Foster's is a bit of an anomaly for me in Hawaii, it serves comfort food from the mainland and doesn't have nearly the amount of Hawaiian inspired fare I thought it would. The Waikoloa location is situated in the King's Shops and the decor is modern and clean. We grabbed a table outside on the patio and got to ordering. The menu is pretty standard comfort food - ribs, steak, fish and chips. Food here was just so-so. The steak wasn't well done - overcooked and seasoning was off. Ribs were dry. Hush puppies were good and seared ahi were decent. Service was uneven but not for a lack of effort - the restaurant was super busy. Our server was very nice but he needed some help. Overall, the meal could've been better but sometimes that's just how things go. read more

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Better food , quality, & presentation. Too much thick sauce covering the entree. Service was slow. Waitress just doing minimum service.Overpriced for the fish of the day. read more

Everything was very good! Get there early as they do run out of food by end of night! Mash potatoes gone one night but salad was good and then Tomato Bisque soup gone another night. Indoor and outdoor dinning very nice. Servers were very nice I know they were short on kitchen staff but told ahead of time about that. Ordered dessert and took over 30 min and server took off the bill because of how long it took! read more

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We enjoyed this place! I'm in town for a conference with a few of my colleagues and was looking for a eatery that was able to accommodate a large party. This is when Yelp comes in a helps you located the right restaurant. ATMOSPHERE Located right now the street from our hotel and situated in Waikoloa Village. Lots of parking and easy access. We walked and and was very impressed with the style and the open kitchen. Very open space and lots of room. SERVICE We checked in and was seated right away. I love that they were able to take reservations ahead of time. From checking in to and being escorted to our table we were greeted warmly by our friendly waitress. She did a great job accommodating our large party. The wait time for the food was good timing. FOOD They have such a great variety in their menu which made it hard to select and item. The great part with a large group is you can always share. I settled with the blackened shrimp cheese grits! Absolutely tasty and was not disappointed. One of my friends order the ribs and had a taste! It was amazing as well. Overall, love it here and would be back! read more

Foster's Kitchen Waikoloa - Foster's Gumbo - American Near Me - Waikoloa, Hawaii

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This place was suggested by a valet person and he was wrong about the location but he did not miss about the flavors this place would offer. Amazing and flavorful dishes offered here. Serving are a good size and like always we eat family style and share what we let. I was able to try each dish in the photos and none disappointed but our favorite was the country fried chicken and greens. read more

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Hometown Midwest fried chicken dinner Great food Perfect young servers Just like home read more

First off, please be kind to your server and the rest of the staff. We went tonight and our poor server had 4 large outdoor tables, no additional help and one party of 8 that was horrible. He seemed frazzled and I don't blame him. The party was rude, impatient, loud and like I mentioned above, he didn't receive any help until after the wife of the party started going in and out of the restaurant to get items. We tried to cheer him up and compliment him, but I'm not sure it helped. Pretty sure they either skipped out on their meal or didn't tip him. I really wanted to like this place. The menu had some great looking items and we were super excited. Service wasn't great but again, there was one party completely taking up the time of the server and it wasn't until way later that he received help. Irritating to watch because tons of staff inside that seemed to be sitting around and chatting with each other. We went to A-Bay last night and they had one staff member bring out drinks/water, a different one that brought food and then the server. This poor gentleman did drinks, took our orders, had to get silverware, carried out the food... too much to ask one person to do. The part that really was disappointing was the quality of the food. We got 3 steak salads and they were all well done. No red at all even though the menu says cooked to medium rare. My daughters got the kids cheeseburgers and the meat was undercooked, zero seasoning, bread tasted stale and the fries were soggy with no seasoning. So again.... Unfortunately I think the server is going to take some heat for tonight, and he really shouldn't. Difficult tables, no help and poor food quality is a hard battle to fight and keep the customer happy. It's a shame because there were some good reviews and the menu was promising. read more

Love Emily at the bar. She made incredible cocktails and was great to talk to. Will be back for her great drinks and food another time. read more

Foster's Kitchen Waikoloa - Custom drink - American Near Me - Waikoloa, Hawaii

Service and cocktails are good, but the food is really lacking, especially considering the price. There are better options nearby.

