4. Restaurants

The Willows

901 Hausten St, Honolulu, HI, 96826
  • (808) 952-9200
  • Store is closed

The Willows Menu

Sorry, We are updating this restaurant menu details.

Sorry, We are updating this restaurant cholesterol menu details.

  • Pinky F.

    Can't understand the what the rave is but my taste and experience here was not happy. I know buffets are not quality but it's like cafeteria food here. But he setting is nice.

    (2)

  • Belle B.

    We came here for a post wedding reception dinner (it was a special dinner the night after the wedding and reception). It's a nice, elegant restaurant that has nice options of sitting in different sections or areas of the facility. The wait staff were very attentive and helpful in clearing our plates and keeping our cups filled. The buffet was nice but exceptionally large. There were many good local options, which we really appreciated. The food was good and warm. The buffet area appeared well attended to and each serving area was stocked nicely. Really, we had no complaints. It was a very nice place for a special event. Even though it had large rooms and different seating areas, it was still intimate.

    (4)

  • Will B.

    The Willows seems to have the reputation as the place to go in town for a great buffet. If you grew up someplace where that doesn't sound like anything special, know that Hawaii loves a good buffet, and some of them have seriously good food. Willows does a fine job, and you have a lot of options. The crab legs are definitely good. The fried rice is tasty, and the kalua pig is a must. Save room for bread pudding at the end -- maybe save a lot of room. You can go for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch here, but I've only been for special events -- a high school graduation, a fundraiser, our rehearsal dinner. Willows does a really nice job with these. We found the staff responsive and easy to work with, both in making arrangements ahead of time and during the dinner itself. We brought about 50 out-of-town family members here a couple of days before our wedding, and this turned out to be a very good idea! Everyone enjoyed the Hawaiian and quasi-local food. Willows is not so much a single restaurant as a bunch of different dining rooms connected by paths and staircases, which share a couple of common kitchens. When you're booking for an event, you can choose from among the different rooms. None of them are huge, but several different ones can hold 30-40 people. The buffet line is in a central (small) room, and the wait staff coordinates when to invite guests from different rooms to fill their plates. The experience is a bit strange, but it works, and it's a rather clever way to make a lot of use of space.

    (4)

  • Emi H.

    Food & dessert quality is waaaay down. I was vert disappointed that the food I knew to be served by Willows is no longer. There was no impressive main dishes & the dessert was nothing like in years past.

    (1)

  • Jenn Y.

    I'm not crazy about this place. Trying to get here is humbug. It's like in the boonies. Gotta valet $3, since Manoa parking sucks. Buffet for lunch is $23 Food is ok. The only thing I like here is the ambience. Love the waterfalls!!!

    (4)

  • Cara M.

    I've come here for a couple of family dinners and it was great! The different types of local food that they serve at the buffet is really cool. Besides the chicken long rice (nice big chunks of chicken!), kalua pork, sushi, haupia, chicken karaage, butter mochi, and curry, I hardly knew what the other foods were! Sad. I know. But I got to try a lot of new food! Compared to other buffet restaurants, the Willows has a lot of different choices. Not just Japanese, not just American. Hawaiian, Filipino, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, and American. Prices here are pretty high, but you're not just paying for the food. You're paying for the pretty fountains that are flowing around you, and probably for the live band singing relaxing Hawaiian music. It's an open air restaurant, but surprisingly, there were no bugs bothering my plate of food! No birds, either! The service is good. They bring a plate and crab tools to your table to help you eat your crab legs. We never had plates piling up on our table because our waiter always took it away almost as soon as we were done. Our waiter filled our waters before our cups were empty! The servers were all polite, but our waiter didn't smile very much, but I think that's okay. The first time I came, they did seem understaffed, but that didn't spoil the experience! I loved the food, the peaceful ambiance, and the service!

    (4)

  • Keone G.

    I took the crew out for dinner last week Sunday after work and we ended up at the Willow's. I've always heard about it but have never been, until now. We were able to walk-in and had a few drinks while we waited for our table. Nice open setting, casual and relaxing; the bartender was super friendly and efficient. When our table was ready, we were told to "just go ahead and help ourselves to the buffet whenever we're ready." We did. I must have tried about 15 different things including the prime-rib; everything was on point and cooked perfectly! I was impressed with the quality and consistency of the food. The prime-rib was succulent and seemed like it just came out of the oven; the vegetables were cooked perfectly; not too crunchy or too soft....just right. Literally everything I tried was delicious. Props to their cooking and front-of-the-house team. In the end, we all felt that the quality of the food, food selection and cooking consistency made it a well worthy experience; great local food! We're already talking about going back tonight!

    (4)

  • Lannie N.

    I love Willows for dinner, especially for their crab legs. They know I love them especially since I got engaged there. However when I went for a friend's wedding, I felt the staff wasn't as good as it should have been. There was no sign for where the guest was suppose to go, and they were just like over there. Well obviously I know the weddings over there but do we seat or stand? I don't think it was my friend's fault when the staff has a wedding coordinator. I loved the reception, though it dragged a bit, the food was pretty good. All in all, reception is good at willows, but it really doesn't seem to have enough space for more than 40-50 people. If anything most of the guest including me had to stand during the ceremony.

    (3)

  • Stacey A.

    I went here to meet with some family friends and was pleasantly surprised. There were a lot of buffet options and the staff was very friendly - our waitress was really funny when she whispered that she was glad she didn't have to explain to us how to eat lau lau. And of course, I enjoyed the atmosphere. I don't think I would come here for a casual dinner, I'd probably choose this place for special occasions.

    (4)

  • David G.

    The three stars comes from the setting and wonderful vibe this restaurant offers. Other than that, I think the food could be better. If you are in the area & want to eat like a pig give it a try. However, I think you can find other buffet places that are much better.

    (3)

  • ursula k.

    Willows was alright. The ambience is nice, but the food was just okay. The buffet was okay. I really liked the prime rib and the crab legs, but i think that's it. It's a great place to take visitors but for the locals, I'd rather eat a plate lunch or cook my own food.

    (3)

  • Fran M.

    I always think of how good this place used to be. I'm too scared to go now. They must have new owners. The last time I was there the poi was so watery you needed a straw to eat it. That's bad! Their chix long rice is very ono & the desserts are great.

    (1)

  • Alt K.

    If having private party targeting local tastes I love the concept. The Willows is not so much a singular restaurant as it is a series of small private rooms that happens share a common buffet line that serves local favorites (i.e., tripe stew, palasami, laulau, poke, sushi, prime rib, etc.). We had our company Christmas party here and I was pleasantly surprised! Can you get better food elsewhere... sure you can (it's tough to get quality food in a buffet line), but if you want to enjoy "all you can eat" local favorites with friends and family in a private room - The Willow's provides a welcomed option. Try getting the same dishes in a hotel served to you in a private space and you will easily pay double. The inflection point for your experience at the Willows will be your server. We had a server who was attentive, thoughtful, and checked on us frequently so we had a 4-star experience, however it seems that the service provided to most Yelpers was less so evidenced by the comments and overall 3-rating average. When we went the prime rib was tender, their savory and tasty au jus made that dish a highlight. The Willows tripe stew and bread pudding were also stand outs and everything else... well... was to be expected for a buffet. Having a private party for those who appreciate local comfort foods consider the Willows, but if what you really want is an romantic meal, cheap eats, or gourmet dining you'd be better served looking elsewhere.

    (4)

  • Janice H.

    HUGE RIP-OFF! If there was a way to highlight, underline, and increase the font size on that warning above, I would. Don't come here, go to Todai or Makino Chaya. Hell, go to Zippy's!! Even they offer better quality food than this place for a 1/3 of the price. People only come here because it has a beautiful ambiance and setting --- the river, the water fountain that the kids can play at, etc. That's not enough to sustain my hunger. Quality has gone WAY down in recent years and I don't see any sign of it improving.

    (1)

  • Shirley L.

    Came here for lunch on Saturday. We were the first to arrive at 10am, all the food for lunch had just been set out. The environment is terrific, with the sound of waterfall and so much green around the various pagodas. All the food is extremely fresh. We had the delicious prime rib, sushi, poke, chirashi sushi, crab legs and lobster claws. Even the karage chicken was extremely flavorful and well-prepared. One of the vegetables they are very good at preparing is the black bean bai choy. Delicious. Then there are the desserts. Free tea/coffee/iced tea with each buffet lunch. Terrific, slow lunch on Saturday!

    (4)

  • Jody O.

    My family took me to brunch for Mother's Day and it was simply wonderful. The food selection incorporated brunch items which was a nice surprise since I was expecting the regular buffet:0). It was nice to have new items to try! The risotto seafood cakes were my fave! As always, the atmosphere and people are what makes this establishment the perfect place for local family get togethers.

    (5)

  • Nicholas T.

    The place is beautifully tucked away in the middle of a city. Great scenery and the running water drowns out city noise. Unfortunately, while the food is plentiful and varied, it's not particularly good. Copious $5 dishes do not amount to a $35 buffet. Maybe if you had a big group and meals to order, but the buffet wasn't worth the price tag.

    (3)

  • Tamra P.

    Willows is one of those great "something for everyone" kind of places. I have been to a number of functions here that have proven The Willows to be a very family as well as mainlander friendly venue. Quite a few different rooms and seating areas that can accommodate parties of various sizes. They even have a little chapel on site. Buffets to me = overstuffed with mediocre food, but they do a pretty good job. Then again, I can be happily appeased with crab legs and salad. In fact, on my last visit for Mothers' Day lunch I just feasted on salad, crab legs, and poke and that was just fine with me! (You have to ask for crab crackers, though....but they will bring it to your table.) They didn't have curry this time around but my father and husband are obsessed with it. Prime rib, lamb chops, Chinese style opakapaka, sashimi, chowder, lots of other stuff. I've also enjoyed laulau and poi on other occasions. They always have quite a varied dessert spread. Our waiter seemed a little angry but waters were refilled promptly. Generally the service has been pretty good. Nice atmosphere, kind of tropical with little rivers and fountains--not what you would expect from the outside or in Mo'ili'ili. Valet service for $3 + tip which is nice when there for a function. Overall, The Willows is a pretty good place for a function.

    (3)

  • Jamieee D.

    Good hawaiian food. The buffet line is in a really small room which means, there's only a few to chose from and also their dessert section is limited to a few things. Dinner is a little expensive for the amount of food to chose from. The service we had from our waiter wasn't all that great. After he gave us the check, he went missing for a good 20 minutes. We were ready to leave but wanted him to take a picture of us but he was no where to be found. =( I would go back and hopefully by then they've added new stuff to their menu =).

    (3)

  • AsianRunningDiva S.

    A hidden gem on a drab street in Moilili..and a buffet to boot! I love buffets, not because I eat all that much, but I love that you have a selection of a lot of things!!! I always have a hard time deciding what to eat when I look at a menu. So at a buffet, I can eat a little bit of everything! We came here for a working lunch meeting at 11am, and didn't leave until 130pm...they are great about letting you stay and chat! Started with salad, poke, piece of sushi..the poke pieces are very big, but it tasted like it was previously frozen ahi (still good though). Proceeded to have some chicken long rice, chicken curry, laulau (YUM!), tripe stew, palasami (YUM!), chicken karrage, veggies. Everything was really good! They have soft serve ice cream (vanilla and pineapple), fried haupia (YUM!), a few cakes/pies, bread pudding. Walked out and didn't have dinner that night! The waiter was really great about refilling our waters and taking away our plates. Valet parking across the street for $3 (validated by the restaurant), but there wasn't anyone there today. Great place for large parties! They have long tables set up or get your own room! Great place for business dinners or lunches because you can pick your own food and the setting is really calming (waterfalls), eating outside but in a covered area! Lunch was $21.95/person, so can be a little pricey. :)

    (4)

  • Kelly G.

    The WIllows has been around since the 1940's ... it is a very special place with a lot of history .... open air garden setting, dancing water, lush grounds and picture taking heaven !!! Like any buffet restaurant I recommend making reservations for the first seating and requesting a nice table overlooking the water ...... they have several air conditioned private rooms for parties that accomodate different sized groups - book these through the catering deparment. I know people have complained about the valet parking BUT it is in a residential area near UH and so parking is slim picking - I for one am glad to have it !! Anyway so many special memories here ... you feel ALOHA from generations past as you tour the grounds !!! note: beautiful place for a wedding in their chapel

    (4)

  • Jane L.

    I went to a wedding here in 2002 it was for Lauren and Kyle N. It was absolutely beautiful. The atmosphere for the wedding was so serene and comforting. It did help that the weather was wonderful. I had tried their food when there was an event called Taste of Honolulu back in the day and had this amazing shrimp dish, too bad I don't remember what it was called. I would eat it again. Another time I went was for the buffet there was a huge selection, I was so stuffed. I enjoyed my lunch that I had with my coworkers I felt like I had to be rolled out of there hahaha. The staff was very nice and accommodating. I haven't gone back in years. I would though.

    (4)

  • Jody S.

    Thanks to a GREAT girlfriend of mine, I was able to dine at Willows for lunch today. Yippie! I was not only excited because I was able to enjoy Hawaiian/American cuisine, but I was also able to visit a place I hadn't yelped about just yet so definitely a DOUBLE BONUS! :) We were seated at a small 2-seater table next to the little river and waterfall. The location was gorgeous and simply relaxing! I perused the buffet and was able to dine on some greens, a little bit of lau lau (minus the meat!), starch and my fave, the shrimp curry! The shrimp was definitely soft and scrumptious and the curry delish! After a small plate full of seconds, I made my own ice cream sundae which is self-serve, something you don't find very often so a wonderful and pleasant treat.

    (4)

  • Kobe O.

    Went there for a work function service award dinner. We were in the back room that can fit 100. Room was cozy but hot....and didn't cool down. Food had mixed reviews but I thought it was good.....Hawaiian food with Poke. Seen Poke prices lately....through the roof! So if you can eat a pound of Poke, that's worth $10 right there! Parking is pretty bad and backed up. I always park on the streets because I don't like valet....don't trust them and they always move the seat, blast the AC, and change the radio station. All in all was OK. The outside entertainment that night was Robi Kahakalau which was awesome. There was a ton of Japanese tourists video taping and trying to do the hula. If they could improve the AC and parking, I could recommend booking this place.

    (3)

  • Chelsey C.

    My mom and stepdad quietly got married and had their reception at Willows so we go at least once a year since it's special to them and the food is good! Today, my large family had lunch here and we walked out pleased as usual. It was sunny outside but the shade and tradewinds made for a wonderful atmosphere. Soooo lucky we live Hawai'i :) We always have good service and friendly smiles, and our drinks are refilled regularly. This Hawaiian American cuisine is great for a buffet...lots of options are available for vegetarians and meat eaters alike. Check their website ( willowshawaii.com ) if you want to see a full listing of the lunch and dinner buffet. For dessert, I had fresh pineapple, cinnamon caramel flan, soft serve ice cream, and piña colada bread pudding. Everything was delicious! My 9-year-old brother had some kind of strawberry banana smoothie so he barely touched his food! But he was happy. This was a great lunch to end my weekend:)

    (4)

  • Sharon H.

    RE: SPECIAL OCCASION PARTIES my review is probably 2-3 years late, and i hardly write reviews for places, but I always said i would write a review for the place that made many occasions very memorable for me. I've held my daughter's 1st birthday & our WEDDING ceremony/reception was held at the willows. both events were AMAZING, at an affordable price for the quality of food and environment we got. its s pretty little spot in the middle of nowhere and u feel like ur in a completely different place once u step in,. MAINLY i wanna give a shotout to TRACY who is the event coordinator there, and she had helped me from step 1- finish of both parties i held there, and pretty much held my hand through the whole process of party planning. she never pushed me to do anything, never rushed me, and always remained calm (even if i was late to turn in numbers). showing me pictures, giving suggestions of vendors and at the same time allowing me to do my own research. i was young, naive, and totally inexperienced but having someone like TRACY totally was a blessing. (i really do hope she reads this one day) THE FOOD.. was EXCELLENT. i feel like we had everything if u combine both parties: from prime rib to lau lau, to chinese style mahi mahi...to the japanese butterfish at our buffets. and i may not have had a lot of experience throwing parties, but ive eaten at many, and i feel like our food was better than many of the hotels in waikiki. serious. they have a full bar inside the biggest room and a bathroom which makes life so convenient. a stage to go up on, and a huge projector screen. THE SERVICE was EXCELLENT :) they helped with all my rubbish in the end and was always so accommodating with my refrigeration needs, ordering drinks etc... MY FRIENDS. FAMILY, AND GUESTS were all happy with big bellies. i still dream about eating their LAU LAU. mmmmmmm....LOVE IT THERE.

    (5)

  • Caryn W.

    The Willows is a nice restaurant to come to for special occasions. Every time I go, I always see someone having a wedding shower or birthday party. The scenery is nice with lots of greenery and some ponds with lots of places to take pictures. There were even some ducklings when I went this past Saturday. The kids seem to enjoy running around the place with water shooting up from the holes in the ground. The food is like the rating says, "A-OK." I enjoyed several things on the buffet line, like the portobello mushrooms and toast, the chicken karaage, the curry, and most of the desserts (fried haupia, flan, bread pudding, and ice cream). I don't really care for Hawaiian food, which was a highlight of the buffet on Saturday, so that took up a section in the little room the buffet was in. Other selections included sushi, different kinds of salad, prime rib, crab legs, and 2 kinds of soup. I know the buffet is also a bit pricey for dinner, so a better bet would be to come for weekend lunch instead. I think there are only a few differences between the lunch buffet and dinner buffet.

    (3)

  • Gspot H.

    the Atmosphere and Facade is relaxing and organic. Their Brunch buffet is amazing and plentiful. Crab, steak, soft serve icecream, soup, they got it all. Reservations are recommended

    (5)

  • N G.

    2/15/14 went for lunch to celebrate my moms belated birthday and my dads early birthday. good food!!! I enjoyed the poi stew, crab legs, prime rib, pea salad and soft serve with nuts and oreos. too bad I missed out on the sprinkles though. and too bad the water area doesn't work anymore! my daughter would of loved that! my parents both got a "free birthday dessert" too bad it looked better than it tasted. the strawberry rose was fancy though!

    (4)

  • Chris L.

    Awesome spread of food. Squid Luau. Curry is bomb. Variety of desserts. Nom Nom Nom

    (5)

  • Kristen U.

    Came here for a bridal shower the other week and it was fabulous! First off, they valet, but we came on a Sunday and valet was off so everyone could park in the lot across the street for free. Other than that, I think there's a valet charge and another self parking lot down the street that you also have to pay for. We ate brunch here and the food selection was perfect for my taste- eggs benedict, hawaiian food, fried rice, assorted breakfast meats, assorted salads, omelette bar, fish of the day, prime rib, and CRAB LEGS! The moment I saw the crab legs, I made a bee-line toward them and completely ignored everything else. Can't really vouch for what everything else tasted like, but the crab was good! For dessert I especially loved their bread pudding. This is my second time coming and the bread pudding is always delicious - must have! Aside from the food, the grounds are beautiful. I've came here twice for two separate parties in two different rooms, and both rooms were very private, clean, and well kept. My only complaint is that one of the "food runners" that were refilling the buffet was a complete jerk. He kept bossing everyone around, making us move for him and grumbling when there were too many people in one corner. (the f#$k?!) This was really disappointing and is the only reason why I'm rating it 4 stars.

    (4)

  • Ted P.

    We went with a large family group with some young kids - and everyone enjoyed it. Some of us were locals who come here on special occasions - some of us (me included) were mainlanders there for the first time. The food is a buffet with a great selection of tasty Hawaiian-style food. They had Lau Lau, Lomi Salmon, THREE kinds of Poke (includeing the elusive octopus Poke), lobster, noodles, fried mochi, macaroni salad and many more. No Spam or Spam Musubi, so they didn't have everything. If you are in Honolulu and eating mostly stylized Hawaiian food at fancy restaurants or just sticking to American food - I recommend trying The Willows (in business here at the same location since 1944) for an introduction to a variety of Hawaiian food favorites and to enjoy the atmosphere. There is a natural spring on their property that they have used to make a small pond with a catamaran (you can sit on the catamaran during dinner), and a very nice garden environment. They had live Hawaiian music when we were there. It seemed like a real old-school experience - I could just imagine the exact same dining experience one might have had in 1945.

    (5)

  • Sherry N.

    Ok this is long over due...Thanksgiving 2012. If you're looking for the traditional turkey with stuffing, ham & of course mashed potatoes do not go to Willow's. I was disappointed as pressed turkey and ham were served!!! PRESSED!!! Can you believe it? Not to dog Zippys but even they serve REAL turkey on Thanksgiving! Come on Willow's get with the program!!! With all that they had to offer I liked their butternut squash soup. Disappointed...

    (1)

  • Traci H.

    I've eaten here many times and think it's a great place to take people from out of town. Good buffet - of course you overeat. Nothing is the best I've ever had, but it's good and has a good spread: the Hawaiian food, Japanese food, and just local food. There's the carving station with suckling pig and/or prime rib, soups, salads, poke and so much more. Desserts are usually pretty good with the haupia and fried hapuia! (there's other stuff like bread pudding and the frozen yogurt machine too). It's an open air seating so you get to enjoy the nice weather (if it's a nice day). I know they have private rooms but I've never been in it. I think it's probably pretty pricey and a little "touristy" for locals but I try to bring folks here since it's a kind of cool experience. There's even one of those jumping water fountains that kids go crazy about!

    (4)

  • T F.

    Ono Hawaiian food! Chicken long rice was DELICIOUS!!! and so was everything else!

    (4)

  • Christine I.

    The WIllows is a landmark Waikiki restaurant that has been around for decades, with island-paradise decor. The buffet costs an astronomical $35 per person. Despite the price, we were excited to come here, because this is an old-school Hawaiian place, and my husband had come here with his parents when he was a kid and remembered it fondly. I wish I could give negative stars. This meal was like a bad movie. First, we arrived about an hour before they closed. No fewer than a half a dozen employees made it a point of telling us, with great intensity, that the buffet would be closing down in about an hour, so we would need to hurry up and eat. I am not joking. Even the few employees that were milling around the buffet line each made it a point to convey this information to us. Needless to say, we felt hurried. Then, in a nearly empty restaurant (there were only two or three other tables occupied) we had to wait... and wait... and wait... for a server to come over to take our drink order. The food itself was really disgusting. The rice paddle next to the giant rice cooker was sitting in a bin of murky water. I didn't even touch it. The selection was very repetetive. There were a few chicken curry-type dishes that all looked pretty much the same (and not at all interesting). They had Chicken Long-Rice, and it was just OK. It was like so-so home cooking. There was scant seafood. They had boiled shrimp and king crab legs, just like you would find at any crappy buffet. They advertised a carving station. This was probably the worst thing. Under hot lamps were 2 or 3 dried out ends of meat. The beef was literally dehydrating. Standing in front of this display, dumbfounded, I looked up to see the "Carver" emerge from the kitchen door, chewing food. He was still chewing as he arrived at his station, and asked me what I would like. I passed. I just filled up on tako poke and lomi lomi salmon, both of which were under salted. I went back up to take a second look at things, and yep, ANOTHER employee informed me that they were closing up the dinner service, but that we still had a few minutes to "enjoy" the desserts. The desserts were served in PLASTIC, DISPOSABLE CUPS! ...like the kind of cups they serve samples of food in at the grocery store. They had something they called creme brulee, served in a plastic cup (!), with not a thing bruleed about it. On top of this, the desserts were not tasty. Then, it took three times as long to get our check as it did to get our drinks (and I thought they were all in such a hurry to go home!). My husband was very angry. So was I, but I had to laugh (so I wouldn't scream). My Mom came along on our vacation with us, and she and I descended into absolute hilarity about all of this. There is a lovely central courtyard in the restaurant; in the center of one end is the hostess station/cash register. We all shuffled over there to pay on our way out. Around the station, they have photos displayed of weddings at The Willows. The thought of someone suffering through a wedding here caused more hilarity, and we were pushed completely over the edge when we noticed that in one of the photos, the groom was hugging his Mommy, not his bride (who was just kind of standing there). Despite our sympathies for the bride, after eating here, we know just how the groom feels! Apparently, we found out afterwards, the restaurant had fairly recently changed ownership, and in the words of a local resident, the new owner "doesn't really care." And it shows. If you want to pay out the nose for awful food, and even worse service, this is your place.

    (1)

  • John M.

