Kauai Diner — Restaurant in Kauai

One star not because of the food, the food is a bit pricey for locals but it’s prepared right, no it’s because of the older lady hostess. You see, a month or so ago, I went to Lihue to do laundry and the only fresh clothes I had to wear was my fancy outfit. So I walked in the Diner looking like some rich celebrity and the Auntie hostess was treating me very nice and the food was cooked just right. She came to my table maybe five times to refill coffee and even suggested jokingly that I come to her house for adobo. However this morning I returned and greeted her cheerfully to which she was unresponsive. She just didn’t recognize me as I was dressed ordinarily and was traveling with a small backpack. Even though I ordered an expensive breakfast and was respectful she put the bill on the table mid meal and then came back a minute later with- “cash or card?” while I was still eating. Trying to rush me out not letting me enjoy, why? The restaurant wasn’t overly full. You see how two faced people could be. She profiled me and for that reason I’m not gonna give them any more of my hard...

We stopped in with a party of seven and were pleasantly surprised to be seated right away without a reservation. The staff was attentive throughout our meal, which we appreciated.

A couple of things we wish we had known ahead of time: the restaurant does not have a liquor license, and the kids’ meals (like the chicken nuggets) do not include fries—they are ordered separately and priced similarly to the entrees, which wasn’t made clear when we ordered.

We also ordered the fried wonton appetizer and were disappointed to find it had no filling. When we mentioned it to our server, she didn’t seem concerned. Additionally, no dipping sauces were brought out with our gyoza or wontons, so we ended up using the sauces that came with the kids’ meals.

That said, the fried rice and house noodles were both packed with flavor and definitely the highlights of the meal.

Overall, a mixed experience—some great flavors and efficient seating, but a few service and communication issues that could...

This place is weird and very inconsistent. One day we came around 8pm for dinner and the place was decently filled with plenty of open seats. When we got our food it was alright. It’s one of those experiences where we had to remind them we haven’t gotten our drinks yet because they forgot.

Another day we came for lunch with even less people in the restaurant and we somehow got a worst experience. One of our orders was wrong (got a BBQ mix plate when I ordered a Seafood Combo) - the server tried to justify it by saying it was a better choice which was a wild response - maybe as a joke I would be laughing but I was hungry and it wasn’t what I ordered so I was not amused.

Anyways, I don’t know how this establishment got good reviews when two of my times here have been average to below-average. Maybe they are only known for their breakfast but they should at least be...