Kono’s on the Green

I play golf three times a week and have had lunch many time and have always been pleased and on Valentine’s I took my wife and a dear friend to dinner. Both were very pleased with their fillets, stating that they were some of the best they had ever had. Coming from my wife, that is quite a compliment. All in all it was a wonderful experience and we shall continue to go.

What’s with the bearded guy working behind the bar? Highly unprofessional for a place on the golf course. Isn’t there sanitary regulations on that? At least we found out about Cow Pig Bun.

Lipoa Pkwy. leads up the hill to one of my favorite areas of Kihei. I love the refreshing breeze and amazing sunset views that both Maui Brew Co. and Kono’s offer.
Every place in Kihei does the Happy Hour game … I think Kono’s game is above par.
My pupus of coconut shrimp and chicken wings were both outstanding.
Sitting outside on the couch of the outdoor lounge was incredibly relaxing, refreshing and a something I intend to do again soon.

I came here with friends a few nights ago. Service is bad. They were not busy. There was a family that came after us and they got served first. We waited over 20 minutes and left. No one came to take our drink order. To wait more than 20 minutes and not be acknowledged by the wait staff is not acceptable. If I could I would give them zero stars!

Bottomless mimosas rock. Thank you for being one of the only places on Maui to do this. However, we found 3 pieces of hair in the food… told our server. He supposedly told the manager, but no manager ever came by to even make a mention of the hair. This is pretty bad service and management so more than likely me and my group will never be back. Please learn to be more customer service oriented ;-)

After golf, we had dinner here. Lichee Sangria was unusual. Mushrooms for appetizer, and we had pork chops, prawns, lamp chops for dinner. Desert was a special. Service was excellent. The prices were a little high for the quality of food and thus the 4 stars. The guitar musician was fabulous though.

Poor service tonight. First I made reservation and they didn’t have it. Next no bread but bread plate on table. Next no pepper for Caesar salad. Next no plate for shells from steamed clams and utensil sized for clams. Food was ok not spectacular and our menus had different items. They seemed to be focused on happy hour service.

Hate to keep this so short, but every time my visit has been pleasant. Customer service is excellent and the food is also excellent!

This was on the top of my list to recommend to people for brunch and HH. NOT ANYMORE!
We came in for brunch for the 4 of us. While I understand the half dining room was reserved for 10 am, we came in at 910 and the hostess tells us:
You can’t have this section (understandable that portion is reserved)
You can have that table of 4 in the back corner but you will ABSOLUTELY have to be done before 10 because we have a reservation for that one too. Do you think you could actually finish eating by then or wait… You’re here for the buffet (while she scans us up an down), yeah you can’t have that table either.
So how about you just sit on the couches with your kids?
Seriously?
1 star awarded for fastest it’s ever taken to insult me and my family in under 2 minutes.

I thought the restaurant was alright, but nothing I’d jump to come back to.
I have to say, the mixed drinks seem pretty spot on. This is something they seem to do very well, so maybe this place’s sweet spot is happy hour.
We started with the foie gras and scallop appetizer… which was embarrassingly lacking any foiegras at all. We got a chunk the size of a quarter and a tiny piece the size of a dime. It really doesn’t seem to qualify as making it seem like a highlight of the dish. It was alright, but could’ve lost like 3 ingredients.
We had the prawn and the scallop entrees. Prawns were slightly over cooked, and scallops were mushy and didn’t have that sear I was hoping for and that makes scallops so delicious. Also, the dish descriptions said there was spinach in the plate… and I literally had one leaf of spinach mixed into my rice.
There was a definite lack of seasoning on the scallops and shrimp. Like they had hoped the sauce and other components would just balance it out, but they needed SOME sort of seasoning to stand on.
We also had to ask for bread. It seems like they won’t give you a basket unless you ask for it.
Dessert seemed uninspired and thawed from a freezer somewhere, so we skipped.
If you’re outside, it seems like you may be slightly forgotten at times, or maybe all service is a little slow. Don’t come here in a rush!

A wonderful spot for sunset dining in Maui! My friends and I enjoyed several appetizers during an event tonight and loved every bite. The staff was friendly and prompt. The atmosphere was fun and casual. We had a great time!

Came in after 18 holes on a nice course with a craving for a fish sandwich. There wasn’t one on the menu but our waitress, Kiely, checked with the Chef and they just got in a shipment of fresh Opa! He made me a great fish sandwich on request — Aoli and cole slaw. Can’t ask for much better service than that. Cindy’s Bacon and Bleu Cheese burger was great also. Nice views and good local beer selection.
I’ll be back.

Decided to try this out as an alternative to our usual Maui spots. Kono’s is in the Maui Nui Golf Club just mauka of Kihei — the setting is causal and active — when we arrived at 6:00 the happy hour crowd was still there. Very friendly and the view toward sunset over West Maui is spectacular. Our waitress greeted us and took our drink order but no rush to order. For appetizers we had the Ahi Carpaccio — fish tender with a delicious tomato and olive oil dressing –and the Toasted Goat Cheese with Chilled Ratatouille — rich and creamy served with toast…delicious. For entrees we had Linguini Vongole and Sesame Seared Ahi — the sauces on the Ahi (ponzu/​sriracha) were impressive
The only points off were slow service to take our orders (but that is relaxed Maui dining) and we had to ask for bread. However, this didn’t take away from the excellent food.
Overall, if your looking for a relaxed dining spot with a great view, try this one.

