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Roy's Waikoloa Bar & Grill
Category: Restaurants Hawaiian Hawaiian [Edit]
250 Waikoloa Beach DrWaikoloa, HI 96738
(808) 886-4321
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Classy, Upscale
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
190 reviews for Roy's Waikoloa Bar & Grill
Review Highlights
"You must get the chocolate souffle."
(in 34 reviews)
"The pineapple upside down cake is amazing."
(in 11 reviews)
"It's a must stop on the Big Island."
(in 23 reviews)
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190 reviews in English
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Review from Maulik V.
Alpharetta, GA
2/2/2012 1 Check-in Here
summary: Impeccable service, well trained staff, very creative mixes
Edamames, for appetizer, were salted, spiced up, and smoked just right.. aside from a few entrees which jumped out as being creative (e.g. macadamia mahi mahi) rest were what one comes to expect from a Ray's...
For me, the highlight of the the dinner was desserts.. most desserts were freshly made. Our dessert order was taken before the entree. Molten Chocolate Lava Cake w/ Vanilla Bean icecream was a delight.. -
Review from Steve L.
Burlingame, CA
12/30/2011
I've been to most of the Roy's. This one did not disappoint as the service was extremely attentive. I liked that they gave the kids some appetizers almost as they sat down as they understand how kids can get hungry fast. Keiki meal choices are great options.
Great starters were ahi poke, spicy ahi roll and potstickers. Roy's does it their own way, which is another reason the uniqueness adds to the experience. We went with their fish entrees like the macadamia crusted mahi mahi and the steamed fish of the day - superb. One of the main reasons I go to Roy's knowing they have great fish choices. And of course, the chocolate souffle!
They do lose a star for running out of a few dessert items at 6:30 pm! Better planning? Also, we had reservations but were seated close to the waiters station, walking by a bunch of open tables with better views. Oh well. We'll still be back for the food. -
Review from Ai S.
Bay Area
12/22/2011 5 photos
I'm always a bit skeptical of chains, although Roy Yamaguchi is a James Beard winner. But I've never had any urge to check out the one in my area. However, being in Hawaii, I figured if I was going to try it, it might as well be here, even if it's not the original restaurant.
Well, the decor left much to be desired. I felt like I was in some convention space. Place was packed though. I started with the crab cakes, which were a bit oversalted. The Butterfish main course, though, was amazing. Really flaky and light, perfectly sauced. My friend, however, ordered the ahi, as recommended by our waitress. She found it extremely salty to the point that she returned it and got the butterfish instead. By that point, she was pretty full, so I happily ate up the leftovers. The chocolate souffle and pineapple upside down cake were great though.
Overall, 3 stars for food. 4 stars for service (our waitress was extremely patient and very apologetic about the fish), 2 stars for decor. Still not planning on checking out the one in SF. -
Review from Jason H.
Cleveland, OH
2/2/2012
I've always been a big Roy's fan from my visit to locations on Oahu and in California, but this visit did not meet my expectations. First off, the restaurant itself is uninviting and uncomfortable in design. The carpeted restaurant reminded me of a chinese restaurant in Florida. There was a bar, with nothing really separating it from the dining area. As a crowd gathered, the noise filled the entire restaurant and it was rather loud and obnoxious. The food was filled with hits and misses. The hits: the butterfish = delicious, the salads were fresh and great, the chocolate sou flee and the coconut brownie sundae was the best. The misses: salmon tasted too fishy (not in a good way), the chicken spring roll wasn't great. Overall, the service was too rushed. You could tell the big pressure to get a high turnover was in overdrive. Overall, a disappointing Roy's experience.
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Review from Mike O.
12/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
Amazingly this was the first time I have visited any Roy's Restaurant. Casual fine dining with pretty good service. My wife had the pre fixe menu with an assortment appetizers (spring roll, bbq rib and skewered shrimp). Her main course was braised rib. That portion was huge.
