Roy’s Restaurant

A delicious ALOHA hour experience. Review is of bar-​seating and happy hour only.
Roy’s is a chain, but this a chain I can get behind. Food is creative, yet sensible. Selections on the HH menu seem to be well thought-​out and executed. I would not mind one bit returning to Roy’s for another HH session, nor would I mind returning for a full out meal.
My friend and I dined on a Tuesday afternoon around 5 PM. We sat ourselves at the bar, which was empty, but became full as we passed out time there. Our bartender was congenial and happy with us, except toward the end when he realized I would only be having one cocktail during my time there.
Ordered:
Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos ($ 6) — A decent little presentation of hard-​shelled tacos filled to the brim with Mahi Mahi. I did like the tacos, but wish the fish had been more prevalent. There was quite a bit of some kind of sauce in there that I could have done without and just had the fish. It was still good.
Ahi Roll ($ 6) — A very nice roll presented on a plate of sauce with wasabi and ginger. Soy sauce and chopsticks were provided. The roll was good enough for me, but I have had better at restaurants that specialize in sushi alone. But do not take that as the roll being disappointing and bad, as it was good and met my expectations.
Wagyu Sliders & Sweet Potato Fries ($) — I shared this with my friend. The slider was delicious. Very juicy and the meat was so incredibly tender. It comes on a pretzel type bread which is presented with great care. The fries were very yummy and a delicious alternative to plain-​ol French fries.
Texas Blackberry Lemondrop — Off of their specialty cocktail menu this drink was recommended to me by the bartender. It is a beautiful magenta color served in a martini glass with a mint leaf on top. The drink is very refreshing without a harsh alcohol flavor. I doubt it will get you anywhere near being drunk, but it’s still a nice concoction.
Overall: Food, while good was not perfect. However, it is definitely high ranking. The bartender’s service was also pleasant and I believe my friend and I had a nice time here. The lighting is a bit dim, but once you’re inside for a bit you do adjust.
I want to go back to try a full-​out meal (and definitely try their butterfish I hear so much about!)

Happy Hour at Roy’s is called «Aloha Hour», which is all about their $ 6.00 appetizers and drinks. Having never been to Roy’s, their Aloha Hour provided the perfect chance for me to try their food.
APPETIZERS
+ Smoked Mahi Mahi Tacos (3 tacos): First bite and I thought I was biting into baloney. It wasn’t the texture, but the taste. The sliced jalapeño and seasonings mixed with the mahi gave off the first taste impression, but with each bite I was able to get the full effect of the flavors. Despite first impressions, I did like the tacos and how they were served in crunchy miniature shells.
+ Big Island Ebi Roll: This roll left me disappointed. Essentially, it’s a Philadelphia Roll. Too much cream cheese and not enough of whatever else is supposed to be in this roll. I didn’t taste any of the coconut or mango as noted in the description, nor did I taste any of the spiciness from the habanero aioli. The shrimp tempura, hm, I don’t even recall taking a bite into something crunchy, which is what I expect from shrimp tempura; everything on the inside was soft.
+ Wagyu Sliders (2 sliders): My friend and I split an order to top off our hour at Roy’s. The meat was juicy and the bread had a nice crunch. Sweet potato fries accompany the sliders. Some of the fries were limp.
SERVICE
Good, though, in the beginning, our orders weren’t all delivered together. But the bartender and manager did do their best to make sure we were taken care of.
OVERALL
I have to give Roy’s a 3.5. The Aloha Hour prices are great and the service was good. However, I was expecting the food to be better than it was.

I went here on January 22, 2013 and it was extremely quiet for a holiday night. The servers were all friendly. And I also checked in on Unilocal and got a free martini for doing so. So be sure to check in maybe you’ll get a free Hawaiian martini too!

