I had heard good things about Formaggio from friends who had dined there and was eager to try it on a visit to Kailua. The restaurant itself LOOKS great: Comfortable, casual space with high ceilings and interesting artwork. We were seated right away and the waitress was friendly. The menu is not large, but looks interesting. However, although the restuarant was not busy, it ended up taking the better part of forty five minutes for our waitress to take our orders. Moreover, they seemed rather unwilling to make changes or substitutions, such as when one of our party wanted to order a small Caesar salad without the accompanying blackened salmon. The restaurant features an extensive wine list, but we were told that the first item we ordered was unavailable and then the waitress brought us the wrong bottle for the alternate wine we selected. Once we were finally served, the food was quite good. We shared a pizza margherita with perfectly crisp crust and fresh basil and tomatoes that was genuinely delicious. Our pasta entrees were also excellent: Bow tie pasta with salmon and papardelle with sausage. Fair portion size and I would recommend either one. In short, despite the service and the relatively high price, Formaggio is probably worth a look if you are in Kailua. read more

This is a really cool Italian place in Kailua. My burger was awesome. And the sweet potato fries that went with it were to die for. But the best of all was the service. Rose was our waitress, and she is the best. Super nice, can say enough good things about her. We will definitely be back! read more

Formaggio Grill - Noce interior - Seafood Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

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We received excellent service late on a Saturday while vacationing here in Kailua They were accommodating to our 8 y/o as well We ordered the caprese salad, rib eye steak and the Ahi prepared with a garlic type sauce they were both amazing cooked perfect...we will be back! read more

If you are looking for a restaurant that has a great ambiance, an extensive wine selection, a sangria that you can't just have one plus a great menu, Formaggio is a must. read more

I can see why Formaggio Grill gets mixed reviews. We stopped by after a long hard day of playing on the beach. It was about 5pm and Happy Hour was in full swing. Since it was early we were seated right away, however, it did take a while before the waitress came to greet us. The restaurant decor is simple, modern and inviting. The crowd was a mix of locals and tourists, but mostly an older crowd...think AARP. I know older folks tend to eat dinner earlier, but I thought the happy hour might have brought in a younger crowd. I digress. We ordered one of the fondues on the menu, spinach salads, lobster macaroni and cheese, and the oxtail stew with pappardelle. Everything we ordered was delicious. I liked that my oxtail stew came to me in a cute little Le Creuset braising dish (everything tastes better out of a Le Creuset). I was disappointed with the wine selection, considering that Formaggio's considers itself a wine bar. I was also disappointed in the service. While our waitress was pleasant, she was spacey and inattentive. She rarely came to check on us. Once, when we received our salads, she came over to see if we would like fresh ground pepper. Other than that, it was my husband and I trying to locate her and flag her down to order drinks, get the check, etc. I will definitely return to Formaggio's because the food was worth it. And, although our server had her head in the clouds, the waiter that was helping the table near our was attentive and engaged. Maybe next time he will be our server. I will also go early because my time in Hawaii is limited and I don't want to spend it waiting to eat. read more

Whenever visiting Formaggio I have always had a great wine experience. They have great wines by the glass. I often do the 2oz taste in order to try as many as possible in one visit. Though it was not until my visit to the Kailua Formaggio that I actually tried the food. The things I have had the opportunity to try were, cold smoked salmon carpaccio which was excellent. Foie Gras Crostini, one dish that I was not impressed with. Crab Cakes, although I am not a big fan of crab cakes, they were actually good and very moist. The BIG suprise was the Hamachi Kama, something you would not expect to outside of a sushi or Japanese restaurant but it was grilled up perfectly, the dish also comes with 3 collars! The other hidden surprise on the menu was the broccoli mash potato. A definite must order! It is very creamy and with the addition of the broccoli totally gives the mash a great texture. Although it is a bit pricey, it is worth the price and the drive. read more

