Hawaii Calls Restaurant — Restaurant in Hawaii

We had the opportunity to dine with Hawaii Calls Restaurant last week while we were on the Big Island, and to say “Wow” is an understatement. We had reservations for their chefs series concept, which is a four course farm-to-table meal celebrating sustainable cuisine, local vendors, and an interactive dining experience. Each course featured pan-pacific flavors, Big Island ingredients, and aesthetically pleasing presentation. Our seafood, seasoned with Kona Deep Sea Salt, was Big Island Abalone and Kona Cold Lobster. If you have to eat your veggies, make sure they come from Kekela Farms - parsnips beets radish oh my! Chef’s dressing was divine and paired perfectly with Big Island Goat Dairy. Hamakua Mushroom farm provided the mushrooms for the third course, and they are my new favorite thing ever. They also provided finger limes which was basically lime caviar. Island Harvest’s macadamia nuts were simply the best for dessert. We chose to do the optional cocktail pairing, which did not disappoint. Kuleana Rum Works was the beverage partner and each cocktail complimented the flavor profiles of the courses perfectly. This was a great dining experience not only because it was a super delicious and memorable meal, but we also left learning a little more about the local farms. It’s always a special touch when the chefs come out and tell us a little bit about how they came up with their creations for the evening. Farm owners from Hamakua Mushrooms and Island Harvest were in attendance dining at the table, and we were all able to talk story about their history, their experience growing food on the island, understand agricultural challenges, and make connections to continue to support local. Shout out to the leaders and the team...

Update 12/2023: Completely new menu, more upscale = higher prices. Missing the incredible island vibe from the previous menu and menu items we loved (pupuu platter, ahi tuna nachos). They kept the incredible ribs on the menu (both appetizer and entree portions). I did really enjoy the French Dip made from prime rib, but other than the incredible Mai Tai, this may no longer be our favorite spot for dinner.

Good news for parents, the Keikei menu still has great options for picky littles. (Menu pics included).

Update: 12/2021, 6 months later, we're back on the island and this was our first stop for a Mai Tai and the Ahi Tuna Poke nachos. I wish I could change my rating to 4.5. Jenny and Remy are our 2 favorite servers here who always take care of us.

6/2021 You know me, you get the good and the bad. We stopped by for Taco Tuesday.

For the good. The Mai Tai's here are now one of my favorite on the island.. top 3 along with Merrimans and Lava Lava Beach Club. Get the Ahi Nachos... Absolutely divine! The fish tacos were Mahi Mahi last night and cooked perfectly.

The bad...yet the only thing I sent back was a drink. The beef tacos were smothered in cumin and a bit too well done for my taste... Take it easy chef. I ordered a Pina colada, and it tasted like a bottle of Hawaiian Tropics oil. We had a great waitress who took it back and had the bartender make me a fresh one vs the pre-blended one. Cold fries delivered with my daughter's burger (I have no problem burning my mouth with a fresh fry).

Now we know... And we'll be back next week......

Great vibes , amazing hospitality though n good quality food. Looking for a grub spot right after our sunset boat ride we ended up at Hawaii calls. For parking all you got to do is get to the self parking area , press the grey button ( call for help) and let the security person on the other side of the phone know that you are in for dining at the restaurant as it’s located in the Marriot property.

One thing to keep in mind is the fact that the menu in restaurants here changed very often and pictures in Yelp from say 2022 or 2023 might not even be relevant as far goes the menu.

Got to our table with a nice clam breeze blowing across. Remy was our host for the evening and an absolute sweetheart as she kept up with our requests. Big shoutout to Remy for her efforts!!

We ordered Roasted Brussels, The Ali’i mushroom along with Kanpachi ( subbed out the starch for veggies for one of the orders while the other came out as is OOTB).

The initial batch of mushrooms that we received was overly oily and when we reported that to Remy she got a new batch done for us. Still didn’t taste as good. The Brussels sprouts were ok and looked overly fried and thus dinged a star overall. The kanpachi was decent and the veggies along with it tasted good. The mashed potatoes were not prepared in the way we expected them to be and left a bad taste in our mouth.

It could have been an off night for the kitchen but what we paid in for our bill was way too high compared to the quality of the food that was...