Fosters kitchen in Waikoloa was a great place to eat! Our waiter was so nice and the food was amazing. I loved my steak, they cooked it just the way I like. They were open late so that's something to look for when on vacation. We finished all our activities for the day is was about 8 and this one of the two places open. It was so nice inside looked really modern. read more

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One of our best meals on the island. My son and I decided to have a boys lunch while the girls played. Better than average service and very, very good food. read more

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Our waitress, Emily, was very nice! She checked on us often & made sure we had what we needed. I only had the fosters banana pudding which was ok. My wife & her friend had the entrees and they really enjoyed them! We sat on the patio at night which was very nice especially since we came from 100+ degree weather in Dallas, TX! read more

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Food was very average and service very very slow. The menu sounded fantastic but was a bit disappointed

Their calamari is so good. Could have eaten several plates. I definitely recommended the Paniolo Salad, dressing on the side. It's delicious read more

So this is a tuff one. We made a reservation but really didn't need it. I stood at the hostess station for quite a bit along with another couple before me. When I was seated our server took our drink order and food order. The food came with in a few minutes. Surprised it was that fast, however our drinks never showed as a matter of fact I got up and told the waitress to cancel them because we were done with our meal. I ordered chicken fried chicken and my wife ordered a burger. She didn't like the taste of the burger so tried it. I didn't notice anything weird so I ate both meals. The waitress did bring our drinks and say they were on the house because it took so long so the was awesome!! The. Restaurant is located on a lake and we had a marvelous view. So in closing aside for the drinks being late I think it's worth at least a try. read more

Terrible food and don't bother using their online "waitlist". We had been on the waitlist for a patio table, and just as we were waiting patiently in line to talk to the hostess to get seated there was a couple "walk ins" in front of us. She gave away our table so there was no point in even reserving a spot. We then got seated inside since there was nothing left on the patio. It took 10 minutes for a server to even come and get our drinks orders but we weren't even given a drink menu so that took even longer after given one. Once we got our food the fries were so greasy, and my husbands Cajun fries were completely covered in seasoning it looked like the lid came off and got dumped on all the fries. We both got the bacon club sandwich, the bread was big, but the chicken only filled half of it. Might as well just use smaller pieces of bread as you waste so much. read more

Foster's Kitchen Waikoloa - American Near Me - Waikoloa, Hawaii

Foster's is our go-to for pau hana... the ambience is especially perfect after a hard day at work. read more

Foster's Kitchen Waikoloa - Their bruschetta never fails - American Near Me - Waikoloa, Hawaii

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A+++. Outstanding food. High quality ingredients, very well executed. The ambiance is amazing, too. We sat outside, on a beautiful Kona evening. Fish and Chips is world class. Ono was the fish of the day today. Also, the Penne pasta was outstanding. Simply lovely. You will not be disappointed. read more

Fosters was busy but the restaurant looks understaffed like most places here. Bathroom looked like a bomb of the disgusting type went off. They should be embarrassed. They must rely on people only coming here on vacation once a year which is a terrible business model. Fish tacos were flavorless. Pork Chop was the only reason they received 2 stars but we will not be back. read more

Unique menu for the Big Island -- love the homage to Southern Comfort food - Fried Green Tomatoes and Hush Puppies are awesome. Also - terrific local fish on the menu. The beer list and rotation with Hawaiian beers is first rate ! read more

Foster's Kitchen Waikoloa - American Near Me - Waikoloa, Hawaii

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Outstanding dinner and great service , especially with being short staffed, but that was no fault of the wait staff as they did a great job of taking care of everyone. read more

Food and service was not good. We had to send back 2 dishes. 1 due to a bug. Service was not sincere and very spicy. Not in a good way.

