The Lanai Cafe

This is a tough one.
Like a handful of previous reviewers, I too am from the islands. It’s unrealistic to find real local food on the mainland. I don’t care what people are saying, a drive to L&L or Kent is a long way to go for another ‘meh’ plate lunch. Every kama’aina knows da bes grinds you find is on da road side while driving from Puna ;). That said.
My family visited here last month for lunch. We found only a couple other tables occupied and were seated right away.
The place is nice, airy, artsy Hawaiiana. The menu is full of local favs. It’s always good to know what you’re getting into & the server seemed like she knew what she was doing. I ordered the HuliHuli chicken, it was a bit too salty & peppery, dry was what I recall thinking first.
The usual rice & Mac on the side… nothing fabulous.
Ordered some malasada to go, it was fresh & tasty.
In short, if you have little expectation or experience of local ‘onolicious grinds’ then go for it. Prices could be better, perhaps this place will catch a happy hour vibe with some pupu’s and ½ price menu items.
Maybe give a try early afternoon before the lunch rush?

This food is DELICIOUS! So glad we found this restaurant, we are definitely coming back! The food presentation looks wonderful and tastes even better!

Had high high hopes for this place. I’m down be the state capital with a hunger brewing so checking out the Unilocal photos of restaurants I made the leap from getting a carne Asada burrito to Hawaiian food. Well, let’s just say I didn’t make a quality choice.
I’m very well versed in Hawaiian food and frankly I was disappointed in my meal. Service was good along with ambiance but had it not been for salt & pepper I would not have been able to taste a thing. My order was Huli Huli chicken, rice & Mac salad. To my shock the Mac salad was brown in color so I avoided that monster but the chicken looked amazing (see photo) but had no taste what so ever. Never experienced this before so I was disappointed. Normally Huli Huli chicken is robust in flavor and needs no additives, this is why I’m going a low review. Oh well a place I can check off the sheet of places to try.
Mahalo

This place has very poor customer service and is very poorly managed. We had to wait 10 minutes just to get a seat even though there were many open tables before we were seated. Then we waited 30 minutes for our food to come because they forgot our orders. When the food arrived, the waitress didn’t even say sorry and made it sound like it was our fault that we didn’t remind her or said anything while we were waiting. Completely rude. The food tasted okay but the portions were extremely small and expensive. I will say it again, for the price of what we got, this place is VERY EXPENSIVE for what you get. We will never come back again even though I’m originally from Honolulu born and raised. I don’t recommend anyone to come here either. I will much rather go to Lakewood L&L instead.

I’ve never had Hawaiian food so I can’t speak to its authenticity or how it compares. That said, I was very happy with my experience. It was a slow Wednesday night with only 3 or 4 other tables. The gentleman who greeted us and served us was great. Attentive and welcoming without hovering or being pushy. The place had a nice clean casual comfortable vibe. We had the «Ultimate Sampler» for $ 29. The food was delicious and the portions generous — we have lunch for tomorrow. The Lumpia was crisp and succulent. The short ribs were tender and flavorful. The kahlua pork was a moist salty delight. I always wanted to try loco moco and I want to eat it again.
Good value. Satisfying comfort food. Nice people. I’ll be going back.

THIS IS NOT FAST FOOD. Don’t expect to get out of here in less than an hour. Took us almost two hours from arrival to bills all being paid. Island time!
Came here with a group of 10 or so (yes, they knew we were coming). Entertained ourselves on the way here by reading prior reviews. Some horrible, some stellar.
Nobody in our group had a horrible experience. «Okay» pretty much covers it. Food was decent. They got some orders wrong, but not spectacularly so. Most of the food was fine. Some hot orders were cold. Water went unfilled for awhile. Very noisy place, hard to have a conversation. Those of us facing the television enjoyed watching a video about cephalopods, but were grossed out by how much the in-​house fish tank needed to be cleaned.
So: Mixed reviews about covers it. Not bad, but not great.

