Bottom Line: Spectacular views of the ocean and a great breakfast I have not ventured to Manta for dinner but their breakfast buffet is delicious and seems like a fair deal at $35. We enjoyed omelettes, Belgian waffles, eggs benedict and plenty of other guilty pleasures as part of the "Manta" buffet. Manta actually offers three different levels of their buffet. Manta is the most comprehensive at $35 but there is a lighter version and a Japanese version. Later in the day Manta offers a brunch buffet which seems pricy around $70 per person. So if you want the breakfast buffet, make sure you get there during breakfast hours. Manta is so named because Manta Rays swim up nearby at night and they can be seen from an overlook. You do not need to dine at Manta to look for the Manta Rays though. Just head down the path towards the light shining on the ocean and the tiki torches and with any luck you'll see the graceful rays. read more

Manta - A view from the lanai. - Hawaiian Near Me - Kamuela, Hawaii

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Pretty amazing experience at this restaurant. We called and made a reservation the night before so no problem there. We were seated immediately up front to a great view of the ocean and sunset. Our waitress was wonderful. The STRAWBERRY LEMONADE IS OUTSTANDING. I ordered those all night! The bread provided before dinner was really tasty. I ordered lobster ravioli as my appetizer. Loved it! My husband and I both ordered rib eye steak for our entrees! Cooked to perfection! The potatoes needed more salt and butter for my taste and the "buttered asparagus" was EXTREMELY bland. Other than that, we had a perfect night. The waitress brought us our check with a plate of desserts (dark chocolate and chocolate covered macadamias). The macadamias were yummy! I want more of those! read more

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Really nice ambiance. Perfect location to catch the sunset for dinner. Enjoyed my meal here, had a steak that was cooked very well along with some scallop appetizers. Would say that there were a good amount of people although it was a weekday night, but the property seems quite busy in the summertime. Our meals were served on time, service was great and attentive, we got our drinks refilled fairly quickly every time, and were suggested certain dishes. Really overall a nice atmosphere and food was great too. read more

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Views and chews is how I would describe my experience here. My travel companions and I dined at this resort restaurant for breakfast one morning and it was a great time. We all opted for the breakfast buffet and all of us were glad we did. There were so many options and everything was so fresh and tasty. And the views of the beach and ocean while dining were so relaxing.The service and staff were so awesome that I'm thinking about staying at this resort in the future. read more

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A lot of BEST here in this review: * Best Maitai with Kona Rum * Best Shrimp Tempura (Pea shoots, Gochujang vinaigrette, truffle soy dashi) MUST TRY! * Best Fish entree dish (Grilled Kampachi with carrot ginger puree and fern shoots and my partner had the crusted Mahimahi one) * And lastly best view ever Somtimes restaurants have good food but no view; this restaurants have everything. The seafood were fresh and delicious. You can watch the sunset over the beautiful beach from the table; everything around is just so beautiful. Highly recommend this place when you visit Big Island . Pro tip: book a table so you can sit in the balcony with nice view. Fun fact: the restaurant is located on Kauna'oa Beach where many generations of a Manta Ray family live and feed here (that's why the restaurant is called Manta Ray). You can actually do night snorkeling to see these rays (which I did and it was one of the greatest experience I've ever had). Will post the night snorkeling on my stories. read more

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My favorite place to eat on Big Island. The restaurant is right on the water and is incredibly luxurious. I felt like a queen dining here! The food is delicious, especially the seafood appetizer and the oysters. We ordered the pork chops (delicious) which paired very well with the Malbec on the menu. Most importantly, the service was fantastic and our waiter gave us incredible recommendations. Can't wait to come here again! read more

Manta - Oysters and seafood platter - Hawaiian Near Me - Kamuela, Hawaii

2 stars for overpriced average food and below average service. Was here three years ago and it was great but it seems to have gone downhill. Could be due to the pandemic but the staff was definitely third string. Maybe even practice squad despite being a Friday night. First off we got hassled at the gate because we were staying at the Westin (sister resort) and the restaurant never informed security of our reservation. Then they seated us at a really bad table 5 feet from the bus station and next to the sidewalk. Our server showed up to take our drink order and she was one of those awkward loud talkers. To top it off there were little tiny bugs all over the table that were attracted by the table light. We asked to be moved so they put us at a better located table in a different servers section. Sadly there were bugs on the other table too and we realized every table had bugs crawling all over the little table lights. Luckily the table lights are battery powered and can easily be slid over to the edge of the table as far away as possible. That seemed to do the trick. Our new server showed up and he was an older dude that was not very talented and seemed to be one of those guys whose ego is too big to provide good service. He turned out to be sufficient but was far from exceptional. The sashimi appetizer was fine but nothing out of this world. Same story for the entrees. Fine but nothing to write home about. For dessert we ordered the souffles. Not as good as I remember from our last visit but, again, they were decent. The drinks were tasty. Our bill came out to about $225 for a table of two. I knew this going in so I wasn't surprised by the tab, but I was surprised by the average food and below average service. We had a much better dinner for less than half the price at the Rum Shack located in Queens Market at Waikoloa Beach. read more

