Great View, Lazy List, Order the Mai Tai
Kailua-Kona · Kailua-Kona · Hawaiian-inspired and pan-Pacific fare with a classic tiki bar · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 24, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Don the Beachcomber Restaurant & Mai Tai Bar’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Take Vibe Match and we’ll tell you what to order here.
Wingman Metrics
You walk into one of the most atmospheric tiki rooms in Hawaii — vintage decor, ocean out the window, live music warming up — and then you open the wine list and land back in a hotel banquet hall circa 2009. The wines here are an afterthought dressed up in a tropical shirt.
The list runs 20-35 bottles deep, which sounds respectable until you realize it's anchored entirely by grocery store stalwarts: Kendall-Jackson, Robert Mondavi Private Selection, Cavit, Beringer White Zinfandel. California, New Zealand, and Australia get a nod, but there's no depth, no discovery, and nothing that suggests anyone spent more than 20 minutes putting this together. You won't find a single producer here that would make a wine-curious diner pause and lean in. It's the wine equivalent of putting a plastic orchid on every table — technically a flower, but nobody's impressed.
Six to ten options by the glass in the $12–$18 range, which is fine for Hawaii pricing — except the pours are from the same uninspiring roster as the bottle list. There's no rotation, no seasonal thinking, and no sense that anyone has auditioned a new wine for this program in recent memory.
La Crema Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast — $58
At a 132% markup, this is the least egregious bottle on the list. It's still a mass-market wine, but La Crema actually makes a decent Sonoma Coast Pinot — light, food-friendly, and it won't embarrass itself next to the kalua pork. Relative to everything else here, it's your best shot at a drinkable bottle without feeling completely robbed.
Ruffino Prosecco
At $36 it's still marked up, but in this setting — ocean breeze, tiki torches, tropical appetizers — a glass of Prosecco actually makes more sense than anything else on this list. It's light, low-commitment, and won't fight the flavors of the kitchen. Most people skip it for the mai tai, and honestly that's the right call too, but if you want wine, this is the one.
Beringer White Zinfandel
A 300% markup on a $8 retail bottle of White Zin. We rest our case. This wine has no business being on any list at any price, let alone $32 a bottle at a restaurant that wants to be taken seriously.
Ruffino Prosecco + Coconut Shrimp
The light bubbles and subtle sweetness of the Prosecco play well against the crispy coconut coating and any tropical dipping sauce the kitchen throws at it. It's not a profound pairing — nothing on this list is going to be — but it's refreshing and it works, especially in the heat.
❌ The Bottom Line
Don the Beachcomber is a genuinely fun place to spend an evening in Kona, and the cocktail program absolutely earns its reputation — so get the mai tai and leave the wine list alone. If you insist on a bottle, grab the La Crema, accept your losses, and watch the sunset.
Waikoloa · Kailua-Kona · Hawaii Regional Cuisine / Asian Fusion Seafood Grill
Roy's Waikoloa is a reliable night out with food that outpaces the wine list by a full length. Drink the Sonoma-Cutrer with the butterfish, skip the markups on the obvious stuff, and let the view do the heavy lifting.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waikoloa · Kailua-Kona · Italian osteria with locally sourced Hawaiian ingredients
Pueo's isn't building a destination wine program, but it's doing something harder — keeping prices honest in a market that rarely does. Send your friends here for dinner; just know the list is a supporting character, not the headliner.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waikoloa · Kailua-Kona · Beachside Hawaiian and Pacific Rim
Come for the sand, the sunset, and the Huli Huli chicken — just don't come expecting the wine list to match the view. Order the best white they have cold, tip your server well, and make peace with it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Alii Drive · Kailua-Kona · Hawaiian-style barbecue / plate lunches
We would never send someone to TJ's for the wine list — we'd send them for the smoked brisket and the ocean view. But if you want something in a glass while you eat, the list does just enough to keep you covered, and $12 a pour is fair by Hawaii standards.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Kailua-Kona · Kailua-Kona · Contemporary American and Seafood
Come for the manta rays and the sunset, order a cocktail, and make your peace with it. The wine list is a hotel afterthought dressed in markup we can't recommend with a straight face.
Crowd Pleasers
Gouge
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Kohala Coast · Kailua-Kona · Mediterranean
Meridia has the setting, the concept, and the menu to deserve a genuinely interesting wine list — instead it serves up resort-hotel boilerplate at punishing markups. Order the paella, drink the cocktails, and save the serious wine for somewhere that cares.
Crowd Pleasers
Gouge
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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