Wonderful location on Ali'i Drive; the views are great. However, the food is what sets it apart. We went here for breakfast a couple of times while in Kona. Service was pretty good; we did have one experience with our order getting messed up, but Lava Java made it right. The pancakes with sliced banana, macadamia nuts and coconut syrup was outstanding. The pastries are very good; the lattes were also wonderful. A little pricey ($40 for breakfast for 2), but worth the splurge (especially when on vacation)! read more

Breakfast is fabulous! The banana macadamia nut buttermilk pancakes with coconut syrup were delicious! And the coffee is wonderful. We went back for lunch to try the Big Island pizza. This pizza has kalua pork, pineapple and Asian Chile sauce! The crust alone is delicious, all together the pizza is so delicious! Guy Fieri shot Diners, Dives and Drive-in's there just to try it! It is a must when you're in Kona! read more

The food was delicious! The food deserves 5 stars, but the service was lacking, so I only rated it 4. I had the veggie omelet. The fresh goat cheese made it perfect. My husband had the Kailua pork omelet and he loved it as well. The fresh pineapple and cantaloupe side was amazing! And of course it's always a plus to eat while looking at the ocean. read more

I stopped by to sample the food after reading the reviews on Yelp. I had the stack with fresh fruit. I sat a looked out over the water eating my breakfast listening to Hawaiian music. Very enjoyable read more

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

We made a reservation for dinner. Great spot to eat - open air facing the ocean. However, our dinner was awful. They served my son a raw hamburger and my husband and I got dry, overcooked flavorless fish. Waitress didn't bother to ask why everybody still had a plate of food left. Dinner for 4 was $150. Try Humpy's or Papa Kona's instead. read more

Had a nice breakfast upstairs overlooking water. Pancakes were delicious. Smoothies ok. Fresh squeezed OJ. Friendly waitress and host. read more

We went to Island Lava Java twice - once for breakfast and a late night Pupu (appetizer) style dinner. Both visits were pleasant, the service was prompt & friendly and the atmosphere was - well, right across from the beautiful ocean- what can I say?! The breakfast was hearty, with generous portions and fresh local inspired ingredients. The appetizers and drinks (Mai Tai) were the same - especially the hummus plate and pork ribs. This may not be the cheapest food in Kona, but it's some of the best in my opinion!! And the views can't be beat!! read more

We came here on the last day of our 8 day big Island stay and it was one of the best places we had the whole time! The breakfast was so delicious and the cinnamon roll was the size of my face! They take care and time in the preparation of all of the food and it shows! I would highly recommend going there!! read more

The happy hour offers big discounts. The fish and seafood is amazing and service is pretty good! Highly recommend to visit this cool place.

Great breakfast here with a view...the roasted veggie omelet was delicious paired with the island style pancakes was the perfect combo for my husband and I. The service was friendly and pleasant too. read more

Food was "ok " and pricey for breakfast ~$25 per person. I've had better for the same price. The service was good. Our wait person did a good job and was attentive. read more

The cappuccino we ordered tasted like hot water and syrup. The young barista must not have been trained properly-? We contemplated going back to request espresso be added to our drinks, but decided against it. If she doesn't know how to use the machine, it wouldn't help. We decided to throw our coffees away and call the $20 a loss. read more

Def drop by for breakfast if you're in and around the area. We got the island style pancakes and they were the perfect consistency (crispy outside, soft and fluffy inside) and gloriously golden brown. The macadamia nuts, banana and coconut syrup really did transform the pancakes into something more delightful than I could imagine. The coffee was fine, not the best ever so maybe skip coffee and go for the mimosas - which since we're in Hawaii they weren't boring old OJ, but lots of "islandy" flavors choose from and quite tasty! read more

Great view great food great service. Would definitely return! Had the luau omelette. Nothing like this on the mainland!

