Bistro Molokini

Bistro Molokini was the perfect blend of comfort food and luxury. We were staying at the Four Seasons next door and got really lost trying to find the restaurant. The Grand Wailea is a big maze of pools and lawns.
Bistro Molokini has fantastic views and a very open air feel. I had the best fish tacos of my honeymoon here and my husband had an enormous chocolate lava cake that I actually enjoyed as well. Usually those things are too rich for me but this one was heavenly! The restaurant was never really busy and our waiter was much better then the disaster we had the night before. I’d definitely eat here again!

Came here for dinner after spending time at the beach. Here’s what makes it a 3:
— Food — ³⁄₅ — the ahi tuna nachos were okay — the tuna was seared but bland and the wonton chip to tuna ratio was a little high. My wife had the mushroom pizza — winner of the night by far. I had the pan seared kampachi which was OK but again seemed a little under-​seasoned.
— Atmosphere — ⁴⁄₅ — great views, not too loud, on the Grand Wailea grounds which are beautiful.
— Price — ²⁄₅ — sure you might say «Its a resort what did you expect?» but I think the prices are a bit steep for what it portends to be which is a casual restaurant. Just because you *can* charge what you want doesn’t mean you should.

Bistro was excellent. Macadamia nut salad was amazing. Fish and chicken were both great. Very family friendly.

Business luncheon… great place to discuss and close the deal. Great views while having a great lunch! Here are the Watermelon Bites, Edamame Hummus and the Pan Seared Kona Kampachi.
Update April 2015: Bistro Molokini has vastly improved their offerings and quality. The Edamame Hummus still is great. The flatbread is like a upgraded and tastier pizza, great for adults and kids. The Molokini Chopped salad was a hit. This was lunch and can’t wait to try dinner there again! Anthony Torres, Director of F&B and Executive Chef Ryan Urig are turning up the heat!

I do not understand how anyone could get this place anything less than five stars. The view is unbelievable. It really doesn’t get much better. The servers are wonderful. It might get crowded at times and a little slow but you’re looking out of the ocean. Just relax. The bartender Shane has been here for 20 years and it is so niceto see the same people here when I come each year. This is my first day here and I will probably hear every single day in Maui.
I always get the tuna wrap and my wife loves the Caesar salad. I have also gotten the fish tacos which are great as well. It is the perfect place for lunch or a drink.

Good service but too pricey for what you get. Don’t think I would go back again. Nice ocean view though.

We ate here for the first time tonight. Scheduled an early dinner (5:30) to catch the beautiful sunset. We were not disappointed.
Service was impeccable from the hostess to the wait staff. Everyone was very attentive and we never had to sit there trying to get someone’s attention for something.
Our meal started with the edamame hummus with a delectable salty flatbread, corn chips, cucumbers and grape tomatoes. (It looked so good, I forgot to snap a picture before we dove in.). With a few minutes the my wife and I had finished it off. Yummy!
For entrees my wife ordered the huli huli chicken and I ordered the 12 oz. Kurobuta pork chop. For those who don’t know Kurobuta pork is from the very tasty Berkshire line of pigs that were imported from England years ago. The Kurobuta pork is Berkshire pork from Japan.
Both dishes were cooked to perfection. This was absolutely the best pork chop I have ever eaten. Lean, succulent, and juicy. There is a bit of «false» advertising when they claim it is a 12 oz. pork chop. No way! That baby had to be at least 16 oz. not including the bone. It was complemented with creamy polenta and broccolini. In addition they put a slightly spicy sweet barbecue demi-​glaze on the plate along with a chunky persimmon «mostada» (an Italian chutney consisting of candied fruit and mustard for a savory taste). Combine a piece of pork with the polenta, the demi-​glaze, and the mostada, and you’ll wind up with a flavor explosion direct from you plat to your palate. I should have asked for more mostada as I ran out less than half way through. I was too busy enjoying eating though to wait and have the waiter bring me more.
After stuffing ourselves to the gills, we finished off the meal with their Hawaiian style banana split; an outrageously delicious combination of chocolate covered bananas with toasted coconut, homemade vanilla ice cream, strawberries, whipped cream (real whipped cream), all piled high on a roasted pineapple half. Wow! Even though were full from the meal, in no time this mile high mound of goodness was reduced down to what was left of the pineapple that you cannot eat. Put a fork in us — we were done! After paying for this wonderful dining experience we waddled out as two very satisfied diners with smiles on our faces.
Seriously, it was about as perfect a dining experience that one could have and I’m no stranger to handing out deserved criticism when warranted. This was a 10 out of 10 in my book.

