17 Best Restaurants in Kauai, Hawaii

Relying heavily on super-fresh island fish and local meats and produce, this restaurant offers creatively prepared food that is a great choice for value and consistent quality in a relaxed refined setting. The nightly fish specials—served grilled, steamed, or sautéed with succulent sauces—shine here. Other sound choices are the savory meat loaf, prime rib, or the chicken and mushrooms; the ahi poke nachos and sweet-potato ravioli are not to be missed. The coconut cheesecake and warm chocolate cake are dessert highlights. The spacious dining room looks out to the ocean, and it's lovely to eat at the outdoor tables when the weather is nice.

Talk about "farm to table"––Kokee Lodge grows much of its own produce, and the tables are handmade from local lumber. Local beef is used for loco mocos (white rice topped with a hamburger patty, brown gravy, and fried egg) and burgers, which can be served on fresh greens with house-made dressings; a veggie strata or a kalua pork plate, with Kokee plum barbecue sauce, is a perfect hot lunch on chilly days. Hikers have every excuse to carb load with locally famous corn bread or to refuel with pie by the fire. There's a full bar, espresso counter, and live music, too. Peruse the gift shop for "Hunt Pig" T-shirts, postcards, and mountain memorabilia.  Ask about the occasional chef's dinners.

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.

Large helpings of simple but satisfying, hearty fare are the focus at this no-frills spot in the slightly run-down Rice Shopping Center. Breakfast standards like stuffed French toast, shrimp or standard eggs Benedict, blueberry pancakes, waffles, and eggs dominate the menu and are served until closing. You'll also find many Island favorites, including saimin noodles, tripe stew, oxtail soup, and hefty plate lunches featuring kalbi (Korean barbecue beef), roast pork, and chili and rice. A small selection of sandwiches and burgers rounds out the offerings.

Hanalei's restored old schoolhouse holds an airy restaurant offering dolphin-safe tuna, low-sodium meats, fresh-baked breads, and house-made desserts, as well as a casual atmosphere where both families and the sports-watching crowd can feel equally comfortable. Lunch and dinner menus feature sandwiches, burgers, hearty salads, a variety of pupus (appetizers), and nightly specials of fresh local fish. They also will prepare a picnic and give it to you in an insulated backpack. A full bar and frequent live entertainment keep things hopping even after the kitchen closes. Monday and Thursday evenings fill up for fish taco night, which begins at 6:30.

After testing out his cooking skills on family and friends for many years, Xavier Machado got serious about pizza: he studied online videos, got a proper oven, graduated high school, and opened up a kitchen window in blink-and-you'll-miss-it Kaumakani, where he rolls pies four days a week. The made-to-order, one-size pizzas and giant calzones have been earning praise from expat Brooklynites.

A sibling of popular Java Kai in Kapaa, this Kilauea coffee joint serves breakfast and lunch until 2 pm. Order online ahead of time, otherwise risk a lengthy wait.

Folks love this roadside café—especially at breakfast and lunch, though it's good for dinner, too—for its casual neighborhood feel and lengthy menu with omelets, sandwiches, burgers, and plenty more. Lots of Kauai products are used here, including Anahola Granola, fruit for smoothies, fresh-caught fish, and coffee, which you can also buy by the pound. Takeout is an option. This is a solid choice, with vegetarian and gluten-free options, in an area with limited restaurants.

Open from 6:30 am, the bakery serves coffee drinks, delicious fresh pastries, bagels, and breads in the morning, but late risers should beware: breads and pastries sell out quickly. Pizza (including a gluten-free dough option), soup, and salads can be ordered for lunch or dinner. Service is leisurely. There's free Wi-Fi and a cute courtyard with covered tables.

If you like a super hearty breakfast, try this family-friendly restaurant, a Kapaa mainstay since 1975. With its familiar food, cozy atmosphere, and friendly service, it's a great spot for omelets, banana pancakes, waffles, and eggs Benedict in two sizes. Lunch selections include sandwiches, burgers, and loco moco. It's very busy at breakfast, so expect a wait. 

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.

Don't let the name fool you; they don't open at sunrise (more like 7:30 am, so come here after you watch the sunrise elsewhere). And it's not just a fruit stand: fill up on bagels, pancakes, smoothies, and coffee drinks in the morning; homemade salads, burritos, panini, and sandwiches for lunch; and tropical-style fresh juices, such as pineapple, carrot, watermelon, and guava, anytime.

Kauai's largest natural-foods market, now in much larger digs fronting the highway in the same shopping center, offers a cold grab-and-go menu of deli and green salads, wraps, soups for reheating, smoothies, and sometimes fresh sashimi.

This plantation-cottage restaurant built in 1864 has a menu full of local seafood but also offers Wagyu beef, roasted rack of lamb, and other land-based options, with eclectic flavor profiles reflecting the chef's global travel experiences. Top menu picks include crispy leek salad with buckwheat noodles, catch of the day, and chèvre cheesecake with coconut crust and lilikoi (passion fruit) gel.

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.