Ask our Hawaii Specialist about these special restaurants on Kauai!
Favorite Kauai Restaurants
NEW GARDEN ISLE GRINDS
Favorite Kauai Restaurants
Casa di Amici Gaylord's Restaurant The Lighthouse Bistro
Casa di Amici
15-7132 Kuhio Highway, Haena, 826-0060
Casa di Amici's regulars were not happy when it moved from its former location in Lilauea to Poipu, but the setting from the lanai looking down to the ocean is better than the old locale. Rattan furnishings and ceiling fans retain the feeling of a kamaina (local) home, while the Italian-Mediterranean food includes touches of Thai, Japanese, French and Vietnamese. Many entrees can be ordered in light or regular portions. You can mix your favorite pasta with your choice of sauce, including pesto and salsa arrabiatta (a spicy tomato sauce with sautéed pancetta and crushed chili pepper) or enjoy the house scampi.
On Kauai, the iced tea (concocted with a bit of pineapple or raspberry) at GAYLORD'S RESTAURANT is enough to soothe the 'savage beast' after you've dragged 'him' through dozens of the plantation's intriguing little shops. Gaylord's is situated in and around the courtyard of a historic sprawling two-story Tudor mansion, so you feel as if you are dining on someone's private lanai surrounded by 35 acres of green gardens. Late lunch is best here when you can settle back in rattan chairs, enjoy a grilled Monte Cristo sandwich on Portuguese sweetbread or a "papaya-runneth-over salad" (bay shrimp and greens in a papaya) and watch the rest of the world go by.
The Lighthouse Bistro
2484 Kaneke St. off Lighthouse Road in Kilauea, 828-0480
This plantation-style building with terra cotta floors, bamboo chairs and Hawaiian artwork features windows that open wide to the balmy country air. Friday and Saturday nights, it's the only restaurant for miles around that features live piano music while serving contemporary cuisine with an Italian flair. Try seafood linguine and tortellini fresca or stuffed shrimp in phyllo and chicken satay with Thai peanut sauce.
Restaurants open and close with regularity on Kauai, while others endure for decades. These new eateries, with menus ranging from sushi to Pacific Rim to Mexican, seem likely to withstand the test of time.
POIPU TROPICAL BURGERS - Offers a diverse menu that appeals to a range of tastes and budgets. Diners can order hearty breakfasts with eggs and omelets all day; salads, sandwiches and signature burgers for lunch and dinner and fish, chicken and beef entrees and specials for a more traditional dinner. A great choice for families. This casual spot in the Poipu Shopping Village is open daily from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. (808) 724-1808.
THE BEACH HOUSE - This south-side favorite has new owners who fortunately retained the chef, Linda Yamada. The airy restaurant still offers Pacific Rim, seafood and regional cuisine in a dreamy oceanfront setting. If you can't afford dinner, at least enjoy pupus (appetizers) and a drink in the bar. Doors open daily from 5:30 to 10 p.m. (808) 742-1424.
CAFE CARA - By 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, the Dali Deli in downtown Koloa turns into Cafe Cara, which serves classic Italian fare. The menu changes regularly and may feature antipasto, risotto porcini, ravioli and other tradition delights. The food is good, the setting is nice and the prices are reasonable. (808) 742-8824.
THE SURF & TURF CAFE - Locates at the Kinipopo Shopping Village in Wailua, The Surf & Turf is a little eatery that delivers exactly what it promises - tasty meat and seafood at affordable prices. Lunch offerings include sandwiches, burgers and salads, while the dinner menu adds steak, shrimp, fish and chips and more. Nothing fancy, just basic good food in a low-key, relaxed setting with an oceanview mural. Open daily 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. (808) 822-0560.
HUKILAU LANAI - Over at the Kauai Coast Resort at the Beachboy, Hukilau Lanai bills itself as a fun place to hang out and a good place to eat. Fortunately, both claims are true. The torch-lit lanai overlooks the ocean and that's a good start for creating ambiance. There's also a pupu bar that offers such delicacies as Kona lobster bisque and coffee-seared ahi. Entrees range from a steak Crown Royal to laulau, to chicken and sugar cane-skewered prawns. The food emphasizes regional flavors and ingredients with a twist - and it works. Open nightly. (808) 822-2600.
La playita Azul "Small Blue Beach"
LA PLAYITA AZUL - This small, cheerful restaurant is a welcome addition to Kapaa. Located in the Kauai Village on Kuhio Highway, it serves authentic Mexican food, including its own beef and pork carnitas and sauces. The menu is typical, with burritos, tacos, chile rellenos, enchilladas and tostitos. What's different is the quality. Doors are open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and for dinner from 6 to 9 p.m. This place is busy, so you may have to order out if you don't want to wait for one of the few tables. (808) 821-2323.
Wasabi's Sushi Restaurant
WASABI'S - Just down Kuhio Highway from La Playita Azul, is a truly fun and unique sushi restaurant, with all kinds of unusual rolls. The soft-shell crab roll is yummy, as is the rainbow roll with different colored fish draped over it. On a different note, try the crispy seafood balls of crab, scallop, fish and shrimp in a large ball of crispy rice. Chef Eddie makes some tasty sauces for his sushi, such as unagi-avocado (unagi is eel). He likes to experiment, so ask for something 'way out there' or choose from the regular sushi menu. Tempura, yakitori chicken,and fresh fish specials are also on the dinner menu. Wasabi's will be adding an upstairs to the restaurant with a bar for ocean view dining. The restaurant is open for lunch (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) on weekdays, and dinner (5:30 to 10 p.m.) nightly. (808) 822-2700.
LIGHTHOUSE BISTRO (Also, see separate listing below.) This spot has taken over the airy digs of Casa di Amici in Kilauea, which moved to Poipu. Longtime North Shore chef Michael Moore is in the kitchen, ably turning out such goodies as cheese-stuffed shrimp wrapped in shredded phyllo dough, veal piccata and a variety of pasta, steak and fresh fish specials. Lunch includes sandwiches, burgers, fish tacos and salads. Live music is performed Sunday through Wednesday, adding to the quiet, romantic ambience of this bistro-style eatery. Dinner reservations are recommended. (808) 828-0480.
BAMBOO BAMBOO - This sweet little spot in Hanalei includes an enclosed dining room, a courtyard with views of the stunning mountains and taro fields and a front porch that overlooks the main drag. The menu is equally diverse, blending surf and turf, Pacific Rim with steak, fresh fish (potato-crusted mahimahi was offered one recent night), shrimp and pasta dishes. Portions are large and the service is friendly. It also has a full bar and a cappucino bar. It's an enjoyable, comfortable place to dine for lunch or dinner. (808) 826-1177.
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