3-Day Waikoloa Itinerary (2024)

Beautiful spot on the beach for a co*cktail and sunset. They're currently undergoing a remodel to portions but enough complete to serve patrons! Drinks were pretty weak unfortunately but the med plate was really good and decent portion. Service nice. Remodel well done. Live music started around 5, great atmosphere. Prepare for a line to form starting >15 minutes depending on night if you want table in the sand. Quite popular with all walks of life and ages. Enjoy!

Our favorite restaurant on our 10 day Hawaiian vacation! Food, drinks, setting is perfect!!! You are greeted in a waiting area with a big lush lawn with plenty of games and activities for the kids. So many great photo opportunities on the beach and around the restaurant itself. Some nice Adirondack chairs to relax in while having a co*cktail and listening to live music. Food was excellent once we were seated and more live music and dancing near the beach.

I do not understand the negative reviews. We LOVED this restaurant. Our server was awesome. (Noah) The drinks were so good and the same price as every other restaurant in the area. The food was delicious. We had the burger, fries, pineapple chicken, ceasar salad, and the chips with mango salsa. Every entree was delicious. Not one complaint. Our table was on the beach so we sat and watched the sunset which was breathtaking. It was actually a perfect evening. I highly recommend dining here. Arrive early so you can get a table in the sand and order the lava flow co*cktail. My husband and I agree. The menu prices are consistent with the other restaurants in the area and the atmosphere is awesome.

I did not have a room so this review is only for the restaurant. Imagine this, Friday night, ocean front, 82 degrees on the Big Island. The atmosphere was like no other and the fun and energy was addicting. While waiting there were games to play, drinks to be had, and people to mingle with. The food looked good and tasted good. They had only 2 gluten free options for me which was fine. This is a must go to restaurant.

Lava lava was recommended to us by the hertz rental car agent.Staying at the Waikoloa Marriott Resort and Spa & this place is 5 min or less to the hotel by car.The food wasn’t the best I’ve had. It was tasty but not the best. The fried rice presentation was great but the flavor was bland. Had to ask for some soy sauce and hot sauce to add some flavor.The location was top notch. Can’t see much at night, but they do have cute lighting around the grounds.Overall, would visit again if I’m in the area.

Visited the restaurant on Jan 29. Food was good. Location was good. Bartenders were enjoyable. The hostess was not pleasant, actually quite the opposite. She did not bother to give us her name, but did share that she had been there all day, working too many hours, tired and ready to go home. This was 6pm. Lighter hair person in a small bob. She needs to be retrained or placed in a different position. Should not be the person that greets guests. When it did came time for her to leave, she did walk around to all the wait people and tell them she’s leaving, and soooo ready to go. Even though our waitperson was at our table at the time. My inclination is that she’s the owners daughter and feels too good to be in service industry. Sovery rude!

Food and drinks were good, and there were many vegetarian options to choose from. However, I recommend checking the bill before you pay. We were charged for drinks we never ordered. Our hostess was able to quickly fix it after we already paid. I'm glad my husband checked it before we left the restaurant. Other than that, it was a great experience.

Was recommended by a fellow tourist as a romantic eatery. My wife and I arrived at about 4:00pm on a Thursday. We were seated immediately, and ordered in about 5 minutes. Friendly and attentive staff. Medium-sized menu of drinks and food items on par with other local, family establishments. Prices comparable, as well, and the food was fresh and tasty. Best part was sitting on the beach with a great view of the ocean. Due to the amount of patrons I'm not sure I'd go with "romantic," but that's a personal opinion (place is obviously popular). Others may find the view is all they need. Wait times after 5:00pm were about an hour, so come early or be prepared for a bit of a kickback and chill.

Lava Lava beach restaurant is a perfect place where you can enjoy delicious seafood, vibrant ambience, live music and gorgeous ocean view and sunset. Make sure to go at non-peak hours to avoid the rush as it’s one of the most sought after restaurant on the big island, understandably. The restaurant was closed from last 4-5 months (not sure why). It recently got reopened and it was running at full capacity. We went for dinner around 5.30 pm and managed to grab great seats overlooking the beautiful ocean and very talented band performing the live music. Around 6.30 pm, people started pouring in. Food was delicious, little on the pricier side. I ordered coconut shrimp and pineapple chicken fried rice bowl. Rice quantity was super tiny, delicious but came in a tiny bowl. Shrimp was deep fried (I am not a fan of deep fried) but surprisingly it tasted good. With this breathtaking view and ambience, the price is justified. There was a large selection of drinks. Parking is huge and designated for the restaurant, it’s free and it takes a minute to walk to the restaurant. I added some gorgeous pictures, enjoy! :)

We had dinner here - party of 8 half kids half adults. It was good. The menu was just very limited and the food was fine. The poke tasted old. The location was amazing though. Your in the beach for sunset and almost guaranteed to see turtles.

