Restaurants in Hawai'i (The Big Island)
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Coffee Shack
The Shack has an amazing view from its intimate, open-air deck surrounded by tropical foliage. The place is perched precariously on the makai side of the highway and has very limited parking. The breakfasts, hearty salads, sandwiches and pizzas are consistently OK, while, ironically, the coffee gets bad reviews. Consider sliding in for a beer right before closing. It's between the 108- and 109-mile markers.
reviewed
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B
Bamboo
Bamboo is excellent value, so relax and get your tab started, which will be easy after you've had one of the bar's killer mai tais! Dinner here on a Friday or Saturday night, when down-home Hawaiian music (try to catch John Keawe) and hula are in full swing, may well be one of your best dining experiences on the island.
Friendly waitstaff bustle around in T-shirts, proving that there's no dress code here. Fresh, local food with vibrant flavor is the focus, and the menu's most exotic flavors are pulled off with ease. Reservations are recommended.
reviewed
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C
Fujimamas
Fujimamas blends hip, eclectic ambience - something Kailua's restaurant scene sorely lacks - with chic presentation, making it a very exciting new addition. The heavily Japanese-influenced menu includes sushi, wok dishes and 'things that make you go ummm'. The handmade Chinese noodles with mushrooms and truffle oil get wide acclaim, as does the grilled pork chop on tempura sweet potato bread with apple chutney and miso sesame sauce.
Oh, and leave room for the insane desserts, such as banana tempura on tropical French toast.
reviewed
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D
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.
reviewed
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E
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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Ba-Le Kona
Everyone gushes about Ba-Le's flavorful Vietnamese fare, like its green-papaya salad topped with shrimp, rice-paper summer rolls and traditional pho noodle soups. Satisfying sandwiches made with freshly baked French bread or croissants, cold rice-noodle salads and rice plates come with your choice of lemongrass chicken, tofu, beef or pork. The dining room is chilly and stark, with the usual florescent-tube lighting, but the food is worth it.
reviewed
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G
Seaside Restaurant
The calling card of this local institution is that its mullet and aholehole (flagtail) are raised in its own fish ponds. The traditional preparation (steamed in ti leaves) is good, but 'Chinese-style' is a flavorful variation. If it has moi - order it. This reef fish was once reserved for Hawaiian royalty and it's delectably soft. The view is nice, but you're here for the fish, not the so-so ambience and uneven service.
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O's Bistro
As a dining experience, the jury is out on this upscale bistro, with an unlikely location in the Safeway shopping center. Some ooh and ah over its eclectic menu, which jumps from Thai fried chicken and rice-noodle salad to kalamata linguine, from fish tacos to Peking duck. Others say the urban-chic interior gets too crowded and so noisy that it becomes difficult to hold a conversation. Vegetarians will delight in the 'food without faces' menu.
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Short 'n' Sweet
Sweet or savory - that's the question at this quality, two-table bakery. In the morning choose between a breakfast panini or delicate, French-style croissant and pastries, or, on Sunday, eggs benedict. Midday brings sandwiches on house-made focaccia bread and salads (often local and organic) with homemade dressings. On Friday and Saturday evening locals pack in for pizza made from scratch. As if that's not enough, the sweets are incredible.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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Punalu'u Bakeshop
This, the island's best-known sweet bread bakery, is Na'alehu's major tourist attraction, and it's a mandatory tour-bus stop. Its sweet bread comes plain or in the brightly colored flavors of guava, liliko'i or taro. Snack on a pastry or malasada, or grab a salad or sandwich to go from the deli (steer clear of the mediocre plate lunches). A small lawn bordered by flower beds out back is prime for picnicking.
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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.
reviewed
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Sushi Rock
The entire island talks about personal and charming Sushi Rock. Youthful owner-chef Rio Miceli, a Hawi native, has made lasting friends through his traditional and new-wave sushi, such as his generous Rainbow Roll and the Kohala ('ahi poke, fresh papaya and cucumber, rolled in macadamia nuts). The full bar, soups, salads and grilled fish and chicken dishes also aim to please. There's live music on Friday night.
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J
Restaurant Kaikodo
You hit the trifecta with Kaikodo - where the food, service and decor are all winners. For artistic, romantic ambience, nothing in Hilo can match it. Indeed, the whole scene - the Venetian chandeliers and intimate tatami room, the chef's gourmet flourishes - seems air-lifted from San Francisco. Indeed, a few locals grumble it's not 'Hilo,' but if you love food (and your traveling companion), make reservations.
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Hualalai Grille by Alan Wong
Nicknamed the '19th Hole', the Hualalai Grille, under the direction of celebrity chef Alan Wong, features signature dishes like the 'New Wave' Opihi Shooter appetizer - a tall glass of local limpets in spicy tomato water, fennel basil and ume shiso (Japanese plum) essences. Plus, you'll find creative fish mains and intriguing Hawaii-style versions of American classics. Reservations are recommended.
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Nasturtium Café & Bakery
Nasturtium takes nourishing its clients so seriously that a mission statement is posted at the entrance. Only hormone-free animal proteins and organic produce are used to create soups, salads, sandwiches and wraps with a gourmet touch. The fresh island fish quesadilla with chevre and pineapple salsa is divine, as is the organic gingered macadamia-nut tart. It's between the 112- and 113-mile markers.
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Miyo's
Overlooking Waiakea Pond, Miyo's resembles a rustic Japanese teahouse. Tasty, fresh renditions of tempura, sesame chicken, beef teriyaki, donburi, sashimi and more are generously accompanied by soup, rice and salad. Call ahead to reserve a coveted window table at this local favorite. The restaurant is in the first complex of buildings adjacent to the pond as you enter Waiakea Villa.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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N
Coffees 'n' Epicurea
A coffee-tasting room is an unlikely place for this patisserie with flaky pastries, delicate éclairs and gorgeous pies. (The baker defected from the Kohala Coast resorts.) A back patio has greenery and some seating, and its gift shop is surprisingly sophisticated, obviously catering to a crowd beyond the tour-bus norm. It's on the makai side at the 106-mile marker.
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Hana Hou
Of the two restaurants in town, there's really no question: Hana Hou is the spot. On the makai side of Hwy 11, this friendly diner serves up 'real food for a decent price' with no holds barred on flavor. Its menu sports the usual meat and fish plates, along with extras like stir-fries and chicken parmasan. The chock-full dessert case won't let you leave without.
reviewed
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Bong Brothers
Your best bet for food in Honaunau is vegetarian deli take-out from Bong Brothers, a small health food and gift store located in an historic 1929 building. The green papaya salad is delicious, as are the smoothies, soups, curries and burritos. Organic produce fills baskets on the front porch, and a rocking chair there is perfect for watching the characters come and go.
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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.
reviewed
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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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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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Reuben's
Talk about changes in longitude: Reuben's has the underlit, cinder-block, folding-table, bright-muraled look of a real Oaxaca cantina, and the food isn't far behind. Plates are greasy, cheesy and generous, and you'll agree that the chili rellenos, fish tacos and salsa 'broke da' mout.' Service may be slow, but that's why Mexico invented the margarita.
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