When we sent the guide book with the invitations, we wanted to help folks with planning, and also give a sense of the island. Still, food is so very personal – we don’t love everything the reviewers do, and we’ve had great experiences where they’ve been unimpressed. You’ll find your own way. Here are some of our favourites (and some duds). Check the guide book for prices and addresses.
Tidepools at the Hyatt: we love it – we went twice in our one-week trip last December. We will be hosting a dinner there with our friends the night before the wedding; we recommend it completely.
(scroll down the page to find Tidepools info)
Gaylord’s: truly romantic – great atmosphere, wonderful service, superb food; ambiance includes old trains and horse-drawn carriages – we thoroughly enjoyed this place. It’s on the main highway coming out of Lihue, before you turn down to Poipu.
Puka Dogs (pronounced poo-kah): yes, this is a hot dog joint – they have huge gourmet dogs, both meaty and vegetarian, with outrageous sauces (try the mango or the hot mustard) and the best lemonade to balance the flavours. It’s walking distance from the Hyatt, but you may want to drive in the heat.
Kauai Coffee: this is a coffee plantation, with an old-style plantation building, serving coffee and treats (best iced mochas around!) They also have a gift shop that’s actually worth a look, and historical information about coffee on Kauai.
Zelo’s in Hanalei: this is one of our favourite restaurants on the island – we went there on our first trip and have been back nearly every time. They have the best fish & chips ever – made with ono (a dense variety of white fish), and humongous salads. When we were there in December, we traveled to the North Shore, anticipating fried ono all day long, only to find that they were closed for renovations. Darn! There are other great places to go in Hanalei, but when you are counting on Zelo’s, it’s just not the same. This trip, we plan on lunch at Zelo’s when we take our families to the North Shore the day after the wedding.
(I can’t seem to find a working link for this one – it’s in the guide book though, and you trust us, right?)
Tropical Taco in Hanalei: we discovered this one day when Zelo’s had too long a wait for us to eat there again in the same trip. The food here is excellent and fast, the environment is surfer casual, and it is way easy on the pocketbook. As I read in one review: you can have anything you want to drink, as long as it’s lemonade. Worth a trip!
Waimea Brewing Company: this is in the “town” of Waimea, on the west side of the island, just before you run out of road at the military installation. This is near the turnoff to go up to Waimea Canyon. In July, this is going to be a very hot part of the island – we recommend a morning trip to Waimea Canyon and the overlook at Kalalau Valley, then stop in at Waimea Brewing Company for lunch on your way back. We haven’t tried it yet, but it looked good when we visited in December, and we plan to check it out this trip.
La Cascata at the Princeville Hotel: the Princeville is a European-style hotel, set in tropical paradise – it feels very grand when you first enter the lobby. La Cascata is a phenomenal Italian restaurant, overlooking Hanalei Bay, with the cliffs rising opposite. The service is top-notch, the food is superb, and the view is without compare. This is a treat.
The Living Room at the Princeville Hotel: this is an open lounge on the main lobby level, with floor-to-ceiling windows showcasing the same spectacular view as La Cascata. They have low-key entertainment several nights a week, a dessert buffet on (I think) Saturday nights, and a wide variety of drinks, snacks, appetizers, sushi etc. It’s still spendy (this is the Princeville), but a more casual way to enjoy the view and ambiance – there is also a terrace outside.
Polynesia Café in Hanalei: this natural-foods restaurant in Hanalei has a granola-head feel to it, with surf board décor. The food is fresh, fast, and tasty, all made on site with love. If you are up for the zing, their ginger lemonade will both fire up and cool down your day – they make it zippy. (It looks as if they have opened up another one in Kapa’a, but it’s hard to imagine that one working as well as the Hanalei site. Maybe.)
Papaya’s Natural Foods in Kapa’a: this is at the back of a shopping plaza. It's a great source for alternative items, plus they have treats from Icing on the Cake (our wedding cake baker) which is just around the corner. There is also a new, smaller, Papaya's store in Hanalei serving the North Shore.
Wishing Well Shave Ice in Hanalei: shave ice served out of a green van on the right as you head north into Hanalei, in the same parking lot as Kayak Kauai. This is a pretty colourful experience, and you should do it at least once, although I would skip the ice cream with the shave ice – it is entirely redundant and your cheeks just may melt off with the sugar if you do it all at once.
(these are relaxed hippies in a green van – no website)
"Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly."
~M.F.K. Fisher
Cautionary Notes:
Dondero’s at the Hyatt: great food, but hardly any view and the service does not match the Hyatt or prices – we were not impressed, and won’t go back, especially when the Hyatt has Tidepools.
Beach House in Poipu: beautiful sunset view, pissy service, good food, lackluster service, gets lots of press, (did I say crappy service?), we think it’s more than a little overrated, especially for the price.
Hamura’s Saimin Stand in Lihue: the guide book gives this an “ono” and we have no idea why – at least now they admit it’s dumpy. This place is a dive, the food was salty rather than tasty, and the service was surly at best. We can’t recommend it – as above, not all reviewers agree. ;-)
This is a start. The guide book now has more reviews than earlier editions, and many have changed since our first trip to the island. We may be out exploring too: we want to try Scotty’s Beachside BBQ in Kapa’a and the Korean BBQ in Wailua. We’ve tried to go to Shipwreck Subs & Ice Cream in Kalaheo, but they’ve always been closed. Or maybe they just look closed – this is a shack, overgrown by bushes, threatening to fall over – but I’ll try again for the chance to try the mythic awesome ice cream from the Big Island.
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