The service here is ALWAYS great whether a regular or a visitor! Bartenders are fun and friendly and the food is great! My favorite are the tenders in Nashville heat with mac and cheese (which is AMAZING) or their mash potatoes and gravy! Therefore, I don't understand what Michael L. is complaining and regarding his bartender and her personal beliefs that she's ABSOLUTELY is entitled to; as are you! Unless you believe that freedom of speech is just good for a select few? And while your political views differ, it doesn't give you or anyone else the right to push your own OPINION and BELIEFS on others given actual FACTS and TRUTH about the actual state of things! And I find it ABSOLUTELY ironic that you call her anti-Amercan given that supposedly America is supposed to stand for I higher moral compass and protection of humanity, yet, at the moment let's reassess how things are going right now. Furthermore, learn your history bc I also think it's super F****n ironic that you're in Hawai'i talking about being anti-American. Why yes, of course we are anti-America since they have been illegally occupying our Kingdom for over a 100 years! And of course, like everything else America does it's all for FINANCIAL gain. They don't care about who they hurt! #doyourresearch #hawaiididnotwamttobethe50thState Leave my cool people at Willie's alone! They are professionals and they treat all people the same, UNLESS, you want to push your opinions on them and trash them for their beliefs. #constitutiom #freedomofspeech read more

They have decent food. You walk up to the counter and place your order and a server will bring it to your table. There isn't table side service. It is overpriced. $22 for 3 chicken tenders, a side, 2 small sliced pickles and a slice of white bread is a bit much. The food is better than average but it doesn't justify the cost. My main issue is this is one of the places that push the credit card processing fees to the customer. This isn't a tiny mom & pop business that gets little foot traffic. This place is usually pretty busy. I tend to avoid places that push these fees to the customer. This was unheard of prior to Covid but now many places do this and for that reason, this is a place I won't suggest to people or routinely visit. The food is 3.5/5 but overall, I'm giving it a 3/5 because of the high prices and credit card fees. read more

Willie’s Hot Chicken - 3 piece chicken tenders - Southern Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

We got the 3 piece southern (not spicy) crispy chicken tenders with house sauce and waffle fries. Chicken was pretty juicy, the tapered ends of the chicken were drier, but dipped in the sauce made it better. The seasoning was pretty good too, quite peppery so even though we got the not spicy option it was still a bit spicy. The house sauce was a chipotle aioli (to us it kind of tasted like in-n-out sauce (iykyk) but denser with more mayo and no relish). Overall, pretty good place if you're craving chicken tenders. read more

Willie’s Hot Chicken - Tenders with extra House Sauce - Southern Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

not that I'm a hot chicken tasting pro, but it's rather hard to figure out how much heat each type of sauce is delivering. No one answered the phone on the 3 calls I made, so I just ordered the basic through the online process. bar is truly happening, of course it did help that we were midway through the Knicks/SA finals, so the crowd was very pro NY and very happy and inebriated. Location is good and parking is easy. Sando is OK, I wanted a bit more heat but as I ordered take-out, I wasnt going to drive back and get different sauce and not as good as another similar chicken sandwich place in Oakland, but I'll skip the jetlag and take in the Pacific waters any day. So move over other chicken joints, this is my new fave in Kona. read more

The extreme hot level is really not that hot. Next time I plan to fill out waived for hottest level. Service staff were friendly and attentive to me. Nice atmosphere. Will come back again and again. read more

Overall loved Willie's! Fries and special sauce are bomb! I got the tenders, but I didn't love spice level I picked. I'm not sure if it was 5 spice powder, but there was a flavor I didn't love. Service was good, but beer got held up as underage server had to wait for someone else to drop off. Outside seating area was great. I would definitely try it again. read more

Willie’s Hot Chicken - Chicken Sandwich - Southern Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

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Awesome food. Fresh and just the right amount of heat. Great atmosphere and amazing service! read more

Willie’s Hot Chicken - Southern Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Food was really flavorful and staff were very helpful. Clean environment and a sink for washing hands right in the middle of restaurant. read more

Willie’s Hot Chicken - Cute picture - Southern Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

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1st time coming here was awesome; 2nd time we were so disappointed. Seams like they changed the breading completely. You still got tons of chicken but their classic crunch to the breading was completely missing and had no flavor. Tasted like boiled chicken. read more