I was highly recommend to Manta. During the end of our dinner, a cockroach crawled over our guest's head, and then one proceeded to crawl up my leg. I am not very scrimmage, However this was at least 2 inches or bigger! Our wives pulled up all their purses off the ground, as more were invading! The staff attempted to stomp out many of the roaches right in front of us !!However they could not get them all. Needless to say we left as quickly as we could. I called six times to let them know about the situation. I left multiple messages with managers, I never received a callback. I would seriously consider other restaurants on the island a little more attentive to the customer service and far less roaches. read more

Amazing breakfast! Huge caveat: we had ours for free because of my Marriott status. Is it worth $40 per person? I think so, but likely not for 5 days (or, however long you stay at Mauna Kea). If it wasn't complimentary we probably would have ventured out for at least a couple of breakfasts. Now, back to the breakfast experience. AMAZING beach views! I mean, pretty hard to beat... ask for outside table. Service is great. Food: delicious, big spread. It doesn't change day to day but there's so much variety that we didn't care. Loved the waffle with macadamia nuts and maple syrup or coconut milk. Omelette station is another crowd favorite. Plenty of fresh cut fruits, parfaits, smoothies, etc. Interestingly, a cappuccino costs extra so beware of that charge. read more

Manta - Breakfast and a view - Hawaiian Near Me - Kamuela, Hawaii

Boy do they have their stuff together. They are true professionals that love what they're doing. They make sure everyone has fun, gets to see the mantas and all are safe. We learned a lot in a short period of time I'd do it again read more

OMG. This is a beautiful beachfront setting, and at night there are lights attracting Manta rays that are swirling around. Their Mai Tai is the fucking BOMB. Best mai tai anywhere., It has lilikoi foam and is just perfect. That's where everything falls apart. We had Nick as a waiter, who was SO bad we talked about it the rest of the trip. Nick the waiter was pretentious and terrible. He tried to sell us the most expensive bottle of white wine without telling us...then resented when we ordered our own choice....brought our $75 entrees out 30 min late and cold and dry....and never apologized. We weren't served our entrees until 2 hours after we arrived. It was so bad and so painful. Easily our worst meal and our most expensive.....the food was good but certainly not exceptional, except in cost. The service was terrible. Mai tais were the best. I would avoid eating here like the plague. read more

1. Left waiting for table for at least 25' 2. Seated in high traffic table, an area that should not even have a table 3. Food mediocre at best 4. Hostess extremely rude 5. Wine came 2/3 of the way through our meal 6. Salad sitting in puddle of dressing 7. Denied request for coffee-told coffee machine was "down" as they were putting up chairs for the evening. 8. Overpriced, many other restaurants deserving of your business! Will never return. read more

There is a reason everyone recommends this restaurant and it's because it's amazing. The service is 10/10. The views are 1000/10. The food is 100/10. The portions are huge!!! For breakfast definitely try the lilikoi mimosa. You also only need the half portion of the lox unless you're splitting it with someone. The French toast was also *chef's kiss*. For dinner they have great vegetarian options and meat options! read more

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This is a fabulous dining experience. The views are spectacular. We started with a very nice lobster tempura and then each selected a fish of the day which were beautifully prepared, presented, and delicious! We shared a sort of "baked Alaska" type dessert, which was amazing. Our server, when she discovered it was my wife's birthday, said the dessert was on her! A wonderful experience that we will repeat someday. read more

Manta - View from our table - Hawaiian Near Me - Kamuela, Hawaii

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Enjoyed my meal there server was wonderful Manta always fun to watch, nice sunsets , cool breeze read more

Manta is my favorite Big Island restaurant. Great sunset view from the lanai. Excellent service. The kitchen knows their craft and willing to improvise when requested. The drinks are generous and tasty. The desert portions are also generous. I was craving mahi mahi, but not interested in the mac-nut crusted entree on the menu. I was delighted with the guac spread/jam that the chef improvised. It was delightful. The Sunday brunch is very extensive and includes items typically not found on breakfast buffets (crab claws, soup dumplings, wontons, sushi, lobster mashed potatoes). read more

