Hukilau Lanai Restaurant Reviews

We had our wedding reception in October of this year. Manda, the private party coordinator, was awesome!! She always got back to me very quickly leading up to the reception. She was very helpful with suggestions (and not in a pushy way) when I was ever unsure of a decision. Since it wasn't a big wedding I didn't have a wedding coordinator. Manda knew that and offered any help she could give to make sure everything ran smoothly.

Food - food was excellent! Everybody loved the appetizers (lobster/goat cheese wontons, ahi nachos, garlic shrimp, sweet potato ravioli) and entrees (filet mignon and prime rib-->it was delicious!!).
The one dish that nobody seemed to like was the fish (mahi mahi). Nothing wrong with the way it was cooked, everyone just seemed to not like the flavor.

Cake - beautiful and tasty (strawberry chiffon)

Decor - regular was a mosaic candle in the middle of the table. We upgraded for $6 per table and got a fresh hibiscus flower in a bowel of water, per table. Smaller flowers are scattered around the table centers also (that's not an upgrade). I would recommend the upgrade. The regular mosaic candle is pretty small and does not look wedding-y (it's basically just the candles that are on every table in restaurant).

Entertainment - they always have live musicians in the main lobby and they piped the music to the private banquet room. Keep in mind though that the regular restaurant closes at 9:30pm or so (private parties can still until 10:30pm) and the music will stop then, also. We had polynesian dancers/musicians hired for entertainment after the restaurant music ended.

Price - very reasonable; much less than several other restaurants I looked into. Based on menu chosen, price ranged from ~35-50 per person.

In the private banquet room, there is a wall of windows that they keep open if weather permits. With it open, I thought it would be really chilly (late October) but I actually was kind of hot since there was no A/C.

I picked it mainly because of the good food reviews and we (and all our guests) were very happy with the entire experience.

Chantry and the Hukilau staff were an absolute pleasure to work with for our wedding reception. Out of all the vendors whom we worked with to plan our destination wedding, Chantry and the Hukilau staff were by far the best. We probably weren’t the biggest party that they had, but we never felt like it. They always had time for us. They worked with us through several conference calls with family members who wanted to be involved in the reception planning process, sent us photos of the reception room, and accommodated custom menu requests that we had. They were also kind enough to allow our guests to meet and park at the restaurant for an offsite beach wedding about an hour away, with the reception to follow later that evening at the restaurant. Chantry even went so far as to meet us and our guests as everyone was arriving for transportation to the wedding several hours before the reception to make sure that everyone knew where to go. This really blew us away; she really went above and beyond what we had expected for organizing our reception dinner. When we arrived the night of the reception, the setup was breathtaking. It was exactly what we had envisioned. Our friends and family still comment on how beautiful it was, how great the food was, and how attentive the wait staff and manager were to our party. Thank you, Chantry and Hukilau staff, for making our wedding reception truly memorable!

My husband and I had a destination wedding in Kauai with only 12 guests. We celebrated with an extravagant dinner at Hukilau Lanai. It was by far the best decision!

I exchanged dozens of emails with the staff at Hukilau Lanai (who were all extremely helpful and responsive) before Chantry was assigned to manage our dinner. Chantry, of course, was equally amazing!

It was very easy picking out a menu; for appetizers, we went with the ahi poke nachos, calamari, and lobster & goat cheese wontons. Our guests loved all of the dishes! We then had the soup or salad option (everyone picked the lobster bisque - hard to choose a salad over that!). For entrees, we had the choice of filet mignon, fresh catch of the day, and the pork tenderloin. Most of our guests chose either the filet mignon or the catch of the day.

Finally, our wedding cake was a round, two-tiered, chiffon cake with lilikoi filling and vanilla buttercream. The cake was textured and decorated with Hukilau Orchid Heads. We provided a cake topper (MR. & MRS. on three tree slices held up with bamboo sticks), which looked rustic and picturesque. I was very pleased with how the cake turned out (moist, delicious, and not too sweet) and how the chef placed the cake topper. The cake was only $85!

I worked with Chantry to create a custom wine menu (two reds - pinot noir and merlot and two whites - pinot grigio and chardonnay). We also chose two bottles of Domaine Carneros Brut for our champagne toast. We offered the entire beer menu, and coffee service was provided for free with the cake.

I created a seating chart and place cards, which I dropped off the day before our wedding. Everything was set up perfectly, and the service was SO smooth that we didn't even notice we were in a restaurant! The wines were brought to my husband and me to taste and approve :-) and we always got our dishes first. I thought that was a nice touch.

Everything went perfectly, and I couldn't have been more pleased!!!

