In my previous post about Kauai hiking trails, I talked a bit about why I love hiking. However, I left out one thing. Hiking is a great way to work up an appetite, and if you’re in a place with as many delicious food options as Kauai, you’ll want to make as much room as possible to eat.
If you’re looking for some ideas about the types must-eat food in Kauai, this post is for you. It details the foods and some restaurants to get them.
Must-Eat Foods in Kauai:
Macadamia Nut Crusted Fish
A majority of the cultivated macadamia nuts in the world are cultivated in Hawaii, and you will see them everywhere in Kauai. Macadamia nuts flavor ice creams, pies and are of course sold by themselves. One of my favorite ways of eating them on the island was through macadamia nut crusted fish.
It’s no surprise that fish dishes are must-eat in Kauai. In fact, I ate fish at least once a day every day I was there and was never disappointed. The fish is so fresh and flavorful that you really can’t go wrong no matter how it’s prepared. That said, I’ve always loved fish crusted in nuts, so could not pass up the opportunity for some fresh fish with local macadamia nuts.
This dish was offered on nearly every menu I saw in Kauai, but I decided to get it at Brennecke’s Beach Broiler – a popular South Shore restaurant. Eating at Brennecke’s Broiler requires a reservation or a very long wait with no guarantee of a table. Their menu offers macadamia nut crusted catch-of-the-day. In this case, the catch was ono, which is a popular fish you’ll see on menus throughout Kauai.
The fish was fresh and tasty, and the macadamia coating left a subtle nutty flavor with a slight crunch. I appreciate texture in my food, so the crunch was a welcome addition.
Brennecke’s Broiler also overlooks a beach that is a popular place for sea turtles to rest. If you get there near 7 p.m., you get to see sea turtles coming up to the shore for the night, which is a special experience. Make sure to give them plenty of room and only admire from afar.
Poke
Poke originated in Hawaii, and my first visit to the state would have been incomplete without a couple of poke bowls. Though I eat poke bowls all the time in California, the dish was very different in Kauai. In California, I typically get a bowl with 2-3 types of fish and various toppings and sauces. By contrast, the poke bowls in Kauai were much simpler, with a light sauce and minimal toppings that helped the fish really stand out.
I got poke from two different places in Kauai, and they were the two best poke bowls of my life.
The first place was a small restaurant called Sleeping Giant Grill in Kapa’a. The bowl was very simple, just rice, cucumbers and a bit of spicy sauce that perfectly enhanced the flavor of the incredibly fresh fish.
The second poke bowl came from the Koloa Fish House. I originally wanted to go to this South Shore fish house to buy a fish to cook in our Airbnb’s huge kitchen. However, they were only selling ahi, which I felt I’d eaten plenty of on the island already. They also sold poke bowls, so we got one of those instead, which ended up being a great decision. These poke bowls were also pretty simple, though more customizable than at Sleeping Giant. I got wasabi ahi poke and shoyu ginger poke with some edamame and pickled cucumbers. The sauce here also complemented the flavor and freshness of the ahi well.
Ahi Tuna Wrap
Ahi is a must-eat fish to get on the island. One of my favorite ways to get it here was seared and in a wrap. I got it in two places, but my favorite came from the Sleeping Giant Grill.
As said above, I originally wanted to go to Sleeping Giant Grill for the poke. Then the ahi wrap also caught my eye. The Food Network visited this restaurant and voted the wrap “Best Thing I Ever Ate.” I am very susceptible to food recommendations. Though the poke bowl was absolutely delicious, the ahi tuna wrap completely overshadowed it. It was an explosion of flavor in the best way possible. Seared tuna, light dressing, rice, bean sprouts and cabbage – I would swim back to Kauai for it.
I also tried an ahi wrap at another restaurant. It was good, but nothing could have compared to Sleeping Giant Grill.
Fish and Chips
Fish and chips was also a popular dish on menus in Kauai, but it was not made the same everywhere. I tried it in two restaurants on the island, and the dish was very different but equally tasty in both places.
The first place was also Brennecke’s Broiler. Here it was made with marlin and had a beer batter crust. Marlin is typically a meaty fish, and it melted in my mouth here. The batter was thick and had a very nice crunch. If I were eating this by myself as a meal, I think the batter would have eventually been too much fried food for me, though.
The second place I had fish and chips was Kauai Brewing, which claims to be the western-most brewery in the US. Kauai Brewing made their fish and chips with mahi – another popular fish you’ll find on menus throughout Kauai. As a contrast from Brennecke’s, the fish and chips here was only lightly battered. The light breading made the flavor of the fish stand out really well and was not too greasy. This batter was perfect for what I wanted at the time.
