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On Kauai, if you're lucky enough to win an invitation to a potluck, baby luau, or beach party, don't think twice—just accept. The best grinds (food) are homemade, and so you'll eat until you're full, then rest, eat some more, and make a plate to take home, too.
But even if you can't score a spot at one of these parties, don't despair. Great local-style food is easy to come by at countless low-key places around the island. As an extra bonus, these eats are often inexpensive, and portions are generous. Expect plenty of meat—usually deep-fried or marinated in a teriyaki sauce and grilled pulehu-style (over an open fire)—and starches. Rice is standard, even for breakfast, and often served alongside potato–macaroni salad, another island specialty. Another local favorite is poke, made from chunks of raw tuna or octopus seasoned with sesame oil, soy sauce, onions, and pickled seaweed. It's a great pupu (appetizer) when paired with a cold beer.
Kauai's cultural diversity is apparent in its restaurants, which offer authentic Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thai, Mexican, Italian, Vietnamese, and Hawaiian specialties. Less specialized restaurants cater to the tourist crowd, serving standard American fare—burgers, pizza, sandwiches, surf-and-turf combos, and so on. Poipu and Kapaa offers the best selection of restaurants, with options for a variety of tastes and budgets; most fast-food joints are in Lihue.
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.
Fresh, fast, and affordable, Da Crack is everything you could ask for when refueling between outdoor activities. Fill your burrito, bowl, or taco with locally caught fish, traditional beans, house-made salsa, and local avocado guacamole—or many other choices made from scratch—then head back out to eat and explore more of the island.
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.
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.
Built to resemble a dockside boathouse, this active semi-outdoor place fills up quickly for dinner thanks to a busy lounge and frequent live music. The day's fresh catch is available in various styles and sauces, and other favorites include coconut shrimp, seafood risotto, and roasted pork ribs that are cooked in a traditional Hawaiian imu (an underground oven). The bar area serves casual fare and a dozen mostly local draft beers. Hula pie, with chocolate cookie crust and macadamia nut ice cream, is meant to share. This is a good choice for a family celebration.
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 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.
The signature restaurant of the Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas has casual open-air seating that perfectly complements an island-style menu sure to please a wide range of diners. Grilled rib eye is served with bacon-and-sour cream mashed potatoes, while the chicken—smoked kalua style—is accompanied by Molokai sweet potatoes. Lunch options include a plate lunch. The food is well executed and service is friendly.
Simple food and hearty portions are the draw at this casual family-owned restaurant offering ranch-style cuisine. Choose from steak or fish sandwiches, taco or chicken salads, burgers, grilled fish, and plates piled high with chicken, steak, or ribs, along with house-made chili and salad. Though they specialize in BBQ meats, vegetarians will find some options. The rustic decor is cozy and casual, with plastic chairs and ranch memorabilia. Nightly live music adds to the fun.
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.
The reins have been handed over to the next generation at this family-run restaurant, where meats are grilled over kiawe wood for a smokey flavor. Steaks and burgers are made from from Rancher's Daughter's Reserve grass-fed Kauai beef, lettuce is grown nearby at Iwikua Farms, and there's usually a locally caught fish special. Denim-covered seating, decorative saddles, and a stagecoach in a loft transformed the old Ako General Store in Waimea into a comfortable Western-look steak house where you can eat on the front porch, on a deck out back, or in the old-fashioned wood-panel dining room. Live music is lined up nightly, and The Saddle Room saloon stays busy until 10 pm, thanks to a dozen appetizers, a decent selection of beers, and "fancy kine" cocktails. Time things right and you can enjoy a bite before a movie at the Waimea Theater across the street.
