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    The Royal Lanai

    4.2 (25 reviews)
    Open 6:00 am - 11:30 AM, 5:30 pm - 9:30 PM

    The Royal Lanai Photos

    THE ROYAL LANAI ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Upscale

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    Recommended Reviews - The Royal Lanai

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    Oysters
    Michael C.

    First things I would say the service was super friendly and I felt well attended to. The views are spectacular, you sit overlooking the amazing beach and are right above the pool area. That said, unless you are in one of the more private areas, most of the tables are arranged alongside where guests walk in and out of the hotel towers. The frequent traffic next to you makes it feel more casual, which is not what I would anticipate given the price of dinner. The individual dishes were solid- nothing mind-blowing. I enjoyed my cocktails- the lychee martini was well balanced, a lychee would have been a nice touch instead of a standard cocktail cherry. The oysters were very fresh, toppings were pretty typical. We enjoyed the fish for both our chirashi bowl and nigiris. All tasted very fresh and the rice was well seasoned. The tonkatsu skewer appetizer dish is a bit odd to me. To hold it and eat as a traditional skewer is awkward, as the pieces of pork are quite large and don't separate that easily with just biting it. It's an awkward shape to dip in their provided dipping sauce. The shishito peppers and salad seem a bit random and I guess just provide some color and garnish to the dish. The total price of our meal which was 2 cocktails, oysters, a nigiri sampler, a chirashi bowl, and tonkatsu skewers was easily over $200. I think this location would be a better fit for something more casual (and at a more casual price point). But certainly if you are staying at the resort and want a good, fresh sushi option without leaving this would be it!

    Brandon Y.

    6.5/10 Got the miso soup, garlic edamame, and spicy tuna roll. Garlic edamame was the best item out of the 3. I'm not too sure if I have my expectations too high for Hawaii seafood, but I've had better sushi in California. No shade fr. Also would not recommend eating past sun down as a TON of bugs come out.

    Cosmopolitan
    Rachel K.

    Best sushi I've had in a long time! Our fav on our trip for sure. The staff were so nice and helpful with their knowledge of the cuisine. Beautiful view. Wish it was open for lunch!

    Otoro nigiri
    K T.

    My husband and I came here for Valentine's Day and despite the holiday, food and service was great! Hostess advised they were busy, but food and drinks still came out in a timely manner. Definitely looking forward to returning here again.

    Wines and more drinks
    Alice B.

    Food was top notch and the service was great. We sat at the sushi bar and it was a very memorable and enjoyable experience. We had two rolls and my son even tried two pieces of tuna sashimi at the end of dinner and raved over it. We asked the server and she said the tuna was local which is why it tasted so fresh, and smooth like butter. My husband had the spider roll and the California roll because my daughter wanted to try crab for the first time. The California roll here is made with real crab not the rubbery artificial kind this roll is known for (which is definitely a delicious upgrade in case that wasn't obvious). The spider roll was a fun roll that soft shell crab , avocado, red onion, cucumber and had a crispy tempura flake exterior on top of a sweet chili sauce. Overall a great experience and we highly recommend it!

    Escolar, octopus, hamachi, pork skewers, spicy tuna roll
    Drea P.

    Food was great, especially the pork skewers. Service was extremely slow. Saki was very expensive.

    Uni

    FOOD: The sushi was strangely seasoned with rock salt, the sushi rice, barely seasoned, gritty. $8 for 5 piece ahi at times blew our entire dinner out of the water, nonetheless not a verbal complaint about it from us to our server. the only complaint we voiced was after my partner and I simultaneously started gagging during our tasting of the uni, my girlfriend had to spit it out after really trying to swallow it. It had an ammonia flavor. we determined with the help of google and our past experiences eating uni, that it was spoiled uni. This caused a confrontation and a commotion from our server. enter Karen She began our dinner with a strange demeanor, this dreadful tude without even needing to speak a word, but oh boy, she sure did make it show with words. To preface, we are a simple young couple, we are very nice, we work in the restaurant industry, I'm a server in Oahu so we are very understanding people when it comes to food. All we said was "we think the uni went bad, can she get a new plate, she couldn't swallow it" she follows up with "went bad like how?" And we go "well like spoiled I guess " and she repeats "like how it spoiled?" And my girlfriend has to say "it tasted like pee, like ammonia" and she goes "like pee?". At this point we were so confused and not angry, and she said "okay because I served that uni to someone else just now, you're saying that the uni that I served earlier was spoiled too, okay I'll tell my chef that you said it was spoiled" beyond unbelievable. An apology would've been nice. My girlfriend nearly puked in your restaurant and now you're arguing with her, no mention of our anniversary either, insanity. At the end of the dinner I attempt to redeem the $16 dining credit that open table provides to its users. I show her and she goes "how do I do that?" And I don't react, again being a server has taught be to tolerate a lot. But the fact that she needs to ask me, and laugh it off. Our trip is short and our night was wasted here.

