The Dolphin

Rude waitresses, bringing dirty silverware and messing up the orders. People like that shouldn’t be in service industry. Hostesses exude resentment and hostility towards customers.
Food is mediocre, wait time is too long.
Obviously the management is bad.

I go to the Dolphin for their sushi bar. Their sushi chefs are gracious. creative and accommodating. I truly am fortunate to have their establishment in our community. The fish is always broke da mouth fresh and tasty.
Mahalo nui loa
Jeanne Obert– Princeville

Food was good but nothing special. It was also overpriced by about 20% so it felt like a tourist trap. $ 16 for just a steamed artichoke is crazy. Great location with nice open layout but these prices scream amazing food and it was just okay.

A friend got us a gift card for The Dolphin, so we dropped in for lunch mid-​week. Ordered some sushi and poke which were quite tasty. I had the cold fish sandwich, which was basically fish salad (think tuna salad); not what I expected, but delicious nonetheless. The sushi rolls were outstanding because of the balance between the sushi rice and fillings. On the way out, we stopped at the fish market and bought 2.5 lbs. of monchong to grill for dinner; it was super fresh and full of omega-3’s (very similar to Alaskan halibut). Pricey, but well worth it.

Yum! The Spicy ahi tuna poke bowl
Was delicious and the macadamia nut brownie dessert was to die for! I am still thinking about my lunch from earlier today and contemplating going back for dinner tonight too!

This use to be a Great place. Unfortunately, the service is fallen slack and the drinks, at least the ones that I had, were not good. I had the ginger rita and then a regular margarita… Both tasted of soap
On the up side, the ahi is good although mine was only vaguely warm. The asparagus was tasty… I don’t think I’ll return

The sushi is good.
The service (every time we go) is really bad.
The wait is long.
The complimentary salad is not served any longer.
It is just an «ok» place.

Went there for lunch. Had gone for dinner on a previous trip and was ok that time. This time the service was pretty poor. Had to ask where our server was to even place our order. Ono tacos were pretty mediocre, not a lot flavor. Ahi sandwich tasty but a pretty thin cut of fish, no sides. Got our drink after we were done with the meal after asking the hostess again where it was– waitress nowhere to be found. Again, waitress hunt to get the check. Overpriced. Best thing was the kids menu. Not going back. Spend your money at Baracuda instead.

Tourist trap. I doubt any locals eat here. I ordered a steamed artichoke. The bill reflected $ 14 for a steamed artichoke with a side of butter and mayo.
The salad was the worst salad we had during the entire week we ate out. Lettuce and tomatoes.
The California roll was good but not worth a $ 16 price tag. The waiter was nice.
My husband and I spent about $ 100 for food similar to what you would get at chili’s.
Do yourself a favor and eat at Bar Acuda.

Had the rainbow poke and hot sake. Delicious! The restaurant can be busy so be prepared. There is indoor seating and a grassy lawn with tables under umbrellas. Situated right on the Hanalei river. I would come back again!

This is definitely our local watering hole when we are visiting Hanalei. The Mai tais are refreshing and the daily fresh fish sandwiches are a must! The calamari steak is pretty tasty too! Service is great and friendly. I would definitely recommend a stop by this place. We sure are never disappointed.

We had dinner at the Dolphin again last night. This was our second trip there in four days. The sushi was outstanding. Chef Jeff at the Sushi bar is truly a master Sushi Chef. Hanalei Roll is outstanding. Calamari was also outstanding. Having a fresh fish market in the restaurant helps.
Wendell & Liliana

