Ryan's Grill At Ward Centre
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Garage, Valet
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
30 Reviews for Ryan's Grill At Ward Centre
Sports bar meets Hawaiian pupus. Great place to meet friends, have dinner and chill. Full bar. Features live local music, check website for schedule.
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Well, love their lava flows, calamaries, and crab and artichoke dip. This place is my alternate pau hana. The pupus are certainly the best over here, but not so much for the dinner. Come early, they get full fast and outdoor seating is open.
Met up with our local moco friend here for dinner. Friendly atmosphere, great entertainment (a local band, Kapena, rocked the house) and pretty good food. The boys had an awesome burger...I forgot the name...I think it was a Kobe burger? I had the delicious fish tacos. Lots of fish meat, not enough of the soft tacos but I didn't mind because they were pretty filling. Our server was pretty chill. She's originally from Illinois and has definitely acquired the 'Aloha' attitude. Cool chick.
I feel like this place is a local version of a chain restaurant like Chili's or TGI Fridays, if that makes any sense. It is slightly more upscale and the menu has a little more personality than those places. That being said, after several visits, I would definitely rate the food and service as average. There are better places around Ward for the price, but you'll probably be content with at least trying Ryan's once.
This place always wins the Illima Award for Best Pupus and Drinks. The pupus are certainly creative and island-inspired but not that special.
Although I have crazy fantasies about the Hot King Crab and Artichoke Dip, they're shrouded by my cold feelings toward the Fresh Ahi Poke (not even close to Foodland's), Kobe Sliders with Taro Strings (eh, just a mini Happy Meal hamburger), 5 Spice Roast Duck with Steamed Buns (uh, this doesn't do justice to the Chinese restaurant version), among others.
On the other hand, the cocktails are fun and fruity--perfect if you prefer drinks that don't taste like gasoline. My favorite is the Li Hing Mui Margarita, but the Pomegranate Mojito is up there as well. Come for drinks on Wednesday nights--there's free live island music.
UPDATE - 04/16/2008
I came here tonight and ordered the Fresh Fish Tacos ($12). I was served Chicken Tacos. I didn't say anything because I'm not a confrontational person, but do the cooks thinks I can't taste the difference between chicken and fish? My taste buds are very insulted.
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the dip, Yum! Other than that, there isnt many other great tasting food items worth mentioning. It get's a decent rating from me b/c food here is on par of what you'd expect for the prices.
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Middle of the road food. It's always been fine, just nothing stands out as exceptional. Bring a jacket, it's always freezing in here.
This should be only a 3.5 star review but I'm rounding up to 4 stars just for the outstanding service provided by our server.
When your grandma-in-law has just had quadruple bypass surgery and come out of it successfully you may feel drained but with a need to sort of celebrate with family. In Hawaii celebrate=food. I don't know the actual Hawaiian word for it but you can trust me on this.
So I found myself at Ryan's with an auntie, uncle and mom-in-law as well as my man. At first I was reminded of the decor at several California Pizza Kitchen's on the mainland. The food was a lot better though. While the menu is extensive and can be a little overwhelming when you are hungry, it's well balanced and there is something for everyone regardless of what their tastes are. Lunch specials are provided and our server was the kind I don't normally see outside of fine dining establishments. He was attentive without being cloying and made great suggestions regarding the food and salad/soup pairings.
I had the Deconstructed Ahi which was on it's final days on the menu, preceded by a mixed green salad with mandarin orange slices in a crispy wonton bowl. Wow. The salad was just as the server described it: light, refreshing and the perfect beginning to the delicious entree. My ahi was seared to perfection and had both a sweet ginger sauce and a spicy chili aioli. I enjoyed it and found that between the two dishes I was totally satiated and a little overfull. I loved the pineapple juice and iced tea blend as my beverage. We all shared the crab and artichoke dip which I really didn't care for. I found it to be heavy on the focaccia bread and too rich for my tastes. Serving it with crackers or chips would have been a better choice.
My companions were not as pleased with their dishes but then again they are not fond of spice. Auntie didn't care for her Kobe beef sliders as she found them too spicy and remarked that her French onion soup tasted primarily of the beef stock base. I didn't find them too spicy but I found them to be subpar bar food at best. Mom-in-law loved her tempura salmon and her crispy pea salad and uncle enjoyed his fish n' chips. My sweetie only ate half of his french dip and found it to be just "okay".
