Sunset Lanai

The view is amazing here!!! I was lucky be able to tag-​along with a friend who was invited by another friend. We came for dinner and were able to enjoy the beautiful sunset. The food is decent Mongolian grill style fare, nothing special. I liked the sauce/​spice station, there was plenty to choose from. For dessert, there were two pies available. I didn’t care for the custard pie, but the apple pie was decent.

Think, «Ride of the Valkyries» (from Apocalypse Now). Just about the time the sun is setting, our dinner was inundated with flying termites! The safest room in the restaurant was in the bar, somewhat. At one point, all the lights were either dimmed or turned off in order to combat the nuisances, with the only lighting coming from the Tiki torches on the lanai.
Imagine trying to eat your dinner and picking out termites, to avoid the extra ‘crunch’. Not sure if it’s just a Hawaii-​thing or geographical location of Camp Smith & the restaurant. In any event, management needs to address the issue.
Dinner menu wasn’t spectacular. I had read that on Fridays there are Hot Wings served, but none were to be found. Instead, the buffet line had some kind of Asian (?) noodles & a myriad of other side dishes that left much to be desired.
The setting sun provided spectacular views, as did the city lights, but all too often flying termites were all that were captured on cell phone photos.
Wine was the saving grace. The pour was generous & prices the best in town.

Its unfortunate that this place is limited to DoD personnel and spouses. The view is über amazing, and worth the whole drive (coming from Aina Haina #eastsidaz!). What made the experience even better for my wife and I, is that they had our fav CoCo Brown Beer! It’s not the usual, but left untouched from a previous graduation party they hosted — good to know that they can host parties.
Wednesday evening is Mangolian BBQ and Friday evenings are your typical Bar/​Lounge food. Let me tell you about their wings… that first bite was perfect. It’s like they double fried the wings. Crispy outside, tender in the middle, and the sauce wasn’t too watery just right in between a dry and wet rub — perfect. At least for my pallet. The Frickles was another amazing choice! Fried pickles with the right amount of breaded furikake seasoning.
Other Unilocalers are better at describing the view. Well I’m here to let you know that you must see it for yourselves. A place you won’t regret visiting, if you get the chance. DUDE, I’ll take you! Hit me up if you want some beer, wings, and a view to remember.

We enjoy coming here for the Wednesday Mongolian. It is located at Camp Smith, where my hubby works, so it’s very easy to meet him here pau hana. The Mongolian is all right, when they don’t run out of items. The staff seems overworked at times, and it can be a wait for your Mongolian to arrive. But the real reason to come here is for the view. From this location there is an incredible 180 degree vista of the southern half of O’ahu. The setting sun is spectacular over the Waianae Mountains, followed by the city lights coming on and bringing the night alive. We often bring visitors here to get a perspective on points of interest they will be visiting. This is the reason for the 4 stars.
Parking can be an issue, but there is more parking down the hill. Of course, then you have to hike UP the hill to the restaurant.
They also hold special events here, which can be organized with the staff.

This place is one of the hardest to get to locations I’ve ever been to! You think I’m joking? I felt like I was going through an unexplored jungle with a machete. Well I am kidding but it was really difficult to get to this place. If you use GPS just keep going. You will go down a road that looks diserted but trust me you will end up by a football field and that’s where you need to be!!!
The food here was very good. I do wish they had more healthy options for people like me that’s on a diet. Their meat they was very fatty. But they had other options like roasted veggies and lots of salad. They also had a dessert bar at the event that I was at. Of course I did not partake.
The best part of this place is the view. You have a panoramic view of the west side. Which is super cool.

You know, every now and again, my husband’s job finds us a rare gem. Sometimes it is directly, but in the case of Sunset Lanai, it was indirectly. My husband played in a football game held at Camp Smith and remarked upon the amazing view and saying he would love to have a drink while enjoying it. A ref remarked that it was possible as there is an Officer’s Club at Camp Smith that has a bar and has a Mongolian BBQ night on Wednesdays.
Well, when my best friend came back for a second visit, with very expensive camera equipement in tow. we decided it was time to see have dinner at Camp Smith’s O Club.
Reservations are a definite must as the Sunset Lanai is not very large, maybe seating about 100 people, and you really want to be out ON the Lanai for sunset. The Mongolian BBQ is pretty good, not amazing and slightly pricey, but you aren’t really paying for the food. You are paying for the view.
You can see Diamond Head, Ko’olina, and even parts of Kunia from the Lanai, it is the most amazing view that you can get to without a hike. If you have base privileges and can get on to Camp Smith, I highly recommend you take advantage of Mongolian BBQ Wednesdays and Happy Hour Fridays, the only two days food is served.
Be warned, Mongolian BBQ is cash only !!!

This establishment is named «Sunset Lanai» for one obvious reason — it has a lanai with a picturesque view of the sunset.
Unfortunately you can only enjoy the sunsets from here on Wednesday and Friday evenings. That’s the only time they’re open, other than during special events.
Wednesday nights they feature Mongolian BBQ, which is excellent. It’s $.85 per ounce, and your meal comes with complimentary white rice, iced tea, egg drop soup, and dessert.
They also have a lounge that is open on Wednesday nights and Friday nights. They have a nice selection of draft and bottled beers and other wonderful alcoholic beverages that will put you in that happy state of mind.
My friend’s daughter got married on the lanai, followed by a reception, and it was wonderful. Can’t beat the panoramic view and privacy.
If you have the credentials to get onto the Camp Smith base, consider dining here on a Wednesday night. Reservations are recommended but not required.

I recently came here for an event. The venue is actually pretty nice for just about any type of event. They call it Sunset Lanai for a reason because there is a huge one right across from the stage and front area of the ballroom overlooking Aiea, Halawa, H3 freeway, H1 Freeway, Aloha Stadium, Moanalua, Pearl Harbor, Salt Lake, etc. If you don’t have a lot of guests coming to your event then this venue is perfect. Getting to the venue and parking may be a bit of an obstacle since it is in the Marine Corps. Base of Camp Smith but other than that it’s pretty good. They have catered food from the site which is pretty good. They have different types of menus depending on the package with your typical buffet style lunch/​dinner with even a Kid’s station which includes some hot wings, spring rolls, etc. The stage area is decent sized and the area can make up for a pretty darn good dance floor. I wouldn’t invite no more than 100 people coming here because in actuality it is a pretty smaller type of recreation room than you would imagine. Near the Sunset lanai is a huge football field which is pretty random but cool anyway. One time they had some all women flag football action going on which was pretty beastly to see and watch. Overall, a pretty unique place to have an event.