By Susan Halas

The salad portions are generous and come to the table nicely composed. Susan Halas photo.

The ever popular Roy’s Restaurant relocated from Kahana to Ka’anapali earlier this year.

Starting a few weeks ago they began serving lunch. The new location at the Ka’anapali Golf Course Club House has yet to install a permanent sign, but the new digs are easy to find: it’s the first building on the right immediately on entering the Ka’anapali Resort.

There are lots of reasons why Roy’s is worth a try. The food is fresh and flavorful and the portions abundant. The service was outstanding, attentive without hovering. When a mishap or two occurred it was nicely handled and rapidly remedied.

Lahaina Realtor Mac Lowson joined Maui Now to sample the lunch menu which offered an appealing selection of appetizers, salads, burgers, sandwiches and pasta priced $12 – $23.

The appetizers, including onion soup, crab cakes, spring rolls, baby back ribs and ahi poke, were about $6-$19. Lunch for two, including a non-alcoholic beverage, averages in the $40 range + tip.

For those who remember the old Roy’s as a noisy place where conversation was sometimes difficult, the ambiance at the new Roy’s is blessedly low-key. Perhaps this is because the dining room is, so far, thinly populated at lunch. But hopefully, as the traffic picks up, the atmosphere will remain serene.

Tonkatsu Club and Roy’s Burger Suggested

Justin Zeches, Roy’s Ka’anapali general manager, made a variety of suggestions including the Pork Tonkatsu Club ($15) which is local favorite breaded pork loin incorporated into a BLT sandwich. He also said the Roy’s Burger ($15), a sirloin burger with brie on a brioche, was proving to be one of their most popular menu items at lunch.

Mac Lowson sampled a tray of appetizers. He gave thumbs up to the poke. Susan Halas photo.

Joey Macadangdang, the executive chef, prepared a sampling of appetizers. Our hands down favorite was the ahi poki (a good-sized bowl is a menu regular at $19). Also good (though not on the menu) was the blackened ahi wrapped with a strip of flavorful compache and served with a soy vinegar dressing. We devoured these and other selections, then opted for salads as the main course.

Lowson selected the chopped Caesar salad ($12 regular, topped with the catch of the day, $23). It came to the table with plenty of eye appeal and a plate large enough to keep him busy through a long lunch.

Maui Now chose the Cobb salad, a classic dish of butter lettuce with lots of bacon bits, Kula corn, blue cheese, topped with a  half artichoke. There were the traditional hard boiled eggs on the side and it was dressed with a light sherry vinaigrette.

This was a very big portion, far larger than we could eat in one sitting. The server cheerfully boxed it in an environmentally friendly carry-out container; it was just as good (maybe even better) when we polished it off as a late night snack.

Roy’s Famous Chocolate Souffle Still Scrumptious

Roy's famous chocolate souffle lives up to it's reputation. Hot, creamy and sinfully delicious. Susan Halas photo.

Who could eat at Roy’s without ordering their famous chocolate soufflé? Or as Lowson put it, “My mother-in-law flies in from Wisconsin just to eat that dessert.” Be it a visiting relative or a hungry local duo, this small but mighty dish is scrumptious and its reputation well deserved.

The inside is soft, hot, creamy and the chocolate flavor is intense. The outside is firmer, equally chocolaty and just as good. It’s served with a scoop of ice cream ringed with nuts. One serving was more than enough for two people. We couldn’t eat it all.

Though Roy’s presently does not presently offer kama’aina  discounts, the GM did mention that it does advertise in various visitor publications. A frequent incentive, he said,  is “buy an entree and get the chocolate soufflé at no additional charge.”

Roy's is open for lunch in the Ka'anapali Golf Course Club House. Susan Halas photo.

Roy’s Ka’anapali
2290 Ka’anapali Parkway
(Kaanapali Golf Course Club House)
Lahaina 669-6999
Lunch 11-2; Dinner 5:30 -10
Pupus served between lunch and dinner.
Full bar available

Reservations advised for dinner though not yet necessary for lunch.