Tropics Island Grill & Ale House — Restaurant in Honolulu

Unacceptable and Inappropriate Behavior from Bartender Alex B

We came in during happy hour to celebrate my mother’s birthday—a trip to Hawaii we were all excited about. I was with three of my adult children, and what should have been a relaxing time quickly turned into a frustrating and uncomfortable experience.

Right away, bartender Alex B told us “no sleeping or vaping”—which felt unnecessary and targeted, especially since I had just been there earlier in the week and saw people smoking openly. But the worst part was when my son briefly put his head down at the bar, and Alex physically touched him to tell him not to. That was completely uncalled for and inappropriate—he had just arrived and wasn’t doing anything wrong.

Later, Alex refused to serve my husband a final beer, claiming it was because he was “with a group,” even though we all ordered our drinks separately at the bar. He Bartender Alex B Made Our Family Celebration Uncomfortable and Inappropriate

We visited during happy hour to celebrate my mom’s birthday while visiting Hawaii with my grown children. From the start, bartender Alex B made us feel unwelcome with comments about “no sleeping or vaping.” I had been there earlier that week and saw people openly smoking, so this felt inconsistent and unfair.

But what truly crossed the line was when my son briefly put his head down at the bar, and Alex physically touched him to tell him not to. That was completely inappropriate and unnecessary—especially since he had just arrived.

Later, Alex refused to serve my husband another drink because he said we were “with a group,” even though we had all ordered separately at the bar and were minding our own business. He even insisted my husband sit at a different table. The whole interaction felt rude and uncomfortable.

The food—nachos and fries—was below average, and the only service we got came with an attitude. Alex also complained about being tipped, even though we were a group of seven and still left one.

This experience ruined what should have been a joyful day celebrating my mother. We left feeling disrespected, discriminated, and extremely disappointed. I won’t be coming back, and I’ll continue sharing how poorly we...

PLEASE BEWARE - Do not eat here!!

I don't know what happened to this place, because based on the reviews here, it either must have been good at some point or they are flooded with fake reviews. The manager mentioned they were going through some "issues", but until they are resolved, I must in good conscious warn others of our experience tonight.

Where to begin? For reference, there were 3 tables in the entire place while we were there, our party of 8 and two parties of 2. It took an hour for our drinks to come, 1 ordered a beer and got a seltzer water, and another never got her drink. Never. We should have left then, so maybe the rest of this story is our fault for staying and being optimists?

After 1 hour 15 min the food began to trickle out of the kitchen, 1 or 2 plates at a time. Then it stopped at 7 plates. We ordered 4 burgers collectively and 3 were served... Apparently 1 was never entered, or was just forgotten.

Three at the table ordered different MahiMahi dishes (fish N chips, fish tacos, and a fish sandwich). All three immediately noticed a FOUL taste, it was apparent we had all been served spoiled fish. The manager was indignant at first, suggesting three seperate people couldn't tell what spoiled or rotten fish tasted like (or that we maybe didn't know what fish was supposed to taste like at all?) It was insulting, but it was ultimately resolved by sending them back and having them taken off of the bill. Nothing more was ordered because we didn't have another 90 min to sit around and wait.

Just so this review isn't entirely negative, the 3 in our party who actually got the burger they ordered said they were good.

Long story short - 3 of us ended up walking down and eating Subway (once our stomachs settled) after spending almost 2 hours in this...

The price was comparable to other, nicer restaurants nearby. However, the food quality was poor for the brisket, and smoked chicken dish. I would say 45/50 for the amount you get since the prices are higher for the resort areas (the amount of food is not a lot), it was not worth 85$. In fact, I'd say stay far away from that dish, this place has better stuff than that one. Though it still isn't great.

The Blue Ocean beverage was very over poured and awful.

The Sunset beverage was great, nice blends of alcohol. The fries were lightly battered, but that was it. Why not use the pickled onion to make something to pair? Or something pineapple/bbq? Just seemed strange to not have anything else.

These were the best things out of the order.

The onion was okay. The coleslaw was very fresh! The bratwurst was alright, but barely had any pineapple in it. The brisket was okay, but for the amount of fat it had, it had very little flavor to it, and was really overcooked. Which explains the heavy need for all the sauce. The chicken was so dry. This was the worst thing I've eaten in awhile. The sauce did nothing for it. It was way overcooked, and too dry.

I felt bad for the waiter, since it was very busy.

Will not return here and now I am wishing I could have spent that money elsewhere more deserving. Don't go here!

Go to Tanaka or somewhere that is actually worth a 120/140 food bill, you'll get more options, more food, better experience, better service, and overall just...