LuLu’s Restaurant had me at hello. As I approached the top of the outdoor staircase leading to this second floor, open air establishment, the hostess with the pierced lower lip extended a cordial welcome. She then, with perfect deadpan timing and sarcastic accuracy, looked my two sunburned, tired, on-their-way-to-cranky children, back at me and asked, “Will you be eating with us this evening? Or just drinking?” Oh, yes, these folks know their visitors very well.

As it turned out, we were in fact eating. LuLu’s has the distinction of being the only restaurant that, in eleven days of staying on The Big Island of Hawaii, we ate at twice. We made a special trip to eat there right before we left because it’s just that fun, and the food is just that good.

Located at the south end of the business district area of Ali’i Drive in downtown Kailua-Kona, LuLu’s occupies the upper level of a two story building (the lower level houses a restaurant called Jake’s – we never made it there). As you enter, you might notice that the décor is……..eclectic. Yes, eclectic. As in crazy. With no discernable theme to speak of, the walls (and nearly every other vertical surface) are covered with all sorts of things that seemingly just caught someone’s eye, somewhere along the way, and made their way into the joint. Most prominent among this display of the odd, trivial, funny (and sometimes fairly vulgar) items is a huge collection of autographed dollar bills. Undoubtedly contributed by patrons over the years, they cover walls, the back of signs, posts, even a few on the ceiling. Some are even quite clever. Mingling with the canoe paddles with slogans, the random road signs and the signed pictures of some very major Hollywood stars, this touch of the everyman patron is cute in its own wacky way. All in all, the setting is bar-like, open and breezy (literally). Overlooking Ali’i drive with its mix of tourists, locals and the magnificent water right across the street, it’s a truly inviting place to simply be.

With such a fun and unusual atmosphere going for it, LuLu’s could probably get by with standard bar food – but it doesn’t. Instead, the owners have chosen to provide a menu as eclectic as the establishment itself, with local fish and seafood mingling with enchiladas, salads, sandwiches and burgers. We had one dinner and one lunch at LuLu’s and the menu appears to be identical for the two meals. We tried as many things as four people reasonably can in two meals.

For dinner juniornocket chose the Whole Lotta Enchiladas ($13.95), which didn’t meet with his approval because he had trouble finding the actual enchiladas under all the cheese, sour cream and guacamole and was forced to use a fork and knife. The horror! When misternocket and I chose them for lunch, we did not have this issue – we found them just fine – more than fine, truth be told. They were filled with a nice mixture of grilled chicken, cheese and refried beans and smothered with all that high-calorie, vacation-eating goodness. Not fancy, but very good.

I chose the Grilled Mahi Mahi with Lemon Butter and Capers served with garlic wasabi mashed potatoes ($15.95). Fabulous. The fish was cooked through without being dry and the sauce was flavorful without being overpowering. Misternocket was in the mood for a burger, so he chose the Bearded Lady – a burger with onion rings, bleu cheese, salsa and jalapenos ($9.95). Now I don’t eat red meat, so I didn’t try this one, but from all reports – and the speed with which it disappeared - this was one fine burger. Mininocket chose her usual Chicken Fingers from the kid’s menu ($7.95). What can I say? They were Chicken Fingers. They were nothing unusual but she loved them which is, of course, the purpose of the kid’s menu.

Lunch saw the return of the Enchilada for misternocket and me, and a bold move off of the kid’s menu for mininocket. Taking a sharp turn onto the appetizer menu, she chose the Popcorn Shrimp ($10.95), which came in a perfect kid sized portion. The shrimp were hot, just a little greasy and fabulous. Juniornocket decided to blow it out on his last lunch in Hawaii with the Seafood Pasta at $18.95. A terrific choice with shrimp, Ono and clams, this was a favorite (yes, we all swiped some from his plate) – fresh, hot and well seasoned without being too spicy for a picky teen palate. We followed the whole shebang with a couple of pieces of Macadamia Nut Pie (similar to pecan pie, except with, you know, macadamia nuts….), something to which I could become seriously addicted ($4.95). I’m very glad we didn’t try this dessert before our last day, or I would have been searching for it high and low after every meal.

The service at LuLu’s was generally excellent. Orders were taken quickly and delivered in a reasonable amount of time. The staff was friendly, never treating us with the disdain some establishments reserve for obvious tourists like ourselves. Clearly, this is a place where a lot of locals hang out, and the whole place gives off a friendly, laid back vibe that’s very inviting to the footsore and weary. Plus, the server at lunch commented on how cute mininocket was, so clearly this is an establishment with the utmost in discerning taste and sensibility.

From the ample adjacent room with a stage, we assumed that LuLu’s offers live music. I don’t know how regularly, or of what variety, but with the offer of entertainment and the randomly spaced TVs, it seemed very much like LuLu’s is a place to hang out after dinner as well as during. I will say that the bathrooms are a little gross (everything else was more than adequately clean and tidy), with two of the four ladies room stalls being definitely out of order. This is one area in which the establishment most definitely betrays its duality as bar/restaurant. We thoroughly enjoyed our visits, but they both took place during off hours during the “slow season” – I don’t know if service or quality suffers when the place becomes crowded with bar patrons.

LuLu’s offers a terrific variety of seafood, burgers, pasta, sandwiches and assorted other little oddities (Spaghettios, anyone?). They take bar food and turn it on its head, making even a burger into something strange and wonderful. Combine the good food with the charming and quirky atmosphere and LuLu’s is a sure winner. Not as expensive as other Big Island restaurants, you get more bang for your buck there as well. If you find yourself looking for a fun place to eat (or drink, whichever you prefer) on the Big Island, you can’t go wrong with LuLu’s.


Recommended: Yes

Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: No