5 Best Restaurants in The South Shore, Kauai

Popular for a predinner gathering or a full evening out, this trendy wine bar on Koloa's main street has great flights and small bites, and has added a few larger entrées that change seasonally. A venture run by the daughters of the owner of the wineshop next door, it offers knowledgeable non-snooty service and an extensive list of wines, beers, and spirits. Nibble and sip in the cozy farmhouse-style bistro or out on the sheltered veranda. This is a good spot for a small private event, too.

Casual and fun, with a busy mai tai bar and windows overlooking the beach, Brennecke's specializes in big portions in a wide range of offerings including rib-eye steak, burgers, fish tacos, pasta, and shrimp. You can create your own combination meal if you can't pick only one. This place is especially good for happy hour, as the drink and pupu (appetizer) menus and daily promotions bring down the prices. There's a beach deli downstairs.

A perfect beach day starts with coffee and an acai bowl or bagel sandwich from Little Fish, a popular snack shack along the main road in Poipu. Spreads are house-made, bakery treats are mom's recipes, and the flavor-packed smoothies will have you back tomorrow for another. Ingredients are locally grown and organic whenever possible. Order online for pickup or watch the world go by from a picnic table.

A range of light fare is served from brunchtime through evening on the covered lanai attached to Living Foods general store at The Shops at Kukuiula. Locally sourced starters, sandwiches, fish preparations, entrée salads, and desserts can be ordered via the café's website, which speeds up table service. Grown-ups will find wines by the glass, draft beers, and clever cocktails, while the keiki will find tried-and-true favorite foods. The coffee counter and bakery opens early; takeout is available.

It takes four steps to customize a Hawaiian-style hot dog here, so your crew may want to study the menu in advance. Choose a Polish sausage or veggie dog, top it with a house-made sauce and one of six intriguing tropical fruit relishes, then add mustard (lilikoi—passion fruit—is best). All this deliciousness won't fall out on your bathing suit because the bun is baked with a puka (a hole) rather than sliced. Grab a fresh-squeezed lemonade and cross the road to the beach for the final ingredient, sunshine.