We came here for Mother's Day. Love that they had a pre-selected menu and was fairly priced. It was a three course meal and it was plenty. But I didn't like that it wasn't shareable. But totally understandable. Service was ok. Could've been better. Our server was ok but I didn't get a friendly vibe from her. The restaurant decor was lovely and I love that they had live music. They had an awesome guest musician. We enjoyed his music. The pre-selected food choices t h ey had for Mother's Day was well chosen (see menu). My friend had the steak and I took a bite of it. It was beefy, complemented by perfectly melted fat and seasoning (like salt, pepper, and garlic). It was delish even if I only had one bite. I had the meatball with marinara sauce. The sauce over the meatball was like the icing on the cake. It was bigger than I expected so I did have leftovers but ate it the next day. It was even better. I recommend this place if you're looking for good Italian food on the island! read more

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First the positive and why I gave this 4 stars. The food is good. And also the live entertainment was great. Now for the "training opportunities." We were a party of 7 and had a reservation; we dined on 3/29/26. We were sat at a good table, and were greeted at the host stand warmly. Our server was friendly but obviously overwhelmed. We started by ordering cocktails (extra cold vodka martinis and prosecco). We also put in an appetizer order of calamari and bruschetta. Our appetizers arrived before our cocktails, and though we ordered the calamari and bruschetta, we got calamari and the focaccia bread. While our server was passing the table, we mentioned that we did not order the focaccia bread, but ordered the bruschetta. She made some excuse and told us the bruschetta would be right out. Once we were finally 3/4 of the way through our appetizers, our cocktail order arrived warm, about 20 minutes after we placed the order. When we were mostly through our cocktails and all the way done with our calamari, bruschetta arrived. It does not say on the menu that the bruschetta only has two pieces, and we felt the server should have mentioned to our party of seven that it only had two pieces, and should have suggested we ordered a second order. So we ordered another order of bruschetta to accommodate our party. One person in our party did not order cocktails but wanted to have a glass of wine from a bottle of red that we brought, and we were more than halfway through our original cocktail order before glasses were brought to the table, and that one person could have a glass of wine-- we did mention while placing our cocktail order that that one person wanted to have a glass of wine while we were having our cocktails. Before we got our second order of bruschetta, the busers tried to clear our plates, and we explained that we were still waiting on a second order of bruschetta. Our entrées arrived perfect, and hot and delicious... though our appetizers and appetizer plates were still cluttering the table. Maybe it's not in their service standard, but none of our pasta noodle dishes were served with a spoon, which is very awkward to eat. We were also not offered any Parmesan cheese upon the delivery of our entrées or throughout our meal, which was offered when we dined there previously. The ambience was nice, but extremely loud due to the untrained busers who were talking loudly and dropping silverware continuously on the floor near our table while trying to clear plates and buss empty tables. We felt our server was trying her very best, but was extremely busy with other tables and did not pay our table much attention. The floor manager was behind the host stand for much of the evening, and did not touch our table once, or help our overwhelmed server pour wine, clear plates, or fix any errors. Overall we felt that the entire front of house staff lacked communication with each other, and the manager was unhelpful. There was an auto gratuity of 20% placed on our check due to the fact that we were a large party, which was fine because we would not have tipped less than 20% anyway, but we were hoping for more than mediocre service. We hope this place sticks around because there are not many options for good Italian food on the island, but the truth is we are not excited to return because the service and experience overall was lackluster. read more

This is my second time eating here and I can confirm that its new menu and chef finally match the ambiance of this beautiful space. We came in for dinner, was served and seated quickly. They seem to be short on servers but they brought drinks and food out quickly. The "Ciao Bella" is a great drink as well as their Italian sodas. For starters, the focaccia bread was warm and soft with pesto butter. For mains, I had the egg plant Parmesan with spaghetti. The portions are large and hearty! The eggplant was perfectly cooked along with the pasta. For dessert the ube cheesecake with passion fruit paired nicely with an espresso martini. Overall, the food was amazing! The ambiance with live music and the warm interior make Isola Cucina definitely worth trying. Will be back forsure! read more

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We were already at the mall and the place we decided to go had an hour wait. We got seated right away here and were not disappointed. Our server, Meredith, made it a real joy. It had a real Hawaiian vibe with the walls opened up to the mall. Wife had the Chicken Alfredo and I the Pasta Bolognese with a Wagyu meatball (HUGE!). The Alfredo was kind of light, a nice twist on the dish. But the winner of the evening was my Bolognese and meatball. The sauce was the best I've ever had and the meatball was terrific, too. We were beyond full and yet had room to split a wonderful tiramisu! Turned into a fine evening. read more