Willie’s Hot Chicken - Southern Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Stopped by this past Saturday night. Parking lot was full, but people were leaving so we found a stall. Service is friendly, you order at the counter and take the number you're assigned to find a table (or do takeout). Seating can be limited but there are also some tables outside with live entertainment on some days! They'll bring your orders to your table. I ordered Willie's club with sweet potato fries. I had it southern classic style which I was told was not spicy, but the sandwich did turn out to have a kick to it. I'm not great with spices so it definitely was a little bit out of my range. However, the sandwich was good with thick pieces of moist chicken and lightly toasted fluffy bread, and the sweet potato fries were yummy! When you're done, you can return your trays and dishes to the bins on the side. I'll be back at some point but will make sure to get something less or not spicy! read more

Willie’s Hot Chicken - Willie's Club with Sweet Potato Fries - Southern Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

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I love hot chicken sandwiches and I had to try this place out. It was hopping inside and it had a brewery vibe with food as an option. I ordered the crispy chicken sandwich with sidewinder fries. You order with the cashier and they will bring the food out to you. My sandwich was very big and those sidewinders were so delicious. As for heat I requested Nashville Hot which was mild, so go the next step up to White Hot. read more

Hot chicken in Kona, foreal! I'd say something beyond the mild and I think you should find the hot chicken you're looking for. We got the hawaiian level spicy and it really wasn't spicy enough. The waffle was fresh and good, waffle fries crispy, and the chicken was just great. Maybe not my number 1 spot for hot chicken, but for being in Kona, this hits the spot. read more

Willie’s Hot Chicken - Southern Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

The Nashville Hot chicken tenders were amazing! Perfection when it comes to tender & juicy on the inside, and nice & crispy on the outside. Oh, and the potato salad was killer! There was a good vibe going on, since there are various eateries in the area. Plenty of room to sit down and enjoy your meal. People working there were friendly and helpful. Highly recommend to check this place out. read more

I come to Kona every year for 2-3 weeks and this place just isn't as good as it used to be. My biggest complaint is that it's a fried chicken place that ONLY makes chicken tenders as far as the fried chicken goes. No matter what you order, it's gonna be chicken tenders - not really a fried chicken place. A fried chicken sandwich for $21 shouldn't be 2 mediocre kind of dry chicken tenders. It should be one piece of chicken. The frozen Mai Tais are great. That's something I'd usually never order, but they are strong and tasty. The sides are decent. They used to have bone in chicken. read more

This is an order at the counter place with an order at the bar bar. The runners do deliver your food and bus the tables. We sat inside because it had gotten hot and windy outside. I got the tenders and Mac and cheese side. Hubby got the chicken sandwich. BIL got the white meat combo. Sis got sweet potato fries. Everything was good! Hubby got me only Jerk level of spice and I could have handled more but the jerk flavor was good. I tested BIL's Tennessee hot sauce and it was sweet hot but not overly spiced. I would get BBQ sauce for dipping next time instead of salad dressing, but the honey mustard was good with the jerk. The sweet potato fries were perfectly cooked and seasoned. I was expecting to need salt but they were fine,perhaps having been soaked in salt water. The waffle fries were also best in class. For the chicken, BIL demolished his chicken quarter. I tasted the chicken sandwich and found it very moist, more so than the tenders. The tenders were not dried out or over cooked but they were not thick/large enough to stay very moist. If you love crunchy coating, this item is for you. The Mac and cheese was surprising good! It tasted like the Velveeta macaroni dinner from a box, and the noodles were not mushy at all. The beer was cold as advertised. It is nice that you don't have to queue for a refill but can go directly to the bar. As you can see on the menu, most items are $20. I'd come back in the evening for the music outside. When we went to the nearby Japanese place on a Friday night, the music on the patio sounded really good. read more

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I had such high hopes, but I have to say this was by far and away the worst food I have had on the Big Island in my entire week there. The ambiance is killer and the smell of the chicken was so enticing that I couldn't help but venture in. I ordered the half chicken at Nashville Hot level, which the server had told me would be quite spicy. On the contrary, it was probably milder than a spicy chicken sandwich at McDonald's. The crust on the chicken was incredibly thick and greasy (closer to crunchy than crispy, if you catch my drift), and while the chicken inside was incredibly juicy and well-cooked, it was completely devoid of flavor. I looked around to see if my order was a bad batch, but it seemed consistent with what others had received. read more

Willie’s Hot Chicken - Southern Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

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Different levels of spicy chicken. Decent size bar. Mostly beers with some seltzer, cider and wine. Quick service. Nice outdoor patio. Can get loud with a lot of people. Also many TVs to watching games. read more

Willie’s Hot Chicken - Outside patio - Southern Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