    California roll and edamame
    Andrea W.

    We haven't been to this hotel since they became Sonesta and wow they have transformed it so beautifully. The vibes were super relaxing. We checked in with the hostess and she walked us to our table which was out on a private lanai looking over the pool and out to the harbor. (All outdoor seating, no air conditioning seating). It was perfect as we have 2 young kids so it contains them without bothering other parties. Everything we ordered was delicious! The edamame had such good taste and lots of garlic! California roll was made with real crab! Hamachi Kama was perfectly fried and gone in no time. Spicy tuna roll was better than salmon roll (but that's because I don't care for raw onions). The chef special, OMG divine! Service was a bit slow (refilling water and getting more utensils) Kamaaina gets 10% off. (Not sure if there are restrictions ie- alcohol.) We celebrated a birthday and the server knew but no complimentary birthday treat.

    Tyler J.

    Surprisingly decent for resort standards. Salmon and yellow tail were actually better than most normal sushi on the island. No tempura dipping sauce available though.

    Sushi Bar

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    15 days ago

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    4 months ago

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    3 months ago

    had an amazing experience at the royal lanai! delicious food, awesome service, lovely restaurant

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

    Absolutely bomb, a hidden gem in hawaii, service was great, food was great and the outside seating is great.

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    Smiley's Local Grinds

    Smiley's Local Grinds

    4.4
    (906 reviews)
    1.0 mi
    $$

    After we landed, we were pretty hungry and had some time to spare before our hotel check-in, so I…read morefound this gem through Yelp! I ordered the teriyaki chicken plate and my hubby got the garlic shrimp plate. Everything had really good flavor, the rice was perfect, and the macaroni salad had just the right amount of mayo. The teriyaki sauce was really yummy. I prefer my chicken without the skin so I removed it but it was cooked very well and it came off easily. My hubby enjoyed his plate too. The portions are a good size too - you could probably share one plate if you're not that hungry. I saved half of mine for later and ended up eating it cold cause we didn't have a microwave, but it was still so delicious! We even got some fun chex mix snax to eat while we waited. They were so good! This is definitely a place to check out! You will not be disappointed! We even came back another time when we wanted a bite to eat before heading to the beach! So good!

    This place was alright. We got a katsu chicken kalbi and terriyaki beef with rice and Mac salad…read more Super friendly, it's a take out place so we took the food To go and sat at a beach. My beef was a little too salty for my liking, but the other plate with the katsu It was decently priced for the amount of food we got. Not sure if I'd recommend, maybe u just need to try it again.

    Photos
    Smiley's Local Grinds
    Kalbi Ribs! Close up meaty goodness!
    Kalbi Ribs! Close up meaty goodness!
    Smiley's Chicken Plate close up. Crunchy on the outside, meaty on the inside!

