If you like flies with your food, this is the place to go. Waitress mentioned it's because of the island climate. Only place I saw lots of flies is at this restaurant and cow poop. Coincidence? Nope! read more

Worst food and service. I was served with a grand total of 7 fries with my $30 meal, when asked for more fries, the lady manager kindly suggested that I'm "fat". Rude and unapologetic for extremely poor quality and overpriced menu. Avoid at all costs! Expecting "Jane" to defend her hostile demeaner and arrogance, lacking every bit of grace and the essence of customer service. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY at this place, there are many other nice and friendly smaller mom-pop restaurants on the strip to explore! read more

Was here earlier today, started out great but went downhill. Order the ahi tuna (fish of the day) Caesar salad. Parents ordered the ahi tuna sandwich. They were told it comes out medium rare if that is fine, which it was. I asked how small a Caesar was (can do small or large) and she said the small was small, so for the large. The food came almost cold, cooked all the way through, for both orders. The potato wedges with the sandwich there were 5 of them Our sever wasn't coming back for 10-15 minutes at a time, didn't ask how it was, said my tuna was cold and got a long speech about "well medium rare isn't usually very warm", I'm not stupid what medium rare is, and it was well done. Had to prove to her it was. The tuna was bland, boring, and extremely uneventful - on both orders They made a new one, medium rare, which was warm/hot on the outside and red in the middle. It tasted better than the well done one, but it's by far the worst piece of tuna and meal I've had, ever, in Hawaii - extremely small portions - over priced - mediocre at best - service was garbage - plenty of other places with better, more tastier, warmer food. Never going back, never recommend Update: apparently this owner likes to lie. I never ate the over cooked piece of meat. Tips are optional, she's lucky she got 10%. Hardly "stiffing". If you think they're required then you're severely mistaken. Pay your employees better if you think tips are required. Maybe next time don't take 10-15 minutes to check back with the table. We were never asked how the food was after it came out. We waited so long for someone to come back my parents ate their sandwich. The new tuna offered to my parents was turned down. Hardly us trying to get another piece for free The bill wasn't discounted or comped. We paid and left. So hardly us trying to get free stuff. Manager is calling me back in an hour. They said if you check the owner review history on trip advisor or yelp she's extremely rude. Manager I talked to was refunding the entire bill. We will see if they follow through. Owner hung up when I called in. 0/5 experience during and after. If needed will chargeback and contest the charge with the CC company citing the experience and the owners response. Her attitude on here is known by everyone there, so nothing new to them and her. read more

Bamboo Restaurant - Hawaiian Near Me - Hawi, Hawaii

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My family had a large group of 16 for dinner. The front entrance looked like a small restaurant but when you enter, it is surprisingly large. Service was great and the food was pretty good. read more

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Excellent food and the owner greets you and makes sure everything is done well. Thai Coconut Prawns were great.

We ordered a bunch of things and they were all tasty. But the portions are tiny -not at all what you expect in Hawaii. And it was very expensive for what you get. My shrimp appetizer was $18 and had 4 large shrimp for example. We are happy to support a local business but our lunch for 4 was over$160. read more

Over priced and poor quality. Ordered fried fish special of the day and it was served to me raw. Then I got a burger supposed to be medium, was cooked well, and the bun was soggy and I got like ten French fries that looked like reheated McDonald's fries. Poor execution on every dish.. and the forgot to put veggie's on my girls fish plate and coincidentally her fish was way over cooked. Complete failure on all dishes. Spend you money elsewhere, quality has gone down the drain for this overpriced food... if you call it that. read more

Bamboo Restaurant - Ono - Hawaiian Near Me - Hawi, Hawaii

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More than I can describe. Great vibe. The service and staff is full of authentic hospitality for sure. Yep got the Mac Nut crusted Ahi with veggies on the side lightly seasoned and mashed potatoes with dried seaweed flakes...unbelievably full of flavor. Just try it. Can't go wrong. read more

