cd

And the surrounding area please. We will be there the month of Feb and will do a lot of our own cooking but would like to have a list of restaurants for the times we dine out. We are not pickey eaters, love seafood and little mom and pop places. Anything unusual in the way of food or views would be right up our alley. Thank you!

martym

Some restaurants we like in south Kona

Sam Choy’s Kai Lanai-- http://www.samchoy.com/ a great patio with an expansive view of the Kona Coast-

Annie’s http://anniesislandfreshburgers.com

Ke’ei Café http://www.keeicafe.net good fresh fish – I always get catch of the day—with lemon caper sauce—cash only (they have an ATM)

Mi’s Italian Bistro http://www.misitalianbistro.com lovely Italian food—

Coffee Shack http://www.coffeeshack.com breakfast and lunch and sandwiches to go—the view can’t be beat

Ka’aloa’s Super J’s if you want to try poi—here’s the place to do it—the nicest Hawaiian lady is the owner her dishes are authentic and delicious--it's mostly a take out place though there are a few tables--no ambiance unless you count the photos of her beautiful family that are displayed there--the restaurant is right on the makai (ocean) side) of the highway in south Kona—easy to miss—though it does have a sign

Kalama’s on Napoopoo Road on the way down to Kealekakua Bay—good fresh fish sandwiches –and we like their kim chee burgers

Kona Coffeehouse and Café at Honounou—it opened last year (hope it is still open) located on the highway where the road to Place of Refuge t’s into it

www.konaweb.com has restaurant reviews and lots of information about the island of Hawaii.

cd

Thanks Martym, Kaaloa's sounds great!!!

sylvia3

We had a terrific lunch in a beautiful setting overlooking the bay in the "artist colony" town of Holualoa (best coffee we've had yet), which sits above south Kona.

http://www.holuakoacafe.com/

p.s. they say "slow food" but it was no longer a wait than anywhere else we've been.

cd

sylvia, I like that they buy from local farmers!

Marginal

Are you actually staying in Kona, or some other place?

cd

We are actually staying in Kona.

charnees

Holuakoa does have very slow service. It's better at lunch time.

We also love Huggo's On the Rocks, for good casual lunches with the best waterside location in town. At night it is crowded and has live mussic. The restaurant next door, Huggo's, is quite expensive. And IMO is not worth it. But on the rocks is fun and tasty.

If you drive north to Hawi (and you should, for a very different experience) go to Bamboo restaurant, another place that is fun for lunch or dinner, and moderately priced. Nice people, too. Try anything that has their coconut sauce on it --- we always ask for extra because it is so good! They have live Hawaiian music on weekends, but you need a reservation. They have two seatings. In winter, there is a good chance you will spot whales offshore when you get north of the resort areas, especially north of Kawaihai, the harbor town. We always take our binoculars when we go to Hawi.

In Waimea, Merriman's is good, although we usually go there for lunch, too.

cd

Thanks charnees! Huggo's sounds perfect, we LOVE view's during mealtimes and drinks! We will also be in Hawi and Waimea so those recommendations are appreciated!

22tango

When we were there in June, I think we ended up having dinner in Don's Mai Tai Bar (in the Royal Kona Resort) 3 of our 7 nights. The reason for that? Views are as good or better than from any other in-town restaurant. Plus, drinks are good, and it's easy to patch together a nice meal from the bar menu of pupus, salads, and sandwhiches.

22tango

"sandwhiches"?????

cd

Now, that's funny! Is that the place that has such nice grounds? I remember reading about a hotel that had beautiful grounds with ponds, etc but I don't remember the name.

oregonmom

For a huge, quick burrito lunch, Killer Taco on the north edge of town. Also, go to Honoka'a and have Malasadas (portugese donuts) at Tex Drive in.

cd

We do like Mexican! But what is a Portugese donut?

Lookin_Glass

a Malasada

22tango

We didn't see much more of the grounds than what was between the parking lot and the bar, cd. ;-) But what we did see was nice, except that the building seemed a bit outdated. And we learned that if you pick the right night and the right table, you can enjoy the music and some of the show from the weekly luau.

wbpiii

I haven't read the thread so these are probably repeats.

Sam Choy's has a great view, good food with ample portions at a fair price.

Jackie Reyes, no view, unpretentious, very good food, excellent wine list for the islands, and very fairly priced. A favorite.

Kona Brewing, no view, good pizza, great beer, relaxed atomosphere.

Lemongrass Bistro, no view, unpretentious, very good thai food and moderately priced.

Ke'ei Cafe, little view, nice atomosphere, very good food, nice wine list, moderately priced. I like it.

Mi's no view, no atomosphere, a little hole in the wall but the italian food is very well prepared. Moderately priced but fair.

Huggo and Don the Beachcomber great view, inconsistent.

Merriman cafe in Waikoloa Resort. Comfort food good and reasonably priced.

Roy's Waikoloa Resort. Excellent food, OK setting, a little noisy but I like it for that pricey special meal.

enjoy
Bill

cd

22tango, did you go to the weekly luau once or a luau someplace else?

Bill, thanks for the list! I am sure we will go to a couple you recommended!

22tango

No, cd, we've been to luaus on Kauai, but never the Big Island. We just happened to be at Don's Mai Tai Bar on (one of?) the night Royal Kona Resort was hosting its luau on the lawn close enough for us to hear and see parts of it. If you're not planning on a luau, I'd suggest you at least find a place where you can enjoy some pupus and hula; it's mesmerizing in its grace and beauty. One of my fave spots for that on the Big Island is the Copper Terrace at Mauna Kea Resort. That's a drive from Kona though.

cd

Definitely want to go to a luau. The one recommended in Hawaii the Big Island Revealed, is Kona Villiage.