Kaua’i is opening up. Car rentals are maxed out and more restaurants are opening their doors again. April 5 was that line in the sand. After my required 10-day quarantine mid-March, my first hankering was Shave Ice! Since then, we’ve been trying different eateries around Kaua’i, mostly around Kapa’a and Lihue. I’m going to share these below; first here’s our to-try list, places that come highly recommended from various Kaua’i-based FB groups. We’re still discovering this beautiful island so this list will probably shrink and grow over time.
Hanalei – Hanalei Gourmet (5-5161 Kuhio Hwy space 5)
Hanapepe – Japanese Grandma’s Café & Sushi (3871 Hanapepe Road)
Kalaheo – Kalaheo Café for the coconut cake (2-2560 Kaumualii Highway)
Kapa’a – Kountry Kitchen (4-1489 Kuhio Hwy), Lava Lava Beach Club (420 Papaloa Rd), Pono Market ( 4-1298 Kuhio Hwy), Mermaid’s (4-1384 Kuhio Hwy B1)
Koloa – Brennecke’s Beach Broiler for the Mai Tai’s (2100 Hoone Road), Keoki’s Paradise (2360 Kiahuna Plantation Drive), The Dolphin Poipu (2829 Ala Kalanikaumaka Street), Da Crack (2827 Poipu Road), Tidepools at Grand Hyatt Kaua’i Resort & Spa (1571 Poipu Road), Chalupa’s food truck for fish tacos (3477 Weliweli Road)
Lihue – Aloha Ginger Beer (3-3100 Kuhio Highway) [We grabbed this at Verde]
Asian
Garden Isle Chinese
4252 Rice Street Lihue | 808 245-8868 | website
We’ve probably been here the most. It’s easy to drop by for dinner or for take-out on the way home from Costco.
Some what we tried so far –
- plate lunch with fried shrimp, BBQ pork, macaroni salad, and rice
- saimin with duck
- vegetarian chow fun (we like this one over the beef chow fun since you get more noodles and more veggies)
- beef chow fun
- fried tofu and veggies
- sweet and sour chicken
- egg drop soup
- Singapore Noodles
Hamura Saimin
2956 Kress Street Lihue | 808 245-3271
This is an institution and one of Wade’s dad’s favourites. Not a fancy place, more like where locals have been going for decades. The counters are usually packed and if you are a regular, they know your order.
From Kauai Hawaii : 1988 – 89 Underground Guide, “according to rumour, Oahu businessmen have flown to Kaua’i just to have lunch at Hamura Saimin.” Before the kitchen was relocated to the back, it was right in the centre and customers can watch the cook prepare meals. Also back then, according to this guide, the saimin special was $3, won ton soup and won ton min $2.50, and the bbq beef and chicken sticks $0.65. It’s a bit more now – $10.50 for the medium.
The menu is primarily meat-based, with a few fish and shrimp options. The broth is pork. So if you are a vegetarian, the choices are pretty limited. If you are unsure, narrow down your questions, which are not well entertained. Most places I find are just used to locals and people familiar with the menu. After some consideration, I also ordered the saimin, with fishcake in lieu of meat, a request that was overlooked by the way. Still, it was filling. With just enough room for dessert. Just.
The Lilikoi Chiffon pie is a must. Lilikoi or passionfruit is a big thing here on the island. It’s light and a great serving to share.
Be sure to hit up the ATM – it’s cash only.
Lotus Garden
54280 Kuhio Hwy C1 Hanalei (Princeville Centre) | 808 826-9999
We stopped by to grab some food on our way home from Waikoko Beach. The sitting at the food court was full, some waiting on their orders while enjoying some live music.
Lotus Garden serves both Chinese and Thai food and it was a non-stop line up when we were there. We ordered Thai Tea with Boba and drank that while we waited for our dinner. Wade ordered a Daily Special – Spicy Chile Seabass and I had the Honey Walnut Shrimp, with a tofu vegetable with ginger and garlic to share. $55.
The bubble tea was yummy; I’ve been wanting some for a while. I did forget to ask for less ice and less sugar. Still someone (Wade) now understands why I love the bubbles, these tapioca pearls that took the world by storm! According to this recipe from Maryanne Cabrera’s Little Epicurean website, you can make the pearls with 3 ingredients – tapioca starch, dark sugar, and water.
Panda Express
4454 Nuhou Street Lihue | 4-831 Kuhio Highway, Kaua’i Village Shopping Centre Kapa’a | website
This is Chinese fast food, and pretty common in the US and better than shopping centre food courts. We don’t have this in Vancouver and we have some delicious fast food in Richmond.