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This review gets two stars only because after sharing my poor experience with the night time manager he acknowledged our issues and said he would try to make things better for guests in the future. I should have known after my experience at copper bar, another restaurant at the Mauna Kea Resort, that our night was destined for disaster. Unfortunately we continued on and it was a mistake. Once we reached manta we arrived early and were seated on the patio with a view of the bay. Quite an intimate setting. This was the best part and it was all down hill from here. I quickly learned when the menu arrived they do not serve draft beer. Not just the ones I like they do not serve ANY draft beer. What kind of restaurant doesn't have draft beer? I know not everyone drinks but it is absurd a nice restaurant like this would not have draft beer. After finding this out the waitress left our side as if I had made an offensive comment to her directly. When she returned she was quick to request our dinner orders without providing us an opportunity to order other drinks. We took this as a sign it was not meant to be so we decide to save money and go without drinks at dinner. I ordered the special which was gray snapper and my girl friend ordered Mahi Mahi. The meals arrived and both were very disappointing. We chose to eat however and decided we were not going to say anything. We chocked it up to just ordering something not right for our taste buds. As the night proceeded down hill quickly my mind changed and I later shared my displeasure with the manager. The fish was bland. The special had nearly no taste and the texture made it seem like it was previously frozen. I was extremely saddened by this since in Hawaii I make a point to eat seafood at every meal since it's not offered at home. The Mahi Mahi has more flavor but was over cooked and was dry. I'm not sure if it was a bad night for the kicker but these are easy fixes. After our meals it began to rain. As other tables were relocated inside my girl friend and I were left to sit in the rain. When the water boy asked why we chose to sit in side I responded by sharing we were not invited to move like everyone else. The rain and weather is unpredictable and a risk when sitting outside but it was further frustrated by the fact that when we were originally seated I made a comment to the hostess saying what is the chance of rain. She said unlikely, but who could blame her mistake she is not a whether person, however she further stated that they had retractable umbrellas that would cover us if it were to rain. Well when it did rain no shelter was provided. Finally it was time for the final course desert. We ordered soufflé which we were told would take 20- 25 minutes. It arrived 32 minutes later not too bad but we were not approached by staff again until it arrived. Empty water glasses at our table and dirty plates in front of us. Given the rather long wait we had decided we would revisit the idea of a drink but were never offered a chance to order. It was at this point when the manager arrived and our soufflé was delivered that we were offered to relocate out of the rain. All things considered I took the time to share my experience with him. I hope this was a learning opportunity for him. He invited me back to dine again but I told him I would not return because time would not allow. I am skeptical if I ever would return to Manta. There is no shortage of other top end restaurants. Frequently people compare Manta to Ulu at the four seasons and KPC at the Hilton. The three restaurants are priced similar, offer similar menus and similar atmosphere. Given how good experiences have been at these others I feel I would not risk returning to Manta which is said. I can no see why others besides myself have shared negative feedback about Manta on yelp and I should have listened. If there is an executive chief at Manta that reads this, or a General manager, I hope you take this and other feedback seriously because you are falling far short of other restaurants on the island. read more

Manta - Fire pit ocean view at Manta - Hawaiian Near Me - Kamuela, Hawaii

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Disclaimer: this review is for Drinks to go only Bloody mary: delicious, the tomato and the horseradish were on point and ur wasn't too salty, so refreshing! Comes with a paper straw yes! Guava mimosa: meh, i'd pass on that, tasted like a boxed orange juice with cooks Service: girl with the gray contacts was super nice, and upon bringing the drinks she asked if I needed a lid, I declined, pros tip her for proactively being green! Breakfast looked nice but I definitely came too late read more

The food is okay but for $300 for two people for dinner is outrageous for the value that you get or lack of value. How a restaurant can underwhelm two different fish dishes when they're on an island surrounded by water is something I'm glad I won't have to think about.... But you will if you eat here. read more

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The most beautiful view! Ocean front! Food was very yummy, definitely on the pricier side. read more

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Manta is located next door to the hotel we were staying in. There is a shuttle that takes you between properties and you have room charge privileges. The location is beautiful and a sight for manta ray sightings (hence the name). The menu had a good selection and the food was great. The service was spot on. Our waiter always arrived at just the right time and appreciated our desire to take our time. Definitely recommend this restaurant. read more

Manta has a million dollars view and very good service but the food is average at best

