Went for happy hour. Worth the stop. Very good sized pupu's and great prices. Nice huge cold beers for $5! Great view. Service not awesome but decent - food came out quick but we rarely saw a server. read more

Fantastic breakfast (pineapple upside down french toast), bloody mary and friendly good service. Great ocean view.

We enjoyed a breakfast here and came back for happy hour. The fish Benedict was Ono and so fresh and tasty. Great beers on tap, reasonable prices and good happy hour. read more

love this place, had a table right by the fence with the view of the beach. Went there for brunch, absolutely amazing, fruits are so fresh and their kona coffee is amazing! the waitress was super nice, can't wait to return back. read more

Island Lava Java - American Near Me - Kailua Kona, Hawaii

The strongest point of our dinner was the location and view from the top deck. However, the service and food were subpar. The fish of the day was so over cooked it was inedible, and when we sent it back, the waitress told us that, if anything, the fish had in fact been "undercooked." She never apologized and avoided our table, never checking in, filling up our waters, or asking us if we wanted to order any more of their disappointing food. The margarita pizza was disgustingly cheesy, and the fish and chips were also over cooked. Lava Java is one of the highest rated restaurants in Kona, but I left feeling like something had changed here. I'm hoping they get back on their feet, because right now, I couldn't recommend picking another restaurant more. read more

Well as most of my readers know, I always give an honest review. So here it goes. I lived on Oahu for awhile and know about Island time, but the service at this place was well beyond Island time. My girlfriend and I came here based on a local's recommendation from our hotel. We sat near the bar and never got water for 10 minutes. Several waitresses passed by us and never asked us if we needed anything. I had to go up to the bar and get our drinks. 10 minutes later a waitress asked if we were ready. We said we were leaving. She tried to offer a pastry for not getting service and hoped we would try to come back again. It's a great view, the drink was mediocre (Bloody Mary). Bypass this place, drive up to the Coffee Shack, and enjoy the food, service, and atmosphere. read more

Average food taste, was expecting better based on reviews. Nice outdoor view by the ocean.

Staff was not attentive to waiting customers. When they saw us waiting, the girl says (with attitude) "Did you read the sign? We cannot seat you until 11:15am." It was 11:12am and we were willing to wait but because she had major attitude...bye girl! read more

Great food, great service with a spectacular view!!! Kona coffee was served in a big cup! This restaurant is kid friendly! One best breakfast place in Kona!! read more

Island Lava Java - Belgian Waffles with Banana and Macademia.. side of fresh fruits and bacon - American Near Me - Kailua Kona, Hawaii

Eating Oceanside has it's perks already, and the food is the cherry on top! I also love that you can customize any of your own juices and they make it right there, fresh squeezed. I got the apple, ginger and pineapple combo, and that was the best drink I've had in a long time! read more

Great view, food, coffee & service! We came early and enjoyed a table with a great view. The waffles and pancakes were delicious! Fast service, great drinks... definitely worth a visit! read more

Island Lava Java - Hawaiian style waffle & straight up pancakes - American Near Me - Kailua Kona, Hawaii

Food was good however their customer service was lacking. Ordered food online for pickup, which was very convenient. Unless they forget something from your order. In my case I ordered a smoothie and it did not come with my food. I called the restaurant to request they refund for the smoothie I did not receive and the person who answered the phone said, it's right here. I explained I'm already at home. He responded with "you want us to refund you for a drink we made?" Well yes, I actually did, but I was so shocked at his sarcastic response, I told him to forget it. Hope the $6.50 to this business was worth an unhappy customer. Mahalo for the Aloha... read more

We did an island tour to find the best Mai Tai and this place won! Dillion, the bartender was excellent. I think the food was pretty good too read more

Everything here is great except for the food - which is unfortunate because this is a restaurant. Great location, ambience, service, but the breakfast is seriously lacking. Bland, flavorless, and wholly lacking creativity, the it ms I've seen leave a lot to be desired. The namesake Lava Java breakfast consists of 2 eggs, 2 sad little pieces of bacon, 2 butter packets, and one miserably dense, soggy waffle on a white plate. Ugh. Honestly? This was the worst waffle I've ever had in my life - incredibly dense, not terribly warm, and the consistency of an old sponge. How do you mess up a waffle?? For all I know it could've been cooked months ago and then microwaved for a minute. I like taking visitors here because the seating area is so nice, but after this morning I'm over it. Will be sticking with Daylight Mind and Evolution Bakery from here on out. I'm fine paying tourist prices for a nice dining experience, and clearly subpar food doesn't hurt Lava Java's bottom line, but it would be nice if they'd step it up a notch or 5. At least the potatoes and ketchup were edible. read more

