update 2/26: This was to be our special "nite out " dinner. And , it was great. Plan to spend, over A C note and no bar for two. BUT, seafood here is over the top, my wife had a white fish like ONO, but too long a name to spell. Over mashed potatoes and grilled veges Mine was Blackened and seared Ahi over sticky rice and asparagus spears. We both had a nice small Caesar. The sushi bar no longer is here. Completely removed and replaced with about a dozen or more tables for four. Really , if you want a treat at sunset , come here. Great service. read more

Honestly, I wanted this place to be great but it was decidedly sub par. I adore their Plantation location, this one not so much. Walked in before 5:00pm with no reservation for a party of four. Well, that was a mistake. Despite idle wait staff and maybe only five occupied tables out of 20-30 total they made us wait for about a half hour. The reason was other people made reservations and were expected. When they finally sat our party the restaurant was still 2/3 empty. There was really no reason to keep us waiting that i could see. When you see someone in the party is disabled and using assistive devices you should be more accommodating. It kind of felt like we were being punished for not having a reservation. Also, expect a 3% service charge for the back of the house. Really, for the prices they charge for mahi fragments you could pay those people without a surcharge. Portions here are tiny. My mahi fragments were dry, over spiced and served with two unseasoned baby bok choi leaves and a slice of grilled tomato. For the price of almost $40.00. The beer was good and so was our server so they got one star for that. Otherwise, this place is touristy, overpriced and the maitre d' is slow on the uptake. Overall, there are plenty of great restaurants on Maui, recommend you try one of those. read more

One of my favorite restaurants on Maui hands down! Any local will tell you Cafe O Lei is a Maui tradition. This Kihei location is my favorite because they give the best service. This was my 1st time experiencing Happy Hour and it was much needed!! They're best known for their Fish Special and Plate Lunch Special! The Fish Special is usually Ahi or Mahi (best known for it being prepared Panko or Macadamia Nut Crusted) with an addictive Butter Sauce (my favorites over the years are Guava, Lilikoi and Lemon Caper Butter Sauce) and their Plate Lunch Specials are always so delicious. Over the years the specials go up in price and I believe now it could be $12-13 for the Plate Lunch & $18-19 for the Fish Special but still not bad considering it's Fish! Today my friends and I all got Petite Caesar Salads (nothing Petite about it and it was very filling) and their Beef Sliders which was sooo yummy! It came with a Brioche bun, bacon pieces and jam, and Crispy Onion yum yum! We got so full that we didn't touch the Lettuce Wraps much but it's definitely a must! It has Ground Chicken, Chestnut, Shiitake Mushroom and Hoison Sauce. My niece got a Lychee Sprite. It's not on the Menu but it's a refreshing local twist! They have a good selection of Happy Hour drinks too with Local flavors! And to end our Happy Hour Session, a warm Brownie Sundae with Macadamia Nut Ice Cream (it's usually served with Kona Coffee Ice Cream) with drizzles of Caramel and Chocolate and whipped cream and a strawberry. Cafe O Lei is a must stop if you ever visit Maui. It's always on my top 3 of Maui recommendations. read more

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Our food and service was amazing. We ordered the lettuce wraps, a cocktail, prime rib, and the special which was panko breaded mahi, whipped potatoes, and tempura fried shrimp. Our food was cooked perfectly and it came out in a timely manner. We will definitely be back. read more

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I came here for dinner during our vacation in Maui. It's pretty difficult to find good vegetarian options in Hawaii so I didn't have super high expectations. The inside is nicely decorated very simple, but they do keep it freezing cold. I would recommend bringing an extra layer. I ordered the vegetable flatbread and it was all right. There wasn't anything special about it and the bread part tasted pretty simple. They did get my order wrong the first time, so they brought out a small greens plate with an interesting dressing while I waited. My friend ordered the steak, which he really enjoyed. It was a little overcooked, but still delicious. read more