    The Willows, anybody that has been there can and will tell you that it is a great place to take out of town visitors (ie, tourists). It has a great atmosphere with partial outdoor seating. The buffet is very good with a nice selection across the board. Deserts are pretty good too if you can fit it into your already filled tummy. I have set up three wedding receptions there for out of towners and they ranted and raved about it for years! It has the essence of dining in paradise! The only reason why I am giving it a four star vs five after ranting and raving about it myself is because I liked the old Willows better. It was like dining in someone's backyard or tropical garden. It still has the tropical garden atmosphere but with commercialization. I still love it none the less!

    (4)

  • Jodi O.

    We held our wedding at the Willows a few weeks ago - it was awesome. I live on the mainland and planned the whole thing long distance. The Willows staff made the entire planning process stress-free (if I hadn't had their help with all the planning, I probably would have been one of those bitchy bridezillas!). They ordered the cake, flower arrangements, leis, videographer...even could have ordered the officiant if we didn't already have one picked out. Everything was set up beautifully and Keri, the catering director, provided me with great advice on things I was clueless about! Chef Jay did a wonderful job on the food. My in laws said they thought it was even better than Roy's! Even the kids loved their special keiki meals. I was a little worried about whether the chocolate cake I picked for dessert would measure up to my favorite warm chocolate cake at Roy's. Chef Jay did not disappoint! It was delicious! The grounds are beautiful. I just got my wedding photos back and they look great with all the plants and the waterfall, etc in the background. It was great being able to have the ceremony and reception all in one place AND have great food to go along with the relaxing, tropical atmosphere. Our guests loved it. It was everything we hoped for and more. I would highly recommend the Willows for any special group occasion or even just for dinner or lunch (the buffet rocks!).

    (5)

  • Aaron S.

    Wife's aunt and uncle invited us here. Good food for a buffet. 2 hour table limit to prevent grazing? We were actually there longer than that to let the kids play near the fountain. There was a wedding in the back hall which gave the night a festive feel. I hear the place was just renovated and the place looked great. Forgot that we were in the midlle of a residential area. Staff was friendly and attentive. Dufus valet misplaced my key and had to wait awhile for the rental.

    (4)

  • Christa W.

    the PERFECT "relatives visiting and must take them somewhere nice but not too pricey but very hawaii and oh ps: i want to impress them with my knowledge of the island's best kept secrets" place. watch out for the buffet though because it's super expensive-- and the food isn't replaced as often as it should be so you'll pay like $40 for cold crab. yum. HEY! check out the $50 all you can drink wine parties they have there. i think they are once a month? second thursday? anyone? someone review it! i'm thinking about going to the february 8th one.

    (3)

  • Gourmet G.

    Located off the beaten tourist path, within the heart of the historic residential Moili'ili district, it's situated on an acre of lush tropical gardens, resplendent with native flowers and cascading waterfalls. Small open-air dining areas with gleaming hardwood floors hover over koi ponds at different levels, surrounded by lush foliage and fountains fed by the natural springs of the area. (It's best to dine here when the humidity is low, otherwise it can be slightly uncomfortable.) There are two dining options, both heavy with Hawaiian, South Pacific, and Asian influences - the very popular buffet and the more upscale Rainbow Room (open from 5:30 - 8:00pm Wednesday through Sunday only), with a pricier a la carte menu. The quality of the substantial buffet is good, and features - in addition to its signature dish, an excellent shrimp curry - a number of Hawaiian specialties (laulau, lomi salmon, poke) that are excellent. But the chefs tend to reserve their true creativity for the Rainbow Room, where the assortment falls into three categories - the garden (vegetables and fruits), the ocean (seafood) and the range (meat). Unusual local ingredients like poha berries and lilikoi combine with miso, truffle oil, and cranberries for preparations that tease the palate with their unique flavors. One of the most memorable dishes we sampled was baby asparagus, lightly sauteed so they still had crunch, with sesame butter and grated Asiago cheese. Mini lamb medallions with caramelized Maui onions and crisp fried moi in a subtle miso broth were also highlights. When we found our duck breasts to be overcooked, they were whisked away without question and quickly replaced by rarer pieces. Definitely worth the trip from the hustle and bustle of Waikiki Beach, overcrowded with Kansas couples in matching Hawaiian print shirts and muumuus.

    (5)

  • Grimeater A.

    Eating at this buffet is comparable to eating at a "downtown" buffet in Vegas but worse. I'm sure the food would be ten times better if it wasn't so dry from sitting in the warmers for so long. Good for tourists looking for a cheap Hawaiian food buffet I suppose.

    (2)

  • n p.

    The first time I went here I loved it, now not so much. Yes it's great to have a pretty extensive buffet to pick and choose from. But the last time I went the food was cold. Not even luke warm but cold. Everything, the fish, vegetables, meat, rice, pasta. It was gross. It didn't help that we were seated outside so with every gust of wind the food just got colder. The only interesting element about this restaurant is the fountain. but even that isn't worth the price of a forgettable meal.

    (2)

  • Sabrina C.

    My aunties took my family and I here and the first thing I noticed was the location, for it seemed strange for such a famous place (well, famous in that my dad, who is from the islands, is always talking about it) to be in the middle of a residential place. The food did not disappoint! I skipped right over the salads to dig into the huge rice cooker, for liberal helpings of their bbq chicken. The local flavor of all the food was wonderful; for example, their fried rice definitely had a Hawaiian flair. I didn't try their roast beef, but I did like their kalua pig, chicken long rice, and their lau-lau. The chicken curry was delicious as well. So much food! I went back for thirds and fourths. The deserts were fantastic as well! The macadamia nut pie and haupia cake was perfection! Admittedly, I'm not fond of their prices (about $29 for lunch, really?), but the food was really good, and the decor was beautiful. I really liked their open air seating arrangements and the lush green plants that surrounded the place. It's also a good place to take the little ones--I saw a bunch of kids playing with the ground fountain that squirts jets of water every few seconds or so. The workers here ("the boys" as my auntie called them) are really nice as well. Come to the Willows if you want delicious local fare that is a bit classier than your average plate lunch place! Definitely coming back again!

    (4)

  • Keith C.

    If you're in Honolulu and you're in the mood for authentic Hawaiian food, then you should visit The Willows. It's tucked away on a side street in the Moili'ili neighborhood so it is easy to overlook. The inside contains waterfalls, ponds and tropical plants. The majority of tables are outside but they are covered by large tropical style roofs. You won't even realize you're outside. The Willows only serves a buffet. The advantage is that you can sample a bit of each type of Hawaiian food and go back for more of what you like. If you discover that you don't like Hawaiian food, there are plenty of other things you can eat. I've been here many times and have always left satisfied. Here are just a few of the dishes: Kalua Pork (slow cooked pork with cabbage) Chicken Long Rice (similar to chicken noodle soup with long rice noodles) Lau lau (Pork and vegetables wrapped in a ti leaf and steamed) Ahi poke (chilled tuna cubes with oil and spices) Tako Poke (raw octopus with cucumbers, onion and spices) Lomi Lomi Salmon - Salted salmon with tomatoes, onion and salt Fish of the day Chicken curry Shrimp curry Teriyaki chicken Crab legs Shrimp cocktail Carved roast beef Carved ham Sauteed vegetables Many different types of salad Lots of desserts including a soft serve ice cream machine Dinner costs $35 per person. They are also open for lunch and they serve the same things, but that only costs $20 per person. The Willows isn't within walking distance of Waikiki - you will need to drive or take a taxi. The main intersection nearest the restaurant is University and King streets.

    (3)

  • Eric L.

    Okay buffet

    (3)

  • papaya s.

    The atmosphere is really great -- open-air type dining, private rooms to host parties, and peaceful greenery and babbling brooks to surround you. Too bad those are the only positive things I can say about the Willows. Considering the high price tag for the buffet, the food is a big disappointment. Lunch is about $25 and dinner costs you $35. Everything tastes overly salted, and that's always a sign of poor quality -- not fresh and not expertly prepared. The choice of items also seems randomly thrown together -- a little bit of Hawaiian, some local Asian selections, a few American choices, and a splash of seafood. The dessert bar is OK and slightly more enjoyable than the main dishes -- but still just a variety of cakes and soft serve ice cream. Finally, the $3 valet fee is ridiculous. Tack on a tip, and you've just added $5 to your bill. Seriously, all the valet guys do is park your car in a lot across the tiny street -- you're in and out in less than a minute, and there is NO reason for the parking fee. This is a residential area, not busy downtown or Waikiki. For the price of the mediocre buffet, valet should definitely be FREE! I've been here for lunch and dinner on a few occasions and every time I leave feeling like I've been ripped off. After this last visit, I'm praying no one else has the bright idea to host a gathering here. Even if they're paying, I'd be reluctant to come back.

    (1)

  • Marc K.

    This is more of a destination than a restaurant... Good food, but high prices, sometimes spotty service. The Hawaiian entrees are the best as others have pointed out -- the lau-lau, kalua pork, chicken long-rice -- are terrific. The haupia cake is good too. But, for less money, and decidedly less ceremony, if you want Hawaiian food, I recommend Ono Hawaiian on Kapahulu. Oh yes I should say the non-Hawaiian entrees, especially the roast beef, were not noteworthy in any way. I am sticking with my 3-star rating and I guess I would continue to take tourist visitors here for a taste of the Mo'ili'ili of old. You can almost imagine the once-thriving taro patches of old next door! Oh yes, just an update, I don't know if the discount coupon is still available on their website or not. But please do check out their website for any "specials" before going.

    (3)

  • E K.

    AWFUL, AWFUL,AWFUL!!! I've been a longtime fan of this kamaaina restaurant...not any longer. And it's very sad...I think they should just throw in the towel and give up. R.I.P. Willows...

    (1)

  • Aline T.

    This place isn't bad. It's got a nice atmosphere if you manage to get a good seat. I had to sit in near the back bathrooms, so not so great. Then I came again for a club luncheon. Both times were all right food wise, not bad but not good - more of a "meh".

    (3)

  • Kama K.

    We went to the Sunday Champagne Brunch. I had gone once before with some friends and I remembered it was good. Usually I go straight for the snow crab legs and other seafood. This time the quality of the food wasn't that great? We were a little disappointed. I guess it's hit and mis. My husband enjoyed the laulau and what they called prime rib but actually roast beef. The made to order omelet station was decent. The best part of my experience was the champagne mimosa, dessert and our waiter Cory who was very attentive.

    (3)

  • Nathan K.

    I've long been a big fan of The Willow's and finally had the opportunity to return there tonight for dinner. The food once again was awesome and while I'm not the biggest fan of buffets (I'm more quality than quantity), this place is definitely one of my favorite buffets on the island. The combination of local, Hawaiian, and American fare is a winner. Not to mention the buffet has always been nicely refreshed when I've been there which makes for a very clean environment that's easy on the eyes. I hate messy buffet lines...none of that here. The food quality is consistently good and the taste of the food is top-notch! For dinner, they serve very nice size, meaty, and sweet crab legs which don't even need drawn butter. The variety of salads are good (greens, pasta, Japanese-style bean sprouts, cucumber, etc.), sushi is fresh (the salmon was much better than the ahi tonight), hot entrees like roast pork, chicken, noodles, laulau, kalua pig were delicious, and last but not least, the carving station featuring prime rib and the most delicious roast pig (with crackling skin that is to die for!) was a star! If you're hungry, in the Makiki area, and looking for some ono food to grind, Willow's definitely is for you!

    (4)

  • Jordan D.

    I'm kind of mixed about the atmosphere about the place, it has a stereotypically old-timey luau feel to it and it would probably suck if you ended up there on a rainy or humid day as it is an open air establishment for the most part. The chlorinated waterfalls/pools did catch me off guard too. I wouldn't find that pleasant if I were eating next to it. The food wasn't too great for me either. I had Kalua Pork w/ cabbage and chicken (either sesame seed or mochiko-ish i dont remember what exactly it was) and both were very lacking in flavor. Didn't really like the taste of the ceaser dressing for the salad either. I can't give an opinion about the seafood as I'm not really a seafood person. Wait staff were on it with handling plates & drinks, but the carving station was un-manned both times I checked.

    (2)

  • Kyle S.

    One of my favorite buffets in Hawaii. Whenever you are craving a good buffet or lots of Hawaiian food this is definitely the place to go. The menu varies between brunch, lunch, and dinner so be sure to check out the menu and deciding which is the best time to go. At any of the meals you can get prime rib, kalua pig, lau lau, poke, poi, and many other delicious Hawaiian delicacies. This place is nestled away from the big city near the University of Hawaii campus. With its like waterfall and greenery you will forget you are even in the big city. So whenever you are looking a nice little getaway from the big city and some good Hawaiian food this is the place to go.

    (5)

  • Serenie S.

    OH EM GEE. So pretty much everyone I know tells me they LOOOOVE going here and they eat here like once a week. So we came here for my Uncle's yakudoshi. We walked in and it smelt like chlorine because of the pool like water. It's not that great of a smell to smell while eating. Then it's a buffet. We got here early a little after they opened. For some reason, everything I grabbed and put on my plate was cold. WHY?! The taste was mediocre nothing that great just empty food to somewhat fill me up. I pretty much only liked the poi. Which is probably bought. BUT....I like the bathrooms. Really big and clean. And they have this cool fountain thing that spits water in the air.

    (2)

  • Rebecca H.

    My in-laws hosted our Hawaii wedding reception here, for the Hawaii family, after the mainland wedding and reception. There were about 30 people present. Pros: Valet parking Food was good, with a wide selection and good quality. I didn't try everything, but I did eat the traditional Hawiian foods. The raw fish dishes were fresh. We had one server assigned to us for the reception; she was personable, professional, and did a great job. They normally don't allow music, but they let the flutist cousin and harp playing friend bring their instruments and play for us, and we had a hula dancer. It was nice they made an exception for us. The grounds are have lots of interesting water features and vegetation. Cons: The whole place looks a little run down, like it hasn't been remodeled in a long time. It has a sort of 70's vibe. The neighborhood is a bit sketchy. It is expensive, although you can get $2 off each meal if you go during the week. If you are looking for a special lunch with Hawaiian/Asian food, or having a small reception, I think this is a good place. There is a chapel but I wouldn't want to get married there; the chapel is smack in the middle of the property, and you would walk down the "aisle" with people eating lunch all around you. Overall it was a good, and we enjoyed the attentive service and good eats. It is dressy in the "hawaiian shirt and khakis" kind of dressy. I wouldn't wear shorts and slippas there, but regular Hawaii wear is fine.

    (4)

  • beverly r.

    Oh boy! I was referred to this place by an old friend who speaks highly of them. Hubby and I excitedly decided to check it out. I think the restaurant is in an odd location surrounded by apartment buildings. Who would have thought there was a restaurant in there. But as you walk in, it feels like you're in a totally different area. Maybe that's what they were going for. There was a nice pond, landscaping was clean surrounded by tropical trees and shrubs. This is not the "typical" set up of a buffet like in a casino or something. It's more like an event buffet. Hot trays served on white linen. The selection of food was not really to my liking. I'm not very fond of kalua pig or curry. I stuck mostly to the thin prime rib, boiled shrimps, chicken karage....the simple stuff. The desserts were not too appealing and that's coming from someone with a sweet tooth. The ambiance was pretty but it didn't make up for the overpriced cost of $35 per person. Overall, I will not be returning. I'd rather go to the food court at the Ala Moana mall.

    (2)

  • Allan G.

    I was here a couple of weeks ago in early August for a wedding. The food was good, the poke was amazing and I was easily destroying my diet after being in Hawaii for only two days.

    (3)

  • May L.

    Checked the website on their saturday lunch hours today. it says it opens till 2:30. Arrived at 1:30 the parking attendants told us they are closing in 20 min and food is pretty much done. I told them I checked with their website, they said to check with front desk because they are not sure. Went to front desk, the girl said we had the wrong information and gave us a big attitude. It is not the guests' fault when you advertise your hours of operation wrong. I work in a restaurant myself, and when something like this goes wrong, the best you can do is provide good customer service, not give them attitude!

    (1)

  • Stacie I.

    I had my civil union ceremony and reception at the Willows so this review is mainly on those aspects... When my partner and I began planning our event we considered 3 other venues but finally chose the Willows because of the ambiance and convenience of having the chapel and reception venue on the same property. They have great wedding packages for whatever fits your budget, but catering packages are separate and a bit pricey but worth the quality/quantity of food. We worked with Tracy who is the coordinator and she was very accommodating and incredibly helpful. She played a vital role in planning almost all the important parts that will normally stress the bride out such as: the bouquet, wedding cake, minister, catering and etc. Basically, we told her what we wanted, she took care of it, and we got it! Amazing! During our rehearsal and on the wedding day, Tracy was so professional at coordinating where everyone needed to be and making sure we were alright. Our rehearsal, ceremony, and reception went perfectly just the way we envisioned! Much mahalos to her! Our guests loved the food (most of them had never eaten here before so it was great to hear that). My favorite was the poke and miso butterfish that was melt in the mouth ono almost as good as grandma used to make. During the reception I noticed the wait staff was quick to refill drinks and clear off plates during dinner. Definitely appreciate that! On that day, we were able to have the place to ourselves in between the lunch and dinner service in order to have our ceremony. We were able to take awesome wedding pictures by the little waterfall and chapel they have on site. Parking can be a pain for any patron of this place. The parking lot is small and valet only. But I guess that's what you have to deal with since it's located in the middle of a housing/apartment neighborhood. All in all, when it comes to the wedding services, this place is awesome! I have no complaints about the venue, staff, and food.

    (5)

  • Stephanie H.

    Okay, so despite the mixed bag of reviews on Yelp, I have to say I like this place. The atmosphere here is great, and for me ambiance is half the battle. As soon as you walk in you forget that you are smack in the middle of urban Honolulu. It's lush and green with flowers and foliage lining the dining areas and pond. It's perfect for a large group; there are large dining tables for big groups or you can reserve a private dining room. It's a buffet so it's a little pricey, but this isn't a place you would come for a casual dinner date. It's the perfect place to celebrate special events, they can even do weddings here. For the price I'd say you get your moneys worth, for sure. Especially compared to other buffets I've tried where the freshness is often questionable. The dinner buffet spread consists typically of a salad bar, poke bar, dungeness crab legs, sushi sashimi, and a carving station. Not to mention their spread of local fare like kalua pork and lau lau and of course the dessert bar. All in all for the price, ambiance and variety of foods this has easily become a favorite of mine. I'd reccomend it for large groups, parties, or even just as a fun place to bring your out-of town guests.

    (4)

  • Joel C.

    Cool atmosphere...Pretty good food.

    (4)

  • Liz T.

    I don't think this is what it use to be in the '70s. The weekday lunch buffet is a sad sight to behold. It offers Hawaiian classics like kalua pig, lomi lomi salmon, and chicken long rice, etc.--but they were sitting around for a while (the dozen or so flies gave it away). Having eaten street food in Vietnam, I'm not easily scared of contracting West Nile virus here, so I eat what's out (which isn't much). I was looking forward to Misoyaki Butterfish and Teriyaki Chicken Karaage, but there were other not-so-hot hot entrees and daily not-so-special specials instead. The prime rib was drying at the edges and tasted like jerky. I did want to like this place because of the $20 lunch buffet and cascading waterfalls, but I rather hit up Todai's buffet or Hawaiian food at People's Cafe. These willows make me weep.

    (2)

  • Tanya G.

    We came here for a huge graduation party. The grounds are GORGEOUS and ALL of the food was absolutely SUPERB and super fresh. The outside bartender really took care of us (as we did him!) I understand this place is pricey, but its totally worth it for a special event - you won't be disappointed!

    (4)

  • Peter T.

    The personality and ambiance The Willows projects is genuine and true to the Hawaiian theme. Locals and tourists alike comrpise the majority of the clientele. We went for a 1 o'clock brunch and enjoyed every moment. Service was good, perhaps a little overbearing at times. When in a large party, the server should be liked, never remembered for good or for bad, and do his or her job rather unnoticed. The buffet spread was impressive combining continental and Hawaiian cusine. Personal favorites were the crispy, non-greasy bacon, the not overly sweet or salty ahi poke, and the omlelett buffet. They also offer a desert bar with phenominal flan, cheesecake, and macadamea nut pudding.

    (4)

  • Patricia O.

    We went for our wedding anniversary. Was disappointed. We were offered the skin of the pork. We expected it to be crispy, but, it was leathery. I chewed on it.... then had to discard it as it was way too tough to eat/enjoy. The prime rib was way overcooked. We've had better elsewhere. My husband liked the mahimahi. I liked the fried haupia. The desserts were mediocre. The flavors were bland... nothing to write home about. What a disappointment.

    (2)

  • Jeff M.

    Went to the Thanksgiving buffet...very disappointed....pressed turkey and pressed ham....wow. buffet line set-up was awkward...after getting your starch...two lines merged to the prime rib table

    (2)

  • John B.

    Took my wife and children here yesterday for their Sunday brunch buffet. Total bill was $151.00 not including tip or valet parking. We had a 10am reservation for their first seating. They opened promptly at 10am and we were quickly seated, but the buffet wasn't ready until 10:15am. Considering the cost, we were greatly disappointed in the limited food offerings on the buffet line, and none of what was on the line had been brought up to proper temperature before being served. The only thing hotter than lukewarm was the soup...even the prime rib and pork loin were cool. At that price, we were expecting some serious kitchen overachievement and we were completely underwhelmed. We liked the location and decor, but that's about the extent of our positive reaction to the place. Definitely not something we'd do again.

    (2)

  • Lisa J.

    It makes me sad to say this, but I don't think I like Willows anymore. We had our rehearsal lunch at Willows last November and I remember the food being pretty good. Almost 3 years ago, before I moved to Japan, we had my 'going away' dinner here and the food was good back then too. Fast foward to the present.... I've been to Willows twice in the past 2 months and both times the food was kind of blah. Our most recent trip was for Father's Day. Majority of the buffet items were 'spicy ____' or 'kim chi _____'. It was kind of disappointing not to have wider range of non-spicy entrees. No Hawaiian food last night, but there were oysters (which I don't like), crab legs (very small), nairagi sashimi, and shrimp cocktail. The desserts were also kind of blah. There was a strawberry chiffon cake that had a weird aftertaste. It was like the shortening or butter they used in the cake had absorbed some yucky fridge odor. The vanilla sauce for their bread pudding was also missing. =( After soft drinks, tax, and tip, our total came out to about $50/person. Ouch. I could have had the garlic steak at Hy's for less than that!!! Sadly, I feel like the Willows isn't emphasizing quality anymore but just trying to keep the folks happy with quantity. =(

    (2)

  • Danielle P.

    Didn't know this place existed. We had the privilege of coming here for a friend's wedding. It's a beautiful venue for such an occasion. The banquet room was big enough for about 100 people and the food was good. Probably wouldn't come here just to come because the menu is pretty pricey and I'm on a budget.

    (4)

  • Johnny J.

    Set just outside of the Waikiki business district on what seems a residential side street is one of the tastiest buffets I have had a chance to enjoy. On my last two visits to Waikiki I have been fortunate enough to get to enjoy the local Hawaiian fare offered here. T and I are even considering using it as our wedding rehearsal dinner location. I know I wouldn't mind. My favorites this time were the whole roasted suckling pig and the roast beef. The haupia and bread pudding were delicious too. The setting is beautiful. With lush greenery and streams running through the venue it doesn't feel like a city at all when in the restaurant. Only minus is the weird parking validation thing going on. They have a parking lot that is valet run. Fine, but you can get validated. But you are still charged for the parking. But the parking is only for this one place? Why would they even need to validate? It doesn't take away from the food or the experience though. Not until you leave at least. :)

    (4)

  • Catherine W.

    I'm usually not fond of buffets but this place just hits the spot for me every time when I've got the craving. I've been there for brunch more often than dinner and feel like it's more worth the $$'s at lunch than it is for dinner. The staff is always friendly and the chef even prepared some items special for me since I was pregnant and had a restricted diet. I also have lots of fond memories going there with my parents and relatives for special occasions.

    (3)

  • d s.

