They made reservations so easy through text. Call the number listed and they will give you the number to text. Food was delicious and served quickly, atmosphere was great. Music was a little loud, but wasn't obnoxious. read more

Came for a Birthday Dinner and had a decent experience. The lighting is meant more for romance than conversing, music is catered more toward youthful crowds though a live singer joined later on this Friday evening. You can tell by the array of paintings on the wall that the spots still trying to figure out it's niche (all signs point to wine!). The food was where I was rather disappointed. Decent portions, but knowing which plates taste good are essential (most don't come with sides so it's a full commitment). Recommendations definitely include the Lobster Mac n Cheese and Braised Lamb Fettuccini. Cheese lovers are going to love this spot! Disappointments? The Gnocchi and Beef Bourguignon were umami-ful but lacked salt. Dessert has definitely got to be JJ's one and only Chocolate Pyramid full of luscious chocolate mousse. Don't recommend the tiramisu or gelato which are a touch bland and chalky. Overall the staff treated us very well and would likely not need to come back unless a discounted happy hour! read more

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Unfortunately, the delicious food and wine selection is always overshadowed by the terrible service. We've tried a couple times thinking maybe we just caught them when the kitchen was having a bad night or maybe being short staffed (as it happens in the industry) but history continues to repeat itself here. Never very attentive nor apologetic. Our most recent experience I waited 30 minutes before having to flag down someone, ANYONE, to ask them if my entree was the one sitting in the window for 30 minutes (which you can clearly see from the dining room) while the rest of the table had already received and finished their meals. The server himself even commented on how little he'd paid attention to us! He laughed, we did not. Always disappoints. read more

The Saturday night live music is great. Chris rego brings the oldies! I was the designated driver for my group and ordered a mock tail. Was surprised it was full price. Had a beautiful glass of juice with a mint leaf for $14. Maybe this is common across the industry that with or without alcohol the drinks are the same price? I'm not sure actually. The food that was ordered at my table looked great and everyone seemed to enjoy the food. read more

I would give this place between a 3 and 4 rating. The food is not bad, but the cost of entrees are a tad steep for what you get. The service though was very good, our waiter took our order timely, and there was another lady asking whether we wanted more water or drinks to be refilled. Bar and soft drinks are not free refillable, but the waiter told us that upfront, which was good. They also had live music, which was cool because it gave a sort of upbeat ambience to the place. read more

Hold off on Formaggios until well into the new year as they appear to have run low on supplies. Kailua has never had fine Dining but there's plenty of good food. But not here. We booked a party of seven for 7:30 and had the worst luck with the waitress repeatedly coming back to tell us they were out of some item. No garlic ahi, I'll have the beef Bourginon. No beef Bourginon, I'll have the pasta and Brussels. What? No Brussels? What about the special? Omg, what DO you still have? Ugh!!!! No manager to talk to and no offer to make it up in any way. Please... someone with some planning ability and a company credit card please return and do some shopping for the below items: Botanist Gin Prosecco Garlic Ahi Beef Bourginon The Filet Mignon special The Nairagi (striped marlin) special Brussel sprouts The dessert special read more

Poor service. Ordered a ribeye steak and got a very very poor cut that was tough. Also ordered a Heineken light and was told they were out of. A second entree we ordered was supposed to be served with Brussels sprouts but instead came with broccoli since they were out of that also. No mention of a weekend time limit of 90 minutes before hand and was rudely told about by server Michael since we had been there over the limit, but yet there were enough tables for everyone who was there. Definitely would not come back after that type of awful customer service. read more

Went in around 9:40pm. Just in time before the kitchen was about to close at 10pm Calamari: Sometimes I like to eat my calamari without the dipping sauce. But the batter was under seasoned so it was tasteless. Escargot: It had too much of one flavor that overpowered everything else. Fries: Can't go wrong with the fries, it's typical but good. Wagyu Burger: Didn't bother to eat the bun or egg that came with the burger. Only ate the patty, it was delicious. If the burgers are consistently prepared, I would come back just for this. Tiramisu: Tiramisu is Tiramisu Ambiance: Nice and clean atmosphere Staff: Friendly and helpful If I'm ever in the neighborhood again, I would give this place another try read more

