Banyan Dining Hall (BDH) — Restaurant in Oʻahu

Oh boy… the facilities are great, but that’s about where the greatness ends. I get that the dining hall is still fairly new, but there are some significant downfalls that aren’t being addressed.

First off, why have an upstairs dining section if you’re never going to open it for use? Second, when the cafeteria is almost at max capacity, why are you still letting non-students come in to eat? Tables are only clean when the doors first open, the food is rarely savoury. And the soda fountain is usually out of syrup. Food gets left out for an uncomfortable amount of time and as someone who worked in fast food for a long time, I know for a fact the employees aren’t following food handlers safety.

It’s sort of a shame that students without kitchens on campus have to rely on the dining hall in this condition, especially with people from off campus coming in and taking up room. Locals treat it like a regular restaurant, but it’s really a shared kitchen for a thousand students who don’t have a kitchen to use.

The place has great potential, but it seems like the management and attention to detail just...

My friend invited us to eat here thinking it's only $12 /person but to our amazement, the total was $69 for 4 people ($17.25/person). No discount for kamaaina or alumni nor seniors either For the amount of money they charge, the food should be good but to our disappointment, the food was really bad. For lunch, they had dried chicken nuggets with fries, spam and eggs with rice and furikake, pizza that looked like it came from a box, soups that were awful. No veggies except the salad bar. For the students that are eating here, they are not getting nutritious food at all! The food selection needs to be evaluated by a nutritionist. The building is new and clean but you are not going to see me here for lunch or dinner again! A big menu improvement needs to...

The dining hall has improved in their food quality greatly this last year. I have eaten at BYUH from 2017, right when the Banyan Dining Hall opened 2022, and now 2025. It is better than it ever was. I will say the price is a bit out of budget for average individual (unless you have a meal plan). There is lack of main meal options (3-5 a day) compared to restraunt buffets but plenty of sides are available. It is structured as a cafeteria for students and a great option for students and for those who live in the area but it is not the same as a buffet option you may have in town. Make sure to check the website for the...