Feels like an island getaway! Service has always been superb, the food tastes incredible with a beautiful presentation, and visit the very personable bartender for a well made cocktail or mocktail! We will always come back.
Gay
Food and service always outstanding. We were on the patio and despite heaters and extra clothes, were quite chilly. The surrounding buildings seem to create a wind tunnel. Also fumes from the traffic were unpleasant. For a perfect dining experience, eat inside.
robert
always a pleasure to dine there. The food is excellent, the service is above average. The butter is the best I have ever had. This should be a Michelin star restaurant
Tracy
You just can't have a bad time at Pono if you tried. The food is ALWAYS delicious. Lydia, our server was delightful as always. If you haven't tried Pono you are really missing out. Love this place!
Daniel
This restaurant is amazing. The owners are fantastic. The servers are incredible. The food is beautiful.
Sarah
The food was absolutely delicious. We tried different appetizers (bread & butter, she crab soup, ahi crudo, Cesar salad) and all were 10/10. The server explained all dishes and ingredients and was very kind and knowledgeable on the menu. We highly recommend the local misoyaki butterfish! It was easily the best part! This was our first time eating here and we will definitely be back.
Christin
Always love Pono. The food is consistently delicious, and the staff is attentive and always remembers us when we come back! You have to get the sourdough bread with brie butter... so yummy! The flat-iron steak was perfectly cooked and absolutely delicious. A true little gem in Grover Beach!
David Gross
Great drinks great food and great service. I can't eat gluten and my friendly server was very attentive to my dietary restrictions. The food was delish and the drinks were strong. Everything tasted fresh. Loved the potatos, squash, and brushless sprouts. Those were my standouts. I would have liked more gluten free desert options but that is just nit picking and doesn't take away from the menu.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Luis Valente
We had a great time at this restaurant. Every dish was carefully prepared and full of flavor. Our waiter provided lots of suggestions for both food and wine and they were excellent. The Manhattan Sea Scallops were divine! We also enjoyed three different starters (clams, Ahi tuna tartare and calamari) and three different desserts. The wine, an Albariño from SLO, was also very nice. I strongly recommend this restaurant.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kelly K
Best restaurant my husband and I have been to… the fish is high quality, crab cakes were so delicious and the main course was so flavorful and every spoon full was exquisite. I ordered the mushroom gnocchi and my husband had the local butterfish. We have never had fish before that melted in our mouth, it was complex and all the flavors and textures completed each other perfectly. Service was friendly and attentive. We loved just being in the ambiance and felt very relaxed and we will be back for sure!!! Do not miss out on this experience. And order the apple crisp, don’t think twice.
Beautiful restaurant, from the people to the food to the decor.
Small portions, weird combinations to create thier dishes, prices are high and very loud!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
Tatiana Borzova
Unfortunately, my experience was quite average, especially given that this was a birthday celebration. While a complimentary gesture from the chef would have been appreciated, it wasn’t provided. More concerning was the service — our order was mixed up several times, and we were repeatedly served the wrong dishes.
The restaurant is also quite overpriced for what it offers. The mocktails were disappointing and not worth the price, so we ended up replacing them. Another drawback was our table placement: we were seated right next to the kitchen, with constant waiter traffic, which made it difficult to relax or enjoy the restaurant’s ambience.
The biggest issue for me, however, was being served food on cracked dishes. For a restaurant positioning itself as reputable, this is unacceptable and detracts significantly from the overall experience. Additionally, an automatic 18% gratuity is added for groups of 6+, which in this case felt unjustified given the level of service we received. Based on this visit, I genuinely don’t understand the consistently high ratings.
Cheri
The food was delicious and well prepared. The service was good. My only complaint was the noise was so high it made it difficult to talk and relax during the meal. The prices were extremely high and if you wanted bread it was an additional $10. The hostess said the next time we come to ask for the quiet section right by the open kitchen, where you'll just hear the clanging of pots and the busy chefs.
Elise
All the entrees we ordered was simply delicious. The Butterfish is “the Bomb”. It's no wonder why it's there specialty dish. The sauces on every dish were sublime. The Hamachi Crudo with an amazing light citrus sauce was also incredible. I can't wait to return. You can pass on the desserts, as they were underwhelming, and not on the same level as the entrees.