We ate here twice during our stay at the Grand Wailea. Food was delicious, especially the pizza and the staff was very friendly. However I am writing this review because of one waitress in particular, Michelle. She served us a great lunch and when it was time for dessert my dad asked if they had any guava cake because we had tried it at the luau the other night and had been searching for it ever since. Michelle said she had never heard of it but it sounded delicious. She recommended asking room service because they might be able to find it for me. As we were leaving she said she was gonna find guava cake for us but we just smiled and waved not thinking we would actually find any. However when we got back from a long day at the pool last night, there was three slices of guava cake for me and my parents on our bed complete with a note from Michelle. This was the sweetest surprise ever and really blew us away. Probably the best customer service I have ever seen. Also the guava cake was delicious. Thank you so much Michelle. You are just the best! :)

Wife had the Mahi Mahi fish tacos. They were dry and not good at all. Have read the reviews about inconsistency and I believe they are true. Service was also questionable. Our waiter, when we told him the fish was dry, simply took the dish away with no apology. They did not charge us for it but never apologized. I had the fish and chips (also Mahi Mahi) and they were great. Fish and chips made the difference between a review of a 1 versus the 3 I give them. Stayed here at Grand for 13 nights (ate here the first night) and never went back.

Bloody Mary was good and spicy! Ahi nachos were to die for! Yum! Beautiful view, casual environment, wonderful attitude by wait staff. Busy bar, but the busboy kept our waters full while we waited on cocktails. Fish and chips and burger were perfect!

We had a great time here. We started with calamari which was a very generous portion. They brought our toddler’s food out with the appetizer which was perfect — made for a happy baby with a full belly. We got the fish and chips (they used fresh mahi mahi) and the ribeye. Everything was delicious. The view was gorgeous. However, what made the experience 5-​stars was the service by our waiter, James. He paid attention to detail but we didn’t feel like he was hovering. He surprised the baby with a stuffed turtle at the end of the meal which she obviously loved. We forgot her shoes there and by the time we were back at the room, he had left a message saying he saved them for her. The food was great but the service level was what made this restaurant worthy of 5-​stars!

Lunch Nov 2015
Service good.
Kula greens = very good
Reuben sandwich = very good, a bit pricey

First visit was 5 stars great service during the slow time. The flatbread was perfect and came out just as requested. Our second visit 3 hours later was horrendous.
The food took longer to arrive and when it did, one dish was wrong — it contained cheese. When it was remade the other item requested to be left off (jalapeños) was on and the flat bread was practically raw.
We had to flag down the waitress to bring our bill.
Not impressed. Not at all.

Huge resort: large restaurant above the pool. The food was very good and the service was just great. I had an seared ahi wrap that had a chipotle sauce and smoky bacon. I am unusual in that I don’t like bacon in anything but as a side with an egg. This however, broke the mold. It gave my wrap an nice dimension and didn’t overpower the fish.
The prices were reasonable. I would have liked it to be a bit formal vs. kids in bathing suits. Loved that our server kept us well watered! It was a hot day and we needed it.

