, loved, loved Monkey Pods which is across the street from Aulani.  We also loved Roy's (upscale dining).  Ate at MonkeyPods 4 times and Roy's twice.  Ama Ama for lunch excellent food, horrible service.  Have a great trip.



What type of food is Monkey Pods?  I don't remember seeing that place when we were there at Thanksgiving.  Thanks!


----------



## Saralyn

carissa1970 said:


> What type of food is Monkey Pods?  I don't remember seeing that place when we were there at Thanksgiving.  Thanks!



http://www.monkeypodkitchen.com/ko-olina/dinner-menu/

Also, they have great deals at happy hour:
http://www.monkeypodkitchen.com/ko-olina/happy-hour/


----------



## Dean

Halle said:


> The food, service and the atmosphere at the Yardhouse were fantastic.  Dukes reminded me of a place that tour buses stop at. No attention to detail. There is a buffet at Dukes which we did not take of advantage of.
> 
> Loved, loved, loved Monkey Pods which is across the street from Aulani.  We also loved Roy's (upscale dining).  Ate at MonkeyPods 4 times and Roy's twice.  Ama Ama for lunch excellent food, horrible service.  Have a great trip.


I must admit that I found Duke's Waikiki good but not great the one time I've gone.  I haven't tried the Hula grill in Waikiki.  I very much enjoy the Maui and Kauai Duke's locations but my favorites are Leilani's Maui and Keoki's Paradise Kauai.  I find Hula grill Maui hit or miss and I'm not sure if I've eaten at Kimo's.  Of those Keoki's is my favorite.  One hint, generally they will let you use the widely available discount of a free piece of Hula pie with the early bird specials.  Another hint, Keoki's had Mint chocolate Hula pie in addition to the normal one last time we were there.

Hopefully DVC will get with the program and expand it's holdings in HI.


----------



## stitchgal

Dean said:


> I must admit that I found Duke's Waikiki good but not great the one time I've gone.  I haven't tried the Hula grill in Waikiki.  I very much enjoy the Maui and Kauai Duke's locations but my favorites are Leilani's Maui and Keoki's Paradise Kauai.  I find Hula grill Maui hit or miss and I'm not sure if I've eaten at Kimo's.  Of those Keoki's is my favorite.  One hint, generally they will let you use the widely available discount of a free piece of Hula pie with the early bird specials.  Another hint, Keoki's had Mint chocolate Hula pie in addition to the normal one last time we were there.
> 
> Hopefully DVC will get with the program and expand it's holdings in HI.



I've never had a bad meal at a Duke's. Kimo's on Maui was good when we went. I believe that they only have a buffet on the weekends? I love the hula pie-mint choclate, yum! Thanks for the tip on the free hula pie!


----------



## bnk1120

We ate at Monkey pod twice. I made same day ressies so we wouldn't have to wait. Loved the ravioli appetizer and the Mahi Mahi fish and chips! Nice to just walk over and back without having to drive anywhere.


----------



## hopey1kenobi

aboveH20 said:


> After finally deciding on the Polynesian Cultural Center's luau, my husband mentioned that last time he went to Hawaii (pre me) he went to the luau at Hale Koa to meet an army buddy.  He's a sentimental type, so I know he'd like to go back there.  Anyone been to both and have thoughts?



I've been to both & both were really good. The experiences are completely different though. 

The Hale Koa is a traditional Luau with entertainment, drinks & ono (delicious) food. It's relatively cheaper than the other, bigger luau's & is has fewer ppl in attendence for each seating. I would rec it over Germaine's, Paradise Cove & Chief's.  

The PCC is (can be) an all day excursion. The PCC itself is a museum/park of sorts that you can easily spend all day at. The "Luau" portion is okay, but it is not the 'traditional' Luau you would expect. The food is delish & there is entertainment while you eat. To round out the "package" after dinner there is the "Ha: Breath of Life" show, which I can't praise enough; it is outstanding. 

It really depends on what type of experience you want.


----------



## aboveH20

hopey1kenobi said:


> I've been to both & both were really good. The experiences are completely different though.
> 
> The Hale Koa is a traditional Luau with entertainment, drinks & ono (delicious) food. It's relatively cheaper than the other, bigger luau's & is has fewer ppl in attendence for each seating. I would rec it over Germaine's, Paradise Cove & Chief's.
> 
> The PCC is (can be) an all day excursion. The PCC itself is a museum/park of sorts that you can easily spend all day at. The "Luau" portion is okay, but it is not the 'traditional' Luau you would expect. The food is delish & there is entertainment while you eat. To round out the "package" after dinner there is the "Ha: Breath of Life" show, which I can't praise enough; it is outstanding.
> 
> It really depends on what type of experience you want.



Thanks for the detailed reply.  Last time I went to Hawaii I saw Don Ho but didn't get to the PCC (so now you have an idea how long it's been).  I definitely want to go to the PCC this time.  The after dinner show sounds intriguing.  

My prime interest in Hale Koa is that my husband (he's a bit older than I) went there when he was on r'n'r from Vietnam and even though he doesn't remember it, he likes to return to places he's been before whereas I like to go to places I've _never_ been to before!


----------



## lovetotraveltx

Can you get Puka dogs somewhere on Oahu.  Got them on Kauai on our last trip and they were awesome!


----------



## hopey1kenobi

lovetotraveltx said:


> Can you get Puka dogs somewhere on Oahu.  Got them on Kauai on our last trip and they were awesome!



Yep, Hula Dogs http://huladoghawaii.com/. Always busy, but always tasty!


----------



## aboveH20

I may have to extend my trip if I'm going to work in all the meals I have planned!

Thanks to all who continue to share.


----------



## cmstpierre

We will be staying at Aulani for our 10 year wedding anniversary in December.  Still trying to decide between 5 nights at Aulani and 3 nights in Maui or 8 nights at Aulani.  (We stayed on Maui/Kauai, and in Honolulu for our honeymoon 10 years ago.)  

One of the things we give up by not going to Maui is reliving the honeymoon, dining at the same restaurants, etc.  So - what are the options for special occasion dining in or around Aulani?  

What I'd really like to do is private cabana dining on the beach -- is there anywhere that offers this?  I've read through almost all of this thread -- and took notes!! -- but I didn't see anything like this mentioned. I am definitely looking for something more than Roy's -- we used to have one here, and we went there for anniversaries 1-4.  We will visit the one on the island -- with the rest of our traveling party that includes our 3 and 5 year olds, and my mom and dad - but what I really want is that special night out for just the two of us.

Thanks for any ideas!!


----------



## Susan2771

We just returned from celebrating our 10 year anniversary at Aulani and we did not find any venues that do the private dining on the beach like you are describing.  All the beaches on Oahu are public beaches and I don't think alcohol is allowed for public consumption on the beaches.  It's hard to do the romantic private dining experience on the beach with those types of restrictions to work around.

The Royal Hawaiian which is a luxury property does have a oceanfront cabana dining experience which can be arranged through their Azure Restaurant.


----------



## cmstpierre

Susan2771 said:


> The Royal Hawaiian which is a luxury property does have a oceanfront cabana dining experience which can be arranged through their Azure Restaurant.



Happy Anniversary to you!  Thanks, I will check out Royal Hawaiian.  Private oceanfront dining sounds just as lovely, doesn't need to be on the beach.


----------



## TALB

Does anyone have a suggestion as to where to eat on Xmas Eve or Day?  Does the resort offer anything special those days?  Would it be a good day to go into Waikaki?


----------



## gonzalj1

Just back - some reviews


AMA AMA - we thought this was an excellent meal. DW had the lamb and I had the pork chop. Both were excellent. The polenta that came with my pork was a little on the grainy side for me but DW loved it. The mashed potatoes were awesome and the asparagus was well done. 

The ambiance was amazing. We had dinner while watching a Hawaiian sunset. Gorgeous.  Service was attentive without being intrusive. 

Off the Hook - we had lunch here. Typical casual fare. No on complained but no one asked to go back either. I had a burger that was decent, DW had a grilled veggie sandwich which she said was good. Service is on Island Time. 

Olelo room - we had drinks and munches here one night. The wings were good, the nachos passable and the drinks strong. Service was adequate. 

Makahiki - the big disappointment of the trip. The night before we asked to take a look at the buffet and thought everything looked great. Looks can be deceiving. The only thing that I enjoyed on then buffet were the crab legs. 

Rainbow Drive In - great loco moco with a major wait at lunch time. 20 minutes in line followed by a 10 minute wait for your food turns out to be worth it!

Leonard's bakery - awesome! We had one of everything and enjoyed them all. My personal favorite was the sweet and sour. 

MonkeyPod - the only place we returned to. The pizza was good. DW enjoyed her noodle dish and the garlic truffle fries were amazing. Service was good and the beer selection was good as well. 

Just Tacos - worst service of the trip. Food was barely adequate. We actually skipped dessert. Will not return.


----------



## Leilanie94

lovetotraveltx said:


> Enjoying this thread.  Some dining questions, please.
> 
> Has anyone done the afternoon tea at the hotel where The House Without a Key restaurant is, (Halekulani)?  Or any other afternoon tea on the Island.
> 
> Also, what's a good place to get flavored pancakes, ie, pineapple, banana...
> 
> Any Puka Dogs on Oahu?
> 
> Most reasonably-priced good seafood close to Aulani?
> 
> Thank you!
> 
> 
> Thank you!



