Papa Kona Restaurant & Bar
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"Hawaii's Big Island: A Collection of 'Pretty Rice' Delicacies (Part 2)"
AliciaAlicia
190
🌺Hawaii's Big Island: A Foodie's Delight
guitar.heroguitar.hero
590
🌅🍹 Sunset Dinner at Papa Kona – Incredible Food, Drinks & Service! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ We had an amazing sunset dinner at Papa Kona, and everything about the experience was top-notch! 🌊✨ Rose greeted us with the warmest aloha and went above and beyond to make sure we had the perfect table with an epic sunset view. 🌅💙 Her genuine kindness, friendly energy, and attention to detail made us feel so welcomed—she was absolutely fantastic! 💖 We started with the avocado fries 🥑🍟—crispy, creamy, and packed with flavor. My teriyaki burger 🍔🔥 was delicious, perfectly cooked, and full of sweet and savory island goodness. But the real showstopper? My wife’s Kahlua Pork Taco 🌮🐷 with the chef’s special “Boom Boom” sauce—Yowza! 🔥🌶️ The perfect mix of smoky, spicy, and tangy flavors made it an absolute winner! 😋 And then… the Ube Old Fashioned. WOW. 🍠🥃 Bartender Tomi crafted a masterpiece using Redemption Bourbon, ube, and chocolate bitters—a smooth, rich, and slightly sweet twist on a classic. Deep, complex flavors with just the right amount of island flair. 🏝️🔥 This drink alone is reason enough to visit! Just when we thought the night couldn’t get any better, we ended with an absolutely incredible house-made crème brûlée. 🍮✨ Perfectly torched on top with a crisp caramelized layer and an ultra-creamy, rich vanilla custard underneath—it was the perfect way to end an already amazing meal. 😍🔥 A huge mahalo to our server, Jackie, who was friendly, attentive, and made sure we had everything we needed to make the night even better. 👏💙 And an extra thank you to Rose for making the entire experience so special from the moment we walked in! 🌺✨ With amazing food, handcrafted cocktails, outstanding service, and an unforgettable oceanfront setting, Papa Kona is a must-visit in Kona! 🤙✨ Mahalo to Jackie, Rose, Tomi, and the entire team for an unforgettable evening! 💙🍹
Gregory GrothausGregory Grothaus
00
Best Brunch in Kona at Papa Kona Restaurant and Bar If you’re looking for the best brunch in Kona, Papa Kona Restaurant and Bar on Ali’i Drive is an absolute must-visit. Situated right on the water, this gem offers breathtaking views of the ocean. Picture waves breaking over the lava rock below as you enjoy your meal, with spinner dolphins jumping and twirling out of the water and, during whale season, whales breaching in the distance. The sights and sounds alone create an unmatched ambiance, making it the perfect spot to relax and soak in the beauty of Hawai’i. Our waiter, Jackie, truly exemplified the spirit of aloha with exceptional service and friendly recommendations. Her suggestion of the ‘Espressing My Love’ cocktail was a highlight of the experience. This Hawaiian twist on an espresso martini, made with coconut vodka and macadamia nut liqueur, was an indulgent tropical delight—perfect for sipping as we enjoyed great conversation and the mesmerizing ocean views. The food was another standout, delivered quickly and served hot. While every dish at our table was delicious, the star was the seared ahi eggs benedict. This dish is a perfect fusion of classic brunch flavors with the freshness of locally caught ahi, offering a true taste of aloha. It’s an absolute must-try for anyone visiting. While walk-ins are welcome, I’d recommend reserving a table on OpenTable to secure the perfect time for you and your family. Whether you’re a local or visiting the Big Island, Papa Kona offers an unforgettable dining experience that will leave you craving more.
William H.William H.
00
I usually don't take time to post negative experiences, except when they are particularly terrible. Sadly, this is one of those cases. Hostess was very nice, waitress assigned to our table was also nice. Everything was going well. This is when things started taking a turn. We were seated on the side facing the west where the midday sun was blasting full force. After a few minutes, I got up and politely asked one of the waitresses if we could get moved to a side of the restaurant that was empty. The entire restaurant was pretty slow, so we figured it was not really a big ask. The hostess said she would have to ask the waitress for the area we wanted to move to. She came back and told us they had refused our request. As I was talking to the hostess, the same waitress who she had asked to move us walked past us and in a very defiant tone asked "Everything ok?", to which both the hostess and I politely responded that it was. After the hostess explained why she couldn't move us because we had already ordered the food, I went back to the table. I knew I had to suck it and resist the heat. Our waitress was still very polite and helpful and kept bringing us more water to try to "keep us cool", and in all fairness the food was ok. We didn't complain any further and tried our best to enjoy the meal under the circumstances. Here is where it gets ugly. After we were finished paying, my wife told me she had to use the restroom. So instead of continuing to wait under the scorching sun, I moved our stuff to one of the empty tables in the area that was a bit cooler. Mind you, the restaurant was SLOW and it was breakfast at 10 am. So the same waitress who refused our table swap walks up to me, and in a very demeaning tone asks me "Can I help you sir?", to which I politely responded that I was just sitting waiting for my wife to come out of the restroom. She then proceeded to act confused as to why I wanted to sit there if I was not ordering anything, so I tried to explain that we were patrons and had already eaten and paid for our meal, and I was simply sitting and waiting for my wife to come out of the restroom. Then she proceeded to in a very demeaning way act like she didn't want me there if I wasn't going to order something else, so at that point I asked "are you implying I cannot sit here while I wait for my wife to come out of the restroom for 5 minutes"? Her response "Well this this is just how restaurants work" At this point I reached my tipping point and became upset, and began to tell her how I didn't think it was fair that she would be giving me a hard time considering the place was empty and I had just eaten, especially after they had refused to move us. But I didn't even finish my sentence before she just turned around and left while I was still talking. To make matter worse, at this point I felt I needed to speak to the manager. Not about the moving tables issue, but regarding the treatment received by this waitress. I told the manager about the entire situation and demeaning attitude on behalf of this waitress, and not only did the manager refuse to offer a sincere apology, she proceeded to justify the behaviour and was even smirking as she was talking about what the waitress had said. All she could recognize was "She should't have done that", but she was smirking the whole time while she was saying this. At this point my wife came out and she weighed in on us having to endure the sun even though all the tables were empty, and pointed to her sunburns. To which the manager responded "Ah it's just a little tan". At this point I just gave up and left, completely dissappointed about this experience. The food was barely ok. The service by our waitress and the hostess was good. They're the only reason I give 1 star. But everything was eclipsed by the terrible treatment by the other waitress and the manager. So in summary, unless you want to be made feel like you don't belong just because you don't LOOK like a tourist, stay away. There's better places to go. I for one, will never visit again.
Omar VaqueranoOmar Vaquerano
00
I’m born and raised here on the Big Island so this is not a biased review but an honest one. First off, the restaurant is located in the backside of the building but in my opinion - in prime location to view the ocean and Ali’i drive. As we walked in the host was very kind in greeting us and was sat along the rail looking out towards the cove. Soon after being seated the server arrived and took our order for food (at the time we didn’t know what adult beverage we wanted). In the meantime we were ready to order an adult beverage but have not seen the waiter come by in almost 15min and this wasn’t only our table. Now, it was busy but it wasn’t that busy to not be able to check on your other tables that were waiting on food. The next time the waiter came by was when the food was brought to the table and it wasn’t even the waiter assigned to our section. My partner light-heartedly made a joke about our waiter disappearing and this server had the nerve to role her eyes and walk away without saying a word. Our assigned waiter finally returned and the vibe was just off at this point. We figured we would order our drinks and make the best of the situation in hopes that service got better. My partner ordered the omelet and it was a little dry and the potatoes heavily seasoned. I had the French toast which was made with Punalu’u sweet bread so it was good. Overall the food ended up being just ok. As we are eating and drinking all we could think about was closing the bill and leaving. When we flagged down the waiter we tried to emphasize with him because his section was big and it started to get packed (mind you we’ve already been here for some time when it wasn’t packed in the beginning). He gave an apology that seemed fake because if we didn’t point anything out, I doubt anything would have been said. We paid our bill and still tipped 20% because as an islander I’d prefer to give back to a local ran business vs a corporation. I am ashamed that this is how a local business is representing Kona side and the natives of the Big Island. I do think there are redeemable qualities and I hope this review as well as the others like mine aren’t discarded because we’ll just take our service to the resorts where they actually care and if they are pretending - I sure as heck don’t feel it.
Noah YomesNoah Yomes
00
Nearby Attractions Of Papa Kona Restaurant & Bar
Royal Kona Resort
Kona Farmers Market
Courtyard King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel
Kona Inn Shopping Village
Body Glove Hawaii
Kailua Pier
Lanihau Center
Ali‘i Sunset Plaza
Elite Pacific Vacations
Voyagers of the Pacific Lū‘au

