I just came back from the Bubba Gump restaurant at Ala Moana Shopping Center in Honolulu. I decided to write this review while I have my experience from the restaurant still fresh.

Ok, I did not go there today because I planned to. I first wanted to go to the next door Mai Tai Bar but it was crowded (recently it is always crowded when I want to go there), so I had to choose between California Pizza, Island Burgers, Romano’s Macaroni Grill and the Bubba Gump. I often times go to California Pizza, Island Burgers and Romano’s Macaroni Grill, so I decided to go to the Bubba Gump for a change. It was not my first time at Bubba Gump, but it is my first time I will write review on it.

Well, we (my partner and I) went in and we requested to be seated at a quiet table. The person at the front desk said ok. Then the sitting lady took us to the middle of one of their dining rooms and wanted to seat us there. Since the location appeared noisy to us we asked to be seated to another table. Then the lady said there was not quiet table and she dropped our silverware to the neighboring side table and without to look at us at all she left. So that was a kind welcome, was not it?

Anyway, we sat in and we ordered some food. Since their menu is mainly shrimpy so to say, we took the popcorn shrimp, a caser salad, fried fish and fries. I had mai tai too. I first wanted to have wine but I did not see any in the menu they gave. I guess you are supposed to ask for a wine menu if you want wine.

The popcorn shrimp was good. We know it from the mai tai bar where we always order it. The salad was good too, and the fried fish was acceptable, although nothing so special. The server guy was overall ok too, although often times he asked us if food is ok. I don’t get it why in US restaurants they ask you the same question (if the food is ok) every 5-10 minutes. Don’t they know this is annoying?

So what we did not like at all at the restaurant was the loud music. First of all the music was not appropriate for eating at all – it was some sort of rock ‘n roll music and the volume was so high that it made me feel like we are in a disco club. I felt nervous all the time while I was eating. This is definitely what I don’t like about Bubba Gump and many other restaurants that play music so loud.

Another thing I don’t like, and I don’t really understand in the US is why you have to be seated at a table chosen by your seating person. Why can’t you just sit wherever you want, just like it is in Europe? The US, the country that talks about freedom, does not even give you the freedom to choose your table, then what freedom are they talking about?? And this is just an instance of the freedom question; let’s not dig further into it now because it will get completely out of topic of this review. Therefore I will stop here, and just continue the freedom conversation on my own, in my mind.

But let me tell you one thing, if you are like me, a person who likes to dine at quiet atmosphere, go to the Ocean House in Waikiki. It is not the first time I refer this restaurant and I really don’t mean to make them free advertisement, but it is just so different than places like Bubba Gump.