Drop dead amazing. It would be 5 Stars, but the parking is hellish. Don't expect to be seated right away if you're a walk-in. If all the seats outside are taken, just stay and wait. It's worth it. I have two recommended appetizers: the Fonduta and the Escargot Bleu. The Fonduta is an amazing crab spinach, artichoke and cheese creation served with Crostini. The Escargot Bleu is served with a bleu cheese top - delicious As for an entree, I've eaten there so often and everything is so wonderful. It's hard to pick just one or two dishes to talk about. But I would recommended the Beef Bourguignon Grande Mere or Crab Crusted Salmon. Fat guy heaven.....trust me. read more

I just learned that Formaggio's has a happy hour. Sweet...now I don't have to spend $12 on one single drink. Yay! $3 mojitos. We went on a Sunday afternoon before dinner and had some pupus and a drink. It was quite, great service and we really enjoyed ourselves. I usually am at Formaggio's during the dinner rush so my happy hour experience was a nice change of pace. read more

My beet salad was ok. I've never eaten a warm beet salad, until now. My daughter didn't care for her pizza, but she did eat the spinach artichoke fondue that was posing as crab artichoke dip. My wife normally orders and loves caprese salads. She despised this one. Our server was good, not his fault that the food fell short. The restaurant was clean which was a star and the prompt kind server earned the other star. Now if they get descent food they'll be on their way..... read more

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Started with calamari fritters..so good. Full bar -ordered a lemon drop and my wife had the house Malbec. Ordered garlic ahi and I had the lobster bisque and house salad. Everything was fresh and delicious. Wasn't too crowded for a Friday night but it was only 7pm. Definitely would recommend and will return. read more

Formaggio Grill - Awesome art work on the walls! - Seafood Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

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After walking by the place a few times and deciding not to wait 45-60 minutes to eat there had finally got a chance to see for ourselves it the long wait was there for a reason or not. We ended up eating there mid-week in May late at night. We still had to wait a while but decided to just go home and change and go back. When we got there we were seated right away. The waiter was very nice and informative. First impression was: the place was an open very trendy/hip looking restaurant. The menu was surprisingly not Italian. It was a mix of stuff, french, american, italian pizzas and paninis, hawaii/japanese... just a bunch of staples from predictable places. We ended up getting a glass of house Chianti each for drink. We had the fois gras for app, my husband got a fish dish that was on special that night. I forget exactly what it was but it was a fish with a creamy sauce and a few crab legs on top. And I ordered the duck ragout with farfalle. All in all the food wasn't bad just really nothing special. With all the hype and the expensive prices I was expecting better. The portions were average sized. My husband enjoyed his food as it was salty and creamy and the fish was fresh (as it is mostly anywhere here) and my pasta was fine. There wasn't a lot of duck in my dish and I think it was slightly over cooked and the ragout was more of a gravy and a sauce but the flavor was alright. The fois gras was okay but I've had better. It was fresh and it did melt in your mouth but I think they could have seared it on a hotter grill making the outside a slight bit crisper. I'd say if you're looking for somewhere that looks trendy, has a decent wine selection this place is alright. It'd be a good date place as long as your date isn't too much of a foodie. Most likely, my husband an I would continue trying new places before going back there. read more

Why 5 stars? Mainly because its Kailua, and the competition is not very stiff! Lets face it, if you want palatable food AND good service in Kailua, you should leave Kailua. There are only 2 places that offer such madness and this is one of them. But besides that, I love the place. Knowledgeable wine staff, and a bar you can cry at. Love that. Come enough and you will get the 'special' regular treatment that every restaurant SHOULD give, but since most dont care enough to remember their good customers, they just go under. Best Happy Hour on the windward side. For 14 bucks you can eat and have 2 drinks. Yep. Im a fan of happy hours... You can tell the pool tips because everyone seems to be interested in whether or not you have everything you need. And its clean. Which is also very rare in Kailua. Unlike Buzz's the food is not oversalted as if to hide the disgusting quality of the meat and the tables are never covered with some grossness. Its where the grownups eat in Kailua. read more

