C J’s Steak & Seafood

Front desk lady, nasty. She never looked up at the waiting guests. She only would say that the table is not yet ready, and then point at the bar and tell us to wait in there. She did this to several parties. Wait staff, friendly. We had Joe (I think, older guy with glasses) he was very friendly and efficient. Salad bar, a joke. I have paid half as much for a salad bar with 3 times the options and freshness. The catch of the day, decent. With several options of preparation this would be the only dish I could recommend. The crab cakes, so-​so. They are slightly spicy and appear over cooked when they arrived, but tasted ok. The prime rib, inedible! Two members of our party ordered this. Both steaks were not even close to cooked correctly! Both were sent back to be «grilled» and came back more like a flat iron steak than a prime rib. Further, the only knives the restaurant offers are duller than their spoons and the steaks were not easily cut. The baby back ribs… well, tasted old. Like dog food. The half gallon of bbq sauce did little to mask the old meat. Yuck.
Oh, and the drink girl (someone else, not your waiter takes your drink order here???) never brought our drinks after taking our order… Never. We got only water during our meal.
The true disappointment of the evening did not fully sink in until the following day, so I sent an email to the restauraunt to request that the three terrible dishes by refunded upon a possible return visit to the establishment…
Never heard back, no suprise I suppose. That kind of service can only go un notice by that kind of management.

Writing this review is a bit of a lost cause, because I’m 99% sure this place was closed as of the end of the day on Monday, 14 December, 2015. A friend and I tried to have dinner there on Sunday the 13^th, but it turned into a horrendous disaster.
For a little background, my friend and I had dinner here a couple nights previous as well… with no indication that there was really anything going on with the business (a review of my Swarm check-​ins notes that our first — and really, only — dinner there was on the night of the 10^th). While I thought the place was mediocre at the absolute best (there was nothing special about my teriyaki chicken, my rice pilaf side was gummy and disgusting, and the quality of our artichoke from the steamed artichoke appetizer that we shared was questionable… and their waitstaff wasn’t especially welcoming), my friend wanted to go back.
When we tried again the night of the 13^th, we were met at the front door with quite a line. We finally got to the hostess, but she advised there would be a 1 ½ hour — 2 hour wait. No context as to why the wait was so extensive, mind you. My friend, who had previously loved his dinner, wanted to stay… totally against the norm for him. Because he wanted dinner here again so badly, I told him I’d be okay with waiting. He put his name on the waitlist and we went to go have a drink at the bar. The hostess told us that she would come get us when a table was available.
Cut to an hour later, nothing. Another half an hour… nothing. We checked in with the hostess, who told us it’d still be a bit. A full two hours has passed in total… still no table. We’ve had two drinks each at the bar, and we start chatting with the bartender. At the 2 ½ hour mark, my friend goes up to chat with the hostess again… but while she’s advising my friend that tables are just opening up and it’ll be another couple minutes, the bartender and I are chatting and he tells me that tomorrow (the 14^th), is there last day in business because ownership couldn’t agree on lease details with the folks who own space in the plaza. CJ’s is shutting down after the 14^th… so all the locals had shown up the night of the 13^th (and would probably be there the night of the 14^th too). Because the place stopped taking reservations a couple weeks ago, the locals know to be there early to get in. All the tables are taken… so insane wait times for everybody else. My friend comes back after talking to the hostess, tells me they’re cleaning tables and we should have a table in about 5 minutes, and we go back to waiting and chatting with the bartender (who buys us a free round because we’ve been waiting so long).
15 minutes later, the hostess comes to us at the bar — menu in hand — and says «All the entrees have been sold.» She drops the menu in front of us, shrugs, and walks away. My friend and I are in shock… we’ve just waited three hours for dinner because the hostess had continually promised us a table, and now she’s dropped a menu in front of us, told us all the entrees have sold out (with only select appetizers left), and basically shrugged off our frustration. You can’t tell us that in all her going back and forth between the front of the restaurant and the kitchen that she had no idea of what quantity of food options they have left… but she continually told us (and a number of other parties) that we’d be able to sit and have dinner soon.
I had never wanted to eat at CJ’s again because I thought, after our first dinner here, that the quality of their food was horrendous AND their service was severely lacking. Our attempt at dinner #2 proved how horrendous an experience they provided. Besides the bartender (who was really hospitable and understanding of our situation and frustration), everything else was… well, an absolute mess. I’m honestly not surprised this place closed… the only surprising thing is that it had been open for so long, especially based on the quality of the experience that I had while dining there.
(P.S. I forgot to mention that the food here was far, Far, FAR too expensive for the complete lack of quality. I have no issues with paying good money for a quality meal, but I paid something like $ 25 or $ 30 for my Teriyaki Chicken Breasts and rice pilaf, neither of which was really any good… I mean, COME ON.)