I seem to have perpetual Roy’s amnesia. I go, I love it, but then forget that it’s a GREAT restaurant. Then, I get some coupon in the mail, go back, and say «F*&^, why don’t I come here more often?»
I NEED to come here more often because: Butterfish.
OMG, they do a great butterfish. They also do a great blackened ahi. Actually, in general, they do great fish. It’s always perfectly prepared and fresh tasting. Much love to the Roy’s chefs on that.
I generally stick to the fish but I have had the chocolate soufflé. The soufflé is a lick-​your-​plate-​clean kind of dish. Warm, dark chocolate soufflé topped with raspberry sauce and vanilla ice cream. What’s not to like?
Service is generally fast and friendly and they give you free edamame. Yeah, it’s a chain, but for what they do, they do it well.
P. S. — As of this date, free Hawaiian Martini with Unilocal check-​in.

Awesome place!!! We had our Dinner Rehearsal here! I have to say the staff that handled or served us were amazing. Our party (50 at least).yep big group were satisfied.
We had the custom dinner menu .For our appetizer, we had the Family Style Canoe (Lobster Potstickers, Tempura Crusted Ahi Sushi Roll, Szechuan Spiced Baby Back Ribs, Blackened Island Ahi).all I can say is they were so good. the one that stood out for me was the Szechuan Spiced Baby Back Ribs… they were damn tasty!!! For salad we had the one that’s called Sweet Home Waimanalo Salad Dean Okimoto’s Creamy Herb Dressing… that creamy herb dressing was the BOMB. For our main entrée. each guest had a choice of Hibachi Grilled Salmon with Japanese Citrus Ponzu ;Tender Braised Beef Short Ribs with Mashed Potatoes, Broccolini in Garlic Butter; Pan Roasted Chicken Breast with Herb & Garlic Chicken Jus… and there’s another one… I forgot what it was… I chose the Pan Roasted Chicken. the chicken was moist and tender… the other dish looked good too!!! The Hibachi Grilled Salmon that my son chose was excellent (I should have picked that) .As for the dessert, it was a dessert sampler plate… very small but very good =)
I felt that the main highlight of our dinner was Roy’s Restaurant Staff… they all made us feel Special =)

CONDENSED IN A SOUP CAN: Stay away from the sushi rolls and you will be one happy camper. They also have an awesome selection of $ 5 – 6 food and drink items during their happy hour (4:30−6pm).
THE MEAT: The main reason why I wanted to go to Roy’s was I saw on a food show that they have given birth to the seared tuna dish, and that they do it very well. In spite of being a franchise that has been mushroomed around the world from Hawaii in 1988, and as their serving dishes shall suggest a probable need for presentation updates, they have managed to maintain consistently high reviews from customers. I was excited to try it for the very first time.
Aside from the very cute (colored) coloring comic book, the first pleasant surprise was a free nibbling platter they handed my toddler as soon as we were settled with our drinks — Cheese quesadillas, carrots, celery, apples and a ranch dip. I ADORE places that pay attention to these details in cheering up the customers.
We ordered the Ahi Poke (pretty good, but the nori chips had sat out too long and were chewy), the Schezuan spiced pork ribs (fatty, tender and tasty goodness), the Ebi roll topped with tuna (they had unfortunately discontinued Auntie Lei’s Roll with hamachi, and this was what the waiter had suggested… although the shrimp was large and fresh, it was still quite disappointing. stick to sushi joints for sushi rolls), the Mai Tai (was excellent, the cocktails on the other tables looked damn good as well), and finally the Blackened Ahi. We ordered the appetizer portion and when it came out, it didn’t look very pretty. But one bite of the tuna with the spiced crust and sweet/​salty sauce and I was in heaven. It was a large piece of good tuna, only ever so slightly spiced and seared, and it was perfection. Well, we had to ask for extra dipping sauce to achieve nirvana.
We had no more room to try the butterfish and chocolate soufflé. Definitely good reasons to go back, together with repeats for the Blackened Ahi. And perhaps an abuse of the happy hour with a group of friends.
I’M STILL DIGESTING… The fact that the interiors of the main dining area was uberly dim. Makes me feel like I’m in an 80s restaurant. Good for hiding zits or mistresses. We stayed in the beautiful porch outdoors.
WANT TO SEE SOME FOOD PORN? :-)
Free kiddie nibbling platter
Mai Tai
Ahi Poke
Blackened Ahi
Schezuan Spiced Pork Ribs
Ebi Roll

