Incredible food options, and beautiful environment for a date and for family! Clean, great service and amazing food! Drinks are amazing too read more

Forc was a solid dinner pick for a casual meal. We shared the sashimi appetizer and it tasted very fresh. I ordered the miso butterfish, which was light and buttery, and it came with asparagus (subbed in since the kombucha squash wasn't available). For dessert we shared a crème brûlée to round things out. Big shoutout to the staff, who were genuinely kind and welcoming to our group, including our toddler. We came right at 5pm to be less disruptive, and it ended up being a great move. Overall, a dependable spot with good food and warm service. read more

Forc - Miso butterfish - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Kamuela, Hawaii

Minus 1 star: bowl/plate came with white powder which upon inspection was detergent! We told server and there was no apology. No OMG that could've been bad to eat detergent. The sauces seemed forced, drizzled zigzag around the edges. Ube one looked unappetizing But the braised rib was well cooked. Fell off the bone. Though the sauce was bright red in a tacky way. Clam chowder had smoky goodness The fish was good Portuguese bread good Salad was ok. Sauce presentation:meh Dessert: Mac nut tart: delicious with Mac nut ice cream Strawberry pineapple sorbet: generous portion and not too sugary Liked that they had menu for 65+ year olds (same as keiki) Cool picnic table but giant red exit sign detracted from ambiance read more

Jessica at the bar is intelligent and great at making drinks. This is a favorite place in Waimea. Too 3 in this area for sure. Ocean and land items and tasty salads. So many drinks to choose from as well. I recommend anything on the menu. Great happy house but if you come during prime dinner time you should make reservations. read more

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Our Kona vacation group were pretty unanimous in deeming Forc as the best meal we had on the island, and that's saying something, because we found a series of winners on this trip. We were able to reserve a table at Forc with just one day's notice. Overall, our group really enjoyed discovering the Waimea area in general, which offered a very nice break from the Waikoloa tourist resort scene. Bear in mind the climb in altitude from the coast can make a difference in temperature, so maybe bring your light coat if you have one. We were promptly seated upon arrival in a comfortable dining area, and service remained consistent throughout our experience. For ordering, I went with the Surf and Turf entree, which combined their version of a Miso Butterfish along with a Korean Shortrib. I have to say that it was not easy to pick from a menu list that really had such interesting and tempting options. For my order, I was pleased to find that each sub-entree came with a bed of its own starch and veggie presentation, which I thought was really impressive. The Miso Butterfish (similar to Black Cod Kasuzuke) was delicate and flavorful, with my only (minor) regret being that it only made up half of the Surf and Turf combination. That said, the Shortrib was no slouch, and on any other night would have made a highly recommended choice on its own. We ordered a bottle of wine for the table, and the pairing of a very reasonably priced Daou Cabernet Sauvignon out of Paso Robles off their wine list, was the perfect *chef's kiss* combination. I almost never post photos on Yelp, but I did for this meal, so take a look! Overall, pricing for the quality/quantity was very in line, and I'd return in a heartbeat. The Miso Butterfish is a "can't miss" if it sounds good to you. read more

Forc - The surf and turf. Magic on a plate x2! - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Kamuela, Hawaii

Getting hospitality right can be hard, especially on holidays. Any restaurant that can" hit it out of the park" on NYE deserves 6 stars. Every thing about our visit was perfect. The lamb was amazing and all the portions here are beyond generous. Every member of the staff were delightful. We will be back soon! read more

Forc - Big Island Lamb with King Mushrooms - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Kamuela, Hawaii

Chef Hess and his team has created a masterpiece. Fine dining, super local/super seasonal high quality food with a super relaxed atmosphere and amazing service. The diversity of the menu is wonderful given the small town feel. This place punches above its weight. And they have a fun and affordable bar menu. Dinner tonight for two with mains and drinks was around $85. Every bit as good as Manta, Browns, or Canoe House food wise at least than half the price. And a true small town Hawaiian vibe. This is now our favorite place on Big Island. read more

Forc - FOR custom Mai Tai. Fresh flowers on the table, and a small stemless flute of prosecco. Great start to our evening. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Kamuela, Hawaii

