Ya know, I've never written an updated review in the interests of demoting a place before. But when it comes to Kona Grill, one thing I have watched decline over the last two years is...yup, you guessed it: the service. The biggest aspect this place has going against it is the service. Oh and...the fact that their menu is kinda limited. Don't get me wrong; Kona is very good at what they do. I just only ever see myself ordering like...1 of 3 things here. But that's probably just me. From my numerous check ins, it's fairly obvious that I'm still a big fan of the place. I pretty much always order the same thing at this point: the clam chowder (which is still phenomenal to this day) and the lobster mac n cheese. However, since it's like 11pm on a Friday night, they ran out of the former. So I settled on eating light. Gotta watch my "girlish figure" after all. But, okay...let's get serious for a moment. What is it about certain places where they are too pretentious to offer salt and pepper shakers at the table? Sometimes I want a little extra seasoning on my food. Or....any seasoning at all! That's the one thing missing from the lobster mac. Otherwise, it's still pretty awesome. But just having the option to salt and pepper your own food would be nice. Time to address the elephant in the room: the service. *long sigh* Never have I ever...left anything short of 25% for a bartender. But I'm about to. Why? Let's do the list, shall we? 1.) It took ages to get noticed by ANY bartender what so ever this evening. Which I'll never understand because it wasn't even really crowded. After 15 minutes or so, a guy wonders if he should just go down the street for some fast food or something. 2.) One bartender in particular (yes, apparently I had 2) had a case of ADHD whenever I asked him for some salt and pepper. This space cadet literally forgot what I requested 10 seconds later. I guess he has the memory of a goldfish because 15 minutes later...I finally got my salt and pepper. But like I said, these things should already be on the table to begin with. And the fact that we don't get to pepper our own food....I just don't get it. To summarize: Kona Grill has more than decent food and dubious service, at best. I honestly feel as if they are becoming complacent in the efforts of the latter. They've been around for a while, are stellar at what they produce and they know it. Unfortunately, it borders on the level of pretentiousness. And with that, I am aptly ranking Kona Grill at 4 restless patrons at the bar desperately seeking salt and pepper out of 5. read more

Took my wife here once, and she loved it. This place was able to accommodate a family of six with no issue. Service was speedy and even checked on us occasionally. We all love the food, and the atmosphere was intimate but spacious, if that makes sense. read more

Highly recommend! Went on Sunday around 2:45 pm and luckily enough was able to park right in front -there was a 45-min wait however the Hostess told us we could also sit at the bar as it was available. We sat at the bar and it was very busy however, they immediately asked for our drink order and within minutes one of the managers Selina was helping us! She was amazing...excellent customer service and amazing food! Enjoy! read more

Amanda D provide exceptional service on my husbands birthday. Thank you for making it a special moment for us.

The customer service is always on point love their happy hour. The food is always out quick and it's great.

Fantastic service. The fish was not bad for where we are in the world, but the rice in my roll was inedible-- couldn't eat more than one piece. The rice had the grainy texture and flat taste of refrigerated unseasoned rice. Come for drinks or the above average calamari; but, until they get a chef that understands rice, avoid the sushi. read more

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We had a great experience here. We didn't have a reservation, as they require, and they still let us in. We only went for drinks and dessert and had a nice time. They had good music in the background, and our waiter was nice and not trying too hard. Next time, I think we will try some of their appetizers. The calamari looked good as it was being brought out for a different table. read more

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Amanda was absolutely AMAZING, she had the best suggestions and basically read my mind when I needed something. Thanks Amanda!!

Food was good! Been here a few times and this recent time I ordered chicken cilantro lime meal and it wasn't too bad, it comes with 2 sauces, the cilantro sauce threw me off which is why I'm leaving a 4 star review. My server Oscar was good, he was very attentive to our table. read more

Kona grill is a regular for us. Never fails with great service and food. Amanda P. was amazing. Kind, efficient, welcoming and attentive to our needs. Amanda helped make our experience comfortable and stress free. Thank you always. read more

Very nice place! Food has great flavor and portions. Had the pleasure of being seated with Adrian and made my overall experience dining here quite relaxing. Will definitely be back! read more

Very chill atmosphere, amazing service, and the food was incredible! Definitely a great place for a nice date night, or to bring the fam! The Macadamia chicken was amazing!! read more

