The Bistro Eat. Drink. Connect. - Lihue

I had lunch by the pool one day and breakfast a couple of days later. The wings were delicious and I would definitely recommend them. The poke bowl was okay, but I found the portion of poke to be a bit on the light side. The breakfast Loco Moco was tasty and also comes highly recommended. The omelette served with fried rice was quite good too. As mentioned by others, prices are a bit higher, which is to be expected given the beach and poolside location. The service was friendly on both visits, and the food exceeded my expectations. If you're feeling hungry and don't want to leave the resort, I would definitely suggest giving this place a try.

I came down for dinner and was really disappointed! They seriously need to hire cooks or chefs who know what they're doing. It's unbelievable how they could ruin a simple chicken breast sandwich or vegetable pasta. The chicken was inedible—tough and dried out. The tomato sauce on the salad was bland and lacked seasoning, especially garlic. To make matters worse, the dinner was incredibly overpriced. I don't mind paying top dollar for good food, but when it tastes terrible, that's unacceptable!

As many other reviewers have mentioned, the food is just average. We chose to eat here primarily for its convenience, as it’s located next to the pool and within the hotel premises. The views are stunning, though; dining with an ocean view is definitely a plus. However, the service was inconsistent. It seemed like they were understaffed, and while the staff members were friendly when they were available, it was difficult to get their attention, especially since they were overwhelmed during breakfast hours. I recommend seeking out other options for better food at a reasonable price.

We stayed at the Royal Sonesta for a few days and while there, without fail, got at least 2 piña coladas every day. Honestly, and I'm not being hyperbolic, the piña coladas at Kukui's were the best I've ever had! The food too was on point for everything that we got... which we ended up eating there a lot either by the pool, at the restaurant, or via takeout in our hotel room. Our favorites were the dumplings, the flatbreads, and drinks, but honestly as I'm writing this I'm realizing that I liked all the food we got.. the wings were good, the salmon and shrimp entrees we got were well made, the teriyaki chicken sandwich was delicious, I enjoyed the taro burger, my bf enjoyed the tuna sandwich, really everything was good. The prices are steep ish but given that this is essentially a hotel restaurant and on an island, I don't think it's unreasonable. The taste, convenience, service, and the piña coladas !! more than made it worth it!

On our first night staying at the Royal Sonesta we knew we wanted to eat something deliciously and filling after our flight in from the mainland. Kukui's on Kalapaki Beach delivered on that desire as everything ordered was cooked to great flavor perfection. From the wing dings, to the sushi, to the prime rib... we throughly enjoyed each dish! The prices were steep but that's a given being in the resort but with the ambiance with live music. It was worth it! Mahalo, Kukuis!