Hula's : our favorite restaurant in Monterey, California

Hula’s Island Grill was a real favorite during our stay in Monterey in 2018. Between the owners who are amazingly friendly, the downright delicious courses and the waiters/waitresses who are extraordinarily nice and efficient, we could have settled in the restaurant and stayed there forever. During our stay in the pretty town of Monterey, at the InterContinental the Clement Monterey located on the seafront, we went there twice in a row and yet … the stay was short!

Hula’s has a very specific atmosphere. The venue has an Hawaiian decoration, with tikis everywhere, wood on the walls and always a very busy restaurant room, with an ultra warm atmosphere. In the evening, you will probably be asked for your first name, before being invited to have a cocktail while waiting to be called to sit down. If you can, choose the terrace at the back of the restaurant to enjoy the freshness of the evening. Blankets will keep you warm and you will just have to make the most of the moment. Then, just dive into the menu and tell yourself that life is good … quite simply!

We really enjoyed …

The princess loved

The princess is pretty good at defining whether or not she likes a place. In fact, either she falls in love in a minute and she feels at home, or she whispers to us “this is the last time we have lunch/dinner here”. Well, well at Hula’s, she felt at home, she even took off her shoes (a sign that she loves a place) and told us: “we’re coming back tomorrow … I love this restaurant”.

Her parents liked

We loved chatting with the owners, who are amazingly friendly and who told us about their love for France. We were amazed by the staff also. But, of course, we also fell for the vegan courses! Very rich and varied, you should love them. Note that there is a vegetarian menu, most of which can be adapted in vegan mode. We chose different courses, with an incredible choice of proteins (tempeh, vegan chicken, tofu …) and obviously, plantains, because we love it.

We recommend curries that are to die for and also the sweet potato fries which are soooo good!

And don’t forget to leave with your Hula’s t-shirt!