My family *loves* *Cinnamon's Restaurant* in Kailua. We enjoy their famous Guava Chiffon pancakes and Red Velvet pancakes!!!


----------



## bfosbenner

YUM!



gonzalj1 said:


> Just back - some reviews
> 
> 
> AMA AMA - we thought this was an excellent meal. DW had the lamb and I had the pork chop. Both were excellent. The polenta that came with my pork was a little on the grainy side for me but DW loved it. The mashed potatoes were awesome and the asparagus was well done.
> 
> The ambiance was amazing. We had dinner while watching a Hawaiian sunset. Gorgeous.  Service was attentive without being intrusive.
> 
> Off the Hook - we had lunch here. Typical casual fare. No on complained but no one asked to go back either. I had a burger that was decent, DW had a grilled veggie sandwich which she said was good. Service is on Island Time.
> 
> Olelo room - we had drinks and munches here one night. The wings were good, the nachos passable and the drinks strong. Service was adequate.
> 
> Makahiki - the big disappointment of the trip. The night before we asked to take a look at the buffet and thought everything looked great. Looks can be deceiving. The only thing that I enjoyed on then buffet were the crab legs.
> 
> Rainbow Drive In - great loco moco with a major wait at lunch time. 20 minutes in line followed by a 10 minute wait for your food turns out to be worth it!
> 
> Leonard's bakery - awesome! We had one of everything and enjoyed them all. My personal favorite was the sweet and sour.
> 
> MonkeyPod - the only place we returned to. The pizza was good. DW enjoyed her noodle dish and the garlic truffle fries were amazing. Service was good and the beer selection was good as well.
> 
> Just Tacos - worst service of the trip. Food was barely adequate. We actually skipped dessert. Will not return.


----------



## lovetotraveltx

Leilanie94 said:


> My family *loves* *Cinnamon's Restaurant* in Kailua. We enjoy their famous Guava Chiffon pancakes and Red Velvet pancakes!!!



Thanks for the suggestion.  My older dd still talks about the pineapple pancakes she had a little dinner type restaurant on Kaaui!


----------



## lovetotraveltx

bfosbenner said:


> YUM!



Thanks for your restaurant review!

What was the actual problem with the buffet?  The choices or the food quality or both?  We tend to like buffets and thought that was a reasonable price for Hawaii!


----------



## lovetotraveltx

Has anyone done the Saturday night seafood buffet at the JW Marriott next door?


----------



## lodge

lovetotraveltx said:


> Has anyone done the Saturday night seafood buffet at the JW Marriott next door?



Someone did, I read it somewhere! They even put up the menu/price/link. They liked it, so we'll be trying it too.


----------



## lovetotraveltx

lodge said:


> Someone did, I read it somewhere! They even put up the menu/price/link. They liked it, so we'll be trying it too.



When do you go?

Let me know what you think of the seafood buffet and where else you eat, please.


----------



## Nickyz79

Hi there, does anyone know if you can or need to book the Makahiki for lunch or do you just go?


----------



## DenLo

Here's link to the JW Marriott - Ihilani  (next door to Aulani) Saturday night seafood buffet.

http://www.ihilani.com/files/Naupaka Buffet Seafood .pdf

Someone posted earlier that they ate at Naupakas more than once and like it.  They didn't say which meal they ate though.


----------



## TagsMissy

Anybody think I should start a Part 2 discussion, linking this in the first thread or just keep it going here?


----------



## GoGoJulie

TagsMissy said:


> Anybody think I should start a Part 2 discussion, linking this in the first thread or just keep it going here?


I vote to keep the thread here.


----------



## TagsMissy

I just came across this website, it shows restaurants in the Honolulu area that have been featured on some sort of food/dining TV show

http://www.tvfoodmaps.com/s3/HI/Honolulu


----------



## lodge

GoGoJulie said:


> I vote to keep the thread here.


me too


----------



## amym2

Nickyz79 said:


> Hi there, does anyone know if you can or need to book the Makahiki for lunch or do you just go?



I seem to recall reading that once the new CS cafe opened (official opening is 10/19), Makahiki would no longer serve lunch.  Can anyone confirm that?

ETA: Lunch is no longer an option on the website, so it must be true.


----------



## Anal Annie

TagsMissy said:


> Anybody think I should start a Part 2 discussion, linking this in the first thread or just keep it going here?



Why would you start a new thread?  This one is no where near maxing out the page length that it is allowed to grow to.  I would just leave it here so it's easy to find.


----------



## Cinderpamela

TagsMissy said:


> I just came across this website, it shows restaurants in the Honolulu area that have been featured on some sort of food/dining TV show
> 
> http://www.tvfoodmaps.com/s3/HI/Honolulu



This is great!! Thanks!

We had originally looked at doing the "Hole in the Wall" food tour that is offered by a company in Honolulu. But at $100 per person x4 people in our family we started thinking we could put one together ourselves and spend the money on something else! 

So my DH is putting together a "Hole in the Wall Food Tour" of his own complete with flashcards for each location with interesting facts and such.... this will be super helpful.


----------



## amym2

Nickyz79 said:


> Hi there, does anyone know if you can or need to book the Makahiki for lunch or do you just go?



Makahiki is no longer open for lunch, only breakfast and dinner.


----------



## samserena

TagsMissy said:


> I just came across this website, it shows restaurants in the Honolulu area that have been featured on some sort of food/dining TV show
> 
> http://www.tvfoodmaps.com/s3/HI/Honolulu



AMAZING LINK! thank you TagsMissy


----------



## samserena

ive had a bit of a search of the thread, but I cant find too much about other places local (enough) to Aulani for breakfast??

also, what is everyones opinions about aulani restaurant reservations? needed?

we probably should if we want to have nice meals throughout our honeymoon? but at the same time don't want to book too much as I dont want to stress the soon-to-be DH out about needing to be places at particular times. 

would making reservations in the morning for the evening suffice?


----------



## lovesthebeach

TagsMissy said:


> Anybody think I should start a Part 2 discussion, linking this in the first thread or just keep it going here?



I vote to keep it here. I am subscribed to it....still want ideas for our next visit


----------



## Iceman93

samserena said:


> would making reservations in the morning for the evening suffice?



That depends on whether you're going in high or low season, and if you're talking about the weekend or a weeknight.

I suggest you make at least one 'Ama 'Ama reservation for both breakfast and dinner--that doesn't constrain you too much, but guarantees you'll get to experience those wonderful meals at least once.


----------



## lovetotraveltx

Any scoop on The new Ulu cafe at Aulani yet? Hours, menu, reviews?...

Thanks!


----------



## cinjam

TagsMissy said:


> I just came across this website, it shows restaurants in the Honolulu area that have been featured on some sort of food/dining TV show
> 
> http://www.tvfoodmaps.com/s3/HI/Honolulu



That's a great link - thank you!!


----------



## Leilanie94

We are at Aulani this weekend. My family *love* and enjoyed Monkeypod Kitchen.  We will definitely go again.


----------



## BowlingAriel

Ok I've read alot about everyone heading to Costco when they arrive to stock up.

We don't have a Costco close to where I live - trying to decide if its worth getting a membership 
or just shopping at the Safeway / Target stores?

thoughts, ideas?


----------



## Anal Annie

BowlingAriel said:


> Ok I've read alot about everyone heading to Costco when they arrive to stock up.
> 
> We don't have a Costco close to where I live - trying to decide if its worth getting a membership
> or just shopping at the Safeway / Target stores?
> 
> thoughts, ideas?



A basic membership will cost you $55 for 1 year - IMHO that is way too much if you will never use it again.  Just do the Target / Safeway thing.  At Costco you have to buy such large quantities it is a LOT for a week or two of vacation (unless of course you are the Partridge Family and need a bus to get around bcuz your family is that big).  For example - dill pickles are in a GALLON jar.  Mayo is in a 64 oz. (2 quarts) jar.  Log Cabin pancake syrup is 64 oz. (and comes in a 2 pack so that would be 128 oz).  Nutella is the larger 26.5 oz size (and is also in a 2-pack).  Jiff peanut butter - 48 oz (3 Lbs) ALSO in a 2-pack - so that is 6 Lbs of peanut butter!!  We use peanut butter almost daily and it still takes us forever to get thru 2 jars of that stuff!!  

The only things I could see being of super value from Costco for vacation might be cereal or their prepared ready-to-bake meals (sandwich trays, ready-to-bake pizza, fettuccini alfredo etc).   Or maybe their fresh fruit & veggies if you eat a lot of that.  But like strawberries come in a 4 Lb container.  Will you eat that many?  Salad in a 3 Lb bag, etc, etc.  Their quantities are HUGE.

Some of these things are great to pick up *if you already have the membership card* because their prices are super low.  But not worth buying a new membership for a 1-time use.  JM2C.


----------



## mom2aidanNpiper

BowlingAriel said:


> Ok I've read alot about everyone heading to Costco when they arrive to stock up.  We don't have a Costco close to where I live - trying to decide if its worth getting a membership or just shopping at the Safeway / Target stores?  thoughts, ideas?



We shopped at Safeway and got everything we needed target didn't have nearly the selection and we were cooking for all meals, etc.  We did pop into target once just to restock for some breakfast goods. 

Some prices were good and others (like dairy) were outrageous. We found the high prices to be standard all over the island though.


