The Manoa Grand Ballroom

Today I had a korean drama meeting with Hallyu friends and when I started eating I noticed that today the food was a little warm normally food should be a bit hot or close to normal food temperature. The pork could use a little more sauce or flavor, because i had to add a little salt to it for better flavor. But overall though it was pretty good.

We went to the Manoa Grand Ballroom a year in advance looking for a wedding venue. Below was our general experience.
Unprofessional — had to ask several times for a catering menu, general forms regarding agreements/​policies and ballroom floor plans. We finally received 2 out of 3 of those forms a month later. It was assumed by the workers that just because a family member of mine knows someone there, I must already know what their prices/​policies were and/​or I didn’t need anything in writing.
Bad communication — we plan on using the MGB for the venue/​food and REA for décor/​uplighting. Because of having multiple vendors, we felt it was important that we should get together earlier in the year to discuss floor plans, then the rest of the year to put together what was discussed. We tried several attempts to communicate this for the 1^st 6 months prior to the wedding date. Both MBG and REA had trouble responding to emails. If on occasion I was able to get them on the phone, I was never given a straight answer.
Bad/​Rude customer service — Per contact, payments were done on a monthly basis. There were a few times I was passing through the Moilili area, and decided to drop of payment in person. This one occasion, the backdoor to the office was locked. There was a private event going on, and I didn’t want to disrupt it by cutting through to get to the office. I called them instead to let them know I was waiting outside. A disgruntled sounding woman answered the phone. She kept me waiting out there for 20 minutes, then I called again. The same irate person answered the phone sounding like she didn’t care that a customer was waiting outside, even with the payment. She kept me waiting outside for another 10 mins before coming to meet me. A week later, I received a rude call at work accusing my husband-​to-​be of having a bounced check and that the both of us are no longer allowed to pay by check. When my husband-​to-​be checked his account later that day, there was money in it.
Unorganized — One of the first things that was discussed was the time they would allow for setup. I noted that the 30 mins that was stated in their policy was not enough. Per our contact, we agreed upon «first right of refusal». This meant the earlier time slot is automatically ours for free, granted if no one is interested. If someone should inquire, MGB would let us know and rent it to us for a fee. Either way, we would be granted the whole day. The owner of REA finally contacted MGB 6 months before the wedding date and asked how much time do they have to setup. The person we were working with at MGB suddenly forgot and responded that he did not know because he wasn’t sure if we wanted the 1^st half. About a week later, I was informed of this conversation that took place through REA’s assistant. I called MGB up to remind them about 1^st right of refusal that was signed off on. After, I tried to contact the owner of REA to let her know she had the whole daytime spot. No response.
Unethical — After 6 wasted months, nothing was getting done. With 6 months left before the wedding date, my husband-​to-​be and I were beginning to worry. We decided to break contact before our lock in date. After everything that happened, or did not get done, we were told that we were going to get charged a cancellation fee. On top of that they also said that we were also going to get charged a «administrative fee» for them having to rebook the room. I went through the contract again and saw nothing in writing of such a fee. According to MGB, they were going to hang onto these fees and will only refund us if they find a replacement customer to rent out the room to. It took my husband-​to-​be several months for us to get our full refund back.
All in all, 1 star ( Unilocal doesn’t allow 0). I can’t believe this is how they treat customers. Everyone knows weddings take a long time to plan. After all that wasted time, we really had to hustle the last 6 months to get everything done. The whole year was a nightmare. I hope that this review helps people find the right venue for them. Do not go to a venue just because a family member or friend knows someone. Do not go to a venue just because it’s cheaper than Waikiki prices. Always have a backup plan. Lastly, think outside of the box. We found a venue for a fraction of the cost because we turned to the night club industry instead. Less restrictions, less fees; the modern décor/​uplighting, and sound system we wanted was already included. You can go with your chosen outside cater for ½ the cost or better yet, a potluck.

