Roy's Restaurant

Really exceptional - absolutely 5 stars. According to my parter, the butterfish is the best fish dish he’s ever ordered at a restaurant (he went to culinary school and eats a lot of fish). Amazing, friendly service - can’t remember our server’s name, but he was from Brazil and incredibly friendly and accommodating. Great Mai Thais. Tip - you can purchase the Mai Thai glasses to take home. They are really cool and a great souvenir. Very memorable - every dish was amazing. Certainly the best meal during our time in Oahu!

The bartender was friendly overall but I showed up at 8:20 and didn’t realize last call for food was 8:15 (kind of crazy for a vacation spot but I was still glad they serve me. I ended up getting a small stomach bug after the steak but I should’ve just sent it back to be prepared better but because it was such a hassle to even get seated I didn’t want to be a nuisance. The ribs were fire, the fish was mids, the steak I ordered medium rare and it was like bleeding red in the middle, and the veggies were under cooked but the potato thing was but not enough. The dessert was fire but overall I wouldn’t come back and wouldn’t recommend. For the price you can get better elsewhere.

Based on reviews we were really looking forward to a reservation here for our anniversary. Not sure if we just had an off experience or if Roy’s is overhyped. When we arrived for our reservation the host stand wasn’t super welcoming, we were told to sit outside and wait. We were sat at a table for two overlooking the golf course. The overall ambiance is just ok. It does not feel elevated, instead just bland or even dated. We didn’t necessarily expect white linen tables but there is a tasteful way to do upscale with casual island vibes. The music playlist was all over the place, Sugar Ray is not what we envisioned for a fancy date night out in Hawaii. Our server was nice but didn’t seem very knowledgeable and the flow was very off. For example he didn’t seem to realize that soy and edamame are the same thing. We were then abandoned for awhile and finally placed an order after 40 mins. Drinks were fine, nothing memorable. We started with the “canoe for two” which was not on a canoe but thrown on a plain plate. Tuna and sushi were good, but ribs were dry and spring rolls super greasy. The crab cakes looked like something mass produced for the frozen section. The salad was fine but was essentially chopped watermelon for over $20. The short rib was more like a tough pot roast. Overall the food didn’t seem that fresh, flavorful, or well presented. If one dish was off we could understand, but everything seemed lackluster. If this was a corner bar that’s fine, but when paying $70-$100 for an entree it should be a fairly impressive meal with seamless service. The restaurant did right by removing the uneaten short rib from the bill, but overall the this felt like a disappointing and underwhelming meal especially for a special occasion. We had much better experiences the rest of our trip at Aulani, Four Seasons, and even Monkeypod for happy hour.

I think it's safe to say that this was one of the nicest dinners we had during our visit to Oahu. We stayed at the Disney resort across the street so it was a very short walk. They also have free parking. We had what I believe to be one of the best waiters I've ever had the privilege of being served by. His name was "Sinhxay" or "Sin" for short. He was incredibly knowledgeable of the menu and a real Joy to learn from. Let me be clear. We are not a restaurant ideal customers. We have three young children who are sometimes a little rowdy if you know what I mean. We called and made a reservation with short notice and we also wanted to check that they were a kid-friendly and although they weren't an amusement park they accommodated the children nicely. They greeted us with a smile from the two young girls at the front counter showed us our table. Then immediately began to make sure that the kids were comfortable and that Mom and Dad were taken care of. To start our meal off we had the Baked Brie, which is a delicious toasted baguette with honey glaze and the poached Fiji apples were delicious. I had the ribeye that was cooked to perfection with fresh caught grilled shrimp. My wife had the Crab and Bristol scallops and stuff colossal shrimp. She loved them. My son who is nine had the children's salmon. My daughters who are six and two split the children's pasta and they also had some quesadilla with fruit. For dessert we enjoyed The chocolate souffle and let me tell you you better be ready to fight everyone at your table for the last bite. The food was amazing. The atmosphere was perfect and the service was phenomenal. Honestly, when I think about returning to Hawaii, I want to make sure no matter where I stay and I'm close enough to visit Roy's again. To our server Sin, you honor our family and your assistant Hezekiah did a wonderful job also.

Food was ok but not as good as expected for the prices! Strawberry and watermelon feta was not that good, the Brussel sprouts were good but a large size and very heavy. Macnut crusted island fish again a heavy dish. I think there are other great food options on the island but it’s a great “higher-end” restaurant with decent food.