We RARELY go out to dinner anymore but decided to take our visiting daughter to dinner for pre Kailua 4th of July fireworks. So glad we decided on Formaggio!! We may not have, had more places been open. It's been years, like 10 or more since I've been there and last time was not impressed like, AT ALL. Just haven't been back. Since then it's changed ownership. Bottom line... Now? We'll def be back! Food = Delicious Server = Great Ambiance = Artsy vibe, good music & kickback. Started with the escargot special & calamari. Was afraid I would be disappointed on the calamari because Buzzes style has always been my fav. Must say, completely different but really quite good in its own right. Love the spicy! Was thinking the escargot would be waaaay too garlicky & salty like some I've had but it was pretty perfect. Both winners! Ditto on the mains. My filet and husbands steak were cooked to THE perfect med-rare. Daughter raved about her rigatoni sausage pasta, like more than once. I ordered a glass of Meiomi Pinot - was pleasantly surprised on the solid pour, not a little dinky one like some places do. Husband had a sip and decided he wanted one too. It paired perfect with our steaks. Yup, we'll be back when husband is off on another Saturday night and we'll come a little later to catch the live music! Wish I woulda captured more photos! read more

See all

Everything was good. Loved the bruschetta! No draft beers. Service was very attentive. Everything was good until I looked up. read more

Formaggio Grill - Dust on light fixtures. - Seafood Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

WOW! Stop what you're doing right now! Don't walk, RUN, to Formaggio in Kailua for their Kobe burger. I ate half there and brought half home and even the next day leftover version was a 10/10! Great spot with some live music you don't have to yell over to hear your friends talk! Family atmosphere, servers are really nice, great wine selection, full bar, everything on the menu is good (trust me) but the Kobe burger is hands down the show stopper. read more

Always consistently good, enjoyable evening, attentive service, nice wine list. Sometime the shared bar table is fun or a table under the art. read more

Casey our server gets 5 stars. the place needs a good cleaning. so much dust on the light fixtures and the windows were dirty. Food was good, worth 30 dollar plates IDK. but the bar look like the place to be. I definitely come back for happy hour and hang out but for dinner no. read more

Formaggio Grill - chicken parm - Seafood Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

See all

First time dining here! The food was delicious. However what stood out for us was that the only server that evening Bohden did amazing serving everyone in the restaurant! He did his very best to keep up with everyone's needs with such calm and poise. The restaurant was full too. I would return again just to be served by Bohden so I can give him another big tip! He deserves a raise for sure. read more

See all

Excellent restaurant that surprisingly was completely devoid of patrons during early-prime dinner hours on a weekday. Do locals not know of this place? - Nice layout, ambience, not loud (maybe because it was empty?) - Great food - Good service Recommended. read more

Formaggio Grill - Chicken marsala - Seafood Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

I've been to Formaggios in Kailua numerous times, and it never disappoints. Their Kobe Burger (see photos) is absolutely delicious... juicy, flavorful, and easily the best burger in Kailua. The toppings are always fresh, and the toasted bun ties it all together perfectly. The side Caesar salad is just as good... crisp, refreshing, and balanced. It's the perfect complement to the burger. Service is always warm and welcoming, but a special shoutout to Macy, who is an absolute sweetheart and made this visit even better. Whether it's your first time or your tenth, Formaggios delivers consistently amazing food and service. Highly recommend! read more

The Kobe burger was nothing short of extraordinary, and melt-in-your-mouth tender. The brussels sprouts were crispy on the outside, tender within, garlic, and delicious with balsamic. I'm still thinking about them. The calamari was expertly prepared--light, crisp, and served with a dipping sauce that added just the right touch. And the pasta? Fresh, flavorful, and cooked to perfection. Dessert was the perfect finale: a decadent chocolate lava cake, paired with raspberry and vanilla gelato, that was absolutely to die for. Beyond the food, what truly elevated the experience was the exceptional hospitality. The staff went above and beyond--warm, attentive, and genuinely committed to making us feel welcome. The level of service was simply outstanding. Formaggio Grill isn't just a place I'll return to--it's a place I'm making a regular part of my life. Really enjoyed it, family business, great food, and great people.. read more

I ordered the Filet and it was AMAZING. The service and staff was so kind and quick. Will 110% be back. Much try spot.

