Kilauea Lodge and Restaurant, located in the quiet village of Volcano, sits on 5 acres of gardens and gazebos and native forest. This hotel restaurant features a large fireplace, local art, koa tables, and is open nightly. Chef/owner Albert Jeyte blends flavors from his European background with farm, ranch and seafood products from Hawaii, the surrounding Pacific and elsewhere.
Volcano Village is at 3700 feet elevation and evenings are often cool and misty. The historic fireplace welcomes guests with it's cheery fire. Home made soups and breads tease the appetite. Albert specializes in unusual game...venison, antelope, rabbit, duck. The biggest sellers are local fish dishes; ahi, ono, mahimahi and the exotic Tristan lobster. A large wine list complements the eclectic menu.
"We bought into the hype and reserved a table at the Lodge. We were seated a few minutes late, but it was Ok. About the experience: The wine list is uninspired. The crab cakes are awful. They have virtually no crab "aroma" and did not hold together; use a spoon instead of a fork. Four of us ordered four different entrees. I had the prime rib. It was tough and tasteless. My wife had the chicken: it was undercooked and tasteless, and was accompanied by equally tasteless rice. My son and his fiancee had two other meals, both of which were unremarkable. We ended up spending over two hundred dollars for completely lackluster food. The next night, we went to the nearby Thai restaurant and had a wonderful meal for less than half that."
Dined on 5/10/2013
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"We always come here to eat while on The Big Island. It is the best to eat within miles of Volcanoes National Park. Prices, for Hawaii, are reasonable."
Dined on 5/12/2013
Special Features: notable wine list, special occasion
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"We stayed in Hilo for 3 months, and ate at a great variety of restaurants -- many quite good. But Kilauea Lodge was best by far. The menu is varied, and differs slightly every day. We ate three meals there, and each one stood out. I had never had duck l'orange, and I don't know if I will order it again unless we come back here -- as I don't know how it could have been done any better. The bonus is the location by the volcano and national park. After dinner, a 15 minute drive took us to an overlook where we watched the smoke from the active caldera glow orange at dusk from the lava below."
Dined on 5/12/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, special occasion
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"The reason we visited this restaurant was the proximity to Volcano National Park. What we experienced, was so much more. The food choices were amazing and the entrees delivered did not disappoint. The Hunter's Soup was lacking of meat, mostly herbs, but the entree made up for it."
Dined on 5/02/2013
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"We have eaten at the Kilauea Lodge and Restaurant twice before and found the food, service, and ambiance to be excellent. On the latest occasion the service was again excellent, but the food and drinks were not. The liliquoi margaritas were too syrupy and one was lacking tequila. The fresh Ono was very overcooked making it dry and chewy. Even the papaya ginger sauce didn't taste like either of the ingredients and was too sweet - doing nothing to improve the fish. The mixed vegetables were severely overcooked and the rice tasted as if it had been seasoned with package of cheap spices. Three people had the fresh Ono and their impressions were unanimous. One person had the antelope schnitzel and found it to be very unremarkable."
Dined on 04/13/2013
2013
Special Features: romantic
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"This restaurant is part of a lodge up on the Kilauea Crater on the big island of Hawaii. One med-sized room, interesting variety of entree items (we had lamb, duck and antelope!) and there are others. Huge old fireplace, rustic but up-to-date ambiance. Neat place to stay, also, in a tropical rainforest. It was our anniversary, and we had breakfast the next morning with quite a varied menu also. I'd definitely recommend a stay and meals there."
Dined on 03/30/2013
2013
Special Features: romantic, special occasion
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"Food is great for foodies, not for eaters with simple taste. Extremely noisy. Our table was near the fireplace...good. Our table was near the fireplace, bad...people waiting surrounded our table, had tushies in our face, someone sat at our feet to read ! One of the servers was taking pictures over our head while we tried to eat. Horrible experience for a very, very expensive dinner."
Dined on 03/30/2013
2011
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"We've been returning to The Kilauea Lodge for 20+ years and are never disappointed. The soups are the best anywhere and the attention to details is amazing."
Dined on 03/30/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, special occasion
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"I was here 20 years ago and I don't think the dining room has changed since then. Same chef too. This is a wonderful, warm place to stay with a fabulous fresh menu every day. My husband had the duck which he ate almost every day we were on the Big Island and pronounced it fine (he's VERY hard to please), and I had antelope--rare, mild and delicious. Vegetables are fresh and al dente, and slice of au gratin potato just right. I also had the beet salad (plenty for two) and no dessert--we were too full of our dinner! I highly recommend this place for meals. The chef is adventurous AND discriminating."