I've traveled the world and this restaurant / hotel was probably the worst experience I've had. The food wasn't great and very small portions! Also, very pricey for the quality of food. The waiters were rude. The only reason I am giving this place 2 stars is because of the Manta Ray viewing in the water. There's a big light that shines through the water off the beach and the light attracts the small fish that the Manatas eat. So that was nice to see! read more

We went to this beautiful restaurant to celebrate our 25th anniversary. We expected to be able to see mantas feeding in the ocean from the restaurant itself. From the menus found online, we expected an exquisite dinner. We were sorely disappointed. The restaurant is beautiful and you can climb down the steps to see the mantas feeding (not from the restaurant itself) but that is where the enjoyment ends. The waitstaff paid more attention to walking back and forth than to the tables. The seafood selections on the menu were strange and unpleasant combinations like seared ahi tuna with froix Gras and truffles in putanesca sauce. The specialty of the house is overcooked beef fillet with wasabi sauce, some strange, sour sauce served with a tasteless fondant potatoes over corn with manchego cheese.....a odd specialty for being on the sea. Would I go back here? Only if the chef left. Would I recommend this place? Only to people with more dollars than sense and no taste buds. read more

The location and view for this restaurant is good. They have an amazing outdoor seating area. Unfortunately, I can't say much about the food. It is mediocre and very pricey. read more

Beautiful setting and we were treated extremely well. One of us did the 3 course set menu the other off the menu. Kawamata Farm Vine Ripened Tomato Salad was very nice, I opted for the "Kai to Fork" starter. This appetizer was described as a lettuce wrap of Opakapaka, the lovely Hawaiian Pink Snapper. To say this dish was terrible is a totally under statement. 5 leaves of baby Romaine sat next to dollops of over cooked over spiced, heavily salted piles of fish and... You can do better with seasoned Starkist in the packets at Safeway. Dinner was incredibly good, the `Uala (Sweet Potato) Encrusted Ahi was incredible, seemed created by a different chef. The set course beef filet while small and unattractive was perfectly cook and delicious. A part from the the Snapper Lettuce Wraps, this is a 4 to 5 start experience. Whoever created the "Kai to Fork" for that night should be forced to eat it. read more

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Snag a table at sunset for a beautiful evening. The view is gorgeous and the food is delicious. It calls for a bottle of wine, at least! Try not to fill up on the bread assortment. The Lobster Pappardelle packs a lot of flavor despite how delicate the plate it is. The NY Strip Steak was cooked a nice medium rare served over a great squash mash. It came dressed lightly with a black bean sauce as well. The fermented beans are something i usually only eat in Chinese dishes. I was pleasantly surprised it wasn't a typical steak, potato and vegetable entree. A must if you're staying at the Mauna Kea. read more

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This is an absolutely fantastic restaurant with exceptional food and ambience. We sat in the patio area which allowed for amazing views of the beach which is just 100 yards away. The restaurant is named for all of the Manta Rays that swim steps below the restaurant. You can watch them after eating and it's especially popular at night where you can swim with them and the flashlights attract them. They are searching for plankton and are docile but big. The service was friendly and attentive. The restaurant is on the Kea Lani property which is beautiful and relaxed. The food was outstanding from the sashimi appetizer which was fresh and had a nice presentation. The special catch was the Hapu' Upu' U which was the best fish I can ever remember having! We also had crab fried rice and corn bread which paired well and delicious. For dessert we had the baked Alaska and a white pineapple tart and both were amazing. I would highly recommend this place! read more

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We went here for NYE thinking we will have a pleasant experience. I was wrong. I normally book a reservation here every time we are on the big island. The menu has changed a bit - heard there is a new exec chef. The food was okay. Less than okay. We had the snapper and that was a little bland. The rice looked semi fluffy. Oysters were not fresh. The oxtail was prob the best thing we had although it was good, not great. My daughter kids meal - filet - looked disgusting. Her Mashed potatoes were like Dutch potatoes not a russet or Yukon. It lacked creaminess Service: this was also okay. Definitely not fine dining experience but I don't think this is expected here. We have gotten better service before in previous visits It is disappointing given that you pay crazy prices for mediocre food and service. Maybe it was a bad night although doubtful. It's NYE and the place was jammin pack. They are all prob at Mani Lani resort! Lesson learned. Will never ever come back. After 300.00 I decided we will never ever dine read more

Food is excellent the wait staff is amazing and the views of the setting sun make for a magical dinner experience read more

Manta - Hawaiian Near Me - Kamuela, Hawaii

Review is for the breakfast buffet. The spread has a section for protein,carbs,fruits,omelette station.Nothing special nor worth noting. You can have your parking validated here. Service is friendly. read more

Manta - Hawaiian Near Me - Kamuela, Hawaii

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Great location but the food isn't worth the prices. Many more places on the island to check out.

