Jimmy Buffett's at the Beachcomber's Buffett Fest

I was sad to hear that Jimmy Buffett's at the Beachcomber would close down over the summer, but after hearing that the restaurant would be taken over by Handcrafted Restaurants LLC, which also runs Monkeypod Kitchen by Merriman, I was excited that this great restaurant would remain open.

On Saturday I had the pleasure of attending Buffett Fest at Jimmy Buffett's at the Beachcomber - my first visit to the restaurant since the new ownership.

As VIP guests we were treated to some really tasty dishes - salads, nachos, fries, and more!

Clockwise from top left: Caesar Salad; Buffalo Wings; Nachos; Organic Mixed Green Salad; Kalua Pork Quesadilla; Garlic Truffle Fries; Coconut Shrimp; Pineapple Beignets.

Jimmy Buffett's used to use a lot of frozen or pre-made items, but now they really focus on using more local and fresh ingredients, and it really makes a difference.

For instance, the fries used to be frozen, but the Garlic Truffle Fries (the same kind of fries that are on the Monkeypod Kitchen Menu) are made fresh, and the ketchup and whole grain mustard aioli are made in house.  The fries are addicting!

The Organic Mixed Green Salad, topped with bacon, Kauai chevre, and an orange ginger vinaigrette, was another fave - it was very flavorful.

It was great to see that Nachos were still on the menu. We first had the enormous platter of Nachos at the Cancun location, and we even ordered Nachos the last time we went to Jimmy Buffet's at the Beachcomber prior to the new ownership, so it's great to see that favorites were kept on the menu. With house-made chips and salsa, and Big Island Guacamole - the Nachos is definitely a crowd-pleaser!

My husband also really liked the Coconut Shrimp.

Of course I couldn't leave without having dessert, so my husband and I ordered the Pineapple Beignets.  This dessert consisted of Lost Coast Great White Beer-Battered Maui Pineapple, Local Vanilla Gelato, and a Caramel Rum Sauce made from scratch.

I honestly could've just eaten the gelato and have been in dessert bliss, but everything together was just amazing.

As if the awesome food weren't enough, the Buffett Fest featured some of Hawaii's most popular artists.  It was so great to hear Kapena and Mana`o Company live!

Throughout the event there were happy hour specials, and there was no cover for Buffett Fest!

Jimmy Buffett's will be going through more exciting changes over the next several months, and I can't wait to check them out again soon (and I hope they have more Buffett Fests!).

Jimmy Buffett's at the Beachcomber
2300 Kalakaua Ave
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 791-1200