Are you looking for the best tips for restaurants and cafés on Kauai? Then you've come to the right place.
We spent a week on Kauai and explored the whole island. You can find our best tips for good food on Kauai here.
![Essen Auf Kauai: 7 Food-Highlights Auf Der Garteninsel Hawaii'S 2 2 - Viel-Unterwegs.de](/photo-data/photos/art/78/7835/7835912.JPEG" "Essen auf Kauai: 7 Food-Highlights auf der Garteninsel Hawaii's 7")
General info about food
As on every Hawaiian island, the cuisine on Kauai is defined by fresh ingredients and flavours. Whether it's a food truck, street stall or upscale cuisine. Freshness is important.
For this reason, regional cuisine uses locally grown ingredients. Restaurants like Merriman's Fish House and Roy's Poipu Bar & Grill offer upscale options. Book a table in advance if you want to dine at either of these restaurants.
Hawaiian luau with kailua shine and taro are particularly popular. However, no stay should be without real poke. We would have loved to eat fresh poke every day.
We did not eat the famous Shave Ice at all on Kauai. One taste is enough. We have already had our Shave Ice on Oahu on Oahu. If you've never tried it, you can do so at JoJo's Sh ave Ice(Hanalei and Waimea) or Wailua Shave Ice (Wailua) . However, only friends of classic water ice will like it. Katrin liked most of the flavours, Hannah and Philip declined with thanks.
Tips and other customs
In Hawaii, it's like on the American mainland. In restaurants, you stand at the entrance and wait until you are assigned a table. This is usually indicated by a sign at the entrance: "Please wait to be seated".
The prices on the menu rarely include taxes or tips (Tip). Only on the bill is the tax shown, conveniently often sums for tips (from 10 % - 20 %) suggested. The tip should be around 15 %.
Apps to find good restaurants and cafés
For America in general, we like to use Yelp! and Google reviews. Occasionally Tripadvisor as well. However, we feel that reviews on Yelp! are "more genuine" and better. For reserving tables, you should have Open Table installed. For the more upmarket places, you should always book a table in advance.
Eating out vs. cooking yourself
Especially on Kauai, we were able to test what is cheaper. If you eat healthy and like vegetables, salads and poke, you won't be able to save money. Only fast food is cheap. But we do without it. You will also find chains like McDonalds and Burger King on Kauai.
It doesn't matter if you eat out or cook for yourself. The savings on shopping are minimal. Most of the staple foods are imported from the mainland.
We still liked to buy poke at the fresh food counter at Safeway and make salads and guacamole to go with it. On longer trips, you enjoy your own kitchen in the holiday flat from time to time.
Koloa Fish Market, Koloa
"You absolutely have to try the Koloa Fish Market for the best poke bowl of our Hawai'i trip" - one of the many tips. We didn't need to be told twice and stopped at the Fish Market on our way to Poipu State Park.
Don't be put off by the queue, which is usually inside. After a short wait, we received our poke. The selection is huge: from Kimchi Tako Poke to Fresh Korean Ahi Poke to Fresh Spicy Ahi Poke, there were countless varieties to choose from.
Be sure to try: Fresh Spicy Ahi Poke, Kimchi Tako Poke or Fresh Wasabi Ahi Poke. It really is as delicious as all the reviews on TripAdvisor and Yelp promise.
Tip: Take the old Maluhia Road towards Poipu. The road is called "Tree Tunnel Street". You'll understand why when you drive through. Beautiful!
Address: 5482 Koloa Road, Koloa, HI 96756
Opening Hours: Monday - Saturday: 10am - 5pm
Poke Bowl from Koloa Fish Market in Koloa (Kauai) Kenji Burgers, Kapaa
This small burger restaurant was located right next to our accommodation in Kapaa. We loved it so much that we visited it twice. This is where Japan meets burgers. Everything tasted really good and was freshly prepared for us.
We would especially like to mention the friendly staff.
Our recommendation: definitely try the Furikaki fries. If you don't like burgers, there are also a few alternatives on the menu. For the brave ones, there is freshly tapped Japanese beer with a frozen head of foam, very funny, but not a taste highlight.
Address: 4-788 Kuhio Hwy, Kapaʻa, HI 96746
Opening hours: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday: 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.. Tuesday off.
The burgers at Kenji Burger on Kauai are so delicious! 