The iced tea is very good and plentiful, the burger okay but nothing else was worth our time and money. The calamari was overcooked, too chewy and a very sparse serving for the price. The cole slaw was pathetic...about 1/8 cup in the tiniest ramekin with about a tablespoon of slaw in 2 tablespoons of thin, overly sweet juice. We asked for more mayo for the burger and fries but were charged for that. Using a credit card adds another $2 to the bill. It wasn't much lunch for too much money...$55 is a lot for one appetizer, one hamburger and one iced tea. We understand the increase in the costs of supplies and wages but quality needs to not suffer. read more

This is the best place to stop while in Hawi. The people are super friendly and accommodating. The food is delicious. The atmosphere is bright and entertaining. We love this little place. read more

Great food and drinks, funky old Hawaiian ambience and AMAZING service. Every single employee was lovely. Can't say enough about how nice they were - a lot of aloha here. read more

I was doing the gypsy guide drive North and was so hungry by the time I reached here ( dammit I knew I should have stopped at Da fish shack! ) They had a happy hour menu at this time. Dinner starts at 6. I decided to try the nori crusted shrimp and ponzu sauce. Nori is edible seaweed, I had to look it up too! The shrimp was just ok, it could have done with some hotsauce! read more

Bamboo Restaurant - Happy hour menu - Hawaiian Near Me - Hawi, Hawaii

The food and service were phenomenal! Definitely try the potstickers and the Pina Coladas. I loved my Aloha Vietnam sandwich and my family loved their Aloha Cuban, Teriyaki chicken and quesadilla. Thank you Bamboo for a wonderful vacation lunch! read more

If you're ever in Hawi, you have to come try Bamboo! The service is great with a super friendly and attentive staff. I was recommended the cuban sandwich and it was so tasty. I also got the mango smoothie which was so refreshing after a long drive. Would definitely recommend coming here to grab a quick lunch. read more

Bamboo Restaurant - Cuban Sandwich - Hawaiian Near Me - Hawi, Hawaii

A lot of history in this one building in a small town that one might just drive thru. Take the time and enjoy the place. Read the history page on the menu. The building has been around since 1911. It's one of those places that the decore' can be a little cluttered The owners and staff were very friendly checking on us several times. They offer fresh fish daily. Our day was Ono The stirfry and fish sandwich were both great. The surprise of the meal was the Passionfruit daiquiri - it would have been easy to spend the day inside chugging- I mean sipping that wonderful concoction read more

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We had lunch at Bamboo. It's a fun and colorful little spot with great food. There are two things you have to start with. First, the Lilikoi iced tea. It's fruity, refreshing, and sweet. Second, the calamari. They almost tasted like mozzarella sticks. I know that sounds weird, but the calamari is thick, soft and chewy like cheese. It's so good. I ordered the bamboo salad. It was a blend of organic Kohala-grown greens garnished with fresh seasonal Hawaiian treats and roasted macadamia nuts with homemade papaya seed dressing and grilled ono on top. I loved how unique and fresh the salad was. The perfect lunch spot! read more

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We had such high hopes for Bamboo as it was highly recommended from a number of people we spoke with along with reading the reviews. However... I had the burger which had so much grease that the bottom of the bun was soggy. The side of Asian slaw was so small that it ultimately resulted in two bites with your fork. The fries portion was so small that it was almost comical. My wife had the fish sandwich which was ok, but again we experienced the portion challenges with both the slaw and fries. For us, Bamboo was a big disappointment and I'd recommend spending your money and time elsewhere. read more

We drove to Hilo from Kona from the top of the island instead of taking the shortcut. Hawi was one of the big towns. We stopped there, had lunch and shopped a little bit. We walked in and left our names to the front desk and 10 minutes later we were seated. During the wait, we were about to walk around the inside shop and gallery from the restaurant. It was quite an interesting place with bamboo products. My coconut peanut noodles were good. Boyfriend had ahi and he was happy about it as well. If you ever drove around the island, I feel this would be a good stop for food. read more

Bamboo Restaurant - Hawaiian Near Me - Hawi, Hawaii

What a great find!! Wonderful friendly greeting, prompt service, and great food. Ahi light lunch and ahi sandwich with house salad. Mmmm mmmm good! The 4% credit card fee is prominently posted as you walk in and is reasonable considering what banks charge the merchants. Cold beer and great smoothies also. Mahalo, Bamboo staff and owners! I'm not local, but absolutely when on the N island, buy local! read more