It's solid. To average fried chicken lovers this is considered good. I ordered the 3 tender combo. Mac was delicious had a pepper jack taste to it. So gooey so cheesy. I promise you, you won't be disappointed. The tenders on the other hand had a very nice crisp to it. However there was hardly any flavor on the chicken and the Nashville spicy wasn't even spicy!! Pickles were solid with a nice crunch. Sauce is an extra $2 LOL wtf. and the sauce cups r tiny asf. Quick service. easy parking. Lots of tables outside. Chicken flavor was just mehhhh read more

Willie’s Hot Chicken - Southern Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Some of the rudest staff ever, extremely disappointed. It felt like no one wanted to be there and hated their jobs. We immediately walked out after not being acknowledged after several minutes. Where's the Aloha, Willie's? read more

This place was awesome Definitely tasted better than eating Opossum I got the three chicken tenders I liked them a lot The Franch sauce was delicious I did not get chicken that was hot I got the potato salad And my chicken was plain Coconut water to drink To eat here is gain The hostess was nice And there is lots of outdoor seating When is Hawaii this is where you should be eating. read more

Willie’s Hot Chicken - 3 piece tenders as of Dec 2024 they are $20. - Southern Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Impulse decision to get fried chicken from my dad. Got the sweet hawaiin tender combo which came with waffle fries, bread and pickle. House made sauce is out of this world, creamy, savory and paired well with the chicken and fries. I loved the fried chicken! It was fried in a way where it didn't feel too heavy like usual fried chicken and the slight kick was everything. read more

We ordered a take out for 2 chicken tenders. These were made fresh, had nice seasoning and were soft & tender. We picked the sweet Hawaiian sauce for the chicken & opted for the house sauce for dipping. For sides, we took the waffle fries. We loved the chicken, filling enough for one adult. Took about 20 minutes for the food to get ready, place had enough footfalls and was almost full. It is more of a sports bar, quite loud with multiple channels playing on Telly. read more

Out of all the dining choices in Kona that we tried, I was pleasantly surprised that Willie's Hot Chicken was probably one of our favorites in our Recent trip to the Island of Hawaii! Chicken is perfectly seasoned, just enough heat to tingle my tongue! We all ordered the 3pc Tenders, 2 of us getting the Sweet Hawaiian Heat Level and one Southern. The sweet Hawaiian was mild with a hint of spice, which I appreciated. I like spicy but nothing that overwhelms the palate. I like my fried chicken chicken/tenders with rice so I was happy that it was one of the sides to choose from! I was able to sneak a couple Sweet Potato fries and they do theirs just right! Pickles were yum, and so was the house dipping sauce! Wish we had a place like this back home! read more

Willie’s Hot Chicken - 3pc Tenders with a Side of Rice and House Sauce, *chefs kiss - Southern Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

If you are looking for Dave's hot chicken, this is not it. The tenders are on the menu but they are just meh, even the hottest one is missing the kick. We also tried the Mac n cheese which was pretty good but the hot chicken didn't hit the spot. Maybe they had an off day(Saturday) but not worth what I paid for read more

Willie’s Hot Chicken - Southern Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Incredible food, amazing service. It was so yummy! We loved seriously everything we ate!!! lots of choices for beers or other beverages. Best chicken ever!! read more

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A great find with GF options. Unfortunately it was on our last day in Kona or we would definitely be back!

Great food. Easy to read menu. Lots of choices! Friendly service. Fun spot with live music. Would definitely go again.

I'd like this restaurant because I like the style of chicken in the upbeat snappy feel of the place as well as the general idea of various levels of hot chicken using chicken tenders having things like macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets on the menu. These are all positives however!! I am a retired restaurant owner and I know something about food, both myself, and my friends have gotten food poisoning and quite sick from that restaurant twice. The first time I called the owner he was extremely nice about the situation offered to leave a tab for me to buy $100 worth of food (which I never did use) and after about two months, I went back and tried the restaurant and nothing went wrong. I continued to eat there with my friends over the next year and a half or two years until a few days ago and both myself and another chef who works at a high-end restaurant here in Kona went there for lunch and within an hour or two both of us were quite sick with what we considered to be food poisoning ---- so although I do like this place I offer a word of advice in warning to people considering going there you can't get sick from the food. They're serving chicken after all which requires intense scrutiny in terms of getting bacteria into the chicken. read more

Yes Food,service, and Ambiance was all good. The place is pretty cool. Good sports good wings. I've been to Hattie B's and everyone wants to copy the original and nobody can. They do a good job on their own though. Everyone wants this Nashville Hot, well it isn't Nashville it's Kona Hawaii way different. Come up with your own flavor like Kona hot. Recommend yea go out of my way No read more

Willie’s Hot Chicken - Wings - Southern Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Fantastic chill vibe. The heat is fairly accurate. Costco tip...you can get 100 dollars worth for 79ish.

