Hualani's - Lihue

This place is AMAZING for dinner. We were in Hawaii for 5 nights and after having dinner here on our 2nd night, we quickly made a reservation for the last night. Highly recommend making a reservation before sunset as the views are stunning. It is not a cheap meal but if you have one sludge dinner, this is definitely the spot to try. The quality of the ingredients sets it apart from other restaurants we tried. We got the dumplings both times we came. They are an absolute must. We also got the ribs both times. All the meat was tender and flavorful. The honey appetizer was also delicious. I am not usually a big fan of goat cheese but it is not too powerful in flavor. We got the cheesecake for dessert the first time and it is light, flavorful, and absolutely delicious. We got the banana lumpia the second time. It was good but we preferred the cheesecake.

We have been to this restaurant a few times now while we are in Lihue and we have had a favorable experience. Unfortunately this time around started a bit off. We had a reservation at 5 pm and arrived 10 minutes early. The bar was full so we sat in front of the bar on a couch. The server took about ten minutes to take our drink request, only after my husband asked the bartender what was the delay and said they were really busy. Shortly after that he brought us menus. The drinks were finally ordered and then we begin to see other patrons being seated, My husband had to get up and remind the hostess, they both came by just at the same time our drinks were being served and of course we were seated at the worst possible table! How does that happen when you show up before everyone else did and early. Our server Matt was great and out dinner was as well! My issue was that it appeared to me that because we are not owners, they didn't seem too concerned about our dining experience. I say this because the manager Riley Gary visited other selected guests and ignored everyone else. I'm not sure why he was walking around, it seemed so odd. Unfortunately I'm giving 3 stars because the experience was so odd.

We had the banana chips with smoked ahi dip which was not on the menu but they were able to make it anyways and it was very good. Not too Smokey and was a well balanced dish. The pickles were homemade and perfect. The fried octopus was awesome and not tough. Probably my favorite dish The risotto with truffle was also very good and well worth it. The fish was the one that I didn't really like. Parts were burnt/tough and the fish was $150 so not worth it at all. There was no price for it so it was kind of shocking when we got the bill.

We were a group of 19 enjoying various appetizers, live music, and beautiful scenery. Everything was delicious. We would definitely come back on our own time to enjoy another meal.

The food was incredible! Our hostess was extremely kind and helpful with giving us tips of where else to visit on the island.