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    Foster's Kitchen

    3.9 (1.3k reviews)
    Open • 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated a few days ago

    Foster's Kitchen Photos

    Business Info

    FOSTER'S KITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Live music
    Casual
    Loud
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Foster's Kitchen

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    Shrimp and grits
    Satabdi B.

    It's been four months since I returned from Kona and I still think fondly of the dinner I had at Foster's on my first night at Kona. Foster's is located on Ali'i drive in an extremely touristy part of downtown Kona and parking can be very tricky, so try to not bring your car here if possible. We got lucky and didn't have to wait too long for a table for two to open up on the second floor deck facing the ocean and a gorgeous pink post-sunset sky. Both our dishes - the shrimp and grits, and the fish and chips, hit the spot for us. We were too stuffed to try any of the desserts but I'll admit that they were pretty droolworthy. While Foster's isn't exactly cheap, I later realized it's better value for money compared to many of the other Downtown Kona establishments. If I go back to Kona, I'll definitely be back here.

    Hope S.

    Located on 2nd floor in the shopping area. Parking lot is close and parking available with dining at this restaurant. Staff friendly and welcoming. Large outdoor seating with many open tables. Nice view of ocean. Ordered a few dishes: -cheese burger with truffle garlic fries $21 +$3: ok but burger way more well then requested, little dry and fries weren't that truffle tasting. -fish and chips, but with fried fish $24: came with 3 hearty tacos with generous portion of fish ( I think ono?!) but not sure cause I'm not the best with fish types. Fish cooked well and not over fried, batter was crunch with cornmeal. They also provided local hot sauces to try as well. Convenient place for lunch or dinner if you are in the area and good for bigger parties.

    Chicken pesto pasta
    Cheyenne B.

    Foster's I would say is very middle of the road. The cuisine ideas are a little bland but done well. We had a chicken pasta with macadamia nut pesto and while the sauce was really great, the chicken was bleh. Service was fine and quick and the ambiance is nice, you can see the ocean depending on where you are. I would come here again, but would just stick to the simpler teams.

    Gourmet grilled cheese
    Melissa L.

    My husband and I dined in for dinner. I ordered the tomato bisque with the "gourmet" grilled cheese. The food was not very good. The "gourmet" grilled cheese was definitely not my definition of gourmet. As you can see, it was barely there cheese and a couple onions. I'm not trying to be mean or gross but do you know the taste of vomit and how your throat feels after you get sick? This is what the tomato bisque tasted like and left a gritty texture down my throat. It was not good at all and it did not taste house made. I was super disappointed. I would not go back.

    Garden salad
    Adrianna S.

    We have been coming here for years and have always loved it. But I feel like it has been slowly declining. And this last time was the worst. The food just wasn't any good. The crab cakes were so heavily salted, I couldn't eat them. The tomato bisque was so over-seasoned, it tasted like a bowl of cumin soup. Which was odd to have in tomato soup anyway. Service is still friendly and the location overlooking the water is always so beautiful. But I don't think we will be back. The food wasn't edible.

    Pork chop
    Joshua M.

    I had dinner at the bar by myself, sad I know, but sometimes you just have to fly solo. The location is great, in the middle of Ali'i drive, right on the water and if you get a table it'll have a great view of the coast. The service was pretty good at the bar, the bartender was friendly and mostly quick with getting me anything I asked for. For dinner I had the pork chops. They were so very tasty; battered, fried and served with a very flavorful brown gravy. As there were two pork chops, it was a good amount of food, probably too much. The mashed potatoes that accompanied the pork chops were good, but if I ate them again, I'd demand that gravy is sloshed on them. The veggies that completed the dish were ok, but not really great. They looked promising but definitely could've been cooked better.

    Pineapple Lilikoi Lava Flow? I forget
    Farrah R.

    Food was good. View was great! Not sure there was alcohol in the grown-up drink that I ordered. I felt nothing, no buzz at all, no warming feeling. Just watered down juice. My pasta dish was bland. Everything on the menu either had seafood or tomatoes which I couldn't eat, so I was limited on choices. The view makes this place. It's a nice place to sit and watch visitors walking by or just watch the ocean crash on the rocks, maybe have an overpriced beverage. The service was unremarkable.