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The wine selection here is quite extensive with over 50 wines to choose from. This place is noted for their steaks, seafood and thin crust pizzas although I can't comment regarding the pizza because we did not order the pizza. Live music is present every Friday and Saturday, although we did not experience the live music. My family of 4 visited here 2 times for dinner. Both times we ordered their shrimp hummus for $15.50, which was one of our favorite appetizers. I highly recommend their hummus. I started with their blue agave rita for $8.50. See my pics. The martini's were $12 and the red Sangria was $9.50. A house salad was $9.50. The lobster bisque soup is $11.95. The first time I ordered their 12 ounce prime rib for $32.95, which I thought was just ok. It was one of the more expensive dishes. I have had better. My friend enjoyed her lobster/crab grilled cheese sandwich for $26 so she ordered again when we returned the second time. I ended my meal with a 6 ounce glass of Toscolo Chianti for $8.25. My family was happy with their meal selections so we decided to return again for dinner. The first time the total cost for the 4 of us less gratuity was $176. read more

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This review will be wordy so I will get to the point quickly...I found a hair/pubic hair in my pasta dish!!!! We decided to go there for my birthday lunch and ordered a salad, pasta entree, and a bottle of wine. One of my last bites of my pasta dish I discovered the hair/pubic hair. I calmly told the server and she apologized. The best part was the response...she came back from taking the plates away and said there are 2 black kitchen staff in the back and they apologize. The server presents the check and we are charged for everything we ordered. I work in the service industry and completely understand, but if a customer discovers a hair/pubic hair in the dish, at the very least that particular dish should be comped. I will never ever go back there...I personally do not like hair/pubic hair in or around any of my meals. Management did not take any responsibility for the 'mishap' and that is quite disgusting!!!! read more

Formaggio Grill - The hair/pubic hair is to the left of my fingernail. GROSS!!!! - Seafood Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

Ive been here several times over the years and this place is great! They have made some changes to there menu since Covid (for the better) but the food was delicious! We had the flat bread appetizer, rib eye, vegan bolognaise, chocolate raspberry desert, and for drinks Sangria (so yummy) and lemon drop..Everything was so good! And the service was excellent too! read more

THANK YOU KEALA!! Groupon brought us here and we were very much satisfied. This was our first time here and the atmosphere, service and food left a good impression. We started with Chardonnay and champagne, both were nice. My boyfriend and I normally like to order a bunch of different plates and share. So we ordered the calamari, pesto bacon pizza and the lobster Mac and cheese. The portion size for everything was more than enough for both of us, so we ended up with some to take home. The fried calamari is by far the best we've had. Their calamari prices were on the smaller and thinner side, but it wasn't just calamari. They had pepper, mushroom and zucchini..which was a nice touch. The pesto bacon pizza was good. Enough cheese, the size was perfect to share with different plates, enough romaine lettuce for each slice. The only thing I would change was the amount of bacon and maybe grilling the romaine lettuce for a different texture/taste? And our lettuce had too much oil dressing so it was a bit soggy. But other than that it was good. The lobster Mac and cheese, I think that itself would've been enough by itself. We took half of this home. There's chunks of lobster though out the dish. It's not a traditional white cream and cheese. I think there was a little red sauce. And it was baked, so the cheese made a little oooey gooey crust on top. We didn't get to order dessert because we were so stuffed. In total our bill was very reasonable with the groupon deal. We would recommend this place to anyone looking for a place to eat in Kailua. And if it was closer to home we'd defiantly would come more often. read more

