Moon and Turtle — Restaurant in Hawaii

Quick review: fantastic meal, unique drinks, and excellent service. Our favorite meal during the first week of our honeymoon. Call in advance for reservations.

Detailed review: We tried to go on a Tuesday night however, we did not have a reservation. The next day we called just before they opened and they said they could accommodate us at the bar, which was fine with us. We sat at the bar and order from their unique drinks menu. These drinks aren't your ubiquitous Mai Tai that's served everywhere in Hawaii. My wife got a lychee drink that was served in a martini glass, that she says was probably her favorite lychee drink of all time. I got two different unique cocktails with local flavors and ingredients handmade by the owner, Sony (like the TV brand). She spoke to us as she made them with a kind Aloha spirit.

We ordered one small plate to share and then each of us got a large plate. The menu is definitely small but that is because the quality is of the utmost and the ingredients are fantastic. The serving portions are more than generous especially for both the quantity, but more importantly the quality, of the food. We did not leave hungry suffice it to say. Also, I thought the price was more than fair for what we got.

As I said, we got to speak with Sony as she made drinks for other patrons and found out that this establishment is owned by herself and her husband, who is one of the chefs. This type of genuine entrepreneurship, plus overall quality of food and service, made this our favorite dining experience on the first week of our honeymoon in hawaii. We went to several top notch places in Maui and I think this was better than all of them, including a highly rated restaurant that costs 3 times as much. I highly recommend making reservations by phone as they do not have a reservation system online, but they will be working on it in the future. Trust me when I say this is not a place to miss when...

Overall rating: 5 Food: 5. We had the smokey sashimi appetizer and thought they provided a really good amount of tuna for the price $16. The quality of the fish was great too. Soft and not stringy. You could break apart the fish with your tongue. They were sitting in soy sauce and olive oil, so be prepared for some salt. We ordered the market fish (mahi mahi today) for $28 and the Sausage and Clam Campenelle (pasta) for $28. The fish was great but also a bit salty. Umami? The skin was lightly crisped and the meat was tender. The "taro dumplings" were like gnocchi and combined with all of the little extras and the bone sauce, the market fish was the best dish. The campenelle was verrrry salty. Maybe it was a combination of coming out after the sashimi in soy sauce and the mahi mahi... But we drank so many cups of water and could only eat half of the dish. They do provide ample clams though so I wanted to keep enjoying it, but I couldn't continue eating it. Dessert: After all of the salt, I really needed something sweet. Maybe that was the chef's ploy to get everyone to order dessert... They had a vegan chocolate ice cream made with coconut milk and a regular Tahitian vanilla ice cream. They also had a pots de crème (in a jar), which we ordered. It was good; the caramel wasn't too sweet. Drink: 5. We took the bartender's recommendation of the white La Caña Albariño. It was dry and I guess it was fine with the food. Service: 5, after we were seated, the server asked if we have any food allergies or concerns which I really appreciated. All staff members were wearing masks. Atmosphere: 5, the art is interesting and the tables were spaced apart enough that we didn't feel cramped. They also had standing fans between tables. Noise: a bit loud Other notes: reservation highly recommended. They also change the menu...

You have to make a reservation to dine here, we tried walking in last year but had no luck. Originally I wanted to dine here for my birthday but had to reschedule my appointment and the process was very easy on the phone, and the lady who answered the phone was nice and helpful. The restaurant has a casual styled dining room with a bar in the back, family friendly, with many Hawaiian decorations on the wall. My family ended up eating here to celebrate Mother’s Day, I wish there was a special meal for Mothers, if there was, the waitress didn’t tell me about it and I didn’t noticed it on the menu; However, all the food are truly the best that I’ve had in Hilo and the surrounding area, this says a lot coming from a passionate foodie, someone who likes to try different restaurants and also as a great cook myself. I was excited to try the smokey sashimi, and it was just as fresh and flavorful as I expected, it was so good even my teen who usually doesn’t like raw fish loved it. We also ordered the mushroom risotto, the seafood flavored campanelle, and a kid’s pasta. All of them tasted rich, savory and satisfying— a feeling I haven’t felt for quite a while from a restaurant. What I was most happy about is that the food was so good even my son, the picky eater, ended up enjoying the food! After meal, we tried 3 different desserts, and they were all so beautiful and tasty, well worth the price! The portion sizes aren’t big by American standards, they’re more like Chinese portion sizes, but the 3 of us still felt stuffed and happy afterwards. Overall, this restaurant isn’t the cheapest but they make the best food on this side of the island❤️ Highly recommended for a special occasion or when you want to...