Years ago, Don's Mai Tai Bar was fantastic and known for their drinks and food. Â We've been coming to Kailua-Kona and staying at the Royal Kona for over a dozen years. Â
Something happened over the past year. Â All the waiters and bartenders changed, even their outfits. Â With that, their drinks also changed; they are now taste watered down. Â Of course, we could be wrong and our taste buds may have changed once we arrived on the island. Â
The group I was with had mixed drinks, as well as, a variety of bourbons and rums neat. Â Every drink tasted watered down; probably 30% or so. Â During the second round, we watched the bartender pour the correct amounts. Â Yet, they still tasted as if they were watered down. Â Even their world famous Mai Tai's tasted like watered down juice.
For the time being, I would caution anyone wanting something other than a beer and hold off to see if the reviews get better. Â This review was written the week after the 4th of July 2013.
We were SO weirded out upon finding/entering Don the Beachcomber's, but I'm so glad we stopped by.
I insisted we do a DIY Mai Tai crawl around Kona and we were 3-4 Mai Tai's deep when I remembered where the original (allegedly) Mai Tai came from...Don's! I'm super bossy, so I immediately found it on a map and led the way.
To get to the restaurant and bar you sort of walk through the hotel which is eerily quiet (but nice) and felt like there was no one staying in it. The restaurant was no different, tons and tons of space, everything right on the water with amazing views, and yet it was completely empty (this was just shortly after 8:00pm).
They have a really large main dining room with absolutely no one in it...I'm not sure if maybe it was just because of off season (December) or what, but it looked like it used to be pretty magical and had such a life and I hated that it wasn't still living in its glory because in my eyes Don's is a staple and a quintessential part of the typical Hawaiian vacation. In the hall at the end of the dining room when you're leaving there are old black and whites of some of the famous people who have dined there and all the life the place had and it made my eyes mist over a little (could have been the booze, but still, I'm a sucker for sleepy places rich with history that have just been lost and forgotten).
Anyway we headed to the bar/bar area where everyone else was (also looking confused), and a lot of people were ordering dinner and eating there, so maybe I'm just completely dramatic and mistaken about the restaurant part, but it looked straight up like aloha, RIP, nice knowin' ya, ghost town.
We ordered a Mai Tai of course and enjoyed the quiet weirdness of it all. The Mai Tais were strong and of course tasted no different than the four I chugged before it.
I will absolutely be back because I demand to know what the hell this place is all about nowadays and why it didn't live up to the picture I had painted in my head of beautiful tan babes with long hair serving me pig and pineapple and an old fat Hawaiian man playing ukulele in the corner with tons of white people in floral shirts looking sun burnt and happy.
I love it either way.
Dammit, should have gotten the Mai Tai sampler, but I didn't know it existed until I read other reviews. Â Given that, I had the Original Mai Tai and it was stiff as hell. Â I was literally blowing fire by the time I finished this drink. Â $10 well spent.
Note: There's a nice seating area to the west of the Mai Tai bar where you can sit and relax on some comfy loungers. Â
A killer Mai Tai, listening to the waves crash on the rocks below, and sitting in a relaxing chair after a hard day of sight-seeing brings tears to my eyes. Â 4 stars.
Great view and pretty decent bar food. Not exactly the cheapest, but based on the location the price felt about right. My only qualm was my beer was kind of terrible, but I'm from portland so I have unnaturally high standards. Good service, but difficult to find a place to sit if you don't get in early.
Review Source:This places has great ambiance the seats are right on the water and the food and drink is delicious. The price is ok for the food but the drinks are expensive if it isn't happy hour. 2 drinks, appetizer, and pasta came out to be about 60$.
The staff is what gives this place the five stars they are great incredible so friendly and helpful. We never had to ask for a thing.
Definitely check this place out great "date night spot" for vacation.
We went here twice for happy hour and loved it - our new favorite in Kona. The service was great and there is a lot of oceanside seating for sunset viewing. The happy hour menu includes their classic mai-tai and several appetizers - both were great, especially the sweet potato fries and coconut shrimp. The mai tai flight is very fun, but you either have to drink quickly or share it so the ice doesn't melt before you get to the last one!
