Latest Reviews
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Very friendly and attentive service. We had the famous bruschetta and the octopus salad. Both we very tasty, simple and fresh. For main we had the sea…
Adriana
Mala Ocean Tavern
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We have heard good things so we went to check it out. The decor was poor no ambiance the food was ok nothing to justify the steep price. The service w…
Avi Shriki
Mala Ocean Tavern
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We checked some reviews and decided to try out Mala Ocean Tavern. We showed up without a reservation during a normal time for dinner rush on a Monday.…
Juhi Arora
Mala Ocean Tavern
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Mala Ocean Tavern serves International and Seafood. Incorrect or missing information? Make a report, or claim the restaurant if you own it!Details
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10 Reviews on “Mala Ocean Tavern”
A mixed bag. First, it rained all day and therefore the outdoor dining was closed. That’s not their fault. The restaurant is small. Table spacing is like Manhattan. The service was not attentive at all. If you would like more than one glass of water, you are going to wait. The food was slow coming out as well. The food: The Ahi bruschetta was out of this world. The watermelon salad, likewise. There was a long wait for the entrees. My wife had the catch of the day and was underwhelmed. I had the seared ahi tuna and I thought it was good. On the whole the experience was meh.
Popular, but pedestrian. My wife and I dined here April 21, 2015. Very busy for a Tuesday evening and waited about 15 minutes for a table (we had booked). No worries. I ordered the Durham Ranch American Style Kobe Beef Burger (cooked medium) whilst my wife ordered the Mahi Mahi Ala Plancha. Whilst waiting we were provided with corn chips and salsa with avocado. The salsa had chilli heat but lacked flavour. My burger was meant was served with a huge side of fries. Both the burger and the fries were overcooked and my wife said the fish was overdone. I left my food and wasn’t charged. My wife had her food taken away without having the chance to finish the meal.We advised the waitress who was apologetic and the manager also came and apologised. The manager said that the burger should not have been served that overcooked.Whilst I was happy not to have a dispute over the food, bottom line is that it was inedible and cannot understand the fuss about the restaurant. Food was expensive and you get the impression that they trade on their reputation and location (which is beautiful). May just have had a bad night.
Are here on the recommendation of a friend. The food was great, but be warned: the $15-25 price range in the restaurant info is waaaay off. All but one entree (a tofu one) were in the upper $30 to lower $40 range. I thought my entree was worth it, though. Service was good. Seating is cramped. You won’t get the atmosphere you expect at these prices, but you’ll have a nice dinner.
Make sure to have a reservation. Had a reservation for 730, seated at 745; w/o might not have been seated until after nine.Tremendous table and view. Food excellent. Wine good but a little pricey (but not so much for HI). I’d go back.
Overpriced bland food. First off, be warned if you go here with kids. They charge $14 for the children’s menu. For a more upscale, pricier restaurant I am fine with this as long as they serve good food to them; however, the food they served the kids was cheap. The chicken tenders were no different than the frozen ones you buy at Sam’s, and our 6yo wanted just plain old noodles (mac and cheese was the offering, which he didn’t want cheese). They brought a bowl of elbow noodles with absolutely nothing on it (as desired) and still charged $14. Ok, I get it; you’re prices are high overall so you don’t want to cheapen your menu on the kids. But come on now, for that price a shrimp pasta for kids should be offered.Now to the adult part. The shrimp appetizer was outstanding. Seriously, I would go back just for this (and the complimentary chips w/ salsa and pureed edamame… delicious!) And the mai thai was the best I tasted during my week on the island. Unfortunately that’s where it ended. Of the three adults dining there, only one dish was good: the ribs. These weren’t as good as the price tag, but they were quite enjoyable. One major issue though is that they served them on top of the mashed potatoes. This is a big negative! Ribs should not have potatoes on them when you eat them. We had to scrape them off with every piece we ate. I ordered the fish with black bean sauce, and it personified the definition of the word bland. So did my wife’s chicken dish. None of us at the table liked either of these two dishes. Maybe we just had a bad experience, but we all know consistency wins and lack of it kills restaurants. Once the bill came and we were charged $300 for 3 adults and 3 kids, that’s when I was done with this place. Now we eat out often and are fine with spending that on a dinner, but the food better be worth it. This was absolutely not. We were really disappointing in this overpriced place that served average to above average food overall
This is our third time to MALA, I have recommended it to many friends and ALL have left loving it. We usually save it for one of our last $$$ dinners, knowing the high quality and exceptional preperstion they use. We have never been disappointed! Keep up the great work, consistency is one of the most difficult things to uphold, especially this quality. I take my hat off to everyone involved!
Great food kind of high priced meals