Blue Dragon Tavern & Cosmic Musiquarium

An average hamburger, soggy fries, took 80 minutes and we were some of the first people there. The venue is great, open to the sky with palm trees above. Just eat before you go.

Great music and delicious food with friendly and attentive staff. So grateful to have a place like this on island! The cocktails were very tasty and all we had (food included) were very reasonably priced. Amazing and talented chef! Beautiful open air venue with views of the stars. Highly recommend. Come support local!

We worked with Dave and his team at Blue Dragon to host our wedding ceremony in August of 2023. The entire experience was pleasant from all of the initial calls and emails to the days leading up to the wedding. Dave was accommodating, professional, and extremely helpful throughout the process. As a bonus, we were able to hire his band, Uncle Charlie, to play during our cocktail hour and reception. The venue was perfect for our reception and all of the guests and vendors raved about the open-air bar experience as well as the service from the bartenders and music from the band. Pricing was more than fair and we felt we received top-notch customer service and value. We couldn't have been happier with how the night went and it was wonderful to support a local venue so close to my wife's family's residence and business. Can't recommend them enough if you have a private party!

Had a good time here listening to some music performances. The setup is pretty cool open air with food and drinks available. Staff were all very attentive and fun. Food was tasty and not a terrible wait like mentioned in another review. They have special procedures if it is a big/busy night and the staff will give you instructions. Read them :)

This place is amazing!!! We loved to hear ka’u play!! Hawaiian George Strait was amazing. Food was great, we loved everything. A great night of entertainment!

The Blue Dragon is a great venue to catch live local music in an outdoor setting under the stars. There were mainly locals the night we went. The food was okay. Like many places in Hawaii the cocktails were heavy on the sugar and light on the hooch. Open Thursday thru Sunday with reasonable covers for the performers.

This place was a treasure! Very relaxing, we heard traditional Hawaiin music and Hula. Audience was invited come up and learn to Hula! The food was excellant as was the staff! We will have good memories of The Blue Dragon!

12/8/24 Music was amazing 👏. GREAT ATMOSPHERE!!! Service was top tier although it was slow service. The waiter was a gentleman. My burger was far undercooked and still alive. The fries were limp and wet and soggy.

Sat around for over an hour before they bothered to tell us the cook walked off the job, by then it was too late to go anywhere else for dinner so overall a complete poop show at this place! Good ambiance but couldn't tell you how bad the food is because we were never served.

Wow we have revisited the Blue Dragon several times recently. We enjoy the monthly comedy night too. The food recently has greatly improved. , Good burger and fries and even a couple nice entrees like a ribeye with mashed potatoes snd green beans. Also enjoyed the warm, generous berry cobbler with a huge scoop of ice cream. Our usual server is Spence and he took good care of us. It gets really busy but the drinks and food came out in a timely manner. Locally owned, we sure appreciate the effort that has been put in to give everyone a fun place to eat, drink, dance and dine! Open air with the night sky, stars and palms makes it a fun night out right in Kawaihae.

Terrrrrrrible service. The other reviews sum it up, the venue is fine and the entertainment was good, but it took 2 hours for any of our group to get food and half our party just gave up and cancelled our orders. A burger, a grilled cheese and chicken wings- especially the quality they serve shouldn't take hours. And the indifferent servers don't help. Sad experience, especially compared to so many other great spots around the island.

Loving the venue, the musicians, the service. Cheese quesadilla was greasy. Caesar Salad had awesome bacon, large serving, crisp lettuce, really good croutons, good dressing, BUT entirely too much dressing. I forgot to order "dressing on the side" as I usually do. Big puddle of dressing in the bottom of the bowl. Very good service!!!

This was the worst food we had in Hawaii. I ordered Caesar's Salad, telling them I could eat no garlic, and got a plate of lettuce. Yes, only lettuce. For $14. No one else particularly cared for their food either. But the music was great.