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We had an 11:00 a.m. reservation on a Friday, and the restaurant wasn't busy. The onion soup was good--I can see why it's popular. Unfortunately, the papaya salad was disappointing. The mixed greens were not fresh, with black spots. I asked for a replacement, but it came back wilted, definitely not worth paying $21. read more

Cafe O'Lei Kihei - Spoiled mixed greens - Seafood Near Me - Kihei, Hawaii

Great place for dinner. They were open for Thanksgiving and had a Thanksgiving Menu available. My favorite is their Macadamia Crusted Mahi Mahi. It's moist and always tasty! Service was friendly and helpful. Lots of different indoor seating spaces available. Relaxing and lively place to dine with family, kids and celebrate special occasions. Recommend and must try when in Kihei! read more

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Let me just start by saying the view from the outside dining area is absolutely amazing and unreal. If you're okay with the humidity I definitely suggest sitting outside. I unfortunately am rating this place 4 stars instead of 5 because of the service that day. There was a wedding happening on the other side of the restaurant so I'm not sure if that had anything to do with it but our initial server only checked on us twice in an hour and then just disappeared the rest of the evening so I had to ask a different server for help. Other than that the drinks and food were amazing. We ordered chicken lettuce wraps which were tangy and sweet as an appetizer and then we shared the macadamia crusted mahi mahi which we quickly regretted sharing because it was so good we should have ordered two! The fish was cooked to perfection with a beautiful crust. Would definitely recommend this place to anyone visiting Maui. read more

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I love going to Cafe O'Lei in Kihei. We often have Holly as our server and she is a delight. Always a smile. The food is always good. I often get the fish special and the butter sauce is great. It's upstairs and there's an elevator so no problem. Everyone is friendly and helpful. I do love Phil Sabado's artwork on the walls. read more

The mixed reviews had me worried but I'm so glad I tried this restaurant. Ultimately I think it depends on what you order, but most things seemed pretty good based on what I tried and what I saw. Our food was good, taste and portion wise. Prices were very reasonable (for Maui). Service was very pleasant. We got a couple maui onion French onion soups to share. Probably one of the best I've ever had. I'm inspired to try to make this at home this winter. I got the mac nut crusted mahi mahi. It wasn't the best I've ever had but pretty good. Very fresh, but felt like it needed some salt. My sister's opa? fish was similarly good. My Mom got the grilled lobster and mushroom risotto. Both my Mom and I agreed the risotto was to die for. So rich and flavorful. The lobster seemed superfluous in a way. The lobster also had a bit of a burnt taste and was a little tough. If I ever come back to Maui, this will definitely be in my rotation. read more

We came mostly for drinks in the happy hour and we were not disappointed. Our bartender was quick and attentive, despite having many patrons. The ambience was that of an upscale bar where we were sitting at the bar. We really enjoyed the happy hour drinks! The lilikoi mojito combines a classic drink with a piece of Maui. It was sweet but we enjoyed the first one. The onion soup with caramelized onions and was a delicious start to our meal. It is similar to a French onion soup with the puff pastry on top. We did not stay for dinner this time but we hope to come back in the future. I definitely recommend stopping by for happy hour. read more

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What a great restaurant. Our server was fantastic and funny! The owner was so appreciative that we were at her restaurant. Food was wonderful. Had the catch of the day. Huge piece of fish. Great cocktails. Try their specialty margaritas. Short walk from Maui Coast hotel. Beautiful ambiance. The menu has a nice variety. Suggest the Maui onion soup and lettuce wraps. read more

My husband and I stopped into Café O'Lei in Kihei for a quick dinner, and it was just as good as we remembered. I ordered the steak, he went with the fish special, and both dishes were delicious. The restaurant wasn't very crowded, which made the service feel extra attentive and relaxed. The ambience there is always warm and inviting, just an easy, enjoyable place to have dinner. Highly recommend if you're looking for a nice dinner and cocktails. read more

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We used to go to Cafe O'Lei in Lahaina all the time for the food and the view, so we were unsure about the Kihei loaction in a stripmall with no view. We went for Happy Hour and we very impressed with the food quality and the prices. The bartender was very friendly and we enoyed chatting with her. We will come next time after we watch sunset for a delish meal. :) read more

