Duke’s Waikiki

Let’s start with the Korean sticky ribs. these are the best ribs we have had! Fall off the bone amazing and the sauce is epic. Also make sure to try the coconut shrimp. For dinner I had the Mac N nut fish which was absolutely amazing. We finished off with a slice of ice cream pie which was heaven. The live music and ocean views tops off the experience.

It’s tradition to hit Dukes every time I come to Hawaii. Food is really good (try the Opa fish) and ambiance is top notch as well. The Hula Pie is huge and adding the salad bar is worth the extra $ 4. If you hate ordering mixed drinks that are weak — then you’re in luck as the Mai Tai has some kick to it.
It would be 5 stars but always super crowded and a bit pricey.

Came here on our last night in Hawaii for dinner. Boy oh Boy was I disappointed.
So I couldn’t decided where I wanted to have dinner. I wanted a place where we can spend our time and enjoy the weather and location of the restaurant. After looking at Unilocal,4 stars rating and the reviews, I decided to come here for dinner. After reading some Unilocal reviews, I noticed in order to have a good seat on the patio next to the sand/​beach, reservation will be needed.
So I call in the late morning/​early afternoon to make reservation. A gentlemen answer and stated they will be booked until 9:00 pm. I stated okay and hung up. After discussing it with my friend to see if 9:00 pm is okay or should we do a walk in, we decided to do a reservation and have a late lunch. So I called back literally a minute or two later and a lady answer the phone. She stated that they are no longer taking reservation, I asked her if the 9:00 pm reservation was still available since I just called a minute ago. She stated to hold on and put me on hold and come back and stated, yes there was a cancellation and will have my appointment for 9:00 pm.
So we arrived a little early and was greeted. The young lady in the front handed me a pager. We waited about 5 – 10 minutes before we were seated. I was a little disappointed with my seating, Since I was not seated on the bottom where i was anticipated to be at. There were one or two empty tables on the bottom too! As i was overlooking the menu, I decided to get the Baby Back Ribs and my friend got the Mahi Mahi Fish with the Baked «Duke’s Style».
Baby Back Pork Ribs (all natural duroc pork, mango bbq sauce): $ 26
This rib is way over priced for the taste of it. It was not good at all. I was expecting a lot more from the sauce, but honestly I felt like the tastes was generic and not authentic at all. I was looking forward to having it in Mango BBQ Sauce, but you can not taste the Mango. It was not good and not worth my $ 26 bucks.
Mahi Mahi Fish with the Baked «Duke’s Style»:
The presentation of the dish was great. However, the fish was WAY OVER cooked and it was WAY TOO oily! In all honestly, there are way better fish on the island and way cheaper.
Hula Pie: The only thing I ate that was good here, the Hula Pie! I would recommend going somewhere else for dinner and just coming here for the dessert. You will not be disappointed by the Pie. If you come here around 10 – 11 PM there are seating at the bottom with the sand without a reservation and it would be perfect.
I would not recommend this place to anybody. I should of figure when it was a touristy place and way over priced. I would only recommend this place for the scenery and if they guaranteed you a spot next to the sand. If not DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY HERE!

Dukes is a fun spot for good food! the fish I had was delicious. The salad bar is extensive (those mini muffins are excellent!)
The view overlooking the sunset was definitely romantic (a bit ruined though because it also overlooks the hotel pool).
The menu itself has good options but nothing standout or unique. It’s overall a solid restaurant but did not blow us away in comparison to some other amazing places we tried.
Definitely would go back although next time might try the lunch menu because it looks more unique.

A+++ for location — It is right on the beach with tables inside or outside on the patio with a view of the sand and ocean. DO KNOW that the best seats on the patio are by reservation only. If you walk in with a wish for the patio seats, they will try to seat you with the closest seat as possible which isn’t too bad but there’s still a lot of things obstructing your view.
Service was pretty good. Everyone was friendly.
Good on refilling waters and taking away plates.
I loved that they gave me a hot towel to clean my hands.
Food:
Baby Back Ribs $ 17
(All natural duroc pork ribs, mango bbq sauce, fries)
Let me just tell you that these ribs SUCKED. Dry and not flaky. The sauce tastes generic, not much of mango. And the fries were fat and dry as well. Not light and crispy how I like it. This plate just sucked. Would not recommend it.
Sauteed Mac Nut and Herb Crusted Fish
(panko and parmesan crust, lemon caper butter)
The fish on the other hand, definitely tasted fresh and was delicious. The mashed potatos was good as well. I highly recommend getting fish if you eat here.
You can also add unlimited salad bar for $ 4 with any entrée which was a great deal.
Their salad bar had at least 6 different types of salads along with bread and muffins.
Most of them were good and some were okay.
Their tropical drinks are delicious as well.
Overall, this restaurant is okay. More of a main tourist attraction then anything.

