Watch Manta Rays While You Dine At The Most Unique Restaurant In Hawaii
By Megan Shute|Published June 14, 2019
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Megan Shute
Author
With more than 10 years of experience as a professional writer, Megan holds a degree in Mass Media from her home state of Minnesota. After college, she chose to trade in her winter boots for slippahs and moved to the beautiful island of Oahu, where she has been living for more than five years. She lives on the west side but is constantly taking mini-road trips across the island and visits the neighboring islands whenever she can getaway. She loves hiking, snorkeling, locally-grown coffee, and finding the best acai bowl on Oahu.
There’s no doubt in our minds that the Hawaiian Islands are home to some incredible restaurants, and while it can be easily argued that the food is the most important aspect of a restaurant, ambiance also plays a role. Even better are restaurants that have the whole package — good food, stellar views, beautifully-decorated interiors, and an unforgettable experience. Overlooking a bay frequented by giant manta rays, this might just be one of the most unique restaurants in the Aloha State, and you’ll want to visit as soon as possible.
Welcome to Rays On The Bay, a one-of-a-kind restaurant nestled along Hawaii Island’s Kona Coast that absolutely deserves a spot on your Hawaii dining bucket list — for more reasons than one.
Namely, though, it is perhaps the only oceanfront restaurant in the world that offers manta ray viewing while you dine. Talk about unique!
Perched atop rugged lava cliffs at the Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay, Rays is just steps from the Pacific Ocean and features a phenomenal vantage point of the manta rays that call this Hawaiian bay home.
The largest of the ray family, the wingspan of manta rays typically reaches up to 15 feet across, can weigh as much as 3,000 pounds, and can live as long as 30 to 40 years. The manta rays started gravitating towards this bay in the 1970s, and today, the lights of the resort illuminate the coastal waters, attracting marine plankton, and in turn, manta rays.
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You might suspect that such a unique restaurant serves average food, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
The menu features a variety of island-inspired New American cuisine, including fresh, island-caught seafood and farm to table dishes as well as handmade artisan pizzas, burgers, and mouthwatering pupus.
This macadamia nut chocolate cup —made with chocolate cremeux, macadamia nuts, and salted caramel — looks absolutely heavenly.
The promise of witnessing manta rays will draw you in, but it’s the open-air, modern atmosphere, live music, rum bar, and fire pit lounges that will keep you coming back again and again.
So, what are you waiting for? Tourists and locals alike love this casual, oceanside eatery, and it's easy to see why.
Address: 78-128 Ehukai Street, Kailua, HI 96740
Rays On The Bay is open daily from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. For more information, visit their website or follow them on Facebook. Have you ever dined at this one-of-a-kind restaurant? Share your experiences and opinions with our readers in the comments below.
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