Dining recommendations - especially opinions re Ama Ama (at Aulani) and Chuck's (at Marriott)

[CarolynFH]

DH, DF and I will be staying at the Marriott Ko Olina for a few days in early June, and I'd love to hear recommendations on where to eat while there (mostly recommendations for dinner). We hope to visit Aulani, since we're DVC members, so I'm wondering whether it would be worthwhile to eat dinner at Ama Ama when we visit. But I'd also love to hear about other restaurants in the area, including Chuck's Steak & Seafood at the Marriott.

TIA!

 

[BobNed]

In my opinion Ama Ama is so-so. It is expensive and food can be hit or miss. But if you want a view of the sunset, it is good for that if you get a table close to the ocean side. Chuck's at the Marriott is permanently closed. Supposed to be remodeled and reopen as something else. No idea when. I would look at Roy's which is across the street from Aulani. http://www.royshawaii.com/roys-ko-olina.html

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

I much preferred our lunch at 'Ama 'Ama to our dinner there. We went around 1 p.m. on a weekday and got a table with a beautiful view. Our server was so warm and friendly, gave us lots of tips about the resort and really made us feel welcome (it was our arrival day). The dinner we had there was just so-so in terms of service and atmosphere. We had a later reservation and I feel they rushed us through. Also we were seated in the back of this sort of annex patio (closer to Off the Hook) that had zero atmosphere as far as we were concerned. I'm not sure why because there were tables in the main part of the dining area. Monkeypod Kitchen in the downtown Ko Olina area was very good.

 

[jtba]

here are a couple threads that might be of use:

22 (!) pages: http://www.disboards.com/threads/going-to-aulani-lets-list-places-to-eat.2858912/
2 pages: http://www.disboards.com/threads/aulani-where-to-eat-2015-help.3468315/

ate at both ama ama (twice) and roy's back in april. ama ama is definitely on the more expensive side, but, while the food wasn't spectacular, the view was. roy's is more generous with its portions, though the sauce on the appetizer we ordered was a bit overwhelming. you can read my trip report to get more details (though i still need to write up the last two days of our trip there).

 

[cleophus12]

We went to Ama'Ama for our second time on this most recent trip. While it was good, it was not as good as I remembered from a few years ago. Selections were somewhat limited I thought. True, the view is great but you can get the view for free by walking along the lagoon at sunset. And although this has nothing to do with the restaurant itself, the large table of 8 next to us was extremely loud and had some impact on our enjoying our dinner. That can happen anywhere I know, but it was a bit disappointing.

 

[brimorga]

I ate at Ama Ama, Roy's and Monkey Pod (2X) a couple of weeks ago. Roy's and Ama Ama were just ok, especially for the money. Monkey Pod was decent to awesome, depending on what you order. The 2nd time I ate there I ordered the Ahi entree with the jalapeño mashed potatoes and it was freakin awesome, the best thing I ate in my 8 days on Oahu. I think I could eat that dish every day, it was perfection.