Dukes or Tikis for dinner?

[mnstar]

We have only one night available, so we need to choose... We don't know much about either, but from what we have read here, both seem to have good ratings your those of you who have been there...thanks!

 

Also, should we call from here for reservations? We will be there approx. 8pm on Friday night, 4/16.

 

mnstar on the Star 4/18

[bambam]

We tried Dukes on a Thursday night, got there at 7:00ish and there was a 45-60 minute wait - the place was JAMMED. We went there on the suggestions from this board, and due to the crowd, I suspect it is outstanding. We did not eat there as it would have been 8:00 before we sat...8:30-9:00ish before we would eat....so we left. I would say that crowd was a younger (-25-35ish)generation, but not a bunch or party animals by any means, and Dukes has indoor seating and a very nice outside patio/beach front table setup too. I would strongly urge a reservation, and you may have tospecify inside or outside.

 

But I've got to put in my .02 worth on the Pineapple Room (in Macy's) at the Ala Moana Shopping Center. Alan Wong's 4-star service and food, for 2 everything (sodas, desserts & tips) included, cost us $72.00. Certainly not cheap, but definitely worth every penny - the very best meal we had, cruise included, while in Hawaii.

 

Last but not least - Suebee and Spleen will steer you right on this one....

 

BAMnJAM

Carnival Imagingation '96

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Sun Princess '00

NCL Star '04

 

Proud member (x2) of the PPS - yeah!!

[Suebee]

OK, my experience is only with these boards (sad, isnt it?) but Tiki's has been getting more nods than Dukes as an eaterie. I know Tiki's has a website http://www.tikisgrill.com/ as does dukes http://www.dukeswaikiki.com/

 

so maybe you can compare menus and see which will appeal to you personally more. I do not think you will be disappointed either way.

 

NCL Star 1/04

What's Next? Alaska 2005 - Ask me about an official CC group!

[Ronath]

mnstar - couple years ago we spent 12 days in Hawaii. Almost every morning we enjoyed the buffet at Duke's. Also ate there some lunches. Weekends they have a tremendous waiting time. If you try them for breakfast you just have to have the pancakes with coconut syrup. Check our pictures below, we have a couple shots taken at Duke's. Also, a great place to sit and have a drink overlooking the beach.

 

Check out our pictures: http://community.webshots.com/user/natron24

 

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[Quartetlead]

Last November on our first night on Oahu, we wanted to dine at Duke's and enjoy the sunset. Duke's was very crowded and there was a long wait. We walked a short distance down the beach and wound up at the Sheraton where we had a very nice meal and enjoyed the same sunset we would have seen at Duke's.

 

Bud Laumann

 

Till we sail Rome to Baltimore

[sassycassie]

WE are on the same NCL Star cruise with mnstar, and will be in Waikiki on the Saturday before sailing, too. Information above was/is useful to us, too!! Especially the websites with the menus. WOW. The Hawaii resident Cruise Critic helpers come through again!! Mahalo to all of you!!

 

Tikis may get the nod. We are staying at the Double Tree Alana--will that be too far a walk? Would we need to cab it to Tikis. What about the reservations question? That Pinapple Room sounds interesting too--how far would that be from our hotel? Again, are reservations needed?

 

Mahalo in advance for your terrific help. Aloha for now

[mnstar]

Thanks so much for all your ideas and suggestions!

[Suebee]

Tiki's website has online reservations!

 

I do not know where Double Tree is but nearly everything in Waikiki is walkable.

 

Pineapple room...it is at Ala Moana Shopping Center and without knowing where the hotel is, I do not know. But it is NOT walking distance from a lot of waikiki beach hotels and not walkable from Tiki's.....well, unless you like that sort of thing!

 

NCL Star 1/04

What's Next? Alaska 2005 - Ask me about an official CC group!

[Treven]

When I was in Waikiki for a week mid-March, I stayed at the Alana DoubleTree Waikiki - LOVED IT!!

 

Easy walking distance to just about everything.

 

Although I didn't eat at either Dukes or Tiki (I absolutely hate having to wait more than half an hour for a table, every night I had dinner at either Bubba Gumps(in the Ala Moana shopping center); about a 15 minute walk from the hotel; or at the Outback Steakhouse which is about a five minute walk from the hotel.