We stopped by for lunch since we were in the area and always wanted to try it out.
ATMOSPHERE:
Kono’s is the restaurant space at the Maui Nui Golf Course, formerly known as the Silversword and Elleair names. The exterior hasn’t been updated much if any at all since I can remember, but the inside has definitely been upgraded with wood floors, dark décor, and cool lighting.
There’s a small sushi bar but I’m not sure if it’s even used as there were no chairs at the counter. They have a fairly good sized bar, spaciously placed tables, and an outdoor lanai seating with minimal to zero protection from the sun. The views are exceptional; Haleakala, the golf course, the Pacific, Kahoolawe, Lanai, and the West Maui Mountains. While the background views are fabulous, it’s the area around the restaurant that needs work. Mops leaning up against the building, ugly electrical cords hanging, an old cooler that’s been there for months due to the build up of trash around it, weeds in the flowerless flower beds, and what looked like a broken citronella candle dish. Very simple fixes.
LUNCH MENU:
Soups, salads, quesadillas, burgers, pastas, sandwiches, pizzas.
FOOD:
Beef Penne Stroganoff — I opted for linguine pasta instead, which was cooked okay. The dish lacked flavor, salt, and depth. The meat was tender but tasteless. The toppings of peas, onions, diced pickles and tomatoes thankfully gave the dish some sort of life. The portion size was good for the $ 12 price. I’ve had tasty stroganoff at my former employer’s cafeteria in Kaanapali, as well as in the motherland of Russia, but this was far from tasting anything like traditional stroganoff. Pass.
RESERVATIONS:
Not needed for lunch as the place was dead.
SERVICE:
Our server Kylie was friendly, professional, and checked on us twice. A bus boy also assisted us for a cup of coffee.
OVERALL:
Good prices, nice views, mainstream pasta.

Beautiful views that we will return to. Thought it seemed dated like it was a hot place in the 70s or 80s. Things are a tad worn and used and not in an eclectic cool way.
Went for Happy Hour and meh. My tap beer bored me and the calamari was just ok. Prices aren’t so reduced either.
We will return for a music event and the golf of course. But Happy Hour?, maybe with an elderly relative to see the sunset.

Sweet breakfast buffet for only $ 10! Bottomless mimosas for $ 14. Yes, please. Buffet had a crustless spinach quiche, scrambled eggs, Portuguese sausage fried rice, white rice, biscuits and gravy, spam, Portuguese sausage, pancakes, hash browns, brown gravy. All in all, a nice variety at a great price. I will be back again. My only complaint is that the eggs were really dry… Everything else was on point.

I had my birthday lunch here. At a distance, you can see the ocean from the dining area. Windy on that day so they were not serving outside in the patio facing the golf course. Place was not quite full but it was nice and not too noisy. A lot of golfers and tourist out for lunch. I liked the place. Lunch special of Wahoo was excellent. We also ordered pizza, pastas and hamburgers. All were well done and fresh. The sangria was very tasty. You must try and just enjoy your day in paradise. I would recommend this place.
They also have breakfast buffet with unlimited mimosas. Try it. It’s worth your $ 15. Most places charge for cocktail that much. Here, you get mimosas and some good breakfast.

We only came in for Happy Hour so I can’t review their full menu. Their Happy Hour prices are pretty reasonable. ½ off Pupus and then $ 6 well drinks, $ 6 wine and $ 4.50−5.50 beers.
Four seating areas: the bar, dining tables, outdoor patio and a lounge with comfy chairs and sofas. We sat in the lounge area watching a football game. It was a comfortable environment to relax, talk and drink.
Our service was friendly and pretty attentive. Our sweet potato fries were nice and crispy. My husband had a local beer and I had a house margarita that was pretty strong.
We had a good time and I’m sure we’ll be back to try more Pupus and enjoy the view.

An absolute triumph. 5 stars.
We visited twice in 3 days. We received excellent service and experienced great food.
They obviously know what they are doing and they are doing it with passion.
Look forward to visiting them next year.

Kono’s was a let down for me. It had decent reviews but I didn’t really think it was worth the hype.
The restaurant had live music but it also has a cover of $ 5/​person. The kind lady at the front let us bypass this cover change because we didn’t know there was going to be music and it was our first visit.
We were seated at the bar because there was no room in the dining room. That wasn’t a big deal and we appreciate the view and windows.
The chairs and the tables don’t look like the ones on the website. They are worn wooden tables of different height by the window. I know this because we had to push two tables together so our whole party could sit together.
The music was really really loud. It was pleasant music and the other patrons looked like they were having a great time but if you are looking for a quiet dinner, this isn’t the place (when they have a band).
The waitress was very nice but the service is extremely slow. I didn’t get my cocktail until after all the appetizers were served and eatten.
I had some clam chowder ($ 6) to start and it was really lovely. Lots of clams and great broth.
I had the margherita pizza ($ 14) for my entrée and I am sad to say it was really lacking. The crust was chewy, there was barely any sauce and it was a bit tasteless.
My sister and brother-​in-​law said that their food was luke warm like it was sitting out a bit. My mom’s shrimp were overcooked.
I won’t be coming back but maybe this was all a fluke and other people will have better luck.