These are the best waffle fries that I have had in a long time. These medium spice chicken tenders was so spicy but so full of flavor read more

Willie’s Hot Chicken - These are the best waffle fries that I have had in a long time. These medium spice chicken tenders was so spicy but so full of flavor - Southern Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Tops off your cravings for hot chicken! Good vibes, nice people. Friendly staff to start with.

Love the wings here, but don't bother with "online" ordering-there is none. Tried calling the number on the website, no one answers. I was told that they don't do phone in calls since they don't have a number listed. (It's on the "website") Great chicken, you just gotta go down and order through the cashier. read more

This fried chicken is so good! The were super busy but we snagged a table outside. I'm not a huge fan of standing in line and ordering at the counter then hoping to find a table since we also have a young child but the food made up for it. I would recommend ordering and extra side of sauce for your sandwich though. Nice beer selection and awesome options for sides. My kids loved the Mac n cheese read more

Good food, and good music on Friday night. I loved my tenders which were juicy and meaty. And for the sides, do try their Mac & cheese! It is tasty and creamy. Service is quick and friendly. We lost our number card while waiting for food (and the place was busy) but they remembered our food and where we were sitting, thank goodness! read more

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quick and great clean food, gluten free options and spicy if you want. fast and nice green salad. inside or outside seating- perfer outside the dining. service was fast and friendly! read more

The energy was great in Willies! The lady behind the counter was awesome. She was very upbeat and helpful. The food was delicious! We had the white hot tenders and the jerk tenders. The white hot was REALLY hot but so flavorful, juicy and crispy! Win/win!!! Waffle fries were perfectly cooked and the coleslaw was tasty. It was nice to sit outside and enjoy the Kona sunshine. read more

Willie’s Hot Chicken - Southern Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

The food was really good.This was my first time trying it. My husband travels from Hilo to Kona a few times out of the week for work and I am guessing he stumbled upon this place on his drive in from Hilo. They have a bar, outdoor and indoor seating. First you order: choose your chicken, heat level (sauce), your sides and your dipping sauce. The cashier hands a number to you and they bring out the food to your table. There's a lot of artwork in there, a handful of items covered in stickers and ample seating. Hands down definitely better than those fried chicken fast food chains and the prices are decent. If I'm down in Kona again, I'll be back!! read more

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I've had Willie's Hot Chicken in Kailua Kona several times, but Braddah Fran C's recent review finally prompted me to complete my own! A group of us divers stopped by for a late dinner after a chilly night manta dive. In the last hour of operation on a busy Saturday night, WHC was out of my favorite- chicken thighs. Ended up ordering the 3 wing combo meal with a side of potato salad, $19 with tax & tip. The cashier handed me a placard, and told me to pick anywhere- they would bring my order to me. There was a band playing in the patio outside, so the inside of the restaurant was kind of noisy, we picked an outside table the furthest away from the band so we could hear each other. Beer and other alcoholic beverages were also available, but I just wanted food. There's a whole spectrum of spiciness, but this time I wanted just the basic southern classic. The food soon arrived, piping hot! Initially I was put off a little by the idea of 3 pieces of chicken wings plus a side for $16, but I was surprised to see 3 complete wings- flats & drums! As soon as the food cooled down a little, I started to eat. The hot chicken tasted so good after being in cool night water for an hour & a chilly boat ride back to the dock! The potato salad did its job as a palate cleanser. My friends let me sample some of the spicier sauces, and they were pretty good. Very enjoyable and reasonable- WHC is someplace to enjoy , especially on a relatively late Friday or Saturday night in Kona! Repeat and recommend! read more

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Willie's is the coolest bar in Kona... and it's not even close!! Excellent place for watching sports, with lots of big TVs. Great variety of drinks. The menu is simple... but consistently delicious, and don't miss out if they are running a special. The live music, on a lot of nights, is a really good vibe, and I have seen some seriously talented musicians there, spanning a variety of genres. Most importantly, the bartenders and the regulars have always made me feel welcome. I don't do a lot of reviews... but going on five years of great times and always great service, these words are well earned and overdue. Mahalo, and keep up the great work!! read more