Makana Lani

In our honest opinion, visiting Hawaii and thought this place looked good. We booked for a 6pm reservation. Upon arrival, we thought it was closed but we saw a family there, the lights were dim to the point where you couldn’t see the food. Limited food choices despite the info on the website. We found our experience underwhelming. Staff were friendly but lacked some knowledge of the produce they were serving i.e. staff didn’t know what type of oysters they were serving (pacific, Sydney rock etc). Very limited dessert choices, more pastries than sweets, and had to ask for ice cream options. The pictures on the website didn’t match what was available, and its quality. On the website, they called the pork “lechon” however it’s more of a friend pork belly. Some of the meats were dry.

My husband and I went to try the breakfast buffet as we are staying with Alohilani resort for 2 weeks. The food selections are so limited, the fried rice, bacon, pancakes, and the drinks offered is definitely not worth $38 per person. The food is very dry and stale. The only decent food we had was the omelette being made fresh to order and the pastries the rest of the food is not good at all. I hope they would improve the buffet menu, atleast offer a barista made coffee. Was really looking forward to it and left us disappointed.

Makana Lani is in the Alohillani hotel. The staff are very friendly and helpful. The restaurant atmosphere is elegant and clean. The buffet line was nicely stocked with food. The buffet had healthy choices of steamed vegetables, fried or steamed rice, grilled potatoes and turkey links. There was a salad and fruit line. The drink line served delicious hot Kona coffee and iced coffee, and iced tea. In the corner next to drink line was the omelet station. I enjoyed my breakfast experience. But I wished for $38. There were more meat choices besides turkey links. I forgot to mention there is a beautiful sea aquarium. Overall recommend Makana Lani for light eaters.

My family wanted to go somewhere to relax and eat some good food. So we decided on Makana Lani's Sunday Brunch. The restaurant was bright, clean, and had a huge aquarium visible, which was relaxing to watch. The service was amazing and the food was excellent! The Kona coffee was delicious as well as all the fresh seafood, hot dishes, omelet station and the best bread pudding I've tasted in a long time. I highly recommend coming here with family of all ages. There was something yummy for everyone.

DO NOT GO HERE! We made a reservation for our LAST night in Honolulu on our honeymoon. This was the only fancy date night we planned and it couldn’t have been worst. Not only was the manager of the restaurant drinking, she yelled at the table next to us when they made VALID complaints. ALL of the food was cold. They had less than half of the listed items. No oysters, no poke, the chocolate fountain was water and some gross powdered chocolate. The prime rib was sparse and COLD. The shrimp tasted spoiled. The banana was brown mush. Everything was practically inedible. The baked desserts were stale. Not to mention there was no food for long periods of time and we had to ask if things were going to be restocked. This was an extremely disappointing way to spend our “fancy” honeymoon date night. The manager needs a reality check. Holding a glass of wine and yelling at a paying customer is unacceptable and disrespectful to other guests. Whilst the young staff were friendly and it is not their fault that the restaurant is understaffed, we waited over an hour for a refill that never came. STAFF your restaurants. Do not use it as an excuse if it is an ongoing issue. Thank you for comping our meals, but false advertising, cold food and a wine-wielding manager are unfortunately inexcusable. Especially for $79 per person.

Place is beautiful, food is great. they have their own pasta station which was my favorite. Owners & staffs made us feel welcomed, very very friendly and customer service 10/10. Will definitely come back again. Just valet and get validation and parking is free! Easy!

I went for the breakfast buffet, food is good especially the bacon. Omelets made to order and pastries. definitely a good value.

Starting from the beginning, I appreciate the free valet parking.. that helps because I've never been here before and wasn't sure about parking situations, so I appreciate that. The Makana Lani restaurant was hard to find, tho thanks to front desk help, I was able to get directions. I had made reservations the same day for a birthday dinner for two. When we were ushered to our table, I had asked twice if we could take the table farthest from the big groups of noise so we could enjoy a quiet dinner, tho no we had to sit next to a large group that was very loud and it really ruined our mood. There are 40 tables total in the restaurant and only 6 were occupied. No tables were shut down. All had tablecloths with silverware and glasses ready. I had almost walked out when I saw the dislike on my partners face, tho I stayed to give this place a shot. This being a Friday, there was no buffet, so we had a limited selection on the menu. The food wait time was understandable. The food itself was great. I ordered a new York steak medium done. It came out really good. It had a very good char to it with good flavor. 60 dollars with 6 pieces of vegetables. It was good, tho I'm afraid I'm still hungry. My partners plate was the twin tail lobster 90 dollars with 5 pieces of vegetables. It was my first time eating lobster, and it was juicy with lots of flavor even without dipping it in the butter sauce. Tho, my partner is definitely not satisfied, and we will be eating dinner later when we get home. The name says "A Dining Experience" tho we didn't even talk about the restaurant at all on the drive home and while at home.. This place was recommended to me by a friend because of the buffet and well, without the buffet, it I didn't think it was worth it. I'm sorry I won't be coming back to this restaurant. Food "quality" and "waiter" service were exceptional, tho everything else was a disappointment.

Friday date night musings. Mark and I love French onion soup and butterfish. We found both at Makana Lani on their set menu! Our conversation for the night sounded like a Roger Ebert review of food 😆 No pic of the cup of soup because it's aroma was so inviting and after one taste of the deeply soft onion and rich broth, we didn't stop for a photo. Even questioned Nicholas, our server, why there was only a cup and not a bowl on the menu. Now I know why. It's absolutely delicious and a cup is plenty satisfying for an appetizer, leaving room for dinner. The butterfish was firm with its thicker cut. The teriyaki flavor penetrated through to the center so we believed it was marinated in the chef's sweet sauce for a while. Just a little soft skin and barely any bones which showed thoughtful presentation. Cooked through with the translucent flesh still shimmering, then likely broiled a little for the gentle char on top. Flan for dessert. It cut like butter and tasted like elegant caramelized condensed milk. Each bite with a drop of orange or strawberry was delicious. Regular menus weekdays. Saturday and Sunday brunch (both buffet or by menu). And, Saturday and Sunday nights, buffet only. You choose! The restaurant is in the Alohilani Hotel on the 2nd floor. 4 hour parking is complimentary with a restaurant validation. Our server for our menu only night was Nicholas and he was personable and knowledgeable about the menu offerings. I love the elegant overlook balcony to the downstairs lounge and the giant aquarium. Sharing photos of the buffet, too.

Easy 5 star. Had dinner, and the pasta station and prime rib was on point! Great dessert options of fondue and baked goods. Seafood of raw oysters and crab legs were delicious. A hidden gem, and the staff were super friendly! I fear this place may get super busy during our next visit with our family. There were 8 of us for a Sunday and they were able to take online reservations. A must repeat for buffet lovers!