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Best restaurant on Kauai?
We will be in Kauai in early October and are splitting our time between the North and South shores.
I would love some recs for restaurants with excellent food and ambiance. A Hawaii/Pan-Asian, we don't have that in Los Angeles kind of place would be great. Or, just your favorites. Any price. |
The best food and service in the south, is hands down, Roy's. It's in a mini mall. The next best is The Beach House, the setting is more romantic, but food and service slightly under par, but still wouldn't pass it up. Make reservation before you leave home for a sunset, window table. Tidepools at Hyatt very nice, again, ask for window table near the waterfall.
8-) |
Alisa,
I have a report on file of my favorites on Kauai. I go there every year. email me if you would like it. I do have a posting on here named belated kauai trip report 7/15 through 8/5. I listed a few on there |
Best food on the island is currently at A Pacific Cafe in Kapaa. However, its location in a shopping center doesn't give it the greatest ambiance. Best ambiance and food is found at Tidepools at the Hyatt. IMHO Roy's is a bit dated and no longer as innovative or fresh as its once was.
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Travelermebe, how long since you have been to Kauai? A Pacific Cafe no longer is unless it has just reopened recently..What about it AuntieM?
South-Roy's Kapaa-Coconuts and HukiLau Lanai North-Cafe Hanalei |
My (3) favorites were Scotty's BBQ in Kapaa, Dukes in Lihue and the simple mexican food place in Hanalei. The name sescapes me at the moment.
We have a Beach House 10 minutes from us in So Cal and it's awesome as well. I've always heard Roy's is outstanding but have never been there. We stick to Ruth's Chris and Flemings for quality steaks!! |
A PacCafe was supposed to re-open at the Coral Reef Hotel so it would have an oceanside setting.
Heard from them about 2-3 months ago and they said Pac Cafe had no ETA. Auntie M??? :-? |
A Pacific Cafe closed their doors last year -- amid local press reports that they would "soon be relocating" (as part of the small Hotel Coral Reef in Kapa`a). As of last week, the clerk at Hotel Coral Reef told me that "there are plans for the restaurant to open here, but nothing definite". ???????
The good news is, we've got _lots_ of other great dining options on this island to fill that void. Whenever someone asks for the "best" restaurant though, I'm cautious with my reply. Best food? Best service? Best ambiance? Best prices? Best pizza/steak/seafood/salad bar? Or...? :-) Here's my 2 cents on some of the places mentioned: Roys - great food, good service, lousy ambiance (shopping center) Tidepools - great food, great service, great ambiance Beach House - good food, inconsistent service, great ambiance Coconuts - great food, great service (usually), no views but the interior is very "island" Scotty's BBQ - yummmmmy food, good service, great views Duke's (upstairs) - great food, great service, great ambiance Cafe Portofino (next door to Duke's) - great food, great service, great ambiance Hamura Saimin -- da best saimin, good service, horrible ambiance but _very_ Kaua`i! |
"HORRIBLE" at Hamura's, Auntie M?!?!?!
No waaaaaaaaaaaay!!!! Although I do feel like Gulliver sitting at the counter on a milking stool! ;) |
kal
i'm sorry - those are fighting words... meet me outside. i'm gonna have to kick your okole (smile) |
Bring a lunch...I gotta BIG okole!
I <b>love</b> "Hammies". Wish we could have kept is secret like "you know where" in Hanalei! |
geez, i'll have to eat crow on that one.
jumped to end of thread i'm sorry |
Kal..........Wake Up, my friend!!!
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AuntieM
Can't believe A Pacific Cafe closed. It was our favorite place to eat on Kauai. Phenomenal meals. Please keep us advised if it reopens or the head chef starts somewhere else. We also especially liked Tidepools and Coconuts and that restaurant located in Kiahuna Plantation whose name escapes me. We also had a less than spectacular meal at Roy's (maybe we were unlucky). For casual dining, we also had a couple of good meals at Joes on the Green. |
I'll have to put in my two cents for Joe's on the Green for dinner. They are only open on Wed. and Thursday nights and take reservations. We were there a couple weeks ago and had great food. They had live entertainment which was excellent, and are fairly priced. I wouldn't suggest it as my "Honeymoon" dinner, but it was nice in the middle of the week.
