The Willows

I was so lucky i got to have a dinner here for work once awhile back and remember there were so many different types of food, i would guess a good combination of western and the east, the ones on land and ones in the sea, all very delicious. it especially went so well with harmonized views, music, and entertainment.
The restaurant was positioned and structured to be surrounded by an open door garden, a naturally decorated court yard with pavilion, and river running water. It was very beautifully displayed for group gatherings and may be able to accommodate various occasions.
The food was also very great as always with wide potpourri of selections and preparations. It surely was quite a memorable and incredible dinner place.

Service: Very good. Attentive wait staff who constantly checked in on us and cleared plates and refilled drinks.
Parking: Street parking, self park or valet. There is a self park lot next to the restaurant for $ 2. But for a $ 1 more, I prefer to have valet service. Don’t forget to get validated if you valet.
Ambiance: Casual and comfortable. I’ve been here 3 times. Once for a large gathering upstairs in a private room, and the other 2 outside. I prefer outdoor seating because it’s open and airy.
Food: Prime rib was seasoned nicely and perfectly cooked. The crab legs were way too salty and I had to comb through the lau lau only to find 2 small tiny pieces of pork. The desserts were nothing special
Would I come back? Not anytime soon.

Hello out there in Unilocal!buffetland! I don’t frequent buffet’s all that much because I have some issues with paying a lot of $ for the amount of food that would fit into a teacup, which is roughly the size of my stomach. But, when the occasion arises, I’m up for the challenge.
First, parking. The valet lot is across the street. $ 3 + tip. If you prefer to self park, the lot is mauka of the restaurant, same side of the street, $ 2 paybox.
Restrooms are located Diamond Head of the bar, towards the banquet hall.
Seating is open, covered lanai. There is a double hull canoe with a table that seats 6. If you want it, request for it when making your reservation.
Now for the food.
I try to strategize an hour before getting there, as to not require medical attention, ten minutes into the meal. I planned and executed my first trip perfectly, but after that, fail, and the end result was the same; almost needed a cart with wheels to get me out the door and a lift to get me into the truck, *sigh*, so sad.
My meal included shortribs, pea salad, tossed greens, shrimp curry, poi, chicken longrice, chicken curry, kalua pig, haupia, coconut cake and pineapple softserve. Oink!
The shortribs were good, a little sweet, but pretty tender and flavorful. A–
The pea salad was more mayonaisy than anything else. C
Tossed greens, bite size hearts of romaine with 4 choices of dressings. A–
The shrimp curry was not what I expected. The shrimp was, i don’t know how to explain it, well, if you took a cooked chickpea and mashed it with a fork, that’s the same consistency. I love shrimp, but I didn’t like that. I plucked the chunks out and ate the sauce & rice, which had great flavor. C+
The chicken curry was good, though the chicken pieces were a bit hard and dry. The sauce was really nice and a bit spicy over rice. A–
The poi was fresh & thick like Pa’i’ai, and the haupia was dense and very creamy, which I love, love, love. A+++
Kalua pig. B (it is what it is)
Chicken longrice was kinda mushy and a little salty. C
Coconut cace was a bit dry and really sweet. Not my cup of tea. C–
Last but not least the pineapple softserve. I loved it! a bit tangy, but very cool and fresh. I should have lead with that! A+++
So there you have it. My review of a once favorite place to eat on someone elses dime! Don’t get me wrong, if I ever get invited here, I’ll accept, and work my meal backwards!
Sidenote: Karai Crab is right next door.

