Chicken in a Barrel Hanalei — Restaurant in Kauai

Disappointing Experience – Rude and Unwelcoming Staff

We stopped by Chicken in a Barrel in Hanalei Bay over Christmas, looking forward to a casual and delicious lunch. Unfortunately, the experience left us very disappointed.

We arrived after 11 AM, and the front doors were open, so we walked in. My girlfriend and I are both restaurant industry lifers, so we understand how things work and sometimes you need a few extra minutes to open but what happened next felt completely unnecessary. The staff barely looked at us, and when someone finally did acknowledge us, it was only to curtly say, “We’re not open… ” There was no explanation, no friendly tone—just dismissal. I don’t treat people that way.

We lingered for a bit, studying the menu and hoping the vibe might improve. But no one offered any warmth or hospitality. It felt as though we were intruding. After a while, we realized we weren’t welcome didn’t want to spend our money somewhere were given the shaft.

Instead, we headed next door to The Terrace, which was a completely different experience. The staff there welcomed us and were friendly and attentive, the setting was stunning (with views of Hanalei’s business district and the gorgeous mountains in the background), and the prices were comparable. On top of that, they offered full service hospitality.

If you’re in Hanalei, I’d suggest skipping Chicken in a Barrel and heading to The Terrace instead. Hospitality makes all the difference, and unfortunately, Chicken in a Barrel missed the...

I’ve never had religion pushed in my face as egregiously as here. The multiple pieces of Christian decor already made me slightly uncomfortable as a non-Christian, but to each their own. However, the kicker was the fact that they write John 3:16 ON THE TAKEOUT BOXES. That is the opposite of “to each their own.” Christians are always whining that queer people are “pushing our lifestyle on them” just by existing openly, yet nobody does that more than Christians. Don’t tell me to read a bible verse on the box (and the most basic one that just says praise Jesus too)! They go out of their way to write these on the boxes with marker. Enjoy your own religion, but why are you trying to push it so aggressively on your customers?

It makes it seem like an exclusionary establishment that overtly doesn’t welcome non-Christians without trying to convert them. This is especially gross considering that Christian colonizers took over Hawaii and violently forced their religion on the natives while trying to erase their indigenous cultural and spiritual beliefs. (Like Christian colonizers have done all over the world.)

The coleslaw has a great fruity sauce but huge cilantro, which is great for some and awful for others. The chicken, ribs, and onion rings are pretty good. The unwelcoming religion-pushing agenda is not. Live your life and stop wasting time trying to force your...

Fries were really tasty! I will admit that i had something in mind before coming here. I wanted a traditional pulled pork sandwich with Hawaiian coleslaw (potentially pineapple, coconut, poppy seeds, or any combo in it). They had a pork sandwich (#7-hoagie&fries for $14.95), but it was suppose to come with grilled onions and cheese...so after a few modifications, i ordered that, plus a side of their "Hawaiian-style" coleslaw (which was just the regular cabbage, plus a sweet dressing they put on top....but it hadn't been marinating in, so it was more like a salad, than a coleslaw...and zero coconut or pineapple, so idk what made it "hawaiian", and was $4.35 for one scoop). After mixing the dressing in the slaw, adding bbq sauce to the pork (there are 2 different pump bottles to pick regular or spicy bbq near the napkin station), then adding the slaw to the sandwich, it tasted pretty good....but not $20 for a sandwich sort of good. But the fries were a favorite. The outside of them had a battered-like texture that made them crunchy without being...