Polynesia Enterprises, Hanalei

This place is a dump, it is dirty and needs attention. The food is just ok. The french-fries were greasy and the condiments are dirty. Does anyone there ever clean at all!!!!!!!! It's a pigsty.

We waited an hour... an hour for our food... well, my folks waited, we had to go back to our place because we had a baby who was up too late. The service was slow... like geologic time slow. The food was good, but not good enough to wait that long for. It was a joke. Don't eat there.

I've been going to Kauai twice a year for about 15 years and have been going to the Hawaiian Islands since 1965. I've seen many changes ... mostly for the good. But I've noticed during my last two trips to Kauai (one in March 2007 and just returned from a week there on September 26th) that there is a definite deterioration in service in the restaurants there. Maybe it's because of the lack of a skilled workforce in the business... I don't know. However, I did want to relate one experience I had at the Polynesia Cafe in Kapaa on September 24th. The restaurant looks dirty... and there were these barely visible microscopic bugs around the sugar ... similar to bugs I've seen in the beach communities in Mexico. We ordered a $30 sashimi appetizer and two prime rib dinners. One was order medium rare and the other medium well or end piece. In a very short period of time the prime rib dinners came before the appetizer... so I canceled the appetizer... but there was no salad or anything before?... what?... at $22 something per plate you would think something like a salad or soup came with the meal. The prime rib was served on a small plate and the vegetables and rice were under the meat... poorly plated. Both prime ribs were exactly the same... medium to well. The meat had a good flavor but with bugs and the order screw up we wanted to get out of there. One redeeming value to this place were the drinks... good martini and other cocktails. I wish I knew how to contact the owners. They seem like people interested in serving up a good experience in their restaurant but it certainly didn't work for us on this visit. Pity.

The food was great and they did serve us breakfast when we arrived a few minutes before 11 a.m. but weren't seated until after 11 a.m. (they quit serving breakfast after 11 a.m.), but the interior was beat up (perhaps it's the end of the season and they will fix up later). Although the food was good, the service friendly, and the atmosphere with the ocean was great, there are places to eat that are just as good, with larger servings, and cost less. Beware their Hanalei location does not serve a full menu.

Reasonable prices for the area and the food and pastries were fantastic! The dining area was not really bussed well, but being outside was good. It rained a bit while we were there but we stayed dry for the most part.

Polynesia Cafe was a great find. We actually stayed at the Princeville Resort and ate there one night. Not a great value for the money and food we got. But the atmosphere was five star. Then we saw an article about the Polyn.Cafe and tried it one night. Wow, were we blown away by the quality, portions, and sauces. Gourmet all the way. We came back 3 times for dinner and had various of their fresh fish dishes. Not tiny little portions either. Plus you can BYOB and enjoy your favorite beer or wine with your meal. You are paying for the high quality food, not for the waiters, china, and beautiful restaurant. They don't have those. What they do have is premium meals served on paper plates. So if you want to spend $45 on a meal somewhere else, you can. But you should try this place and their $15.00 gourmet meals. Awesome!

This was our favorite place to eat in Hanalei. Great outdoor casual atmosphere, gourmet food on paper plates exactly as it's motto says. My favorite was the Mac Nut Ahi, and the burgers, coffee and deserts were also awesome.

great food, easy to get to!

Had breakfast here two mornings. Was THE best breakfast we tried in Hanalei and Princeville. Very casual, food served on paper plates. The eggs benedict was great. My husband had the huevos rancheros and thought it was fantastic. Wish we would have tried dinner there but ran out of time. We were there at a slow time so service was great and fast.