If you like meat and spicy, this has good choices. I ended up with a shrimp bowl.
If you need something fast, this could be it.
Pho Kapa’a
4-831 Kuhio Highway Kaua’i Village Shopping Centre Kapa’a | closed Mondays | 808 823-6868
When we dropped by to pick up a menu, it was packed. So far, we’ve only ordered takeout from what I believe is a family-run Vietnamese restaurant. The owner was super friendly and even came to the car with our order.
They have the usual Pho options, with either beef or veggie broth, salads, rice dishes, vermicelli, rolls, and bubble tea.
The food was tasty, though the portions were pretty small. We keep their menu in our car.
Saimin Dojo
40733 Kuhio Highway Kapa’a | 808 320-3248 | website
Wade went for the chicken wings and I the vegan saimin. I think it’s known for the wings. So far we’ve tried the ginger style and dojo fried chicken.
The vegan saimin is made with coconut broth and veggies, including sweet potatoes. I’m not sure if it’s the broth, the noodles, or the seasoning that has an odd flavour I cannot place. Still I’ve had it twice – I do love the purple sweet potatoes. The mini size is enough for me.
Call in or order online and pick it up in the drive through and head for one of the beaches. We usually go to Kealia.
Their chicken wings have inspired us to look more closely at getting an air fryer!
Sukhothai
4-1330 Kuhio Highway Kapa’a | 808 821-1224
This is Thai with other Asian dishes. I first tried this because it’s our friend’s favourite and we went there for the retreat welcome dinner back in 2019. I didn’t have a lot of time to peruse the menu or ask my questions. I can’t take spicy food and I ended up sharing a fish dish with someone who also cannot. It wasn’t my favourite. Everyone really enjoyed their food, coconut water, and the company.
We recently had take-out a couple of times. The first for lunch – I had the pad thai and Wade had a chicken or meat dish with rice. He quite enjoyed it. The pad thai was okay. The second for dinner with Wade’s parents and what we ordered was pretty good. So it’s a matter of finding the dishes that you like, from a pretty big menu.
Sushi Bushido
Coconut Marketplace 4-484 Kuhio Highway Kapaʻa | 808 822-0664 | website | closed Sunday
We came here for date night. When we got to the restaurant, there was a line outside and it was already pretty full. Good thing we called ahead.
We had the cold tofu (which we used in our saimin the next night), a few speciality rolls like the Green Dream, hamachi sushi, and Salmon Dream, which was for me. This was an unfulfilled dream, sadly. I really wanted to like it but it was a dull flavour.
The staff were happy, friendly, and attentive, which did make the whole experience fun and fulfilling.
BBQ, Burgers & Sandwiches
Chicken in A Barrel
4-1586 Kuhio Highway and 4-484 Kuhio Highway Kapa’a | Ching Young Center 5-5190 Kuhio Highway Hanalei | 9400 Kaumualii Highway Waimea | website
Why is it called Chicken in A Barrel? Their style of “smoked barbecue” uses a barrel. According to Steven Raichlen’s Barbecue Bible, the first ones were likely built by oilfield workers with surplus steel drums.
We didn’t know what we stumbled onto, when we found it by accident on my last trip. We were actually looking for another restaurant, a recommendation from one of the shops we were at. It was closed. We saw some lights in the distance and our hungry tummies led us to Chicken in A Barrel. We were pretty far away from where our car was parked; it was worth it.
Their menu includes fried chicken, ribs, pulled pork, hamburgers, salads, and tacos. I had the fish tacos which were really delicious!
I haven’t been to Chicken in a Barrel this time ’round though it does look busy whenever we drive past. From Wade : “I like their chicken but my favourite thing was their ribs. And their brown rice.”
There are several locations – Kapa’a (on the way to Kealia Beach, north end of town and at the other end, Coconut Marketplace), Hanalei, and Waimea.
L&L Hawaiian Barbecue
4-1011 Kuhio Highway Ste. A-3 Kapa’a | 3-2600 Kaumualii Highway #1404 Lihue | 4492 Moana Road Waimea | 5-5190 Kuhio Highway Hanalei | website
Wade is psyched about their cheeseburgers. An easy snack after surfing. Could be the best value-for-money fast food around here.
Other things we pick up here – lobster balls, takoyaki (one of Wade’s favourites since he discovered it recently!).
These days Wade goes in to order. The guy isn’t very patient with my many questions about non-meat options and non-dairy bubble tea choices. Pop in to order, head to Big Save, and come back for the pick up. Efficient.
With four locations, you can grab your L&L in Kapa’a, Lihue, Waimea, and Hanalei.