Food was delicious!! We had the Moi with garlic fried rice!! Also the House Salad was awesome!! House made Portuguese Sweet bread just melted in your mouth!! read more

Forc - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Kamuela, Hawaii

I only tried the drinks at this restaurant. But I like the ambience and the bartender was awesome. I'd like to go back to try their food. I'm sure it's amazing. But their cocktails are phenomenal. My sister got to come all a ranch water, which was very refreshing and light. I tried two different drinks, which was a li hing mui lemon spritz and an espresso martini. I love the saltines from the Li hing mui and the carbonation from the spritz. I ended with the espresso martini which was very strong and not so sweet. It was delicious and different. Great place to go for drinks! read more

Forc - Espresso martini - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Kamuela, Hawaii

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First time coming to FORC and was very appreciative of Chef Allen Hess sharing his space to support Jillan Caribbean Pop Up. The restaurant is clean and staff is very friendly. The small touches make a huge difference. I can't wait to go back again. read more

Forc - October 4-6 2025 Hopefully more pop ups to come!! - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Kamuela, Hawaii

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Great food, friendly service, and chill vibes away from the crowds. It's nice to get away from the typical resort-style food strewn throughout the island. In the quaint, little Waimea town. Dress up or dress down and enjoy a farm- to- table type dinner. Updated atmosphere but still in a timeless, charming building that fit the asthetics of the island mountain town. Although the red meat dishes sounded delicious, we wanted to steer a different direction because we had steak the last few nights. The bone marrow and grilled oyster starter was delicious. Bone marrow on sweet hawaiian bread was such a perfect combo. Yellowtail sashimi was fresh, but I caught a small bone in one of my cuts, which was a first for me in sashimi. We got a special for the day, a whole, small fried fish. Perfectly cooked; Crisp on the outside and moist inside. It was paired with a great ponzu and fish sauce for dipping and the cold noodle served alongside gave a refreshing bite. The miso fish was good, but I think the fish was pretty single dimensional. The fish and white rice all gave the same flavor and texture. Although it was good, it could've used a bit more dynamics. Cocktails were good, many with infused alcohols which gave an elevated taste. Could've done with some desert but the menu for sweets was pretty slim and uninviting so we opted out. Overall, we enjoyed our date night here at FORC. read more

Dear Diner: Unfortunately, I usually order steak or fish, but last night, made an error of judgement and tried the tofu. Most items I wanted were out. It was a Monday night, so I understand. Even a mediocre chef in a fine dining experience can make tofu, work. This was not the case. It was plain, sliced and served slightly cooked, slathered with pre-made miso sauce. Two scoops rice, sautéed green beans. $28. The unfortunate part; we love this restaurant! It's obvious, chef caters to friends with huge portions and a kind heart. We were barely acquainted kama'aina. My apologies chef. I know it's my fault for going to a steak house and craving something light. "Lobster, out. Deep fried fish, out. My favorite Rombauer, out." As a past restaurant owner in Oregon, which we sold seven years ago, the financial management of a restaurant is not an easy task. However, you can take a simple ingredient, even tofu, and elevate it to great heights, if inspired. Chef, consider to reinvent the simple, lonely, and at times underrated, poor man's ingredient, Tofu. Try breading it with panko, deep fry, add some herbs or even observe how the finest Asian chefs treat it as king. We will return once more and enjoy the steaks, the fish and the brilliant Hawaiian plate lau lau. Consider to remove the tofu from your menu unless you decide to treat it with respect. In Japan, tofu has been revered as the affordable, high protein that sustained many during hard times. Today, it is hand made with love, as much so as the Kobe Beef. Gently Tempura, raw with ginger, scallion and soy sauce; so many variations. I give my review five stars, for the incredible staff, and out of respect for any chef who struggles to make ends meet, in a place that is difficult to make a living. Good luck. We will return for those huge portions served to our guest and for fish and ribs; steak and lau-lau, and poi! Mahalo. H. Nahoopii-Takata Reviewer read more

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We went there last night and had one of the best meals ever. Service was fantastic. We brought our 2 kids ages 12 and 9. They devoured their short rib and mahi mahi. Both were made so well. The house salad was so good I want to replicate it. I know I cannot. We also had the miso buttefish and steak. Dessert was the panna cotta and chocolate creme brûlée. The vibe was perfect low key but nice. Phenomenal experience. read more