Food was just ok. The service from the top down had an attitude. One person described it as unattended. The bus boy was the most pleasant.Not a pleasant place to dine. read more

Solid dinner option in the Kihei/ Wailea area. Recommended by our hotel, love that this is a locally owed restaurant in a sea of corporate eateries in the area. Started with the brussle sprouts and the coconut shrimp; both were great, nothing to complain about. I had the lychee lover.. amazing! Love all of the lychee flavor, best drink I had on my trip. The mac but crusted mahi mahi was amazing as well. Nice portion size for the price, the fish had amazing flavor and was fresh. read more

We've been here many times and had good experiences. On our last visit, we had reservations with friends. We were seated immediately and Kayla served us. She was very nice and answered our questions. I ordered one of the specials, Herb Crusted Opakapaka. I know this to be a delicious local fish. Our entrees arrived soon. My plate had garlic mashed potatoes, with sautéed greens (I think bok choy) and 2 pieces of breaded fish. A good amount of cilantro lemon butter sauce surrounded the stack. The opakapaka was delicious. The breading was crisp and the fish was tender and juicy. Cooked just right. The sauce was the perfect addition. I would order that again. My wife would have appreciated a cup of the cilantro lemon butter sauce on her slightly overcooked, dry Macnut Mahi Mahi. I was surprised to see a 3% "Kitchen Appreciation Fee" on my check, although I now see a notice in the fine print on the menu to expect it. The check also showed the suggested tip amounts for 20, 22 and 25%, which I appreciate. BUT, the final receipt, after paying 22% and the "kitchen appreciation fee", it had another "Suggested Additional Tip" of 2, 3, 5 or 7%. I'm kinda glad I made it out with my shirt. read more

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This is for the restaurant in Kihei. My previous review last year was for their other location at the Plantation. --- We had tried their other restaurant location last year, so we thought we'd see what this one was like and much closer to where we were staying. This is on the second floor of a business complex. There is an elevator if you don't feel like climbing the steps. The restaurant is lovely, with curtains hanging from the ceiling to create privacy in this large room. We were taken to our seats immediately. I ordered what I did last year, the Mac nut Chicken Sandwich - the chicken with basil aioli, tomato, maui greens on house focaccia with a small salad. The presentation was beautiful. However, the aioli was more of a decoration - not enough on the sandwich. The focaccia was delicious, but the chicken, instead of being a piece of chicken was pieces. It was difficult to eat this sandwich as the pieces kept sliding off the bread. But the salad was what I had my main issues with. I've eaten caesar salad in the past, but this one was awful. The fish taste was so strong I couldn't eat it. Neither could my partner. The menu does not indicate caesar salad. If it had I would have asked for another dressing. There are so many wonderful restaurants in Kihei to waste our money here. We won't be back. read more

Cafe O'Lei Kihei - Cafe O'Lei on Kihei Road - Seafood Near Me - Kihei, Hawaii

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The food was AMAZING! We ordered the Kalua Pork flatbread and the Macadamia Nut chicken and both were extremely tasty and something that we can't get at home. My one complaint would be service. I was never offered a refill on my water. The one time our waiter refilled my water, I requested it, and she just never really came around to check on us. Thankfully my husband had ordered a soft drink, so he had his soft drink plus his water, so I ended up taking his for my next refill. I was hopeful that when our waitress brought us our check and saw my empty glass, that she would offer me a refill but I was extremely disappointed when she did not. The ambiance was typical dinner busy for a Sunday night, but it was a nice family crowd. Most people were drinking socially, and it was overall a nice dinner time. read more

Cafe O'Lei Kihei - Macadamia Nut Crusted chicken - Seafood Near Me - Kihei, Hawaii

