Bar Acuda - Hanalei
This tapas bar is a very welcome addition to the Hanalei dining scene, rocketing right to top place in the categories of tastiness, creativity, and pizzazz. Owner-chef Jim Moffat's brief menu changes weekly: you might find sea bass, polenta, fried fish cakes, grilled veggies, a fresh mozzarella salad, and sausages with onions, all served with fresh bread. The small servings are intended to be shared, tapas-style. The food is consistently remarkable, with subtly intense sauces that further elevate the outstanding cuisine. It's super casual, but chic, with a nice porch for outdoor dining, and the service is discreet but thorough. 808-826-7081. Hawaii50 Travel Favorite
Cafe Portofino - Kauai Marriott, East Kauai
The menu at this authentic northern Italian restaurant is as impressive as the views of Kalapaki Bay and the Haupu range. Owner Giuseppe Avocadi's flawless dishes have garnered a host of culinary awards and raves from dining critics. The fresh ahi carpaccio is a signature dish, and pasta, scampi, and veal are enhanced by sauces that soar like Avocadi's imagination. Linger over coffee and ice-cream-filled profiteroles or traditional tiramisu while enjoying harp music. Excellent service and a soothing, dignified ambience complete the delightful dining experience, making this one of your best bets for a quality meal in Lihue. 808-245-2121
Dondero’s - Hyatt Kauai, South Shore
The inlaid marble floors, ornate tile work, and Italianate murals that compose the elegant interior at this restaurant compete with a stunning ocean view. And in addition to the beautiful setting, Dondero's offers outstanding food, a remarkable wine list, and impeccable service, making this Kauai's best restaurant. Chef Vincent Pecoraro combines old-world techniques with new energy to create menu selections as enticing as the surroundings. Pistachio-crusted rack of lamb with a root-vegetable fritter and pancetta mashed sweet potatoes, and lobster piccata on a bed of fettuccine with sun-dried tomatoes and a truffle cream sauce thrill the palate and delight the eye. Order a light, traditional tiramisu or chocolate crème brûlée with fresh raspberries so you can linger over coffee. The waitstaff deserves special praise for its thoughtful, discreet service. 808-240-6456. Hawaii50 Travel Favorite
Hukilau - Coconut Market Place, Kapaa, East Kauai
Relying heavily on super-fresh island fish and locally grown vegetables, this restaurant offers quality food that is competently and creatively prepared. The fish—grilled, steamed, or sautéed and served with succulent sauces—shines here. Other sound choices are the savory meat loaf and prime rib. Chicken and a few pasta dishes round out the menu. The ahi nachos appetizer is not to be missed, nor is the warm chocolate dessert soufflé. The spacious dining room looks out to the ocean, and it's lovely to eat at the outdoor tables when the weather is nice. Overall, one of the best choices on the East Side. 808-822-0600
Gaylord’s - Lihue
Once part of the Kilohana Sugar Plantation owner's house, Gaylord's is a sweet incarnation of the island's plantation past. With its large stone courtyard and beautifully landscaped grounds, it evokes glamorous island life in the 1930s. Views of the verdant mountains make this an ideal stop for a lunch of fresh island fish, like ahi and snapper, or baby back ribs. Afterward, you can tour the 16,000-square-foot plantation home, walk the grounds, or take a tour (20 minutes on a horse-drawn carriage, or 40 minutes on a train). On Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, there's a theatrical presentation of the Polynesian migration to Hawaii in the renovated carriage house. Tel: 808 245 9593
Hamura Saimin, Lihue
A local favorite. Great food, great prices. Atmosphere is nothing fancy and its ‘belly up to the bar’ service. But its quite and experience and the food is worth it. Hawaii50 Travel Favorite
Hanalei Dolphin, Hanalei
Situated along a riverbank on the north shore in Hanalei, this restaurant has been around since the 1970s and is still thriving. The prices are reasonable, the service friendly, and most entrées come with side dishes and a salad served family style. The squaw bread, made with molasses, is sweet and dark. A full bar and outdoor seating make this a fun stop for cocktails as well, but stay for dinner and order fish (the ono is particularly good). It's hard to go wrong, since all the seafood comes from the Hanalei Dolphin Fish Market, just behind the restaurant. Tel: 808 826 6113
