Merriman's Kauai — Restaurant in Kauai

We were so excited for this very big dinner splurge we booked after our helicopter tour of Kaua’i. Unfortunately very disappointed. Absolutely the lowest rating I’ve ever given any restaurant, not to mention one with the high price point. The two stars is for our waiter. The positives: nice location with open air atmosphere so hope you can catch a breeze. Also, the cute little salt container on the tables was delicious salt for your food. You’ll need it. The wine was good. Our favorites from this restaurant were the Cesar salad and Parmesan French fries. We got there at opening and before we could order the restaurant was out of a white fish option so replaced with ahi tuna instead. Those are not the same type of fish, nor should they be cooked the same way. Also, the island restaurants brag endlessly that their fish is fresh daily so how do you run out at opening? Hubby had a basic filet and I had the duo (filet and fish) as I can generally tolerate a more cooked ahi tuna. I didn’t even finish the tuna, because it was cooked like the white fish (seared in a Parmesan crust and then baked). The kitchen should have changed the cooking method for the seafood option when they ran out of white fish. The menu options were limited which should have been our first clue to leave. The filets were bland and small. The portions were small. The crab cakes appetizer at a whopping $24 was TWO very small crab cakes (two bites tops). Our tab with tip was ~$250 and the worst meal we’ve had on vacation, maybe ever. We left still hungry and picked up snacks at the Living Foods store in the area and quite frankly regretted we just didn’t eat at that restaurant in the first place. We also regretted not just paying the wine and appetizers bill when the waiter said they were out of white fish, which cut the limited menu even further, and left. Lesson learned. There are plenty of other good restaurants in the area, don’t...

Exceptional from start to finish from the food to the service. Merriman's was our best meal/dinner on our trip!

VISIT: end of April 2021 RESERVATIONS: highly recommended all throughout Kauai, to guarantee a seat and that you're not waiting too long (some of our dinners took up to 1 hour and 45 minutes with reservations - not at Merriman's though!) Reserve through Open Table WHAT WE ORDERED: Merriman's Mai Tais, Truffle Fries, Fresh Catch Special (Ono), Lamb Chop, Lilikoi Mousse WHAT WE WOULD ORDER AGAIN: all of it! STAFF: 5 stars SPECIALS: check their site for their daily specials (the couple next to us asked about the next day's specials and decided to come back the next day!) HAPPY HOUR: 4-5pm DAILY

We were seated promptly for our reservation. We ordered drinks, appetizers, entrees and got a nice dessert as it was our anniversary celebration! This whole meal took about 60 minutes, which baffled us as our entire week on the island had lunches and dinners sometimes running up to 1 hour and 45 minutes, even with reservations. All the food was prompt and absolutely delicious (see my pics) AND my water always filled and I drink at least 30 oz each meal 😁 SUPER shout out to all the waitstaff, not just our waiter, Justin, as everyone else assisted in our 5 star experience - always making sure plates were cleaned (especially since it was very windy on the balcony - which the staff noted was rare) it helped to not have our menus and the bag from the Truffle Fries not flying around us. Extra kudos to the hostess stand as well as they were the only restaurant that even acknowledged our anniversary celebration (Open Table asks if you are celebrating something special).

Thank you again, Merriman's, you will be HIGHLY recommended by us and in...

The place is known and titled for both pizza and burgers. Both are less than what you are wanting, I swear to you. I see other reviews about the service and I will polightly disagree as our server was a sweet and attentive young lady that promptly served four of us. There was a half hour wait to get in and it is a busy joint, but once we ordered, we waited less than 20 minutes for our order no mistakes on her part, this is the reason for the 2 stars. Now the food. We ordered their pepperoni pizza, fish tacos, and teriyaki burger. The pizza was a personal size, and the crust was thin like cracker and had no flavor. The cheese was all asiago and no mozzarella, or at least not enough to notice, the pepperoni was 1 small piece per slice, and it all smelled and tasted of foot (indicative of asiago), it did not make the cut and sent back. The kaloa pork quesadilla was ordered to replace it, and it was amazing, but only one, ten inch tortilla worth, so order two. The tacos were tasty, but fish was crispy, burnt. This leaves the mouth feel in a bad way. The burgers were served with no fries, I didnt check the menu to validate if it was supposed to have that, but fries are great and cost an additional five dollars. The bun is brioche and the vegies seem fresh. The patty was smaller than the bun and cooked medium. This burger reminded me of what Mr Eddy Murphy referred to in his stand up as, the welfare burger. It did have descent flavor with cheese and pineapple, but not much redemption for the price I paid. 1 quesadilla 2 sides of fries 1 order of 2 tacos 1 teriyaki burger with cheese and pineapple 3 soft drinks 1 pineapple mojito (was great btw) TOTAL......$88.00, USD TIP EXTRA, she did a great job, and I'm sorry I cant...