We’ve been to functions at the Manoa Grand Ballroom, situated in the Japanese Cultural Center on Beretania Street in the Moiliili section of town.
The food is catered by Marian’s Catering of Wahiawa. I don’t think they cook the dishes in Wahiawa and truck it over to functions; I think they do final preparations on the Japanese Cultural Center premises, but I could be wrong.
It’s a nice place to have a function — parties, weddings, banquets — and there’s plenty of handy-​dandy parking in the attached parking structure.
Their food is pretty typical, pretty local.
At a recent first-​birthday party, I took just one plate from the buffet (my appetite seems to be waning with old age, but that’s another story): Garden salad, potato salad, fruits, mixed baby veggies, pickled and olives, steamed white rice, mahimahi, chicken with gravy, and sliced teriyaki steak. That’s everything that was on the buffet table. Everything was tasty, no mysterious flavors at all.
For dessert, we had birthday cake, of course, but I forgot to take a picture. Sorry ’bout that.

Just had our singing recital there yesterday and as always the place and food were excellent. We did have some miscommunication problems this time. Didn’t get the coffee in the morning for the setup crew. The stage curtain poles weren’t setup and the manager at first didn’t know where it was then didn’t know how to set it up. But we knew how so we got it done. Just set us back a little.
We’ve been here for over the last ten years twice annually for our recitals. They do a lot for us and we love it there. Obviously. The managers Frank and Dawne are the best! They really take care of us!
So HIGHLY RECOMMEND. We’ll back next year in May!

I just attended a wedding at the Manoa Grand Ballroom, inside the Japanese Cultural Center, over the weekend! As usual, this place was the best! Ample parking! Friendly staff and delicious food… especially the steak! I had my kids graduation parties and first birthday party there. I still remember the staff being so helpful and organized with the party planning.
The main ballroom holds up to 500 or you can have half of the ballroom that seats 250. They have a stage and all the AV equipment you need for a slideshow of performance.
If you want an event there… you need to reserve at least a year in advance, especially if you want Saturday nights. They fill up fast! Location is the best! There’s no traffic since it’s not in Waikiki. I would highly recommend having your special event there… wedding, grad party, baby first birthday party, retirement party, or even a big company party!
Go ahead! Check it out! Don’t forget to order the steak from the menu!

Place: very big and perfect for any banquets, parties, conferences, etc.!! The atmosphere is pretty grand and the dining ware, etc. is very clean and neat. They offer a stage, podium, and mic! They also have a bar and bartender!:)
Food: very delicious! We had great salads, rice, noodles, and the chicken was really good too!!! They also have a coffee or tea table equipped with freshly brewed coffee, tea packets, lemons, and ice!:) There was also a huge cake already per-​sliced for our convenience!:) One thing though that I was a little disappointed about was how dry the dinner rolls were:(it was so dry and cold, when I tried to rip it in half to butter it up, the bread broke apart and crumbs fell everywhere:(
Parking: Huge parking lot, pretty spacious and clean. But parking fee even with validation is $ 5:/
Overall: The manoa ballroom is a great place and good thing our club always books this place for our events!:)

I recently attended a graduation party at this venue and just wanted to share a few helpful tidbits of information:
1) Manoa Grand Ballroom is located on the 5^th floor of the Japanese Cultural Center in Moiliili. I hope this is helpful to most because judging from the name (since I had not been here before until recently), I thought this facility was actually located somewhere in Manoa.
2) There is ample parking available in the parking garage of the JCCH… for a small fee of $ 5 with validation. And by the way, the parking fee is 3x that much if you’ve lost your parking ticket so make sure to keep it in a safe place.
3) The ballroom itself is located on the 5^th floor of JCCH with its entrance visible as soon as you step off the elevator (so there’s no chance of getting lost). This venue is spacious, clean, with high ceilings and a stage as well. The graduation party I attended had roughly 20 – 24 tables (seating for 10), but there was easily more room in the rear of the ballroom to accommodate more tables if needed.
4) The banquet staff was friendly, polite, and courteous. There was great attention to detail as water was always refilled, and used plates/​utensils were taken away when needed.
5) Food is provided by Marian’s Catering, and on this night we had salad, fruits, pasta salad, rice, noodles, fish, fried chicken, and teri beef. All of the food was very satisfactory.
Bottom Line: Clean and spacious venue. Ample parking available (just remember to have your ticket validated).

