Haleiwa Joe's At Haiku Gardens

if i could give this place 10 out of 5 stars I wouldF O O D / D R I N K S:keep in mind these portions are huge, we're on the island of hawaii but boy do I feel like I'm in samoa omg the prices are beyond fair considering the view and qualitythai fried calamari 4.5/5- standard, fresh crispy and yummycrispy brussel sprouts 10/5- idk what they put in these but get them it's the best I've ever hadsticky ribs 4.5/5 - gingery bbq flavor ribs, half a rack is more than enoughmauka makai 5/5 - fragrant and full of flavor, who knew short rib and tako (octopus) went well togetherbaby cake and paradise pie - I was too full at this point but I recommend the paradise pie which is kona coffee-flavored for my coffee ice cream loverspine colada 5/5 - miss bartender did not play I saw her pour a three second pull and I got wasted LOLmai tai li ling mui - both great drinks they really know how to mix hereS E R V I C E:11/10 - huge thanks to Nainoa! very charismatic and charming man, he was on top of it with the serviceA M B I A N C E:while waiting for about 1.5 hr for our table we took a stroll through the beautiful garden, stunning views, the air hits different here

THE GOOD:Our waitress was lovely! Food was decent. The prime rib was HUGE! Definitely shareable between 2 people. The scenery outside is so beautiful. THE BAD:If you have a sensitive nose, beware. It smelled like sweaty feet in there around 7pm... I thought maybe the smell would subside but at every turn, a new waft of musky stinky feet would greet my nose... After waiting for an hour and a half we expected it to be different. The view is much better in the day than at night of course.

Oh wow people were NOT kidding about this place! After our personal tour guide AND snorkel guide recommended this (was already on my list as well) we had to head over. Everywhere you look even in the parking lot is so pretty! We were warned to show up at 330pm since they don't take reservations but we showed up 530pm on a Friday night lol! Luckily scored a seat at the bar for the 1hr 45m wait for a table, had the sweetest waitress ordered daquiris and the panko calamari strips which were SO GOOD! I've had a lot and I mean a LOT of calamari in my life and the only other place I had it like this was surprisingly at a Hawaiian restaurant in Lake Tahoe. Texture perfect, not overcooked. That time waiting went by so fast but I also had 3 daquiris and spent at least 20m in the parking lot bushes looking for lizards/geckos when "checking on rental car". Now, you are welcome to stay in the bar area they do have excellent food options but my high maintenance difficult self wanted the macadamia pesto fish with potatoes and lobster sauce and I am SO HAPPY we waited for a table! Couldn't see the pretty outside vew by then but hey it was January would've been dark at 6 anyways.Heard the prime rib was excellent and seeing it go by was bigger than my head pretty impressive, but I dont think you can order wrong here. Can't speak for north shore beach location only drove by it but the ambiance here is in my opinion way better and more than worth the visit and wait.

DONT recommend sitting in a BOOTH!! Arrived exactly at 4pm(opening) on a Monday to celebrate my birthday. Had a small line. 25 minute wait for table for 2.Waited at the bar during that time and got a flat tire and sunrise spritz. Drinks were ok.. bartenders slightly attentive. We then got seated on the far right in a curved booth. It had mold all over the seats and smelt sooo bad of wet saturated fabric. We had couple heavy rains recently so I can see how the seats would get wet and I guess they didn't bother to clean it after. The smell was bad that it soaked into our clothes. My husband doesn't like to complain to the people who make our food so I couldn't say anything. The stars are for the food which tasted amazing. Prime rib melted in our mouth. Wish we could have enjoyed it, but with the smell surrounding us, we rushed so we could get out of there. Waitress had a big table in front of us full of tourists so she didn't pay us too much attention. Locals definitely get a different type of service here compared to tourist. Sad.