Service/staff 5 Star nice, attentive, bartender and others Drinks- 3- Star some good wine and reasonable drinks, beer, during happy hour, but for a wine non happy hour $$ Venue - 3- more sports bar than italian restaurant but priced like fine dining food - 1 star expensive bad , the idea was right poor execution and need a kitchen overseer read more

Very overpriced bland food. Service is alright and the vibe is kind of giving dive bar. Probably wouldn't dine here again.

Amazing the filet was so delicious! Workers are very nice and helpful. Loved all the starters.

First time here celebrating my Birthday, Food very tasty, servers are nice and friendly and attentive. The Brussel Sprouts, Bacon wrapped Shrimp and Calamari were very good! I had the Local Fish special which was Ono prepared perfectly with shoe string onions, fresh Zucchini's and Squash. Other entrees were Garlic Ahi, Salmon Piccata, and a Wagu Beef burger. Everything was very tasty! Talked with the owner for a little bit as we were on our way out. She's really nice! We will be back in the future. read more

Formaggio Grill - Local Fish special. - Seafood Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

We may have been the only ones in there for lunch, but that only means others are missing out. The sweet potato fries were fresh, crispy on the outside and soft in the center aïoli sauce they were served with was different but really good, that same sauce was served with the calamari. I was finally so nice to get serve the tentacles and not get rings! They were perfectly fried! The appetizers were so good I was almost too full to eat my lunch. The big plate lunch's are big enough to share and boy we should have. Caesar salad fresh and the dressing was amazing with a slights lemon zest taste, it was so good I ate the whole side salad before I even took a bite of my burger. The Kobe was Cooke well, but this is where they lost a star for me. I had to have my husband ask for some napkins because there was so much mayo on the burger it was all I tasted. My other friends thought it was melted white cheese at first. It took 3 napkins to get it off. I ended just taking part of the bread and lettuce off as my lettuce was soaked in mayo and eating it that way. The fish tacos were huge fresh and perfect! My friends just kept saying how good they were. Loved all the artwork on the walls and bar area was super nice. I am sure they get a good dinner crowd. read more

See all

High ceilings, nice bar, good size venue with great service. Pricey menu but the food portions are filling and taste good. I tried the tacos and the Kobe beef burger. Both were prepared well and didn't take very long. Servers were polite and attentive. I'm glad I found this spot because I'll definitely be returning to the bar area for a date night later down the road read more

See all

Been to formaggio for dinner and late night bar service. Food is amazing staff are always so friendly! Cool vibe with good music and beautiful art! Bar vibe is great we always come to play pool! Definitely ask for sage he's such a good bartender and server always takes care of my family, friends and I! read more

