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On Kauai, if you're lucky enough to win an invitation to a potluck, baby luau, or beach party, don't think twice—just accept. The best grinds (food) are homemade, and so you'll eat until you're full, then rest, eat some more, and make a plate to take home, too.But even if you can't score a spot at one of these parties, don't des
On Kauai, if you're lucky enough to win an invitation to a potluck, baby luau, or beach party, don't think twice—just accept. The best grinds (food) are homemade, and so you'll eat until you're full, then rest, eat some more, and make a plate to take home, too.But even
On Kauai, if you're lucky enough to win an invitation to a potluck, baby luau, or beach party, don't think twice—just ac
On Kauai, if you're lucky enough to win an invitation to a potluck, baby luau, or beach party, don't think twice—just accept. The best grinds (food) are homemade, and so you'll eat until you're full, then rest, eat some more, and make a plate to take home, too.
But even if you can't score a spot at one of these parties, don't despair. Great local-style food is easy to come by at countless low-key places around the island. As an extra bonus, these eats are often inexpensive, and portions are generous. Expect plenty of meat—usually deep-fried or marinated in a teriyaki sauce and grilled pulehu-style (over an open fire)—and starches. Rice is standard, even for breakfast, and often served alongside potato–macaroni salad, another island specialty. Another local favorite is poke, made from chunks of raw tuna or octopus seasoned with sesame oil, soy sauce, onions, and pickled seaweed. It's a great pupu (appetizer) when paired with a cold beer.
Kauai's cultural diversity is apparent in its restaurants, which offer authentic Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thai, Mexican, Italian, Vietnamese, and Hawaiian specialties. Less specialized restaurants cater to the tourist crowd, serving standard American fare—burgers, pizza, sandwiches, surf-and-turf combos, and so on. Poipu and Kapaa offers the best selection of restaurants, with options for a variety of tastes and budgets; most fast-food joints are in Lihue.
Located in the laid-back Waimea Plantation Cottages hotel, this equally casual eatery has a veranda that's a great place to sit with a beer and watch the sunset while the kids run around on the lawn. The fare is simple and hearty: barrel-smoked barbecue chicken, pork, brisket, or ribs; plus salads, tacos, burgers, and pizza. Breakfast burritos, eggs, granola, and pancakes start the day. Barrel Taps, the sports bar in front, features a self-serve beer wall.
9400 Kaumualii Hwy., Waimea (Kauai County), Hawaii, 96796, USA
Don't let the name fool you; they don't open at sunrise (more like 7:30 am, so come here after you watch the sunrise elsewhere). And it's not just a fruit stand: fill up on bagels, pancakes, smoothies, and coffee drinks in the morning; homemade salads, burritos, panini, and sandwiches for lunch; and tropical-style fresh juices, such as pineapple, carrot, watermelon, and guava, anytime.
Attached to a gas station and small-items store, this classic hole-in-the-wall has the best deals for a take-out breakfast or lunch on the North Shore. Darron's local-beef burgers have a loyal following, and you may have to get in line for his lunchtime favorite, chili-pepper chicken. He also parks his food truck at Anini Beach every weekday from 11 am to 2 pm.
5--4280 Kuhio Hwy., Princeville, Hawaii, 96722, USA
Pick up some of Kauai’s tastiest made-to-order rolls, sushi burritos, and poke bowls with ahi, smoked salmon, and (sometimes) ono at this modest trailer. Dine in the adjacent courtyard (snag a table with an umbrella) or picnic at the beach. This is a popular place, so be prepared to wait in line.
A tiny café with a huge local following, Trilogy serves artisanal coffee, tea, chai, adaptogenic elixirs (with ingredients that may reduce the effects of stress on the body), and other blends, plus an array of sweet and savory treats, from avocado toast with macadamia nut pesto and za’atar seasoning to cakes and cookies.
Located at the Kiahuna Golf Course, the casual atmosphere and generous portions at Joe's makes it a refreshing alternative to the pricier hotel brunch venues in this area. Open-air breakfasts and lunches—think tofu scramble and banana-macadamia-nut pancakes or the quarter-pound hot dog and the build-your-own-salad options—comes with an expansive vista of Poipu, and happy hour, which often features live music, offers local favorites like manapua dumplings and ahi poke.
2545 Kiahuna Plantation Dr., Poipu, Hawaii, 96756, USA
For a wholesome breakfast or lunch on the West Side, this friendly, funky, and fun café—right down to the marking pens that allow you to leave your own graffiti on the bathroom wall—is the spot. The coffee is good, with each cup individually dripped, and the fresh bagels come with house-made cream cheese or a variety of toppings. The fruit-and-granola bowls and hearty smoothies are recommendable, too. Seating is very limited inside, but the courtyard in back is a nice spot to dine. There's also a location in Poipu Beach.
The menu is simple—poke bowls and a few types of sushi rolls—but the freshness of the fish and attention to quality preparation set this tiny sushi bar apart from the crowd and make it a star of the Poipu Beach food scene. Tucked into a corner of Kukuiula Market, it attracts a steady stream of customers who watch owner Matthew Oliver or another chef transform spicy ahi, blue crab, avocado, cucumber, and tobiko (roe) into the Hapa Roll or mix raw ahi, ono fish, salmon, cucumber, avocado, and sweet Maui onion into the Gorilla Bowl. Though there's a stool or two nearby, it's best to get it to-go and head for a beach or the picnic tables at Kukuiula Harbor.
This family-style Italian restaurant has an open-air deck where hearty portions of pasta, calzones, and thin-crust pizza are served, along with kalua pork and cabbage, grilled fish, and barbecue ribs, all of which can find their way into pizza toppings. Gluten-free crust and pasta are available.
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