Island Hopper Taproom — Restaurant in Hawaii

We decided to check out Island Hopper Taproom because of its proximity to our resort, and it was an okay experience overall. The outdoor seating area was a definite highlight, with plenty of space and large TVs that made it a great spot to catch a game in a relaxed, laid-back atmosphere.

The drink selection was impressive, featuring local Hawaiian breweries, which was a nice touch. However, the food was underwhelming. We tried the kalua pig sandwich and the tropical summer salad. The pork on the sandwich was “wet” and lacked flavor, though the grilled pineapple and sauce added a bit of redemption. The salad, with fried coconut shrimp and a spicy chili dressing, was decent but nothing extraordinary.

Service was average—polite but not particularly memorable. Unfortunately, the sticky table was a turnoff and made the place feel less clean right off the bat. Combine that with pricing that felt steep, likely due to its location near high-end resorts, and it didn’t feel like the best value.

While the taproom has potential and offers a great drink selection in a chill setting, the food, cleanliness, and overall experience fell short of...

Very nice restaurant with good food and friendly attentive service. They even tuned in the basketball game and fired up a Bluetooth sound speaker on our table so we could enjoy sound.

The significant downside is the outdoor dining area doesn’t have fans to keep the air moving. When the food (which was great!) came out so did the flies. Lots of them.

The other problem is the outdoor dining area becomes a pizza oven very quickly. We got here at open and by 11:45am (78*) it was uncomfortable. Most uncomfortable. We didn’t seat inside because we’re in a beautiful area and wanted to enjoy it.

Adding fans to the outdoor area would easily solve both of these issues. I know it’s an expense but no telling how many people come here once and never again. We would definitely come again if we didn’t have to battle flies and hot stagnant air.

We will update as conditions change

Update: talked to the manager/owner about the suggestion of adding a fan to get the air moving for comfort as well as to discourage the flies that everyone was swatting away. He was uninterested in the feedback and even wanted to argue about everything. Clearly...

We arrived with a party of 10 on a busy Saturday night and they were very considerate. While the restaurant was busy and they couldn’t necessarily service right away, they still were able to accommodate us with the table so we can sit and order drinks. Our waitress was super nice and hospitable. And the whole restaurant was buzzing. It wasn’t as long as a wait as they expected and the waitress was able to bring us all different types of drinks for the adults and the children and got some appetizers started for us. I took her recommendation for the kimchi, bacon burger, and it was very tasty. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meal. We were staying at the exclusive resorts next to the Fairmont, not far up the road, and we had tried the pizza place and the café and juice bar several times. This little taproom did not disappoint. Not only was the food tasty, but the people were super friendly and hospitable. And they had some really cool artwork up on the walls of...