Hanapepe Cafe, Hanapepe
This humble hole-in-the-wall in Hanapepe, a little plantation town just west of glitzy Poipu Beach, promotes a purposefully healthy take on food—which is refreshing in an area where steaks, burgers, and fried seafood are the norm. The signature dish is the local catch, grilled and served with steamed rice and fresh, Hawaii-grown greens. Breakfast orders (muffins, scones, fruit plates, etc.) are mostly to go, but this place gets packed at lunchtime. It only opens for dinner on Fridays (when there's also live Hawaiian slack-key guitar music). It's difficult to find budget-friendly food on the south shore, and even harder to find vegetarian options, so this has been a welcome addition to the scene. Tel: 808 335 5011
JO-JO’s ClubHouse - Waimea
Alongside Highway 50 you'll find a bright, painted wood shack that says "Jo-Jo's." Stop by for the island delicacy called "shave ice," a sweet, cold, refreshing treat. Similar to a snow cone but better, shave ice is a great way to try island flavors like passion fruit and coconut. Be adventurous and add red adzuki beans to the mix. Don't be intimidated by the lines; they move quickly, and it's worth the wait. Tel: 808 635 7615
Kauai Chocolate Company - Eleele
One of the newer discoveries in Hawaiian agriculture is that cacao grows well on Kauai. The outcome is this mom-and-pop chocolate shop in Port Allen (where boat tours leave for the famous NaPali Coast. Among the crave-worthy best sellers are Chocolate Opihi, a shell-shaped combination of shortbread, caramel, and macadamia nut covered in rich creamy chocolate, and Da Brick, a variation on fudge with more caramel and macadamia nuts. Simple treats, such as a dark chocolate–covered marshmallow on a stick, are good to eat while driving back to your hotel. The only drawback is that it's tough to transport these temperature-sensitive treats home with you to the mainland. Tel: 808 335 0448
La Cascata - Princeville Resort, North Kauai
Terra-cotta floors, hand-painted murals, and trompe-l'oeil paintings give La Cascata a Tuscan-villa flair that makes it ideal for cozy, romantic dining. Picture windows offer dazzling views of Hanalei Bay, though you'll have to come before sunset to enjoy them. Local ingredients figure prominently on a fairly standard menu of pasta, fresh seafood, and meats prepared with competence and creativity. Savor Brodetto di Pesce (prawns, snapper, scallops, and clams with a lobster bourdelaise sauce served over linguine) or black-pepper-crusted duck breast with a sweet-potato mash and griotte cherry gastrique. The traditional tiramisu is exquisite, and the signature baby cake is a very adult confection. The service is professional and efficient. This is one of two excellent—though pricey—restaurants at the luxurious Princeville Resor 808-826-2761. Hawaii50 Travel Favorite
The Mediterranean Gourmet - Haena
Fresh hummus, tabbouleh, and baba ghanoush are a bit unexpected in the Hanelei Colony Resorts’ remote corner of Hawaii. Yet you won't be disappointed with The Mediterranean Gourmet's menu, which reflects Middle Eastern, Greek, and French influences and also includes well-executed standards such as Caesar salad and filet mignon. The venue recalls the dive bar from Coyote Ugly (trading the bras strung up as decor for a belly dancer who wiggles between the tables on Friday nights), yet somehow, even when you're perfectly sober, it works out to a lively and tasty (not to mention affordable) evening. Picking up a picnic lunch is a good idea, too, but skip the overpriced couple's dinner ($300 per couple, not including alcohol) unless you relish the idea of having chatty Imad Beydoun, the Lebanese owner, cook for you tableside. Tel: 808 826 9875
Mermaids - Kapaa
Wraps don't usually inspire passionate praise, but not all wraps contain seared tuna, nutty brown rice, cucumber slices, and pickled ginger doused in a heavenly wasabi cream sauce and offset with a splash of soy. This simple sidewalk café in Kapaa also serves tropical tacos, coconut curry, and basic salads and sandwiches. Whichever you choose, it'll be delicious, filling, and under $11; indeed, one serving can be shared or may suffice for both lunch and dinner. Tel: 808 821 2026
Nanea Restaurant & Bar - Princeville