Rarely do I get the chance to post a five star review but everything was excellent at Roy’s on Saturday night. It was my girlfriend’s mom’s 82^nd birthday and they could not have been more gracious or hospitable.
It started with menus that were special for our table wishing her a Happy Birthday, waiters that catered and understood how 80+ year olds are and did everything they could to make us comfortable.
The waiter even showed up with a camera, took a group shot of all of us at the table and then came back with the pic and a nice little frame as a memento of the night. Plus they took those one page additions to our menu and rolled them all up and gave them to her.
OH YEAH, and the food was great as well. Presentation was excellent, hot and flavorful.
Under the «you get what you pay for» column, Roy’s delivers!

It was decent and fun to have this asian fusion of a menu. I met here with old friend’s from college. The server was great. The drinks delicious. I got a Unilocal free welcome drink. That was a plus.
The food was decent. But it wasn’t high end enough or commercialized enough to get a 4 star. If it was more commercialized and outlandish it would be a novelty type place. If it was chic-​er it could be considered upscale.
The food could have been good for either. But the ambiance for me made it a bit not either…
Food: decent
Waitstaff: good
Ambiance: confused…
This is like a 3.5 for me…

Get there at 4:30 for the happy hour… the menu is not as good as I thought… Order a couple drinks and two dish from the happy hour menu and get another combo appetizer… the food is just fine but the severs are great…
I have been to the one in AZ… the food is better over there… wondering WHY? :(

This place is great! The service is excellent and the food is delicious. I stopped in for the happy hour I’ve heard such good things about… And everyone was right. I had the sliders which come with fries, the mini beef tacos, and crème brûlée. And I ate it all. (Don’t judge me.)
I sat at the bar and I wish I had gotten my server’s name because he should be recognized for providing such great service. You can tell everyone really enjoys their jobs here. I’ll definitely be back.

One of those spots… That hits the spot ! $$ is worth the bucks.
You can’t go wrong with the selections.

Having lived in Vegas for just 6 months, we are still exploring the non-​strip restaurants. This time we hit gold.
A previous review said this was a cookie cutter chain. It maybe. I did not explore their corporate structure but it in no way feels like it. We went to the happy hour and did a couple of appetizers and the Hawaiian Martinis. Tip — if you check into Unilocal while you are there you get a FREE Hawaiian Martini!
On Monday’s they feature a three course meal for $ 36.95. Appetizer, main course and desert. You can choose from almost any item on the menu to build your meal. If you are a calamari fan, DO NOT MISS the calamari appetizer. We all had Butter Fish as the main course and it was amazing. My favorite of the desserts was the pineapple upside down cake.
Our server was Dan. We gave him the task of choosing what appetizers and desserts to bring. He was spot on. If I owned a restaurant, I would try and steal him away. He was very attentive and helpful.
This is my new favorite restaurant.

My wonderful friend is moving away so we have been trying to spend some time together so we went to Roy’s.
They honored my Unilocal check-​in offer (wow, what a concept-​unlike Nittayas Secret Kitchen) and the Hawaiian Martini was fabulous! I even ordered it as we were paying our bill and our waiter brought it right away. He was great! Very nice, genuine and offered friendly service. He made some excellent recommendations and was gracious when I told him I didn’t like one of the rolls he brought out. He took it off our bill.
This was my first time at Roy’s in Las Vegas, and they brought out some complimentary items for us to try (some edename and pork ribs-​yummy).
I frequented Roy’s in Scottsdale quite often so I didn’t even open a menu. The butterfish is always a favorite. I actually had butterfish for the first time in South Africa and it was prepared like its namesake. When I saw it on Roy’s menu and ordered it I knew it would be a marriage made in heaven and I’ve been ordering it every time I visit. Tuna roll was very good but I skipped on dessert which is always the Lava cake, because after shopping at Zara’s I decided to pass on the extra calories!