    My love of large folks started at birth because every member of my family weighs at least 200 pounds. Except me. I'm the skinniest bitch with my surname -- in fact, I should probably hire an asshole PI or a crackpot genealogist to draw up a fucking family tree because I frankly wouldn't be surprised if I found out that my parents ABDUCTED me from an unoccupied stroller at Ala Moana Center and raised me as their own, the visual juxtaposition in our family pics is HILARIOUS. Come to think of it, I'm probably the skinniest fucking bitch ON THIS ENTIRE ISLAND. And the bitterest. And the craziest. And the WHORE-iest. If you've got a large extended family and you're looking for a restaurant that serves a wide variety of good food on Christmas Day in a tropical setting complete with cabana-like dining areas, koi ponds, palms, waterfalls, and, yes, willow trees, you could do much worse than The Willows. Don't be fooled by it's location amidst concrete apartement buildings and the dirty accoutrements of development and industrialization; The Willows opened in 1944 and was built around an artesian well -- Kapa`akea Springs -- that originally belonged to the Hausten homestead. I had wonderfully moist and salty lamb chops, a thick slice of prime rib, perfect lomi salmon, two kinds of ahi poke, and a spicy pork. I was rather underwhelmed by the desserts: a pumpkin "crunch" that was more "mush," a runny bread pudding, and a panna cotta in a miniature plastic cup missing something called flavor. And I rued the absence of their famous chicken curry -- a mild curry served with condiments like nuts and raisins used as garnishes -- and mango chutney from the spread. But I'm just carping: I certainly don't expect EVERYTHING at a buffet to be exemplary. Oh yeah, it's a buffet. Because in my family we go big OR we go home! Or is it we grow big THEN we go home?

    (4)

  • Kenneth C.

    I believe I could have spend my $30 on much better (at least more tasty) food then "The Willow". I remember this place use to be better but it was a great disappointment for me tonight. The food seem like it had been sitting there for a while, and everything seem to be too salty.

    (1)

  • Bret H.

    "This place is only good if a large group of friends or family feel like stuffing themselves with local and Hawaiian food in a buffet setting." Thanks Tolkein, for writing my review for me ;)

    (5)

  • Jesse W.

    7/1/08: Disclosure: Restaurant selection by others, good for large groups bad if you're looking for a memorable food experience. I can't say that I really enjoyed the meal, the thought of all-you-can-eat already disappointed me (quantity is important to the locals). Anyways, I will admit that if you have any tourists in town and you want to skip the whole luau experience (but need to load up on hawaiian food) - this is your place. I would have given the place ONE star but the atmosphere is quite nice - hard to believe that you're in moiliili once you enter the complex. The restaurant is a series of pavillion (open to the outdoor) with covered walkways throughout. Free street parking on King Street (about one block away), otherwise pay the valet $3.00 plus tip.

    (2)

  • LoveYelp L.

    Willows provided catering services for our wedding reception at the Waikiki Aquarium. Keri Endo was great to work with. We changed the invoice numerous times with changes in tables, linen colors, guest count, etc, and Keri updated the invoice accurately every time and was very flexible with our changes. When we first started planning the wedding 6 months prior, Keri was a little bit slow in responding to emails, but she never lost track of any of the details and was always 100% on target. A few months before the wedding, Keri picked up and was responsive to emails when needed. Keri and team set up for our wedding reception on time and did a beautiful job with the tables and making sure everything was right. Our guests loved the food. We asked the Willows to provide some custom menu items and they did a great job and were very flexible with our requests. The most popular items with our guests was the char shiu duck and the lomi lomi salmon on taro chips. People also loved the misoyaki butterfish. Some of the food was a little bit salter than during our tasting, but I think that may be because the food may have been sitting a bit longer than when it was served straight from the kitchen during our tasting. During the wedding, everything served as warm as it should be and overall, we are very satisfied with the set-up, service, and their attention to detail.

    (5)

  • Tolkien L.

    This place is only good if a large group of friends or family feel like stuffing themselves with local and Hawaiian food in a buffet setting. Food is not bad, good for visitors to relax and stuff their face. It's in a open area so you may not want to dine there on a windy or rainy day.

    (3)

  • Dub C.

    Used to always come here when growing up in Hawaii. Visited a few weeks ago, and had lunch reservations. They close their buffet at 2pm, our reservations were for 1 pm for a party of 10. We arrived on time, and was seated promptly. However, to our suprise, almost everything was gone in the buffet selection, and not refilled. Crab legs about 10 left, ahi poke gone, taco poke gone, prime rib very little left. There were several other large parties that came in the same time as us, mostly Japanese tourist. You would expect that when you pay $25 per person for a buffet, and there are about 30 plus pple still being seated at 1pm they would refill their items.

    (1)

  • Tad N.

    I think this must have been better in its day. We had the buffet and everything was so-so. I expected the sushi to be mediocre so went for the hawaiian food. Poi was watery, lau lau was ok. The only good thing was that it was free...was a company function.

    (2)

  • guinevere h.

    Five words: All-you-can-eat poke. This is where locals go to celebrate special occasions. My tutu's birthday? The Willows. My engagement party? The Willows. My dad's retirement party? The Willows. Five more words: All-you-can-eat haupia. Yum.

    (5)

  • Victoria K.

    I went to Willows for the first time in 2006 and I remember food being quite good. So when my mom came to town, hubby and I thought it would be a good place to go. Big mistake. First, we tried to make reservations at 7. They told us only 7:30 was available. Ok, fine. Yet we showed up at 7:15 to find hardly any people in dining room. Please don't tell me that everyone suddenly cancelled their reservations so why couldn't they have taken us earlier I have no idea. Food-two kinds of green salad-both wilted bean sprout salad-decent peas with onion in some sort of sour cream/mayo-yick prime rib-just ok mochiko chicken-fairly decent two kinds of curries-didn't look very appetizing so we didn't have any laulau-just ok lomi lomi-taste was fine but barely any salmon in it chicken long rice-just ok grilled vegetables-zucchini, brocolli, carrorts, califlower-fairly tasty and as far as I am concerned, the best dish in the buffet. they also had rice, some sort of soup and dinner rolls-your average fair, nothing special. Dessert-bread pudding looked like a hockey puck and about as appetizing, first time I have ever seen bread pudding look like that fried haupia-looked like it was dipped in bread crumbs and fried, greasy and nasty looking brownie-dry and tasted like it just came from the mix cheesecake-your average cheesecake. I actually had cheesecake at Genki Sushi some time back and it was better than this. There was also soft serve ice cream, in one flavor, vanilla, which hubby enjoyed, and some sort of fruit salad which didn't look too appetizing either. Verdit-if you like all you can eat mediocre food for inflated price, this is a good place. Otherwise, steer clear. All I can say is that its totally gone downhill in terms of food and its quiality. No way in hell am I going back

    (1)

  • Shannon C.

    I've been here many times when they first re-opened a few years ago and really enjoyed it, but now, it's okay. I had brunch there today and was not excited about the food. It reminded me of an upscaled sizzlers. I think that they should keep the buffet line a little cleaner. It was a little messy. But over all, it was okay.

    (3)

  • Christina K.

    This is a local hide-a-way that is perfect for celebrating special group events. We had my uncle's retirement party, welcoming my other uncle's in-laws from the mainland, birthdays, etc. It has an outdoor, tropical rain forest atmosphere and a water feature to entertain the small kids. Mostly valet parking (c'mon people, it's Honolulu), you can check out the menu at: willowshawaii.com/dinner… I recently found out about their Happy Hour which sounds pretty good. I haven't done that yet. Other than that, it's all buffet which is about $35/person. The food is great, service great, atmosphere great. Just try to check the weather before going because if it's windy and rainy, or hot and humid, you lose.

    (4)

  • war k.

    Nice tropical ambiance, seems like this is where everyone takes their dates to charm them in a sort of secluded getaway. There is a nice waterfall that is very pretty at night (did I say pretty?), the host are nice and the place has lots of room to let kids run wild. The open air cabanas are nicely set and feels like you are in some tropical jungle instead in the middle of town. The buffet is great but it gets crowded in there. There is a local Hawaiian buffet. What I didn't care for is the parking that needs to be improved. This please is good for large parties.

    (4)

  • Ed K.

    gonna keep going.. sooo was my couzin's mayday program was a big deal to us. had the intro conche shell in the introduction ceremony and the different grades coming out to perform hula as usual. to celebrate, we went to willows. in moilili, a little bit past pucks alley is kick-back relaxing place for gettogether serving hawaiian buffet food is a treat, like a high class hotel restaurant but instead a restaurant the middle of town. valet parking is accross the street. the menu consist of all the familiars: salads, lomi salmon, lau lau, various selection of poke, prime rib, stew, curry, desert island, etc. dining area is not ginormous, but is an outdoor open air environment that can fit several tables of 12. really tho, u already know that its all about who you're going with ie: company retreat from concrete jungle, soccer team potluck, or perhaps a reunion. the environment is decorated w/ the indigenous landscaping on the way in and outdoor dining area showcasing mini waterfall. woa! watch out nature. as if it couldn't get any better, theres local hawaiian music performances on scheduled date/time listed on the website is live & direct, non-generic, one of a kind performances that u may or may not notice until they gone to stimulate all 5 senses at once.. soak it up, find a reason to be there especially if u almost forgot. is still nice.. =)))

    (5)

  • Cynthia A.

    If I could give this place zero stars I would. I find it hard to believe that Gourmet G. is talking about the same place. Did he get all that prose from a pamphlet? It's like his review is porno for foodies: it might turn you on, but it's not real. Maybe his good buddy owns the place? The Willows uses truffle oil? Yeah, right. The Willows is for local people, and local people do not appreciate truffle oil. Let me tell you the REAL DEAL, and read on about my graduation lunch NIGHTMARE! First off, let me tell you that I'm a musician and I play at a lot of weddings. I gotta give it to The Willows: the foliage is nice. People like to get married there because it's decent-looking and not a crazy-expensive venue. I should know - I've been researching wedding venues recently. It's not crazy-affordable, but not awful. If you attend a reception at The Willows, you'll find the food is decent. I remember their mochiko chicken (or was it garlic chicken?) was pretty good, and they had the standard decent prime rib station. Last time I was there playing for a wedding (after I swore I would never go there again...but I went anyway as a favor) we were packed in the reception room like sardines, so it was a little uncomfortable, but the food was decent. Okay, HERE'S MY WILLOWS NIGHTMARE w/ background info: I attended the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Everyone in Hawaii knows it's nearly impossible to graduate from that school in 4 years. It's basically a 5-year school. And then because I changed majors after my freshman year it actually took me 7 years to get my undergrad. Yeah, it's kind of embarrassing. Anyways, I walked at graduation, and my immediate family of 3 siblings, mom, dad, plus Tutu (grandma) and grandpa took me to the now-dreaded Willows for a graduation lunch celebration. The food was the Sunday buffet, not as good as the wedding-buffets that I'd sampled several times, but not terrible. (Other people have since concurred that the wedding buffet is better than the regular fare). I had just gone back for a last serving of prime rib, sitting at the end of my table when it hit me. LITERALLY. The waiter (who's name from his name-tag will be forever burned in my memory) had just collected all the used dishes from my family's table and put them on his tray which he was holding with one hand. The other hand held a pitcher of ice water. Imagine this in slow motion: the tray of used dishes tilts, the waiter gets unbalanced, he tries to catch some of the white ceramic dishes of half-eaten food as they tumble onto my head and left shoulder, pitcher of ice water pours its contents down my back. There is a huge crashing and splashing sound to accompany all of this, then a dead silence as many, many families also celebrating UH graduations stare at me. I am wet, cold, and stunned. There was freaking shrimp on me, and (you'll know if you read my other reviews) I HATE SHRIMP! There was freaking HALF-EATEN SHRIMP on me, no less. And the plates kind of hurt as they hit me. And then I wanted to cry because everyone's auntie and grandma from other tables rushed towards me and started wiping me off with their cloth napkins. I couldn't move. I was so embarrassed, so shocked, so angry. This was my freaking graduation lunch (after a difficult 7 years!) and I get to have 8 people's dirty dishes fall on me and a pitcher of ice water poured down my back to celebrate. My mom led me to the bathroom to further wipe myself down. I looked in my purse to get a hairbrush or something, and guess what?! There was FREAKING SHRIMP TAILS IN MY PURSE! Shrimp tails in my bag, which had a pool of water on the bottom. I was so angry. A female worker from The Willows came into the bathroom to see if I was OK. I was too pissed to talk, so I said I was fine in the coldest voice I could muster. How the Hell did she think I was? All roses?! I went back out to the dining area to wait for my family so I could LEAVE THE GOD-AWFUL PLACE. My mom wanted to take pictures first. I guess that's the whole reason she wanted to go to The Willows, you know since the foliage is all nice. I refused. I just wanted to get out of there. It was just too awful and embarrassing to remain. As we were leaving, some manager came and apologized to me and said they were comp-ing us 2 meals and would cover any of my dry-cleaning expenses if I brought the receipt back. I couldn't believe my ears. I have trouble expressing myself when I'm really pissed. THEY SHOULD'VE COVERED MY WHOLE FAMILY. Two meals, my ass. Dry-cleaning, my ass! Like I ever wanted to come back to turn in some receipt. I went home and cut up the soiled skirt I was wearing, threw away the shirt. I would be happy to see The Willows' nice foliage catch fire. The food's not anything special anyway. (This is not a threat; I'm just saying I would take pleasure in seeing the trees burn).

    (1)

  • Phil L.

    My boss brought a group of us here on a business trip. With pleasant open-air garden seating and cabana decor, Willows offers a green oasis in a very busy part of town otherwise dominated by the tourist trade. I seem to remember there was a wooden boat in the courtyard? I am no expert on the local cuisine, but the variety and portions seem to compare favorably to other restaurants I've visited while in Hawaii.

    (3)

  • Natasha G.

    we celebrated my son's first birthday here. it was fantastic from the beginning until the end. the waiter was so warm and helpful. the food was delicious. i would celebrate anything here! we received so many compliments about this place. everyone said that they were so surprised that this place was where it was (nestled in between a neighborhood). great experience here!

    (5)

  • Daisy S.

    I like this place. I mean... it's a fancy Hawaiian food, but they are so good. I only come here for special occasions, but it never failed me. I like the ambiance although parking is hard to find and when you don't know where the place is... it could be trouble some to find. And the line to the food could feel forever, But, other than that, I like the food.

    (4)

  • Derik P.

    Tucked nicely in a residential neighborhood (almost hard to notice unless you're looking for it)...it's ALL YOU CAN EAT Hawaiian comfort food...and damn good too! Surrounded by water - it looks like a giant gazebo in the middle of the jungle. Bring your significant other - a few of the folks...or the whole family! Everyone will feel right at home... A MUST EAT when you're on Oahu - trust me!

    (4)

  • Chie F.

    This is where I take my relatives from Japan, and this is where I had my wedding rehearsal lunch. In other words, this place is the perfect place to have a small gathering! The buffet consists of yummy Hawaiian food like Lau Lau, Poke, even Fried Haupia!! Other than Hawaiian, they do have different types of curries, chicken, etc... The restaurant is very nice and spacious. There are different sized banquet rooms to meet your party needs. There is even a chapel for a small wedding as well.

    (4)

  • Andy D.

    Came here for a Christmas Party recently. We catered the party, so our food was separate from the buffet in the restaurant, and there was less of a selection. The food was okay, slightly better than average for most buffets. The highlight was the karaage teri chicken. The service was quick, our serving staff was quick with the refills and clearing the table. I really love the ambiance, and the little ponds, fountains, etc. You would never know that you were in the middle of Moiliili.

    (3)

  • Tin-Tin M.

    We had our wedding rehearsal dinner here and it was fantastic! Everyone raved about tropical garden atmosphere and the food. Some of the highlights were the roasted pork and the prime rib. The desserts were my personal favorite. The flan tasted more like a light creme brulee and I couldn't stop eating the strawberry cream cups even though my belly was already at full capacity. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for high quality buffet food.

    (5)

  • Saane M.

    This is my secret lunch spot when I need to escape from my demanding schedule by myself. Soothing, nice environment, friendly customers, good service and most of all tasty food.

    (4)

  • Rita L.

    great service, great food, and fabulous relaxing place.... we all had a yummy sunday brunch here! the only complaint was that the bathrooms were kinda hidden! haha! i guess for good reason.

    (4)

  • Dennis H.

    I heard great things about Willows - I heard about the seafood buffet that was for die for...What we found was a beautiful restaurant surrounded by terrible food. It may be great for locals - but for mainlanders it was a terrible experience. The fish was very fishy, with snow crab that was worse. The other "main dishes" included what must be local entries. The price for two was about $70 - go to Red Lobster and save your money.

    (1)

  • Elizabeth W.

    I remember Willows as THE place to go in the 60s and 70s. When I went back today for lunch, I remember why. It's an oasis, a step back in time, gracious and spacious. The food is good, and the ambiance cannot be beat.

    (4)

  • Michelle H.

    This is a classic Hawaii destination...it's been around for quite some time. I have eaten here a couple of times, and both times have been wonderful - tasty food and great service. I love the outdoor atmosphere here.

    (4)

  • Lola Z.

    Service was excellent, but food was not. It's buffet style 'hawaiian' food, plus crab and shrimp and other little things that might make it sound worth while, particularly, b/c you're thinking "all you can eat", but crab wasn't sweet or fresh and as far as the local food, you can get so much better flavor and value on the street - like at Yama's Fish Market for poke. Or Nico's for grilled fish and salad. The ambience was nice, but we got put by the corner at a really dark corner and when the sun went, down, we couldn't see what we were eating. The waitress was really nice and picked out some nice crab claws for us when she realized we were having trouble and she continued to check on us, but show me the FOOOD! Very disappointing for the money.

    (1)

  • Jocelyn L.

    "food is so lame. nasty, actually. don't know why locals love it..."

    (2)

  • Angel L.

    This is the second time that I've been to this place but I thought the food was alright! It could be better but at the same time wish there were more of selections on their menu, I think. The service is very slow and I think its very annoying when you got to look for the server when you really need it! If this place can improve I will definitely give it a try!

    (3)

  • tony l.

    The good of this restaurant just can't overcome the bad. The atmosphere is nice. Although you are surrounded by apartment buildings, when you are inside, all you hear is water from an underground spring and see lush greenery. The food on the other hand is less desirable. Selection is very limited and of low quality, drinks are an additional charge. And I had better dessert at Zippys. For $35 a person the drinks should be included wouldn't you think. You will also get hit with another 3 bucks plus tip for the validated parking although the lot is like 30 feet across the street. In all, not worth it and wouldn't recommend it.

    (2)

  • Lindsay J.

    I remember coming here for dinner for the first time about 3 years ago. I fell in love with their atmosphere and the food. So when it came time to decide where we wanted to have our wedding, it wasn't a hard decision. We had our wedding ceremony as well as our reception here. Their wedding coordinator Kim Otsuka was so patient with us. When we met for the consultation, she showed us all the options we had for the reception space. We discussed ideas, and she helped with things that I had overlooked. Every time I had a concern or question, she never failed to reply quickly. On the day of our wedding, she helped with the procession, and for directing people to the reception space, which helped to relieve my wedding stress. I appreciated her help so much. Our guests loved the buffet; their plates overfilled with prime rib, sushi, crab legs, lau lau, poke, and more. We had great and efficient service. The staff was very polite and addressed all our guest's needs. We recently came here for our 1 year anniversary, and needless to say, we were still happy with the food and service. :) Great job guys.

    (4)

  • Carey Y.

    I haven't been to The Willows in years, I would say at least 5 years. With that said, I was quite excited when we decided to have Mother's Day dinner there. I remember the buffet having a great assortment of food. However, I left the restaurant that night quite disappointed. While the service was good, the wait staff friendly and they did a good job of keeping our area cleared, the food on the other hand was not so great. The buffet consisted of several different types of cold salads (pasta, pea salad, Caesar, tossed greens, potato) they also had dinner rolls, mash potatoes with bacon and cheese on it, mochiko chicken, roast turkey, sautéed vegetable and miso yaki salmon. There was also trays of sashimi, crab legs, clam chowder, rack of lamb and prime rib. The mochiko chicken was decent but for a buffet that's over $30, it's not worth it to just eat that. The piece of prime rib that my grandmother got was over 50% fat which made it look very unappetizing, however I guess the person carving had no problem serving it. The roast turkey did not have that much gravy on it which, while it did have good taste, it was slightly on the dry side. The crab legs were decent. The butter was not clarified butter so you had to make sure you scooped from the top and try not to disturb the bottom of the pot. Another thing about the crab legs, they were very slow in bringing out more. So there were times we went back to get more and there wasn't any or there were only a few pieces of claws left. For dessert, the only thing that we could all agree on that was good was the lemon tort. Other than that, the red velvet cup cakes were dry and taste like refrigerator cake. The bread pudding was also quite hard, I'm not sure if it was sitting in the pan too long before being served. The fresh strawberries were also good but you really can't go wrong with that. They had some fresh fruit cut up in a bowl, but it was sitting in some type of liquid, I'm not sure if it was a syrup or just the excess liquid from the fruits but it made it look quite unappetizing. Overall, it was not that bad an experience, but definitely not some place that I will be rushing back to any time soon. The reason for the 2 stars is that I feel for the price you pay, there are better buffets out there.

    (2)

  • Kathryn M.

    I must say this is by far the WORST buffet I have ever gone to. The service is crappy and so is their food. The servers at the carving station were RUDE & LAZY. Had no clue that their buffet closes @ 230 and that explained why the guy seemed to be UPSET when I ask him for more butter for my bread which he had already put away. I'm a steak lover but the prime rib here sucked, the meat was dry and lacked flavor. The poke station was okay, could be better. The only thing I tried on their Hawaiian Food Selection was the Chicken Long Rice. I didn't really care for it, I've had better ones before. Majority of their hot items weren't HOT, it was probably out for awhile. For those that are thinking of checking this place out, I suggest you save your $25 and eat elsewhere.

    (1)

  • Jonn D.

    Rating: 3/5 stars Date visited: 5/16/2011 Food: 3/5 Service: 3/5 Atmosphere: 4/5 Price: 3/5 Parking: 4/5 I usually start off by rating an establishment in the middle, 3 stars for starters. Then adding stars, and subtracting stars for good or bad things. I would only eat here again if, 1, someone was paying, 2, someone had dragged me there, and 3, if someone is hosting a party or an event. Food: This is where they lost a star from me. The place was virtually empty upon my arrival. 2 other tables were seated besides my party. For having a buffet restaurant, there is only one person attending the buffet line, and that's the guy cutting the roast at the end. Not counting the fly that was attending to the sashimi. That's right, a fly. Buffet establishments should do everything they can from these horrible insects. Has anyone seen a dogs droppings on the grass? Well, 99.9% of the time, a fly has visited and landed on it. Get the picture? Service: It was super slow when I went, so I can only rate what I experienced. Atmosphere: After driving by this place hundreds of times, it was nice to see what was over the wall. This is where they earned a star. I felt like I was in a different kind of Hawaii. The peaceful one. The place felt huge! I can see this place hosting big parties and weddings. The even have a wedding chapel. Nice! Price: Average for Buffet's. Parking: I went on a Monday evening at around 6pm, and there was a lot of parking.

    (3)

  • Christopher T.

    Haven't been here in a couple of years and then only on special occasions like Easter Brunch. I have to admit that I don't like the special occasion menus. I always seem to miss out on the curries that Willows is known for. I was glad with the Saturday Buffet menu. I love stews and was pleasantly surprised when the buffet had Tripe Stew, Beef Stew, Portuguese Bean Soup, Chicken Curry, Shrimp Curry, and a Beef Luau type dish (delicious - stewed luau leaf, beef, and coconut milk). Tripe stew was very tender, Beef stew savory; full of flavor, Portuguese Bean soup was a little tame unless you had a lot of sausage, passed on the Chicken curry, but the Shrimp curry had a spicy kick to the shrimp. The Prime Rib was good (killer with grated horseradish), Kalua Pig, Ahi Poke, Tako Poke, Crab Legs, etc... was Great. A couple of salads are also available. I only went for the Green Pea Salad since no one at my house likes it. I guess I take after my dad since he was eating it too. The wait help were always around to refill water, ice tea, etc. Great lunch buffet for just under $30 per person. Don't forget the desserts: Haupia, Haupia/Coconut cake, Guava cake, Bread Pudding, Chocolate Brownie, Soft Serve Ice Milk. I'm full and happy and barely got to them... We'll be back sooner than later.

    (4)

  • Stacey K.

    I came here for lunch a week ago. 2 stars and I'm being nice.. the food here is poo. Sashimi: It was too hot to be out. Had that gross rubbery look. Chicken Long Rice: Super salty, little mushy. Is okay if you have a mouthful of poi. Prime Rib: Overcooked Poi: Tasted good until I had a bite of what i think was powder. Pretty sure it's fake poi. Lomi Salmon: eh.. not good by any means. Salad: Do they wash their lettuce?? No balsamic. Only fatty dressings. Dessert: Junk The only positive would be the easy parking. Service was okay. Learn from my mistake and don't dine here.

    (2)

  • Gabriel T.

