Don the Beachcomber

My family and I went to the Sunday Brunch for my sons 23rd birthday. After reading the unfavorable reviews I was I was skeptical of spending that much money. I was very pleasantly surprised with the deco ,food, entertainment and service. The bad reviews I read must have been from the previous establishment. Our waitress was very attentive and polite, our glasses were never empty. They had a very wide variety of breakfast and lunch food. The Moco Loco was the best and the carrot cake was to die for. The entertainment was high energy from the start. The only complaint I have is a large party sitting in the front decided to get up and say their goodbyes while the dancers were still performing. I guess some people where never taught manners. I would highly recommend this restaurant to everyone. It truly makes you feel like you are in Hawaii.

Pros: great food and entertainment

Cons: rude patrons

Posted 05/30/09

The owner of Don the Beachcomber is making serious changes to what used to be KONA. The owner in my opinion has the vision for Beachcomber that Don had back in 1937. His intention is to stay true to the ways of the past that made the place famous in the first place. I wish them luck and I think other fans of Tiki should check it out.

Pros: Owner has the vision for the future straight from the past

Cons: Remains to be seen. You be the judge.

Posted 05/15/09

ADDENDUM - THIS REVIEW WAS FOR THE PREVIOUS RESTAURANT KONA

This place is awesome! the "bad reviews" must be old because I went yesterday with my friend for the "Island Sunday Brunch Buffet" and found it completely charming. The decor alone is worth the visit! It had a fun vintage Tiki party atmosphere w/ waterfalls and all you would expect in Hawaii. They had live authentic Polynesian musicians, dancers and Hula girls and they were good! Lunch AND a show?! C'mon that's a deal! Let's get to the food. I loved it. AND THERE WAS A LOT. We tried a little of everything. Sticky BBQ ribs, pulled pork, Peel and eat shrimp and snow crab legs, cheese tray w/Brie etc, lots of fresh fruit including kiwi! (mmm), an omelet station, ginger rum glazed ham, Chicken satay w/ peanut sauce (mmm), macadamia nut pancakes and all your standard Brunch dishes, Bacon, French toast, cereal stuff for the kids etc... The staff was more than friendly and helpful. We had some mai tai's in the bar after and the bartender informed us they are under new management and they will be changing the name to KONA in few weeks. I ABSOLUTELY RECOMMEND IT! I will for sure be back.

Pros: Hawiian Ambiance was off the hook!

Cons: I cant think of any.

Posted 05/25/08

What a difference a new owner makes! We went to Sam's shortly after they "re-opened" last summer. Too much for too little! We learned from local friends of ours that another new owner took it over in late January. He must have been listening. My wife and I decided to give it one more try and we are very glad we did. She tried the Salmon, now at $16.00, and it was at least 8 oz. I tried the Flank Steak. Both were prepared perfectly. I can't say if I've ever tried flank steak but this was very flavorful and tender. Definitly something to come back for. They are now serving Hawaiian sweet bread and butter with all the entrees. My waitress was so pleasant and informative. She informed us that the new owner will be changing the name to Kona because Sam's reputation is a bit tarnished from previous ownerships. They almost doubled the wine list and even added my favorite wine by the glass. The restaurant seems to be a great value, and kid friendly too. Something you don't see enough of on PCH.

Pros: Food quality and portions. No valet parking hassle (and charge). Huge parking lot.

Cons: Some tables are dimmly lit. A little bit of noise from the Tiki lounge.

Posted 03/13/08

It was pretty expensive for the portions they served. We had the ahi poke tacos and potato fries which were really good, but the fish entrees were overpriced for a 5-6 oz portion. Very disappointing that they didnt have any bread to start the meal. Soup and salad were ok. I'd go back for the appetizers only.

