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

[Dean]

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]

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]

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!!

 

[surfer_ed]

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

 

[Dean]

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.

 

[Parkhopper]

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.

 

[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

 

[bfosbenner]

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

 

[MinnieMomMe]

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!

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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!!!

 

[DUHgreg]

Mega bump. We're going in two weeks!

 

[bfosbenner]

AAAHHHHH! WE WERE THERE 1 YEAR AGO!

 

[salemk]

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.

 

[Susan C]

Hello,

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

Thank you for your replies..

Susan

 

[dianeschlicht]

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!

 

[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.