22 Best Restaurants in Big Island, Hawaii

From its upstairs, open-air dining room decorated with kitschy surfer chic, this new restaurant invites customers to enjoy views of the pier and a bustling corner of Alii Drive. Fortunately, an excellent, extensive menu makes it well worth a stop; fresh fish plates including fish tacos are a sure bet. The clam chowder is some of Kona's best. Try the smashburger (a cooking technique that adds flavor while reducing grill time) or the marinated sirloin or New York strip. Death by Chocolate is the dessert to die for. They also serve breakfast from 7 until noon, and there's a happy hour as well as live music nightly. Great prices keep the locals coming in. 

Ocean breezes flow through this open-air, bayfront restaurant on Alii Drive, known for a quality menu infused with Cajun and island influences; almost all dishes are made to order and feature non-GMO, hormone-free, or USDA-certified organic ingredients. A must-try is the seafood pesto puff pastry on the appetizer menu, and for dinner, the steak house pasta (creamy mushroom pasta topped with a New York strip steak) is a good bet. Signature cocktails blend freshly muddled fruit and fresh juices with no commercial mixes. With happy hour daily from 3 to 5, and live entertainment nightly, Foster's Kitchen is a cool spot to enjoy a sunset cocktail or late-night libation.

On the docks at Kona's sleepy harbor, this open-air restaurant is an authentic place to grab a beer and a bite after a long day fishing, beach-going, or diving. The venue is nothing fancy, but it's one of the best spots in Kona for fresh-fish sandwiches, a variety of fried fish-and-chip combos, and even burgers. Frosty 18-ounce schooners of Kona Brewing Co. ale cannot be beat price-wise anywhere on the island, either. Come early, though: it closes at 6 and on Sunday at 5. Happy hour is from 3 to 6.

What this casual pub-turned-burger-joint lacks in space and parking is more than made up for in burger choices: more than 22 varieties of gourmet burgers, from a bacon ranch burger to a southern BBQ burger. Many of the ingredients come straight from the Big Island, and non-beef selections such as fish burgers are available as well, so it's definitely worth checking out.

An ultrapopular destination with an outdoor patio, Kona Brewing offers an excellent, varied menu, including famous brews, pulled-pork quesadillas, gourmet pizzas, and a killer spinach salad with Gorgonzola cheese and macadamia nuts. The sampler tray, a good value, offers four of the 10 available microbrews. Try the notable Hefeweizen. If you're staying in town, purchase beer to go in a half-gallon jug ("growler") filled on-site from the brewery's own taps. 

With vintage memorabilia and a bluesy soundtrack as a background, this cool deli in a tiny strip mall has a lot more to offer than the average sandwich shop. Yes, there are gourmet sandwiches, salads, and wraps, but Poi Dog's wide-ranging menu extends to an impressive list of wines, craft beers, ales, and pilsners from all over the world. On the lighter side, they have a great mix of hard ciders as well. But there are also kombuchas, coffees, and other nonalcoholic beverages to choose from. Hailing from New Orleans, the proprietors love to bring a touch of the Big Easy to Kona, which you'll feel throughout the place. 

With the bar in the front and the dining patio in the back, Quinn's may seem like a bit of a dive at first glance, but this venerable restaurant serves the best darn cheeseburger and fries in town. The menu has many other tasty options, such as fish-and-chips and beef tenderloin tips. If time gets away from you on a drive to the north beaches, Quinn's, which stays open until 10, awaits your return with a cheap beer and a basket of fried calamari. Drinks are strong—no watered-down cocktails here. Breakfast is served from 7 to 10:45 during football season, and it's sure to be lively, especially if the Green Bay Packers are involved. Park across the street at the Courtyard King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel and get free 90-minute parking with validation.

A hands-down island favorite, this casual brewpub from owner and veteran brewmaster Tom Kerns churns out premium ales, lagers, and specialty beers from his on-site brewery in Waimea. With a focus on fresh ingredients, the brewpub's menu includes burgers, poke, fish tacos, burritos, and quesadillas fresh to order. They have plenty of seating both inside and out. 

This place is usually packed for a reason: the more than 36 craft brews on tap, plus an upstairs and downstairs bar with plenty of outdoor seating. Take in the oceanfront view with amazing sunsets while chowing down on stone-baked pizza, fresh salads, fish-and-chips, fish tacos, burgers, stone-baked subs, and lots of appetizers. The steamed clams are a highlight, along with the soft and warm Bavarian pretzels. For dessert, the Maunakea Mud Pie is a winner. During the annual Kona Brewfest, they offer festival draft brews to try. Great live entertainment rocks the house nightly. 

