Three Fat Pigs

How do pigs write secret messages?
With invisible oink! Hahahahahahhahaha…
I could write a not-​so-​secret message to Three Fat Pigs (TFP), I’d tell them to keep doing what they’re doing, because it is awesome. I don’t go to all that many places around here that really «wow» me, but TFP did. From the service to the food, this place was top-​notch. And it’s only a gastropub!
I’ll start by advising to make reservations if you plan on coming during the peak dinner hours (from about 5:00 — 7:00), since that’s just what I was told by the host who was there at the time. Being as good as it is, I wouldn’t chance not being able to get a table.
Now, as you may have guessed from that tip, the staff there are very friendly and helpful. As soon as you get there, you’ll be greeted with a smile and people who are easy to talk to, and even make conversation with if you so choose. That’s not something you find everywhere you go, so to me it’s pretty special. That kind of friendliness and service extends throughout your meal, start-​to-​finish. Any questions about the meals that you have will be thoroughly answered, and if you’re like my friends and I, they’ll even split the bill for you after you’ve already made your order, which can certainly be a hassle (Sorry to our awesome waiter!).
As for the food, it was phenomenal. To be fair, I just had the Pub Burger with garlic fries, but I’ll be damned if it wasn’t one of the best burgers I’ve eaten. Without a doubt one of the best that I’ve had on the island. The patty was cooked perfectly and everything on the burger was nice and fresh. Not to mention the garlic fries were also nicely seasoned and delicious as well. A couple of my buddies ordered the baby back ribs, and in their own words, the meat «fell off the bone.» So I’ll take that as them being pretty great, too.
The price of the food is pretty much average for places around the King’s and Queen’s Marketplaces, so nothing really shocked me there. I wasn’t mad at all about paying what I did for that meal. I say again, it was great.
All in all, Three Fat Pigs is a spot that I personally would really like to visit again, and I think anyone who’s curious should definitely give it a try. You won’t be sorry!

Food was very good but the service is why I give it 5 stars. Everyone was great, especially our server, thanks josh!

I was disappointed right away by the prices. A $ 21 hamburger? It better be very good! Sure enough, the burger was sub par at best. Other people in my party ordered the ribs and salad. Salad was «just like eating grass» as there was hardly anything but lettuce. The rib plate consisted of a half rack of ribs with a side of «rotten seaweed» like kale. The Sprite I had was watered down and the burger was «½» pound. It sure did not feel like a ½ pound and I am still hungry. The fries I received were unacceptable as well. There was no salt on the fries and they were very greasy soggy.
Overall, my whole party was disappointed. It was not terrible, but the prices were too high for the food received. I would not recommend this restaurant. But hey, the beer was fairly cheap and the location was unique and appealing.

An awful overpriced meal. We ordered french fries as an appetizer and they were soggy and cooked in old disgusting oil. I had the Saimin as a main dish and it had the smell of a horse stable. Again disgusting to the point that it was impossible to eat most of it. My husband had the pork belly with polenta and the polenta was tastless. I had to send back my glass of wine, it tasted as if the wine had been exposed to the heat and had been left uncorked for days. A very disappointing experience.

It has been a long time since I came back to this restaurant. If not one of my friends insisted to come here, I would rather go to Roy’s for a little better food.
When we ordered the cheese platter stuff, several choices were out. The cheese tasted old. I could taste the smell of the refrigerator.
Since I was under the weather order, I ordered a $ 25 Saimin. It was the most over priced noodles dish I have ever had. It was nothing special about a $ 25 dish. I also ordered some steamed clams and they did not taste fresh to me either.
I am very disappointed with the food here. The service was ok. I don’t think Roy’s was that particular either but I prefer to spend the money for more decent food. Of course this is just my opinions. I just wish there are better restaurants here on this side of the island like Waimea on Maui.

I was looking forward to trying this place since Chef Ippy was a Food Network finalist, but unfortunately it was disappointing.
The fried chicken had good flavor but was dry. The kale was over cooked. The Crabbie piggies salad was decent but the wasabi dressing was strong and didn’t pull the salad flavor together. The garlic fries were good in flavor but very soggy. The best thing we tried was Chef Ippys Riesling which was bright and had a refreshing flavor.
The food was mediocre over all, especially for the price.

