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Island Lava Java
It's inevitable that you'll end up at this popular café at least once. If you don't come for a satisfying egg or pancake breakfast, then you'll hit the excellent grill for a sandwich or bistro salad, since it serves later than most. Or maybe you'll need that afternoon Kona coffee and a sweet treat. Whichever it is, you can enjoy it with a view of the bay and a lounge in the sun.
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Jackie Rey's Ohana Grill
Jackie Rey's dining room is bright and casual, attracting those looking for good value and a conventional dining experience. The menu presents typical meat and seafood dishes with influences from all over the globe. For lunch, try the seared ahi poke wrap with stir-fried vegetables. For dinner, try the pork loin with coconut shrimp stuffing and honey Jack Daniel's glaze.
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Kailua Candy Company
Founded in 1977, this stark chocolate shop once ranked in Bon Appetit magazine as among America's top 10. Try its celebrated macadamia-nut honu ('turtles'; nuts and caramel covered with chocolate) and truffles in flavors like passion fruit, Kona coffee and guava-rum. To get here, turn mauka on Hina Lani St off Hwy 19 and right on Kamanu St.
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Kama'aina Terrace
Oceanfront and breezy, the Outrigger holds several inviting dining events in addition to its regular menu. A seafood and prime-rib buffet including traditional Hawaiian dishes and sushi is held every Friday. On Sunday there's a lavish brunch buffet. The Sunset Specials include salad, a main course, sorbet and coffee or tea.
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Kanaka Kava
Drop by this tiny locals' spot to sample Zachary's kava, the mildly relaxing juice of the 'awa plant, or his organic salads topped with a choice of fish, shellfish, chicken, tofu or poke (cubed raw fish marinated in soy sauce, oil and chili pepper). The Hawaiian à la carte items, including squid luau and taro steamed with coconut milk, rival the fare at any upscale place.
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Kava Kafé
If you haven't tried kava (mildly relaxing juice of the 'awa plant), this intimate local hangout can help you out. Choose between traditional or flavors such as Maya Chocolate, made with coconut milk, ginger, chocolate, cayenne and cinnamon. On Friday there's live post-sunset tunes and an all-you-can-drink special.
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Kawaihae Harbor Grill
The Grill is housed in an early-20th-century general store building with cute interior decor, and it's a local favorite. Fresh seafood is the specialty, appearing in omelets in the morning and tasty dishes such as a red Thai curry in the evening.
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Kawaihae Seafood Bar
This charismatic upper-floor Seafood Bar is the best spot in town for a drink, or a lighter meal than you'll find at its partner, the Harbor Grill. The long bar has a thatched cover and good ocean-themed decor. The entree salads, poke burger and ginger steamed clams are favorites.
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Ke'ei Café
Widely renowned as one of the best restaurants on the island, Ke'ei is the spot for quality and flavor in an unpretentious environment. Off the main tourist track, this family-friendly restaurant eclectically blends Asian flavors, island fruits and the occasional Brazilian approach. Seafood is the focus here, though veggie dishes and other meats round out the constantly changing menu. Reservations are recommended for dinner.
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Ken's House of Pancakes
Strand a New Jersey diner in the tropics and you get a mile-long menu filled with mac-nut pancakes, fat crab omelettes, juicy burgers and kalua pig dinners. In other words, it's 'ono bra'! Local families keep it packed night and day, and it's the perfect place to bring yours (particularly pint-sized fussy eaters).
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Kenichi
Many attempt Pacific fusion; Kenichi does it right. The likes of cranberry miso sauce, balsamic reduction and curry with mint-scented yogurt sauce fill a menu of fresh, quality seafood and meat. The portions are small yet memorable. Sushi and pupu could be combined for a less spendy meal. It's a shame the environment doesn't match the standard of the food, with an extremely plain dining room and an unadulterated outdoor area the only options.
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Kiawe Kitchen
This pleasant café with outdoor seating offers dependable versions of shrimp scampi, mahimahi and rib-eye steak, plus thin-crust pizza and Big Island microbrews. It's a local favorite with a friendly atmosphere.