With cocktail bars both upstairs and downstairs, oceanfront Island Lava Java serves eggs Benedict for breakfast, fresh fish tacos for lunch, and pasta, Big Island beef, and seafood for dinner, plus towering, fresh bistro salads. There are also pizzas, sandwiches, and plenty of choices for both vegetarians and meat eaters. Portions are large, food is made from scratch, and most of the menu is fresh, local, and organic. 

The brightly decorated, open-air restaurant is a favorite lunch and dinner destination of visitors and residents, thanks to generous portions and a nice variety of chef's specials, steaks, and seafood dishes. The lunchtime menu offers such diversity as beer-battered fish-and-chips, kalua (earth oven–baked) pork quesadilla, and guava-glazed baby-back ribs. Entrées can be pricey, but good happy hour selections and prices keep locals coming back. 

Pahoa Town isn't known for gourmet dining choices, but Kaleo's is pretty sophisticated for a small-town restaurant and remains a local favorite with very good food. Hawaiian-inspired fare blends the gamut of the island's international influences with tempura ahi rolls, grilled burgers, and banana spring rolls. Nightly entertainment makes this the place to be on a laid-back Pahoa evening. Sit on the porch and watch the goings-on in Pahoa Town.

When not on limited pandemic hours, this little spot offers epic cheeseburger plates (using grass-fed beef) and even has a 1950s-style malt shop. They also serve a local favorite, the pineapple whip, perfect for a cool break on a hot day. For now, order online and pick up; check online to see if they're back to full capacity.  

This vintage open-air restaurant at the historical Kona Inn Shopping Village offers a beautiful oceanfront setting on Kailua Bay. The view and the bar are Kona icons, and it's a great place to have a mai tai and some appetizers later in the day, or to enjoy a calamari sandwich, clam chowder, or salad at lunch. Dinner is also available, but the entrées can be hit or miss, and for the prices there are better options once the sun disappears.

Simply unbeatable proximity to the ocean is part of the draw of this lively restaurant in the heart of town: you just can't get any closer to the water without getting wet—and sometimes you do! It's popular to come here for sunset for drinks and appetizers such as the truffle Parmesan fries or the kalua pork arancini. Otherwise, stick with a burger or sandwich, as the mains can get pricey. Beloved local musicians Lopaka Roots and LT Smooth play nightly. 

If you expect that a restaurant named Pineapples would serve tropical beverages in hollowed-out pineapples, you'd be exactly correct. Always packed, this open-air bistro looks like a tourist trap, but there is a fine-dining component to the menu, which includes fresh catch, kalbi ribs (grilled, Korean-style), teriyaki flank steak, burgers, wraps, and sandwiches. Check out the daily specials like salmon salad or the Caprese burger.

Perched on the waterfront overlooking a scenic pond at Reeds Bay Beach Park, this restaurant has the look and vibe of an old-fashioned, harborside steak house and bar. The menu features a good range of burgers and salads, steak, and seafood. Every Thursday is lobster night, with 8-ounce lobster tails served a variety of ways. Live music happens most evenings.

Visitors enjoy stopping here before or after a morning of snorkeling at Kealakekua Bay, and for good reason: the views of the Honaunau Coast from this roadside restaurant are nothing short of drop-dead stunning. This place is best for breakfast or a quick bite, as overpriced mains can miss; but if you're in the mood for a Hawaiian smoothie, iced honey-mocha latte, or scone, it's worth the stop. It can get crowded, and parking is tricky and limited, so you may need to park across the highway and dash over. They are open until sunset. 

Tucked away at the Kona Country Club at the far end of Alii Drive, this nondescript spot is the place to go for happy hour, appetizers, and ocean breezes. It has a large, open-deck lanai, a kamaaina (old-time) vibe, and decidedly non-fancy decor. While the mains are a bit overpriced, it's a great place to relax, order an appetizer, and maybe talk story with local residents, or perhaps hear about the day's best golf shots. It's open until 5 pm.

At this little eatery that brings a whole new meaning to gourmet hamburgers, locally raised, grass-fed, hormone-free beef is ground fresh, hand-shaped daily on-site, and grilled to perfection right before your eyes. Top your burger (be it ahi, veal, Kahua Ranch Wagyu beef, Hamakua mushroom, or Waipio taro) with everything from local avocados, baby greens, and chipotle goat cheese to tomato marmalade.

A cute vintage shack, painted a cheery yellow, is the home of the best smoothies and shakes on the Hamakua Coast. Order at the counter and take away, or sit awhile under the canopy while you indulge in a Mango Tango, Lava Java, Bananarama, or any of about 15 selections of creative smoothies; you can pair it with tasty turkey, fish, or chicken roll-ups and other wraps. Although the focus is on vegetarian fare, there's something for everyone here, including a kids' menu and the Beyond Burger, a veggie burger impossible to distinguish from the real thing. What's Shakin' is in Pepeekeo, south of Honomu Town.