Best Kauai Restaurants

Curious about the best restaurants in Kauai?  This small island is filled with fantastic food, including plentiful fresh fish, poke, and more. Whether you are looking for casual budget eats, local favorites, or fine dining, this guide covers the top spots to dine on Kauai.

Planning a trip to Kauai?  Also read my Grand Hyatt Kauai Review, Top Things to Do in Kauai, and my Top 20 Favorite Moments from Kauai Part 1 & Part 2, plus my  Hawaii Travel Page.

Best Kauai Restaurants

What are the best Kauai restaurants?  This island might be small, but it's filled with so much delicious food.  I've been to Kauai three times since my honeymoon, and each time I find new spots to love and revisit our favorites again and again.   Whether you are looking for local dive spots or award-winning fine dining, you can find it all from Poipu up to Hanalei and Princeville.  The food scene has grown so much over the years.  We have had such good food during our visits to Kauai and Hawaii that it is easily one of our favorite reasons to go and a primary reason we keep going back.  My kids even love poke now, too!  From food trucks, poke markets, and upscale restaurants, my food-loving heart went crazy on this cozy island.  So without further ado, get your taste buds ready for the best Kauai restaurants.

If you love Kauai as much as we do, you can see our family photos from Kauai here and here.

 

Best Kauai Restaurants

1 Kitchen Hanalei Bay

1 Kitchen Hanalei Bay is one of the best restaurants in Kauai.   Located in the completely remodeled Hanalei Bay hotel, this open-air dining spot is nothing short of spectacular.  The decor is unique and so is the vibe.  The views look like this.

This unique dining spot features loads of fresh produce and a colorful, distinctive menu.

The service was just as lovely as the food, and we really enjoyed everything about it.  It was a fancy spot, but our kids still felt welcome.  Just look at their poke.

The colorful ahi tuna plate was also the star of our meal.

And we could not resist this gorgeous homemade pasta.  Book your meal around sunset for incredible views.  You will not be disappointed in this splurge meal!

 

Tidepools

Tidepools is another of the best restaurants in Kauai.  This spot has been a classic favorite dining spot in Kauai for years.  We have gone on each of our three trips, including our honeymoon, and with our kids, and each time we have enjoyed it.

Tidepools is an uber romantic restaurant in the hotel that sits on a lagoon.  Inside, it feels like you are floating on this gorgeous koi pond.  It's the kind of place that you can't help but have a memorable meal.

Luckily, the food in Tidepools is just as good as the ambience.  I'm still dreaming of the Tahitian Ceviche and this main course.  The opah I ordered was one of my favorite meals on the entire trip.

We also had this lobster-and-fish dish, which was incredible.  If you are staying at the Grand Hyatt Kauai, make the time to eat here.

 

Seaview Terrace

Looking for more of the best Kauai restaurants?  The Seaview Terrace is one of our favorite, more casual spots.  This bar/restaurant is just off the Grand Hyatt Kauai lobby and sits in front of a stunning picture window.  The best part about this spot is the fresh air and nightly Hawaiian music, which will leave you feeling a lot of Hawaiian magic.

Even though it's hotel food, it's still incredible.  Look at this feta cheese, fresh tomatoes, and basil.

The views and food here make this a favorite restaurant in Kauai.  The Stevenson's Library also has great sushi.

 

The Beach House

The Beach House is another one of the best restaurants in Kauai.  This popular spot is loved for its Hawaiian food, large lawn, and the most amazing sunsets.

With a lilikoi mai tai with fresh lemon and lime in hand, the sunsets are nothing short of magic.

And here's the gorgeous lawn.

We also really enjoy the food, including this unique shrimp dish.

We also loved the burrata.

And the Beach House tuna was delicious, too.  The fish in Hawaii, including Kauai, is so much better than anything you will eat on the mainland.

 

 

The Dolphin

The top restaurant on my list of best Kauai restaurants is The Dolphin.  This unassuming little spot past Hanalei is pure magic.  On our first trip to Kauai, I had a lovely lunch of poke outside in Hanalei at The Dolphin.  I loved it so much that I knew I wanted to go back.

This time, the Hubs and I ate at The Dolphin no less than three times.  On our third trip with our boys, we also ate there three times.

The fresh fish is incredible.  The presentation of it is pretty simple, but it is so fresh and delicious.

Every night, there is an extensive list of fresh fish, again unlike anything you will find on the mainland.  We love how they just let the first speak for itself.

We also love their fish market and poke bowls equally.  Serve it in a rice bowl or even have an excellent sushi menu.

You can order them in the restaurant or grab them to go to take to the beach or your hotel.

