Tidepools

This review is strictly for service and ambiance. We finally found Tidepools and walked up to the hostess counter, weren’t greeted at all just asked if we had reservations. When we told her we did not have reservations she told us that it’s was a least an hour wait in a tone that gave the effect of «how dare you not make a reservation to come to this place». We asked if we could just sit at the bar as we only wanted drinks, she then proceeded to ask for my full name and room number, and when we told her we weren’t staying at the Hyatt she again responded in a tone that made us feel unwelcome. She then directed us to a «bar» in another room. There were two awkward, empty tables in the middle of a pretty good sized room (tables that we were told we couldn’t sit at) and a bar that looked like a little cabana that you would see by a pool or something, there weren’t even any chairs along the bar. We asked if that was the only bar in the restaurant, thinking that was maybe the bar they used to bring drinks to hotel rooms or down to the pool and we were told that that was indeed the only bar. Gave two stars because the koi ponds were really pretty, but it was definitely not worth the drive/​walk down there at all. We had high expectations based on reviews here and we’re very disappointed. Went up to stevensons library and it wasn’t any better.

Absolutely amazing… Delicious food all around-​from the seafood people and the beef people at the table, appetizers to desert. Fantastic service by Dallas & Nate, and a gorgeous view with fun splashing koi fish and cute birds to boot! Definitely a highlight of the trip and plan on returning every visit possible

My wife and I came here on the last night of our honeymoon and really enjoyed it. This place could probably get 5 stars for ambiance alone but it turns out, they do things very well across the board.
Our table was right next to a little pond where we were able to watch the fish swimming around during our meal. Our waiter was very friendly and laid back and took the time to explain how the fish and meat dishes were prepared. We ordered the crab cakes to start which did not lack on the crab and were very good. For dinner, my wife had a salad and a bowl of the corn soup and I had the Opah which was delicious. We ordered a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and the waiter was very good at making sure our glasses were never empty. For dessert, we ordered the donuts (forget what they are actually called on the menu) and they came with three different dipping sauces. Honestly you could eat them without the sauces but it was nice to vary it up.
Whether you are staying at the Hyatt or not, it is worth making a reservation here.

Great food & service in a nice location. Really enjoyed the fresh corn soup. Made a terrible Old Fashioned though.

Just went to tide pools last night for dinner, had a beautiful table a long the water, but the good thing about the layout is that 90% of the tables are right next to the water. Very smart.
Service was friendly and our busser was on it always refilling water and nice enough to see if we wanted more bread, 2 baskets was plenty but he did offer the third :)
I have to say I agree with other reviews that the tables settings are a bit luau ish and don’t match the great views and food, but if you want white linens etc etc the Italian restaurant is prob you’re better bet.
Food was delicious, especially that shrimp and scallop app. Not sure if it’s on reg menu but if it is get it! Has a great kick to it and lots of flavor. Crab cakes were nice and meaty as well. Entrees were done perfectly, I had the ribeye fish special, bf had the prime rib. Overall a def must if you are at the grand Hyatt. I’d skip apps however, it’s seafood but it’s still appetizers and price was just a smidge over in my opinion.

Tidepools used to be the only place to go if you wanted to have a really fancy dinner in Poipu/​Koloa. Now there are a ton more options but Tidepools is still my favorite. And it comes down to food quality. The ambiance is pleasant, perhaps a little dated, the service is high class, and the dishes here were simply scrumptious, which is the first and last thing I look for in a restaurant.

Excellent meal! Everything about Tidepools deserves 5 stars. The manager Doug was so accommodating to our group by helping us fit multiple reservations to one table. Our server Ron was knowledgable and suggested some fabulous meals. The prime rib entrée and the filet entrée are not to be missed. You can bring your own bottle of wine (or two) for a corking fee of $ 25 for each bottle. This restaurant is not to be missed in Poipu!