I started with the scallop dynamite, which was probably the best way I had scallops prepared to date. My main course was a 16oz ribeye. Ordered it medium but came med-rare. I was tender and fatty just like a ribeye should be. This really did stand out above any other ribeye I had (or I should say I had better). This too was huge and I couldnt finish it.
For dessert the wife had Pineapple upsidedown cake, which she said it was just ok. I had to try the chocolate souffle everyone raves about and yes.......it is that good. Wonderful end to a great meal. -
Review from Bonnie F.
Marietta, GA
1/8/2012
Soulless corporate food at its' worst. I hope that somebody at the restaurant reads this and rethinks what they have done to this formerly ground-breaking and delicious restaurant. The most expensive and absolutely the worst food we ate during out 10 day visit in Hawaii. The service was slow, the food was bland (which was unexpected if you are familiar with the original Roy's), the facilities were dirty and out-dated, the prices were bold to say the least. There is MUCH better food to be had in the area.
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Review from Gary S.
Orange County, CA
11/20/2011
We have been to Roy's before and always enjoyed it. This experience was not different!
My wife and I shared a spicy tuna roll appetizer, which was excellent. For dinner I had the braised short ribs and my wife had the blackened ahi tuna. We both were blown away. The quality of the food and friendly professional service was excellent.
I can't wait to go back there. -
Review from David H.
Pasadena, CA
10/16/2011
Over priced for a lot of shortcuts
Seeing a few recommendations on yelp and on cover of local magazine, I had some hope that I'd find some decent grubs here in waikoloa area.
I had just finished a round of 18 holes of golf when I entered the restaurant. The greeted at the door did not smile at me when I looked.tired. no matter, I thought if they are this stuck up, the food should be good at the very least. The waitress was friendly and had a great tone with her smile. The edamame plate was well dressed but a few did not cook through. No katter, that was a freebie.
When my bouliabaise arrived, there weren't much broth in the bowl. It was more like a plate of over cooked sea food with some Malaysian/Thai spices covering up the lack of efforts that went into making the broth.
The roast duck dish also lacked a properly crisped skin. The meat was not as tender as a properly cooked duck should be. It was overdressed in hoisin sauce that made the dish too sweet.
To this date, I still have not tasted proper fusion cuisine as all of these modern twists just take common flavors from each cuisine and marry it with the main ingredient. Instead, proper cooking method and the main identity of the dish are lost in translation. I would prefer to have the duck legs smoked then roasted with light soy if it was to get my respect of the 30 some odd dollars it commanded.
And please, when I ask for the check, don't ask again after 15 minutes.
I would have had a better experience at the Ramano's Macaroni Grill
and definitely had better food at Ken's House of Pancakes (in Hilo)
and no, you dont need to have a big budget to have delicious food, sometimes simple affairs are what delights you the most -
Review from Sharr K.
Great atmosphere.
Great wait staff.
Great food....the Lobster Mac and Cheese appetizer was the highlight of my meal. The bf had Rib Eye and he inhaled the entire dish....cooked to juicy perfection.
The mai tais are excellent too.
It is a little pricey but you're on vacation anyway....check this place out if you're in the Waikoloa Village area (lots of shopping around there too).Listed in: KONA!!!!!!!
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Review from Troy M.
Honolulu, HI
Great Dinner at Roy's in Waikoloa. If your staying at the area Resorts i would recommend you eat here vs the Hotel restaurants.
Our server was Sammy. Top notch service. Fast, Friendly & helpful and he made some awesome recommendations from the menu. Best Service i have had in a long time. Sammy asked if we had been to other Roy's and I said yes several. He confidently said this one is the best. At first i did not buy it due to some of the lower yelp reviews but in the end he was right. I been to all the Roys in Oahu and this was by far my favorite Roy's Dinner.
Appetizers of Lobster Mac & Carrot soup were amazing and came out really quick. FYI the also give you a comp edemame
My wife had the steamed Opah Chinese style. Fish was cook perfectly and the portions were large. Cooked perfectly and very tasty.
I had the Osso Bucco. The dish was huge. meat was super tender with a perfect sauce.
