Island Lava Java — Restaurant in Hawaii

Update 4/2025 We lovED the Java Lava so much that it was the first place we went to after arriving. I am not sure what has happened in the last year but it didn’t even seem like the same place that we have had so many great dining experiences at. 🥲 I knew we were in trouble when we were waiting to be seated at 3:30 in the afternoon and the restaurant was nearly empty. The employees at the bar didn’t acknowledge us in any way, not even a smile at us, this was very unusual . They just kept looking over at us (repeatedly), like “ it’s not my job to seat you”. Okay, understandable but let us know that someone will be taking care of us don’t just let us stand here wondering if you are closed or something else. We stood there so long that the people that came after us left. The Mia Tai’s were the only thing that were the same deliciousness that we remembered. They were excellent and worth every penny. However the food and service was a totally different story. We ordered Pupu’s and drinks. The calamari was so greasy and the grease coated the inside with of my mouth, yuck. The restaurant itself was dirty. The table was so dirty that the dirt was ground into the wood of the table, (see the picture). Like it was wiped with a dirty cloth repeatedly. We have eaten here many times in the past 8 years and it has always been clean. It was dirty, like a cheap bar. I know that this wasn’t supposed to be a fine dinning experience but cleanliness is important when consuming food. The bathroom was dirty, again like a cheap bar. This place needs a broom, bucket and scrub brush. I really don’t want to think about what the kitchen probably looks like? The service was a “You choose to eat here so I’ll serve you your order, but don’t ask for anything” attitude. Hubby asked about parking validation and the Responce was “it’s over there” pointing to somewhere in the corner of the restaurant. The server was very lackadaisical. He didn’t even check to see how our food was or if was needed more drinks a or anything. What if we decided we wanted to eat a full meal or have a 2nd drink? Which we do sometimes after a drink. However, It’s like he knew once we tasted the calamari we wouldn’t want to eat anything else there 🤨. We paid our bill using the table kiosk, left quietly and sadly for the last time. The parking in the back is still there but it is now paid parking, many of the businesses around the parking lot will validate, usually for 90 minutes. So no big deal just don’t forget to validate! This is really a sad review for me to write we have loved this place so much in the past and a lot of good memories over the past 8 years. It had slipped a bit last year, but this year it drop like a lead ballon. There are a lot of new places in Kailua that have great views of sunsets 🌅 and the ocean🌊. We will be looking for a new hang out in Kailua. So watch for the new reviews of these new places. Bye-bye Java Lava 😢

10/2023 We come here every year when we visit the island. This used to be one of our go to places but this year it has slipped a bit. It is still good, just not great. (I removed the past reviews so there won’t be any confusion). We ordered the Mahi Mahi it was just fish and kind of bla. The recipe they are using for the calamari is way different. They are putting hot spice with it covering the flavor of the calamari. If you like it spicer you will enjoy this. However their Mai Tai is still one of the best on the island. The view is out standing at sunset. Make reservations if you want a great table for the view! Easy parking...

I’ve visited several times now, and I will be returning.

Both floors of the restaurant are open, which is wonderful when the weather is cooperating, but can be uncomfortable in windy and/or rainy conditions. We only had one bad weather experience, but it wasn’t that bad; They restrict seating when the weather is poor. When the weather is good, the VIEWS cannot be beaten, especially the sunsets.

The food we’ve had has been quite good. The Toscana pizza is VERY good, as are the Ahi Poke Bowl and the fish tacos. I want to try the eggs benedict, so I’ll need to get there for breakfast. I have had the coffee, and it is just OK; Not bad, but not great either.

This is the only place on the Big Island I’ve seen so far serving real calamari (“tubes & tentacles”). “Calamari” at the other places I’ve been has been something else, and it hasn’t been good. It’s pretty good at Island Lava Java, but a little on the spicy side (which I like, but others may not).

There is frequently a wait because it’s a popular eatery along Ali’i Drive, but they do take reservations.

My service experience has varied. I’ve had some excellent servers and some who were mediocre at best. The worse experiences may have been due to understaffing, but I can’t say that for sure.

Also kinda related to service, we had one experience where my wife’s necklace had broken, and an expensive pendant was lost. After returning home following dinner, she realized it was missing. She called the restaurant to ask if they could take a quick look for it, but they said they didn’t find it. When I went back, I found it on the floor right next to where we had been seated. So, I feel like they didn’t try to look very hard, which was a little disappointing even though I know that’s not their job/responsibility.

Overall, we really like...

• updated review* The owner reached out to me regarding my review, and was incredibly apologetic and accommodating. Great customer service from the owner and the food was delicious,

We were a party of 10, seated upstairs. They have a QR code on the table for ordering so half of the party ordered from it as we were waiting for our waitress. After doing so the waitress said that she prefers to take the order and seemed bothered by the fact that they used what was provided by the restaurant for their convenience.

The remaining group ordered with the waitress and though the orders were taken only a few minutes apart those who had used the QR code were done eating by the time we received our food. They were out of ice cream for shakes and wedge salads so a couple people in the group didn’t order since that was what they were there for. Not really a big deal but when we received our bill I stated that I was paying for the order placed with the waitress as the others had paid when they ordered through the QR code. I felt that our total was a bit high but didn’t realize until we left that I had also been charged for one of the QR code orders as well as a gratuity which I had also added since it was not clear that we were already charged gratuity.

Once I realized the error I called and spoke to someone named Vincent who told me they had experienced this issue previously and he would look into and call me back. Unfortunately that did not happen and I ended up just calling it a wash. They received double payment for the QR order since my sister also paid for her own food and we ended up paying about $70 more than we should have. Lesson learned the hard way, I suggest the whole group use the QR code to...