16 Best Restaurants in Kailua-Kona, Big Island

From its upstairs, open-air dining room decorated with kitschy surfer chic, this restaurant invites customers to enjoy views of the pier and a bustling corner of Alii Drive. Fortunately, an excellent, extensive menu makes it well worth a stop; fresh fish plates including fish tacos are a sure bet. The clam chowder is some of Kona's best. Try the smashburger (a cooking technique that adds flavor while reducing grill time) or the marinated sirloin or New York strip. Death by Chocolate is the dessert to die for. They also serve breakfast from 7 until noon, and there's a happy hour, as well as live music nightly. Great prices keep the locals coming in. 

An ultrapopular destination with an outdoor patio, Kona Brewing offers an excellent, varied menu, including famous brews; pulled-pork quesadillas; gourmet pizzas; and a killer spinach salad with Gorgonzola cheese, strawberries, and macadamia nuts. The sampler tray, a good value, offers four of the 10 available microbrews. Try the notable Hefeweizen. If you're staying in town, purchase beer to go in a half-gallon jug ("growler") filled on-site from the brewery's own taps. Brewery tours are available for $25. 

The historic Manago Hotel is like walking into a time warp, complete with a vintage neon sign, old-timey TV room, high school trophies on the shelves, and old photos on the walls. Their T-shirts brag (and it's not false advertising) that the restaurant has the best grilled pork chops in the world; the fresh fish and New York steak are excellent as well. Meals come with rice for the table and an assortment of changing side dishes, which usually include macaroni or tuna salad, long rice, and a sautéed veggie dish. 

With the bar in the front and the dining patio in the back, Quinn's may seem like a bit of a dive at first glance, but this venerable Kona classic serves the best darn cheeseburger and fries in town. Make your already-large burger a "monster" for an additional $4.50. The menu has many other tasty options, such as fish-and-chips and beef tenderloin tips. If time gets away from you on a drive to the north beaches, Quinn's, which stays open until 10, awaits your return with a cheap beer and a basket of fried calamari. Drinks are strong—no watered-down cocktails here. Breakfast is served from 7 to 10:45 during football season, and it's sure to be lively, especially if the Green Bay Packers are involved. Park across the street at the Courtyard King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel and get free 90-minute parking with validation.

Locals flock to this downtown Kailua-Kona restaurant for good reason: the poke is the most onolicious (super delicious) in town, and the many other seafood, pork, and beef offerings are just as stellar. Poke does not get more authentic than this, and you can get it by the bowl or the pound. Sandwiches, burgers, salads, and desserts round out the gourmet menu. A kids' menu features affordable burgers, poke bowls, and sides. Inventively named cocktails such as the Night Marcher and the Shirtless Margarita add to the fun. Happy hour runs from 3 to 5.

With indoor and outdoor seating, this easygoing Italian restaurant in a Keauhou shopping center serves gourmet pizzas and a tasty selection of pasta dishes, calzones, sandwiches, and salads. Everything is made from scratch, and they even have dairy-free cheese and gluten-free options. Pizza by the slice is now available for lunch, or if you want more than that, the take-and-bake pizza is half cooked, so you can complete the cooking process from the comfort of your condo.

This beloved local-style restaurant serves huge portions of pork chops, diet-busting loco moco (meat, rice, and eggs smothered in gravy), fresh poke, and an assortment of fish specialties at very reasonable prices. Get there early, as they are open only until 2 pm.

In the heart of Historic Kailua Village, the open-air Hawaii location of the popular Monterey, California restaurant offers an expansive menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a vintage building with a bayfront view. Inventive fresh-fish specials as well as simple fish-and-chips are among the local favorites. The lunch menu is tantalizing, especially the seafood entrées. There's also a comprehensive wine list, plus a happy hour menu chock full of great choices and prices.

The brightly decorated, open-air restaurant located in a nondescript office center, is a favorite lunch and dinner destination for visitors and residents, thanks to generous portions and a nice variety of chef's specials, steaks, and seafood dishes. Try the Mochiko-crusted fresh catch with Molokai sweet potatoes, vegetables, ginger lime beurre blanc along with Namasu relish. Other favorites include kalua (earth oven–baked) pork quesadilla, Kona Bouillabaisse, and guava-glazed baby-back ribs. Entrées can be pricey, but the most extensive happy hour menu in town keeps locals coming back. 

With its oceanfront location close enough for diners to feel the salt spray, Kai's is a fun, casual dining experience. Just pick a table, then order and pay online; they bring your meal to your table. In the morning, you can fill your paper coffee cup with limitless amounts of coffee at the self-serve station. For lunch and dinner, choose from the "plancha" burgers such as the smashburger or one of the gourmet pizzas with goofy names like Mango Tango or Funkai Funghi. Owned by the same company as Huggo's and Lava Lava Beach Club, Kai's prices are pretty good considering its spot right on the water. 

Hidden in the corner of Keauhou Shopping Center adjacent to the movie theater, Los Habaneros serves up fast, decent Mexican food for good prices. Favorites are usually combos, which can be anything from enchilada plates to chiles rellenos. The burritos are a solid pick, stuffed with meat, beans, cheese, and all the fixings. Wash it all down with imported beer from Mexico.

Perched above a shopping center with sweeping panoramic views, this open-air restaurant has lots to offer besides spectacular views from every table in the house. The slow-roasted rack of ribs is the star of the show, and the locally sourced fish-and-chips is a close second. Be sure to try the famous Key lime pie or Mighty Dozen doughnut holes with some 100% Kona coffee. Their fun tropical cocktails such as the Lava Flow are best imbibed with an epic green-flash sunset happening and tiki torches flickering. 

Its modest exterior and interior belie the fantastic South Kona experience Teshima's brings; it has been a kamaaina (local) favorite since 1929 for a reason. Locals gather at this small landmark restaurant whenever they're in the mood for fresh sashimi, puffy shrimp tempura, or hekka (beef and vegetables cooked in an iron pot). Try teishoku (tray) No. 3, featuring sashimi, tempura, sukiyaki beef, rice, miso soup, and sunomono (cucumber salad). The restaurant has been family owned and operated by five generations of Teshimas, and if you come in more than a couple times, they will start calling you by name. 

Everything is cooked to order at this low-key oceanfront restaurant with an excellent selection of Thai food at decent prices. The menu brims with choices, including five curries, a green-papaya salad, and deep-fried fish. A popular platter combining spring rolls, satay, beef salad, and tom yum (lemongrass soup) is great for sharing. You might even see a green flash at sunset as you sip a creamy piña colada or Thai iced tea while taking in the beautiful view of Kailua Bay. This best-kept secret might have one of the top five ocean views in town. There's also a happy hour from 5 to 6 pm.

Former resort chef TK Keosavang serves inventive Asian fusion cuisine with the emphasis on noodles. Generous portions are beautifully plated, like the crispy pork belly sauté with Chinese greens and garlic sauce, and noodle soups and abundant salads don't disappoint. The savory seafood yentafo soup is a good bet, as is the lilikoi chicken.

Located in the Crossroads shopping complex in Kailua-Kona, this excellent burger joint may look like a chain, but it's an independent, locally owned and operated eatery that serves 100% organic, grass-fed Big Island beef. Be sure to order a side of seasoned Big Daddy fries served with homemade aioli dipping sauce. The menu lists a couple nonmeat options, too. Top it off with local beers or house-made lemonade or green tea.