I was looking for a place to eat as it was late in the afternoon and I had a 2 hour drive. I searched for an open restaurant as a lot of places in Hawaii close early. This was an option and it was a good option. I had the bruschetta to start and it was a Hawaiian twist bruschetta but flavorful. The reduced aged balsamic vinegar was on point! The grilled fish tacos were great and they were gone in 10 seconds! The best part it is the ambiance as it is open and you get to hear live music while under the stars . Josh was attentive and he ensured that my glass of water was always full. Very pleasant to speak with Josh. If you don't know where to go for dinner. This is the place and make sure you bring your dancing shoes or your singing voice.

If you're going for the music, it might be a fun time, but if you're there for the food, it's not worth the money. There's a $20 entry fee, which might be fine if the food and service matched the price--but unfortunately, they don't. Prices are steep--$17 for just 6 wings and $24 for a burger. The food is hit or miss: the burgers and fries are pretty good, but the fish and chips, quesadillas, and especially the coleslaw (which is basically just shredded cabbage) were disappointing. Service was where things really fell apart. It took an hour and a half to get our food, and the waitress was dismissive. When I asked for salt, she questioned whether I'd even tried the food yet. It turned what should've been a fun night out into a frustrating experience. I honestly don't understand how this place is so highly rated. It's overpriced, underwhelming, and easily the worst restaurant I've been to in Waimea. Your money would be much better spent elsewhere.

Delicious food- they were very accommodating.. I am gluten sensitive, so they suggested grilled ono fish over the DELICIOUS Brussel sprouts appetizer. My boyfriend had the burger and was also happy. Open air dining was perfect and so comfortable. Our server was attentive and very helpful. We listened to a wonderful jazz quartet. They have live music 4 nights a week. Be sure to visit for dinner when you are on the big island of Hawaii!

Ambiance : I went to a jazz show with Matteo and Weather Permitting. I was a little skeptical at the words 'family band' but they are seriously talented musicians playing all of the classic jazz standards as well as crooner style music. The space was open air and beautiful dinner jazz club but in Hawaii kind of feeling with candlelight table service kind of feeling. There was a real full stage and a beautiful baby grand piano. I really felt like I was transported to somewhere not in Hawaii. Food : The kitchen only had one person working and so the food took a while, but, you are having cocktails and watching a show not trying to get in and get out with fast food so I didn't mind. The food was very good and very reasonably priced. I had the Cajun chicken pasta that was recommended. Drinks / bar: The drinks were made very well by a very friendly bartender. The liquor selection was very average, not too many interesting spirit choices but they had all the usual suspects and were capable of making your normal base cocktails. I would have loved to see just a couple more premium bottles, like a sipping whiskey, premium rum, and maybe a Hawaiian gin (because there are a bunch of great ones). I also feel like with the ambiance of a candlelit jazz show having some of those things would really just add to the ambiance and experience. Overall : I will definitely be back. I will definitely be adding this to my travel blog as a must see spot and I will be doing my best to stay updated on their shows! This is a gem of a spot to have around. Also highly recommend trying to see Matteo and weather permitting, he has the chops to be the next Jamie Cullum and I am calling it right here right now. The tickets to his shows are going to increase exponentially in the next ten years or so.

