Let's start with dessert. A molten lava cake with vanilla bean ice cream. It had birthday candles…read moreon it. Ok back to the front of the meal. My kids hired Chef Tim to prepare a fantastic dinner for my 70th year on earth. Seared ahi, mochi rice crab cake, mini laulau were progressive appetizers that eased the flow of wine and conversation into just the right pace. A cold soup made from fresh green herbs served as a palate cleanser for the entree: a luscious chunk of opah (moon fish) drizzled with a white sauce along with jasmine rice and zucchini cubes. The fish melted like buttah in your mouth. Just when you thought there was no room for more, Chef Tim presented dessert. It was so good my son went back for seconds. Mahalo Chef Tim and his assistant April for preparing and serving a fabulous meal!

We had a great birthday dinner with Chef Tim. He was very easy to work with and extremely…read moreaccommodating for guests 7-75. Highly recommended for any special occasions! Did I mention he did a great job cleaning up after the big meal? it doesn't get any better than that!

Chef Louie and her team delivered another unforgettable evening! From the curated menu we planned…read moretogether to the beautiful table settings and drinks, every detail felt personal. She easily accommodated a dietary restriction, and her upfront communication - menu, itemized costs, and contract confirmed by email - made everything stress-free. The food was exceptional: fresh produce from her own garden (the garnish on the chicken shooters was amazing!), tropical fruits she introduced us to and wove into the meal, and dishes I'm still thinking about days later. She even snapped photos of us during the event without being asked. Chef Louie embodies the warmth of Aloha, and she just keeps getting better - even after her Iron Chef win!

Katherine organized and provided an amazing dinner experience for our large family at our beautiful…read moreBig Island rental house, in celebration of some notable birthdays. Not only was the food outstanding, but she also arranged for outdoor seating, flowers, leis, a musician, a photographer and an after-dinner fire show. All were great. She is a friendly and likable person, with great culinary and organizational skills. She easily accommodated various dietary restrictions and preferences among our large group, and everything was delicious. Our family will never forget this memorable evening.

We called on Dec 30th for a catered NYE meal. Tina was so accommodating! She gave a great…read morerecommendation for our group size. We had the Kalua pork, garlic butter shrimp (which were HUGE), rice and a salad with a creamy Asian dressing. We also had spicy ahi poke and sweet ahi poke for an appetizer. Mmmmmm. I was feeding my adult kids and they had nothing but praises for the meal. Highly recommend when you are here renting a vacation home and want to bring in a great meal for your group. She was VERY reasonably priced for the amount of food.

From the initial contact, all the way to the days leading up to the wedding, the catering team at…read moreUmeke's was extremely responsive and accommodating. We had struggled to get responses from other catering options that we had been contemplating for our wedding. The team at Umeke's was not only incredibly responsive, they also made sure to check in with me through the entire process. Unfortunately I can't speak for how the food tasted, as our guest managed to eat everything before me and my husband had a chance to, which can only mean that the food was incredibly good and well received. We did have some Poke Bombs left over which my husband enjoyed the night after the wedding as well as the next day. We have discussed going to the restaurant and ordering the items we ordered for the wedding just so we could try them! So expect to see us there soon ordering possibly too much food, so we can finally enjoy what our guests were raving about. The team on-site was was super polite, accommodating, and left the area cleaner than how we got it! I will most certainly be recommending the catering services from Umeke's to anyone who asks.

I'm Filipino and this place provided the best adobo I've ever had in my entire life. The pork belly…read moreadobo literally had me saying, "Oh my god this is so good," the entire meal. I love that they kept the marinade true to its roots--soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar. Served over warm rice with some mac salad on the side. Even felt that classic post-meal heartburn afterward with the deliciously tender fat. Perfect meal, no notes. This meal was literally the most memorable on the Big Island and it'll be a must-stop restaurant for us if we ever go back.

Had to try this place after all the good reviews so this was our first stop after landing at KOA…read morefor our first BI visit. Got there about 15 minutes after opening and there was no line and plenty of parking. Easy to find a table. Service was friendly and she explained the menu. Ordered the 3 item plate with garlic butter shrimp, garlic furikake chicken and short ribs to share. Also had the potato mac salad. All were delicious! One star off for super fatty short ribs ($13.99 surcharge was on the high side for the small amount) and high price (paid $2.99 for a bottle of Costco Kirkland water and $3.50 for a can of Aloha POG - at least they were cold!) but welcome to Hawaii I guess! Would return to try other menu items!

Strongly recommend Mona and her team at Mon Ami catering…read more Mona catered our backyard wedding of 30, and did a fantastic job. The food was exceptionally good, both tasty and gorgeously presented. They were highly professional throughout the entire evening, and accommodated a few guests with dietary restrictions with ease. The food really is as good as the photos look.

We had our family reunion/gathering catered in Hawi at our vacation rental. Mona and her team were…read moreamazing and served a delicious fresh meal from an assortment of appetizers, amazing entrees, and dessert. We didn't know what the vacation rental would have or be stocked with and they brought everything we needed and were flexible with the cooking arrangements. The food was not only fresh and delicious but so beautiful to look at! Thank you so much Mona and team!

Patrick and his food were a pleasure. Used absolutely the best ingredients to knock it out of the…read morepark. He cooked, served, cleaned and made the night perfect!!! Finished off by the absolute best crème brûlée I have had in my entire life. This is the way to go. You will not be disappointed.

