Royal Palace Restaurant

***4.5 STARS***You gotta give it to Auntie (aka Nadine C.) as one of Honolulu's most prolific Elite Yelpers. She seeks out new and local businesses and often corrals people to try them. I'll admit I'm a townie who doesn't really explore out of my comfort zone and tend to patronize a rotation of restaurants with friends and family regularly. Step in Auntie who came across Royal Palace Restaurant (RPR), a Chinese restaurant located in Stadium Mall that has been there for over 30 years under multiple management. She wanted to try out their dinner buffet but RPR requires a minimum of 20 people. So she sends out this group text and the selected date was on my night off so I agreed. Parking at Stadium Mall is challenging as there are many, many businesses here. I opted to take the first stall I came across and walked over instead of searching for one near the restaurant. A handful familiar faces had already arrived and event planner Auntie explained free seating in our assigned area.While waiting for the dinner to officially start, I used to time to chat with friends who I haven't seen in a while and surveyed the buffet line as some entrees were brought out. When the majority of people arrived it was time to eat. THE VERDICT:Overall, the food was above average for a buffet. I wasn't expecting much as I was expecting to spend a great evening with some friends who I haven't seen in ages. There are 2 stations: Hot and cold entrees. Standouts for me were the chow funn noodles, pepper salt shrimp, stir fried green beans and the crispy gau gee. I could taste the wok hei in multiple dishes which got my approval. For dessert, I feasted on the fresh fruit and almond tofu. Service was surprisingly decent as it was all Bosco, the owner and chef's son who is a high school student. Kudos to him for bringing me a band aid as I had an unfortunate accident before dinner started. Overall, a pleasant first experience where I wouldn't object for a return visit. Lots of parking and delicious food where it's an ideal venue for a get together with friends and family.

Happy Lunar New Year...A gathering of friends to celebrate this festive event is so much fun as we're so busy with our lives and we're so close yet so far away after seeing Yelp friends check in moments after your departure is heartbreaking so this dinner was something that I was so looking forward to thanks to Nadine C.Learning of that they're able to do a dinner buffet with a minimum of 20 people and so thoughtfully did so with various food allergies and preferences it not only made sense but a convenient way for all to enjoy the items that the prefer so she made the calls and here we are...woohoo! Not only did I didn't know it existed I drove right pass it as I was looking for it in Stadium Mall which does offer lots of free parking and on this night it was raining so the selections got difficult but made it in and was so happy to see everyone and the buffet selection was quite impressive.Fried rice, chow mein, orange chicken, string beans, beef broccoli, eggplant, shrimp, clams and that's just the entree and not the cold section filled with various fruits, salad greens, cold ginger chicken and almond tofu.Very impressive and the adorable young man who was very polite and efficient taking our used plates and keeping our water cup filled I was so impressed with the whole food and service experience and am so happy to have filled this biz with our loving group and to support small local biz while reuniting many was indeed a celebration that I'm so grateful to be a part of.Cheers Yelpies (yelp besties) and new friends to a prosperous and healthy new year!Thank you!

Gong hay fat choy (Cantonese) and Xīn nián kuài lè (Mandarin)! Happiness and Prosperity to all!Thank you Nadine C. for a wonderful celebration of friendship and the Chinese New Year 2025!It was my first time eating at the Royal Palace Restaurant. Buffet style here. Fresh and canned fruit, variety of hot and cold vegetables and dishes. (see photos). I enjoyed the almond float with fresh pineapple and canned fruits. Refreshing! Service was fantastic by Bosco (sp?). A young employee who was attentive to our tables. Nice guy. Thank you everyone for the awesome CNY treats that everyone shared. So thoughtful and generous of all. Great friendships, fun and food! Restaurant is clean and the food is made in the kitchen and refilled in the buffet line. Food: 3/5 starsService: 5/5 starsAmbiance: 3/5 stars Event: 5/5 starsShout out to Donna O. for kindly transporting me there and having fun making the goody bags!

Thank you to Auntie Nadine for coordinating this Chinese New Year's dinner for 20 of us. Yes, that's how many people you'll need to do the dinner buffet. The last time I've been here was probably 15 years ago or longer. While the food was excellent back in the day, it's still good today. My favorite dishes of the night were the head on fried shrimp and chow fun. The shrimp were nicely seasoned and crispy. You could just taste the wok hei on the chow fun. I just love that. I usually love clams, but it was bland. They should just stir fry it in black bean sauce. The dessert station was on point. Everyone ate bowls of the almond tofu. The blood red oranges were sweet as were the papayas. I just love papayas and was glad that they offered it. It was nice catching up with everyone. Some people I haven't seen in years. I really had a good time. Thanks again, Auntie!

