Sunset Lanai

Best party venue ever! THANK YOU YELP, for introducing me to this hidden gem...although, it's really so good, I almost don't want to spread the word around too much. 0=) I really hope they're not booked up, the next time I need to plan an event!As long as you have a military friend or family member attending your event, who's willing to sponsor you (or you're military yourself), I'd say Sunset Lanai is probably my new #1 choice for party venues. Here's all the reasons I love it:#1: AWESOME STAFFPlanning and communication was so easy! Their event coordinator is not in every day, but her voicemail greeting is very clear about her hours, and she's super responsive both on email and voicemail, within 24 hours. She was also great about working with us to design the exact menu that we wanted (with one small exception, & she called ASAP with multiple options to sub for something else), and was flexible enough to make small adjustments (in timing, etc), even at the last-minute. During the event itself, all of our food was served on-time, and we didn't feel pressured to be out exactly at our ending time (though we were out within minutes after). #2: GREAT FOOD: Their set buffet menus are very reasonably priced, on-par with (or in most cases cheaper than) the other venues that I contacted. We opted to do "pupu party" style, but we were on a very tight budget, so we couldn't afford most of the "fancier" dishes (e.g. crab cakes, bacon wrapped shrimp, prime rib). That said, we were very happy with the 8 dishes/platters that we selected: - Crab & artichoke dip (with tortilla chips) - Shoyu ahi poke (with cut avocado, tortilla chips & furikake rice on the side) - Jalapeno poppers - Crispy won tons - Swedish meatballs - BBQ pulled pork sliders - Assorted fruit platter - Asorted veggie platter (with pesto ranch dressing). . . and many of our guests specifically commented on how good the food was! #3: AMAZING VIEWThe venue itself is very well-maintained, spotlessly clean, and we especially loved that they have both indoor & outdoor seating (i.e. in keeping with COVID precautions). Other conveniences were the dedicated restrooms (lots of stalls, never any wait), free mic & sound system, and a very affordable add-on option for no-host bar. But the nicest surprise-and true to its name--was the beautiful almost-180-degreee view! Throughout the evening, we saw people taking panoramic shots, or group photos with the lovely view in the background...and that was true during daylight, sunset & after dark (with the city lights)!While I'm giving the full rundown about Sunset Lanai, I should probably mention that there were two things about our experience that were slightly less than perfect. The first was that there's only limited parking in the lot adjacent to the venue. Overflow parking is a short walk up or down the hill, which is less than ideal if you have a lot of guests wearing high heels, elderly, very young, etc. Also, the bar (which we paid to have manned for 3 hours) opened about 20 minutes late...so there was a long line/wait initially, for everyone who wanted to purchase drinks (or maybe we just have an unusual number of over-eager drinkers, lol). Aside from these 2 things, everything else was smooth sailing, so these weren't even really issues for us.All in all, I can't say enough about Sunset Lanai...and I'm so grateful to Yelp for pointing the way! Between the great (& delicious) menu options, easy communication, super reasonable prices and minimums--and I forgot to mention, very convenient / central location!!--this is really one of the best party venue options around. So if you're looking for a great party venue, definitely call this place ASAP...you can't go wrong!

If you want to see some of the best views of Pearl Harbor & Ford Island visit Sunset Lanai during sunset, amazing views. They are located on Camp Smith home of HQ for Pacific Military Forces so you will need a military I.D. government CAC to gain access or a sponsor. Love going on Wednesday night for Mongolian BBQ spread. The price is by weight so watch how much food you pile on before they weigh your bowl. .50 for the egg. White Rice, egg drop soup and cake & pie is all part of the price. The service is awesome! The ladies working are so friendly and helpful. If you are not sure what sauces to add, just ask and they will give you great recommendations so you don't mess up the flavor of your food.Great tasty food, amazing views and outstanding hospitality is what you get at Sunset Lanai.

You'll need base access for this spot but what an incredible view and hidden dinner location! Came here for a group dinner and had Mongolian BBQ stir fry. Would be an amazing event venue.

The best thing about this place is obviously the view! We came here for a military function, which I'm sure most events here usually are since it's located on a base. The food was buffet style in the main dining area, which was directly adjacent to a nice little bar. The sunset on the balcony is gorgeous and the patio is a nice place to chill and eat. My only complaint is that this place is extremely hard to find, the parking lot is beyond tiny, and the gate guards aren't great at directing you how to get there. The place is located on Camp Smith after an assortment of windy turns around the hills. It's easy drive right past it if you don't know where you're going. Even your maps phone GPS has trouble getting to the location. Luckily we had a friend who knew to put the location into Waze which led us there without issue, but if we didn't have that, I don't think we ever would have found it.