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Fish tacos are done right at Formaggio! So what is "right" you ask, my friend? "Right" is use of cumin seasoning on the fish, it is also cabbage and thin slices of radish on the taco. The appropriate amount of fish too. Simply excellent all around! Something else to consider, the fish tacos make a meal, but they are on the appetizer menu, hence they are quite a bit cheaper than the entrees. Myself, I went with the onion soup as a starter and the chicken marsala as my entrée. The onion soup was good but not especially memorable. The chicken marsala had outstanding presentation with two colors of pasta, tender asparagus, mushrooms and sauce to go with the chicken. The marsala's flavor was very good but seemed to need a bit more tang, or oomph, if you will. We didn't try any of the wines, but it is obvious Formaggio goes all out in this department. I liked the wine display case they had behind the bar with taps on about forty or so bottles. Nice interior design - high ceiling, cool chandeliers and interesting wall art. Service was outstanding beginning with the warm and cheery hostess and continuing with the wait staff that took care of our every need. Music was a bit loud when we entered, but was turned down to a comfortable level shortly after our arrival. My last note would be that while most of the tables were empty when we arrived at 5:00pm on a Friday, they were all filled when we left just forty-five minutes later. I can definitely recommend Formaggio for supper. read more

We have always loved this place. What a wonderful gem. Unfortunately, the most recent hiring of staff I would classify as a zero!

On Saturday, I was at Formaggio Grill for my friend's birthday celebration. I love the ambience, very elegant. A great place for a first date. Our dinner party was in the back room. The Formaggio staff was very helpful. The table was dressed up with our centerpiece and rose pedals were sprinkled on top. We even had our own private restroom in this party room. If you're looking to host an elegant dinner party, this is the best place. The food was amazing. The appetizers came shortly after our guest of honor arrived. We had sweet potatoe fries that were sweetly fried. The garlic fries were lightly salted. The house salad had walnuts, cranberries, and blue cheese which I enjoyed very much. The crab cake was perfect. Very fresh. The prime rib was delicious. Every bite was tender and juicy. My daughter had the prime ribs and I had the Chicken Rotallini. I originally thought the Chicken Rotallini was a pasta dish. It was stuffed chicken breast with mushroom and potato slices in a light sauce. I couldn't really tell what vegetable was in the chicken, but it worked. My daughter couldn't finish our meals so we had leftovers that made our Sunday a lovely day. read more

Wandering around Kailua and we decided to come In for dinner. The food was absolutely exquisite. The salad was the perfect compliment of goat cheese, walnuts, and dressing. The salmon piccata was out of this world. Pair that with wonderful service and Formaggio Grill is truly an experience!! read more

Have been a few times now to this place and I have loved it every time. I love sitting at the bar, the bartender is amazing. She makes great drinks and is so attentive. The food is great and the live music is so good. Great atmosphere! read more

First called in to see how busy it was. The female on the phone was pleasant, helpful and very professional. When we got there the friendly hostess greeted with a smile and asked if we had a preference to be seated. They also had love music which added to the atmosphere. Waiter was great and made great recommendations. I had the filet mignon with lobster, perfectly cooked and a great sauce. Only missing star because the menu was really small, they said due to covid. Staff here are really great. read more

Came here on a Sunday night and was underwhelmed. We had about 4 people come to our table to apologize that they were not our server but wanted to get us started. One person had steak and said he could tell the quality of the steak was great, but it was charred so bad on one half and raw on the other that it was clear the chef was not having a good day. The rest of us has pasta dishes. They were not good. I had ahi over pasta. It was so soaked in shoyu that I couldn't enjoy the ahi, which was actually cooked well, and the pasta was so poorly cooked and soaked in shoyu that I felt I was at a chain. I've been here in the past and enjoyed the steaks, so maybe it was an off night. Overall, I'd come back for the steak but avoid the pasta dishes. read more

Formaggio Grill - Shrimp and garlic pasta. - Seafood Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