The food was not bad. I really liked the service but I would not go back, way overpriced, skip this tourist trap and seek out places that local will eat at. read more

Had lunch here last week - amazing Salad Nicoise. The staff were delightful, views amazing and I'd totally recommend this restaurant. read more

Island Lava Java - Salad Nicoise - American Near Me - Kailua Kona, Hawaii

I came here with my boyfriend for Breakfast. We walked in and got seating, got served some water, then never again did anyone come to ask us for anything. We then went to bar and got our own drinks. Still not one person asking if we wanted to eat breakfast! What horrible service. read more

Great service. Beautiful ocean view. You have to try the BBQ pork Hawaiian pizza . Definitely coming back.

The google maps for this location is incorrect. The person we spoke to on the phone to reserve a spot was incredibly short with me

We arrived there and told our hostess we we're very hungry. She sat us down upstairs. After about 8 min we finally saw a waitress. I asked her if she was our waitress, she said no. We we're going to give it 2 more minutes before we walked out. As we were just getting up our waitress finally arrived. She was very polite, but very slow ( or understaffed). The food was very good, but the long wait put a damper on it. Great view though. Service means everything to us. read more

Island Lava Java - American Near Me - Kailua Kona, Hawaii

We had breakfast here on a Sunday morning. Wasn't too busy, but was super slow. From getting called to our table to getting our food, was almost an hour. Maybe they were short staffed? Waitress was nice but she stuck her finger right on the opening of my take out coffee lid as she handed it to me, which was rather gross. Another server brought a huge tray of food and set it down, and as he was picking up the plates, his sleeve was touching the food. I'm sure this kind of stuff happens everywhere you go, but seeing it go down right in front of you is quite unappetizing. Food was pretty good, but my breakfast sandwich looked like someone sat on it (croissant was flattened). Tried not to think too much about it. Coffee was terrible. Americano was weaker than most gas station coffee. Open air seating was nice, but not enough to make us want to return. read more

The food was pretty good for both breakfast and dinner. Good breakfast service, slower than average dinner service. Great views and great ambiance. read more

Great food! Huge portions. Great breakfasts, pizza, and ham and bean soup. Split an entree, so you have room for dessert!

This had the best pancakes I've ever had! Macadamia nuts, bananas and coconut syrup!!!! The pancakes were huge and fluffy and my wife and I had a really good cup of coffee which for an island that totes they have the best grown coffee (Kona Coffee) you would think people would learn how to brew it! Thankfully these people were amazing at brewing coffee, making pancakes, frying sausage and eggs. The staff was attentive as well! Will definitely come here again if we ever come to the Big Island again! read more

Traveled inter island this week and ate here 3 times in 2 days. Food is great and customer service is outstanding! I wish we had this restaurant on Maui! Mahalo! read more

We had the first and last meals of our trip at Island Lava Java. The breakfast was awesome. I had a croissant egg sandwich with veggies and ham which was amazing, and kids had pancakes and eggs and commented how good the eggs were. Dinner on the last night was pretty good, kids really liked their pasta and burgers, I really enjoyed my mai tai, the fried calamari was ok but not great. Staff and servers were great. I also bought coffee there when we arrived to enjoy at the condo the rest of the week. read more

Breakfast Sandwich and Eggs Benedict were amazing. Definitely worth it. a short walk from the resort and absolutely gorgeous views from the deck. We will definitely visit again - thank you! read more

Amazing service and food. They made sure everyone had the best experience possible no matter how many customers they had!

