Don The Beachcomber

The food is delicious! Sitting by the ocean by candlelight is incredibly romantic. My husband and I love their Mai Tais and Lava Flows. Every time we come to Kona we are sure to go there a few times over our trip.

While staying at the Royal Kona resort, decided to try their restaurant one evening. Place was practically empty, I asked for waterfront seating for three (there were two empty tables at the end of the terrace next to each other). The service-​challenged «hostess» told us we HAVE to sit inside, that there’s no available sitting for three outside. I asked if the empty two tables are reserved, she said no but that they’re for two people each. Thinking to myself, LADY, WOULD IT BE TOO HARD TO PUT TWO TABLES TOGETHER IN A PRACTICALLY EMPTY RESTAURANT AND ACCOMMODATE THREE PAYING CUSTOMERS WHO ALSO HAPPEN TO BE STAYING AT YOUR RESORT, we walked out.
Then, had the misfortune of walking to their bar 10 yards away to try waterfront seating. We sat ourselves, then after waiting five minutes, a bar waiter on way to the restaurant asked if we’re also ordering food from the menu. Without breaking his stride, and after hearing our yes, he kept walking NEVER TO BE HEARD FROM AGAIN. Mind you, the bar is still 30 minutes removed from closing time.
They do have one of the prime locations in all of Kailua Kona (watched beautiful sunsets by the pool area) but services were truly lacking.
Ended up across the street at Bongo Ben’s (food there was ok but there was free live music upstairs!).

I’m giving this five stars based on the experience and the drinks. We wanted to watch the sunset, and have a great mai tai, we could not have chosen a better location. It was amazing. We had a few appetizers, which were great, service was really good as well. :)

Great Mai tai and piña colada. Happy hour on the deck with breeze, bay, and ocean surf. Very nice spot.

The Maitais were good the view was pretty stunning over kona bay. The overall bar area and surroundings were a bit run down. The appetizer was less then good didn’t finish. The staff are friendly and prompt. The live music was questionable but after a couple of Maitais it got better. Hope it gets a renovation otherwise it may not last much longer. The customers were mostly 50’s and up. The younger crowd didn’t go there. Go for the Maitais not the food to décor. Also sunsets are great from the bar.

We were there 05/​02/​2016 around 5pm and ordered the French Dip sandwiches. Those are usually really good. These though were less then desirable. They usually make this with thin sliced prime rib and have cheese and onions on them and are delicious. The one’s we got were very thick sliced (¼ inch or thicker) prime rib with no cheese and very little onions. Lots of fat and gristle on these also. On a good note the service was the best we’ve ever had and the drinks were good. We live here and would appreciate if the management would correct this because there are other choices.

Came here on a busy Thursday night. They had a musician. I get it, it’s busy for the workers however our bartender at the bar seemed like she hated life and hardly paid attention to us. We decided to go to the restaurant section to get away from the crowd. Bad idea. The restaurant opens at 530 and we got there at 520. The hostess seemed like she hated life too. We asked her if we needed a reservation and you would have thought she would have said they can accommodate (there was no one there) and instead she just looked at us like we were idiots and said yes. We put our name in and then, because of her bad attitude, decided to walk away. The hostess is the first encounter you experience. She should be friendly and inviting! Went to Huggos where we were greeted with a friendly smile and had the sweetest server ever. Glad they were rude at Don the Beachcomber!

Great food! Warm and kind service! Two of the biggest cockroaches I’ve ever seen in the ladies restroom! But it’s Hawaii and that happens. Still totally recommend!

«Famous» Mai tai… Great view, strong drinks, which was exactly what a needed after a long flight with some crazy passengers. Pricey, remember that you are paying for the view!

Well, had the hostess really flex her muscles on me tonight. I must have really put her out by requesting a table by the ledge in order to catch the incredible sunset. I pointed out there were two empty tables but she told me those were «4 tops only». She proceeded to put me and my date at the only table in the house where the sunset was unviewable, behind a column. Hope she got a lot of satisfaction for making it clear who was in charge. Really wanted to stay at a resort with a decent restaurant connected. It’s a shame the hostess blatantly ruined that. Next Kona trip, I will certainly stay somewhere else.