Sweet waiter but burger was burned. Asked for medium and got black char.
French fries were rubbery. Not impressed with how expensive this place is.

Very very happy with this meal. Server was attentive and wait for food was appropriate. The acorn squash and coconut curry was to die for — loved the spice level. Surf and turf special was beautifully seasoned. Food prices were appropriate for quality and location. View from back patio was spectacular.

The noodles was … nothing more than just noodles. The ones you prepare at home in the micro easily compared to these. Two tiny bits of alleged shrimps.
The ribs was over cooked and fell apart by just touching with the fork. On top… barely warm. Chicken was edible but the things served with them (couldn’t tell what it was really) wasn’t eaten by either of the two whom ordered them.

How can I find a way to give MORE stars? This is, hands down, one of my favorite restaurants OF ALL TIME. I’m using caps so you can see my excitement.
Every dish that I have tasted, every time that I visit, has been delicious. Visiting Hawaii with regularity, it’s a spot that I wish I could pick up and transport to the mainland.
The ambiance, surprisingly incorrectly notated by other Unilocalers, is lovely. What matters even more than that is the food which is overwhelmingly delicious. If I had to choose a last meal, it may well be the pork chop from this spot. Everything from the drinks to the food is top-​notch, and I often find myself craving a meal that is a bit too far away!
The chef, Ippy, is a gem. For those of us who watched Food Network, it’s a reason to visit. He’s always kind, taking the time (if possible) to come out and greet his fans. The food speaks volumes about heritage, history, family, and dedication of the cooking craft.
I cannot recommend this restaurant more highly, and am disappointed in the current star status. While Unilocal can be an excellent spot to complain, it’s also a place to sing the high praises that Three Fat Pigs deserves.

Slightly sterile. I think that’s what was odd, it doesn’t quite fit the area. As with other restaurants in the area the prices are inflated.
Food: ³⁄₅ We had a good seared ahi, but have had better. Pretty bland and cut much thinner than I’ve ever had previously. The fried brussels sprouts that came with it were excellent. The crab salad was nice, mostly shredded crab meat but with small pieces of avocado and great wasabi aioli. Not a good value for the price.
Service: 3.5÷5: Our waitress seemed to be in a hurry. It was really odd because there were not many tables, but she was very brusque. However, the other servers were great and stopped to chat, answer questions, etc.

Thought we would give the place a try while here on the island. Honestly disappointed. My husband and and I both had the burgers which were very good, however not cooked as we requested.
The service was awful, the place barely had 20 couples and it took 5 – 10 mins before our waiter even showed up and another 15 to get our drink order. If we hadn’t been so tired and late we would have just left.

Came to this joint after shopping the outdoor mall looking for some drinks and appetizers.
Décor/​Location: 4.5 stars: simple décor inside. Reds and blacks, barn like but more modern. Welcoming and friendly service when you arrive. The best part is the view of the water depending on what seat you get.
Service: 4 star– like I said above friendly and generally attentive. Our waitress was nice, got the job done, and left us alone while we were eating. Nothing memorable except good general service.
Food: 4 star. I think with the lower reviews on others pages it goes back to the food not being consistent. For example, our quesadilla with Maui onion & arugula was out of this world!!! So good!!! I would highly recommend it.
However we also ordered the calamari which looked great but quickly after biting in we agreed wayyyy too much batter on the calamari, trust me I like fried food but it really left the calamari tasting bland with so much batter and not enough flavor. Thank god for the aioli which saved the dish.
Price: 2.5 star. Sorry but 2 appetizers, an iced tea, and a beer shouldn’t equal $ 40. The price is probably what keeps most people from coming back. Luckily the quesadilla and service helped save this place from getting only 3 star.