I was so pleased with the Hukilau Lanai for my wedding ceremony and reception. Manda and Chantry were very helpful throughout the planning process. The outdoor ceremony area was great for our small wedding. I can't emphasize enough how amazing the food was! From the appetizers to the cake myself, my groom and all of our guests were blown away! The servers and bartenders were so polite and accommodating to everyone. We really enjoyed them! I highly recommend the Hukilau Lanai!

Hukilau Lanai was a great place to have a reception. We had 20 guests and rented out the banquet room. The view was gorgeous with the windows open. Even with the windows open, there was AC as well which we found out a lot of places on Kauai does not have AC so that was a huge plus.

I can not say enough great things about their food. That was the most important part of the reception for my husband and myself and they definitely did not disappoint. The guest could not stop talking about how delicious everything was, especially this ribs which my husband most enjoyed.

All of the workers, (Manda and Chantry especially) did everything to make our reception wonderful. They were very accommodating to changes. Unfortunately it rained right after our wedding so we had to wait for it to clear up before taking pictures. Because of this, my husband, myself and the wedding party was late to the reception. They were nice enough to make extra appetizers for us when we got there so we could all enjoy as well. Our whole schedule was thrown off a bit but they did their best to help us stick to the schedule.

Hukilau Lanai was worth every penny and I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a reception venue or even just getting dinner!

We had our rehearsal dinner here and the food was fantastic. The staff were very attentive to all of our guests' needs. The location is great. I'd recommend it for a rehearsal dinner location to anyone!

My husband and I held our wedding reception at Hukilau Lanai and it was easily the most delicious food we had ever had; even our guests are still talking about it! The service was wonderful and the price was very affordable for what we were served.

Chantry and their staff has been great from the very beginning in planning my ceremony/wedding. I was trying to find a place that would be affordable and would provide delicious food since I'm a picky foodie. She was able to assist me in the planning of the menu, location, timeline, and etc. The venue was able to fit all my guests and the ceremony location next to ocean was ambient. The staff made sure my hubby and I were fed during our reception. :)

My husband and I are so happy we decided to have our destination wedding at the Hukilau Lanai/Kauai Coast Resort! I researched a lot of different venues on Kauai and the Hukilau Lanai was definitely a hidden gem! It was the best value for the quality of food, ocean front ceremony site (including chairs), and professional service that I found.
Planning a destination wedding requires you to put a lot of trust into the vendors/venue you choose and Manda, the event coordinator for the Hukilau, was so nice and very helpful throughout the planning process. She always responded to my e-mails within a few days and was always willing to set up a phone appointment to discuss details. About a month before the wedding Manda went on maternity leave and I started to work with Chantry, another event coordinator for the Hukilau. I was so happy that Chantry was just as wonderful to work with as Manda! Chantry went above and beyond on our wedding day making sure all the details we had discussed were in place and even helping remove some debris that had gathered in the train of my dress before we entered the reception! All the wait staff were attentive during the reception and our guests loved the food and drinks (definitely get the ahi poke nachos and calamari appetizers)! Our chocolate wedding cake from the Hukilau Bakery was very moist and delicious. Our reception was in the private banquet room and it was perfect for our 28 guests to enjoy a fun night of dancing on the dance floor, a private bar was set up in the back corner, and we had enough space to set up a DIY photo booth.
We had our ceremony right on the lawn overlooking the beach on the Kauai Coast Resort property (the same property the Hukilau Lanai Restaurant is). It was very convenient to get ready in the Kauai Coast hotel room with all my bridesmaids, and then just walk down to the ceremony site when we were ready. I would recommend the Kauai Coast Resort/Hukilau Lanai to anyone planning their wedding on Kauai!

We had a 60 person wedding here ceremony and reception.
We were trying to do it with a fairly modest budget so we didn't hire a wedding coordinator.
Manda was great through the entire process, very responsive with questions, while at the same time being very forgiving of our difficulties in nailing down a final number of guests, they allowed us to have a plated menu even though we went over there maximum guest count for that menu. They added mojitos for me even though it was not available on their drink menu. Manda actually went above the call of duty, stepping in and assuming some duties that would normally fall to a wedding coordinator and helping the whole process move smoothly even though she was probably eight months pregnant on our wedding day. Overall having our wedding here made it very easy for us because they took care of every thing, everybody liked the food and it worked out very well and it was actually cheaper than we thought it would be.
Honestly, I didn't care for the salad, that would be my only critique.
Over all though Thanks Hukilau and Manda for doing a great job!

The Hukilau Lanai was the perfect setting to create the wedding reception that we were looking for. The food was amazing. Hands down, the BEST wedding food I have ever experienced! My guests still rave about the food and our cake, and it's been 3 years (and one of our guests was a chef!) Thank you hukilau lanai.

