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

[Disney Dreams]

^^^Thanks Dreams!!! Totally helpful!

You're welcome! Happy I could help!

- Dreams

 

[alikat99]

Thanks to everyone for all of their dining suggestions!! We're heading to Aulani the first week of November, and I can't wait! I've been to Oahu once when I was a teenager, and Maui in my early 20s. But my husband and DDs have never been, so I can't wait to share it with them!

 

[Disney Dreams]

ive had a bit of a search of the thread, but I cant find too much about other places local (enough) to Aulani for breakfast??

also, what is everyones opinions about aulani restaurant reservations? needed?

we probably should if we want to have nice meals throughout our honeymoon? but at the same time don't want to book too much as I dont want to stress the soon-to-be DH out about needing to be places at particular times.

would making reservations in the morning for the evening suffice?

Reservations for the character breakfast and Ama Ama dinner can get a little tight as you get closer to your dates. I would book those two if you are interested. I don't think that would stress out the future DH too much, would it?

- Dreams

 

[lovetotraveltx]

Perfect! Thank you!

Here you go, taken two days ago, October 11, 2013 from Ulu Cafe at Aulani.

/\ The menu changes somewhat daily, new fish, specialty flatbreads, new hot item, etc....

/\ Eating area if you wanted to stay there to eat.

/\ Pre-made salads, sandwiches, wraps, etc....

/\ Baked goodies and yummies

/\ More baked goodness

/\ Cool Hawaiian inspired art that was on the wall that I liked.

Hope this helps with the curiosity,
Dreams

 

[bfosbenner]

WOW, That looks ASWOME! They really needed some place like that on the property. Now I need to go back!

 

[MAJPLO]

Here you go, taken two days ago, October 11, 2013 from Ulu Cafe at Aulani.

/\ The menu changes somewhat daily, new fish, specialty flatbreads, new hot item, etc....

/\ Eating area if you wanted to stay there to eat.

/\ Pre-made salads, sandwiches, wraps, etc....

/\ Baked goodies and yummies

/\ More baked goodness

/\ Cool Hawaiian inspired art that was on the wall that I liked.

Hope this helps with the curiosity,
Dreams

Thanks!!!! Apologies if I missed this, but they serve breakfast also right? Any idea what that menu is like? Or is it just breakfast pastries?

 

[AKMOUSE]

We were at Aulani last week and went to the Pizza Corner across the street twice. It is a quick walk to the corner and across the street.
We loved it! It was very reasonable a large (8 big slices) of a specialty pizza for $24. Also, it is BYOB, we brought a cooler with 2 beers (for my hubby and our friend) and me and the kids had sodas there. The staff was very friendly.
They deliver to Aulani too!
I am not sure if this is allowed, but would be AWESOME to have pizza delivered while watching the outdoor movie. I found that was one thing that I really wanted - popcorn or a snack while watching the movie.

 

[aboveH20]

Here you go, taken two days ago, October 11, 2013 from Ulu Cafe at Aulani.

Hope this helps with the curiosity,
Dreams

Thanks for the photos. We booked eight nights in February that includes breakfast each morning at Ulu Cafe. I figure even if it's coffee and a muffin, it's FREE!

 

[mom2aidanNpiper]

Thanks for the photos. We booked eight nights in February that includes breakfast each morning at Ulu Cafe. I figure even if it's coffee and a muffin, it's FREE!

We will be there in Feb for 9 nights but booked on points so no breakfast for us, but that is a good deal they have going on!

 

[amym2]

We were also at Aulani last week and enjoyed the Ulu Cafe. We had the hamburger steak the night we arrived (similar to salisbury steak) as well as the kalua pork pizza and both were delicious. DS11 had the kids' mahi mahi and enjoyed it, and we appreciated that he could get a kids meal with his adult tastes. We didn't ever really eat breakfast there, but they did have breakfast platters available with the typical eggs, bacon, etc. We did try the macadamia nut and blueberry muffins and the apple danish and oh my goodness, were they good! They are baked on site.

Also loved the coconut shrimp and puka dog (get the garlic aoili) at Mama's and of course the shave ice (get the sweetened condensed milk topping!).

Across from Aulani we enjoyed Monkeypod and DH walked to get a pizza from Pizza Corner and it was good, too.

Offsite we love the Koa Pancake House for good cheap breakfast. And Giovanni's shrimp truck on the north shore is as good as ever.

We thought Ama Ama was okay for lunch, but it wasn't our favorite. You can sit right outside on the patio area just below Ama Ama for the sunset views without having to pay the steep prices for dinner. Make sure you go to Uncle's storytelling by the fire pit which is right near there.

