Haleiwa Joe’s at Haiku Gardens in Kaneohe is known for its lush, beautiful views overlooking its own tropical garden and koi pond with a backdrop of a breathtaking Ko’olau mountain range. The restaurant opens for dinner nightly at 4 PM, and when we arrived at 3:30, there was already a line forming because they do not take reservations. Fortunately once they open, there are plenty of tables, but it feels that people are trying to get the best view overlooking the gardens.
Ambiance & Service
The restaurant has an open view of the garden, so you will get all that warm air channeling through the restaurant. It was a bit muddy for the day since it was raining heavily. We had a direct unobstructed view of the garden and lake, and it was quite spectacular and serene. As it got darker, I felt calm and at ease overall.
The service was pretty fast and solid. As we got into the food, we realized that came here really for the scenery.
Food
The Sundown ($5 - top right) was a virgin Mai Tai, which came with pineapple, orange juice with a float of grenadine, and a pineapple wedge. I didn’t have any of this, but if it’s just stock carton juices mixed together, you can imagine how it would taste like.
The Clark’s Mai Tai ($10 - bottom right) came with light rum, dark rum, orange juice & pineapple juice, with a float of 151 rum. This was decent, although the juices made this a bit too sweet for me.
The Strawberry Li Hing Lemonade ($5 - bottom) came virgin with strawberry puree, li hing mui powder, and Minute Maid lemonade. I ordered this, and it was just way too sweet for me.
The Guava-Jito ($5 - top left) came virgin with guava juice, lime with fresh mint, and soda.
The complimentary bread came with some butter. The bread was good, but the butter had some seasoning that I was not fond of.
Emma’s Poke ($18.95) came with a soy-sesame marinade on a bed of cabbage. The fish was pretty fresh, but I did not think the ingredients really tasted well together. The poke in the towns at small stalls tasted better.
The Coconut Shrimp ($17.95) came with a plum and honey mustard sauce. There was nothing really special about this. The shrimp was fried thoroughly, but it reminded me of frozen shrimp from the market.
The Seafood Chowder ($7.50 for a cup, $9.95 for a bowl) came with clams and fresh fish. This was pretty much like a watered down clam chowder. The clams and fish were good, but the soup itself was not memorable.
The Steamed Fish ($33.95) came Chinese style, hot sesame oil, bok choy, shimey mushrooms, rayu oil, and white rice. The fish was ok, but it lacked a lot of seasoning. The bok choy either was overcooked or did not look particularly fresh. Overall, this was really bland. My partner ordered this, and they could not finish even half way because it did not have much flavor or seasoning.
The Prime Rib ($49.95) came on the bone with au jus, horseradish cream sauce, local vegetables, and garlic mashed potatoes. I had asked the waitress how big was this prime rib, and she said it was 2.5 pounds with the bone. I thought maybe that meant this would be about a pound of meat because she said I can totally finish it. I was totally wrong, and I wish she was more transparent. The thickness of this prime rib was probably near 2 inches. I could only finish about 75% before it really started tasting flavorless even with the sauces. The prime rib quality was actually not very good. It reminded me of suburbia all-around restaurants that have prime ribs on weekends. The main problem I encountered with this was that the meat tasted heavily tenderized, so it came out overly grainy and not much meat flavor. I would’ve very much preferred a smaller cut with better quality. Surprisingly, the garlic mashed potatoes and string beans were pretty good. We noticed many diners ordered the prime rib and seemed to really get into it. Perhaps this has a specific audience for it that isn’t us.
Final Verdict
Haleiwa Joe’s at the Haiku Gardens has really awesome views and is quite a bustling place that attracts visitors. However, set your expectations of the food in that it’s not why you came here for. If you have been to places in LA or NYC, the food is mediocre at best. Nonetheless, the views are breathtaking.
Yelp Jabs
The beef was a work of art. Perfectly spiced and cooked to perfection!
Maybe by Oahu standards, but comparably, this is something that people should skip. If people do want to eat this and don’t want to indulge on mediocre quality meat, you can definitely share this with another person.
I feel the prices were reasonable for an establishment as such. If I ever made a visit to Hawaii again in the future I would definitely go back.
This Elitist comes from Tennessee, and the prices probably are comparable to there. Compared to NYC though, this is pretty cheap, and it’s reflective of the food quality. I should have lowered my expectations given the price point.
Revisions
- Apr 26, 2023 - Initial revision.