BF’s family and relatives from his dad’s side always gather together on Christmas Day for a big family reunion dinner. This year’s event took part at the Willows. It’s been a long time since I last ate at the Willows. Probably the last time was over 10 years ago. Food has changed since the last time.
Because it’s Christmas Day, there were plenty of family gatherings at the iconic buffet restaurant. Loads of people coming out before we were seated.
They are valet parking for $ 3 per vehicle. The parking lot isn’t super big so carpool if can.
The buffet dinner is in a separate room with both entrees and desserts.
The crab legs were too salty after eating several crab meat. The salad tasted like your average salad. The shrimp primavera was okay. Nothing spectacular. The so called prime rib was really dry and difficult to chew and shallow in my mouth. The spicy poke was little spicy or had a kick to it but it wasn’t something I would eat again from Willows. I tried other poke from Foodland, Hawaiian poke company, Spicy Ahi &bbq etc. However the poke at the Willows seem not so fresh and soft texture. I prefer the kimchee poke to the regular spicy ahi.
The desserts, selection wise very limited. There were only 6 desserts on the dessert table and of course the ice cream machine with sprinkles and chocolate or strawberry drizzle sauce. Of all of the desserts, the ice cream machine is the best. You can choose your flavor and toppings and get more for seconds. The chocolate cake and bread pudding were both dry and crumbling like that it was not appetizing to eat. The haupia jello was alright, nothing splendid.
Because it is in a big room with other family dinners going on, it’s hard to enjoy your meal with all the noise surrounding you and family xmas games taking part at the same time. It was difficult to hear the other people talking and asking you questions when the noise was too much.
The servers were excellent and always attentive when you were finished with your plate. Refilling your cups of iced tea or water.
Overall it is rated ²⁄₅ stars based on my opinions. Of course some people may not think so otherwise and that is ok. We all have different opinions about restaurants and what not, that is ok.

I ate here tonight for a birthday celebration. My friend who was the birthday girl made the reservations and was planning for a party over 10 but unfortunately some peeps could not make it. But I am not sure because it was not super busy she was not penalized. Price is decent for the food selection. You get Hawaiian food (the oxtail soup was bomb!), seafood (ahi & crab legs– some were not cleaned well, but majority was fresh tasting/​looking), meats (prime rib– not bad, but a bit over cooked for my taste, but the kalbi was flavorful!), desserts (the bread pudding and dole whips are worth trying: side note, dole whips are vegan-​friendly! There was also other cakes and dishes like butter mochi and such, but were not to die for). The layout is good by entrees, to salads, and desserts, but it is weird to not have serving spoons on each side if you have the lines going that way so when it is busy and peeps be clawing it out like bears, you need to keep your heart big to wait on taking turns on the serving spoon or tong.
There is a separate area to make it more intimate. The décor is very similar to the Pagoda where you are by water ponds. There is also a venue owned by the restaurant for parties. On Friday night at 7:30pm there was a live band playing, I am not sure if that is a weekly routine though. The service was spot on on refilling our drinks. They do skimp out on utensils so you must re-​use your knives, forks, and spoons here. Another con is parking. There is valet across the street for $ 3 (not including tip). You may park at the Japanese Cultural Center across of Longs Drugs in University area for $ 5 flat rate if you prefer covered parking. (They close at 10:30pm). If you do not require covered parking then you may park for free on side streets like by Burger King for free at night.
For $ 40.95 a person, the price is decent. Cleanliness of the place was very good, that even goes for the bathrooms and not just the buffet area or tables. Drinks are refillable and only coffee and teas are included with the buffet price.
Next time I come, I will make sure I come more hungry so I can try out their different curries!

Willows has been around for a very long time. I’ve been here so many times. I’ve attended so many weddings here, DJd for parties etc. The place is kinda hidden and if you’re new to the island may I introduce you to Willows. I love the concept of this restaurant. Little houses within the property. It’s a great place for weddings, company parties or birthday celebrations. The garden is peaceful and beautiful. The energy is ancient but nice. I love the Hawaiian and Japanese food buffet and the sherbet ice cream desserts are the best.

Absolutely disappointing…
Took family here for Thanksgiving Brunch and the food was awful! I’ve Been coming here since the 80’s about once a year for weddings, graduations, and such. The food was always Great! But after today I will Never, Never come again! A $ 134.00 for possibly the worst food I’ve ever had…

Not the same as before. Still, a good place to bring out-​of-​town guests with their wide selection. You can sample Hawaiian food and local dishes. There’s even Pineapple Whip. I like the curry here.
Best to come in the evening. The lighting gives this place a nice feel.

Cyndy’s Bottom Line: The best Hawaiian food buffet in a great relaxing open air setting!
Ono selection of Hawaiian food:
Tako Poke, Ahi Poke Lomi Lomi Salmon Poi
Lau Lau, Kalua Pig & Cabbage Chicken Long Rice Poi Stew
The Willows Famous Hawaiian Style Curry (Chicken & Shrimp) and squid luau which is on the rotating menu. Loved the squid luau!!! It is so ono!
There is a carving station with slow roasted prime rib w/​au jus & horseradish. Perfectly cooked and loved the real horseradish too.
Enjoyed the (2) glasses of champagne which is included with the buffet.
My other favorites are the somen salad, Togarashi Crusted Sashimi, spicy poke don and the macaroni salad!
The staff is very friendly and provide good service. They don’t rush you but allow you to have a leisurely brunch!