Let me start off by I’m DISAPPOINTED! I tried this place out for the first time back in November for my boyfriend’s birthday. Regardless of the rain pouring we wanted to sit outside near the beach. The restaurant itself is beautifully located and easy to access if you’re staying in Waikiki. We ordered a couple of drinks & let me tell you, they are STRONG but we weren’t complaining! We also shared an order of the chicken katsu & for our first dinner on that trip it was on hit! The chicken wasn’t over cooked & breaded just right BUT the sauce is what made it the one!
For my cousins (first trip to Hawaii) & per my sisters request to eat here for her husband’s birthday dinner I came back to Duke’s this week. There’s a lot of reasons why I’ve become disappointed in this restaurant but my biggest issue was the «ambassador» who is supposed to «greet» you and assign your party to a table. I wish I got his name so I could get his butt fired but I left too fast to stop myself from wanting to slap him to catch it (He was THAT rude) & I’m pretty sure he wasn’t from Hawaii either. There was NO warm welcome just attitude. On top of that he smelled like straight B. O I could probably smell him from a mile away. He asked my party if we wanted the bar menu and I was confused because I didn’t know the outside seating area had a different menu from the one inside. So I suggested my sister and my brother in law check the menu inside to see if they’d rather eat inside. While they left, the «ambassador» kept rushing us saying I better hurry up before someone takes our table because there’s 1 already ready waiting for us. Mind you, there’s nobody else there besides my party AND I pointed out I asked for a table for 6 and there were only 4 seats at the table he pointed out. When I told him I asked for 6 he blamed me and said he was going to add chairs but I didn’t tell him whether or not we were eat it outside (REALLY? DON’T rush me and tell me it’s «ready» then WHEN IT’S CLEARLY NOT). I was so mad I decided to eat inside so I wouldn’t have to around him.
Luckily, the atmosphere inside was friendlier and more of what I remembered from the first time I came to Duke’s. However, I didn’t know the menu had such a limited selection to choose from (second reason why I’m disappointed). Looking at the prices I went for the filet steak tenderloin aka filet mignon as well as my brother in law. We both thought it was good but nothing compared to Ruth’s Chris. My niece ordered the lobster (usually her favorite) and wasn’t impressed. The Korean BBQ tasted a lot like buffalo wings, the coconut shrimp was OK, the ahi tasted like overpriced poke and LASTLY the chicken (offered on the kids menu) which is basically katsu is served with ranch. Really? I asked our waitress if there was anyway she could get the sauce from the bar’s kitchen but she seemed just as upset that the restaurant actually «recently» JUST stopped serving it with that sauce & what I was informed she wasn’t the only one sad/​mad/​surprised about it. I was really disappointed about that because the whole reason I felt Duke’s would be a good idea is because of the katsu dish WITH that sauce.
The 1 star is for our waitress from this week who tried her best to take care of us and for hooking us up with a fat slice of the original hula pie for the birthday boy. Let me tell you, we fought over the bottom of the pie which tasted just like Oreos (yum!) However, the pie isn’t enough for me to want to come back and I’m sure that I won’t!

Dukes is awesome! The staff are all incredibly welcoming and always smiling. My wife and I celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary here last night. We had a great time. There was a live band in the patio that was rocking it the whole night.
I had the Mac Nut encrusted fish which was delicious. The fish was perfectly cooked. Fall apart flakey with a buttery finish. My wife had the world famous salad bar which she really enjoyed. We both had Pina Colada’s to drink. Not usually a fruity drink kind of guy, but those drinks off the hook. So good.
Eat at Dukes!

