Aulani and area dining questions

[lovetotraveltx]

Some dining questions, please.
I read through the long Aulani dining thread, but had some specific questions:

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?

What are the best options for dinner at Aulani itself?

What are choices and prices like next door at the Marriott?

Thank you!

Thank you!

 

[Saralyn]

We did dinner at 'Ama 'Ama but not Makahiki. We weren't interested in a buffet and the a la carte menu selections (and prices!) didn't inspire us. Dinner at 'Ama 'Ama was delicious but pricey. It was something like $200 for our family of 4. For example, my son and I got the menu for two which included Appetizer Sampler, Bone-In Rib-Eye Steak for Two, and one Chocolate Cake to split for $115.

We ate dinner twice at Naupaka Terrace next door at the JW Marriott. We thought the prices were more reasonable and they had a wide selection of menu items, including several daily specials. Various entrees we tried included sirloin steak, pork chops, and mahi mahi and all were delicious and included soup/salad bar. It's an open air restaurant overlooking their pool and the beach. I recommend trying it.

We also ate 3 times at Monkeypod across the street. If you go during happy hour (3:30-5:30, I think) you can get some great buys, including half price appetizers and $9 pizzas. Their food and service are great.

 

[lovetotraveltx]

Thanks saralyn!

 

[NC State Tigger]

[/B]We ate dinner twice at Naupaka Terrace next door at the JW Marriott. We thought the prices were more reasonable and they had a wide selection of menu items, including several daily specials. Various entrees we tried included sirloin steak, pork chops, and mahi mahi and all were delicious and included soup/salad bar. It's an open air restaurant overlooking their pool and the beach. I recommend trying

This sounds like something my family would enjoy. Could you give me an idea of the prices? Thanks

 

[Saralyn]

This sounds like something my family would enjoy. Could you give me an idea of the prices? Thanks

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

Links to the menus are at the bottom of the page. The dinner menu lists only their regular items. There was a whole other page that changed daily and featured specials in all categories, including 8-10 entree specials. The pork chops and mahi mahi were on the specials page. Prices were mostly in the $30's and also included the soup/salad bar. There was also a kids' menu. I think the kid pizza was $10.

 

[lovetotraveltx]

Is longboards in that same resort? Did you go there at all?

 

[lilpooh108]

Yelp is super helpful for finding answers to your questions. I've always used in trying to find dining options. Good luck!

 

[aclov]

Is longboards in that same resort? Did you go there at all?

Longboards is at the Ko Olina beach club. Aulani is in between both Marriott resorts.

 

[kahluacream]

We visited Aulani earlier this summer and loved Monkeypod! My favorite dinner of the trip was at Roy's on the nearby golf course... The butterfish was absolutely to die for!!

An inexpensive option if you like seafood is to drive up to the North Shore and eat at one of the shrimp trucks. The concierge, Paul, was really helpful for this. He mapped out the best route for our family and we followed his directions for a scenic drive one afternoon. We hit the Dole Plantation (Dole whips!!) and kept driving on that road to see giant sea turtles at "turtle beach" (never would have found this without his landmarks), continued all the way north to eat at Giovanni's shrimp truck, drove back and stopped at the quaint town of Haleiwa to see a breathtaking sunset... Awesome food and a great day! Just see the concierge if you would like help mapping this out!

 

[lovetotraveltx]

Thank you! Was it a long drive to turtles, shrimp trucks...?

 

[SuperRob]

Thank you! Was it a long drive to turtles, shrimp trucks...?

Not at all. Oahu is a very small island. You could probably drive all the way around it in under three hours.

 

[kahluacream]

Thank you! Was it a long drive to turtles, shrimp trucks...?

We left the resort around 3, did everything I described above, and returned to Aulani around 8 or 9. There was no traffic going in our direction since we were going against rush hour on the way out & returned after it ended.

I think Dole was about 25 minutes away, the turtle beach another 10 down the road, and then we kept driving 10-15 minutes or so and started seeing lots of shrimp trucks. It was a pretty drive along the coast.

Mackey's shrimp truck was closer, but we drove all the way to Giovanni's since the concierge said it was the original & really great. The food did not disappoint! My son also got a loaded funnel cake from Lani while we were at Giovanni's for dessert... Delicious! Great shave ice in the area, too!

HTH! Have a great trip!!

 

[dianeschlicht]

At the resort, we liked Makahiki the best. We did go over to the Marriott (two bays down) one night, and it was okay. Our best food came from the little hole in the wall places up on the North shore.

 

[SuperRob]

Mackey's shrimp truck was closer, but we drove all the way to Giovanni's since the concierge said it was the original & really great. The food did not disappoint! My son also got a loaded funnel cake from Lani while we were at Giovanni's for dessert... Delicious! Great shave ice in the area, too!

I liked Giovanni's quite a bit. But one of my friends who is native Hawaiian says that the "Famous Kahuku Shrimp Truck" is even better than Giovanni's. I'll have to try it next time I'm there.

If you get into downtown Honolulu, you simply MUST find Helena's Hawaiian Food. Fabulous food, it comes out lightning fast, and Helena is an absolute doll. She entertained us for the brief time we were there talking all about her new great-grand baby. She was so proud!

 

[lovetotraveltx]

Lots of helpful answers!!

 

[MinnieInMI]

Thanks for the great suggestions. I'll be adding them to my notes