----------



## Dean

Anal Annie said:


> A basic membership will cost you $55 for 1 year - IMHO that is way too much if you will never use it again.  Just do the Target / Safeway thing.  At Costco you have to buy such large quantities it is a LOT for a week or two of vacation (unless of course you are the Partridge Family and need a bus to get around bcuz your family is that big).  For example - dill pickles are in a GALLON jar.  Mayo is in a 64 oz. (2 quarts) jar.  Log Cabin pancake syrup is 64 oz. (and comes in a 2 pack so that would be 128 oz).  Nutella is the larger 26.5 oz size (and is also in a 2-pack).  Jiff peanut butter - 48 oz (3 Lbs) ALSO in a 2-pack - so that is 6 Lbs of peanut butter!!  We use peanut butter almost daily and it still takes us forever to get thru 2 jars of that stuff!!
> 
> The only things I could see being of super value from Costco for vacation might be cereal or their prepared ready-to-bake meals (sandwich trays, ready-to-bake pizza, fettuccini alfredo etc).   Or maybe their fresh fruit & veggies if you eat a lot of that.  But like strawberries come in a 4 Lb container.  Will you eat that many?  Salad in a 3 Lb bag, etc, etc.  Their quantities are HUGE.
> 
> Some of these things are great to pick up *if you already have the membership card* because their prices are super low.  But not worth buying a new membership for a 1-time use.  JM2C.


IMO Costco only makes sense if you have a large party.  We did Safeway, Target and WM and we are Costco members.  However, I believe you can shop at Costco not being a member with a day pass, you'll pay a little more, I think it's 5%.  I do believe you can buy the go card and power pass through Costco and I believe you can buy those vouchers online.  I also recall hearing you can shop at Costco without a membership if you have a Costco gift card.  Just get someone to buy one for you.


----------



## jekjones1558

Costco also has good deals on Hawaii souvenirs like macadamia nuts, at least the Big Island one did a couple of years ago.  They had a special section with Hawaii things that our home Costco does not have.  DH also got a really good quality, made in Hawaii, Hawaiian shirt that he still wears all the time.  I am hoping to get a couple more for him in February.  If you happen to be in Costco during lunchtime they have cheap food and drinks in the food court.
YES, you can have someone buy some Costco cash cards for you and use them to buy gas (usually significantly cheaper), liquor or anything in the store WITHOUT an upcharge or membership.  Here is a link:

http://www.costco.com/Costco-Cash-Card.product.10024438.html


----------



## Disney Dreams

lovetotraveltx said:


> Any scoop on The new Ulu cafe at Aulani yet? Hours, menu, reviews?...
> 
> Thanks!



Here you go, taken two days ago, October 11, 2013 from Ulu Cafe at Aulani. 











/\ The menu changes somewhat daily, new fish, specialty flatbreads, new hot item, etc....






/\ Eating area if you wanted to stay there to eat.






/\ Pre-made salads, sandwiches, wraps, etc....






/\ Baked goodies and yummies






/\ More baked goodness






/\ Cool Hawaiian inspired art that was on the wall that I liked.

Hope this helps with the curiosity,
Dreams


----------



## Cinderpamela

^^^Thanks Dreams!!! Totally helpful!


----------



## Leilanie94

lovetotraveltx said:


> Any scoop on The new Ulu cafe at Aulani yet? Hours, menu, reviews?...
> 
> Thanks!



Hello! We were there for a staycation on Friday, October 11, 2013. 

Ulu Cafe opens at 6:00 AM for breakfast. We had french toast, bacon and a small slice of pineapple. My boys had the "keiki" breakfast platter: potato fries, bacon, scrambled eggs, a small slice of pineapple, and includes your choice of kid's milk, juice box or bottled water. It's a good alternative to the character breakfast buffet. 

There is this thread:  *New Aulani Pictures*. 
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3179908

There is photos of the new Ulu Cafe and pool area.


----------



## Disney Dreams

Cinderpamela said:


> ^^^Thanks Dreams!!! Totally helpful!



You're welcome!  Happy I could help!

- Dreams


----------



## alikat99

Thanks to everyone for all of their dining suggestions!!  We're heading to Aulani the first week of November, and I can't wait!  I've been to Oahu once when I was a teenager, and Maui in my early 20s.  But my husband and DDs have never been, so I can't wait to share it with them!


----------



## Disney Dreams

samserena said:


> ive had a bit of a search of the thread, but I cant find too much about other places local (enough) to Aulani for breakfast??
> 
> also, what is everyones opinions about aulani restaurant reservations? needed?
> 
> we probably should if we want to have nice meals throughout our honeymoon? but at the same time don't want to book too much as I dont want to stress the soon-to-be DH out about needing to be places at particular times.
> 
> would making reservations in the morning for the evening suffice?



Reservations for the character breakfast and Ama Ama dinner can get a little tight as you get closer to your dates.  I would book those two if you are interested.  I don't think that would stress out the future DH too much, would it?

- Dreams


----------



## lovetotraveltx

Perfect! Thank you!






Disney Dreams said:


> Here you go, taken two days ago, October 11, 2013 from Ulu Cafe at Aulani.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> /\ The menu changes somewhat daily, new fish, specialty flatbreads, new hot item, etc....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> /\ Eating area if you wanted to stay there to eat.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> /\ Pre-made salads, sandwiches, wraps, etc....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> /\ Baked goodies and yummies
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> /\ More baked goodness
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> /\ Cool Hawaiian inspired art that was on the wall that I liked.
> 
> Hope this helps with the curiosity,
> Dreams


----------



## bfosbenner

WOW, That looks ASWOME!  They really needed some place like that on the property.  Now I need to go back!


----------



## MAJPLO

Disney Dreams said:


> Here you go, taken two days ago, October 11, 2013 from Ulu Cafe at Aulani.
> 
> /\ The menu changes somewhat daily, new fish, specialty flatbreads, new hot item, etc....
> 
> /\ Eating area if you wanted to stay there to eat.
> 
> /\ Pre-made salads, sandwiches, wraps, etc....
> 
> /\ Baked goodies and yummies
> 
> /\ More baked goodness
> 
> /\ Cool Hawaiian inspired art that was on the wall that I liked.
> 
> Hope this helps with the curiosity,
> Dreams



Thanks!!!! Apologies if I missed this, but they serve breakfast also right? Any idea what that menu is like? Or is it just breakfast pastries?


----------



## AKMOUSE

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.


----------



## aboveH20

Disney Dreams said:


> Here you go, taken two days ago, October 11, 2013 from Ulu Cafe at Aulani.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hope this helps with the curiosity,
> Dreams



Thanks for the photos.  We booked eight nights in February that includes breakfast each morning at Ulu Cafe.  I figure even if it's coffee and a muffin, it's FREE!


----------



## mom2aidanNpiper

aboveH20 said:


> Thanks for the photos.  We booked eight nights in February that includes breakfast each morning at Ulu Cafe.  I figure even if it's coffee and a muffin, it's FREE!



We will be there in Feb for 9 nights but booked on points so no breakfast for us, but that is a good deal they have going on!


----------



## amym2

We were also at Aulani last week and enjoyed the Ulu Cafe.  We had the hamburger steak the night we arrived (similar to salisbury steak) as well as the kalua pork pizza and both were delicious.  DS11 had the kids' mahi mahi and enjoyed it, and we appreciated that he could get a kids meal with his adult tastes.  We didn't ever really eat breakfast there, but they did have breakfast platters available with the typical eggs, bacon, etc.  We did try the macadamia nut and blueberry muffins and the apple danish and oh my goodness, were they good!  They are baked on site.  

Also loved the coconut shrimp and puka dog (get the garlic aoili) at Mama's and of course the shave ice (get the sweetened condensed milk topping!).

Across from Aulani we enjoyed Monkeypod and DH walked to get a pizza from Pizza Corner and it was good, too.  

Offsite we love the Koa Pancake House for good cheap breakfast.  And Giovanni's shrimp truck on the north shore is as good as ever.    

We thought Ama Ama was okay for lunch, but it wasn't our favorite.  You can sit right outside on the patio area just below Ama Ama for the sunset views without having to pay the steep prices for dinner.  Make sure you go to Uncle's storytelling by the fire pit which is right near there.

Oh and we did do the Makahiki breakfast buffet on a Monday so no characters (although I hear that changes in Dec) and it was wonderful!  Make sure you get the POG juice.  Everything was delicious.  Mickey waffles with coconut syrup... yum!


----------



## aboveH20

mom2aidanNpiper said:


> We will be there in Feb for 9 nights but booked on points so no breakfast for us, but that is a good deal they have going on!



Look at it this way, what you save not having to pay to park will more than account for two breaksfasts at Ulu Cale (I think).


----------



## mom2aidanNpiper

aboveH20 said:


> Look at it this way, what you save not having to pay to park will more than account for two breaksfasts at Ulu Cale (I think).



Very true!  parking is outrageous (not just Aulani- everywhere on the island!)


----------



## bfosbenner

aboveH20 said:


> Look at it this way, what you save not having to pay to park will more than account for two breaksfasts at Ulu Cale (I think).



I agree, free parking is a great perk!  Friends stayed in Waikiki and would not get out  and have a  rental car due to parking fees!  We liked the freedom when we stayed.


----------



## Ozdisneydreamin

Subscribing for more ideas for our March vacation.


----------



## blondietink

bfosbenner said:


> I agree, free parking is a great perk!  Friends stayed in Waikiki and would not get out  and have a  rental car due to parking fees!  We liked the freedom when we stayed.