This one is an octopus, which was so tender and tasty.

They also have a fish market where you can grab your favorites.

 

Koloa Fish Market

Koloa Fish Market is another of the best Kauai restaurants.  This local favorite feels like a true find, with locals and tourists lining up for their fresh fish and poke at excellent prices.  It is a casual spot where you order at the counter and take your food elsewhere to eat.  My kids also got their spam musubi.

This is another spot we enjoyed several times each trip.  We loved the poke.  You can take it to the picnic tables at the beach.

And we also have fish plate lunches and poke plates to eat on our hotel balcony.  Complete with seaweed salad.

 

Puka Dog

Puka Dog is another fun Hawaii find on the south shore of Kauai.  It's a small chain that originated in Hawaii.  They serve hot dogs in these fun buns with all sorts of super unique tropical flavors like Lilikoi Mustard, mango relish, papaya relish, or coconut relish.

The flavors don't sound like they would work, but they do.  The bun is closed with a hole in the middle so your sauces stay put.  Auntie Lilikoi's Hawaiian Mustard is incredible.

I'm a fan because they have a delicious veggie dog!  For some reason, I love those things- lol. Plus, they are so incredibly good with all the tropical flavors.  This place is a cult favorite, so expect to wait in line, but it's worth it.

 

J02 Natural Cuisine

JO2 is another of the best Kauai restaurants.  On our last night in Kauai before our late flight left the island, we booked one last-minute meal on the way to the airport.  We were going to just grab something easy at a food truck (which there are TONS of on Kauai,) but we had enough time to dine in style one last time so we did.  J02 was one of the island's highest-rated restaurants, and since we were on our way back to the airport, I snagged their first reservation of the evening.

This Lilikoi Martini instantly wowed me.

At this point in the trip, the Hubs and I were both pretty full, so we were going to share a meal, but once we saw the menu and the dishes coming out of the kitchen, we needed to make room for one more feast.

We got two fish dishes, and not only were these meals gorgeous, but they were each like flavor explosions.

The plates were so artfully created, and the food tasted even better.  Look at those potatoes.

 

Merriman's Kauai

Merriman's Kauai is at the top of the list of best restaurants in Kauai.  Merriman's is an iconic Hawaii name in food, pioneering farm-to-table cooking and Hawaiian regional cuisine.  90% of their food is locally grown or caught.

This was my favorite dish at Merriman's Fish House.

 

RumFire Poipu Beach

Another best restaurant in Kauai is RumFire.  This trendy spot in the Sheraton Kauai has excellent food and spectacular ocean views.  It's known for its filet mignon, short ribs, and fresh catch.  My personal favorite is the Misoyaki Butterfish.  It's one of my favorite dishes.

 

Keoki's Paradise

Keoki's Paradise is another of the best Kauai restaurants.  This fun spot has a waterfall and lots of pretty plants.  It's honestly a bit cheesy, but we love it and so do the kids.  We loved the fresh catch and crab cakes.

Most people come for the famous sweet treat, the Hula Pie, which is one of the most-recommended spots for dessert.  It is worth the splurge.

 

Tahiti Nui

Tahiti Nui is another beloved spot along the North Shore of Kauai in Hanalei.  This spot features amazing classic tiki cocktails.  They often have hula dancing and music.

They also have great poke.

And we loved their fish sandwich.  This is also the best place to order pizza from in Hanalei.

 

Island Taco

Island Taco is a dive spot with loads of big flavors!  We stopped here after our Napali Boat Tour and had the most delicious fish tacos.  The staff was super friendly too, and we loved this spot for a casual meal.  They even make their own tortillas.  This is a great recommendation!

 

Tiki Iniki

If you are looking for another, more classic tiki bar experience, Tiki Iniki is a fun spot.  It's the only spot in my entire trip that I got a fun mug with rum like this!

This spot is probably best known as a tiki bar and drinks, but we did enjoy our dinner here and went early with the kids.

The fish burger was good too!

 

Shave Ice

Eating shave ice isn't the best restaurant on Kauai, but it must be a part of your Kauai food experience.

Like most people who visit Hawaii, I discovered the Hawaiian treat of Shave Ice early on in my first trip to the islands.  I fell in love, and on each subsequent trip, I've made it my mission to eat Shave Ice every day.  This time, our whole family decided to make it a contest to try to find THE BEST shave ice in Kauai.  This was our favorite dessert.