We were a party of 4 and were greeted warmly when we walked in at 6pm. The evening started well w/ attention to taking our beverage & appetizer orders. Calamari appetizer was fantastic! Light, crispy, tender and not greasy at all. We're happy but I'm sorry to say it went downhill from there. We ordered: - 1 house & 1 caesar salad w/ side dressing - 1 house salad dressed - garlic ribeye - pono pork pasta - kobe burger The menu descriptions are very vague. Pono Pork Pasta is described as pasta w/ cream sauce. Pono Pork is described as local & naturally farmed, but how is the pork prepared? Is it a cutlet w/ the pasta on the side? or pulled pork like kalua? Server says "it's exactly like kalua pork". Hubby loves pulled pork and orders that. Ribeye says "garlic ribeye". Friends ask "Is it grilled?" Server says "yes, it is". Friends order that. Orders were delivered: - Friends who asked for side dressing got both their salads tossed w/ dressing (bill shows "side dressing" noted) - The server put the ribeye down, then the pasta. She says "enjoy" and walks away. She didn't have my burger and didn't say anything about it, so I figured she was just headed back to the kitchen to pick it up. Instead, she went straight to the bar to chat with the server behind the bar. - The ribeye was pale & sickly looking. It looked anemic with not a grill mark in sight. It oddly looked boiled or cooked in a pan over heat so low that it didn't even brown. It had no "grilled" taste at all. This is a $61 ribeye and it looks and tastes boiled & blah. - The pork in the pasta was not pulled pork at all - - it was crumbled pork sausage. The texture and taste was definitely crumbled sausage. Our server adamantly stated "it's exactly like kalua pork", so she's either grossly misinformed, doesn't know the menu and doesn't take the initiative to ask, or doesn't know the difference between pulled pork and pork sausage. - Server comes to fill our water 5 min later. I ask "is my burger on the way?". She says "yes it is". Everyone feels bad about starting while I'm still waiting, but I tell them to go ahead b/c their meals will get cold. 10 min after that, I still don't have my entree and we can't get our servers attention. Our friend gets up from the table and walks up to the bar to ask her about it. Again she says "it's coming". - another 15 min later & everyone is pretty much finished with their meals. I'm now looking to flag our server down to cxl my order when I see her walking over with my burger. All she says is "sorry the kitchen is slow". There were a total of 14 diners (4 tables) + 1 person at the bar. The 3 other tables all arrived after we did and none seemed to wait for their orders. I also can't imagine the kitchen could possibly be overwhelmed by 4 tables. There's nothing to back up my suspicion, but I have a feeling our server just forgot to place my burger order and wasn't honest enough to just apologize and admit this to us. If it were me, I'd be falling all over myself with apologies and offers of maybe a drink while I waited . . . or something. Our server said nothing. She acted like it was perfectly normal to wait 35 minutes for a burger that's delivered when everyone else at your table has already finished their meals. She didn't have a snotty attitude . . . just sort of an "oh well" attitude. Btw, my burger was super salty . . . but the fries were pretty good. Lastly, when the bill was presented, hubby signed and looked for his copy. There was none. He walked to the bar to ask for it and they didn't know what he was asking for. They did finally print him a copy, but this is the first time we've ever had to ask for our copy of the receipt. We've been here tons of times over the years before Boardrider's collaborated with them a year ago. We'd always enjoyed ourselves which is why we returned the other evening. The menu looks the same, the interior as well, but that's where the similarities end. I can't imagine it's taken them over a year to iron out the kinks . . especially on a slow tuesday, 4 table evening. Whatever the case, it was a $250 dinner and all we enjoyed were the calamari and fries. Sorry, but we won't be back. read more

We're here on a rainy day. Had the fish tacos with salad. Both were delicious! Service was also excellentWould definitely recommend you try this place! read more

We ordered eggplant Parmesan. It came with chili flakes and we were not happy with it. My partner hates spicy stuff and we've never had chilli flakes added to any Italian dish. Eggplant was a little thick. Other food was good, just not very.....Italian. Menu is small. read more

Server was great and constantly checked in. However for pre fixe Vday at $99 each, entrees came 25 min apart (first one got cold). We informed our waitress, and it took 3 people to tell us only the $10 glass of wine will be removed. Although our server was attentive, was hoping $250 total for a pre fixe could offer a better experience, especially being one of the first reservations at 5pm. read more

Another delicious meal! My niece was leaving after visiting with her grandparents, and we were going to go to Haliewa Joe's but they do not take reservations, and when I drove by when they opened, it was already crowded with a wait. My parents are too old for that shiet! LOL! So I made the executive decision and since we had a great Thanksgiving meal, I made a reservation. Friendly greeting, and we chose to sit near the window. Kel ordered the fish of the day and it was amaaaaazing! I had the bacon wrapped shrimp to start, and then the Neptune Steak, a tender filet topped with crabmeat and a delicious bernaise....soooo good! My parents loved their lobster pasta which they shared. My only complaint was the mash potatoes. I can understand not over salting so people can add their own, but I used the bernaise and that worked perfectly! Next time I'll ask for extra! Service was great! Everything came out in a timely manner. I will now bring my parents here every time I come out here! read more