Review 1 Burger - Mauna Kea Would you think that a burger could be described as refreshing? I never would have imagined, but this one is exactly that. Refreshing, and more. When you taste the Mauna Kea burger, there is no wonder why it is one of Island Lava Java's most popular lunch menu items. It is a turkey burger, seasoned with a mayonnaise based roasted garlic aioli sauce, on a kasha bread bun, All freshly made. I had mine with a side of seasoned fries, which I let go cold. This has never happened before, as I usually scarf down food fast without much notice. I could have sat in Lava Java and enjoyed their beachfront view, but I had planned on eating at home, so I got the order to go. When I was walking through Coconut Grove on my way to the car, I could smell what was to become the best burger I'd ever eaten. I couldn't help it; I had to try it, just a bite. I sat in the grass next to Island Lava Java, at their new location, by the volleyball court. The view is amazing! I heard that had I been an hour earlier, I would have seen the dolphins jumping out of the water. The weather was perfect; warm with a slightly cool breeze, and picturesque-sunny. With the first bite, I noticed the roasted garlic aioli sauce. Sensational, yet subtle enough to taste anew in every bite. The lettuce was crisp and tomato just as fresh. And the kasha bread bun, wow! You can tell everything is made from scratch fresh daily. I ended up enjoying this delicious refreshing treat, while experiencing a truly relaxing Aloha afternoon daydream. What an amazing day! I lack for more words what my tastes now crave. I want to get this lunch menu item next time, but I'm wondering what other delicious treats are waiting to be discovered. Thank you Island Lava Java! read more

Came here for breakfast with my family. Service, food and atmosphere was perfect! We ordered island style pancakes (macadamia nut and banana pancakes with homemade coconut syrup) and lilikoa mimosas! Portion sizes are pretty big! Will definitely come back here again on our next trip! read more

Perfect way to escape the belligerency of this Kona strip. Island Java offers impeccable service and extremely well balanced and tasty food. We had breakfast here, lox bagel with capers and a breakfast croissant called "dragged through the garden". Both were fresh tasting and satisfying. As we ate, we had a great ocean view that offered live music from a local and excellent people watching as a cruise ship was in the process of dumping its passengers on the shore. Great food, coffee and service- pretty much what your looking for! We plan to eat here again. Come early, as the wait increases quickly around 9. read more

We stayed right next door and ate several meals here. Food was good overall and the view of the ocean and sunsets can't be better. Service staff was friendly and nice. Very laid back. Don't be in a rush. It always drives me a little mad when I overhear patrons as establishments like this whining about service or food taking longer than a few minutes. It's island time, folks! Watch the sunset and enjoy it! Highly recommended. read more

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We've been coming here for years, every time we are in town. Love the new location, good ocean views. Food & service is always good. Glad to see they survived COVID! Breakfast, lunch or dinner is highly recommended. read more

It's a fairly decent restaurant. Their biggest selling point is that they are right on Ali'i drive and have a front row seat to the ocean. Otherwise, it is crowded, noisy and the food is only just decent. Nothing amazing but nothing to turn away from either. It was fine for lunch, don't expect Michelin star type of eating. read more

Had a wonderful breakfast here one of our days in Kona, with a breezy ocean view. The waitstaff is so nice and responsive, the music entertainment is so soothing for an easy morning wakeup, and the breakfast options are delicious. We had the island pancakes and they were perfect with the coconut syrup. The eggs benedict was also a winner and their omelettes were well done and not runny. The only item I would stay away from is their burger, as it is nothing special and there are many better options on the menu. read more

We had a breakfast in here. We enjoyed much the views from 2nd floor which was more quite as others on Yelp noticed. I had plain yogurt with house made granola in papaya. I asked for a banana but they did not have it. Strange but it is ok as it was not a part of my choice. My bf had a veggie omelet with fried potatoes which I did not find overly interesting. So I would give 3.5 stars to this place. read more

Island Lava Java - Yogurt with Granola in a half of papaya - American Near Me - Kailua Kona, Hawaii

Best food I had on the Big Island! Went for both breakfast and dinner and both were amazing. Beautiful view of the ocean across from the restaurant. Outside seating is spectacular. For breakfast I had chocolate chip pancakes with bacon and a cinnamon pull apart bun and my husband had a croissant breakfast sandwich. We're were both very pleased with our meals. The pancakes were the best I've ever had! (And I've had a lot of pancakes as they are my favorite breakfast). Bacon was also thick cut and very good. The cinnamon pull apart bun was to die for. Very moist and delicious. Will be back for more! For dinner I had a pepperoni pizza and my husband had fish tacos. He said they were the best he had on the island. The pizza was delicious with hand tossed crust. Also had a coconut Italian soda which was excellent and a strawberry smoothie which was very fresh. A must go in Kona!!!! Good food. Still loving the cinnamon buns. read more

Hubby had pancakes eggs and sausage. I had veggie scramble and fruit. Both were outstanding. There is a reason it has so many reviews. Staff was great too. The coffee was really good. Highly recommend. read more

They had the best service and amazing vegetarian options !! Enough food to last for two meals and unlimited coffee refills Can't beat it read more

Worst food every time I have been and eventually gave up going. The quality is never the same and is never that good.