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Wonderful. Surprisingly wonderful because it's been years since I dined here when it wasn't great. Tonight, I decided to go because there was live music, which is very hard to find on a weekday on the Windward side. When I texted to ask if there was live music, they responded within minutes. And when I arrived alone, no one batted an eye with me taking up a table. MacKenzie was my server and she was absolutely wonderful. The live music by Hanale Bishop was great. Along with a couple glasses of wine, I enjoyed the marsala chicken and brussels sprouts, which were even better for not being fried. I can't wait to return. read more

I would come again for the: 1) Truffle fries -- need I say more? 2) Chocolate souffle cake -- a lava of decadence overflowing onto the plate with a few seasonal berries. Must be enjoyed a la mode. 3) Grand marnier creme brulee -- a caramelized crust breaks to reveal the smooth, creamy center. Bliss. I was too full to enjoy the salmon dinner, but dessert, that I could eat! Ambience is bustling, service is attentive and lighting is a bit dim, but that's fine if you're trying to steal the fries off someone else's plate. read more

Went to this place for the first time. The service was a bit slow (I'm assuming because there was a private party going on). The waitress took forever to take our order. We ordered bruschetta to share and it was alright. Felt like I was eating it on a thin slice of bread. The sangria was pretty good. I got the shrimp scampi pesto pasta for m entree. It was alright. Didn't realize it was a deconstructed version. I'd give the dish 2.5 out of 5 stars. Overall, I would go there again. But I'd rather order the food myself because the service was a bit crappy read more

Formaggio Grill - Shrimp scampi pesto pasta - Seafood Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

Since mid 2021 have been eating here on a regular basis. The food quality is outstanding, the desserts excellent. And weekend nights there is always live music. read more

My friend brought me here for my birthday dinner yesterday, since we made happy hour, we decided to sit at the bar. The bartender was a bit lack luster in personality, but ok with service. There were a few times I tried to ask a question, but he was preoccupied and didn't pay attention. Not a problem, I can repeat myself. We've been there before for dinner, but had been seated in the dinning area and has had good service. But recently they've redone their menu and escargot was not on. We asked the bartender if they still had it, and the reply was that it was taken off. He didn't even suggest anything else. He didn't go over the menu with us much. It's too bad, the escargot is one of the best I've had. I hope it'll return back on the menu soon. We did pupus as our meal. We got the calamari, a classic ceasar salad, and a pizza that had a ceasar salad on top... I don't know what I was thinking when I ordered. Calamari is always a good choice. I love the mix of the legs and body, there's mushrooms, zucchini and a bunch of red and green chilis. It comes with a dipping sauce, almost like a spicy remoulade almost like an aoli. Classic ceasar... good, light on the dressing, topped with cheese, and croutons. The pizza was on the happy hour menu... We've never ordered it before and didn't know what to expect. I forgot what the name of it is, but I am not a fan of it, and won't order it again. I actually like Formaggio's. I like the upscale casual ambiance. The dimness for a more intimate feel. I like most of the food I've ordered before. But this last visit left me feeling "bleh". My suggestion is to get a table with good company to enjoy the experience. I usually do enjoy sitting at the bar at a lot of restaurants and didn't realize how much of a difference a bartender that is on it with people skills / fun personality makes! I will return, but I won't sit at the bar again. read more

We probably would have been able to enjoy our meal more had it not been 90 degrees in the restaurant. Hard to relax when you are uncomfortably HOT! Service was good (no complaints). Caesar salad was subpar at best. Bruschetta appetizer was a thumbs down. I have never had cold bruschetta (yuck) the rigatoni pasta with peppers, Onions and Andouille sausage was pretty tasty. No complaints there. I really wanted to give 5 stars and it wouldn't be too hard to get there in Kailua where so far every restaurant we have been to has been below average in every category. This restaurant has the ability to be a local favorite and a neighborhood gem if they take some time to work on the areas in which they fall short read more