    Ribs and chicken
    rowena n.

    View and ambiance nice... right in the center to Kona town so lots of action and lots to look at. Server was nice and attentive. Food was not great- ribs were a little tough and chicken was dry. My hubby took a few bites and had a hard time cutting with steak knife. Shrimp and grits were just okay- 6-7 shrimp. Wouldn't come back for the chicken/ribs, but will try it again as we love the vibe of the restaurant and it's a cool place to people watch.

    Kimberly T.

    Enjoyed drinks and appetizers while watching the views of the ocean and Alii drive. The candied bacon chicken sandwich was delicious ($24). The drinks MaiTai and Margarita were nice. The calamari appetizer was interesting ($16). Sliced calamari steak grilled was beautifully presented. Friends of ours rave about it. We liked it okay, not as tender as we wished it could be. The staff were friendly and attentive. ***TIPS on the Parking fees! Don't pay upfront. First go to the restaurant to get validated and activate your 90 minutes free parking (you have a 15 minute grace period after parking to start your time. You also get another 15 minute grace period at end, and you can either add time at a reduced fee or go visit another restaurant to activate another 90 minute free session).

    Fish tacos
    Mike D.

    Great happy hour 3-5 .nice open air seaside 2nd floor restaurant and bar. Great service and food . Validated parking in back.. tried wings and fish tacos .both good! Chocolate tort for dessert was good too.

    Seafood puff pastry
    Haley F.

    Over the years, Foster's kitchen used to be one of my favorite celebratory type of restaurant whenever we would find ourselves in Kona. I would put it high on my recommendation list whenever friends told me they were visiting the islands as well. Recently visited again, and although the quality and taste was still there, the portion size got astonishingly small. The seafood puff pastry was really good; bits of seafood mixed with pesto in delicate pastry wrapping. We actually enjoyed these more than our actual entrees. I didn't take a picture of my friends' food but they both ordered the grilled fish. Although they agreed it was prepared well, the size as smaller than a fist. I got the stuffed chicken and was also surprised that it was smaller than my fist too. The side of veggies was bigger. I used to rave about the garlic mashed potatoes but it wasn't up to par either. Maybe we visited on an off day? But hopefully they're back to being the same Foster's Kitchen I'm familiar with on my next visit.

    Stuffed Chicken and Veg grilled sandwich
    Priyanka W.

    I ordered the stuffed chicken since it's one of their popular dishes, and it truly lived up to the hype--it was delicious! However, the service left much to be desired. Our server appeared to be under the influence and was inattentive; we had to follow up several times just for food and basic drinks. It did leave us wondering if the lack of attention was racially motivated, which was disappointing. On a brighter note, the ambiance was vibrant and lively. We came for dinner, so we couldn't fully enjoy the ocean views, but I imagine the setting during the day would be absolutely stunning.

    Shirley Temple
    Ashley W.

    Absolutely delicious! I got a mocktail and my boyfriend tried the Mai Tais. The service was good. The food was fresh and I ate the steak and shrimp and my boyfriend at the ahi. We watched a lovely final sunset on our last night on the island. 100% will be back.

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    Foster's Kitchen Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Foster's Kitchen

    How do I get on the waitlist for Saturday June 10, 7pm?

    To my knowledge you can't join the waitlist till day of. I suggest calling to see if they can take the reservation over the phone.

    Is the upstairs seating open to all or is that a bar only type thing?

    There is a bar and also table seating, some street/ocean side. The space is open and airy: lanai style. Definitely make a reservation unless you have time to linger at the bar.

    Do you have outdoor seating so we can bring our well behaved and friendly dog Penelope?

    It's basically all outdoors. I have brought my puppy there several times. However she is a pup in training as a service dog. But at the time we took her she wasn't any different than any other dog. The staff lives on my puppy all through our meal

    Hi. When is the Happy hour at the Kailua Kona location? Thanks.

    I believe 3-5 pm

    Loved the food in prior visits. Do you still take reservations? OpenTable app directs to call biz. When I do so, msg indicates no one answers & no way to leave msg either. Would like table for 4 on Sun 03.20.22 at 1pm for family bday party pls...