 

If you decide on the Outback, try to get seated in Joey's section & tell him I said HI!!

 

"There are no tangibles but how you taste, and I've never forgotten that."

....Rod McCuen

 

 

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[spleen93]

I think the choice between Duke's and Tiki's is a personal one - certainly don't think that you'd be disappointed in either one. I also have to echo Bambam's recommendation of Pineapple Room - really fantastic food (it's on a different level of food than Tiki's or Duke's which are both much more of a casual type of place). (I have a friend who's a chef at Pineapple Room so I'm a little biased).

 

If you're staying at the Alana Doubletree, Tiki's and Duke's are both on the wrong side of Waikiki from you. You're on the far west side, Tiki's and Duke's are almost all the way on the east side of Waikiki. It's walkable - heck, all of Waikiki is technically walkable - but it's a pretty long walk (30-45 minutes +)? Luckily, it's relatively close to Ala Moana Shopping Center - about 10-15 minutes walking. There's also a number of shopping shuttles that run through Waikiki going to Ala Moana - you might be able to catch one of them as well.

 

Spleen

 

 until RSSC Navigator - Canada - 6/04

 

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[sassycassie]

Spleen, Suebee and Trevan:

 

Mahalo all for the information. Since we are so far from Tikis and Dukes, we may elect to try the Pinapple Room, or, since we are big fans of Outback Steakhouse, we may try to walk there. Maybe more will depend on how tired we are after a 9 hour flight than I now imagine!!

 

In any event, we now have some really good insight on what is available. This gets better all the time--how nice it is to be able to get questions answered so quickly and completely!!

 

Mahalo nui loa to all of you helpful people.

 

Sassycassie

[mnstar]

thanks to all! We settled on Tikis for dinner (we made rreservations on-line.)

 

And we are going to do breakfast at Dukes (I called and made a reservation). From, there we will take a taxi over to the Aloha Tower.

 

Sassycassie can do the Pineapple Room and then we'll let you all know what we think.

[mnstar]

Thanks again for all your help, everyone. We're packing now and off on friday. We'll let you all know how great it is!

[Seawishes]

mnstar....

 

good choice. we did the exact same thing. we did dinner at Tiki's on Friday night (we had made reservations online for 7:00...but got there early and asked to be seated, and they immediately sat us around 6:00pm outside for the sunset.) (LOVED the huge gas tiki torches along the deck outside!!) It didn't seem very crowded at all from 6-7:30 or so.

 

Then we did Duke's for breakfast on Sunday morning...probably around 8:30 when we got there. They said about 15 minute wait, and that's all it was. Good buffet....and great morning views of the beach!!

 

Enjoy!!!! We had a great time.

 

...until my first cruise - NCL Star - 04/04/04

 

[spleen93]

Seawishes - did you like the food at Tiki's?

 

Spleen

 

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[Seawishes]

We liked it. Kalua Pig Nachos for an appetizer, and I had ribs for dinner. They were very good ribs...tender in a fall off the bone kinda way. One in our party got the Friday Plate Special, I think it was called (named aftera day of the week). She was taking a chance, as she was unfamilar with some of the items in the large assortment of seafood, but she was very glad she got it.

 

So, we gave it a thumbs up.

 

...until my first cruise - NCL Star - 04/04/04

 

[mnstar]

Thanks, seawishes for the encouragement about Tiki's and Dukes. We'll be too late for sunset, but hopefully we can catch it from our hotel.

 

My dh loves ribs, so I'll pass along your feedback! I hope the Friday plate special is still several kinds of seafood, so I can try it. But, whatever we have, it'll be great, because we're in Hawaii!

[spleen93]

Good to hear!

 

Spleen

 

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[Cybercsp]

Both these restaurants are on our "narrowing it down" list for an upcoming July visit. How long a walk would they be from HHV? Any other suggestions for a family of 4 with two teenage boys? Thanks.

[spleen93]

Unfortunately, both are relatively far. About a 20-30 minute walk - perhaps farther if you're taking your time walking. What kind of food do you like? Are your boys adventurous in their food?

