Restaurants in Kauai
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. Dining also means soothing sounds, from the strumming of a ukulele to the gentle rhythm of tumbling waves in the sand. Next on Kauai's sensuous dining experiences are the enticing aromas, especially at ethnic restaurants. 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.
Price Categories
Expensive $31 and up
Moderate $24-$30
Inexpensive Under $24
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 (pictured; tel. 808/821-6895 or 808/821-6896; www.smithskauai.com), seasonal schedule, so call for dates (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.
The luau Kalamaku, Kilohana (tel. 808/245-9593; www.kilohanakauai.com; 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 $103 for adults, $72 for teenagers 12 to 18, $51 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 & 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; www.kauaimedgourmet.com) 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).
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29 Results
- Tapas
Bar Acuda
Named one of Food & Wine magazine’s “Top 10 New American Chefs” in 1996, when he was still working in San Francisco, chef/owner Jim Moffatt later decided to embrace a low-key lifestyle in Hanalei. But he hasn’t relaxed his standards for expertly prepared food, in this case…$$$North Shore - Pizza
Brick Oven Pizza
This local favorite is relatively easy on the budget—the 12-slice pizzas, featuring hand-tossed crusts, are genuinely large, and there’s a bountiful, if not particularly exciting, all-you-can-eat buffet from 5 to 9pm Monday and Thursday ($18 adults, $13 children 4–12). Pastas, subs,…$South Shore - Mexican
Da Crack
Now this is a hole in the wall—hence the local nickname for a long-lived Mexican takeout window here, which the Kauai-reared Mexican-American chef Daniel Hurtado officially adopted in 2011. Portions are huge but ingredients are fresh, including housemade chips and guacamole. It’s…$The South Coast - Seafood
Duke's Kauai
The view of Kalapaki Beach, an indoor waterfall, koi pond, and a lively beachfront bar have as much, if not more, to do with the popularity of this outpost of the California–Hawaii TS Restaurants chain as do the fresh seafood, vast salad bar, and belt-straining Hula Pie (an ice cream…$$$East Side - Gormet Plantation
Eating House 1849
Hawaii Regional Cuisine co-founder Roy Yamaguchi surprised many in 2015 when he announced he was closing his upscale Roy’s, a fixture of Poipu Shopping Village for 2 decades, in order to open this more casual concept inspired by the multicultural plantation era (and named for the…$$$South Shore - Japanese Noodles
Hamura’s Saimin Stand
Honored by the James Beard Foundation in 2006 as one of “America’s Classics,” this hole-in-the-wall has been satisfying local palates since 1951. Visitors have also now caught on to the appeal of saimin: large bowls of ramen noodles in salty broth with green onion, cabbage, and…$East Side - American
Hanalei Gourmet
This casual, decidedly nongourmet spot offers the best values (by local standards) at lunch, with a variety of burgers and ample sandwiches on freshly baked bread starting at $8; order the latter to go from the deli. The market-priced beer-battered fish and chips, accompanied by a…$$North Shore - Seafood/Island Farm
Hukilau Lanai
Although his restaurant is hidden inside the nondescript Kauai Coast Resort at the Beachboy, off the main highway in Kapaa, chef/owner Ron Miller has inspired diners to find their way here in droves since 2002. The lure: a hearty menu that’s virtually all locally sourced—from Kauai…$$$East Side - Asian/French
JO2
Foodies will want to check out chef Jean-Marie Josselin’s triumphant return to Kapaa, in a strip mall not unlike the one where he first gained renown years ago with A Pacific Cafe. A Hawaii Regional Cuisine co-founder and six-time nominee for a James Beard Foundation Award,…$$$East Side - Tapas
Josselin’s Tapas Bar & Grill
Other than Bar Acuda in Hanalei, this casual-chic bistro has the most New York/San Francisco urban vibe on Kauai. Chef Jean Marie Josselin, who closed his long-revered A Pacific Café in Kapaa in 2000 for a stint at Caesars Palace in Vegas, returned in 2010 with a radically different,…$$$The South Coast - Bakery Cafe/Island Farm
Kalaheo Café & Coffee Co.
