Kalani’s

After our earlier snowmobile excursion, I jumped on Unilocal to find someplace to eat and found Kalani’s and I am so happy we did!
The location itself was very nice and classy, right in the village with a parking deck nearby (which the restaurant validates parking). All the staff was really great, checking on us and making great recommendations.
For appetizers we ordered the sampler and heavenly roll. The sampler was great (especially the ahi tuna poke) but the winner was the roll. It disappeared in seconds and had me wondering if we should order more!
For the entrée, I ordered the Island Style BBQ. Good dish, very favorable, only complaint was the bok choi was a bit under cooked and the chicken slightly over.
For dessert we chose them macadamia nut bread pudding, the crème brûlée, and a jalapeño brownie topped with green tea ice cream. The clear winner was the brownie — nice bite from the jalapeño that was offset by the ice cream. The crème brûlée was good. The bread pudding though was a bit dry, just needed a little more sauce.
Overall, I would suggest coming here and if ever in the area would be happy to try it again!

Oh my goodness. This place deserves 5 stars! I’d even give it 10 stars if I could. We came here a few minutes after 3pm to find out that they didn’t start serving dinner until 5pm, but their Happy Hour started at 3 – 6. We decided to stay for Happy Hour and give it a try. We tried most of the items on the Happy Hour menu.
Spicy Edamame was excellent. Island Style Hot Wings were amazing, definitely a must! Pulehu Beef Short Ribs were incredible. Melt in your mouth delicious. Deep Fried Ahi might have been my favorite. Everything was so tasty that it’s too hard to pick just one favorite. Firecracker Calamari was incredible as well, the sweet dipping sauce that comes with it makes the dish, the peppers in the calamari were yummy too. Spicy Tuna Roll was good, nothing special about it. Minced Tuna, not chunks of tuna, but it was still good compared to other sushi restaurants. Heavenly Roll is another must try! Incredibly delicious! The Blueberry Ginger Mojito was blueberry yumm yumm. Seriously go with a few friends and try as menu things off the Happy Hour menu as you can. That’s what we did. Four of us split all these things. Kalani’s will be a restaurant I will come back to every time I’m in town.
The service was pretty fantastic too. They were ok with us having a stroller/​sleeping baby in the bar. Food came out quickly. The bartender was quick to get us our drinks and checked in with us the perfect amount. We were the first ones there at 3pm, by 4 there was almost no seating left at the bar/​happy hour area.
Go check it out for yourself.

Happy hour was awesome. No question. Great prices for the drinks and apps. We had the spicy tuna roll, duck lumpia and chicken wings. All were awesome. Then we tried the ribeye which looked better than it was. Needed much more flavor and it was overpriced. In my opinion. Come here for HH for sure. Questionable for dinner.

My husband and I stayed at 3 Peaks Resort which was only 7 – 10 mins walking to this place. We were looking for a place to have a drink and yes kid-​friendly, due to our 6 month son so we found this place on Unilocal.
There are a really good selections on Happy-​Hour food and drink menu. We ended up order a lots like 8 drinks and 7 dishes for just the two of us. The food was yummy and yes our cocktails were really amazing, especially Mai Tai. We liked the service there as well.
We will come back for sure!

First night in Tahoe, we randomly picked a place in the area, and this Hawaiian/​Sushi Bars showed up in the search. It was a bit hidden away within a shopping area, most of the shops closed quite early here for some reasons. The place seems spacious with the big dining room just half filled, and they have a sushi bar area, we were seated near it at a table that was tucked away.
We started with some Hawaiian Style Ahi Tuna Tartar, and the dish tasted all right, really was just spicy tuna-​like meat in the middle with sweet potato chips on the side. It was interesting that they also serve large crackers instead of bread for starter.
I got the Pan Caramelized Miso Sea Bass, presentation was good, sea bass was tasty with miso infused flavor in them, and there was wasabi mashed potato in the bottom too. The combination worked very well with this dish. I also tried the Alaea Seasoned Rib Eye, I suppose Alaea is an unrefined salt from Hawaii, and the steak was seasoned with them. It had a different flavor to it than meat from regular steakhouses, and the Alaea added a pinkish brown color to the steak.
Kalani’s was definitely interesting discovery in South Tahoe, and I recommend them for a nice upper scale experience while you are in town. I thought price was fair for a fine dining place in a touristy area. Service was excellent that night too.

We came here twice during our stay at Heavenly Village.
First night it was just the two of us. We order off the sushi menu
The second night we came here with another couple and their little ones.
The food here is overall pretty good. Wide selection of dishes to suit different palates. It is also very kid friendly.
The service was a bit choppy at time… waiting for refills and other basics.
Overall a good place for the village.

Loved the food here. My fiancé took me here for my birthday. He had the pan caramelized miso-​yaki sea bass and I got the seafood mixed grill. Loved the quality and flavor of the food. Very delicious. Also got a nice little birthday cake surprise with a candle to enjoy after dinner. Our waiter was awesome!