We found a couple of hotels in Waikiki that did not charge at all for parking.  There are there if you look, but won't be right on the beach.  We never paid for parking anywhere in Oahu or on Maui.


----------



## BCV2003

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.


----------



## MinnieInMI

BCV2003: Great detailed write-up.  I am keeping this list for our upcoming February trip.  Mahalo


----------



## justkeepswimmin

Great thread!  Looks like there are a couple new things to try since we were there in September 2011.  Especially excited to try Monkeypod.  This looks like the kind of place my dh and I will really enjoy!


----------



## gretchenohar@hotmail

Bumping to keep this thread alive....
Thanks to all who have contributed.


----------



## GoofyforDisnee

Subscribing!


----------



## JacksGirlz

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


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## 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

kkmcan said:


> 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

kkmcan said:


> 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

kkmcan said:


> 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

BCV2003 said:


> 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

lovetotraveltx said:


> 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

AKMOUSE said:


> 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

happymommy said:


> 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?


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## 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.


----------



## lovetotraveltx

I called the Marriott beach club. Fia fia will no longer be there starting April 1. They will have another show called Legend of the Sea. The chief that did fia fia will now be at sea life park.


----------



## yolie912

lovetotraveltx said:


> I called the Marriott beach club. Fia fia will no longer be there starting April 1. They will have another show called Legend of the Sea. The chief that did fia fia will now be at sea life park.



Can I please have that number? They charged my cc and want to get more info.

Thanks


----------



## lovetotraveltx

yolie912 said:


> Can I please have that number? They charged my cc and want to get more info.
> 
> Thanks



1-808-679-4700. Ask for the concierge desk they handle booking luaus


----------



## yolie912

lovetotraveltx said:


> 1-808-679-4700. Ask for the concierge desk they handle booking luaus



yep, it's true. They just refunded me my money. What a bummer!!!
I was really looking forward to this luau. She told me the other one is 1 hour away. I hope the one in April is good....


----------



## lovetotraveltx

yolie912 said:


> yep, it's true. They just refunded me my money. What a bummer!!!
> I was really looking forward to this luau. She told me the other one is 1 hour away. I hope the one in April is good....



Yes, The Chief is moving to the sea life center but there will be a new luau at the Marriott


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## kinntj

Does anyone know how far in advance you can make reservations at Roy's?


----------



## snackyx

Just returned from a week at Aulani and a week at Marriott's Ko Olina (where we also own).  Two local restaurants in Kapolei (5 minutes from the resorts) that we tried and loved:

El Mariachi--Mexican food, far FAR better than Just Tacos in Ko Olina.

Thai Lao--Thai food, great selection, moderately priced, and BYOB!  We came in with a six pack of beer and a bottle of wine--the owner immediately came over with wines glasses and a corkscrew.  Buy a nice bottle of wine at Safeway for $20 that would cost $50+ at the resorts!

The Pizza Corner in Ko Olina boasts NY style pizza and is also BYOB...pizza was OK, but not really NY style. $24 for a large, which is par for Hawaii pizza prices in a resort area, just found the pizza to be a bit bland.

Best bargain in Ko Olina: $5 mai-tai's at Chuck's at the Marriott Ko Olina happy hour. Happy hour is 4:45 til 6pm, and 6:30 to close (about 11pm).  A few of these and you will sleep like  a baby!  A mai-tai @ Aulani is about $11!


----------



## aclov

kkmcan said:


> 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 did happy hour in the bar area.  The flatbread, truffle fries and pumpkin ravioli come to mind that were good.


----------



## Anal Annie

aclov said:


> We did happy hour in the bar area.  The flatbread, truffle fries and pumpkin ravioli come to mind that were good.



We haven't been yet but I've looked over the menu.  A lot of the appetizers look good along with the fish tacos and flatbreads!  Can't wait!


----------



## Fuhnuh

We like Sushi Yuzu in Ko Olina.  We like Japanese food quite a bit and it works well for DD13's allergies.  The sushi is okay, but I think many of their non-Sushi items are very good and we have ordered more than once (i.e., potatoes fried in soy oil with truffle oil, Hamachi Kama, Miso Black Cod, Grilled Octopus, and tempura hearts of palm with yuzu salt, Lobster or Spicy Shrimp Tempura roll and Lemon Steak).  They had started serving breakfast (no lunch) when we were there last November and we plan on making time to try that out also.


----------



## swooshbear

Just got back from Oahu a few weeks ago and I will echo most of the recommendations here: 

Liliha Bakery
Leonards
Side Street Inn
Rainbow Drive-In

My DW and I visit Hawaii at least once a year so we like to hit the local spots rather than chain restaurants I can get at home.  I skimmed the thread and didnt see a few of my favorite spots, although none are hear the Aulani and more towards Waikiki:

South Shore Grill  Best fish tacos on the island and better than anything Ive had on the mainland. And the coolest thing is they are $2 on Taco Tuesdays!

Diamond Head Market  The moistest blueberry scone you will ever eat

Diamond Head Cove Health Bar  Acai bowls, great for a post Diamond Head hike. Fun fact, the owners dog was on Lost.

These three spots are within a block of each other, its a triangle of awesome food.

Surprised that I didnt see these mentioned:

Mitsu-ken  Garlic chicken, the best on the island. Some prefer Sugois but I think they are a bit too garlic-ky. Mitsu-kens new location now has a parking lot which is super convenient.

Bubbies  Mochi ice cream in a variety of different flavors (Raspberry, Sakura, Lychee, Chocolate, Red Velvet, Mango, etc)


----------



## Cinderpamela

Swooshbear... we went to Bubbies on our trip last December! Really enjoyed it.


----------



## swooshbear

Bubbies mochi ice cream!


----------



## swooshbear

Blueberry scones from the Diamond Head Market and Grill





Fish tacos from South Shore Grill





Mitsu-ken garlic chicken

Everything in these pictures costs less than $15 total


----------



## lovetotraveltx

snackyx said:


> Just returned from a week at Aulani and a week at Marriott's Ko Olina (where we also own).  Two local restaurants in Kapolei (5 minutes from the resorts) that we tried and loved:
> 
> El Mariachi--Mexican food, far FAR better than Just Tacos in Ko Olina.
> 
> Thai Lao--Thai food, great selection, moderately priced, and BYOB!  We came in with a six pack of beer and a bottle of wine--the owner immediately came over with wines glasses and a corkscrew.  Buy a nice bottle of wine at Safeway for $20 that would cost $50+ at the resorts!
> 
> The Pizza Corner in Ko Olina boasts NY style pizza and is also BYOB...pizza was OK, but not really NY style. $24 for a large, which is par for Hawaii pizza prices in a resort area, just found the pizza to be a bit bland.
> 
> Best bargain in Ko Olina: $5 mai-tai's at Chuck's at the Marriott Ko Olina happy hour. Happy hour is 4:45 til 6pm, and 6:30 to close (about 11pm).  A few of these and you will sleep like  a baby!  A mai-tai @ Aulani is about $11!



Are there any discounted appetizers with the $5 Mai Tia's?

Thank you


----------



## Mazz519

Great info thanks so much


----------



## snackyx

lovetotraveltx said:


> Are there any discounted appetizers with the $5 Mai Tia's?
> 
> Thank you



No discounted appetizers, but they do use the Chuck's appetizer menu, and the best food buy in KoOlina is on that menu:  Fish n' chips @ $11.99...you get five...five!...pieces of fish and fries for $12.  Go to Monkeypod and the fish n' chips is $22 for about half as much.

One night we were at Chuck's happy hour and a couple came in and ordered two mai-tais and two fish n'chips...obviously, they did not just fall off the turnip truck.


----------



## lovetotraveltx

Thank you!


----------



## Mogsdad

We were at Aulani March 3 - 16, and spent 4 days in Haleiwa on the North Shore before that.

At Aulani, we ate mostly in our villa, thanks to Costco. We found that the prepared foods were different than what we get locally, and reflected the Hawaiian cultural mix very well. Especially loved the Korean Beef, Hawaiian-style Chicken, Poke (Sashimi Tuna w/ Hawaiian marinade), Sushi and Sashimi plates, sweet buns, Hawaiian Pineapple (it DOES taste better than the Costa Rican variety we get at home!), pre-cooked bacon, and Asian Wraps for picnics by the pool. And, best of all, a big bottle of Kōloa Rums Hawaiian Mai Tai Cocktail, just add ice!

Had the Character Breakfast and a Dinner at Makahiki - both were good, with some dishes we really enjoyed. (Moko Loko at breakfast, and Poke, Sashimi, Huli-Huli Chicken, Kaui Pork & Portuguese Stew at dinner.)

My recommendations are all North Shore, since that's where we did most of our eating out.

In the Haleiwa area, we went to two places we'd seen on the Food Network. We had the *best* Thai food we've ever had at Opal Thai Food. Loved getting treated just like Guy... Opal quizzed us, then surprised us with a fantastic multi-course meal that pleased everyone. (I've read reviews from people who disliked this experience, so caveat emptor.) 

We also went to Giovanni's Shrimp Truck, where the shrimp was good and garlicky! The teens had garlic hot dogs as well as polishing off a shared pile of shrimp. We spent about an hour chillaxing in the shade on a rickety picnic table, enjoying the food, family time, and people (+ chicken) watching. We'll be back!

