REAL a Gastropub

We were very disappointed in our dinner the other night. Not sure what was going on since there are so many good reviews on this place.
1. Ordered pretzel bites to start — pretzels were good, but the cheese tasted like melted lowfat Velveeta. Not good.
2. My husband ordered the chicken wings. They put some white BBQ sauce on them that just wasn’t good. It tasted off… and what exactly is a white BBQ sauce anyway?
3. I ordered fish and chips, and it was not edible. Overly fried to a ridiculous point and very greasy. The fish died in vain.
4. The ketchup on the table tasted like it had cinnamon in it. Also — not good. Not sure how you can mess up ketchup.
5. My husband enjoyed his beer which seems to be their strong point.
Overall, this place seems to be trying too hard to be a «cool» restaurant. Even simple food items were not good at all. The service was good, but it really is just a bar that needs to work on the food quality and consistency a bit more.

This is three star due to high price samplers. 4– 3.5 oz are priced half the price for a 16z regular beer. Ouch. If I had paid attention I would of gotten three regular and shared with my guests. The food was really good. Ahi poke, kale pear salad and fish and chip. All fresh and really great favors.

Lisa Kim’s Real is awesome! Chicken and Waffles was the bomb, can’t go wrong with the bacon cheeseburger, and the beer menu is off the hook.

Thanks so much Lisa Kim! Your restaurant is awesome! Loved the waffle chicken sandwich, deviled eggs and chocolate brownie. Please come and open a restaurant in Hilo!

Love the beer selection! So many choices :). Tried a couple of their Happy Hour (mixed) drinks… not my thing, even with the price.
Only got to try their duck confit corn dogs, which were super tasty. Looking forward to trying all their other food, especially the desserts.
Service was alright.

Wow. Delicious!
Just stopped by for some pre-​movie grub and I don’t think we could have picked a better place. Our server was great and very helpful to me as a first timer. She explained all the different beer choices and how they were listed and then went on to tell us about the specials with ease. She even let us know later that she was heading out and introduced us to the server taking her place. Great service.
The food? Awesome selection of small bites. I honestly didn’t even get to take a great look at the menu because I already knew I would be getting the Poutine (thanks to fellow Unilocalers) which was a great and unexpected treat on our tropical island.
The beer? Crazy selection with some great names.
I will definitely be back. =]

Great place for dinner and drinks! Selection for draft beers is on the wall and the Victory series by Ballast Point is always a hit. I highly recommend the fried deviled eggs as well as the chicken and waffle entrée.
On a side note, I left my sunglasses behind on one of my visits and the staff had the foresight and was kind enough to keep them behind the bar for me to retrieve them the next day.

(2.5 stars)
We came here mainly because of convenience. Real a Gastropub is an extremely short walk from the theatres, so you can eat (and perhaps drink) quickly and run to the movie.
First impressions are absolutely critical. Unfortunately, our first impression of the restaurant was less than satisfactory. The hostess standing outside the restaurant barely even acknowledged us, and just ushered us in. Our server was quite nice, but was terrible at his job. As patrons, you’d think he’d take more care in checking up on us, but he rarely even walked by the table. I mean, the restaurant was crowded and a bunch of people were watching the football game, but that’s no excuse for his failure to properly do his job. Even worse, there were no utensils on the table, and we had to ask the hostess (who happened to walk by) for forks. Lame.
While the service is subpar, both my friend and I had tried this place before and were pretty happy with the food. Because he had tried the barbecue chicken wings with aioli sauce and really enjoyed it, we decided to order that plus the blackened ahi sliders (comes with 3). The sliders were tasty; the ahi was cooked nicely with a nice combo of spices, the coleslaw wasn’t full of mayonnaise as most coleslaws are, and the toasted bread added that extra bit of deliciousness. However, the ahi in one of the sliders was over-​salted. Sadly, that extra salt ruined the whole slider. On to the chicken– disappointing. The wings tasted heavily of liquid smoke and there was just too too much aioli. the taste was just overwhelming. Friend also got some kind of German beer, which was AWESOME (can’t complain abt the drinks here), but the service is a real deal breaker (and the primary reason for the 2.5 star rating).
Next time we go to the moves, we’ll probably seek food elsewhere.