Service was great! Was greeted right away. It was slower so we were able to be seated fast! The food was yummy! Had the rigatoni pasta and I loved the spices, flavor and cheese...delicious! Would come back and recommend ! read more

My husband and I had a $50 dollar gift card for this restaurant for 2 years and we finally decided to use it in the last week that we lived in HI. I started off with the onion soup gratinee ($9) which was amazing! My husband had the classic Caesar salad ($9) which was over-dressed and salty. Needless to say, he didn't eat much of it. For our entree, I ordered the herb crusted mahi ($27) which had orzo pasta, corn, diced bell peppers, capers, pesto aioli, and a sweet lemon cream sauce. It was delicious!! I would order that again in a heart beat. My husband ordered the new york steak ($33) that came with french fries and grilled asparagus. He felt that it was a bit under seasoned. We also ordered the chocolate souffle ala mode for dessert and felt that it was too densed for a souffle. Overall, the service was great but some of the food times were a hit or a miss. read more

Formaggio Grill - Chocolate souffle ala mode for $11.50. Cake was too dense for a souffle. Not worth it - Seafood Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

40 bloody dollars for a disgusting burnt tiny tasteless filet mignon. Honestly the worst I've ever had in my life! I've never seen a filet mignonette so abused. It looked like a burnt out little piece of turd sitting amidst the tasteless pile of mashed potatoes with the skin they never bothered to peel. I only eat meat two or three times a year and yesterday I felt like I wanted to eat lamb but they didn't have lamps so I settled for the fillet mignon. Too burned too dry too small and absolutely tasteless. I was so upset at myself that I didn't take the plate and throw it at the chef's face and walked out. I was so tired and so hungry that I just shut up and ate it and I'm still upset at myself. Never again! read more

Solid 3 stars Came to Formaggio's for a family lunch in Kailua. The staff was very friendly and accommodating; our family a mix of different taste buds were all very satisfied. My dad ordered the ribs which were cooked to perrrfection! 2 huge tender, meat falling off the bone and a large scoop of potato salad. My sister and husband shared the Kobe burger on focaccia bread served with French fries. The burger looked perfectly pink inside and I samples the shoestring fries... Delicious My ahi tacos, 3 large tacos drizzled with aioli sauce served w a house salad with balsamic vinegrette. My fish was tasty; I think it could have been more on the seared side but it wasn't overcooked. My personal preference would be corn tortillas versus the flour but I was still very satisfied w my meal Good food, friendly staff, nice establishment read more

Formaggio Grill - Fish tacos - Seafood Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

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If you're going to have a fancy dinner night, then come here : ) I love the food just as much as the decor in this place. Lobster Mac & Cheese!! Truffle Fries!!! Fish Tacos!! It's a little pricey, but amazing!! I swear that Lobster Mac & Cheese has a whole lobster in it. You know a restaurant is good when the waiter comes by to ask how you are enjoying the food and all you can reply with is a "MmmMmHmm" (simply due to you stuffing your face with some edible heaven) read more

Formaggio Grill - Maine Lobster Mac & Cheese - Seafood Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

I will say for the most part every thing was OK. The food was flavorful and the portion size of the main dinner were good. I shared the garlic rib eye (35) and the lobster cheese and mac(28) with my wife. We both enjoyed our meal. We all so ordered appetizers calamari and the bruschetta (both around 13) I do not recommend if you have a large group their is not enough to share and is to pricey to buy each person their own. the calamari was over cooked, the bruschetta had good flavor and love the olive mix it came with. This is where family style serving size would come in handy. We came here with a group 12 (to celebrate my daughter marriage) and our total tab with alcohol came to $529 which for the most part I thought was reasonable. Now for the good and bad of the tab. The GOOD: They saved me money, because as I was presented with the bill I was told it is there company policy to auto gratuity parties of 6 or more an amount of 18%, well it is my policy that if a restaurant auto gratutity me is that is all they get, period. The BAD: I am a very generous tipper, and would have left 25/30% if they would not of included an automatic gratuity. So your policy back fired on you. So I say to you and other restaurant that practice auto gratuity, Gratuity is for service earned, it is not a guaranty. Large groups spend more money in your restaurant because of it being a large group, if you want your servers to earn more money then pay them more out of that larger profit you earn on a large group. It would have been nice for the manager or owner (I believe that would have been the older bald gentleman standing around) to come over to our table to see how every thing was. We had more congrats from other patrons in the restaurant and was ignored by management. Sorry a table of 12 is not your cup of tea. read more