A regular 1000 pointer on Opentable we gave this a try thinking it was a chain so it wouldn’t be that good. We arrived and were greated with the nicest hostess ever. WAfter being escorted to our table we were given a sampler of their appetizer specialty, lobster potstickers. They also brought a special appetizer for our daughter including quesadilla, carrots, etc… she was in heaven. First place I have been in in a long time that didn’t make her feel like she was a third wheel or offer her only boring dishes. The food was great, the service incredible and the desert fabulous. Their fish is cooked to perfection and their choices are varied. I wish the prices were a little cheaper but they do offer fixed price dinners for reasonable prices. I would spread out the tables a bit more, we were close to our neighbors and overheard their whole conversation.
Still, a must go treasure in Summerlin.

Review for Restaurant Week 2011 menu:
Service started with a small bowl of edamame. Another restaurant that does something than give you a bread basket. Good idea.
Course 1: Lobster pot stickers with miso butter sauce. The pot stickers were grilled perfectly and the plating was nicely done. I expected a stronger lobster flavor, but it is ground filling so maybe my expectations were too high. They were very tasty.
Course 2: Macadamia nut encrusted mahi mahi eith lobster essence. The mahi mahi was tender and soft as it should be and it was moist and cooked perfectly. There was a base of a small amount of potato purée that held some red potato slices on which the mahi mahi was placed. It was crowned by asparagus spears. A fine main course and just the right amount.
Course 3: Melting hot chocolate soufflé with raspberry sauce and vanilla bean ice cream. This isn’t a traditional soufflé, but it comes close to it. The melted chocolate inside was very hot and you needed to wait for it to cool before really trying more than the tiniest taste.
Service: Everyone was great! When i was seated, I was in the dining room at a table meant for 4 people. I had noticed the kitchen bar/​sushi bar seating when I was going to my table. I asked the hostess if I could sit there instead and she said, «You can sit just about anywhere you want. Come on.»
I like restaurants that have a counter area that overlooks the cooks doing their thing. I also had a good time talking with a couple of them and they showed me some of the dishes they had made before they were served because they noticed my inquisitive look at what they were doing. This made the meal all the more enjoyable!
My server was there to ask how each course was after I had chance to try them, and he refilled my iced tea promptly. Altogether, this was a wonderful dining experience. I am sure I’ll be returning to Roy’s. This RW menu gave me a good taste of their food and the whole experience showed me what they’re like.

We’ve had a GC since christmas and figured restaurant week was a good time to use it. We’ve never been to Roy’s since we tend to stray from chains, but I have heard good things so it seemed promising.
We chose the following from the $ 50.11 Restaurant Week menu:
First Course
Panko Crisped Calamari with Macadamia Nuts, Orange Chili Glaze & Yuzu Aioli and Wood Grilled Szechuan Spiced Pork Ribs.
Second Course
Shellfish Sampler; Butter Poached Half Lobster Tail, Seared Crab Cake, U10 Sea Scallop & Shrimp with Macadamia Nut Pesto Risotto and Roy’s Roasted Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi with Maine Lobster Essence.
Third Course
Mascarpone Cheesecake with Coconut Crust, Lemon Crème Anglaise & Blueberry Syrup and Roy’s Melting Hot Chocolate Soufflé with Raspberry Sauce & Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.
We both felt «meh» about the whole experience. Service was discombobulated, I made a reservation but they couldn’t find it. They were slow to attend to us at first. We were also seriously distracted by the family behind us, they thought it was a good idea to keep their kiddo occupied by watching cartoons on an iPad. Fine if you have earphones, but not acceptable otherwise especially when average checks are $ 50 per person.
As for the meal, we enjoyed the edamame to start. It’s such a great alternative to bread. Our appetizers were ok. The calamari was very tender, but there was a hint of seasoning I didn’t care for it was sweet and bitter. My husband didn’t mind it as much. The ribs had a nice char and good flavor, but they were tough and had too much gristle. The shellfish sampler was terrible. All of it was overcooked, and the flavor was poor. Majority has hardly edible, and the risotto was no better. I definitely chose the better entrée. It was overcooked, but otherwise I thought it was decently executed. Desserts didn’t impress either. The soufflé was chalky. The highlight was the ice cream. My cheesecake was passable, but I really only enjoyed the blueberry syrup.
Not the best way to kick off restaurant week, but on the other hand it set the bar pretty low. I feel like it can only get better.