On the way to the Poly CC (& luau), we paused for lunch at the Kahuku Grill, in the former Kahuku Sugar Mill. This was an accident - it was the day we _planned_ to eat at Opal's, but I zigged when I should have zagged and here we were at noon. Fantastic burgers and sandwiches. I had the Paniolo (Cowboy) Combo, and it is in my top 5 burger experiences ever. My wife & my mother tried the Coconut Macadamia Nut Shrimp, found it good but sadly overcooked. The Bruce Irons Burger and Shem's Big Bad both got thumbs up from the teens. If you're driving around the island, or just going up to see the country, this is a great place to stop.


----------



## pamlet

We were at Aulani 2/28 - 3/7.  The week prior we were in a house on the windward side at Hauula.

While in Hauula we ate twice a Papa Ole's.. we truly enjoyed it.  It's in the shopping center in Hauula with the Long's Drug.  It's a real local Mom and Pop.  The Teriyaki chicken was a favorite with my DIL, son and DH.  I had the garlic shrimp and it was GREAT .. drippy butter great .. I liked it better than Giovanni's.  

Prior to checking into Aulani we went to Just Tacos.. My family wasn't impressed.  I'm not big into Mexican food anyway - but the ones who love it said  the red sauce reminded them of Taco Bell .. I know everyone has different tastes - but this didn't get onto our "go back" list.

We did not eat out a LOT during out two weeks .. mostly due to having kitchens readily available... 

Did try Leonard's Malasada's .. just ok .. I was prepared to LOVE them.

Did the dinner buffet at Aulani .. the food was quite good and the service was terrific.  I have a sensitivity to Balsamic Vinegar and Mango .. One of the chefs walked me through and pointed out what to avoid!  I was grateful for that..

My son loved the shrimp down at the little food place by the pool .. he got it quite often.. laugh.. 

For our "obligatory" luau we went to Paradise Cove - I had Entertainment Book coupons.. The pre dinner stuff and show were great - the food was "meh" .. nothing to write home about .. not TERRIBLE - just not wonderful.  The experience was more what we were going for, and that was worth it!  

Other than that ... 

Shakey's Pizza (more for nostalgia than anything ..) We had gone to the Swap Meet at Aloha Stadium and passed Shakey's on the way.  We decided to stop there for a late lunch/early supper (LUPPER) .. The pizza wasn't like I remembered - but it was pretty good!

And Outback .. It was my older son's birthday and he stuck with "tradition" of Outback.  It was as expected .. decent food - great service.

The one thing we got addicted to was POG .. laugh .. went through gallons of it!  When we got home, my DIL played with the ingredients .. basically water down some orange juice .. then equal parts watered down OJ, Passion Fruit and Guava .. We've been drinking it at home ever since!


----------



## carissa1970

pamlet said:


> We were at Aulani 2/28 - 3/7.  The week prior we were in a house on the windward side at Hauula.  While in Hauula we ate twice a Papa Ole's.. we truly enjoyed it.  It's in the shopping center in Hauula with the Long's Drug.  It's a real local Mom and Pop.  The Teriyaki chicken was a favorite with my DIL, son and DH.  I had the garlic shrimp and it was GREAT .. drippy butter great .. I liked it better than Giovanni's.  Prior to checking into Aulani we went to Just Tacos.. My family wasn't impressed.  I'm not big into Mexican food anyway - but the ones who love it said  the red sauce reminded them of Taco Bell .. I know everyone has different tastes - but this didn't get onto our "go back" list.  We did not eat out a LOT during out two weeks .. mostly due to having kitchens readily available...  Did try Leonard's Malasada's .. just ok .. I was prepared to LOVE them.  Did the dinner buffet at Aulani .. the food was quite good and the service was terrific.  I have a sensitivity to Balsamic Vinegar and Mango .. One of the chefs walked me through and pointed out what to avoid!  I was grateful for that..  My son loved the shrimp down at the little food place by the pool .. he got it quite often.. laugh..  For our "obligatory" luau we went to Paradise Cove - I had Entertainment Book coupons.. The pre dinner stuff and show were great - the food was "meh" .. nothing to write home about .. not TERRIBLE - just not wonderful.  The experience was more what we were going for, and that was worth it!  Other than that ...  Shakey's Pizza (more for nostalgia than anything ..) We had gone to the Swap Meet at Aloha Stadium and passed Shakey's on the way.  We decided to stop there for a late lunch/early supper (LUPPER) .. The pizza wasn't like I remembered - but it was pretty good!  And Outback .. It was my older son's birthday and he stuck with "tradition" of Outback.  It was as expected .. decent food - great service.  The one thing we got addicted to was POG .. laugh .. went through gallons of it!  When we got home, my DIL played with the ingredients .. basically water down some orange juice .. then equal parts watered down OJ, Passion Fruit and Guava .. We've been drinking it at home ever since!


 Off topic, but where did you stay in Hauula?  We booked 4 nights there after Aulani.


----------



## pamlet

carissa1970 said:


> Off topic, but where did you stay in Hauula?  We booked 4 nights there after Aulani.



In a house right on the beach ..  Hale Moana Mele .. did it through VRBO .. and we LOVED it!  Was a very good fit for my family of 5 adults!  Would be good for kids too I think!  NICE family place.


----------



## lovetotraveltx

pamlet said:


> We were at Aulani 2/28 - 3/7.  The week prior we were in a house on the windward side at Hauula.
> 
> While in Hauula we ate twice a Papa Ole's.. we truly enjoyed it.  It's in the shopping center in Hauula with the Long's Drug.  It's a real local Mom and Pop.  The Teriyaki chicken was a favorite with my DIL, son and DH.  I had the garlic shrimp and it was GREAT .. drippy butter great .. I liked it better than Giovanni's.
> 
> Prior to checking into Aulani we went to Just Tacos.. My family wasn't impressed.  I'm not big into Mexican food anyway - but the ones who love it said  the red sauce reminded them of Taco Bell .. I know everyone has different tastes - but this didn't get onto our "go back" list.
> 
> We did not eat out a LOT during out two weeks .. mostly due to having kitchens readily available...
> 
> Did try Leonard's Malasada's .. just ok .. I was prepared to LOVE them.
> 
> Did the dinner buffet at Aulani .. the food was quite good and the service was terrific.  I have a sensitivity to Balsamic Vinegar and Mango .. One of the chefs walked me through and pointed out what to avoid!  I was grateful for that..
> 
> My son loved the shrimp down at the little food place by the pool .. he got it quite often.. laugh..
> 
> For our "obligatory" luau we went to Paradise Cove - I had Entertainment Book coupons.. The pre dinner stuff and show were great - the food was "meh" .. nothing to write home about .. not TERRIBLE - just not wonderful.  The experience was more what we were going for, and that was worth it!
> 
> Other than that ...
> 
> Shakey's Pizza (more for nostalgia than anything ..) We had gone to the Swap Meet at Aloha Stadium and passed Shakey's on the way.  We decided to stop there for a late lunch/early supper (LUPPER) .. The pizza wasn't like I remembered - but it was pretty good!
> 
> And Outback .. It was my older son's birthday and he stuck with "tradition" of Outback.  It was as expected .. decent food - great service.
> 
> The one thing we got addicted to was POG .. laugh .. went through gallons of it!  When we got home, my DIL played with the ingredients .. basically water down some orange juice .. then equal parts watered down OJ, Passion Fruit and Guava .. We've been drinking it at home ever since!



Was it worth getting the entertainment book for paradise cove? What was the deal?

Thank you!


----------



## carissa1970

lovetotraveltx said:


> Was it worth getting the entertainment book for paradise cove? What was the deal?  Thank you!



The books are only $15 right now.  Just ordered mine a couple of days ago.  Just the coupon for the Polynesian Cultural Center is worth it.  Buy one get one...$45 savings.  Not sure if the Paradise Cove has a coupon. I just checked my online deals and it only shows Germaine's Luau.


----------



## pamlet

lovetotraveltx said:


> Was it worth getting the entertainment book for paradise cove? What was the deal?
> 
> Thank you!



It was defiinately for whatever luau we decided to go with.. In fact we purchased 2 because both coupons for either Paradise Cove or Germaine's were for a party of 4 only.  We decided on Paradise Cove - they allowed me to use the two coupons .. We also went with the most expensive package - which was nice because we had a choice of right down front - or the raised seats towards the back (which we chose ... we ended up with our own table.  There were 5 in our party..

To be honest I don't remember if we used the book for much else .. I left them in the room at Aulani - hoping the mousekeepers could use them / keep them.


----------



## lovetotraveltx

pamlet said:


> It was defiinately for whatever luau we decided to go with.. In fact we purchased 2 because both coupons for either Paradise Cove or Germaine's were for a party of 4 only.  We decided on Paradise Cove - they allowed me to use the two coupons .. We also went with the most expensive package - which was nice because we had a choice of right down front - or the raised seats towards the back (which we chose ... we ended up with our own table.  There were 5 in our party..
> 
> To be honest I don't remember if we used the book for much else .. I left them in the room at Aulani - hoping the mousekeepers could use them / keep them.



Thank you!


----------



## lovetotraveltx

Is the deluxe package worth the extra money??

Thank you!


----------



## pamlet

lovetotraveltx said:


> Is the deluxe package worth the extra money??
> 
> Thank you!



Laugh.. probably not .. Food's the same .. but they bring it to you instead of buffet .. for us it was nice because we had our own table - but they don't guarantee it .. and we were out of the crowd being on the raised seating.  We were further back, but still had a great view. 