Spent the afternoon on the beach next door and then came here for dinner! They don’t take reservations but we played the yard games they had while we waited for our table. The wait wasn’t too long. Loved the coconut shrimp! The waitress easily split the bill for our group too. Perfect spot to watch the sunset!

We went to the beach after we had such a delicious breakfast. You can't find any other "better atmosphere " in my book!While the menu is small for breakfast, there is definitely something for everyone! If you want a relaxing day on the beach and a wonderful breakfast to start the day, THIS is where you need to go! Then go down on the beach and rest a bit, while that beautiful ocean is calling to your soul!!!

The service was exceptional! Everyone from the hostess to the service staff were very nice, friendly and helpful. We ordered quite a few dishes to eat family style (a Caesar salad, the ribs, pineapple chicken fried rice, a burger, and a few other items) and everything was fantastic! The views were amazing and the live band was good. This was my second time visiting the Lava Lava Beach Club and will definitely be back again in the future.

Perfect sunset early dinner for families with kids. It fills up quickly so get there before 5pm to secure a table on the sand with a great view of the sunset. We were there on a Friday night and there was live music and our kids loved it. The food was delicious. Coconut curry with coconut shrimp. Amazing!

It's a nice little drive to get to the restaurant. The restaurant itself is beautiful and they have seating on the beach. Beautiful views all around. The food was amazing. Hot and fresh. Even had complimentary muffins as well. As an added bonus, you have a chance to see sea turtles from the beach that the restaurant is on.

Worst dining experience of the trip. Food very expensive as were the drinks. The food was lukewarm at best, and the portion size small. My sister ordered the coconut shrimp and got 3. Everyone at the table were served except me and was told they forgot to put in my order the waitress only came back to check on us once. Had to ask 3 servers for utensils. The beach itself was lovely but the restaurant was a huge disappointment.

Our family loves this restaurant. Got a kid friendly setting and Menu. The kids like to cruise around and play in the sand while we're here. We're actually never surprised if a kid or two end up in the water. The ocean is right there.If you're on a date night, girls' night out or looking for a calm place to kick it. Lava Lava is the place. It can get cold some evenings as it's an outdoor seating so be prepared for that as well.

It's in a great location, but the food was just okay. The food was really expensive for how it tasted. I liked the experience of the location. Being able to sit on the beach while eating is nice. It's okay for a one-time experience for the food. It was really nice to sit on the beach and see the sunset.

My husband and I stayed near here but we made 3 different trips to the restaurant during our honeymoon because we loved the ambiance so much! Beautiful views, delicious food, great service & live music. We particularly enjoyed the Lava Lava drinks and the fresh catch of the day plates! One day, we even walked over to play in the small game area near the pool.Our other favorite place to walk around, shop & eat was the coconut market right next to this hotel too, great location. 👍

Fabulous experience. Food was fantastic. Service was exceptional. Beach was beautiful. What more could you ask for. Great gluten free options that tasted great. Only thing that would wave been great is if they had a Gluten free dessert options. My husband got the key lime it was awesome he said and in-law had the coffee carmel cheesecake they said it was fantastic.

The view is amazing. If you time it to come at like 3:30 or earlier you miss the longer waits. They do have a fun social area with a bar for the wait. I have come here twice for my birthday and love the food. The hook, line and sinker is always amazing. I also love the coconut shrimp! The pineapple fried rice and mango tacos are good but I wouldn’t get them again with how much I enjoyed the other two dishes. The cheesecake is a good dessert!

Overall a amazing experience the two times my family went on our trip. The burgers were all right but the ribs are what I would really recommend with extremely tender meat and a good BBQ sauce on top the portion size is not too small but also not too large. The location is one of the best things about this place with the outdoor seating allowing for sunset views along a delicious meal. The only thing that was annoying would be flies that attacked your food and the seating on the high tables is very uncomfortable after a period of time. Would highly recommend on your vacation to Hawaii.

This review makes me a bit sad, as Lava Lava used to be one of our favorite restaurants in Hawaii. However, as they have expanded in size and popularity, every aspect (except the view) has suffered. While the food used to be elevated Hawaiian eats for fair prices, we now payed fine dining prices for average (at best) food. The steak was cooked correctly to order and fine, but the poke did not taste fresh and the chips were burnt. The place is quite busy leaving the service staff little time to attend to each table. All in all, what used to be an intimate dinner spot right on A bay has become an average and corporate experience with big dollar signs attached. The one positive is when we went back for brunch, it had a much more similar feel to what we remembered from trips past.