An out-​of-​town guest wanted to check this place out, so I landed upon this place again. They had a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato bisque soup as a special. I was so happy to hear that it was veggie friendly! The taste? It was ok… but at least it wasn’t too salty like my first experience there.
My friends that were there looked like they really enjoyed themselves because of the beer selection. (I don’t drink beer so it doesn’t excite me…)
I don’t know if it was because we had a new server, but even though we were there just chatting away for quite sometime, I never felt «rushed out». That was very nice. My friends and I were able to catch up on old times!
I wanted to try their fish and chips so I guess I’ll be back!

As a Canadian, I try to find poutine whenever I travel. REAL a gastropub has just served me some of the best poutine I’ve had since leaving Canada 3.5 years ago. (I’d place them in a tie with a pub I found in Osaka.)
REAL’s poutine comes with beer braised brisket and a beautifully runny fried egg on top. The dish is really good. Knocking on the doors of genius good. So good, we decided to order some chicken wings as well. I had no idea what to expect from a white bbq sauce but they were another happy surprise, with flavours of Cajun, lime, and delicious all blended together.
Beer is probs a bit on the expensive side, but you’re paying $ 7-​$ 9 for a proper pint, and it’s good beer you’re unlikely to find anywhere else.
Lastly, to boot, REAL gets added to the list of «things I wouldn’t have found without Unilocal», so thanks, Unilocal — these stars are for you too!

I compare this place to walking in to a friend’s basement who has lots of awesome, classy beers that you either haven’t heard of yet or you haven’t tried yet.
They’ve got a large variety of beers both on tap and in bottles. If you’re looking for a place to sample great tasting beers you’ve found it.
Coming from the Northwest I was afraid these places were just legend around these parts, but thankfully I stumbled upon Gastropub on my way to the movie theaters.
Our waitress, Genna was very knowledgeable about different beers which was refreshing to us talking to someone about good beer.
Their happy hour menu featured craft beers for both $ 4 and $ 5, of which I took advantage of. I always go for the dark beers, so I had the Maui Doppelbock Double.
The bar menu wasn’t bad, but it’s good considering that the main reason you come here is for the beer!!!
Trivia is by reservation only apparently if you’re interested. Parking is either at Ward or the market next door. Outdoor seating is also available!

I heard that this gastro pub was owned by the same owner of brewd down in kaimuki. I had bookmarked this eatery for a couple months now. It’s location is prime since it resides a few feet away from the ward theater. I was on my way to see «the peanuts» movie, so I had to stop in to have a late lunch.
I ended up entering 5 minutes after they opened. The bartender was very sweet, and accommodated me as I settled on a stool at the bar. She filled me cup of water and gave me a menu to peruse. I told her just one order of fish and chips. She smiled and passed it on to the kitchen. I also found out the fish being fried was called Nagasaki. I have no idea or ever heard of that type of fish. I just prayed it tasted wonderful.
A few minutes later she placed the three plump battered fish infront of me. Oh it was hoooot! I took my knife and sliced it open. I poured some malt vinager and a dash of tarter, before I stuffed it in my mouth. Yesssssss… give me a moment… awesomenessssss…great quality… tender…delicious!!!
It just went to the top next to my halibut I had in anchorage! Hooray! It was thick and meaty. The batter was great and the perfect ratio to the fish. Fries were good… I like mine a little thinner with less potato meat ;) But, the star of the show was the Nagasaki! Great fish and chips and service!
I will be back!!!

Great bartenders, special attention to customers. everyone is a VIP here!
(Though THEY, are the shinning stars!)
Comfortable. Lovely food, nice people, huge beer selection… eeeny, meeny, myny, mo (re)!
Thanks, gentlemen.

I love Real! I’m not a drinker so I don’t indulge in their huge drink menu, but I do really like their food. Each time I’ve come here I’ve always had the chicken and waffles. The duck confit corn dogs are also good.
Tonight we caught the tail end of the happy hour so I got a bloody beer for $ 6 (regular $ 9). We also had the poutine (although not so much a poutine as loco moco with fries, but will good), beet salad, charcuterie & cheese platter, fish and chips, chicken and waffles, dirty fries, and two other drinks for $ 92 (with 2 donations for a prostate cancer awareness thing they were doing). I haven’t had anything I haven’t liked. Only, for $ 12 the charcuterie platter is rather small.
There’s a fair amount of parking if you arrive early… happy hour til 6:00pm. Kind of crowded and loud atmosphere, so not a good place if you don’t like having to talk over music. But nonetheless a really great place just to snack and drink with good company.

