Jackie Rey's Kailua-Kona — Restaurant in Hawaii

We were on Big Island last year and this was our favorite restaurant on the island by far; so much that we ate at Jacky Reys three out of six nights. The other three nights were Roy’s, Merrimans and Fish & Hog; none of which were even close to the meals we got at Jackie Rey’s. It wasn’t cheap but we felt it was a very good value as all the dishes were great and the portions were reasonable. We left full all three times while wishing we had more room to try other stuff on the menu. Actually we didn’t pay a lot attention to the price as we loved the food so much.

It left such an impression on us, we made reservations a week ago so we could land at the airport and go straight there to dinner for our first meal back on the Island.

This trip, the food was not what it was last time. The sauces were runny and definitely not from the same chef. At least one was straight out of a bottle. The fishes on each plate were cooked very well but the plates all lacked the same zing as last time. The scallops were fine but not with same char as last time or as seen in some of the other google review photos from just a couple weeks ago. The shrimp on at least my plate was overcooked and had a slight burn flavor to the batter. Same for the poor crab cake; cooked so much it was actually chewy and tasted like a single piece of meat. Last time, even the pasta dishes were out of this world; this time they were nothing to get excited about. The Molokai potatoes are the one thing that were better than last time. It is indeed a standout and love the coconut flavor in it which I don’t remember from last time.

Appetizers were same size as last year although we didn’t see their poke tower on the menu which was out this world. For entrees, the pasta dishes are the only decent portions. Everything else seemed about 70% of the size of last year. Price wise, it didn’t knock us out of the chair but we certainly didn’t leave satisfied either.

Oh, and $14 for a glass of fresh orange juice?

All in all, a huge letdown. No one in our group is clamoring to go back during the next two weeks we ll be on the Big Island. I hope they get themselves back to where they...

Jackie Rey's was absolutely delicious and had a wonderful waitstaff! There is no view, but the inside is beautifully decorated with paintings, real plants, and lots of light features that bring the space to life. The bar is a great focal piece as well.

We started off with drinks: a non-alcoholic pitaya and company for me, which was more tart than sweet, as I prefer, and my friend ordered a sweet, but very strong mai tai. For appetizers, we ordered the ceviche, which was good, but it didn’t have enough chips for the amount of ceviche on the plate. The flavor is very light due to the coconut milk and needed more lime to provide the lacking acidity, but we found it paired really well with the intensely flavored kalua pork spring rolls, which had the tangiest sweet chili sauce. Those rolls were crispy and well stuffed too.

For our main entree, we had the seafood trio and I was pleasantly surprised by the vast amount of vegetables. The crab cake was well seasoned, juicy and fresh with a thin layer of crust that let the crab shine through. The tropical salsa on top was a great addition too. The Ahi Tuna actually paired fantastically with the remaining ceviche sauce, much better than the curry underneath it, which was delicious, but overpowering for the light fish. The ube mash and vegetables however were great alongside the curry. My only suggestion is on the coconut shrimp, which needed more sweetness in the coconut flakes themselves and it needed to be salted as soon as it was removed from the fryer because it was lacking seasoning. Also it would have been nice to have the sauce on the side to dip into, as there was barely any and it fell off the shrimp and onto the other items...

So I can’t base this survey on the food and the reason why is that I left the place when I was asked to be sat at the bar because I was a party of one. I was recommended to eat here by the people’s house I was staying at and also others I spoke to. I made a reservation there for two people at 630pm, I did arrive early and had no problem waiting for my table but she went a head and sat me at a four top. I informed the hostess (she had 2 menu’s in her hand) that my other person backed out at the last minute and it was just me. She then said well let me another table to sit at and looked towards the bar area. The table she was going to sit me at had a good view of the bay. Then she said “how would you like to sit at the bar instead?”. I told her that I would think about it and stepped off to the side so she could sit those people who had come in and dining reservations before me. I sat down in a chair in the waiting area and stewed over it because I was single person I would be sat in the bar area or asked to sit at the bar. I decided that at this point I would take my money somewhere else and that’s what I did. What the hostess did not know was I was also going to order dinner for my friend who was staying in and the two dinners along with app and booze or beer wouldn’t have been close to 60 dollars plus tip. She asked me “have you decided?” And I said “yes I have, im going somewhere else where I won’t be placed in a bar area or at the bar to eat...