Overview
Meridia is a resort restaurant on the Kohala Coast of Hawaiʻi Island, located at The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort. In plain terms, it is a dinner-only, sit-down place aimed at travelers who want a nicer meal with a strong view and a polished resort setting rather than a casual beach snack stop. The Google Places record and the resort’s own dining pages agree on the basic identity, address, and phone number, and there is no major sign of a mismatch or relocation issue. (maunakearesort.com)
Travelers should care because Meridia is not just another hotel restaurant: it has a clear Mediterranean-leaning menu, a serious wine and cocktail program, and a setting that is repeatedly described as one of the stronger ocean-view dining rooms on the island. Its appeal is strongest for sunset dinners, anniversaries, and resort-area meals where the location is part of the experience. (maunakearesort.com)
Cuisine & Specialties
Meridia’s food sits in a Mediterranean / Hawaii Regional Cuisine lane, with resort-dining polish and a local-ingredient emphasis. The menu is built around tapas and starters, crudo, salads, seafood, pasta, and a few richer main dishes, so it reads more like a composed dinner restaurant than a simple hotel grill. The official menu also highlights artisanal cocktails, an award-winning wine list, and daily-baked bread. (opentable.com)
- Overall menu style: Mediterranean-inspired dinner menu with Hawaiian ingredients and some Italian/Spanish influences; more upscale and chef-driven than broad resort comfort food. (opentable.com)
- Notable dishes / specialties supported by the menu:
- Paella Mixta
- Trio Crudo / Meridia Crudo
- Grilled Octopus
- Plancha Hawaiian Ahi
- Grilled Branzino
- Spanish Cheesecake
- Coconut Arancini
- Bacon-Wrapped Dates (maunakearesort.com)
- What stands out on the menu: lots of local-sourcing language and island ingredients appear in the dish descriptions, including Kona shrimp, Big Island goat cheese, Waimea greens, Hilo hearts of palm, ʻulu, and local fish. (maunakearesort.com)
- Price range / spend expectations: OpenTable lists it at $31–$50, but the menu prices suggest many diners will spend more than that once cocktails, starters, and entrées are added. In traveler terms, this is an upscale dinner bill, not a casual meal. (opentable.com)
- Dietary usefulness / limitations: There are clearly labeled gluten-free and vegetarian items, and the menu includes salads, crudo, seafood, and vegetable sides. The tradeoff is that the best-known dishes skew seafood- and dairy-forward, so strict vegan diners or people wanting a very large plant-based selection may find the options more limited. (maunakearesort.com)
Notable Features & Ambiance
Meridia is an al fresco, oceanfront resort dining room with a casual-elegant dress code and a dinner-only schedule. The setting is a major part of the draw: official descriptions emphasize Hapuna Beach views, sunsets, and a polished but not overly formal atmosphere. The restaurant also offers private lanai dinners and special event spaces, which reinforces that it is built for celebratory meals as much as everyday dining. (maunakearesort.com)
- Service model and seating style: full-service dinner restaurant; OpenTable lists patio/outdoor dining, counter seating, a bar/lounge, and private room options. Reservations are available and appear important. (opentable.com)
- Atmosphere and decor: casual-elegant, resort-polished, with sweeping ocean and sunset views; official copy and review snippets consistently frame the place as romantic and scenic rather than lively or casual. (maunakearesort.com)
- Amenities or practical features: full bar, cocktails, wine list, gluten-free options, wheelchair access, takeout, and complimentary valet / covered self-parking listed by OpenTable. The resort also notes a dining shuttle between sister properties for guests. (opentable.com)
- Best fit: sunset dinners, anniversaries, resort stays, and travelers who want a scenic, dressed-up dinner that still feels relaxed enough for vacation. (opentable.com)
- Weaker fit: people seeking a quick, cheap, or ultra-casual meal; also anyone who dislikes resort pricing or dinner-only restaurants. A few secondary reviews also suggest service and pacing can vary, which matters if you want a fast or very predictable meal. (opentable.com)
History & Background
Meridia appears to be a signature restaurant inside The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort rather than an independent neighborhood restaurant with a long standalone origin story. The most meaningful background signal is culinary leadership: the resort site says Chef Sotirios Kontos, born in Athens and shaped by Italian and Turkish heritage, leads the kitchen with a Mediterranean-rooted style and local-island ingredients. OpenTable also names executive chef Jorge Granda, so there is some chef-name inconsistency across sources that should be treated carefully. (maunakearesort.com)
Meridia has also received some recognition in its recent history, including an OpenTable note that it was named Hawaii Magazine’s 2019 Best New Big Island Restaurant and the 2018 Restaurant of the Year by the American Culinary Federation. That is useful context, but it is best read as a marketing-and-awards signal rather than proof of current quality. (opentable.com)