I rented the semi-private room for my dinner reception for my destination wedding this past Oct 23. I've been in contact with Manda for about 7 months before the actual date. Manda is such a pleasure to work with. She was so timely with her responses and always answers my questions fully. I hate it when you send emails out to vendors and they only answer some of your questions. But that was never a problem here.

I finally met her the day before my wedding. I was a ball of nerves that day. Manda had such a calming effect on me. We gave her all the decor and all the information she needed. The next night, we arrived at the restaurant after our beach wedding and everything was absolutely perfect. She even accommodated our very late request of doing a small tea ceremony (my husband called her about 6 hrs earlier). The cake was gorgeous and yummy (made by their pastry chef) and everyone raved about the food. My sister even went back the next day because she loved the ahi nachos and the sweet potato ravioli so much.

Future brides, this is the best restaurant in Kauai. It has a great island ambiance and very attentive staff. It's the type of place that you would want to return to every year to celebrate your anniversary... and I think that's just what we're gonna do =)

We had our reception here at the Hukilau Lanai and it was fantastic! Manda, the on-site private party coordinator, was an absolute pleasure to work with. She made everything so easy and stress free (especially working with someone across the Pacific and not being able to have a tasting before the wedding!). She made our night, we didn't to worry about anything and was very attentive to make sure we were having the perfect time.

All of the online reviews for Hukilau Lanai were spot on. The food was phenomenal, I wish I could repeat our meal so many more times! We used the semi-private dining room which had an entire wall of open windows looking out onto the property grounds and ocean in the distance - so beautiful! The rest of the wait staff was professional and quick to provide on our every need. It was the perfect setting after our sunset beach wedding.

The restaurant also has their own on-site bakery which made things less stressful (one less vendor to find!). Our wedding cake was made with homemade butter cream frosting, beautiful fresh orchids as the topper/decoration and a passion fruit filling...one of the best wedding cakes I have ever had!

We had our wedding reception here April 8th, 2012 and it was amazing. Everyone was so impressed with the food and the cake. And the fact that they made the cake there made it so stress free. It turned out so beautiful and was everything we dreamed of. Pictures of the semi private room don't do it justice. One walls huge windows push open and you see their beautiful gardens with tiki touches lit. It was a really gorgeous backdrop for dinner. Manda was so helpful over the phone while planning and the day of. I would highly recommend Hukilau Lanai for your wedding reception.

I had my destination wedding on the grounds of the Kauai Coast Resort, and followed it with a private dinner reception at the Hukilau Lanai Restaurant. The quality of service before the wedding was impeccable! I had contact with Amanda, and she took care of all my contract and booking needs. They took care of setup and takedown of chairs and decorations for the ceremony. They also setup the semi-private banquet room for my wedding party with table decor and settings. The meal was amazing, and the drinks divine. I didn't have to worry about a thing, it was all taken care of by the wonderful staff.

Cuisine was phenomenal, atmosphere perfect, surroundings breath-taking. Staff was professional, responsive and doted on our every need. It was the perfect setting for the follow on of a sunset beach wedding. Reasonably priced, excellent service, delicious food, great wine selection and awesome tropical cocktails!

This restaurant also has their own on-site bakery...the wedding cake was made with homemade butter cream frosting, fresh orchids as decor cascading down and a vanilla filling...one of the best wedding cakes I have ever had!

I did not have my wedding reception with Hukilau Lanai, but did have dinner there one night while we were on our destination wedding retreat. I did contact this place to have my reception there and they were quick to respond and were very professional. I did not book with them because I saw pictures of the venue and it was not really the style I was imagining for my reception. After dining at the restaurant, I am glad I did not book there because the decor was really outdated and the view wasn't as great as I hoped for. Although it was not what I was looking for, the food was pretty good and the quotes for the wedding reception were affordable.

Booking was a breeze, the website is informative and up to date. Everything was exactly as expected. We booked the semi private room, which was perfect for our wedding dinner. The food was great! The cake was awesome! We enjoyed it all week! The only reason the score wasn't perfect is because when I called to let the hostess we were running early she sounded quite put off. Manda, the manager, had asked me to call if we were running early or late-so I did. We arrived and patiently waited about 20 minutes, which is about how early we were. While we were waiting we asked one of the servers for some bread for the youngest child and if it would be ok if we put his order in right away. Noodles and butter- no biggie (we did pre-order this for the event). Again the server made us feel aware that the request was causing her grief. Other than that we had a great time and even my picky grandma loved the food. The service was great too, you knew they were there yet it felt like they weren't.

The venue was ok, a little small. They weren't very flexible with our decor for us to be paying for use of it. We could only do so much decorating, which in the end we pushed for and stressed over and eventually got it our way.