We were starved after our usual walk about town and hoped that this would be a good place to eat lunch. No saimen on the menu. disapointing! Our servicer took forever, we gave her lots of grace assuming it was because they had a large party? I am not sure she tried but how can you serve cold coffee? and using Batdorfs then offering fake creamer? and she brought us a carafe of cold coffee some milk and it was all just Bad bad… so the food
we ordered a combo since the soup is what we wanted and they did not have it. I will tell you sincerely it was NOT edible and probably the worst «Hawaiian Food» I have ever eaten. if you love «local» you will hate this.
I adore salty food and this was for me so overpoweringly salty could not tell the flavor of one thing over the next it was just all salt, the pork was obviously made with almost nothing but fake liquid smoke and salt .and dry at that? .the only thing that was edible on the plate was the meatball and it really made no sense. The fried rice was so greasy and wrong on all accounts .it was just so salty and badly made that we each took a few bites and drank cold coffee
NO long wait to pay the bill I will tell you that .we waited forever for the service and food and it took just seconds to get our bill and pay it. At the end of the meal a guy came by and said «i just wanted to say Hello» I am not sure who he was but he should have asked «did you enjoy your meal»
Because NO we didnt and the fact most of our food was still on the plate you did not even look at? ??? should have spoken volumes… to him… if he was the owner ?
all I can say is if you want a big pile of fast food style «Hawaiian» head to Lakewood and
go to L and L BBQ .it is consistantly the dose you need of this type of food … at the right price with nice big portions… This is not even close to edible. So much salt in so little space.
To the owner please no one tag me to contact you I am reporting what happened paied $ 45 to leave food on my plate and if that is who you were saying «hi»? you are not going to last! and I am not coming back and obviously you have a lot of people you need to make it right with «so skip me. Just please look at your customers plates? Ours was not the only full one, or the only unhappy faces looking back… and really at the prices you charge? you are not going to get folks back to eat bad food in Olympia! .I am slugging water now with horriific «thirsties». over just a bite or two to taste each thing .that was it I could not eat anymore. People here know the difference and when at the end of a meal it is still on the plate it is not good food.

According to Unilocal 2 stars is «Meh, I’ve experienced better»
I’ve had better.
I went here with the wife recently and felt pretty sick afterwards. Maybe the kitchen might need a really good cleaning or something. Had to throw away most of our dinner because it tasted spoiled.
On the plus side the interior is well laid out. Downside is that the food is definitely not good.

Stopped in here today for a quick lunch to-​go while waiting on a coffee next door at the Batdorf and Bronson. The hostess graciously mentioned that the Kalua Pork plate could be whipped up in a hurry since it’s already cooked, and I was good to go in less than five minutes.
The pork was absolutely delicious. Sweet, tender, and moist, it was pretty much exactly what I was hoping for. It was served up alongside a couple scoops of rice and a sesame cabbage salad that was almost like a sweet coleslaw — it paired well with the pork.
I’ll grant I haven’t had a sit-​down service here or tried a much of the menu, but I’d easily eat that pork again any day, and would recommend it heartily.

We’ve been talking about trying this place for a while and stopped in today for lunch. I’ve only been to one other Hawaiian restaurant, so my frame of reference is pretty small, but the best I can say is that the Lanai was average at best. We had the lumpia rolls as an appetizer. They were small and didn’t have much flavor. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by the homemade ones I’ve enjoyed many times with Philippine friends and coworkers. Or maybe they just weren’t very good. They seemed to be a little over-​cooked also.
I ordered the combo with meatballs and chicken with macaroni salad and fries. What showed up was a small piece of chicken, three meatballs on a bed of rice, and the macaroni salad. The meatballs were pretty good, but I couldn’t help thinking they must have been made a while ago. The chicken was tough and hard to cut. The macaroni salad was some of the most boring macaroni salad I’ve had.
I kept waiting for the waitress to stop by for the customary «how is everything?», but that didn’t happen until I was almost done eating. When I told her my French fries had transformed into rice, she was very apologetic and got me some right away, however they seemed overcooked like the lumpia rolls (and also the side of onion rings we ordered).
I didn’t hate the place, but there wasn’t a single thing that made me want to return either. There is much better food to be had in Olympia. My prediction is that once the novelty wears off this place won’t last long, which is too bad, since the people were pretty nice.

SUCH a nice place! Great food. Really really nice staff and owners.
Will make this a regular spot.
Try the Poke!

Whyyyyyyy? Why can’t you be as amazing as I pictured you in my head, my heart and my souuuullllll? Lol. I actually wanted to love this place. The woman, who may also be the owner, is so incredibly sweet and cheerful that it’s hard to write a «bad» review.
The first time I ate here, I had the lumpia. It was fresh, it was hot, it was crisp! The only problem I had was that they were super small. Almost thumb like and definitely not worth the price I paid. I also ordered the spam musubi. I was so exited to eat it that I took a huge bite and was incredibly let down!!! :(It was old. It was cold. It barely had any sauce. The spam wasn’t even the right color; it looked as if it was cooked and then store somewhere for days.
I was hoping this was a fluke, so… Me and my happy tummy tried again!
I wanted the lumpia again but they were sold out! Not sold out for the day, but sold out because they forgot to make some the day before. Pet peeve. HUGE pet peeve, especially for a restaurant. Don’t put something on the menu if you can’t supply it on a regular basis. Sorry, I think that’s pretty standard across the board. I ended up getting the chicken. Oh man. Where do I start? It was bland. The sauce they had was probably the best part. Their menu needs to be updated because they no longer offer some of the chicken options. I also ordered another spam musubi on the hopes that this would be better. Nope. Opened it, looked at it, threw it away.
Not a happy customer and probably won’t be back.

