We have been on the island for four days and this was definitely the food highlight of the trips.Our waitress, Jaden was incredibly friendly. So fantastic.We ordered each of the five specialty sushi rolls and coconut shrimp. All were phenomenal. We ordered the Stay In Hanalei cocktail as well, very good.Great views of the mountains side with waterfalls running down them. There was a warm breeze which was pleasant while we were seated next to the open windows.We will definitely be back on our next trip to Kauai!
PHILIP CLAYTON
Great food, great view and the service provided by Evans was great. My wife and I arrived at about 6:15 on a Wednesday evening and were seated immediately. 10 minutes later our order was in and first round of drinks were on the table. Service continued to be excellent and we had a great dinner. A little pricy as is everything on Kauai, but not outrageous either. Hopefully we will have a future vacation here on our favorite of the Hawaiian islands and will have dinner here again.
Ari Novick
My one star rating is due to the lack of transparency of their prices of their posted specials. Most of the meals on their menu are in the $30.00 range. What you would expect to pay in Hawaii. Two specials listed last night were the poke bowl and chirashi bowl. The latter, which didn’t have a posted description, was described by the server as a bowl that had “more variety of fish” than the poke bowl. Great we thought. When we received the bill this bowl was staggering $68.00, almost 3x anything else on the menu. I wouldn’t have had a problem with the price if I had known or agreed to it before ordering. If you are going to charge almost 3x what other entrees cost then either post that price somewhere in plain sight or have the server let the customer know the cost up front. It is a common business practice for most restaurants (ex. The main lobster tonight is 1lb and costs $75, etc.). When I questioned our server about the cost after receiving the bill she was rude and gave some story about how all their “premium” sushi costs this much. We didn’t order any sushi! We didn’t even see the sushi menu.. Our server we felt was deceptive in pushing this costly dish over a regular poke bowl knowing it was 3x the cost of most every other entree on the menu. Further, when I asked if I could speak to a manager about my concerns regarding this restaurants business practices I was told he wouldn’t see me. The server stated the fish used was “of such high quality we have to charge this much” and that “no one has ever questioned the price”. This line of BS was really insulting and we felt taken advantage of big time. This bowl was ordered by our teenage son. Never would be intentionally order an almost $70 entree. Not much aloha going on at this place. There are so many good restaurants in Hanalei, so I’d recommend steering clear of this one. This problem could have easily been remedied had the manager come out personally to discuss. There was hardly anyone dining when we were there, a clear sign to run away given how crowded every other restaurant in the area was the same night.Update to my review above after reading the owner's response:It is clear to me the psychology of this owner is to minimize customer complaints and poor reviews to make himself look righteous and the consumer look stupid or ignorant. The idea that this Chirashi bowl was designed for two people is preposterous. 1. It was negligibly bigger than the poke bowl and 2. No where was it posted that it was a dish to be shared by two people...nor did the server suggest that it was. I'll own my part in not asking the price. Lesson learned. The point I was making was that when you are going to jack up the price on a special, it would be courteous to let the consumer know. As for the last comment you made about me being silly. I don't think there was anything silly about my comments. A gracious owner would simply apologize and say they will try and do a better job rather than make the consumer be at fault for any complaint raised. Doing so, would make any reasonable person consider coming back. In this case, I will never come back nor would I recommend this restaurant to anyone else to patronize. Remember the golden rule....S/he who has the gold rules. I'll take my business elsewhere.
Kimberly Buonassisi
We got the very last free table of the night and Aquila was the absolute best server!!! The sushi is fresh and delicious!!! Don’t skip the Grasshopper dessert too.
Shannon Hettinger
The avocado pesto linguine was amazing and so was the sushi and shrimp. We loved the background and we could not stop saying look how beautiful this is. We would suggest for you to come here. It’s amazing and Aquila is an amazing server.
Kid-friendliness: Very accommodating for kids!
Marian Chaney
The food and atmosphere is fine, the menu selections are rather limited. Our main complaint was that their kids menu is designed to be deceptive. First of of, there's no written kids menu - the waitress tells you by mouth, which seems to be an intentional setup. When they offer the options in words, they don't mention price. The kids said, quesadilla; the waitress asked the kids, "do you want to add chicken"? Guess what, the quesadilla is $14 (which is all right), chicken upgrade was $8. Miso soup is $8. Each kid got a chicken quesadilla with miso soup ended cost $30, that's more than an adult nice meal. So watch out for the unwritten information; we felt it's intentionally dishonest.
Liz Chrisman
The sushi menu is simple and straightforward but after trying a few rolls it’s evident that the ethos is quality over quantity here.We sat at the bar and visited with Ajia - excellent server and barkeep. Great atmosphere upstairs that feels cozy.
Autumn Peterson
If you’re looking for fresh, tasty sushi come here. Aquila was a wonderful server! Very attentive and thoughtful.
Scotty P
Was wanting to visit another local restaurant but didn't want to wait 2-hrs, so we found the Northside Grill. Great atmosphere and they made a table available. The busy evening we visited, there were only two servers working their tails off to get the food out.Our server was very pleasant and quick to provide our drinks and food order. The food was so-so and not unique but portion size and presentation was appealing. Compared to the negative attitude from many other locals of Kauai towards visitors, this place made you feel welcome.