Despite it being a venue, I’ll primarily focus on the menu that was chosen by the organizer at the event I attended.
$ 20/​head menu included the following (from what I remember).
Soft beef in sauce, Mochiko chicken (though it had the most unique flavor that I couldn’t place compared to other versions), tempura breaded fish, white rice. Fresh veggies, fruit, and a small assortment of light desserts.
Unfortunately nothing stood out, but the food was okay compared to other buffet style ballroom events I’ve attended. I always find it disappointing to not find prime rib. Looking at the website, their menu can include it and other more interesting dishes.
Quick water and plate clearing service.
Parking is easy but not free. The venue itself was carpeted and comfortable.
My final thought is that I find eating really astounding food in a buffet is quite difficult but this location has potential. I think it boils down to what you are willing to order.

This was the perfect place to have our wedding. Frank, Dawn, and their staff are a great bunch of people that I would love to work with again. I planned my own wedding without a coordinator, so their input and advice really helped (along w/​our other vendors).
They are very professional, yet always made us feel comfortable as if we were friends or family. They are very flexible to cater to your wants and needs for your event. They do have a vendor list who they recommend, however it is not required. You are allowed to use whomever you choose. One of my ethnicities is Filipino, and I really wanted Filipino desserts apart of my buffet. Although their catering menu did not provide it, we were able to bring in our own, which many ballrooms do not allow. GREAT GREAT food at a reasonable price per guest. My family and friends are still talking about the Seafood Linguine, Teriyaki chicken, and Prime Rib!!!
Has an attached parking structure with LOTS of parking that leads straight to the ballroom, so no getting lost. Validated parking with a very very small fee.
Ballroom was very comfortable. The amount of space and the floor plan worked perfect for our reception and events that followed through out the night. Our reception held 300 people still with lots of space and no obstructions from seeing the band or slide show. Large lanai outside of the ballroom for those just wanting to step out. Large lanai on the 1^st floor for the smokers.
Large well kept restrooms. ***Could update décor and overall look of the restroom considering the events they cater (weddings), however very minor detail considering how great of a venue and the service they provided.
Lastly the waitstaff was great!!! I was sick right before dinner and everyone of them made sure that I was ok and offered everything in the book to make me feel better. I had a sore stomach and couldnt eat, so one of the waiters made sure to pack away some food for me to make sure I ate later. He also made sure to pack away anything I may have forgot in the back dressing room (where I freshened up while feeling sick) such as my 2^nd dress, 2^nd pair of shoes, and veil. Believe me these people are your angels while you are enjoying your 1^st night as a married couple. You dont realize how unattentive you are to all the little things that you may forget, that you really shouldnt.
The staff here helped make our reception run smoothly and one to never forget.

Like Thomas O. said, the food was okay. It was nothing great. I wasn’t a fan of the mochiko chicken, but the kalbi was pretty good. I was a fan moreso of the fried rice than the fried noodles.
If you decide to get tea, don’t use the green tea packets … they don’t work or something. It was just like drinking hot water. Get the Lipton packet.
Riana S. got her plate of food, and I ended up being her «human garbage disposal» for the greens on her plate. But hey, don’t want to let it go to waste.
The SPJ dinner we went here for was like Thomas said, smaller than expected. But I guess a lot of news organizations couldn’t be there or couldn’t send people. The Hawaii Tribune Herald won a lot of awards, and it was sad that no one was there to receive them.

Came here last night for the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Awards dinner and let me tell you, what a sma… i mean tight-​knit society.
I really thought this was going to be much bigger, but it wasn’t. We had only half of one of the ballrooms, but that is not to say it wasn’t nice though.
We came kind of early so we waited a while for the food lines to begin. Riana S was getting her panties in a bunch about not going first. Nicole K. and I agreed that we seriously cant take her anywhere.
Our buffet consisted of various salads, fruits, raw and steamed veggies, fried rice, yakisoba, mochiko chicken kalbi and bread.
Pretty standard spread for a banquet here and it wasn’t half bad. I’m sure the ticket prices justified the meal. I did 2 rounds an went onto dessert (coconut cake) and 2 cups of cawfee.
It was cold in there and I had a sport coat on so I recommend bringing an electric blanket and sitting next to an outlet. or just start off with a shot of soju at the bar.
The ceremony was very good/​funny especially because our editor/​AA sponsor/​mascot kept making remarks.
Overall, the food was forgettable but at events like this, it’s about the company you keep.