Reviews for Sam Choy's Kai Lanai in Kailua-Kona, HI
Really pretty view and almost never busy when we go! I'm sure it's because we are there around lunch time or early dinner so... there is never a wait and we get happy hour prices! I think happy hour goes until 6pm and includes cocktails and appetizers. Wealways enjoy our experience and the food it great! Read more
I had visited this restaurant often when I had a guest before the covid. This restaurant has a great ocean view and it was a... great joy to eat something nice food while enjoying the great view. However, once the covid hit the island, I was not able tovisit the restaurant. Before the covid, this one was my favorite restaurant in Kona since my guest always liked here. However,the covid changed every thing including this restaurant. They now serve the food on the paper plate, and you need to make anorder from the front desk. You also need to pick up the food. You do every thing except cooking. (Even we had to wipe the tableby ourselves since it was wet) Okay! I can understand well of this because of the covid. They are short of the staff, and theyprobably try their best to put the restaurant on the right track. Then they also need to think of the price or their service.They said that the server will come to take our order for the drink. However no server came up to us even after the food came.Eventually the server came and took our order for the drink, but the drink did not come finally. They said that the fountainmachine does not work properly. I was thirsty but I was not able to ask them to get me some water since they were super busy.Even we did not get any service, we paid the full price including the tip. When I made an order, I had to pay first and Iassumed that the service will be fine. However it was horrible. I brought a guest to the restaurant but I was very sorry to myguest. I was so disappointed by Sam Choy, and I will not bring any guest to here anymore for this year. Probably I will try tofind another alternative restaurant for my guest. Read more
Friendly staff, great drinks, amazing view, and solid happy hour snacks. It blows me away how many of these reviews for this... place shun their serving style. Be open, be on island time, if you treat the waitstaff with the respect they deserve they willhappily help you. The spring rolls with Korean bbq sauce were yummy, the calamari was in a shape I’ve never experienced andhad a wonderful sauce to accompany it. The view was great. We spent our visit enjoying watching different ships cruise alongthe coast. Read more
Sam Choy’s has a wonderful scenic view of the ocean and the sunset, the highlight of this restaurant. Lovely fireplace tables... and torches on the lanai. The food was good; I tried the Hawaiian style ribs and the egg rolls, and they were quite good. Thesauces were a bit sweet/unbalanced, but still quite pleasant. Everyone in my party had high praise for the drinks and the fishdishes, as well as the beef stew! Our server was wonderful as well. Kind of odd that you have to order your food separately atthe counter, but not a big deal. Read more
We came here after arriving on the island for some dinner after looking at some other reviews. It's a great spot to see the... sunset, but all the good spots are taken pretty early and mostly just sit 2. We got their burger and fish and chips, which weregood but not that special. Their drinks were great and most people come here for the views and drinks. Once the sun sets theystart to light up the torches. Read more
The food was good and the customer service was very friendly. Ordering food inside and picking up food from kitchen window... didn't match the vibe of the place, but it seemed this was how they were trying to limit exposure in response to COVID. I getit. I will definitely eat there again. Amazing views! Read more
Love the sunset view and happy hour at this restaurant which has both a great view and fire tables. We were also there twice for... lunch as well and its perfect for that time of day too. Lunch had a more chill vibe and our pick of places to sit with no wait. The food is very affordable and very tasty. One negative is having to eat on paper plates with plastic utensils. But youcan’t beat the view and the price. I also like the wonderful art on the walls. Read more
Service is Excellent! Food is great!! I love the half rack ribs. Moist, and tender. I also love their location, because you can... see the ocean from your table. The bar is nice, which gives points to the ambience of the restaurant. Read more