Wahine Weenies
4-1383 Kuhio Highway Kapaʻa | 808 631-2237 | website
Wahine Weenies is located at the end of the street where Orchid Alley is. When we got there, she wasn’t there, grabbing supplies, and we thought maybe she was closed for the day. Except the menu board was out.
Wade found Wahine Weenies online. He woke up wanting a Ruben – “1/2 lb of lean Pastrami with 1,000 Island Dressing, Sauerkraut, Swiss Cheese and Spicy Mustard on grilled Jewish Rye.”
I had the Tuna Melt – “Homemade Albacore Tuna Salad with melted Cheddar Cheese on grilled Sourdough.”
The sandwiches come with a bag of chips.
FYI – from Merrian-Webster dictionary –
The word wahine came into English in the late 18th century from Maori, the language of a Polynesian people native to New Zealand; it was originally used for a Maori woman, especially a wife. The word is also used for a woman in Hawaiian and Tahitian, though spelled “vahine” in the latter.
Mexican & Tapas
Bar Acuda
5-5161 Kuhio Highway Hanalei | 808 826 -7081
Rated as one of the top restaurants in Halanei, and probably the North Shore, I can see why. Our friend Issac took us out to dinner, after a day at Black Pot Beach at Hanalei Bay.
The road to Hanalei is still under construction after the March 2021 landslide. We’ve been over to Hanalei a couple of times – this time we went on Saturday. Reservations is a must!
The four of us sat outside in the ambience of this hip restaurant. We ordered several tapas to share – Seared Sea Scallop, local Cucumber Salad, Grilled Lamb Riblettes, Pizetta, Papas Ajo, and the Hawaiian Fish. I enjoyed a nice Malbec with my meal. While we joked about ordering only dessert, we never did make it that far! Next time.
Mariachi’s
4-1387 Kuhio Highway Kapa’a | 3501 Rice Street Lihue | breakfast, lunch & dinner | website
We’ve been to the one in Kapa’a a few times – date night and breakfast. And a celebration dinner for the birthday boy.
Everyone’s friendly here and we had a great time sitting at the bar.
So far, we’ve tried the beer-battered seabass tacos, mahi mahi burrito with chile colorado, huevos con chorizo, and Mariachi’s Grand Slam with oat milk pancakes. And yes, the house Margaritas. Their chips come with tasty salsa.
A friend told us that the Lihue kitchen is better! Plus the view. I’m sure we’ll make it that way one day.
Tiki Tacos
4-971 Kuhio Highway Kapa’a | 9875 Waimea Road Waimea | website
We love tacos! So we were excited to try Tiki Tacos out with Wade’s parents. Plus they know the owner, who was out at the Waimea location when we went.
I’ve eaten a lot of tacos of late, spending months in Northern California last year. We have a favourite taco truck that we frequented, a taco truck that Wade and his son have been going for years! Plus there are just a lot of great Mexican food all around in the area.
If you are in Vancouver, check out Fish Counter.
Tiki Taco’s menu includes a variety of fish options, beef, chicken, lamb, pork, shrimp, and veggie tacos with homemade tortillas and salsa. I had the “Best Fish Taco.” It was pretty good. So this is one big taco and Wade’s dad had the right idea – to eat some of the toppings first then tackle the whole taco. I ended up doing this the other way ’round – finishing my meal with eating what fell into the basket.
Pizzeria & Eatery
Bobby V’s Italian Restaurant Pizzeria
4-484 Kuhio Highway (Coconut Marketplace) Kapa’a | 808 821-8080 | website
One night, we were hankering for pizza. Somehow we landed on Bobby V’s. Just a couple of simple pizzas.
Their website advertises fresh local ingredients, handmade hand-tossed dough, and 100% real mozzarella cheese. Sounds good, right? It just didn’t taste good. The crust was hard and not tasty. Was it because the pizza wasn’t hot anymore? The cheese sat on top like a sheet of wax. We were pretty disappointed, at least the sunset at Kealia didn’t disappoint. Hanging out at the beach makes everything better.
This may be a place that’s good for happy hour, which is 11AM – 5PM every day, with a few bucks off appetizers, draft beers, and certain wines. Or maybe their Tuesday and Wednesday evening spaghetti and meatballs.
It got 4 stars from nearly 500 reviews on Tripadvisor so maybe it was an off night and dine-in may be better.
Olympic Café
1354 Kuhio Highway Kapa’a | 808 822-5825 | Breakfast, lunch & Dinner
This is another popular restaurant. We ate here at the retreat in 2019. The waitstaff very quickly put tables together for us. I think there were 12 or 13 of us. The service was quick and the portions generous. I shared the daily fish dish with a friend.
