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    The Royal Lanai

    4.0 (22 reviews)
    Closed 6:00 am - 11:30 AM

    The Royal Lanai Photos

    THE ROYAL LANAI ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Upscale

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    Recommended Reviews - The Royal Lanai

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    Brandon Y.

    6.5/10 Got the miso soup, garlic edamame, and spicy tuna roll. Garlic edamame was the best item out of the 3. I'm not too sure if I have my expectations too high for Hawaii seafood, but I've had better sushi in California. No shade fr. Also would not recommend eating past sun down as a TON of bugs come out.

    Otoro nigiri
    K T.

    My husband and I came here for Valentine's Day and despite the holiday, food and service was great! Hostess advised they were busy, but food and drinks still came out in a timely manner. Definitely looking forward to returning here again.

    Escolar, octopus, hamachi, pork skewers, spicy tuna roll
    Drea P.

    Food was great, especially the pork skewers. Service was extremely slow. Saki was very expensive.

    Wines and more drinks
    Alice B.

    Food was top notch and the service was great. We sat at the sushi bar and it was a very memorable and enjoyable experience. We had two rolls and my son even tried two pieces of tuna sashimi at the end of dinner and raved over it. We asked the server and she said the tuna was local which is why it tasted so fresh, and smooth like butter. My husband had the spider roll and the California roll because my daughter wanted to try crab for the first time. The California roll here is made with real crab not the rubbery artificial kind this roll is known for (which is definitely a delicious upgrade in case that wasn't obvious). The spider roll was a fun roll that soft shell crab , avocado, red onion, cucumber and had a crispy tempura flake exterior on top of a sweet chili sauce. Overall a great experience and we highly recommend it!

    Uni

    FOOD: The sushi was strangely seasoned with rock salt, the sushi rice, barely seasoned, gritty. $8 for 5 piece ahi at times blew our entire dinner out of the water, nonetheless not a verbal complaint about it from us to our server. the only complaint we voiced was after my partner and I simultaneously started gagging during our tasting of the uni, my girlfriend had to spit it out after really trying to swallow it. It had an ammonia flavor. we determined with the help of google and our past experiences eating uni, that it was spoiled uni. This caused a confrontation and a commotion from our server. enter Karen She began our dinner with a strange demeanor, this dreadful tude without even needing to speak a word, but oh boy, she sure did make it show with words. To preface, we are a simple young couple, we are very nice, we work in the restaurant industry, I'm a server in Oahu so we are very understanding people when it comes to food. All we said was "we think the uni went bad, can she get a new plate, she couldn't swallow it" she follows up with "went bad like how?" And we go "well like spoiled I guess " and she repeats "like how it spoiled?" And my girlfriend has to say "it tasted like pee, like ammonia" and she goes "like pee?". At this point we were so confused and not angry, and she said "okay because I served that uni to someone else just now, you're saying that the uni that I served earlier was spoiled too, okay I'll tell my chef that you said it was spoiled" beyond unbelievable. An apology would've been nice. My girlfriend nearly puked in your restaurant and now you're arguing with her, no mention of our anniversary either, insanity. At the end of the dinner I attempt to redeem the $16 dining credit that open table provides to its users. I show her and she goes "how do I do that?" And I don't react, again being a server has taught be to tolerate a lot. But the fact that she needs to ask me, and laugh it off. Our trip is short and our night was wasted here.

    California roll and edamame
    Andrea W.

    We haven't been to this hotel since they became Sonesta and wow they have transformed it so beautifully. The vibes were super relaxing. We checked in with the hostess and she walked us to our table which was out on a private lanai looking over the pool and out to the harbor. (All outdoor seating, no air conditioning seating). It was perfect as we have 2 young kids so it contains them without bothering other parties. Everything we ordered was delicious! The edamame had such good taste and lots of garlic! California roll was made with real crab! Hamachi Kama was perfectly fried and gone in no time. Spicy tuna roll was better than salmon roll (but that's because I don't care for raw onions). The chef special, OMG divine! Service was a bit slow (refilling water and getting more utensils) Kamaaina gets 10% off. (Not sure if there are restrictions ie- alcohol.) We celebrated a birthday and the server knew but no complimentary birthday treat.

    Tyler J.

    Surprisingly decent for resort standards. Salmon and yellow tail were actually better than most normal sushi on the island. No tempura dipping sauce available though.

    Sushi Bar

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    1 month ago

    had an amazing experience at the royal lanai! delicious food, awesome service, lovely restaurant

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

    Absolutely bomb, a hidden gem in hawaii, service was great, food was great and the outside seating is great.

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    The Jammin' Banana Bakery & Cafe - Kiddo combo

    The Jammin' Banana Bakery & Cafe

    4.5(304 reviews)
    0.2 mi
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    4.5 stars for the banana pudding…read more Came in for some before my flight out of Kauai and it was divine! I LOVED that thick layer of homemade graham cracker in the middle. The pudding was just a tiny bit greasy but the flavor was great and not overly sweet--I still ate the whole cup by myself in one quick sitting, yum! I would have loved more bananas in the pudding, but I did like how they were cut up into small pieces so the focus stayed on the pudding. Service was friendly and they had a whole tray of banana pudding ready to go. Free parking available all around the shopping plaza, conveniently located close to an ABC store and across from the famous Musubi Truck.