 

Ala Moana Shopping Center is relatively close to you - a lot of different ethnic foods available in the food court there which wouold be a cheap option. A more upcale option would be Pineapple Room in Macy's - it's an off-shoot (cheaper version) of the famous Alan Wong's in Hawaii. An even more upscale version would be Mariposa in Neiman Marcus.

 

Let us know and we can guide you better.

 

Spleen

 

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[gardencat]

Great thread! please keep the info coming.

We will be in Oahu from Apr. 29 to May 2. We have signed up for the luau on the Sat night (May 1) but will be looking for a nice dinner place for the Friday night so I found the info here really helpful.

We are scheduled to arrive at about 5:30 pm on Thursday (if our plane is on time.) It will feel like 11;30 to us( and we will have been up since about 5 or 6 am EST) Think we'll be too tired to try a real 'dinning experience' that night. Can anyone recommend somewhere we could just get a quick bite to eat? We will be staying at a B&B in the Diamond Head area so something close to that would be great.

[Cybercsp]

Thanks, Spleen.

We will have a rental car, so anything is possible (I just like to walk, which is why i asked about distance).

I am looking for a varied menu for the family (my boys are "somewhat" adventurous..but would not appreciate lots of vegetables or too many unfamiliar items and, with the exception of shrimp, my husband does not care for seafood). I do not want to eat at a chain that we have at home...I like them to experience something more reflective of the trip.

My husband and I will go out one night on our own for a more "romantic" meal...so all suggestions welcome! Thanks.

PS: We will also be spending time on the Big Island.

[spleen93]

A good option for both of you (gardencat - for the night that you arrive and to eat something casual, and for cybercsp - for your 2 teenage boys) might be Rainbow Drive-Inn. It's in Kapahulu which is next to Diamond Head (through Waikiki and take a left off of Kalakaua onto Kapahulu). Go past the Honolulu Zoo on your right, past the firehouse, and go another 2-3 blocks. It's easy to miss so keep an eye out on your right. You'll see an open parking lot (VERY crowded usually) and a small drive-in type of place. Rainbow's serves plate lunch which is a staple here in Hawaii. I highly recommend the BBQ steak (which is essentially teriyaki beef but the best teri-beef that you've ever had). Those with a big appetite should try the mixed plate (BBQ steak, breaded boneless chicken, and breaded mahimahi). Plate lunches are a standard in Hawaii and come with choice of entree, two scoops of rice, and one scoop of macaroni salad. It's a holdover from the old sugar cane plantation days when various ethnicities had to come together and eat food together. Definitely not low-cal or low-cholesterol - but really good. If you're in a really indulgent mood, calories be d*mned, get the boneless chicken with gravy all over. Ummmmmmmm ...

 

Romantic meals - various options here. Mariposa mentioned earlier is very nice - fantastic food and great views of the sunset at the right time of day. Also, Bali by the Sea in the Hilton Hawaiian Village is a very romantic setting and has good French/Hawaiian Regional Cuisine food. I also highly recommend Roy's Restaurant - the original is located in Hawaii Kai (east of Waikiki). But the best food in Hawaii, my opinion, is at Alan Wong's restaurant. No view but it doesn't need it, the food is that good. This is not an inexpensive meal by any means ... but it's worth it. Good for a romantic dinner for 2.

 

Spleen

 

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[gardencat]

Thanks again Spleen. I can tell that it is going to be salad and water for me for a couple of months when I get back from this vacation

[mnstar]

Hi, gardencat! We just returned on Monday. We also arrived at 5:30pm, but onm Friday (on a direct flight from Mpls, so maybe not quite as long as your flight.) Anyway, we made it a point to make dinner reservations for 8pm that night (we met friends at Tiki's). True, by about 10pm "local time" we were ready to call it a night, but it definitely helped us to minimize jetlag. Still, we were up at 5am, and the folks we met wandering on the beach at sunrise, had also just flown in the night before too! We went to The Polynesian Cultural Center that day and stayed through the evening for their laua. It was a great idea to stay awake, but a BAD idea to stay for the PCC luau! It was lousy at best. But, by Sunday morning we were well rested and ready for the cruise. Others have suggested (including Kayla's Mom) that there is value in getting on the "local time" right away.

 

Best wishes on your planning and your trip!

 

PS ~ Thanbks again to all of you who responded when I started this thread!