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    Smiley's Chicken Plate close up. Crunchy on the outside, meaty on the inside!
    Puakea Grill

    Puakea Grill

    4.3
    (229 reviews)
    1.6 mi
    $$

    This is a nice local gem, located on a golf course (which I didn't realize) with amazing Mountain…read moreViews and occasional Nenes with the chickens. There is a large parking lot leading to two buildings, the right is the restrooms and proshop and the left is the restaurant with covered outdoor seating in the back. The order counter has a nice video menu display where you can review selections. There were many locals coming in for the food, not necessarily golfing. Staff were friendly and helpful. Our food was fresh and tasted great. I had the early breakfast which is an egg anyway, a meat (corned beef hash) and a bread (English muffin). My wife had the everything bagel Lox with salmon. Both plates were brought to the table with utensils by staff. Presentation was nice with orange garnish. We were checked on regularly with our coffee. Corned beef was mostly potato, but still tasty. Quiet today, with average conversation noise. Clean, restrooms needed a little assistance. If you want a nice off the beaten path location, that is quiet in the early morning and a reasonably priced, then this is a nice local stop.

    Entrance/Ordering is on the left side when facing the building just FYI! Order first and then find…read morea seat. Service was quick and good. Great views outside on the patio as well as inside out the windows too! Eats: Mochi pancakes 5/5 fluffy and so tasty with coconut or maple syrup! Breakfast burrito with Portuguese sausage 4/5 comes with some super crispy potatoes and lots of eggs and salsa and sour cream. Would definitely recommend and return ourselves if we are in Kauai again!

    Photos
    The servers at our banquet were all so welcoming and helpful. Thanks to everyone!
    The servers at our banquet were all so welcoming and helpful. Thanks to everyone!
    Sautéed Mahi
    Sautéed Mahi
    Dining room

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    Dining room
    Hualani's

    Hualani's

    4.4
    (460 reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $$$$

    We went here on our actual anniversary. The restaurant is on a golf course. There is alot of new…read moreconstruction in the area but Uber found the place quite easily. We had a view of the ocean. It was pretty high waves after a nearby tropical storm so that was fun to watch. The photo ops are incredible here. They have wonderful seating overlooking the water. Would be great to come here just for drinks. We started with an ahi sashimi appetizer. We pretty much get ahi sashimi at every restaurant in Hawaii. It was good. The hawaiian painkiller drink was nice. Not too strong. For entrees, I picked Kampachi which came with bok choy. Although the portion looked small, it was a good size. Very flavorful. I had a hard time picking between 3 fish entrees. This one worked out well. My wife had a shrimp farfalle pasta. She enjoyed it. When we went to order dessert, they brought us out a lava cake like dessert with happy anniversary written in chocolate on the plate. Complimentary and such a nice touch! It seems like they do pay attention on the reservation. The place was semi-busy but not packed. Bar looked huge. Great service as well.

    An unforgettable dining experience in Kauai Hualani's was,…read morewithout a doubt, one of the finest dining experiences we had on the island of Kauai. From the moment you arrive, you know you're in for something special. Complimentary valet parking, breathtaking views of the ocean, beautifully manicured golf course, infinity pools, and even a distant lighthouse create an unforgettable setting before you even sit down. We started with the Lobster Tempura and the Grilled Octopus, and both were excellent. The cocktails were beautifully crafted and the perfect way to begin the evening. For our entrées, we ordered the Kampachi (the first fish on the menu) and the Filet Mignon. After sharing both dishes, my husband and I completely agreed--the fish was the clear winner. It was absolutely outstanding. Every element on the plate complemented the others perfectly, creating one of those dishes you remember long after dinner is over. The filet mignon was very good--perfectly cooked and flavorful--but if we returned, we would order fish again without hesitation. In fact, we'd probably try the other fresh fish option as well (I believe it was Opah). Dessert was the perfect ending to the meal. We enjoyed the warm chocolate cake and the Hawaiian-inspired banana split, both beautifully prepared and delicious. This is the kind of restaurant you choose when you want to celebrate a special occasion or simply treat yourself to an exceptional meal. The combination of stunning scenery, attentive service, creative cocktails, and outstanding cuisine makes it well worth the visit. It's easy to understand why Hualani's has earned such an outstanding reputation. This was truly one of the highlights of our trip to Kauai, and we can't wait to return. Highly recommended!

    Photos
    Oceanfront Dining on Kaua'i
    Oceanfront Dining on Kaua'i
    Whole fried Kampachi - appetizer for entree
    Whole fried Kampachi - appetizer for entree
    Night views from the patio andlive music

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    Night views from the patio andlive music

    The Royal Lanai - sushi - Updated August 2026

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