    No, they don’t take reservations anymore. However if you booked a reservation before they stopped accepting, they will honor any adjustments to existing reservations.

    Do they offer kama'aina?

    We have a new rewards program that gives you points for purchase that lead to discounts or free items.You can find links to the foster’s kitchen loyalty app at the bottom of our web page, fosterskitchen.com.

    Is it October yet?

    Not quite

    Is your new location at King's Shop Open? When? Thanks

    We are planning to open in October, mahalo.

    Where do u park?

    We have our own lot directly behind us. It has approximately 200 stalls. You may enter it from the north or south ends of Coconut Grove Marketplace from Alii Dr or Kuakini Hwy.

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    Cheeky Tiki

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    Our server was Kea and as somebody who enjoyed a drink out of the mermaid glass, I think that Kea…read moreabsolutely deserves the mermaid glass for her to birthday next month!!! Thanks for awesome service! Will be coming back to try more!

    We went for a stroll along the strip and all of a sudden we were hungry for lunch. My son and his…read moregirl friend checked out the menu the other day and wanted to try this place out. We were seated immediately and as we were waiting for our server, my wife and friend were close by and wanted to meet us. We asked if we can move to a larger table and they were good! Our server was excellant with all the food choices for my son with allergies and checked with the kitchen just to be sure. I ordered the Duo Bao with Fried Shrimp and a side of fries. As for Pupus we ordered the Mac N Cheese Balls and Vegetable Empanadas. The appetizers came in quickly and they were hot and fresh. The Mac N Cheese balls were really good! It was coated w/ panko so it was really crunchy and had guava BBQ sauce along with sriracha sauce and topped with green onions. I must say it was very good. I loved the Veggie Empanadas! It had a balanced blend of the blackbeans, corn, jalapenos, onion and cheese sauce. The crust was handmade and yummy, Next is my Dua Bao with Fried Shrimp. The homemade sauce was sweet and balanced the dish with the pickled onions. I really loved the serrano peppers. The fries were good! Overall, from service to the foof, it was great!

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    The Temple Kitchen + Bar

    The Temple Kitchen + Bar

    4.4(172 reviews)
    0.0 mi
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    Amazing food! Jennifer was patient, informative, and incredibly kind, which made the experience…read moreeven better. The food overall was awesome. The tri-tip tacos were just okay for me -- next time I'd probably try them with chicken instead. The ʻulu was absolutely delicious and definitely a standout dish. Sat looking at the ocean !! Nice

    Loved the Temple Kichen and Bar. The star of the show here is their Flatbreads and Meat. That is…read morewhat they are known for. Came in on a 4 PM Saturday afternoon after 7 hours of travel. Ravenous and throat parched, the pictures for The Temple drew us in. Restaurant was empty save a family of 6 sitting in the corner. To summarize the experience the food tasted as delicious as it looked. Service was spot on. Skip the barbecue chicken tacos they were overrated. Our server warned against it but we were feeling chicken. It was a mid dish. The star of the show was the Calabrese Flatbread. It was phenomenal. Really tasty, ample cheese, marinara sauce, with large chunks of sausage that were so flavorful. The potatoes we got were supposed to be island potatoes and tasted okay with lots of Chimmichuri Sauce. Ask for more on the side to dip the potatoes in. Kona beer on tap, Michelob in bottles, and some nice house drinks to round it off. Their dessert selection looked tasty, but so full that stomach was hurting after the meal. Will be back again if I'm in the area!

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    Sam's Hideaway

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    Showed up Friday afternoon to a gathering of a bunch of angry white dudes that for the entire time…read moreit took me to finish a drink complained about illegal border crossing, fentanyl and justifiable wars etc. I eventually just put my ear buds in. The drink and service were fine but Friday must be a hangout for people to air their grievances with life.