Jbsted
Our first experience was amazing, fantastic food, and wait staff...We decided to return for our anniversary dinner the same week, Wednesday, April 26, at 5:00 p.m. and we set a day and time with Ed, the owner. He wrote our reservation in the book, and said, I have initialed it so it won't be changed and you will have a view table. Upon arrival, we encountered the nastiest woman we have ever encountered in Kauai. She was not apologetic, but rather mean and dismissive. The night would have been a disaster, but we went across the street to AMA, and had a wonderful and fun anniversary dinner!!! We won't return!!!
The mediocrity of the food was well matched by the mediocrity of the service. We spent 6 delightful nights dining in Hanalei Bay but the 7th was wasted at NorthSide Grill. We both had salad and the catch of the day. They were edible but undistinguished. Fish was dry and had little flavor. “Citrus salad” was almost devoid of citrus. And the service was begrudging and slow. We advise making better choices than we did!
Mark Richards
Really don't get the negative reviews about this place, the service was outstanding and the food was perfect. My wife had the short ribs and I had the salmon which was cooked perfectly. We also had two orders of Nigiri which absolutely melted in your mouth. Guess we came on a good, no great night because everything was amazing and the waiter was fantastic.
meowatmacy
Very poor service. The servers brushed us off from the moment we walked in. When we were finally acknowledged, we asked if we could sit at one of the tables by the window as the restaurant was basically empty… there were three tables occupied. We were told no, they are for big groups only. An elderly couple came in shortly after us and asked the same thing and were given the same answer. Our server then retrieved “reserved” signs and put them on all the tables by the window. She then started whispering to one of her co-workers “these are reserved now - no one is sitting here!” The staff were constantly overheard gossiping and literally making fun of other patrons in the restaurant, which was extremely uncomfortable and awkward. A couple came in to look at the menu and decided they weren’t going to eat there. When they left, one of the servers said to another something along the lines of “didn’t want them to stay anyway…”. The view was beautiful, although you were forbidden from sitting near the windows. The food was OK - but nothing to write home about. Overall, very disappointed.
Rana Zeller
I wish I could rate this restaurant, but we walked in and waited for a bit. Very little tables were full. Finally and older guy looked around to see if anyone else could take care of seating us, then he said can I help you. I told him how many in our party and he said very rudely do you have a reservation? We said no he said very rudely ok, you'll have to wait a minute. So we ate bbq and it was great.
Allie Peckham
Coconut shrimp and mango salsa was INSANITY of delicious. Also, Ashley provided EXCELLENT service.
We have been on the island for four days and this was definitely the food highlight of the trips.Our waitress, Jaden was incredibly friendly. So fantastic.We ordered each of the five specialty sushi rolls and coconut shrimp. All were phenomenal. We ordered the Stay In Hanalei cocktail as well, very good.Great views of the mountains side with waterfalls running down them. There was a warm breeze which was pleasant while we were seated next to the open windows.We will definitely be back on our next trip to Kauai!
Great food, great view and the service provided by Evans was great. My wife and I arrived at about 6:15 on a Wednesday evening and were seated immediately. 10 minutes later our order was in and first round of drinks were on the table. Service continued to be excellent and we had a great dinner. A little pricy as is everything on Kauai, but not outrageous either. Hopefully we will have a future vacation here on our favorite of the Hawaiian islands and will have dinner here again.
My one star rating is due to the lack of transparency of their prices of their posted specials. Most of the meals on their menu are in the $30.00 range. What you would expect to pay in Hawaii. Two specials listed last night were the poke bowl and chirashi bowl. The latter, which didn’t have a posted description, was described by the server as a bowl that had “more variety of fish” than the poke bowl. Great we thought. When we received the bill this bowl was staggering $68.00, almost 3x anything else on the menu. I wouldn’t have had a problem with the price if I had known or agreed to it before ordering. If you are going to charge almost 3x what other entrees cost then either post that price somewhere in plain sight or have the server let the customer know the cost up front. It is a common business practice for most restaurants (ex. The main lobster tonight is 1lb and costs $75, etc.). When I questioned our server about the cost after receiving the bill she was rude and gave some story about how all their “premium” sushi costs this much. We didn’t order any sushi! We didn’t even see the sushi menu.. Our server we felt was deceptive in pushing this costly dish over a regular poke bowl knowing it was 3x the cost of most every other entree on the menu. Further, when I asked if I could speak to a manager about my concerns regarding this restaurants business practices I was told he wouldn’t see me. The server stated the fish used was “of such high quality we have to charge this much” and that “no one has ever questioned the price”. This line of BS was really insulting and we felt taken advantage of big time. This bowl was ordered by our teenage son. Never would be intentionally order an almost $70 entree. Not much aloha going on at this place. There are so many good restaurants in Hanalei, so I’d recommend steering clear of this one. This problem could have easily been remedied had the manager come out personally to discuss. There was hardly anyone dining when we were there, a clear sign to run away given how crowded every other restaurant in the area was the same night.Update to my review above after reading the owner's response:It is clear to me the psychology of this owner is to minimize customer complaints and poor reviews to make himself look righteous and the consumer look stupid or ignorant. The idea that this Chirashi bowl was designed for two people is preposterous. 1. It was negligibly bigger than the poke bowl and 2. No where was it posted that it was a dish to be shared by two people...nor did the server suggest that it was. I'll own my part in not asking the price. Lesson learned. The point I was making was that when you are going to jack up the price on a special, it would be courteous to let the consumer know. As for the last comment you made about me being silly. I don't think there was anything silly about my comments. A gracious owner would simply apologize and say they will try and do a better job rather than make the consumer be at fault for any complaint raised. Doing so, would make any reasonable person consider coming back. In this case, I will never come back nor would I recommend this restaurant to anyone else to patronize. Remember the golden rule....S/he who has the gold rules. I'll take my business elsewhere.
