Big Island Restaurants
 

My husband and I are headed to the Big Island in 2 weeks. We were there 10 years ago, and have been to most other islands since.
Is it just US or are there any good restaurants, moderately priced on ANY of these islands??
We must have dumb luck choosing or something, but I would love to find something really good for a change and actually come back and recommend it!!!
We'll be staying in Kohala, thanks!!

Are you planning to go Volcanoes National Park? If so, have dinner at the Thai restaurant in Volcano. The best Thai I think I've ever had. Nothing fancy, but the owners bring their spices over from "home". Delish. Make reservations. They'll answer at the hardware store during the day :-)

Well it might depend on what you consider "moderate". I think Pahu I'a (at 4S) and Canoe House (at MLB) are expensive. Brown's Beach House (Fairmont) would be borderline. Roy's would depend on what you order...my opinion of them though is that the noise level negates the quality of the food. There's a Ruth's Chris at one of the Kohala malls, very good, but expensive.

That leaves Merriman's, with their cafe at King's shops and the original restaurant up in Waimea/Kamuela. The cafe is good, the restaurant excellent. If you want to experience an outstanding meal at reasonable rates go to the Waimea restaurant for lunch and order the minute steak. It was amazing.

Staying in Kohala you could drive to O's bistro in Kona...very good food, no ambiance whatsoever. The Waikoloa Beach Grill is moderate, depending again on what you order. Lunch is the better bet in terms of cost. Dinner...chicken paillard is great...served "tapas" style so you can keep the costs down. Serving sizes are small. They serve what is essentially a grilled cheese sandwich as an appetizer, delicious!

Hmmm...can you tell that I haven't had dinner yet?

Take a look at threads on Chowhound.com. Posters love their food and give good descriptions. Do a search on "big island"...lots will come up.

Enjoy your trip, you'll have a great time no matter where you eat.

another vote for o's bistro in kona. for local grinds i like u-top-it on alii dr.

I have to differ with connecticut_lady in just one respect: after our fourth mediocre and overpriced meal at Merriman's Cafe, we stopped trying. On our last visit they had live "music": a guitar player who was somewhere between puberty and getting his driver's license, and somewhere between his second and third guitar lesson. Just horrible trying to enjoy a meal with that kind of squealing going on.

They don't even offer free soda refills.

The original Merriman's (in Waimea) is outstanding, though. Never had a bad experience there.

In response to fdecarlo re Merriman's Cafe...last time I ate there (Nov 2007)it was for lunch, no live music. I wouldn't care for the music either. Service was prompt & efficient even though it was crowded.

The last dinner we had at the cafe was "take out" a little over two years ago...ordered an entree, salad and something else I can't remember which we split once back at the condo. Steak with some sort of blue cheese butter sauce was excellent as were the French fries. The steak we liked is no longer on the menu.

I would recommend the cafe for lunch.

Re u-top-it -- had one good lunch there and one not-so-good. My husband liked it more than I did.

I've read that Huli Sue's is good, didn't try them on the last trip, would be interested in knowing if anyone else has been there.

The one thing that I got at Merriman's cafe that I had never had before up to that time was flatiron steak, which even well done, as I like it, was the most tender steak I had ever had and very flavorful. I have since seen it at one other restaurant, but Merriman's serves it regularly. If you are a meateater, you might check to see what night it is offered.

Some distance away just beyond Kailula-Kona in Captain Cook, but reasonable and interesting is the Keei Cafe. I've had both lunch and dinner there, which were both good. But for me it's too far to drive at night now just for dinner, so if you're like me, try lunch when you in that part of the island.(http://tinyurl.com/2gtu7f) By the way, Trip Advisor reviews ranks this restaurant #2 in the area. #1 is the Manago Hotel and Restaurant, which is a funky little place that is also worth visiting. I hear the pork chops are good.

This is a good site. I use it for Oahu, but it is good for all islands:

www.hawaiidiner.com

Also these have restaurant guides:

www.alternative-hawaii.com

www.driveguidemagazines.com

Oh, Merriman's in Waimea for sure, either lunch or dinner, but clearly lunch will be more affordable.

Anna Roz

Had lunch at Huli Sue's in November. It was ok--heard it was better for dinner.
Check out Konaweb's Restaurant Recommendations and Reader's Restaurant Reviews at this website http://www.konaweb.com/konaweb/entertainment.shtml for more ideas.

for casual, I love Huli Sue's in Waimea; and Bamboo in Hawi is great.

In Hilo last year we had tasty cuisine that's moderately priced at Emerald Orchid and Cafe Pesto.

I second Cafe Pesto. Since you will be staying in Kohala, there is also one in Kawaihae across from the port, but don't let that put you off. It is very good food at a decent price. We go for two weeks in Feb and eat there several times during our stay. www.cafepesto.com

I third Cafe Pesto in Hilo... reasonable and delicious. For an "ono" cafe in Hilo, try the Kuhio Grille over by the airport, near Home Depot.