A great place to go for folks feeling homesick for Hawaii… specifically for the entertainment, the welcoming management staff and the food. As The Lanai just recently opened, I think they still have some kinks to work out (keeping me from rating them higher than a three) such as order tracking and ensuring customers are welcomed/​engaged once they arrive. I would keep someone stationed at the welcome podium at the front door, especially during the busy Friday and Saturday nights.
Also, continue working on the décor to enhance the spirit of aloha and ohana exhibited by the management staff.

The food was actually better than I expected after reading the other Unilocal reviews. We started off with the tuna poke. Great quality, small portion, but over salted. The flavor profile was otherwise good.
I ordered the Huli Huli chicken with macaroni salad. It was tender, full of flavor and perfectly cooked. My other half got the kalbi with pulled kalua pork and Asian sesame cabbage salad. The food was good, meat tender but the salad was watery.
We ordered dessert as well. We went for the lumpia. It was great. I would just switch out the cream for quality vanilla bean ice cream.
The real disappointment was the service. It was very slow. But it could be chalked up to the fact they’ve only been open for one month. This is forgivable. We’ll have to return in a couple months and see if things have changed…

I’ve been here every Saturday since they opened.
The 2^nd was with a group of ladies and we had a blast.
It was their grand opening weekend and it was packed, lucky for reservations.
I ordered the Hawaiian Meatballs — the only Hawaiian thing about it was that it was homemade. Pineapple in a dish does not make it «Hawaiian» and they must have forgot to the skim the fat from the sauce cause my rice was soaked in oil.
We each wanted dessert, so we practically ordered one of everything. Butter mochi, banana lumpia, guava chiffon cake & malasada. Sad part is, the malasada was not cooked in the middle so that went.
My 2^nd experience as better than the first so it looked like the bugs were getting worked out.
— — — —
Trip 3 — this is what got the 2 star rating. You know the saying, third times a charm — not so much.
Walked in and waited, waited, hostess walked by, still waiting. Oh wait, she seated the person who walked in after. So we just walked up behind and sat ourselves. Oh and guess what? We waited and waited and waited. Several waitress’ and workers walked right on by. Finally flagged someone down, so they brought us menus. Then we waited and waited. Flagged the manager down and she apologized and got a waitress. We, ordered. And guess what? Waited and waited. Finally we got our drinks and poke that they comp’d since we — waited for so long.
Then my food came and hubby’s didn’t. I wasn’t waiting so I dug in. This time, the Kalua Pig was not dried out, but it was flavorless, so I added my own seasoning. Then our waitress stopped by and told the hubby «oh, I lost your ticket and can’t remember what you ordered». Hum, when you put in my order, shouldn’t have his been entered at the same time?
My Lomi salmon, I mean Lomi onion, one bite and it was sour. So I asked the waitress if I can give it back because it was sour. She apologized and said she’d bring a new one? How would that change if it came from the same batch? I’m still waiting. The replacement never showed.
Toward the end of my meal, hubby’s meal finally showed up minus the mac salad. We flagged down one of the waitress’ and asked if it came with mac salad. She said it does and asked if we wanted to order a side mac. I said «doesn’t it come with Mac». Her «yes» Me: «we never got it» her: «so you want to order another Mac» Me: «no, I just want the one that comes with this plate». Final we get it
Since I had the butter mochi the last time and it was to die for, I ordered one. Um, not this too. It was cold and hard — just out of the fridge. Figured I’d give it a minute to warm up, then cut it. It was so dried out and gross. The waitress asked how it was and I honestly told her. She said they were making a new batch if I didn’t mind waiting. No thanks, don’t want to run my luck.
You would think with their limited menu they’d be consistent with the flavor of their food, but so far each trip has been different.
As much as I really wanted to give them a chance, I just can’t see myself going back for awhile.
Maybe I’ll try back in a month.

Me being from Hawaii I was pretty excited about a «Hawaii restaurant» but ended up DISAPPOINTED and feeling ripped off!
—-Cons — -
–Portions! Holy sh*t I got a poke bowl for $ 11 and I probably got 8 cubes of poke and the rice didn’t even make it to the ½ of my 1 lbs container! (Look at my picture!)
–a lil pricey
–lomi salmon is a little salty and has a kids menu portion (look at my pic)
–Long wait for a take out to go order! (45 min)
–Not everything they will make is in the menu (Korean chicken, lau lau)
–A hassle trying to find parking and when u find parking u have to insert coins (horrible location)
–You better have a reservation on a Saturday to enjoy a dinner with fam to sit down (they will make more $$ If they support the walk ins)
-$ 3.50 for a spam musubi? (Hahaha! us from Hawaii know it’s only about $ 1.50 at stores.)
–seems like a «high class» hawaiian restaurant in my opinion
DISSAPOINTED!
—-+PROS ——
+Nice, clean & pretty restaurant
+Musicians and hula Entertainers
+very friendly staff
+aloha shoyu and furukake condiments on table
-
There’s more cons but I’m getting pissed off
All in all… I WILL NOT recommend this place to the 808 locals cause we all know how food and portions SUPPOSED TO BE! Aloha spirit and aloha portions right?! To everyone that don’t know… keep enjoying this cause this is not the Hawaiian style but please don’t judge hawaii off of this place. Thanks

