Treetops Restaurant At Paradise Park

Almost died in their restaurant parking lot. I was getting out of my car and walking across the car park to snap a photo of the feral chickens and I hear a «CRACK!» I look up to see a giant tree limb falling right above me. My daughter was just about to get out of the car and I was running to get away from this giant limb that nearly took me out. SO DANGEROUS! From all the money they make from charging $ 5 a park you’d think they would be able to hire a few guys to come in and cut some tree limbs so I wouldn’t have to dive out of the way of death and pay for the dent on the top of my car.
I shook it off and went in to grab a bite to eat. I plate myself up from the buffet and sit with my family. Long behold a giant hair in my salad that had that little white tip on the base of it. I just about spewed. Not only did I bust my knee dodging a tree from falling on me, I had to endure the hair in my food. The falls weren’t all that great. The hike was muddy as! They could lay some more gravel? The falls wasn’t even flowing that much. I imagined my visit was going to be a lovely walk up to the falls and a yummy lunch with my family. Exact opposite. Not the best experience at Treetops today!
Pull it together because someone is going to get seriously hurt and file a lawsuit!!!

This place was horrible! I purchased a Groupon for (6) for lunch to celebrate my son’s birthday. Boy were we disappointed! First off they advertise that they have a Hawaiian food buffet. The only thing that was «hawaiian» was the Lomi Salmon. Don’t eat here!

Purchased the Groupon deal online, was only 37.00 for a lunch buffet for 4. What an excellent deal. I know there is alot of bad reviews of this place so I was not expecting much, upon arrival there was beautiful live Hawaiian music being played on ukulele, a delicious assortment of local style buffet lunch. My family and I were not disappointed. We will be back!

Really disappointing. We came on a groupon for the lunch buffet. The view is great, but the overall experience I cannot give more than 2 stars and that is being generous. We arrived a little after 1 pm. The buffet hours are 11 to 4. The food was very picked over and they essentially never put any more out. Although items are labeled, they are all misplaced and do not match. Salad dressings were clearly not as marked. The «tropical fruit» was orange wedges. I could see evidence of watermelon and pineapple that had been spilled onto the ice and not cleaned up, but no actual tropical fruit, per the label. The food also did not match the on-​line menu at all. No squid, no lomi salmon. Of their extensive dessert menu only a coconut cake (very dry) was available. Guess they ran out of everything else so they put out some grocery store style peanut butter cookies. Food quality was ok, nothing really spectacular, but I expect a buffet to be stocked in the middle of your operating day, and that was really disappointing.
We stood at the entry for more than 5 minutes waiting to be seated. The place was mostly empty, but many tables had not been bussed, so were not available. They tried to seat us in the bar section, which with one other table occupied, was very loud particularly with the Jawaiian music playing in the background. We waited another 5 minutes until someone came to ask about drinks and we moved ourselves to an outside table, which was much quieter and pleasant. They rarely came by to clear plates but did stop in to fill drinks once. Pretty much the minimal staffing possible.
As we were leaving an hour or so later (2 pm?) live music consisting of one guy with an ukulele starting playing on the stage. He was very good, wish he’d been playing while we were there instead of the Jawaiian music.
The main dining room is beautiful, the outdoor seating has a great view, but the disrepair of the exterior is evident. This place could be really great, but I won’t return for the food, music, or service.

Since we were going on the Manoa Falls hike we stopped by.
That weekday the price was marked down to $ 14.95, and another dollar off for anyone over 50.
For that price we tried it.
The food was a small basic buffet and acceptable quality for the price. The food is nothing to write home about but the tree top view and staff are very nice. You get small salad, entry, and desert selection, and a free drink.
You get what you pay for so if you want top quality and items like seafood/​steak and a harp player you must go elsewhere and shell out $ 30 to $ 50.
I feel it’s worth $ 14.95 but wouldn’t pay more, at least for their weekday menu. So you might want to call them first.

I came here for lunch with my parents and hubby on a weekday. It was an all you can eat lunch buffet. The restaurant was about a quarter full. The host was really nice. He took a picture of us in front of a nice mural at the restaurant. He gave us a choice if we wanted to sit inside or outside. It was kind of chilly that day, so we opted for a table on the inside. The greenery was very pretty. The restaurant is located in Manoa, where it’s surrounded by trees. The restaurant is huge and has a big stage for parties and conferences. The décor is a little dated and the restaurant could use a face lift.
The food was passable. My favorites of the day were the haupia and watermelon. The watermelon was super sweet. Also, on my plate were chicken long rice, fish, mushroom chicken, roast pork in gravy, mac and potato salad, and kalua pig and cabbage. The kalua pig and cabbage was decent and so was the mushroom chicken. Skip the chicken long rice. That was absolutely bland. They must have forgotten the salt.
I can’t be to hard on this place. I got a great deal on Groupon. It came out to about $ 9 per person. I guess you get what you pay for.