You got extra drinks too if that's a factor (not so much for us.. laugh)..  I looked at it as if we were paying for the lowest tier, but with the coupon got the deluxe package.  We were treated "special" which I was NOT expecting... a girl walked us through, showed us to our table and explained everything.. not cattle call.. (tho' maybe everyone was like that? not sure) .. 

Overall it was a fun evening ..  The other thing that sort of surprised me (it shouldn't have) was the craft demonstrations and games seemed like tips were expected.  Thankfully I had a bunch of singles.

They also have a gift shop and a little table that you can pay to make Kukui nut leis, bracelets and KEY CHAINS.... it may not seem like a big deal BUT prior to our going a coworker of my son and husband asked them to pick up a kukui nut key chain.  Over the two weeks we were there we looked in every gift shop we were in .. including the swap meet and they were NOT to be found.. I was thinking about dismantling one of the leis we had and making one.. well lo and behold at the Paradise Cove gift shop I was able to make one.. hahaha.. was under 5.00 if I remember correctly.  We were joking that we should move to Hawaii and start a kukui nut key chain business since they are not to be found anywhere!!


----------



## lovetotraveltx

Thanks! I want to book in advance and use a gift card so probably can't use the discount too. Or do you just call in the discount code and show the coupon when you arrive??


----------



## pamlet

lovetotraveltx said:


> Thanks! I want to book in advance and use a gift card so probably can't use the discount too. Or do you just call in the discount code and show the coupon when you arrive??



I was able to just bring the coupon.. I'd give them a call - they were VERY nice and helpful .. and it seemed they dealt with the coupons all the time.  Now that I'm thinking about it they may not have even charged my card until we got there to will call .. ( I may be wrong on that tho').  Whatever it was I was impressed with their process .. laugh.. it was very smooth..


----------



## Anal Annie

I admit that I've only skimmed this thread here & there and didn't see this place  mentioned - I was wondering if anybody has tried the *Cattle Company Steakhouse *in Pearl City (not tooooo far from Pearl Harbor I don't think)?   I have an opportunity to buy a gift card thru my sons swim team scrip card orders and just wondered if it was worth going out of the way for?? 
TIA


----------



## lovetotraveltx

On entertainment book website not seeing paradise cove only Germaine's??


----------



## mcgregml

lovetotraveltx said:


> On entertainment book website not seeing paradise cove only Germaine's??



Just searched on the website.  If you search for "luau" the Paradise Cove option should pop up.


----------



## cedricandsophie

There is a Chilies in kapolei. Across from Disney is a great sushi place. Highly recommend. Also at marriott next door there is Azul. Excellent food. Someone mentioned Assagios. Have been to one in kapolei and one in Honolulu. Always liked the good. Good wine list. Don't give coke refills which drives my husband crazy!


----------



## bcvlover

Cook in your room, and buy groceries at Sam's club.

Good value.


----------



## silvaohana808

Anal Annie said:


> I admit that I've only skimmed this thread here & there and didn't see this place  mentioned - I was wondering if anybody has tried the *Cattle Company Steakhouse *in Pearl City (not tooooo far from Pearl Harbor I don't think)?   I have an opportunity to buy a gift card thru my sons swim team scrip card orders and just wondered if it was worth going out of the way for??
> TIA



we like this restaurant...but then again it is 5 minutes from where we live. it is kinda of like any other steakhouse...it's not too fancy but their food is ok. hope this helps a little.


----------



## gjl

R


----------



## Anal Annie

silvaohana808 said:


> we like this restaurant...but then again it is 5 minutes from where we live. it is kinda of like any other steakhouse...it's not too fancy but their food is ok. hope this helps a little.



Thanks - after looking over the menu I sort of figured it would be just like any other steakhouse - except I was wondering if the beef might be better?!  Anyway, I passed on ordering it because we were thinking of going into Waikiki after our Pearl Harbor tour to go to the Hard Rock Cafe (my DS collects their t-shirts so I ordered Hard Rock gift cards instead).  I decided we probably wouldn't want to make another trip to that area of the island.



gjl said:


> Just make sure the cattle company gift card can be used in Hawaii. We've found a few mainland gift cards not accepted here on Oahu.



This particular Cattle Company card said it was specifically ONLY for Hawaii and Alaska.  That's why it caught my eye.  Curious which gift cards from the mainland that you have you found that aren't good on Oahu??  I have started a stash of Roy's (Outback) cards but those are the only ones I have been collecting besides the 2 Hard Rock ones I just ordered.  I am curious to see if the Hard Rock t-shirts are specific to Honolulu and Maui or if they're just generically "Hawaii".  If they are specific then we'll probably hit the one on Maui too when we get there.   The other thing my DS likes to do when we go to a Hard Rock is to always try their "local ledgendary burger".  That is just "his thing" to do.  The local burger in Orlando was about 5" tall and must've been about 2500 calories but he got her down even tho he looked like a deer tick that was about to explode when he finished.


----------



## gjl

R


----------



## aclov

I was able to use both Roy's and Outback gift cards with no issues at Roy's.  

We did go to Hard Rock Café and DH purchased a Hawaiian style shirt from there that says Hard Rock Café Honolulu.   I want to say the tshirts may also say Honolulu or Oahu on them.  I know the Harley Davidson tshirts say Waikiki Beach on them because we bought one for my BIL.


----------



## lovetotraveltx

Anyone have luck getting in to Ama Ama upon arrival?  We get there in 3 weeks and all our nights are full 

Thank you!


----------



## Pooh2

How far in advance do you book Aulani restaurants?
Do you call Aulani directly to book?
Do they have a hold on your credit card and penalty for cancellation within 24 hours like WDW?


----------



## bamor

Pooh2 said:


> How far in advance do you book Aulani restaurants?
> Do you call Aulani directly to book?
> Do they have a hold on your credit card and penalty for cancellation within 24 hours like WDW?



If booking dinner, I would do this at least a few weeks prior during peak times. You can make your reservation at aulani.com, no credit card required, no penalty


----------



## Pooh2

bamor said:


> If booking dinner, I would do this at least a few weeks prior during peak times. You can make your reservation at aulani.com, no credit card required, no penalty



Thanks!


----------



## Pixie_Dust

hopey1kenobi said:


> Yep, Hula Dogs http://huladoghawaii.com/. Always busy, but always tasty!



Oh my, I never thought a hot dog would look good to me until I read that menu, all those otppings on vegie dogs, plus the lemonades etc. Fortunately, it is too pricy (wish we were kamaiiaina!), so I won't be tempted to go there repeatedly, trying everything on the menu and getting fatter


----------



## Pixie_Dust

lovetotraveltx said:


> Has anyone done the afternoon tea at the hotel where The House Without a Key restaurant is, (Halekulani)?  Or any other afternoon tea on the Island.



I didn't see this question get answered, am bumping it up


----------



## Pixie_Dust

Dean said:


> Years ago they didn't allow caffeine.  The other thing is it's not a traditional luau setup.  Still, in aggregate, it's a very nice production, IMO.



I like the "all Polynesian islands" approach, like they have at the Poly in WDW. When I read in guidebooks about a luau not being "traditional," I have to laugh, as b4 the missionaries we've heard that all they wore were grass skirts, so whatever they say these days is "traditional" really isn't, anyway. So why not see the Samoan firedancers.


----------



## Pixie_Dust

dsneygirl said:


> A nice stop on the north shore for baked treats
> http://www.tedsbakery.com/



Oh my! If I could afford to live there, and eat out, I'd probably double in size within a year!


----------



## Pixie_Dust

spleen said:


> Electric Beach (also known as Kahe Point) is slightly to the west of Aulani.  Keep going west on Farrington Highway (the main road/highway outside of Aulani) until you see the big electrical plant on the right - it's the beach across the street. Be warned that break ins are pretty common in cars parked there so I would make sure not to leave any valuables in the car.  It's definitely a much better snorkeling spot than anywhere in Ko Olina (where Aulani is).  I got PADI certified there ...
> 
> http://www.hawaiisnorkelingguide.com/kahe_point_beach_park_snorkeling.html



My brother's family snorkles all over the place. Electric Beach was his favorite. No problems with car break ins for them.


----------



## Dean

Pixie_Dust said:


> My brother's family snorkles all over the place. Electric Beach was his favorite. No problems with car break ins for them.


The area out past where Aulani is has traditionally been a high crime area, esp for Haole's.  I think it's improved a little with the developments out that way but risk remains from what I've seen.  I was just talking to someone that lives on Oahu a couple of months ago and the reports from that part of the island from him were the same I got when we lived there in the 80's.  In addition, HI is a big smash and grab place.  As a rule the rental car company's suggest you leave NO valuables in the car at beaches and other tourist spots with the windows down and the car unlocked.


----------



## dairyou

joining so I can read later


----------



## Jerseygirl63

Great source of info.  Thanks


----------



## cedricandsophie

Love the pizza place and sushi place across the street. Also the Italian restaurant at the marriott is very good.


----------



## Anal Annie

WARNING - possible stoooopid question here!!  We don't go out much at home so perhaps a little behind on today's fashion do's and don'ts.  Starting the packing process today - I know we can get by with dressy casual in a lot of restaurants but was curious about how dressy Roy's is?  I doubt we'll do Ama Ama but just in case we change our minds….  I was planning to bring either a sundress or a long skirt & top combo for myself & some strappy sandals but what about for DH & DS?  Nicer shorts or should they wear slacks?  Would leather sandals (not flip flops) be OK or should they wear closed shoes?  (Don't want to overpack on the shoes - esp. guys shoes which are heavy & clunky & space hogs!!)  When we cruise they don't wear shorts to dinner like some do - we try to adhere to the requested dress code so just wondered what I should pack for them.  Thx.


