Hula's Island Grill

Lily our bar tender was amazing!!! She was very kind and made a mean drink. The black salt here is fire!!!

Great Vibe inside or out on the patio. The HIG is a popular restaurant. Most of the food we had was great! The fish tacos and the Veggie Bowl were great. The Buddha Bowl we found to be good for those seeking a pronounced herb flavor. The spicy edamame was a delicious appetizer!
Pro tip parking in the back. Happy hour was 4-6.
This is now a family favorite...highly recommended.

Had a hankering for fish tacos after watching all the sea life at the nearby aquarium.

So glad we picked this place!

It's just far enough from the aquarium so it wasn't crowded with tourists, seemed more like a locals hangout.

Indoor and outdoor seating, we picked the shady back patio on a sunny day.

Friendly bartender and waiter served up beers and fish tacos, fresh and delicious.

Relative to many options in Monterey, Hula is a little better than most restaurants. I love how the ambiance is like walking into a dimly lit tiki bar. We started off with fantastic drinks - Lilikoi margarita, but I got the virgin lilikoi margarita (ask your server for it) and as a passionfruit lover, I fell in love with the strong passionfruit flavor of the drink. At $6 for the virgin version, it's nice not having to pay through the nose for a virgin mocktail unlike some places who still charge more than $10 for a nonalcoholic drink.

We got the Hawaiian ceviche for the starter and the fresh fish, mild spice, and coconut milk worked really well together with the addictive wonton chips.

Our server recommended the Jamaican jerk pork plate and the Kingston crab curry so we got them both. I didn't try the jerk pork but my crab curry was chock full of crab and fish so it was a good deal. I could tell they took the time to use fresh crab meat and the flavors had a mild burn to it from the spice but nothing overpowering. The curry portion is really big that it was enough for two meals.

We were too full to try dessert but it was a solid meal. Street parking but not an issue if having a later dinner.

We were in town for 2 days and ended up eating here 2 times it was so good. I loved the fish tacos! Some of the best flavor I have had in a fish taco. But then I tried the Fish sandwich and the crunchy bread made that dish even better. The dessert was to die for and the atmosphere and service make this a must stop when in the area. I will 100% eat here again when we are in town. This place is the BOMB!

Of course when you just finish with the Monterrey Bay Aquarium, the first thing you think is, "Where can I get some seafood" but then you want it to be sustainable because of the education you just got on sustainable fish. The next thing you want to do is get off of Cannery Row, because, yikes tourists.

This place has a great tiki vibe, the tunes they play are cool, the staff is well informed and the fish is fresh and delicious and all in line with the aquarium's guidelines on sustainability, so no guilt. The tropical drinks are da bomb and if you leave the aquarium a little on the early side you can hit happy hour. Go here. You won't be sorry

Wow, but the new menu at Hula's is terrible. Note that the food that they are serving is different from what is written on the menu. I usually order the jungle tofu bowl with extra tofu and no rice. They have completely changed the dish to be very spicy, with peas and sweet potato and no longer have the plantains or black beans. Disappointed and dissatisfied-- I usually eat here 2-3 times a month and my favorite dish is no kk fee available.

Showed up for a late lunch on a Sunday afternoon. There was no AC inside which normally wouldn't be an issue because of the cooler climate of Monterey but we were here on the hottest week we've seen in quite some time.

The vibes of this place are super laid back with a Hawaiian diner style.

We were seated promptly and our server was friendly and helpful. He showed us the regular menu as well as the happy hour menu, ensuring to point out what drinks were on happy hour.

What we ordered:
Appetizers for the table
- Hawaiian ceviche ($8)
This is one of the best ceviches I've had in a long while. It had a kick to it without being overpowering.

- Sweet potato fries ($8)
I mean... who doesn't love fries? These were good but nothing special. The flavor was perfect but I wish they would have been on the crispier side. I felt like they almost melted in your mouth so if that's what you are going for you'll love these.

Entree
- Luau pork sandwich ($21)
I was most disappointed by my entree because the bread was SUPER soggy and for my side I decided to go with the sweet potato fries (before knowing they weren't my favorite thing). The flavor of the pulled pork was good but I regret getting the sandwich and not the plate.

Overall, I'd be willing to come back and try some other options.

Amazing food. The Kingston Crab Curry is to die for. The spicy edamame were actually spicy and the addition of lemon added a tangy kick to it. I thought the drinks tasted just ok but they were quite strong. Coconut cake was humongous and we shared a single slice between the four of us.

Service was a little slow due to it being super busy, so cannot really complain.

I had scoped out all of my dinner options for Monterey and it was a toss up between the typical American seafood joints or Hula's and I'm glad we went with the latter.

Arrived at 5:15pm in time for happy hour and made sure to get our order in with our super friendly waiter, Lake!
Lilikoi Margarita ($8 for a single during HH instead of $12)
Kona Chicken Wings ($8 during HH instead of $13)
Jawaiian Jerk Pork Plate
Bali Hai BBQ Ribs

Wings were very Thai curry-like with a squeeze of lime; falling-off-the-bone delicious! Both the plate and the ribs were flavorful with different sides. My date couldn't decide between regular fries or the sweet potato fries. He finally decided on the sweet potato fries but the server was nice enough to bring us a basket of the regular fries on the house! Both were truly addicting... I ended up eating most of the extra basket lol with no regret!