Bar: Great Mai Tais for a pittance during Happy Hour. Pretty busy when we were there, they actually had set up a supplemental bar. Limited seating on Thursdays.
Entertainment: Second to none on this island. No cover either.
Food: The bar food is good, not great. The restaurant food was spotty. Some great, some average. Service was awesome.
Parking: you have to pay o park in the lot but you can park across the street. for free.
The dinner time hostess at the restaurant has been downright rude to us on both of our visits. The second time there, we just left and ate at Huggo’s instead. The first time I blew it off (bad day, maybe?) but the second time i decided to take my business elsewhere.
We are residents here so it’s too bad that they won’t be getting our repeat business except in the bar. And I can’t imagine how vacationing hotel guests must feel when they aren’t even greeted.

How can you go wrong in Hawaii.
After a day of walking Alii Dr we settled in at Don the Beachcomer bar. All I can say is Mai Tai. They definitely didn’t skimp on the rum. After trying Mai Tai’s at a few restaurant bars in the area none compared to the original.

Incredible views of the sunset with waves crashing against the shore beneath you. Excellent drinks with a bunch of different variations of Mai tais. Beef sliders were good but nothing to write home about.

Decided to go to Don the Beachcomber Bar at the Royal Kona hotel. They have the original Mai Tai. It is right on the water. Although pouring rain it is a great place for drinks and appetizers.
We had the coconut shrimp, sashimi and French dip.
Instead of a Mai Tai I had the «Put Don Lime in the Coconut «drink. Very refreshing and not too sweet.
Bartenders were super nice and loved the whole set up of the bar area. It is part of a nice hotel complex. Will come back for a visit.

I stayed at the Royal Kona Resort so I checked out Don the Beachcomber, a restaurant and bar located on the premises. It has limited hours (no lunch) and dinner is served three nights a week. The place offers a daily breakfast buffet, which is what I tried. It’s a typical breakfast buffet with eggs, bacon, pancakes, cereal, etc. There is also fresh fruit and orange juice. The view is amazing. The restaurant is open-​air and breezy, with the occasional bird flying in. The oceans waves are relaxing and the atmosphere is pretty nice. A bit overpriced, but the quality of the food was good. There are other locations in the vicinity offering breakfast at lower prices, so I’ll likely visit them for the remainder of my stay.

I hung out at the restaurant for quite a bit. It’s a pleasant place to watch the ocean, boats, and parasailers and chat with friendly staff.
Ordered nachos, which is a dangerous dish depending on where I have it. Some places have plain and forgettable nachos. I recommend nachos if you are looking for a full body dish with a lot of flavor and can fully serve two hungry people.

I enjoy this place mostly for its spectacular ocean front dinning. Very relax and casual yet can be formal too. Prime rib is the best on this island. Quality of food is not fine dining quality but good. So the price you pay here is justified because of the location & settings. I don’t mind pay few dollars extra for a nice view by the ocean with amazing sunset view and warm ocean breeze. Service quality is not fine dinning quality but okay.

This place is the best of Hawaii. We come to the islands 3 – 4 a year and have been to all
of the islands. Every time we go somewhere else me and my wife look at each other and
say «Why did we not go to Kona and why did we not go to Don the beach combers»
Best Mai Tai in Hawaii (yes they are)
Best service (Garret rules)
Best ambiance and view of any bar in North America.
I will be back there in a month and can’t wait.

We went for happy hour and it’s definitely a 65+ crowd. They had live music by a gentlemen in his 80s singing and playing xylophone. My favorite point in the evening was when he said «this one’s for the young folks in the crowd!» as he begun his rendition of Gloria Estefan’s «Conga». He was a hoot.
I am rating 3 out of 5 because the drinks were pretty weak for the price you pay for them, even at happy hour. The food was mediocre. I liked the coconut shrimp but the burger on the happy hour menu was WAY too greasy. I used a napkin to soak the grease off and it still was coming down my hands during my attempt to eat it.
This is a place where you’re paying for the experience. The cocktails are fun and the views of the ocean-​outstanding. But the happy hour food was meh. However, It may be better during actual dinner or breakfast.

No, No, a thousand times NO!!!
The VIEW is spectacular but the food is not spectacular and neither is the service, but the view was remarkable and worth the visit.
Service was painfully slow on an evening that had only 15 tables in use and the wedding in the adjoining ballroom had an EXTREMELY efficient sound system so my party could hear the vows, the toasts, and the music.
Not worth a return visit! Not worth the first visit!