This is the holy grail of restaurants for parents… a place that is kid-​friendly AND has good food. I didn’t think it was possible. Based on all the family-​friendly spots we’ve been to, this one has the best food. Now, I don’t think it’s on par with elite restaurants on the Strip, but it’s still very tasty.
What really makes this place special is the value — a happy hour (from 4:30 — 6:30) where appetizers, wine, and cocktails are $ 5 and Kona pale ale is $ 3. They also have a three course prix-​fixe menu for $ 35.
The mixed green salad ($ 7.95 and not on the HH menu) was respectable, although not the sexiest dish. Both the tempura crusted spicy ahi roll and crunchy lobster potstickers were delicious fusion options worth getting again. The wagyu sliders (2 per order) were tender and juicy and sat on a pretzel-​like bun. They were accompanied by garlic sweet potato fries. The biggest letdown was the salt and pepper crisped calamari. While the sweet and spicy flavor was enjoyable and the addition of macadamia nuts was a nice contrast in texture, it was a heavy dish that could have benefited from having the sauce on the side.
The kid menu isn’t cheap — at $ 13 — but it does come with three courses. The appetizer is a cheese quesadilla with sliced apples, celery and carrots. There are six kid entrees to choose from. The final course is either a sundae or fresh fruit (guess which one my kid chose).
Another pleasant surprise was the quality of service. From the host and hostess to our waiter and food runners… everyone was warm and welcoming. It’s almost commonplace to walk into a «nice» restaurant with a child and suffer poor service from employees who don’t want you there. So, getting the kind of attention and friendliness that we received was shocking. That level of care will turn us into repeat customers, as there’s no doubt we’ll be back, whether or not it’s for a family night out or a date night.

This review is just based on their Happy Hour! I’ve been here for dinner and I think that it’s pretty marvelous, but that’s for some other day.
Everything on the Happy Hour menu is $ 5! They have some good food items, Wagyu Sliders, Calamari and the Potstickers were my favorite. Hard alcohol is not $ 5 unless you get something that is a Roy’s specialty cocktail. The Strawberry Basil Martini is definitely the drink to drink if you are like me that likes something sweet but not too sweet. It is definitely marvelous!
Service was good, they have the patio and sushi bar for Happy Hour open too, so that way there’s a whole bunch of Happy Hour tables.
I definitely will be back!