Just did a positive review but cannot find it to update ... wanted to add, that Josh who has been at new location since the move, is the bomb! ... he understands the hospitality biz that is becoming a lost profession (especially in a tourist town) ... I had horrible service here about 10 months ago from a young woman who could not be bothered with me at all! So I vowed to never return!!! Then covid happened and in searching for a place to go, I remembered Josh at the bar some time ago and have found once again that he really understands the critical importance of hospitality that unfortunately NOT all servers here have learned or care about like Josh does. IMO, the owners need to have Josh train ALL servers ... and also let go the ones ones whom have the atttitude that guests are an inconvienience to them (yeah, that 30's something blond one) ... And watch Lava Java stars go up to 5 stars!!! And ALL servers see their tips go up ... win-win for one and all .... guests, servers & owner! read more

This place was really good! We went to the one near the Kona Sheraton. I had the fish tacos and they were excellent. The view was very nice and service was efficient. I'm not sure why it received negative reviews. We thought it was very good! read more

As soon as we drove in front of the restaurant we saw a huge line of people waiting for a table. We wait for about 15 minutes and I have to said it was totally worth it. The food was completely amazing, we can for breakfast and we ate an amazing one. My husband ordered a croissant we ham, eggs, cheese, bacon, arugula and avocado. He sad it's the best croissant he ever had. In his own words, this croissant it's amazing (fresh and tasty). I ordered the Java Lava breakfast (eggs, bacon and the most amazing pancakes I ever had. The were so fluffy and moist. The restaurant it's well know from homemade waffles and pancakes and I have to agreed that are amazing. The mimosas are delicious (specially the one with passion fruit, guava and orange). My only complaint it's that they do not have enough waitress for te amount of people that they want to server at the restaurant. read more

This place gets 4 stars for the service, drinks and pancakes. We went her twice during our stay in Kona and really enjoyed the breakfast. The second time we decided to try the pancakes "Hawaiian style" and unfortunately that was a mistake. The coconut syrup was more of a milk than the typical Hawaiian coconut syrup and the macadamia nuts had major freezer burn. It looked beautiful, but the toppings were not quality. read more

Had a good meal at Lava Java. Food was good, service was good, just a little too touristy. If I went back I would go with the ribs. We did a sample of several things and those were the best. read more

We were really looking forward to going back to Island Lava Java, but found that they're closed for renovations until the middle of December. read more

All of our egg dishes were cold. It appeared The poached eggs for eggs Benedict had been pre-boiled (and perhaps dunked back in hot water briefly to in an attempt to warm them up?) but whatever the process, they were cold when they got to us. My veggie EB ingredients seemed to have been tossed onto the plate from a distance of a few feet. Raw spinach was all over the plate instead of under the egg, same with tomato slices. And everything cold. I've also never had veggie eggs Benedict with raw spinach -- couldn't they even sauté it for 30 seconds (maybe while dunking the egg back in hot the water)? Add to it that throughout our Mothers Day brunch, birds were constantly fluttering up onto the table and almost landing on our food, so we had to keep waving them away. Not exactly a pleasant Mother's Day experience and it was doubly exasperating because my kids were very kindly pooling their resources to treat me. They were embarrassed and I felt bad for them, making this sweet gesture all for cold food and being harassed by birds. UGH. read more

My hubby and I were blown away by what a gem of a find this place is! First of all, the location is beautiful. Seating indoor/outdoor. Service was outstanding, our breakfast was one of the best we have ever had, and the prices weren't out of control as they tend to be all over Hawaii. We came here twice during our 10 day stay and will be back again!! read more

I can't rate the food but giving this place a 4 because the waitress immediately was available to serve us. We came around 830pm and were told that upstairs dining area was close. Food menu was very limited for dinner. Maybe breakfast is better here. It's quite an open dining area and not comfortable on a rainy tropical night. We noticed the restaurant beside it was crowded, so we decided to dine there instead. read more

Calvin was our server and he was amazing. Super friendly and made sure we were taken care of. Food was good, great views of the ocean, and great for people watching. read more

Tried Lava Java for breakfast this morning. Some what disappointing. A far cry from their previous location. Great service, and a great view but tHe food was similar to an IHOP. Pancakes were too dry and I thought the fruit bowel would have some local fruit. I.e. Guava, papaya, mango. Good coffee. read more

On a trip to the Big Island, we stopped here for our first breakfast in Kona. The location, just like most places along downtown Kona was absolutely amazing. Just viewing the water was absolutely amazing for a 7am breakfast. I got the Banana MacNut pancakes with coconut syrup. I am not a big coconut fan, so I also asked for a side of maple syrup just in case. The maple syrup does not compliment the pancakes, but the coconut syrup did. Unfortunately the syrup was extremely thick and wasn't the most appetizing. The pancakes themselves were amazing without the syrup either way. My boyfriend ordered the tacos. He said they were good, but not great. Nothing wrong with them, just nothing amazing to remember them. Drinks! What's a sunrise breakfast without a mimosa at 7 am? Hmmm... My boyfriend opted for a traditional orange juice mimosa and I got a lilikoi mimosa. Both were pretty strong, but very tasty. Staff was very friendly and quick. I would give them a 3.5 if I could. When asked for the maple syrup, the runner never came by after 10+ minutes and we had to fetch someone else to ask for the syrup. After our order was taken, we were not checked up on until we asked for the check at the end of our meal. read more

Luau Omelette, Lava Java Breakfast, coffee, all are amazing, we have had dinner here twice and breakfast once, can't seem to stay away!