Dessert was amazing. Mixed fruit tart with ice cream not sure what it was actually called. Sammy our server suggested it. Would have never ordered this but i am glad we did.
Compared to other Roys The place seem to be very loud which was the only negative thing i can say about the whole experience.
If your staying in Waikoloa Roys is must try. Make reservations and get a good table with a lake view.
Mahalo Sammy & the Roy's Waikoloa crew for making this a great dinner.
Relax, Enjoy. Eat. -
Review from Joan T.
Parker, CO
12/27/2011
We ate at a Roy's on, I believe, Maui four years ago. Wonderful then, wonderful now. Forgive my not going into detail as we were just there for two weeks and ate at so many wonderful places, I don't remember each detail. I do know that my husband, daughter and myself loved it. Highly recommended by me!
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Review from Some G.
Redmond, WA
10/3/2011
Feels like Denny's. Every other table has a baby or two. And the decor is horrid. Definitely not a romantic place to dine.
Note to hostess. Don't seat a young couple in a section way in the back surrounded by 10 babies. Especially when there are plenty of open tables around. I normally tip 40% but I felt compelled to only do 20% today.
Okay been here for 30min and I saw 8 couples reject their initial seat assignment. I think thats a record. Whats up with the hostess here. -
Review from Vivian A.
I love Roy's. We've celebrated every great milestone at a Roy's and this trip was no different. We called to make reservations and they sat us in the very corner with full 270 degree views of the lake.
Complimentary edamame showed up shortly at our table. Sweet! We started with cocktails and my choice was a Passion Flow. It was so delicious, light and airy but will creep up on you if you're not paying attention! Our pupus was the Canoe for Two: Cucumber Sushi with spicy ahi sauce, chicken spring rolls, ribs (the Canadian's favorite), shrimp on a skewer, wild boar ragoon (my favorite), and wonderful sauces to compliment them all.
I opted for the Butterfish full plate, I'm not sure what I was thinking 'cuz after the Canoe for Two, I was already full. I should have gone with the half plate for sure! But it was so moist and melt-in-your-mouth that I couldn't stop putting it into my mouth that I was almost bursting at the seams!
The Canadian decided to get the Blackened Ahi Tuna which was good with the hot mustard compliment but the waiter told him to get less rare when he requested well and he liked the well better. He should have just gotten what he wanted, or even yet, maybe the waiter shouldn't have been so persistent in getting a more rare piece of meat. Boo on you!
They brought out a complimentary chocolate decadent cake that said "Happy Honeymoon" written on the plate. Super decadent indeed! It was almost like chunks of fudge on a plate! The strawberry sauce and whipped cream helped cut up the decadent chocolate for sure.
Of course we ordered the chocolate molten lava cake, which was inhaled as if we have not even eaten a bite of food in the last 3 hours. What? Dessert is a different compartment! Lol
We were very happy with our trip to Roy's, they made us feel very special and gave us a super romantic evening we will never forget! -
Review from Laurice M.
Los Angeles, CA
9/19/2011
You can't go wrong with Roy's! Their food is always exquisite and at any location. Yes it's pricey, but for a special night out with my husband on our honeymoon, it was totally worth it!
I ordered the BBQ Spice-Rubbed Shrimp on top of cheesy polenta - simply WONDERFUL! I was fighting a cold at the time, but even congested I enjoyed this flavorful meal! There was more than enough tender shrimp and the polenta was so creamy and cheesy! My husband had the pre-fixe menu that consisted of a yummy sampler of the appetizers, the ever-popular and ever delectable short ribs, and a chocolate lava cake with ice cream (that was comped since it was in celebration of our newly wedded bliss).
Our server was very friendly, our water was always refilled, and even when I got up to use the restroom, I always returned to a nicely folded napkin haha! Even on a busy night we were seated fairly quickly. Roy's appeals to all parties and never fails to provide a wonderful dining experience! -
Review from Johnny E.
Waikoloa, HI
10/24/2011
We ate there for the first time since living here 3 1/2 years. Food and service was great and the price was reasonable. I had the duck which was excellent. Not a place I would be dying to go to again but definitely a restaurant to go to on your Hawaiian vacation. Better dining views here than the other restaurants on the resort.
