After winning Sexiest Man in Hawaii 2008, it was prophesized that the spirit of the Champion of Alola and his excellence King Kamehameha was forever instilled upon my spirit. Henceforth, every time I would step upon the island sands, the dolphins would jump higher, rainbows would appear more colorful, volcanoes would erupt more vigorously, the bees would produce sweeter honey and the hula skirts would rise higher as they swayed a bit more rhythmically. Wait, what were talkin' about? Oh yes, Hula's is an island grill destination restaurant nestled in the trees of the Monterey Bay. Their bringing island vibes and island food to this California destination was a success. The back patio was where the host sat our family since we had a pup along with us and there were plenty of doggo friends there. We had our table switched since the sun was glaringly facing half the table. After a quick switch, I was back to a sour brown sugar lemonade that had me puckering at the tartness. A half cup of water mixed in was exactly what we needed. I tried a bite of the island style poke, which I thought would benefit from some rice or simple tortilla chips. Any starch to go with and highlight the raw ahi, soy, sesame oil, chunks of avocado, onion, and sesame seeds. For my main, I got the korean style beef ribs or l galbi, the wonderful island side of macaroni salad, and a scoop of white rice. I added a spicy sriracha mayo, but was honestly surprised by the little dish of soy teriyaki dipping sauce. A mountain of ribs were stacked in the middle of the plate and there were plenty to share. Service was amazing for this busy time of day. I would recommend this place for an informal lunch or dinner with royal portions.

This vegan burger from hit the spot! They have a vegan menu, and the vibe inside is so much fun! We went at night, so it was a bit dark and the photos came out a little discolored, but don't let that fool you - this Big Sur vegan burger with vegan cheese was a tasty burger! Great service as well! (instagram: jax.vegan.eats)

This is without a doubt our favorite place to eat in all of Monterey County! We were just up there for a week and we ate there for lunch or dinner for 4 of our 7 days. That says a lot, given the assortment of food options in that area. The food and recipes are just so delicious and creative. Our group consisted mostly of vegetarians (and one vegan) and we are always blown away by the vegetarian menu options at Hulas. That's right, they have an entire vegetarian menu and it's awesome. As I've probably mentioned in my past reviews, their veggie "chicken" dishes are the best I've had anywhere! Order the macadamia lemongrass encrusted veggie chicken with the creamy lime sauce and you'll never eat real chicken again. Even better than the real thing. I ordered it 3 times in a week! I love the festive tiki atmosphere, but this place is real popular and gets super busy, especially on the happy hour nights so plan accordingly. We ended up getting takeout several times this trip and our order was perfect every time. The nice woman that took our orders and seems to handle traffic at the front of the house, is just amazing. Extremely knowledgeable about the menu items, ingredients, etc. She has always been so nice and super professional, a real asset and I am embarrassed I don't know her name. We would place to go orders in the middle of dinner rushes and our entire orders would always be ready in less than 15 minutes. That kind of professional team work and hustle is unheard of in the restaurant business. Bravo. To a few folks complaining about slow service, try a time when it's not so busy, or order takeout or just relax and have a drink. This place is not slow by any means. My only complaint is they won't open a Hula's here in South Orange County, where I know it would be a huge hit from day one. Call me, Hula's! Let's make it happen!!!

Ambiance: Nice spot near the aquarium with super solid food choices. The decor was very much Tiki-aesthetic vibes. Service: Good service what you would expect at a good quality restaurant. Food; The Jawaiian Jerk Chicken was very filling and satisfying. The sauce was perfectly balanced with sweet and spicy notes that made the overall dish come together very well. The fish tacos were the best I've ever had. The fish was tender and perfectly cooked. The Hawaiian ceviche was a refreshing and the fish tasted very fresh. The key lime pie had all the perfect components. It was creamy and tangy that left me wanting more.

This place is awesome! My brother and cousin went here first and he ordered a big drink and needed help killing it. So the fam came through to help out. We kind of just walked in and sat ourselves...which is completely our bad but it was kinda dead in the back. Not that its bad that its dead, its only cuz its Xmas weekend when everyone is not out and its cold/rainy or whatever. But the resturant team noticed and nicely communicated to us that we were good and was able to help us out however with drinks and snacks. We ordered some fries and it was coo. We ordered a couple of cocktails, the Painkiller and the Lilikoi Margarita. Both were really good! We ordered doubles too and home girl made it really good and strong in a good way! I forgot her name, but she was super nice and helpful. She worked the backside bar on 12/21 so the business could properly recognize her. I noticed the other cool cups they make for tiki drinks and was just guessing which one was for which, and she was like I can make it in that for you if you want. And we said oh ok we didn't care but that's cool and nice! Would've like to come here for an actual bite but we've been eating all holiday weekend. This was a nice pit stop for a nice drink and then dip.

Very good restaurant for what's being offered in the area. The Kalbi ribs were a 10/10, the crispy coconut shrimp rolls were tasty as well as the ceviche. The macaroni salad was yummy and they didn't put too much mayo in it like most places tend to do. Salt was needed on some of the Jawaiian Jerk dishes. The lemonade was just okay, nothing special! The waiter we had was really good , cute fun, themed restaurant that's a short drive from the aquarium. I will say the restaurant was unreasonably cold , everyone was wearing their big jackets and even some of the staff agreed would be nice to at least bring it to a comfortable temperature. We will definitely be back when in the area.

Great vibes and friendly staff. The food is amazing and we have not been disappointed in multiple visits. Casual vibes with upscale quality and taste! I highly recommend the ceviche starter and the Duke's Luau Pork Plate. The cocktails and coconut cake are also fabulous.