Restaurants

Dining in Kauai is an activity unto itself. Dining is not just eating (although you will find scrumptious meals created from locally grown, raised, or caught products) but an entire feast for the senses.

Dining on Kauai begins with views and decor. Resort areas will feast your eyes with romantic settings and panoramic ocean views. In Poipu, the Beach House and the restaurants at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa offer spectacular settings right on the beach that will linger in your memory long after you return home. In Hanalei, the restaurants at Princeville Resort look out onto an awe-inspiring vista of Hanalei Bay with cloud-shrouded, majestic peaks in the background.

Next on Kauai's sensuous dining experiences are the enticing aromas, especially at ethnic restaurants. Even if the cuisine is unfamiliar to you, your taste buds will be standing up to applaud at just the wonderful scents wafting out from the kitchen. Kauai offers a rainbow of different ethnic cuisines, from Asian and Polynesian to Mexican/Central American, European, and eclectic mixes.

Dining also means soothing sounds, from the strumming of a ukulele to the gentle rhythm of tumbling waves in the sand. In our reviews we note which restaurants feature live music, which is so important not only to the digestion, but also to the relaxing atmosphere that seems to calm the soul and makes the entire dining experience a banquet for the senses.

Best of all, dining on Kauai is a divine experience in tasting. Taste the familiar, the new, the exotic, and even the adventurous. I urge you to try at least one restaurant featuring cuisine you are totally unfamiliar with. Who knows, you may become enamored with it.

Don't pass up the small mom-and-pop places, the takeouts, the hole-in-the-wall eateries; some very fine food at very budget-pleasing prices comes out of these tiny places.

On your jaunt across the island, you'll find affordable choices in every town, from hamburger joints to saimin stands (selling noodles in broth topped with scrambled eggs, onions, and sometimes pork) to busy neighborhood diners. As long as you don't expect filet mignon on a fish-and-chips budget, it shouldn't be difficult to please both your palate and your pocketbook. But if you're looking for lobster, rack of lamb, or risotto to write home about, you'll find those pleasures, too.

Restaurants listed do not require reservations unless otherwise noted.

Plate Lunch Palaces

If you haven't yet come face-to-face with the local phenomenon called plate lunch, Kauai is a good place to start. Like saimin, the plate lunch is more than a gastronomic experience -- it's part of the local culture. Lihue is peppered with affordable plate-lunch counters that serve this basic dish: two scoops of rice, potato or macaroni salad, and a beef, chicken, fish, or pork entree -- all on a single plate. Although heavy gravies are usually de rigueur, some of the less traditional purveyors have streamlined their offerings to include healthier touches, such as lean grilled fresh fish. Pork cutlets and chicken or beef soaked in teriyaki sauce, however, remain staples, as does the breaded and crisply fried method called katsu, as in chicken katsu. Most of the time, fried is the operative word; that's why it's best to be ravenously hungry when you approach a plate lunch, or it can overpower you. At its best, a plate lunch can be a marvel of flavors, a saving grace after a long hike; at its worst, it's a plate-size grease bomb.

The following are the best plate-lunch counters on Kauai. How fortunate that each is in a different part of the island!

The Koloa Fish Market, 5482 Koloa Rd. (tel. 808/742-6199), is in southern Kauai on Koloa's main street. A tiny corner stand with plate lunches, prepared foods, and two stools on a closet-size veranda, it sells excellent fresh fish poke, Hawaiian-food specials, and seared ahi to go. It's gourmet fare masquerading as takeout. Daily specials may include sautéed ahi or fresh opakapaka with capers, one of life's consummate pleasures. For a picnic or outing on the south shore, this is a good place to start.

On the Hanamaulu side of Lihue, across the street from Wal-Mart, look for the prim, gray building that reads Fish Express, 3343 Kuhio Hwy. (tel. 808/245-9918). It's astonishing what you'll find here for the price of a movie: Cajun-style grilled ahi with guava basil, fresh fish grilled in a passion-orange-tarragon sauce, fresh fish tacos in garlic and herbs, and many other delectables, all served with rice, salad, and vegetables. The Hawaiian plate lunch (laulau or kalua pork, lomi salmon, ahi poke, rice, or poi) is a top seller, as are the several varieties of smoked fish, everything from ahi to swordfish. The owners marinate the fish in soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and garlic (no preservatives) and smoke it with kiawe wood. The fresh fish specials, at $8.95, come in six preparations and are flavored to perfection. At the chilled counter you can choose freshly sliced sashimi and many styles of poke, from scallop, ahi, and octopus to exotic marinated crab. This is a potluck bonanza that engages even newcomers, who point and order while regulars pick up sweeping assortments of seafood appetizers on large platters. They're all fresh and at good prices, especially for Friday-afternoon pau hana (after-work) parties.

