duke's kauai

good eats on the beach. came here for a quick lunch today before heading off to koloa rum distillery nearby. free valet parking and right on thebeachin a lovely shaded area of the marriott resort. bbq chicken flatbread and ribs with rice came out of the kitchen without delay. they serve a selection of the wonderful kona brewing co beers. friendly and prompt service. wish we had room for the hula pie! really enjoyed the laid back vibe here.

good food, fun atmosphere. went with the family on our last evening in kauai before catching a plane back to the mainland. we all had fish - opa, swordfish & ahi. all were prepared well. underwhelmed by the poke roll. salad bar was good. finished by sharing the hula pie as recommended by waiter. more ice cream and chocolate than 4 people should eat! service was friendly, informative and prompt. note that the restaurant is buried in the marriott complex. valet parking is free for duke's customers. the koi ponds are interesting as would be thebeachview from this open air restaurant and bar (bar downstairs). when we were there it was storming so they dropped the tarps to keep the rain out.

terrible service. we wanted to get a table by thebeachsince it was our anniversary- so called ahead in the morning to make a reservation for that- and was told we could be seated at 6:15. arrived - parked- got to the restaurant and was told to wait- which would have been fine for a few minutes- but 10 minutes later i was wondering why the table that i called to reserve would not be ready. went up to the receiving desk and they said "oh- we can seat you now. i had a funny feeling about it because i overheard a gentleman complaining about his reservation and the employees saying they don't guarantee any table even with reservation. sure enough- we get seated at a random table no where near the ocean. i asked why a table i called and requested- or at least the general area was. not reserved for us. she said they do not guarantee that . but i said- "no one told me that- i specifically asked for a oceanside table and they never said that wasn't what i'd be getting." we had driven from the other end of the island to have dinner here and no one was willing to apologize for the misunderstanding- they just said- " well they were supposed to tell you that." we were both so disappointed in the lack of customer service that we just left- without eating there. had i not made reservations- i would have been seated i. the same amount of time at the same table. since i went to the trouble of calling and making a reservation - i expected to get a little better treatment- and a table in the area i requested. the policy was never explained to me.

there's a lot of really great restaurants on this island- i never complain about restaurants- but this was the worst experience of my whole stay .

we are a big fan of duke's here at alkibeachand love the duke's at waikiki and were thrilled to have a duke's right where we stayed, at mariottbeachclub in lihue. it was our regular hangout for a late night drink while strolling thebeachin the wee hours. why this place was perfect? well, for one, it was on the beach. second, it was on the beach. third, it was on the beach! you could listen to the waves, go in bare foot, sit outdoors and just have a ball! there were big screen tvs for the tv junkies. the waitresses were friendly and very attentive and it's always packed. heck, everyone wants to hang out at duke's. we had lunch on one day. the grilled portabello mushroom sandwich. - ciabatta bun with pesto-goat cheese, grilled tomato and roasted red balsamic red onion and the waitress offered to make a veggie version of the grilled turkey, bacon and avocado sandwich with avocado, green sprouts, tomato, swiss cheese, watercress, honey mustard sauce on a multigrain bread . both came

named in honor of duke paoa kahanamoku, the famous olympic swimmer and "father of international surfing," the open air patio and indoor gardens overlooking thebeachmake an ideal setting for an oceanfront lunch.

march 22, 2011 duke's is not a foodie restaurant, not one that you'd go out of your way for. instead it's a touristy one you go to for convenience - if you're staying on thebeachat the kauai marriott or going there for nighttime entertainment. you know those places: a fabulous view, two levels of seating in and out, a hand-held buzzer that goes off when your table is ready, watered down mai tai's ($9) that are more show than alcohol and - of course - a big salad bar that's free with your entree ($18.95 for huli huli chicken to $32.95 for filet peppersteak) or $14.95 sans one. duke's does have chilled plates for the salad, and offers freshly made caesar, plain lettuce, potato salad, cole slaw and sundry other salad bar classics plus some fresh fruit and sliced pineapple. after all this is hawaii. i ordered the fresh opah (hawaiian moonfish) with the firecracker roasted preparation that came with an avocado, tomato, black bean and cilantro relish and a choice of garlic mashed potatoes,

food was okay, view was worth the stop. our party of four stopped in for a quick lunch. we were seated immediately and had a great view of the cove,beachand the locals hanging at the beach. the waitress was very friendly, food was reasonably priced. pass on the fish and chips as the breading was much to heavy and the fish tasted worse than mrs. paul's fish sticks. while we all wish we didn't order the huli pie for dessert (with four spoons), it was gone in about 3 minutes. i'd give this place 2 out of 5 stars.

duke's has the best view forbeachside dinning. we had poki rolls opah fish and of course hula pie. everything was delicious