If you aren't familiar with Shave Ice, it's like a snow cone, but better. Instead of crunching the ice, it's lightly shaved off a larger block of ice, creating a pillowy-like consistency.  It's then topped with a tropical-flavored, often homemade syrup.  Sometimes there is a scoop of ice cream at the bottom or a drizzle of coconut milk on top.  It sounds simple, but it is so delicious and addictive.

We obviously didn't try EVERY place on the island, but we tried quite a few.  One of our favorites was Jo Jo's.  They make their own syrups, which makes a big difference.  We went to the location near the foot of the road leading to the Waimea Canyon.

Another favorite of ours was The Fresh Shave, which is a food truck on the south side of the island.  The coconut flavor there was incredible, plus their presentation was adorable.

We also LOVED Wailua Shave Ice.  It used to be a food truck, but now has its own storefront.  They had all-natural ingredients.

The one on the right is an Almond Joy, and the one on the left was a Lilikoi (passion fruit) special.  I adore passion fruit, so it was my favorite from the entire trip.

On the North Shore, we also loved Wishing Well Shave Ice.

Their lilikoi was topped with fresh coconut, making it even more amazing.  Plus, you can't beat the views and hippie spirit on this side of the island.  We can't imagine a day on Kauai without a tasty Shave Ice!

 

Sugarloaf Pineapple

Another foodie find on Kauai that you can't miss is the Sugarloaf Pineapple.  It's obviously not a restaurant, but if you can find it on the island, you have to try it.

Before we left for Kauai, I read about a small farm that grows Sugarloaf pineapple and the fruit's near-cult status.  Sugarloaf pineapples are white, have minimal acid, and are tender the entire way through, even to the core.  Apparently, Dole and the other pineapple plantation farmers rejected this pineapple many years ago because of its white color.  It also has fewer of those fiber strings in it, making it not suitable for canning, which was how most pineapples left the islands in those days.  The crops of this fantastic fruit were destroyed, and they were replaced with less-flavored, more stringy yellow fruit.  Recently, a local Kauai farm decided to bring back the Sugarloaf Pineapple and started a small farm to grow it.  They hand-pick each fruit when it's perfectly ripe, and you can tell the love that goes into their craft.

As a huge fruit fan, I quickly found a local Farmer's Market where I could buy my own to try.  The sample was so delicious that the Hubs and I decided we had to have two.  The owners of the farm were also selling it, and their passion for what they do was captivating.

The Sugarloaf Pineapple tasted like sheer fruit joy.  Every bite was so creamy, tender, and so sweet.  No strings.  I devoured my pineapple and wished I had more.

That was a long story about pineapple, but guys, it was spectacular.  I'd go back to eat it again.  It might seem silly to hunt down a pineapple on vacation, but it was totally worth it.  We hunt several down each time we go.

 

Best Restaurants in Kauai

We had so much delicious food and loved exploring the best restaurants in Kauai.  These are our favorites from our three trips, but there are many others!  These are some of the top ones you will find in guides with links to the menus.

There is so much great food in this magical tropical paradise!  I hope you enjoy these foodie spots as much as we do.

And if you are planning a trip to Kauai?  Also read my Grand Hyatt Kauai Review, Top Things to Do in Kauai, and my Top 20 Favorite Moments from Kauai Part 1 & Part 2, plus my  Hawaii Travel Page.

More Best Restaurants in Kauai:

• Postcard Restaurant - A charming local restaurant in an old house in Hanalei.
• Lava Lava Beach Club - An oceanfront restaurant with drinks and delicious food.
• Duke's Kauai - A local chain, with a spot along Kalapaki Beach.
• Break + Feast - A great brunch spot with eggs and a flavorful island-inspired menu.
• Kauai Bakery - a delicious bakery known for its guava and liliko malasadas.
• Hamura Saimin- Home of Saimin, a Hawaiian noodle soup, like ramen with pork and roast pork.
• Eating House 1849 - Roy Yamaguchi's restaurant in Kauai.
• Musabi Truck - A casual food truck with three locations featuring musubi, poke bowls with rice, and bentos.

 

Travel Guides for Hawaii:

• Grand Hyatt Kauai Review
• Hilton Waikoloa Resort Review
• 20 Best Things to Do in Big Island, Hawaii
• Best Big Island Hawaii Restaurants
• Top 20 Favorite Moments - The Big Island
• Hiton Waikoloa Village Resort Guide
• Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park
• Top 20 Favorite Moments Kauai
• Top 20 Favorite Moments - North Shore Kauai
• Kauai Na Pali Coast Hike
• Back From Kauai
• Top Things You Can't Miss in Kauai
• 10 Ways to Stay and Explore Wailea on a Budget
• Haleakalā Volcano Sunrise
• South Maui Lava Hike

 

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