The correct name for this restaurant is called: «The Three Fat Pigs & The Thirsty Wolf»
That thirsty wolf must have eaten the old menu because they changed their menu about 3 weeks ago. The misoyaki salmon with pureed purple sweet potatoes that I came here to order is no longer on the menu. Yeah I know what you’re thinking, why would I order salmon at a place called The Three Fat Pigs. Well let me tell you. I like bacon, char siu, roast pork, kau yook, kalua pig, and ground pork hamburgers and I didn’t see any of them on the menu so I wanted the salmon. I’m just like that. I like to order fish at steakhouses and I order chicken at sushi bars.
LOCATION: King’s shops in Waikoloa, overlooks the man made lake. Use Open Table to make reservations and get more points!
KIDS MENU: Yes! Great kids menu– kids ordered chicken strips and pasta with butter/​cheese.
PRICE: expensive. The pork chop was $ 38.
FOOD: We ordered the charcuterie tray with chorizo and proscuitto and blue cheese and we did get the famous 40hr pork belly, which had a ssamjang type sauce and it came with a kimchee melon salad which was very unique. I didn’t really care for the sweetness in the sauce on the pork belly, and the kimchee melon was just ok. The pork chop came with Guiness mustard and a caramelized onion apple and blue cheese tart. All the flavors worked well together but I’m not sure I’d come back just to eat that.
The good thing about this place is it’s in a mall with free parking… and easy to get to.

I needed a place to have dinner while visiting Big Island. And what was across the stree? Three Little Pigs! That’s what my kids call this place. It’s a gastropub serving my favorite other white meat… PORK! Heck ya. So there.
I love when a business starts using present day technology! They were available for reservations through opentable. We walked over and thank goodness it was in Waikoloa and they accept credit card! (I’ve learned Big Island is not too big on credit cards. Many places accept only cash)
The view of our table was near the waterfront. We saw koi swimming right out of the window. The mounatains are in the background, and you can see Maunakea too! That day there was snow on top the summit and we saw it from our seats. If that doesn’t scream out beautiful and picturesque to you, then you may want to read that statement over.
The food was great! We ordered and had the food ready on our table in less than 20 minutes. We ordered the garlic fries and the special of the day, lamb chops! The lamb chops that we ordered were so tender and juicy. I was just curious, and it was the 1^st time eating these. They tasted better than steak. YUMM! We also ordered the wild mushroom salad and the roasted bone marrow. It was fabulous! The pork was not chewy or dry. And the bone marrow, I recommend to not share. Because it was good!
Overall, it was a great experience to go. Customer service was great and the food was delicious. The price is a little steeper, but it is in Waikoloa. It’s a great reastuarant to go and convenient if you are staying at the nearby hotels.

I went here for dinner recently. I made reservations via Open Table since I didn’t want to take a chance based on some of the other reviews. We had an early reservation at 5:30PM on a Friday evening, and chose to sit outside on their patio, as it was quieter than the main dining room. We had:
Roasted Bone Marrow (3.5÷5) — this seemed to be stewed first, then roasted but it was cut vertically, instead of horizontally so the bits weren’t as easy to get at. They give you a long narrow spoon, which helps to get at all of the goodness. It comes with enough crostini for all of the marrow. Flavors were good but it could use a touch more salt.
Charcuterie (4.5÷5) — my boyfriend enjoyed his selection of prosciutto di parma, blue cheese and brined olives. He said that his selections were of very good quality and portions are generous. Each selection was $ 5.
40 Hour pork belly (3.5÷5) — Who could say no to pork belly? This comes with two generous pieces of pork belly with crispy skin. I enjoyed my dish but I think that I had two very rich items so I was overwhelmed with fatty rich foods. I was so full that I couldn’t finish the second piece so my «always hungry» boyfriend finished my dish for me. We don’t like to waste good food.
For drinks, I had pineapple cider (refreshing & sweet) my bf had Kona Long board (on tap).
We were too full to attempt dessert but some of the items sounded intriguing.
Service was OK. Overall, 3.5÷5.

Called a couple of hours before dinner and they were able to accommodate our group of 11 at an outside table.
Loved that they had a kids menu that doubled as a coloring page and crayons to keep the kids busy. The kids had the chicken tenders with fries and pasta with butter.
They are better known for their pork belly selections but I chose the misoyaki salmon with pureed sweet potato anyways and it was great.
For dessert, we had the adult s’more: graham cracker cake with marshmallow ice cream and godiva dark chocolate liquor sauce. Delicious!
Service was attentive! Located in the Kings’ Shops, it’s a great place for families and groups.