The second time we went, it was date night. We sat at the high tables overlooking the street. Drinks and appetizers. The bar was packed with people while the restaurant was still pretty empty. This was prior to the re-opening of April 5.
The next time was after the tourists started returning en masse and the difference was obvious. We too had visitors and anticipating a lot of people, we went for a 6PM dinner. This time, I had Fish & Chips, with enough for a snack later. Others had a burger, Casear salad, Blackened Fresh Fish, and the daily fish dish. Good times.
Taps and Hops Eatery
4-885 Kuhio Highway Kapaʻa | 808 378-4199
I think this was the first place we ate out after I landed here in March. We were just driving down the road, seeing what was open and we decided to give this place a try. It was fun, our first Kaua’i date night.
We sat in the lounge area. They have a main menu and a Happy Hour menu for 12 – 3 and 5 – 8. This is when I was first introduced to Loco Moco, and pupus in general. Basically pupus are appetizers, finger food, and snacks. My first choice was a fish burger and because they were out of fish, I went for the garlic shrimp dish. Wade had the Kaua’i Beef Sliders. It was a very fulfilling and satisfying dinner. It was a lot of fun and just great to be out and about again.
Juice & Dessert
JoJo’s Shave Ice
5-5190 Kuhio Highway Hanalei | Coconut Marketplace 4-484 Kuhio Highway Kapaʻa | 9734 Kaumualii Highway Waimea | website
I like JoJo’s. I’ve been to both the Hanalei and the Waimea locations. The last time we were in Waimea, they had just run out of the Macademian Nut ice cream. Nooooooo… This is really what makes it special, for me anyway. And Lilikoi on top!
Basically you can’t go wrong with any of the choices. I’ve tried the North Shore and Lilo & Stitch. Next I think I’ll check out the Li Hing Mui though I’m not sure about how it. Li Hing Mui is salty dried plum in Chinese culture. Salty, sweet, and sour, all at once.
Kaua’i Juice Co
4-1384 Kuhio Highway Kapa’a | 2360 Kiahuna Plantation Drive Poipu | 4270 Kiluea Road Kilauea | website
I’ve been following Kaua’i Juice Co on Instagram for a while and was excited to try some of their juices. We popped over here while we waited for our sandwiches from Wahine Weenies.
Despite their name, Kaua’i Juice offers more than just cold-pressed juices, with a daily menu. I had Black Pearl, “basically the cleanest coffee you’ll drink” I’m told and Wade had Omega This.
Black Pearl – Coconut meat, coconut nectar, cold-brewed coffee, cacao kotuku reishi spores, kotuku pearl powder, vegan probiotics, and Tahitian Vanilla.
Omega This – soursop, orange, mango, dragonfruit, pineapple, and chia seed.
Both were delicious! Black Pearl was not what I went in for – just so many choices. It paired well with my tuna melt sandwich and reminded me about getting some pearl powder. I have this sustainable freshwater one from Sun Potion.
What is pearl powder?
From Sun Potion’s website:
Pearl is a revered longevity food that has been used for centuries by Taoist Herbalists to support one’s inner and outer radiance. It is an excellent source of minerals including calcium, zinc, iron, selenium, and amino acids. Pearl has strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and helps to support the body’s natural collagen production, even and clear skin, strengthen bones, and support the nervous system, healthy sleep cycles, and Shen (Spirit).
Wailua Shave Ice
4-831 Kuhio Highway Kapaʻa | 808 634-7183 | website
If you are from Asia or have visited, you know all about shaved ice or Ice Kachang. It’s a bowl with shaved ice, usually with pink rose water, green pandan, and some sort of yellow syrup. Toppings include corn, red beans, grass jelly, evaporated or condensed milk, cendol (dessert made with green rice flour with coconut milk and sugar), fruits like mango, jackfruit, and durian. It really depends on where you go, the vendor, the town/city, and country.
In Hawaii, you get Shave Ice, not Shaved ice.
I had my first taste at JoJo’s in Hanalei the day we went to visit the Kilauea Lighthouse, the Pier, and the Dry Cave. It was delicious with the macadamia nut at the bottom. The three of us shared that and even then, it was a lot!
The next place I tried was Wailua Shave Ice when they were still in a food truck. That was fun, sharing a few between all of us after our retreat welcome dinner. So I was looking forward to having some Shave Ice when my 10 days of quarantine were over.
Wailua Shave Ice is now in Kaua’i Village Shopping Centre, around the corner from Safeway. Personally, I love the food truck experience and their new location feels pretty sterile. This was before April 5 and Kaua’i was still pretty closed down so is that it?
