Formaggio Grill

This restaurant is such a gem in the heart of Kailua! I’ve been here over a dozen times and they have never ceased to amaze me with their variety and quality of the dishes. I posted a few pictures of recent fare I had there. I often judge a restaurant depending on how good a certain common dish is, and one of them happens to be calamari. I have to say this is the best calamari I have ever had. Even better than a restaurant whose name rhymes with Sneako’s. The pono pork pasta is absolutely delicious, and the portion will feed me for lunch and a leftover dinner. The Caesar Salad is filling and always crisp and fresh. Ambience is casual, yet you could go to dinner a little dressed up, and you wouldn’t look out of place. Service. It’s serious business nowadays. It will definitely make or break you. I put this above the food and ambience categories. It’s very important to me, I’ve worked in a food service position before and would always treat people like how I prefer to be treated (well, duh! ). I have always been treated very warmly by the staff; they’re very friendly and welcoming. Even the chefs in the kitchen nod “wassup” to you. Orders are taken promptly and the food arrives in a timely manner. They come and check up on you, and not in a cursory manner either. All in all, I highly recommend Formaggio’s Grill to everyone that wants great food and great service in a relaxed atmosphere!

Food is spectacular! The chef’s work is art work. Friend of mine recommended that I try the bruschetta. She also told me to go during their Happy Hour, as their menu is 50% off from 2pm to 6pm. It is definitely a twist from the regular bruschetta you typically imagine. This is like bruschetta on steroids! It was delicious and eye candy. The restaurant itself is comfortable and inviting, artwork (that you can purchase) adorns the walls and showcases island life and scenes. The iconic Mokulua Islands are featured in a couple of them. Our waitresses (also bartenders) Macy and Malia were quite gracious and knowledgeable about wines. The kitchen is open and you can watch the chefs as the prepare your meal. I’m definitely going back to try more of their dishes.

Great happy hour prices—50% off starters and drinks. I opted for 3 different appetizers and a bourbon lemonade, all for a total of $34.50. The bacon wrapped shrimp 🍤 were amazing floating in some kind of delicious sauce, the roasted Brussels sprouts were delish and the blue cheese & walnut salad was as well. Happy hour is from 4:30pm - 5:30 pm.

Food was overpriced and subpar for what was expected before dining in the first time. Anticipated a nice Italian restaurant for a date with the wife but were hit with a loud, dive-bar-like restaurant with overpriced appetizers and entrees instead. Waitress also told us my meal was $10 less than what was printed on our bill, yet did not take it off when met with the error. Would suggest going to Baci or another Italian restaurant in Honolulu if you’re interested in spending $120 for two. Very disappointed unfortunately

The place was empty upon arrival. It has a high end look to it but some of the printed paintings do go quite well. Their wine selection is good though they can use some beers especially cider. The food looks delicious but lacks any real flavor. The employees are professional and courteous.

This place was a little bit of a let down. The decorations were a little confusing. The food wasn't honestly that great and didn't have much flavor. The plates looked nice but didn't taste as good. However I gave it a 3 because the staff was still great. We had great servers so that was a plus.

First time on the island with the Mrs. Needed a good spot for dinner after a long day cruising the East Shore. Garlic Ribeye if you’re a steak person is a must!!

This restaurant/bar and grill is one of the best we have in Kailua. The menu is quite eclectic. I had the Happy Hour Bruschetta (a work of art by Chef Cody). The serving was more than enough for a meal. I plan on returning to try more of the menu. Service there is prompt and friendly. I recommend this restaurant for a nice dinner out.

this place is one of the best restaurants on the island! the food, the service, the ambience. i've been here over a dozen times and each time, the food and its presentation are A+++. they have such an eclectic menu. from bruschetta to fish tacos to buffalo wings to choice cut steaks. they are all prepared by the chefs in an open kitchen. the staff is very warm and inviting, and service is prompt and efficient. i usually have their bruschetta. it's like bruschetta on steroids. the salads are crisp and fresh. i highly recommend coming here for a nice dinner or a casual lunch. you can even watch a game or two on their big screen TVs. on Friday nights they have live music. definitely a place to keep coming back to.

