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Bamboo Restaurant

4.1 (632 reviews)
ModerateHawaiian
Closed • 11:30 am - 2:00 pm
Updated a few days ago

Bamboo Restaurant Photos

Business Info

BAMBOO RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Good for kids
Happy hour specials

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Recommended Reviews - Bamboo Restaurant

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Mai Tai
Steve C.

We were welcomed warmly and seated quickly. Server was very nice. Drinks were great. Kahula pork and cabbage was wonderful. Seared ahi salad was great. Again, thaw staff was attentive and friendly.

Cool story
Cory H.

Fresh catch was among the best I've ever had! There are numerous employees, & all are very laid back and friendly. The atmosphere is very old. Cool old though! Like, the kitchen has been in service and unchanged since 1911 old! We loved it here, & certainly recommend!

Mindy P.

What a gem in the lovely, artsy town of Hawi! We were taking a Shaka Guide audio tour through the north Kohala Coast and stopped at this restaurant per the recommendation (and Yelp reviews). There were musicians playing lively music at the coffee shop across the street, adding to the magical feeling on the town. This restaurant used to be a hotel. Now, it houses a restaurant, a gift shop and a gallery. It's only open for lunch on certain days, so make sure to check. The ambiance I would describe as Hawaiian saloon? I'm sure someone else could describe it better. Macy or Maisie was our server. She was knowledgeable and friendly, steering us toward the more popular choices per our request. I had the lili-tini which was a vodka or gin martini with a splash of lilikoi--delicious! Others had the piña colada (though it was called something else). It was the old fashioned version and tasted like there was no artificial flavoring or sweetener. So good! I got the Thai stirfry with the soba noodles and shrimp. It was delicious! Cooked perfectly and had local veggies--cabbage, carrots. Servings were reasonably sized. I highly recommend visiting this spot and town!

Spacious dining area
Karlo G.

The laid-back atmosphere, delicious food, and amazing staff are reasons why Bamboo Restaurant is a fantastic choice. Our hotel concierge recommended it, and we quickly understood why it's so popular. The staff was friendly and had a wonderful sense of humor. We were the first guests seated, giving us the chance to enjoy the decor. They serve lunch from Tuesday to Sunday, 11:30 AM to around 2:00 PM "ish". Yes, there is a sign posted on the door that quoted the end time "ish". We kicked off our meal with drinks. I tried a Lili Mojito and was pleasantly surprised by the lilikoi flavor. It was incredibly refreshing and unique. For appetizers, we ordered calamari strips and a kohala chicken quesadilla. The calamari was tender and hot from the fryer, while the quesadilla came with a tasty pineapple salsa and was still steaming. For my main dish, I had the herb grilled fresh fish featuring their catch of the day, which was ahi tuna. It was cooked to a perfect medium rare and absolutely delicious. The meal was served with two scoops of rice, organic greens, and fresh vegetables. The portions were generous and could easily serve two people. I wanted to save room for dessert, and I was glad to find out they offer small bites of their desserts for just $1.99 each. I also ordered a mai tai, which was both refreshing and potent. I chose the dark chocolate mousse torte and mocha cappuccino cheesecake for dessert. These were small sweet bites and excellent way to end the meal. My friend opted for three vodka shots, which were great, though I still don't know the exact mix since it was a surprise. I'll definitely return to this place when I'm back in Kona. With fresh local fish, delicious drinks, and a welcoming staff, it's a restaurant worth visiting!

View from table, just showing the additional shopping space.
Nathan L.

Food was great, the waitress was great, and the history and story behind the building and area is awesome. We also bought some artwork from the shop for our new home in Waikoloa! Definitely go!

Mai tai
Cydney M.

NICE PLACE TO DINE IN HAWI ========================= My sister and I drove all the way up to the Pololu Valley Lookout one day, but the parking situation was awful. We originally wanted to hike, but decided to head back to the northernmost part of the Big Island and have lunch in Hawi. My sister has dined at Bamboo many times so we went there for lunch. The food and service are very good. If you are near Hawi check this place out. The food, drinks, and service were all good. The building is historic. Read the information on my photo called The Bamboo Story.

$9.00 Banana Smoothie 5/5 stars
Kaliko P.