Formaggio Grill - Hawaii cool shirts - Seafood Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

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Great Sunset Menu! We've been here twice in a month. Both times we got there early & chose the Sunset Menu - everything was outstanding! The ambiance is quietly sophisticated & the staff are terrific. On our second visit we even brought a rambunctious two-year old, who found herself in a brand new, very classy high chair. read more

A reservation was made for 4 people Valentine's Day for 1730h. It was a set menu for $99/pp, drinks not included. Many appealing choices however, we experienced extreme delay with our order. Two hours after being seated 3/4 meals came. Of those three plates, 2 of the dishes served boasted cold potatoes and filet minions that were not cooked to order. Our server graciously offered to have to kitchen redo the meat to desired temperatures. These plates never returned. My meal, 30 minutes after 3/4 plates had come had still not made its way to me. When the lamb did arrive, it too was cold. I would not normally leave a poor review and am not the type to complain, however, for $99 we expected at the very least for our meals to be served warm and in a reasonable time. Multiple tables around us left and went next door to a Thai establishment. We decided to leave as well, as by this time it was 3 hours since being seated. We paid for our drinks and appetizer and went across the street for Mexican fast food. Fromagio's was an extreme disappointment. read more

I had a very drinkable glass of pinot noir for just $4.50! I wouldn't exactly consider this place "upscale" but yes it is a bit more uppidy than usual places in Kailua with prices that are definitely more on the uppidy end. I thought it was funny when the bartendar said "we only carry high end Vodka's here" when a friend of ours asked for a drink with Stoli. I have to say though that the Hanger One vodka they have was really, really smooth, smoother than Kettle One. I love vodka. I also have to say I got pretty hammered after a couple shots of those (well worth it). As far as the other food we tried: Calamari - Tough and weird flavor like there was too much paprika or something Fondue - It was just a bowl of melted cheese with fancy toast around it. I couldn't taste any crab or artichoke. Disappointing, not worth it. Foie Gras - Surprisingly good! I was a bit worried when we ordered it, but it tasted fresh and didn't have that strange liver or gamee taste when they don't make it right. Linguine w/Clams - Tons of tasty little clams and hardly any noodles! I absolutely loved this dish. It had a nice buttery flavor, that was not too buttery. Then again, I LOVE BUTTER. I think this places tries to be "upscale," but it just feels like your typical California cafe for me. I find it kinda funny that people actually dress up to go to this place. However, I would not go in board shorts and flip flops. Dress is along the lines of casual beach resort wear. I saw one couple dressed up and they stuck out a bit. It's casual, but just don't look like a beach bum. This is a nice place for wine lovers as they do have a very nice selection of wine, wine by the glass or you could try several different wines by ordering 2 oz. tastes of wine instead of a 6 oz glass. This is a nice option for beginners or putting together your own tasting menu. I liked that half the menu is wine. One could argue if this was such a fancy wine place, why don't have have a whole menu for just wine? Perhaps that would be a bit too uppidy for this area. read more

Food was great. I got prime rib, which is hard to mess up in the first place, but the sides were spot on. My date got the special, which was a glazed steak of some sort, very good as well. We kept looking at everything that came out of the kitchen, presentations looked awesome. Now I have to go back to try some other things. '$$$' is an accurate description, expect a three digit bill with drinks, but it's a nice place, quality atmosphere and good service. Didn't know about the latenight happy hour, 9-until. Appetizer menu and drink specials. Checking it out soon. read more