We may have been the only ones in there for lunch, but that only means others are missing out. The sweet potato fries were fresh, crispy on the outside and soft in the center aïoli sauce they were served with was different but really good, that same sauce was served with the calamari. I was finally so nice to get serve the tentacles and not get rings! They were perfectly fried! The appetizers were so good I was almost too full to eat my lunch. The big plate lunch's are big enough to share and boy we should have. Caesar salad fresh and the dressing was amazing with a slights lemon zest taste, it was so good I ate the whole side salad before I even took a bite of my burger. The Kobe was Cooke well, but this is where they lost a star for me. I had to have my husband ask for some napkins because there was so much mayo on the burger it was all I tasted. My other friends thought it was melted white cheese at first. It took 3 napkins to get it off. I ended just taking part of the bread and lettuce off as my lettuce was soaked in mayo and eating it that way. The fish tacos were huge fresh and perfect! My friends just kept saying how good they were. Loved all the artwork on the walls and bar area was super nice. I am sure they get a good dinner crowd.

Being a Lone Ranger on island at Christmas, I decided to take myself out to a nice Christmas dinner. I sat at the bar with my reservation and had a very nice Cabernet to go with my absolutely delicious chicken Parmesan and spaghetti. The service itself was great. 3 different servers consistently attended to me which was very pleasing. The dessert finished off very well with my wine as well. The ambiance was very holiday visitor vibe but the staff was great at hosting at a great level. Thank you for a great ending to my solo Christmas Formaggio's!

What a pleasant evening! A group of 25 guests went to Formaggio for a social evening and dinner on Saturday evening. I had arranged with the Jim, the manager, to utilize the private room in the back. When I arrived to set up, the tables had all been pushed together, seating prearranged with elegant black tablecloths, glasses, plates and napkins with cutlery. The room itself was adorned with gorgeous original paintings of local scenery and sights. We were able to adjust lighting as needed and were even provided with a couple extra tables for sign in and welcome purposes. The wait staff was attentive yet unobtrusive, relatively prompt with the items I had preordered, and kept water glasses filled. We were able to mostly close the door to the main restaurant, which had a live band and a birthday celebration concurrently, thus we're able to socialize amongst ourselves freely. I had preordered a few appetizers and entrees to be served family style on platters and it worked out well- the Brussels sprouts were crispy and perfectly roasted, the Burrata caprese fresh and lively with herb dressing, and traditional Caesar salad whet our appetites for the main courses. The staff served the fish tacos (succulent and very generous on the fish portions,) salmon piccata, lemon and butter with capers accenting the rich taste of that delicious fish, impossible bolognese, for the vegan members of our group, and the Kobe burger , cut in half to be shared around the tables. (FYI it is served reddish to pinkish.) All my guests said the food was excellent , and we attribute the success of the night to the accommodating manager and his friendly staff. We will plan more events here. It's a great alternative to being ignored and rushed in Waikiki.

Terrible service and food. Very pricey for a very subpar food. And the staff and owner were both very unprofessional.

Excellent restaurant that surprisingly was completely devoid of patrons during early-prime dinner hours on a weekday. Do locals not know of this place? - Nice layout, ambience, not loud (maybe because it was empty?) - Great food - Good service Recommended.

Dang this guys have 3 stars? Wonder whyyyyy... could it be the management sucks or the food?.. probably a bit of both.

High ceilings, nice bar, good size venue with great service. Pricey menu but the food portions are filling and taste good. I tried the tacos and the Kobe beef burger. Both were prepared well and didn't take very long. Servers were polite and attentive. I'm glad I found this spot because I'll definitely be returning to the bar area for a date night later down the road

Everything food, service and ambience was fabulous‼the wine list is outstanding. Check out list by the glass

I love this place. I always get the filet mignon and it has never disappointed me. The service is great and I always have a great time. Highly recommend.

unprofessional owner.. made weird remarks. Also ton add onto that the food is not good. Definitely wouldn't reccomend.