If I could give this place less than a star I would...I would give it negative stars if possible.... DO NOT GO HERE BY ANY MEANS The ONLY thing this place has going for it, is its atmosphere. The building itself is pretty and the palm trees are pretty.... THAT IS IT. To start off the staff is a piece of work, to put it lightly. They are rude, incompetent, inconsiderate and unprofessional. The manager needs to be relieved of her duties immediately. We waited 3 HOURS for our food... they do not have any servers, you have to wait in line at the bar to order food and drinks. They give you a number and you are supposed to put it on your table for the 2 food runners to bring you your food.... Also to top it off this far, one woman who was friends with the bartender picked up a tray and started SERVING people and then started telling all the tables she doesn't t even work there? Which is equally strange? When I say we watched them stand in circles is the middle of the restaurant confused, walked past our table multiple times with our food - and when we would be like hey I think that's our meal, instead of asking what number are you or stop to check - they wouldn't even look at us and would just say no then ask every other table if they wanted what they had. We paid $24 for a burger that I would honestly prefer a McDonald's Big Mac over... one of our party members was even invited back to the kitchen to HELP THEM SORT OUT THE ORDERS BECAUSE THEH DID NOT KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON.... And we STILL did not have our food... We didn't receive one apology whatsoever during this horrible experience, didn't offer to comp any of the meals.... we had to leave with 4 of them in to go boxes because after waiting 3 hours THEY STILL HAD NOT MADE OUR FOOD.. Also this place is infested with bugs.... Flying everywhere 24/7 - in your hair, lipgloss, water, the walls, the table... everywhere To sum this all up.... I would like to nominate this establishment for bar rescue immediately because it is one of the worst places in America.

Burger joint, mediocre food served in a basket. This is not what the Blue Dragon used to be. Buy tickets for the entertainment, skip the food. This place needs somebody to care about it.

BDT supplied a much needed music fix. Great family friendly environment. Best sunsets right across the road.

Made reservations for Thanksgiving dinner through open table. The manager contacted me to let me know that I could prepay the cover charge ($12 pp) and offered an earlier dinner reservation. He also asked what my preference was for the dinner (turkey, prime rib, ham). The restaurant is north of Waikoloa where we were staying. Live music was pretty good. I really liked the open air setting. The staff was awesome. Brittney was the best! And Dave the manager was working hard too. Mai tai was delicious. The prime rib and all the sides were perfect.

My band (Big Eye) played a show there last night. The ambience, the food, and the service were absolutely incredible. The employees really have a way of creating an unforgettable experience, the hostess (Rocean) and manager (Josh) both were very attentive to our needs, and extremely helpful with all of our questions in the process of setting up and breaking down for a live show. Thank you to the Blue Dragon Tavern for your hospitality! Also the vegetarian sandwich was super tasty and the dragon fruit cider was delicious. Also, all the people that came out to watch us play were dancing all night. Thank you so much for bringing that energy to the Blue Dragon Tavern. It was an absolutely magical night.

Here now for comedy show. I believe they only have one server for everyone. We arrived and waited for 30 mins for a server, they skipped us and went to the table next to us, I ended up going to the server and asked if I can order and he said he's going in order of tables, and I said you skipped our table and went to the table that came after us. So he came and took it out order. Drinks came in a reasonable time. But he never came back to our table again. I ended up going back up to him and ordered one drink. Waited over an hour for the drink, when they dropped it off I said we didn't want it anymore. I wouldn't come here again for a comedy show due to the lack of staff and the demographic this place brings in. for the experience for the fried chicken!

If you get there early and decide to go to the bar for a refreshment before the music starts, don't expect service for dinner or another drink. I need to continue to go to the bar for service. The owner/manager told me that as I was leaving 1 1/2 hours after I paid my $20.00 to enter the establishment. So much for getting dinner, down the street from where I live.

This is a hang out for local haoles and live music. They book eclectic bands, and have a dance floor. But eat before you come! The food is really bad. I had a salad and the greens were brown and mushy as was the cucumber which had been cut days ago and little tomatoes. Farm to table? Not. Unless the farm was far away in another land. The salad came without dressing and I had to wait 10 minutes to get the dressing brought to the table. My husband's burger meat was not fresh and had him feeling a little sick afterwards. The service is 50% poor. Two servers on the floor. One young man knew what he was doing. The other server, a pretty young woman, well, enough said. The bar and drinks were good. $8 for a large local draft beer. So eat before you come, and have a nice night out with local music.

I would say that there are no other choices except for Cipriano for a meal. However, there is like music. It was really loud and there were fights in the parking lot.