I got the steak and chicken combo and my wife got the steak and alaskan king crab combo. Her meal was $ 65 but she couldnt even eat her steak because her meal came with so much crab. The steaks with the combos are top sirloin which was ok, however we should have requested the filet mignon instead. The combos also came with baked potatoes for an additional $ 1. We even got a baked potato «fixins» kit to load our potatoes up with sour cream, bacon, butter and chives.
All entrees come with a salad bar which is a plus. Compared to the kauai grill, this place was the better deal, if you dont mind a slightly lower grade of meat. The total bill was $ 108 and was well spent in my opinion. Especially compared to the $ 165 we spent at the kauai grill for a comparable meal.

If your older and enjoy red lobster, thus is the place to go.
If not, drink Mai thais and skip the food. Beat one I’ve got on the island so far.

This place was really good when it was Chucks Steak house. Lines out the door and very popular. Since CJ’s took over it has been ride downward. Their salad bar used to be really good. Now it is poor at best certainly not worth the $ 17 price on the menus. Can get a better salad bar at around table.
Will not be surprised it will not be there next time we come back to the island.
The service was good and they really try. Where will they work next is the question.

Went here for dinner while staying in Princeville. Service was good. Wait staff were attentive and quick with items ordered. We were seated quickly on a Sunday evening. Couldn’t decide between 2 and 3 stars, simply for the over priced Entrée that I had. Husband had the king cut prime rib. Good size for the price, and adequately cooked, he said. Ordered medium rare, and that is what he got. Horseradish sauce was great.
I ordered Steak and Shrimp. 7oz sirloin and 3 shrimp. Just to order the sirloin would have been a better bet for the price, as the steak was high $ 20’s but by adding the THREE shrimp, my cost was $ 48.00. The steak was well seasoned and well cooked and the shrimp tasted ok, but by no means was this a $ 50 meal. Can’t even say «Well, in Hawaii…» I live in Hawaii!
Most likely won’t go back.

Hands down, the best! We enjoyed a tasty dinner and the service was excellent! We are sure to come back before our departure

Been to cjs a number of times. Most of the time the service was horrible, but the food was good.
The last time I was there was the worst experience I ever had at any resteraunt before!
Terrible service and the food was even worst– I ordered a steak which at first glance looked good but after one bite I realized that the meat was spoiled! Just thinking of it makes me want to vomit. Disgusting.
After explaining this to the waitress and returning it, not only did they not offer to compensate me in any way, the charged he 17 $ for the salads.
This place seems to not care about customer service.
I will never go back and def do not reccomend this place, even to my worst enemies.

Worst service ever. Truly. Waiter was passive aggressive. Why? No clue! We were lucky to get an iced tea. Too bad. Bus boy nice kid, he tried.

Looking just at the food,
«I could get better fish at Taco Bell» — my stepmom. That basically sums up the food.
The ceviche was great, but did not come with the chili peppers that are described in the menu.
The sautéed mushroom appetizer was overseasoned, and placed over the same rice pilaf you will later get with your entrée.
My dad got prime ribs with a baked potato. Both parts were cold. The ribs were dry and tough. $ 24. Halfrack. Could not finish.
My stepmom ordered the catch of the day (Ono), macadamia crusted with wasabi aioli. It came with horseradish aioli, and had to be sent back. By the time we got it back, we were all finished. $ 32. It was very dry, very tough. And our server took it before she finished eating.
My brother ordered the top sirloin. It was way too salty, and undercooked for how he ordered it. His rice pilaf was cold. $ 30.
I ordered the prime rib. My baked potato was cold, and the prime rib itself was rubbery and tasteless. I had to dunk it in au jus to be able to eat it. $ 30.
The salad bar is alright. Very little selection. Lettuce, tomatoes, olives, some fruit (including what appears to be canned mandarins) and dressings, with two break options. The salad wasn’t awful, actually, it was the best part. But if you want just that, they’re going to charge you $ 17.
Overall, not satisfied. Our waitress was friendly and polite, and we were seated right away. It earns one star based on the temperature and quality of food served, and the fact that a plate was taken while she was still eating.
We’re currently leaving, will not return.