Food was good and the atmosphere is very inviting. I don't have a particularly bad memory of eating here, but every time it comes up as an option I (or anyone in my family) quickly dismiss it and move on to the next choice. When I go home to Hawaii next, I plan on giving this place another try though! read more

WOW - AMAZING! Although pricey, you get what you pay for. The service was friendly. The food was incredible, I tried the Calamari Fritto and the Garlic Ahi...the Beef Bourguignon Grand Mere is to die for - WOW! The bartenders also make the best Lava Flow on the island. The manager Wes is fantastic, he ensures that you have a great dining experience. Thanks Formaggio's, I will definately be back! read more

Pizza with the porcini mushrooms, cracker crust & moray was the bomb.. Good waiters too. He gave us 3 pizza sampler slices. read more

Formaggio Grill - Fillet mignon medium well... Who does that? Not me!!. It still looks the bomb. - Seafood Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

Would give 0 if we could !!!!!! Stay away !!!!! Service is as bad as it gets !!!! Refused to let are service dog in! have complaint filed with the state of Hawaii against them !!! Honorable place !!! read more

Been going here for years and hands down one of the best restaurants in Kailua. Always delish apps and entrees. They have great wine that goes well with all their food. The service is great and over all just a very nice place to have a dinner with friends or a spouse. read more

To start I had a reservation for 7:30p and sat down at 8:00p it was Christmas Day so I can understand the wait what was extremely disappointing was the fact that over half of the entree's that I viewed on yelp were not available literally they had a dinner menu of 5 entree's at the most talk about false advertisement all in all they were out of prime rib which of course wasn't on their regular dinner menu along with shrimp scampi pasta and a whole bunch of other things you can view on yelp but not available on their menu I definitely do not recommend this establishment and was very disappointed read more

Loved this place! We kind of came here for our anniversary (celebrated late) Really nice atmosphere, although kind of loud. There was a more private room but that kind of seemed weird. We waited a little while to get in but it was a weekend night and it was all work it anyway. I had a caprese salad which I didn't really care for but then again, I had never tried a caprese salad so I couldn't judge it against others but the balsamic vinaigrette they used was really good! My had lobster bisque- yum! and for our entrees he ordered the beef bourguignon and I ordered the braised savory lamb and omg was that ever savory! I wish I had ordered wine but instead I ordered this cocktail that basically tasted like vitamin water with alcohol in it... not so great. read more

Nice restaurant, cozie, waitress was great, food was good great place to go to once or twice a month to eat. Price is a little high for the amount of food, but good none the less. Prime rib, what they are famous for, was sold out at 7pm?! And there were very few people there at the time. Better place to drink and hangout and eat just the appetizers. read more

This is a regular for us! We like to pop in for cocktails and pupus but changes are happening. The unpredictable more often than not fabulous pupus are GONE! All that's left is bland "standard fare". :( So much for what was a great happy hour. On to dinner. We've had prime rib here several times so I am qualified to tell you "LAST NIGHT'S PRIME RIB WAS GOURMET!" We started with caesar salad good, little more lemon please and spare me the warm salad plate. AH, that rib with brocolli mashed potatoes! Extra horseradish optional. Yum! And the berry dessert is a perfect light touch for an excellent dinner. Kudos to their new chef. Thursday eve was busy and somewhat noisey but if you love prime rib it doesn't get any better than Formaggio's Kailua. read more

Went there for a Christmas party, the food was great, especially loved the broccoli mashed potatoes side action, the house merlot was excellent, I really liked the separate party room we were in, and the service was awesome. read more

Formaggio Grill - She had: Petite Filet Mignon - Seafood Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