Today i got to experience another FOOTBALL SUNDAY at FORMAGGIOS and let me tell you...the owner (KELLY JOE), and all her employees Malia, Channell, Paige, Stephanie, as well as cooks Kaipo, Evan and don't let me forget Kristin and Codi.... Every single one of them made me and my people feel right at home!!!! The food is amazing!!' They have a Happy hour that nobody can beat!!! Also they open at noon everyday for lunch but on Sunday for football they open at 7am and they serve a mean breakfast menu and the price is unbeatable!!!! Come one come all!!!' And all my people.... Please come show this place ALOHA!! Everything about this place is amazing!!!!!! Come see for yourself!!!! Oh and they also have live entertainment on Friday and Saturdays so please everybody come and check it out!!!!

Love this restaurant very pleasant atmosphere. The bartender is extremely warm and caring. Enjoy the food along with the cocktails. Heidi recommended.

Everything was fantastic. Great burger, wine, salad and steak. Excellent service and ambiance.

They just opened up for breakfast for football season and it's our new favorite spot to watch football. There are a lot of TVs so you can watch a bunch of games at once.

Food tasted good but very little portions for how expensive it was. Ambiance was only okay and servers were very quiet. My wife and I spent $116 and still left hungry. If anything I would recommend going to buzz's by Kailua beach.

Delicious! Impressed with all the specials...good food, cocktails and live music. Hard to find a nice place to hang out in Kailua with all three. Service was great. Friendly & accommodating. Will definitely return.

Another delicious meal! My niece was leaving after visiting with her grandparents, and we were going to go to Haliewa Joe's but they do not take reservations, and when I drove by when they opened, it was already crowded with a wait. My parents are too old for that shiet! LOL! So I made the executive decision and since we had a great Thanksgiving meal, I made a reservation. Friendly greeting, and we chose to sit near the window. Kel ordered the fish of the day and it was amaaaaazing! I had the bacon wrapped shrimp to start, and then the Neptune Steak, a tender filet topped with crabmeat and a delicious bernaise....soooo good! My parents loved their lobster pasta which they shared. My only complaint was the mash potatoes. I can understand not over salting so people can add their own, but I used the bernaise and that worked perfectly! Next time I'll ask for extra! Service was great! Everything came out in a timely manner. I will now bring my parents here every time I come out here!

I tried this delicious dish last night it was absolutely amazing hats off to the chef so many wonderful flavors Even our server Beth was amazing. I highly recommend Formaggios.

My husband and I came here for dinner last Sunday and it was a great experience. The host was nice, we were sat right away with a great view and the live music was actually really good. Kind of perfect dining music with our cocktail each. I ordered the garlic Ahi and it came with pasta. Danggg it was a flavor adventure! My husband had the lamb chops. Ok, he got 4 of those lambs ribs. The portions were huge! We also ordered the calamari and caprese. Then we split a tiramisu. Fantastic! The price was a kick in the groin, but when you compare it to other restaurants I've been too it's fair in Hawaii. They give you big portions and they're delicious. The chefs were on it, and the server Kara was also spot on. I'm very glad we came here. We were having trouble deciding if we wanted Thai (a few doors down) or here, and the live music brought us in, BUT the whole experience will bring us back.

Absolutely recommending this place. The food is so delicious and mouth watering. Had fish tacos and they are great. My son had their pizza and so delicious. My hubby had the Kobe burger and he said was mouth watering...... would definitely come Back for dinner and will try their seafood and steak.