See all

Being a Lone Ranger on island at Christmas, I decided to take myself out to a nice Christmas dinner. I sat at the bar with my reservation and had a very nice Cabernet to go with my absolutely delicious chicken Parmesan and spaghetti. The service itself was great. 3 different servers consistently attended to me which was very pleasing. The dessert finished off very well with my wine as well. The ambiance was very holiday visitor vibe but the staff was great at hosting at a great level. Thank you for a great ending to my solo Christmas Formaggio's! read more

Formaggio Grill - Dessert - Seafood Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

See all

Came here for dinner with a friend and had a nice time! The food was enjoyable and the service was very pleasant! We had the chicken parm and the burrata for an app. Both were good and the chicken was nice and crunchy. It wasn't anything we were absolutely thrilled about, but we had a nice time. read more

We ordered 3 Caesar salads to go and ALL 3 were made with old, brown, and wilted lettuce. They covered it up by smothering it in dressing. Took the salad back and all the girl could tell us was that a manager would call us. No call, no refund, not even an apology or explanation. Will not be returning. read more

this place is one of the best restaurants on the island! the food, the service, the ambience. i've been here over a dozen times and each time, the food and its presentation are A+++. they have such an eclectic menu. from bruschetta to fish tacos to buffalo wings to choice cut steaks. they are all prepared by the chefs in an open kitchen. the staff is very warm and inviting, and service is prompt and efficient. i usually have their bruschetta. it's like bruschetta on steroids. the salads are crisp and fresh. i highly recommend coming here for a nice dinner or a casual lunch. you can even watch a game or two on their big screen TVs. on Friday nights they have live music. definitely a place to keep coming back to. read more

Formaggio Grill - Bruschetta Sampler - Seafood Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

Today i got to experience another FOOTBALL SUNDAY at FORMAGGIOS and let me tell you...the owner (KELLY JOE), and all her employees Malia, Channell, Paige, Stephanie, as well as cooks Kaipo, Evan and don't let me forget Kristin and Codi.... Every single one of them made me and my people feel right at home!!!! The food is amazing!!' They have a Happy hour that nobody can beat!!! Also they open at noon everyday for lunch but on Sunday for football they open at 7am and they serve a mean breakfast menu and the price is unbeatable!!!! Come one come all!!!' And all my people.... Please come show this place ALOHA!! Everything about this place is amazing!!!!!! Come see for yourself!!!! Oh and they also have live entertainment on Friday and Saturdays so please everybody come and check it out!!!! read more

Came on a Saturday so there was live music. Brant was great! For the appetizer we ordered the calamari- which ended up being 20% calamari and 80% breading and vegetables to pizzaz the dish. For the couple pieces we did get that were edible, they were tasty! However no where near worth the $18. The service was good. We were sat and served waters right away. Kind of wished we heard the specials cause it would have swayed our dinner choices. (The specials are listed on the back wall) We order the piccata and the pork pasta. Those were delish read more

The only place I know with a private dining area in Kailua for presentations. They have audio visual available. The staff was very helpful while I was setting up. The group ordered lobster pasta, crab stuffed salmon, and the Lamb all were very good. For appetizers bruschetta, hamachi, and fried calamari. Brussel sprouts and a salad very good. Everyone was pleased. For dessert, tiramisu, chocolate lava cake Ube panna cotta, banana lumpia with ice cream. Of all the desserts the Ube Panna Cotta was the best. The chocolate lava had no lava!! The Panna Cotta was not too sweet at all nice and light. It was the best. read more

Formaggio Grill - Ube martini! Yummy! - Seafood Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

The Kobe burger and the ono fish burger were phenomenal!! Everything was delicious - even the fries and their homemade salad dressing!