Review Source:This is a great place to meet up with friends, or to impress clients, as the setting is absolutely spectacular! Great drinks, including the famous Mai Tais, and a decent beer selection. Soak in the view of Kailua Bay while sipping your favorite tropical boat drink right at the oceans edge.
Review Source:This restaurant has a nice location near the popular places in Kona. When sitting at the restaurant (which is outdoors), you can see and hear  the waves breaking on the volcanic rocks that are just on the other side of the seawall. There is a strong light, so you can also see the waves at night.
The food was very good. The house salad was very simple, just how I like it. The ribs are also very good, and so are the french fries. However, the drinks are not that good, if you want to get alcohol, get the beer, because you can't go wrong with a beer.
The setting is superb. Â The mai tais and pina coladas are good. Â If it was happy hour all the time, I'd give 5 stars. Â But it isn't. Â And really, you should only go here for happy hour. Â $5 drinks, good. Â But for $10? Â no. Â I'd rather pay $18 at the 4 seasons for a really quality drink than $10 for a $5 cocktail.
summary: Â Go during happy hour only.
Awesome, underrated sunset view with crashing waves below to accessorize.
We got there at around 6 pm on a Friday night and got a ledge seat. Amazing.
Pros- fun "flights" of booze (Lava Flow, Mai Tais and Mojitos)
     Fish taco was surprisingly good
     Beautiful setting
Cons-Happy hour is nothing special, in fact a rip. My happy hr pina colada mix tasted waaay thinner and not as creamy (read: cheaper product) than my full priced one the night before. Is that how they cut costs- use a cheaper mix? And their beer on happy hour ended up being 25 to 75 cents less. No biggie, but don't try to tout it and pass it off as happy hour fodder.
Another important and positive note- parking is validates for three hours. Yay!
Don's Mai Tai Bar is a fantastic place to grab a drink in Kona. Happy hour prices aren't as low as some other places (like our favorite spot, Huggo's on the Rocks), but the drinks are good and the view is incredible. For something fun (although a bit pricey), try one of the drinks samplers.
Review Source:We stayed here for Memorial Day weekend 2012. Â We knew it needed remodeling. I think they are working on main building, but we stayed in the Bay tower with an ocean view. We arrived early so we waited in the Don the Beachcomber bar. Â Great view with nice atmosphere and that's all. Â Probably okay if you only order beer or soda. Â They are the home of the MAI Tai festival each year. How disappointed with the WORST Mai Tai we ever had. Â We ordered nachos and they arrived cold. Sent them back & received a smaller order. Â We decided not to eat at the restaurant for the rest of the visit. Â Â Hotel is walking distance to a lot of restaurants. Â Bongo Ben's has Great food!!! Â Bubba Gumps had a good Mai Tai.
Review Source:The outdoor open-air setting was beautiful, and quiet for a relaxing lunch on the water. (The beachcomber restaurant wasn't open for lunch, so we stopped in here instead). The ambiance and drinks were the only good thing about this place though. Fun drink menu - including the 'tasting' sets (a flight of mini mai-tais and other tropical drinks!) Â
The food however was underwhelming. Everything was barely average, and compared to restaurants with similar menus in Kona it all tasted sub-par. My fish sandwich was a tad off, and I wish I hadn't eaten it since I did feel sick later. One other person in our group of 8 also got sick. Service was merely average; the place was mostly empty and it took forever to flag a server down for anything. Ultimately for a mediocre lunch the price was definitely not right. We left feeling vaguely let down. Go if you're at the hotel and plan on grabbing a drink but skip the food.
Don's Mai Tai Bar is located inside the Royal Kona Resort, just a few steps from their main restaurant, Don the Beachcomber. We were specifically told by a local to eat at Don's Mai Tai Bar, not the full Beachcomber restaurant (the food is just as good, and the prices are much more affordable). If you enter the resort and head back toward the Beachcomber, don't turn to the right to go to the Beachcomber, go straight ahead to the bar.
My husband and I enjoyed a nice relaxed lunch here just after a private wedding ceremony. The food was great, the service was fine, and the view of the ocean was lovely. The cost was about the same as an Applebee's or similar restaurant in the Midwest. We would certainly return again in the future.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