Zero management present. Dining room wrecked of old fry oil. Waitstaff has zero table etiquette. Kobe burger is a lie... and comes with half a pound of mayonnaise on it. Zero redeeming qualities. Chairs and tables were beat up and torn. Prices are a joke. I can't get over how bad the old fry oil smell was. I'd avoid 100% unless you're going to get drunk.

They use to have great Caesar salads! They now grill 2 stalks of romaine & call it Caesar salad.???? Bring back the original Caesar salad !!

I have lived in Kailua for a couple years now and finally got around to trying this place. This will be my first and last time. I was very unimpressed for several reasons: 1- food was okay, mediocre. I love Italian food and this did not do it for me. I got the impossible bolognese. Sauce did not have much flavor. My significant other got the Kobe burger and had to have it remade due to being way under cooked. He ordered medium well and it came out so bloody, like rare. Our appetizer also came out after our entrees. 2- For the amount of food we got, two entrees and an appetizer. I had one sangria. For what we paid we feel it was over priced. 3- the most important reason in my opinion. Our server was terrible. My significant other and I both agree that we felt like we were abandoned. She didn't come back to take our order for quite some time. And the restaurant was not busy at all. We also felt like our server was tending to her other tables more. Our hunch is that we were a younger couple compared to the other tables around us and also how we were dressed. We felt like because of how we looked played a factor in the service we received or should I say lack of service. P.s. we are both former servers.

Great meal at Formaggio Grill! Everything we tried was delicious. I had the Caesar Salad and the Chicken Parmigiana. I both were perfectly rendered and my only regret was I could not eat more of it. Leftovers for tomorrow to look forward to. Yum. My wife is a vegetarian and she got the Caprese Salad and pasta Bolognese (made with beyond beef). She loved it as well. The restaurant had live music and friendly, attentive staff. Highly TD commend and will be back.

The only place I know with a private dining area in Kailua for presentations. They have audio visual available. The staff was very helpful while I was setting up. The group ordered lobster pasta, crab stuffed salmon, and the Lamb all were very good. For appetizers bruschetta, hamachi, and fried calamari. Brussel sprouts and a salad very good. Everyone was pleased. For dessert, tiramisu, chocolate lava cake Ube panna cotta, banana lumpia with ice cream. Of all the desserts the Ube Panna Cotta was the best. The chocolate lava had no lava!! The Panna Cotta was not too sweet at all nice and light. It was the best.

The reason for a 2 was based on service. Our waiter rushed us when there was clear no one waiting for our table. When we ordered a bottle of wine he opened it and placed it on the table. Not even pouring it for us. We ordered another bottle and the same thing. He cleared didn't want to be there. Also, we had to keep asking for water. Food was great service was poor.!

Entrees were all good, but appetizers were lack luster. Service was mediocre at best despite being friendly. Forgot our appetizers and was kind of slow. I'd go there again for the entrees, but never for a special occasion. I didn't care about the free desserts because of the forgotten appetizers, but felt there was no true apology or even a follow-up by the manager. For the price, there should be more service attention to detail. Top dishes we liked were the Cioppino de mare, Sea Bass and Green Tea Pana Cotta. Dishes that were a disappointment were Crabmeat Stuffed Mushrooms, Fresh Catch Mahi Mahi and Ube Tiramisu. There are opportunities for improvement and think maybe it was just a bad night being that it was Christmas Eve, but then again, it is up to the management to make sure everything done right. I'll give them another try down the road, so hopefully I'll be able to improve this review.

Highly recommend and asking for bartender Isaiah! The beer and steak pupu were delicious

Went for Happy hour and received the bill that did not represent happy hour prices because we sat at a table instead of the bar. Nobody said anything until we received the bill, last time I will ever go there.

