Hanalei Dolphin

- **Service:** Dine-in - **Meal Type:** Dinner - **Price per Person:** $50–100 - **Food Rating:** 5 - **Service Rating:** 5 - **Atmosphere Rating:** 5 - **Recommended Dishes:** Seafood, Sushi Rolls - **Parking:** Ample parking available - **Parking Options:** Free parking lot, Free street parking

Upon arriving, we witnessed her rudely sending away a party of 4-5, clearly unhappy. Having heard about her reputation, we thought it couldn’t be that bad—how wrong we were. The first thing we noticed was the frantic behavior of the staff; all the waitstaff and busboys looked stressed and rushed, barely able to answer our questions about the menu. The sushi rolls were disappointing, with an overabundance of rice and very little fish. My wife’s calamari was overcooked and rubbery, with a burnt coating. When we brought this to the waiter’s attention, he dismissed it as "normal"—not true! To make matters worse, in his rush to turn over the table, he accidentally dropped a small plate on my wife’s foot, drawing blood. His only response was a quick apology before he hurried off, still looking panicked. I requested to speak with the manager, and to my dismay, it was the unpleasant hostess who approached me. Without allowing me to explain myself, she rudely declared, "I'm not comping your meal!" I never asked for that, but her instant defensiveness escalated the situation. I tried to have a calm conversation, but she erupted, shouting at me to leave her restaurant. I turned to the waiting guests and warned them, "You might want to think twice about dining here," at which point she threatened to call the police. I agreed to wait for the police and sat back down at my table. During a fake police call, she loudly claimed, "I have a person refusing to pay his bill!" and then hung up. At that moment, I decided to stay put. When she approached me again, she insisted I leave, claiming my bill had been settled and sending someone to escort us out. The shocked expressions of the other patrons added to the absurdity of the situation. I left a tip for our waiter despite the chaos and apologized to the escort, acknowledging how difficult it must be to work with her. As we left, I reflected on how a customer spending $150-200 for a meal would expect at least a bit of appreciation, perhaps a smile or a simple inquiry about our experience. Clearly, we won’t be returning—unless the Allens reach out to let me know the manager has been let go. Until then, we've had fantastic dining experiences elsewhere. With mediocre food, high prices, and an unwarranted attitude, dining at Dolphin is a risk I wouldn’t recommend.

We ended up at this restaurant by chance due to its location and our hunger. We opted for a table outside by the river, which was lovely, though we did have to refill our own water glasses. However, it felt like we were primarily paying for the view, and not much more. I mean no disrespect to the hardworking staff or owners, but the prices are quite steep for what you receive. My husband ordered a steak that was just average. Our daughter got two pieces of octopus nigiri, which totaled about a tablespoon of rice and a small slice of octopus, for $22. Her sushi roll was also small and left us feeling underwhelmed at a price of $28. We got far better, larger portions at the Kauai Sushi Station food truck in Lihue for half the cost. My other daughter ordered teriyaki chicken and rice; she found the chicken to be okay, but thought the rice was too mushy and sticky. As for my swordfish, it was grilled well but had very mild flavor.

Food was fine, service has had the stars lowered as half our table had their plates cleared before the rest of the table were even close to finishing. Service: Dine in Meal type: Dinner Food: 3 Service: 3 Atmosphere: 3

Very expensive for what it is. Is more of a laid back casual place but the prices are more high end. Would not return for that reason as the service was very casual and not attentive for the price as well. Service: Dine in Meal type: Dinner Price per person: $30–50 Food: 4 Service: 3 Atmosphere: 3 Recommended dishes: Sushi Rolls