As you drive up, it looks like your in the middle of a residential area, because you are. You could easily drive past this place as it looks unassuming from the street. However a large sign for valet parking will give you the clue that you are there. Once you go past the front gate, then you realize that this place has a lot of promise. It is an extremely nice place with outdoor covered seating, but very classy. It’s a great place for large crowds. The setting inside also has a bar and chapel area and a large grassy/​garden. The huts are situated in water giving a quiet classy atmosphere. Kind of hard to do for a buffet, but they really pulled it off. The meal itself was very good. All kinds of Hawaiian cuisine, some of the best on the island. Poi, poke, lau lua, kalua pork, chicken long rice are among the standards you expect from a Hawaiian buffet. The quality is quite good. They also had one of most tender prime ribs and other goodies like ox tail soup and curry. Pretty amazing. So why the 3 stars? It’s the value. $ 50 is kind of high; I suppose for the quality you get, you can rationalize that it’s worth it. But in Hawaii, there are so many local places serving these types of food for much less. Sure they aren’t buffets nor all all the choices. I can see myself returning due to the fact that family reunions are easier here, the atmosphere was great and the food was delicious.

Willows is truly a hidden oasis amongst an unassuming neighborhood of older homes and apartment buildings.
There is valet parking across the street or street parking available around the neighborhood.
Under a canopy of trees, the sound of flowing water features relaxes you as soon as you step through the entrance.
The quality and taste of food has always been excellent in my opinion. Their Hawaiian buffets are a great way to introduce visiting guests to local food while still offering picky eaters the choice to skip items that they may not be so inclined to indulge in.
The bar area often has live music. And their ala carte pupu menu is perfect for those who prefer to be served rather than go back and forth to the buffet area.
They also have a banquet area for large functions and a small shooting fountain area that kids often play in (bring a change of clothes just in case).
Why only 4stars? Because I wish they would bring back their pupu buffet! This used to be my favorite Aloha Friday spot and the pupu buffet that they used to have made it an affordable place to unwind on a regular basis for those on a tighter budget.
Whether you are local or just visiting the islands, check out the Willows!

I love this place but the wifey not so much I guess I’m a buffet all you can eat kinda person haha. I like mopp boo camman. love the Hawaiian food. seafood and prime rib. good service nice waiters/waitress…o lace gets packed so I always make reservations… parking is valet unless you get lucky and find street parking a mile away.

Great place. From the pictures I assumed it was located on the Eastside with all the plants and stuff. Come to find out its in town! Lol very unexpected. This tropical like place in the middle of town who would have thought.
The scenery is great. It’s really nice. As it gets darker the place is lit with dim lights that really sets the mood.
The food was very good! Didn’t expect everything to be as good as it was coming from a buffet! Kalua pig, poke, crab legs, Mac salad, lomi salad, spicy taco just to name a few.
To top it all off was our bill! My other half and I came here for our aniversary. We ordered two bottles and a glass of chardonnay and our bill came out to $ 125! Cheap! Would of spent more at outbacks! Great place, great food, great price! Highly recommend. Forgot your aniversary is tomorrow and need to come up with something quick? This place is for you!

Sooooo much good food! The first time I came here was last year for a birthday gathering, and I’ve been back a few times since then and I have loved it every time. From the outside, the restaurant looks very modest. A small entryway guarded by walls and a small forest of trees. But when you walk in the doorway and across the bridge you’re suddenly taken into their own private world. Once you’re in, you forget where you are and that this restaurant is actually located randomly on a side street in a semi-​residential neighborhood!
Each time I came here was for some sort of celebration, and honestly I’m not sure if I’ll ever just decide to come here randomly on my own. But to all the birthdays, graduations, office gatherings, and even weddings– what better place to have deeeeelicious food and a serene Hawaiian atmosphere with private rooms for all your party needs?
Food wise, there wasn’t a single thing on the buffet line that I didn’t like. They have all the staple local essentials, Lau Lau, Lomi salmon, poke, chicken karaage, the list goes on and on. I could sit here and name all their foods for you, or you could go and experience the amazing selection for yourself!
Overall, definitely recommend hosting all your parties and family or business gatherings here as it definitely will not disappoint. You will love all the local foods that they have and you’ll want to keep coming back for more!

