So so disappointed. My husband and I came to Kona a few years ago for our anniversary and had eaten here; we remembered it being really good so thought it was worth another try. Definitely mistaken. We weren't greeted upon coming in and just stood there. Then the hostess came over and was extremely grumpy and obviously unhappy to be there. We sat outside at a table, and the vibe was not too bad. Nice bistro lights, on the waterway. Then we sat. And sat. And sat. Eventually our server made his way, probably 10-15 minutes later, so we finally got some water. I asked for a straw. We ordered and I got the fish tacos gluten and dairy free, lemonade, and my husband got the Thai Chicken Salad. The straw never came, even as I watched our server come out with two waters, make eye contact with me and then go back inside with the waters as if he forgot he already brought us some? Then he went to wait on three other tables. Finally I asked a different server and she promptly brought out two straws. Then our food came. Well actually MY food came. And then my husband's came about 5-10 minutes later. A party of two, he got a salad, and they didn't serve them together. Not only that but my fish tacos came with disgusting-looking brown avocado and lime on top. Pretty shocked they served it. I also realized he never told us what the fresh catch was and I am pregnant so wanted to ensure it wasn't a high mercury fish. Welp, it was swordfish--I should have asked prior. I ended up not eating my tacos and my husband tried them and said it tasted like mercury lol. His salad was fine, nothing special and the dressing was really the only flavor on it. Our server also didn't return until a long time later with the so-called scratch made lemonade. It tasted awful. Like flat sprite and fake lemonade flavor. Horrible food and horrible service. We left really disappointed and frustrated to waste money and one our dinners here. I ended up getting food elsewhere. Definitely avoid this spot to save money and time. read more

They gave me a raw steak and it was burnt on the outside and it is to over priced just for a 8oz steak the greens that came with my steak tasted like dirt read more

The food, the service, and atmosphere here are absolutely amazing. I almost never leave reviews for restaurants but this place was hands down the best restaurant I've eaten at in a long time. The owner was so friendly and made a point to visit our table. I will definitely be back. read more

This place had the best food in the area. The ambiance is nice. Very clean. Good service! This is our second time here after visiting several other places that didn't measure up. Wish I had taken a photo of our delicious food before we gobbled it up. ;) read more

Foster's Kitchen Waikoloa - Sitting at the bar - American Near Me - Waikoloa, Hawaii

See all

Broooooo. So 4 of us ordered the tomato bisque which not only smelled like curry but also tasted like curry. Wait... What??? We struggled to eat it. The accompanying grill cheese was serviceable for dipping. The other 2 members of our party had a burger and fries both of which were solid and the other had the kids chicken which was also good. Our server was notified of the odd soup and offered another dish. It wasn't her fault the cook needs to switch up his recipe and not shake curry powder into the soup. I really wanted to have the cook or server smell the soup just so they could be in the loop. read more

A restaurant in the King's shops. It sits right on the water of their central pond. Very nice location and interesting architecture of the restaurant. Seems like they had or could have had a second floor. The staff were all very friendly and outgoing. I enjoyed the haupia colada, very coconutty flavor. The food came out really quickly and had a very nice presentation. The pork chops were a little salty, but very good. I would order them again! The burger lacked seasoning, we added some of their garlic aioli and that made all the difference. We enjoyed this restaurant and would eat here again. read more

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

The Food and Service was wonderful and great. Tanner was amazing and very helpful with our celebration for our daughters 2nd birthday read more

My two daughters and I were on the Big Island celebrating one of their recent graduations from college. We wanted something delicious, affordable, memorable and special. Foster's Kitchen in the King's Shops hit all the marks. From the warm welcome when we entered the restaurant to the fantastic service from Sarah to the personable table visit by Chef Sheldon to the yummy food and drinks, we almost had to be rolled out! The menu includes lots of items for vegetarians like myself as well as diverse options with meat and seafood. I got the tomato bisque soup that comes with a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich on sourdough and a side of vegetables. I tried to save some of my meal for leftovers, but it was just too delicious. Both girls ordered the country fried chicken with greens. They loved it! And if we weren't stuffed enough, Chef Sheldon surprised us with the banana pudding to heighten our celebration even more. It was truly to die for! It is definitely a unique Southern twist to an old time favorite. Bar drinks are reasonably priced and flavorful, especially the Island Mai Tai. If you want a delicious and all around positive dining experience, this is the place to go. If you visit during the day or before sunset, ask for a table overlooking the lake. Our only regret is that we live too far away to visit more regularly. Without a doubt, this meal was the best one we had during our entire week stay on the island. read more