We Love coming to The Blue Dragon!! It's such a fun venue, the servers are always so friendly! Since there is no roof we can dine and dance under the stars. The lit palm trees remind you that you are actually in Paradise! Jill was extremely helpful! Thanks Jill, Aloha I forgot to mention we are coming to see Tomi and his Awesome band!!

Beautiful atmosphere, great music, friendly service, excellent food (fish and chips and fish tacos). Larry Dupio Band was awesome!

I highly recommend this place, the venue is amazing and staff were so lovely and incredible. The food was great and they did an amazing job with so many guests all coming at once.

Yes, pick your favorite music, find the evening a band is playing ( Thursday- Saturday) . Different bands on different nights. We saw & danced to Ms Demeanor & band- all professional musicians & great vocals by Ms Demeanor! Food is good & reasonably priced. Full bar, beer & wine. Super fun!

Staff needs to be trained. Sat for over an hour without service. Talked to the manager who said sorry. Should have said "come back on another day on us" "How about a couple of free drinks?" Did not try food.

I first read about this place in the inflight magazine. I have always wanted to check it out but they don't open until 5:00 and are only open four days a week. There's usually a $15 cover charge because there's music or something going on. My buddy and I each had a bite and a few beers and our tab was $100 (separate from the cover charge). Food was tasty, ambiance was nice as it is an open air setting (no roof). Nice place. A bit pricey.

I live up the road from the Blue Dragon Tavern in Kohala so love having a live music venue so close. Even better it is an open air (no roof) venue which is great for Hawai'i evenings. Drinks and food are great and service is also good (the one waiter we saw was running and gunning but kept us taken care of). They did have a sign out front asking for patience with their staffing issues (which many HI businesses are facing) but overall service was fine. Definitely recommend checking the Blue Dragon out. The staff are friendly, the food very good and they have live music featuring island and mainland music talent pretty much every night they're open. A unique place that will add to your Big Island experience.

I am not writing about food service or ambiance. I took my wife for our 42 anniversary to see a comedy show. our table was set up in the front but tickets were supposed to be general admission. Having been to comedy shows in past I know that the front row is usually mocked and ridiculed. that said we listened to thirty minutes of filth and racial slurs my wife put her fingers in her ears. this comedian and that's not what he was, asks are you enjoying yourself. Not really she replies, FUCK YOU he replies with a middle finger. We got up to leave and I tried not to listen to the barrage of trash that came out of his mouth while we made our way out. I'm surprised we were the only ones but we probably weren't. Just first. IF YOU WANT TO BE INSULTED AND LISTEN TO FILTHY LANGUAGE. THIS SHOW IS FOR YOU!

Service : V. Good except the Bartender (she was very busy & unfriendly) Food: Good Ambiance : V. Good

Great Ambiance. Love the Live music. Friendly staff. Always eat here when I'm on vacation.

Great music, variety, and a fun place to dance. Food is marginal but the employees work really hard to do their best always. Very low admission prices.

Good food, great entertainment, friendly staff, and room to dance! Who could asked for anything more. Sometime, dance floor can get a bit crowded. Also, dance floor is ok but a little rough, so not great.

Best dance venue in the world! Food is great, staff are superb! Awesome experience! Great musicians here on island!

Unique and iconic Hawaii Island open air venue! Mahalo Blue Dragon & 'Cosmic Musiquarium' for presenting the best live music performances. We enjoyed dinner and a sell out performance by Brother Noland & Evan. Tasty food and Friendly staff, Aloha!

We made a reservation for 8 people based on the music and the great menu (we have some dietary restrictions within our family) when we arrived there was a cover charge to get in ( I don't have a huge problem with that) but they weee only serving a buffet for dinner. Just didn't work out for us that night. We'll try again on our next trip.

I always go to the Blue Dragon when I visit the Big Island. Fun bands, fun people and very dancer friendly. Chill, relaxed attitude. Near the beach.