----------



## gjl

Z


----------



## EEsloveDis

We ate at pizza corner twice. 1st time was at the restaurant and 2nd we had it delivered. It was much better the day they delivered. We have a car so we drove over towards the Target and had breakfast at KOA Pancake House (banana pancakes delish) and also got sandwiches and salads from aloha Salads. We are hitting Just Tacos tonight so I will update after. We also stopped at two scoops for ice cream, it was really good but very pricey!!!


----------



## alohamom

I cant speak for the Roy's in Kapolei but we have been to the ones on Maui, Kauai, Big Island, Waikiki and even in California and all are fairly casual with dress code. My hubby will wear his silk subtle print Hawaiian shirts and dress shorts with Sperry type dock shoes (so closed toe but that is what he prefers) and I usually go with a sun dress dress and sandals-same for the kids...You can always shoot them an email, the website is fairly interactive but I think what you would wear to Monkeypod would also be acceptable at Roy's


----------



## Girimama33

Annie ~ Everyone would be fine dressed as you described at Roy's (like others have mentioned) and Ama Ama...Monkeypod too.


----------



## Anal Annie

Thanks - shoes are gonna be the death of me for packing AND keeping to 1 checked bag pp!!  Maybe I'll leave DH's nicer leather sandals at home & just bring his casual Sperry type shoes.    He has a pair of super casual Merrell sandals that I know he will want to wear when we travel & at DL.  But I will also want to bring a pair of athletic shoes in case we want to hike or ride ATV's or something.  DS will probably wear his tennis shoes and then I'll pack his slip on flip flops for the pool, Sperry type shoes and his nicer sandals.  Uggg.  I'm up to like a minimum of 4 prs. of shoes / sandals for each of us.  At least mine are all mostly little tiny flat things.and my tennis shoes are like air.  But then there's our snorkel gear!!  OH the space in the luggage is going to be TIGHT!!   Glad to hear that shorts will be OK for DH & DS at Roy's tho.   I WAS going to pack some slacks for each of them but maybe I'll leave them at home (I am also bringing a pr. of casual long pants for each of us bcuz I want to go up to Haleakala for sunrise on Maui and I know it will be like 40's - 50's up there.)  OY!!!


----------



## WDW_Diane

Anal Annie said:


> Thanks - shoes are gonna be the death of me for packing AND keeping to 1 checked bag pp!!  Maybe I'll leave DH's nicer leather sandals at home & just bring his casual Sperry type shoes.    He has a pair of super casual Merrell sandals that I know he will want to wear when we travel & at DL.  But I will also want to bring a pair of athletic shoes in case we want to hike or ride ATV's or something.  DS will probably wear his tennis shoes and then I'll pack his slip on flip flops for the pool, Sperry type shoes and his nicer sandals.  Uggg.  I'm up to like a minimum of 4 prs. of shoes / sandals for each of us.  At least mine are all mostly little tiny flat things&#133;.and my tennis shoes are like air.  But then there's our snorkel gear!!  OH the space in the luggage is going to be TIGHT!!   Glad to hear that shorts will be OK for DH & DS at Roy's tho.   I WAS going to pack some slacks for each of them but maybe I'll leave them at home (I am also bringing a pr. of casual long pants for each of us bcuz I want to go up to Haleakala for sunrise on Maui and I know it will be like 40's - 50's up there.)  OY!!!



You know what? We often pack a duffel full of shoes and miscellaneous stuff. You may have to pay $25 extra for it, but how worth it would it be to have all of those things? 

Plus, you are going to buy souvenirs, right? I hope you're going to the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet and Pearl Harbor (right by it).  

 You'll definitely need the athletic shoes when you hike Haleakala and Diamond Head.... You're doing that, right?   What a view! Just don't do it like we did....the morning we checked out and left Ko Olina, so no shower before our flight.  

Have a wonderful time! I still dream of it daily, 13 months later. Going back by 2017!


----------



## SingingMom

I understand the annoyance of shoe packing! My only saving grace is I wear size 4 or 5, so I can bring twice as many as DH. Lol

Seriously, I talked DD out of the horseback riding so we don't need to bring riding clothes and jeans!  

Does DH need a sports jacket for AMA AMA or any restaurants at the Marriott?  Would silk button down and dress shorts be good enough or should he have long khakis?

Thanks!

"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards


----------



## Girimama33

Most of the men in our party wore button down shirts or aloha shirts with nice shorts.


----------



## Anal Annie

WDW_Diane said:


> You know what? *We often pack a duffel full of shoes and miscellaneous stuff. You may have to pay $25 extra for it, but how worth it would it be to have all of those things? *
> 
> Plus, you are going to buy souvenirs, right? I hope you're going to the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet and Pearl Harbor (right by it).
> 
> You'll definitely need the athletic shoes when you hike Haleakala and Diamond Head.... You're doing that, right?   What a view! Just don't do it like we did....the morning we checked out and left Ko Olina, so no shower before our flight.
> 
> Have a wonderful time! I still dream of it daily, 13 months later. Going back by 2017!



I used to do that too, back in the day, pre-checked luggage fees.  Problem with this idea on this trip is that it's not just $25.  It would end up being $92 more for each extra checked bag we bring!!  We are already up to $276 in checked bag fees if we stick to 1 bag pp.  ($25 DC to LAX on Alaska then $25 LAX to HNL on HA then $17 inter-island on HA and then another $25 on Alaska Air for the return trip home!)   We managed to do Europe in 2011 with 1 bag pp plus 1 extra shared garment bag - but that was bcuz I packed our dinner dress clothes (suits & dresses) in it or else I wouldn't have brought that.  I just have to be super careful when I pack not to bring more than we really need.  All bottoms will be double duty for 2 wearings.  My packing cubes and packing folders help a lot with this.  I will bring the space saver compression bags for dirty laundry which will free up some space for souvies.  And I may pack our bathing suits in them going since I'm not so worried about them being wrinkled.  Too bad I can't compress the shoes!!  We also often use DS's backpack that he puts under the seat underpacked GOING so that we have some extra space for the return trip.

RE: the swap meet - no, probably not.  Not our thing.  We went by there and the Punchbowl on our last trip.  Been there.  Done that.  Our souvies will likely be t-shirts, beer cozies and a mask if we can find one (we collect masks to hang in our foyer from all of our trips).

As far as Haleakala, yes, I may have to go alone if I can't get DH & DS to get up.  We have been before.  I am a photographer wannabe so MUST get some updated pics from up there.  That's another thing I'm wrestling with bringing - tripod or monopod!!   I am planning to bring our "packable down" coats too 'cuz I know how cold it is up there.   I sound like a packing fool don't I?!  Between snorkel gear, my big DSLR, shoes, tripods, monopods & down coats there is no room for clothes!!   Guess we'll just have to live in our bathing suits.


----------



## SingingMom

Girimama33 said:


> Most of the men in our party wore button down shirts or aloha shirts with nice shorts.



Thanks!  

Is it still warm in the August evenings or is a jacket/sweater needed?

"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards


----------



## Girimama33

SingingMom said:


> Thanks!
> 
> Is it still warm in the August evenings or is a jacket/sweater needed?
> 
> "SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards



I used to live in Hawaii, and I only remember freezing when it was about 65 degrees. LOL
It is usually about 70-80 all day long. When we there a few weeks ago, I never needed a jacket or sweatshirt at night.


----------



## DVCTigger

Leaving in a week....any new ideas or confirmation on good dining places?


----------



## lovetotraveltx

Never needed sweater or jacket but did capris or maxi dresses at night. Liked monkey pod ok. I personally wouldn't jump up and down. Did only pizza and pupus. Loved paradise cove luau. Recommend both marriotts especially the jw Marriott. On the napuli terrace by the shark pond. Wednesdays and Fridays they have full dinner with soup/salad bar for $30 and with every 2 dinners you can buy a bottle of wine for just $5.  One day we picked up big wave shrimp truck and Maui mikes huli chicken and ate in our room!


----------



## lovetotraveltx

Also, loved the food at the character breakfast but if you have young kids that have been to any before they might be disappointed in the lack if characters


----------



## Girimama33

lovetotraveltx said:


> Never needed sweater or jacket but did capris or maxi dresses at night. Liked monkey pod ok. I personally wouldn't jump up and down. Did only pizza and pupus. Loved paradise cove luau. Recommend both marriotts especially the jw Marriott. On the napuli terrace by the shark pond. Wednesdays and Fridays they have full dinner with soup/salad bar for $30 and with every 2 dinners you can buy a bottle of wine for just $5.  One day we picked up big wave shrimp truck and Maui mikes huli chicken and ate in our room!



We tried the pizza at Monkeypod (DD ordered it). It was definitely not on par with the rest of the food we tried. Glad you liked Paradise Cove.


----------



## dreaming4disney

My family really liked Giovanni's shrimp truck- they lived it!


----------



## snackyx

lovetotraveltx said:


> . On the napuli terrace by the shark pond. Wednesdays and Fridays they have full dinner with soup/salad bar for $30 and with every 2 dinners you can buy a bottle of wine for just $5. !



Did they just start this?  Been there many times but didn't know about it.  $5 bottle of wine in Hawaii?  When is the next flight out?