While searching for a place to start an early happy hour, came upon this lovely place located in the same building as Marukai Ward. They open at 2 pm which worked out perfectly as that day we planned on drinking from 2pm!!! (We’re not alcoholics or anything, just overworked office workers haha!). We came in and the whole place was empty (not everyone drinks at 2pm apparently) so we got to choose the best seats in the house. Happy hour is from 2−6pm so we were able to enjoy the specials for a good 4 hours :)
I tried one of their specialty beers (forgot the name!!!) but it was a light ale and very very tasty. The beer selection was, to say the least, enormous! Although that day, they had run out of a few things, but the selection nonetheless was extensive. The mixed drinks were well liked by my coworkers! The bloody beer seemed to be pretty popular choice!
The food was tasty, especially the burgers! I know that this place is a gastropub but I wish they had more food options and bigger portions as we came in hungry as well as thirsty haha. Other than that, no complaints with this place. Good service and atmosphere, too!

Come for the drinks but make sure they’re in stock before you get your hopes up. All 3 ciders I was interested in were not available.
We also ordered the Charcuterie plate which was very disappointing. The plate came out with 3 pieces of salami, 2 of prosciutto, 4 peanuts and very few slices of cheese. On top of that… it was served with only 5 boxed club crackers (refer to the picture). We had to ask for more.
Also, we were made to wait in the hot area outside until the waitress could handle more tables. When we walked in the place was near empty.

«Fancy a pint?»
«Brewski bro?»
«Wanna grab a beer?»
The good old days. If it had suds, came in a pint glass, and was cold the world was right. Being from Germany or Belgium and added bonus.
Then some idiot got into their own brew and decided we needed a periodic table of beer styles, categories, sub categories, micro species of hops, different maturation periods, this temperature, that temperature, this region, that region, only in the Summer, just in time for Christmas, and the ridiculous but marvelous world of craft beer was born and with it, the beer snob.
Beer snobs need a place to hone their snobbery. Thanks to the British, the perfect home arose; the gastropub. Great brews paired with complementary food.
Does Real measure up? Finally, marginally, yes.
A good selection of mostly domestic craft beers served by a staff who has become very knowledgeable and capable of guiding any snob or snob-​wanna-​be to a beer of their liking.
Note: This selection doesn’t come close to the typical CONUS gastropub but hey, this is Hawaii.
To the food, just OK. A special, a perfectly cooked Shinsato Farms rabbit ragout on gnocchi so over seasoned with rosemary, the delicate flavor of the rabbit lost. Gummy gnocchi with excessive flour creates a one dimensional texture. That said, an excellent pairing with a good IPA, bringing out all kinds of citrus nuisances. Aside from that, the menu remains basically unchanged and very average. The duck comfit corn dog so heavily breaded and oil soaked, the flavor of the duck is lost. The beer braised brisket poutine with soft fries, overcooked egg, nearly invisible cheese curds and brisket that doesn’t taste of beer. It goes on throughout the menu, dishes pairing well but none wow.
Service has improved. Very knowledgeable and friendly.
All told, still the best in Hawaii. Sadly, beggars and snobs can’t be choosers. C’est la vie.

So we went twice this week and the food was fantastic!
The best FRESH Fish and Chips ($ 8-​) & Cajun FRESH Fish Sliders ($ 9-​) on the Island. We also liked the Mac & Cheese.
We’re looking forward to trying the rest of the menu. Chef Mike is amazing and the cuisine is innovative.
The Beer Selection is crazy with all kinds of special Brews from all over the World. They also have a Bar.
Decent Parking and Service was good.