Love this place! Right next to the Marriott so you can hang on their beautiful beach. Can also walk the opposite direction from Marriott and discover secluded beaches and sea turtles. Warm banana muffins start off your breakfast with a spectacular view. The pancakes are ginormous!

I went for my B day lunch but its particularly lovely at night with the tiki torches on the beach and often live music. This def gives the tropical vacation vibe. The menu is limited, but the fish and chips was amazing! It's right on the beach and has parking. You have to walk up to where it feels like you are coming in the back ( non beach side) and stop at hostess hut on the right before entering. Mostly outside dining. Touristy and a vacation vibe and the food/service I had was great.

Stopped by for an evening drink and to watch the sunset. We had nice seats in the bar. Our server was great. Even though the place was packed, Erin did not forget about us and made sure our drinks and dinner arrived quickly.The setting and music were great and a nice way to end a day of exploring the island.Thanks to Nicki for greeting us with a friendly and happy smile and starting off our evening pleasantly.

This was our first time visiting Lava Lava Beach Club. The ambiance is spectacular! It is on the beach and all tables have open air access, which is absolutely lovely. Our server was Noah. He was incredibly polite, charismatic, and very attentive. He made thoughtful recommendations for our family. We tried all the fish entries. The presentation of the food was beautiful. The entries we chose were all seafood options and they were so delicious!

So here’s the thing, the restaurant atmosphere was incredible. Party of 2 got seated right on the beach with a 30 minute wait during sunset hours. While waiting, there’s a fun play area with corn hole and table tennis. The location is awesome and there was live music as well.Food was decent. Poke nachos were great. Unfortunately, the pineapple fried rice was not very good. Little flavor, chicken was boring, rice was unexciting. It looks great but tasted subpar. Especially considering the price, we were underwhelmed.Overall 4/5 for great atmosphere and decent food.

We come every year. We love the location, atmosphere, food and service. But this time, we had to take my co*cktail back because it tasted watered down and had no flavor. My Caesar salad dressing also seemed lacking in flavor. The garlic shrimp was delicious, though.

The good here was so good! We had breakfast, our order came fast, and it was very tasty! We also loved the beach front view! I had never had pesto on my omelette and may I say, I was so delicious! We will definitely be visiting here again!

Let me just start by saying the staff were amazing and attentive. The sunset view is spectacular. Atmosphere is very laid back.This joint plays exclusively to tourists. The mediocre food is MASSIVELY over priced and not worth it. Recommend for vibe, great staff, and sunset. Food is junk.2 stars for staff, 1 star for sunset view.

I recently visited Lava Lava for dinner. I was very excited to visit because I had read all the great reviews. Unfortunately I was very disappointed with my experience. We were sat in an area that was outside the main resturant near the entrance. I could see open tables, so the resturant was not full. We ordered a Mai Tai each. Our entrees arrived before our drinks. I had fish, my friend had the ribs. We spit the poke appetizer which was ok. My fish was drowning in a orange/yellow sauce that was very sweet. The fish was not very flavorful. My friend said the ribs were not good either. Our total bill was around 200.00. I don't mind spending money for good food and good atmosphere but we just didn't get that during our visit. Very disappointing experience.

Went to the restaurant for a sunset dinner. The service was excellent. The setting cannot be beat. I ordered the Hook line & sinker. Listed as "The Chef goes CRAZY with Fresh Fish from our Local Waters." It was a white fish, sauteed, and topped with a macadamia romesco. Unfortunately the fish was definitely overcooked, was quite spicy and completely overpowered the fish. Certainly not the $56 dish I expected. Put the co*cktails were delicious and the sunset was beautiful. Suggest going for the bar and a sunset and skipping a meal there.

We were here last year and enjoyed the food the drinks and the beautiful view on the beach. And decided to come back! BIG MISTAKE...Host sat us at a table on patio. NO ONE came and greeted us or gave us water. A family was seated in front of us to the left) and right away the guy server brought them water and took their order. We waited ten minutes no service. We left and will never come back to this establishment!

Really good place. Service was top-notch. The food was good. Beers were nice and cold. Nice beach and ocean view. Sun can be a bit bright if you're not shielded by an umbrella. I'd definitely go back here. No happy hour, though.

they were FAST. ordered chips and salsa and they were there before the server even left haha. small menu but good food! gorgeous view with outdoor games and stuff. live music was a bit too loud for our liking though.