    Just recently went here for my dance crew's Christmas party. I remember coming here a hecka long time ago. It was good to come back again to enjoy a nice dinner with people I love. Since I was the organizer, I had to make sure everything was top notch. I made reservations for a group of about 20 people. I had to pay a deposit for about 50 bucks. With parties 9 or over, they automatically add 15% gratuity. They were able to accommodate a large long table area for us which was pretty cool. They even were able to set up a small table for us to put gifts on since we were doing secret santa kine gift exchange. The server we had was cool. He was pretty on it. The staff and customer service is good in general. The food was just onolicious. Best thing on the menu is the korean garlic chicken. The buffet lasted quite a while thereafter since it closes at 9PM (Friday night). They have a buffet of lots of good salads, entre items like steak/noodles/'bread/veggies/mahi/etc. They have a Hawaiian food selection of pork lau lau, poi, ahi poke, lomi salmon, chicken long rice, etc. The desserts where good too. They have self serve ice cream (vanilla/chocolate/mix), a variety of cheesecakes, brownies, variety of pies, haupia, etc. Just thinking about it just makes me wanna go back and eat there again! The overall atmosphere of the restaurant is really cool especially at night. They do private shows with Hawaiian entertainment and other cool things. Since it is mostly outdoors, it gets chilly. They have a cool water fountain thing too which springs up and down. Kids like to play around in that area. The environment is very nice and chill. Highly recommendable for groups and large parties. We stayed there until they kicked us out. We were making some commotion mostly because of the activities I planned and they didn't mind. Fortunately, it wasn't a really busy night for them. Yelp 365 Challenge #132/365

    (4)

  • Anita C.

    I vowed never to come back after my car was messed up by valet and the way management had handled the issue about three years ago... But I had to attend a banquet today (where I and 25 others were being honored) so The Willows and I had to meet again... and the story goes a little something like this... 3 years ago I gave valet my keys and they parked my car in their lot. They scratched the whole right side of my front bumper but I didn't realize this until a few days later and I only knew it was The Willows fault bcs of their crumbly wall and I had found the same crumbs on my bumper when I ran my hand against the bumper. I retraced the places that I've been (which wasn't a lot) and it all led back to Willows. It was like a part from CSI or something. I called and spoke to a male manager and I brought the car down for him to "examine". He claimed that he was at valet most of that night helping out and that he was not aware of any "accidents". Anyways, after he tried to deter me and trying to blame me for the deep scratches - which I wasn't having, he finally gave me the name and number for an auto place in Kalihi to get the car fixed, on Willows. I went over and the owner was very nice and fixed it nicely. He also told me that Willows sends cars over all the time bcs they have damaged a lot of cars. Gee, doesn't that say something about the guys working in valet? Maybe someone needs to go back to driving school? So that left a really bad taste in my mouth and I vowed to never return. As you can see, I don't even remember much about the food bcs the aftermath of the meal superseded everything else. I do remember that we were sitting by one of the ponds and it was quite nice. The food was ok, the chicken long rice was really gingerly. Fast forward to today... I made sure that we didn't park in valet! Luckily there was street parking when we got there but I noticed a small parking lot (where you pay at a box) right next to Willows. The banquet was in the banquet room, so it was a private event and we had our own buffet within the room. The garlic chicken was good, a little too garlicky but tasty. The miso butterfish was cooked nicely but it was too salty! I was really disappointed about the overuse of salt. The ahi poke was fresh but not every flavorful, the mac/potato salad was delish!! It was flavored nicely and just yummy. Their haupia and chocolate mousse cakes were soooo gooooooodddd!!! I would have went for seconds if I wasn't wearing form fitting clothes for the event. Darn dress clothes, no room for expansion! The watermelon was rubbery and seemed like it had been sitting for couple of days in the fridge. The service was good for the first 1.5 hours; drinks were refilled very quickly but then again that was when speeches were given and such. Once the food service started, it seemed like there wasn't enough servers to go around. I had went for desserts (which took a good ten minutes) and when I came back, my food plate was still there. After finishing my fruit, someone finally came by and he had like 12 plates on his arms already. Then they gave out coffee cups and I waited to eat my cakes because I had wanted some coffee with my desserts. After another 5 minutes, I gave up waiting and proceeded to eat my desserts since they were taking forever and the cakes were crying out for me to eat them. I think service could have been better if they had probably assigned 2 more servers for the banquet for the latter part, when people were eating and needing service. All in all, it was ok - this experience has toned down the last experience or else I would have gave this place a zero star review if possible. Would I come here on my own? Most likely not. If my friends want to come here for an event, I would try and suggest something else. The atmosphere is really nice though, I wish management would wake up and do something - keeping the status quo is obviously not working even if they have been around for a while. This place has so much potential and can do so much more.

    (2)

  • Brian A.

    It's a buffet. The food is buffet-ish, meaning it's what I expect from a buffet. Food is okay and you get to eat your fill. It wasn't bad tasting though. The Willows is an open air establishment. They do have a few indoor eating places, but for the most part you sit outside. It's nice though. Fountains and lights at night. I never had a problem with a chlorine smell, then again I never sat right next to that area. Staff clears the tables and keeps the beverages filled. Prices are a little bit steeper than your average buffet. Parking is on the street in front or in the old lot across the way.

    (3)

  • Gidget A.

    YES!!!! I am embarrassed. I live on the Islands and it is the first time here. My son and new daughter in law had a brunch here this past Sunday!! This place is beautiful!!! Its like a secluded Island once you cross the street. The food was even better.. NO COMPLAINTS HERE. I cannot wait to go back..

    (5)

  • Cheryl N.

    Was here for a wedding back in March, only guests from da mainland... Anyway, the place was really nice... The little church out in front to have the wedding was sooo cute... We the weather is agreeable and the stars are aligned just right you'll have the best wedding ever...

    (5)

  • jacqui w.

    This review is specifically based on my experiences with The Willows as a wedding venue and with their contact Tracy Kong. The location is beautiful and our food was delicious. The wedding party had prepared plates and the food was actually so good that our best man ate his prepared plate and then snuck down to sit next to his wife and eat from the buffet too! lol. Everyone that came to our wedding absolutely loved the food and I get comments on the menu they served almost more than I get comments on how I looked! The grounds were perfect, and beautiful, and made for very memorable photos!! This is the only reason for any stars at all. I was nervous about this place from the beginning because Tracy argued with my mother during the planning process and my mother was the one paying for the wedding. However, after a while things cooled off and it didn't happen again. I was reassured that everything would go smoothly day of. At the second meeting I was told we could have the bride's room early to get my hair and makeup done in. The place even has a sink just for that purpose. I guess i didn't make myself clear that I was relying on the previous statement because less than a week before my wedding I called to confirm we would be in there early just to be told she had rented that room out before my wedding (which i was told originally would be the only event there for that day) and so we couldn't get in early like we thought. This was a huge inconvenience and I had to call my honeymoon hotel and switch our reservations to include the night before my wedding so that I would have a place in town to get ready at. This was a LOT of extra stress and expense added that should have never happened. I didn't know it at the time but after my ceremony and before the reception several different guests reported seeing and hearing Tracy cussing and yelling at the banquet manager and threatening his job while standing by the stairs around the corner from where all of my guests were waiting in front of the entrance to the room. I do not know enough about the reason for her behavior or language or the reason she was mad at the banquet manager in the first place but if this had to go on at all this should have gone on in private and out of hearing range from my guests. Also she was paid to be the on-site coordinator for the day as included in the package that we chose however she forgot to turn the fountain timer off and right before I walked down the isle it turned on and soaked all of my guests that were standing there. Even though these things happened and she was aware of it no discount or apology was offered. As a side note something that impacted us that we never thought about was how very very loud the waterfall was. We got married in the chapel outside and we can barely hear the music or us talking on the video because of how loud the waterfall is. If you plan on taping here make sure you talk to your videographer about background noise because it will be present. However, on a bright note I married my best friend and the love of my life there and regardless of what went wrong we had a fun beautiful and memorable wedding that we will never ever forget!

    (2)

  • Justin S.

    It was ok. The environment was probably the best part about it. Lighting was not too dark nor was it too bright. And the restaurant was nicely decorated. Very upscale considering the area. Self parking is available, but valet is only $3. I recommend doing the valet as parking is very tight. Buffet style serving is set out nicely with more than enough food. Tako and Ahi poke were about the same as most store pokes. The prime rib was good. Desserts while baked on site were not made from scratch they were pre mixed or grocery store packaged. Crab legs were served chilled, but shells were soft and the crab meat was over salted. The pineapple soft serve was probably the best part. So overall the environment was good, it's a great place to eat for large parties and the food was Ok. Not a great value at 34.99 a head for dinner, but it is priced about right for what you get.

    (3)

  • Lofa L.

    I love when I get invited to the Willows. Every party I have been here makes me happy. I just visited for a friend's baby lu'au and the food was wonderful. Hawaiian food makes me happy, and an all you can eat buffet is even better! The poke and poi was so good. And the baby laulaus was dope. I also enjoyed the bread pudding with the vanilla sauce. I could eat that every day. And you gotta take a picture outside to remember the day right? Willows for the win.

    (4)

  • Brandi C.

    Atmosphere: Nice to look at. Service: Very nice wait staff, we were seated immediately and our drinks were never empty. Food: We had the buffet which was filled with sushi, Hawaiian food, crab legs, and Prime rib. I was completely coming out of my dress. Honestly, not in a good way. Will definitely go here again, nice place in the middle of a residential area. Be aware that valet takes a while, but efficient enough.

    (4)

  • Alfred G.

    This place was just average for me, I've been to better buffet places like the Oceanarium, Prince Court. The quality of the food could be better, many of the hot dishes were not hot but lukewarm at best. The hawaiian food was pretty good, lau lau and kalua cabbage was good, chicken long rice was average and the lomi salmon was not lomi salmon, it was mostly onions and tomatoes w/ a hint of salmon... wtf!!! The rest of the food like the prime rib, noodles, mahi mahi, desserts were just ok, i've also noticed that there weren't alot of variety @ this buffet and none of the entrees had that WOW factor for me. The positives out of this whole experience was that the outdoor scenery was nice and the service was pretty good. I came into this place with an open mind & an empty stomach but left unimpressed & wanting more

    (2)

  • Drina P.

    Buffet style outdoor dinner is a must with a large group is straight up fun! All you can eat so go on an empty stomach. Ranges from Hawaiian food to prime rib. Don't forget crab legs and raw fish. Huge desert bar too! I nearly popped when it was time to go. Drinks kept coming and freindly staff! Cute little water show. Nothing like the Belagio haha Nice waterfall on the side for photos! Planning our next dinner there again! You gotta try it!

    (5)

  • Chris Q.

    The last time I was at The Willows was a couple years ago. Of all the times I've been there, I remembered that I really didn't care for their food so I was hoping that this time would be different. My friend had a gift certificate for a weekday lunch buffet for 2. The certificate was to expired at the end of the month and she couldn't use it in time so she gave it to me & my other half to use. The restaurant itself is relatively nice--a tranquil setting with ponds & waterfalls. The dining tables & chairs are pretty worn, though. It's time to replace those. There's nothing extraordinary about their weekday lunch buffet: several kinds of salads, a few varieties of sushi, rice, hot vegetables, teriyaki karaage chicken, two kinds of curries, a prime rib carving station, Hawaiian Food (poi, lomi salmon, different types of poke, chicken long rice, kalua pig & cabbage, and laulau), and a variety of desserts. I'm afraid their food is still sub-par. You can't really go wrong with salads, their prime rib was ok, the Hawaiian food could have been better. The chicken long rice was basically a lot of broth & green onions, a few small pieces of chicken and strands of long rice. The kalua pig & cabbage was DROWNING in a pan of liquid. Despite all of that, my other half & I stuffed ourselves and we left feeling like big fat pigs. The clientele at The Willows is primarily an older demographic. Seriously. I mean, there is a pretty significant age difference between me & my other half and even he was on the lower end of the age spectrum at The Willows. Oh, word to the wise. The dining areas are open, which means no air condition. Which is nice when the trades are a blowin', but not so great when it's hot and humid. And if you're with a group of people, talking story and having a grand 'ole time, keep an eye on your plate because those m-effin' birds will swoop in and eat off your plate when you're not looking! The parking isn't the greatest. There's a lot across the street, but it fills up quickly and street parking in the area is a commodity. Besides the food, worn furniture & the birds, it's a nice setting to have a lunch or dinner and the staff there are friendly.

    (2)

  • Yasuo O.

    Well, if you need Hawaiian style food and in town and its at night, this is the place ... i guess? Its buffet style and well, plays into all the stereotypes of what buffet food is. To be totally honest, pretty damn disappointed. Always am. On this occasion 3 nights ago, we were one of maybe 4 groups of people. The food is not bad. not good. For that price, certainly not worth talking about. I guess you paying for the ambiance or something? The chef guy was leaned up against the wall when we got in and asked for a cut of the prime. Didnt wipe down his hands or anything. Grabbed the beef with one hand, cut with the other. Didnt eat it. Went to grab other things later on and then he was taking the burners out and I said, closing? he said.. nah. just no need em. nobody stay. hahaha WTF! still about an hour before they closed up. Again, not bad, not great. Nothing that comes out to you screaming its good. The sushi.. uhm.. they must be VIP shoppers at Kozo or something... wasnt worth being called sushi. not with rice hard and cold. Laulau? uhm.. ok. poke? fish was diced so small I think the green onions gave it a run for its money. Saw a couple walk in, get seated and walk over to the buffet room and left. sigh. such a beautiful place. hope they can survive. would be a ashamed.

    (2)

  • Dean H.

    For the money, this place was ok. The food quality went way down and it seemed like the people working there were not happy to be there, let alone working there. No fried haupia which I like, the beef was dry and hard, the cake frosting was strange tasting, the sushi rice was mushy and hard, the long rice was interesting and the poke used the tough sinewy part of the fish..... The lau lau was pretty good, the kalua cabbage was ok, the lomi salmon was good and the poi (which I always take 2 of) was fresh. The only REAL saving grace was the ogo namasu. I was like WHOA, that was a blast from the OOOOOLDDDDDDD school past when my grandpa used to pick a potato sack full of it and my g'ma used to prepare it in the same way. Seriously, I haven't seen ogo prepared like that in YEARS....no mo' ogo nowadays.... If you want an ok buffet with a nice and calming atmosphere go here. Lots of choices for everyone's tummy and centrally located. I personally would go elsewhere.....

    (2)

  • Hal W.

    I've been to two large events here, and both had great settings and The Willows was a great venue for the event. The gardens and serene setting are a nice respite from the busy University Ave area that this place sits in. You walk through the gates and it's a really nice peaceful atmosphere. The food... for a large buffet they do OK. The Good: The Curry. My Father-in-Law told me that this place has been known for it's curry for decades. After he convinced me, I went back and tried some, (on top of an already big plate) and was a believer. The Mango Shrimp Curry could actually stand on it's own as an entree. I highly recommend it. It's done VERY well. It would be nice if they had the rice right next to the curry though. They also have a Prime Rib station, Sushi and Crab Legs, and a good selection of local food for those that like true Hawaiian- Three-Finger Poi and Lau Lau are regulars on the buffet. Nice selection of salads and pastas and of course a desert buffet with a good spread of fruit and halpia and some pretty good little mousse' something or other choclatey type goodie. Overall- pretty good for a buffet. A bit spendy, but good for special group occasions.

    (3)

  • Alexandria G.

    I'll liken my recent experience at The Willows to a bomb that just kept exploding in my face. Let's start at the beginning. I tried to let go of the fact that the hostess initially ignored my bf and I and then proceeded to seat us by the kitchen and by a large party- 3 of my pet peeves all rolled into the first 5 minutes of dinner. Awesome. If you've read my reviews before I'm sure you've noticed that I can get a little worked up when I feel service is less than mediocre. My poor bf knows this better than anyone. But, instead of turning my b*tch mode on I said a few namastes under my breath and tried to remain positive. I ventured into the buffet ready to pile my plate high only to discover that the chef is apparently on CRACK because there was no rhyme or reason to any of the food there. There were some Hawaiian food, American food, Italian, Japanese, Indian- it was like a freaking United Colors of Benetton buffet, which works at some NICE buffets, but not here because it was so inconsistent- there would be 2 Indian dishes, then 1 Italian dish, then 3 Hawaiian dishes, etc. etc. Dear Chef, cook rice, not ice. Thanksss. Soon I spy a prime rib carving station so I wander over and the carver cuts me a piece that's, no joke, 75% fat. I sweetly tell him I don't like the fat and ask for another piece and after glaring at me, cuts the fat off the first piece, cuts another piece, cuts the fat off of that one, and puts 2 pieces on my plate that barely equal half a slice. I smile and thank him, desperately suppressing my b*tch mode instincts, get some au jus, and look for mashed potatoes. Oh but wait, there are none. Great. I eat my Barbie-sized prime rib bites, which were actually ok, and enter the buffet once again with an open mind. I end up with clam chowder, chow mein, kalua pork, and rice. I told you it was an effing random buffet. God's truth- everything I tried was so bad I just stopped eating. All the food tasted like it was days old, reheated, unseasoned, and made with all expired ingredients. The server looked at me like I was a wasteful brat when she had to take away my full plate but I didn't care. I refused to get sick off some nasty ish that made hospital food look like 5 star cuisine. That's ok, I tell myself, dessert is my favorite part of the meal anyway and I have plenty of room in my stomach. I proceed to make a plate with one of every dessert they have- tiramisu squares, mint chocolate cakes, bread pudding, fried haupia, and soft serve ice cream (I have the eating habits of a 5 year old- AND?) It's pretty hard to screw up dessert, but they managed too. The best part of my entire meal was the soft-serve ice cream. Everything else, like I said before, was old and had no taste. P.S. Chef, if you fry haupia, please make sure the fried batter is sweet and not the kind you use for fried chicken. Mahalo. My bf, who eats ANYTHING, even stopped eating. That's how I knew I wasn't over-reacting. The food was THAT terrible. We go back to the hostess stand to pay and see that no one's there. We stand there for a good couple minutes and notice a table off to the side full of employees chowing down and having a grand old time. Mind you, the restaurant hadn't closed yet and there were still several parties eating. Suddenly, the hostess sees us, gets up from the table laughing with her mouth full, sputters "Sorry!" and runs over to us. Oh, no honey, I'm sorry for interrupting your social hour. The fact that the slop they serve here is ridiculously over-priced made my blood boil even more. Seething, we exit and wait for the valet to bring our car, which as someone else pointed out on here, is asinine and completely unnecessary. Valet boy brings our car, we get in, close the doors, and then get slapped in the face with a huge whiff of cigarette smoke. Valet boy reeked of cancer sticks so bad he stunk up our entire car and quickly ran away before I could go Maury-Povich-baby-daddy-test-results-show on his ass. Consider yourself lucky valet boy. The lack of quality, customer service, and professionalism we encountered at this "restaurant" made my head spin. Chang's, the greasy buffet by the airport, looks like Le Cirque compared to this place- and I hate Chang's with a passion, but I would gladly go there after experiencing this hell hole. Don't learn the hard way- NEVER, EVER EAT HERE...EVER!!!

    (1)

  • Glenn L.

    Yes it is a spendy buffet, but remember this is all about Hawaiian comfort food. Even on a weekday, we knocked off quite a bit of crab and prime rib. Don't expect the super variety of a Vegas buffet but there is plenty to eat. Probably less than 30 people having dinner and service was great. Plenty of ice tea and quick clearing of plates. This is an amazing garden setting restaurant in the middle of a residential area. So quiet on a weeknight that we parked in the lot across the street for free (free parking on Oahu? What a shock). I can see how people book weddings here - they have one large side room available.

    (4)

  • Toby T.

    No matter what guest comes in town, either from the States, Japan, China or anywhere else, they always ask me to take them to eat Hawaiian food. I am very hesitant to break open their experience to a traditional Hawaiian restaurant, because our food does take some getting used to. Except for Kalua Pig, the rest of the Hawaiian food line-up can be gambling that my guests may not have a complete meal. That's why I always choose the Willows. They have the only daily Hawaiian buffet on the Island of Oahu (that's not a luau) and there is always a huge variety of other salads, appetizers, entrees and desserts to keep them happy. And there is Prime Rib for lunch and dinner, can't go wrong with Prime Rib. The environment is very tropical, open-air and spacious. The restaurant is also huge, so if you have a group, this is a place that should be considered.

    (4)

  • Chantel C.

    My aunty just threw a retirement part here at Willows. We had the brunch buffet. The food was pretty good, I really liked the omelette bar - yum! Can't go wrong with that. Other than that,... nothing all too memorable. My family really seemed to enjoy the crab legs, and Hawaiian food. They diminished the restaurant's supply of poi for sure! I had fried rice, salad, fish and lots and lots of desserts. The fried haupia was a bit too heavily battered for me, but I enjoyed the fresh fruit (pineapple and watermelon), soft serve ice cream, strawberry pana cotta, and pina colada bread pudding. I spent most of my time at the dessert table if you couldn't tell - damn my sweet tooth! The best thing about the restaurant is the setting. We were seated on the patio, and I just love being outdoors with the greenery and ponds... it was a fantastic place for a party, and my aunty was very happy! Parking: Valet is $3 + tip.

    (4)

  • Megan L.

    I've come to Willows sparingly over the past years ... It's a little on the pricey side for me to come often, so a trip to Willows is usually reserved for a special occasion. This time, it wasn't a special occasion per say, but I came to check out the Willow's 11th Birthday Celebration. It was a different setup than usual - you buy scrip and use it to buy food from their food stations. The cost of each plate at the food stations ranged from $3 - $5. The amount of food on each plate were what you could consider "heavy pupu" amount. I was starting to feel pretty full halfway into my 3rd plate. The food was sooooo ono!!! (As I expected them to be) They had bacon wrapped shrimp, misoyaki salmon, vegi lasagna .... and a bunch more! I opted to try their wine tasting - where for $25, I could get 10 - 2 oz pours. They had 2 wine vendors out there that knew their wines, and a spread of around 20 wines that you could choose which one you wanted. The pours were really generous and way more than 2 oz. And they had a wide selection to try from. I was not dissapointed in choosing the wine tasting, and I even found a few favorites to add to my list! They also had live music which totally made sitting by the waterfalls and "pool" so much more enjoyable. The tables were scattered around, and there was plenty of room for people to wander around and not even get close to the people sitting down at the tables. They even gave out raffle tickets and I was lucky enough to win a basket of more wine! lol. I never been to Willows when they have this set up, and I found it to be a good experience. If they do this again for other reasons, I would definately consider coming back here for it!

    (5)

  • Sarita C.

    I honestly don't know why this place only had three stars. I booked this place for my friend's family prior to his wedding and didn't expect The Willows to turn out as wonderful as it did. They were able to accommodate 26 people on last minute notice and the service was OUTSTANDING. Don't even get me started with the food . I think the buffet was around 30 dollars, more or less , I forget. The crab legs were fresh, had about 3 full plates of those haha. The prime rib was so amazing, MELTS IN YOUR MOUTH ! I'm a pretty small lady and had about two big slices with their creamy horse radish. They also had this one dish with potatoes, carrots, beef in a hearty type of tomato sauce, delicious. I think those were my top three items. Small buffet but all really good dishes. They even have dishes with raw sashimi and such. Wide range of dessert items too. Servers were really good with picking up plates. Clean , fresh hawaiian environment. Feels like you are eating at some resort. Oh I wish I lived in Hawaii so I can come to this place more often. Try it out! Great for large parties .

    (5)

  • Shay F.

    I recently went here for a party. The atmosphere is kinda relaxing, the food was okay. I felt really cramped in the room though.

    (3)

  • Garrett G.

    Tried this place twice over the last year. I definitely was not impressed with the food. Quality was way below par. Seems like they use lower end cuts and ingredients. Quantity of food is there, but to me it doesn't matter if the food tastes bad. I tried it a second time, just in case the first experience was a fluke (chef had a bad day) and gotta say, it was more of the same....maybe even worse. Food was way greasy, flavorless, and again, low quality food. I don't mind spending money if the food is good, but for the price you pay for this buffet, it's better to spend it at the Prince Court, Todai, or Makino. Service also sucks...takes forever to get refills on water, coffee, tea, etc. Sorry to say, but don't waste your time eating here.

    (1)

  • Rob D.

    Love the atmosphere, but sometimes the food is bland or just left out too long. They have to monitor the food better. Great casual place to go and eat but it can be a hit or miss with the food, but does not keep me from going there.

    (3)

  • Shanon S.

    As a preface, this review of the Willows is in regards to my upcoming wedding, not their everyday lunch buffet. Lunch buffet is just so-so and ordinary (probably only 2 stars), but OMG the food I've sampled so far from the catering package menu is great! Looking forward to our own personal private party buffet. Much better taste and quality compared to their ordinary lineup. Also, Tracy Kong has been a great coordinator/contact there. Although we do not have an official wedding planner, she has helped us out with the florist in addition to our Willows arrangements for venue and food. p.s. I love that we are going to be on the little island with the waterfall in the background!