8-) |
We were there last month and had excellent dinners every night. My favorites were the Beach House and the Plantation Garden restaurant at Kiahuna Plantation. These places having both wonderful food AND nice ambiance.
We also enjoyed Roy's and Keokis Paradise. The fun atmosphere at Keokis complimented the well prepared entrees plus we had an especially nice and efficient waitress there. The ambiance just isn't the same at these two places because they are in a shopping center. If you hit Poipu Shopping Center at lunch though, try Puka Dogs. |
Alisa,
Even though dining on Kaua`i is notoriously terrible, we were able to struggle through a few edible meals on our recent trip. Postcards in Hanalei. Cafe Hanalei for a non-buffet dinner. Hanalei Dolphin I love watching people who walk into Hamura's for the first time. They are all a bit shocked. I find the peeling linoleum and tilted counter tops quite charming, really. -Bill |
Love you guys! Great advice!
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Postcards in Hanalei was great. Vegetarian restaurant except for the fish. Fish was great!
Hanalei Dolphin was great for lunch. They have a fish market if you want to do your own. ((b)) |
Alisa, one place that DH absolutely loves is Lihue BBQ Inn...just down the street from Hamarua's. Lots of locals. Great food, with a little more ambiance than Hammy's, but not much!
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i2,
We eat at the BBQ Inn and then waddle down the street to Hamuras for the Lilikoi pie for dessert! Then we buy a whole pie to take back to the love-shack for later! -Bill |
Oh yum, love that lilikoi pie....if you got any of Aunty Lilikoi's Passion Fruit Juice while you were there, there is a recipe for lilikoi chiffon pie on the back of the bottle. While we were in her shop, I asked who had the best lilikoi pie on the island, and yep you guessed it..."Hammy's" was one of the 3 she recommended. Saying that theirs was probably the best.
I made up own version....graham cracker crust....1 can eagle brand milk, some passion fruit juice..about 1/3 or so cup and 1 container cool whip. You can also use the low fat or not fat versions of stuff..just not as dense...it's good, but not chiffon! Ah.......memories of Kauai...withdrawals Alisa, there are sooooooooo many great places to eat on Kauai. You won't have a problem. Another place we liked a whole whole lot was Kauai Pasta! ((r))i'2 |
Thanks for the replies. To further clarify--looking for some place nice to go for a honeymoon kind of dinner. We are staying at the Hyatt for 4 nights and the HBR for 5 nights. I am sure we will eat dinner at the Hyatt.
We would prefer cuisine that is a bit different--not really in to steaks/salad bar. Perhaps more asian-inspired or interesting seafood. Something memorable. Does not have to be overly fancy or chic. Not concerned with price. Food is the priority. |
Alisa,
Although we didn't get to try it while we were there, Cafe Hanalei in the Princeville Resort sounds like what you are looking for while on the north shore. Check out their (non-buffet menu: http://www.princeville.com/stay/pvdining.html#hanalei The good thing about this is that after dinner, you just walk outside to the HBR shuttle stop, pick up the phone, and a golf cart will come down to whisk you back up to your condo. You could also walk back, but there are no landscape or overhead lights on the path. Enjoy. I'm looking forward to reading your trip report! |
alisa,
Postcards Cafe in Hanalei fits the bill perfectly. Very interesting menu items. Request a table on the patio outside. Have a great trip. -Bill |
Consider going to Cafe Hanalei at the Princeville Hotel for breakfast. They have a buffet or you can order from their menu. The food is very good, but the setting is the reason to go, it's just extraordinary. We like it for dinner too...but there is something about starting your day in this stunning setting that we like even better. If you do go there make certain you get an outdoor table, wait for it if you have to. When Gaylords is good, it's really good, but the service is hit or miss. On our last trip they were "on" each time we went and we enjoyed lunch and dinner there. As others have said, Roy's has excellent food with no ambiance whatsoever. If I had only one vote for the "best" restaurant on Kauai I would have to say Roy's. |
kintaros.