Service was excellent with a lot of aloha. -
Review from Casey C.
Hermosa Beach, CA
12/13/2011
this is my family's go-to spot when we spend Christmas or Easter at our home in Kona.
The macadamia crusted mahi is my favorite dish- my sister usually gets steak which she raves about. Service is always on point. Drinks are pretty good, too.
Even if you don't stop at Roy's, Waikoloa village is a fun place to walk around and shop. -
Review from Jim N.
Costa Mesa, CA
9/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
Wow, simply put... phenomenal!
The deck was stacked against Roy from the start but they won us over true and through.
I don't eat seafood and my wife doesn't eat pork so I figured there wouldn't be anything on the menu we could eat... we were wrong. We both found dishes we wanted to try. I had the osso bucco, it came with a side of ratatouille and both were the best I've ever had.
The staff really hustled too. I would go back in a second. -
Review from Stephen L.
San Rafael, CA
8/26/2011 4 Check-ins Here
Hands down the best place to eat in Waikoloa. The place isnt going to blow you away but, the food for sure is.
Every time we go we like to make a reservation and if there is space at the bar just sit there instead so we can talk with the bartenders about the specials and such more in-depth and they are always pretty nice. -
Review from Sharon P.
Los Altos, CA
There aren't many nice restaurants in waikoloa area, and Roy's is at the top of the recommended list. After reading the reviews, I decided to give it a try. So we came here on a Thursday night before 6pm, reservation was for 3 adults and 3 kids.
For a supposedly high-end restaurant, Roy's is surprisingly accommodating for kids. Keiki menu comes in a coloring book, though they did not provide any crayons. I order potstickers for the girls and the waiter had no problem of making it 6 pieces instead of the normal 5 pieces. It came with wierd sauce on it and as soon as I showed concerned, they immediately offer to take it back, and 10 min later they bought out a new plate with sauce on the side. the kids all ordered braised short ribs and they loved it. Dessert was ice cream sandwich, since they don't have chocolate ice cream, the waiter offered to bring out hot fudge on the side, which was much appreciated. So for kids, everything worked out well.
For the adults, the meal was less than spectacular. We all ordered the same thing - the prefix 3 course menu with macadamia nut crusted Hawaii fish and chocolate souffle. None of us tasted any macadamia nut in our fish, and agreed that it was far from the dish we had in Maui. the chocolate souffle was good and the best part of the whole meal, but still, not compared to what we had elsewhere.
In summary, service was good, food did not live up to the hype. I don't think I would try other Roy's either if there is other choices.
If you happen to be in Maui, be sure to go to Mama's Fish House for the best Macadamia nut crusted Mahi Mahi. If you are in Vegas, be sure to go to Effle Tower restaurant at Paris Hotel for their souffle. you won't regret it! -
Review from Charlene C.
Monrovia, CA
5/25/2011 6 photos
As with any Roy's restaurant, they are focused on providing excellent customer service. They were so on top of things. Ensuring they wipe up my messy husband's mess on the table, refilling our drinks, taking away plates & giving us new utensils for the next course. We also received a visit from the manager.
At this location, you get a great view of the water while you eat. They also change their menu items daily.
As an appetizer, we chose the potstickers with the peanut sauce. Our server informed us that there are over 30 ingredients that go into that sauce. WOW, so much flavor. I tasted ginger in there as well, but I can't name all 30 ingredients. It was definitely a party in my mouth. Outside was crispy with steaming hot pork inside plus the delicious sauce. I would order that again in a heartbeat! (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
For entrees, we both opted for "Hawaiian cow" dishes.. lol.I got the fillet Mignon (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) My filet was butterflied and actually came out more like well-done than medium-well and I found the meat just a tad too salty. It came with potatoes and sweet potato sauce. My husband got the ribeye cooked medium and came with beets on top. (http://www.yelp.com/bi...).
Both dishes were good.