The service was good for island time… the salad bar was good… the rolls and baked potato were amazing! I ordered the calamari, it was perfect! My Gf ordered the Ribs… fall off the bone and 1lbs was more then enough we had to take it home! It was a bit pricey but you are on vacation if you are eating here so just enjoy it! I would eat here again !

It’s a Hawaiian Sizzler. Set your expectations slightly above Sizzler and below Chili’s and you won’t be disappointed.

Went in a group of 14 last night. Despite having plenty of space they said we would have to sit at 3 separate tables. There were bits of the food that were good but just as much that disappointed. Overall not worth wasting a night in kauai when there is so much good food to eat here. This was the most expensive and worst food of our 10 day trip.
The service was unorganized and the staff seemed indifferent and jaded. Management must be content to overcharge one time tourist visitors not expecting to get return visitors.

Brought my family of 4 (all adults) here for dinner. All you can eat salad bar was so fresh. The tropical dressing was papaya seed w/​oil & vinegar was sweet and sour, so yummy. We had filet, ahi tuna, and shrimp as our main courses. All fresh and well prepared. Service was excellent – thanks to our waitress, Renie for the suggestion for dessert. The mango raspberry cheesecake and mud pie were excellent!
The only not so good thing about the meal was the ice watering down the drinks so quickly as the restaurant is not air conditioned, but the windows are open for a fresh breeze and the ceiling fans are in use.
The nice thing was sitting back on the cushions of the booth after the meal! Comfy! I felt like Jabba the Hut, full and satisfied. Great end to a beautiful tropical day in the paradise that is Kauai!

We ate at the Dolphin the night before and I would have to say our meal at CJ’s was better! The Dolphin is the #1 recommendation from just about anyone you talk to, but I would definitly give CJ’s a chance, especially if there is a long wait for the Dolphin (which does not take reservations). CJ’s has a nice salad bar where you can build your own custom creation and the entrees were all great. I had the calamari, my wife had the shrimp and my dad had the catch of the day. All dishes were cooked well and had great flavor. Only problem we had was the server and bar tender were separate. so the bar tender had to come take your drink order separate. Made for a bit of a hassle but not too bad. I would hate to see what it would be like if it got busy in there.
we almost did not go because of the bad reviews, so I almost gave them 5 stars, but it was not that good. Just better than I expected and better than what we had at the Dolphin.

I’m running with the other reviews written by disappointed diners. Although our servers hustled and were very attentive, and atmosphere here is nice enough, it was the meal which was below expectations. Tough, overcooked steak.
Sorry,
Can’t recommended CJ’s.

As Good as Expected.
Comfortable surroundings and pleasant staff serve up good chow. No real superlatives but no surprises either. great blackened ono and excellent fries.

I live on kauai, ate there once, don’t waste your time. The shrimp entrée has 3 medium sized shrimp and white rice for $ 37. Along with poor service and no flavor.

We had dinner here on the last night of our honeymoon.
I had the fish dinner special and my husband had the prime rib.
Delicious food and drinks.
Excellent service and located close to our resort.
We will be back next time we visit Hawaii.

Our dinner was excellent. I took my boyfriend here for his birthday a few days ago and our friends joined us. It was great. We were sat in a small circular booth next to the window which was nice to get thr outside air.
Our server Renie, she was so nice and talkative in a good way. She started us a small convo with our friends since she found ouy they live so close to her family in the mainland. She was polite and very prompt with our food and drinks.
My friend’s lobster tail was HUGE. I’ve never seen anywhere on Kauai serve such a big tail. And for the price, $ 54 was a really good deal. I’ve been yo places where they’ve given me two ok sized tails for almost $ 70. So this was a steal.
I got a light meal, which was a smaller sized portion of teriyaki chicken, rice and salad bar. It was reasonably priced since it’s endless salad bar. My boyfriend got the ribs and loved it. Our friends said they really liked the ceviche they tried.
Definitely a nice place for someone’s birthday. For the four of us, with drinks, pupus, and dinners, it was barely $ 200. Which was really good considering we had about 7 drinks in that bill.