We had a great time for Happy Hour with some friends we met. Our server Hannah was very nice, answered all my questions about drinks and food. She was busy behind the bar making up drinks for the evenings popular drinks. In the bar area is a television where you can catch a ballgame and enjoy Happy Hour that begins at 3:00pm. Dinner hour begins at 4:30 and can be served in their dining rooms which are very charming. From the Happy Hour menu I got soup of the day - portugués bean soup pretty interesting and good, a tomato base soup, parmesan fries and the sandwich. All were delicious. We would love to make it back for dinner!! read more

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Great customer service from personable and friendly females. Hats off to the chef, the food was so creative and tasty. The ambiance is so inviting with a fun and cheerful vibe. Truly enjoyed the evening! read more

I just had a cut of steak so good that if they only served this cut off steak on Sunday it would start its own religion. And don't even get me started on the bar. If I knew the bartenders name I'd have to name my next child after them. read more

We came in from Waikoloa for dinner and were thankful we had reservations based on some wait times at other places, although when we arrived at 6 there was plenty of seating. Despite not having a ton of people there was only one server which ended up being a bit challenging as we didn't get our drinks for a long time and refills of water took multiple requests. The food made up for it though!!! The beet salad, filet mignon, and chefs special were great. The sides were all incredible. The food really spoke for itself. The space is also really cute. Simple, comfortable, and beautiful. Would definitely go back! read more

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We celebrated our anniversary here and we really enjoyed it! We came from Oahu and was surprised how busy it was for a Thursday evening. This is your tip to make reservations (easily done online glad we did). We started with the clams portugese style and the fresh sashimi which was toro. The toro was the best weve had with fresh wasabi. The clams were also good with bits of sausage that had a nice kick. They gave us complimentary champagne and my husband enjoyed his old fashion while I paired a pinot noir from their nice wine list. I chose the lamb special $48 was a good deal for the special that had both lamb chops (2) and roast lamb which was served on pumpkin risotto with roasted veggies. My hubby had the prime rib loco moco with garlic rice. He enjoyed the char on his steak. Everything was great. Service was friendly, food was good, sweet atmosphere. We were lucky to get the last stall in the parking lot! My husband tried my lamb who isnt a big fan of lamb but said it was the best he had! Definitely will recommend read more

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truly for a fresh & inspired menu and an exceptional wine list! Ambiance was island casual, chill and not pretentiousness. Service unfortunately did not measure up to the exceptional "everything else." Wine service was flawed as we ordered a half bottle of sparkling and also a bottle of red. The mistake was we got one glass of the red. Asked immediately to have this corrected and received our bottle but were charged for both the glass & the bottle. Ordered share style a whole fish & a tomahawk steak with 2 orders each for sides as well as bone marrow. Sides came as only singles and the bone marrow never came but certainly showed up on the check :( It's hard to judge this restaurant on its service as a whole with just one visit. But my first impression (limited as we were on vacation) is that the front of the house might need to up their game with more training as it definitely paled in comparison to "everything else." All said, should we return to the Big Island, we would most certainly go back to Forc!! read more

Forc - Tomahawk Steak perfectly done & great for sharing! - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Kamuela, Hawaii

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Best meal we had on the Big Island. Every item we ordered was superb and unique--Mai Tai cocktails, goat tacos and Korean beef rib lettuce wraps for starters (both exceptional!), Coffee rub steak and surf (monkfish) and turf (Korean ribs) for entrees, and chocolate macadamia nut tart with macadamia ice cream for dessert (plenty for two because it's rich). The service was also outstanding. Jessica was attentive, helpful, cheerful and friendly. A must do special evening! I even liked the music! Mahalo! read more

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Wanted to love this place. We will try it again. They were completely overwhelmed on Father's day. Ran out of many items. My whole family was sick for about 24 hours after this meal, I did not get sick. I was the only one that did not eat raw fish here. Staff were pleasant, not too knowledgeable. Ambience was pleasant. Food tasted ok. Prime rib was tough, cooked too fast & too much. Chicken was ok. I hear it is usually quite good. Again, I feel, we must have come on a bad day. Presentation was fine. I hope to upgrade our review at a later date. We are in the area approx every 60 days or so. read more