Other than the pot stickers, I think the thing that made the entire meal was the coffee cake! (which they advise you to order in advance since it takes some time to bake). Oh my gosh, it was crispy on the outside and hot and fluffy inside. It came with icing drizzled on top and a side of fresh cream. YUMMMM! (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
Since it was our anniversary, they also threw in another chocolate dessert. AWW! (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)Listed in: The Big Island
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Review from Denise M.
Apex, NC
8/15/2011
Fantastic service and food!
The complimentary edamame was awesome. We cleaned out the first bowl and they brought us a second. The dinner itself was very good - we both had a dish with local fish.
My husband had been worried that the portion sizes might be small, but we were pretty full, so we weren't going to get a dessert. However, when I made the reservation, I mentioned we were celebrating our anniversary and they brought us a free dessert - the melting hot chocolate souffle - YUM! The best part was that around the perimeter of the plate, they had written "Happy Anniversary - Roy'"s in a chocolate syrup. The "font" on "Roy's" appeared to even match the menu's - unexpected and a really neat touch! -
Review from Meghan A.
Pleasanton, CA
8/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
My husband and I went here for our first romantic dinner of our honeymoon as a gift from a friend. They knew who we were when we walked in, sat us immediately even though we were early for our reservations, and treated us extremely well (we noticed they did the same for other customers which was nice to see). The food was the best we had the whole trip, cooked to perfection and flavored just right.
At the end of the night the chef sent out a wonderful chocolate suffle with congratulations written on the plate.
I know our friend had a little to do with our special treatment but they did not need to take the time out of their extremely busy night to make us feel like their only customers. The staff was friendly and professional. Our server seemed to genuinely love his job which says a lot about a company.
Thank you for a great first married couple romantic night out, Roy's! -
Review from oc r.
Irvine, CA
11/26/2011
I am giving this 3 stars as the food was much better than what I have had at the roy's out here in OC. Otherwise would have gotten 1-2 stars for the $$$$ I paid.
Outside food, nothing much else to write about -- poor slow service (atleast when we were here -- a mon night at 8 pm), loud cacophony, pathetic decor (70s industrial / concrete) and pretentious waiters. Go only if 1) you are in a large group and in a mood to have loud conversations 2) if you a family who would like good food and can look past the dumb service and decor (we were in this category). Couples, stay away. I understand from other reviews that service experience can vary. -
Review from Veronica M.
San Mateo, CA
8/15/2011 3 photos
Came here for a very special celebration and it didn't disappoint!
The service like always was just amazing, we felt really well treated and had a lot of fun.
We had mussels as an appetizer, then we shared the duck and the short ribs, all cooked to perfection!
If you want to have a memorable dinner in Waikoloa, then this is the place! -
Review from Sarah V.
Sacramento, CA
11/10/2011
So good, we came here twice! Friendly greetings, amazing fish, and THE BEST DESSERT EVER (the chocolate lava cake soufflé). We talk about Roy's all year back at the mainland and it never disappoints when we finally make it back!
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Review from Sandy S.
Incline Village, NV
10/31/2011
Yummy dinner. They treated our kids like royalty and they loved their dinners which allowed us to fully enjoy ours! We will definitely be back. Sammy was an awesome waiter. I do not even like edamame and I asked for more. HA!!!
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Review from Laura M.
Los Angeles, CA
5/31/2011 1 photo
Great service and phenomenal menu! Our server Dustin did a great job helping us weed through the menu as we had a person in our party that could not eat gluten and others that were vegan. I know not optimal when going to a sea food restaurant but he was amazing and helped us customize our orders to perfection.
Our table had a great view of the water also. Overall the customer service was top notch. The only thing that was a little strange was how frequently they refilled our water! It sounds like an odd thing to mention but seriously if I took even one sip someone was right there with a pitcher filling it back up again. We found it kind of amusing but I felt bad for the poor water guy, he was working so hard!
Also their specialty drinks are great. Loved the lychee martini. -
Review from Meaghan H.
