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Savage Shrimp
If you're a fan of garlic and shrimp, find the white van parked on a grassy roadside patch near Koloa Landing for heaped plates of Brazilian-style shrimp cooked with garlic, coconut milk, cilantro and tomatoes. Be prepared for blazing sun and greasy fingers (the shrimp is unpeeled).
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Shrimp Station
Follow your nose to this little roadside lunch window serving fresh, aromatic shrimp plates. Varieties include coconut and sweet chili. Each comes with ½lb of the critters and, of course, two scoops of rice.
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Small Town Café
With well-worn furniture and a hippie-boho vibe, this neighborhood hangout is the spot for leisurely chats or websurfing (free wi-fi). Enjoy organic, free-trade coffees and teas, plus live music in the evening.
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Tahiti Nui
This longstanding South Seas-style restaurant and bar was once the North Shore gathering place - and home of a popular luau. Today the well-worn hangout remains a lively, loud, local favorite. Although dinner is available, go for the bar action at happy hour ( to Monday to Saturday, all day Sunday) and for nightly live music.
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Tidepools
If you're a sucker for the classic 'romantic dinner for two,' you'll enjoy Tidepools, which matches the Grand Hyatt setting in island-style extravagance. The menu favors seafood, from silky sashimi to crab-lobster cakes to the wok-seared 'ahi . Vegetarians are not forgotten, with savory grilled tofu or Shiitake mushroom mains as creative as the rest.
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Tip Top Café & Sushi Katsu
The white, cinder-block building is lacking in atmosphere, but the main draws are its famous pancakes and oxtail soup. Meat eaters, go local with loco moco (two fried eggs, hamburger patty, rice and gravy), saimin (egg noodle and broth soup) and beef stew. Located inside, Sushi Katsu offers value-priced sushi and Japanese dishes.
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Tropical Taco
Don't miss the fresh Mexican fare, island-style, at this Hanalei favorite. Wholesome and delicious tacos, tostadas and burritos are made to order with either beef, fish, or veg.
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Waimea Brewing Company
It resembles a suburban mall joint but the open-air plantation building and swaying coconut trees are pleasant and the island-inspired pub food is tasty. Two creative uses of 'ahi : a seared poke wrap and a sushi roll filled with poke and flash-fried. As for the US's westernmost microbrewery's beers, aficionados find them only passable.
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Wasabi's
With marine-blue walls, well-worn furniture and funky 'under the sea' decor, Wasabi's has just enough grime for a boho-urban vibe - but not enough to produce the yuck factor. Try the house specialties like Lollypop Roll with paper-thin cucumber hugging succulent hamachi (yellowtail), maguro (tuna) and salmon ($12).
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Wishing Well Shave Ice
Can't miss the colorful van parked near the Hanalei Taro & Juice Company kiosk! While its claim to be the oldest shave-ice vendor on Kaua'i may or may not be true, it does serve a fine product.
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Wrangler's Steakhouse
Hearty appetites will enjoy this cozy, ranch-style restaurant. Meat eaters should try the signature 'sizzling' New York-cut steak, juicy and prepared to your liking, while indecisive types can choose a main of Japanese tempura, teriyaki beef and sashimi. Vegetarians, keep looking.
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Yum Cha
Here, Asian-fusion cuisine is presented tapas style. Flavors cover the gamut, from Chinese (dim-sum-style dumplings, crispy Mandarin chicken) to Thai (green-papaya salad, lemongrass-and-prawn soup) to Vietnamese (lettuce wraps).