We walked in for a weekday lunch as their menu looked great for our toddler. The service was fast but the food was terrible. We ordered chicken tenders and fries, you can already see in the photo attached how that came and it was tasteless. One of the tender was uncooked too. It was a full plate loaded with fries and we paid $$ for that so it seemed ridiculous. I order fish and chips for myself, again same as the image here, more chips and less fish. The fish was dry, batter used has no salt and was not cooked well. It was the worst fish and chips I ever ordered. I got a virgin pina colada too, terrible. all other places I tried pina colada on the island were perfect but this place just didn't know how to make it. I wouldn't recommend this place at all read more

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

See all

The Fresh Catch , Blue Marlin with Chef Sheldon's secret sauce was bursting with flavors. A must try. Ben was our server and he did an amazing job. They even switched my wife's order as she forgot to tell them that she did not want sausage in her shrimp pasta. read more

After a dozen or so burgers in the last week it was time for something else. I heard Foster's had a good bbq bacon chicken burger and they weren't lying. The homemade bbq sauce was tangy and sweet, and the chicken was cooked just right. The bun was a nice brioche and paired well with the standard lettuce, pickles and onions. The fries had sea salt on them which I usually enjoy but it was too chunky which made them uncomfortable to bite on. The wife had the pesto chicken pasta which she really enjoyed and the hush puppies she ordered as a side did not have any Jalapeños in them which made her extremely happy. The pesto serving was huge so there were certainly leftovers to go home. The server was very attentive and the bathrooms were clean. The view was pleasant an overall we had a great meal. I know it's kind of a touristy spot, but what can I tell you, I am a tourist today, and I didn't have another burger. read more

Foster's Kitchen Waikoloa - The bar. - American Near Me - Waikoloa, Hawaii

The steak was crazy amazing! Our server was so helpful on our food choices and truly gave the best recommendations! We will be back and will totally refer this place to everyone we know! read more

I really enjoyed this place. To start off with, this was one of the very few restaurants that actually stayed open late. There was a lot of parking, not too crowded. We were seated right away outside in the back, so we had a nice view of the water. the staff was very friendly, the waitress made several recommendations and was very knowledgeable about the food items. The food was prepared quickly and it tasted really good and prepared jusy the way we like. The waitress was nonstop, making her rounds and very attentive. She came back several times to make sure our might was going well and we were enjoying the food. I will definitely be going back when I'm in the area. read more

See all

Food was on point. Service was a little slow but it all worked out. Best deal in town, I had a quarter rack of ribs with two sides that were absolutely delicious for $22 that's unheard of. I had an 8 ounce glass of wine that was $10. That's also in heard of here in this area. I'll be back! read more

We were a party of four adults. Upon arrival greeted and seated. Good upbeat service. The order of chicken and ribs received a very good response for the ribs, the chicken was on the dry side. The tomato soup although delicious was tepid and the accompanying grilled cheese was below average in taste. The fresh fish sandwich being a second menus choice as the restaurant was out of sirloin steak was minimal in taste and portion size. Prices are average. read more

The food did not lack flavor but what it did have too much of is salts. My wife ordered a shrimp pasta and tasted pretty good at first when the sauce was real hot. When the temperature went down and the sauce thickened we spent more time wipyoff the sauce. The fries my kids had was very salty as well. Other than that our server was amazing and the location overlooking the water is nice too. Over all I wish I could give it another half star. When I visit the big island again I would try some other things and update my review. read more

We had a great meal at Foster's! Everything we had was good and everyone on the staff was very attentive--exactly the kind of experience one would want to have. Additionally, they were able to accommodate my gluten-free dietary restriction. Several menu items are listed as being GF. And, they don't advertise it, but they do have a dedicated GF fryer! I had the fish and chips. The cornmeal batter was light and delicious, and the fish was very good--a real treat for someone who has been GF since 2008! Be sure to save room for the (GF) flourless chocolate torte! read more

Great food. The pics in Yelp didn't look great but the food was amazing. Calamari grilled was tender and flavorful. Hushpuppies were crispy and flavorful. I had fresh fried fish burger. Great tartar sauce. Everyone was really happy with their meal. We ate outside and enjoyed the live band from the adjacent restaurant. Good value for the area. Highly recommend read more

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

We've visited Oahu, Maui, and now the Big Island. Our meal at Foster's Kitchen was our favorite! We found it on a lark as we're staying nearby, and saw it was conveniently located in a nice shopping area. The outdoor seating looked great, but we opted to sit inside where we had a great view of the pond. We were also lucky enough to have Alex take care of us as we celebrated my husband's birthday. She is amazing! Knowledgeable about the food and preparation, and had great recommendations. (We had the Cajun shrimp pasta, and stuffed chicken.) Alex was very professional, friendly, and kind. The food is made from scratch, and delicious! I'd highly recommend this establishment! read more

