Da Big Kahuna Tiki Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Loveland

Went last night, a Friday night, arrived at approx 6:40pm.

We had tried to reserve a table, but according to google, who does their reservations for them, they never answered the phone.

When we walked in we could not help notice that the floor was dirty and there was a small of "old/dirty" cooking oil.

We should have left but wanted to hear the band.

No tables were occupied, NONE, and there were only a very few people at the bar. This should have been a second clue. We later realized that most people at the bar were associated with the place.

We chose a table, and amazingly it had to be wiped. Why tables in an empty bar need to be wiped is strange.

But then we had to move because the REALLY ANNOYING flashing lights on the stage were just so annoying.

The waitress came with ONE food and ONE drinks menu. They were laminated but still a little sticky.

We stayed anyway, because we wanted to hear the band and my guest really wanted Hawaiian food.

Ordered a beer and a Hawaiian cocktail. They were good although the pineapple on the cocktail looked like it had seen better days. For $12 per cocktail I think the fruit should look good.

I would point out that the google reviews say $10-20 - I can see no way that this is honest unless you only go for a drink and don't tip.

We then ordered the Spam Musubi as a shared appetizer, the Poke Bowl and the Kalua plate. Interesting the price of the bowl was higher than the on-line menu shows. Is this intentional or does their lack of caring allow this to be wrong?

The appetizer was OK, but it was spam. However, the sticky rice was not the best, assuming that it should be like Nigiri Sushi.

The shredded pork in the plate was so bad that it was uneatable. Clearly not good quality pork, or the end of what may have been OK, at some time in the past. Either way it was so salty, and dry, as to be inedible. Undoubtedly the worst pulled pork we have ever had. The macaroni salad was also too salty to eat. The Poke bowl was not bad at all, however, the Avocado in it was unripe, and so little of it that it was humorous.

[I would suggest that they go to Costco, or somewhere to get pulled pork.]

The waitress arrived and asked what we thought, we told her. She was VERY gracious and said she would go to the kitchen and try the pork. She came back and agreed, and without prompting said she would take it off the bill. Even though she left it on the table we ate none of it.

One has to wonder about a chef who would put out food that is so bad that even the waitress agreed that it can not be eaten. Or a chef who sends out unripe Avocado, didn't he/she notice when slicing it?.

We enjoyed the music for a little but decided we had to go somewhere else to eat.

The very gracious waitress did comp the inedible plate and some of the bowl, but that does not make it worth the risk of eating there again.

If you like too much salt, don't care about cleanliness, are not bothered by a chef that doesn't seem to care, disco lights are your thing and no one in your party is epileptic this is the place for you. Otherwise, I suggest you skip it.

Just lowered the service to 1 star since the server responded, claiming to be the owner but did not have the courtesy to provide her name.

Additionally, I have the recording of us telling her that the pork was "the worst we had ever had, was too dry and too salty", then of her returning from the kitchen and agreeing that it was "too salty".

I won't respond to her other comments, since I had already covered then

I'm saddened that they have a loyal following, there are always people who are easily impressed. I'm not glad because they don't deserve to make a living, but because they are taking business from restaurants that are appear clean, don't skip on the avocado, and where the chef understands the difference between avocado that is ready to...

Let me start off by saying I REALLY hope this place is able to stick around for a good long time. Tried a couple of the drinks and they were both delicious. Great balance of alcohol and mixers. Love me some Tiki glasses to jazz them up a bit too. Food came in a very timely manner and it was delicious. I love edamame and this did not disappoint. I will say it was about 30-45 seconds over cooked but the flavor made up for that 10 fold. The ahi nachos (sorry, can’t remember the actual menu name) were perfect. There was a piece of ahi for every chip. The chips were perfectly salted and just the right crisp. Perfect amount of drizzle to top them off. Delicious. My mind was extra blown by the most amazing pork I’ve had since my last visit to Hawaii 10+ years ago. I seriously asked where the pit was because people don’t know how to get that flavor and mouth feel on pork in a commercial kitchen. That pork was so flavorful it didn’t need any sauces or extras. I don’t know what kind of magic they’re working in that kitchen, but I can’t wait to go back and try more menu items…. And also get more pork sliders. Food and drinks aside, this place was going to get a review for the bathroom alone. No, it’s nothing fancy and doesn’t have any special decor, but they did have actual, nice, soft, not your average 1 ply toilet paper. They had the good stuff! don’t know about you, but when I’m drinking, I visit the bathroom more than usual. I HATE using standard commercial tp so this was pretty exciting. Did I mention they also had some great smelling Bath & Body Works soap in there. Thanks for not drying out my hands with standard commercial grade dispenser soap! Now if you’ve read this far you probably think I’m crazy. Maybe a little - but I like what I like and little things go a long way with me. I have to say though, chatting with the owner / server/ bartender a bit was the icing on the cake. She did a fantastic job of chatting with us and staying on top of all the other tables at the same time. I can’t wait to see what else she brings in for specials and what desserts she brings...

We decided to check out the Big Kahuna Tiki Bar on a Saturday afternoon, arriving around 2 PM. The place had a lively, tropical sports bar vibe—fun décor, poor lighting but upbeat energy—and we were excited to sample the food and drinks. It took a long time to be greeted, and we were encouraged to sit wherever we wanted. The staff ran out of menus so we had to shared our 1 menu with each other. When we placed our order, we were told it was happy hour, and the menu confirmed that mocktails were $1 off.

Unfortunately, when the receipt for the bill we already paid for arrived, the discount hadn’t been applied. Due to their electronic payment system, the bill was not itemized and we were offered only a total.

The food itself was flavorful, but the portions were noticeably small. I ordered the Spam Musubi Bowl, which cost $14. What I received was about a cup and a half of rice topped with roughly half a cup of Spam marinated in teriyaki sauce. Tasty, yes—but not quite worth the price tag. It would be helpful if this dish had some sort of vegetable in it perhaps bok choy or seaweed.

To top it off, the staff seemed unprepared for the weekend crowd. Despite it being mid-afternoon, the restaurant was clearly understaffed and overwhelmed by the number of guests walking in. Service was slow and scattered, which made the experience feel more chaotic than relaxing.

All in all, while the vibe was fun and the food had potential, the pricing, portion sizes, and lack of clarity around the happy hour deal left us disappointed. The visit didn’t quite live up to expectations. I hope this restaurant works out it's kinks, as I think it would be a good addition to the Loveland...