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I have not eaten everywhere on the Big Island but I'm still confident this is the best place for food - and cocktails!! Highly recommend the happy hour (HH) for the greatest value! I wanted to go back every day for every meal :) 1 HH Fresh Poke $16 - plentiful and fresh 1 HH Signature Sandwich $12 - cheesy beef sandwich when i went. this was the star of the meal, star of my trip, and one of the best things i've ever eaten in my entire life!!! it was super rich, yet a handful of ingredients, packed with amazing flavor!!! 1 HH Portuguese Mussels $14 - tastey! 1 HH Goat Tacos $12 - homemade tortillas made this creative dish 1 HH Housemade Jalapeño Tequila Margarita $8 - just wish it was bigger lol 1 HH Ube Lemondrop Martini $10 - not my favorite as the glitter threw me off but it was good read more

The food was delicious. I wish I could come back here. The drinks were good too. This is a nice cozy restaurant with friendly staff and good vibes read more

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We were in Waimea for an appointment and finished early so we stopped in for happy hour at FORC. Service was wonderful at the bar. Had the jalapeño margarita which is fantastic. Hubby had a few beers on tap. We shared the signature sandwich, lemon-Parmesan-truffle fries, mussels with Portuguese sausage and the poke which is one of the best we have ever had. Great location, very nice interior and friendly service. You can bet we will make the drive from Kona just to return here. Mahalo for an outstanding experience read more

Forc - Lemon, parm truffle fries, signature sandwich, daily poke , mussels with Portuguese sauce - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Kamuela, Hawaii

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Forc is a great place for food and drinks in Waimea...such a nice suprise. We especially enjoyed the unique Mai Tai's made by the friendly bartender, Hannah, that included muddled pineapple (a first for us). The bacon was amazing too! We'll definitely return to Force again on our next trip. read more

Forc - Mai Tai made by Hannah at Forc - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Kamuela, Hawaii

"We don't come to Hawaii for the cuisine" is our mantra when visiting the islands. Meaning, we manage our expectations- especially on the Big Island where service workers and ingredients are tougher to come by. That said, FORC is more of a farm to table establishment that makes liberal use of its local ingredients. For starters, I had the beet salad and my husband had the wedge salad. Entrees: I had the miso butter fish and my husband had the coffee rubbed strip steak. We took a pass on dessert because we were on day 5 of our trip and starting to get restaurant fatigue ;-) Overall, they really try here. Which is to say, it's good...but not great. The service was a bit slow, and the food was was just missing something I can't really pinpoint. We drove 30 minutes to get to this place; knowing that- I'm not sure we would return. I should mention we are from San Francisco where the bar for this kind of cuisine is very high. If you are in the area, give it it a shot. read more

Two stars means "could've been better" according to Yelp, and that's the truth for our meal here. Despite having a reservation, we waited a long time to even get seated, and then a long wait for our orders to get taken, then a long wait for our food, etc. If the food had been amazing, it would be a different story, but sadly, it was not. My husband ordered the New York strip with mushrooms, and the mushrooms were by far the star of the plate. I could eat a bowl of them. ;) However, the steak was incredibly stringy and chewy. I ordered the $48 lamb entree, and got one small double lamb chop and a tiny portion of confit lamb inside the large tomato that dominated the plate. The lamb chop was overcooked, the confit was good, but ridiculously small portions and I didn't care for the tomato at all. Kiddo enjoyed his keiki fish bowl and even ate his veggies. ;) They did send out three of their fresh bread rolls while we were waiting for our food - sweet bread is always a hit, but I didn't need them basted in melted butter before serving. Overall, this was a miss for us unfortunately. read more

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Had a great date night here. Will definitely go back to try more options, and save more room for dessert when I do. Everything was delicious. Service was very friendly read more

Forc - At our booth - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Kamuela, Hawaii

Food was amazing - seasoned well. They have the best steak!!! Service was as amazing as the food! Ambiance is really cozy, perfect for date nights. read more

Forc - Prime rib- Korean Sause - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Kamuela, Hawaii