Oh and we did do the Makahiki breakfast buffet on a Monday so no characters (although I hear that changes in Dec) and it was wonderful! Make sure you get the POG juice. Everything was delicious. Mickey waffles with coconut syrup... yum!

 

[aboveH20]

We will be there in Feb for 9 nights but booked on points so no breakfast for us, but that is a good deal they have going on!

Look at it this way, what you save not having to pay to park will more than account for two breaksfasts at Ulu Cale (I think).

 

[mom2aidanNpiper]

Look at it this way, what you save not having to pay to park will more than account for two breaksfasts at Ulu Cale (I think).

Very true! parking is outrageous (not just Aulani- everywhere on the island!)

 

[bfosbenner]

Look at it this way, what you save not having to pay to park will more than account for two breaksfasts at Ulu Cale (I think).

I agree, free parking is a great perk! Friends stayed in Waikiki and would not get out and have a rental car due to parking fees! We liked the freedom when we stayed.

 

[Ozdisneydreamin]

Subscribing for more ideas for our March vacation.

 

[blondietink]

I agree, free parking is a great perk! Friends stayed in Waikiki and would not get out and have a rental car due to parking fees! We liked the freedom when we stayed.

We found a couple of hotels in Waikiki that did not charge at all for parking. There are there if you look, but won't be right on the beach. We never paid for parking anywhere in Oahu or on Maui.

 

[BCV2003]

Here are some reviews from my trip 1-2 weeks ago

Ama Ama - Fantastic sunset view if you time it right, which we did.

Makahiki - We really like the breakfast buffet the best. In fact, we did it twice, our first full day and last day which both happened to Mondays, the non character day which was great. The dinner buffet was ok but nothing spectacular. Funny thing is that neither of us are really dessert people and we though the desserts here were better than the food. They had these mini chocolate souffle type things that were awesome.

Leonard's Malsada's - these were so good! We ended up going twice! I had the plain ones with sugar on the outside and my husband had the ones filled wth chocolate dobash. He tried the Li Hing sugar ones too and though they were good.

Boots and Kimo (in Kailua) - This place was recommended by one of bellman when we asked about some good local places to eat. He said they have the best macadamia nut pancakes. He said there is typically a 30-45 minute wait but we arrived, checked in and were seated within 15 minutes. This was one of our best breakasts. We got the macadamia nut pancakes which were awesome and I typically don't like pancakes. We also got a portugese sausage omelette which was also very good.

Giovanni's Shrimp truck - It was okay. I was expecting a little more flavor but not bad. We wanted to try Macky's later in the week but we were never hungry when we were back up on the north shore.

Matsumoto's - We tried to stop once and the line was so long so we kept driving. A few days later we stopped and there was only two people in line in front of us. I think we made a meal out of the shaved ice with ice cream. I was so full after eating it. Very good!

Roy's at Ko'olina Golf Club - We went here because I had a gift card. We were seated at a great table outside with a perfect view but I wasn't really impressed with the food. I guess I was expecting something a little more spectacular. I would say Ama Ama was better than Roy's in my opinion.

Just Tacos across the street - We wanted something simple one night so we went across the street. The service and food were both good. My husband ordered tacos and I ordered steak fajitas. The fajitas would have been enough to feed both of us and the prices were very reasonable.

Monkey Pod - As many others have, we tried Monkey Pod and were very pleased with their service and their food. The restaurant was very busy but we had called later in the afternoon and made a reservation so we didn't wait for a table once we got there. Our server was very attentive and they had live music outside.

Country market - We had breakfast there twice. Once we shared a breakfast sandwich that they made fresh with home fries. Very good and reasonably priced and the second time we did the ready made breakfast bowls. I was very surprised to see how fresh their food was.

Duke's in Waikiki - After our hike up Diamond head we stopped here and they happened to have their breakfast buffet up which was fine and fresh. I was hoping for lunch but it was just bad timing on our part. We again had a great table outside though.

We did eat at Mama's Shack for lunch one day and appetizers for dinner one night from Off the Hook. The Kobe sliders at Off the Hook were very good.

i think this pretty much sums up our meals on our trip.

 

[MinnieInMI]

BCV2003: Great detailed write-up. I am keeping this list for our upcoming February trip. Mahalo

 

[justkeepswimmin]

Great thread! Looks like there are a couple new things to try since we were there in September 2011. Especially excited to try Monkeypod. This looks like the kind of place my dh and I will really enjoy!

 

[gretchenohar@hotmail]

Bumping to keep this thread alive....
Thanks to all who have contributed.

 

[GoofyforDisnee]

Subscribing!