    (4)

  • Fran T.

    Stopped in on a Friday night with some local friends to listen to Hawaiian music, eat some pupus and have a drink. Music was fantastic. Pupus were amazing - each plate was bigger than most main course dinner plates! The pork belly dish was particularly delicious. Had plenty to share among us with a couple of plates. And drinks were drinks - good. They also had an awesome looking dinner buffet. Great ambiance at this place - coconut trees and nice lighting, as we sat next to the band and listened to some classic Hawaiian music, swaying to the melodies and tradewinds. Not crowded - just very nice. Lucked out that one of the band member's grandmother was celebrating her birthday - very sweet.

    (5)

  • Kanoe K.

    Recently went here to celebrate my Aunty's birthday ... a tradition ... on the Labor Day holiday. We've been coming to this place for year now, and for some reason I remember the buffet being BIGGER ... or maybe having more options. We went for lunch that day and it has some of my faves ... Kalua pig, poi, chicken long rice and fried noodles. The Kalua pig and poi were very good ... better than I expected!! The chicken long rice to me was 1) green ... like bright green & 2) SUPER oily. I don't know if I got a bad batch, but I've had better. They had some kind of mochiko chicken with the friend noodles which were a fave of mine ... had to go back for more! Sadly I didn't save enough room for the dessert ... but my parents and aunty devoured everything available. I think it's hard to give an accurate rating of The Willows because I remember it being an "it" place to go for any celebration when I was younger ... but it doesn't seem to have the same quality now?!? Maybe because it was because I was so young and everything was a wonder ... or maybe it's just a response to the times?!? FINAL VERDICT: Still a good place to go for a nice buffet ... lunch is cheaper and worth the money ... but definitely different from when I was younger! Oh ... and no more fish :(

    (3)

  • Jyron S.

    I used to love this place. Back in the day, they had their Pau Hana Buffet with live music and it was AWESOME!!!! I wish they would bring that back.

    (2)

  • Doris D.

    It's kind of an "upscale" Japanese, local buffet; you get Hawaiian food plus crab legs and other specialties. I'm always stuffed to the gills afterward, and really satisfied with the food. We had a coupon last time we went and it was worth it. Great atmosphere, lots of families celebrating something or another.

    (4)

  • Makakaualii R.

    We went this evening for a post Christmas buffet dinner and when we first arrived it was deserted and wonder what was going on but we found out later when we ate. This establishment when down hill but there were a few tasty foods like the portabella mushrooms, the butterfish was a bomb and the fresh day old poi. Must add the pea salad also. The bill came out to like $182 without tip for 5 of us. I guess we'll continue to go to the Pagoda buffet next time.

    (2)

  • Darci N.

    Held a yakudoshi here for my co-worker. He chose this place for their buffet. The grounds are beautiful & serene. We reserved the upstairs tea room & it fit our party of 55 perfectly. Besides the fact that the house behind was cutting down their mango tree it didn't deter us from having a good time. The service was great and the buffet was delicious.

    (4)

  • barry n.

    Been there a couple of times and recently, went for a birthday party. Overall, I think that this place is too overhyped. The only good things I have to say about this place is the service is pretty good, the shoyu chicken was good and the atmoshpere is nice-you don't feel like your in a city. The crab legs were cold and not cut open, which made for a messy meal. The misoyaki butterfish was, as my aunty put it, "Pasty." The white rice was the mushiest rice I had ever eaten. The prime rib was slightly tough and dry. The chicken long rice was way overcooked-the long rice fell apart when you grabbed it. The rice for the sushi was hard and not formed tight, which fell apart when you dipped it in shoyu. And the desserts were just, okay. Everyone has their own tastes about the restaurants they go to, but for me, this is one place that I would say has disappointed me greatly.

    (1)

  • Sunny D.

    It's been many years since I've been here, probably over 15 years. Went to a party recently, the valet parking was easy and is three bucks with validation; make sure to tip. The place is lovely as I remembered, very tranquil with ponds and water falls. You almost feel like you are in the country with all the greenery. I like the open air seating in the regular restaurant area. We were in one of the private rooms and it was very nice and clean, the bathroom it clean too. The waiter was efficient keeping our drinks filled with either water, tea or coffee. The coffee was okay, nothing special. The buffet was a very short walk to another room next door. The Karaage chicken was pretty good but a bit over cooked so a bit hard. The lomi-lomi tomatoes was okay but could have used some salmon so I didn't finish it. Pea salad was good, always a favorite at most places that serve it. The bacon was super fatty and unfortunately was the skimpiest on meat that I have encounters so far, plus it was really greasy and limp. Portugese sausage was fine. Poke (ahi?) was okay but a bit oily and at least for me, could have used a bit more Hawaiian salt. But I'm bad about eating too much salt anyways. The made to order omelette was very good with everything in it. Didn't eat any prime rib once I saw the crab legs! The crab legs was good, but would have been better with drawn butter. Although they had crab leg cracking tools, they were useless because the legs were not firm enough to actually crack with the tool. We ended up breaking the legs open with our knives. There was ample wipe naps too so no sticky smelly crab fingers. For dessert I liked the fried haupia, I didn't think it was greasy at all and the flavor was pretty good. The brownie was okay but I've had better. I was going to try the bread pudding but when I lifted the cover and saw the hockey puck like pieces I changed my mind. Call me silly but it just didn't look appetizing. Made myself a chocolate sundae, actually went back for a second helping too! Overall, it was a nice place for a party. The food was okay and I liked that they served crab legs at the buffet!

    (3)

  • Christopher C.

    Atmosphere: Great views and venue overall. If I were getting married or something this would be a great spot to bring family and friends together and really appreciate a nice looking space without paying the huge fees of being on a resort or a hotel. Food: Ehhh, we came here for a birthday party but I don't think it was worth the price for the buffet. When we first heard the price of the buffet my roommates and I were a bit taken back, but at the mention of prime rib and crab included made it seem like it could be it. I thought the prime rib was a bit too salty for my taste and that kind of defeated the purpose. Pretty basic buffet, dont think Id be back for the cost. Id rather check out a higher end spot for better overall quality Service: Service was good, but only really involved clearing plates and bringing beverages since this was a buffet.

    (2)

  • Norm G.

    Wife: "Where would you like to go for your birthday?" Me: "The Willows." Wife: "Are you sure you wouldn't like to go somewhere else?" Me: "Let's go where YOU want to go." Wife: "No, it's your birthday; we should go where you want to." Me: "Then, I pick the Willows" Wife: "You sure?" Me: "Absolutely." I should have listened to my wife's between-the-lines plaintive pleas! I used to really like this place. I still think it's beautiful...a little oasis in the middle of Moiliili...pretty and serene. The waitress was sweet and she got a big tip. HOWEVER, the food?! 'As one different story! We went there on a Sunday for a brunch buffet. In the local vernacular, "Da food was junk!" I saw a cook come out and handle the tako (octopus) salad with his bare hands (when some of it fell on the ice surrounding the bowl) and throw it back in the bowl. The bread pudding was hard. The curry was too thick and gooey, and the sashimi was limp. The white rice was hard. Even my son didn't eat the rice, and he loves rice. There did not seem to be many tourists there...mostly other locals...maybe they figure us people living here are easy to please. Sadly, another local landmark is off my list!

    (2)

  • Kenson K.

    Nice place. Although if you drove past it , it looks like a house from the ouside. Inside, its a nice oasis of ponds, waterfalls and tropical trees and plants. Went here for Sunday champagne brunch with the parentals. Service here was quite good. Food was ok. They had the typical local flare- salads, hawaiian food, sushi, prime rib, etc. My mom had a coupon from the newspaper so I guess keep your eye out for that. Nothing extraordinary but good value.

    (3)

  • Aileen W.

    The atmosphere is nice but food is ok and pricey for the quality. It should be nice place for kids so they won't get bored. Service is not good. We went there for Sat lunch and employees are getting lunch at buffet places and talking loud and stuff. We were looking for our waiter but he is just gone forever. Too many birds on tables, water in a pond stink, etc. We won't be coming back here.

    (1)

  • Liam C.

    Sooooo much good food! The first time I came here was last year for a birthday gathering, and I've been back a few times since then and I have loved it every time. From the outside, the restaurant looks very modest. A small entryway guarded by walls and a small forest of trees. But when you walk in the doorway and across the bridge you're suddenly taken into their own private world. Once you're in, you forget where you are and that this restaurant is actually located randomly on a side street in a semi-residential neighborhood! Each time I came here was for some sort of celebration, and honestly I'm not sure if I'll ever just decide to come here randomly on my own. But to all the birthdays, graduations, office gatherings, and even weddings- what better place to have deeeeelicious food and a serene Hawaiian atmosphere with private rooms for all your party needs? Food wise, there wasn't a single thing on the buffet line that I didn't like. They have all the staple local essentials, Lau Lau, Lomi salmon, poke, chicken karaage, the list goes on and on. I could sit here and name all their foods for you, or you could go and experience the amazing selection for yourself! Overall, definitely recommend hosting all your parties and family or business gatherings here as it definitely will not disappoint. You will love all the local foods that they have and you'll want to keep coming back for more!

    (5)

  • Cam Z.

    I love this place but the wifey not so much I guess I'm a buffet all you can eat kinda person haha..I like mopp boo camman..love the Hawaiian food..seafood and prime rib..good service nice waiters/waitress...o lace gets packed so I always make reservations...parking is valet unless you get lucky and find street parking a mile away.

    (4)

  • Roxanne Lynn T.

    It's been so long since I've been here. Can't believe this place still exists, it seems so ancient that I totally forgot about this place until I came across of it on yelp for buffet brunch and dinners. The last time I could recall would probably be in high school when this was a popular spot to have grad parties which is 10+ years ago. I was desperate to look for a place for Mother's Day Brunch/ Dinner a few days before the special occasion. I called around at least 5 different buffet places before finding about Willows as an option from my yelp research. As expected a lot of buffet places for Mother's Day was already booked so thankfully this place was still accepting reservations the day before and was accommodating to our change of requests from brunch to dinner time. I was wondering why there were so many time slots available considering it was a last minute reservation. I was beginning to think was this place not popular anymore that's why it wasn't so busy as I expected it?! Oh well, aside from the mediocre reviews, I was just glad we got a buffet dinner for the Filipino moms that enjoys and loves buffets. We had reservations around 7pm. but arrived there 20 minutes early so we had to wait, which was understandable because we were early for our reservations so it was fine. The ambiance is just like how I remembered the place but it seems so outdated that I feel like the place hasn't kept up with the maintenance of the property. The tropical theme goes well with the buffet theme though since it was Hawaiian Style Buffet. I remember there use to be the fountain and kois in the pound but I guess that has been dealt away with now of their scenery. Finally got seated promptly around our reservation time and was lead into one of the banquet halls. I felt like I was intruding into someone else's party of how the set up was. Reminiscing the to the last time I was there, I was in the same exact party room when I attended a grad party. So the set up was exactly like that where there were long tables and table numbers on there. I wish we had been seated in the area by where there was at least a view in the open air breeze instead of that room. But maybe it was my mistake for not requesting it, I just assume that we were gonna be seated in a restaurant feel like environment not a party setting. After we had our little family prayer, we went ahead and helped ourselves to the buffet since there were no server at the time to tell us to start making our way to the buffet area. The buffet area was a walk across the other side of where we were. Imagine if it was raining and our food would have soaked while getting across back to our party hall?! Luckily it wasn't though, but it was just a thought. When we got there there were 3 different sections of the buffet which consisted the following specialized Mother's Day Buffet Menu: Chilled Items: Green Pea & Bacon Salad Dilled Smoked Salmon Potato Macaroni Salad Mixed Greens & Candied Walnuts w/Mango Dressing Mediterranean Orzo Salad Assorted Poke Poke Donburi Seafood Salad Chilled Crab Legs Main Entrees: Seafood Chowder Sauteed Garden Vegetables Garlic Mashed Potatoes Seafood Lasagna Roast Pork w/Caramelized Apple Port Wine Sauce Crab & Shrimp Cakes w/Wasabi Yuzu Aioli Potato Crusted Salmon Chicken w/Porcini Mushroom Ballotine Prime Rib Desserts: Fresh Strawberries w/Assorted Creams Butter Mochi Li Hing Pineapple Fresh Fruits Chocolate Haupia Tarts Chantilly Cake Lilikoi Cake Bread Pudding w/Banana Foster Sauce Pineapple & Vanilla Soft Serve Ice Cream I tried at least most of the items just to get a taste of everything. Truthfully, there wasn't anything that stood out for me that had me at wow. The items on the menu weren't really the Hawaiian Food that was expected which was alright since I'm not a big eater in that type of food anyways. Some seem tasteless and dry to me and some were just alright like meh.. nothing special I should say. The fruits were old and not fresh. The bread pudding was delish and so was the ice cream with toppings. The only thing that I made sure I made my moneys worth is them crab legs, I ate 2 plates worth and probably the only thing that was memorable from this whole experience. I went back for a 2nd round and they were out of regular plates and ice cream cups so there were people who were waiting for a while just for some fresh plates to come out. The servers we had were great though! One kept coming around to check if we were okay with drinks and such and the other one took our plates in a quickly manner and emptied out our crab peels bowl when it got full. The prices were about $48 an adult, roughly around the same if not less than buffet prices than other locations especially on a special occasion like this. If it wasn't for the tasty crab legs, it wouldn't have been worth it. Let's just say I probably wouldn't plan to come back anytime soon.

    (3)

  • Ariana M.

    Willows is hidden away on Hausten Street. When your on the outside you would never be able to tell how pretty it is on the inside. Valet parking is offered across the street. I've only been here for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. So I'm not too sure how this place is on a regular basis. The service here is always good. All the workers are attentive to the guest. I always feel a little bad since they are working on a holiday. =/ Every year they switch up the buffet options. Which is great because we are repeat holiday customers.

    (4)

  • Kristy P.

    This was my first time there. I was there for lunch buffet. I didnt get to try alittle of everything so this is based only on what I ate. I liked the salad and fixing for it. But the crutons was stale. The main courses was nothing new...so i didnt have any. Usually I like to have things I cant usually get on any given day. The desserts werent what I expected. The spread was ok but didnt taste too good. Haupia wasnt good. Fresh fruit wasnt fresh. Brownies were very hard. The best part about the desserts was the soft serve ice cream - vanilla, orange, & pineapple. I had orange and vanilla mixed and rainbow sprinkles on top(my fav.!). Lunch buffet is $24 for adults. Good price but i dont think ill go back by decision. Nice place tho.

    (2)

  • Jeana P.

    I have been to this restaurant twice of all the years I have lived on Oahu. Last year in December was the first time I stepped foot in this establishment. Wow I had no idea there was a chapel on the premises. My second visit happened to be on SUPER BOWL SUNDAY 2015. Family members from Honolulu, Waianae, Pearl City and Kailua came to enjoy the brunch with family members from Okinawa. Approximately 30 individuals fit in a small dining area that had it's own restroom and office. There was too much to choose from on the buffet line. Tripe stew, beef stew, long rice, scallop soup, luau stew, lau lau, lomi salmon, poi, ahi poke, crab legs, lobster legs, prime rib, karage chicken, kim chee, steamed vegetables, rice, salads, french toast, bacon, portuguese sausage, and other items I can't even remember. I had two plates in front of me that i managed to finish for my meal plus I ended up getting dessert. Soft serve pineapple vanilla ice cream, brownies, red velvet cakes, and lilikoi passion cake just to name a few. Boy did I get stuffed to the max. My grandpa had a slice of prime rib which was basically more on the rare side....he could of asked the cook to fry it on both sides for a bit so that way he won't suffer from gout later on during the day. I tried the poi and you can pretty much just drink it out of a cup instead of using a spoon. All the other foods that I had I really had no complains about. There were some food Items that I did not eat being that I was not hungry for breakfast items, the item did not look to appetizing enough for me to place on my plate, tired of eating rice , and the lau lau was too small. I did use the restroom facility on the premises. The women restroom was very clean but I did notice that one of the sinks has cracked lines. I'm not that quite sure if it was sealed or if the restaurant will ever replace the sink. Over all...if I am ever invited to attend The Willows and have a transportation to get to the restaurant I would definitely go.

    (4)

  • Angel H.

    We came here for my husband's company Christmas party. His boss booked a room with 5 tables in it and the room had its own sink. That was convenient so that I didn't need to run to the bathroom to wash my hands after eating the crab legs. The food was better than I remembered it. I've been to a lot of buffets but this one had the best variety. They had chilled crab legs (snow and king) and lobster claws, an assortment of poke, curry, prime rib, lau lau, whole steamed opakapaka and palusami to name a few. I've never seen palusami at any buffet ever. This buffet is definitely catered to locals and not tourists. Everything that I tried was excellent. Even though I love my crab and lobster, I'd have to say my favorite was the fresh, steamed whole opakapaka. That's not something that I get everyday. They had a huge array of desserts. The mango panna cotta was pretty good. My pick for the day would be the pina colada bread pudding with creme angle sauce. I was a little disappointed that they didn't have the fried haupia since that's what they're known for. I usually eat that with curry on top. Yummers, but oh well. They service was OK. They guy just refilled water and cleared away the dirty plates.

    (4)

  • Elaine P.

    Our friends had their wedding rehearsal dinner here and it was a very good experience. The party was located in a separate room for private parties with a bar. This is an all you can eat buffet restaurant with all the favorite seafood available...from king crab legs, poke (ahi tuna), salmon dishes, clams, shrimp, and mussels. Other main dishes were the usual prime rib, chicken, chow mein, rice, and mixed veggies and salad. Dessert options were vanilla, orange or pineapple flavored soft serve ice cream with a variety of toppings, haupia, brownies, bread puddings and fruits. The only small flaw is that the buffet was located in another room, outside of the place we dined. Not a big deal...walk off the food your stuffing yourself with. There was also a live band performing by the outdoor bar for the main restaurant diners.

    (4)

  • Amanda D.

    We came here with a large party. The outdoor seating and décor were great; nothing negative to say in that regard. Perfect place to go for a larger event. It's also convenient that they do valet parking for a reasonable price. Having said that, the crab legs were saturated in cold, flavorless water. They were so watery, the shells turned quite soft and they were very difficult to open. The poke was subpar. The curry chicken and shrimp were decent, but 90% sauce. No complaints about the prime rib, which I know is the main dish. Overall, I expected an elevated quality of food for the price. The real thing that bothered me was the fact that we had a party of 15 and the staff refused to break up the check. We sat around for a good 30 mins waiting to pay before one of our party members inquired about it. I understand that each restaurant has its own policies, but there was no communication on the restaurant's end regarding how we needed to pay. Needless to say, without an ATM around, we were all scrambling and I am sure some ended up having to pay more than others. Again, the atmosphere was great and spacious, but if we're going to pay nearly $130 for two adults and a 4 year old, then we expect to have a service that reflects that price.

    (2)

  • Patrick S.

    Came on Martin Luther King day for lunch, but was kind of a shame...this place seems to have gone downhill some. The grounds don't seem kept up as much. The beautiful ponds are dirty, brownish, and cloudy...Wood accents are showing termite damage (especially by the front entrance). As for the food, it doesn't seem as good as past visits either. Their prime rib was dry, their curry (their famous dish) was plain and reminded me of CurryHouse. Their pokes & "seared" sashimi were of really low quality "previously frozen" fish. I think they even served Au. Their laulaus have just a tiny morsel of pork. It wasn't a freak thing either, 3 folks on my table all had laulau and all of them had to search for their Cracker Jack prize. There were some bright spots as their shoyu pork, fried noodles, chicken karaage, and deserts were all pretty good. But as a buffet overall, I'd probably skip this and go elsewhere.

    (2)

  • Kayla L.

    Love the atmosphere and the Hawaiian food. So far the service has been pretty good the past few times we've been here.

    (4)

  • Travis M.

    Went to a wedding reception last night located in the kapa'akea room and had a really great time. Although muggy and miserable, the temperature inside remained cool. The entertainment sounded great as the acoustics nicely filled the entire open beamed room. My 6 month old couldn't stop looking at the cool hanging chandeliers. What topped it off was the staff was able to accommodate my wife's dairy and soy allergies and made a special dish for her. Thanks Willows! I highly recommend for a large or small get together.

    (5)

  • Sasha L.

    Came here for Christmas dinner with my family. Willows seriously has stepped up their buffet game from the last time I was here. Not sure if it's just because it's Christmas and they have a more extensive menu, or if they improved overall. But hey everything was tasty so I'm not complaining! The first round of prime rib was way over cooked and dry, but round two was delicious! Definitely tore into the king crab legs, and the best part was the Dole plantation pineapple whip ice cream they had for dessert! Park in valet and it's $3 not including tip. Fun times with my family, thanks Willows!

    (4)

  • Denalee C.

    When you think of a willow tree, feelings of calmness and peace may enter your head. This is precisely what happens when you enter The Willows. You walk through the entrance and it's like you are magically transported from the busy stressful city to a beautiful and relaxing place. It is definitely a unique place. I always park in the adjacent self park lot. It's $2 and you don't have to wait for your car after the meal. Ok, so it's not exactly adjacent, you have to pass a small apartment complex. The food fills niche market: Hawaiian food + seafood in a location that is not Waikiki. Of course it's not five star quality, but you have to remember it is a buffet. The food is fresh and pretty good. One of the great things is there are so many types of rooms here. You can have a birthday party, wedding, important meeting or a meal with great company. They have live music on Friday nights and I came to watch Kela. You can order pupus instead of the buffet when enjoying the live music. The pupus were delicious! We ordered: salad (fresh and well dressed), katsu, boneless kalbi (tender and flavorful), chicken wings, and edamame. See you at The Willows!

    (4)

  • Takashi H.

    The Willows Restaurant has a history as a favorite picnic spot of Hawaiian royalty and continues the tradition in a more accessible manner for tourists and locals alike today. The grounds are charming and conducive to bringing together large and small parties for merry making. It is not unusual to attend several alumni networking or other work related events at The Willows Restaurant in their various venues. Recommending a local restaurant where Hawaiian food is served can be daunting, especially after hearing friends from Japan and the continent react to their first taste of poi. The buffet at The Willows offers Hawaiian food and more for groups to taste traditional Hawaiian-American cuisine in safe moderation. Poi, kalua pig, lomi lomi salmon, poke, and lau lau are all on the buffet line. Personally, I like any restaurant which offers all you can eat poi. I can't seem to get enough of it! The Willows has several event rooms available for parties of 20, 40, or perhaps more. Should you ever find yourself in a pinch for arranging an event, keep The Willows in mind as a venue which can provide a quiet meeting place, and enough food to send everyone home satisfied.

    (4)

  • Lynnette S.

    Been here a few times... Weekend brunch is just ok, Prime rib, crab legs & mac salad were flavorless, shrimp & soups were good but not great, mostly catering to an Asian crowd. Desserts were just ok... Scotch tasting & pupus were a lot of fun and the food was REALLY GOOD! Wish they did it more often. Had group lunch in a private room upstairs and that was pretty good. Staff is either really nice or really not... Valet parking is nice & easy so thats a plus.

    (3)

  • Sydney K.

    I really enjoyed the food here I had been prior when I was a little girl. They had a good selection of Hawaiian food although I went at lunch so didn't have crab etc. The desserts were good as well I left rather stuffed. I helped plan our Christmas company party and we set the reservations early. I made sure to get prime rib and the pineapple soft serve was ono. The only complaint I would say would be the valet. It was literally across the street and would have been quicker if we walked and got out car instead of waiting for one guy to get all our cars to us. It really was pointless to me especially at lunch when there was no huge volume of people. I guess I could see the point if parking was a challenge or to busy.

    (5)

  • Samantha K.

    Simple. The food is not only good, but plenty of it. Come with an empty stomach, good friends and ready for just an overall good time.

    (4)

  • Eric Robert R.