I recently visited Lava Lava Beach Club and had a wonderful dining experience. The co*cktails and food were absolutely fantastic, and the service was top-notch. The atmosphere was lively and welcoming, making it a great place to relax and enjoy a meal.One thing to note, however, is that the smoking entrees dragged through the restaurant can be quite stinky, and the smoke tends to linger around. While this was a minor inconvenience, it didn't overshadow the overall experience.Additionally, Lava Lava Beach Club is a perfect spot to watch the sunset. The stunning views and beachfront setting make for an unforgettable evening. Despite the smoke issue, I highly recommend this place for its excellent food, drinks, and unbeatable sunset views.

My niece received a burger that was literally rare in the middle. My husband received his tuna over cooked. Overall the food was not worth the price but the location is beautiful and the drinks are tasty. We waited 45 minutes but they have lawn games and a bar while you wait.

We came here on a week night for an early dinner. There was no wait and we were seated promptly. However, it took forever to be greeted. When our server came, we were ready to order everything. We had to ask for water several times. After the food came, we didn't see our server again. I struggled to find anyone to take our payment. Our server was nice when present but she was never around and never followed up on us. We would have ordered a second drink and dessert had she been around more. The atmosphere was great and parking easy.

Lava Lava Beach Club has a gorgeous oceanfront setting and super attentive service - our food arrived shockingly fast. However, the underwhelming flavors simply don't live up to the premium pricing. At $38, the pineapple fried rice tasted no better than fast food quality and other entrees missed the mark too. While the view is phenomenal and staff incredibly friendly, a restaurant should ultimately be judged by its cuisine. And in that regard, Lava Lava fails to deliver value for the high prices. The ambiance and service earn it some points, but the lackluster, overpriced food is a letdown. They need to seriously up their game in the kitchen.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

You will not find a better place to have a casual meal on the beach. We love this place! We have eaten there three times. Every time we have enjoyed the meal - some, more than others. I think that if you are looking for beachfront dining in Waikoloa, you will not find a better "bang-for-your-buck." Check out the menu to see if the prices fit your budget.

Got there at 11:30am for breakfast but they were only serving lunch. It was delicious and fun. I had my 16 month old and we took multiple walks along the beach while waiting for the food.Server was great and atmosphere is breathtaking

I visited this place in February 2023 and I can say in all sincerity that it was one of the most beautiful nights of my life. When we showed up, we were informed that there was approximately a 45 minute wait. We enjoyed a beautiful walk along the bay while awaiting our notification that a table was ready. We were then escorted to a table on the beach with incredible views. All of the torches and lights added to the ambience. The food was excellent with several vegan options. Service was friendly and diligent. There was live music by a very talented trio performing lots of love songs. As we finished eating, my partner and I took the opportunity to slow dance together near our table. It was absolutely perfect from start to finish.

Had a great sunset dinner. Service and food were both very good. It is on the more expensive side of Hawaii. Amazing location on the beach with live music and sunset views. Starts filling up around 5:00pm. No reservations.Great energy. Also, a great spot for lunch.

What a wonderful place to have a bite and see the sunset. Staff were all fun and helpful. Food was good - we had the poke nachos and tipsy tots. They also had live music which added to the already amazing atmosphere. Location on the beach is incredible.

We had a chance to dine here twice during our visit to the Big Island in February 2024. On our first visit, we had great food, drinks and service. To top it all off, they even provided a wonderful sunset! Although, the depth of the menu was rather small, we all found something on the menu we liked. The food was well portioned. Our second meal was just as good as our first, although without the sunset.On a side note, I was very disappointed that the clothing did not come 3XL..

Beware of the parking scam! The big signs everywhere in the front lot say that the parking will be validated so we paid the $25 fee, expecting that they would cover the fee since we ate at the restaurant. However, after we ate we asked them to validate and they said it could not be done anymore, I guess you have to tell them right away before you are even in the restaurant or they won’t do it? It is very confusing. This is an easy way for them to make a lot of money on parking that they then refuse to validate… next time park in the lot next to it where it is completely free.The food and drinks itself are mediocre at a steep price. The only positives is the beach location and ambience are nice, and I love that they are dog friendly. Otherwise I would not recommend.

Good location on the beach. Open air and great views. Drinks were good including the signature Mai Tai. Great onion rings. The food was bland. Had the Pineapple Fried rice and just lacked any seasoning other than a few pieces of fruit for flavor. Burgers were good as a balance. Just meh.