It’s under new management. The setting is as beautiful as ever. Great place for a relaxed meal. The interior could use a face-​lift, but the views are pure Hawai’i!
I like buffets, which we had, but I’ve been a fan of The Willows for years — and, unfortunately, Tretops has a long way to go to compete. :(

I came here with my friends because one of them had a Groupon. We came for brunch around 12pm. Once we arrived I remember coming here for a Senior Luau many years ago as a high school student. Sad to say it still looks the same even though I’ve heard that there are now new owners to this restaurant. The interior could definitely use an uplift. The nice hostess told us it’d be a 20 minute wait. Once we got seated we were confused as to why we had to wait that long because there were a lot of open seats. Well honestly it didn’t really bother me. We got seated and one of the first things I noticed were the water glasses were spotty. The waiter was also really nice. He was very accommodating and informed us that drinks came with the buffet and showed us where the buffet was. If you have some level of arachnophobia then don’t look at their ceilings. There so many dusts and spider webs. Thinking about how they would clean it seems like a nightmare.
As for the food, I was not unamused. It may look bland because of how they set up the buffet table, looking like it’s been sitting there forever. Food was actually pretty good. I think their best thing was their Adobo Kalua Pork, long rice and the beef stew. It wasn’t horrible but I wish there were more selections. However, did the price you’re paying, you shouldn’t expect too much.

Food was pretty gross, and I think McDonalds is pretty good– meaning, I’m not that picky. I took guests from out of town here, thinking it’d be a cool atmosphere. (We went for the lunch buffet) and the food was barely warm, and had noticeably been sitting out for a while, but the worst part was the flies that were on the food. We were the only ones at the restaurant that was set up like a banquet. The views were so so. It was just kind of depressing. I was embarrassed I had taken my guests there. Will not eat there again.

Wonderful time and delicious food! Treehouse Shrimp Special as an individual dish was wonderfully prepared by Chef Bobby. The meal was spicy and flavorful! We had a great time! The staff was friendly and customer focused! We will be back!

WORST EXPERIENCE EVER!
My grandma made reservations for her birthday, and she called twice to confirm! They definitely confirmed! We come on the day of and the manager says they are booked and that they were sorry! We had family drive all the way from the west side, for NOTHING! Just RUDE! They said they didn’t have a number to call for the reservation, when she clearly left her number! Now keep in mind we all have busy schedules and new born babies so this was a hard day to get. So he said all we can do is come back another day! Moral of the story NEVER COME HERE!!!
I would give it no stars, but it won’t let me.

Cool restaurant near Manoa Falls trailhead. I enjoyed being surrounded by Manoa’s lush greenery. This is a great place for parties, big space and parking.
Today I had their lunch buffet which had chicken, fish, and beef options, fried noodles, long rice, and a variety of salads. It was ok. I liked the fish and noodles the best out of everything. I also liked that they had taegu and boiled peanuts! The haupia was really good. We were dissapointed they didn’t have kalua pig and squid luau and other Hawaiian options we saw online. These additions would have made the buffet line alot better.
Very friendly staff!
The best part was feeling like we were in a treehouse in a jungle.

Attended a party there. Ran out of food and would only refill rice and noodles. From the start the trays were hardly filled, we all thought that they were going to refill as they went down. Our family isn’t full of large eaters either, we all took a regular amount. Food ran out for the remaining guests of the party who were at the end of the buffet line.
The PA system is not good. The party next to us would spill in to our PA system. Due to that we couldn’t even play music. We were told there was nothing we could do.
Not a good place to book a party or event. Disappointed, wanted so much for support a local business.

Ok– I normally don’t post on Unilocal — but after the food there I want others to be aware.
This place is beyond bad– they served me food where I got sick for 2 days!!!
It’s poor service/​food is the worst I HAVE EVER ate– ANYWHERE!
Don’t waste your money on this place

Worst buffet I’ve seen on the island. Groupon has a picture of a shrimp dish but there was no shrimp and this was Sunday brunch. Food was not refreshed in a timely manner. Very limited selection and poor quality. The dish washer must of been cooking that day.

The view is nice the server is sweet but the food suck so bad the oil in the food hurt my throat so bad.