My hubby and I stopped by for dinner. Our server Mariana was super nice and on top of the whole service! She recommended some great stuff. We ended up getting chicken penne and ribeye. They were delicious! We also had a red wine and a martini of some sort. Both were yummy. Service was awesome and food was scrumptious. The lovely manager, Selina, even stopped by to see how we were doing. My only complaint is being too full for dessert! Definitely give this place a try. read more

Decent sushi, not the best but not the worst. However, nice establishment and great service. The lobster and shrimp roll was the best. read more

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Very nice waiter attentive. Good food flavoring on point except maybe mac and cheese was not as cheesy as i expected. But all in all great and atmosphere was great. Would recommend. read more

I can confidently say that it was one of the worst lunch experiences of my life! Our drinks took ages to arrive and we ordered a simple beer. The place was dead for a Friday which is why the service was questionable. There was no reason for service to be so slow. I had to get up twice to get the servers attention and even then took forever to bring our food. Overall, I would strongly advise anyone considering lunch or dining to steer clear. You will regret it. read more

Kona Grill is a sad representation of the islands. Everything about this place says this is what we think Hawaii should be like but we're obviously wrong. From the industrial look of the outside bar to the left over furniture from PF Changs inside. The music is terrible for the theme. Maybe you'd hear this as you pass a night club on Waikiki trying it's best to be a night club in Las Vegas. It's just all wrong especially the menu. Everything was bland or just covered in sweet syrup stuff. I can't really even think of a high point in the meal. Even the server commented about how she had forgotten about us after our drinks had run dry a while ago. There are plenty of other spots in this part of town. Go to one of them. Or even better find a locally owned place and have a much better meal. read more

Certainly has redeemed itself this last visit! Key to this? HAPPY HOUR. i have decided that i would never come here for their sushi as it would be a diservice to my wallet and cravings. However, another bday reward for $15 brought me back to try their happy hour menu. Natutally it only applies to food and no happy hour drinks but one can get quite a good amount of h hour food with 15$! I been craving for calamari so i got that and my hubby the sliders. Which btw, sliders were practically regular McDonald sized burgers plus fries. Not bad for $8! My calamari was awesome too but i would ask for marinara instead of the spicy mayo for dipping. We also tried the chicken bbq flat bread which was just ok. The bread was weird, like a thick tortilla almost which wasnt great for our expectations of a good crispy crust. But at least we were happy with our other food options. I also tried their kona special cocktail, i forget the name and their lychee cocktail, i forget the name lol. Both great read more

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Let me start by saying the service, atmosphere and food was excellent! we dinned there for a birthday celebration and had a great time! we were a party of 10. The waiter was great. The only thing is 7 out of the 10 persons that ate with us that evening all got sick! I called the Manager to let him know about our situation. He told me that it was a coincidence and that they probable got sick at other places. He did tell me that they would look into it and get back to me, which He never did. Be careful and good luck but we are 10 people that won't eat there again! read more

Great service and great food, a place To bring anyone, family, friends or a date! Try the carrot cake! And sushi is too die for

It was not satisfactory. Food was ok but not for the price. Mimosas were made with sweet syrup instead of juice. Ambience was nice but overall food was overpriced. Sushi was good overall read more

I enjoyed my refreshing Mojito, taste like one of the best in the nation... I ordered Kona Calamari with spicy aioli dipping sauce Off the chain guyz!! the best calmari I ever had. tender and bit spicy but overall great!!! I enjoyed my spider roll bit different from other spider roll I have eaten but this one is very fulfilling. My host/server was outstanding. I recommend folks out of town to visit this place whenever you ran into Beautiful El Paso USA read more

Top and bottom picture are both New York strip steak. The only difference is that the top picture was made by a chef at Kona Grill the bottom pic was made by me.... amateur self taught cook. My husband and I went to Kona Grill here in El Paso Texas for our 12 year wedding anniversary. The reason why we chose Kona grill was because we're familiar with name. Anyway, once we sat down the waiter came greet us and then proceeded to ask us what we want to drink. So We both margaritas and off course appetizers. I ordered sashimi and my husband ordered fries calamari. Well, our drinks came fast but was kind of disappointing because they were small and filled with lots of ice...... like two sips and they were gone!!. We sat there and waited, and waited and waited for our appetizer. Nothing!! The same waiter came we ordered another round of drink. Our drinks came still no appetizers!! Finally when our appetizers came the calamari was not even warm nor hot it was cold. the sashimi had no sauce It was just 5 pieces of tuna sitting on top of greens. Who eats sashimi with no sauce!! I had to ask the waiter if it supposed to be served that way. Now my husband and I-are contemplating weather or not to order the main course. Well we should have listened to our gut and not order anymore food or drink from this place and just leave. By the time our main course came I was like thank Goodness cause I was starving. Nope!!! The food looks horrible!!! Just take a look at the photo and I'll let you be the judge. The toughest New York strip steak I have ever had in my life. It was charred, unflavorfull full of tendons New York strip steak I have ever had in my life. My jaw was hurting from chewing. I had to force myself to eat at least more of it because the whole meal cost me $31. The potatoes were so oily I couldn't even enjoy them. The whole presentation alone was horrible!!! The juices from the food was running down the side of the plank causing a lot of mess on the table. It was just a horrible experience. We left with something to talk about.... something to laugh about but all in all we were not satisfied customers and will not return to this establishment. read more