    The Willows, Circa 1944! Extra! Extra! WWII knee-deep on every front page! Every American with an Uncle, Dad, Brother, Mother or Sister in the middle of this historic event! Honolulu just three years after the tragedy of Pearl, Yet still retaining the title... "Center of the Pacific!" Bing Crosby on every radio, from Kansas to Wahiawa! Ahhhh 1944! And with the world creating another chapter in the history books... a new spot in the middle of Mo'ili'ili opens it's doors, called... THE WILLOWS! Why this landmark holds a special place in my local-boy heart... THE WILLOWS HISTORY: Willows sits on a sacred spot once known as Kapa'akea Springs! Property of Kamamalu- great, great daughter of King Kamehameha! Hawaiian royalty loved to come and swim in the ponds- reputed to have great healing powers. In the 1920's the affluent "Hausten" family purchased the lands. "Ma" Hausten was an avid gardener and planted white ginger, water lilies, plumeria from the South Seas, willow trees, kukui trees, breadfruit and fruit trees as well as Hawaiian herbs and medical plants. The gardens thrived and people asked if they might use the tropical setting for weddings, luaus and parties. Private parties and luaus were held through the 30's until the summer of 1944... And the rest is history! THE WILLOWS AMBIANCE: Classic old Hawai'i from the minute you walk in... A trickling pond, mynah birds squawking, and the soft sounds of Hawaiian music playing overhead... The decor can be described as tiki, bamboo & vintage. A very fun place to be. To eat. To relax. To talk story. Good old school vibe! THE WILLOWS GRUB: I'm somewhat perplexed with the reviews of this wonderful place! I mean to me I think the buffet food options are of top quality! Everything I've had was good to excellent! I especially "loved" the thinly sliced prime rib w/ au jus sauce, "loved" the Kalua pig- so moist and perfect smoky flavor, "loved" the chicken long rice- so meaty and delicious, "loved" the seasoned tofu- so clean & fresh, "loved" the chicken karaage, "loved" the spicy poke... I "liked" the rest I had too! On my table the tripe stew and squid luau were praised by all (except me- since I don't eat that... I know, I know)! As far as the desserts? ALL were delicious! Simple, but for a buffet the choices were endless and of top quality! I especially "loved" the Haupia cubes, "loved" the bread pudding, "loved" the brownies... Oh heck... I "LOVED" ALL the desserts! THE WILLOWS STAFF: If you appreciate "old school" local service then you'll be at home here! If you expect ass-kissing, like some seem to demand... Keep walking, brah! From the second we walked in we were kindly greeted. Our server was "Ryan"- a very polite and easy to talk to type of dude! Checked on us at least 3 times and realize we're at a buffet! Ryan was definitely on it and I think we lucked out w/ his local charm that made us feel at home! Yup, I definitely recommend... THE WILLOWS! So, even though this is a reincarnated version of the original Willows (overhauled in 1999)... It still retains the aura of old Hawai'i, has the occasional live Hawaiian music, the daily Hawaiian weddings (to people watch) and the food is still pretty dang yummy to boot! I think most that complain are those lukewarm w/ paying $24-$28 for buffet, but the mistake that many make is they fail to see the overall quality of this place! I was really impressed with the quality of the buffet food options, the vintage decor, the chill vibe... Simply a wonderful lunch! "The re-opening of the Willows is a significant and nostalgic, historical and cultural marker, as well as a strong on-going commitment to the re-awakening and renaissance of our culturally rich and ethnically diverse lineage and tradition-filled lifestyle. It pays tribute to the gentler, beautiful times of yesteryear, honoring one of Hawaii's signature restaurants for generations." - The Willows OVERALL GRADE: 4.1-STARS! (bumping to a 5 simply because of the historical significance of this place. A place you can't go all the time, but for me... I look forward til the next time!) A Hui Hou... LIVE ALOHA! YELP REVIEW #335

    (5)

  • Jason K.

    Food is awesome, service was spot on and the atmosphere is excellent. - A classy place for fine-casual dining, couple's dates, family get-togethers, or just enjoying great food - Go to the Willows. Its a great experience and Prime Rib, King Crab legs, Fresh Poke & The Pineapple Whip/soft serve - wow! A must go, while in Honolulu! I have been here before and the food is still as good as last time around - 7 yrs ago. I had dinner with like 10-12 of my friends and was perfect place for us to get together and enjoy. The Willows is a Hawaii staple and I recommend you go for a nice night out but save your appetite because you will eat hearty!

    (5)

  • Teddy B.

    After reading a lot of great reviews about this place, my friend and I decided to eat here one night... But left extremely disappointed. We walked in and took unusually long to get seated--despite 3 hostesses at the front. They seemed very unorganized and untrained. After being greeted by some rude and ignorant bitches, we decided to take our business elsewhere. What a waste of time and a joke of a business. Stay away.. Far away!

    (1)

  • Donna Lyn B.

    Recently came here on a weekday for brunch, but I actually was running late so it was more like lunch for me. I've been here several times before for a baby shower and a graduation dinner, but it's been probably a good 5 years since I've last been here. I remembered that there was valet parking across the street, but even though there was a sign saying there was valet parking there were no attendants. A lady that parked at the same time as me asked if there was still valet parking since she saw the same sign, but I could only assume since there was no attendant and we parked ourselves that parking was free. Since I was late, my party already were finishing their first plate. My favorites from the buffet was the Spicy Ahi Don which tasted just like Foodland's California Roll poke bowl. The prime rib was cooked to well done brown, but it still tasted good. My prime rib went cold fast since we were seated in the open air section, so I didn't the last few bites of it. The somen salad portioned out in small bowls had dried out eggs and some dried out noodles. I definitely did not like the beef luau because it was really salty. I tried two bites and I was done. For dessert, I enjoyed having the Dole Whip pineapple soft serve ice cream. It was nice to dine at The Willow's again after so long.

    (4)

  • Steve M.

    I almost always go here with family before leaving and this time it was for a fun private party that I was fortunate to have been invited to join. The holiday party was inside one of the large private rooms and the wait staff were very attentive and made the buffet line move quickly. The kitchen seemed to be behind the main wall and through the doors in the back so the waiters moved quickly in and out the room. I sat on the first table and we were the first table to go through the buffet line so everything was fresh and delicious... salads, fruits, chicken long rice, lomi lomi salmon and lau lau, etc. and for dessert, haupia, chocolate brownies and other items. The menu was specially selected for this event and so it was not the usual extensive menu that they have outside in the main restaurant dining area but was still delicious.

    (5)

  • Guy H.

    A little hide away with great food and excellent live music Thursday's 6:30-8:30! Www.Pakelelive.com

    (4)

  • Aaron W.

    A great place to go if entertaining family/friends from out of town or if you want a nice spot for a celebratory occasion. The panda also wants to work on his capacity so that he can really savor everything at the buffet. Lots of seafood and Hawaiian dishes, from appetizers to dessert. There's a prime rib carving station and a soft-serve machine. You're bound to find something to stuff your face on. Granted, it's not cheap to eat here. Weekday lunch buffet is about $22/person. Saturday lunch buffet is about $27. Sunday brunch is about $37. Dinner buffets are about $38. Cheaper prices for kids and senior citizens. Would be nice if there was a discount of sorts if you're bringing a ton of people (but who knows, that may already be in place). I went to town on the poke, crab, and sashimi. The kalua pig and shrimp curry were also awesome. For dessert, I loved the haupia and bread pudding. Pineapple soft serve was a welcome, refreshing choice. Sunday brunch includes an omelet station, so you can get just about any type of omelet you want, assuming they have the ingredients. For parking, there's valet parking there, or you can park in an adjacent lot or on the street. Wallet wasn't too thrilled afterward, but my stomach loved it.

    (4)

  • Riana S.

    It's a damn shame! This place has such a great location but I'm so disappointed with the food here. Came here for my sister-in-law's birthday and was excited to try. As I walked toward the buffet my brothers advised me, "Don't try the crab claw thingies. Just get the prime rib." Confused, I grab some vegetables, and looked at everything else...and didn't feel like eating curry or any entree really. I went for the prime rib and nobody was there to cut me a slice. I waited for 5 mins till someone came through and cut me a small piece...what? Usually when I go to a buffet the prime rib covers half my plate. I'm confused. I went to sit down and I was about to order the same drink as my brother but then he shook his head no. I picked up the martini glass and took a whiff. All I smelled was Jack Daniel's. In a martini glass. What? I decided to order a $6 class of Cabernet. When they brought it to me it was so cold, kinda like how you would want your Pepsi to be. It was so cold that there was condensation on the wine glass. I'm not used to having my wine cold and I didn't enjoy it either. When I finally bit in my prime rib it was dry and kind of tough to chew. I was looking for the crab legs that everyone was talking about but didn't see them at all. Do they not serve it on Sundays? The only thing that tasted good to me was the Dole pineapple soft-serve but does that even count as something that Willows made? I left Willows so disappointed and dissatisfied with my meal that I think I went to eat udon after.

    (1)

  • Philip T.

    Great buffet for Hawaiian food and local food. I can eat buffets as much but when I get invited here I actually look forward too going.

    (4)

  • D M.

    Overall theme: "I've had better, but it was good enough." Pros: Atmosphere very nice. Constant sounds from various waterfalls great accompaniment to dinner. Went on a Monday with my party of 6, so pretty quiet with exception of a few Japanese tour groups. Poi Stew, the Poi, Pasta salad, Ranch dressing, and Haupia cake all good. Free drinks all refilled in timely manner. Cons: Prime rib, chicken breast, and brownies were thumbs down. Dry. Tasteless. Tip: Management stickler for fine print of coupons.

    (3)

  • Sheldon K.

    If you're looking for a nice place to eat local and hawaiian food... This is the place. Willows offers Hawaiian and Pacific-Rim cuisine. They are a wonderful buffet. The atmosphere is wonderful. This is a place for family events and date night. You won't be disappointed. But I have to say, if you're looking for a fun evening and good food, you need to go on a night with live Hawaiian music. On the other hand, if you want a calm evening, go on a night when there is no live music and during the work week.

    (5)

  • Jena B.

    Just had a Graduation lunch here! We called everywhere in town for reservations the week of Manoa graduation and no one could take a 40-45 person party. I called Willows because it was down the road and they were available! The food was good they let us reserve the banquet room. Kim helped us reserve she was very nice and helpful! The food was good and the people were nice! Definitely having another party here again the place is beautiful you wouldn't even know you're in town. Thank you Willows!

    (5)

  • Alisha C.

    Went here with my boyfriend and his family for his mother's 70th birthday. It was perfect setting for the 5 of us and there was barely anyone there on a Tuesday night at 7PM. We got seated within 10 minutes and were even able to grab a couple drinks at the bar near the entrance (good for those who need a little pick-me-up before stuffin your bellies!). This was my first time coming to this restaurant, and immediately fell in love with the atmosphere and ambiance; it's perfect for a special day like her birthday, but also perfect for romantic dates and intimate nights. Not only is this restaurant spacious, but has beautiful scenery all over! Waterfalls, ponds, lovely greenery and flowers, palm trees....it's just one of those places that you need to see for yourself. That night we feasted on their daily dinner buffet...yes, I said, buffet! Not for the faint of heart. I mean, they seriously had everything you could ask for from a Hawaiian buffet - a poke bar, prime rib and roast beef station, CRAB LEGS!, tripe stew (just to name a few..oh yeahh), poi stew, steamed opakapaka, chicken and shrimp curry local style, chicken karaage, kalua pig, chicken long rice, somen salad, a lovely dessert bar (panacotta, butter mochi(seriously broke da mouth...nojoke), brownies, haupia, bread pudding, local fruit, and so much more I can't remember, but I'm sure my tummy does! Service was also so kind and friendly...they were consistent in checking on our table and helped us serving our mom a lovely dessert for her birthday with a candle. If you are visiting from the mainland, or live Hawaii and want a nice romantic dinner or have a special occasion to celebrate, you need to come here. PROS: everything CONS: you won't fit your pants after buffet...

    (4)

  • India R.

    It's a good place for large gatherings, such as birthday dinners or reunions, baby showers or retirement parties. they have multiple rooms that can hold from 30 people and up, even a buy out for the entire resturant is offered! Wow! It's a buffet, so food is easy to get to. However, I prefer going on a night with live local music, they have ono pupus which go great for Pau Hana! The location is perfect, just near university and the landscaping and water features are a huge plus! I often go here with family visiting from our of town and they just love it!

    (3)

  • Will L.

    Came here with my family for our last dinner in Hawaii. Arrived at 6 pm and they had a live band playing. The food is buffet style and there seemed to be plenty of options including local Hawaiian food and a carving station serving prime rib. There were several different poki dishes that were quite delish. Some of my members were vegan and were able to find things to satisfy them. For example, they would take the meat out of the lau laus and eat the leaves with rice. I heard that they do not serve the Hawaiian food during the weekends. As with all buffets, some may or may not take full advantage of the cost of the buffet - $40 per person. Check their website - I think I saw a coupon for 20% off during lunch / dinner during the week.

    (4)

  • Jo Ann I.

    This is a follow up to my post 4 years ago. The restaurant still has not cleaned up it's act and I have had to suffer smelling their trash for over 40 years now. I finally decided to take drastic measures of calling the police and filing a report against the poor sanitation practices of this restaurant. I have also called the sanitation department as well as my representative Scott Nishimoto and Ann Kobayashi. Manager Garrett Kamei keeps making promises that he is doing his best to keep the place clean, but for the years I have lived next door I find the promises are just temporary. When the new Willows was in the planning stage an architect named Lloyd I think Abe was his last name said they would built a refrigeration type system to keep the trash cool and stored so there would be no odor. BIG LIE!! They just said that and many other things to appease the neighbors so they could built the restaurant with no protest. I will ask all yelp readers to please avoid this restaurant and go somewhere else until Garrett takes the proper measures to make sure the area that borders the restaurant and their neighbor's home is clean and sanitary and not affected by their business. They have no regard for their neighbors and no respect for the neighborhood. Rubbish from their trees, valet parking, employees, guest etc, not to mention all their diners turning in and out of our driveway and their delivery truck driving on the concrete and breaking it have been a source of great frustration. They have the right to run their business, but we have a right to live without being constantly inconvenienced by them. Mr. Alvin Awaya the landlord has avoided all my phone calls and has not once offered to meet with me to find a resolution. He is the trustee of the Jeanette and Harry Weinberg estate and I guess I am too insignificant for him to give me a return call. If a restaurant cannot have a high standard of cleanliness then I would have to be concerned about the food I am eating there. 40 years from the old Willows to the new and they still don't get it that they share the area with residents and we are not just neighbors that have to endure their business and sacrifice our quality of life so that they can make a profit at our expense. Be considerate of your neighbors and the neighborhood, Garrett Kamei and make sure you do what you say you will do and not let us have to constantly remind you over and over!!!!!!!!!!!!

    (1)

  • Paul C.

    Okay here we go...the food was so so. I say this because of a few things CONS 1. The prime rib was overcooked at 6pm (they open at 5:30) 2. King crab legs were WAY over salted oh my god what a waste of great crab legs SOME WERE RAW! 3. They said they hooked us up in a special area... Um not, I was next to a table with 20 people who were very loud! PROS 1. Desserts were really good! 2. Local fare poke and lau lau were good 3. Waitstaff was excellent actually 4. Parking $3 validated when you come in 5. For my special day they brought out a nice dessert 6. Overall good was good no HUGE complaints. They just have to try it before they display it :-) 7. The price alone would pay for that prime rib at most places. No complains about the price.

    (3)

  • Thomas P.

    A great variety of food, but some of the food was cold and greasy. Not enough wait help that we didn't get water even after we asked, and then the waitress only filled my glass and ignored the rest of the table. Losing a star for service and a star for their excessive use of styrofoam cups. So environmentally backwards.

    (3)

  • Marko C.

    Our family had a celebration here during lunch! 30+ of us came here on a Friday afternoon at 11:00 and we all had a wonderful time! Great location, wonderful staff, and good food! Lunch Buffet is $21.95 per person and it is well worth it! Here's the highlights: Two kinds of soups. The soups during our visit were clam chowder and corn chowder. Two types of noodles: Somen salad noodles, and soba noodles. Two kinds of curry: Shrimp and chicken. Chicken Long Rice: Nice and simple. Grade: B Chicken Karaage: Bite sized pieces of fried chicken, Japanese style. Grade: B Squid Luau: Taro leaf stewed with squid. Amazing! Grade: A- Poi Stew: Traditional Hawaiian stew made with poi. Amazing. Grade: A- Tripe Stew: Traditional Hawaiian Stew made with beef trip. WOW! Grade: A+ Prime Rib: Nicely seasoned and cooked. Grade: B+ Ahi Poke: YUM. No need say more. Grade: A- Tako Poke: Traditional octopus poke. Grade: B+ LomiLomi Salmon: a Hawaiian like Cevice made with salmon. Grade: B+ The dessert bar was amazing! Fried Haupia (coconut jello): Pudding breaded in Japanese panko. Grade: B Haupia (coconut pudding/jello): Nice and thick. Grade: B+ Other offerings were two kinds of panacotta, butter mochi, brownies, guava chiffon cake, passion fruit chiffon cake, fresh fruit, etc. Food Grade: B+/A- Service Grade: A! Worth the Money Grade: A- Overall Impression: B+/A-

    (4)

  • Cassie K.

    ALTHOUGH I HAD THE WORSE EXPERIENCE HERE, WILLOWS DID TRY TO MAKE UP FOR IT. KEYWORD "TRY" So I got married here on April 5th of this year. The reason I'm only writing this review now, is because I needed time to cool off. I'm still NOT cooled off and I probably never will be, but it was now or never. I'm going to start off by saying I DID NOT WANT MY WEDDING/RECEPTION HERE. The only reason it was here, was because Willows was the only place to accommodate my needs in such a short amount of time. NOW I KNOW WHY THEY HAD OPENINGS AND WEREN'T BOOKED. My mom and I worked with a coordinator named Kim for the planning. She was very organized and I felt like she had a general idea of what I wanted. She listened to my wants and needs which was a huge plus! However, half way through the planning process which was a week or two before my wedding, she handed us down to a "banquet manager" named Traci. Boy was she awful!! She was VERY opinionated and I felt as though what I wanted didn't matter to her because she's been doing this for fifteen years and she thinks she knows best. Blah blah blah. Well I'm the goddamn bride and my wants and needs should trump your "experience". The day of my wedding was a train wreck. It was basically a horror movie playing out before my eyes. We showed up to Willows at 8am like planned. No one was there to let us in. We had to call them to let them know that we were here. Traci finally let us in and we headed to our banquet room. When we got there, the dessert table and reception table was not set up like planned. When Traci was asked about it, she had a very SASSY attitude and told my family who were helping set up that it would only take 5 minutes to set up. Traci was also very rude to the judge who married my husband and I. Our wedding was a little different because the judge that married us only does this for friends and family. Traci could not understand this concept and kept talking about how different this was and how she's never seen anything like this. I went up to my waiting room where I change into my dress around 8:30. I was ready by 9 and the photographer came up to take pictures of my mom helping me get dressed. The photographer was hired for an hour. From 9-10am. The photographer left the waiting room about five minutes later to take pictures of my groom. As 9:30 rolled around the corner I was getting very anxious. The ceremony was scheduled for 9:15. I did not know what the hold up was and I was waiting with my mom and believe me, a million thoughts were running through my mind! Traci finally told us that the flowers and the maile lei were late. We hired a florist THROUGH the willows wedding package and he totally forgot to drop them off. We had to wait for him to finish making his delivery in waikiki, so he could drop them off after. I would say I walked down the aisle at 9:50. The ceremony took five minutes literally. By the time I walked back after reciting my vows, people were walking around! & when I say people, I mean people who are NOT my guests and who are there for another party. We were promised they wouldn't be let in so early. The photographer had like 10 minutes or so left of our picture taking. We could NOT get all the group pictures like we wanted. Some of my guests took candid photos during the reception, but Traci was in like a third of them. After the horrid reception and ceremony I got to talk to my husband about how he felt. My husband was really upset because no one told him that the flowers were late. In fact, Traci had the audacity to tell my husband that I changed my mind. WTF! She thought that would be a funny joke... Which it's not! My husband was also really upset about his "maile lei" it was dead and skimpy, just like my bouquet. He asked Traci about the dead skimpy maile lei and she snapped "do you even know what really maile looks like"? About a week later my mom and I met with the general manager of Willows to share our experience. It was interesting. Apparently there was another coordinator there besides Traci. I HAD NO IDEA BECAUSE SHE WAS NO WHERE TO BE SEEN NOR DID SHE INTRODUCE HERSELF. Second of all, neither Traci or this other coordinator felt the need to tell us that the photographer could stay longer due to a delay of my wedding. That was really upsetting because I can never get this day back nor have these pictures. PLEASE BEWARE OF HAVING YOUR WEDDING OR ANY IMPORTANT EVENT AT WILLOWS. You will be disappointed and still upset four months later. Hell, I'll probably be upset for the rest of my life!!

    (1)

  • Julie D.

    Been here on multiple occasions. The last time I was here was when my friends threw me a surprise bridal shower. We had the private room on the second floor of one of the buildings. It was really intimate. It was a nice set up and spacious enough to play games. There's also a bathroom in there which is convenient. The waitstaff frequently checked on us and refilled our drinks. The outdoor set up is just beautiful. The buffet consists of Hawaiian food. I'm not a Hawaiian food person but the food was pretty good. I did love their prime rib, curry, crab legs, poke, and desserts. Parking is valet.

    (3)

  • Luci A.

    Went here today for a bridal shower. It was the perfect venue. Besutiful garden setting. We sat next to the floating canoe, which was close to the buffet. The food was good. Prime rib a little over cooked but crab and Hawaiian food was delicious. Dessert just okay. Staff were great. Very friendly and accommodating. Valet for $3 i or self park for $2. Four stars because of the beautiful setting.

    (4)

  • Darin O.

    Holiday menu- it is really wonderful to see new and even more exciting food items - translation- great moist top cut prime beef. wonderful to enjoy with friends or co-workers for the holidays. Festive decorations and still the same great atmosphere we enjoy here in Hawaii. Highly recommend Willows. I also recommend lunch or brunch as it is extremely busy in the evenings that I've experienced.

    (5)

  • John N.

    The Willows has been around forever and is considered one of the better buffets out there for y our special occasion. Location is a little hard to find as it is located a bit off the main roads. If what you want is open air, covered, Hawaiian style buffet then this is it. I don't know of any other place that serves Hawaiian food as a buffet that's better than Willows. Parking is fairly simple. There is valet service across the street and the valets are extremely professional. It is only steps away so there is no worry about your car being driven for fun. The valets also hustle extremely well when its busy. I've only been to Willows for lunch, but at the price, the lunch is worth it. Included with your buffet are drinks, so if you like tea, iced tea, or coffee let the servers know. Here are my favorites: Prime rib - They don't mess up a good prime rib. Just as for the cut you want. Friendly carver. Sashimi - Fresh and of good quality. Chicken long rice - Tastes extremely home made. It is not the best but reminds me of something I would make. Tripe Stew - Some of my colleagues go here just for the tripe stew. Squid luau - Extremely rich version and I would rate it the best I've had ever. Kalua pig - excellent last visit but was okay the first tmie. and last but not least Pineapple + vanilla soft serve! It was so good, I got thirds. Actually, not only was the soft serve good, since I got thirds, I ended up practicing my swirling! I'm up to 4 swirls perfected! Suggestion for Willows: As a Jello lover, I was deeply saddened there no Jello. Jimmy, how happy would John be at Willows with Jello? Happier than a Vampire in a blood bank.

    (4)

  • Leilani A.

    Not in the best shape as the years have take its toll on this wonderful respite located in the neighborhood. Food has gone downhill and needs flavor like the old days. Attention Yelp; you need to remove the "make reservations" button and put it on the page for "Karai Crab", the other restaurant located within. This is an on-going problem. Please fix.

    (1)

  • Serena L.

    I really liked the ambiance of the restraunt as an open air chain of huts with a coy pond surrounding the eating areas, however the food is not really worth the price in my opinion. Went here with the family for dinner and was less than impressed with the poke and hawaiian food options. maybe cause I've been spoiled by other local poke places. The crab was also poorly seasoned and had been sitting out awhile so had a very heavy fish taste that didnt rub off the fingers easily. Everyone from my party enjoyed the simple things the most- ie the chicken long rice and butter mochi dessert. I liked the brownies but I didnt come to pay $35 to stuff my face with simple brownies. Oh well, now I know. Best thing that night was the live Hawaiian music entertainment. A woman sang and was selling her cds. She invited some of her family up to dance some hula and sing alongside her.

    (3)

  • Jess C.