Went to treetops on veterans day. Servers were ok… Too bad the food wasn’t that great.
Flies were on the dessert bar and was having a party on the cookies! Gross! The cooks and the bartender were wearing shorts, not professional at all.
Not to mention there was no «food tags» on what food was what, or what dressing was offered in the salad bar. The Jello was watery… food didn’t have much taste :(
And the chef was touching the haupia with his bare hands trying to fix and arrange it! Ugh so gross!
This is the first and last time we’ll be eating at treetops.

After you’ve seen the Manoa Waterfall, do yourself a favor and meander into the Treetops Restaurant. Don’t worry if you are muddy, sweaty and even a little stinky. The chef and owner, Bobby Rabesa, was so welcoming and very informative about the area. My friend and I ate out on the lanai and it truly feels like you are having lunch in a treehouse! The macadamia crusted fish tacos were delicious and you can’t go wrong with an ice cold beer. Plenty of parking, gorgeous views, full bar, great food, friendly owner and seasoned chef… what more could you ask for? Bobby, his staff and the Treetops are quite the gems in the middle of a beautiful rainforest! Go check them out!

FYI: This restaurant has gotten new ownership in the past year…
Chef Bobby Rabesa has brought a breath of fresh air to a space that is truly a hidden gem in Honolulu.
Located in Manoa Valley, and just far enough outside of town to give you a true rainforest feel; yet easily accessible and with ample parking for groups of all sizes, I was pleasantly surprised and impressed to with the décor and menu available 7 days a week.
I was there for lunch on a Wednesday and was offered both the Buffet at a flat-​rate price or (my preferred option) of individually — priced items (all under $ 15).
The entire staff was welcoming and accommodating to my request in seating (given the amazing surroundings, you’d be a fool not to request one of the multiple lanais — assuming you are a small group of 4 – 6.
I noticed the main room had a small stage and many tables perfect for larger events, but set up in way for day-​to-​day service.
I highly recommend for those days when you just want to get away from anything that feels like ‘town’.

«Not quite ready for prime time».
Now in all fairness, this was only the second day of business for the reincarnated Treetops Restaurant so some leeway has to be afforded to them– when your kid is learning how to ride a bike do you slam them for not controlling the bike from the get go? Of course not! You would point out the mistakes, mention where da kid did pretty well and finish it with a dash of encouragement.
So here are my impressions for today’s lunch:
As has been publicized, they have done quite a bit of remodeling and it shows. There is a beautiful platform stage with a huge poster mural of a waterfall which compliments very nicely the waterfall landscape that you see when you first enter the restaurant. That which was once a side wing on the Makai side of the restaurant is now a lounge area with a nice open bar. The luncheon buffet is located along the window area just past the lounge area.
The servers are very friendly and from hostesses to busboys everyone was doing there very best to run a smooth flowing and well timed service for the patrons. We saw one server placing the silverware and plates on the table using her fingers to get as close to an exact spacing as she could. Bravos to that gal for her attention to detail.
And how was the food? At this early stage, pedestrian at best overall. The offerings included squid luau (which I really enjoyed), kalua pig (which was pretty good), Lomi salmon (not so good, where’s da salmon?), BBQ chicken, beef stew, veggie curry (ok), chicken long rice (no taste) and a salad bar.
Now about that salad bar– no labeling of the six salad dressings, ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ chance of guessing which of the white color dressing was blue cheese and which was ranch and we guessed wrong. The salad bar items were not very chilled, seemed to be maybe just a little below room temp. (This would be of some concern on a hot summer day). The potato and mac salad offerings were on the watery side and were like they came out of a bag or tub. Watercress tofu was also watery and devoid of much taste. Didn’t bother with the Kim Chee, it looked like it was from a bottle. Dessert consisted of banana cake, Haupia cake and a chocolate cake, the banana cake having the best cake and frosting taste balance and was also the most moist.
At $ 19.95 per adult (with an additional 10% off if you are a senior (60+), the price point is not bad considering beverage is included. After February the regular buffet cost will be $ 25, and if the offerings and food executions are still the same I’m not sure if it’s worth it.
But they are off to a promising start, nice remodeling, some winners on the buffet line, a nice service crew for customers makes this restaurant a preview of what it can be-​definitely one that has better days ahead. Tweak the offerings-​then I’m hoping they will have a winnah!
For now, 2.5 stars for the food, 3 stars overall for great service and atmosphere. Will give them a try again later down the line– Good Luck Treetops Restaurant!