Awesome staff had two beers at the bar and struck up a convo with the two bartenders working. Super hospitality and when I spoke of a food allergy I have ( I have several) the owner came out and talked to me. I thought that was a super kind gesture. I returned the next night and had the Alfredo pasta it was great, being Italian myself I didn't expect it to be so good on the island and I was wrong. Usually they have live music so it's encouraged to arrive early around 4-5 pm as the bar area is tiny and across the way (open air shopping plaza) is much larger for dining if you are in groups of two or more guests sit across the bar (more room). Aloha! read more

A delightful place in walkable distance from our condo. Wonderful fresh Italian cuisine. Friendly attentive staff. Full bar. Who could ask for more! read more

We tried their pizza and salad. Both were fresh, beautifully presented and tasted wonderful. Nice ambiance that transported us to Italy. Reasonable pricing. Splendid service. Nice location. We talked at length with one of the waiters about what brought him here from Long Beach. And with the owner about his decision to open this restaurant and others and about the cost of living in the Garden Isle. read more

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Bartender Luke was fantastic! Service was on point and he was super friendly. Made the experience so much more enjoyable! Food was also very good! Got a Caesar salad with anchovies and my friend got the same but with shrimp. Calamari was also good! (Sorry, I forgot to take photos!) Would def recommend, even for a drink at the bar :) read more

Food is great and fresh, flavors are on point! Service is a little slow d/t being hectic, it was Valentine's Day so I understand! Ambiance is good, they have somebody playing romantic violin on that day. 10/10! read more

Isola Cucina Poipu - My husband enjoyed the lamb chops! Service is fair, flavor is good and texture is amazing! - Italian Near Me - Koloa, Hawaii

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10/10!!! Service, Food, Drinks, Live Music, and Atmosphere was AMAZING. I can't say enough great things. We had the best time and TRULY enjoyed a romantic dinner here. Highly recommend. read more

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We stopped here on Christmas Eve after our flight in. We had airport issues and it was 8 pm - we were desperate for food and a friendly space. We were so happy to find Isola and its bar seating. There was an angry woman at the bar, but the staff handled the situation with grace and ease. We ordered drinks and they were great. The pasta we had was good too. We most appreciated the staff. They were friendly and inviting. They gave us the local scoop and recommendations for our time on the island. We left feeling lighter - even though our stomachs were full of good pasta! This place was the perfect tonic after a long day! read more

The ambiance is cute and trendy. The hostess was nice and friendly. Server took a while to greet us, no problem. He must have been busy, understandable. We ordered drinks and apps. The good= calamari, hamachi crudo, espresso martini. Then it went downhill from there. $17 Caesar salad came with five pieces of lettuce, no croutons. Wow. Just wow. $3 for each piece of lettuce. I can get an oyster for that price. Server took forever to come back and take our dinner order after we finished our apps. Waited and waited and waited. He passed by probably 10 times without once even looking at our table to see if we needed anything while we sat there with empty dishes and empty drinks. Finally ordered dinner. $48 rack of lamb came with two pieces. TWO PIECES. that can't be real. This place is about two weeks old as I write this review, so I understand they're probably still figuring things out. But it's a hard pass in my book. If you want delicious Italian at reasonable prices, go to La Spezia. If you want a REAL rack of lamb, go to Break+Feast. read more

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Had a great dinner here. Really tasty eggplant parm and generous portions with friendly staff in a great area. was easy and quick to get a table read more

We came here on our honeymoon expecting a nice Italian dinner to celebrate something special. It ended up being the most uncomfortable and disappointing meal of our trip. The restaurant is actually split into three connected spaces: Isola Cucina, Poipu Pizza, and Isola Lounge. Everything is open and blended together, but they act like they are separate. You can only order pizza if you sit outside or in the lounge. If you want the Italian menu, you have to sit inside. The rules don't make sense when everything is in one open space. Even though the restaurant wasn't busy, we were offered two tables. One was right next to the bathrooms and the other was by the open doors facing the walkway. We picked the one by the doors. It was hot and humid, with no air conditioning, just ceiling fans. It was uncomfortable the entire time. The bathrooms appear to be shared between all three spaces. People from the restaurant, the pizza place, and the lounge walked right past our table all night. Some people didn't even look like customers. It felt like random people were wandering in from the walkway to use the restroom. It completely took away any sense of atmosphere or privacy. They had a violinist playing with a speaker track. She was talented, but the songs were strange. Thriller, Doja Cat, old hits from the 70s and 80s. It didn't fit the setting and made everything feel off. Service was slow, even though the restaurant was nearly empty. Our server was pleasant and tried her best, but she was stretched too thin and kept running back and forth to get drinks and take care of customers at the lounge area. The drinks were weak and watered down. My wife's strawberry margarita wasn't good. They replaced it with a mojito, which I appreciated, but the second one wasn't any better. The calamari was lukewarm with not enough sauce. My lasagna had no flavor. My wife's spaghetti with chicken wasn't good either. I will say that the young man who bussed our dishes and refilled our waters was awesome and really on top of things. He never let an empty plate sit for long and was quick with the water refills. We noted in our reservation that we were celebrating our honeymoon. Nobody said congratulations when we arrived. Nobody mentioned it at any point. We mentioned it to our server and she said, "Oh, congratulations," and quickly moved on. When it came time for dessert, I asked if they did anything for special occasions. The server said the dessert would be comped. When the bill came, it was still on there. She said, "Oh, they didn't comp it," and then disappeared for about 10 minutes trying to fix it while also helping other tables. She wasn't rude. She just didn't have the support she needed. Our total was about $150 with tax and tip. For that price, the food should be good, the service should be smooth, and the atmosphere should feel special. None of that happened. The layout doesn't work. The bathroom situation is strange. The food is marginal. The whole operation feels unorganized and poorly run. Our server was nice, but this is not a place I would go back to. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for a special night out. read more