Pros: appetizers

Cons: overpriced entrees

Posted 11/16/07

This is the first time I have written a review for anything online but I was compelled after the horrible experience my husband and I had at the "new and improved" Sam's. The food was awful, as was out waiter. First I asked our waiter what vegetarian options I had and he quickly said "none!". I then went through the menu with him and asked specifically about a couple appetizers and salads and he said "oh yeah". I asked if the salad was dinner size and he said "it's a pretty good size" so I ordered the Sam's salad and some mango and brie quesadillas which sounded awesome. Well the salad was barely even a side salad (like 4 forkfulls). The quessadillas were completely flat - if there was any cheese in them I couldnt taste it (my husband suggested they melted it down and spread on enough for a thin glue to hold it together). There was no mango to be found. I am guessing the little orange dots of sauce decorating the quessadillas was supposed to represent mango. I felt like i just ate a nicely decorated green tortilla shell. Needless to say I was still hungry at the end of the meal. When the server came by nervously to ask about the salad, I commented that it was smaller than I expected (based on what he told me!) and he said "oh yeah it's just a side salad! He then asked if I want to order more food and I declined. He quickly walked away without commenting or apologising. My husand got the Salmon, an $18 dollar menu item. It was visually very pretty but he said it was not fresh. He did like his small bed of veggies that the salmon was placed on. It was a very small portion placed on a very large dish and he was not satisfied. The server left us the bill but did not ask how we liked out meal. Neither did the young hostesses who waved at us as we left. We will never eat there again. On the plus side the ambience is nice and it may be a fun place for drinks and enjoying the music they have there most nights. Just come with a full stomach!

Pros: Nice ambience, live music

Cons: terrible food, terrible service

Posted 09/29/07

My wife and I ate at Sam's last night, because we've read in our local paper how great it was supposed to be. We walked in and the ambience was great. There's a tropical/hawaiian feel to the place. The candle-lit dining room with flowing jungle fountains sets high expectations of a wonderfully rich dining experience.

That was as good as it got.

I ordered the Salmon dish that cost $18. It was one of the least expensive entres on the menu, which surprised me, because other reviews that I read said that it was a "moderately priced" restaurant. For Sunset Beach standards, that's very high unless your portions are Claim-Jumper-Sized and/or the food makes your taste buds sing.

Unfortunately, that was not the case.

We waited for what seemed like a long time. I had to ask the waiter if there was any bread or snacks that come complimentary while we wait for our food. The answer was "we'll probably have bread to offer by November." Now, I forgot to mention that we were STARVING. I was really counting on eating some bread and butter to calm my hunger a bit while we waited. Instead, we quietly sipped our water.

Our dinners finally arrived on beautiful dinnerware. My salmon was what seemed to be a 5oz piece. Definitely less than what I expected to pay $18 for. Taking a bite into the salmon revealed that it was NOT FRESH. The salmon scored a 9 out of 10 on a frozen, thawed, steamed, and drizzled with sweet sauce to conceal fishy-ness scale. I've had fish this good microwaved in a plastic wrapper from Costco that cost less than $3. You can find that product in the frozen food section - get more for the money.

The bed of vegetables and mashed potatoes that my salmon sat on were very tasty. It came with 3 steamed pieces of Bok Choi and a scoop and a half of mashed potatoes. I enjoyed this very much, if only for a brief moment.

We left Sam's without any inquiry about our meal or experience from our waiter or hostess. Perhaps they already knew so they didn't ask.

Pros: Great ambience

Cons: Bad food quality, small portions, disappointing service, no complimentary bread, come with a FULL stomach and FAT wallet

Posted 09/29/07

The character and charm of Sam's invites you into it's space and the delicious food and friendly service should keep you coming back. I had to come back the next week because I couldn't take it all in in one sitting... the food and the space. Sam's is huge! It was a fantastic night out with my family who came to Sam's when it was in it's earlier hay day. (they loved it too.. wished it was a little brighter) I couldn't keep my fork out of their plates... trying things I always said "never again" to, the calamari was fantastic and the pork was juicy and tender with generous portions.
When I returned with my friends we held a little party in a side room, gave out the awards and moved the party across to the bar. The decor in the bar is so much fun! I love the blowfish over the lighting and the casual seating. It's inviting to mix and mingle with everyone.

I can't wait to go back!

Pros: food, fun drinks, service, affordability

Posted 08/19/07

I have had the pleasure to dine at Sam's for over 50 years. My parents took me there frequenely in the 50's when we lived in Sunset Beach. I have returned on a regular basis and still find the food and memories wonderful. There seafood has always been prepared properly and the service is very friendly. I highly recommend this establishment to all.

Pros: Great food

Cons: None

Posted 08/10/06