This is so overdue! It's a long story that I will attempt to keep as short as possible, my husband and I were looking for a nice place we hadn't tried yet to celebrate our anniversary (last April) Needless to say that was a terrible idea! His dinner-fantastic! My seared Ahi- med/well done, server (young) very sweet. She took it back and they remade it....now it's well/well done, I then decided not to try for a third time so I chose something else. On our anniversary we ended up eating 45 minutes apart!!! I went over to discuss with the manager since she never came to us (knowing we were very unhappy) she refused to do anything and was very RUDE about it, I told her that she needed to do something to rectify this, so she called the owner Jim. He took "my" meal off. He requested my number to talk about the experience, Jim and I spoke the next day (seemed nice and states he wanted a chance to make things right and buy us dinner) to give them another chance. Well....after multiple texts exchanged and 9 months we will just say, HE HAS NEVER MADE THINGS RIGHT!!!!! There was excuse after excuse of why he wasn't available and wanted to be there to ensure how things went. I gave him the respect of sending one last text almost a month ago without any response at all. DO NOT BOTHER THERE'S NOTHING ABOUT THIS PLACE THAT YOU'RE MISSING OUT ON! This was my last text to the owner Jim.....remember Jim "customer service is everything "! It's been over a month and a half since I last messaged you and we still haven't heard from you again at all... It was our anniversary in April that you first said you wanted to buy us dinner and make things right. I would think that eight months would have been a sufficient amount of time to do that? If I don't reach out then the communication stops, this is definitely not the way to make it right. We have been nothing but patient and wish you well! Good luck Jim

This was the best meal we've had in Oahu! We had the Ahi & Basil Risotto dinner and the Lasagna, Caesar Salad & Garlic Bread special. Both were outstanding! The Ahi was cooked & spiced expertly and the Risotto was delicious. We used to live in the Italian town of Occidental, CA. Only Italian restaurants with amazing lasagna, the lasagna at this restaurant rivals any we've had, anywhere (including Italy!). We will definitely be back! Food was plentiful and drinks reasonably priced. Tiramisu was also amazing!

AWESOME FOOD! Pupu was supah ONO (delicious for you malihini) the calamari/ bacon wrap shrimp/ Caprese salad all super flavorful and made with freshest ingredients. A LOT of restaurants in Hawaii are over priced disappointments , but we loved everything . BROKE DA' MOUT!

Terrible food, was super excited. Big disappointment. Went twice just as bad as the first experience.

Perhaps a decent stop for date night over a pricier bottle of wine and lazy conversation but most definitely (and unfortunately) NOT suitable for families with small children. I had been wanting to try this place for a long time and finally, before the quarantine hit, my family and I were able to come. Located a few shops down from the post office and Target, Formaggio Grill has a very hipster vibe with various artwork adorning the walls, high ceilings, large windows and a dark, moody atmosphere at night. The menu was okay but not as varied as I'd thought it would be so it was difficult to pick a dish for my toddler. Flavor profiles were okay, but just not worth the price in my opinion. Maybe it was an off night? We felt quite ignored by the wait staff and no refills of water were voluntarily offered. It was just disappointing. Though the restaurant only had a few tables occupied, the cocktails were weak and took half the meal to arrive to us and the red wine options were limited and sour. I really wanted to like this place but it just wasn't quite what we'd hoped given the poor customer service, the lack of keiki menu options and value/price ratio. My husband and I might give it another chance just to see if it was a fluke but definitely without our offspring.

went last night and listened to some of the greatest live Hawaiian music I've heard in so long.. we had the Bisstecca steak brussels sprouts Burrata and bruschetta.. It was absolutely fantastic. definitely coming back and making this place a regular stop.

I don't post much on yelp these days but I need to warn everyone about the quality of food and service here. We had a dinner reservation and it took about an hour before we could get ahold of a server only to find out they couldn't take our order due to a large party. They could have told us ahead of time but instead had us wait then asked us to wait an additional 30 minutes before possibly taking our order. After almost 2.5 hours of waiting our food finally came. Although we asked for rare steak Neptune it came out practically well done. The salmon was not even seasoned. They ran out of certain sides so we had to order whatever remaining sides available. Please people save your money and go somewhere else.