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The food here was very good. Well, let change that to say the lasagna was really good since that's all I had. My problem with this place was the music. They had a violinist playing loudly to a taped background music thing. She played Proud Mary, a great song but Tina turner's rendering is not dinner material. She also played extremely loudly, so it was impossible to think. I had considered getting dessert, but I had to get out of there. read more

It was late for this area which is 8pm and after being told it would be an hour wait at Keoki's we decided to try this place. I had a feeling it was a tourist trap place and it was. I got the short ribs which came out cold and the sauce tasted like packaged gravy similar to microwaved Salisbury steak. The meat was tender but just didn't taste good. My daughter got a cheese pizza which just looked like a frozen pizza heated up and my got chicken piccata which she said was just okay. read more

Decided to try them in celebration for a birthday. The focaccia starter was great and the Caesar salad as a salad should be. Entrees chosen were lasagna and it was okay. The short rib was tender but mild in flavor and a little dry. The most disappointing was the linguine with clams. Though, the flavoring was good and the amount of clams was great...16 in total but only 8 of them were open yo be eaten.. The waitress was good and checked on us but did not say a word about the unopened ones left on the plate. Our practice is always to give a business a chance so we'll go another time and give it a taste. read more

Isola Cucina Poipu - Linguine with Clams - Italian Near Me - Koloa, Hawaii

Food was very mediocre. Nothing really stood out in the pastas. Both lacked flavor. The meatball was okay overall. The calamari was over fried and dry. The one thing that was good was a drink, espresso martini. So good job bar tender. Servers and people in general were very nice but it didn't make up for the hour and half of sitting and waiting for lackluster food after ordering it. read more

Isola Cucina Poipu - Arrabiata - Italian Near Me - Koloa, Hawaii

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This place is huge and was almost completely empty when we arrived at 2045 for a reservation. Still, we stood by the hostess stand for several minutes so they could get our take ready. (Understood it closes at 2100, but it shouldn't be empty nor should our reserved table take long to prepare.) They sat us in the "lounge" area where we frequently had to go up to the bar to ask for drinks. Most of the staff were sitting at the bar which tied up our very pleasant server. The food was cold and took a long time to arrive. It wasn't particularly tasty. Drinks were fine. Would recommend anywhere in this plaza except here. Seems like other people are figuring that out, too. read more

Last minute dinner reservations at Isola Cucina was a good choice. The lasagna was on of the best I've had. Mascarpone cheese and the sauces is what made this lasagna stand out. The ribeye dish was very good. Live music was a plus. Definitely recommend this restaurant. read more

Enjoyed Happy Hour here today, service and drinks by Luke in the bar was excellent. This pizza was so good. A can't miss in Poipu. 5 stars! read more

We always make reservations here ! Their chefs show how much they care about food in a touristy location! Again they wowed us! read more

Isola Cucina Poipu - Chicken Marsala with pasta and sweet asparagus and grapes - Italian Near Me - Koloa, Hawaii

Food is outstanding. Service is on point. Great spot in the heart of Poipu. Menu changes either wonderful surprises. Always so delicious. read more

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This place was just OK overall. The location in the shopping center is cute and good for people watching. It is very causal and relaxed. They also have live music outside but hard to hear inside the restaurant. The food was pretty meh, I had a salad with, what I am sure had wishbone dressing and some overcooked tuna (I had asked for very rare). My son had the seafood pasta. It was just ok (for 50 dollars) and the pasta was also over cooked. It is way overpriced (by about 33%) in my opinion based on the quality of the food! On the positive side the service was very good! Not a place I would go back to in the future... read more