I wanted to come here for my birthday but was hesitant based on the mixed reviews. I was so glad I did because the food, views, and service were amazing. I knew this was a highly sought after dinner spot so I came about 15 mins before opening and there was already around 20 people waiting - so I just joined the line. I was still able to snag a nice seat! I was able to try the prime rib and a grilled fish dish. The prime rib was 52 oz for $56- a STEAL. Two people can definitely share it. I ordered it medium and it came out perfectly. The grilled fish was also good, the lobster cream sauce and pesto sauce really complemented each other and the crunchy thin carrots on top really tied the dish together. The lilikoi crème brûlée was really good as well. There was a hint of lilikoi. The drinks were $12 each which again was definitely a steal! The flat island iced tea tasted super tropical with a coconut cream texture. The li hing mui mango margarita was also good. The drinks were truly a Hawai'i staple of flavors. I can understand the negative reviews especially if people have waited an hour or two to eat. People will get hangry. I wouldn't mind waiting 30 minutes but anything up to two hours is not worth it. It's a nice place to celebrate a special occasion for sure. One thing I wish they did was provide some type of complimentary dessert for birthdays but they didn't. They do however provide complimentary bread with guava butter!

This place was a highly recommended spot from multiple of our friends, though it's a little out of the way, it was still a must-try spot for us. The restaurant is located in the most beautiful atmosphere - with the mountain and sunset accompanying us while we dined. There's no reservations at this restaurant, so it's a waitlist only. We got there relatively early (~5pm) and waited for about an hour. The drinks and food were also so fresh and delicious. I had two mai tais - so delicious. We are such big fans of free bread at restaurants, and they had a roll of freshly baked bread with airy whipped guava butter (hello?!) For the main entrees, I got the Chinese-style steamed monchong fish with hot sesame oil, bok choy, shimeji mushrooms, rayu oil, and white rice. My husband got the New york strip with sauteed vegetables and garlic mashed potatoes. We also got the caesar salad and fries for sides. Overall, it's a meal I will never forget and I was so full walking out of there!

We heard about this place and the views and decided to try while visiting the island. Unfortunately we ran late and it was too dark for the views. However the food we ordered were delicious. Both the fish dishes were so fresh and flavorful. My dad got the steak which he really enjoyed. And ended with the cream brûlée! Great dinner option!

Always wanted to try here. We finally decided to get here around 3:45 and there was already a line formed. We knew this would happen so it wasn't a surprise. I estimated there were at least 10 groups of two or more in front of us, but once it hit 4:00 the line moved quickly. We were told to wait about 10 - 15 minutes and gave our phone number so they could text us when a table would be ready. We used this time to go down to the Garden to look around. Saw some ducks and a turtle swimming and there was a breeze so I didn't get bit by any mosquitoes. Before we knew it were were seated. Our server was very polite and informative and after a few minutes to decide we ordered the prime rib, Thai calamari (recommended by our server) and two cups of clam chowder. We asked for everything except for the soup to come at the same time. The soup was very good. The calamari was good, not tough or chewy. The prime rib came with veggies, garlic mashed potatoes and au jus and horseradish on the side. We knew going in that the steak was going to be huge so we shared it and we still had so much leftover that we had to take the rest of it home. At least we can say that we tried the Prime Rib that everyone was talking about in the reviews. I'm more interested in trying their other food options when we do go back. The place is very nice, busy, but I didn't feel like we were in a crowded area.

Prime rib is as big as my fave and I have huge face. Paradise Pie was superb. Thai calamaris were yummy. Sizzling mushroom is a must. Bread was addicting because it so soft. Service was pretty good, although in the beginning, I felt like the waitress who served us rolled her eyes when asking for separate checks. Other than that, she checked on us a couple times and asked for refill. Ambiance was nice. You'll see the beautiful mountains, and a few cats roaming around. LolSomething negative, there was a fly that kept flying to our food.

Went here for my birthday last week, as I heard great things about their Prime Rib. And it didn't disappoint, mostly.The Prime Rib was huge & thick. Very impressive to see when it arrived. (Wish they would serve it this thick at all of those hotel buffets). My wife had their Grilled Fish dish, which she liked.I ordered mine medium & it was tender as I hoped. The only thing that would have made this experience better is if they had a sharper knife. While although tender, there were spots of tendon to cut through of which was a challenge. I should have asked if they offered a sharper knife.The house salad was very good & the view great. They also served complimentary bread. Service staff were also spot on.Line Tips - heard that at times the lines to get in can be long. We came on a Wednesday at 3pm (doors open at 4pm), no one was there yet. So we walked around the garden area. We walked back & was the first in line at around 3:20pm. People started to come around 3:30pm. By 3:50pm there were about a dozen people in line. Doors opened at 3:55pm & the staff put out some benches, before we went in.Parking - They have lots of part. The restaurant entrance is very near to the parking lot.All in all, a good experience. Maybe if I had a sharper knife, it would have been a five star experience.