Kukui's Restaurant at Kalapaki Beach

Review summary

1. K

   Kendall

   Hawaii10 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   Kukui’s is always a great experience. Just footsteps from the massive pool at the Royal Sonesta, the ambience can’t be beat. Our server, Jackie, was fabulous, and the food is outstanding. We live here, so we are nearly regulars. Their prices have increased since they remodeled, but the menu has improved as well. Enjoy a great dinner, followed by a walk along Kalapaki Beach.
   

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2. R

   Rick

   Charleston4 reviews

   1.0

   Dined on 15 February 2025

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

   Don’t waste your time with this restaurant as the entire dining experience was terrible! We booked online and used the driving directions provided on the website. They took us to the back of the hotel with no access to the restaurant. I called the number provided and it went to an assistant food manager at the hotel not the restaurant. When we arrived for our 7:15 reservation with a party of four we were told they were running 45 minutes behind. We decided to wait as it was Valentine’s Day. The hostess was completely incompetent. There were many open tables already set yet no one was seated during the entire time we waited. The hostess took a party of two and seated them at a table for four having walked by five open tables for two. We were eventually seated at a table for 8 despite there being open tables for four. The appetizers and desert were buffet style so there was no excuse for the slow pace of service. The beef was done nicely and the food tasty.
   

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3. M

   Miles VIP

   Hawaii30 reviews

   1.0

   Dined on 15 February 2025

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

   Reservations were for 7:00 pm but got seated at 7:30. The waiter started serving us at 7:45. There were plates for bread but no bread. There was soup at the buffet but no bowls. Dessert bar was blocked by staff who didn’t be concerned about patrons waiting to get to to the dessert bar. Selection was sparse. Had to wait another 15 minutes for the check. The bill should have been for two at $85.00 but with one glass of iced tea we spent approximately $230. Will never go back there again.
   

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4. J

   John VIP

   Los Angeles41 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 14 January 2025

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

   Enjoy the restaurant, was not super busy. The service was excellent . Our server was Marites she was lovely and very attentive to our needs. She had great knowledge about the menu. We had a great conversation about wine. She had good knowledge and recommendations and the reason why. We ordered appetizers shrimp. We ordered pasta and pork. We would order again. The price was fair portions are on large size. Did not order dessert.
   

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5. K

   Karen

   Portland1 review

   3.0

   Dined on 28 December 2024

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

   We went to Kukui’s because it had fairly good reviews and had seating available. It is not wheelchair friendly or for anyone that has walking issues. Long walk down to the restaurant. The meal and staff were great but the constant moving of the chairs were very loud and annoying and ruined what should have been a nice dinner. Also, 25.00 for a 9 oz glass of Pinot Grigio was way over the top in terms of value.
   

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6. S

   Shweta

   San Diego1 review

   1.0

   Dined on 26 December 2024

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

   The Christmas dinner buffet was ok. The pupus, salads, sides were better than meat mains. The meat mains were bland and dry. The reason for my one star review is due to bad services and rude staff. We were made to wait an hour for a table even though there were 8-10 empty tables… pretty bad management by hostess. And then when we were seated our server was extremely rude and was acting like they were doing us a favour! And we barely got our meat mains when we were slapped with bill on the table…. No asking if everything was good and if we were having a good time. And then they came back again and asked us for a card very rudely. We felt we were being rushed out !!! This has been my most awful experience ever at a restaurant. Would not recommend this restaurant at all even to those staying in the resort.
   

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7. J

   John VIP

   San Francisco2 reviews

   3.0

   Dined on 29 November 2024

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

   Nice place at the hotel, near the pool. Very convenient for guests.
   

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8. J

   Joan VIP

   Hawaii35 reviews

   3.0

   Dined on 16 November 2024

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

   They had two new servers in training so that did affect service. The French onion soup had a good flavor but it was so thick it could not really be called soup. The broccolini was excellent. The pork belly was tasty but the bow was compressed and flat and dry. The sauce didn’t really help. The best salad was loaded with beets but just not very good..
   

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9. B

   Bola

   Minneapolis2 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 5 November 2024

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

   It was my birthday and I had a good time the food was great.
   

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10. J

    Judymanynames VIP

    San Francisco33 reviews

    1.0

    Dined on 8 June 2024

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

    The restaurant was undergoing major renovations so they suggested we eat elsewhere. The menu was extremely limited and it was not a nice setting. We did leave and go elsewhere.
    

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