Island Lava Java

This place is crazy busy, have a reservation before you go.
We waited about 30 minutes, once seated, we had a nice sidewalk view overlooking the ocean.
My wife had the banana pancakes, they were very good with the toasted macadamia nuts.
I had the luau omelet. It boasts luau pork. The pork had no flavor. I have cooked and smoked lots of pork, this pork had no seasonings. It was very moist and tender, just no flavor. If they added some rub it would be great.
Overall it was a good experience,

Feb.2016. Just wanted a light meal. Ended up with the best chicken-​cob salad. We plan to go back for more. Also be advised– BYOB

I’ll start by saying the service was great!
However the food was quite unsatisfactory. I got the luau omelet was bland and I pulled out a chunk of fat from it so that was unpleasant.
My boyfriend got the eggs Benedict and the ham was paper thin. So it was pretty disappointing all together.

I would give this place a solid 4.5 stars.
Here’s the pro’s and cons:
Pros
1. Great food, quality ingredients
2. Amazing service
3. Amazing ocean view
I ordered the Lava Java pancakes, eggs and bacon combo. The bacon was done just how I asked (crispy), the poached eggs were perfectly cooked with runny bright orange yolks, the pancakes were big (2 of them) and decent texture.
Cons
* The syrup wasn’t very sweet and had that kind of crappy high fructose corn syrup taste… you know the kind where you can never get enough of it to make it taste good, but you keep trying.
* Would prefer to get the price below $ 10, it was $ 12.95
* Bacon portion was two tiny little pieces
All in all a great meal, view and service. I rarely leave reviews and I am usually pretty picky when I do.
Now go enjoy some ono grindz!

I can’t with this place. Order is Always wrong. Cold breakfast numerous times (when it’s not even busy) Flies always in the pastry glass box. Convenience is why I go. And hunger. The Owner needs to step in and make some changes (and not just raising the prices which have been noticed) And the music! Omg.Lol.Tamberines and harmonicas. very odd
The Asian waitress is very kind.

As many reviews state, this is a fantastic place for breakfast/​brunch.
Tables are situated directly across the street from the water and the food is fantastic. The mac-​nut topped Big Island Pancakes were amazing, especially with the coconut syrup.
I will say however, if I could go 4 and ½ stars I would because service left a little to be desired. My wife asked three times (our waitress twice and the girl that brought the food out once) for maple syrup. It never showed up and I ended up walking to the counter. I think the staff was a little overwhelmed. They could have used an extra hand or two.
Overall though, great food, friendly staff and an amazing location. Worth a stop at least once while you’re on your vacation. Prices are about on par with Ali’i Drive.

Great little café for breakfast/​brunch. A little on the speedy side, but definitely worth it.
You MUST try the Cinnamon Rolls. They’re as big as your head! No exaggeration. Check out the picture.

The things that we loved about breakfast at Island Lava Java: island style pancakes with coconut syrup, beautiful ocean view, relaxing live music and our cordial server, Rachael. I’m not a breakfast person, but this place could definitely convert me!

Good coffee, great service, spectacular view. Alas, we cannot comment on the food.
Smelled good though!

Great location, great oceanfront view and good food. Lava Java is a popular eating spot for holidayers– be it breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner, the restaurant is always bustling with people.
It was just 5 minutes walk from our hotel, so went in here one morning for breakfast. We had a hearty meal of eggs and sausage on a table outside with a view of the beautiful water.
And I loved the fact that there were lil’ sparrows and pigeons chirping and hopping beside the tables without any fear of humans, they were just busy finding any food that fell from the tables above. It was definitely quite interesting to see them going about their daily chore without a care for the world.

Delicious breakfast and lunch and dinner. I have eaten my way through the menu and enjoy coming back every time.
I wish they had more of the pull apart cinnamon rolls… they sell out quickly.
Sign up for their email club for specials.
I look forward to coming here as soon as the plane lands to get my fix.
They do get crazy busy so make sure to get everything when you have your servers attention.

Love the menu and how they use some local veggies to have a good mixer of food!
We had brunch and dinner together/​
Pineapple juice was also very fresh.
Will definitely come visit again.
The service on xmas day was not too good. We needed to wait a while for ordering, and bills.
The toilet is the biggest issue. No on can find jets and it located far from the back.

This is a decent breakfast place! The fish breakfast was very filling and a good piece of fish was served. Not over cooked and well seasoned, but not so much that the flavour of the fish gets lost.
The pancakes here are much better than the waffles, so I would recommend going with those. Put the coconut syrup on, it is amazing!
The pork omelettes are really good too! Filled with tender pork that add a really good flavour to the otherwise plain eggs.

We ended up here for breakfast because another location that had macadamia nut nut pancakes was closed on Mondays’. We ordered the banana macadamia nut pancakes which came exactly as people have noted. It’s pancakes with bananas and macadamia nuts on top with coconut syrup on the side. It also comes with choice of Portuguese sausage or bacon and a side of fruit.
The husband ended up getting the island plate for breakfast with scrambled eggs and potatoes. We split both dishes and were perfectly stuffed with no leftovers. There was a wonderful performer singing Christmas, pop, and some other kid friendly tunes to his ukulele.
Sit outside and people watch while enjoying the sound of the waves. Almost five stars except the foot was just months breakfast food. Very good service. Attentive, kind and even allowed us to switch seats so we could be in the shade without a modicum of stink eye. Extremely friendly which was wonderful. Go for good breakfast fare, a great view and fast and friendly service.