In east Kauai's Kapaa town, the indispensable Pono Market, 4-1300 Kuhio Hwy. (tel. 808/822-4581), has similarly enticing counters of sashimi, poke, Hawaiian food, sushi, and a diverse assortment of takeout fare. It's known for its flaky manju (sweet potato and other fillings in baked crust), apple turnovers, sandwiches, excellent boiled peanuts, pork and chicken laulau, and plate lunches -- shoyu chicken, sweet-and-sour spareribs, pineapple-glazed chicken, teriyaki fish, and so on. The potato-macaroni salad (regulars buy it by the pound for barbecues and potlucks) and roast pork are top sellers. Pono Market is as good as they come. If they're available, pick up some Taro Ko taro chips; they're made in Hanapepe, hard to find, and definitely worth hand-carrying home.

At Mark's Place, 1610 Haleukana St. in Puhi Industrial Park (tel. 808/245-2722), just southwest of Lihue, island standards (Korean-style chicken, teriyaki beef, beef stew, chicken katsu) come with brown rice (or white) and salad for $6.75 or $7.75. The selection, which changes daily, always includes two salad and three entree choices as well as hot sandwiches (chicken, beef, and hamburgers) and the ever-popular bentos. Mark's is a takeout and catering operation, so don't expect table seating.

Lihue, the island's county and business seat, is full of ethnic eateries serving inexpensive plate lunches. Po's Kitchen, 4100 Rice St. (tel. 808/246-8617), offers Japanese specials: cone sushi, chicken katsu, teriyaki beef plates, and bentos. One block away, Garden Island BBQ, 4252-A Rice St. (tel. 808/245-8868), is the place for Chinese plate lunches and local staples such as barbecued or lemon chicken and teriyaki steak, as well as soups and tofu dishes.

A Hawaiian Feast: The Luau

Originally, an ancient Hawaiian feast was called a pa'ina or 'aha'aina, but in 1856, the Pacific Commercial Advertiser (the newspaper of the day) started referring to the feast as a "luau," a name referring to the young taro tops always served at the feast. Try to take in a luau while you're on Kauai. A luau today can range from a backyard affair to a commercial production at a major resort. The best ones are put on by local churches, schools, or hula halau. However, most visitors won't have the opportunity to see these truly authentic feasts. Several commercial luau listed below will provide a taste and a feel for them.

Most luau are fixed in price, generally $78 to $99 for adults, less for children. A variety of traditional foods and entertainment is provided. The luau usually begins at sunset and features Polynesian and Hawaiian entertainment, which can range from lavish affairs with flaming knives or torches being juggled, to performances of ancient hula, missionary-era hula, and modern hula, as well as narration of the stories and legends portrayed by the dances. The food always includes imu-roasted kalua pig, lomi salmon, dried fish, poke (raw fish cut into small pieces), poi (made from taro), laulau (meat, fish, and vegetables wrapped in ti leaves), Hawaiian sweet potato, sautéed vegetables, salad, and the ultimate taste treat, a coconut dessert called haupia. Don't worry; if you've never heard of these items (and can't pronounce them either), most luau will also have more common preparations of fish, chicken, and roast beef, as well as easily recognizable salads and standard desserts like cake.

The mainstay of the feast is the imu, a hot earthen pit in which the pig and other items are cooked. The preparations for the feast actually begin in the morning, when the luau master layers hot stones and banana stalks in the pit to get the temperature up to 400°F (204°C). The pig, vegetables, and other items are lowered into the pit and cooked all day. The water in the leaves steams the pig and roasts the meat to a tender texture.

One of the larger commercial luau in the island is Smith's Tropical Paradise Garden Lu'au, in the Tropical Paradise Gardens on the Wailua River (tel. 808/821-6895 or 808/821-6896; www.smithskauai.com), every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 5pm (during the popular summer months it is 5 days a week Mon-Fri). Luau prices are $78 for adults, $30 for children 7 to 13, and $19 for children 3 to 6; or you can come for just the entertainment at 7:15pm and pay $15 for adults, $7.50 for children under 12.