Great live music! There is a $20 cover charge that was unexpected. The menu was limited to burgers, tacos and salads. Not much to choose from but we had a great time!

So much potential! Local live music. Intimate, casual, open air setting. Menu has appealing choices. However, the kitchen cannot produce food. We waited 2 hours and were not served our dinners. Finally had to ask for food to go, which took another 30 minutes. Wait staff was concerned and apologetic. For now, go for the music and drinks and hope they sort out the cooks.

Decent food great atmosphere (open air - bring a sweater if in winter) and high quality music

No roof. great live music and dancing. dancing. dancing. good food. great local crowd. gorgeous. lively. the night sky. what could be better. (NOTHING). Blue Dragon is the best music venue on the island.

Apparently this was their first night back since Covid so maybe should cut them some slack (?) but terrible experience. $20 cover. No drink menu-- what are the options/what are the prices? Food and drinks are ordered separately (little did we know.) They close your card out after each drink, and can only tip in cash. Seems like this venue could be great (funky vibe) but seriously needs to work on their communication and execution.

Do not get dinner there. they were out of two of the entrees we ordered and it took forever to order. There were six of us and the food came out to 3 prople. 10 min later food came for 2 more people and then another 10 minutes the last meal came which was a SALAD..and it was upside down. then we got the check and they included in the bill the 2 entrees we DID NOT get. We go slot when we are in Hawaii at our house And have guests. Now we will go for the music only!!!'

food took 3 hours to get and it was terrible!!!!! Service was bad too. The entertainment was amazing though. just do not go there for the food.

Such good vibes at this place. We had a girls night recently and had a great time dancing. We just opted for drinks so I can't speak for the food.

We always visit the Blue Dragon when we visit the Big Island of Hawaii. The service is great, the food is always good, and live music and dancing!! Definitely highly recommend the Blue Dragon!

Food was great. Atmosphere was perfect for a relaxing night with great live music. We were a little surprised by the cover charge but it was reasonable considering the Maui musician that was booked. Worth it. Off the beaten kinda spot we love. Server was the most energetic nice man we've been served by. Everyone should do life like him. Overall great experience.

The music is top notch at this place! I we are regulars and love it. Johnny Ness is a favorite and so is Whatever Heather!

We had a fun and entertaining evening at the Blue Dragon Tavern. It's an outdoor music venue consisting of an open-air courtyard and a bar/restaurant serving food and drinks. We were charged $10/person cover charge at the door before entering. (The amount varies based on who's playing) The band was very good - they were a local band based in Hilo and played Latin/Caribbean music and inspired a lot of the audience to dance on the dance floor. The food was also pretty good - I had ono fish tacos and a salad along with a nice cocktail. Overall, it made for an enjoyable night out.

We were staying at the Hilton and decided to drive 20 minutes up the highway for dinner and a show (as we'd been here 5 years earlier while staying at the Mauna Kea and had appreciated the "non-resort" pricing!). It didn't disappoint! Service was very attentive, ambience was relaxing, the drinks ($8 pints of tasty local beer) were very reasonable, food was tasty (especially the locally caught Mahi Mahi fish tacos!), and the performance (Thomas Isobe) was enjoyable. We will definitely be going back.

Our first night out to Blue Dragon Tavern was on a Thursay night. Bad Papa, a local guitar duo, put on a fantastic show, playing a variety of genres from original songs like Hula Hips to an acoustic rendition of an Eagles classic. Our server took great care of us and food and drinks were served promptly. I had the burger which was served with sweet potato fries-yum! My husband had the Hawi farm-raised telapia fish and chips which he enjoyed very much! We also ordered the Dragonballz, a house favorite, and I can see why- tasty little fish bites that reminded me of a good crabcake, with a twist! Desserts were delicious and the vegan ice cream is a big hit!! We had a fantastic evening here- will definitely be back!

Good music, nice staff, nice venue, poor food. Fish&chips and caesar salad were awful. Eat before you come.