We came here twice during our week in Waikoloa. Almost three times, really. They deftly handled our group of 12 including many small children. They have a good kid’s menu to boot, so double bonus. The pub burger is delicious and the garlic fries to go along with are also quite tasty. I had the ribs as well and they were pretty darn good. Service was a little hit and miss, but could have just been a personality thing. Our first visit we were still pretty jet lagged and the kids weren’t going to hold up to an extended wait, so we asked for the food to come out quick if possible. Boy did they deliver. Hot and fresh in half the time, I’m sure they were working extra hard to meet our request so definitely appreciate that.
Overall a great option in the Waikoloa area.

Just had lunch here today. Guess it’s a bad idea to visit a restaurant the day after Valentine’s Day? They were out of ceviche, soup of the day, and even crab. So odd. I understand that you don’t want to over order items, but you would think that something common like crab for a salad wouldn’t be out.
Very friendly service. Our waiter was very patient because it took me a whole to decide what to order. I took to Unilocal to help me decide because there were no pictures on the menu. However, most of the pictures on Unilocal were for dinner items. Boo… we went with the ceviche to start. Waiter said he would put the order right in. He never mentioned to us that they were out. It wasn’t until our lunch items came out that we asked where our ceviche was and he told us that he forgot to put the order in! Boo… we told him that we overheard the waitress next to us tell the customers that they were out of ceviche, but he said that he would put the order in and it would be right out. Then he came back to tell us what we already knew… they were out.
I ordered the pork belly sandwich. I’m not usually a pork belly eater because it’s usually really fatty, but I thought if you come to a place like this called Three Fat Pigs you should probably eat something with a pig in it… lol! It’s also something they’re known for so I figured why not. It didn’t disappoint. I was surprised by how crispy and flavorful it was in my mouth! The bun was yummy and soft. There were even fried onions in the sandwich to make it extra flavorful. The garlic fries looked burnt, but it wasn’t what I would call burnt. They were okay. Not overly garlicy… seemed more like Parmesan fries.
My boyfriend ordered the Fish (ahi) Po Boy. I took a bite. Fish was really moist. I didn’t care for the pickles and cole slaw inside, but that’s just me. He really enjoyed it.
While I enjoyed the food, they need to up their game in knowing what items are available (and keeping them in stock), putting in your order, and bringing food out faster. We waited a long time for our food.

Decided to come here one night after browsing through the other restaurants that were in the area. The menu and restaurant name were intriguing so we gave it a try!
Came in on a Friday night and I thought this place would be bumpin’! To my surprise, it wasn’t and the dining area we were seated in was completely empty. Along the way to our table, we passed the open kitchen which seemed to have a lot of cooks in it. Our waitress. I believe her name was Cathy. was very nice and personable. She even recommended a couple of beaches in the area that weren’t rocky.
I ordered the 14 oz. double cut pork chop that came with an onion, apple, and blue cheese tart. Considering how empty the room was and how many people were in the kitchen, the food took a little while to come out. My pork chop was nice and thick. a little bit overcooked for the way I like it, but overall a pretty tasty dish. The tart was interesting. It was like I was going to eat an apple pie, but had bits of savoriness in it from the onions and blue cheese. When eaten with the pork chop, it was pretty good. Puts a whole new twist on Peter Brady’s ‘pork chopssh and apple sshawwwce’. I was full by the end so I could only order a light dessert. the lilikoi sorbet: P It wasn’t bad. was light and had a pungent flavor. Two other desserts were ordered at the table and one of them came out wrong. They took it back and quickly brought the right dish out.
My brother ordered the pork rib eye which seemed to be a bit pink in the middle. We told the waitress and she informed us that the chef purposely cooked it that way and that most people have the preconception that pink pork is not edible. She ensured us it was okay, but offered to take it back and cook it longer if he would like. He kindly declined and finished the dish with no after effects.