Patrick crafted a delightful menu for my family that highlighted local ingredients and the rich…read moreflavors of Hawaiian and Japanese cuisine. We've traveled to all the Hawaiian Islands and have sampled each island's best restaurants, but I can honestly say my entire group agreed that the meal Patrick created for our celebratory gathering was undoubtedly the absolute best. The sashimi dishes were the freshest and most flavorful I've had- on par with the best Japanese restaurants we've experienced (and we've been to Japan). His salads were fresh, light, and creative, as were his side dishes. And his desserts were top-notch. Each course flowed beautifully into another, and every bite was delicious. We truly appreciated how much care Patrick dedicates to his craft- the quality and thought Patrick puts into sourcing ingredients is evident in the taste, flavor, and depth of his dishes. The service was also impeccable. Our house was left spotless, and his wife was absolutely charming. I would not hesitate to recommend them again. Thank you, Patrick, for all of the hard work and love you put into your dishes! Outstanding job!

Top priorities for a wedding are location and food. Though we always thought to have our wedding…read morein Chicago with the famous skyline as our backdrop, we weren't disappointed when we decided to trade in the skyline for a stunning ocean view. Paradise Gourmet Catering has a good reputation on the Big Island and with plenty of positive reviews on Yelp and other wedding websites, it wasn't difficult to feel comfortable with our decision. Lava Lava Beach Club works exclusively with PGC for events on their site, so technically, if we wanted to have our wedding at LLBC, we would HAVE to work with PGC. EXPERIENCE: For the most part, we are satisfied with our experience and they made outstanding food for our wedding. We requested the food to be served buffet style and we also requested for passed pupus of handmade ice pops and a late night snack of mini sliders paired with string fries and chocolate milk shakes. The salad with papaya seed dressing, thai green papaya salad with grilled shrimp, layered potatoes (just a lil too salty), green beans with pancetta and pine nuts, flame broiled beef tenderloin with huli huli onions, and fresh island fish with red miso butter infused with ginger were all soo GOOD-- served perfectly and beautifully. ISSUES: The only issues I had was on communication. Working with the staff from Honolulu was a bit of a challenge and within PGC I had to communicate with 3 staff members, who were not always on the same page. Although PGC offered to organize vendors for other services (i.e., tent, band, florist), their services come with a cost higher than if I found them on my own. If you're looking for convenience, PGC is great because they offer this service, but if you want to save a few hundred dollars, you'll have to work a little harder to find your own vendors and compare prices. COMPLIMENTS: I do compliment them on their job well done for thinking on their toes on the day of our wedding when we were blessed with unexpected pre-wedding showers. They worked quickly to think of other options and then wipe the ceremony seats dry when the rain stopped just minutes before the ceremony began. They also adjusted well with our schedule as the night was moving faster than scheduled. Kudos to the wait staff and bartender that helped out that night too--the mai tais, and signature cocktails were YUM! BOTTOMLINE Food: ***** Service: **** Flexibility: *** Value: ***

My husband and I found Paradise Gourmet on the web as we were preparing for our wedding in Kona and…read moreI have to say that they lived up to everything they said about themselves and more. The food was incredible and the staff was extremely delightful in how they handled all of the details in our event. If I ever had reason to host another party on the Big Island, these people would be the first to be contacted.

My parents love this truck, but it can be hard to track down. They're only open on weekends. Check…read moretheir Instagram to see where they are. I got the Spicy Ahi Poke Nachos and they were delicious. I wish they had more poke/fish options on the menu because it was really good.

They did a catering event which had poke bomb and nachos (poke not fresh) rice on it was missing…read moreits sushi flavor. Chicken was dry, beef was tough and the ribs sauce was too sweet. Guacamole was just an avocado mashed. Fresh salad was good and potato salad also. Fish was good too. Pasta dish was bland Egg rolls we're oily

Paniolo BBQ is a hidden gem that offers a wonderful experience for both kids and adults. They have…read morefun stories, live music, majestic views, enjoyable games, and the food is amazing!

This was our second time attending the Paniolo BBQ dinner, this time with our family group of 18…read more It was fantastic as usual! The view from the top of the mountain is incredible! The historical storytelling, the gracious staff, the food, all just wonderful!! I highly recommend attending!!

Very much recommend Island Thyme Gourmet! We ordered meals for home delivery to our vacation rental…read morefor our family because we wanted to eat well but avoid restaurants and get a break from cooking ourselves. The food was delicious and arrived with clear instructions on how to easily assemble or warm up. Exactly what you want to take your mind off of meal prep while on vacation. They have a variety of options on their rotating menu, generous portions and nice sides to order in addition to the main menu items. We liked stocking up on some salads. Fresh ingredients and some healthy/balanced meals. They were also so easy to communicate with and place orders. We will definitely use their service on a future trip to the Big Island.

OMGosh, I highly recommend Island Thyme! My husband and I, and our 2 teenage kids, visited the…read moreBig Island in March. We rented a beautiful house and decided we'd cater a couple of meals in to enjoy our space. First of all, Clare (who delivered our meals and the wife of Chef Dan), could NOT be any sweeter. She was so responsive via email prior to our arrival. She proposed menus for us, and she cheerfully delivered them. Our first meal: filets with sautéed mushrooms and onions and the most delicious red wine Demi glace sauce (I could literally drink the sauce), with Caesar salad, roasted local veggies, and ulu gratin was SPECTACULAR. The Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream with macerated strawberries was out of this world. The second meal Chef Dan prepared for us was Mahi Mahi in parchement (with a super spectacular leek and mushroom topping), saffron basmati rice, and sautéed garlic bok choy. The salad that night might have been my fave. The passionfruit vinaigrette (much like the red wine Demi glace, I could literally drink). Both my husband and I are still talking about the salad dressing! We are leaving this part of the Big Island and heading to the volcano area for the last leg of our trip, and I have the leftover passion fruit vinaigrette packed in the cooler! Also, Clare/Dan prepared a beautiful fruit tray for breakfast, and the Macademia Nut tarte that Clare picked up from another baker/chef ... also delish.