Merriman’s Fish House

This is my 2^nd time coming here only because they’re very pricey but there was this special for Kama’aina (Hawaii residents) that we could not pass up. In short it was way better than my first visit. The jam and bread was delicious, the jam had flavors of papaya, mango & strawberry! yumm! I then had the cesar salad to start and it was perfect, not to salty, not to creamy, it was served with two fried green tomatoes perfectly cooked. My entrée was the combo because I couldn’t decide, I selected the fillet & mahimahi. Both were super delicious.

We came to happy hour and the entire shopping center was lively — with a farmer’s market and a terrific live band outside of the restaurant. The view of the rustic countryside was lovely from the restaurant and the food was very good and well priced for happy hour.
One in my party ordered the Ahi poke, which I heard was delicious. Being a bit sick of Ahi at this point (sorry, Hawaii), I ordered their ono ceviche and pork quesadilla and although I loved the flavors, the quality can’t be compared to their fresh Ahi (go figure). Still, all and all, this is great restaurant for the full dining experience.

I came to this place hungry after work and on Valentines Day. I ordered the fish special and a glass of wine expecting have a nice treat for myself after a long day. I found my self trying to examine the flavors and try to figure out what exactly I was eating in the first bite. Each with each following bite the entrée became more and more salty. After complaining the server offered to have it redone but I was already over it and wanted to get out of there. I waited way to long in disgust and disappointment for the check to come for my $ 50 fish plate. I kept kicking myself that I should have gone to Josselin’s Tapas Bar & Grill or tried out the eating house.

This place is delicious if you’re looking for a great high end meal. Everything was perfect, except the weather (a little too rainy and cold on to be seated on the porch) and the drinks were literally so sweet they were undrinkable.
I would definitely go back.

We go to Kauai four times a year and finally tried merrimans for the first time. The décor and atmosphere is great. Food was ok. A little on the salty side. The reason that I gave two stars is that the service is horrible. Our server seemed angry that we only got 4 dinners and soft drinks. She kept pushing on the upsale of alcohol and the $ 75 per person shared dinner. We just weren’t that hungry and we did not want to drink that night.
Once we declined both. She hardly stopped by our table to refill our sodas or water and did not give us any service at all.
Very rude service. All she cared about is upsale and increase her tip.

This was by far the best dinner we had on the island. The service was great and the food was even better. It is expensive but you get what you pay for. My husband and I both had the appetizer and fish special and they were perfectly cooked. We also loved the bread served with goat cheese and fresh fruit jam. So good!

5 star food without a doubt! Beautiful restaurant, details are amazing! See photos. We had nearly every hot app. Stand outs were Scallops and Shrimp. The special of the night Opakapaka was exactly that Special!
Front of house service cost a star. All great players but the water boy could only pour water, the waiter only take an order, and the server to clear empty dishes could only do that. As result whilst we had people at the table every few minutes, we waited endlessly for everything.

Best meal we had on the island. Every dish we had was delicious!
Ahi poke trio was delicious and creative. Beet salad was satisfying, light yet well-​seasoned. The bugolgi-​spiced prawns had some kick to it and the prawn was juicy and fantastically fresh. I got their seared mahi mahi which had a nice and crispy skin with tender and flavorful meat inside.
Staff were all very friendly and attentive. A MUST TRY!

My friend turned 40 and this is her 50^th state, so this was her celebration dinner.
We shared the poke, lobster, and mahi mahi.
All were good.
I had some sort of bourbon drink. Super strong. Pretty good. She had some sort of frothy coconut thing. She enjoyed it too.
Complimentary macadamia nut short bread.
Good service. Pretty atmostphere.

Poor service, ambience of a diner, way too expensive for mediocre quality seafood.
Crammed 4 adults and 2 kids at a table for 4, brought no utensils /​water for kids… Two pieces of bread for 6 people… If you want great seafood for a reasonable price with tropical ambience, goto Keoki’s paradise. If you’re looking for amazing atmosphere and service for same expensive price, goto Tidepools at the Grand Hyatt.

The dinner was the best either of us had eaten in a very long time! I had crab cakes with lobster appetizer and Mahi Mahi for dinner. All of it was perfectly paired with a fine pinot grigio. Dessert was this decadent Kauai chocolate purse! My sister had the sampler which she raved about.
This was the best tasting food ever!
I more than recommend this place. The dining experience was classic Hawaiian with open aired seating and a beautiful view of the sunset!

A-​Ok happy hour from 5:30 to 6:30 with a beautiful view of the ocean and mountains in the distance and a nice breeze. Mai tais were very tasty for $ 8 although a tad small, kahlua pork quesadilla with kimchi was so good we almost ordered a second, and can’t beat the draft beer for $ 3 (and it’s is not Bud Light or Coors!). Limited selection of food selections but heard the truffle fries were good. Friendly barkeep and good local woman on the guitar with island tunes.