Royal Kona Resort
4.1
(2.8K)Click for details

Kona Farmers Market
4.3
(2.3K)Click for details

Courtyard King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel
4.2
(1.8K)Click for details

Kona Inn Shopping Village
4.3
(853)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Papa Kona Restaurant & Bar
Kona Brewing Co.
Island Lava Java
Big Island Grill
Quinn's Almost by the Sea
On the Rocks
Kona Inn Restaurant
Huggo's
Island Ono Loa Grill
Foster's Kitchen Kona
Humpy's Big Island Alehouse

Kona Brewing Co.
4.5
(1.8K)Click for details

Island Lava Java
4.4
(1.5K)$$
Click for details

Big Island Grill
4.5
(1.1K)Click for details

Quinn's Almost by the Sea
4.5
(1.1K)Click for details
Basic Info
Address
The Waterfront Row, 75-5770 Ali‘i Dr 1st Floor, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
Map
Phone
(808) 300-0044
Call
Website
papakona.com
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4.3
(797 reviews)
Ratings & Description
Description
Laid-back oceanfront restaurant with a terrace, an international menu & nightly live music.
attractions: Royal Kona Resort, Kona Farmers Market, Courtyard King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel, Kona Inn Shopping Village, Body Glove Hawaii, Kailua Pier, Lanihau Center, Ali‘i Sunset Plaza, Elite Pacific Vacations, Voyagers of the Pacific Lū‘au, restaurants: Kona Brewing Co., Island Lava Java, Big Island Grill, Quinn's Almost by the Sea, On the Rocks, Kona Inn Restaurant, Huggo's, Island Ono Loa Grill, Foster's Kitchen Kona, Humpy's Big Island Alehouse

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