When we attempted to find information about things to do on Oahu, we found that some information was easy to find, while reviews of other things were more difficult to find or nonexistent. This entry is part of a larger series of reviews that I am posting so that other people may learn from our experiences.
Again, while on Oahu, we stayed at the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach [outrigger.com]. Most of the time, we ate outside the hotel. However, the restaurants located in the hotel were notable, so I am creating a separate entry for those reviews.
There were three restaurants in the hotel. The two we tried were Duke's [dukeswaikiki.com] and the Hula Grill [hulagrillwaikiki.com]. We had read in multiple reviews that Duke's is a great restaurant. We ate there for dinner one day, and found that they had an amazing salad bar. Their entrees were good, but nothing spectacular. In general, it was too crowded for our tastes. You can sit out on the patio (right next to the beach), which probably would have made for better atmosphere. However, all of those things left us a little disappointed.
On the other hand, The Hula Grill was our favorite restaurant in Waikiki. We loved it there, and ate there multiple times during our trip. Best of all, it is located right above Duke's, so if you get a table along the edge of the balcony, you could enjoy the live music on the Duke's patio, while getting better food and atmosphere. The food at the Hula Grill was fantastic. For dinner, their kitchen is kind of slow, but that was perfect for us, since we like to have a relaxing dinner. When I'm on vacation, I don't like it when the restaurants try to rush you through the meal so that they can seat other people. The service was also very good. They have some adorable desserts, including a Baked Hawaiian. It's ice cream scoops that are covered in tiny marshmallows, and then lit on fire. It's hard to imagine, but the marshmallows create a texture that causes the icecream scoops to look like little pineapples. Little decorations on the top complete the effect.
Like all restaurants in Waikiki, they started getting jammed up after sunset. We discovered that if you get there before sunset, however, the wait is a lot shorter (since people haven't come off the beach yet). Plus, the view of the sunset from the Hula Grill is pretty amazing (assuming you are sitting at a table on the balcony railing, which we always requested).
A lot of the entrees that we got from the Hula Grill came with various kinds of dipping sauce, and they were fantastic. I think those are what really made the meals. Battered fish or pork chops were very good by themselves, but outstanding once dipped in the special sauces that were served with them.
All in all, I think that restaurant is what I am going to miss most about being in Hawaii.
<< Home