HAPPY HOUR review only: We weren’t sure whether we were going to go with the more casual restaurant downstairs or the signature restaurant upstairs… The lovely hostess explained that the happy hour upstairs was still on and the happy hour downstairs was finished. DONE and done!
Since I’m on crutches the elevator was a lifesaver! Thank you Peter Merriman for realizing that injured, handicap, and old people need love too!
We were just in time for the end of happy hour (I think 6:30). We ordered the signature Mai Tai with liliko’i (passion fruit) foam. The truffle fries (best ever). And an order of the poke (which is served with sweet potato chips and a guac mixed with wasabi). My Aunty and mom said it was the best poke dish they’ve ever had. While they were oohing and ahhing over that, I was taking down as many truffle fries as humanly possible.
Dessert: we had the (Grey) Goose and Juice. Today’s juice was star fruit. O-​M-​G best cocktail I’ve ever had. Whatever the Goose and Juice is– GET IT!!! The sunset view was perfect.
Worth every penny!

Love Merriman’s! Our second visit. First was at Waimea on the Big Island.
Food was delicious as always. I can literally wipe the plate clean and not leave a crumb.
The Mai-​Tai was the best I have ever had. It was topped off with a honey Lillikoi foam! Ummm yes!
Service was outstanding. I had an issue and was taken care of so quickly. When I got my plate back, they gave me a new plate and rearranged the food like brand new.
Best party??? Kids are welcome! The Big island one was a little stuffy for the kids but this was definitely more accommodating. The venue and atmosphere was great for families and groups. It’s a 5-​star food, service, ambience without the snooty «no kids allowed» attitude.
As a parent with young kids who loves good food and upscale service and environment, this is so appreciated!

Outstanding seafood fresh and wife variety, great staff and service.
Delicious mouth watering fish esp mahi mahi and macadamian crusted local fish.
Must visit– i saw it first on food network chefs.

Merrimam’s restaurant is in a shopping center but that doesn’t stop it from serving gourmet food with great views. We were seated close to the window so we could easily see the sunset.
My husband and I shared Kona Cold Lobster and Crab Cakes with orange, watercress, avocado, and salsa verde. It was good but I could really only taste the crab.
For my entrée, I had Olive Oil Seared Mahi Mahi served with herb gnocchi, lemon, squash, and fresh tomato-​garlic sauce. Somehow the fish was super crispy without breading it. I didn’t love the gnocchi but the kale (which I normally don’t like) was absolutely delectable.
The meal was pretty expensive (over $ 100 without dessert or drinks) and portions were small.

I started with the organic wheat bread, goat cheese, fruit jam appetizer. Wow, so yummy! The bread was warm, the jam tasted like passion fruit, and I devoured it. Devoured it all!
For my entrée I had the goat cheese, beets, tomato, papaya salad. One of the best salads I’ve ever had, and I don’t even like beets! These beets were fresh and just tender enough! I also ordered a side of the garlic Yukon mashed potatoes. Delicious, fluffy goodness.
As a veggie, my meal was divine.

Best crab cake of my life. Also enjoyed a dirty pins colada which was heaven! The appetizer platter was wonderful. We also ordered the papaya jam with goat cheese with our bread.
They are great with kids and had a etch a sketch for my 6 year old to play with. One downside was that both our husband and my fish were dry which was sad because everything else was top notch. We paid $ 260 for a party of 4 including drinks and appetizers. Would go again.

Disappointing…
Came here for Christmas Eve dinner with a special hand delivered bottle of Brunello from Tuscany only to find mediocre food and bad service.
Our waiter was focused on his 14 top so we always lacked his attention, had to constantly be asking for water refills and our food was pushed out due to the large party.
One of the bathroom sinks in ladies room was not working and they had water leaking all over the floor– with trash can overflowing– definitely not a clean bathroom.
Very disappointed that our Christmas dinner turned out this way as we had much higher expectations.

Poipu Beach on a Monday evening at 9:00… the sidewalks have rolled up — no joke. We tried two other places here at the Shops at Kukui’ula in Poipu Beach to no avail — they were closed. We were able to get a table at the more casual part of Merrimans — the pizza, burger, bar restaurant downstairs. We opted to sit outside which was beautiful. Service was prompt, offering a nice selection of drinks. Kid had pasta — no complaints, I had fish tacos and the server recommended a side of the wasabi cream sauce — totally amped it up. They were delicious and the fish was fresh and cooked just right — not dry. Husband had the fish sandwich which had about a six ounce portion of nicely cooked fish on it.
It was a nice find — not the best meal we had in Poipu (see review for Da Crack) but definitely a nice experience thanks to the nice people who welcomed and served us, along with good food.