Naupaka Beach Grill, Waimea HI

Should have known that all the bad reviews were correct.

Hostess Stand: Upon approaching the stand, neither women acknowledged our presence for a solid minute. After we gave our name, it still took more time than needed to find our seat (which was reserved). This place was not packed at the time but I guess they needed to see if our waitress could handle another table.

Waitress: Her name was Cat (at least that’s what was on our receipt). I’d classify her as horrible, not because she spilled anything but she was slow to come to our table, slow to refill drinks, slow with getting a dessert menu and slow to cash us out. Here’s a tip: if you ask me if I want a dessert menu and you know it’ll be at least 5 minutes before coming back with it, perhaps having it printed and already on the table would be better.

Runner/Busser: this guy was quick, friendly and didn’t miss a beat. He needs to swap places with Cat so she can sort out her d’aversion to actually waiting tables.

Food: HORRIBLE, FLAVORLESS, BLAH. This place is not anywhere near worth the $200 we spent. For $38 I expect flavor on my plate and better service. The ahi tuna, not seared and absolutely no seasoning. Totally understood why they have huge bottles of salt and pepper on the tables now. I shouldn’t have to use any. Fresh catch of the day tasted more like fish left over from a couple days ago. The Maui onion soup was the only that was worth the price and had flavor.

Dessert: it took her so long to bring the menu we decided if dinner was tasteless garbage and the service sucked, we couldn’t have confidence in their desserts.

Wasted time and money but lesson learned. Go ANYWHERE else!

We came here at lunch so the only menu that was served was the Eat Well Menu. Full portions occupy half the bowl on which they are served and the poke consisted of 85% rice. Pretty expensive portion of rice for $19 ;)
Drinks were ok but again fairly pricy.
Good service
Overall not surprising given that the bar is on the Westin resort premises and doesn’t really have any competition around especially at this hour (2-4pm)

Worst service I’ve had at any restaurant in my life. Took 2 hours for nachos and a burger and the server never came back to check if we wanted drinks or even water. Then after our food finally came and we finished it, it took another 30 mins to get our check which had an auto 18% gratuity for a table of 5. Love the view but I’ll never come back here again, would give fewer than 1 star if possible, wasted 3 hours of our vacation

This place has a lot of potential only if food was better. For the taste and price not worth it, kids meal menu enough to feed a 3 year old. No flavor in the salads. I ordered 2 different salads and both were not good.

The food is bland, literally no flavor (they’re not even salt or paper on the potato mac) and overpriced. This is what you get when you order the veggie and pita hummus plate that costs $14. We spent $60 for two people on a lunch that did not even satisfy our hunger. Do not spend your money here.

Great view of Hapuna Beach, especially during sunset.

Food was okay, expected better for the price.
Service was very slow.

I'm not even sure what to say.evidently, "one is not allowed to swim during dinner" is some rule they have at the pool bar/kitchen, so we got scolded when my daughter decided to splash on the steps of the pool.but not when she was out there. No, they waited for her to come back to scold me in front of her. I couldn't help but point out that she was not swimming at that time.anyway, the tables were empty and the wait staff were obviously bored (chatting by the bar), and we were waiting to order and my 7-year old wasn't going to be making any decisions related to dinner, so certainly not holding them up from getting their next customer in.

Had they said something about the ridiculous rule when we walked in (or when my daughter was carrying her floaty and wearing her swimsuit when they took our drink order), I would probably have complied, but to wait until after she was out of the water, like it was intended only to embarrass, or maybe as a threat that they weren't going to serve us or something - It was really awkward and unpleasant. I really wanted to leave but chickened out and stayed even though I had lost my appetite.

After that, things went better, the waitress got a towel for my kid to dry off, we finally got our food, my kid dropped one of the *two* small pieces of chicken on the ground and the waitress brought out a replacement nugget (no charge), and while I don't understand the local aversion to past participles, the "smoke [sic] meat jam" was a nice addition to the burger and the fries were great.

You can eat while watching the beautiful sunset, the atmosphere is the best!
I recommend the shrimp tacos. Overall, the taste was pretty good.
However, it is a pity that there was a cockroach on the table during the meal.

Best food in the resorts. Health options like brown rice. Consistently delicious poke and fish tacos. Not sure why Hau Tree at Mauna Kea can’t offer a basic good pool/beach side experience. It doesn’t have to be fancy to be tasty and ok value.

A lovely open dining space with beach views and tasty food that’s fitting for the price point. Some ingredients could be better given that they are definitely available nearby (vegetables were a bit flavorless), but overall definitely a nice experience!

My favorite drink of the trip, loved the strawberry mule. Tacos were great, asian salad was to die for. My dad’s burger was way better than The Burger Joint in Hilo if you’ve ever been there - off the chain! Better than the reviews make you think.

I have lived on this island for about 8 years, and I am always disappointed at the generic quality of the food and extreme price at this place. There is no other place to eat nearby, so your forced to pay or drive. This place charges twice as much as quality local restaurants and served half the quality. $30 for a tiny fish burger & fries? ! To be expected at a resort…You would hope the could do better. Great views though!

Good option if you're staying at the Hapuna or Mauna Kea hotels. Service is generally quick and the food is usually more hit than miss. We (budget friendly eaters) like the nachos and the tacos. The acai bowl was flavorful but not sure I would order it again.

This was our second visit in two weeks. We had a good first experience so we booked again. Service started our poorly when the drink we ordered (club soda) did not come out, so asked for again with the server. Came out wrong, so tried again. Bread two weeks ago was excellent, very moist. Bread tonight was very hard and dry. Sent 3/4 back, but no one noticed or asked. When we mentioned, the server said she would tell the chef. Later when we asked what the chef said, the server responded he was not present, but the manager said that is why it is served with olive oil to dip. Salad arrived wrong, so sent back. Overall, less than a positive experience. The check arrived with a service charge of 18%, even though it was a party of just 2. Since the tip is automatic I guess the incentive to provide a great experience is diminished. Debating if we will try again.

We had a lovely sunset dinner. The drinks were amazing also. Unfortunately we left in a hurry to catch the hotel shuttle and left a jacket behind. Went back the next day and it was nowhere to be found.
UPDATE: Just got back to our room after being out on the beach, and the jacket we lost was in our room. Somehow it got back to us. So excited. We will find out how it got here and give them a huge Thanks.