After an early morning to the farmers market it was time to find a place to sit down and have a little snacky. On the way back i was searching and i found this place with some people saying they have wonderful clam chowder, so i had to stop and try for myself.
We sat outside near the patio with a view of the little calm lake. Another bonus to the view is there are people kayaking or paddling in it, which makes it a bit more exciting. It was quite sunny/​cloudy the whole time. Each table had an umbrella so if it was raining we won’t get too wet as well.
We ordered 2 cups of clam chowder and that was it since i said i wanted a little snacky.
The clam chowder came in a mug which was quite funny or awkward. The chowder was actually quite tasty. In every bite there were big chunks of clams and fo sho i did add crackers in it. Welp the Clam chowder didn’t last too long before it was gone. I would recommend coming to a sushi restaurant for some sushi because it was yummy.
Overall i thought this place is great for events or celebrations. Its quite casual but with a touch of fancy. Service was great and attentive with refilling our drinks. The servers do look like they are tired of walking on the loose rocks in the patio, since tables are spread far apart. Prices are a bit higher than normal. The sushi list is quite a variety to choose from which is a plus. I am sure you can customize your sushi rolls as well. Mahalo for reading and lets Unilocal some more.

Nice place for a fancy date or family dinner in the area. We did the Teriyaki Ahi (my dad ordered it and wasn’t terribly impressed, probably because of the way it was cooked). I was craving sushi, and upon request of our waiter, I chose the Hawaiian, and spicy tuna. He told me people write them letters in regards to how impeccable the Hawaiian is.
It was good. Fresh and flavorful. Definitely not the best sushi I’ve had though. Enjoyed dinner nonetheless, the space inside is really nice and we had a sweet, pleasant (sorta long-​winded) waiter who kept the night entertaining.

Came here for dinner at 8:30 and there was still a 30 min wait (during peak winter holiday season though). Just a warning.
Service was impeccable. You can wait and get sushi and drinks outside with a buzzer. During this, soak in the Kauai stars and beautiful night sky. Beware of mosquitoes and spray up beforehand. We ordered the calamari, which came surprisingly fast. Waitress was very attentive and got us waters and refills quickly too.
Once inside, our food experience went downhill. A new waitress served us and was great in explaining all the catches (only 4 was available though). We peeked at others’ dishes and sushi orders. While looks are only one aspect, nothing looked outstanding. We went with fish and vegetables skewer (opah/​moonfish). Fish was tender and did in fact taste like the waitress described but the outer coating was so-​so. A little soggy and flavorless. We also got a bowl of seafood chowder. It tasted very creamy and salty, and mostly full of potatoes. Nothing spectacle compared to the New England chowders we can get back home in NYC.
I’d come here for the quiet outdoor drinks and apps, not the indoor hyped up dining.

Mad busy, with tonnes of guests, the Dolphin is a seafood centric venue in the area, if reviews are to be believed. While The Dolphin serves sushi and sashimi, the balance of techniques suggests that the executive chef is not Japanese — or else the helpers are fighting his/​her wishes.
We were not happy with the Hamachi-​Kama, which was over-​grilled — dried out. The Calamari steaks were excellent. The Mai-​Tai equivalent was rather meh.
Still, we had great seating and service despite the throng.
3.5−4.0.
:)

**Dessert review only**
Got 2 drinks and the brownie dessert. DELICIOUS. The brownie was giant and more than enough for 2 and it came with a generous scoop of homemade ice cream. Seriously, even if you have a terrible dinner, just get this dessert. You’ll feel better =)

This is a very good fish place in Hanalei. It came highly recommended by the resort staff and was featured in their book of local menus to try. So we did, and we enjoyed!
The place doesn’t take reservations, so you may have to wait a bit for your table. There is lawn seating, but it’s for appetizers and desserts only. We sat out on the deck at a table for two. Great laid back atmosphere — but you could tell it was a popular place to be.
I ordered the fish n chips and she ordered the ahi tuna. The fish was good, not the best fish I’ve ever had oddly, but still good. The ahi was pretty good as well, again not the best. Presentation was great though and service excellent. What I really loved was the Mac nut brownie sundae. Wowza! If we come again I’d just get this and sit on the lawn, then do dinner in the room. It was pretty pricey, so again lending to my argument to just get the brownie :).

