The restaurants at Aulani are expensive and limited, unless you like fine-dining food and prices at every meal. Here’s an example of the meals we had at the resort.
On our first night, we made reservations at ‘Ama ‘Ama, Aulani’s signature fine-dining beachside restaurant, which takes its name from the local mullet fish and its inspiration from 12th century Hawaiian fishing settlements. The restaurant, designed to look like a fisherman’s waterfront home from the 1890s, features an international menu set amid a thatched-roof hut sprinkled with fishing gear.
For an appetizer, we shared the delicious Kalua pig with cheese croquettes and Serrano ham in a romesco sauce ($16).
For dinner, I ordered the goat cheese ravioli ($31) and asked for the recommended sauvignon blanc (though the wine never arrived). Nancy got the Chinatown duck breast ($40) and Hannah, who will never be a cheap date, went with the New York Strip ($41).
The highlight of the meal was the soufflé potatoes side dish ($8), which looked and tasted like potato chips filled with air. For dessert, we shared a meringue mousse and a pineapple tart.
After dinner, I watched the sun set behind the low-lying clouds in what would turn out to be one of the most memorable moments of our vacation.
We all agreed the food at ‘Ama ‘Ama was good but not great. Pretty much standard high-end hotel food.
Dinner for three with cocktails came to $200 before tip. Not outrageous for a special dinner, but there was no way our wallet or waistline could afford to eat like that at every meal, even on vacation.
Overall, we found the food options lacking at the resort, and we quickly grew weary of dinner tabs for three in the $200 range. What the Aulani lacked most was a fast, casual sit-down restaurant open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I hope that’s on an upcoming menu.