Steak Neptune was delicious (photo included). Excellent service and nice ambiance with live music.

Had dinner there tonight with 14 in our group. We made reservations in advance. They had us separated into 3 different tables. We asked if they could move the tables into 1 long table. They said no. We were one of the very first there. Plenty of room to be able to accommodate our request. As we all sat there for an hour with no food, and no orders taken we were told they had a private party in the back and the kitchen was backed up. Remember I said we were the first group in the main dining room. That tells me the kitchen was understaffed. A problem many businesses are having an issue with on the islands. No apologies, not even bread was brought to the table to get us by. The food was good, a bit overpriced and I understand with a group of 14, the 20% "service charge" was added to the bill automatically. No plans to return here even though I live in Kailua.

If I could give 0 stars. Discriminatory and unprofessional. Save your money. Service was non existent. Also- cleanliness was lacking. Roaches running across the floor. Will not be back :(

Came here tonight 1/27/23 and my salmon was not cooked. I should've sent it back but I was already full. Calamari was good not great. Couldn't have what I really wanted (Cesar salad) because I'm pregnant. I honestly wouldn't come here again.

We chose Formaggio Grill to celebrate our special day. We reserved the private room and it fit our small group of family and friends perfectly. We worked with Wes to create a beautiful evening and Formaggio Grill did not disappoint. Everyone loved the food, the room and the service. Thank you for helping make our night amazing!

There at Happy Hour on Easter Sunday. Not very busy but sat at bar and had a fantastic time. Abby was great. Bistecca Griglia was a winner, and tested a few other items. All was great and music a nice touch. We will be back.

Chef's Trio was served. The shrimp was insanely spicy, the lamb was over cooked, and the chef blamed me for not knowing about the hotness level. I wouldn't have ordered this if the server or specials board warned the customer of the spice level.

We decided at the last minute to book a dinner venue for thanksgiving closest to our Airbnb. A legal holiday, this place was open, so we booked, not knowing how this place would turn out. We had a wonderful experience, impressed with the variety of wines and the selection of foods. I truly recommend this place for wine, food, and service.

just recently had two celebrations in their gallery room. Each with great expectations that was meticulously .Celebrating an 80th birthday is a blessings to even reach that age for some of us. Celebrating Jesus birthday was a blast as well. everyone raved about the service. they were there without you even knowing with every need and want.The Gallery is an excellent place for a good size private gathering. We experienced both the individual entree and the Family style and each was just excellent in its own way. to the chefs as the Food was amazing delicious very pleasingly presented. Looking forward to revisiting soon.

Garlic Ahi!!!! Must get!! It's amazing! Was the best Ahi I've had and over pasta with garlic! #ono

Second try ... second fail. We had a bad experience at Formaggio in the past, but decided to try them again to take advantage of their "Sunset Special" which was promoted by a banner. We came at the allotted time. The food was decent but not exceptional. And when the bill came it was at full price so I asked about the special - and was told that it was for certain entrees only, which was never explained when we ordered (even though we asked if one of the items on the menu was part of the promotion). Additionally, I had made a reservation, which required leaving a voice message. I got a text confirmation in response, but they had no record of this at the restaurant. There are too many good restaurants in Kailua to put up with this amateurish operation. Sorry ... two strikes, you're out Formaggio.

Horrific. A special occasion dinner for 4 women, including one out of town guest. Waited 2 hours for dinner to be brought to the table, then only 3 of 4 meals arrived. Two of those had cold potatoes and overcooked, grainy, tasteless, tepid filet mignon. Sent steaks back to the kitchen & they never came back. Guest 4 got her cold lamb chops & cold potatoes after 2 1/2 hours. We decided to leave at that point, paid for our starters & drinks, the price for which was more than $50 pp. We were never told about the $99 Pris Fixe dinner. ONE dessert choice (chocolate). Terrible experience. We went out for tacos after. What a joke.