I was here during Christmas time, so lines/​reservations are usually longer, but worth the wait. We wanted to sit outside because of the view and the fresh air. It was bit too stuffy inside for me. Ambiance and décor is typical, nothing too fancy to talk about. Even the outdoor furniture was basic; we had a round fold out table that you can get at Costco. Probably needed more tables.
Get the Ahi Poke Pupus… absolutely delectable! You get 3 pretty good sized crackers with poke on top. My friend had the baby back ribs and he seemed to enjoy it… licking his fingers and ignoring me, hehehe. I had the Caesar salad, but you can’t really go too wrong with that. My main entrée was the Cilantro Miso Glazed (fish of the day). It was alright. Typical glazed fish plated with rice and some salsa (was trying to be healthy — DON’T DO IT!).
And sit outside! Unless it’s raining, hehe. =)

Marsha, Marsha, Marsha! A perfect spot for the Brady’s to dine at and experience Waikiki hospitality and a Ma Tai or three.
My fish was perfectly cooked and, for those buffet dwellers amongst us, the salad bar has an awesome selection and was a great accompaniment to my meal on the Waikiki shorefront.
Great for soaking in the relaxed island vibe.

We stopped into Dukes for brunch on Christmas morning around 9:30 and were told it would be 15 – 20 minutes for the brunch buffet.
We hung out down by the beach for a bit then were called to out table right on schedule. A server stopped by right away to take drink orders. We all had the orange/​guava/​passion fruit juice which was really yummy and oh so tropical.
The brunch buffet had all the typical hotel restaurant fare-​eggs Benedict, bacon, scrambled eggs and fruit along with a few Hawaiian specialties including poi, fried rice and banana pancakes with coconut syrup. There also was an omelet station.
Price-​wise this was a pretty good deal– only $ 17 per adult (and it included coffee, milk and juice).
The restaurant is open air and faces the iconic Waikiki beach.
Bottom line, picturesque setting, decent food and service at a great price.

I did not expect to have a 5 star experience as Dukes. This was the only time I have eaten here although tried to get in several times before. Before we always came later in the evening when the wait was 1 ½ to 2 hours long. This time we showed up early based on a tip from the nice lady at Dukes I called when trying to do a reservation. She told me that we should show up at 5PM and that getting in would be much faster. Well my brother showed up at 5PM and was told your tables ready. He called and told me to hurry as they won’t seat you without your whole party present. We arrived 15 minutes later and went right to the table.
Dukes has the great feel of Hawaii on the inside. We got a corner table on the upper level with a great view of the ocean. The view alone is worth a star. A band was near us playing Hawaiian music but it wasn’t too loud and added to the great ambiance. Seeing I was on vacation I started out with a Whiskey Wipeout which was very refreshing and tasty. It was so good I had another during my meal.
We started out with the the check in staff recommendation — Ahi Poke Duo. Wow this was delicious. Both had their distinct flavors and the freshness of the Ahi just made it perfect. I do love Poke and this was some very good Poke. We added their salad bar to our meals and again Wow. They had a awesome salad bar which could be a meal in itself. I was surprised at how many offerings they had. It was only $ 3.85 to add the salad bar to our meal and that was a steal. I wanted to go back but knew there was much more to come so I held off on the temptation to return.
I missed out on getting Huli Huli Chicken when we were touring the Island so I just had to try it. Now I don’t know if this was the same as what you get a Mike’s but I loved it. I devoured it as if I was starved. It was perfectly good with an amazing sweet sauce that made it a unique treat. The wife got the Sesame Seared Ahi cooked Chef style — rare. it was so tasty. I gave her some of my chicken as barter to try her delicious fish. We both were very happy with our section of entrees. My brother got the Ono Mac Nut and Heb Crusted and after the first bite so it was the best fish he had ever tasted. I got a small sample of his fish and wow it was very good. We finished out the evening sharing the huge Hula Pie. It was the great dessert I was told it would be. We were all so full but found the space to eat up this amazing and unique treat. The cookie crust was so good paired with the fudge, mac nuts and ice cream and whipped cream it was one of the best desserts I have had recently. Add the fact the it is huge and is perfect for sharing. You just got to try it as trust me you will not regret it.
So with ambiance and the food they were at 4 stars. What made this a true 5 star experience was the service. Our Waiter was perfect. He was funny and definitely put Aloha into our evening. He was very attentive and made sure everything was going well and we wanted for nothing. We enjoyed the sunset as our meal came to a close. This was our last dinner in Hawaii for this trip and I have to say what a way to celebrate a great trip. I will definitely be back and will line up at 5PM to get it to one of my favorite places in Waikiki!