Denver, CO
10/10/2011
Great food! I didn't find one thing on the menu our group of 5 didn't love but the shining star were the desserts. We shared the chocolate souffle and the pinneable updside down cake on three seperate occasions because we couldn't get enough! To be honest, I had some great fish for dinner but I can't even remember what it was because all I can think about is chocolate and pinneable! Most of their deserts take 20-30 minutes as all good souffles should so make sure and order ahead of time!
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Review from Stephen D.
Sunnyvale, CA
10/25/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Another favorite restaurant to add to my list. We loved it so much, we went back again before our vacation ended. What can I say about the desserts, one of the best chocolate souffles I've had. My favorite, chocolate and I think it's raspberry. Food was delicious!
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Review from Wine T.
Sunnyvale, CA
7/9/2011
Omg! A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! Every dish from wine pairing to appetizer to Entrees were spectacular good! Could not be better. Had prix fix menu (short ribs) and my fiance had the rib eye steak. Server was so "on it" too. She didn't miss a beat! Highly recommend! :-) This was our best meal on a 5 night stay in Hawaii.
Another place to try while in Kona is Monstera (sushi!) in the shopping area near the Mauna Lana. It was fresh and delicious. Try the baked scallop roll. I think it's called the"69 Roll". It was so good that I may never forget how delicious it was! :-) The restaurant was a close 2nd to Roy's as far as best meals go. It's hard to compare apples to oranges though (sushi to steak), but you should try this restaurant too! :-) -
Review from Anatoli L.
Stamford, CT
5/30/2011
Excellent food, great atmosphere, excellent service. We were a large group, came in without reservation on Saturday night. All the fod was outstanding - tomato carpaccio was made from local tomatoes, very flavorful, trio of fish entree was very fresh and masterfully done. Save some room for desert.
The only word of caution - it is on the pricey side, and you want to try lots of different things, so be careful. -
Review from Jens S.
Santa Cruz, CA
11/9/2011
Another visit to the Big Island and, of course, we had to go to Roy's twice. It is simply one of the best places if you are looking for high end food in a nice environment without having the need to be super dressy. Best thing for us is that we can bring our little guy along. As seen in many other restaurants Hawaii is really a kid friendly place when it comes to fine dining. I wish the Bay Area would take notes...
Anyhow, coming back to Roy's. First night I had the baby back ribs and my wife enjoyed some Mahi-Mahi. We went with a sushi appetizer that was great as well. Nice presentation and great taste on all dishes. Great attention to the staff to our needs. They even add a free appetizer to any kid meal if the parents order an appetizer as well! No desert that night... Sadly the kid's salmon dish contained a bone, but the manager stopped by right away, apologized and replaced the dish within minutes. It was a busy night and since there was no harm we didn't mind.
The second night we tried the Poke appetizer which is excellent. The manager recognized us from our previous visit and offered us a free shrimp appetizer which was great as well. For the main dish I went with their fish trio which is absolutely yummy and my wife loved her steak. This time we even had some space to share a cobbler for desert. Our son enjoyed a chicken dish.
This restaurant is always a highlight on our trip. It is truly a place of great food, good service and a casual, but nice environment. -
Review from Sivilay T.
Orinda, CA
5/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
Roy's was probably our most memory meal on the Big Island. Everything was as close to being perfect as I could possibly imagine. The food was excellent and service was outstanding. Dustin, our waiter was very attentive. Even our water guy, Nainoa, was very attentive. I felt like we were the only couple there, even though we weren't. The manager, Mark, came out to greet us and we told him how great his team was. Even the chef, gave us a warm greeting as soon as we arrived.
We ordered two appetizers, the poke trio (4 stars) and the pork potstickers (4 stars) to start with. I had the BBQ white prawns with cheesy polenta and crisp bacon strip (can I give it 6 stars), husband had the Ono dish (he gave it 5 stars) and my son had the kid's braised short ribs (he ate everything on his plate on top of the pork potstickers, the free kid's quesadilla and half of my order of BBQ prawns). We ordered the fresh fruit crisp (5 stars) and banana coffee cake with creme fraiche (5 stars). Overall, food preparation and presentation was very nice and everything tasted very fresh and excellent quality.