I typically don't leave reviews unless it's excellent or REALLY BAD. Unfortunately, it was a horrible dining experience. Food took forever to come out and was lukewarm and needed to be sent back to get reheated. My sandwich was soggy, and the food just didn't taste good (one dinner came out burnt). The garden salad didn't come as advertised - was literally spinach, onions and a few cherry tomatoes served on a warm plate and the ranch tasted funky. They were also out of everything. Like coffee, olive juice to make a martini, soups, and multiple other menu items. And to top it off it was close to a $300 meal for 4 adults and 4 kids (kids all had kids meals) & only 2 adult beverages. Adults had sandwiches and burgers. Just all around disappointed. Will not be going back. read more

We ate there twice in a row. It's hard to find quality, healthy vacation food. Foster's kitchen (March 2024) has it! I had the steak salad and it was fresh a delish! read more

Great lunch today! Amazing blackened fish added on a Cobb salad with great dressings! The fish sandwich was also delicious. Definitely try the Island Mai Tai's too! Great service too by Isiah. Mahalo read more

Gumbo was cool with dry cold toast. My fish and chips was all fries. Looked like it was for a child. Drink took 20 mins. Short staff so maybe not take anymore customers? Too bad we didnt look at reviews first because the negative reviews were right on. I would have never picked this place. read more

Edited to add: dropping to one star as I just found out they charged me twice for my meal and I'm having to dispute w my bank! Ehhhh Our server was rushing us out the door when our meals were only half eaten. Probably my biggest pet peeve ever. Literally asked, "are we wrapping things up here?" Um, I'm dropping $60 on a tasteless meal. Let's give it a minute. Mushrooms-B+ and best part of the meal. Could have been cooked longer. Perhaps had they cooked the 20 minutes our server said they took they would have been done. He empathized this, yet they were on the table quickly. Asked for my burger to be a little pink, however that is here. Server said medium well. Came out with no pink, and very dry. Told server ams he said sorry about that, but no offer to make it right. $5 for a side of mashed potatoes the size of one scoop. Cold. Hmmm. Two stars or one? This was our vacation splurge. Don't waste your time, if it's yours. read more

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I should have read Joe Js comment below - avoid the chicken pesto pasta. Watery sauce with no flavor. Chicken over cooked and chewy - like day old microwaved chicken. Bruschetta is tasty though the dark color of the balsamic is a little off putting in the plating as it dominates the plate as the primary color. Hush puppies were over cooked and blackened. Fried pork chops were alright. Strawberry lemonade cocktail - yummy and super sweet. Service was fine but inattentive for such a high price point. Great lakeside view, pleasant ambiance, and mashup of southern American and tropical decor I enjoyed. Really wanted to like this place with such a variety of items on the menu. But really not worth the price point with such inconsistency. read more

A local gem! Always great food and service! Our server Ashley was awesome and such a delight! Highly Recommended!

Overall, Foster's Kitchen was a great dinner experience! If you're looking for good food, great service, and something affordable, come here. Our group of four liked all our food. One had the pesto chicken pasta & rated it a 4.5/5. Another got the sirloin steak & rated it a 3/5. The steak was cooked perfectly, the roasted veggies were delicious, but the rice was a little underdone! Another got a steak burger with Cajun fries and rated it a 4/5. I got a lettuce wrap of the candied bacon chicken club and loved it! I would come back again! read more

We threw all the food away. One of the worst food ever, these guys just want to rip off people. Ordered takeout for dinner and all the food was stale and horribly made and put together. On top of that, request to remove certain item from a burger was not honored, these guys were not even able to cook kids food properly. $80 down the drain. Even when you are ok paying money you wont get proper food. Save your self and eat somewhere else. read more

The service was delightful! I also think the restaurant concept is inspiring (locally farmed ingredients!) however the taste fell a bit flat/was inconsistent. For example, I got the fried chicken and the fried chicken and gravy 4 stars easily hands down! The mashed potatoes (which is hard to mess up) was a mound of literally smashed red potatoes - not well seasoned, and if there was any butter/milk/cream in them i couldn't taste it. (It felt like eating fresh boiled red potatoes) then the greens were REALLY acidic - which for me was ok but my partner couldn't eat them. The shrimp and grits my partner got were interesting. The grits were solid- not the best nor the worst- but the shrimp didn't taste Cajun seasoned. They also put greens in the grits which over powered the dish and he ended up taking the greens out all together. Overall, it was a pleasant experience though. Everything was eatable and if you stick the basics (they have salads and pizza and burgers) i think it might have been better! Overall the food was OK and the price was reasonable. If we were to go back we'd definitely get more standard food and avoid the southern influenced items. *also note: my partner is born and raised from Louisiana and I lived in Louisiana for 6 years so our standard for Cajun and southern food (especially when it comes to seasoning) might be higher than most folx. read more