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Good food at a pretty good price. We went on a Wednesday so it was busy but not packed. Service was good and atmosphere was casual and relaxed. Appetizer was bruschetta the topping was very good but the bread was a disappointment. The filet was good. I had the stuffed chicken which was full of flavor and well done. The potato side was a bit small with the chicken but the mashed was excellent with the filet. Dessert was the chocolate lava alamode but tasted a bit generic. As though it was heated from a freezer. Given the amount of food and the price we were pleased. If I did it over I would skip the app and dessert and just enjoy the main course and drinks. read more

Great food! Quality is fresh and portions are decent. Small menu, but daily specials. Great happy hour and wine choices. Kid friendly although no kid menu that I remember....... Crab crusted salmon, and lobster bisque are two faves! Wish they were open for lunch still. read more

Prime rib & salmon picata are pretty cherry! Salmon was cooked just right and went good with the noodles. Prime rib was seasoned just right and pretty tender. Price for 2 people with wine and desert will be around $120. A good night out for Valentine's Day! read more

Formaggio Grill - Prime rib & salmon picata are pretty cherry! - Seafood Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

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Can I propose to the chef? Like seriously, I want to grow old with him making me food like this every day. Literally a party in my mouth. I couldn't stop myself from licking the serving spoon. Even the water was better than normal! Service was fantastic, waiter polite, helpful, knowledgeable. read more

Formaggio Grill - The warm beet and kale salad- orgasmic. Get 2. Maybe 3. - Seafood Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

I'm writing about Formaggio Kailua. The bar is pretty and the cocktail was good, sadly the rest was pretty bad. Starting off with the very poor greeting from the male server as we arrived, he was too busy entering his order to greet us. Finally we were seated, order taken, server had to come back twice to confirm our order. Then the escargot came, top was lightly toasted but when we took a bite, it was ice cold! Like it had just come out of the refrigerator, I thought we were going to throw up! The rest was just ok, by this time we were pretty startled at our poor experience, and had to go. We asked if manager was in, server said he rarely comes, just lets them run the place...ok. We tried to message the manager later but he did not even respond, so we felt the need to write this review. Hopefully management will step in to better the experience of the future customers. Good luck with that one. read more

The food was pretty good, the wine selection was better than average and the service was great. I rate them as 3 stars not because of their food or service but because of the general cleanliness of the place. They have textured walls that collect chunks of dust that make it look like black moss is growing on the walls. It's everywhere! It's hard to enjoy my meal when I'm afraid a large chunk of dust is going to break off (or has broken off) into my food! There's also places on the wall that look like someone shot it with a spaghetti cannon. Clean the walls and I'd rate the place better. read more

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We wandered into this place tired and hungry after spending a day at the beach. Little did we know that it was a gourmet restaurant with sky high prices. The person who greeted us at the door thought so too because he didn't hide his distain when he asked us if we had a reservation. We thought since we were on holidays that we'd give it a try. Pros: food truly was fantastic, out of 7 of us, only one person wasn't happy with their meal. Cons: price - you may have to sell a kidney on the internet to eat here, atmosphere wasn't exactly what you'd expect for an almost $200 bill, and other reviews are correct, they send out one plate at time - which means you get hot food but everyone is eating at different times. You don't really want to sit and eat with the rest of your party watching. read more

This is a 5 star restaurant with 2 star prices! Our server Olivia was friendly, attentive, and professional as was the rest of the staff. The portions were great, the presentation was impressive, the quality and taste was unbelievable. I had the salmon and my husband had the filet, both were perfectly prepared and flavorful. It's more than worth the drive if you're not staying in Kailua. We ordered the two entrées, had three drinks and dessert, Anywhere else for this quality would've been around $200 (and we'd have gladly paid that) so I imagine our surprise when it was under $100! The restaurant has a Napa feel with an extensive wine list. This was our best find on the island. read more

Precooked, reheated stuffed chicken... tough... way overpriced .. odyssey like , allegorical menu explanations about how the owner is so enlightened to create cocktails (variation of existing ones) and menu items that one is encouraged to see as an epiphany in the culinary world... must be from pretentious California or drinking their Koolaid... way overpriced...suggestion is to use fresh ingredients , cook them fresh and don't overprice simple dishes .. even the French are not this pretentious !!! My friends went and we're not impressed ... didn't listen to try it out and form my own opinion... and there you go... read more

