Mar 18, 2019

It probably doesn’t surprise you by now that a lot of our travels surrounds food. We might love adventures, but my guy and I think they are best capitalized by a plate of fresh food. So we were quick to map out all of the Kauai restaurants that we knew we had to try.

Though full disclosure some of the places we found on Kauai loosely fit the definition of restaurant! Don’t worry – the taste definitely doesn’t disappoint.

North Shore Restaurants

Kalalea Juice Hale – this is a super convenient stop outside of our campground in Anahola and honestly one of the best acai bowls I’ve had in a while. Though I would suggest holding off on the fresh coconut and just enjoy the acai bowls and fresh juices.

Wishing Well Shaved ice – ice cream and shaved ice?? SO GOOD.

It will blow any budget for shaved ice that you can think of, but the interesting combo is worth it at least once on your trip.

South Shore Restaurants

Eating House 1849 – hands down the best cocktails I’ve ever had. Also, probably the most I’ve spent on said cocktails. This is definitely a splurge in Poipu, but worth it for the delicious fish.

I will say I preferred the ambiance at Gaylord’s Restaurant in Lihue (more scenic less resort-y) so I kinda wish we would have splurged here instead. Either way both look like good places to splurge for Kauai restaurants!

Da Crack – I’m such a sucker for any good Mexican food and am happy to report that this tiny, hole in the wall of a restaurant is worth the trip to the south shore. Even if I did want to come here originally for the name alone.

Lihue Restuarants

Verde – easily our favorite restaurant we tried. My all time favorite was the stuffed sopapilla and my guy swears by their fish tacos.

Hamura Saimin – a true local gem. My guy found this one and while I was super skeptical at first, the traditional saimin was delicious. Plus, it’s fun to find a place that locals frequent versus the everyday tourist.

Koloa Rum Company – hands down one of our favorite places we visited! Koloa Rum is the only distillery on the island and offer free tastings every half hour.

We ended up buying a large bottle of their Reserve rum and I highly suggest going to Gaylord’s Resturant next door to sample the Reserve rum before you buy an entire bottle.

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West Shore Restaurants

Coconut Corner – we almost didn’t stop at this spot on the west side of the island in Kekaha as the reviews were really varied. But the chilled coconuts were the best at this stand and we had fun trying such fresh fruit for so little! (If you are looking for more of a complete meal I would suggest The Saddle Room a few blocks east – a m a z i n g burgers.)

Honorable Mentions (looked amazing but just didn’t work out)
Cafe Tumeric
Saenz Ohana (get there before 10am to get their infamous eggs benedict)
Gaylord’s Restaurant

While we knew that Hawaii would have some of the best and freshest food, we also knew that it would probably come with a hefty price tag. So we typically only ate out for a maximum of two meals a day. It definitely helped us stay on budget more and didn’t make us feel too guilty on our splurges in Kauai restaurants.