My friends and I came here for a late dinner after running the Honolulu Marathon in the morning. The restaurant is located inside the Outrigger Waikiki. You can also enter through the Galleria entrance. FYI, you will not be able to see the restaurant from Kalakaua Ave.
We were seated promptly near the salad bar area, probably the furthest from the noisy bar action. The dining area was huge. We all started off with some drinks and an appetizer before ordering our meals. My friend and I ordered two different kinds of fish so we could share and get a little variety.
*Whiskey Wipeout*
There was a hint of whiskey, but definitely not enough to wipe anybody out. With the name, I would’ve expected the drink to be a little bit stronger.
*Korean sticky ribs*
My friend really likes ribs. He had me try one. It tasted okay, but it was a bit too sweet for my taste.
*Baked Duke’s style mahi mahi*
I love mahi mahi and it was baked in a garlic, lemon and sweet basil glaze. This was good.
You can get it prepared with a different style, but this was a great taste for this type of fish.
*Sautéed mac nut and herb crusted Opah*
The Opah was lightly dusted in parmesan cheese & bread crumbs, topped with lemon and caper butter. This was definitely the tastier fish among the two. We had it prepared this way at the advice of our waiter. His recommendation was definitely correct!
Overall I thought that the food was pretty good and the service was excellent, but I felt that with their portion size, it still did not deserve the hefty touristy price tags! But, hey we’re in Waikiki. When in Rome.

It is Duke’s. They have a line forever.
So we came on a non rush hour time. It was almost 2pm, we were seated immediately. It was lunch buffet time. $ 18 or $ 19 per person. You can pick whatever you want. They have some salad bar as well some pasta bar. You can ask for pasta made to order. Not a big selection of food, but you can definitely get yourself full with a decent price.
Dinner may be better, but the line was too crazy.

Aloha! What a great dining experience along Waikiki beach. Everything from the atmosphere, beautiful sunsets and the fresh food just added to the Hawaii girl’s trip for my daughter and I.
First of all, I absolutely believe in reservations. To the moon and back, I believe in reservations. With that said, make a reservation and ask for a beachside table. They will try to honor your request to sit on the patio and you will have a better chance than walk-​ins. Plus you don’t have to wait like the others who preferred not to book a table. Book as early as you can, not just the night before. A few weeks should be ok depending on the season.
Secondly book at a time when the sun is setting. If you aren’t sure what time, Google sunset times and work around that. The pre planning is very important to have a great dining experience. This is a very popular restaurant, so keep that in mind.
Now I did those two steps and we were seated within a few minutes on the deck. Not exactly at the railing but that was fine, we were outside and facing the ocean. Our hostess and servers were super friendly, we chit-​chatted… Both thought I was a local, I said I wasn’t… Yadda yadda. They were very personable.
I ordered the special of the crusted opah. Wow! Super fresh. I recommend to order whatever is the special because more than likely it was just caught. You are in Hawaii! Order whatever freshly caught seafood available. The serving size was perfect because we already loaded down on the salad bar, which is absolutely amazing. So yes, add on that salad bar! I think my kid ate all the Fresh pineapple, sorry Dukes! The child was out. Of. Control.
The sunset was amazing. Just amazing. It topped off a great evening with my only child. Kids grow up fast and when you can share any type of amazing moments with them, it’s magic.

Ohhh dukes, what can I say… The fact that this place is ALWAYS busy pretty much speaks for itself. And it’s not just the right on the beach factor. The food is actually good and decently priced, drinks are fun and if you don’t want to go tiki a cold beer always does it for me.
Never had any not friendly servers in all the times I’ve been here, and the hula pie desert NEVER fails to be worth the calories. If only there were more places like this beach side, sadly the food either sucks or it’s a wee bit too expensive for a few apps and a drink (a certain pink hotels pool bar restaurant)
Yea it’s a bit touristy but I think in a pretty fun way, not too much kitsch unlike other places.

Have reservations, particularly if you have a large party.
Having just flown in that afternoon, I should have really opted for just the all-​you-​can-​eat salad bar, but NO. Instead, I ate the spicy sesame ginger glazed fish (whatever the waiter said was «in season» — perhaps Mahi Mahi) and a portion of a hula pie.
Duke’s was definitely a place to kick-​off our Hawaiian family vacation.

Touristy Hawaiian restaurant located right off the beach in Waikiki.
There were pretty great reviews here, and possibly had elevated expectations a little too high. TBH, I was rather disappointed with the food especially considering the cost. We started our meal with an appetizer, the Korean sticky ribs. The flavor was ok, not great, and it was a little dry. I also ordered the salad bar. This rated alone would be 4 to 5 stars. It was only $ 4 to add to my meal, and it was well worth it. It had a large selection with surprisingly great quality options for only $ 4. My entrée was the Hawaiian ribs which was decent but the accompanying sides were not good.
The restaurant is pretty fun even if it’s touristy, because it has great outdoor seating with an excellent view of the beach. We had live music which was nice entertainment. The overall dining experience was enjoyable, but not sure if I would be eager to go back since the food wasn’t so great.