Mary Beth
One of THE best meals I've ever had! Chef's creations are so inventive, with flavors perfectly balanced.
Feels like an island getaway! Service has always been superb, the food tastes incredible with a beautiful presentation, and visit the very personable bartender for a well made cocktail or mocktail! We will always come back.
Food and service always outstanding. We were on the patio and despite heaters and extra clothes, were quite chilly. The surrounding buildings seem to create a wind tunnel. Also fumes from the traffic were unpleasant. For a perfect dining experience, eat inside.
always a pleasure to dine there. The food is excellent, the service is above average. The butter is the best I have ever had. This should be a Michelin star restaurant
You just can't have a bad time at Pono if you tried. The food is ALWAYS delicious. Lydia, our server was delightful as always. If you haven't tried Pono you are really missing out. Love this place!
This restaurant is amazing. The owners are fantastic. The servers are incredible. The food is beautiful.
The food was absolutely delicious. We tried different appetizers (bread & butter, she crab soup, ahi crudo, Cesar salad) and all were 10/10. The server explained all dishes and ingredients and was very kind and knowledgeable on the menu. We highly recommend the local misoyaki butterfish! It was easily the best part! This was our first time eating here and we will definitely be back.
Always love Pono. The food is consistently delicious, and the staff is attentive and always remembers us when we come back! You have to get the sourdough bread with brie butter... so yummy! The flat-iron steak was perfectly cooked and absolutely delicious. A true little gem in Grover Beach!
Great drinks great food and great service. I can't eat gluten and my friendly server was very attentive to my dietary restrictions. The food was delish and the drinks were strong. Everything tasted fresh. Loved the potatos, squash, and brushless sprouts. Those were my standouts. I would have liked more gluten free desert options but that is just nit picking and doesn't take away from the menu.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
We had a great time at this restaurant. Every dish was carefully prepared and full of flavor. Our waiter provided lots of suggestions for both food and wine and they were excellent. The Manhattan Sea Scallops were divine! We also enjoyed three different starters (clams, Ahi tuna tartare and calamari) and three different desserts. The wine, an Albariño from SLO, was also very nice.
I strongly recommend this restaurant.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best restaurant my husband and I have been to… the fish is high quality, crab cakes were so delicious and the main course was so flavorful and every spoon full was exquisite. I ordered the mushroom gnocchi and my husband had the local butterfish. We have never had fish before that melted in our mouth, it was complex and all the flavors and textures completed each other perfectly.
Service was friendly and attentive. We loved just being in the ambiance and felt very relaxed and we will be back for sure!!! Do not miss out on this experience. And order the apple crisp, don’t think twice.
Beautiful restaurant, from the people to the food to the decor.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Small portions, weird combinations to create thier dishes, prices are high and very loud!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
Unfortunately, my experience was quite average, especially given that this was a birthday celebration. While a complimentary gesture from the chef would have been appreciated, it wasn’t provided. More concerning was the service — our order was mixed up several times, and we were repeatedly served the wrong dishes.
The restaurant is also quite overpriced for what it offers. The mocktails were disappointing and not worth the price, so we ended up replacing them. Another drawback was our table placement: we were seated right next to the kitchen, with constant waiter traffic, which made it difficult to relax or enjoy the restaurant’s ambience.
The biggest issue for me, however, was being served food on cracked dishes. For a restaurant positioning itself as reputable, this is unacceptable and detracts significantly from the overall experience. Additionally, an automatic 18% gratuity is added for groups of 6+, which in this case felt unjustified given the level of service we received. Based on this visit, I genuinely don’t understand the consistently high ratings.
The food was delicious and well prepared. The service was good. My only complaint was the noise was so high it made it difficult to talk and relax during the meal. The prices were extremely high and if you wanted bread it was an additional $10. The hostess said the next time we come to ask for the quiet section right by the open kitchen, where you'll just hear the clanging of pots and the busy chefs.
All the entrees we ordered was simply delicious. The Butterfish is “the Bomb”. It's no wonder why it's there specialty dish. The sauces on every dish were sublime. The Hamachi Crudo with an amazing light citrus sauce was also incredible. I can't wait to return. You can pass on the desserts, as they were underwhelming, and not on the same level as the entrees.
One of THE best meals I've ever had! Chef's creations are so inventive, with flavors perfectly balanced.
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