After writing a YELP review sharing about my dining experience in august, I decided to also file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau of Hawaii in regards to what was likely a case of food poisoning. Normally I would just let it go and never repeat my business with the establishment, but the owner was so rude and unprofessional in the way she responded to my review that I decided to follow through, all the way. I did end up getting a full refund and an apology, but it was only after I registered the complaint with the BBB of Hawaii. Regardless, I'd rather eat raw bamboo than return to this "restaurant". read more

I've been going to this place for years, possibly decades. Family members are too afraid to complain, but charging for a full rack of ribs and giving the takeout order SIX ribs is NOT OKAY. read more

Was not impressed by this place. The woman at the front was not very pleasant & she was pretty aggressive if you ask me. The meals were very eh. The side of fries looked like someone took a nice handful of them before serving. Also got the dumplings & they weren't great. Can't say I would come back read more

We followed the waitress recommendation and ordered the sampler plus another entree for 3 people My husband pushed his plate away after 2 nites.The Pulled pork was dry, the rest of the food was just bad. We felt it was way overpriced as well. I agree its a tourist trap. read more

So sorry that I stopped my here! So I read reviews and ended up here! I'm a vegetarian and I don't like to mix my sweet and salty! I blame my taste buds but I just can't do it! Essentially, the only thing I could order is the veggie quesadilla as the coconut sauce has fish sauce. I asked them for regular salsa and I got a sharp reply, "we are NOT a Mexican restaurant, we only have mango salsa!" Why would you have a quesadilla if you can't chop up some tomatoes and onions and serve it up! My husband and kids did enjoy the food. Can't go wrong with the fish and ribs. But if you are a vegetarian you are screwed with the attitude. read more

Bamboo Restaurant - Awesome lilikoi cocktails - Hawaiian Near Me - Hawi, Hawaii

Super lovely ambiance. The Hawaiian BBQ pork is good, a bit on the sweet side. Chocolate macadamia creme brule is delicious and definitely a must try if you're a dessert style. The portion is small and the service/waitress is a bit slow but I guess that's the 'Hawaiian style'. Their gallery upstairs is beautiful! read more

Bamboo Restaurant - Gallery upstairs - Hawaiian Near Me - Hawi, Hawaii

This seems like the go-to restaurant in Hiwa. We came in for lunch. This is a rundown of what we ordered Lilikoi Margarita (frozen) Lilikoi Mojito Chicken Sate Potstickers Sliders The Drinks- they were tasty. We jumped right on the Passion Fruit bandwagon. My Mojito was good, but my friends frozen margarita was better. Very refreshing. I bet when it gets hotter outside it is even better. The margarita is served in a coconut cup. The food- We shared an appetizer, and then both ordered the slider trio. The peanut sate potstickers were interesting. I like when two foods get fused together. (I have made Mexican Chicken parmigiana and have my plans for a kung Pao chicken tender.) the potstickers were served with what seemed to be a Thai sweet chili plum sauce. The slider trio was composed of a burger, a pulled pork, and a chicken teriyaki. The burger is just a burger, the chicken teriyaki is a piece of chicken breast with pineapple and the teriyaki sauce. Good but not special. The pulled pork is not the Kalua pork that I had been craving, but more of a bbq pulled pork which they fully disclosed on the menu. Overall it was good to try. The service - Hawaii is not known for its expedient service. Bamboo is no different. However, they are friendly, and that's what makes it all ok. "Hawaiian time" is real, but so is the good attitude. We were an annoying table. The kind where we sit down order a drink and one of us disappears for like 15 minutes before remerging and disappearing again for another 10. Our waitress, who at first did not seem like she was going to take to kindly to our presence let alone our shenanigans, was totally cool. She even took my friend's margarita back to the freezer or fridge to keep it cold for her. She definitely got brownie points and an over 20% tip. Bottomline: If on the Big Island and in the area, I would come back, but I wouldn't drive across the island just to get here. read more

Bamboo Restaurant - Restaurant and store - Hawaiian Near Me - Hawi, Hawaii

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Food was really good. I would highly recommend this cute little restaurant if you are passing through the town.