I had thought I had posted a review for Roy’s when I dined here last year for Restaurant Week, but I guess I didn’t. That’s OK, because I wanted to post a new review after eating here last week for my mom’s birthday, and make sure that i gave Roy’s 5 stars.
First, I made reservations online, and since my mom has food allergies, I typed some information into the box that asked about it on their site. It also asked me if we were celebrating a birthday, which we were.
When we arrived, we were seated and discovered that they had a special «Happy Birthday Susan» paper printed out and inserted into our menus. What a cool idea. After we ordered and they took our menus, they rolled up the papers with a ribbon as a gift. They also took our picture and printed it out and put it in a paper frame for us to keep. On top of that, a few different employees stopped by the table to wish her a happy birthday. No annoying birthday song, but everything Roy’s did to celebrate was very classy.
On to the food! I had their prix fixe menu and had the trout along with a shrimp cake appetizer. My girlfriend had a shrimp dish, and my mom had the halibut. We all enjoyed our meals immensely, and the staff brought up my mom’s food allergies I had typed in before we mentioned it in person.
For me, it was all a precursor to dessert, though, where I had the chocolate lava cake that came with the prix fixe dinner. This is simply the best dessert I’ve ever had, and I’d eat actual lava as a main course just to get to the dessert. They also brought vanilla bean crème brule with a candle in it for my mom, on the house of course.
Our server Justin was great, as was the rest of the staff at Roy’s. Definitely a place I’ll be celebrating special occasions at in the future.

Roy’s Aloha Hour was the newest addition this summer to this Asian-​Fusion restaurant hailing from Hawai’i. On Mondays through Fridays, from 4:30 pm to 7 pm, $ 5 menu items for drinks and food are available.
Of course, when we arrived the past Friday we didn’t know about this special hour. So our dinner reservations (celebrating Restaurant Week) turned into a happy hour feast.
Taking a seat outside to enjoy the warm late summer evening, we looked over the drink menus. With quite a selection, we began with:

* 1988 «A tribute to our opening year in Honolulu. Perfectly balanced blend of tart grapefruit and tangy pomegranate with ABSOLUT Ruby Red Vodka, SOHO Lychee Liqueur and Patron Citronge Liqueur echoes the idyllic island lifestyle.» (HH $ 5) — Delicious. This was the Husband’s drink choice and I didn’t give it a second thought because it had grapefruit in it. However, I caught a whiff of the lychee and couldn’t resist taking a sip. It was good, without the bitterness of grapefruit. For my second drink and his, we both ordered one of these.
* Mango Mojito «Fresh mango purée blended with Bacardi Limon Rum, hand-​squeezed lime juice and freshly muddled mint.» (HH $ 5)
* Kalua Pork Grilled Cheese Sandwich «Garlic Parmesan Fries» (HH $ 5) — This was my first drink choice and it was decent. It wasn’t as great as the 1988 though.
Food bites:
* Chicken & Shitake Mushroom Lettuce Wraps «Chili Hoisin Dipping Sauce» (HH $ 5) — A generous portion of bibb lettuce leaves and stuffing sat in a three sectioned platter along with the dipping sauce. It probably could have been presented a bit better. The lettuce wraps were okay, a bit too sweet though. The Husband found it to be rather mushy, and I would have to be agree. Not the highlight from this menu.
* Crispy Mochiko Chicken Bites «Madras Curry Aioli» (HH $ 5) — Served in a bamboo steamer, a generous portion of chicken and dipping sauce arrived. I was pleasantly surprised by the tasty chicken and the sauce complemented it nicely.
* Spicy Tuna Roll «Spicy Tuna, Cucumber, Kaiware» (HH $ 5) — A simple roll cut into 8 pieces, but very good. They do their sushi rice well here. We ordered another one.
* Japanese Shishito Peppers «Sweet Su Miso Sauce» (HH $ 5) — A surprise and delightful find. We’ve had this elsewhere, but it was so much better here. So good we ordered another. I didn’t use the dipping sauce, rather I dipped it back in the sauce it came in.
* Kalua Pork Grilled Cheese Sandwich «Garlic Parmesan Fries» (HH $ 5) — Sliced into two triangles, the sandwich looked exciting from across the table. Then I noticed the bread, it’s a lot thicker and softer, and I prefer it crispier as well. The shredded cheese wasn’t melted all the way, which I think contributed to the lack of gooeyness one expects from a grilled cheese sandwich. I didn’t even notice the pork in the sandwich as a result. The fries were good though.
Service was okay, not as stellar as I have expected from the Roy’s chain though.
3.5 stars.