On the plus side, the service here was great and the ambiance by the lake is nice. Unfortunately the food really was not good. The grilled calamari starter was room temperature, at best. The chicken club was ok. The fish tacos were meh, but made worse by the inclusion of an unwanted shrimp tail. Overall it seems like the kitchen here could do with substantially improved quality control. We wouldn't go back. read more

So disappointed in service provided. I had heard lots of great things about this restaurant. Stood outside at hostess stand for 5 minutes till someone came out to seat us(not busy at all). Sat us at a table with only a drink menu and said someone would be with us shortly. After 5 minutes of nobody coming by, I got up and got us some food menus from the bar. Lots of employees standing and chatting at bar, including manager. We sat at our table for 10 more minutes and nobody came to our table. After 15 minutes of sitting at table with no service we got up and left. Let manager know our experience on way out. She was very apologetic but we had no interest in staying any longer. We went down the street to Lava Lava and had an amazing dinner watching the sunset. I don't know if they are understaffed or this was just a mis-step but I would not recommend. read more

The sub-par reviews would had kept me away, but the high gluten free rating brought us in twice. Both times the food was underwhelming. First time I ordered a chicken bacon wrap, the ingredients were not spread out as half the wrap contained no bacon. Day 2 I ordered a pasta that was not fully cooked. We did not come back for a third meal. read more

Our party of 2 arrived at Foster's at 8:05pm on a Wednesday evening. A handwritten note on the door instructed us to wait OUTSIDE to be seated...after almost 10 minutes we were greeted and taken to a table. It was at least another 10 minutes before a waitress approached us and offered menus, etc. it should be noted that there seemed to be plenty of staff milling about and the place was not packed by any means. We ordered the bruschetta which has fantastic flavors but the sliced cherry tomatoes and almost break your tooth bread left something to be desired. The shrimp and grits was mediocre. The grits were reminiscent of cream Of wheat with no sign of cheese but the shrimp were delightful. We also ordered the Paniolo salad which is described as medium rare steak sliced thinly but it arrived to our table 1/2" thick and blue in the middle. When we pointed this out to our waitress, she asked us to "put the steak on a side plate" and she would have it recooked. WHAT? We asked for the entire dish to be remade but after we finished the shrimp and grits then waited 20 minutes with empty drinks we flagged our server down and asked her to cancel the salad and bring the check. read more

My 4 old wanted an omlet, my wife and i wanted lunch. The person working is so backwards she turned us down because we could not bring 10$ omlet from across to have 100$ lunch + drinks here. She told us "we can eat on the porch" No problem, my daughter will have her omlet and we will go have lunch somewhere else. read more

The tomato bisk soup tasted life straight curry. It smelled like and super chunky. All 4 of the soups tested like it. read more

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

While there are many upscale restaurants in the area, Foster's time and again exhibits wonderful island atmosphere and a real "down home" level of service. It is so nice to be recognized and treated like a real friend. The menu is exciting , the prices are great and there aren't many restaurants in Hawaii that you can buy a $35 bottle of wine. We go back time and again for a great selection of food at reasonable prices. The family ownership is always present, and that really makes a difference. read more

Had a great meal , the daily special was a furikake Ono with rice and veggies! Delicious. The gumbo was tasty and we enjoyed the Bruschetta to start. Excellent service from KUA and the rest of the staff were hustling at the direction of the wonderful mgr. Keala! Keep up the good work. read more

After spending a great day at the beach, we came to foster's for a late lunch and drink. Both of us are vegetarian's and they really had great choices for us to enjoy. Service was fast and friendly and the food was amazing. I enjoyed the ambiance in the restaurant and we had a nice view from our table. Thanks for making your menu friendly for all and giving vegetarians options. We really enjoyed our time. read more

See all

I went to this restaurant last night for dinner. They were busy it was just me so I approached the bar asked if it was open seating and full service. The bartender answered with if you can find an open seat. I did, understood they were busy and browsed the menu. I waited 30 minutes with no interaction. The four people next to me finished eating and left. The bartender cleared there spots. Asked if I was ready to order. I said I was but asked what the catch of the day was. He went to the food window came back told me it was ono then proceeded to walk away and empty the dish washer. I asked him if he was going to take my order his response was he's busy. Which at that time I stated he could atleast take my drink order or place my food order then go back to emptying the dish washer. His response was aren't you just waiting for a table. I answered no why would I ask if the bar was full service if I didn't plan to eat at the bar. He continued to clear the dishes of others. I finally got frustrated and asked if he was going to serve me? His answer was have a nice day. As I was leaving I informed the manager I was refused service and she seemed to not care. I would not recommend this place to anyone very poor customer service. read more