Kalua Pork
I love pulled pork. I typically make it slow-cooked in a crock pot or oven then topped with basic barbecue sauce. Kalua pulled pork is named for its traditional cooking method in an underground oven that gives the pork its signature smoky, earthy flavor. You can find this on most menus in Kauai, with or without barbecue sauce.
I also ate this in two different places on the island. The first was at the Lu’au Kalamaku show, which serves a dinner buffet before its traditional luau show. The Kalua pulled pork stood out to me more than any other food served for its rich, smoky flavor.
I also ordered a Kalua pulled pork sandwich at Keoki’s Paradise. Keoki’s paradise has delicious food, but what stood out to me most was its ambience. The restaurant has an indoor-outdoor feel. If you sit in its main section, it feels like you’re relaxing on a Hawaiian lanai, with flowing water, greenery, tiki torches and roaming chickens.
Kalua pork also comes in a dish that is often served at brunch in Kauai: Loco moco. Loco moco is rice, kalua pork and a fried egg covered in gravy. It is a very heavy dish – perfect if you’ve had a few mai tais the night before.
Fish Tacos
Another must-eat fish dish you’ll find in Kauai is the fish taco. I make fish tacos pretty often at home, but needed to take a break after having them in Kauai because they were just too good on the island.
I had fish tacos at Kalapaki Joe’s, which claims the title of the Western-most sports bar in the US. In my experience, sports bars aren’t typically known for their amazing food, but Kalapaki Joe’s was an exception. They had two different types of fish tacos, and I got the fresh catch Island tacos. These tacos were made with the catch-of-the-day, which again happened to be ono. The tacos are on flour tortillas and come with slaw, tomatillo-lime cream sauce and plenty of pico-de-gallo. Like all the other fish dishes I had here, they were fresh and delicious.
Shave Ice
Shave ice is one of the most iconic desserts in Hawaii. It’s different from a snow cone, which is simply crushed ice with flavored syrup. Hawaiian shave ice is distinct because of the finely shaved ice that is so thin and almost creamy. Several places in Kauai serve it with syrups of local flavors. Sometimes, it will also include additions like macadamia nut ice cream or condensed milk.
I had shave ice from two different spots in Kauai. Hands down the best place was a small shop called Wailua Shave Ice. Wailua Shave Ice is found in between the North and South shores, on the eastern side of the island. It is inside a shopping center and had a line nearly out the door on a Friday afternoon. Shave ice here is basically an art.
I got the ube-flavored shave ice topped with a “snow cap” (condensed milk), and it was impossibly creamy. I had no idea ice could be that creamy. The ube foam and flavor was also delicious and had the perfect level of sweetness.
The shave ice here was so delicious that I was inspired to try it from a different spot on the South Shore. This shave ice place also included a scoop of macadamia nut ice cream, but I was sadly disappointed by the shave ice overall. If I hadn’t had the ultimate creamy shave ice the day before in Wailua, I’m sure I’d have enjoyed it more. However, it just couldn’t compare.
Hula Pie
Hula pie originated in Maui, but is a must-eat dessert in Kauai as well. The pie is macadamia nut ice cream on a cookie crust and covered with fudge, whipped cream and additional macadamia nuts. Several places serve this dessert, but I got a slice at Keoki’s Paradise on the South Shore. It was every bit as dreamy and decadent as I imagined. It was also huge, and I was glad to share.
Duke’s in Lihue is supposed to have the best Hula pie on the island. However, I knew I wasn’t going to make it there on this visit and didn’t want to miss out on trying Hula pie while in Kauai just because I wasn’t in the place with the “best” slice. I was very pleased with my decision regardless.
Chocolate Opihi
Chocolate opihi is a must-eat candy made by the Kauai Chocolate Company. The chocolate factory/shop is located on the west side of the west side of the island. The opihi candy is unique to the shop and is a cookie, macadamia nut and caramel covered in dark or milk chocolate. You can stop by the shop after a boat ride or helicopter ride to the Napali coast, or a dinner/beer at Kauai Brewing company.
Mai Tai
Not technically a food, but a must-eat drink cocktail when in Kauai. Mai tai is the drink of the island. Made with a combination of light and dark rum and garnished with a pineapple slice, you can get a mai tai just about anywhere. One of the best I had was at Kalapaki Joe’s.
Final thoughts:
Kauai is full of incredible must-eat food, and I don’t think I really had a bad meal on the island. However, restaurant meals are also fairly expensive, so make sure to plan accordingly. The better the ambience in the restaurant, the more expensive the meals are going to be as well. Some of the smaller, more hole-in-the-wall places like Sleeping Giant Grill are going to be more affordable. Luckily, almost every restaurant has outdoor seating or big windows with a lot of air flow.
Also, make sure to make reservations to eat at any sit-down restaurants, or you are going to be waiting a long time for one of these must-eat dishes.