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We ate here on a previous trip and had a good experience. Tonight was also good. We arrived at 7:15PM (closes at 8) and were quickly seated. We ordered a drink and a local beer and both were as expected. We split the shrimp papaya salad and it was tasty but only had about 2 shrimp. The papaya was not peeled so we had to do some surgery but it tasted good and was enough for 2. The 2 Mahi Mahi dishes were excellent and priced about the same as in Seattle at $39.95 but just across the street at a less formal restaurant, the same can be had for $22 without the very flavorful sauce. After we finished, our server brought the check without asking if we wanted desert. The caramelized pineapple upside down cake with ice cream was enough for two at $12.95. After that we got forgotten for about 10 minutes waiting for the check. The restaurant charges 3% tip for the back of the house staff and then recommends tips of 20, 22, and 25. Service was worth 18% so less the mandatory tip, we left 15%. This is a pleasant restaurant but not a great one. If you have mobility issues, it is on the second floor up a long flight of outdoor steps. read more

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Went here based on a recommendation and it was fabulous. A little tough to find at night but it's upstairs above Auntie Snorkel. The onion soup was awesome and the drinks were strong. We took their last seating and stayed late enjoying our drinks while they cleaned up and never felt rushed at all. read more

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What a great find this was! Some of the friendliest service we've ever had. It's a very nice casual atmosphere. We were there for lunch. I had the Jumbo Shrimp Linguine. Everyone else in my party had the Seared Ahi or Seared Mahi-mahi sandwiches. All four of thoroughly enjoyed our meals. Had we been in the area a little longer, we would have eaten there again! read more

4 stars pricing. Not bad island pricing. 3.5-4 stars food. Onion soup is 5 stars. Service 3.5 to 4. Brought someone else's food to us twice. People next to us left before they got drinks due to Slow service, but we didn't experience the same issue. Speed was average to above average for us. Overall, I'd recommend. read more

Ambiance eh, service great and food meh. Short ribs tender with sweet spicy sauce out of a jug, yuck! Husband had macadamia crusted mahi mahi with a different jar sauce. Wouldn't go back! read more

The atmosphere and food are top notch. I've tried most of the entrees and all were excellent. Best calamari I've ever had. Staff is always friendly & helpful. read more

This restaurant came highly recommended by a flight attendant on our inbound flight to OGG. We decided to pay them a visit and see for ourselves. It's a pretty nice restaurant, upstairs in a small strip mall, right across the street from the beach, so there are some tables with a view. I think the dining room has a bit of an identity crisis, in that there are nice tables in a dimly lit setting, servers are wearing black and white with ties where appropriate, and are very attentive, but there are no table cloths or linen napkins. I'm just not sure how to classify the place. On to the food. The item that was most highly spoken of by the flight attendant was the Maui onion soup; and it did not disappoint! It was a very creative take on traditional French onion soup. First, it's made with sweet Maui onions, then the Gruyère cheese is added before topping the crock with puff pastry. This dish was phenomenal, delectable, over the top delicious! Everything else paled in comparison. My wife ordered the macadamia roasted pork which was served with some very tasty garlic mashed potatoes, bok choy, and half of a roasted tomato. The pork and potatoes were very good. I ordered the Kalua Pork Maui Gold Flatbread. The crust was very dry, hard, and crumbly. While the pineapple was tasty, the pork was a little lacking and the fact that there was no cheese made it less desirable for me. I couldn't eat much of it. But the presentation was nice and it was prepared as described on the menu. Our server recommended the caramelized, house made, pineapple upside down cake that is served with macadamia nut ice cream. The cake was quite dry and crumbly, the caramelized pineapple was great and the ice cream was very good. Overall, the soup was easily rated 5 stars, the Macadamia Roasted Pork was worthy of 4 stars, I'd rate that flatbread at 2 stars, and the dessert at 3 stars. This brings the final rating in between 3 and 4 stars. Because my expectations were so high, I'm going to have to go with 3 stars. I will, however, definitely return for the Maui Onion Soup! read more