Everything here is delicious. The atmosphere is gorgeous. They have giant open windows in the front of the restaurant so you can dine indoors and practically outdoors at the same time read more

Amazing! I've yet to be disappointed by anything on the menu here. If you're looking for something hearty try the Beef Bourguignon which is fabulous. Otherwise my favorite staple when in doubt the Kobe beef panini, simply delightful, especially with the truffle fries that are so good you won't ever ask for ketchup! This place is definitely a local hot spot so it is often times busy but the wait is never too long and the staff is always great. Also can't forget thir great happy hour. $4 wines and awesome $6 tapas :) read more

Nice mixologist , local hangout , quick services , food is good read more

Formaggio Grill - Seafood Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

Had the ribs and they were falling off the bone. Absolutely delicious. read more

Formaggio Grill - Full rack of ribs - Seafood Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

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First timer here. I read these reviews once I sat down. Blown out of the water with the food. My wife doesn't compliment very often and she loved it!! She had the smoked ribs and I had the Paella!! Wow! Service was spot on and friendly. We will be back. Aloha. read more

The food was so-so, very overpriced (even for HI) and the entire experience lacking. (Yes - they charge for bread - seriously? For what you're paying?) Won't return. read more

My family has been celebrating a family member's birthday in June for many years now at Formaggio Grill, and tonight's celebration featured the best food ever. The birthday boy always orders the Garlic Ribeye Steak, and the presentation this year was grander than ever and featured a generous serving of vegetable garnishes. Our family of 6 thoroughly enjoyed the Formaggio House Salad, the Zesty Kale Salad and the incredibly savory Charred Brussel Sprouts, which stole the appetizer show. All of these vegetable dishes were generously portioned and easily shared. Our main dishes featured the Braised Short Ribs ala Bourguignon (the meat easily fell away), the Chicken Marsala (the local oyster mushrooms from Captain Farms in Waianae gave the dish a unique flavor), and the Impossible Bolognese (I was a bit skeptical initially, but the first savory bite of the homemade pomodoro sauce convinced me I had made a wise choice). A keiki in our party made a special request for sauteed shrimp, and she was rewarded with 8 or so JUMBO shrimp in a yummy butter and herb sauce. I highly recommend Formaggio Grill - it has been transformed by chefs who know what they're doing. read more

I had the rib-eye while my fiancé got the lobster mac n cheese. The food, wine, live music, and relaxed environment was perfect. We will definitely be back. read more

Had dinner here late night on a Saturday. My friends and I were looking for an Italian place where we could get our pasta fix and maybe have a drink or two. Pros: We were greeted and sat immediately and the restaurant had a pleasant atmosphere. Cons: There were only two pasta dishes available with one being a special. When I saw this I should have asked if we wanted to go someplace else but we decided to stick it out since some of their fish dishes looked like they might be good. Boy was I wrong. I ordered the special (Lobster mac and cheese) since it was pasta and the server described it as their favorite item on the menu. When I received this dish, it really should have been called $32 bowtie pasta with tomato sauce. Maybe the cook passed some lobster over the pan a couple of times and 2 or 3 pieces fell in, by accident. There was an attempt at adding texture with giant pieces of canned artichokes, slivers of poorly rendered pancetta and spinach. It was definitely not macaroni and cheese by any means, which I would like to have known when I asked the server about the specials. My poor friends ordered some teriyaki ahi with linguine that was basically dry with what looked like kraft parmesan sprinkled on top. (A dish the server claimed was also their favorite.) They also charge $3 for bread. Bottom line: Good Italian places are few and far between on this island but they do exist here. Formaggio Grill is not one of them. Overpriced and with food that looked like whoever designed the menu maybe read a book about Italian food but then got bored halfway through. read more