Amazing Service. AMAZING Ambiance. Great Happy Hour Special. Malia = best bartender ever.

I went to formaggios and ordered a glass of wine. While I was drinking it I saw what I thought was a small stick.... But it was the leg of a huge spider that was submerged in my red wine. That was disgusting - all he did was replace my glass of wine. Still charged me for it. read more

Staff was nice. That's about it. Way too much garlic on everything. Menu is small. Place was empty on a Friday night and I respectfully see why. read more

Terrible service and food. Very pricey for a very subpar food. And the staff and owner were both very unprofessional.

great place to eat and have a drink. Paige was our host and was terrific. She made the best scooby snack I ever had!!

Perhaps a decent stop for date night over a pricier bottle of wine and lazy conversation but most definitely (and unfortunately) NOT suitable for families with small children. I had been wanting to try this place for a long time and finally, before the quarantine hit, my family and I were able to come. Located a few shops down from the post office and Target, Formaggio Grill has a very hipster vibe with various artwork adorning the walls, high ceilings, large windows and a dark, moody atmosphere at night. The menu was okay but not as varied as I'd thought it would be so it was difficult to pick a dish for my toddler. Flavor profiles were okay, but just not worth the price in my opinion. Maybe it was an off night? We felt quite ignored by the wait staff and no refills of water were voluntarily offered. It was just disappointing. Though the restaurant only had a few tables occupied, the cocktails were weak and took half the meal to arrive to us and the red wine options were limited and sour. I really wanted to like this place but it just wasn't quite what we'd hoped given the poor customer service, the lack of keiki menu options and value/price ratio. My husband and I might give it another chance just to see if it was a fluke but definitely without our offspring. read more

Formaggio Grill - Bar seating area is very nice - Seafood Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

Entrees were all good, but appetizers were lack luster. Service was mediocre at best despite being friendly. Forgot our appetizers and was kind of slow. I'd go there again for the entrees, but never for a special occasion. I didn't care about the free desserts because of the forgotten appetizers, but felt there was no true apology or even a follow-up by the manager. For the price, there should be more service attention to detail. Top dishes we liked were the Cioppino de mare, Sea Bass and Green Tea Pana Cotta. Dishes that were a disappointment were Crabmeat Stuffed Mushrooms, Fresh Catch Mahi Mahi and Ube Tiramisu. There are opportunities for improvement and think maybe it was just a bad night being that it was Christmas Eve, but then again, it is up to the management to make sure everything done right. I'll give them another try down the road, so hopefully I'll be able to improve this review. read more

See all

Wagyu burger, tons of fries. Great service, husband couldn't finish the burger. I had Caesar salad with shrimp and loved it, shrimps are jumbo. Calamari was tasty, good batter. Place is warm, open air with ceiling fans. Can barely feel any AC. The friendly service and tasty food made up for the heat read more

See all

Love this restaurant very pleasant atmosphere. The bartender is extremely warm and caring. Enjoy the food along with the cocktails. Heidi recommended. read more

I have lived in Kailua for a couple years now and finally got around to trying this place. This will be my first and last time. I was very unimpressed for several reasons: 1- food was okay, mediocre. I love Italian food and this did not do it for me. I got the impossible bolognese. Sauce did not have much flavor. My significant other got the Kobe burger and had to have it remade due to being way under cooked. He ordered medium well and it came out so bloody, like rare. Our appetizer also came out after our entrees. 2- For the amount of food we got, two entrees and an appetizer. I had one sangria. For what we paid we feel it was over priced. 3- the most important reason in my opinion. Our server was terrible. My significant other and I both agree that we felt like we were abandoned. She didn't come back to take our order for quite some time. And the restaurant was not busy at all. We also felt like our server was tending to her other tables more. Our hunch is that we were a younger couple compared to the other tables around us and also how we were dressed. We felt like because of how we looked played a factor in the service we received or should I say lack of service. P.s. we are both former servers. read more