A colleague and I had just arrived on a business trip, and were too tired to do much research on restaurants so we went with the hotel recommendation and headed over to Duke’s. There was a 20 minute wait on a weekday night, so we started with some cocktails at the bar. I had a Mai Tai which was served in a fun tiki glass; it was fruity and not too strong which was probably for the best given the combo of empty stomach and being tired!
We both had the macadamia crusted Ono which was excellent! The fish was flaky, buttery and delicious! The rice side was good, but nothing too exciting. We did add the salad bar which was impressive! There are many many interesting prepared salads; the kale salad and curried couscous were particularly good!
Service was great! Our server was absolutely delightful! She was friendly, welcoming and really knew the menu. She also made a point of not putting our entrée orders in until we had some time to enjoy our salads which was greatly appreciated!

Headed straight out to Duke’s as soon we landed from a 15+ hour traveling journey from Miami (after showering, of course!). We arrived around 9:30 PM, the tables outside were all taken and they had stopped serving food inside of the main dining room… onward to the bar! The bar was packed as well but we managed to get two seats after someone left. I wish I would have gotten the bartender’s name that day because he was hilarious! He and another bartender just keep cracking jokes on each other while pouring drinks for others. They always made sure to get you another drink when you were low.
We ended up ordering a Hula Pie, and it was heaven on a plate. The best part of the pie was the cold macadamian nut ice cream blending with the cookie crust… and then mixing that with the chocolate fudge. Mai Tais were also stronger than I thought, especially for a restaurant located in a touristic area. We never had to chase down the bartender for a drink, which is rare in Miami. I love Duke’s and now refuse to start any vacation without it!

One of many reasons I love Duke’s: Their legit breakfast buffet is served everyday.
Even if you missed out on the breakfast, you can try to have a flawless meal for lunch– or a snack for the middle of the day, or of course, a perfect dinner.
Personal notes:
— The wait is not less than 30 minutes, but it’s definitely worth it.
— Tables turnover is fast.
— Sometimes a restaurant is so special, and delicious, that I had to visit it more than once, during my short stay in Hawaii.
— Service was on cue on my three visits.
— Take my word for this: A visit to Hawaii is not complete without a Hawaiian iced tea at the famous Duke’s. It is not on the menu, but if you ask for it, they’ll make it for you ($ 11.00).
— Have your GOOD Hawaiian iced tea drink with a freakin’ & amazing view.
— Awesome breakfast buffet selection ($ 16.95)!
— Hulu chicken, is a must-​try dish at least once ($ 24.95). Very-​tender and smoky chicken marinated in shoyu (soy sauce), ginger and herbs which added sweet flavor to the BBQ chicken.
— Try the Fish tacos: Heavenly ($ 18.95).
I LOVE DUKE!
Four and Half Unilocal

Excelente atención, buen sazón de los platillos, una carta con poca variedad aunque la barra de ensaladas lo compensa. El ambiente es tranquilo, no es el mejor sitio para tomar una copa con ambiente playero. Sin embargo la comida es muy recomendable y la vista agradable. TIENES QUE PROBAR EL HULA PIE.

Haben uns das Dukes für unser Abendessen ausgesucht und nicht reserviert. Deshalb mussten wir etwa 30 Minuten warten, was absolut in Ordnung war, da wir uns in der Bar aufgehalten haben und die Zeit bei dem tollen Strandblick wie im Flug verging.
Die Cocktails sind absolut okay — vor allem den Hawaiian Time und Maui Mule kann ich empfehlen.
Als Hauptgericht haben wir uns für Meeresfrüchte entschieden. Mein Fisch war sehr gut zubereitet, das Curry meiner Frau mit Scallops ebenfalls geschmacklich top. Dazu gehoert (für alle Hauptgerichte) die all you can eat Salatbar. Hierfuer alleine vergebe ich 5 Sterne. Von Couscous über Nudelsalat gibt es hier alles was das vegetarische Herz begehrt.
Insgesamt sehr zufrieden. Toller Blick! Den einen Stern Abzug gibt es für den Trubel und die Lautstärke.