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Exceptional meal--truly the best on the island. The Maui onion soup was phenomenal; even our 8- and 6-year-olds loved it. The macadamia nut-crusted mahi mahi over rice with bok choy and lemon caper sauce was out of this world. I've been searching for something comparable since Mama's Fish House, and this absolutely rivaled it. The kids devoured the shrimp linguine, my husband had the eggplant parm tower with garlic cream sauce (subbed for marinara), and it was beautiful in every sense of the word. The calamari was also outstanding--the wasabi cream sauce packed a punch but was still excellent. The service was warm, friendly, and excellent, and the J Pinot Gris topped it all off. Can't wait to return. After one week in Maui, I finally caught an exceptional meal! read more

The ambiance is good, not private but you are able to have a conversation without feeling like others are listening in. The services was very prompt and the restaurant was able to accommodate our party of eight with very little notice. Our wait staff were friendly and helpful, especially when it came to dietary restriction questions. The food was very good, smaller portions for the price but definitely a little higher end food. read more

We had a wonderful experience at Caffe O'Lei. The food was fresh, delicious, and full of flavor, with great affordable options to choose from. What truly stood out was the warm hospitality - friendly, attentive, and welcoming from start to finish. A lovely place to enjoy a great meal. Highly recommend! read more

Cafe O'Lei is located upstairs, just off South Kihei Road. You can park on either side of the building. The parking lot is shared with other businesses in the area. If no parking is available, you'd want to take a left out of the parking lot and into the bigger parking lot next door. We made reservations for an early Sunday dinner. Our table was ready and our server was attentive in getting our appetizers, drinks and entrees ordered. We really enjoyed the Maui onion soup en croute. The soup is pretty with the puff pastry. This was our favorite bite. We even ordered more soup after our initial order. Ordered the ahi nachos and crab cakes. The ahi had a strong taste, maybe more wasabi aioli than necessary. The crab cakes were good but I probably wouldn't order that again. The roast prime rib of beef was our favorite entree. You can't go wrong with a good prime rib. And it was huge. Took most of it home for leftovers. The surf and turf special of steak with chimichurri sauce was good. The turf side of the dish was a few sauteed shrimp. More turf than surf. The grilled lobster risotto was tasty and it was a good sized lobster. We finished our meal with a couple Kona Coffee Mud pies to share. They have a good selection of desserts- creme brulee, cheesecake, brownie sundae, pineapple upside down case, fried cheesecake and locally made ice cream. Staff was very attentive from start to finish. Prices are reasonable. There is a separate room at the back of the restaurant for large groups. They accept phone orders and online ordering is available. read more

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This place was awesome it's in a strip mall and when you go inside you would not know it was. The drinks and food are so good. The staff is super friendly and nice. The place is so relaxing and laid back. So glad we went here for our 28th wedding anniversary. We will definitely be back. I highly recommend this place if you are in town. read more

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Very disappointed about this place! Came here for lunch time around 2:30pm after the Maui marathon. I was born here and moved to Oahu when I was 10 so this is my home town! And me and my friend wanted some rice and meat to eat so we saw this place had prime rib! Came in and got seated right away the place looked very nice and fancy! We asked if we can order the prime rib but the lady said it was only for dinner time. So we ordered the prime rib sandwich and onion soup. Then this family that's sitting behind us I know they're regulars since the lady knows the customers names. Told them "you're here for your usual, let me get the dinner menu for you" I was like what the actual hell. Like just because we're not regulars doesn't mean you can give them the dinner menu and we couldn't get it either? That's pretty rude! Then we got our onion soup first and asked for a plate or bowl to share it and she didn't even grab it for us... so we just ate the onion soup from its bowl it's self even tho we wanted to share it. We also asked for more napkins too but she also forgot that too... Then our prime rib sandwich came out and it was huge! It was really good and couldn't finish it! The onion soup was great too! We also asked for the check and take out container and then she went to help that family and forgot our take out boxes and check... we waited awhile. You know the food was amazing the kitchen staff did a great work but the customer service from the front was not so great! Very disappointed! I don't think you should treat all the customers that way! If you're gonna give out the dinner menu to the regulars you should give it to everyone then! read more