I really wanted to love this place, but the food and service was terrible. I dragged my friend here for lunch on a week day after telling her how delicious the food would be based on the photos I saw online.
We walked in and waited 10 minutes only to have no hostess greet us (there’s a hostess stand/​front area. Eventually I walked over to where I could get one of the waitresses’ attention and asked if we could get a table since we only had an hour for lunch.
We were seated and eventually got to order our food.
We both ordered the kalbi and Kalua pig combo. When it came, we were incredibly disappointed. Zero flavor in what I imagine was their version of kalbi and super salty Kalua pig. I’m originally from Hawaii, so this really made me sad.
It took us another 10 minutes to flag down a waitress and then we got our bill plus another table’s bill. My friend ordered some korean chicken wings to go when we first ordered our food, and it still wasn’t ready when we got our bill.
We had split our bill and the waitress came back to our table and asked if we had our bill yet. I said yes, and asked her to divide it so my friend’s order and the wings were on her bill and I’d pay for my combo plate. We showed her the receipt with the notes on it. We also told her that we received another table’s bill. She took both away.
10 more minutes go by, and we see her walking with our bill, along with 2 other bills and some cash. We see her walk past us and give change to another table.
She then comes over to us after we make eye contact to ask us if we have paid our bill yet. I told her she is holding our credit cards and point to the black credit card folder in her hand. My friend asks about her to go order as her co-​worker is about to leave since we have been in there now for well over an hour.
The waitress says she will check on it and asks what it was. My friend repeats that it is Korean chicken wings. When the waitress comes back with our bill, my credit card has been charged for both combo plates ($ 26) and she has been charged for my can of juice plus the chicken wings. We just want to get out of there at this point.
We sign our receipts and are waiting when another waitress comes by to ask if we have received our check yet. My friend tells her we have, but are still waiting on her to go order. The waitress says she will check. Our original waitress comes back to see if we have signed our check and my friend tells her if her to go order isn’t ready yet, she wants to cancel it because we have to go back to work.
The waitress comes back and says it’s not ready, and so my friend says she needs to cancel the order. The waitress says ok, and turns to leave. We call after her and my friend asks that her credit card be credited for the order since she didn’t get the food. The waitress replies that she will check to see if she can do that. Eventually we got to leave and she did get her money back since she didn’t get her to go order. The waitress apologized and said that 15 people came in, but this is a restaurant, so there will be large parties that come in. And there were I think 5 wait staff plus someone who I think was the owner who were walking around.
This whole experience was really disappointing, as I was hoping to have a good local place right downtown, but I’ll probably end up driving up to Kent for local grinds and better service.

Moco loco was good but some of it was undercooked. Also I asked for fried rice instead and got white rice. Did a take out order and didn’t notice this till I got home.
This place has potential and probably would rate it higher if it wasn’t for those two things. I understand it’s the first week but there was only two couples in at the time so there was no rush to cook the meat or forget the rice.

Was strolling through downtown when we happened across this hidden gem. Just opened on Monday and boy, am I glad I stopped in!!! I sat at the bar and watched as the food was made fresh including my delicious Spam Musubi. If you haven’t tried it, or have some unreasonable preconceived notion about spam, you’re crazy and this will change your mind. Also got to sample (in full size, mind you) coconut ice cream topped with the softest shaved ice and a thick, creamy milk drizzled on top (think condensed milk)
I’m super excited to come back here and try the rest of the menu. The staff was super friendly. Not only met the owner by the chef as well. You have got to try this place!

A very cool and friendly vibe. I gave the extra star for the service and the hospitality. They are located where the short-​lived Jewish deli used to be (next to the mid-​town Batdorf). They have an interesting menu, and I had a tough time choosing breakfast. However, being a Spam lover, I went with the fried Hawaiian rice and pineapple… with Spam! Hawaiian soul food. In addition to the rice, pineapple, and Spam, it had carrots, peas, peppers, and broccoli. The rice was very sticky, and I definitely tasted the soy. It’s pretty heavy for brekky, so next time I might have an omelette. Anyway, I’m a fan and will be back for lunch.