The frozen patty is the latest hit in Japan. Exclusively on Kauai, there is one of 10 machines that can do it at all. Al Pastor Taco Truck, Kapaa
At Kapaa's food truck court, you'll find several food trucks. The food truck of Paulino and Faun Hernandez is one of them.
Al Pastor's tacos are considered by locals to be the best on the island of Kauai. They serve tacos with roasted marinated pork, homemade pico de gallo and perfect guacamole.
Maybe we should have listened to the tip and had the typical tacos with meat. But we opted for Fresh Fish Tacos . There is always a catch of the day, freshly fried. Unfortunately, these were not among our favourites. Do better and order the Al Pastor Tac os (with pork) or the Chicken Tacos. For vegetarians, a version with courgette and carrots is offered.
What we only found out afterwards: The food truck is the filming location of Jurassic Park. The place where Nedry and Dodgson meet at the outdoor restaurant is right on the main road in Kapaa. Dodgson's taxi stand was filmed in front of what is now Otsuka's furniture store.
The scene where the two meet was filmed on the lawn between Al Pastor Tacos and Otsuka's Furniture Store. The palm trees shown in the film are now fully grown, but could theoretically be identified by the curvature of their trunks.
Also visit the food trucks in Hanalei. There is always something going on there. The selection ranges from burgers to Indian and Thai.
Address: 4-1620 Kuhio Hwy, Kapaʻa, HI 96746
Opening hours: Tuesday - Sunday: 11 am - 5 pm, Monday off.
Little Fish Cafe, Hanapepe
This small and colourful café is located in the artists' village of Hanapepe. Ideal for a late breakfast on the way back from Waimea Canyon or other early morning tours.
From organic coffee to delicious acai bowls, smoothies to bagels and sandwiches. For the sweet tooth, we recommend a Cinnamon Bun. Yummy!
The friendly staff and the many colourful stickers and posters particularly caught our eye. A café to our taste.
Address: 3900 Iona Rd, Hanapepe, HI 96716, United States.
Opening Hours: Daily 7am - 3pm
If the line is too long, stop by the Japanese Grandma's Cafe diagonally across the street. It's also a cute little café where it felt like only old people were sitting. In the shop itself, there is a shop that sells great homemade products. Take a look, there are great souvenirs here.
Hanalei Bread Company, Hanalei
This open-air café in the middle of your favourite place, Hanalei, offers everything from breakfast to brunch to fortify you before or after a hike.
You can buy local coffee or homemade healthy bread to take home from the small shop. However, the prices are quite steep for us at around $10.
Our tip: Brekkie Sandwich or Avo Toast.
Address: 3900 Iona Rd, Hanapepe, HI 96716, United States
Opening hours: Daily 7am - 5pm.
Brekkie Sandwich at the Hanalei Bread Company Farmers Market Hanalei (Hale Halawai 'Ohana o Hanalei)
Every Saturday from 9.30am - 12pm you have the opportunity to sample and buy local produce at the Hanalei Farmers Market.
More than 50 stalls from farmers and local producers offer you the whole range of Hawaiian cuisine. From fruit to vegetables to baked goods, you'll find everything your heart desires.
Especially in the summer months, there is an amazingly large selection of tropical fruits. Even during our visit in November (winter), the selection was amazingly large. Especially avocados and lilikoi (passion fruit) are a sought-after fruit then.
You can find more farmers' markets here tastingkauai.com/farmers-markets. Since some markets have different opening hours depending on the season, we always recommend visiting the Testing Kauai website ahead of time.
Address: Malolo Rd, Hanalei, HI 96714
Opening Hours: Saturday 9.30am - 12pm
Safeway Poke Counter
Every Safeway in Hawaii (all islands) has Ahi Poke at the fresh counter. You often have a choice of 8 - 12 different types of poke. For us, the choice was never easy. However, there was always at least one bowl with Spicy A hi Poke and Hawaiian Ahi Poke.
Alternatively, you can also choose from many poke varieties at foodland. However, we found this Ahi Poke not quite as tasty as at Safeway.
Safeway is located on Kauai in Lihue and Kapaa.
Address in Kapaa: 4-831 Kuhio Hwy Kapaa, HI 96746
Address in Lihue: 4454 Nuhou St Suite #301 Lihue, HI 96766
Opening hours: Open 24 hours.
Poke from the fresh counter at Safeway. We like to eat it "plain", i.e. without rice. More tips & links