We wanted to plan a good dinner on our last night in Tahoe and from the looks of Unilocal’s pictures, we made sure to add Kalani’s to our list of to do’s. Certainly it’s one of the nicer restaurants located inside of Heavenly Village so our expectations were pretty high from the get go.
We arrived on a Monday night and fortunately for us, there wasn’t a lot of people there to make us wait and although we didn’t make any reservations, the staff was polite towards us. They offered us either dinning or the bar area so we chose what we were used to — the bar. Our bartender was pretty awesome. She was somewhat of a local from where we were so we hit it off with a great conversation. She was talkative and friendly which was a plus for us and our dinning experience.
I ordered the raspberry mojito (Bacardi Rum, fresh Raspberry Purée, muddled with fresh Lime and Mint topped with Club Soda) and was delighted with the flavors. You could taste the sweetness of the raspberry purée but it was over powering and the presence of the alcohol was evident. So evident I got a little buzzed. Kudo’s to the bartender!
My husband ordered their deep fried ahi poke which was pleasantly surprising. The sauce on top was sweet and savory — it was so good that we were nearly cherishing the ahi poke! That is… until our Tika Maki came out. The fish was fresh and it was definitely obvious by the flavor. The rice to fish ratio was perfect because we all know we hate having too much rice with our fish!
The «Island Style BBQ» (Kalani’s signature baby back pork ribs, basted in Korean kalbi sauce, steamed baby bok choy, and garlic wasabi mash potatoes) was perfect. The meat was tender and «fall off the bone.» The garlic wasabi mashed potatoes didn’t seem fitting at all but when we had it, it was a taste we had never thought would ever work! But it did!
The Pan Caramelized Miso-​Yaki Sea Bass — (Featured in Bön Appetit Magazine — Thai basil mash, wilted kula greens with balsamic, and ponzu beurre blanc) was AMAZING! No wonder it was featured in Bön Appetit Magazine. I’m nearly dreaming of it as I type! It’s worth the money!
Over all, the expense was pretty high but I’m glad we went. The experience and food was enough to make me recommend it to my friends — if they ever decide to head that way and everyone that I know speaks highly of Kalani’s. Give it a try!

This place made me the best White Russian Cocktail I have ever had. My hubby and I went here for dinner to celebrate a special occasion. Even though it says Hawaiian food it seemed to be more Asian Fusion which I normally do not like. Being Asian I am more into authentic Asian food and typically not impressed with the fusion thing. However, this place was pretty decent.
My husband had the most tender and well seasoned Korean bbq pork ribs. I had the best Sea Bass ever. The only thing wrong with my meal is — THE PORTION WASN’T LARGE ENOUGH FOR MY GREEDY SELF… lol
We had a spicy sushi roll and made it as our appetizer. And that was just okay. Not bad, but nothing to brag about either. Overall it was a great dinner.

Kalani’s is hidden in the Heavenly Village area and it is easily missed, however, the place is definitely worth a visit. I highly recommend making reservations ahead of time because when my bf and I paid our first visit without a reservation, we were told at the front desk that the whole place was booked. The only seats that would be available for the rest of the night would be the ones at the bar or sushi bar which are on a first come, first serve basis. A girl from the front desk told us she would look in the back in the sushi bar area to see if there were any empty seats for us, she left and came back stating that it’ll be about 10 minutes or so while staff cleaned the area for us. Well, +10 minutes rolled by and there was no follow up at all. The girl never returned. Tired of waiting, my bf and I went to sit at the bar area instead.
There were some obnoxious drunk guys at the bar, but other than that, the service was fantastic for the bar area! The bartender was a young girl and she was very energetic, talkative, dealt with the drunkies like a pro, and had a lot of good recommendations when it came to ordering food off the menu. Drink wise, she recommended the White Linen ($ 11) which is made out of Hendrick’s Gin, St. Germain’s elderflower liqueur, muddled cucumber, fresh squeezed lemon, and topped with soda water. The drink was refreshing and delicious. As far as the food goes, she did not recommend the sushi so we didn’t order any. We did order the Pan Caramelized Miso-​Yaki Sea Bass and the Hawaiian Style Ahi Tuna Tartar.
The Hawaiian Style Ahi Tartar ($ 17) had avocados, sesame chili soy, island sea salt, garlic and crispy yam chips. The menu describes the yam chips as «crispy,» but they tasted stale. Other than that, the Ahi Tartar was very flavorful and yummy.
The Pan Caramelized Miso-​Yaki Sea Bass ($ 36) is Kalani’s signature entrée and it is comprised of Thai basil mash, wilted kula greens with balsamic, and ponzu beurre blanc. The dish reminded me a lot of Nobu’s Black Cod with Miso which was absolutely amazing! Kalani’s Sea Bass did not taste as good as Nobu’s Black Cod, but it was definitely delicious on its own! We totally licked our plates clean. If you order anything from Kalani’s, I highly recommend the Pan Caramelized Miso-​Yaki Sea Bass.
Even though we had to sit at the bar, the bartenders were awesome and provided excellent service. We never felt as though we were being ignored or our needs were not being met. They were good at multitasking. Now that I know how popular this place is, I’ll be sure to make reservations ahead of time for the next time.