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This place was worth the drive. The short rib was very good with the broccoli & potatoes. The waiter was very honest. She let me and my guest know the steaks were tough before we placed our order. I did not like the taste of my pineapple cocktail but my guest had the Kamuela Ranch Water and it was good! I will be back! read more

Forc - Pineapple - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Kamuela, Hawaii

Some fun cocktails for October. Haunted Russian!!! Ok, so the happy hour is also the bomb. 3-4:30 for food (get the mussels for $12); 3-5 for drinks. read more

Forc - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Kamuela, Hawaii

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Instagram: KonaFoodie Explore one of our favorite date night spots, Forc in Waimea. We couldn't resist the Laulau, bone marrow, and goat tacos - absolute culinary perfection! Farm to fork. read more

Forc - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Kamuela, Hawaii

First time here, it was really good! We had the shishito peppers and strip steak loco moco and a braised lamb/lamb chop special. Both dishes were excellently prepared and presented, service was great also. I'd probably go for the lamb for round two or try something else on the menu. The restaurant was nice with not a lot of noise even though it was a full house. Definitely make a reservation! Parking was a bit challenging also. Not really a place with great views out the window but the food made up for it! read more

Perfect little date night. Delicious food and drinks perfectly paired with each bite. Love how the bottles in the bar resemble stained glass windows when the sun is setting. read more

Food and service were exceptional. We enjoyed our meal very much and the wait staff was very pleasant and professional.

The was the best dinner we had on the Big Island by far (best dinner I have had in a long time and I live in LA). My kids couldn't get enough and ordered another steak after they finished their short rib. All the dishes we tried were amazing- Portuguese chicken which was a flavorful dish of chicken, rice, olives cooked in a cast iron, Korean short rib served with deliciously seasoned mashed potatoes and grilled pumpkin, steak, and sashimi from Japan. Each dish was perfect. The dessert was also amazing-- we had the best pie ever, a macadamia nut tart, and a chocolate creme brûlée. I can't stop thinking about the pie! Too bad We went on our last night in Hawaii or I would have been back the next night. Beautiful restaurant with friendly service and the best food. See you next time FORC. read more

AWESOME! One of the two best meals of vacation. Everything was super tasty and creative...the Lau lau was outstanding...steak was great...pork was amazing. Definitely put this on your list to visit!! read more

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We have been on the Big island for 12 nights. And have eaten out each night. This was by far the best restaurant we have been too. And we have had some very "fancy" meals. The food was absolutely delicious. I had a similar dish 4 other places and this was amazing. Melt in your mouth miso butter fish. The service was excellent. And it's a very cute spot. I would eat here every night if I could. read more

My family and I came here to celebrate Father's Day Dinner and it was really unfortunate we had a horrible experience. What made our dinner disappointing was that our food took forever while we continued to see the tables around us being served. There was little to no communication from our server what the situation was with our food and we had two young hungry toddlers patiently waiting. After an hour our server remembered she for got our two son's waters so she brought one water with two pineapple and two orange slices. It really left us dumbfounded that she brought the one water but two sets of fruit slices. As a father, the one thing you appreciate is your kids being taken care of first, but even after an hour we did not even get the bread we ordered with our meal. One thing that could have changed our experience is if our server better communicated to us that our food was taking longer than normal and maybe brought the bread or something for our 4 and 2 year old kids. After over an hour and fifteen minutes we FINALLY got our salad. Then, after an hour a thirty minutes we got our entrees. Despite this, we had to ask for the appetizer short rib lettuce wraps and bread we had ordered. By this time I had lost my appetite and was more focused on making sure my kids were feed. After all was said and done we had to speak up and let the management know how horrible our experience was. All they said the owner wanted to do was take 10% off our final bill. 10% was a start but I can assure you my family and I will never be returning to this establishment ever again. The food was decent but the fact that after an hour they could not have even given may young kids anything was really a disappointment. read more

Had an absolutely incredible experience at Forc. My family made reservations and we had an unfortunate experience on our first time trying forc, that same night we were called back and asked to return, which we did the following night. The owner and chef is doing everything right at this restaurant. The food is top tier, with tons of delicious flavors and options on the menu. The staff here is working incredibly hard to meet the needs of everyone in the restaurant. Such a cute place with welcoming vibes! We will definitely be returning in future visits. read more