Kona Grill - El Paso - Sushi Bars Near Me - Paso, Texas

Love everything about this place, the location the decor. It's located in the fountains of Farah so plenty of parking. When walking in you have the option to be seated in the dining hall area which is regular inside tables that are just as nice or you can choose to sit yourself by the bar / indoor outdoor patio area. We chose the bar since it was practically empty The bartender was awesome & let us know that even though there's only 15 min left of happy hour he would still give us time to look at the happy hour menu to see what we wanted. He was very friendly & attentive, bought our drinks out immediately. We ordered a couple of sushi rolls which were huge & delicious! The bartender was nice enough to let us know that happy hour was ending he suggested we take a another look over the menu to see if we wanted anything else off the happy hour menu. The alcohol drinks were perfectly made & executed. The decir & lighting of the restaurant was perfect, even down to the temperature. Definitely will be BACK! read more

Kona Grill - El Paso - Sushi Bars Near Me - Paso, Texas

Liz was a great server who made my night! She helped me pick out a meal since it was my first time here ! The food was surprisingly delicious, and I would come back for more. read more

Management & Owners (The OneGroup) do not want your business! Kona grill use to be consistently packed but no more, while most restaurants and bars in town are booming. Their prices on many items have been raised ridiculously high! I had a Salmon dish recently that looked small & dry + they also eliminated 2 sides dishes so now all you get is 1 side for $30.! It is a sad looking pc of Salmon + veg. I get a huge thick Salmon loaded dish for $22-24 in many establishments in San Diego San Francisco & New York. I sent it back but the manager Vanessa who was hiding sent a cook named Hugo to try & convince me to take a different replacement Salmon dish. We explained that time passed because the dish looked awful & we do not want the dish. Hugo is telling me I can take it home to eat it the next day! The Hugo guy is a cook & should not be put in the position by Vanessa. Managers should be present & hopefully do right regarding any customer service issues. Years ago the managers would come around to check on their patrons but no more, & certainly not Vanessa. In all fairness there is a gentleman manager there some nights whose name I cannot remember, who is on top of things & does acknowledge his patrons. They also removed your basic wines (Cabs & Merlots) from 'happy hour'. It's just crazy. The restaurant has an excellent atmosphere & makings to be fabulous however management - owners don't get it! Elpasoans do not want to pay exorbitant prices for a night out. What I do like about Kona grill: I like ALL the servers. Gabe is great!! LIZ & ANDREA are fabulous!!! These young ladies are the best thing that Kona has to offer. Their service, efficiency politeness & wonderful attitude is what keeps myself & im sure others, coming back read more

We loved the sushi here. We had the Spicy tuna and the checkerboard sushi. The spicy tuna was, truly spicy, which we loved. Many times it is not spicy at all. The checkerboard had delicious raw tuna, asparagus and a tasty dollop of habañero sauce. It was so fresh and delicious. We ordered the same thing twice! Great environment too. read more

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We use to love this restaurant when traveling and when it first came to El Paso. Something has happened and the food quality is now so poor. Quality and consistency is so poor we won't go back. Makes me sad ... read more

Hmmm--more like a 3.5 for me, so I'll bump it to a 4. A friend wanted to come to check out their happy hour menu (which is worth it for the discounted prices alone). The space itself is really nice--large patio and really nice ambiance inside. That alone earned that 1/2 a star. The food itself was just okay. I had the firecracker sashimi plate and it was different--it was kind of saturated in a liquid, and I admit I like my sashimi just as is, so it didn't quite hit the spot. The sashimi was okay, but didn't necessarily taste super fresh. Our server was nice, which always adds to the experience. I'd recommend coming here for drinks/checking out the happy hour menu, but I wouldn't necessarily be back to have a main course meal here anytime soon. read more

