Ro's Recz

Address: 81-951 Halekii St, Kealakekua, HI 96750

Kona has some amazing restaurants, and my personal favorite that I have been to is called Kona Grill House. Kona Grill House is located around Kailua-Kona Area (maybe 15-20 minutes outside of the main town), so if you are staying in that area it is a quick trip. I was staying in Hapuna, so the drive for me was over an hour each way, but I still think that the food is worth it.

Since it is called Kona Grill House, most of the dishes served there are grilled. This includes specialities such as their lobster crab cake (super good) and fresh fish (when I went it was an ono).

However, the real star in my opinion was the poke, which I would personally rank ahead of any poke restaurant on Oahu. The fish quality was amazing, but it was really the sauces that were the standout item. I tried the J-dog poke, which is an extra-spicy poke with garlic. It is super flavorful, while also having just the right amount of kick (although it might be too much if you don’t like spice). However, it also goes extremely well with the ahi, and it does not make the fish too heavy. I think the sauce is some combination of sesame oil, sriracha, garlic, and onions, and it is my all-time favorite poke combination.

The prices at Kona Grill House are also very reasonable, as a poke+lobster crab cake combo is about $13.99, with their fresh fish+lobster crab cake combo being the same price. Kona Grill House is way cheaper than any food than you will find at hotel restaurants, and also significantly better in my opinion. If I were to go to Kona again, Kona Grill House would be top of my list for places to go back to!

Kona Grill House Recommendation Rating: 5

This post has now been updated to reflect a new ratings system that I have implemented, which is scored as follows:

1: Something worth checking out if you have time

2: Something that is a hit for some people, but not a must for everyone

3: Something worth prioritizing if interested

4: Something worth making time to check out

5: An absolute home run, worth going out of your way for