Laverne's Big Island Alehouse & Restaurant — Restaurant in Hawaii

Two story downtown pub with great view of water and sunset. This is a Hawaii branch of a pub group started in Alaska and they own Laverne’s Sports Bar next door. This review is only based on our experience on one visit. We came at prime sunset viewing hour for dinner. I have to start by saying we had a horrible customer service experience. Walking in you find a small bar with minimal seating but no acknowledgment, or hello, or how to be seated in the main dining bar area upstairs. So we wandered up the stairs to find a small, easily unnoticed sign saying seat yourself. Then you roam around this area looking for empty tables. We found one unoccupied but still covered by previous occupants wares and bill. I pulled out a chair and sat down to indicate we wanted the table. A waitress came by and said “ you can’t sit there til it’s cleaned!”. Now I understand with the COVID rules this makes sense but her tone and attitude were very off putting and unprofessional. Which should have been a clue how the rest of the meal would go. After sitting down, we received menus. While looking them over, no water, no table ware, and no acknowledgement of our presence. We could see that there were two very young “waitresses” who were working the whole room and patio. The waitress who appeared to be working our side was also working among her tables an 8 top of young men. This group appeared to be getting whatever it needed immediately. Finally she came to us with the water & wares. Asking to take our order, I said we would like to start with the smoked marlin dip. My wife then ordered the ny steak. Waitress turned to me for my order without a “what would you like with that?" or “how would you like that cooked?” for my wife’s order. I needed to prompt her on both those issues. Additionally, the menu list choice of starch but today she only had house potatoes as the choice. I ordered the island fish sandwich-made with grilled ahi. I was told it came with fries, not any of the menu listed choices. Then the wait began. While we waited there was no water refills, no it’ll be just a few more minutes nothing. And of course, as I soon expected, no appetizer. The marlin dip never came. So when our entrees came I told the runner this and he asked if we still wanted it but I declined. The waitress came over with a brief cursory “I'm so sorry” and scurried off to help her favorite table of men. We ate our meal without further acknowledgement of our presence. Now I will say the food was pretty good. The house potatoes were similar to an au gratin casserole and quite tasty. Her steak came with a cup of Demi glaze that was a nice compliment. But the veg was a melange of Asian seasoned beans, carrots, and lots of peppers. Why the Asian flavor with steak and potatoes? Fish sandwich was definitely fresh and the bun and sauce were both very nice. Potential exists for a nice evening here and the location is tough to beat but with the level of service we received you’ll leave...

Honestly I came for the music, and returned for the food. This establishment has a wonderful live music scene. The talent usually plays classic rock, lots of my favorites—Jonny Cash, and Elvis. Humpys has a pretty large menu, and I’m working through it. I’ve had the Buffalo Wings, Garlic Shrimp, Health Nut Chicken, Shoyu Chicken, Kalua Pork Sliders, and the Chicken Tenders.

Service is reliable. This place does pack up, so I recommend coming earlier in the evening if you are in any kind of hurry.

We love Charnay!!! (I hope I spelled that right.) this girl is often the highlight of our visit :) the other night we had the pleasure of hearing her beautiful singing voice.

We typically sit in the same section, and our server Cammy takes good care of her tables.

Buffalo Wings are my go-to. Served with carrots, and celery, and a choice of ranch or bleu cheese dressing. They are crispy, and sauced well. They are completely covered, but not over dressed to the point that they turn soggy. I would imagine they use a franks recipe, with garlic and onion powders, if that gives you any insight as to what the flavor profile is. We (myself and 2-3 others) typically share this, and garlic shrimp. We fill up off the two regularly.

The Garlic Shrimp are a favorite as well. Served with macaroni salad, and rice, these shrimp are cooked perfect every time. They must have some secret ingredient that makes us so addicted. The macaroni salad has a mild flavor, and pairs well with most dishes. The rice is a sticky rice; its serving size is the same as the macaroni salad, about one heaping cup.

Health Nut Chicken is a spicier dish, also served with Macaroni Salad, and rice. The chicken is probably a 6 oz breast cutlet. I recommend squeezing lemon over this dish. It is super tasty, the seasonings pair together so well with the mac salad that you’d believe they we made for each other. I’d recommend this item to anyone who likes a nice chicken dish.

Shoyu chicken is a marinated chicken thigh—dark meat, cooked tender. I mean very tender. It’s served with mad salad, and rice. This dish is too sweet for my taste, but a hit among my party. The tenderness of the chicken is what catches my attention. This is a tell-tale sign of a well run kitchen, and a great prep team. I added Tabasco sauce to my Shoyu plate, and I did like it a bit more that way. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a sweet meat.

Kalua Pork Sliders are about 5oz of slow cooked marinated meat, served on three rolls. Easy to split between friends, and a must try in Kona. These are another one of the sweeter menu items, so I would recommend them to anyone —again—who is looking for sweet meats.

The chicken tenders are thin, and crispy. They were seasoned nicely, and served with honey mustard, and ranch dressing. They came out of the kitchen pretty quickly compared to the other dishes I’ve ordered. I’d recommend these for any groups who are sharing pupu’s...

My recent visit to Humpy’s, or more aptly named "Dumpy’s," was an utter disaster, ruining what should have been a joyous celebration of the end of the school year. We chose this place based on their website, which falsely advertised a happy hour lasting until 6:00 PM. Imagine our frustration when we arrived shortly after 5:30 PM, only to be told by the waitress that happy hour actually ended at 5:00 PM. Her excuse? The website was wrong, and they couldn't change it, so everyone just has to deal with it. This level of indifference set the tone for an abysmal evening.

The service was mediocre at best. The waitress neither recommended any items on the menu nor checked in to see how things were—a clear sign she knew the food was shoddy and subpar. This lack of engagement was incredibly disappointing and left us feeling neglected and unwanted.

The cleanliness, or rather filthiness, was appalling. Not only did the dirty cutlery add to our dismay, but my wife also got bird poop on her arm just from innocently resting it on the filthy railings. When I asked the waitress if anyone could wipe down the poop-encrusted railing—where our table and food were touching—she dismissively said, "Sorry, nothing we can do about it, it’s just an endless battle with the birds above," and walked away. This disregard for basic hygiene is unacceptable and should have been recognized as a severe health hazard.

The food was a culinary nightmare. The nachos were gross and obviously microwaved, with stale chips, sweaty rubbery cheese, and mere morsels of chicken. The smoked marlin was unmistakably from a can, served with tasteless crackers that you’d only buy at Walmart if there was absolutely no other option. The smoked marlin was so bad that my friend who ordered it didn’t even finish it, and we’re talking about a guy who never wastes food on principle, no matter what it tastes like. The pork was average with a meager serving size. Even the mozzarella sticks, a seemingly foolproof appetizer, were a disaster—overcooked and flavorless.

The drinks were merely average. There was nothing special or memorable about them, failing to compensate for the dismal food and service.

To add insult to injury, the entire meal was ridiculously overpriced. Our bill came to over $80 for a meal that should have cost less than half that amount.

In summary, Humpy’s failed spectacularly on every level: misleading advertising, indifferent service, unhygienic conditions, overpriced and terrible food. If you value your time, money, and dining experience, avoid this place at all costs. It was a celebration ruined by incompetence...