Recently the Sheraton Kauai, Poipu Beach (tel. 808/742-8200; www.sheratonkauai.com), launched the south shore's only oceanfront luau. The Surf to Sunset Luau is held on Friday, beginning at 5pm with a shell lei greeting and a mai tai. Photos with Poipu Beach serving as the background are offered, and guests can wander among the local artisans who teach lei making, lauhala weaving, and coconut frond weaving. After the feast, Pilah's Royal Polynesian Revue begins the entertainment. Cost for adults ranges from $75 for the buffet dinner and entertainment to $99 for premier seating, table service, and professional photos. Cost for children ages 6 to 12 years is $37 to $49.

The luau Kalamaku, Kilohana (tel. 808/245-9593; Tues and Fri) begins at 5:30pm with an imu ceremony where the pig is removed from the pit, followed by a very entertaining performance of the story of how Polynesians came to Hawaii featuring ancient and modern hula performances. The cost is $95 for adults, $65 for teenagers 12 to 18, $45 for children 3 to 12, and free for children 2 and under. The train ride with the luau is an additional $18.

On the south coast, check out Tihati Production's "Havaiki Nui," in the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa, 1571 Poipu Rd., Poipu (tel. 800/55-HYATT or 808/742-1234; www.kauai-hyatt.com), every Sunday and Thursday. They offer an elaborate buffet and a very professional Polynesian show. The cost is $94 for adults, $84 for teens 13 to 20, and $57 for children 6 to 12.

On the North Shore, award-winning Mediterranean Gourmet Restaurant in the Hanalei Colony Resort has the Ocean Front Luau (5-7132 Kuhio Hwy, Haena, tel. 808/826-9875) with excellent cuisine and wonderful entertainment at very reasonable prices of $69 for adults, $56 for teenagers ages 12 to 17, and $25 for kids ages 3 to 11 (free for children under 3).

Where's All the Bottom Fish on the Menu?

What happened to the signature Hawaii bottom fish on the menus in Kauai's restaurants? The state and federal governments have instituted closures for fishing of Hawaii's popular bottom fish (opakapaka, hapuupuu, onaga, lehi, ehu, kalekale, and gindai) during several months (May-Sept, but the ban may be extended) to revive the depleting stocks of these very yummy fish, which are the star "signature" items of numerous restaurants around the state. If you see one of these fish on the menu during the months of May to September, it may not be fresh, or it may have been caught in waters elsewhere in the Pacific but not Hawaii.

A Taste of the Islands

Hawaii's Meadow Gold Dairies has a line of rich premium ice cream for true aficionados looking for a melt-in-your-mouth taste of Hawaii. We recommend the Kona coffee, macadamia nut, or honeydew melon. Traditionalists will go for the vanilla, chocolate, Neapolitan, rocky road, or cookies and cream. People who can't make up their minds will love the blended flavors like mint chocolate chip or the espresso fudge pie. Sherbet fans have two flavors to choose from: rainbow rapture or orange. You can find these ice creams in the frozen section of most supermarkets across the island. For more information: www.lanimoo.com.

Icy-Cold Dessert

Maybe it's because Hawaii can be hot. Maybe it's because it's just downright refreshing and delicious. But there's nothing quite like enjoying some Hawaiian shave ice under the tropical sun -- don't leave Kauai until you've tried it. The mainland has "snow cones," which are made from crushed ice with sweet flavorings poured over the top. Shave ice (not "shaved" ice) is made by shaving a block of ice with an ultrasharp blade, which results in ice as thin as frozen powder. The shave ice is then saturated with a sweet syrup. (Flavors can range from old-fashioned strawberry to such local treats as li hing mui.) You can also ask for shave ice on top of ice cream. (Try it with sweet Japanese azuki beans for a special treat.) Shave ice can be found all over the island, from small, hole-in-the-wall stores to vans alongside the road. A few to look for are: Shave Ice Paradise, in the Hanalei Center (tel. 808/826-6659); Hawaiian Blizzard, a small stand in front of Big Save, in the Kapaa Shopping Center, 4-1105 Kuhio Hwy., no phone; and Halo Halo Shave Ice, 2956 Kress St., Lihue (tel. 808/245-5094).