I don't know why it took me so long to review this place. I absolutely love Sunset Lanai! Only down side is that you need to be military or have proper credentials to access it. So, since my hubby has gotten out of the military back in 2014 it's been a while since we've been here. But lo and behold they allow civilian contractors with a CAC in, which is why we were to reserve the facility for my son's first birthday party back in June this year. Let me take it back 7 years ago because this is where my husband and I had our wedding reception. We were first introduced to this hidden gem by my friend. She knew we were desperately looking for a reception venue so she told me "you have to come have dinner with me on Wednesday I have the perfect venue for you". Turns out Wednesday is Mongolian BBQ night (yes even back 7 years ago). We were having dinner, the sun was setting, the view was gorgeous! I ended up booking that place for my wedding reception that very night. You really can't beat the view here. At night it is just gorgeous with the city lights twinkling. To say it was the highlight of our wedding reception is an understatement. When the sun set most of my guests were out on the lanai taking photos, hence the name Sunset Lanai. Since then up until my husband got out of the military, we would go at least one Wednesday a month for Mongolian BBQ. For Mongolian BBQ they set out different meats (beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, imitation crab), vegetables, noodles, different spices and seasoning and you just put it on your plate. When you're done they weigh it, you pay, and they cook it for you. Your own custom made dinner. The dinner also comes with soup and rice, several desserts and tea or fruit punch. You can call ahead to reserve a table for however many people in your party. Pro tip: as much as possible try to sit outside but they do have a bar area if that's more of your style. Fast forward to 2017, we had our son's first birthday. We planned his birthday really last minute, so when I found out Sunset Lanai was open, I gladly booked the place. Originally I was just planning to book the room and do outside catering, but their prices per head are so affordable that we ended up catering through them, more on that later. What worried us the most was getting a military sponsor for the event. It really wasn't a problem since we have lots of military friends and family that were willing to sponsor us in. But as I mentioned, they allow for civilian contractors to book the place as long as they have proper credentials, which my hubby has. They have a variety of catering options to choose from depending on your budget. Buffet menus range from about $18 to $40 depending on how many people in your party and the how many food choices in the buffet. Also they have platters if you want to add anything to the buffet menu. Seriously, I've searched many catering places and Sunset Lanai has THE BEST value for the food and service. We ended up getting the lunch buffet for $25 + tax per person (half off for kids 4-12, free 4 and below). The buffet included 3 appetizers choices (we chose Tri-color pasta salad, Chinese chicken salad, rainbow jello), bread rolls (with butter), rice, steamed veggies, chow mein, 3 entrees (we chose kalbi, lemon and caper mahi-mahi fish, and teriyaki chicken), 3 desserts (cakes or pies, hot tea/coffee, iced tea/fruit punch, and water. Seriously it was a lot of food. You can also bring your own "ethnic foods". For a Filipino family such as mine, that included the lechon (whole roast pig), the different varieties of Filipino pastries, and you can't have a local party without poke, and lots of it. Only down side is you have to bring your own paper goods for what you bring. No outside drinks allowed but you can open the bar, for a minimum for 2 hours. You can also choose to pick up the tab for the bar, or have your guests pay for their own drinks. Maribel and staff are also very helpful! Maribel communicated with me throughout the entire planning process, sending reminders through email and phone. Even when we're setting up and we were running late, she and her staff were there to lend a hand and help decorate. The only minor problem I encountered is with the guest list. Anyone 16 years old and over needs to provide a date of birth and a ID#/SSN# for background checks prior to the event passes being released. It's difficult to do when some of your guests question why. For me I just told my guests that it is a military installation, and it's the facility policy, so if they don't comply they might not be able to get on base, which put an end to the questions really quick. But to be honest it really was no problem for my husband and me. It helped us get an accurate head count and lessen the chances of party crashers.So if you're looking for a place with great food, awesome views, and a helpful staff Sunset Lanai is the place!

This restaurant is amazing, friendly staff and outrageously tasty food. They are open Wednesdays and Thursdays. Everything is a must try. But the Crabby patty takes the show. It's light and fluffy. Not overpowering with breading or fishy flavor.

Certainly can't beat the view. Love unwinding there late afternoon on Fridays! The bartender/owner is very pleasant. Highly recommend!

Sunset Lanai is located inside Camp Smith. To get in you need to have a paper pass and Military I.D. The other option is to get sppnsored. I've been here for the Wednesday night mongolian bbq. While looking for possible venues for our wedding reception, we chose Sunset Lanai over the others. Why? The million dollar view of the place is worth it! You can see Honolulu, Pearl Harbor all the way to the Leeward coast. Looking to stick to your event budget? You can definitely work it here. They have lunch amd dinner options to fit any budget. Need a venue with a stage? They got it! I chose Sunset Lanai mainly because the view. It really is breathtaking. We worked with Maribel to help get all our guests passes and approved to come in. Maribel also communicated with us several times about menu options, table setup and even decorating/prepping time. When our wedding finally happened, everything went smoothly! Our vendors and guests had no trouble getting in. We were allowed to bring ethnic appetizers. Our guests enjoyed the buffet spread and drinks too. They were really amazed by the beautiful sunset right before dinner. CONS:You need to have military access to get in. All guests over 16 will need to go through a background check before getting a pass and be put on the guest list. I actually thought this gave me an advantage to keep away uninvited wedding crashers. It also made it easier to keep an accurate guest count. Overall, we loved working with Maribel and the Sunset Lanai staff. They were very helpful in making our special day a success!

Update to a 2022 review to prevent confusion. The old Sunset Lanai closed but a new company took over. The new setup is a traditional restaurant while the old one was an "open 2 days a week" hangout spot with pub food. The food is good but the service can be a bit slow. It's still a solid place to have a beer and have a nice view.

My wife just power walked by this place. She told me it opened 2 weeks ago after renovations. Yelp is reporting it closed as of this review. Just an FYI. Plan on eating there in the future.