The Crooked Surf - Deep Research Report

Overview

The Crooked Surf is a resort bar-and-restaurant on Kauai’s Coconut Coast, inside the Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort at 650 Aleka Loop in Kapaʻa. It is still operating, and the current Google record lines up with the hotel’s own dining page: same address, same phone number, and daily hours from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM. (marriott.com)

For a traveler, the main draw is not culinary fine dining so much as the setting: oceanfront/poolside seating, tropical drinks, and an easygoing resort atmosphere. It fits best as a casual lunch, sunset drink, or relaxed dinner stop for people who want scenery and a lively hotel-bar feel. (marriott.com)

Cuisine & Specialties

The Crooked Surf sits in the casual Hawaiian-regional / resort-bar lane. Current resort copy describes the menu as “lighter fare” with signature cocktails, while reviews and menu snippets show a mix of island-leaning appetizers, sandwiches, bowls, tacos, burgers, and bar snacks rather than a large, chef-driven dinner menu. (marriott.com)

• Overall menu style: light fare, tropical cocktails, and casual bar food with Hawaiian and American influences. (marriott.com)
• Notable dishes and drinks with support: loco moco, seared ahi tuna BLT, poke bowls/nachos, fish tacos, Big Kahuna burger, chicken wings, hurricane fries, edamame, and tropical cocktails such as Mai Tais / signature resort drinks. (tripadvisor.com)
• Price expectations: traveler sources place it in the budget-to-moderate resort range, roughly “$30 and under” or “$$ - $$$,” with several reviews warning that some dishes feel expensive for the quality. (opentable.com)
• Dietary usefulness: there are workable vegetarian and vegan-adaptable options, including tofu/vegetable bowl, kimchi edamame, house salad, and vegetable fried rice; however, the place still reads as meat- and seafood-forward, and vegan diners may need substitutions. (happycow.net)

Notable Features & Ambiance

The Crooked Surf is an oceanfront, poolside resort venue with outdoor seating and a strong tiki-bar identity. The setting is the big reason to go: people come for the view, the easy access from the beach/pool area, and the lively resort atmosphere more than for a highly distinctive kitchen. (marriott.com)

• Service model and seating: resort bar/restaurant with outdoor patio seating; reservation systems appear inconsistent, and at least one source says it often operates first-come, first-served despite being bookable through OpenTable. (opentable.com)
• Atmosphere and decor: casual, sociable, surf/tiki-oriented, and often lively; live music and a bar scene are recurring themes in guest feedback and hotel context. (royalcoconutcoast.com)
• Practical features: on-property resort location, ocean views, poolside access, outdoor seating, and family-friendly features are all supported; Marriott also lists the dress code as casual. (marriott.com)
• Best fit: a sunset drink, casual lunch, resort-day meal, or low-stakes dinner where scenery and atmosphere matter. (opentable.com)
• Weaker fit: travelers seeking a quiet meal, highly polished service, or destination-level food may find it too loud, too casual, or too variable. (opentable.com)

History & Background

The restaurant is tied to the 2019 rebranding/transformation of what had been the Courtyard by Marriott Kauai at Coconut Beach into the Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort. The Crooked Surf’s name was presented at opening as a nod to the curved surf that breaks on the Kapaʻa shoreline, which gives it more local place-based identity than a generic hotel bar. (royalcoconutcoast.com)

Review Sentiment Snapshot

What People Love

Guests repeatedly praise the setting: ocean views, outdoor/poolside seating, sunset appeal, and the relaxed tiki-bar mood. Food favorites that come up more than once include fish tacos, ahi sandwiches/BLTs, loco moco, wings, and poke-style dishes. Friendly staff and lively evenings with live music also show up often in positive reviews. (tripadvisor.com)

Common Gripes

The main criticism is value: multiple reviewers say the food can feel average or underwhelming for the price, and cocktails sometimes get described as weak or unimpressive. Service is generally not the dominant complaint, but it does appear in mixed form during busy periods, and a few reviews mention cold food or inconsistent execution. These downsides are moderately supported across several review sources rather than isolated to one offhand remark. (tripadvisor.com)

Practical Visitor Tips

• Current operating hours are posted as daily 11:00 AM–10:00 PM on the resort dining page and in Google’s record. (marriott.com)
• If you want a calmer visit, earlier lunch or early dinner on a weekday is the safest bet; evenings and weekends skew livelier. (opentable.com)
• Expect a casual resort-bar experience rather than formal table service. One current source suggests reservations can be unreliable in practice, so calling ahead may be wiser than assuming an online booking will be honored. (opentable.com)
• The restaurant is on the Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort property at 650 Aleka Loop, Kapaʻa, HI 96746; that hotel context matters for parking, access, and the resort-style setting. (marriott.com)
• If you are vegetarian or vegan, there are usable options, but you will likely need to customize. If you want a food-first meal, temper expectations; if you want views and drinks, this place is a better fit. (happycow.net)

Verification Notes

• Official and current identity matches the baseline record: The Crooked Surf, 650 Aleka Loop, Kapaʻa, HI 96746, phone (808) 320-3685 / +1 808-320-3685. (marriott.com)
• Business status appears operational; no closure signal found. (marriott.com)
• One small drift to note: some third-party sources list (808) 320-3651 instead of (808) 320-3685; the Marriott/Google baseline supports 3685, so treat the alternate number as stale or erroneous. (happycow.net)
• No major verification issues found otherwise. (marriott.com)

Sources

• Marriott Bonvoy – Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort dining page — https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/lihsk-sheraton-kauai-coconut-beach-resort/dining/ — retrieved 2026-04-03. Useful for current official identity, hours, dress code, and the resort’s own description of The Crooked Surf as oceanfront/poolside with lighter fare and signature cocktails.
• Marriott Bonvoy – Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort overview page — https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/lihsk-sheraton-kauai-coconut-beach-resort/overview/ — retrieved 2026-04-03. Useful for confirming the restaurant’s resort setting, oceanfront location, and broader property context.
• OpenTable listing for The Crooked Surf at the Sheraton Coconut Beach Resort — https://www.opentable.com/restaurant/profile/1294858 — retrieved 2026-04-03. Useful for current hours, traveler-facing positioning, and notes about reservations / walk-in expectations.
• Royal Coconut Coast news article on Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach debut — https://royalcoconutcoast.com/sheraton-kauai-coconut-beach-makes-its-debut/ — retrieved 2026-04-03. Useful for backstory: the 2019 resort transformation, the former Courtyard by Marriott identity, and the origin of the Crooked Surf name.
• Tripadvisor restaurant listing for The Crooked Surf — https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60616-d20266673-Reviews-The_Crooked_Surf-Kapaa_Kauai_Hawaii.html — retrieved 2026-04-03. Useful for recurring guest sentiment, dish mentions, price/feature context, and live-music/value complaints.
• Restaurantji listing for The Crooked Surf — https://www.restaurantji.com/hi/kapaa/the-crooked-surf-/ — retrieved 2026-04-03. Useful for repeat mentions of ocean views, menu items, open-until-10PM hours, and mixed reviews about food temperature/service.
• HappyCow listing for The Crooked Surf — https://www.happycow.net/reviews/the-crooked-surf-kapaa-446121 — retrieved 2026-04-03. Useful for vegetarian/vegan adaptability and confirming some menu flexibility, while also showing the restaurant is still active.