Foster's Kitchen Waikoloa - Shrimp and grits- if you're used to traditional Cajun shrimp and grits this is NOTHING like the traditional one. - American Near Me - Waikoloa, Hawaii

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This was a really great find. The restaurant is sitting right on the lake so it has beautiful views out the windows. As well as outdoor seating. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. The waiter made sure we understood that they were all out of fish. They hadn't got their shipment in. But that didn't affect us at all because we were not planning on ordering any. My son and I couldn't decide which dish to order so we both ordered one and split them in half. He got the stuffed chicken and I got the country fried chicken. Both completely different about both delicious! The girls enjoyed their entrées as well. The only thing I could say is that the hush puppies tasted slightly like fish sticks. I'm assuming because of the oil they were fried in. But they were still good. And the stuffed mushrooms had just a little bit too much sausage in them. I kept thinking I was eating a meatball. but other than that it was great! read more

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While our waiter was good the food was definitely lacking in quality. It was a plus they were opened later than our resort spots. Gumbo decent but overcooked shrimp, crab cakes thumbs down had more filing than actual crab, the stuff chicken was not very flavorful and my grilled chicken ceasar salad was just blah, bruschetta was just ok. read more

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We enjoyed our first visit so much, we returned for lunch and dinner. Service was great and daily specials were all good. Desserts were excellent too. Lake views were a bonus! read more

We have eaten here many times and had great meals but unfortunately as of lately the quality has gone downhill. We had to send our chicken sandwich back as the cook decided to butterfly the chicken which made it flat, tough and overcooked. I looked down and there was a huge cockroach next to my table. I'm not sure if it was the manager on duty but all she said was "When in Hawaii..." Really? Ok maybe outside but not in a business establishment that serves food. How totally gross. I am saddened by all this. Before the pandemic this place was hopping. Good help must be hard to find there. Waikoloa Resort lacks in restaurants that are moderately priced which is unfortunate. read more

I spent two days on the Big Island and a week in Maui, eating at increasingly expensive venues ending with Mama's Fish House in North Maui. By the end of my trip, the best thing I had eaten was the crab cakes at Foster's Kitchen. I'm from Maryland where blue crab is the state animal and we eat it as an honored pastime. Wherever I go on my travels, I always order crab if I see it on the menu, knowing full well that I'll be disappointed as it can't possibly compare to anything from Maryland. Well, this one was good enough to be served in Baltimore. It was truly fantastic! I was told that the chef is from North Carolina and it's a recipe he's had for many years--no doubt he's sampled Maryland crab! There restaurant was packed and it took us a while to get seated as a walk-in during prime time. Service was prompt and courteous and the atmosphere was pretty casual. Go to Foster's Kitchen. Order the crab cakes. read more

They were fairly crowded, but we did do an advance seating arrangement thru Yelp which was nice. The waiter forgot our appetizer,but did apologize. Everyone enjoyed their meals, I had the fried porkchops,my friend had Cajun Shrimp Pasta. read more

First timer's here and we loved every dish & drink that were served. We started off with some cocktails, I had the hibiscus heat it was sweet with a hint of heat, so yum! Appetizers had the stuffed mushrooms and goat cheese bruschetta, I loved the mushrooms. Entrée's, we had the stuffed chicken and the pork chops, it was spot on delicious. My daughter had the tomato bisque, she loved it! our little boys had the burgers and fries and were satisfied. Only thing is we waited almost 20 mins for our dessert, which we absolutely loved the cheesecake! i know restaurants get slammed with hungry guest, so we just waited patiently, hopefully faster service when we go back next time. overall, definitely will return to enjoy some yummy deliciousness again, thanks foster's waikoloa!! read more

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Delicious! The spicy margarita, red Sangria and the cucumber cocktail are my favorites! The bruschetta, shrimp salad and flourless chocolate cake are all so delicious! The atmosphere is also fantastic! read more

Foster's Kitchen Waikoloa - Cocktails, views and great service! - American Near Me - Waikoloa, Hawaii