Tanya had the best way of describing the menu! She was really helpful walking us through our first time at Kona, will definitely be coming back and asking for her! read more

One of the worst experiences I have ever had. Their food is massively overpriced, at least 2x more than other places yet the quality is far less. $40 for fish and chips? Their burgers are made with the cheap frozen patties yet they call it a steak burger. My entire family ordered burgers as that was one of the cheaper things on the menu but still double what you would expect. After finishing, everyone literally said they would have rather just gone to McDonald's. My burger had only one Pattie so they took it back only to bring it when everyone was already finished. After hearing the complaints while everyone ate, I decided to get it to go and chose not to even eat it later. Terrible food at premium prices. read more

Not bad at all. I went with the Chicken Pear Salad (don't think that's exactly the name) and it was surprisingly good. We also ordered the churrasco with mashed potatoes, I'm one to leave the skin in some of the red potatoes before mashing, they do the same, but for some reason it looked sloppy. The potatoes were not even mashed completely, which my daughter hated. Per the little Miss, the churrasco was chewy, but tasty. She finished, which is a good sign. (I may need to open this kid her own Yelp account!) I was curious about the passion fruit créeme brûlée, and it didn't disappoint. It was fantastic. Ambience was great, kid friendly, especially on the patio, and service was great. read more

Kona Grill - El Paso - Sushi Bars Near Me - Paso, Texas

Overpriced and underwhelming. Pass on the coconut shrimp and pineapple fried rice. Fast food fine dining.

The few times i have gone to Kona Grill, i am lucky enough to get served by Saeed. He is very attentive , i never have to ask for any because he is always one step ahead. Refills, sauces , etc! he always had great recommendations as well! Make sure you try the Cuban sandwich and the Lemon garlic shrimp penne! Saeed will go above and beyond to make your experience great And will always make you laugh. I enjoy going for happy hour! everything on the menu is delicious! read more

The food sucked my rice was literally crunchy, its located in the fountains. So it's supposed to be to par with its neighboring businesses and it's simply not. It was great at a point of time . Now def not worth the money everyone else was disappointed with their dishes as well. The staff however were great :) read more

Kona Grill - El Paso - Main menu dishes and one kids menu - Sushi Bars Near Me - Paso, Texas

The restaurant is nice but I the food just didn't cut it out for me. For the premium prices I was expecting delicious food. The lettuce wraps are decent they just taste sweet and salty, and that is not a flavor combination I enjoy. The pad Thai noodles also sweet and salty. The sashimi was the best part of the meal and the shrimp and lobster roll was good but not worth $21. Overall just ok. read more

The happy hour deals are excellent, and their menu overall is simple, yet sophisticated. They don't have unnecessarily obnoxious items like baked kale chips for $9; instead, they have classics that everyone knows and loves with an elegant spin. I know a lot of people that have eaten here have complained about the sushi. I understand where they are coming from because the quantity and quality isn't spectacular. But for small bites, drinks, and good vibes after a long day...Kona wins! Of all the places to dine in The Fountains, Kona and Ruth's Chris are the most modern looking with a club/bar atmosphere. But let's be real, almost no one can afford to just casually spend an evening meal and drinks at Ruth's Chris. For the rest of us, we have Kona! The lighting, ambience, and music makes me feel relaxed as soon as I walk in. They really take time to make sure the experience is worthwhile. I know this probably requires a lot of upkeep and maintenance, so I appreciate that! I just love this place because it's a great spot to unwind at a convenient location from time to time. Oh yea, and the brownie dessert was the size of my head and worth every bite! read more

Kona Grill - El Paso - Giant brownie dessert! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Paso, Texas

I placed an order through Uber Eats for the Lemon Penne pasta with Shrimp added. I received my pasta with no shrimp on it. This is the second time I place that order and they leave out my protein. I called the restaurant to notify them of the issue and all I was told was to contact Uber Eats. Very poor customer service and an awful way to correct future orders especially if they do not care to hear about their mistakes. They never asked my name or any contact information. Do not order Uber Eats from here as you will be left disappointed and with no resolution from the restaurant themselves. read more

Bad service, loud ambience and ridiculous prices. People are not nice at all. Customer service sucks. It's not with the visit. Spend your money else where read more

My go to is pad Thai! Nice ambience and the happy hour! $3 beers you, can't beat that! Place to go!