There are pluses and minuses in staying at a resort.
The pluses: a) it’s a relaxed environment and everything you technically need is there.
b) the hotel holds itself to a certain standard in upkeep and being family friendly
c) the facilities are well kept and roomy
The minus: a) all of this comes at a price!
Arriving late Friday afternoon, we checked into our rooms and were too tired to venture out for food options. Convenience brought us to this open air restaurant/​bar that faces the beach. Because the clinching game between my Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizz just entered the fourth quarter, we decided to find two stools at the bar facing the TV. As we settled in, the bartender, a gentleman, handed us menus as we told him that we were here to dine. Not sure whether there were happy hour specials, but the bar was relatively crowded and most were there mainly to drink. Not sure whether it was a «laid back» thing or the bartender was wrapping up his shift, but things were sluggish. We ordered and had the following:
Shared
1) Margherita pizza (
) — Decent size but nothing spectacular as the crust was on the thick side and none of the toppings particularly shined.
Entrée
2) Burger with bacon and swiss cheese (
) — Ordered medium, my burger was well done and again nothing really shined about it other than the size. The fries were hot and crispy and the highlight was their housemade pickles.
My friend tried the Papaya salad, hold the goat cheese (
) and didn’t really say much about it.
The food was slow in coming as we probably waited about twenty minutes between ordering and getting our food even though the restaurant section was mostly empty. With a clear view of the food station, it looked like the kitchen was to blame. Also, there was not much «ohana» feeling that I’ve come to enjoy at most places on Oahu. Not sure if this is a resort issue or just a wrong time wrong place thing. Besides, being in a resort, the pricing reflects it as our meal with one non-​alcoholic and one cocktail came to $ 68.00 before gratuity.
The plus was that most bar side customers were rooting for the Warriors who clinched their place in the Western Conference Finals.
If not for that and the view, this would probably be a two star experience.

Went there twice for dinner during my stay. The first night I had the nachos and the ahi fish and chips.
The second night was the more memorable of the two because I was sick after eating the red snapper fish and chips. Ugh…
Inconsistent service, food quality and high price.

I like this restaurant, I don’t know why only three stars. The food is delicious, nice decoration, staffs are professional, they have variation of deserts too not like other japanese restaurants, only have Green Tea ice cream.

I’ve been to the Bistro many times for lunch – some good, some bad, some just ok. This last visit, our group of six had a very expensive/​just ok lunch. $ 19 for a hamburger which was good and enjoyable, but not sure it commands a $ 19 price-​tag. We were over-​looking the beautiful beach – so the ambience alone is perfect and the service is pleasant. Just a-​ok and of course, I’ll be back.

There are three dishes you that you must try…
1. The papaya goat cheese salad.
2. The pork chop — locally sourced, clean pork from what must have been a very happy pig. Incredibly prepared, with what else but more bacon in the sauce.
3. The sriracha prawns.
Oops! Make that four dishes:
4. The brownie sundae.
We just loved this fun, casual environment where you can catch sports on the numerous TV’s while keeping a weathered eye on the horizon for any early arriving whales. Perfection! It’s a little spendy, but you’re at the Grand Wailea, baby! Expect top ingredients and great service!
Our server, Jessica, was incredibly personable and made our meal even more special. Thanks, Jess!

I enjoyed this bistro by the pool. It was surprisingly better than I thought it would be given that it was at the hotel pool, and that it served a wide variety of foods.
We had the hamachi sashimi appetizer one day, and then a second day because it was absolutely delicious. They through some avocado, onion, and jalapeño on it to make it that much better. So fresh and good.
I had the burger one day which was solid. They typically use too big of buns at those places, and the bistro was no exception. I still made my way through it, though. Don’t even worry about it.
I ordered a shake one day, and although they serve it with an Oreo cookie on top, I still don’t think it was worth the money.
THE VIEW: We ate there the first day we arrived, and watched the sun set from the view from the bistro. It was magnificent. I think it’s worth eating there at that time of day for the view alone. You’ve got a couple people still swimming in the pool, a couple people at the beach, and the rest is all yours. Very cool setting. I’ll post a pic.