Kalapawai Cafe

Review summary

1. T

   Teresa

   VIP

   Hawaii

   47 reviews

   5.0

   47 reviews

   Dined today

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Love their food and casual local atmosphere. "Don's favorite" is our favorite too. Their fish is always done just right. Desserts are yummy too!
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
2. I

   Irish

   Hawaii

   6 reviews

   5.0

   6 reviews

   Dined today

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 3

   Food and service was excellent. The traffic made it a bit noisy
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
3. M

   MNG

   San Francisco

   13 reviews

   5.0

   13 reviews

   Dined on 9 December 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   If you used to only think of Kalapawai for just lunches and sandwiches, they are far more than that. Their dinner servings are sophisticated, delicious and quite reasonable for the serving size and creativity. The atmosphere remains very casual since seating is either outdoor (along Kailua Road) or in the back area of the cafe. Noise levels can get a bit high as the night gets busier and I really appreciate Kalapawai keeping the restaurant music-free. Don't get me wrong - - I love music - - but unless it's a concert, I prefer comfortable dinner conversation over having to yell across the table to my companions. One of our friends does not eat meat and he was impressed and thrilled that he had so many options available for him. Service is stellar and every single item we ordered on a recent visit was delicious. - traditional bruschetta to start - nice mix of fresh and sun dried tomatoes - lamb stew - - rich and tender - ahi with scallop & shrimp - lobster sauce was beautiful - portobello burger - - yum - Beyond Burger burger - - just as yum - apple crisp for dessert - - with cherries ala mode - - I could have had this for dinner alone Added plus that not only was our server great, but you can tell that the staff all like each other too and work well as a team. I've been in the service industry for my entire career, and from a workers as well as a customers perspective, if you have a crew that gets along, they always work better together and that automatically transfers to a much better customer experience as well. This was our evening and a few nights later we went back. Our cooktop went out on us that afternoon and we were forced to ditch our plans to cook at home. My husband immediately said he could go for that lamb stew again so we called in an order for that and for the mushroom bolognese. They did a beautiful job packing these up for take out too.
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
4. M

   Melissa

   Orlando

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on 4 December 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Food is always amazing and service is great! 10/10 recommend
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
5. C

   Ceci

   Hawaii

   3 reviews

   5.0

   3 reviews

   Dined on 4 December 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Always great service…Kealoha, Egeria and the rest of the team are the best!
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
6. L

   Lucinda

   Hawaii

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on 19 November 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Another fabulous dinner at Kalapawai Cafe in Kailua. Last night was a birthday celebration and we ordered more than we normally do. We started with the fig and the crab artichoke appetizer. Both selections were ridiculously delish. From the dinner selections, we all ordered the fresh ahi layered on top of Bok choy and creamy, perfectly cooked, lemongrass risotto. Amazing! For dessert, an order of fruit crisp and lilikoi cheesecake. Heaven! Kudos to the Chef and staff!
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
7. R

   Robert

   Hawaii

   3 reviews

   4.0

   3 reviews

   Dined on 9 November 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   Dinner was great as usual, this is one of our favorites. Service was good, was busy when we arrived so getting my 1st took a little longer. We could eat there once a week. 😊
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
8. T

   Ty

   Hawaii

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on 9 November 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Excellent experience! The food was amazing and Rocky was outstanding. We will definitely be returning.
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
9. a

   amber

   VIP

   Hawaii

   77 reviews

   3.0

   77 reviews

   Dined on 3 November 2024

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 3

   My husband’s meal is as great. Mine was fair, the chicken added to my salad was way over done. My daughters was ok.
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
10. j

    jose

    Hawaii

    14 reviews

    5.0

    14 reviews

    Dined on 28 October 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    This place never disappoints. Nice atmosphere, friendly staff. They are constantly trying new items on their menu and this last visit for me it was the Tomahawk Pork. I did the best I could with utensils and had to fight the urge to just grab the bone and finish it off caveman style. Plus, our server recommended wine pairings for my wife and I that were spot on!
    

    Is this helpful?

    Report