Buzz's Original Steak House — Restaurant in Oʻahu

The following is the reason for my 5-star review:

First, I was greeted cheerfully by the hostess. Since I arrived a little before 3:30pm, I was just before Pupu (appetizers) were to be served. I was given the drink menu, the happy hour menu, and the dinner menu, so I could plan my evening meal and drinks.

Second, while you are likely to have kind and competent servers regardless, based on my observations, I was fortunate enough to have Kelsey as my server. I cannot begin to express my gratitude for her professional, yet down-to-earth, approach to taking care of her guests. Ask for her; you will not be disappointed!

Third, the food was so very well done! I started with a perfectly amazing order of escargot, followed by an appetizer of Artichoke Surprise. It was outstanding! My meal ten followed with the best Gazpacho I've ever had! This was nothing short of amazing!

I the had my main course of Wahoo with garlic mashed potatoes. OH MY WORD!!! This nearly brought a tear to my eye!!! The Ona was perfectly cooked, the flavor notes were nicely balanced, and the presentation was well done without feeling pretentious.

Something I find most interesting is that Buzz's give dessert duty to their bussers. This was a bit unexpected. However, Pierce handled himself with aplomb. I suspect he will likely be moved into a waiter if he chooses simply because he has excellent promise with the clientele. Regarding dessert, the Kalo Crunch was decadent! I can honestly say this rivals the best desserts I've ever experienced...bar none! I was also served a piece of their Hawaiian Lime Pie. I cannot say enough about this slice of heaven on earth! it's not tart like a good, traditional Key Lime Pie. It's creamy, mild and wonderful! If you want a pleasant and light ending to your meal, THIS is it! oh, and for either one, ask for a little toasted coconut...so very good!

As for drinks, I started with the "6Years on the Beach". This was a nicely refreshing summer drink when the heat is up. I followed that with the "Buzz's Famous Mai Tai". This drink has no pineapple juice, and packs an appropriate punch. (I do my own Mai Tais at home, and this is no slouch.) I then tried Deez Nuts, but I asked that it be served on the rock instead of blended. Holy cow! This might be my new favorite cocktail! I later had a Greek wine named Zoe with the main course, and it was a perfect pairing to my Ona served Hibachi style! To compliment my dessert, I had the Amalua. This made the ending to my meal so incredibly satisfying!

I cannot say enough about the quality of food and drinks I have been served here tonight. I would highly recommend the good folks from Michelin stop in. I suspect Buzz's would hit the mark with whatever category they deem appropriate. Regardless, please do yourself (and your partner or business associate) a HUGE favor by making this a must on your bucket list while on Oahu! I can assure you that you will...

Buzz's Steakhouse 2nd Visit - Solo I went back to Buzz's Steakhouse after doing the morning thing on the beach. It was a planned trip to recharge midway through the day since this is the ONLY restaurant at Kailua Beach. And it's a great one, with a tremendous, well deserved local reputation for the last 50yrs.

3 Things You Need To Know About Buzz's Original Steakhouse

1. The Mai Tai ain't no joke. It's tasty good to drink and has 3 shots of liquor. That's a dangerous combo at the beach. In fact they will not serve you more than 3, house rules.

2. All of the food is exceptionally good but the stand outs, that I hear about from the locals is the calamari (served as a big flat cut steak?), prime rib, burgers and artichoke surprise.

3. This is a great people place. Several things happen when you put people first, including your staff. Everyone feels "it". They feel comfortable. They enjoy their food and drinks more. They connect with other people around them. They choose to be happy. And they choose your place over others and come back.

I've lived at several beaches now and I've seen lots of places rely on their location or their menu to keep business. And it can work for the most part if they're smart about doing all the other little things well.

But the places that last for years and become legendary, are the ones that never forget...its the people that are the most important element.

Notice I didn't say "customer"? ...once you use a label that says the money is the important designation, then you've diminished the level of your success.

When money is the focus then your servers attitude depends on their last tip, your kitchen will feel under paid when they get crushed and your guest are busy comparing every item to the cost of getting the same thing somewhere else better.

Everyone is more important than the money in your house. Treat your staff like family and they'll serve your guest exceptionally well. The money will happen.

That's the simple secret to restaurant success 9 out of 10 places miss and go out of business within the first 3 years.

The restaurant and hospitality industry is the most competitive business in the world. Your guest have a life time of stellar experiences that set their own personal bar for service, food and drinks. Making each of them feel special, every time, will win their hearts. The rest...

Wife ordered a moscow mule and took one sip but made a squinted face. Gave it to our server that sent it back because it was too sour and asked to change drink to something else. Female manager then approached our table holding same drink to ask what was the problem with it. Gave her the same explanation. She then said it was made the same as anywhere and that she doesn't understand why we would send it back. Then continued with saying that they normally don't change drinks for free but she would allow it this one time. She then claimed it must be because it was served in a glass and not a copper mug as mules are. My wife and I drink moscow mules enough to know it wasn't the mug but because it was heavy on the sour side. We remained polite and thanked her anyways to end the conversation asap. Food was fine and the atmosphere was nice. Server was awesome. Just didn't understand her attitude towards us like we we're wrong for wanting something else. We never asked for a free drink either. We just wanted to change it. Her attitude was that of someone who thinks we were asking for freebies. Her vibe, tone, body language, and facial expressions she gave us felt demeaning as she stood there with the drink in hand while treating us like we we're wrong about it and acting like we were asking for a free drink (one drink, not drinks). This was not necessary. Next time just charge us and stay away from the customer Ma'am. We wouldn't have been the wiser if she just charged us for it because we fully expected to pay for the wasted mule. Only sent back the drink not like we we're trying to scam a entire meal. Should have been there. The whole scene felt or made us feel embarrassed and ashamed or like we were low class for asking for a different drink. Will not be returning because of her specifically. Karen vibes is a understatement of...