Cafe O'Lei Kihei - Prime rib sandwich - Seafood Near Me - Kihei, Hawaii

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Cafe OLei Kihei is one of our favorite place to go for dinner. Food is always good. My friends and I came in yesterday and I was disappointed with service. Our server was not very attentive. The food came just right but our server didn't come and check on us. The ice tea has no ice. He never ask if we needed anything or asked how was the food. He didn't asked if we wanted dessert. He did come with the complimentary birthday dessert but we had to tell him we wanted other dessert. So, overall foods were good but service needed some work. read more

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They need to expand to Oahu. Just a small pop up or a food truck. I can't get enough of this place. The service is amazing. The entire staff knows the menu inside and out. Everybody here is polite. Waters are always refilled along with your beverage of choice (nonalcoholic). The fish special is amazing. Here's a hack. Get the burger with the onion soup. You basically got a French dip. Call it the Hawaiian Dip. read more

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This is a casual atmosphere. They have the nicest staff. Who also are competent & efficient! We came here 3 times in 5 days! Got their fish of the day each time. Delicious! Fish was always cooked perfectly. Salad is fresh, cold and also delicious. One of their sauces for the fish of the day had fish sauce in it. So I recommend getting the sauce on the side. Their fish needs no sauce anyway! Yum! Their drinks were good as well! I'm picky about ingredients in my cocktail, I liked how they made theirs! Enjoy! And definitely try their $19.99 "catch of the day" plate! Broke da mouth good read more

Cafe O'Lei Kihei - Our receipt. I noticed they are listed with 3 stars. Not sure that is accurate. We at here 3 times in 5 days. - Seafood Near Me - Kihei, Hawaii

The good: great atmosphere for casual dining, plus good tasting food The bad: your happy hour is laughable, you have only a few items available. Normally happy hour food items are not as expensive as your regular dinner items. read more

We came in a little early for dinner so we decided to have appetizers and wait for the dinner menu. We had the beat salad and calamari and both were absolutely delicious! Looking forward to the prime rib for dinner!! read more

Cafe O'Lei Kihei - Calamari was cooked to perfection!! - Seafood Near Me - Kihei, Hawaii

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We really wanted to enjoy our dinner but it has changed from 2 years ago. Made a reservation for 6:30 but we were just added to the queue. After 20 minutes watching others seated by window without reservations, we were given the stray table with a post next to bar. They used to have a good bar selection for cocktails. The worst whiskey sour that waiter took away. Only get wine and beer. Our chicken and pork entrees were same bland macadamia nut sauce with unseasoned mashed potatoes and 2 pieces of wilted boc choy. The pork pieces were inedible. Our server was nice but disappointing meal. read more

They are located on the second level upstairs, but they have an elevator available if you prefer not to use the stairs. I ordered prime rib to go, and the daughter of the owner greeted me and was incredibly sweet. I requested a hibiscus lemonade, which wasn't on the menu, and I was thrilled that they were able to make it for me--it did not disappoint! The prime rib was reasonably priced and is available on their menu every day on the lunch/dinner menu. It was the only place I could find near my hotel that serves it. I was delighted by how tender and perfectly cooked it was. The meal came with two pieces of greens, mashed potatoes, and a tomato. The sauce was also good. Overall, I would definitely come back, especially because the staff was extremely friendly and helpful. The prices were reasonable, and the restaurant was clean and inviting. read more

This place was underwhelming. We are here on vacation and a couple at the pool at our hotel who come here a lot suggested it. We started with crabcakes and they were fried. Mostly they are breaded. They also tasted like maybe they had been frozen. I then had the short ribs and they were OK but smothered in sauce, which was just too much. My gorgeous date had the mahi-mahi and she needed another plate because it was drowning in whatever kind of sauce it was in. The service was OK, but it's one of those places where when they clear your plates they stack them right in front of you and it just is a poor presentation and makes a lot of noise. The decor is dated and can certainly use a refresh. Not planning on returning. Oh, and beware... They add a 3% surcharge for, and I kid you not, "kitchen appreciation". Huge huge fail. read more