Going to be in Kauai for a week in February. Anyone have any restaurant recommendations? We will be staying at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort. We will have our three and a half year old daughter who is relatively well behaved in restaurants.
Thanks!
Beach House in Poipu. although pricey and some say food not that good, drinks/dinner at sunset can’t be beat.
We also stay at the Grand Hyatt when in Kauai. Great place. Our favorite restaurant was Red Salt in the Koa Kea Hotel, about a 5 min drive from the Hyatt. Fantastic food.
For cheap, casual, great value and sure to please a 3.5 year old, check out Hamura Saimin in Lihue. Dumplings, noodles, Lilikoi chiffon pie - - - sure to please even the finickiest child.
There have to be some older threads here. If your child doesn’t raise hell, you can take her to any restaurant on Kauai.
Both in Kaapa and casual kid friendly.
Ono Family for breakfast. Macadamia Nut pancakes with coconut syrup. So wrong…
Mermaid Cafe for the Ahi Nori wrap
Tip Top Motel Cafe & Bakery (Lihue) if you want to eat with the locals for breakfast or lunch, Kilauea Fish Market for an Ahi Wrap, tacos, or fish plate for lunch if in Kilauea.
Thanks all!
Lol, I remember Tip Top. Definitely a locals kind of place.
My wife got upset when I didn’t mention Olympic Cafe in Kaapa. It was pretty good. She really liked it. Casual scene.
Like I said, look for some recent threads. I remember making a long post therein. Best chef on the island is Jean Marie Josselin, he has a “tapas” place in Poipu and a new one place in Kapaa.
A bit of a hike from the Hyatt, but there are a number of spots in Hanalei. We really enjoyed Bar Acuda when we were there a few years ago.
It’s been a couple of years since we’ve been to the Hyatt in Poipu, but it’s been one of our favorite vacation hotels for many years. Josselin’s Tapas was one of the best spots we enjoyed, but there’s at least one recent review that says it’s changed ownership and is not as good. It looks like Jean Marie’s new restaurant is called JO2. It’s in Kapaa, a bit of a drive from Poipu. I haven’t been to it, but I’ve been a fan of Josselin’s cooking since A Pacific Cafe many years ago, and will certainly give this a try when we return to Kauai this summer. Tidepools at the Hyatt is also a good choice, especially if you don’t feel like leaving the property. Great setting, good food and not outrageously priced … considering the location.
Lots of shave ice places – we found one which is special and worth a visit - Wailua !!!
I’ll second Red Salt for fine dining. We stayed at the Koa Kea, and really enjoyed their food. Even the bar menu stuff was well executed (wagyu burgers were awesome).
On the north shore, Tahiti Nui in Hanalei was surprisingly good - inventive and well prepared, all in something approaching a dive bar atmosphere.
And definitely don’t forget the local favorites. Jo-jo’s Shave Ice in Waimea is one of the best I’ve had anywhere. Ishihara Market in Waimea is a great place to get lunch if you’re over by the canyon. The deli counter has really outstanding Poke in several varieties. And Hamura Saimin in Lihue was a great example of local cooking. Just be sure to get there early or late, as the local lunch crowd can make things busy.
We tried Josselin’s Tapas, and came away underwhelmed. Maybe it was an off night, or maybe we were in the wrong mood, but it just didn’t do it for us.
We had jo-jos and Wailua. Wailua wins hands down. Not even close to the same level. Like 2 buck chuck vs decent NAPA cab.
It’s been a solid 5 years since we were there, so I won’t argue on what the current best shave ice is. Heck, it might not even have been Jojo’s back then, but whatever was in that building was good at the time. 
Another vote for both Red Salt and Bar Acuda.
We’re heading to Kauai in about a month. AdamK or anyone else, any recent experiences to share ?
Where are you staying? What we didn’t realize is the island is small but it can take a very long time to get places due to low speed limits and traffic.
Overall had a great trip! Most meals were very casual(sometimes just eating sushi out of the back of our jeep). Didn’t really venture to any fine dining.