Wow! What a gift we happened to stumble upon. From the service of welcoming us, asking if we've been there explaining locally sourced Krafted from farm to table. The whipped goat cheese with Maui onions delicious, the chicken wings whose crisp is crispier to at a rice crispy caution stays hot too, ribs and chicken , steak and shrimp too we ate everything and went back the next night too! read more

The server came to take our order about 10 minutes after we were given menus. As we started ordering, the server proceeded to tell us that the items we were ordering were not available. Apparently, over half of the things on the menu were not available for dinner. It would've been nice if we were told that as soon as we were given the menus so that we didn't waste time choosing things that weren't available. The things that we were able order were not very good in both taste and texture. In addition, their prices are quite expensive for the portion sizes that are given. read more

Nina was our server and she was fantastic! Very charismatic and a great server, keep up the great work! Also, great gluten free options with a dedicated frier, 10/10!! read more

Delicious spot! Highly recommend the steak burger and the Coconut Mia Tai (by far the best on the island). Tanner was our server and did a fantastic job! Best meal we had on the island. So good, we came back twice! Thanks Tanner for the great service! Mahalo! read more

We ended up at Foster's Kitchen after everything was closed. I gave them 3 stars for effort and a great Pina Colda. Hubby ordered the Cheddar Burger with Fries. I ordered the Chicken tenders with fries. There were only 2 other couples waiting to order and be served. Food came up pretty quickly. Every thing was super hot. Hubby chowed down his Cheddar Burger like crazy. I, on the other hand did not. My chicken tenders had no taste or flavor at all. I asked for salt and pepper. Some Mayo and ketchup to make my own sauce but it didn't help. I only ate 1 tender, some Fries and sipped my drink. I was so hungry that I felt like I was making myself eat. Disappointed read more

With a large crowd on a Friday night, They were very organized by having an online wait list. once we were seated the waitress helped us quickly and took our order. The food is very good and healthy.I ordered the daily catch fish which was grilled in olive oil with veggies. Everything tasted great! read more

Foster's Kitchen Waikoloa - Side of salad - very good! - American Near Me - Waikoloa, Hawaii

See all

This review is based on take out only. Called ahead to order dinner due to it being late and we didn't want to wait. Ordered the tomato bisque bowl, country fried chicken, chicken pesto pasta, and Caesar salad. The order was supposed to be ready in 20 min but it was more like 30, probably due to the amount of people there for iron man. Got home and most of the food was Luke warm due to the 7 min drive from the restaurant. The tomato soup had a fishy taste which made me think there was anchovies. It added a nice umami flavor however it was very salty. Which was surprising considering the Chicken pesto pasta was lacking in salt that I had to put some on. The country fried chicken was good, but the side of greens and mashed potatoes were way too vinegary and so dry, respectively. The Caesar salad was pretty amazing though. What made it was the homemade dressing. Nice and tart but creamy and thick! I wish I could have eaten it there because they would have dressed it and that would have been so much better. For the prices and not having to wait for our food, the place met our needs. The hostess was nice and let us know our food wasn't ready. Not sure on the inside but there was a lot of people waiting outside for their table. read more

See all

Horrible experience. It was windy so they gave away our 8 person table to someone else even though we reserved the inside table and showed up early. Then when ordering they failed to tell me that they ran out of rice which is half of the meal I ordered (gumbo). They then rushed us at the end of our meal even though they made us wait for an extra 45 minutes before we could get our table. Our server was amazing even with this happening as it seemed he was not told that they had no more rice nor that it was his fault they gave away our table. This place was horrible mismanaged. Will never go back and I wish I could give 0 stars. read more

worst service this year, make it this decade. Half hour to get a glass of water. Forty five minuets to get one parties drink, didnt have clean glasses for the other parties drink. Asked for the check for the drinks ,canceled out meal order and left. read more

The view, the vibe, and the food was outstanding!! if you have the chance to have Leaith as your server you really won at life she was the cherry on top of this outstanding dinner! read more

This place was the perfect dinner spot for more of a laid back meal. I can't remember the waiter's name, but we connected over his family being from IL and CO. He recommended some of his top choices and had a very upbeat welcoming attitude. We also got a discount because we were staying at the Hilton Resort down the street. The bacon chicken sandwich and fries were so good too. Would definitely hit this place up again if we are ever in the area. read more