    There are certain things about the Willows that are redeeming. The decor is beautiful, you can sit over a little pond as you gorge yourself on the Hawaiian style buffet. The food however was not the best. In my opinion, a buffet is the toughest type of restaurant to own, because you have to master all of the dishes you serve and most places master none. The other aspect you are rated on is variety, so you are forced to serve multiple dishes, which are hard to manage. Unfortunately, the Willows did not do much of either. * Chicken Long Rice (1 STAR): Salt. Pure salt and soggy noodles. Typically, every soup needs water added to it periodically to keep it from reducing to a concentrated sodium-ridden version. Also, noodles should be served separately, or the soup needs to be cooked in small batches, otherwise the noodles lose all its texture. * Chicken Karaage (2 STARS): Flavor wise it was OK, I feel like it was once tasty but having lost most of its warmth and texture on the outside, it tasted like underheated leftovers. * Kalua Pig (3 STARS): Pretty good Kalua pig. A little boring but good. * Lau Lau (2.5 STARS): Pretty good but dry. * Prime Rib (4 STARS): Certain cuts of the prime rib were very delicious, make sure to get the side of the rib that is more fatty. * Assorted Desserts (1 STAR): Desserts included pineapple and plain frozen yogurt (very artificial tasting), panna cotta served in black condiment cups, a variety of cakes, haupia, bread pudding.... Nothing looked visually amazing, so I only tried the frozen yogurt. The pineapple was incredibly artificial and the plain was OK. The Willows is like Sizzler's of Hawaii, except much more expensive. The buffet itself is not very good but you're paying for the ambiance and the chance to sample lots of Hawaiian dishes that ordinarily would take multiple meals. It's a beautiful location and lends well to large parties. Valet parking is also conveniently available across the street (note: fills up quickly).

    (3)

  • Little D.

    I have been here for company gatherings and friends' wedding for both lunch and dinner many times. I like their taste and selections. I especially love their soft cream. I tend to over eat here because I want to taste everything! The fountain is very cool. I like the Kapaakea Room by the fountain the best. The upstairs rooms are not my favorite. Parking: Valet only. You can see the parking across the street but it is valet.

    (4)

  • Marisa A.

    I haven't been to Willow's in over 10 years. But friends were telling me that their food has gone down hill. So when I went there for a 1st birthday I was a little scared...Thankfully we had a private room with air condition, considering how hot and humid it's been the past couple of weeks. The staff are very friendly and accommodating. They were moving chairs around so that there was enough room for everyone. The seating was not too crowded like some venues. But because there were a lot of people in there, it did get a little stuffy...not too much but you could feel it. On to the food. I really hate to do this but, I have to be honest. The food wasn't the greatest but it wasn't the worst either. We had a mix of Hawaiian and Japanese food. The laulau was really small and more than anything there were luau leaves, with a tiny piece of meat. The yakisoba was okay. We also had teri chicken. To be honest it was all food that you could get in a plate lunch. I would definitely give it another chance because my friend said that the regular buffet is better.

    (4)

  • Ebonee B.

    Came for pre-mothers day lunch with my mum. 1. Environment: very lush and tropical, but you can tell they dont up keep the property well. The waterfalls are very nice but dirty looking. But it was nice that the tables were outside and there was still a great breeze coming through. 2. Food: zero stars. A lot of selection but all the food was very tasteless. To the eye looks yummy but in your mouth no taste. .dessert tasted pretty good, but ive had dessert at safeway that taste better. Was looking fwd to the crab legs..all I can say is tasteless, overcooked, and cold. No meat inside either. 3. Price: terrible for the tasteless food. $23 per person lunch and $33 per person dinner. Not worth it! 4. Parking: $3 with validation and parking is horrendous. Leave extra early to figure out what your gonna do lol. Overall impression: Great place to take pictures and pretty cool ambiance, probably would be a good place to just have a few drinks then leave. Otherwise, probably wont ever come back!

    (2)

  • Sheryl G.

    what: hawaii's original garden restaurant since 1944! something good: what i love the most about the willows is that it is built upon a tropical garden with native plants and even includes a waterfall! the surroundings is really beautiful : ) they also have lots of private rooms and areas where it is perfect to host parties! i love that there's a walk from the seating areas to get to where the food is, that way you can enjoy the scenes before you dig into your food! something not so good: so many choices to eat makes it very hard to try every single thing ; ) !! something to try: buffet or throw a party here! ; )

    (4)

  • Mari K.

    A local favorite over the years for families to feast on a Hawaiian food buffet and enjoy some fresh air in the midst of the concrete jungle of Mo'ili'ili. Been here quite a bit over the last few months since we had a few visitors from the mainland and Japan. The Willows is such a great location for large parties and groups. They are very accommodating and welcome large parties for lunch and dinner. Service has always been good, could be better but nothing to complain about. Their dinner buffet isn't big or extravagant; there is enough to please everyone but not too much so you'll eat so much that you'll need to be wheelchaired out of the restaurant. Of course you will have the Hawaiian basics: rice, lomi salmon, kalua pig, lau lau, chicken long rice, poke, dinner rolls, and haupia. There's also a soup of the day, curry, prime rib, crab legs, sushi, salads, and desserts. Also a soft serve ice cream machine with toppings! ***For those that know my plantation iced tea obsession, they have a great plantation iced tea and also serve a guava tea! ;) Great for large parties and groups. Buffet is reasonable and ambiance is nice. A go-to place to bring visitors or for a family dinner.

    (4)

  • Kaimi A.

    1st time here with family and man what a GREAT place! Staff was very welcoming and plenty aloha here from the moment you walk in! We were seated immediately even without a reservation. The food was really good! I just wished that the crab legs was served warm rather than on ice, chilled. I couldn't drink the champaign that was included with the brunch, but the waitress was nice enough to give it to someone else in our party! Come early as this place starts getting pretty busy around 11.

    (5)

  • Reid A.

    A very good buffet. Why are all the haters, hating on this place? I guess I answered my own question there. This buffet place is great for big parties. They have a mix of Hawaiian food and Asian food. Of course they have prime rib too. The food is not your typical unappetizing, dried out buffet food. This is mouth watering stuff! I struggled to fit everything I wanted to eat on one plate. I've come here for years for big parties and special events in my life, like graduating college. I recall the waitress asking me if I got a bachelors or masters degree. I corrected her and said, "I have a doctorate". She playfully responded, "excuse me!". The service is good here, but at a buffet all they need to do is clear your table and bring you drinks. The valet parking is valet on special days depending on how many reservations/ how busy they are that night. Valet allows more cars to double park, since it's better controlled by one attendant. I also recommend the Karai crab place right next to The Willows.

    (4)

  • Uilani P.

    Ok what a way to start we waited for parking at the valet and then turned us away and then we drive around again and then they let cars in

    (1)

  • leslie m.

    I had my wedding here and it was fabulous the food was great and everyone was very helpful Kim was our banquet coordinator and she did and amazing job with all of my wedding coordination I simply told her what I like and what I don't like and she made my wedding day turn out as beautiful as any bride could hope for and best of all no stress for me. If your planning a wedding or an event that you want to be memorable and affordable you gotta check this place out.

    (5)

  • Carly H.

    7.8.13. I've always liked coming here. Perhaps it is the nostalgic memories of many family & friend get togethers or the lovely atmosphere that blends nature and dining...or remembering the fond memories of fascination with that water "fountain" in the open courtyard area. Only recently I have come to learn that Willows is famous for their curry, which I am really not a fan of. I guess I'm accustomed to the local/Japanese version and prefer this over the coconut flavored one here. Since I've been here only for larger gatherings my experiences at Willows have been with their buffet. I would have to say that it's kind of hit and miss here--sometimes it's great, sometimes it's not so much. My most recent trip here was to celebrate a family friend's wedding. I thought the food this time was decent; there were sides, salad, meats and a fish dish to select from. Honestly, my fav out of all of the selections was the lomi lomi salmon. The dessert selection was kind of sparse...I only tried the Chocolate Haupia Dobash cake, which was actually quite delish, a little cake-y but def tasty. But all of the desserts provided by the restaurant was blown away by the homemade wedding cake... The service here is always great! The waiters/waitresses are consistently attentive and friendly in all of my experiences. Parking here is only valet ($3), unless you can find street parking! Overall, I think this is one of the better places to hold medium-sized gatherings. Yelp 365 Challenge: #188/365

    (3)

  • Derek S.

    Driving here you would have never excepted a place like this to be in this area. Between all the homes and apartments you'll find willows but once you step foot through there gates you feel like you were transported to a whole new place. The atmosphere is amazing. With all the waterfalls and ponds I mean they have a canoe floating in the pond which you can eat on. It's lush and green and full of tropical plants. My family did the buffet and when we walked in our eyes opened wide. They have a very large variety that you most likely will need 2 plates. From hawaiian food (including poi) to prime rib and crab legs you can't go wrong. Ohh and the dessert. DOLE ICE CREAM. the bomb. There plenty types of cakes and the bread pudding is to die for. I highly recommend you make reservations. It's the 2nd time I've been here and they have hawaiian music on Thursday and Friday which I found out by my fellow yelpers. You can request a location so I usually ask for a table by the stage. Valet parking and a wonderful staff. Love willows.

    (5)

  • Inj K.

    Just got married today at The Willows...Thank you to the Events Staff, Kim, Keri, and Tracy, who really helped to make this day memorable. The waiters, bartenders, and valet gave excellent service. The food was cooked to our liking. The venue itself was picture perfect for a ceremony and reception. We would definitely recommend this place to anyone planning a party or just wanting to eat at a good buffet!

    (5)

  • Les U.

    Maybe I expected too much of this historic venue. We were here for a private party, approx. 100 people. The food was okay. Poke was so so. The problem was supply. I had to actually go the the prep area and ask for more plates. They also ran out of one very important thing, rice. We waited a few minutes for a fresh supply to be brought out. There was no one at the prime rib carving station. Someone should be stationed at the buffet so that nothing runs out. We waited quite a while for someone to come by and refill our glasses of water and coffee. The bartenders took a while trying to figure out how much to charge for a diet Coke and a bottle of Longboard. Hats off to the valets, they brought back my ride in no time flat. All in all, they need to work on a few things.

    (2)

  • Roz K.

    This used to be my favorite restaurant twenty years ago. Willows was the go to place for special occasions. After Saturday's Disappointing lunch, I will never go back. Prime rib was tasteless with a tough rind, adobo and curry were overcooked, poke wasn't fresh and had a strong fishy smell, chicken long rice should be called chicken cartilage long rice, etc. Almost everything's texture seemed as if it had been sitting under hot lamps for days. One of the worst meals I have ever had.

    (1)

  • Vanessa L.

    My husband was lucky enough to be stationed in Hawaii for two years. Unfortunately I didn't know him during this time, but when we met, he did take me there and to some of the 'local' spots to eat. Willows is one of those. It's close to Waikiki (if you have a car) but definitely not touristy. It's a buffet but it is spread out over a large campus of tiki type thatched huts. There's running water throughout with your standard koi fish swimming around. Lots of local japanese and hawaiians seem to love it here. Well first, if you go on a weekend, it is crowded and there is only valet parking, but luckily it is only $4. The buffet (food) area is really too small to accommodate all the seating that they have. So there is a good chance you'll get stuck in a looooong line. The food is local style. You get to sample 'Hawaii' food without the cheezey luau. I tried poi stew and actually loved it. They have this noodle salad that you pour watered down soy sauce over and it's really good. The hau-pia (coconut jello) is totally awesome and so is the mochi cake.....like a really heavy pound cake. The service was a little lacking. Some of the servers actually looked pretty scary. If you ever watched starwars clone wars and saw boba fett, he was played by Temuera Morrison. What my husband said they call 'mokes' were everywhere....but they were mostly nice. Anyway pretty good hawaiian experience that I would recommend, but don't expect a perfect night of fine dining and service.

    (4)

  • Michael C.

    Came here for lunch to celebrate my grandfathers birthday (which happened to be on Saturday the day before Father's Day). The food was mediocre to okay at best. At a buffet I judge how good it is by the amount of times that I go back to get seconds, thirds, and forths. I only had at best 1 1/2 or 2 trips. Next to the food are styrofoam cups that you can place your food in to separate it on your plate. So the first trip I did that and had about 7 cups on my plate (I was hoping to stack them up and take a picture like a kaiten sushi place, but that never happened). My second trip I got a laulau and a piece of prime rib. That was all I ate... I'm sorry but the prime rib when I got it was not hot, not warm, but more like room temperature. It didn't have much flavor. I had to use the au jus and horseradish to eat it. AND this is suppose to be showcase item in your menu?! I thought the saving grace would be the ice cream since they have an ice cream machine with toppings on the side. BUT (yes there always seems to be a but) it had the handles removed when I went back (later it was covered with a cloth, like that is going to hide it). I overheard the workers complaining that it conked out about an hour after they opened and from the way they were talking it sounded like this was a common occurrence. The rest of the dishes were not memorable which is sad because its $27 a person for lunch. The only saving grace was that the staff was really good this time (that's why the 2 stars instead of 1 or a comment about no stars) about restocking the items (since the last time I was here majority of the time I went back to get more food they were slow in bringing out more or stopped because they had ran out early) and making sure that our beverages were always filled.

    (2)

  • Consuela P.

    In Hawaii a child's first birthday party is a big event. Planning for it was no easy task and I want it to be perfect. Since I could not accommodate 50 people in our home for my son's first birthday, I had to find a venue! Like D K., I too consulted and met with Kim to secure the space needed and found her to very professional and accommodating for what I needed. We had immediate family and close friends in attendance. The afternoon went well, and our 50 guests seemed to enjoy themselves. Food was good, with a wide selection and good quality. Being the host and having to run after a very active 1 year old toddler, I didn't get to try everything. For ordering drinks and to clear the tables, two dedicated server was assigned to our room. We also had a banquet manager on site overseeing everything. They were all very personable, professional, and did a great job! Parking is valet ($3 with validation plus tip.) - street parking is possible but not likely. Overall it was a good, and we enjoyed the attentive service and good eats. 27 of 31 Yelp 31 Day Challenge

    (4)

  • Kimo K.

    Went back to Honolulu with my GF and decided to go to Willows for dinner. Most every year or so, when I go back to Honolulu, I eat at this restaurant since it is normally very good. But this time it was super disapppointing! So went for dinner on 2/8. The menu offerings were not as extensive as before, but the major issue was the taste and preparation. I may be making some bad assumptions here, but the chef's preparation and seasoning skills left something to be desired. I tried the ahi and the tako poke. Both were rather tasteless. The fish and tako were cut into very small pieces; almost minced up, and the seasoning left much to be desired. The salad dressings too, were not rich, thick and tasty, as they should have been. I tried the mochiko chicken and that was over cooked into hard, dry pieces and rather tasteless. I love oxtail soup so I tried what they had there -- poor seasoning and too, too much star anise flavoring. No mushrooms, no Asian veggies, no peanuts....sorta disappointing. I also love tripe stew, but that too was poorly seasoned. I was very, very disappointed. The only good thing we tried and my GF agrees with me was the lilikoi chiffon cake -- that was great! I wonder if they make that or just bring it in from an outside bakery? And they are pretty pricey too. I guess the food was rate two stars, but when I consider the price, I can only justify one star.

    (1)

  • Lily W.

    I love this place! I went there for my friend's rehearsal dinner and there's just so many great things about it. The place is unsuspecting in the middle of a residential area, but it was great! The food selection was plenty and wonderful. It's buffet style and not the kind where you're just paying for portions. plenty of local affair and fancier dishes. The environment of the restaurant is very cute. There's outdoor and indoor seating. There's also a bar that features nice local artists.

    (5)

  • T. C.

    J at the willows upstairs has a very good duck breast with a grand manure butter sauce.

    (5)

  • Kara W.

    The Willows is a great venue to have a wedding. We decided to have our wedding ceremony and reception there because: 1) It's away from the hustle and bustle of Waikiki; 2) The ceremony and reception would be held at the same venue; 3) Caters to the locals style--laid back atmosphere and local food; 4) Beautiful venue and banquet room; 5) Ease of planning, arranging, and decorating. Working with Tracy (one of their Banquet Manager) made things so easy for us. She knows that weddings cost a lot and helped keep our cost to a minimum. For our ceremony, we were provided with some ceremony package options that made things so easy. The ceremony package we chose included a few chairs for our guests, a wedding official, the bridal room, bridal bouquet, and groom boutonniere. Basically all we had to do was show up--which I loved! We added an extra to our package, the maile wrapped around the chapel pillars as suggested per Tracy. I'm glad we went with her suggestion because it did make for nicer pictures. The banquet room, in which our reception was held, was the perfect venue. The banquet room is already beautifully arranged so not much needed to be done for decorating. The stage has flowers and, I believe, a stonewall for the backdrop and there are stained glass entrance doors. All we did was choose the linen colors, paid extra for the chair covers, and placed the centerpieces and favors on each table. Done! The decorating was complete. All of our guests complemented on how beautiful our wedding was and of course, they loved the food. You cannot go wrong with any of the food options they provide. The food was tasty and there was enough food for everyone. If you plan on having an event, I highly recommend having it at The Willows. The staff is very friendly and accommodating and the venue is beautiful.

    (5)

  • Robert W.

    Just came back from lunch buffet. Everything fresh and clean. I thought to myself while eating the total compliment of Hawaiin food: laulau, poki, take poki, squid luau, loom salmon chicken long rice, poi, kalua pig, poi stew, haupia and more--this good place to take out of town friends to try Hawaiian food. Yeah Helena's and Ono's are great, but you can not get a little of everything and then go back for what you really enjoy.

    (5)

  • Keilana M.

    Food was pretty good. I went while they were filming Pakele Live so entertainment was amazing. The buffet is alright, but if youre looking for authentic Hawaiian food this place is not the first choice. However, their buffet gives a range of food choices with very tasty dessert options. Satisfied with my visit there.

    (4)

  • Brianna D.

    The place is beautiful it's just the service . We ordered a couple pupus and we had to wait for almost over an hour. The waiter came to us with one of them and left. Then we waited again for about 30 min and reminded another waiter about our other plates and he said he will get it. Waited 15 min more. Then reminded our original waiter about our food. Then she brought it to us . They Arent on it. Especially with refilling the water. If it was an option I wouldn't have left her a tip. She barely came to check on how we were doing . I would go back but maybe just for the buffet so I can get my food my self . Btw the edamame is overcooked and doesn't have flavor. The ribs has to much vinegar too.

    (1)

  • Claire F.

    Wow! Wasn't expecting much due to the mediocre reviews on yelp, but I've already come here twice for parties in the private rooms, and both times I've had great experiences, especially with the food! Maybe I haven't eaten at a lot of good buffets, but the Willows buffet in terms of variety, quality, and taste is one of the better buffets I've had on the island (not a huge fan of buffets so I rarely fork out the money on my own to pay for one). I think what did it for me was having such a wide variety of Hawaiian food. I rarely make it, so having it is a treat! The individually wrapped lau laus were some of the best I've had, perfectly steamed and not too fatty. The tako poke was ridiculously soft and not chewy at all. The kalua pig was also good; salty, oily, and delicious. The poi was the perfect consistency, and a little chunky, just the way I like it. The lomi salmon had generous portions of salmon and salted just right; together with the poi, I went back for seconds and thirds! The guava BBQ ribs, spicy tuna poke, mahi, and mochiko chicken were also pretty good but not outstanding. But for the variety and unlimited quantities, I almost rather come here than dare I say, Helena's. Aside from the food, the service and environment were really nice. The decor in the private rooms are pretty cool, with a flowing water fall/rock with foliage display on the stage. The host/waiter was also really friendly and attentive. I've also heard you can eat all-you-can-eat crab legs in the restaurant. I love crab so maybe will have to come back to try that one day...

    (4)

  • Lai T.

    Heidi was a wonderful hostess for our private room! From the setup, to taking drink orders and helping is with our group photo-I was truly impressed with her genuine friendliness and attentative service. We had our holiday party here back in mid-December. While The Willows had originally been above our budget, I'm glad we decided to go with them. We were able to get a private room upstairs (with its own bathroom and a small lanai). The room was the perfect size for our group of 20. The buffet was easily accessible and surprisingly decent. I was initially not too thrilled with the menu as it sounded like things you'd mostly get at a touristy luau. But it really offered a nice variety for our group's diverse dietary needs. I was curious about the fried mochi and unfortunately will probably skip it next time. The curry station was unique-I've never had the option to add shredded coconut, raisin, or chutney toy curry...pretty good! Overall the place was packed. It seems The Willows is a popular spot for holiday parties :)

    (4)

  • Cindy B.

    Nice hidden buffet in the heart of Moilili. From the outside you wouldn't expect or even know that this buffet exists. Parking is across the street from Willow's and with validation it is $3. The parking attendants were extremely friendly and courteous. We made reservations for 700pm and arrived about ten minutes prior to our reservation. The food at the buffet was a mix between Hawaiian and seafood items. The Chicken Karrage and Lau Lau were one of the better items on the menu. My boyfriend was craving crabs, however didn't enjoy the crabs being a bit soggy. It was quite tough for him to crack the crabs, making it really unenjoyable to eat. Our waiter was okay. He wasn't really attentive, but can't expect much from a buffet style restaurant. Wish there were more selections on the menu. For myself, it wasn't worth $40 per person and I probably wouldn't come back here any time soon.

    (3)

  • Bernadette M.

    I had a great time eating at The Willows. We had gone here because a few of my friends had previously eaten here and liked it. We made reservations early in the morning just in case it was busy from the holiday. We arrived for lunch and were seated right near the pond. We had the best view and seats in the house. It was also nice because it was quiet. For the lunch price, you'll get a great selection of food. Some of my favorites were the kalua pork, prime rib, ahi poke and shoyu pork. For drinks, I liked the Sexy Lychee. Sometimes the buffet line gets backed up due to larger parties coming in, but its ok--there's lots to choose from. FYI- parking at the Willows is all valet but its only $3. They are fast and will get you in and out. You can also try to find street parking but do valet--its easier.

    (5)

  • Murray O.

    Great food! I haven't been there in a while and forgot how good it was! We were invited by our administration so I can't comment on the price. I loved the poi stew, squid luau, & shrimp curry. They were the best dishes for me. Laulau and mochiko chicken could use more flavoring. Bread pudding was especially ono!

    (3)

  • Mark Y.

    If I wrote this review right after they did their complete renovation...5 Stars. If I wrote this review in mid 2000 when it seemed the food quality went down a little but that water fountain thing was mesmerizing....4 stars. Writing this review in 2012...3 stars. (and barely that) Mark Y and buffets are synonymous. I mean if you're going to dish out hard earned money on eating out, then why not eat as much food as you can? The trade off, buffet food is generally OK but not great. The Willows food has always been good but slowly but surely, the quality has declined. During the first few years after they renovated, I used to eat here at least once a month, maybe more. In the middle of the last decade, the food quality had dropped a bit and they removed some the regular dishes so my visits also dropped to every other month or so. By 2011, I ate here maybe twice all year and I think even that was too much. The quality of the food really has gone down hill and they offer less and less dishes. I ate here last month on a weekend and was surprised at how many dishes are no longer being offered. I remember when the carving station had suckling pig and imu turkey along with a roast beef. Now they just offer a roast, (which was disappointingly chewy). They also didn't have sashimi, ugh. I'm thinking that's probably because the cost of ahi is so high now but they did have pok'e (marlin) which was OK. They do refill the dishes regularly but generally all the food was just...meh. For the price, I think there are much better buffet options out there. My head keeps telling me to give them 2 stars but my heart keeps making me click on 3. I do have fond memories of this place and that fountain thing is still mesmerizing.

    (3)

  • Kris O.

    I'm not the type of girl who goes to fancy restaurants, since I always feel awkward: I laugh too loud, I forget which fork to use & as hard as I try, I always make a mess. However, I'm willing to sacrifice a few hours of feeling out of place, for a hot & juicy prime rib. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world, when le boyfriend took me to Willows Restaurant for an early birthday dinner. We dressed up for a special date night/birthday dinner & ate like kings; all of the pictures on Yelp, couldn't prepare my stomach for the deliciousness I devoured. After a long & grueling work week, being able to celebrate my early birthday dinner at Willows Restaurant was the best part of my Aloha Friday; its a lovely place to enjoy someone's company & reconnect over a good meal. I know le boyfriend enjoyed himself because he barely made conversation at dinner, but I'm glad he enjoyed the prime rib as much as I did. If you're not sure where to celebrate your next big event or wanna make date night with your significant other really special, I highly recommend dining at Willows Restaurant.

    (4)

  • Liberty P.

    The Willows is a local classic; according to a sign out front, it first opened back in the 1940s. Beautiful, tropical setting in the middle of urban Moiliili, with private dining rooms spread throughout the lush property. Local companies like to host events here; I've been here at least four times for work-related shindigs. My most recent visit was a couple of days ago. Now, I'm not a fan of buffets and I'm not a fan of Hawaiian food so perhaps you may want to take my review with a grain of salt...but I swear, the smell of the buffet room made me want to hurl. It was likely the smells of laulau, sushi and maybe a few other things wafting through the air that got to me. (And no, I'm not pregnant.) The food selection also seemed dismal. As other Yelpers have already pointed out, The Willows is severely short-staffed. During my last visit, our server was attentive with refilling drinks...but the attentiveness waned as the event went on. My friend had to tell our server that his glass of Coke was left sitting on a counter nearby. I don't mind going here for company events but I would never go here on my own volition.