While the condos of the Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas are generic and too far from the ocean for us to recommend, the property's unpretentious restaurant, Nanea, is a Kauai standout. Diver scallops stuffed with crab, sesame-crusted mahimahi, and rack of lamb rubbed with locally grown coffee are just a few of the dishes you'll recall fondly after returning home. The menu of island fare also includes vegetarian options like agedashi tofu, and anyone with a sweet tooth should save room for one of the daily special desserts. There's both indoor and outdoor seating, and note that at this casual eatery, the only thing that's dressed up is the food. Tel: 808 827 8700
The Beach House - Koloa, South Kauai
The Beach House Restaurant on Kauai is well-known to residents and visitors for its spectacular oceanfront setting along the island's south shore. As a consistent winner of Honolulu Magazine's Hale Aina Gold Award for Best Kauai Restaurant, The Beach House has earned a reputation on Kauai that goes well beyond its breathtaking setting. Since January of 2000, The Beach House has been under ownership of longtime Hawaii restaurateurs Roy Dunn and Mike Hooks, whose reputation also includes the establishment of another fine dining restaurant on Maui - The Plantation House Restaurant in the Kapalua Resort area. At The Beach House, this team has nurtured a winning formula that melds gracious Hawaiian service and innovative Pacific Rim Cuisine in its unbeatable location. Along with The Beach House's famous sunset views, it's equally easy to get swept away by Chef Todd Barrett's creative twists on island favorites. Take a slice of paradise, mix well with a generous helping of island hospitality and a bounty of Hawaiian flavors, and you'll discover what nourishes the soul and brings you back for seconds. 808-742-1424. Hawaii50 Travel Favorite
Brennecke’s
Right on the beach, right on the price” is more than a slogan at Brennecke’s. Literally steps from the beach you can enjoy steak, seafood, pasta, sandwiches and the south shore’s best salad bar—at prices that’ll feed the whole family. Want lighter fare? Stop by the bar for pupus and catch the game. Either way, our second floor, open-air dining room has great views overlooking Poipu Beach Park and the ocean. Great food, friendly service, and a casual beach-front environment all add up to a great day at the beach!Kiawe charcoal is produced on Ni'ihau, the closest neighbor island, and is similar to mesquite in its production of both heat and flavor.
Roy Yamaguchi's Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine blends fresh local ingredients with European sauces and bold Asian spices, always with a focus on seafood. This is a loud, lively room with ceiling fans, marble tables, works by local artists, and a menu tailor-made for foodies. The signature touches of Roy Yamaguchi (of Roy's restaurants in Oahu, Big Island, Maui, Tokyo, New York, and Guam) are abundantly present: an excellent, progressive, and affordable wine selection; fresh local ingredients prepared with a nod to Europe, Asia, and the Pacific; and service so efficient it can be overbearing. Because appetizers (such as blackened ahi with mustard soy sauce, grilled Szechuan baby back ribs, and crispy crab cakes with butter sauce) are a major part of the menu, you can sample Roy's legendary fare without breaking the bank. The three dozen nightly specials invariably include eight fresh-fish dishes a night, prepared at least five or six ways. Hawaii50 Travel Favorite
Bali Hai Restaurant: An expensive open air restaurant serving Pacific Rim cuisine that is worth the price if you are in the mood for a nice meal. The view is spectacular, overlooking Hanalei Bay . If you can, make a reservation around dusk to witness one of the most impressive sunsets you will ever see. There is also a bar & cocktail lounge that is less expensive, where you can order food and see the same sunset. 808-826-6522
Cafe Hanalei: Guests can enjoy innovative menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. Sit on the terrace and enjoy the same views as the Bali Hai Restaurant, but from a different perspective. During lunch, you can watch the surfers at the world famous surf break, Hanalei Bay. 800-826-4400
Duane’s Ono Char Burger - Anahola
This roadside stand is a favorite among local surfers. It's always crowded and the wait can be tedious, so do like the natives and call in your order ahead of time. That way, when you arrive, your charbroiled teriyaki burger will be ready to savor at the outdoor picnic tables. Dip your fries in the house blue-cheese dressing and pity those who salivate as they wait for their own tasty burger. Tel: 808 822 9181
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