It’s been so long since I’ve been here. Can’t believe this place still exists, it seems so ancient that I totally forgot about this place until I came across of it on Unilocal for buffet brunch and dinners. The last time I could recall would probably be in high school when this was a popular spot to have grad parties which is 10+ years ago.
I was desperate to look for a place for Mother’s Day Brunch/​Dinner a few days before the special occasion. I called around at least 5 different buffet places before finding about Willows as an option from my Unilocal research. As expected a lot of buffet places for Mother’s Day was already booked so thankfully this place was still accepting reservations the day before and was accommodating to our change of requests from brunch to dinner time. I was wondering why there were so many time slots available considering it was a last minute reservation. I was beginning to think was this place not popular anymore that’s why it wasn’t so busy as I expected it?! Oh well, aside from the mediocre reviews, I was just glad we got a buffet dinner for the Filipino moms that enjoys and loves buffets.
We had reservations around 7pm. but arrived there 20 minutes early so we had to wait, which was understandable because we were early for our reservations so it was fine. The ambiance is just like how I remembered the place but it seems so outdated that I feel like the place hasn’t kept up with the maintenance of the property. The tropical theme goes well with the buffet theme though since it was Hawaiian Style Buffet. I remember there use to be the fountain and kois in the pound but I guess that has been dealt away with now of their scenery.
Finally got seated promptly around our reservation time and was lead into one of the banquet halls. I felt like I was intruding into someone else’s party of how the set up was. Reminiscing the to the last time I was there, I was in the same exact party room when I attended a grad party. So the set up was exactly like that where there were long tables and table numbers on there. I wish we had been seated in the area by where there was at least a view in the open air breeze instead of that room. But maybe it was my mistake for not requesting it, I just assume that we were gonna be seated in a restaurant feel like environment not a party setting.
After we had our little family prayer, we went ahead and helped ourselves to the buffet since there were no server at the time to tell us to start making our way to the buffet area. The buffet area was a walk across the other side of where we were. Imagine if it was raining and our food would have soaked while getting across back to our party hall?! Luckily it wasn’t though, but it was just a thought.
When we got there there were 3 different sections of the buffet which consisted the following specialized Mother’s Day Buffet Menu:
Chilled Items:
Green Pea & Bacon Salad
Dilled Smoked Salmon
Potato Macaroni Salad
Mixed Greens & Candied
Walnuts w/​Mango Dressing
Mediterranean Orzo Salad
Assorted Poke
Poke Donburi
Seafood Salad
Chilled Crab Legs
Main Entrees:
Seafood Chowder
Sauteed Garden Vegetables
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Seafood Lasagna
Roast Pork w/​Caramelized Apple Port Wine Sauce
Crab & Shrimp Cakes w/​Wasabi Yuzu Aioli
Potato Crusted Salmon
Chicken w/​Porcini
Mushroom Ballotine
Prime Rib
Desserts:
Fresh Strawberries w/​Assorted Creams
Butter Mochi
Li Hing Pineapple
Fresh Fruits
Chocolate Haupia Tarts
Chantilly Cake
Lilikoi Cake
Bread Pudding w/​Banana Foster Sauce
Pineapple & Vanilla Soft Serve Ice Cream
I tried at least most of the items just to get a taste of everything. Truthfully, there wasn’t anything that stood out for me that had me at wow. The items on the menu weren’t really the Hawaiian Food that was expected which was alright since I’m not a big eater in that type of food anyways. Some seem tasteless and dry to me and some were just alright like meh. nothing special I should say. The fruits were old and not fresh. The bread pudding was delish and so was the ice cream with toppings. The only thing that I made sure I made my moneys worth is them crab legs, I ate 2 plates worth and probably the only thing that was memorable from this whole experience. I went back for a 2^nd round and they were out of regular plates and ice cream cups so there were people who were waiting for a while just for some fresh plates to come out.
The servers we had were great though! One kept coming around to check if we were okay with drinks and such and the other one took our plates in a quickly manner and emptied out our crab peels bowl when it got full. The prices were about $ 48 an adult, roughly around the same if not less than buffet prices than other locations especially on a special occasion like this. If it wasn’t for the tasty crab legs, it wouldn’t have been worth it. Let’s just say I probably wouldn’t plan to come back anytime soon.