    First, it's hard to find. But after being there I think they want it that way. The karaoke DJ…read morefavored the locals, the tourists barely got to sing, I felt like this was a locals only bar, tourists are welcome to buy drinks, but don't expect to sing at this karaoke bar. It's too bad too, because the vibe was good, and it was 40% tourist. Not like it was 100% locals juicing the vibe. I felt like the 40% tourists were more electric than the locals, but the locals got to sing 90% of the songs. Bottom line, if it wasn't for a good bartender would give a lower rating. The guy running the karaoke at this karaoke bar favors the regulars, which I understand, but it also means tourists feel unappreciated and left out. If you want to sing, stay out. If you want to hear locals sing this is your place. For example, one local lady sang 5 times in 2 hours, I put in 2 requests and got to sing 1. So if you want to hear other people sing and get treated like an unwanted tourist, this is the place for you.

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    Sam's Hideaway - Jesstin maybe spell wrong but she is good bartender and very nice . Remind me " PINK"

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    Dolphin Spit Saloon

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    A Great Little Neighborhood Dive Bar!…read more We love finding a good dive bar when we travel, and Dolphin Spit Saloon was exactly our kind of place! This is such a fun, lively neighborhood bar with a really welcoming atmosphere. The bartender was a genuinely nice guy and even gave us a recommendation for food we could order nearby and bring back to eat at the bar. We took his advice and ordered Thai food from right next door--and it was AMAZING! What we loved most was how friendly everyone was. People at the bar actually talked to us, which made it feel less like a tourist stop and more like a true local hangout. We even met the cutest little pup who was 18 years old! His owner was just as friendly, and moments like that are exactly why we enjoy places like this. The artwork throughout the bar is so much fun, and there is so much to look at and read. Even the bathrooms were clean and had entertaining artwork! If you are looking for a polished resort bar, this probably isn't your spot. But if you want a fun, friendly neighborhood dive where you can connect with people, have a drink, laugh a little, and feel like a local for a while, Dolphin Spit Saloon is absolutely worth a stop. If you're looking to connect and quench your thirst, this is the place!

    Always our first stop after landing before heading to the condo. Drinks are great. People are…read moreawesome. Their shirts and stickers are pretty sick too

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    On The Rocks - Mud pie with coffee ice cream

    On The Rocks

    3.8(2k reviews)
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    We decided to catch a happy hour for one of our dinners in Kailua-Kona, and On The Rocks ended up…read morebeing our choice. It's a great location, right on the rocks, with great water views. We initially were seated at a table right on the rocks, but the sun is still pretty brutal around 4:30, when we visited. So we opted to change course and sit at the bar, in the shade. You're not going to get the best food service at the bar, because let's be honest...the bartender's job is making drinks. And our bartender/server never stopped. He took our order, and got our food & drinks. But never stopped moving the entire time we were there. Tombo was the fresh catch that day, so my wife went with the grilled furikake crusted fresh catch grilled sandwich. I went with the Manini sliders, and we both had coconut coleslaw. The coleslaw was nothing special, but the sliders were very good. And my wife swore her fresh catch fish sandwich was the best that she had on the Big Island. And to top it off, we split a piece of Manua Kea ice cream pie....which is huge! And very, very good. We enjoyed the food and the atmosphere so much, that for our last dinner before heading to the airport to fly back home, we went back to On The Rocks and had dinner a second time. Tombo was still the fresh catch, so my wife ordered the fresh catch fish sandwich again, and so did I. And she was right, it was the best. Over the 17 days we were on the island, I had a LOT of fish sandwiches at different restaurants. And this is the best one.

    the food was delicious. i got the pork sandwich (ate it before i remembered to take a picture) and…read moreit was delicious. my lava flow and my aunts pina colada were both great. the ambiance is fabulous with live music every night and you are right up on the sand watching the sunset and the waves. the only disappointment for me was our server. the service was INCREDIBLY slow and when we asked her to take a couple cups out of the way because we were running out of space on the table she rolled her eyes at us. she also didn't come back to check on us between the time we got our drinks and halfway through our meal which was unfortunate because we probably would've ordered a couple more rounds of drinks had she been back. * edit : servers name is amani. she disappeared every time we needed her all night. she dropped our checks and didn't come back for like 20 mins even though we immediately put our cards down. she wasn't friendly and she also didn't let us know it would be an up charge to sub fries for salad. she was rude and absent most the night and definitely put a damper on the experience.

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