They've got an enormous full bar that screams "drunk in public" but since I was on my best behavior I could only glare at the two 24 ounce Bud Lights my man consumed with envy. It's okay for him to drink up...they're HIS family but I'm still trying to impress so I have to keep my alcoholic tendencies on the downlow. Otherwise I would have taken the opportunity to leer suggestively at him after a few stiff drinks.
From what I can glean from our table, I would recommend the fish dishes and Asian inspired meals but steer clear of the standard Americana fare. Prices were a little high but not that bad. My ahi was $17.50 which was more than reasonable given the current market price.
Sadly, grandma isn't going to be able to come here since she's on a strict new diet so we opted not to share the details of our meal with her as her hospital fare looked about as appetizing as baby poop.
Sorry for that inevitable final image.
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I've been here a couple times... the first time was average. I came with a party of 10 or so and everyones food was fine, nothing amazing or great. A lot of us got Ahi salads and stuff, and I just think you can't have a GREAT ahi salad.
Second time, came with my mom, our food was pretty good! She got butterfish which I think is always delicious, I had some other fish (ono maybe?) with okinawan sweet potato, which I always love. Our dessert was a trio, it came on a tiered rack... I think we had like.. haupia creme brule, molten lava cake, and then some insignificant dessert... anyway, second time was much better.
I think i've gone 3 times but I can't remember the 3rd.
Go during happy hour and get the pupus. Spinach artichoke dip is a must and the calamari pretty good as well. I got Coronas instead of bud lights for specials because Coronas taste so much better hence no capital for bud lights. We ate a lot and the bill came out to 20 bucks per person which isn't bad at all. Wouldn't go here all the time but once in a while is perfect. You can walk off the buzz at Borders right after as well if you are driving.
The food here is overpriced, the mojitos are overloaded with sugar, and it tasted like a meal at Spoon's. There was really nothing special about this place, I'd rather go to Island's Burgers in Ala Moana. However, there were few tourists here, at least when we went. The service was awful. The hibachi chicken was a miss with me.
Me and one of my best friends come here often for drinking. We always sit at the bar where one of the bartenders hooks us up. They have a pretty good selection of beer. And their Jamaican Jerk Fries are the best. Their list of spirits is a long one. One of the best times to go there is during October Fest, when the selection of beer will take you around the world.
There is a happy hour, but all those wonderful beers are out of bounds.
And I almost forgot, the Mojitos are famous.
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We just came here for drinks and they were okay. Nothing special. I'd been here a couple times for dinner a few years ago and the food was the same as the drinks, just okay. I know a lot of people that love this place, but I don't get it. Maybe I've ordered the wrong things, but I just don't find anything special about it.
I used to love going here for the Rock Salt Prime Rib, but for some reason theyve taken that away. Oh well, theres still the oyster shooters, french onion soup, crab cakes, and the rasperry heffeweisen.
I like this place ... came here several times the two times I came to visit. The food is good and the atmosphere. It's pretty baby friendly too since I had a my 1 year old at the time.
I went here once, three years ago. The only thing I remember eating from Ryan's Grill is their kalua pig pizza. In the center of the pizza sits a sweet concoction of mango and onions, which compliments the saltiness of the kahlua pig and cheese very well.
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One time the waiter knowingly gave my table something different than (but similar to) what we ordered. We ordered boneless chicken strips of some sort and he gave us the regular wings w/ bones. I said something about it to him and he basically admitted that he was trying to get away with it. (WTF? And he didn't offer to take it off our bill... And no, we didn't want to add the order of the boneless...)
The drinks are average to over-priced, depending on what you get. They have a really complete bar, which is nice. I like some of their more interesting concoctions, but it's really hit or miss finding one that's good. I approve of the mojitos for sure because they don't skimp on the mint.
The food is OK. I don't like any of the pastas - they seem boring and overpriced for what you get.
I do like their house salad - that's my favorite thing to eat there because it's cheap, tastes good, and comes with a piece of fried won ton wrapper and some mandarin orange. The house salad is just right to satiate my craving for fried food while being relatively sensible.
The only other salad I like is the pea-bacon salad, but it's a little too much of one thing. They should have it as part of a salad, maybe with butter lettuce?
I have to say their pots de creme is really good! It's kind of weird that it's good at a place like Ryan's, but you should really try it. It's really perfect, thick chocolate, in a small, cheap $2.99 serving. Awesome with coffee.
The jerk fries are really good too. Plus they're cheap. One order can feed about 8 people because there's a lot of fries there and they are really strong-flavored. When I was a starving college student I would take the left-over fries and refry them (not deep fry) to make a sort of breakfast potato dish. YUM! You might be judging me for being "ghetto", but if you try it you'll like it.