This place located on the water and has a nice view of the ocean. There’s plenty of parking in the back, but be very careful because they actually monitor how long you stay in the shopping center. My friend got a parking ticket after they ate breakfast and went to get their nails done.
I had the Luau omelette and I really enjoyed it. It came with rosemary potatoes and a choice of bacon or Portuguese sausage. The grilled pineapples and onions complemented the pork.
One cool thing about this place is that they allow you to BYOB for mimosas. Ask your server for details.

After a whirlwind weekend of wedding fun with a small group of friends, we decided to go to one last breakfast together before everyone flew home for Monday. We arrived at Island Lava Java at 10am on a sunday, and I was surprised to see that they had a good amount of seating still open. We had a party of 7, and they sat us outside between their kitchen and the shoe store next door which looked cozy and quiet.
While we were walking through the restaurant to our seats, I perused the baked goods counter, and spied an amazing looking cinnamon pull-​apart that I announced we needed. They brought us two for our large group, and it was absolutely not enough. Hands down the best thing we ate there, this was perfectly chewy, still warm, fresh, and lounging in a bowl of warm caramel sauce. BLISS. If this was the whole review it would have been 5 stars, but alas, it is not.
A few minutes after diving into the pull aparts, we noticed collectively that we had an ant problem. These ants were SUPER small, and on the tablecloth mostly, so we were all squishing them and hoping they’d leave. They did not, and then were on our phones, feet, hands, and eventually our plates. We noted this to the staff and by that time the place was full with a wait list so we just had to lump it.
The beverages were a hit, with giant mugs of coffee for them and Mate for me, which was a nice change of pace. Breakfast selections were interesting including fresh fish, omelettes, and such, but was a resulting flop with us being unimpressed with the quality of their dishes. Potatoes were well-​seasoned and fruit was fresh, but the turkey in my sando was dry, the avocado was musty, and the fish was mushy, which is the pinnacle of unappealing. Prices are pretty high, although they do state they try to locally source as much as possible, but this place is a pretty break-​neck hit and miss.

Visiting kona, I’d knew there’d be coffee everywhere. I haven’t tried many, but I did certainly enjoy Lava Java’s coffee. My only gripe is no free refills, but you can’t have it all!
The main attraction for us was the giant cinnamon rolls. And they are giant. And they are delicious. Very much recommend.
I had the veggie wrap, a wrap of veggies, eggs, and goat cheese. Does not disappoint.
I’d happily go back for a second round if there weren’t other places I’d like to try before heading back to the mainland.
Oh, and the service was wonderful. Very nice, very helpful.
Update: went back for a second round and it was still awesome. Had a different dish than I had the first time and was very pleased.

Our first stop in Kona! The husband ordered the Fish Benedict and I had the Waipio Stack. I was personally iffy about ordering the Fish Benedict, because the pictures make it seem like a small portion of fish, but my husband got a hefty amount. I was jealous. Luckily, I really enjoyed my Waipio Stack, which consisted of eggs over thick sliced back and thick toast, with avocado and fruit. The fruit makes me me feel like I’m eating a little healthier: P. Overall the food was tasty and the atmosphere can’t be beat. The only minor thing is that the price is a bit much for brunch food…$ 18 for a Fish Benedict. I guess that’s the price of eating in a touristy town!
Tip 1: There is an additional charge for coffee refills.
Tip 2: If you are staying in Waikoloa, the other location is MUCH more reasonably priced, and I would say equally as tasty.

A place you go to daily during your first trip to Kona, HI should probably earn 5 stars, right? I agree.
My favorite dishes were the Waipi’o Stack Breakfast and the Bread Pudding French Toast. Note, the french toast is only served on Sundays. I stopped in for a to-​go order before my flight and they didn’t have the regular breakfast menu. I impulsively decided on the bread pudding french toast and have been thinking about it for four months now. It was crazy good.
I tried dinner here once and was not particularly impressed. I would recommend only visiting for breakfast treats.
Hawaii is expensive and while I didn’t think the menu itself was insanely expensive, things start getting pricey when you want to add items on the side. I just had to taste an island pancake during one of my visits (about $ 6 for a pancake) and wanted a side of fruit during another visit (which was around $ 5 for a very small cup). I sort of regretted those decisions once I saw the bill. Maybe just stick with menu selections if you’re being cost conscious.
The restaurant is very easy to walk to from the Courtyard King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel and you can get a good view of the ocean the whole way. It’s a gorgeous walk.
Restaurant accepts paper and plastic (cash and credit). I would recommend pottying before you go here… the bathroom situation is a little shady (involving a key, a longer-​than-​expected walk, and a creepy single bathroom that patrons from all the nearby restaurants seem to use.

Summary: Awesome view, pretty good food (excellent coconut syrup), standard service,
Note: If you don’t like birds, be advised that if you sit outside there is the occasional presence of dive bombing birds.
Came for early breakfast (630) on a Sunday and was immediately seated at one of the outdoor tables with a killer view. The crowd started to come in around 7.
The food: Sunday’s brunch menu is different than the standard menu, which is disappointing since they said they aren’t able to make anything off of the normal menu.
Kalua pork omelet with the side of Portuguese sausage: the omelette had a decent amount of pork and the sausage was nice and tasty, if not a bit on the oily side.
Catch of the day: seared ahi — this was a bit disappointing as the fish didn’t seem to be all that fresh and wasn’t all that tasty
Pancakes with Mac nuts and bananas –THESE were delicious, especially when doused with their delicious coconut syrup!
service was fine. The lady with the British accent seemed to be in charge and she was extremely nice.