It’s really hard to rate restaurants effectively when you’re a few Mai Tais deep on a relaxing vacation in Kauai, but I’ll do my best to be fair.
I really enjoyed the ambiance at this restaurant. They have an outdoor waiting area that’s on a river. Some stone tables with very low blue lights to keep it just barely visible but not too bright. They also have some mosquito candles, though I don’t know that they can really fight that good fight without some help from bug spray or complete darkness.
We were seated in about 20 – 25 minutes — not too bad on a busy night.
We got a spot inside in the back zone along the wall, which is actually open air, so it’s more a giant waist-​high window than a wall. It still gets a bit muggy even with no enclosures. A lot of people, warm food, you’ll sweat a little. That’s just Hawaii, though. The drinks warm up quick, an inspiration to drink faster.
The food was decent. That’s what keeps this place from a higher ranking. It was good, by all accounts, but for the price and compared to some of the other restaurants we ended up trying the rest of the week, this is middle of the pack. Good fresh fish, but they list ALL the fish they SOMETIMES carry on the menu, and after having 15 minutes to decide, only then did our waitress mention which fish were fresh and which were not in stock. They ought to find a way to mark that somewhere sooner.
Overall, a nice experience, but room for some slight improvements.

View was beautiful but the food was not great. I ordered the fish tacos, which were bland and kind of dry. The salsa it came with was also ok. I had a few bites of the sesame poke, which was good, but for $ 16, I’ve had better.
Drinks were delicious, so I recommend coming to enjoy the food and some drinks, not for the food.

Everyone in Kauai (tourists and locals) rave about this restaurant. I can see why! The sushi and service are excellent! They don’t take reservations so get there early, put your name in and wait at the bar. The entire staff is really cool!
Our server May recommended some awesome dishes and she was very attentive. Stuffed mushrooms appetizer was delicious! I’ve been craving it ever since. Teriyaki ahi entrée was also tasty! The Tahitian poke appetizer was my least favorite, it was sweet and slimy.
There is seating inside and outside in a grassy area overlooking the river… great spot to dine if you have kids!

A little bit overrated. (sad face)
Sorry Unilocal.Wanted to go with the masses on this one, but the wait combined with the expense and the food itself, I couldn’t do it… Again.
You know peeps from SF, we will wait in line for good food (mostly because we have to, especially for brunch… San Francisco you know what I’m talking about). Unfortunately, wouldn’t do it again here. It was a rainy Kauai evening, and there are unfortunately no good place to wait to protect yourself from getting wet.
Once we got seated, service was prompt and friendly (all of Kauai, peeps are nice!). A little bit a candle lit, a DOUBLE RAINBOW after the rain, it all set the mood for a good time!
Started off the with the Chi Chi tropical drink — which was quite tasty, much like a piña colada. Definitely would get it again… And on to the food:
Apps:
Seafood Chowder — have to say, probably best thing I ate here. So rich, creamy, and that broth — wow. Takes the essence of seafood and boils it down some incredible goodness.
Dolphin Poke: Excellent, but probably can get equivalent at some of the markets.
Stolen roll — Skip it. Not worth the price.
Dinner:
Blackened/​Cajun Opah (fish of day): Should have got it grilled. This one just didn’t do it for me, and not quite sure why. I’m leaning toward the way it was spiced and blackened, it took away from the fish itself.
Teriyaki Ahi — Recommended as one the specialties. Medium rare is the way to go, and that’s what it was billed. Unfortunately, it came out more as medium, and made it dry. Quite a travesty.
Overall, probably wouldn’t come back here. If we did, it would be to get a take out bowl of the awesome seafood chowder.

Always a wait and no reservations. Nice waiting area outside though with a couple of shops to kill time.
Super great fresh fish selection and great service.

Mein bestes Sushi das ich je hatte. Extrem frische Ware. Kleiner Tipp einfach Sushi2Go nehmen und einen Strand in der nähe fahren. WAU! Ein muss auf der Insel! TOP/​TOP/​TOP