This is by far my top date-night hangout close to home. My hubbs and I decided to go there for a dinner date one night and have been hooked ever since. We were seated in a quieter section of the restaurant and low and behold an old friend from high school ended up being our waiter, the best waiter ever too! Ask to be seated in Jason's section if he's there that night. Knowledgeable, super friendly and just made me feel at home. 5 stars for him alone. Moving on to the food...oooh the food. Of course we had to try the truffle fries. Not fries made of truffles, that would be hella expensive. These are fries cooked in truffle oil. They just have a slight richness to them, that's the only difference, but a delicious one. We also had the bruschetta which was good as well. Main course! My husband orders lobster whenever he can get it so he got the filet mignon and lobster. I opted for something smaller so I decided to try the popular Kobe burger. Both plates came out very quick and just cooked, perfect! My burger was super juicy and ono. But my husband's filet and lobster were so so so good...every bite he allowed me made me just close my eyes and thank the Lord for it! Amen! Perfectly cooked steak and the lobster was sweet with a delicious butter sauce. It came with a beautiful mashed potato square and an onion ring. Divine! For dessert we had the bread pudding with a vanilla sauce and that just about made my toes curl. Such a simple dish but so well made. It was a wonderful experience for us both. I'll follow up with my Valentine's Day review shortly. Another 5 star night for us! read more

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Awful service! Went with a group of 6 and every meal came out seperately, and the appetizer came out with one of the entrees. The fish taco had no fish in it. The waitress did not check her orders. The manager offered no compensation when each meal was $25+. Dont waste your money or time going there. read more

Unsure what has transpired since I last visited, but it seemed like a different restaurant. The food was a huge disappointment. The sizzling mushroom appetizer was simply that -- mushrooms on a hot plate, with no discernible taste. Like something a freshman culinary student might attempt on their first day in the kitchen. Wife did like the cream of cauliflower and brussel sprout soup, but seriously... how do they even think of such a weird combo? I tasted it and while I didn't spit it out, no way would I ever order that. The worst part of my dinner was supposed to have been my highlight -- lobster mac and cheese. I kid you not, this was the most bizarre concoction ever served to me at a restaurant. Literally an oven hot pan that had been filled with little elbow macaronis (no sauce), then topped with a handful of those Costco langostinos (sold as baby lobsters), then sprinkled with a ton of mozzarella and baked. As you can guess, it has zero taste and was more akin to a spiced up box of Kraft mac and cheese than what should have been a gourmet dish. Forgive me for thinking the chef must have been absent that day and let the dishwasher fill in -- I can't believe any real chef would ever serve such a dish and still call himself/herself a professional. Anyways, my fellow diners meals were also average at best. Unsure what has happened to Formaggios, but I hope someone steps in and gets things back on track. I love the wine choices, but I'm not going there if it isn't paired with great tasting food. read more

I have been trying different Italian restaurants and so far no luck. Formaggio Grill seemed like a good option. Service was OK, the waitress was nice but rushed us from the beginning. We were still eating our main course and she asked if we needed boxes! The appetizers were good, but they don't bring any bread (unless you pay extra), and the main courses were disappointing. Bland, dry, served with undercooked vegetables and dry pasta. For the price it's definitely not worth it. The waitress wanted us to rush so we decided to get dessert elsewhere. The restaurant was still empty so I don't know why she was so flustered. It's a shame but my search for a good Italian restaurant continues... read more

Wine and good food makes me a VERY happy girl, just ask my boyfriend. We cam again last night after another day of house-hunting in Kailua. I love Formaggio and it has become our go-to spot when in doubt in Kailua. Last night we shared the calamari, I had the tuna and he had the filet... SO good. We like to try different wines too, and have not had a bad one yet! Love it!! read more