Dined on 03/21/2013
2011
Special Features: fit for foodies, special occasion
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"The restaurant was very lovely. The food was tasty. The selection was wonderful. The service was very good. The staff was knowledgeable. I really liked how they were on top of it when it came to refilling my water glass. I didn't have to ask and that's important to me. The furniture and decor seemed "old" and "dated". If it were my restaurant I would re-do the interior with things more native to that part of the island and freshen things up. Maybe get a new couch (the one located next to the fireplace), re-upholster the chairs, get solid colored cloth place mats, etc...small kind things. They could use nicer uniforms too. It was more of fine dining and the uniforms didn't seem to go with it. Too busy maybe?! Overall, I would go again :)"
Dined on 03/23/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, romantic, special occasion
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"You only come here because it is one of only two decent options in town. But it will not let you down, so long as you are not expecting a gourmet experience."
Dined on 03/20/2013
2006
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"Casual (it's the islands...) but thoroughly professional. Interesting spin on fusion with its German leitmotif...My wife really enjoyed her antelope and I thought the vegetarian options were satisfactory. Perfect location for a nice meal after hiking Volcano NP and then going back to Kiluea to see the lava glow after dark."
Dined on 03/20/2013
2011
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"They had run out of both of my first choices, our reservation was for 7pm. My 3rd choice steak was cooked perfectly, my husbands duck was overcooked and when he asked he was told they cook their duck well done only. My potatoes and my husbands couscous were very bland. The atmosphere was a very comfy cozy lodge. The best tables are on the south side of the fireplace or by the couch in front of the fireplace."
Dined on 03/10/2013
2013
Special Features: great for brunch, scenic view
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"What can I say? The maitre d' was welcoming and helpful, the waitress had all the time in the world for us, never made a mistake and kept everything flowing just as one would want it to do, the bussgirls were unobtrusive and did their jobs flawlessly, the special attention to our anniversary was a wonderful bonus, down to the mention of it on the menu! The chef lived up to his enviable reputation in every way. We will be unreservedly recommending this dining experience to all of our friends and relations. Blessings. Jim Pulfer"
Dined on 03/05/2013
2010
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, special occasion, scenic view
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"Great place for dinner in a small, but vibrant restaurant. Historic place, very good service and food. Would be nice to have a small bar area for waiting, but probably isn't room. If you are in Volcano, this is the place to eat."
Dined on 02/25/2013
2008
Special Features: hot spot
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"Simply delicious. Specials were outstanding and menu items excellent. Very good value. Friendly service was attentive. Wish we had made reservations for every night of our stay."
Dined on 02/20/2013
2010
Special Features: fit for foodies, romantic, special occasion, great for lunch
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"In the small town of Volcano HI there are 3 places to eat. This is the high end restaurant in the area, very good food with a German influence. It was a fun experience and a delightful find. The Mai Tai's were great too!"
Dined on 01/21/2013
2011
Special Features: fit for foodies, late-night find, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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"While visting the volcano we dined at the Kilauea Lodge one evening. The food was excellent and the service was outstanding. Couldn't have been better !"
Dined on 02/06/2013
2010
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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"It was our 21st Anniversary and we requested a special table out of the way. Although it was a small facility, they gave us the best table. The food was delicious and the service friendly. Excellent dinner."
Dined on 02/05/2013
2012
Special Features: special occasion
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"Based on the fact that we were visiting Volcanoes National park and the reviews we read on the web, we thought this restaurant would suit us just right. The fact that the chef was German was a plus for us (we lived in Germany for a few years). I ordered the Duck a la Orange (one of the specials). The duck covered two thirds of the (big) plate! It was cooked to perfection and with side dishes that complimented the main dish perfectly. The presentation and execution were outstanding. My husband had Hasenpfeffer, rabbit in the pepper-based sauce; he was extremely satisfied as well. For dessert we shared bread pudding. but not just any bread pudding - special Hawaiian with gold raisins and coconut. It was delicious! Much better than volcanoes."
Dined on 01/30/2013
2005
Special Features: fit for foodies
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"Probably the best place in Volcano, not much else around. Was pretty full, reservations required. Kitchen was slow but worth the wait. Not cheap but really good food. Great for special diets, gluten free sauces for example. Wait staff very friendly but a little lacking in keeping up with drinks."
Dined on 01/21/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem
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Ratings-Only Reviews for Kilauea Lodge and Restaurant