The Royal Hawaiian
| Address: | 331 N Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach, CA 92651, USA |
| Phone: | +1 949-715-1470 |
| Site: | royalhawaiianlb.com |
| Rating: | 3.8 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–12AM 10AM–12AM 10AM–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 10
A
A Private User
I love the definition of one star: "Eek! Methinks not." Methinks not is right. Last night I attended the wedding dinner reception of a friend at the Royal Hawaiian Restaurant. The group included children, teenagers and grandparents. I should have known this was not going to be a good night when it took nearly an hour for my WATER to arrive. There was only one waitress assigned to our group (originally 2, but somewhere along the line we lost one). I sat at a small table with 3 other girls where we observed the complete lack of care, professionalism and/or service being provided in this establishment. I stared in disbelief as bowls of once hot french onion soup stood in the corner for at least 15 minutes unattended. When the waitress finally served them, they were lukewarm (which I was thrilled with because I was starving after my hour long wait) and bland tasting. My water finally arrived after begging the busboy, (seeing as my two other requests from the waitress went unheeded). Rather than bore with you more details, lets just hit on the highlights. The bride had the request that her own wedding cake be served before guests departed. The brides mother and grandmother never received their meals. The kids meals arrived after the adults. The groom went to the manager several times in an effort to get any kind of attention at all. One of the guests actually started clearing off tables since nobody else was doing it. The manager came to our table and when I asked what happened, his reply was defensive and curt. "Just wasnt happening tonight. I, myself, had to help in the kitchen. Guess it wasnt our night." No offer to comp any meals, discount kids meals, not even an earnest apology. NOTHING. Are you friggin kidding me? To rub even more salt in the proverbial wound, our table of four had a 20% gratuity fee included in the bill. The food that we finally did receive (we were some of the lucky ones...poor mom and grandma) was mediocre at best. My baked potato was half cooked and the supposedly pan seared shrimp was cold. For $17.00 this was just insulting. I dont ever write reviews on restaurants, but couldnt let this one go. It was horrible to watch this newly married couple stress during their first meal as a married couple. Shame on the Royal Hawaiian for subjecting the bride, groom and their guests to such shabby treatment.
BO
Bob Faw
I came here many years ago, when it was a really cool Tiki Dive Bar and restaurant. Great atmosphere, great camaraderie, reasonably priced good Hawaiian food. Then it fell Under New Management who spent the next few years completely destroying it. All the ambience was gone, and the prices went through the roof. Sll the friendliness left. I was not at all surprised to hear it had closed. No loss to me. Last week, I heard it had reopened Under New Management, who had brought back the original atmosphere and spirit of the Hawaiian Tiki Bar. I was extremely excited to go down and try it again. At first glance, I was quite pleased, as much of the old dacor has been added to the updated bar area. However, the coziness of the old bar was gone, and the old friendly happy hour camaraderie was notably missing. The service was quite good, as there were three bartenders and up to 4 barbacks at any given time, and they were kept quite busy. The LAPU LAPU, which is their signature drink, was not as large as I remember, Nor as tasty. But for the happy hour price of $8, it was a reasonable choice. The bartenders were extremely helpful and friendly, and served quickly and with a smile. The 4 hors doeuvres for $24 was a reasonable price, but they werent really anything special. I got there a little after 4 and left when happy hour ended at 5:30. Both the bar & the restaurant were about half full when I got there and mostly full when I left. There appeared to be mostly singles and couples. All of them kept to themselves. Like I said, I miss the old comradery where a bunch of people are crammed into a small space and all talking to each other. This place seemed much more urban than beach. Ill give it another 6 months and try again. Maybe some of the old friendliness will return.
A
A Private User
Bar service is pathetic,,ran by a young thug style kid with zero respect for common courtesy and service. He actually had the nerve to change the NFL game we were watching mid-game and then tried to lie his way out of it,,stating other patrons had been there before we arrived....NOT..This kid should get fired. In my vast travel experiences I have NEVER had this happen and will never go back. I have been visiting Laguna for over 15 years,,there are much better places to spend your money. Unbelievable poor quality of employee. No manager on duty but I will follow up just to make my complaint heard.
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A Private User
We had a large party. The food was fair at best, certainly not worth the price. When the scallops were way over salted along with sand, the manager asked what could be done...nothing really. They offered a drink. To add insult to injury when the bill came, they charged us for the drink they were supposed to buy. Awful food. Horrible managerial service. They did not see to it their awful cooking was made up for, not even in customer service. The food was uneatable. Wasted money and time and yet still they charged us for a drink that they offered.
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A Private User
Dude. I dont wanna be that guy hate bombing left and right. The Royal Hawaiian is terrible. We waited 15 to get a drink. When we got one, we tried to order a special drink off their menu, bartender had never heard of em had no clue how to make them. We dumbed it down to get on his level and ordered well vodka sodas. Dude took 5 mins to do that, served em w/out a lime, and well Vodka was $8. To put it simply, this place was whack. #Lagooooners
JE
Jennifer Jones
Terribly disappointed in the new Royal Hawaiian. Incredibly LOUD. Service is slow --even tho theyve been open for 6 weeks already-- but food and prices were the worst. Ribs were dry and bbq sauce was bland. Bar nuts cost $6. Drinks are good but tiny -- seriously 4 sips and your lapu-lapu is gone. 1+ app + 2 entrees + 3 drinks = $150. ouch...
ZA
Zach Barnes
The drinks are fantastic. Even better than they used to be. The food was very good, but the drinks are the best. Lapu Lapu forever! Great service, clean and friendly place. Much improved atmosphere from the last time I visited years ago. Will definitely be back.
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Sandra Polimeros
As soon as we walked in we were greeted by Alex the bartender. He directed us to open bar chairs and was very welcoming. All the bartenders took great pride in the drinks they were making, so nice to see. Hopefully a rum menu in the future. Great place.
A
A Private User
The salad was ice burg lettuce with mayonnaise. I asked for a burger cooked medium, and it was EXTRA rare. Service was slow because there were only 2 waitresses for the entire dining area. I didnt have the Lapu Lapu. Maybe that was my problem...
JO
Joe Vraneza
The remodel is an overall big Improvement... the room is much brighter and cleaner. They redid the menu so theres better, healthier options now. Its a fun place for a group of friends... just be careful of the Lapu-Lapus!
