My wife and I went to Monterey from 12-27-08 to 12-29-08.

After reading the reviews, I made sure that this would be our 1st stop when we got there.

We ordered the Sweet Potato Fries - these were yummy.

The ice tea - also very good.

This is the good part.

Now to the bad, our mains.

I ordered the CocoJoe's Chicken plate. To begin with, everything was very sweet. Too sweet if you ask me. The only thing that was good was the rice and beans. The chicken was glazed in this really sticky sweet sauce and the fired plantains were way too sweet to be eaten. My wife had the Crispy Coconut Shrimp Rolls and Salad. The dip that came with the rolls again was way too sweet and the salad also has this really sweet dressing on it.

Maybe it was the things that we ordered, but I would say pass on this place.

The service was only ok at best. Must have been the time that we walked in. They were open for service till 2Pm that day and we walked in about 1:30 PM. Our server had a very indifferent look about her and appeared only to want to get us out as we stayed beyond the 2:00 PM lunch hour. I think we left at like 2:20 PM.

I am from Hawaii.

Clearly no one associated with the restaurant has ever been to Hawaii. The cooks are Hispanic and unable to make anything resembling Island cuisine.

The service is TERRIBLE!

The food is not only not-Hawaiian, but it is just plain bad. The slow cooked pork was not slow cooked (it was not tender), but instead of marinating it they just put on lots of sauce.

The Singapore shrimps were like a bad plate of spaghetti with tons of garlic and a few shrimp...we didn't even eat most of it.

And the prices are high. $20 for entrees for essentially fast food.

How did this get rated so highly? What a waste of time, money and calories. Go to McDonalds before you go here.

We were looking for tasty food, with a kid friendly environment, that wasn't too touristy and found it at Hula's. It was great. Our kids (3mos and 2.5 yrs) were welcomed and my husband and I fully enjoyed the food and drinks. The fish tacos are amazing, as was the Wasabi bowl. Looking forward to our next pass through Monterey.

It's my daughter's favorite for the bowls. I agree the fish tacos are the best. Plus, the funky surfing videos on tv screens are interesting.

Great food and usually friendly staff, but its a small place so sometimes they get flustered. If you're having a decent sized party under 25 you can ask for the Tiki room, which is a more private part of the restaurant. They also have a good bar with island inspired drinks along with the usual intoxicants. I usually go for the pulled pork, but love the seaweed salad and their ginger coleslaw which is about the only coleslaw i enjoy. Go to have fun, dress anyway you want from punk to suit.