Buffet dinner in Honolulu, Hawaii...Located at Stadium Mall, next to Ice Palace Hawaii (skating rink) is an old school restaurant named Royal Palace Restaurant. I had never been there before. I saw a sign for the lunch buffet- which they have daily. However, if you want a buffet dinner, you'll need a minimum of 20 people. I really wanted to try the buffet dinner because some of my friends don't eat pork, while others are allergic to shrimp, and a few people (like myself) don't enjoy spicy foods. A buffet would be great for everyone - even vegetarians and pescatarians!Calling on some friends, everyone seemed eager to go! They all appreciated the free, shared parking, convenient restroom, and super friendly and efficient service by Bosco... he's the 17 year old son of the cook! I told him that he's really good at his job: refilling empty entrées, removing used plates, calculating the bill, bringing tea to those who requested, etc. He said that he gets his steps in... over 12,000 so far... LOL!I actually did a site inspection a couple of days before our gathering. I offered a deposit to make sure we had a reservation. The lady was a straightforward Asian female... a bit loud and brisk. She reassured me that we could have the back of the restaurant. There were tables of six and tables for four. It would work out fine! I even had enough space for a reception table where I placed name tags and goodie bags!Ah!My dream for my friends to meet each other was taking shape!The day of the dinner was a bit rainy. Traffic was heavy, but everyone made it, except for one couple. The restaurant was able to charge me for just 18 people and even gave me a discount on those over age 65! Senior citizen discounts are great!The food was wonderful! I liked the chocolate pudding, strawberry jello, almond jello, fresh fruits, salt and pepper shrimp, chow funn, orange chicken, and beef broccoli the most. I was sad that the eggplant and green beans were on the spicy side. I washed it down with some fried rice!Dinner buffet costs a couple of dollars more than the lunch buffet. It's because dinner includes clams and mussels! There also was cold ginger chicken, stir fry veggies with fish filet, and a bitter melon dish.I was really happy with everything! I wished more people could have attended!We were able to stay a bit past 8pm - closing time.Thank you so much!Goong hee faht choi!

Time for a Yelp update for the Royal Palace Restaurant, as I recently attended a Yelp gathering to celebrate a belated Chinese New Years with a few Yeeps, thanks to my AWESOME Yelp buddy - Da FAMOUS Auntie, Nadine C. for planning & coordinating this wonderful event!Royal Palace Restaurant located at the Stadium Mall was the place of choice, and I must say it was the perfect venue as the restaurant was spacious, food was much better than I had expected (compared to the last time I ate here), and the service was impeccable!There is a buffet option for lunch here, but in order to get the dinner buffet you must book and have a reservation of at least 20 people. \Luckily Auntie Nadine C. took it upon herself set up a reservations for 20 Yeeps, and while eating there, I saw several walk-in's for take out, as well as a large family that walked into the restaurant to have the dinner buffet as well.The buffet offerings were not as large as the last time I came here (many years ago), but I must say the food quality was much better than I remembered it to be. Check out my pics to see some of the buffet food offerings.I especially enjoyed the clams & mussels dishes. The steamed Fish with mixed vegetables was also pretty good. For dessert, I ate two cups of the almond jello, as I was totally diggin' it! I totally missed out on the chow fun, & the salt and pepper shrimp as those items came out later in the buffet, and I think I took too much of the other food items so when the chow fun & shrimp came out, I was already too full! Darn! Lol!There was a lone kid working the restaurant that night, and I must say he was a very hard working kid, as he provided the best service by taking away dirty plates, filling water, filling up the buffet food items, & bringing tea to the folks who requested it. Easy 5 stars for the great service!All in all a fun & wonderful gathering (thanks to Auntie Nadine C.), the food was good, but as good as the food was, it made me more happy that I got to see some old Yelp friends, and catch up.

The food at Royal Palace has greatly improved since my last visit in 2020. The front of the house was manned by one young man. He did an excellent job. Refilling our water and Tea. Also taking away our used dishes. Many of the items I ate were delicious. Only the clams fell short. The salt and pepper Prawns was my favorite.Dinner was a celebration of the Chinese New Year. Coordinated by Auntie Nadine C. Thank You Auntie. Looking forward to coming back. Enjoy

Celebrated Chinese New Year of the Snake and a special Yelper's belated birthday tonight. Happy Belated Birthday, Auntie N!For a very reasonable rate, this restaurant offers a plentiful buffet to meet every palate. If you love spicy, the string beans will be your fave, along with the eggplant.If you love seafood, the tender fish and crispy shrimp are waiting for you!Traditionalists will enjoy the crispy gau gee with sweet sour sauce, chow funn, chow mein, rice, beef broccoli, cold ginger chicken, roast chicken, bitter melon, and orange chicken. Starters include edamame and green salad. Build your own dessert with red beans, chocolate pudding, a refreshing array of fresh fruits including sliced pineapple, whole cuties, cut orange slices, sliced watermelon, almond tofu, strawberry jello, and the requisite canned pears, peaches, and pineapples to top all that off! Nice big glasses of water, and a hot teapot on request, and you're ready to dine in to your tummy's delight! Ample table seating awaits in the well lighted and air conditioned dining room, and if needed, there are clean restrooms, and a bunch of things available for retail sale, like shrimp chips and a toy or two! Our hard working waiter is one of the family (owners), and goes to a local high school. He was very responsive to whatever we needed, so besides the tip, he also got some of our party favors, heh heh!Do return and enjoy the variety and great value!

I'm sitting in front of Royal Palace in my car. I placed an online order and paid for it before arriving to pick it up at an agreed time. The door is locked and there is a sign saying they're returning 1/2 hour after my pick up time. I am forced to wait the half hour because the order is paid for already. Talk about hard to swallow! Do not place prepaid order or risk having your time disrespected too.

Update 2-6-25. Haven't been to this place ever since 2020 for their lunch buffet. Now celebrated Chinese New Year our coordinator Auntie Nadine made reservations for their dinner buffet only thing they told her have to have at least 20 people and you can come in for their buffet. Well to everybody's surprise the dinner buffet was good. Our server Bosco was the only one serving us water taking plates away and giving us tea. They had seafood like blk bean mussels, clams, salt and pepper prawns, fish with steam vegetables. They also had beef chow fun, chow mein noodles, fried rice, steam rice, oyster sauce chicken, orange chicken, spicy green beans, blk bean bittermelon with beef, crispy gau gee, beef broccoli on the hit side. On the cold side they had cold ginger chicken fruits, chocolate pudding, almond float, edamame beans, toss greens. Everything was tasty and all the yelpers and non yelpers enjoyed it. Seems like will be back.