    My friend and I stopped by the Jammin' Banana Bakery & Cafe since it was close to the area we were…read morestaying in. We saw a ton of good reviews and figured we would give it a try. I got a banana matcha and a bagel sandwich while my friend got a banana bread and black coffee with coconut syrup. My portion was $21 for the matcha and the sandwich. I thought the matcha was decent! The banana flavor is a syrup and it reminds me of the banana candies. The matcha wasn't too milky. The bagel sandwich lacked flavor for me. I might just be too used to salt but I did find that the egg portion wasn't super flavorful. I did appreciate that the bagel was quite soft. Overall, it was alright! There is plenty of free parking in the area. The lines can get long even at 7 am on the week day.

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    The Fish Express - Spicy Ahi & Spicy Salmon poke

    The Fish Express

    4.4(1.2k reviews)
    1.9 mi
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    Fantastic poke! I got a bowl with spicy ahi and Maui onion ahi, and both tasted so fresh and…read morebalanced with all the seasonings. I liked that you can choose your rice and how much of each topping you want to add since it's all pay by the pound. The parking lot is a bit small, so you might find yourself waiting a little while for a spot.

    When stopping by Lihue, we were looking for a place where you can get some delicious poke quickly,…read moreand The Fish Express popped up as an interesting option to stop by. We went on a Saturday around lunchtime and it wasn't too busy. There is a small parking lot near the restaurant on the left hand side. It was filled when we first got there, but we were luckily able to get a spot. I could see this lot filling up quickly during other meal rush hours, so do take note if you plan on driving. The ordering is done like your typical poke place, you tell the service worker what you would like and there's a small toppings bar at the end before the cashier. There was a small line when we went, and even with the line, it still only took about 5-10 minutes to get our food. There isn't interior seating in the restaurant though, you will have to get your food take out, or just eat in the parking lot. I got the 3 scoops of poke option for $15.25, and I think that this is a pretty solid deal for the variety of fish that you can try out! I think based on my personal experience on Kaua'i, it will be difficult to get food, especially poke at a reasonable price. But for this price, it's probably the best place on the island to get poke without paying $20+ for the same variety. The fish tasted fresh, and I am a fan of the selection of toppings they had. If you are in the Lihue area and looking to try some poke at a reasonable price, I would recommend The Fish Express! There seems to be a decent amount of other interesting looking options on the menu, and if I'm ever in the area again, I would totally give them a try!

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    The Fish Express - One of the best poke spots!

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    Rainbeau Jo's - Iced AMERICANO - 16oz (2 SHOTS)

    Rainbeau Jo's

    4.9(640 reviews)
    1.4 mi
    $$

    Rainbeau Jo's was honestly one of the best coffee experiences I had in Kauai. I'm glad I stopped by…read moreon the way to the airport for one last caffeine fix. From the moment we walked in, the staff was incredibly kind and welcoming -- you can immediately feel how genuine and positive the energy is in this place. Its so cutely decorated! Looks like one of those cute coffee places in San Diego and reminded me off home :) Beau himself served us, and he truly made the experience unforgettable. He was so friendly, so warm, and just one of those people who instantly makes you feel comfortable. You can tell how much love and passion goes into this shop, and it really shows in the way they treat every customer. The drinks were amazing -- seriously some of the best we had on the island. Everything tasted fresh, high-quality, and made with so much care. Pair that with the fun, happy vibe of the shop and it just made the whole stop feel special. We're already saying we can't wait to come back to Kauai just so we can come here again. If you're in Lihue, this place is an absolute must-visit.

    Do yourself a favor and make this your first stop after getting off the plane in Lihue, you won't…read moreregret it! Such amazing vibes in this shop, and they serve great coffee and bagels! Beau is hilarious and friendly, he kept the line moving but also made connections with everyone who walked through the door and everyone at the register. He even gave us a recommendation for a waterfall to visit nearby to take pictures at. I got to Coco Crunch Ombre which he said is a customer favorite and back on the menu for right now. It was sooo tasty, caramel and coconut creamy heaven. The coffee had great flavor and wasn't bitter or watered down. It was the perfect pick me up after landing in Kauai at 9:30am. We also tried the bagels, including the Jimmy Pesto on a rosemary bagel and the Brahvocado with added pesto cream cheese on an everything bagel. The bagels were fresh and had the perfect chew and crisp to them. The pesto cream cheese was full of flavor. There are indoor seating available and they also have a to-go window outside that you can pick up mobile orders if you're in a hurry. Parking is available behind the shop, it has signs letting you know it's parking for their shop. Definitely look forward to visiting again soon and trying a new drink option

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    The Royal Lanai - sushi - Updated June 2026

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