Great restaurant and atmosphere. The staff was very friendly, happy, and accomodating. Service was quick and the food was delicious. Drinks were strong :)
Pricing between $ 30 – 60 per person.
I will definitely be back for dinner when in south Tahoe again.

Wonderful meal !!!
The sushi was amazing and the Sea Bass melts in your mouth.
Really good service as well

We probably were the last people that they let in. Really busy actually. My steak was good but it was fatty. We had a large group and we had to sit at the bar. They only had one bartender so getting her attention was sort of hard. We waited awhile to get a waiter. Anyways, the food was good the service a bit slow but we were happy had to dock a point for waiting so long.

Called to make a reservation for two but they said they wouldn’t have an opening for about another 3 hours later. But then the hostess mentioned that the puka bar also offers the full menu and that’s was first come first serve.
We decided to give it a shot.
All we found was a little dark corner on the side of the bar under a tv so we sat and ordered until I could find another seat opening. It was literally so dark that I had to use my phone’s flashlight to look at the menu.
A table left and our server was more than happy to move us where we wanted.
Service stayed amazing throughout the night, not only him but the bartender who came to check up on us.
Now let’s talk food…
I had some type of mixed seafood dish with a mushroom risotto that came with truffle oil edamame, celery bits and bok choy. Now the seafood was okay. Everything dry and un flavorful except for the two scallops. The fish was unbearable. I felt like I was eating cardboard. The shrimp was eh. I was hoping the risotto was better. Now most risottos are pretty smooth… This I feel like they put a bunch of random things and just threw it on the plate. The edamame, celery and bok choy made the texture so weird that I just had to start eating around it. Which wasn’t much… I don’t like to work for my food or add flavor to it so I don’t think I’ll be ordering that again.
Boyfriend got the 8oz filet mignon. He ordered it medium rare and received it medium well. Wasn’t as tender as other filet mignons I’ve had before.
Passion fruit cider was great, would skip the lava flow next time.
Overall, for the price I had higher expectations for the food. This place has potential to be amazing. Because the service was good, I would probably come back to try some other things on the menu.

Came for a late dinner. First off, the mango butter they serve with the lavash crackers was spectacular. We started with the mushroom risotto which was so flavorful with the truffle and variety of mushrooms. Tried the short ribs and sea bass. Short ribs were perfect and the portion was huge. I couldn’t finish it all. The accompanying potatoes were cooked perfectly and the kale was a great addition. The seabass was perfectly cooked as well and nicely glazed. The wasabi potatoes were perfectly balanced. Good service, value, location, cleanliness and ambiance!

This place was just ok. The ambiance is nice and our waitress was good, however food-​wise I think they try to be Roy’s and fail.
The rolls (Heavenly, spicy hamachi, and Kalani) were over-​sauced. The sea bass and kids salmon was a bit over cooked as other Unilocalers mentioned. Therefore, we would not return when back in town.

Service was good however the food we ordered was horrible. The Thai chicken had little flavor and was overlooked and very dry. My brother had the BBQ ribs which had very little flavor at all.
I could see the kitchen from our table and saw one of the cooks preparing what looked like sushi and was touching the food with his bare hands. For this reason I’m giving a one star instead of two. I don’t feel safe eating here after seeing that.
Our server was prompt and polite. I felt the price was not a good value for the quality of our food.

My girlfriend and I loved our dishes last time we were here about 2 years ago, this time was ok but disappointing in contrast.
The filet was good but I felt that the Pan seared Ono special fell short of my expectations. It was small for the price and overcooked. I realize that ono is a dryer fillet, but it was dry even for me and I like my fish that way.
We also got the volcano cake for desert, it was overcooked as well there was no chocolate lava remaining in the center.
What has happened Kalani’s?

Ok overall, but not really worth the price. This place isn’t cheap, as the dollar signs here on Unilocal indicate, and I wasn’t very impressed by the food. I was told that their specialty was the sea bass, and since I’m a huge sea bass fan, I decided to go with their suggestion.
Food took a LONG time to come out, but when it finally did, I remember being very impressed with the presentation! The dish itself looked lovely, but unfortunately, it didn’t taste as good as it looked. The sea bass wasn’t as tender as I was expecting it to be, and I personally thought the flavor of whatever sauce they used was too strong. It took away from the flavor of the fish itself, and made it slightly salty. Serving size was alright… but it was a disappointing dish for me, especially for the price that you pay. Service here is pretty slow too. So based on my first time experience here I don’t think I’ll be coming back.