Kona Grill is the newest restaurant to open in Fair Oaks Mall. Family friendly and upscale casual, this dining spot will soon become a regular part of your dinner rotation. Most fine dining restaurants put a lot of thought into the food they are serving to the adults. They create a great bar and an awesome Happy Hour and these are very important qualities for a restaurant to have. Also caring about making an awesome kids experience is a brilliant move on their part. The key to a great family dining experience is great food and a fun atmosphere and experience for each member of the family.
An 800 gallon aquarium will be one of the first things that you see when you arrive at Kona Grill. We spent lots of time looking at all the cool fish (you might even see Dory and Nemo in this tank). Along with the water theme, there is also a mesmerizing water wall that left me feeling very relaxed. Everyone enjoys looking at fish in aquariums and this tank is perfect to keep your attention while you wait for a table or for your food to arrive.
When you are seated with a child in your party, your child will enjoy some time on the original iPad, also known as an Etch-A-Sketch. Kids and adults will love playing with this simple piece of old-fashioned technology. If the kids can break themselves away from the Etch-A-Sketch they will enjoy a one of a kind Kid’s menu. Each kid’s meal comes with a drink in a kid-safe cup, a main course and 2 sides. The kid’s meal is served in a Bento box which is perfect for the children who hate when their foods touch each other. I can’t think of any other restaurant that includes sushi, grilled salmon, turkey bacon club, shrimp tempura, and chicken satay on a kid’s menu. Typical kid’s food is also available for those who have not yet developed an adventurous palate. The standard pizza, grilled cheese, burger and chicken tenders are safely tucked into the menu as well.
Pictured below are four of the signature dishes that are available at the Kona Grill. From top left to bottom right we have the Chicken Caprese Sandwich served with sweet potato fries, next to the Caterpillar Roll that is made with eel. On the bottom left is the most popular menu item, the Macadamia crusted chicken and finally the Pork Tenderloin. The entire menu is made from scratch each and every day.
The appetizers we tried were incredibly delightful. The avocado egg rolls with a honey cilantro dipping sauce melted in your mouth. They were rich and satisfying, and somehow soft and crunchy at the same time. Avocado egg rolls would be a perfect start to your dinner. The Margherita Flatbread was a great family friendly option, and would even make a great entree for someone who loves pizza. Balsamic reduction drizzled on top was the perfect way to really highlight the sweet tones of the tomatoes. The house salad was topped with a tasty onion soy vinaigrette and Danish Bleu cheese, a great appetizer with a simple fresh twist.
No meal is complete without a sweet dessert, am I right? Kona Grill has incredibly rich and delicious desserts to tempt you. You can choose from a Passion Fruit Créme Brülée, a delightful Butter Cake, a Snickers Ice Cream Pie, a tart Key Lime Pie or a Fudge Brownie. My favorite dessert was the carrot cake. Fresh carrots, crushed walnuts, caramel sauce and amazing cream cheese frosting. This three layer cake could easily feed a party of 6 or more, it is enormous and so good, right down to the last crumb.
Believe it or not there is even more that the Kona Grill has to offer. The exhibition kitchen is so much fun to watch, while every single part of your meal is made right in front of you. Watching the chefs work their magic is exciting! There is a beautiful all season patio where you can enjoy your food and cocktails. And don’t forget the Sushi Bar! Pull up a barstool and watch the sushi chefs. You will have a front row seat and feel like you are right at a Food Network show. The Sushi menu is really extensive with everything from miso soup and seaweed salad to sashimi, kona rolls, traditional rolls, sushi and special chef plates.
Disclaimer: We received our meals free of charge. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are our own. Because the food was so good we have returned to the restaurant a few more times and purchased many additional items.
Kona Grill looks amazing! I can’t believe how nicely put together even the kids’ meals are. I love that teddy bear orange.
The sushi chefs make the little orange teddy bear for each kids meal. Isn’t it cute? It is such a great restaurant. Thanks for visiting!
All that food looks so delicious, I now know where to go for my husbands birthday! 😀
Kona Grill is a great spot for a birthday celebration. Have fun!
That cake looks amazing!! All of the food looks incredible what a great place to grab a bite to eat.
The cake is soooo good! It is the perfect place to have a nice family dinner.
Oh I love that queen angelfish. They’re my favorite fish ever (I’m a scuba diver. Love seeing them in their natural environments). The sushi looks so good and it’s always so fun to watch your meals made right in front of you!
Thank you for naming the fish! I thought it was so gorgeous. Watching the chefs make your food is a great experience. All restaurants should care about our food this much.
We don’t have one of these near us but man the food looks delicious. We have picky eaters in our family but it looks like there is something for everyone here.
I agree with you! I really think that the Kona Grill tried to make something on the menu that would appeal to everyone!
Oh law, that food looks so scrumptious. I would love to eat at Kona Grill and if the opportunity presents itself, I’ll take it.
I hope you can enjoy Kona Grill one day! It is really delicious.
Those kids meals are so fun! I will have to check this place out if I am ever in the area. I think my kids would love watching what was going on in the exhibition kitchen.
The exhibition kitchen really is super fun to watch. You feel like you are at a live taping of a Food Network show. You can even try to guess who is making your dinner.
Wow this really does look like a fantastic place for a family dinner. Glad you all were able to enjoy it, that cake looks DELICIOUS!
The cake was so amazing. It was an incredibly delicious piece of cake. The brownie sundae was quite decadent and delicious as well!
I love seafood. I don’t think we have this restaurant in our area. I wish we had one in our area.
Hi Christy, there are 39 locations in 20 different states!
WOW! Everything looks amazing! Looks like a great place to stop by for a nice meal with friends and family. I’m going to see if there’s one in my neighborhood.
I hope you can find a location near you!
Now I’m hungry! If only we had Kona Grill here in the city, we’d surely go and sample their food. They all look delish!
The Kona Grill fresh food is amazing. I hope you can visit a location one day soon.
This definitely looks like a great place to take the family! I love the looks of the kids menu and the photos that you shared of the adult meals look like a GREAT way to enjoy an evening out with the family. In my family, food is the way to the heart. This menu would serve just the right ticket.
Food is most definitely the way to the heart. It is a perfect spot for a nice family meal.
The Kona Grill looks like a great place for a dinner date. I would love to check out the exhibition kitchen to watch the chefs at work.
Watching the chefs is so much fun! And the sushi chefs are incredible too. So much going at Kona Grill, it is really a great place to visit.
These all look so good! I would definitely enjoy this place with my family.
I am so impressed with the offerings at Kona Grill. Finding a full menu even for your children is truly outstanding!
This is neat. That fish is so beautiful. I’ll have to check them out if I’m in the area. 🙂 – Yolonda
Thank you! The aquarium was really wonderful. You would not mind waiting for a table with all these beautiful fish to look at.
This looks like a great place to eat. I will have to see if there is a location near me to try.
Kona Grill is located in 20 states right now, hopefully one of those is your state!
These are all looks a good food! I want to try their food.
I hope you can visit a Kona Grill one day.
Never heard of this place but it looks like it would be a fun place to visit. The food looks like it would be really delish.
Kona Grill is amazing. I hope you can visit one day.
In the dessert menu, do you guys sell the whole carrot cake or just slices?