One of my favorite meals on the island. Food and ambiance was amazing and the wait staff was lovely and full of spirit (we enjoyed our conversations with Les). Looking for a lighter fair, I had the crab cakes, and my husband had the local snapper stir fry. We ended up splitting the dishes and each were equally delicious. The crab cakes were very meaty and flavorful, which is not always the case when ordering them on the appetizer menu, so I was pleased. The snapper was a generous portion and the stir fry was unique and tasty. The setting was romantic and beautiful, you’re literally sitting on top of a vibrant koi pond. I would recommend making reservations, and I would recommend making them when it’s still light out so you can enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

Wonderful place for dinner, great atmosphere, great wait staff, food was wonderful and presented great! Very delicious! Definitely recommend Tide poles!

Ron was an incredible server and made the night memorable. Appetizers– scallops, tuna, and tempura shrimp. I had the prime rib and it was incredible. My wife had the mac nut Mahi Mahi, which she loved. They even let you bring your own bottle of wine! Best place to eat at the Grand Hyatt.

A little tricky to find haha but it was worth it. Good food, service and beautiful setting. I would recommend crab cakes and the scallops for appetizers. It was delicious! Oh and they have warm bread with truffle butter spread. It was mouthwatering. Definitely will recommend and will come back here to dine on our next vacation to Kauai :)

Went to celebrate our 20^th anniversary here made reservations a few days before. Not great signage so ask in hotel how to get there.
Watermelon salad and corn soup were amazing appetizers. My husband has the red snapper which was good buy a little earthy aftertaste. I got the butter poached lobster which was good but lobster doesn’t stay hot so asked for more drawn butter that was hot (not lukewarm). They brought us a lava cake as an anniversary gift. There were several times we would have asked for another drink but were simply ignored. The two drinks we had were good. Not one of our most memorable anniversary dinners unfortunately though the setting was nice. Bottom line service brought this down from what could have been a 5 review.

We were staying at the Grand Hyatt in Piopu, Kauai and tried several restaurants during the week. We tried to get a reservation at Tidepools late in the day and they didn’t have a reservation until late. We made sure to get a reservation early in the morning if you want to eat around 7 pm. Make sure to request a table near the water. It was well worth the 10 minute wait for a table to clear.
Our waiter was Clark and he was very attentive as was the assistant server. We started with the Polenta crusted Scallops. The dish was simple. Scallops rolled in Polenta what a great idea. We asked Clark how they cooked the Scallops. He came back and said they just cook them in butter. You have to try these.
We didn’t have a salad but ordered the main course. We had the Macadamia encrusted Mahi Mahi. It has been on the menu since Tidepools opened. The other dish was the Hawaiian Catch which featured Monchong. The dish had a half of lobster tail, a scallop and a large shrimp on a bed of sweet potato. Both dishes were very well prepared and tasted great.
If you are on the South side of Kauai, make sure you eat at Tidepools whether or not you are staying at the Grand Hyatt.

A friend of mine lives here on the island and recommended it! We are staying at the resort as well, and gave it a try!
So happy we did!
Food was incredible! Fish is so fresh!
Service was very good too. Local craft beers from Kona. We were in heaven!
And it was just a walk from our room:)
A little on the pricy side ($ 40-​$ 50 per entrée) but SO worth the splurge!
Enjoy!

Came here for our anniversary dinner and had a great experience. First off the restaurant is build above several koi ponds nestled next to a nice waterfall that flows water into the ponds. We were sat next to a pond and could hear the waterfall in the background. Made it a nice relaxing experience. Also from the seats I could see the ocean from inside as well. Overall a great venue. Plus the Grand Hyatt grounds are just breathtaking.
As for the food„ h wife ordered the fresh orca and I had the Hawaiian catch. Both came out just amazing. I actually liked the orca a little better, just an amazing flavor. Mine was great too. The catch had fish (don’t remember what type) lobster, scallop and shrimp really good.
We also ordered the pineapple Crème brûlée. A great way to end a meal.
Prices are not cheap, but if you feel like splurging and your on Kauai I’d recommend Tidepools any day.