    (2)

  • Kevin K.

    Isn't Yelp a platform for people to review their experience at establishments? If so , I believe it's important for others to know what kind of customer service was provided.

    (1)

  • Tracy A.

    For my first time here it's pretty good! Thought they would serve laulau but they didn't. Maybe it wasn't ordered. Chicken karaage, noodles, mahimahi, lomi salmon, salad, tofu, mac & potato salad, short ribs...YUMMM!

    (4)

  • Jessica P.

    I am definitely giving this place 4 stars because of the roast beef. This isn't too bad of a buffet. I thought the venue was very nice with the open outdoor space and waterfalls. The poke wasn't good, but the other hawaiian foods that they had was pretty ok.

    (4)

  • Johnelle P.

    Having only been there once with a few friends. I must say that my experience there was alright. We got there maybe an hour before closing, there wasn't much to choose from. It's very expensive to eat here at night. I want to try eating here during lunch.

    (3)

  • Sheryll Y.

    I've been to Willows about three times in my lifetime, however all three times were for work-related events. The first time was for a Christmas work party, which was fun and festive, although I think our office did the decorating. The second two times were for dinner and lunch on different years, but again the environment is peaceful with small waterfalls, tropical plants every where, but in the day you can see how a bit dirty and unkempt it really is. The difference between the lunch and dinner menu as far as we could tell (other than the price) is having seafood on their menu. During lunch they have the typical buffet of Hawaiian food spread, sushi/sashimi, carving table, variety of salads, including a pea salad, and variety of desserts including non-dairy soft serve with flavors like pineapple and vanilla. The waiters were always around to refill drinks but not very helpful in letting you know what your options are and if there are any refills. I don't think there are for certain items - I just noticed the drink I had ordered never got refilled but my water glass did. In general I would say the employees seem friendly, but quiet - which could be a good or bad thing depending on your perspective. All in all each time was slightly different but I don't have anything really negative to say about it.

    (4)

  • Rissa K.

    Great place for special occasions. I love this garden indoor and outdoor restaurant. Great atmosphere to host parties. Went here for a friend's wedding and the food is pretty good. Prime rib, teri chicken, garlic mahi mahi, lau lau, and kalua pork. Great pupu selection of various kinds of poke and the desserts was pretty good too! There was this bread pudding dessert with chocolate chips inside omg! Parking is valet across the street for $3.

    (5)

  • Kawena K.

    Ohh Willows, how my heart is weeping for you. I remember when this used to be the spot for special occasion meals - birthdays, graduations, etc. but it's definitely changed since then. The good things are that the setting is still b-e-a-utiful and our waiter was fantastic with re-filling our drinks but the food...yikes. The chicken long rice had way too much ginger in it, an entree that someone over the age of 70 might enjoy. Maybe I'm just spoiled by my aunty's laulau but some of the laulau were so skimpy on the luau leaves that it seemed more like steamed pork in ti leaves than a laulau. The somen salad dressing had no taste and was basically a waste of space on my plate. I could go on and on about other things I took but it would just be the same sort of story. Sad. One redeeming quality is that they replaced the chocolate self-serve ice cream with DOLE WHIP so I piled that sucka into a cup with sprinkles and Oreos...oh yeah, I went there. The Willows is such a landmark establishment on O'ahu, I hope they upgrade the food quality soon.

    (2)

  • En I.

    Same selections. Would be good to mix it up a bit but keep the signature dishes like the Poi Stew and Hawaiian Food. Valet parking is closed at times so you can park there for free instead of the $2 lot.

    (3)

  • Chris P.

    Came here for Mother's Day brunch. When you make reservations, try to get the earliest time slot available, like 10 am for lunch or 4 pm for dinner. That way you are not left with slim pickings. Keep in mind that you have a 2-hour time limit at the buffet once your reservation starts. Can't just camp out there all day like you can at Vegas, baby! Also, request to sit in the lanai seating area, next to the buffet room. That's where we were seated and it was nice. They also have dining areas upstairs. But who wants to go up and down stairs carrying plates of food? Not me. The actual buffet food is in a small separate room. They have the salad, seafood, prime rib, and dessert stations all in this one room. It gets pretty crowded in there, especially when everyone is trying to figure out where the end of the line is. Some people will cut in front of you and pretend like nothing happened. This is not H1, people! If you have little kids, they might like that there is a small water play area. There is a water fountain that shoots water up intermittently from the ground. Might need to bring an extra change of clothes for them. And why does there have to be that one high school kid who thinks he can just trample all over the playground? R-tard. The valet parking lot is right across the street from the restaurant. Even when you validate your parking ticket at the front desk, you still pay $3 plus valet tip. It's actually a better deal than most parking places in Waikiki. Our server's name was Riley. He was friendly and very efficient. Nice enough to lay out all our utensils and napkins when we got seated. Fancy. Our iced teas and even the kids' kiddie juice cups were always refilled. Our plates were cleared before we came back to the table. Overall the food at Willows was okay for a buffet, nothing spectacular. Some people might consider it a bit expensive for $43 per person at a buffet for two hours. Nonetheless, it's a nice place to celebrate a special brunch or birthday with your family.

    (3)

  • Jackie E.

    What a beautiful place! The food selection is pretty good; I definitely had my favorites: kalua pork and ahi poke. My favorite drink was the Willows Ice Cake, which had a strawberry li hing mui taste. A close second was the Sexy Lychee. Lunch buffet was around $22 and well worth it!

    (5)

  • Arnold G.

    The Willow is a great place. The grounds are beautiful, considering that it's in the middle of town, and while it might seem pricey, it's a buffet and the quality of food they serve is totally worth it. The lau laus are excellent, as is the chicken long rice and the kalua pig. In fact, we liked it so much, they catered our wedding and everybody left happy and full!

    (4)

  • Laila E.

    it was an awesome experience! the tropical garden with burning tikis at night, food, and atmosphere was just right. their were 8 of us in pairs for dinner. i'm not a picky person type, so i enjoyed it.

    (4)

  • Tiffany Y.

    Yelp 365 Challenge #118/365 My grandma's 93rd birthday luncheon was held at The Willows. I've been here since 1989 and I've never set foot in "The Willows". I've heard about it... I've driven past it unknowingly on the main streets... Then, it was announced that my grandma's 93rd birthday will be held there because there was crab legs. Anyhow, as my norm for new places...I looked it up through Yelp as well as directions. The ratings were average but I still had to attend because of my grandma. It is in the middle of a neighborhood, which got my mind thinking..."This must have been a popular establishment back in the days." Valet parking is right across the street and self-parking is to the left of the restaurant, which you have to pay as well. Walking to the entrance, it somewhat reminded me of Pagoda. But, once I stepped through... Wow...pretty and very well-kept. I read somewhere that they had a small chapel and different areas for group parties. And at first thought--you would think it would be cramped or small. It's not. Everything is spacious yet nicely situated. The buffet room is to the side in a separate room where everyone will go through to grab their food. There are different stations consisting of the main entrees, prime rib station, sushi/raw fish station, and dessert station. I can't get over how clean everything was. Then, I read the history of The Willows. It was very interesting because I didn't know that it was originally known as Kapa'akea Springs and owned by Kamehameha V sister. Then, it was owned by the Hausten family (thus, located on Hausten Street) but closed briefly then re-opened. If you can like something better afterwards, then I liked the Willows after I read the history. It made me realize that this is one of the older establishments of Hawaii maintaining through the modern times. The food is pretty good, there is also entertainment (local Hawaiian groups), and you can hold banquets for baby showers, wedding showers, birthdays, weddings, retirement, graduation, etc. The staff? Very friendly and great customer service skills. I would definitely recommend this place if you are looking for a place to hold a party.

    (4)

  • Amanda D.

    I absolutely love Willows and am having a difficult time understanding where the 3 stars are coming from. The dinner buffet is always something I look forward to! Pros: -Never too crowded -Nice atmosphere, sitting next to the water or the waterfall -Buffet is delicious and they always have a great Hawaiian selection -Try the bread pudding! -Great service Cons: -Pricey

    (5)

  • Dionna K.

    We had our wedding reception here. I worked with Kim to get everything I needed together she was very professional and accommodating for what we needed. It was a lunch reception and to save money, we chose the general buffet instead of a custom one for our room and since there weren't many customers at that time it was like the buffet was just for us! We also have gone here for Mother's Day and my cousin also got married there 3 years ago. Everyone I know always enjoys it there!

    (5)

  • Ira J.

    Instead of me writing a review this time, why don't you interview me instead? You: So you ate at The Willows. How was it? Me: Oh man! They had crab legs. I love crab legs! You: Were they good? Me: Oh Yes! You know how some times they can be dry, tough, and/or skimpy... Not these. These were perfect crab legs! You: Great, what else did you like? Me: Mostly, the crab legs. You: What else did you eat? Me: A little of this and a little of that, but I mostly just scarfed down the crab legs. You: Surely, you tried the prime rib? Me: Oh yeah. I had a slice. It was really good, but not as good as the crab legs. You: That's it? One slice of prime rib and crab legs... nothing else? Me: I did have a couple pieces of sushi, but I didn't want to fill up on the rice so I hid the rice under the shells from my crab legs. You: Nice... So nothing else? Me: Ummm... I remember scooping out some poke and lomi lomi salmon, but I don't remember eating it... It must have paled in comparison to the crab legs. You: Did you at least have dessert? Me: Yes I did. I made an ice cream sundae. Guess what I put in it? You: Crab legs? Me: Why would you say that? I made a sundae with a chocolate brownie it... weirdo! You: Whatever... How was the service? Me: What service? It's a buffett. You have to get up and go get your own crab legs. You: Was your dinner expensive? Me: I don't know. My wife's company was paying. Besides, when the check came, I was busy concerning myself with more crab legs. You: Never mind... Me: What....?

    (4)

  • Holly B.

    The quality of the buffet has diminished over time. Some of the entrees are lukewarm from the beginning of service and they never get hot over time! I love curry, but the curry here is lukewarm, which leaves much to be desired. While the outdoor setting is nice for out-of-town guests, for the price, you can go to a Waikiki restaurant for a better view, better service, and better food.

    (3)

  • Jasmine N.

    I remember way back when.. when the food here used to be pretty good. This most recent time I went for my company Christmas party and the food was just a-ok and the food ran out. Since it's a buffet it's nice that there is a variety of food so that everyone is happy. They got an extra star because our server was kind enough to get us some fried haupia since it was out on the line. They have valet lot across the street so the parking is pretty good. must try: fried haupia :)

    (3)

  • Kalani S.

    Classic Hawaiian music in a Hawaiian setting. A jewel in the local community.

    (4)

  • Joe K.

    Another one of our friends had started up a Hawaiian music group and had a gig there Friday night, so that just gave us another reason for a libation celebration. So this review is basically about the bar venue, and not the restaurant as a whole. Walking through the entry sorta reminds me of the old Disney movie "Swiss Family Robinson," as your visions are bombarded with greenery, lush forests, vibrant flower blossoms, and winding pathways that lead through to differing open air dining areas with knotting Ohia wood posts, holding up open beamed roofs. Every persons idea of what it should be like on a deserted tropical island. Right? Only thing is, this deserted tropical island comes complete with a full bar, ice cold beer, a pretty cool wine list.... and some awesome bar food! Not to mention your own personal group of talented musicians to serenade you and all the other shipwreck-ees. We got there in time to enjoy "Happy Hour." where drinks and pupu's are at a reasonably priced discount. And as there were a lot of friends arriving at different times, there was a large array of tasty apps to partake of. The most memorable I feel were the Boneless Short Ribs, which was tender and juicy, with just the right amount of Hawaiian salt. The Pork Bellies, braised marinated pork, with the most delish melt in your mouth pork fat, mmmmmmm! Garlic Chicken is always the main staple for bar food, with it's crunchy outside, juicy inside, and the sweet garlicky tang of it's sauce smothered all over, yummo's! The Ahi Poke, I honestly could've pounded the whole plate, it was that ono. The half point deduction from a fiver ( 4.5 of 5) is because... I'm guessing as it was the bands first time here, and they naturally have their own following (us groupies) coming to patronize. The bar was poorly understaffed for the high amount in attendance. At times your drinks were empty for a while, and the servers were just too busy to make it around to your table. But, they were good troopers and always had a smile, and a sincere apology for their tardiness. The Good: The freshly made bar food, the cocktails, the good Hawaiian music. And for those of you in the know... just think of groups like Buddy Fo and the Invitations, The Surfers, The Alii's, and all their tight four part harmonies. The Bad: Sorry to complain about the short staffing. The Ugly: Me, and my face for complaining about the short staffing. Is there a return trip here..... Aw hell yeah!

    (4)

  • Aldora K.

    Good for big groups with big stomachs. Excellent place to take company for lunch on special occasions. The food is onolicious and is geared towards Hawaiian food, buffet style. I especially like the Chicken Karage and little cups to hold soup, chicken long rice and other foods. The desert section has a lot of nice sweets, but the one thing that stood out is the pineapple ice cream. I will defintely voice my opinion to have lunch at Willows, the next time my company wants to treat lunch.

    (4)

  • Ronin E.

    RIP-OFF!!!!!!! In recent restaurant memory, I don't remember leaving a place feeling so used and ripped-off. I mean, I damn near feel dirty, like I need to take a shower or something. Before I break down the categories, let me hop in and say, because it's a huge family, my Hawaii family rented the banquet room for their Christmas dinner two years ago (where yours truly stepped in and played Santa for the kids). The food was excellent on the private buffet line that we had, granted, an auntie custom-ordered everything. We just went there for a 14 person lunch and what in the world happened!? ATMOSPHERE: I don't think anyone will debate how nice this place still looks. It's a very comfortable, relaxing environment (unless you see the 'surprise' charges on your bill!). SERVICE: Terrible. We had 'Ginger' as our server who never smiled once I don't think. For our $35 "champagne brunch" on Sunday, you can get two glasses of champagne each, or iced tea. As we were taking our seats, I asked if a diet coke was included. She said no, but for more money, yes. I asked if I could just not order the more expensive champagne. "No! Er, um, sir." Alrighty... iced tea it was. Three of us ordered it and, holy hell, was it bad. We all said just water instead, trying to be polite. Ginger was quick to jump in with, "How about plantation iced teas instead." "Sure," we thought, why not. They were actually good. However... Ginger failed to mention that they were not included - neither were their refills!! There was a surprise $40 on the bill!!! My family is too "nice" so they didn't want to make a scene, but I was boiling. Overall, the service we experienced was rude. I don't know if she was having a bad day or what, but don't be snippy with people and smile once in a while. For $35 a person, you expect good service and you expect to be warned if something comes with a charge. FOOD: Terrible. For $35, you except a lot of quality or less quality and more quantity. If you want neither, you're in luck!! Let's go down the checklist: -Doors need to be closed in buffet area with air conditioning turned on; deserts were melting, the cheesecake was mush, flies were on the food (coming in from outside) -When we went into the buffet area, we honestly were looking for the 'other side' saying, "This is IT?" -This is supposed to be a brunch; there are hardly any breakfast options other than a disgusting omelet station or some bacon -Things were frequently empty, especially the fried Haupia -No cocktail sauce for the crabs, just butter -Poi was old -Salad croutons were very stale PRICE: LOL, $35. Rrrrrrright. This place 'might' deserve a three star rating if had double the food and was $20. $35 is friggin' laughable for this slop. WOULD I COME BACK: Are you out of your mind? No way. I've been to many 'upscale' places in the Beverly Hills area and have paid way for but you walk out with a smile on your face feeling like you got some amazing cruisine and great service. None of that are here. But hey, at least you can look at the Koi point... um, without Koi now. Doh. I'm telling you guys, I've never felt so strongly about a one star review... avoid, avoid, avoid. If you are looking for a really, really top of the line seafood buffet, try the one at the Hawaii Prince called "The Prince Court." yelp.com/biz/prince-cour… I think it's about the same price but, whew, the selection will blow your mind. Sushi stations, various types of fresh seafood, mainland food, fruit, etc. And no flies!!

    (1)

  • Kelly G.

    I was at the Willows more than over a year ago for their whiskey tasting event. I remember clearly that we had arrived late and the staff was doing their best to get us set up as quickly as possible so we could get some tastings in! More recently, for Staff Appreciation Day, my company opted for their lunch buffet. Staff was great again! Food had some highlights and some lowlights: Prime rib slices were...stingy at best. The brussel sprouts were amazing (with bacon and maple syrup vinagrette)! Chocolate butter mochi were soft and yummy. The lowlights: Yes, the long rice is GREEN! The shrimp curry was slimey. I hear the prices are quite expensive for their normal meals so I would be hesitant to come back otherwise.

    (3)

  • Kevin S.

    February 2013, my son's wedding ceremony & banquet 5 STARS! July 2013 2nd wedding reception again 5 STARS! March 2014 my reception 5 STARS PLUS. Price great for the service, location, ambiance and food. I recommend Willows 100%.

    (5)

  • Tessa t.

    Oh Willows. My dear sweet intoxicating Willows. Why have I never been here before. How I regret it so. Took my dad here for Christmas Eve dinner. Omg! Rack of lamb?!? Buffet?! Hell yeah! I skipped salad and prime rib.... And my turns eating were mountains of rack of lamb, snow crab legs, and mashed potatoes. )*%*%+%*?!? That was so amazing! Thought the chilled snow crab wasn't gonna be so good. I was WRONG!!! wayyyy better chilled than steamed like at the other places. They only give you two hours, but really? Any longer I would've blew up. If they ever have that special again, I am sooooo there!!! Hide your wives and leave your children at home cause I will be doing some serious damage!!! Service was nice too. PS Did I mention rack of lamb and chilled snow crab??

    (4)

  • Emma B.

    Let me start off by saying that this place is BEAUTIFUL. The many waterfalls, the music, the open buildings. I really, really wanted to like it. The service was A+, the atmosphere is lovely...but the food. The buffet food was...meh. I tried the furikake encrusted fish, and it was RAW in the middle!!!! The outer corners were cooked, inside was raw. I was being treated to lunch and didn't want to embarrass my hosts, so I handed my plate to the waitress. She never said a word, but I watched her walk over and show it to several people, then walk back to the kitchen with the same plate. I sampled every entree there and wasn't all that impressed. The crab was so-so, a little salty and waterlogged. Yellow curry with chicken was good, great flavor, a little watery. Fruit salad was nice, but how much skill does that take. Desserts were the best part, but a little bland. You could tell they were made en masse. Now, for the kicker. Just received an email from my host, inquiring about my health, as she and several other members of our party visited the bathroom "a little too often" post Willows experience. I did too. For $35 a person, we bought food poisoning.

    (2)

  • Evo S.

    First of all, I'm not a fan of buffets! We were there for a party so it was a good chance to try this place out. The atmosphere is nice, open air, cool, no flies or bugs! Very pleased! The table service was bad, had to take my order for water twice. Yup, two times the waiter came to ask what I would like to drink...and we had to ask for a refills. The food was...well, The baked salmon was very good, great taste and great texture. The lobster claws seemed to be old, the crab legs are served cold but juicy and were good. Most of the food is edible, the Hawaiian selections are ok, but not as good as Tutu's (Grandma's) cooking. Small laulau's, Kalua pig was good. The prime rib was tender, but not seasoned well. Good thing for the au jus, something to flavor it up with. Fruits were great. Salads were ok. Most other foods were just so so, nothing that jumped out. Parking is valet, which is very well worth it. $3.00 + tip, great, fast, friendly, other than the fact that they rush, and chirped my tires when putting in gear. Maybe he was just not used to a V8. Cars are safe and secured, my console has two rolls of quarters that I keep for parking and they didn't touch it. Had my MacBook in the car and it was still there, so I tipped them well. Or you can look for parking on the overcrowded street, and hope to get lucky and worry about your car. Overall, would we return? Well it's not on our list of places to go, other than if someone has a party there.

    (3)

  • Kaiulani K.

    If you're like me and you have aunties who bring the gallon size ziploc bags to crab leg buffets and smuggle them out of the restaurant, then you KNOW the horror of places like this. Thankfully, the last couple times I've eaten here, I was able to do it sans-crazy aunty... But I have to say, it's not nearly as fun without the intrigue and excitement at the possibility of getting caught! Without the crazy aunties stealthily shoving bags upon bags of crab legs into their large purses, trying to avoid the eyes of the wait staff, you realize just how so-so this buffet is. The sushi isn't that great, slightly fishy. The prime rib is pretty good and i love that they serve fresh horseradish, but the hawaiian food and the soups and curries are just mlehhh. Don't get me wrong, I REALLY like it here, but mostly only because I grind on those crab legs like nobody's business. If you're looking for a good variety of quality stuff, perhaps you should keep looking (and expect to pay a higher price).

    (3)

  • Anju J.

    This place can be hard to spot. I have always driven and walked around this street, but I have never noticed this place. "I feel that it is a diamond in the rough". Lets start with the pros.. This place has GOOD food! Although limited, you won't go home unhappy. You will go home smiling! of course, this depends on how much food you ate here! I think this place has a hawaiian cuisine. The server was serving our 2 party tables and I think she did a great job with the volume of orders for drinks and plates and such. Oh, and the mens bathroom was nice. Something I haven't said for a few Buffet places in a while. Con: On to the landscaping, I thought i could've been better. The water was murky and the trees were untrimmed. This might seem picky, but if something like that is noticable, then there is something wrong. Overall, I recommend coming here for small occasions. Probably for a group of 24 or less.

    (4)

  • Michelle W.

    Loved the lunch buffet! So many selections and the quality of food is great! Will come back again :)

    (5)

  • Kit W.

    I don't know if it's because I came here with low expectations because of Willows's low overall rating but I really liked this place!! We sat outside amidst the lush, serene garden so the atmosphere was beautiful. Service was attentive--water was often refilled and finished plates taken away in good time. Now onto the most important part... The FOOD! They only do buffet so here we go... FOOD STATIONS 1) Salad--anything from classic Caesar to bean sprout namul. I saw about six different salads. I can't comment on which one(s) were great because I got sucked in by the other stations... *cough cough* 2) Carving Station--Garlic & Hawaiian Salt Crusted Prime Rib. I don't eat beef so I can't tell you how this was but it looked like it could be tasty. 3) Sushi--they rotate their fish selection but there were three different types of sushi when I was there. Their salmon was fantastic! 4) Hawaiian--everything you would expect to be at a Hawaiian luau! Omg I kept coming back for more because the Hawaiian food was soooo ono!!! I am particularly fond of their Chicken Long Rice and Teriyaki Chicken Karaage. But seriously, everything was darn tasty--with the exception of the Lau Lau, which was too dry when I went. 5) Desserts--so many to choose from!! They have haupia, their famous fried haupia, pina colada bread pudding, flan, cheesecake, fresh fruits and more! This place may not have wide selections like some other buffets but if you are looking for a delicious Hawaiian/American buffet, Willows is your place. I came because my workplace held a lunch meeting here but I would come back again on my own!

    (4)

  • Shyla O.

    Great place. From the pictures I assumed it was located on the Eastside with all the plants and stuff. Come to find out its in town! Lol very unexpected. This tropical like place in the middle of town who would have thought. The scenery is great. It's really nice. As it gets darker the place is lit with dim lights that really sets the mood. The food was very good! Didn't expect everything to be as good as it was coming from a buffet! Kalua pig, poke, crab legs, Mac salad, lomi salad, spicy taco just to name a few. To top it all off was our bill! My other half and I came here for our aniversary. We ordered two bottles and a glass of chardonnay and our bill came out to $125! Cheap! Would of spent more at outbacks! Great place, great food, great price! Highly recommend. Forgot your aniversary is tomorrow and need to come up with something quick? This place is for you!

    (5)

  • Daniel P.

    An overdue review that i had completely forgot about. Pros: good food, excellent friendly staff, decently priced Cons: horrible parking I went to eat here for fathers day with my girl and the promotion they had was awesome! I got half pounds of 3 different types of crab with shrimp clams and mussles. The food were perfectly cooked and tasted soooo good. The portions were HUGE! The staff was very friendly and helpful. They made recommendations for us and even the management staff checked in on us occasionally to ensure everything was going well. I would def. come back and recommened others too!

    (5)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :11:00 am - 2:00pm
  • Mon : 11:00 am - 2:00pm

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : Yes
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : No
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Brunch
    Parking : Valet
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : Yes
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Romantic
    Noise Level : Average
    Alcohol : Full Bar
    Outdoor Seating : Yes
    Wi-Fi : No
    Has TV : No
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : No

The Willows

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