Post-wedding dinner on Oahu?

perfectvelvet

We are having only 7 guests at our wedding, and originally we wanted to take them all to a luau the evening of the wedding.  Unfortunately, they all have gotten horrible reviews for food and atmosphere!  Then we thought we'd take them on a dinner cruise.  Same thing!  We were so disappointed.

So now I suppose we're looking at restaurants.  Any suggestions?  Or is there a luau or dinner cruise that isn't terrible?  (We'll have our own transportation, so location isn't really an issue.)

Thank you!

leejj3

I've heard the two waikiki luaus actually have really good food (they're pricey though like $120 ++) As for restaurants, there's a million plus one so it really depends on what style/price range you're thinking of... We might do a hibachi style dinner for our rehearsal (where they cook the food in front of you on big grills),

perfectvelvet

The main three luaus I've read about are at the PCC, Paradise Cove, and Germaine's.  None of them got good reviews, and while everyone says PCC is the way to go, my friend went and walked out; she said it was absolutely terrible and the BYU students who are performing are just there to get a paycheck (no enthusiasm at all).

There are a couple other luaus I've heard about (Royal Hawaiian, some other hotels, a military base, etc.) but most of the hotels don't list their schedules for November until, well, November!  I figure reservations would be recommended, but I don't really know.

We were looking at $100 pp luaus, so price isn't really an issue.  Price does not always equal good food!

McBeags

We are doing the same in May only 8 of us total. Are you wanting something a little more fun or more formal?? I have done the luau before and was not impressed with the food. 

For more fun 

http://www.tikisgrill.com/

We are having dinner at The Hau Tree. Not quite as formal but great views and reviews of the food. 

http://www.kaimana.com/hautreelanai_2.htm

Two other options are Alan Wongs and Roys. I stayed in Hawaii for about a year for work and Alan Wongs was one of my favorite places. 

perfectvelvet

Thanks for that!  Those were some of the restaurants I heard good things about.

We'd probably prefer informal; my FI's wedding attire includes flip flops and I'm not wearing a fluffy gown by any means.  We have people flying in from both coasts and in the middle of the states, and we don't want anyone to have to pack something too fancy.

McBeags

That is why we went for the Hau Tree. Plus my parents won't branch out in trying new foods. I felt the menu best suited everyone.

If you go there let me know how it turns out. Good Luck.

Jburggraf

hmmm.....I've been to Paradise Cove twice & loved it!  I just looked it up on yelp and they have 4 stars with 177 reviews.  I was going to organize a group to go to the Luau the night after our wedding.

perfectvelvet

That is comforting.  I am a big fan of TripAdvisor, and all of the luaus are 3 out of 5, primarily for the bland food and a semi-entertaining show.  I have no idea what to expect, but the reviews really worried me.

We have one very staunch vegetarian coming, so I assume there would be something he could eat there?

Jburggraf

I looked at trip advisor last week too, and saw the reviews, but I've been there before.  I'm very laid back though, but loved it.  I read through some of the yelp reviews and they had some really good feed back.  Maybe try looking at those reviews first.  Every one is different, so I can only speak for myself.  I dont' quite remember the food, but they have a lot of activities and the setting is beautiful.

I'm sure if you call them and talk to them about your vegetarian guest they could answer any of your questions  

perfectvelvet

Thank you for your input.  I know everyone is different, but I tend to be a bit worried when half say it's great and half say it's awful.

Do you recall feeling overwhelmed with the number of guests?  I believe they can seat up to 800!

leejj3

I've been to all the luaus and its very much not about the food at this events. It is fun though and out of towners especially love it. It can definitely be overwhelming with a large number of people but they've pretty much mastered getting a large number of people through the activities and food lines quickly. It's like disneyland. not for everyone but definitely a must do for some people. Everytime someone visited me in hawaii, they needed to go to a luau We're taking a group of 50 to paradise cove. The price was what convinced us. (With entertainment book $50 per person)

The waikiki luaus i heard about is at the royal hawaiian . Just looking at their menus, they seem to be much better quality than the 3 on the west/north side of the island.
http://www.royal-hawaiian.com/dining/ahaaina
http://www.royal-hawaiian.com/pdf/AhaAinaMenu.pdf

girl2bewed

I'm not in Hawaii, but I did just come back to Hawaii from our HM! We went to the Paradise Cove Luau and had a blast. The food was DELICIOUS, DH LOVED the pig, I liked the chicken, they had tossed salad, pasta salad, pig, chicken, fish, rolls, and more. They had a few choices of dessert too, the chocolate cake was very yummy, the weird white coconut cake, DH said was not so good! Everything else was really good, he wanted to go back just to eat the food. The entertainment was really cute, they unearth the pig, sing, dance, do a fire dance, spear throwing (a small setup you throw the spear into a haybale, but cute!) and lots more. I really enjoyed it and would go back in a heart beat.

We also did the Navitek sunset dinner cruise while we were there. It was pretty cool, you can choose the buffet style eating downstairs or pay more for the served dinner upstairs, we chose the served dinner, it was pretty good.. shrimp, lobster, beef, mashed potatoes, veggies, and came with a few drink cards. The sunset was gorgeous.. they also do a few dances, entertainment, and singing on the boat and try to involve the audience.

Overall I very much enjoyed both, If I had to choose which one was more fun it would be the luau I guess, but they were both awesome.

girl2bewed

Just another note.. they are both different levels of formality so maybe go with which one fits your wedding. The luau is very fun and relaxed and a buffet style whereas the dinner cruise was more of a sit down and served atmosphere (not sure how different the buffett style downstairs is)

Jburggraf

Hi Jenn,

Where did you get the $50 group rate?  I went directly through paradise cove and they gave me a rate of $73.20, which is only $7 cheaper then the rate on their website!!!  I think it's kind of lame that going through a third party would be cheaper. Do you book through entertainment book? Sorry I"m confused.  Does that include transportation?  

melmac26

I actually got engaged at the Paradise Cove Luau. I thought if you got there early enough & don't go on a peak night, that the number of people isn't overwhelming. Of course I could have been in a love bubble w/ the engagement & all. But we played all the games & made plumeria wristlets, liked the food, & the show,  it was a great time.
I wouldn't shy away from them, but I agree w/ the others that there is probably better food to be had else where. Good Luck!

leejj3

The entertainment book pricing doesn't come with transportation and is 25% off for up to 4 people per book.

perfectvelvet

Thank you all!  This thread has been so helpful and has really helped me destress on this issue!

Oaklay18

We did Roys Ko'Olina. It was perfect and we were in a semi private room. Since Roys started in Hawaii and we'd be able to find a location in other cities for our anniversaries we thought it would be great.

http://gopackandtravel.blogspot.com/