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Kilauea General Store
For groceries, pickings are slim at both Volcano Store and Kilauea General Store. The best trail lunch will be leftovers from the night before (Hint: think Thai).
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Kilauea Lodge Restaurant
Kilauea Lodge strikes the right upscale rustic notes with its vaulted beamed ceiling, wooden floors and historic stone fireplace. The kitchen prepares gourmet versions of mostly German comfort food: hasenpfeffer (braised rabbit), venison, antelope filet, sausage and sauerkraut, and Parker Ranch steaks. If you're in the mood for the menu, Kilauea Lodge is as good as you'll find on the Big Island. Reservations advised.
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Kohala Rainbow Café
Jen's small café has tasty chicken Caesar salads, good chili and a recommended Greek wrap sandwich with organic greens. Also on the menu are fresh-fruit smoothies, deli sandwiches and soups.
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Kona Brewing Company
Locals and tourists alike crowd around the bright, noisy bar for handcrafted brews at the Big Island's first microbrewery. Specialty ales include Big Wave Golden, which blends traditional pale and honey malts, and liliko'i (passion fruit) Wheat. Try the four-beer sampler. Diners enjoy salads and thin-crust pizzas from a stone oven, on a torch-lit patio surrounded by leafy plants. This place packs, so reserve ahead and anticipate limited parking.
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Kona Inn
If you're after a straightforward salad and sandwich lunch or steak and seafood dinner served in a handsome environment, the Kona Inn is your place. The inn opened in 1929 as the Big Island's first hotel, and maintains a historical air. The dining room has koa furnishings and gleaming hardwood floors, and overlooks a lawn and the crashing waves beyond.
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Kona Mixed Plate
Visitors never find this place, tucked in a shopping center behind Burger King. Burgers and saimin (local-style noodle soup) are on the lit-up menu, but the real deal here is plate lunches. Choose between a long list of meat and fish options, veggie stir-fry or tempura.
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Kuhio Grille
Locals needing a fix of traditional Hawaiian comfort food gather at the family-run Kuhio Grille. Its specialty is the filling 1lb laulau - various meats wrapped in taro leaves and steamed. However, all the Hawaiian favorites are here, such as poi, lomilomi , kalua pig, haupia and loco moco. It's behind Prince Kuhio Plaza.
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La Bourgogne
For many Kona residents, this intimate French restaurant is the hands-down choice for special occasions. The windowless dining room is a little musty, but the food is impeccable and it's the finest dining available in Kona. Venison chop with sherry and pomegranate glaze and roasted rabbit in white wine, aromatic vegetables and lavender are possibilities. Wait staff expertly navigate the extensive wine list. Reservations are a must.
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Lava Rock Café
Located behind Kilauea General Store, this basic diner is nothing special, but it's the favored spot for breakfast or a burger. There is a kids' menu available.
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Luquin's Mexican Restaurant
Everybody recommends Luquin's - not so much for the good-but-not-great Mexican food as for the scene. This Pahoa institution is a gathering place to hang out, eat, talk story and enjoy a drink or three at the cocktail bar.
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Manago Hotel
The Manago's history as a old-time roadhouse comes through loud and clear in its no-frills dining room and super-fast food prep. The menu is little more than a board on the wall, listing burgers and meat dishes such as the famous pork chops and a variety of well-prepared fish. Staff cheerfully bustle about greeting neighbors and delivering self-serve sides such as pickled ogo (seaweed). Breakfast is a set menu. You must eat here at least once.
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Merriman's
An innovator of Hawaii Regional Cuisine, chef and owner Peter Merriman created the Big Island's first gourmet restaurant devoted to organic, island-grown produce and meats. Romance infuses the dining room, and the service is perfect, but the proof is on the plate: Hawaiian- and Asian-influenced dishes like ponzu-marinated mahimahi, wok-charred 'ahi and panko-and-lime-crusted scallops are world-class gems.
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Merriman's Market Café
The Market Café serves flavorful Mediterranean-influenced dishes featuring organic island-grown produce, fresh fish caught locally, and the finest artisanal breads, cheeses and wines. Though the Merriman's in Waimea is highly recommended, this location feels a bit like a tourist trap. The flavors are wonderful, but the portions are tiny and the service is shaky.
