Restaurant recommendations close to Aulani?

[MBTigger]

It seems to me most people feel that the Restaurants at Aulani are not of the same caliber as the rest of the resort. This leads me to ask the question "What Restaurants close by are worth the time and money?". We will have access to a car, so a short drive would be fine.

Thanks in advance for your opinions!
MB

 

[OKW Lover]

You'll get many comments on this, some of which will be in conflict with others.

For us, Roy's (walking distance) and Assigio (kapolei) are really good. We've enjoyed happy hour at Mina's Fish House at the Four Seasons next door. We also enjoyed a casual meal at the Kalapawai Cafe & Deli.

 

[abdgeek]

If you have a car, Kapolei is close to Aulani and has a Cheesecake Factory and other chain restaurants— if that’s what you want to eat. It’s best to make reservations ahead of time for any restaurant that allows it so that you don’t have to wait in line to be seated. Monkeypod restaurant is across the street, but can be challenging to get in without a reservation. There are also several fast casual places across the street that don’t require reservations.

 

[3dog2kidmom]

We really liked Eggs & Things across the street. Tried to get pizza from Pizza Corner one evening -- placed the order online and it took payment and gave us an ETA, but never arrived and they never answered their phone when we called to check on it. Stopped by the next day (when we went to Eggs) and they were closed at lunchtime so I don't know what was going on.

We had reservations at both Monkeypod and Roys which we actually canceled as we had cabanas both days and decided to take advantage of every last minute I thought the food from the Ulu Cafe was fine (albeit pricey). Also ABC had great salads, fruit, and banana bread to go!

We ate dinner the first night at Makahiki and thought the salad, soup and ribeyes were good (a touch overcooked -- medium rare came out medium), but the dessert was obviously pre-made and frozen and was not up to what I would expect from Disney. Breakfast (eggs & bacon or sausage with roasted potatoes) from Ulu Cafe was good all week!

 

[CaptainAmerica]

It seems to me most people feel that the Restaurants at Aulani are not of the same caliber as the rest of the resort.

I don't know anyone who feels that way.

On an 8 night trip for us, we do the luau one night, AMA AMA (not currently open) one night, and Makahiki one night. Then we'll do a happy hour at Monkeypod and the rest of our trip we're out and about doing things all across the island. Are you planning on basically staying at the resort where you'll be eating dinner in Ko Olina every night?

Most importantly, don't fly to Hawaii to eat at chain restaurants, even Roy's. It's too far and too special to eat somewhere that you have at home.

 

[Noah_t]

Me and my wife think the food at Aulani is our least favorite part of the experience. We enjoyed Ama Ama breakfasts back when they were open but the Ulu Cafe breakie is pretty bad especially for the price, IMO. The character buffet was one step up, but not by much and considering the price one trip is maybe more than enough. The burgers at the pool are decent and my wife really enjoyed her vegetarian burger.



Monkeypod though is a great choice, especially for an early dinner. Reasonable priced appetizers during happy hour, 3-5, and 10$ tasty high quality pizzas is a real deal especially considering your in Ko Olina. Longhis at the Marriott is decent. The food is pretty tasty but having a table right on the koi pond and watching the sunset is an amazing dinner experience and it's walking distance to boot.

 

[Maddysdaddy]

Breakfast - Malasadas from Leonard’s

Lunch - cocktails count, right?

Dinner - Poke, Maui Onion chips and salad from Costco

Lather, rinse, repeat

 

[pamelaj]

We also vote for Roy's, Monkey Pod, and the Island Coffee across the street. We also like Pizza Corner for an affordable dinner. We love their garlic knots. (all walkable from Aulani )

 

[MBTigger]

Lunch - cocktails count, right?

For me -YES!. But other people in our party, not so much....

 

[mickeee]

We ate at Mina’s Fish House at 4 Seasons last night. Food was awesome but the service was mediocre. For $600 tab for 3 people you would expect better service. In the future I will stick to Monkeypod instead!

This is my second time at 4 Seasons where the service has sucks. In my opinion 4 Seasons is more show and tell fluff rather than real thing!

I can get a better meal in NYC for that price!

 

[Lilsia]

Oahu has so many good food choices. In a 2 week stay at Aulani, we eat at Makahiki 1 time(and Ama Ama 1 time when it was open) and also get a few quick meals at Ulu Cafe. Other then that, we go out and about to eat local. Depending on what type of food that you want, I would Google it and see what gets good reviews. There are many places in Kapolei, the town closest to Aulani.

 

[edmartin]

For a big night out, I'd also add Noe at the Four Seasons to the list. I know that Italian isn't the first cuisine that comes to mind when in Hawaii. But the food, ambiance and service at Noe are fantastic!

A must-do ritual for us is:

1. Champagne/wine at sunset on the beach at Aulani
2. Sushi on the back deck across the street at Roy's
3. Desert & drinks back at Off the Hook at Aulani

Monkeypod, as other have suggested.

One other must-do for us is the sunset snorkel/dinner cruise on the Kai'oli'oli, out of Ko Olina Marina. Snorkeling is off-shore at Electric Beach - awesome!: https://www.adventuretourshi.com/ocean-joy-cruises/west-oahu-sunset-catamaran-dinner-cruise?from=df