We got the very last free table of the night and Aquila was the absolute best server!!! The sushi is fresh and delicious!!! Don’t skip the Grasshopper dessert too.
The avocado pesto linguine was amazing and so was the sushi and shrimp. We loved the background and we could not stop saying look how beautiful this is. We would suggest for you to come here. It’s amazing and Aquila is an amazing server.
Kid-friendliness: Very accommodating for kids!
The food and atmosphere is fine, the menu selections are rather limited. Our main complaint was that their kids menu is designed to be deceptive. First of of, there's no written kids menu - the waitress tells you by mouth, which seems to be an intentional setup. When they offer the options in words, they don't mention price. The kids said, quesadilla; the waitress asked the kids, "do you want to add chicken"? Guess what, the quesadilla is $14 (which is all right), chicken upgrade was $8. Miso soup is $8. Each kid got a chicken quesadilla with miso soup ended cost $30, that's more than an adult nice meal. So watch out for the unwritten information; we felt it's intentionally dishonest.
The sushi menu is simple and straightforward but after trying a few rolls it’s evident that the ethos is quality over quantity here.We sat at the bar and visited with Ajia - excellent server and barkeep. Great atmosphere upstairs that feels cozy.
If you’re looking for fresh, tasty sushi come here. Aquila was a wonderful server! Very attentive and thoughtful.
Was wanting to visit another local restaurant but didn't want to wait 2-hrs, so we found the Northside Grill. Great atmosphere and they made a table available. The busy evening we visited, there were only two servers working their tails off to get the food out.Our server was very pleasant and quick to provide our drinks and food order. The food was so-so and not unique but portion size and presentation was appealing. Compared to the negative attitude from many other locals of Kauai towards visitors, this place made you feel welcome.
Our first experience was amazing, fantastic food, and wait staff...We decided to return for our anniversary dinner the same week, Wednesday, April 26, at 5:00 p.m. and we set a day and time with Ed, the owner. He wrote our reservation in the book, and said, I have initialed it so it won't be changed and you will have a view table. Upon arrival, we encountered the nastiest woman we have ever encountered in Kauai. She was not apologetic, but rather mean and dismissive. The night would have been a disaster, but we went across the street to AMA, and had a wonderful and fun anniversary dinner!!! We won't return!!!
Restaurantji Recommends
The mediocrity of the food was well matched by the mediocrity of the service. We spent 6 delightful nights dining in Hanalei Bay but the 7th was wasted at NorthSide Grill. We both had salad and the catch of the day. They were edible but undistinguished. Fish was dry and had little flavor. “Citrus salad” was almost devoid of citrus. And the service was begrudging and slow. We advise making better choices than we did!
Really don't get the negative reviews about this place, the service was outstanding and the food was perfect. My wife had the short ribs and I had the salmon which was cooked perfectly. We also had two orders of Nigiri which absolutely melted in your mouth. Guess we came on a good, no great night because everything was amazing and the waiter was fantastic.
Very poor service. The servers brushed us off from the moment we walked in. When we were finally acknowledged, we asked if we could sit at one of the tables by the window as the restaurant was basically empty… there were three tables occupied. We were told no, they are for big groups only. An elderly couple came in shortly after us and asked the same thing and were given the same answer. Our server then retrieved “reserved” signs and put them on all the tables by the window. She then started whispering to one of her co-workers “these are reserved now - no one is sitting here!” The staff were constantly overheard gossiping and literally making fun of other patrons in the restaurant, which was extremely uncomfortable and awkward. A couple came in to look at the menu and decided they weren’t going to eat there. When they left, one of the servers said to another something along the lines of “didn’t want them to stay anyway…”. The view was beautiful, although you were forbidden from sitting near the windows. The food was OK - but nothing to write home about. Overall, very disappointed.
I wish I could rate this restaurant, but we walked in and waited for a bit. Very little tables were full. Finally and older guy looked around to see if anyone else could take care of seating us, then he said can I help you. I told him how many in our party and he said very rudely do you have a reservation? We said no he said very rudely ok, you'll have to wait a minute. So we ate bbq and it was great.
Coconut shrimp and mango salsa was INSANITY of delicious. Also, Ashley provided EXCELLENT service.
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