sit at the bar, get to know arnelle, he'll hook you up. my favorites, softshell crab handroll, balihai bombs, unagi, seaurchin - ono grinds |
Read gyppielou's trip report and you will not want to go at all. I forgot to mention Olympic Cafe in Kapaa. We ate there twice and she and the others ate there several times.
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On the subject of Kaua`i dining, I'm glad to be able to report that Sabella's in Princeville can be recommended again. They had been poor, then great, then poor -- but the menu has been pared back to just the basics (Italian/Mediterranean) and the wait staff appears to be more mature. Ate there last night -- great food, great service, good wine list, nice views of the pali (mountains).
But...it's toooooo hot in there! We went early (5:30-6pm) and the sun hadn't set yet, and we'd daytime high of 85 or so. They need to upgrade their ceiling fans, or (better yet), install A/C. We'll go back anytime it's a cool evening, for sure. |
Alisa,
You may want to try Gaylords at Kilohana Plantation just outside of Lihue. No ocean or sunset views, but a well managed old style Hawaiian plantation. You could take a carriage ride around the grounds before dinner and enjoy dinner in an open courtyard setting. Great food, great staff, may be a little pricey, but I think you'd enjoy it. |
My first time posting, although I have lurked quite a bit. Been to Kauai twice, which is so far from being enough. Here's my recommendation:
Hukilau Lanai We had dinner there in July and it was the best meal we had on the island. Their calamari (appetizer) was the best we have ever eaten. My husband ordered the Hukilau Grill, and it included marlin & ono. Fantastic. I had a lightly breaded Opah over mashed potatoes and it was to die for. Our 6-year-old daughter ordered Pasta Alfredo with chicken. We had 2 glasses of wine, a fu-fu drink, and a kids' fu-fu drink. For dessert...OMG...you have to order their Warm Chocolate Cake (order it 20 minutes before you want it). It's a fabulous dark chocolate cake that oozes fudge from the middle. They top it with vanilla ice cream. OMG...did I say that already? The whole dinner (appetizer, 4 drinks, 2 adult entrees and 1 child's entree, plus 1 dessert to split) set us back $102. Not bad for Hawaii....or even for California. We ate at Bali Hai a few nights later, and it didn't even come close to the Hukilau (and cost more $). I wasn't even that impressed with the sunset...we sat at the railing, but the building blocked it. They were borderline rude in the bar there, too. To be honest, when we first walked up to the hostess counter at the Hukilau, I thought "oh, it's going to be some generic resort food/atmosphere". We got there at about 5:45 and waited less than five minutes for a table at the edge of the restaurant. You can see a tiny bit of the ocean, but it's more of a garden setting. Tiki torches made it even prettier. The service was prompt and courteous. Do not miss this restaurant! Of course, from what I've read here, I should say the chickens pecked at us the whole time we were eating that bad food in the rain??? GlowBug |
PS ~ The Hukilau Lanai is owned by Gaylord's. We only had brunch at Gaylord's but there was no comparison... The HL was completely awesome!
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i heartily agree with kauai aka.. Kintaro
is soooo delicious! How do ya'll say? .. broke da mouth. It is my favorite restaurant on kauai! Go early for less crowds..although the crowds are always happy there! |
Alisa
Since you are already staying at the Hyatt, I would really recommend the Plantation Garden at the Kiahuna Plantation. Absolutely wonderful seafood, great service and the amibiance is very romantic. Other than Tidepools at the Hyatt, it is our favorite restaurant in Kauai. |
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