There's very little for us to do on this island so we are hoping that they will serve some of their specialty dishes on the mainland or Oahu since we are there more often. But if we ever need an excuse to visit the Big Island, Roy's is definitely on our top reasons for coming back for sure :D
Thanks for making our trip a memorable one, Roy's! -
Review from Victoria A.
Kapolei, HI
Gorgeous location... especially at sunset!!
It gets very busy, so reservations are definitely recommended!
Ample parking. If you're early for your reservation, don't stray too far away getting caught up in the shops... because there is no beeper to remind you or let you know that the table is ready. The servers are very knowledgeable so let the spiel away and don't be ashamed to ask questions! -
Review from Justin O.
Atascadero, CA
10/25/2011
Food was great but also fairly expensive. This is the kind of place that puts the napkin in your lap. Braised short ribs were very good. Atmosphere was fancy. Loud. Cost seemed to match quality. Beer selection ain't that great but wine selection was huge. Wife had a lava flow like thing that was good.
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Review from Esther S.
Los Angeles, CA
8/25/2011
By far one of the worst meals i had on the Big Island. The service was great and they were nice enough to bring out a free dessert for my husband's birthday. But the food was VERY salty and tasted like it was poor quality.
My husband had the lobster risotto and the crab cakes which were both not good. I had the butter fish which I normally love. I have had this dish at the Roy's in Wakiki and in Downtown LA. It was much more saltier than I am used to. I will probably never eat here again. -
Review from Bethany E.
Minneapolis, MN
3/5/2011
We had a fabulous meal at Roy's. And I say this despite my initial misgivings about going (I tend to avoid chain restaurants like the plague).
Our party got 2 appetizers - the pork rangoon and the mussel, clam, and lobster dish - and both were amazing. I've never had anything quite like the pork rangoon, with black beans and pineapple, but I would get them again any time!
For dinner, I had the lobster salad and mushroom soup. Both were great, though I wish the salad had a bit more feta and mac nuts on it. The soup had a little surprise kick of some clove or something a little sweeter, but it worked great with the mushrooms and the parmesan crisp. The other people ordered the shellfish platter and the surf and turf (with baby back ribs and shrimp). Everyone loved their meals. My dad hardly said a word all meal long.
For dessert, we got the pineapple upside down cake, creme brulee, and the mac nut tart. The cake was terrific, came out still warm. The mac nut tart was also really tasty. The only complaint for the whole meal was the creme brulee - the taste and consistency left something to be desired. -
Review from Allyen W.
Denver, CO
4/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
Absolutely terrific and a great memory of our amazing trip to the big island. My son asked for the ribs appetizer as an entree and got a plate with an absolute mountain of ribs on it. It was at least a rack and a half of ribs! They tasted wonderful.
The Ono my wife ordered was probably the best single bite of fish I have ever had. She would only spare one bite for me she loved them so much.
As other reviewers have noted, Roy's can be noisy, but this is a side effect of so many people having a good time. I can not complain that I was part of a great evening where everyone was jovial and totally immersed in a wonderful food centric evening. -
Review from Darlene K.
Seattle, WA
1/25/2011
Never been to Roy's before until our trip to the Big Island. The hubby and I were starving and noticed Roy's in the Kings Shops right across from where we were staying. Tons of people were waiting so we decided to try it. Make sure to make reservations that place was packed! Plus not much is open to eat close (walking distance) to the Marriott and Hilton.
Had the pork spring rolls. Kinda greasy but the flavor was decent. I am Asian so egg rolls being tooo greasy is hard lol.
Hubby had the steamed opah which was good.
Overall the experience was ok, but due to lack of restaurants walking distance it was best we could do at that moment. -
Review from Michael M.
Bothell, WA
9/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
Really good food, great service. I've been to 3 different Roy's across continental and Hawaiin locations. None disappoint. Very solid option and usually make it a point to visit it if there's one in the city where I'm visiting (was in SF this weekend but did not make it).