I went to REAL twice within two weeks with two different friends. I had a great experience the first time I went, and there were still many dishes I wanted to try on the menu, so I was down to revisit the gastropub a short time later with a different friend.
During both visits, I went for an early dinner and the eatery wasn’t too crowded. Parking is plentiful in the Ward lot. I would recommend ordering several dishes and sharing them so you can get a little taste of multiple plates. Plus, the plates aren’t super huge, so you may want to share because you probably won’t be full off of one if you have a hearty appetite.
I would return to REAL because there’s a variety of the items on the menu that are appealing to me that I have not yet sampled. Here are some of the dishes my friends and I enjoyed thus far:
«Chicken and Waffles»: Every restaurant has their own version of chicken and waffles, but this dish is REAL interesting! It features apple fennel slaw, fries and a maple-​bacon drizzle. It was cheaper than a lot of the other chicken and waffles dishes that I’ve had to date just because it was probably ¹⁄₃ of the size. The waffle was smaller, and the entrée was basically a mini waffle sandwich — one piece of chicken was in between two mini waffles. The chicken was not as fried as well as I would have preferred; the skin wasn’t crispy and it was softer than I expected. But, I’m glad I tried this dish because the maple-​glazed piece of bacon on top – as well as the maple glaze drizzled over the waffle – was amazing. Plus, the dish was accompanied with fries that were so well seasoned that no salt, pepper or ketchup were needed.
«Bacon Baby Kale Caesar»: I normally don’t like kale, but this salad sounded really refreshing and, in retrospect, I’m glad we ordered it. It included bacon dressing, chicharrons (which ended up being my favorite part of the salad), bacon and Parmesan. The kale didn’t have an especially strong/​bitter taste and the extra crunch from the bacon and chicharrons was definitely welcomed. Even though the dressing was bacon flavored, the salad itself didn’t have an overwhelmingly bacony taste. The lettuce was fresh (not wilted) and I would readily order this again.
«Beer Braised Brisket Poutine»: I love poutine, and this is one of the few places on the island where I have been able to find it so far. This version features French fries, cheese curds, gravy and a fried egg, as well as that rich, savory brisket on top. I do like French fries that are thicker (vs. crispy, shoestring fries), so these were right up my alley. I tend to be a little wary of poutine gravy (just because I’ve never been the biggest fan of gravy), but I liked how this gravy was thicker and savory, but not super heavy. The fried egg and cheese curds were absolutely perfect on here. I definitely loved the yolk from the fried egg, and the cheese curds were delicious. I do love cheesy poutine, but too much cheese often upsets my stomach, so this was the perfect blend. Great job on this dish, REAL!
«Mac and Cheese»: I love super cheesy, rich mac & cheese dishes, and this version from REAL didn’t disappoint. This particular version included nine different cheeses, as well as a Parmesan crust. The mac & cheese dish came in a smaller bowl, but my friend said it tasted really rich and could only eat a little bit of it. I, however, was able to polish it off with no problem. The crust had to be the best part. The noodles were gooey, cheesy and delicious, but the curst was buttery and slightly crunchy. Highly recommend this dish for any mac and cheese lover!
«Pretzel Bites»: I do love anything that includes beer cheese, and my friend has been trying to make her own pretzel bites with a similar fondue, so we decided to split this as an appetizer. This has to be one of my favorite things on the menu so far and serves as a great tapas dish. It includes house-​made, soft pretzel balls served with a generous portion of beer cheese fondue for dipping. The pretzels are perfectly soft and seasoned – you can taste the sea salt crystals – and I loved the beer cheese fondue. It was deliciously cheesy but also contained a slight kick … just the right amount of spice.
«Blackened Fish Sliders»: I ended up liking my friend’s fish sliders more than my chicken and waffle dish. The sliders came in threes with slaw, a pickle and miso aioli in each. The fish was tender, moist and tasty; the miso aioli provided lots of great flavor. I normally don’t like slaw, but in these little sliders, I didn’t mind because they added welcomed texture and crunch. The only thing I picked out was the pickle, but otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed this dish and would order it for myself next time!

I’ve been coming here for almost two years and they’ve definitely earned the upgrade from four stars to five stars.
As I’ve mentioned in my previous review, I am not a beer drinker, but what always amazes me about this place is that regardless of your server they can without hesitation make the perfect drink recommendation for you. I also love the fact that if what you’re trying is on tap, they offer you a sample so you don’t commit to something you may not love. When I’ve «blindly» made a bottle purchase at a serves suggestion, never once have I regretted it which I think speaks highly for the knowledge of the staff for being able to listen to a customer’s likes and dislikes and make a perfect recommendation.
In addition to all that jazz, their food is just really good. It’s not your usual bar food. This is bar food elevated, hence the Gastropub name. Never once have we left disappointed. Everything as simple as their candied bacon to their deviled eggs to their poutine to their chicken and waffles to their rotating specials are just on point and delicious. You know going in here you’re going to leave happy.
Staff here is friendly attentive and genuine. Live music on the weekends is also a plus.