Whether you just grab a freshly baked cookie and cup of Kauai coffee to go or make a full meal of it, you’ll quickly discover why visitors and locals jockey for parking spots at this casual restaurant and bakery. Early hours and hearty breakfasts (including convenient wraps) make it…$South Shore - American/Local
Kalapaki Joe’s
Opened in 2014 in the former Grove Café (and before that, the Waimea Brewing Co.) in the Aston Waimea Plantation Cottages compound of vintage wood-framed buildings, the newest of the three Kalapaki Joe’s sports bar/restaurants boasts not only the best location but also the largest…$$Western Kauai - Brewpub
Kauai Island Brewery & Grill
The founders of the former Waimea Brewing Company opened this snazzy industrial/loft-style microbrewery and restaurant in Port Allen in 2012. The lilikoi ale—one of up to 10 house brews on tap—flavors the batter on fish and chips, but I prefer the silken ahi poke with seaweed salad…$$West Side - Italian
Kauai Pasta/KP Lihue
The owners’ marital split led to a breakup of the two Kauai Pasta locations, but fortunately you can stick with both. Although the Lihue site changed its name to KP Lihue, both have kept essentially the same menus, emphasizing homemade pasta standards, such as chicken parm and…$$East Side - American/Local
Kokee Lodge
It would be inexcusable to drive all the way up to Waimea Canyon or Kokee State Park and not schedule a meal here—at least if you order one of its hearty, local-fave specialties. The go-to entrees are Portuguese bean soup (add a giant hunk of cornbread for an extra $3.50), kalua pork…$Western Kauai - Italian
La Spezia
The definition of charming, this much-needed stylish but cozy bistro in Old Koloa Town doesn’t accept reservations for parties of fewer than six—reason enough to make a few friends at the pool to join you for dinner. Still, walk-ins will find it worth the possible wait for a table,…$$South Shore - American/Island
Lava Lava Beach Club
On the ocean side of Kauai Shores hotel, Lava Lava Beach Club has the island’s only “toes-in-the-sand” dining area, on comfy wicker sofas facing Wailua Bay. It also offers plenty of other oceanview indoor and outdoor seating, a full bar with zippy tropical cocktails and a dozen beers…$$East Side - Mediterranean
Mediterranean Gourmet
Imad and Yarrow Beydoun’s unlikely but delightful oasis between Hanalei and the end of the road provides a welcome respite from the usual macnut-crusted mahimahi. At lunch, add fresh grilled fish to one of several generous salads featuring Kauai-grown kale or mixed greens, or the…$$$The North Shore - PanAsian
Mermaids Cafe
There are just a couple of picnic tables on a deck outside the kitchen window of this cheerily bohemian spot in Old Kapaa Town, so plan on ordering your food to go. The laidback Kapaa hippie vibe means waits are sometimes long, and the kitchen can be inconsistent, but when the stars…$The Coconut Coast - American/Island Farm
Merriman’s Gourmet Pizza & Burgers
A pioneer in Hawaii Regional Cuisine, Maui-based chef Peter Merriman first expanded onto Kauai with his gourmet restaurant, Merriman’s Fish House ★★ (open for dinner Monday–Saturday; main courses $26–$59). Although the elevated dining room still merits a splurge, you’re more likely…$$South Shore - Seafood/Island Farm
Oasis on the Beach
Though not actually on the sand, the open-air, oceanfront setting at the Waipouli Beach Resort is still memorable, as are the daily fresh-catch (grilled or pan-seared) and curry specials, the grilled kale salad with whipped Brie, and braised short ribs with bacon-truffle fried rice.…$$East Side - Hawaii Regional
Red Salt
One of the best hotel restaurants on Kauai, this is also one of the smallest and hardest to find, tucked inside the discreetly located Koa Kea Hotel & Resort. Although rivals offer more dramatic ocean views in plusher settings, Red Salt has consistently executed elegantly…$$$South Shore - Shrimp
Shrimp Station
The name explains it all at this popular roadside stop on the way to or from Waimea Canyon and Polihale, with another branch in Kapaa. Shrimp plates—most featuring about 10 juicy shrimp in savory sauces with fries or two scoops of white rice—are the top draw, but you can also order…$Western Kauai - Hawaii Regional
The Beach House
Call it dinner and a show: As sunset approaches, diners at this beloved oceanfront restaurant start leaping from their tables to pose for pictures on the grass-covered promontory, while nearby surfers try to catch one last wave. The genial waiters are as used to cameras being thrust…$$$South Shore - Contemporary American/Island Farm
The Bistro
John-Paul Gordon is yet another Kauai chef taking inspiration from the bounty of local fields and fishing grounds, with an admirably inventive palate and a well-practiced eye for presentation. Although his menu is largely seasonal, the “fish rockets” starter of seared ahi in lumpia…$$North Shore - Gastropub
The Feral Pig
Let’s dispense with the atmosphere first: There really isn’t any. The self-proclaimed “pub and diner” is next to a mini-mall, with bare tables and just a few photos and chalkboards on the wall. At first glance, the dinner and lunch menus are also not that impressive, emphasizing…$$The Coconut Coast - Gourmet Mexican
Tortilla Republic
This vibrant, bi-level restaurant offers two ways to experience its modern, sophisticated take on Mexican cuisine, each with menus based on natural, organic, and local ingredients where possible. Open for dinner only (book for sunset), the Upstairs specializes in exotic-for-Kauai…$$South Shore - Mexican/Seafood
Tropical Taco
Roger Kennedy operated a North Shore taco wagon for 20-odd years before taking up residence over a decade ago in this cottage-style building with a pleasant porch; food still come on paper plates. Although the menu has local/sustainable touches—the fresh seafood comes from North…$North Shore - Steak/Seafood
Wrangler's Steakhouse
Like a steer in a rodeo, service here can be poky or lightning fast, but as the only full-service restaurant in town, it’s often worth it even if you have to sit a spell. At lunch, skip the time-warp salad bar in favor of sandwiches or platters with fresh fish, Niihau free-range…$$West Side