This is a fairly large Italian restaurant and close to several resorts and timeshares. Unfortunately we were here for NYE and had planned advanced with a reservation. They had a "special" menu for nye which were their most expensive, buttery, cheesy, and meat heavy foods. We have three vegetarians in our group and they refused to make any of the pastas vegetarian by adding any veggies. They kept making the excuse that they don't want to make any substitutions on account of it being nye and how busy they are. But half the restaurant was empty! They had one poor waitress. We ordered two salads, two vegetable sides, and two kids meals since that's all we could get. Even that took over 45 minutes to arrive. They didn't check on us once. This is a touristy restaurant that doesn't care about repeat or return customers. read more

The service was great! The food was not. Two main courses were incredibly disappointing. The chicken piccata lacked taste. While the chicken was perfectly cooked, the sauce had no flavor. read more

The space itself is a decent size within the shopping center with plenty of open seats. However, less seats were offered than were actually available. I imagine due to limited staffing? Not all items on menu were available, but that's been pretty normal in many Hawaii visits. 20% tip included for parties over 6 - but they still place the option for an additional tip on top of that automatic tip. So, beaware so you do not tip on top of that. Overall, good food & good service. The host was very friendly. read more

Amazing food and excellent service! Every dish we've tried never disappoints. Plus they have live music. Highly recommended!

Good took FOREVER. Kids were asleep at the table for a good 30 minutes. Kids pizza wasn't good. Lasagna bland. Save your $$ -and go to La Spezia! read more

Best meal so far in Kauai. Eggplant parm delicious, desserts are fantastic. Service is great.

Jenny is our waitress, she's very kind and sweet. I'm glad we stopped by for dinner . My pizza could have cooked a bit more for the crust to be perfect (the flavor was perfect and the ingredients were spot on) . Our waitress Jenny was sweet and explained the menu quite well . Nice spot to eat!! My salad was fresh and perfect . read more

Very fresh pasta dishes. Service a little slower, but friendly staff. Live music was playing on a Monday night which was nice. Drinks were okay. In the middle of an elevated strip mall. read more

My fiancé and I were going to go to a different place across the street, UNTIL we smelled the quality pizza from afar in the parking lot. We couldn't resist, and b-lined it straight to Isola Cucina. This restaurant did not disappoint as the second we entered, we were greeted by Ian who was such a joy and made us feel warm and welcomed throughout our entire dining experience. We left wishing more restaurants had the genuine hospitality that Ian offered. We ordered the Tuscan pesto pizza (perfect savory) and the Hawaiian (perfect sweetness) and satisfied the palette for both of us. (We also loved loved loved the live music!) read more

The service was great and the food was fantastic !! The resturant was very clean and the live music was great not too loud and set the mood for a great experience!! I would recommend this place as a 4.7 stars read more

We went as a family and enjoyed amazing food, friendly, attentive service, and a relaxed atmosphere. The pineapple smash was delicious, as were the appetizers--caprese, calamari, and charcuterie board. We took the recommendation of Meredith, our wonderful server, and enjoyed the big Tuscan red. I loved the ahi special; my companions enjoyed the eggplant Parmesan, seafood pasta, lamb, and bolognese. Even though we were stuffed, we shared the ube lilikoe cheesecake. We enjoyed the live music, too! If you're in Poipu, I highly recommend Isola Cucina! read more

So happy we checked out this spot! From the moment we walked in, we were greeted by the friendliest welcome and all around, service was excellent and so friendly! We ordered the calamari and wagyu giant meatball to start - both delicious. I had the veal piccata which was soooo yummy. My husband had the eggplant Parmesan which was ok. The kids were happy with their kids meal. The live music was so lovely as well. Cute and trendy atmosphere - definitely would recommend! read more

Isola Cucina provided an exquisite dining experience of great Italian dishes and a good, yet affordable, wine list. The cocktails and appetizers were a nice start. Live music was playing near us, but not too loud. The dishes were made with fresh tasting ingredients and care. Loved the ube-lilikoi cheesecake desert. Overall, a great vacation dining experience. read more

Wow have been to Kauai several times and this is first time we found this gem. So much better than Keoki's. I had the eggplant parm and my husband has the bolognese - both were excellent. I would go so far as to say one of the best I ever had. And it was really hard to choose from the many great options on the menu and daily special. Service was very good and there was live music that was throughly enjoyable. read more

Food was amazing and very reasonably priced! I had the Linguine Alle Vongole - the same entree I had at a Michelin restaurant in Rome a couple of years ago- and it tasted just like it!!! Brought back great memories. Destiny was our server and she was very attentive. Having a musician playing was a nice touch! Thanks to the chef and staff for a wonderful evening. read more

I have been here so many times! So many delicious dishes, fabulous service and incredible music! There are 3 sections to choose to eat at. An only pizza area, the Italian food area and an open bar area where you can order from either the Italian and pizza! So great! read more