I have been to this restaurant twice of all the years I have lived on Oahu. Last year in December was the first time I stepped foot in this establishment. Wow I had no idea there was a chapel on the premises.
My second visit happened to be on SUPER BOWL SUNDAY 2015. Family members from Honolulu, Waianae, Pearl City and Kailua came to enjoy the brunch with family members from Okinawa. Approximately 30 individuals fit in a small dining area that had it’s own restroom and office.
There was too much to choose from on the buffet line. Tripe stew, beef stew, long rice, scallop soup, luau stew, lau lau, lomi salmon, poi, ahi poke, crab legs, lobster legs, prime rib, karage chicken, kim chee, steamed vegetables, rice, salads, french toast, bacon, portuguese sausage, and other items I can’t even remember. I had two plates in front of me that i managed to finish for my meal plus I ended up getting dessert. Soft serve pineapple vanilla ice cream, brownies, red velvet cakes, and lilikoi passion cake just to name a few. Boy did I get stuffed to the max.
My grandpa had a slice of prime rib which was basically more on the rare side… he could of asked the cook to fry it on both sides for a bit so that way he won’t suffer from gout later on during the day. I tried the poi and you can pretty much just drink it out of a cup instead of using a spoon. All the other foods that I had I really had no complains about. There were some food Items that I did not eat being that I was not hungry for breakfast items, the item did not look to appetizing enough for me to place on my plate, tired of eating rice, and the lau lau was too small.
I did use the restroom facility on the premises. The women restroom was very clean but I did notice that one of the sinks has cracked lines. I’m not that quite sure if it was sealed or if the restaurant will ever replace the sink.
Over all… if I am ever invited to attend The Willows and have a transportation to get to the restaurant I would definitely go.

Came here for Christmas dinner with my family. Willows seriously has stepped up their buffet game from the last time I was here. Not sure if it’s just because it’s Christmas and they have a more extensive menu, or if they improved overall. But hey everything was tasty so I’m not complaining! The first round of prime rib was way over cooked and dry, but round two was delicious! Definitely tore into the king crab legs, and the best part was the Dole plantation pineapple whip ice cream they had for dessert! Park in valet and it’s $ 3 not including tip. Fun times with my family, thanks Willows!

We came here for my husband’s company Christmas party. His boss booked a room with 5 tables in it and the room had its own sink. That was convenient so that I didn’t need to run to the bathroom to wash my hands after eating the crab legs.
The food was better than I remembered it. I’ve been to a lot of buffets but this one had the best variety. They had chilled crab legs (snow and king) and lobster claws, an assortment of poke, curry, prime rib, lau lau, whole steamed opakapaka and palusami to name a few. I’ve never seen palusami at any buffet ever. This buffet is definitely catered to locals and not tourists. Everything that I tried was excellent. Even though I love my crab and lobster, I’d have to say my favorite was the fresh, steamed whole opakapaka. That’s not something that I get everyday.
They had a huge array of desserts. The mango panna cotta was pretty good. My pick for the day would be the piña colada bread pudding with crème angle sauce. I was a little disappointed that they didn’t have the fried haupia since that’s what they’re known for. I usually eat that with curry on top. Yummers, but oh well.
They service was OK. They guy just refilled water and cleared away the dirty plates.

I almost always go here with family before leaving and this time it was for a fun private party that I was fortunate to have been invited to join. The holiday party was inside one of the large private rooms and the wait staff were very attentive and made the buffet line move quickly. The kitchen seemed to be behind the main wall and through the doors in the back so the waiters moved quickly in and out the room.
I sat on the first table and we were the first table to go through the buffet line so everything was fresh and delicious… salads, fruits, chicken long rice, lomi lomi salmon and lau lau, etc. and for dessert, haupia, chocolate brownies and other items. The menu was specially selected for this event and so it was not the usual extensive menu that they have outside in the main restaurant dining area but was still delicious.

Willows is hidden away on Hausten Street. When your on the outside you would never be able to tell how pretty it is on the inside. Valet parking is offered across the street.
I’ve only been here for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. So I’m not too sure how this place is on a regular basis.
The service here is always good. All the workers are attentive to the guest. I always feel a little bad since they are working on a holiday. =/​
Every year they switch up the buffet options. Which is great because we are repeat holiday customers.