The Royal Lanai

Stayed at royal sonesta which was great, came to dinner Saturday night at 6:30pm, waited an hour for food! IMO that’s unacceptable when the place wasn’t exactly packed and busy. The hostess said last night was even worse, not sure if that’s any better. This actually made my stay not as pleasant when I have to wait that long for food when dining at the hotel is supposed to make the vacation more pleasant vs going outside the resort to get food. The food was just okay and overpriced but having to wait this long for some sushi rolls and chirashi is insane especially when basic maki rolls could have just came out sooner.

Incredibly fresh and hands down the best sushi on the island. Every piece was beautifully prepared, full of flavor, and you can truly taste the quality of the fish. The presentation was impressive, the service was great, and the whole experience felt top-tier from start to finish. Highly recommend — easy 10/10.

I was here for dinner, it was good. I spent over 3 hours there because everything was slow. I went back because a roll was amazing, had it again and it was completely different. Not sure if the cook forgot how to make it but awful. Overall if you want to eat sushi and feel like you’re on the main land, go here. If you want fresh Hawaii feeling sushi, go elsewhere.

The food was aesthetically pleasing, however the taste wasn’t anything to write home about. The food taste was ok at best. Also, similar to another reviewer (from a year ago) we were provided water at the beginning and received our sodas and beers. After that? Nothing. For the price point and location, this did not meet expectations.

Food was good, but honestly the price to portion size ratio in inexcusable. For $45, a 6 piece roll and 5 smaller nigiri is inexcusable, if we had known we would have gone to a local sushi shop (live and learn?), we thought about ordering another roll, but opted to head over to the bar by the pool for some wings and French onion soup (both delicious). The service and staff were all very friendly, though our waitress was not always attentive but it did seem like they had her doing the lion share of the work. The mixed drinks were very well made and stiff, the bartenders deserve a raise, we each had a drink before dinner and then 1 at dinner for her, all very well made and delicious. I will however note that, and in no is this something the staff has any control over, but 10$ for a bottle of Kirin? Really? They have it under the "import" section, and charging a premium to boot, but it is legit brewed now by New Belgium for the US market in AMERICA. Before it was brewed by Anheuser-Busch......for 2 drinks, 1 mixed and 1 bottled DOMESTIC Beer, 6 piece sushi, 5 nigiri, and 2 miso soups, bill was at about 100$. It was our first night and the ambiance of the place and getting to watch the sunset was beautiful and relaxing and overall romantic but the cost to portion sizes again just do not equate...would highly recommend trying one of the local places or food trucks near by and bring back and eat.

The quality of the food, service & portion sizes are too low to justify the price. My salmon had fat spots that were quite tough to bite through and isn’t the quality I’d expect from sushi-grade salmon. While the other ingredients in my Chirashi bowl tasted alright, the food feels like “sushi in a non-sushi restaurant” as opposed to the Royal Lanai specializing in sushi. As for the service, it took around 30min until the server took our order, even though the restaurant is small. The staff are friendly and the atmosphere is nice. This could be remedied by either increasing the quality of the food and service or decreasing the prices.

The sushi was outstanding, and a special shoutout to our chef, Chris, who prepared it for us. He was not only friendly and outgoing but also incredibly skilled at his craft. On top of that, he had an excellent taste in music, which made the atmosphere even better. His talent and vibe truly elevated the whole dining experience—highly recommend!

Save your money! Food was awful, we sat down and ordered edamame right away taste was great but very oily. The “sushi” rolls came out. The spider roll was over cooked and so hard with stale rice. 0 flavor. The next roll was absolutely disgusting the fish tasted old and it was mushy. I definitely do not recommend this place if you are a sushi lover and looking for quality.

One word, exceptional! Ate here during my stay at the MVC in Kauai. Last dinner on the island before my flight. Located on the upper floor of the pool area. During the day, you wouldn’t expect it as a place to eat divine sushi, but by night it comes alive. Props to Falcon our bartender and Kalen(?) the sushi chef for creating amazing drinks and culinary dishes. The whole team at Royal Lanai Sushi is awesome but Falcon and Kalen went above and beyond. Drinks: Draft Fire Rock Kona Beer with Tropic of Makers Cocktail Food: Presentation 10/10 Rolls came on a surf board and placed oh so perfectly. Taste 10/10 very fresh seafood made with love, care and a delicate touch. It was art on a plate and tastes just as divine. Seafood Curry Caterpillar Roll Seared Salmon Roll (My favorite) Rainbow Poke Crisp (Wife’s favorite) Spicy Tuna Crunch Pro Tip: need a little spice? Asked for Sliced jalapeños! They were on point! I would dine here again and say aloha to my friends, Falcon And Kalen.

We ate at the counter and had a good time watching the chefs making the sushi. The chefs were super friendly and gave us great recommendations for things to do locally. The sushi was on point and so were the drinks. Maybe slightly overpriced but not unexpected given the resort location. Highly recommend!