Good pancakes and waffles, bacon was ok and Portuguese sausage was vey good. Really good Kona Coffee. We sat at the Bar and our Bartender was friendly and attentive.Highly recommended. read more

I used to like them the first 2 times 2-3 yrs ago but changes happen, I guess. Their cinnamon buns changed to me, the icing had a different texture. Their muffins are huge but so expensive-$3.50 for one. I do agree their breakfasts are very tasty and good. I also personally liked it better when they didn't have the live music-it detracts from the view and the calm feeling of sitting out having a nice meal with the views and ocean breeezes read more

Should've had breakfast here. We had lunch and was not impressed and it was expensive. Coffee was barely tolerable. Flies everywhere, gross. read more

Atmosphere is street side, so u get too watch people and watch the surf. Excellent coffee and sandwiches. Great lite fare to carry u thru til dinner time. Best coffee spot in da area read more

Two days of coffee nirvana

We just came from Lava Java tonight. We wanted to have a nice desert with our coffee... all four of us. The kids were really excited. We walked in and there was no one there to greet us. We ordered our coffee at the counter and told the gal that we would have it here and wanted to sit outside. We sat down inside waiting with our coffees, smoothing and chocolate milk. The greeter never came to sit us.They were sitting people in front of us, so we decided to leave. It turns out, in my opinion, we looked too much like locals and they wanted to feed the tourists. LOL! We ended up eating our chocolates from Donkey Balls which went very well with our coffee. I will say one thing, the coffee is terrific, the service sucks and the ceiling fans do not work. So, my recommendation to anyone who would like to indulge at Lava Java, make reservations to guarantee a seat. read more

Great value for our money - especially after staying (and eating) at the resort. My husband had a BBQ (guava) pork sandwich and fries. Decent sized portions, great flavor, friendly staff. I had mahi, potatoes, and egg whites. Again, large enough portions for me to have two meals out of it. read more

Hubby & I came here while on vacation last week. It was highly recommended by friends. Hubby & I split the banana macadamia nut pancakes because I thought they were going to be huge. They were pretty normal in size. I think we each could have eaten both of them. Coconut syrup is delicious! Thankfully we did order extra bacon so we didn't have to fight over the 2 strips that were served with the pancakes. Nice large mug of hot coffee. Espresso machine not working when we were there. :( read more

Why hello to the world's largest cup of quality coffee! Seriously, no refills necessary. I came here with one of my bridesmaids (shout out to Aubs!) We enjoyed a nice breakfast the morning of my wedding. (I had to have the eggs with mac nut pesto and a jumbo coffee.) Nothing like a giant breakfast before squeezing into a wedding dress! It was worth every bite. read more

I love how this is located within a stonesthrow of the beach. Add the live music and it makes the ambiance pretty nice and relaxing. The eggs benedict are so awesome here especially if you get it with fish. My only complaint is that I asked for the ahi tuna to be cooked medium and it came out fully cooked. read more

Our waitress was poor. She never checked up on us until another waitress noticed we were trying to catch someone's attention. Food was just "ok". Took awhile to get it, too. I had the French toast --ehh... We won't be back except maybe for the blended drinks. read more

An excellent spot for breakfast/brunch on the outdoor patio with a lovely view of the water and surrounding downtown area. My friend and I went with the lighter side of things, opting for some old fashioned oatmeal and both a unique and tasty dish of papaya, yogurt & granola. There's no shortage of drinks either and my Kona coffee paired perfectly with the meal. read more

I was unaware that there was a limited Sunday brunch menu, so I was a bit disappointed with my choices. I ended up ordering a bacon cheeseburger which was made of local organic beef. I expected it to taste better--it was a bit bland--but the homemade fries were surprisingly good. I assume the restaurant is better than the 3 stars I'm giving (based on one meal), but it wasn't my favorite Kona eatery. Fantastic waterside location, though! read more