Review Sentiment Snapshot
What People Love
The strongest praise is for the view, the setting, and the overall “special night” feel. Review snippets and secondary summaries repeatedly mention beautiful ocean or sunset views, a polished but relaxed room, and attentive service when the restaurant is on its game. The food is often described as fresh, well-presented, and better than people expected from a resort restaurant. (opentable.com)
Popular repeat mentions include the grilled octopus, seafood dishes, paella, and desserts like the Spanish cheesecake. Cocktails and wine also get positive attention, and some travelers specifically call out the restaurant as a good anniversary or celebratory pick. (opentable.com)
Common Gripes
The main downside signal is value: several sources suggest Meridia can feel expensive, especially once drinks and appetizers are included. That complaint looks well-supported, though it is partly offset by the view and the resort setting, which many diners think justifies the spend. (opentable.com)
A second, more mixed complaint is consistency in service and pacing. Some guests report excellent, attentive service, while others note slow kitchen timing or variability depending on the night. That sounds like a recurring but not dominant issue rather than a universal problem. (opentable.com)
Practical Visitor Tips
- Hours posture: the restaurant is dinner-only, generally 5:30 PM–9:00 PM, with Google Places showing Monday and Thursday–Sunday service and Tuesday/Wednesday closed. OpenTable’s page also reflects the dinner-only pattern, but the exact weekly schedule should still be checked before you go. (maunakearesort.com)
- Reservations: strongly recommended. OpenTable shows active booking availability and notes high booking activity, which suggests this is not a reliable walk-in-first place. (opentable.com)
- Parking / access: complimentary valet parking and covered self-parking are listed on OpenTable; the restaurant is inside The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort at 62-100 Kaunaʻoa Dr. (opentable.com)
- Best timing: go for sunset if the view matters to you. If you want a calmer experience and potentially faster pacing, an early weekday seating is probably the safer bet. (maunakearesort.com)
- Ordering tips: the menu supports a good shared-plates approach; crudo, octopus, paella, and a dessert such as Spanish cheesecake are the most repeatedly surfaced items. (maunakearesort.com)
- Caveat: because the restaurant is resort-based and dinner-only, it is better for planned evenings than for spontaneous last-minute dining. The price is also high enough that value-sensitive travelers may want to weigh the view premium carefully. (opentable.com)
Verification Notes
- Official and Google records agree on the identity: Meridia, 62-100 Kaunaʻoa Dr, Waimea/Kamuela, HI, (808) 880-1111, website at
https://www.maunakearesort.com/dine/meridiaand candidate websitehttps://www.meridiarestaurant.net/redirects conceptually to the same Meridia branding context. (maunakearesort.com) - Business status appears operational and current; no closure signal found. (maunakearesort.com)
- Minor source conflict: chef attribution differs between sources. The resort page says Chef Sotirios Kontos leads the kitchen, while OpenTable lists executive chef Jorge Granda. Treat chef identity as a point to verify if chef attribution matters for the final profile. (maunakearesort.com)
Sources
- Google Places facts for Meridia —
https://maps.google.com/?cid=16618506223989520387— retrieved 2026-04-01 — Baseline identity anchor for name, address, phone, hours, rating, and operational status. - The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort / Meridia official dining page —
https://www.maunakearesort.com/dine/meridia— retrieved 2026-04-02 — Best source for official positioning, menu items, hours, dress code, chef background, and setting. - Marriott / The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort overview —
https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/koawi-the-westin-hapuna-beach-resort/overview/— retrieved 2026-04-02 — Useful for confirming the resort context, property location, and Meridia as a named dining venue in the hotel ecosystem. - OpenTable listing for Meridia —
https://www.opentable.com/r/meridia-at-hapuna-beach-resort-kamuela— retrieved 2026-04-02 — Most useful for price band, cuisine labels, booking posture, parking details, menu pricing, and recurring practical notes. - OpenTable photos / FAQ snippets for Meridia —
https://www.opentable.com/r/meridia-at-hapuna-beach-resort-kamuela/photos/8and related listing snippets — retrieved 2026-04-02 — Helpful for traveler-facing summaries of ambiance, service pacing, and best-day/visit guidance; these are secondary and should be treated as synthesized review signals rather than hard facts. - Big Island Now article on Meridia’s head chef —
https://bigislandnow.com/2025/08/02/new-head-chef-from-greece-takes-helm-at-big-islands-meridia-restaurant-along-kohala-coast/— retrieved 2026-04-02 — Useful for chef-related background and confirming the restaurant’s continued relevance in local food coverage.