Prime rib was fine, nothing special. This is coming from someone without much of a refined palate though.

Great location at the Grand Hyatt. Coi ponds were very cool to look at!
Service left a lot to be desired. We had reservations at 6:30 and while we waited for our table to be ready the two hosts bickered back and forth about something unrelated and then the one told the other to take «the people» (us) to their table. It was as if they didn’t know we were standing there… Then we were seated and our table was obscenely wobbly. We asked the host to fix and he punted to the server. Server came by soon after. Okay descriptions of the food and then noticeably absent most of the meal. Ordered what the server recommended — Hawaiian Catch.
Had to ask for bread and then the server never came back to take wine orders after bringing the wine menu. We got our wine 5+ min after entrees. Okay descriptions of the food and then noticeably absent most of the meal.
Hawaiian Catch, which was mediocre at best. Scallop was pretty good, as was the lobster, but the fish of the day was tasteless and bland. My husband and I both left it behind.
Overall, a pretty disappointing experience given price and expectations. I’d think hard before recommending it to anyone else.

Excellent place! The food was phenomenal, the atmosphere with the ocean smell was enriching, and the staff were superb. Our server, Kekoa, was upbeat throughout the meal and the other gentlemen who served us were fantastic!
I had arguably one of the best meals of my life here. Fish with crab on top and a light salad with fried goat cheese.
Pricey but completely worth it!

We were seated promptly in what seemed like the bar or lobby area of the main restaurant. The tables were low and the chairs were comfy. Lighting was dim & romantic but the our table was too close to the doorway/​walkway in my opinion — our dinner conversations were disrupted each time a party passed. Minus 1 star for ambiance and for the extremely slow service. By the time we got out of there it was almost 9:30pm and we were seated at 7:45pm.
Everything we ordered was tasty and cooked just right. We had crab cakes as an appetizer and it was just as I expected — not too dry & came with an avocado-​tomato dressing — YUM!
— Prime rib was cooked to perfection
— Macadamia nut crusted mahi mahi had a delicious sweet potato & avocado dressing
— Butter packed lobster was indeed, buttery
The menu itself was very versatile & seemed to have something for everyone — must try if you’re ever in Kauai & plan to have dinner at this hotel.

We wanted a delicious meal for our last dinner in Kauai. After browsing the dinning magazines, we decided on Tidepools.
The restaurant is located on the grounds behind the Grand Hyatt. Absolutely stunning grounds. When we walked into the lobby, live Hawaiian music greeted us. So relaxing ~ we took advantage of the music with an after dinner drink as we relaxed in their lounge area that offers a view of the ocean.
On to dinner… the tables are set under thatched roof bungalows surrounded by tiki-​torch lit tropical gardens and koi-​filled lagoons. Perfect. We had a hard time deciding what to order because everything sounded delicious! We settled on the filet mignon and red snapper dinner plates. Not a goat cheese lover by any means, I was leery of the signature goat cheese mashed potatoes so asked our waiter for a sample. Trust me ~ order these! So good and tasting nothing like goat cheese. The hubster and I wanted plenty of room for our dinners and dessert so split the farm salad. We were a tad bit surprised as to how small this salad was, but the taste was great. We both totally enjoyed our dinners. Dessert was a different story. Their number one dessert is the Lava Cake. I love ~ do you hear me, I LOVE chocolate ~ but was NOT impressed with this cake. It also came with a side cookie that I thought was a sugar cookie. Wrong! It was a shortbread cookie ~ blah… needless to say the hubster enjoyed the platter all by himself.
The most unpleasant part of dinner was the young gal across from us who continued to drop the «f» bomb the entire time. Really!!! Someone needs to clean up her potty mouth before going into a restaurant of this nature. Just sayin’! The manager took care of it to which we were glad.