This was our first visit to Manta Restaurant at Mauna Kea Beach Resort. We were pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food, service and outdoor seating. We experienced a full sunset while enjoying one of my favorite reds. The oyster starter was amazing as was the lobster tempura. Lamb and fritti de mare was excellent! Come, stay and enjoy Hawaii!! read more

Manta - Outside seating at Mehta restaurant - Hawaiian Near Me - Kamuela, Hawaii

The food at Manta is probably the best I have had in Hawaii. Most of the higher end restaurants have - at best - uninteresting if well prepared food. Manta is an exception in that it has some exciting dishes that reflect both the native Hawaiian, South Pacific and Asian cultures that exist in Hawaii. Memorable standouts are the seafood based dishes that rely on the local bounty of the island that include Shanghai Lobster, Local Tuna Sashimi, Sea Urchin Pasta, and Tarragon Scallops. For the less adventurous, the steak and lamb are very very good as well. All the dishes - land or sea - we beautifully presented and tasted great. Chef Bryan Nagao is not only a creative force in the kitchen, but a great host as well. read more

I was surprised to find that Manta's gourmet menu did not have many interesting options. If you are at all concerned about price, the options are even more limited. I ordered a Cesar, the tagliatelle, and the creme brûlée. The food was solid. But the service was very slow. It felt like the restaurant was understaffed; dinner lasted 2.5 hours and our waiter also seemed stressed out. Overall, it was a lackluster experience. I take away one star for service, one star for value, and one star for the limited food options. read more

Nice dinner at Manta. The venue is lovely, even though we were in the second row of tables. Solid food - A lot of French influences - foie gras and goat cheese tart appetizers, kanpachi meunière main course. Best dishes were when they broke out of that mold - achiote kanpachi, kabotcha ravioli were great. Where the restaurant fell down was the service. It's obvious that a first class hotel has great waiters, but unfortunately we didn't get one. The hostess took 10 minutes to seat us even though there was no one else waiting, so obviously they had to find someone to serve us. The person we got came, said hello and then left for 5 minutes. Upon returning, told us the specials, neglected to ask us if we wanted cocktails, and then forgot who ordered what drink upon returning. The waiter needed someone else (not a sommelier) to open and serve wine, and honestly spent most of the time assisting other waiters clearing tables. For an $800 meal for 4 people, I think better service should be expected. Had incredible service at two other nearby hotel restaurants on previous nights, so it was disappointing. read more

Setting is unparalleled. Food was very good but not commensurate with cost. Canoe house is so much better along with Merimans. Frankly Tommy bahama tasted better. Restaurant was 2/3 empty compared to other restaurants in big island which are a week or more out. Probably the most telling thing. Most frustrating thing was our party of six, which had 2 kids, payed automatic gratuity of 18%. Server was very good but did not say a thing about it (had circled it on the receipt but ghost silent ). We had a similar experience on the big island a year ago so we knew to look. I guess server Was hoping we wouldn't pay any attention to the bill which already had a $250 gratuity. The receipt even had the suggested tip on it which would have been a double tip. Felt dirty. Would have otherwise tipped 22-25 percent but felt cheated. I'm not cool with that. In my line of work that would be called theft at a minimum would get me fired and terrible word of mouth. Even with that aside, honestly scenery was great, but the food was not worth the price. Much better dining experience on the big island elsewhere. Dessert was the best item on the menu. Appetizers were tiny. Seafood platter for $180 felt like a very poor value and relative to other very nice steakhouses in major cities felt like about $40-80 max worth of food (3 shrimp, 2 small crab legs, maybe 3 oysters. 1 very sad pieces of lobster). Dinner was good but not spectacular. Drinks were nice. read more

amazing view of the beach and beautiful view but i ordered a fillet mignon medium rare and it came out medium and the sides with the steak weren't great either. I also got a choclate cake for dessert and it was sticky and it tasted wet and it was just gross. read more

Ambience and restaurant setting was superb! Service was everything you expect from fine dinning. White glove experience (without the white gloves) Tuna tartare fresh, wonderfully combined with the wasabi. Macadamia encrusted fish was cooked just right, tasty and well balance ingredients.If you are visiting the big island you must make your way to try Manta. read more

Update post Covid. Restaurant has changed to just a typical nice hotel restaurant. No more Sunday Brunch!!! That was their signature and now it's gone. Little reason to go unless you are staying at the Mauna Kea. read more