----------



## lovetotraveltx

snackyx said:


> Did they just start this?  Been there many times but didn't know about it.  $5 bottle of wine in Hawaii?  When is the next flight out?



I know my husband got a resie in one second. We just walked over to see the fish and the restaurants there and it happened to be a Friday so it was posted outside the restaurant. Besides the wine, a $30 full dinner with salad bar is pretty awesome too!


----------



## Leilanie94

My family had weekend staycation from Oct 10-12. We enjoyed the garlic bread and "Super" Pizza from Brick Oven Pizza. 

Here's their website:  *http://brickovenpizzahi.com*

889 Kamokila Blvd. #206
Kapolei, HI  96707
(808) 674-8561


----------



## Redbudlover

subbing for our trip in February!


----------



## TinkandGoofy'sMom

Opal Thai, Nico's and Monkeypod were our favourite when we visited in August. Opal Thai was amazing!


----------



## Mduff

The Marriott next to Aulani is closed for rebranding I think.   What restaurants are in there that I should cross off a list to eat at in August?


----------



## amystevekai&bump

Hi,

I know this would involve a drive, but can anyone comment on either of the Haliewa Joe restaurants? Their prime rib sounds amazing and looking at photos of their Kaneohe location it looks as though it's in a very pretty location (we are thinking of going when we visit the Kualoa Ranch).

Many thanks for any thoughts


----------



## BelievesinMagic

I googled Cheap eats Hawaii and found this link a while ago.  It looks like it's kept updated but most of the restaurants are in Honolulu.  Great for those who are renting a car or going downtown at some point of their stay.  
http://www.k5thehometeam.com/category/193529/cheap-eats


----------



## mom_rules

CrazyDuck said:


> Just do the one at paradise cove... You can just walk there from Aulani.  The others on the island are equally cheesy not worth wasting gas to get to!


Apparently this has been taken off of tripadvisors site as a recommended.  Anyone experienced it lately?


----------



## Dean

mom_rules said:


> Apparently this has been taken off of tripadvisors site as a recommended.  Anyone experienced it lately?


It's also been removed from some of the companies that broker luau's and other options.  But I don't know why, whether it's related to quality and complaints or that they have cut their kickbacks.  They would have had to take a major dive for them to get removed from several sites on quality alone, my guess is it's related to other issues such the commissions rate and the like.  It's not like there are great Luau's on Oahu in competition.  The main competition, Germaine's, isn't world class either and the PCC while better in many ways is not a traditional Luau experience.


----------



## surfer_ed

Minus the fact there is no food, I think the Star Lite Hui is as good for entertainment value.  I have not done Paradise Cove but have done Germaine's twice over the years.  The luau at Poly is better in my opinion.  I am tempted by PC but really not sure a Luau is worth it.


----------



## SingingMom

Paradise Cove is very convenient - a pleasant evening walk from Aulani, which was our reason for choosing it, since we didn't rent a car.  I'm glad we went, as I'm not sure we will return to Hawaii.  But, it was on the schmaltzy side.   ;-). Take small bills with you - you'll want to tip the artisans who help with making leis, wreaths, etc.


----------



## WDW_Diane

We went to the Paradise Cove luau in June 2013. It was not the best luau we have ever been to....that was on Maui. We felt that the Paradise Cove luau was not worth the price, the pre show activities were good, but the food was ...meh.... And the seating plan not good. They pack waaaay too many people in there. I recommend going to the Polynesian Cultural Center on the north part of the island. We wish we had done their luau after being there all day. True, it is run the the Mormon church and doesn't serve alcohol, but we were on a family vacation and were driving all the way back to the SW side, so that would have been fine. The watered down drinks at Paradise Cove were nothing special.


----------



## Girimama33

My cousin took us to a place in Chinatown (close to Aloha Tower in Honolulu) called Lucky Belly. It is a saimen restaurant and was so delicious. My whole family still dream about the pupus and the noddle bowls. I want to go back to Oahu now just to go there again.


----------



## nemofans

I am trying to decide on Ama Ama or Roy's for a nice adult dinner w/o the kids.  Which would you recommend?


----------



## rsjj

nemofans said:


> I am trying to decide on Ama Ama or Roy's for a nice adult dinner w/o the kids.  Which would you recommend?



I'd say ama ama...only b/c I'm in so cal, and there are several Roy's around.  But if you do end up at Roy's, you'll have to try their misoyaki butterfish!  Melt in your mouth good!!!


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## SingingMom

nemofans said:


> I am trying to decide on Ama Ama or Roy's for a nice adult dinner w/o the kids.  Which would you recommend?



Definitely Ama Ama!  We took dd for her 21st birthday. Beautiful view and atmosphere.  The chautebriand was excellent!


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## SevenWonkas

Never been to Ama Ama, but Roy's is excellent! We sat outside on the golf course, and it was lovely. Very low key, and the food was excellently prepared. If I remember correctly, you get complimentary edamame.


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## hopey1kenobi

amystevekai&bump said:


> Hi,
> 
> I know this would involve a drive, but can anyone comment on either of the Haliewa Joe restaurants? Their prime rib sounds amazing and looking at photos of their Kaneohe location it looks as though it's in a very pretty location (we are thinking of going when we visit the Kualoa Ranch).
> 
> Many thanks for any thoughts


I know you posted this way back in February, but Haleiwa Joe's in Kaneohe is very, very good & worth the trip. We live in Kailua, & HJ is a regular date night destination for the hubs & I. They don't take reservations though, so either get there right when they open at 5 or 5:30 or wait until after 8-8:30 to avoid an hour+ wait. The prime rib is good, but the daily fish special is always delicious. The Rock Shrimp Haiku is very tasty too. My favorite drink is the Li Hing Mui Margarita.  Have a great trip!


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## goterps1986

bump.  going  in two weeks


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## pepperandchips

Reviving this thread because it is just so awesome! Can anyone recommend a place for dim sum?


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## Maavernon

We loved the food at Ohana at the Poly.  Are there any restaurants near Aulani or at Aulani that have similar food to Ohana?


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## Vernie822

nemofans said:


> I am trying to decide on Ama Ama or Roy's for a nice adult dinner w/o the kids.  Which would you recommend?



We did both on our honeymoon. Different experiences, but I really enjoyed them both. I have photos from both in the TR in my signature. I ordered differently at each so it's hard to compare. We did steak at ama ama and I had seafood at Roy's. Both were wonderful, though.


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## CT15

poohkinandpiglet said:


> We just returned from 11 days at Aulani.  Here's a random list of some of my favorites.
> 
> North Shore:  Giovanni's Shrimp truck, Woody's corn on the cob and Ted's bakery (loved the mini chocolate chip macadamian nut cookies)
> Matsumoto's shaved ice, too.
> 
> We ate appetizers for dinner off The Olelo Room menu while listening to the live music.  Loved the nightly live music in a beautiful setting!  Ama Ama was our favorite on-site restaurant for a nice sit down meal.
> 
> Try a Tropical Ginger Lemonade if you've never had one.  YUM!
> 
> The Swap meet at Aloha Stadium is every Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday.  It's a great place to shop for souvenirs including locally made items.
> 
> Electric Beach is a great place to snorkel.   The power from the electric company heats the water offshore and attracts all types of fish, eels, sea turtles, etc . . .
> 
> Spend an afternoon at the spa and relax in the hydrotherapy garden.  Heaven!
> 
> Food:
> 
> Ko'Olina BBQ across the street from Aulani was good.  We liked the BBQ chicken best.
> 
> ABC market had good panini sandwiches and other easy lunch options.  Portions were large so we shared.
> 
> Just Tacos-- food was not great (I'm from Texas so it takes good Mexican food to impress me) but their tequila selection was extensive and the margaritas are worth a try.
> 
> Roy's-- good fixed price option
> 
> Brick Oven Pizza in Kapolei
> 
> Safeway in Kapolei was super expensive ($7 for a box of cereal).  Walmart has better prices for basic grocery items.  Buy what you can there then splurge on the other stuff at Safeway.
> 
> If you geocache, take time to geocache in Oahu.  There are some amazing places to discover.
> 
> Aloha!


Do you happen to know if liquor and wine prices in the stores are the same as the mainland or more $$?


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## TagsMissy

Figured I'd revive this as we're heading back in a couple of weeks and so any new ideas of places will be great. Are there any new restaurants that people recommend?


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## pepperandchips

TagsMissy said:


> Figured I'd revive this as we're heading back in a couple of weeks and so any new ideas of places will be great. Are there any new restaurants that people recommend?



Not new, but the two oldies we really enjoyed were Haleiwa Joe's (location at Haiku) for brunch and the Kona Brewing at the Koko Marina. The brunch at Haleiwa Joe's was reasonably priced and included all you can eat prime rib(!!!), made to order omelettes, a nice salad bar, Kalua pork, seafood, and more plus all the typical breakfast stuff. We loved it! The Kona brewery was better for beer than food but we still very much enjoyed our dinner. Huge portion of Kalua pork nachos and 8 beers on tap that are not available anywhere near us (plus 8 more taps of their more widely distributed stuff). Of course I have to mention the Beach House in Haleiwa - we went in with pretty high expectations and they were surpassed! So very good. Great now I'm hungry and ready to go back


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## NancyDVC

Don't forget the Aulani board here on the DIS Boards. They have lots of great posts. We enjoyed the Highway Inn which was recommended by several cast memebrs. 
Ask the cast members at Aulani especially if you want to try some local non-tourist places.


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