"Stir Fry" - Migos. I told my son we must skip Maunakea Visitor's Center driving from Hilo to Hawi because I wanted to eat at The Bamboo Restaurant before it closed. It got a LOT of great ratings and some kind of award. I loved the pictures of the interior and wanted to see the little gift shop too. Last time I was in Hawi town was about 20 years ago and it felt magical back then. We found parking in a dirt lot off the side of the road and walked over to The Bamboo. I was pretty excited. The restaurant itself was like a little magic oasis, with cool tropical decor of day's past. The service was super friendly and attentive (5-stars). The food was very disappointing. Maybe we came on an off-day. BANANA SMOOTHIE (5-stars): $9.00 By far the best we've tasted. Fresh fruit instead of fruit-flavored syrup. Nice generous tall glass. My son said this is the best, ever. CALAMARI STRIPS (4-stars): $17.00 Nice pieces of calamari, lightly breaded, with two different sauces. The price on the menu I believe was $15.95 but when the server asked me if I wanted two sauces, I said yes. I didn't know I was going to get charged for extra sauce, but that was OK because both sauces were delicious. THAI COCONUT STIR FRY (2-stars): $19.50 Tofu Thai coconut stir fry supposed to come with "sticky rice". It was just plain white rice that was a little crusty on the outside, like the rice dried up, or old. The stir fry lacked flavor except for the sweetness, it was very sweet, which I found odd. There was no savory taste; it just tasted like coconut milk with sugar. The last time I added white table salt to my food was years ago, at Tuk Tuk Thai Food Truck's pad thai because it had no flavor. Same here. The veggies were mostly Bok Choy Chinese cabbage and some carrots. I was expecting a variety of different vegetables. On the plus side, the tofu chunks were pretty nice-sized. CHEDDAR BURGER (2-stars): $19.50 Fries were soggy with the flavor of old grease, luckily it was a small portion. The beef tasted "old and microwaved" according to my son. The coleslaw was VERY sweet. There was no salt in it. My son likes sweet things and he did not eat it after tasting it. I tried it too, he wasn't kidding. I'm used to coleslaw with some mayo, salt, vinegar and a touch of sugar, not 100% sugar mixed with mayo. Overall super disappointed with the food but loved the ambience, the atmosphere and the service. Total bill: $83.70 including tip, tax and the $2.68 fee for using a credit card instead of paying cash.

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1 year ago

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4 years ago

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Wow! Lovely pictures and everything! Thank you so very much, Bill!!

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2 years ago

Cute little place in a super cute town! Good was good! Portions are on the smaller side but you definitely do not leave hungry!

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Let me find out who your server was and give her a great, big HUG!

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6 years ago

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Mahi maha with Thai noodles, coconut dressing was amazing! Awesome staff! ...............................

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5 years ago

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7 years ago

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Page 2 of 16

Bamboo Restaurant Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Bamboo Restaurant

What are some options for people who can't have gluten, dairy, or egg? Thank you!

Best fresh fish around and of course beautiful salads and best of all Mai Tai's

Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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Wanted to try a more local place for lunch. The very colorful and vibrant building is hard to miss…read more They have a full menu and even pictures to help you decide on what to eat. The price for 5 of us was $100. Pretty respectable for our experience on the big island so far when it came to eating out. The staff was ok and wasn't very talkative. A little communication barrier might have present. The meals we all had were tasty and plenty of it. It wasn't fine dining but it wasn't gas station food. It hit the sweet spot of island dive restaurant with a slower pace.

DAY 2 of Vacation - After ziplining, we grabbed a snack in town, but we were extremely hungry…read more Found a nearby L&L BBQ. We have yet to try L&L being that they're almost everywhere. Parking: They have a small parking lot. Free parking. Finding a spot can be a hit or miss. Ambiance/Environment: Everything is outdoors. This location definitely gave local vibes. Can't miss the building bc the colors are so bright. Service: The only interaction we had was with the cashier. He had a bit difficulties understanding us while ordering, but we were able to get through it lol. Throughput was quick; we received our orders within 8 minutes. Food: I ordered the Chicken Katsu and spam musubis. These portions were large! My plate came with a generous amount of protein, rice, mac salad, and lettuce. Everything tasted delicious! We shared the spam musubis, and they tasted as expected.

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my Son raved about this restaurant because he had eaten there on previous trips to the Big island…read more. I was so looking forward to dining on delicious BBQ . we had to order our meals as take out online because of young children , so we looked to order at 4:30 pm . so i went online and believe it or not I was incredulous that they were sold out of Every single BBQed Dish pork, chicken, ribs etc I was so disappointed and in disbelief That I called the restaurant and sure enough it was true! shocking for a BBQ RESTAURANT to run out of BBQ! because our hearts were set on having their food , so burgers were ordered by the family and i ordered the ONO grilled with a side of cole slaw and grilled pineapple, and O NO the fish was so tough it was difficult to cut with a knife... it was tastless and chewy ... threw away half of it ! It was not the fresh Ono I expected and love! hopefully this does not happen often !!! I understand that Restaurants have an off night sometimes ... but this was SO SAD !!! in addition there was something (maybe a spice or something on the grill ) on either the fish and/or the pineapple , that I had an allergic reaction to ! my tongue swelled and was extremely uncomfortable!!! I have never had that happen before... it is sad that the cornbread and the coleslaw were the best part if the meal! The burgers were enjoyed so that boosted my score !

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Bamboo Restaurant - hawaiian - Updated May 2026

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