We were told my our friends who live locally nearby that this place was worth checking out. And they were right. We split a fish sandwich lunch plate with one passion fruit tea and one mai tai. The fish cooked just right, fries hot and delicious with a small slaw. Mai Tai was a 10! Our wonderful waitress Violet served us with true Aloha! And for that Mahalo from this South Carolina couple. We hope to be back one day. read more

Wish I could've given more stars but the quality of the food I ordered was just down right....not very good. Service was good, prompt, friendly and accommodating but the food I ordered, well. I ordered the Kailua pig and cabbage and it was bland, portion size was small for the price and the rice was horrible. The rice was dry and hard like it had been stored in the refrigerator for several days, dried out and then served. Wish I could give more stars to support local but "no can". read more

What a wonderful find. The service was impressive and we wete entertained by 3 hula competition winning local seniors that are hula competition winners doing the hula after the songs were explained to us. The food was delicious. I had the Thai Coconut noodles with shrimp. It was amazing. My husband had Vietnamese Salad with Ono and he enjoyed it. If you are in Hawi, I highly recommend that you give Bamboo a try. read more

Visited while in the area for a quick drink. I had a Mai Tai at the restaurant and the drink was fair. The restaurant is beautifully decorated and had friendly staff. read more

We've been coming to the Bamboo for lunch with the family after hiking for years now. Last Saturday my husband and I got there for dinner, which was a first. Nancy welcomed us with a hug. It's like walking into her Hawaiian home. The atmosphere is beautiful and welcoming. The drinks are to die for(all fresh local ingredients), and the food with its Hawaiian twist is always a treat. I visit the Bamboo restaurant every visit to the the Big Island, it never disappoints. The attached gallery it a bonus, I always find great pieces for my home to remind me of my special times in Hawi. read more

While making our way to the end of the road, we stopped here on our return. A great place for a meal. People are very friendly and helpful. Food is delicious. We ordered a sampler of pupus from their menu. Certainly enough for two. Every bite was perfect. read more

Bamboo Restaurant - A delicious pupu mix. Enough for two. Great fun. - Hawaiian Near Me - Hawi, Hawaii

Great spot - food, service and especially the space were great. Worth the drive to check out.

HiiPoi means "To Cherish" & in the words of J.R.R.Tolkien..., "If more of us valued food & cheer(s) & song(s) above hoarded #gold it would be a merrier world(s)" & with that quote, a guava mojito (or2) came along gleefully humming by... the Bamboo Restaurant mahalo read more

Great place, nice drive out. Service, for of and drinks were great. We did several appetizers and shared them!

Mahalo for a fantastic dinner!! So glad you are here and survived the Covid shutdown. Great friendly service, perfect Lilikoi martini and delicious food. read more

An old school, iconic restaurant in Hawi, Big Island. A wonderful place for good food, well made drinks, and excellent service. The space is kitschy, in a very tasteful way, spacious and airy. You'll need reservations, but no worries, they'll pick up the phone after opening hours and get ya set! read more

I have been here two times for lunch. A good variety of food. The Ono was very fresh and well-prepared. Beer and wine also available. The food is tasty and it comes out fast. But it's people that make this place. Family-owned and very friendly and responsive. We wanted to take home some leftover salad but we were staying in Kailua-Kona and it was a very hot day. So when we were ready to leave she brought out a box and there was a baggie of ice at the bottom. A smaller bag that contained our salad sat on top of the ice. We were able to enjoy the leftover salad later with our dinner. read more

Fair experience at best. We are well travelled in Hawaii and try to avoid typical tourist traps. But unfortunately we got caught in this one. Mediocre food, overpriced and touristy decor and shop out front. Unless you like all this then I'd avoid at all costs. (Addendum after the comment from the restaurant was added: I RARELY submit Yelp reviews, usually I just enjoy myself during my travels and live offline. I may have added some comments about coffee shops in my earlier times. But the vast majority of places I've been remain in my heart -- not on here. I'm now sorry for submitting any reviews. I have lived, loved and worked in Hawaii and it is my favorite place on earth. I think your judgement of me was offside and I'm sorry you felt the need to insult me personally. I am also sorry that this was my experience at your restaurant and that you reacted so poorly to it. Tell you what: next time I am on the island, I'll come back and you can prove me wrong.) read more