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2/23/07
Okay, they did the chicken finger, chicken wings switcheroo on me AGAIN. CHICKEN FINGERS ARE NOT, NOT, NOT WINGS; THEY SHOULD BE BONELESS. At least this time the waiter wasn't an ass about it. He was gracious and took the wings back and brought us the fingers.
I give Ryan's the finger for their chicken trickery...
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the food here is not so great... but decent if you don't have high expectations. however, their li hing margaritas are awesome!
Had dinner here recently with another couple and I've got to say that this isn't the Ryan's I remember from several years ago. Everything we ordered turned out to be pretty dismal: the scallop special, the macaroni and cheese special, kalua pig quesadilla, kal bi short ribs... sigh.... It reminded me of a local version of Applebee's or Friday's. Wow, and I just found their website...they are now part of a chain of restaurants. Surprise, surprise.
UPDATE (5/5/08): We're planning our family reunion and my cousin chose here to meet. We are taken to a booth that has food crumbs all over it. Wait staff expects us to sit. We ask wait staff to please wipe. They do. With very wet towel. Now booth is very wet. They still seem to expect us to sit. My cousin has jeans and will take one for the team and slide down booth to "dry" it, but other cousin grabs napkin from table to wipe seat. That was the first 5 minutes. Didn't get much better (forgot order, did not come by table, would interrupt us while we were talking, etc.) *sigh*
I am glad I am not the only one who has had, shall we say, a less than stellar dining experience at Ryan's. On the whole, their food is okay, if a little on the expensive side for what it is. My problem is with the service. Also, there were several times when we went to Ryan's with a reservation and it took forever to get seated. Has anyone else experienced that? I mean, why even take reservations if you're not going to...oh well, anyway...
Incident #1: Having dinner with a group of friends. We all get our food at different times. The hungry and plateless begin eating off of the plates of those of us lucky enough to get our meal. Eventually everyone gets their entree. My friend D ordered a creamy pasta dish. She sticks her fork in the middle of it. I see her poking around on her plate with her fork. I ask, "D, what are you doing to your pasta?" Then she pulls out this rather huge wad of what looks like Saran Wrap that has been over-heated in the microwave, because it is all crinkly and warped looking. We inform the waitress and she does not seem to care. She asks my friend if she would like another plate. Duh! Nothing is comped.
Incident #2: Different group of friends, having lunch this time. Wait staff brings another basket of bread to the table. I think there was a gecko on that basket (it's the woven type). A gecko runs amok around our table. My friend W and I scream as we are both phobic about reptiles. Several people turn to look. The waitress tells us, "If you're going to yell, step away from the table." Again, duh! W and I are a few feet away from the table, as we are freaking out (I understand my fear is irrational, I just can't help it!) However, we are no longer screaming. It was just the initial surprise. The waitress spoke to us like we were having on-going conniptions.
A helpful busboy chases the gecko until he could scoop it up and carry it away. Before he caught it, that gecko ran across several plates (that were in the middle of the table because we were sharing a bunch of appetizers). The waitress asks us what plates the gecko ran on. She (along with another waiter) removes those plates and offers to replace them. I wanted them to replace everything. No telling what that little reptile stepped on. But, no apologies. Nothing comped. I have had enough and vow never to step foot in Ryan's again.
Ok, so I have been there once in the past 10 years. A friend visiting from the mainland really wanted to go there and so I showed up. No horrific incidences that time. Still, I join with Cynthia A. in giving Ryan's the finger, for their chicken trickery and much more!
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simply for pupus and beers. some winners include the crab and artichoke dip. roast duck and steamed buns. nice flavors.
avoid the kailua pig quesadillas -no big idea.
avoid the sirloin steak.
go with the small plates and the casual atmosphere.
Decent place to hang out at night. The food's pretty good, and the drinks are well-made.
The only thing I have against this place was it aired American Idol when the Hawaii kids were on it.
Other than that, it's a place worth checking out. It can double as either a post work place or a nice date restaurant.
A great place to hang out when it's late. I am usually there for the appetizers. Don't care much for their menu. But like I said a great place to hang out with friends later in the evening. That is why I am giving them 4 stars. IF they closed early they would get 3 stars!
EAT the artichoke crab dip!!!
Like everyone else writes. The prices could be better! :)
I love, love, love ryan's. i don't know why. maybe it just brings back all the good memories of my early 20's when this was THE hot spot on a friday night. the menu has changed since then, but the atmosphere is still the same. i love sitting outside. it's the best to be in hawaii at night, in the middle of winter, sitting outside having dinner. HEAVEN. since i live in the bay area now, i love sitting outside to eat in hawaii anytime!!!! back to food. i really like their pastas. they're really heavy and creamy (even the tomato ones have a little cream in them) but i think they're yummy. the pea salad is yummy and i always try to make it at home but it does not come out as good. gotta get the crab and artichoke dip. to die for. if you're on a diet or you don't like heavy, rich food , don't go to ryan's. this is the place to indulge. everything on the menu is awesome and consistently good. i love coming to ryan's with a bunch of friends just to hang.
This is absolutely my favorite place to drink at in Hawaii. That said, the food is only pretty good and a bit pricey too..... but then again, i'm really only drinking and eating appetizers here.
Anyway, if you go you should try the Li Hing Mui Margarita (blended of course) and the mango mojito. Also this places gets kind of crowded right after work, but its a great after dinner place to go and drink at.
This is an interesting restaurant. Huge swings in food and service. I think they're trying to find their way around the tough employment market in Honolulu. There aren't good staff to be found.
But here's the good:
Management is definitely trying. I went to an Easter Brunch (I think) and food was fantastic (for $18 you can't complain) but the service was horrible! There were waiters standing around and yet our plates kept piling up. I emailed the manager about the great food but also mentioned about the terrible service. She immediately apologized and sent me a gift card. How's that for customer service???
I went back for Father's Day and the food was just as good and the service had indeed improved.
Since then I've gone back for dinner, good service again and food wasn't bad. Mind you, it's not great but we're not talking about fine dining here.
I've also gone back for pupu's and they've decided to follow what alot of other places have done and gone with Happy Hour deals. 50% off many of their pupu's. Made sense since the place was WAY more crowded than when I went there and there was no Happy Hour.
We ordered the lettuce cups, Duck buns, Jerk Fries and crab dip.
Lettuce cup could have used better lettuce leaves since they kept falling apart, not like PF Chang's ones (although PF's are a rip off). But the filling was incredible. Very tasty.
The duck buns are great also. The buns could be a little softer but I love duck so I don't care!
Jerk Fries are the bomb. No matter who I'm with, everyone just devours these things.
Crab dip is like Kincaid's but with a twist, they use their bread. Not sure if it's a good idea since the bread is pretty thick. Maybe they could think about cutting them in half.
All in all a great place to go to. A good value to boot!
By the way, seems like they've gone with a three course dinner menu for $20 and kids eat free on Sunday's.
I had high expectations for this place because it was highly recommended and suggested to be visited upon my trip to hawaii... Well, it really resembles a TGI fridays, possibly a little more fancier in the menu and drink department. So as far as the ambiance I was not impressed. We sat outside on the patio, for a warm evening like that it was perfect. Cocktails were good, I must says the cosmo my BF ordered was sooo yummy, my mistake I didn't. They have quite a selection of cosmos. I ordered a raspberry mojito... way too sweet. We shared a cesare salad which was very plain and tasteless... it came out right after we ordered it too... less than a minute... but its ok I was hungry... our food arrived soon after that. I enjoyed the tuna specialty... I ate all of it... and I am never able to finish my whole meal. It was very delicate and delicious, very well prepared.. it resembled sushi... my BF ordered the pig... I forget the name for it... it came over rice and with a burger... he said the sauce was a little to sweet for his taste so he didn't polish his plate off...
we never made it to dessert but they had crembrulee...(sp??) one of my favorite desserts I was too full to have any...
so if your ever in honolulu give this place a try, but don't expect fancy, no need to dress up... casual works...
Always have enjoyed Ryan's since the opening. Large selection of cocktails, appetizers and menu items. A few innovative items and specials come and go. Still affordable - yet higher prices than it really has to be.
This place rocks. They give you free bread that tastes real good, and the chicken sandwiches are tasty as well. Also they're open real late, which is always a dream come true.
though i'm not particularly impressed with ryan's menu, price, or service, the atmosphere makes it kind of a cool place to kick back after work or whatever and just hang out with some drinks and friends. i met the manager, frank, one night and he was super friendly and seemed like he aimed to accomodate! also, free parking so you don't have to worry about validation, and valet (for like $3) if you don't feel like circling the parking garages at ward center...just steer clear of the salads if you're picky about them (like i am ;)
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